Author: CLFurlong

It is time to change your life and think positive. Ever notice that when you’re feeling crappy, the whole world seems hostile and unfair? (“That guy totally cut me off! Screw him!“) But when you’re in a good mood, the whole world appears friendly and wonderful, and nothing can bring you down? (“Sure, go ahead, you must be in a hurry!“)

Here’s the truth: The world is no different on those days. You are different.

Your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your actions, and your actions create your life. – Unknown

The most critical thing to understand is that your thoughts matter. Your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your actions, and your actions create your life. They’re all interconnected, no exceptions.

6 Ways To Think Positive And Change Your Mindset

1. Clarify your desires: Write down your goals. You can start today. Make them happen. Review them regularly.
2. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude: Gratitude unlocks our positive vibes through the improved filter it gives us in the world. 
3. Understand your self-talk: How you talk to yourself is important because you are the one listening.
4. Focus on the good things: Try focusing on only the positive and be vocal about it with people in your life for 24 hours.
5. Visualize your dreams: Images enable us to activate our true longings, not what we think we “should want.” In this respect, it can also help you pinpoint your goals. Remember to look at your vision and dreams!
6. Get busy! Make a commitment to take one action every single day that will drive you towards your goals and vision. By this time next year, you’ll be amazed how those 365 actions add up.

You see the world does not change, only you change. Only you can allow the opportunity to grow, only you can allow negative blocks in your mind to come to life. All these things are up to you and how you react, act and choose to be. So how will you think?

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Keep this in mind as you go through life, and understand that every moment you live is another chance you have to work for what you deserve.

As a following on from yesterday’s blog – the secret of happiness isn’t found waiting around, but usually through taking a chance.

Today I have 6 Points which will prompt you to think, to act and to identify how taking a chance can be your next best trigger for happiness.

Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. – Denis Waitley

Nothing will simply come to you

Unless you were born into an incredibly wealthy family, you’re going to have to work for everything you want in life. If we were simply handed everything on a silver platter, we’d find no fulfillment in life. Working hard may be tough, but it makes earning the things we desire much more rewarding.

Risks are a necessity

No one gets anywhere staying in their comfort zone. Expanding this zone may be difficult, but it’s absolutely necessary if you want to achieve anything. You’ll never get over your fear of public speaking if you avoid classes and jobs in which you’ll have to give presentations to a large group. When you take a risk and fall short, make the most out of the negative experience by learning from your short-comings, and changing your plan of attack the next time around.

Rewards make work worth doing

Earning a reward is much more fulfilling than simply being given it. When you work for what you’ve earned, you’ll discover you’re happy with what you have. You can take comfort when you come home at night to all that you’ve earned with your hours of hard work.

Don’t think ‘What if?’ – Just jump in and go for it

It can be hard to take that first step if you constantly second-guess yourself. However, it is important that you don’t ever let the fear of trying hold you back. It is important that you don’t ever let the fear of trying hold you back.The more time you spend thinking, “What if I fail?” or “What if I do something wrong?” or “What if I look stupid in front of everyone?”, the less time you have to actually improve yourself. Just dive in, and focus your energy on the task at hand.

It will be easier push yourself, the more you push yourself

The more you push yourself, the easier it becomes to push even further. Once you dive into something, you’ll find that consistently pushing yourself is actually easier than slacking off. You’ll also find you’re much happier with yourself for sticking with it. Just like this blog – 249 days consecutive now. What can you do?

You control your own destiny

We have free will, we have a choice. You can choose to do whatever you want, when you want or how you want when you are not bound by anything else. Every day you have a choice. You can take action and finally take the steps to ignite your dreams. Or, you can continue to make up silly excuses of why you can’t or shouldn’t. I’m serious. What is stopping you? Like really stopping you? Don’t blame time and don’t blame resources. What is it that you are really blaming? What’s holding you back? If you have something you are passionate about and that you enjoy. You should chase it. You should follow it. You should make it happen.

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You are never going to be ready – But if you don’t do it, you may be losing one of the best opportunities that will come your way. You won’t get unlimited chances to have what you want and nothing is worse than regretting the opportunities you didn’t seize.

A man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Andre Gile

Opportunities require courage, and this only depends on us.

We often miss great opportunities because we believe that we are not prepared for them, that it is not the right moment. We think that we lack knowledge or experience to face new challenges and we lay back in our perfectly ergonomic chairs without even trying. We are scared, afraid of failing or running without knowing where to go and what to expect on our way.

That’s how people and organizations grow, by taking risks.

Jump on and don’t look back!

Opportunities force us to take one more step, to reinvent ourselves, to run into the unknown and to leave the comfort zone in which we are used to live.

You will never know if you can succeed unless you try to push your boundaries.

If it scares you, then it might be a good thing to try. Trust your gut and go for it. Taking chances requires some blind trust in most cases.

“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak people wait for opportunities; strong people make them.” – Orison Swett Marden

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Moving forward is the best. Progress is progress. Even making mistakes is progressing, as long as you are learning and not repeating. In order to progress, one must move forward. The best way forward is through – but how you move forward is of context, concept, and perception. Obstacles reveal themselves but can be avoided, out smarted and beaten through forward thinking, forward planning and forward direction.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins

We can’t always see what is in front of us. We may know where we want to be going, but how, when and even the where can change as we progress through our daily lives. The only answer is to keep moving forward.

What separates a person from achieving their goals and not achieving their goals is staying focused and being persistent in following through.

Like I said, progress is progress. Big or small. Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress; which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once.

Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. – Plato

The only challenge I have for you today is to ask yourself. Are you progress forward? Making big or small progress? If not what are you doing about it?

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Your time is now. Today. Not tomorrow, as tomorrow that is yet to come. Make today a promising, productive and active day by taking the steps, the actions and necessary movements towards the greater you.

Maybe you have no idea what it is you wish to pursue? Well, do I have news for you?

The way to take advantage of that is to find something to get good at, and then get good at it. As good as you can.

You can do this today:

1. Pick something, anything, that interests you.
2. Find the easiest next step, and get moving on it.
3. Find joy in that step.
4. Find someone to share it with. Better yet, find someone you have to turn it in to, like a boss or colleague or client or friend who will hold you accountable.
5. Find the next easy step, and enjoy that as well.

This day will never happen again. Make the most of it. – Unknown

It’s normal to worry about the future, but probably the best antidote is to learn to shift your focus to what’s right in front of you, right now. Do what you can do now – that being to take action today. If that means planning for tomorrow, for the steps to be taken then so be it – but don’t sit and worry about the future if you cannot even move forward today.

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You know what. You have what it takes to make those heart driven dreams come true. Strip back and take away the mediocrity that society makes you out to be. See that you are distinguished, superior, incomparable, exceptional and unmatched. In this reality, you can be whatever it is you want to be. What reality do you ask? Your reality. Don’t create a life dictated and designed by the society which suggests you need to do X to get Y – but create a life where your heart drives your dreams, your dreams drive your journey and your journey takes you to places above and beyond what you originally imagined.

Most people simply accept the status quo and never even question if there could be an alternative to working hard your whole life to retire at age 60:

Life doesn’t have to be so hard. It really doesn’t. Most people,  have spent too much time convincing themselves that life has to be hard, a resignation to 9-to-5 drudgery in exchange for (sometimes) relaxing weekends and the occasional keep-it-short-or-get-fired vacation.

People don’t want to be millionaires — they want to experience what they believe only millions can buy. Ski chalets, butlers, and exotic travel often enter the picture. Perhaps rubbing cocoa butter on your belly in a hammock while you listen to waves rhythmically lapping against the deck of your thatched-roof bungalow? Sounds nice.

$1,000,000 in the bank isn’t the fantasy. The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows. The question is then, How can one achieve the millionaire lifestyle of complete freedom without first having $1,000,000?
– Tim Ferris | On Lifestyle Design

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs of Apple

I can not put enough emphasis on how important it is to identify and follow your dreams from an early age. Think of it like compound interest. The longer it is invested in, the longer it has to grow and the richer it will become of value.

What are your dreams? Identify, define and take action. 

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Will you take flight? Will you dare to dream? Will you dare to see the world changed? Don’t make the excuses of not being strong enough, patient enough or PASSIONATE enough. Because we all have the ability to change the world. I strive for a better version of me every day and I do this on the journey to see my dreams come true.

Be happy. You choose what you think about. The way you think. Life is too short to focus your time and attention on negative thoughts.

Ernest Nightengale said, “You become what you think about most of the time.”

Be positive. Today encourage another, bring a new light of positivity to the day and share it with someone.

My challenge for you today is to identify 3 notable actions/steps you can take to be 3 steps closer to your dreams. Whether it will be for today or this week. I dare you to do it as a priority this week.

Think of all the people who are up there living in the air of success. Do you think they got there by not chasing their dreams?

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I have a simple question for you today. Are you in pursuit of your life long happiness? Your dream? Your passion? Your heart? The very thing that ignites the hit of adrenaline through your veins when you are doing it?

Do you have hunger in your heart? A yearning that keeps pulling you forward in the direction of your dreams?

If you have you will know. As you can’t stop thinking about your life is different, nor will you stop working towards what you believe in.

By knowing this and chasing this – you are now on a wild adventure. Every day brings its own set of challenges and surprises. You could not feel more alive if you tried. You are chasing down your dreams, living with passion and changing your life.

Although this sounds incredibly glamorous, it can also be intimidating.

Each day, you are facing your fears head-on and have to work hard to keep moving forward. Your commitment is continually being tested, but your strength and character shine through as you keep doing what you love.

In doing so – each day or more than you would like, your self-belief is being put to the test. You second guess yourself. Like the time when you go on a run and you start to get sore, you start to slow down, you start to lose momentum. Well, you have a choice. You can suck it up, push on and make a record of it. Or, you can give in, make an excuse and then most likely regret it later.

Following your heart is not easy, but just like that old cliché says, it’s definitely worth it.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

Following your heart is a calling that can’t be ignored. Remember this for the people in your life who question your sanity and your reason: You do not owe them an explanation.

Follow your heart. It’s the best call you will ever answer.

I ask and encourage you, what calls can you hear coming from your heart? Will you choose to ignore it, or will you do something about it?

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