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Valencia Ray/
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Articles by Valencia Ray

Browse published articles attributed to Valencia Ray, with full-archive search.

articles: 127

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Showing 101–127

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Want More Personal Power? Feel Into It!

Personal power is something that many people think they can “get” by controlling or manipulating others. Actually, power comes from “being” personal power. It’s a quality of radiance. I would not call power over others, personal power. I see that as mere force, based in scarcity and fear mentality. Do you realize that “survival of the fittest” is really just a paradigm? Science already shows that there is no “objective” reality, and Einstein said long ago “reality is an illusion; albeit a very persistent one.”

Primary topic: Empowerment

988 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self Esteem - Who is That Mean Girl and Why is She Still Bullying Me?

Self-esteem and self-image make a huge difference in the level of success you can have not only in your business, but it will affect relationships and even health. There have actually been studies that show that low self-esteem lowers your health, as for one thing, it impacts your susceptibility to stress and ineffective self-care.

Primary topic: Empowerment

973 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Empower Up and Win From the Inside Out!

Confidence from my point of view is about letting go of the stories that block the light and power that you already are. It is about, as Robert Browning said: "There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fullness;....and, to know, rather consists in opening out a way where the imprisoned splendor may escape, then in effecting entry for a light supposed to be without."

Primary topic: Empowerment

968 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self-Acceptance and Confidence Make Business Networking Easier

Face it—social networking is not a new concept; it’s ancient. Human beings are social creatures and in-person contact cannot be replaced in its entirety by online social networking. I’ve thought about this before, and today I read an article in Fast Company on the topic. Skype is certainly closer to in-person networking than any of the three big social media platforms—Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn—yet in-person networking has many benefits. Here are three:

Primary topic: Empowerment

964 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Leading Change: Emotion Can Make or Break the Best Laid Logic

Leading change can be tricky because not only does it take courage to innovate, it takes courage to breach subjects that make “stuck” cultures… well, stuck! There has been a tacit agreement in business culture to avoid addressing emotion/feelings at all costs. Yet, it is this very issue that creates dysfunctional teams that lead to financial waste and lack of employee engagement. It is also not good for change and innovation. Why? Until we address what creates “fear of change”—perceptions about feelings and emotion—we have essentially hit the proverbial brick wall.

Primary topic: Empowerment

941 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

3 Practical Spirituality Tips for Daily Earth Living

Practical spirituality is essential to live a whole, healthy, and integrated lifestyle. Your spirit/soul is actually the source of your “consciousness,” the root of your awareness, and the spark of life that is the core, real YOU. If you ignore it, it can negatively impact your overall wellness, peace of mind, and meaning to life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

917 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

The Rarely Traveled Path to Likeability

Likeability is good for your relationship health. I’m reading “The Likeability Factor” by Tim Sanders, and he also gives lots of WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) reasons why one should choose to be likeable. It will impact your health, wealth and relationships — the “big three” for most people. I’m not finished with the book yet, so I can’t speak to all of his conclusions. I can say that he is witty, inspiring, and gives practical tips to being more “likable.”

Primary topic: Empowerment

913 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Peace of Mind and Adaptability to Change Depends on HOW You See

Innovation, adapting to change, and peace of mind depend not on what you see, but how you see it. Here are some tips to help you shorten your to-do list, increase your clarity, and decrease your overwhelm. Let’s look at work. There is so much busyness and “doing” that it has gotten out of control and is causing suffering and illness now.

Primary topic: Empowerment

908 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self-Love and Compassion Are Good For You – Finally Some Research!

Self-love and compassion are things I have intermittently blogged about for three years now. I typically include the disclaimer that I’m not referring to “narcissism” or “conceit” because, believe it or not, that’s the way it is defined in some reference dictionaries! Finally, some research for the skeptics who are unwittingly killing themselves with all of their self-rejection and “logic-only” thinking.

Primary topic: Empowerment

904 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self Esteem and Confidence: Why Self Acceptance Accelerates Personal Growth

Core confidence, coming from an inner place of authenticity by default will cultivate a healthy sense of self-esteem. Let’s get clear here: self-esteem as I define it is not narcissism and is essential to personal power and a secure self-image. If you buy into the idea that putting yourself down is “humble” or that what others say about you defines who you are and determines your level of confidence, you cannot live an empowered life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

903 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Empower Up - Perception Rules Your Reality

It's empowering to know that I can change my reality based on my perception. Perception is subjective of course, so therefore reality is also subjective. I have truly found that my reality may often not be my friend's reality. Interesting. "To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds" ~William James

Primary topic: Empowerment

900 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Happiness: Are Your Perceptions Creating Cataracts of The Soul?

Happiness and peace of mind seems to be on many people's minds. After all, happiness and peace of mind are two elements that make for a life well lived. The challenge though is being clear enough to stay focused on principles that allow us to avoid getting pulled into the trap of "common knowledge". Common knowledge is often simply hand-me-down opinions that have been accepted as "just the way life is". There is not a way life is that is universally true. What determines how you see life is the filter that you see the facts around you through, known as perception.

Primary topic: Empowerment

898 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Intuition in Business: Trust Your Gut; It is More Insightful Than You (Can) Think

Intuition is helpful in business success on several levels, not to mention its usefulness in everyday living. It can help you with innovation, hiring, and even choosing your ideal clients or whom you should take on as a client. It is being studied more in science and this is a great idea – finally progress! I notice that some people prefer the term “gut instinct” and this is fine, whatever suits you. Language can often get in the way of innovation when people have to be “right” as much of how we communicate is really quite subjective and based on our own perceptions.

Primary topic: Empowerment

898 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self-Love is Narcissism; Really?

Self-love gets a bum rap. Why? It’s because of the way we define it as a culture, and since “perception is reality,” we start to believe that this is “just the way life is.” I looked up the definition of “self-love” on Dictionary.com, and it is defined as: 1. the instinct by which one’s actions are directed to the promotion of one’s own welfare or well being, especially an excessive regard for one’s own advantage. 2. conceit; vanity. 3. narcissism

Primary topic: Empowerment

895 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Mindset Matters: Are You Producing Results or Just Doing Too Much?

Results matter to your life’s bottom line. Accomplishment vs Doing: They are not the same thing. You can accomplish more by doing less if you have clarity and focus, which comes from a quiet and clear mind.

Primary topic: Empowerment

885 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Practical Spirituality: EGO Is Not The Enemy

Ego often gets a bum rap. I was happy to see the video of Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor, author of "My Stroke of Insight", a while back as she exemplifies why we need an ego and why is not a good idea to try to "get rid" of it. First of all, unless you want to damage the left hemisphere of your brain (which was her challenge when she had the stroke), you are going to have a sense of "identity" which is what the ego is. It is the mental construct of the "false self".

Primary topic: Empowerment

868 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self Esteem: The Secret to Uncovering Hidden Personal Power Is the Ego Shadow

Self-esteem is essential to living free of exte al "busy bodies" that want to tell you have to live. It is very important to love and accept yourself if you want freedom of expression and to live out a high level of your potential gifts and talents. As long as you are "looking for love in all the wrong places" you will not find it. You must first begin within and then you will see it "with out" - out there in the world. Now ego gets a bad rap and a lot of people who are seeking spiritual principles are inclined to think that they need to get rid of it.

Primary topic: Empowerment

850 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Confidence and Self Image: What Part in the Game of Life Is Playing You?

Self-image and confidence is not to be taken lightly. You cannot really rise above, or at least stay above your self-image. In fact, your brain acts as a cybe etic mechanism, which is a fancy way of saying "thermostat". Whatever is your set point tends to be your self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have a low self-image, you tend to struggle more with confidence and fear of rejection. You are less likely to take risks, and I certainly can say that dealing with change will be frightening if you are afraid of going into the unknown.

Primary topic: Empowerment

826 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Personal Power: Is 'Shame on You' Still Holding You Back?

Shame and guilt are two feelings that not only limit one’s sense of personal power – they can also subtly cause things like procrastination and fear of “getting out there” in our business. rn.r

Primary topic: Empowerment

801 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Money and Career: The Real Truth About Manifesting Your Bliss

Career transition has money and career on many women's minds lately. Since many women are sensing the change in the air, I've heard several comments about using this time of workplace instability to "find your bliss". What I've noticed is that often it is believed that if you "just do what you love", you will be successful and your hobby will morph into a business that can take the place of your job. It would be nice if all we had to do were "build it and they will come".

Primary topic: Empowerment

777 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self Esteem and Confidence - Why Self Acceptance Accelerates Personal Growth

Core confidence, coming from an inner place of authenticity by default will cultivate a healthy sense of self-esteem. Let's get clear here: self-esteem as I define it is not narcissism and is essential to personal power and a secure self-image. If you buy into the idea that putting yourself down is "humble" or that what others say about you defines who you are and determines your level of confidence, you cannot live an empowered life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

775 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Make Friends With Change by Introducing Yourself to Your Brain

Empowerment is a frequent topic these days and I think it is reflective of where we are in our evolutionary growth as humankind. It seems pretty obvious to me that people are looking for answers other than business as usual. One thing for sure is that we cannot solve some of our current challenges by looking in our current memory toolbox of how to solve problems. The consciousness or "mindset" that got us here will not be the same ways of thinking that help us to change the world.

Primary topic: Empowerment

773 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

What You Give to Yourself You Get From Others

Empowering behaviors and beliefs can seem paradoxical to us because for the most part, what we have been taught is actually contrary to leading a truly confident and empowered life. What we learn is not only contrary; it's often outright backwards. We think that how we think about ourselves is independent of how others think of us. In fact, we think that what others think about us is more significant than what we think about ourselves.

Primary topic: Empowerment

748 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Career Transition and Change: Who Do You Think You Are?

Career and business success depends on this question: Who do you think you are? Often this question is asked with an attitude, as in “you must think you’re somebody”. Well, yes, I do, and you should too. Not only are you “somebody” you are unique, special and it’s time to stop playing small and letting the world around you define you. Since the default setting for the mindset of the world is so constricted, and limited, focused far more on lack than on abundance, if you plug into this viewpoint – you are bound for lack and struggle right out the gate.

Primary topic: Empowerment

745 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

I Want To Be An Entrepreneur-So Why Am I So Stuck?

Career transition is quite common considering that many people are searching for more meaning in what they do, or by sheer necessity, they have to make some hard choices. Why are they so hard? Life is really meant to be enjoyed, not one week of drudgery after another. I heard someone I know say over the weekend how much she dreads Mondays because she hates her job and her boss. This is no way to live. So why is it such a common problem? At the core of the matter is mindset. We don't know what we even want as our soul's desire is often buried under a ton of "shoulds".

Primary topic: Empowerment

727 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Empower Up and Win From The Inside Out

Confidence from my point of view is about letting go of the stories that block the light and power that you already are. It is about, as Robert Browning said: "There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fullness....and, to know, rather consists in opening out a way where the imprisoned splendor may escape, then in effecting entry for a light supposed to be without."

Primary topic: Empowerment

690 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Empower Up: 3 Little Known Secrets to Making Friends With Change

Empowerment and being able to navigate the fear of change go hand and hand. Please hear this without judgment; if you keep doing what you do, you will keep getting what you are getting - no exceptions. It is all to common for people to want a thriving business, happy, fulfilling relationships and good health without adjusting their attitudes and behaviors.

Primary topic: Empowerment

675 views

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