I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Most often, one event or action in your life leads to another. If you are moving in the direction of your purpose in life then you’ll continue to move in that direction, but if you’re moving away then you’ll continue to move away.

For example: A few years ago I was working for a large corporation. The job wasn’t bad it was clean, indoors and had great health benefits. I was in the business of convincing people that they needed services that they may not have needed. Before that I had been teaching martial arts and helping people develop physically, mentally and spiritually. When I was teaching I liked what I as doing, was excited about my life and about my future. In the corporate world my job was so stressful that it was actually causing my weight to shift up and my hair (what little I had) to fall out and turn grey.

Finding Your Life’s Passion

How is your life working out? Are you finding that you are following your passion or are you, like I was, living a life that is taking the life out of you? If you are not following your passion, if your life doesn’t seem to have a purpose then decide to change it. Decide to make your life a place of constant learning and grow into your purpose.

Your past, the things that “hold you back” are not real any more. You can let them go. This will catapult you in the direction of your purpose. Decide to stop being fearful and crying over past heartaches, embarrassments and failures. Allow your experiences to be your teachers, your guides toward finding your purpose in life. Once you make this shift you will find that your life’s episodes will become feedback that you can use for self improvement and success.

How Patch Adams Discovered His Destiny

Remember the movie PatchAdamsplayed by Robin Williams? It is a great film. If you didn’t see it or don’t remember, Hunter “Patch”Adamsis a medical student who failed his board exams. As a result of his ‘failure” he became depressed and eventually attempted suicide. In a rational moment he decided to seek help and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward. This is really where his story of discovering his destiny begins.

While in the psychiatric ward Patch met a number of different people. These were people who were really sick, a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and others. As he interacted with these people Patch learned things about himself, his illness and his purpose.  Finally he woke up one morning and realized that after all the failure and pain he has gone through, he had actually discovered his purpose. His purpose was to become a doctor. By finding his purpose he discovered his destiny As a result, not only did he improve, but he also helped to improve the lives of thousands of other people.

Discovering Your Destiny

So, how do you start to discover your purpose? How do you go about discovering your destiny? Here is a list of 7 things you can do to for finding your purpose and passion in life.

1. Discover Your Purpose One Step at a Time

I began training in Tang Soo Do (Karate) in 1979.  Although I am a master instructor today, I didn’t start out to be. When I started out I decided I wanted to earn a black belt, so I did. It was only then did I start to discover my purpose, to help men, women and children develop their physical, mental and spiritual selves. But it didn’t happen overnight and it may not happen overnight for you either. The key here is to be patient. Don’t expect to discover your purpose in one day, in one month or even one year. Discovering your destiny is a long term, lifetime process.

2. Use the Past to Discover Your Purpose

Many people don’t like to think about the past because they only remember their mistakes. For some reason people see their mistakes as failures. Whenever that thought pops into your mind tell yourself “cancel, cancel” and remember that a mistake is just a successful way of discovery how not to do something. If you don’t believe me remember what Thomas Edison said he was asked by a young reporter how it felt to fail at making a light bulb 5000 times. He told the young reporter “Young man I haven’t failed 5000 times, I have found 5000 ways not to make a light bulb.”

3. Finding Your Purpose in Life Involves Accepting You – As You Are

 Many, if not most people, compare themselves with others, especially the artificial others they see in magazines or in movies or on the TV. When they don’t measure up they feel self pity. Stop that! Finding your purpose in life has nothing to do with being envious of others. Instead of being envious, when you see ‘hunks’ or ‘beautiful’ models on TV, think about how you can improve yourself instead of how you don’t measure up to their type of beauty. Finding your purpose in life has nothing to do with having nice slender legs, big boobs or great abs. Although being fit and healthy should be a priority, concentrate on finding your passion, what excites you in life. It will help you achieve more in every area of your life.

4. Remember that Finding Your Purpose in Life Requires Change

If you want to move toward your life’s purpose you’ll need to change. I know that people grumble about change all the time. Many act as though change is evil. But let me ask, how would you like to live wherever you are in the summer time without air conditioning? How would you like to ride around on the back of a mule all day? Most of us would agree that cars and air conditioning are positive changes. So is the process of change you will need to go through while finding your purpose in life.

5. You Can’t Discover Your Purpose if You Give Up

Sometimes life is going to throw you curveballs. You’ll go along, thinking you are following your purpose when all of a sudden an event or action will happen and stop you in your tracks. But that doesn’t mean you need to give up. Just remember that the world is full of lessons, you just need to learn from what happens and have that help you better define your purpose. Remember what Winston Churchill once said, “Never, never, never give up!”

6. Discovering Your Destiny Requires Research and Study

 As you begin to discover your purpose you’ll need to have a self development program to make your passion a reality. Read books, listen to recordings go to seminars that will help you move toward your goals. This will lead to a greater certainty about your direction in life. It will also help your personality develop into the type necessary to fulfill your life’s purpose. Finding and staying with your life’s purpose comes from this type of input. It will also give you real success, success that can’t be taken away by a stock market crash or other tragedies.

7. Remember: Not Everyone Will Be Excited as You

As you go about discovering your destiny not everyone will be as excited as you are about the changes you’ll go through. As you change many of your friends will not want to change with you. Remember, no matter how much you want it for them and no matter how hard you try you cannot convince them to change. Just because you are willing to accept change and go through the process of finding your purpose in life doesn’t mean that everyone else is. You have to learn to accept that. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same things together, she may decide to stay where she’s at.

Discovering Your Destiny Starts Today

So there you have it, 7 things you can do to discover your destiny and passion in life. One final thing to remember is that there’s no such thing as an ‘over night success’. Ask anyone that has found their purpose and is following their destiny and they will tell you that it has taken time and effort to get to where they are. What they did do, and what you need to do is they got started and they kept at it.

Decide today that you are going to take the first steps needed to discover your life’s purpose. Then open your heart and mind to what comes your way. As you do you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding your purpose in life and fulfilling your life’s destiny.

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a system that uses NLP and Hypnosis to help people rewire their minds so they can transform their futures. His office is located inSan Diego,California. This system has helped thousands of people, just like you, lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress and achieve more in their lives. You can find out more information about Total Mind Therapy by following this link. 

The great thing about the New Year is that even if you’re less-than-thrilled with your follow-through, it brings with it amazing opportunities that can last a lifetime. All you have to do is to be smart as you set your goals and make them exciting enough to follow through on.

Here are some ideas you can use to help you to successful complete the goals you set in the coming year:

1. Select Areas You Would Really Like to Improve

One thing about goals is they can last a lifetime. So choose New Year’s goals that truly matter to you. Maybe you would like to improve your health by losing a few pounds, maybe you would like to learn a new language or start a new career. Figure out what it is you really want to improve on, ideally something you want more than anything. This will help keep you focused on accomplishing your goal.

2. Make Your Goals Specific.

Your mind is too smart to go toward a generality. You’ll hear people say, “My New Year’s goal is to get in to shape” or “My goal is to work less” or “I want to spend more time with my family this coming year” Your mind listens to this and says “Huh? What does that mean?”

In order to turn your goals into a reality they need to be specific. Here’s how to be more specific:

Let’s say you have a goal to become healthier. The best way to set goals like this is to give your mind more details of exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Specifics, such as, “I want to reduce my weight by 20 pounds. This will help my waist to be 2 inches thinner” or “I gain a half inch of muscle on my biceps and can see my abdominals” gives your mind something to image or shoot for.

3. Make Your Goals Measurable.

A goal without a measure is nothing but a dream. As I pointed out in number 2, you need to have specific goals. Once you have specified what you want ask yourself, “How can I measure my results?”

Let’s look at the goal “spending more time with my family”. This could be quantified and then measured by making your goal “I work 4 hours less per week,” or “I don’t work on Saturdays, starting January 1″ or “I eat dinner with my family 3 nights a week.” By setting measureable goals you can give yourself feedback as to how you are doing.

4. Set Mini-Goals.

Most goals are complex and can take time, even a lifetime to accomplish. In order to make your goals more achievable cut them down into smaller, separate goals. Set mini-goals that take you down the path to accomplish your overall goals.

For example, maybe you’ve set the goal to lose 30 pounds. In the past you’ve struggled with this because the goal seemed much too large. You can set mini-goals to help break your large goal into smaller pieces. Instead of making “losing 30 pounds” your goal, make it “I reduce my weight by 3 pounds a month for 10 months.”

Notice 2 things about this goal. One, it allowed you enough time to achieve your goal without worrying about it constantly and two, it broke your goal into smaller achievable monthly goals that you can measure.

5. Set Realistic Goals.

If you’re like most people once you begin setting goals you set a lot of them. The problem with this is it might not be possible for you to accomplish everything you want in just one year. In fact it will take your whole lifetime to accomplish all the goals you set for yourself. So look at your goals and your mini-goals and set challenging but realistic timeframes for accomplishing them. This will keep you motivated and focused your New Year’s goals.

Be Smart – Focus on Your Goals

When selecting your New Year’s goals, focus on what matters to you. It doesn’t matter how much your significant other wants for you to do something, unless it’s what you really want to do it will probably not even get started let alone accomplished. It’s just not smart to even try to accomplish goals you’re not really invested in.

Remember to make your goals specific, as detailed as possible and give yourself a method to measure them. Break your large goals, the ones that can take a lifetime to accomplish, down into smaller, easier to achieve mini-goals. And make sure your goals are realistic in the timeframe you establish and in conjunction with the rest of the goals you set.

There is no more powerful thing you can do in your lifetime than setting goals. Just remember it’s a process, not just a goal. This will make your goals more likely to succeed. The great thing about success is that it breeds success. As you achieve one goal, you’re more apt to set more next year and accomplish them also. Be smart, set goals and make this your best one ever!

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a system that uses NLP and Hypnosis to help people rewire their minds so they can transform their futures. His office is located inSan Diego,California. This system has helped thousands of people, just like you, lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress and achieve more in their lives. You can find out more information about Total Mind Therapy by following this link. 

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”

Are you looking forward to having a healthier and happier New Year? Feeling healthier and being happier have everything to do with how mentally healthy you are. In addition to a balanced diet and regular exercise, there are some simple brain enhancement methods that you can put to use today that will help you keep your mind nimble, healthy and strong for the rest of your life.

Let’s take a look at some simple brain enhancer methods you can put to use today:

1. Find Ways to Relieve Your Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can affect your health in a big way. Excessive stress and anxiety can cause problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, and can even result in depression. Finding ways to relieve your stress and anxiety lets you enjoy life more. Try to set aside a few minutes every day for engaging in relaxation techniques like meditation or listening to soothing music. Both of these are simple but effective ways of relieving your stress and anxiety.

2. Develop and Maintain Healthy Relationships

Studies are shown that people with a strong network of support not only are happier they also live longer. Develop a strong network of support with people you care about. These are people with whom you can communicate with openly and respectfully, who add depth and quality to your life.

3. Watch What You Think

Most people make a habit of thinking negatively. That’s because we have taught ourselves to think that way. Teach yourself to think positive. Focus your attention away from nonproductive worrying by brainstorming creative solutions to challenging situations. Look for the good in your life.

4. Practice Positive Self-Talk

This is highly related to number three. After figuring out what you’re thinking, decide to practice positive self-talk. Self-talk is that conversation that goes on in your mind on a continuous basis. Pay attention to what you say to yourself. Most people look for their faults. Instead, find the good in yourself and remind yourself of your strengths and accomplishments. This is a wonderful way to boost your brain power.

5. Learn to Forgive   

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to learn to forgive. It is also a great brain enhancer. When we hold onto past perceived mistakes and wrongs, those memories can keep us from becoming who we were meant to be. It can also slow down your thinking. Learn to forgive yourself and others. It will remove a great burden from your life.

6. Learn Something New

Learning is one of the best brain enhancement methods you can engage in. Make lifelong learning a regular part of your life. This will help to keep your mind flexible and sharp. Challenge your mind by taking adult education classes, learning a new language or instrument or by listening to self-improvement recordings.

7. If You’re Unhappy with Where You Are – Get Help

From time to time we all get stuck and need help finding our direction. If this is where you’re at consider counseling. All of us need help from time to time and it’s wise and courageous to ask for help when you need it. Professional counseling or spiritual practices may help you bounce back from unfortunate events like the death of the loved one, an empty nest, divorce or unemployment. They can also be useful for smaller things like if you’ve just had a rough week or two.

There you have it, seven brain enhancement techniques not only for the New Year but for the rest of your life. You probably don’t need all of these, so just use the ones you do and your New Year will be the best one yet. Improving your mental health is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your family this holiday season. Make it a great one!

Wil Dieck is founder of Total Mind Therapy a system that has been used by thousands of people, just like you rewire their minds and transforms their lives. If you like what you have read, you can CLICK here to sign up to receive these mind enhancing tips weekly.

“I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I’d invented it, because it is very true.”

I think Audrey Hepburn had it right. Happiness truly is health and a short memory, at least about those annoying things that seem to be so bothersome at the time. Although I’d like to talk about forgetting and forgiving, today I’m going to talk about some healthy habits you can incorporate in your daily life that will help you enjoy the healthiest life possible for the rest of your life.

Health without a doubt is one of the most precious of our possessions. The problem is with so many things vying for our time it’s hard to make our health a priority. Let’s look at some healthy habits that you can easily incorporate into your daily life.

Use these 7 Natural Health Secrets to Help You Have the Best Year Yet!

1. Adopt Healthy Eating Habits

This is the time of year where many people decide to diet. Instead of thinking about dieting, think about adapting healthy eating habits. Two easy habits you can adopt are chewing your food thoroughly and reducing your portion sizes. A good rule of thumb is to chew your food between 12 and 15 times and to make your portion sizes no larger than about the size of your closed fist.

Another healthy habit is to eat a variety of foods especially complex carbohydrates such as fresh fruits and vegetables. When you combine these with lean meats and healthy fats you’ll feel better and live longer.

2. Adopt a Regular Exercise Program

Staying healthy involves regular exercise. In fact all experts will tell you that in order to have a healthy life you need to adopt a healthy diet and exercise. For many people exercise is a dirty word, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Exercise should just be something to get your body moving that you enjoy doing.

Find something that you can enjoy such as Jazzercise, Zumba, walking, dancing, Tai Chi or biking that you can do for at least 30 minutes a day. Better yet, choose a different one every day, It’ll keep your exercise program from getting stale. If you have really busy day or if the weather isn’t cooperating, use an exercise ball or a treadmill. Exercise videos can also add a lot of variety to your workouts.

3. Sleep 7 to 8 Hours a Night

Although the amount of time needed for sleep varies from person to person, most experts agree that 7 to 8 hours a night is healthy for most people. Besides being grumpy, insufficient sleep can cause you to gain weight and be more susceptible to illness. If you find that you are constantly drowsy then try going to bed a little earlier.

4. Be Good to Your Skeleton

Osteoporosis affects nearly 50% of all women over 50. It also affects many men. To counteract this effect of aging make a habit of getting plenty of sunshine and eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. Also make sure to do some sort of weightlifting activity to strengthen your bones.

5. Remember What Your Mother Used to Say: Stand Up Straight

Standing up straight not only make sure look younger, it helps you to breathe easier, gives you greater mobility and protects your internal organs. On the other hand, slouching puts pressure on your vertebrae which can cause your disks to become compressed which can make you a victim of chronic back pain. Nerves in your neck will also get pinched which can cause tension headaches.

Good posture helps your neck and back you feel good. You have less tension on your neck and back making those muscles more flexible. Good posture also gives you better mobility in your legs and back. Standing up straight also just makes you feel better about yourself.

6. If You Smoke, Quit!

The World Health Organization states that smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the world today. If you smoke you probably already know all the dangers of smoking. If you’re like most people, you probably have already made several attempts to quit. If you still smoke, make a decision to become smoke-free this year. It’ll be the best decision you can ever make for your health. If you’d like more help with this I have free course to start you on your way. For more information follow this link.

7. Drink Alcohol in Moderation

Over time, excessive drinking destroys your body and your looks. Alcohol consumption can negatively affect your sleep. It also negatively affects your health in many ways. For example, according to researchers at theUniversityofBristolinLondon,England, “If you have high blood pressure… drinking alcohol within the recommended guidelines for moderate drinking may increase blood pressure more than previously believed.” An increased risk of experiencing atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, has also been linked to excessive and/or binge drinking. It has also been linked to developing pancreatic cancer. The bottom line is if you drink do it in moderation.

Staying Healthy is Easy!

Although many people don’t believe it, staying healthy is easy. It just takes adopting healthy habits instead of unhealthy ones. One more habit you might want to adapt is a seeing a doctor regularly. Regular checkups can help you find health issues at an early stage. This can often make the difference between an issue being treatable and untreatable. If you don’t have health insurance there are free or inexpensive screenings at local pharmacies and health fairs.

The one thing that I wish for you this New Year, more than anything, is good health. That’s because I believe that with good health you really can have a good life. I hope you have a long, healthy one.

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Do you want to be healthier? If you want a healthier life you need to incorporate healthy habits in your day. You need to start your day with healthy practices first thing in the morning. While it’s not always easy to choose to live a healthy life, if you incorporate new habits gradually, you’ll positively affect your lifestyle and you’ll establish a healthy mindset that can make a difference today, and for the rest of your life.

Here are some 7 healthy habits that’ll help you start your morning right:

1. Plan Your Day in Advance

Either first thing in the morning or, even better, the night before, write a short list of tasks you plan to accomplish. Being organized is another healthy way to start your day and is one of the best habits you can get into to reduce your morning stress level. Make it a ritual to sit down for a few minutes either in the evening or morning to gather your thoughts and make a plan for your day.

2. Get between 7 to 8 hours sleep

In order to wake up feeling healthy you need to get plenty of sleep the night before. Sleep experts advise getting into the habit of sleeping between 7 to 8 hours nightly. When you get a good night’s sleep, you’re ready to get out of bed at a reasonable time. Remember that consistency is best. This means rise at the same time each morning and retire at the same time each night.

Caffeine can cause sleep disturbances. In order to get a good night’s sleep, stay away from caffeinated drinks at least 5 hours before going to bed. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, consider stopping your use of caffeine completely. If you make a switch to decaffeinated beverages you might improve your sleep.

3. Follow a Regular Routine

As already mentioned, in order to get a good night’s sleep establish a routine. This also applies to the care of your skin. Use a routine to take care of it properly. Clean your face with facial soap or cleanser, apply a toner or astringent, and finish with your facial moisturizer.

When you wake up in the morning, apply sunscreen to your face and lotion to the rest of your body as well. Get the most natural products possible. There are many free radicals floating around in the environment assault your skin throughout the day. Providing a protective layer of lotion over your skin every morning is a health secret you don’t want to avoid!

4. Water, Water and More Water

You’re body is made up primarily of water. In order to stay healthy, drinking lots of water has to be one of those habits you need to follow. Start your day off by drinking plenty of water. Water is the most natural substance in the world and there is nothing healthier than drinking a glass or two to start your day. In fact, the healthy habit of hydrating your body and skin first thing in the morning will pay off in many ways. It helps your body and mind stay fresh and perform flawlessly all the way down to the cellular level.

5. Exercise for a Few Minutes

Exercising in the morning right before you eat wakes you up and brings vitality to your day. Exercise is a natural way to get your body revved up. There are many choices, from taking a morning walk to practicing tai chi in the park. In addition to improving your physical health you’ll also feel pleased with yourself because you accomplished something. A well known secret is that when you feel good about yourself you improve your mental health. Also, when you start your day this way, the rest of the day is less stressful

6. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Your mother was right, eating a good, natural breakfast is one of the best habits you can have. In fact, eating a good breakfast has been touted for centuries as a health secret everyone should follow. Here are a few possibilities for a healthy breakfast:

• Fat-free yogurt with blueberries and strawberries with a bit of granola

• Oatmeal with bananas and skim milk

• A boiled egg with a slice of toast and some fruit

7. Take a Vitamin Supplement

No matter how hard you try, it’s nearly impossible to always eat a healthy, balanced diet so remember to take your vitamins! Natural ones are best. Right after breakfast in the morning is usually the best time to take them. Taking your vitamins ensures you’re doing all you can to get an adequate source of vitamins and minerals.

Put These Natural Health Secrets to Work

If you want to be healthy, begin incorporating these habits into your mornings. Making these natural changes in your lifestyle is best when introduced a little bit at a time. If you keep your health goals foremost in your mind you’ll soon discover one of the greatest secrets of all. This is the secret healthy habits have for everyone. That good health is for everyone, not just a lucky few. You can wake up feeling good nearly all the time. And when people start asking you why you feel so good it’ll automatically make you start your day with a smile. Start establishing your healthy habits today!

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

Seven Ways To Improve Communication Skills

Communication is most effective when all parties participate and make an effort. In improving communication skills, consider the following suggestions:

• When possible, prepare a statement – Sometimes, problems with communication happen because things get “lost in translation.” People fail to say what they actually mean. It helps to think things through before opening your mouth. This way, you make sure you’re sending the exact message you had in mind. Take a second even if you’re already halfway through the conversation and map out in your head what you’ll be saying next prior to actually uttering the words.
• Never jump to conclusions – Ignorance is the surest way to trouble. Things can get real complicated real quick when you make unnecessary assumptions. For all you know, what you’re thinking might not even be true. To avoid misunderstandings, find out what a friend’s or family member’s true feelings and thoughts are while also clarifying yours. It’s important to hear the entire story.
• Compromise – Learn to distinguish between what’s wanted and what’s needed from a situation. You can tell you’ve come up with the right solution when everybody is able to walk away satisfied with the results of the discussion.
• Openness and flexibility, a must – It’s important to be there for loved ones when they need you. Whether it’s just to talk or goof around, always make time for people you care about. Knowing they can count on you anytime to listen to their feelings, opinions and thoughts is huge.
• Listen good – Mastering the art of effective listening is half the battle. What’s the use of exceptional speaking skills if your comprehension skills are shot? You have to also be able to understand others. One way to improve listening skills is to simply pay closer attention when people around you are talking. Let them finish what they’re saying and do not interrupt.
• Be understanding – There’s often a double standard when it comes to expectations from from family and from others. Keep in mind: nobody’s perfect. If you or someone else commits mistakes, let them know it’s fine. Never hold grudges. They only mar communication efforts and load them with tension and negative energy.
• Practice makes perfect – With the world constantly changing, you can always pick up something new that can enhance your communication skills. Learning is an unending process. You should continuously find ways to improve communication with loved ones as this could lead to enduring, deeper relationships.

When talking with close friends and family, don’t be scared to speak your mind. After all, they can’t read your mind so how else would they know your true feelings? It’s also equally important to be receptive and understanding to others’ sentiments. Excellent communication gives rise to stronger bonds that last forever.

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

The Smart Way to Achieve Your New Year’s Goals

“Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.” – Aldous Huxley

As the year closes many people go about thinking about things they’d like to have different in their lives next year. As a result, some people set New Year’s Resolutions. Although setting a resolution is better than nothing, people that achieve actually things set goals instead. Why? Because resolutions are usually quickly thought up and, as a result, they are often quickly forgotten.  On the other hand, setting goals is a process that takes time, effort and thinking. When you follow a goal setting process you are more likely to achieve what you set out to do. That’s because your goals will be constantly in front of you keeping you focused and on track.

The following are 5 goal setting steps that can help you turn the New Year into your best year yet!

1. Write Your Goals Down

Setting goals takes effort. Taking the time to think about your goals and then write them down. This helps you to clarify the things you want to bring about. Think about all the things you’ve ever wanted to accomplish and then write them all down, big and small.

Now one goal could be purchasing a home or upgrading your present home. Another could be becoming V.P. of sales. Maybe you’d like to become the best parent you can. Maybe you want to go back to school and get a college or advanced degree. Write down whatever it is you want to achieve. Goals are much easier to reach once you have them clarified on paper.

2. Visualize Goal Achievement

One of the best ways to achieve your goals is to use positive visualization, imagining their fulfillment. Make a picture in your mind what it will be like when you fulfill a goal. Involve all your senses, hear what you would hear, see what you’d see, feel what you’d feel. Make those thoughts as bright, positive and powerful as possible. This type of visualization will help you to build momentum and will help you focus your energy on achieving your goals.

3. Make Your Goals Bite Sized

Setting goals can be easy but to achieve them, well that can be a different story. In order to achieve your goals you need to break them down into smaller, bite sized pieces. It’s that old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The same goes for your goals.  Some of your goals, like completing a college education, obtaining the position of your dreams or even getting married and having a family, will take years to achieve. Other goals, such as completing a college course or developing a health plan can be achieved more quickly.

Also, some goals have different levels of investment to achieve them. Some goals, like starting a walking program to help improve your fitness level, will cost you nothing. Others, like acquiring an advanced degree may take you thousands of dollars. Avoid letting a long time period or higher dollar investment make you give up your goal. To achieve your goals divide long-term goal into smaller ones so that you see and feel forward movement and accomplishment. The key to goal achievement is keeping your focus on the prize.

4. Take Daily Action

To achieve your goals you must take action. This means that you have to consciously work toward your goals each day. Every day write down steps that will take you toward your goals and then do everything possible to make progress toward their achievement. The goals you’ve set for yourself are surely important enough for you to do something about every day. To keep your goals at the forefront of your mind, ask yourself, “What is one thing I can do today to bring me closer to my goal?”

5. Remember to Recognize and Celebrate Your Progress

You may be like many people who are good at setting goals, but once you achieve them, or some progress toward them, do you recognize your accomplishments? It’s important to recognize your progress when you perform any behavior that moves you in the direction of your goals.

Let’s say, for example, that your goal is to finish your college degree. Today, you went to the local college and signed up for a course for the next quarter. This means you’re making progress. As you begin your class, each week you move still closer. The key here is to recognize any behavior you perform that helps you eventually realize your goal.

After setting your goals, be sure to celebrate as you achieve them. Because having goals greatly influences your life, make sure you take the time to celebrate when you achieve them. No matter how big or small the step, remember and celebrate that fact that you have accomplished what you set out to do. This recognition reinforces your efforts to move forward in each of your future quests.

Sometimes You Have to Adjust Your Goals

John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens as you’re busy making plans.” How true! Sometimes you have to tweak your aspirations. You might start working toward a goal and then decide it isn’t important anymore. Just realize that, if they are no longer a priority or even valid, it’s okay to suspend or even abandon your efforts toward your goals. For example, perhaps you thought that you’d like to work as a sales manager. Then you took a job and found out you didn’t enjoy managing nearly as much as sales. You’re entitled to change your mind!

You also might find that you want to add goals to your list. At the age of 60, you might decide you want to create a mobile app or get an advanced degree. Make them your goals and go for it!

Isn’t it Time You Began to Achieve Your Goals?

Life is short but it can be a lot more exciting when you set and achieve goals. The great news is that if you apply these suggestions, reaching your goals will be a lot easier. You deserve to fulfill all your dreams and aspirations, no matter how big or small. Start setting your goals today – you’ll be so glad you did!

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

Charles Caleb Colton

A lot of people are like that. They say they’ll be happy some day in the future. They’ll be happy when they make a certain amount of money, get a new car or find the right person. They are always in the process of finding happiness, waiting around for a magical moment in the future to start enjoying their life.

Choose Happiness Now!

Is that you? Are you living your life in anticipation of when you’ll be happy or do you enjoy your day-to-day life? If you are waiting around for happiness to fall on you why not decide to choose happiness now? Instead of waiting to change in the future, strive to make a change right now so that you can enjoy your life, both now and in the future.

Overcoming Negative Thinking

Why don’t people choose happiness in the present? It’s because most people focus on the things they don’t want in life. This type of negative thinking makes finding happiness in the present impossible. The best way of finding happiness is to focus on what you want. This can be difficult because most people never think about what they want. In order to figure out what you want you need to decide what’s most important to you. Is it financial security? Is it your family? Decide and make a list of everything that’s important.

Once you figure out what you want you then need to decide where you need to change or improve in order to get what you want. Just knowing the areas you’d like to change or improve can help you to overcome the negative thoughts that can creep up. Now that you understand what needs changing and what’s most important, you can start to take action.

Finding Your Purpose in Life

Most people want to know what their purpose is in life. Your purpose is following a dream that excites you. Do something every day that brings you closer that dream. This is one of the easiest ways of finding happiness every day of your life.

So what is it that makes you happy every day? Is it pursuing a certain career or a certain hobby? Is it enjoying your time on this planet with your family members? Whatever it is make it a priority and then do it as much as possible! This will enable you to choose the happiness you desire every day!

Rewire Your Thinking

In order to be truly happy you have to rewire your thinking and take the action necessary to live the life of your dreams. Start each day thinking about what you want in life. This will motivate you to take the action you need to bring your dreams to life.

Finding happiness is about enjoying your life in the present.  Find something that makes you happy every day and do it! Remember what Seneca once said, “True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” Live the best you can today, it will make the rest of your life so much better!

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

Would you like to be able to look at the world differently? Would you like to develop a more positive outlook on life? Would you like to be able to steer your mental attitude in the direction you desire? Then try learning something new every day. Learning new things can help you develop a new perspective and a positive mindset.

There are a variety of ways to learn new things. Some people read voraciously and become a beacon of knowledge. Others tune in to their favorite information channel on television such as the Discovery Channel, listen to the radio, listen to positive, motivation recordings, belong to a mastermind group, or go to work with the mindset to learn. Whatever channel you choose, there are many things that can help get a more positive outlook on life. All you have to do is develop the type of mindset that constantly searches out the good things in life.

Here are 7 reasons for developing a mindset that’s focused on continuous learning:

1. Makes you a better conversationalist.

When you learn new things you have something to talk about. Who doesn’t want to be known for being an interesting conversationalist? You’ll have lots of interesting facts and comments to share with others.

2. Provides you with an attitude adjustment.

Learning new information expands your mind. It also exposes you to new thoughts and ideas. New ideas can change your attitude about the people you meet and the world in general. This adjustment to your thinking can help you to become a more interesting and thoughtful person, a person others like to be around.

3. Can help you develop new develop hobbies.

The great thing about learning is it can help you find new things that excite you. For example, maybe you read a little information on kayaking. It seems like something fun so you find a group in your area that kayaks every Saturday and you join them. Now you stand to experience new friends and some awesome experiences just because you gained a little new knowledge.

4. Learning is stimulating.

Learning new information stimulates your mind. It also sends all kinds of great chemicals into your mind and body that helps to seduce you to learn even more. In addition, learning new things contributes to positive feelings about yourself and the world around you.

5. Learning beats being bored.

Most people say they are bored. They aren’t bored – they are boring – because they don’t do anything with their lives! Stop being boring! Want to know more about carpentry? Fashion design? Ancient aliens? Open a book or watch an information channel on television it’ll get your intellectual juices flowing. When you learn something new, it makes your attitude more positive and helps you avoid a hum-drum existence day-to-day existence. Jazz up your mindset simply by acquiring new information.

6. You can positively affect the lives of others

Something you learn and share could have a profound impact on another person. For example, let’s say you’ve been researching Yoga and you find out that there is something called chair Yoga. You mention this to a friend of yours who’s mother has limited mobility but would like to be able to participate in an exercise program. As a result their mother calls the local YMCA and finds out that the ‘Y’ offers chair Yoga. Your commitment to learning helped your friend’s mom. Even if you never have this kind of experience, at the very least, you might trigger someone’s curiosity to the extent that they delve more into a topic you’ve shared.

7. Having a learning attitude rubs off on your kids.

Learning sets a great example for your children. There’s nothing that gets children interested in reading and learning like observing their parents expressing excitement about new topics and subjects. Plus, seeing their parents open a book, magazine or newspaper every day inspires your kids to want to learn, too. This has worked especially well for my daughter who has turned into a voracious reader and I’m sure it will work for you kids too!

Learning for Your Lifetime

Learning can help you achieve your dreams and goals but only if you put it to work. Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and writer who lived during the 17th century, once said, “Knowledge is power.” This is partially true. A more accurate statement would be “Applied knowledge is power.” When you have knowledge and apply it to the challenges in your life, you have the power to achieve your dreams and goals.

Make learning a lifetime quest. Expand your mind and gain some power in your life. You’ll make your life more exciting and positively impact the lives of others in your life. Make your life a real adventure by making learning a priority. Do it for life!

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly

“Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.”

For many years I had a hard time accepting myself and I struggled with how I fit in the world. This resulted in me making lots of poor choices. I was what Red in “That 70’s Show” would call a “dumb-ass”, not a bad person just someone who did dumb things. I had low self esteem and really didn’t like myself all that much. I felt that I wasn’t adequate, that there was something “wrong” with me. Maybe this is you or someone you know.

After a while I got tired of feeling this way and started my journey to figure out how to improve the way I felt about myself and the world around me. It was only when I started accepting myself with all my imperfections, faults as well as my talents, did my self-esteem start to improve. Today I can honestly say that I feel good about myself, at least most of the time.

In this article I’m going to try to give you a roadmap for the methods I used to help me feel better about myself. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with this hopefully this can help you too.

What is Self- Acceptance?

Self-acceptance is the idea of accepting yourself with all your unique flaws, faults and talents. It’s simply being okay with who you are.

Why Do So Many People Struggle With Self-Acceptance?

One of the biggest reasons that many people struggle with self acceptance is because they equate their self-worth with their achievements, love life or social status. While these are good indicators of a person’s value to society they are not the sum total of your worth. If these are the only way you use to value yourself, what happens to your self worth when these change or go away completely? What happens if your relationship crumbles, or your job (like so many Americans in the past few years) goes away? When you base your self esteem on things outside of yourself, when things go wrong, as they sometimes do, your self esteem can take a tremendous hit, making life seem almost unbearable.

Another major problem that people struggle with is they live their lives in the past. They, like I used to, focus on all the things that went ‘wrong” in their lives. How negative events in their lives made them feel they were lacking in one way or another. This type of negative focus can fill you with negative emotions such as anxiety, jealousy, shame, anger, envy, or even guilt. Of course this type of focus can damage your self-esteem.

How to Use Self Acceptance to Raise Your Self-Esteem

If you want to raise your self esteem, you need accept yourself warts and all. As you learn to accept yourself your self-worth will no longer hinge on your current situation. Learning radical self-acceptance will also help you focus on the present which is the only time you have to make any difference in any part of your life anyway.

How to Develop Self-Acceptance

The Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Nude, Green Leaves and Bust) was painted by Pablo Picasso in a day. On May 4, 2010, it sold for $106, 500,000, setting a world record auction price for a work of art at Christie’s.

Let me ask, why would someone pay so much for a painting? It’s because it is a one of a kind masterpiece.

In order to accept yourself you need to be aware that in the whole history of the world there has been no one who has been made exactly like you. You are a unique human being with your own intrinsic worth and uniqueness. There’s no one else in the world quite like you and you’re constantly changing and developing. Your value cannot be measured by how others perceive you. You are, like Picasso’s work of art unique, a one of a kind masterpiece.

Perfection and Self-Acceptance

Many people struggle with self-acceptance because they only see their faults. They are not perfect. Okay, here’s the news flash, no one is perfect. If you study their lives, even enlightened souls such as Jesus Christ and The Buddha had to struggle to achieve their goals. Yes you’re not perfect. That’s okay. You’re just going to have to work to improve yourself.

Accept Your Mistakes and Move On

When you make a mistake, refrain from judging yourself. You wouldn’t label a child a failure or a loser because she didn’t ride the bike perfectly the first time she got up on it would you? You would just think “she needs more practice.” Guess what? In order to become better at anything you’ll need more practice too. Cut yourself some slack and give yourself some time to learn the things you need to learn.

In NLP we have a saying, “there is no failure, only feedback”. Re-frame the word mistake to mean “learning experience” instead of “failure”. When you review your mistakes, you may feel remorse and disappointment, but these are healthy reactions. Learn from them. They’ll help you to change your behavior into something you like better.

Remorse and disappointment are different from self-condemnation, which can lead to depression, guilt and shame. These unhealthy emotions may cause you to give up or avoid dealing with your mistakes. Instead of condemning yourself, look toward what you can do to change your actions next time to get the results you desire.

3 Easy to Use Self-acceptance Strategies:

1. Don’t Make Excuses

While it’s okay to tell yourself that you’re human and prone to error, if you use this to refuse to face your mistakes, you won’t grow. Don’t make excuses for your mistakes. Figure out what you’d like to improve and then work on it. This will help you accept what you did but put it in the past where it belongs. Now you have something to work on in the present.

2. Use Positive Self-talk

Self-talk is that conversation that goes on in your head constantly. It’s what you tell yourself. Whatever you tell yourself you are on a regular basis is who you become. This means you need to refrain from calling yourself names like “idiot,” “total failure” or “loser.” If these names pop into your mind do what Jack Canfield suggests and say “cancel, cancel” and then think of something positive to say to yourself. Get into the habit of saying good things about you to yourself. Reinforce your qualities by telling yourself things like “I can do this,” “I’m good at this,” or “I can find a solution to this challenge.”

3. Forgive Yourself

Sometimes it can be easier to forgive others than it is to forgive yourself. Be tolerant and compassionate with yourself, just as you are with your family and friends. Make your judgments about your behavior, not yourself.

How to Raise Your Self-esteem

This process may take some time and it will take some work to make a habit of using these new ways of thinking, but the rewards are worth it. There is no better feeling than accepting yourself as the unique, imperfect individual that you are.

Remember The Buddha once said, “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Follow these guidelines. They will help you love yourself and gain greater self-acceptance while boosting your self-esteem and confidence. The sooner you begin to use them the sooner you’ll start enjoying the life of your dreams!

Wil Dieck is a life and health coach and the founder of Total Mind Therapy . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly