Three Steps to Great Success

We are given the power to think and choose our own fate. The problem is that not a lot of people realize this and as a result, they refuse to do anything to change the circumstances that they are in.

It is common to see unhappy employees sitting at their desk, doing the job they hate. In fact, they have probably been in that state for the last five years and have done nothing about it. There are also stay at home moms taking charge of their home who find themselves unfulfilled and lonely after dropping their kids in school, and wish they had something meaningful to do that will delight them and make them proud of themselves. These groups of people have one thing in common: they are afraid of making a big change in their life. So this leaves them exactly the way they are- unhappy, unfulfilled, and unsuccessful.

The one thing people should be very well aware of is that YOU have the power to change things, to change your life. And to a large extent, whatever is going on in your life right now is a result of your own efforts (or the lack of it).

So, if you are ready to make a brand new start and work your way towards a more rewarding future, there are three steps you need to go through.

Step 1: Change your mindset.

It all starts with your way of thinking. If you are always thinking negative thoughts, you will only be inviting negative things to come your way- depression, loneliness, emotional pain, and more. Develop a winning mindset by making a conscious decision to attain the change you seek. Stop making excuses, and instead clearly put in your head what it is you want using vivid visual images of how you see yourself in the future. When you do this constantly, you will change your mindset for the better.

Step 2: Change your attitude.

When you always tell yourself “you can’t do this” and “you can’t do that,” you can bet your bottom dollar that you really will not be able to do it. You have to have a positive attitude by being a “can-do” person and not someone who turns down offers because he thinks there is no way he can do that. Again, excuses and more excuses. To become successful, a high level of positive thinking, self-confidence, and perseverance is necessary.

Step 3: Make that change.

You have changed your mindset and your attitude, now you need to step up and change things. If you do not like your job now, talk to your supervisor about your problem and see if something can be done about it. If they tell you that there are skills you lack, then do something to remedy this. Hone your skills or learn new ones; do not wait for them to provide you with opportunities- you have to be the one to initiate it.
There are people who are successful in personal and career aspects; these are the kind of people who have developed the right mindset, a positive attitude, and the courage to change the way things are so that they can have a brighter, and more satisfying future. You should be that kind of person.

What is EFT?

Whether you’re a potential client or counselor, you may have come across a kind of therapy called EFT. This stands for Emotional Freedom Technique and is a way for a recipient to gain nearly instant freedom from their pent up emotions.

The Man Behind EFT

Gary Craig is the founder of EFT Therapy. Craig is an ordained minister at the Universal Church of God located in southern California. He’s also a Stanford graduate from the college of engineering. However, he always had a deep interest in psychology and personal development.

EFT Therapy: The Definition

EFT is a type of therapy that uses an emotional form of acupressure. With EFT Therapy, you can tap on a certain part of the body with a finger and provide a recipient with therapeutic healing that may have taken years with other methods.

Your body has a tendency to store up past emotional problems. When this emotional form of acupressure is utilized on the body’s meridian energy points, the pent up emotional energy can then be released. If this seems too good to be true, you can refer to the testimonials of countless past users who’ve described it as life altering.

The beauty of EFT is the ability to provide the client with instant healing. Many would have you believe that traditional conversational therapy is required in order to truly heal emotional problems, however, you can achieve excellent results even with online-based EFT systems.

A free manual about EFT is available for download in order to give you a full education on the Emotional Freedom Technique. It goes over information on how it came about and then describes the technique so you can try it for yourself. The actual technique is only two pages of instructions and easy to understand.

Some problems EFT Therapy has been known to solve include:

1. Insomnia and Anxiety. These two problems often go hand in hand. With EFT, you can learn how to quickly cope with these problems. You’ll also gain confidence, which will reduce the occurrence of both anxiety attacks and insomnia. Many long time sufferers are shocked by the easy results they can achieve.

2. Phobias. Phobias can vary from minor and relatively harmless, up to major ones that interfere with daily life. EFT has been known to fully erase even debilitating phobias in a matter of hours.

3. Anger. Anger management can also become easier with help from EFT therapy. Repressed anger is a common pent up emotion that can easily be released with EFT.

4. Addiction and Weight Loss. EFT therapy can be used on all kinds of addictions, from alcohol and drugs to excessive eating. This form of therapy can make dealing with cravings more bearable and – in some situations – the cravings can disappear entirely.

The Mind/Body Connection

No matter what kind of therapy you engage in, you may begin to notice mind and body connections. Mental conditions such as stress can take a toll on the body.

Stress can cause all sorts of problems including:

* Backaches
* Headaches
* Fatigue
* Discomfort

Once your stress has been relieved, you may also notice that these physical symptoms fade as well. Clients of the EFT Therapy method undergo simple procedures and then find that their physical symptoms vanish without having to endure longer or more emotionally painful treatments.

Like most things in life, EFT Therapy is not fail proof. The system is not perfect and there are certain individuals and situations that cannot be helped. On the flip side, there are certain people that have tried nearly everything without luck until they finally came across the Emotional Freedom Technique.

It could be the answer to your physical or emotional challenges and, since it’s a quick and painless process, it’s worth a try. EFT practitioners are located in every major city and many towns throughout the country. Seek one out in your area or study the field on your own, and reap the benefits!

How to Make Your Dreams a Reality

Ever since we were children, we’ve had dreams. The sad thing is, over the years we convinced ourselves that our dreams could never come true. Because we assumed that they were mere fantasies, we didn’t even try to make them come true.

Believe it or not, your dreams can be reality! However, you won’t get anywhere by simply making a wish. You have to take specific actions to increase your chances of living that life you always dreamed of.

These are some simple techniques that can help you get started:

1. You must possess passion and desire. These two elements are crucial for living your dream. Interestingly enough, you really can’t have one without the other. You must yearn to have something in your life so much (desire) and for the right reasons (passion).

• A good example to illustrate the difference would be if you always wanted to be a professional singer. You know that you have the talent and all you want in life is to sing on a professional stage some day (desire). Your focus isn’t the money, fame, or prestige; you just have a true love for singing. It’s all you think about all-day, every day (passion).

2. Patience. Patience isn’t easy, but in most case, our dreams don’t come true overnight. You need to work hard to achieve your full potential. Though it may take longer than you hoped, once you’re living your dream, you’ll realize that practicing patience was worth the rewards.

• Just remember to remain positive, focus on your dreams, and keep taking action to make those dreams a reality. After all, patience is a virtue!

3. Sacrifice. Achieving your dreams will require self-sacrifice. This is usually where most people can gauge how serious they are about turning their dreams into reality. Whether it is giving up your TV time to work toward your goals, or spending extra hours at work to further your career, you have to be willing to sacrifice something.

• If you’re truly passionate about your dreams, this shouldn’t be too difficult. If you do find sacrifice extremely difficult, it may be that you don’t possess enough desire, passion, willpower, or self-discipline to see your dreams through.

4. Confidence. If you truly want to make your dreams real, you have to believe they can happen. You must possess an intense confidence in yourself and your talents; otherwise, your dreams will remain dreams forever.

• Sometimes your confidence may waiver, but as long as you can focus on your ultimate goal – and you can actually see yourself achieving this goal – you’re heading in the right direction.

Final Thoughts on Achieving Your Dreams

No one can steal your dreams away from you except you. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, biggest obstacle, and harshest critic. But that’s not what you need! You need to remember that, by taking action and implementing these simple tips and suggestions, your dreams can come true.

Keep your focus on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it will happen if you only believe it can!

Build Confidence With Daily Affirmations

You can build confidence using daily affirmations! Do you suffer from low self-esteem? When something negative happens in your life, do you beat yourself up about it time and time again?

Focusing on phrases such as: “That was stupid,” “I am so fat,” “No one loves me,” and a host of other negative statements can easily zap the happiness right out of your life.

Luckily, this doesn’t have to be permanent. Positive affirmations can turn your negativity around. Affirmations are simply statements or phrases, which focus on the positive rather than the negative.

These mantras can actually reprogram your subconscious thinking and bring you a plethora of good benefits that you’ll enjoy for years to come!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate positive daily affirmations into your life:

1. Affirmations should always be in the present tense. Begin your statements with “I can” “I have” or “I am,” instead of a phrase like “I will” or “I may.”

• Examples of this would be “I have a beautiful body” and “I am so intelligent,” instead of “I will never be so stupid again.”

• Choose statements that focus on the positive attributes you want to encourage, saying them as if you already exhibit that behavior.

2. Address yourself by name when expressing your affirmations. Believe it or not, this does make a big difference. When you say: “I, Jane Doe, am a beautiful person both inside and out,” it makes your affirmation more powerful because you hear the lovely sound of your own name!

• Using your name in the affirmations allows your subconscious to process the words even quicker.

3. Focus on one or two affirmations to start with. Although you possess many positive attributes, it’s best to focus only on one or two when you’re first starting out. If you start with twenty positive affirmations, your subconscious may be overwhelmed or dismiss the deeper meaning.

• For example, if you meet someone who goes on and on about how great and beautiful you are, what’s your reaction? Usually after the second or third compliment, you tend to wonder if this person is actually being sincere! The same principal applies to practicing many affirmations at once.

• Focus on one or two, and when they’re firmly planted into your subconscious, you can move on to more.

4. Practice your affirmations as often as possible. Our subconscious mind is more open to suggestions when we first open our eyes in the morning and then again when we’re ready to fall asleep at night.

• The more often you recite your affirmations, the faster you’ll experience lasting changes.

5. Don’t fret if you’re having trouble writing your affirmations. There are many books and self-improvement websites that include hundreds of good, daily affirmations. You can then pick out one or two that you’d like to focus on and get started.

• Don’t let something as insignificant as not being able to compose a positive mantra hold you back from making changes and incorporating happiness into your life!

Low self-esteem is something that holds us back from living the life we deserve. You can rebuild your confidence and self-esteem with daily affirmations and experience the joy of life you’ve been missing. Try it and you’ll love it!

Stop Living in Fear of a Financial Meltdown

Everywhere you go, you hear about how awful the economy is, but you don’t have to let all the talk of our country’s financial meltdown get you down. You can keep your cool.

Don’t let fear of the future take control of your mind and emotions. When we live in fear, we make bad decisions, think irrationally, and are in a reactive mode. Living in fear actually makes the situation far worse.

To help overcome the fear of your financial future, here are some proactive things you can do:

• Turn off the news. Why would you want to listen to bad news over and over? We already know the state of the economy, so listening to a news reporter talk doom and gloom all the time isn’t necessary.

• Ensure you’re on a budget and living within your means. If you need to cut back, then find ways to do so. There are many, many ways to reduce the cost of living with a little planning and effort. Here are some examples:

• Reduce your cell phone bill
• Get rid of your land line if you have a cell phone
• Shut off the cable (who needs it anyway?)
• Turn off the lights and unplug electronic devices when not in use
• Turn your thermostat down in winter and wear sweaters to keep warm
• Open windows in the summer instead of turning on the air conditioner
• Use coupons and shop for the weekly sales at your local grocery store

• Plan ahead by setting up an emergency fund. Of course, this involves living on a budget so you can save enough money from your income for emergencies. An emergency fund is usually a minimum of $1,000 in savings at all times and is used for emergencies only, like unexpected vehicle repairs or medical needs. If you can afford more, then save more!

• Plan for the future by getting rid of debt and using cash only. Again, this requires living on a budget, but it can be done.

How to Budget in a Recession

Since we’re talking about budgeting so much and it’s the best way to keep your cool during the financial meltdown, let’s talk about ways to set up a budget and reduce debt.

• Figure out your income after taxes. Know what you’re bringing in each month so you can determine how much you have to spend. Sounds obvious, but why is it so common for people to spend way more than they make? Far too often, people don’t know how much they really make, nor where the money goes!

• Make sure your living needs are met. These things include your house payment, utilities, food, and property taxes.

• Next, make sure your transportation to get to and from work is taken care of. Things like your vehicle payment, gas and maintenance. This is one area you may be able to cut back on as well. If you’re making a car payment, try to sell the car and buy a used one with cash. You may also want to consider taking public transportation more often.

• Pay off credit card debt. Start paying off the card with the highest interest rate first. Once that card is paid off, put your payments toward the card with the next highest interest rate and so on, until each card is paid off. You may also want to contact a financial planner to discuss consolidating the debt to make it more manageable.

• Once your credit card debt is paid off, begin putting all the money you were paying out into savings. The goal is to build your savings up to at least 6 months worth of income in case something happens, like job loss or disability.

By following the steps above, with diligence and determination, you can be debt free and survive the financial meltdown! Of course, this won’t happen overnight and you’ll probably have to adjust your lifestyle so you can live below your means, but doing so will help secure your future financially.

Five Simple Relaxation Tips

Everyone experiences times throughout the day where you just wish you could relax for even a few minutes.

You already know that relaxation helps your body re-energize, but sometimes you’re so busy and caught up in the moment that you just don’t have the time to unwind.

Well, fortunately there are simple ways to relax, even during your busiest days, that don’t require a lot of time or equipment.

Here are 5 Simple Relaxation Tips:

1. When you’re in line at the grocery store: Instead of stressing out because there aren’t enough cashiers and every line has 5 people with heaping carts of groceries, use that time to relax your body by taking some deep breaths.

• Deep breathing helps increase the oxygen in your blood. Your blood then circulates that extra oxygen throughout your body helping your inner systems recharge.

• Taking five slow deep breaths will do the trick. The proper technique is to inhale and exhale deeply through your nose and out your mouth.

• Not only will deep breathing help you relax, it’ll help to clear your mind, reduce brain fog, and you’ll feel much more alert and ready to tackle the next project on your plate.

• Deep breathing can be done anywhere when you’re feeling stressed or just want to clear your mind.

2. When you’re at work: It’s often hard to find time to relax at work. You might even get in trouble if you’re caught “relaxing.” Oh the horror! However, there are some techniques you can do while you’re at work to help create a sense of calm that aren’t so obvious to others.

• If your job requires you to sit at a computer all day, make sure you get up and move around for a few minutes every hour. This helps circulate the blood throughout your body. Just moving the blood flow will make you feel more alert and focused.

• While sitting at your desk, roll your head around, from side to side and from front to back with your eyes closed. This technique helps to relieve neck tension, increasing blood flow to your brain, which is a natural and easy way to relax.

• If you’re on your feet all day, stretch out your back and sides by standing with your feet firm on the floor, shoulder width apart, and twist your upper body, including your head, slowly from side to side. This will loosen up your back muscles and spine, releasing tension throughout your body.

• During a break or lunchtime, go for a walk. Walking is a great way to clear your mind and your body will benefit from the extra exercise as well.

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3. When you’re rushing through a busy day: Take just a few moments to daydream and escape the busyness of reality.

• Daydreaming lets your imagination flow, causing instant relief from the stress of the real world.

• Think of a place or experience that makes you feel happy or calm. Imagine how it smells, how the air feels, and who’s around.

• After five minutes of a calming daydream you’ll feel relaxed, reenergized and ready to face the real world again.

4. Wherever you’re at, smile: Smiling is proven to help relax and rejuvenate your body.

• When you’re out and about, smile at others around you.

• When you’re at work, smile at your co-workers. Not only will it help you relax, it’ll help relax them as well.

• Smile at your children when you’re toting them around to all their different activities. This will create a peaceful environment you’ll all enjoy.

5. When the going gets tough, laugh: Laughter’s proven to be an instant stress reliever. Now I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to be seen as a nut case, so laughing out loud when you’re in line at the store or sitting at your desk may not be the best time. When you can, get someone involved in your laughter with you.

• Tell a funny joke or story to a co-worker (at an appropriate time, of course).

• Play a fun game or sing a silly song with your kids as you’re driving.

• Watch funny videos on YouTube.

Engaging in these simple, everyday relaxation techniques will help to sustain and strengthen you throughout your day. It’ll also make it easier to unwind when you get home. Your friends, co-workers, and family will all appreciate the new, relaxed you!

Putting Your Positive Action into Overdrive

If you are seeking success in your life, you will need to learn how to take positive action every day to accomplish your goals. After all, doing the least amount of work will likely lead to mediocre results, so instead, put your actions into overdrive and make the most of your efforts.

You can truly make every action you take a positive one that builds momentum and propels you forward. You’ll feel better about what you’re doing, and your gusto for life will inspire those around you.

Turning Positive Action into a Positive Life

When you put your best foot forward in all that you do, you’ll develop an intense passion that will be unmatched. Sometimes you may feel like sitting back and doing as little as possible, but you’ll actually enjoy your life more when you are engaged in the things you love to do.

Life is more fulfilling when you are passionate about your work and family. Even though it may seem challenging to look at everything with passionate and positive eyes, such an outlook is possible. If you’re unsure how you can summon more passion for a project or task, there is one tool that will help you build momentum by utilizing the power of a positive mindset. So what is it? Positive affirmations!

What Are Affirmations All About?

Affirmations can help you take positive action by re-defining how you think and feel. In essence, affirmations are positive statements that activate your mind and encourage you to push forward. Once you implement affirmations into your life, negative, self-defeating thoughts will be a thing of the past.

If you need a positive thought, for example, you can say something as simple as, “I infuse my mind, heart, and spirit with past accomplishments, new ideas, and a fresh attitude.” Constantly repeating positive affirmations will help you create a positive outlook in just about any situation imaginable.

Positive affirmations allow you to set your goals, envision them, and reaffirm them each time you state it. This positive statement only needs to be something you desire for yourself and through continued repetition, you can make it your reality. After all, words are powerful because they have the ability to elicit emotion and inspire action.

Affirmations are generally very simple, but they can help you make lasting changes in your life, one step at a time. If you are having a hard time finding the motivation, try an affirmation such as, “I am building momentum with each step I take.” As long as your actions are congruent with your positive mindset, you will begin to see and feel results nearly instantly.

Affirmations have the power to change the way you think and feel about yourself. Millions of people are using affirmations every day to help them become happier, healthier, and more balanced individuals. You can put your actions into overdrive and accomplish more in less time. After all, if words can move mountains, imagine what you will be able to do when your thoughts, attitudes and actions are aligned!

How to Live Consciously

Have you ever seen ants marching in search of food? They just follow one another in an almost endless game that seems to drone on and on. Does your life feel like an ant’s life – as if you’re going from day to day, doing the same thing, the same way, and nothing ever changes?

If so, then there’s a very good probability you’re not living consciously.

Conscious living is being aware of your life and the things you’re doing. It’s about taking the time to stop and smell the roses so you can see where you fit into the whole picture. Living consciously is a vital component in enjoying the fleeting moments we have on Earth.

It’s important to take note of what’s going on around us and be aware of what we’re doing. Living consciously brings us an understanding of what we’re capable of doing and paves the way for us to get where we want to go.

Benefits of Conscious Living

Perhaps you’re wondering, “What’s in it for me?” Conscious living brings with it many benefits, which you may already be seeking in your life.

Here are just a few of these benefits:

1. Relieve stress. Conscious living can be a great stress reliever. Not only does it make life more enjoyable when you alleviate your stress, but it also makes you healthier. Stress affects every process in our bodies and can cause serious disease if it builds up within us.

2. Expand your horizons. As you become more aware of your surroundings, you’ll find that you can better understand the world and your place in it.

3. Live in the moment. Throughout the day, you’ll be more focused on your work because you’re consciously acting on a specific task in the moment.

4. Enjoy more passion in your relationships. While living consciously, your relationships will become more meaningful because you’ll be appreciative of them as well as the other person. You’ll be more in tune with your partner and aware of every want and need.

5. Know your importance. Your job will become more fulfilling because you’re more conscious of your role in the grand scheme of things. You no longer just answer a phone or hand someone a photocopy, but you are consciously making a difference.

6. Bring color into your world. Your surroundings will become more vibrant because you’ll notice things like the subtle differences between the shades of the trees and the direction of the soft breeze.

7. Being conscious of life makes life more fun. When you’re living consciously, bad days are few and far between.

Action Steps to Living Consciously

Luckily, transforming your humdrum life into one filled with vibrant joy is easier than you may think! You can make some simple adjustments to your everyday routines to live consciously and more fully enjoy your life.

Here are some action steps you can take to bring conscious living to your life:

1. Stop. Take some time to stop throughout the day and look around. Be aware of where you are and what’s around you. Become conscious of your surroundings and notice how you fit into them.

• Notice the details such as the green on the trees, or the condensation dripping down the side of the cup.

• Become in tune with what your body feels and actually search out the sensations of your fingers and toes while feeling your chest rise and fall with each breath.

2. Breathe. Take deep breaths and be in the moment. Don’t think about what you’ve done or what you still have to do, just take a minute or two to just breathe!

3. Learn. Take a few minutes each day to try something new. Pick up a book you’ve wanted to read or learn a new skill. By doing this, you’re starting to become conscious of your life and the things you can do with it.

There are many things you can do to live life to its fullest. Living consciously is one of the easiest changes to make on a day-to-day basis. Take a few of these ideas, integrate them into your routine, and begin enjoying the benefits of living consciously!

Proactive Action

Proactive Action & Proactive Positive Actions

Sometimes what you need is a cut-off switch from your present way of life. Taking up a hobby can be a tremendous way of leaving all of your problems behind you. I know this may sound a bit cliche saying take up a hobby or new interest, you may be thinking, what good is that going to do me?

What you need often though is just some ‘me’ time. Time just for yourself. A distraction from your current negative thinking traits. There are hundreds of activities that you could take up, whatever grabs your interest. Do you have something that you have been yearning to do for many years and either by life circumstances or simple procrastination, you keep perpetually putting off until a more ideal time?

Don’t put it off any longer! It’s important that you create some time to relax doing something that YOU enjoy doing. It might be Read more