Archive for March, 2011The old saying goes that even the greatest journey starts with the tiniest of steps – or words to that effect! And, certainly, so it is with the very personal journey that some describe as Self Improvement. But the challenge in life is not just to start a journey, but to keep going. Research points to the fact that the vast majority of people who stumble or fail on their chosen journey – be it a new business venture, a weight loss goal, their desire to progress in a particular career or the desire to progress at a particular sport or musical instrument – will, having failed once, rarely try more than a couple of times. Yet, statistics for the Business School at Madrid’s University show that those who are really successful are prepared to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get on with it for just as many times as it takes. And it was Calvin Coolidge who alerted us to the importance of persistence, stating that only perseverance leads to success. Last week, a client and I discussed the importance of regularly and continually taking even the smallest of steps to ensure that they stayed on their chosen path – their own Personal Development journey to effortless career success and personal health and happiness. The idea that even two or three minutes meditation in a day is infinitely better than no mental exercising at all was likened to us putting another penny in the slot so that, sooner or later, pennies will drop for us. I don’t know about you but, when I was growing up, we often went to the amusement arcade where you rolled pennies down a slot, onto a moving platform that had loads of pennies – most of them appeared as if they were about to cascade over the edge, into my hand! In life, in business, in meditation, we simply do not know which penny will tip the balance in our favour. But the one sure thing is that, if we stop putting our daily penny in the slot, we will not reap the benefit of the pennies that we have already invested. In fact, we will come to the incorrect conclusion that we have wasted all our previous pennies. Every penny counts – every minute that you invest in your own Personal Development no matter how seemingly insignificant, every moment spent in mindfulness, leads you to a greater awareness, a greater level of presence, opens your mind further to the incredible possibilities that this life holds for us and, indeed, the opportunities that may well be staring you in the face if you only had eyes to see. The Science of Getting Rich: Performing a Certain Way “By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action you receive it.” This is Wallace Wattles predominant idea. On this revolutionary ebook, The Science of Getting Rich (1902), he claims that everyone can change into wealthy in the event that they live a certain way. Nevertheless, man should not rely on thought alone, but in addition understand the significance of personal action. With out private motion man, a thought is simply a thought. Man must think of what he desires as well as take motion as a way to obtain riches. In accordance with Wattles, “Man must not solely think, but his private action must complement his thought.” With out personal action, man has only wished for this and that, he is just “fortress constructing”, daydreaming. Nothing will come to fruition as a result of no personal motion has taken place. Man must perceive that he needs to visualize his dream to turn into rich. Taking further motion turns his dream right into a reality. Bringing visualization and motion together meant arranging “ “your own business affairs that you could possibly obtain it in the case of you. Your thought makes all issues, animate and inanimate, work to bring you what you want; however your private activity must be such you could rightly receive what you want when it reaches you.” Whenever you outline your objective, if it is to turn out to be rich, then imagine it to probably the most finite detail. See your self in that situation. Completely enmesh your being in a brand new rich lifestyle. Once you have requested to be rich, the Universe will respond. Now, it’s essential to take action. Pay attention to what alternatives come up that lead you nearer to changing into rich. That is your private action. “The scientific use of thought consists in forming a transparent and distinct psychological image of what you want; in holding fast to the purpose to get what you need; and in realizing with grateful faith that you just do get what you want.” Throughout Wattles explanation of SGR, he emphasizes forming a mental picture and gratitude as key parts to becoming rich. Of course, there’s extra to appearing in a certain way, however gratitude, particularly, is necessary as a result of with out feeling it everyday, you lack the concept of appreciating life. In your journey to turning into rich, Wattles clearly says you’ll want to specific gratitude so that you could be obtain what you want. In essence, gratitude is your “thank you” to the Universe. Now you know about Science of Getting Rich There are many activities that can help you with building self esteem. Below you will find some of the more common ideas. These are activities than anyone can do. They are great for children and adults alike and fortunately, they will not break the bank. If practiced regularly, these activities can become a part of your weekly routine. This is similar to the “lifestyle change” concept and is quite effective at making profound positive changes in many peoples lives. If you are not able to do them every week, do them as often as you can. The repetition is a pinnacle factor in their effectiveness to improve your self-esteem. Participate in Life This one is simple, non-specific and easy to implement. You will find that simply getting out there and taking part in the activities of the world, can work wonders to improve your self-esteem. When we feel more connected to the world around us, we feed of the energy of society. Be sure to keep it positive. Getting into arguments or other negative social scenarios destroy our sense of social cohesion. You want to participate actively in events and organizations that appeal to you. Talk to people, learn, teach and contribute to the world. As long as you keep it positive and honest, people will want your contribution. Go to group meetings, church, school events, parties or anything else that gets you more involved that sitting home watching TV. Set Goals We do not seem to get very far before returning to this tried and true concept. Setting goals is one of the most effective ways to make significant and sustained progress toward any accomplishment. Think about the things that you wish to achieve. Plan them out in small achievable steps and take action. As you progress, your self-esteem will follow. Include a mix of goals that are easy to achieve and goals that push you to stretch your abilities slightly. Challenging yourself achieves growth. Growth enacts change. Every major accomplishment is achieved through challenge. Play Games It really is that simple. I do not mean log in to your favorite first person shooter and spend five hours racking up headshots and kills. The games that help build self esteem are games that involve being active with people. Sports are a good example. Playing hide-and-seek with the kids is another example. You can go to the park and play Frisbee, go swimming, or just throw a ball. These activities do not have to be sporty in nature but being active, helps in other ways as well. Even playing cards or board games can help your interaction skills and give you a fun outlet while building self-esteem. Some Sports also teach competitiveness which also helps to teach us how to be confident. Physical Exercise You knew it was coming. There is no way around it. Physical exercise has so much to offer in terms of physical, emotional, social and mental health. Rigorous physical exercise is one of those things that just magically improves our lives in many unexpected ways. It is truly a gift. The problem of course is that is takes some discipline, time and significant effort to really see the bulk of the rewards. If you get in excellent physical shape, it WILL improve the way you feel about yourself. This is almost a guarantee. It will also release endorphins that trigger a deep feeling of contentedness. It burns off negative over-active mental energy. It shows progress over time, which produces evidence of success. People will notice, and you will notice their reactions. List Your Attributes Sit down and take some time to list all of your accomplishments and positive traits. It may be tough at first, especially if you are feeling particularly low. As you get rolling, you will find that ideas start to pour out. Often you can think of literally hundreds of positive things about yourself and great things that you have accomplished. Include everything that you feel good about regardless of how small you think it is. Look at the list often. There is no way that the person who did all those great things or has all those positive attributes can be all-bad. Every time you start to feel low, refer to this list. Teach Yourself Something It does not matter what it is. Just teach yourself something new from time to time. We build our knowledge and experience in life through learning new things. Personally, I enjoy home improvement. I will take time periodically to try to learn something new that I can apply to my home. For instance, replacing fixtures, remodeling projects or learning how to build a deck or storage shed are all things that I have taught myself over time. Perhaps you would like to build a blog or a website. Take steps, do your research and put things into action. Help Others When you actively help other people, you feel good about yourself. There are many ways to put this into action. You can simply ask friends if they need any help with anything around the house. You can volunteer at the local church, donate items, contribute to charities, or anything else that helps someone. These selfless acts do wonders to make us feel useful and needed. Do not be afraid that you are doing it for the wrong reasons. People need help. Providing it is a good thing regardless of the reason. There is nothing wrong with benefitting from your own good deeds. Treat Yourself Remember to take the time to treat yourself well. You need to be able to enjoy life or it is all for nothing. Do some things that you enjoy. Go to your favorite restaurant. Read your favorite book or go for a swim. It does not matter what you do but make sure that you are periodically doing something that you enjoy. Feeling good promotes feeling good and that is a fact that proves itself. I hope you find some of these activities useful. Remember that reading about building self-esteem alone is not likely to get you the results that you seek. You must be willing to take some action and get out there. Practice a few of these suggestions for a few weeks and ask yourself if they have had a positive impact on your life and the way you feel about it. If it works, keep it up. In case you are searching through the web for more info about the sphere of emotional freedom technique, then make sure to visit the site that is mentioned right in this line. |