THE POWER OF MAKING DECISIONS

Everybody talks about motivation and goal setting. It’s timeless. Everyone is also trying to make it look very complicated, like it’s a secret. They even came up with a DVD called “The Secret.” Really? Since when did all of this “motivational” stuff became a secret. When did taking care of yourself and taking responsibility for your own actions become a novelty? Nowadays, people need to actually read a book in order to treat themselves with respect and love. Personally, I don’t believe that you can buy motivation. You either have it or you don’t. I’m not trying to motivate you with this article; instead, I will provide you with the tools to make better decisions and as results live the life you always wanted.

I’m going to talk a little about something we make every day: decisions.

I hope you understand that everything about and around you is a result of your own decisions. Your whole life is a result of your own decisions.  “Decision” is the bridge between your thoughts and your actions.

We make decisions every day. From simple decisions as brushing your teeth to deciding “with or without crème in your coffee.” Everything you do is a result of a decision.

But what is the definition of a “decision” and why is it so important for you to understand this?

When making any decision, whether you like it or not, you are okay with the consequences. We are instantly and subconsciously validating the outcome of our decisions as we are making them.  If you think about it, it only makes sense to make those decisions that will eventually make us happy and achieve our goals; however, that’s not always the case.  For example, when we decide to stay up all night drinking, we are immediately accepting the fact that tomorrow we are going to have a hangover. Why would you complain about being sick after consciously and deliberately make the decision to drink all night? Because we also made a decision to ignore the consequences. It’s almost a state of denial.  As you take responsibility for the consequences of your decisions, you are also deciding to stay in control, therefore, you cannot complain about the outcome. Remember? You accepted the consequences.  By taking responsibility you have the power to change the outcome. If you don’t like or agree with the results of your decisions, change them.  For example, when you decide to go for a swim, you understand and accept the fact you are not going to drown. Bottom line, when making any decision we are accepting the consequences. When people fail to understand this, they will complain about the consequences and will not be happy with the results.

There are two types of decisions: conscious decisions and subconscious decisions.A conscious decision can also be associated with setting goals. When we set a goal, we consciously agree to follow a set of actions that are required to make that goal become reality.  Everyone has a goal, from trying to lose weight to wanting to become successful or any other goal. When you set a goal to lose weight, you agree to exercise and eat healthy, right? That is because it is a conscious goal; however, lots of people have a hard time accomplishing this goal. You’re probably asking why? When making a decision to eat poorly, subconsciously, you are immediately accepting the consequences. Subconsciously, you are accepting to look and feel poorly.  Somehow, it serves a purpose for you to feel that way. You have probably heard the saying “everything you do is for a reason”. Let me tell you… It is! Your subconscious goal will sabotage your conscious goal.

Most of the time, your subconscious goal will prevail. Why? Because it has been there for a long time and it has become part of who you are. You are a walking billboard of your subconscious mind.  If you are like me, you’ll find it foolish to set a goal to become successful but somehow allow your actions to lead you in the complete opposite direction. Why? Because somehow being a victim serves a purpose for you.

Once you understand that making a decision means agreeing and accepting the consequences, you’re going to gain more clarity in making decisions and your success rate will increase.  It’s going to help you “predict” the future. If you’re aware of the consequences, it will only make sense to make the right decisions that support your goals.  My advice to you:  “Don’t make decisions based on how you feel. Make decisions based on what your goals are.”

Thank you and good luck.

HOW TO BECOME - AND REMAIN - A LIFELONG LEARNER

 

Wise people never stop learning 

 

There are a few tricks to becoming, and staying, a lifelong learner.  Here are some which going to assist you a lot!!!! Welcome & Read it!!!!

Keep a Beginners Mind:

Zen Master Shunryo Suzuki is quoted as saying, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”  When you find yourself in a transition, that is exactly what you need, “many possibilities”.  If you are constantly learning, looking at everything as a beginner, always trying new things, you will have options, choices.  If you can give up on the need of being the expert, and look at everything through “naïve eyes” you will learning new things everyday.  And finding more things you want to learn.  You will be constantly curious.

Always have a book you are reading

that is about something….but not about what you currently do for a living.  This will keep your mind sharp and bring you ideas for your next career adventure.

Have a “To Learn” list.

Most of us start the day with our “to do” list, but how many of us have a “To Learn” list.  Be creative and think about areas that you want to know about and pro-actively get that knowledge.

Be pointedly focused in your thinking.

Albert Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Simply looking at facts is not enough, you have to think through ideas yourself. Spend time journaling, meditating or contemplating over ideas you have learned.  Make up your own mind, do not take anything at face value.  Make sure you truly embody the knowledge.  Once you have accomplished that,

Do something with what you have learned.

Skill based learning is useless if it isn’t applied. Reading a book on tennis isn’t the same thing as playing it. Studying painting isn’t the same as picking up a brush. If your knowledge can be applied, put it into practice.  Practices are what will make the difference.  We are what we practice, pure and simple.

Becoming a Lifelong Learner will not only prepare you for your next career, it will make you more attuned to your surroundings, more curious and ultimately, much more successful in every area of your life.

THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND ITS WEAK POINT

There are essentially three aspects to consciousness, specifically the subconscious mind, the conscious mind and higher consciousness. Each plays a pivotal role in creating your circumstances so understanding how the three are inter-related is fundamental to truly harnessing the power of your mind. Being familiar with what is meant by consciousness will go a long way in enabling you to consciously create the reality of your choice. Consciousness is the very foundation of the most powerful resource you have at your disposal - your mind. It is the most familiar and yet most mysterious aspect of your life. Without it you could not experience life. With it, you are eternal.

Anatomy of the Subconscious Mind: The subconscious is the incredibly powerful programme that runs every aspect of your life automatically and without any need for your conscious input. Simply put, any thought, message or order that is given to the subconscious often enough and convincingly enough will in time be accepted as truth and consistently be carried out with exact precision irrespective of whether it benefits you or not. The most important thing you must know is that it is subjective in nature. This means that it can not reason or distinguish between positive and negative. 

In The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Joseph Murphy explains that "when thoughts are conveyed to your subconscious mind, impressions are made in the brain cells. As soon as your subconscious accepts any idea, it proceeds to put it into effect immediately... it draws on the infinite power, energy and wisdom within you. It lines up all the laws of nature to get its way. Sometimes it seems to bring about an immediate solution to your difficulties, but at other times it may take days, weeks, or longer... Its ways are past finding out."

The subconscious mind's inability to reason is not a weakness. In fact it is fundamental to its power. To illustrate this, imagine if your subconscious had to decide whether or not your heart should pump blood around your body, whether or not to immediately send white blood cells to heal a wound, whether or not to walk each time you consciously wanted to walk.

The subconscious mind's subjective nature is responsible for every function you carry out automatically without conscious thought, from digesting the food you eat to healing a wound to speaking a language to driving your car - ultimately all your habitual actions. It is the storehouse of your memory. It never sleeps any more than your heart sleeps. Were it able to reason, your body would be unable to function and life as we know it could not exist.

Its power is also its weak point because its lack of reasoning ability means that it is equally willing to carry out negative programmes as it is positive, with often devastating effect. The true potential of the subconscious mind may be limitless but potential alone is more detrimental than useful when the programmes carried out are negative. Having said this, given its inability to judge right from wrong, it can not be held responsible for the negative programmes it relentlessly carries out. Who then is responsible?

HOW TO GET INSPIRED AND STAY IN THE FLOW

Motivational slumps can hit anyone, at any time. It’s frustrating at best, and can cause some pretty significant delays in productivity and problem-solving. Here are few tips on how to get inspired:-

1. Acknowledge that motivation has rhythms just like your body, like the day, like the seasons, like the years… You can’t always feel energized and ready to take on the world with brilliant ideas and massive action. Sometimes you need to pull back, rest, recharge your batteries and then get back to it. Tell yourself it’s okay to not be inspired all the time. Go for a walk. Most of all, relax! Don’t stress about it or you’ll block creativity.

2. Use other goals or projects to inspire creativity (past projects work excellently for this, too). Play some mind games with yourself; see if you can make any connections between seemingly unrelated activities. Are there approaches that work for both? Can the way you tackle one task be applied to a completely different task? What did you do to overcome obstacles in past projects?

3. Narrow your focus. Lack of inspiration can result from overwhelm. It’s difficult to clear your mind and open up to inspiration when your mind is busy ticking off items on your to-do list, thinking ahead to the next thing, etc. Prioritize what you have to do, choose the most important AND urgent items and put your energies there. The urgent-but-unimportant and important-but-not urgent things can wait; don’t even bother with the unimportant and not urgent stuff.

4. Quiet your mind. Meditation relaxes you, relieves stress, and helps clear the mental cobwebs, especially when you’re super busy and overwhelmed. Learn how using the Silva Method; and take this time to open your mind to the marvelous ideas and inspirations that are waiting for you! Most of your inspiration is within you and it’s simply blocked by having too busy of a mind. Imagine a pool of water. If there’s a lot of turbulence on the surface, you can’t see the goldfish below the surface. The surface has to be calm in order to get a good look at the goldfish!

5. Get inspired by others who have achieved something you think is cool. Whether or not that person has achieved anything even remotely similar to what you’re doing, you may find just the technique, mindset, ideas or information that you need at that moment.

6. Get excited about what you’re trying to accomplish. Hmmm…. how to get excited about something that you’re not excited about (hence the motivational slump?). Make a list of the ways your goal will enrich your life. Then make a list of how that goal will enrich other people’s lives. Then start talking about your goal, and its many benefits. Talk to lots of people. Speak with enthusiasm and watch them get fired up about it. Let their enthusiasm fuel your fire even more.

7. Set a deadline. Surprisingly, having a deadline looming over your head inspires you like few things can. Whether it’s a real deadline or completely arbitrary, set one and stick to it. Many a brilliant achievement sat idle until the night before…

8. Chunk it. Any goal, no matter what it is, can be overwhelming (have you ever opened the garage door with the intention of cleaning it out… and then quickly shut it after a brief look at the chaos?). If you break it down, or chunk it, into very small manageable steps, you’ll be more motivated to actually get up and do something. Part of this is remembering the 80/20 rule, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. Identify those, and do them first thing before you do anything else. That builds momentum, and momentum builds inspiration.

9. Get help. Talking things out, asking for ideas, brainstorming and working on something together all help stimulate creativity, motivation and even inspiration. This also helps you from being too overwhelmed with the big picture since you don’t have to “do it all.”

10. Get to work! Get your creative juices flowing, no matter how stuck you feel. Whatever your project is, get working on it. Artists, designers, architects, writers and musicians (and all other creative types) know that you could be in the worst sort of inspirational slump, slogging along completely not enjoying what you’re doing and then suddenly, “it” hits you…

11. Stick with it! Putting a project aside for a short time to recharge your batteries is one thing… dropping the project altogether is something else. When you go to recharge, give yourself no more than a day, if that (if you are able). Do not give up. Even if your inspiration doesn’t hit today, or tomorrow, or the next week, you’re not going to achieve anything by waiting. Don’t allow frustration to overwhelm you. Sometimes, the process is slow. Let it be slow. Enjoy the journey.

12. Focus on the little things. Looking at the big picture can bring inspiration, but don’t forget the little things. See the details. See the small delights. Allow the tiniest of successes motivate you!

13. Shift your perspective. Imagine you are enormous, far, far larger than your project or problem. Use the Silva visualization exercises to imagine yourself physically, mentally and spiritually larger than this thing. What can you see from “up there”? And then, imagine you’re tiny, so tiny that you can see the tiniest details as though they were life-sized. Have fun with this. There’s no room for being serious when you’re blowing yourself up huge or shrinking yourself tiny. It’s all about seeing what you are looking at, from a different point of view.

14. Monitor your self-talk. Watch how you talk to yourself! If your self-talk is negative and self-defeating, you shut the door on inspiration.

15. Relax. Let inspiration come… while you are busy doing something else. Inspiration is about allowing, not forcing. That doesn’t mean “do nothing and wait for inspiration to drop out of the sky.” Step back from the thing you’re stuck on, go do something else and let inspiration come.

GROWTH THROUGH STRUGGLE

You may have heard the saying, “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.”

Although it’s a little cliche, it holds some truth.

God didn’t create us to be static characters. He didn’t intend for us to get saved then remain stagnant for the rest of our lives. He wants us to constantly be growing, changing, morphing into a reflection of Him.

When extracted from the earth, silver is intertwined with other minerals and trapped within various ores. It requires purification to be made unblemished and untarnished. Purifying silver is a process requiring intentional attention and concentration. The refiner must place the silver ore in the hottest part of the flame and keep an eye on it to know exactly when it’s ready.

Being a Christian doesn’t guarantee that we escape the “fires” of life. There are many trials and hard times we will inevitably go through. Yet Malachi 3:3 says that God “will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This should be a comfort to us. God will watch us the entire time we’re under stress and knows that everything we endure, in the end, is for our own benefit. 

He also knows when we’re ready to exit the flame. We leave the fire more refined, less blemished and with a brilliant shine, reflecting even more of His image. Paul tells us to find confidence in this, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

I'm one of the world's most self-conscious people. I really have to struggle.
Marilyn Monroe