mindset Archives - Page 14 of 18

How To Be Happy Without Feeling Guilty

We’ve been conditioned to feel anxiety or stressed whenever situations happen in our lives. Even if it’s something good that makes you happy, instead of being grateful or feeling joy, we feel like it isn’t enough.

Let me be the one to tell you right now: you have a right to be happy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling content or being excited about your future, even if others aren’t.

Be Happy On The Inside

Finding your inner happiness is important – it doesn’t work unless you find it, first.

How do you find your happiness? Think about what you are grateful for. It’s the little things that bring you joy – a blossoming flower, a laughing child or drinking cold water on a hot day.

How you feel about yourself plays a huge role – think of three things that you love about yourself. Don’t think of how much weight you want to lose or if you’re having a bad hair day. Simply think of what makes you feel good.

Yes, it’ll take some effort because we’re used to seeing the bad before we see the good. See the good in yourself for a change and take that with you throughout the day. Be happy about the person you are growing into.

Be Happy On The Outside

Often, we depend on others to make us happy. If someone is having a bad day, we carry that weight as if it were our own. If you make a mistake, it bothers you all week. You don’t have to do that.

Don’t let things that happen in your environment determine how you should feel. Of course, something could always go wrong, but you don’t have to give in to that negativity. Shift your perspective and find some joy.

Your life isn’t controlled by what’s going on around you. Remember, you have a choice to be happy. Do a random act of kindness to inspire the rest of your day – it’s hard to feel bad when you’ve done something good for a stranger.

Life Is Too Short

Get out of that rut and find your happiness! You don’t have to go around smiling all the time – you’re not trying to show that you are happy. Your goal is to feel happy.

Your life is in your hands. Are you going to waste time being down and stressed out because you watched the news? Or are you going to take advantage of the fact that you have a choice to be happy?

Life happens. You can choose to live it in the dark or you can live it in the light. Everything is not sunshine and rainbows, but be mindful of those moments where you can find peace and be delighted.

It’s easy to fall into discouragement and misery when nothing is happening, but again, don’t let the outside forces control the rest of your day. With all of the distractions going on, it’s hard to find some joy, but it’s still your choice and your responsibility.

Never Feel Guilty About Your Happiness

There will be times when you’re having a great day and someone says something negative to you. People will make you feel guilty about being happy and try to spoil your good mood.

Don’t let anyone steal your joy. You are responsible for your own happiness and they are responsible for theirs. You are not obligated to make other people feel good about themselves – that’s something we all have to learn how to do on our own.

Know that you deserve to be happy. If someone else isn’t happy, it’s not your fault. Taking on other people’s emotions as your own seems sympathetic, but sometimes, we allow it to consume us and it’s not our issue to deal with.

Let’s not forget that you have your own dragons to slay. In the midst of it all, you can still find your peace of mind. Being angry along with someone else only takes away from your positive vibes. Be sympathetic, but don’t feel guilty about your happiness.

We all strive for happiness and it comes to us at different times. When you get it, you must allow yourself to feel it for as long as you can. Tomorrow is not promised and you shouldn’t waste it, just because someone else may be having a bad day.

Make the decision to be happy from the moment you wake up. Find three things that you are proud of about yourself and take that with you. Throughout your day, identify the small things that bring you joy and live in that moment. Most of all, don’t let the outside influence how you feel on the inside.

#BeGoalden

If You Can Make A Decision, You Can Be Unstoppable

If You Can Make A Decision, Then You Can Be Unstoppable

If you can make a decision, you can be unstoppable. Most times, what keeps us stuck is being indecisive and being indecisive will take years off of your life.

What are you afraid of? What holds you back from discovering your potential? If ‘bad’ decisions wasn’t a factor, what would you do?

Make The Decision Simple

Whether it’s an easy decision, or a difficult decision, you must learn to be at peace with what you decide. We often torture ourselves mentally by trying to come up with the ‘right’ answer.

If you look at a situation as black or white, yes or no, left or right, it should be easy, but this is where some of us get stuck.

When making a decision, make it as simple as possible. Yes, something may happen that you didn’t want to happen as a result, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn the lesson and move on.

Don’t Let It Become A Distraction

Some decisions may call for deep thought, but even then, it should be made simple and plain. Know that whatever you decide is okay and it’s not the end of the world.

You are making the best choice possible. If something happens unexpectedly as a result, all you can do is turn around and do it better the next time.

Don’t get hung up on how you should’ve known better, or how you didn’t have all the facts – justifying a bad decision won’t change the outcome. Being hard on yourself doesn’t enhance your decision-making skills.

Get used to narrowing down your options. Too many details can cloud your thinking and cause further confusion. Focus on what’s important and how it will affect you.

You’ll Make The Wrong Decision

Our decisions are not perfect. All of the choices we make won’t lead us in the right direction, but nevertheless, you should learn from it.

If you make the wrong decision, don’t be hard on yourself – it happens to everyone. See it as an opportunity to learn what to do next time.

Sometimes, the wrong decision can lead you on an unexpected adventure. Things could possibly turn out better than if you would’ve made the right decision. Either way, accept it and make the best of it.

The Responsibility Is Yours

When things don’t turn out the way we want them to, our first instinct is to blame someone or something else.

Blaming others only makes things worse, because now, the focus has been shifted to pointing the finger at someone else. It becomes difficult to move on when everyone is trying to find the right person to blame.

When you claim responsibility, it gives the situation closure and it gives direction. You may not want to accept the blame, but sometimes, it’s just necessary in order for everyone to move forward.

Instead of worrying about making the right decision, just make a decision. Don’t waste time thinking about it for too long, or else you’ll look up and it’ll be next week.

Trust yourself and know that you have your best interest at heart. Even if it’s not what you expected, take responsibility for it and do better the next time around.

Focus On The Lesson, Not The Pain

The only way you can think clearly and create a solution for an obstacle, is to focus on the lesson. Everything else is a distraction.

Have you ever stumbled upon a challenge and you get so caught up in why it happened, that you conveniently get stuck? Of course, you could just think of a possible solution, but it’s easier to complain about it.

The Pain

When something unexpected happens, the first thing we do is have a negative emotional reaction to it. Most of the time, we become angry and we drag it on for hours, and sometimes, days.

The obstacle you are encountering may halt progress, but having an emotional reaction halts progress even more. After a while, you begin to justify your reaction with excuses and complaining.

This leads to becoming stagnant. Days will turn into weeks, weeks will turn into months and months will turn into years. Then you’ll live with the ultimate pain – the pain of regret.

That entire process can be eliminated, if you remember one thing: focus on the lesson and find a solution.

The Lesson

No matter how bad something is, we can always find the lesson in what happened. We think that when something is in our way, or not on our side, that it’s automatically bad.

Nothing is working against you – you only perceive it that way because it didn’t go the way you planned. Obstacles are just a sign, telling you to go in another direction.

Don’t take it personal – take it as a lesson. Find the reason something happened, create a solution, and give yourself permission to move forward. Allowing your emotions to get in the way of progress will only encourage complacency and you definitely don’t want that to happen.

Your Vision

There will be obstacles and challenges from time to time, but how you respond to them will determine your level of success. It’s your responsibility to see your idea into reality.

You know the kind of results you want. To react to the little things that get in the way, is to give in to self-defeat. No one is stopping you – you’re only stopping yourself.

Instead of using your energy to behave in a negative manner, use it to improve your strategy. Anything else outside of your plan, is only a distraction.

Remain in control of your emotions, focus on the lesson and follow through with a solution. Rinse and repeat, as often as needed.

#BeGoalden

3 Ways To Activate Your Life’s Vision

Living without effort can lead down a negative path. Then, when you see other people who are succeeding and living their best life, you think they got lucky.

Let’s be clear – one, you can put yourself in the way of catching good luck, if you want to. Two, there are a few things you can do to activate your life’s vision.

How To Activate Your Life’s Vision

Believe. This can be hard, because some of us don’t know how to believe. How do you build self-belief? You must keep promises to yourself. If you’re unable to keep a promise to yourself, who else is going to trust you? Start small and build from there. If you want to be healthy, start with one glass of water and keep that commitment. Continue to hold yourself accountable and not only will it help you become more healthy, it will increase your confidence and your self-belief. It doesn’t seem impossible anymore because you’re making progress and it’s real – you did it. Keep those promises and practice believing everyday.
Write it down. There’s a reason why writing things down is a popular option – because it works. There are so many distractions pulling our attention in different directions, it’s easy to forget what’s important. Write down what you want and put it where you can see it. It will serve as a reminder and pull you back to focus on what you need to do in order to reach your goal. When you take the time to write it down, it forces you to concentrate and think a little more, as opposed to letting it get caught up in a whirlwind of fleeting thoughts. Your chances of remembering and working on it are better, if you write it down.
Go to it. Get in the habit of going to it. If you want to be a writer, find a writer’s meetup to join. If you want to be a race car driver, go to a racetrack. Go to the environment that’s in your vision. This helps to make it real and puts you at an advantage for more opportunities. If you sit there and just think about it without putting in any effort, it’s a lot harder to believe that it can happen. Be in the midst of what you want – see it, feel it, smell it, hear it, taste it. Get in the same space as your goal and turn your potential into possibility.

Challenges And Obstacles

This will take discipline and focus. You can tell your mind what you want, but until you put yourself in that actual place, nothing will spark.

Whatever it is you’re attempting to do, there will be challenges and sudden obstacles that will happen. It’s up to you to see them for what they are and work through them – don’t allow it to defeat you.

People will tell you how it won’t work and how it’s a waste of time. This is to be expected. You already know who the non-believers are, so be careful – you don’t need anyone who’s constantly fighting against your vision.

Live Your Vision

Once you develop a strong belief, write it down and go to it, you’ll be that much closer to making your vision a reality. Make the necessary adjustments and follow through on a daily basis.

This won’t work, unless you work it. Be proactive about your life’s vision. The framework will get you started, but if you want to see results, you must take the time to see it through and live it, everyday.

Remember, this isn’t homework, it’s lifework. Let’s get started.

#BeGoalden

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn To Achieve The Impossible Goal

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn To Achieve Any Impossible Goal

Achieving the impossible goal seems time consuming. In today’s world, it’s easy to be complacent. Instant gratification is at an all-time high and just about everything around us can be done in a microwave minute.

Moving forward seems so easy, yet, it’s so hard to do. In our minds, we make all kinds of plans and goals, but in reality, we stop ourselves before we even start.

Somewhere in between, we need to make a connection with mentally thinking it, to physically doing it.

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn

Thinking about your past. The only reason you should reflect on the past, is to see how far you’ve come. We make the mistake of thinking so much about what happened, we start to live there. That’s where you get stuck. There’s a reason it’s called the past – what’s done is done and you can’t go back and change it. Have the courage to define your future and step into the unknown. That’s where growth happens.
Failing. We’ve all experienced failure at some point in our lives. Let’s shift the perception – ‘failure’ is just another word for ‘learning’. You don’t fail, you learn. Just because you failed at something doesn’t mean it’s not for you and you should quit. When you look back and see the mistake and how you could have done better, implement it and do it again. Not only will you improve upon what you’re doing, but you’ll make progress towards your impossible goal.
Procrastination. We put things off until tomorrow, Monday, or next year. Your diet doesn’t always have to start on Monday, you can just as easily start it on Thursday, or whatever day you think about it. Stop putting things off. Get uncomfortable and make a move. If you don’t do it now, when will you do it? ‘Eventually’ never comes. Do it now.
Accepting judgment from others. People will make fun of you and throw witty insults at you all day long. It’s nothing new. They are insecure about themselves, so know that it’s not you, it’s them. They want to put their fears on you, without pointing the finger at themselves. Don’t let it get you down. You are growing and they’re not. That’s scary to them, because it shows that you’re making progress and they’re staying the same. Never take those judgments personal. Keep it moving.
Making excuses. This is a major one. Not only do we use excuses on others, we use them on ourselves! “I can’t exercise today because I have a doctor’s appointment. If I exercise in the morning, that means I’ll have to wash my hair and by the time I get back home, it’ll be too hot and I’ll have to take another shower and…” Just stop it. You’re either going to do it or not – there’s no story long enough that’s going to validate your excuse.

When To Start Your Impossible Goal

There’s never a good time to start anything. This is procrastination at it’s finest. We all talk about ‘perfect timing’, but it doesn’t exist.

The time to start is always now. If you don’t start, how do you expect to get it done? Your results don’t appear out of the sky – you must take action if you want to see your success.

It’s okay if you have to do it alone. If you wait on your friends, you’ll be waiting forever and most of all, wasting time. Don’t be afraid to step out and start on your own.

You’ll Never Be Ready

“I’ll start when I’m ready.” This is another way we prevent ourselves from moving forward. You’re never 100% ready. Start when you’re 30% ready or just 10% ready.

Being fully ready never happens. Know that if you just start, you’ll learn the rest as you go along. This is where learning and improvement take place, but you must have the confidence to begin.

Go out and just do it! Be uncomfortable with the wrong time and not being fully prepared – that’s the journey! You’ll be so much better on the other side than if you were to be lazy and stagnant. Take a chance, make that first step and achieve the impossible!

#BeGoalden

We Play Victim In Our Own Lives

Can you see past the distractions and judgment that happened today? Is it easy to let things go and move on with your life? Or, do you play victim?

Playing victim is a characteristic we’ve all possessed at one time or another. If you want to know what’s holding you back in life, playing victim is likely the reason.

Self-Pity

When things don’t go our way, we tend to look for an excuse that accommodates that feeling of rejection or fear. There needs to be a reason why it didn’t work out or some sort of justification as to why we weren’t successful.

Feeling sorry for yourself is an easy out. No one stops you from feeling sorry for yourself and it’s comfortable, because you don’t have to push yourself back out there to try again. If you’re not careful, this becomes a horrible habit.

Having pity parties does not help you advance. It discourages you from getting up and going after what you want. It’s fine to feel awkward, confused, or embarrassed – it’s all a part of the process. The trick is knowing when to get up and go after it, again.

Embrace The Suck

It’s important to know that things aren’t always going to go your way every time. The earlier you realize this, the better you can move on and accomplish your goals.

Embrace what sucks along the way – it comes with the territory. If you don’t encounter any obstacles, you’re on the wrong path because there’s nothing there for you to achieve. Rewards and success don’t come easy.

Know that things will go wrong and people will constantly judge you. It will always be there – your job is to recognize it and deal with it by applying yourself even more. Don’t let it phase you, let it fuel you.

Be A Victim Of Success

Get in your head that nothing will stop you, simply because you already know it’s coming. You may not know how it will show up (more money, illness, defeat, etc.), but you will have the confidence to handle it.

Instead of seeing the bad side of it, see the bright side. Just as things can go wrong, they can also go right. When life crushes you, don’t play the victim and lay down, rise up and give yourself another chance!

It’s your choice to decide if you will crumble and die or if you will make progress and fly. If you’re going to be a victim of anything, be a victim of success.

Do It Because It’s Hard

Living in fear is easy, but taking control of your circumstances puts you in a different position. Do the opposite and see how you can make things work out – be optimistic, think it through, and bet on yourself.

Never give in to life’s obstacles and challenges. This is how you prove what you’re made of. John F. Kennedy said, “We don’t do things because they are easy, we do them because they are hard.”

Don’t simplify your efforts. You’re doing yourself a disservice when you take the easy way out and become complacent. Yes, it’s hard to get back up, but realize that the opportunity is still there. It’s on you to fight back and win, one step at a time.

#BeGoalden

How To See The Advantage, In The Disadvantage

Most people quit when they don’t have a winning advantage. Working towards your goals can take up a tremendous amount of time. It’s frustrating to see others who have an advantage, move forward at a faster rate than you. If only the odds were in your favor…

The odds are in your favor. This is a long term game you’re playing and you want to have the foundation and the staying power to continue making progress.

When you’re at a disadvantage, it works in your favor in the long run. You will learn strategies and skills that others will never know of, because they are working with the advantage.

Think Outside The Box

The direct way is not always the correct way. Sure, it may be faster and more efficient, but will it always work?

Everyone takes the shortest route. When everyone goes in the same direction, it gets crowded and things slow down. Is there any other route you can take?

There are some side streets you can take to get to your destination. Although it may take a little more time, it flows better and it’s not as congested as the direct path.

Think outside the box. Go against the grain. There’s always another way to get to where you’re going.

Be More Strategic

Having the advantage doesn’t call for a lot of thinking. You’re used to things going your way, therefore, strategy and planning never really occur to you, naturally.

As in war, you need to outsmart the enemy. We all know how to attack, but where do you attack (from the front or the back)? When do you attack (in the daytime or on Christmas)? How do you attack (loudly or quietly)?

These are strategies to consider, so you can turn the odds in your favor. You are working against your competition’s expectations. Take what they know and use it against them.

See From A Different View

Finding an advantage may be difficult at first, but the more you do it, the quicker you are able to act. Learn to see from a different view.

Close your eyes and imagine what it takes to get to your goal. Go into your competitor’s mind and think what they’re thinking.

Seeing things from a different view will put you at an advantage. Of course, we don’t know exactly what someone else is thinking, but how would you plan to win if you were in their position?

They may have the advantage, but the possibility of losing or falling behind is still there. Interrupt their ‘winning’ pattern that they use all of the time and use it to your benefit.

You Always Have The Edge

Whether reaching for your goals, or outwitting the competition, give yourself the advantage. Leverage their know-how and play it against them.

In essence, there’s more of an advantage in having the disadvantage. There are limitless ways you can win – all you need to do is think and respond on another level.

Being at a disadvantage may slow things down or be more tedious, but you will gain more knowledge and skills along the way to help you win. You may not win all of the battles, but you will certainly win the war.

#BeGoalden

How To Persist, Without Giving Up

We think that successful people are smarter than we are. They had this genius idea, threw it out into the world and it was accepted immediately.

That’s where we’re wrong. Those that have achieved, what we call ‘the impossible,’ aren’t different from us. They are regular people who chose to be persistent.

Anybody can be successful. The only thing that holds us back is our lack of persistence and giving up.

3 Tips To Stay Persistent

Excuses are for the weak. Being persistent takes courage. There are a million reasons you can give that will keep you from starting. “I don’t have enough money,” or, “I don’t know how to do that part.” Excuses hold you back from your greatness, but if you are confident, you can work past them. It’s easy to create excuses, but it’s hard to create progress. No matter how fast or slow you are going, as long as you’re moving forward, you are improving towards a result. You won’t make it there with excuses, but you will make it, eventually, if you ignore the distractions.
Do the hard things. Of course, we would rather take the path of least resistance, but most of the time, that won’t get you far. If you have to find a needle in a haystack, start looking. Most people would automatically give up because they think it would take too long, or they don’t have time to do such tedious work, but if you don’t start, you’ll never get there. Even if the task requires you to do more than expected, do it. You want to know what separates you from the others? Doing the work! No one else is smarter or better than you, they just decided to do the hard things that other people shy away from.
Encourage yourself. Some people give up on their goals because there was no one there to keep encouraging them. This is what you wanted to do – this is your promise to yourself. It’s great when we have people in our corner to cheer us on. Sometimes, you have to be your own cheerleader. It’s not their responsibility to keep you motivated or to make sure you don’t give up. You must hold yourself accountable. There will always be someone in the crowd ready to discourage you, but there won’t always be someone there to encourage you. Use your progress as personal encouragement – you are farther along than you were the day before.

Expect Difficulties, But Don’t Give Up

The most important thing you need to know is that it will be hard. Again, it will be hard.

When we stop expecting things to come easy and deal with the obstacles as they are, growth happens. Growth creates forward movement and that’s what carries us to success.

Facing obstacles and challenges head on will give us instant clues on what to do next. It didn’t work this way? Try that way. Did it go too fast? Next time, slow it down a little. You’re perfecting your path, one obstacle at a time.

Down 9 Times, Get Up 10

In today’s society, we are living in the age of instant gratification, but achieving your goal is a process that isn’t microwaveable. Your social media feed shows you everyone’s success, but it won’t show you the time, dedication, and focus it took to get there.

Don’t be intimidated by someone else’s accomplishment – it’s just a reminder that you can do it too, as long as you remain persistent and focused. Whether it takes two months or two years, you have the ability to make it happen.

It’s exciting to put your life’s puzzle together, piece by piece. There’s no doubt that it will take some time, but we are all capable of creating our outcome. If anyone asks, just tell them you’re still working on it, but it’s all coming together.

#BeGoalden

3 Distractions You Can Avoid To Gain An Edge On Life

Building yourself in a world full of distractions is difficult. Knowing how to gain an edge on life can be a great benefit to you.

What do you do in order to get ahead? Do you possess the traits of a person worthy of success? Are you willing to put forth the effort to separate yourself from those who are average?

3 Distractions You Can Stop Today

Stop gossiping. Why are you talking about someone else? It has nothing to do with you. In fact, discussing other people’s personal business is one of the biggest distractions. Never mind what they’re doing and how they’re doing it – if it has nothing to do with you, it shouldn’t be up for discussion. Talk about how you’re going to make yourself better and more productive.
Don’t be jealous. I understand that it’s hard to not pay attention to how well things are going for others, but being jealous doesn’t help. Again, if it has nothing to do with you, don’t give it your energy. We all have a unique journey and some people reach their goals faster than others. Also, you don’t know the backstory of how they got there. Take your focus back and use it to follow your own path.
Never hold a grudge. Let it go. You’re only hurting yourself when you hold a grudge against someone. Every single time you think about it, you’re taking away precious time from your life. It gives you unnecessary anxiety and stress. Whatever happened, forgive them for your sake and move on.

1 Thing You Can Start Today

If you can discipline yourself to stop doing those three things, you’ll notice a shift in your personal productivity.

There’s one thing you can do to help you gain that edge – do more. No matter what it is, do more. Even if you do just one more, that’s more than what the average person will do.

Over time, doing more will give you an advantage. When you read one more page, do one more rep, or make one more call, you’re preparing yourself to win. Doing one more will give you the advantage, but you won’t know until you practice it.

Give Yourself A Chance

No one is going to do it for you. It’s not just going to happen. If you stop gossiping, being jealous and holding grudges, you’re way ahead of those who enhance those habits by scrolling through social media and watch reality TV.

Give yourself a chance to build your life into who you want to be. You have a choice to be distracted or to be focused. Concentrate on yourself and mind your own business. Whatever it is, do more than needed and you’ll gain an edge on life.

#BeGoalden

3 Things That Stop You Before You Get Started

What’s stopping you from becoming the magnificent person you want to be? There are 3 things that stop you before you get started and today, you’ll get past those challenges to get on the right track!

When you look in the mirror, there’s no one else there but you. You are responsible for your life and what you tolerate. Own your life – the good things, the bad things, the mistakes – take control of it all.

What’s Stopping You?

Other people. This is the most common culprit. We allow other people’s thoughts and opinions to direct our lives. If we do something that someone doesn’t like, we let it affect us. If someone else is having a bad day, we let it bleed over into our lives. Learn to separate your life from someone else’s. Your life is your own – don’t be so quick to hand it over to someone else. Have sympathy for others, but live your own life.
Excuses. Stop giving yourself an out. Giving yourself an excuse to feel better gets you no where. The entire point is to improve yourself and to become great. You deny every chance of your growth when you give excuses. Life may happen, but there’s still an opportunity to work around it. You can still choose to wake up earlier or stay up later – eat clean or eat junk food – save a few dollars or spend all you have. It all comes down to choosing an excuse or choosing that extra push.
Your inner voice. It’s not too late. You’re not too old. Just because it didn’t happen when you were 12, doesn’t mean it can’t happen when you’re 52. Don’t kill your own dreams. Anything can happen at any time. The negative chatter in your mind was put there by someone else, but you have to let it go. It only holds you back from your limitless potential. Every time you hear that negative inner voice, chase it with a positive answer.

Let’s Get It Started

Commit to yourself and your future. No one can stop you unless you allow them to stop you. Get out of your own way and make progress.

Anything can happen, but you must decide to start and take action, one step at a time. Don’t get used to turning down what you really want to do, just to satisfy someone else.

Distractions will pull your attention away from you plan. Do what it takes in order for you to be productive and move forward. Your focus will ultimately drive you towards your desired goal, so concentrate on what’s important and do your best to get it done.

The Final Outcome

Own your life without feeling guilty. It’s okay to say ‘no’ to others, so you can get started working on yourself. In the end, you are the only one accountable for your results – it’s in your hands.

Give yourself permission to start. Stop thinking that other people are right when it comes to your goals. Protect your mindset and step into your confidence. Success is earned by those who have the courage to start and focus on their plan.

#BeGoalden