3 Simple Ways To Reclaim Your Power Author: Nathan Amaral

The really good news is that it doesn't have to be some long, grueling process. You can start today by doing these three simple things:

Become still

In the fast paced world we live in, it's easy to get caught up in the chaos. There is nonstop noise and endless distractions that can take you away from what's really important. It can also drown out your inner voice, the connection you have to who you are at the very core of your being. It's when this connection is severed that you start to feel disconnected from the world around you, disconnected from yourself, and powerless over the direction your life is headed.

In order to restore the connection, you must learn to be still. Spend time alone with your thoughts, without any distractions or noise. This allows you tap into your innermost being, your true self. It's here where your true power lies.

Take responsibility for your life

It's easy to fall into the trap of becoming a victim – of thinking that we are powerless over the events in our life. After all, this mindset is perpetuated by society, the media, and many of our friends and families. The truth, however, is that we have complete control over the only thing that matters – how we choose to respond to unexpected events that occur.

The reality is that all events are neutral – they are neither good nor bad. It's how we perceive them that matters. For instance, someone losing their job could see it as a disaster of epic proportions – or they could see it as a chance to finally start their own business they've been dreaming about for years.

Obviously there are things like losing a loved one or dealing with a traumatic event that are extremely difficult to go through, but you still have the ability to choose to find the good in the situation and not be held hostage by your emotions.     

Start taking a look at how you view the things that happen in your life, and decide right now to never be a victim again.            

Be Happy in the Present

Many of us spend our days pining over our past or yearning for a future event that hasn't yet occurred. We feel like our best years are behind us – or that we can only enjoy our lives and feel satisfied when x occurs – a new job, a relationship, etc. It's a mindset that stifles the pleasure of living in the moment and causes you to delay or deny your happiness in just being.

When you attach conditions to your happiness it means you are looking for fulfillment outside of yourself - and you will never find it there. You must look within to find real joy, in the present moment, before you can ever move forward into the life you deserve.

When you choose to put these three simple steps into motion, a huge shift will occur in your life – you will be approaching situations from a position of power and your life will be transformed in the process.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/3-simple-ways-to-reclaim-your-power-5633200.html

About the Author

For over 15 years Nathan Amaral has been building businesses and has a long list of successful entrepreneurial ventures to his portfolio – Real Estate Investing, Private Money Lending, Sales Teams, Author, Creator of The G.L.O.W. Method and Philanthropist. He is the Founder of Fearless Life Solutions – A company that assists entrepreneurs' breakthrough Fear, achieve their goals and get real results. Discover more @ FearelssLifeSolutions.co

Positive Thinking - Can the Way You Think Affect Your Health Physically? by Suzanne Glover

Positive thinking sometimes can be perceived as a lot of "fluff," but science has been able to prove that there's more to it than just the "placebo effect." In fact, this article answers the question, "How to be Positive Automatically" because it discusses one of the best benefits of positive thinking that makes maintaining positive attitude routine.

BECOMING ADDICTED TO POSITIVE THOUGHTS: Remember when you were upset as a kid and inevitably Mom would try to change your attitude by saying, "Everything's going to be alright?" Whether Mom knew about the power of positive thinking or not, those words were the best thing for her to say at the moment. Today, if we can be that "Mom figure" to ourselves and use positive thoughts and positive phrases like, "Everything's going to be alright," then we are actually using a very old "home remedy" to ignite different biological reactions within our bodies.

So, what exactly does that mean? It means that science has discovered that you can use the power of positive thinking for maintaining positive attitude and actually get "hooked" or "addicted" to it on a biological level.

One way that this happens is that your mind puts out chemicals that coincide with your emotions. So, when you're using positive thoughts to stay happy, your brain is actually flooding your body with "happy" chemicals. The interesting thing that occurs in this regard, though, is that your body may not be equipped to handle all the happy chemicals "coming down the pipe" if you've been depressed for a long time and are new to using the power of positive thinking to your advantage. So, your body has to make physical changes to adapt to the new flow of happy chemicals. Can it do this? Yes!

In fact, one of the best benefits of positive thinking is that as you get better and better at maintaining positive attitude, you are consistently putting out "happy" chemicals and your body produces more and more cell receptors - or portals - to receive the new flood of chemicals, and this is pretty exciting news if you need motivation to change your attitude. Why? Because the more positive you become mentally, the more "happy chemicals" your body prepares to receive and craves, so your body helps you stay happy in order to get its "fix" of happy chemicals. This is where you can say attitude is contagious because your body wants more "happy juice" so your mind puts out more "happy chemicals" to satisfy the "cravings" of your body for "happy juice" so you don't have to think about "how to be positive" anymore. You're on auto pilot!

POSITIVE THINKING CREATES A "SMARTER" BRAIN: Positive thinking also has a positive impact on how the brain itself functions. Research in the field of positive psychology has shown that when a brain is kept positive by maintaining positive attitude, it actually creates more neural pathways faster and has an increased ability to problem solve and "think better." In other words, practicing the power of positive thinking and maintaining positive attitude are like feeding your brain "super food" to help it thrive.

So, can positive thinking affect your health in a positive way? Yes. In fact, when you're super charging your brain with positive thoughts, it runs better and since it's the central computer to your body, it floods your body with positive chemicals that keep you healthy and happy.


Suzanne Glover further discusses how to automatically become positive as well as offers effortless ways to finding greater well being at effective-positive-thinking.com.


Article Source: Positive Thinking - Can the Way You Think Affect Your Health Physically?

How Can I Get Motivated and Reach My Goals?

Did this ever happen to you? You set a goal and start to work like mad on it. A diet, a training program, to learn something new, you name it. But on your way you encounter obstacles that seem to be too big. Or you forget about the advantages you'd get from reaching your goal. Anyway, you drop your goal and rush for another one. In the end you have a long series of goals never reached. This happens to many people. Many people create goals and never reach them.

Why is this so? Paralysis, being overwhelmed? Doing lots of busy work but not approaching what you aiming at? Lack of dedication?

Most of the time when you drop your goal the reasons for this are not to be sought for externally. Most of the time the reasons are of psychological nature. For example fears. Fear of failure, fear of what others might say and think or even fear of success. You don't believe this? It happens more often than you would think. Unconsciously you don't think you are worth arriving at what you want.

Another reason might be that your goals are not specific enough and you wouldn't even know when you have reached the goal. "I want to lose weight" is such an example. When the scale shows a smaller figure than the day before you have reached the goal. You should rather formulate it like: "After such and such time I want to weigh between such and such."

Then there is poor time management and planning. You don't do what brings you closer to success. You read unimportant e-mails, have unimportant phone calls, do paperwork that has nothing to do with your goal. You should sort out what needs to be done for your normal living like going to work, shopping, doing the housework and so on. That stuff has to be done of course, but maybe you can outsource part of it. The rest of the time you can spend to work on your goals.

So what could be a remedy to all of this?

I recommend that before you set a goal you ask yourself a couple of questions:

Can I formulate my goal in a positive manner? This is sometimes very easy, for example to be able to run that distance in that time at that date. Or it can be very difficult, for example: "I want to give up smoking" or "I want to stop smoking in such time." Both are negative formulations and I can't think of a positive one.

Is this goal realistic? Loosing 20 kg within one week is certainly not a realistic goal neither is "I want to be able to run a marathon without any training." So please keep your goals realistic.

Set a timescale. You want to have reached the goal at that specific date or after that specific time interval. Be realistic here as well.

How does it feel to have reached my goal. Dream yourself in holding your diploma in your hands. Or just having finished your first marathon or achieving your dream weight or whatever. How does that feel, what would you see, hear, smell, taste. Be as realistic at this as you can.

How do I know when I have reached my goal. What do I see, hear, feel, smell, taste.

What do I have to give up by achieving my goal?
The above is a good starting point for reaching your goals. Than stick to it until you reach it.

If you want to learn more about "how can I get motivated" look here.

If you want to overcome the obstacles on the way and boost your goal reaching power try this for free.

Article Source

The goals are on target towards personal development

Personal development can take on many forms, whether it be in connection with family matters, career aspirations, financial security, further education, or solutions to emotional and attitude problems. The sure fire way of concentrating the mind towards affecting your life ambitions, is the process of goal setting. This allows an overall positive perspective to be created, which will shape decision making, together with all the other aspects that are vital in reaching your targets.

It is important to know for yourself, exactly how far you want to go with your goals, for example: what level do you want to take your career to? What earnings are you aiming for and by what stage of your life do you want to achieve them? What kind, and to what depth of knowledge, do you need to attain in order to reach your objectives? Get the mindset sorted with regard to any, or all of these, and then it is all about your motivation driving you on. Being true to yourself is part of the battle, as too often people do what they think is expected of them, rather than following their own aspirations.

Goal setting will bring everything into focus, but these need to be of significance, meaning that they have to make a difference in the long run. There is little point setting a goal that fails to improve your current situation, you will only look back and wonder why you bothered. Therefore, relevance and attainability are key aspects to consider when deciding on the aims and objectives. Where ever possible, set the goals so that you are in control and not reliant upon second, or even third parties. They may not be as driven as yourself and unfortunately no matter how much you cajole them, they could end up being the stumbling block for you. However, if you do need assistance, this can play a part in your personal development, as it is an excellent test at your skills in persuasion, perseverance and management.

It is a good idea to give yourself small rewards, or treats along the way, after all you will have deserved it if you have achieved a deadline, and it will serve to build your confidence, which is vital if you are going to further yourself to the level you aspire to. All the way along, right the way up to the main goal, there should be smaller targets, but if any are reached earlier, or easier than originally suspected, then ensure that the next is more difficult. It is important to push yourself to the maximum, otherwise you are effectively cheating yourself. On the flip side, if it takes longer and is more tricky than anticipated, then make the next one slightly simpler, as too much struggle will quickly evaporate your positivity and drive.

They keys to keep in mind are to stay on course towards what you want to achieve in your life and separate anything that you consider to be irrelevant, or negative to your long term ambitions. Remain motivated, and thrive on the self-confidence that will improve rapidly, as you move towards your goal.

To achieve our ambitions personal development is vital. Self-confidence will play a huge part and goal setting along the way can help focus the mind, towards the ultimate objectives. Learn more about it on joshbellblog.com.

How to get motivated: 4 NLP strategies that work

Author: Anna Aparicio

/mo·ti·va·tion/

1. The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way

2. The general desire or willingness of someone to do something

3. *My own definition: the art of getting off your butt and getting stuff done

Because here is the thing: you may have a burning desire to do something, you may have the best will in the world, you may even know all the reasons why you should do it… but if you haven't done it yet, don't be surprised.

Getting motivated doesn't happen by coincidence or by miracle. Motivation is not something that some people have and others don't either. It is something we all do, consciously or unconsciously, everyday!

Motivation is not something you have or don't have; it is something you do

Take training, for example, notice I say training, and not exercising! We want to do it, we know it is good for us, we know it is going to make us look better and feel better… but after a hard day's work, when tiredness sets in, who would blame us for wanting to slouch on the couch and watch some TV while eating our favourite treat?

Well, think of taking a shower for a moment. Most of us do it every day. We don't wait until we are all stinky to clean ourselves. We do it because it is the right thing to do; it is time to take a shower.

We are able to do this because we have built up this good habit over the years through repetition. We do it at the same time, in the same place, following the same routine, which is so ingrained in our unconscious that we are barely aware of the process.

If you want to get to the point where your training routine goes as smoothly as your shower routine, start following the following NLP rules:

1# IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

Answer these questions:

What do you want specifically? When do you want it by? Where? With whom? What for? What will happen if you achieve that? What if you don't achieve that? Is it under your control? Is it worth it?

You see, when setting up goals, a lot of people do it wrong. They state what they want to have, not what they want to do; things like "I want to be slim", "I want a six pack" or "I want to have toned arms"… But, what do you want to do? Because it is as a result of you doing what you need to do that you will get to have what you want.

Your objective needs to be stated in a way that your brain understands it. And just like your computer, your brain needs 3 things: affirmative statements that are direct and very specific.

If you are just thinking it then it is not an objective, it is just a thought. So, put pen to paper and write your answers to the questions above.

If you don't know what you want, how will you know when you've got there?

 2# MAKE A PLAN

Again, if you don't have a plan, all you have is a lovely thought. I suggest you get yourself a diary, an excel sheet, a calendar, whatever works for you, and devise your personal strategy. A strategy to suit your lifestyle, your working schedule, etc…

Keeping the end result in mind, what is the first step you need to take in order for you to do what you need to do? And after that? What's next? Do you have all the resources you need (resources are materials, books, money, people…), or do you need help?

If it's going to take you 12 weeks to get a six pack, set a date and work backwards from there. If you want to lose a stone in 3 weeks, do the same. Break your objective into smaller, more achievable chunks, so that this week you know exactly what you are doing with regards to training and nutrition, and you can focus on just that. As I tell my clients, it's one week at a time, one day at a time.

You see, now you have more than just a nice thought; now you have a plan of action. And believe it or not, this is what most people lack. It's hard to get motivated if you don't know what you want to get motivated for!

And what are you going to do when you are tired, sad, in a mad mood, frustrated…? You must put strategies in place, so when that happens, and it will, you know exactly what to do. You have to become a bit of a ninja!

3# FIND OUT WHAT FIRES YOU UP

There are a lot of things that we need to or should do, but that doesn't mean we do them. So I want you to try on the following sentences, simply add what you want to be able to do at the end.

For example, if you want to go to the gym every day at 6pm for an hour, try these on. Say them out loud:

I should go to the gym – I need to go to the gym – I have to go to the gym – I'd better go to the gym -

I could go to the gym – I can go to the gym – I will go to the gym – I'm going to the gym

Do this a few times and notice which one creates the strongest feeling within you, like you want to go do it. You've just unlocked your personal motivational language. Make sure you use it from now on!

4# IMAGINE YOURSELF SUCCEEDING

One of the main functions of the brain is to prove itself right. So, whatever you focus on is magnified, as the brain thinks it is an objective of yours. Also, the brain doesn't know the difference between a vividly imagined memory and reality. This is why if you want to do something, it's vital you imagine yourself doing it like this (read this NLP resource fully before you do it):

 

Think of yourself doing the thing you want to do, training in the gym, or whatever. When you think about it you may notice the thought to be at a certain distance from you, a certain size, and in a certain place. Just make sure you see yourself in it, looking happy, positive and really enjoying what you are doing.

 Now, imagine the thought getting bigger and bigger until it's almost panoramic. Make sure it's big, bold and colourful, maybe add some sound to it, and notice how good you feel.

 Now, imagine you can float outside of your body and into yourself in the image, so you can see through your eyes, hear through your ears and feel how good it feels to be doing what you are doing and loving it too! Intensify everything even more, so the colours are brighter, the sounds louder and the feelings stronger.

 Now, tell yourself in your most motivating voice "Go For It!"

 Now, take a deep breath through the nose and magnify the feelings so you feel even more motivated!

 Repeat 3 times, first sitting down, and then standing up, and notice how you feel even more motivated!

It's vital that you build a propulsion system that makes you feel good and look forward to doing the things you want to do, so that you want to do them more and more. This is how you get to build up new more useful habits to last you a lifetime.

I've just shared 4 motivational strategies with you,  that when you use them, they will help you get more stuff done and achieve more, faster. They can be applied in any area of your life. These strategies have helped transform some of my clients from couch potatoes into fitness freaks, so good luck to you!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/how-to-get-motivated-4-nlp-strategies-that-work-5109860.html

About the Author

Anna Aparicio is regarded as Ireland's top female NLP/Hypnosis Life Coach. A Self-esteem and Confidence Expert, she has helped hundreds of women all around the world feel empowered, super confident, and lead happier more succesful lives. With a unique blend of Neuro-linguistic Programming, cutting edge personal development tools, and a contagious sense of humour and zest for life, Anna is renowned for getting results fast. Now you can get her free report WHY YOU'LL NEVER GET WHAT YOU WANT UNLESS YOU DO THIS at http://www.delite.ie

Achieve Your Wildest Dreams - It's All Possible If You Know How

"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."
Doug Firebaugh

Are you doing something every day to take you toward where you want to be, or are you drifting through life being buffeted from one crisis to another?

Maybe things are not that bad. Maybe you just have a feeling that something could be better.

It's a sad fact that many of us find ourselves trapped in lives we didn't choose. We may have had vague ideas at some stage about what we were going to do, but somehow life just came along and overtook all our plans.

Life has a way of getting in the way of our hopes and dreams and the pace of life can be so fast that it can feel as if we have to expend all our energy on just standing still. This means we don't have the time or energy to do anything about making changes. It feel almost impossible to just carve out the time to just stop and think about where you are going.

Do you recognise yourself in this pattern? Do you feel that somehow life has conspired against you and you're now stuck on a treadmill with no idea of how to get off?

Well, the good news is that you can do something about it. No matter how bad things seem, there are things you can do to make it better. Maybe you find that hard to believe, but it really is possible and there are a few things you will have to do.

First of all, and this is really important - you need to recognise that you are responsible for your future happiness. You are the only one who can make decisions about what you are going to do and how you are going to spend your time. You may have commitments to job, marriage, family, but you have made these commitments. There is no point in trying to blame someone else, you made the decision, so you need to take action to make the changes you want to make.

Think about how you choose to spend your precious time - how much time do you spend at work? Too much? No-one ever said on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office." Think about where your priorities lie. Maybe it's time you made some adjustments to change your work/life balance.

And how do you relax? Spend time with the family? Go to the gym? Watch tv? All of these are great, but are they taking you toward where you want to be. Are they inching you toward your goal. Anything that is not taking you toward your goal is taking you away from your goal.

Remember, only you get to decide about how you spend your time and what you do. Maybe you need to make different decisions and free up time to make the necessary changes.

If you found that a difficult concept to accept, then this next one may be more challenging. Sometimes if you are going to improve your life you need to let something go. We all know you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

Maybe there are some things in your life which are holding you back from living the life you want.

That's the real challenge. If you are going to free up the time to allow you to make the changes what are you going to stop doing?

You need a way of sorting out what you want from life. You need some kind of help, because if you could have done it by yourself, you would have. That sounds blunt, but it's a fact. The real sign of failure (or madness) is to keep on doing the same things and expecting different results.

STOP!

You need to make changes. If you were happy and successful you would not have found this article. You're here for a reason.

So what kind of help is available? Well you could get a Life Coach. Coaches will work with you and help you set some goals and then give you the help, support and encouragement you need so you can achieve them.

The disadvantage of Life Coaching is that it can be expensive and, while a good Life Coach will pay for themselves over time, that may not help you if you don't have the money to pay for one until you get there.

Alternatively you can work on yourself. This is cheaper, but you don't have the back up support that a good Life Coach can bring.

Either way, you will have to make some changes. If something isn't working for you, then stop doing it. Only a fool keeps on battering their head of a brick wall. If something isn't working you need to change.

Now you don't need me to tell you that change is hard. People like the familiar, no matter how uncomfortable something is, there is still a tendency to think that it's 'better the devil you know'. That means that when you get ready to make the changes you may meet with some resistance from the significant others in your home, personal and professional life. So you need to find ways of communicating with them that will allow you to help them see where you are going and to take them along with you.

So, are you ready to make the changes you need to make?

- Ready to plan for a successful future?;
- Ready to maximise your opportunities for success.: and
- Ready to explore new possibilities and clear out the old, restrictive, thinking.

Change is certainly possible - but it will only happen if you make it happen. It doesn't have to be hard, but it does need some effort.

Are you ready to make the changes? Maybe you're ready to read more about how You Can Achieve Anything. Click the link now and get started.

Audrey Finch is CEO of Better Life 4u. Committed to helping you break through the barriers to achieve success.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Procrastination to Massive Action- 10 Tips to Establish a Record of Completions

"No action, no change. Limited action, limited change. Lots of action- Change occurs." Catherine Pulsifier

Procrastinators: Leaders of Tomorrow, the t-shirt phrase puts it right into perspective. If you want to lead a fulfilling life you have to get moving today on the tasks that will make the difference. Whether you suffer from the procrastination bug in one area or throughout your life the following ten tips can help take you from paralysis to achievement.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Sally Berger

Begin- Enough said. No more excuses. Just get started. Inaction causes anxiety. Perceptions often shift once you begin and are making progress. So suck it up and take that very first step. You will feel much better once progressing.

Mini Step- Do what you know you can do. Great accomplishments are achieved through an abundance of small actions. Break the task as far down as needed, even if it seems ridiculous, in order to progress forward. Take one step at a time.

"If you want to make an easy job seem hard, just keep putting off doing it." Olin Miller

Set Deadlines- Set a timer for a small block of time you know you can commit to such as 15-20 minutes. Eliminate distractions as much as possible. This small block of focused action can help you to move toward your goals and away from procrastination. Work productively. Allow what you accomplish to motivate you to continue taking steps.

Focus on the End Result- Instead of thinking about what you are resisting focus on how great you will feel at the end. What is your motivation? What will you gain? Allow that to motivate you daily into action all the way through to completion.

Be Honest- Perceptions can be misleading. We can make things seem harder than what they really are. Instead of telling yourself the typical procrastination excuse, be candid. Get to know yourself better. The better you know yourself the greater chance of aligning with goals and work that you can be excited about. Get down to the source, the real issue behind the procrastination. Ask:

In what area(s) am I procrastinating?

Do I really want to do this or is it an unappealing task?

Is a fear holding me back? If so, fear of what?

Am I overwhelmed, indecisive, or lacking information to move forward?

Like identifying an illness, once you get to the source you can create a strategy to overcome it.**

"Someday is not a day of the week." Dennis Brennan-Nelson

Except No Excuses, Only Results- Life is bumpy. The more action you take the more you learn how to handle and avoid bumps in the road. So don't stop and sit along the side. Keep on! You will gain knowledge, experience, courage, and feel a sense of progress, growth, and accomplishment. Take lots of purposeful action.

Do the Toughest Task First- Get the action you resist most out of the way first thing in the morning. It will help add energy, motivation, confidence, and good, fuzzy feelings to the rest of the day.

Get a Support and Accountability Partner- Find that special someone, a friend, support group, or hire a business or life coach or other professional depending on what you want to accomplish, that will provide encouragement and support to stay on track. We accomplish more with support and accountability. When we struggle an accountability partner can remind us of what we have to gain.

"The path to success is to take massive, determined action." Anthony Robbins

Keep a Victory Log- Building a record of completions step-by-step builds confidence as you view your progress. It provides motivation to take more action. Simply jot down in one place the tasks you complete in working toward your goal(s) and notice your success rate expand.

Fuel Your Body- Caring for your body by making healthy food choices, drinking lots of water, exercising, taking rejuvenation breaks throughout the day, and getting a good night's sleep can improve your willingness to do what needs to be done. Add the fuel you need for peak performance to make the most of each day.

Progress boosts well being. Whether procrastinating in one or numerous areas, understand procrastination is a choice. Take one doable action after another towards your goal. Allow it to inspire more action. Take massive purposeful action and establish a record of completions and achievements. Begin with the first step...Starting Now!

** You can find more information on strategies for various sabotaging behaviors in the article 4 Essentials to Break Through Procrastination

Beth Tabak of www.StartingNowCoaching.com is 100% committed to small business coaching and personal life coaching. She coaches big thinkers to be unlimited, stand out in the crowd, and experience the vastness of their abilities. Stop by to see all that is available to you, connect with Beth through social networking, and say 'hello'.