Life Change For You!

Live Life to the Fullest Through Positive Thinking!

Archive for September, 2009

Afraid to Succeed?

Sep 30

Posted by Steve in Life Success | 2 Comments

Are you afraid to succeed? I bet the first thing that went through your mind was that you were not afraid. The thing is, what stops most of us from succeeding is fear. Now that fear isn’t just the cold chill you get when you have a fright, it is bigger than that.

There is a fear of criticism. Being afraid that someone will think you are crazy and say so or that you are foolish wanting to do whatever it is you want. If our parents were negative or belittled what we did, we most likely have a fear of criticism.

There is the fear of failure. We are afraid that we might fail so we never try. Again parents who are condescending can bring on this fear. Maybe it was a teacher or it might have even been a friend. Wherever it came from, fear of failure plagues many.

On the opposite side there is a fear of success. Believe it or not, many people are afraid that they will succeed and they won’t be able to handle it or they will come under one of the first two once they succeed.

There is a fear of poverty. What if you put all your money into some venture and it doesn’t come through and suddenly you have nothing; all your money is gone! What if it gets so bad that you lose your home and you are living on the streets? Fear of poverty stops lots of us.

There are other fears as well, but these are some of the most common.  Are you afraid? Do you have one of those fears mentioned? Once you understand it and realize that you have that fear, it does much to dispel it. Knowing a fear takes away much of its power.

Steve

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Can You Be Successful?

Sep 30

Posted by Steve in Better Life | No Comments

Let me ask you a real simple question. Can you be successful? Do you have what it takes to be as successful as you would like to be?

The sad truth is, if you answered no, you are not alone. Many people do not believe that they have the ability to be successful. They feel that they have some sort of limitation that hinders them from getting what it is they want.

Well, I hate to be the one to tell you but, you determine your own limitations.  That’s right you determine what your limitations are. You may argue that you have some sort of mental or physical disability. I would tell you that, unless you are so disabled that you cannot read this post, your limitation is far less than you make it out to be. I know of web site designers who are wheelchair bound and need help for many of life’s functions. I know of dyslexic people who have advanced degrees. They had what you possibly do not. They had a burning desire and belief in themselves.

Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s finest physicists has overcome severe handicaps. Are you saying you are worse off? Professor Hawking knows that no matter what his physical condition, he has something to contribute to the world.

You determine your limitations. The next time you decide your life is unsuccessful or that you can’t change and have a better life, remember that. You are deciding what you can and cannot do. No one else, you are deciding.

Steve

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Good Change, Bad Change.

Sep 29

Posted by Steve in Better Life | No Comments

This blog is about changing your life, but not everybody is happy about

change. I’m not one of them! I love change, even when it’s not exactly what I would hope for. Even change that is difficult or uncomfortable is often good for us.

My daughter in Michigan called this morning and said that they had a huge storm yesterday that knocked out their power. They are alright, but they have no heat and it is cool and she goes to school online which is tough to do when you have no power to fire up the computer. Still, she is learning some things. By the end of the day she will know where the local free WiFi spots are and she will have bought more flashlights, which they needed and other emergency items that they found to be lacking.

Change happens to us all the time. The more we are open to it and its influences, the more we are able to learn and to grow. Those who fight change only succeed in making their lives miserable. The change will happen no matter how much you fight against it.

Do you fight change? Do you complain and whine when change comes, only to find that change has happened anyway and you must adjust? Learn to welcome change. Learn to see it as it happens around you and in your life and welcome it. Life will become more enjoyable if you do.

Steve

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Feeling Down? A Simple Cure

Sep 28

Posted by Steve in Positive Thinking | 2 Comments

The last couple of days, I have had a few times when I started to get down. I’m not sure why, maybe the moon cycle or something. The thing I want to bring up about this though, is not my instability, (are any of us stable?) but what I did about it.

When I caught myself becoming a little morose, a little down, I simply stopped and asked my self this question.

“What are you down about, and what will it accomplish to let this go further?”

The answer, of course, was that what I was down about wasn’t all that important, and, continuing to feel that way did not accomplish anything except to bring my energy level down and make me unhappy.

What I did to remedy the problem was to simply decide to not continue. I one instance I just put the negative thoughts away, and in another, I talked the problem out with my wife.

Talking it out was by far the best. When we were done talking, not only was I no longer down, I was actually energized and couldn’t wait to get home and do some things that would remedy the situation.

Next time you find yourself getting down, try this simple little method. Ask yourself what the problem is, why are you down. When you have the answer, ask two more questions. The first is, “What will be accomplished if I continue in this way.” The second is, “What is the quickest and most effective way to release these thoughts?” Do you need to talk them out, journal about them, throw rocks at a tree? Once you know what will release the thoughts, do whatever it is as quickly as you can. Don’t wait!

Steve

P.S. Our lives seem to fly by. Why spend even one moment of them down in the dumps if you can do something simple about it?

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Think for Yourself

Sep 26

Posted by Steve in Better Life, Life Change | No Comments

I just received an email that was a forward. Usually I just chuck these as they are the biggest threat of virus, but this one came from my wife and she received it from a friend. The email was about how President Obama ordered the US Post Office to make EID stamps for Muslims during the Christmas season. Now, just to set the story straight, he did not, but the stamps are real. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with life change?

Think! I don’t care if you are for Obama, or hate him. I don’t care if you are Muslim or Christian or Pagan. Do not, and I repeat, do not, accept everything others tell you as truth, especially in emails. There is a wonderful site called Snopes that is great for checking things out.

Think for yourself! You will never change, never become great, if you allow others to do all your thinking for you. Know what you believe and why, not just because someone emailed you!

Those who have the ability to think for themselves will always be ahead of the herd. Those who have the strength of character to not follow will always lead. You must think for yourself! If you believe something is true, fine, but know why!

My purpose in life is to help others become more than they are, more of what they want to be, but I can’t do that, no one can do that, if the person refuses to think for themselves and have the fortitude to stand up in the face of opposition for what they believe.

Do a quick evaluation of yourself. Do you follow the crowd blindly, or do you check things out? Do you know where you are going in life, or do you just step in line with all the others in the herd? It’s your life, chose how you will live it; as a leader, or a follower.

Steve

P.S. Don’t forget to think about this post. Do you believe what I say to be true? Why?

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Inspiration to Courage

Sep 25

Posted by Steve in Better Life, Positive Thinking | No Comments

Once I was with some friends on a hot afternoon. We decided to go swimming jumpto cool off. I lived in a place where there was lots of water around from a river, lakes, and some bayous. We went to one of the bayous, where there was a bridge, and walked out onto the bridge. My friends quickly climbed over the railing and jumped into the water, but I hung back.

What is it that you are afraid to jump into? Are there things in your life that you would like to do, but you are afraid, for whatever reason, to make the leap? It can be one of the most horrible feelings. You want to do it, it feels right, and yet, you just can’t make yourself climb over that railing and step out into space.

I must have stood up there on that bridge for the better part of a half an hour. My friends were swimming to the edge, climbing out and jumping off the bridge again so fast I had lost count of the times they had gone. They didn’t tease me or say anything other than to encourage me to jump, because it was so much fun. It was only about fifteen feet to the water and I knew I could do it, I just couldn’t do it! I stood there sweating in the heat, wanted to jump, afraid to jump.

Is that how it is with you? Your friends encourage you to go ahead with your plan, you know you can do it, but you just can’t seem to make yourself go for it. You begin to think badly of yourself, knowing you have what it takes, except the courage.

While both of my friends were in the water and not looking at me, I finally got up the nerve to step out into nothingness. The short plunge to the water was terrifying and the water felt ice cold. Read the rest of this entry »

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Positive Attitude

Sep 24

Posted by Steve in Better Life, Life Success, Positive Thinking | No Comments

I went down to the farmer’s market to get some fresh produce and fruit. I noticed something as I walked around the stalls and watched the merchants selling their goods. Those who had a smile on their face and were engaging their customers were making more money than those who were withdrawn and only looked up when someone clearly wanted to buy. Having a positive attitude was rewarding, having a negative attitude was not.

Whatever it is you do in life, whether it is in your work life, or at home, your attitude has much to do with how your life is shaped! I once knew a young man who had a goal of climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as he could. His mode of operation was that whatever his supervisors would ask of him, he did it with a good attitude, he did it quickly, and he did it to the best of his ability. His whole persona was one of positive thinking and action.

I marveled at how quickly he rose to the top; in spite of the ponytail he wore! Now, I am not saying he was a puppy-dog. If he disagreed, he would say so, but everything was done with the attitude that he wanted to do what was right. My attitude, at that time, was like everyday was a pain for me to be there, and every task torture. It wasn’t long and I moved on, looking for the “right” thing. You want to guess who took my place?

What is your attitude like? Take the next few days and evaluate your own attitude at work and at home. Be honest with yourself and when Monday comes, have a good attitude, the best attitude you can have. Let your inner self be the motivation you need to go out into the world and conquer it!

Steve

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Life Will Change. Will You Change With it?

Sep 23

Posted by Steve in Better Life, Life Change | No Comments

I’ve had some difficulty this week with my computer. I bought a new video editing program, but my old computer just doesn’t have the memory to handle the program. I thought about sending the program back, but when I researched other editing programs, I found that they all required the same amount of memory. I either had to give up the idea of being able to post videos or I had to fix the problem. More memory is winging its way to me as I write this!

Life is much the same. I started this site in order to help people change who wanted to change, but I realized that no one really has a choice. We all change no matter whether we like it or not. My old computer has stayed the same for the past four years and technology has moved on.

Often we think we can stay where we are, but change in life in inevitable. The question isn’t if we want to change, but are we in control of the change? Read the rest of this entry »

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