Opportunity is all around you and it’s constantly knocking. If you don’t see or hear it, it’s because you’re not looking and listening. Trust me, it’s there. The first step in taking advantage of opportunity is recognizing it when it shows up. The next step is taking action with hard work. [Read more…] about Who Answers Your Door When Opportunity Knocks?
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There are a few things you can do daily to be happy almost every day. The first thing is to realize that being happy is a choice. Some people disagree. As a result they are a victim of their circumstance or the situation. If that were true, how do you explain why some people being happy under the same circumstances or similar situations? It’s because happy people recognize they can choose how they feel regardless of how life shows up. This truth was a game changer for me. Instead of arguing against it, I found it to be empowering.
The ability to choose how I feel meant I was no longer at the mercy of what people said or did, whether the stock market was up or down or if things went my way that day. Instead of outcomes determining how I felt, I could choose what emotion I wanted to experience. And since there is no greater one than being happy and unconditionally loving, I set out to learn how to manifest both in my life every day. Incidentally, choosing to be happy is an act of unconditional self-love.
Many years ago someone told me to keep a gratitude journal. They said, “By daily listing all the things you’re thankful for, you bring your focus to all the gifts in your life rather than what’s wrong or what’s missing.” They were right. We attract what we think about most. If you think about negative things and negative people, more negativity shows up in your life. However, if you embrace the beauty in the world the see the good in others, you attract these into your space. Since I began this practice, great things are happening in my life and I’m surrounded by amazing people.
Being happy takes commitment and practice. With the demands from work and family on your time, it can be challenging to work on yourself. And with distractions all around us, it’s easy to lose focus on the benefits of personal growth. Believe me, I get it. But if you want to be happy all the time or almost all of the time, it’s worth the investment to put in the work to make it a reality in your life. One of the keys to choosing being happy as the standard for your life is to put daily rituals in place. For example, my physical health and emotional state are super important to me. I know the best way to guarantee I work on both each day is to exercise every morning. Why the morning? Because, the chances of anything preventing me from working out in the morning are nil to none. Whereas, if I schedule a workout for lunch time or after work, a crowded gym, a meeting that runs long, a family commitment or rush hour traffic can throw a monkey wrench in those plans. With a morning workout, those things don’t get in the way. By starting my day off with a training session, I get stronger and give myself a boost of happiness that will last all day. The same is true of including an inspirational podcast or video in your morning. Before you read your emails or check Facebook, listen to Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra or Brian Johnson. These inspiring individuals will elevate your mood and make you mentally and emotionally stronger for the day ahead. They’ve made a huge difference in my life.
Lastly, you deserve to be happy. Understand that you are the only person who can create this for yourself. So please don’t blame anyone else if you are unhappy or depend on others for happiness. Wayne Dyer sums it up nicely. “The key difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people have an ability to really recall the good in their day, lives. Unsuccessful people focus/recall the not so good and are often depressed.” Choose to be happy.
Stronger Mindset!
Keith
This Independence Day I am taking a moment to express thanks for this wonderful country I live in. It’s is the land of the free. And because of the many sacrifices made by Americans past and present, I get to exercise free will everyday. Today I freely choose to be happy and healthy. From what I eat to how often and hard I exercise to the people I surround myself with, I choose my life. It’s all about being healthy and happy.
Our language, actions and attitude are a reflection of the choices we make. We are free to speak and act as we choose. I use to say things like, “I can’t eat that. I have to go workout in the morning. People can’t be counted on.” This thinking and the attitude that came with it made me a victim. Each time I said things like this, I felt unhappy or negative. This changed when I chose to exercise free will in the way I see things. I now say, “I choose to eat healthy because I like the way it makes me feel and look. I choose to workout early because it jumpstarts my day and increases my productivity. And I choose to have positive, loving people in my life because they make me happy.”
Sometimes life is unpredictable and uncomfortable. What makes it worth living is how I exercise my free will. I choose to use it to be healthy, happy and loving no matter how life shows up. If you want the same for yours, I encourage you to exercise your free will in a healthy and happy way too.
Stronger Mindset,
Keith
There is NO WAY I can workout this morning! I need more sleep. My body aches and needs to recover. I have a big presentation today and need the extra time to prepare. I didn’t get to bed until late, only slept a few hours and have a long day ahead. The list goes on, all trying to justify in my mind why I can’t workout this morning. For most people, this kind of chatter wins. And, to be honest, if not for my community it would have kept me in bed and out of the gym on many a day.
This is how the “monkey mind” works. Over the last year I have been working on a multitude of projects outside of my regular 8 to 5 job; marketing, newsletters, blogs, cooking videos, fitness certifications and giving limitless support to anyone within our community who wants it. I am also a student again always working on an assignment with a due date. Many nights I am working on my computer until late. When I finally get to bed, and the alarm goes off 4 to 5 hours later, the monkey mind begins right on cue. I think, “there is no way that I can do my normal workout. I should just go back to sleep. Yes, this would be good for my body.” Knowing that I have workout partners who are depending on me and knowing that they will miss me, my chatter eventually turns to, “Okay, I’ll just show up but I won’t workout.” As I’m driving to the gym my chatter turns to, “Well, I’ll start out and just see what I can do.” One hundred percent of the time I complete a full workout that meets with the standards that I expect from myself. And, this always surprises me, every time.
Here are five ways to shut down your monkey mind so you can stay true to your goals.
- Visualize. Picture yourself going through a strong workout and leaving the gym with a feeling accomplishment.
- Enjoy the present. Forget about the past and don’t try to predict the future. The future is the product of our present thinking and actions.
- Listen to that monkey. Is that really you or who you want be? Take control and quiet those thoughts that you know will not serve you well. I can remember saying to my friend, Keith, I don’t communicate well on the phone or I’m not a good reader. This was my monkey mind. Keith helped me to silence it by telling me that I will become what I say. Take a step outside of your mind and really listen to what you are saying. Only then can you recognize it and change it.
- Meditate. This is a hard one for me. How can one possibly quiet the mind when it so easily wanders from one thought to the next? I believe the secret is found in the power to concentrate and this takes practice. I will concentrate on my breath – slowly in and out. There should be no words, images or thoughts. This cleanses the mind and allows you to be more alert, focused and powerful. It takes practice.
- Commit. If I know I need to be at a workout, whether it is to support someone else or to stay committed to my own goals, I make it non-negotiable. In my mind it is not an option to miss. And, with the commitment, you can sometimes work it backwards. Since, I will be getting up at 3:15am to eat breakfast before a 4:15am workout, I better get to bed by 8:15pm so that I can get the 7 hours of sleep that I need for this workout.
Does any of this sound familiar? Do you have a monkey mind? Pick one way to shut it down from the above list and see how your mind quiets itself. You will have so much more mental alertness for things that really need it!
Amy
Courage is absolutely essential to living an extraordinary life. At 2BeRe-U, we define such a life as daily striving to be your personal best and loving and helping others be their best. The one thing that can interfere with this happening is fear. [Read more…] about Build Your Courage Muscle
I made a lot of progress on big projects the last few months. I can point to a few philosophies that are responsible for this. One is the tried and true “be consistent” approach. The other one is the newly embraced attitude, “Fail Fast and Fail Often”.
Whenever I made gains on goals in the past, it was by consistently working at it. No matter how uncomfortable, painful or frustrating it was, I kept at it. Even if I procrastinated getting started on it, I would get to it later that day and work on it. With “Fail Fast and Fail Often”, I understand that failure is a part of the process and that it should be embraced. It produces deep learning that often only comes from experience. And for the perfectionist in you, it moves you past the attitude that “everything has to be perfect” before you can get started or continue.
Here’s how to apply “Fail Fast and Fail Often” in your life:
1. Select a project, goal or skill you want to show significant progress on or exhibit mastery.
2. Define what progress and mastery mean for you. Set this as your end result.
3. Commit a certain amount of time per day to work on it. This brings in the consistency element. It’s key because you get better at your craft by working on it each day. You have to work on it over and over to improve to the highest level.
4. Outline what you need for your goal. If you don’t have all the tools, get started with what you have. For example, if you don’t have the latest software, use what you have. If you can’t go to school to learn the new skill, try to find it on the internet so you can get started now. YouTube is a great resource.
5. Start! Begin working on the goal and skill immediately.
6. “Fail Fast and Fail Often”. Know that you will make mistakes along the way. And that’s welcomed because it accelerates the learning process. Keep working on your goal and new skill often because repetition produces extraordinary progress.
7. Keep doing step 6 until you reach mastery.
I am currently applying the “Fail Fast and Fail Often” approach to video editing. I have never taken a course for this. All I have are online tutorial videos, my computer and video clips to produce the movie. Going in with the Fail Fast, Fail Often mindset makes the task of learning how to edit video at a high level achievable. Because failure is part of the journey and key to mastery, I look forward to working toward this goal.
I invite you to pick a goal or skill to master and apply this approach to everyday for the next two weeks. Commit 20 to 60 minutes to it. You will have more fun along the way and accomplish your objective faster.
Keith