Love-Hate Holidays Who doesn't love the holidays? Who doesn't hate them at the same time? While everything feels festive, there can also be a lot of commercially-driven falseness to that festiveness too. There are also the beliefs that giving gifts is how to best show you love someone, pigging out is the best way to share your happiness, and drinking up is the best way to ride the high of the season (or deal with avoiding the lows). Self-Love or Selfishness? What's important is staying true to you and continuing to love and care for yourself, even during the holiday season. If you're in the midst of embracing wellness, you may be challenged and pressured by those around you to go off the wellness wagon, "because it's THE HOLIDAYS! Don't be a downer!" It can be so easy to do what you don't want to do over the holidays because of this kind of pressure. How do you avoid confusing self-love with selfishness? First of all, if someone tries to pressure you into eating or drinking something you don't want, or spending money you don't really have on gifts, or participating in any activity that you don't enjoy, then THEY are being selfish by accusing you of selfishiness. It's okay to stay true to you. Those who love you unconditionally will respect your choices. If you are trying to become well, they will want you to be healthy and happy. 3 Tips for Staying True to You 1. Identify what you really WANT to do this season - What foods do you want to eat and not eat? Do you want to drink, and if so, how much and what? What events do you want to go to, anf not go to? Who do you really want to buy gifts for? What is your spending limit overall, and for each person? Who do you want to spend time with? Who do you not want to spend time with? Identifying what you want is the first step to keeping yourself stress-free and well. 2. Focus on what you LOVE about the holidays and find healthy ways to still experience those things - Holidays, like life, shouldn't be about either overindulgence or deprivation. The holidays are a time to celebrate what you love most. Is it the lights? How about taking evening walks around the neighborhood to experience them? Is it the food? Find healthy recipes for your favorite dishes, create them, and share them with your friends and family (without preaching or forcing, just sharing!) Is it the parties? Create a plan for how you can attend a party without sabotaging your goals - maybe it means bringing your own food and drink; maybe it means leaving at a set time so you can get a good night's sleep. 3. Deal with any guilt you feel about putting yourself and your wellness first - Why do you feel that you can't put yourself first? What would happen if you did? Why is your wellness less important than pleasing others? Are you sure others would be upset if you offered new ways of doing things over the holidays, or if you asked that they respect your health goals and personal wishes? When it comes down to it, you are all you've got. Your first and primary relationship is with yourself. And that is true of every person you know. Each person is responsible for themselves, their feelings, their beliefs, their choices and their reactions. Sometimes being true to you can upset others at first, but what should come after their initial reaction to change is respect for your choices and love for you, no matter what. Joy - What the Holidays are All About, Right? Isn't joy and goodwill the whole PURPOSE of the holiday season? If you're traipsing around in Shouldville, how is that joyful? If you give out of "shoulds" and expectations, then it's not authentic. It's sacrificial. Don't sacrifice your wellness just because it's the holidays! Give the best gift you can give to others, and to yourself: a healthy, joyful, authentic you. Melody Larson is a natural weight loss and holistic wellness coach, law of attraction teacher, published author, and successful entrepreneur offering free wellness tips, spiritual growth advice, and healthy vegan and raw food recipes on her site, http://wellandawake.com. Grab her free ebook, 3 Holistic Secrets to Health & Happy Weight Loss, in which she shares her own top personal strategies for losing weight, eating healthy and living happily. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melody_Larson Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7435393

Momentum. In politics, it is called the "Big Mo". In sports, you can feel the energy change after two or three successive outstanding plays. Suddenly one team is running down the escalator while the other team is struggling, trying extra hard and making little progress. How can we get momentum in our life? In business? It is a very subtle feeling. It is difficult to know when we need to try harder and we'll make a break through, when we need to back off and approach it in another way or another time, or when we need to give up and do something else all together. This is where journaling and contemplation help. Turn inward and listen to what the universe is trying to tell you. Listen to your heart instead of your ego. It can be very subtle. If you are having a difficult time hearing the message, try asking out loud, "What do I need to do now? What do I need to do now?" Then sit quietly and meditate. Be confident that the Universe has heard your question and will respond. It may not respond immediately but the Universe will respond. There are so many stories glorifying persevering no matter what happens. According to the Law of Attraction, the most important thing is to get into the Vortex (the Zone, the Flow). If you are not feeling in the Zone on something, do something to get into the Zone before acting. I find meditation, yoga, exercise or just getting out in nature helps me to get into the Zone. Then I can act and feel the flow, feel the momentum. In sports and yoga, deep breathing is critical. Before a pitcher throws a pitch in baseball, he takes a deep breath and tries to get into the Zone. When a basketball player is on the free throw line, he takes a deep breath and visualizes the ball going through the hoop before taking the shot. I love to make lists of things to do. I love to take action. Action begets action. Sometimes taking action is a struggle. That is when I know I am not in the Zone. So then my number one priority is to get into the Zone or the Vortex. Before tackling any action points, I exercise, rest, meditate, sing, dance, walk... get into the Zone. I have a long list of activities that help me to get into the Zone so when I am struggling, I can just find the list and choose an activity. If you don't have such a list, make one now. Ask yourself these questions: - What helps me get into the Zone? - What brings joy into my life? - What makes me feel happy, light, in love with life? - What helps me to get in touch with my own inner Self? With my purpose in life? Here are some of the items from my list: - Exercise, walk, bike, jog, hatha yoga, play basketball, hike, swim - Prayer, meditation, sing, walk in nature, read uplifting books or quotes, contemplation - Listen to uplifting music, watch uplifting videos Make your list now so that you have it the next time you feel like you need to get into the Zone. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Bartos Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7418784

If you want to be really successful in setting and achieving goals, then you need to develop the right habits and mindset that will keep you on track. There are too many habits and details to mention, so let's focus on the main habits that you need for setting and achieving goals. Work Your Tail Off for Setting and Achieving Goals There will be early daybreaks and late nights. You will be spent. You will question why you began in the first place. Yet, you will keep working hard for setting and achieving goals. Remember, there is no single notable person ever who soared to great heights in life without working like a slave. Massive action means performing better, studying more and suffering more than anyone. You have to understand the importance of delayed gratification and own it. Start by nailing down essential tasks, changing your schedule, recording tasks and functions of the day and finding the right people and resources that can assist you. Keep in mind that you have to be as independent as possible to finish more in the long term. Disciplined Consistency and Consistently Disciplined for Setting and Achieving Goals Discipline is what separates the leaders from the followers. If you genuinely want to change your life, if you want to up your game, you must produce even if you are tired, while being excellent each and every time. OK, maybe not totally excellent, but at least be consistently good. Notice I did not say you have to be perfect. Aiming for perfection only slows you down and is often an excuse for procrastination. You have to take action, all the time, every time. Your goal is depending on you. Don't let it down. Discipline and consistency go hand in hand, because discipline breeds consistency. If you keep going, if you aim to complete your everyday tasks, if you keep taking action, you will find it gets easier and easier. Then, something interesting happens. You start to change as a human being. You learn and do new things, and therefore become different by default. You become better. You become more YOU. Proud Graduate of the School of Hard Knocks When working on your goals, you will hit a wall more times than you care to count, perhaps even literally. People close to you may think you have gone demented. You may lose some pals. You may take criticism from people who have given up on life and expect you to give up on yours. The thick skinned individual always prevails in setting and achieving goals. Also learn from your errors and turn these into more productive actions next time. Learn to pick yourself up after each fall and put in double effort to become better. The most successful people, as well as those who truly left a mark in history, are known to have faced big difficulties and resistance before others understood their inner genius that brought about innovation and change the world had never seen. Smile, SMILE Gosh Darnit! I flex my smile muscle many times a day, even when I don't feel like smiling. Why? It helps to get me into a confident state of mind. It is also scientifically proven to work. I read inspirational quotes, watch motivational videos on YouTube and train daily in the act of optimism. Optimism takes practice. Here's a good tip: The next time a problem seems so big and scary that it threatens to swallow you up, fight it with knowledge. Get on the Internet and do research. Slay that dragon by learning its loopholes, it weaknesses and shortcuts. It might help to believe in the powers of the Universal Law of Attraction which draws opportunities toward you just the way you specify to, and in the right intensity as you sought after. Finally, Have Patience Some goals are very big and will take time to accomplish. Break them down into smaller goals. Do not allow yourself to think that some goals are just too huge to be possible. Be specific and set goals that are attainable to your current situation and start working to achieve those. Patience is the partner that silently keeps you going, even when you feel you are about to give up. Sometimes patience is the biggest, but quietest factor in the game of setting and achieving goals. Erlinda Shen is a blogger and writer on a wide variety of subjects. She especially writes for those who want to work from home. For more helpful information like this article, visit http://www.mombeams.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/? Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7412497

The soul is a person's core and self-awareness. It is the main ingredient to find one's true and inner self. Self-awareness contributes a lot in finding the hidden self thus helping in the overall development of a person. Some people think that the soul is one's immortal part that exists before flesh embodiment. For soul-searching, it is very important to know everything about oneself so that even if there are external threats, one can easily overcome them. You must recognize the soul as the body. Knowledge of one's shortcomings and strengths eases the shaping of his personality in a positive sense. Self-awareness contributes in knowing areas that need improvement as it performs the function of linking the soul to an individual's true self. Moreover, it is important to listen to the voice of your mind and soul so that you can relate it to self growth. Inner self can be revealed only when we are able to listen to the voice of the mind as it directs us towards a path that is right and helpful for our personality. This inner voice can be heard when an individual is in solace. The best way to search your body and mind to gain self-development is to meditate peacefully. Meditation has been used since ages as a natural therapy that contributes in healing the soul and thereby infusing higher one's zeal so that he gains confidence and in turn developing his personality. One can meditate in a silent place where no one can disturb. When one is able to concentrate solely on his or her inner self, it helps in knowing the soul's hidden secrets. There are various other methods too that contribute in searching our redemptive self for the development of the self. It includes yoga, acupressure, color therapy, naturopathy and various others. By adopting yoga technique, one is able to gain strength that helps in keeping a fit body and mind. When the soul is pure and free from tension, it automatically leads us towards a bright path so that we can develop ourselves entirely. Having self-confidence is good but it has to be kept in mind that it should not become a trouble in your successful path. One should try to gain maximum knowledge of one's own inner self as it helps in knowing the inner self and soul. Self-control is also very crucial as there are times when people are soaked with rush of emotions and do not find time for soul-searching. So, controlling power should be strong enough to fight the external evil factors so that you can develop the self. Moreover, it is important to have a spiritual self so that our mental level remains calm and free from pessimism. If we will always find faults in particular things, we will develop a negative perception about them and that hampers our mental level growth. So, it is important to have a stable and good mental status so that you can remain satisfied and contented as this will in turn help you to link yourself with your inner self and soul. Finally, to develop a positive approach towards life contributes in soul-searching so as to have a true self that is pure and free from evils. Visit this webpage today to read timeless tips for finding authentic happiness; you have the choice of being a happy person. The author of this article is Faith Kat Fay. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Faith_Kat_Fay Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7402586

The year is almost over. In just a few weeks, we will say goodbye to 2012, and welcome another year. Let me ask you a question. How much did you grow this year? You may have felt that 2012 is not your year. Sure, you still have your job, a family, friends, but in the back of your mind, you think that there is something you're missing. You feel that there is something that needs to develop in you. Personal development or personal growth can mean a lot of things. It can include activities that make you more self-aware, or being able to live to your full potential. Embarking on a journey of personal growth is not easy, and it never ends. There is always something that will distract you, and there is always something that you need to learn. You don't need to be afraid of growing. The great thing about personal growth is that it's focus is you. You don't need to look at how others do it, you simply need to look inside yourself, see the things that need to change, and do something to make that change. If you are not sure how you can do this, here are some tips you can start with. 1 - Raise Your Standards If you feel like your life is in a rut, it's time to stop being contented with where you are now. Mediocrity is not included in personal growth. Know what you want, and keep working towards that goal. If you want that promotion, then do better work than you did before. You may have to sacrifice a bit of your time, but it will be worth it in the end. 2 - Stay Positive There may be times in your journey in life that you will fail. You don't need to be negative about it. See the silver lining in any situation, and turn those stumbling blocks of failure into stepping stones to success. 3 - Know Yourself You know that quote "if you don't stand for anything, you'll fall for anything"? Keep this in mind. Know what you value, and stand up for them. Don't give in to pressure and just believe in yourself. 4 - Invest in yourself The worst place to be is at equilibrium. There is no such thing, when you stop growing you die. Try to learn something new, like a new habit (if you don't know how to cook, this may be the time to take lessons!), or maybe a new language, or Latin dancing! It doesn't matter what you try, just remember to have fun! The next year can be your best year yet if you just take the time to grow. Start on your journey today and get ready for a great year to come! Click here to find out more and get FREE eBook, "How to Increase Confidence in the 7 Main Areas of Life" NOW! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aubrey_D_Bartolome