15 Ways to Practice Positive Self-Talk for Success
You talk to yourself all the time, either mentally or out loud. These messages give you direction and are opinions about yourself, good or bad. They will either motivate and encourage you, or they’ll tear you down and discourage you. Here are 15 valuable tips to help you keep your self-talk upbeat and constructive.
6 Benefits of Being More Focused
In today’s technological world, it’s hard to stay focused. There is so much that pulls at your attention. But staying focused is imperative if you want to achieve your goals. And it is a skill that you can develop and sustain. Learn the benefits you’ll experience when you commit to and practice this ability.
This Is The Difference Between An Anxiety Attack And A Panic Attack
Many people experience a free-floating type of anxiety that can be triggered into high alert by just turning on the news. Other times, anxious feelings can surface with no seeming provocation. They both can feel intense, but they are separate and distinct experiences. Here’s how to tell the difference plus expert tips on how to manage each of them.
Many people enjoy beginning their day with reading something inspirational. The author of this book was Emmet Fox, a mystic, bestselling author, lecturer, and one of the modern pioneers of metaphysics. In his clear and vivid style, he was able to explain the basics of spiritual development and get to the root of the matter. He’s one of my favorite authors and I treasure his books. His writing is as fresh and enjoyable today as it was when it was written.
This volume of daily readings was compiled from some of his published and unpublished writings. It contains an abbreviated version of many of the ideas he explores in depth in his other writings. In only a minute or two each morning, uplifted by the daily lesson, the reader will reconnect with their spiritual center. This precious time will establish a harmonious foundation for the rest of the day. These daily devotions will change the reader and their perspective on life, therefore it’s a wonderful book for the dedicated student of spiritual growth.
Everything is a choice. Whether to set the alarm for 6:05am or 6:10am? Will you have a bagel or eggs for breakfast? Which way will you drive to work? You are choosing something every moment of the day. What to think, do and say. It’s always in your power. Even not choosing is a choice. When you have a negative thought, you can make the decision to keep following that path, or you can turn it around and think differently. You have the power to make the choice.
“Success or failure in business is caused more by the mental attitude even than by mental capacities.” – Walter Dill Scott
It’s interesting to think that success or failure isn’t due so much to intelligence, talents, education or contacts. Studies have shown that having a positive or negative attitude is more predictive of success. Are you more optimistic and positive concerning your career? And if not, what’s standing in the way of your attitude?
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
10 Simple Steps to a Happier You
Everyone wants to be happier. But unfortunately, many people pick the wrong road to happiness. They indulge in unhealthy pursuits that just create more loneliness and disharmony in their lives. But there are some easy ways to cultivate happiness in your life, and this article describes several of them.
You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees!
Sometimes you can’t see the real issues while you are in the midst of them. You lack perspective to view the whole picture and this can cause you to make decisions or take actions that aren’t constructive. Being able to recognize what can lead you into the forest can help to get you out of it.
Science says: Intelligent people sleep late, leave a mess everywhere, and swear a lot
It’s hard when you just don’t conform to society’s standards of what’s appropriate. But it’s delightful when science comes along and confirms that some of your faults actually are a sign of being intelligent. If you do any of these (or all), enjoy these studies showing that they’re a result of high intelligence.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Question: What should I do when I get results from affirmations, but my life still doesn’t change in any major way?
Answer: It sounds like there’s something in your subconscious that’s blocking your manifesting enough to make a difference. It could be that you have a hard time actually believing that you could receive that much. It could be that you are restricting how it can come into your life. It could be a feeling of unworthiness. It could be a belief in having to struggle. It could be any number of ideas that you’ve accepted over the years that are restricting, limiting, or blocking your manifestation. I’d suggest you create an affirmation that helps to uncover and release any old, outdated ideas that are still operative.
How to Construct an Empowering Reality
You create your reality by your beliefs which then prompt your actions. But your beliefs aren’t real. They’re just ideas you’ve accepted. This article has tips on how you take control of your beliefs so they help you create the life you want.
9 Mantras For Anxiety That Experts Use Themselves
Everybody experiences anxiety from time to time. But sometimes, it can become overwhelming. The secret is to nip it in the bud before it has a chance to reach that point. Mantras, intentional self-talk or affirmations can break the cycle of anxiety before it escalates.
Adult Bullies: How to Spot Them, and How to Handle Them
Unfortunately, the bullies we knew in high school grew up into adult bullies. For the most part, they’ve gotten more subtle in their behavior, so they’re harder to recognize. Appeasing them isn’t an option, because it simply encourages them. You have to be proactive to be aware of their tactics and address them in a way that discourages them.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Do you sometimes want to change a habit, achieve a goal or cultivate a talent, but something holds you back? It may be something that you think you should want. Or it’s something you really do want, but your beliefs don’t accept it. Many people have this problem. They have a vision of where they want to be, but their beliefs can’t support pursuing or fulfilling their intention.
For instance, Nancee was a business consultant and wanted to help business owners develop better business and marketing plans. But unconsciously, she was afraid of disappointing her clients because she couldn’t wave a magic wand and make their problems disappear. Her service would have improved their bottom line, but she held herself back from promoting her business. Once she realized that she wasn’t responsible for how her clients acted on her guidance, she followed the marketing plan she’d created, and her business grew.
Your Heart and Vision Must Align to Make Progress
Nancee’s heart, which was her beliefs and passion, had to align with her vision, which was her intentional destination, before she would take action. Some people think they want to achieve an objective, but their heart isn’t in it. Or they don’t want to take the actions they need to take to get there. They just aren’t invested enough in their vision. Unfortunately, they just don’t have the necessary passion to follow through on it. .
Other people have the heart, or the belief and passion, but they haven’t developed a vision. Flailing away, they try one thing after another. They confuse motion with action. And they’re so caught up with taking action that they don’t take the time to assess if they’re making any progress. Because they don’t know where they’re going, they don’t have a comprehensive plan of how to get there. They might have goals, but they don’t accomplish much unless they know where they want those goals to take them.
And still others have the belief that they can achieve what they want, and a vision of where they want to go. But that intention has been instilled in them by someone else. For instance, Robert’s father talked him into majoring in engineering in college. Once Robert got his degree and got a job, he found the work unsatisfying. Instead, he wanted to teach high school science classes. So he returned to college, got a teaching certificate and fulfilled his passion.
Is the Problem with Your Heart or Your Vision?
If you have a deep desire that isn’t being fulfilled, check either your heart or your vision. The problem will be in one of them. These two must be in alignment or your efforts will be useless and unsatisfactory. They feed each other, creating motivation and inspiration. When one is not in alignment, it’s like riding a bike with a single flat tire.
For instance, if the issue is with your heart, you won’t pursue your vision with enough energy. Your beliefs get in your way. Fear holds you back, or you simply won’t want your vision badly enough. You could also have other concepts that are sabotaging you, such as lack of self-worth or self-confidence. In this case, ask yourself, “What is undermining my progress?”
However, if the challenge is that you don’t have a clear vision, you take action, but spin your wheels. You don’t have a direction you’re moving towards. When you reach a goal, you backslide and have to start over again. Dealing with details takes precedence over moving forward so you stay in the same place. In this situation, ask yourself, “What do I actually want to accomplish with my efforts?”
Once you become aware of where the difficulty lies, you can begin to resolve it. If you need to work on your heart, or mindset, there are many resources to help you improve it. But if the obstacle is that you don’t have a clear vision, set aside the time to create one. Once you have your heart and vision aligned, it’s a natural progression for you to develop a plan that works for you.
This is an ongoing process. As you progress, you’ll discover that you’ll need to fine tune your beliefs, mindset and vision to continue to support you. You’ll be constantly balancing your heart and vision and correcting your course to make sure you remain on track. But because you have your heart and vision aligned, you’ll have your path clear before you.
Affirmation:
The Universe supports my every endeavor by guiding and directing my efforts. I recognize any beliefs that are holding me back and let them go. They no longer serve me. I now establish ideas, beliefs and attitudes that are in alignment with my dream. That dream is now clear and concise and I know that the Universe wants me to accomplish it. Everything I need is now provided.
Having your heart and vision aligned are vital for the success of any venture, whether personal or professional. But they is another key element that you need to be able to propel yourself forward. It’s one that is key for your success and it includes other aspects. Linda-Ann Stewart, vision strategist, will share what this element is and give you some ideas on how to cultivate it in your life.
Transcript:
Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist. Do you wonder what that is? Well, I help people take their vision and focus on the strategies that will bring it into a reality. I’d like to talk about what elements you need to have in place to be successful. The first part of is that you need to align your heart with your vision. From there you create a plan, or strategies, and then focus on them.
When I talk about the heart, I mean passion and beliefs, mindset. What about you? Do you have a passion for your next step? Do you have any beliefs that contradict it? Your passion and beliefs have to be aligned with your vision, which is your intention and direction you want to go in.
Your vision is why you want to achieve your goals, and what you eventually hope to achieve. What about you? What’s your vision? When your heart and vision are supporting each other, the plan, which is the steps, strategies and tactics to take, is easy to develop. Natural progression. Heart, vision and plan form the foundation of any endeavor, whether personal or professional.
In my hypnotherapy practice, these were the first things my clients and I had to decide on before we start making changes in their lives, whether for stress reduction, stopping smoking, weight management, improving self-esteem, success programming or anything else. Without the foundation to build on, my clients would have failed to achieve their goals.
The next step was equally important. It’s what programmed them for success. It was focusing on the strategies and taking the actions that the plan dictated. Many people pay attention to details or tactics that don’t really help them in the long run. But they feel like they’re getting things done, even though they’re really just in motion. Do you ever feel that?
You can run on a treadmill, but you’ll never actually get anywhere, will you? If you’re running in place, you have to step back off that treadmill and assess if the actions you’re taking are allowing you to make progress.
When you’re not focused, you can easily become scattered, sidetracked and distracted. You don’t want to always be chasing after squirrels, do you? So focus also means to have your priorities straight. You decide what comes first then next, then next after that. You wouldn’t try to scramble eggs before you got a pan onto the stove, would you? If you did, you’d have a real mess, right? Same goes with priorities.
And you have to make sure you spend time on your priorities, and not let someone else dictate what they are. For instance, suppose you’d planned to spend the evening paying bills that were due, but a friend stopped by at the last minute and wanted you to go to a movie with them. If you agree, wouldn’t you have let their priority be more important than yours?
I know paying bills isn’t a fun job, but it was your priority and necessary to avoid late fees. If you didn’t get it done when you’d originally planned, it had to be done another time, when you might have had something else planned.
This can also happen if you don’t have any priorities at all. Then you leave the door open for someone else to decide what your priorities should be. And who wants that?
Having a focus means you also cultivate the behaviors, habits and skills you need. Maybe you need to stop procrastinating paying those bills until the last minute? Or you might want to develop the habit of scheduling social time with friends? Maybe you want to learn more about social media? All of these also take focus and attention, and help take you in the direction of your vision.
Focus is what keeps you on track and progressing. In addition to having heart, vision, and a plan, focus propels you to success. Are you lacking focus in an area? Are your priorities in order? Are you following your priorities? Do you need to establish a new habit or develop a new skill to take the next step? Take just one of these, and begin to act on it. Establish it as a priority and notice how you start making progress.
If you’d like some help in achieving your goals, apply for a complimentary Clarify Your Vision coaching consultation.
Thank you for watching. And I would love to know how you’re focusing on your goal. Take care.
“People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
Circumstances don’t make us happy or miserable, the way we perceive them do. I’ve known people with all the advantages you could hope for, and they were miserable. And I’ve known people who had very little who were generally happy. The way you view your life and its events causes you to be positive or negative. It’s the same thing as considering a glass half-empty or half-full. Both are correct, but which of those views causes the greater satisfaction?
15 Ways to Practice Positive Self-Talk for Success
