I think we all enjoy receiving praise from those around us. I know when my lovely lady compliments me, my heart soars. What really matters is what our opinions of ourselves are. This can be a double-edged sword. If we accomplish something great, but do so by ill-gotten means, others may praise you, but inside, you will not be able to be proud of yourself. On the other hand, if you work very hard on a project, stay disciplined and it still does not work out, others may view it as a failure, but you can know what a great character you developed.
There lies the secret of approval. Develop your character to a point where you are satisfied that you have acted in accordance to the best version of yourself. Never stop improving and learning. If you do these actions, you will always have the approval of your inner character. It will allow the opinions of others to hold the appropriate weight.
The weekend is here! We have earned it. Just a word of caution, do not let the two days after Friday ruin all your effort from the five days before Friday. We might be able to relax a little more on the weekend, and we should, but stay committed to your goals!
What do you do to stay motivated and disciplined on the weekends? Please share in the comments below. I think we could all use a little extra help with motivation and dedication on the weekend!
This quote is so true. The circumstances we are born in are out of our control. What we do with them, that is entirely within our control. We all know, or have read about people seemingly born into the worst situations that rise up to become leaders and do great things. We have also heard tales of those born with everything that throw their lives all away.
How about you? What are you going to do with your life? Are you going to let those challenges hold you back, or are you going to use them as stepping stones to rise to greater heights? Are you going to complain about what is wrong or use it to prove what people can overcome? The choice is up to you.
My lovely lady is a big fan of Alice in Wonderland, so I thought I would use this quote. If memory serves, it was uttered to Alice by the Mad Hatter. The truth of this statement holds up in today’s world just as much as it does in the fairytale by Lewis Carroll.
We are all entirely bonkers in our own unique way. Me, you, the lady at the grocery store. It is those who are comfortable with their madness that truly make a difference in the world. Far too many of us hide our truth because we are afraid of the opinions of others. Do not let that stop you.
So many people think I am bonkers for trying to bring a little bit of light to a world that often seems consumed in darkness. They think my optimistic outlook is delusional. They may be right. However, I would much rather live in a world of joyous illusion than one of somber realism.
I encourage all of you to embrace that part of you that makes you unique. The part some may find entirely bonkers. I cannot say it enough, what the world needs more ofis people brave enough to live in their truth.So be a little bonkers, all the great ones are.
I think this is one of the great secrets to happiness. Today, let us all look for what we can love in our life. A good portion of people constantly lament many things about their lives. They have to go to work every day. They have aches and pains in their bodies. Their caris acting up again.
If we took a step back and changed our perspective, life may feel a lot different. What if we lost that job? We were unable to find work? Suddenly, that job we dread going to would be a dream come true. Those aches and pains are the wishes of someone who has become paralyzed. What if we did not have a car and had to take transportation everywhere?
I see this a lot with some couples. They constantly complain about each other. I think of all the people I know who have lost their spouse and would give anything to be able to have them back, even for a day.
Gratitude and appreciation can allow us to love the life we live. Next time you are tempted to complain about something or someone, ask yourself what you have to be grateful for. It might take imagining what life would be without that person or thing. We have so much in our life to love if only we chose to look at our life that way.
Forgiveness is a gift you truly give yourself. Most of the time, the person you are upset with could care less if you forgive them. Harboring anger only steals your peace. Knowing this, why do people put off forgiving others? I believe there are two reasons. Let us take a look at these one at a time.
First reason people don’t forgive others is that somehow they equate that with the other person ‘winning’. The opposite is actually true. If you let the person continue to keep you in a state of hurt and anger, then that would be closer to ‘winning’. In actuality, the only winning is living a peaceful and rewarding life. That can only be accomplished through forgiveness. If someone is still renting space in your head or your heart, evict them!
The second reason people withhold forgiveness, is they assume forgiveness means they would have to reconnect with that person. This is certainly not true. There are people who sadly can be in our hearts, but not our life. If there is someone who has done you so wrong you want them neither in your heart or your life, than youmust forgive them. By holding on to anger, or some feeling of hurt, you are maintaining a connection.
Saw these 2 items next to each other on the store shelves the other day. Thought it a rather dangerous proposition. If you weren’t careful, this certainly could make a bad situation even worse. Then, I was reminded of a very interesting fact that caused me to look at this in an entirely different light. It also gave me the idea for today’s post.
I posted this on social media and one of my friends commented “Life is all about balance.” This is so true. Sometimes life doesn’t seem to be moving at all, and sometimes it is going by too quickly. It never seems to be right in the middle. If so, at least not for long.
This is actually a good thing. It means there is always an opportunity to work on improving our lives just that little bit more. Life is a great adventure. Just light the tightrope walkers at the circus, we need to make little adjustments to stay upright and keep moving forward. Even if you happen to fall down into the net, you climb back up to the tightrope with a little more experience, and hopefully a little more balance.
This post is released on a Saturday. One of the great things about the weekend is that we usually have a little more time to ourselves. If not, it would benefit us greatly to take some. In that time, I would suggest engaging in some self-reflection. Many of us are so busy playing the game of life, we rarely step back to see where we are on the game board. I certainly have been guilty of this with everything I have going on in my life. Time with, and for, ourselves should not be a luxury. We need that time to become the best version of ourselves. Self-reflection helps us to be a better spouse, a better parent, a better coworker and anything else.
Ask yourself the questions listed in the picture above, but do not stop there. Think of other important questions that need reflection. One of the ones I would include is, “Where do I want to go in life?” If one of your goals is to retire early, but you are spending money foolishly, it might be time to take a look at that budget. One really powerful question to reflect on is, “What do I have to be grateful for?” During the week we can be focused on everything that needs attending to in our life. Focus on fixing problems all week may cause us to lose track of all the wonderful things we do have. Pausing to reflect on them will not only lift our spirits, but have us feeling so much happier and abundant.
This does not have to be a weekly habit. In fact, I would recommend doing it as often as you can. Even taking five minutes to reflect on all you have to be grateful for before you start your day can have such a dramatic effect, it will feel like magic. How do you incorporate self-reflection in your life? We would love to hear in the comments below.
The power of habits is greater than what we think. In fact, most of us do not think about habits much at all. We just do them. That is why they are called habits. One of the secrets to an amazing life is to create actions that we take on a consistent basis that we do not even have to think about. Do you know what an action that you would take on a consistent basis is called? It is called a habit! Generally, we do not actively create habits. It would seem they materialize by themselves.
What if we could create a habit, that is an action we take consistently, that would help us on a journey to becoming the best version of ourselves? That would be like putting our success on autopilot! Two of the best times to start new habits are first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The reasons should be obvious, but we will take a look at them. First thing in the morning helps craft the course of our day. If we can start off with a win, or something that puts our focus into a positive state, that will make the rest of our day more successful. Right before we sleep with have us resting with more peace and allow our subconscious mind to work on our goals while we sleep. This allows us to wake up refreshed and ready to face the day.
What new habits could you develop that would bring you closer to success? What ideas to you use that will help make your new successful habits stick? Please share with us in the comments below.
One of the questions I am often asked is, “How can I stay motivated?” This is the wrong question to ask. You will never be motivated 100% of the time. Motivation comes and goes. I can surround myself with workout quotes, pictures of the body I would like to have and upbeat music, but if it is below freezing outside, I am not going to want to go to the gym. The better question to ask is “How can I stay committed and disciplined?” There are many ways to do this. One of them is considering the consequences of not being disciplined. If I stay in bed all day the boss will not be happy and I may end up without a job. Another way is to focus on what you will gain by remaining committed. If I keep going to the gym, eventually I will fit into that new bathing suit.
If we are honest, some days none of this works. We do not care if the boss is mad or if we get fired. Hey, if I don’t have a job I could sleep in every day! We don’t consider the fact it might be in a cardboard box if we can’t pay our bills. What about fitting into that new swimsuit? Well, we don’t have to go to the beach. Plus, these doughnuts look and taste really good. I have had those moments. Have you? What then? How do we maintain our discipline when our motivation to do so has left us long ago? Example.
I am so grateful to have an amazing women that has me wanting to be the best I can be for her. She is so beautiful and loving that I often question what I did to deserve her. Still, after working all day without sleeping, I can lack the motivation it requires to be a great life partner. What then? I think of the example I am setting. For her children who may be watching. For other men who want to know how to properly treat their lady. To women looking for an example that men do value their lady. Maybe someone caught in an abusive relationship who needs an example of a healthy one to realize that theirs must change.
The same holds true for everything I do in my life. You never know who is watching. Our lives are either warnings or examples. In the age where you can be filmed and go viral for just about anything, wouldn’t you rather it was something good? I know I would. People will rarely listen to what you say if your actions do not support it. If you truly want to inspire others, focus less on what you say and more on what you do. I am going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes that highlights the importance of actions over words.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 