Increase your allure by changing your mindset

Being more attractive has nothing to do with the way you look - it's all about your mindset..

1. Let the world come to you

Attraction is natural and effortless and some sociable people love working a room, but if you're not outgoing, don't force yourself to do things that don't come naturally. You don't need to round after people, chase them for answers, or try incredibly hard to please them or pander to their whims. This achieves the opposite effect - it makes you appear needy and it pushes people and opportunities away. If you have something to offer, make your service as attractive as possible, then wait for customers to come to you. Mary, a client, found social events exhausting because she was constantly trying to get people to talk to her. I advised her to sit in a chair with a smile on her face and let people come to her. She tried this and reported back to say they came and sat with her and she had a succession of lovely conversations with people. She learnt you don't have to work hard to get people to like you or talk to you.

2. Remind yourself the present is perfect

If you focus on what's wrong, it means you're concentrating on the negative, or at least the one thing that isn't right in your life. It may be that your apartment is too small or you have too much fat around your tummy or your partner is annoying you. If you focus on the negative, it will expand and you will get fatter, your flat will get more cramped and your partner will do even more to wind you up. Usually when there's a problem, there's a lesson for us. For example, you may need to learn to live with less stuff, improve your communication skills or learn about exercise and nutrition. No one finds a moaner attractive. If you focus on the positive, people will be drawn to you.

3. Make your home a sanctuary

If your home is warm, cosy and organised, your energy will be positive, yet if it's noisy, dirty and cluttered, your energy levels will drop every time you set foot through the door and this will stay with you wherever you go. To get energy from your home, surround yourself with things and decor you love, whether that means a set of floral cushions, some gorgeous paintings or some vibrant blue and red walls. Display the things you like and store or throw out those you're not keen on. You will be surprised what shifts you'll experience once your home is perfect for you - job opportunities will come your way, you'll attract more money and people will find you much more attractive.

4. See the good in life

Sometimes when things go wrong, it's easy to feel sorry for yourself, ask "Why me?" and feel that good things will never happen again. But often when you look back, you may well realise the good that came from a worrying situation. It's bad when you break your leg or when you're ill but maybe your convalescence made you realise important things about your lifestyle and you may have changed jobs or gone on a dream holiday as a result. Try to accept the things that happen are for a reason that will become clear one day. If your father is taken to hospital, maybe it's to give you a chance to spend some quality time with your mother alone, and if you lose your job, it could well be because there's a better job round the corner.

5. Keep a gratitude list

To attract more of what you want in life, be grateful for what you already have, even if it isn't enough. At the end of every day, write down a list of things you are grateful for - whether it's a cup of hot chocolate, a beautiful sunset, good health, a wonderful shower or a new shirt and tie. By focusing on what you have, you will attract even more. On your birthday, look back over the year and write a list of all your accomplishments and the good things in your life over the year. Light a candle and sit and read them aloud one by one, taking time to appreciate them and be grateful for them. Then write a wish list of things that would make life more colourful if they happened. Put it away for a year and go back on your next birthday. You will be surprised how many things will have happened from your list.

6. Smile

Even if you don't feel like smiling, the act of moving your lips will trigger your endorphins and you will feel better anyway. It takes more energy to frown and be grumpy. If you don't feel like smiling, fake it to start with. Make a list of things that make you happy - such as clean cotton sheets on your bed, a bubble bath with scented candles, a good book, a cool drink on your balcony, a cycle ride or a walk on the beach. The incorporate some of these things into your everyday life - maybe you could help out others somehow, start a yoga class or read your book in your lunch break.

7. Listen like you've never listened before

Next time someone is talking to you, really listen. Don't think about what you're going to say, or what stories you can share - just listen. As a general rule, talk 20 per cent of the time, and listen 80 per cent. Listening isn't easy and we're not taught how to do it. It just takes practice, but once you've mastered it, you'll always be attractive. Try and listen to someone for three minutes without interrupting them - this gives them a chance to get to the really important issues and you'll discover hidden depths to them.

8. Enjoy your senses

In the rush of everyday life, we forget to stop and smell the roses. Relish the senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell and savour your life. After a bath or shower, use scented massage oil on our skin. Instead of eating ice cream with a spoon, order it in a cone and enjoy licking it and swirling the cold ice cream around your tongue. Give your eyes a feast by putting beautiful paintings on the wall and wear clothes that are irresistible to touch, like silk or cotton. Walk through the grass or sand barefoot, have lunch in the shade in the park, have fresh flowers in your home or go for a long walk to ensure you re-connect with nature.

9. Acknowledge peopleWe're good at complimenting people and saying things like, "I like your shirt!" or "This cake is delicious!" or "You have a lovely home!" Take your compliments a step further and acknowledge what the person is good at. They may be a wonderful host who always makes their guests feel at ease, or a great writer who entrances their readers, or a childminder who sparks children's imagination and sense of play. If you point out these things, they will love you for understanding their true talents and they'll feel connected to you in a much deeper way.

10. Start having notions

Have a think about what you fancy and see it appear as if by magic. A friend - who is a mum of two - announced to me that she wanted to drive a red convertible. Soon after, her boss told the staff he was going overseas and he asked if anyone fancied driving his car while he was away. His car was a red convertible! My friend drove it and had fun with it, but having had the luxury of it, she was happy to hand it back. She realised that it wasn't a great car to transport two children around. By having had the convertible as a notion, she was able to enjoy it. If obtaining a convertible had been a goal, she would have saved for it, bought it and the realised it wasn't the car for her after all. Be relaxed and say: "Wouldn't it be nice if we had a three-week holiday in Europe?" or "Wouldn't it be lovely to live in a bigger house?" and see what happens.

11. Be an angel

Do some acts of kindness without expecting anything in return - send an anonymous donation to a charity, spend an hour with someone who's lonely, send a letter of appreciation to a friend, let a driver into your line of traffic, or check on an elderly neighbour. By doing anonymous acts of kindness, you're taking the focus away from yourself and acting in a selfless way. This, in turn, will attract good deeds back to you.

12. Develop your courage

Exercise your courage muscle by taking more risks in life. Start small and ask your boss for more money, apologise to someone for hurting them, volunteer to give a presentation or speech, go to a movie or out for dinner alone, make that phone call you have dreaded or take a class in scuba diving. People who take risks are full of excitement and vitality and others see and appreciate their joie de vivre and charisma - far more attractive than being stuck in a rut, getting stale and dull.

Have a nice day !!!!

Mind Body balance :What is it and What it can do.

Developing balance of the connections between mind and body is often a kind of 
intelligence equally as crucial as IQ, EQ (emotional intelligence), or social intelligence. As awareness deepens, bodily sensations provide feedback and guidance about every facet of your life-from nurturing relationships to enhancing effectiveness at work. By working on this info you can reduce stress, balance your health, and get the maximum innate possibility of health, creativity, and spiritual growth.
Sometime in life we can be impacted by stress, unwanted habits, negative or inherited patterns of behavior, interpersonal problems, confidence or self confidence issues, procrastination, insufficient motivation, despondency, depression, anxieties of various kinds along with other emotional problems that manifest themselves in physical form.
This has detrimental effects on our health and wellness, happiness, progress and overall well-being.
Today's lifestyle, sub-optimal nutrition, poor water consumption, stress and emotional issues, poor sleep, chemicals and e-smog all disturb the biological balance from the body.


5 practices to realize greater mind-body balance and confidence

Massage
We realize about massage’s physical benefits but what a smattering of us realize is the fact that massage can definitely translate for an overall greater feeling of wellbeing.

YOGA
YOGA has many benefits beyond increased flexibility. Various studies show that yoga is really a natural pain reliever; it boosts energy, improves mood, cuts down on degree of cortical, the load hormone, in the body, and yes it appears to induce mindful eating rolling around in its practitioners. In addition to all that, yoga seems to relieve body image anxiety in their practitioners.

MEDITATION
While it may appear New Agey to some, meditation is laced with benefits. It is shown to improve sleep, ease anxiety, minimizing hypertension and pulse rate mainly because it improves your feeling of well-being and happiness.

WALKING A LABYRINTH
A lot of people utilize words labyrinth and maze interchangeably, but they are not quite the same. Mazes tend to be puzzles, with participants likely to make choices concerning the path and direction they take.

SPEND TIME OUTSIDE
We'd like nature- historically; we have this type of deep, complex, innate relationship using the natural world. There’s lots of research that shows that experiencing nature is therapeutic.

Miracles of Life

When was the last time you realized that you had hurt yourself but the pain gets disappeared within a few days without applying anything. These healings have not been explained by medical sciences or researches. They can be categorized as miracles. Hoping or praying that the wound get healed an immensely powerful positive energy is generated. Surprisingly, your wishes are granted and the wound disappears. This is a miracle.

An astonishing incident which seems unreal but gives a good effect is a miracle. We all happen to go through some miracles either on a daily basis or maybe occasionally. But the truth lies that they do exist. There are also miracles when the perfect solution to a disturbing problem arises out of nowhere at the right time. There are also miracles when something you dearly wanted and craved would be presented before you in platter. There are miracles in finding the PERFECT spouse, job, occasion, gift or anything your heart desires. The reality is that we are all species on this earthy who are subjected for all the good things in life. The plain fact lies that since we are always overwhelming or overanxious, things that we really desire are things that we are destined for. In some or the other time we are bound to get it. But the sheer lack of motivation seems to lure us away from our desired goal and lands us in whirlpool of confusion. Life is in favors of us and not against us.

Believing in you and getting focused helps to get what we want. Here are simple ways in helping achieving miracles in life:

• Clarity in approach: your goal is just a few miles away form you depending on the genuineness of your approach. Being focused about the end result is the surest away of attaining your goal. Just be focused on the end result and not how it will be done. That task is taken care of the almighty. The universe or the cosmic energy manipulates thing to get what you desire.
• Expect the best: We tend to compromise with life. If we do not get what we desire we settle down for something that is not very likeable. It seems a mere compromise. Even when you are in difficult times, try getting the best you deserve. When you expect the worst, you will get the worst. You deserve it according to your right to exist. Consciously expect that everything is happening for your best and it will happen
• Have genuine faith in yourself and the almighty: to let miracles happen in your life have faith. This encompasses strength in you to overcome any obstacle coming your way. Having faith will give a new direction and will help you in realizing your dreams. Once you start having this, you will feel empowered and your faith will become more self generating.
• Be conscious of your thoughts: you might not believe but your thoughts actually magnetize others the same way. If you have negative thoughts you will attract negative people; butt positive thoughts will attract positive people who will help you in realizing your dreams. Negative thoughts block miracles so you need to eliminate all negative thought. It will not be possible in the beginning but gradually it will.
• Open yourself to all possibilities: your goal is in your hands, but the cosmic energy has the power to give it to you in his way. Holding yourself too tightly will only worsen the situation and will make things seem more difficult to attain. The universal power decides to give you your desires in its own way and not how you want to. By holding yourself too tightly mentally or physically, you can diminish our good fortune completely.
• Visualize yourself: your priority is what you want to be and not what you do not have. Rather than lamenting what you do not have, focus on what you will have a few years down the line. If you want respect, money, good health, family, career, good relations, friends focus on them and you will surely get.
• Store your power: you might have the vague idea of becoming the next bill Clinton or the next Pamela Anderson. People might laugh or even mock at your reaching for the stars. But you do not realize that there is thin line about your desire and attainment. Sharing your thought with someone might leak positive vibrations about the goal; also the person listening to you might hold some negative thoughts which can block your reaching the goal. The depth between you and the universal spirit should not be violated. Therefore it is very important to share as less as possible.
• Be calm: a stable mind is the gateway to acquire anything you desire. A turbulent mind on the other hand is always highly volatile leading you to nowhere. Therefore it is very important to be focused on what you want. This makes your calm and relaxed. This would help you in making the right decision in life for you.
• Pray daily: religious or non religious, anyone who gives himself to god with full faith, is bound to get salvation. While praying let go off all your worries and surrender in the hands of God. Express your keen desire and the rest would be taken care of. The moment you start praying, half of your work is done. You are almost near to your goal. Faith in God really works. Just like our parents take care of the moment we tell them our problem, God also takes care of us in the same way. The only thing required is sheer belief and unlimited empathy. For beginners who have never prayed, find a calm place, allow yourself to have feelings of love, compassion for yourself and everything around you. This would generate a bonding of trust and love between you and God.
• Give what you want: Since everything you give comes back to you in the same momentum, give your best to the cosmic energy. Spread happiness, love, empathy and you will get the same. Miracles are then bound to happen...

Remember you are the only hindrance in getting miracles in your life. So free yourself and let go. Miracles will surely follow.

Self -Discipline : Persistence

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
- Calvin Coolidge

Persistence is the fifth and final pillar of self-discipline.

What Is Persistence?

Persistence is the ability to maintain action regardless of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting.

When you work on any big goal, your motivation will wax and wane like waves hitting the shore. Sometimes you’ll feel motivated; sometimes you won’t. But it’s not your motivation that will produce results — it’s your action. Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so, and therefore you keep accumulating results.

Persistence will ultimately provide its own motivation. If you simply keep taking action, you’ll eventually get results, and results can be very motivating. For example, you may become a lot more enthusiastic about dieting and exercising once you’ve lost those first 10 pounds and feel your clothes fitting more loosely.

When to Give Up

Should you always persist and never give up? Certainly not. Sometimes giving up is clearly the best option.

Have you ever heard of a company called Traf-O-Data? What about Microsoft? Both companies were started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Traf-O-Data was the first company they started, back in 1972. You can read the story of Traf-O-Datahere. Gates and Allen ran it for several years before throwing in the towel. They gave up. Of course they did a little better with Microsoft.

If they hadn’t given up on Traf-O-Data, then we wouldn’t have such rich collections of Microsoft and Bill Gates jokes today.

So how do you know when to press on vs. when to give up?

Is your plan still correct? If not, update the plan. Is your goal still correct? If not, update or abandon your goal. There’s no honor in clinging to a goal that no longer inspires you. Persistence is not stubbornness.

This was a particularly difficult lesson for me to learn. I had always believed one should never give up, that once you set a goal, you should hang on to the bitter end. The captain goes down with the ship and all that. If I ever failed to finish a project I started, I’d feel very guilty about it.

Eventually I figured out that this is just nonsense.

If you’re growing at all as a human being, then you’re going to be a different person each year than you were the previous year. And if you consciously pursue personal development, then the changes will often be dramatic and rapid. You can’t guarantee that the goals you set today will still be ones you’ll want to achieve a year from now.

My first business was Dexterity Software. I started it in 1994, fresh out of college. But after running it for more than a decade, I was ready for something new. I still run Dexterity on the side, but it’s not my full-time focus anymore. It takes me only about an hour or two a week to maintain it, partly because I designed it to be as automated as possible and to provide me with a passive income. It was successful to the extent I wanted it to be. I could have continued to grow it much larger, but I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life making computer games. Creating my own game company was my dream at age 22, and after publishing a couple dozen games, I feel I accomplished that goal. 22-year old Steve is very satisfied. But today I have different dreams.

Did I give up on Dexterity? You could say that, but it would be more accurate to say that I was infected by a new vision of something that was far more important to me. Had I stubbornly persisted with Dexterity, this site would never have existed. I’d be working on a new game instead of my first book.

In order to make room for new goals, we have to delete or complete old ones. And sometimes new goals are so compelling and inspiring that there’s no time to complete old ones — they have to be abandoned half-finished. I’ve always found it uncomfortable to do this, but I know it’s necessary. The hard part is consciously deciding to delete an old project, knowing it will never be finished. I have a file full of game ideas and some prototypes for new games that will never see the light of day. Consciously deciding that those projects had to be abandoned was really hard for me. It took me a long time to come to grips with it. But it was necessary for my own growth to be able to do this.

I still had to solve the problem of setting goals that might become obsolete in a year due to my own personal growth. How did I solve this problem? I cheated. I figured out the only way I could set long-term goals that would stick would be if they were aligned with my own process of growth. The pursuit of personal growth has long been a stable constant for me, even though it’s paradoxically in flux at the same time. So instead of trying to set fixed goals as I did with my games business, I began setting broader more dynamic goals that were aligned with my own growth. This new business allows me to pursue my personal growth full-out and to share what I learn with others. So growth itself is the goal, both for myself and others. This creates a symbiotic relationship, whereby helping others feeds back into my own growth, which in turn generates new ideas for helping others. Anyone who’s been reading this site since last year has probably seen that effect in action.

The direct and conscious pursuit of personal growth is the only type of mission that would work for me. If I made it my mission to master real estate investing, for example, I’d probably become bored with it after a few years. Since I want to keep growing indefinitely, I have to maintain a certain level of challenge and keep raising the bar ever higher. I can’t let things get too dull and risk falling into a pattern of complacency.

The value of persistence comes not from stubbornly clinging to the past. It comes from a vision of the future that’s so compelling you would give almost anything to make it real. The vision I have of my future now is far greater than the one I had for Dexterity. To be able to help people grow and to solve their most difficult problems is far more inspiring to me than entertaining people. These values started oozing out of me as I ran Dexterity because I favored logic puzzle games that challenged people to think, often passing up the opportunity to publish games I felt would make money but which wouldn’t provide much real value to people.

Persistence of action comes from persistence of vision. When you’re super-clear about what you want in such a way that your vision doesn’t change much, you’ll be more consistent — and persistent — in your actions. And that consistency of action will produce consistency of results.

Can you identify a part of your life where you’ve demonstrated a pattern of long-term persistence? I think if you can identify such an area, it may provide a clue to your mission — something you can work towards where passion and self-discipline function synergistically.

Dream to Reality: How I Quit My Day Job

A very inspiring article by TINA ,a blogger on inspirations and simple thinking.Think Simple Now.

http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/dream-to-reality-how-i-quit-my-day-job/

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way
to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle.
As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.“
~ Steve Jobs

Ever since I learned about the concept of financial independence five years ago, the seed of a dream had been planted. My dream: Having the freedom to deliberately choose how I spend every day – to have complete freedom of time.

As of last week, my dream became a reality.

I left my job at Amazon to start this new life chapter. I have three goals:

• To complete a triathlon
• To learn French
• To live everyday fully, as if my last

My answer to the question “What do you do?” will now be “I spend fulltime pursuing my passions.”

Personal Story

I had a wonderful job at a phenomenal company. I had flexibility, an understanding boss, and a high paying salary. I loved my job. But after 6 years of expending myself on the job, trying out various professional roles, I felt that I’d grown beyond the fixed positions available at the company.

I’m not going lie, having a lot of money is nice. Money can buy you things, nice things. However, the cliché is true – money cannot buy you happiness, and having it doesn’t mean that you are a successful person. After several years, I realized that the more money I made, the less satisfied I became. Days started to blend into one another, time flew by, and I deeply longed for something with more meaning.

Upon realizing that I was trading my time for money, I started experimenting with various passive income sources. I’ve started and ended businesses, I’ve turned hobbies into professional pursuits, and I’ve tested out investment avenues.

In the end, I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. As long as you are doing something that expresses your passion, you will excel and you will gain satisfaction. I’ve also learned that starting something from nothing and watching it grow is deeply rewarding.

Through my quest to finding my passion, I discovered blogging as a platform where I can share ideas and lessons learned that are closest to my heart, as a way to serve others. For the first time in my life, I feel that I am living my life purpose.

Words cannot express the joy I feel while writing for Think Simple Now, and the numerous times when feedback from readers has brought me to tears. This just feels right.

I wanted to take this time to say Thank You for being part of this with me, and for helping me realize my dream while stumbling upon my passion.

What Now? Q&A

Q: Now that you’re a pro-blogger, will you be working on your blog fulltime?

A: I don’t view myself as a professional blogger, since in my mind, I love this so much that I would pay money to experience it. Having said that, my main focus will be to follow my heart and do what feels right. There are many things I plan on doing, blogging is just one of them.

The following are a list of things I plan to do and incorporate into my life:

• Morning Routine – Establishing a healthy morning routine can be a powerful way to start your day. Mine will include: rising early, drinking plenty of water, exercising, meditation, & reading something inspirational.
• Reading – I love to read, but never found that I had enough time to do so. Now’s my chance to ramp through books I’ve always wanted to read. I have a large reading list with new books and old books I plan to re-read. My plan here is to read at least 2-4 books a month. I tend to crack open several books at the same time, so we’ll see how I do. I will be sharing what I’m reading with you all.
• Yoga – Learning yoga.
• Meditation – Establish a regular daily meditation routine. My plan is to meditate twice a day, between 10-45 minutes each session.
• Exercise – I can count the number of times I’ve exercised in the last year on one hand. True story. It’s an area of my life that needs improving for the sake of my long term wellbeing. I randomly picked triathlon as a goal, since it will be a tremendous challenge, and poses as a goal to whip myself into shape.
• Public Speaking -I feel a draw towards motivational speaking and life coaching. While I’m not set on becoming a coach or a public speaker, I would like to explore in that direction. I will be joining a local Toastmasters group, and train myself in becoming a more engaging speaker and effective leader.
• Travel – My love for traveling comes from a desire to experience cultures that are vastly diverse from my own. Some places on my list are: Mongolia, Arabic China, Bali (Indonesia), Peru and South America, Ethiopia and other African countries. I would also like to live in Paris for several months.
• Writing – I will continue to share life lessons I’ve gained, and write about issues that we all experience as humans. My central theme will remain the same: Personal Happiness, Fulfillment, Clarity and Wellbeing.
• Personal Blog – Think Simple Now posts have always been in the format of in-depth articles on personal development. As such, I don’t consider it a blog, but rather a free web publication on personal wellbeing. I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a more personal blog called Simply Tina, where I’ll be posting much more liberally and casually. The topics will consist of a larger range of subjects: updates of my progress in this new lifestyle, traveling, business lessons, blogging, passive income, the 4 hour workweek lifestyle, startups, empowering mindsets, and useful resources.
• Q: Holy crap, you quit your job? Tell me more. How are you paying for your expenses?
  A: Two years ago, I had set a clear date for when I’d be leaving my job to pursue my passions fulltime. At that time, I only had a small amount of passive income from investments that paid for small bills. So my plan was to save enough money so that I could quit my job to freely pursue my passions fulltime for two years.
  I believed (and still believe) that when we are doing that which we are completely passionate about, money will come. The plan was to explore my passions freely, living on my savings. I was confident that before the end of year two, I would be generating income doing what I love, without needing to get a job.
  This transition was a difficult one, and was really, really scary initially knowing that I would lose my safety blanket: stable job, regular income, and benefits. But once I got over that initial scare, I realized that I was trapped by social conditioning and social pressure that I needed to get a job. The fear eventually passed with time when I focused on what I wanted: to be location independent and have complete control of my time.
  Currently, I have several sources of passive income, but most of my income comes from advertisers, sponsors, and affiliates fromThinkSimpleNow.com. Advertising is the only way I can make the content available for free. If you find the ads annoying, you can use a RSS reader. I do appreciate your understanding and support regarding the ads.
  While I am making income through ads, it is not a lot of money, enough to pay for basic necessities. If you’re interested in helping me out, here are several outlets:
  • Feedback and Suggestions – Drop me an email with topics you’re interested in hearing more on, or let me know what I’ve done right. I’ll also appreciate constructive criticism.
  • Subscribe to RSS – If you haven’t already please subscribe to my RSS feed, or subscribe via email.The subscriber count is a huge motivator for me. Thank you!
  • Donations – If you’ve found the content useful, you can senddonations via paypal. I eat a large number of avocados every week, and these donations go towards buying more avocados on my next grocery run. When I eat those avocados, I’ll be thinking happy thoughts about the donator.
  • Tell Your Friends – The best gift you can give me is by helping me spread the word about Think Simple Now. Thank you in advance for doing this. :)
  • Amazon Shopping – I get a small commission from Amazon (about 3%) if you click through one of my affiliate links and end up buying something on the site. This does not cost anything for you, but will make a big difference for me. When you need to make an online purchase from Amazon, I would really appreciate it if you can click through to Amazon via Think Simple Now(Clicking any of the books along the sidebar will do). If you don’t want to do this, no sweat!

  Steps for How I Did It

  I’ve learned many lessons along the way prior to leaving my job. Here are some major points and steps that have contributed towards where I am today. I hope they can be helpful to you.
  1. Clear Vision of Result
  Many of us don’t get the results we want, because we don’t know what it is we actually want. Not knowing what we want is like jumping on a random train, blind-folded. It might take us to a city we’ll enjoy, but it might not. It is completely random and we have no control over where the train goes.
  Alternatively, many of us talk about wanting to be rich. But we don’t know what “rich” means, or understand why we want it, or map out a plan towards obtaining it. This pattern is equivalent to a person in London wanting to be in New York, but hops on a random train in Europe, blind-folded. The ‘wanting’ alone will not get us there.
  To get what we want, we need to first have a clear vision of what thatthing is. The vision needs to be defined using measurable attributes, along with dates for when you will get there. Once you have a clear measurable goal for what you want and when you want it, you can start to work backwards and map out a plan. As the saying goes, “What gets measured, gets managed.”
  In our analogy, say we are living in London but want to be in New York by December 15^th, 2008. We have 4 months to get a travel visa, buy a flight ticket to NYC, look for an apartment or hotel in NYC, take time off work, pack our bags, and ask friends to take us to the airport. Before the end of next week, our plan is to have researched flights and have one purchased.
  2. Understanding Why
  Let’s say that you too wanted to quit your job and have complete freedom of time, what will you do with the extra time? If you don’t know, you’ll be better off staying at your job, since you’ll likely be bored and will start looking for a job soon. Make sure you understand the drive behind the vision.
  List out all the reasons why you want to fulfill your vision. How will achieving that contribute towards your life? How can you use that new found freedom to help others?
  3. Write It Down and Date It
  I prefer to write down my goals along with a date for when it will happen. Writing it down forces you to clearly articulate the thing you want. Writing down your goals also helps by clearing them out of your mind and onto paper.
  It feels just that much more real and doable once it’s in ink and down on paper.
  4. Plan
  If the steps toward achieving your goals aren’t clear, start listing out ideas for potential roads that can take you there.
  Treat each potential road as a separate project, and work on one project at a time. Pick the project that feels the best for you and your interests.
  With each project, list out the major steps you need to achieve in order to reach your goal. These steps are large milestones that are measurable. Make sure you set a target date for when each step will be completed.
  For each step, break it down further into actionable tasks that can be completed in a few hours. Set a target date for each task. Adjust the target date for completing the step, if necessary.
  5. Take Action
  Once you set a goal, wrote it down, and planned it out, take one action immediately. Regardless of how small that action is, you are one step closer to your goal, and in doing so, it will start the momentum you need to follow through.
  Let’s say that your goal is to run a website offering information on gardening that makes you $200 a month in advertising revenue. The first small step you can take immediate action on is to brainstorm for a domain name, or call a friend who knows about running websites to give you advice, or outlining content ideas, or researching demand by checking out existing gardening websites.
  Make a commitment to yourself to take action every week, following the action items from your plan.
  6. Adjust
  Don’t be afraid of failure, if something isn’t working, so what! Just keep adjusting until something does work. Be bold and courageous, try different things. What’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t work out, you’ve eliminated another way that something does not work and you now have a higher chance at finding something that does work. Plus you’ve learned a ton along the way.
  7. Emergency Fund
  If you’re thinking about quitting your job at some point in the future, make sure that you are building an emergency fund now. Heck, you should be doing that anyway even if you’re planning to stay at your job.
  If your goal is to quit your job to work on your own thing, make sure you map out exactly what your monthly costs are. This way you’ll know how much money you’ll need monthly. This also helps when building your emergency fund – how much savings you’ll need and how many month you’ll have before burning out your reserves.
  8. Mentors & Models
  You can jump into a new field and eventually reach your goals by trial-and-error, or by modeling after a person who is already achieving the kinds of results you want. This person is a mentor. Modeling means to do things that your mentor is doing, and taking the steps that he or she took. Most often than not, you’ll get further following a working formula that’s already proven to work for your mentor.
  A mentor could be someone who you interact with in a mentor-mentee relationship, someone you don’t know or someone you casually interact with. Remember, having a mentor does not mean you need a one-on-one formal relationship with them, in fact, many potential mentors are busy people, so don’t waste too much of their time.
  Be smart when contacting them. Ask clear, short, conscious questions that are quick to answer, and don’t ask too many questions. There’s nothing that will turn off a potential mentor more than sending them an essay of an email. If you’re a blogger, don’t send them emails asking what they thought of your latest post. Be considerate and respective of their time. Become an excellent observer, and observe what works and what doesn’t.

  Parting Words

  My purpose for this article isn’t to advocate that you should quit your job. This article was written for anyone with a dream that may have somehow pushed it behind the back-curtains on the stage of life. My message here is that achieving your dream is possible if you want it bad enough and are willing to take action for it.
  Regardless of what our dreams are or what our current life story consists of, we have the choice to live deliberately, consciously and purposefully.
  Keep learning, for it will give you personal growth. Keep serving others, for it will give you compassion and a sense of connectedness with others. Together, growth and contribution hold the keys to lasting happiness and riches far beyond what money can buy.
  Find your passion, and then look for ways to use your passion to provide massive value for others. Try different things until you find your passion. When you find it, you will know, for you will feel it in your heart. It’ll be like breathing. Never give up.

  “Forget about the fast lane. If you want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you.“

  ~ Oprah

  What is it that you want? What first step can you take? When will you take it? Share your dreams, goals, or thoughts with us in the comment section. See you there.
  
  

5 Questions to Get Started

Do you sometimes yearn for a simpler but a more meaningful life—one where your top priorities are well met and your progress is rather effortless? If so, here are five questions to reflect upon that may help you:

1. What are the three things most important to my life?
2. How much time am I currently devoting towards them in a day/week?
3. How much time do I want to start dedicating towards them to justify their importance?
4. What do I need to do to make that happen?
5. What am I willing to let go so that I have more time for it?

As you respond to these questions and commit yourself to this new way of life, not only would you be equipped to accomplish your New Year resolutions, but also experience greater happiness, peace, balance and fulfillment.

Wish you an Uncomplicated, Happy and Fulfilling Year ahead!

Best Ways to Improve Your Life and Be Happy !! Happiness lies in simple things

Finding happiness and improving your outlook on life can be hard, but the steps you take to do so do not always have to be of enormous magnitude. Small changes and minimal daily practice can have a significant impact on how you feel. This article provides 25 suggestions on ways to improve your level of happiness and augment your life. Each suggestion has an action item that you can implement today.

Exercise

Regular exercise is essential to maintain a good mood and optimal health. The World Health Organization recommends 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily. Exercise can also help reduce anxiety and depression through the release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters. The Mayo clinic also notes that increased body temperature can have a calming effect and reduce immune system chemicals.

Action Item: Walk 30 minutes today.

Read

Reading to improve knowledge and brain activity can help improve focus and general attention, but reading for enjoyment can help with improving happiness. Select something that is truly interesting and enjoyable to you. Reading should not feel like a chore. Research has shown that interest is far more important than readability.

Action Item: Read a short story or blog that is of an interesting topic to you

Smile

The simple act of making a smile can improve your mood. There are several studies that have shown that subjects making a smile reported increased happy feelings. A smile is something simple to do and a simple practice that can change your day.

Action Item: Smile at the next 10 people you see.

Help Others

Helping others often leads to an improved feeling of satisfaction. Whether donating money or time, or even helping your neighbor with a project, helping others can make you happier. Research has shown that people who demonstrate altruism generally have improved mental health and decreased stress. Also, a deeper feeling of purpose and meaning may come with helping others.

Action Item: Volunteer 1 day this month at your local food shelter.

Play

Have fun! Life is too short to be taken so seriously. Sure there are times when deadlines are quickly approaching, but once completed it is important to enjoy yourself. Getting out and playing allows us to do something we enjoy, reduce our level of stress, and appreciate life.

Action Item: Put 1 fun thing on your calendar this month (i.e. play a sport, video games, movie)

Appreciate Nature

The world is unbelievable. There is much to see and many mysteries, but we often take the Earths natural beauty for granted. A way to really feel centered and improve your pleasure is to appreciate something in nature and reflect upon its existence and creation.

Action Item: Find something in nature that's intriguing and spend 5 minutes reflecting on its meaning.

Meditate

Meditation can take on many forms. It can certainly be deep thought where you feel projected to another universe and can take years of practice to achieve such enlightenment. However, a more practical mediation may just be reflecting on your day before bed. Mediation can improve happiness, satisfaction, optimism, and influence change. With simple practice, ones can feel that they achieve more clarity in life.

Action Item: Before bed, reflect on the best part of your day and why it was great.

Eat

Eating can definitely lead to increased happiness, but not in the way you think. Junk food spikes your blood sugar and you may have instant gratification, but the crash comes later and you can begin to feel low. However, eating healthy foods such as fruits & vegetables, foods with omega-3 oils, and nuts, can lead to more long term happiness.

Action Item: Eat a healthy lunch today such as a salad with lots of veggies and nuts.

Sleep

There is a close link between sleep and mood. If you don't get enough sleep, feelings of stress, anxiety, and irritability can increase. Depression can result from chronic poor sleep. Getting enough sleep is vital to your health and well-being. People are so busy today and often try to squeeze by on only a few hours. Eight hours is about average, but it is important to find an amount of sleep that leaves you feeling rested.

Action Item: Shut off the TV early tonight and try to relax before going to bed. Try going to sleep 1 hour earlier

Relax

Stress can lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, depression, and anger. Each of these can clearly put a damper on our mood and level of happiness. Finding ways to relax is an important part of staying healthy, both mentally and physically. Not everyone relaxes the same way: some read a book while others may go running. It is important you find ways to relax and practice them daily.

Action Item: Spend 30 minutes doing a relaxing activity TODAY!

Tell Someone You Love Them

Expressing love and having meaningful relationships is a great way to improve your mood. Telling people you love them helps you and they feel happier. You will also feel happier when maintaining meaningful relationships and feel wanted and loved by others.

Action Item: Tell someone you love them.

Write

Writing in a journal or diary is a great way to express your feelings and organize your thoughts. If you feel you are bottling things up, try expressing those feelings on paper. You don't have to share it, just write it down and you will feel better.

Action Item: Write down the action item from this list that you completed today.

Set Goals

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and unproductive when there are a lot of things happening in your life. Prioritize and set specific goals to feel more productive and get things done.

Action Item: Plan your next month including projects and fun.

Set a Good Example

Acting as a positive role model is a great way to feel positive about your actions. Whether it is a young person, a peer, or even a parent, setting a good example helps others act in a positive way. When you see good behavior modeled after your example, you will feel accomplished and as though you make a positive impact on the world.

Action Item: Set a good example by initiating chores this weekend.

Forgive

Holding a grudge can make feelings of resentment and frustration linger. Upon forgiving someone, you are likely to feel relief and can get on with life and start to feel happier.

Action Item: Squash an argument today; forgive and forget.

Give Someone a Hug

It is important to express love with touch, such as a hug or kiss. Physical contact with others helps improve your feelings of happiness.

Action Item: Give someone a hug lasting 10 seconds.

Change

Doing the same thing over and over can get boring and give you a feeling of stagnancy. Seeking change is healthy and helps keep you interested and happy. Some ways to change are through self improvement or by doing something new. Change can be uncomfortable, but seeking a new undertaking can open you up to several new experiences and have you feeling thrilled.

Action Item: Try a new restaurant or go try a new activity this weekend.

Listen to Music

Listening to or creating music has been correlated to improved happiness. It is difficult to find a direct link between the two, but research has shown a physiological response to different types of music. Happy music tends to increase breathing rate, which is a sign of happiness. Music can serve many purposes: escape, inspiration, motivation, and clarity to name a few.

Action item: Spend 30 minutes listening to your favorite music today.

Reduce Your Commute

Let's face it, nobody really loves spending hours commuting. The alternative of sleeping in and working only 10 minutes away sounds much better. Even if you use your commuting time productively, it can still be frustrating. Some research has shown that stress hormones increase as a result of traffic and people often report commuting as one of the most unpleasant activities of their day.

Action Item: Move, change jobs, or take public transportation and read or meditate.

Overcome

Overcoming an obstacle is never easy, but when you take steps to do so, your completion will lead to feelings of accomplishment and joy. The obstacle can take the form of anything such as jealousy, finances, or bullying. When you make a game plan and take the steps to overcome the adversity, you will feel adroit and relieved.

Action Item: Write down ways to overcome a current life challenge and act on it.

Be Grateful

A study has shown that those who write a letter of gratitude often experience lasting happiness for weeks or even months. The letters did not even have to be delivered. It is important to acknowledge things you are grateful for. A small daily reflection on what you are grateful for may help shape a positive outlook on life and contribute to lasting happiness.

Action item: Call a family member and tell them one thing you are grateful for

Be Optimistic

Another way to improve your feelings of well-being is to thinks positively and be optimistic. This can be very challenging, especially in today's climate. However, research has shown that those who envision their ideal future (perfect job, house, family, etc.) and record the information in a journal often reported higher feelings of contentment.

Action Item: Spend 5 minutes envisioning your ideal future and write it down.

Purchase Experiences

Research has shown that people who buy an experience instead of a material item are generally happier. Those who purchase material goods likely get caught in a pattern of always having to buy, but those who buy an experience have stories to tell and a unique experience to reflect on.

Action Item: Do something new this weekend (i.e. skydive, cooking lessons)

Have In-Depth Conversations

A study from University of Arizona has found that people engaging in deep conversations are generally happier than those who engage in small talk. More meaningful discussions were common among those individuals who rated their happiness and life satisfaction as high.

Action Item: Talk to a friend today about something meaningful

Have Sex

This one is probably self explanatory, but having sex can improve your mood. Semen contains mood altering chemicals that if absorbed, may have a positive effect on mood. Sex does not have to involve penetration in order to make you feel happy. The intimacy can boost your mood and make you feel closer to another person, not to mention it feels really good.

Action Item: Explore sex safely with your partner.

Smile and Remain Happy ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺