If you focus on something, it becomes your reality. If you focus on how much debt you have, you will accumulate more debt. You create more of what you focus on.
In order to turn your life around, you need to focus on the positive aspects of your life. Acknowledging and recognising your positive past, successes, and your current progress can make a huge difference in achieving you goals.
Here's what you can do to acknowledge your successes. Divide your life into 3 phases. For example, if you're 30 years old, the first phase of your life is between the age of 0 - 10, the second phase is between the age of 11 - 20, and the most recent phase is between the age of 21 to the present.
For each phase, list 3 successes that you had. It needn't be something big like winning a Nobel prize. It could be something as simple as tying your shoe laces on your own for the first time, or learning to ride the bicycle, or getting your driving licence.
After you've done that, make a list of 100 successes that you've had. Yes, one hundred - 100. Why? Because when you start keeping score of your successes, it keeps you motivated to work towards your goal.
Remind yourself of your successes by placing visual reminders in your environment - trophies, awards, pictures, and any objects that can remind you of the successes.
Do this simple exercise and it will serve as a motivation to propel you towards more successes.
Keep score of all aspects of your life - financial, career/business, free time, health, relationships, personal and community/contribution.
In case you're wondering, I have 25 on my list. And I know I will have many more. :-)
Tuesday 27 November 2007
Saturday 17 November 2007
That's all I need to change my life?
I can almost hear the skeptics among you say, "Yeah, right. All I have to do is write down my goals and think positive thoughts and my life will become perfect. Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Of course not. It takes more than that to change your life. Of course you have to work towards your goal. I'm not a fairy godmother with a magic wand, you know. ;-)
Let's say your goal is to lose 15 kg and maintain your ideal weight. Obviously you have to start exercising. If you haven't done any exercise at all in the past 10 years, don't suddenly decide you want to jog 10 km a day. I promise you that you won't make it past the first week.
Think about what you would enjoy doing. Do you enjoy swimming? Do you like taking walks? Think of an activity you enjoy doing and start doing that as an exercise. Exercise 3 times a week. Block 40 minutes in your calender 3 times a week for exercising.
If your office is on the 10th floor, take the lift to the 7th floor and then walk up the stairs to your office.
Change the way you eat. May be you need to cut down on the chocolate and ice creams. Reduce your ice cream intake to only twice a month, say only on the second and fourth Friday of the month.
May be you need to eat more vegetables and fruits. Start stocking your fridge with fruits you like.
If your goal is to get promoted in the next 12 months, go talk to your boss and finds out what you need to do to qualify for that post. How many more customers do you need to bring in? How many projects do you need to complete? Once you know what's required, sit down and break it down into a few milestones and work on a schedule to achieve them.
And then, decide on 3 things you have to do each day to bring you closer to that goal. Make sure you do that 3 things everyday without fail.
No, I haven't forgotten the challenge I promised in my last posting. Here it is.... (drum roll). By now you know how to write specific, measurable goals. Now write a list of 101 goals you want to achieve before you die. It could be things you want to do, places you want to go, charities you want to support, etc. Make a list of 101 things you want to do before you die.
I have 18 on my list. 83 more to go. :-)
Of course not. It takes more than that to change your life. Of course you have to work towards your goal. I'm not a fairy godmother with a magic wand, you know. ;-)
Let's say your goal is to lose 15 kg and maintain your ideal weight. Obviously you have to start exercising. If you haven't done any exercise at all in the past 10 years, don't suddenly decide you want to jog 10 km a day. I promise you that you won't make it past the first week.
Think about what you would enjoy doing. Do you enjoy swimming? Do you like taking walks? Think of an activity you enjoy doing and start doing that as an exercise. Exercise 3 times a week. Block 40 minutes in your calender 3 times a week for exercising.
If your office is on the 10th floor, take the lift to the 7th floor and then walk up the stairs to your office.
Change the way you eat. May be you need to cut down on the chocolate and ice creams. Reduce your ice cream intake to only twice a month, say only on the second and fourth Friday of the month.
May be you need to eat more vegetables and fruits. Start stocking your fridge with fruits you like.
If your goal is to get promoted in the next 12 months, go talk to your boss and finds out what you need to do to qualify for that post. How many more customers do you need to bring in? How many projects do you need to complete? Once you know what's required, sit down and break it down into a few milestones and work on a schedule to achieve them.
And then, decide on 3 things you have to do each day to bring you closer to that goal. Make sure you do that 3 things everyday without fail.
No, I haven't forgotten the challenge I promised in my last posting. Here it is.... (drum roll). By now you know how to write specific, measurable goals. Now write a list of 101 goals you want to achieve before you die. It could be things you want to do, places you want to go, charities you want to support, etc. Make a list of 101 things you want to do before you die.
I have 18 on my list. 83 more to go. :-)
Friday 9 November 2007
Beware of Your Thoughts
"A man is literally what he thinks."
-James Allen
"You are today where your thoughts have
brought you; you will be tomorrow where
your toughts take you."
-James Allen
We are what we think. Most of us are not aware of the power of our thoughts on our lives. Let me give an example that I think many can identify with. How familiar are you with the phrase "Money don't grow on trees!"? Hmmm.....
I dare say most people grow up believing that making money is hard work. You have to work hard to earn it.... because money don't grow on trees. You believe so because that is what you see around you - people working hard for money. If you want to earn more, you have to work harder and longer hours. What you see affirms your belief that making money involves hard work.
You believe that making money is hard work, therefore, it becomes hard. If you're like me, you came from that same background. So if one of your goals is to related to making more money here's a positive affirmation for you to try. Everyday, repeat this to yourself: "Making money is easy. Money comes to me easily and frequently in large sums."
The first step towards getting what you want is deciding what you want. The second step is to write specific, measurable goals that you want to achieve. The third step is replacing your negative thoughts with positive thoughts - let's call it positive affirmation. I just gave you one about money. Let's see if we can try write another one.
Are you a parent with teenage children? A handful, aren't they? I know I gave my parents a hard time at that age. If you feel like you have an impossible time communicating with them, try this affirmation: "My son/daughter and I have a wonderful relationship based on love and mutual trust and understanding. We can talk about anything and resolve any issues amicably and find a solution that is satisfactory to both."
If you're a teenager with unreasonable parents who don't understand you, modify that affirmation a bit ;-).
I hope you get an idea what positive affimation is about. One thing you must remember is it is about you. It's not about changing another person.
Now sit and write down a list of negative thoughts you have. After you've done that, write positive affirmations to replace the negative ones. Repeat the positive affirmations at least twice a day.
Next, I have a challenge for you. :-)
-James Allen
"You are today where your thoughts have
brought you; you will be tomorrow where
your toughts take you."
-James Allen
We are what we think. Most of us are not aware of the power of our thoughts on our lives. Let me give an example that I think many can identify with. How familiar are you with the phrase "Money don't grow on trees!"? Hmmm.....
I dare say most people grow up believing that making money is hard work. You have to work hard to earn it.... because money don't grow on trees. You believe so because that is what you see around you - people working hard for money. If you want to earn more, you have to work harder and longer hours. What you see affirms your belief that making money involves hard work.
You believe that making money is hard work, therefore, it becomes hard. If you're like me, you came from that same background. So if one of your goals is to related to making more money here's a positive affirmation for you to try. Everyday, repeat this to yourself: "Making money is easy. Money comes to me easily and frequently in large sums."
The first step towards getting what you want is deciding what you want. The second step is to write specific, measurable goals that you want to achieve. The third step is replacing your negative thoughts with positive thoughts - let's call it positive affirmation. I just gave you one about money. Let's see if we can try write another one.
Are you a parent with teenage children? A handful, aren't they? I know I gave my parents a hard time at that age. If you feel like you have an impossible time communicating with them, try this affirmation: "My son/daughter and I have a wonderful relationship based on love and mutual trust and understanding. We can talk about anything and resolve any issues amicably and find a solution that is satisfactory to both."
If you're a teenager with unreasonable parents who don't understand you, modify that affirmation a bit ;-).
I hope you get an idea what positive affimation is about. One thing you must remember is it is about you. It's not about changing another person.
Now sit and write down a list of negative thoughts you have. After you've done that, write positive affirmations to replace the negative ones. Repeat the positive affirmations at least twice a day.
Next, I have a challenge for you. :-)
Friday 2 November 2007
What would you like to have in life?
What would you like to have in life? We are often vague about what we want. For example, we might say, "I would like to have more money". Sure we want to have more money, but what is more money? How much is more money? Can you visualize how "more money" look like?
You should be specific about what you want. Instead of saying "I'd like to have more money", be specific about how much money you want, for example, "I want to make $5000 a month". It's much clearer. You can easily imagine $5000 deposited into your account every month. You can now improve it by specifying when you want that money. Add a date and time, so now write down "I want to make $5000 a month by 12.00 pm 30 June 2008." That's very specific. Now you can visualize that much money deposited into your account every month.
Use the same approach for whatever you want in your life. If there is a dream house you've been eying for ages, write down, "I will buy and move in the house at 123 Elm Street by 5.00 pm on 31 December 2008."
If you're overweight and would like to lose weight, find out what is your ideal weight and write down "I will weigh 55 kg by 5.00 pm on 12 February, 2008."
If you're waiting for your soul mate to walk into your life, you may want to write a statement like this: "My soul mate is out there and is finding his/her way to me. We will meet by 6.00 pm 30 May 2008."
If it's a promotion you want, your goal might be something like this: "I will be promoted to the post of Art Director by 4.00 p.m. on 30 April, 2008."
All you need to do is decide what you want, set a measurable target and when you want to have it. Remember to allow a reasonable time for what you desire to manifest. If you're 15 kg overweight, there's no way you can lose 15 kg healthily in one week. So be reasonable and set realistic goals to acquire what you want.
If what you want does not happen by the deadline, don't be discouraged. It doesn't mean it won't happen. It simply means that more time is needed. Why? May be you're not ready to receive it, or may be the time is not right, or may be something better is in store for your. If it doesn't happen by the target date, simply give it more time and choose another date, perhaps a few months later.
Write all your goals on a small card that you can easily carry with you. Put it on your desk, in your purse, on the night stand next to you. Read it out loud to yourself at least twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.
When doing this exercise, it's important to cast away any doubts. If you say to yourself "I will weigh 55 kg by 5.00 pm on 12 February, 2008" and then think, "Who am I kidding? I'll never lose that much weight". Your negative thought will sabotage your efforts to lose weight. Believe with all your heart that you will have what you want and that you deserve to have it. Don't let negative thoughts sabotage you.
You should be specific about what you want. Instead of saying "I'd like to have more money", be specific about how much money you want, for example, "I want to make $5000 a month". It's much clearer. You can easily imagine $5000 deposited into your account every month. You can now improve it by specifying when you want that money. Add a date and time, so now write down "I want to make $5000 a month by 12.00 pm 30 June 2008." That's very specific. Now you can visualize that much money deposited into your account every month.
Use the same approach for whatever you want in your life. If there is a dream house you've been eying for ages, write down, "I will buy and move in the house at 123 Elm Street by 5.00 pm on 31 December 2008."
If you're overweight and would like to lose weight, find out what is your ideal weight and write down "I will weigh 55 kg by 5.00 pm on 12 February, 2008."
If you're waiting for your soul mate to walk into your life, you may want to write a statement like this: "My soul mate is out there and is finding his/her way to me. We will meet by 6.00 pm 30 May 2008."
If it's a promotion you want, your goal might be something like this: "I will be promoted to the post of Art Director by 4.00 p.m. on 30 April, 2008."
All you need to do is decide what you want, set a measurable target and when you want to have it. Remember to allow a reasonable time for what you desire to manifest. If you're 15 kg overweight, there's no way you can lose 15 kg healthily in one week. So be reasonable and set realistic goals to acquire what you want.
If what you want does not happen by the deadline, don't be discouraged. It doesn't mean it won't happen. It simply means that more time is needed. Why? May be you're not ready to receive it, or may be the time is not right, or may be something better is in store for your. If it doesn't happen by the target date, simply give it more time and choose another date, perhaps a few months later.
Write all your goals on a small card that you can easily carry with you. Put it on your desk, in your purse, on the night stand next to you. Read it out loud to yourself at least twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.
When doing this exercise, it's important to cast away any doubts. If you say to yourself "I will weigh 55 kg by 5.00 pm on 12 February, 2008" and then think, "Who am I kidding? I'll never lose that much weight". Your negative thought will sabotage your efforts to lose weight. Believe with all your heart that you will have what you want and that you deserve to have it. Don't let negative thoughts sabotage you.
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