5th of 8 Things to Give Up

We know begin to address the second half of the "8 Things to Give Up". The first question that I must ask you is this: How has your ATTITUDE been toward the things that have been discussed up to this point?

 

Attitude? Absolutely.

 

Chances are, you have had some sort of negative thoughts about some - if not all - of the points that we have covered so far. Why do I say that? Simple...those who are OPEN to change and improvement in their lives will usually find that they are looking at TRUTH and that, even though it is difficult to accept, it is of key importance to take action ANYWAY!

 

Those who aer NOT open to change and improvement in their lives will usually find excuses as to why action does not need to be taken. They will try to disguise these excuses by being critical of the process. "EVERYBODY doubts themselves at some point in time. That doesn't mean anything!" or "These are really STUPID examples given. Everyone I know deals with these things...why should I be any different?"

 

You simply can not give up that which you refuse to admit to have in the first place, right?

 

And, the longer you decide to hang on to these types of attitudes, the more likely you will find that you are attaching stronger and stronger "chains" to these attitudes in your life. Those "chains" will not only make it more difficult to rid yourself OF those attitudes, they will also weigh you down and make it difficult to function in a healthy and positive way in ANY relationship!

 

So, what's the difference between NEGATIVE THINKING and NEGATIVE SELF-TALK?

 

Good question!

I would suggest to you that negative thinking is a "general" mindset in which you tend to be negative about anything and everything. Negative self-talk is when you have begun to direct that negativity to yourself and have now made it personal. For example, negative thinking might be expressed with: "This place is horrible!" and negative self-talk would be more like: "I am horrible for not knowing better than to come here! What is wrong with me?!". Negative thinking might say: "This is an ugly outfit/dress/suit!" and negative self-talk would redirect it this way: "That outfit/dress/suit is not too bad but I look ugly in it!" or "I make it look horrible!".

See the difference?

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Negative self-talk could lead to self-loathing and self-hatred. BOTH of these are very dangerous and damaging to a person and it is KEY that you snap out of this one and give it up as soon as possible!

 

Negative self-talk tends to put the blame for EVERYTHING that is wrong (or perceived so through your eyes) on YOU! Hey, maybe that outfit/dress/suit actually IS ugly and it has nothing to do with you! Have you not noticed that much of so-called "fashion" is actually quite hideous, REGARDLESS of how beautiful the person is that wears the outfit?

 

Too, this type of self-talk really begins to take on the characteristics of SELF-CENTEREDNESS. (Ouch!)

 

That's right - self-centeredness. The world begins to (and likely has for quite some time for you) revolve around you and you begin to focus EVERYTHING - now mostly all of the "bad" things" - on yourself as if YOU are the one that is responsible for all that is "unfit" for this world.

 

Stop it! That's right, I said STOP IT!

 

I'm going to spend a short moment more on this and then I'm going to wrap this discussion up for now. PAY ATTENTION - THIS IS IMPORTANT! When you begin to sink into the world of "negative self-talk" and you become further involved to the point of thinking everything (good or bad) revolves around you, then you become SELFISH to the point that no one else matters. LISTEN UP! There's a lot more I could say about what I'm about to say, but let me just say it this way for today's article - suicide is a very SELFISH act! Again, I could discuss this a lot further, but not today because I want to get your attention here. When you begin to become so involved in negative self-talk that leads to criticising yourself and blaming yourself for anything and everything, then you also begin to run the risk of being so focused on YOU that you begin to think it's all about YOU! When that happens it is also very easy to forget your connection to your world around you (family, friends and others that love and care about you) and you begin to even believe that the world is better off without a person like you.

 

Can you see the dangerous path? (Be sure to listen to the podcast on this for more thoughts).

 

STOP IT and GIVE IT UP! Get whatever help you need to do so but PLEASE understand that this can take you down a path that you never thought possible.

 

Go back and re-read the past few articles or, if you haven't read them yet, DO IT NOW, and begin to absorb a little "good news" about yourself, o.k.?

 

Yes, it IS that important. Do NOT believe the lies of doubt and negative thinking and do not allow them to go any further in your life. The quicker you give it up, the sooner you will begin to experience improvement in your overall attitude and outlook on your life.

 

And, as you do so, do all that you can to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

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Say It and BELIEVE It!

This is "FUN FRIDAY!" - Enjoy your day and don't forget to SMILE and SHARE that smile!

This week we have looked at the first four of my "7 Life-Changing, Life-Directing, Powerful Daily Affirmations" and, today, I want to take a look back and check your progress.

One of the EASIEST things to do is to TALK about what you want to do or need to do and then to NEVER do it! Hey, we see this every day, right? You can easily spot it in those that are around you but, the fact is, it's also easy for us to spot it in ourselves but we just don't want to ADMIT it about ourselves!

It's EASY to say, "I'll start doing these affirmations TOMORROW" and to keep repeating that each and every time we are blessed with a new day. Bottom line - it never gets done and our lives remain the same while we scratch our heads and wonder why nothing is changing.

DUH!

So, truthfully, how are you doing with this so far? Are you actually TRYING this out to see if, perhaps, it WILL make a difference in your day? If not, WHY NOT?

Don't just give it the four days that have passed so far! Try it for a solid month and see if, for one, it doesn't get easier to do and, secondly, if it doesn't start becoming something that you begin to FEEL in your day.

I can promise you that there are many of you that are reading this that have a hard time BELIEVING these affirmations. You feel foolish saying them because you don't believe them in the first place. DO IT ANYWAY and say it ANYWAY and see if your belief about these things and yourself don't begin to change.

THEY WILL!

But you MUST say these things repeatedly (DAILY) and you must allow yourself to BELIEVE them to be true - even if you're not 100% sure in the beginning.

Beginning Monday I will continue with the remaining three affirmations but, instead of waiting until I've covered all seven, I wanted to do a "check up" on what I've covered with you so far this week.

Write them out or print them out and post them on or right next to your mirror and then SAY THEM and BELIEVE THEM! It WILL make a difference.

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Talk to Yourself AFFIRMATIVELY!

Twelve "Do's and Don'ts" For Living a Positive Life

1. Make Enthusiasm A Daily Habit!

2. Don't Allow Negative People to Determine Your Self-Worth!

3. Get Into The Habit of Talking to Yourself Affirmatively!

I find it interesting to notice that, already, we have used the word "habit" in the first three of these twelve points. This is something that I believe is important for us to understand - it is an ON-GOING PROCESS that we must dedicate ourselves to! DO NOT GIVE UP and DO NOT GIVE IN!

In today's podcast I used the example of putting gasoline into an automobile - that is not a one time procedure IF you plan to go anywhere. And, aren't we ALL on a journey together? Aren't we ALL taking a journey and attempting to make daily progress toward our goals and dreams?

So, when you think of it that way you should hopefully see the need for DAILY "refueling" concerning positive influences in our lives - it needs to become a HABIT.

Now, it is also important to notice the connection between today's topic and the topic from yesterday. When we understand that we do NOT need to allow negative people to influence ANYTHING in our lives then we also begin to see the fact that it is up to us to supply the daily positive "fuel" for our lives. See what I mean?

Even at times when it is impossible for us to get away from such negative people (anyone relate to this where you work?) we can STILL talk to ourselves in a way that will help combat the damage that the negativity can cause.

We have to TALK LOUDER than the negative talk - get it? We have to TALK MORE than the negative talk and overcome it with our positive flow of "fuel".

What we are doing here through this blog and also the podcast is like an "anti-venom" or something that will help us "detox" the negative. YES, IT IS THAT SERIOUS!

Negativity is TOXIC and it IS a POISON in our lives that we must fight and prevent in our lives.

So, enough of the morbid, huh? Let's look to the positive side of this and that is - what WE can do about this. It is WITHIN our control, right? Sure it is! We talk about this all of the time - it is up to YOU and ME to take control of our lives and our environments!

We have the ABILITY, we have the POWER, we have the OPPORTUNITY and we also have the RESPONSIBILITY to do this in our own lives.

So, again, go back to the seven daily affirmations that I shared with you starting back on January 4th and incorporate them into your DAILY routine!

Talking to ourselves affirmatively simply means talking to ourselves in the "YES language" when the world wants to continually dump "NO" on us.

Think about that and the truth behind it.

No one else can do this for you - it is up to you. "Talk to YOURSELF..."

Yes, it helps to have others talk to us and with us as well. That's what I am doing though this blog and podcast. That's what I get for myself from Jim Rohn and others.

Yet, when it comes down to it, I must incorporate these thoughts and ideas into my OWN life and I must make them my OWN - CLAIM them!

Stop telling yourself that this isn't for you because you don't deserve it or because you are not good enough or whatever it is that you may have run around in your head from time to time.

THAT IS POISON and it will KILL you and your dreams!

"I AM Somebody Special!" -- and take it from there, my friend.

Daily.

Everyday.

Starting NOW (if you haven't already).

And, as you do so, don't ever forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

I AM ABLE to Accomplish GREAT Things!

If you haven't done so, be sure to take a look at yesterday's blog to get the full listing of my "7 Life-changing, Life-directing, Powerful Daily Affirmations" and begin to incorporate them into your daily schedule.

For me, the best time to do this is in the mornings before I leave the house. Perhaps you can tape these to your mirror and say them while you are getting ready for the day. Or, you may want to put them by your door to stop and say right before you leave your house. Whatever you do - I really want to encourage you to DO these each and every day.

#2: I AM ABLE to Accomplish GREAT Things!

"Great things" can mean a lot of different things and I'd like to touch on that first. First of all, let's talk about what it DOESN'T have to mean, o.k.?

If you DON'T become President of the United States, it doesn't mean that you have not accomplished great things in your life. If you DON'T find the cure for cancer, it doesn't mean that you have not accomplished great things in your life.

See what I mean?

Sometimes when we consider "great things" we tend to think of things that would make us famous and known world-wide. That's not necessarily the case!

Now, are these GREAT things to accomplish? Absolutely! If you set out to do such things with your life - GO FOR IT and give it all you have!

However, let's not miss the fact that there are MANY things we can do with/in our lives that can be considered "great" that no one may ever even know about.

One of the things that I mention in today's podcast is a situation where a single mother is working hard at one, two and maybe even three jobs just to try to provide for her child or children. This mother may not consider the fact that she is providing a home and food and clothing for her children a great thing - but it is!

Parent's who love their children and always make sure that their children KNOW that they are loved are, also, doing GREAT things!

See what I mean? Let's not overlook some of the so-called "simple" things that can also be great!

What ARE your goals and plans? What HAVE you been working towards in your life? What are your DREAMS and what are you doing to enable yourself to REACH those goals, plans and dreams?

Whatever it is - or whatever they are - you DO have the ability to accomplish GREAT things! And, yes, this DOES also mean that you have the ability to accomplish things in your life that you and probably others would think is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for you to do!

Yet, when you take into consideration what we looked at yesterday in our first affirmation ("I am somebody special!") and combine that with today's affirmation then you can KNOW that you can, indeed, ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS!

You ARE special and you have been given the ability to accomplish things beyond your comprehension!

When you combine the miraculous wonder that God made you to be (your mind and body) with all of the assets available for each of us to use today (the internet, for example) then you end up with an UNBELIEVABLE and POWERFUL FORCE!

WOW! Just really take a moment and consider that!

You CAN because you ARE!

You CAN accomplish great things because you ARE somebody special!

It's true. Whether you feel this or not, say it anyway each day. Out loud. You will be amazed at what happens over time to your belief system as your subconscious mind begins to take this as a fact and repeat it to you as such.

Remember - you CAN because you ARE!

And, as always...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

FACING, ATTACKING and DEFEATING the FEAR of CRITICISM!

Hey friends - my apologies for not getting my blog up yesterday! Yesterday was one of those days that did not go quite as planned! Ever have one of those? (I know you have!).

Anyway, I will combine thoughts on not only the podcast for today but also combine it with some thoughts on yesterday's podcast ("Facing the Fear of Criticism").

I know that Napoleon Hill in this book, "Think & Grow Rich", calls the Fear of Poverty (the first of the 8 Ghosts of Fear) the most damaging and prevailing - and I can see his point because the fear of poverty and the desire for riches is a big reason our crime rate - at least here in America (but my guess is it's the same wherever you live) - is as high as it is. However, I would suggest that the FEAR OF CRITICISM is one that is the most widely shared and felt!

WE ALL DEAL WITH AND STRUGGLE WITH THIS FEAR!

We must all FACE this fear and decide to do something to defeat it! Has it not ruled and ruined our lives long enough? Have we not allowed this fear to rob us of our joy long enough? Have we not allowed this fear to stop us dead in our tracks long enough? Have we not allowed this fear to paralyze us from forward momentum long enough? YES, WE HAVE!

About a week ago I was having lunch with my friends from high school (you've seen their pictures shared on here before) when one of them was talking about visiting with the high school counselor during our Senior year. My friend said the "counselor" (and I use that term VERY loosely) sat him and another guy down together and basically said, "Well boys, about all I can tell you two is that neither of you are going to amount to much of anything!"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

That criticism COULD HAVE frozen both of these guys - at a very young age - dead in their tracks IF they had chosen to take this criticism to heart and let this fear take root. However, I'm happy to say that neither of them did and they both are doing quite well today, thank you very much!

Here's what Napoleon Hill had to say about this fear of criticism: "This fear of criticism robs man of his initiative, destroys his power of imagination, limits his individuality, takes away his self-reliance, and does him damage in a hundred other ways."

Mr Hill also discusses the fact that "Criticism is the one form of service, of which everyone has too much. Everyone has a stock of it which is handed out, gratis [free], whether called for or not."

Isn't that the truth? As the old saying goes, "EVERYONE is a critic!" and we've all experienced that, haven't we? And, for whatever reason, many of us FEAR this criticism to the point that it prevents us from sharing our thoughts, ideas, plans and talents. What a shame.

I have discussed this very fact earlier in discussion of this book. Have you ever considered the fact that - for the most part - these critics have very little, if any, knowledge about that which they are sharing their criticism? Think about that and you will likely agree. Oh, I know that there are some with a boss that likes to use this fear of criticism to control those under him or her. But even if that situation, think about this - WHY do they find the need to do so? I would suggest to you that it is due to the fact that they, themselves, are AFRAID! Afraid of what? Afraid of you or another worker actually coming up with an idea or suggestion that is better than what they could have thought of themselves. That being so (and I do believe that it is) they, themselves bow down to the fear of criticism from whoever it is that is THEIR boss!

What a vicious cycle!

In the podcast for today (Thursday) I shared with you some thoughts from an article by Donald Trump in which he declares that the opposite of fear is FAITH! We have also discussed this fact before and I have shared this thought several times in my podcasts and blogs. Mr. Trump discusses the need for us to BELIEVE IN OURSELVES to the point of KNOWING that we do, indeed, carry within us the ability to achieve whatever the task may be. The way I have worded it over and over again is realizing that, "YES, YOU (I) CAN!"

This is also what is talked about in the earlier chapters of this great book on FAITH and also AUTO-SUGGESTION. We must all work to develop this deep-rooted FAITH or BELIEF in ourselves and our abilities to the point that our subconscious mind "automatically" kicks in and "reminds" us of this fact every single day and even many times throughout the day.

Here are the "symptoms of the fear of criticism" that Mr. Hill shares in this chapter (notice how many of them are tied together and try to identify these in your life - also go to the book for more descriptions about each one of these):

1. SELF- CONSCIOUSNESS (Why self-conscious? Not enough belief in yourself!)

2. LACK OF POISE (The physical manifestation of self-consciousness!)

3. PERSONALITY (These first two impact even your personality!)

4. INFERIORITY COMPLEX (Trying to appear to be something your not!)

5. EXTRAVAGANCE (Trying to "keep up with the Joneses" - tied in with #4)

6. LACK OF INITIATIVE (The idea of, "Why try? I'll just be criticized anyway.")

7. LACK OF AMBITION (I would suggest that this one is the "full-grown child" of #6)



HERE'S MY THOUGHTS ON DEFEATING THIS FEAR OF CRITICISM...

Yes, although it is good and at times, important to listen and take advice from others, STOP listening to everyone that criticizes you and STOP believing everything that "they" have to say! Who are they anyway? Instead, LISTEN TO YOURSELF and your inner voice telling you, "YES, YOU CAN!"

I know that is easier said than done - but it is a necessity for each of us to develop this and put it into practice!

Before you "blow this off" as just "fluffy talk" ask yourself this question:
- Are you working DAILY to instill this type of talk/inner belief into your life?
- IF NOT - (for one, WHY NOT?) then how can you "know" that it doesn't or won't work?
- If you are trying to instill this in your life, understand that it is a process that does take time! It doesn't happen overnight but that does not mean that it doesn't work or that you should give up!

My friend, criticism (and, as a result, the "fear of criticism") has been around since the beginning of time - it is nothing new.

But you MUST know that you CAN defeat this fear and you DO have within you the ability to do so! Thank you for allowing me to do my part in helping you cultivate that ability!

Do not allow others and their criticisms stop you from moving forward and making progress. FLY IN THE FACE OF CRITICISM! Soar and live the life that you were intended to live!

YES, YOU CAN!

And, along the way, remember...

"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike