Developing The Right Habits

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Developing the right habits is essential if you want to change your situation. Doing the same things that you are currently doing will get you nowhere. You must change your mindset, which includes developing new habits. If you are having trouble developing new habits, remember this question. What matters more?

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Developing The Right Habits For You

A great story to illustrate this point comes from the late, great Kobe Bryant. He was being interviewed by a reporter who questioned him about what time he woke up. When Kobe told him he woke up at 3 AM to get to the gym at 4 AM, the reporter was stupefied. Why so early? He asked. Kobe replied because my competitor gets to the gym at 5 AM.

The reporter couldn’t believe Kobe would wake up so early. He said, don’t you like to sleep? I know I do. Kobe didn’t reply, so the reporter asked him if this was a trait with which he was born. Did his father wake up early? Kobe replied, no. Then how do you get up so early, he asked? Calmly, Kobe responded, it comes down to what matters more.

What matters more, sleep or winning? For Kobe, it was winning. He developed the habit of waking up early so he could get in more practice time than his opponents. Whatever type of person you want to become, you must develop new habits. If you desire to be a great athlete, research the habits of great athletes. Are you an artist? Then research habits of great artists. Here is a post about the habits of the wealthy.

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It Is Not Easy

Developing the right habits is difficult. You must be consistent in practicing these new habits. It takes 21 days in a row before a habit will start to form. Some days are going to be more difficult than others. When you go through these days, ask yourself, what matters more?

Changing your routine means getting out of that zone of comfort you are currently living in. For example, most successful people wake up early. Just like Kobe, they want to take advantage of every minute of the day. But sleeping is good, and your bed is oh so comfy. You are safe and warm in your bed.

You feel so good that it is simple to close your eyes and go back to sleep. At that moment, ask yourself, what matters more? Becoming the person you want to be or going back to sleep? By getting up, you have time to read, meditate, exercise, journal, etc. One decision will change your lifestyle, while the other will keep you where you’re at in life. What matters more?

The Great Irene

Look at my post about the heroic deeds of Irene Sendler. Irene risked her life during World War II by smuggling Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. For Irene, what mattered more, was the lives of innocent children over her life.

Are you happy where you are at this point in your life? If not, you must change and begin stretching your comfort zone. Get a little comfortable being uncomfortable. Begin your change by researching and developing the habits of the person you want to become. If you want to improve your relationship, develop habits of people in good relationships. Do you want to be wealthy? Research the habits of rich people. If it becomes difficult to change, remember to ask yourself, what matters more?

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@lazizli

https://unsplash.com/@prophsee

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Fear And Self-Doubt

Fear and self-doubt. If you have read my story, you know that I lived with fear and self-doubt for 47 years. It was my inner turmoil despite all the achievements I had made in my life. It took battling cancer to begin to be my true self; a confident and fearless man.

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Controlling Fear And Self-Doubt

When I was younger, I focused on the future. The future is filled with anxiety and doubt. It caused me to look at my past which was filled with self-doubt. Everyone was better than me. My life, viewed from the outside, didn’t match what was going on in my head.

Today, I focus on what is happening now. I look inside myself and feel what’s going on. I ask myself, how am I feeling right now? If I experience something negative, I want to know how my body is feeling. What does my reaction feel like? Is my heart beating faster? Does my stomach feel like it’s in knots?

Self-Doubt Thoughts

Focusing on the NOW has helped me control and eliminate fear and self-doubt. I understand that those thoughts don’t come for me. They come from other sources. For example, a baseball/softball player walks to the plate to face a great picture. He/she is not thinking they are going to strike out. They are thinking about hitting the ball. They don’t sabotage their at-bat by purposely thinking of the worst outcome. Those thoughts come from outside.

Harold

I call these entities that produce negative thoughts, Doubt Demons. I have struggled with my Doubt Demons in the past. In the last couple of years, I have been able to remove most of them from my head. All except Harold. Harold is rooted in pretty deep. He moved in early in my life and has made quite a home.

Like the old man living on Mount Saint Helens before the eruption, he isn’t leaving. Harold is the annoying roommate. He appears at the worst times and will not shut up. All my bad thoughts, fears, and self-doubts come from Harold.

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Making Friends

Since it seems I can’t get rid of him, I have made friends with Harold. When he appears, I laugh at his efforts and send him back to his room. Because Harold’s only purpose is to keep me where I am, he has perfected his technique. What Harold doesn’t know is that I have a secret weapon.

Since I have grown spiritually, Harold’s old techniques don’t work anymore. He doesn’t hang around very long when he appears. If he did, he would be destroyed by my faith. Harold and faith cannot exist together.

Darkness And Light

Harold is darkness. To destroy darkness, one has to introduce light. Faith is light. Harold’s technique now is to appear for a microsecond. He appears; I have a brief feeling of doubt inside, and he is gone. That’s all it takes, a microsecond.

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Jesus said, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. How much doubt does it take not to be able to move a mountain? It would be a lot smaller than a mustard seed. Harold knows it only takes one quick thought of doubt to stop me from manifesting change in my life.

It is time for Harold to go permanently. I continue my readings, research, and studies. As I grow spiritually, Harold will eventually have to pack up and move out. I will gladly help him pack his bags and do the duffel bag drag into oblivion. My faith will continue to grow until I become the person I am meant to be.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@monicasilva

https://unsplash.com/@karngraphy

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The Importance Of Perseverance

My family attended the graduation of our oldest daughter from the University of Central Florida last month. Two of the many colleges at the University were holding their commencement ceremonies at that time. As I watched the ceremony, I realized this was a perfect example of the importance of perseverance.

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After the opening remarks and speakers, they began awarding degrees to the graduates. They began with the students who earned their doctorate degrees. Next, the students were awarded master’s degrees. This part of the ceremony went rather quickly. The majority of the students were earning their baccalaureate, and there were over a thousand students.

The Importance Of Perseverance

The first students to walk across the stage or the distinguished students who graduated summa cum laude and magna cum laude. There were only a few of these. I began to think that the students were the only ones who didn’t struggle during the last four years. Studying was easy for them, and they probably didn’t change majors. The rest of the students understood the importance of perseverance.

I was not a good student in college. Consequently, I changed my major five times before I found one that interested me. I struggled and was plagued by procrastination, fear, uncertainty, lack of motivation, and even depression. Failing so many times I didn’t think I would ever complete the requirements for my degree. It took me five and a half years, but I persevered and made it.

My Daughter

My daughter struggled as well. She did not have high test scores. While her friends were attending a university she had to attend a local state college. After a very poor start and a “come to Jesus” meeting with me, she did well. She was supposed to stay at the state college for two years. Before completing her first year, she reapplied and was accepted for the fall semester at the University of Central Florida.

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So Proud!

At UCF, her struggles did not end. She had difficulty finding a major that suited her. She would procrastinate in courses that did not interest her. Her grades reflected her effort. Finally, she found her niche in kinesiology, and she excelled. She told me later that she almost quit more than once because it got too difficult. Something inside her would not let her, and eventually, she found her passion. She understood the importance of perseverance.

Reflections

As I sat in the arena waiting for the ceremony to begin, I began to reflect on her life. I was reliving important events of her childhood. I remembered the day she was born, her accomplishments on sports teams, and her high school graduation.

As the music began playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, I remembered a phone call I received. It was from her and she was screaming into the phone. I couldn’t understand what she was saying and thought something bad had happened. Then I understood the words, “Dad, I got in, I got accepted to UCF.”

As the processional of graduates continued, we finally spotted her walking into the arena. I could not have been prouder. It wasn’t that she earned her degree. A degree is not a guarantee of a good job or better life. I was proud because she didn’t quit. She conquered all obstacles.

Never Quit

I’m sure many other graduates went through equally difficult times. They all have one thing in common; they didn’t quit. The sheepskin that all graduates have does not mean that they are smarter or better than anyone who doesn’t have one. It stands for accomplishing what they set out to do four years before. That is the importance of perseverance.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@city_child

InspireChief10 Comments

Breaking Down The Age Barrier

Today I’m going to talk about something that happened to me last weekend. The concept is a little difficult to understand. It’s the difference between living your life spiritually and living physically. The event was simply a conversation I had with a young lady. I don’t believe this connection would have happened if I was not living spiritually in the Now. Therefore, I want to talk about being in the Now and breaking down the age barrier.

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Breaking The Age Barrier

Physically, I know that I am 61 years old. I have a birth certificate that tells me that. Although, when I look in the mirror, I see myself as a young man. I don’t look over 30. That is because, in my mind, I don’t have an age. I don’t dwell on the past or spend much time on the future. I try to live in the Now and experience life as it is happening.

Every Saturday during football season, I meet up with fellow alumni to watch the game. Most of the time, the same crowd shows up and, we are in the same age group. This past Saturday, a young lady in her 20s joined us and sat next to me. We had the most engaging conversation. During this conversation, there was no difference in age between us. We were conversing on the same level.

How Do We See One Another?

I did not feel as if she viewed me as an older man and, I looked at her as no different than me. The difference in our age, as well as our gender, race, experiences, etc., were broken down; they disappeared. This happened because I was living in the Now.

Now is the moment in time that I am experiencing, right that second. I am not thinking of my past or my future. Most of our thoughts focus on the past and the future. We are not thinking about life as it’s happening. When I live in the past and the future, I think about age. How many years have passed, and how many I have left.

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https://unsplash.com/@nathananderson

Thinking Spiritually

If I would’ve been thinking physically, I would have focused on the difference in our age and not on the conversation. I would have looked upon this young woman as a child, someone who needed my knowledge, more like my daughter. Instead, by breaking down the age barrier, I viewed her only as the person she is. I was talking to a person, not someone of different age.

It has always been easy for me lately to engage in a conversation with people my age. As humans, we seek out people similar to ourselves. By only being around similar people, my focus would be on our age. We could all sit around and tell “war stories” of our past.

Living In The Now

Living in the Now and breaking down the age barrier, I can experience life through someone else’s eyes. They can talk about their experiences and share their stories. By listening as a person focusing on the Now, I gain an understanding of what others are feeling at this moment in their life.

I have followers of all ages. When I read their blogs, I learn so much about what they are going through. I can learn as much from a 17-year-old as I can from a 70-year-old. I don’t know what it is like being a teenager in another country today. By living in the Now and breaking down the age barrier, I read the articles as if we are the same age.

Keep Sharing Your Experiences

We all have something to teach one another despite our age differences. You never know who you can help with your experiences. If you feel the inspiration to write, then write. Live in the Now. Experience life as it is happening right now and embrace it. Good things or bad things may be happening. No matter what is happening, embrace the experience.

Bad times never last forever. Embrace all times and give thanks. Better times are ahead! So, when you find yourself near someone of a different age group, look at them as the same as you. Live in the Now. You might make a new friend. Always remember, age is just a number.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@nathananderson

https://unsplash.com/@lgnwvr

InspireChief17 Comments

Open Your Heart For Infinite Energy

Learning to open your heart for infinite energy is essential in your journey to personal improvement. You can do all the right things and not see improvement. For example, verbalizing positive affirmations and visualizing your future daily, yet you still don’t feel you are improving. Something is holding you back. It could be that your heart is closed, and you are blocking your inner energy.

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Open Your Heart For Infinite Energy

Almost everything you do externally and internally requires energy. Just like it takes physical energy to exercise, it also takes an expenditure of energy to control your thoughts. Dealing with your emotions also requires energy. Getting through the day he asserts a lot of energy. It can be exhausting.

I’m sure you have experienced times when you don’t feel like you have much energy; you are drained. If you feel low on physical energy, rest and a healthy meal can recharge you. Unfortunately, food will not supply you with energy if you are mentally and emotionally drained. Where does that energy come from? Inside you. Yogis call these energy centers chakras. We all have an infinite supply of inner energy.

Love

Have you ever been in love? Those first days of a relationship fill you with physical and emotional energy. You feel as if you could take on the world. The same thing happens when you start a new project; you don’t even think about eating or sleeping. The infinite energy that comes from within you keeps you going.

Conversely, if your relationship ends after a few months, you lose your energy. You become sad and depressed. Much of the energy you do have is spent trying to figure out what went wrong. You don’t need much and spend way too much time in bed.

Where did the energy go? It is still there inside you. You have blocked it. By closing your mind and heart, you have blocked the flow of energy inside you. Learn to open your heart for infinite energy.

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An Unlimited Supply

Have you seen those people who seem to have an unlimited supply of energy? They are happy and productive. You always see them out and about. They are positive, glass-half-full people. In contrast, we all know someone that never has any energy. They are the complainers and hardly ever have anything positive to say. If they can bring you down with them, they will. Their hearts have closed and blocked the energy flow.

My Experiences

I have experienced these different energy flows many times in my life. Have you? There have been times when my heart is open, and the energy is abundant. Then there were times when I blocked the energy and closed it off. It happens because we are programmed to open or close based on our past experiences.

If I see a sunset, hear a song, or smell a certain scent that reminds me of a happy time, my heart will open. On the other hand, if those stimuli invoked a memory of a past negative experience, my heart would close. By learning to keep your heart open and let go of your past; you can keep the energy flowing. This energy comes from within your being. It is your Chi, Shakti, or Spirit.

How To Keep An Open Heart

How do you learn to open your heart for infinite energy? It’s simple, don’t close it. Decide that you want to keep your heart open. When you feel your heart closing because of a circumstance in your life, stop, relax, and open it up again. Do not allow it to close. Recognize when you feel your heart closing and open it up.

Life Happens

Don’t allow the circumstances of your daily life to take away your inner energy. Think of life as if you’re standing in a river. Life flows all around you. Experiences happen, but they are only experiences. Like the water, they keep going, ever-changing. Life is a series of experiences that happens to us every day. They are always changing. The river water flows around you, touches you, and then it’s gone. The same water molecules don’t come back, different ones flow behind it. In life, we experience the circumstances, and then they’re gone.

Experiences only stay if we hang on to them and don’t let them go. In the times we react negatively to these experiences, our hearts become closed, and we block our energy. Decide what matters more, an open heart and infinite energy or hanging on to negativity. Keep your heart open and let all things happen. Experience them and let them go.

Cites

Singer, Michael A. The Untethered Soul: The Journey beyond Yourself. New Harbinger Publications, 2013.

https://unsplash.com/@cris024

https://unsplash.com/@burzik

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4 Steps To Becoming Persistent

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I am continuing to talk about the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Today I will discuss the eighth step, Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith. Once you turn belief into faith you will become unstoppable. Faith is an essential ingredient to accomplishing your goals and dreams. These 4 steps to becoming persistent will change your life.

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Persistence

Hill states that persistence is an essential factor in changing desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is willpower. Titans of industry are often described as cold-blooded and ruthless. This is because they have the willpower to obtain their objectives. Henry Ford was described this way because of his habit of following through on all his plans with persistence.

Most people will quit and give up on their dreams at the first sign of failure. They lack the willpower and persistence to carry on when things are not going well. Many people are motivated to change their situation, but few have the discipline to work at it day after day without seeing results. The small percentage who live on their terms and have achieved financial independence have persistence.

Your WHY

These are the ones who begin with a desire to change their lives. They have a reason to make that change, the WHY. If their WHY is big enough, they will fight through every obstacle and be persistent in the pursuit of their desire. Persistence, when nothing seems to be working, will build the belief that they can change. As they continue being persistent, their belief will turn into faith. The ones who quit will never know what it is like to have faith. What does persistence mean? It means working on your plan every day until you build faith.

What To Do?

So what do you do if you are weak in persistence? Firstly, you can set up a schedule and make sure that you work toward your desire every day. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Probably the best method of becoming persistent is to set up a mastermind group. A person or persons in your group will help you stay on track. The group will be able to keep each other accountable.

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Some Days I Feel Like This

Your Group

At the beginning of the year, I was very persistent. I was working towards my goals every day. One of the members of my mastermind group and I formed an accountability circle. We would talk every Monday and discuss the things we did during the week towards accomplishing our goals. It made persistence very easy because neither one of us wanted to disappoint the other. What does persistence mean? It means forming a mastermind group to keep each other accountable and on track.

There is no substitute for persistence. It is important to remember at the beginning of your journey towards change. In this time, when everything is difficult and slow, you might experience many failures. Through persistence, you recognize these failures as steppingstones to success. It will keep you from becoming disheartened and giving up, which is the ultimate failure.

Money Mindset

To obtain wealth or financial freedom, you will have to develop a money mindset. If you are struggling financially, it is because you have a poverty mindset. You focus more on bills and debt than you do on ways to increase your income. A money mindset is developed through persistent effort. Thinking, speaking, and visualizing your financial freedom daily will change your situation.

Our subconscious mind works every day, all day. It is working when you are sleeping, and it is working when you are awake. It is picking up your words and thoughts and translating them into your reality. To change your reality, you must be persistent in your words and thoughts. Speaking positive affirmations and wealth affirmations every day will reprogram your subconscious mind.

Discovery

Persistence will lead to the discovery of new techniques and strategies in which to accomplish your desire. Persistent thoughts of wealth will lead to direct discoveries via the Internet or books etc. It will also lead to indirect discoveries such as social media posts, emails, meeting new people, etc. Being persistent in pursuing your desire will open you up to the unlimited universe we live in.

4 Steps To Becoming Persistent

Hill describes four simple steps to develop the habit of persistence. These four little steps can have an enormous change in your lifestyle. The four steps are:

  1. A WHY. Your definite purpose is coupled with a burning desire to accomplish it.
  2. A definite plan to which you consistently apply action.
  3. Closing your mind to all negative and discouraging influences.
  4. Allying with one or more persons to keep you accountable.

That is it; that is all it takes to develop a habit of persistence. Once you develop this habit, your belief will grow until you develop faith. When you know the feeling of faith you will know that nothing can stop you from achieving your desire. Your life is going to change for the better; it is just a matter of time. Do these 4 Steps To Becoming Persistent. What is the meaning of persistence? It’s quite simple. Persistence equals SUCCESS.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan

https://unsplash.com/@marcuslofvenberg

InspireChief5 Comments
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The Process Of Personal Development

When I first started learning about personal development I thought that I had to change immediately. I would listen to a speaker or a mentor who would tell me what I needed to do. Next, I would try to do everything they said right away. This meant dumping all of my old habits and becoming a new person overnight. Eventually, the result was a failure. I didn’t realize personal development is a process; the keyword is development. Change must be developed. The process of personal development takes time.

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Personal Development Is A Process

Once I realized personal development was a process it took a lot of pressure off of me. I gave myself time to develop good habits and replace my old ones. As time went by, I began to notice little differences in my life. I was in the process of personal development. Consequently, I began to feel better about myself and became more confident. Below are 10 steps I took in the process of my personal development.

  1. The Decision.
  2. Commitment.
  3. Write an Action Statement.
  4. Set Goals.
  5. Write a plan.
  6. Time Management.
  7. Positive Affirmations.
  8. Thought Control.
  9. Belief.
  10. Faith.

Begin Your Development

You begin with your decision to change. There are many different reasons why people decide to change their lifestyle. You might have realized that your habits are leading you down a path of destruction. Deciding to develop healthier habits will lead you to a happier lifestyle.

Unfortunately just making a decision is not enough. Most people who begin the process of personal development fail. The main reason is they didn’t commit. 75% of your success will be due to your commitment to your decision. Commitment means you will give your personal development time. You will not quit when you hit your first obstacle.

Your Statement

Writing an action statement is a key component in the process. First, write down what you are going to do. Second, why do you want to do it? Your WHY is a key element. Third, what are you going to give up, sleep, TV, social media, etc? No one gets something for nothing. Finally, when do you want it? Set a realistic date of when you want to obtain your desire.

Goals

Set goals and write them down. Make sure you have long-term goals, intermediate goals, and short-term or weekly goals. Your goals will keep you on track and you can monitor your progress. Write a plan on how you’re going to accomplish your goals. Don’t worry about the details. Your goals will lead you to discover how to accomplish them.

Manage your time. You have 1440 minutes every day. Set aside some time daily, once in the morning and once before you go to sleep, for you. Use this time to relax, journal, meditate and speak your action statement out loud.

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Verbalize

Speak positive affirmations every day. Write down several affirmations that are tailored to you and the person you want to become. Speak these out loud as many times as you can a day. Visualization and verbalization are important in the process of personal development. Through these techniques, you will change your paradigm.

Thought Control

Begin to control your thoughts. Your brain is putting out thoughts constantly, both positive and negative. Pay attention to your thoughts and change any negative thought to a positive one. Your thoughts will become your reality. See yourself as the person you want to become in the future. When you’re visualizing your future life make sure that it feels normal to you.

Belief

As you go through the process of personal development you will begin to develop belief. In the beginning, you might not believe that you can change. As you continue to go through the process your belief will become stronger. The more you speak your positive affirmations and visualize your future as if it is now the greater your belief will become.

Finally, Faith

Ultimately, your belief will turn into faith. Faith is the final step in the process because once you have faith you can never be stopped. If you experience failure, faith will help you begin again. Obstacles will become smaller and just a nuisance. Once you develop faith you will feel a calmness because you know you will succeed. It’s just a matter of time.

When you make your decision to change remember that personal development is a process. This process doesn’t happen immediately but occurs over time. Commit to your decision and you will begin to see positive changes in your personal development. Eventually, you will succeed and become the person you are meant to be.

InspireChief21 Comments
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How To Be Happy With Yourself

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In Episode 51 I talk about how to be happy with yourself. I want to talk about taking everything we did at the end of the last year and utilize it in the future. If you haven’t read my previous posts from the last few weeks, then I will encourage you to go back and read them. I talked about words you need to replace in your vocabulary, setting goals, and doing a self-analysis.

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You Can Be Happy With Yourself

For me, 2020 was a great year despite everything that went on in the world. Today I’m a different person than I was this time last year. I am excited about what the future brings. The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours on what you want to do with the next 365 days. I am set up better for the future because of everything I did at the end of 2020.

Commit

How to be happy with yourself? First, you can decide today how your life is going to be like a year from now. You just need to make the decision to change. The decision is not enough though. The most important part of making any decision is to make a commitment to that decision. Your commitment will get you through the difficult times.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions during this time. I have never made New Year’s resolutions. Most New Year’s resolutions made by people only last about two weeks. By January 15th they have already quit on them. The reason is that they never committed to their resolutions.

New Years Resolutions

Let’s take the gym for example. Before COVID, you could find me in the gym almost every morning. Many people make a resolution to lose weight and at the beginning of January, the gym becomes very crowded. Normally, I could go through my workouts without any interference but not at the beginning of January. I don’t like the crowds but I only have to put up with them for the first two weeks. By then, most people have quit because it got too hard and they didn’t commit.

Don’t Follow The Crowd

Now that we’re in 2021 don’t be like most people. Begin today working on a new you. Start carving out the life that you want to live and stop listening to the opinion of others. Read your goals and begin working on your plan. I’m a better person today because of the decision I made last year and the commitment I made to that decision. It wasn’t easy and in fact, it was very hard at times. Stretching my comfort zone was difficult and I wanted to quit several times.

Keep Working

I just kept working on my plan even on days that I didn’t want to. I kept speaking what I wanted and not what I had. Celebrating the small victories was a big help. I made productive use of each day and always moved forward. Some days I made giant leaps and others, small steps. When I fell I always fell forward. The most important thing I did was persevere by focusing on the WHY.

How to be happy with yourself? Go make the next year your year! You’ve made your decision and committed to that decision. Your goals are set and you have a solid plan. You have a WHY that is big and emotional. Hopefully, it scares you. You know nothing’s going to get in your way and you will overcome all obstacles. Persevere and NEVER QUIT!

Cites

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@cajugos

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Self-Improvement Quotes And Tips

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This a podcast of a post I wrote as we were winding down 2020. There are some things you should do to prepare to make improvements in your life. Here are some self-improvement quotes and tips to help you. Don’t wait to start. Begin developing these habits now. Decide where you want to be this time next year and commit to becoming that person.

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Tips And Quotes For Self-Improvement

The five things to change are:

  • Your Words
  • What You Talk about
  • Your Money
  • Begin Writing
  • Time

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
~ Jane Goodall

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
~ Albert Einstein

Listen To Yourself

Begin a habit of listening to the words that you are using daily. By analyzing the words you use to describe yourself or your actions you will be able to find the words that are holding you back. Do you say the phrase, “I need to,” frequently? If so, eliminate that phrase and replace it with, “I will.” The phrase, “I need to,” tells your brain that is something unimportant to you. It is something that you will never get around to doing. Saying, “I will eat healthier,” put your brain in action mode. You will then start looking at ways to eat healthier.

“Stay afraid but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
~ Carrie Fisher

“Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
~ Eric Butterworth

Gossip

Another habit to develop is to take note of what you talk about. A large culprit that holds people back from improving themselves is gossip. Eliminate talking about other people from your subjects of conversation. Focus more on yourself and how to achieve the success you are looking for. Always remember that unsuccessful people talk about other people; successful people talk about ideas.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
~ Amelia Earhart

“People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
~ Rob Siltanen 

Where Is It Going?

Begin to pay attention to your money. Where is it going? Take time to go over your expenditures and see where your money ends up. Are you spending or investing? Many people will spend $100 on a night out without blinking an eye but will not spend the same amount on a self-improvement course. One is an expenditure and you will never see that money again. The other is an investment and can return that money to you tenfold. Expenditures will make other people wealthy while investments will make you wealthy.

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Write

Begin writing. Write down everything you want to obtain in the next year. Put an end date on them and turn them into your goals. Keep journals around your home or office in which you can write your goals, thoughts, ideas, etc.  Writing things down helps you to focus on what is important to you. It also helps you remember. A scientific study has shown that after two weeks you remember:

10% of what you read;

20% of what you hear;

30% of what you see;

50% of what you hear and see;

70% of what you say and write; and

90% of what you practice by doing.

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
~ Abraham Maslow

“The swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development.”
~ Robin Sharma

Time

Finally, evaluate how you spend your time. You want to maximize your time. Learn to do the most work in the least amount of time. By evaluating and analyzing how you spend your time, you will be able to see when you are most productive. You don’t necessarily need to work 20 hours a day, especially if those hours are not productive. You should maximize your most productive time. For me, I know my most productive time is in the morning. Therefore, I get up very early in the morning and do the most I can before the afternoon. In the afternoon, my energy levels decrease and my brain gets foggy. I try to schedule most nonproductive events, i.e. doctors’ appointments, etc. in the afternoon. Find your most productive time and get the most out of the 1440 minutes you have every day.

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
~ Bernice Johnson Reagon

These are just a few self-improvement quotes and tips that will help you become the person others want to be. Do you have any other changes to help people for next year? If so, leave a comment and let me know what they are. I hope that everyone that is looking to make a change will make that decision, commit to their decision, and put it all into action. If you’re looking for help, I have developed some courses that might be just what you need. Just click on the button above and go check them out.

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Difficult Times Quotes

Life is not fair. This is something that should be taught early on in childhood. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad people. This is just life. We’re all going to go through difficult times. Below are some difficult times quotes to help you get through them.

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Difficult Times Quotes Will Help

Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t have an answer to that question. Reflecting on my own life there have been several difficult times. I believe I have lived a good life and consider myself a good person. Despite that, I was diagnosed with cancer at age 47. This was a difficult time in me and my family’s life. Through the right mindset and plenty of prayers, I survived.

“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.
~ Robert Kennedy

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.”
~ Zig Ziglar

An Extremely Difficult Time

Back in November, I wrote a post about losing a friend. My friend was a better person than me. Probably one of the best people I have ever met. He was always giving himself, his time, and his money towards helping other people. He died unexpectedly at the age of 63. Life isn’t fair and bad things happen to good people.

I wondered why. Were we being punished for a past transgression? Did we get closer to some unknown breakthrough and evil forces intervened to stop us? Was it just a random happening?

“There are certain life lessons that you can only learn in the struggle.”
~ Idowu Koyenikan

“I can’t control the waves of the ocean, but I can learn how to navigate my ship.”
~ Debasish Mridha

Why?

Why we go through difficult times can be answered in different ways based on our beliefs. A religious person can see it as Satan turning you against God. Scientists might look at it as just random acts with no meaning. It just happens. The pessimist says their life is just one difficult time after another. Optimists see difficult times as obstacles to overcome. These times don’t last.

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I go through difficult times frequently and they seem to hit one right after the other. Then I will have several months of good times. Once I realize that life wasn’t fair, I began to handle the difficult times better. Good things happen to bad people and good people struggle. This is life and I don’t pretend to have it figured out. These difficult times quotes help me out.

Ask The Right Question

When I go through difficult times, I no longer asked the question; why did it happen? The question I ask myself is; what am I gonna do about it? After being diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t waste time trying to figure out what caused it. I realized that I had lived a great life and I accepted it. Next, I began thinking about defeating the disease.

“You can make heaven out of hell, or hell out of heaven. The choice is yours.”
~ Shannon L. Alder

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
~ Dale Carnegie

It Is Not Fair

Life is not fair. Never has been, never will be. When you go through difficult times, don’t worry about the cause, focus on the solution. There isn’t anything that life throws at you that you cannot handle.

“Together with God you can successfully handle any difficulty.”
~ Jim George

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
~ Khalil Gibran

I don’t pay attention to other people, rather they are good or bad. If someone is a terrible person and becomes wealthy, and God bless them. I’m not in control of others in the way they live. I’m only in control of myself.

Don’t Waste Time

Don’t waste time on why it happened. Concentrate on why you need to get through these difficult times. Difficult times quotes can help. The Law of Attraction doesn’t differentiate between good and bad people. If you understand the Law of Attraction then you know you will become what you think. Bad people can have good thoughts. In contrast, good people can have negative thoughts. Your thoughts, good or bad, will become your reality.

“Be strong. You never know who you are inspiring.”
~ Unknown

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
~ Bruce Lee

You have too much to give to let the difficult times stop you. Focus on yourself and learn to control your thoughts. If you find yourself thinking negatively immediately speak positive affirmations. Live the life you want to live in your mind before you live it in reality. Good things happen to good people. Be the example you want others to emulate.

Cites

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