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We all know that each person is unique, but still some are more “unique” than others are. Moreover, it does not seem fair that some people, that have the same training as others, achieve extraordinary results, while others still dream of them.
What makes the difference between the average and even successful individuals? Mental visualization.
It may become clearer what the concept of “self-help” is if we consider what self-help is not. For instance, self-help is not always and automatically responding to a situation, even if the response is very effective. It is not coming across a certain solution by chance or pure luck. It is not being careless to ways our condition could be improved even if, our ignorance allows us to cope with our current situation. It is not going along with or being driven by our emotions in pointless directions.
You may think there is always something that stops you from being as wealthy, happy, loved, and successful as you really deserve to be, and it is not about being in the wrong place with the wrong people, not knowing how to change your situation, or not having enough money. Those are symptoms, and not the cause.
Is fear robbing you? The solution is to change your focus.
Fear is only a product of our minds and to overcome your obstacles and insecurities, you must change the way you perceive things, and the way you relate to them. It is rarely a reflection of your current reality, and it is usually the result of the anticipation of negative future events.
There are different ways in which people respond to fear:
• avoiding things and finding ways of getting around them
• giving in to the fear and doing nothing at all
• letting the fear be a catalyst and provoke them into action
Creative thinking activity depends on the energy level of the brain. This article discusses the ways to enliven the brains just by using the five senses.
The five senses, namely sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch bombard the brain with millions of pieces of information every second. A mother is barely aware of the noise her children are making until a neighbor asks them how they put up with it. The fact is that we quickly get accustomed to our environment, making it the norm. Therefore, we fail to notice details and the seeds of creative ideas.
Therefore, the challenge is to get the senses to break out of the box, so that we start noticing things again. This “aerobic brain exercise” gets creative “oxygen” to the specific senses: Select in your mind something familiar. For this example, we will choose a book. Think of a familiar book that you enjoyed reading. Just close your eyes, activate your five senses around this object in your mind, and truly live the experience.
SIGHT
What catches your eye as you look at the book from the other side of the room? Is it the size? The color? The title? The artwork?
HEARING
What kind of sounds do the pages make as you turn them? Is it a rustling sound due to fine paper, or a stiff one caused by thick paper?
TASTE
While not suggesting we take a bite, does your imagination suggest a certain taste? Our brain can make some amazing associations. We often associate a certain flavor with an object. What flavor is your book?
SMELL
Does the book have a distinctive smell? If it does, does it have the smell of an old library, or the certain smell of a freshly printed book?
TOUCH
As you touch it, what does it feel like? What is the texture of the cover? Glossy or grainy? Are the page thick, or thin?
After you ran it through your 5 senses, that familiar object, your favorite book, will now take on a completely new representation in your mind!
Skeptical? Just try it! It will only take a minute or two. The images your brain is left with will remain with you indefinitely. That is the power of concentration.
When engaging in creative thinking activity, a great deal of sensations and thoughts need to be input. By linking the most unlikely brilliant ideas can pop up. Applying these imaginary associations to the task in hand usually produces great results.
In conclusion, you can try this “aerobic brain exercise” before doing any project or facing any problem involving the need of creative thinking. You will never view familiar things with the same eyes again, and you might just give birth to a new solution or improve an existing one. Everyone possesses this creative mechanism.
However, sometimes we are “stuck in a nut” or “start to see blank” or “hit a brick wall”. These are called “stuck states” Their mind is unwilling to go anywhere else.
The question is what this state of mind is and how we can swiftly ease out of it, directly into inspired and creative states of being.
If we were to look inside the mind of a person that suffers from this “stuckness”, we would see that it is in fact a bit like a video loop. It would be just as if they were repeating a short clip of a movie repeatedly.
So how can you snap out of these loops? First, try noticing “where” and “how” you feel the specific stuck state. Where “in” your body is that feeling? Giving that feeling a color is the first step. Right now, you just switched the representational system.
As you notice that feeling, what color represents it best?’ Just go with the first color in your mind. Now if you would want to give that feeling a sound, what sound would it be? Again, just go with the first sound in your mind. Just for fun, you could even associate the feeling with a smell or a taste.
With that, you have instantly accessed multiple resources form different brain centers, allowing the creative process to emerge.
With the help of specific mental strategies, creativity can be easily triggered, and it can also be enhanced by exploring other perspectives. The good news is that the more you practice creative thinking, the more creative you become!
Only by learning how to use our brains in more diverse ways, we can unlock the power of our creative imagination!
Edward de Bono, renowned expert on creative thinking, talks about creativity and about thinking outside the box…
A useful guide to make you feel better - here you have 5 tips for becoming a positive person that are extremely easy to put into practice. Apply them to your own life consistently and you will attain a more joyful and peaceful state of mind:
• Take the time to appreciate the things in your life and feel truly thankful for everything. Many times, we complain about what we do not have, but we often take for granted what is already there.
In addition, the things we have already could mean the world for someone else who is not as lucky. Take some time off to count your blessings. Discover about the importance of being grateful.
• Reach out and help other people, do something kind or volunteer to help in your community. Not only will you be doing something special for other people, but it will also make you feel good about yourself.
Research studies revealed that doing regular volunteering work increases life expectancy and physical health. That is indeed worthwhile.
• Smile! This may be the easiest step to accomplish. Simply find something you feel good about to make you smile. It can be a good comedy movie, a night out with your friends or you could simply be enjoying your pet.
This carries a double impact: on one hand, you control your mind to focus on the positive aspects of the things around you, and on the other hand, smiling helps you relax and is beneficial for your overall health.
• Make plans for something that makes you feel good that you will do in the future. That could be meeting with a special friend, traveling to your favorite place, or even enjoying an afternoon by yourself somewhere new.
You will not have to cling on to the future to live your present, but always keep aside something that you feel excited about doing and that you look forward to.
• Count to ten (or whatever you need). Because not al things in life come the way we want it, and people are not always as nice to us as we would expect, there will be situations that may easily shift your thoughts in a negative mood.
Take your time and count to ten when you feel a negative emotion taking over you, whether it is anger, jealousy, guilt, self-pity. Rather than reacting blindly impulsively like in the old ways, choose how you want to respond to the negative emotions. You have the power not to let them get to you.
Of course, this advice has a positive impact on you when you put these tips in practice on a regular basis.
“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you” (by James Allen)
Living in the present is not something everybody does, and those who don’t, miss out the spectacle of their own lives. What about you? Most of the negative thoughts that we focus on are caused by worrying about the future or resenting the past. Whenever you do any of these activities, you are not living in the present, but rather you remain trapped into your past experiences.
Think about this:
• Logically, it is pointless worrying about the future, as most of the things we fear do not happen anyway. Moreover, since we still want imagine our future, why not imaging a positive one.
• Normally, it would not make any sense to resent the past either because you cannot change it. Why re-live and suffer about something you cannot do anything about?
A distracted mind is a field where concerns and worries grow easily. Living in the present is the key to create a happy and fulfilling life. Now, how can you get back living in the present, easily and effectively? There is a powerful method the “This is me doing this” technique that works to make yourself live in the present. It is a powerful positive thinking exercise that you can practice anytime and get interesting results in just minutes.
For instance, if you are washing dishes, start by saying to yourself “this is me washing dishes”. Repeat this calmly, concentrating on the act of washing dishes. Observe the elements involved in the process – the water running down the dish, the smell of the soap, etc.
As you repeat to yourself “this is me doing this or that”, you start becoming relaxed while other matters count less; you are giving orders to your mind to actively focus on what you are doing, and only that.
Then move on to the next task. Keep on telling yourself what you are doing. “This is me walking down the street”, “this is me feeding my cat”, etc. Feel how more and more calm overwhelms you as you keep on repeating, “This is me doing …”
After a few minutes of staying focused and repeating to yourself what you are doing, you will experience a feeling of well-being. All stresses and worries may seem to have simply vanished or worthless because the level your awareness of the immediate reality increases.
This can also be achieved by using your senses.
Stay focused. You are living in the present and you can learn how to effectively use positive thinking in everyday life. Talk to yourself positively while telling yourself what you are doing. Say “this is me brushing my teeth”, followed by “I am calm and experiencing the present”, “this is me brushing my teeth”, and “I feel good and relaxed”.
Maintaining a positive attitude is one of the greatest results of using this technique. It allows you to focus on the present rather than letting your mind slip away onto hypothetical events. It reduces all needless worries and anxieties. When practiced on a regular basis, this technique gives you the chance of being more aware of who you are, where you are, and what you are doing.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this” (by Henry David Thoreau)
Perhaps you know that it is not always easy to maintain a positive attitude. There is always something like an event or some news that comes and worries you or makes you angry getting you out of the positive mood for as long as you let it, which is for as long as you decide to focus on negative thoughts.
The secret is to always direct your thoughts to the positive side. Following that, you must choose to have a positive attitude, and put it into practice when things do not come along nicely. Remember that putting these tips for a positive attitude in practice can help you in the moment, but if you want to keep a positive attitude most of the time, you need to be steady.
Now, here are your five tips:
1. Talk to yourself positively.
Say to yourself, “I’m good”, “I’m great”, “I am self-confident”. Feel good about yourself when you say these things. You are as worthy of these quotes as anybody else. Besides, you do not have to wait for anybody to tell you this – you can tell yourself and feel good now. Praise yourself when you have done something good as a good job at work, helped a friend and so on. If we have the time to value a colleague or relative, why wouldn’t you have the time to praise yourself and feel good too? “Well done, me”.
2. Express gratitude for the things in your life.
For instance, you can choose to be thankful for all the assets you own, for the people in your life, or simply for being able to walk or see, or have food everyday. Being thankful for anything puts you in an attitude of gratitude of whatever comes into your life. As a result, you will have a positive mood and feel more enthusiastic about what comes next, helping you towards maintaining a positive attitude.
3. Look back at the hard times in your past and recognize at least one good thing that came out of a bad situation.
Everything that may seem unbearable in your life has a positive aspect, even if it feels very negative at first. Therefore, it is normal to think that if a difficult event comes along in the future, no matter what it is, there will be something positive to come out for your own benefit. Feel serene about accepting this and acknowledge that you are able to deal with anything in your life, if you simply decide so.
4. Reinforce your self-esteem by recognizing something you achieved that was important or difficult for you.
It may have been completing an important project, winning a contest, or getting in touch with someone you had argued with, for instance. Discover the qualities that made you achieve that: strength, perseverance, kindness, whatever it is, and feel good about yourself. You possess those qualities and can bring them into play at anytime.
5. Focus on your main goal.
If you do not have a goal in your life, then go find one, make it your dream and manifest it into reality. For example, working from home and even stop working altogether are main goals for many people. When you are busy working on achieving your main goal you acquire a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which leads to a positive state of mind.
This last tip for a positive attitude is perhaps the most important one, as it brings purpose into your life. However, you would be surprised to know how many people, when asked, say that they do not know what it is that they truly want. Therefore, they just go along with whatever comes in life. They are not aware that they can choose what they actually want and work their way to get it.
Remember that maintaining a positive attitude is a choice that you and only you can make. It does not depend on external circumstances, but on what you choose to think about. These tips for a positive attitude could assist you greatly in your journey of becoming a more positive person.
What are the benefits of having a grateful attitude? Being thankful, not only for what you have but also for what others have, is a wonderful thing to experience, at any moment. Gratitude is the very first factor to start receiving more of what you want. You cannot receive more abundance into your life until you have said to the universe truly, “Thank you for all that I have”.
Discover why being grateful for all that has been given to you is such a great thing. To follow, being thankful puts you in a much better mood. After you have spent a few minutes reflecting upon what you have and feeling grateful about it, you will find you are in a much more optimist state. Compassion and will fill your heart.
The problem is that sometimes when things are given to us on a constant basis, we start to take them for granted and forget being grateful of what we already have. You can overcome this obstacle by dedicating some time daily just to be thankful. Simply sit somewhere where you are not disturbed and think of anything you feel grateful about
It is not a matter of comparison, but just think for a second about the millions of people who are not blessed with what you have, or are simply in a worse condition than yours. Say “thanks” with your inner voice. Some people like saying “thanks” out loud. You can use these thankful phrases to express what you are grateful for, or you can start a gratitude journal in which to record what you are thankful for.
Examples of what you can be thankful for:
• Life – The great abilities to walk and having your senses (smell, sight, hearing…).
• People – Your friends, relatives, a spouse, a business partner, someone that enjoys your company, it can even be your pet. These positive statements about people can inspire you.
• Assets – clothes, a car, a house, a computer, a TV, etc.
• Your job! – If you love it, then it is great; if you do not like it so much, think that it still pays your bills and allows you to buy things.
• Your health – You may be experiencing some problems, but still, you are here, you are breathing, and you are alive.
• Food – Do you live a life of starvation? Do you have problems to obtain food? Many people really do.
You should take some time on a daily basis, to express gratitude for your blessings as it puts you in a real good mood to go on with your day. You can also feel grateful for all that has happened in your day before you go to bed at night; good and bad, as the bad stuff is not only part of life but it also makes us grow. Whenever something that pleases you occurs, take some time to stop and say thanks for it.
Here you have a little formula to get what you want…
1. Be grateful for what you already have.
2. Declare what you would like to have with positive feelings.
3. Make the most of the opportunities that appear in front of you.
It puts emphasis on being thankful for what you already have before asking for something else. Overall, the advice is simple: say thanks as much as you can.
Affirmations are very powerful statements. You can use an affirmation to change your life and bring about all the desired changes.
In fact, you can follow the next easy steps to change your life through positive affirmations:
1. Stop upon a part of your life in which you would like to do some changing. Decide what it is that you want to create exactly. 2. Create an affirmation using positive terms that reflects exactly what you want to obtain. You may like to check which affirmation wording to use. 3. Write down your affirmation to change your life and repeat it with emotion.
The frequency with which you repeat your affirmation depends on what you want. If you have a cold and wish to get better as soon as possible, then repeat your affirmation to yourself as frequently as possible.
If you want to attract a new job, for instance, then you should repeat your affirmation daily, but you do not have to do it all the time. Perhaps you want to dedicate certain time of the day to your affirmation, like when you get up or when you go to bed at night.
Wonderful affirmations
The following set of affirmations for positive thinking will give you an idea of the sort of change they are able to create. You can use them as a starting base to build your own affirmation to change your life. You can also use these personal statements to inspire your thoughts.
• I now live a life of peace and calm
• I am fit and enjoy good health
• I have a great circle of friends who are caring, supportive and loving to me
• I enjoy having a well paid great job that fulfils me
• I own a beautiful home in which it is a pleasure to live
• I have a wonderful partner with whom to share life
• I always have all the money that I need to live beyond my needs
• I live every day to the fullest in a positive mood
• Life brings me wonderful experiences and people every day
• I feel happy and calm
Personal affirmation statements strongly contribute towards positive thinking. They uplift you and empower you. They are personal - designed just for you. You can get our of a bad mood by using positive affirmation statements that you say to yourself, and that will make you feel much better. You can see it as a form of getting back to yourself. They will help you to be more positive.
We all know that each person is unique, but still some are more “unique” than others are. Moreover, it does not seem fair that some people, that have the same training as others, achieve extraordinary results, while others still dream of them.
Listen to this post
Fear is only a product of our minds and to overcome your obstacles and insecurities, you must change the way you perceive things, and the way you relate to them. It is rarely a reflection of your current reality, and it is usually the result of the anticipation of negative future events.
The secret is to always direct your thoughts to the positive side. Following that, you must choose to have a positive attitude, and put it into practice when things do not come along nicely. Remember that putting these tips for a positive attitude in practice can help you in the moment, but if you want to keep a positive attitude most of the time, you need to be steady.
