Personal Development Articles

Where you are today in your business and your life is a result of only one person—YOU. If you are going to change your life, you must first take responsibility for the state of your life, which includes the state of your business, your relationships, your health, and your personal growth. You must accept that everything, the good, the bad - everything you’re happy about and everything that makes you sad or even mad is all a result of your past thinking, behaviors, and choices. You have control over only one person—YOU.

Create the life you want You don’t need to rely on others to get your needs met. Responsibility for happiness is yours. Your self-esteem is found deep inside. You surround yourself with positive energy. You surround yourself with empowering and supportive friends. You require a profession, career, or business that expresses your skills, smarts, and passions. Acknowledge your spiritual journey You know you are connected to a power greater than yourself. Your spiritual path

Looking back at 2009 is a journey filled with contrasts and conflicts. A lifetime of learning and experience confirms that opposites are often the same and that often our greatest challenges are our greatest blessings. If you’re a member of this the self-growth hub, you understand. January 3, I was laid off due to the economy. Although I though I had immediately found new work, it fell through. Both a blessing and a challenge. Through two more soul-searching months while working daily to customize resumes and cover letters to find work, something still didn’t seem right.

Chances are you are just as smart as anyone else. It is true that there are those who are just naturally gifted and possess amazing talents such as singing, problem solving and playing complicated instruments.

I have referred many times to the differences of successful and unsuccessful people in my jou als. Today I want to discuss with you a bit more about the results or lack there of in regards to being successful or unsuccessful in the process. This morning, as I always do, I was doing my Discovery Series with Life Path online and realized another moment of truth if you will. I can recall 19 years ago when I was a senior in high school and had a very large dream of “making it big” in Baseball.

As you go through your day how much is a mindless habit to you and how much are you aware of? Are you aware when you’re making and eating breakfast, having a shower, the journey to and from work; otherwise known as routine. So many daily activities are usually done without a second thought. Sometimes people will ask about an event that took place right in front of you and you were barely aware it happened, unable to recall any of the details.

It's already extremely trying to get your self-esteem boosted during the normal times, but what do you do when you are going through the hard times? How can you make yourself feel better in your self-esteem? When life happens, such as the loss of jobs, loss of relationships, or illness, you can experience a loss of self-esteem. The first thing that we do, is to blame ourselves. We feel that if we were simply "good enough", this wouldn't have happened to us. We might get to a point of clarity to realize that this isn't true, but we still need a way to feel better!

It`s a questio I have been pondering for the past few years – is business leadership getting easier? I read articles and work in businesses that say change is occurring faster and markets are ever more complex, my experience however just doesn`t bear that out (and I appreciate it may be because I`m privileged to work with the most focussed and motivated leaders).

Many of us go through life not grasping why we continually make the same mistakes. We follow the same patterns and live in the same ruts, unhappy and discontent with our situation but unable to come up with any lasting change. Does this sound like you? You might have gone to some seminars, read books, even taken some courses but still you end up back at square one in the same dysfunctional patterns that you have always followed. Have you ever asked yourself why it is this way?

Looking to sharpen your professional image? Working one-on-one with an image consultant is a great way to boost your style and skills. An image consultant can coach you on your attire, professional demeanour, grooming and makeup, verbal skills, and body language. You can also hire a consultant to help you prepare for something specific, such as a job interview or an important presentation. Or, you might choose to bring in an image consultant to speak to a larger audience during a company training. But first, choosing the right image consultant will require some research and preparation.

When you create a Facebook Fan page, it will be a dedicated fan page to promote your business. You could create your own profile for the business, but Facebook will take it away, removing all of your hard work, and thus, removing your business brand on Facebook So, instead of creating a dedicated profile page for your business, you want to simply create a fan page. When you create a fan page, your customers and prospects get to know your brand, who you associate with, and it creates an avenue for exchange.

Many schools of self help recommend turning aspect of our lives into “practise”. What does this mean? Well it refers to turning each of our regular activities into a vehicle, via which we can further our own personal growth. Such self help notions go back a long way – thousands of years, in fact. Finding the benefit in any particular situation can transform that situation to our advantage.

Motivation is a force that you can summon at will if you use a few important keys. Here are seven ways to motivate yourself to hit your goals. 1- Keep Your Focus- Focus on what you want and not on what you don't want. It is easy to get distracted by challenges and circumstances that you are faced with on the way to realizing your dreams. You must not let those challenges deter you from moving forward. The best way to do that is to maintain focus on your desired destination. Keep your attention on what you want. Do not voice displeasure about the setbacks that you experience.

If you hear the word "willpower", you probably relate it to activities like quitting that ugly smoking habit or even losing weight. Yes, willpower is very important for those instances, but there are other areas of your life in which it will become extremely useful if you just let it! Willpower isn't something that you're born with. In fact, it's something that you will need to nurture, build up, and develop within yourself. It gives us quite the advantage in completing the goals we've set for ourselves simply because it gives us an intense purpose.

Dear Friend, … We hear in the media daily about financial problems, people losing jobs, having debt, in other words a lot of negative, contracting and depressing statements. This creates a lot of suffering for many people and so the problems deepen even further. We are all connected and fear spreads quickly. In today's article I'll give you some guidance to step out of the place of uncertainty and lead your life with Inner Peace and Confidence regardless of the situation.

Most often, living with dad was like living with a mentor. He wasn't just our father -- he was also our friend, our fishing buddy, our art teacher, our clown, and most of all a great Italian tenor. He sang like Enrico Caruso as well as anyone, including Mario Lanza. Pagliacci was his favorite, ...

Popular is the belief that imagery and imagination are not real. From my point of view, imagination is real: it exists in another dimension of reality than the physical. Imagery is not less real because it is less dense than a chair. Imagery is a set of mental pictures or images. These mental ...

In your 1st driving lesson you will begin with Moving Off and Stopping. This is the basics in car control, and where you will start to get into place the proceedures required throughout your learning. You will be taken to a quiet road. One which has few parked cars, little traffic, and if you are lucky, a wide road. You will talk about the P.O.M proceedure which stands for Prepare, Observe, Move. Prepare, requires you to get the car to a state where if you were to release the

Do you feel down when you get out of bed? Have you lost your passion and drive for succeeding and realizing your dreams? Have you experienced unexpected setbacks? Are your motivation levels low? Have you lost that zeal that you once had as you went after your goals with passion and enthusiasm? If you are feeling low or frustrated because your goals are not being realized as quickly as you planned, I’ve got some encouraging news for you. Here is a quote from a Hall of Fame member and the greatest basketball player that I have ever seen.

Well-being is a goal most of us have. We spend most of our time seeking it, and some of us never find it. Countless books are written every day, workshops are available worldwide, and therapists make it their life's purpose to help us achieve and maintain it. So what are the keys to emotional well-being? Relationships Nurturing the relationships we have with ourselves and others is one of the most important aspects of well-being. Everyone needs to know they are loved and appr

When I work with women on how to influence their future I start with this exercise. Make a list of 3 things in your past that are causing an “I deserve more” barrier for you. These are the messages of that voice in your head saying, “You can’t do this. Or have this. Or be this.” Let your struggle go. Beside each item write a statement that reframes the event. For instance, if the event is you were told no all the time, change it to “Nobody is telling me no, now.” Or “I am sa

We all have a creative spirit whether it manifests itself in a talent for home improvement, sewing, craft projects or perhaps computer programming and writing music. Too often we suppress this side as a part of ourselves we will indulge when there is more time. There won’t ever be more ...

This technique has been used by many men and women that I advised, usually to great success or if not, they got it over with and moved on to someone else. You see her across the room. Ah, so attractive. But nobody to introduce her to you. 'Ah, I'll do a James Bond on her,' you think. Now ...

Stress is good! Seriously, good stress, otherwise known as 'eustress' serves to help you function at your best. It's when stress becomes overwhelming that it takes it toll physically and mentally. That's why it's important to keep stress in check. Here's a few suggestions to help you do just that. #1 Create a To-Do List It is best to write down everything that's overwhelming you. You will find a things-to-do-list much easier to manage than having errands all crumpled up in your head. It's also rewarding to check items off your list, it helps you feel on top of things.

Can anybody deny the world has gotten much smaller over the years? In fact, these days, working globally has become the norm. But this can potentially bring on challenges when it comes to traveling to different countries with your personal brand in tow. After all, every culture is different, and what’s polite and appropriate in one country may be interpreted as rude in another. So, how do you stay true to your personal brand on the road while making sure you don’t damage relationships along the way?

Have you ever noticed how the natural world exists and grows without anxiety or worry? I began to notice this last summer, during a time of great anguish and anxiety, and it was a source of great comfort to me. Indeed, I recommend this as a practice if you are feeling anxious or worried about anything in your life. Go outside and spend a few moments witnessing the grass, the flowers, the trees in your neighbourhood, growing without anxiety or strife. This is life at its simpl

A captivating new phenomenon in business communication recently has emerged: office-wide social networking sites. Reading an article in The Globe and Mail last week detailing the pros and cons of this rapidly growing form of internal communication, I was struck by the possibilities for valuable discussion between all levels of employees that this casual forum enables. And yet I couldn’t help but wonder: what new questions or problems for communication etiquette could these sites invite? As I learned more about the sites and their benefits, I kept this question in mind.

The choice to think determines your reality. When you are conscious you have all the relationships you choose to have. When you choose to be healthy and prosperous you are clear about what your body requires and the direction your career is headed. With practice you learn to think faster and make clear choices, knowing you can always change your mind. The choice to think is an alternative beyond decision, the experience of moving into the unknown with excitement rather than f

There is little need to speak in support of promoting positive human behaviour. It’s axiomatic to say positive human behaviour opens the mind, body and spirit to being more expressive, enthusiastic, creative, opportunistic, lateral-thinking, aware, receptive, enquiring , motivating…the list goes on.

At a recent outing, a woman seated near us lit a cigarette. My 7 year-old-son commented to her, “Smoking is bad for you.” At which the woman replied, “Yes, so make sure you never start.” Every day you wake up, you make literally hundreds of choices. You choose your mood and your attitude. You ...

Getting traffic does not have to be mysterious. In fact it really isn't difficult at all. It takes some work but its not difficult work. Are you asking how you can drive traffic to your site on an ongoing basis? These traffic sources and methods are proven to work and will help you in attracting people to your website. Newsletters You might be familiar with the expression: "The money is in the list". This is VERY true! Website owners who delay building their list are losing out in a BIG way. There is no time like the present to start building your list.

Part 2 of a 3 part series: Conquering Creativity Challenges In my last article I revealed the 4 secrets to finding your creativity – the first stage of three in actualizing your creative process. Creative thought is the essence of every woman. Every woman has the capacity or dare I say the responsibility to share her creativity. But what happens when there are barriers? Here are the 4 secrets to Conquering Creativity Challenges: Secret #1: Pledge to Self. Creative, inspir

Would you like to improve your health, forge strong meaningful relations, accelerate your ability to manifest and fine tune your spiritual antenna at the same time? Well you can. You just need to raise your level of consciousness so that you are vibrating at higher frequency. But what does it mean to raise your consciousness.

On an online network, the subject of word use became a topic of discussion. This is a worthy topic of discussion anywhere, but it seems especially important online, where the written word becomes the primary means of communication. Several subtopics emerged in our discussion, including jargon. ...

How often do we find that we are losing track of friends without enough time to spend together? It seems easy to say “maybe next month,” “when I get that promotion,” “when the kids are out of school,” or any other myriad of excuses. The bottom line is if we ...

Are you a professional woman longing for a radical change? You are not alone. According to my research—a yearlong national study in partnership with the Esteemed Womanr Foundation—seven out of 10 women today, particularly those in their middle years, say they are facing a major turning point in their professional lives. After devoting years to building successful careers, they feel that their professional lives and identities no longer work.

Last summer my bigger-than-life dad was bitten by a brown recluse spider on his way to a vacation weekend with my mother and their best friends. He knew he'd been bitten, but he didn't stop driving. Six hours after the bite occurred, still trying to drive, it became clear to my father that he had suffered the potential event that would change his life forever.

Should I stay in this relationship or end it? This may be the hardest question you will ask yourself. Sometimes people give up too soon on a relationship. They are not willing to put the effort into making it work. Now, I’m not saying that you should stay in a bad relationship, but you do ...

Opportunities are all around us. We just need to have the vision to see them and the courage to grab them and hold on. We can learn a great deal from people. Let us take for example Ludwig Von Beethoven, who came from a musical family, but was totally deaf when he composed some of his greatest ...

Have you ever considered starting a gratitude journal and writing down how grateful you are for the things you already have in your life? There's nothing wrong with wanting more in your life, as long as you appreciate what you have. Showing gratitude is the first step on your journey to ...

Shyness needs to be overcome. For some people shyness can really hold them back in life, if this is applicable in your life, then you should want to do something about it. Shyness can really affect your life in a negative way, either at work or your social life. It can make it very hard to ...

People watching is not only fun, it can be very educational as well! Because of my professional speaking and training business, I have the wonderful opportunity to travel to many different places, and observe people of every age from various backgrounds and cultures. I watch and learn new things, gain new perspectives and oftentimes, I gain a deeper appreciation because of a new understanding.

Your weight problem is not all your fault! Other reasons need to be looked at. When you understand these five reasons for your dieting problems, you can win the diet game, and set up a good relationship with food for the rest of your life.

An autoresponder is an automated message sent in response to either an email or a web form inquiry. It can be something as simple as “Thanks for contacting us!” to a series of ten or more emails sent at specific, pre-determined intervals. At a very basic level, you set up the response in an autoresponder system, and set the parameters for when it gets sent. The automated program then takes care of the rest. Most people I know use either ConstantContact.com or AWeber.com to handle their autoresponders, but there are many other providers depending on your needs and budget.

Lately, many of the people I’ve been talking with or coaching have been complaining about being overwhelmed. I have to admit I’ve been wrestling with it, too. My ideas and my commitments seem to far outpace my time and energy. So here’s my advice to you—and to myself—for dealing with overwhelm. 1. Recognize that overwhelm isn’t real. It’s not something that attacks us. It’s a feeling we experience based upon a belief there’s too much to do and too little tim

Procrastination is a top self sabotaging behavior. Yet most procrastinators take action, just not in the area they procrastinate in. To help change your life, get new results, and gain the most value from your day implement the five practical tips below, and end the day with no regrets. 1- Get ...

Why are our relationships such a challenge? By their very nature, relationships always push us toward duality, toward the opposites. They take us into both the light of our souls and the darkness of our subconscious. They force us to look at the light and experience the shadows. If we deny ...

How to Improve Confidencer People say confidence is something that someone is born with. This is complete and utter rubbish. Nobody is born with confidence. Confidence is derived from situations that surround individuals. A new born baby is effectively a blank canvas with no impressions whatsoever on that canvas. Then with repeated exposure to exte al stimulus, an impression is formed piece by piece and begins to form the character traits, core values and beliefs that the child will take into adulthood.

A close friend was recently fired from her job at a major corporation. Someone working under her had reported her to higher management for racially inappropriate remarks, after my friend casually mentioned that she was a second white person to move into her neighborhood.

It was Odysseus who said it—Ulysses in Latin, Odysseus in Greek—and it was Dante who wrote about it in The Infe o. This striking couplet seared into my mind and has guided me, given me much benefit, over the last 30 years of my life. I share it with you now… They're at war. They’ve traveled ...