When Giving up is Not an Option

The Power to Dream with Faith...

Like many people, I am finding myself at a point in life where I just don't have the same willpower I once did. I tell myself to do things like eat healthier or get more exercise, but I'm just not motivated the way I used to be.

what's exactly is going on???

When giving up is not an option, but motivation isn't working, where else can you turn? Consider faith. Do you know that getting in touch with what you believe or hold to be true is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.

Many of us have deep faith but have forgotten how to tap into it personally. I have been doing a great deal of exploration on this and have found that I often have to remember to believe, to literally and consciously choose to believe and then act on what I believe to prove that I actually do.

I recently have caught myself having negative thoughts and beliefs, these negative beliefs quickly takes me into feelings of despair and i find my self disappearing into my fears and doubts.

Then one day I realized, I was creating my reality. Based on what I wanted, I asked myself what I could believe. I could believe just about anything, God has a purpose in my life, i am made in the image of God, the sky is not the limit but just the beginning. WOw! Double Wow!!

We can all use our will to make choices, to choose to believe and to change our mindset. There is nothing as powerful as our faith and through our personal beliefs we have the ability to deepen our faith, keep hoping and keep trusting!

Picking Up The Broken Pieces...

Are you falling apart, overwhelmed, or stressed out as a result of the pressures of life...? You know the feeling too well, you feel tired of everything, overwhelmed and helpless. You may be going through such trying times, you feel blinded. The feeling you have is almost like falling into a deep, dark bottomless pit or a deep slippery hole with no grip to support or help you up. You think you are walking on solid ground but before you know it, the ground gives way and you are slipping and tumbling. You have had enough of this roller coaster and now you want to get back on your feet and STAND strong. Do you really want to pick up the pieces of your life and move on,
Then get started!

-Just be still

If you just cant seem to think straight and your mind is crowded with conflicting thoughts or questions whose answers you cant provide...then its time to be still!
There is amazing strength in stillness. Sometimes you just need to quiet yourself, be still in the moment and just be stuck. Why? Because you may not yet know what to do or you may not be in a state of mind to make decisions to take the next step.

- Pray

If ever there was a time to pray, this is it. Prayer changes things and belief in God can and will hold you up in such an amazing way when nothing else seems to work.
Prayer has the power to give you a supernatural resolve to face a new day with hope for a better future.Prayer also calms you down, alleviates the stress and helps you see things more clearly.

- Make a commitment to survive.

If you seriously want to pick up the pieces of your life, you have to commit to the process of getting your life together and dedicate yourself to making it happen.
Commitment means making a personal decision to vouch for your success and work for a better, healthier and well rounded you. It also means not surrendering to self-sabotaging attitudes, thoughts and habits that choke your will to pick up the pieces of your life.

-Talk to someone.

Dont be afraid to share your feelings with people who you can trust. People want to help you and support you. A word of comfort, a reassuring hug or an appropriate piece of advice may be just what you need. Reach out to someone you trust and talk about how you are feeling. Do not keep it all inside. Confide in trusted friends and family. Let out all the pain and the loss. Its okay to cry and then begin to see life beyond the tears.

- Count your blessings.

This may be a difficult thing to do, but the truth is that, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, there is always someone or something we are grateful for in bad times. Things could really be bad, but in the midst of that, blessings still abound. Dwell on those things that make you glad that you are still alive and not alone. Yes, look at the sunshine and SMILE!!

Don’t worry. Roses will bloom again!!

Tags: roses, sunshine

ENEMIES OF SUCCESS PART 2

The fourth enemy within is worry. We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back.

The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution.

Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

ITS YOUR LIFE.. LIVE BIG!!

Enemies Of Success!!

You must overcome your "enemies" if you wish you live up to your fullest potential. Friend, make no mistake, you've got greatness in you. These ideas below can help you unleash it, provided you're willing to consistently apply what you learn.

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers.

Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

Another enemy you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain!!

The third enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy!

The fourth enemy inside is doubt. ok, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy Go after it. Get rid of it...to be continued.

Principles For Achievement

Today I want to talk about achievement.

I believe that no matter from what background, circumstances, or environment you may have come, it's always essential to strive to better yourself. I have great respect for those who are born into horrible and demeaning situations in life and yet, in spite of their situations, they got up, got out, and became successes. Some of these individuals were born on dirt floors, having to wallow in poverty, surrounded by crime, gangs, drugs, and worse.

I honour those who achieved success in spite of such challenges; especially, those who were abused by parents, guardians, or people who are supposed to be trustworthy.

What enables people to transcend dismal situations? I believe it's because they have come to know and recognize the enemies of achievement.

First, they know that even though physical poverty hurts, they also realize that poverty of the spirit is a greater problem than just being poor in money and resources.

A spirit of cynicism and a sense of boredom are the greatest enemies of progress. They produce inaction, reluctance, and cause one to retreat.

To advance and develop, you must know you can; and then, you must take action. The person who transcends even the most bleak of circumstances is the one who believes that in a universe of unlimited possibilities, there's always another opportunity to make things just a little better.

Second, achievers believe in themselves. Why should you believe in yourself? The achievement of anything begins with the idea that it is possible to do and that you can do it. Belief is a powerful motivator.

Third, achievers have figured out that problems and challenges come with the territory, and they are undaunted by them. Those who rise up and become successes in life view challenges merely as inconveniences and not as problems.

Remember no challenge is permanent, so act as if obstacles don't even exist, set goals and forge ahead, go under, over, around, and through. Focus on solutions.

Lastly achievers find joy. There is joy in living meaningfully. That choice is up to each of us. Joy is happiness that does not depend on circumstance. Find your wellspring of joy and go to it every day!!!

ITS YOUR LIFE!! LIVE BIG!!!!

Choice Versus Chance

People often ask me what it means to Live BIG.

It is simple really...

Living BIG gets down to making the decision to live by choice, over chance, more often than not.

I like how Bob Moawad put it “The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”

Here's a practical step you can do everyday that will ensure you're doing just that.

Action plan:

At the end of each day take 5 minutes to reconnect with what you want to accomplish. What is it you truly desire? Write down three things you can do the next day which upon completion will move you forward. Then, the next day do those things.

Consistency is the key that makes this work so at the end of each day repeat the plan. In no time flat you'll amaze yourself with the progress you're making. Action brings your wants & desires into reality.

Its your Life...LIVE IT!!!!

Locating Inspiration

Inspiration Can Be Found Anywhere. At Anytime. Inspiration is not a stop-start process. It's like a spigot you just can't turn off. When you have it, you have lots of it. But when you don't have it, it might seem that no matter what you do, that spigot is just never going to crank on again. Have faith. Inspiration, in and of itself never stops. It's up to us then, to step aside from blocking it. To ignite your awareness of inspiration, look into subjects and topics that interest you. Read inspiring stories; research the people who inspire you. Oftentimes you will find that they too struggled with turning on that inspiration spigot ... but they always found a way through. See, there is nothing different between you and your heroes. That's why you're attracted to the qualities they possess - something about them resonates with something inside of you. Do as they have done to resonate with inspiration. Act as they have acted to turn that "inspiration spigot" on. Before you know it, you'll be back in that inspired mode!!! Its your life...Live Big!

It's Called Mindset!!!!!!

As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free. My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? So make an attempt to grow further.... Why shouldn't we try it again? "YOUR ATTEMPT MAY FAIL, BUT NEVER FAIL TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT."

When Circumstances Are Down...

"Instead of spending your time thinking about how bad things
are, think about how good they will be!"

Everyone knows that a positive attitude is key to the
successful life. But what happens when things go wrong? What
happens when circumstances deal us a blow?

Life deals us setbacks, both minor and major, on a regular
basis, but if we are going to be successful, we need to know
how to deal with them and keep our attitudes intact!

I'm sure you are aware of what happens when you are going about your day and everything seems to be
going well, when out of nowhere disaster strikes. All of
your best-laid plans begin to tumble. Sometimes
circumstances surprise us and we react.

Unfortunately, this often compounds the problem because by
reacting we tend to operate out of our weaknesses instead of
our strengths. We make decisions that are not well thought
out. We function with a bad attitude that says, "I can't
believe this is happening!"

The next time circumstances turn against you, take some time
to just step back from the problem and think. This will
enable you to deal with the issue at hand rationally,
instead of emotionally. It will allow you to put your state
of mind back into its proper place.

A man was once asked how he was doing and he responded, "Pretty
well, under the circumstances." The other man asked, "What
are you doing under the circumstances?" hmm. Good question. but know what? We
shouldn't be under the circumstances, we should be focused on
the goal and moving forward.

Focus on solutions, not problems. The squeaky wheel gets the
oil, the old saying goes. Negative circumstances don't sit
idly by. They scream for our attention. When we face
difficult circumstances, we tend to dwell on them. We talk
about them, fret about them, and give them way too much
attention.

Instead of talking about problems, talk about solutions.
Instead of spending your time thinking about how bad things
are, think about how good they will be!

Don't let yourself complain when circumstances have got you against the emotional wall, get with a good friend who can encourage you.
Tell yourself the good. One of the greatest internal powers
we have is the power to control our thoughts. Spend time
dwelling on the good things about your life or job instead
of the problems. Think about positive things, things you
enjoy and give you a sense of happiness and peace.

There is an old childhood song that says, "Count your
blessings, name them one by one." That is great advice! Let
your positive attitude develop from within as well as from
without. This makes all the difference!

The Two Choices We Face

Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we
will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to
be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To
have less. To read less and think less. To try less and
discipline ourselves less.

These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are
the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant
apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.

And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we
can possibly be. All of us have the choice.

To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be
less or to be nothing at all!

Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to
stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our
capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that
we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?

Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as
our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for
doing less than we could do my people, is to fail.

Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not
conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results!
And if our results are less than our potential suggests that
they should be, then we must strive to become more today
than we were the day before.

Here's a positive affirmation you may wish to write down and
recite to yourself...

"I am making the choice to live up to my greatest potential.
In doing those things to the best of my abilities which need
to be done I am moving in the right direction. Day in and
day out I am walking the path that will lead
towards my achieving the goals that I've set for myself."

Getting Married!!!

Getting married in ten days!!!!!

wow, I miss my blog, think I should write some posts before I become Mrs.

Good idea, huh

Your Dream is Calling You

"Climb every mountain, search high and low
Follow every byway, every path you know.
Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream"!

We've all been encouraged, by someone, to go out and live our dreams. Our dreams, themselves, have even been personally calling us for many years but we have not taken the call.

Most of us may have even looked at the caller Id and decided not to
answer. There's also a percentage of us that hide behind
excuses, like -- "I don't know what my calling is" or "I
don't have a dream." Those excuses have merely kept us in
the bleachers of life, refusing to come onto the playing
field.

As a wise man once said "Excuses are the tools of the
incompetent, used to build bridges that go absolutely
nowhere." The simple truth of the matter is that most people
have allowed fear to paralyze their dreams and goals.

Well no need to worry... your dreams are STILL calling you and
they're orchestrating certain events in your lives,
specifically designed to get your full attention!

So often, we are visited by concepts and insights, for witty
inventions and ideas, which we never act on. Another wise man once
said, "Procrastination is a thief and you must evict it out
of your life, before it becomes a murderer!"

Procrastination, if given enough time, will become a
murderer of all the dreams, ideas, and greatness on the
inside of you.

Make a decision, today, to remove all excuses and accept the
calling on your life. Uncover what it is you love to do so much,
that you'd do it for free. Once you've figured that out, do it so
well that people will want to pay you for it! Choose, this day, to
longer accept mediocrity.

Give life and breath to all the talents, dreams, and
potential that lay dormant inside you - because the world is
waiting for your book, your song, your dance, your
composition. The world is waiting for your unique and
special gift!

Follow every river...till you find your dream.

Be an Original

It takes great courage to be true to your values, hopes and
dreams. Being authentic isn't just about speaking your truth
- it's also about becoming the person you were meant to be
and doing the dreams that reside within your heart.

So many people would rather be a part of the crowd than step
out and live their greatness. Too many amongst us would
rather be seduced by the illusion of security than take some
risks to get to their personal mountaintops. And so their
lives stay small.

You are meant to shine. And you are meant to be your best
you. Comfortable in your own skin. Authentic. Hmmm.

Nothing worse than getting to the end of your life and
realizing you lived your neighbor's life. Live your values.
Enjoy your passions. Live life on your own terms. Live your
truth (and the gigantic potential that resides within you).
It doesn't matter if others laugh.

You'll be you!!!!

Setbacks Are Lessons

"Slow and steady wins the race." It's not glamorous, but
it's true. The tragedy is that most people never even get in
the race, and many of those who do, hope that success comes
easily and swiftly.

When it doesn't, they're out of the race before it really even
begins. What they don't realize is that the decision to be
unstoppable is never made just once. It is made moment by
moment, again and again.

Setbacks are inevitable. In fact, they're evidence that
we're doing something. The more mistakes we make, the
greater our chance of success. Failures indicate a
willingness to experiment and take risks.

Unstoppable women and men have learned that each failure
brings wisdom and insight that will take them one step
closer to achieving their dreams. When we focus on one
unstoppable moment at a time and stay the course, the end
result will take care of itself.

It's important to remind ourselves that failure is an event,
not a person. If you don't achieve your 30-day goal, does
that make you a failure? If you don't get a promotion at
work, does that make you a failure? Of course not!

Failure doesn't characterize who you are. It is simply an
event that happens to you. And when you continue to move
forward, despite difficult experiences, you have already
won!

Let The Sunshine In

There are two types of people in this world - those who
think of all the great ways to get from where they are to
where they want to be and those who do something about
getting from where they are to that ideal place.

All too often we sit and simply complain about the state of
affairs in our lives: 'Nothing is going my way:'My job sucks;'No-one loves me';
'If I only had the money';I wish I had the chance to do something like that'.
The complaints and excuses seem to come faster than the self pity.

But believe it or not, the solution is a simple one. Turn the
tables and instead of constantly complaining about what you
think is not going well - and many things might not be as
you wish them at the moment - think about what IS going well
in your life and begin to overshadow the negative energy
with lots of positive vibes.

Once you begin to focus on the positives, the negatives
start to literally disappear. When you open the door and
allow the sunshine into your life, the darkness will begin
to fade. I've been there and I can tell you from personal
experience, there is nothing more positive than optimistic
energy.

Get out of bed with a spring and smile. Know deep inside
you'll enjoy the day, in spite of what you may confront.
Everything might not go well. There could be challenges and
obstacles, but if you take the view that life is fantastic
and a real blessing in spite of what negative forces you may
confront, you are beginning the process of inviting love,
light, energy, gratitude, joy and happiness into your
existence.

Begin today to fill your life with wonderful thoughts,
feelings and emotions and start to harvest the incredible
benefits derived from an upbeat attitude.

The three rules of success and abundance: Believe: Believe:
Believe. Once you do that, then you act. The results will
truly amaze you!

Let the sunshine!!

Contagious Enthusiasm

Why and how can a positive attitude directly affect your
success? Your mood affects your beliefs, which in turn
reflects onto your personal life and whatever you do.
If you are in a negative mood, it will sweep
through your life like a wild fire.

Staying positive and enthusiastic is essential. A positive attitude along with
contagious enthusiasm will help you in life.

Even if you think of yourself as a marketing zero for example(i used
to think like that),you can make a good start towards becoming a
marketing hero if you have a positive state of mind and contagious enthusiasm.

Although you know that enthusiasm is contagious, it is also
contagious to reflect on negative energy. In fact, it is
even easier for us to pick up negative vibes and reflect
them internally in our daily lives.

So watch out for negative energy and stay away from negative
forces in your life. Being positive will promote your self-
esteem, self-belief and help you avoid depression.
Go beyond just memories of success and bring to mind
anything that makes you feel good, you'll feel better, more confident
and the future will look more promising!

You are what you think and when you think and feel stronger,
you are stronger!!


So smile and make it a great day!

Think About What You Think About

1. …And if you catch yourself thinking about unhappiness, ill health and adversity, “change the channel” and think about what you want to happen!

2. When something happens by chance, follow up. "Lucky" people tend to notice and act on good things that occur by happenstance.

3. Believe that good things will happen. Expectations have a way of coming true.

4. When bad things happen, look for the bright side; i.e., “what did I learn from that?” or, “how do I keep it from happening again?” Don't dwell on it, move on!

5. If the horse dies, dismount. Don't continue to pour money and effort into a lost cause.

6. Don’t look for love in the wrong places… not just romantic love but the love of “stuff.” Stuff is O.K., but understand the delusion of “I'll be happy when I have this or that,” or “when I live over there,” or “when this happens.” Happiness is a state of mind in which our thinking is pleasant most of the time.

7. Failure is a CHOICE made by the undisciplined. Failing to meet your objectives, regardless of what they are, is a choice, because something else has been given higher priority. If you fail, it is because you choose to fail.

8. You don't “catch” depression and you don't “catch” happiness… you “create” them by the thoughts you put into your mind. Carefully choose what you read, listen to and the people with whom you associate.

Eight Lessons From Ed Foreman.

Remove Limiting Beliefs

Do you know that our beliefs are never neutral?. They either hold us back or
move us forward, but what many of us forget, is that we
choose what we believe.

Your attitudes and beliefs determine your thoughts and
feelings and logically from that, you make choices and
decisions. For example, if your dream is say to be the best in whatever it is that you do but you don't believe it's possible, you may have
thoughts such as, "it's going to be too difficult," or you
may feel overwhelmed by the idea.

Some people have what I’d call scarce mentality and this
translates to thoughts or comments such as, "I don't have
enough time, money or energy."

Others are plagued with inadequacy and sounds like, "I'm
not (blank) enough." The most common fill-ins include: "I'm
not: old enough, young enough, rich enough, good enough or smart
enough."

Tell you what, if you follow these thinking, chances are high that you will
give up before you fully explore the possibilities around
your dream

On the other hand, if you believe in yourself and therefore
believe in your dreams, you are more likely to realize how
much you want this dream and will be more likely to act on
it. A positive belief will support you while a negative
belief may destroy you; or at least your dream.

Keep dreaming, keep trusting and keep believing, the sky is just the beginning!!!

Encouraging Others

If you are in a valley, then remember this. Others have been
there (including myself) so hang in there you can do it.

Whatever your goal is, maybe attaining a dream like building a
business or raising a family...remember others have done
it... you can too. Hang in there.

But if you are at a peak. Do not underestimate what a few kind
words of encouragement might do for those around you.

So encourage someone today with a kind word and who knows you might be a life saver!!!

On Facing Adversity

You can't always control what happens to you, but you can
always control how you react to what happens to you.

Did you get that? Please read that again as it's that
important.

In life, any number of things can happen -- good or bad. As
someone far brighter than I once said, "the only constant thing in life is
change."

So, no matter what may have happened to us, whether it was someone taking advantage of us, a shift in the economy that led to being downsized,the death of a loved one or
virtually any other situation you choose to apply to this,
the simple truth remains -- how we choose to react to it is
well within our control.

That is not to say that it's always going to be easy,
sometimes it means accepting things we have a hard time
accepting, and taking corrective measures that are anything
but comfortable.

However, the powerful thing about acknowledging this truth
is that in doing so we come to realize that we are able to
get over simply accepting the role of victim -- the part
that says, this happened to me -- this is why I'm this way,
and as a result I can't do anything to change where I am.

Instead we are able to move to a more empowering position
of, this happened, but by taking action I can change my
particular situation for the better.

Through fully embracing the belief that you have control
over how you react to what occurs in your life you unleash
your personal greatness. You no longer have to accept that
you are at the mercy of whatever may come your way, but
rather that you can take an active role in defining, and in
turn get on with living your perfect life.


ITS YOUR LIFE, LIVE BIG!!