Action Thursday - How To Create Your Own Affirmations

Affirmations are a combination of words that verbally express ones thoughts. Thoughts become expressed through words and lead into action to manifest ones desires. Therefore, clarity in your desires is essential in crafting your affirmations to specifically express your thoughts.

You can use affirmations created by others that are in alignment with your thoughts/desires. Or you can create your own using this simplified process. 

Action Steps to Create your affirmation

What do you want to manifest?

Become clear on what you desire. You're looking at the final outcome. What does your life harvest look like? Be as specific and detailed as possible. 

Visualize it

What does your desire look like? Can you picture it clearly? What image comes to mind? Remember you can use pictures from magazines or the internet or other resources to help you get a clear vivid image.

Get your emotions involved

Getting your feelings involved in this process will help you better define your affirmation. It is the joy of having your desire that connects you to the affirmation and make them come alive for you. What feeling words can you include in your affirmation? Are you feeling peace, full of love, joyful, full of life? What does it feel for you?

Write your affirmation

Now it's time to put pen to paper and write out your affirmation. You're taking your thoughts out of your head and making them more crystallized on paper, more tangible. We'll work through a few examples putting these steps together. 

Example #1 - Healing (The harvest - what you want to manifest)

I am completely whole. I am healthy. Life-giving energy flows through every cell of my body renewing and filling them with new vigour. I am full of life and energy. I can move around freely. My body is growing stronger every day. 

Example #2 - Relationship (The harvest - what you want to manifest)

My partner and I are growing closer together everyday. I love my partner. My heart is full of love toward my partner. I am enjoying a happy relationship with my partner. Our communication skills are improving each day. 

Example #3 - Wealth (The harvest - what you want to manifest)

All my needs are met and more. Money flows to me on a continuous basis. I am filled with creative ideas to direct the flow of money to me. I'm a wise steward over my money. I feel blessed that I'm able to share my wealth with others. 

Now, you try. Create your own affirmations, become one with them and allow them to grow in and through you producing your life harvest in your physical reality.

Affirmations - How to Use the Formula for Success with Affirmations to Manifest your Desires

Knowing about affirmations and how they work is only part of the benefit. You get the full benefit when you put this knowledge into use, not only once but over and over again until they leave their imprint in your life. Remember the formula for success R=IOT, Repetition = Imprint Over Time. When you repeatedly use the elements of affirmations you become stronger in understanding the application of affirmations. 

Let's look at each element with the application of the formula for success.

Element #1 - Belief

Repetition of your affirmation affirms your belief. It strengthens it. You begin to feel more empowered from within even if at first you may not have fully believed your affirmation, your mind will begin to accept this belief as true over time. You may say, "I do believe I can have this. I do believe I can achieve my goal. I do believe I am whole." Something inside of you will click. 

Because all the while you've been repeating your affirmation you've been nurturing that thought seed and it's been growing inside of you. You can consciously connect with it because it has gone through the germination period within you and has started to grow where you can actually feel your belief-strength growing in you.

Element #2 - Feelings

As you add the feeling element over and over to your affirmation, you are forming the inner connection with your affirmation. You are engaged in the process of owning your affirmation. You are becoming one with your affirmation. The more you can feel your affirmation, the more you can see yourself experiencing your desire and the more fuel and energy you are adding to that dream. 

When you feel that energy inside of you, you become more excited about it which propels you forward into more inspired action and draws creative ideas to you. You were given feelings for a reason and are not the sign of weaklings but the strength of the empowered because you feel alive and not numb or disconnect from the desires that come out of the core of your soul. 

Element #3 - Visualization

The imagination is the workshop of the mind and as you use it to visualize your desire over and over again your creativity to build your ideal image becomes more vivid. This imaging process communicates with the brain which in turn sends that message over and over to your body. 

What's happening in this process? The energy wave is being transmitted to your body over and over again influencing your body cells. All of this becoming a part of the intangible aspect of the manifestation process which eventually crystallizes on the tangible plain. 

The way we look at things determines our perspective which in turn influences our experience and then our reality. Repeated visualization changes our perspective, changes the way we look at our situation which will influence our experience and ultimately our manifestation. 

Combining all three elements together produces a great energy wave that creates change in your life. Don't forget to follow the inspired ideas as they come to you and take the necessary action on the physical plain. Keep your eyes open for others that may come into your life that hold in their hands the answer to your solution. We are all part of the whole and even if the solution did not come to your mind, it may arrive through someone else. Pay attention. 

Look out tomorrow for Action Thursday and get ready to go through the step by step process of creating your own affirmations.

Affirmations - 3 Elements To Empower Your Affirmations So You Manifest Your Desires - Part 3

Your imagination plays a vital part in the vitalization of your affirmations. What do you see when you're repeating your affirmations? What do you imagine? Do your words create a picture in your mind?

Element #3 - Visualization

Our brain communicates in images. Therefore having a clear image of your desire is the first step in visualization. Let's use our health example from above. What does it look like to you being healthy? What picture do you imagine? What's your mental image? Are you full of energy when flu season comes around? You can breathe easily, you feel strong, you feel confident at that time of the year because your body is whole and you know it. Can you see that image clearly? Make it even more define if need be.

Now, apply this concept to your own personal situation. Do you see yourself enjoying and living the life of your dreams? What does it look like to you? This is where a vision board can be a very useful tool. Having a vision board and not connecting with it would be the same as saying affirmations and not connecting with them emotionally or believing in them.

The purpose of the vision board is to help you get clear on what you desire, have a mental image of your desire and as you look at your vision board, adding your feelings to having your desire, that image is imprinted on your brain which sends that message to your body. As you're feeling the feelings and believing in your vision board image, you're implanting this into your subconscious where it will take root.

This vision board technique helps to develop your imagination bringing vivid colours and images to your brain. If you memorize this image, even when you are not in front of the vision board, you can still have a vivid image imprinted in your mind. Seeing the picture now?

How does the Formula for Success work with Affirmations? Look out tomorrow as we dive into this.

Affirmations - 3 Elements To Empower Your Affirmations So You Manifest Your Desires - Part 2

When you repeat your affirmations, how do you feel? Are your words lifeless, or do they have meaning to you? Are you connected or do you feel disconnected from your affirmations?

Element #2 - Feelings

When you're saying your affirmations, adding your emotions is fuel to your affirmations. You need to connect with the essence of who you are. Feel the feelings of having your desire. E.g. I'm healthy and whole. What does that feel like to you? Allow your heart to get in touch with those feelings. Allow your body to feel whole. Just as you'd savour the taste of your favourite meal or enjoy basking in the rays of the sun.

Become engaged in your affirmation. Let them come to life in your body. You may not see the spiritual connection, but that energy transmits on an intangible level and attracts the same energy to it which begins to change, organize and create the manifestation of your desire. That's why it's important to keep repeating this process. Why? Because the more you do this, the more energy you're giving to your desire and the more it begins to take shape and form and crystallize into your reality.

Look out tomorrow for the #3 element. 

Sunday Morning Inspiration - Affirmations

Saturday Tunespiration - Need a Miracle?

Miracles happen every day. The question is, "Are you expecting yours? Are looking for it? Miracles can take many shapes and sizes. Don't make the mistake of taking the seemingly small ones for granted. Small things become big things and can impact our lives in a great way.

Let today be the day that you'll stay alert and expect your miracle.

Today's tunespiration - There Can Be Miracles - Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston

Getting My Body Back Friday - How to Use Affirmations to Keep you Motivated to Lose Weight

We've already established that affirmations are very effective in helping you create the mindset for attracting your desires and reaching your goals. Let's look at the closer application of this powerful tool. How can affirmations actually keep you motivated to help you reach your ideal weight?

Decision

Nothing is created or changed unless you first make a firm decision that you'll reach your ideal weight. Don't allow procrastination to overcome you here. Even if you don't consciously know where to begin, decide that you will start and you will reach your goal.

Clarity

You must first have a clear image of what you want to achieve. What does this image look like? What size are you - size 10, size 8? Can you see it? If you're having difficulty imagining your body at the ideal weight, get a picture from a magazine or the internet to help you. You'll use this image as a visual imprint on your brain. Absorb every detail and commit it to memory.

Create your affirmation

You've made the decision; you're clear on what you'd like to look like. Now's the time create your affirmation. Here's an example, "I'm full of energy at my ideal weight of 120 lbs wearing a size 8. I am healthy and whole." Place this in a prominent place where you can read it often and commit it to memory. 

Own your affirmation

You must now begin to own your affirmation. You can say these words over and over and not be connected to them, and not own them either. Repetition is the key to owning these affirmations as your own until you actual begin to believe them and can truly affirm them to yourself. This is where you connect your energy and emotions to bring them to life in your life. 

Affirmation and visualization

Remember your picture? As you are repeating your affirmation hold that image in your mind. See this image as you. Feel it in your body. Allow the cells of your body to feel the feelings of being at your ideal weight. You are reprogramming, not only your mind by imprinting this image on your brain, but this mental image will now transmit this message to your body. Feel your body reshaping and taking on its new form.

Practice the Formula for Success

R=IOT, Repetition = Imprint Over time

As you repeat your affirmation and practice these steps, you are pulling more and more energy into your image which will begin to crystallize into words and actions to create and materialize your desire. You are keeping the fire burning under your desire. You are keeping the motivation alive. You are pushing off doubt and negativity that stands in the way of you reaching your goal. You are opening the way to creative ideas to break down barriers that have been hindering you from reaching your ideal weight. 

Follow the inner guidance as the wisdom comes to you. No matter where you are and how much you may be struggling, there IS an answer for you, there IS a solution for you and as long as you believe and open your mind to receive, the solution will come to you. It may not be what you've heard before, but it will bring the resolution you've been searching for but never knew was always there waiting for you to reaching out and take hold of it.

Look out on Monday as we delve into the 2nd element of affirmations.

Action Thursday - Affirmation Action Steps

Now that you understand affirmations, how they work and why you should be using them. It's time for you to put your own affirmations together.

Step #1

What situation are you going through right now that you need to create or recreate the mindset to attract what you desire?

Step #2

Begin to think of the end results - what it is you want and write your affirmations based on your ideal outcome.

Step #3

Ensure that you're creating a very vivid word picture in your mind.

Step #4

Once your affirmation is completed, repeat your affirmations over and over.

Step #5

Add the essential elements of your emotions - get connected and own it as your own. You are transforming your life from the inside out.

Take action and apply the Formula for Success - R=IOT, Repetition = Imprint Over Time.

Affirmations - 3 Elements To Empower Your Affirmations So You Manifest Your Desires - Part 1

If you've tried affirmations in the past and they didn't work for you or if you want to know how affirmations work so you can benefit from them you need to have these 3 basic elements to empower your affirmations. On their own, saying words do not have the effectiveness. You've got to add the fuel to keep the affirmation fire vitalized.

Element #1 - Belief 

If you don't believe in the affirmations you're using then you'll not get any results at all. You've got to believe in what you're saying. Your belief or put another way, your faith makes you whole. What you believe in will become your reality. If you don't believe and want to believe, you can nurture this belief until your mind accepts it. 

For example, if you believe that you're prone to getting the flu every flu season and you start using the affirm, "I'm healthy and whole," at first you might hear your mind say, "Yeah, right." That's the initial conflict between the new programming and the old. It's like going into a lake. The water's cold at first and you feel that initial shock to your system. If you continue to stay in the water, your body adjusts to the temperature and now it doesn't feel as cold any more. You actually begin to accept the temperature and start to have fun. 

It's the same with the new affirmation. If you keep repeating your new affirmation to yourself, "I'm healthy and whole," soon enough your mind will agree with you and you'll find that you can now accept this as your new belief.

We'll cover #2 element on Monday. 

Look out tomorrow - Action Thursday, as we review the action steps you need to take to make affirmations work for you.

Affirmations - Do Affirmations Really Work?

Ever wondered if affirmations really work? Why would saying a bunch of words over and over change anything in your life?

Yes, affirmations do work but just as a body without the spirit is lifeless, so are affirmations without the spirit of the individual. You need to add the essence of your emotions, your desires, your belief, give life to the affirmation. If you're repeating a bunch of words and you don't believe in them or are not connected to them emotionally you'll not empower those words and energize them to work on your behalf. 

Words are powerful but they're only powerful as you vitalize them with the essence of who you are - your belief, your emotions, your desires.

How Often Do You Repeat Affirmations?

Before I go into how often you should repeat affirmations, you need to understand why affirmations are repeated over and over again. 

You've created a habit of thinking the way you are now because of the thought seeds that has been sown in the soil of your subconscious mind and nurtured to the point of it becoming your habitual thought process. Now that you've come into the realization that you need to change what you've been doing, you've got to start the process all over again by fuelling the new thought seeds with your emotions.

For example, if your belief has been, "Every year around flu season I always get the flu," and you've been fuelling this with your fear, firm belief and expectation, now you decide that you're going to change this. You realize that this type of thinking is unhealthy for your well-being. Now, you begin to adopt the new thought seed of being healthy. 


Your new affirmation is, "I am healthy and whole." As you consciously accept this new belief, fuelling it with your emotions and seeing yourself as being healthy and whole, the new thought seeds will begin to take root and grow in your life to manifest a healthier you.

How often then would you repeat your new affirmation? As often as possible throughout the day. You can set aside a few minutes during the day to consciously connect to your new thought seed, "I am healthy and whole." Whenever you learn something new, how often do you need to keep practicing it before you get the hang of it? Once a day every day, three times a day? 


Use the success formula - R=IOT, Repetition = Imprint Over Time. Repetition is the key to affirmations being effective in your life.

Tomorrow we'll look at the Elements to Empowering your Affirmations.

Understanding Affirmations

You may have heard a lot said about affirmations but may still be unsure of how affirmations work or know of their effectiveness. When used correctly, affirmations can be very powerful. In this article, we'll dig into some questions to better understand affirmations.

What are affirmations?

An affirmation is a positive statement or judgment. I'll break this down further to define affirmations as a combination of words used to express and give form to new seed thoughts. Words are powerful and are a more 'tangible' preview of our thoughts. Therefore, words are the beginning formation of our thoughts, becoming further crystallized by actions leading into materialization.

Who can use affirmations?

Everyone uses affirmations, whether consciously or not. Whatever one repeatedly affirms to oneself in thoughts, words or action will become one's reality, whether good or bad. Consciously choosing to use affirmations that will positively affect your life will be the wisest choice of application. 

How should one use affirmations?

Every thought, like seeds, contains within it the life it needs to grow and manifest itself when placed in the right environment. And words are the first visible signs before full materialization. Affirmations should be used to positively construct or reconstruct one's life on a conscious level by directing the energy of this word power to build the life you choose to live. 

Why should you use affirmations?

Affirmations should be used in order to sow new thought seeds in your life which, when nurtured, will produce a new harvest of your desire. Through affirmations, you create the mindset you need to transform your life from the inside out as you reprogram your subconscious mind. 

Look out tomorrow as we discuss 'Do Affirmations Really Work? and How Often Do You Repeat Affirmations?' 

If you have a question regarding affirmations that you'd like me to address, feel free to post it in the comment area. 

Sunday Morning Inspiration - Wayne Dyer - Changing The Habits That Erodes

Saturday Tunespiration - Lean on Me

We may not always feel strong every day of the year but when we are weak there are friends around us to help us up. Today is my birthday and I thank all of you my readers for your support and encouragement. You give me the strength each day to carry on. I appreciate you and I'm here if you need someone to lean on.

Today's tunespiration comes from Michael Bolton - Lean on Me.

Getting My Body Back - Procrastination vs. Action

Procrastination may be experienced in many areas of our lives. But when coming to weight loss, in order to get the full benefit from it, procrastination has no place. No one ever gets into shape by just planning on getting into shape. If that was the case I'd sure be the first in line for planning. You'd have to make the application and actively become engaged in the necessary action steps needed to get you closer to your goal.

1) Desire

Your desire should be more than just a fantasy. Your desire should be strong enough to move you into action. A weak desire has no power and energy behind it and therefore will not energize you to do anything about getting to your goal.

2) Decision

When you make a decision to get to your ideal weight it is not just a onetime deal. This decision needs to be made over and over again, sometimes daily because when you first start off you're all excited and that excitement energizes you to keep going. But as you get into it, a couple weeks, a month, three months or more down the road, you need to reaffirm your decision and sometimes recommit to your decision to get to your ideal weight. Life happens but the most important thing is to get back on track and keep moving forward.

3) Set a time to begin

Having a specified date to start and how often you're going to workout during the week gets your mind prepared and geared up to make this happen for you. It also helps you to get your schedule organized and keep you on track.

4) Faith

Doubt will inhibit and undermine your workout efforts. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same space. Either you will believe that you can do it and that belief will be evident in your words followed by your actions, or you will doubt and that too will be evident in your words and in your actions. Either one will get results but will it be the results you desire? Whichever seed you sow will produce the fruit in kind. Choose faith. Believe in yourself and keep believing every day. And when doubts show up and knock on your door, reply with words of faith.

5) Persistent

Persistence in any undertaking is the key to success. You may face illness, hormonal changes, emotional highs and lows, family situations - life issues in general. But once you keep your goal in focus and have the persistent mindset, whatever comes your way in the form of setbacks, you can rise up again and continue on your journey.

6) The Master mind

We all need someone who can help us get out of the rut we sometimes find ourselves in. When you surround yourself with people who can help encourage you toward your goal you can better resist the urge to procrastinate than when you're on your own. If working with a group or at a gym helps you, then that's the place you should find yourself. The energy alone will motivate you to keep pressing forward.

7) Organized Planning

What would your workout schedule look like? Will you be jogging only, walking only, weight training only or a combination of some or all? What would your meals consist of? Formulate your plan and put them into action. At first it may seem overwhelming because you're changing your habitual way of doing things. But when you implement these changes a little at a time and add the persistent element to it, you'd find that it becomes more of a way of life than a chore.

Remember, you can always add variety. We are not robots and as they say, "Variety is the spice of life." You want to have fun. Rigidity takes the fun out of life if you're not enjoying what you're doing. Find the joy in your workout and you'll find that procrastination will take its exit through the back door.

And to discover how you can adopt the mindset to overcome any obstacle and obtain the tools needed to achieve any goal, whether it's financial, spiritual, relationship, health, I invite you to a free Think and Grow Rich membership program at http://www.changinginsideoutnow.ning.com/.

Action Thursday - 7 Action Steps to Overcome Procrastination

The best way to overcome procrastination is to the apply what you've learned - take action.

The following 7 steps are very doable. Zoom in on the area that you're procrastinating in and apply each step to your situation. Remember practice makes permanent!

1) Desire

What is it you want?

2) Decision

Decide that you will have your desire.

3) Set a time to begin

Set a definite date to start and begin doing what you say you will.

4) Faith

Believe that you will have your desire.

5) Persistent

Take regular persistent determined action to get you closer to your goal.

6) The Master mind

Surround yourself with people who will help you realize your goal.

7) Organized Planning

Formulate a plan to put your ideas into action.

And to discover how you can adopt the mindset to overcome any obstacle and obtain the tools needed to achieve any goal, whether it's financial, spiritual, relationship, health, I invite you to a free Think and Grow Rich membership program at http://www.changinginsideoutnow.ning.com.

Procrastination - Believe in Yourself to Overcome Procrastination

Where ever self-doubt exists procrastination presents itself. You could never achieve anything worth having without faith. You must believe that you will have your desire in order for you to receive it and based on that belief move into action to overcome procrastination.

What then is faith?

It is the acceptance that you will have what you say you desire and the belief that it is yours even though the outward circumstances show a different picture. It's the inner knowing that you will achieve your goal even though there are no signs of its appearance.

Do Your Part

When you sow a seed in the ground you know that it will germinate and grow. It's not your business to make it grow but it is your responsibility to choose the seed and put it into the ground. Similarly, adopting the same mindset regarding achieving your goal will energize you to take the necessary action needed knowing that you will have what you desire as long as you do your part.

Release doubt

Doubt will always dig up any seed of hope and set you back into procrastination. Keep doubt out and it will not take root and undermine what you're working on.

Use Affirmations

"I know I can do this. I have the will, the courage and the strength to complete this task.” Create your own affirmations to energize you and recreate the mindset you need to move you into action.

Persistence

Be persistent in believing in yourself. The energy of your belief will create the momentum you need to keep you moving forward toward your goal and move you from the state of procrastination into activation.

Belief in yourself makes you whole. What would you do now?

Procrastination - How to Develop the Habit of Definite Decision to Overcome Procrastination - Part 2

Yesterday we covered Desire, Decision and Set a Time to Begin. Today we'll look at 4 more ways to develop the habit of definite decision to overcome procrastination.

1) Faith

Believe that you will have your desire. You could never achieve anything worth having without faith. Doubt will always dig up any seed of hope and set you back into procrastination. Faith is acceptance that you will have what you say you desire. Accept it as if someone offers you a gift. See it as being yours. The energy of your belief will create the momentum you need to keep you moving forward toward your goal and move you from the state of procrastination into activation.

2) Persistent

Take regular persistent determined action to get you closer to your goal. Each action step toward your goal builds greater confidence. The key ingredient to achieving any goal is persistence. Lack of it is the cause of many abandoned dreams. A strong reason for wanting what you desire fuels the energy of persistence and pushes you forward in the face of adverse conditions.

3) The Master mind

Surround yourself with people who will help you realize your goal. When you surround yourself with like-minded individuals, the energy among this support system will encourage you to keep on keeping on. The wisdom shared within a master mind group can unlock doors and produce ideas that you will not have come up with on your own. You gain tremendous inspiration and motivation from the experiences of the other members.

4) Organized Planning

Formulate a plan to put your ideas into action. Putting a plan together brings the ideas from in the imaginary/spiritual stage into the beginning stages of form. As you put the plans into action, your ideas become animated and continue the growth process into full realization.

As you continue to develop the habit of definite decision, you'll find that you'll not only overcome procrastination but that you'll move into a higher level of achievement in any area of your life.

And to discover how you can adopt the mindset to overcome any obstacle and obtain the tools needed to achieve any goal, whether it's financial, spiritual, relationship, health, I invite you to a free Think and Grow Rich membership program at http://www.changinginsideoutnow.ning.com.

Procrastination - How to Develop the Habit of Definite Decision to Overcome Procrastination - Part 1

Repetition is the key to establishing a new habit, and determination and persistence will sustain and bring permanency to the new way of life.

In order to overcome procrastination, we need to master the decision making process. The following provides a step by step process to establishing this new habit.

1) Desire

What is it you want? Once you know what you want and have a clear image of it, you can move to the next stage. Clarity of your desire is paramount to obtaining it. Vague desires bring vague results. Become specific and allow your mental image to be crisp and precise in order to attract the mirrored image of your desire.

2) Decision

Decide that you will have your desire. Make a firm decision that you will stop at nothing until your desire is materialized. Many times we don't get the results we desire is because we never make a firm decision that we'll have what we want. We don't see how we're going to manifest what we want so we never make a firm decision that we'll have it. Did you know that decisiveness, even when you're not sure which way to go, opens the way for the answer to come? Think about that.

3) Set a time to begin

Set a definite date to start and begin doing what you say you will. You're putting on legs to your decision. You're getting the momentum going. You're stepping out in faith even if you only have one small idea to begin with. Every great tree once started out as a tiny seed. The size of the seed was never considered an obstacle to the greatness of the oak. Your small idea or inspiration, no matter how insignificant it may seem, contains the making of greatness. It's only waiting for you to take action, put the seed into the ground, and allow the law of growth to do its thing.

And to discover how you can adopt the mindset to overcome any obstacle and obtain the tools needed to achieve any goal, whether it's financial, spiritual, relationship, health, I invite you to a free Think and Grow Rich membership program at http://www.changinginsideoutnow.ning.com.

Look for Part 2 tomorrow.

Sunday Morning Inspiration - Positive Quotes

Saturday Tunespiration - Are you Expecting an Ordinary Miracle Today?

Looking for a miracle? Every day miracles occur; some we call extraordinary, others we ignore because they're considered ordinary. These are the ones that make our day worthwhile. Yet these are the ones we take for granted but they're the most important. They make life worth living. Count your blessings and your ordinary miracles each day.

Today's tunespiration is from Sarah McLachlan - Ordinary Miracle. Check out the lyrics below.

Sarah's song from Charlotte's Web:
It's not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn't it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It's just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

It seems so exceptional
That things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Ooohh Oooohh

It's just another ordinary miracle today

Getting My Body Back Friday - How to Use the Power of Now to Love and Enjoy Who You Are

If you've been struggling with weight issues for a long time or even if you're now trying to shed those few extra pounds, you'd understand all the feelings of depression, discouragement, frustration, low self-esteem and a whole slew of negative emotions that are working against you reaching your goal.

But you can rid yourself of being consumed by these emotions and appreciate your body where you are right now, even if you've not yet attained your goal. Did I just hear you say, "Yeah, right?" lol. I know what you mean. I've been there and I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and really can't stand seeing the folds. I know what it's like to stand in the mirror and pull in my tummy trying to hide my bulges.

Until one day I began to look at myself and look for the things that I loved about me. I focused on those things. It may be different from yours but for me it was - I gave birth to 7 beautiful children, I am strong, I am healthy and I am beautiful. I focused on those things until I came to the point that I was able to appreciate and accept me, accept my body as is right now and still love me - folds and bulges and all.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't get here overnight, it took me many years to get here but I am here now. Another thing, does that mean that I've thrown out my desire to get to my ideal weight? Not a chance. I want to be the best that I can be so I continue to keep my goal in sight in spite of setbacks, delays and hormones lol. But while I'm on my journey, every day I spend on earth is valuable and therefore I must spend it loving who I am and loving the journey.

Guess what? You can too. Decide within your heart that you will on purpose love you and expand that each day until you can truly look at even the folds and bulges and say, "I love you in spite of and not because of." And keep on working out and take care of the one you love - You!

To discover how you can use The Power of Now to overcome many of the daily struggles faced by mentally living in the past and in the future instead of Now (the present), click to learn more The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

New Book Launch - The Wild Soccer Bunch

I found a wonderful children's book with some real time lessons for our kids. With so many kids and parents involved in soccer these days, I thought some of you might love this book. It's The Wild Soccer Bunch, a brand new, fun and exciting kids' adventure book starring the only girl on a boys' soccer team. It has been endorsed by the great Landon Donovan, star starof the LA Galaxy and US Soccer MVP in the World Cup. This book has already sold 9 million copies world-wide, and we want you to be apart of this best-selling phenomenon.

Kids around the world love The Wild Soccer Bunch! The book motivates kids to get involved in team sports and supports values such asdiversity, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership and self-acceptance. The book exudes passionate storytelling and an equal passion for the game kids love: soccer. Kids who love The Wild Soccer Bunch will be inspired to play the game. You can find the book at www.wildsoccerbunch.com/launch and I wanted to share it with all of you (since we all know a kid somehow).

Plus, when you purchase the book today, you'll receive dozens of free bonus gifts for yourself and the kids in your life. Click here to view your incredible gift package: http://www.wildsoccerbunch.com/launch. Plus, every person who purchases a copy of the book on launch day 9/9 2010 will automatically go into the draw to Win 2 tickets to Hollywood, to the filming of The Wild Soccer Bunch Television Ad, featuring Landon Donovan himself!

Action Thursday - The Power of Now - Pursuing External Goals in the State of Wholeness

For our Action Thursday, we'll take a look at another excerpt taken from Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. It discusses how even as we're in the state of wholeness we can be willing and able to pursue external goals while living in the Power of Now.

"Of course, but you will not have illusory expectations that anything or anybody in the future will save you or make you happy. As far as your life situation is concerned, there may be things to be attained or acquired. That's the world of form, of gain and loss. Yet on a deeper level you are already complete, and when you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.

Being free of psychological time, you no longer pursue your goals with grim determination, driven by fear, anger, discontent, or the need to become someone. Nor will you remain inactive through fear of failure, which to the ego is loss of self.

When your deeper sense of self is derived from Being, when you are free of "becoming" as a psychological need, neither your happiness nor your sense of self depends on the outcome, and so there is freedom from fear. You don't seek permanency where it cannot be found; in the world of form, of gain and loss, birth and death. You don't demand that situations, conditions, places, or people should make you happy, and then suffer when they don't live up to your expectations.

Everything is honored, but nothing matters. Forms are born and die, yet you are aware of the eternal underneath the forms. You know that "nothing real can be threatened."

When this is your state of Being, how can you not succeed? You have succeeded already."

To discover how you can use The Power of Now to overcome many of the daily struggles faced by mentally living in the past and in the future instead of Now (the present), click to learn more The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

2 Keys to Living in the Power of Now http://ht.ly/2BrSl

The Power of Now - Focus on the Task at Hand

The following is an excerpt taken from Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. It discusses the importance of focusing on the task at hand instead of the results to experience the joy of being living in the Power of Now.

"So do not be concerned with the fruit of your action - just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own accord. This is a powerful spiritual practice."

Let's take a closer look at this statement and use a practical example for more clarity. As a gardener, it is your responsibility to sow the seed into the soil, water the garden, pull the weeds and ensure no pests devour your plants. That's the action that you give attention to. You cannot make the harvest come in, you cannot make the plant bear fruit, neither is it your responsibility to do that.

With that said, it would be very silly to frustrate yourself over the fruit and be mentally occupied in fear and worry about its appearance. But that's what we do all the time; become so mentally occupied with the fruit time, the results of what we desire, that we lose the joy of doing - the joy of nurturing the garden, the journey.

Excerpt continued

"When the compulsive striving away from the Now ceases, the joy of Being flows into everything you do. The moment your attention turns to the Now, you feel a presence, a stillness, a peace. You no longer depend on the future for fulfillment and satisfaction - you don't look to it for salvation. Therefore, you are not attached to the results. Neither failure nor success has the power to change your inner state of Being. You have found the life underneath your life situation."

As the gardeners of our lives, we can find fulfillment and satisfaction even in our mundane daily activities. We can be happy now and not wait for a future occasion, when the fruit appears, to be happy. Looking to the future event or circumstances for our current happiness only puts us in a position of giving our power away to something outside of ourselves. We are left standing on sinking sand and not on a solid foundation of inner peace and state of being.

Excerpt continued

"In the absence of psychological time, your sense of self is derived from Being, not from your personal past. Therefore, the psychological need to become anything other than who you are already is no longer there. In the world, on the level of your life situation, you may indeed become wealthy, knowledgeable, successful, free of this or that, but in the deeper dimension of Being you are complete and whole now."

Isn't it liberating to know that we are complete and whole now regardless of what our external circumstances display? We can start each day with a new slate freeing ourselves from the mistakes of the past and moving onward onto a better today. As a matter of fact, this state of being opens up the door for the life-giving flow of the Spirit to supply us with all we need.

To discover how you can use The Power of Now to overcome many of the daily struggles faced by mentally living in the past and in the future instead of Now (the present), click to learn more The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

The Power of Now - The Joy of Being

The following is an excerpt taken from Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. It discusses how being controlled by psychological time causes life to become laborious instead of joy and ease which comes with living in the Power of Now.

"To alert you that you have allowed yourself to be taken over by psychological time, you can use a simple criterion. Ask yourself: Is there joy, ease and lightness in what I am doing? If there isn't, then time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or a struggle.

If there is no joy, ease, or lightness in what you are doing, it does not necessarily mean that you need to change what you are doing. It may be sufficient to change the how. "How" is always more important than "what." See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it. Give your fullest attention to whatever the moment presents. This implies that you also completely accept what is, because you cannot give your full attention to something and at the same time resist it.

As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action."

To discover how you can use The Power of Now to overcome many of the daily struggles faced by mentally living in the past and in the future instead of Now (the present), click to learn more The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

The Power of Now - Letting Go of Psychological Time

The following is an excerpt taken from Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment which discusses the difference between psychological time and clock time and how our identity with psychological time inhibits our being able to live in the Power of Now.

"Learn to use time in the practical aspects of your life - we may call this "clock time" - but immediately return to present-moment awareness when those practical matters have been dealt with. In this way, there will be no buildup of "psychological time," which is identification with the past and continuous compulsive projection into the future.

Clock time is not just making an appointment or planning a trip. It includes learning from the past so that we don't repeat the same mistakes over and over. Setting goals and working toward them. Predicting the future by means of patterns and laws, physical, mathematical and so on, learned from the past and taking appropriate action on the basis of our predictions.

But even here, within the sphere of practical living, where we cannot do without reference to past and future, the present moment remains the essential factor. Any lesson from the past becomes relevant and is applied now. Any planning as well as working toward achieving a particular goal is done now.

The enlightened person's main focus of attention is always the Now, but they are still peripherally aware of time. In other words, they continue to use clock time but are free of psychological time.

Be alert as you practice this so that you do not unwittingly transform clock time into psychological time. For example, if you made a mistake in the past and learn from it now, you are using clock time. On the other hand, if you dwell on it mentally, and self-criticism, remorse, or guilt come up, then you are making the mistake into "me" and "mine": You make it part of your sense of self, and it has become psychological time, which is always linked to a false sense of identity. Nonforgiveness necessarily implies a heavy burden of psychological time.

If you set yourself a goal and work toward it, you are using clock time. You are aware of where you want to go, but you honor and give your fullest attention to the step that you are taking at this moment. If you then become excessively focused on the goal, perhaps because you are seeking happiness, fulfillment, or a more complete sense of self in it, the Now is no longer honored.

It becomes reduced to a mere stepping stone to the future, with no intrinsic value. Clock time then turns into psychological time. Your life's journey is no longer an adventure, just an obsessive need to arrive, to attain, to "make it." You no longer see or smell the flowers by the wayside either, nor are you aware of the beauty and the miracle of life that unfolds all around you when you are present in the Now. "

To discover how you can use The Power of Now to overcome many of the daily struggles faced by mentally living in the past and in the future instead of Now (the present), click to learn more The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

Sunday Morning Quote of the Day - Jim Rohn Inspirational Quotes

Saturday Tunespiration - This is Me!

Are you hiding who you want to be because someone laughed at your dreams? Or are you afraid that your family won't understand? Or are you afraid of your own greatness? It's time to stop hiding and live the life you were meant to be and be the person you've always dreamed of.

Today's tunespiration is from the movie Camp Rock - This is Me

Getting My Body Back Friday - Redirect Your Discouragement Energy Into Enthusiasm to Maximize Weight Loss

On your journey to achieving your ideal weight loss goal, discouragement may set in at times when you're not achieving your expectation. What do you do then to redirect the negative energy of discouragement into enthusiasm to maximize weight loss?

Instead of allowing the feeling of discouragement to consume you and tempt you into giving up, look for ways in which you can redirect your energy to give you better results.

Energy Redirection #1 - Shift gears

If what you're currently doing isn't working, it may be time for you to 'shift gears', try something different. When I first started out, I would do stretches and add some aerobic exercises in the mix. Even though I got some results, I felt that I wasn't satisfied and I wanted more. So I got outside and added brisk walking to my routine. Sure enough, my results increased.

Energy Redirection #2 - Expand on what you're already doing

If you're already walking, you can add other things to it, like swinging your hands back and forth (with elbows bent) so you're using more energy and getting more of your body involved. Add an extra mile onto your distance as well or jog for 1 minute, walk for 1 or 2 minutes, jog again for 1 minute. You'll find your body will start sweating at this rate of interval training making a perfect blend of high and low impact workout.

Energy Redirection #3 - Take it up a notch

Taking your exercise routine up a notch gets your body out of the comfort zone and into the fat burning zone. You may find that you're extending yourself just a bit more but this is where you begin to really maximize your efforts and produce even more results. Add weight training to your routine. Your muscles require a whole lot more energy for daily maintenance. Weight training will cause you to burn more fat and will continue to do so even beyond the actual workout session.

Another area you can also examine is your calorie intake to ensure that your output in energy usage, fat burning, is more than you're consuming.

Don't get discouraged but be encouraged and redirect your energy into a stronger healthier you!

Action Thursday - 2 More Mistakes and Resolutions to Turn Your Negative Experiences Into Positive Lessons

Now's the time to put the action steps into place to get the results you desire in your life. Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's. Click here to read yesterday's post if you haven't done so already.

Mistake #2 - Becoming consumed by the emotions of the negative past situation

Allowing negative emotions to consume you will hinder you from making progress. When you are engulfed in this energy it's difficult to see the positive and glean the invaluable gems hidden amid the adversity.

Resolution #2 - Redirect your energy

Instead of focusing on how awful you felt or how bad the situation was, redirect your energy into looking for the hidden gems, the vital life lessons you can take away from that experience. It will do you greater good if you ask, "What could I or what did I learn from this?" or "How has this helped my life since then?"

Grab out a pen and paper because you may come up with a whole lot more than you thought. Then you'll begin to see how every situation, though at first brush seemed cloaked in negativity, holds within them the right measure of pressure and heat to mould you into the person you need to be.

Mistake #3 - Retreat to the old way of thinking

As the old pain and emotions emerge, you begin to retreat to the old way of thinking and once again you begin to harbour anger and resentment which binds you in their grip.

Resolution #3 - Refocus your attention and keep moving forward

Okay, you've fallen off the wagon, so to speak, but this is part of the growth process. Babies fall many times before they master the art of walking. During the learning process their muscles are strengthened and they understand the mechanics of learning to balance themselves.

Look at this as part of the learning process where you effectively deal with weak untrained 'muscles' and also master the mechanics of focusing and refocusing your attention on growth and healing. As you do this, you'll open up the flow of positive energy to enter into you and enrich your life tremendously.

What to Do When Your Positive Thinking Turns Into Negative Thoughts Because of Negative Experiences

So here you are practicing positive thinking, focusing on the goodness that's in your life and that's coming into your life. You're feeling good about yourself and your future. Then it happens. Someone said something or something happened that triggered the memory of a past negative event or comment that really cut deep.

At first you tried to ignore it, but the pang of the pain starts bubbling up from inside you soon followed by a gushing outpouring of emotions. You find yourself absorbed with feelings of hurt, anger and depression over something which occurred months ago, maybe years ago. "What does it all mean?" You asked, "I thought I was all over that?"

These emotions many times come from unresolved issues; perhaps you never resolved the issue with the other person or even within yourself. Yes, you moved on but the roots of the problem were never dealt with, was never uprooted. And when the right conditions came, like deep roots come alive and begin to surface in spring, up came those memories and the emotions that belong to them.

3 common mistakes and 3 resolutions to turn your negative experiences into positive lessons.

Mistake #1 - Shoving it under the rug.

The worst thing you could do at this point is to shove the memory under the rug and pretend like it never happened, because it did and now you're reliving it over again in your mind and emotions. You may try to cover it up like soil covering up old roots in the garden. Guess what will soon happen? The roots will find their way, break through to the top soil and continue to grow.

Resolution #1 - Face it and deal with it.

When you find unwanted roots in your garden, what do you do? You dig deeper and begin to uproot the unwanted roots. It doesn't matter so much as to how they got there as to the fact that they are there and you don't want them.

Face yourself, look at the situation, acknowledge how you felt and feel about it and consciously uproot the pain of it and release it from your life. Like garden roots that extend across the length of the garden, you need to keep digging and uprooting until you've got it all out. Sometimes this process may take some time depending on how willing and persistent you are in releasing the hurt, the negative past experience from your life.

Look out tomorrow for the other 2 mistakes and 2 resolutions to turn your negative experiences into positive lessons.