10 Ideas To Get You Started With A Daily Journal
There are a number of factors that contribute to overall happiness and one is the development of habits. The very best and most useful habit is that of daily journaling. Back in the day, it used to be called a diary and started with the words “Dear Diary”. Today, it is used to record one’s self improvement and journey towards enlightenment or that place where one is at their very best. A daily journal can be a great tool to use on the path to achieve success.
A daily entry to your journal can be a simple account of the events that have had an impact or it can be a complex entry of self-discovery. To help you get started, if you have not already done so, try the following tips:-
- Record 6 things for which you are grateful, appreciative or thankful that are occurring right now.
- Record another 6 that are coming to you in the future.
- Keep a daily list of the prosperity or abundance in your life. This might be a simple as having a friend shout you a coffee or another driver graciously letting you change lanes. Keep tabs on them all and let your abundance grow before your eyes.
- Write about what you have done over the day, action that you have taken towards your life goal.
- List what you intend to do the next day, week or month and check back later to see how you went.
- Spend some time writing what you believe are your strengths and weaknesses and then write about how you intend to grow your strengths to outweigh your weaknesses.
- Record the occasions during the day when you have successfully shifted your feelings from not so good to better by recognising your not so good feelings and changing your thoughts at that time.
- Work out a set of questions that will help you to challenge yourself around your limiting beliefs. For example – “What am I doing when I find myself having an argument with my partner?” “How do I get into the argument in the first place?” “How can I avoid it?” This is just an example; you can use anything that you like. Just make sure that you do not let yourself off the hook.
- Use your journal to help you to visualise where you intend to be in life, in the next year, next five years, next ten years. Write in detail about how your life will be, how that will benefit you and the community and why you need to have this life. Regularly check back to see how you are going on your journey.
- List the random acts of kindness that you intend to perform in the next 24 hours and then check back each day to see if you did them.
Above all, have fun with this wonderful daily habit.
Inspirational Quotes
Lately I have been receiving lots of gifts and prizes and the most recent was a lovely little book of inspirational quotes. Have you ever noticed how such gifts seem to come at just the right time – coincidence or not? Well, I know from experience that everything comes to me just as I need it. Well I am taking on a particular challenge right now and it has the possibility of seriously impacting on the rest of my life, so I am determined that it will all go exceptionally well and I will be successful.
This lovely inspirational quote has reinforced my belief in myself and shored up my confidence.
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarised in Four c’s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy, and the greatest of these is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicity and unquestionably.” Walt Disney
Such a simple statement and yet so supporting – my daily dose of inspiration.
Have Fun And Create With The Law of Attraction
I came upon this article by Russell Yarmel, The Success Man and it is so good that I decided to post it for my readers to see. Enjoy!
It seems to me that a lot of you are “busy trying to master the Law of Attraction”.
You’re running through your daily affirmations.
You’re reminding yourself, “be positive, be positive”.
You’re asking yourself “how can I look on the bright side here?”.
You’re reading books, following advice, trying, trying, trying… while the rest of the world is running by you, laughing at you for staring in the mirror and reminding yourself how great you are, like you didn’t already know it.
It’s about this that I’d like to talk to you today.
Remember Why You Learned About LOA in the First Place
What is your goal? Stay focused. What is it that you want in your life?
Do you want to be able to tell everyone about how every little thought is creating and contributing to the Universe? Is that really the most pertinent thing in your life right now? Or do you want some money, so that you have the time to study the things that interest you?
Or do you want to lose 40 pounds, so you don’t have to worry about your heart failing while you read?
You’re Playing Your Cards All Wrong
What does LOA say?
What you focus on, you create.
When you focus on your “need to master the Law of Attraction”, you’re thinking about your lack of mastery of LOA. So really, while you’re sitting there thinking you need to do this and need to do that and “oh, why aren’t things manifesting in my life instantly already?”… you’re actually pushing yourself farther and farther away from this desired “mastery”. Truth is….
You’ve Already Mastered the Law of Attraction
That’s right. You already have LOA down, 100%. Everything you think about is being attracted to you, and if you’re thinking about how you WANT to master LOA… you’re really only thinking about things that you don’t have, simply because you’re telling yourself that you haven’t yet done it! Bizarre it is, but it’s the truth. You do not need to put any effort into mastering this fine art, as it’s a gift given to you at birth, something inherited, which you carry deep down inside of you.
The Solution
Rather than trying to master LOA, accept it as a fundamental truth, and move on with your life, knowing that you have this wisdom. Make a decision to go out, do the things you enjoy, make decision, decision, decision, take action, action, action, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Go out there and get the things you love. Hold on to the image of the things you want in life, and feel the feelings associated with having them.
The worst thing you can possibly do is get caught up in the “how”.
Don’t worry about “How do I change myself to make this work more in my favor”.
Rather, decide to make prompt and decisive decisions, and allow the “how” to come to you.
If you really believe in LOA, you know that you do not need to waste your time trying to learn it, rather just focus on what you want, and only then will you see how fast it’s actually working.
Nobody’s enjoying watching you sit there and wondering “how” to run.
Rather, we’re all cheering you on as you take the first step of that sprint…
Everyone who I’ve tagged in this note is familiar with LOA…
and isn’t wasting time tying his or her shoes!
Keep on running, my friends!
Much love,
Russell
p.s. Quit being so hard on yourself! There’s no need to repeat the mistakes of others! Have fun and do what you like, it’s what you’re here for!
Can Entrepreneurs Learn From Confucius?
The teachings of Confucius have endured for centuries and remain influential in the thought and lives of many Asian people and other cultures around the world. Confucius was a philosopher who emphasised personal and government morality, justice, sincerity and virtuousness. I wonder what relevance the words of Confucius have to entrepreneurs in today’s world of immediate gratification, liberal morals and values and access to endless streams of information? Here is some of what Confucius had to say.
1. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop”. We live in a world of speed and instant access, yet it is common for entrepreneurs to have minimal business success, on average 17 times, before they reach the pinnacle of success. It really does not matter how long it takes, what matters is getting there in the end.
2. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do”. These words have been repeated by leaders throughout time, recently with a little variation by Sir Winston Churchill who said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Hmmm, the power of great philosophy is that it never changes. Such good advice for any entrepreneur.
3. “What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.” Looking inside yourself to find the strength and conviction necessary to achieve anything that you want is the foundation of modern personal development programs. Today, this philosophy is couched in such terms as “lead from the front” or “be the change that you want to see” and “the only person that you can motivate is yourself”.
4. “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” Today’s philosophers and guru’s talk about finding your passion, having a burning desire or 100% commitment, they could just as easily say “go for it, with all of your heart”.
5. “They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” And the baby boomers have thought that they had the premium on change with frequent comments that they are change weary or have endured too much change in their lives. Linking change to happiness and wisdom is a concept not often heard; yet any entrepreneur is likely to be living this reality. Others might choose to live a life with less fulfillment rather than face the change required to do something different. The idea of seeking wisdom and happiness through change is exciting and one of Confucius’ philosophies to be embraced.
6. “Things that are done, it is needless to speak about…things that are past, it is needless to blame.” You attract what you focus on and if you focus on past hurts or injustices then you will get more of the same. Blame is a negative emotion and if you focus on blame you will attract negativity. Instead, use what you do not want to get focused on what you do want for your future and speak about that.
7. “Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.” If you want to be successful, be in the acquaintance of successful people. If you want to be a millionaire associate with millionaires. You will learn much in the company of others and even more if you carefully select your role models.
Thousands of years ago or 2009? It seems that the philosophical teachings remain the same and entrepreneurs can continue to look to the Masters of every generation to learn and develop their own unique way of viewing the world and achieve success.
How do you embrace change and maintain 100% commitment to your business, even when the going is tough?
How are you using the present moment to prepare for your future?
Meditation Made Easy
People frequently tell me that they can not meditate, they have tried, can not do it and have given up. So they miss out on all of the benefits that meditation can bring. Learning to meditate is like learning to do anything else; you begin knowing little or nothing and practice until you can do it without thinking. Start right now, find out why meditation is worth doing and follow these five steps that will make meditation easy.
Recently I was working with a young woman who told me that she was extremely stressed and unhappy with her work. She said that she had no time to herself, no time to think and her mind raced constantly. In an average day she had information overload from the time that she woke until she went to sleep. She would rise in the morning to the television, took her iPod when she went for a walk, listened to the radio to and from work – you get the picture. Sound familiar?
To start, we found some time during the day when she had zero information flow. The TV was turned off in the morning and no radio in the car to and from work. Just quiet time to contemplate. We then moved to meditation. “Well”, she said, “I have tried that. I can’t meditate and I hate it.” Turned out she had launched into an hour long session, could only last a short while and decided it was not for her. An all too common a story.
What is meditation and why bother? Meditation is a process or technique that you use to clear and calm your mind. You can use meditation just for that purpose or you can focus your meditation on something that you desire such as prosperity or well being. Meditation has been scientifically shown to be a powerful healing tool and a self help tool for achieving stress reduction and better sleep. Many people enjoy the personal development, self awareness, inner peace and freedom that results from meditation. Successful entrepreneurs often claim that meditation creates clarity of mind which in turn effects their success.
So how do you meditate? The following five steps will help you to get started:-
1. Learn something about meditation, just as you would with any new pursuit. There is an unlimited supply of books, web sites, free classes and resources available. Start at the beginning and get to know a little.
2. Be very patient with yourself and release any expectations that put you under pressure to perform. In meditation you are quieting and clearing the mind but the mind may want to keep right on thinking. Be patient and just keep drawing your mind back to focus upon the meditation.
3. Start with a short time, try five minutes, and increase the length of time over a few weeks. Even a few minutes will make a difference so see step one and just be patient.
4. Before you begin to focus on meditation, I highly recommend the use of a relaxation audio program. You can download podcasts and other resources free, from meditation sites on the internet. Start with some of these and learn to relax and then lead into meditation. When you become adept with your meditations you will continue to commence every meditation with a short relaxation.
5. Try this simple meditation, starting with a short time. Get into a comfortable position; sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground, try sitting cross legged on the floor or lie on your back well supported wherever you need it. Close your eyes and feel your body relax. Take several deep breaths and release your breath with a deep sigh. Relax more and feel the tension float away with every sigh. Now imagine that your body is a vessel full of water and feel the water draining from the top of your head down through your body to the soles of your feet. Just slowly, let it drain downwards and then feel it moving slowly from the soles of your feet to fill up your body, up to the top of your head. Feel this happening, imagine it happening and let it happen naturally. Should your mind wander off, just bring it back to the water and gently move back into the meditation. Do this for as long as it takes for your mind to give up and just be empty or for as long as you like. Each time, see if you can do it for longer until eventually you find your mind calms and stops thinking. At that time you will find that you can feel every part of your body at the one time. You should just feel that feeling for as long as it lasts or as long as you like.
Keep it simple! This is a great principle when learning relaxation and meditation. Be patient with your self and move to higher forms of meditation when you are comfortable to do so. You are your best teacher when it comes to meditation which is a great way to learn about yourself. Have fun, create yourself a little head space achieve success with meditation.
