Why ARE You Doing Those Things That You Find Difficult?

Copyright © Ray Cox
http://beyondthesecretreview.org/

Courtesy: Gary Vernum

Did you know that I lost my marbles for a whole six months a few years ago?

I lost my sharpness, my intelligence, my motivation, and my sense of humor.

How did I do it?

I vegetated. Stagnated. Flopped. Shuffled. Sighed.

Every day I watched at least 8 hours of daytime TV every day.

My brain was shrinking right behind my very eyes. I knew more about what was going on in daytime soaps than what was going on in my life.

I had become one of those bit-part actors without a speaking role who pretend to have a conversation in the background. Except that I wasn’t in a soap opera, I was a nobody in my own life!

Ever felt like that?

Ever spent more energy worry about the people in the Big Brother house instead of concentrating on improving your own life?

One day it hit me. My life was an exact reflection of what I was doing –

NOTHING!

I had ‘caught’ a mild depression because I believed that I hated my life and my job.

The truth was that I hated myself for getting into such a position in the first place.

One day I woke up.

That day was the first day of the rest of my life. I was fed up of gradually losing the potential that I knew I had. Fed up of seeing a ghostly figure in the mirror every morning.

I read, then read some more. How to run your own business. How to focus your mind. How to THINK success.

I went back to work the next week – knowing that within six months I would resign.

Knowing that I was the ONLY person responsible for my future.

I had read many books before…but it took reaching the lowest point in my life to realise that I had to do something with what I read if I wanted to be somebody – somebody of whom my family could be proud.

You can do it, too.

You don’t have to be a TV zombie before you realize that YOU already hold all of the cards. Whatever hand you have been dealt – you’ve got to play them – because you can’t give them back!

To quote an email I received from a lady who is certainly worse off than you – “Every day, I suit up and show up with a smile”.

Don’t waste the opportunity of making something out of the only life you have got – stop being and start DOING.

Don’t wait for a disaster to happen like I did before you realize it.

Life isn't about bank balances, the lastest computer or TV, or even that flash car your neighbor has that will take him four years to pay off.

Life is about being able to wake up in the morning - ANY morning - and not having to wish it away because you don't like what you do during it.

Life is about playing the game on YOUR terms...using the undoubted talents that you DO have.

It's pointless me telling YOU what you should be doing to make more of your life.
YOU and you alone KNOW what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, what you find 'easy' to do without much stress.

Life only becomes difficult when you're having to try too hard to do the things that don't come easy to you.

Of course...things aren't going to change overnight. If you've spent years moving in one direction - you're not going to turn it around overnight.

But...once you find the strength to START...then you're on your way.

If I can look at myself in the mirror and be happy with my life compared to where I was just a couple of years ago - then there is NO reason why YOU can't, too.

And...if you don't believe me...then you'd better before you start!

Gary Vernum
http://www.vernum.com/

How To Be Happy

Copyright © Ray Cox
http://www.beyondthesecretreview.org/

Courtesy: Karl Moore

"Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world." - Helen Keller

Oh, come on. Admit it.

We all do it every single day.

Everybody enjoys wallowing in a little self-pity. It feels great to remind ourselves how terrible the world is. How we've not been given the right opportunities. How people are against us. How life has been a real struggle this past year.

Right?

But here's a true secret to happiness. And it's probably the biggest, easiest and quickest happiness secret you'll stumble across. Ever.

If you want to be happy - just stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Self-pity, you see, is the worst kind of emotion. It eats up everything around, except itself. It leaves itself standing in the middle, feeling sorry for how poorly life has been treating it.

We've all felt like that, right?

Maybe you feel like life has dealt you a bad hand. Perhaps you've lost money, family or health. It could be that you've missed out on so many opportunities that others have been easily granted - and you think that fate really HAS been unfair to you.

And that viewpoint might even be 100% correct.

But STOP feeling sorry for yourself.

It's not going to help the situation. It'll only help you to wallow in a state of apathy, playing the victim. The kind of person that things happen to, but that can't do anything about it. By stopping feeling sorry for yourself, you can actually get on and DO something about it.

Trust me on this one. This is the biggest ever technique for putting a smile onto your face.

If you're wondering how to be happy - the answer is to stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You could close this book right now and you'd already hold the wisdom of ten thousand self-development courses, and double that number of self-help gurus.

And it's so simple. In fact, it's worth repeating (and rewording) one more time:

Stop feeling sorry for yourself - and you will be happy.

About the author:
Karl Moore is a self-development leader, entrepreneur,
and author of the best-selling book, The 18 Rules of Happiness.

Happiness Is Only Ever NOW

Copyright © Ray Cox
http://www.24x7Freedom.com

Courtesy: Karl Moore

"Few of us ever live in the present, we are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone." - Louis L'Armor

Many pubs in the United Kingdom have an infamous sign hanging above the bar: "Free Beer Tomorrow!".

It's funny because, of course, "tomorrow" never comes.

But when you think about it, how many of us truly live our lives like that?

We spend so much time thinking about the past, or contemplating the future, that we forget to live in the moment. We fail to realize that happiness can only EVER be now.

Let me give you an example.

You're driving through the city and your favourite song hits the radio. You're stuck in traffic, but loving the music - and you start to crazily sing along. You really get into it. You're in the moment. But then you catch a few jealous faces in nearby cars, and go all shy and timid.

Suddenly you're no longer living in the moment. You're wondering what they'll think about you. You're concerned they'll disapprove. You freeze up. Your happiness has gone, and your inhibition has arrived.

You're no longer in the moment, in the NOW - you're stuck thinking about wanting approval from these people, worried what they'll think of you outside that moment.

Try to catch yourself at some random point today - and just check what's on your mind. If you're like most people, you'll be somewhere other than here and now.

You'll be thinking about whether you made a good impression with that guy earlier today. You might be thinking the holiday you have planned for next September. Or how all of your problems will be solved this time next year.

You'll be anywhere but in the MOMENT. In fact, we each spend 95% of our time in the past or the future.

But here's the thing: Life is transient. The past has gone. The future is just a dream. The only time that truly exists ever is RIGHT NOW.

In other words, RIGHT NOW is the ONLY time you can do or change ANYTHING in your life.

You are only ever what exists in THIS MOMENT.

So, are you HAPPY right now? Are you doing EVERYTHING you'd like to - and feeling THRILLED with life, as you read these words? If you're not, then make the decision to be happy.

NOW.

And if you'd like, put down this book, and go fly a kite. Or tell your partner that you love them. Or get your groovy flares on and head out to the nearby disco. NOW is the only time you can change anything. And NOW is the only time you have.

So, make that simple decision - to be happy NOW.

About the Author:
Karl Moore is one of the 12 key teachers in The Meta Secret movie and the founder of Self Dev Radio. This is an extract from his new book The 18 Rules of Happiness.


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For the best home based business opportunity that will inspire you with financial freedom and happiness working from home, visit: http://www.24x7Freedom.com
If you don't, that's OK!
I hope you enjoy what you're doing...
You'll probably be doing it the rest of your life!
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Enjoy Your Life: Change Your Point of View

Copyright © 2009 Ray Cox
http://www.24x7Freedom.com

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from disease and trauma.

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder as well.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best
The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.
The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder. They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists
Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably. In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher
Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

Optimists persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer
Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.
Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life from the bright side?

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" - Monty Python, The Life of Brian


---------------------------------------------------------
For the best wealth creation business opportunity that will inspire you with financial freedom and happiness working from home, visit: http://www.24x7freedom.com/
If you don't, that's OK!
I hope you enjoy what you're doing
You'll probably be doing it the rest of your life!
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