The Masterkey to the Power Within

" No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt 

For years I lived uneventful existence.  I wasn't happy. I wasn't unhappy either. I was just sort of stuck.

I had a good carer,  and I had great friends and a loving family. You would think that this sound too bad,  but I felt unfulfilled and unmotivated. I repeatedly lived each day like the one before.

I looked around me and saw that everybody within my own circle of friends,  relatives,  and immediate family were no different. They too seemed stuck.  They seemed unmotivated- like they were living their lives on automatic pilot.

I began to question why this was.  Why do so many people just accept this pattern as normal,  as if this is the way it is supposed to be?

I read hundreds of books on philosophy,  psychology,  spirituality and science.  I continued with this for couple of years until I gradually began to see with greater clarity. I began to wake up. Then one day,  out of the blue it just hit me,  like a ton of bricks.

The masterkey to unlock my prison door was not contained in any books I read (although they did help me somewhat and still reading). It was in ability to accept what "is" in this moment.  So I now I make that choice.

Victor has made that choice to live in the now. Here are tips to help you make that  choice too.

1. Remember that you are Powerful
Most of the time we have no idea what we are supposed to be doing,  or who we are supposed to be imitating. I say "imitate" because this is what we do: we conform to external environment.

We play roles and cover up our true selves by identifying with "things" that end up defining who we think we are. I am a doctor,  a salesperson, a project manager,  a secretary,  a lawyer;  I am sad,  happy,  lonely or miserable.  I am angry,  jealous,  afraid,  and I can't help it- it's who I am.

The truth is,  though,  we are none of those things.  They are symptoms of the sleep disease. You are more important than any label.  We are not our professions.  We are not our feelings.  We are not our circumstances.  We are not our mind.

What we are is far greater,  far superior,  far important,  and far mysterious than our conceptual mind tries to define.  We are masters,  masters of mind,  masters of body,  masters of emotions and masters of life. This is why we are far more powerful than we think we are.

2. Choose to embrace life
Let go and embrace the moment,  whether it contains an obstacle or an opportunity.  Stop fussing over trivial matters and start focusing on what is really important to you.

Don't go through life expecting things to change.  Life becomes hard and unfair when we decide to complain about things rather than trying to change ourselves.  Wake up to the truth that life is not a practice-run.

Be bold and courageous,  and make decisions that benefit your growth. Put yourself on your imaginary death-bed and realize that time stands still for no one. Start as soon as possible to make any necessary changes you may need. ( you can read one of my blog about "Starting with the end in Mind" it will help you to rise up and see that every moment counts"

Take the first step before more time gradually passes by while you stand still stagnating.  Your choice. Your life.  Your responsibility. Your power

3. Realize that you get to control your reactions
We create our outside reality by our thoughts and beliefs we maintain about life in general.  What we believe in our inner world,  we see in our outer world- not the other way around.

We all have problems,  and we are often tested by circumstances outside of our control.  Even though you may not be in control of what's going outside of you,  you most definitely can control your reaction to those situations.

If someone cuts us off in traffic or skip the queue at our local cinema or sport arena, we may feel our blood pressure begin to rise and feel the need to react in a negative manner.  We get uptight with other people's actions,  and in the end we punish ourselves for their behaviour.

We and up losing control over our own actions because of the way other people act. But we are responsible for our own actions,  regardless of how rude other people may act. If it's hard to stay cool,  remember: you are one who loses in the end,  if you lose the lesson.

4. Know that no one is be qualified
We place fa too much emphasis on other people's options about us,  often to the exclusion of our own.  This takes away from our own personal power. No matter what anybody says about you,  it doesn't hold any significance to who you truly are unless you identify or agree with them.

Stop identifying wit other people's opinions and become aware of how you see yourself.  Nobody knows you better than you do. Never accept another person's reality as your own.  Always believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. And most importantly,  never let another person's opinion of you affect what you believe about yourself.

5. Believe that you are more than enough
If you have to compare yourself to someone else,  let it be a person who is less fortunate,  and let it be a lesson to learn just how abundant your life truly is. It's just a matter of perspective.
You may find that you are not entirely grateful for what you possess. You may believe that you need more than you have right now to be happy.  If this is the case,  then you are absolutely right-you will need more,  and you will continue to need more.

The cycle will perpetuate as long as your mind believes it to be true.  If you focus on what you have,  and not what you lack,  you will always have enough,  because you will always be enough.

6. Love yourself
You have arrived. Everything you need is right here.  Cut out the destructions, open your eyes,  and see that you already have everything in your possession to be happy,  loved,  and fulfilled.
It's not out there. In never was out there.  It's in the same place since the day you were born.  It's just been covered up by all the external things you have identified with over the years.

Be yourself, Love yourself completely and accept everything that you are. You are beautiful,  Believe it,  and most importantly,  remind yourself often.

7. Journey Well
We know is about the journey and not the arrival.  We don't need to arrive if we accept that we are already here.
Be content with with where you are today and don't make a mistake off being happy because you are waiting for the right moment to shine.  Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to enjoy the journey.

Not everyone woke up this morning and not everyone will go to bed tonight.  Life has no guarantees.  Every minute you are living is a blessing that has to be experienced in the moment.  It's not always easy,  but it's always an option- a choice. Your choice

The Power of Determination

So many things in life require significant levels of sacrifice and determination;  it reminds me of the saying that the best things in life don't come cheap.  Achieving ones goals are no different,  and it is the determination to see these processes through that can deal with a number of issues around confidence and self esteem.  

Reaching for goals is an important part of strengthening self-confidence.  It helps shape and update how you define yourself while at the time helping you add to your sense of accomplishment.  You can gain confidence simply by taking action towards your goal even if you don't get result you were looking for.  Keep in mind that success is in the doing and  not necessarily the result.

For a number of us ( I would include myself) exercising or loosing weight would be just such a goal,  and is always near to the top of my list. The act of exercising can be seen as a microcosm for everything you tackle in life.  Participating in exercise,  whether it is a formal class or gym,  using fitness equipment,  participating in a sport or active hobby,  or any physical effort,  involves,  commitment,  effort, perseverance,  and follow-through.

Perseverance means not quiting.  It also is a sign of your strength or will,  and can reflect itself in self esteem. It takes a strong mind to convince your body to hang in there and stick with the task no matter how difficult it seems.  When you persevere in exercising,  you learn to have what it takes mentally to face anything. On the opposite end,  leaving a goal unfinished reflects lack of following through.  It is not enough to do something once or for a short period of time,  the key is to follow-through and build the mental stamina to do so.  Sometimes a goal is short term and once completed you can move on,  but fitness is a life time goal and dealing with confidence issues and low self esteem is no different.

Here are tips and techniques to use to capture the Spirit of determination at that very point when you need it most,  when failure appears to be the only logical option.  Don't let the minds argumentative demand for a quick way out ease your consciousness and convince you that giving up is acceptable (IT IS NOT) quite simply don't give yourself permission to quit.

1.Remember ans Remind
Using the power of visualization with quick deep thought meditation  take a few moments to write down a quick statement incorporating these few points and remember to recite it when you fee you need it.  Think STRENGTH,  Think DETERMINATION. ...

* Remember PURPOSE
* Remember WHY
* Remember REASONS
* Remember RESULTS
* Remember CONSEQUENCES
* Remember REWARDS
* Remember OPNIONS
* Remember faith belief gratitude and WHO YOU ARE!

Feel the awakening on an inner power to drive you far far beyond your limiting beliefs Into a new territory of achievement believe and KNOW your outcome.

2. Escape from FUD (Fear-Uncertianty-Dout)
As soon as you feel FUD approaching,  find a trusting friend or associate quickly and share your concerns,  you will be amazed by how trivial and also so natural self talk and idle imagination can talk you out of the surest course of action if it involves time and the need for patience.

FUD is a natural thinking order when you find something exciting that offers opportunity benefits or reward when likely causes are boredom or static thinking. Staying strong in thought as we in mind is a shield from this habitual instinct that could develop into failure if left untreated or properly addressed.

" Our greatest glory is not in never falling,  but in rising every time we fall" Confucius

Focus and Concentration

If you constantly get distracted in your goal,  here are tips for you stay focused.

1. Concentrate on 1-3 goals

If you constantly have trouble keeping to your goals, maybe you are spreading yourself too thin. Pick 1-3 goals that are most important to you, and stick to them.  Don't bother yourself with any other goals until goals are achieved ( or unless priorities shift and these goals no longer reflect what you want in life)

For me, my top priority goal is to reach out to more people through my blog, so I ensure all my daily actions ladder up to this one goal. Majority of my time in the week is spent either writing new articles for the blog, maintaining my facebook, LinkedIn and twitter account.  Such a laser focus has allowed me to make much more progress,  compared to when I juggle across 4-5 goals and make a little progress.

2. Create a vision board

A vision board is a collage of pictures and images that represents your goals and dreams. Creating a vision board helps you to Visualize your end goals more clearly, which inevitably inspires you to take consistent action.  Not only that, it also serves to remind you of your goals every day when you see the board.  I have a vision board on my laptop which I open every time.  Every time I see my board, it reinforces my goals to me, and reminds me to take action so as to move forward.

3. Create milestones 

If you just set one huge goal,  it can be discouraging-especially when you don't achieve it after a short while.  When that happens,  some people may procrastinate on the goal altogether- which is quite unfortunate.  If find it's helpful to break a big goal into smaller goals,  after which you concentrate on achieving the smaller goals in the short-run. Just like when I go to long road trip from Johannesburg to Phalaborwa, I set pit-stop to rest throughout the trip.

4. Create a plan

If you have a plan worked out for your goal,  it becomes much easier to stick to it.  All you have to do is to follow the actions you have planned  for the day. The best time to work out your plan is when you set the goal,  because that's when your motivation is the highest. Usually, I create my goal action plans right after I set my goal,  after which I take action immediately- which helps create a positive momentum

Habis of Highly Successful People

Successful People are where they are today as a result of their habits.  Your habits determine fully 95% of your behaviour.  Everything that you are or that you will ever accomplish will be determined by quality of the habits that you form.  By creating good habits and becoming goal oriented you can become successful and live a prosperous life.

BE GOAL ORIENTED
The first is to  become goal oriented.  You need to be a habitual goal setter, and dedicate yourself to working from clear, written goals every day of your life.  All highly successful people are intensely goal oriented.  They know exactly what they want, they have a written down, they have written plans to accomplish it,  and they both review and work on their plans every single day.

BE RESULT ORIENTED
The second habit successful people develop is result orientation. Result orientation is made up of two practice.  The first is the practice of continously so that you become better at what you do. The second practice is that of time management,  which means setting very clear priorities on what you do and then concentrating single-mindedly on the most valuable use of your time.  All really successful people are intensely oriented.

BE ACTION ORIENTED
The third major habit you need to develop is that of action orientation.  This is really the most important habit for material success. It is the ability to get on with job and get it done fast.  It is your ability to develop and maintain a sense of urgency, a bias for action.  Fast tempo in whatever you do is essential to your success. You need do overcome procrastination, push aside your fears and launch 100% toward the achievement of your most important goals. The combination of goal orientation, result orientation and action orientation, in themselves,  will virtual assure great success.

BE PEOPLE ORIENTED
The fourth habit you need is people orientation. This is where you put relationships in the centre of your life. This is your decision to cultivate within yourself the habits of patience, kindness,  compassion and understanding. Virtual all of your happiness in life will come from ability to get well with other people.
The good news is that you can become a wonderful human being in your relationships with others when you decide to.  And, as Aristole said, the only way that you can learn any habit is by practicing it on a regular basis. The more you practice being a truly excellent person in your relationships with others,  the more you will internalize those qualities and actually become that person

BE HEALTH ORIENTED
The fifth habit successful people develop is health orientation. This means that you must fastidiously watch your diet, and always eat the right foods in the right proportions. You must exercise on a regular basis, continually using every muscle and joint of your body to keep young and fit.  And finally you must have good habits of rest and recreation that will enable you,  in combination with diet and exercise, to live to be 80 or 90 years old.  Remember, your health is the most important single thing you have, and it is completely subject to the habits that you develop with regard to the way you live.

STAY HONEST
The sixth habit is that of honesty and integrity. In the final analysis, the character you develop as you go through life is  more important that virtually anything else. Honesty means that you practice the "reality principle" in everything you do.  You are completely objective with yourself and with the world around your.  You set very clear values for yourself and you organize yourself around your values.  You develop a vision for yourself and then you live your life consistent with your highest ideals.  You never compromise your integrity or peace of mind for anyone or anything.

BE SELF-DISCIPLINE
The seventh habit, and the one habit that guarantees all others, is self-discipline.  Your ability to discipline yourself, to master yourself, to control yourself, is the most important single quality that you can develop as a person.  The habit of self- discipline goes hand in hand with success in every area of life.

Every one of these habits, being goal orientated, result orientated, people orientated,  health orientated  honesty and self- discipline can be developed. You are where you are and what you are today because of your habits. Your habits have been developing, mostly accidentally,  from the time you were an infant. Today you can take a complete control over the shaping of your character and personality, and everything that happens to you in the future, by making decision, right now, to define and develop the habits that will lead you to great success and when you develop the same good habits possessed by other successful people,  you must and will enjoy their success as well.  Your future will become unlimited

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your works become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values and your values become your destiny" Mahatma Gandhi

Motivation in Your Life

Happy New Year!!!
I hope you are off to a good start!  It's MOTIVATIONAL WEDNESDAY.  I am sure you have your goals in order and just needs a little bit of motivation to get them started.  So how do you get motivated?  There is no such thing as the perfect answer to the motivation question. Your answer will be based on your own individual experiences and analysis. I'd like to offer a little "motivational help" with your New Year's plans, goals and resolution by discussing how to boost your motivation.

First, let's find out what the importance of motivation is exactly.  Basically, motivation is the driving force which allows you to achieve your goals and go after what you want in life.  Without setting your goals FIRST, and getting that MIND SET, you cannot achieve anything.  The first part of accomplishing anything you want in life is knowing WHAT YOU WANT,  and then setting your mind toward that goal.

If you want to change your personality for the better, START EXERCISING, start a new habit,  be a better person,- all of these things would be easier accomplished if you properly motivated.  As long as you have a strong personal motivation and set your mind toward that goal, you can achieve almost anything that you want from life.  However, remember not to fall into the trap of looking for short-cuts to achieve your goals.  Everyone wants QUICK FIX, THE EASY WAY OUT. Those quick fixes may work, but they work for short term and usually kick you in the butt on the way back. It will even be a sweeter victory when you finally achieve your goal, knowing that you have had to go through several hurdles to attain it and knowing that you put in the hard work to get there.

So how do you develop motivation in life? If you wish to accomplish a goal, such as weight loss, how can you find it in you to properly motivated?  The best thing to do is to focus on one goal at a time.  Focus is the key element to any goal.  This should be partnered with the fact that you should make sure that your short-term goals all help in achieving your long-term goals-yes, write it down-so that you will have a visual representation of the things that you want to achieve rather than letting it all get lost in your head.

Once you get focused, part of the plan is to rid yourself of all negativity and negative aspects and distractions which might prevent you from archiving your goal.  This includes friends, family members and any other elements that may get in the way of your goals.  I don't mean that you have to eliminate these people from your life......just keep a good distance from them as they will hinder your progress with their comments and their bad habits.  You need to surround yourself with people and things of a positive nature.  If someone is constantly filling your head with negative comments or hindering your progress in your goals, you need to stay away from that person.

It's important to make sure that you completely blocking out any negative influences in your life.  If you feel that you are being distracted from your goal by a problem which does not seem to go away, ask yourself what you can do to eliminate such a challenge and distraction in your life. Maybe you are being side-tracked by negative thoughts and feelings because you have no faith in yourself. Addressing the root of the problem, completely blocking out any negative distraction and thinking purely positive thoughts is the best way for you to develop motivation in your everyday life.

It's important to have motivation in your life. Motivation is the fuel that you need to continue striving for your goals.  Soak up motivating things in your life on a daily basis.  Read great books that will inspire you. Read great blogs that are both positive and informative just like this one.

It's human nature to have days where you aren't motivated.  However,  if you continue to surround yourself with positive and motivational things, those days will be few and far between.

I wish you good luck with your new year's resolution, plans and goals,  no matter what they are!!! Remember, to think positive and strive for the best.....and it will come!

Let's travel this journey of ONENESS together! Together we can do more!