Effective Ways to Eliminate Bad Habits

Many people go through difficult times which usually lead them to go astray in order to cope. They give in to vices and substance abuse that affect their physical, mental and emotional health in the long run. Bad habits develop as people do these vices and take restricted and prohibited substances regularly.

Some start drinking liquor until they are barely sober. Others will try a stick of cigarette until they consume several packs in a day. There are those who explore prescription and prohibited substances until it turns into a bad addiction. Some make everyday things like food part of their coping mechanism and will not and cannot stop the bad habit they developed even if the original crisis is over.

Some will definitely be able to relate to this kind of situation. Sometimes, hard trials really make you vulnerable to developing bad habits just to cope.

However, these bad habits are not supposed to be part of your reality. These stunt your growth as a person. Eliminate bad habits to improve your well-being and have more confidence.

Here are effective ways to eliminate bad habits.

1.      Start Now

The biggest challenge stopping your bad habits is making the decision to start clean and healthy living. Decide in making a change today with firm resolve to kick the bad habit.

2.      Look at the Negative Effects of Your Bad Habit

Most people who deal with bad habits are actually aware of the negative consequences of their addiction or abuse. It helps to know the reality of the negative side effects of your bad habit rather than just knowing the facts.  Seeing it for real creates a different and usually deeper impact to a person.

Keep tab of the bad effects that negative habits can cause your being. Remind yourself of the cons whenever you feel the temptation.

3.      Know the Good Effects of Change

You also have to motivate yourself constantly to hold on to your goal. Eliminating bad habits is not an overnight activity, which is why you have to commit to this mission until you achieve it.

Knowing the positive effects of a good change will definitely help. Just think of the more harmonious relationship you can engender with your family and friends once you are not anymore a slave to your vices.

4.      Come Up with New Habits or Routines

Relapses are an inherent danger in trying to quit a bad habit. Sometimes the temptation is too strong and very difficult to deny. This is why it is important to come up with healthier options when it comes to activities to keep yourself busy.

For example, you can explore pottery, painting or planting so you can be busy and creative at the same time. Engaging into a sport will also help. This is also a good opportunity to enjoy with friends. Good habits can take the place of the bad habit for a healthier and happier you.

5.      Consult a Professional Regularly

Professional aid can help in eliminating bad habits. They can look at your specific needs and address your issues accordingly. Regular consultation will also help in keeping you in check.

6.      Accept Support from People Who Care

Inform your family and friends you are making the big change. Announce that you are ridding yourself of your bad habits or vices so that they can also support you and help you along the way.

7.      Give Yourself a Good Reward

Know your current progress. See how well you are improving or how more you still have to push your self and then give yourself a reward. They can be small steps or a leap of faith; the most important thing is motivating yourself through a reward for every milestone you achieve.

Rewards will definitely motivate you to meet the goal. You can give yourself the simple things like your favorite chocolate or a trip to the spa. This will make you feel even better about yourself because of the achievement.

Conclusion

You want to eliminate your bad habits, even before they become bad addictions and abuses. So consider these effective steps to break your bad habits. These may not give overnight results, yet starting now takes you closer to improving your life.Do you think you can do it…I know you can

Remember Live Your Life By Choice, not By Chance.

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Creating an Incredibly Successful Life

The American Dream. The Pie in the Sky. It’s what everyone seems to be searching for. It’s an endless search for successful living and happiness. Do you look around observing how certain others seem to be living that life of success that you are after? Does that lifestyle seem to be slipping away the more you chase it?

Perhaps the answer to success is not in the chase. Perhaps the answer to successful living lies within the one who is doing the chasing. Let me explain.

What sets you apart from everyone else? Go ahead. List some areas in your life that are absolutely, without a doubt, totally different than anyone you know. What are some habits that you have and no one else can claim? They’re your habits. List them out. The more, the better. 

Now, how many do you have? Five? Ten? Twenty?

There’s the answer to the eternal question of how to attain a successful life. Viola! That’s it! We can all go on now and live a life of happiness and eternal contentment.

Okay. Maybe it’s a little more involved than that. Just knowing how you’re different doesn’t make you successful. But knowing what to do with those differences is key. More specifically, four areas you can tap into, that you may not have thought of, may give you a much-needed boost toward your life of success.

1.    Know Yourself
When you listed out your differences, you were setting yourself apart from everyone you know. That, in essence, is you. One of the main things that makes you unique is how you’re are different than everyone else. As a society, we are programmed to try and be like everyone else. Do not do this. Lock in on your differences. Claim them. Own them. Enhance them. You will soon be the one everyone else is looking at, wondering how you are so successful. Knowing your difference is knowing you.

2.    Be Yourself
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Actually stepping out and being someone different takes courage. It takes guts. Take a look at who you consider successful. Are they just like everyone else? No. They are the people who cared enough to jump out of the mold that everyone is trying to fit in. Refuse to be shoved into a mold. Don’t believe what you hear. Don’t believe anything, unless you question it. The mold-people are mindless and are led by someone else with a leash, which requires no thought process. Most of the time they are being led by another mindless, mold-person who is being led by another. It’s an endless and mind-numbing cycle. Do not fall into this. The best way to actually be yourself is to actually think for yourself. Develop your own opinions. Develop your own values. Strengthen your core.

3.    Love Yourself
Once you know who you are and you have taken action to be yourself, do not be ashamed. You have been created for a purpose. Take pride in that fact. Finding your purpose (if you don’t already know it) is an adventure. There’s no reason you can’t (or shouldn’t) enjoy being you while on your adventure. Love is a verb. You should love yourself. Treat yourself to some things that you really enjoy. What do you like to do? When is the last time you did it? What is life if it isn’t an adventure to be enjoyed? Love it. Love yourself.

4.    Share Yourself
If you want to feel good about yourself and who you are, share yourself with someone. (I’m not talking about something illegal or immoral. J) Give yourself to something you believe in. It may be helping children. You may go out and help clean up some neighborhood after a huge storm, hurricane or some natural disaster. You may attend a synagogue, church or some other place of worship. Maybe you can give some of your time there.

The point is to find a conviction; a deep-seeded belief and give of yourself. You will experience a type of chest-poked-out pride that can only leave a smile on your face so big, people will wonder what you’re up to. It’s one of the most rewarding feelings you can experience.

There you have it. There are four things that you can chase instead of the proverbial successful lifestyle. There’s a paradox here. Adopt and live these four things and you will “find” yourself closer to a successful life than you could imagine. The successful lifestyle we are all looking for is not in someone else. It’s not a bunch of secrets that only a few possess. It’s in you. It always has been.

Keep looking and living forward.

Remember Live Your Life By Choice Not By Chance.

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10 Tips to Becoming an Effective and Engaging Public Speaker

You are an expert in the field of forest management and resource conservation.

As guest speaker at the Boy Scouts’ jamboree however, you now find that despite your expertise and the importance of your talk, your audience seems uninterested; even slightly confused.  Here lies the big difference between knowing a subject matter well and communicating it to others effectively.

These 10 helpful nuggets should help you get your message across.

1.      KNOW YOU AUDIENCE 

Be aware of the general demographic of your audience.  The factors of age, educational attainment and economic background should dictate the level at which to design your talk.  Your doctorate gobbledygook won’t be helpful to the rural agricultural workers waiting to hear you.  In the same light, a graduate school audience may become bored with a simple linear presentation.   Younger audiences may need conceptual statements to be broken down into concrete examples they can relate to. 

2.      LEVEL-OFF AT THE BEGINNING

·        As you begin your talk, spend some time introducing the subject matter and your personal involvement in it. 

·        Use the introduction as an opportunity to define terms and spell-out any acronyms that may be specific to your field.

·        Try to gauge topic awareness among members of your audience by asking for a show of hands on questions that begin with “How many of you have heard of…” or “How many of you have ever wondered about…”.  This is also a good way of breaking the ice and engaging your listeners.

3.      MAKE USE OF VISUAL AIDS WISELY

·        In some instances, an image can speak more clearly than words.  When appropriate, present photos to depict important aspects of your topic.  When dealing with abstract ideas or the relationship between processes, show them a diagram to physically represent the interactions involved. 

·        Allow a slight pause, for the audience to absorb a visual.  Once they’ve had a few seconds to take it in, you can continue speaking and they’ll be ready to listen to you again while mentally connecting the visual aid to your point. 

·        Avoid wordy PowerPoint slides that mimic verbatim what you’re already saying in your speech.  Instead of enhancing the talk, the visual aid becomes redundant and tempts students to just read the slide instead of listen to you.

4.      USE NOTECARDS WITH BULLET POINTS, DON’T MEMORIZE

·        Outline the flow of your key points on note cards.  Small index cards are better than whole sheets of paper because it’s easier to keep track of where you are in the talk.

·        Use bullet points to highlight your ideas.  Don’t write out entire sentences on your notes that you might be tempted to memorize.  It’s easier to remember your outline and expound spontaneously if you memorize the ideas instead of the exact words

5.      USE HUMOR IF SUITABLE, BUT BE TACTFUL

Everyone loves a laugh, so it may be helpful to inject some humor into your speech.  Before doing so however, analyze the subject matter and check if it won’t be inappropriate. 

If you choose to employ humor, make sure to remain tactful.  Stay away from slanted jokes that may offend certain sub-sectors within your audience, such as gender, religion, race, politics and economic status.

Keep the comedy in check.  Well-timed snippets may help you establish rapport with your audience, or make monotonous stretches a bit lighter.  Too many laughs however may divert the audience’s focus from your key points. 

6.      MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT 

Looking at members of the audience in the eye keeps them involved in your talk.  Research has shown that information is more easily received when the listener has both visual and verbal contact with the speaker.  Make sure to distribute your attention to audience members in different parts of the room. 

7.      SPEAK CLEARLY AND MODULATE YOUR VOICE

While the topic is all too familiar to you, it may be a new subject to your audience.  Speak slowly and clearly, at a pace that allows your audience to follow your meaning.  Make sure you speak loud enough to be heard by the person at the back of the room.  For emphasis, briefly pause before and after important ideas or say key points twice before elaborating.

8.      KNOW THE SUBJECT MATTER

Nothing beats knowing what you’re talking about inside and out.  Research your facts and make sure you have a good grasp of the issues involved.  Have a comprehensive understanding of your topic.  Where it applies, be aware of both sides to a polarized discussion about your subject.  Anticipate questions the audience might raise.

9.      ENCOURAGE  Q & A

To further nail down the message behind your speech, encourage questions and clarifications through an open forum after your talk.  Before you begin the forum, set a time limit or a predetermined number of questions you can accommodate.  You may want to discuss this beforehand with the organizers

to make sure that you can fit everything within the time allotted for you.

10.     SUMMARIZE and DISTRIBUTE HAND-OUTS AFTER TALK

Before you end, summarize your most salient points and repeat the ideas you want your audience to take home with them.  You can outline a summary in the form of a hand-out to be given to the audience afterwards.  Don’t pass the hand-out into the audience before or during your talk t because you want them to listen to you first and not just be reading distractedly.

With these 10 pointers in mind, you’re on your way to becoming a much sought-after resource person, known both for your expertise in your field and your skill in communicating.   More importantly, you can be sure that your message is getting across to your public loud and clear.

An hour of relaxation a day helps to keep my doctor at bay.

I am healthier because I take the time to relax every day.

I am an active person and enjoy the challenges and activities in my life. I am able to continue enjoying these things because I take the time for daily relaxation. This allows my mind and body to recharge and diffuse all tension and stress.

I am better prepared for tomorrow’s challenges and activities because I make relaxation a priority in my life. My health is strengthened because my body and mind are allowed the time to unwind and recharge.

I take pride in my ability to multi-task and succeed in challenging situations. I take pride also in my ability to stay sharp and think on my feet.

I am in good shape physically and my body and mind work together to perform amazing feats. I am able to do these things because I am balanced.

I make relaxation time a top priority in my life.

I relax my muscles before retiring at night by flexing a group of muscles and holding the flex for a few seconds and then releasing it. I do this several times and my body benefits by releasing stress.

I also enjoy deep breathing exercises to relax. I close my eyes, inhale deeply and slowly exhale; doing this several times relaxes my body and my mind. This exercise brings in extra oxygen to nourish my entire body.

Today I will take the time to fully relax my body and mind and I will improve my health by doing so. I can enjoy my challenges and feel good about my successes because I take the time to relax and recharge.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1.      What methods of muscle relaxation do I enjoy?

2.      How does deep breathing make me feel?

3.      How can I schedule relaxation into my life?

5 Ways to Focus and Get Back on Task

Each day, there are dozens of tasks that are calling your name, both at work and in your personal life. With life being so busy it’s easy to lose focus on the big picture.

How many times have you gone to bed wondering what you actually accomplished that day? Or have you ever felt like your day was somehow wasted?

To avoid these feelings, you can try a few different methods to get yourself back on track. Rather than bemoaning your wasted time, resolve to regain your focus and get back on task.

Confucius Says…

There’s a famous quote about focus by the great philosopher Confucius: “If you chase two rabbits, you catch none.” True, there might be people who are able to multitask and do it relatively well; but more often than not, people who split their attention between two different tasks have a more difficult time completing both tasks well.

Here are five ways to regain your focus and get back on task:

1.      Eliminate the distractions. Get rid of the barriers that are causing you to avoid getting things done – it’s that simple! Forget about checking email every five minutes; those emails will still be there when you complete your task. Make a list of distractions and eliminate!

·        Turn off the phone and let the voice mail take over.

·        Close the blinds in your office.

·        Turn off the music if you find yourself singing more than working.

·        Simply closing the door to your office can give you more privacy and more focus.

2.      Prioritize your work. Rather than working on projects simultaneously, take one thing at a time, focus on it, and worry about all the other projects later. Ultimately, you’ll get a lot more done and you’ll finish it more quickly. You’ll also be recognized by the high quality that you deliver when you’re free from distractions.

·        Find a way to prioritize that works best for you. Choose either the project that has the earliest deadline or the one with the least components so you can finish it quickly and get it out of the way. There are pros and cons to both systems so tackle it whichever way works for you.

3.      Tell everyone to respect your time. There are many nice and respectful ways to tell people to back off. If you’re finding yourself in a time crunch and can’t seem to get away from others, consider letting them know that you need time to finish some important tasks. There are a lot of different ways to do it – just make sure you do!

·        Set times that you’ll accept phone calls and even visitors. Tell them to contact you by email and then set a regular time to check your email.

·        Set business hours during which people can expect you to return their calls or emails.

4.      Set some limitations with your internet access. The internet is wonderful but it can be a huge time waster, especially if you work at a computer all day long. Regain your focus with some self-imposed rules.

·        First, close all those windows you’re not using. Avoid MySpace or Facebook, quit searching on eBay, and leave messenger alone!

·        Establish certain times each day to use these fun things and just focus on what you have to do. You’ll quickly accomplish more!

5.      Have confidence in your abilities. This may seem like a really small thing when it comes to focusing and getting back on task, but believing that you can get everything done that you set out to do puts you in a positive frame of mind and you’ll be less distracted with stress and worry.

·        Have confidence that you can complete each task with ease and believe in your ability to deliver. If you’ll just have the confidence, you’re sure to have the focus!

Now that you’ve been introduced to five ways to focus and get back on task, it’s up to you to take action and learn how to focus your thoughts. If you’ve got to get stuff done, follow these steps so you can put yourself – and your goals – first!

Make your life a journey to remember!

If you are looking for a positive change and looking to get out of the rat race and be coached by someone that has done it, and work differently, lets talk.

Email me, click on the picture next to No 9 on the top left hand side of the video, and send me a message.

At a time of stress in the world…lets all take a deep breath and enjoy what this time of the year really means. No matter what your background, this is a special time for many people all around the world.

Enjoy.!!!! Ho Ho Ho.