Life Purpose Quiz!

What's your purpose in life? Visit http://98c92-hb4vi4asbhqzxr0h8w0t.hop.clickbank.net/ to take the Life Purpose Quiz!

How Do You Keep Track Of Your Goals?

Developing goals is one thing and keeping track of them is another! Get help so you can begin achieving more today at http://4b8ec-lc7lober57v5ors-occ3.hop.clickbank.net/

Jorge Munoz - An Angel In Disguise

How are you touching the lives of others? - Visit http://www.success-mindsets.com/jorge-munoz-an-angel-in-disguise/ to hear Jorge Munoz's inspiring story.

Setting A Standard

We all (unconsciously) decide what we are willing to settle for in life. This is evident in that although some people experience mediocrity in all areas of their lives – most tend to excel in specific pursuits, be it academically or financially then do mediocre or particularly badly in others. Granted we are all gifted in different ways, but the reality is that the standard which we set for ourselves becomes the acceptable mark. Why do we not then let this carry through in all areas of life? Why do we allow ourselves to be rich but lonely or healthy but poor or rich but unhealthy? The combinations are endless! – change that today! Set a high standard for what you will and won’t accept and have that apply to all areas of life. Mediocrity is the half-way mark between not bothering at all and doing your absolute best. Settle only for the best! :)

Detoxing At A Vibrational Level

We live in a beautiful world, however one cannot ignore the fact that there is a great deal of negativity. Fear, worry and guilt are emotions which chew most people up on a daily basis and in extreme cases rule thier lives. Visit http://ascension101.com/en/ascension-tools/33-ascension-tools/105-fear-processing-exercise.html  to learn the Fear Processing Exercise so you can detox at a vibrational level and begin bringing more positivity your way :)

What It Means To Be Human

Ever wondered what it means to be human?Visit http://ascension101.com/en/ascension-information/51-november-2011/171-what-it-means-to-be-human.html for an interesting perpective on a fascinating topic

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me @successmindets for inspiration on becoming the best version of yourself that you can be! :)

Self Improvement and Personal Growth

Find great reads on self improvement and personal growth at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Zimvu. Share with all you feel may benefit :)

Thoughts, Thinking Processes and What These Reveals About Beliefs Held In The Subconscious Mind

Thoughts reveal so much about what goes on in the subconscious mind. This is because thoughts are directed by the beliefs which are stored in this aspect of the mind. I have long been an advocate for the use of positive affirmations as a means of confirming visions and goals to the subconscious mind, that said, developing a positive mindset goes beyond saying a few positive sentences a couple of times a day. I would like to direct your attention the thoughts and thought processes which go on the rest of the time. I by no means undermine the effectiveness of affirmations, however if what you think about the rest of the time is contrary to your affirmations, the reality is that the other stuff is what you’ll attract more of. The idea behind repeating positive affirmations is to get them imprinted in your mind so that they become part of the daily thoughts which tick over without any effort from you. Thoughts already IN the subconscious mind have more influence than thoughts which constantly have to be PUT IN because they are replayed more often.

Not many of us appreciate just how powerful our thoughts are because we tend to think of them as isolated beliefs or opinions about certain issues. The reality however is that these beliefs are so deeply embedded in our thinking that they actually influence the way we think. An example which illustrates the conflict between the affirmation and the belief well is that of someone who affirms wealth and abundance but spends most of the time (outside of affirmation and visualisation time) thinking about things they need or want but can’t have because (here comes the belief) they don’t have enough money. In a weird and almost twisted way they believe their focus is on abundance when in really it’s on the lack thereof. As a result, in one way or another all their thoughts lead back to their dominant focus – lack of money. Affirming abundance and attracting wealth is a ‘solution’ to the problem of lack rather than an intrinsic pursuit which they are passionate about. Often people in this situation will complain of positive affirmations and visualisation being useless tools for bringing about more of what they want in their lives when in actuality they are attacking the wrong ‘enemy’!

It’s my belief that the development of a positive mindset requires both the putting in place of new empowering beliefs as well as the removal of negative, deep seated beliefs which have more influence over our thoughts and actions than we give them credit for. Make a commitment to delve deeper so you can identify and eliminate all beliefs and thought processes which may be stopping you from becoming the best version of yourself that you can be.

Ray of the Day

A friend of mine has a fantastic project which I thought I should tell you about. The main purpose of 'Ray of the Day' as Christian puts it is to 'serve you on your way to awesomeness'. Learn more about it at http://www.rayoftheday.com/about/ and if you choose to subscribe (FREE) you'll get one free video every weekday that will keep you feeling great! Please share with all else you feel would benefit :)

Finish 2011 With a Bang!

Are you ready to finish the year with a big bang?If yes then visit http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2011/are-you-ready-to-finish-the-year-with-a-bang/ to hear what Melinda Emerson has to say - Great read!

Ten Great Quotes for the Day

1. "Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment." ~ Dale Carnegie


2.‎"Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul." - Niccolo Machiavelli


3. ‎"The mightiest works have been accomplished by men who have kept their ability to dream great dreams." 


- Walter Bowie


4. ‎"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein


5. ‎"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." - Christopher Morley


6."Life, at its best, is a flowing stream of inspiration - acted upon!" - John Beresford


7."The secret of success is to be like a duck, smooth and unruffled on top, but paddling furiously underneath" Bill Cosby


8. "Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible" - Unknown


9." When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve". ~ Napoleon Hill


10."It always seems impossible until its done." ~ Mandela


Share your power quotes with me in the section below :)

Self Sabotage - Are You Getting In Your Own Way?

Sabotage is defined as ‘a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction’. Self-sabotage is then deliberate action aimed at weakening one’s self. This is an unusual phenomenon as people usually have to deal with external forces when facing obstacles on their road to achieving a defined goal rather than internal ones. The focus here is on how self sabotage prevents people from reaching peak levels of success in any area of life.

There are three groups of people which can be identified when looking at how self-sabotage operates. There is group one, the people who get on with what they need to do with regard to achieving success and do not entertain sabotage. Then there’s group two, which consists of those who view success as a distant dream. These people don’t even attempt to achieve their dreams – they merely sail through life, embracing mediocrity. The third and final group is made up of people who could be referred to as the ‘half-way housers’. These individuals know exactly what they need to do in order to achieve success however they never seem to get around to doing it. They live in the half- way house between mediocrity and success due to their half hearted approach. Life here is not great but it’s not terrible either. They are literally always so close yet so far! Can you relate?

Habits or repeated patterns of behaviour which overtime become imprinted on the subconscious mind are one of the main causes of self sabotage. The subconscious mind once loaded with beliefs operates on auto-pilot and steers future behaviour towards outcomes which are in line with said beliefs. So if for instance there is an individual who feels that success in all areas of life is the expected standard, the subconscious mind will steer said individual in paths which see them grow and gain confidence as a person who always reaches goals which they set out to achieve. If on the other hand the repeated patterns of behaviour leave the subconscious mind focusing on lack, not being good enough and failure, the same thing detailed above happens except this time the individual is steered toward paths which see them under achieve as this serves to reinforce the dominant beliefs held. The latter is the explanation for behaviour which sees individuals sometimes go out of their way just to ensure that they prevent success. A classic example is of someone who’ll write out a to do list containing all they need to do in order to meet a specific target, yet they never complete it. Tasks roll over day after day as they find themselves occupied with other trivial yet seemingly urgent tasks which do nothing to move them forward toward achieving real, tangible success – self sabotage. For individuals in group one, completing a to do list is non-negotiable. Group three members mosey along hoping to do all they can with no real drive to complete any one task.

You may wonder why the subconscious mind would steer one toward that which is detrimental. The reason for this is that this aspect of the mind, which so little is known about, aims to prove one sane rather than to work toward that which is in one’s best interests. If predominant thoughts focus on not being good enough, the subconscious mind works to bring about events and occurrences which are in line with not being good enough – thoughts become things.

Thoughts lead to actions which when repeated often enough become habits. Habits set the subconscious mind into action and it is for this reason that it is necessary to engage in self examination to identify the root cause behind each case of self-sabotage. Some feel they are not good enough while others lack a sense of urgency when it comes to achieving success now. Whatever the case, it is necessary to identify what feeds self-sabotage in order to overcome it. It’s been said that ‘If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly’ and that’s so true. Why bother with anything if it will only be pursued half heartedly. Look at ways in which you could be getting in your own way before looking to external causes to explain the mediocrity and lack of success you may be experiencing.

The Compound Effect - Darren Hardy

Get your copy of the USA Today #1 Bestseller - The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy at https://uwg88150.infusionsoft.com/go/itcepro/itce237/. Preview Chapter One at https://uwg88150.infusionsoft.com/go/tce1/itce237/ - Happy reading :)

Follow Me

Follow me @successmindsets for inspiration to become the best version of yourself that you can be :)

Finding Your Purpose

Achieving success is often easier to do when you know what you were you were put on this earth to do! Get help discovering your purpose at http://www.find-your-purpose-now.com/?hop=aff10biz11!

Success Tips

Stay committed to your success no matter what! Success is a journey which is to be enjoyed every step of the way because if you are doing it right you should be seeing an improvement in yourself daily!Get great success tips at http://www.success-mindsets.com/category/category-1/.

To your success!!!!!

How To Use Twitter Without Losing Your Mind!

Fantastic article for anyone who uses Twitter as a social media marketing strategy: How To Use Twitter Without Losing Your Mind @ http://succeedasyourownboss.com/09/2011/how-to-use-twitter-without-losing-your-mind/ . Let me know what you think :)

Attract Abundance!!

Need help Attracting Abundance? If so visit  http://c552d1uc7xp91ybcrdajx4roy5.hop.clickbank.net/ for help with shifting your energy from those things you DON'T want to those you DO!

Your Greatest Resource: Where It's Hidden and How to Find It

We are all guilty of looking to others to solve our most pressuring issues in life.Whether it's advice, inspiration or motivation we're looking for - we tend to view others as the experts. Darren Hardy has a better suggestion at http://darrenhardy.success.com/2011/10/your-greatest-resource/ - Enjoy!

Follow me @successmindsets :)

Goal Setting... Exciting or Daunting?

Goal setting… It seems to be the subject on everyone’s lips these days and for good reason. I’ve heard it said that a goal is a dream with a deadline! That for me is inspiring because often in life our dreams feel like just that – figments of our imagination that can never be achieved. The knowledge that a deadline can be put on dreams changes the game completely and inspires us to step up because the prospect of achieving our wildest aspirations actually becomes a reality. I myself am a huge fan of goal setting and the hard work which is required thereafter in order to move closer to making those dreams a reality.

So…goal setting – that’s easy right? Surely everyone knows what car they’d like to drive, the suburb in which they want to live, how much they want to earn etc. Wrong! This isn’t the case for everyone. Before we talk about the four step process to achieve your goals and how often they should be repeated before they become a habit, let’s talk about actually putting daydreams on paper in a structured and measurable manner or goal setting.

Most people would agree that it can be overwhelming to get all areas of your life in check. From financial to physical, emotional and spiritual…that’s a lot of goals to have to set – and it is often at this very first hurdle that most people fall and never get up. They give up on even putting anything on paper and committing it to their subconscious mind because the thought of ‘organizing’ their lives is just so daunting. This feeling is mostly caused by the fact that once you realize how out of order one aspect of your life is (which is not a bad thing because none of us are perfect) it tends to draw your attention to everything else and that suddenly becomes magnified a million times over! You suddenly become alarmingly aware of just how much you need to ‘fix’ in your life! Aaarrggghhh!

I have some good news… You suddenly becoming aware of all that needs rectifying in your life does not give more power to it. The reality is that the situation was probably in need of some attention before you even realised it. What does this mean…? Well most importantly it means refusing to be put off by the size of the ‘enormous’ task ahead of you. The most important thing is action! Start today and stick to whatever changes you deem necessary in one area of your life. Sure, everything else still needs sorting out but the reality is that some action today means you being better off tomorrow. And more likely than not, the buzz you get from improving one area of your life will spur you on to do more! It’s all about progression.

Benjamin Franklin once said “You may delay, but time will not”. What does this mean to you? Well, to me it means there’s no better time than right now to start moving closer to your dreams. No one knows how much time they have left and since it waits for no man, I believe in this very moment being the perfect moment to do all you’ve ever thought of doing. Yes, goal setting takes time and requires thought but if you don’t plan your life no one else will do it for you. Give yourself as long as you need to in order to become the person whom achieving your goals will make you. After all if you give up on yourself what do you spend the rest of your life doing? Building someone else’s dream? That alternative is not even worth considering in my opinion!

The 50 New Rules of Work

Very interesting list on the 50 New Rules of Work by Robin Sharma at http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/03/the-50-new-rules-of-work/ !!

Seven Toxic Thinking Patterns To Break!!

Very interesting read on Seven Toxic Thinking Patterns To Break!! Read about it at: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2011/07/seven-toxic-thinking-patterns-to-break-how-pseudo-feel-goods-trick-your-brain-2-of-3/#respond

Best Books!

Want inspiration on how to be more creative? Eager to learn more about time management?Keen to find your passion in life? Find a list if all the best books at http://www.greatminds.ie/Best_Books/Default.656.html !

Mind Secrets Exposed!

Mind Secrets Exposed @ http://t.co/eEe7tkV !!

Self Improvement and Personal Growth!!

Visit http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Zimvu for quality articles on self improvement and personal growth!!

20 Expert Tips For Better Facebook Marketing

So you've created your business page on Facebook...What next? Learn how to nuture your Facebook presence with these expert tips for better Facebook marketing!! - http://blog.gannettlocal.com/?wfd5cfCV

Motivation At Its Best!

http://www.success-mindsets.com/motivation-at-its-best/ - An amazing inspirational video on becoming all that you were born capable of being!

Begin Building Your Social Confidence Today!

Want to build your social confidence?Eager to get over social anxiety and shyness? Visit http://ca4671r3hnma8x3h58qedwjoc4.hop.clickbank.net/ today!

Attract More Abundance!!

Want to attract more abundance in your life? Click here for a unique tool which will help you do just this!

'Get Rich Click' - Mark Ostrofsky

Marc Ostrofsky author of the internet marketing book "Get Rich Click" will be on 'The View' today July 8th!! Get a copy of this fantastic book at https://razormedia.infusionsof​t.com/go/FPB/aff10biz11/ . To read his article in Time magazine visit http://moneyland.time.com/2011/06/22/qa-marc-ostrofsky-on-how-he-got-rich-click/ !!

Embrace Happiness Today!

Some people are naturally more influential than others; however we all have something within us that we need to share with the world. Elaine Hatfield and John Cacioppo in their book “Emotional Contagion” shared how emotion is influenced by both internal and external factors. Our facial expressions usually reflect how we feel inside however it is also possible to pick up the energy of other people who we see smiling, laughing or frowning for instance, which in turn makes us smile, laugh or frown – it works both ways. Some people walk into a room and light it up while others do the same and put everyone down! Choose to be a person who exudes positive energy and one whom people enjoy being around. Embrace the lightness of being which comes from nurturing an attitude of gratitude and ... Click here to read on

New post at Success Mindsets on Greatness

New post at http://www.success-mindsets.com/greatness/ on the need to pursue greatness in life. Visit the site and leave comments. Share how you pursue greatness in your daily life! :)

Pursuing and Achieving Your Dreams

When it comes to pursuing and achieving goals there are generally three kinds of attitudes that people adopt. Some adopt the attitude that although the world is a good place, filled with good things – only certain people can eat from this table of abundance. They are not always able to put their finger on why these people are able to reap such wonderful rewards from life and not them and as a result they refer to this ‘special’ group of people as the “lucky ones”. They go through life accepting what’s handed to them which sadly isn’t usually very much.

The second attitude that some adopt is that of the ‘try-getter’ as opposed to that of a ‘go-getter’. The people in this category live in a world of mediocrity. They show up but they never give 100%. They go through life trying – hoping that ‘thing’s will work out’. They try to be successful, they try to be happy, and they try to improve their lives. These people never really achieve anything earth shattering. They simply tip toe through life wondering why their efforts are not producing desirable results but they never really do anything about it. They mistake movement for progress and never realise that all their lives they have just been drawing figures of eight!

The third attitude that the remainder of the average population adopts is that of identifying what they want in life, going for it, and getting it! People with this attitude actually don’t know the meaning of such words as ‘no’ and ‘can’t’. They set their eyes on their prize and they do whatever it takes for as long it takes to achieve it. This group of people see what others regard as failure and the time to throw in the towel as a need to sharpen their saw, reset their sails and keep on moving towards becoming the best version of themselves that they know they can be. Click here to read more!

Visualisation and the use of Affirmations

I’ve often wondered why affirmations and visualisation are so powerful in their ability to keep us focused on where we desire to go in life. More specifically, I’ve wondered why it is necessary for us constantly bombard ourselves with images and thoughts of our hearts desires. Why is it difficult to make a decision to do or achieve something and mange to stay focused on that mission until it is completed? What is distracting us and ultimately causing us to need constant reminders to stay focused on the task at hand? And what is so captivating about this ‘thing’ that it continues to succeed in grabbing our attention from what’s really important time after time. My realisation has been that our society focuses on the negative. Now although this in itself is not a mind blowing conclusion, it does lead one to question why what we choose to focus on, rather than the ability to focus on something in itself, is the issue preventing us from reaching higher and more liberated levels of consciousness as human beings. In staying focused on the negative and downright depressing issues, we miss learning the true lessons of enlightenment, whose knowledge and understanding of are the real reason we are alive. So not only does being a pessimist mean that you don’t enjoy your journey called life, it also means that you completely miss the purpose of the visit! I’m not sure that anyone can really put their finger on WHY we’ve come to focus on all that’s ‘wrong’ with and in our lives. That said I feel that our culture of instant gratification has lead to us developing a thirst for more which can never be quenched, because we only appreciate what we have for all of about five seconds. Nothing is ever enough to cause us lasting happiness so the feeling of emptiness inevitably creeping back in! Click here to read more!

Your Beliefs and What They Mean For Your Success

What do the beliefs you hold about yourself say about what you think of yourself? Do they shout winner, leader, and pacesetter etc or do they shout loser, failure, and procrastinator etc? It’s been said by motivational greats that what you focus on expands and if you think you can, you are right, and if you think you can’t, you are right again! So what does this mean for the average person who is working their way to greatness? Firstly that our beliefs are everything when it comes to us developing into better versions of ourselves and secondly that this decision to become more than what we presently are, is just the starting point. After that is where the real work begins. Admittedly, making that decision in itself is admirable; however it does not end there. It takes genuine belief in one’s self, hard work, commitment and dedication to become the best that you can be at whatever it is that you do. On the road to greatness there are often many challenging obstacles to overcome. There will be times when those closest to us will doubt us and times when we will doubt ourselves. This is where the beliefs that we hold about ourselves come in. It is these beliefs which will either keep us motivated and making progress or that will cause us to give up when trying times come our way.

Our beliefs that we hold about ourselves essentially make or break us, which is why it is crucial to commit to developing a stellar set of beliefs. Using affirmations and the visualisation technique helps to develop a clear picture in your mind’s eye of what you are working toward. Taking into consideration that humans are visual creatures – these mental images of what you want to become then play a key role in boosting your beliefs about where you are headed to versus where you currently are. All too often people get so bogged down in their current situation that it can be hard to see beyond that unpleasant, unsuccessful and uninspired stage in their lives.

Commit to believing in yourself because no matter who else believes in you, if you do not genuinely believe that you have in you the potential to become the best, the greatest and the most, sadly their belief in you counts for nothing! Commit to being the best version of yourself that you can be. See yourself as that person TODAY! See yourself as a leader in your field who brings about positive change and inspires others to dare to reach for their greatness. As you do this and as you work tirelessly at your plan of action, you will begin to see results because as Robin Sharma so inspiringly puts it in his book The Leader Who Had No Title “excellent actions in negative conditions must eventually yield excellent effects”.

The gift of those around us....

As we strive toward perfection in our personal lives, it’s essential not to forget those around us. It’s all so easy to take for granted those that are nearest to us and in so doing, we ultimately neglect our relationships with them. Everyday is an opportunity to enrich the lives of those who we come into contact with. Everyday is an opportunity to pass on love, wisdom, kindness and positive energy, however this is only possible if we take the time to not only get to know those around us but to nurture our relationships with them. Commit to building deeper, more meaningful relationships, even with those who don’t seem all that significant in your life. We are all so diverse that to believe that only certain individuals can add value to our lives is detrimental to our growth as people. We can all learn something even from the people we ‘think’ are nobody’s because regardless of one’s profession, race, gender, likes and dislikes, ‘everybody knows a lesson worth learning’. Commit to being an individual who makes others feel like the most important person in the room and as you start to appreciate those around you, they too will begin to appreciate what you have to offer as a fellow amazing human being!

The Pursuit of the Worthwhile

The pursuit of the worthwhile either makes or breaks you. Not only does achieving success require one to realise that they will most definitely be obstacles along the way, it goes a step further and asks what these challenges will make of you. Will they break you and leave you a wounded soldier for life, in this game called life, or will they create in you an empowered individual, dedicated to becoming so much more than you presently are? Most of us settle for the former, completely unaware of the fact that we have a choice in the matter. The real question is, do we choose to immobilise ourselves during times of great change and challenges or do we choose to see obstacles as a measure of how badly we want success. Today, I choose the latter. I commit to keep going through any challenges that will present themselves on my road to success. I choose to believe that I truly can be ‘that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments’. I choose to be a leader who orchestrates great change rather than waiting and hoping that greatness will come knocking at my door in search of me!

Adjusting the sail in times of change....

I now realise that I have been getting it wrong all this time. I’ve always viewed ‘difficult times’, be it in business or in life in general, as times to step back. When the going would get tough it was my understanding that one had to take a few steps back to avoid getting burnt by the roaring flames of unfavourable change. I now realise that when one is determined to achieve something it should be regardless of external circumstances. If one commits to being successful or great at anything only for as long as the conditions are favourable, they will not last five minutes! I’ve heard it said before that successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people aren’t. I now appreciate a deeper meaning of that saying in the sense that these things that the successful people are willing to do don’t just refer to staying up later of waking up earlier. They refer to venturing into the unknown, the scary and the downright dangerous with ones head held high – determined to make it out the other end better, stronger and faster. Staying focused on the prize ahead now means that regardless of what I may encounter on the road to my success, I’ll keep going. The changes and obstacles which may present themselves simply mean that I should adjust my sail rather than throw in the towel. All the latter ensures is that my prize goes up for grabs for any and everyone! What a loss!

Dare To Stop Living In The Past - Forgive Today!

Forgiveness: The process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.

Forgiveness is a difficult topic for most people – mainly because the mere thought of it brings up feelings of resentment, anger, bitterness etc. The ability to forgive is not something that many people have mastered, yet it is crucial to one’s emotional wellbeing. Nothing is more liberating than letting go of that emotional and mental toxic energy! Some see forgiveness as a sign of weakness, while others aim to “punish” the person they are holding a grudge against. I’ve heard it said before that holding a grudge and refusing to forgive is like you drinking poison whilst hoping that the person you are angry with dies! Essentially you punish yourself. This is a harrowing thought considering that some people hold grudges for a lifetime!

Learning how to forgive is not only important for those who may wrong us but ourselves too. If you have difficulty forgiving those who wrong you, you will also find it difficult to forgive yourself if the need ever arises. We cannot control how others feel about us but we should at least be able to control how we feel about ourselves. When you forgive you are not condoning the actions of the one who wronged you but instead you choose to remember what they have done without letting it hurt you anymore. It’s a sign of you taking charge of your emotions and not letting someone else’s actions dictate how you feel.

It often amazes me how children (especially younger ones) almost have no ability to hold a grudge! Take for instance a scenario where your two or three year old does something that you don’t approve of. You may snap at them telling them to stop what they are doing and how they should know better etc. The child walks away with their tail between their legs and gets on with something else. You start to feel bad for having overreacted perhaps so you call the child back and apologise. Ever noticed how in most cases your child will respond with a simple “ok” and it’s a genuine “ok” at that! You wronged them, you apologised and it’s over. However as adults we seem to have a “does he/she think it’s going to be that easy to reconcile? Well they have another thing coming!” This may be because of pride or the complicated personas that we develop in adulthood. Either way I think that there is a lesson to be learned here. Dare to be like a child who has a free spirit and ultimately wants things to be “ok” all the time. Besides it will leave you feeling happier, guilt free and in a fantastic emotional space.

Remember: “Forgiveness is not something we do for other people. We do it for ourselves to get well and move on”

Putting Yourself First

This article is for people who in an effort to be good caregivers, parents, spouses etc have neglected themselves and have put their needs at the bottom of a very long “to-do” list. It will offer some insight on putting yourself first and why it’s important to do so.

Do you ever feel guilty about putting yourself first? As a mother I used to suffer from this syndrome too, until not very long ago. Everything I did had to include my daughter and if it didn’t (even if that was because it wasn’t practical) I would beat myself up and spiral into negative self talk about how I was a bad mother. Doing something for or by myself at that time meant that I was putting her aside and that didn’t make me feel very good. It took a while for me to get over this purely because I didn’t realise that this wasn’t about my daughter or anybody else – it was about me and how much I value myself.

Everyone needs to recharge their batteries from time to time, more so if you are someone who wears more than one hat i.e. father, breadwinner, primary care giver etc. Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking a few minutes out of EACH day to put yourself first.

Putting yourself first:

• Gives you time to do the things you love

 When you sacrifice too much for something you can begin to loathe it i.e. raising a family, because you begin to see it as the reason why you no longer have time for your hobbies. Make time for the things that you enjoy doing.

• Allows for time to spend with you partner/spouse or family

 Often after a long day at the office or one spent chasing the kids around the house, the last thing you want to do is talk and be sociable! Set time aside to nurture your relationships with your loved ones. One date night or family night a week ensures that you all stay connected.

• Ensures that you still ‘have a life’ post raising your kids

 This one is more for parents who in the process of being the best mom or dad forget about the life they had before the children. Remember that you have an identity separate from your children. Maintaining this will make the empty nest syndrome easier to deal with.

• Gives you some ‘me time’

 I believe that we are all beginning to realise the importance of ‘me time’. Even if this time is spent doing nothing specific, it allows one to shut the world out, regroup and refocus mentally, emotionally and spiritually – something I feel is paramount in this day and age of technology and fast paced living.

• Ultimately makes you a more “together” individual

 When we take time to do things that nurture the soul, we become better prepared to take on the world and all our other commitments!

What's Your Passion In Life

It’s my belief that very few people ever take time to find this out. Most of us tend to hobble through life waiting to die! Dramatic, I know but it’s true! For those who do discover their true passion in life, every second of their days is worth living. I’ve heard it said that “Wealth is an expression of your passion, your heart's desire and your spiritual drive”. What does your wealth say about your passion for what you are doing? I can think of nothing better than doing what you love and getting paid for it.  “Once you find what you love to do you will never work another day in your life!” – So true. Take time to discover your God given talent and passion. For some it’s working with animals or children. For others it’s helping entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. Whatever if is, find that one thing you’d be enthusiastic about doing at any time of the day, even if you were not getting paid for it! It’ll be worth your while. It’s a new year and a time to let go of inhibitions, old beliefs and habits that have been holding us back – even if that old habit is not taking the time to find out what truly makes you happy! Make this year the year you changed your life for the better, for good! After all who wants to spend the rest of their doing something they hate? “If it’s going to be, it’s up to YOU!”

Happy New Year!

As we look forward to another 365 days, I find myself going through that evaluation process which most of us do. Am I where I want to be? Have I achieved all I aimed to in the last 12months? I’m at a stage where I want to continuously set goals, grow and move forward and not just wait for the 1st of January 20….whatever to kick myself into gear! Tough goal but one which I think will see me continuously improve myself…I hope!! That said – even as I go through the growing process I want to love myself and feel adequate through each step. Make it a great one – Happy New Year!