The Power of Productivity

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Motivation Monday Thought on a Tuesday: Be Your Own Inspiration!

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

― George Bernard Shaw

  Finding inspirational role models can be tough at times. There are so many individuals and outlets to choose from.  Today, I want you to focus on a new source for inspiration…YOURSELF! I used to think that inspiration only came from individuals that were doing what I wanted or even wished that I could do. Then, I arrived at the moment when I discovered myself. It was funny because I was right there all along and simply needed to tap into that unending source of inspiration called “self”. If you do not value yourself to the point of inspiration, then you may need to reevaluate your life. These are a few tips on how to find inspiration from your daily actions:

SPEND TIME WITH YOURSELF

Take the time to list the things that make you feel good about yourself. (When you feel good about yourself, you tend to be in a better creative space)

Focus on actions that support those “feel good” emotions. (Doing more of what makes you happy creates an abundance of positive energy and attracts the same to you {I love quantum physics})

Take note of your uniqueness and nurture it. (There is only one you! Embracing every aspect about yourself will free you from many of the things that have been holding you back)

GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT

Every task that is completed should be celebrated. (After all, you did get it finished)

No one expects perfection and neither should you. (The only requirement expected, is that you perform each task with the degree of respect and excellence that it deserves)

Have patience and consideration for yourself. (Think about how often you show patience and consideration to others. Is the amount of instances greater than what you show to yourself?)

CONQUER THE WORLD

Every day, dare to perform the actions that generate those “good feelings”. (With no excuses, persistently pursue your right to make yourself feel good)

Be an example of a purpose driven life. (You were here to be great and there is no doubt about that!)

REMEMBER: You are exceptionally unique and were not born to conform, but to transform!

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Great video to check out

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I am only ONE, but still I am ONE.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Have you had that conversation with yourself about your purpose and the journey to actualizing that purpose? Are you resolute about your purpose and process? With that purpose and the process to that purpose on your mind, have you adhered to your path? Have you unknowingly veered off of your path? Have you unknowingly deviated from your path and veered onto someone else’s path?

DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE:

Determine what you love to do.

Identify the actions that bring you joy and satisfaction

Take notice of what you have a natural talent for

Meditate/Prey for guidance on your purpose

DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN:

Research information related to your purpose

Seek opportunities to become involved with activities related to your purpose

Perform activities that are in line with your purpose regularly (If you do any activities for free, then chuck it up to marketable experience)

Find a mentor who purpose may be similar to yours and learn from them

NEVER WAIVER:

 Do not become discouraged when things do not unfold rapidly

 Planning, Persistence, and Patience are your best friends (3 P’s)

 Surround yourself with visual inspiration

Always remember that success belongs to the one who continues after everyone quits.              

YOUR PATH IS YOUR OWN:

 Protect your purpose and your journey from those who do not have your best interest in mind

Never allow your purpose or your journey to be convoluted by anyone

 Embrace those who inspire and challenge you to greatness on your journey to the fulfillment of your life’s purpose

 Be patient and embrace every aspect of your path and your process. Every pit fall and failure has a lesson and a blessing

REMEMBER:

Planning increases your effectiveness and productivity

Strategic action increases your productivity

Productively executing your tasks and goals WILL have you living your purpose faster

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Motivation Monday Thought On A Tuesday: Fear is a LIE!

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”

― Anaïs Nin

  Fear is a LIE! Whatever fear told you was intended to keep you from your greatness. Whatever fear told you was to keep you from your purpose. Whatever fear told you was to keep you from your destiny. This is the moment when you decide not to let fear dictate your actions. The moment that you look fear in the face and acknowledge its power. Let this, be the moment that you conquer fear itself. You are greater, stronger, smarter, and more adaptable than you give yourself credit for. So now, this is your moment to BE EPIC!

Courage is one of the greatest blessings of character that an individual can have. It is what you call on to face your fears, and withstand difficulty. We encounter situations daily where courage must be called upon to get us through them. If you allow fear to be the motivating factor in your life decisions, you will never be in control of your life.  You will find that you have become reactionary rather than taking a broad minded approach. Life is too short to be a passive observer because you are afraid. If you can persevere in spite of your fears, I can promise you that your courage will grow. Human beings are incredibly resilient. We have successfully survived and thrived despite adversity. This is YOUR life. You only have one. You are here on this Earth with a purpose that is unique to you. Only you can achieve your purpose, so you have to face every day with that knowledge. There is only one you. The world needs what you have to offer. The world needs for you to be in tune with your purpose. The world needs you to act or speak without fear. The world needs you to LIVE without fear. It needs you to be FEARLESS. The moment that you give up fear for greatness, you encourage others to greatness.

 Video inspiration:

Derek Redmond Video

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I am taking over the world...How about you?

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Confidence is a quality that is very important to have. Confidence among other factors has been shown to increase a person’s productivity levels. It enables better communication, cultivates trust and respect, as well as exudes ownership over one’s actions. Now, I understand that confidence is not something that is naturally innate to everyone. With that being said, confidence CAN be acquired through practice and couching. Listed below are a couple of pointers to get you started:

Research topics that you want to become efficient or proficient in.

The more knowledge that you have about a topic, the greater your confidence is. Think about the difference in the tone and posture of an individual who speaks on topics that they are well versed in. Their presence commands the attention of others.  In that moment they have earned your trust and more than likely, become viewed as an authority on that particular topic.

Practice speaking to yourself in the mirror.

Give short speeches or presentations in the mirror. Take note of your mannerisms during the presentation. This way, you can see firsthand what others see when they are observing you. Also, don’t be shy! Walk around and use hand gestures if you like. The point is to be comfortable and relaxed as you speak, while also being poised and authoritative.

Get the shoes.

Literally! If it is not a pair of shoes that you want, then find that outfit or accessory that makes you feel awesome. When you dress in a manner that makes you feel good, you tend to radiate confidence. Dress in conjunction with the way that you want others to view you. If you want to be viewed as a corporate powerhouse, then get a great suit that showcases the ideal for that type of position. If you want to be viewed as a fashion forward individual, then look at magazines and others sources that assist you in creating fashion forward looks.

Fall in LOVE

The confidence that comes in and with genuine love is amazing. So I recommend that you fall in love all over again, with YOURSELF. Stop nick picking about imperfections that many of us will never notice anyway. Take the time every day to express gratitude for all of you perfections and imperfections. Embrace them all fully and unconditionally. Let the weight of negative thinking and opinions fall to the ground. Building yourself up with love is the greatest confidence booster that you could ever imagine!

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Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs. –Farrah Gray

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Want to change your life, then change your mind

2014 has officially arrived and I hope that it meets you all with love, prosperity, clarity, and growth. One of the things that keep many of us from reaching our goals or being productive is our mindset. For anything to be actualized, it begins as a thought. If we do not possess clarity in our thoughts, then we are already several steps behind. From the mind things can become matter, but I don’t want to delve into the quantum physics rabbit hole just yet. Meditation is a great way to gain clarity and focus within your thoughts and thought processes. So I decided to share with you all a short meditation that I happen to like by Bob Procter. After the meditation notice the changes, if any in how you feel. Did it boost your energy? Do you feel refreshed? Do you feel grounded or feel clarity in your thoughts?  If what you are feeling is something that you would like to incorporate into your daily activities then commit to meditating daily. I am not saying that you have to do this for hours a day. Start in small and manageable increments. The goal is not to be overwhelmed. No one including yourself should expect for you to mediate like you have been practicing for years.  Simply start off in small increments of 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Take note of how you feel after each session. Commit to creating time and comfortable space to your meditation. After a couple of weeks take the time to really reflect on what has transpired due to the incorporation of daily meditation.  Love and Light to you in this New Year beloveds!

Bob Proctor's Shift Your Paradigm meditation exercise:

http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=aFr_Ntpf81JjfpnyakT1cg&u=/watch?v=83wYrxVafg4&feature=share

  **For additional information on the health benefits (and there are plenty) of meditation, I have added the following links**

Mayo Clinic

Food Matters

Huffington Post

WebMD

Transcendental Meditation

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine  

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“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

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Found this article on the Daily Muse that highlighted this video. It speaks to rethinking the way you view your strengths and weaknesses. I must say my friends, that it is a good video to check out.

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How Lying To Yourself Kills Your Productivity

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”

― Laura Ingalls Wilder

What stands in the way of your ability to be productive, are the lies that you tell to yourself. I know, you’re probably like huh. The truth of the matter my friends, is that we cannot get to where we want to be by trying to please others or by not listening to our personal truths. I know that this seems elementary, but many of us still do this as adults. We try to force ourselves to be happy, force ourselves to perform tasks in certain ways and then, wonder why we’re not successful. The answer is, because we lie to ourselves. The problem is that lying keeps you from acknowledging what truly needs to be done and recognizing the actions that need to be taken to get things done. Now, while there are a million instances of how and why we lie to ourselves, we almost always see it affect our jobs, health, and relationships. Think about it…..

1.       The moment you should have realized that it’s not about the money.

The worst feeling in the world is being stuck in a dead end job or one that does not make you happy. I understand that you many feel as though happiness is not as important as paying your mortgage. Let me say though, the stress, along with other physical and psychological conditions that unhappiness in a job can cause, costs the U.S. roughly 300 billion within the U.S. alone according to Gallup. The APA states that an unhealthy workplace can increase depression and heart disease rates. To assist with this issue, the APA has even created and annual award to honor businesses that provide psychologically healthy workplaces. If you put a dollar ahead of your health and happiness, you will in time find yourself spending that very same money to acquire the health and happiness that you long for.

  2.       The moment that you should have realized that it takes proper planning.

We all have these resolutions of health and weight loss as the New Year approaches. We think that this time will be different and that we will meet THIS goal with success. The problem is that most of us do not take the time to research healthy eating habits, develop an exercise plan, and garner support before embarking on such a task. We just blindly jump in without a plan and tell ourselves that it will be as easy as pie to achieve.  New York Times writes that 4 out of 5 individuals that make resolutions fail to keep them.  One of the keys to success in any endeavor is proper planning. Without it we are directionless and at the mercy of various situations and circumstances. We then become susceptible to being easily swayed. The value is in the plan. It enables a person to be firmly rooted on a particular path, regardless of what comes up.

3.       The moment you should have realized that reciprocity is essential.

Many of our relationships lack reciprocity. The problem is that we make excuses about why it is alright to be treated in such a way. One sided relationships can have other side effects that you may not realize. The Journal of Psychosomatic Research published an article that contended that relationships that lack reciprocity are associated with poorer health. Proceedings B published an article of an experiment that contends that upstream reciprocity significantly enhances the level of selflessness within a population. The main point is that reciprocity creates happiness and fulfillment within relationships and can also increase gratitude levels. Ultimately, relationships with reciprocity can make you happier and healthier.  

  If I decided to write about every lie that I or anyone else ever told themselves, I would be writing forever. The point is that honesty about our desires, capabilities, knowledge, and relationships will always ensure that we are productively and proactively achieving our goals. Without honesty, much of what we try to do will fail because lying handicaps our ability to research, plan, and execute that plan thoroughly. If things fail, remember the biggest lie that we tell ourselves, is that we cannot start over again.

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“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” ― Coco Chanel

Just a thought:

Always make it a point to make yourself an asset to the team. Going that extra mile to set yourself a part and do what others cannot do, many times will give you the competitive edge. Take the time to learn aspects of jobs other than your own. Make it a point to observe areas of weaknesses within your organization and find solutions to address them. Be creative and fearless, the companies next big idea may just come from you. Stay on top of new developments within your field. This will show a dedication to your craft and is a testament to your ambition to be the best at what you do.

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“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” ― Confucius

Just a thought: How much of a self defeating notion is it to simply move mountains in their entirety. For many the thought alone is exhausting. Now, if we shift perspectives and start taking pieces from the mountain bit by bit, it has become a manageable task. Knowing when to scale back in order to produce forward movement is a wise strategy for getting things done. It takes just as much finesse and skill to take something apart in small increments as you would think it does to conquer huge tasks. There is a huge difference between deconstruction and destruction. Do not destroy your productivity and forward movement simply because you do not want to explore the option of breaking things down and moving steadily at a slower pace to achieve your goals.