At the beginning of each New Year, many of us develop resolutions, or dedicate ourselves to improving our lives. Often we try to do too much, with too little preparation. The tips in this article will help you create the foundation on which you build the life you desire.
Have you ever created a New Year’s resolution, only to abandon it within a couple of weeks? If so, you’re not alone. When you want to create change, you have to be committed to it. The steps in this article will help you to persist and be successful.
With a resolution, you resolve to do something differently. To do that, you have to let go of something else you’ve been doing. When you’re already busy taking care of life, it’s hard to make the changes necessary to improve. Use these tips to make achieving your goals easier.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson – Making a decision focuses your energy to your goal. Instead of going back and forth, “Should I, shouldn’t I,” that divides your attention, a commitment to an idea or action concentrates your power on that one thing. It kick starts your subconscious to move you in that direction, and funnels opportunities from the Universe to propel you along.
Your perspective is your mindset or attitude towards life. Your perspective either helps or hinders your success. Fortunately, you can build one that enables your to build a positive one, that allows you to succeed in life. Use these 6 tips on how to change your perspective so you can create your dream life.
A study has showed that mindfulness meditation can alter genes linked to inflammation, stress, and pain relief. The benefits were found in experienced and newly trained meditators alike. And just over an hour of training can reduce pain by 15-30% more than morphine. Learn more about how mindfulness can change your genes and bring you long-ranging benefits.
The Stoics were a school of Hellenistic philosophers who inspired much of modern psychology. Their ancient wisdom gives us inspiration to take control of our attitudes and beliefs so that we can be happier in our lives. These 6 attitude shifters have questions to ask yourself so you can create better peace of mind.
Do you want to be happier, more positive, kinder and have better emotional control? Studies show that meditating on kindness and compassion can bring you all that and more. Linda-Ann leads you through a short meditation that induces a sense of compassion towards yourself and others. And you’ll also learn how you can maximize its effectiveness in your daily life.
Transcript:
Thank
you for joining me. Do you want to be happier, more positive, kinder and have
better emotional control? There’s a very simple way to do that. It’s by
meditating on kindness and compassion. Within two weeks of practicing this type
of meditation every day, you’ll notice an improvement in all that I mentioned.
I’m
Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist. This type of meditation will also cause
you to feel better about achieving your goals. A meditation like this will
actually change your brain to cause you to be more compassionate. Isn’t that
amazing?
To
give you an idea of how to do it, I’m going to lead you through a very short
example of this type of meditation.
Close
your eyes. Take a deep breath. Bring to mind someone you love and care about
deeply. As you think of them, imagine a warmth in and around your heart towards
this person. Notice your feelings of love, caring, well being and good will
towards this person. You want the best for them. Imagine a golden light
surrounds your heart and contains all of these beautiful feelings. Imagine that
light goes out towards that person, filling them with all these wonderful
feelings.
As
you do, say phrases like the following to yourself, feeling each one as a wish
for that person:
May
you be whole.
May
you be well.
May
you filled with peace.
May
you be happy.
Take
a deep breath. Now, imagine all the good wishes from that golden light directed
towards yourself. Feel them. Again, repeat phrases like the following:
May
I be whole.
May
I be well.
May
I filled with peace.
May
I be happy.
Take
a deep breath… and open your eyes. It feels good, doesn’t it?
You
don’t have to use the phrases the I used. Find phrases that work for you. The
best results happen when you do this type of meditation for 30 minutes a day.
As you go through the process, you can add different types of people.
For instance, imagine an acquaintance or someone neutral, someone that you know but don’t really feel one way or the other about. Send them compassion. And then imagine someone that you’ve had a falling out with, a conflict with, or some other negative experience with. Send them good will. This meditation will help to free you from the burden of the negative emotions associated with that person.
Although
the recommendation is to devote 30 minutes a day to the meditation, once you
know how to do it, you can practice it at any time during the day. When you get
up, you can send good wishes to your loved ones. On the way to work, you can
send good will to your fellow commuters. And, eventually, when you have to deal
with a grumpy boss or nasty customer, you can imagine sending them kindness. It
may not improve their disposition, but it’ll do wonders for yours.
I’ll post links to a recordings that can help you. The first is a Compassion Meditation by the Greater Good Science Center that will lead you through the entire half-hour sequence. The second is a short song on Loving-Kindness, by Karen Drucker. You can memorize the easy chant and use it during your daily life. It’s one I sometimes use when I’m walking or when I’m driving.
If you’d to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com. You’ll receive the guide, as well as a training video that walks you through it with tips and directions to support you in accomplishing your goal.
Thank you for watching. May you be filled with peace and happiness.
Be careful what you say when you use, “I am…” Such as “I’m sick” or “I’m angry,” or “I’m feeling upset.” Whatever you say after “I am,” you’re identifying yourself with. In other words, you are claiming it as something you choose to have in your life. When you want to state how you’re feeling, you can say something like, “I feel…” This lets your subconscious know that it’s transitory, not a permanent state for you. Be aware of what you’re pairing with “I am..” and find another way to state it that recognizes that it’s not permanent condition, but rather a situation that you’re dealing with.
Self-compassion has to do with being kind to yourself, rather than being critical and judgmental. There’s a difference between making a mistake and being a bad person. Research is showing that showing yourself compassion leads to less anxiety and depression, and more self-worth and happiness. Try these 5 ways to practice self-compassion and discover how much better your life can be.
To live authentically, you must own your actions and ensure that they align with your beliefs and needs. People who don’t feel uncomfortable and besmirched. Learn to become authentic through these specific habits you can develop.
Being busy is not the same as being productive. It’s the difference between running on a treadmill and running to a destination. They’re both running, but being busy is running in place. To be productive and move forward, ask, and answer, some of the simple questions in this article.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
The Kindness Paradox: Give Kindness and Receive Joy
How do you feel when someone is kind to you? For instance, when
a friend sends you a card, gives you a compliment or your spouse does the
dishes for you. Don’t you feel uplifted? And how do you feel when you do
something nice for someone else? Maybe you do an errand for a friend, call to
see how they’re doing, or help a neighbor carry in her groceries. Don’t you
feel a sense of satisfaction? And what if you see someone be generous to a
stranger? Doesn’t that give you a warm glow and motivate you to do something
considerate, too?
When you see, do, or are the recipient of kindness, it
releases hormones that cause you to feel good, inspired and happy. It
stimulates the reward centers of the brain. Within a few minutes the hormones
have stopped flowing, but by remembering the action, you can recreate the joy.
Kindness is like a pebble thrown into a pond, with the ripples extending
outward and touching places unseen.
The Benefits of
Kindness
The paradox of kindness and compassion is the benefits it
brings to the one who acts, as well as the recipient. Not only do you impact
the person you’re giving to, you’re receiving good feelings in return. Remember
what your mother used to say, “It’s better to give than receive”? In
this case, you receive far more than you give.
Showing kindness and compassion to others bestows the
following on you:
You’re more attractive to others, personally and professionally.
People like and trust you more.
You’re more creative.
Your self-esteem and self-worth increases.
Your optimism and positive thinking grows.
You feel calmer and happier.
Your stress, pain, anxiety, depression and blood pressure reduces.
Kindness Can Be
Challenging
Sometimes being kind can be challenging. There are people
who irritate you and you may want to lash out at them. But you don’t know what has
happened in their life that has caused them to be annoying. These are times
when being altruistic and compassionate can have the best results. You may just
change someone’s life, in addition to your own.
For instance, consider being kind in the following
conditions:
Smile and compliment the grouchy clerk. They might have had a bad day full of grumpy customers and it’s rubbed off on them.
Let the aggressive driver into the lane in front of you. They may be running late to an important appointment that could be vital to their well being.
Don’t complain when the elderly gentleman cuts ahead of you in line at the grocery store. He may have mild dementia and not have even noticed you were there.
In difficult situations, consider what the other person
might be dealing with that’s caused them to be rude. You’re not kind just for
them. You do it for you, because it’s better for your health, mentally,
physically and emotionally.
Focus on Kindness
The more you focus on being kind, the more you want to be
kind. And the kinder you are, the more you’ll grow that area of your brain. Pure
altruism brings you all the rewards mentioned and more. As you’re being kind to
others, don’t forget to be kind and compassionate towards yourself. You deserve
to be treated well, too, by yourself and others.
In the Christmas season, we focus on peace and goodwill
towards others. Why can’t we have this spirit all year long? Think of the life
we’d all have. It begins with each one of us being kind, on a daily basis. It’s
a very simple mindset that takes on a joyful life of its own.
AFFIRMATION:
Whenever I have a choice of how to respond to a situation, I choose kindness. Kindness allows the spirit of the Universe to flow through me, blessing my life and the life I impact. I cultivate a generous spirit and compassionate attitude towards myself and others. I generate peace and goodwill towards all people, every day of the year.
“The Light of God guides me through the byways of my life. I am Divinely directed in all that I say, do and think. Only good flows from me and only good returns to me.”
When I ask for Divine Guidance to speak through me, the things I say might not be what I’d intended to say, but they’re usually what was appropriate and needed in that situation. When you open to guidance, you’ll probably notice that your life flows more easily. You won’t be as concerned about what you should be saying or doing, which smooths the way, allowing more good to slide into your life.
Negative thinking is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we think we’re not good enough, then we sabotage ourselves. But you’re in charge of your thoughts, and when you change them, you can improve your life. Learn where negative thinking comes from and how to break the cycle.
It can be a challenge to look on the bright side when things aren’t going well. But if you train yourself to do so, and you can, it improves your self-concept, well being and outlook. Learn how your perception affects your attitude and how you can turn yourself into an optimist.
New research is starting to explore how gratitude works to improve mental health. People who count their blessings are happier and have better mental health. Gratitude shifts the focus from what’s wrong to what’s right in your life. This article explores some of the research of a specific exercise and its beneficial outcomes.
It’s hard to stay focused and not get distracted in our frantic, fast-paced lives. But focus is the best way to achieve your goals and be productive. Focus is one of the most important skills a person can develop. Learn a simple technique to learn how to be more focused and get more done, more easily.
Transcript:
Thank
you for joining me. In our frantic day-to-day lives, it’s hard to stay focused,
isn’t it? We’re pulled in so many different directions. But being able to focus
on a task or project is the way to get it done and done well. I’d like to share
a simple technique for you to be able to hone your attention, to be more single-minded,
and get more done, more easily. Wouldn’t that be great?
I’m
Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist. The technique I’m going to share with
you combines a couple of tactics. One is deep breathing, and the other is
self-talk. Either of which is good to help calm you down and get focused. But
together, they are an unbeatable combination.
Using
this technique allows you to pay attention to what you want to pay attention
to, to what’s important and not what’s trying to distract you. When you take
care of what’s important first, you can deal with other things later.
When
you want to focus on a task, first take three long, slow, deep breaths. This
calms your brain and nervous system so you can focus. It also allows you to
take a mental step back to make a decision on what to do next. Rather than
being pushed by events, you can make a choice of what to do next. It’s the
difference between reacting and responding. When you respond, you’re reclaiming
your power over your actions.
Next,
engage in talking to yourself to keep yourself focused. Just saying things
like, “Focus” or “concentrate” or “stick with
it,” will rein in your thoughts to stay on task. You could also talk to
yourself as if you’re a third person, like, “Linda-Ann, continue working on
this for the next half-hour.” When you say your name, it catches your
attention, doesn’t it? And you’re more likely to follow your own directions.
When
you stay mindfully focused you’ll find yourself being more productive and
efficient, while increasing your peace of mind. As a side benefit, you’ll also
be training yourself to be more focused, so the more you practice, the better
at it you’ll become. You’ll be developing a vital skill that you can use for
the rest of your life, in all areas of your life.
If you’d to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com. You’ll receive the guide, as well as a training video that walks you through it with tips and directions to support you in you in accomplishing your goal.
Thank you for watching. How can you use this technique of deep breathing and self-talk today? Take care.
