Author: CLFurlong

The biggest struggle and the biggest challenge we face is that of ourselves. We are the decision makers, the dictators and the ones who are going drive us to our end. In any given moment, we are living in pursuit of something more. We are living to be more.

In primary school, we are striving to make it to the next grade, then in secondary school, we begin to pursue deeper results to land us into a college course, which should enable us to land into the career we have been convinced is our destiny and our ultimate goal. But soon enough, you will wake one morning and will realize, what you are chasing is never going to be living, but only static, as you will be always chasing and striving for the next thing.

Stop for a moment.

What about now. Think about the now. In order to land into the goal or the dream you need to be equipped, ready and enabled to do so. To do so, you need to have a clear and focused mind daily. If you are too focused on the future, how can you grow in the present to actually reach the future? Take a step back, slow it down and regroup your thoughts, regroup your plan and identify what you need to do in order to successfully move on to the next step.

I challenge you to sit down and write the truth about yourself: what you’re good at, what you’re bad at, what motivates you, what you enjoy doing, what you’re insecure about, what you despise and, most importantly, what you value.

Simply putting it all on paper can bring tremendous clarity regarding who you are and what you’re meant to be doing. Surprisingly or really “no surprise at all”, if you put 100% of your efforts into your strengths, and don’t look back. You will be who you are meant to be.

Change is always around the corner, ready to pounce at any time. Most of the time we run from the very thought of change. However, from time to time we will accept it and move on with it. When change does come, it is better to embrace, adapt and adjust to it, rather than trying to fight it. As constant change is here to stay. Continuous change is here to stay. 

Why embrace it?

You can meet somebody tomorrow who has better intentions for you than someone you’ve known forever. Time means nothing. Character does.

So at any given moment, your life can change for the better or the worse, however; if you embrace it, you will always be stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone, which means you will always come out that little wiser and brighter. Yes, there may be some lessons learned, or some trial and error, but you will be building your character, your wisdom and hey, you may even have some fun along the way.

So next time a little bit of change comes your way, jump on the change train, go for the ride and be ready for anything.

As one day it just might be the change you have been looking for your whole life.

There are two types of people. One who hopes and just hopes things will happen. The other takes action and makes things happen. Are you all hope or all action?

Hoping drains your energy. Action creates energy. – Robert Kiyosaki

Here are 8 points which point to what an energetic or a “take action” kind of person does:

1. Do meaningful work

They love what they do for a living. And, when you love what you do for a living, you simply have more energy. So, if you hate your job, now might be a good time to try to fix that.

2. Get enough Zzz’s

The most energetic people in the world sustain their levels of intensity by getting at least 7-to-8 hours of sleep every single night. I think this is debatable, as it will work differently for everyone.

3. Take specific rest and renewal

Elite athletes take a psychological break by “going somewhere else mentally.” What do you do? A tennis player, for example, might walk away after a set, playing with the strings on his tennis racket, while his opponent uses those few crucial seconds to stress out about what to do next.

4. Do what it takes to stay fully charged

Tom Rath said, there are three keys to energizing your work and life:

1. Energy (Eat well and sleep enough.)
2. Interactions (Surround yourself with the right people.)
3. Meaning (Do meaningful work that gives you a sense of purpose by focusing on how it benefits other people rather than just yourself.)

5. Eat well

6. Exercise regularly 

7. Practice mindfulness

8. Always learning

So what are you doing about it?

Sometimes in order to be a winner, we may just need to lose, to give us the motivation and drive to push further next time.

If you are failing, you’re actually progressing more than those you are choosing to stay comfortable. To fail is to learn and to grow, adapt and try again. To be comfortable is to remain the same, static and without growth. The problem is, in order to grow (regardless if you fail or not), one must take a risk and face the fear of vulnerability and put something on the line, even if it is your confidence. The best part of taking small steps and stretches from outside of your comfort zones is the safety net it provides around you. I am not suggesting you go jump outside of your comfort zone, to a degree that you are throwing yourself under a bus, but drip feeds your growth, slow and steady or at a rate, you can be comfortable with. Just don’t fall into the trap of becoming constant and being stuck in another comfort zone.

Seth Godin sum’s it up perfectly:

It’s not a race

Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to help stay enthusiastic in life, especially when it try’s to drown you. So even in the thick, the dark and the hard, here are 10 tips to help you stay enthusiastic, even when you are crazy busy.

“Every man is enthusiastic at times. One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years that makes a success out of his life.” — Edward B. Butler

Act Enthusiastic

Force yourself to act enthusiastic, and you’ll become more enthusiastic,” was Frank Bettgers’ number one rule. He challenged people to try this for just 30 days because this one change could easily revolutionize your life. He went on to become one of the most successful salesmen of his day and a best-selling self-help author.

Take 15 minutes a day to do something you love

If you can’t put fifteen minutes into doing what you love, you’re making an excuse. Try this yourself. Make a list of everything you love to do. What’s calling to you right now? No matter how busy you are, take 15 minutes to do something that gives you joy, and in the end, you should see your enthusiasm return.

Get enough sleep!

Learning and memory, metabolism and weight, cardiovascular health, and immune function all suffer when you don’t get enough sleep, and so does mood. Need I say no more…

Surround yourself with the enthused!

Enthusiasm is contagious. Follow it and share it.

Hopefully, some if not all of these enthusiastic tips will help you make your life that extra exciting!

*Article has been influenced by Lifehack.org

Another day. Another chance for Optimism. Are you pumped? Are you excited? Are you ready? Are you willing? Are you determined? Are you positive?

I know over and over, people tend to dread a new day and the grind of 9 to 5 or restless routine. But I have reminded you again and again, that if a new day is making you feel “unmotivated” then maybe you’re not doing the exciting thing you should be. Your passion or joy. 

If there is one thing, that will entice and reshape your perspective of any day, it is optimism. No, it may not be a natural state for some, but with the application, the right mindset and determination, you will be surprised where this positive stubbornness can take you. As per Brian Tracy’s quote; If you want success and happiness, then Optimism is the one quality that is more likely to be associated with this result.

In the case you are unfamiliar with ‘Optimism’, it goes a little something like this:  hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.

So today as you walk into a new adventure, will you take hopefulness and confidence with the plan to conquer not only today but as the week progresses!

Set the level and set the bar, make today the new baseline for your tomorrow. So make sure you make it a good one!

Take hold of optimism and just see where you can go!

“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.”— Brian Tracy

Life is full of choices, which can dictate the fullness and richness of your life. Do you choose where to go or do you let someone else decide for you?

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go… – Dr Seuss

Take that first step. Whatever you do, don’t stand still. Dr. Seuss warns us about a universal law called inertia. This means that things keep doing what they’re doing. So, if you’re standing still, you’re likely to stay still. But if you’re moving forward, you’re more likely to keep moving forward. Keep moving towards fulfillment. Richness isn’t money more so your happiness. We can be rich, yet have nothing. 

You’re off to great places! Today is your today. Your mountain is waiting, so you get on your way!

So, what are you waiting for? Get on your way!

Some people base life on the accumulation of wealth, but there is always something better than a rich man’s treasure chest,  a man’s rich life.

Below is a quick link to The A to Z Guide to a Rich Life, which will advise you and encourage you to own and to learn to live richly.

I shouldn’t need to state the obvious, but I will anyway! Today is a fresh start, a new beginning in itself. You have a chance to do, be and take action with whatever you want. But you have to make the choice to do whatever it is you want to do.

With this all in mind, I want to not only remind you that today is a fresh start for a new day, but it can be a fresh start for something more if you want it to be. You can change your life, you can do whatever you want really. But most of all, I want to touch on the opportunity.

Every day is a new day of opportunity, some days you will have more to choose from, but the when it comes to deciding what to do, here are some points to consider, while at the same time, they may even help make opportunities. Regardless, have a think about them and see where they fit in your life.

“Anyone who has ever made anything of importance was disciplined.” — Andrew Hendrixson

1. Don’t waste your time worrying about what other people think of you.
2. If you don’t know your passion, follow your heart instead.
3. Cultivate a hobby.
4. Let go of friendships that are not working, and focus on the ones that are.
5. Trust yourself more.
6. Take care of your body.

Take these 6 points, think about them, detail them and identify how you can apply these into the next day, week, or even season of your life.

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” — Author Unknown

It’s Friday and most people will be ready to jump for joy in celebration that it is the end of the work week. Awake, It’s time to appreciate a great well-deserved break, but let me ask you one thing.

Why is it that you are so happy for Friday to be here? I mean yes obviously it is because you want to do something other that what you have been doing all week. You want to be able to enjoy your time doing the things you want to be doing. Right?

So why on earth are you not doing this every day?

Oh but, I need to work in order to do this or to pay for that. Yes, you do, but why don’t you do something you actually enjoy, love and are passionate about?

But before we get into the debate of following your dreams and being the hero to yourself you have always wanted to be.

Let’s take it back to something a little more basic. Setting a goal each day that will inspire you to jump out of bed.

For some, this will be easy, but others not so easy. 

For me, it is the opportunity of each day, embracing it knowing that you can go into it giving it your best and the best part is, you finish the day knowing you did your best. Which would mean you will always have the best kind of day!

So my challenge to you today is; now that you are already awake, you have already missed the setting of your daily goal, but how about you plan for tomorrow. Plan what it is you are going to jump out of bed for? Then write it down. Capture your adventure, your achievements each day and then you can use this to reflect a little later. You will be surprised at how encouraging it can be.

Monday to Friday are the best kind of days. Saturday and Sunday, are just the same!

So remember!! 

Set a goal that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. – The Colour Run

It takes time to get to the top of your game and it takes clarity. There is no quick win, other than to keep working towards your end goal each and every day. 

Today I want to give you 3 quick, yet important quotes which you can dwell over and hopefully encourage and inspire you to keep on keeping on! These three steps of clarity will do the trick:

“The most dangerous risk of all – The risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later” – Randy Komisar

“The person that you will spend the most time with in your life is yourself, so you better try to make yourself as interesting as possible.” – Unknown

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.. that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

Do they give you some clarity? These 3 quotes are important elements in your journey to success. Whether you like it or not, sometimes in order to get through to the top, we will need to go through the tough, but in the end, you should be able to say it was worth the risk, you’re a better person because of it and that your daily diligence and persistence paid off.

So what will you do? Are you willing to apply these 3 to your life?