The process of moving from a life of pain and frustration to a life of deep happiness and overwhelming fulfillment has been a long one. However, after I fully committed myself to the teachings of the Personal Growth movement it became easier for me to see the thought patterns that had made me reach rock bottom in the first place. After that I knew what I truly wanted out of life – to share my discoveries with people that were struggling with similar issues.

I am now successfully paying down all of my accumulated debt and living a healthier lifestyle. Most of all, I am ecstatic about the life I have created for myself.

If you’d like to hear more about my story and the advice I have for creating the life of your dreams, listen to a recent interview with me here:

http://bit.ly/azJAU7

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.

Quite simply, perseverance is the ability to push forward when things seem to be out of our control. It’s the ability to see past any current situation with the knowledge that there’s something better waiting on the other side. Above all, it’s the ability to see every goal through to the end – even if the end is not at all how we imagined it to be.

By practicing perseverance you are opening yourself up to new possibilities and an amazing realization of greatness. So how can you do this on a day to day basis? These tips can help.

Remain in a Positive State of Mind

By surrounding yourself with positive people and keeping your mind aligned with positive thoughts, you’re allowing yourself to reside in a heightened state of excitement. You’ll be more open to the possibilities and more inclined to believe that everything is working in your favor.

Look to Others for Support

Often times we struggle with obstacles and challenges on our own without asking for help. This in turn can make everything seem much worse than it actually is and lead to extra stress and worry. In addition, we are depriving ourselves of using the knowledge of our peers to help us on our path.

When challenges arise, ask for help. Someone may have a solution or idea that you hadn’t thought of yet.

Take Inspired Action

While the universe may be working double time to get you the things you want, nothing can come into fruition if you aren’t taking action when necessary. This doesn’t mean doing something just for the sake of doing something, it means taking action when it is in your best interest. If you have a feeling that completing a certain task or speaking with a certain person might help you get closer to your goals, then by all means – do it.

Manage Your Stress

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress, then you most likely are focusing on the problem or the “How” of the solution. Keep your attention on the outcome and stay in the flow with the moment and follow your intuition on your next steps.

Create new habits to manage the stresses of your everyday life in order to maintain your positive thoughts and keep pushing forward.

You can achieve your goals in order to live your best life possible – you just have to want it enough to overcome the obstacles that will pop up along the way. With perseverance and positive thinking anything can happen.

If you’d like to read more on this subject, click here:

http://bit.ly/aetn8v

Please share your thoughts on perseverance by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.

With a large portion of the population struggling to find steady employment and another half worried about their floundering finances, it seems as if survival has become the main focus of our society. Unfortunately, finding a career or life path that ignites passion in ourselves and those around us has taken the back seat to these day to day worries.

But what if choosing a life of passion could turn the tide and create abundance where before there was none?

Are you spending the majority of your days bouncing back and forth between thoughts like: “If only I’d get that raise I’ve been asking for- then everything would be easier,” or “If only I was in better shape- then I would feel better about myself.” It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of thinking in “if only’s,” but it means that satisfaction and happiness are always somewhere in the future.

By seeking out goals and tasks that you actually feel passionate about completing, you are allowing yourself happiness and joy in this very moment. As a result, the journey will begin to feel just as amazing as getting to that illusive “end result.”

So what are the benefits of living a life of passion?

Productivity Comes Easy

Have you ever noticed how much longer it takes to complete tasks you absolutely dread doing compared to those you enjoy? If you’re following your passion on a daily basis, you’ll begin to experience time flow in an effortless manner. What you’re capable of accomplishing when steered by passion can astound you.

Opportunities Come Knocking

If you’re in alignment with a goal that keeps you buzzing with excitement, the universe has a way of sending new opportunities your way. Whether it’s in the form of a new business contact or a job offer, doors will begin opening in your favor.

Relationships Flourish

Perhaps you’ve recognized the magnetic energy of someone that lives a life of passion- their joy is contagious. Passion often times creates a domino effect: once we have our daily lives in alignment with what we want, we experience happiness on a much deeper level. This makes our personal relationships more positive and enjoyable in a multitude of ways.

A New Spiritual Awareness Emerges

Stimulating passion in one area of your life often leads to a renewed passion in other areas as well. By recommitting yourself to happiness and contentment you might find that you have a deeper spiritual awareness and appreciation for life as a whole.

On your path to finding fulfillment, you’ll discover that abundance of all kind flows freely when passion is present. Where does your passion lie?

If you’d like to read more on this topic, click here:

http://bit.ly/brG7ZU

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.

Some people are fully aware of the negative beliefs they harbor about themselves, and are able to give a laundry list of their shortcomings on a moments notice. Others may have incorporated these thoughts into their lives so fully that they have taken root in their subconscious mind. Either way, clearing out these damaging belief patterns is an essential step on the path to claiming your ideal life.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, these steps can serve as a guideline:

Step 1: Reclaim Your Thoughts

By the time we’ve reached adulthood most of us are already so convinced of where we fall short in life that we aren’t able to recognize when the tape of negative self-talk is playing. Start to pay attention when that voice begins telling you to throw in the towel, and do anything you can to put a stop to it – even if it means just turning your thoughts to something else.

Step 2: Create a List of Positive Attributes

When it comes to changing thought patterns that we’ve spent years creating, it’s important to replace them with something else. Answer these questions:

• What do you do well?
• What are you proud of?
• Why do your friends and family love you?

Reminding yourself of all these things when the moment calls for it can immediately change your state of mind and give you the courage to tackle the unknown.

Step 3: It’s an Inside Job

Somewhere along the way we decided that our self-worth depends solely on the recognition we get from our peers and the outside world. This, as I’m sure most of us have learned, doesn’t always work in our favor.

Learn to be proud of your accomplishments even if no one is around to cheer you on, and your self esteem will improve ten-fold.

Step 4: Celebrate the Little Things

Get in the habit of celebrating even the smallest of wins. Take the time to recognize your progress often, even it’s something as seemingly insignificant as a 25 cent raise at work. After all, every huge accomplishment consists of very small steps.

Step 5: Give of Yourself

This step may seem a bit out of place, but doing something for someone else can do wonders in making you feel better about yourself. Sometimes a reminder that we matter and that the world recognizes our contribution is all we need to keep moving.

Get out of your own way in pursuit of your greatness. Recognize where you shine and your entire life will be illuminated in the process.

If you’d like to read more about how to increase your self-esteem, click here:

http://bit.ly/bX1dzW

Share your thoughts on the topic by leaving a comment below. Thank you.

For most people, passion isn’t a prerequisite when settling on a career path or starting their own business. However, after many years of starting various businesses, I discovered that passion was an essential component in finding my own success. Today, it’s my compass in determining which path to take next.

I’ve been an entrepreneur as far back as I can remember. It began at the age of six when I purchased bracelets from locals while on a family vacation and later sold them to my classmates for a profit. Since then I’ve owned at least 15 businesses ranging from a used car lot to a full service marketing company. Mixed in between were a few illegal endeavors which I’ve learned a lot from and would never do again.

While I may have had the drive necessary to start each business, I realize now that it always stemmed from the desire to make money. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my intention mattered and without a true passion for the business itself, the success would always be short lived.

The result of being driven purely by money alone was that any adversity or challenge would make me close up shop and start over with something else. Before I knew it, I had three or more businesses at a time and my focus was clearly scattered.

Taking a deeper look at where I’d been and where I hoped to go, I was able to see how important it was to get clear on what I was most passionate about. For me this meant stepping out of myself and choosing a cause or problem that I could actually dedicate my life to.

After experiencing failure in nearly every area of my life and contemplating suicide as a result, I discovered Personal Growth. I knew that my passion resided in my desire to broaden the audience and ensure that everyone could receive the inspiration they needed in order to transform their life. I strive today to make the movement more commonly understood, accepted, and assimilated into mainstream society.

With this new found passion I have been able to overcome the challenges that have come my way. Now more then ever, I believe that money doesn’t have to be the driving factor when it comes to choosing a career or starting a business. In fact, choosing what you’re passionate about often brings far more profit than most people could ever imagine.

Here’s a few steps to turn your Passions into Profits:

1. Find a vision, purpose and/or cause that you’re so passionate about you’d be   willing to dedicate your life.

A lot of times this comes from challenge’s you’ve overcome or injustices in the world that touch your heart. M.A.D.D., for instance, was created by a mother who lost her son to a drunk driver

2. Be creative and find a way to align your career, business and/or free time to  your vision.

When I decided that I was going to bring Personal Growth to billions of people I had no idea how to do that or even make money doing it. Through years of persistence and determination, I’ve turned my passion for the movement and industry into extraordinary profits.

Jim Rohn shared his brilliance when he said, “The stronger the WHY the easier the HOW.”As you start moving towards your visions, opportunities, people and ideas will show up to guide you. It starts with your commitment and faith to take one step at a time and to never give up.

3. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and share your passions

When I dedicated my life to Personal Growth, I made it my goal to meet everyone I can in the industry, especially the biggest Thought Leaders who had the most impact. In only a short few years, many of them are my clients and quite a few are friends.

4. Take Inspired Action

There’s no substitute for this step. I’ve learned from personal experience and great mentors that taking inspired action is the key. Follow your intuition and inspiration and act on what comes up. From my experience, doing just take has propelled me to the success I currently experience.

5. Pay close attention and distill between your ego and your intuition.

When I’ve ignored my intuition and followed my ego – it was a disaster. The difference is this:

• Ego – wants more of everything and wants it now. If you feel rushed or that what you have now isn’t enough – that’s typically your ego.

• Intuition – is soft, goes with the flow, effortless. That sense of knowing that transcends understanding.

Please share your thoughts and your own experiences with incorporating passion into your career by leaving a comment below. Thank you.

Take the time to formulate your thoughts

Often times in the midst of a heated argument or discussion we speak without much thought of the repercussions, and end up feeling guilty over a misunderstanding. Speak calmly and take the time to decide what your intention is when it comes to sharing a thought or opinion. If your underlying intention isn’t entirely positive then it’s probably best to think twice before speaking.

Listen, listen, listen

Yes, you have brilliant ideas to share, but are you taking the time to listen and learn from others? If you’re hoping to achieve communication success then it’s essential to have equal parts give and take- this means listening just as much (if not more) as you speak. Even when we think we know all there is to know, there’s always something else to learn.

Choose the optimal time to communicate

If your spouse comes home in a rotten mood from a rough day at work, then it’s probably not the best time to discuss his or her lack of help around the house. Allow the stress of the day to subside so that you can both have a clear-minded conversation about other issues. Not only will they be more likely to listen to your concerns, but it’s less likely to turn into a blow-out fight.

Stay on topic

It’s easy to make personal jabs when a conversation isn’t going the way you’d planned, but unless you want to open yourself up to similar attacks, stay on topic. If you are hoping for positive results, then keep your interactions positive.

Be able to recognize differences in context

It’d be accurate to say that we all have had extremely different life experiences. These life experiences have shaped the way we as individuals see the world and communicate with others. Thus it’s important to not take everything personally when it comes to interacting with people of varying contexts. You may not understand everyone you come across, but this is how we all learn and grow.

Being able to fine tune your communication skills can not only help you in maintaining healthy personal relationships, it can also lead to overall success. Today, pay attention to how you communicate with the world around you. Recognize your shortcomings and find small ways to fix them. Others will undoubtedly see the difference.

If you’d like to read more about this topic, click here:

http://bit.ly/bkd0CZ

Share your thoughts on personal communication by leaving a comment below. Thank you.

In order to understand the conundrum of self-acceptance vs. personal growth, it’s important to fully explore the types of changes that will bring about true and lasting happiness. Often times on this blog I speak about abundance, success, and overall fulfillment. While we all experience these concepts in different ways, the ability to experience the purest form of each of them comes from a detachment of temporary situations and ego-driven measurements.

In our society we have become extremely consumed with how we measure up to so-and-so or how our bank accounts or job success compares to last years. This kind of “keeping score” doesn’t bring about lasting changes because all of these things are temporary. Changing our temporary stations in life may be desirable, but it’s certainly not the main goal behind the Personal Growth movement.

Instead, it’s about changing our mindset and way of life in order to experience and enjoy life on a much deeper level. This means experiencing relationships more fully, being present in each and every moment, recognizing the good in every situation, and using obstacles as a chance for growth.

By striving to embody more of these permanent traits we are not only allowing ourselves to attract a greater sense of happiness into our lives, but we are also opening the door for all of the positive temporary perks to come in as well.

It’s important to accept and embrace who you are in this moment, because you are exactly where you need to be in your growth process. It’s also important to recognize your potential in living a life more in tune with your desires. Accepting growth does not discount who you are it only allows you to experience more.

If you’d like to read more on this topic, click here:

http://bit.ly/dtvLDj

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.

Darren Hardy, editorial director of SUCCESS magazine and leader of two television networks (The People’s Network and The Success Training Network) believes it’s time to get back to the basics and discover what really creates a happy and successful life. Through years of hands-on research with top CEO’s, entrepreneurs, athletes, and entertainers, he has written a book that will revolutionize the Personal Growth movement: The Compound Effect.

Not only does he compile secrets from some of the world’s most successful people, he has his own experience to pull from. Darren was earning a six-figure income at the young age of 18, more than 1 million at 24 and by the age of 27 he had already started a company that was grossing $50 million annually.

The Compound Effect utilizes a step by step system that allows readers to set goals, track your progress and how to transfer them into action. Darren touches on topics that the vast majority of audiences could benefit from: how to triumph over any competitor, how to do away with bad habits that hinder your chance for success, how to stay motivated and capitalize on your momentum, and how to start building wealth.

Success can often seem like an elusive concept. I put my whole-hearted support into The Compound Effect because it introduces simple concepts that we as a society have strayed from. It’s easy to follow and can help anyone – no matter the path they’re on.

Take a proactive approach to your own success. Order the book today:

http://bit.ly/aOTL8w

Please share your thoughts on the book by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.

If your daily food intake is making you feel sluggish and tired or if it’s simply not giving you the nutrition that your body needs then it’s time to make some changes. Considering what a daunting task this can be, it’d probably help to start small.

Super foods, for instance, can easily be incorporated into any diet and are an excellent source of antioxidants and bioactive nutrients. In addition, they can help improve your emotional state, and almost immediately improve brain functioning. So what are super foods exactly? This guide can help:

Peaches

Surprisingly enough, peaches can do wonders in calming anxiety and promoting a good night’s sleep. They’re also said to contain ingredients that help fight cancer cells and improve your complexion.

Blueberries

Perhaps the most well-known super food, blueberries help increase energy and brain function. They can also help in boosting your mood.

Cocoa

Unfortunately for chocolate lovers, the best way to enjoy this super food is in its most natural state: without sugar. Cocoa is a great source of magnesium, a natural mineral that most of us don’t take in enough of. This too increases energy and mood.

Almonds

Chalked full of zinc and Vitamin B12, almonds can do wonders in decreasing irritability.  In addition, a fair amount of monounsaturated fat can help with heart disease and high iron levels can help combat fatigue. They are best absorbed by your body when you soak them for up to 24 hours.

Acai Berry

Touted for its ability to help people lose weight, the acai berry must still be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise. The truth behind the claims is that its ability to level out blood glucose levels helps curb hunger.

Maca

Although hard to find in its natural form, this Peruvian root powder can do wonders in fighting depression and anxiety because of its high levels of potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and iodine. It comes in different forms, but is generally used as a tea or sprinkled over food.

Often times we get so used to eating out of necessity that we forget how beneficial certain foods can be for our bodies. By increasing our physical health we open up the door to peace and mental wellbeing. What could be better than that?

If you’d like to read more about these super foods, click here:

http://bit.ly/cchdVj

What foods help you to look and feel your best? Share your ideas or comments below.

Thank you.

Here are some tips that you can start incorporating immediately for a significantly more serene day to day life.

Take a Walk

Sometimes leaving a stressful situation to clear your mind can do wonders in improving your mood and decreasing your anxiety level. Take a walk, have a healthy snack, or just take a moment to connect with a loved one. Shifting your thinking to other tasks can even mean an increase in your productivity once you return to your previous task.

Find a More Positive Frame of Mind

It’s extremely easy to become consumed by the everyday tasks on our never-ending to -do lists. However, putting all your energy into just getting things done can make you feel unfulfilled and stressed. Become aware of your thought process and how these thoughts effect your mood on a regular basis. Replace negativity with feelings of gratitude and acceptance and your stress levels will decrease as a result.

Put Things In Perspective

Have you ever spent a large amount of time worrying about how you were going to complete a task only to realize later that it really wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place? Or fretted over a situation ending badly when the worst possible outcome wasn’t that bad after all?

Before allowing yourself to become overwhelmed with stress, put things in perspective. Is it really worth it to put so much energy towards worrying about things that might be out of your control? Probably not.

Find a Relaxation Technique That Works For You

Not everyone can commit to taking a yoga class once a day or spending an hour meditating, but there are plenty of options when it comes to finding a relaxation technique that works for you. Maybe all you need is to take a few minutes to reconnect with your breathing. Or perhaps journaling can help you feel more centered.

Whatever it is, use this as your go-to activity when you start to feel the stress kick in. Once your mind becomes programmed to recognize that particular activity as a designated “cool down” time, stress becomes much easier to manage.

Eat Right and Exercise Often

If we gravitate towards unhealthy foods and spend more time vegging out then exercising, our mind will inevitably stop working at its most optimal level – making us more prone to anxiety and stress. In addition, our body releases endorphins during exercise- a feel-good chemical that can help improve our outlook on life.

Once you find the stress management techniques that work for you, you’ll feel more equipped to handle anything that comes your way. Give it a try today and you’ll notice a difference immediately.

If you’d like to read more about how to manage your stress, click here:

http://bit.ly/djmPJR

Please share your own stress management techniques or any thoughts you may have by leaving a comment below.

Thank you.