This weekend I’ve been looking at my attitude (well I’m always looking at this to tell the truth). Let’s face it we could all use something to give us a kick in the pants when we start feeling sorry for ourselves. However, sometimes it’s worth stepping back to look at the big picture and reflect. So yesterday I deliberately stepped off the roundabout for a day to rest and recharge the batteries.

I’ve started to read a book by Frank Dick, O.B.E. former director of Coaching for British Athletics. He talks about the difference between Valley people and Mountain people. Valley people seek the calm and comfortable ground of shelter, safety and security – their concept of achievement is ‘not losing’, and belong to the ‘woulda, coulda, shouda’ brigade.

Mountain people however, have decided that valley life is not for them and seek to test ambition on the toughest climbs. They know that there is rich satisfaction in reaching the top and the fight that’s needed to get there.

Whilst reading I also learned something very interesting from Miroslav Vanek, former President of the International Federation of Sport Psychologists. He did a comparison study between motivation and talent. What was evident from his study that the most talented athletes did not have the same high level of motivation as the less gifted, who had to learn to deal with defeat. Therefore, those athletes who had not had the chance to develop a resilience to defeat – “a resilience they would need in the senior arena where every athlete, no matter how able, sooner or late faces defeat, because their abilities had never been challenged. These athletes had never stretched themselves”.

He goes on to say that the less talented athletes had been obliged to learn, to adapt, to fight, to bounce back. They had learned to face change.

What I took from this book is that in actuality – it’s my own personal attributes – which are crucial in overcoming obstacles, regardless of what industry, arena or field I’m in. Without these attributes I would be unable to handle myself in challenging times, deal with change or setbacks. Without it – I would be blaming my circumstances, or feel a victim or powerless in the face of these external influences.

I had to admit to myself – that yes as a kid I was a talented athlete – but as to whether or not I had it within myself to accept defeat was something else. Then I recalled the time I was selected to trial for my County as a sprinter. On the day I didn’t even get a chance to compete because I slipped and fell flat on my face at the start line. Speechless disappointment followed. Then there was the time I was unable to successfully defend my long jump title because I delivered 3 ‘no jumps’ in a row, and walked away in tears. Then there was the really disappointment of being beaten into 3rd place by .5cm at an important long jump event, and therefore missing out on the All England Championships later that season.

Sure I probably did allow those things to ‘hang around’ for a few days – before having a meaningful discussion with my Coach and looking for alternatives or ‘finding the positives’ in the situation – which I eventually did.

So…when you translate that into business, think about this. You’ve got a great product or an amazing service. But that’s not enough. Because when you work for yourself – every challenge is usually magnified a 100 times anyway, because at the end of the day – the buck stops with you doesn’t it?

In order to pass the winning post first requires a decision to work on yourself as well. You may only be running a business part-time or have only just started, or you’re about to diversity, but consider yourself as a mountain person.

• Concentrate on what’s important. Whatever discomfort or sacrifice or inconvenience you are experiencing NOW may be temporary – but the short term pain will be worth it in the long run
• Commit to being a professional and aim for excellence. Ask yourself from now on “how can I add value – how can I be even better”.
• Go the extra mile in all areas. What would the best of the best be thinking and doing right now?
• Believe in yourself first – work with a trusted adviser, mentor or coach. Plaster your house with slogans that tell you you’re amazing. Stay away from the dream stealers and their tiny minds.
• Be flexible to changing circumstances and be open to new opportunities. Even difficulties have within them potential profitable opportunities
• Be organised – treat your business and yourself as a professional at all times – even if nobody can necessarily see everything going on in the background – remember you’ll know which is just as important

Wendy Dashwood-Quick is a Small Business & Social Media Consultant and teacher of Self Mastery with Resolution Coaching at http://www.resolutioncoaching.co.uk. She has over 25 years experience in the public and private sectors and is a qualified life coach, NLP Licensed Practitioner and Level II EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Practitioner. She helps individuals and professionals adopt cutting edge strategies to transform themselves in all areas of their lives. Wendy is a published author at http://www.7coreprinciples.co.uk

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In reality, without the influence of a positive environment and a positive mentality, we will always continue to struggle to get what we want our of life. When you keep your thinking positive and simple, your actions will be easier to administer because you do not have all of the clutter getting in your way.

When you start looking at every opportunity and setting your goals from a perspective of positivity, not negativity, you will find those opportunities or goals easier to reach. When negative thinking gets in the way, all that does, basically is put into your thinking, then in turn into your actions, all the reasons you think you cannot achieve them. You have basically talked yourself out of wanting to achieve what you desire before you have even started. For some, the negative outlook on life is a lot easier to handle than a positive one. When you are negative, you do not address change. You can just stay the same miserable you forever. No wonder so many people are still chasing their dreams and goals and they have not replaced their negative thinking with positive thinking. It is only when we start operating from a positive point that we can challenge out thinking and actions.

Some of us may have had a negative approach to achieve your goals and dreams for many years. This will not change overnight just because you now realise you need to think from a positive perspective. What you will have to work hard at doing is turning those positive thoughts into positive actions, all the time being conscious of the negative mentality that will be telling you that it ‘cannot be done’ and many times it may seem easier to be negative, in order to dismiss the positive.

Changing bad habits is not that easy. You have to change thought processes, patterns, actions and ideas that you have been using for years, maybe even decades. Once you make the effort to strip away the years of negative thoughts you will see the real you, the one that you can now build onto positive thoughts and actions.

There is so much negativity out there in the world. With that, make sure you do not add to the load by constantly beating yourself up with negative thoughts. Be in charge of where you want to end up in life by being in charge of your positive thinking.

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Celebrate the small successes in life. Large successes after all are a series of small successes. For example, today was a rough day for many reasons including too much to do and not enough time to do it. On my list of “must dos” was stopping at a store in town, and right as I pulled in front a car seemingly magically pulled out of a prime parking space. Very convenient, not a big deal, but certainly a small success and I loved it. When things were tough later time wise, I though back to the parking sot and smiled!

This brings us to smiling. Smiling makes you happier. People smile back. It’s contagious! I smile even when I may not be super happy inside, and it helps raise my mood!

Ignore the small disasters in life. They aren’t really disasters, so do not stress. Like the dinner I grossly overcooked last week and had to throw out. So we got pizza instead. It wasn’t a big deal, but it could have ruined my mood had I let it!

See some of my other articles at Scooby Doo Halloween Costume and Shaggy Costume.

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Consider the following. These are all points in the various commercials you will see on television.

You need to lose weight.

You need more hair.

You need help raising your children.

You need to be smarter.

You need help managing your money.

You have this problem that you have never heard of before and did not know you had.

Consider the news. Negativity attracts viewers. Viewer loading sells advertisements and the news is about profiting from advertisements. In listening to the headlines, how many emphasize the positive side of issues. It is the negative side that gets the juices flowing.

All of this skews our perspectives. I recently spoke to a high school student who gave me the following punch list of goals:

I am going to avoid making bad grades.

I am not going to hang with the wrong crowd.

I am going to avoid getting detention.

These are all negative statements that are meant to describe positive outcomes. I advised the student to adjust their perspective and restate their goals:

I am going to make good grades. The higher the better.

I am going to hang with the top performers in my school. Especially those who are trying to accomplish the same things as I am.

I am going to try to make a positive impact on everyone I interface with.

The negative goals are based on avoidance. The positive expressions of those same goals are based on accomplishment.

Here’s the back story. Negativity is an addiction. It is an addiction that is pushed on us in order to control how we think and feel, how we spend our time and money, how we vote, etc. Remember that when someone is spending time and money to reach out to you with negativity, they are really practicing the art of persuasion. They are looking for a return on their investment of time and money. That return is manifested in control over various aspects of your life.

How do you keep your compass sent on true North? It is a matter of taking control of your internal voice.

You decide who you are and your worth.

You decide what needs to change in your life.

You chose to educate yourself about what and why you believe. Don’t take someone else’s word for it.

You decide who you are going to associate with or listen to.

Here are the practical steps to independence from negativity:

Minimize the time spent watching the news. Don’t become addicted to the negative. Look for the needed information and avoid the spin makers. You need the information, but not the spin.

Surround yourself with positive people. These individuals become enablers in your life. If you were choosing sides for a game, you would select persons that would help you succeed. This is no different.

Run from negative people or associations.They can only hurt you or keep you from success in your life.

Practice positive self talk. This is related to the high school student I mentioned above. What you say to yourself is more helpful, or hurtful, than anything said by someone else. My dad used to say that if you are saying it, you are thinking it, and at some level you believe it.

Turn the lemons in your life into lemonade. Take action to overcome the obstacles in your life. Want to overcome depression? Take action, even if it is a small step. I have found that the majority of the lemons in my life were able to be made into lemonade with a shift in paradigm.

Make a positive impact on others in your life. Simply put, it is hard to be negative when you are being positive. Have you ever noticed how good you feel when you are doing something positive for someone?

Change the things you can and accept the things you can’t. Remember the Serenity Prayer? “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Use your strengths to propel your life forward and overcome your weaknesses. Focusing on your weaknesses makes you weak. Focusing on your strengths makes you strong.

Walter McIntyre has spent 30 years in the business world, holding positions from apprentice to Vice President. Throughout that time he has worked in both the manufacturing and transactional sides of business operation. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer and General Manager of National Parts, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mr. McIntyre earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from Greenville College, Greenville, Illinois, in 1979. He earned a Master Degree in Engineering Management from the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, in 1995. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt and Master Trainer.

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Website: http://leanmeanprocessimprovement.com
Email: walt.m@searchparts.com

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When a child starts with a dream, and has the skill and talent to match it, then works at achieving excellence in their chosen field, the dream is usually nurtured by parents, coaches and mentors. But if that child does not have their own sense of purpose around the dream, then there will simply not be enough drive and determination to get through the failures, the disappointments of not winning sometimes, the pain and anguish of exhaustion and sore muscles. They just won’t have enough inside to get them across the finish line.

This is not just about setting goals, but having the absolute passion and determination to see these goals become reality. That’s what being ON PURPOSE is all about.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers (Penguin, 2008), maintains that it takes an average of 10,000 hours of practice to get outstandingly good at something. He says that talent and natural skill are not enough – virtuosos are made, not simply born. Sure the talent has to be there, but alone, it’s not enough to sustain a childhood of ongoing practice and determination to reach the top!

The Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this month was an exceptional celebration of hundreds of athletes who have had enough strong drive and determination to get them to the top of their respective sports, and achieving a place in their countries’ teams is in itself a significant achievement. Most of them are actively nurturing that strong sense of being ON PURPOSE every day, and for some, this results in taking home Gold, Silver or Bronze.

Andrew Darbyshire is a successful Melbourne-born international business man, author and philanthropist. He founded his software business PacSoft in the mid-80s and now has staff and offices in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Andrew ‘works’ in his company for only a few hours each week, which enables him to focus on his philanthropic interests. Author of the books Think Big – Live Large, and The Power of Persistence and Purpose, Andrew speaks and writes about being ON PURPOSE in all areas of our lives. http://www.andrewdarbyshire.com ‘ON PURPOSE’ is a registered Trademark

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How happy I am to be reminded of that today.

It’s December 1st and the beginning of my very favorite three weeks of the year. You see, the anticipation of Christmas is enough for me – the world seems to be a generally nicer, kinder, gentler place. Toss in a birthday and my overwhelming need to throw gatherings with cream-cheese frosted anything, and December is a cornucopia of good feelings, good food, and the goodness of people.

I was reminded today about the small and simple things that make me grateful.

As Mormons, we’re taught in the Book of Mormon that “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:6) Well boy howdy, today turned into the greatest day. Nothing massive or grand visions opened to me, but rather a steady stream of small and simple things that made me grateful.

* A chicken TBM (tomato, basil, mozzarella) sandwich from Cosi (seriously, this place is ridiculously good).

* 60-degrees on December 1st in Boston! (Rain can be ignored when it’s that warm, right?)

* A fun, casual date to the Boston Celtics game – and a win to boot!

* My sister’s annual Christmas music mix arrived in the mail today along with my wrapped birthday present. It took all my self control not to open it, but I’m learning self mastery. (Wink.)

* Knowing my intense love of sports, my work registered and paid for me to attend the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. It’s a fairly huge deal with great panels and infamous speakers (Bill Simmons in the house! Malcom Gladwell, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Cuban)… this is sports nerdery to the max.

* And finally, I purchased my final Christmas gifts tonight. I’m officially ready for the holidays.

To be honest, sometimes I think I sit and wait around and wait for the grand event. What that is, I have no idea, but I’m learning that real life is a culmination of small, simple, and steady experiences that leave us better people. Some might call the wins in our life luck or coincidence, but I call them God’s outward expressions of love. He’s looking to bless our lives-and if it comes in the form of a great meal or entertaining conversation (or a good sandwich?) so be it. I’ll take the many small, simple, and steady blessings over the waiting around for the BIG EVENT.

Our modern-day Prophet and President of the Mormon Church, Thomas S. Monson recently said, “To live with gratitude ever in our hearts is a touch of heaven.[1]” Saying thanks and being grateful for the blessings in my life has in fact drawn me nearer to God. And that’s something to be thankful for.

Far from the literal mountains of Salt Lake City, a single Mormon candidly talking the reality of being spiritual in a secular world.

At the very center of who I am, lives the knowledge that God has a plan for me-and for each of His children. My inner light and positivity are deeply rooted in knowing where I came from, why I’m here on Earth, and the paradise and rest that await on the other side once this life ends.

http://www.thedigitalmountains.com @thedigitalmount

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For that respect in this article you will have some tips regarding productive criticism.

Make it private- if you want to criticise someone do it in private. No one needs to know that you have some bad thing to say about a certain employee and you do not have to crush his self esteem by doing so.

Do it politely – if you should choose to criticise one of your workers do it by considering the fact that HE HAS FEELINGS that can get hurt. Try to focus more on the problems that are connected to work than on the problems that are connected to the person directly.

Be prompt – if you want to criticise do it quickly. Grab the worker, take him into your office and tell him exactly what you are not satisfied with. Start with a compliment and then dish out the criticism. It will not be pleasant however it will be much more effective.

No matter the situation at hand,criticism is not a good way to solve the problems that you may encounter. It is better to compliment and propose a solution however if you have no other choice then criticise and keep those tips in mind.

Adrian is the editor of this article. He also writes for http://www.officefloormat.net/. This is a website where you can find out more about the best office floor mat.

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Self-limiting beliefs come in all sizes and shapes. They ‘attack’ us a work, at home, at public functions, in the grocery store. Ultimately, self-limiting beliefs come through in our minds in unexpected ways, yet clearly manifesting insecurities, doubts, fears and ultimately impacting our ability to enjoy life, relationships and making us incapable of being all we can be. Examples may be: “I’m not good at that”, “I’ve never been able to…”, “I’m too old/young for that”, “I’m too fat/skinny”, “I’m not that smart…”

These thoughts/beliefs can creep up anywhere and there are two major reasons for you to get rid of them, right away:

a. They are like a virus, they spread affecting every area of our life. Before we know it, our inner sense of wealth, health, relationships, life balance, etc. are skewed by the convincing nature of the belief.

b. Others are watching. Our loved ones are directly influenced by what we do and say…and what we do not do or say. We are role models to others and when others see our lack of confidence or our limited vision in whatever area, they will follow on our same path hence self-limiting beliefs are contagious.

I love what Richard Bach said “Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” So let’s start nipping those thoughts by confronting them. Face the fear, the difficulty, the challenge; search within for the solution and once you catch yourself expressing one of those self-limiting beliefs, deny them. Correct yourself in the moment and tell yourself that you are now aware that you are different and that you can do whatever you put your mind and soul to.

My theory is that a powerful, fulfilling life starts with a great state of mind. Choose to be in the moment, present and enjoying every moment. Make a point to actually feel and experience your journey. Each experience has a message for you, make it your business to discover what that is. You can choose to have a positive attitude, one that reflects good health, prosperity, joy and balance. I truly believe that these shift will lead you to a life that you are creating for yourself and that you can be passionate about. Start today, start now.

]]> http://www.itsallaboutattitude.com/self-limiting-beliefs-can-make-it-or-break-it-get-rid-of-them-now/feed/ 0 http://www.itsallaboutattitude.com/making-living-life-quotes-a-power-tool-for-your-life/ http://www.itsallaboutattitude.com/making-living-life-quotes-a-power-tool-for-your-life/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:28:44 +0000 admin http://www.itsallaboutattitude.com/making-living-life-quotes-a-power-tool-for-your-life/ Words are something that we receive an abundance of on a daily basis. They also hold a lot of power and have a great influence on our life. Unfortunately we don’t apply these words to make the best of living life to its fullest. We all enjoy hearing living life quotes because they make us pay attention as they seem to be words of wisdom. It’s as if there is something magical about them. Knowing this we still miss out on applying the power of this wisdom to set or change our paths in life.

If you really are looking for a great resource that is free then simply start taking a look at living life quotes then discern what they mean and where you could apply them to your life. This may seem a little strange at first but once you start applying to your lifestyle you will be amazed at how your thinking begins to change.

If you are like most people when you head hits the pillow at night and your mind is racing its probably focusing on all the things you didn’t get done today, or how you are going to pay the car insurance tomorrow. This really is not a wonderful way to drift off into blissful sleep. Try focusing on a living life quote. Hopefully its one that you have applied for the day and now during this quiet time you can reflect back on it.

Just to give you an example, a old Cherokee Indian proverb states, “don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” Now this is a cute saying isn’t it, but think of its impact! How many of us dwell on what took place yesterday and most often it’s the negative aspects. Perhaps you had to sit in a doctors office yesterday for two hours. How many times have you relived those moments today by telling friends how long you had to wait. Most likely each time you relate the story you start to get agitated all over again. How many moments of your life today did you waste on the mishaps of yesterday? Just giving this one living life quote a little extra thought could change your perception on life and go a long way in reducing your stress, and making better use of what today has to offer you.

Now is your time to begin living life the way it should be.

Living life quotes can have a major impact on your life. Be sure to check out some of these great resources to help you live life more abundantly.

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One reason of making mistakes is our Negative attitude. Under the influence of negativity, we commit more and more mistakes. Situation is not too bad but due to our negative attitude we misinterpret the situation. Committing suicide is one of the examples of being negative. People commit suicide because their thinking is clouded by negative thoughts. They cannot see good things in any situation. Once you are not ready to accept life as it comes, you tend to go low and negative.

Other reason of making mistake is our limited thinking. We do not have far-sightedness to see the situation. We concentrate only on short-term. Once we develop far-sightedness, then our chances of committing mistakes are low.

Fear is negative human nature. We commit mistakes because we have fear in our mind. When we are in fear, our thinking is very much negative that we cannot see things or circumstances as they are. We tend to misread the situation and we invite mistakes to ruin our present.

Up to now we have discussed only about ways of doing mistakes! Now we will discuss ways to overcome mistakes. First thing, if we do not want to do mistakes, then very important is we have to stay calm and happy all the time. If we are cheerful and blissful all the time, then there will be no chances to commit mistakes.

Second important thing is always stay positive. Only a negative thinker can do mistakes. It is futile to regret or brood on any situation. Positive thinker can make wonders. Whenever we are in positive attitude, we are more powerful than situation. Once we become powerful then there is no chance of mistake.

Third and last (but not the least) we should love our self boundlessly. If by any chance we commit mistake, then try to develop that guts to forgive our self. No matter if we do a million mistakes, then also we need to forgive our self, and move on.

To sum up, I want to tell that always learn from mistakes.We should only inform by our past but not get influenced by it. This is a key to Success.

Inspiration from my spiritual master.

Author is disciple of H.H. rakeshbhai Jhaveri(HE follows H.H.Shrimad rajchandraji).You can also avail the benefit of these divine discourses by visiting http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org Author has masters degree from U.S.A. and currently working at Jinsoft Solutions as S.E.O. Consultant.If you want to see all the articles by this author together then simply follow http://dev12311.wordpress.com.

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