Setting Goals

Setting Goals

Wonderful short video from Jim Rohn -

sharing about 

setting your goals, 

self esteem, self respect, 

giving to receive...

making a difference in the world

around you...

source

3 Money Habits Separating Rich From Poor

3 Money Habits 

That Separate the Rich From the Poor

It all starts with the same amount of money
Just a different philosophy

Here is an exciting thought! Why not work full time on your job and part time on your fortune? And what a feeling you'll have when you can honestly say, "I'm working to become wealthy. I'm not just working to pay my bills." When you have a wealth plan, you'll be so motivated that you'll have a hard time going to bed at night.

So if you will indulge me, I would like to share a simple formula for creating wealth. Here’s my thought on how money should be allocated.

The 70/30 Rule

After you pay your fair share of taxes, learn to live on 70 percent of your after-tax income. These are the necessities and luxuries you spend money on. Then, it’s important to look at how you allocate your remaining 30 percent. Let's allocate it in the following ways:

Charity

Of the 30 percent not spent, one-third should go to charity. Charity is the act of giving back to the community and helping those who need assistance. I believe that contributing 10 percent of your after-tax income is a good amount to strive for.

The act of giving should be taught early, when the amounts are small. It's pretty easy to take a dime out of a dollar. But it's considerably harder to give away a $100,000 out of $1 million. You say, "Oh, if I had $1 million, I'd have no trouble giving $100,000." I'm not so sure. $100,000 is a lot of money. Start early so you'll develop the habit before the big money comes your way.

Capital Investment

With the next 10 percent of your after-tax income, you're going to create wealth. This is money you'll use to buy, fix, manufacture or sell. The key is to engage in commerce, even if only on a part-time basis.

So how do you go about creating wealth? There are lots of ways. Let your imagination roam. Take a close look at those skills you developed at work or through your hobbies; you may be able to convert these into a profitable enterprise.

In addition, you can also learn to buy a product at wholesale and sell it for retail. Or you can purchase a piece of property and improve it. Use this 10 percent to purchase your equipment, products or equity—and get started. There is no telling what genius is inside you waiting to be awakened by the spark of opportunity.

Savings

The last 10 percent should be put in savings. I consider this to be one of the most exciting parts of your wealth plan because it can offer you peace of mind by preparing you for the “winters" of life. Let me give you the definition of "rich" and "poor”: Poor people spend their money and save what's left. Rich people save their money and spend what's left.

Twenty years ago, two people each earned a $1,000 a month and they each earned the same increases over the years. One had the philosophy of spending money and saving what's left; the other had the philosophy of saving first and spending what's left. Today, if you knew both, you'd call one poor and the other wealthy.

So, remember that giving, investing and saving, like any form of discipline, has a subtle effect. At the end of the day, the week, the month, the results are hardly noticeable. But let five years lapse and the differences become pronounced. At the end of 10 years, the differences are dramatic.

And it all starts with the same amount of money—just a different philosophy.

By Jim John: source

Proof The Law Of Attraction Is Working

Proof 

The Law Of Attraction 

Is Working

Are you one of those people who needs proof all the time? Are you one of those Law of Attraction students who catches yourself saying things like I wonder how this is going to come to me? 

Or What do I need to figure out so I know what to do next in order to manifest what I desire?

I get it. I've been there. In fact, and it may seem difficult to believe as I've been practicing this a while now... I STILL do it!

Here's the thing, your brain is wired to figure things out. To solve or anticipate problems. It's a natural function of your monkey brain. But, unfortunately, while this function may serve you well in your day-to-day life, it really serves you very little when it comes to being an effective manifestor.

And the solution is really very simple: 

Stop trying to figure out where/how/when your manifestation is going to come! It's not your job!

There's actually a great and very simple tool that will help all you predictability junkies out there and will serve to reduce your need to figure everything out on your own. And here's a little hint: 

Every time you use the words or phrases -

serendipity, coincidence, synchronicity, everything is falling into place, and out of the blue... 

you are actually gathering your own proof that... 

The Law of Attraction is working in your life!

Fact is, The Universe provides us with proof all the time. We just have to train ourselves to notice the signs. And one of the very best tools I've discovered for getting the proof you need is to begin recording personal evidence of every coincidence, serendipitous event.. or every out-of-the-blue experience that happens to you.

For skeptics and those who feel a constant need for proof or evidence that their desires are manifesting, this can easily become an indispensable exercise to add to their manifestation toolkit. Skepticism or doubt produces negative vibrations. More doubt attracts more negative vibration, and as we all know, The Law of Attraction is working in every moment to match our vibration and bring us more of the same, whether wanted or unwanted. Doubt slows down the speed of the delivery of our desires, which is why it is so important that we work to reduce doubt. The less the doubt or skepticism we have, the faster we manifest.

Observing serendipitous incidents in your daily life and chronicling them can do just that. Gathering proof replaces those negative vibrations with the positive vibrations of knowing that The Law of Attraction is indeed working for you.

If you struggle with doubt and skepticism and need constant proof to keep you on track and foster faith, then you need to start doing this today. Get yourself a journal and dedicate it to writing down every bit of evidence that you observe. By the time you have logged 7 or 8 personal experiences, you will be well on your way to knowing through evidence and proof, that The Law of Attraction is working in your life.

And remember, evidence doesn't always have to come in physical form. In fact, the first manifestations you will notice will be internal. So, even if you are just beginning to feel better in general, or have much less resistance around your desire, that is definitely proof that you're moving in the right direction, so write it down!

This exercise will definitely raise your vibration and move you up the emotional guidance scale - and the more often you do it, the easier it will become. So make sure you commit to it and practice it daily. 

It will also have the added benefit of causing you to give more attention to your desires, doing more allowing and speeding up the delivery of your manifestations.

By Tarkan Rosenberg: source

Create Your Vision Board Video!

Create Your Own 

Vision Board

I've talked about Vision Boards in earlier posts...

I wanted to share this information from Jack Canfield to help you 

visualise & attract your dream life

It's a great short video with 
simple ideas & tips to 
help you get started!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Spring Is the Season of Opportunity..

Don’t Waste It

Everyone has to get good at one of two things: 

planting in the spring  

or begging in the fall. 

I know the following things to be true: Life is about constant, predictable patterns of change. The only constant factor is our feelings and attitudes toward life. We have the power of attitude, and attitude determines choice, and choice determines results. You cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself.

I am convinced that, as human beings, it is our natural destiny to grow, to succeed, to prosper and to find happiness while we are here. That we must make a constant and conscious effort to improve ourselves in the face of changing circumstances.

Let’s talk about spring. 

Spring is the season of activity and opportunity that follows the turbulence of winter. 

It’s the season for entering the 

fertile fields of life with seed, 

knowledge, commitment and a determined effort.

However, the mere arrival of spring is no sign that things are going to look good in the fall. You must do something with the spring. Everyone has to get good at one of two things: planting in the spring or begging in the fall. Take advantage of the day and the opportunities that spring can bring.

 

Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you’ve signed up for a season, see it through. You don’t have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through.

It is the promise of spring that as we sow, so shall we also reap. For every disciplined human effort, we will receive a multiple reward. For each cup planted, a bushel reaped. For every good idea given to another, many shall be given to us in return. For every act of love given, a life of love in return.

Just remember, it is a natural characteristic of springtime to present itself ever so briefly, or to lull us into inactivity with its bounteous beauty. Do not pause too long to soak in the aroma of the blossoming flowers, lest you awaken to find springtime gone with your seed still in your sack.

With the intelligence, wisdom and freedom of choice given to us as humans, exercise the discipline to plant in spite of the rocks, weeds or other obstacles before you.

The rocks, weeds and thorns of the world cannot destroy all your seeds if you plant massively enough and intelligently enough.

Choose action, not rest. 

Choose truth, not fantasy. 

Choose a smile, not a frown. 

Choose love, not animosity. 

Choose the good in life in all things, and choose the opportunity as well as the chance to work when springtime smiles on your life.

Spring shows us that life is truly a constant beginning, a constant opportunity and a constant springtime. We need only to learn to look once again at life as we did as children, letting fascination and curiosity give us welcome cause to look for the miraculous hidden among the common.

Get busy quickly on your springs—your opportunities. There are just a handful of springs that have been handed to each of us. Life is brief, even at its longest. Whatever you are going to do with your life, get at it. Don’t just let the seasons pass by.

By Jim Rohn: source

Follow Your Curiosity

Why You Should Follow Your Curiosity

When considering a career and a lifestyle, people often offer the advice to follow your passion. It seems like solid advice, but what happens if you don’t know what your passion is? People ask me all the time how to find their passion, which is always a hard question for me to answer.

Until my conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert.

You might know her as the author of the New York Times best-selling book turned movie, Eat, Pray, Love. What you might not know is that her perspective on following your passion is much different than you may have ever heard.

Since she was 6 years old, Liz knew that she wanted to be a writer. She focused on who she wanted to be and never expected her book to take off the way it did. Her focus was never on how the audience would respond, but always being the best version of herself as a writer. With her success with Eat, Pray, Love, so many doors opened up for her and eventually led to her being invited by Oprah to be a speaker on her SuperSoul Sessions tour. It was during one of her talks that an audience member changed her perspective on passion.

As many creative individuals do, Liz also offered the advice of following your passion. She always said that you know what you’re passionate about when you would do anything to do that one thing. However, this audience member asked whether not knowing what one’s passion was made that person a failure.

It dawned on Liz at that moment that not everyone could say that they have always known what they wanted to do. So how do they find what their passion is? ...

...They follow their curiosity.

To Liz, there are two categories of people when it comes to this subject: jackhammers and hummingbirds.

 1. The jackhammers, which she identifies herself as, are the ones that have always known what they wanted to do; they’re loud and impulsive and determined. 

2. Then there are the hummingbirds. The hummingbirds exist to cross-pollinate, taking ideas from multiple places, and are responsible for keeping the culture open to new ideas.

A lot of times, society doesn’t give enough credit to the hummingbirds. These individuals often explore many different areas, whether it’s through careers or hobbies, in order to find what their passion is. 

Finding your passion isn’t about looking for a big sign to point you to it but being open to the invitation of creativity. 

As Liz points out, if you are truly following your curiosity, your eyes have to be on the ground looking for the next clue on your scavenger hunt.

I consider myself a humming-hammer. In my business, I am constantly testing new things, but when I do, I go all in. It aligns with how I always describe living my life like a sports season.

There are many things that I have been able to bring to my business as an athlete, and the mentality of living in seasons is a powerful one. There is the pre-season, the regular season, playoff season and post-season. The pre-season is when I research new ideas and see what is working in other businesses, which then of course flows into the regular season, when I am testing to see how everything is working. If everything is working according to plan, we make it to the playoffs, where the focus is on the championship (or in this case, creating the best product possible). During my post-season, I evaluate the season and from there determine whether I want to continue on the path I’m on or change the path.

It’s not always easy to cross into the unknown and try something new, but that’s what I love about Liz describing this as curiosity. 

Often times, whether in business or in life, fear holds us back from discovering what our purpose is. 

It can be disguised in anxiety, apathy or acidity, but if we give ourselves permission to explore our curiosity, it can lead us to finding our passions.

Lewis Howes: source

5 Minutes A Day For Brain Health

It Only Takes 5 Minutes a Day 

to Keep Your Brain Healthy

With so much to do in so little time, it’s hard, seeming next to impossible sometimes, to squeeze in some TLC. But, especially for the on-the-go types, creating Zen space is not only good for de-stressing, it’s also good for maintaining good brain health.

A recent study shows that starting from the mid- to late 20s, the brain begins to wither and starts losing some of its functionality. “The brain starts to get smaller from the mid-20s onward,” says Dr. Florian Kurth of UCLA’s Department of Neurology. “It’s probably not something that we notice for a long time. People start to notice this later in life when they start to forget things.”

Meditation changes the brain after eight weeks; a scan image showed increased thickening of four brain regions.

His team, headed by Dr. Eileen Luders, ran a test between 50 meditators against a control group of 50 non-meditators. The meditators beat out the non-meditators in keeping their brain mass, whereas the non-meditators showed less brain mass in the scanned images.

Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Dr. Sara Lazur and her team also did a longitudinal study on meditation. It showed that meditation changes the brain after eight weeks. A scan image showed increased thickening of four brain regions in the non-meditators after just eight weeks of participating in the meditation program.

A healthier brain is good reason to start a meditation practice if you haven’t begun already. 

So what first steps can you take?

1. Find a meditation style and make it a habit

“Meditation has been associated with improved cognitive abilities and reduced stress levels,” Kurth says. “While we may not immediately notice the long-term protective effects of meditation on normal brain atrophy, one may still get these quicker benefits from meditating.”

He suggests finding a style that works for you (whether that be something like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction [MBSR] or yoga) and keep up the practice rather than find a perfect style and not keep it up. Lazur mentions doing even a little every day is a good thing, and some studies suggest 5-10 minutes a day.

2. Schedule time for it

As busy as we are, who has time to meditate? Think of it like brushing your teeth—you take five minutes to brush every day so your teeth won’t decay. In the same way, think of it as a way to preserve your brain’s health. You can spare a few minutes either at your desk, in your car, on quick walk outside or sitting on a park bench. Think of spaces in your schedule where you can take a few minutes off.

3. Start with these simple exercises

Certified Yoga and Meditation Instructor Alexis Pierce suggests breath awareness helps focus the mind and concentration over time. “It's incredibly effective to gently bring the mind back to the breath and the body. It connects you to this moment, which allows you to release the stress and anxiety of the past and future. You may discover calmness, feelings of lightness and elation, and a quieter mind.

Ready to get started? These calm meditative techniques can be done in five minutes or less:

V-Shaped Breath Exercise

Close your eyes. Focus on the point between your eyes and imagine air coming in and out in the shape of a wide “V.” Bring it above the forehead, and as you’re inhaling the breath in, have it come wide across the forehead as a “V.” Then exhale it down across the forehead to that point between the eyes.

By starting and ending at this point between the eyes you’re activating the command center calming along the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making. You’re getting oxygen to that area and helping it feel calmer by focusing on the point between the eyes.

3-Part Breath

Close your eyes. Start inhaling deep in the belly, air rising to the chest then upper chest near your upper collar bone. Hold briefly, then exhale three counts out the upper chest, chest and belly.

Feel the air moving into the belly, chest and upper chest as you’re breathing in and out through the nose. Relax and feel all the movements. Do this for a few minutes, feeling the breath pass throughout the body, similar to an ocean wave moving then receding as the body softens. 

Lori Rochino: 

source

8 Good Reasons To Get Out Into The sun

8 Good Reasons To Get Out In 

The Sun

It could help you live longer, feel happier and even lose weight – so here's why you should go out and make the most of the sunshine. 

A word of warning before we begin, though: overexposure to the sun's UV rays is the main cause of skin cancer. When the sun is strong – or you're out in it for more than a few minutes – always use a sunscreen with at least SPF15 and four stars, and reapply regularly. 

1. You'll live longer

Yes, really. Well, that's according to a major new study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Researchers tracked 30,000 women over a 20-year period and found that those who actively spent the most time in the sun enjoyed a longer life expectancy than their shade-loving counterparts. Increased sun exposure was associated with a decrease in deaths from heart disease and cancer.

In fact, say the researchers, lack of sunshine could pose as much of a health risk as smoking. Lead author Dr Pelle Lindqvist comments: 'We found smokers in the highest sun exposure group were at a similar risk as non-smokers avoiding sun exposure, indicating avoidance of sun exposure to be a risk factor of the same magnitude as smoking.'

2. Sunshine will strengthen your bones

Our bodies create vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin. We get the majority of our vitamin D in this way – although research by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition suggests we're still not getting enough. This vital nutrient encourages the absorption of bone-building calcium and phosphorus. Without it, we're more prone to falls, breakages and muscle weakness. The good news? Just 10 minutes of sun exposure to your bare skin, once or twice a day, should suffice.

3. Sunshine will lower your blood pressure

Here's one of the reasons why sun exposure may help you live longer: it cuts risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing blood pressure, according to researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh. The reason? Sunlight alters levels of the small messenger molecule, nitric oxide, in the skin and blood; this in turn lowers blood vessel tone so regulates blood pressure.

4. Sunshine may help you lose weight

Moderate sun exposure may slow weight gain and so protect against obesity and diabetes, says a study at Edinburgh University. When overfed mice were exposed to UV light, they put on less weight and displayed fewer diabetes-related symptoms, such as abnormal glucose levels and insulin resistance. The effects were again linked to nitric oxide.

5. Sunshine will lift your mood

You don't need us to tell you that a sunny day can make you happier. One reason for this is that lack of sunlight leads to lower levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin. Other studies have shown a link between vitamin D and mood. In a small study at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, for example, students with depressive symptoms and low blood levels of vitamin D were encouraged to spend more time in the sun. After seven weeks, the group displayed significantly fewer symptoms – an effect the researchers put down to the vitamin D boost.

6. You'll feel more flirty in the sun

While we're on the topic of mood-lifting, you may be interested to learn that flirting is 'more likely to have a positive outcome' on sunny days, according to a French study published in the journal Social Influence.

7. Sunshine could boost your eyesight

Spend more time outdoors in the sunshine, and you'll give your eyes a workout by focusing on objects that are both near and close by, rather than sitting in front of a screen all day. But do protect your eyes from the UV light with a good pair of sunglasses: look for the British standard BSEN 1836:1997. Incidentally, it's worth encouraging your grandchildren to join you, too: scientists in Australia have found that exposure to sunlight can regulate the growth of the eyeball during childhood, so dramatically reduce risk of short-sightedness.

8. Sunshine may reduce dementia risk

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially increased risk of dementia in older people, according to an international study led by Dr David Llewellyn at the University of Exeter Medical School. Over-65s who were moderately deficient in vitamin D had a 53 per cent increased risk of developing the condition, while risk rose to 125 per cent in those who were severely deficient. Remember, getting out in the sunshine for just 15 minutes is enough to boost your vitamin D levels.

By Jane Murphy: source

Morning Motivation

Morning Motivation

What Successful People Do 

in the First 8 Minutes of Their Morning

The Art of Happiness

Cultivating the Art of Happiness

One of the most valuable things I’ve learnt in my life is that how I feel and behave is largely down to me. Generally speaking, no one can make anyone else feel or act in a particular way. Discovering the power of choice - knowing you can choose how to respond to situations rather than blindly reacting to them is hugely empowering and a fundamental step in taking responsibility for shaping your own life.

Personal choice extends to general well-being, and breakthroughs in neuroscience now suggest that just like everything else, happiness is a learnt ability and you can actually train yourself to feel happy. Broadly speaking, you can do this by choosing to regularly engage with activities and thoughts that make you feel better in yourself and about yourself rather than one’s that don’t.

Your body’s natural way of learning takes care of the rest, recording information in its dense network of neural pathways and cellular memory. When you have a new experience you literally grow the neural pathways and collect cellular memory to ‘do’ the experience. In effect, your subconscious mind (which incorporates the body and brain) creates a sort of inner map so you’ll recognise the experience again. Each time you revisit that experience the neural network and its map is automatically reinforced. It’s an accumulative process and the more you experience positive states, the greater your capacity and the more likely you are to continue to feel them.

Even better, neuroscience tells us the human body is literally saturated in receptor cells for endorphins and opiates, the mood enhancing ‘bliss’ hormones it produces which also act as natural pain suppressers. Apparently, it has more receptors to experience happiness than any other feeling, and all those receptors are just waiting to be switched on to flood you with feel-good sensations.

So isn’t it about time you took being happy seriously? 

It’s easy to get submerged by your own troubles and challenges and by world crises playing out around you. But in order to function effectively and live in a fulfilling and meaningful way, you need to be happy and feel good within yourself. And rather than leave it to chance, it’s within your power to cultivate your own happiness. 

Here are my suggestions to get you started:

• Notice what gives you inner happiness and do more of it!

• Take pleasure in the simple things life offers.

• Focus on positives rather than negatives, ie:  
- look at what you’ve got rather than what you haven’t  
- look at what can be done rather than what can’t  
- look at what you’ve achieved rather than what you haven’t

• Lower your expectations and recognise when your best is enough.

• Appreciate your daily achievements, no matter how small.

• Cultivate a kinder, less self-critical attitude towards yourself.

• Look to see the good in others.

• Practice small acts of kindness (it feels nice to give).

• Be thankful for all that’s positive in your life. Giving thanks to the universe, a higher force, nature (whatever fits for you) will connect you to the good things you already have but may take for granted.

• Respect and look after your physical needs, such as getting enough sleep, rest and having a healthy diet.

• Make time for having fun and play. The feel-good effects of endorphins can stay in the system for up to twelve hours.

• Meditate, practice yoga or use relaxation tapes. As well as calming you they will boost the production of endorphins.

• Exercise regularly – walking energetically whilst swinging your arms is an easy way of raising endorphin levels.

• Be spontaneous to get a shot of those endorphins!
And when you’re not feeling great, why not remind yourself that you have some choice in the matter, and let the words of the philosopher and author Albert Camus inspire you as they did me:

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." 

by Linda Hall 

Source

An Intentional Life

An Intentional Life

Many of us go through our days awake, but following patterns we’ve developed over the years. We are going through the motions, doing things at home, online, at work without much forethought.

Contrast this with the idea of an Intentional Life: everything you do is done with consciousness, fulfilling one of your core values (compassion, for example). Everything is done with a conscious intent.

It’s true that many things we do have some kind of intent — I’m washing the dishes because I don’t want a messy house or bugs in my kitchen; I’m driving to work because I need to make a living; I’m driving my kids to school because they need to learn. But after repeating these actions every day, the intent kind of fades into the background so that we are barely aware of them. We’ve figured out the intent long ago, and don’t need to think about them anymore.

What if that changed?

What if you were very aware of your intention for your actions? How would that transform the action, and your life?

What if you washed the dishes, but first said you are doing this as a service to your family, to make them happy, and as a form of meditation for yourself, to practice mindfulness? Doing the dishes would suddenly take on much more importance, and would cease to be boring.

The only difference is intention.

What if driving to work was done after mentally declaring an intention to help others at work, to make people happy, to find satisfaction through work? The drive might be much happier, and you might be less likely to get irate when someone inevitably cuts you off in traffic.

This is the Intentional Life

I practice it in bits and pieces — not all the time, but increasingly. 

When I do it, my life is different. 

More purposeful, more consciously lived, more content with any action.

A simple practice of intentionality: before you do the next action online or at work, pause a moment, close your eyes, and mentally say your intention. 

Why are you doing this? Is it out of compassion for others, or yourself? Is it to make someone happier? To improve the world? Out of gratitude for the work and kindness of others?

And then, as you do the action, be mindful of your intention.

This is a small step, but in those few moments...

...you will be living an Intentional Life

By: Leo Babauta: 

source