Empowering Your Mind – Page 101 – Mindset, Motivation and Empowerment

Better Living through Mindfulness – Univ. of Utah News

April 3, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

March 07, 2013 – A new study from the University of Utah shows that individuals who describe themselves as being more mindful have more stable emotions and perceive themselves to have better control over their mood and behavior throughout the day. Higher mindful people also describe less cognitive and physiological activation before bedtime, suggesting that greater emotional stability during the day might even translate into better sleep. The study results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.

Read the rest of the article at U Study Connects Traits of Mindfulness to Emotional Well-Being.

So Far, A Good Year

April 2, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

It’s been a good year so far. Recently, I wrote an article about empowerment for the Association Executives of North Carolina. I was amazed and excited when it was accepted and immediately published in the March/April issue of their magazine, Success By Association. The article is entitled, “Empowering The Possibility Of Change,” and is in their “Leadership Strategy” column.

This happened shortly after having two articles published in the 2013 Winter issue of Ad Infinitum – Illinois Court Reporters Association newsletter. I’d connected with an Executive Assistant with an Association Management Company. We’d discussed the possibility of my speaking for one of the associations she manages. In our communication, I mentioned that my articles are available to be published in print or online magazines and newsletters. Within a few months, she let me know that not one, but two of my articles had been published.

I’m thrilled with the way this year is trending. New doors are opening and opportunities are appearing. I trust that the tendency continues to open greater avenues of success for us all.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

What You Say About Others Is A Reflection Of You

April 1, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

When you talk about another person, you reveal more about yourself than you do about the person you’re discussing. You reveal your biases and the things that bother you. Many times, what you complain about is more a factor of your filters and how you perceive what they’ve said or done, than it is an objective observation.

I know insecure people who consider self-assured people as self-important and arrogant. No evidence to the contrary will shake them from their opinion.

Research shows that when one coworker rates another one, you learn as much or more about the rater as you do about the rated. Negative people tend to rate others as negative, and the same goes with positive people.

You tend to filter your opinions of others through your own filters, and how you view yourself. It’s been said that what we see in others is actually a reflection of who we are. This research, published in the July 2010 issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, tends to confirm that.

Read more about this study at What you say about others says a lot about you, research shows.

Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons

March 25, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

By Linda-Ann Stewart

A month ago, I took my car into the dealership for some routine maintenance, as well as to address a recall for the automatic window switch. The closest dealer is 60 miles away in Prescott. I contacted a friend there, and mixed a chore with pleasure. While my car was being worked on, we had lunch and visited.

Two days later, when I rolled the car window down, I discovered that the whole mechanism was loose. I had to make another trip to the dealership to get it checked. Again, I was able to have something fun to do while I was there. Jeff and I had a picnic by one of their lakes.

Unfortunately, the part was broken and they had to order it, which would necessitate a third visit to the dealership. At the last minute, I was able to schedule a lunch with another friend the day it was finally repaired.

Although it was annoying that each visit took several hours out of my day, I did my best to create something good out of each of them. I got to visit with two friends I don’t get to see very often, and Jeff and I created the space for a picnic. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t vent a bit about the inconvenience. But I decided I wanted to use my energy to make lemons into lemonade.

When you have something irritating happen, you can either waste your energy on being unhappy or you can find some way to have fun with it. It’s your choice and all in your perspective. I invite you to empower yourself. Engage your creativity and find a way to put your energy to constructive use.

Are Your Intentions Consistent?

March 20, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

If you’re not being following through with the intentions you set, you’re not going to get the outcomes you want. You’re giving your inner mind conflicting messages, and sabotaging your results. Learn how staying on course will lead you to your goal.

How do I use self-hypnosis to change a habit?

March 19, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: How do I use self-hypnosis to change a habit?

Answer: Congratulations on wanting to change your life. Self-hypnosis can help you change a habit or quit something, but it takes dedication and commitment on your part.

For instance, I’ve had many smokers come to see me, saying “I really don’t want to quit. I want to want to quit.” In this case, they don’t have the commitment to stop smoking. They want a magic pill that will make it go away. Self-hypnosis makes the process of changing or quitting easier, it doesn’t make the choices for you.

Whatever it is that you want to change, you could decide what it is that you want instead of it. You could use an abstract, like greater self-respect or pride, or you could substitute something more concrete, like a carrot stick or green tea.

Once a day, in self-hypnosis, you imagine the desire for ‘whatever’ transferred to what you really want, and imagine yourself satisfied and delighted with the new substitute or abstract. Then, during your waking hours, whenever you think of the ‘whatever,’ you say to yourself, “No, I don’t do that anymore. Instead, I’m choosing ….”

The change won’t happen overnight, and you will have to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to letting go of the habit or making the change, no matter what happens. And you may have to practice your self-hypnosis up to three times a day in the beginning.

Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich” #3 Going the Extra Mile

March 18, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

In this rare video, Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich,” explains about the benefits of going the extra mile. This a habit of leaders and has marked the turning point of successful people. He gives a formula for it and says that this is the habit you need must follow to advance in your life.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

What Intentions Are You Signaling? Part 2

March 12, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

To accomplish what you want in your life, you have to be clear on what your goal is. Your subconscious mind can only reason with the information that comes through your conscious mind. So if you’re signaling to go left, then to go right, then left again, it’s going to get confused. The Law of Attraction won’t know what to attract. Instead of trying to figure out what you really want, it’s simply going to continue on the path that it’s always taken.

In your personal life, are you working towards a goal, but not following through on the steps that would create it? Maybe you want to reduce weight, but you don’t adhere to the lifestyle adjustment that would bring about a permanent change. You eat in a healthy way for a few days, but when temptation comes along, you give in. When you’re offered cake, you don’t just eat one piece, but two. This gives conflicting messages to your subconscious mind. Instead of helping you along the way, it will fall back into the pattern that’s most familiar. Achieving your ideal weight will continue to elude you.

Do your intentions align with your current goals, or old comfortable habits? Many times, you might want something different in your life, such as a better position or improved health, but you don’t take the actions that are necessary to move in that direction. Instead, you take the well-worn path you’ve always taken, and keep your goal in the future. In a year, you’ll find yourself in the same situation that you’re in now.

You need to follow the vision of what you want in your life, just like when you’re driving. As you travel, you keep your eyes focused in the direction you want to go. If you look off to the side for any length of time, you’ll start to drift in that direction. Energy and attention propel you along the track of your vision.

To get the cooperation of your subconscious, you have to give it a clear message and act accordingly. Set your intention, give clear signals about how you want to proceed, and then move in the direction that you’ve established. When you put consistent energy into your goal, your subconscious will support you and steer you in the right way.

Affirmation

I recognize that I must have a clear goal and follow through on my intentions to be able to accomplish it. Although I notice distractions, I don’t focus my attention on them. Instead, I keep my thoughts and actions in alignment and follow the vision I have for my life. I signal my clear intentions and follow through on them.

What Intentions Are You Signaling? Part 1

March 11, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

One day while I was driving, I had to make a turn into the Post Office. I clicked on my turn signal, and checked in my rear view mirror. I wanted to make sure the car behind me saw my signal and was slowing down. I realized what I’d just done was a great metaphor for life. I was signaling my intention to the car behind me, just like we indicate our intentions in life. The car responded to my signal accordingly and I safely made the turn.

However, if I’d signaled with my left turn indicator, and then actually went to the right, it would have confused the car behind me. This could have caused an accident. And that’s sometimes what happens in your life when you don’t follow through on what you’re signaling to yourself and others.

What intentions are you signaling in your life? As a leader, are you micro-managing and not allowing your team to succeed? Or are you changing your mind about what you want and confusing them? If you’re not giving your team clear messages about your objectives and letting them carry out the project, then you’re giving them conflicting information. When you delegate to them, the underlying idea is that you think they’re capable. But when you hover over them, they’ll conclude that you don’t trust them. You won’t get good results by displaying opposing signals.

Are you giving unclear signals in your relationships? Do you stand up for yourself one day, then let people take advantage of you the next? If so, then you’ll never have people treat you with courtesy and respect. They need clear, consistent boundaries to know what they can get away with and what they can’t. Otherwise they’ll act according to the old saying, “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.”

Do you want to have a deeper connection with a special someone, but step back when you start to get closer? Eventually, your loved one is going to get tired of no clear direction and will move on to someone who gives them steady and accurate information.

Arizona Renaissance Festival 2013

March 6, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

Jeff and I recently made our annual pilgrimage to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. This year, I’d developed a cold the previous week and successfully recovered enough for our weekend. The weather was lovely and, as usual, we had a wonderful time.

Jeff regularly wins awards for hitting the target with axes or stars. I just throw stars, and usually, I’m just thrilled when I get them to stick into the back board. But for the first time, I won an award for hitting the target with a star.

We attended some of our favorite entertainments and a new one. At Don Juan and Miguel’s show, when Don Juan used his whip to clip the pasta from Miguel’s mouth, some of it landed in my lap.

At the Fare-Thee-Well, where entertainers and attendees dance to the beat of drums, a couple of little girls grabbed my hand and started twirling with me. After they ran off, I danced until the cannon boomed and signaled the end of the day.

*Sigh.* Until next year.