Hello! How are you? I would like to share with you a very inspiring story of a friend of mine. Last week, I accidentally met a long-lost friend of mine when I went to the grocery store. At first, I did not recognize her. She was the one who called my name and introduced herself. I was surprised by the huge changes in her physical appearance and lifestyle. By the way, two decades ago my friends and I used to joke on her and call her ugly duckling for her appearance and status in life. She belonged to an impoverished family. Her mom was widowed, and so had to support and take care of her 8 children by herself. The death of the father caused financial crisis in the family. They could not take a decent meal a day. And so, my friend and some of her siblings were not given proper nourishment. They were so thin and looked like malnourished people. Her face was covered with pimples, and her skin with boils, scars and rashes. She could not afford to go to dermatologist due to lack of money. She was overage when she graduated in high school because she started schooling late and needed to stop schooling once in a while to assist her mom in taking care of her siblings. When she was a teenager, she was molested and physically abused by her stepfather. She endured this torture for many years because of fear to be separated from her family, and dread of being killed by her stepfather. But, this is not the end of her suffering. She jumped from one relationship to another relationship for her need of security, love and acceptance. These relationships pierced her heart more due to physical, verbal and sexual abuse by men whom she loved and to whom she entrusted herself. The last thing I knew about her was that she got hooked on drugs and alcohol. And after that, I have not heard anymore from her for years.
After almost 20 years, the person she was then is different what she is now. All the suffering and hardships she experienced then did not crush her, but strengthen her. The trials she faced then did not dampen her spirit, but challenge her. The pain she endured then did not discourage her from pursuing her dreams, but fuel her to fight. She did not consider all problems and sorrows as failures and stumbling blocks, but opportunities for her to grow and mature. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: attitude, happiness, hope, recovery, self help, suffering

Have you ever felt that you have lost your path towards your goals or have forgotten your goals? As I look at my life in retrospection, I have begun to realize that somewhere in the humdrum of the routine struggles I lost my path, digressing from my goals. In fact, I realize that I have forgotten those goals and stopped setting any new goals for myself. If you are treading a similar path, you could read on for some ideas I have come up with to help set/achieve goals:

• Set Realistic and Measurable Goals – When you set goals you have to assess your capabilities and situation. Once you have your goal set you can break it into smaller and quantitative units or activities. This will make your success measurable because the goals are finite and measurable. For instance, A goal to lose weight. You can break it down into losing a set ‘X’ amount of weight every week/month (whatever is feasible) and track your progress at defined intervals.
• Plan and Organize – Once the goals are quantified you get a clear picture of what you need to work towards. Based on that you can have a plan of action and organize your activities around that. In case of the above example you can plan your diet and exercise regimen based on your set ‘X Lbs/Kgs’ and schedule.
• Reward – Set a reward for every successful step. Positive reinforcement and rewarding is a proven technique to motivate people to perform better.
• Involve Friends/Family – Yes, it is ultimately your goal and your effort that goes into achieving it. But, I believe that it is always a good idea to get different perspectives, opinions and in some cases help from close friends/family. You never know, you might find a friend with a similar goal and you can partner with him/her in working towards achieving it.
• Maintain/Retain the Goal – The journey doesn’t end when you achieve the goal. You have to maintain/retain it. Consider this the beginning of a new journey towards a new goal. In the above instance, if you have achieved losing the weight you wanted to, you will still have to continue maintaining that weight and ensure that you do not bounce back to your previous weight.

Remember not achieving a goal is not the end of the world. You should not get disheartened and stop trying. Give every effort your best shot and never give up, success will come to you!

By,

Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: goals, Setting Goals

Recently I heard one of my friends saying “There are so many things on my mind that I am unable to focus on my work. The moment I get to work and sit in front of my computer all my issues come flooding to me. I start thinking of how to solve each one and lose focus on what I am doing at work. I think I really need to do something about it.” The conversation made me realize that this has become a pretty common phenomenon. There are so many distractions around that it has become very easy to succumb to such distractions and lose focus on your work and goals. In the process you are not only risking your job but also letting yourself drift from what you are supposed to do, and steer away from where you are supposed to be, mentally.
Like my friend, if you are looking for ways to improve your focus, here are a few tips that might help:
1)    Create milestones – Break your big goal to focus into smaller and quantitative goals, like staying focused and completing one activity within a set span of time. This is because when your goals are finite and measurable your success also becomes measurable.
2)    Positive reinforcement – For every successful focused activity you can reward yourself. Positive reinforcement and rewarding is a proven technique to motivate people to perform better. You are no exclusion to that principle.
3)    Organize Yourself – Mentally shut all those issues out by physically organizing your activities. Make a list of all the things to do, separate them from the routine/recurring things vs. one time/occasional things. For eg. Paying your electricity bill is a routine thing, while signing your child up for an extra-curricular activity is an occasional thing. Against each item write down the time or deadline for doing it and when you will do it. When you know what activities you are working on and when you are working on them you will not have to worry about them. This may sound like time management, but the real purpose of this is to organize and clear your mind of distractions.
4)    Meditation – Meditation has innumerable benefits. You must have heard a lot of people advice you to practice meditation and they are absolutely right. Meditation helps calm your mind and keep it focused.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

If you don’t already have a prosperity mindset, it might be a very difficult thing to imagine. There are various ways to chase your dreams with wealth and prosperity in mind A prosperity mindset empowers you to take action daily to improve your life in all areas, such as health, wealth, relationships or anything that you choose as important.

Studying successful people to watch what they do, particularly those you admire. These individuals are living proof that whatever you dream can indeed become a reality. Think for a moment of someone who has achieved the level of success that you want in your life. Really look at what they have done right but also look at the mistakes they have made along the way. It then makes it easier to achieve if someone has already paved the way for you! If you can, find a way to ask successful people questions.

You will learn an enormous amount about the properity mindset and you may be surprised to know that successful people enjoy being a source of inspiration for others. They already know that there is success enough for everyone, which is indeed the prosperity mindset in action. Believing in yourself and maintaining a positive approach to life all the while being focused on the big picture. Actually see yourself achieving these goals and really feel how it feels.

Surround yourself only with positive people so you are always upbeat and uplifted. Write your own life of prosperity affirmations. And when a new opportunity presents itself be open to it to allow it to flow to you. Stay motivated alawys and never be afraid of change.

Setting Goals And Action Plans

You can dream all day about where you’d like your life to go, but you must have a goal or an outcome for it to happen. Take some time out to think about the big picture and what you want in your life, and begin writing down how you see yourself getting there. Break down your goals into small achieveable steps. As much as humanly possible stick to your plan and never give up.

You must be dedicated, driven and committed to achieving the end result and let nothing stand in your way of success. When you talk to or study the actions of a successful person, they will undoubtedly tell you stories of their many failures. There were probably countless occasions when they felt like throwing the towel in and walking away, but they were strong enough to push through defeat. Realize that everyone no matter who you are, reaches a point in the life at least once, when they feel like giving up, but you simply cannot allow those feelings to rule your life. Sure life is difficult at times but always maintain the image of your goal in your mind.

Adjust your goal slightly if you need to, but ensure you continue taking action toward your goal always.

Get A Life Coach

People with prosperity mindsets are varied and all have different approaches to getting what they want out of life, and each have varying definitions of what prosperity is for them. There if a commonality though, they are all hungry to succeed in life and have a positive attitude to life and will continue with drive and determination to achieve their goals. If you feel that you lack any of the above and still need help developing a prosperity mindset, you could always employ the services of a life coach, who will assist you in breaking down your concerns and work together with you to build a plan tailored specifically for you.

Of course if you choose to do so you must implement this plan and remain dedicated and committed in order to obtain that prosperity mindset.

By

MaryAnn Roche

 There is a very simple reason why many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. When they make their resolutions, they are big on dreams, but not so big on taking action.  And sometimes I AM one of those people!

It doesnt pay to make major life changes on a single whim and acutally expect them to stick. 

If setting yourself a truly lasting New Years resolution is something you want, then you have to treat it like any other major life goal. Begin by stating your intentions, put together your action plan, and get the willpower to follow through.

Setting and Achieving Goals

When it comes to setting your goal, it is important to visualize your goal, don’t be afraid of dreaming too big or being too specific. The sky is truly the limit. when it comes to settng and achieving goals.

Once you set your goals then get specific with listing and breaking down achievable tasks that will enable you to reach your goal. For example, if you want to lose weight, be really specific about how much and by when. If giving up an addiction is what you need to do, then specify what you are going to do in order to make it happen.

State your goal in as few words as possible, and be sure to make your end goal very clear.
Be honest. Ensure you are setting this goal because you choose to -not anyone else.  Own it.
Put together an Action Plan

Some people fall short simply because they failed to create an action plan. However, without a plan you will find achieveing your goal so much more difficult.

Here are some tips for creating an action plan:

 1. Break your plan into parts. If you take everything in all at once, it may seem overwhelming. If you break up your plan, you’re only looking at a bunch of mini goals. You will already be able to see the end of the tunnel when you begin, making it much easier to complete each step.
2. Keep your mind on your goal. As you plan out each step toward your goal, keep that New Year’s resolution in mind. There is a very good reason why you chose that goal to work on for the New Year. It is simply because it is important to you.

3. Include motivation. Motivation might be the thing that gives you the most trouble as you may begin by being exceptionally motivated, buteose that enthusiasm as the year progresses.

Remember to write certain motivations into your plan for when the going gets tough. Imagine just how good you will feel when you achieve success with your New Year’s resolution!

Instead of being one of the many people who simply forget their resolution, or don’t bother sticking at it, you can be one of the few who actually achieve their goal.

Do whatever it takes to keep yourself pumped as you follow through. This may include setting certain reminders for yourself. For example, you can start each month by re-reading the goal you declared on January 1st.Stop and look at the progress you have made.

In the end, the process is quite simple. State your goal, have an action plan, and then follow through with that plan. Remember that you can do anything when your mind is in the right place and you take action to get what you want!
If you find you need a little extra help with your goal setting however, try this neat product ” The 7-Step Goal Setting System – guaranteed to work, even if:

•You don’t have any willpower…
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•The word “planning” scares you to death…
•You have the unbeatable habit of putting things off…
•You failed all your New Years resolutions…

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Tags: Goal Setting