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Tips

Embrace Optimism To Survive Any Challenge

written by improvegal71

When you are faced with a challenge, it can often seem easier to have a negative viewpoint and think that there is no way anything can ever get better. But this is the wrong approach entirely, as optimism when facing a challenge is actually what will help you survive and conquer it.

If you are faced with something especially difficult, embracing optimism may seem absolutely impossible, but there are a number of things you can do to help yourself maintain a positive view.

Look For A Silver Lining

In order to keep up your optimism, you need to find something good about your situation. Of course, this may be a challenge, but there is something good about every single situation, you just need to find it. One of the best ways to do this is when you find yourself having a negative thought, use a positive thought to block those negative thoughts.

For example, if you’ve recently lost your job, and you have negative thoughts thinking you may never get another, block these thoughts with the idea that now you can pursue the dream job you’ve always wanted to.

Spend Time With Other Optimists

It can be very difficult to remain optimistic if you are surrounded with people who are constantly projecting their negativity onto you.

This is why, if you find yourself around a bunch of pessimists, it’s time to change the people you spend time with. This is because energy and emotions are especially contagious thus only surround yourself with the people whose energy you want to have effect your life.

Think About Others

When you are faced with an especially difficult challenge, it’s likely that the negative thoughts of what you are facing can become all consuming. And if you are constantly focusing on your own thoughts, it can be difficult to work the positive thoughts in there. Instead, try to do something nice for someone else.

Not only will this help you feel better, but it will distract you from your thoughts for a while and help you break up the cycle of negative thinking.

Don’t Leave Projects Incomplete

When you are facing a challenge in your life, it’s likely that it will take up a lot of your energy and time. This may lead to you leaving other projects unfinished. And when you leave lots of project unfinished, this will cause you to become more and more behind and probably induce more negative emotions in your life.

So, don’t let unfinished projects weight over your head, rather finish everything on your to-do list that you can, and cross things off as you go. Chances are you’ll feel better.

Remember To Be Grateful

When a difficult situation arises in life, it can be hard to remember that the situation is not the only thing in your life. Because it’s not. You need to remember all the great things you have accomplished and done in your life.

This will not only help keep your mind off the challenge you are facing, but it will also help you to be grateful, and probably make the issue seem less horrible.

Overall, remaining optimistic in the face of a challenge can be very difficult. But if you are going to survive the challenge you are facing, it is absolutely necessary. Just remember to always look for a silver lining, be grateful, and don’t leave projects incomplete.

Then spend some time around optimistic people, and consider doing something nice for someone else, and you may find that being optimistic in the face of a challenger is a little easier than you thought.

6 July 2023 0 comment

6 Tips For Managing Difficult Feelings

written by improvegal71

Life can throw a lot of unpredictable curveballs, and when those happen, it can be difficult to manage your feelings and emotions. Having emotions (even the strongest ones) are totally normal but learning to process and manage them is key to living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

If you have trouble managing difficult feelings, consider these tips to improve your skills.

1. Learn how to identify the specific emotion(s) you’re feeling in the moment.

Identifying emotions is tough stuff. In the heat of a moment, you may think you feel one certain way, but upon further reflection, you realize you’re actually experiencing a whole conglomeration of mixed emotions! This is totally normal, though it can feel miserable. A great way to begin processing and managing these feelings is to identify each emotion.

For example, pretend your partner has made you incredibly angry because they promised to do something and then didn’t meet their end of the deal. Because they didn’t keep their promise, you have to clean up a big mess.

In the moment, you might feel like picking a fight with them because you’re so angry but take a moment to tear apart that anger and understand what else is fueling it.

You’re angry about them not keeping the promise, but you might also feel betrayed….someone you trust just let you down.

You might also feel a little sad because you thought you could trust them, but they showed you otherwise. Often, our biggest and most reactive feelings have a whole package of different emotions behind them!

2. Trade your negative vocabulary for more positive phrasing.

Often, people make managing difficult emotions worse because of the way they speak to themselves about them. Having tough emotions is normal and being kind to yourself is one way to manage them.

If you make an embarrassing mistake, you may immediately think to yourself, “I am the dumbest person ever.” This negative self-talk is only going to stir even more tough feelings inside yourself.

Instead, accept the embarrassment, but change your phrasing to be more positive and forward-thinking: “I made a mistake, but I will make sure I don’t do that again in the future.”

3. Don’t be afraid to reach out to somebody you trust.

When difficult feelings become too much to handle, it’s tempting to turn inward and try to fix the problems ourselves. However, this can be a dangerous move.

Hiding or suppressing difficult feelings and emotions can become a huge burden to bear alone. After a while, the balancing act of trying to keep difficult feelings tampered down can lead to negative side effects.

When your emotions and feelings become too big to handle alone, find a trusted friend you can talk to about them. Sharing your feelings with someone you trust can relieve some of the stress of those emotions from your mind.

4. Get comfortable with accepting (and even embracing) difficult feelings.

Unfortunately, life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. When things get tough, your emotions and feelings can be taken through the wringer, but this is totally normal. A good way to begin managing difficult feelings is to accept them.

Psychology Today explains that trying to brush difficult feelings aside to force a positive facade can be really damaging and dangerous to your health. Instead, learn to accept tough feelings so you can begin to process them more efficiently.

5. Find a way to keep track of your feelings and emotions.

If you’re trying to identify patterns and potential triggers for certain difficult feelings you experience, consider keeping a mood tracker or log.

Keeping a physical record can make it easier to understand how frequently and when you’re experiencing serious emotional changes so you can learn your triggers and prepare yourself for future encounters with them.

6. Find a healthy outlet to release stored emotions and feelings.

Managing your difficult feelings should never involve hurting yourself or others. Rather than moodily picking an argument with a friend or loved one, learn to channel difficult emotions into an outlet of some kind.

20 April 2023 0 comment

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21 Tips for Reaching Your Goals

written by improvegal71

Have you ever wondered how you could set attainable goals, so you can make your dreams happen? You're not the only one who has hopes and dreams, but your goals may be too lofty to happen.

The goals you currently have may be a great overall result of smaller goals that you've set for yourself, but as your goals currently sit, you are setting yourself up for frustration and failure. Here are the best ways that you can set attainable goals that will encourage you to work towards a greater end result.

Tip #1 – Have an End Result in Mind
Having a clear focus on where you want your efforts to end up is an important part of setting attainable goals. Having an ultimate goal will help you as you try to achieve the smaller goals you have made. Having a solid focus will help you achieve more.

Tip #2 – Break Down Larger Goals into Smaller Parts
Help yourself reach your end goal by breaking it down into smaller steps, rather than becoming stressed by trying to accomplish it all at once. When you take on too much at one time, you can become stressed, which might cause you to abandon your goal completely.

Tip #3 – Set Reasonable Time Frames
If you try to do something too slow or too quickly, it can throw you off focus. Give yourself an ample amount of time to complete each goal, to make sure that you get the results that you’re aiming achievements.

Tip #4 – Stack Your Goals
Working on your goals in a stacked method, allows you to work toward a new goal while finishing out the goal you were already working on. This will help you to start the next step while finishing the previous step. This helps you keep the overall goal flowing.

Tip #5 – Move on to New Goals When You’ve Achieved Your Other Goal
Oftentimes, once you complete a goal that you have set out to achieve, you might feel like you’re stuck in a rut. This can become frustrating because you feel like you’re no longer moving forward. soon as you feel as though you have accomplished your previous goals.

Tip #6 – Have Benchmarks
Check-in with yourself frequently. Creating a schedule to check on the progress of your goals will help you to understand better where you are and what you need to work on next. Set a regular time for you to check up on yourself and be honest about the progress you are making.

Tip #7 – Start with the Basics
Once you’ve set the goals that you'd like to pursue, you need to start at the beginning. Take the time to figure out where you need to begin and take the process in small steps.

Tip #8 – Start on Small Goals
When it comes to setting goals, you’ll find that some of them will be larger than others. Identify the goals that you can handle on a smaller level and work up from there. After you’ve learned to put some goals into action, you will figure out how you can tackle the larger goals to make them a reality.

Tip #9 – Prioritize Your Goals
Some of the goals that you set will be more pertinent to the place you are in your life and your career. Try placing importance on certain goals and set some aside until you feel you are ready to give them your full attention.

Tip #10 – Don’t Take on Too Much at Once
Often when you are busy, you tend to take on much more than what you can handle at once. The strain of taking on too much can cause you to become stressed and result in you losing focus on an act accordingly.

Tip #11 – Have Someone to Keep You Accountable
Another way to can continue to work toward your goals is by having someone who can help to keep you accountable. By having someone to ask you about your progress or about how you feel about the goal can help you keep your goals in the forefront of your mind, so you can continue to work toward reaching them.

Tip #12 – Don’t Become Discouraged by Obstacles
Life is full of obstacles and challenges. If you allow these things to stand in your way, you will never succeed in reaching your goals. When you face challenges in life, you have to find a way to face them head-on and make it through the fire and to the other side.

Tip #13 – Look for People Who Share Similar Goals
Even if you already belong to an existing support group, there is always an opportunity to add to it and make it more diverse. They don’t have to be people you’ve known for a long time but can be people you’ve encountered throughout your life that can offer you solid advice to make your goal easier to accomplish.

Tip #14 – Use Your Family and Friends as Sounding Boards
Your family and friends are who know you best. They might be able to offer you advice that is extremely helpful so that you may pursue your goals with more ease.

Tip #15 – Learn to Let Go of Negative Forces
There will always be at least one person who will do whatever they can to discourage you from your goals. Don’t let these people have a part in your life or your goals. Let them go and remove the negativity from your life.

Tip #16 – Talk to Your Support Group Regularly
Having a support group will help you make sure that you can talk about your worries and frustrations and get the advice you need to continue on your journey to making your goals into realities.

Tip #17 – Listen to Advice
Take the advice that is worth listening to and make it a part of your goal. Don’t think that you know everything. Allow yourself the vulnerability to know when you need to take advice or let the advice go.

Tip #18 – Be Open to Change
Change can be difficult for everyone. However, the more open to change that you are, the easier the transition will be when you are ready to make changes in your life. There will come a point in your life when things will need to change in order for you to be successful. Don’t fight it, embrace it and continue moving forward.

Tip #19 – Set Your Sights High
It’s okay to dream. You can get more done and be more successful when you take the time to set your goals and ambitions higher. Don’t be afraid to set your dreams high.

Tip #20 – Think Beyond the Present
Having the ability to look past the present and set your sights on your future and your goals can make your current situation temporary. You can only go as far as you allow yourself to go.

Tip #21 – Don’t Settle When More Can be Done
Settling when you know you can do better, only cheats you out of what greatness your life can really hold. You can realize more success when you push yourself further.

Everyone has big dreams, and we tend to make even bigger plans to fulfill them. Unfortunately, as time passes, we tend to lose motivation and enthusiasm in working toward reaching our goals, leaving us stuck in the same place, toiling away at our 9 to 5 jobs, trying to earn just enough money to survive.

Each of us has a positivity inside that serves as the source of our great ideas and accomplishments in the world. In exerting more effort in finding our motivation, we can achieve our ultimate goals and find passion in our lives.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Articles Tips

20 Tips to Change Your Thinking

written by improvegal71

Negative thoughts, doubts, and fears are quite pervasive. We all have doubts and are afraid. However, if you want to live a worthwhile life, you have to get some degree of control over negative emotions and thoughts.

These tips will help you create a positive atmosphere, even when facing difficult challenges. With the right mindset, you’ll have the best shot at staying motivated and reaching your goals.

Tip #1 – It’s Not About You
It is important to remember that 99 percent of the time, how people behave is not about you; it’s about them. You will never truly change your mindset if you don’t realize that the behaviors of others have nothing to do with you.

Tip #2 – Don’t Take Things Personally
Don’t take things that happen personally, because everyone has underlying issues that are not apparent on the surface. Stop making baseless conclusions based on a tiny amount of information that you have about others.

Tip #3 – Try to Find the Good in Everything
Life is too short to live in misery and blame everything else on your problems. Never blame, complain or take things personally. Instead, focus on the more important things in your life, those things that you are grateful for.

Tip #4 – Collect References that Reinforce Your Positive Belief
Deliberately collecting references to reinforce your positive beliefs will help to weaken your limiting beliefs. Think about two or three positive beliefs that will benefit you the most and start to collect real-life evidence to support these selected beliefs.

Tip #5 – Practice Visualization
Visualization is an effective technique for changing your belief and reaching your goals. Your mind can’t differentiate between something vividly imagined and real life. Using visualization can provide your subconscious mind with manufactured pieces of evidence that will reinforce positive thinking in your mind.

Tip #6 – Avoid Negative People
The people you surround yourself with have a tremendous impact on your mind. If you spend most of your time around negative people who always put you and your abilities down, you would never feel confident.

Tip #7 – Avoid Instant Gratification
Avoid seeking instant gratification. The good feelings you get are only temporary and will disappear quickly. Instead, you need to follow your heart’s calling. Put your best effort into everything you do, and you will experience long-lasting, happiness and satisfaction.

Tip #8 – Live up to Your Values
This is one of the single biggest factors that determine your self-esteem. To raise and maintain high self-esteem and shift your mindset, it is important to take action and move toward living up to your values.

Tip #9 – Stop Comparing Yourself with Others
We are all unique, so stop comparing yourself with others. Instead, you need to learn to accept yourself completely, then find your purpose, and your mission and work on it with all your heart.

Tip #10 – Look for the Good in Other People
What you give out, you will receive back 100 fold. If you give out love and care to others, you will get affection and support back. If you give out anger and hatred, you will receive the same in return. When you treat others well, you feel good in return.

Tip #11 – Practice Meditation
The best way to become more present in your daily life and change your mindset is to practice regular meditation. Meditation trains your mind to be in the present moment.

Tip #12 – Completely Focus on Present Activities
Learn to be more aware of the environment around you when participating in your day-to-day activities. Really look at things, noticing small details like shape, colors, taste, weight, smell, etc. This will allow you to cultivate present-moment awareness.

Tip #13 – Be Aware of Your Thoughts
Start paying attention to the thoughts that are going on in your brain. Don’t judge. Don’t label any thought as good or bad. Just observe them objectively. Stop taking ownership of your negative thoughts.

Tip #14 – Minimize Activities That Stop You from Being Present
One of the best ways to be more present and change your mindset is to minimize activities that make your brain dull and some that don't. If you aim to become more present so you can accomplish your goals, then you have to remove activities that aren't helping you accomplish those goals.

Tip #15 – Face Your Fears
When you expose yourself repeatedly to your fears, it can begin to lower their intensity. It can help to take the sting out and make it more manageable for you.

Tip #16 – Have Faith in Yourself
One of the core pillars of strength against fear is faith in yourself, your vision, and your ability to succeed. Believe in yourself and your vision and know that you have all the resources you need to become the person you want to be and reach your goals.

Tip #17 – Trust in Your Own Value
Don’t let any compliments boost your ego or any criticisms shake your confidence. Always do your personal best at the moment and continually look for ways to improve next time.

Tip #18 – Be Optimistic
Nothing is certain in life. When you expect the worst, you tend to fear the unknown. Instead, realize that you've been given a choice to create the future you want. In life, you get what you are around.

Tip #19 – Always Show Your Real Self
Always show your true personality. Never be afraid to fully express your thoughts and feelings. Let the world know who you are and what you stand for, and you'll come across as a genuine, confident person who inspires people to break out of their own shells.

Tip #20 – Always Speak Your Mind
If you don’t think that anybody understands you, then you need to speak up and be assertive. Let people know who you are and what you need. This is the only way they can clearly understand you.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Articles Tips

19 Tips for Managing Your Time

written by improvegal71

Life is nothing more than one task to complete followed by another. Life is busy. However, how you deal with your business can make a world of difference when accomplishing what you hope to achieve and reaching your goals.

If you’re tired of not having the time to accomplish your tasks, you're not alone. A lot of people suffer from the inability to manage their time so that they can be more effective and productive throughout the day. However, the difference between them and you are that they aren't trying to change their behavior.

With the right time management skills, there will always be time to do what you want and accomplish your goals.

Tip #1 – Take a Step Back
Many people tend to jump right into their day without thinking it through. They have a list of chores in their mind and are planning on when they can complete which chore. However, without fail, something gets forgotten. To keep this from happening to you, take a deep breath when you first wake up and take a step back from your busy mind. Take the time to write down your tasks so you have an idea of how much time each one will take so you can more effectively plan how you will tackle the list.

Tip #2 – Have a Plan
One of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure your success is to have a plan for accomplishing your to-do list. This is the one step that often gets skipped. Take time to think about where your tasks fit into your day. By planning and breaking down larger tasks, you can accomplish the more important tasks before tackling those tasks that might not be essential.

Tip #3 – Stick to Your Plan
If you throw your plan out the window at the first opportunity, not only have you just wasted your time, but you run the risk of quickly veering off track. When you make a plan, stick to it as closely as you can. While things will happen to prevent your day from going exactly as you planned, you tried to make your plan work the way you intended it to. Learn to quickly deal with the other stuff that comes up and find your way back to your plan.

Tip #4 – Allow Time for Rest
If you’re busy, rest might be a foreign concept. Too often, people will push aside their personal needs in order to accomplish what it is they set out to do. To keep your motivation and reach your goals, you need to make a point of taking a break during your day. Depending on your circumstances, this can mean treating yourself to lunch, having a coffee date with a friend, or finding some time to read a few chapters of your book. Make it a point to have some time to rest so that you don’t burn out.

Tip #5 – Prioritize
Sometimes, it’s just impossible to accomplish everything on your list on a given day. There will be those days when everything wrong will happen, eating up your time. When you plan out your day, make sure to plan to complete your most important tasks first. Give yourself enough time to accomplish them. If you have time to work on other things after you’ve finished, that’s great.

Tip #6 – Write Your Tasks Down
In order to properly plan your day, you need to know what you’re going to need to do on that day. Take some time in the morning to write down your tasks. By seeing what you need to do, you’ll be more likely to get it done. When we get busy, we tend to forget tasks that we needed to accomplish.

Tip #7 – Schedule Your Day
Take the list of things you want to accomplish and make a schedule. Consider how much time each task should take to complete. With this information in mind, aim to complete certain tasks at certain times during the day. While it might not always work out the way you plan, at least you have some structure to your day.

Tip #8 – Take Other Schedules into Account
If you don’t live alone, you need to make sure that you’re aware of the schedules of others in your household. If you have children, their extracurricular activities can impact your schedule. Make sure that you know what the other members of your household are doing and when they are doing it, to save yourself frustration later.

Tip #9 – Plan for the Unexpected
You may have the best laid-out plans, but it never fails that something will happen that ruins those plans. Make exceptions in your schedule for things that might come up that you hadn’t planned for.

Tip #10 – Carry a Schedule
Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, activities, and conversations for a week. Doing this will help you to understand better how much you can get done during the course of a day. You'll have the opportunity to see how much time is spent producing actual results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, actions, and conversations.

Tip #11 – Decide What Results You Want to Attain
Five minutes before you start a task, decide what results you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. After completing each task, take five minutes to determine whether you achieved your desired results.

Tip #12 – Create Time Management Goals
Eliminate your personal time-wasters. The focus of time management isn't actually changing time but changing the behaviors that waste time. For one week, set a goal to not engage in your biggest time-wasting activity, and see how much time you can gain.

Tip #13 – Utilize Time Management Tools
Whether it’s a software program, phone app, or Day-Timer, the first step to effectively managing your time is knowing where it’s going and planning how you’re going to spend your time in the future. Time management tools allow you to easily schedule events and set reminders, making your time management efforts easier.

Tip #14 – Learn to Say No
Making a lot of time commitments can teach you how to juggle various engagements and manage your time. However, it can easily be taken too far. At some point, you need to learn to decline new opportunities. You should only be taking on those commitments that you know you have time for and that you truly care about.

Tip #15 – Don’t Multitask
Multitasking doesn’t work. Rather than splitting your focus to accomplish numerous tasks, devote your entire focus to the task at hand. Find a quiet place to work and cut out all distractions. Concentrate on one task at a time, only moving on when you’ve accomplished the task.

Tip #16 – Be Organized
Being organized will save you a ton of time. Create a filing system for documents and make sure every item has a place to be stored. Unsubscribe from email lists that you don’t want and streamline everything you can.

Tip #17 – Batch Related Tasks Together
Different tasks demand different kinds of thinking, so you should allow your mind to continue to flow with its current zone rather than unnecessarily switching to something that is going to require you to re-orient.

Tip #18 – Eliminate the Non-Essential
If you want to stay motivated and reach your goals, you need to identify the excess and remove it from your life. By removing the non-essential tasks and activities, you can become more and more in touch with what is significant and what deserves your time.

Tip #19 – Leave a Buffer Time Between Tasks
Allow yourself downtime between tasks to breathe and clear your mind. When you rush from task to task, it can be difficult to appreciate what you're doing and to stay focused and motivated.

29 January 2023 0 comment

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21 Tips for Building Your Self Discipline

written by improvegal71

People who are more self-disciplined tend to be more successful in their lives and are better able to accomplish whatever they put their minds to. Sometimes it can be tough to keep yourself in line. Everyone has temptations and vices that can cause them to stray from their ultimate goals.

However, having self-discipline will help you to define your limits and know when you’re getting off track with your goals and expectations. So, if you find that you have no self-discipline, you need to try and find ways to build that discipline and keep it strong whenever you see an opportunity to stray.

Tip #1 – Plan a Routine
Developing a plan and sticking with it is a great way to keep yourself disciplined. Taking the time to have a set routine and sticking with it on a regular basis can help keep you in line and keep yourself motivated throughout the day. It will take some time to get a productive routine down, but once you have it, it’s a quick way for you to ensure that you are disciplined and able to stay motivated throughout the day.

Tip #2 – Keep to Your Routine
Unfortunately, life has a way of interrupting our plans, no matter how prepared we think we are. However, it's how you handle these distractions that will ensure you find success. So, when you see that something is interrupting your routine, work on getting past it as soon as possible, so you can get back to your routine and carry on as if the interruption never happened. When you can stick with your routine, you are more likely to keep the momentum of your day in high gear.

Tip #3 – Have the Same Routine Daily
It can be incredibly confusing if you change your routine too often. Have one routine and work towards keeping it consistent from day to day. A routine can help you continue a steady flow throughout your day. It might take a bit to get your routine in place, but once you do, you will get the driving force that will help propel you through your day.

Tip #4 – Set Specific Goals
Goals are an important part of your motivation. If you don't know what you're aiming for, then you'll do nothing but walk around in circles. Having specific goals in place before you go for it will help you find your motivation so that you can reach those goals. Knowing what you want and what you can gain from the activity will give you the motivation to give it your all.

Tip #5 – Define Your Life to Fit Your Goals
Knowing what you want to accomplish is a good factor to motivate you to succeed in achieving it. Once you know exactly what you want and what goals you need to set out to achieve it, carefully structure your activities around those goals. This can be simply telling yourself that you want to be at this place at this specific time.

Tip #6 – Organize Your Day
Take a few minutes in the morning to organize your day. Organizing your day can help you stay productive and motivated throughout the day. There is nothing more discouraging than not being able to find what you need and having to waste valuable time looking for it. Taking a few minutes to plan ahead and organize how you want to spend your day can help to keep you on track.

Tip #7 – Utilize a Pinup Board
Hang a corkboard someplace where you'll see it daily and pin your goals to it. Looking at your goals on a regular basis can help to rekindle lost motivation and get you back on track to pursuing them. This is an inexpensive and quick way to visually motivate yourself and keep you working toward accomplishing your goals.

Tip #8 – Talk Through Your Motions
When you talk through what you’re doing, you tend to pay better attention to what you’re doing. This can save you a ton of time because you won’t wander around aimlessly and forget what you wanted to do in the first place. When we are more aware of what we are doing, we tend to make each movement count.

Tip #9 – Celebrate Small Victories
When you don't want to get moving and feel lethargic, praising yourself for the small things that you've accomplished will help motivate you and keep you on the right path to reaching your goals. While it might seem silly, it really can be a great motivator, especially when you're lacking the energy and drive to get through the day.

Tip #10 – Compete with Yourself
Competing with yourself can help you to get moving faster. Competing against yourself to do better than you did the day before can make you want to step up your game and push yourself to do better than before. There are many different ways that you can compete with yourself, so you can become better and improve your motivational goals.

Tip #11 – Challenge Yourself
Find motivation and self-discipline by challenging yourself to complete new tasks on a daily basis. Challenging yourself daily to complete new, more difficult tasks, can keep you excited and make you want to continue trying, and can help you improve your habits.

Tip #12 – Allow Others to Challenge You
Competition with others will fuel your desire to continue on the journey to reaching your goals. Use those around you to help you become more self-disciplined and help you find motivation and success. A little competition can go a long way in helping you go further and accomplish more than you would under your own power.

Tip #13 – Filter Your Mind of Negative Thoughts
Before you can set your goals and be motivated to discipline yourself, you need to start filtering the negative thoughts out of your mind. This will allow you to begin to focus on what matters. Unless you cleanse your mind of poisonous thoughts, you will find it impossible to think clearly and believe in yourself.

Tip #14 – Talk Kindly to Yourself
To rid yourself of the negative thoughts that you nurture, you have to pay attention to your self-talk. In order for you to be able to move forward and reach your goals, you have to build a positive mindset. A positive mindset starts with talking kindly to yourself. It takes a lot of courage to be kind to yourself, but it is necessary if you want to find yourself in a better place.

Tip #15 – Develop a Can-Do Attitude
To effectively push yourself forward and embrace challenges, you have to develop a can-do attitude. Doing this requires a commitment to yourself that you will do whatever it takes to become more disciplined and that you will strive for what matters most to you despite all odds.

Tip #16 – Develop Positive Affirmations
One way to ensure that you follow through with your goals is to turn them into affirmations and repeat them daily. When you repeatedly say something to yourself with deep conviction, you affirm in your mind and compel it to accept that suggestion and work toward fulfilling it. As soon as your mind accepts the suggestion as the absolute truth, it will focus its energy on it and make you take meaningful action to reach your goal.

Tip #17 – Break Your Bad Habits
If you want to become more disciplined so you can achieve your goals and become more productive, you need to get rid of all the bad habits that keep you from being the best version of yourself. Your habits shape your life, so if you want to build a good, meaningful life and accomplish all your goals, you need to eliminate the bad habits that keep you from fulfilling your mission.

Tip #18 – Make an Action Plan
Without an action plan, you won't be able to move toward your goals efficiently. A plan of action will provide you with a step-by-step guideline for moving toward each of your goals. With an action plan in hand, you can complete necessary tasks every day that are needed to achieve your goals. Break your big goal, into smaller, more manageable steps and work on them daily.

Tip #19 – Have the Bigger Picture in Mind
If you have difficulty starting tasks or you lose your motivation, stop what you’re doing and recall your end goal and think of the bigger picture. Recall why you’re pursuing the particular goal and reiterate to yourself the importance of having self-discipline for achieving your goals.

Tip #20 – Focus on the Present
If you want to make continuous progress, it is important that you learn how to live in the present. Thinking too much about the future can overwhelm you, making it extremely tough to work on
the current task effectively. Likewise, when you live in the past and continue to remember the setbacks you've experienced, you're unable to take the meaningful action you need to continue to move forward.

Tip #21 – Learn from Your Experiences
Every experience that you go through, be it good or bad, should be seen as a learning experience. If you make a mistake, don’t regret the mistake, and don’t feel bad about making it. Instead, focus on what you can do to improve. Accept each challenge and obstacle happily and wholeheartedly to stop yourself from fearing setbacks.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Motivation Tips

20 Tips for Finding Your Motivation

written by improvegal71

If you find that you can't bring yourself to go through the necessary actions to reach your goals, then you more than likely lack motivation. Motivation isn't something that is simply found; you have to make it happen. If you find yourself in a rut, here are some practical ways to drive yourself forward to accomplish your goals and change your life.

Tip #1 – Make a Deal with Yourself
If you want to overcome procrastination and start getting things done, you need to make a deal with yourself. This deal can be either big or small. For example, you can tell yourself, “When I’m done with these reports, I can take a walk in the park and enjoy some ice cream.” Giving yourself something fun to do once you complete your task can keep you motivated to get things done.

Tip #2 – Leave Yourself Messages in the Morning
There may be mornings when you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see. This can quickly kill any motivation you have and quickly ruin your day. To avoid this issue, find a message that will inspire you to be your best, even if you don’t look or feel it. Using a dry-erase marker, write the self-affirming message on your bathroom mirror. This will help build your self-image and help you start your day on a positive note.

Tip #3 – Don’t Hit the Snooze Button
One phrase that can quickly zap your motivation is, “Just five more minutes.” When you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, you're starting the day off by procrastinating the inevitable task of getting up and going. Having an extra five minutes in bed in the morning isn't going to do you any favors and will kill your motivation. Get up and take the day on.

Tip #4 – Practice Positive Self Talk
If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, start practicing positive self-talk. When your alarm goes off in the morning, instead of grumbling and hitting the snooze button, tell yourself, “I can do this!” By affirming yourself in this way, it will make it easier for you to get out of bed and get going in the mornings.

Tip #5 – Stay on a Regular Schedule
Knowing what to expect can keep you motivated, which is why it’s important to know your daily schedule and stick with it as much as you possibly can. While things do happen that can interrupt a schedule, knowing that you have one planned and in place can make it much easier to keep on track and still stay productive during the day.

Tip #6 – Breakfast is Key
Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast is the key to starting your day out right. Food is energy, so by eating in the morning and choosing the right types of foods, you will remain focused on your daily tasks and goals. Even when you feel pressed for time, have a go-to meal that will give you the nutrition you need to start your day off right. Breakfast is the one meal that is skipped by far too many and it is arguably the most important meal of the day.

Tip #7 – Have a Morning Routine
Having a morning routine can help you gain motivation to propel you into the rest of your day. Knowing what to expect and knowing that once it’s done what comes next will help you make it through your day. Changes in your routine can make it difficult to think clearly and have a productive day. However, doing the same general activities in the same order can help you get going.

Tip #8 – Participate in Morning Exercise
Taking a morning walk or heading to the gym first thing in the morning can increase your motivation for the rest of the day. Regular exercise can improve your blood flow and keep you from feeling sleepy or lethargic throughout your day. Even participating in a simple stretching routine in the morning can help to increase your blood flow and get you moving.

Tip #9 – Take One Step at a Time
Concentrate on one action at a time. If you think about everything you have to do, then your energy levels will feel even lower. Take your routine one step at a time and don't focus on what you have left to do. When you only focus on immediate action, you won't mentally deplete what energy you have left.

Tip #10 – Keep Moving Forward
Once you get moving, keep moving. Energy isn’t something that lives in a bottle and can be taken on a whim. Sometimes you have to force yourself to keep going. Maintaining your momentum increases the chances that you will continue to be productive and finish what you started out to accomplish in the first place. Don’t fool yourself by telling yourself that you’ll be able to do it later. This is nothing more than procrastinating and will ultimately leave a lot of unwanted tasks sitting on the back burner.

Tip #11 – Reward Yourself
When you are faced with a difficult task or situation, setting up a reward for when you complete it successfully can help you remain motivated. Rewarding yourself for completing difficult tasks can keep you motivated to keep going with the job and accomplish it in the time frame you've set.

Tip #12 – Leave Yourself Notes
Leaving yourself encouraging notes in places that you often look at can make you feel better about yourself. Writing encouraging notes to yourself can help to remind you that you can do it and make it through whatever challenges that life throws in your direction.

Tip #13 – Track Your Progress
When your list of to-dos seems longer than what you have completed, take a moment and think of everything that you’ve accomplished during a certain period. While you may not be where you wanted to be at that moment, you need to remind yourself that you completed some of your tasks. Giving yourself that small pat on the back will help to keep you motivated and help you to continue with whatever tasks you still need to complete.

Tip #14 – Make Small Goals
It is extremely easy to feel overwhelmed when you set your standards and your goals too high. Setting small and attainable goals from the start will help you stay motivated when you reach them so that you can move on to the next step. When you set your goals too high, to begin with, you can become discouraged too easily and feel overwhelmed.

Tip #15 – Work on One Project at a Time
You may think that multitasking is a good idea until you realize you have unfinished projects on your list. Not only do you still have to complete each of the projects, but it makes you feel like you can't even achieve one. To keep your motivation, you need to focus completely on finishing one project at a time, seeing it through to the end before you begin the next one. Not only will this keep your motivation because you’ve achieved what you set out to do, but you will become more productive.

Tip #16 – Turn to Others
Those around you can be great resources when it comes to finding your motivation. Find some supportive friends and family who can help you achieve your overall goal and provide you with the motivation you need when the going gets tough.

Tip #17 – Clear Your Mind
When you start to feel completely overwhelmed, it's best to step away from the situation and take a deep breath. Allow your mind to relax and clear itself from the stress that it might be currently experiencing. Going into something with a clear mind will provide you with the fresh perspective that you need to help you stay motivated and productive.

Tip #18 – Think of Things that Energize You
If you lack energy, you can think about things that energize and motivate you to give you the necessary boost to get moving. Using whatever the thought is that will drive you, allow it to replay through your mind over and over again as you pursue the not-so-pleasant tasks that you might be facing when you're less than motivated and lack energy.

Tip #19 – Listening to Upbeat Music
Music has the uncanny ability to dictate your mood. Upbeat and positive music can help you get going when you have low motivation. Try finding upbeat music that you like to listen to and play when you lack energy and motivation and see if it won’t have a positive effect on your motivation and energy.

Tip #20 – Find Your Mantra
A mantra doesn't have to be long; it just has to get you excited. When you lack energy and feel unmotivated, it’s those few words that remind you what matters to you and get you to take action toward achieving the goals you’ve set for yourself.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Articles Success Tips

10 tips to Reach your Goals: Self-Improvement and Success

written by improvegal71

One of the best ways to self-improve is to accomplish your goals.

This can lead to pride, self-respect, and to a better sense of responsibility.

1. Recognise your own path – when it comes to reaching your goals and improving your life, you need to be the leader. You are in control of what you want and your goals should come down to you and you alone. Just because your Dad wants you to be a lawyer and your Mom wants you to have 5 children does not mean this is what you have to do- it’s your life and thus, you are the boss.

2. Disassociate yourself from negativity – in the same way positive thoughts lead to positive results, negative thoughts lead to negative results. Negativity may be all around you- bitchy co-workers; unhappy neighbors; a depressing partner. Disassociate yourself from those types of people. You are in a happy, positive place- no negativity allowed.

3. Define your goals clearly – goals are what make life worth living. Think long and hard about what you want to accomplish and how you are going to get there. Make steps, including financial costs, and put in as much detail as possible- the more defined your goals are, the easier they will be to achieve (and the more rewarding when you get there).

4. Push jealousy aside – when you watch someone on a parallel path reaching their goals a lot sooner, it can be hard to sit back and be happy for them. But this is what you are going to have to do. Getting rid of this envy and resentment is a big hurdle in improving yourself. But, once you overcome these feelings, you are a lot closer to reaching a state of Zen-like success.

5. Use visual reminders as boosters – being able to clearly see your goal can help motivate you and keep you focused on your game plan. Many people will post a picture of their ‘dream body’ on the fridge when they are trying to lose weight. Others will use their ‘dream car’ as their computer screen saver at work when those tough days get them down. A visual reminder can boost your motivation and drive to succeed.

6. See yourself at the end – as mentioned above, visualization is vital to reach your goal and improve yourself. This is why it’s important to visualize yourself there. See yourself fitting into that size 10. Feel the breeze on your cheeks as you drive that sports car. Seeing is believing.

7. Use timelines – tracking your success can help you put your goal into perspective and see how far you’ve already come. It’s important for self-improvement that you recognize your feats and be proud of what you have done, or are planning to do.

8. Reward yourself on the way – be happy with your progress. Whether your goal will take you twenty days or twenty years doesn’t matter- the important thing is that you are doing it. You are getting there. To keep yourself motivated every step of the way, you need to reward yourself with small treats. Be proud of how far you have come and prepare for the journey ahead.

9. Look for role models – look to those who are on the same path as you for inspiration. Perhaps this is the CEO of the company; perhaps this is your father. Try to immerse yourself in their life and ask questions. Their positive energy may just rub off on you. And, if not, at least you are learning from the experts how to get where you want to go.

10. Make room for failure – it can’t be a smooth road all the time- there have to be plenty of bumps along the way. In fact, it is these bumps that make the road worth traveling. Failure is a big part of our lives and we need to learn to live, love, and laugh at failure rather than give in to it. Henry Ford once said that every failed attempt is just another opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. Failure is experience and experience is power.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Articles Tips

17 Family and Relationships Self-Improvement Tips

written by improvegal71

When you have a family, your self-improvement does not stop with just you- your children and your spouse become a big part of you. It’s important to find harmony in your family relationship in order to improve your overall self-worth.

Furthermore, for those looking for love, self-improvement often goes hand in hand with self-respect.

The below tips are meant for both those looking for love and those looking to re-solidify and strengthen their relationship in order to improve their life fulfillment and their self-importance.

1. Go out and have fun – if you are looking to meet someone, you have to put yourself out there. Do the things you love to do- dancing, visiting art galleries, seeing sports games, and/or going to movies. If you emerge yourself in your hobbies and make the effort to talk to those around you, then you will have a much better chance of not only meeting someone but also finding someone with the same interests as you.

2. Bring sexy back – in order to look good on the outside, you need to feel great on the inside. However, that doesn’t mean you have to neglect your exterior! For the ladies out there- schedule a pampering day where you can get your nails done, your legs waxed and your face exfoliated. Treat yourself to a cute outfit and strut your stuff. For the men out there, choose an outfit that is casual and cool, gel back that hair, and drizzle on your sexiest cologne.

3. Respect yourself – and others will follow. If you treat your body, mind, and soul poorly, then others will as well. Don’t let the opposite sex walk all over you. Stand proud and respect your body and your choices. Self-respect is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome on the road to self-improvement.

4. Be on the lookout for love – for those who lack confidence, mingling, flirting and dating can be a nightmare. However, retreating back to your shell is not going to be any better. You need to push past those fears and go out and mingle.

5. Don’t take it all to heart – there are good dates, and then there are bad dates. If you let those bad dates get to you, then you will never be able to enjoy those good dates again. Laugh about those awkward pauses and inappropriate comments. Don’t take it personally. Take it in stride and remember that every bad date just brings you one step closer to that perfect one.

6. Get naked! – This is a great self-improvement tip for both singles and couples. All you singleton’s out there, you need to really love your body in order to feel comfortable. So get naked and jump in front of that mirror- focus on things you love about your body and how you can enhance your best assets. For couples, getting naked and feeling sexual is an extremely important part of any healthy relationship.

7. Give and receive – relationships are never one-sided, or at least they shouldn’t be. You need to be prepared to give, receive and compromise on almost every aspect of your life. This means you will have to give up some things and limit that selfish behavior. Letting someone else into your life is an important step towards self-improvement.

8. Make a date and keep it! – Many couples have trouble finding time for one another, which can lead to a big strain on their relationship, physically and emotionally. This, in turn, can lead to a feeling of failure and a loss of self-worth. So what’s the cure? Easy- make time for one another. Set a certain time every day to spend together. This could be as simple as going for a brief walk, a coffee in the morning, or an uninterrupted dinner at night. Make the date, and keep it, no matter what.

9. Communicate – you’ve heard it before. Communication is vital for any strong relationship. Improve your relationship and your self-understanding by opening up, letting go, and talking about what’s on your mind. It can be incredibly therapeutic. Share work stories, discuss movies, admit your feelings- open your mouth and talk. However, it’s equally important to listen as well!

10. Schedule singles (or alone) nights as well – too much together time can actually lead to a strain in your relationship and cause you to lose touch with your inner self. Make sure you still do alone activities as well as activities together. Go fishing with the boys or plan a Wine Wednesday with the ladies. Don’t lose touch with that independent streak that makes you, well, you.

11. Eat dinner together– for most families, eating every meal together can be impossible. The kids have school, you have work and it’s just not going to happen. However, scheduling a sit-down dinner every night is a great way to reconnect and recharge as a family -no television, no telephone, and no text messaging. This will improve your relationships with your kids and your spouse and keep you all connected to what’s going on in your independent lives.

12. Discover the power of touch – touch is an incredibly powerful sense, especially when it is used to express love. A mother’s touch is soothing for a child and a husband’s touch can be sensual and romantic. Improve your family relationships by giving plenty of cuddles, kisses, and family hugs.

13. Be more than a parent – many parents have trouble improving themselves when they see their children struggling. This is why you need to be both their Mom or Dad, and their teacher. Let them know you are there for them. Help them with schoolwork, work on their spelling and play reading games with them. When your child is having trouble in school, then so are you.

14. Choose hobbies that everyone can enjoy – families who laugh together, and stay together. Make sure you involve all members of your family in activities. Camping, picnics, boating, and fishing can be fun for the whole family. When you are spending more time doing activities alone than with your family, then this can lead to disconnection and discontent. Reconnect and improve these relationships.

15. Travel together– family vacations are a great way to break out of that dull pattern and see the world through someone else’s eyes. Furthermore, for couples, taking a vacation somewhere out of the ordinary can bring back that spark that may have fizzled out. Discovering the sights and re-discovering each other in a foreign setting can be sexy and exciting.

16. Share the responsibility – Mom shouldn’t always be in charge of cooking and cleaning. Make sure everyone helps out, including Dad. Split up the chores so that the kids are helping with the dishes and so Dad is helping with laundry. This can take the household stresses away from Mom, help teach the children about responsibility and bring the family closer together.

17. The little things make all the difference – flowers to let her know you are thinking about her, a small chocolate treat for a great game of soccer, and a goofy text message just to say hello all put a smile on their faces and help strengthen those ever-important relationships.

29 January 2023 0 comment

Physical Tips

18 Health and Fitness Self-Improvement Tips

written by improvegal71

There’s no better place to start self-improvement than with your health.

After all, health is one of the most important aspects of life. Taking care of your health is the first step on the road to self-improvement.

1. Eat breakfast– start the day off right with a quick morning breakfast. Fruit and yogurt, granola and milk, or whole-wheat toast and peanut butter will ensure you start on the right foot.

2. Relax in the morning– get up a couple of minutes early and savor that extra time. Enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise; take a few extra minutes to yourself in the shower, or go for a quick brisk walk around the block to get your heart pumping. There’s nothing worse than starting your day in a rush. A few minutes in the morning can make a world of difference.

3. Exercise with a friend– Exercise releases endorphins, which can lift your spirit as well as help you maintain a healthy weight. However, sometimes it can be hard to get out of bed and actually hit the gym. Combining your friendly chatter with exercise can make exercise much more fun. Working out with a friend, whether this is a morning stroll, a spin class, an evening run, or anything else, can keep you motivated and revved for the rest of the day.

4. Don’t just drink water, enjoy water – tap water is fine, in most instances, but pure water makes a big difference. It’s important to drink 2 liters of water each day; however, this shouldn’t seem like a chore. Add some ice cubes, cordial, and enjoy water through a fun straw to make it more indulgent. Water doesn’t have to be just water.

5. Get your vitamins – it’s amazing what one little pill can do for your health. Multivitamins can give your body the nourishment it is lacking. We can’t eat perfectly balanced and healthy all the time, which is why vitamins were created.

6. Hide (or throw away) the scales – a scale is the only ingredient you need for a recipe for disaster when it comes to self-improvement. Hide it. Throw it away and don’t think about it. You have more important things to worry about than your weight. If you feel great on the inside, then it will show on the outside, regardless of what those darned scales say.

7. Stop Smoking– quitting smoking is hard; not quitting is even harder. If you are a smoker, start small and get the help you need. You can start to reduce your cigarette intake which is the first step to a healthier you and an improved lifestyle.

8. Get your daily exercise – 30 minutes of exercise each day is recommended by health professionals. This includes simple changes to your lifestyle like incorporating a walk into your evening activities, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and riding your bike to work once and a while.

9. Stretch – stretching can keep your muscles feeling relaxed and also helps to relieve stress.

10. Follow the food guide – The health professionals made the daily food chart for a reason. Try to get 2 servings of fruit, five servings of fruit, dairy, and protein each day.

11. Reward yourself (in moderation)– a weekly treat is necessary for all your hard work to remain healthy. Treat yourself to something you love like low-fat ice cream or chocolate. On the path to self-improvement, there is always time to stop and eat dessert.

12. Accept the aging process – many people have trouble coming to terms with their body’s changes as they age. It’s important to understand that aging is a natural process. Learn to love your wrinkles, your grey hair, and your less-than-tight skin. There are many celebrities who have passed 40 and look great – without the need for ‘any work' being done.

13. Limit your alcohol intake – having a glass of wine with dinner is fine; however, when you are drinking a bottle of wine a night, or, even worse, binge drinking, then you are causing serious damage to your body. If you are going to drink, drink responsibly. Make sure you have a designated driver or cab ride and drink plenty of water throughout the night.

14. Don’t neglect your oral hygiene– make it a habit to brush, floss, and use sugar-free, alcohol-free mouthwash daily. Make a trip to the dentist once a year too. No one likes going to the dentist- but no one wants to lose his or her teeth either.

15. De-stress – remaining healthy is not just about being on the go non-stop. You also need to stop, relax and de-stress. Stress is unavoidable at some times. The best way to deal with stress is to push away from it for a few minutes, let your body relax, and then tackle it head-on.

16. Invest in Sleep – you don’t need us to tell you how important sleep is. This is why it’s a good idea to reward yourself at night with expensive sheets, a perfectly firm mattress, and cozy down covers. Your bed is your battery recharger and it's vital that you get enough sleep. Make sure it’s in tip-top condition. We could write a whole article about sleep – and will.

17. Get creative with food – variety is the spice of life, and this couldn’t be truer than in the kitchen. Share recipes with friends, check online cooking forums, and have fun with your food. You can still eat a healthy (and affordable) diet that doesn’t just consist of brown rice, grilled chicken, and salad. Spice it up and make those meals more interesting!

18. If you get sick, then be sick – so many people attempt to work through their illness. Stop. If you are sick, then stay in bed, do not spread this to other people. Getting sick is your body’s way of telling you that you are working too hard. You will feel better faster if you just accept the illness and take a break. Plus, you will not be contaminating those around you. So let your body heal!

We hope you enjoyed our 18 Health and Fitness Self-Improvement Tips, now go and put as many of these into practice and see the difference it can make.

29 January 2023 0 comment