Tag: self improvement

FIND NEW ADVENTURE IN FAMILIAR PLACES

Last post we discussed my love for the Wisconsin State Fair. The most common question I get is how do I not get bored. Lucky for me, I have mastered a key to keeping life exciting. That key is the ability to keep a fresh perspective. When I go to the fair,I go with different people. Some like music, some food, some shopping. That makes each experience unique

The fair also has new things to explore every year. This year was a cool circus. There are new bands to listen to. As I write this I am listening to a band cover Bob Marley’s “Simmer Down”. So there are outside circumstances that are changing.

That being said, one of the keys to an amazing life is your perspective. Looking at things from a different angle makes them fresh and new. This is so key when it comes to keeping your relationship fresh. I look at the relationship I share with Margie in new ways all of the time. It not only keeps it fresh, it prevents me from taking any of the wonders we share for granted. It also shines a light on many wonderful sides of her I might have missed.

How about you? What can you renew by changing your perspective? It will keep your life fun and exciting!

KEEP FOCUSED 😃

Wednesday, the middle of the week. As we look to the second half of the week, there is a temptation to feel overwhelmed. The always seems to be more work at the end of the week. In order to stay focused and pushing forward, I suggest recognizing how far we have come.

This holds true not only for work, but family, friends and relationships. There often seems like such a mountain to climb in life, we may feel like giving up. It is so important to remember all the hard work we have put in up to that point. It is often that very thing that will allow us to persevere to the end

Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, whatever goal you are trying to achieve, don’t give up my friends. You may not be where you want to be, but you are a lot further than you were.

SKIP THIS STARTING THIS WEEK 🚫

Mark Twain was an unusual character. He did,however, have some good wisdom. In the quote above he touches on something very important. Most of the things we worry about never happen. This is actually very harmful.

Above you will see the physical effects of stress and worry on the body. As you can see, this affects more than just the butterflies in the stomach. Done for a prolonged period, it can cause problems with your heart,immune system, digestive tract, cause joint pain and even decrease your sexual performance!

Worry can spur us to take precautions that do help us. If you have a history of heart problems in your family, that worry may keep you following a healthy diet and exercise regimen. This is good. If you lay awake in bed every night fearing that you might fall over with a heart attack, this will not only keep you awake, but as we saw earlier, it may actually lead to a heart attack!

Indulging in worry is like drinking poison for your body. What is the cure? There is no “one size fits all” action to take. Generally, meditation 🧘‍♂️ and exercise are two things that can help everyone improve their anxiety level. Diet, who you surround yourself with as well as considering talking to a therapist can be helpful. If you find yourself full of worry, you may doing yourself more harm than you realize. Take some self-care to help reduce your worry and anxiety today. Your body and life will thank you.

CONFUSE PEOPLE. IT WILL MAKE BOTH OF YOUR LIVES BETTER 🫤

My first post as a 48 year old! This is something fun we can all do that is not only amusing, but will give you that quick feel good shot in the heart that we ask need. It is something I enjoy doing whenever I get a chance and remember.

It is simple. Show a random act of friendliness to a stranger. Wave at a fellow motorist as if they were a friend you were happy to see. It will do one of 2 things. It will confuse them and leave them wondering who the heck you are, or it will have them waving back feeling happy to receive an act of kindness from that strange person in the car next to them.

Another great idea is to smile at strangers. If this makes you nervous you can do this as you are walking past them. That way there is not room for awkward conversations. My mother takes it another level and even greets people as we walk by them. It is amazing how many people are longing for pleasant interactions. Those who are not might be the ones who need it the most.

Let us make treating each other with genuine kindness the rule and not the exception. We are all in this together. We are all fighting our own battles and could all use a little encouragement.

CELEBRATE AND FOCUS WITH ME TODAY!🥳🎆🎉

Today is my birthday! On this day, I like to do a little self-reflection. Who are we kidding? I like to do that every day. On my birthday, however, I do it a little more intensely. I review the previous year and look at where I am now. What did I learn? Am I better than I was last year? Are the things that are truly important to me still taking center stage. Most importantly, what can I do to improve all of those in the year to come?

This year, those questions have different answers. It is the second birthday 🎂 I have celebrated since my open-heart surgery. I still treasure each day that I am given. It is interesting how the emotions surrounding that creep up on you as time goes on. I learned one very important lesson this past year. By focusing on who I want to become, what I should do makes itself abundantly clear. Am I better than last year? In some ways, but there is certainly room to improve. A more concentrated focus on my health, and more to the point diet, would get me a lot further next year. Are the important things still taking center stage? More so than last year, but again room for improvement.

As you join me in celebration of the day of my birth, ask yourself these questions. You do not have to be celebrating your own birthday to have some productive self-reflection. As to who I want to be, that answer has become more clear. I want to be a person who has positively impacted as many lives as I can. I wish to be remembered as someone who left the world a little better than they found it. I think if we all did that, we would have a lot better world to share. As I parting gift for my birthday, I wish to leave you this bit of Native American wisdom to ponder.

EMBRACE THE TEST 💪

There will be tests in life for all of us. Nobody is immune. This begs the question, “If all of us are tested, how come some come out thriving, will others come out barely surviving?” The answer to the question involves the use of one of our greatest weapons  – our mind and attitude.

Most people when faced with a challenge,or test, of any kind ask,  “Why me?” This leads to a feeling of victim mentality and loss of control. It feels as though life is happening to us. When we change that question to “What strengths can this help me develop?” We feel like we are in control and no longer feel like a victim.  It also trains our mind to search for seeds of opportunity in the face of challenges.

Change your attitude about challenges and the tests of life and you will discover strength you never knew you had. Just like in the gym, where it requires resistance to build physical muscle, the same can be said about the muscles of character.

PEACE CAN BE FOUND AT THE END OF YOUR WRIST 🧘‍♀️

There are simple things that we can use to have a transformative effect on our lives. In my first two books, I mention the power of talismans. When most people hear that word, they think of an inscribed ring or stone that has magical powers. In fact, that is how the definition reads online. We are not talking about anything occult, but the way in can affect your life will seem like magic. As with everything I share, I can relate to you from personal experience. I am going to show you how simple it can be to cultivate inner peace by looking at the end of your wrist.

Above is a picture of a bracelet I purchased from an amazing young lady who turned her own personal struggles into a way to help and serve others. Her name is Pamela and she is the owner of At Peace Designs. A link to her amazing website will be found at the end of this post. I met Pamela at a local event called ‘West Allis A La Carte’ where I live. I noticed her stand and was drawn to it for the simple, yet powerful, message. The engaging owner came up and shared with Margie and I her story and what took her on the path to create the business. This included a great story about a tattoo on vacation, but I will let her share that one with you personally.

What makes Pamela’s products so great is that they provide us a simple reminder to put an accent on maintaining our inner peace. For me, all I have to do is look at the end of my wrist. She also has coffee mugs, yoga mats, stickers and my personal favorite – gratitude journals! She has many other products that feature her amazing logo as well. In a world where chaos and stress are everywhere we look, what a great advantage to have a simple reminder to focus on our inner peace. I highly suggest you take a look at Pamela’s amazing website at the link below and pick up your At Peace Designs before stress and fear gain any more ground in your life. Do you know someone who could use a little more peace? They make great gifts as well.

CLICK HERE GET YOUR INNER PEACE PRODUCTS AND CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING WEBSITE

PAUSE AND APPRECIATE 🧘‍♀️

Many of us feel a mid-week slump. The stress of the work week is getting to us. Perhaps a lack of sleep is beginning to stack up. How do we counter these feelings? By pausing for a little Wednesday gratitude. Switching our focus from how tired and exhausted we may feel, to what we have to be grateful for will energize us and get us back in the game.

Gratitude can do many things. It will force us to breathe and bring us a moment of inner peace. That is very important in the middle of the week. It will also remind us of how amazing our life truly is. Even if it is just being able to read these words of encouragement and inspiration.

If you really want to have a bonus, pick one, or several, people and share gratitude with them. You could do this by telling them why you are grateful for them, or even asking what they are grateful for. Creating an atmosphere of gratitude will only improve your life as we finish out the week!

IT IS AN EVENT, NOT A PERSON 👩‍🏫

A lot of people, I may even say most of them, have this confusing conclusion. Something they try doesn’t work out and they say out loud, and worse to themselves, “I am a failure.” Failure is an event, it is not a person.

Like almost anything in our life, the act of failing, and even the word failure, have a negative meaning. Why wouldn’t it? We want to succeed and in this case we haven’t. In some of our lives, we have decided something different. We have decided failure is not a result it is a stepping stone to greatness. Failure is a teacher of what does not work. That gets us one step closer to discovering what does. Failure can be fuel to pushing forward to never feel that way again.

How about you? What does failure mean in your life? Could the definition use an upgrade?

DO YOU HAVE THEM? I HAVE THEM TOO.🤨

A lot of people incorrectly assume that I do not have bad days. In fact, a more common but just as incorrect assumption is that the goal of self-improvement is to rid you of ever having a bad day. There are, believe it or not, many benefits to having a bad day.

Yes, bad days are not fun. What they do is help us grow at a much faster rate than good days. It also helps strengthen our character and positive mindset. Just like in the gym, you only achieve strength through resistance.

You might be thinking, “Neil that is all well and good, but what good is self-improvement?” What my books, and this blog, teach us is how to reduce the severity and frequency of bad days. This is done by mining them for lessons and growth.

When you ask yourself, “What can I learn and gain from my life being a dumpster fire at the moment?” You view and approach life, and your challenges, in an entirely different light. Learn to use your bad days and not allow them to use you! Please share your strategies for putting your bad days to work for you.