Believe

Most of the victories and defeats to challenges we face, are determined before we even make our attempts. Our own fears and doubts can be far more challenging than any outside force. If we let, self doubt or others tell us all the things we can not do, we will simply do nothing. The fact is, we can achieve far more than we can imagine, if we first allow ourselves to BELIEVE. Failure, is predetermined whenever we allow others, inabilities and doubts to become our own. You know your heart and soul like no other, do not let those who do not have your courage and strength distract you, from all you are destined to be. Believing in yourself is the first and most important victory for you to achieve.

Remember, that each of us is priceless and hold within our hearts and souls the ability and power to make life more beautiful for ourselves and others. Those that attempt to keep us from believing this, should be left with your smile as you pass them by.

~Dave

How to Receive Love

How to Receive Love

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished. — Og Mandino

When it is hard to receive love for fear of the consequence of letting down your defenses, it might be that you are hiding behind cynicism, pride, or trying to remain too emotionally strong, so that you don’t have to face the possible hurts that loving might bring or facing aspects about yourself that you don’t like. It is important to learn to receive love and to appreciate that you are loved too, so that your own sense of self can be whole. Here are some thoughts to help you learn to receive love and how to keep it.

Steps

1. Trust people when they tell you that they love you. Whether it be an intimate relationship, a friendship, or a family relationship, it is important to accept the declaration of love at face value. If you are pushing aside the gift of their love for you because you are afraid that they do not mean it, then you prevent them from having the chance to prove that they do. It also might push them away from you, so that if you change your mind it may be too late. Read more

How to stop taking things personally

How to Stop Taking Things Personally

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Does someone else’s bullying personality make you feel like you’re worthless? Do you mistake people’s antics for subtle insults? This article will highlight some ways in which you can remain unaffected by others’ opinion of you, whether it’s a weird look, a teasing remark, or direct criticism.

Steps

1. Give the benefit of the doubt. If you have a habit of taking things personally, it means that you’re apt to assume someone is directing some form of aggression towards you specifically, when they might be just joking around, or having a bad day. It might be your instinct to react, or curl up into a ball emotionally, but pause for a second. Maybe it’s not about you. Learn How to Gain Control of Your Emotions.
2. Refocus your attention. When you take things personally, you shift your attention from what they said or did to how you feel. Unless you move on from that point, it’s likely that you’ll ruminate, and the negative feeling will be amplified. Instead, focus again on the other person. Read more

The mirror

When you look in the mirror what do you see? Do you really see who you are? Can you see the beauty staring back at you?

When you look into a mirror, you will not see perfection, but you should always see beauty. If all you see looking back is a physical image, you have missed the beauty. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen was 5′5″ and 180lbs. She is active, stunning and happy. She carrys a light and a glow that can radiate pure joy and happiness. When you can do that, all people can see is your beauty.

Why do “Supermodels” have ex-partners? Why do the “beautiful” people get divorced, starve themselves and yet spend so much time searching for happiness and joy. The beauty image they seek is not what brings happiness. You can not use outward beauty to find joy and happiness for your soul. The beauty that brings that kind of pure joy and happiness radiates from within, the glow, the aura.

Next time you look in the mirror, let it be a window to all the joy and happiness that awaits you. When you see that, all those around you will see the radiating glow of your true beauty. Beauty can not be found in a dress size or big biceps.

~Peace

Self

An Angel once told me, that Self-Care and Selfish were not the same. I pondered this thought for a long time. I don”t mean I thought about it for hours or days, but actually weeks and months. I am sometimes more dense than I would like to believe. I finally understood one day what the Angel meant. Self-Care is the belief that each of us must be who we are and that we are deserving of all that we want and dream. Selfish, is the belief that who we are and what we want and dream is more important than those of someone else. I am not sure which is harder to believe, that it took so long to get that, or that I actually thought an Angel would be wrong.

Be true to yourself, you are worth it.

~Copyright 2009 DAR

Accepting compliments with grace

Many of us find it difficult to accept compliments but easy to believe the slightest criticism. Today, right now, let’s make a choice to fully accept compliments as we would a gift. Sincere compliments are gifts of praise. They are kudos given for wise choices or accomplishments or perhaps for just letting your light shine. There is no reason not to accept the gift of a kind word, but some of us argue against them, even giving reasons why they aren’t true.

If we visualize the energy of a compliment, we would see beautiful, shining, positive energy being sent from the giver. That energy, if accepted graciously, would brighten our personal energy field. Our gratitude then returns to the giver as warm, fuzzy, glowing energy, completing an even circuit of good feelings. But if we reject a compliment, what could have been a beautiful exchange becomes awkward and uncomfortable, making it a negative experience instead. Misplaced modesty can ruin the joy of sharing this connection with another person. But we can accept a compliment and still be modest by simply saying “thank you.” Read more

Love yourself and create a loving Universe

Love yourself and create a loving Universe before you can truly engage in loving relationships with other people and the world around you, you must first do one simple thing: love yourself.  Loving yourself may actually be a challenge for a lot of people.  We often lack self esteem, criticize ourselves, blame ourselves, worry, don’t give ourselves enough credit, don’t trust ourselves, and generally do not feel worthy of love.   When we feel this way, this is what the Universe the delivers to us.  Getting stuck in a downward spiral of feeling bad about ourselves is very harmful to us.  It inhibits our ability to grow, explore, follow a passion, and live a full life!  What we need to focus on instead is the abundance of love that the Universe provides.
Changing your mindset to a kind, loving one is going to take work every day.  The good news is that each time we practice loving ourselves we are actually changing our brains and biochemistry on a  cellular level and making the next loving thought easier to come by!

Each individual brings unique talents and gifts to the Universe. Write down all of your own special qualities and characteristics that make you who you are.  Realize that everyone has made mistakes in their lives and that’s OK.  Forgive yourself and give yourself credit for all the good things you have done in your life instead of focusing on the bumps in the road that we all face.  When you review the list of your special traits be sure to make an effort to feel gratitude for each of your own distinctive qualities.  Expressing this gratitude can lead to an elevated feeling of self confidence and a “can do” attitude that will allow you to get out and use your talents to follow your dreams.  Practice telling yourself you are worthy of having lofty dreams and making them come true!  If this is the energy vibe you are sending out then you are telling the Universe to deliver it back to you.

When worry or doubt creep into your mind, acknowledge the feeling then let it go.  Holding onto worry is useless.  Focusing instead on the desired result is effective.  Each time you appreciate your uniqueness you are sending your body and the Universe loving, positive energy. It starts with a conscious effort on your part.  You have to decide to love yourself and start generating positive vibes throughout your own body and the Universe.  Once you’ve made the choice and you start this practice each and every day, it will become a habit, it will become part of you, and the Universe you create for yourself.  A positive, loving Universe starts within you.  It starts with you loving yourself first.  Start loving yourself today and create a more loving world for all.

~Claire Affleck
Claire Affleck Training website
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Disappointment, motivation and self-esteem

Dr. Rob Kiltz shares thoughts on disappointment, motivation and self-esteem in the audio recording below.

Audio Transcription:
Hi, good morning this is Dr. Rob, just sharing some thought about disappointment, motivation, and self-esteem. Many of us have been living in the past and blaming our parents, teachers, and others for putting us down and not being self motivated. We have to remember that the past is the past. We are now living in the present and we do not want to dwell on the negative of the past because they are our negatives, no one else’s. These negatives are only going to hold us back and hold us down. What we want to do is create the model for the present, for building our inner awareness of the beauty of life and our own self-esteem and motivation to move forward and achieve those goals that we have created for ourselves from this life. I believe saying “You are amazing and wonderful and can do anything” right in front of the mirror each day is one of the most powerful things you can do. Remember to share that with everyone else. When you share that with yourself first and then everyone else, it builds the molecules in the brain, it bathes every cell in the body that gives us the power to be anyone and anything. This life force that keeps us moving is our gift. Take the gift and add the ingredients that make it most awesome and amazing; the power of thought. Positive thought is the key to life. Share those words, “You are awesome and amazing and I love you” with everyone else and take nothing personally. I always go back to Don Miguel’s Four Agreements; take nothing personally, always do your best, be impeccable with your word, and make no assumptions. It is our assumptions in life that usually put us right in front of that road block. Recognize that many things are simply bumps in the road, opportunities to learn to grow and improve in this life. Remember waking up in the morning, first thing, focus on a positive breath, a positive thought, that mantra. Remember that twelve minute meditation each and every day.

You are born worthy

Though much of who and what we are changes as we journey through life, our inherent worth remains constant. While the term self-worth is often used interchangeably with self-esteem, the two qualities are inherently different. Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself at a given moment in time. Your worth, however, is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks, your good works, or how much you have accomplished. Rather it is immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief. Your worth cannot be taken from you or damaged by life’s rigors, yet it can easily be forgotten or even actively ignored. By regularly acknowledging your self-worth, you can ensure that you never forget what an important, beloved, and special part of the universe you are. Read more

Intelligence speaks for itself

The fear of appearing dumb:
The universal need to be accepted by others can be a barrier that prevents us from being ourselves around them. When we fear that the people we encounter will perceive us as inept or unintelligent, we frequently try to flaunt our grasp of large words or clever witticisms or our professional expertise in an effort to convince them that we are smart and capable. The reasons for feeling this way can be many, and they can often stem from as far back as your childhood. Many women in particular have the fear that they may appear not smart. Yet overcompensating for this fear can have the opposite effect if others are driven away by what they see as an immodest attitude or sense that you are urgently trying to prove yourself. The simple desire to be judged smart by both new and old acquaintances can cause you to reject your true self and adopt an affected persona. But in trying so persistently to project an image of supreme intelligence or capability, you deny others the opportunity to become acquainted with the real and terrific individual you truly are. Read more