Feelings Aren't Facts

Often there may be a distortion, be it big or small, regarding how we see ourselves, others, or our lives in general. This distortion, or as I call it, the story we tell ourselves, frequently leads to emotional pain, increased anxiety, and potentially depression. That is because feelings aren't facts.

The phrase, feelings aren't facts, is commonly used in 12-step programs, yet it is profoundly true for all of us. This phrase uses the term, feelings, in such a way that it is not about emotions such as sadness, grief or anger. Instead it refers to our beliefs, perceptions, interpretations and thoughts. It speaks to the ways in which we experience ourselves, or others, in a subjective way.

Perception is Reality

When we say, for example, "I don't feel good enough." How could this statement not create further unease? Although others in our world may perceive us as amazing, or more than good enough, it is what we tell ourselves, even if it is not a fact, that emotionally distresses us.

This may be further exacerbated by making comparisons based on our assumptions about other people. We may tell ourselves, "That woman has got it all together. Look at her. How come I don't?" This story may also not be a fact, yet because we believe it is, it may further exacerbate, or contribute, to the wearing away of our self-esteem.

Fact or Fiction

When we operate from a place of misconception, distortion, or fiction, then we walk through the world from this place. This can produce a distortion of ourselves, of other people in our lives, or the world in general. If we function from a place of fear, anxiety or anger our perception of reality can be tainted with negativity. These painful feelings, although triggered by non-facts, can still ultimately affect us.

Another person's comment may remind us of something that occurred in our history. Accusations and judgements that occurred in our childhood, or adolescence, that were not resolved may influence our interpretation of circumstances in our current lives. The other person, and even ourselves, may have no idea this unresolved issue has influenced our perception unless this interaction is explored or clarification is sought.

We Believe What We Perceive

Our internal process, or how we internally experience or interpret something, is often more about our history as opposed to what the other person may truly mean. The stories we tell ourselves about what the other person means may negatively affect the relationship.

Often we use the word feeling for what is not a feeling. For example, I feel that you are accusing me of lying. It is important to differentiate this thought from the feelings that are triggered by it.

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What Are You Searching For?

I have not yet met anyone in my world travels who didn't want a little more inner peace. And, I have never encountered anyone who would trade a little money to rid themselves of their stress and worries.

So, is this what each of us is secretly or overtly searching for? Well, to be truthful I'm not sure. People who say they want less stress continue to pursue wealth, fame, power, position and more stuff. People who say they want to be happy often seem to sabotage this goal with poor choices, bad judgment and emotional immaturity. And people who say they want more inner peace still harbor old emotional baggage, replay old slights and hurts and let other people control their behaviors, attitudes, emotions and even their thoughts.

If we are truly searching for any or all the items listed above one would have to wonder whether we are just giving lip service to these goals, desires and dreams or if we really want them but just don't seem to know where to find them, how to achieve them or how to keep them.

I too have been guilty. I am just like you in that I would like a little more happiness and a little less stress yet when it comes to doing what is necessary I often fall short.

Sure, I have read all the books, hundreds and hundreds of them, attended the seminars, had personal coaches, spent hours and even weeks setting and planning my personal goals and dreams and spent more hours than I can remember praying and meditating and yet, here I sit from time to time, still questioning whether all this reading, study and searching is worthwhile.

During my years of study, research and searching I have come to a few conclusions.

1) Many of the people who supposedly have it figured out, don't. 

2) Many of the people who preach and teach this stuff to others and get paid handsomely to do so, don't have a clue. 

3) Some of the people who you would least expect to have the answers often do. 

4) Even many of the religious fanatics, diehards or steadfast believers in God still struggle with the same issues, questions and challenges as those who have never set foot in a church or Synagogue or read the Bible.

Why is this? Are we doomed as a species to just search and never find or discover the true meaning of our life or as the title says, why we are we here?

Humans have been asking for centuries; why am I here, where am I going and what am I supposed to do with my life while I am here?

One could get easily discouraged and feeling a little sorry for themselves spending years contemplating simple questions like these.

Have you ever asked yourself any of these searching questions whether in times of doubt or discouragement or happiness and contentment? Success or failure? 

Do you have any answers yet, or are you like most of us, that you just keep on trudging ahead through life one day at a time just earning, spending, working and playing?

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What Wrong With Having Problems?

"The problem is not there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." Theodore Rubin

A problem is not a problem until you call it a problem. Before that, it is an occurrence or simply something that happened. Expecting all occurrences to be void of breakdowns/problems is a formula for disappointment.

From another perspective, think of the times you felt you were in the zone. It could have been an athletic event or a business transaction. When you were in the zone, problems had little or no effect on you. You may have looked at them as a slight bump in the road and you proceeded to solve the problem with little or no effort. And then you continued on with your goal.

Later, when you were asked how did you solve the challenge so effortlessly, you may have responded that it was like an outer body experience. And it would have been hard for you to explain. When we are in the zone, problems rarely show up as insurmountable. That's the example of when life is good. So why do people have problems with problems?

Perhaps the real reason we have problems with problems is because we secretly expect them. When they show up, we say, 'I knew something would go wrong'. It's like we programmed ourselves for the disappointment.

When they happen, we are upset because life seems to be filled with one problem after another. And all we want is a smooth harmonious life with no problems. It's like we are waiting for the day that we believe we deserve - a life with no problems. But, as usual, we know the next breakdown is just around the corner.

In fact, we spend time dreaming about the day we meet the right person and find the right job that will give us eternal peace and harmony. While at the same time, our environment has trained us to never get too happy because the next problem is around the corner.

Nevertheless, we have all had the experience of being in the zone. If you focus on doing something well, you will find it much easier to get into the zone. In that space, you will find problems rarely seem to be a problem.

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Top Tips To Help You Stop Procrastinating

Here are my top tips to help you stop procrastinating:

Tip #1 Small Chunks

Just divide all the things you have to do into small chunks. It doesn't matter if you only have a little time and think it's not worth starting anything now. Honestly IT IS! If I'd have done lots of little bits daily in my business (when I thought I didn't have enough time) I'd be much further ahead than I am now!

There are many times I can think of now where I wasted 30 mins at least thinking about pointless things when I could have listened to half an hour of audio training, written a blog, filmed a video or done some internet research etc! So YES these snippets of time are so valuable for doing SOMETHING! Perhaps you're a mum like me who is always busy, looking after children, doing housework, working part time and also building a business from home. You may also have pets and other commitments which keep you constantly tied up! So therefore any snippet of time is valuable! So use them wisely!

Tip #2 Brainstorm & Write A Weekly Plan

Firstly do a brainstorm or brain splurge on paper where you literally write out all of the things you need to do. That will instantly make you feel better! I used to find that I had so much to do I was scared to think about everything so it was easier to block it out and just do nothing! Very productive!!

So if you just get every single thing out on paper that you need to do, then prioritise each task and make a weekly plan. Then you can see clearly what you need to do and when. Give realistic time scales as otherwise you'll put too much in one day, not get it done and feel bad! So write down what you think you'll achieve per day. Even if you don't get around to doing everything that day, just be gentle with yourself knowing that you've been productive and forward those things on to the following day.

Tip #3 Change your environment

If you're finding that you're not getting much inspiration to do any work then try changing your location/environment. You may normally work in a particular room but perhaps you're not feeling motivated. Whether you change rooms or even go out and find a coffee shop or go for a walk, changing your environment can really help you get back on track and help stop you procrastinating.

Tip #4 Listen to Music

Try listening to music, something that gets you really revved up and in the mood for working. Some people have running music to help them run faster, such as 'eye of the tiger'. I love a song by Enigma and even though it's not a fast song, I feel energised when I listen to it and it makes me want to get on and work my business. It also makes me feel happy and empowered. So try it for yourself and have fun choosing a song or songs to give you momentum!

Tip #5 Have a buddy

Either have one person, like a buddy or tell various friends and family what you're doing. Then you're holding yourself accountable for getting things done. If someone is expecting to receive a blog or report etc from you at a certain time or day then you're more likely to get it done on time rather than if you're just going to put it out there for anyone to see. If you're advertising something or are broadcasting material to nobody in particular then it's easy to procrastinate and let other more pressing things come first. So always believe there is someone waiting for you to deliver.

Tip #6 Just Do It!

Often we want things to be done perfectly and if they're not, we don't finish what we're doing, and therefore end up procrastinating! You may have to be a bit harsh with yourself, like a personal trainer can be, and just get on with it! Rather than making excuses and trying to make something so perfect that you end up procrastinating, just take control and TAKE ACTION! I promise you will feel so much better afterwards!

Working on my business from home has helped me learn a lot about myself and how easily I can procrastinate! But the reason WHY I'm working for myself from home is so important that it makes me have lots of 'Get Up & Go' and want to work hard! My WHY is my children who I want to spend as much time as possible with. And I want to give them the best life possible.

I wish you luck in your journey to stop procrastinating!

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8 Harsh Reasons as to Why You’re Still Broke

Okay so you’re broke, perhaps in debt, and just really wanting to have a career that you love and can be proud of? One that will make you good money? Well then maybe this is for you.

We all want to make a lot of money, but for most people who have this common goal they struggle to ever get anywhere near where they want to be, and all it raises within them is doubt. Doubt of why it’s not happening for them but is for others. Here’s 8 reasons as to why you’re still broke.

1) You Give up too Easily

The first half a year, or year of starting a business, a website, a career or whatever it is you want to do is a test. You’ll be tested on your commitment and love to do what it is you’re doing.

Within this time you will experience struggles, and failure, but this is all part of the test and if you want to prove that you’re in this for the long run, and that you deserve to have the things you want, then you need to do what must be done to prove yourself worthy.


2) You’re Lacking Motivation

There are far too many people in this world that sit around saying “I wish I was rich”, “It’d be nice if we had a pay rise” and all the other garbage that they just expect to come to them. You don’t just wake up one day and find someone’s deposited a hundred grand into your bank account.

The wealthy people in this world aren’t wishing for things and just hoping they’ll come into some money. They’re the people who spend less time wishing and more time doing. If you really want something then you need to go out and put your heart and soul into it.

Don’t just think to yourself that someone kind will just come along and give you what you want.


3) You’re in Love With Your T.V
My dream car is a Lamborghini Murcielago, in a less common color like blue or green. It’s just one thing I’ve always had in my mind ever since I was younger playing the ‘Need for Speed’ games. Anyway, one day I was looking for the perfect one on Google images, as you do, and I found a quote that really spoke to me.

“Why haven’t you ever seen a Lamborghini commercial before? Because the people who can afford them aren’t sitting around watching T.V.” The truth is, if you’re sitting around watching T.V for most of the day or evening, then you’re basically watching what’s going on in other people’s lives instead of going out and creating a life of your own.

T.V is not real life. Turn it off and start living.


4) Sleep is Your Best Friend

If you really want to be rich and successful, but you’re still getting more than 8 hours of sleep, then you’re wasting valuable time. 6 to 7 hours sleep is perfectly fine, but if you’re not getting up early enough in the mornings you could be missing opportunities to make money or improve upon yourself.

When you go to sleep tonight, place your alarm clock next to your bedroom door and set it to go off an hour earlier than normal. When you get up to turn that annoying sound off, you’ll be up out of bed and facing your bedroom door.

All you have to do is walk out of the door, make yourself a cup of coffee and have an extra hour of working on yourself! Whatever it may be. The laziest thing you could do is to turn that alarm off, turn around and then get back into your bed.


5) You’ve Adopted Bad Habits

All that smoking, drinking, watching T.V, browsing Facebook and other crap you’ve been doing, isn’t going to have an amazing effect on your life. If you’re going to grow as a person, then some discipline needs to be gained in these areas, in order for you to have strength of body, mind and soul.

Kick the habits, and start trying to actually improve your life.


6) You Hang out With the Wrong Crowd

They say that you become just like the 5 people you spend the most time with. Which should make you question yourself whether you’re current friends are actually good for you. Sure they may be a great laugh, and that’s a good thing.

But do they have any dreams, goals or aspirations?


7) All Talk no Action

Are you familiar with a process where you have this amazing idea pop into your head, and instead of then proceeding to work on it, you start adding more thoughts onto the idea you already have.

At the end of your life, you end up with this incredible idea that you’ve thought through for so many years, but it’s useless because you have no time left to take action on it.

The wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. It’s where so many ideas and inventions come to die. Champions don’t start out with a perfect idea. They start out with an idea and make it perfect through the hard work that they put in.


8) You Have no Plan

Having a plan isn’t exactly essential to become wealthy and successful, but if you’ve been broke up until now then perhaps you should think about creating one for yourself.

Where do you want to be in a few years time? Do you still want to be where you are or do you want to be in the job of your dreams, earning a great amount of money?

If it’s the latter, then you’ll need a plan of how you’re going to be able to get there. Do you know what you need to do to make this dream become a reality? Then write it down, and split it into small baby steps.

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Are You Whole or Full of Holes?

In order to be in a healthy relationship, both people in the couple need to be whole and complete in themselves. Part of being a whole person is exploring the different things that interest you in addition to the things that keep you healthy. The other part of being a whole person is to be able to fill yourself up intrinsically. The thing that happens to many people is that they try to fill their holes externally.

In the movie Jerry Mcguire, there was a famous line, "You complete me." It was romantic and many people in the years that passed wanted to hear those words. The thing is no one else can complete you. She or he can compliment who you are. You can want to be a better you when you are with him/her but only you can complete you.

Here are 5 signs that you may be full of holes and looking outside of yourself to get them filled:

1. You say I love you not so much because you mean it but because you want to hear it back

2. You need constant reassurance or validation from your significant other for example: "Do you still love me"; "Are you ready to leave me yet". You ask not because it is a true question but because you need to hear the "yes".

3. You require your partner to read your mind, "if you loved me, you'd know what I want". Instead of directly asking for what you want or stating your needs

4. Getting angry when your expectations are not met when never actually letting your partner know what your expectations are.

5. Putting the needs and wants of your partner ahead of your own and forgetting that your needs are important.

Here are 5 ways to become more of a whole person and filling up from within:

1. Love yourself unconditionally so that you can love another.

2. Recognize when you accomplish something important to you and give yourself a pat on the back

3. Acknowledge how you are feeling and then take time to feel those feelings

4. Find something to be grateful about everyday.

5. When life hands you lemons, ask now what... the possibilities are endless - lemonade, lemon chicken, lemon pie... you get the idea.

Just remember that one of the most loving and romantic things that you can say to yourself is, "I complete me".

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Improving The Quality Of Your Life One Step At A Time

Feel like your life is bankrupt sometimes? Knowing how to improve the quality of your life can't be left for chance or vague notions.

Knowing how others have improved the quality of their lifestyles is what you need. Here are 7 keys to guarantee the quality and substance of your life will get better:

1. You can't deny that all of your life hinges upon the quality of your health. Without good health, you can't maintain the lifestyle you desire, and good health doesn't stay by accident. Paying attention to your health is the starting place for improvement.

2. The way you handle finances has a direct bearing on the condition of every part of your life. Irresponsibility to money causes untold stress in every part of life. Personal money management is a must when it comes to improving your life.

3. The condition of your life is reflected by the friends you keep. You are the people you surround yourself with. Are your friends exemplifying the quality of life you desire? Chose friends wisely for the best life possible.

4. Gratitude is the unsung hero of all great people living dynamic and enhanced lives. Gratitude includes a thank you, but goes much deeper. Thankfulness for what you have is an attitude that when practiced brings life beyond your wildest expectations.

5. Simplicity is the opposite of confusion and drama. Make your life as simple as possible by deleting everything in it that you don't truly love. Take a look around your home, and decide what you truly need, and use. Discard everything else so that your life has room to expand and improve.

6. Give, give, give. Don't be tricked into thinking that giving what you have no use for will expand the quality of your life. To watch the quality of your life explode start looking around for someone in need of what you have already. Give your money, your possessions, and your time. When you give what you use and need it will come back many times over.

7. Last and not least is a plan to learn how to improve the quality of your life. Set aside an hour each week to do nothing more than think and read about methods for making your life better. This will make you conscious of what needs changing and how to change.

Getting the most out of anything always requires giving all you have, and life is no different. Make your life a long and rewarding adventure when you live it with a conscious intention to make it great.

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4 Ways You Can Create Everlasting Devotion to Your Goals

We can sit here and try to come up with a million ideas for the future or talk about our dreams for hours, but what does it matter when we aren’t insanely committed to those ideas, and all we do is waste time on pep-talks?

Over the years I have learned that mental devotion to my vision is something I must do before anything else. Those exciting goals must be converted into reality. They have to become a part of my identity and who I am. Only if you can become totally loyal and responsible to what you want, can you overcome challenges and any setbacks along the way.
Since we all are just starting fresh in 2017 with high expectations, pumped up, ready to make it happen, I have for you 4 ways how you can stay on track and create everlasting devotion to every single goal:

1. Respect your goal

This is a fundamental and one of the most important steps towards your future. If you don’t make your dreams the most important thing in your life, who will? It is your responsibility to know what your vision means to you and learn how to prioritize between what you want now and what you want forever.

If you are willing to accept a sadistic boss at the job you hate and feel miserable about, then I believe it is your obligation to be absolutely loyal to your dreams and future.


“The first step to achieving your goal, is to take a moment to respect your goal. Know what it means to you to achieve it.” – Dwayne Johnson

2. Create commitment which breaks every wall

One of the best mental tricks I’ve applied to myself is creating a deep relationship with my goals. There are only two ways this relationship is going to end. I either reach it, or I die. Sounds tough, I know, but it isn’t.

The “dying” part refers to a situation where you won’t stop until you get to the final destination. And this is the way you should look at your primary, long-lasting goals which you know, in your heart, are going to give you fulfillment and satisfaction.

There is nothing stronger than absolute commitment. This state of mind will pull you through the hardest times and doesn’t make you stop, no matter how tired, exhausted or discouraged you feel.

3. How many lives can you impact?

Have you ever thought about how many lives you can change or impact with your goals? How many jobs can you create. How many families can you feed or how much impact you can have on your children?

I bet that if you are reading this, humility is a part of your character, which is a reason good enough to keep going. It is common for the people who are on top to help others along the way and that is why they aimed so high on a ladder of success.


“We only have what we give.” – Isabel Allende

4. Listen to your heart

If your heart is involved in your decision and plans, it creates power because heart makes you feel. You can be exhausted and fed up with all the failures and discouragement, have 100 reasons to give up, but if your heart tells you to keep going, you will keep going. In general, feelings are far stronger than thoughts, and they have a bigger impact on your actions.

When it comes to deciding about your future and dreams, forget the logic. No one ever succeeded or kept going because they were logical. Follow your heart and in a time of crisis, ask yourself one question: “If I give up now, if I let those goals disappear, am I going to be okay with that?” This should give you an exact answer to what you are destined for.
How do you stay devoted to your goals? Please leave your thoughts below!

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4 Ways to Juggle Entrepreneurship & Parenthood Successfully

When people talk about settling down and starting a family, it’s always understood that they would be focusing more on being parent than being a career man or woman.

The point is, people are so used to seeing single entrepreneurs who have all the time in the world for their business. Most believe that entrepreneurship is a huge risk. And that someone who has a commitment to wife and kids can never handle the position.


How to Juggle Entrepreneurship & Parenthood

While many people think both these roles are hard to do side by side, there are some who succeeded and juggled parenthood and entrepreneurship successfully.

How did they do it?

The following is advice from successful parent-preneurs:


1. Prioritize Your Commitments

“Nurture your family as much as you nurture your business. Your business may take care of your family but your family will care about you.” – Brian Gatti of Inspire Business Concepts

With family and work all vying for your attention, how do you know which one to prioritize?

First things first: As a parent, you want to spend most of your time with your child. You want to be with your boy in every of his soccer game. Or with your girl in ever of her ballet recital.

But as a business owner, you also have to shoulder the responsibility of being an entrepreneur if you don’t want to let your clients, partners, and employees down.

So how do you do it?

Be realistic about what you can accomplish. Take the time to plot out the things you need to do at work and at home. Don’t take in more work more than you can handle. There are also times when you need to focus more on your business so you have to make up for the time you lost for your family by scheduling family time on the weekends.
Get involved with your child. Despite being busy, you can still be a good parent by being involved with your child in everything he does. This includes making time to attend his school activities, and making up if you miss one because of a work commitment.
Keep a routine. Routines make everything easier and faster. Find your own time flow where you can work and still spend quality time with your kids as often as they’d like.
Have a back-up plan. Imagine having an important meeting with a client or a work deadline happen during one of those days when your child is sick. Plan beforehand, if you fail to do these things on schedule.
Put important things on your calendar. All the things that have to be done without fail during that date should be scheduled. If it’s not on your calendar, then it’s not something to do.

2. Hack your Time

“I recommend [to] not check your work email 10 minutes before your bedtime, nor 10 minutes before your child will wake up from a nap. You never know what will be in that inbox that may cause excessive excitement or worry regarding your business! Better to leave it for a time when you know you can calmly respond to any pressure from work.” – Arlissa Vaugn, Special Event Painter

Most work-at-home parents often don’t have the time to work for eight hours straight compared to those who work in the office. The good thing is you can always hack your time.

So you can do everything on schedule and get more done even with less working hours.


The following are time hacks you can incorporate on your work day:
Cook for two meals at once so you can simply fridge the other half and have it for the next day.
Shop groceries online and simply pick it up on the store so you don’t waste time shopping.
Do things in batches. For example: commute and reply work emails, water the plants and wash your car.
Have your dry cleaning set to pick-up and delivery.
You can save far more time if you remove distractions while you work.


3. Outsource / delegate work

“As a mama, we try to do it all. But after having twins in 2010, I quickly realized I couldn’t be the mama I wanted to be if I was in front of the computer or on the phone and watching kids at the same time. I found myself completely stressed and overwhelmed, feeling like a failure as a mom and an entrepreneur. Getting childcare, be it a babysitter or a supportive friend, allowed me to finally focus 100% of my energy on my biz when I was working and 100% on my family when I wasn’t.” – Rachel Cook of The Yogipreneur.

Being a parent entrepreneur means that you might not be able to take in important meetings due to family activities. That’s why it’s critical that you train your staff or hire someone to take your place during these episodes.

You can’t do it all alone so you have to ask for other’s help. You should use every kind of tool or opportunity to make everything work easier for you. Here are some ways successful parent entrepreneurs get their work done:
Outsourcing Online – There are many freelance services online like freelancer.com or PeoplePerHour where you can find great freelancers to help you in your business. You can let them do work that takes up too much of your time. Or work that you don’t know how to do like web design, editorial, and content writing.
Get a Virtual Assistant – Hire someone who can help you schedule everything and manage work for you while you’re away from the office. Delegate all petty things so you can free up your mind to deal with the important stuff.
Teach your kids to help – If your kids are old enough you can teach them to do simple things around the house like taking out the trash, doing the dishes, or their own laundry.


4. Grow Your Parents Network

“Focus on money making and network-building tasks first—so for me, fiddling around with where a graphic goes on my website is last, after finishing projects for clients and doing networking activities” – Kathy Catlin Davis of Inspired Abundance

Having children grows your ‘parent network’ as you meet other families through playgroups, school, and your neighborhood.

This helps you earn your place in their community which can be beneficial for you to meet interesting people that can turn into valuable contacts or even partners in business.

Parents that are like-minded in business may turn to each other for advice and strategies in financing.

These parent networking events are great ways to find help in growing your business. You might even find it amazing how other parent’s business ambitions will inspire yours. So take time and grow these parent connections while you bond with your kids.


Summary

At the end of the day, it’s all about reflecting on what’s important to you and finding ways to reach your goals. You can have a multi-billion business and become a committed serial entrepreneur while still getting the award for the best mom/dad in the world.
Are you juggling entrepreneurship and parenting? Leave a comment below.

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8 Harsh Reasons as to Why You’re Still Broke

Okay so you’re broke, perhaps in debt, and just really wanting to have a career that you love and can be proud of? One that will make you good money? Well then maybe this is for you.

We all want to make a lot of money, but for most people who have this common goal they struggle to ever get anywhere near where they want to be, and all it raises within them is doubt. Doubt of why it’s not happening for them but is for others. Here’s 8 reasons as to why you’re still broke.

1) You Give up too Easily

The first half a year, or year of starting a business, a website, a career or whatever it is you want to do is a test. You’ll be tested on your commitment and love to do what it is you’re doing.

Within this time you will experience struggles, and failure, but this is all part of the test and if you want to prove that you’re in this for the long run, and that you deserve to have the things you want, then you need to do what must be done to prove yourself worthy.


2) You’re Lacking Motivation

There are far too many people in this world that sit around saying “I wish I was rich”, “It’d be nice if we had a pay rise” and all the other garbage that they just expect to come to them. You don’t just wake up one day and find someone’s deposited a hundred grand into your bank account.

The wealthy people in this world aren’t wishing for things and just hoping they’ll come into some money. They’re the people who spend less time wishing and more time doing. If you really want something then you need to go out and put your heart and soul into it.

Don’t just think to yourself that someone kind will just come along and give you what you want.


3) You’re in Love With Your T.V

My dream car is a Lamborghini Murcielago, in a less common color like blue or green. It’s just one thing I’ve always had in my mind ever since I was younger playing the ‘Need for Speed’ games. Anyway, one day I was looking for the perfect one on Google images, as you do, and I found a quote that really spoke to me.

“Why haven’t you ever seen a Lamborghini commercial before? Because the people who can afford them aren’t sitting around watching T.V.” The truth is, if you’re sitting around watching T.V for most of the day or evening, then you’re basically watching what’s going on in other people’s lives instead of going out and creating a life of your own.

T.V is not real life. Turn it off and start living.


4) Sleep is Your Best Friend

If you really want to be rich and successful, but you’re still getting more than 8 hours of sleep, then you’re wasting valuable time. 6 to 7 hours sleep is perfectly fine, but if you’re not getting up early enough in the mornings you could be missing opportunities to make money or improve upon yourself.

When you go to sleep tonight, place your alarm clock next to your bedroom door and set it to go off an hour earlier than normal. When you get up to turn that annoying sound off, you’ll be up out of bed and facing your bedroom door.


All you have to do is walk out of the door, make yourself a cup of coffee and have an extra hour of working on yourself! Whatever it may be. The laziest thing you could do is to turn that alarm off, turn around and then get back into your bed.


5) You’ve Adopted Bad Habits

All that smoking, drinking, watching T.V, browsing Facebook and other crap you’ve been doing, isn’t going to have an amazing effect on your life. If you’re going to grow as a person, then some discipline needs to be gained in these areas, in order for you to have strength of body, mind and soul.

Kick the habits, and start trying to actually improve your life.

6) You Hang out With the Wrong Crowd

They say that you become just like the 5 people you spend the most time with. Which should make you question yourself whether you’re current friends are actually good for you. Sure they may be a great laugh, and that’s a good thing.

But do they have any dreams, goals or aspirations?


7) All Talk no Action

Are you familiar with a process where you have this amazing idea pop into your head, and instead of then proceeding to work on it, you start adding more thoughts onto the idea you already have.

At the end of your life, you end up with this incredible idea that you’ve thought through for so many years, but it’s useless because you have no time left to take action on it.

The wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. It’s where so many ideas and inventions come to die. Champions don’t start out with a perfect idea. They start out with an idea and make it perfect through the hard work that they put in.


8) You Have no Plan

Having a plan isn’t exactly essential to become wealthy and successful, but if you’ve been broke up until now then perhaps you should think about creating one for yourself.

Where do you want to be in a few years time? Do you still want to be where you are or do you want to be in the job of your dreams, earning a great amount of money?

If it’s the latter, then you’ll need a plan of how you’re going to be able to get there. Do you know what you need to do to make this dream become a reality? Then write it down, and split it into small baby steps.

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Four Strategies to Achieve Your Goals

"If a man wants his dream to come true, he must first wake up." - Author unknown

The path to achieving your financial goals can become a little easier if you know exactly what is required to move from dream to reality. Let's look at four things that you need to know in order to attain your objectives:

Know what you want

When you get up in the morning, do you have a vivid picture of what you want to accomplish for the day? When you rest your head at night, do you think about the things you want to do tomorrow that will take you one step further in your life's journey?

Or do you merely live each day without a conscious thought about what you are working to achieve? One of the main reasons why many persons never attain any major goals is that they don't know what they want out of life.

Personal achievement guru, Brian Tracy confirms that the three keys to accomplishment are 'clarity, clarity, clarity." Having a specific intention about what is important to you is the first step in the goal setting process.

If you are honest with yourself about the things that you don't want to have in your life, then this can help you to pinpoint what you want to achieve.

For example, if you are uncomfortable with having to depend on your spouse for money for your personal bills, then you can express your desire as "I want to independently earn enough money to meet my needs."

Know why you want it

Knowing what you want is essential, but focusing on the reasons why you wish to get your goal is an even more powerful achievement strategy.

While you may be able to clearly outline the things you want, have you ever stopped to consider why these goals are important to you? What motivated you to want these things in the first place?

Very often, people's past experiences, positive or negative, leave major impressions on their subconscious minds. These incidents usually arouse emotions which may compel them towards certain goals.

You need to get to the root of your dream; try to identify the emotions that are being triggered when you think about what you want or what you don't want.

For example, if you say you want your own home because you hate having a landlord, concentrate on the negative emotions that come to your mind. Do you feel insecure because someone else has the power to separate you from your home?

When you focus on your feelings, they can provide a stronger push to succeed than just thinking about your goal itself.

Know when you want it

When you know what you want and why you want it, you have created a purpose statement for your goal. However, even though you may have clarity of intention and a burning desire to achieve, you may still struggle to see your dream fulfilled.

Have you ever considered how long it should take you to achieve your objectives?

Many people express their desires without indicating the time frame in which they would like to see it come to fruition. With an indefinite approach to your goal, you will not make it a priority and you will probably procrastinate on carrying out the necessary steps.

However, don't set arbitrary deadlines; be realistic about all the things you have to do before the goal can be accomplished.

Let's say that you know that you need to get additional training in order to leave your dead-end job and work in the area you truly love. Consider the length of the course and how quickly you could obtain the necessary financing for it.

The next step is to commit to a date when you want to start living out your dream; this will put you under pressure to get it done.

Know what you have to give up

It is possible to be clear, passionate and time-conscious about your goals and still not get to the finish line. There is one element missing from the final equation - you need to recognise and be willing to accept that you need to give up some things, in order to get what you want.

Natural law dictates that you can't get something for nothing; there must be a corresponding payout for whatever you receive.

When it comes to your goals, think carefully about the amount of time, effort and money that will be required to make them happen. Are your dreams important enough for you to make the necessary sacrifices?

For example, if running your own business is your goal, you had better be prepared to put in many sleepless nights, work tirelessly while others play and invest your financial resources, before you get started.

When you make the required commitment to do whatever it takes to succeed, and take immediate actions in line with your objectives, then you will become successful in your quest.

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Motivation Vs Inspiration

Although many people often confuse inspiration with motivation, they are two VERY different things. In order for us to do anything, we need to be motivated. Whether it is getting up from bed in the morning, doing our daily chores, or pursuing a lifelong dream, if there is no motivation we would not do it.

There are two types of Motivation: External motivation and Internal Motivation. When we say motivation in the normal sense, what we mean is External motivation. An external push that we require to do something that we may or may not care about.

On the other hand there is Internal Motivation which is also referred to as Inspiration. This kind of motivation comes from deep within ourselves and is not dependent on any external physical expression. When you are in this place of inspiration you are naturally drawn to do whatever feels best. In order for us to achieve our goals and move steadily forward on our chosen paths we need to be driven from inside rather than outside, therefore this means that the goals that we set have to be INSPIRED goals. one of the fastest roads to inspiration is motivation.

There are two types of Inspiration: Passive and Active. Replicating or building on the success and ideas of others is Passive inspiration, whereas, the act of CREATING things, pursuing new ideas, goals and ambitions is Active inspiration.

Motivation is related to the inspiration that increases the eagerness or willingness to do something. Inspiration is the process by which the mental stimulation takes place. It makes one WANT to do or feel something.

Starting to make sense?

Motivation relies on tenacity, determination and drive, but Inspiration comes from some place inside you that is profoundly touched in some way. The word inspire means "in spirit," which pretty much sums it up. When you're inspired to do something, you're more in the spirit of doing it. There's something more than determination driving you. It's more like you were actually "destined" to do it.

Websters online dictionary defines both Inspiration and Motivation as follows:

in·spi·ra·tion: something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create.

mo·ti·va·tion: the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something.

In looking at the two definitions, it is clear that inspiration is more of a person reaching a point of wanting to act. There is a true DESIRE to achieve a goal or dream, they are "compelled", whereas, motivation is more of giving people reasons to act.

In short, Inspiration is the "spark" that originates within, and Motivation is the "fuel" that causes the spark to grow into a flame.

EVERYONE is indwelt with dreams & ideas known only to themselves, YOU carry those dreams & ideas. Your feelings are indicators that let you know when it's time to bring the spark forth that will grow into the flame.

"As life takes us up and moves us around, our purposes expand, our priorities shift, our search continues for what is ours to do" 

- Carol Adrienne

Be Inspired, Be Motivated, it's time to share that spark with the rest of the world!

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6 Practical Ways To Stamp Out Negative Thoughts and Be More Positive

Thoughts are powerful things. They can literally empower you with confidence and motivation, or drain your energy and rob you of your get up and go. Clearly, thinking positive thoughts and maintaining a positive mindset is crucial for self-growth, but it isn't always that easy, right?

Admittedly, our thoughts are one of the hardest things to control, but there are a few painless strategies you can put to use right away to get negative thoughts under-control.

#1 Cultivate Mindfulness

Mindfulness simply means to live in the moment - the here and now. When you think about it, the present moment is the only moment that matters. The past is the past and the future has yet to happen. I think Eckhart Tolle summed it up best with, "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life."

#2 Stop Labelling Yourself

Negative thoughts like "I'm not good enough," "I could never achieve that," or "why does my life suck," are self sabotaging thoughts that feed your emotions and lower your self-esteem. From now on, listen out for that nagging voice in your mind, and pinch yourself when you do catch yourself labelling yourself or putting yourself down.

#3 You Gotta Roll With It

The famous band Oasis hit the nail on the head when they sung "you gotta roll with it." Of course, life is a roller coaster with many ups and downs. And you will experience rough patches where your will is going to be tested. But challenge yourself to look for the positive in everything and remind yourself that there's always a silver lining in the clouds.

#4 Selective Ignorance

External influences such as media and other people can have a significant impact on your own mental attitude. Choose to empower yourself with feedback and solicitations that are positive. Watching inspirational seminars, reading positive quotes, and listening to comedians are a few simple ways to empower your mind with positivity. Likewise, surround yourself with positive people and steer clear of those who drain your positive energy.

#5 Keep Your Mind Busy

If your mind is burdened with negative thoughts then get stuck into something to take your mind off it. Find productive activities that not only occupy the mind but leave you feeling positive and good, even if it's just a few house chores, anything that keeps your mind positively occupied is an effective tool for stamping out negative thoughts fast.

#6 Practice Meditation Daily

My favorite past time. Meditating truly is a powerful tool that can help you block out negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. Through daily meditation, you will learn to cultivate mindfulness and you will gain more control over your thoughts. Try it for 30 days. Just set aside 10 minutes a day for the next thirty days to work on finding your inner-zen.

The Bottom Line

There you have it, six practical tips to stamp out negative thoughts and cultivate a positive attitude. Puts these tips to use today and you will soon have those negative thoughts under-control.



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Essence of Self Confidence

Have you ever observed how people pay more attention to what things look like than what purpose these things actually exist for? For example, there are two bars of the same chocolate in two different boxes. The other is covered in beautiful and shiny paper. The latter is placed in a plain box on top a hidden shelf. Obviously, you know which one will get picked by people who pass by, even though the contents are the same. Believe it or not, this is the very same case when it comes to people and confidence. In fact, it happens to people every second of the day, every day of the year. Whenever people mingle, there's just no room for the absence of assessment. Although there are a few people on earth who do not mind what their peers think of, chances are there are billions more who actually care and get terribly affected by negative remarks. The sad part is that most of these people are often misjudged due to how they look, act and other shallow standards. From never looking anyone straight in the eye, excessively fumbling and even murmuring instead if talking... all these barriers to personal growth are actually manifestations of low self esteem.

You see, having self confidence is the trigger which pulls off every positive aspect of life. It is the overall aura you exude for people to notice you. It is the element which lessens other people's doubts about what you are actually worth. This is the element you often see in models when they strut on the catwalk. This is the silencing power you sense in CEO's. It is the soundless air you feel whenever you meet someone which leaves you impressed for no apparent reason at all.

High levels of self-confidence give anyone, including you, more potential to do what has to be done in order to achieve your dreams and ambitions. Professionally, you can use confidence to take your career a notch higher than where it usually is. When you look confident, people will stop looking at you as a fumbling fool. They will get interested in what you are capable of doing. As such, you can seize every opportunity to exert extra effort so that you can show how good you are at your field. Your confidence will assure you of an audience. Your peers and bosses will watch in anticipation as they try to see what you can accomplish. After that, appreciation will follow and you are almost set for the next big step.

Even your personal life is highly affected by confidence. When it comes to relationships, confident people always seem to establish steady emotional bonds with ease and resilience. Confidence is often equated to honesty. It's a character only people who have nothing to hide can truly possess. As you might have observed, people love the absence of pretense. When you're confident, you are actually giving yourself a chance to be what it is no matter how lame it may be according to the world. With this kind of attitude, it will be just a matter of time before you meet people who share common passions with you. By utilizing confidence you can establish these similarities without awkwardness, thus strengthening your personal ties with people.

Most importantly, a steady sense of self confidence can make you feel better as an individual. With it, you can love yourself for who you really are. You can sleep at night knowing the positive and negative aspects of your life, thus giving yourself a chance to make things right. Without insecurity, you can look every problem straight in the eye. You will never have to flee from belittling remarks and violent reactions simply because you believe and know what you are truly capable of. This is the power only pure non amalgamated confidence can make you possess.

Ways to Give Your Self-Confidence a Quick Boost

1. Stay Prepared

No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed and act like you know it's going to be a good day. Why is this one of the best confidence boosters? Because you can be sure that when you are prepared for success, it will find you.

2. Order Dessert

This one here is not so much a question of putting your complex carbohydrates before your protein; it's more about doing something that goes against the "norm". Besides the quick boost you'll get from the sugars, breaking some of life's little rules can be quite liberating and can nurture your fearless inner diva.

3. Check Yourself

Checking in with your thoughts and feelings about yourself may be one of the single most important things you can do throughout the day. Most of us tend to be our own worst critics. Left unchecked, that persistently annoying voice that tells us we aren't doing enough or we aren't good enough, will only grow louder and eventually dominate our thoughts.

4. Value Yourself

Because from one fabulous lady to another, paying a deserving compliment goes a long way toward making us feel better about ourselves and unfortunately, we don't do it enough. Contrary to popular belief, criticizing others actually does not make us feel better. Showing that you genuinely appreciate the excellence in another, not only demonstrates the value of your own self worth, but it can be motivation to look around for things that are positive.






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Top Ways to Remain Positive in Life

Top Ways to Remain Positive in Life

Use your free time for constructive purposes

Today, our lifestyle is quite different from the way we used to live decades or centuries ago. The advent of electricity and scientific gadgets has made our day-to-day living a lot easier and comfortable. During yester-years people used to indulge for long hours for arranging necessary items and doing petty household chores viz. arranging for firewood, grinding, churning, sewing etc. Traveling used to take days or weeks at a stretch. Today, we have technology everywhere, and we can do most of the household chores and connect with others within minutes. All this has given us plenty of free time, and you would agree that when one gets free time, it can be constructive as well as sabotaging. Don't let the toxins of modern-day living overpower you during your free time. Use it for something useful, something productive.

Inculcating a hobby is a good idea

Don't let negativity to scabbard your free time. A hobby keeps you involved and busy and prevents negativity to come around you. Hobby can be anything, it can be nurturing bonsai plants, gardening, painting, writing, cooking, making artifacts etc. What's important is that you should like doing it. Inculcate a hobby of your interest and attend to it whenever you get some free time. Investing time towards your hobby is a kind of self-help that will keep you engrossed and make you happier from inside.

Look forward in life

Another way to remain positive is to look forward in life. Don't keep messing with the things of the past. However, it is important to learn from your past experiences and try not to repeat your mistakes again. But, don't waste your time repenting on issues that can't be reverted. You can't revert back time, you can't revert what has gone past, but you can certainly take steps to make your future better. Look forward in life, gather courage, keep hope and move forward.

Make high ideals

Make successful people your ideals. To be successful in life and make progress, it is important to maintain high ideals in life. If you read the success stories of the people who are most successful in their respective fields, you'll find that there isn't anyone who has not faced any sort of hardship to reach the spot they are in today. Making successful people your icons and having cheerful and positive persons in your acquaintances and relationships will keep you inspired and prepared to do much better in life.

Frame a routine

Framing an appropriate routine is important towards healthy living. There can be circumstances when you would be compelled to bypass certain parts of your daily regimen. But, try to stick to a healthy lifestyle that includes proper exercise, proper diet, proper work and proper rest.

To be healthy, it's important to keep your mindset healthy. Frame a goal in life, take steps and act accordingly to achieve your objective. You may face hardships, but it's important not to lose hope and keep trying to do better.



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