Three Inspiring Activities for Life and Work

I am so and thankful that you took the time to read this post and others. Today's post is from Mariana Ashley. I know you will enjoy it. Please stop by her website.

Whether you are a student, employed full time, or a homemaker, we are all in need of a little motivation and inspiration every now and then. So much of our lives are about routine and productivity that it can be easy to slip into the same old boring pattern day in and day out. While this pattern can be the best way to get things done each day, it can also slow us down eventually. We have to find ways to inspire ourselves to do the best job we can and to be as happy as possible each and every day. While this may sound sentimental or silly, it is undoubtedly true. Inspiration and motivation in our lives is found through our senses. We have to see, feel, touch, smell, and hear new things in order to find new inspiration. Use these three activities to add a little excitement, energy, and inspiration to your everyday lives.

Exercise

Feel something new. Use exercise as a way to spice up your everyday routine. Even if you work nine to five every day or you have family to care for at home throughout the entire day, try to find a slot in your day or week to get some physical exercise in. Exercise can help relax your mind, keep your body healthy, and motivate you for the rest of your daily tasks. Go for a run in a new location each week to experience new things. Just this simple switch up in your regular routine is enough to really encourage some new and creative thinking. Exercise in general is essential to staying healthy (mentally and physically), but it also acts as a wonderful tool for the creative mind. Get your senses buzzing and adrenaline pumping by trying new forms of exercise each day. To stay motivated with my daily to-dos I like to take different exercise classes each week and my local gym. They offer tons of different types of exercise programs and classes that are perfect for experiencing something new.

Travel

See something new. Traveling to new and exciting places is a wonderful way to find new and exciting inspiration in your daily life. Even if you are merely traveling to a new destination within your own home town, trying and seeing unfamiliar things is a wonderful way to stay alive and excited about each coming day. Try visiting a local park you haven't been to before, taking a weekend trip to a nearby town you've never seen before, or taking a longer vacation to a completely new and exotic destination. Seeing new things may be exactly the motivation you need to really excel at your work. Traveling is a great option for individuals with creative careers (like blogging). New experiences can inspire creative thought like little else can. Taking small breaks from your usual routine can help keep things fresh day in and day out.

Listen to Music

Hear new things. This may sound silly, but listening to and singing with music can be a great way to inspire and motivate yourself. Try listening to music you've never heard before. Ask your friends to suggest something new or search online for a new band or style you are unfamiliar with. Just relaxing and blasting some music that is new to you or old music that you adore can help you step out of your current stress and monotony.

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

Are you your own obstacle? - Positive Wednesdays

First, thanks to all my fellow bloggers for their comments confirming that i was not the only person experiencing problems with blogger.

Second, sorry for the late posting of this weeks postive wednesday. I am fighting the flu, well to be honest, it's not a fight. The flu is whipping my you-know-what!!!!All of this is smack in the middle of my new role of events planner. I promised, you will get detailed updates soon. Right now i want to share what i found. I hope it helps.

Are you trying to stick to a fitness plan, improve a relationship, eliminate fast food from your diet, or be a better parent?  Whatever your goal, was there a time when you thought you couldn't do it? This is a natural reaction when things get tough.

It's easier to find ways to justify your actions than to get over the hurdle. This week, eliminate the hurdles and barriers you've created. If you find yourself saying, "I can't" or "I don't have time," then re-analyze your goal.

 If you really want to achieve it, then make the time or take a different approach (get up earlier, stay organized, learn the skills).  Find time for you and your goals.


POSITIVE QUOTE

Most barriers to your success are man-made. And most often, you're the man who made them.

 - Frank Tyge

Resource site: sparkpeople.com

Positive Wednesdays- Knee Jerk Reaction

I wanted to share this video because I use it to keep me grounded. It is not my view to force religion down any ones throat but i thought there are some great points that are worth hearing. I hope you find it as valuable as i have.

The Journey Continues!!!!!

Firstly, Somehow i feel like i have been saying this quite a lot but nonetheless i will say it again. I have not given up on blogging and sorry that i have been M.I.A. There are days when i want to blog so much it hurts. But, I am finding it hard to pencil in blog time on my busy schedule. I would like to think that this situation is a work in progress. I am sure, you will be tired of seeing me pretty soon. Just to say however, that I am currently working on some personal projects and i look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Secondly, I know that for my United States readers, especially, you are preparing for fall and then winter. But, i just wanted to know if the climate has changed for you as yet. I swear that the sun is literally sitting on Jamaica.The days are blazing hot! I know that the summer equinox was on the 21 of September and therefore summer has officially ended. However, i am still waiting for summer to go to sleep or at least take a nap; so i can get a breath of air.


Thirdly, I want to remind you to keep positive. It might sound like i am one of those annoyingly happy persons. the reality is I am far from it, trust me. Like you i have days that kick me in the stomach and drain the energy from my body. Yes, i have those days when i don't want to get out of bed. However, I have learnt that all of this is apart of the human condition and we just need to learnt how to control it. 

Here are three quick tips that i use daily:

Surround yourself with positive energy. I have been hearing this quite often. However, i did not begin to understand the concept until recently. I woke up one day and i said today i will not dwell on the negatives and i will not accommodate persons who do. So for that day i did exactly that and i realized that by the end of the day i felt refreshed. Then, i continued that week and the week after that. I realized that i was able to get more done, i felt better and i was more focused. To me this was amazing after all, my typical day would begin at 5 am and end at 10-11.

Another thing is, before you leave your bed in the morning breathe positive energy into your day. I find that i take 2 minutes to exhale the tiredness, pains, doubts and anxiety in the morning as well as to inhale good things that i want for the day. I generally speak good things into my day. For example: today is going to be an awesome day i claim it! or today i will laugh, i will be happy, everything will be great! I find that when i center my energy i am able to have my contact sessions with an average of 150-200 students daily and still maintain sanity and inner peace.

Finally, get a personal organizer. I am still wondering how i survived so long without one. First of all, no one taught me how to be organized. I have always had the notion that you just get up and do what you have to do. Fullstop. However, thank God for the internet. Through the internet i have discovered the value of a personal organizer. Now, I have my new organizer (my first one ever) and i find that i am less stressed, more focused and procrastinating less because of it. I think i will write a post about my journey.  

Just remember its up to you to create the environment that you will thrive in. No one will do if for you. After all, no one knows you like how you know yourself.

Positive Wednesday- Overcoming Hardships

You wake up and you think, what am i going to do today? There is no money, little or no food. No job or if you have a job, there is no money to get to work or even get home. Lunch is just a fantasy that you can only dream about. You are not alone.

 It is so easy to lay down and die. It is so easy to throw your hands up and say i cannot do this. But i have learnt that persistence is one of the keys to overcoming hardships. 

But what do you do when you've been striving for so long that it seems like your goal is never going to see light? How do you deal with the fear that you're about to fail? Simple. Give it just one more shot. And then one more. Think about the sweat and time you've committed already. You've come this far, you'd be unfair to yourself if you quit without a fight. Even if the odds are way out of your favor and you can't see how it can possibly help, reach out and take one last swing. You never know what will happen. Big, meaningful achievements don't just happen when everything goes your way.

POSITIVE QUOTE

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled.  For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."



Resource Site: sparkpeople.com

Who Looks Back at You When You Look in the Mirror?- Positive Wednesdays

I have not done a Positive Wednesdays post  in a while. Most of my regular features have been place on heitus until September. However, i was in bed and i remember this post that i wanted to share as a part of a motivation series geared towards women. I know i have a few males who read my posts, so sorry if you feel left out.


This video speaks to us as females being everything to everyone else and nothing to ourselves. I wanted to share it because it's an all too familiar reality. I hope it speaks to you in a positive way.

P.S: I am quite flattered, however the person in the video is not me. She is one of my favourite You-tuber, Bronze Goddess.

Positive Wednesday- MOTIVATION

I saw this video and it spoke to my heart and so i wanted to share it with you. I hope you find it helpful.

P.S. You will be getting a report on the outcome of 'The Challenge Tag' later today.

When a Door Closes a Window Opens- Positive Wednesdays

Recently, i was extremely disapointed, pissed and even hurt that i did not get a position that i wanted. Of course, to the outside world i was find with the outcome of the situation. However, deep down i was mourning the loss of something i thought i really needed and wanted. Needless to say, a window was being opened at the same time that door was closing. However, at that time i did not see the opportunties that were staring me in the face because i was so busy hanging on to what i thought was my loss.

My question is: how many times have we allowed opportunities to pass us by because we are distracted by that proverbial closed door?  If you are guilty raise your hands. My hands would be up with yours but i am too busy typing. LOL!!! But, seriously i was taught growing up that we don't necessarily get what we want but actually what we need. Most importantly, we often get what is BEST for us. 

So my lovelies, my charge for you today is: stop looking at that closed door and start looking for the open window.

“Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals - Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” - Marsha Sinetar P.S. Please share how many open windows you have found.

How often do you worry?- Positive Wednesdays

I often admire those persons who wake up every day and just keep going. They do not worry about the things they cannot change. They just change the things they can.  I often try to be like  that.But, every now and then i get knocked down. It often starts by just one stray thought and then it balloons into a mountain  that sits on my shoulder. I usually go into internal mode until i get a reminder like this one. I hope this can be your reminder too.

Legend has it that 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass. Whether that is statistically precise or not, there's probably some truth to it in your life. How much of our lives do we miss because we're agonizing over what might happen down the road? How often do we fail to act--even if it's the right thing to do--because we fear any number of possible consequences? Fretting over the future doesn't solve any impending problems. It only paralyzes your actions of the present. It stresses you out, makes you mentally and physically tired, and saps all the fun out of what could have been another great day. 

Next time you start to worry about what might happen, think of this: You can prepare, but you cannot predict. So do what you can and forget what you cannot.  

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.

- Corrie Ten Boom, author and human rights activist

Resource site: sparkpeople.com

Positive Monday- How Strong are You?

Five  years ago on May 23rd i got the news that someone very special to me was killed in the line of duty. I crashed!!! Then I learnt that this person, whom I trusted, totally abused my trust and deceived me. I felt like my world had crashed. I felt a hurt and pain that was indescribable. 

Why am i relating this experience. I want you to know that we are all stronger than we think.You might think you are at the end of your rope, your world has been destroyed. But, remember your not build to break.

                                           

 

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#ixzz1MTV95vmq

Positive Wednesdays- Live Your Best Life!!!

 We have been having what i call beach days(Bight, beauiful sunshine). However, i have been so busy trying to meet deadlines, i have not had the chance to enjoy these days. This article reminded me of this very important point, cease the day and live It!!!!!  I hope it impacts you positively!!!

Live Your Best Life!!!!!!!!!

There is no lesson for today. You have permission to stop thinking for a moment and just enjoy yourself. Stop looking at your computer right now and go look at the world. Rediscover the natural wonders that you walk past every day. How can there possibly be that many shades of green? Let your mind be grateful for a break. Don't think, don't strain. Let the memories of loved ones remind you of your favorite times. Close your eyes and try to smell the sunshine. Listen to your heart beat in your ears. If it's raining, smile at the thought of the flowers that will soon follow. If you're surrounded by buildings, celebrate the creative genius of human beings. See the hope, the alarm, the love, the grief in faces that stream by. Thank whomever you'd like to thank for the chance to even be here. For a moment today, don't worry about being better. Just be.

We're always getting ready to live, but never living.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer 

Resource site: sparkpeople.com 

Positive Wednesdays +Blog Hop

Today's Positive Wednesday is a two in one. I wanted to share my positivity, as usual, but i also want to have a meet and greet in the form of a blog hop. This is my first time hosting a blog hop, so i decided i wanted to share the experience with three other beautiful bloggers.

Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

It's easy to recognize a perfect candidate for your support team. Just look for someone who has a way of making everyone else around them better: someone who succeeds by developing other people and letting them in on the fun; someone who is genuinely happy when other people succeed. That's the person you want on your side. The pages of history are heavy with tales of the misguided who were proven wrong while insisting something couldn't be done. Why put up with that? Believe in your goals enough to know that you shouldn't stomach people who don't. It's okay if you're the only one who believes in your dream. But someone who truly believes in YOU should help you believe that if anyone can do it, you can.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great.

- Mark Twain, writer and satirist

Positive Wednesdays- Power of Positive Thinking!!

I am sure you have heard more than once that your should think positively. However, what exactly is positive thinking, you might wonder.  Read and find out.

 Positive thinking means having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." Positive thinking in the typical sense of the word, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation.

 

 The Victor

by: C. W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

 

Positive Quote:

" What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be."
-Mark Victor Hansen

---

Positive Wednesdays-Overcoming Abuse

Last week a Policeman walked into his in-laws house and shot his father, mother, brother in- laws, his 16 year old step-daughter and his estranged wife. They all died except the wife. Then, he went over to his sister- in- laws house to shoot her too. He was unsuccessful, so he killed himself.

Later it was reported that he verbally and emotionally abused his wife of 14 years. With this in mind, i wanted to focus on overcoming abuse. I will not begin to think, i understand what someone who is being abused or has been abused is going through. I just want to offer a word of support (a virtual shoulder of so to speak).

Are you a lion or a lamb?

 

You wake you up and look a the dull walls smiling back at you.

The voices say,  it's time to end it all.

You are nothing!!!

The world can go on without you.

My question is how will your life be remembered? 

Will your story be lost among the millions, who were afraid to take a chance?

Or will you leave something noble behind? 

There's everything to gain by believing that you're king or queen of the jungle, even if just for a day. (Go ahead and roar if you want to.)

Each of us has an amazing opportunity to live large, if we allow it.

But, it takes leaving the comfort of our familiar meadows and walking into the unknown. 

Once you take that chance, you've made your days worthwhile.

Even if you have few resources, adventure is around every corner, and life is waiting to be devoured. 

Each time you overcome an obstacle, a fear or a step back, you gain confidence.

Every small victory helps you feel more certain of yourself and your direction, pushing you further and faster than you ever thought possible. You can do it!  

 

If you were to write the book of your life, would you want to read it?

 

It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand days as a lamb. - Roman proverb

 
See below for more Positive Wednesdays :

• Be Positive 
• Say No to Negativity 
• Never Give Up

Resource Site: sparkpeople.com
 

   

Positive Wednesdays - NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!

I read this and it literally spoke to what i was thinking. So, I wanted to share it with you. If you can  relate let me know.

Do you ever get frustrated because things are moving too slowly in your life? Many people don't realize that building a foundation for success does not happen overnight. It is a slow process in which you are constantly working and learning. After all, that foundation must remain strong, even in times of failure or crisis. This takes time! 

You may have to remind yourself that "failing" is only failure if you quit; otherwise it's a learning opportunity. So don't worry if your life seems to be moving in slow motion. Concentrate on building a solid foundation and learning from your back steps.

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.

- Chinese Proverb



Resource site: sparkpeople.com   

Positive Wednesdays-Unconditional Love

Today's Positive Wednesday will be a little personal (actually a lot-personal).  I have known my soul mate for years. However, i was unable to truly love this person because i did not love and accepted myself. Today, we are finally on our journey towards planning a life together after approximately six years. With this in mind, today's Positive Wednesdays is about self love and self acceptance.

It is time to love yourself unconditionally!!!!

I was able to accept myself after coming to this realization. It does not matter the mistakes you have made (we have all made many). It does not matter imperfections you might have (no body is perfect). It is never too late to forgive or love yourself.

I also thought about the positive aspects of myself. This is the moment for you to self assess yourself.

At this very moment, you may be saying to yourself that you have any number of admirable qualities.  You are a loyal friend, a caring person, someone who is smart, dependable, fun to be around.  That's wonderful, and I'm happy for you, but let me ask you this:  are you being any of those things to yourself? 

REMEMBER:

“You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.”

Positive Wednesdays you might have missed:

• Be Positive 
• Say No to Negativity 
• Unconditional Love-Video 

Resource Sites

~Phillip C. McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, 2003

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/self-love/

http://www.clipartguide.com/_search_terms/self_esteem.html