Self-Improvement
7 WAYS TO UPGRADE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE FOR SUCCESS STARTING NOW
Looking for ways to give your productivity an edge that can set you up to achieve more? Want to make some positive changes that can dramatically improve the quality of your life? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this morning routine for success is exactly what you need.
Now most people’s routines consist of shooting up from bed to silence a blaring alarm, sliding into the shower, and grabbing coffee as they rush out the door to fight traffic. All of which are oftentimes done with a gnawing pit in their stomach as they dread the day ahead.
A morning routine is grounded in rituals can help give you the structure you need to support a positive mindset and the beneficial physical habits to transform how you approach your day. “Rituals” may have the connotation of ceremonies with singing bowls and gongs, but you can design your own to fit the life you want to achieve.
Let’s dive right in and learn how to implement the best morning routine for success, so you can crush every day from the start.
BEST MORNING ROUTINE FOR SUCCESS
1. Exercise Your Demons (No Priest Necessary!)
Do you wake up with a smile on your face and a song in your heart? No? Neither do most people. If your heart sinks the minute the alarm goes off, then you need to move your body first thing in the morning. It’s the quickest and easiest way to improve your mood and your outlook. Exercise causes the release of endorphins, the hormones that relieve pain and reduce anxiety.
You’ve heard it before that working up a sweat is phenomenal for stress relief, but making it a priority at the start of your day has many more benefits than that. Upon rising, you are still in a fasting state which makes exercise more effective, allowing you to burn twice as much fat.[1]
Another benefit of rising early to get a workout in is increased focus. Sure, there are fewer distractions when you’re out early in the day, but exercise can help improve your focus overall. In fact, morning exercise can help your attention and improve your better decision-making capabilities.[2]
Also, Newton’s first law of motion tells us that a body in motion stays in motion. If you’re already making the effort to move, you’ll feel more inclined to keep that momentum going.
Related: Fitness and Success
2. Dry Brush To Get Your Blood Pumping
Using a stiff brush on dry skin first thing in the morning can increase blood circulation and help with lymphatic drainage. Not only does it feel good by stimulating your nervous system, but it can even help unclog your pores and help your body to eliminate toxins.[3]
Brushing the skin also helps to remove dead skin cells which can leave your skin with a brighter appearance and more even in tone.
Dry brushing is also fairly simple. Find a long-handled brush with natural stiff bristles and use it just before you shower. Start at your feet and move up to your ankles in fluid strokes. Continue to move upwards towards your heart, going easier on your more sensitive skin.
3. Breakfast of Champions
This may seem like an obvious one, but it bears repeating since it’s commonly sacrificed in the rush to get out the door for work. Those who skip breakfast are more inclined to smoke, drink more alcohol, and exercise less.[4]
Not only will making sure to eat a nutritious breakfast lead to healthier habits and choices throughout the day, it will also provide you with more energy and focus.
While we all love to greet the day with a donut or a bagel slathered with cream cheese, eating these simple carbohydrates will lead to a sugar crash. If you want to keep your energy up, go for a mixture of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Oatmeal is a great choice because it has plenty of fiber to keep you full. Adding a hearty fat like almond butter and berries for their antioxidants will keep you satiated.
4. Drink Salted Water (So You Can Say You Did It First)
Sure, it’s important to drink water, but there are some ingredients you can add to make it work harder for you.
Salt is responsible for proper muscle function, nerve impulses, regulating blood pressure, and even relieving muscle cramps after a workout.[5]
Therefore, adding salt to your water in the morning is a great way to not only keep you hydrated, but as a way to recover from your morning workout by replenishing the minerals you’ve lost by pushing yourself to run that extra mile.
Now what kind of salt should you be using?
Regular table salt has been refined to remove impurities that can strip it of beneficial minerals.
Pink Himalayan salt, however, is minimally processed and estimated to have up to eighty-four trace minerals.[6] In fact, the iron found in it is what gives this salt its special pink color.
Of course, like anything else, salt should be used in moderation as too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
5. Reading By Dawn’s Early Light
English poet and playwright, Joseph Addison, once said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” To which you may respond, “Really, Joe? Read before work, you say? Who has time for that?”
Well, if one is indeed looking to make meaningful changes to supercharge their morning routine for success, and to ultimately upgrade their life, one had better learn to get out of bed before dawn. Yes, dawn.
Sure, reading is the best way to boost your vocabulary and become a better and more interesting communicator. However, it also has the added benefit of keeping your mind young and your brain healthy as it forces you to think and prompts your imagination.
You don’t have to be a voracious or high-brow reader to reap the benefits. Pick a book that speaks to you and read just one chapter a day. No more, no less.
6. Strategize Your Day Like You’re Going Into Battle
There is nothing more satisfying than being able to cross something off your list.
So, before you hit the road for work, take a few minutes to sit down and think about your day. Write down everything you want to accomplish and prioritize those tasks according to importance and time sensitivity. Use a handwritten list or get fancy and use a work management program like Asana or Monday to track your progress.
Use whatever works for you as long as you get things done. Chances are that you won’t finish everything you want to do, but as long as you’re making a dent in the list, you’re well on your way to making progress. Progress is better than perfect, right?
Pro-tip: be sure to include both work and personal tasks in order to keep a healthy work/life balance.
Related: Keystone Habits
7. Make Your Bed
Perhaps you’ve already successfully integrated these morning rituals and things are going extremely well for you. Your internal clock wakes you up before your alarm goes off and you dramatically throw off your covers in anticipation of bringing the world to its knees.
However, there may be days when the only knees that buckle are yours.
Without failure, we can’t have success and there will certainly be times when everything gets bungled beyond belief. Everyone messes up from time to time, and often times we must also endure the screwups of others. It doesn’t matter of it’s global circumstances beyond your control, or local ones, sometimes your life will just be thrown into turmoil.
Whatever it may be, there is one thing that you can control: making your bed. There is comfort in this small action because you know however awful the day was, there will be a fresh start and high thread count goodness waiting for you at home at the end of a day. So make your bed, because it’s a promise to yourself that you can begin again the next day in regardless of what the world throws at you.
Till you find the success you’re after,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this article on the best morning routine for success, then you’ll likely also enjoy these supporting resources to help you create the morning routine that suites you best:
Self-Discipline
7 DAILY HABITS TO HELP YOU BUILD SELF-DISCIPLINE
Self-discipline is one of the most important life skills a person possess. It’s one of those traits that impacts just about every area of our lives. When we have it under control, it positively compounds for us; impacting our sleep, nutrition, habits, and our efforts. But, the opposite is also true, when it’s neglected, the negative effects will cascade to downward to every area of our lives. As such, it is imperative to learn how to build self-discipline.
“Without Self-Discipline, Success is Impossible, Period.”
– Lou Holtz –
Now, developing self-discipline takes thoughtful and intentional work. It requires a high level of focus that is essential for success in nearly every phase of life. That said, we’ve pulled together some of the best daily habits you can adopt today to make building self-discipline a breeze. So, if you’re ready to learn about these key habits, then let’s get right to it.
How to Build Self-Discipline
1. Set Small Goals Daily
Goals are different for everyone, some people have small goals and some have large goals. However, committing to and working towards goals can level up your self-discipline faster than almost any other method.
However, since small goals are more easily accomplished and get used to that feeling of accomplishment sooner. Things like sending an email to a client or changing your bed linen may be small or things you’ve put off. Making them a goal and accomplishing them will give you the feeling of success.
The small goals that you create daily should be in the form of a “to-do” list. When you have completed a goal, you are building discipline.
2. Keep Your Goals In Front of You
There are so many distractions in our everyday life. From smartphones and social media to television and radio, shiny objects are dangling in front of us at every turn. Having our goals in our face where we can see them daily helps keep us focused.
So don’t hesitate to write those goals on post-it notes, have them on your mirror, create an elaborate vision board, use your screensaver, or paste them to your headboard.
Whatever works for you, what you see daily is what you work to manifest. Keeping your goals in front of you helps you visualize and eventually manifest.
Related: Why You Must Write Down Your Goals
3. Learn How To Prioritize
What you have to do daily or even monthly all have a certain priority level in your life. Understanding what is essential and what is less relevant is essential to your success. When everything seems important, the number one tip is that you cannot do everything. Aside from that, some tips to prioritizing are:
- Deciding what’s urgent, what important and what you want to do but can wait.
- Get your job list out of your head and down on paper – create a “to-do” list.
- Group similar tasks together.
- Figure out how you will deal with distractions.
- Get to work.
4. Understand Adversity
Adversity is when we face hardship, difficulty, misfortune, or an overall tough time during specific periods in life. Sometimes trouble can get us off track or distract us from achieving goals. Everyone faces adversity at some point in their lives.
Understanding how adversity will impact us, can help us foresee what we must do, how we should plan for it when it comes. By thinking forward about our potential adversities and understanding how we’ll react when they come, will keep us on track when the disruptions inevitably come.
Related: Link Between Self-Control and Success
5. Remove Distractions
Distractions can be anything from your cell phones, your neighbor’s lawnmower to social media notifications. Understanding how distractions affect you and can keep you from performing your job are essential.
However, more important than recognizing distractions is removing them. If necessary, put your phone in another room while you work. If you are working from home, you can set a kitchen clock for the amount of time you want to work without distraction.
The trick is to remove the distraction or temptation long before it happens. Removing distractions is a habit that puts you in control of uninterrupted time to work towards your goals.
6. Know Your Weaknesses
We all have weaknesses. Sometimes they are self-imposed, temptations, and other times they are triggers. However, when we are honest about our weaknesses and the things we struggle with, we understand how to keep ourselves out of certain situations and create habits of self-discipline.
Learning how to build self-discipline helps those confronted with situations that may work against their goals. They are honest with themselves and continuously work towards success.
Related: Best Books on Building Discipline
7. Use An Accountability Partner
Accountability is taking responsibility for your life and your goals. Having an accountability friend is about more than someone to cosign all your thoughts and actions. They don’t just pat you on the back when you reach goals. An accountability friend brings positivity into your life with positive reactions. Other benefits of an accountability friend are:
Give a different perspective on your goals.
An accountable friend can serve as an independent eyewitness of your goals and how being self-disciplined guides your decisions.
Helps you stay motivated.
An accountability friend is like having your cheerleader. They encourage you to keep going.
Helps you strategize and plan.
Accountability friends are uniquely suited to help you strategize and plan out your goals. They allow you to understand how your plan to get from point A to point B is attainable.
Serves as a reminder.
An accountable friend is more powerful than a vision board. They are vocal advocates for your goals and will remind you why you are on a particular path.
Other Benefits of Self-Discipline
Self-discipline gives you the strength to persevere, helps you stay motivated, and keeps you from giving in to negative thoughts and feelings. It is that ability you have to make yourself do what needs to be done, even when you don’t want to do them.
There are numerous other benefits of developing and using self-discipline. Benefits like the following:
- You are more likely to achieve long-term goals.
- It promotes academic success.
- It helps you maintain focus.
- It makes you mentally healthier.
- You feel more resilient.
- You feel happier.
- It helps you make better decisions.
Bonus Resource for Discipline
Alright, here’s one last resource to help you build your discipline. It’s a short video that gives a handful of extremely helpful tips that will undoubtedly help you on your journey to master self-discipline. Enjoy!
Video Credit: Thomas Frank (Subscribe Here)
Final Thoughts on Building Self-Discipline
As mentioned earlier, choosing to build self-discipline takes thoughtful and intentional work that is essential for success in nearly every phase of life and has several benefits, among them promoting academic success, making you mentally healthy, and helping you feel healthier.
Related: Inspiring Discipline Quotes
While developing self-discipline is about more than just cutting bad habits, it is an attainable trait. There are many ways to develop self-discipline, but these seven daily habits are probably the best place to start.
These habits are setting small goals daily, keeping your goals in your face where you can see them, learning how to prioritize goals, understanding adversity and ways to deal with it, knowing your weaknesses, and getting yourself an accountability partner. Once you make these daily habits a part of your life, you will have achieved the discipline to knock just about all of your goals out of the park.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this article on how to build self-discipline, then there’s a good chance you’ll love this article on the link between self-discipline and happiness.
Self-Improvement
WHAT ARE AFFIRMATIONS & WHY YOU SHOULD YOU USE THEM?
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is an affirmation, or what are affirmations?” Or, have you ever wondered why you should use them, and how? If so, then this article is for you, as it will thoroughly cover what is an affirmation, why you should use them, and how you can use affirmations to actually improve your life.
What is an Affirmation?
So, if you are new to affirmations, here is the first thing you need to know about them — daily affirmations are to the mind what body-building is to the body. In short, affirmations are simply a method to sculpt your mind to your liking.
Affirmations are self-suggestions, self-suggestions that help your subconscious mind believe a certain thing about yourself and your world.
The origination of the word affirmation tells you most of what you need to know about them. The word affirmation stems from the Latin word affirmare, which simply means “to make steady, strengthen.”
As such, when you practice an affirmation — which typically involves reciting a phrase to yourself repeatedly — you are in essence fortifying and strengthening the thoughts and beliefs that you want your mind to have. That said, let’s dig in a little bit deeper with this guide to affirmations:
A HELFPUL GUIDE TO AFFIRMATIONS
So, who should use affirmations and why? Well, anyone who is seeking to positively improve a specific aspect of their lives should use affirmations.
Affirmations are magnificent tools to help you affect change quickly. In a sense, when you use them, it is much like changing the software in a computer. A computer’s capabilities are limited by its software, but if you change or upgrade the software, it can do more than it could before.
This same concept applies to people as well, except we change our software by choosing to change what information we put in our brains. And affirmations is a form of data upload that rewrites old thought patterns that no longer server your best interests.
So, what are affirmations? They are programming, personal programming. And you get to choose the program.
Ground Rules on How to Use Affirmations
Now, affirmations may be simple, but there are also a few ground rules you should follow if you want to get the most out of the affirmations you use.
Believe
The first thing you’ll want to ensure, is that you believe in the affirmation you are reciting. In short, you have to have a certain amount of faith that what you are saying is true, and/or that it will become true.
“Just Believe There Is Genuine Creative Magic In Believing, And Magic There Will Be, For Belief Will Supply The Power Which Will Enable You To Succeed In Everything You Undertake.”
– claude m. bristol –
It is critical that you believe what you affirm is possible, because once you do, it becomes plausible. However, if you don’t believe in the possibility of your affirmation, you cement in that negative thought, which will guarantee an ineffective affirmation.
The good news is, if you faith is weak, you can use an affirmation to strengthen your faith in affirmations. And once you do that, well, then you world affirmations is your oyster.
That said, if you’re still on the fence about affirmations and if you’re wondering if they even work, then you may want to first brush up on this very informative resource: “Do Affirmations Work?“
Present Tense
The next ground rule you want to ensure you implement with your affirmations is that they are in the present tense. One of the best ways to do this is through the use of the words “I am” before each affirmation.
Here are a few examples of present tense affirmations:
- I am persistent and consistent.
- I am smart with my money.
- I am disciplined.
- I focus my thoughts and energy on being positive.
By using the present tense with your affirmations, you’ll have an easier time convincing your subconscious mind that what you are saying is true. In other words, it will minimize cognitive dissonance.
Positive Tense
Using positive affirmations is the best way to get the most out of your affirmations. When you affirm the positive, i.e. that you are something vs. not something, it is easier for your mind to accept. However, if you use affirmations in a negative tense, they will shift your mindset towards negativity and become less effective.
“A Person Who Is Self-reliant, Positive, Optimistic, And Undertakes His Work With The Assurance Of Success Magnetizes His Condition. He Draws To Himself The Creative Powers Of The Universe.”
– norman vincent peale –
Now, if your affirmations look like the sample below, they are in a negative tense:
- I will stop worrying so much.
- I will not over eat anymore.
- I will no longer accept less than the best for my life.
- I am not an insecure person.
Thus, if you want to guarantee the most effective use of your affirmations, ensure you recite ones in the positive tense.
Consistency
Last but not least, affirmations require consistent use. No, you don’t have to apply them forever, but they do require consistency in the beginning to help your mind change it’s thought patterns.
So, how often should you use affirmations? Well, as a best practice, you should recite affirmations at least a few times a day. In the morning when you wake up is ideal, just before or after lunch time is a good practice as well, and just before you head off to bed.
Here’s a bonus tip on the best time to use an affirmation: You ready for it? You can and should use an affirmation any time you notice your thoughts drifting towards something negative. For example:
- Feeling a sinking feeling in your gut due to doubt? Recite an affirmation.
- Feeling nervous about something at work or in your personal life? Recite an affirmation.
- Feeling worried about a loved one? Recite an affirmation.
- Feeling depressed due to a particular circumstance in your life? Recite an affirmation.
One final thing to keep in mind about affirmations, is that you should notice them working to a certain degree after applying them for at least a week consistently. However, you’ll find them to be most effective after consistently and diligently affirming them for at least a month.
Quick Summary of The Ground Rules
Alright, we’ve covered a lot about how you should go about using affirmations. To help it stick, here’s a quick summary of the ground rules to ensure you get the best results from your affirmations:
- Suspend Disbelief and Believe
- Ensure Affirmation is in a Present Tense
- Ensure Affirmation is in a Positive Tense
- Be Consistent With Your Use (3 Times a Day, One Week to a Month)
- Bonus Tip: Use Affirmation to Crowd Out Any Negative Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Affirmations can truly help just about anyone change their life. They have been used by Olympic champions, professional athletes, high performance coaches, and some of the most successful people the world over. Don’t believe us? Here a handful of notable people who swear by them:
- Tony Robbins (High Performance Coach)
- Denzel Washington (Award-Winning Actor)
- Napoleon Hill (Best-Selling Author of Think and Grow Rich)
- Conor McGregor (UFC Fighter)
- Will Smith (Award-Winning Actor)
- Kanye West (Award-Winning Rapper, Producer, Designer, Etc..)
- Bob Proctor (Best-Selling Author & Motivational Speaker)
- Jack Canfield (Best-Selling Author & Motivational Speaker)
- Muhammad Ali (Greatest Boxer of All-Time)
With that being said, we hope we’ve convinced you on the merits of affirmations. But most importantly, we hope we successfully answered your questions as to what affirmations are, and why you should use them.
If you’re looking for a few solid affirmations to get you started on using them, be sure to check one of these out:
- Affirmations for Success
- Affirmations for Discipline
- Affirmations for Confidence
- Affirmations for Entrepreneurs
- Affirmations for Money
Lastly, if you found this resource valuable, please consider sharing it with someone who could benefit from the knowledge. The more people who know about the power of affirmations and use them the better. Because better minds creates better people, and better people create a better world.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed our answer to the question about what are affirmations, then you’ll likely enjoy this post on the very similar and powerful practice of mantras.
Self-Improvement
15 SIGNS YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET
Do you have an abundance mindset? If you’re not sure, but want to find out whether you have one or not, and how to develop one if you don’t, then this post is for you.
With that being said, it’s a common belief that the richest people in the world hold the most power. However, we’d like to challenge that thought. We believe those who an abundance mindset have the most power.
Why you ask? Because there’s always the chance that a rich person could lose all of their money. And, if they have an abundance mindset, they’d very easily be able to earn all back. Which is why true wealth and power lie in a mindset, especially an abundance mindset – as this can never be lost.
Essentially, having an abundance mindset is about seeing possibilities and plenty vs. limits and shortcomings. It’s a mindset that demonstrates how you attract what you focus on, and can create something from nothing. So, let’s take a closer look at the abundance mindset and see if we can inspire enough to develop yours.
What Is an Abundance Mindset?
The abundance mentality was first introduced in the book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey in 1989. Covey, an American businessman, defined it very simply – a concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and successes to share with others. People who have an abundance mindset think that the world’s resources are enough for everyone.
The author contrasted the concept of abundance with scarcity. If we compare the abundance mindset vs. scarcity mindset, the latter implies destructive and unnecessary competition. In other words, it means that when someone else wins, you lose. Such people tend to think that there is no chance of all parties winning in a given situation.
Ever since Covey introduced the theory, fostering an abundance mindset has become recognized as a key component of spiritual and personal development. We can say that an abundance of health is a trigger of prosperity in all possible ways.
But, what kind of prosperity can abundance living bring? People with this mindset have a more meaningful life. They are satisfied by their means of living and aren’t caged by limits. When we say limits, we mean the subconscious barriers that people create inside their minds. Even though they aren’t real, many of us consider these limits to be real obstacles keeping us from achieving our goals.
Besides the absence of limits, those who live an abundant life feel confident, secure, and less anxious. With an abundant mindset, you believe that life provides opportunities for everyone – so there is no need for you to stress out.
Such beliefs impact one’s mindset and behavior. The latter is the consequence of the former. When you believe that opportunities await you, you are utilizing them. Therefore, those with an abundance mentality take full advantage of the chances that lie on their path.
Here are 15 signs that you may be a person with an abundance mindset:
15 Signs Proving That You Have a Mindset of Abundance
1. No Playing Snatch and Grab
If you hear about the possibility of a product shortage, you don’t panic. Some people immediately run to the supermarket and grab dozens of that product off that shelf – but not you.
You are sure that there will be enough to meet your needs and the needs of others. You are even willing to share with those who may not have enough! In short, you have those thoughts of scarcity and panic under control.
2. You Are Grateful for What You Have
Abundance mindset books state that such a type of mindset is wired for the feeling of gratitude. Conversely, those with a scarcity mentality typically have “wishful thinking.” This means they believe that other people are luckier and, thus, more successful.
But since you have an abundant mindset, you realize that life does not bestow luck upon people – we manifest our own dreams into reality.
3. You Always Share
In addition to being grateful for what you have, you don’t mind sharing your blessings. This makes generosity one of the key features of an abundance mentality.
With an abundance mindset, you believe that giving leads to receiving: the more you give, the more you receive.
4. Other People’s Success Is a Reason for Your Genuine Happiness
When somebody has a victory, you don’t feel a spark of jealousy. Instead, you feel true happiness for them. Other people aren’t your opponent. You don’t compete against humanity – you only compete against yourself.
In fact, you know you have an abundance mindset when seeing other people succeed and get rich actually inspires you. You get inspired, but remember that your true goal is simply to be better than you were yesterday, and that you’re making progress on your dreams.
5. “I Am” Instead of “I Will”
Even though you have ambitions for the future, you don’t ignore the opportunities and happiness of the present. With an abundance mindset, you realize that you already have all the tools you need for a wealthy and powerful life.
6. You Go With the Flow
When something doesn’t go according to plan, you don’t freak out. Rather than living in fear of things going wrong, you go with the flow. Life can be a funny thing, full of unexpected twists and turns.
Rather than being anxious over the unknown, you embrace it. This is one of the main mindset goals of abundant people – to overcome fear.
7. You Believe That You Are Worthy of Good Things
Part of living a fear-free life includes believing that you are deserving of a good life. If you believe that you are unworthy, then you will always be fearful of the rug being ripped out from underneath you.
But with an abundance mindset, you anticipate good things happening. You are grateful, but not surprised when you are successful.
8. You Are Ambitious
Speaking of success, you don’t just lie around and wait for it to happen. You set goals; you know your objectives. You dare to dream big every day.
That’s one of the most effective abundance mindset exercises for those who want to abandon the scarcity mentality. You have to forget about barriers inside your mind and open it up for big dreams.
9. You Are Not Jealous
Another facet of the abundance mindset is that you don’t become embittered by other people’s accomplishments. You understand that your goals will be accomplished, just as your peers fulfilled their own dreams. If you feel that envy in your core, that’s a sign that you are still operating in a scarcity mindset, rather than one of abundance.
10. You Focus on Good Things Rather Than Bad
Similar to a lack of jealousy, an abundance mentality excludes pessimism. Such people don’t focus on possible negative consequences or anything else that has a pessimistic tone. Instead, they have a positive attitude and a healthy perspective on life.
Here’s an example of a positive perspective: let’s say a person has an abundance mindset for dating. They have a date tonight, but – oh no! It has started to rain! Rather than being upset by the rain, a person with an abundance mindset will be excited. Perhaps the rain will deepen the romantic atmosphere. Maybe they can even dance in the rain. By focusing on a positive outcome, it will become a reality
11. You Enjoy the Luxury of Time
Some people are rich but have no time to enjoy their successes. They die rich, without ever having truly lived. We believe that you are wealthy if you can enjoy the luxury of time.
Savor every second of your time on Earth – this mindset is the key to a meaningful life.
12. You Freely Navigate Through Your Life
Part of enjoying life includes being open to trying new things and saying yes to opportunities. You know that life will provide for your needs, which is why you are open to making radical changes, exploring new facets, and creating unforgettable memories. You embrace the moment without growing anxious over negative consequences.
13. You Have Peace of Mind
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point; you understand that life will always provide you with what you need, no matter which path you take. You are at peace knowing that everything will be okay.
This will lead not only to a happier life but also to better mental and physical health. Anxiety can manifest itself in physical ailments, so it is best to cut out anxiety at its core: fear.
14. You Are in The Driver’s Seat
While you understand that life will provide for your needs, you also take full responsibility for your own actions. If you come across hardships, you understand that it isn’t due to fate.
In fact, you don’t really give much of a thought to fate at all! That’s because you are in the driver’s seat, in full control of your life and success. On the other hand, people who have a scarcity mindset will blame others, their environment, and even luck for any hardships.
15. You Acknowledge the Power of Your Thoughts
You know that your thoughts are very powerful. You believe that they shape your present and future life; therefore, you don’t give negative thoughts a chance to survive. You take responsibility for your mind and thoughts and use them wisely to create a bright future.
For example, when you acknowledge the power of your thoughts, you’ll avoid worrying about daily annoyances, petty worries, or even more serious issues, like legal problems, cause you might just create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
How to Develop an Abundance Mindset
If these 15 points didn’t seem familiar to you, there’s no need to worry. It’s more than possible to develop an abundance mindset. Humans have the ability to shape their minds and thoughts. Therefore, it’s just a matter of time and effort.
As such, the secret to developing an abundance mentality lies in a mindset shift. And a mindset shift is possible for the person who is willing to actively work towards creating new healthy habits. With that said, here are just a few ways that you can begin building an abundance mindset for yourself today:
- Avoid Negative Thoughts – To fill your mind with positive, wealthy thoughts, you have to free up space for them. Therefore, it’s time to stop any pessimistic thinking and start taking responsibility for your life.
- Carry Out Regular Mindset Training – Work on eliminating the barriers you’ve set up in your mind. Dare to dream big. Dare to imagine the unimaginable. Develop a belief that you deserve the best, and life will give it to you, as well as to others.
- Try Abundance Meditation – Changing your mindset is hard, but meditation is an effective tool. This helps you connect to your inner self and unleash your inherent power.
- Use Affirmations – Affirmations can help you rewire your mind, and minimize self-defeating thoughts. Give them a try, and you’ll be amazed at the changes they’ll bring to your outlook.
“Abundance is Not Something We Acquire, it is Something We Tune Into.”
– Wayne Dyer –
Although it may take a bit of time to develop an abundance mindset, it’s worth it. Prosperity, positivity, and wealth are only some of its benefits.
So, give these practical mindset tips a spin, have faith in them, and then sit back and watch how things begin to dramatically improve for you.
Till then,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this abundance mentality article, then you’ll love this resource that provides a handful of powerful ways to change your mindset, and you may even enjoy this collection of abundance affirmations to kickstart the process.
Self-Improvement
HOW JOURNALING CAN BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE & QUALITY OF LIFE
When you were a teenager, you may have kept a diary or journal hidden under your mattress. Many teenagers religiously manage sticker-covered notebooks with locks and keys in hopes their siblings, friends, or (God forbid) parents would never find them. Either way, you or some one you know has likely had some kind of a history with keeping a journal, either on paper or on your computer.
For many people, journaling on a piece of paper is the perfect place to face our fears and issues without the risk of punishment or embarrassment. Getting all those thoughts down to paper and out of your head can feel incredibly cathartic and liberating.
Unfortunately, most of us stop keeping a journal as we transition into adulthood. But we shouldn’t stop. We shouldn’t stop because regardless of age, there are immense benefits to journaling, especially when it comes to building our confidence. So, if you’ve stopped journaling, but you want or need a good nudge to starting journaling again, then let’s dive into these handful of benefits of journaling for confidence.
THE BENEFITS OF JOURNALING FOR CONFIDENCE
Note: We are not professional healthcare providers: So, if you struggle with mental health like depression, stress or anxiety disorders, keeping a journal is a useful idea, but it doesn’t substitute for professional medical care. So, if your mental health is severe, please seek the assistance of professional healthcare provider.
1. Positive Mental Health Impact
Let’s start with the most powerful, but the least obvious of the many benefits of journaling for confidence: it drastically improves your quality of life. Journaling lets you regain control over your emotions, which in turns give you much more stable mental health. Here are just some of the ways journaling helps keep depression or other mental health issues at bay:
- it lets you track your symptoms on a daily basis
- it improves mood
- it allows you to recognize patterns and triggers for your mental health issues
- promotes positive self-talk
- tackles negative thoughts and patterns through a more objective perspective
- drastically reduces stress levels
The highest impact on stress levels is boosted by the fact that journaling allows you to identify problems and patterns that repeat on a daily basis. You can use this knowledge to avoid or tackle these issues to reduce your stress levels. Journaling is, according to psychologists, one of the healthiest coping mechanisms for people suffering from high stress levels.
It’s also a great routine to introduce before your bed time. If you have issues with falling asleep due to intrusive thoughts that pop up in your head, journaling can significantly help you get some of those thoughts out of your head. You wouldn’t believe how easier and smaller a problem seems once you put it down to paper.
2. Benefits for Physical Health
It sounds crazy, but journaling can also improve your physical functions and make you healthier. According to a study that carried out a four-month period of expressive writing (journaling) showed that short periods of journaling several times per day lower blood pressure and can even improve liver functions.
Other studies have shown that journaling boosts the immune system, and can even help heal wounds faster. Plus, when you look better, and feel better about your health, you’ll exude a more positive aura, which will help you look and feel more confident (to yourself and others.)
3. Better Memory and Focus
Another one of the benefits of journaling is its impact on your memory and focus. When you write on a daily basis, it’s like a mental exercise for your focusing capacities. Journaling every day will keep you sharp and bright. You will be able to remember small events from your life much more easily.
Ultimately, you will learn how to remember the important things by separating them from the irrelevant.
It can also help you unlock the highest levels of creativity. Many first-time journalers are amazed at the expressive power they manage to exhibit when they find themselves in front of a blank piece of paper for the first time.
Related: Ways To Start Believing In Yourself
4. Journaling For Confidence
The majority of people suffer from low self-confidence. It’s a condition that has a seriously debilitating effect on everyday life. However, there’s a paradox here: no one can improve their quality of life if they do not believe they are capable of doing it.
This applies to all aspects of life. That is why writing a journal will allow you to increase your confidence. So, when you begin to increase your self-esteem, you will feel different in various areas of your life. You will probably feel that you have all the skills necessary to improve your quality of life.
On the other hand, if you do not respect yourself, then there is no reason to improve your quality of life. Here’s my tip. Go ahead, grab one of those cheap composition books, find a place where you’re at peace, and start.
Write where do you want to be and what are your goals. The next day, turn your journal to a new page and write how you feel in that exact moment. Spend the next few days thinking, feeling, and writing about the future and the present moment. Whenever you catch time, turn to a fresh page and continue writing. Over the next days, continue searching for your inner self-confidence, for the strength to do, believe, and speak. It doesn’t matter if it’s about small things or big things.
5. More Gratitude
What is important here is to include everything that had a positive impact on you. It is also a good time to remember those people who made you feel good. Write down a compliment that you get, or what positive action they had with you. You can also add things you have learned and enjoyed.
By writing down each of these experiences, you will be able to remember them and therefore enjoy them again in a certain sense. Without a doubt, these positive thoughts will improve your self-esteem. However, you can also write messages for yourself by writing about your best qualities. Each of the qualities you name will be strengthened as well because you will be recognizing them.
So, one of last benefits of journaling is that is also increases mindfulness and self-awareness. The act of writing things down allows you to be more aware of your life and behavior. Increasing the self-awareness of your emotions leads to more self-confidence.
Why? Because now you have a choice. You get to be in control of your actions instead of going through the motions without thinking about it. The result of all of this is a stronger self-confidence.
Conclusion
Journaling is good for you on several levels – the physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual. It allows you to tap into the best version of yourself and start building upwards from there.
When you keep a journal, you get to know yourself all over again, which will ultimately improve your confidence. These days, many of us form our opinions about ourselves depending on what the media tells us or how closet to us treat us.
However, it goes much deeper than that. In order to find deep and lasting self-love, you have to know yourself well. And there is no better way to do that than by keeping a journal. If you manage to keep one for several years, you will even be able to witness the progression of your character and all the events in your life from a bird’s eye view.
So, if you’re not currently journaling for confidence, go out and get yourself a journal and get started today. Your more confident future self will thank you for it.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this article on the benefits of journaling for confidence, then you’ll also enjoy these other helpful resources related to both journaling and confidence:
Self-Improvement
10 AFFIRMATIONS FOR ANXIETY THAT ACTUALLY WORK
Affirmations are statements you say to yourself to help shift your mindset towards a specific feeling, subject, or area of interest. If used correctly, they can be powerful tools that will not only brighten your outlook on your circumstances, but they’ll also help you improve your mindset, and as a result improve your life. That said, your likely here for affirmations for anxiety.
Affirmations for anxiety are especially needed in this hi-tech and fast paced day and age. And they can be especially helpful to you and many others in this moment in time. You could be experiencing anxiety due to the economy, job loss, a stressful job, a shrinking portfolio, or relationship and marital issues. Hopefully not all at the same time. Of course if that’s the case, then these affirmations for anxiety will be especially helpful to you.
Related: What Are Affirmations?
So, if you’re looking for some anxiety affirmations that really work, and your in the same boat as countless others looking to ease their mind and calm their nerves, then you’ll love these particular affirmations. If you’re ready to dive into these anxiety-busting affirmations, let’s dive in:
BEST AFFIRMATIONS FOR ANXIETY
Affirmation 1: This Too Shall Pass
This short affirmation may seem simple, but it is extremely powerful. It works, because more often than not, our anxieties are related to FEAR, i.e. false evidence appearing as real. As such, this affirmation quickly and effectively disarms those fears, as it helps you realize that whatever it is you are experiencing, it isn’t forever.
Affirmation 2: I Can Handle This
Anxiousness stems from panic, and panic can stem from you feeling like you won’t be able to handle whatever issue it is that is causing your worry. The concern could have some basis in fact and reality, but, more often than not, your assessment that is creating your unease is overblown.
So, use this anxiety affirmation to give you some room to think about your issue from another angle. Allow it to give you the confidence to believe their is a solution. You may just be surprised with your results.
Affirmation 3: I Release and Let Go Of All Negativity From My Life
A little bit of anxiety can be helpful, especially if it’s the anxiety we feel before a big game, event, or competition. In fact, in small doses, it can help you perform better. However, if you’re feeling anxious for long periods of time, it could be due to pent up negativity and anxiety.
This affirmation is perfect relieving some of the anxious tension you may be feeling due to negativity. So, give this affirmation for anxiety and spin, and see what happens.
Affirmation 4: I Forgive Myself As Well As Others
This isn’t your typical affirmation for anxiety but it is effective nonetheless. Sometimes, our anxieties are caused by our own stubbornness and high expectations.
That said, this affirmation gives you permission to let bygones be bygones with yourself and with others. It allows you to forgive and let be, and believe it or not, this seemingly small act can calm even the most uneasy mind.
Affirmation 5: I Breathe In The Good and Breathe Out The Bad
There are a variety of breathing techniques out there to help you calm your mind and reduce stress, and this anxiety affirmation is perfect to use in combination with them.
So, whether you decide to use those breathing techniques or not, you can rest assured that this affirmation alone, when combined with a relaxed and slow inhaling and exhaling tempo will work wonders for you.
Affirmation 6: I am Calm and In Control
Our mind can get the best of us at times. Especially when we give our doubting voice too much authority and attention. If that’s the case for you, then use this affirmation.
By affirming that you are calm and in control you let that chatterbox of a mind know who is boss.
Affirmation 7: Peace, Be Still
This affirmation is extremely powerful. First coined by one of the wisest, and arguably one of the most divine people of all-time, this affirmation is worth your time if you’re serious about taming your anxiety.
Give it a whirl and let it calm the storm that has been thrashing around in your mind.
Affirmation 8: I Have Faith In My Future
This next affirmation for anxiety is great because it can help you visually pierce through any mental clouds that you might be experiencing in your mind. There’s something about making a claim about your positive future, and seeing it before hand in your mind that is calming.
Affirmation 9: I Surrender to Peace and Tranquility
The tighter we hold on to our expectations, past hurts, and unsubstantiated fears, the worse our anxieties can feel. Holding on too tightly keeps pressure on.
However, sometimes, the best way to find immediate relief, is to just surrender. That’s right, just give up the thought, at least temporarily, that you need to bare those self-imposed burdens you’ve placed on yourself. Surrender to peace with this affirmation, and let all your pressures and worries fade into the past.
Affirmation 10: Serenity is Mine
You deserve a peaceful and serene life. And the more often you use this affirmation, the more you’ll convince yourself that a life of peace and tranquility can be yours.
You deserve a life of serenity. Take it, it’s yours.
Final Thoughts
We hope enjoyed our collection of affirmations for anxiety. It’s a short list, but your commitment to using them will bare fruit.
That said, if you’re looking for some other affirmation-related resources to help you improve your life, then you may just enjoy one of these:
- Affirmations For Confidence
- Affirmations For Discipline
- Affirmations For Money
- Do Affirmations Really Work?
Till your reach your aims,
STRIVE
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