Whenever you do something repeatedly, and get some reward or reinforcement for it, eventually becomes automatic, or a habit. If you try to focus on strictly changing the behavior through willpower, you’re likely to fail. Instead, use this 3 step process to change habits and get started making a better life for yourself.
Read the accompanying article, Habits Become Your Destiny.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Are you in a comfort zone? This is where you feel safe. When you venture out of it, you feel anxious and uncertain. Most people elect to stay within that area that feels familiar. The comfort zone is like a muscle. It is either expanding and getting stronger or contracting and becoming weaker. Since the Universe is also always expanding, if you’re not stretching, you’re resisting the flow of the Universe. Eventually, your comfort zone will eventually shrink and your world and confidence will get smaller. Even though it’s scary, step out of it and take some risks. They may not always be successful, but you will be successful, because you stepped out and extended yourself.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
These 2 Hidden Habits Will Hinder Your Success!
The extent of success is the ratio of good and bad habits you have in life. Your habits create your destiny. Some habits will undermine your success, confidence and happiness, and be so insidious that you don’t even recognize them. This article tackles 2 basic ones that are major offenders and what to do about them.
5 Things Psychopaths Say To Make You Feel Crazy
Most psychopaths are nonviolent and fit into the normal population. They just have no conscience and will prey on people to get what they want, using charm and manipulation. And one of their tools is to make you doubt yourself so they can control you. Here are some of the ways they attack and destabilize you.
A neuroscience researcher reveals 4 rituals that will make you happier
Are you depressed, stressed or upset? There are specific, proven solutions that can help you that are based on neuroscience. Believe it or not, feeling guilty or worried actually can make you feel better, even though it’s not helpful. This article suggests more constructive things to do that will be much better for you.
“If you don’t run your own life….someone else will.” – John Atkinson
When you give up what’s important to you because someone else wants you to, then you’re allowing them power over your life. You could have planned a quiet evening at home, but a friend wants you to go to a movie you have no desire to see. If you let yourself be talked into it, you have abandoned yourself. You have a right to live your life your way.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
5 Struggles Overly-Nice People Would Understand So Well
Many people admire nice people, but unfortunately, others take advantage of them. Nice people expect others to be like them, so they give them the benefit of the doubt, when they may not deserve it. Not only does this article describe some of the struggles nice folks have, but it gives some suggestions on how to deal with them.
Why Your Attitude Is Everything
One of the most important steps you can take toward achieving your greatest potential in life is to monitor your attitude. Most people don’t have an awareness of what their attitudes are. But your attitude governs the way you perceive the world and the way the world perceives you. Here are 10 ways to improve your attitude.
Power of Consistency: 5 Rules
Consistency is the difference between failure and success. This article describes why it’s important to success in business. But the same could be said about your personal life. Learn about the rules and start applying them in your personal and professional lives.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
I try to keep my postings apolitical, because I respect everyone’s choice. But I’m concerned about the increased incidence of overt bullying, verbal and racist attacks that have been taking place in the U.S. since the beginning of this presidential election cycle.
These issues have been in the shadows (barely) for a long time, but now some people feel encouraged to act out in hateful ways. These problems have always bothered me, and now I see them becoming more common. Unfortunately, there have also been protesters against the election results who have acted in ways similar to the very ideas they stand against.
I believe that now that the bigotry and hate are out in the open, they can be addressed by standing up against them. Only when we stand back and keep silent can they thrive. In the past 50 years, we’ve made great progress against prejudice and bullying. We can continue that progress if we choose to be part of the solution and stand up to the problem. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
If you encounter someone being harassed, there’s a great cartoon that explains how to respond. This is one way you can help. The cartoon was designed to assist against Islamaphobic harassment, but it can be used in any situation. It’s based on a psychological technique and is very effective. You can watch a video describing it and showing what to do, and read the original cartoon that inspired the video. Watch A Guide for What to Do When You See Islamophobia.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
In the U.S., we just had our Thanksgiving holiday. As the name suggests, it’s a time for us to be thankful for our blessings. And just in time for it, I had an experience that brought forth a lot of gratitude. I discovered I had a nail in the sidewall of my tire. So why should I be thankful for that? Well, everything worked together to ensure I didn’t have a flat tire from it.
Apparently, I’d driven 200 miles with it in my tire, and it didn’t go flat while I was on the lonely stretch of highway between Phoenix and N. Arizona. My husband discovered my tire pressure was very low during his monthly car fluid and tire check, postponed from the week before. Unfortunately, the nail was in the sidewall. The tire couldn’t be fixed and I needed a new one.
Since it was getting close to my needing to get 4 new tires, I went ahead, got a quote for all of them and ordered them. It turned out they were going to cost considerably less than I expected. When I had them installed, the garage had instituted a new system, which charged me a lot more than the quote. But because I’d gotten the quote with the old system, they honored it.
I had a lot to be grateful for. The timing of everything worked to my advantage. I didn’t get a flat, it was discovered the day before I was heading down to Phoenix again, and because I bought them now, I saved money on the tires.
Even when you have something challenging happen, you can find something good in it if you look. What blessing can you find in your current challenge?
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Every difficult situation has something good that can come out of it for you. It may seem like the worst thing in the world, but it may be that it no longer serves your Higher Good. Instead of bewailing your ill fortune, practice looking for the good in the situation. There will be a seed of something that will benefit you. And as you are willing to seek, you open your mind to find it.
How To Remember 90% Of Everything You Learn
Whether you’re learning Spanish, a new instrument, or a new sport, you could benefit from accelerated learning. But the problem is, there’s only so much time in the day. The key to accelerated learning is not just putting in more hours, but maximizing the effectiveness of the time spent learning. It explains the best ways to learn so you remember.
Being Positive Is Not For the Faint Hearted
Does the news leave you feeling depressed or drained? Researchers find that the news can increase anxiety and depression, shape your sense of identity and affect your beliefs about humanity. But rather than avoiding the news, seek stories that uplift you. This video and tip sheet will help you find ways to use the news to enhance your life.
New Finding: Different Types of Exercise Affect Different Parts of Your Brain
There are numerous reasons to exercise, from becoming more fit to being healthier. But exercise can also improve your brain. Exercise can improve your memory and attention. This article examines the different types of exercises and how they affect different areas of the brain, giving you even more benefits.
“Everyone has the same connection to Universal power that I do. I trust that they can take care of their own needs and wants. I let them go and give myself permission to attend to mine.”
When you give up your own needs to attend to someone else’s wants, you’re giving them the message that you don’t believe they can do it for themselves. You encourage them to be helpless and not grow. And when you put your desires aside, you give the message to yourself that you’re not important. It’s hard, but step back from helping others who can help themselves. It’s more beneficial for them and for you.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart