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Focus: Inner Research
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Welcome to the Fifth Edition of MotivateUs.com's Newsletter
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your continuing support. I am grateful for you and your
interest in MotivateUs.com and our newsletter. I feel inspired and
humbled more each day as you continue to help spread the word about our
site. When I say "our" site, I mean yours and mine.
One person cannot do this alone. Though I do the work behind the scenes,
your energy and enthusiasm surrounds me daily and helps me to share the
optimistic, positive attitude of thousands on the pages of the website.
You are a valuable part of the team, a valuable part of the heart of
Motivating Moments, and I appreciate you for your kindness and know that
I always look forward to hearing from you.
Together, we have made MotivateUs.com one of the best places to visit
on the Internet.
Something I Was Feeling and Thinking:
Today I would like to share
with you something that may be of interest or value to you. It's a
question I have asked myself many times in my life and each time I do, it
helps me focus on what's really important.
When was the last time you sat down and assessed your life?
Something I call "Inner Research".
You know where you've been, how the changes you've made in the past are
affecting you today but do you know where you want to be in the future
and what aspects of your personal style are standing in your way of
moving forward towards the life you really want to live?
Don't wait until some event causes you to do this. Make a conscious
choice to do it now.
What are the benefits of deciding to look inside?
Suddenly you are allowing yourself to do something precious - you are
giving yourself time to explore YOU. Every one of us is overbooked in our
lives with little time to do anything for ourselves. We have jobs,
families and friends who all demand our attention. How can we bring more
to our daily relationships if we don't take the time to know and
understand ourselves first?
I won't kid you and say it is all rosy when you do your inner research.
Sometimes you have to deal with issues you swept under the rug - knowing
one day you would have to look at them again. But guess what? Today is
all any of us gets, and even this is not a guarantee. So look inside -
deal with what you want to avoid now. Get it out of the way so you can
move forward.
Don't wait until you are at your lowest; in your deepest, darkest black
hole. Do your inner research first while you are strong and confident.
Once you identify what needs to be done, look at this as your
breakthrough time; a time of awakening, new beginnings, ridding the past
and coming into the present and the future.
You can now begin to rebuild, restore, and repair. Only now can you build
a new foundation, your dream foundation.
One thing I do recommend is to also thank yourself for all the courage
you have shown in the past, for everyone has had rocky roads at sometime
in his or her life. Celebrate the challenges you have overcome. Examine
the times you have not triumphed and the lessons you were supposed to
learn as a result. Be truthful.
If you make a commitment to improve at least one aspect of your
personality and develop a game plan with a start date, before you know
it, you will be on your way to the life you really want.
Seize this time to be the New you. This is where it all begins.
Love,
Marlene
A Story To Ponder:
Big Rocks Of Life
Something to Think About...
A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management.
One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to
drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will
never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it
either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he
said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon,
wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he
produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at
a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he
asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a
bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing
pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big
rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar
full?"
By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them
answered.
"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a
bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the
spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "
No!" the class shouted.
Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began
to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at
the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how
full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some
more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this
illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first,
you'll never get them in at all." The title of this letter is the "Big
Rocks" of Life.
What are the big rocks in your life? A project that YOU want to
accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your
finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these
BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short
story, ask yourself this question:
What are the "big rocks" in my life or business? Then, put those in
your jar.
--- Author Unknown
Something I'd Like To Share:
Ten Tips To Raise Your Self EsteemIf you're tired of feeling
"less than", afraid of making and achieving your desires and goals, feel
that no matter what you do it is never "good enough", then your self
esteem could do with a boost!
Having low self esteem takes an enormous toll on the quality of your
life. You take fewer risks, which limits your opportunities, both
personally and professionally. You are reluctant to voice or acknowledge
your needs. You are probably also haunted by past mistakes and making
future ones.
It doesn't have to be like this, the tools you've used to (unconsciously)
lower your self esteem are the same ones you use to raise it. The
following article gives you ten tips to raise your self esteem and
improve the quality of your life!
- Stop comparing yourself to other people.
If you play this game, you're likely to compare yourself in a negative
way and set yourself up for continuing to have low self esteem. Why
continue to play a game where you've set the rules against yourself, so
that you're less likely to win!
- Don't keep putting yourself down!
You can't develop high self esteem if you constantly repeat negative
comments about your skills and abilities. Other people will pick up on it
and take on board the negative way you view yourself. How are they likely
to treat you? Also don't beat yourself up over "mistakes" that you've
made - learn how to reframe them so that they work for you.
- Using affirmations is an excellent way to raise your self
esteem.
It's the opposite of no 1. If you can programme your mind to repeat
negative phrases about yourself (and see how effective that's been!),
then you can certainly get into the habit of continually thinking (and
saying to yourself) positive statements about you. When you do, allow
yourself to experience the positive feelings about your statements. Also
use inspirational quotes to assist you.
- Accept all compliments graciously.
Don't dismiss or ignore them. When you do you give yourself the message
that you do not deserve or are not worthy of praise, which reflects low
self esteem. It also means that others will become more reluctant to
praise or acknowledge your abilities, if you don't.
- Take advantage of and use life coaching programmes, workshops, books
on how to raise your self esteem and develop a more positive
attitude.
Whatever material you see, read acts as subliminal learning, which means
that it will plant itself in your mind and dominate your behaviour. Talk
about food for thought - what diet is your mind on? Is it a nourishing
one?
- Mix with positive and supportive people.
Who you associate with influences your thoughts, actions and behaviour -
another form of subliminal learning. Negative people can put you and your
ideas down and it lowers your self esteem. On the other hand, when you
are surrounded by supportive people, you feel better about yourself,
which helps to raise your self esteem. Learn how to develop your positive
personal support network.
- Acknowledge your positive qualities and skills.
Too many people with low self esteem constantly put themselves down (back
to no 1 again!) and don't appreciate their many positive attributes.
Learn how to truly affirm and value your many excellent qualities. If you
find this difficult, ask others to tell you. They'll come up with things
you would never have imagined!
- Stop putting up with stuff!
Not voicing or acknowledging your needs means that you are probably
tolerating more than you should. Find out what you're putting up with and
zap those tolerations. By doing so, you're giving yourself the message
that you're worth it.
- Make positive contributions to others.
This doesn't mean that you constantly do for others what they could be
doing for themselves. But when you do make a positive contribution to
others, you begin to feel more valuable, which increases your sense of
your own value and raises your self esteem.
- Involve yourself in work and activities that you love.
So many people with low self esteem stop doing those activities that they
most enjoy. Even if you're not in a position to make immediate changes in
your career, you can still devote some of your leisure time to enjoyable
hobbies and activities.
And... Start taking action!
The universe rewards action. Backing away and avoiding challenges means
that your self esteem muscles become weak and flabby. When you start to
take action - regardless of the outcome - you will start to feel better
about yourself, develop your self confidence and raise your self
esteem.
--- Copyright © Julie Plenty
Julie Plenty is a Personal and Business Coach who helps self employed
creative professionals develop a strong personal foundation and therefore
increase the success of their business. Her goal is to help you live a
fulfilled, enriched life.
A Few Points To Ponder - Member Feedback
InsightI came across this quote a few days ago and it made a lot
of sense.
"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness
by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in
fruitless efforts."
--- Samuel Johnson
Isn't that a wonderful observation? Most people consider:
I will be fine as soon as _______happens.
If only I could _______everything would be fine.
If I only had _______.
Just wait until _______happens.
Anything external we add to our lives only provides momentary
satisfaction and then we want something else. But if we start from
within, to cultivate a mastery of ourselves, the value added can have
lifelong ramifications.
The real truth of the matter to consider is that we only have so many
moments. What will you do with yours?
--- Henry Lloyd
Follow Up To "Your Biggest Challenge" (Newsletter 3)"For the
last three years, I was stuck in a personal relationship dispute. Due to
that, I lost my concentration and I am feeling inactive these days. I am
doing everything to improve it but whenever I feel tired, there is no one
to help out and I am not feeling organised. I want to forget my past and
want to live my further life with full enthusiasm."
---H.G.
I thought about this situation for a while and then wrote
back:
Thank you for sharing your biggest challenge - yes, I do understand how
you must be feeling. It's hard sometimes to get a hold of your feelings
especially when it involves a personal relationship.
You sound like you are on the right road and your life will improve
because you are choosing that path. I don't know if I have shared with
you a little article that I wrote called Say Empowering Words To Yourself. Perhaps it will be of
interest or value to you.
Sometimes, at least for me, when we feel depressed because things have
not worked out as we had hoped they would, we feel sad and sometimes like
a failure. It's hard to get motivated when you are stuck in the past.
Though the past cannot be changed, today and the future are in our hands
- how we think about things controls how we feel about things.
Everything we have thought about in the past shows up in our life in the
present - so to have a different future, requires different thinking.
Your feelings are important. Don't be afraid to feel sad - for a little
while - then move forward. Life is a series of ups and downs - no one's
life is ever perfect or without pain. Each of us tries to avoid the pain
but sometimes it is necessary for growth.
Be kind to yourself, forgive others and yourself for not being perfect.
Wish the other person a wonderful life and don't harbor bad feelings -
they serve no purpose and zap your energy. I believe if the situation had
been reversed, you would want that same kindness from the other.
Choose to be happy today - it's in your control. See your life unfolding
with courage and hope in your heart.
You can do this, you are doing this. See that picture in your mind and
then take action to bring it into reality.
Three Quotes To Motivate You:"Renew your brilliance. It is the
privilege of the Phoenix. Excellence grows old and so does fame.Custom
wears down our admiration, and a mediocre novelty can conquer the
greatest eminence in its old age. So be reborn in courage, in intellect,
in happiness, and in all else. Dare to renew your brilliance, dawning
many times, like the sun, only changing your surroundings. Withhold it
and make people miss it; renew it and make them applaud."
--- Baltasar Gracian
--- Contributed by Tania --- Moscow
"The great thing about being yourself, is that if you always do it,
people expect it, and accept nothing less...no matter how different you
may be."
--- Michelle Cole
"You never know when someone will catch a dream from you. You never know
when that little word or something you do opens the windows of the mind
that seeks the light. The way you live doesn't matter at all...but it
might. So just in case, it could be that another's life through you might
possibly change for the better, with a broader and brighter view, it
seems it might be worth a try at pointing the way to the right...of
course it may not matter at all...but you never know it might."
--- Author Unknown
--- Submitted by Monica Andrew --- Minnesota
Until Next Time, Remember:
Prescription For Happiness
- Make up your mind to be happy. Learn
to find pleasure in simple things.
- Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything and everyone
has something of sorrow intermingled with the gladness of life. The trick
is to make the laughter outweigh the tears. Don't take yourself too
seriously.
- You can't please everybody; don't let criticism worry you.
- Don't let your neighbor set your standards.
- Do the things you enjoy doing, but stay out of debt.
- Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than the actual
ones.
- Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges.
- Don't hold post-mortems. Don't spend your life brooding over sorrows and
mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
- Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
- Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be
unhappy.
- For maximum effectiveness, this prescription should be taken as often as
needed. Unlimited refills available.
- Share with your friends.
--- Attributed to Robert Louis Stevenson
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Marlene Blaszczyk,
Creator, Editor & Publisher
MotivateUs.com
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