Habits Can Turn Your Dreams Into a Reality

Ever since we were children, we’ve had dreams. The sad thing is, over the years we convinced ourselves that our dreams could never come true. Because we assumed that they were mere fantasies, we didn’t even try to make them come true.

Believe it or not, your dreams can be reality! However, you won’t get anywhere by simply making a wish. You have to take specific actions to increase your chances of living that life you always dreamed of.

These are some simple techniques that can help you get started:

1. You must possess passion and desire. These two elements are crucial for living your dream. Interestingly enough, you really can’t have one without the other. You must yearn to have something in your life so much (desire) and for the right reasons (passion).

• A good example to illustrate the difference would be if you always wanted to be a professional singer. You know that you have the talent and all you want in life is to sing on a professional stage some day (desire). Your focus isn’t the money, fame, or prestige; you just have a true love for singing. It’s all you think about all-day, every day (passion).

2. Patience. Patience isn’t easy, but in most case, our dreams don’t come true overnight. You need to work hard to achieve your full potential. Though it may take longer than you hoped, once you’re living your dream, you’ll realize that practicing patience was worth the rewards.

• Just remember to remain positive, focus on your dreams, and keep taking action to make those dreams a reality. After all, patience is a virtue!

3. Sacrifice. Achieving your dreams will require self-sacrifice. This is usually where most people can gauge how serious they are about turning their dreams into reality. Whether it is giving up your TV time to work toward your goals, or spending extra hours at work to further your career, you have to be willing to sacrifice something.

• If you’re truly passionate about your dreams, this shouldn’t be too difficult. If you do find sacrifice extremely difficult, it may be that you don’t possess enough desire, passion, willpower, or self-discipline to see your dreams through.

4. Confidence. If you truly want to make your dreams real, you have to believe they can happen. You must possess an intense confidence in yourself and your talents; otherwise, your dreams will remain dreams forever.

• Sometimes your confidence may waiver, but as long as you can focus on your ultimate goal – and you can actually see yourself achieving this goal – you’re heading in the right direction.

Final Thoughts on Achieving Your Dreams

No one can steal your dreams away from you except you. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, biggest obstacle, and harshest critic. But that’s not what you need! You need to remember that, by taking action and implementing these simple tips and suggestions, your dreams can come true.

Keep your focus on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it will happen if you only believe it can!

Building A Bond Between Friends That’s Solid As A Rock

Humans were never meant to live a solitary life.  The need for companionship is as fundamental as food and water.  Without friends, we would feel lonely, rejected, and left out.  Even the best marriages are based on friendship first.  But we also need friends outside the marriage to fulfill all of our human social needs and help us get through trying and difficult situations. 

Building a strong bond with rock-solid friendships takes loyalty, trust, and honesty.  True and lasting friendship simply  can’t happen overnight.

Most people have rock-solid friendships with only a couple of people or a handful at the most throughout their life.  The truth is a friendship is about quality, not quantity. Yes, you can have several friends, but most are merely casual friendships and don’t have that deep inner connection.

A good example of this is Jesus. He had 12 disciples, but only three were considered as his closest companions, Peter, James, and John. Jesus had companionship with all 12, but only three were truly close to him, like a best friend.

The Friendly Sacrifice

Being a true friend also requires sacrifice. In a rock-solid friendship, we may be asked to give up our desires for our friend’s needs. Our friend may need us when it’s not so convenient for us, like in the middle of the night. In a rock-solid friendship, this would involve sacrificing the comfort of a good night’s sleep in a nice, warm bed in order to be there for our friend. But that’s what friends do!

Give and Take

In a strong and reliable  friendship, there is both give and take. There are reciprocated feelings between both people  and it’s never one-sided. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be conflicts because we’re human, after all. However, when there is a conflict between two very close friends, the struggles usually don’t last long because there is forgiveness, understanding, and communication.

• Forgiveness means that you let go of any malice or grudges and you move forward at peace with one another.
• Understanding comes from knowing your friend inside and out – knowing where they’re coming from and knowing what they’re going through.
• Communication means that you connect with your friend with an overall understanding of his or her relating style.

When a friendship is truly rock-solid, both people are real with each other; there are no facades, no masks and no secrets. There is trust, honesty, sincerity and loyalty, however, and this comes only as a friendship grows.

How to Connect With a New Friend

You may have stumbled upon someone new by chance or through friends and if there is enough common interest, you may decide to meet again. Sounds pretty obvious, right?

With each encounter you have, your relationship grows and strengthens. Then as you continue to get to know one another, the communication gets easier and you become more comfortable with each other. The key here is that it can’t happen overnight. If you try to force it, you may make the other person feel uncomfortable and threatened, so go at a smooth and steady pace.

Showing True Colors

As the friendship continues to blossom, casual friends build trust and loyalty through both the peaks and valleys of life. However, it’s in the difficult times that a person’s true colors are revealed. When you’re going through a tragedy, a personal crisis, or simply a rough patch, it is the rock-solid friends that are there to help lift you back up.

Friends Help Friends Grow

True friends help each other grow mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. A true friendship requires both unconditional love as well as tough love.

Building a rock-solid friendship takes time to achieve, but once you’re in a rock-solid friendship with someone, you will know who you can trust. Neither distance, nor hard times can spoil a truly rock-solid friendship.

Transforming Change Is Necessary For Growth

As you reflect on your life, realize that every growth period is accompanied, and sometimes caused, by significant changes. Like it or not you must be willing to transform if you wish to grow and have the desire to become the best you can be.

Accept change as a normal part of your daily life. Let go of the tendency to hold on to life as it is and welcome new changes as opportunities. This is especially true since you don’t know what’s around the corner, so why resist change? It could be just what you need!

Open up your mind to new possibilities. This allows you to accept new ideas and grow exponentially.

To develop new skills, make up your mind to change old habits and make new ones to create the life you desire. Be ready to take action to pursue your goals, changing your  path from time to time will help overcome challenges.

Remember you grow as a result of changes- so welcome change!

Everyday life causes you to grow in mind, body and spirit as you become more knowledgeable and wise with each life experience.  Every change can add to your inner strength if you let it; so, “Bring ‘em on,” and you’ll only get better and better!

Today, I welcome changes as opportunities to grow. Come what may, I know I have the strength to tackle them with optimism and the wisdom to seek their advantages.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1.  Do I resist change?
2.  What changes in my life have resulted in significant growth?   What area of my life would I like to improve upon today?
3. What changes can I make to strengthen myself in this area?

“Get Smart” With 15 Supercharging Brain Activities

Most of us (if you’re  willing to admit it) are a little afraid of a deteriorating  memory as we get older.   Here’s the thing if you don’t keep your mind active, studies have show that your brain loses some of its functionality as you age, which causes memory loss, brain fog, and even Alzheimer’s – ouch.

A well-stimulated brain also elevates your mood, which helps you feel better on the inside.

Here are 15 brain boosting activities:

1. Play games that challenge and stimulate your mind. These include:

•  Picture Puzzles
•  Strategy Games 
•  Crossword Puzzles
•  Card Games
•  Deduction Games (such as Clue)
•   Sudoku or word puzzles
•  Optical Illusions

2. Reading stimulates the brain as it activates your imagination. Reading also helps with memory retention and problem solving, especially if you’re reading a mystery. Also, self-help books stimulate your brain by helping you to think for yourself, as well as find solutions in your mind.

3. Exercising helps circulate blood that carries oxygen to your brain. Over the long-term, exercise is proven to increase brainpower and even create new neurons – and you thought exercise was only good for the body.

4. Stimulate your brain with meditation. Meditation has been shown to increase your IQ, relieve stress, and promote a higher level of brain functioning. Meditation also stimulates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the area of the brain responsible for advanced thinking, ability and performance.

5. Deep breathing helps deliver oxygen to your brain.  Oxygen helps you be more alert and awake. As little as 10 to 15 minutes of deep breathing daily can increase brain functionality.

6. Taking fish oil supplements is literally like membrane material for the brain.  The two primary components in fish oil, DHA and EPA, strengthen the emotional center of the brain and boost focus.

7. Studies have proven that listening to music strengthens the right hemisphere of the brain and actually changes the structure of it. Also, people who listen to music are shown to be more emotionally intelligent than those who don’t.

8. Writing improves memory and thought expression.  Writing articles, blogs, or journal entries stimulates thought processes, which also enhances brain function.

9. Sleep clears out brain clutter and reduces brain fog. When you don’t get enough sleep at night, your memory and normal brain function suffers.

10. Painting is shown to be an effective brain booster in that it sparks the creativity within you. Even if you’ve never tried painting before, give it a shot. You’ll find that you feel more creative and may actually enjoy it.

11. Starting the day out with a good breakfast has been proven to supply energy to the brain and body for the whole day. When you skip breakfast, you’re missing out on a powerful edge, both physically and mentally.

12. Walking allows you to clear your mind and thoughts. Not only is it good exercise for your body, walking gives your brain a chance to wander freely, clearing it of any troublesome thoughts.

13. Drink a serving of pure fruit juice. Fruit juice contains nutrients that revitalize and refresh the brain. Juices to drink are pomegranate, blueberry, and cranberry as they deliver more focus and energy.

14. Students who drink some caffeine before an exam typically have higher scores than those who don’t. This is because caffeine stimulates activity in the brain, which produces better focus and thinking ability. Don’t overdo it though!

15. Draw a picture. Like painting, drawing stimulates the creative side of your brain. So get out some colored pencils and start boosting your brainpower.

To get the most out of these brain boosting activities, mix them up and do a variety of them at different times. Just choosing one won’t boost your brainpower, however, combining and alternating them will give your brain t

Establish Momentum By Remaining Focused

When you focus totally on you work you’ll discover that you will build a momentum that allows you to complete your tasks easier, faster, and more effectively.

Strive to prevent any distractions that can disrupt this momentum. Set your telephone to voice mail, let everybody  know you’re inaccessible, and avoid looking at your e-mails until your  work is complete.

Although multitasking sounds great in theory, truthfully, attempting to do several activities at one time detracts from the quality of your work. It also takes you  longer to accomplished all the tasks than if you had focused on them one at a time.

At the start of each day,  make a task list of things that need to get done. Make a daily schedule, being certain to include adequate time for your priorities. Schedule some easy tasks first that you’ll be able to promptly accomplish and cross off your  list.

Doing easy projects first permits you  to rapidly build your  momentum. It makes it easy to get started on your  project and then move from one task to another very rapidly. Once you  get a running start like this, the momentum helps carry you  through the more difficult projects.

This day-to-day strategy is my formula for success. It helps me build momentum, be more productive, and do a effective job on each and every task. I can complete my project faster so I can move on to the more exciting parts of my day!

Today’s, plan is to remain on task by carefully creating a practicable schedule and then I follow it through to completion.

Your Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Do you create a daily schedule to help you stay on task?
2. Have you made it a point to eliminate your distractions when working?
3. Do you try to multitask or do you focus on each task separately?

Stress Less Now

Stress affects each of us differently, and the most effective ways to relieve it are different for each person. You can try different methods to find out which ones work best for you. Some techniques for relieving stress include:

Self-help:

Exercise. Regular physical activity is one of the most effective stress management techniques.
Write. Research shows that expressing yourself in writing can be a very effective way to reduce your stress level.
Express your feelings. Talking, laughing, crying, and expressing anger are normal parts of the emotional healing process.
Do something you enjoy. A hobby or other healthy leisure activity that is meaningful to you can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a powerful stress reliever.
Body-centered relaxation. This includes deep breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, yoga, and relaxation exercises such as tai chi.
Mindfulness activities. These include learning how to relax your body through meditation, imagery exercises, listening to relaxing music, and using humor to reduce stress.
Get Professional assistance. In some cases, self-help approaches are not enough. You may benefit from professional assistance. A qualified professional can help you pinpoint the causes of your stress, and develop appropriate coping strategies.

Feel free to leave a comment below.  Let me know what YOU think!

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