Focused Energy

By Susan Russo

"Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you can possibly have." -Andrew Carnegie

The average man and woman have no idea how they expend their energy. Let's imagine that each day you have been given a supply of energy to use and it's up to you how you choose to use it. Your thoughts, feelings and emotions are all a part of this energy supply and depending on the quality of them is what will determine how fast or slow you wipe out your supply and how you will experience life.

You've heard of people who say they are emotionally drained. You can only imagine how this is possible. Thoughts, feelings and emotions that drag you down, wipe you out, pull you apart and have you at your wits end will deplete your level the fastest.

Fear of something happening or not happening. Stress over whatever; work, kids, money, family, life in general. Loss is a big one. Anger, hatred, jealousy, depression, worry, loneliness or any emotions that fit inside the "negative" category will clean your energy supply clock so to speak.

And to top it off, these kinds of thoughts, feelings and emotions use up so much more energy than their counterparts; joy, love; peace; kindness, intent, forgiveness; faith and harmony which by the way will actually replenish your levels.

The reality is that life CAN be tough. We are all thrown a lot of stuff to deal with and depending on how you choose to react to what you are dealt will determine how you use your energy.

When events occur, regardless of what they may be, we are all going to have a reaction to them. Initially they may take the wind out of your sails or knock you off your feet but that doesn't mean the ship will sink or that you can't pick yourself back up again.

But, depending on where you focus your energy, i.e. thoughts, emotions and feelings about any given situation will decide how much of your supply you lose. And this loss will directly affect the quality of your life.

When in the midst of some kind of turmoil it would help if you simply stop and breathe. Go inside yourself where harmony and peace reside and rest for just a minute. Know that ALL things will work out somehow, some way and that you have the strength to get through anything.

Tap into the ever present supply of healing, peace and harmony which is always there; your spirit. Know that when you switch the direction of your energy from that which zaps you to that which renews and fills you; you will replenish your supply and it will leave you empowered instead of weakened.

Draining your energy through a constant vigil on the negative is a choice. You can build your energy by focusing on your intent. What is the outcome you are after? What is it that you want to feel? What is it that you want to experience? How can focusing on what makes you feel bad make you feel better?

We all look for outside factors to make us feel better or to make things better when the truth is all that you really need you already have. All you have to do is tap into that energy field within you that will fill you up when you are down and that will bring you peace where there is chaos.

You are the only one who can choose whether you will drain yourself or fill yourself. It's all on where you focus your thoughts, feelings and emotions! Are you a zapper or a tapper?



About The Author
To find out more about how to stop wasting your time and begin living your best life now, go to:

http://www.susan-russo.com Susan's work has inspired people from all over the world to take back their power! Learn the secrets in Susan's new book: "The 7 Keys to Unlock the Power Within You."


The author invites you to visit: http://www.whystay.com




Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8388.shtml

Getting Beyond Betrayal

By Susan Russo

"Trust can take years to build, but only a second to break." -Anonymous

I get more questions on this one topic than any other. In most cases people struggle with not being able to get over some thing or situation that is causing them pain. They typically say, "I just can't."

When you find yourself in a situation where someone you thought was your friend or worse yet your partner, and they have lied to you, cheated on you, stabbed you in the back or betrayed you on any level, how do you think that is going to make you feel?

Some of the emotions you might experience right out of the gate are: outrage, anger, hurt, devastation, disbelief and an overwhelming feeling of injustice that you want to avenge.

These kinds of emotions are normal reactions when someone who you thought loved you or cared about you, betrays you. The closer you were to this person the bigger the impact.

But, number one, it doesn't mean that you won't get over it and number two and more importantly, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the kind of person they are.

Most of the time people blame themselves as if there is something wrong with them and that is the reason this person betrayed them.

For instance: Would you ever lie to your boss about your friend at work, telling stories that weren't true about your friend to set them up to get fired? Why not?

How about this, would you ever deceive a friend, or do something behind their back that would ultimately hurt them? Why not?

Would you disrespect your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend in front of other people? Why not?

Or, would you lie, cheat and steal from your partner? Why not?

Maybe the reason you wouldn't do this is because that isn't the kind of person you are and you would never think of doing something like this, but yet it's been done to you and you still want this person in your life? Why?

And, when any of these circumstances land at your front door, why do you blame yourself? There isn't something wrong with you; there is something wrong with them!!

Let's see, could it be their lack of integrity? Or, is it their lack of honesty, respect, honor, goodness, compassion? Etc. These people only care about one thing,themselves. Yet, you put them on a pedestal and act like you are losing something by not having them in your life.

Once the impact of being betrayed begins to subside you can begin to see them for who and what they are, hopefully you will see that, even though YOU cared about them, they apparently had another agenda.

Look, no one deserves to be or likes to be on the receiving end of someone's blatant disregard toward them. Especially from someone you love and who says they love you. But, unfortunately, it happens way too often and I too have been the recipient of this kind of betrayal.

It's what you do when this ugly event occurs in your life that will make the difference.

Of course you go through the initial emotions, that's normal. But the last thing you do is,think there is something wrong with you. The fault clearly lands on the shoulders of the person who would knowingly do something that would hurt you.

Once the shock subsides and you start to see straight again, you can see that this is NOT the kind of person you want to call a friend or worse yet, a partner.

Oh sure, you may still love them and you are reeling from the betrayal but the reality is, anyone who could treat you with such little regard, kick you to the curb and couldn't care less as to how this will affect your life, isn't worth another precious thought.

It's people like this who make it an ugly place to live in this world. They have more deep seated issues than you realize and they clearly don't deserve to be regarded so highly by you, as if they were some kind of a prize.

Remember, it's not what happens to us in life that matters as much as how we handle it; how we choose to perceive it. You can cop an attitude instead of falling apart. You can choose to accept what happened and let it go or you can hold onto it and keep telling yourself that you can't let go.

You can choose to remain a victim of betrayal or you can clear your head and say, what a full-time jerk, thank God/Allah/Higher Power that they are out of my life and you move on.

You find the strength to move on by knowing that you don't deserve to be treated like this, you find the strength by knowing that you are so much better off without this kind of person in your life, you find the strength when you put your head back on straight and see them for who they truly are.

Letting betrayal eat at you is your choice. Pick up the pieces, lick your wounds and live a better life without them in it. Terrible things happen to everyone in life. It's unfair and you really don't deserve it but what can you do? Either let it make you stronger or let it tear you apart.

By dwelling on the past and the hurt you only keep yourself imprisoned in the past. Take the key, unlock your jail door and free yourself from holding onto a situation that has hurt you. Let go of wanting revenge and going over and over what if, if only and why.

There isn't anything you can do now to change what happened except deal with it.

Hold your head high, knowing that this too shall pass and you will not allow this kind of person to continue to affect your life by YOU holding onto them.

You throw out your trash right? Well, next garbage day, throw out the mental garbage you've been holding onto, clean out your emotional house and clear out the old to bring in the new. There is a whole life out there waiting for you when you move on.

The reality is that you are going to move on sooner or later so why not make it sooner. It's up to you.




About The Author
Susan Russo is an author and coach whose work has inspired people from all over the world to take back their power! Would you like to empower yourself to do the same? Discover Susan's 7 Keys to unlock your power by picking up your FREE report at:http://www.susanrusso.com


The author invites you to visit: http://www.whystay.com


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8443.shtml

Needs vs. Neediness

By Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

I recently received the following request:

"Hi Dr. Paul -- I would be interested in an article that talks about having needs vs. being needy.

I was brought up to be ashamed of my needs. I was supposed to be self-sufficient. As a result, I am ashamed of neediness and often don't recognize my own needs. I also don't know how to tell if others are "being needy" or simply expressing a need.

What I am learning is that humans are INTER-dependent and everyone has needs that can only be filled by another person. One example is the Romanian orphans who were brain damaged because they were never held or touched. In order to be healthy I need others, because I can't hug myself.

So I can take care of myself, but I think my "self-sufficiency toolbox" isn't complete if I can't recognize valid needs, express them to others, and ask for help from them.

Please if you can, I would love an article that differentiates between being needy and having needs."

The woman asking this question is referring to emotional needs - needs beyond the basic physical needs such as food, water, air, shelter, and so on.

We do not thrive without love, so I consider love a basic need. Even though we might muddle through without love, I believe that many people get ill and die from a lack of love - dying of loneliness.

Most of us know that infants and small children need love to survive. Many babies have died or, as stated above, suffered brain damage, due to not being held with love. "Failure to thrive" is the term used when an infant dies due to not being held with love.

There are times when we need another to hold us and empathically help us through core pain such as heartache and grief. There are times when we are ill and need another to soothe us. This kind of loving care is a basic need.

The sharing of love is also a basic need. However, there is a huge difference between trying to get someone else to love us, and our need to share love.

We all need to learn to bring love to ourselves through our spiritual connection. It is only when we can fill ourselves up with the Source of Love that we have love to share. When are not taking responsibility for developing our spiritual connection and learning to fill ourselves up with love, then we become needy.

When someone is not taking responsibility for their own feelings and pulling on others for attention and approval, they are being needy. You know they are being needy because it feels like they are draining you rather than sharing with you. You know you are being needy when you feel empty inside and upset with others when you don't get what you want from them.

Part of taking loving care of ourselves is to recognize our need to share love and reach out to others who also want to share love. But asking for help from an empty place, hoping that another person will fill you up and make you feel worthy and safe, is needy. We are needy when we emotionally abandon ourselves and expect others to give us what we are not giving to ourselves. We are legitimately asking to have a need met when we reach out to others to share love, or to receive the help we might need to heal. Our need to share love can only be met by another person.

The difference between need and needy is mostly about energy. We are needy when we are empty because we have abandoned ourselves by not taking responsibility for our own feelings. We are expressing a need when we are taking loving care of ourselves and sharing our love with others, or reaching out for legitimate help. While the actions of need and neediness may look the same, then energy behind the actions are completely different.



About The Author
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a best-selling author of 8 books, relationship expert, and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding process - featured on Oprah. Are you are ready to heal your pain and discover your joy? Click here for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com/welcome and visit our website athttp://www.innerbonding.com for more articles and help. Phone Sessions Available. Join the thousands we have already helped and visit us now!


The author invites you to visit: http://www.innerbonding.com



Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8484.shtml

How To Set Your Own Agenda

By Jed McCall

Living in the hustle and bustle of modern living can be difficult even confusing at times. We are often in so much of a rush to get things done that a day passes by in the wink of an eye. There are so many things outside of our control that it can seem like we don't have much of a say in the running of our own lives.

When we are not following orders at work, we are coping with a variety of different reliance's such as relying on public transport, relying on public services, relying on friends or family. Wouldn't it be nice to be feel self reliant about everything for a change? Well, the truth is that this is not possible because we are reliant on others to an extent, that's just how the world works.

What we can do is to take stock of our current position and assess how happy we are with it. If you feel like you are caught up in the rat race but can't think of a way out, then do not despair; for there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Through a process of self-empowerment you can wrestle back more control over your life than you thought possible. Becoming more than you are at present means not accepting second best from your-self. In order for you to do this, you need to learn as much about yourself as possible from your desires, motivations and values.

The art of introspection has been recognised as useful for countless generations of thinkers. The earliest proponents of self-improvement had the wisdom to know that true change comes from within. Self-awareness is the process of understanding everything about yourself - warts and all.

Try this little exercise to begin with to understand a little more about yourself: Take a piece of paper and a pen and find a quiet room somewhere. Now draw a spidergram with yourself in the centre and all the branches coming out representing different part of your life ; for instance, job, personal life, money situation, overall happiness etc. Now rate your levels of contentment with each one of these things on a scale of 1-5. Look at the results and see what you have found. What you have done is to draw a mental map of your current happiness with life from which you can draw up an action plan. This mental map of yours is the foundation stone of your self-improvement. It is time for you to take this information and turn it into positive action.

Agenda setting is all about having a clear goal in mind. If your agenda is to take control over a certain part of your life, it's necessary to develop an action plan to tackle it. Let's use the example of financial insecurity to test this theory. Imagine that in your mental map you realise that a lack of control over your finances is at the root of most of your anxieties. Well, you have identified a problem now let's deal with it.

Your action plan should include things such as a list of all your monthly outgoings, a list of all your income and a list of necessities. However, you also have to think about what you could sacrifice in order to get your finances back in check. Honesty is essential for any form of self-improvement. If you have unrealistic expectations, do not expect to make any headway in improving yourself. Of course, if you are unhappy with having to make sacrifices, you can use you unhappiness as a drive to getting you another job or promotion that will enable you to afford them.

That is the great thing with asserting control over your life : agenda setting provides you with so many unexpected benefits in other areas of your life that you quickly gain confidence to tackle all things you are unhappy about.






About The Author
Many years of struggle to overcome negative thought patterns and achieve success in personal and financial life has opened my mind to others in the same or similar situations, to many of us have spent to long in the success wilderness.

Take a look at what is on offer and remember to get your no cost package of amazing tools to assist you.

Visit http://www.discover-wealth.com


The author invites you to visit: http://www.discover-wealth.com


Article Source:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8557.shtml

How Your Attitude Can Impact Your Life

By Kimberley Cohen

Why is it that some people can look on the bright side of things while others seem to be stuck in perpetuating negative thoughts, anxiety, doubts, and situations and they they have a difficult time seeing the positive or give up before they even try?

What separates the two types of people isn't the person or the situation, but rather their way of thinking.

Your attitude has everything to do with your creativity, happiness, and love.

Viktor Frankl said, "The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance". This quote from a man who found meaning in extreme conditions in a concentration camp.

On the outside of the concentration camp it read, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here".

Just reading those words might make a person fearful and lose hope, yet Viktor Frankl was able to experience freedom - freedom to choose one's attitude and spiritual well being.

Wow...that's quite an attitude, wouldn't you say?

So how does a person adopt a mind set of positivity and hope when faced with uncertainties?

By choosing it.

By maintaining an unwavering inner strength.

By not giving up, and holding onto love, faith, and hope.

By tuning in, instead of out.

By having a positive outlook even when things seem negative.

By taking responsibility for how you are seeing things through.

By recognizing how your thoughts are impacting your life.

Easier said than done? Yes, sometimes it is. It takes determination and commitment to keep your ego in check.

Continuing to gain more awareness of the thoughts and beliefs, actions and reactions that you are choosing to have.

Gaining an understanding that you and only you are responsible for not only how you handle life's ups and downs, but what you do with them.

Life has this wonderful way of waking us up to what needs our friendship, attention, healing and most importantly, our love.

Love is without a doubt the answer to all problems and questions. It is the solution.

Read this a couple of times. Do you feel any resistance with this?

Developing an attitude of love instead of judgment and hate takes time.

Being careful and carefree, instead of calculated and careless, requires your attention.

Begin to take notice of what and whom you judge. It can be your body, your emotions, your friends, family, co-workers, or situations.

When you recognize this, you can begin to change your attitude towards it.

You can begin to clear the way and open your mind's eye to elevated thinking and being.

The choice of how you view the world and live and love within it is yours.

Sometimes it might seem like you've lost your direction at navigating through life. When this happens, your course is just being re-routed, not lost.

It's not about denying what's happening, it's about implementing a positive attitude when times are trying, taking responsibility for what's occurring in your life and the choices you make, and knowing it has a direct influence on your happiness and well being.

Don't wait for tomorrow to develop a mind set that enhances your life; you can start right now no matter what your circumstances are.

Remember, your attitude can impact your life.

Find out how the Insight Technique will assist you in gaining insights into how your attitude plays a part in the role in your life.




About The Author
Kimberley Cohen is the Founder, Facilitator and Personal Insight Coach of The Insight Technique. She founded the Insight Technique - Your Insight to genuine Happiness, Purpose and Prosperity to assist herself and others in transforming limiting mindsets.

Soar through the limiting beliefs holding you back and experience the freedom of unlimited possibilities. http://www.TheInsightTechnique.com


The author invites you to visit: http://www.insighttechnique.com



Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8583.shtml