Your Thoughts Determine The Quality Of Your Life

Did you know that we have over 60,000 thoughts every day and around 70% of these are the same thoughts as the day before?

How is your 'thought life' right now? Do you generally feel like you are in control of your life and have positive thoughts about yourself and the world around you? Or do you feel washed along by life and find that you beat yourself up with the messages you play over and over in your mind?

Whatever we Focus on Increases in our Lives 

This starts with our thoughts which are incredibly powerful. Peace Pilgrim said "If you realised how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought."

What we think about affects the sorts of things that we say. The things we think and say affect the sorts of things that we do. The things we say and do become our habits. Ultimately we determine our character by the sum of our habits, which sets the course for the path of our lives.

This is great news! We can take control of our thoughts and determine the way our life turns out. Sure, you may not be able to control the thoughts that spring up in your mind from time to time, however, you can choose whether you continue to entertain them.

Often we have held thoughts for so long, we are no longer aware of how much they do affect us.

It can be like a negative cassette tape that keeps playing over and over in our mind. "I am stupid sometimes, I will not ever make it, I am too unfit, I am not good enough, They will not like me" We need to take control and hit the eject button and replace these old worn out tapes with positive messages that we choose to listen to.

Here are practical steps to help improve your mental chatter:

Monitor your thoughts

Be aware of the external influences you allow in your life. You chose the sort of people you spend time with and how much they influence you. You also chose the messages you read in books and magazines, the music you listen to and TV that you watch. These are like the seeds that will start your train of thought. Weeds will never grow into beautiful flowers, so protect your mind by protecting the seeds you allow to be planted there.

Direct your thoughts 

Once you realise that you have the remote control right there in your hand you can take charge. Choose the thought channels that you want to tune in to. Decide which ones to turn the volume up and down on. Be prepared to simply turn some channels off. It is up to you!

Feed your thoughts

Think of ways to feed your mind with positive things. Choose some statements to replace the old messages with and affirm these to yourself on a regular basis. You can even look yourself in the eye in a mirror and tell yourself some new truths to replace the old lies. "I am capable, I can do this, It will work, I am strong and fit." Hint, always say these in the present tense. Your subconscious will most likely take a little time to come on board and agree with this new way of thinking, so do not worry if its immediate reaction is "yeah right", persevere with it. You will see results!

Picture your mind like a sponge.

If the sponge is sitting in a puddle of dirty water its just going to be full of dirty water.

Choose today what you will fill your mind up with and continue to do so.

With thanks to Laura Parsons 

https://www.laurenparsonswellbeing.com/blog/motivation/item/the-quality-of-your-thoughts-determines-the-quality-of-your-life

Never Give Up Hope

No matter how confident and strong you are, you will have to deal with rough times at some point in your life. Hope is not about who is strong and who is weak, it is so easy to lose it without noticing. Hope can either enable you to step forward or give up on your dreams. Sometimes we feel like there is no way out but hope is always here regardless of the situation. If you are going through a rough time and think the same way, here is how to never lose hope and live a positive life no matter what.

There Is No Perfect life
Perfection does not exist. Your life will never be perfect no matter how hard you try. Your life can be happy, miserable or boring, but not perfect. If you choose to live a happy life, hope will always be with you. Learn how to turn your failures and disappointment into success, cultivate positive thinking, and try to surround yourself with positive people only.

Have A Plan
Life without a plan is a hopeless life. You probably have many goals and dreams, but do you have an actual plan? Do you know what you should do each day to reach your goals? Your plan inspires you to work hard and never give up. It makes you more ambitious and assertive. It shows you the right direction and helps you be successful. If you do not have a plan yet, today is a good day to make it.

Cultivate A Long Term Plan
When you think in the long term, it is harder to lose hope. For instance, you have just received your salary and think about what can you buy? You can spend all of the money at once, or think in the long term and spend your cash when you really need to buy something. Thinking in the short term leads to nowhere, which is why you can lose hope and set wrong life goals. Cultivate long term thinking on a daily basis to live a brighter life.

Do Not Let Other People Take You For Granted
When you feel like no one respects you, you lose hope and your life seems to be pointless. Your boss asks you to work overtime each day and you are afraid to say no because you love your job. Your partner tells you to change your plans today and you change them because you do not want to upset him. Your friend asks you to do something for her and you spend the whole night doing that thing because you do not have time to do it during the day. The problem is, you let people take you for granted. Learn how to say no when you do not feel like doing something. People will respect you more than ever.

Find Someone Who Has A Similar Goal
If you cannot drop your weight, develop healthy habits, break bad habits or reach any career goal, find someone who has a similar goal or dream as you. This way, you will not let each other lose hope and definitely achieve that goal. 

Follow Your Head
While it is great to trust your intuition and follow your heart, it is better to trust your mind when taking a serious decision, especially when it comes to relationships. Your heart may tell you that guy is nice and smart, but your mind will make you realise that he is a womaniser and you will not change him. Once you master the art of making any decision with your head, you will never lose hope of living a better life.

Get Out Of Your Rut Once A Week 
Being busy every single day has become part of our daily lives, which is why so many people suffer from serious diseases. Your body and your mind need some rest. At least once a week forget about your tasks, projects, household chores, TV shows, social media and phone. Take a small trip to a less crowded place, where you will have an opportunity to spend some me time. If you live alone and you know no one will disturb you today, then relax at home. But again, switch off your laptop, phone and TV.

When a person loses hope, they lose their purpose in life and stop living a fulfilling life. Having a bad day is not the end of the world. Making a mistake is not a reason to give up. Stay strong and you will never lose your hope. So what are your secrets for a happy life?

With thanks to Catalina https://womenosophy.com/ways-never-lose-hope