by Corné | Apr 22, 2021 | Change, Empowerment, Encouragement, Motivational
Feeling ‘down the dumps’? Wishing you had something better to say about the day than a mumbled ‘fine’ when someone asks you how you are? The solution might be simpler than you think…
Our attitudes really are everything. When we’re not feeling great about our lives or how the day is going, everything can seem to go wrong. The problem is, that life isn’t a steady thing. You might have a one really good day followed by another equally bad one. With so many things outside of your control from the weather to politics, it might seem impossible to ever truly feel good about anything.
The answer lies in your thinking. By being able to think positively, you will find your entire outlook changes.
How do you develop the habit of positive thinking?
Rephrase
The obvious answer is to use more positive words. Instead of saying something negative, either out loud or in your head, try to find a better way to say things. For example, work isn’t grueling so much as it might have interesting challenges. While this might seem artificial and forced at first, the more you work to rephrase things, the easier it will be to find a more positive spin.
Reframe
How many times have you talked about having to do something? This alone has a negative connotation, as though you’re being forced into something you don’t want to do. Instead of trying to drop the word ‘have’ in this context, try inserting ‘get’ instead. You don’t have to do a presentation by Friday. You get to do one. Hear the difference? This is how you change a task into an opportunity.
Reorient
Sure, disasters are going to happen. Not everything you attempt is going to turn out exactly the way you’d like it to. Rather than focus on the disaster, try changing your focus. It might be time to shift to a slightly different method or goal.
Relax
It’s so hard to be positive when you’re absolutely exhausted and feeling like you’re in over your head. Sometimes the best way to cultivate better self-talk is to cut yourself some slack and take a break. Things will look brighter when you can come back refreshed.
Reassess
Being positive should never be about closing your eyes to tragedy or injustice. Bad things are going to happen in the world. But someone with a positive attitude will be able to look beyond the tragedy to the next step. Positivity finds solutions where others only see problems. Here is the birth of activism and change.
“Positive Thoughts ~ Positive Vibes”
Peace, Love & Kindness
by Corné | May 22, 2020 | Coaching, Empowerment, Encouragement
Mentoring is a long-term process based on mutual trust and respect. Mentoring helps build a positive and concrete change in individuals. It boosts the transfer of knowledge from the mentor to the individual.
ADVANTAGEOUS FASTER PROGRESS
You cannot know everything there is to know about how to get where you want to be in life. While it’s possible to learn the needed skills, this will take time and likely a lot of money. Instead, what if you had someone who can help guide you to success? Working with you in making decisions, solving problems, and developing skills.
GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE AND SKILL
A mentor is someone who currently is where you want to be. The relationship you have with a mentor can be an official one. Or it can be informal such as following in the footsteps of someone you admire. Mentors have experience and have gone through the growing pains towards success. They will know what kinds of training you may need or skills to develop.
BUILD ON INVALUABLE FEEDBACK
A mentor can give you needed feedback on what you are doing right and wrong during your development. This kind of advice is invaluable. You don’t want a mentor who will hold back. Make sure you give them full permission to be completely honest with you. Most worthwhile mentors will have no problem doing this for you. Identifying your weaknesses and strengths. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but you will be better off than having mentors who sugarcoat your progress. That won’t help you in any way.
ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS
The mentor(s) you choose should have the experience or skills you desire to learn. Be sure to ask lots of questions about what they expect from you and ask what you can expect from them. This expectation is important. You won’t have any other means of knowing whether the mentoring relationship is going to work.
If someone you are considering mentoring you has an issue with you asking a lot of questions, it is a sign they may not be right for you. It can also be more difficult to sever the relationship once it has begun.
FREE VS PAYING FOR MENTORING
Should you pay for mentors? It depends on what you currently have available at your disposal. What do you intend to receive from this kind of arrangement? If, there is someone who can act in a mentoring capacity and they are willing to do this for free, then consider doing it. But, paying for someone to help you lets you hold them accountable. This is a crucial aspect of mentoring. Without it, you could be spinning your wheels, going nowhere. You don’t want to waste time. The entire reason to take on a mentor is to save time in getting you further in your development.
Choose judiciously!
Peace, Love & Kindness
by Corné | Apr 27, 2020 | Empowerment, Encouragement, Habit, Journey, Mindfulness, Upliftment
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘LIVE IN THE PRESENT’?
A simple explanation of living in the present moment. It means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life, being aware of each moment, and that every breath is a gift.
Living in the present moment is important. There is no point to dwell on the past or being anxious about the future. The only thing we have control over is the moment you have right now.
THE IDEA OF MINDFULNESS OR BEING MINDFUL
“A mental state is achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment. While acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Used as a therapeutic technique.”
Mindfulness is the quality of being present and engaged with whatever you are doing now.
Try to take the time to experience your environment with all your senses. Touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste.
Experience the moment and enjoy it!
OUR POWERFUL MINDS
The brain is the central processing unit of the body. It plays a key role in translating the content of your mind, into complex patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release. That is your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, memories, and imagination.
Your mind is part of the invisible, transcendent world. Of thought, feeling attitude, belief, and imagination. The brain is the physical organ most associated with the mind and consciousness.
Our brains are complex and powerful but do not have discernment ability. So, it cannot distinguish between ‘real reality’ and the reality we ‘feed’ it. So, we can ‘program’ our brains. We as human beings will ‘feed’ it with negativity. So, we must focus, on ‘feed’ and ‘program’ it with positive and happy thoughts!
WE ARE SEEKING CALM IN OUR HECTIC EXISTENCE
Now that we know that we have a major impact on the ‘programming’ of our brains. We must be very mindful, of what we are especially confronted with first thing in the morning. As this will have an unconscious impact on the rest of our day. What we are confronted with, the last thing in the evening. As this will have an unconscious impact on the rest of our evening. On how good a night’s rest or not, we will have.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A DAILY ROUTINE
With all the above information now known to us. We must consciously avoid negative inputs in our lives. Especially first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening.
That is why the practice of mindfulness, which does not have to be meditation, is so important. Meditation is a means to assist in practicing mindfulness.
My personal recommendation or opinion. A Meditation session first thing in the morning. For interest’s sake, there are many types of meditation. Meditation is a whole science on its own. And some Gratitude journaling, last thing in the evening.
A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
I cannot emphasize the importance of practicing to be mindful / living in the present enough.
When you mastered that, it is a life-changing experience.
On top of the calmness and the enjoyment of every moment, there are countless health benefits.
It reduces stress levels, improves sleep, improves attention, concentration and memory, lowers blood pressure, helps reduce anxiety and depression, etc.
You do not have to take my word for it. Try it for yourself!!
Peace, Love & Kindness,
by Corné | Apr 24, 2020 | Empowerment, Encouragement, Journey
First, you need to uncover what you genuinely want. We will go through a few steps, to assist you in making the decision, a little easier.
CONSIDER WHAT YOU WANT
It is easy to make long lists of things that we do not want. It is not that easy to make a list of things that we want. Make a list of things you have always thought about doing but resisted because of a fear you would not excel.
Remember this is what you want for yourself, not what other people want for you.
WHAT WILL THE IMPACT BE OF PURSUING YOUR VISION?
There are a few questions that you need to reflect on, before starting your journey to pursue your vision.
How will every part of your life (health, wealth, family & friends, personal, career, relationships, hobbies) be affected in a positive and in a negative way, by pursuing this new vision of yours?
SET A 10-YEAR VISION PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
Jumping 10 years into the future, inspires you to dream big. So, base your vision on the fact that in ten years anything and everything is possible.
Set a 10-year vision and break it into smaller goals. This will assist you in creating a clear picture of an ideal future and what it is going to take, to get there. Setting your goals, working back from 10 years to 1 year in the future.
A great vision often seems impossible but becomes more plausible when broken up into smaller goals. Creating smaller goals allows you to plan for achieving your ideal life.
FAILURE IS INEVITABLE, MAKE IT COUNT
Failure is not a choice, it is an inevitable part of life. It is through failure that we learn. If you study the life of anyone that achieved something extraordinary, you will find a story of failure along the way.
Achieving great things does not happen in your comfort zone. Taking risks is part of the process of discovery.
Fear of failure, unfortunately, stopped many people from pursuing their life’s vision.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE YOUR VISION?
You must believe in your idea/vision. You must believe in yourself and your abilities.
The best way to start/begin anything in life is to start from where you are. An immensely powerful secret is to be and stay “fearless” throughout. Fearless individuals are not unafraid, they simply can overcome their fear.
Every journey starts with that ‘first step’.
The road to success is a long journey, with peaks and valleys and boulders on your way. You must believe that there is nothing that you cannot overcome.
Keep focused on your goals.
Get ready to step into the world of possibility and go change the world!
Peace, Love & Kindness,
by Corné | Apr 20, 2020 | Change, Empowerment, Encouragement, Journey
Most of us, with COVID-19’s lockdown period, had to change our routines. Doing things, we do not always get time to attend to. Time for reflection. Spending more time with our loved ones. New habits. New ideas. New perspectives. Work from home.
REFLECTION TIME
Let us put all the other things aside and focus on reflection time. At home for such a long time. What did you reflect on? Did you have to work from home? Do you miss going to work? Do you miss spending hours in traffic? Do you love staying at home? Do you think you will be able to start working from home? Do you want to do something different with your life?
All these questions might have crossed your mind? Then there is a good chance that you are feeling overwhelmed and confused.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
If you feel that you perhaps need a change. This is something that might assist you a little, in deciding on the direction you want to go in. Think of how would you want to be remembered? What do you want to be written on your tombstone?
YOUR MANTRA FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
Your tombstone inscription might also be your mantra for the year. The difference is, that your mantra is more short-term in nature. The idea of your mantra is one main goal that you want to accomplish, say in the next year. You will have to break that down into smaller accomplishable steps.
SOME IMPORTANT DECISIONS AND PLANNING
You have to decide for certain, what you want to do with the rest of your life. Do you think that you need a change? If the answer is that you are satisfied with where you are and with what you are doing, then you are one of the lucky ones.
Most people are not satisfied with their current circumstances. Most people have something else in mind for the rest of their lives.
CAN YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
Remember, nothing that’s worthwhile happens overnight. Will you be able to change your circumstances? Can you afford a transition phase? Are you willing to work the hours needed to accomplish your new goal? It is not going to be easy. You must get your mindset right for this transition. It is going to take a lot of time and effort. Depending on your plan, it might cost a lot of money…
All these need to be considered and planned for beforehand.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
Most people do not have a clear idea or goal. Don’t worry about that, as I will go through the whole process in time.
If you have a clear idea of what you want to do, you can start with your planning.
- Define your goal
- Break your goal into small steps
- Start
The biggest mistake you can make is to overthink your idea. No one is perfect and your idea will never be perfect. We learn from our mistakes. Mistakes are an inevitable part of our lives and of anything that we do. If you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything.
I agree that some planning and calculations should be done before you start. Don’t fall into the procrastinating hole.
TAKE ACTION NOW!!!
Peace, Love & Kindness,
by Corné | Apr 9, 2020 | Empowerment, Encouragement, Inspirational, Journey, Motivational
Through all the many courses, I did, after I start staying at home, and did my best to broaden my field of expertise. I came across this idea and adapted it until it suited me and my circumstances.
Today I can assure you, that I do not attempt anything new, before going through this exercise. In fact, the more I practice it, the more I realize how important it is.
It’s also diarised for the beginning of each month.
THE FIRST STEP IN ANY RENEWING DIRECTION
This is an unnegotiable fact, that before you can proceed with anything new, no matter what it is.
The most necessary action you can take is to get rid of anything and everything that might stand in your way to achievement.
Otherwise, it can only cause you pain and/or disappointment.
THERE ARE FOUR MAJOR STEPS TO COMPLETE
This is a time-consuming and manual exercise, but unbelievably valuable. So take as much time as you need. You will definitely reap the fruits.
Get a piece of paper and write down your answers and thoughts to the following statements:
Steps/Statements:
- Identify the thing (s) that are “stealing your joy”.
- Accept and make peace with the fact that it indeed did happen.
- Make sure that you have learned “the lesson” (that had to be learned) from it.
- You will have to forgive yourself (and others if involved).
‘PHYSICAL’ CLEANSING EXERCISE
After you completed the exercise by writing everything down. And feel comfortable that you sincerely completed ALL the steps.
Then, and only then you can take that piece of paper and get rid of it. Burn it, tear it into a ‘thousand’ pieces, any physical manner that will work for you.
(this step is important, as it assists in the healing process)
At this stage, you will feel better. Emotionally calm, because you got rid of all your past ‘baggage’.
SUMMARY
- You decided that you want to go in a renewed direction.
- You got rid of anything and everything that could stand in your way, to achieve this goal, with the ‘cleansing exercise’.
DO YOU FEEL READY TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING !?!
I know that what works for one, might not work for another.
I urge you, to adapt this exercise for you and your own circumstances.
Peace, Love & Kindness
