Month: April 2016

It’s a simple choice really. But each decision will require work, hard work actually.

“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.” ― Ziad K. Abdelnour

If you choose to take the POSITIVE side, this requires you to think optimistically and spread joy and happiness around you. I guarantee  you, that if you make those around you feel good about themselves and happy, you will always be happy. But don’t get me wrong.. this will require some effort to keep your attitude and mind in the right place. Especially when the day goes south… will you cave and give into being negative, or will you choose to look on the bright side of things?

If you choose to take the NEGATIVE side, this means you wont be thinking of the positives, but being the critical one. When things get tough, rough and unfair, you wont look for the positives, but accept the negatives. Accepting the negatives, diminishes your mentality to look for solutions, it exercises your mind to lower yourself and your ability to comprehend the good things, even in the worst of situations. You can either choose to dwell on it or choose to fight it and find that light of happiness…

I choose POSITIVE.

Growth is excitement. When you are growing through challenges and learning something new, you will have a sense of accomplishment and acceptance, not just from the people around you, but also from yourself.

You will be happy with what you have done, how far you have come and you will see a glimpse of what is to come.

What about growth and goals?

Most people are certain they can push through the tough times, they can handle all the curve-balls life throws at them, they can deal with the stress and pain of the inevitable failures that lie ahead – until they find themselves in that exact position.

Regardless of whether we’re talking about career goals, life goals, relationship goals or any other goals we believe to hold meaning, they all require action to meet.

If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it. Don’t stop pushing ahead, no matter how difficult it may be. – Paul Hudson

Never give up on your dreams, but understand goals are only as rewarding as the journey required to attain them. It’s what we learn and experience along the way that shapes our realities and our souls.

If you give up on the things and individuals you believe hold meaning, then you are quite literally, giving up on yourself. Nothing could ever be sadder.

What if I told you, that there are some secrets to life which enabled you to have joy each and every day and to be simply happy. Here are 10 small life-hacks/routines, you can utilize to make your day that little extra exciting.

1. Make time for yourself. Whether you need it or not, tell people you are busy. This is a legitimate excuse.

“In a world of distraction and competing demands, mental focus is a scarce yet precious commodity. If you want more of it, you will have to be intentional about getting it.” – Michael Hyatt

2. Switch off from your BAU working mentality. Once you have shut down for the night. Stick to it. Whether it is LATE or EARLY. Take the time to refuel and refresh for the day ahead.
3. Give yourself the permission to buy any book at any time – but only if you will read it. This is an investment to you so it is worth every penny.

Reading might be one of the most important things you can do to better yourself. It’s the wisdom of brilliant minds condensed down to a $20 and 2-day commitment

4. Drop the windows, turn up the music and drive with a bounce. If people look at you – just smile and start dancing. Live a little…

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” – William W. Purkey

5. Be the guy/girl who leaves a large tip on a napkin. You will never know what you have done directly for the person individually – but you will know it will make someones day. Pay the extra $10 and you could buy someones happiness in an instant. It’s the little things that count.
6. Rest and get plenty of it. You know your limits, so stick to them. A lack of rest will lower sanity, productivity and attitude…
7. Write down your thoughts. Whether it be 10 things you enjoyed, 10 things you didn’t. Write something big or something small. Write to a time limit, or write to a word count. Just write as it will help formulate cohesive thoughts.
8. Create an uninterrupted routine for the first hour of the day. This will speed-stream your morning.

“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” – Lemony Snicket, “The Blank Book”

Mornings are crucial – they dictate your attitude, your perceptions and your energy for the day. Give yourself the gift of a predictable, enjoyable, rejuvenating morning routine.

9. Let lose your creative side and doodle. This is a great way to visualize your conscious and subconscious thoughts. Whip out a pen and give it a go.
10. Quit and remove whatever doesn’t add value to your life. Bootstrap your life. Have the ability to simplify your life, eliminating the unnecessary so that the required and necessary can come alive.

However if you are not like me and you struggle with your mornings, then this is the blog for you!

If you’re trying to convince yourself to be more of a morning person, the below list will give you some wonderful ways you can enjoy the mornings so much, you may even want to get up earlier. The idea is to make the each morning count and make the most of them. This could be: relaxing moments with a good cup of coffee, spending a little time working on a creative hobby or just enjoying a few minutes of extra cuddle time with your pooch.

See below:

1. Set some time aside to journal or read a book. You could even blog.

2. Have a beautiful breakfast. Eggs, porridge, pancakes, bacon or even a smoothie. Have whatever you want. Who wouldn’t want this?

3. The morning hours can be an ideal time to get work done, especially when you have a wonderful work space. If you have a side hustle, or you are wanting to start one. Spend some time working on this.

4.  Afternoons can get long and evenings busy, so if you’re most productive in the AM make sure you set aside some time to do a favorite hobby that might otherwise get ignored. This can be anything from scrap-booking, working in your veggie garden or even painting.

5. Have leisurely mornings where you have coffee with your favorite people (friends/family).

6. Start your day off right with a morning routine of exercise, HITT, a jog, a run or even some yoga.

7. Make someone else’s day by writing a few notes while you’re sipping your coffee. 

8. Some mornings are just going to be hectic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fit in a stylish selfie or two.

9. Some mornings are just meant to be spent with our best friend. (puppy, kittens, guinea pig?)

10. Hydrating first thing in the morning will help you feel energized during the rest of the day. Adding lemon boosts your metabolism and keeps your skin clear. If you have trouble drinking enough water, try making flavored water to keep things more interesting.

11. Do some smart meal-planning. Having extra time in the morning means you can pack healthy lunches for the rest of the week so you don’t splurge on unhealthy meals.

These are just 11 random yet insightful ways you can spice up your morning, however there are plenty more, and I am sure you would have your own routines you love to live by. (feel free to share).

“If you want to have the time of your life, change how you use the time in your life.” ― Tim Fargo

Instead of spending your time trying to impress the people around you and the world we live in… the only person you should be trying to impress is yourself. Work on loving yourself first, understanding what makes you tick, what makes you happy and what you are good at. You will be the only person you will always be spending your time with – so it is better to learn to love yourself sooner than later.

The right people, the ones who belong in your life will soon enough come along for the right reasons, not because you were trying to be like someone else. Being yourself or not people will follow you, but being yourself is true to not only the people around you but firstly yourself. Be proud of who you are and what you have or can do.

You and only you are responsible for your fate. Life is no fun if you spend it hating yourself; this will limit any progress you hope to make. Always look on the bright-side of life.

Once your confidence is up, you will stop making the terrible mistake of comparing yourself to others. You will already be comfortable and happy with who you are.

The most important lesson you can teach yourself is how to accept and love yourself for you who you are, no matter what you’ve been through and what you’ve learned. Acceptance makes all the difference in your confidence and self-esteem.

Loving yourself in this world, will create an infectious aurora around you, so much that others will follow, but no matter who comes along, just know that no one will love you like you love yourself. Just don’t love yourself so much that you diminish the people around you.

There are so many circumstances or experiences that can get in the way of our growth which limit our creativity and our lives.

“Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” ~Marianne Williamson

Here are 3 mistakes we are commonly known to make – and what you can do about it:

Mistake #1: Not Taking Your Instincts Seriously

Have you ever said “I’m fine” when inside you were hurt or afraid? Or said “It’s not a big deal” when, in fact, it was consuming your every waking thought (and likely your dreams)? Yeah, don’t do that. It matters that you have a dream to start a business. It matters that you want more than what everyone else is settling for. It matters that you are upset or unsettled or craving expansion in your life.It matters because those things are signs that you are not on the right track, signs that something is out there calling your name, signs that you’re ready to discover and devour it.

And those signs should always be taken seriously. Listen to where your inner voice. It’s there for a reason.

Mistake #2: Not Creating Space for Growth

Growth requires space—actual physical space, as well as space in your schedule. If you think it’s selfish to create time for you—to chase a dream, to process an emotion, to rest and reconnect—you’re not seeing one very important fact: You can’t give to others what you don’t have, and you don’t have what you don’t take the time to give to yourself. Make the things that matter—such as self-care, compassion, and authenticity—priorities, and you’ll find you have the time and energy to create the life you visualize.

Mistake #3: Labeling Your Efforts

Any time you start something big or life-changing with labels like “not good enough” or “stupid,” you shut down your growth before you’ve even begun. Attitude is important! Because how can someone who is stupid or not good enough possibly do anything worthwhile? But you’re not stupid, and you efforts are good enough. You have to let go of the labels and approach your experience with an open mind and heart.

If you’re struggling with this one, hold on to one truth: Each and every person was born pure, whole, and open to growth and learning.

I want to leave you with these few questions:

• What is holding you back? Actions, commitments?
• What are your beliefs about yourself and what you can do? Are they positive or negative?
• What things are holding you back from venturing into life? Is it the lack of action? The struggle of commitments?

Keep in mind that no one in the world has ever been successful without a little bit of luck (or opportunity) – no one. Sometimes it is about being in the right place at the right time. Knowing the right person at the right time.

We’ve all heard the phrase “it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know”

So based on this little bit of luck and some hard work, there are some reasons why you deserve the good life:

• You weren’t handed anything, you chased the dream.
• You didn’t succeed at first, you failed and kept going.
• You didn’t make excuses, you made sacrifices.
• You didn’t get distracted, you never lost sight of the mark.
• You didn’t just try it, you gave it your everything.
• You didn’t content yourself with success, you became hungry for more.

When the above reasons don’t play out, this doesn’t mean it is game over. It means you need to:

• Chase your dreams MORE
• Keep going and try again
• Make sacrifices
• Stay focused
• Deliver 110%
• Continue to crave success

Soon enough your dreams will fall into place. Are you willing to take up the list and solider on?

I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated. – Hussein Nishah.

Laughter will generate a happiness like no other! So laugh daily! Laugh with your friends, family and loved ones!

Everyday use your imagination, as it has no age. Daily, I try to imagine something more, something better and something to come. Which brings me to DREAMS. These are forever. When you achieve one, there is always another! The best part about it is you can take action on your dreams today. You could wait till tomorrow, but why wait when you can start now.

Everyday is wonderful just because it is a new day. It is a new opportunity to enjoy life, to grow and to adventure on. Life will never be perfect, but why don’t you live like it is and you can do this by enjoying the wonders it brings!

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. – Charles Spurgeon

On the topic of happiness and enjoying the day, here are 20 things you should think about as these may just be the reason you are hindering your happiness:

1. Making Excuses
2. Give Up Stress
3. Remove Bad Habits
4. Stop Making Hastily Decisions
5. Give Up Regrets
6. Give Up Resentments
7. Stop Try To Control The Future
8. Stop Being Irresponsible
9. Stop Chasing The Wrong People
10. Let Go Of Unresolved Relationships
11. Stop Trying To Please Everybody
12. Stop Limiting Yourself
13. Give Up Disappointments
14. Stop Feeling Misunderstood
15. Be Yourself
16. Stop Looking For The Easy Way Out
17. Give Up Junk Food
18. Stop Being Unsatisfied With Your Body
19. Stop Worrying About Money
20. Stop Hoarding – Give More

Struggles are actually good for you, if you embrace them, challenge them and work to build the required strength to overcome them.

Think of your struggles as similar to you taking some elastic and attaching it to the wall and strapping it around yourself. Then try walking/running away as far as possible from the wall. This is tough, hard and at first difficult. But eventually you will build the strength to push further and further, soon enough you may even break it.

One thing we should continually apply in our life is the ability to adjust to circumstance and to push on daily. Sometimes we will have bad days and days which are a challenge. These days are they days you need to be willing and be ready to give it a go and to do your 100% best! Even more than the easy days. These will be the days that will shape you, define you and prepare you for your further days ahead. You will find that these so thought bad days, will actually be good days… why? Because you will overcome fear, you will have stepped a little further out of your comfort zone, you will grow and most of all you are finally defining and finding your character and what you can do.

Take a quick glimpse of what you have planned in the weeks, months and years ahead. Does it scare you? Does it challenge you? Maybe it is finishing Uni or school for the semester, starting a new job, getting married, or maybe your goal will be coming to an end?

Now look back over the last year, the last 5 years and 10 years and so on… See how far you have come. See what you have accomplished, beaten and pushed through? It is easier to understand life backwards, but we need to live it going forward.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Soren Kierkegaard

Its checkpoint time. Time to review just what you have been doing the past 112 days. I recently did this at 20%, challenging you to see if you are living up to your planned expectations for the year.

Today I have another challenge for you and this one will benefit you daily – only if you abide to it and actually invest your time in applying it to your life.

A highlight is crucial to staying motivated and encouraged and identifying one is just as important.

It was just the other day I was chatting with one of my best friends and I asked them what was highlight of their day. They answered and continued to answer, listing out the highlights they had encountered throughout the day. This prompted me to think even further into this. Imagine if everyday we took the time to list out 5 highlights each day and everyday. Listing these, you could rank them, or keep them without rank. You could also try do this across the day and check in regularly to reflect on your highlights across the day. Meaning, why not identify highlights from your morning over lunch or similarly you could do the entire day or half the day in the evening over dinner. Whatever way you choose to do it make sure you do it and do 5.

The benefits of doing this, especially doing this daily will help you expand your mind and grow your appetite for happiness, positivity, optimism and also an encouraging heart. You will also learn to appreciate the little things more than you would have ever thought, you will also begin to identify the important things within your life and that you value most, even if it is subconsciously.

Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. ― Charles Dickens

So what were my 5 highlights for yesterday (Day #111):

1. Watching the sunrise peak from behind the horizon.
2. Morning walk through the city breeze, watching Melbourne come to life.
3. Going for coffee and sharing chit chat and stories with a friend.
4. Encouraging others to aspire further
5. Late night run in the peace of the bright night

All these things were in the moment and were not entirely planned until the moment they were to occur. The fact is, each day will have ups and downs but you can make the most of any day, if you are willing to look for the best. If you are struggling to find excitement and happiness through the day, this challenge is perfect for you.

Remember identify 5 things, which you can identify as a highlight. Do it at the end of the day, or staggered across the day.

Most of all, if you would like to share your highlights, then leave a comment!