Motivation and Inspiration

Understanding Why People Life Are Successful

2010-05-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed."
*-- Corita Kent (1918 - 1986)

"The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good."
*-- Ann Landers

"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't."
*-- Richard Bach

People who are successful usually have common qualities that are attributed to their successful life. If you wish be one of those, you need to build on these strong point as well.

Goal or Vision

The 'guiding light' with in us. Vision or goal is our ability to imaginatively see our life plans in a way that is clear and comprehensively understood in our minds eye. One of the worlds greatest masters of vision is Muhammad Ali, his VISIONS OF VICTORY where so well formed that he could describe vividly round-by-round analysis of his fights months before they occurred, often stating in what round and how he would win. Theses publically promoted visions also became etched in the minds of his opponents, who subconsciously shared Alis vision which contributed to their own downfall.

Strong Desire

The degree of passion or want to fulfill your visions, goals and successful lifestyle. Many great successful men have described their desire as a' burning' or 'pulsating' urge or an 'overriding hunger'. There are 6 steps that turn desire into success.

Having Faith

To become truly successful you have to posses a solid belief in yourself and your mastermind group. Faith has to be particularly strong as it is often the case that successful people are often ridiculed because their vision is not yet understood by others.

Have a Plan

Planning is vitally important in achieving whatever success you want to achieve. Effective planning involves definiteness of purpose, focus and attention to detail of short, medium and long term goals of your overall vision.

Persist Till The End

The ability to chase your dreams in the face of adversity when others would give up. A man who had incredible persistence was Thomas Edison, Edison conducted over 5000 experiments to get electricity to produce light. He kept going when others told him to stop saying that with every failure he was one step closer to success.

Learning From Failures

Many success stories are born from the ability to review mistakes, no matter how unpleasant they may be.
"A wise man learns from his mistakes, An even wiser man learns from others.''

Pursue Knowledge

It is important to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge in the field you wish to pursue.

Be Positive

A realistic, positive attitude is enthusiastic, optimistic, up beat and can-do and open to every opportunity for getting the best out of every situation. Be careful not to wander into the territory of rose tinted glasses, maintain an accurate assessment of events with a focus on maximising opportunities.

Infinite Intelligent

This is the ability to 'sense' or 'feel' accurately the possibilities or probabilities for accomplishing a goal in all situations. This can occur in sudden flash moments of insight like the 'Eureka moment' or it can be a sudden deep down realisation that something will succeed.

Like Minded Group

A mastermind group is a group of individuals who make up your immediate personal and professional 'circle of advisors and influencers' who assist in the achievement of visions and goals.

Feel The Fear But Still Do It

It is often assumed that successful people have less fear than most people. In fact the opposite is true. The strength of successful people is in their ability to face fear, as a result they actively step out from their comfort zones to seek fear and tackle it square on, its the thrill of the unknown and overcoming it.

Love What You Do

This is expressed as a life consuming passion and enthusiasm, not only for the particular vision but its wider implications.

May you lead a successful life.

Achieve Your Dreams: Six Steps to Accomplish Your Goals and Resolutions

2009-07-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Don't let your goals and resolutions fall by the wayside. Chances are that to achieve your dreams and live a life you love, those goals and resolutions are crucial. Goal setting and goal achievement are easier if you follow these six steps for effective and successful goal setting and resolution accomplishment.

You need to deeply desire the goal or resolution. Napoleon Hill, in his landmark book, Think and Grow Rich, had it right. "The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat." So, your first step in goal setting and achieving your dreams is that you've got to really, really want to achieve the goal.

Visualize yourself achieving the goal. Lee Iacocca said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." What will your achievement feel like? How will your life unfold differently as a result? If the goal is a thing, some gurus of goal setting recommend that you keep a picture of the item where you see and are reminded of it every day. If you can’t picture yourself achieving the goal, chances are – you won’t.

Make a plan for the path you need to follow to accomplish the goal. Create action steps to follow. Identify a critical path. The critical path defines the key accomplish-ments along the way, the most important steps that must happen for the goal to become a reality. Stephen Covey said, "All things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation of all things. You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you've thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. Each day you go to the construction shed and pull out the blueprint to get marching orders for the day. You begin with the end in mind." He's right.

Commit to achieving the goal by writing down the goal. Lee Iacocca said, "The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen." I agree completely. Write down the plan, the action steps and the critical path. Somehow, writing down the goal, the plan and a timeline sets events in motion that may not have happened otherwise. In my own life, it is as if I am making a deeper commitment to goal accomplishment. I can’t fool myself later. The written objective really was the goal.

Establish times for checking your progress in your calendar system, whatever it is: a day planner, a PDA, a PDA phone or a hand written list. If you’re not making progress or feel stymied, don't let your optimism keep you from accomplishing your goals. No matter how positively you are thinking, you need to assess your lack of progress. Adopt a pessimist’s viewpoint; something will and probably is, going to go wrong. Take a look at all of the factors that are keeping you from accomplishing your goal and develop a plan to overcome them. Add these plan steps to your calendar system as part of your goal achievement plan.

Review your overall progress regularly. Make sure you are making progress. If you are not making progress, hire a coach, tap into the support of loved ones, analyze why the goal is not being met. Don’t allow the goal to just fade away. Figure out what you need to do to accomplish it. Check the prior five steps starting with an assessment of how deeply you actually want to achieve the goal.

This six step goal setting and achieving system seems simple, but it is the most powerful system you will ever find for achieving your goals and living your resolutions. You just need to do it. Best wishes and good luck.

How to Use Desire to Achieve Your Goals

2009-07-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

Look up the word 'desire' in the dictionary and you will see it defined as the "conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment". Desire is a longing, a craving, and an intense hunger for something that you want to achieve.

You might have heard of success stories in the past about how a group of teenagers who fiddled with their laptop computers in a garage managed to build a multi-million dollar company. Or the classic tale about how a regular employee managed to climb his way to the top and became a successful CEO of a top-notch establishment.

Such success stories, and more, can be attributed to a burning desire to achieve more than what you currently have and climb your way to the top. Simply wishing or dreaming about success and riches is not enough. You need to have a burning, intense desire and you should focus your energies towards achieving your goal.

If, for example, you have a nine-to-five desk job and you often see your boss with his expensive car and his humongous paycheck, you think, "I could be in his position."

Merely thinking about the possibility of you replacing your boss, or getting into the same level that he is currently in is not enough. Wishes and daydreams are fine for the young ones. You, on the other hand, need to have this intense desire to be in the same position.

The word 'obsession' may sound a bit extreme but this is exactly what you need in order to channel your desire and obsession into something positive by coming up with ways on how to hit your target.

You need to focus all your energies, make a plan and work your way towards achieving the goal and the riches that you want. A burning desire is the first step - turn this into the starting point on working your way towards riches.

To have a deeper understanding of how you can use your desire to achieve success and riches, take a look at the following steps:

Set a 'definite' goal for yourself.

Again, it is good to point out that merely wishing is not enough. In the case of a regular employee who wants to reach the status of his boss, he needs to think, "Do I want to replace him in that position, should I aim to be a partner or somebody of a higher stature?"

Think about what can you give or sacrifice in order to achieve the riches that you desire.

If you need to sacrifice your leisure time to be able to achieve your goal, do so. Nothing will be accomplished without sacrificing something in return.

Set a deadline for yourself.

Procrastination will get you nowhere, so once you have that mindset to accomplish your goal, challenge yourself to reach the 'finish line' the soonest time possible.

Make a plan on how you intend to achieve your goals.

Write it down: how much you want to achieve, the time that you want the goal completed and make a plan on how you can acquire your riches.

Read the statement to yourself to help you realize your goals.

By going through your own set of goals, deadline, and steps on how to achieve your riches, you will start having this clear picture in your mind of you finally realizing your dream which is the fruit of your desire.

In this life, nothing is impossible. Death can be cheated if you have a strong desire to live. Illness and abnormalities can be overcome if you have a burning desire to lead a normal life, just like everybody else. No matter how many times you fall or fail, you just need to rise, try again and work your way back to achieving riches, as well as your goals.

Adversity and failure can be overcome if you will yourself to have a strong desire to succeed. This is how you can use a strong desire to overcome what at first seemed impossible - but can actually be realized if you just want it bad enough that you can taste success - and then work your way towards achieving your target.

3 Keys to Success - You Have to READ

2009-07-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to succeed in something in life. That much is a given. But what drives people that seem to succeed in many different areas of their life. What separates them from the rest of the population?

Here are 3 keys to help you to achieve success in ANYTHING that you do:

1. Have a passionate desire. You have to be passionate about the things that you want to achieve and accomplish in your life. They cannot be things that you would like to do. They have to be things that you want to do so badly, that you will overcome any obstacle that gets in your way. Passion will allow you to do this.

2. Be creative. One of the many things that seems to block people from achieving their dreams or their desires is that they never stop to figure out a creative way to go about their goals and their dreams. Creativity will help you to find another road to your goals when one seems to come to an end.

3. Stay positive. No matter what happens, take the approach that you will stay positive. This will keep you in a peak state of mind. And a peak state of mind will produce results. A mind that is clouded with doubt and confusion has a hard time seeing the answers even when they are apparent.

These three basic tips will help you to achieve success in almost anything that you want to do. You must know that you really can achieve just about anything that you want.

How to Make Your Dreams Come True - 6 Ways to Make Your Dreams Into Reality

2009-07-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Whether you are dreaming about writing a book, or traveling to Africa, or dreaming about something for the community - I am sure you enjoy thinking about it. We all enjoy thinking about our aspirations and desires, and of course, we all have the desire as well that someday, we are able to make our dreams into reality.

If you are interested on how to make your dreams come true, here are some simple things that might bring wonders in your life.

* Dream Big. Dreaming is free so set your mind thinking about the biggest dream you would ever want. Even small dreams that matter most to you would be something that is already big.

* Believe in your dreams. Achievers are believers and if you believe that you can realize your dreams, you will have the power to work on your goals and dreams. Believe in yourself. Eliminate self-doubt by overcoming your weaknesses, learning from your mistakes and being thankful about whatever you already have.

* Think Positive. Sometimes our minds are just so full of negative thoughts that we often think about dreams being just our dreams and we tend to believe in them only if there are signs that they are likely to happen. Instead of thinking about doubts and uncertainties, set your mind free and think not of the impossibility of a thing. Think about dreams being achievable.

* Enjoy your dream. To help you get started on achieving your dreams, picture yourself that you already reached your dreams, and enjoy and savor the feeling of being there. If you dream of going to Africa, think about being in the safari and actually seeing the animals and feeling the hot, humid climate on your skin. This will help you get motivated as the excitement and energy builds up in your subconscious.

* Take action. One important factor in knowing how to make your dreams come true is of course working on it. Take advantage of opportunities that come your way. It would be helpful if you make a list of the dreams you have and prioritize them according to whether they can be realized short term or long term. When you see that you are actually making each dream come true, you will also realize that dreams are not impossible. As you work towards turning your dreams into reality, never lose focus of what you want.

* Be persistent. One failure is not the end of it all. Never give up that easy on your dreams. You will never know how close you are in making your dreams come true if you give up on it so easily.

Whatever it is that you dreamed of, may it be big or small, if you believe in it and work hard to realize it, and you open up yourself to the wonders that the universe can give you, you will realize then that you actually have the power on how to make your dreams come true.

In the end, it is actually your choice to make your dreams come true. It is in your hands to make these dreams a reality.

5 Easy Ways to Shake Off a Bad Mood

2009-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Everyone gets into a big ol’ bad mood sometimes. I’m talking about the kind of mood that throws a spanner in the works, has you fuming at every little thing and threatens to ruin a perfectly good day.

Sometimes these moods happen just when you don’t want them to and they can get in the way of doing what you want to do in the way that you want to do it. Here’s how to shake them off quickly so that you can get back your life.

1. Leave the room

Get a change of scene. Right now. Bad moods can be triggered by all kinds of things and often it’s something around you that ticked you off, and if you stay in the same environment it’ll continue to nag at you and play on your mind. Go to a new environment, surround yourself with different things, different people and different sensations and it’s easier for you to leave your bad mood behind you.

2. Give yourself a treat

When you’re in a bad mood it’s easy to look for things to fuel that bad mood or reinforce it. Why? Because you want to feel like your bad mood is valid, so you look for things to validate it and make it right.

Break that habit by doing the opposite, no matter how strange it might feel. Watch a funny movie, play your favourite song, go for a walk in your local park, grab a coffee and a slice of pie in that great coffee shop. Do something that feels good and puts a smile on your face, and your bad mood will be history.

3. Have a BMW

When I’m in a coaching session with someone it’s pretty obvious if they’re in a bad mood. When that happens I say to them, “Right. You have 4 minutes to Bitch, Moan and Whine all you want. When the 4 minutes is up there’s no more moaning, deal?”. Then they let rip for 4 minutes.

Taking just a couple of minutes for a BMW (as I like to call it) can get everything right out there, everything that’s bubbling away. The key is not to pause or think - a BMW session is just getting it all out there. Often you’ll find that you run out of steam before the 4 minutes is up and sometimes you’ll just end up laughing. Either way, when you’re done you’ll feel lighter.

4. Hit the gym

Physical exercise has a direct influence on our mood, and countless studies have shown that exercise releases endorphins and serotonin (the body’s pleasure chemicals) that positively affect your mood. Hitting the gym not only releases those feel-good chemicals, but it’s a great distraction, diverting your attention away from your bad mood and giving you something to do that occupies your body and mind.

5. Let yourself off the hook

Fact of Life # 37 - Bad moods happen. Sometimes, it’s just fine to let the bad mood ride. If things are niggling you and bad moods are a familiar deal to you, then it’s a good bet that something’s not quite right somewhere in your life. Letting the bad mood ride allows you to go to those dark places where you wouldn’t normally go and see what’s there.

You don’t have to wallow in it, but letting it happen can be surprisingly liberating. Your bad moods are just as valid as your good moods and when you come out the other side you might just have learned something about what’s really going on.

Nurturing Your Goals and Dreams

2009-01-14T22:12:00.001-08:00

One of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves is make a conscious effort to nurture our goals and dreams. After all, isn't nurturing care what makes everything grow? Think of the nurturing energy you provide to your children, your pets, your spouse, and even your own personal development. Without nurturing care, living things will die.

Our dreams and goals are certainly living things, breathed into being by our own thoughts. It is vital to nurture them and encourage them to grow and thrive, or else they will surely perish. Though this may sound like common sense advice, it's amazing how many of us don't do this.

Following are the six ways to keep your dreams alive, and even better - make them thrive!

Provide a Fertile Foundation - If you begin planting your dreams in a heart and mind that is polluted with negativity or scattered with doubts, they will not be able to thrive properly. Before beginning the planting process, sweep away all unnecessary debris that could stunt the growth of your dreams. If it's too late and you've already planted the ideas, you can simply uproot them momentarily and begin again with fresh soil.

Feed Them - The most important sustenance you can feed to your dreams is love. Treat your dreams like your most precious creations. Hold them close to your heart and continue to breathe loving life into them. Hold them in a place of prominence in your mind and continue to believe in them. Dreams and goals must be fed with positive thoughts at least daily, preferably several times a day. Give them nourishing snacks of happy encouragement and watch them grow fat and happy.

Water Them - Water is the bearer of emotion and feeling. Lend as much emotional feeling to your dreams as you can, because emotion is what gives your dreams energy and animation. Visualize the outcome of your dreams and goals, and infuse this vision with emotion. Feel the joy and satisfaction of realizing your dreams. Embrace them and shed happy tears for their beauty. Feel your heart lift with awe and thanksgiving, and allow those feelings to infuse your dreams with the power to become real.

Give Them Light - Let the light shine upon your dreams, in the form of inspiration and optimism. Jealously guard your dreams from negativity like a mother bear guards her cubs from danger. If others put your dreams down, the absolute worst thing you could do is to agree with them. Honor your dreams no matter what, no matter how stupid or worthless others may think they are. What others think does not matter, only your own opinion counts. Holding your dreams in high regard will always keep a positive light shining upon them.

Prune Them - Our dreams and goals will often change over time, just as we do. The older and wiser we get, we might realize that the dreams of our youth might not suit us as we are today. Periodically, take some time to re-evaluate your dreams and goals. Take a closer look at them and decide if any aspects might be pruned away or revised slightly. Goal-setting is rarely a one-time activity. Rather, we need to consistently evaluate our progress, and adjust our actions accordingly.

Give Them Room to Grow - Part of the pruning process described above is what will create more room for your dreams to grow bigger and better. But you can also take a look at whether your original dreams were self-limiting in any way. Perhaps you held back out of fear or hesitation, and now you feel you are capable of more. Remove all doubts and uncertainties and make as much room for your dreams as you can. Once they begin to grow and take shape, they will expand and fill the space you provided for them. At that point, you might need to readjust everything again and make even more room. One can hope, right? :-)

How Important Are Your Goals?

2009-01-14T22:11:00.001-08:00

No matter what goals you are working toward in life, you must have a strong investment in achieving them. If your goals aren’t important to you and you’ve got nothing to lose by quitting, you probably won’t summon enough motivation to get it done.

Occasionally it is possible to push yourself to do something even if it’s not that important to you, but most often that’s because you’re trying to avoid a negative consequence, not because you feel inspired about taking action.

However, when we’re talking about powerful motivation to change your life, if you don’t have a strong vested interest in the end result, you just WON’T do it - period!

Think about the last time you set a goal, like losing weight or quitting smoking. If you were not absolutely 100% committed when you got started, you likely didn’t stay with it very long.

You may have been fired up at the beginning, like most people are when they set a goal. But as time went on you either encountered obstacles that slowed your momentum, or you just lost the passion and fire for the end result, so you quit.

Making positive changes in your life is no different. No matter how hard you work at the beginning, if the changes you’re trying to make aren’t crucially important to you, you just won’t have the determination to see them all the way through.

Before you begin working on any goal, first ask yourself how important the end result is to you. How badly do you want it? How hard are you willing to work for it? What will happen if you don’t make it? Will you be able to accept the consequences, or are they simply unthinkable? Be honest with yourself!

Your answers to these questions are what will determine your probability of success. If you want it THAT badly, if it’s THAT important to you, you will do whatever you have to do to achieve it.

If your goal isn’t that important and you’re thinking wishy-washy thoughts like, “Well, it would be nice to achieve that goal . . .” – Stop right there because “nice” won’t cut it! Choose another goal.

You need a goal that is truly important to you - and I mean VITALLY important. Once you set a goal with that level of importance attached to it, you will ultimately realize that you can’t NOT do it. Not doing it means staying where you are. Not doing it means resigning yourself to circumstances that don’t make you happy. Not doing it will be completely unacceptable to you. You will find that you simply cannot tolerate the thought of accepting anything less than your ultimate dream coming true.

And that’s when the magic happens! That’s when you blot out distractions, put your head down and get to work. That’s when you get to see what you’re really made of. When you reach that stage of thought, you have already won - you just need to bring it forth into tangible reality.

How to Stay Focused on Your Goals

2009-01-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest challenges of achieving our goals is being able to stay focused long enough to see results. Most of us feel excited and motivated when we first set our goals, and that feeling can carry us along for several days, or even weeks. But then, what happens? We begin to lose momentum. We get scattered, we procrastinate, we lose the fire that once fueled our dreams. And we stop working so hard for what we want, even if we still want it.

There can be many reasons for our waning interest, such as not seeing visible progress as quickly as we'd like, so we begin to feel that our efforts are a waste of time. Or we lose sight of what we were working so hard for. Or we feel confused about the steps we need to take to make our dream a reality.

Since this is a common problem for many people, I'm going to offer some helpful tips to re-fuel your fire:

1) Be clear about what you want. When we first set our goals, we know exactly what we want. We have a clear picture of the outcome in our minds, and we usually know exactly how to make it happen. But once the initial excitement wears off, we might lose that clear vision and get confused. We start thinking that maybe that goal isn't achievable after all, and maybe we should aim for something smaller, or change course altogether. To stop this from happening, write out your goal in minute detail! Write about the ways it will improve your life and make you feel more fulfilled. Then make sure to read this description every single day. Even more than once a day, if you need to. Keep that vision STRONG in your mind.

2) Be clear about why you want it. The subconscious mind can be sneaky with the messages it sends us, and we might think we want something, when in fact we really want something else entirely. How can we tell what is going on beneath the surface? An excellent way to gain insight on this is to write out the question, "I want (insert your goal) because it will . . .," and write exactly what it will do for you. How it will make you feel. And then keep following up with questions that go deeper into what you really want. For example, let's say I wanted to lose 20 pounds. I would write, "I want to lose 20 pounds because it will make me feel better about myself." Following that answer, my next question would be, "Why do I want to feel better about myself?" So I would write, "I want to feel better about myself because I will be a happier person." Ah, so my TRUE goal is to be a happier person. Can I do that without losing 20 pounds? Of course. But the key isn't to talk ourselves out of our goals, it's to understand what our TRUE goals really are. Because once we understand what we really want, we will be much more focused in our efforts to achieve it.

3) Set a plan of action. How do we get to where we want to be? By defining the action steps that will get us there. This part is actually really simple. Most of us are great at planning, but not so great at taking the actions! ;-) But I do want to point out one thing here. Remember Step #2 above, my goal is to lose 20 pounds, but it's also to be a happier person. How can I do those things? Obviously, eating a balanced diet and exercising will help me shed the 20 pounds, but I also need to work on my mental and emotional state on a daily basis, in order to become a happier person. Just losing 20 pounds will not automatically make me a happier person. So included in my action steps should be positive thinking techniques that will make me feel happier, such as affirmations, meditation, positive self-talk, etc. Our action steps need to be VERY detailed. In fact, with most goals, we can come up with daily action steps, weekly action steps, and monthly action steps that will keep us on the right track. Think about the outcome you're trying to create, and then think about each step you will need to make it a reality.

4) Organize, review, re-organize again, and repeat. One mistake many of us make is that we set our plans and call it good. But plans need to be revised every so often to keep them fresh and relevant. Once you have your action plan set, perform a DAILY review of it to be sure you are still working toward your goals, and that your goals haven't changed since you first made your plans. Remember that our lives are not stagnant; they are always shifting and changing, as are we. So make it a daily practice to review, re-organize (if necessary), and you will be sure you are always moving forward decisively. You can do this first thing in the morning before you start your day, or in the evening before you retire so you are clear about your plans for the following day.

5) Act like it's already your reality. Finally, one of the most powerful things we can do is to act like we already have what we are trying to create. Using the example above, I would act like I weighed 20 pounds less, and I would act like I was already happy. Yes, this can be challenging to do, especially when your eyes are telling you an opposite "truth." But remember that the creation process begins in the MIND. If your mind is constantly telling you that you're fat and unhappy, guess what happens? You will believe it. If, on the other hand, you keep telling yourself that you are fit and happy, you will begin to really feel that way, and you will begin to attract that result to yourself. It takes time though. Remember that your circumstances today are a direct result of your past thoughts and beliefs, which direct your actions, which creates a certain result. If you start thinking and acting in a different way today, you will create different results tomorrow.

10 Tips For A Relaxing Holiday Season

2009-01-14T21:55:00.002-08:00

The Holiday Season is meant to be a joyful time of year, but it can be extremely stressful for many people. You can potentially be a lot happier and enjoy a relaxing Holiday with some simple planning, lack of excess and the proper focus/perspective. Stress taxes your immune system and is detrimental to your health. For this reason, it is extremely important to adopt a more realistic and balanced approach to the Holidays.

Try these 10 easy tips:

1. Make a Holiday Budget

Decide on a budget for Holiday spending, write it down and stick to it! Excessive and impulse spending and the resulting influx of bills is one of the top Holiday stress producers. Pre-planning your Holiday budget can eliminate this added financial stress and is especially important this year with the current state of the economy.

2. Shop Early & Online

Shop early and online to avoid long lines and crowded mall parking lots. Online shopping allows you to shop at multiple stores without running all over town. Be sure to allow plenty of time for shipping and keep a written record of each purchase.

3. Wrap As You Go

Wrap gifts as you buy them instead of leaving all of the wrapping until the last minute. It’s a great idea to buy Holiday presents throughout the year when you see them, especially is they are on sale. Doing this will further illeviate the Holiday budget crunch. Stock up on more economical wrapping supplies by shopping at the after Holiday sales for next year.

4. Ship Early

Avoid long lines at the Post Office by stocking up on stamps and other shipping supplies before the Holiday rush and mailing packages as early as possible.

5. Be Realistic

Try to be realistic about your holiday commitment schedule, your holiday card list and your holiday budget. Think progress not perfection here. Learn to occasionally say no.

6. Think Positively

Remember the Reason for the Season and think about all of the good, positive things in your life at least once a day instead of focusing on the negatives. Gratitude is very powerful and uplifting.

7. Maintain A Sense of Humor

Although we love our families, too much togetherness and a multitude of varying needs can breed short tempers. Try to maintain a sense of humor and a positive attitude. If you need to, take a short "time-out" to center yourself and be at your best.

8. Take Time to Relax

Take a break by setting aside a little time for yourself over the holidays. A little solitude does wonders for stress. Read a good book, take a hot bath while listening to relaxing music, enjoy a crackling fire and some hot chocolate or meditate on the real meaning of the Holidays.

9. Let Nature Nurture

Remember that the best things in life are free. Enjoy life’s simple pleasures by getting out in nature and noticing all of the sights, sounds and scents of the Holiday Season is a great stress reliever. Be mindful and enjoy the present moment without regretting the past or worrying about the future.

10. Reconnect

Reconnect with loved ones over the Holidays. See family, call an old friend and send cards to loved ones across the miles. Sharing love is great therapy for everyone, especially those feeling lonely during the Holiday Season.

If you inevitably find yourself stressed after your best efforts, don’t panic! Try this easy "emergency" relaxation technique. Find your "Sea of Tranquility" acupressure point located in the center of your chest in the indentation about three finger widths down from your breastbone. Rest the tips of your fingers lightly on the point and very gently rub in a counter-clockwise circular motion.

As you rub, take a few slow, deep breaths (closing your eyes if possible) . . . in through your nose, out through your mouth. As you breathe in think "I am" and as you exhale think "calm".

Be sure to breathe slowly so you don’t begin to hyperventilate. This is enough to trigger your body’s natural relaxation response as well as regulate your heartrate and calm your mind.

You’ll be feeling relaxed in no time!

10 Tips For A Relaxing Holiday Season

2009-01-14T21:55:00.001-08:00

Try these 10 easy tips:

1. Make a Holiday Budget

2. Shop Early & Online

3. Wrap As You Go

4. Ship Early

Avoid long lines at the Post Office by stocking up on stamps and other shipping supplies before the Holiday rush and mailing packages as early as possible.

5. Be Realistic

Try to be realistic about your holiday commitment schedule, your holiday card list and your holiday budget. Think progress not perfection here. Learn to occasionally say no.

6. Think Positively

Remember the Reason for the Season and think about all of the good, positive things in your life at least once a day instead of focusing on the negatives. Gratitude is very powerful and uplifting.

7. Maintain A Sense of Humor

8. Take Time to Relax

9. Let Nature Nurture

10. Reconnect

As you rub, take a few slow, deep breaths (closing your eyes if possible) . . . in through your nose, out through your mouth. As you breathe in think "I am" and as you exhale think "calm".

Be sure to breathe slowly so you don’t begin to hyperventilate. This is enough to trigger your body’s natural relaxation response as well as regulate your heartrate and calm your mind.

You’ll be feeling relaxed in no time!

The Benefits of Rest and Relaxation

2009-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

With the rushed busyness of our hectic lifestyle, we often underestimate the power of relaxation. Most of us have a massive to-do list each day, and we feel we can't afford to slow our pace or we'll quickly fall behind. However, we fail to acknowledge the ways that relaxation can increase our stamina, clear our thoughts, and allow us to get much more accomplished with less effort.

The other day, I put this theory to the test, and decided to spend an afternoon and evening doing the unthinkable: nothing. I was feeling stressed and run down by a crazy schedule, and even though I had a ton of stuff that needed to be done, I decided to just stop, put everything aside and do...nothing!

The results were wonderful. Instantly, I felt my stress drain away, I felt happier and I slept soundly that night. The next morning, I found that my energy and motivation had been restored, and the rest of the week was much more productive than the previous few days had been.

Why is relaxation so good for us?

1) Restores our energy. We often forget that we have a limited amount of energy to expend, and push ourselves beyond that threshold daily. However, in order to keep generating more energy, we need to let our bodies rest. Think of energy like the fuel you put into your vehicle. If you don't keep refilling the tank, the car will eventually stop. Our bodies are the same way. Just by making a point to sit and do nothing periodically and get enough sleep each night, we allow our batteries to recharge and we generate more energy we can then devote to our work and recreational activities.

2) Repairs our bodies. Our bodies are designed to repair themselves from the daily wear and tear we impose on them, and this most often happens while we rest. Most of us tend to skimp on our sleep time and push ourselves beyond our physical limits every day, which prevents us from achieving optimal health and wellness. If we are constantly on the move and not getting enough sleep, we are using most of the energy we have to keep going. That means our bodies cannot devote enough energy to healing and we suffer from fatigue or illness. By granting ourselves time to rest, we are allowing our bodies the opportunity to direct our energy to healing and restoration. Another important consideration is to eat lightly before resting, because digestion of heavy meals requires a lot of energy too. By eating small, light meals of nutritious food, we not only give our bodies a break from the intense work of digestion (which leaves more energy for healing and repair work), we also provide more energy in the form of quality fuel, which can also be used to create better health.

3) Calms our thoughts and improves focus. Just as we tend to push our bodies past their limits, our minds are constantly on the move too. Ask anyone who has an intellectually demanding job - heavy thinking can be just as draining as physical exertion. Excessive worry can also wear us down, as can constant mental chatter or any kind of mental strain. When we set aside time to relax, we should also focus on quieting our thoughts and letting our minds rest. This can often be more restorative than the physical aspects of relaxation. Another great effect is that our calm mental state improves concentration and allows us to focus better.

4) Lifts our mood. Relaxation can also help us to feel happier. Whether we let our thoughts drift aimlessly, read a good book, or listen to soothing music, just the act of resting relieves stress and allows us to feel content. We can even take a more proactive role in improving our mood during periods of rest and enhance the effect. Rather than letting our thoughts drift aimlessly, we can choose to think about things that make us feel happy, like our loved ones, friends, or pets. We can call up warm memories of good times, or imagine a beautiful sunset. Remember that our thoughts usually determine our mood. If we think happy thoughts, we feel happy.

5) Stimulates our creativity. Creativity is one of those things that gets stronger the more we focus on it, but stress and busyness disconnect us from the creative potential within us. When we finally stop rushing and set aside our worries, we create a harmonious forum for our creativity to flourish. This happens for a few reasons: First, we are not so distracted by external stimulus and can hear ourselves think again. We're more open to creative insights. Secondly, inactivity allows us to feel more connected with our inner selves, which is the source of our creative energy. And finally, creativity is a form of ENERGY, which we naturally have more of when we rest and relax.

Though it may seem counterproductive to set aside time to relax in the midst of a busy schedule, doing so can actually help us to increase our productivity, accomplish more in less time, and feel happier overall. Sounds good to me!