Affirmations For Meditation And Reflection Week One
Affirmations For Meditation And Reflection (Week One) 1. TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FUTURE We don’t naturally want to take responsibility for our lives. We want to give the responsibility to someone else. We blame them when our lives aren’t good.—DONALD MILLER Author of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story Let’s start with some really good news: You have total control over the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take. How you use these three things determines everything you experience in life. On your journey to a life of happiness, abundance, and success, taking 100% responsibility for your future is the starting line. Here is where you are today, and there is where you want to be—it is the fulfilment of your hopes and dreams. It is the realization of your life purpose and your ultimate goals, and I am going to show you the way to get there. Together, we are going to embark on an exciting journey that is based upon using daily affirmations—positive statements that affirm who you are, what you believe, and the fact that you already have everything you need at your disposal to succeed in reaching your goals. You may not think that you do, but I am going to show you how to change your thinking and build a blueprint for success. I am easily improving my life—moving with ease from where I am now to where I want to be. Positive energy will get your day off to a great start. Set a few minutes aside every morning and repeat your affirmation aloud with conviction and intention. Do this again at night and let your subconscious mind apply that positive energy as you sleep. When you let it empower your thoughts and dreams during the night, you are training it to think differently—to automatically lean toward positive opportunity and action while you are awake. Repeating affirmations will help you consciously improve as long as you take full responsibility for your life—that means every success, every failure, and every indecisive thought or action you have experienced. Regardless of the circumstance, placing the blame on the event or outcome won’t make a difference because it’s your response to it that is the game-changer—and your response, whether it’s your thoughts, images, or behaviours, is totally up to you. The truth is, you don’t have to settle for anything in life because you can keep changing your response to the circumstance you may face until you get the result you want. If you don’t like your current results, simply begin to do something different. I am confidently creating better circumstances and expanding opportunity for myself—responding with intelligence to events as they occur. It’s easy sometimes to think things “just happen” to you—that you were an innocent bystander or an unwitting participant. Don’t let yourself be tricked into playing that game. You are the one creating or allowing it to happen. Start paying attention to what I call “yellow alerts.” There are always signals that tell you something is off or something is about to happen. If you don’t pay attention to the internal and external yellow alerts, you will needlessly suffer. External yellow alerts are things like news trends that your industry is fading or the smell of alcohol on your teenager’s breath. Internal alerts are things like gut feelings, intuitive messages, and feelings of stress, tension, or pain. Paying closer attention to your internal and external yellow alerts will enable you to change your actions or responses once you become aware of them. Let this thought encourage you: Life becomes much easier when you take control of your own destiny. Don’t accept that things “just happen” to you—choose to create the life you really want! I am choosing to change my thoughts, images, and behaviours to respond differently and produce better outcomes. 2. BE CLEAR WHY YOU’RE HERE Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities aroundit.—BRIAN TRACY Author of Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Everyone has a unique calling in their life—something only you can do, something only you have the unique skills and wisdom to accomplish. Identifying, acknowledging, and honouring this life purpose may be the most important thing that you do on your way to creating a successful life. It’scertainly one of the most fulfilling. But, without a clear understanding of what you’re here on this Earth to do, and pursuing that purpose with passion and enthusiasm, you will almost certainly fall short of any goal you set. Most people haven’t a clue why they are on this Earth. Maybe they think knowing isn’t really important, or they are waiting for a personal awakening, or they’re hoping that the answer mysteriously appears on their daily to-do list. The problem with not knowing isn’t just that you lose time making U-turns, getting stuck, and backtracking to the fork in the road—but that you get lost, side-tracked, or become stagnant. When you lose your sense of direction, it can cause untold emotional setbacks and turmoil, leaving you feeling hopeless, useless, or frustrated. I am joyful and fulfilled, living in perfect alignment with my life purpose. Below is an exercise that will help you identify your life’s purpose and find meaning and direction. The life purpose exercise 1) List two of your unique personal qualities, such as leadership and innovation.2) List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as to support and to inspire.3) Assume the world is perfect and that each of us is living our unique calling. What does the world look and feel like? Example: Everyone is working in their ideal field, in harmony with each other and without conflict or damage to the Earth.4) Combine your answers above into a single statement that defines your life purpose and tells how it contributes to an ideal world. Example: To use
The Foundation Of Self Confidence
The Foundation Of Self Confidence There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. —William Shakespeare Self-confidence is an attitude about your skills and abilities. It means you accept and trust yourself and have a sense of control in your life. You know your strengths and weakness well, and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals, communicate assertively, and can handle criticism. Your thoughts and feelings about yourself, and what you can or cannot do, are the sum total result of a lifetime of experience and conditioning, and usually have little relationship to what is truly possible for you. In personal development, there is a principle, or a law of becoming, that simply says that each person is in a continual process of becoming, or evolving and growing, in the direction of his or her dominant thoughts. Your body is also in a state of becoming. At a normal rate of cell death and replenishment, you have a brand-new body every seven years. Whereas your physical evolution in becoming is effected by the food that you put into your body, your mental evolution and becoming is largely determined by the thoughts that you put into your mind. You Become What You Think About The law of concentration says that “anything you dwell upon grows in your reality.” Anything that you think about long enough and hard enough eventually becomes a part of your mental processes, exerting its influence and power on your attitude and your behaviour. If you constantly think thoughts of boldness and courage and self-assertion, you become progressively bolder and more courageous and more self-assertive. The more you dwell on the person you would like to be, with the qualities you would like to have, the more you implant those deep into your subconscious mind where they become part of your ongoing evolution. What you habitually think about eventually becomes a part of your character and your personality. In this sense, you are a self-made man or woman. You are where you are and what you are because of the thoughts that you have allowed to preoccupy your mind. Whatever you have dwelled on over the past months and years, you have become, and you are, right now, today, the result of all those thoughts. Not only have you made yourself into the person you are today, but you are continuing with the job of construction with every thought you think. Because this is an unavoidable fact of life, the smartest thing that you can do is to persistently think the thoughts that are consistent with the kind of person you would like to be. Personal Growth Is Not Easy However, for most people this is too big a leap. Most people continue to think about and talk about exactly what they don’t want to happen, and then they are constantly amazed that exactly what they were hoping to avoid happens to them again and again. One of the most profound discoveries in all of human history is that “thought is creative.” Thoughts held in mind, produce after their kind. Like begets like. Your thoughts become your realities. You do become what you think about most of the time. You cannot harbour one kind of thought and experience a different kind of existence. This law of cause and effect works perfectly, everywhere and always, for everyone. The development of unshakable self-confidence, therefore, begins with you taking full, complete, systematic and purposeful control of the contents of your conscious mind, disciplining yourself to think consistently about only the things that you desire and to resolutely keep your mind off the things that you fear. All of life is from the inside out. It is from the inner to the outer. The law of correspondence, perhaps one of the most important of all the mental laws, says that “your outer world will be a reflection of your inner world.” What you see on the outside is largely a reflection of what is going on inside you. This is not only true for you; it is true for everyone around you. Your Inner Life Predicts Your Outer Life Many times we see people who seem to be very nice and pleasant on the outside, but who seem to have continuous problems in their personal and business lives. We wonder, “How could these unhappy things happen to such nice people?” The unavoidable fact is that, with few exceptions, most of what a person experiences in his or her outer life corresponds exactly to something that is going on in their inner life, something that you seldom know, and it cannot be otherwise. True happiness and success comes from living your life in harmony with the laws that govern your being. Even though these laws are invisible, they are like the law of gravity, which is also invisible but is to be violated only at your own peril. Happy people are those who obey and follow the laws of nature and live their lives consistent with those laws. Start with Your Inner Life If you want to enjoy self-confidence on the outside, you must practice complete integrity on the inside. The foundation of self-confidence is for you to live your life consistent with your innermost values and principles, while thinking and acting in harmony with your highest aspirations. Men and women with the most rock-solid self-confidence are those who are absolutely clear about what it is they believe to be right and good and worthwhile, and who live their lives consistent with these values. Everything they do or say is an expression of their innermost convictions. Your whole world can fall down around you, but as long as you know that you are doing the right thing, you will have a deep inner sense of calm that will manifest itself in an attitude of confidence and self-assurance in any situation. You will have many ups and downs in life, but what is most important
The Power Of Happiness
The Power Of Happiness As your success, income, and responsibility grows, you can’t neglect your happiness. If you are not consciously defending it, it can slip away. I’m going to share with you the 10 Happiness Habits that can make happiness the core of success (rather than success the core of happiness). Yes, you read that correctly: happiness leads to success, not the other way around. In our society, we often think that if we’ve got tons of money, are the head of a profitable company, and have a lot of fame as well as fortune, we’re going to be happy. In fact, one of the biggest things that stops people dead in their tracks from living an actual fulfilled life is the assumption that if they find success, happiness will follow. Take your own life, for example. Have you ever thought that if you got a certain job or started your business, then happiness would result from it? Have you ever felt that once you made a certain amount of money, or once you have a wife that loves you or a husband that loves you, or once you have children, or once you lose weight, then you’ll be happy? Well, I hate to break it to you, but many people who think this way eventually find out that they’re wrong. I would be doing you a huge disservice if I failed to let you in on this secret. And yes, you can attract next-level wealth with the right habits, but why deny yourself happiness? Wealth without fulfillment is emptiness. Let me help you achieve it all. What if we’ve had it backward for all these years? What if happiness is the prerequisite for everything else? What if it is the prerequisite for success, abundance, prosperity, weight loss, passion, intimacy, and love? What if most of us don’t really know how to be happy, but instead we think we’ll figure it out once we get somewhere? Think of what we tell ourselves: “All I needis to get my business up and running, and I’ll be happy.” Or: “As soon as I buy that dream house, I’ll be satisfied.” You see, most of us let our desire for external things guide us. We think once we have that new house or that new job, then we’ll be happy. But guess what? The excitement of external things fades. Have you ever thought, once I get a raise or to that next level of income, that is when the fun begins? Then it happens, and you spend accordingly, get some new stuff, upgrade your house, and think, I’m making more money so now I’m happy! But then a few months pass, and the additional income and what you bought no longer satisfies you. As much as I am an advocate for growing your wealth and your success through the right habits, no amount of money will make you happy unless you find internal satisfaction. But combine that with more money, and it’s time for next-level and real fulfillment. The outside world can only give you temporary happiness. We all want that next level of income, the ideal weight, perfect health, a great lifestyle, more money, true love, intimacy, and passion. Trust me, I get the desires that exist and the accompanying perks. But all that goes away unless we learn how to be happy on the inside. And here’s the crazy part: If we find happiness on the inside—not an easy task—then suddenly all of those other things we want are more obtainable. When you learn to create happiness internally, those things become a by-product of the happiness you’re creating, which is the opposite of what most people think. Most people believe success, money,fast cars, and jewellery come first and then happiness will materialize. That is completely false, and the source of so many people walking around depressed. So let’s look at happiness and what I’ve learned about it. I’ve created a list of 10 specific habits and thought processes that I think are the fastest and quickest way to happiness. In this article, I just want to give you the recipes, ingredients, and instructions that will get you to your definition of success the fastest. 1. DEFINE WHAT HAPPINESS LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE TO YOU Imagine that we’re sitting in a restaurant right now and I ask you this question: “From the deepest part of you, what makes you happy?” Would you have an answer? Do you know what it would be? I believe that’s a hard question for all of us. And I think it is a difficult question because so many times we try and compare our definition of happiness to others. Just because someone else’s definition of happiness is an expensive car and a mansion, doesn’t mean it has to be your definition! Honestly, if you were to ask me that question just five years ago, I probably would have fumbled to come up with an answer. Back then I don’t think I was crystal clear on what happiness truly meant to me. It would be easy to say, “Being with my kids,” and even though that is true, that was a default and not a truly thought-out answer. But I want you to get crystal clear on what makes you truly happy! Take the time right now and think through or start writing down ideas about what makes your heart smile, your eyes brighter, and causes you to be alive with joy. What truly makes you happy? Come on, do this. Don’t default to a few answers that have become your reflexive response. Think back to when you were a kid, or earlier in your life. When did you feel at peace? What lit you up? What made you smile? Is it spending time in nature with your kids playing games and breathing fresh air? Is it going to a sporting event or going for a roadtrip? Do you like being by the ocean and feeling
Self Discipline
Self Discipline “We must unweave every strand of our cable of habits, slowly and methodically, until the cable that once held us in place becomes nothing more than scattered strands of wire.” “How do you get a miracle going? It’s all a matter of discipline. And it begins with one simple step: doing what you can do.” “Once you have seen and felt your ideal future, you will be ready and able to pay any price to get there.” The Bridge Between Thought and Accomplishment If there is one magic word that stands out above all the rest, it is self-discipline. Self-discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment, between inspiration and achievement, between necessity and productivity. Remember, all good things are located upstream from us. The passing of time takes us adrift, and drifting only brings us the negative, the disappointment, and the failure. Failure is not a cataclysmic event. It is not generally the result of one major incident, but rather of a long list of accumulated little failings. The danger is looking at an undisciplined day and concluding that no great harm has been done. But add up these days to make a year—and then add up those years to make a lifetime—and it will become apparent how repeating today’s small failures can easily turn your life into a major disaster. Self-discipline is like a set of magic keys that can unlock all the doors of wealth, happiness, culture, high self-esteem, pride, joy, accomplishment, satisfaction, and success. The first key to self-discipline is awareness of the need for and value of self-discipline, especially the discipline to make the necessary changes. What will it take? What must I do and what must I become to get all I want from life? The second key is willingness. More than that, it is the eagerness to maintain your new discipline deliberately, wisely, and consistently. The third key to self-discipline is the commitment to master the circumstances of your daily life—to see and harness the opportunities to make something of the good as well as that which comes in the guise of misfortune. Self-discipline does many things, but most important of all is what it does for your mind-set—it makes you feel better about yourself. Even the smallest discipline can have an incredible effect on your attitude. And the good feeling you get—that surging feeling of self-worth that comes from starting a new discipline—is almost as good as the feeling that comes from the accomplishment the discipline brings. A new discipline immediately alters your life direction. You don’t change destinations immediately—that is yet to come—but you can change direction immediately, and direction is very important. Self-discipline cooperates with nature. Everything strives. It is a common life function. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it can. Everything strives to become all it can possibly be. And that is what self-discipline is all about… striving to fulfill our natural potential, to become all that we canbe. The human will in action—driven by inspiration, enticed by desire, tempered by reason, guided by intelligence—can bring you to that high and lofty place called the good life. Self-discipline attracts opportunity, which is always attracted to ambition and skill in action. Self-discipline taps the unlimited power of commitment. Self-discipline: those unique steps of intelligent thought and activity that put a lid on temper and a faucet on courtesy; that develop the positive and control the negative; that encourage success and deter failure; that shape lifestyle and control frustration; that enhance health and curb sickness;that promote happiness and manage sadness. Self-discipline: the continuing process that brings all the good things. Remember, anyone can start the process. It’s not, “If I could, I would;” rather, it’s “If I would, I could. If I will, I can.” So start the process. Begin a new habit, no matter how small it is. Size isn’t important; whether or not you start and whether or not you continue are all that matter. A Spiral of Achievement What’s at the core of achieving success? It is not learning how to set goals. It is not learning how to better manage your time. It is not mastering the attributes of leadership. Every day in a thousand different ways, we are trying to improve ourselves by learning how to do things. We spend a lifetime gathering knowledge—in classrooms, in textbooks, in experiences.And if knowledge is power, if knowledge is the forerunner to success, why do we fall short of our objectives? Why, in spite of all our knowledge and collected experiences, do we find ourselves aimlessly wandering? Settling for a life of existence rather than a life of substance? There may be many answers to this question. Your answer may be different from that of everyone else you know. While there may be many answers to this question, the ultimate answer may be the absence of discipline in applying our knowledge. The key word is self-discipline. It doesn’t really matter how smart you are if you don’t use your knowledge. It doesn’t really matter that you graduated with a first class honours if you’re stuck in a low-paying job. It doesn’t really matter that you attend every seminar that comes to town if you don’t apply what you’ve learned. We spend our lives gathering: gathering knowledge, gathering skills, gathering experiences. But we must also apply the knowledge, skills, and experiences we gather in the realms of life and business. We must learn to use what we’ve learned. And once we’ve applied our knowledge, we must study the results of that process and refine our approach. Finally, by trying and observing and refining and trying again, our knowledge will inevitably produce worthy, admirable results. And with the joy and results of our efforts, we continue to fuel our ambition with the positive reinforcement of continued progress. Pretty soon, we’ll find that we’re swept into a spiral of achievement, a vertical rise to success. And the ecstasy of that total experience makes for a