Believing In Yourself

Seeing is believing, or so goes the old saying. It is something that we are taught by our parents, by society in the Occidental hemisphere, and it is something we know by experience.

How many times have you said “I can’t believe in something that I can’t see”? Most of the time this refers to something other than religious beliefs. It might be related to events that we experience every day, at work, at school, at home, with our friends, neighbors, in our city.

But it rarely applies to our selves. We believe in whatever we do, what we say is our word, there is no question from “me” to “I”, unless whatever is said or done is a mistake.

More often than not, we find ourselves asking: “How could I’ve done that?” “Why did I do that?” … These questions are followed by regret. We repeat it over and over in our minds, as some kind of self punishment. Why do we do that? Simple: we have problems believing in ourselves! Read more

Silencing Your Inner Critic

Are you afraid of trying new things? Do you stick to boring and safe endeavors because you don’t want to risk failing? Do you let opportunities pass you by? If so, you probably have an over-developed inner critic.

The inner critic is the little voice inside of us that constantly evaluates our performance and gives us feedback. Sometimes the information it provides is helpful. All too often, though, the inner critic is as mean as Simon Cowell in a snotty mood. “Why bother to try? You know you can’t do it.” “You’re stupid.” “You’ll never succeed.”

When criticism turns into soul assassination, as in the examples above, it’s time to put a gag on it.

In order to contain your inner critic, you must first become aware of its influence. Keep a journal for a week or two. Record any significant events that happened and what your thoughts were as you dealt with them. For instance, “Boss asked me to take on a new project—massive anxiety—I can’t do this!” “Sent in the mortgage check a day late—I’m so stupid about money.” Pay attention to any negative refrains that keep coming up. What are your inner critic’s favorite words of attack? Read more

Creative Notions - Unleash Your Creativity

People seem to have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently give out great results. If you don’t practice harnessing creative thinking, this skill will very much atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and this skill will soon come to you in a snap.

So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we’re not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, we’re saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available — good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of color into your life.  Read more

Living The Impossible

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do this. Read more

10 Ways To Start Taking Control

At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.

Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It’s much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest. Read more

Don’t Get Stuck In Analysis Paralysis

There’s a condition that holds a lot of people back from progressing towards their goals. I’ve been guilty of suffering from this condition on some occasions, and maybe you have too.

It’s been called ‘analysis paralysis’, and is a form of perfectionism. Here’s how it looks: you have an idea. It could be a project that would generate extra income if you pulled it off. It makes sense. It sounds feasible. Heck, it even sounds easy and straightforward.

But days pass, weeks pass, months pass and you still haven’t taken the first step towards making that project a reality. Rather, you’re still thinking about how you’re going to solve every problem before you get started. You’re analyzing the idea to death, literally.

You want it to be perfect before you launch.

As a result, you never launch. All you have is an idea. Possibly a very good one at that.

While you’re dilly-dallying, someone else comes along with the same idea, launches the project with faults here and there and starts making a lot of money with it (as a result of the benefit it’s bringing to lots of people). You then feel like kicking yourself, thinking ‘if only I’d acted when I had the idea, I would be the one Read more

Why You Never Get What You Truly Want

Many of us, whether we know it or not, live within a prison of our own making. This prison has no metal bars, nor can its walls be seen by the naked eye; however, it is every bit as effective in keeping us from our freedom as a real prison cell. It’s called our comfort zone

Comfort zones can take on a variety of different forms, from the area in which you live and the circle of people with whom you socialise, to the amount of money you earn.

The primary force that keeps you living within your zone is your fear-based belief about what will happen if you move outside it.

Regardless of how ridiculous or unrealistic that belief may be, you will accept it as truth depending on the level of certainty you feel.

Your comfort zone is not really comfortable at all, but is really a virtual prison that keeps you from evolving and growing as a human being. Read more

Are You Trapped By Old Beliefs?

If you have ever wondered what kinds of beliefs you have stored away in your unconscious that silently influence your choices, take a good look at your life, including your friends, your loved ones, your job, and even your health.

The life you currently live is a reflection of your beliefs about what you are willing to accept and tolerate. This is the vital difference that separates people who live abundant happy lives from those who don’t.

For instance, people who continue to stay in abusive relationships, work at jobs they don’t enjoy, or struggle financially, do so as a result of the beliefs they hold.

Yet there are individuals in society who will never ever accept being unjustly treated, living just above the poverty line, or working in professions that do not make full use of their gifts. Read more