Accept Your Flaws

How many times have you talked to yourself about a 'flaw' that you do not like about yourself or maybe even about another person? Does your 'flaw' make you feel less beautiful? Have you wished you can change this flaw and if you could, you just know it would make you feel better?

Accept your flaws. Turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. You'd be surprised how your attitude will change. Love yourself always.

Below is an inspirational story I wanted to share. Hope you like it.

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An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water..

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do ha lf of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'

That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

It's a psychological law that whatever you desire to accomplish
you must first impress upon your subconscious mind.

Your inner thoughts can cause you to be rich or poor,loved or unloved, happy or unhappy,attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak.

What you impress upon your mind, you'll inevitably become.
Relentless, repetitive self talk will change your self image.
You'll affect your subconscious mind with verbal repetition.
Constant repetition carries conviction.

When you change your values you'll change your behavior.

Start thinking of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.
Self suggestion will make you the master of yourself.

You can become whatever you want to be.
When you believe you can, you can.

Making New Year Resolutions

The New Year is just about here. This is a time when we reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. I for one am definitely looking forward to 2009. I had my speed bumps of life this past year with health issues, but going through all I did, has brought many life lessons and also positive things that I wouldn’t change for anything. I guess you need to go through things to learn, grow and change; whether negative or positive.

New Year’s Eve is a night when so many people make resolutions or promises to themselves. Are you one of many making New Year resolutions and believe they will keep them? But then do you realize that throughout the year, you didn’t really keep the resolutions at all. I used to make a few resolutions myself, but always had trouble keeping them. Now I set goals that are more reachable for myself. I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment or failure, so if I have a bigger goal I’d like to succeed at, I break it down into parts.

Setting our expectations too high, can make us fall short sometimes. We get caught up in the moment, announce our resolution before realizing we’ve built up this goal in our mind. Our excitement about making a change or a chance at bettering ourselves is great for the moment, but what about in the long term? Will we still feel as excited as the day we made our resolution?

That’s where I fall short at times. I get caught up in the moment and then months pass and I am less enthused about the resolution or change I wanted to make. I now break down my goals into smaller parts and think about the change I want to make on a daily basis. This helps keep things in perspective for me. You can say, ‘the smaller picture, brings the bigger picture into focus’ and I stay interested.

I also use affirmations to help keep me on track with my resolutions. Affirmations provide me with support and a positive ‘feel good’ optimism that often feels like a pat on the back….the ‘I can do it’ feeling.

Here’s an affirmation from Hope Cramer that I found at About.com. It’s a great reminder and one to repeat to yourself.

“New Beginnings are like forks in a road or new blades of grass. So many ways our lives can go…so many choices. Each choice and each piece of our lives make up a part of who we are. I affirm that this is a beautiful new year, a new day, full of amazing ways in which I will improve my life now”

Start each new day or end each night by reading Affirmations.

About.com brings to you Affirmations by the Day or by the Month

Wishing you all good health, much abundance, happiness… with love, peace and light in your life

The Benefits of Positive Habits

Did you know that habits can be incredibly powerful tools for personal growth and success? You can change who you are by teaching yourself how to add positive habits to your lifestyle. You can improve your mind, body and soul... Improve your Health...Be More Motivated...Be More Productive...Achieve More Success...Have Unlimited and Boundless Energy...Improve your Self-Esteem

A habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

What is a Positive Habit?
A positive habit is simply a habit that produces positive benefits, actions and attitudes you want to acquire and make a part of your life. Why is there such great power in positive habits to effect change? Because habits, by their very nature, are automatic. After a period of time they can become permanent.

Learn about the benefits that positive habits can make in your life and how to create them by reading the 3 part post from my blog, Mind Body and Soul. Just click HERE

DREAMS ARE FREE

The beginning of your success lies in your imagination.
Visualize all of the things that you want in your life.
Make your mental blueprint and then begin construction.

You can make your dreams work and produce for you.
Make every thought, every fact, that comes into your mind
pay you a dividend.

Your imagination will show you how to turn possibility into reality.
The will to succeed springs from the knowledge that you can succeed.

Think of things not as they are, but as they might be.
Don't merely dream, create.

Do this, and you can live your dreams.


Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Reproduce freely but maintain Copyright notice.

PositiveThoughts

Reading positive thoughts on a daily basis can be a reminder to keep a positive attitude. Reading positive thoughts can also change your mood.

Here are some positive thoughts to start your week:

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.

If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends..... B1.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge.

One thing you can give and still keep...is your word.

You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself.

If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished.

One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

Ideas won't work unless You do.

Your mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime! It is never too late to become what you might have been.

Improve Your Self Image With Affirmations

I believe in Affirmations.You can turn negative self-talk into something more positive when repeating positive affirmations to yourself on a daily basis. Ok, so you might not see an instant change within yourself, but if you stay committed, you will.

You have the power to achieve what you want in life. Using affirmations is one of life's powerful strategies.

Here are some Affirmations I wanted to share with you. These were posted by Positive Affirmations. Visit her site for you will read other enlightening posts to help improve the quality of your life and promote positive self image.

I owe no explanations for my behavior, that is legally, morally, and ethically right.

I am different and I embrace it.

I dare to be different.

I accept my differences with pleasure.

I am trustworthy.

I can be trusted.

I am fit, healthy and attractive.

I am confident and unaffected by negative attitudes around me

My possibilities are endless.

I radiate love and happiness.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR HAPPINESS
I am happiest when I accept people for who they are.

I am happiest when I forgive others.

My happiness is found in life’s little surprises.

I find happiness in forgiveness.

I choose to live happy.

I find happiness in never quitting.

I find happiness in the little things in life.

I find happiness in being myself.

I am happiest when I am in a positive place.

I find happiness with positive affirmations.

I find eternal happiness with my family.

I am happy when I spend quality time with good friends.

Do you have a favorite affirmation that has helped within your life?

In With The New, Out With The Old...

It seems to me that most people do some 'spring cleaning' in the month or two preceding summer. We want our homes to be clean and refreshed from the winter months of closed windows.
A fresh start for the nice warm weather...

We purge the old...we tidy up...maybe even redecorate to give our homes a new updated look.
"in with the new, out with the old"

We go spring/summer clothes shopping...updating our looks. A new hair cut maybe and how about getting our bodies in shape for the beach? That's all we see in the magazines, on TV and on the Internet. Exercise to get our bodies in tip top shape.

Well, to go along with all this spring cleaning, updating the interior/exterior of our homes, our appearance...we should also consider spending time updating the way we think.

How many of us have negative thoughts about how we look or have confidence issues or our motivation isn't what it should be?

Why don't we put some time into our "inner self"? Changing any negative thoughts we have into positive. Learn how to be happy with ourselves.

Sounds easy I know, but if we focus on even one issue and make it our goal to overcome that issue, we would feel so successful... so wonderful and happy to go along with all the other spring cleaning updates we did in our life.

Our state of mind is what will spontaneously create the desired results. Create your life from within. Become satisfied with yourself and your thoughts and there will be nothing you cannot do or be – because your thoughts are powerful! Expect the very best of everything that this world has to offer - and know that you deserve it. You have friends and family who love you. Learn how to be thankful. Think of all the things you have to be happy about.

Try not to over analyze things. Stress can cause many mental, physical, and spiritual problems in your life.The true key to happiness is acceptance. Learn to be grateful for what you have. A lot of people know it, but don't keep it in their minds. Comparing your life with others is dangerous. Accept the gifts you have and know that no one is better than or less than anyone else.

Happiness begins from within. If you don't accept what you have or who you are, then you will never be truly happy with anyone else.

Today Is The Day...

Have you ever said to yourself…Today is the day I will... (fill in the blank) ? You feel energized and ready to tackle the project or even that exercise program you have been putting off. You are motivated, thinking positive and feelling good. You are in a great mood, feeling passion about what's ahead and the choices you are making.

We are in control of our own lives. The sooner we believe and accept that, the better off we will be. We women are so busy nurturing, motivating and taking care of others, that we sometimes lose ourselves in the process. Then one day you wake up and say...this is the day... I AM going to accomplish what I have been putting off. I am going to do something for ME.

But, something happens along the way…after a few days (for some, maybe longer), we lose our motivation. We fade back into the old routine and eventually stop with the project(s) we started.

Enthusiasm is what gets us started and motivation will help us to achieve our goals. In the beginning we are willing to pursue our goal, but then our life, family, work may make demands that keep us from continuing. Throw in not feeling good or tired, new responsibilities and for sure we won't feel the same enthusiasm as we did at the start.

How can we rekindle the spark that we felt on the day we said… Today is the day?

Have a very clear picture of what we want to obtain or where we want to be in say 3, 6 months. Evaluate your progress. Stick to a routine, so progress becomes automatic. If it's the routine that bores you, change it up, but make sure you give yourself X amount of time dedicated to your goal.

If you allow your motivation to dwindle then it wasn't true motivation to begin with right? Just a temporary feeling. So you need to really believe in what you want to achieve. Remember the rewards or benefits you will reap when you reach your goal. Enjoy what you are doing, get excited

If you have a setback, don't worry...get back up in the saddle and start again. Don't allow negative feelings or thoughts keep you from feeling that motivation again. Motivation may come and go, but it will return. Don't give up.

Celebrating International Women's Day

Great words and thoughts
By Peggy Porter
From Brief to Thong
www.frombrieftothong.com

March 8th is International Women's Day. For many women this day will go unnoticed, however, my hope is that for all of you reading this, March 8th will become more than just another ordinary day.

Let's commit to making International Women's Day a day that...celebrates the sameness yet uniqueness in every one of us, celebrates the ordinary, yet extraordinary woman contributing daily to her family, workplace and community
celebrates the strong, resilient, yet sensitive nature each one of us possess.
Make this day one of recognition.

Let's recognize our individual accomplishments no matter how small we think they may be. Let's recognize the amazing success of the women in our own community, whether they are career women, business owners, mothers or volunteers. Each one deserves to be honored for the individual way they touch our society.

In celebration of this occasion, take the time to nurture yourself. Health and vitality is a woman's greatest asset. We are our best when we feel our best so practice an act of self care today. Surrender any guilt and do something you love. If you need a reason, do it just because.

Let this day be a day of inspiration and possibilities.

What are you inspired to do? What goals and dreams do you have? In today's society, we are blessed with unlimited opportunities so there are no limits to what we can accomplish. The only limits are self imposed so ask yourself...what would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? Let your desires inspire you to take action. If fear sneaks in, remind yourself of the many amazing dreams that women before us have fulfilled.

Make this not only a day of personal inspiration, but ask yourself- who can I be a role model for - your child, a friend, a co-worker? We all can BE a mentor and we all NEED a mentor-someone who can aspire in us our very best. So, let us be mentors in our communities, in our workplaces and most of all, in our relationships. Let's bring out the best in each other.

As we take part in our own celebration of International Women's Day, may we also make this a day of hope, reflection and prayer. May we remember the many countries whose women do not have the same opportunities or place in society that we are so blessed to have.

Let's make this a celebration where we build each other up, where we support, not judge , where we praise, not criticize and most of all, where we appreciate.

Appreciate the women in your life, the opportunities that lie before you, the people who love and support you, the community that offers such beauty and freedom but most of all, appreciate YOU. You are the reason this day was created. Cheers to you!

Let Go and Be Happy

One of my posts on Mind, Body & Soul is titled... Are You Happy? I spoke about your happiness set point. Are you aware that everyone has this set point which they return to regardless to what experience you have in life?

Research shows that approximately 50 percent of our happiness is acquired through genetics and the other 50 percent is learned. However, everyone has the ability to change your set point. You can catch the happiness wave by utilizing the secret The Sedona Method has mastered. They are presenting an opportunity to receive a FREE CD or DVD on this self help tool which will teach you how easy it can be for you to melt away unnecessary negative feelings.

When learning this method you can overcome your need to hold on to negative thoughts, feelings and even actions. When holding on too tightly, you force yourself to believe in these powerful emotions. You literally talk yourself into it. Our mind is a powerful tool and unfortunately, we don't always use it enough for the positive emotions to create happiness. We can be happy for no reason once we learn to 'let go'.

Ever find yourself thinking you are unhappy about something or have an issue you want to change? You may find yourself then only repeating either to yourself or outloud that you are unhappy. What happens next? You ARE unhappy. Why not twist that around to thinking positive thoughts. Letting go of the negatives. Can you let go? Are you willing to try?

Mariel Hemingway has been using The Sedona Method to overcome depression, self hatred and emotional pain.

Get your free cd and learn The Sedona Method. Feel how easy it is to be happy and watch how this will raise your happiness set point and overflow into all areas of your life.

So, I'm Not Perfect...

Ok, so I'm not perfect. I allowed some stress to wiggle into my life. A situation came into my life and gave me an unexpected ending, which I wasn't prepared for. I had to work through a few emotions before concluding I have choices...first on how to handle this situation and second... how to deal with what I was feeling.

Although justified, I felt angry with the outcome of this situation. I realized quickly that wasn't the answer. I needed to get myself 'in check'. If I continued to be angry, I wouldn't be productive. I took a deep breath and just said to myself...I will get through this.

But as I allowed stress to enter, I took a short ride with negativity. It's amazing how those little inner voices sometimes can cause an avalanche of scenarios in your mind and you start believing them. So... realizing this quicker than usual, I just put a stop to it.

I thought about a happy memory or the feelings of love, thought about all the good and blessings in my life...took to the couch, lit some candles and just relaxed. Repeated some affirmations...Relaxing my body and soul.

It does work...I now have calmness. Whatever happens....I will deal with it and get through it. It's not the end of the world...I am a good person, have my health, my family and friends. This ding in my life will be dealt with. It's not the end of the world.

I certainly have grown this past year. I remember a time that I would have held on to those negative emotions for days and have it hinder me. Affecting not only me, but the people around me. I truly can feel a difference within myself. Now I can remove negativity faster and talk my inner self out of self doubt, replacing it with a positive attitude.

How do you deal with stress and any negativity that creeps in?

How To Look Good Naked

Has anyone watched the new show on Lifetime TV, ‘How to Look Good Naked’? Ladies, if you are able to view Lifetime TV in your area, I suggest watching this show.

I was impressed with how Carson (the host) gives women confidence, overcome insecurities and allows a woman to see the distorted perceptions we have of our own body.

Carson has one women (the make over woman) go through 5 steps.

Step one: The dreaded full length, tri mirror. She’s dressed in only undergarments. UGH! We all hate the mirrors, but in this process, Carson gives you a reality check. We may not be perfect, but we are beautiful. We have to love what we have and who we are.

He then shows a huge picture of this make over woman, plastered on the side of a building wall, on a busy main street. Asking the people passing by how this woman looks. All comments were complimentary…nice arms, legs, breasts…etc….However, even after hearing these comments, this woman still insisted she was ‘fat’, still only saw the imperfections. She didn’t accept compliments very well.

He also had 5 woman dressed in undergarments in a line up. Their size ranged from small to large. He asked the make over woman to place herself between the two women she felt she matched closer in hip/size dimensions. She placed herself at the end between the two woman considered larger. It turned out; she was actually sized after the first woman in the line…much smaller. Our perceptions really do play an important role in how we view ourselves.

Step Two: The procedure in picking the correct undergarments. I was amazed the difference in appearance this can make. The stat revealed that 95% of women are not wearing the correct undergarment. Wow…

Step Three: Correctly picking the appropriate clothing to accent what we have. How this can show confidence is an eye opener! There were 3 pictures of 3 women wearing 3 different styles of clothing from the neck down. He asked his “make over girl” to look at the pictures and describe each woman. She was asked based on the clothing, which woman weighed less to more. The make over woman has decided the one in this black dress looked confidant and weighed less than the other 2 women in the pictures. Well, In the end, it is revealed to you that the 3 pictures are all of the same woman. This floored me the most.

Carson then takes his makeover woman on a shopping spree. As she is being dressed in the appropriate clothes, you can actually see this woman’s attitude change; she held her head higher, smiled more, held her posture more erect. The tips you hear are something we all can learn from.

Step Four: The make over woman gets just that. New hair style which does make a difference, she is pampered and she feels beautiful. How many of us forget or make the time to pamper ourselves. Ladies: I know I will now set time aside for ME and pamper myself. It really does make you feel better.

Step Five: After all these steps, Carson had this woman pose naked. This woman was a changed woman. Confidence, self assured, beautiful, loved herself and everything she has. No more perceptions. It was wonderful! Seeing her in those pictures, one might think that wasn’t the same woman at the beginning of the show. Carson again plastered a huge picture of the woman (now naked) on the side of the building. She was hearing comments like…she’s hot.

I hope more woman watch this show. I commend Lifetime for having another show directly geared toward helping woman love themselves, imperfections and all.

Even though this make over woman had experienced help by Carson, it allows you to see each step. You can take the information, tips and examples to widen your eyes to how you perceive yourself, how to gain confidence and how to love yourself.

Great show and looking forward to Friday to learn and see more.

Talking To Yourself CAN Be A Good Thing

How often do you find yourself talking to yourself? No, not talking out loud, but the inner voice that speaks to you? Most times I bet you’re hearing negative things…I look terrible today, Why did I wear this outfit? I look awful in this color, I made a mistake at work~I messed up, I can’t do this or that…

Every time you hear yourself talking in a negative tone, turn the negative into a positive. Break the habit of hearing only negative... break the cycle within yourself. Hear yourself saying how wonderful you look, how you’ve learned something new, how you were successful at work, how you CAN do this or that, how you are a good person. Replace the negative self-talk in your head with words of encouragement, happiness and support. Be your own cheerleader!

Learning and practicing positive self-talk, can improve your life, mental outlook and attitude. Repetitive positive phases that you hear will make a difference in your outlook, it will encourage you and it will make you believe in yourself.

Believing in the negative, will keep you in a negative state and you will share that tone with others around you. Start small if this is something new for you. If you can do this for a few days, you’ll find it will be easy to keep doing it.

Every time you hear a negative….STOP….and replace it with something positive. I bet if you pay close attention during the day to just how many times you hear yourself talking in negative phrases, you will be surprised.

Try it…for one day listen carefully and hear yourself talking. What are you hearing?