Posts tagged "Positive Action"

Self-Talk Can Improve Your Life

Self-talk is an integral constant in your life. You start talking to yourself when you wake up in the morning and don’t stop until you fall asleep at night. Who would’ve thought you had so much to say? Right? But you do!

When self-talk is positive and helpful, amazing things can happen. When self-talk is negative, life can be much more challenging than it has to be.

Like much of who you are, your style of self-talk is a habit that has been molded by your experiences and environment. Imagine how your life could change for the better if you were able to alter your self-talk into something more supporting and encouraging.

You can start living that life today! Just follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Make a list of your negative self-talk phrases and attitudes. For 24 hours, record everything you say to yourself that isn’t supportive, regardless of whether or not you think it’s true. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

* “He would never want to talk to me.”
* “I’m not good enough for that.”
* “I could never do that.”
* “Things will never get better.”

2. Prioritize your list. Which items have the greatest negative impact on your life and your sense of happiness? Put the list in order, from greatest negative impact to least.

* Prioritizing is important because it will naturally force you to spend your time on the most important items.

3. Create a new list. Now that you’ve made your list, you’re going to improve it. Convert at least the first 10 items on your list into positive thoughts. If you’re feeling motivated, you can rewrite as many more as you like.

* Even if you don’t believe the new, positive idea, just change it into a positive version. For example, “I could never do that” changes to, “I can do anything I set my mind to.”

4. Change your thinking. Now, for the challenging part. Each time you catch yourself engaging in self-talk matching an item from your list, substitute the new self-talk expression.

* Be diligent at all times. Considering how many times you may have said the negative item to yourself, this new practice will require a lot of attention. The good news is that over time, the positive things you say to yourself will become a habit, too!

5. Move further down the list. After you’ve conquered the 10 most negative items, look at the list and consider how it would improve your life to change those remaining negative self-talk items. You may have formed such positive habits with your first 10 items that the rest of them might not really be applicable anymore!

Self-talk will always be there, so it will benefit you to exercise some control over it. Anything you hear over and over again, you start to believe. That’s the way our minds work.

The first step to gaining that control is to monitor your thoughts and feelings. Then the necessary steps can be taken to change it for the better. As with all habits, these self-talk patterns can be challenging to change, but doing so will really boost your happiness. Get started today!

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!

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!