Personal Development Academy: change mindset

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Showing posts with label change mindset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change mindset. Show all posts

Monday, 19 February 2018

Worry As a Pandemic Problem

February 19, 2018 0

We humans are world class worriers. We worry about everything and everyone. We never seem to be at peace. Many times worry keeps us up at night.

So, we spend a lot of time worrying. Say we spend 2 hours a day worrying. That would mean that we spend 14 hours a week worrying. When we multiply that by fifty-two weeks that would mean that we spend 728 hours a year worrying. Over a lifetime of say 70 years, we worry well over 50,000 hours. Now that's a LOT of worry!

Worry can even make us ill because of the anxiety that it causes. Worry can cause car accidents because we are distracted when driving. Worry can cause families to break up and relationships to be strained. And worry can cause a lot of undue stress for us.

So, why do we worry?


We worry for all kinds of reasons. There is so much uncertainty in our world today. There is financial unrest and political upheaval. There are natural disasters and disease. There is job insecurity and mental illness. Yes, we do have a lot on our plates. But do we have to worry about everything or can we simply relax a bit?

Many of our worries stem from fear and anxiety. We have allowed ourselves to become fearful by what we watch, read and listen to. The evening news is great at making us worry warts.

We also live in constant fear of not having enough, yet we also fear what we consume, and we consume a lot every day. There seems to be a new report every week that tells us about the dangers of eating food our grandparents ate with gratitude.

In fact, it is in the interest of the food industry to exacerbate our anxieties about what to eat. Notice there is always a new product we should not be consuming because it is bad for our health.

Did you notice how many times the advertisers oscillate between whether coffee is good or bad for us? It really becomes a bit ridiculous. Yet, each time the advertisers say that we shouldn't drink coffee, we start worrying, especially if we are coffee drinkers.

How can we take ourselves out of this anxiety and worry state of mind?

Well here are a few tips to consider:
  • Realize that worry is a habit. So, the more worry, the more we will worry. However, the opposite is also true-the less you worry the less you will worry.
  • Unplug from social media a good 2 to 4 hours a day. This will help you to stop the anxiety from coming into your mind.
  • Don't watch the evening news before bed. That way you will lessen your anxiety before bed.
  • If you are overwhelmed by an anxiety, write it down. Sometimes, writing down your anxiety in a journal can help you unload it.
  • Exercising can also ease anxiety and tension. The more you exercise, the better you will feel.

So, take steps to reduce your worry. You will definitely be happier and healthier as a result. Only we have the power to stop worry in its tracks. And who knows, you may even be a positive role model for someone else.

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Tuesday, 6 February 2018

February 06, 2018 0

Personal Development - The Best Investment You Will Ever Make

Personal development is more than just honing the talents that you already have. It is designed to help you reach the pinnacle of your potential by proactively improving your awareness, knowledge and skills. It is about gaining skills that can help you make an impact in the world. It is about making an investment in yourself - the greatest asset that you have.
To maximise your position in your workplace, as well as, your life, you should try to take at least one training programme on personal development, either in person or online.
Take a look at some of the reasons why investing in personal development can take you to the next level.

You will be expanding your connections

Networking is key to finding lucrative opportunities faster. Growing your network means meeting and interacting with people who can assist you in getting where you want to go. Networking can also be your support during tough times. Enrolling for personal development training programs, will pave the way to meet industry experts and professionals from your area of expertise.

You will grow as a person by learning new things

Personal development is not just an investment in your career, but also in your awareness, growth and identity. When you attend training programs, you will be amazed at the new ideas that you will learn. It will inspire you to push your boundaries further and experience overall growth and development.

You will become more confident

Confidence is often what stands between your present and future goals. A lot of working professionals are resigned to their menial job role due to the lack of confidence to aim higher. Do not let that be you! With the help of personal development courses, sharpen and learn new skills. The more knowledge you have, the more confident you will become. Self-confidence will help you to live a prosperous and exciting professional and personal life.

You will develop marketable skills

Personal development programs are usually directed towards helping delegates function to their optimum capacity. So, you will not only learn skills related to your industry, but also gain knowledge of other skills, such as decision-making and communication skills. These skills will distinguish you from the crowd, especially when you are seeking your dream job or hoping for a promotion. The way you conduct yourself will distinguish you from the other candidates in contention for the same job.

You will be viewed as someone who takes the initiative

Personal development programs can help to develop and shape your career. By attending development classes and courses, you can translate the experience on your resume. Recruitment managers are always on the lookout for well-rounded individuals who have more than just industry experience. They look for candidates who excel due to their ability to draw on learning and perspectives that they have gained whilst developing themselves. You can be that candidate.
Personal development is a process that lasts a lifetime. It will help you to assess your qualities and skills, as well as, maximise your potential. The training programs are going to help you identify the skills you have and the skills you need to boost your employment prospects, enhance your confidence and increase the quality of your life. These courses will make you feel empowered to overcome any obstacles that come you way in your personal or professional life.
Find a personal development course that matches your requirements and sign up for it. You can choose to attend open courses, or opt for in-house or online training programs.
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February 06, 2018 0

When Things Get Slow, Get Unyielding Perseverance

I could do a standard article very easily about motivation and how to get motivated, but it would sound like total tripe. I am going to do an article on when existence and life become like a traffic jam and too slow for patience. I am going to do an article on pushing to the front when things become jammed. I am going to do an article on situations in life that require that patience that moves a "giant iron ball" with strength, grits and more. For in existence and life, there are some goals worth not yielding on, and your genuine aspirations are one of them. When I think of techniques of coping, unyielding resolve and perseverance come to mind. Especially as I think of when life gets "too slow for comfort" at times or "a traffic jam happens" at an important point in progress.
Today, at times in this day, I understand and feel (in that order) I am at the point where unyielding resolve and perseverance are needed, especially when everything seems to be standing still and going nowhere except for "business as usual".
Listen, let me bring this down a bit. We cannot always have forward movement in life that flows "right". Sometimes, we all have those down times where the flow seems to stop, that is when we must become unyielding and powerful. For within those down times are the best opportunities for development really when thought about seriously and taken as such seriously.
Existence is in that vein as good as we let it be. What I mean by that statement is: We can either perceive the down times as times to quit or times to develop in genuinely better ways. Me, I prefer not to quit, but to develop in genuinely better ways. That is the crux point of what this article is about also: Unyielding perseverance is what genuine progress comes down to slow and hard or fast and easy. It is not how we are in ease and speedy development that defines our power, but it is how we are when it is slow and hard that defines us, really. If everything is going smooth, fast and good, it is almost always easy to deal. But what defines us is how we use the down times or times of inconvenience that shows our power or weakness.
I was thinking of a scene from the Bruce Lee movie "Enter The Dragon" where Bruce Lee sat down to meditate instead of try to force the issue and fight his way out. Sometimes, traffic jams in life and stoppages are just like that, we must be all right with it and develop the power to win over them. Know that the real loss is giving up genuinely, and that there are more ways to do it. For if it is conceivable rationally in consciousness, it is possible. What do you think the first and only genuine law of invention is? In my opinion it is this: Whatever the mind can conceive and genuinely believe it can achieve. After all flying machines and light bulbs were considered impossible against the same principle until they were invented, right? The possible can be conceived, believed and achieved if there is the resolve and perseverance to genuinely do it.


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Incredible video on the Psychology of High Achievers - Inspirational!!!

Saturday, 3 February 2018

February 03, 2018 0

Why Knowing Yourself Is The Foundation Of Personal Growth

As you work to grow in different areas in you life, it is important to really know yourself. The concept of not knowing yourself may sound preposterous to some people, but hear me out. Because we live such hectic lives, it is important to take time to become reacquainted with ourselves. It is very easy to get so focused on living life that we lose ourselves in the bustle and bustle. With every phase in life, we change and evolve, and if all goes as planned, we should not be the same person we were 5 years ago. This is not to say that everything about us has to change, but it is perfectly natural and healthy to mature and grow in different areas.
Knowing yourself can help you improve your work ethic because you can really understand your limitations and know when you are pushing yourself too hard. If you are a self starter like me, you would probably work for 24 hours a day if you could. In fact, you've probably had to make yourself step away from your work one more than one occasion. While this self starting attitude is a good thing, it can also be a problem. If you aren't careful, your desire for success can drive others away from you and actually ruin relationships. You may be thinking, "I thought we were supposed to be able to accomplish everything." That is true, but sometimes you can bite of much more than you can chew, and running yourself into the ground to accomplish goals in not healthy. The beauty of accomplishing goals and achieving personal growth is discovering the balance of work and play.
While it is important to know your limits, knowing yourself helps you to know what you can't accomplish as well as what you can accomplish. Many times, people don't push themselves to accomplish real goals simply because thy think don't think they'll be successful. Once you really know yourself, you will know what you can accomplish. However, if you never try, you'll never know how much you can truly accomplish.
When you know yourself, it is easier to keep yourself motivated. It you met someone for the first time, and they asked you to encourage them without giving you any details about their life, you would have a hard time encouraging them. By being aware of the types of things that keep you motivated, you will be less likely to reach that rock bottom point where you feel like your world is crumbling around you. It is best to constantly encourage and motivate yourself as your grow and mature.
How do you react to disappointment? What do you do when you're sad? How often do you need to take time to truly relax? In order to maintain balance in your life, you have to constantly ask yourself these types of questions. Not only do you need to know yourself in order to have a strong foundation for personal growth, but you also have to be willing to motivate yourself when things are less than ideal.
Are YOU Ready to Seize Control of Your Life and Progress to Success? It's time for you to live up to your full potential.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kevin_Sinclair/24010
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Tony Robbins: How to Understand Your Mind (Tony Robbins 2017)

Thursday, 1 February 2018

February 01, 2018 0

The Ultimate Time Management Principle


 "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." - Johann Wolfgang Goethe
We all have the same 24 hours in everyday, and the difference that makes the difference for each of us is how we choose to fill them. The most productive people I have ever met have not necessarily been harder working than everyone else; they just have a skill for appropriately focusing their efforts according to the time they have at their disposal.
The problem with most time management systems is that they are more concerned with generating maximum activity than they are about achieving actual objectives.
A classic example of this is the humble daily To Do list, where we jot down all the tasks that we believe need to be done that day and then re-arrange them so that they are presented in a logical sequence; the order in which we plan to tackle them. A popular approach is to get the quick and easy tasks done first so that we'll be less distracted when it comes to doing the meaty challenging jobs at the bottom of the list.
Sometimes this works fine, but more often than not we get so caught up in the little tasks (and all the other distractions that inevitably turn up, and were not on the list in the first pace) that we find ourselves under real pressure by the time we get to the bigger ones.
So, we might think that the obvious solution is to prioritise the big jobs first so that we can be confident that they will get done, and then rattle through the little ones with the time that is left.
Again, sometime this can work fine, but all too often little jobs left undone have a habit of turning into bigger problems further down the line. The fact is, no matter which way you slice it, prioritising volumes of activity against available time does not guarantee successful outcomes.
One of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" - the work of Dr Stephen Covey - is the habit of 'Putting First Things First'. This means in order to know how you need to be spending your time you must first know the reason you are engaging in any activity in the first place.
An employee of any organisation is not paid simply to produce reports, move widgets or go to meetings. Every employee must be absolutely clear how their being there is helping that company achieve its overall mission and objectives.
The same can be said of people in general. It is usually true to say that the reason we go to work, build homes, raise families, support charities, join groups, is not just to fill the time until we leave this mortal coil. It is because we are driven by desires to make meaningful differences in the World (even if we're not always consciously aware of what that means!). We don't just go to work for going to work's sake. We go to work because it contributes to the wider, more important story of our life.
If what you spend most of your time doing is not actually aligned to some bigger purpose or moving your towards your goal, then the obvious question has to be asked - why are you doing so much of it?
Dr. Covey introduces a fantastic prioritisation tool that I have found indispensable in just about every area of my own life. Rather than launching into a flurry of activity in the hope it can all get done within a limited timeframe, the first thing to consider is the urgency of a task versus its importance.
As a simplistic measure of how I gauge this is:
Urgent = Bad things happen if I don't do it
Important = Good things happen if I do
Imagine a large square that has been equally divided into four smaller quadrants, each of them represents one of the combinations of urgency versus importance.

1, Urgent and Important

Otherwise known as crisis! It has to be addressed right now or there will be serious consequences. Being a frequent visitor to Quadrant 1 takes up A LOT of energy.
* Unpaid bills
* Angry customers (or spouses!!)
* Health problems
* Pressing deadlines
* Fire fighting

2, Not Urgent, but Important -

These are tasks that contribute to your mission, roles and goals. They don't necessarily have to be done now, but if they spend too long untouched in Quadrant 2 they can end up in Quadrant 1!!
* Learning new skills / knowledge
* Looking after your wellbeing
* Objective and goals setting
* Improving processes
* Nurturing Relationships

3, Urgent, but not Important -

Lovingly referred to as 'other people's problems'!! Of course, we want to be able to help other people because the outcome of these activities is important to them, but when we spend too much time in Quadrant 3, the things are important to us, personally, get left out in the rain.
* Ringing Phone
* Interruptions
* Non-productive meetings
* Request from others

4, Not Urgent and Not Important -

AKA 'wasting time'. There is a time and a place to waste time. At the end of a hectic day it can be just what the doctor ordered to put your feet up, turn your head off and watch some mindless TV. But if this becomes more of a habit than a meaningful use of downtime, then your life direction begins to suffer.
* Trivia
* Gossip
* Excessive TV
* Time wasters
* Re-arranging your desk for the 20th time this morning!
Dr. Covey poses the question, what one activity are you convinced that, if you were to start doing superbly and consistently well on a regular basis, would bring you significant positive rewards in your life? (Perhaps it's more dedicated quality time with loved ones, or going to the gym, or sitting down and planning for the future). Then decide which quadrant that activity sits in.
The answer is always Quadrant 2 - "Not Urgent, but Important". It has to be important if it would give you such positive rewards, and it is obviously not urgent, otherwise you would already be doing more of it!
People who spend as much time as they can in Quadrant 2 find that there is hardly ever a need to visit Quadrant 1, because they work on important issues before they become problems. But the reason so few people actually spend enough time engaging in Quadrant 2 activities is because, unlike the other quadrants, there is no built-in mechanism to say when they actually need to be done.
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Homework
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Take some time and decide on at least three Quadrant 2 activities that would immediately enrich your life in ways that are meaningful to you. Then schedule appointments in your diary for each of those activities to take place over the coming week. Stick to those appointments as if it is crucial for you to show up and do them. If something or someone tries to elbow their way into that time slot, politely refuse and say you're already booked up. And most importantly, enjoy yourself;o)


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3590632
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Monday, 29 January 2018

January 29, 2018 0

Metaphors Gone Wild: Cliffs and Patterns

Author Kurt Vonnegut once gave this advice to those with a creative bent: "We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down." Yes, there is risk-taking involved in exploring new territory, but how else can we developing our metaphoric wings?
Here are tips for making that exhilarating leap.

INVOLVE ALL YOUR SENSES

Not only should you enhance your receptivity to sensory input--sights, sounds, smells, taste, and feel--you can try various combinations. The late Gregory Hines, for example, once revealed that he developed tap routines by listening to the ordinary sounds coming his way as he walked down New York City streets. Nature itself is an inspiration--just ask any plein air painter. And, if you watch "Chef's Table" on Netflix, you know the culinary masters want to figure out how to make a dessert float, or how to capture the smell of spices in a pillow placed at the guest's table.
Trying expressing ideas in words not usually associated with a given sense. (You'll find metaphors coming in handy here.) For example, if you could taste anger, would it taste like salt on your tongue or vanilla ice cream. If you could feel it, would it feel like sandpaper or velvet?

EXPAND YOUR THINKING

One of the best ways to stimulate new thought is to ask "What if... " questions. For example, "What if women ruled the world?" Then, consider what the consequences of such a reality would involve. One result might be toilet seats that are more often down than up. When faced with a personal problem or a work-related one, give thought to new possibilities with questions related to the situation.

TOLERATE CONFUSION

Research has repeatedly shown that creative individuals have a higher tolerance for confusion than most of us do. When you are tempted to stop cerebral storms because you feel overwhelmed, allow the thoughts to continue bombarding each other inside your head. Being too orderly or too organized may stop us in our tracks when we should, in fact, be moving forward toward a given destination.

HAVE SELF-IMPOSED LIMITS

Just for fun, once in a while, set some limits. The heightened awareness can easily produce some surprising results. So, see how many sentences you can produce that have only five words. The first word must start with an A; the second with a B; the third with a C; the fourth, with a D; and the last word, with an E. An example might be "Any boy can develop enlightenment." The sentences don't have to be profound, but they must have no repeated words--within a given sentence and within the whole collection of sentences. If you can create 20+ sentences in a five-minute period, you have genius potential.
In a famous hiring situation, applicants were asked to work in groups to come up with 30 ways to improve a bathtub in five minutes. The second aspect of the challenge was to have one person removed from the team and to come up with 30 ways (with repeating any) to improve a bathtub in only four and a half minutes. The second list often had better ideas than the first.

PATTERN YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOURSELF

There is no one quite like you in all the world. Extend this uniqueness to the development of new concepts. Avoid the old patterns, for--as creativity guru Edward de Bono tells us: "Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns."

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Marlene_Caroselli/332693
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The Video That Will Change Your Future !

Friday, 26 January 2018

January 26, 2018 0

5 Powerful Steps to Change Mindset



Productivity is the KEY to succeeding in business as well as in life. Even if you put many hours into your work, if you do so unproductively, then you can expect to achieve poor results, if any results at all. Why is this? Well, let me assure you that you already know the answer.
Productive work requires that you take action while you are in a positive state of mind that perfectly coalesces with the action you are taking. This means that you are laser focused in your mind on the action that you are taking while you are in the process of doing so. Your thoughts are unwavering in their intention to create the best possible creation that you can. You are not distracted, you are not bored, and you are not worrying if you should be taking this action to begin with. Lastly, you are having fun doing what you're doing. It puts a positive twist on your day.
When the actions that you take are accompanied by a negative mindset, your productivity will absolutely go down. This is simply because you will begin thinking about other things. Your attention to your action deteriorates. When this happens, the action that you are taking becomes less powerful, less focused, and less productive. In addition, you have unknowingly begun a negative trend that will directly affect future action in a negative manner. It is simply the way it works. 
There is a certain series of thoughts that we all have going on in our head. These thoughts are different for each of us, but they are very familiar and specific to us. They are familiar because we tend to think them all the time. It is like a movie reel playing the same scenes again and again. Over and over, day after day, we think these same thoughts. When we think unproductive thoughts often, it will cause us to often act in an unproductive manner. The opposite is also true. That is why it is so important to pay attention to your thoughts and take charge of them to fit into your mold of what you really want to be thinking...positive and productive thoughts.
So, when it comes to productivity there is no single thing more important than for you to begin paying attention to what you are thinking while you're taking action. Here are 5 simple and powerful steps for you to take to begin changing your mindset and increasing your productivity.
1. Make A List: Make a list of the unproductive thoughts that you find yourself thinking on a daily basis. Be honest with yourself. Nobody will judge you because nobody other than yourself will see this list. Be thorough and specific.
2. Expand Your List: Take your list of thoughts and expand on each one by asking the following questions: Why do I think this thought? What does this thought do to my overall general attitude? What is a better thought that I can think to replace this one?
3. Burn the Bridges: Put the negative and unproductive thoughts deeply into the past. Realize that you may have had them at one time, but that does not in any way mean that you are destined to have them again. You have the choice of what to think. Make the choice to think positively and productively!
4. Make New Habits: Building new habits is as easy as deciding to do so. A habit is simply a thought translated into action over and over. So to make new habits, take your new and more productive thoughts into mind and act them out. It's that simple.
5. Promise Yourself: Make a promise to yourself that each time you catch yourself thinking one of those negative and unproductive thoughts you will realize it, remember that you've found a way past it, and take the mental action required to again put it in the past, burn the bridge, and rejuvenate the strength of your new, more productive, habit.

By Justin Noertker 
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Justin_Noertker/201637
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Thursday, 25 January 2018

January 25, 2018 0

Change - Mindset Myths


While many of us resist it, change is something that must and will take place. Change is a given because all of life is a constant evolution. Nothing stays the same for indefinite periods of time. And nothing should stay exactly the same. Change is what pushes us to become new and better people over and over again. If change didn't take place, we'd be stagnant creatures, incapable of dealing with problems, issues, and challenges. If change didn't happen, we'd be dull, uninspired, and pretty much dead inside. Change is what helps us feel alive!
Many folks experience a lot of difficulty facing and adjusting to change. Why is that? We have a tough time with change primarily because we focus on several mindset myths that keep us stuck. Do you see yourself in any of the following?

1. I can't change.

Telling yourself that you cannot change blocks your ability to do anything differently from how you do it now. This kind of a mental message puts up a brick wall. Instead of saying that you cannot make changes (change implying something major inside of your head)) why not tell yourself that you are capable of making small shifts? All people are able to step a bit to the right or a bit to the left of what they are currently doing. Here's an example: Rather than continue to conduct weekly two hour staff meetings that require a big time investment for everyone involved, try one hour meetings that cover what's most important.

2. I don't handle change very well.

Whatever we tell ourselves has a way of coming true. If we believe we don't handle change well, we won't. If we believe we do handle change well, we will. Know that there is so much power in the message we play in our minds. How about flipping your negative message to its opposite? Try taping a little card or strip of paper to your bathroom mirror, kitchen cupboard, and car dash board. On these cards write: I am amazed at how well I cope with every change that comes into my life. Read this message aloud multiple times each day to reprogram your brain.

3. Change is bad.

If you tell yourself that change is bad, do you know how that belief developed? Where did this come from? Did you hear your parents and other relatives say it when you were growing up? Did you have a negative experience after making a particular change in your life? Whatever the case, understand that some change is bad and some is good. Each potential change needs to be assessed in terms of its benefits. Ask yourself how making a certain change will create different results from those you are getting now. Will those new results bring you greater happiness, less stress, more productivity, increased efficiency, improved skills? If you can honestly say yes to even several of those pluses, then that particular change may be very good indeed.

4. Change takes too much effort.

There is a price to pay for choosing to avoid change--especially change that really needs to happen. Anything in life worth having is worth the effort you put forth to attain it. Think about all the things you've accomplished. They required effort on your part, didn't they? Earning a college degree takes effort. Marrying and staying married takes effort. Bearing children and raising them takes effort. Getting up in the morning and working a job takes effort. Meeting new friends and maintaining those relationships takes effort. Consciously decide to make the effort to change what isn't serving you at home and at work. Dodging these changes brings misery, unfulfillment, disappointment, even resentment down the road.

5. Change is painful.

Initially, certain changes may in fact be painful: moving away from home for the first time, assuming more financial responsibility in order to start a family, inconveniencing yourself to take care of an ailing parent, starting a brand new job, firing a dead wood employee, giving up substance abuse, leaving a destructive marriage. If you avoid all pain, you don't do anything. Temporary pain can be a forerunner to greater joy and richness in life. That said, not all change is painful. Taking a vacation to a tropical island in the middle of winter is fun, not painful. You change your environment but are not upset by it. Receiving a sizable raise at work is an occasion to celebrate. What a welcome change! Now you can afford that house you've wanted to buy.

6. Change is to be feared.

Fears are generally learned. We really aren't born to be afraid of much that we fear. It's appropriate to fear a stalker or a house fire. It's not appropriate or beneficial to fear many of the changes we experience in our lives. Have you ever been presented with the opportunity to move into a more satisfying job but ended up declining the offer out of fear? Fear of failure or lack of self confidence? How sad if this has been your experience. Think of change as a gift instead of something to be afraid of. Change comes to us to stretch us, enrich us, and develop us. The more you allow change into your life, the more you will evolve into the person you are meant to be in this world. Frequently our sadness and disappointment comes from choosing stagnancy.
So what beliefs should we have instead of the negative ones mentioned above? Ingrain the following deep into the fibers of your being, and watch your whole life light up:
1. I am able to change whenever I need to or desire to change.
2. I handle change very easily.
3. Many changes in my life are good and bring me joy.
4. I am willing to put effort into change that is appropriate for me.
5. Most changes in my life feel good to me.
6. I welcome change and delight in it.





By Sylvia D. Hepler
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4295490
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