The world has told you that the more you do the more productive you will be. Sadly, you then are more than willing to trade your valuable time and energy for the possibility of increased happiness and gratification from your life.

You fill your calendar and To-Do list with far more than you are capable of completing. You take great pride by staying in a perpetual motion and work hard to push through your life each and every day. Then, after you have worked yourself to complete exhaustion, feeling totally empty and unrewarded you ask yourself one of these questions: Why am I so unhappy? Why don’t I like what I am doing with my life? When will it get better?

Fortunately, you can change! It is possible to slow down. You can keep your focus. You are capable of prioritizing your life. All it takes is your decision to make better choices. You can start by saying “no” to all those things that just don’t matter. It is possible for you to be a participant in your own life, which will strengthen your overall productivity. Make a schedule for your life. Give yourself permission to take time off. But, most importantly, schedule yourself that necessary breathing room needed to enjoy every day, not just some days.

Start making a difference in your own life this week and enjoy the magic you create for yourself. Remember the steps below for success.

• Start by doing less – choose to identify the things in life that matter most to you. Then, do that!
• Participate in your own life – Be single-minded and focus on one thing at a time.
• Remember to create breathing room – schedule that free time on your calendar.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Life's encounters are not usually welcomed with an open door. Yet, the truth is that every problem we face presents an opportunity for us to grow through. Certainly, it is easy to overlook the gift within when problems first arrive. That is why it is so important to think about and look for the understanding that is associated with these hardships.

Sometimes we need a little space in order to learn from life's little challenges. It is much easier to work a little change, and transform discomfort into wisdom, once we are on the other side of the problem. Best of all, is that the more you practice looking for the reward within the challenge, the faster you will see it the next time around.

There is an old saying, Eric Butter worth once said, "Don’t go through life, grow through life." It is important to learn to look for the value within each experience to gain the understanding. Then you can use insights to make better choices as you move toward the goal.

• Look at the challenges you've faced in your life and make a list of all of the gifts you received by experiencing them them.
• Then remind yourself of these gifts the next time a hardship brings you down.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

originally posted October 14, 2013

Scientific studies have shown that our thoughts, feelings and beliefs lead the way in we choose to see the world. These thoughts, feelings and beliefs play a huge role in the development of both our perceptions as well as our misperceptions. Personalization is a perfect example of this.

When you take the time to pay close attention to how you process the data coming in to you, you will see how fast your thoughts in nearly every experience you have lead straight back to you. You begin to worry about what other people think of you. You work diligently to plan your actions in order to keep the peace. This even gets taken to the point where place an emphasis on doing what you think will make others like you, or love you, more.

This is something we all do. You, me, everyone does it. However, when we choose to take things to personally it can be a very slippery slope.

This might be a where we can take a look at Dr. Daniel Amen’s 18/40/60 Rule. His rule offers us a clear, thoughtful insight into how we view ourselves and others. It states:

"When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all."

One thing I know from experience, carrying a grudge is a places a lot of stress and weight on my shoulders. How about you?

Just one simple thought of past pain and frustration triggers a physiological and psychological response that drags down energy like a lead balloon. This downward spiral affects everything you do and how you treat the people around you. There is one easy way to set yourself free from this draining cycle and move forward in a positive direction. That is forgiveness!

When you make the choice to turn the other cheek, you also choose to grow as a person. By letting go of the anger, frustration, bitterness and discontent that is weighing you down you are choosing to be free. Start today, begin to feel how life can be when you make the conscious choice to release those negative thought patterns and live renewed.

Trust me; there is great comfort in forgiveness!!

• Start by identifying just one of the areas from your past that is holding you back.
• Then, write down everything you believe you are gaining and/or losing by holding on to your resentment.
• Next, and I know this might not be easy, make the choice to release the past. Just let it go! It cannot be changed, but your future can. Make a new future for yourself today!
• Repeat as necessary until you are living a life free of resentment, hatred and anger. This might take time, but it will be worth the effort!
  

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Success is a tricky thing. If we are to be truly successful we must teach ourselves to show compassion to others and learn to live with kindness.

So, when you are looking to create more happiness in your own life, try showing kindness to another person.  For me, my overall health and sense of well-being are increased as I show kindness and generosity to others.

Studies have shown that showing compassion is vital for our own inner peace, mental awareness and emotional strength. When we choose to be compassionate it will not only remove the obstacles that get in our way but it will open our hearts and increase our overall joy in everything we do.

Compassion will also strengthen our awareness we have with other people, which is obviously a good thing for us and society.

• Choose to make it a daily goal to live with more compassion in your life.
• Develop a widened range of concern and understanding for others.
• Rather than judging others, try a little kindness instead. Believe me, this will change your life!
• Try this on act of kindness. Next time you are at your favorite drive thru, pay for the car behind you. Then, check in with yourself and see how it feels to be kind to a total stranger.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Your daily routines help you manage your life’s busy schedule. Your routines help to simplify decision making, and they keep you on track. By doing so, these routines strengthen your both your efficiency and your effectiveness.

However, you must also understand it is also important to live life with a little adventure. When you add new experiences to your life you will have the ability to create more positive emotions, while at the same time opening your mind to new and exciting possibilities. Another benefit of adding a little adventure to your life is that it will assist in easing your worries.

It does not really matter if you plan these adventures or take advantage of them as they come upon you, choosing to experience life with a little sense of adventure re-joins you to that creative energy you use to motivate yourself into action. Let’s face it, when we are motivated into action…well that is always a good thing.

• You can start by shaking up your weekly routine and trying something new.
• No need to overhaul your life, just refresh your routines with small simple changes.
• Then end result will be that you feel more calm, inspired and re-energized!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.”
― Joseph Campbell

I know I have covered this before, but your physical environment is many times a metaphor for your life. When you make the choice to have a cheerful, open, organized living space your life will reflect that as well. Likewise, when you allow your living space to become gloomy, cluttered, disorganized your life will also reflect that as well.

As it turns out, a messy environment acts much like physical weight – it drains not only your mental well-being, but your emotional energy as well. When you choose to be disorganized it stifles your creativity and your motivation.

By choosing to clean up your space you add a positive outlook to life that will boost your emotional energy and add new life to your creativity while at the same time increasing your motivation to get things done. Start today and experience how even the little changes in your environment can make a huge impact in your energy.

• Start by surveying your space and looking at how you want to expand it
• Then, keep it simple. Look for the easiest ways to make that happen. Small initial rewards give light to the end of the tunnel.
• It is very important to focus on one project at a time. Do not overwhelm yourself!
• Finally, you are done. Enjoy the new you!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

It is human nature to be cooperative. People, you and I, are actually hard wired to be generous and encouraging to one another. All of the best coaches and leaders throughout the world know this one simple truth: Teams accomplish more when they choose to work together.

Sadly, many of us grew up in an environment that trained us to compete. We consistently focus on being better than someone else instead of just being the best at what we do. At some point most of us were led to believe that in order to survive, we must be better than those around us if we want to advance. The problem is that just does not work because it goes directly against what we were created to be, cooperative, collaborative people.

In a business, internal competition many times creates dissension, limits resources and fuels the fear of failure. Inversely, cooperation can lead to a growth in your business through the sharing of ideas, bigger and better visions and an even stronger overall purpose. It is through our shared talents and strengths that we can truly increase development.

• Start today by looking for ways to develop, and build a cooperative support system in your work and at home
• Create a list of ideas that will help create a strong foundation
• Then, start with one idea and move forward
• As you maintain one idea then add others to compliment the system.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

It is far too easy to be judgmental. When you choose to simply pay attention to your thoughts you will see how many times you make the choice to be critical, and sometimes even flat out unkind to yourself and others. It is not a pretty sight to see. However by being aware of these comments is always the first step.

What is enjoyable is when you make the choice to voluntarily see the best in yourself and others. One way you can do this by developing the attitude of the three g’s: generosity, gratitude and gratefulness. Using the three g’s will teach you to learn to keep your heart open and draw out the best in all of us.

Today is the first Friday of the month. Try following the example set by KTIS, a radio station in Minneapolis/St. Paul - Minnesota, and do what they call the drive thru difference. When you are out and about today, go thru the drive thru and pay for the car behind you! Trust me, you will make a difference in their lives and your own!

• Make the choice to become aware of your judgmental thoughts
• Then, choose to immediately redirect them to be positive, look for the good!
• Finally, pay attention to how good it feels when you choose love over hate…

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!