Improving Yourself

Make A Positive and Quality Difference In Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:19:00 +0000

The 7 Simple On The Job Tips

You can get so absorbed at your job that you easily forget about the important, healthy choices you need to make for yourself. Ever feel a bit dizzy sitting at your desk? You probably need to drink two or three glasses of water.

You can get so absorbed at your job that you easily forget about the important, healthy choices you need to make for yourself. Ever feel a bit dizzy sitting at your desk? You probably need to drink two or three glasses of water. Did you skip breakfast? That’s a no, no. That’s why you’re not feeling your normal self.

Below are seven simple on the job tips that will make a positive, quality difference in your life on the job. Try them out. Incorporate these tips into your at work lifestyle, and they will make a positive, quality difference in your life. Print one side of one sheet of paper for easy reference.

Tip #1. Say good morning, smile, be positive, always give a kind word, and above all be approachable.

Tip #2. - Climb the stairs. If you work on the fortieth floor, walk up the first five, or seven, or ten. Catch the elevator the rest of the way.

Tip #3. - Freely drink quality water throughout your work day. It must be at room temperature, and yes, you may add lemon.

Tip #4. - Sitting, bending or kneeling while you work? At intervals, stand erect, interlock your fingers behind your head and swing your elbows to the left, and then to the right ten times.

Tip #5. - Standing while you work? Purchase a decent, comfortable pair of shoes. During your breaks, take your shoes off, sit and put your feet up. Wiggle your toes and make circular foot movements. Get regular foot baths, soaks and massages. Save your feet.

Tip #6. - Eat a nutritious lunch. Get in the habit of eating food that will make a difference. Say no to donuts, croissants, pastries, danish… say no to processed foods. No coffee, tea, hot drinks, soft drinks, alcohol or sweet juices. Just say no to junk food.

Tip #7. - No eating between meals. If after a valiant fight, you still feel that you must eat something, eat an apple. It will help keep the doctor away.
_________
Author: Wycliffe Williams

Juicy | Self Esteem Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Choose your favourites from the juicy, refreshing self-esteem tips below. There are bound to be some that you like the look of, so please enjoy savouring them over the next few days.

1. inject new life into your day -

Pick an activity that you do most days, such as saying good morning to someone, having a shower, shopping for groceries or even going to bed at night and make a conscious decision to do it a bit differently and do it well! For instance, you could sing in the shower and finish it off with a cold dose of water all over to stimulate your senses; you could spontaneously pick up a fruit in the grocery store that you've never eaten before and give it a try; you could meditate before going to sleep. The possibilities are endless.

2. squeeze in some "YOU" time -

Putting aside a little YOU-time to nurture yourself each day can be a simple way to remind yourself that you're worth investing in. Carving out an hour from your busy day can feel like an impossible mission for most women, so what I suggest is that you incorporate quality YOU-time into your daily self-care regime. This is how it works… never brush your teeth, your hair or apply skin creams when you're thinking negative thoughts! Stop and focus on changing your mood instead. Then, when you've captured a positive thought or two, start brushing with care or take a bit of time to gently apply the cream and massage your face and body – the aim is to enjoy the moment, however brief!

3. stop procrastinating for just ten minutes –

Quite often we procrastinate because a task seems too huge and daunting to contemplate. Perhaps your desk is in a mess but the thought of sorting it out makes you feel exhausted because you know it would take hours and hours. The key: just do it for ten minutes, no more. Then see how you feel. I bet the next time you think about your messy desk, the thought will not be so scary. So ask yourself: are you procrastinating over something? If so, give this a try.

4. reach out and touch someone -

One of the best ways to feel good about yourself is to make someone else feel good first. Reach out and touch someone's heart with a small but noticeable gesture. Good examples are things like play-fighting with a child, gently touching someone's arm to show you that you care, sending eCards or giving someone a genuine compliment out of the blue. Often it's the little gestures that can mean so much.

5. learn to let go -

Most of us find ourselves clinging on to things (and people) for the wrong reasons. Are you doing that right now with someone or something? If so, why not practise letting go a little by finding something inconsequential in your home that you no longer need or like and just throwing it in the trash! Better still try recycling or resale, if you believe your items could be worth more to someone else. Just the act of letting go of something small could encourage you to let go of something more significant that is holding you back.

I practiced last week with some old cookery books that were clogging up my kitchen.

6. convert an "I can't" into an "I can" -

See if you can absorb this quote into your everyday living:

"It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees" - Pasionara

Think of at least five things that make you feel like saying "I can't". Then write them down. Here are a few common examples, just to get you started:
"I can't say THAT - they'd just laugh at me!"
"I can't buy THAT for myself - I'm not worth it!"
"I can't stand it when MY man looks at another woman!"

Once you've written them down, pluck up the courage to say "I can" to at least one of the items on your list. Say it and believe it! Life is never easy, but saying "I can't" only makes it harder. A simple change of approach could open up a whole new world of discovery.

7. meditate or try hypnosis –

Often self-esteem building does require us to learn new skills and adopt different approaches but also there is a need just to repeat positive messages, chill out and start believing in ourselves more. Meditation or hypnosis offer great supplements to the more studious eWorkbooks that we've developed for women. Why not check out one of these options now?

8. squeeze, lift and smile –

A simple act of squeezing in your tummy, raising your chin and smiling gently to yourself can be so encouraging, especially if you're having a really gloomy day. It's as if the fighting instinct kicks in and possibilities open up. Try it now for a whole minute and see how it makes you feel. If you feel a little better, remember to use this easy technique daily.

9. look forward to juicy times ahead–

Write down the following:
A positive thing that happened to me today was…
Something I am looking forward to tomorrow is…
Something I am looking forward to in the next couple of weeks is…
Something I am looking forward to in the next six months is…

10. ask yourself the question -

What change can you think of that would impact positively on your self-esteem today? Write it down. Then do it!
______________
This article has been reproduced with permission from:
www.selfesteem4women.com

Self Improvement and Motivation | Find Both Inside Yourself Today

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:27:00 +0000

If you feel stuck in a rut and are currently searching for a path to self improvement and motivation, stick with this article to the end. James B. Allen the author, presents several ideas outlining a potentially life changing course towards self improvement and motivation without having to spend money on books, seminars or videos.

OK, Let's get started!

First off, get real and start taking responsibility for who you really are. It is only at the point when you start accepting responsibility for your life - both who you are and what you do - that you will start to realize that you have control over all aspects of your life. And when you realize that you are the captain, you can start steering your ship of life in any direction you choose.

Next, start improving you work habits and relationships, bit by bit. Before you start taking responsibility for your life, before you take the wheel, you may realize that you are stuck in a job, situation or relationship that is bringing you down. Like a ship without a captain, you are headed straight for a rocky coastline and certain disaster. Once you accept that you are in charge, you must break free of these habits. Start by asking yourself questions. "Why I am doing this job?",
"Why am I in this relationship?" If you don't like the answers, either prepare to jump ship or start sailing the vessel yourself.

Now begin surrounding yourself with others who are also on the path to self improvement and motivation. The fastest way to get to where you're going is to join like-minded adventurers on your quest. Even better is to find others who have already sailed the course ahead of you and are willing to serve as a guide. You must be proactive. If there is someone you know who has already become the kind of person you want to be, approach them and let them know. There's much you can learn from these people and most of them are willing to share.***

About the author: James B. Allen is the iconoclastic webmaster of PowerLivingPress.com. He invites you to explore his massive collection of powerful self improvement and motivation articles right now.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Time Management | Bring To Your Personal Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:57:00 +0000

Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.

Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.

Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.

The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.

The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.

The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.

The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.

The career aspect involves school and work.

The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.

The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.

Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.

Personal time management should not be so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.

A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.

One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often.

A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you.

Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.

Each and everyone of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.

Learning to say "No". You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.

Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.

These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.

As the say personal time management is the art and science of building a better life.

From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.

The Secret Of Successful New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:55:00 +0000

With the New Year rapidly approaching, your thoughts will be turning to your New Years Resolutions. It's the time of year when you set your sights on the next year and decide what you want to achieve.

Are you planning on stopping smoking? Getting fitter? Losing a bit of weight or getting a new job?

These are a few of the perennial favourite New Years resolutions, though obviously, there are a lot more possible New Years resolutions.

When setting a New Years resolution, most people don't really spend a lot of time thinking about what they really want to achieve. You've probably heard people say something like, "I ought to stop smoking this year" or "I really should lose a bit of weight".

If you set resolutions like that, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You don't really want to achieve them, you just feel guilty and that you should do them bfor whatever reason.

The trouble is, unless you have some motivation and desire to achieve your resolutions, then you are not going to achieve them. It is absolutely vital that you pick New Years resolutions that you really want to achieve and then follow through on them with action.

When many people set their New Years resolutions they almost expect something magical to happen on January 1st and the resolutions to happen without any effort at all. The trouble is, this doesn't happen. You have to take some sort of action to make your resolutions happen.

Before the New Year happens, sit and think about your New Years Resolutions. What do you want to achieve next year? When you know this, then you can spend some time working out an action plan to make sure you can achieve it. If you want to stop smoking, get some help whether this is a stop smoking CD or a visit to a clinical hypnotist or even nicotine patches. If you wnat to lose weight, sign up for an exercise class, get some hypnosis programs to help or start a diet.

Without action you will fail at your New Years resolution. You deserve to succeed at them! So let's summarise with a quick checklist:

1) Decide upon your New Years resolutions
2) Create an action plan to achieve them
3) Take regular and consistent action to achieving your resolutions

Through this simple plan you will achieve your New Years resolutions so much easier.***

Source: Ezine Articles
Image Credit: www.mentalhelp.net

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Don't Let the Holidays Derail Your Diet!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:32:00 +0000

by GAIL M. DAVIS

Fall is upon us and it is that challenging season when our diets take the biggest hit! Between football games, Thanksgiving, office parties, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, family gatherings, and New Year celebrations, the scale could show a whopping 10-15 pound gain!
Just because this is what usually happens, it is not what has to happen! There are several things that you can do to ensure that you do not end up with unwanted pounds when January 2nd, rolls around!

Most people believe that they have two choices when it comes to celebrating the holidays. One option is total deprivation. These people avoid all celebrations, or at the very least avoid the holiday food table. They feel sorry for themselves at office parties and get annoyed when their colleagues bring in holiday goodies to share.

The other option is the “blow out.” These people completely give up on their healthy eating for the month-long holiday season. They eat as though they will never again get the opportunity to enjoy such amazing food!

I would like to propose a third option and that is an obvious compromise. If you’ve been working hard to lose weight leading up to the holiday season, there’s no reason to go to extremes. You can still enjoy the festivities, and yes, the food and drink, without destroying all of your hard work! Make weight maintenance your holiday goal and take the necessary steps to achieve that success.

First of all, careful planning is imperative! Get a calendar for November and December and record all your special events. Each morning, review your calendar and mentally plan for the day. Nothing is as effective for weight loss as careful planning! Do not prepare for special events involving food by skipping meals. Instead, eat small, healthy meals prior to the event to keep your metabolism strong and your appetite in check. At the event, eat what you want but only small amounts! Eat slowly and savor each bite. Enjoy those special holiday foods that aren’t normally available.

Be careful when drinking. Alcohol will weaken your resolve and make it easier for you to make the wrong choices. Drink a glass of water between each drink, and consider cutting your drinks with club soda.

Amp up your workouts during the fall season! Add extra days of cardio to your weekly regime. Look for those special ways that you can burn more calories. Even standing burns more calories than sitting, so take advantage of your calorie-burning opportunities!

Finally, remind yourself often that the holidays are about friends and family. Enjoy your holidays without guilt, but make your holidays about your loved ones instead of about food. If you follow these simple steps, you can start the New Year as a happier, healthier you!

About the author:
Gail M. Davis is currently the webmaster of Easy Weight Loss Tips. She offers more quick weight loss tips on her website. Enjoy food and exercise logs, motivational inspiration, and healthy recipes by visiting her site today!

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Year-End Organizing Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:01:00 +0000

The final month of the year is here, and for many of us, it’s a time of wrapping things up before the new year rolls around. This year, as part of your year-end wrap-up, consider taking a few moments to revisit the systems that serve you every day, and see if you can improve them.

Clean out your paper files. Over the course of a year, most of us accumulate way more paper than we need, and much of it ends up in our file drawers. The end of the year is a great time to free up space in your files to make room for next year’s new documents. Spend some time going through your file drawer and see if the papers in there are still necessary and relevant to you. Look at your files with a cold eye and shred or recycle what you no longer need.

Revisit your filing system. While you’re in your file drawer, take the opportunity to look at how your filing system is set up, and make any changes that will help it serve you better in the future. Do the file names make sense to you? Are the tabs and folders clearly labeled? Are the file folders frayed at the edges? Are you trying to stuff too many documents in a slim hanging file, when a box-bottom file is a better fit? Now’s a great time to change file names, re-label, and get the right supplies to improve the system.

Donate unused supplies and other “stuff.” Look through your supply storage area, and chances are you probably have some supplies hiding in there that have never been (and likely never will) be used. Sure, those t-shirt iron-on transfers seemed like a good idea when you were at the office supply store, but are you ever going to use them? Free up space in your storage by getting rid of those things you either never used or just don’t need. Most non-profits are happy to take office supplies off your hands. Bonus – you may even get a tax-deduction for donating these supplies to a charity.

Delete junk from your computer. Files stored on our computer may not take up room on your desk, but they can fill a hard drive surprisingly fast. Delete drafts and out-of-date versions of files if you no longer need them. Use the search tools on your computer to find duplicate files, and keep just the ones you need. In your email program, if you no longer have use for a large attachment that was sent with an email, delete it. These can take up a surprising amount of space!***

Source: Amazines

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Using the Right Tools and Personal Growth For Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:11:00 +0000

Many people are on the lookout for how to become a millionaire but they never get the proper resources or tools. 6M Profit Methods provides the best tools to put you in motion for total success. Three things can forge you into the success you have always dreamed about. These three things include personal growth, proper methods, and perseverance.

The Internet is the best tool and you can use it to your advantage. Don't settle for a job you don't enjoy getting up for and driving to everyday. You can have the freedom in your job and with your finances when you use the tools through http://www.MillionaireDesire.com. There is no reason to limit yourself anymore.

It isn't common for personal growth to be included in methods of success on the Internet. Most likely this is why over 90% of online businesses fail every year. Your personal growth is an important factor to how to become a millionaire. You must know how you can combine your growth with the right, proven methods.

The internet is filled with gurus who claim to know how to become a millionaire. Scott Enterprises has proven to provide the easiest ways you can forge ahead into a six figure income with simple methods. The plans are laid out through easy steps. You don't have to be an Internet expert to learn how you can create several streams of income online. These tools are proven because many people right now are enjoying their six figure status because they took the steps necessary by using the 6M Profit Methods.

Perseverance is what it is all about. Your attitude will make or break your business. You must be dedicated and committed to do everything the program through http://www.MillionaireDesire.com says you should. Follow through with your business and be entirely dedicated. The best part about it is that the steps provided are so easy to do that you won't find it frustrating or lose interest.

Working toward the financial freedom you have always longed for is what Scott Enterprises has made it so easy to do. You don't have to be limited anymore by the potential you are capable of achieving. Success is not limited. You put the limits on your success. It is all about changing your mindset. Believing is the key to your success. Don't sit around anymore and think about your bills and debts. You attract the things your mind is focused on. Learn how to focus on the six figures and how to begin making it today.

An Internet Business with the proper methods is exactly what you need to achieve the status you have always wanted. The 6M Profit Methods gives you all of the tools and resources you need in order to know how to become a millionaire. People give up because they often seek out the wrong methods. When you learn how to combine your personal growth with the right methods you will learn amazing success. This will forge you into the status you have always dreamed of and an income potential with no limit.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

How Do You Want Your Holidays to Be?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:01:00 +0000

This is the season of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. Are you hoping for a peaceful month, a realistic budget, time to get everything done, good health, warm relationships, and a joyous holiday season? Or perhaps you have you own word or combination of words to describe what you want this month to be like.

How you approach this last month of the year will depend on your attitude. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, attitude is a way of acting, feeling, or thinking that indicates your opinion about something. Your attitude is like a mirror. It reflects what you choose to focus on.

Negatives do happen in life. However, it is well known that when you focus on negatives, it is harder to:

- Feel confident.
- Pursue goals.
- Be happy.
- Solve problems.
- Socialize and enjoy relationships.

The good news is that it is possible to recognize when negatives are happening in your life without letting yourself dwell on them. In order to do this, you have to first be aware that you are stewing about something. Once you are aware that you are getting stuck with negative thoughts, you have the opportunity to change what you are thinking to more positive thoughts such as things you are grateful for.

Positive Psychology research suggests that when you experience genuine positive emotions in a 3 to 1 ratio with negative emotions, you cross a psychological tipping point. This means at the point of three positive emotions for every negative emotion, you will function at your best. You will feel more confident and happier, pursue your goals, solve problems, and enjoy your relationships.

Keeping a positive frame of mind during stressful times is certainly something to strive for. During this holiday season, it is possible to be hopeful and more resilient by increasing your ability to overcome adversity and dealing with challenges confidently by:

- Knowing what you care about and value - what is important to you.
- Discovering ways to reduce the demands on your time and money so that you feel in control of these resources.
- Choosing to go to only a couple of stores, shop online, look for things that are "good enough" instead of running around trying to find the best.
- Talking with family members about how to simplify giving gifts and entertaining.
- Breaking more complex tasks into smaller parts that can be done one at a time.
- Being able to say "No" to requests that will drain you.

It is important to remember that you do have a choice in how you respond to events going on around you. Even though you cannot control outside circumstance, you can choose to have a curious and creative attitude as you approach the holidays. Choose to:

- Do the things that are meaningful and energize you rather than drain you.
- Choose to have at least three positive thoughts for every negative thought.

No matter what your circumstances are, let this be a time of hope and resilience that will take you into the months ahead.***

Source: PattenCoaching.Com

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

3 Simple Motivation Tips for Your Goal Setting Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:16:00 +0000

Goal setting is a proven and powerful tool that most successful people are using to achieve what they want in their life. Although that it is a proven tool, but still there are many people fail to achieve their goals. Why is this so? One of the most common reasons is because most people thought that goal setting is a magic wand, all they need to do is just to write down their goals, and everything will come true.

You know it very well that goal setting is not a magic wand. If you are not doing anything, nothing is going to happen. The most important part of goal setting is what you do after you have set your goals. It is what you do after that that will lead you to your goals. And most people are lack of action. The number one reason for the lack of action is the lack of motivation.

The moment you are excited and you feel motivated, you will take a lot of action. And below are the 3 simple motivation tips for your goal setting activities…

1. Affirm your goals by telling yourself that you can achieve them. Imagine that every morning once you woke up, you look at the mirror and you tell yourself, “I can do it”. Do you think this will help to drive you? Of course it will. Affirming your goal is one of the best motivation tips that you can do easily and quickly.

2. Visualize the achievement of your goals each night before you sleep. By doing so, you will sink the vision or your goals into your subconscious mind. You are telling your subconscious mind that you have objectives to achieve in life and it will automatically help you to find ways to achieve them.

3. Another motivation tips for your goal setting activities that you can take instantly is by reminding yourself of your goals. You can do this by writing down your goals and paste the paper somewhere you can see often. The moment you see your goals, you are reminding yourself about your goals and you will feel driven to achieve them.

These are the 3 simple motivation tips that you can take for your goal setting activities. Remember, it is the motivation that makes you to take more action and it is the action that leads you toward your goals.***

Source: Goal Setting Activities

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Write Down Your Goals On Paper!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:08:00 +0000

Every person should write down his or her goals. Business goals, personal goals, income goals, and what ever you want to achieve in your life. If you want to achieve something in your life, don't just think about it. Get a nice piece of paper and write down the goal.

Having a goal sitting in your head may not help that much. Every book says that you need to write down your goals. First thinking about the goal is a good way to start but again, you need to write it down as soon as you think about it.

What is it that you want to accomplish?

Think about this in your mind and come up with the exact goal that you want to get. For example, let's look at a person who wants to earn 00 in the next 30 days online. Here is what he or she needs to do.

first step is to write down the goal of earning 00 in the next 30 days. So that's done. Good.

Next what you will want to do is to write how you are going to achieve this goal. You should figure out by now that you will want to find someone who has already done this before. Having a burning desire will also help you get to your goal.

Write down why you want to achieve this goal. For some, it is just having that extra income to help them pay for a car payment. For others, it may be that they want to save money. What ever your goals are, write down why you want to achieve them.

Another point to consider is to have complete faith in yourself and your desired goals. You need to have faith because if you don't, you may not achieve your goals at all. You may have written them down, but it means nothing if you kick out your belief of achieving this goal from your "belief" system that is sitting there somewhere in your head. You need to have faith that you can reach any goal that you set.

After you achieve a particular goal, don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back. Give yourself some sort of a reward. Once you achieve your first goal, you can accomplish any of your future goals in life. It should give you some sort of motivation to write more and more goals down.

Now, what would happen if you don't reach your goal? This can happen to anyone who sets goals. The best thing that you will need to do is to learn from this situation and think what you can do next time to achieve that goal.

If you fail once, try again. If you fail the second time, then try again until you reach your desired goal. But don't take the same action. Learn what you did wrong in the first trial and try something different.

Source: ArticleCircle

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

When Barack Obama Talks About Change, He's Got You in Mind!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:01:00 +0000

By Henry M. John

We live in exciting times! Barack Obama's victory signals that we're entering a period of change. Actually, people are hungry for change. Don't all those people standing in line to vote say something? They sure do!

He stood for change and that is probably what he's going to deliver. Some of the change won't be particularly pleasant, but let's hope for the first time we have a president who doesn't care if he doesn't get re-elected. Let's hope he just does what has to be done.

But what about change: have any of us really sat down and thought what it really means? A lot of people are afraid of change. Why? Primarily because they are afraid of the unknown.

Change is not something to be afraid of, it is to be embraced! If you remember that change is just another word for learning it should dispel any fear that you might have.

A world without change is a world where there is no progress. All of us have been stuck in a time-warp, happy to protect the status quo. It's done us a whole lot of no good too!

When Barack Obama talks about change, he also wants you to change. He doesn't want to be the only catalyst, he's expecting you to play your part too.

If change is just another word for learning, shouldn't we be taking a leaf from his book? If we were to exercise the same amount of self-discipline, determination and effort in our personal lives as he has demonstrated in his bid for the White House, what a huge difference that would make.

Let's take one part of our lives that far too many of us have seriously neglected: our health, and in particular our weight. If we really made an effort to lose weight - permanently, we would need to change, change our behaviour and learn new habits - new slim habits. What a difference we could make to our lives - and to the health and well-being of the nation. Isn't this the spirit of what Barack Obama wants us to do? Let's go for it!

About the author: Henry M John has a particular interest in changing behavior through learning new habits. Learn more about how to lose weight permanently by learning new habits. Visit http://www.slimhabit.com

Image Credit: AllPosters

Article Source: EzineArticles.Com

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Simple Steps With Regard To Developing Self Esteem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:04:00 +0000

All of us wish for a content and happy life. Having a healthy self esteem goes a long way to helping us achieve those goals through positive thinking and positive action with regard to achieving goals. Those suffering from low self esteem don't think they can achieve a goal and may not even attempt it. Doubts and negativity which are the trademark signs of low self esteem. They would therefore never find out if they would have been a success or not. If you seriously wish to live a life filled with contentment and happiness, then you need to possess a healthy dose of self esteem

Developing self esteem seems simple enough to achieve but it is not that easy and requires a dedicated approach if one suffering from low self esteem is to succeed.

Think Positively

The initial step to take with regard to developing positive self esteem is to consciously try to think in a positive manner. Much of the success of the points below stem from positive thinking. If you are one who is in need of developing self esteem, you should take heart from the fact that it is certainly possible and also quite simple to achieve your goals though at the same time it is not very easy to achieve.

Don't Doubt Success

Having doubts about your own abilities is a common symptom of low self esteem. You stop doing something before you have really tried because you doubt yourself. This is the point where you have to have strong positive thoughts and be able to tell yourself that you are totally capable of succeeding and that you could actually do the job better than another individual.

Think as a Winner

If you think you are a winner and successful you already halfway to achieving your goal. If you tell yourself you are a winner you will come to believe it and will have taken one leap further in developing self esteem. Considering yourself a winner rather than a loser will make you feel great and thus bolster your self esteem.

Stop Negativity

"Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power" by Shirley MacLaine.

There is nothing as true as the quote above. A key point to developing self esteem is to consciously stop yourself from thinking negatively from dawn until the minute you go to sleep at night. Sweep aside all negative thoughts from your mind and think positively, you will be surprised how quickly you can turn your thoughts around.

Search for Your Real Self

Take some steps to discover your real self. Some other simple steps that you can take with regard to developing self esteem knowing just what you can succeed at and what will make you fail and in addition. You will be able to take responsibility for your own actions.

Turns Anxious Thoughts into Positive Thoughts

Other ways of developing positive self esteem include learning to turn anxiety into positive thinking, learning from your mistakes and to turn mistakes into chances for further self-improvement and making it a point to be in the company of those who bring out the best in you rather than associating with those who make you do the wrong things and do not give you the credit and encouragement you deserve.

Encourage Encouragement!

Lastly, developing self esteem also means eliminating all thoughts that can damage your self-esteem and instead you should concentrate only on finding some means to get encouragement and this is best achieved through thinking positively. Again, hanging out with those who will offer you encouragement for your actions will help you every step of the way.***

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Effective Stress Management for those with Busy lives!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:33:00 +0000

By: Paul Duxbury

What would you do with increased stamina, decreased anxiety, and solid peace of mind? You would probably get more done in less time--at the very least, each day would be more enjoyable. In the long term, you would certainly experience better physical health and a longer life span.

The only thing standing between you and a higher level of general well-being is the unpreventable occurrence of stress. Daily stress can rob us of our potential, weakening every aspect of our lives. Consider the following:

* Stress breaks down the efficiency of the immune system leaving our bodies vulnerable to illness and disease.
* Stress causes heart problems and high blood pressure.
* Stress contributes to addictive behavior, causing alcoholism, eating disorders, nicotine addiction, and workaholic tendencies.
* Stress causes social withdrawal, perpetuating symptoms and leading to destructive isolation.

To avoid stress and related symptoms you must be proactive, nurturing your body and mind through a balanced diet, exercise, and reserved time for relaxation.

A Balanced Diet - We know that a balanced diet can improve your health, but can it really do anything for your stress level? Experts say it can. Research has found that good nutrition has a tremendous impact on our ability to ward off the damage stress can do to our systems. Sure, you’ll still feel tense, but with your body nutritionally armed for battle, you’ll handle things better. There are many things you can do to maximize your body’s fighting power.

One of the most significant things you can do is to reduce the amounts sugar and white flour in your diet. Sugar and white flour cause a host of problems you could do without. By reducing these items in your diet, you will be able to maintain better weight control, reduce the risk of heart disease, and increase your energy level. Why? Because items made with these products metabolize too fast in your blood system. The result is unhealthy spikes in your blood sugar, rapid depletion of energy, and damaging stress symptoms.

Exercise - In addition to eating right, exercise can be a tremendous help in fighting stress. As you get moving, your circulation delivers oxygen and nutritional elements throughout your body. The result is muscle relaxation, the release of mood elevating chemicals, and a strengthened immune system. Studies show that those who exercise regularly are less likely to suffer from stress related illness.

Relaxation. When your body relaxes, it reverses stress symptoms. You experience a sense of control as you eliminate the feelings of helplessness that often accompany stress. Find that one thing that really helps you to kick back and forget about things for a while. Here are some suggestions:

- Catering to our senses, such as sight, smell, and sound can reduce anxiety. So put on some favorite music, keep fresh cut flowers in view, and sink into a warm bubble bath.
- Reduce the clutter in your life. Passing a stack of papers as you leave for work, tripping over boxes, or stuffing a breakfast plate into a sink of dirty dishes, creates underlying tension that acts as a fuse when something gets you fired up.
- Deal head-on with anything that has been bothering you. Ignoring problems won’t make them go away--resolving them will.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Your body needs this time to heal and “reboot” in preparation for the next day’s challenges. Deny this basic need and you drain all of your systems of their strength.

Good nutrition, exercise, and learning to enjoy life will help you ward off dangerous stress symptoms. It’s important that you take steps now to ensure a healthy future. That is why I dedicate several sections of my ebook series, A Balanced Approach to Health, to teaching you how to reduce the levels of stress in your life, instantly improving your quality of life. You’ll learn: How to cope rather than stress, 13 affirmations to move beyond stress and its impacts, how to become a relaxation guru, and much more.

About the author:
Paul is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition to owning one of the UK's leading Ebook Provider http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk. Paul also owns http://www.help-your-child-learn.co.uk and http://www.ebay-profits.co.uk

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Various Quotes on Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:05:00 +0000

It may be difficult for you to keep focusing on the positive and the accomplishments in your life, especially when you are going through a particularly challenging obstacle. Here are 8 of my personal favorite quotes on self confidence, and the importance of it to our lives. Keep this quotes close on hand, or look for others that may inspire you further, for those moments when you need something to keep you motivated!

1. What you think of me is none of my business. What is most important is what I think of myself. -- Robert Kiyosaki

2. Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who do not depend on it. -- George Clason

3. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. -- Tomas Edison

4. Just as we can learn from our mistakes, we can gain character from our disappointments. -- Robert Kiyosaki

5. Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first. -- Mark Twain

6. The self-confidence of a person multiplies their powers a hundredfold. -- Robert Collier

7. Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great. -- Mark Twain

8. Keep your thoughts positive, because thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive, because behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive, because habits become your values. Keep your values positive, because values become your destiny. -- Mahatma Gandhi

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Positively Passionate People

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0000

True passion is one of the most powerful feelings one may feel in their lifetime. One can become so passionate about something that they feel they would die for it (and sometimes do.) It may be one of the most powerful of all human emotions. Passion can be harnessed for good, or for evil. It is when people harness their passions in positive ways that the world is shaped in a beautiful way.

These people are not lazy, unambitious, unmotivated, depressed bags of flesh that mope about all day wallowing in self-pity. They are alive, energetic, proactive and dynamic beings who have come to fully realize the divine potential within their own mind, body, life and soul.

As you'll learn in many of our products, the people that you surround yourself with have a huge impact on your mind, and thus your life. Therefore, surround yourself with as many positively passionate people as you can, and you will find yourself becoming like them. To help you identify these people, we've listed eight broad characteristics below. You can also model yourself after these - and you will find your level of passion increases accordingly.

Lives life fully
The positively passionate person lives life to its fullest - everyday. They know how to have a great time. They know when to be spontaneous. They see the beauty in everyday living, and in all of creation. They realize that ultimately life isn't defined by thoughts - it's defined by the actions that arise from those thoughts. Thus, they master their mind, and simultaneously master their actions. Their actions and feelings which arise as a result of their thoughts are what allow them to lead an amazing, fulfilling life.

Unstoppable
The positively passionate person is unstoppable in all that they do. They are aware of the immeasurable value of perseverance. They never give up on what they have set their mind too - no matter what gets in their way. They realize that they are the only one that can stop themselves. They don't let the negative feedback of others stand between them and their dreams. They know that good things take time. They never surrender - they always move forward, until they reach their goals.

Takes risks
The positively passionate person takes risks when appropriate - knowing that risks are the only way to grow. Unless they risk something, even if very small, they will not grow. They realize they must step outside of their comfortable current conditions in order to achieve anything. They take wise, informed risks in order to achieve what they desire.

Assertive
The positively passionate person is assertive in all decisions. They are intuitive, use good judgment, and make good decisions - fast. When confronted with a choice, they draw upon their own past experiences and external information - which they filter with their critical thinking skills - to reach a decision. They trust in themselves, and have confidence in their choice.

Focused
The positively passionate person remains focused at all times. They focus on their dreams and goals until they become a reality. They decide what they want, how they will get it, and then focus on it with all their power until they make it happen. They only allow things to enter their life that will help them achieve what they have set out to do - they develop powerful paradigms and mental filters that only accept positive thoughts in order to bring them closer to their goals.

Creative
The positively passionate person cultivates and utilizes their inner creativity. They create ways to reach their goals and to overcome obstacles placed in their path. They strive for innovation and for new, better, easier ways to do things. They use the power of their mind and their subconscious to show them the way. They utilize techniques such as those taught by our company to find inventive ways to crystallize their dreams.

Self-Evolved
The positively passionate person is self-evolved. They are self-confident, introspective, self-guided, and self-reliant. They have learned how to rely on themselves through the good and the bad. They are the reason that they are where they are, and that they are who they are. They use the lessons of the past to their advantage, and learn from every mistake. They examine their own mind and soul regularly, and learn to understand and control their every thought, feeling, and action. They know where they have been, and they know where they are going. If they do not like something, they change it. They continuously strive to move along the path to their dreams, and fully realize that they are the only vehicle that will take them there.

Mastery of subconscious
The positively passionate person has mastered their own subconscious mind. They realize that every thought and thus every action is a result of what has been put into their mind. They have a powerful, positive belief system and mental filters that allow them to recognize positive things in the world around them that they can use to reach their goals. They have positive habits and a positive self image, and everything produced by their mind conforms to their positive beliefs. They take on the rightful duty of programming their own mind - of eliminating negative programming, and positively affirming and regularly reaffirming every desirable aspect of their own being. They use mental tools and techniques, such as those we offer, to program their mind to receive exactly what they want out of life.

You'll know a positively passionate person when you see one. They are the ones that stick out above the rest - the successful ones - the happy ones. When you become passionate about something positive and follow it... when you harness your own thoughts to get there... when you master your own mind - you become happy. Negative thoughts cannot dwell in a mind that has no place for them. Being passionate about doing something positive in the world and taking action to make it happen will not only bring happiness in your life, it can also bring happiness to those you help.

We have the tools to allow you to get whatever you want out of life. You have the power to live your dreams. Let us help you along the way.

Source: Free Articles

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Improving Self-Esteem with Individualized Positive Affirmations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:05:00 +0000

Positive self-esteem is very important if not crucial to our happiness and well being as a human being. Having positive self-esteem can make the difference in that which we take on in life, in that which we go about achieving and creating. Having positive self- esteem also allows us to have healthy and joyous relationships with others, to experience true intimacy. One could also assert that having positive self-esteem gives us access to genuine spirituality. Poor self-esteem, on the other hand, creates the space for us to experience a great deal of negativity in life including depression, anxiety, fear, stress and loneliness. Negative or poor self-esteem is also highly correlated with alcohol and drug dependency. Some even believe that a negative or poor self-image is the source of such addictions.

While it appears that the importance of positive self-esteem is somewhat understood, the unanswered question has always been about how to improve or enhance a person’s self-esteem. Some belief that a person’s self-esteem rests upon them being successful, in accomplishing that which they take on in life, of achieving goals that they have set for themselves. As a result much effort is put into assisting others in effectively and efficiently planning their doing in life. Others believe that our sense of self-esteem is determined by the type of relationships that we have, that by surrounding ourselves with positive people who will appreciate and acknowledge us that our esteem will be positively impacted. To this end training is given to help a person improve his interpersonal skills, how he communicates and relates with others. While both of these endeavors are important, it is not the having or doing that creates positive self-esteem. Ones self-esteem is not given or to be obtained from without, external to the person.

One very effective way to improve self-esteem is through the use of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are very powerful for transforming how a person feels and thinks about himself, ultimately influencing how he views and acts within the world and towards others. The fundamental reason why positive affirmations are so effective is that their nature or structure reflects what already exists in our mind. Our identity or who we think we are, our current thinking patterns, are also a series of affirmations, composed fundamentally of mere words or language. Everything we think, all of the thoughts that we have, are merely affirmations. Positive affirmations, when used consistently, begin to alter our prevalent internal language pattern, as negative as it may be, our inner self talk or dialogue that exists within us. The end result of the consistent use of positive affirmations is the transformation of an inner negative language pattern into one that is positive in nature

The most effective way to use positive affirmations is with the individual’s own voice. While a person can have a beneficial result from listening to a commercially developed product that employs positive affirmations recorded by another, the transformative power of this technology is enhanced or strengthened by the positive messages being delivered in the person’s own voice. By using a person’s own voice to transform the inner dialogue, there is less resistance to the transformational process due to the fact that the voice itself is the same or identical. It is as though the negative voice or language pattern that one hears repeatedly in life is altered or transformed by the consistent exposure and listening to that same voice but with the structure of positive enhancing affirmations. Eventually the structure will transform from one that is negative to one that is positive in nature.

The process of using ones own voice in doing work with positive affirmations can be strengthened with the use of therapeutic relaxation music. While the use of ones own voice is very powerful for creating change in a person’s life, the use of specially designed therapeutic relaxation music assists in creating the audio space for this process to be very powerful. We tend to be more open or suggestible to positive affirmations or language when we are in a state of relaxation. When combined with binaural audio tones the relaxing affect of the therapeutic relaxation music is greatly enhanced. When used with the combined effect of the therapeutic relaxation music and binaural audio tones and consistently, the positive enhancing affirmations that are delivered will have such a profound affect upon improving and transforming a person’s internal, self-talk and eventually his self-esteem.

The technology of utilizing positive affirmations that are recorded in a person’s own voice and therapeutic relaxation music is currently being employed in the treatment of those suffering from substance dependency problems. At the Holistic Addiction Treatment Program in North Miami Beach, Florida, clients are given access to this powerful technology. Clients have the ability to create personal affirmations that empower them and support their recovery and also are able to record these affirmations. The recorded positive affirmations are then mixed with specially designed therapeutic relaxation music to create a powerful audio product to assist the individual in his recovery. Once created the client is trained in the most effective manner in which to utilize their personal CD as part of their overall recovery plan. Those clients who utilize this powerful technology tend to improve their self- esteem, stay in recovery and improve the quality of their life in general. When a person feels and thinks more positively about himself he tends to be more positive towards everything that he is taking on in his life, including and most importantly his recovery.

Harry Henshaw, Ed.D., LMHC
http://www.enhancedhealing.com

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

5 Brilliant Rumi Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:50:00 +0000

by: Wendy Betterini

I have a lot of favorite authors, but one that tends to spark a welcome wave of inspiration and renewal every time I read his work is Rumi. Rumi was a 13th century Persian poet (1207-1273). Though his original works were written in Persian, they have also been translated into other languages and are still enjoyed by people in many countries today - even seven centuries after his death! Such timeless writings hold true gems of wisdom that we can rediscover and savor each time we ponder them.

With that thought in mind, I'd love to share five of Rumi's quotes that I believe are truly brilliant. They are my personal favorites and I've shared a few thoughts about why they speak so strongly to my heart - but don't take my word for it; ponder them yourself and let them speak to you. What insights do they hold for you?

"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth."

This quote immediately moves me into that fabulous state of passion and joy that can only come from following your heart! Every time I read it I feel like kicking off my shoes, grabbing a notebook and pen and heading out to the back yard to write some poetry. Not that I write much poetry. Besides, it's winter here so my feet would get cold. But Rumi's words make me want to do it anyway.

On a deeper level, this quote reminds me that our true happiness comes from having a purpose in life. Something that makes us feel like we're doing worthwhile work - even if it's only worthwhile to us. And I love the phrase, "kneel and kiss the earth" - it brings to mind thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for, well - everything. The world around us and all of its inhabitants from people to animals to plants and even the tiniest insects. What wonders surround us!

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy."

So many of us forget this simple wisdom in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. We're so focused on what we have to do, need to do, almost forgot to do - that we end up living from our harried minds rather than the deeper place that makes everything so sacred.

Try an experiment yourself to feel the power in Rumi's words: Choose one task, big or small and do it from your soul. Take a walk and make a point of moving your body slowly and reverently. Brush your hair as if it were made of spun glass that might break if you tug too hard. Revel in the sensation of the brush bristles massaging your scalp and softening your hair. Even simple activities, when done in a conscious spiritual state, can awaken you in such profound ways that you'll never be the same.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

Nowadays we are becoming more aware of the power of our own thoughts and the role they play in forming our physical reality, and this quote is very revealing in that context! Every time I read it I'm reminded that lack does not exist except in my own mind. Whatever I think I don't have enough of, I simply need to awaken to the ways I am blocking it from my perception. When I do that, suddenly it's all there right before my eyes, as it always was - if only I had been willing to see it. This can apply not only to love but money, good health, joy, inner peace, and so much more.

"The universe and the light of the stars come through me."

I don't think Rumi was bragging about his own greatness with this line, but rather sharing the insight that all of us "give birth" to our reality (our own universe, really) through our perceptions. He also may have been referring to inspiration - I've often said that written words "come through me" at times, especially when I'm "in the flow" and the words just come out with little editing on my part.

"Burdens are the foundations of ease and bitter things the forerunners of pleasure."

What a powerful message is contained in this gem! So often we resent the difficult moments in life and forget that they provide an important service for us. Not only do they lay a foundation and pave the way for better times later; they help us to become stronger, better people so we can appreciate those pleasant experiences when they arrive.

When I think back to some of the more difficult times I've had in life, I'm truly grateful for them now. They taught me a lot about myself and contributed greatly to the person I've become. I try hard to remember that when I find myself in tough situations these days - which makes them easier to bear.

In fact, that's what I love so much about quotes like Rumi's; they offer a moment of reprieve, a glimpse of grace, and a gentle reminder that the difficult moments will pass and the sun will shine once again. What more could we ask for? ***

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Motivational Quotes by Zig Ziglar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:58:00 +0000

A goal properly set is halfway reached.

Ability can take you the top, but it takes character to keep you there.

All of us perform better and more willingly when we know why we're doing what we have been told or asked to do.

Ambition, fueled by compassion, wisdom and integrity, is a powerful force for good that will turn the wheels of industry and open the doors of oppurtunity for you and countless others.

Are you a SNIOP? Someone who is Sensitive to the Negative Influence Of Others?

Attitude determines altitude.

Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give him yours.

Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do the things you need to do when you need to them,and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do them!

Don't become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.

Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.

Everybody says they want to be free. Take the train off the tracks and it's free-but it can't go anywhere.

Happiness is not pleasure, it is victory.

If we don't start, it's certain we can't arrive.

If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.

If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere.

It is easy to get to the top after you get through the crowd at the bottom .

It's not the situation, but wheather we react (negative) or respond (positive) to the situation that's important.

I'ts not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life ;it is how you handle what happens to you.

About Zig Ziglar:
Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (born 6 November 1926) is an American author, salesperson, and motivational speaker. Since 1970, his career has naturally moved from that of champion seller to master motivator. Ten of his 25 books have been best sellers. He is in constant demand as speaker and instructor to audiences of all kinds and sizes. An inspiration for the Living to Change Lives Foundation, he travels all over the world, delivering his messages of humor, hope and enthusiasm.
His latest book (as of 2007) is God's Way Is Still the Best Way.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Self Motivation and Its Importance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Self motivation is very important. There are several reasons for self motivation being so important in a person’s life. Everyone needs to be self motivated.

Who needs motivation? All of us do. In this world of tough competition, stress and hectic lifestyle, one surely requires a driving force to get going. It is very important to keep up the good work.

These days, with so many challenges and a lot of competition one needs to survive, self motivation works like confidence enhancer. It boosts once enthusiasm and provides energy to work.

Self motivation is known as the most important factor in your life. If you are looking for success in any area of your life, you need self motivation. Self motivation plays an important role in enhancing your self esteem. It cultivates a desire to do something in life. Experts in the past have believed and even proved that when self motivation is combined with self determination, one can easily move mountains and find water in deserts.

There are several things one can get motivated with. People get motivated by their strong belief in the almighty. They can even get motivated by an experience they have had or by any other factor. These things just encourage you to change your perspective in life. One can change in to a better person or a better business person with self motivation.

People usually go through happy and sad times in their lives. When thing go awry, you need to support yourself, your family and people around you. This needs a good amount of energy force in you. When providing support and encouragement to your family and friends, you need to be really strong.

Some people are lucky to have good support in the times of pathos. However, some are left alone and require a lot of courage to survive tough times. At such times, one need to get motivates or motivates oneself. Lack of self motivation at such times can be damaging and even complicate your life further.

Mentioned below are some strong reasons on why you require self motivation:

- Self motivation is extremely important when it comes to accepting challenges and opportunities in life.
- The force of self motivation helps in planning your life and easing the difficulties.
- Self motivation provides a new sense of purpose and direction to your life.
- Self motivation is important to provide enthusiasm in life.
- Self motivation lets you live a fulfilling life.
- You can empower and encourage yourself to face tough times and competition in life with the help of self motivation.
- Self motivations fill you with positive energy and boost your enthusiasm.
- Self motivation is important for your existence. It provides you an identity for yourself.

Motivation is a kind of driving force that encourages an individual to get going. It is a kind of boost to the self confidence, faith and inner conscience of a person. All of us look for some kind of motivation in life. It is almost impossible to face a competition, achieve success of accomplish a goal without motivation.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Happy for No Reason

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:31:00 +0000

"7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out" a book by Marci Shimoff

Marci Shimoff is no beginner to the world of writing, indeed her work with the hugely successful 'Chicken Soup' series is testament to that. In total she has six titles to her credit, and worldwide sales of over 13 million copies! Now that is not a shabby item to have on one's resume. This background alone should make Marci an expert on the subject of happiness. The Chicken Soup series are outstanding in their celebration of the human spirit.

Happy For No Reason explores a part of our psyche. If you take a step back, and think about all the people you interact with, and think about them. Some are eternally happy, and some are grumpy. Studies have shown that most of us reside in the grumpy part of the universe. Just think about all the people you know. How many are happy?

Marci Shimoff explores the many faceted aspects of happiness. Being rich may not buy happiness, buy maybe, happiness can make you rich? As the cartoon on page 32 explains, two guys around the Water Cooler and the caption reads "All I want is a chance to prove money can't make me happy."

Happiness and money are an interesting combination, and a friendship that often fails.

Marci takes a new approach, be happy first, and let the money arrive later.

In Happy For No Reason we get to meet members of what Marci Schimoff refers to as her Happy 100. The book is based on the thoughts and actions of 100 naturally happy people. This eclectic group covers the gamut from rich to poor, and each one has their own unique approach to happiness. This at first makes for a confusing read, there are what seem to be conflicting messages. However if you put it all into the idea-processor (brain), and mull it over for a while, the fog clears. There are some aspects that many of the Happy 100 have in common, and it is only the semantics that change.

Many have faced great adversity in their lives, but adversity is not the key. Adversity is merely the vehicle that created the environment for happiness. The real key is being positive. Having a positive attitude even under the most trying of circumstances is what all of these fine people have in common. Some do it through prayer, being thankful for what they do have, some do it through meditation, some merely revel in the world around them. And the holistic 7-step program at the heart of Happy for No Reason encompasses Happiness Habits for all areas of life: personal power, mind, heart, body, soul, purpose, and relationships.

Happy For No Reason is available from Amazon.
To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Improving Self Confidence After A Breakup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:23:00 +0000

Breaking up is never an easy process, especially if you never saw it coming. At this stage, it may feel easier for you to hold on to the broken pieces and memories then to move on. However, the truth is far from this.

There are many signs that you have yet to let go and start to move on. You find yourself retracing your footsteps, and every line in your fights, trying to figure out where it went wrong and what you could have done to fix it. You feel that if you could only figure out why your partner left, you would be able to convince them to come back. Worse still, is underlying all these thoughts, the implicit belief that your world is broken and will be magically fixed somehow if your partner would just step back into it.

If you have entertained any of the above thoughts, then it is a sure sign that your self confidence has hit rock bottom. In order to start healing and feeling better about yourself, you have to improve your self confidence at the same time. This is of course, easier said then done.

It is perfectly normal to want to know what went wrong, and if you were truly at fault. Sometimes it could be something that you did, but sometimes, it could simply be that your partner is no longer interested, and it is not because of anything you did or did not do. If you must think back on what happened, you owe it to yourself to figure out if you need to change your attitude, or behavior and actions. Changing these now may not bring your ex back into your life, but it will make your next relationship a lot smoother.

Give yourself time to cope with the sudden loss, and turn to your friends or family to help you adjust back to single hood. Fill in the gaps that your partner has left behind by pursuing activities that you never had time for, or did not do because your other half did not like it. Pick up a new hobby, go on a short holiday, meet new people, and do things that make you happy.

Remind yourself of your own self worth. Make a list of your accomplishments, or compliments that your friends, colleagues or superiors have ever paid you. This will help you keep in mind that you may have some habits that need changing, but so does everyone else, and that you do have many redeeming qualities. Work out some positive affirmations to help you clear your mind of negative thoughts and emotions. Let your subconscious help you with moving on.

.All these advice will help you, but you must be willing to help yourself in improving your self confidence after a breakup. Make a checklist or a plan of what you want to achieve, and how you intend to go about achieving it. Give yourself a deadline to meet, and push yourself to do the things that you have listed out. Achieving what you have listed out will help you to feel better about yourself, and give you a sense of control over what you can do in life and help keep your emotions positive.

Do not beat yourself up for grieving over the loss of a relationship, or for taking time to deal with your sorrow. However, do not allow it to keep you down indefinitely. Remember that only when you truly let go will you be able to move on and build a future with someone else. Take this alone time to work through personal issues, or do things that you have always procrastinated doing. When you have learnt to change your bad habits and accept yourself, that is when you know that you are ready to move on and meet someone new.

Improving Your Body Image and Self Esteem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:09:00 +0000

Your positive self-esteem is your foundation for success and without it you can feel down, depressed, inferior and suffer a lack confidence in many situations. There are many factors, affirmations and lessons to help you on the way to improving self esteem. One major connection that will be discussed here is that of the connection between how an individual sees their body image and how it affects their self esteem.

Building Self Esteem - A Healthy Body Leads to a Healthy Mind

Floppy loose skin, fat deposits building up around your neck and under your chin, love handles, fat rolls under your bra line, thighs, hips, back becoming roly-poly, a protruding fat tummy! Your body image and self esteem definitely have a link as to how you see your self and no matter what compliments other people give, if you are unhappy about your image then you may not be willing to accept it…..a sure sign of low self esteem.

People come in all shapes and sizes and it's easy to say that you should be happy with what you are born with but there is no rule to say that you should adjust your body image to fit in with ‘the norm of society’…all you need to do to improve your body image and self esteem is make adjustments to the way you think about yourself and make sure you feel healthy and if that means taking exercise then all the better for you. The main point is that you feel good about yourself without the drastic measures of surgery.

Despite having said all that, the stresses and strains of the modern world place people under increasing pressure such as earning more money, looking younger, looking thinner, being a better parent and having a successful career and so on it goes means that building self esteem is no easy task. Improving how you look can definitely have a positive effect on your self esteem which will ultimately help you in your career or what ever path you choose to take. Some people handle body image very differently than others and often you will find those suffering from physical deformities may have a far higher self esteem than others who don’t.

How you choose to improve your body image is your choice. One important aspect is that you are motivated as once you start to feel the benefits then you will wonder why you never started sooner. Just the initial realisation that there is a connection between body image and self esteem is one important stepping stone to feeling better about yourself.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

Why not be an optimist today?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:36:00 +0000

If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.

About Apologizing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:06:00 +0000

We all make mistakes. Howsoever intelligent we may be, or wealthy, or experienced, we all make mistakes. Sometimes we realize, other times we don't. But we all make mistakes because we are human. Only God does not ever make any mistake.

Some of our mistakes hurt our interest. They don't hurt anyone else. But sometimes, we do few things knowingly or unknowingly that hurt others. That is the time to apologize. Why do many of us apologize immediately, and why do many of us avoid it? Why do many of us say sorry even for an insignificant hurt, while some wait for ages to sorry after committing gigantic blunders? That is a mystery. It all depends upon our thinking, our upbringing, our humility, our sense of right and wrong, and our opinion of others feelings and so on. But do we become smaller by saying sorry? Are we confessing a blunder by saying sorry? Are we hurting our ego by saying sorry? Do we lose our self esteem by sending such ecards?

Certainly not. We rather become better by saying sorry. When we say sorry, we feel good, the other party feels good. By saying sorry, we are not making a mistake of confessing a blunder and putting ourselves to risk of ridicule, but saying that- look here, I made this mistake, and I am very sorry for that. Please forgive me and let us be friends again. An apology makes us a better person by cleansing us of our guilt. Let us all say sorry as soon as we realize that by any act of ours, we have hurt someone even if the hurt is insignificant. If the mistake is bigger, our apology should match it to bring matters back to normal. Let us apologize at all the times, we make a mistake and make someone happy again and get happiness in return.

To easily receive updates on future articles, subcribe to Improving Yourself today. Thank you for your time and have a nice day everyone.