If you are not confident in yourself, who will be?
One of the most important things we can do to find our strength in life is actively and consciously groom our confidence. If you believe you can do something, nobody else will be able to stop you. There are definite steps you can take to let your natural confidence thrive, which will allow you to be more productive and become the best version of yourself possible. I have a few suggestions to drive your confidence train into the station of success. They are simple but not always easy.
See It and Be It
Visualization is a valuable tool to help you build your confidence. One of the great things about being a human is that our minds are a great tool to create anything we want. Visualize yourself as you would like to be in a year, a month, and a day. Then live your life. Consistently visualize your outcome, and you will take steps to reach the goal you have in your mind. If you are consciously aware of where you want to get, you will take steps to get yourself there. Once you achieve this way once, your confidence will soar.
Create a Mission Statement
Creating a positive statement that you use daily to remind yourself of what you are all about in life. If you aren’t thinking about what you can do, you may listen to other people who will gladly tell you what you can’t do. Using an affirmation to remind yourself of your strengths, goals, and ability will allow you to increase your confidence. Write it down, read it, remember it every morning and let your thoughts of faith permeate throughout your day.
Do Things That Scare YOU
It is easy to think that you know your limits. But once you step out of that comfort zone and survive them. Once you know that you can do one thing you are scared of, you can move on and do other items you might be afraid of tackling. Confidence grows from conquering your fears. Most of them are just limiting thoughts we have carried from our youth. If you allow one thing to stop you because of doubt, you will enable many things to stop you. Overcoming the thoughts of fear in your head will let you be more confident.
Be Kind To Yourself
Simply watching your inner voice and noticing how you speak to yourself and think about yourself can help you increase your confidence if you learn to recognize the cynical inner critic and replace those thoughts with positive and supportive ones. It is easy to build every slight misstep into a giant mistake. Nobody is perfect, and mistakes are going to happen. Use them as learning experiences and not definitions of your character or talents. Only let your mind speak to you as you would talk to a small child. You deserve the kindness, and it will allow your confidence to grow.
Confidence in our abilities and developing into the best version of ourselves is a realistic possibility for us. Your mind is a thought-creating machine, it is better to take control of those thoughts and focus on the good ones and allow yourself to see the best in all other people, but most of all, to see the possibilities inside of yourself. Be conscious of your level of confidence, and good things will happen.
“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts them.”― Lao Tzu
“Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” ― Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
“Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. nd understanding it can change your life because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way.”― Sheri L. Dew
“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”- Theodore Roosevelt
Take a moment, right now, and look at your level of happiness with life. Where does this moment rate? Is there happiness inside you, or are you looking off in the distance for it? Too much time is wasted in the pursuit of finding joy in a job, another person, or something that you own. Happiness doesn’t live in any of those places. Being miserable today to earn pleasure in the future is an equation that will always fail to deliver. Satisfaction is not out there somewhere; it is inside you and can be accessed simply by changing your perspective about your experience and the thought pattern you are following.
Finding happiness, at this moment, is done by becoming conscious of the things that are happening all around you. Having a goal of where to work, the kind of relationship you want, or how much money you want to have are great things but don’t tie your happiness up in them. Being happy today right now is a choice you can make. Use the simple tool of gratitude for what you do have to build positive emotions and happiness.
Make goals and strive to achieve them because a purpose is vital to your whole life. But never forget to enjoy the trip along the way. Each step you go through provides information and experience to help you down the road. Be happy about that. Life is a long game, full of twists and turns. You can choose to be satisfied along the way anytime you want. Don’t postpone your happiness. Embrace it, share it. Today, now, at this moment.
Simple Happiness Activities (They Cost Nothing and Bring Everything)
Be grateful for all the good in your life.- Practice daily gratitude and see all the things you already do have to be happy for, and more will come, and you will be even happier.
Forgive those you perceive to have wronged you. (true or not)- Forgiveness has the power to set you and your emotions free. That is a happy thing.
Give something to somebody.- Giving is vital in the flow of energy in life. And that flow will make you happy.
Accept responsibility for your choices always. You can feel sorry for yourself or choose to take responsibility for where you are right now. Being responsible will make you happy, and feeling sorry for yourself will not.
Live in the moment, Enjoy the little things. Each day will give you small moments of coffee, conversations, sunshine, and blue sky that you can choose to appreciate or ignore.
Shift your focus today if you are feeling unhappy. Look for the good things out there, which are right in front of you. It is a choice to enjoy a sunrise, a sunset, the blue sky, a lake, the ocean, birds flying south for the winter, the warm smile of a friend, good company, or any other little thing you come in contact with during your day. Focus on your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions today, and see what can make you happy today.
What has made you happy today?
Where have you overlooked the chance to be happy?
Happiness Quotes
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” Helen Keller
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Abraham Lincoln
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”– Anton Chekhov
“Happiness, not in another place but this place…………not for another hour, but this hour.” – Walt Whitman
Law of Love- States love is the most potent state we can experience in life, and it is pure and Powerful.
We have been told that we need to go out and find love for many of us. It is out there somewhere waiting for us, but that is a processed version of what love is. Fairy tales and Disney movies are beautiful, but I think they give an unrealistic idea of what love is all about. Love is not something you will find out there in someone else, no matter how hard you look. Love is a force, and the only place you will find it is inside of yourself. All people have the power of this emotional experience inside. It is waiting to be chosen by our thoughts, words, and actions. It doesn’t only mean romance, sex, and relationships. It is one of the two choices we make regarding all things, and we choose to love or fear. That is the initial decision that will define our experience in life. Where does love fall in your life?
What is love Exactly?
The world has used love to market to you. That means convincing you to buy things to feel more loved. But of course, love doesn’t come from ideas, and all of that marketing pushes us further from the truth inside. We choose to love or fear in all things. So looking for the best definition of love, I went to the Bible 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4-8. It is located at the bottom of this post. Love is patient, and love is kind. It is the beginning, and it gives a pretty good description of what we should be experiencing with respect. The choice to be patient and kind is one you can make every moment of every day.
Love does not envy, and love does not boast. It is not proud. Those are all qualities of fear that people choose because they are scared that they will not have enough of something, recognition, importance, or fulfillment. Love does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking, meaning love builds people up and never tears them down. You could save many a relationship by practicing this when you think only about what you will receive from something you are not functioning from love but fear. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
The power of Love
There is a power that love can bring, and it is not complicated, but it is challenging to practice. We all have the ability inside of us to practice the best parts of love. They are the choices of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. These are choices of thought and behavior that each person experiences every day. We can only give what is inside us to the world. If these thoughts reside in us, then our actions must directly result from these things.
Fear is the opposite of love, and it consists of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego, to name a few. These negative attributes can sneak into your life through your thoughts. Love in response to any of these things will neutralize it. You have control over that responsibility in any situation. Just because someone else is wrong in your eyes, you don’t have to respond with anger. Respond with one of the positive aspects of peace.
Practice Love Right Now
If you practice love in your daily life, keep it up. But for most of us, we need to evaluate things and see where we can challenge the forces of fear with the opposite energy of love. To carry a superiority rather than to be humble. To judge others rather than accept their differences. To be angry rather than find peace. Today’s challenge is to notice what you are producing in the world and decide what you want to be in your life—the forces of love or hate. Love is the most powerful force you have at your disposal. Use it wisely and use it often.
Love vs. Fear Quotes
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
“All healing is essentially a release from fear.” — A Course in Miracles.
“If you knew the secret of life, you too would choose no other companion but love.” — Rumi.
“Try not to confuse ‘attachment’ with ‘love.’ Attachment is about fear and dependency and has more to do with love of self than love of another. Love without attachment is the purest love because it isn’t about what others can give you because you’re empty. It is about what you can give others because you’re already full.” — Yasmin Mogahed.
“It is common to say that we are doing something out of love when we are actually doing it out of fear. Love and fear are complete opposites. So be honest with yourself, are you doing it out of love, or are you doing it out of fear?” — Teal Swan
There is a level of behavior we will accept in any situation. These are our standards. Our standards exist in our relationships, our careers, and ourselves, and the level of quality we agree is the level of quality we will be defined by in life. Today the challenge is to look at the standards you accept in all phases of your life. Is it time to raise the standards of what you expect? This fact can only be discovered if you are more conscious of exactly what your standards of behavior are. It begins by looking at your thoughts, the resulting emotions, the words you use, and the actions you consciously take every day. What are your standards? Are there things you can no longer accept? Change is an inevitable part of life; if you are not happy with the way things are going, it is time to change.
Professional Standards
No matter what you do to earn a living, you have standards of the behavior you expect from those around you. Your self-esteem and value will determine the level of those standards in life. If you believe you are valuable, you will demand to be treated with respect in all interactions. The great thing is, that is most often how people will treat you. It is not wrong or awkward to hold people to a standard of behavior, and it is the level at which you perceive your value and stick to it.
Your self-worth has been developed since you were very young. The messages you were sent as a child the way your parents, teachers, and peers treated you created your standards. It doesn’t matter what career you are in, and people will treat you accurately the way you allow them to, which comes from your criteria. Look at what you accept, then think about how you would like to be different and take nothing less than that behavior. It is not bitchy, difficult, or wrong to feel self-value and expect to be treated positively. It would help if you demanded it in the workplace.
Relationship Standards
When it comes to relationships of all kinds, standards are vital to the type of treatment you will accept and receive. Relationships are a difficult thing to learn how to manage. There is no class in school to help you manage all of the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that come from being in a relationship with someone, and you have to figure it all out on your own. Since most of us are in our teens when we are forming these standards, they can be very inconsistent, varied, and all over. Our earliest experiences with love will build the base for all relationships that follow. If you accept bad behavior or lack self-esteem, you may think this is the type of relationship you deserve and the one you will get until you change your standards.
Look at your relationships today and see where your standards lie. Honestly, know where you are on your partner’s priority list and see if that is where you want to be. Is your standard too low, too high, or just right? This inquiry is the type of conscious thought that can improve your life. Love is difficult to manage because it comes with an equal slice of fear. Fear of being alone, being judged by others, failing, not being reasonable, or not being successful can always haunt you. All of these are rolled into relationships, and they help set the standards of what type of treatment you accept. Are you living out of love or fear? Set your criteria to love, acceptance, understanding, kindness, and support for your partner. Accept nothing less than that in return, or you will be living an unhappy life.
Your Standards
Then there are the standards you set for yourself. The behavior you accept from yourself will affect your life and the success you experience more than anything else. If you look in the mirror and you don’t like your fitness level, it is time to make a change. Start by looking at your standards for what type of food you eat and how much exercise you are getting. Those standards need to change before you can. The same is true in finances or the quality of your relationships. What you accept from other people is going to be what you get.
The good news is that all of this can change and change quickly. We can change standards, and behaviors and experiences will change with them. You won’t lose 40 lbs in a day, but you can start your path to losing 40 pounds by setting higher standards for yourself and then being dedicated to living up to0 them. If you accept nothing less than your criteria, you have no choice but to improve in whichever areas you have chosen to focus on in your life. Where focus goes, energy flows.
First Thing to Do
The first thing to do is to identify what your standards are. Rest assured, you are achieving the standard you set for yourself. Set them higher if you want to experience improvement. It all starts with a conscious awareness of all of your thoughts on what you accept, how you deal with the resulting feelings, the words you speak to express them, and your actions. Nothing happens without your direct and consistent action.
Refuge-a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.
One of the advantages of growing up and living in a place like Maine is the connection you develop to the locations you come in contact with, which provide you with a relationship to nature and a link to who you are and what your life stands for. There are many unique places I have connected with over the years, and to go there, spend time, and think that brings back my history and the events of my life. These places provide me with a refuge. safe to develop who I am and help me piece together how I fit into this world. All thinking, people have places they go to strip away the junk the world heaps on a person as life rolls on and sometimes over us. Being able to think and put things into the proper perspective for ourselves is the purpose of developing a place that provides you with refuge and, hopefully, peace.
A Connection to Nature
Some of the best places for refuge I have found have been in spots where there is a natural connection. I again am fortunate to live in an area with many opportunities like this to take advantage of. There are lakes, rivers, and the ocean readily available and waiting for you to reflect on them. There is a powerful feeling of awe when you can sit and look into something that has been there for thousands of years, and you know you are just one of a million passing visitors. The problems we are facing today always seem a bit smaller when we visit something that existed long before we were born and will be there long after we have left this life. It provides a perspective that generates gratitude. A shadow of my thoughts and feelings will be left there to touch some other visitor at another time. I often feel if I close my eyes and listen hard, I can hear the thoughts of those that have come before me. All have a burden, hope, and dreams to share, even if nature is the only one who hears.
I know I often get weighed down by the events I experience daily and need to let them go, and a bit of time in one of these places of refuge allows me to focus, relax, and reaffirm my priorities about what is truly important to me. We all have down moments in life where our negative emotions get us, and usually when we get our priorities mixed up, putting ourselves at the center of our focus. Visits to nature give me the chance to put the focus where it should be, outside of myself. Remember that the things we are leaving behind are small in the end, and it is the kindness we show to others and the love we give to them that will matter. I learned this lesson in places of natural refuge.
Refuge of Creativity
Rather than a physical place, one of the best places I have found peace and recovery is through the power of creativity. For me, it is in writing. There is a connection between my heart and mind that can come out in the process of writing, and I could not be very balanced without it. Often I write about the things I am working on to clarify it to myself, and sometimes it is to say to the world, “This is what I am feeling, how about you?” No matter the purpose, creativity allows me to take a negative mood and turn it into more positive energy.
I have written all sorts of things and have gotten into writing something on most days. A refuge that sometimes I take for granted. Then I remember what it was like before I had this outlet, and I feel both grateful for my expressions and hopeful that other people will find their place of creative expression. Even if your feelings are just for yourself, let them happen because they are a part of you. Your emotions come out in artistic creation, and you feel better about everything. Create and find the refuge your mind crafts for you. Bringing something into existence from the recesses of your thought is a powerful and beautiful gift, and it makes all of the world a better place.
Everyday Refuge
Each day we find the places and activities which allow us to be our best selves. For me, I find refuge in the gym and working out. It keeps me centered emotionally and will enable me to keep myself feeling good physically. I also have a refuge at Panera Bread, where I have been coming to write for years. It has people, if you want that, food, but most of all, it has an energy that is welcoming and gives you a great place to think unencumbered. These two things do it for me, but I am sure that if you look at your life, there are everyday places and activities you participate in that allow you to be the best you can be.
I often wonder what great places I will discover in the future to think great thoughts or learn about life. Each moment is an opportunity to figure it all out and move forward in your existence with a plan that will bring you all the money, fame, and success you dream of. That is why we imagine. Places of refuge allow us the chance to build the momentum of thought and action to bring it all into reality.
Our Dreams
To dream about the things you want to create and experience is the essence of life. What has ever been made of value that was first not just a dream in someone’s head? All things ever were built this way. A person is in a situation where something is lacking, and they create a thought to make it better. It could be a drawing, a business idea, a new invention, a plan to build the world’s most giant ball of twine. Whatever the dream, it provides us with a secure refuge from the world’s terrors.
Those people who never dream or, worse yet, discourage all others from giving up their dreams are the worst kind of reality. Society will tell you to give up, put your feet firmly on the ground and forget about those dreams. They are all a lot of hot air about nothing. But in reality, they are the springboard to your greatness—the elevator to the top of your desires. I hope you are the best tomorrow. Anyone who would discourage this or try to destroy it needs to be avoided. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and encourage you to dream. All of your dreams may not work out in the way you plan, but your life will be better for taking refuge in them, if only for a moment. Dream about it and take action to make it all happen in reality. You never know what magic you can accomplish by taking your refuge snugly and entirely inside your dreams.
So take a moment today and look at the places and things that provide you the condition of being safe or sheltered from the world’s dangers. Please take a moment and be grateful for these beautiful places and things because they allow you to be the best. If you choose to move to a different location, and all of your current safe places are taken away, one of the first things you should do is find new ones. I think for all of us to be our best person. We need to have our places and things that allow us to express ourselves. What provides you with a refuge? Do you appreciate it? It all starts with the thoughts you are safe to think because of your sanctuary. The words you consciously choose will explain your place, and the actions taken will be the truth of the situation. Be safe and find your refuge today.
“The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, a place I’ve always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It’s been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game.”-Michael Jordan
“A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world.”- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“My dreams were all my own; I accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed – my dearest pleasure when free.”- Mary Shelley
What if you approach everything coming into your life, “good” or “bad,” as if you chose it?
Challenges appear for everyone in life. We live, have experienced, and create ideas of a life without problems, in which we sail along on calm and friendly waters, but life often has other plans. Before you know it, there are scenarios you have never dreamed of touching your life and knocking you around.
Suppose there is something great inside you to develop your unique greatness. In that case, it takes a challenge or two, So even though life would be more comfortable if we were allowed to relax, put our feet up and enjoy the view, this is not the most beneficial thing for personal growth. We have a conscious choice to make when these challenges of life come. We can feel sorry for ourselves because something is happening that will take our best to overcome, Or we can be grateful for the opportunity to grow.
It is easy to say you will choose to be grateful, but when the hard times come of heartbreak, regret, and grief, it is all too easy to give up or retreat to self-pity for what you are currently going through. It takes all you sometimes have to regroup and overcome a challenge, but that is what life is all about.
The Way You Look At It
The difference between the two mindsets is based on how you look at things. Looking at life from a mindset of fear, every challenge seems overwhelming. Our focus is on a fear of loss, fear of what others think, fear of losing your identity, or just plain old fear of change. All of these are constant companions in life because of our experiences of pain in our past, working as continuous reminders. They usually bring the other time-waster, worry along with it. The choice to suffer is based on fear but worse because it involves using your imagination to construct horrible things in the future. It is paying now for problems in the future that will probably never happen, But there is a false belief in all of us that if we look for all the bad that might occur, we will never be negatively surprised. This theory is the real fantasy.
Problems will come unlooked for or not, no matter how diligently you seek them. Most often, we don’t choose them, and they are unavoidable. Nobody would accept them in their lives. That is not where the choice lies, and it lies in the reaction to the challenge. There are a million stories about people overcoming all types of adversity because a person chose a positive mental outlook. We all can choose to see the positive value in all situations we face.
Faith
Sometimes it may be difficult to see the good in a situation, But it always exists somewhere, just as there is a negative attached to every positive. You may get a new job, but you have to leave the old one behind. You may become famous, but that limits some of your freedom. Becoming wealthy can change your outlook on life, and those you know may not treat you the same.
Conversely, you may lose everything only to find the secret to success; you have been looking for real insights into who you are, and how you look at life will come after you have been hurt or disappointed in life. Rising to success is good, but growing to progress after being knocked to your knees defines greatness in life’s experience.
Seeing the positive potential of all things is an active and powerful example of faith in action Nobody looks for difficulties All we can do is make choices we feel are in our best interests. For a better life experience For us and those we love Each moment, we are faced with this choice to see things as an obstacle to allow you to grow or a barrier to keep you from becoming That is a choice, that is your choice Faith in the positive aspects of nature. The world allows you to see the opportunities for growth sitting right at your fingertips every day.
Take a Moment
Take a moment in a situation to think before you react emotionally. Anger is often the face of fear and a first thoughtless reaction to an attempt to assert your power over something. To find happiness, we have to go beyond the initial, knee-jerk reaction and let go of the need to control everything Because we can’t. Your ego has been conditioned to think this way, and our egos are problem starters, not problem solvers The need for control, the need for approval from others, and the need to judge others are all negative messages of the ego When they can be avoided, life is a much gentler and happier ride.
So instead of falling into the trap of small ego thought, take a moment and allow a broader scope of perspective to develop. All of us are capable of seeing more of the field of possibility and creating a better result for ourselves from the challenges we face. When you can accept yourself exactly as you are and accept others exactly as they are, you will finally experience peace Life is full of decisions, and you have the gift of choice in every moment of every day. Nobody else to blame for your unhappiness than yourself, So be grateful for the challenging days, just like you are for the good days, and see how your life changes.
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its reward.” – Amelia Earhart
“When bad things happen to you, focus on what you can learn from it. If you focus on the bad, you’re doomed to repeat it.” – Mel Robbins
“And we have complete control over our own attitude We are the ones we decide how we feel, how we look at things, how we react.” – Catherine Pulsifer
Smile- form one’s features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed.
When you look at life today, there is a choice. You can think of the difficult things or focus on the things that make you smile. A physical reaction takes place when you smile, endorphins are released into your brain, and you feel better. Even if you don’t have anything to smile about, smiling by itself improves your mood. Now imagine all of the things you do have to smile about, and that mood of yours will become downright positive. It begins with a focus on your smile and the thoughts, feelings, words, and actions that result from it. Let’s find your reasons to smile today. Sometimes it just takes a smile to change the world.
You are Amazing
Let’s start with the fact that you are amazing. That should put a smile on your face! Think of the things which make you uniquely you. The way you encourage others as nobody else can. The way you speak, sing, dance, run, think, feel, read, find, or any other thing you do uniquely, like no other person in the world. You bring a unique and dynamic presence to life, and life is a better experience because you are a part of it.
Think of the many times that your smile has made someone else smile in response. This reaction is because you are simply amazing, and your outward appearance of a kind and amused expression is enough to make other people feel good inside. So remember all of the fantastic things about yourself and make the world smile today! (And smile on the inside yourself)
Your Passion Makes You Smile
Follow your passion today, and let the emotions that result create your smile. You have talents that exist only in you, and when you explore them and share them with others, you can’t help but smile. Never worry about what others think of your passion and the activities that follow it. Expressing yourself, your thoughts, and your ideas in your unique way is part of being a great human soul. You are a world changer!
It is not for others to understand. Those who care about you will support and revel in your creations—those who don’t have their issues. Be patient with others and kind to them because their journey must be tricky for them. Smile because you can express yourself uniquely and thoughtfully. Your passions will allow you to enjoy the world a little more. Colors will be a little brighter, food tastes a little more productive, and life will be a better experience. Smile because of all this you bring to the world.
Smile Its All Around You
Love is the thing inside of you that will always make you smile. Think of the people that love you and care about your happiness or ever have. That should be enough to make you break out into the biggest smile. To gain that love from anyone is a great thing. You are loveable, and when you smile, the whole world will stop and stare for a moment. You raise them with your love.
All thoughts are a choice between love and fear. To be kind, considerate, understanding, accepting, and just plain lovely, you are choosing feelings of love, and those thoughts will expand in a world where there are plenty of people wanting thoughts of fear, smile because you are one of the few that is ignoring that noise. Smile because you are a light in the world. That light is all around you. It makes me smile to think of.
Be Conscious of the Power of Your Smile
Spend some time today being conscious of all the reasons you have to smile today and the effect your smile will have on others. Look at your thoughts, the feelings they bring to the surface, the words and actions that result. This result is your gift to the world today.
Think of the sunny days of your pleasant past and those still to come. A smile will come to your face, and that smile reveals all of your goodness and strength. It is contagious, and one smile can spread from one look to another, and soon the whole world is a happier place.
“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.”- Thomas Paine
“Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart.”- Anthony J. D’Angelo
“Share your smile with the world. It’s a symbol of friendship and peace.”- Christie Brinkley
Generous-showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.
Some people are bright lights to all those they encounter because of their generous nature—giving more of themselves to the lives of others simply because it is the right thing to do, and it might make someone else’s experience just a little brighter. Today look at your life and see ways to be generous with your time, thoughts, actions, and personal gifts. These things can make a lifelong impression on others and teach them the value of being more generous. It will all begin by being more conscious of your generosity in thoughts, words, and actions.
Characteristics of A Generous Person
I have received more from the generous nature of others than I deserve. There have been people who have bestowed kindness on me throughout my life, and I hope that I have been able to regift that kindness to others. I know how fortunate I have been to have my life touched by great, kind, and generous people. It is more than the things I received. It was the feeling of worth that someone else’s generous nature toward you brings. Another human being values your happiness and well-being enough to do something special for you. The gift of generosity contributes positivity to life.
Many of the people who have shown kindness to me over the years have since passed on. Those kind souls are certainly missed for the bright lights in the world. THEY ARE NOT SO FAR GONE when I think of them and the kindness they showed me and countless others. A cycle of good stems from every affirmative, generous act ever committed. Be conscious of the way your generosity could shine through today.
Generous Means
If a person has never received excellent treatment from others, this suggestion might be in order. Giving more than is expected can come in monetary ways, but most of the charitable things I received were not money. Your time is the most valuable commodity, and how to invest that comes from noticing your interactions with others. If someone needs encouragement, you should take the time to encourage them. If someone needs a laugh, provide it. If you see someone needs to vent, let them vent.
Look at all of the situations that you are in and ask yourself the question, “Is there any more I can do here?” Most often, the answer will come to you. Treat all people with respect and kindness, and they will well accept your generosity. When your intuition says, “do this or that.” because it will make another person’s experience in life a little brighter, follow it. Do something that you don’t have to do for someone because you want to, and you can. Generosity will always make someone’s day a little better because it shows a level of caring that touches the soul.
Examples of Generosity in Everyday Life
It is everywhere. Be aware of the needs of others, and look to give a little bit more of yourself than is expected. Be extra conscious in your thoughts, words, and actions each day when being generous. Make someone else’s life a little better and the world a little bit better place.
Being Generous Quotes
“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” ~ William E. Gladstone
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Holmes
“That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.” Simone de Beauvoir
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One might look for a mighty castle to provide safety.
Life seems to be a maze of things we develop fear about experiencing. We are continuously looking for security in our day-to-day experience. Sometimes we look for relationships to provide a safe place to be ourselves. In other moments we see money as a security blanket against the world’s troubles. We create a constant state of stress and worry about what might happen and never know the joy and power of the moments we are in right now. To live in this way will push people to block good things from entering life and keep you on the treadmill of unhappiness. To stop the cycle, a person needs to start to look inside for items that are always there, always accessible, and always positive. These things are inside each of us, and turning your focus to them will provide as much security as you can expect in this life.
No matter what we do or how well we plan, the truth is. We have very little control over our external security, and we have total control over our inner security. To lack the ability to find safety inside is the definition of insecurity. No matter what happens outside, be secure about your reactions and feelings. Here are some areas your awareness can go to find security daily.
Find The Moment
Too often, too many people choose to live their conscious moments worrying about the future or regretting the past. Ignoring the most precious moment they have, the present moment. Being mindful of where you are right now and becoming aware of the situations, people, and things in your current reality are the only thing you have. The past is recollected the way we think of it, and the future is nothing but a fantasy. It hasn’t happened yet and may never occur the way you think.
Getting into the moment is as simple as being aware of what you are doing and living from that perspective. Sometimes we are so routine-oriented we make the majority of our choices through subconscious programming. Making conscious choices and noticing the moment is a power we have at our fingertips in each moment. There is significant security in this because the moment will always be the only thing there is, so making the most of it and finding joy in it makes a lot of sense. This appreciation comes from the inside, and you have it available to you all the time. It can be hard to see if your focus is “out there.”
Be Open
Another way to be secure is to be open-hearted toward the world. Too often choose to separate ourselves from others because they are different from us. But we all are the same, and by practicing an open heart, we can foster security of connection with all people because we are all connected. We all have the same blood in our veins and breath the same air. We have thoughts, take actions, and love one another. So many see fear when they look at individuals who are different from themselves, and it causes people to withdraw.
When you open your heart to others and life, you realize you are all in the same production, doing your best to play the role you have been assigned. Don’t waste time judging someone else; invest your time getting to know someone from a different station in life. Send love to everyone, especially those who are negative. They need it the most. Open your heart, and security will be yours.
Accept Yourself
Most people see the flaws in themselves quite easily. We compare ourselves to the images we see in the mainstream media or even on social media and pick out the ways we don’t quite measure up. Rather than seeing our uniqueness as a strength or an unusual defining characteristic, we dislike ourselves and hate that part of us. We have to accept what we are. It doesn’t mean we can’t improve and change. If you don’t get yourself now, you won’t receive yourself in a month or a year or five years when you have made all these changes.
Bring your awareness to the things about you, which are lovely and unique and make you a one-of-a-kind experience for the world because each of us has the luxury of being this. There has never been another person who looks like you, talks like you, or has your skillset throughout time. It has never happened before, and it will never happen again. Too often, people fight against who they are and what they look like because nobody is perfect. It is in our imperfections that many of our strengths lie. There is absolute security in the person you are. Embrace that person and accept them, strengths, flaws, and all.
Awareness and Appreciation
You are an infinite, creative, unique, and inventive living on this planet. Start to use your awareness to see all of the things already in your life, which are lovely, and then take a short moment to appreciate them for just being themselves in the scope of the world. Your awareness is the connection to your attention and focuses on what you are experiencing. Knowledge stops you from taking things for granted and allows opportunities for growth from passing by you.
Appreciation is a door you can open, which will bring more into your life. Are you a person who always sees the bad? Or can you find the good in any situation? All people have a choice about where they fall on this continuum. The majority of the thoughts you entertain and believe to be true will dominate your energy and the life you experience. Focusing on more positive things will allow more of those things to enter your life—a choice.
Unconditional Love
This emotion is the rarest of things because society has conditioned us to expect something in return for what we create or give to others. Putting your focus on the love you have for others is a great place to seek security, but the best is how you choose to love yourself. Nobody is perfect, but all of us are entirely constructed to be exactly who we are. It is too easy to stop and put awareness of your flaws rather than your talent and greatness. It is not arrogance or avarice to be proud of what you do well or what you love about yourself. To want more of these things is a natural progression,
To offer unconditional love to the world or someone else is tough to do. The ego always tells you to judge someone for their harmful actions and punish them by not loving them anymore. It happens every day worldwide; love is lost and replaced with vengeance, anger, and even hate. Letting these emotions and thoughts dominate your mind and reality will harm you, not the person you are angry at and hate at that moment. You can love someone and keep them at a safe distance. Choose to love, no matter what, and see how it changes your life and gives you power.
Learn to focus and awareness of these things and develop the inner security that comes with them. There is little we can do to avoid the pitfalls and challenges that come to us externally, but we can build a security net inside ourselves, which is totally in our control.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.– Buddha
Dare– dare to do something. Defy or challenge (someone) to do something
One of the most challenging things to do in life is to dare do something you are not sure you can accomplish. You may think that you can do it. You may dream that you can do it. You will never know for sure until you take the initiative and dare to try. There are challenges you face in every area of your life. It takes extraordinary courage to meet them and see where you stand. How much greatness has been left unshared because someone was afraid to try? Afraid of failing? Fearful of what people will think? Today I urge you to be brave, take a chance, and dare try. Let the greatness in you have an outlet, and it starts with a consciousness of your thoughts, being aware of the words you speak to the world, and actions you take to interact with life.
Dare To Keep Going
Sometimes we try, and we fail. It is a part of life. You will not get everything right the first time. The Universe will help you develop if you can accept its guidance. When you experience failure, it is essential not to take it personally. Much easier to say than to do. But if you take a step back and evaluate what has happened and why you can see what might need to change when you try again to make it a success.
The fear of the pain that results from failure can be debilitating, and many people would rather quit than be at risk of feeling that disappointment again. Don’t be one of them. Your song is yours to sing, and it may take a bit of fine-tuning before the goal is realized completely. The lesson of daring to try again is one of the most pervasive and repetitive ones that life will bring to you. Dare to try again and express the greatness you have inside of you.
Dare to be Different
We live in a world determined to make you want to fit in. From the time we enter school until the day we die, we are bombarded with messages to “stand in line,” “sit in a row,” “follow the directions.” These messages might as well be “be a sheep.” As you grow, the words come in the form of propaganda from the media, and marketers tell you what is acceptable to wear, activities you should participate in, and even the job you should desire. When you look at the things you think are important, how many of them come from inside you, and how many come from the outside world? Do you wear clothes you like, or do you wear socially acceptable? Do you think that buying things will make you complete? They won’t.
I know that breaking from the pack, even in a small way, can threaten people. They will immediately try to put you back in line, usually through ridicule. But then a funny thing will happen. Once you dare to be different, people want to be like you. I am not sure they know why, but I think we all have a single song we want to sing. It is repressed, and seeing someone break out of the shell of expectation, lets us all know it is possible. If you feel like doing something different, dare to do it. Don’t follow straight lines of expectation just because it is easy. When you are on your death bed years from now, it is the things you never dared to do that will haunt you. Dare to be yourself. Dare to be different. It will make you extraordinary tomorrow.
Dare to Create
In creativity, there is an opportunity for true originality to rise to the surface. Creative people are the best at solving problems, finding new solutions to problems, and looking at life. Creativity is the language of the soul, and we are at our best when we are creative. There is not a moment in life when creativity and encouraging others to be creative do not positively affect the world. As you are creative, your creations will change the world. Maybe that change will be minimal, but keep creating anyway because it is suitable for your heart and allows your light to grow and shine a little bit brighter.
The only way you will find out what creative things you like taking part in is to give them a try. When you are immersed in creation and time seems to pass without notice because you are so involved in the process, you have found an outlet. It doesn’t matter how “good” you are at it because that is based on the opinion of others. Your heart determines what activities and creations have value. Dare to be creative and try new creative outlets. The reward is a more prosperous life and a joy that can only come inside you.
Dare Today
So the challenge is there for you today to look at your life and what you want to do.
Do you dare to be different?
Do you dare to keep trying?
Do you dare to be creative?
Can you dare to do them all at once? Remember that this is your life; nobody else owns the responsibility for it. What you dare to do and be will define it. Dare today in thoughts, words, and actions.
“Failures are made only by those who fail to dare, not by those who dare to fail.” ~Lester B. Pearson
“Dare to be the best you can at all times, dare to be!”– Steve Maraboli
“If I had my time over, I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man.” Nelson Mandela
“We become strong by embracing vulnerability, we dare more greatly when we acknowledge our fear.” Gretchen Rubin
One of the most important things we can do to find our strength in life is actively and consciously groom our confidence. If you believe you can do something, nobody else will be able to stop you. There are definite steps you can take to let your natural confidence thrive, which will allow you to be more productive and become the best version of yourself possible. I have a few suggestions to drive your confidence train into the station of success. They are simple but not always easy.
about in life. If you aren’t thinking about what you can do, you may listen to other people who will gladly tell you what you can’t do. Using an affirmation to remind yourself of your strengths, goals, and ability will allow you to increase your confidence. Write it down, read it, remember it every morning and let your thoughts of faith permeate throughout your day.
a small child. You deserve the kindness, and it will allow your confidence to grow.
