Category Archives: Motivation

Happy Thanksgiving With a Motivational Message : “Say Thank You In Advance for What Is Already Yours”

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I know I have shared in the past, Denzel Washington’s “Fall Forward” speech which if you haven’t listened to it before, you should absolutely look it up if you need a little spiritual pick me up or you need a dose of motivation in your life.I just happened to discover another great message of his: “Say thank you in advance for what is already yours.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement! I am all for practicing gratitude on a daily basis because gratitude attracts even more abundance and happiness into your life. However, this message is even more empowering as it encourages you to not only be thankful for what you currently have but to also be thankful for the things that you are currently manifesting into your life–which are destined in your near future.

This Thanksgiving as we practice gratitude towards our loved ones and for all the things we are most thankful for–don’t forget to be thankful for what is already yours! 😉

Tough Times Make Us Tougher – Why Adversity Is Actually a Good Thing for Self Development

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The people who went through the most adversity and challenges in the earlier stages of their lives tend to be some of the most successful people out there. It actually makes sense that they are successful because they had to build inner strength, resilience, and understand hard lessons in their younger years which propelled them to persevere and to excel. When challenges are placed upon someone, that forces the person to think outside of the box and find ways to survive. I cannot stress enough the importance of embracing adversity and taking on more challenges. If you continue to stay in your comfort zone, you might feel safer coasting through life but you are preventing yourself from growing and becoming a better person.

As they say, “tough times make us tougher” and this is incredibly true. While many of us feel comfort in not having to work too hard and have everything handed to us with the least amount of effort, remember that you are doing yourself a disservice. It is always better to challenge yourself despite the fact it might bring upon frustration at times. You will find that it is better in the long run and will contribute towards your success and a much brighter future.

Reevaluating the “American Dream” – What Are YOUR Dreams?

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Many people have the desire to fulfill the “American dream” which might include buying a house with a white picket fence and finding a career path that guarantees a lot of money. It could also include being married with a family. We live in a world where we feel the need to conform to societal norms and with social media platforms of people living their best lives at all times. The reality is, life is not designed to be perfect and the societal expectations of how life should be might not be everyone’s destiny–and there is nothing wrong with that! It is important to recognize that we should not feel the need to be doing what everyone else appears to be doing and evaluate our own dreams. Your dreams might not entail going to college or getting married or owning a house. If your dreams are to have these things, also remember that it could take many years for your dreams to manifest into realities. This requires a good amount of patience on your part along with a deep mental focus and a high level of trust that you have a bright future ahead of you. Everything truly does start with your mental state so keep it a positive one!

What are your dreams? – It is essential to really think about what you want from your life and to establish what your desires are. The more defined and concrete that your dreams are, the more likely it is that you will find the path to achieve them. I recommend not only to think about them but to write them on paper or on an index card. While some might think this is a waste of time, this extra step can make a big difference by keeping you accountable, focused, and serious about what you want to accomplish. Even if your dreams seem out of reach at the present moment, you should write them down anyway! As I mentioned previously, your dreams might not even be in alignment with the “American dream” but at the end of the day, you need to live your life authentically and be as true to yourself as possible if you want to be happy and feel fulfilled. You have one life to live and it is up to you to determine what makes it meaningful and manifest your own dreams.

The Greatest Risk In Life Is Not Taking Enough Risks

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There is the common saying, “no risk, no reward” and I have to say that this is a valuable statement that applies to life. Think about it, if you always stayed in your comfort zone and did not take chances in life, not only would your life be very boring but it would stay stagnant. There wouldn’t be much change and if there isn’t much change, then there wouldn’t be much personal growth or wisdom to gain along with any potential rewards. It is for this reason, that you should embrace taking risks from time to time. You need to put yourself out there and chase what you want in your life, even if that means that you might not get that golden opportunity (don’t worry, our abundant Universe has a ton more to offer to you 😉 ) or that the chance that you are taking doesn’t work out as planned.

While taking risks can make you feel uneasy because there is no guaranteed outcome and it can sometimes bring upon rejection or a hurt ego, taking risks is a necessary part of life, both on a personal and professional level. Rejection is okay and shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing because rejection builds resilience and can ultimately propel you to try even harder the next time. You would not make any gains in your life unless risk is involved. Most successful people took a ton of risks to get to where they are today and did not let failures or setbacks stand in their way. Remember that taking risks is a part of the process and that it is a win/win in the long run even if you do not receive your desired results immediately because it takes time to achieve amazing results and to manifest everything that you want in your life. It is more risky to do nothing and not take risks than whatever risk that is presented to you that you are not taking. So take your chances and do not be afraid to take risks–you might not only be surprised by what comes of it but you will also get much further in your life by doing so!

Why Do People Like to Play the Lottery? – Even When They Know They Are Throwing Their Money Away the Majority of the Time

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A couple weeks ago, the highest lottery jackpot in the USA was won in the state of California–the prize winnings had climbed up to 2.04 billion dollars! The total was going up week after week and was getting a ton of media coverage which elevated Powerball ticket sales significantly until someone finally won the big jackpot. What I find funny about lottery ticket sales is, no matter how high the prize amount reaches, the statistics are still as low as they were regardless of the prize total. However, despite this, you will see more people buying tickets in hopes that they could claim the big jackpot.

When it comes to playing the lottery, it shows that people love to take chances. Even when the odds are stacked against them, there is always that chance and people get hooked on that hope. I also think that everyone likes to think that their innately lucky which also feeds into their hope mindset even more so to provide them the feeling that they have a chance when ultimately we know that the statistics of winning are still extremely low. If one genuinely believes that they are lucky, then most likely this person will want to play thinking that they are luckier than the masses so it is worth taking the chance. Even if one thinks they are lucky, while this is a positive mindset to possess, it also demonstrates how rationality can very easily go out the window once there is a level of risk involved. This is where people need to be careful and practice moderation if they intend to play the lottery or it is very easy to become addicted and lose a ton of money over time.

There is nothing wrong with having a little fun and taking a chance with the lottery. As previously mentioned, moderation is key which is why it is wise to set a limit and to consider a budget prior to playing. It is a good idea to determine the maximum that you are willing to lose a month and to choose an amount that you can comfortably afford and that you will not lose sleep over if it is lost. It does not hurt to take a chance because as they say, you have to be in it to win it! Just remember to play responsibly if you are going to gamble or play any lottery games.

A Great Money Quote to Share – “Making Money Is Action…”

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I stumbled across this from a YouTube comment and looked it up to find that it is an actual quote. I thought it was valuable enough to share with my readers and something that I also agree with. In order to attract financial abundance, it is important to actually take action by going out there and working for it! Unfortunately for most people, money doesn’t just fall from the sky or land in people’s bank accounts for no reason. Often people complain that they are broke and if this is the case, then it is time to dig deep and find ways to take action to change this. This might mean that it is time to change careers or find multiple streams of income. There are unlimited opportunities in this world to make money and many that do not even require a professional degree. In other words, you do not always need a formal education in order to make a living and ultimately it all starts with taking action.

While generating an income is important, having the right habits and behaviors to ensure that you are saving what you can and not overspending is equally essential and oftentimes even more so. Meaning that no matter what you are starting with, you have the ability to control the way in which you spend your money and you can actually build up a good savings, even if you are not making a lot of money at the present moment. The best ways to go about this is to track your spending so you can examine exactly where your money is going, set savings goals to keep in order to stay hyper focused, and make a conscious effort to not spend beyond your means which might mean cutting back in certain spending areas in your life.

While the last saying in the image above is labeled as “growing” money, I would say another word that can work in place of it besides growing is investing. I would agree that this does take extra knowledge and research in order to find ways to invest your money in order for it to grow over time. While many people think for today, when it comes to your money, you need to think about your future many years down the line to ensure that you have money during all stages of your life which also means your retirement years. Even if that seems very far away from now, you still should start investing at a young age so that your money continues to grow abundantly.

It Does Not Matter Where You Started – You Determine the Direction of Your Path

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Oftentimes when you turn on a news station, the focus tends to be on bad news and all the negative events that are shaping the modern world that we live in today. I recognize that it can sometimes be hard to hear good news when most media outlets only highlight the bad things. Over the weekend, I was listening to a headline that caught my attention and left a lasting impression which propelled me to want to share the news in my blog this week. It was about a graduating high school senior from Paterson, New Jersey who got accepted into Harvard University. While on the surface, you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal?” For starters, this specific area in New Jersey is not the most affluent of areas and the student was raised by a single parent. While most would look at where they started and declare that they did not have the same opportunities as someone who was in a much better starting position, she did not use her childhood or socioeconomic status as setbacks but instead, realized that with hard work and dedication to her goals, she can turn her dream into a reality! This leads me to the title of this blog, one of many important facts of life–It does NOT matter where you started because YOU determine the direction of your path!

The news station I was watching interviewed Isabela Gonzalez and it was truly a beautiful story that touched my heart. She was talking about how when she was a young child, she heard of Harvard University and she was told that prestigious people such as presidents went to Harvard University. In response, naturally, she was like, “Well then I want to go to Harvard University!” Her family members laughed and then explained to her that not just anyone gets accepted and that it is one of the hardest schools to get into. Did that leave her discouraged? Nope, quite the contrary. Fast forward her life a decade later and she will be attending Harvard University this fall.

This also brings me back to the power of manifestation and what I call “planting the seed.” In this example, it is so evident that the seed had been planted in her mind as a child that she was going to go to Harvard University. She was too little to understand what that meant or the academic excellence that would be required of her to get into a school like that but it was a decision that was planted in the back of her mind and stayed there. I truly believe that her belief that she was worthy enough to go there along with her desire to go to Harvard University is what subconsciously and perhaps consciously had motivated her to put in the work that was needed to receive her acceptance letter into the school. This by no means is a sheer coincidence but exemplifies manifestation at work. Please take note here that when you “plant the seed,” the seed eventually grows as long as you water the seed or in this case, take the action that is needed to help the seed grow into a miraculous plant.

Mind you, in the article I shared above, I was reading about how fear almost crept in and she almost did not take the time to apply but that she had a teacher who pretty much said he would not supply her a teacher recommendation unless she followed through and still applied to Harvard as planned. Even though she had some moments of doubt, she had someone who told her to apply anyway which points out two other important lessons which are to always believe in yourself and to try no matter the outcome! There is an incredible amount of spiritual value and life lessons that can be taught from this wonderful story. Congratuations to Isabela Gonzalez for her success story and to an even brighter future ahead!

How Self Love Impacts Your Life on All Levels

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One of the many themes of this blog is the topic of self love. What is “self love” exactly? I would describe self love as having a good level of inner confidence along with self respect. When you possess self love, it serves as a spiritual asset to guide your life’s path and allow for you to make the right decisions in order to live your very best life. For example, when you are dating, having a high level of self love will ensure that you are not being mistreated or taken advantage of because you love yourself enough to set the right boundaries and terminate any relationship that does not best suit you. In your professional life, self love can be used as a self motivator by pushing you to strive for everything that you believe that you deserve.

If you do not feel that you are in a good place within your life, it is a good idea to examine self and determine what areas need improvement and ways in which you can increase self love. I truly believe that if you have self love, you will pursue your life with a purpose and find genuine happiness no matter what you do in the outside world because of the fact that you feel so good on the inside. It is natural to feel down every so often but if at the core, you love who you are as a person and know your self worth, you will always rise above. This is why you have to make it a point to focus on building self love because it will not only enhance you as a person but also have the capacity to enhance your life.

Here’s A Kim Kardashian Quote to Boost Your Work Ethic

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Whether you love her or hate her, there is no denying that Kim Kardashian is an amazing entrepreneur. I would say that pretty much their entire family has worked very hard to get to where they are by creating multiple businesses and streams of income. I read recently that Kim got a little bit of heat for a quote she made in a recent interview. She had said, “Get your [butt] up and work. It seems like no one wants to work these days. You have to surround yourself with people who want to work.” It might sound harsh on the surface but I cannot agree more! Please note that she made two really good points here. It is true that you need to take action by going out into the world and working. You cannot just sit at home and expect work to fall onto your lap, you need to actually find the opportunities and then maximize on those opportunities. Sometimes people are given work opportunities with little to no effort but most highly successful individuals will do more than just take what is given to them or they will take those opportunities and go above and beyond.

She also mentions the importance of surrounding yourself around those who also want to work. “Birds of a feather flock together” and finding the right people to associate yourself with throughout your life is definitely beneficial. It is no secret that before Kim Kardashian was famous, she was always with Paris Hilton. At the time, Paris Hilton was already a young celebrity and Kim wanted to emulate her because she valued fame and respected her for her success. It worked out in the long run because now Kim Kardashian is a well known celebrity and she also became extremely successful compared to where she first started. If you prioritize work and success, then finding other people who do the same will propel you to stay on the path of success as well. You have the power to choose the people who you want to be a part of your social circle so make the right choices and select like minded individuals who have the same desires and fundamental values as yourself.

Why Delayed Gratification is More Gratifying

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We live in a society that thrives on instant gratification. People tend to want immediate results and everything to be an easy process. For example, if someone is looking to get in a shape, even though one knows that consistently putting in the time to work out effectively and cleaning up their diet would give them those results over time, this person might give up pretty easily on getting fit because it is not an overnight process. What people need to realize is that most big successes or anything that is worth having do very well take a good amount of time. It can take months, years, or perhaps decades! It is crucial to always stay focused on the end goal and to put in the work that is needed day by day. Even if that means that you have to go through long periods of time not seeing results, that is not a reason to give up on what you want. This might even be a time to reflect on a new approach, to work a little harder, or maybe take a short break if it is needed to prevent burnout–which is totally okay.

Although delayed gratification might not feel as enjoyable as receiving something instantly, you actually hold a higher value on something that you have to work harder towards. I always like to point out that is often why people perceive expensive items as higher value because it takes up more time to save up to purchase these goods. Whether or not the quality is actually worth its price is up to the individual to determine but people tend to gravitate towards desiring the things that are more out of their reach as opposed to something that was given to them or was easier to obtain. It can be an incredibly rewarding feeling once you finally receive something that you desired most and that you had to work hard towards which is why it is actually more gratifying than instant gratification because you earned it yourself.

Although the process might feel like a never ending one, delayed gratification is not a bad thing because it adds many positive attributes to one’s character such as patience, motivation, and discipline while also building one’s work ethic. If someone was to receive everything that they wanted very easily without any effort, this person would never feel challenged in life and probably would remain a very lazy individual. It is for this reason that it is also good to set the bar high and want to strive for bigger and better things. People should always find ways to challenge themselves for the greater good of their self development and for a brighter future. Everything is within reach, no matter how long it takes to get there. Don’t forget to enjoy the journey as you are experiencing it and remember that all your efforts are worth it to achieve and receive everything that you want to manifest most in your lifetime.