7 Benefits of a Daily Affirmation Plan

Affirmations are not only for manifesting a specific goal. They’re meant to encourage a life filled with positivity and gratitude. While they do help you achieve certain goals, there’s more to them than that. Let’s say you manifested the job you wanted. Now what? Do you drop the “I am the boss” affirmation? Yes, you do drop that one but you should replace it with a new affirmation. Something like, “I like my job,” or “I enjoy learning new things every day.” The affirmation plan is a never-ending life practice.

The Benefits of Daily Affirmation

1. You become aware of your daily thoughts and words, reducing the risk of letting negativity seep in.
2. You notice more synchronicities in your life, which serves to encourage and motivate you to keep up the practice.  
3. Daily affirmations not only help keep you surrounded by the things you want in your life but they help bring about more blessings and gifts.
4. A daily practice helps to keep the small things in perspective. In this high-speed world you can easily lose sight of how large the small things really are. When healthy you may forget to think of how much you appreciate it. A simple morning affirmation sentence of “I am healthy” can go a long way.
5. A recent study shows that optimistic people have healthier hearts, and affirmations help you to stay positive.
6. As you continue this practice, others take note and you begin to help those around you without even trying. This, in turn, helps keep you focused.
7. Daily affirmations keep you in a constant state of gratitude.
   

Affirmations of Gratitude

Gratitude helps you stay positive and should be practiced daily. The problem is that gratitude for certain things can morph over time. For example, you got that great job after scoping it out for months, interviewing five times, and purchasing a new wardrobe to fit the title. At first you were ecstatic, jumping up and down and calling everyone you know to tell them what you manifested. Fast forward two years. The hours are long, you haven’t received a raise, and your boss blames you for things that have nothing to do with you. By now your level of gratitude for this job is different. Perhaps you’re even trying to manifest a new job and have dropped your affirmations of gratitude for this one.

Try this approach instead: Continue with your affirmations of being very thankful for your position and what it provides. The negatives are still there but using the affirmations to help you focus on the positive aspects will give more power to the other set of affirmations in your practice. Affirmations for what you are or who you are aspiring to become are important but should not hold more weight than the affirmations of gratitude for what you’ve already manifested.

Learn more about the power of appreciation with What You Appreciate Appreciates or try out this hour-by-hour positivity plan.

Melissa Carver specializes in Metaphysics, guiding her clients through the art of manifestation with one-on-one webinars and in-person sessions. Melissa is also a graduate of the Chopra Center University, completing her certification in the Perfect Health: Ayurvedic Lifestyle program.

Power of Consistency

So this article might offend some of you. It might make some angry. But I have to say it. The reason why there aren’t more millionaires, more great businesses, happy marriages, more well­behaved kids, and more people in shape all boils down to one thing.

Consistency. 

If you’re not consistently working to improve yourself, consistently working to grow your business or get better at what you do or consistently eating healthy and exercising, you’re moving backwards. Let's be honest, these days most people have the attention span of a flee.

To achieve anything great requires a commitment to consistency in order to see that vision of greatness come to life.

I can’t tell you the number of times I speak to people who want to lose weight and get in shape. And guess what their number one challenge is?

Sticking to a regimen.

Or in other words consistency.

To be consistent, you have to take the long view. You have to see the forest for the trees. You have to be able to get over the little hurdles and setbacks and know that you are on a journey that most likely won’t happen overnight. Greatness is a process.

Weight loss is a process.

Learning to eat healthy is a process.

Putting your needs first is. a. process.

Communicating well with your partner is a process.

And all of these things can lead to an incredible outcome whether it be making more money, being in a great relationship or wearing a two piece at the beach, but they are require consistency in action and effort.

And the truth of the matter is, when you really REALLY want something, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it. (iPhone 6s anyone?)

So if you’re having a hard time being consistent with anything in your life, question your motivation. How badly do you want it?

Because the truth is most people think they want to lose weight more than anything. I ask them if they are sure they really want it. And they implore me that YES! They really really want to lose weight.

And sometimes I tell them, that’s not the truth. The truth is that they REALLY want something more. They want the cookies more. The fried foods more. The gummy bears more.

Because when you really want something, you will move through hell or high water to get it. You will scrimp and save. You will do what it takes and will do it consistently until you get it.

So what do you really want?

Your friendly neighborhood cellulite fighter,
Aja

P.S. As a special gift to HWHN readers, I want to help you be more consistent when it comes to your workout regimen, so I’m giving away a copy of my 7 Best At Home Workouts. Grab your copy today by clicking this link: Aja’s 7 At Home workouts
www.ajadavis.com

'What or Who Is Behind Your Decisions?'

originally featured on essence.com

A few weeks ago, I laid down to catch a quick nap. Immediately, my three-year-old niece crawled on to the bed and draped her little body across mine. As she rested her head on my back, I grabbed my phone and took my first selfie ever! The back of her head and those little pom-pom ponytails bring a smile to my face every time I see them.

Though I wanted to rest, I couldn’t—primarily because it is hard to drift off with nearly thirty pounds on your back and secondly because I didn’t want to make any moves that might hurt her. And, asking her to move wasn’t an option, because I know that one day she might not think “Mauntie” is the coolest thing since sliced bread or feel too grown to snuggle up with me.

As we lay there, her watching TV and me savoring the moment, I thought about the fact that there have been many times in my life when I wanted to throw in the proverbial towel and just quit. Sometimes I wanted to stop working hard and at others I wanted to quit doing the right thing and just do whatever I wanted. Most times, I made the right choice...most!

As I look back at the moments when I was able to falter, but not fall, I find that one of the things that helped me to make the best decision is the fact that I know there are people looking up to me.

Regardless of who you are, your life makes a difference to someone. There will be times when people only believe in something more or different, because of your example. While we never want to be the source of someone’s faith, we must take responsibility for the influence we wield. There are moments when we may want to do what is least painful, or easiest, on our emotions—even when it isn’t for the best. When we face those turning points, we must factor a few things into our decision-making:

1. Identifying the Real Problem: Failure to acknowledge the “real” problem only makes matters worse. My client Georgia once called me in literal tears over her affair with a married man. Besides operating outside of her own character, the affair was only compounding her root issue—the loneliness that led her into it! We want to take actions that move us in a forward direction. Sometimes we get frustrated because life doesn’t change, but the real problem is that we haven’t made different types of decisions.

2. Identifying Our Standards: When we know our standards, certain behaviors, relationships and decisions cease to be an option. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment because we root our decisions in our feelings, not in the concrete of what we are looking for or expect from life.

3. Identifying the Exchange: In order to get one thing, we have to give up another. When we choose a path in life, we close the door or limit the options another path may have offered. All actions and decisions have consequences. We must make sure that whatever we get is worth what we will give up. Otherwise, we’ll be angry and regretful.

Do Your Work: Whether it is purchasing a new appliance or taking a new job, the pros and cons list works wonders. Spend time on your list today. Let me help you make decisions to win, visitcoachfelicia.com/coaching-session to qualify for a free laser session valued at $397.

Define Your Wealth: Affirm out loud, “I choose the road of wisdom and character everyday!”

About the  Author: Named the “North America’s Next Greatest Speaker” by eWomenNetwork, Coach Felicia is a Certified Empowerment Coach™ who empowers her clients to "Turn their Worth into Wealth" as she partners with them to DISCOVER their WORTH, DO the WORK and DEFINE their WEALTH. Get more insight, download the FREE “8 Choices Winners Must Make” seminar MP3 on her website.

4 STEPS TO CREATING THE ULTIMATE VISION FOR YOUR LIFE

**As originally posted on tonyrobbins.com**



The one trait that all successful, fulfilled people cultivate—be they great writers, teachers, artists, parents, politicians or athletes—is a passion and enthusiasm for life. We all need a compelling vision for our lives: one so powerful that we are driven to do whatever it takes to achieve it.

When we pursue something greater than the current moment, we find fulfillment and joy. The ultimate vision flows from knowing we have a special and unique purpose on this planet. So, how do you create this ultimate vision? Go to an environment that inspires you and where you won’t be interrupted (e.g. the beach, a park, an art museum), and take these steps:


Step 1: Write a paragraph or two answering following questions: What do you want to create for your life? If all of a sudden you had the energy again like you were a little kid and the journey had just begun, what would you be excited to tackle? What would get you up early and keep you up late at night? What would your life be about? What does that vision look like? If you had no fear about moving forward, what would you do in your life? What challenges might you be excited to overcome? What do you want to contribute to your own life and the lives of others? What do you want to give, create, be, feel or share?

                                                                                                                                                        
Step 2: Make sure this vision is emotionally charged, with the power to move you to action: Your vision will provide a consistent focus, continually reminding you what it is you are committed to creating in your life, career or business.

Step 3: Add specifics: Your vision should provide some detail about what measurable results you are going to achieve in your life. This yardstick will help you assess where you are versus where you want to be.

Step 4: Don’t try to make your description perfect You aren’t writing for the Pulitzer Prize—you’re writing to create something that excites you! Try drawing or cutting out pictures that inspire you or that describe your vision. Or choose a song that becomes your theme song for your life. Get creative, as there is no right or wrong way to describe your ultimate vision.

Need more tools and strategies for finding your vision—and having that drive what you do each day? Visit //www.tonyrobbins.com/more-time.

35 Tips to Make This Your Best Year Yet

*As originally posted on www.robinsharma.com*

35 Fast Tips to Make This Your Best Year Yet

I’m sitting on an airplane thinking about what the best performers and most successful people do to continually outperform everyone around them.

As we enter what I hope will be the single best year of your life yet, I’ve come up with 35 Tips that I invite you to concentrate on. Share these tips, reflect on then, post them where you can see them – and allow them to infuse your mindset:

1. Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
2. Keep the promises you make to others – and to yourself.
3. The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first.
4. Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.
5. Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
6. Read “The War of Art”.
7. Watch “The Fighter”.
8. In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know.
9. Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed.
10. Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared.
11. Be “Apple-Like” in your obsession with getting the details right.
12. Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: “A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.”
13. Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can’t be a visionary if you long to be liked.
14. Disrupt or be disrupted.
15. Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
16. Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
17. Every morning ask yourself: “How may I best serve the most people?”
18. Every night ask yourself: “What 5 good things happened to me this day?”
19. Don’t waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work.
20. Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it.
21. Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you.
22. A job is not “just a job”. Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents – and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
23. Fears unfaced become your limits.
24. Get up at 5 am and take 60 minutes to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
25. Write love letters to your family.
26. Smile at strangers.
27. Drink more water.
28. Keep a journal. Your life’s story is worth recording.
29. Do more than you’re paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless.
30. Leave your ego at the door every morning.
31. Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
32. Say “please” and “thank you”.
33. Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service.
34. Don’t be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth.
35. Life’s short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

I genuinely wish you the best year of your life.

Stay Great.

All green lights.

- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/01/35-fast-tips-to-make-this-your-best-year-yet/#sthash.jsV7yzbc.dpuf

Robin Sharma is the globally celebrated author of 15 international bestselling books on leadership including The Leader Who Had No Title, the phenomenal #1 blockbuster that is inspiring a movement around the idea that “Now, anyone - in any organization - can show Leadership”. His work has been published in over 62 countries and in nearly 75 languages, making him one of the most widely read authors in the world. He shot to fame with The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, which has topped international bestseller lists and sold over 4,000,000 copies. Robin is the founder of Sharma Leadership International Inc., a training firm with only one focus: helping people in organizations Lead Without a Title. Clients comprise of many of the FORTUNE 500 including Microsoft, GE, NIKE, FedEx and IBM. Organizations such as NASA, IMD Business School, Yale University and The Young President's Organization are also SLI clients. Robin is a former litigation lawyer who holds two law degrees including a Masters of Law (Dalhousie Law School).

Drama is Optional

**As originally posted on www.Iyanla.com Monday Matters blog November 19, 2012***

Human beings, particularly those of us with a deep attachment to the ego, the voice of separation, have a tendency to be very dramatic. When our backs are up against the wall; when we are being stretched or pruned or corrected by the circumstances of life rather than knowing and believing that things are working together for our good, we more often than not immediately assume that we are in grave danger of extinction.

When I think back to the most challenging experiences of my life, those moments when everything I thought I knew and believed were being tested, I must admit that the greatest difficulty I encountered was trying to control the rampant thoughts that seized my mind.

I now recognize that in those most difficult moments  my thinking became resistant, fearful and dramatic. I conjured up my own suffering. I lost faith and trust in all that I knew to be true.

Feeling sorry for myself, blaming others, not wanting to go through the trials of whatever the situation was at the time, I expected the worst and more often than not, that is what I got – – the worst possible scenario I could imagine. And, since it was in my mind, I experienced it in my life. It seemed real. It felt real.

It was a very dramatic manifestation of my own thinking.

There are certain life experiences like death or separation from a loved one that engender fear or sorrow. A challenge to one’s health or physical well being can also be frightening and will give rise to resistance. Things like the lack of funds to provide for your basic needs or hurt, harm or danger to your children render you helpless and desperate.

In these moments and for countless others it is very human and almost expected that the most dominant thought will lead the mind to the worst possible outcome rather than the greater possibility.

As humans, when we cannot see the end or control the events, we immediately assume that something horrible, painful and tragic will befall us. Lack of vision and control are sure to trigger the drama response.

In other situations, when something we do not want nor like or have not planned for presents itself as a life experience, we reach out for the support and input of others. Unfortunately, we often lure them into our experience by embellishing the worst parts of the story and refusing to entertain anything other than what we believe is happening, can happen or will happen to cause more dramatic suffering.

This kind of drama, like an infection, spreads quickly not just to all the cells in our body but to the people and other situations in our lives.

My experience has been that the more dramatic my responses to any experience, the faster and more widespread is the infection in other areas of my life. When I do not make a swift and serious effort to calm myself, focus my thoughts and eliminate the fear, I have run the risk of having the small manageable infection grow into a rip roaring plague!

What I have come to know and believe it that at all times, in all situations and under all circumstances, my only job and often the most difficult task I face is to trust in the goodness of God and to make myself available to God’s love and voice.

I often say that if God is the Alpha (Beginning) and the Omega (the End), then the middle is already covered by the presence of God.

Initially knowing this does not make hearing difficult news or facing a frightening situation easy. However, learning to lean into God’s presence rather than chasing my own thoughts has proven to save time and subdue the drama that is created when I think I am on my own.

A dramatic, fear-based, resistant response to life’s circumstances is a function of a broken line of communication with the Creator of my life.

Insisting that things must be the way I want them to be, believing that I can somehow control life and how it unfolds, avoiding the unpleasant moments, the testing situations and the inevitabilities of life will always result in a dramatic plague that I have to clean up.

Drama calls for a villain and a victim, conflict and control, a winner and a loser. Most dramas make really great entertainment but they can also limit the spiritual growth and healing possibilities for those involved.

Every life has difficult moments just as many stories have tragic elements. What makes a really good and dramatic story may not necessarily have an ending that promotes truth and faith or trust in the Divine Potential of the Human Spirit.

As human beings, we must all face tests that make us stronger, even when the tests make no sense to us. We are not going to feel prepared for the situations that we face. Surely it seems that some of us get more than our fair share of challenges, tests and difficulties.

None of this changes the truth that right where I am, the fulness of God is making drama optional to this depth of trust and knowing.

If, in the quiet times, the calm before the storm, I spend more time in connection and communion with the Commanding Officer of my life, the battles will seem less deadly and more purposeful.

Moving into a new year, a new time of possibility and opportunity, I am committed to make my life adrama free zone. This means that I will need to train my mind to seek first the lesson, learning and healing available by sending my ego to the corner when a challenge first shows its face. Not an easy task for sure but I have walked through enough plagues in my life to make me willing to do a new thing.  How about you?