Category Archives: Goals

Want to Make a Life Change? – 3 Absolute Necessities to Make It Happen

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Although this is the time you might be thinking about resolutions and life changes, we all know that you can decide to make a positive shift in your life at any point of the year. However, although people might have the best intentions to do so, often times people fall short by giving up way too soon, not doing anything about it to begin with, and/or were never really too serious about making the change to begin with. This is why it is important to focus on these three things to manifest the change:

Deep Desire – People want many things within their lifetime but the real question is, how badly do you really want these things? For example, many people aspire to lose weight and stay in shape. However, if you do not want it that badly then chances are, you will never get the results you are looking to achieve. A person who is serious about making a change is going to ask, what sacrifices are going to be needed to actually reach the end goal? This question stems from their burning passion from within. When you have a deep desire to achieve something, you will be amazed how much your will power will kick up to high gear along with a focused state of mind.

Belief in Self – I think the biggest setback people often face is self. If you do not strongly believe you can make the life change, think it will require too much work, do not feel you are deserving, or whatever the hesitation might be on your end, then chances are, it will never happen. This is why it is ESSENTIAL that you actually believe you can make it happen. Again, you do not need to know exactly when or how right now to get there but you need to really believe that you can acquire it. If you do not fully believe this on your own, then I recommend relying on people in your life who can positively support you and writing down some affirmations on cards that you can read daily to serve as a reminder and as a way to sink into your subconscious mind.

Execute Action – I always emphasize desiring and believing are the first steps of the process of manifestation but it cannot stop there because that simply is not enough–it is only the start. This is where you need to actually execute action by forming new habits and taking the steps needed to get to your final goal of making the life change. As a preliminary step, writing out an actual action plan can be incredibly beneficial. It will lay out a guideline of the actions needed to manifest exactly what you want. It also provides you a place to track your progress over time and check off everything you have accomplished along the way throughout the journey to completion.

If You Are Not the Person You Want to Be – 5 Steps to Get You Closer

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As we step into yet another new year, we often think this is the time to come up with some resolutions with the mindset that this is going to be our greatest year yet. The truth of the matter is, our lives are constantly a work in progress and essentially a masterpiece we are creating one stroke at a time, in other words each and every day. The beginning of a new year is a great time to refocus on what we are looking to achieve while for some it might be a good time to press the reset button and start something entirely new.

Another thought to consider is, who are you today and who is the person that you want to become? After digging deep and thinking about that, the next thought is to ask yourself, how do you become that person and what is it going to take to do so? In order to become the person you aspire to be, here are five things you can do to build yourself up:

Have a Vision – Everything starts with a vision. You need to start by proactively thinking about the life you want to live including the life experiences and lifestyle you want to acquire. It should excite you just thinking about the vision within your mind, the more vivid the better.

Write It Down – As much as it is important to create the thoughts in your mind, thinking and talking about anything is not the same as actually writing it down. That is why I advise taking the time to write down in a journal or an index card specifically who you want to be and taking it a step further by planning out ways you can achieve this.

Create Affirmations – If you have never taken the time to write affirmations about yourself, this is a great time to start. Affirmations are powerful because they are statements you are declaring about yourself. Even if you do not fully believe in what you are writing right now, it will sink in your mind over time if you repeat them in order to start believing them.

Improve Your Habits – In order to become a better person or get better at anything, focusing on your habits and improving them is key. I also recommend finding a way to track your progress as this holds you more accountable and you can see your growth over time.

Study the People You Admire – Is there someone in your life whom you greatly respect or perhaps a famous person whom you admire? This is a good opportunity to learn about them by taking some mental notes on how they live their lives and then applying what they do to better your own life while continuing to look up to them as a role model.

A Time to Reflect – What I Do on Every New Year’s Day

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For starters, happy new year! 🙂 The years go by so fast that it is really hard to believe a new year is upon us. The year 2020 was a year that presented many challenges but on the positive side, we can all learn very much from these challenges. It took many of us out of our comfort zones which I do not view as a bad thing because this tests our inner strength and can only make us stronger. I am not dismissing the fact that 2020 was a rough year on so many of us but just acknowledging that we can still find good things rather than only focus on the negatives.

New Year’s Day for me is a time of solitude and reflection. This is not to say that I stay isolated all day as I am sure I can recall previous years where I was surrounded by others on New Year’s Day but more often than not, I usually find a good portion of the day to just be by myself. I find that it is calming and it spiritually energizes me to look at where I am today while focusing on where I want to be tomorrow. Whether it is a new year or not, I always want to be progressing in life and if I am going to fall, I’m surely going to fall forward.

I also take the time on New Year’s Day to write a letter to myself. I cannot recall when exactly I started this New Year’s tradition but I am going to say this started at least ten years ago by this point. It is never a long letter but I tend to write about where I am at that moment on that day and also write where I predict I will be a year later. I find it really interesting to read the letter a year later because it captures that moment in time while also seeing how much changes from year-to-year. Although many areas of my life stay relatively stable, I do find my life from one year to the next can be rather unpredictable. (Ex: I think we can all agree that there was no way we could have predicted that we would be living through a pandemic right now).

Although many people might not be too fond of writing, I recommend taking some time out of your day to write a New Year’s letter to yourself. You can write about anything such as where you are right now in life, what you see in your future, and whatever is of relevance to you at the present moment. There are no specific guidelines as to how to do this as this is a personal letter that you are writing to yourself and for no one else to read (personally–I never share the letter with anyone). After you write the letter, you can seal it and store it in a safe place to not be opened until January 1st, 2022. I find the thought of what the first day of the year 2022 is hard for me to fathom right now but it is intriguing thinking about next year on the first day of the current new year.

How to Stay on Track with Your Goals Using a Buddy System

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It is really important to find people who are also ambitious, goal oriented, and strive to succeed. Not only are these good people to look up to as role models but they also can help you stay focused on your own personal goals. I recommend finding one person for this activity but I am sure it can work if you form a small group of like minded individuals who want to motivate each other to reach their goals. The great thing is that you can continue to build upon your success but you also get the opportunity to help inspire each other to do that as well. A college friend and I used to do this years ago and I reached out to him that I would like to start this weekly tradition again for the new year in 2021. I will share with you how it works.

Create a List of Both Short Term and Long Term Goals – Your goals are personal to you so they will range in terms of things that you want to get done in about a week’s time while others will be bigger and can take months to years to achieve. The important thing is to really take the time to think about these goals and write them down as specific as you can, the more details the better.
[Your buddy or people within your small group will be doing the same thing}.

Choose a Designated Day/Time Each Week to Connect – Find a time that works with both of your schedules and determine this as your weekly time to connect over the phone, Zoom, or whatever platform that works best for everyone. Once you have chosen this time, this will be the time you chat each week.

Talk about Your Progress During Your Weekly Chats – Each week that you touch base, you will share your goals and discuss the progress you have made towards reaching them. Some weeks you might not have made much progress but that is okay and you can always make up for it in the future. By sharing your goals with another person, it definitely holds you more accountable because you want to be able to tell the other person you’re doing things to make progress rather than telling them you have been slacking. Even during the moments you might be slacking, at least you have the other person to encourage you to stay on track as you would do the same and motivate them to do the same.

Focus on the Foundation More Than Feelings for Long Term Relationship Success

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I think we have all been there before at some point within our lives where our heart fills up with butterflies upon entering a new relationship. Your feelings drive the highs of the relationship and you’re on cloud nine 24/7. I believe this is a great start to any relationship but there comes a time where you need to think with your head a little more than your heart in order to get back to reality. The reality is, feelings do fade over time. I can say from personal experience that I have fallen out of love plenty of times within my lifetime. It is the worst reality to experience but quite a common one which explains why most long term relationships do not survive in the long run. So what exactly can be done to prevent this? This is why I emphasize that you cannot get hooked on the feelings you have towards someone–no matter how great the person might make you feel in the present moment or how much you love having them be a part of your life. You really need to examine the relationship by looking many steps ahead (such as seeing if you both have the same life goals along with wanting the same things within the relationship) but more importantly, focus on the foundation of the relationship above anything else.

Now I know you might be wondering, what exactly are the key components that make up the foundation of a strong and stable relationship? This is where you need to do your homework by digging deep from within to figure out what is most important to you. What are your values and beliefs? What are your spending and saving habits? How do you enjoy your free time? How much time do you like to spend with your partner and by yourself? There are many factors to consider when choosing a life partner which is why it is essential to really think about what you care about most and compare them with the person you are dating to see if your priorities are in alignment and determine the level of your compatibility. Many people fail to really find out this information during the dating phase and get too caught up in the moment which ultimately leads to the relationship fizzling over time because there was no emphasis on building a strong foundation from the ground up. If the foundation is there from the start, it is much easier to maintain the relationship while also continuing to grow together over time.

3 Ways to Become Emotionally Attached to Your Goals and Why It’s Important

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If you set goals that you do not really care much about, I can safely bet that you are not very likely to achieve them. If you have a feeling of indifference towards the goal in which you do not have any emotional attachment towards or you truly believe it is unattainable, then chances are the accomplished goal will never manifest. This is why it is extremely important to form an emotional attachment towards your goals. When you become emotionally invested and actually attached to the goals that you set, you will automatically be thinking about them regularly and as you know, your deepest thoughts become things and manifest over time. That is the beauty of the Laws of Attraction, it really does work when you feed your mind with your desires and an abundance of positivity on a daily basis in order to propel you to take the action needed to magnetize what you want most. It is never too late in your life to spiritually strengthen your mindset and start attracting everything you ask for in this Universe. [Remember, we live in a world of abundance (even during times when it might not feel that way). Everything you are desiring right now is on its way, more specifically the goals that you emotionally attach yourself to. The Universe might have a stronger control of determining the when but YOU are in full control of your mind by determining the what].

So how do you become emotionally attached to your goals? For starters, how badly do you want these things? What are the sacrifices you are willing to make to achieve them? How much are you willing to step out of your comfort zone for the greater good of manifesting your dreams? Are you willing to fail in order to succeed? These are some of the prerequisite questions you need to think about prior to really setting your mind to something you want to achieve. Again, if your goal is not something you truly want or something that your mind could stay fixated on, then you won’t get to the end goal. There is nothing wrong with that, it just means that you need to really dig deep and think about what it is that you would like to accomplish in place of it. Once you do a little soul searching to figure out your goals, there are ways to now bond an emotional attachment towards them.

Write Down Specific Goals and Read Them Every Day – I cannot stress the importance of writing down your goals as detailed as possible and then actually taking the time to read them–otherwise out of sight, out of mind. Storing them in your mind is great but having a tangible index card or journal in which your goals are written down to be read is even more beneficial because it keeps you focused on them and eventually you become obsessed–aka emotionally attached. This is a good thing as it should also ignite some excitement and evoke positive emotions from within to really attain them.

Visualize It Happening Right Now and Focus on How Good You Will Feel Once It is Accomplished – If you visualize yourself experiencing the outcome of your goal, it should make you feel amazing. Maybe the process of getting there might not feel that way but once you achieve it, it should bring you ultimate bliss–so stay focused on that blissful feeling of the end result. When you envision yourself fully embracing your dreams, your mind will find ways to turn this into an actual reality because you already planted the seed in your mind that this is how your life is going to unfold. These positive emotions towards your goal will keep you emotionally attached.

Appreciate Every Little Step You Are Taking to Fulfill Your Goal – In other words, embrace the journey and genuinely cherish any minor accomplishment or stepping stone that was taken to manifest your goal. It is crucial to feel a deep sense of gratitude every step of the way. The Universe will shower you with abundance simply by practicing gratitude and being thankful. Being conscious of every moment, action, and experience associated with achieving your goal will naturally keep you emotionally attached to the point where quitting is not even an option because nothing is stopping you from reaching the end result.

The Importance of Chasing Intrinsic Happiness if You Want to Be Successful

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What is success? Everyone has a different view as to what success means to them. Success to one person could mean an abundance of fortune while to someone else it could mean achieving fame or perhaps it could be a combination of both and so much more. Success can mean different things to different people. Despite success being translated in various ways, one universal principle that will keep you on the pathway to success comes down to your constant pursuit of intrinsic happiness. The reason why I want to emphasize the intrinsic aspect of happiness is because it really needs to come from within your soul (and not someone else’s). It has to be automatic, natural, authentic, and ultimately make you feel good inside.

If you are pursuing things in life for the sake the of it, everybody’s doing it, or someone tells you it is a good idea when you do not feel the same way, that does not equate as success in my book because it does not revolve around doing what brings you intrinsic happiness. For example, society likes to paint a picture of how your life is meant to play out. In order to have a successful career, you need to pursue an education by going to college. So does that mean that every “successful” career requires a college degree? Absolutely not! Especially in today’s modern world, there are plenty of ways to work towards a successful career that might not require a formal education. The same goes for marriage. It might appear that you need to get married by a certain age in order to reach a high level of success within your personal life but some people might not have the desire to get married or have a family. A person focused on intrinsic happiness while doing it solo can still have the capacity to attract success into their lives and sometimes even more so even if it appears that their personal life was compromised.

At the end of the day, you really need to ask yourself, what makes you happy from the inside out? What brings you joy and makes you feel excited to be alive? When choosing a career path that leads to success, opting for a job that guarantees a hefty salary might be a strong motivating factor but you need to also love what you do. If you dread going to work or hate your job, then maybe it is time to leave your field altogether and try something new. It is never too late to reinvent yourself. I also truly believe that whatever it is that you gravitate towards in life, the money will follow and you can make a living from it. Some paths will take longer than others but with the Laws of Attraction put into place, you do not need to worry so much about the how and when but rather trust the process by trusting what your soul is telling you to chase in life. We all have one life to live–so let’s make it count by investing our energy and time into the things that provide us a life full of purpose and personal satisfaction which will ultimately bring us a heightened level of success in all areas of our lives. 🙂

5 Ways to Become a Morning Person If You Aren’t Already

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Not everyone is a morning person and some people naturally work better in the evenings. For me personally, I like to start my day very early because it makes the days feel longer in which I can be much more productive. Over the summer months, I fell out of a routine of waking up early as I did not have as much structure but now I am back on track to being a morning person again. I will share a few habits that will help if you want to transition into becoming a morning person.

Start Setting the Alarm Earlier in Increments – If your goal is to start waking up at 6am everyday but you currently wake up at 9:30am, this can be a tough adjustment to do in a matter of days. Start off by setting the alarm at 8:30am for the next few days, then 7:30am, and work your way all the way down to your desired wake up time.

A Little Coffee Goes a Long Way – I was never a big coffee drinker until the start of 2020. I got into the habit of having a small amount of coffee in the mornings as a pre workout as I usually start my day at the gym before anything else. The energy boost is helpful in making my workouts more effective along with actually jump starting my morning. On certain days, I sometimes I have a little bit of coffee in the mid afternoon if I feel as though I could benefit from it.

Take a Nap if Needed – Not everyone is in a position with their work schedule to leisurely take a nap in the afternoon but if you can fit in a short nap at any point during the day, I do recommend it. I would say nothing over an hour or you might not be able to go to bed at an earlier time later that evening.

Start Getting Ready for Bed Much Earlier Than Bedtime – It is easy to get distracted at night so you may not physically get into bed as early as planned if you do not start getting ready soon enough. That is why I recommend getting ready for bed much sooner than your actual bedtime. This can include getting changed into sleepwear, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and doing whatever else your evening routine includes at a much earlier time.

Determine an Exact Bedtime and Actually Get Into Bed at That Time – If you have determined that you are going to go to bed at 10pm, make sure you actually get into bed at that time under no other circumstances. If it takes you some time to fall asleep at night, it might be a good idea to get into bed about 10-15 minutes sooner to ensure you fall asleep by your predetermined bedtime.

Most habits take some time to pick up so do not be discouraged if it takes you time to get into a good morning routine. It can take days or it can take weeks but if you work on staying consistent, you will find you can work towards becoming a morning person.

5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Life Starting Today

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Over the years, I have taken the time to really appreciate the quality of life which for me means having more time to myself for leisure activities, an active social life, and of course much needed alone time to feel fully recharged. I strongly believe in hard work but it is just as important to be able to enjoy life–whatever that means to you.

Take Care of Yourself by Adapting a Healthier Lifestyle – I always preach about developing healthy habits which can include eating higher quality foods and paying attention to portion control. It is okay to indulge but again, it is all about keeping everything within moderation. Besides a good diet, taking the time to exercise each day is also very important for increasing your longevity and overall well being.

Make Time for Vacations and Day Trips – People who work a lot often times do not take the time to actually plan a real vacation. I would suggest thinking about new places you want to explore and putting the money aside for it including the flight, accommodations, and entertainment money. Besides planning at least one big vacation, it is also good to plan long weekends and local day trips. Life experiences like travel are incredibly rewarding so be sure to make the time for it.

Stay Organized in All Areas of Your Life – Organization is such an important life skill but one that sometimes gets overlooked, especially when you are super busy. This can first start within your home and your surroundings by making a conscious effort to keep these areas neat and clutter free. If that means getting rid of items that are not practical, then take the time to do so. Aside from your living space, it is also a good habit to keep a planner or to do lists to keep your actual life organized or at least provide some structure. This will help you improve the quality of your life by allowing you to gain more control of how you spend your time each day.

Sleep More – Take Naps If Needed – When you work full time and have what it feels like ten million responsibilities each day, it is very easy to cut back on the amount of sleep you are getting each night. If this applies to you, I would suggest finding spare time in your day where you can take a power nap or by getting in the habit of going to bed earlier or sleeping in a little if you have a schedule that can allow for that.

Turn Cell Phone Notifications Off – It is really hard to imagine life without a cell phone nowadays. As much as it has improved the quality of our lives by allowing us to easily stay connected with others, have information at our finger tips, and apps for just about anything, there also comes a time it is healthy to turn the notifications off. If you are with other company, trying to be productive, working, or in a situation where you do not need to be attached to your phone, it is okay to put it aside and not check it for a few hours. You would be amazed how much quality time you can add back to your everyday life just by putting your cell phone down every so often.

This is just a short list of suggestions for improving the quality of your life that have really worked for me in recent years and are good things to apply if you do not already. All it takes is some added mindfulness and taking small steps to make these daily changes that will make an impact over time.

Achieve Your Goals with Exceptional Habits

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I think before achieving any sort of goal, everything does originate within the mind. What do you think about? What are you looking to achieve? More importantly, how badly do you want these things? I am a big believer of taking the time to write your goals down on paper so it is more tangible and you can look at them on a regular basis to remind yourself of these goals.

However, let’s be real–staring at your goals each day is a good initial step to get the manifestation process going and making them a reality but you’re going to have to do much more to achieve them. The next component requires being proactive and taking action with the necessary stepping stones to make it happen. This is where many people fail reaching their end goal due to a lack of patience, giving up too easily when the going gets tough, and the fear of failing–along with other limitations (aka excuses).

So how can you really manifest your deepest dreams and desires? It is crucial to focus more on your habits even more than the end goal because your habits will allow you to get on the path that you want to be on. For example, often times you see new people at the gym in the beginning of a new year only to find that they completely drop off within a matter of weeks or even a month. Their main goal could be to lose weight in which taking action by obtaining a gym membership was definitely a step in the right direction. However, if the person was not getting the results they wanted, they might end up quitting too soon in which they gave up on a positive habit which could easily deter them from their end goal of losing weight. This is absolutely why you need to focus on your habits and developing good ones by knowing that over time, these habits will lead you to achieving your goals. You might have days where your habits are not as good as others but that is where you need to consistently focus on developing them and adapting them in your every day life.