Do you often find yourself complaining about the smallest things? From our extensive to do lists, the stress of our jobs or a dreadful commute, finding something wrong seems to come easily and naturally. What we don’t realize is that by waking up in the morning and finding something to gripe about, only creates more of that. Have you ever heard of the law of attraction? What you focus on, think on or dedicate energy to becomes real; you create your own reality.

What if one morning you woke up and decided to be thankful for only the good that is present in your life? By shifting to an attitude of gratitude you become aware of the simple pleasures and acknowledge the amazing gifts and blessings in your life.

Gratitude puts the events of your daily life into perspective. By viewing the good in addition to the bad, we are able to move past the complaints and break through any blockages that may have formed as a result of our negativity. Giving thanks for our lives, friends, family, and beyond makes us happy and allows us to feel free.

Just like you dedicate time to grab a latte or go to a yoga class, take the time to develop a thriving gratitude practice.

1. Start a gratitude journal.

Set aside a few moments of your day to jot down 5 things you are grateful for in a journal dedicated purely to gratitude. It can range from simply being thankful for waking up this morning or that you got to work on time. Feel how incredibly blessed you are and allow that to propel you towards greatness for the rest of the day.

2. Stop and smell the flowers.

Change the way you view your day to day buy just stopping for a moment and smelling the flowers. Catch yourself before you get overwhelmed with negative thoughts or feelings and go for a walk. Find a tree, hug that tree and be in deep gratitude for the oxygen this beautiful tree is providing to you. How does that make you feel? This can give you an opportunity to view a stressful situation in a new light.

3. Find something positive about a negative situation.

Before you get upset about what seems to be never ending traffic, take a moment to shift that negative thought into something positive. Think about the traffic as a chance to meditate or get into a calm state before going home and putting a days worth of energy into dinner.

4. Go 24 hours without complaining.

Set a new pattern by going an entire day without uttering a single complaint. Find one good thing among a dozen negative things and allow yourself to feel transformed with your new attitude.

5. Give a genuine compliment.

Share kindness and authentic praise with a friend or a stranger. This not only spreads love to another person, it uplifts you and pushes you to focus on the good about someone else and even builds strong, valuable relationships.

By integrating some of these actions of gratitude daily, you will learn what will ultimately allow you to continue to say thank you each day. What are your tips to remind yourself to have gratitude today?

Guramrit Khalsa lives, breathes, and sleeps health and wellness. Her love for wellness fuels her passion for cooking, yoga, meditation and spirituality. Guramrit is a Holistic Health Counselor, certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a B.S. in Magazine Journalism.  Her writing offers tips on how to live holistically, joyfully and in deep gratitude.  Her first book Yogi Eats: A Delicious Journey to Nourishing Your Soul will be released in March 2015. You can learn more about Guramrit on her website or connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.

 

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Sometimes confidence is everything.

It can make people like us a few seconds after they’ve met us, it can make others respect us without knowing us. It can make a whole room of people listen to us carefully and believe our words only because we’re saying it confidently enough. It can also cause fear or make others feel inferior to us.

In the communication between two people there is always one who sets the rules and decides the direction of the conversation, who subconsciously influences his opponent’s actions (even if they both don’t realize it).
Basically, confidence helps you be that person and win battles and arguments without the need of even saying something.

That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.

You may be humble, shy, an introvert, or else. But in today’s world that means you’re often trampled and you’re rights are being violated.
Confidence can get you out of that trap.

It is a unique quality that makes you look and sound better, stronger and what you say will almost always be accepted.

Being confident in yourself means believing in your abilities and potential, and this is a great thing. Because even when you fake it, you actually start believing and that improves your performance, you start seeing yourself in a different way and can now achieve much more. You’re motivated, certain in your in what you do and know how to show that.

We can all benefit from a little boost of confidence every now and then. So here are a few quick and easy exercises that can help you motivate yourself and accept your strong qualities:

1. Think of a moment when you felt extremely confident. Remember a time when you won something, passed a difficult exam, received a compliment, looked great, were in a better shape, got a promotion and so on.

Visualize the picture and try to really feel the emotions and thoughts you were filled with at that moment. Recall it with every detail.

What were you thinking about? How were others looking at you?

Remember the smell and noises around you. How did you feel? What was your posture and what did your eyes radiate?
Great power and confidence, I’d say.

2. When you encounter a situation in which you want to take control:

Take a deep breath, put a big smile on your face, stand up and look your opponent straight in the eyes.

Body language can work wonders when you don’t know what to say and do or how to react to something.

Doing this immediately gives your brain a signal that you have a reason to be confident in yourself and it needs to keep that state for now.

3. Think of a role model – someone you really look up to, respect and admire. Then play a little game in your mind pretending to be him for a minute.

Speak and act like him and make yourself believe that you really have what he has. Now you are invincible, nothing can get in your way – not the person in front of you now, or your boss, colleagues … no one.

4. Try the Mirror Technique.

5. Write it out – this task seeks to establish the importance of loving yourself for who you are, defining your strengths and advantages and increasing your confidence.

Write about yourself and how you look, but ignore all the things you don’t like about your appearance, or just find their positive side.

Describe the color of your hair, your beautiful eyes, teeth and skin. Maybe you find your arms or legs well shaped, have tip-tilted nose, like your hands, nails. Write it down if you are slim, tall, if your ears aren’t big, if your skin isn’t pale.

Now add to that every compliment you’ve ever received on how you look. Keep in mind that other people like things in you that you often can’t stand or take for granted. Some may even be jealous of you. So try to see yourself from another point of view.

Remember that time when a friend of yours told you that you look great in blue? Write that down.

Also don’t forget to mention how charming you are on your latest photos on Facebook.
Maybe someone likes the way you smile or how you wear your hair. Think of what your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend (or ex) likes about you?

The next step is to note down your good qualities, traits, bold deeds you’ve done and what others adore about you as a person – if you have a positive personality, if you’re funny, serious, determined, loyal, reliable, quiet, practical, tidy, adaptable, etc.

You think you are a good parent? Add that to the list.
Or maybe someone told you that you’re smart, helpful, polite or else. Write that too.

Now take a look at all you’ve written and stand in front of a mirror. Read everything out loud and try to really mean it. Realize how beautiful you are and what a great person you’ve become. Love yourself for who you are, because to go any further in your personal development, you’ll first have to appreciate the things you have now.

Each of these simple strategies can be very powerful when practiced daily. I truly believe in the importance of making it a habit.

Once probably won’t work, or will have a short-term effect. But spending 5 minutes a day, every day, will be a huge step in your self-improvement.

This is just a small part of all the ways that exist for boosting your confidence. What others do you use or have heard of?

Lidiya K. is a writer and blogger in the fields of self-improvement, life hacking, human potential and minimalism. She’s the creator of Let’s Reach Success , where her mission is to motivate and inspire and think of creative and unusual ways to overcome fear, procrastination, insecurity, clutter, failure, overthinking, discontent and much more.

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Are you making any of these 5 common mistakes in your meditation practice?

Most of us have know about the benefits of having a daily meditation practice.  The word meditation means different things to different people.  That said, I would say most commonly it is a period of time that a person sets aside each day to de-stress, or bring more peace into their life.   Different meditation techniques use different methods to accomplish this goal.  To get the most out of your time of practice, here are some things to consider.

1. Are you trying to create a mood?  Often, we may believe that when we meditate we should feel a certain feeling.  I know I did when I first began to meditate.  I would stay seated each morning until I got to that “mood” that I interpreted to be “peace”.  By mid-morning at work, I could feel myself losing it and this was a great source of stress in my life.

Testing our meditation by the mood or feeling we get from it gives a false sense of security.  Feelings come and feelings go.  An appropriate mediation tool will take us deeper than the feeling so that no matter what we feel at the emotional level, there is something deeper that is solid within us that will be there when “the going gets tough”.

2. Are you attempting to hold back all your thoughts and blank out your mind? Thoughts are a natural part of life.  Attempting to “not think” actually raises the physiological rate and creates additional stress on your nervous system. A good meditation tool will take you beyond the thinking mind.
3. Are you using music or aromatherapy for your meditation? While this can give some amount of pleasure and bring a good feeling, one of the most beneficial things that an appropriate tool can give is a rest to your senses.  We run our nervous system and our senses at a very high rate in our society, which is like running a motor 24/7.

By bringing the mind inward and allowing your five “outer” senses to rest, your “inner” or sixth sense begins to develop and strengthen.

4. Do you skip your meditation times? We may feel that I’m too ______ (fill in the blank with distracted, busy, tired, etc.).  However, these are all good times to meditate.  Having a regular time to meditate is a good idea.  Using your tool during the highs and lows and in-betweens will assist you in finding what is consistent and True within all of these experiences.  If you are frequently “skipping” your meditation time, maybe it is time to consider learning a new meditation.

 

5. Do you have support in your practice?  It is wise to learn a practice from a teacher who is trained and qualified to teach meditation.  Then, every so often, meet with the teacher to review.  If you try to learn from a book or from some untrained person, how do you know if you are getting the most out of your practice?

 

Having taught meditation for 15 years, the most common error made by the newbie is applying too much effort….usually one of the above, or a modification of it.  Working with the teacher, one will begin to allow more and more rather than effort in their practice.   If the purpose of meditation is to take you to the Truth of Who You Are, shouldn’t it be simple?  And it should not require effort.

——-

Jyoti Ishaya has been a teacher of the Ishayas’ Ascension for 15 years.  What a way to live life watching people transform quickly and easily with a simple practice that quickly and easily retrains the mind.   She overviews the practice in Webinars and weekend retreats are available to learn this simple practice.

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Have you ever stood in front of a crowd, shaking in terror, breaking out in a cold sweat, and barely able to get a word out? I have.

No, you are not getting tried for murder nor berated in front of your college class. Instead, you are trying to speak to very sympathetic and interested listeners in a large but casual group setting about a topic for which you have a great passion. You have stage fright.

I know how you feel. I know your pain. In fact, I have been there myself. Would you like to know how you can overcome your fear of public speaking so that you can comfortably address a group of people in both a casual and a formal setting? Then read on.

Always be prepared

Here are three excellent ways to always be prepared for both scheduled and impromptu public speaking:

Know the subject

This should be easy for you. After all, you are most likely not going to take a public speaking assignment unless you are passionate about your subject – it might even be your life’s work. You are also probably not going to be asked to explain something to a group of people in a casual setting if you do not supposedly already know a lot about the subject.

However, it is a good idea to constantly be keeping up to date on your chosen field. It will ease your nervousness when you are called upon.

Stay organized

If you know that you are going to have to speak in public, whether it is a speech that you have been asked to give, or you are going to a gathering where you know you might be asked about your passion, then keep a few important points in your mind. These three points should pertain to the subject of your passion. That way you can always have a readily available knowledge base to draw upon, even under pressure and stress.

If you think that you are not preparing well and your productivity is low, you can read tips how to increase productivity here.

Create an elevator speech

An elevator speech is, essentially, a 30 second speech (something that you can give in the time an elevator takes to travel just a few floors) that describes your purpose, your mission, or the essence of your passion. Having an elevator speech that you can draw on will let you overcome your initial fear of public speaking if you are called upon to speak in a casual setting.

For, while giving your elevator speech, you can think about what to say next.You can read more at website if you would like to learn how to create your own elevator speech.

Haste makes waste

Do not hurry through your speech. It might appear that if you hurry, you can be finished with your speech faster and escape your fears more quickly.

However, what are you really afraid of when you speak in public? Most likely, the two things that make you the most afraid of public speaking are:

• The fear that your audience will laugh at you and think you are a fool
• The fear that you will stumble over yourself and your words and not be able to get a word out.

If you hurry, you will lose your audience’s attention for sure. They will sense your fear and nervousness, feel pity for you, and not pay attention to what you are actually saying.

Also, if you hurry, you will be much more likely to stumble over your words and make mistakes. So, please do not hurry. You will make your fears come true.

You can look at webpage to learn more about how you can slow down and avoid turning your audience away through hurrying through your speech.

Connect with your audience

Most people who have a fear of public speaking absolutely refuse to connect with their audience. Of course they do not consciously refuse to connect. They just do not know how to connect.

It turns out, though, that if you connect with your audience you will see them smile. They will pay attention to what you are saying. In fact, they will even laugh when you want them to laugh, cry when you want them to cry, and applaud when they should applaud. Connecting with your audience will let you see just how well your speech is going, making you feel more confident and making your fear fly away.

So, let’s look at a couple ways you can improve your connection with your audience:

• Look at your audience. This is the most fundamental – the simplest – way that you can engage your audience.

You do not have to try to catch anyone’s eye. In fact, you do not even have to look at anyone’s eyes. Instead, you just need to look in the direction of certain sections of people. Of course, this strategy does not work in a casual setting.

However, if you are in a formal setting, this strategy will help keep your audience engaged. Surprisingly, it will also help calm your fear of public speaking by allowing you to see the pleasure and other emotional responses on your audience’s faces.

• Tell personal stories. People connect with other people.

Stories resonate with people’s subconscious. People are intrigued by stories.

Also, stories, if they are personal, are easy for you to remember and relatively easy for you to tell. After all, isn’t it much easier to tell a personal story about how healthy eating improves all areas of a person’s life instead of trying to remember scientific facts and make your point with those facts?

Of course, the best way to overcome your fear of public speaking, you actually have to get out and speak! Start small. And just do it!

Yohana Petrovic is a writer and blogger. She has 10 years` experience in educating and now she is a proofreader at http://ift.tt/1vBLnn7 . You can reach her on Facebook: Yohana Petrovic or on Twitter: @YohanaPetrovic

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“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

~ John Dryden

Every person is different, but every person is human, meaning we all have things in common.

There are some habits so foundational to human well-being that they can single-handedly keep us going when we find ourselves in a difficult place. Foundational habits consistently improve our core elements—mind, body, and soul—which is why they are overwhelmingly positive for nearly everyone. If you’re in a rut or feel like you might be approaching one, put some effort into forming these habits to put yourself in a position to thrive.

Life can be tough. I just moved to a new city where I don’t know anyone. Being a writer, it means I don’t have a social outlet through work, and not being into bar or coffee shop scenes, forming relationships in this first month has been difficult. Given my lonely circumstances, I could fall into a negative spiral of self-pity, but I haven’t for the reasons I’m about to tell you.

When something isn’t going well, you can thrive (in other ways) with powerful foundational habits. They’re foundational because you can always rely on them. When you have foundational habits, you’re able to brush off poor circumstances with greater ease. They enable you to persevere, which is one of life’s most important skills.

These are the four foundational habits that every person needs for maximum well-being and resilience. You may be familiar with these habits, but read on for some unique insights you may not have heard before.

1. Exercise

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

~ John F. Kennedy

Exercise is the greatest natural anti-depressant there is. The physical benefits are obvious, but exercise arguably benefits the mind as much as it does the body.

Exercise creates positive chemical reactions and increased blood flow in the brain. If you tend to have a lot of ideas while walking or running, it’s likely because increased blood flow is making your neural connections snappier. Increased blood flow is a key part of exercise’s magic.

In his book, Brain Rules, developmental molecular biologist John Medina says, “Any tissue without enough blood supply is going to starve to death— your brain included. […] The more you exercise, the more tissues you can feed and the more toxic waste you can remove. This happens all over the body. That’s why exercise improves the performance of most human functions.”

I believe exercise is the single most important habit a person can have. The cumulative mind and body benefits are incalculable and can be exponential as they impact other areas of your life.

People who exercise are more resilient to life’s hardships for a number of reasons, one of which is tension release. Just the other day, I was furious about something and poured that energy into my workout. I came out feeling great, physically and emotionally!

2. Reading Books

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”

~ Joseph Addison

Reading books is surely underrated in the modern world, if only because it’s deserved dominance has been lessened by an excessive number of alternative entertainment and learning options. Reading has been the historic standard for expanding your mind, finding new information, and learning directly or indirectly how to become greater than you currently are. Books, in my opinion, are simply the best choice for quality reading and have the greatest impact overall.

I’ve read that CEOs read an average of 60 books per year, or about a book every week. This correlation between business success and reading is no coincidence. If you read a lot of books, you’ll…

• Be more interesting (in conversation, for example)
• Get smarter (reading trains the brain in multiple ways)
• Have more knowledge (the sheer amount of information you can learn by reading books is astounding. If you can speed read, that’s even better!)
• Be happier (depending on what you read, you can enjoy books for their entertainment value or gain important insights to improve your life)
• Get better in specific ways (after I read a book about building muscle, I applied the knowledge and gained 15 lbs of muscle in the coming months. There are books out there to help you do anything you would want to do.)

Those are significant benefits, and when you consider that reading a single book can change your perspective and life forever, that alone is a compelling reason to read and read often!

3. Gratitude

“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”

~ CS Lewis

Ruts are illusions that we empower. When a basketball player misses a series of shots, he is declared by himself or others as “off” or “cold.” In reality, his next shot has the same chance as always of going in if he maintains his composure. Thus, it is not an actual rut unless he believes it is and loses focus.

When you woke up this morning, like every other morning, you had an opportunity to live life well, create opportunities, make progress on your goals, and be happy. Whether you did or not is besides the point. The point is that the present moment is always neutral. The past can’t happen twice, for better or worse, so it doesn’t do us any good to ruminate on it.

Given the present moment’s neutrality, it’s an opportunity to be grateful for what is going well in our lives. This easy action makes us come alive, and feel happy. In fact, some studies found gratitude to be the largest influencer of happiness.

“Participants in the gratitude visit condition showed the largest positive changes in the whole study.” (Seligman, Martin E. P. “Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions.” American Psychologist 60.5 (2005))

Note: the “gratitude visit” from the quote above entailed participants writing a thank you letter to someone who deserved their thanks, and then delivering it in person.

Practicing gratitude means focusing on what you’re genuinely thankful for in your life. The study found that the biggest jump in happiness came for those who did the “gratitude visit” and delivered the letter. They weren’t just thinking of things they were thankful for, but actively demonstrating their gratitude. As with most things, action seemed to have a greater impact than thought.

There is a caveat here, however, and it’s critical to this message. In the follow-up tests, the gratitude visit participants were happier at one week and one month, but not at three months.

There was another group in the study who practiced listing “three good things that happened each day and why they happened.” These people showed a more modest spike in happiness, but their increased happiness remained up to six months later!

This shows the power of habit over one-time events. Delivering an emotional thank you letter is the flashier action that seems more significant, but it was the daily gratitude that produced lasting change. Flash-in-the-pan moments are great, but we don’t need them as much as we need foundational habits to make our lives better in the long term. That’s why gratitude—a proven component of happiness—should be a habitual part of our lives.

4. Meditation

“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”

~ Saint Francis de Sales

It’s interesting how the simplest things can have the greatest impact. Meditation is one of those things, and has changed many lives. It’s the simplicity of focusing on your breathing and nothing else that makes meditation so calming and relieving of stress.

Scientists have studied the brains of monks who have meditated “20-40 thousand hours.” The results? The areas of their brains that are associated with happiness light up like a Christmas tree. Measured in this way, their happiness was practically off the charts.

I think meditation works on the opposite side of gratitude—gratitude puts our focus on the positive, while meditation takes our minds off the negative. If you meditated a few hours a day like a monk does, your problems would seem less significant. This is so important because many of the problems that bother us are things we can’t control. Meditation helps us let go.

The other thing I’ve noticed meditation does is slow you down. We live in the technological era, and because of that, almost every process keeps getting faster (communicating, eating, cleaning, etc). This faster pace seems to have transferred to our state of mind, causing us to be anxious and frantic. Meditation reverses this by forcing you to focus on something inherently simple and slow—your breathing.

It’s a matter of how you spend your time. If everything you do is fast and rushed, you will be hard-pressed not to adopt that for yourself. Meditation is a great mental balancing tool for those of us who live fast-paced lives.

Do You Do The Right Things Occasionally Or Habitually?

It’s difficult to get in a rut with good habits. I mean it. Having good habits means you can always count your day as at least a minor success, even if other things didn’t go your way. But if you only do these things occasionally, then in your ruts—the time you need these the most—you’ll be less likely to do them because general motivation is always lower when you’re in an emotional down state. This is why the habitual component is crucial. Make these an automatic, daily part of your life.

And if you’re in a rut now, there’s no surer way to get out than with consistent steps in a better direction. But how can a person form these habits? I know it’s not easy to do when you have a busy life full of responsibilities. If you want to know the most reliable (and fun) way to form foundational habits, I urge you to read my best-selling book, Mini Habits.

The mini habits concept has changed thousands of lives of people who could never change their behavior with traditional methods. More than 35,000 copies have been sold, not because I have a large marketing budget, but because people are telling their family and friends about the strategy that changed their life. Mini Habits details the scientific principles and strategy I used to get out of a two-year rut and get into the best shape of my life.

If you prefer videos to reading, use the exclusive coupon “pickthebrain” to take 80% off the acclaimed and entertaining Mini Habit Mastery video course, which is based on the book.

I’m Stephen Guise. To hear from me each Tuesday morning about habit-formation, focusing, and self-mastery (and to claim my anti-stress book and desktop wallpaper set), join Deep Existence.

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Was your 2014 as fulfilling as it was exciting? It certainly was a standout year for many companies and the professionals that drive behind them, especially for those in the online space and high technology industries.

Now, however, we’re well into the New Year and 2015 beckons. This is the year for your professional growth spurt! This is the year you hone your skills, broaden your hermeneutic horizons, and improve your value. At least that’s what your New Year’s resolution said — the problem is you don’t know how.

Interestingly, the “how” of the matter is both simple and complex. It’s as simple as following three steps: find, filter, and focus. But each of these steps can be remarkably deep:

Find and Identify Your Annual Goals

Growth is one of the most important factors for a professional — it’s so important, in fact, that within a brand, a gap between what executives expect in terms of career development and what the employer can provide can lead to retention issues. It’s so important that employees constantly yearn direction from their companies and mentors.

This is the first step: find and identify the overall goals you want to accomplish this 2015. It might be a little tricky to drill down to specifics, so break it down into chunks:

• Identify three to five long-term goals you want to achieve. You can subtract or add to this list later once you have an understanding of how long it will take to achieve each.
• Be realistic about the goals and time frames. There are only so many working days in a year, and time off of work is just as important.
• Subdivide your goals into steps, with each successive step being a mini-goal of its own leading to the greater goal.
• Then, assign realistic time frames to your subdivided goals.

Focus on the Steps You Need to Take to Accomplish Those Goals

To be able to truly focus, you also need to be specific. Like the projected growth plan of a company, you likewise need to be laser-focused on realistic, concrete goals. Luckily, unlike finding the abstract meaning of life, professional growth is a lot more measurable, for instance:

• You want to get a 40% raise by the end of the year
• You want to be the top performer of your team for at least half the year (remember, stay realistic)
• You want to learn a new language and become conversant in it before year end

Luckily, there are tools you can use to minimize the time you spend on other tasks that are not your primary focus. For instance, if you still have marketing goals to achieve — which is always the case — but you also need time for other professional development goals. Using lead generation automation tools can keep your marketing going without requiring too much time from you.

Filter Out what’s Unnecessary to Your Goals

In the same vein as minimizing time on other tasks (as in the case above, by using automation solutions), you also need to clearly delineate the tasks that absolutely require your attention from those that you can simply drop.

Saying “no” is just as important a facet of focusing on your goals.

This, however, is harder than it sounds. It’s like when you’re trying to work but the internet throws an endless stream of distractions at you, preventing you from performing your tasks in a timely manner and satisfactory quality.

Only it’s much bigger than that. All the little things you do that take time away from your focus and annual goals can and will accumulate — so know when to say “no.”  Of course, don’t get carried away and ignore everything else for your goals.

Remember: find, focus, and filter — these are the simple yet complex steps you need to take to light the path to your professional growth this year.

 

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1) The Pursuit of Happiness

Will Smith will absolutely blow your mind with his performance. Watch and be immersed by the story of Chris Gardner as he struggled with homelessness, taking care of his son and getting through going broke in his life.

I watch this regularly as it honestly gives me the boost I need to continue working hard despite things seemingly looking completely hopeless.

 2) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Okay I know Ben Stiller gets a bad rap from time to time, but I honestly think he’s really good in this movie. Watch how an unsatisfied Walter deal leaving his job and going on an adventure on his own. Literally.

It may not that deep, but I think it perfectly sprinkles a dash of light-heartedness into the inspiring mix.

3) Dallas Buyers Club

To me, Matthew McConaughey, portraying Ron Woodroof shows the human side of a person leading a decadent lifestyle. Struck with aids, he went from selling drugs for profit to helping a whole community of people dying from the disease. Goes to show what can do when he is struck with something bad.

Matthew’s performance really deserved the Oscar.

4) Forrest Gump

Though fictitious, I see Forrest Gump as an inspiring character who teaches people to lead a life by doing all sorts of things as you only have one shot. Tom Hanks brilliantly mixes it up as his character went to war, fell in love, got his heart broken (several times), played ping pong and ran on foot for over a year.

And you know what? People say Forrest is slow, and dumb. I say he knows how to block out the noise from the world and do whatever he wants.

5) 50/50

Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogan! But nah. This isn’t some typical bromance film.

Levitt plays Adam Lerner, a young dude who got struck with cancer. Watch how he has to deal with it with his best friend who seems to only want to use him to pick up girls, a horrible girlfriend who picks him up late for chemo and the good friends he made at chemotherapy sessions.

I think it’s inspiring because you get to watch how different people react to cancer. You’ll know who truly belongs in your life.

 6) The Blind Side

Homeless black teen can’t get a hold of his life together until two white folks take him in. Sandra Bullock’s character brilliantly shows how a strong support can make or break a person’s life.

 7) Patch Adams

I personally went on a Robin Williams movie marathon after he died. This movie stood out.

Patch Adams plays a disgruntled doctor who was sick of the system. He went out of his way to help people in need. One person can truly make big changes if he wants to.

8) Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon plays Will Hunting, who is a genius, but totally screwed up inside. Basically, he has issues. He pushes people away and that is thwarting him from reaching his full potential.

I find this inspiring because it shows how we all have problems and that we all suffer from our own issues. But with a little help, we can go a long way.

Indeed. We’re only human. So that’s alright. Yet, push yourself and go for what you want. Oh and Robin Williams plays the therapist who manages to get through to Will.

 9) The Monuments Men

“You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they’ll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it’s as if they never existed. That’s what Hitler wants and that’s exactly what we are fighting for.”

– Frank Stokes, played by George Clooney

This quote alone made the movie. We all chase and want the same superficial things in life. Not many stop to think and APPRECIATE the finer things in life.

It’s inspiring to know that some people would go out to fight for that.

 10) District 9

Okay maybe this isn’t exactly your conventional inspiring movie, but I decided to include it because it’s one of my all-time favourites.

What’s it about? Aliens. They landed on Earth and share the land with us. Humans and aliens try to coexist. Yet, the humans are the bad guys here.

Why is it inspiring? Because it makes you think. If you find yourself being the bad guy one day, perhaps it’s time to take steps to make a change. Not all outside forces are there to invade your life.

Plus, the ending is pretty touching.

 11) 3 Idiots

People call these three friends idiots. But they go all the way to do what they want and achieve their dreams.

I don’t think many people have heard of this movie. It’s a must watch. It makes you think about the way education is given to kids today too.

 12) The Impossible

Love your family. Cherish life. Need I say more?

13) 42

The story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in Major League Baseball. Watch out he overcomes the odds.

14) Fight Club

This film is way deeper than one may think. Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt’s character inspires his friend, an unnamed character played by Edward Norton to stop conforming and live beyond his job and possessions.

“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” -Tyler

One of the best quotes in the movie. Keep watching it over and over and you’d have something new to take away. Oh and if it’s your first time, be prepared to be blown away by the twist.

15) Yes Man

Another unconventional inspiring film!

Funny and quirky, Jim Carrey’s character says yes to everything inside, literally.

Perhaps in your life, you should open up, stop doing the same old boring things and grab opportunities before time runs out.

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Alden Tan keeps it real at his blog and writes about motivation in unconventional ways. His two main passions are Bboying and writing. Check out his free report, 12 Things Happy People Don’t Give a F**k About!

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It’s almost inevitable that you’ll encounter some stress at work, but sometimes the pressures of work mount to worryingly high levels. What’s more, it’s not always easy to recognise when you’ve crossed the line and it’s all become too much.

Instead of finding ways to really manage our stress, we take on more and more work and quickly burn out. As you’re probably aware, stress taxes the body as well as the mind – high blood pressure, fatigue and reduced concentration are all common symptoms. In a fast-paced job it’s essential not to allow yourself to be overwhelmed, but how can you keep on top of your work without wearing yourself out?

Spruce up the place

Everyone likes to work somewhere that looks good, but are you aware of how the décor of your office can affect your productivity, health and peace of mind? Though you obviously don’t come to work in order to relax, a workplace that strikes a balance between tranquil and functional is an enormous help for those who are stressed out.

The degree to which you can make your space more peaceful may depend on where you work, and you may be particularly hamstrung if you don’t work in an office. But plants, artwork and light are all factors that increase productivity (with plants it’s about more than just looking nice: leafy ones draw impurities from the air too). An organized desk helps too.

You could go further and implement feng shui techniques; this is a topic far too extensive to cover here, but we’ll just say that no matter your views on more new age or mystical techniques, many principles found in this ancient Chinese wisdom are endorsed by the skeptical scientific community.

If your office is a truly depressing hole in the ground, you can always ask your manager or human resources professional about wider changes that can be implemented for more harmonious working.

Slow down time

If you could actually make time go by more slowly, that would be an ideal way to work through that mountain of tasks. Unfortunately you can’t really do that, but you can focus your thoughts and get more done in the time available with breathing techniques.

Yes, breathing. Although you draw air in and out of your body constantly, breathing properly is not as simple as you might think. To reduce stress, slow it right down, and inhale and exhale in a regular rhythm. Start by breathing in deeply for four seconds, and then out for four seconds. Repeat this for a few minutes as you go about your work. You should find you are able to retain information better, and make more sense of your thoughts.

Divide the day

When you’ve got too much on your plate, it can feel like you’re being pulled in six directions at once. Sometimes we try to deal with several tasks or areas of focus simultaneously, and end up not properly addressing any of them.

It sounds obvious, and most of us are aware of the benefits of managing your time so as to devote your full attention to only one thing at once. When the work stacks up however, we begin to think that the process of dividing up the day is an unnecessary time sink. It’s not – that time is claimed back many times over once you work out what you’re doing and when. Solitary, regular tasks like reading email are best done in the morning, as are the most pressing tasks of the day. More social or creative tasks are best addressed in the afternoon when thoughts flow more freely. By the way, you don’t have to wait until crisis point before devising a regular timetable.

If your work really is becoming the bane of your life however, it may have become time to discuss reassigning some of your tasks, taking a break or even leaving your work entirely. Your job is not the centre of your life – your physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing must always come first.

Paul Breton is a Marketing Executive with online recruitment specialists Blue Octopus Recruitment in Otley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. He blogs on working life, human resources and the world of recruitment.

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A poor self-image is becoming increasingly common in the modern world. One of my mentors once said “You can never ‘out-succeed’ your self image”. What he meant was, it will be extremely difficult for you to reach your goals and live your dream life if you have a negative self-image. To use my own life as an example; I used to see myself as an ‘Average Joe’ with less than satisfactory health, a mediocre physique and a middle of the road job. The only way that I was ever going to do something meaningful and create success in my life was to enhance my self-image.

After developing a positive self-image, I was able to achieve things that would have been previously impossible like running a half marathon, curing myself of asthma, writing a book and becoming an award winning speaker. I don’t tell you those things to brag. I tell you those things to open your mind to the potential improvements that can be made when you improve your self image. Below are the 5 things that I believe, got me to a point where I love the person that I see in the mirror.

1-Let it Go

Promise yourself to take whatever lessons you can from the mistakes that you have made and then let them go. Dwelling on them only gets you deeper into negative thought processes that will damage your self image. The making of mistakes highlights the fact you are simply a person that attempts things, you are human. It is important to forgive yourself, let mistakes go and realise that you are a good person doing your best.

2-Ditch the Comparisons

I used to compare myself to other people all the time. We all have at some time or another. The challenge is, it is very difficult to build a feeling of love for the person that you see in the mirror if you are always trying to make that person be like someone else. It is a fact of the human population, that everyone has their good and their not so good attributes so comparing yourself to other people doesn’t allow you to make progress. Focus on your own great qualities and begin to improve upon the things that you are not so good at. The only person that you need to compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday.

3-Feel Great about the Way you look

I truly believe that happiness is an inside job. However, why not give your appearance a little boost by getting your favourite haircut? You could also upgrade your wardrobe to reflect the strong, happy, healthy, motivated and successful self-image that you now have. In my view this part of the process completes the package. Think how wonderful it will be when you look in the mirror and you love the type of person that you’re looking at and you love the fact that your appearance is a reflection of that.

4 – Give yourself Credit

So many people are dwelling on the things that go wrong and the mistakes that they make, they forget to reward themselves when they do something well. When you achieve a goal it is vital that you give yourself credit. You can do this in several ways: go to your favourite restaurant, treat yourself to an item from your favourite store or book a spa day. The important thing is that you actually do something to condition your brain to expect rewards when you do things well.

5 – Build a ‘Dream Team’

Spend time with, talk with and share ideas with those people in your life who love you for you and will support you in any endeavour. Creating this ‘Dream Team’ environment will have a massive effect on your self-image. As your mind feels the love from everyone else, it will be easier to love yourself. Your dream team will also provide with the inspiration needed to get out of your comfort zone and achieve your goals.

 

Many people who have achieved great things and created wonderful lives have first had to learn to love the person that they see in the mirror. Following the above steps and adding in your own positive ideas is a great way to do this and once you have a rock solid, empowering self-image, happiness and achievement becomes inevitable.

 

Jermaine Harris is a young Online Life Coach, Author, Peak Performance Strategist and Speaker. He is passionate about human potential, personal development and empowering others to change their lives in the same way he did.  Jermaine has a vision of empowering millions of people with his unique brand of forward thinking, ‘gung ho’ approach to changing lives. Get to know Jermaine better at: http://ift.tt/1CWe2nN

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

There comes a point in our life when we realize that we are meant for something bigger on this planet. Unfortunately, discovering what we really want and how to get it is one of the most challenging, stressful and frustrating process of our entire life. But, in the end, it’s what define who we are and what we stand for.

Since I was very young, I loved using my imagination to vividly create my future life. The first thing I knew I wanted to be when I grew up was an astronaut, then an archaeologist and finally a famous chef.

Yes I know, there is no logic in my choices.

But growing up I started making decisions based on the world around me, the real one.

So, just graduated, I took the easy way out starting my career as a professional chef. I thought that turning my hobby into my day to day job was the best choice I could make and a good starting point to raise some money.

Well, I was wrong.

In fact, last year I have officially hit the breaking point. I’ve found myself working about 14 hours a day, 6 days a week. I was succeeding in my career, but I was really unhappy.

So, I started to ask myself, “Am I in the right job?”, “On the right career path?”, “Doing what I am supposed to be doing with my life?”.

I felt like all the decisions I made were all a big mistake. I felt unfulfilled because there was no purpose in my life. And when you live with no vision, no goals and no purpose, no matter what is your age, you feel your life is not going anywhere.

I felt like a passenger on the bus to nowhere, allowing the bus to determine my direction in life. At the beginning I thought that the destination was Ok, but soon I changed my point of view.

So, I quit my job and I started to think about how to move forward and make my life meaningful.

So, here are 3 ways for living a more meaningful and fulfilled life, even if you are struggling towards your dream life:

1. Jump in the driver’s seat and change direction

The first thing I realized after quitting my job was that I didn’t want to lead a quiet life, conforming to the norms of my family, friends and society. I was unhappy because I was playing too small and my vision was limited to what was better for others and not for me.

I’ve learned that it’s important to be able to step outside the comfort zone and be challenged with something we are not familiar to. It may be awkward and uncomfortable, but that’s what happen when you try something new and make new decisions for yourself. New stuff is scary. I know, that’s why you should take action, be yourself and trust that your intuition will guide you wherever you need to be. Sometimes you may misinterpret it, but it’s fun following it and seeing what happens next. We are all responsible for our life and if you’re not happy with your life, you are the only one that can start changing it.

2. Be open minded

When you finally step out of your comfort zone you will find out some talents and abilities you have that you didn’t know you had. Often, they may not come in the form you think, so be open-minded. When I changed direction it took a while before I figured out what I want to do for the next 50 years. I wrote down my desires, my dreams and my intentions. I started focusing on the things that really matters to me, on the things that now are at the top of my list. Often, we judge a book by its cover and that’s what exactly we do with many situations we face to. Be open to everything, because you never know where it may lead.

3. Stop fighting life

Sometimes you may feel like: “I can see the mountain top but I’m currently in the valley”. You’re doing your best. You are working so hard, but nothing seems to be happening. Then you start to doubt about yourself, your goals and your ambitions.

Sometimes you might not know what to do, where to go and how to stay motivated and inspired, but you must deeply acknowledge that life has its own schedule. We want to push, manipulate, and force, but it just takes time to do what we love.

If you deeply believe in something that might change millions of lives, in something that you have faith in, you will take all the necessary steps to achieve it, even if you fail thousands times and struggle along the way.

And when you find yourself in this “gap” you will finally acknowledge that you are working towards something worthy in your life.

What I learned from my past experiences is that feeling unfilled and unhappy is one of life’s most powerful lessons, because help you to recognize that you are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enrich the world with your talents and gifts.

And feeling unfilled is part of the process, because positive changes come with setbacks, false starts, and failures. They come from moving out of your comfort zone and taking risks.

The real secret is that we can be happy and fulfilled even if we are still struggling to achieve our goals and visions that fire our heart and saturate our soul with enthusiasm and joy at the very thought of them.

So, don’t worry if you are struggling to be successful because as everything else, what you want to do, how you want to do it and what kind of person you want to become is a long process.

Yes I know, everybody would like to see more results and achieve any goals faster, but it is fine, because everyday you are closer to your dream life by doing something so crazy and easy.

So, the lesson I want to share with you is to stop doing things that didn’t get you closer to your goals, no matter what is your age, what is your past, where you live, how many times you failed and hit the ground.

I guarantee you that when you stop doing those things, you start doing things that bring you closer to what you want, because if you are willing to succeed, if you are willing to make a positive change in your life and in the life of others, you will acknowledge that it is not what you achieve, it is what you overcome that counts.

Because sometimes, no matter how carefully we plan and how hard we work, sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want them to, sometimes we fail and sometimes we just have to try a few things before we find the right direction.

But it is Ok, because that’s what defines your fulfillment and your happiness. Don’t wait for that amazing thing to happen in the future that will be the key to your fulfillment. Instead, be fulfilled of where you are right now.

You are destined for big things. I mean really. We all are.

After quitting his job as professional chef, Luigi Potenza decided to pursue his dream to help people get healthier, happier and more fulfilled through a mind-body-spirit approach. He is deeply passionate about yoga, meditation, personal development and holistic nutrition. Visit him at zenife.com. Connect with Luigi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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