Are you a fan of self-help books? Do you grab them off the bookstore shelves and read them as soon as they come out? Are you one of those people who keep a stack of five or six of them by your bed and read them before going to sleep at night? Some of them are filled with ideas that are far too time- consuming to fit into your daily life — unless you have nothing else to do! You’d have to spend your day meditating, journaling and visualizing!
Wouldn’t it be great to have a summary of ideas based on the latest books? If you agree, keep reading. Here are six tips.
What Do You Love to Do?
Successful people pay attention to what they feel passionate about. They commit to spending time each day doing what they love. For some it’s a job that pays. For others it may be volunteer work or simply a hobby. Begin to notice when you feel excited or curious about something. That's a clue from your intuition about what to pursue. Another way to think about this is to take note of what your friends and family say that you’re really good at. What comes naturally to you? Don’t assume that everyone else can do it as easily as you! What could you do this week that allows you to take some steps toward this idea?
Practice Gratitude
Ample evidence exists that you get what you consistently focus on. Do you often whine and complain about what you don't have and ignore the abundance all around you? Begin to notice and appreciate what you attract easily into your life. Perhaps you have a healthy body, or a wonderful group of close friends. Notice small things around you -- the new flower that has emerged in your garden, the sound of your cat's purr, the laughter of a child, or the beauty of freshly fallen snow. Before you know it, abundance in all forms will begin to flow into your life.
Trust Your Inner Wisdom
People who believe in trusting their intuition tend to be more successful in life. It doesn't appear to matter how they receive this information, whether it's through an image, sudden insight, a dream or just an old- fashioned "gut feeling." This inner wisdom doesn’t always arrive unbidden. You can ask your intuition questions such as, “What’s my right next step?” Or, “What could I do to create more abundance in my life?” Learn to pay attention to how you receive these impressions, and check in with your inner "Intuitive Success Coach."
Acknowledge Your Achievements
How often have you worked really hard to attain a goal and then never gave yourself credit for your achievements? Think about keeping a running list of things you’ve accomplished each day, each month and each year. The items you list don’t have to be huge successes. They could be things like “I walked 30 minutes twice this week.” Or, “I meditated today.” If you do this you'll probably discover you've created more successes in your life than you had previously imagined. Success builds on itself. It’s fun to look back at this list and see how far you’ve come!
Practice Positive Self Talk
This one is important! What you say to yourself on a regular basis becomes what you experience in your life. Become aware of the inner dialog you have going on with yourself. How often do you say things to yourself like, “I’m not good at that.” Or, “I’ll never… (find love, have money, get a good job.) Fill in the blank with your most frequent statement. How could you turn it around so it’s a statement that supports and encourages you? Request guidance if you need help with this. One person asked in prayer, "Please guide my thoughts, my words and my actions. I wish to think, speak and act with love." She was astonished at the difference this simple affirmation made.
Choose to be Happy
Research has shown that happiness is a choice. It is not necessarily dependent on life circumstances. Everything in your life is not going to be perfect, and that’s okay. There is always a positive and a negative aspect to any change that occurs in your life, but it's your choice to select your focus. Get in the habit of asking, "What's good about this situation?" Or, “What could I do to be happier or have more fun today?” When you continually select that way of viewing the world, you will discover that happiness finds you!
Many people choose a "half-empty glass " view of life. They focus on all the things they haven't achieved. Spend some time writing about and dwelling on your successes. Think about the big ones, but more importantly, recognize and acknowledge the small achievements. Here’s a prediction — things will have a way of working out for you!
