Archive for Affirmations
If you are coasting
Posted by: | CommentsBuilding character and strengthening relationships by opening up
Posted by: | CommentsOver the course of my 4 plus decades on this lovely planet I have learned something very special when it comes to relationships. My relationships give me strength and by sharing my thoughts and feelings with others, I build character. So the lesson is quite simply: I am able to build both character and strength via my relationships.
Do not get me wrong, there have been times when I was too scared to allow others to see the true me. I protected my hidden passions, my unconventional thoughts, my deeply held values and parts of my belief system; all because I was worried that I might not be accepted. There were even times I shelved some of my core values as a result of these fears? Have you?
Luckily, I came to understand that this fear is normal, and I bravely moved past being overly concerned about what everyone else thought. This has enabled me to truly experience, and enjoy who I was – so, I could grow into who I am. But more importantly, I have come to learn that the real reward was my increased ability to more intimately experience and enjoy all those that I formed and form relationships with.
Trusting in other people means that you will have share yourself with them. Not just the good stuff, you will have to reveal some of your faults and your foibles as well. Revealing the chinks in your armor to those that you care about will allow them to more quickly do so in return. If you want to build character and strengthen your relationships, you will have to be brave for it takes courage to honestly invite others into your life.
- Reflection Affirmation
True fulfillment comes from becoming connected to others and my inner self.
Each part of yourself that you share is like adding a new link in your relationship chain. With each new link you add you can extend yourself further to others. So I urge you to constantly build that chain.
When others are in need, they know that I am there to help. Because I have extended a strong chain, they have come to know that they can reach out and grasp it. This is how I have built strong relationships in my life. You can do the same thing, each and every day. By sharing more of you, you invite others to open themselves up. You will feel more connected to the people in your life because you will come to see who they truly are. There in lies life’s truer reward: To feel bonded to good people.
Work hard to create fulfilling personal relationships. Extending yourself to others is worthwhile. You will deepen your character and strengthen your relationships by simply and bravely opening up to the people in your life.
Ask Yourself These Self-Reflection Questions:
- Do I bravely reveal my true self with others?
- How can I strengthen relationships with the people in my life?
- What do I love most about the close personal relationships I already have?
Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Success Coach & Author of Success Atlas Goals Programs
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10 Top Inspirational Quotes
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever read something, whether in a book, on a billboard, on your screen or in a card and felt words shake you to the core? Or perhaps the words reached out to tug at your heartstrings?
Inspirational quotes can instill you with the motivation to take action toward your dreams, desires & goals to live the life you desire and deserve.
I use inspirational quotes on a daily basis. I get up and read from one of a collection of books I have acquired over the year; “Something to Smile About” by Zig Ziglar, “Success – Defining Moments” from Success Magazine, “Seeds of Greatness Treasury” by Denis Waitley, “Treasury of Quotes” by Brian Tracy and other. You can use these and other sources of inspirational quotes to help you get fired up in the morning face your boss (or your employees) during a meeting, they can even help you find the motivation to get physically active.
The supply of inspirational quotes is nearly endless. There are plenty of awe-inspiring quotes you can call upon whenever you are in need of a perk-me-up. The really cool part is that the more often you read, use and share motivational quotes, the quicker they become a part of who you are and thus the more likely they will be to help you break through mental and emotional barriers that hold you hostage.
I would suggest that you internalize those sayings that you resonate with, so you can call upon them whenever you need a boost.
Here are ten inspirational quotes to spark your passion and bring you motivation:
- Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain
- Well done is better than well said. – Benjamin Franklin
- Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T.S. Elliot
- Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- All that we are is the result of what we have thought. – Buddha
- People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar
- Begin with the ending in mind. – Stephen Covey
- If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place. – Nora Roberts
- Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him. – Aldous Leonard Huxley
- Don’t go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You can use these quotes in your everyday life to help keep you inspired and motivated at every turn. Again, you will gain the greatest benefit when you deeply internalize the meaning behind the words sparking you into action. After all, words are nothing without action! So that is why I say – find the quotes that YOU resonate with and memorize them. You do not have to use my list – they are but ideas to get you started. My list may be different than yours as much as I am different from you, but the key is for you to get a list and always be adding to it as you grow.
You can also constantly re-fuel your thirst for motivation by using the power of visualization. Stimulating your mind via multiple senses drives the impact deeper and quicker: For example, by using desktop wallpapers with quotes and sayings, you are giving yourself the visual stimulation and motivation you need to overcome any obstacle on your path.
With just a quick glance, you can get through a difficult day by having a positive image coupled with an inspiring quote on your computer desktop, on your wall or on your bathroom mirror (that way you start your day off with inspiration!)
When you embrace the positive push and joys of motivational quotes and beautiful imagery, you’ll not only feel better, but you’ll be more productive too!
Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy
Today’s Top Motivated Coach & Author of Success Atlas Programs
http://SuccessAtlas.com
PS – keep an eye on http://SuccessAtlas.com as I will be posting desktop wallpapers with motivational quotes that will be there for you to download – because I believe they are THAT helpful. With that – I would solicit your top three most impactful quotes: Send them to MyTopThreeQuotes@SuccessAtlas.com. I will compile this list and post them with some wonderful images over the course of the next few days and upcoming weeks.
Reflection: On the highway of life, work should not drive you.
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s reflection takes on the stress we all encounter at work. Whether you are a janitor, a jokey, a DJ, or work at home in your PJs you will encounter stress at the ‘office.’ The key is how you face and respond to that stress. Your ability to respond appropriately is a HUGE determinate on the out come of the situation.
On the highway of life, work does not drive you. You drive your work by remaining calm and continuing to be positive.
When stress rears it ugly head, pause, breath (no really take a couple deep diaphramic breaths) and think or even say out loud: “I am in control of my emotions and my work. I am and will be successful because I am dedicated to my job and passionate about my life.”
When I personally get stressed, I pause and focus on the big picture – what is it that the team is trying to accomplish overall. Keeping the big picture in mind will help clarify the situation. I also try something a little different then many. I like to play drums so when I get tensed up – I will often play some air drums to a favorite song in my head. Or tap out that beat on the desk, my legs or what ever is within reach. Last Christmas my nephew bought me a set of finger drums that are about 5” high and look like a full set of drums for a mouse to play. They actually play. I use them to tap out my beat when sitting at my desk. Because I enjoy drumming so much my mind steers away from the stressful feelings and my body relaxes, enabling me to come back ready to respond as I need to. Find out what your little stress recovery trick is – come up with some little method to get your mind relaxed so you can refocus positively and respond successfully.
When you get to work or started at work, embrace your assignments with a positive attitude. Believe that: Challenges are a welcomed part of your life because they revive the creativity within you. This positive focus and welcomed approach to new challenges will enable you to seek out the good in every situation. Challenges usually result in change, big or small, and I have found that the best way to handle change is to be a part of it, or better yet to be the one leading the change.
Always remember to stay calm under pressure. In my decades working in corporate America I have found many people have a monkey on their back due to lack of preparation and prior planning. Do not let people continually come into your office to share their problem and leave that monkey that was on their back on your desk. Another person’s lack of preparation does not constitute an emergency in your life. Appropriately stand up for yourself and know when to say no. Of course I know there will be those times that taking on someone else’s problem monkey will be a required part of your duties – life is all about balance. If you stand up for yourself and know when you say “No,” you will find fewer stress causing monkeys on your desk and more time for you to act on your success.
Drive your work; do not let it either drag you around, or enslave you. Again, here is where the big picture comes into play. I am happy to complete my work because it is valuable to me and it makes a difference to others. When I get comments from my audience on how my article, speech or talk show inspired or impacted them – I am motivated to get through the drudgery that is a part of all jobs at sometime or another. I am reminded what my best friend once said to me many years ago. He was working as a janitor for a major trucking company in their Los Angeles hub. His hours were long, his shift was in the middle of the night but at least his pay was good. I asked him why he was doing that when he could do so much more. His response, “My wife works during the day, this job enables me keep the kids at home rather than day care. I get to spend quality time with them during their development years and bond close with them.” He had a big picture in mind, one where his children came first even over an office with a window.
The point of this article is that being in the driver’s seat leads you to enjoy life all that much more. Your optimism will keep you miles ahead of your obligations, because a positive attitude will cause you to be proactive about the things that need to be done.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your attitude towards work, your reaction to pressure etc. Answer them honestly and then reflect on how you can improve, even a little bit, starting right NOW!
Self-Reflection Questions:
- What kind of attitude do I display toward my work?
- How do I react under pressure?
- How can I be more proactive?
Think Successfully & Take Action
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Coach & Author of Success Atlas Programs
Check out my new eBook “Write Your Success Story” at http://www.WriteYourSuccessStory.com
Sign up for my eZine at http://www.SuccessAtlas.com
7 Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem
Posted by: | CommentsI think you would agree that we all need, even want a healthy self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Both a healthy self-esteem and self-worth are crucial to our ability to live a successful and contented life. Many people will look to others, like their family, friends and peers to gauge their own level of self-worth. Many more will use their material success, bank accounts, houses, & cars to put a veneer on their self-esteem. What we all need to understand is:
- The most important assessment is how you feel about yourself.
The number of things you can do to boost your self-esteem is just as long as the ones you can do to deflate it. So, if you can, or are, taking steps to deflate it why not use that same energy to take those all important steps to boost it? By taking the steps to build your own self-worth and well-being, you’re practicing the best form of preventative medicine possible.
Here are the top seven ways to boost your self-esteem:
- Do things you love. Doing the things you love can actually enable you to get ‘high on life.’ The more time you spend doing things you love to do, the better it makes you feel. You will physically get ‘high on life’ because doing the things you enjoy causes your brain to produce higher levels of dopamine and Norepinephrine. Dopamine alters the brain’s speed for more focused attention and thrill sensations. Norepinephrine is yet another brain stimulator that gives more ‘oomph’ to even the most routine tasks.
Engaging in activities we love also helps us recall previous times we have done the activity. Recalling those positive memories increases our self-esteem. Your favorite activities are often things you do well, which is a factor in increasing our self-esteem.
- Strengthen your strengths. If you have read my previous blog entries or listened to my blogtalkradio show then you know I would rather you focus more on strengthening your strengths then your weaknesses. When you exercise your strengths, not only do you become stronger but your self-esteem rises as well. You naturally feel proud of the things you excel at and those things cause you to feel better about yourself.
Spend time working on, building, and renewing your strengths, and your inner approval rating will soar. Note: Just because you are not great at one of your strengths now does not mean you can not BE great at it with practice and effort.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Positive attitudes and energy are like an electrical charge carried from one person to the next via smiles, words and actions. When you spend time in the company of positive people, or your Junto Crew as I like to call them, your attitude will lift to match theirs. Even better is the fact that should one of your Junto Crew be down you can lift them up with your energy – this helping of others further increases your self-esteem
- Measure your worth based on yourself, not on others. We all see the world from the viewpoint of our own biases and past circumstances. When one person spews negative thoughts onto another, it is often a far greater reflection on their own deficiencies than that of the person they are attacking. There are two ways to be the tallest building in the city. 1) Build your building higher 2) Tear down all the other buildings. Choose to be #1
Evaluating your self-esteem purely on the opinions of others is never a good idea. Instead, take your value from what you know to be true about yourself. This inside out approach is far more effective and controllable then the other way around.
- Believe in yourself. Trust in your own internal ability to achieve what-so-ever you set your mind to accomplish. When you truly believe that you are capable of reaching your goals, you unleash your ability to do so from deep within. Start small if you need to and slowly build up to the unstoppable and unshakable belief, self-worth and self-esteem you desire.
- Set your thoughts on the things you want to attract. Knowing specifically what you want to accomplish and thinking about it on a regular basis tells your mind, “This is important to me.” This activates your RAS (Reticular Activating System), and your RAS will keep on the look out for information, situations and people that will help bring you closer to its accomplishment. Albert Einstein determined all things are made of energy and energy attracts more of the same energy. Focusing your thoughts and energy on those specific things you desire most in your life keeps those things moving toward you. Each step closer enhances your self-esteem.
- Affirm positive present tense thoughts to yourself. We have all heard the “Fake it, until you make it” mentality. Positive present tense “act as if” Affirmations work on the “Fake it, until you make it” principle. Instead of saying, “I want to be happy,” say, “I am a happy person.” Say it out loud everyday.
Build your own arsenal of positive affirmations to pull you toward that which you desire. As you begin to “reprogram” your subconscious to see it and believe it as the truth, you will soon be feeling that truth every day. *See my previous blog post on affirmations for detailed info.
There you are seven simple steps to boost your self-esteem. All seven are easy to put into practice in your day-to-day life. Start today to enhance your self-worth and self-esteem into the foundation of the unshakable character you deserve and desire. Do this and I can safely say – Your life will never be the same.
Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Coach & Author of Success Atlas Programs http://successatlas.com/
PS
Looking for a new and unique way to start achieving you goals? My new eBook “Write Your Success Story” is just that. http://writeyoursuccessstory.com/
PSS
Link up with like minded success oriented people such as yourself at a social networking site focused on your success. http://juntocrew.com/
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I Have to Tell You the Bad News about Affirmations (& give you 3 tips to fix them)
Posted by: | CommentsAs some of you are already aware, you are constantly affirming your own thoughts and beliefs as you go through the daily routines that make up your life. Throughout each day, you consciously and/or unconsciously tell yourself things based on your current system of beliefs – whether those beliefs are based on fact or not.
Now for the bad news… you may actually be spending much of your time re-affirming negative thoughts rather than positive ones. If your affirmations are negative, what can you expect? Mostly negative outcomes that what!
Think about it for a moment. How many times in a day do you say or think something like “I’m so forgetful…” or “I am lousy with…” How many times have you told yourself how stupid you are for doing something or how fat you are when your favorite jeans feel tight?
REMEMBER: Negative affirmations are just as powerful as positive ones, sometimes more so because you may believe in them more then their positive counterparts. Negative thinking reinforces that internal belief that you will not be able to change yourself and that you are destined to repeat your self-destructive behaviors. By re-affirming negative thoughts, you enter into a vicious cycle that leads to a downward spiral of more negative thinking.
Imagine how different your life would be if you began using affirmations to reinforce only the positive!
Affirmations can and will work wonders if you use them properly. I have found most people just need to make a few simple adjustments in the way they phrase their inner dialog. You too can begin using this powerful technique today to change your thinking and change your life.
Your subconscious mind is, in the simplest of terms, part of a finely designed biological computer. Like a computer your subconscious accepts thoughts on a very literal basis. So, for affirmations to work effectively and efficiently, you need to follow a simple 1-2-3 formula.
1-2-3 Formula for Affirmations
Follow these tips to create positive affirmations that can change your life in the direction YOU desire:
- ONE – Think NOW not in the future. Your subconscious works in the present tense. So it needs to know you are doing something now, not in the future. For example: If your affirmation states something you WANT to change, i.e. “I will quit smoking” or “I will start jogging” your subconscious will take no action. Because it cannot distinguish what you mean by saying “I will.” You could say your subconscious mind is thinking “OK, well when you are ready to start you let me know, and I will help you out.” Your subconscious has no mechanism geared toward planning for the future – it is all about the NOW. Here is a great little fact, your subconscious mind will accept what you tell it, even if the behavior has not yet happened, that’s why you should always state your affirmation as if it’s already a fact.
- “I am free from the desire to smoke” is far more effective affirmation and will begin to move your subconscious mind into thinking as a non-smoker, even before you put down the cigarettes.
- “I am free from the desire to smoke” is far more effective affirmation and will begin to move your subconscious mind into thinking as a non-smoker, even before you put down the cigarettes.
- TWO: Think “I” not YOU. Your affirmation must be personal for YOUR subconscious to accept it. After all it is your mind you are trying to change so say “I” not YOU. An affirmation that says, “You need to eat healthy” will not get your subconscious to help you change your diet. When your subconscious hears the word “you,” it doesn’t interpret it as a statement directed at yourself, it converts to conversation directed towards someone external.
Instead, phrase your affirmation in the first person. Always put “I” in your affirmations and you will begin notice the strong positive effect it will have on your behaviors.
- “I enjoy eating healthy foods” is a positive, first person affirmation that will guide your subconscious into helping you make better choices every time you reach for a snack or sit down to a meal.
- THREE: Think DO not NOT. Again, your subconscious mind takes statements literally. It is unable to process a negative statement and some even say it will pull the negative out of the statement and process the statement without the negative. Thus, the statement “I am not a smoker” will get processed as “I am a smoker.” Because this is so important I have to repeat myself so that you will remember: The subconscious has no concept of “not,” so the statement, “I am not going to lie on the couch watching TV when I should be exercising” will do nothing other than re-affirm how you should lay on the couch in front of the television.
Form your affirmation’s intention in the positive, even if you have not made the behavior change yet.
- So the couch statement above would become something more powerful like “I enjoy exercising in my spare time.” This statement is far more likely to motivate you to get up and go to the gym (or at least for a walk) vs. reaching for the remote control and another bag of chips.
Positive, personal, present tense affirmations are extremely powerful in changing how your subconscious affects your behavior.
Make every effort to avoid reinforcing your old, negative thinking. The negative thinking that keeps you caught in a rut – and we all know a rut is nothing more then a grave with the ends kicked out. Use these three simple techniques today to create affirmations that can change your subconscious programming, your actions, and your life for the better.
- Think NOW
- Think I
- Think DO
Do you see the subconscious pattern?
- NOW I DO!
Now that will have an impact on your affirmations!
Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Success Coach
& Author of Success Atlas Goals Programs
PS
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