Author: CLFurlong

If you can’t learn to trust, love and care for yourself, then how can you expect to become the greatest you are.

Firstly, you need to remember, there is nothing wrong with you.

You are you for a reason and for a purpose.

Take a quick walk down memory lane, back to your childhood. Think back to the happy moments, when time didn’t seem to be bound by the busy world we live in.

Time was just you and your imagination and a life full of adventure. Think back to your original aspirations and dreams of who and what you wanted to be and do when you grew up? Did you use to look at who you wanted to be? But did you ever start sculpting yourself into that person. It is never too late to chase this dream. 

This thinking applies to every one of all ages. It’s about self-improvement and commitment in the face of an awesome, almost daunting goal. And yes, many people will fail. But it’s hardly by chance.

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Are you doing or chasing that dream today?
2. If you are not doing or chasing the dream, what do you need to do to start?
3. Is that childhood dream still the same passion today?
4. If your dream has changed, then what is it?

The bigger questions to ask yourself are:

1. Are you sculpting and creating yourself into that future aspiration?
2. Are you encouraging yourself, pushing yourself and striving for the next taste of success?

Find what it is you love, find what it is you are good at and find what it is that you would want to do everyday.

Don’t let life kick you into the adult you don’t want to become – Chris Hadfield

In doing so, you will learn that courage isn’t about being a hero or necessarily changing the world. It is about identifying that we are precious, we are important, that we have emotions and we have feelings and these both matter.

What this courage really is… is taking the step to identifying and acknowledging that we need to work on these things and it’s OK to ask for help.

Whether it be from the big man upstairs or a family member or a friend.

So I challenge you to take a moment today and identify where you are lacking.

Be vulnerable and have a chat with someone. It’s OK to ask for help!

Not sure how to challenge yourself? Try one of these beauties:

• Call someone instead of texting them.
• Wake up early and go for a run/jog/walk.
• Volunteer for a work assignment you’re not totally sure you can do.
• Take a class at the gym by yourself.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Get lunch with a colleague you don’t know.
• Be honest with someone close to you.
• Get comfortable with your own silence.
• Do something kind for someone you don’t know.
• Apologize…
• Make a to-do list for your future self.
• Walk or bike to work instead of taking your usual route.
• Make plans to meet your friends after work and catch up – even if you’ve been avoiding making plans for weeks.
• Write down the things you want to change about yourself.
• Let go of the anger, regret, tension and resentment that’s holding you back.

And sometimes we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel…

Let me remind you to follow your dreams!

Dreams take time! No dream is stupid!

You have an idea? Work for it! Push for it! Make it happen.

Here be a little pep talk for you all!

This video is to inspire you. (Click the image below) Kid President, is on an amazing journey to make the world an AWESOME place.

Find out more here: http://www.kidpresident.com/whoweare.html

It’s checkpoint time. It is time to take a day, a moment to reflect on your progress.

73 days ago I asked you to come on a journey with me.

If you have followed along for each day, you will know how serious I am about seeing you reach your potential.

The real question you need to ask yourself is: Are you serious?

You have been living life just like anyone else for the past 73 days but hopefully you have committed yourself to some goals and aspirations for the year?

Well today is your day to revise, revamp and reapply.

Maybe you have joined this blog a little later in the process…

Regardless, you can still reflect on things you have done and what you are planning to do.

If you are still struggling to take action, which is OK (but not ideal). You can start today.

If you want to conquer, achieve and change the world or make history. You need to get out there and make it happen.

Get out there and take action. Each day, one step at a time.

If you want to get fit, then you need to get out there and run, get up early and exercise or stay up later and exercise. Any exercise is more than those sitting on the couch.
Don’t get hung up on the details but just start. Do something!

Need some advice? Check out this lovely lady! She has some amazing guides and they are all FREE! Yes FREE. http://neilarey.com/

The point is, this year is up to you and you only.

Michael Hyatt (one of my favorite bloggers) has blogged in the past about 6 tricks to make a habit stick:

Hopefully these may help you continue your journey, or get you kick started!

1. Stay connected to your why.
2. Find the right trigger.
3. Pick the right reward.
4. Anticipate the reward.
5. Scale it back.
6. Travel with friends.

It’s better to succeed against daunting odds than settle for a fantasy and get nowhere. – Michael Hyatt

So there is still time to make 2016 the best year ever!

It can be harder than you expect. Learning to work your magic by identifying and standing tall in who you are, how you look, what you do and what you value. This is what will make you confident.

You’ve come this far, so the sky is the limit! Keep going!

“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.” – Ritu Ghatourey

When all is said and done, you need to just go for it! Confidence builds as you take positive action and begin to see positive results.

Take a moment to see who you are in the mirror and tell yourself you are more confident than then the day before.

Tell yourself you are capable and you are happy because you are you.

Stand tall, put your shoulders back and look at others in the eye and SMILE.

Here are 10 ways to boost your confidence, even more so at work.

1. Cut the negative self-talk
2. Boost your knowledge
3. Rinse and repeat (Practice is the cornerstone of success. But it’s not only the practice – it’s also correcting mistakes along the way.)
4. Build on your strengths
5. Pick up new skills
6. Ask questions
7. Eliminate negative language
8. Focus on your successes
9. Fake it until you make it
10. Have fun

Do you have another way to boost your confidence?

Have you tried any of these? Give it a shot!

As you know, I want to see each and every single one of you aspire further in your life.

We tend to throw around statements such as below:

• “I have a joined a gym and will be going 3 times a week”
• “This year I will lose weight”
• “By the end of the year I will be earning $80,000”
• “I am starting my own business, doing ABC”
• “This year I will do a marathon”

And these are not even half of the other statements you throw around.

All these are great in theory, but are you really coming through with what you are saying?

If it is just all talk, you are only setting yourself up for failure – unless of course you are taking action.

If you want to make a change, if you want to make a difference, then you need to be in it for the long haul.

The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.

Especially before even starting the plan. If you really want to share your goal, don’t be so explicit about it.

Or you can share more on it, once you have started and progressed and are continuing to progress.

Therefore, the more you keep telling people you are going to be or do something, the less likely you will actually be it or do it as your mind has already released the endorphin’s, in which it would have received when actually achieving our goals.

So if you want it… then you need to get out there and take action, don’t make noise about it but just take action and see it all come together.

The path to success is to take massive, determined action. – Tony Robbins

Are there any goals you have said you will do but haven’t started?

So it is time to accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what could be.

Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe the one reason why it will. – Unknown

When we apply a new attitude, we should apply it with new perspective and learn to change your thoughts.

Every time you doubt yourself, counter those thoughts with ways you can overcome the doubt. Remember most of your problems are in your head. That’s not to say they don’t exist – merely you’re allowing them to affect you. Stand up to and for yourself, and you’ll learn ways to stand up to and for everyone else.

Likewise, you should always SMILE. Happiness is what we make it.

I personally find the fun in the smallest things, the hardest things and the everyday things. Happiness will put a glow in your day, especially when you share the brightness you are.

Ultimately through failure we may be scared to bounce back. Take Michael Jordan on his successes as an example:

People quote him as the greatest basketball player of all time and use his wins, championships and statistics to back it up.  Jordan himself, though, reached that level by focusing on his failures. What drove Michael Jordan wasn’t the high from making a game-winning shot, it was the low of missing one.

Therefore facing fears requires to:

“Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.” – Ritu Ghatourey

Now solider on!

Each day we have a chance to move forward toward our goals. We have chance to work on something for a bigger picture.

I know a big one for many is exercise and actually putting the time into the gym.

Ever since I started running or even exercising for that matter – I was continuously reminded that things wont always go as planned. But that’s OK.

You see it is better to progress than to not at all. You will never be perfect, but you can work towards it.

Even if you progress a little, this is a closer step to getting to your goal.

I have realized things happen that are out of my control, and they will muck up my idea of the perfect run or the perfect workout…

Especially when it comes to running; Thunderstorms mid run, phone (music) dying or my GPS tracker stopping, headphones dying meaning no music and many other little things too.

The point is – Get out there and do something for what you’re working towards whether it be to take a baby step or a leap.

Each day is progress. Don’t stop!

If you are making excuses to exercise, or for any case, making excuses to work on your goals and dreams. You only have yourself to blame.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Frederick Douglass

The sad part is – your body won’t go where the mind, soul and heart wont push it.

So if you are just going to keep putting it off, and keep procrastinating, you will get nothing. That’s what you deserve… if you put nothing in, you cannot get anything back.

So once again, I challenge you and encourage you to re-evaluate how much you want these dreams, these passions, these goals.

These are the days set aside to create something new and better!

But Today is more than that. Today sets the theme, attitude and the perception for the next day too,

In order to set the best theme, attitude and perception, I think this all comes back to the people. How we share, care and interact with everyone.

Regardless, the point is to make today a good day or any day for the matter. 

Here are 7 of the best ways for you to share happiness with others: