Author : tracy Are you a big thinker? Most of us go along just seeing things as they are and ourselves as we are and making do with that That is why our lives usually do not change very much
Big thinkers are big achievers They see what could be instead of what is They see themselves as people who are capable of making a difference Here are 3 ways to shift your thinking so that you expand your vision and then improve your performance

1) Change your vocabulary
The important thing about a person’s vocabulary is the effect his words have on himself and on others Each word creates a picture in our minds If I say that “We face a problem” then other people will have a picture in their minds of something difficult and unpleasant to solve If I say that “We face a challenge” then they will have a picture in their minds of something pleasant to do, a fun sport
A person who thinks big is an expert at creating positive, optimistic, forward thinking pictures in the minds of both themselves and others It is all about how you look at things A small thinker might say “The competition has all the advantages How do you expect me to sell against them?” whereas the big thinker might say “It is true the competition is strong but nobody ever has all the advantages Let us put our heads together and figure out a way to beat them at their own game”
A big thinker uses cheerful positive words to describe how he is feeling, and to describe other people He uses positive language to encourage others and he compliments others at every opportunity He uses positive words (encouraging and promising victory) when he outlines plans to others

2) Change your attitude
There are 3 attitudes you need to take The first is “I am enthusiastic” When you are enthusiastic about something, you soon develop enthusiastic followers, and are on your way to success To develop enthusiasm, you can learn more about the topic, person, or place You can also shake hands, smile, and talk like you really mean it Look alive You can also broadcast good news wherever and whenever possible, because it makes both you and others feel better
The second attitude is “You are important” Everybody needs to feel important if they are to succeed It pays to make “little people” feel like they’re important And when you make them feel important, you help yourself feel important too If you picture other people at their best, they will live up to that You’ll get better cooperation and performance out of them Practice appreciating and praising others at every opportunity Call people by their names Go out of your way to do nice things for them
The third attitude is “Service first” Look for ways to give people more than they expect to get Ask yourself “How can I give more than is expected from me?” Find ways to increase your value to others

3) Manage your environment
Our environment, including the people we spend time with, affects the way we think We learn from other people If we surround ourselves with negative small-minded people, we become negative and small-minded, but if we surround ourselves with positive ambitious people we become positive and ambitious Make sure you hang around with the right people, the people who you admire and want to become like Accept comments that you can’t do something only as a challenge to prove that you can do it Get your advice only from successful people Join new organizations and circulate in new groups Select some friends who have views different than your own This will stimulate your mind Never gossip; if you are going to talk about others, only say positive things
Buy the best goods and services It actually is better to have a few things that are expensive and good quality, then many things that are cheap and junky It saves you money in the long run If you develop an instinct for quality then other people will rate you more highly, if perhaps subconsciously

If you change your vocabulary, your attitude, and your environment, you will develop the ability to think big You will have more confidence in yourself and your capabilities You will be surrounded by people who will do their best to help you You will be happier This is the way to achieve everything you’ve always wanted to
Tracy Crowe is the author of this article.
For more ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com Submitted By ArticleUnited.com

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Author : tracy We all want to be happy but very few of us consistently are The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease in terms of global illnesses Our happiness, when it occurs, is usually the result of outside events, such as
when someone is kind to us, or when some opportunity is presented to us That state of mind is fleeting Our goal should be to be happy no matter what happens to us

People whose happiness is not dependent on what happens to them actually bring happiness to their experiences rather than trying to get it from them They still have bad emotions but experience an underlying state of peace and well-being They have a sense of lightness or
buoyancy, feel love and compassion for themselves and others, feel passionate about their life and purpose, have a sense of flow and openness, feel alive, vital, and energetic, are at peace with life, and are fully present in the moment

Unfortunately it takes conscious effort to become happy Our minds are wired to be fearful We are much more likely to notice and remember something that frightens us than something that makes us happy This works well under very bad circumstances, but with the constant
barrage of stresses seen in modern times, most people’s dominant way of thinking has become one of being on guard for trouble In addition, our egos, which are just a collection of beliefs about who you are based on your past experiences, are always afraid of death Being
consistently happy does not come easily Like most worthwhile things, it requires a lot of effort in order to achieve it

One way to make yourself happier is to focus on finding the solution to any problems that come up instead of complaining and worrying about it When something bad happens look for the lesson in it that you were meant to learn, and for the gift (since every negative circumstance has within it the seed of an equally positive opportunity) Make peace with yourself

You can also make yourself happier by not believing everything you think Your negative thoughts are not always true You might want to question what you believe, and just let go of negative thoughts that aren’t even true Drop your excess baggage Focus on being grateful for the good things in your life

It turns out that you have a happiness set point that works like a thermostat Whenever the temperature in your room gets more than a certain amount outside the temperature you set on your thermometer, the thermometer tells it to return to that set temperature No matter
what happens to you in your life circumstances, you return to your pre-set level You can change that pre-set level however, if you make a deliberate effort to change it It turns out that although 50% of that pre-set happiness level is probably determined by genetics,
and 10% is determined by our current circumstances, the other 40% is determined by our habitual thoughts, feelings, words, and actions Those things we certainly can change

You can not just decide to be consistently happy The best way to achieve that is to practice the habits of happy people You need to become aware of which habits support happiness in your life and which ones don’t (Two of the worst habits are having the beliefs that you will be happy when, and you will be happy when you have more money or success) Then you can gradually eliminate those bad habits and cultivate the good habits When you’ve done that, you can reach the state of consistent happiness you’ve always wanted

Tracy Crowe is the author of this article.
For more ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.comTracy Crowe is the author of this article.
For more ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com Submitted By ArticleUnited.com

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Author : Angelique Life is full of lessons We all learn our lessons at different times depending on what fate throws our way Wisdom is in each of us regardless of our age and each of us has a unique take on how life should be lived Here are a few of life’s lessons I’ve learned along the way and would like to share in the hopes of helping others This in no way covers everything as life has many lessons and no one person can know everything, but it’s a start

To me the most important lesson is to remember to be happy with the life you have We are only given one life, so why spend it wishing you were someone else or had more stuff that you can’t take with you when you die anyway? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have dreams and goals, but when you spend all your time wishing your life away, someday you wake up and realize that life really has passed you by Worst of all there is no going back, so remember to enjoy your life to the fullest no matter how long, short or trying it may be

The next two lessons can tie in together, but that doesn’t mean that you learn them at the same time One is to not waste so much time and energy worrying about how others think of you, while the other is to always do your best in everything you do When you put your best foot forward you find that you are happier with the results even if it’s not exactly how you envisioned it because you know you tried your best Not only is that all any of us can do throughout life, but also no matter what you do there will always be somebody who doesn’t like how something was handled or that thinks you should have done something differently Don’t let this negative energy steal your sense of accomplishment As long as you are trying your best each and everyday day, it’s the best that anyone can be expected to do, so worrying about how others see you is pointless Each of us has the right to feel valued and appreciated, find this strength from within No one else can do it for you and you will find you are a happier, more fulfilled and peaceful individual

These next two are no easier to learn than any of the others, but they tend to happen during times of struggle or sadness and to me were rather shocking to learn One is no matter how well you think you may know a person; you never really know them, no matter who they are in your life The other is death and divorce to often bring out the worst in individuals Maybe it’s because emotions are running so high or maybe it’s because a terrible hurt has happened and they don’t know how else to act Either way, in my experience anyways, if you think someone is incapable of doing something or would never act a certain way, then chances are they can and will depending on their emotional maturity at the time Another lesson that ties into this, but also fits nicely into other areas of life is anything that can happen will If you think it will never happen to you, then you’re wrong Life has a funny way of throwing stuff at us that we never thought we would have to deal with and then all of a sudden we find ourselves right in the middle of it Remember no one is immune to life’s lessons and they always happen for a reason

Another important lesson is to always treat others how you would like to be treated You never know when you might find yourself in that person’s shoes, so remember to be kind Also it’s much more fulfilling when you give without expectations of receiving You’ll find that like attracts like When you freely give kindness or help others, suddenly your life is full of surprising and wonderful things that you never imagined possible

I know I said to not worry about what other people are saying or thinking and I meant it But there is a fine line here that needs to be recognized A lot of unique and truly great ideas have come from listening to other people’s points of view These ideas can come from anyone or anywhere, the trick is to recognize these ideas when they come along If people are just criticizing your work to make themselves feel better it’s probably a good idea to ignore their remarks But if someone is trying to show you another way of looking at something, don’t be afraid to consider their point of view regardless of their age or status Nothing is lost by considering another’s point of view and you might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome

Last but not least, try to remember that God will never give us more than we can handle
Even if at the time it seems insurmountable, remember this to shall pass You will become a stronger individual for hanging in there and who knows, you may end up helping someone else with your new found wisdom There is always a solution to every situation and life has a unique way of providing exactly what we need when we need it most, so be patient and keep your eyes, ears and hearts open

This is just a few of the lesson’s I’ve learned along the way In writing this I hope to help others who are having a tough time Sometimes we focus so much on getting to the end of something we forget that a lesson needs to be learned before we can get there Although these lessons are not always fun, they are very important in helping each of us to evolve into the wonderful people we are meant to become Remember you are never alone and this to shall pass In the words of a memorable little spider named Charlotte, chin up Angelique writes articles for helping shoppers find gifts, providing shopping tips and how to benefit from personalized gifts, promotional products, and awards. She also writes articles about self improvement and helping others. Her work is sponsored by Wealthwood Gifts and Blog Wealthwood. Submitted By ArticleUnited.com

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Author : tracy
It is said that the two biggest things preventing someone from being successful are the fear of success and the fear of failure In my experience, the fear of failure is the more powerful of these We "need" to make the right decision and do the right thing We "need" to have everything go the way we planned it But life just does not work that way There are no guarantees in life (except death and taxes)

Perhaps the biggest problem with being afraid of failure is that it stops us from taking risks The dictionary defines risk as "exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazardous or dangerous chance" The truth is that just about anything you can do involves a risk Even if you just walk across the street, you risk being run over by a car There is always the risk that we will make the wrong decision We all know that the bigger the risk the bigger the reward Yet risk is a pretty scary thing to most of us We would rather play it safe even if it means forgoing the reward

All risks that are taken in order to define and improve yourself involve some kind of choice These choices bring on feelings of uncertainty (because you can not know the outcome in advance), anxiety (because you fear the unknown), and guilt (you must leave behind what you have known and been), and often mixed feelings of exhilaration and fear Some risks are monumental, such as moving across the country to start a new job, and some are less dramatic but equally significant, such as resisting the urge to do the popular or easy thing

Risks taken in order to define and improve yourself can be broken down into three kinds The first kind of risk is self-improvement risks, which you take in hope that they will improve your life in some way People are often afraid to take these risks because they may lead to personal failure, or because they may require significant personal sacrifice before you can get long-term benefits, or because you must sacrifice predictable routines and familiar things for the possibility of growth

The second kind of risk is commitment risks, which you take by committing yourself either to a person or relationship (such as when you fall in love), or to a value (such as a cause or a career) People are often afraid to commit because they are afraid that they will make a bad choice and have to live with it for a long time (such as a person who gets married and then finds out that they do not get along with their spouse) Being committed is what leads to true satisfaction with life

The third kind of risk is self disclosure risks, which you take when you reveal to others who you really are, how you feel, and what you want or need People are often afraid to take these risks because they may lead to disapproval and rejection You can not be assertive without taking self disclosure risks

The thing that is probably the most difficult for most of us to understand is that in order to have genuine security, you must take risks If you never take a risk, you never learn that you can deal with problems that come up, and you never can take advantage of new and better ways of doing things when those opportunities arise People who are afraid to take risks are likely to be frightened, rigid, closed, and unchanging They have trouble coping under stress Successful people feel fear too The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people do not let fear stop them from taking action anyway They are not afraid to take risks They are not afraid of being wrong
They are open, flexible, and changing

We focus on a particular outcome and decide that if we do not achieve it then we have failed, and failure would prove that we are incompetent, and by extension undeserving of love In reality, failure to achieve a certain outcome proves nothing of the sort Everything depends on how you look at it

Failure is a fact of life Whether failure is a problem is determined by your attitude towards it If you learn from your failures, then you have succeeded in a way because you now know what not to do next time There always will be a next time The other thing is that often if you think that achieving something will bring you what you want, the truth is that God knows an even better way to bring you it An example might be when you don't get the job you coveted, but then you find one that is even better In this case being a failure at getting the first job wasn't a bad thing because it allowed you to take the one that was even better You can probably think of times in your own life when a failure turned out to actually be a blessing in disguise Tracy Crowe is the author of this article.
For more ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.comSubmitted By ArticleUnited.com

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Author : tracy
How do you see the world? If you are like most people, you focus on all the things that are wrong with it There is the terrorist threat from Al Qaida There is global warming There are gangs and drugs There is poverty and hunger The list goes on and on It is pretty depressing It takes away all your energy It makes you feel ineffective It makes you wonder what the point of even trying is

You are actually wired to see the world in this way Our nervous systems are hard-wired to be sensitive to negative signals of impending danger This is so that we can solve or eliminate whatever is preventing our success, and bring ourselves back to a neutral state This way of thinking actually protects us under very difficult circumstances Most people think like this most of the time It has become their dominant mode of thought

Why is this such a bad thing? It creates a pervasive anxiety Anxiety erodes our confidence; and confidence is crucial for productivity and success Our anxiety blinds us to the possibilities and opportunities around us

What would happen if we focused on all the things that are beautiful and inspiring in the world? There are people who perform courageous acts of love for others There are mountain meadows, and tide pools on the beach There is fact that we live in a nice home and have 3 good meals a day There are rainbows What if we saw the world with the wonder of a small child?

What if you searched for, and found, all the good things around you? You could then take your personal assets, the assets of the people around you, and the assets of the situation that is going on right now; and build something very special out of them You would not just be able to see opportunities and possibilities You would also be able to use your own assets and the assets of the people around you to take advantage of those opportunities and create something special

You would feel motivated and energetic You would feel purposeful and passionate You would feel proactive and creative You would be focused on making those things happen that you want in your life It feels a lot better, and is a lot more productive, to do that than it does to focus on preventing and correcting the things that you don’t want in your life

Get to know your talents and strengths really well Get to know your goals well See yourself (and everyone else) as a work in progress, yet as perfect the way you are You, and everyone else, are always good enough yet always learning and growing

See the good in other people Compliment others out loud and often Imitate the best qualities of others Accept other people for who they are; not for who you think they should be, or would like them to be When conflicts happen, realize that both viewpoints could be right simultaneously so that you can see how to create a new view together When other people are irritating you, look for their motivations, so that you realize that irritating behavior is something everyone does, and look for their more attractive qualities If the person is being abusive or dangerous, however, just do whatever you need to do to stop interacting with them until it is safe

Examine situations, good or bad, thoroughly Search out every angle The more you can see about the situation, the more you have to work with See challenges, not threats Focus on progress, not perfection Focus on possibilities, not problems Practice breathing slowly and deeply in difficult situations See reality clearly, accept it, and then problem solve from that view If you look for the positive you will find it

It is much easier to be successful when you find the opportunities and possibilities in every situation, the people who are capable and willing to help you, and the best qualities in yourself to get the job done Seek out and focus on the best in yourself, other people, and the world around you You’ll be more successful than you imagined Tracy Crowe is the author of this article.
For more ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com Submitted By ArticleUnited.com

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