Archives for November 2012

A new way of thinking has become the necessary condition for responsible living and acting.  If we maintain obsolete values and beliefs, a fragmented consciousness and self-centered spirit, we will continue to hold onto outdated goals and behaviors.
-Dalai Lama

If you want to move forward, you must change your way of thinking and leave these thoughts behind you:

1. “I don’t have a choice.” – You write your own destiny through the choices you make.  You become what you repeatedly do.  It is more important to know where you are going and why, than to get there quickly.  Do not mistake activity for achievement.  Every time you are tempted to react to the same old circumstances in the same old way, ask yourself, “Do I want to be a prisoner of the past, or a pioneer of the future?”  Read As a Man Thinketh.
2. “Life is easy.” – Life is NOT easy, it IS difficult.  That’s the greatest truth there is.  It’s great because once you understand and accept this truth, you can move forward with your life.  Once you thoroughly know in your heart and mind that life is difficult, then life gets a lot easier to deal with.  Because once difficulty is accepted as a foundation, it no longer surprises you or stops you from building a lifestyle that rises above it.
3. “The way it is now is the way it will always be.” – Don’t confuse your path with your destination.  Just because it’s stormy now, doesn’t [Read more…]

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future;
it’s something you design into the present.

Nobody can pull you down if you raise your awareness to your own inner strength and positivity.  You are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life.  You can either give negativity power over your life, or you can choose to be positive instead by focusing on the great things that are truly important.

Here are ten simple strategies for doing just that:

1. Nurture your inner child. – You need to put your own fulfillment and needs at the top of your priority list.  There’s an inner child within you who needs your love and patience.  If you’re always telling her to quiet down, to sit still and stop that bouncing… if you’re always reminding her that her thoughts aren’t real, just pretend, and that good girls do what they’re told… how will she ever be able to imagine a fulfilling life for herself as she grows, or be able to jump for joy when she finds it?
2. Let loose and be a little silly. – Sometimes a little silliness is all you need to get a better perspective of life’s challenges.  Silliness is the carefree, sometimes crazy, and often misunderstood stepsister of happiness.  May you be a friend to both, and smile your way through life’s twists and turns.  Read The Happiness Project.
3. Mind your own business. – Those who accept you are your friends.  Those who don’t are your teachers.  If someone calls you something and [Read more…]

Tired of dealing with the same type of misery over and over and over again?

If so, it’s time to purge some bad habits.  It’s time to learn from your mistakes rather than be conquered by them, and let your errors be of commission rather than omission.

It’s time to stop…

1.  Sticking exclusively with what you already know.

When you stop learning you stop living a meaningful life.

It’s okay to entertain new ideas without fully accepting them; it helps you grow.  Life’s richness does not come from always residing within familiar and comfortable territory.  It’s when you venture out, away from the familiar, that you grow stronger and more capable.

You must hold tightly to your core values while at the same time opening your heart and mind to new ideas, feelings, and experiences.  Your own perspective [Read more…]