Live A More Fulfilling, Happy Life

Are you looking for answers to making life more enjoyable? If so, you are not alone. In fact, people everywhere are seeking out the best ways to create happiness in their lives.

There are a lot of techniques to choose from, some are better than others.

If you are tired of searching site after site trying to find the best way to create happiness, you are in luck because your about to learn the best ways to make happiness a regular part of your life.

Here are a few lessons to help you live a more positive and fulfilling life.

Be the hero of your own story

Whatever mistakes you have made up until now are off the table – the only thing that matters from this point on is how you move forward starting today. Imagine you are the main character in a video game, or you are playing the starring role in the supremely megafantastic movie called YOUR LIFE – act accordingly.
What would you do? What choices would you make? Do not wait around or expect anyone else to create your own success or happiness – that is entirely yours to make.

“Be your own hero, it is cheaper than a movie ticket.” – Douglas Horton

Action step: Watch your favourite movie montage, video game scene or TV moment. Find out what drew you to it (was it the character’s intensity, confidence or charisma? What about their ability to handle a tough situation or stand up for themselves?) then apply it to your own life in any situation that you can.

Fail often, Fail better 

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Action step: Pick yourself back up (or start) something that failure, or fear of it, kept you from pursuing.

Empty Your Mind

Whether your goal is to look like Hugh JACKEDman or simply get rid of the extra fluff that has taken up residence on your body, odds are you are holding on to some beliefs that do nothing more than hold you back.

It could be “knowing” that you have to eat x amount of meals a day, or “knowing” that if you eat certain foods you will never get the body that you want.

Open yourself to different possibilities. There are no absolutes, only options…and options are great.

Action step: Identify at least one idea/belief that does nothing but hold you back or hinder your progress. Once you have done that, write down ways that you can act on that run counter to those ideas. Give it time and do this for several weeks, taking note of any changes, positive or negative, that have occurred.

Example: I must eat every two hours, despite it being a chore and my lifestyle beginning to suffer.
Action: For a month, increase the length of time between your meals and see how you respond.

Build Momentum

Whatever your goal is, do whatever you have to do to get it, then do everything in your power to keep from losing it. Unless of course you are in a negative momentum spiral,  stop and get yourself on the right path.

Action step:  Identify one thing , small or large, that you really want to accomplish. Decide on a first step then do it, no matter what. If you want to write a book but have not written anything since you came up with the idea, shut off your phone, go to a place where you can write and sit there until you have made headway on the project. This could be at the weekend or you may even have to book a few days off of work.

Extreme? Yes, but the feeling you get from finally making progress far outweighs any monetary or time sacrifice you made to make it happen.

After this, keep going on a daily basis, or at the very least use the knowledge that you have gained. Small progression is better than no progression.

Do The Simple Things Everyday

Smile and laugh everyday.

Be positive and act positively as often as you can.

Pass up as many negative opportunities as possible to not bring you down.

Action step: This one is easy – start with smiling and laughing and see where it takes you. Even if you do not feel like it, this is one of those instances where faking it until you make it works wonders.

Defeat and Life Domination 

How many days, months or years have passed by without us having really lived them?

It does not matter. Starting today, begin the process of doing more of what you love and what makes you happy vs what you do not like and what drains you.

Tell the people close to you that you love them.

Reach out to and old friend you have not talked to in awhile.

Start surrounding yourself with those who say “why not?” instead of only asking “why?”

Write down a list of big dreams and little dreams, no matter how lame they may seem, and start pursuing them ALL like a damn cheetah with a rocket pack attached to it.

One day you will wake up and there will not be anymore time to do the things you have always wanted – do it now.

“You have exactly one life in which to do everything you will ever do. Act accordingly.” – Colin Wright

Action step: Whenever you mess up, take a step back and laugh. Seriously, laugh. Did you die? If you are reading this then you are still in the game. Revel in this fact and get back to being awesome because  you never know when your time will come.

Find Inspiration Daily

Whatever you are doing, a mega dose of inspiration can help keep you going, take it to the next level or transform it into something wild and completely different.

So find that inspiration.

The best part? It is everywhere.

Read a book by your favourite author.

Get out and explore nature (watch out for rabid wildebeests).

Listen to a podcast or some awesome music.

Find someone who is doing great things and thank them, because if they can do it then it is within your own powers of awesomeness to do it as well.

Do this and do it daily; first thing in the morning so that you set the awesome tone for your day.

Make yourself aware of what is possible in this world and be surprised at how it starts to change your own life.“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Action step: Do one of the above things on a daily basis, preferably first thing in the morning, or create your own inspirational ritual. For some it is horse riding and jigsaw puzzles, and for others it is daily meditation.

Learn from the past and then let go

Spaceships do not have rear-view mirrors for a reason (ok, several reasons). Treat your past experiences as the best teacher of all, but once you are done, you are done. Do not look back and expect to learn something new from constantly analysing or “re-taking” that same class over and over again.The same issues tend to keep popping up in life until the lesson is learned. If that is happening, learn it once and for all and stop the cycle so you can moonwalk forward into the rest of your life.

Going over your past is like going to see a bad film and watching it over and over and  expecting the ending to change, when it is not going to.

Action step: Identify a moment from your past that is still haunting you. Set aside some time to really analyse why it is bothering you and extract as many possible positive takeaways or lessons that you can (there is always something, no matter how it may seem). Use this to improve your life from that point forward and put the past to rest.

This could range from anything to diet mishaps to romantic relationship mistakes.

Stop Hiding

Be your unabashed self in all the best ways that you can. Take your own strengths and superpowers and amplify them.

By not doing it, you are not only robbing the world of your awesomeness, but you will never be able to step out and realise your full potential.Do not try to be someone else – they will always be better at it than you could ever dream of being. Life is way too short to be half a version of something that is already out there.

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Action step: Start by surrounding yourself with people with whom you can really be yourself whether, online or in person. Gain confidence from these interactions. Sneak bits and pieces that you feel comfortable with into your daily life. Identify what is awesome about you (asking friends or those close to you who can help if you do not have the slightest clue) and start amplifying it.

Be Kind 

Never underestimate the power of a smile, a kind gesture, sympathetic word or a listening ear – all of which are easy to give and cost you nothing. You never know what someone right next to you is going through, and if it will be the difference between a bad day and one filled with a little sunshine and hope.

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” – George Washington Carver 

Action step: Be giving with your time, knowledge, money, kindness, connections or influence when you can. Give in such a way that the person who receives it cannot possibly return the favour.

With thanks to Roger Lawson ii To read the complete article go to:
http://roglawfitness.com/20-ways-to-live-a-more-positive-fulfilling-and-happy-life/

Let Go Of The Past And Embrace The Future

"The Past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take" - Max Lacado

 Everyone has things in the past they would like to forget.  After all, there are bad things that happen, poor choices that are made and negative people who can trick us into thinking otherwise.

For some people it is easy to learn a lesson from these experiences and then move on. However, for some people, things are not so easy.

This becomes especially true when it comes to those who may have endured negative circumstances for lengthy periods. A perfect example that comes to mind would be those involved in domestic violence situations.

While these types of situations may be traumatic, it is  important to not allow it to dictate how the rest of our life will turn out.

Although we can understand this intellectually, knowing it and living it are two very different things. 

Here is perfect example of not being able to let go  -  "Two monks were on a pilgrimage. One day, they came to a deep river. At the edge of the river, a young woman sat weeping because she was afraid to cross the river without help. She begged the two monks to help her. The younger monk turned his back. The members of their order were forbidden to touch a woman.

But the older monk picked up the woman without a word and carried her across the river. He put her down on the far side and continued his journey. The younger monk came after him, scolding him and berating him for breaking his vows. He went on this way for a long time.

Finally, at the end of the day the older monk turned to the younger one. "I only carried her across the river. You have been carrying her all day."

Check out these tips for learning go to Let Go:

1. Meditate. Find stillness, breathe. Meditation is action. Our mind is much harder to still than our body. Our lives are busy and fast paced, filled with external noise and distractions. Clarity comes from quiet.  Meditation, even in small amounts, will make room for the next nine steps.

2. Understand. Take time to reflect on your own history as a third party looking in without judgment: simply observe. Understand that you are not your past. Understand that the situations, patterns and people in your life created your experiences, they did not create you. Knowing and understanding your past and some of your patterns will help you to recognise why you hold on and repeat self-destructive behaviours. Understanding creates awareness; awareness helps you break the cycle.

3. Accept. Accept your history and the people that have been a part of your history; accept your circumstances and remember that none of these define you. Acceptance is the first step to letting go and setting yourself free. Learn from the monk in the story: carrying bitterness, anger or animosity burdens no one but you.

4. Empty your cup. Consciously and actively work at letting go of your story; your judgments and ideals, the material things, all your stuff. They have no real value. They do not make you stronger, healthier or more powerful, and belief in them is a delusion. Pour out your expectations of how, who, where and what you should be as they, too, are part of a story that holds you back from simply being.  Once you let go of this story and empty your cup your life purpose will open up and flow.

5. Align. Take a moment (or several: you are worth the time) to write down the following: 

i. Your core beliefs/values

ii. Your Life Goals

iii. The actions that you are taking to pursue those goals.

Now take an honest look at your core beliefs/values and determine whether or not they align with your goals and actions. If not, ask yourself: is it time to create new core beliefs, set new goals OR take new action? What actions must you take to align your actions with your beliefs in order to attain your goals. Write down three actions that you will take this week to get yourself moving. 

6. Flex. It may seem paradoxical to detach from outcomes, yet set goals and work toward them. But if you are flexible -- that is, willing to let go of the end result -- aligning your goals and true purpose with the greater good is righteous action. Be flexible; allow the path to unfold as it will, opening up to opportunities. Flex and flow with the current of life. 

7. Contribute. When you find yourself lamenting about your past, angry about your present or brooding about your future, find a way to making someone else's day better. Offering a smile to someone as you pass, opening a door, putting a bit of extra change in the parking meter, dropping off some food for the food bank: these simple actions can have lasting impact and help you to put your situation into perspective.  Contributing to the well-being of others is the best way to align with your true self.

8. Believe in yourself. Believe in your purpose. Believe that the universe is unfolding as it should and that you have a divine roll to play. Believe that holding on does nothing in fact but hold you back from that purpose.

9. Love the process.  Have fun. Be playful, cheerful and positive. Give power to positivity. Love yourself, love others and love this life. It is a gift to unwrap each and every day, to gaze upon with new and excited eyes.

10. Be grateful.  Be true. Once you have taken all of these actions, just be. 

Let go of the past and embrace the future.


With thanks to Cat O'Connor http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4116/10-Tips-to-Let-Go-of-the-Past-Embrace-the-Future.html

Learn the seven step formula to manifest abundance http://www.goalsandsuccess.co.uk 

Get More Enjoyment Out Of Life

When you are busy working toward a long term goal it is difficult to maintain your sense of enjoyment.  It feels like your life requires you to play so many different roles that it is almost impossible to stay focused on any one project for very long?

When our attention gets spread too thin it can be challenging to stay motivated. Projects that we are passionate about keep getting shoved into the background and end up taking much longer that we thought they would.

How can we maintain our enthusiasm and keep our focus with so many distractions? In order to regain some control of our schedule we need to bring a sense of enjoyment into our daily routine.

Here is how to get more enjoyment out of every day life.

Value Simplicity. The simpler things are the less distracted we will be. We need to de-clutter our environment and our minds.  For some reason we seem to accumulate physical, mental, and emotional clutter. So we end up rushing from one demanding situation to another with no real feeling of enjoyment or accomplishment. To quieten our minds and restore a sense of order to our lives we need to value simplicity.

Experience Your Activities. How often are you doing one thing and thinking about another? How can we find enjoyment in anything if our focus is somewhere else? If we never take the time to actually be in the moment then can we say that we are really living our life? Even the most mundane activities can be enjoyable if we stay centered on the actual experience. Simple activities fully experienced can be enjoyable.

Savour The Little Things.  The next time you eat a piece of fruit or drink a cup of tea or coffee, simply enjoy it. Wrap your senses around it and savour the experience. When we gulp down our food and rush off to whatever comes next, we are actually robbing ourselves of enjoyment. Our senses of smell and taste are connected to our brain's pleasure centre. When you savour what goes into your body you tend to eat less and enjoy it more.

Add Variety To Your Life. Do not be afraid to try something new. It could be something as simple as taking a different route to work or as complex as learning to play a musical instrument. Instead of turning on the television after dinner, go for a walk in the evening air. Right now is an excellent time to do something you have always wanted to do, but have never gotten around to. Someday may never come.

Make Time For What You Love. If all we ever do is work and attend to our obligations it can become difficult to find any sense of enjoyment in our day-to-day experience. It is important to take care of our responsibilities, but we should also try to balance the “need to do” activities with a few things we really want to do. If we never make the time to do things we are excited about, we can easily start resenting our lives. It is important to make time every day for the things we really enjoy.

Drop Unnecessary Commitments. Just as we need to make time for doing things we love, we also need to work toward minimizing the things that just consume time and energy with no real payoff. Granted, some things simply are non negotiable, but other so-called obligations are not really necessary. For each commitment ask yourself is this something that is enhancing your life, or adding more stress? If it does not add any enjoyment or positive benefit, drop it.

Focus On What Matters. There is productivity and there is busy work. Sometimes it can be difficult to recognise the difference because it varies for each of us. Here is an example: For someone whose livelihood comes from social media marketing, spending time on sites like Twitter and Facebook might represent productivity. For others however, anything more than 5-10 minutes on those sites might just be a distraction from what really matters. We need to analyse our own situation and apportion our time accordingly.

Learn To Let Go. When it comes to relaxation the body follows the mind. If your mind is busy obsessing over all the things that did not get done today, then you are not relaxed. Your body can only experience relaxation if your mind has let go of anything and everything that causes stress, worry, or anxiety. You will find more enjoyment in your life if you take time every day to practice letting go. 

Embrace Generosity. There are almost endless opportunities to contribute to the lives of others. Any act of kindness is an act of generosity. Smile at strangers, hold the door open for the person behind you, listen while someone else is talking, and be respectful. These simple acts of kindness do not cost you anything, but they add enjoyment to your life and the lives of those around you.

Do A Daily Gratitude Review. Focusing on gratitude will change your life on every level. It is so easy to get caught up in selfish pursuits and forget how much there is to be grateful for. Gratitude is the antidote for selfishness. Take a minute every morning and every evening to review your blessings. You will start to notice more and more things to be grateful for. Of all the ways to get more enjoyment out of every day, this is the simplest and the most powerful. If you only put one thing from this list into action in your life, this should be it.

Examine Your Priorities. Life is an ever changing experience, therefore we need to evaluate our priorities on a regular basis. Making sure you know what is truly important to you, and why. Give your top priorities first place in your life or they will get swallowed up by everything else. Everyone you know probably has an opinion about what should be important to you. However, this is your life and you need to set your own priorities. Choose wisely and you too will find enjoyment in your every day life.   

With thanks to Jonathan Wells 

http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/how-to-get-more-enjoyment-out-of-every-day/

Master Energy to boost your life for a greater experience