Pursue Your Dreams: Just do it!!!

If you can dream it, you can do it. Don't let the passage of time steal your dreams away from you. Your dreams are as unique to you. They contribute to the development of your personality and define in a significant way the quality of your life. Pursuing your dreams is part of your life mission.

Most of our dreams fall into three categories, Business, Family and Individual Dreams. Early in our childhood or adolescence we dream of becoming a doctor, teacher, nurse, program developer or whatever it is we dream to be. We get an education that leads us into the career we have chosen and we spend a lifetime developing and growing our business skills so we can become the success that we dreamed of becoming.

Somewhere along the way we dream of having a family. Many of us get married, have children and spend a good portion of our adult life helping our children acquire the education, values and skills that will help them lead happy and successful lives that we dream for them -- and we send them off with the wish that all of their dreams come true.

But somewhere along the way we set aside our Individual Dreams - hopefully out of a sense of priority and not out of a sense that they are less important than our Business and Family Dreams.
The fact is, the pursuit of our Individual Dreams is as important as our Business and Family Dreams because they define the quality of our lives. At the end of the road, more often than not, we regret what we didn't do, not what we did.

Don't abandon your Individual Dreams - those dreams that are specific to you, that rest in your heart, that you long to pursue. Take them out of the closet and start pursuing them. It may be the passage to the destination of your dream, not arriving at the destination that can be the most rewarding part of pursuing your dream.

The best steps for pursuing our Individual Dreams is

Just do it.!!!

The Four Secrets Of Optimism

Not only is life hard, it can unexpectedly become harder. One day we might be comfortably cruising along, and then suddenly it seems like everything is going wrong: Your marriage is in a shambles, or you’ve just discovered that you’re not as financially stable as you thought, or you suddenly lose a lover, friend, or family member. The world has changed. Everything seems ominous and uncertain.

That’s when you can fall into the trap of pessimism and negativity. It may seem like the natural thing to do given what you’re going through. How can we work on building a healthy and optimistic way of living when we’re overcome with pain, anxiety, and fear? But no matter how hard things become, there are ways to approach your situation that can make it less burdensome.

Here are four ways to stay positive when life gets you down:

Express Gratitude.  Be mindful about what you do have, whether it’s a fantastic friend or a wonderful partner. Try making a list of things you’re grateful for every night for two weeks. It can be even more powerful to express gratitude to someone who you feel truly thankful for. Write them a letter telling them how they have helped you. Additionally, try to cultivate a sense of gratitude in everyday life for things both major and minor. Thank that stranger who goes a little out of his way to hold the door open for you. Appreciating the good in the world can change the way you look at life.

Volunteer. Take your awareness outside of yourself and focus it on the wellbeing of others. This may not be possible if you’re in crisis mode, but it can be very helpful if you’re increasingly preoccupied by your own negative thoughts. Many studies have shown that community service and philanthropy are more satisfying over the long term than focusing on your problems. Try volunteering at your local library, homeless shelter or hospital.  You can become less focused on the bad stuff you’ve been dealing with—and even form a connection with others in the process.  

Notice the Good. It might seem nearly impossible to find the silver lining in a burdensome situation, but it can be helpful.  Maybe you’ve gone through some personal growth and change because of what’s happened, or you’ve become closer to someone.

Change Negative Self-Talk. It’s way too easy to think the same negative thoughts over and over again. However, you can learn to change this by doing some cognitive-behavioral therapy on yourself. When you notice yourself having a negative thought about yourself, replace it with a positive one. If you find yourself  thinking “It’s all my fault” or “I’m not good enough,” stop and remind yourself of how well you’ve been coping and how others appreciate you.

The bottom line on becoming and remaining optimistic: We can’t change what happens to us or to loved ones, but we can change how we react to it. And though that process may take some time, it’s worth it because of the joy and peace of mind optimism can bring.

by ThirdAge.com, on Fri Oct 7, 2011 8:58am PDT

Tips to get Inspired

That is a very interesting piece of observation. Yet it is a profound fact of the creative life. If you are empty, ideas will not occur. No idea, no work. Creative artists sometimes struggle for months and years, even in the middle of their fame, walking in a mental wilderness without inspiration. These are just a few and everyone will have their own personal favorites that interest and inspire them.  If you don’t go searching for this material to inspire you however, don’t expect it to simply come knocking on your door.  You must search for it!  Some tips:

Keep An Open Mind: Once you do find new experiences, the unknown often drives fear or a defensive attitude towards it.  The change that inspiration is generated from will only be held back by those initial worries or reactions so you must keep an open mind in these situations to see them from new perspectives.  You want to let it shape you thoughts, change your initial response and give yourself some time to ponder the new things before denying any possible acceptance or further exploration of the subject.  You never know what you could be missing if you close your mind to new ideas.

Watch your Emotions: Emotions are often tied to that initial response but they also relate so closely to your past experiences they are often limiting or blinding what we dare to see or believe. A story that might be inspiring to one person can easily make another upset or angry based on how they relate their own experiences to that.  Pay attention to your emotions, watch them carefully and try to control them.  They can hide many subtle things that lead to inspiration at the wrong time or place.  Keeping them under control and always trying to change the perspective you experience things in can help with getting past a negative emotional response.

Your emotions could just as easily be signals to find inspiration as often you feel deeply connected to something or you care a great deal about specific topics so you naturally gravitate and have interest there.  Use this when it ties in well with the types of inspiration you want in your life.

Share the Experience: Finding inspiration comes a whole lot easier when you are actually talking about it doing that and talking with other people.  This is where inspiration feeds inspiration in many cases as simply sharing one inspiring story with a friend or colleague can spark them to think of their own inspiring messages and it often waterfalls into a deeper relationship as you discuss important things between you.  Each of those items shared also reveals something that has meaning to a person and knowing that thing is meaningful to them will automatically add importance to it in your life, especially if you already valued it.

Sharing stories of meaning and value are also a great way to discover new things and inspiration as well.  The first step about searching for inspiration is made a whole lot simpler when other people bring those stories to you directly in conversation.  Of course you will never feel the same hear about a story then experiencing it directly but often it inspires you enough to go make a similar experience yourself and get over your fears of leaving your comfort zone.  Offering that same to others by sharing your experiences builds a stronger relationship where you can continue to share the inspiration and drive each other to find more of it.

Seek Out Solitude: While sharing your experience with others has it’s set of advantages and methods to find more inspiration, so does solitude at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Solitude offers a way to focus your mind and body, which can allow you to tune in to your surroundings, your thoughts and your life.  It lets you notice some of the things that inspire subtly and that you would have missed if stuck in a hectic noisy environment.

Solitude is also a place where we can find time for reflection and deep thinking.  It helps a person link their actions and experiences to their thoughts, their hopes and their faith.  Spending time in solitude can relax the mind and sharpen your senses which makes the impact of inspiration often more intense and lasting.  Solitude will be different for different people, some may enjoy that time to think and study, others may meditate to relax the mind and body, and some may spend the time connecting spiritually through prayer and their internal connection to God.  All these things help calm the emotions, alert the senses and help to make points of inspiration more obvious in your life, an important way to find more of the inspiration you are looking for.

Keep in Mind Your Role Models: Role models come about because they either inspire a person or make them jealous.  Ask yourself what does your role model do that you like about them.  Don’t look for what they have or can offer you, but only in what they do.  Is it how they handle a situation, the steps they take to overcome hardship, their ability to lead and accomplish great things or perhaps it’s the methods they use to build and encourage strong relationship. Whatever it is, you can draw on that not only for seeing the inspiration but also to seek out more.

Do your role models align with the areas in your life you are passionate about? In other words, are they the source of inspiration that is most important to you?   It’s worth looking at how your role models steer you as often people have role models that steer them away from the important areas of their life and do so more because of social influence than heartfelt inspiration.  I’m not suggesting you carve out your role models only from what is important to you right now, as that would limit finding new inspiration, however, it is important to ensure your role models are truly impacting you with inspiration that matters to you and not just because of social influence.

Align Your Actions: Taking action towards something reinforces in our minds that action and it can quickly build the neural connections in your brain to learn that new action and associated inspiration that led to it.  This makes inspiration last and grow in value in your mind so putting attention to something that inspires you along with specific actions will only strengthen that.  This stronger connection will drive you to seek out even more, as the value you have towards that grows stronger and stronger.  If you continue to take action on new inspirations, they will develop easier, strengthen themselves and associations with other inspirations and lead to developing new beliefs and passions .

Follow Your Faith: Finding inspiration is not easy, especially in our hectic world with so many false social influences and media bombardment.  Connecting what is really important to you with what you encounter is something that you must learn to do to separate the noise from the inspiration in your life.  This comes as no small tasks and while the steps above might all help in that, it’s going to come down to you trusting yourself and your beliefs to actually recognize what is inspirational to you.  You must learn to trust your own judgment here, no matter the source.  That source of judgment is founded in the faith you have towards knowing what matters, knowing what is right and knowing you will recognize the differences as you encounter them.  This faith, whether you consider it spiritual or not, is one to be followed when seeking out inspiration.

Simple Thinking in Life?

A simple life may mean giving up some of the things you once thought you needed. But, from our experience what we gave up does not compare to any of the things that we have gained.
A simple life is all about choices.
 
     - living in the country rather than the city 
     - dining in rather than dining out 
     - renting a movie rather than going to a theater  
     - finding your passion rather than working at a job 
     - living within your means rather than spending as a means to 
       escape reality 
     - questioning your needs rather than just buying your wants  
     - buying used articles or products rather than buying new 
     - making your gifts rather than buying gifts 
     - enjoying the simple things in life rather than taking them for 
       granted!
Avoid multi-tasking - Doing One Thing at a Time. When our attention is divided between multiple thoughts at the same time, we cannot excel in any of them. It’s best to place all focus on one task before moving on to another. I’ve learned the hard way that despite feeling productive, with multi-tasking, I rarely am. Whenever possible, remind yourself to focus on the Now, and fully immerse yourself in the subtle joys of this moment

Slow down – It’s easy to speed through your day and not notice the little things. Slowing down is a vital part of simplifying your life and enjoying what you have. With focus, you can get the same tasks done without rushing. The key to being effective and productive is to work strategically, not blindly, by understanding why you are doing what you’re doing.

Be The Important – The only time we are guaranteed to have is this moment. I know this may sound a little mystical, but just think about it for a second. Life is so precious, yet we spend our most valuable resource, time, on things that are not important to us. In my life, this means that I will include time in my schedule to do what I truly want to be doing. Since the only time we have is right now, make sure you’re using your right now the way you truly want.

Control Your Spending – You’ve heard the saying “The best things in life are free.” Do you believe it? Spending time with family and friends, laughing, enjoying the antics of a pet, seeing a child smile, experiencing intimate and heart-felt moments with a loved one – these times are precious, and free. Money brings comfort, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying that comfort. But it’s important to spend money on the things that matter to you and let go of spending that does not add value to your life. We spend on what we need, but we forget why we are doing what we’re doing, and the spending becomes a habit.

Enjoy What You Have – If you want to have more enjoyment in your life, enjoy what you have. It is said that in order to live the life you love, you have to love the life you have. We don’t have to seek beyond ourselves in order to find happiness. No one person has everything they want; but we all have some things worth enjoying. So focus on those things and enjoy them!

Be Gracious – Following the previous point. Take time to be grateful for what you already have, however much or little you own. Be content with all the small gifts in your life, things you might take for granted like your body, your home, your good health, the chair you’re sitting on, the computer you have, the respect of those you love most.

Think Simple – There are so many simple pleasures that we don’t always take time to enjoy. Have you taken time lately to be outdoors and watch the clouds? When was the last time you curled up on the couch with a good book? If you enjoy baths, when is the last time you took a bubble bath? Take some time to really focus on something simple – focus on your breathing, focus on drinking down a cold glass of water, focus on enjoying the simple things you do every day. We can find so much happiness in the small everything things. They are there if we seek them, and when we seek, we shall find.

3 Keys to Living Well

In your mind, what does Living Well mean to you? Does it mean you have plenty of money to do whatever you want? Does it mean you get to spend your time as you wish? Does living well conjure up the image of beautiful cars and homes and luxurious vacations?

As they say, if you can dream it you can achieve it. However, a vivid imagination in and of itself does not lead to getting what you want. You also have to take supportive, concrete actions. In order to live well, it may be necessary for you to do some things differently then you're doing today. Below is a list of three key points to keep in mind if you have the desire to live well but have no idea how to actually start doing so.

1. Learn How to Live Well

If you've never actually lived well, it may seem like a big leap to do so. But what if you could learn how to live well? You can!

There are dozens, if not hundreds of books, CD's and other helpful sources of information which will teach how to get what you want. In fact, the entire personal growth/self-help industry is founded on the intention of helping people live better than they are today.

For example: If you dream of making a lot of money, but today you're barely scraping by, there are several excellent books, CD's and seminars that will help you learn how to make a lot of money.

Another example: If you dream of traveling the world, there are hundreds of books and publications that will show you how to travel the world, either on a budget or luxuriously.

The point here is if you want something, there is a way to get it. You just have to learn how to get it. Invest in yourself and your dreams. You and they are worth the time and money you'll spend doing so.

2. Create Rich Life Experiences

Life is really just a series of experiences. Some experiences we learn and grow from and others set us back. Other experiences make us feel fantastic and some leave us feeling stressed out.

Instead of waiting for great experiences to fall in your lap, create your own rich life experiences.

Rich Life Experiences are experiences you create for yourself from a state of purpose. In other words, you decide what kind of experience you wish to have and then you make it happen!

For instance, if you're someone who loves fine wines, create opportunities for yourself to learn more about different kinds of wines. Visit local wine tasting events and when you out grow that experience plan a trip to California's wine country or take a class from a world renowned wine expert!

Rich life experiences occur when you take something you're passionate about and find ways in which you can fully immerse yourself in your passion.

Creating rich life experiences for yourself will allow you to live life fully.

3. Keep Life Simple

LIVING WELL does not equal DOING MORE. On the contrary, living well may require you to cut way back and focus your time and attention on just a few select parts of your life.

Two great questions that will help you keep it simple are:

What do I really want? And,

If I could do anything, be anything or have anything I wanted, what would I do, be or have?

Now, brainstorm a list of at least 25 things. Then see if there are groups of themes in your list. For example, if you write down you want to travel to Paris, Africa and China; you can group all of these together under TRAVEL!

The themes you see on your list will give you a place to start focusing your attention.

Focusing your attention will give you more energy to do the things you really want to do because you won't be pulled in too many directions doing things you don't really want to do.

For maximum efficiency, pick only two or three things from your list to focus your attention on at any given time and then give those few things your all!

You can live well. Decide what living well means to you, learn how to get what you want, create rich life experiences for yourself and keep life simple.