Tag: self care

Self Awareness Inspiration and Motivation Life Lessons

Life is challenging, but if you want to excel, you must learn important life lessons that will strengthen your spirit and allow you to overcome challenges. The things to learn in life are listed below!

It is true that we are never able to reclaim a lesson. We need to confront the reality, head-on. If we’ve allowed ourselves to be wild and free only then can we acquire life lessons that will guide us onto the path we must follow to thrive.

The saying goes that without hitting rock bottom, no lesson can ever be learned. The life cheat sheet is found right at the very bottom.

“In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson”

– Tom Bodett

What holds us back is fear. We are never willing to lose, we are looking forward to winning our life but only a few of us have taken back the lessons from our failures. We wish to abandon our experience of failure but the failure teaches us the most.

The key is to embrace our failures and learn to use it to our advantage. Failure is not about giving up, it’s about working your way up to the top with renewed motivation to win.

Read Emotional Evolution: 35 Signs You’re Becoming More Mature

So what are some of the life lessons everyone should learn?

“People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves”

– Paulo Coelho

10 Important Life Lessons To Learn From Experiences

1. There are a few things we do in life because we love them

We devote time, energy, and passion to those activities that we love doing. Then there are tasks we must complete since it is our obligation and responsibility.

It’s important to strike a balance here. We all need to make money to live, but even if you don’t enjoy your job, you still need to break the monotony in order to work every day without getting exhausted. Only to make money isn’t the virtue.

You may give your life greater purpose if you can strike a healthy balance between your interests and your profession. When health, family, work, pleasure, and friends are maintained in a healthy balance, life flows more easily.

2. Analysis paralysis kills opportunities

Overanalyzing (or overthinking) an issue to the point that no choice is made or action is done ultimately disarms the result, it is known as “paralysis by analysis.”

This may have frequently occurred to you when you continuously weighed the advantages and disadvantages of a scenario before making a decision, which resulted in you missing out on opportunities.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is necessary if you want to reach significant life milestones. Make it valuable by taking chances.

3. Self-fulfilling prophecy

The socio-psychological phenomenon known as a “self-fulfilling prophecy” is when someone “predicts” or “expects” something, and that “prediction” or “expectation” resurfaces only because that person believes it will, and their subsequent behaviors line up to materialize those beliefs.

Your attitude about life has a significant impact on how your life turns out. A positive outlook on life increases your chances of succeeding in life since your actions and behavior will be consistent with your ideas and beliefs.

4. Positive self-talk

“Positive self-talk” can help us sustain, recognize, and promote joy, hope, and fulfillment in our life. How? When we fill our thoughts with positive self-talk we provide ourselves the motivation to move forward in life.

Positive self-talk like “I can do this once I try.”, “I have the capacity to achieve more than this.” and “My life is better than most people out there.” When negative self-talk is replaced by meaningful positive self-talk, you will get the extra strength to conquer life.

Read The Power Of Self-Talk

5. Do not seek the approval of others.

Does it matter to you, whether or not other people approve of your actions, decisions, and words? Other people will function on their own decisions based on their own value system. Their value system might not align with your values and ideals.

Therefore, your life decisions are exclusively your own and do not depend on what other people think of them. It’s your life. Living in on terms of other people just to be validated and appreciated by them is utter foolishness.

6. Self-awareness

The lesson is to be self-aware and know your needs, wants and passions. Surround yourself with people who encourage and accept your individualism rather than promoting their ideas to you. When you keep yourself in a positive encouraging environment, you will be able to channelize your energy on self-growth.

Stay away from people who are self-boasting in nature and talk bad about other people at their backs. There is a high chance that these people also talk bad at your back.

7. Avoid Negative self-talk

Negative self-talk never takes you anywhere worthwhile. Negative self-talks are limiting in nature and always reflect your flaws and adversities and magnifies your negative aspects and overshadow your positive aspects.

The trick is to not to be fooled by negative self-talk like, “I cannot do this.” “I will never succeed in life.” and “Everyone is doing better than me.” This downplays your potential and blocks your success path.

Read 6 Negative Words That Cripple Your Self Esteem and Empowering Words To Replace Them With

8. Never stop learning

Another lesson in life is to never stop learning. If you believe you know everything, you are doing nothing but limiting the expanse of your knowledge. Stay grounded and stay humble with your achievements.

Take each of your accomplishments as a stepping stone to ultimate success but never feel too boastful of your success or your status. Keep asking, be curious and seek answers until the end of your life.

9. Self-love

Self-love is more urgent and important than falling in love with someone else. Others will stay but if you cannot love those unlovable parts of yourself, you will never be able to truly fall in love with another separate individual.

Loving others start with oneself. Look within yourself, take a glimpse at the beautiful person that you are. Discover it, embrace it and fall in love with it. Others will start getting drawn to you when you exude positive energy and self-confidence.

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. – Lucille Ball

Read Self Love and Inner Child

10. Disconnect from toxic people who try to control your life

Do you still trust in yourself and receive support from others for your endeavors? Instead of following those who seek to bring you down, look for inspiration from those who have a good influence.

The main takeaway from this is to never let toxic individuals in your life force you to stop having great dreams. Disconnect from those that try to hijack your life, drag you down , or manipulate you. Live life outside of the ordinary and liberate yourself from these people’s control.

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Art Self Development
You might have noticed a recent trend in semicolon tattoo and wondered what it means.

The semicolon tattoo represents solidarity with those struggling with mental health issues or a reminder to those who are winning their own personal struggles every day when they choose not to give in.

The trend was started by Project Semicolon, but it is so much more than a trend. They explain its significance as follows:

“A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.”

Project Semicolon is dedicated to providing hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury. Their mission is to inspire those who self-harm, or are considering suicide, to choose a better alternative—for themselves and for their loved ones.

Although the campaign has gained considerable exposure in the media in recent weeks, it has been ongoing for two years now. Initially it was intended for the semicolon to be a temporary marker on the skin to raise awareness, but the campaign had such a strong response that people are embracing permanent tattoos, as well as temporary ones.

It all began in April 2013 when founder, Amy Bleuel, posted a request on Twitter encouraging others to draw semicolons on their wrists on April 16^th to break their silence about their struggles with mental illness. Bleuel, whose father died by suicide in 2003, has had her own struggles with mental illness, self-harm and suicide attempts. So she lives with a keen awareness of the importance of choosing to stick with life.

The project doesn’t provide a helpline service—although they do provide details of where people can seek such urgent care. They focus on education and inspiring those who are suffering to choose recovery.

In this light, the semicolon tattoo has had a powerful effect:
- It is a reminder of personal inner strength to those who wear it.
- It is a visual aid to bring the wearer back to the power of choice.
- It is a conversation starter, which leads to…
- Increased awareness and understanding around mental health issues.
- It is breaking the taboo around mental health discussions.
Using the hashtag #ProjectSemicolon, the project has also become a means of connecting with others living with depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm—enabling people to support and encourage each other, and promote the real possibility of recovery.

This project is an inspiring example of the effect each of us can have on the world. Seemingly simple acts can have far-reaching ripples. Project Semicolon has an ambitious vision and they are inspiring others to remember there is another way, other than self-harm and suicide.

The vision is that, for the first time, people feel what real love is.
The vision is that people see the value in their story.
The vision is that suicide is no longer an option to be considered.
The vision is that everyone loves one another regardless of the label they wear.
The vision is to reduce suicide rates in America and around the world.
The vision is that drugs and alcohol are no longer an escape to be used.
The vision is that blades are put down.
The vision is that for the first time steps are taken towards recovery.
The vision is that society no longer pushes mental illness, suicide, addiction and self-injury under the rug.
The vision is that for the first time conversations are being started.
The vision is that everyone comes together as a community and stands together in support of one another.
The vision is hope, and hope is alive.
The vision is LOVE.
You are not alone. Your story isn’t over yet.

~ Amy Bleuel, Founder & President of Project Semicolon

https://youtu.be/w9cSdAvUk4s

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Self Awareness Self Development
Do you know the answer to the simple yet unanswered question “What is the purpose of your life”.

Have you ever wondered what’s the reason for your existence? If you haven’t figured it out before moving to the wrong path.

A few days back, I was reading an article about a man in the mid-30s who left his high paying professional job to pursue his passion. I wondered what made him so dissatisfied that he quit his job to follow his passion. After a lot of thinking, I framed two questions to get the specific answers out of it. I will try to answer these two questions to the best of my knowledge.
- Who am I?
- Purpose of my life?
In this world, many people are dissatisfied with their profession, relationships, social needs, etc. This is because they are living in an artificial world having inner emptiness.

As a child, we are conditioned to accept our identity and our likings, which has nothing to do with our true selves. External expectations put a lot of social pressure on us. Due to this social conformity somewhere, down the line, our true self is lost.

People love me because of who I am or do people appear to love me because of what they want me to be. If I match their expectation then they show their love for me, otherwise, we are not accepted in society.

This is the reason we are unable to get the answer of who am I.

Until you got the answer of who am I, probably you will not be able to find the key to the purpose.

In this world, we perform various roles such as children, parents, and we act according to the schemas attached to these labels and designate values.

Now there are many labels attached to a person and we pick up any label say mother, then my purpose of life becomes to take care of my children. If we meet a doctor and ask what is the purpose of life then he will say take care of my patients. Now, if a person is very sincere about his job, most of the time he/she makes that purpose of life.

Here we are the confusing purpose of life with the role I am playing in life. For doctors, healing is the purpose of my life or it’s a profession or responsibility of my life.

The common mistake that we all are making is that we have misunderstood our purpose with the roles we are playing, the responsibilities that we are to execute, relationships that we are to commit.

Therefore the goal of life should not be confused with purpose, because a profession can change from time to time but the purpose of life is mine.

We can do a small exercise to get the answer to Who am I? Sideline the various roles/labels that we are playing in this world and you will reach the final answer to who am I.

And I found that I am the Soul/energy/consciousness who is running this body and playing all the roles and building relationships. I am this pure being/energy/consciousness.

My main purpose in this world to come to this body is to exchange energy and come into action with other souls.

The inherent nature of the soul is to love and to be loved because the soul is part of God. Love of God is resting in the heart of every living being but we have forgotten that love.

So we are trying to find that love and experience the pleasure in so many ways in this world but which is not satisfying the needs of our soul. We are pure, love full, and happy being/Soul as we have the personality of god only because our soul is part of the super soul which is God himself, but this has been forgotten.

Side-lining all my roles in this world, I realized that I am pure being/Soul Who’s the purpose of life is to love and be loved.

See like this…

Inherit nature of Soul:

Peaceful being – Then purpose becomes to create peace

Happy being – The purpose becomes to create happiness

Love full being – The purpose becomes to give love

Now my purpose of life becomes:

I am a happy being playing a role of Father/Doctor etc. in this world.

As we grow, we keep on adding a lot of labels of relationships, profession, etc. we have created so many layers over us that we forgot who we really are.

We are busy protecting these labels that we have forgotten ourselves and your true self became more and more dissatisfied. We are playing all the responsibilities properly still we are not satisfied because not being able to experience ‘actual me’.

Author – Puneet Arora

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Self Awareness Self Development

How to be your own thought police

Controlling unwanted thoughts is not the problem. Believing, trusting, or taking direction from them is.

How often have you heard people say, “Control your thoughts, control your life?” Or “You are what you think about.” Or, “What you think about is what you will attract.”

What these statements don’t take into account is the fact that our brain generates all sorts of thoughts, many of which come without notice, and some are good and some are not very good; in fact, some, are downright hurtful and self-destructive. You don’t want to have the latter, you don’t ask for them, and nor do I. But they come on unpredictably. But are they so unpredictable?

Our Automatic Brain (AB for short) has one function—to protect us from danger, threat, or vulnerability. When it detects such, it releases an electrochemical response that we know as the fight or flight response. But this reaction is not simply you getting scared. This AB reaction leads us into behaviors and emotions that sometimes show up as fear, anger, rage, or even sadness, depression and withdraw.

However, what most people don’t realize, and what set me on this quest to begin with, is that this brain also creates thoughts so that we fight and flee danger.

Thoughts can be the most troubling and interfering element on any road to growth or success. And this should tell you something as it did, and still does, tell me. What it tells me is that nothing comes out of the blue—not negative behaviors/emotions or thoughts.

If this premise is correct that means that negative thoughts arise from our AB trying to protect us from something. The actual thoughts, in my opinion, are less important than what is going on when the negative thoughts arise. For instance, if you get a thought while driving that you are going to lose control, suddenly, swerve and hit the concrete barrier or person on the side of the road, your AB is simply trying to shake you into focus to protect you from the “danger” of driving.

Or if you are hiking and cannot bring yourself to the edge of the overlook because of thoughts that you are going to lose control and fling yourself off, that’s your AB.

But what about the negative thoughts that pop into your head when things are going well, or you are succeeding and moving ahead. These come on because your AB detects some danger, threat, or vulnerability from your success.

Read 12 Toxic Thoughts You Need To Drop For A Better Life

These seven steps can help you gain more control.

1. Do not believe everything you think.

2. Understand that unwanted thoughts always arise in order to protect you.

3. Try to identify the circumstance that caused the thought.

4. Realize that the circumstance is unlikely dangerous at all.

5. Don’t fight the thoughts. It is more normal to get negative thoughts than not.

6. Recite in your mind, “There is no danger, there is no threat, I am safe,” whenever getting the thoughts.

7. If you get a negative thought that is particularly hurtful, finish it off. For instance, if you get a thought that says, “I’m a loser.” Finish it by saying in your mind, “Yes, I am a loser. I am a loser if a play a game I know nothing about. But since my life is not a game and I play by my own rules I am a winner.”

I suggest you don’t try to control your thoughts. Follow these steps and it will help you accept them, but more importantly help you so you do not always believe, trust, or take direction from them. Doing so will elevate your health, peace of mind, and “live your everyday extraordinary”!

– Charles F. Glassman, MD

Written by CHARLES F. GLASSMAN
Originally appeared on https://www.charlesglassmanmd.com

How To Be Your Own Thought Police