Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Make Life Precious: Wank up Inspired!



Inspiration is typically viewed as something that comes and goes. Some days you “feel it” more than others.

But what if you could be deeply and unconditionally inspired everyday? I bet it would make a difference in the quality of your life. You would probably wake up excited to start your day. You'd get more done, be more creative and feel more of that elusive “flow.” Being inspired also means enjoying the process more, instead of feeling forced and unnatural.

The best part of persistent inspiration is that action tends to be effortless. There isn’t so much trying, rather you're more simply being and allowing whatever action is natural to flow out from you.
Most of us just wait for inspiration though. We passively anticipate our muse, instead of actively seeking it out.
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
~Jack London

I’ve been experimenting with something different for a while, purposefully taking responsibility for being inspired. For a while I didn’t know if it would work. Inspiration is kind of an elusive phenomenon after all. And even if you choose to look for inspiration, does that mean it will come?
The answer is yes, and no.

Actively creating an inspired state doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes instead you will feel calm, centered and relaxed instead of being filled with electric motivation. And that’s okay.
Here’s the thing though: deliberately choosing to be inspired tends to create a more consistent inspired state over time. That is, the more you flip the switch, the more it becomes automatic and spontaneous.
So the question is… How can you reinforce inspiration, so that it becomes automatic?
I’ve found a few ways to helps this along:

1. Eat inspiration for breakfast.

Who are some of the people that inspire you or have influenced your work? Who do you want to be like, who are some of your mentors? Take some time in the morning to read something they’ve written, or watch a video they've created.

2. Reflect on your reasons why.

We should all have deeply emotional reasons behind the goals we set (if you don’t, they might be the wrong goals). Reviewing the reasons behind our intentions help us to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing. Without that purpose, it can be hard to stay inspired.

3. Discard unwanted commitments.

We often say yes to too much. It’s much harder to deliberately choose our projects than to blindly accept whatever comes our way. Regularly reviewing your commitments to make sure that you’re only working on things that truly excite you is essential to being inspired. You can’t expect to be excited about things you didn’t consciously choose or desire.

4. Create an inspiring physical space.

What is it that you truly love to do? What gets your energy flowing and your blood rushing? Surround your physical space in things that will remind you of and reinforce your passion. If art is your passion, make sure your surroundings reflect that. Put up pictures from your favorite artists. Have an easel nearby with paint ready. If your passion is architecture, surround your space with pictures of your favorite buildings, or structures. Let your space be a constant inspirational reinforcement. It only takes a few hours to setup at the most, and after that it’s constantly working for you on autopilot.

5. Surround yourself with inspiring people.

The people you socialize and engage with will have a big impact on your level of inspiration. Choose to be selective about the people you let into your life, and what type of energy they bring to your circle of influence. You can start by following inspiring people on Twitter or keeping in touch with the work of leaders and innovators you admire.

6. Challenge yourself.

The more you move in the direction of things that challenge and make you a bit nervous, the more likely you will find inspiration. You can’t expect to be inspired by doing the same thing every day, following the same routine, working at the same boring job, watching the same boring television shows. You have to decide to follow your passions, engage in the world and choose paths that might make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

7. Create space.

Probably the most neglected of all ways to find inspiration is the most counterintuitive. Sometimes to be inspired, we have to step away… we have to create space and room for our passions to breathe. Spending time hiking and in nature is my favorite way to do this. It’s in the gaps that beauty is found. It’s the empty space that makes a cup useful.
These are all great ways to cultivate a more inspired life, but I think perhaps the most important thing to focus on is the feeling you want to create.


Feeling first, then action

Most of the time we look for the feeling we want to have from or as a result of the action we’re taking. We seek to feel a certain way through the pursuits we engage in. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, it’s just that it can often lead to misjudgment on what goals are truly right for us.
On the other hand, if we focus on what we want to feel first – enjoyment, creativity, connection, excitement, etc. – then we set ourselves up for naturally engaging in action that supports those feelings. Our actions become a reflection of the way we feel, not the other way around.


Inspiration is a choice

Cultivating a life of sustainable inspiration is something that I’m working toward each day. I’m too impatient to wait around for inspiration to fall on my lap, or into my head.
I don’t think living an inspired life happens by accident.
I think inspiration is a choice.


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Mistakes: Makes Us Learn For Better Ourselves.


          Mistakes simply show us something that we didn't already know. Hmm... It sounds like those dreaded mistakes that we're so afraid of... and those dreaded mistakes that we try so hard to avoid... don't really have to be looked at as dreaded mistakes and painful experiences after all.

          We can view our mistakes through a different lens and now see a friendly, lovable mentor, or a caring, patient teacher, or maybe even a wise and winning coach that is just trying to point something out to us that we need to know, but don't already know.

          So I guess it would be beneficial for all of us to change our paradigm of mistakes from one of a foe to one of a friend. Changing this paradigm though will require one to control their thoughts. Thoughts become things. Negative thoughts put us in closer proximity to negative things.

          The good news is that we can avoid this negativity trap by just changing or model or paradigm of what mistakes really mean to us. We must control our thoughts. We must believe that mistakes are an old wise mentor pointing out a few things that we don't know yet. This new way of looking at mistakes pushes us into taking action and helps us stop small mounds of trouble from growing into massive mountains of misery.

          We can avoid the Mt. Everest shadow from over-taking us by just being grateful for the small mistakes that we make today. Those small mistakes of today are just pointing out some small things that we don't already know while simultaneously helping us avoid the big, ugly, and nasty mistakes lurking in the shadows of tomorrow.

          Now moms, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Remember, mistakes are our friends because they just simply show us some things that we didn't already know. So let's control our thoughts and remember that mistakes are good because they teach us many valuable lessons. And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do...


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Sunday, March 20, 2016

A Purposeful Life: Start a Fresh and Wonderful Beginning


For the past 8 months, I have been silently battling with, and drifting in and out of a state of depression. Perhaps it was the changing hormones in my prenatal and postnatal body, or perhaps it was life’s way of teaching me something new.

It has been a very painful process, but when I observe this period of my life from other perspectives, I realized that I am learning and relearning some of the most incredible lessons, through which I am able to recognize and change some old and very rigid behavior patterns and limiting beliefs.
This is a quick post to let you know that I am still alive, and that I am going through a tremendous period of healing, and that I am thinking about and writing the next full-fledged Think Simple Now style article, for you.

Last night, Ryan slept through the night for the first time since he was born, and I got 5-6 hours of continuous sleep, and I feel – for the first time in five months – like a human being again.
So hang in there, I am feeling better everyday, and I will be back very soon. Until then, here’s something that’s helped me in my own healing:

“In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect whole, and complete, and yet life is ever changing. There is no beginning and no end, only a constant cycling and recycling of substance and experiences. Life is never stuck or static or stale for each moment is ever new and fresh. I am one with the very Power that created me, and this Power has given me the power to create my own circumstances. I rejoice in the knowledge that I have the power of my own mind to use in any way I choose. Every moment of life is a new beginning point as we move from the old. This moment is a new point of beginning for me right here and right now. All is well in my world.”
~ Louise Hay (You Can Heal Your Life)

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Wednesday, March 09, 2016

5 Useful Steps for Success!


Today I want to talk about the ingredients that cause successWhy do some people succeed, while others fail? what separates the two. I’m constantly intrigued with the concepts involved in success and failure. I’ve dedicated my life to discovering and explaining what separates one from the other.

I spend my days learning about the laws and the principles of success. I believe if we learn these laws and principles we will succeed. In fact, if anyone learns these laws and principles, they will succeed.
The laws of success will move your life from the pit to the palace, from ordinary to extraordinary. With that, let’s take a look at five essential lessons on the causes of success.

5 Must Read Lessons on What Causes Success:


1. Understanding the Success Formula

Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.”
–Earl Wilson

Success is usually the result of concentrated focus in an area where you have a natural advantage. Concentrated focus multiplies your effectiveness seven fold. Concentrated focus makes the difference.

One man with discipline, determination, and focus will accomplish more than a 100 men who are merely interested.

The use of concentrated focus in an area where you are talented, will in time, grant you the opportunity to succeed. Success has almost nothing to do with luck. What people call luck is usually the offspring of concentrated focus. Success may appear to be the result of luck, but appearances are often deceiving.


2. Passionate Energy and Drive

“Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence.”

–Sloan Wilson

When we talk about concentrated effort, we’re talking about using our energy and drive in one area. Energy and drive will surely take you down the road of success. Energy and drive will cause you to climb the hurdles that keep others from succeeding.

Another word for “energy and drive” is passion. Are you passionate about your goal? If you’re going to succeed, you’re going to have to have an unprecedented passion to see your goal realized. You can’t do it for the money, you can’t do it for the fame; you must do it for the love. How passionate are you?


3. The Realization That Success is a Science

“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.
–Oscar Wilde

Success is scientific, and it’s predictable. Its cause and effect; you do this, and you get this result. Don’t try to mystify success; this will only keep it out of your reach.
Success is a simple science; simple to understand that is.

Although success is quite simple to understand, it is usually very difficult to accomplish; difficult to accomplish, …but still worth the price.

It’s true that the price of “true success” is never too high. As the saying goes, “No journey is too great, when one finds what he seeks.” You see, “true success” is finding exactly what you seek, in every area of your life. True success, is balanced success.


4. Pure Enthusiasm

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
–Winston Churchill

To run you must first crawl, to succeed you must first fail. Failure is a part of success, you can’t separate the two. To say that you want success without failure is to say you want water, without the wet. It’s a package deal, you get them both.

Failure is the school that trains you for success; you can’t succeed without a degree from Failure State University (FSU). It’s through failure that you prepare to succeed. The secret is to never lose enthusiasm as you go from failure to failure.

If you learn from each failure, while working in an area where you’re passionate, you will make progress, and in time, you will succeed.


5. Effort, Effort, Effort

“Success is dependent on effort.”
–Sophocles

When it’s all said and done, the person who succeeds is usually the person who has put in the most effort in a particular field. Look at the successful people in the world, the great writers, have spent the most time writing, the great actors, have spent the most time acting, the great singers, have spent the most time singing; these individuals worked towards their natural gifts, and they allowed “effort” to carry them the rest of the journey.

Are you giving your best effort? Success requires all that you are. You won’t succeed on 20 percent effort; you are going to have to give your all. So let me encourage you to give your all today, and when you do, your life will never, ever, ever be the same.

Thank you for reading and please pass this article along!


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Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Everybody Wants A Great Beautiful Life: 21 Big Secrets



Who is in the driver’s seat of your life? Your job? Your family? The changing wind of life’s circumstances?
Ask yourself, “Is my life the way I want it to be?” If not, what is blocking you from jumping in the driver’s seat of your life?

Sometimes, it feels impossible to take control when you are stuck in a job you dislike because it pays the bills. Or when you can’t find a job. Or when you know your friends or family will reject you if you choose a different life path.
Life can sometimes be like a sticky spider web — the more you struggle against it, the more stuck you become.

Yes, life does have limitations, some of which are unchangeable. But a very large percentage of our lives is in our control — enough to profoundly impact how fulfilled and happy we feel on a daily basis.
Just knowing that you have some control is enough to change your perspective from hopeless to optimistic.

Creating The Life You Want

The very first step toward creating the life you want is to become a blank slate. Allow yourself to be open to some new ways of thinking, a different perspective. This may require you to shift some old beliefs or let go of your current “personal operating system“.
When you begin to make small shifts in your thinking, you open big doors for new ideas and opportunities.


21 Truths to Living the Life Your Want


1.  Understand that sustained happiness rarely comes from outside circumstances. Your wealth, beauty, power, or acquisitions have far less to do with happiness than your appreciation for what you have this very moment and your loving relationships with others.

2. You can live your life by design, but you must acknowledge your power in that, plan for it, and take the necessary actions.

3. You can’t have it all, but you can have enough to be very happy. Prioritise and focus on the top 3 or 4 most important areas of your life.

4. Stop focusing on what you don’t have or don’t like. Focus on what you do have and do like, and create a plan for what you think you can improve and change.

5. Abandon perfectionism. It is a useless pursuit with no end. It creates stress and unhappiness. Learn to find the balance point between good enough and peaceful living.

6. Put your own deepest needs first. If you are living for others before yourself and pushing your own needs aside, eventually you will crumble in some way — through depressionangeranxiety or destructive behaviours.

7. Your choices may disappoint or offend others. That is sometimes necessary in order to grow and live authentically. Those who love you and want the best for you will accept and support you.

8. Count your blessings. You probably already have many of the things you want for your life. Don’t take them for granted.

9. Address personal issues head-on. Don’t use these as an excuse for not having what you want in life. If you have a wound, a personality or relationship problem, or an anxiety, go to a counsellor and work on it. Resolve it. Weak people don’t go to counsellors, but strong forward-moving people do.

10. Pick one small problem or irritation and resolve it. Feel how much personal power and energy that gives you. Imagine how it would feel to resolve one of your bigger problems or concerns.

11. Consider disengaging from people who bring you down or drain your energy. Build relationships with people who are positive, action-oriented, and supportive.

12. Pick the one change that would make the biggest positive difference in your life. Begin visualising your life with this change implemented. Practise this regularly throughout the day.

13. Take this one step further and begin writing some specific action steps that might help make this change happen.

14. Strengthen your strengths. Make yourself indispensable in your area(s) of interest and expertise.

15. Always leave time for fun. Make fun happen in your life.

16. Don’t neglect your relationships. Don’t take them for granted. Find out what makes your loved ones happy, and do that for them.

17. Learn to let it go. Worry is the most fruitless expenditure of energy on the planet. Very little is worth worrying about. If you must do something, take action instead.

18. Don’t assume that you can’t do something. Prove that you can’t, and if so, try something else.

19. More often than not, your fear is the culprit for inaction.  More often than not, your fears are unfounded or at least out of proportion. More often than not, your fear will go away once you take action.

20. Focus on the task at hand. When you feel overwhelmed and pulled in many directions, just pick an important thing and do it without distraction. Then do another one.

21. Life is short. You have a limited number of days on this Earth. There isn’t time to waste your days in worry, anger or frustration. Make the most of this moment and the next and the next and the next . . .

If you want to have a wonderful life, spend your days in positive, forward-moving action and thought. Dismiss your longings for what you don’t have. Enjoy the actions as much or more than the outcomes.
The real secret to having the life you want is learning to love the life that you have.
. . . . . . . . . .

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Monday, March 07, 2016

The Coffee a Wonderful Story!

          He met her at someone's wedding. He requested her to have coffee with him, she was surprised but due to being polite, she promised. They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, and she thought to herself, "Please, let me go home..."

          Suddenly he asked the waiter, "Would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee." Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, "Why you have this hobby?" He replied, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there." While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of home... Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family.

          That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to meet. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, and then they were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.

          After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said, "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life's lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything... Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth, I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste... But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again."

          Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday,someone asked her,"What's the taste of salty coffee?" She replied, "It's sweet." Its a little bit unrealistic story but the moral and the message of the story is wonderful :)

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