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91

Be a Leader / Subconscious Mind Power

« on: July 03, 2011, 11:19:12 AM »

By Joshua Benavides

Very few people understand the power of their minds. Most people get glimpses. But few understand and cultivate that power. Oh, the mind. So many different teachings about the mind ranging from Mysticism to Philosophy, Psychology to Religion.

So many ideas of what the mind is and its power. And to be more specific, the power of the subconscious mind.

You see, your subconscious mind is your power center. It has unlimited resources. It's taking care of your breathing, your sight, hearing, circulation, behaviors, reactions, habits...and the list goes on.

In fact, based on numerous scientific studies, your conscious mind, the YOU that's reading this right now, is in charge of only 2-5% of your brain potential.

What takes care of the rest?

That's right...your subconscious mind.

If you want to create massive business results in very little time, it's wise to change things from the source. If you try to clean a river downstream, it's going to take a long time to clean up the river. Make sense?

The most powerful investment of your time and energy is to condition your subconscious mind to be in alignment with your conscious goals.

If you do this, you'll reach your goals without a doubt. If you don't, you'll feel stuck, like something is blocking your progress.

The power of your subconscious mind is vast. Its role is to make things happen. Contrary to popular belief, the conscious mind is not the one that's taking action and making things happen.

It's the subconscious mind. The Conscious mind only steers the ship. It's what creates your goals, your targets. The subconscious mind is what actually gets you there. It's like the crew on the ship.

Now, if the captain (conscious mind) decides to head in a certain direction, say, to make six figures in your business this year when you've never made this much in your life...and the crew decides this isn't possible (your subconscious)...

Here's what you get: MUTINY!

If you want to create results fast, it's not simply taking action. It's taking effective action. And it's the subconscious mind that will notice all the ways that you can do just that.

Source: http://thinksucceeded.blogspot.com/

92

Be a Leader / How to Develop Good Habits

« on: July 03, 2011, 11:17:01 AM »

Welcome Stumblers and all newcomers! If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, increase energy levels, reduce stress or just generally look and feel healthier you've come to the right place.

Aristotle had this to share about habits: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

The motivation for developing a positive health habit may come from the beckoning of a New Year, a firm nudge from your doctor or your ever-expanding waistline. A few months ago we talked about how to break bad habits. While bad habits can almost miraculously get set in stone overnight, developing a good habit takes a bit more coaxing, commitment, deliberation and time. But you can become a true master at developing a good habit. You just need the tools and resolve to help you get there.

Here are five practical tips to transform your healthy pipe dream into a solid reality.

Clarity

Anyone who has written a grant, business proposal, or college application, knows that just a few lines below writing your full name, you must state your objective. So let’s start our good habit forming right here. Set your own objective and be clear and specific about it. If the good habit you want to develop is to be active in some small way each day, or to swap out ice cream for fruit, then your road to health just started blazing with a string of green lights. A crisp and sharp objective gives you the resolve to take the consequent steps to execute your plan.

Visualization

Don’t worry – You don’t have to own a crystal or burn incense to practice this good-habit-forming step. In fact, imagining what your life might look like with your health goal fastened securely and proudly to your low-rise jeans is a practice that is used by world-class athletes and leaders. Here’s why: As you mentally rehearse your health goal, your mind and body become trained to perform the skill or behavior. In doing so, you literally “intend” a specific outcome to occur. This visualized intention ups your experience and confidence even if the actual behavior hasn’t been put into action.

Visualize yourself in challenging situations that test your capacity to stick to your commitment. If your co-worker often beckons you to ditch the weight room for happy hour or if your mom, in all of her sweet maternal sincerity, feeds your break-up sorrows with homemade mac & cheese casserole and oatmeal raisin cookies, visualize yourself not caving to the temptation. Mentally-preparing for surprises and executing them in your visualization practice will effectively equip you to handle the real-life situation when it arises. And believe us, it will arise.

Repetition

If you don’t succeed….yeah, yeah, you know the adage. But compares, it’s true. As you go about making this new habit into a permanent one, aim for consistency rather than for how well you adhere to your newly-made commitment. For instance, your objective is to avoid all refined carbohydrates from Monday through Friday and you encounter three curb challenges throughout the course of your workday. You only cave to one. Rather than focus on the singular slip, get right back in there and stay committed to your cause.


Experts can’t concur on how long it actually takes to form and establish a good habit. Most estimates put it at around a month or a bit less. Instead of measuring the success of your healthy habit by some deadline, measure it rather by your continued focus to recommit to your objective right after being sidelined.

As we’ve said before [6]: It’s the day-to-day effort of putting one foot in front of the other; of making one primal choice at a time. In order to form a long-lasting good habit, you have to commit to the change every day. And then recommit to it the next day and the day after that.

Start Out Small

We don’t change overnight. It took you a few decades to develop the body, resolve and habits that you currently own up to. As well-intentioned as the new habit you want to establish may be, you don’t want to go about it in a bipolar kind of way with a rush of adrenaline in the beginning that quickly turns to three months of inaction.

So heed this advice: Slow your pace. Want to (finally) commit to a regular fitness program? Make a pact to hit the gym once a week for the first couple weeks. If you manage to accomplish this goal pat yourself on the back and up the ante to two days each week and so on. Make your goals challenging enough so that real change is actually taking place (one day is better than none!), but not so hard (e.g. exercise every day of the week) that you set yourself up for failure.

Shout it Out

When it comes to establishing that new habit, tell as many people as you can about what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Not only does it create accountability on your end (the heaviness of living up to expectations is a massive motivator for taking the right action) but it also gives you that “ra-ra” pat on the rear just when you need it.

Remember that your habits are you own choices. It is up to you, and only you, to put them in place and stay their course. Luckily, you’ve already made the first step by reading this post. Armed with the right frame of mind and tools to get you from point A to point B you have set yourself up for success. Now get out there and develop some good habits!


From the source: http://thinksucceeded.blogspot.com/

93

Be a Leader / How to Break Bad Habits

« on: July 03, 2011, 11:14:05 AM »

Welcome Stumblers and all newcomers! If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, increase energy levels, reduce stress or just generally look and feel healthier you've come to the right place.

A show of hands here. Chronic cardio buffs? Halloween candy freaks? Caffeine fiends? Stress addicts? French bread fanatics? Bad health habits come in all forms, we know. But the question of the day is this: how do we finally rid ourselves of those compulsive longings, those simultaneously desired and resented routines? Is it simply a matter of will power? Is it clever strategy? Permanent exile from the world where these pet practices and items can’t taunt us with their presence? We’re interested in what your tips (and those past/present vices) are, but here are some ideas to get the proverbial ball rolling – and that monkey off your back.

    Dig up the who, what, when, where, why and how.

More than just a journalist’s framework, you can take advantage of some digging yourself. Sure, the “what” (the habit itself) probably seems pretty clear, but as you look to revise your routine, consider the context of your target habit. Does a certain friend always try to cut into/distract your gym time? When do you feel most vulnerable in the face of sweet snacks? Where is it hardest to turn down that cup of coffee? How does your family’s routine seem to sabotage your own best efforts and goals? Why do you think you keep coming back to the habit, be it anything from breakfast cereal to workout-less weekends to an occasional (gasp!) cigarette? What’s behind that habit anyway? What are you holding onto? Why does it have the sway over you that it does? Is it a stand-in or excuse for something else going on in your life/psyche?

    Plan.

As you pinpoint the backdrop that keeps you hooked to those bad habits, take the opportunity to plan some strategies that you’ll rely on when faced with temptation. Maybe it’s an alternate entrée for the Wednesday lunch you have with friends. Perhaps it’s a thoughtful but casual way to decline after-work drinks or a good excuse to change your workout time to a more productive, less distracting time. Write (or record) a pep talk for yourself to dig out when you need it. Or, if it’s more your style, a kick-your-own-butt, what-are-you-thinking speech. What will you do or turn to when you find yourself turning toward instead of steering clear of the habitual path?

    But don’t plan too much.

Sometimes it’s easy to put so much energy into planning to give up a habit that your efforts simply allow you to put off the actual leap itself. How many of us have been stuck circling in this pattern for more weeks/months/years than we’d care to admit? At some point, you have to bite the bullet and say that you’ll deal with the difficulties as they come. Decide today to not give into the habit, and then be willing to say the same tomorrow. That’s how it starts.

    Toss the triggers.

The obvious point here is to get rid of any items whose sole purpose will be to tempt you away from your best intentions. (As in, bring any remaining Halloween treats to work the morning after, or just be really generous in the last part of the evening. Better yet, give out something that doesn’t lead anyone else down that Pied Piper path to begin with – more help on that this week.) If your triggers are less object-oriented and more contextual, toss the typical routines that encourage bad habits. Meet friends for a walk in the park instead of for dinner. Take up a fitness or dance class with your partner instead of spending Friday nights parked on the couch. Put the kids in charge of their own morning routine and get in a workout or meditation session instead. Taking on a long-held habit usually means taking charge of your life in a new way.

    Spread the word.

For those people who are more socially motivated, letting the word out can give you added incentive to stay on track. No, it doesn’t mean you have to shout your intention from the rooftops. It’s more about the people you’re closer to. Letting a few close friends or family members know your intention can make the goal seem more real. Look at it as a supportive group helping you “stay true” in your pursuit. Your success is ultimately your effort and commitment, but it always helps knowing you have a crowd (or even close pal) cheering for you.

    Pair up.

Do you have a friend or family member who’s also looking to give up a bad habit? Join forces. You’ll not only have some added support, you’ll also have the motivation of living up to your end of the bargain. When the going gets tough you can share strategies and humor to keep you both on course. One caution: be sure to not become dependent on that person’s participation. It’s ultimately your pursuit, whether the other person sticks with his/her choice or not.

    A page a day.

Ever notice the exhaustive chronicles of weight loss, smoking cessation and the like on everything from MySpace to Flickr Commons? Sure, there’s the social element of announcing your intention and success, but we think there’s more to the project than that. Whether public or private, recording your pursuit (in all its flesh and blood humanity) can be therapeutic. Particularly if you’re a more introverted person, bringing your thoughts to the page in whatever form (journaling, doodling, extemporaneous collage…) can offer a sense of personal release and allow a space for you to be 100% candid, no holds barred. Chances are you’ll be able to look back on the collection with gratitude and likely a few good laughs.

    Periodic incentive plan.

We approach the idea of “reward” cautiously because, like planning endeavors, rewards can sometimes act as divergent and ultimately derailing factors. What’s at the real root of breaking a bad habit, after all, but undertaking contemplation, cultivating discipline, framing a new routine or even outlook surrounding one’s health and daily practice? Rewards, while they can be a nice pick-me-up when you need them, don’t do much to bolster the real process. Our advice for incentives? Make them health-oriented. Design a “health indulgence” day, whatever that may look like for you.

    If you falter, explore what went awry.

Remember that “flesh and blood humanity” bit? We’ve all been there. There’s the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” (Then there’s the alternate ending – “you’re running about average”.) Instead of beating yourself up about it, take a day and then do the necessary post-mortem. What do you think inspired the lapse, whether it be a weak moment, an ill-considered decision, or a self-sabotaging act? What about your routine do you think you need to change this time around? Do you need some new strategies, a realignment of life priorities, or some deeper deliberation about what’s fueling the habit?

    If you succeed, study what worked.

When it comes to health (or life), we don’t believe in resting on your laurels. Good health choices are ultimately about getting up every morning and choosing to do the “right” thing for your body. Every day requires a renewed commitment and a willingness to be present and accountable in the moment. But you have a lot to learn from your own past success. What did you tell yourself that made you get to the gym this weekend? How did you let go of the stress during the really bad day last week? What did you choose to do this morning when you wanted to go for your morning coffee and donut but didn’t? Knowing what you’ve done to resist temptation in the past can build up your “toolbox” of strategies and also reassure you in less confident moments that you have what it takes to kick the habit.

Now we want to invite your comments and additions. What have been your most difficult health habits to ditch? What approaches, tips, and mantras have worked for you? (And which ones haven’t?) Share your ideas, successes and questions with other readers. And thanks for your input.

Source : http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-break-bad-habits/

94

Be a Leader / 7 Proven Tips on How to Set Goals

« on: July 03, 2011, 11:00:12 AM »

By Gitana M

If you want to learn about how to set goals effectively, then you will want to read this article. In this article, I want to provide 7 proven tips on how to set goals.

What we will achieve in our life depend on what goals we set. If we want to live a meaningful life, we have to know clearly, what we want out of life. What is the most important to us. Successful people always know clearly, what they want out of life.

What can be worse than people don't know what they want to reach in their life, when they always focus on their problems, when they always talk about what they don't want.

Why set goals?

Our goals give a meaning to our life. They increase happiness, self-confidence and success. Clear and specific goals help us to focus on what is important to us; they help us to stay motivated.

Now let's discover 7 proven tips on how to set goals:

    Decide what you really want to achieve in your life. What is the most important to you? What things will make you happy?

    Write your goals. Writing will help you to increase the implementation of your goals. Set realistic, clear goals. Clearly defined goals will help you to stay motivated. Motivation makes a big influence on our goals.

    Set a deadline for your goals. Make a note for how soon you would like to achieve those goals.

    Clearly realize "why" you want to achieve those goals. Strong knowing why you want to reach your objectives increases motivation.

    Make a list of things what you will have to do. What things will help you to reach your objectives? Make a clear and consistent plan of things you will have to do. This will help you to focus on what is the most important to you and what can help you to reach your objectives. Take action.

    Identify the skills you will need to develop. What skills you need if you want to reach your goals successfully? Try to identify them and then develop those skills.

    Recognize resources that can help you to reach your goals.

Goals influence our success and happiness. They give a direction and meaning to our life. It would be difficult to achieve successful life if you don't understand clearly, what you want to reach in your life. So don't delay and take action today. Set your goals. Every day do something what can help you to achieve those goals.

Get free instant access to self improvement tips, secrets and inside information. Visit http://www.path-to-self-improvement.com Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6041420

95

Be a Leader / QUOTES on LIFE

« on: July 03, 2011, 09:50:43 AM »

Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies. -- Ann Landers

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.-- Buddha

Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you plan to stop peddling.-- Claude Pepper

It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. -- Albert Einstein

Attack life, it's going to kill you anyway. -- Steven Coallier

Life isn't worth living unless you're willing to take some big chances and go for broke.-- Eliot Wiggington

Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting. -- Karl Wallenda

On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him. -- Buddha

In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed. -- Sid Caesar

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyways. -- Anonymous

96

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:15:41 PM »

19. Betty Boop

Betty Boop was a star in the 1930s, when talkies overtook silent films. Her black and white sex appeal, cutesy voice and ditzy charm made her a hit. Now her image is iconic, appearing on all kinds of merchandise people buy without ever really seeing even one cartoon.

97

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:15:17 PM »

20. George Jetson

The Flinstones took the all-American family back in time, but The Jetsons took it to the future. George Jetson was like Fred Flinstone and every other sitcom father we've seen. He worked to take care of his family, and only wanted some peace and quiet from time to time. But his kids, wife, dog and boss kept him from it. Famously being trapped on a treadmill (who hasn't been?) in the opening credits, it's easy to remember George Jetson.

98

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:14:23 PM »

21. Pink Panther

Like Fat Albert, Pink Panther is a character who inspires a tune in your head as soon as you see him, this one in a jazzy saxophone. The Pink Panther was a series of animated shorts, designed to appear at the opening and closing credits of live-action films starring Inspector Clouseau. His popularity allowed him to become his own cartoon, still airing on Boomerang.

99

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:13:28 PM »

22. Gumby

Gumby was a pioneer in stop-motion animation for TV. He and his horse Pokey were heroes in their own fictional world, but for television, they ushered in a new era of animation.

100

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:12:56 PM »

23. Underdog

We can all relate to Underdog, the guy who is underestimated by his enemies, only to prove them all wrong. He's sweet when he's wooing Polly Purebread. He's cunning and brave when he's defeating Simon Barsinister.

101

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:12:02 PM »

24. Tweety Bird and Sylvester

Another duo Chuck Jones created, Tweety Bird and Sylvester keep each other on their toes, with Sylvester losing out on a yummy bird meal every time. Tweety's baby voice and Sylvester's slobber talk keep us laughing.

102

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:11:07 PM »

25. Speed Racer

Most children of the '60s and '70s remember Speed Racer and his Mach 5. Plus, the cartoon introduced us to the world of anime. Thanks to a recent live-action movie and a new cartoon series, Speed Racer is still part of the zeitgeist today.

103

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:10:17 PM »

26. Josie and the Pussycats

Josie was the Beyoncé of her times, leading a girl pop group and taking on the world. I loved that she wore that groovy cat costume. Josie and the Pussycats was part Scooby-Doo and part The Monkees. The character stills inspire TV today, for instance, in the form of Foxxy Love on Drawn Together.

104

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:09:05 PM »

27. Heckle and Jeckle

In the tradition of Crosby and Hope or Martin and Lewis, Heckle and Jeckle defeat their opponents with wit and style. The big mystery of these magpies is how they became friends: one has a Brooklyn accent, the other a British accent. Perhaps an origin prequel would answer this question? Terrytoons?

105

Cartoon & Animation / Re: Modern and Classic Top 50 Cartoon Characters

« on: July 02, 2011, 07:08:05 PM »

28. Top Cat

Top Cat is another product of '60s Hanna-Barbera animation. He's the leader of an alley cat gang, who just wants to make a quick buck. But thanks to Officer Dibble, their plans never come to fruition. Top Cat is cool, but his morals are a tad looser than his gang's, leading to occasional mutiny. Nevertheless, T.C. retains his hold as captain.