Positive Living Through Daily Journaling and Gratitude » Self Improvement Information

Don’t Regret Past Mistakes – Embrace Them

positiveaffirmations — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:08:49 +0000

Don’t Regret Past Mistakes – Embrace Them
by ken r harness

Perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks in becoming successful is past regrets. Too many times we become so obsessed with all of the times in the past when we were unable to achieve our goals that we believe we are doomed to fail at anything we do.

What actually happens is that we “program” ourselves to fail. We are still living in the past, unable to break away from the “failure chain” that links us to our past selves. So we doom ourselves to repeating the same old mistakes over and over again.

In order to do things differently, we must learn to be different. Our thoughts, actions and attitudes must all be different than they were in the past. And one big way to be different is in the way we percieve our mistakes.

There is no room in the life of a successful person for regret. Regret is a waste. It does nothing to enhance who you are, and, in reality, all it does is feed on you. Regret will bleed you dry emotionally, physically and spiritually.

If you want to be free to achieve your dreams and goals and live your life to it’s fullest potential, you must not allow regret to keep you chained to the past in a prison of “should of’s” and “could of’s”.

One of the best ways to loosen the power that regret has on you is to accept your past mistakes. Allow yourself to be human and realize that, as a human, you will make mistakes, and that’s okay, because that is how you learn.

But now, let’s take it one step further. Not only should you accept your past mistakes – you should embrace them. That’s right, be grateful that you are aware of your mistakes.

Why in the world should you do that? Because if you are aware that you have made a mistake, then you are also aware that you need to do something different next time around to be successful.

To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So you can look at what you did in the past to achieve the wrong results – and use that as your blueprint for what you need to do to achieve the right results.

So when those past mistakes come to mind, don’t get stuck in regret and allow yourself to follow the same path that caused the mistakes in the first place. Instead, embrace those mistakes and use them as a valuable learning tool – the roadmap to success that they actually are.

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fullest potential in only five minutes a week. Go to
http://www.getmotivatednow.com now to find out how.

Article Source: http://articles411.com

Have Goals And Live A Life Of Full of Abundance

positiveaffirmations — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 03:37:41 +0000

Have Goals And Live A Life Of Full of Abundance
by Gregory Marathonge

For now, I wish to emphasise that all achievement begins with a goal. Just the very thought of a goal is enough to trigger off great achievements in your life.

Think back to the achievements that you have already made. Were you goal orientated at the time? Probability is that you were. One of the saddest things in life is that many of us start out with good intentions. We set a goal. We go out and achieve that goal or we fail in the attempt. After that one failure many people fail to set another one. Consequently we drift on the tide of life, instead of setting our sights clearly on the next target.

Goal achievement is a continual process. You should always have both a major and many minor goals in your life. Your big goal might be to own the company you now work for in five years time. That’s good. It is a positive long-term goal. You should also have medium goals – say an overseas holiday next year. Even more importantly you should also have short term and immediate goals.

Whether you understand it or not, you do have a habit conditioned mind. What you must do is create a new habit that will make your habits assist you instead of working against you. When people hear the statement that “There is not much in this world that you cannot have if you really want it”; most people have an automatic rejection to this type of statement. They counter with “Who me? You’ve got to be kidding.” The only reason for this reaction is the habit conditioning of your mind. You are used to thinking of limitations. Your habit centres reject the thought that you can have whatever you want. You are guilty, as we all are, of the deadly sin of self-limitation. Your mind is comfortable. You are in life exactly where your mind feels comfortable. It takes a little courage to get out of that rut and begin to create the new life that you really want, but that you reject because of your present thinking patterns.

The first step is to understand the goal setting processes. The first step is to argue with your own mind. To argue with your own indifference. To argue with your own laziness, and force yourself through a deliberate mental process, to set and work towards goals that you really want.

There can be nothing worse than setting well defined positive goals – and then ineffectively pursuing them. Many people do this. It is a tragic waste. Another tragedy is the person who works hard and pushes and persists without having a clearly defined goal. This person may or may not succeed. His persistence may push him into winning situations but whereas the first person knows where he wants to go and doesn’t ever quite get there, this second person drifts like a ship without a rudder.

A goal must be set and the first step taken. Set a ten year goal and begin right away. You may find that you have to make continual changes in your direction. You may find that you arrive at your goal in 12 years. What is more likely is that in four or five years, you will be so well on your way that you will achieve your target well ahead of the deadline. The only way you will not achieve it is if you, (a) give up or (b) fail to adapt to changing circumstances and make the necessary changes.

Achievement is really only taking one step after another. The hundredth step is a very easy one to take. The hard one is the first, second and third. Inertia that holds you back from taking the first step, will work for you in making you take the later steps, once you are off and running. So take the first step as soon as you can. Procrastination, the old thief of time, must be dealt a speedy deathblow. The first step is undoubtedly the hardest. The secret is to begin whether you are ready or not.

The first step is to decide exactly what you want. Begin by setting your goals now. Don’t say “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Get started right away. Where do you want to be in five years time? Right where you are now? Or streets ahead in money, possessions, personality and personal satisfaction? The choice is yours today. Make your goal list today. This really is a vital moment of decision in your life. When you look back on your life you are going to be able to say, “That’s it. That’s the moment when I began to put it all together. That was the turning point in my life”. Don’t look back and say, “That was another opportunity I missed.” Have you the courage to set your goals now and be on your way to enjoying life as it is meant to be – in abundant fulfillment!

To learn how you can live a life full of abundance visit:

www.successinabundance.com

Article Source: http://articles411.com

How to Use the Power of Visualization to Control and Conquer Anger

positiveaffirmations — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 01:45:58 +0000

How to Use the Power of Visualization to Control and Conquer Anger
by Pradeep Aggarwal

Visualization is not idle wishing or daydreaming. It is a practical method to discover and achieve all you want from life. Visualization trains your mind to focus on what you truly want, and helps in marshalling all your available resources, which may be used for the accomplishment of your objective.

This article explores and explains the Power of Visualization and suggests a practical technique to overcome anger and reinforces the belief and confidence in us that any problem of any size or magnitude can be conquered.

We all get angry sometimes due to something or the other. Most of the time we become victims of our own anger. Our anger leads us to say or do something that we repent later. It causes harm to us as well as to others to whom we direct our anger.
The following visual sequence will not only control your anger, but also motivate you to turn things around.

Picture your anger as a ball of fire next time when you are angry. The angrier you are, the bigger is the ball of fire. It can be as big as football or even the size of a mountain. Picture the ball of fire as big as your anger.

Notice the distance of the ball of fire from you. If it is too closer to you, put it away at a safer distance. Now, inspect the ball of fire carefully. Do you see the flames dancing around it? What is the color of the flame? Do you feel the heat of your anger? Does it make you sweat?

Anger makes us feel helpless over a situation. You feel helpless because all your power becomes centered around your anger. You feel it like a fiery lump, burning you head and heart. The idea is to picture this lump, and take back the power that it has taken from you.

Command the ball of fire to return back all the power it has taken from you. If you get no response, then demand from it. You might see a ball of pure gold smaller than the ball of fire emerge from the flames. Command it to go to either your head or your heart.

Do you feel the power in your heart? Do you feel the power return back to your head? Good! Sometimes, just separating the power from your anger makes the flames of anger die.

But, if there is any flame left in the ball of fire, roll it out mentally to a large reservoir of water. It may take a lake. Or it might even be an ocean.

Now, push the angry ball of fire into the water. Do you hear the hiss of the ball of fire when it meets water? See the white cloud of steam that arises. Slowly, the hissing sound subsides. The steam disappears. The angry ball of fire disappears completely. You have drowned your anger. And you have done it without harming yourself or others.

On the other hand, you have taken the power away from your anger and kept it with you. You are now POWERFUL.

In fact you are VERY VERY POWERFUL. Use your Power to your advantage.

Pradeep Aggarwal is a renowned Hypnosis & NLP guru with career spanning two and half decades He is also a much sought after speaker and peak performance consultant for organizations and sport teams. Visit Hypnosis Global for free 6 part mini course to learn Self Hypnosis and Personal Transformation.

Article Source: http://articles411.com

Make The Elephant Jump — Leading With A Kind Heart

positiveaffirmations — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 03:17:51 +0000

Make The Elephant Jump — Leading With A Kind Heart
by Brent Filson

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. E-mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

Word count: 567

Leadership is not about getting people to do what they want. If they did what they want, you wouldn’t be needed as a leader. Instead, leadership is about getting people to do what they don’t want to do (or don’t think they can do) – and be ardently committed to doing it.

This paradox lies at the heart of all great leadership.

Unlike management, which involves simply the care and feeding of your organizational elephant, great leadership gets that elephant to jump.

Anyone who knows anything about elephants knows that they may run, they may stand on their hind legs, they may kneel on their fore legs, they may roll over; but they don’t jump.

And that’s what leadership is all about: getting organizations to do what they usually can’t do, i.e., getting great results consistently.

Now, you can’t do the jumping yourself. The elephant must do it. You can’t push the elephant into the air. It must jump of its own volition.

Making the elephant jump involves cultivating a special relationship between the leader and the people of the organization.

Many leaders misunderstand that relationship. They try to use fear and pain to spur the activity needed to achieve consistently great results. “Sure, I’ll get this elephant to jump. Just give me an electric prod!”

But inducing fear and pain are habit forming and ultimately destructive both to the leader and the people.

To make the elephant jump — not now and then but consistently, i.e., to lead people to consistently to achieve great results — deep, human emotional bonding between leader and people must take place. And fundamental to that bonding is the nature of the heart of the leader.

This is the secret: You can’t get the elephant to jump unless you have a kind heart. Kindness in leadership means following the Leadership Imperative: “I will lead people in such a way that we not only achieve the needed results but we, the people and me, become better as leaders and people.”

Most leaders focus on the first part “getting better results” and forget about the second part. But in truth, when you have a kind heart, getting results and helping people be better are not two things but one.

From now on, see every leadership challenge you face as a way of having people increase their knowledge, their skills, their courage, their tenacity, and their leadership abilities. Cultivating that perspective is a kindness.

But don’t mistake kindness for being nice. Don’t mistake kindness for having people simply feel good. Don’t mistake kindness for allowing people to indulge the worst aspects of their character, laziness, inconsiderateness, selfishness, etc.

Furthermore, you may be kind and have people be frustrated with you. Many great leaders I’ve had relationships with got me frustrated as they had me go through the trouble of tackling challenges I might not otherwise have tackled. (In fact, deep, human, emotional bonding cannot happen without a great deal of frustration.) But I was motivated despite my frustrations because I recognized that they essentially had my best interests at heart.

Yes, through skill, persuasiveness, understanding, forcefulness, education, and guidance, you can get the elephant to jump — as long as you do it through the kindness of your heart.

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: “49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,” at http://www.actionleadership.com

Article Source: http://articles411.com

The Key to Developing Your Self-Esteem

positiveaffirmations — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 02:20:49 +0000

The Key to Developing Your Self-Esteem
by Ken Snowie

Self-esteem is a state of mind. It can fill you with happiness, cheer, and confidence. It can also make you feel terrible about yourself. Self-esteem is like a battery. When the battery is charged, the individual is positive; when the battery is low, the individual is negative.

Individuals with low self-esteem often do not do well in life. They will approach most situations with little confidence though they may be fully capable of accomplishing it. Self-belief is considered the foundation of self-esteem. It provides the extra confidence that one needs to know they can do anything.

So how do you develop self-belief in yourself? Do not mistake self-belief as self-importance. They are not the same. It is more like conceit, spawn over confidence and egotism, which does not lead to personal success.

The right answer is positive self-esteem. This means that you see yourself as good and capable as anyone else, no better or worse, you are proud of who you are, and you approach everything with a positive outlook.

To do this you must learn to accept yourself unconditionally. You will have strengths and weaknesses, and you will have achievements and failures. You must learn to accept those realities. This is what self-esteem is all about – truth in yourself.

Those who always languish are never happy. Those who blame everyone else for their failures also never get ahead. They are consumed with negativity.

It is important to not let your mistakes or failures overpower you, and ruin your happiness. You have to accept your mistakes and move on. Any time you do not acknowledge your mistakes, you lose some of your self-esteem.

Most people gain a lot of happiness from their accomplishments. Their self-esteem rises; they feel like they can accomplish anything. However, the same self-esteem can fall when that person is rejected or makes a mistake. This can cause a person to feel unhappy and unwanted, and can eat away at his self-esteem until he is very unhappy. It will also impact other realms of his life.

In order to improve your self-esteem, you need to be fair to yourself. Do not beat yourself up when something goes wrong. It can lead to depression and overwhelming guilt. A mistake or failure cannot be changed, but it can be learned from. Everyone should judge himself or herself fairly. Beating up on oneself leads to defeat, and destroys self-esteem.

Discover more about self confidence by visiting http://www.discover-self-confidence.info

Article Source: http://articles411.com

Are We Our Own Prisoners?

positiveaffirmations — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 04:19:20 +0000

Are We Our Own Prisoners?
by cdm

Imagine a person in a prison. He/she has been imprisoned for life and will wait till death in the prison. What can possibly motivate such a person? What do these people look forward to in their lives? Sometimes, we are also prisoners of our thoughts and our past deeds. We also have nothing else to look forward to. We only have regrets. At least, we can do something about the conditions, but the prisoners can do nothing. Life can be depressing at times. How to inspire ourselves in such conditions?

What is inspiration?

‘Inspiration’ the word as it is commonly understood means to experience a state of mind that propels us to work happily, try to achieve goals, and feel good about ourselves and the world.

How to break open the prison?

When we are not inspired and can set no goals, we feel that we are so helpless that nothing can be done. The first step would be to try finding stories of people such as Helen Keller who overcame so many difficulties to emerge victorious. That will give us a basic thought that things are not that bad. We will open at least one door of our prison with this thought.

Then go back in your memory. Try and think of instances when you felt good because of some achievements. It could be something very small. Anything. Like coming first in the class in your second year in school, or getting a good remark from a teacher for an essay or for a math answer. That will break open another door.

Now begin counting your blessings. Do you have a functioning kidney? Can you see? Can you hear? Can you smell? Are your hands ok and so on. Will you sell your eyes for any price? No! Who said that you have no money? You are a wealthy person who is unaware of your wealth, your blessings, Isn’t it? This will open one more door.

Break the last door open by thinking of the goals you might want to achieve. Believe that you can do that. Start planning. Think of ways. Talk to people. Be ready for a long struggle but with a firm resolve that you will achieve the goals. This will take you out of the prison of your thinking and make you a new person ready to fight.

Get set to go ahead. You are a winner in making!

You can read more of the author CD Mohatta’s work in screensavers and desktop wallpapers and egreetings at these sites: Desktop Wallpapers, Inspirational Cards and Love Ecards.

Article Source: http://articles411.com