Aspire To Be Yourself

By Amy Twain

In the everlasting journey called life, human beings are almost amusing in a strange kind of way. Most people think and believe that they have to "live up" to another family member, relative, or screen idol. Some even have become envious or jealous of popular celebrities and want or even aspire to look, think, and act and be like the famous stars of the silver screen. TV ads and commercials tell us that we "need" those particular services and products to "make" us look better, think better, feel better and smell better. Because of this, some people have become so obsessed in their desire and constant search for perfection that they lose sight of who they really are in the first place.

One of the most unusual ideologies of most individuals is that they truly believe that they could literally "alter" or "transform" themselves into another person. Other societal influence is exhibited and displayed by models and almost perfect celebrities as they all possess those seemingly unreachable physical attributes, with matching innate self-confidence to boot. But the bottom line is: no one is born perfect and not all actors and models have flawless face and bodies. Not all people are born with fabulous hair and smooth and great skin. So what do we do about it - we improvise and then we compromise. We improvise or experiment with makeup, clothing, products, and services and so on.

We compromise ourselves in the process though, because we become no longer "true" to our inborn natural form. And people who think and feel that they "should" actually alter themselves to look like other person, is moreover an issue of self esteem or lack of it. The best and most successful goal in life is to aspire to be yourself. Okay, now try looking at yourself in the mirror. Ask that person the following questions: 1.) What defines me as a person and what are my goals in life? 2.) What do I want to do and am I happy with my self? 3.) How do I wish others to see me? 4.) What are my aspirations and dreams? 5.) Am I even confident with my self? 6.) Do I really "need" to alter or transform myself? 7.) What more can I do to be happier and most significantly, do I even know where am I going in my life? When you begin to aspire to be you, one does not need to compare for other personalities.

In aspiring to be you, there are no paradoxes. A person has to merely look within to find her/his distinct definition of life and how he/she expresses himself/herself in the community. When you begin to aspire being you, you do not have to be a superhero or a rich and famous celebrity. Just be yourself in body, mind and spirit. Aspire to be like yourself, the gift of nature to mankind. When you aspire to be you, it is how you present yourself to you, and not defining yourself by becoming somebody else. When you like yourself and find contentment within you, the journey of life would be sailing smooth.





About The Author
The author of this article Amy Twain is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently published a new home study course on how to boost your Self Esteem overnight. More info about this "Quick-Action Plan for A More Confident You" is available athttp://www.FabulousSelfEsteem.com.



Visit the author's web site at: http://www.innerzine.com


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_6822.shtml

Anxiety Disorder - Beware Of 10 Negative Thinking Traps

By Ian Spencer

It is true that anxiety is often the result of an external trigger; however, it equally true that sometimes it is a 'cordially invited guest'. In other words, you invite worries and negative thoughts because you set up negative thinking traps in your mind. What are 'negative thinking traps'? These are thoughts that push the mind into negativity.

Check out the ten most common negative thinking traps that you should avoid:

Predicting the future - you would have so many times found yourself thinking, 'Oh, God! I am going to mess up this thing completely.' or 'I know that this will end in a show-down' and thoughts such as this, which seem to create a negative image of the outcome in your mind. These thoughts left wandering in your mind will continue adding vivid details to the negative outcome, which in turn would build up anxiety within you. In your mind's eye, you have already messed it up and you are facing the dire consequences.

Measuring everything in extreme terms - this happens to the best of us. Sometimes, when you are overwhelmed by certain circumstances, the smallest details can throw you off completely. For example, you are struggling with an impossible deadline when you realize you were using the wrong data. It is easy in this case to throw your hands up and say that all is lost. However, if you keep your cool and take corrective measures immediately, it is possible that you put the thing back on its track without much problem. Nothing is black-and-white. Just because you slip up somewhere, it does not make you totally hopeless or a failure. Chase perfection; this is a good trait because it would fuel you to overachieve. However, if what you do is not always perfect, it does not mean you are worthless. Do not allow your mind to think in extremes. The world is made up of more grey than black-and-white.

Assuming what others think - I read once about a very beautiful way of interpreting 'assume' - this word ca be broken into 'ass', 'u' and 'me'. In other words every time you assume something, you make an ass of you and me. This is a nice way of warning you of the danger that assumptions can create. You would often look around you and think, 'They must be thinking I am looking gross' or 'I know she hates me on sight', or 'He is thinking I am total useless' and so on. Do not assume such things because when you do so, you inadvertently emulate the image you have created this way. When you enter this trap, you would find that you are spiraling into low self-esteem, decreased confidence and anxiety symptoms.

Generalizing negative traits - you have always been told to think positively. This is because it influences the way you think and then the way you act. It is possible that you would make mistakes sometimes; these mistakes could be minor or major. It happens. Learn from the lesson and move on. Do not entertain thoughts of generalization. This is a terrible negative thoughts trap. Things like 'I always mess things up', 'Whatever I touch turns to dust', 'Nothing I do will ever come out perfect' and things like that. When you do so, you are berating yourself and inviting anxiety to take over. Do not generalize when you make a mistake.

Self-labeling - sometimes things do go your way. In fact, life is full of times when you walk uphill, when things are rough and outcome looks bleak. It is okay. Good times would come, too. Life is a cycle; sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down. The key to happiness is to adapt and keep looking ahead. At such times, you would find thoughts like 'I am totally worthless', 'I am a loser', 'I am bad luck personified', and so on. The moment you apply such a label to yourself, your subconscious would adjust your self-image to it and then you would be going down and down until you experience a full-blown anxiety attack.

Blowing up realty - there are times when problems seem larger than life. Normally, at such times you should roll up your sleeves and tackle the problem head-on. However, at such times your mind would be tempted to enter negative thoughts traps such as 'This is going to ruin me financially', 'I am going to die of a heart-attack', 'My life is over with this chapter' and things like that. If such thoughts are not checked immediately, they would create a sense of helplessness and vulnerability that would tend to blow up small problems into gigantic obstacles. The result would be a massive panic attack.

Highlighting the bad - let us say you have just made a presentation. You were sure it was a wonderful piece of work, informative, persuasive and to the point. You were happy with yourself until you found that some of the people in the meeting looked completely disinterested to the point of boredom. Instantly you start thinking, 'The presentation is not good', 'I have messed this whole thing up', 'They hate the way I speak' and so on. At this time, you would tend to ignore those who are happily following your presentation and see only those who react negatively to it. When you allow such thoughts into your mind, you would trigger the feeling of inferiority, being inadequate and not good enough. Left to themselves, these thoughts would gradually lead you to massive anxiety attack.

Forecasting disaster - whatever you do, you need to keep a positive focus and goal. It sometimes happens you would be worried about the outcome of some important thing. A little nervousness is normal. However, when this 'little nervousness' turns into a prediction for disaster it becomes a negative thought trap. For example, let us say you are preparing for a speech. A few butterflies in the stomach are warranted. However, if you start thinking, 'This will be a total disaster', 'They will hate my point of view', 'I will not be able to speak one word and everybody will laugh at me' or things like that, you are opening the door wide to anxiety.

Positive things phrased with negation - this is one of the most dangerous of all negative thoughts trap because you do it thinking it is helping you, when it is actually harming you and leading you straight to an anxiety attack. This is when you would tell yourself, 'I will not be afraid', 'I do not need to be nervous about anything', 'I will not do any mistake this time' and so on. The point here is that though you want to emphasize a positive aspect, what you are actually doing is visualizing the negative aspect. Since the negative aspect projects the more powerful emotions, this is what your mind will remember and build upon. Therefore, you should be very careful about how you phrase your self-encouragement. The correct way is ignoring the negative aspect completely, such as 'I will do a wonderful job today', 'I will enjoy the experience', 'Everything is going to be just fine' and so on.

Comparing yourself to others - it is a common tendency for people to compare themselves to others, usually to those who are more fortunate than them. For example, you would be likely to think, 'I work hard too, but he got the promotion', 'My husband never notices me nowadays, no matter what I do; but see her - her husband totally adores her', and so on. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. As soon as you compare yourself with others negatively, your mind would highlight all such differences around you and all of a sudden, you would find that you are overwhelmed by feelings of misery, hopelessness, worthlessness and the like. This, in turn would put you on the path to a sure anxiety attack.






About The Author
Click Here to grab your FREE Stress Relief Manifesto Report.
http://www.anxietyfreetoday.com/free/

It'd show you how you can achieve inner calm and eliminate stress from your life forever. For more information on dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and stress. Visit the anxiety help blog today.
http://www.anxietyfreetoday.com/anxietyhelp/



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Article Source:
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10 Proven Tips To Get What You Want!

By Vitalii Jidkov

Are you stuck?! Are you thinking which way to go in your life? Aren't you sure about your future?

Are you trying hard to achieve your simplest dreams but you seem to be standing on the same square without moving a step forward?

Now, I will give you the super-smart proven success recipe that will help you get what you want faster and easier than before. This success recipe is your way to live a purposeful life and achieve your goals. This

success recipe was used by most successful people including me. And can tell you from my experience

that it works. Get ready to unleash the power of your dreams.

1. Find a Meaning.

Find a meaning for your life and work. Do what you love and love what you do. Search for ways to live with passion. Find your desire- the most important part of your success in life. Ask yourself this question: What do I want? What do you really want to achieve in this life? What is it that drives you or can drive you? You are unique and you are here for a purpose. Find the reason of your existence. Describe your role in life in 3 or 4 words. Forget about these long, general and not memorable mission statements. Be very specific about what you are here to do in this life and how you can help others.

2. Have a Clear Vision.

Have a clear vision; a vision that really inspires you and triggers your greatness. Your vision must be clear and motivate you to transform it into reality. Make it hot. A hot vision gives you a tremendous amount of enthusiasm that makes you can't stand still. Have a hot vision that keeps you alive and spices up your life. Have a hot vision that makes you an unstoppable achievement machine. You need to see yourself in the position of already achieving what you want and try to imagine how it feels.

3. Design Milestones.
Milestones are big goals and turning points in your journey. They are also your long term goals. They are like indicators along the road to tell you that you are on the right track. Each milestone is a big achievement on your way to your ideal life. For now they don't have to be exact and absolutely correct.

You can adjust them as you go.

4. Set Goals.

Goals are small and specific tasks that define your action plan. Goals must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Each goal is a step towards achieving one of your big milestones.

5. Get Going

Take action. Many people miss this part when they try to attract what they want. The only difference between an average individual and a super successful one is taking action. Get going. Take the first step and keep the momentum. Just start. Be flexible to changes and improvements. Don't beat yourself if you

can not follow your blueprint exactly as you wish it would go. You need to make this process of taking

action your habit.

6. Project Positive Energy,

Be optimistic. Broadcast powerful positive energy and confidence over your own media network. Positive energy will attract positive results, opportunities and positive people to you. Become a magnet that attracts success 24/7. You will always receive the energy you project. You will get back what give out in to the world. If you project positive energy you will receive multiples of it and vice verse.

7. Act As If It Is Happening.

Act as if your vision is happening. Act as if you will never fail. Act with confidence and power. Keep your vision in front of your mind's eye day and night. Act as if you are living your vision. When you do that you will attract more opportunities and more success to your life.

8. Ignore the "Coffee break chew talks".

Avoid negative people. They don't have dreams and want everyone to be like them. They are dream robbers and energy vampires. Don't care about what they say. Don't try to prove your opinion to them.

If they don't want to hear you, they will simply not. Ignore anyone's negativity and focus on what you want.

9. Face Fear and Uncertainty.

Develop confidence and trust in yourself. Work on your self esteem. Do your daily personal development

exercises. If you don't believe in yourself and your dreams no one will do. Face your fears. Fear will do nothing except stopping you from getting what you want. Let your dreams give you the power to face fear and uncertainty. Don't criticize yourself, but celebrate your small and big victories.

10. Create a MasterMind Group.

Find a team with the same interests and dreams, then work and think together. Have a soul mate who cares about achieving the same level of success as you do. Gather around yourself people more brilliant than you. Develop a strong network of influencers who can help you get what you want easily and quickly.

That what we do all the time in my group- The Vitalizer's Elite Mastermind Inner Circle.

So, my friend, these 10 proven tips form the best success recipe I have ever known. I used this recipe to achieve levels of success that I always dreamt of. These are the common tips which are used by the top successful people in the world. Follow this success recipe and you will become a huge success magnet that attracts success beyond your imagination. It is all about your action. Do it now!!





About The Author
Vitalii Jidkov,
M3 Wealth Masters Consultant,
Home Based Business Expert,
vjidkov@live.ca,
206-424-9149


Visit the author's web site at: http://www.vjglobalbusiness.com


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_7000.shtml

The Healing Power of Love and Good Relationships

By Roseanna Leaton

You know what it feels like when love is first blossoming; you find that it is almost impossible to not smile, you feel as if you are walking on air and you wake up early each day feeling fantastic. To be in love feels good. Having close relationships and intimate ties to other human beings is not only good for our mental and emotional health; it is also good for our physical health as well.

This is a fact which nobody can deny; there is too much evidence which proves the point. There have been many different types of studies conducted, in communities all over the world which indicate the healing powers of love and friendship.

One study which is often cited relates to the town of Roseto in Pennsylvania, which was up until relatively recently inhabited by immigrants from a small town in Southern Italy. This community of Italian-Americans in Roseto remained very close in terms of family ties and traditions, maintaining their cultural values and religious beliefs through several generations. The inhabitants of this small town experienced significantly less heart disease than in either of the two similar sized neighboring tons. They also lived significantly longer.

When scientists began researching the Roseto phenomenon they could not find anything significantly different in terms of diet, exercise or work which could account for this community's good health. The only thing which was different was their social cohesion and supportiveness. Researchers began to suspect that it was Roseto's stable structure which could have protected the inhabitants from heart disease and also led to longevity.

These suspicions turned out to be well-founded, as was evidenced by the dramatic increase in heart disease in the 1960's and 1970's as the previously close and cohesive community began to fragment and become more isolated. Many different studies have ensued and each supports the basic belief that when we feel isolated or unsupported, our health is endangered. By contrast, when we are involved either in an intimate and loving relationship, or in a supportive community our health tends to be a whole lot better.

The thing to bear in mind is that it does not matter what type of supportive relationship you are involved in, so long as it provides you with a feeling of being cared for. For some people their religion is what provides them with this feeling, this perception of being part of something bigger and being cared for as an integral part of that community. For some this may take the form of going to church and being an active part of a church group; for others it may be a perception of our spiritual nature which provides a feeling of cohesion and connectedness.

Everyone is different in how they perceive their world and a major key to good health is to feel cohesion and connectedness. Many people may on the face of things live a life with lots of support, family and friends around them, but they might still feel a sense of isolation, and this feeling is one of the strongest predictors of heart disease. It is a matter instinctive importance to the human soul to feel supported as opposed to isolated. Yet it is not what is happening around you that matters so much as how you feel about it. One person may be alone, bur feel spiritually connected, whilst another could be surrounded by many and still feel alone.

I am reminded of a quote by Viktor Frankl which loosely runs along the lines of "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; his ability to choose his thoughts in any set of circumstances". This quote is very empowering. This gentleman very elegantly describes how we do in fact choose our thoughts and it follows that we can change our thoughts should we wish to do so. If for any reason you are feeling isolated or alone, you can change this feeling. It may take a little effort on your part, but never the less, you can change how you feel, and you will find that hypnosis mp3 downloads are very helpful in your desire to feel a greater sense of well-being.

This is a huge topic and I am only scratching the surface here. The risk factors predicted by a sense of isolation do not just relate to heart disease and an earlier death. The whole spectrum of disease comes into play.

In a community where social cohesion has been left behind, it is important to seek new ways in which to provide yourself with a feeling of togetherness and support, to encourage the belief and understanding that you are not alone. A journey into spirituality may be just what you need.





Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis mp3 downloads for health and well-being.
http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com


About The Author
With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading practitioners of self-improvement. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and peruse her extensive library of hypnosis downloads for success, health and well being.


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


Article Source:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_7077.shtml