Latest Entries »

Sometimes things that we have so much passion about can seem so impossible and so far away on our journey through life. Remember these quotes when it looks like you’re never going to make it. Don’t just browse through them. Read them and let them marinate for a while:

1. “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

2. “Don’t put off living to next week, next month, next year or next decade. The only time you’re ever living is in this moment.”

3. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

4. “Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.” – Doug Ivester

5. “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~ Albert Einstein

7. “The only limits in your life are those that you set yourself.”

8. “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~Winston Churchill

9. “You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan or goal.” – Zig Ziglar

10. “Don’t let the past steal your present” – Cherralea Morgen

Share this Post!

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

www.stolaf.edu/

While it is arguably our best and most accessible resource, we often underestimate the power of our minds. The mind is where success begins. We have all been given our own unique source of power, equipped with everything we need to be successful in life. It is important to know how to tap into this resource and use it so that it may bring success into your life. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Creativity flourishes in solitude.

Retreat to a quiet place somewhere so that you can listen to your thoughts and feelings. In this place, you will gain clarity on what ideas are stirring up inside of you. The ones that seem to ignite a passion or some type of motivation are the ones you should tune into more.

2. Surround yourself with positive individuals.

We’ve all heard the saying that “you are the company you keep.” It may be cliché, but all clichés have some truth to them. Positivity is contagious. Develop a support system that will encourage and uplift you. This will help you to develop a better attitude that always channels in new inspiration.

3. Change the tone of your chatterbox.

We all have it, whether we realize it or not. Majority of the time, it’s those seemingly non-stop negative voices and thoughts that go on in our brains. You know, the voice that tells you you can’t do this, it’s not worth the try, or anything that causes self-doubt, insecurity, and fear. Whenever it begins to ramble, just change the tone and words to more self-assuring, confident, and positive expressions.

4. Read empowering books.

There’s a load of great books out there that could serve as a guide to discovering the potential inside of you and helping you deal with fear, doubt, and an unclear focus. I will do a recommendation post soon.

5. Understand your talents and skills.

Take some time to think about everything that you’re good at. Do a thorough assessment and then come up with ways that you can put your talents and skills to work.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

I will be the first to admit that oftentimes, my attention is more focused on the future or the past, than it is on the present. I cannot begin to count the number of times people have told me that it looked like my mind was somewhere else, off in space, maybe. While it is important to care about your future and to remember your past so that you can learn and grow from it, the most important thing you can do is focus on the present moment.
Benefits of living in the present:
 
– Decreases excessive worry and anxiety, while allowing more time and energy for joy and happiness
– Makes you more aware of your surroundings
– Helps to create better communication skills, such as active listening and eye contact
– You get to observe more about yourself such as your attitude, perspective, actions, and feelings
– Allows you to be more at peace with yourself and others so that happiness may flourish
 
 
And finally, it’s the only moment that you’re guaranteed to have. Why not make the best of it? Why not turn disadvantages into advantages? Living in the present is freedom and above all, it is absolutely necessary for internal peace.
 
More coming soon…

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

The funny thing about adults is that we often tell kids that when they grow up, they can do and become anything they want. They can conquer every inevitable obstacle and fulfill all of their heart’s desires. And more than half the time, they actually believe us. So they use their wild imaginations to dream big and create entire worlds for themselves, free of limitations, free of doubts, free of fear. Then somewhere along the way, in the midst of not getting picked for the football team or cheerleading squad, the tough exams of that tedious 11th grade year, and even those restless nights in their third year of college, wondering if they’re on the right path or not, they don’t even realize that some of their dreams have begun to dissipate. They become like us: stuck and disillusioned.

For many of us, our dreams have been caged in so long by our fears, anxieties, and the inescapable realities of the outside world. Maybe it was the lay-off, an illness, or some unexpected change in our financial situation. Whatever it was, it got us. And it got us good.

So you realize it too, huh?

Good.

Ok so now that we’ve come to an agreement that we’ve been cheated, the only way to be redeemed is to acknowledge that now and only now, is the time to recapture that kid-like imagination and pair it with our cultivated reasoning and specialized knowledge to set out on a new journey into creating the lives we’ve always wanted. So if you’ve found yourself in the midst of a quarter-life crisis, a mid-life crisis, or what you may deem as an end-of-life crisis, forget about the setbacks, the disappointments, fears, and the naysayers. As long as we keeping leasing over control of our minds, actions, and lives to them, we’ll never get to the place that we each were destined to go.

Dream: Underneath that pile of doubt, fear, and insecurity, what desires are still burning inside of you? If you don’t recognize any, seek solitude, and allow God to present them to you.

Plan: Write down what you can do today, this week, this month, and this year to nurture them?

Execute: Now start with what you wrote for today and do it. Commit to it. Then follow up with the rest of what you wrote. Don’t procrastinate, just do it.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ~ Sophia Loren

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” ~ John W. Gardner

“It is a pity that, as one gradually gains experience, one loses one’s youth.” ~ Vincent van Gogh

Read, subscribe, and comment.