Mind Power - Happiness With Positive Thinking Tips

By Joel Chue

Being a negative thinker is very unhealthy as it lowers your self-esteem and bad for your morale. It drains your energy rapidly and causes you to lose focus. To stop being a negative thinker, you have to change your thoughts pattern.

1. The first tip to being positive is to look after your body and mind. To ensure that you are in a good shape, eat well, exercise regularly, sleep well and spend time with your family. A relaxed and healthy body is a natural attractant for positive energy.

2. Reject and delete any negative thoughts that flashed through your mind. Researchers found out that an average person has about 60 000 thoughts being flashed through his mind on a single day. Why should anyone cling onto a negative thought? Make a conscious decision, and do your best to rid of any negative thoughts.

3. Hug your loved ones. By hugging, it increases your self-esteem. It makes you feel comfortable and loved. Move past a cold and sturdy handshake, and hug someone you really love and care for.

4. Make sure that you surround yourself with happy, cheerful people. Avoid friends who think poorly of themselves. This way your mind will always pick up positive vibes.

5. On a piece of paper, write down all the things that you are happy and grateful for. They can be your friends, your colleagues and your family. After you are done with the writing, paste the list somewhere it is conspicuous so that you can see it everyday. This will remind you of all the things you are grateful for and not take the things you have now for granted. Most importantly, it keeps you happy too.

6. Get out of the habit of fixing labels to people and situations. Don't say "I always knew it" "I always said so" "She never cared for me" "You have always used me" , etc. Such negative thoughts put you on a negative footing. They also lower your self-esteem.

7. Do not ever be afraid to speak up. You will never gain confidence if you do. You do not need to bother what others might view you as if you speak up as you are living your own life, not others. Opportunities may slip away if you remain silent.

8. Don't think of the negative stuff when something happened. When your boss asks for you, don't think of him reprimanding you or giving you a sack. Life is unpredictable; he may want to give you a raise in salary for your excellent performance.

9. Extend a helping hand to those in need. You can read a story to your neighbor's mother who is crippled and can't move; or you may go out and trim the garden of an orphanage on a weekend you are free. You will find that these small gestures have a wonderful way of generating positive energy. They make you feel warm, energetic and wanted.

10. There may be times when you find it impossible to get rid of negative thoughts. In such situations you should go out of your house for a walk or a jog. You can even go to the gym and do some light exercises. Such activity takes your mind off the negative thoughts.

If you follow these steps, you will find that your mind starts rejecting negative thoughts on its own.

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How to Change on Purpose

By Paul Kearley

Changing on Purpose

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~Leo Tolstoy
We just got home from the airport where we dropped off Audrey, our 15 year old french exchange student, who has been at our home since September. Of course there were many tears, and many times saying and waving goodbye, but when she went through the security gate, you could tell that while she was crying, she was glad to be going home.

The day she walked off the airplane and into our lives was very memorable for us, as I'm sure it was for her.

She was scared.

No, it was more than that, she was petrified. Here was this 15 year old child who had grown up in the middle of rural Quebec in a very French community, and who spoke very little English who was placed in our care a thousand kilometres away. Our job was to be her host home and to attempt to teach her about our way of life. Her challenge was much greater than ours. She had to overcome shyness, she had to speak a language that she didn't really know, she had to endure our customs and habits, and she had to live with another family who didn't really know her. She stood up to the pressure of change like a pro. The first couple of days, there were a lot of tears and long distance calls home, but she stuck it out and is so proud of herself, as well she should be. Audrey has taught us that change can be achieved, if it is looked at in the right way.

We were so fortunate to have had her. If we could have written a letter and described the perfect kid to be twinned with our daughter, it would certainly have been Audrey. With her perpetual smile that would just melt you in your shoes, to her hilarious sense of humour, she was always pleasant. She had the courage to laugh at herself when she made mistakes with her language. Especially the time when Judy asked her to get the lettuce from the fridge and Audrey got the Plum Sauce. Since that day, we still call the lettuce Plum Sauce. Judy and I often wondered when she was going to crack and show at least some kind of adolescent attitude, but she never did. While we were not her parents, we were so proud of her accomplishments.

Like Audrey, we have all faced great changes in our lives, and if we choose to, instead of waiting for a change to be thrust upon us, we can change on purpose.

Of course some of us have faced more than others: going from high school to college, from being single to being married, from having no children to having children, from having no job to having a job, from being married to being divorced etc. Most changes are usually from the known to the relatively unknown and it may not always be our first choice in which way it goes. Even though the change may not always be our first choice, we still have a choice as to how the change will pan out.

I have discovered that to be successful with change, there are a few principles that should be followed:

Always be searching for something new; Resist the temptation to become rigid in your thinking and in your life.

Be willing to take a risk. Ask yourself what's the worst thing that can happen, and then improve on it.

Be open and willing to make mistakes because it's through the making of mistakes that we learn how to progress.

When you have reached success in your change, reread number 1.

This week, re-examine your life and dare to ask yourself if you are truly happy with where you are, with what you have or with whom you are. If you think that there are things that are in need of some kind of change, then do it. You are the only one who can! You have nothing to lose, and a more fruitful and productive life to gain.

Make this your best week ever!

Paul

© 2008 Paul Kearley CS, For 22 years, Paul Kearley has thrived in the personal development and coaching business. As a Master Business Coach, Paul's passion is in developing and creating increased potential, and coaching people to create success.

A newspaper columnist, and editor for "E-Motion", his own weekly ezine, and author of 3 e-books, Paul writes articles that address the everyday challenges we all have and face in life and in business, and offers suggestions for success.

If you'd like to connect with Paul to discuss your personal or business strategies or to subscribe to "E-Motion" , simply visit http://www.mustthinking.com or send an e-mail to carnegie@nbnet.nb.ca, .

Visit http://www.mustthinking.com to review and purchase my NEW E-Book MUST Thinking: An easy four step guide for creating the results you want"

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How A Positive Attitude Can Change The World Around You

By Daniel Alan

Outlines how to start thinking more positive and what a dramatic effect it can have in your day to day life.

I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?

Now let's say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you whats on your mind?

The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.

Here's another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?

You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too - unless, of course, you are a great actor.

And it doesn't end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.

The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.

Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.

Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.

A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.

We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.

You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.

A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.

A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.

If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.

If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.

Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.

And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.

If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn.

As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome.

You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what's not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.

Article Source: http://www.ArticlesAlley.com/

About the Author: Daniel Alan is the creator of the Perfect Path To Wealth system which helps people around the world attain their financial dreams. He is an expert at making money online and he motivates people around the country with his speaking.

Prisoner of Attitude

By Dayo Olomu

"Thinking is responsible for man's primacy on earth today. Existence is therefore co-terminus with thinking. The ability to out-think the other fellow, a friend or a foe, is the pathway to victory and success in life." - Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in his book 'Renascent Africa.'

I am an incurable optimist. I believe that with faith, hope, hard work, perseverance and persistent, we can achieve all our desired goals and aspirations in life. I believe that to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the sun, and when the time and season comes we must make the best use of it. I believe that we must put in our best in everything and leave the rest to God. I believe that life is not all that bed of roses because if life were all one unbroken symphony of success, success would itself become boring and as agonising as adversity.

I believe that we must go through some sort of pains, travails, disappointments and tear-filled experiences to make us grow in our faith. I believe God loves all of us and hates nobody, because the thought God has for us are thoughts of peace and not evil, to give us a future and a hope.

Finally, I believe that God gives each and everyone of us talents and opportunities and how we make use of them determines what we become in life. There are certain things God will not do for us because He has given us the intelligence to care for ourselves. But this is a matter of individual's choice because freedom of choice has been the backbone of human race in a given society; either in a supportive or non-supportive environment. Sometimes the environment never made us a prisoner but we are prisoners of our attitude and our thinking. Some of us have a negative attitude to life; hence we refuse to make use of our talents and the various opportunities that come our ways in life.

Keem Bello-Osagie is one of the most respected Nigerians of his generation who became the Chairman of United Bank of Africa (UBA) at a relatively young age. When he was asked in a recent interview the secret of his success and the moving factor, he said: "Each person is given a set of talents by God and it is your responsibility to develop those talents to the very maximum. Talent is important but opportunity is equally important and I must say I've been lucky to have had opportunities and I've tried to make the best use of the opportunities."

The question is: Have we made use of the talents and the opportunities God bestowed on us? What choice are we making in life? Our yesterday determines today. Today, we are the products of what we did or neglected yesterday. If you continue to do what you did yesterday today, I mean if you maintain the status quo, then the future is predictable, and for the most part, the future is not bright because if we keep doing what we always do, we will keep getting the same thing we have always gotten.

So many people believe that if God wanted them to be successful, He will make them successful. What they don't know is that what God does is to give you everything that will make you successful: wisdom, talents, resources, people, opportunities, time etc, it is how you make use of these gifts from God and the choices you make that will determine your success in life.

From our fingerprints to our thoughts pattern, each one of us is a unique creature; although behavioural research shows that people fall into two general categories. In their book, "Relax, Dealing with Stress", Authors Watts & Coppers call these categories internal and external to show how much parental influence affects our ability to direct our lives.

According to Watts & Copper: "Internals are people who see themselves as having control over events and the choices they make. An internal is likely to have come from a background that valued individuality, encouraged a healthy degree of risk-taking and experimentation, viewed change with curiosity and excitement and taught how to approach disappointment in a constructive way. As a result, internals learn to trust talents, judgement and ideas. Crucially, they form the conviction that their life will be what they decide to make it. Externals, on the other hand, tend to feel that other people, the environment and circumstances outside themselves, decide their lives. They might have been subjected to constant criticism, or surrounded by an atmosphere that expected failure."

I believe in the principle of cause and effect, which says that for every effect in our lives, there is a specific cause. We have the ability to control the causes and change the effects to any thing we want. It depends on the choices we make. Our thoughts and attitudes are the primary causes of the conditions of effects in our lives and if we wish our lives to be different in the future, we have to change our thinking in the present.

In the spiritual law, it is called the principle of sowing and reaping. Our harvest in life is based solely on the seed that we have sown. Therefore we are the reason we are where we are. In my native law, according to my mother (Florence), the principle is 'as you lay your bed so you lie on it.'

Life is what we make out of it. Nobody can live it for us except ourselves. The acceptance of total responsibility for our lives is the hallmark of maturity in human beings. The acceptance of responsibility means that from then on in life, we have no more excuses. Walter Begehot opined that "it is often said that men are ruled by their imagination, but it would be truer to say that they are governed by the weakness of their imagination." We learn from our mistakes and mistakes of others. Ebino Topsy affirmed that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to relive it."

By accessing our strengths and using them, we can establish an outlook that is both positive and dynamic. Make things happen rather than waiting passively to see what 'fate and destiny' delivers to our door. When we make commitments to better our condition emotionally, intellectually, mentally and spiritually we are making a lifetime resolution and bidding bye to being a prisoner of attitude.

Dayo Olomu is a UK-based Motivational Speaker, Writer, Business/Life Coach, Trainer, Media Entrepreneur and Competent Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to help individuals and organisations achieve their full potentials. He is the author of best selling "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" and the President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Get his FREE monthly Rise to the Top ezine by sending a blank email to subscribe@dayoolomu.com or visit his website at: www.dayoolomu.com

Change Your Attitude To Change Your Actions

By Rena Williams

Today let's put our focus on attitudes and how they make a huge difference in our daily lives. The old saying "you need to change your attitude" has more meaning than anyone can ever convey.

If you have been a partaker of personal development for any length of time, then I'm sure this is not something new to you. But do you really get just how important the role of your attitude play in your life?

Your actions affect your attitude and your attitude determines your actions. When you get the two working together in harmony, powerful things will indeed begin to take place in your life.

A small positive action can often times make a huge positive difference on your outlook of life. You can get momentum going by even making quick and simple shift.

By the same token, a small positive shift in your attitude can encourage you to take action when previously you were not inclined to do so. Just a brief empowering thought can get you moving forward in the right direction.

What if you cannot quite bring yourself to take action? Then the very least you can do is convince yourself to carry a more positive attitude. Remember, thinking doesn't require any physical effort what so ever. Before long that positive attitude will surely lead you to take action.

Maybe you find yourself resisting a positive attitude all together. If you will begin to take small beneficial actions you will be amazed how soon that will lead you to a more positive attitude.

Whether it's through your actions or through your attitude, there's always a way to introduce a more affirmative perspective into your life. When you change you thoughts, you change your life. So stay focused on the positive possibilities and watch your life become more richly rewarding.

Rena Williams resides in Florida as a Lifestyle Mentor and a successful entrepreneur. She delights in helping many achieve great levels of success through free mentoring and guidance. Take advantage of many free resources by visiting http://www.yoursuccesscorner.com

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Attitude Is Everything

By Ryan Eliason

Have you heard the saying, "Attitude Is Everything"? While attitude might not really be "everything", it is the single most significant determining factor of success in many situations. Here's how it works:

Change your attitude and you automatically change:

1. your perspective
2. the way you interpret things
3. the decisions you make
4. the actions you take
5. the results you get

Changing your attitude can get you there more quickly, but it can also get you there in style, enjoying the ride more fully. This ShortCut is for everyone, because even if you have a great attitude already, it could always be better. It doesn't matter if you have a little goal or a massive dream, a small annoyance or a huge problem, shifting your attitude will help, and it might just radically transform your situation.

People tend to think of an attitude as being simply positive or negative. However, there are infinite possibilities such as: warm, friendly, confident, determined, unstoppable, silly, playful, easy-going, outrageous, peaceful, open-minded, compassionate, optimistic, and all of their negative counterparts. You can ultimately become very creative and experiment with different attitudes for different situations, which will lead you to being more powerful and effective.

Here's the problem. We often think it's hard or impossible to change our attitudes, so we don't try. The truth is that it's easy to change your attitude, if you know how.

Another big problem is that we tend to think our attitude is born of the situation. We think our attitude is the right attitude for the way things are. Therefore, our attitude goes unexamined and unquestioned. Almost everybody is guilty of this, however, our attitude is completely optional and flexible. It is possible to have any attitude in any situation, and there are no ultimate "right" attitudes for particular situations.

We also tend to think of our attitudes as part of our identities. We think, "It's just the way I am." We tend to think of our personalities as static things. In fact, when faced with a new challenge or situation, we make split second decisions about how to respond, and what attitude to adopt, based on our idea of "who we think we are". In this way, we perpetually re-create our attitudes, whether they be negative and disempowering or positive and self-empowering. While our personalities, and the attitudes that go with them, may appear to be somewhat static, they only appear that way because we keep making the same choices (often unconsciously) over and over again, moment to moment. The truth is that you can change "who you're being", and you can change your attitude, at any moment.

How To Shift Your Attitude

Intention: Decide what attitude you want to have, then set your intention to adopt that attitude. Frequently, this is all that is necessary to shift your attitude dramatically.

Break Your Pattern: If you catch yourself with a bad attitude, it can be useful to do something radical and surprising to break your pattern: jump up and down, dance in a circle, poor ice water over your head, sing at the top of your lungs, whistle a silly tune, put on some great music, or whatever to break your pattern. Then create a fresh attitude.

Role Models: Find people who are getting the kinds of results you would like to be getting. Watch them carefully to see what kind of attitude they have and how they express that attitude. Copy them.

Surround Yourself With Positive People: Attitudes are contagious. Who you surround yourself with and spend time with is probably influencing your attitudes way more than you are consciously aware. Enough said.

Ask Better Questions: We are constantly asking ourselves questions. Most of the time this is not a very conscious process. For example, something bad happens and we ask ourselves, "Why me?" Our minds start to find answers to that question, effectively building a case for why bad things happen to us, leading to a bad attitude, leading to more bad things happening. Make a list of the most empowering questions you can think of, and ask those instead. The possibilities are infinite.

Here are a few to get you started:

1) How can I turn this problem into an opportunity?,

2) What would I do if I was already very successful?,

3) Who do I need to be to achieve my dream?,

4) What would my future (successful) self do?

Fake It Till You Make It: If adopting a new attitude feels difficult or awkward, just fake it till you make it. It really works. Act as if you have that attitude. Walk like someone with that attitude. Talk like they would talk. Breathe like they would breathe. Make the decisions they would make, etc.

Expose Yourself To Empowering Messages: Feeding your mind positive messages on a regular basis can really impact your attitude. You can read books, listen to recordings, go to seminars, etc.

Meditation: One of the things meditation is great for is supporting you to slow down and notice that your personality is not so static. Your personality, and the attitudes that accompany it, are something that you generate from moment to moment. This is an empowering realization.

Play With Perspectives: If you have a problem or a goal that you're not making enough progress on, it can be useful to play with perspectives. This loosens up your attitude, and helps you discover new possible attitudes. Get creative and try looking at your situation from several different perspectives. For example, you can ask yourself:

1) What would a child's perspective be?,

2) An elders?,

3) How would I approach this if I knew I could not fail,

4) What would Jesus/Buddha do?,

5) What would be the CEO's perspective?,

6) What would an expert think?,

7) What is the customer's perspective,

8) What would be the perspective of a wealthy person?,

9) A poor person,

10) What would (person you admire) do?,

11) What would my future self say?, etc... the possibilities are endless.

Give Up Reasons and Excuses: This is a big one. We tend to stubbornly hold on to our attitudes. They become habits. We learn to justify them. We have reasons and excuses for them. You can choose to give up all of your reasons and excuses. Just give them up. Would you rather have your reasons and excuses, or would you rather get results?

Reminders: Write the attitude you want to adopt on a post-it note and put it
somewhere so that you'll see it regularly. Ask a friend to remind you. Set an alarm that goes off every hour, etc. You get the idea.

Change Your Belief: If the above techniques don't work, you probably have an underlying negative belief that needs changing. For example, imagine a woman who believes all men are lying cheats. She would have a very hard time trying to create a positive attitude about dating. The above techniques will work to change most negative beliefs, but sometimes changing a stubborn belief requires stronger measures. However, that is the topic of a future article.

Exercise - Creating An Empowering Attitude

Step 1: Choose either a goal that you are having trouble achieving, or a stubborn problem that won't seem to go away. Write it down.

Step 2: Write down your current attitude or attitudes about this goal or problem

Step 3: Decide what attitude you want to have. Write it down. If choosing a new attitude is not easy, use the above technique: "Play With Perspective" to explore new possibilities.

Step 4: Set your intention to adopt the new attitude. Choose one or more of the above techniques to support you in adopting the new attitude. Write down the technique(s) you will use.

For more articles by Ryan Eliason click here.

Ryan Eliason has been a professional, full-time Life and Business Coach since 2003, successfully supporting hundreds of clients to produce extraordinary results in their businesses and personal lives. An entrepreneur since a young age, Ryan has founded several successful businesses and a non-profit. He developed his unique approach through 15 years of business consulting, designing and leading workshops, and working with both coaching and therapy clients. He received his formal training with the renowned Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California. He is also a certified Master Hypnotist, massage therapist, polarity therapist, and Transformational Therapist through the Heartwood Institute.

Ryan publishes a popular FREE monthly eLetter, ShortCuts To Success, with strategies to get everything you want in business and in life, quicker and with less effort. You can learn more about Ryan and sign up for his eLetter at: http://www.ryaneliason.com

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