Archive for April, 2008
5 Ways to Get Yourself In Debt
Posted by: | CommentsThe holidays has a way of digging down into everyone’s pockets. You spend lots of money on gifts and food and travel, then you’re left with a whopping debt when you finally reach the new year. Very few people stop to take the time and figure out what is causing them to get into such a huge amount of debt. This article will lay out five specific ways most people get into debt.
1. Whip out your credit card every time you need to make a purchase. The majority of people who spend a lot during the holidays do it with their credit card. Credit cards make it enormously easy to spend money because you don’t have to count out your cash. All you have to do is whip out the card and BAM it’s paid for.
2. Spend money you don’t have. Another common cause of debt is trying to keep up with the Smiths, so to speak, by spending money you don’t really have to spend. It’s so easy to get entangled in this trap without even realizing it. You spend money to impress others. In all truthfulness, they’re never impressed by your spending anyway!
3. Splurge on your children. Christmastime is especially rough on parents. Naturally, you want your children to have everything and more. But is it really good for them, or you? By splurging excessively on your children, you’re not only putting yourself into debt, but you’re teaching your children by your actions that it’s okay to blow money on things that aren’t really necessary.
4. Don’t live by a budget. One of the worst things for anyone to do is to not have a spending budget. If you don’t know where your money is going, how can you be a good steward? Living without a budget enables you to spend more and more until you’re all spent out.
5. Live in the moment. Just as living without a budget can get you in trouble, so can living in the moment. When you live in the moment, you spend money without even thinking about how much you’re spending or what it’s going towards. In the end, you’ll end up broke and with nothing to show for all the money you spent.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Posted by: | CommentsHypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Self-hypnosis, or hypnotherapy has become a popular tool for many people in today’s society. This article will further explain hypnotherapy and give you a greater idea of what it is and what it’s used for today.
We must first begin by taking a look at hypnosis, which has always been heavily debated in circles since its inception. Hypnosis is simply a natural state of mind. People under hypnosis experience a relaxed state of mind. Hypnotists generally bring people to this natural, relaxed state to influence people to become better in any certain area of their life.
Popular hypnotherapy in the last decade seems to revolve around people who are looking to experience a greater feeling of happiness in their life. Still others seek to be hypnotized to help them stop smoking or lose weight. There is a broad range of reasons why people seek hypnosis today.
Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, has been publicized as an effective way to reach deep within yourself and find answers to difficult life questions. Many people seek hypnotherapy as a way to discover hidden dreams and talents.
Hypnotherapy requires a committed effort on both the part of the client and the hypnotherapist. The main reason is because if you are not willing to be hypnotized it is impossible to do so. Therefore, the client must be in a cooperative state of mind.
A common concern many people have about hypnotherapy is that they will be forced to do something they don’t want to when hypnotized. This is impossible as well. You can never be forced or coerced to do anything against your will when you are hypnotized.
The power of hypnotherapy is simply to help you use your own inner strength to accomplish whatever it is you want. Whether it’s losing twenty extra pounds or reducing stress in your life, hypnotherapy will turn on the inner switch inside you, making it possible for you to help yourself achieve your greatest desires.
7 Stress Triggers and How to Stop Them in Their Tracks
Posted by: | CommentsIf you find yourself constantly feeling stress on every level, you can learn how to stop that stress dead in its tracks. Here are seven of the most common stress triggers and how to stop them before they get the best of you.
1. Negative people. People with a negative attitude can make you feel stressed just by being around them. Pick and choose your friends and acquaintances more wisely from now on. Stay away from those who seem to stay on a negative kick all the time.
2. Being late all the time. Do you find it difficult to get anywhere on time? The stress of arriving late is not good for you. Allow yourself an extra 20 minutes next time.
3. Extreme work load. If you’re always taking on more and more work, it’s no wonder you are stressed out all the time. First, stop piling more work on top of what you already have. If possible, start delegating tasks to others. The quicker you can eliminate your exhaustive work load, the sooner you’ll eliminate all that stress.
4. Low self-esteem. If you suffer from poor self esteem, you are much more likely to berate yourself and unreasonably expect more from yourself. Work on raising your self-esteem and you’re likely to notice an immediate lightening of your stress level.
5. Unhappy with your life. Do you constantly struggle with the idea that your life is not what you thought it would be? Unhappiness triggers stressful feelings. Find ways to accept your life and everything in it. Discover joy in the little things.
6. Feelings out of control. This trigger is explosive for some people. When you feel like you’re not in control of yourself or surrounding circumstances, you tend to feel a great amount of pressure and stress. Learn how to control your mind.
7. Violent arguments. Volatile relationships are breeding grounds for tremendous stress. If you are in such a relationship and are constantly engaged in fights, do everything you can to get away from that situation.
Positive Affirmations for Weight Loss
Posted by: | CommentsLosing weight is challenging for all who attempt to do so. When you are stuck in a negative mindset or have a poor body image, it is difficult at best to be successful in losing weight. That’s why you should use positive affirmations to help you lose weight.
Positive affirmations are helpful for many. Lots of people use positive affirmations every day to help them succeed in their endeavors. Affirmations can be just as useful in helping you lose weight as well.
The best positive affirmations are ones that you create yourself. You should start by writing down every negative thought you have, regarding weight loss. What are the negative inner thoughts you hear when you try to lose weight? Some of the most common thoughts are:
· You’ll always be fat.
· You love eating junk food too much to lose weight.
· You’ll always have jiggle thighs, no matter how much weight you lose.
· You’ll have to live the rest of your life on carrot sticks.
Negative thought patterns like these plague lots of people who want to lose weight. Once you have identified your negative thought patterns, replace them with positive affirmations. Write one affirmation for every negative thought. Every time you have a negative thought, speak your counteractive positive affirmation a few times.
These positive affirmations help you replace your negative thought patterns with positive ones. Staying in a positive frame of mind will help make it easier for you to stay on track with your weight loss goals.
What is NLP Hypnosis?
Posted by: | CommentsNLP, or Neuro-linguistic programming, is a widely practiced alternative to psychotherapy. NLP was founded by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s. The basis of NLP was originally formed to be used in personal development techniques.
NLP is also referred to as self-hypnosis. It is believed by some that a person has the ability to use meditative self-hypnosis techniques to change certain things about themselves.
The basic idea behind NLP is that your thoughts, emotions and behavior are predisposed by your outer surroundings and how you choose to react to them. Overall, the general objective of using NLP is to enable the person to be able to make wiser choices as well as adapt to their environment.
The fact is that many people use NLP to help them overcome certain detrimental habits or to change something about the way they live. Some of the more common problems people use NLP hypnosis for include: smoking, weight loss and stress management.
NLP can be used to help you find internal motivation you need to bring about the desired change in your life. For example, if you need to lose twenty pounds, you might form several new beliefs to motivate yourself, like: If I lose twenty pounds, then I will be healthier and happier. These simple changes in thought can dramatically change your actions.
5 Ways to Express Your Creativity
Posted by: | CommentsAll creativity begins with the sparkle of an idea. But for so many people, finding that single spark of an idea proves to be a difficult thing. The biggest problem is that you’re making it harder than it really has to be.
Remember that creativity feeds off itself. With that in mind, here are five ways you can express your creativity:
1. Paint with watercolors. This method is so much fun and so easy that I’m surprised more people don’t play with it.
Purchase a simple set of child’s watercolors (drug stores and department stores carry these for just a couple of bucks). Take a sketch pad and your watercolors to the park and paint at least 5 different pictures.
2. Draw upside down. If you’ve never tried this, you must! Drawing (or painting) upside down will get your creative juices flowing almost immediately. It is important to remember not to think too much, but just let the picture draw itself.
3. Sing karaoke. No matter whether you can sing or not, go out for a fun night of karaoke. Or, better yet, buy your own karaoke machine and throw a party for other creatives to have fun singing with you.
4. Plant some seeds. If you’re feeling especially stuck, grab a few packets of seeds and head outside. Dig in the dirt and get your hands filthy dirty. Playing in dirt will enliven and heighten your senses. What better way to get creative, than to create a beautiful flower garden in your yard?
5. Try something new. If you are a writer, try clay sculpting. If you are a textile artist, try your hand at scrapbooking. Mixing up your creative outlets will stir the pot even more.
Do Something Nice For Someone Else
Posted by: | CommentsI’m sure you’ve heard of the gold rule: Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. This used to be a standard by which many people lived their lives. Today though, it seems like the golden rule is: Do before done unto you.
One of the best things you can do to feel good about yourself is to do something nice for someone else. Watching someone smile, or a tear in the corner of their eye, because of something nice someone else did is wonderful.
Here are some simple ways to make someone’s day. Give them a try:
· Send someone flowers. Flowers don’t have to be expensive or elaborate to make someone’s day. Send a simple bouquet of carnations or a pretty green house plant. Just the simple gesture is sure to put a smile on someone’s face.
· Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Is there an old friend you’ve been thinking about that you haven’t spoken to in a long time? Why not give her a call?
· Hold the door open for someone. A quiet gesture, like holding the door open for someone who has their hands full will really stand out. Everyone is so busy that we often forget these simple acts of kindness.
· Turn off your cell phone. Cell phones have truly disrupted our entire way of living. In the name of “convenience” cell phones are increasingly a menace everywhere you go. The next time you’re in the doctor’s office or having dinner in a restaurant, turn off your cell phone or set it to vibrate. These uninterrupted moments go a long way.
4 Steps to Personal Forgiveness
Posted by: | CommentsSo many people are able to forgive others, but can’t seem to forgive themselves. If you find yourself in this position, why do you find it so hard to forgive yourself? Do you feel unworthy?
If you can forgive others for mistakes they’ve made, then why can’t you forgive yourself? Often times, the reason stems from a deep psychological standpoint. If you’ve done something that you consider to be terrible and you are finding it hard to forgive yourself, there is hope. I want to show you four steps that you can start using today that will help you learn how to forgive yourself.
Step 1: Accept what happened. Do you find it hard to accept the mistake you made? Maybe you’re telling yourself you can’t believe you were so stupid as to make such an awful mistake. You’re not the first to feel this way.
First, you must acknowledge and accept your mistake. Acknowledge it for what it was. You messed up. You made a mistake. But now you can learn from it.
Step 2: Move forward from here. Now that you have acknowledged your mistake, it’s time to move on. How? Stop allowing that mistake to be thrown in your face and played like a guilt card. When you think about it, tell yourself to STOP and immediately change your thought process. Stop dwelling on the past. Live for today.
Step 3: Learn from your mistakes. There is a lesson to be learned in everything. Did you learn from your mistake? If not, then take a few minutes right now to stop and think about it. Why did you make the mistake? What led to it? How could it have been prevented? What can you do NOW to change what happened then?
Step 4: Allow room for future mistakes. Look, nobody’s perfect. We’re all human, all prone to mistakes. To think that you’ll never make another mistake is foolish. You can, however, plan ahead.
You can start by remembering that there is something to be learned in every mistake. If you spoke too harshly and hurt someone’s feelings last month and you can’t seem to forgive yourself for speaking out of turn, I’ll bet you’ll remember that the next time a similar situation arises, before you speak.
Use all your mistakes as stepping stones of learning experiences. Life is a learning process. Grow with it.
5 Things You Can do NOW to Stop Procrastinating
Posted by: | CommentsAre you having trouble following through and seeing your responsibilities through to completion? If you are a chronic procrastinator, there is hope for you. Here are five things you can do today to take action against procrastination in your life:
1. Do the worst thing first. Instead of putting off your to do list for today, start the day by completing the worst task first. You’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment that will propel you to finish the rest of your list.
2. Delegate a few tasks to someone else. This is one of the easiest ways you can combat procrastination. If you keep putting off the same task every week, see if you can give that task to someone else to complete.
3. Get organized. There’s nothing worse than needing something and not knowing where it’s at. And this only feeds into your procrastinating habits. Make it a goal to organize your desk, home, or whatever you need to so that you will stop procrastinating.
4. Create a self-imposed deadline. Deadlines make you feel the pressure. Even when it is self-imposed, just knowing that you have a specific day and time when the task is due will create a greater sense of importance.
5. Create a daily task list. Many times, just knowing what you need to do will get you off to a good start and motivated to continue on. Start by creating a daily task list of what needs to be done. Then take that list and break it down into three sections: morning, afternoon and evening.
Exercises to Boost Your Creativity
Posted by: | CommentsCreativity comes in many forms and fashions. For many, creativity is elusive, seemingly impossible to attain. If you’ve found yourself struggling lately in the creativity department, I have some ways to show you how to boost your creativity.
· Throw away perfectionism. The “P” word is the worst enemy of creativity. Stop trying to do everything perfectly. When you throw out perfectionism, your creativity levels will begin to rise.
· Stop comparing your work to others’. All creative work is equal in and of itself. There is no such thing as someone’s work being better than your own. Each creative person’s work is unique. So stop judging your work next to someone else’s.
· Play with the mind of a child. Have you ever watched a child create something? You’ve probably noticed their lack of inhibition when it comes to the creation process. Children just allow the creation to form on its own, without thinking it through. Take a lesson from that—play with your art as a child would.
· Make a “play” date with another artist friend. Children love play dates with other children. So why not apply this same idea to your art? Invite another artist friend over for a fun afternoon of playing with your art together. Before your play date is over, you’ll both be bouncing creativity off each other.
Boosting your creativity is not hard to do. It merely requires practice and allowing yourself to have fun with your art. Stop thinking of your creative nature as an afterthought and start paying more attention to it.
