Personal Growth Cafe – Page 66 – Empowering You to Live Your Inspired Vision!

December 21, 2018February 20, 2018

Thinking Your Way to Success

Do you often envision yourself achieving great things, and then follow this up with a negative thought process?

Do you talk yourself out of your dreams before you even begin to pursue them?

If so, you need to change the way you think.

When you change your thought processes to success thinking you truly can change your life.

Positive thoughts enable you to reach out and grasp the success you seek.

Affirmations and You

Wanting to succeed and being able to envision your success is a great place to start.

When you can do this, you’re giving yourself permission to change your life, attain your goals, and be a success.

There will be days when it’s more difficult to think in a positive and success affirming way; during these times you can turn to a useful tool called affirmations.

Affirmations have helped a lot of people turn their thinking into positive thinking, propelling them toward their goals in a new and exciting way.

Affirmations for success can help you change the way you think about everything.

If you’re honest with yourself, you may find that much of your inner dialogue, how you feel about yourself, and even the way you carry yourself are negative.

This destructive thinking sets you up to fail or causes you to give up before you ever really get started.

As with anything new, creating a success mindset will take practice to give you the best results.

The good news is: you can get all the practice you need with the help of success affirmations.

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are positive statements that activate your mind to change your life, one thought at a time.

They enable you to accomplish the things you wish to achieve.

Affirmations work because each word we speak has power, the power to evoke emotions.

They work because they allow you to program – or reprogram – your thought processes, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

For example, if you find that you’re telling yourself what you can’t do, you can replace these negative thoughts with an affirmation for success, such as, “I am capable of succeeding without feeling overwhelmed or unfulfilled.”

If that statement doesn’t quite fit you, there are many affirmations for success, such as “I am worthy of great success.”

All you need to do is want to feel this way, and then every time you say these statements aloud you reaffirm them to your subconscious.

Is It Really This Easy?

Many of the most successful people in the world aren’t much different than you.

The key characteristic that sets them apart, though, is that they have a success mindset.

It seems too simple to be true, but when you talk to people who’ve experienced success, you’ll find that they use statements like these to drive them toward their goals and away from negativity.

Their inner dialogue is one of success and achievement.

If success came naturally to all of us, we would all be successful.

Unfortunately, in this day and time, many people prefer to focus on the negative, rather than embrace success.

With affirmations, you can overcome your limiting, negative thoughts and make it second nature for you to choose success.

Success can be a reality for you, so long as you believe and reaffirm your positive thoughts consistently.

What goals have you had in life?

How have you accomplished these goals?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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December 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Why I Use Positive Affirmations Every Day

Thinking positive thoughts every day will allow you to live a more positive life.

It’s easy to be overcome by negative thoughts and experiences, and it’s important to create a positive dialogue with yourself to get you through those tough times.

Some people call these thoughts positive self talk, and this form of inner dialogue can allow you to reach new heights as a person, overcoming all that stands in your way.

Understanding Positive Self Talk

Positive self-talk is the practice of responding to those negative thoughts that creep into your mind throughout the day.

You know the thoughts: the ones that have you thinking, “you can’t” instead of “you can,” or “it’s too hard” instead of “you can do it.”

When you replace such negativity with positive thoughts, you can bring about astounding changes in your life and the way you feel about yourself.

For instance, when you’re starting a new job, and your mind says, “There’s no way I’m going to fit in here. I don’t deserve this job” you can stop this dialogue in its tracks.

Instead of letting your mind go on and on, envisioning one disaster after another right up to the moment you’re fired, you can respond with positive thoughts.

These positive thoughts can also be called positive affirmations.

Positive Affirmations and You

It can take a lot of practice to make the change to positive self-talk when you’ve always experienced negative self-talk.

Perhaps you can’t even remember a time when this negative dialogue wasn’t playing in the background of your life.

You may need to put some effort into responding to the negativity with positive thoughts, but by using positive affirmations, the effort required is an easy task.

Positive affirmations allow you to replace your negativity, one thought at a time!

Many people seek out lists of free positive affirmations to help them come up with positive responses.

You can find some of these lists on self-help websites or in bookstores and libraries.

At first, you may wonder if it can be this easy to change your life with affirmations.

Consider this fact: haven’t all those negative thoughts running through your mind forged the path that you’ve followed throughout your life and gotten you where you are today?

Answer this question truthfully and you’ll see the need for positive thought!

If negative thoughts got you where you are now, can you imagine where you could be if the negativity was replaced by confident, positive thoughts?

Now you see why I use positive affirmations every day.

Positive thoughts really can change your life!

If you want to lead a positive and fulfilling life you must have a positive mindset.

In order to think positively, you must replace the negative thought processes that are already running through your mind.

Since positive affirmations activate your mind to replace negative thought processes with a positive mindset, they simply make the most sense!

Plus, they’re so easy.

Once you become used to using affirmations on a daily basis, you’ll wish you’d started with them sooner.

For ease, convenience, and great results, positive affirmations just can’t be beat as a success tool.

Start using positive affirmations today, and live the life you’ve always dreamed of!

How do you keep yourself positive despite the challenges you face daily?

How can this help you focus on what you can learn from these challenges?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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December 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Ideas are like rabbits, you get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. – John Steinbeck

December 19, 2018February 20, 2018

Life is just a chance to grow a soul. – Powell Davies

December 19, 2018February 20, 2018

The Pros and Cons of Yoga for Every Age

Yoga is becoming more and more popular because it’s a great exercise regimen for all ages.

Other than using caution with some positions, there aren’t many disadvantages to Yoga.

However, there are plenty of benefits.

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of Yoga:

Pros

1. Yoga increases strength and flexibility as it awakens many areas of your body.

It can help a rigid body become flexible.

The more you use Yoga, the stronger and more flexible you’ll become.

2. Yoga works on the whole body.

Besides the obvious differences on the outside, Yoga improves your internal functions as well, allowing blood to flow more freely to all organs.

3. Yoga transforms your flabby muscles.

The stronger your muscles become with Yoga, the more they will tone your body and rid it of excess fat.

4. Yoga is a natural detoxification process.

With increased blood flow to all areas, it helps to eliminate toxins from your body.

5. Yoga can alleviate pain.

More and more physical therapists are recommending Yoga for at home therapy.

For instance, if you’ve hurt your back, a physical therapist can recommend very specific Yoga movements to help alleviate pain and strengthen the problem area.

6. Yoga relieves stress. This is probably one of the biggest benefits of Yoga.

Because of the breathing methods and stretching techniques you practice during Yoga, you can actually feel stress leaving your body.

7. Yoga harmonizes your body and mind as one. With your mind aware of what your body is doing, you can reap the rewards of a whole body and mind workout.

Yoga classes often have relaxing music and dim lighting so your whole body and mind can relax and focus on the movements.

8. Yoga stabilizes emotions. With Yoga, you’ll find yourself in an almost meditative state that helps your endocrine system and emotional make up.

No other exercise routine does this as well as Yoga.

9. Yoga works well on arthritic areas. If you suffer from arthritis, Yoga can help stretch your muscles so they can move more freely.

Cons

As mentioned above, the disadvantages of Yoga are few; however, there are some important points to note:

1. Use caution with Yoga headstands. Some optometrists have warned that Yoga headstands could lead to glaucoma, but there haven’t been enough studies on this to draw a firm conclusion.

2. Dahn Yoga, a Korean Yoga idea, may be nothing more than a sales pitch to get your money by putting the word “Yoga” in there.

It seems to include a lot of counting and chanting with no focus on breathing.

3. Bikram Yoga, or “hot” Yoga, is performed in a hot room.

Some doctors say this isn’t good for your body, while others say it is.

You can avoid this controversy by simply sticking with the basics.

Overall, practicing Yoga with a trained instructor can benefit your mind, body, and inner self.

With Yoga, you’ll be able to relieve stress, strengthen your muscles, and promote your health and well-being.

Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did.

How do you relax yourself?

What do you do to get your energy back?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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December 18, 2018February 20, 2018

Change is the law of life. – John F. Kennedy

December 18, 2018February 20, 2018

Money Saving Tips That Are Proven To Work

One thing the current economy has showcased to most Americans is the necessity of being frugal in nearly everything they do.

Frugality isn’t taught in schools, and it’s a lesson that most of us have to learn the hard way by falling short on some bills.

Even worse, we’re bombarded with misleading messages that tell us that “going into debt is fine…”

Debt is not fine, especially consumer debt. Debt is an addiction, and an expensive one.

If you’re learning this the hard way, it’s time to look at trimming expenses.

It’s even better to learn these lessons early, but better late than never.

The ultimate aim is to live on 80-90% of what you earn.

Starting out, you can bank the rest in an interest bearing account.

You don’t need to get into complex investment vehicles; a good bank account that pays interest in both checking and savings and has no fees is a head start.

First things first, tabulate your current expenses.

List three months of expenses and find out what you’re spending on restaurants, coffee, eating at home, going to movies, and everything else.

What you find may be painful, but it’s worth the effort writing out your expenses.

You’ll quickly notice that there are fixed expenses (like your mortgage and utility bills) and variable expenses (like food and entertainment).

You’ll discover lots of ways for money to vanish down rabbit holes by examining your variable expenses!

Now look for things to trim:

1. Do you regularly buy a latte on the way to work?

That’s costing you $20 a week or a bit over a thousand dollars a year.

Make a latte at home and drink it on the way to work and save the rest.

2. Do you smoke?

Kick the habit. It’s not just killing your lungs; it’s costing you anywhere from $100 to $200 a month or more.

That adds up to almost 2 grand per year.

3. Do you eat out at lunch?

Even a fast food meal is around six bucks.

If you figure you spend 240 days a year at work, and eat out for a hundred of them. Is that $600 you’d rather have back?

Get in the habit of spending Sunday afternoons packing a week’s worth of lunches.

You can make your favorite foods and freeze them or cook a little extra for dinner each night.

4. Unnecessary ‘convenience food’ costs you.

While you’re in the kitchen, look at how many pre-packaged meals you eat.

Every single one of them represents two to three dollars you’re paying someone to cook something for you.

It’s amazing how much money you can save by learning how to cook your own food!

The general rule is that for the same quantity of food, a pre-packaged meal costs twice to three times as much.

5. Make your own fast food.

Once you start cooking, you can look at other ways to be frugal, like cooking large batches and freezing the leftovers.

When you need food fast, grab something out of the freezer and just heat it up.

6. Drink water.

You pay a lot less for water from the tap than you do for soda or bottled water.

Buy a water filtration pitcher, and keep it filled.

Any time you feel the urge to grab a soda, drink an 8-ounce glass of water first.

Then see if you’re still thirsty. This will cut down your soda habit tremendously.

7. Use coupons.

Save even more money by using coupons when items are on sale.

You might end up paying only a few cents for an item you use all the time.

8. Follow the ‘wait 30 days’ rule before buying anything that costs more than $50 or so.

Being frugal and learning how to save money takes patience and practice, but the rewards are worth it when you find you’ve saved enough money to get out of debt, go on vacation, or buy a new car.

Make small changes every week to form new habits, and before you know it, you’ll have a whole new way of living and extra money in the bank.

How can small steps lead to bigger savings?

What can you do today to start saving more?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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December 17, 2018February 20, 2018

Losing Weight for You – Because You Are Worth It!

Why would you like to lose weight?

Is it because you want to look good for a special day?

Perhaps you have a family event or class reunion to attend this year; the reasons could be many.

However, rather than losing weight for a single day event, you may have more luck losing weight for you, because you’re worth it!

Having a particular event to look forward to is a good starting point when you decide to lose weight, but it won’t be enough to help you keep the weight off after that day has ended.

Sure, you may look great for your 15^th high school reunion or your cousin’s wedding, but will you maintain that weight loss once your old high school rivals can’t be jealous over how good you look?

The likelihood is that you’ll go back to your old ways and gain your weight back.

Before starting on your weight loss venture, think of a way to motivate yourself to keep the weight loss going.

You can’t find a better motivation for losing weight than to get healthy and feel energized.

This is especially true if you have health concerns that are complicated because of your weight.

Losing weight for you – because you’re worth it – gives you a permanent reason to shed those pounds and keep them off!

Here are some action steps you can take to help you meet your weight loss goals:

1. Create your weight loss plan.

Now that you have your permanent reason for wanting to lose weight, you can create a successful plan to get you to your goal. Include in your plan:

Specific, measurable goals that are also reasonable and attainable for you

A time frame

Steps you can take each day to achieve your goals

2. Get a mentor.

Your chances of succeeding will be greater if you have the help of a friend or weight loss mentor that will keep you on track when your will power begins to wane.

3. Choose foods that are as close to nature as possible.

These will have the best nutrients and the least artificial ingredients.

Talk with a dietician or find an online weight loss community to give you advice, encouragement, and constructive criticism for making healthy food choices.

4. Find a sport or activity you can enjoy that will get you moving.

You don’t have to spend hours and hours in a gym, unless that’s what you choose to do.

An increase in the amount or intensity of exercise by as little as twenty minutes a day can do wonders to help you reach your weight loss goals!

5. Set small, attainable goals.

While your ultimate goal may be to lose 50 pounds, you won’t be able to reach that goal in a short period of time.

Set smaller goals such as five or ten pounds in two months.

Experts recommend losing no more than two pounds a week, so it would be feasible to lose at least five pounds in a month

6. Celebrate when you’ve reached smaller goals.

Just don’t celebrate with food!

Choose rewards you’ll enjoy and that will keep you motivated to claim your next reward.

Have smaller rewards for smaller amounts of weight and then larger rewards when you’ve reached a major milestone such as 25 pounds.

7. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day or even blow your diet completely.

You’re only human! Instead of degrading yourself over it, tell yourself that you’re worth the effort to lose weight and that you can do it.

Start afresh the next day.

8. Be patient.

Remember that you didn’t gain the weight overnight.

You can’t be expected to lose it quickly, either.

Your best course of action is consistency.

Keep on track and the weight will come off and stay off!

Losing weight can accomplish so much more than making friends envious because you could fit in clothing that you wore in high school.

Your health can be greatly improved by ridding yourself of extra pounds and exercising to get your body in shape.

This time, choose to lose weight for yourself rather than for anyone else or any other reason.

That’s the best reason in the world! Follow these tips, stick with it, and enjoy your new, healthy body!

How much do you love yourself?

How can getting in shape help you feel better about yourself?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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December 17, 2018February 20, 2018

It’s so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and say the opposite. – Sam Levenson

December 16, 2018February 20, 2018

Knowing When to Back Down and Admit Your Mistakes

It’s never easy to admit you’re not right 100% of the time.

However, it’s important to know when to back down and admit your mistakes. In fact, how you view mistakes can tell a lot about your character.

It’s important to have a positive attitude toward slip-ups.

If you admit you made a mistake, you can work at correcting it quicker than if you deny it ever happened.

Of course, if you never acknowledge your blunders, you’ll never be able to correct them.

Who Makes Mistakes?

Let’s consider people you know and respect.

Have they ever had a lapse of judgment?

Of course they have!

The question is, do they “fess up” to their mistakes or do they try to hide them out of embarrassment?

In reality, if someone slips-up and tries to hide it, that’s when people begin to distrust them, not because they made the mistake in the first place!

We all make mistakes; after all, no one’s perfect.

When you make a mistake, it’s easy to ignore the problem or blame someone else for it.

The problem with either of these solutions is that you’re eroding the trust others have in you a little bit each day.

What Should You Do When You Make A Mistake?

Admitting you’ve made a mistake is actually part of building a trusting relationship.

By admitting your failures, you’re letting other people know you can take responsibility for your actions and the consequences that follow.

Open the door and give yourself an opportunity to make things right!

Here are some simple steps you can take as soon as you realize you’ve made a mistake:

1. Accept that you’ve made a mistake.

Take responsibility for it.

Decide within yourself that it’s better for you to take ownership of the situation rather than try to deny it happened or cover it up.

2. Discuss it.

Ask the other people involved if you can talk about your mistake, what you did wrong, and how you might correct it.

3. Allow other people to express how they feel about the mistake and what the consequences might be.

4. Listen to what the other person is saying.

Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if the situation was reversed?

5. Apologize and actually mean it.

You may want to explain your reasons for doing what you did; it may help the other person see that your heart was in the right place, if that’s the case.

6. Do what you can to make things right.

Work with the other person to decide on the best way for you to make amends.

7. Be determined to learn a lesson from your mistake.

Do whatever you can to avoid making the same blunder in the future. Tell the other person how you’ll act differently.

8. Don’t dwell on your mistake.

After you’ve talked it over with the other person and determined to make amends, let it go!

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Remember, though, that you may be starting over in building back the trust that you once had.

It’s never easy admitting mistakes.

Sometimes all you want to do is run rather than admit them.

However, knowing when to back down and admit your mistakes is part of growing up, being mature, and showing the responsibility that, in the long run, encourages people to respect you.

How do you feel when you’ve made a mistake?

How can you learn from the mistake you made?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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