Archive for November, 2007

by Linda-Ann Stewart
Many years ago, a friend of mine walked up behind another friend who had just returned from two tours of duty in Viet Nam with the Marines. The vet didn’t hear my friend until she was right behind him. His training kicked in, and he whirled and struck out with a karate chop. Fortunately, he caught himself in time, and my friend apologized profusely for seeming to sneak up on him.

The Marine had spent months in mortal danger, using the survival skills he’d learned, and was still reacting as if he were in the jungle. We are trained much the same way when we’re children and teenagers. Over time, we learn a certain way of reacting that reflects our parents’ attitudes, our school environment, our friends’ attitudes. We may have grown up in a dangerous situation, such as with an abusive parent or being harassed in school, and discovered that being quiet and invisible kept us safer. Or we might have learned to strike out in anger to reduce our risk. When we grow older, we continue those reactions without thinking, just as my marine friend did.

However, now that we’re older, and no longer in the hostile environment, we can consciously choose a different way to respond to our current situation. This is the difference between “re-acting” and “responding.” When we “re-act,” we act in the same way, over and over, automatically. By consciously choosing what kind of result we want, and how we want to feel about ourselves afterwards, we’re “responding” to the situation.

There’s an old adage that goes something like this, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get what you’ve always gotten.” By continuing to react in the same way we always have, we’re never going to change and neither will our lives. It’s not easy to change old reaction patterns, but it can be done. We can begin by looking at reactions that aren’t working in our lives.

Do you avoid risk and criticism, but want to achieve more in your life? It may feel scary, but decide to accept the next opportunity that takes you out of your comfort zone. When you get into a disagreement with someone close, do you either lash out or hide? Does this give you the best resolution? If not, assess how you can respond to the situation the next time. Role-play it in your imagination. You may feel an almost irresistible urge to fall back into your old reaction, but resist it, and follow through with your chosen response.

Visualizing the new response can make the new response more automatic. The subconscious can’t tell the difference between a strong image and reality. If we rehearse the new response over and over, the subconscious will tend to act on the impressed response more easily. When you visualize, use all of your senses; such as sight, sound, feelings, even smells to make it more real. The more you practice at visualization, as with any new skill, the better at it you’ll become.

To change the old patterns permanently, we need to choose our responses, and act on them every time the triggering situation arises. Otherwise, we give the subconscious mind conflicting information. If we vacillate back and forth between the old reaction and the new response, the subconscious will tend to draw us back into the familiar mold. However, if we react, but catch ourselves doing it and immediately change to our chosen response, the subconscious will begin to catch on.

As my Marine friend became more comfortable in being back home, in safety, his hair trigger responses began to fade. The same is true of us. Now that we are in a different situation than the one in which we learned to react, we can choose more positive responses. Responses that bring us the results we want.

A nationally known hypnotherapist, writer, speaker and coach, Linda-Ann Stewart helps people rediscover their power and sense of self-worth. Visit www.Cedarfire.com/free-ebook.shtml to download a free ebook of affirmations and related articles.

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by Amit Bhalla
Love can be blind, but it is something that we simply cannot do without. It can come into our lives at any point of time, without warning and we can do nothing to fight this emotion. And why fight against something that makes you feel at the top of the world? However, there maybe some among us, who have not yet found the right partner and Feng Shui love tips, may just be the thing that will help them find love. Every person can apply these tips and balance the environment in and around their living space. Feng shui is all about balancing the energies and the various elements like the wind, water, air and fire. Properly balancing the yin (female) and yang (male) vibes around you could lead to much happiness in the areas of health, wealth and personal relationships.

Hence, even if you are planning to attract love into your life or simply want to strengthen the existing bonds, Feng shui could be the best tool for achieving this objective. Feng Shui love tips give great priority to the way in which you have arranged your home and the different rooms like the bedroom and living room. A soothing shade like pink would be ideal for the bedroom where you could adorn the walls with pictures of you and your partner or all the family members. The furnishings should also be soft without any hard or pointed edges. Avoid placing any electronic items in the bedroom as the energies should not interrupt the peace and tranquility of the room. Peonies play an important role, when you are considering the Chinese practice of Feng Shui love tips to enhance your personal relationship luck.

If you are unmarried you could place the picture of peonies or perhaps the real flowers itself, in your room and you can be sure to meet that someone special pretty soon. Feng Shui love guidelines also suggest that you light up the southwest corner of your home with red lights to attract harmony and love into your lives. You could also get innovative and paint one wall in the southwest in a passionate color like red. If red is too bold for you, then you could consider sticking to yellow or perhaps tone it down completely by opting for white. Framed pictures of loved ones help to further increase the fondness of the family members for each other.

Many other Feng Shui items go a long way in enhancing your love life, only if you have the patience and faith to try it out honestly. A pair of mandarin ducks in the bedroom also symbolizes the married couple and their happiness. Placing crystals in the southwest corner, lighting candles and gifting roses without thorns are simple gestures that help to activate and enhance your personal relationships. However, rather than applying Feng Shui love tips by gathering them from unreliable sources, consulting a Feng Shui expert is always advisable and the most practical option for all.

Amit Bhalla works to help all those who want information about the latest and the best, most happening places in the city. To know more about local search services delhi, Conversion Service, Yellow Pages India, Feng Shui love , Feng Shui love visit on www.myquest.in

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by Peter Murphy
If you want to stay motivated for the rest of the day then you should keep in mind several things. Below is a list of things and pointers that you might want to take note of. These pointers and tips will allow you to keep going for the whole work day.

1. Exercise in the morning. If you want to jump start your body right away then you should get on that treadmill in the early morning. Exercising in the morning allows you to wake up not only your body but your mind as well. When you get the sweat out in the early morning, you turn your body into work mode. You get your body out of sleep mode when you exercise in the morning.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast. Breakfast is the king of all meals. You get most of your energy for the day during this first and most immaculate meal. You have to treat breakfast as your perfect meal. Everything that you eat during breakfast is something healthy and something energetic. You should load up on carbohydrates. Load up on energy for the rest of your day. Eat fruits and dairy products in the morning. Have some healthy form of protein too.

3. Inspire yourself. What do you wake up for? What do you live your life for? Do you live your life for your children? Do you live your life so that you can get to drive that Porsche one day? What moves you? What drives you to excel in life? If you have an inspiration then you will not have any trouble getting up in the morning and making yourself work. If you do not have an inspiration in life right now then you better find one!

4. Do tasks one by one. If you want to accomplish something at work then you have to work on things one by one. You can not put up a building overnight. You can not cure cancer overnight. The space station was not made in one day. If you want to accomplish great things then you have to make it a point to do things one by one. List these tasks on a piece of paper and try to accomplish them one by one during your day.

5. Compete! You work hard in this society of capitalism. If you want to make it up there and enjoy riches then you have to compete with other people. Find someone to compete with. Look for someone that will challenge you. Look for people that have your same skills. Look for people that will force you to become better. If you can not find someone to compete with then simply compete with yourself. Challenge yourself. How many goals did you accomplish yesterday? Can you finish more today?

6. Donʼt allow mistakes and failures to keep you down. Get over it right away. When you encounter mistakes along your day, do not allow them to destroy you. It is normal to err when you are human so mistakes are simply another thing that you have to experience in daily life. You should get used to making mistakes and getting over them because this is the only way that you can move on with your day and get things done.

If you are in a very busy workplace then you can not afford to be lazy and dull. You have to find a way to keep yourself busy and keep yourself energized. If you want to be someone and if you want to go somewhere in life then you must keep these pointers in mind. They will certainly get you through your day and make you stay motivated.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/blog/

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by Robert Pardon
Most everyone has heard the adage “You reap what you sow”. Nothing could be truer when you are talking about the life of a practicing alcoholic or drug addict. This has been my experience and the thousands I have met and counseled in my 21 plus years of sobriety. The biggest problem is that in the midst of the disease we don’t view it that way because it is always someone, something or someplace that has caused the “reaping” it is never what we “sowed”.

But the reality is, and we begin to first learn this in the early stages of recovery, that it is always my actions that causes the reactions that I get from life and others. The great news for each and everyone one of us is that what was true in the madness of the addiction is also true in the process of our recovery. In other words, reaping and sowing are part of my life regardless of my current condition.

One of the very first things that AA and my sponsor taught me was that I created my own misery. Just about the time that truth got me thoroughly depressed they also told me that if what I had done created the mess I was in then living sober from this point forward would create something completely different. They told me that if garbage in garbage out was true then so is sober living in then sober results was equally as true.

My good buddy, Slow Will, told me “to clear away the wreckage of the present, so it didn’t become the wreckage of the past”. So live right and clean up after yourself became my goal and it worked. Little by little I began to see life through “another set of glasses” and I liked what I saw.

I said all of that to tell you this; I had a weekend that people like you and me could have only dreamt about. Please remember that I am a recovered alcoholic/addict who walked out on his wife and 2 children in 1981. I got sober in 1986 and I have spent the last 21 years learning the way of sober living. Since then I have been remarried for 18 years and have 2 teenagers.

This last weekend though was the tops. My oldest daughter, who I walked down the aisle at her wedding, had a baby and that makes me a grandpa. My youngest daughter graduated from high school in May and is looking to go to college next year. My youngest daughter asked me, not her mom, if I would take her for a 3 day college visit at this college in California and of course I was thrilled that she would want to spend that time with me. Her and her mom get along great, but she wanted me to go.

Well, on the way home we had to pass through the town where my oldest daughter lives and of course I had to visit my 3 week old grandson. When we got to the house my brother, sister-in-law and my mom were just leaving to go back home to California, but we got to say hello for a moment. My ex-wife and her husband were there as well as my son-in-law’s parents and my other daughter. Are you getting the picture here?

We had a wonderful visit we had and what a joy it was to hold my grandson. It was even more wonderful to hug and kiss the girls I left so many years ago. I got to rejoice with my ex-wife in the wonder of our grandson and the gift that only can come from God. Before I left I handed my grandson over to my daughter’s step-dad and expressed to him my love for the great job he has done with OUR girls.

My youngest daughter and I then headed for a 6-hour drive home and all was well. We enjoyed wonderful fellowship and all the Michael Buble and Josh Groban anyone would want. I would not trade what I have now for anything in the world.

Robert Pardon is founder of becomingwellnow.com, a website that offers recovery information and solutions for alcohol and drug addiction.

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by Sushil Kumar Singh Raghav
Self Esteem, which is how one person feels about himself, is very important to be developed in teens. It is the limiting factor of their performance, most especially in school. Self-esteem in teenagers may not always be the same. It would depend on a range of different things, how successful a teen wants to be and how he copes with failure. No matter how things turn, someone else’s performance will not exceed his self esteem.

A teen who wants to be happy in life should have the right dosage of self-esteem with in him as a person’s performance will never exceed his self-esteem. This means that how he feels about himself will reflect in his output. When a teen wants to do something and really believes that he can do it, then, he is right to think that he can do it.

Self esteem is correlated to the word success. Among teens, the one who feel right about himself is likely to be the one who will achieve what a teen wants to achieve. Young people should always remember that people who have reached their dreams are the ones who are motivated and see themselves as good-imaged people.
Self-esteem also affects how a person presents himself. It is seen on his body movements. Teens with low self esteem can be recognized by the way they speak and move. It is noticeable that most of the time that they walk slowly with their heads down and they have postures that could tell they do not feel good about themselves. Teenagers who have good self confidence are those who can present themselves properly before other people, either by speech or action.

Teenagers with low self esteem tend to under estimate their abilities. They always think that they cannot accomplish anything because they always think that they lack the capacity to it. Low self esteem can lead to depression, indecision and inaction. When someone does not know what he wants, he cannot make any decision. When teens are indecisive, it leads to being inactive and eventually, to depression.
The adolescent should be motivated in gaining enough self esteem. Working with it is working with time well spent. When he feels good about himself, he has all the confidence to do all the things that he really wants to do. Thus, he would be able to do it with boldness.

To increase self-esteem, one should not delay his actions or procrastinate in anyway. Such action would result to low confidence. Set some realistic goals, those that are achievable and reasonable. Exaggerating would only lead to disappointments and frustrations. Help other people succeed because by doing this will result to feeling good. Always think that when a teen wants to accomplish something which he believes is right and if he thinks that his ability is greater than any challenge, it will result to an appropriate volume of self esteem.

Teenagers are really more meticulous these days. This is why TeenWants (http://www.teenwants.com) hopes to bring teens all around the world together and let them experience everything positive and enriching. Sushil Kumar Singh Raghav writes for TeenWants.com. TeenWants.com is the place for games, video, music, shopping, fitness, entertainment and even job opportunities for teens. Check out TeenWants.com (http://www.teenwants.com) for prizes and games as well!

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by Abu Aremu
All human Beings were born with a boundless and immeasurable power. It is this power that has made you what you are today, and it is the power that will make you what you will be in a year, two years, five years etc.

All things got started with a thought. And it is this thought that is the power in you. Personal Development practitioners call this power – Mind Power. Mere thoughts are so powerful that it can turn into something tangible. All you have to do is to focus your mind into thinking in the right manner and this can make you achieve what you want to achieve.

If there is anything you desire that you feel you cannot have, what you need to do is tap into your Mind Power. The boundless and immeasurable power of your mind is richly endowed to provide your desire, in a matter of time.

Your first step in achieving your desire is to develop a passion. How much passion do you have for the thing you desire. Thinkers say Passion is Power! Create a strong passion for the thing you want, in your mind and in your actions.

Be clear in your mind the exact thing you want. Be specific about it. If it is a car you want, you must be definite about it – the type, model etc. Focus your mind about the exterior, the paint. The interior décor, the steering wheel, the upholstery. Fasten your mind on these details.

Visualise your desire. Use your mind to see how the car moves. See yourself entering the car, starting the car and driving it round your town, and waving to friends and acquaintances. Feel the enjoyment you want in the car.

Believe all these visualizations. See yourself actually owning the car, and all these becoming a reality.

From time to time, during your visualizations you will receive a spark of message to do one thing or the other. These are Inspired Actions. Take these actions without hesitations. These are actions demanded by the Universal Supreme Intelligence, after your subconscious has communicated your passion to Him, and He has communicated back to your subconscious mind.

Take these inspired actions and in a matter of time your desire will come true.

Abu Aremu is an Internet Marketer and Motivator. He writes on many topics, including guides to Positive Mental Attitudes and how to achieve greater heights in life. You can read life changing articles from him at www.positiveselftalkguide.com and contact him to receive tips and resources on how to improve your positive self talk by sending an email to support@positiveselftalkguide.com

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by Peter Murphy
It is hard to stay motivated with your work when you are faced with several setbacks. How can you get back up from a hard fall? If you are aspiring to become a doctor, how do you continue studying after failing the medical bar twice? If you want to become a pilot, how can you make it happen if your vision is not 20/20? If you want to become a mathematician, should you give up when you find out that your intellectual quotient is way below average? You should not give up when you are faced with setbacks. You should stay motivated and keep going for your goals. Here are some pointers that you might want to keep in mind when you are faced with setbacks at your work.

1. Everyone fails but only the great ones get back on track and learn from their mistakes. You are just a human being. Is it your fault that you are prone to err once in a while? You are going to make mistakes along the way. You are going to fall down. This is not your fault. It is going to become your fault if you do not get up. It is going to become your fault when you do not care about getting back up and pursuing the goals that you have set out for yourself. Failing is completely normal. You should actually get used to it. What you should learn is how to get back up from these failures. The great people are the ones who get back up from failures.

2. Find a role model. Who are the great people that you admire? Is it Babe Ruth from baseball? This great athlete’s batting average is around one third. This means that for every great shot he made, he missed two more! If you think that failing is normal then you are right. If you think that failing is inevitable then you are right again. Failure is simply something that you have to go through to make those home runs. You might want to use Michael Jordan as your role model. This basketball superstar is probably the greatest player who has ever played the game. Would you believe that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team? Setbacks do not bother these winners. Who is your role model? Find one and be inspired.

3. Get out there and experience humanity. The more people you bump into life increases your chances of understanding the human race as it is. If you do not go out much then you must consider going out more often. Talk to people. Ask them about their experiences in life. Learn from their mistakes. Ask them what they did in certain situations. You are going to learn a lot of things from other people. Embrace humanity and enjoy being a human being yourself. Failure is something everyone has experienced.

4. Your emotions are merely emotions. Everyone has feelings. You can cry but once you are done crying, you have to step up from your failure and keep on going. There are too many losers crying in their corner of the world today. You should not be one of them. If you want to get through failure then you should leave it behind when all the dust has settled. You have to move on and accomplish things. Get over it and
get up.

Setbacks should not prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Setbacks are merely there to make you stronger. You should get up from these falls and fight back once again. There is no reason for you to sulk and give up on everything. Stay motivated and do not allow these setbacks to get to you.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/blog/

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by Kim McGinnis
Don’t you love watching a cooing baby? They look so content in their mother’s arms, and all their needs are readily met with a loving intent. It’s our basic need as a human being to want to feel secure, and yet the older we get, it seems the harder it is to hold on to.

First we are pushed out from our mother’s womb, then we are passed around from person to person like a hot potato, next we are subjected to going to some strange place with other strange youngsters, while Mommy and Daddy go off to work. It just gets scarier after that. So, after years of having it stripped away from us, how do we hang on to a little security in an increasingly insecure world? Here are some ways that might help:

1. Learn to enjoy your own company. If your blood pressure rises when you realize you are going to be home alone, you really need to experience more evenings by yourself. Think back to a time when you were your happiest. What were you doing? Even if you were with a dear friend, that does not mean you cannot recreate the feeling you had. Watercolor, get a kid’s coloring book and some crayons and get busy. Sing in your underwear, using the spatula as a microphone. Have fun, when no one is watching, and you will be more secure being yourself when you are with others.

2. Practice saying positive affirmations. First right them down. Here are a few examples:

I am confident in a state of not knowing.

I trust my instincts above all.

I am aware and open to all the wonderful gifts life is bringing me.

I am an amazing vessel for pure source energy

Many times insecurity has its roots in negative messages, which were feed to us when we were growing up. These are false messages. The uncluttered truth is you are a divine being. Practice writing and speaking affirmations that confirm this, and you will be much closer to the freedom that comes with living a fulfilling and secure life.

3. Take a Public Speaking class. Public Speaking is known to be one of people’s greatest fears. If this is true for you, this is a great exercise to try. Join a club that allows you to get your feet wet speaking in front of an audience. The organization, Toastmasters provides a wonderful venue where the members have the opportunity to present a speech. The audience offers three positive comments, and then one constructive comment. This a creative way to learn something new in a supportive atmosphere.
Once you have this experience under your belt, your comfort level with soar. You will be more secure conversing with others, whether you are at a work-related black tie event or meeting someone on a first date with a potential mate from your online service.

4. Give Compliments. When you give others compliments, you are complimenting yourself. Look at the people around you, and pick up the best qualities that they have to offer. Maybe they have a warm smile, or they have graceful movements, or perhaps they have exquisite taste in clothing. There is always something, more often than not, many things of a positive nature.

Be genuine. People love to be complimented, but they can tell when it is not sincere. There is no need to over do it, just express your thought in a light, off-handed way. They may be taken aback, and they will begin to look at you differently. When pure positive energy is exchanged in this way, amazing things will magically happen.

5. Write down your Goals. These could be work or personal. Start with one, and then move on to the next one. This should have nothing to do about the expectations of others. What are your dreams? Maybe you have spent your whole life in a job that you can’t stand. You have to know that it is never too late to change careers. You owe it to yourself, to dig deep, and be honest. Do a little research about what it would take to get there. Put these things on your to do list. Break down these steps so that they are achievable. Mark each one off as you accomplish them. Change happens incrementally. Persistence turns change into transformation.

The whole idea of security is a bit elusive. Somewhere a long the way, we came to believe that we need security. Security is good, to be without it is bad. Maybe, maybe not. Looked at from another way, we could say there is nothing wrong with feeling insecure. When we put our selves in challenging situations, we set up a foundation to reach another level of fulfillment. Once we move past the feeling of insecurity it gives way to a feeling of contentment. So, don’t beat yourself up if you are feeling insecure. Think of it as a gift. Accept it, open it up, and examine it. Once you understand what you are holding, you can let it go.

Copyright, 2007, Avenstar Enterprises, Inc. / Our Inner Source

Kim McGinnis is a freelance writer and entrepreneur. Most recently she has co-developed an inspirational website, Our Inner Source. For informative articles on everything from astrology to weight loss, exclusive interviews, inspiring videos, a unique gift shop, and more–go to http://www.ourinnersource.com For even more articles go to http://www.avenstar.comTo find out about fireflies, an absolutely unique & magical product, go tohttp://www.magicalfireflies.com

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by Peter Murphy
If you stay motivated with your work then you will never think of giving up. Giving up or quitting is the plan of the loser. The people who keep quitting with their work are the losers in this world. The people who give up are at the bottom of the food chain. Do you want to be down there? Do you want to be a loser? Are you the type of person that wants to give up when things get tough? You should not be. Here are some tips that you can use so that you do not easily give up on your work.

1. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. A lot of people think that other places aside from one’s own are better. An accountant may think that the job of a financial analyst is better. A dentist may think that the work of a computer programmer is more fulfilling. A doctor may think that the life of a soldier is more fulfilling. But who knows? Is someone else’s work better than yours? If you always think that way then you will always think of giving up. The truth is that other people’s work is not always better than yours. If you have work to do then you might as well do it instead of constantly changing careers.

2. Surrender is not an option. Sometimes you will have to fight until your last breath. In war, kamikaze soldiers of Japan did not go home during battle. They fought the enemy up to their last breath. These soldiers are heroes. These soldiers have what it takes to do great things in this world. If you have the same attitude as a kamikaze solider then you are likely to do great things too. You are not going to give up with your work. You are going to do what it takes in order to finish it. You will finish it with your last breath. This is the attitude that you need.

3. Loser is not your middle name. If you keep giving up on things then you are on track to becoming a loser. If you want to get things done then you should have competitiveness within you. How do you find this within you? How do you fire up this competitive vibe within you? You might want to join some sports. You might want to find someone in the office to compete with. If you can do this then you will slowly turn yourself into a competition machine. If you are competing with someone then you definitely do not want to experience the humiliation of defeat.

4. Find an inspiration. If you have an inspiration in your life then you will not easily give up. If you are a parent then you might want to use your children as inspiration for your work. You will not easily give up on work because you know that someone is counting on you. You might want to use your significant other as an inspiration. If you do not work hard then this person will leave you for someone else. You certainly do not want this to happen to you, right?

Giving up is something that losers do and you are definitely not one of them. The tips mentioned here are certainly going to fire up the motivation factor inside you. The urge to give up will simply vanish. You are going to forget about giving up once and for all. Giving up is not going to be one of your options at work when you stay motivated and focus.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/blog/

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by Craig Harper
Here’s my simple take on what some people make, a complex issue; how we use or manage our Emotional Energy (EE). It’s a precious and powerful commodity and it needs to be invested wisely and thoughtfully.

Forgive my simplicity, I’m a bloke.
And as I am constantly reminded by the numerous females in my world, we men are such basic creatures.
I could say much about that kind of thinking but I read somewhere that less is more, so I’m going with… less.
I choose to revel in my simplicity.
And brevity.

In life, we get a bunch of stuff…
A bunch of days on the earth.
A bunch of heartbeats.
A bunch of opportunities.
A bunch of ability.
A bunch of potential.
A brain.
Some limbs.
A family.
A few friends.
A free will.
And a finite amount of emotional energy.

I say finite because there are times when it seems to run out.
I’ve seen it.
And when a person’s EE is no more… invariably their life (or quality of life), is no more.
They give up.
They move from living, to existing.

A modern Zombie; going through ‘the motions’ of life.
You’ve seen it; people who seem to have their ‘life-force’ drained out of them.
Maybe at times you are that ‘people’.
Er, person.

Simulated living… looks like living, but isn’t.

To a large extent, our life-reality (what we will do, be, have, create, experience) will be dependant on where and how we ‘invest’ our EE.

Why?
Because our emotions largely influence (if not, determine) our decisions and behaviours, which in turn determine what we practically experience… and what we do and don’t achieve each day.
Month, year, decade.
Lifetime.

By the way, ‘where we live’ has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with how we invest our EE.
And some of us have been living in a bad place for a long time.
That’s right, we actually need to think about our EE; it’s probably our most mis-managed resource.

It worries me that many of us don’t use it wisely.

We don’t plan, we just react… wasting one of our most precious commodities.
We squander mountains of EE on things which are beyond our control (situations, circumstances, other people, genetics, history), while not really investing it in the stuff we can change… our attitudes, choices, reactions, communication style, habits, behaviours - which in turn affect all the practical stuff - our financial situation, relationships, career, physical health and our day to day human experience.

Instead of recognising it and using it as the great source of power and leverage it can be in our lives, we invest it in anger, jealousy, resentment, bitterness and hatred; the stuff that makes us psychologically, emotionally and physically sick.
The stuff that stops us from growing, learning and evolving.
And being happy.
Remember happy?
Those were the days.

And when I say that it makes us sick, I am not speaking metaphorically.
There is an absolute correlation between where and how we spend our emotional pennies… and our physical health.
Many (many, many, many) people have made themselves physically ill and, in my opinion, killed themselves by not managing their EE wisely.

That’s what I call a poor return on your investment.
Real poor.

Fortunately for you and I, every day is a new opportunity to invest in the positive and turn our back on the negative.
To become smart investors.
To find the good, even in a bad situation.
To ask the right questions.
To find the lesson.
To invest our EE in finding solutions, where we once regularly put ourselves into emotional bankruptcy by focusing on our problems.
To control the stuff we can and let go of the stuff we can’t.
It’s possible.
In fact, probable… when we make that decision.

Think this is all pure self-help hyperbole?

That’s your choice.
Your mistake.
This lesson can be a life-changing truth if you make it that.
Or it can be ‘just another thing’ you read.

You know that anger’s a choice right?
No!!
Yep.
“But that’s how I’m wired.”
Crapola.
That’s what you choose.

And bitterness, jealousy, resentment?
Them too; bad investments.

Waddabout hatred?
Oh yeh, that’s gonna kill ya.
By Tuesday.
Walking around full of hate?
You may as well smoke three hundred cigarettes a day, you’ll achieve the same result.

Every day we are given the opportunity to have an amazing day despite what happens or doesn’t happen on that day.
When we really learn (as in live in this truth) that amazing days are not dependant on events, situations, circumstances, other people or luck but how and where we invest our emotional energy, then we’ll start to realise our potential, knock down some barriers and see some real (forever) change.

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is the #1 ranked Motivational Speaker by Google. He is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.Australian Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper

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