Breaking Free From Negative Thoughts

Have you ever had a negative thought? Have you ever uttered it out loud, even in jest? Most of us have. More importantly, more often than we’d like to admit. Negative thinking can be damaging not only to our self-esteem, but can begin a cycle of thought and behavior which negatively impacts our own perception of events in our lives.

For example: Perhaps you’ve been assigned a special project at work. You’re confident in taking it on, but upon completion you notice one tiny error. You begin to berate the way in which you handled the project, even though the error was not significant. While your boss is telling you what a great job you’ve done, you begin to make excuses for it. Your negativity has minimized the entire project, and magnified one area of it.

What steps can you take to avoid this pattern? Take a step back and look at the project objectively. Not only did you complete it in an efficient manner, but it will become the template for future projects. Forget about the mistake; think about what you’ve achieved.

The holidays are approaching and you need to begin the house-cleaning project. You look around and decide it’s just too much; you can’t do it; why bother. Stop! Take a deep breath and consider dividing up the tasks. Enlist the aid of your family to help by assigning each one a specific job. Once you begin the process of prioritizing, you will feel better and it will be accomplished.

You’ve started a diet before the holidays. One day, you have a yearning for a particular dessert. You quickly decide your diet is over, and it wasn’t worth the effort. You walk over to the mirror and utter to yourself, “I’m fat, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Wrong! Setting yourself up for failure by thinking negatively about the way you look does not solve the immediate problem. Instead, admit to cheating; promise you’ll try harder, and allow positive thoughts to guide you through it.

Probably the most intensely negative thought processes are experienced by teenagers. Perhaps their life isn’t going the way they thought it would; or they are unhappy with school; or peer pressure has made them act in a way that cultivates anger. “I don’t want to live anymore,” one might say. While they may not mean what they say; it is still a sign which requires immediate intervention. The thought can become a seed which could germinate into the act itself.

Either through family, friends, counselors or skilled professionals – negative thought can quickly be turned around into positive reinforcement. It is up to each and every one of us to ensure that any hint of negativity is purged from our thought process; and to avoid imprinting unwelcome thoughts onto our family or friends.

Thoughts become things… so pick the good ones.

By just changing your thoughts for 17 seconds, you can change your entire mood… How long is 17 seconds, less time then it took to read this article.

How Important Is Goal Setting?

A business manager of a major auto manufacturer has set a five-year goal for himself. At the tender age of 29, he has accomplished all but one; buying a home. “This,” he states definitively, “will occur at age 35.” If you ask, how important is goal setting? In his case, it is very important.

His success met the five criteria for setting effective goals:

• express goals positively
• set precise goals
• prioritize the goals
• write down the goals
• keep the goals small, thus easier to achieve.

Why do we need to set goals to achieve? Without goals, there is no direction; no focus; no reason to become involved in anything worthwhile.

More importantly, controlling that which we wish to achieve is how we live; how we operate our business; how we win a race; how we can enhance our skills; our performance; and how we gain self-confidence. Goals must be specific; not unrealistic. To say you will become a millionaire in a year is a goal you may not meet. However, if the measure of success is reasonable, it can be attainable using your own standards for success.

The pressures of society to amass great wealth in the shortest amount of time are based upon other’s goals and desires, not yours. You must have a clear understanding of what goals you are trying to achieve, and exhibit the skills and knowledge to achieve them.Achieving goals based on one particular event does not in any way ensure success in another.

Grabbing the brass ring can be difficult. It may be just out of reach, but is attainable. Use the same analogy in achieving your goals. Set them just out of reach, but within your grasp; giving you the determination and commitment to reach for it. Keep yourself healthy, fit and free of diversions. Focus on the goal; and never lose sight of it.

Ensure you acquire the skills needed to achieve the goal. Gather as much information and knowledge as you can. Ask for help whenever you need to; it is not a sign of weakness.Use whatever resources are available to you; make lists along the way. Many times ideas may crop up which will bring you closer to your goal. Never assume anything. Research every possibility. If a particular idea doesn’t pan out, try another; and another. Don’t give up; or give in.

Most everyone has a goal in life, from losing weight to winning the Super Bowl. Keep in mind, however, sometimes life gets in the way of the very thing you are trying to achieve.It may be a momentary set-back, but don’t give up the dream, the goal, or the path that will lead you to it.

Time Management Techniques

If you’ve ever been to New York, specifically walked the streets of Manhattan, you will immediately notice everyone is rushing around, seemingly clueless as to where they are going. Typical of major cities, visitors always ask, “Where is everyone running to?” Actually, the question should be, “Why is everyone in such a hurry?”

It’s all about time. She’s late for lunch; he’s going to miss the train or bus home; we’ll be late for dinner. No one ever stops to think about the amount of time wasted worrying about it. The realization that proper planning is the key to saving time has somehow eluded us. It’s important, then, to discuss time management techniques to effectively yield positive results.

Preparation
Make a daily list of things to do, appointments to keep, and so on.

Don’t Be Late
If you have an appointment, leave an hour earlier. Together with traffic delays and phone call interruptions, you’ll have plenty of time to arrive at your destination.

First on the List
When making a list of things to do, begin with the most important item first. Then prioritize the rest as you complete your list.

Throw Perfectionism out the Window
If you have an important engagement, wedding or other function to attend; don’t waste so much time over the minor things which will cause you to be late. You know the old saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” It happens to be true. Conversely, if you expect company for the holidays, don’t freak out because your kitchen floor isn’t spotless. No one cares but you. Friends are coming to your home to see you, not the floor.

Don’t Procrastinate
If you’ve started a home project, but you have to pick up a friend at a certain time; drop what you are doing and go. If that doesn’t work, have your friend call you every 15 minutes until you’ve left the house.

Time is important to everyone. It is a basic and important component in how we conduct our business; our lives, and even our free time. It should not be wasted nor squandered; but used for preparing our daily routines; our work habits; and our family responsibilities.

What You Say Really Does Matter!

Have you ever spoken unkindly to someone? Did the words profoundly affect that person? Words are powerful; and when they are used to hurt someone, they can be devastating. The words you speak and the things you say do have a huge affect not only on yourself, but others as well. Yes, what you say really does matter.

Have you ever called yourself stupid, dumb, idiot? Have you berated yourself in front of the mirror because you feel fat? Do you realize every word you say is being processed by your subconscious and, in some cases, imbeds itself there? Thus, it begins to seep into your conscious self and the feelings of self-worth begin to dissipate.

What you say ultimately translates into eventual belief. If you utter to yourself, “I’m not very good at soccer,” you will never succeed in that sport. You are setting up a defeatist attitude even before you begin. When you begin a thought or a sentence with a negative word, your expectations can never be realized.

So too, you may call someone an idiot. While you may apologize, the word has already been spoken; you can’t take it back. The person on the receiving end of the insult may take it to heart, and can be changed forever. We live in a world where words are used to attack, cajole, embrace, nurture, disengage, provoke and inspire. We not only hurt ourselves, we hurt others as well. Anger, frustration, and disappointment contribute to the misuse of words. Even though the aftermath of unkind words are realized, we still do it. Perhaps the old adage is true, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.”

It is important to realize the affect words have on us. Whether we mean to say them or not, said often enough they can transform the very essence of who we are. Children are especially vulnerable to words. Yet, we continue to use unkind and often insensitive words as a disciplinary measure. Eventually, they grow up with low self-esteem, or painfully shy, or feel they are worth anything at all.

The next time you speak, think about the words you are about to impart. Choose them wisely when speaking to your peers, and cautiously when speaking to children. Understand that one word can positively or negatively affect someone’s life; even your own.

How do you get new clients?

To attract more new clients give them information they want.

Sounds simply, well it is.

It is called Education-based Marketing. It is the way that I feel creates the best relationship with your clients. Let’s face it, there are a lot of people out there selling “magic cures”. You do not want to be seen as pushing or sterotyped as a “used car salesman”.

If you are putting the focus on how you can actually HELP potential clients solve their biggest problems, you will experience 2 awesome events.

1. Promoting yourself will naturally follow what you passionately love to do, which is helping your clients solve their problems.
2. Your phone will actually start ringing, you will end up having to turn down clients yourself and you will have to refer them to your team.

Now get at it!!

• What are the top problems that your ideal client has?
• Select one of top problems and write an article
• Publish the article to multiple websites/ezines
• Repeat every month.

We will touch more on how to create great articles later on this month.

« Previous Page — Next Page »