Live the Life You Desire – Now!
It seems that everything you’ve ever learned is about preparing yourself for a better future. It’s easy to get so caught up in the future that you lose the ability to enjoy the life you’re living right now.
The Power Of The Present
The first thing you should do to take action toward a better life is to realize the power that the present moment holds. There are different ways you can truly come to this realization, but the most popular and widely accepted method is meditation.
Meditation allows you to clear your mind. It’s refreshing to focus on the present moment when you find the time to sit down and relax without any worries about the past or future.
This personal reflection time will allow you to sort out your inner thoughts. On the flipside, take note of the number of times your mind tries to distract you from the present moment. You’ll be surprised to see just how many times your mind steals the present moment from you, in order to dwell on the past or future.
Enjoying The Journey
Your journey is all you have. Your goals are important, but it’s the path you take toward your goals that yield many fruits. You must be willing to enjoy your life and live consciously, even if you haven’t yet reached your goals.
If you have a lofty goal, such as becoming a doctor or the CEO of a large company, realize that it will take much planning and years of experience. Once you reach your goal, you may feel fulfilled, but your life mustn’t be unhappy and miserable until you get there!
You can remain happy by concentrating on the present and enjoying the journey. As you make positive progress towards your goal, you’ll know that you’re always one step closer.
Envisioning Your Future Self
While you should spend a great deal of time enjoying the present moment, you can add to your happiness by envisioning your future self.
Reflect on the feelings associated with the successful completion of your goals. Think about the traits you’ll exhibit when you have the life you desire. Now bring those traits into your present.
If you’re studying to be a doctor, you’re working long days for little or no pay. You’re studying at all hours with little sleep. You might feel almost tortured. That’s not the desired life you dreamt of having!
This is when you should be proud of the steps you’ve taken so far. After all, what you’re learning now will shape your future, so you might as well approach today with joyful gratitude!
Live The Life You Want Now
Whether you maintain complete focus on your ultimate goals or not, it’s important to live the life you desire right now. You don’t know how many days you’ve been allotted on this earth, and you owe it to yourself to make the most of them!
Keep these tips in mind:
* Even on busy days, take at least some time for yourself
* Don’t waste your time on people who don’t believe in you and your abilities
* Adopt a “glass is half full” mentality
Most importantly, you need to believe in yourself. Some people are literally afraid of success. They’ll put off action toward their dreams indefinitely because they fear success and fear that they’re incapable.
You mustn’t fall into this negative pattern. Don’t waste your time on dead ends. Instead, take action, learn your lessons, and enjoy the journey!
Action Strategies to Reduce Anxiety
Are you seeking a solution for your anxiety? Perhaps you’ve found yourself spending lots of time sitting around and worrying, only to end up having more anxiety over your anxiety!
The only way to help the situation is to take action. You don’t need to resort to anything drastic, but if you take action even in small steps it could make all the difference.
Here are some action strategies for reducing your anxiety:
1. Get a biofeedback device. A biofeedback device will show you the subtle things your body does when it gets anxious. It will record your actions, such as increased heart rate, perspiration, temperature, and strained muscles. These are things you don’t normally notice.
When the biofeedback device gives you these readings, you get to know your body better and you’re then more able to counteract these symptoms and relax.
2. Talk with friends. Feeling anxious also usually makes you feel quite alone. One way to combat this is to remain open about your feelings and communicate with other people. Make time for your friends or family.
3. Seek counseling. You know yourself best and will be able to tell if you’re having mild anxiety problems or severely life-altering issues. If your anxiety is showing an interference with your daily life, seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
4. Meditate. Meditation is certainly an action strategy even though it seems like quite the opposite. Your choice to be inactive is an action in itself. Try to meditate by taking deep breaths in and out. Doing so will relax all of your muscles in the process and your problems will begin to fade away.
5. Exercise. Start an exercise routine. Exercise gets the endorphins pumping and will actually relax you. When you engage in regular exercise you get your body into a healthy rhythm. You’ll have a built-in break from anxious situations when you make time for exercise.
6. Start a journal. Starting a journal can be a real stress reliever. It’s like you have a secret friend to vent to whenever you want. In addition to reducing anxiety, starting a journal might also be beneficial for you because it will help you preserve good memories, too.
7. Eat a balanced diet. Putting healthy foods into your body can help reduce anxiety. Analyze your current diet and pinpoint the items that might need to go. Enjoy the less healthy items in moderation while you increase your intake of the nutritious foods your body craves. Also, you may want to consider taking a multivitamin.
8. Drink water. This one sounds simple enough, right? The truth is that water has some amazing healing powers. Be sure to get at least 8 glasses of clear fluids each day.
9. Find an outdoor hobby. Play a sport or start a garden. Not only will you get some much-needed fresh air, but also you’ll relieve stress while taking your mind off of your problems.
Reducing Anxiety
The truth is there are many things you can do to actively reduce your anxiety. Make a list of the things you find relaxing and make sure that you allow yourself some time each day to do one of them.
Focus on gaining better control of your mind. Don’t let your thoughts run away with you. Instead, give yourself some time to unwind in the evenings. Most important of all, don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone deals with anxiety at some time or another, but you can use these tips to keep it under control.
9 Ways to Ignite the Passion in Your Relationships
After you’ve been in a relationship for a while, you’re likely to encounter a time when the passion dies down. However, it’s not something you should completely live without either.
Everyone falls into certain patterns that are comfortable. But, by breaking out of your comfort zone every so often, you’ll experience a sense of newness in your relationship.
It’s important to seek out that certain spark you felt when you first got together with your partner. Those feelings are still there, you just might need to be creative in finding ways to bring them out again.
Here are some ways that you can reignite the passion in your relationships:
1. Go out of your way. Remember at the beginning of your relationship how you would go out of your way to make your partner extra happy? Make these efforts again! It’ll surprise your partner and be a reminder about how much you love them.
* It doesn’t have to be an everyday thing, but everyone deserves a little “above and beyond” treatment!
2. Show your gratitude. You often think to yourself how grateful you are that your partner did something for you, and it’s important to let your partner know of your gratitude, too.
* You can do this through better communication and positive actions. Many times a simple, “Thank you for…” statement will let him know how much you appreciate his efforts.
3. Be considerate. Sometimes your partner is the only one who will allow you to be blunt and abrupt. It’s important to vent, but remember to act considerate around your partner as much as you can.
4. Spend time alone together. Everyone is busy, but you need to make the extra effort to have alone time together. It’s still important to make dates with each other and do things you’ve never done before.
5. Show affection. There are certainly ways to show your affection for your partner beyond bedroom activities. Show your love for each other with gentle touches and hugs. Snuggle together on the couch and just enjoy the closeness.
6. Seek adventure. Everyone has his or her own definition of adventure. You and your partner may even find different things adventurous. Do some of these activities together. Engaging in exhilarating activities can certainly ignite the passion.
7. Enjoy your own alone time. On the other side of the coin, it’s a good idea to spend time away from your partner as well. Everyone needs space at times. Also, time apart can build up the anticipation for some of the things you may have planned with your partner.
8. Share your goals. Keep an open conversation with your partner about your future plans. Things may not always go according to plan, but it’s good to talk about your dreams and goals.
* While it’s fun to discuss what things were like at the beginning of your relationship, it’s also enjoyable to discuss where you think things are going.
9. Surprise! Surprise your partner with a gift. It doesn’t have to be something expensive; in fact, you could even make it yourself. Just explore some thoughtful ideas that will let your partner know that you care about them.
You’ll find passion in your relationship as long as you make an effort to break up the monotony. Communicate well, spend time together, and explore new activities together. When you do, you’ll discover the keys to a successful passionate relationship.
I embrace my love and I keep it constant.
I embrace my love and I keep it constant.
Because my love adds joy and meaning to my life, I embrace it and keep it constant. I do not allow silly arguments to question our foundation.
I openly communicate with my partner about my thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. I let go of the need to hurt my spouse or to prove myself right and, instead, focus on simply expressing how the situation made me feel. I always aim for understanding, not revenge.
I recognize that there are always at least two points of view in any conflict, and I take the time to listen to the other side. I have let go of the need to have the last word and I am satisfied if we both feel that we have been heard, even if we haven’t yet reached an amicable solution.
I make it a point to affirm my partner’s value. I also show that I am trustworthy by who I choose to confide in when we are at odds. I choose to avoid gossip and, instead, focus on achieving peace through positive solutions.
I let the little things go. Life is far more important than the way we squeeze the toothpaste tube or where we throw our socks. I invest in our relationship by allowing my partner to be quirky and human, just like me!
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What is my goal when I am discussing issues with my partner?
2. Does my partner feel heard when we are in conflict?
3. Do I confide in people without gossiping?
How to Love Unconditionally
In order to build a solid foundation in any relationship, whether it’s a marriage, friendship or a relationship with a sibling or child, you must learn to love unconditionally without limits or judgment.
Loving someone unconditionally can be hard to do and goes against the grain you were probably taught in today’s Western society. Society tells you to get even or get revenge. However, to love unconditionally requires forgiveness and letting go of the wrongs.
So How Do You Love Unconditionally?
What’s required to show someone unconditional love when you’re in a relationship? Being there physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, through thick and thin, no matter what may happen is unconditional love.
-
Physically: Being “there” for someone physically means just what the word implies. You’re there for them in person, standing by their side, listening to them, or talking with them so they’re not alone. This may be at three in the afternoon, or three in the morning!
-
Emotionally: When you’re with someone emotionally, you’re offering your support by allowing them to honestly and openly express their feeling. Supporting someone emotionally with unconditional love also means that you’re there selflessly to help them work through their feelings. The goal is for the person to rise above the negative emotions and turn them into positive ones. You’re the shoulder to cry on!
-
Mentally: Supporting a loved one mentally means that you help them think through their actions, motives, and desires. You help them do this by finding out what’s going on inside. To support someone mentally requires you to help your loved one process their thoughts through to all possible outcomes.
-
Spiritually: Spiritually supporting a loved one means you pray for and with them and help them grow in all aspects of their life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Often spiritual support is given without a person being aware, through prayer.
[hana-code-insert name='content' /]
Unconditional love does not mean, however, giving into every whim or desire. Often people confuse unconditional love with spoiling. Giving into a person’s every want or desire when it isn’t appropriate can actually harm their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well being. For example, giving into your kid’s demands for junk food may make them happy today, but it isn’t a good source of nourishment in the long run.
Letting Go
True love is shown when you try to help another become a better person and unconditional love is shown when you still love them even if they refuse to change.
Many times it’s necessary to “let go” of a loved one, while still loving them unconditionally, because they refuse to take the necessary steps to improve. An example of this would be an alcoholic or drug addict. You still love the person, but when they refuse to work at overcoming their addiction or don’t care about themselves or who they’re hurting, you must let go. Sometimes this means, letting them spiral down until they hit rock bottom. Often you get hurt in the process because you love them and don’t want to see them go down this road, so loving unconditionally also means that you’ll be there for them when they’re ready to try again.
Love isn’t an emotion or feeling – it’s a choice. This is especially true with unconditional love. In relationships, you show unconditional love by overlooking petty mistakes and forgoing judgment and grudges. Unconditional love requires self-sacrifice and forgiveness on your part and it’s through unconditional love that those you care about will change for the better.
Dissolving Past Pain and Moving Forward in Your Life
Have you ever been hurt so badly that you thought you’d never come out on the other side? Perhaps you’re still holding onto that grief. If you are, then it’s time to learn how to let go of past pain. You deserve to let it go and learn how to move forward with your life.
Holding onto past pain and anguish is a kind of self-inflicted torture that can cause serious health risks as well as emotional scarring. The truth is, when you cling to the past, you’re internally changing your present.
How can something you’ve kept inside for so long just be let go? It’s not an easy task, but it can be done with a little effort and self-reflection.
Here are some ways you can let go of past pain and disappointment, so you can move forward with your head held high:
1. Know what’s holding you back. What are you holding onto and why? Identify the things you’re keeping inside that you shouldn’t be.
* For example, maybe your best friend betrayed you in a way that broke your trust. Recognize this and figure out a way to finally deal with it. Get in touch with them again, then explain the pain they’ve caused.
* They may not even be aware they did anything to upset you. Whether or not they apologize isn’t important. While it may be nice, you can’t control others or force them to say sorry. However, by simply voicing your feelings, you are finding closure from the hurtful situation.
* Getting closure on something that was left open-ended can make a huge difference in letting things go.
2. Talk it out. If the person who caused the hurt is still in your life, talk to them about the way they made you feel. If that person isn’t available, try to talk to a close friend or professional therapist about the situation.
* Getting your emotions out in the open can help you get over any resentment or anger you may be feeling. Bottling up your emotions is never a good thing. Let it all out in a constructive way and you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel.
3. Forgive and forget. It may sound easier said than done, but forgiving someone who has hurt you can be extremely therapeutic. Strive to let things stay in the past and don’t allow them to affect your present.
* Once you learn to forgive the people who’ve caused your pain, you will find it far easier to heal and move on with your life.
4. Make the first move. You’re in charge of your pain. You’re the one who carries it around with you and you’re the only one who can change its intensity. It’s up to you to take control of the pain and take the first step towards making yourself feel better.
* Acknowledge that your pain is real and that a positive solution exists.
* Confront the cause of the pain and do everything in your power to get rid of it.
The best way to move forward is to forgive the past. If you can’t change the past, you might as well learn to accept it and move on. You’ll be glad you did once you see just how bright your future can be when you regain control of your life.
Make the conscious decision, today, to live your life free from pain and resentment.
I always meet my deadlines.
My deadlines are important to me and with careful planning I am able to achieve anything I set my mind to. I plan ahead to ensure I am at my best in order to become the success that I deserve.
I make plans to achieve my goals without stress. When I do this, I confidently and calmly meet my aspirations.
When I create an effective plan that helps me meet my deadlines, goals and desires in life, I am able to accomplish more with ease. I enjoy the success I create for myself.
Visualizing my goals with their deadlines helps me create a solid plan of action. I also leave wiggle room for unexpected changes in case things come up. This allows me to accept little bumps along the way without losing sight of where I am meant to be.
I enjoy the relaxed feelings I have when those little bumps come up because I have left room for them in my plans. In turn, I enjoy my journey along the way and I celebrate my success when I reach the finish line victoriously.
Today, I carefully construct my plans and remember to leave myself some wiggle room. By doing this, I can meet my deadlines no matter what obstacle may arise in my path. I can enjoy my journey and feel the satisfaction of success.
Self-Reflection Questions:
- Have I planned ahead to meet my deadlines?
- Have I allowed wiggle room in my plans?
- Can I take delays in stride because I have planned for such possibilities?
"Your level of Self-Confidence is directly related to your level of success"
