Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will help you cut through the confusion, push past procrastination and propel you to peak performance.

THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:

"What is stopping me from getting started now?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question at every obstacle, roadblock and dead-end that you come across and you will experience big breakthroughs.


THE TIPS

Close your eyes right now and picture something that you really, really, really want.

Close your eyes again and don't open them until you can clearly picture what you desire.

Once you have a definite picture in your mind ask yourself the question: "What is stopping me from getting started now?"

There will be many different reasons why you aren't getting started, but chances are high they fall into two categories of answers.

One, you will either come up with the answer that you don't know what you want, or two, that you know what you want but don't know how to get it.

If you came to the conclusion that you don't know what you want that is impossible because every human on this planet has hopes, dreams and desires.

Just because up to this point in your life you aren't "consciously" aware of any of your goals doesn't mean that you don't have any.

We all have a purpose on this earth, you wouldn't be here if this wasn't true because the Universe operates on the Law of Cause and Effect.

There is a cause that is deep seeded inside yourself, a unique solution that only you were brought to this planet to express.

Throughout your live your goal whether accepted it or not is to become more like the person outside that you envision inside your mind.

That means, being the quality of person that you and only you know that you are capable of unfolding into.

Sadly somehow along the way though the majority of us become overwhelmed or frustrated with the process and give up growing.

Little do we realize that all the challenges were put in the way on purpose, to create the value of achievement and accomplishment.

In fact, if you were able to instantly manifest your biggest goals, wildest dreams and ultimate desires then those targets wouldn't be very valuable.

When there is no risk then there is no challenge, and when there is no challenge it equals a very poor payoff.

This is because when you achieve a worthy goal you are rewarded by the chemicals produced in your brain that make you feel happy, content, fulfilled.

Therefore, every hope, dream, desire and goal must have an inherent degree of risk associated with accomplishing it.

The bigger the perceived reward the more risk and challenges those courageous and brave are willing to go through to make it happen.

The next time you are faced with a challenging goal or project ask yourself:

"What is stopping me from getting started now?"

Have you given up on your hopes and dreams because of a story that you have been telling yourself?

We tell ourselves stories that usually start with I would love to____________ and then end with "if only", "but because" or "but I can't".

We tend to re-enforce and justify these fictitious stories with real life emotional examples and experiences that tell us we are right about giving up.

Consequently these stories separate you from your true desires and continue to keep you playing small.

If you have conclusive evidence, experience and examples of why your story is "true" why not take a brief moment to only pretend for a moment that it wasn't.

If the story you've been telling yourself has not been true then ask yourself: "What is stopping me from getting started now?"

The bottom-line basic truth whether you like it or not is that nothing is stopping you from getting started right this moment except yourself.

Even if you cannot complete the full task you can certainly move confidently in the direction of your dreams and desires inch-by-inch.

List everything that needs to be done, break the tasks down into more manageable chunks and then tackle the most important ones first.

When it comes to accomplishing anything, achievement expert Brian Tracy says "by the yard it is hard but inch-by-inch it's a cinch"

Therefore the most important skill in manifesting your dream life is learning how to get out of your own way and just get started.


THE SECRET

Deep down everybody wants to feel worthy, deserving, loved and lovable.

Each member wants to contribute to causes that are close to their heart and be respected in the lives of loved ones.

Have you ever stopped to think how is it that we can end up so far away from these goals? What truly stops us from doing what we want to do?

Asking "What is stopping me from getting started now?" will uncover any areas that you might need to work on.

Once you find out what is stopping you from getting started you must focus all your time and energy into solving it.

If you are procrastinating, confused, or feeling alone, then realize that you are completely normal and that we all do it out of fear.

Fear is something that we all experience and is the number one block that stops us from getting what we want.

Some common examples are fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown and even fear of looking foolish.

However if fear is what we all have in common then what separates the top-performers from the under-achievers must be their ability to deal with and overcome fear.

From now on whenever you start to feel the fear holding you back, then you should immediately regard it as a sign you must forge ahead.

Whenever you reach a barrier to your success you must not give up and instead learn how to climb over the wall.

We tend to think that nobody has ever experienced anything quite like the challenges we personally have been through.

However consider that despite your physical structure and experiences being unique, you have the exact same physical and mental capacities that anybody else had in history.

You were born with the same problem solving prowess that people like Galileo and Gandhi, Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon Hill had.

Think about that for a moment, no one ever knew for sure how to achieve any of the great accomplishment in the history of the world.

Sir Edmund Hillary didn't have a "Climbing Mount Everest For Dummies" to guide him step-by-step up to the summit.

No one "knew" how to get to the moon, it was something so monumental that it had truly never been done before.

The truth is that your problem, even if your problem is figuring out exactly what your problem is, has most likely already been solved by somebody else.

That is why 12-step programs like Al-Anon are so popular, simply because they show people that they are not alone with their problems.

A great idea is to find a friend who has experienced something similar, a mentor you look up to, or a coach that can act as an unbiased mirror.

With a success team in place and armed with all the ability you'll ever need, trust yourself to come up with the answers when you ask yourself:

"What is stopping me from getting started now?"

Monday Motivating Mindset

Happy Monday Habit Renovators,


Here is your Monday Motivating Mindset, use it to Renovate unwanted habits and build the dream lifestyle you imagine!


THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will reveal the true path to your inner joy and happiness.


THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:

"Does this feel effortless?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question every conscious moment that you are awake and the path to true joy will be revealed.


THE TIPS

The moment that you open your eyes in the morning tomorrow ask yourself the question:

"Does this feel effortless?"

If you aren't quite sure what "effort" might be required for you just to "wake up", let us consider a few things:

The adult body is made up of 100 trillion cells that each play an important part in coordinating the functions of your 206 bones, 600 muscles and 22 internal organs.


To do the simple act of waking up in the morning the above body parts are regulated by over ten independent but related systems!

Circulatory System (heart, blood, vessels)
Respiratory System (nose, trachea, lungs)
Immune System (many types of protein, cells, organs, tissues)
Skeletal System (bones)
Excretory System (lungs, large intestine, kidneys)
Urinary System (bladder, kidneys)
Muscular System (muscles)
Endocrine System (glands)
Digestive System (mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines)
Nervous System (brain, spinal cord, nerves)
Reproductive System (male and female reproductive organs)

Every day that you wake up all of your many systems and trillions of cells are functioning to provide you with an opportunity to continue to experience life.

Right now your heart is pumping blood in and around to your most vital organs, like supplying oxygen to your brain so you can process these words.

You are blinking and breathing without hesitation or chances are even being aware of it.

Isn't it amazing to think that this is all happening simultaneously without you even noticing?

If you happen to be experiencing pain, consider it as nature way to point out clues of any unbalanced systems.

Disease is natures built-in system that warns us if you are not living life effortlessly.

Bob Proctor, the Canadian version of Tony Robbin's recently pointed that disease is simply a lack of ease.

He went on to say that when your body is not comfortable, not in it's natural state of ease, then dis-ease would become present.

Now relate that back to today's mindset question: "Does this feel effortless?"

It is your sole and soul responsibility in life to do your best to ensure that your moments, minutes and hours feel effortless.

If you do that then it will equate to your days, weeks, months and years also being filled with happiness and joy.

It is also important to note that if the years of your life feel effortless then there will be no opportunity for the body to be in dis-ease.

Ask yourself "Does this feel effortless?" as many times as possible to ensure you are on the right path.


THE SECRET

Ok, you might be thinking that the easy part is knowing the question "Does this feel effortless?".

The hard part you may argue will come the next time that you are in the middle of an argument or disagreement.

So what do you do when you are just not feeling all that effortless?

Before the answer is revealed, consider the logic behind the answer first...

The answer to this problem most also be easy if everything is meant to be effortless right?

Well thankfully the solution is really that simple.

All you have to do when you are feeling full of effort is find a way to let go of the effort.

Effort is the result of a belief system, an attachment that you have about the way something should be.

So if you are upset because something isn't the way it should be, then the sooner you realize the truth and let go the better.

Here's a clue, if something isn't the way that it should be, it is only because it has to be the way that it is.

Now, you can postulate reasons and provide justification as to why your case is special but the bottom line is that it's just an excuse.

When you adopt this perspective then you begin to see that effort is essentially just the "mental resistance" you feel towards the work that you do in life.

When you are living your purpose and expressing your passion it feels effortless and there is no mental resistance about the work that is being done.

If you feel like the work that you do is effort-full, then the solution is to simply find a way to change what you do, where you do it, or how you do it.

Make sure that you follow your heart, do what you love and love what you do because the rest of life will naturally fall into place.

When you feel like you are fighting upstream in life and it is full of effort, ask yourself "Does this feel effortless?" to remind you where your attention should be focused.

The biggest gain that you can make is by letting go of the belief systems that cause you the most effort.

Belief systems are just like any of the 11 systems your body uses, except that your belief system is the conduit of information.

Information systems are passed down and learned from what you see, what is modelled, and what you experience that reinforces those beliefs.

Beliefs are structures of the mind that tell us what we should or shouldn't experience, which is a problem for a society with so many limiting beliefs.

Your beliefs dictate your thoughts which influence your feelings which motivate your actions which ultimately produce your results.

Can you recognize any beliefs or belief systems that effect your experiences and make them seemingly full of work and effort?

The feeling of extra work and effort may be a clue that points towards a belief system that doesn't serve your best interests.

A belief system that serves your best interest is one that most effectively and efficiently produces the desired result.

When it comes to beliefs, they should be constantly evolving like nature does.

That means there's only one rule when it comes to beliefs: "Just because it was so, doesn't make it so".

Apply that sentence to the part of you life that is not allowing you to feel effortless and you will feel lighter.

This is because you will eventually realize that just because someone was nice doesn't mean that they will never be rude, just because someones rude doesn't mean the can't be nice.

Everything and everyone is in a constant state of change, therefore if your beliefs are rigid and you attach yourself to them then you will go against the natural flow of the universe.

Whatever you believe, it should be taken in the consideration that there are at best assumptions that could change any moment.

After all, why wouldn't you want to stop working long and hard in favor of doing it smarter and faster?

When you are doing things smarter and faster then you are likely experiencing more happiness and joy.

You can start to increase happiness and joy by asking yourself "Does this feel effortless?"

If the answer is no, listen carefully and a simple answer to act upon will reveal itself.

Use this tool to renovate your habits and life the life you always imagined!

Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will unveil the truth behind your behaviour and set you free from the invisible prison you might be living in.


THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:

"Am I willing to accept this set-point?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question before as many thoughts, feelings or activities as you can and you'll gain invaluable insight into your behaviour.


THE TIPS

You may or may not have heard the term "set-point" before, perhaps in the context concerning weight loss.

According to Merriams-Webster online dictionary a set-point is defined as: the level or point at which a variable physiological state (as body temperature or weight) tends to stabilize.

When you are young and still growing your weight increases accordingly, until you reach the point in which your weight stabilizes and tops out.

From this set-point you are likely to fluctuate up and down in small amounts say about 5-10lbs pounds.

Chances are high that you have been around the same weight for as long as you can remember right?

No matter how hard you consciously exercise and diet to achieve your "ideal" weight, your set-point regulates and governs your "actual" weight.

Your set-point should be the prime suspect for the yo-yo'ing because over time it will do whatever it takes to get back to its comfort zone.

Just like a thermostat in a house your set-point runs independent of the temperature outside, it only can regulate it inside.

So if you are in the middle of winter and turn your thermostat off, it has no idea that your house will be freezing, it's just listening to your command.

Similarly set-points don't always act in our best interest.

The nature of your set point is regulatory and isn't necessarily in-line with the natural growth instinct and ideals of your higher-self.

Therefore it is your set-point and not your higher-self that will attempt to foil even your most earnest efforts.

If you want to be warm in winter but your thermostat is shut off, then you'll probably freeze despite your best efforts to heat your house with matches, stove, gas, candles, hot water etc...

If left unchecked a set-point could keep you playing small, satisfied with the status quo and have you settle for a life of mediocrity.

So how do you end this vicious cycle of set-point self-sabotage?

For starters, by asking yourself, "Am I willing to accept this set-point?"

Nothing happens without reason, everything has an input and an output.

If you are not willing to accept your current set-point then you must be willing to change your cause.

You must be ready, willing and able to change your cause or input if you expect a different output or result.

Another question you might want to follow up with initially is "how has this set-point" contributed to bettering my being?

A set-point will either have a positive or a negative effect on your energy, vibrations and feelings.

Does the set-point reflect balance, harmony, truth, joy or moderation?

Does it feel happy, natural and in the flow?

Write down all the positive and negative outputs that have resulted from that set-point.

Once you have written them down take a look at your inputs and outputs and ask yourself "Am I willing to accept this set-point?"

One of the most empowering realizations that you can have is experiencing the fact that you actually can change your set-point.


THE SECRET

When it comes a set-point there are many more than just the one that influences your weight.

If you aren't sure if or how set-points affect you just take look in your physical world for clues.

Your set-point will tend to surface and show up in the physical world whenever energy and attention are added to the equation.

Your physical world reflects most of your set-points, although not every set-point will necessary surface or be easy to identify.

For example it is nearly impossible 100% accurately distinguish between an introvert and an extrovert based solely on exterior clues.

However, one thing that's for certain is behind each one of your behaviours is a set-point.

Your set-point controls and influences your choices based on your self-image and beliefs.

Do you continually measure your self, or self-image, against others?

Do you believe yourself to be inferior or superior to other people?

Neither efforts are beneficial because they are both merely illusions.

You cannot compare yourself to others because you cannot be them, it's like comparing the growth of an apple to an orange.

The most qualified person capable of being the very best person you can be is naturally only you.

Therefore the other measuring stick to truthfully hold yourself up to is against your higher self.

Ask yourself "Am I willing to accept this set-point?" in regards to living your highest vision.

Are you doing, creating, loving or behaving to the level in which you are truly capable?

Are you continually finding new ways to grow and become more like your higher-self?

Do you feel that when it comes to your life that you have a lot of choices and options?

Your choices and options are reflected by the amount of money and degree of freedom you experience.

If you don't feel you have a lot of money, freedom, options or choices then you probably aren't stretching your set-points regularly.

That's because the more that you raise and challenge your set-points the more options and choices you will earn as a result.

You are either conscious or subconscious in regards to each one of your set-points.

Only when you become consciously aware of an incompetency can you then strive to become more competent.

As you become more competent and confident in your set-points your performance will get better.

As you perform better over time you will become unconsciously competent of that specific task, technique, or trait.

Then you can free up your time and mental energy to focus on the next set-point of interest.

As you work through these set-points record them on paper or a journal, it will prove helpful later as a reference and reminder.

To start a new journey of inner growth and change ask yourself, "Am I willing to accept this set-point?"

Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will help frame the ongoing information in your life into a context from which you can be successful.


THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:

"How does this information relate to my life?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question and it will help you get clear on what matters, what affects you and what you should do about it.


THE TIPS

Information happens.

Humans are constantly bombarded by information whether we like it or not.

We get our information from the sources that are closest to us, such as friends and family members, acquaintances and loved ones.

On top of the information that we choose to listen to, we are also exposed to messages from various media such as news, radio, television and the Internet.

But just because information happens, doesn't make all information beneficial or essential.

Your duty in life is to learn how to disregard all non-essential numbers such as age, weight and height while keeping the important information in front of you.

The next time you are in front of a statistic or a story ask yourself "How does this information relate to my life?"

The next time you hear a far-fetched story don't discount it as simply nonsense, investigate it first.

A good way to determine whether it's fact or fiction is to first trust the source and then verify the facts by asking:

"How does this information relate to my life?"

This is a great habit to get into because it helps filter the ever-increasing amount of new information that continually comes into our lives.

When it comes to information there is neither good or bad information, only information that is beneficial and not beneficial, essential and non-essential.

The helpful information comes in the form of the new scientific discoveries, brilliant ideas, technological innovations and medical breakthroughs.

The unhelpful information comes in many forms such as negative gossip, pessimistic prejudice, biased rumours and unrealistic expectations.

The problem that the majority of us have is sifting out the gold nuggets of truth without experiencing information overload.

For example, you meet an old friend who happens to be a seller for the "latest and greatest" energy health drink.

If you are like the majority of people you would have already turned, said good-bye to your friend and ran the opposite way.

However, although you may run like Forrest Gump to avoid being caught in these situations does your avoidance answer this one question...

What if that person really did have the previously undiscovered cure for your ailments? Don't you owe it too yourself to find out?

But how do you avoid being "sold", and ending up with useless stuff that you'll never need?

Asking yourself "How does this relate to my life?" will help you sort through the clutter of meaningless and find the meaningful.

Make it a point to only accept complete information that will make you decisively richer, wiser or smarter.

Find and filter information that will allow you to work less and get more done so you can spend more time with loved ones.

Your purpose, as the conscious being responsible for your life, is to seek out and pass along only the best information that will inspire, educate and entertain.

Asking yourself "How does this information relate to my life?" is a great way to determine if the information is helpful or not.


THE SECRET

Start asking yourself "How does this relate to my life?" and you will begin to better recognize whether or not the information could be beneficial.

Asking the following three questions whenever something new comes to your attention will immediately help you establish relevance:

1. What is it?

2. How does it affect me?

3. What should I do about it?

If for instance you hear about a great new cell phone, your next question should relate to how it affects you.

i.e. clearer reception, longer battery life, qwerty keyboard... How if at all does each one affect you?

Lastly, the question you need to ask is "What should I do about it?" in order to find your next action step.

Perhaps there is a sale coming up that you want to make note of, or maybe you need to wait a few months til your existing plan ends.

The goal is to drive your information from fuzzy and vague to definite and decisive knowledge that you can take action on.

Let's take a look at the whole process using the energy drink example mentioned earlier.

The first question to ask yourself is "How does this relate to my life?"

Suppose you are looking to lose that "last 10 pounds" and since you are open to new ideas you have decided to listen and obtain more information.

In order to keep the information relevant to your needs and avoid buying something that you don't need, ask yourself the 3 follow-up questions.

These questions will help to further establish whether it is relevant and allow you to be better informed to make a decision.

1. What is it? - Your friend might answer that it is the top of the line, best of the best, ProductXYZ patented with Substance123.

Since this really doesn't give you the type of information you need to make an educated decision, continue on with question #2.

2. How does it affect me? - Your friend says that ProductXYZ is specifically for people like you, and offers a testimonial of someone similar.

Now you have more evidence that this might work for you, but still, you aren't sure what kind of commitment you might have to make, so continue on to question #3.

3. What should I do about it? - Your friend explains that you can buy a trial bottle and they'll call you in a week, if you happen to like it you can buy more then.

Now you are more informed than if you would have walked away in the beginning, and more educated than had you bought without asking these questions.

Other potentially helpful questions that you could ask in a situation like this are:

"What are the alternatives to ProductXYZ?"

"So this Substance123 that makes ProductXYZ so great, what makes Substance123 so different from the competitors?

"What happens if I don't do anything about it?"

Always remember, the details behind a persons answers are less important than the inherently feeling you will get.

Does this new information that the person is offering make you better informed?

Does it feel like it is truthful, does it feel like this is right for you?

Call it your gut instinct or intuition, but if you trust yourself to "feel" the truth, then the truth will speak for itself.

Again, one of the primary questions to ask yourself when seeking the truth is "How does this information relate to my life?"

The better that the questions are that you learn to ask translates into the better answers that you will receive in return.

The better answers that you obtain means the more informed your decision will be.

The more information behind your decision also equates to the more comfortable you will be making them.

The more comfortable you are with dealing with new information the better you will be able to make use of it.

The better informed decisions that you make the more you will also learn tips, tools and techniques that can help others.

The more you help others reach their goals and dreams the faster that you will reach yours.

When you find good information that can make a difference, acknowledge your blessings and cherish it for all it's worth.

Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will help you strengthen the currency of your creations, that of course being your thoughts.


THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:
"What can I control?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question whenever you feel like you are losing control and the promise is you will be uplifted to new possibilities.


THE TIPS

Believe this or not, that majority of us have days that we wished we never would have woke up.

It doesn't matter if you are young, old, rich or poor, spiritual, not religious or in-between, lifes' bumps happen to the best of us.

The next time you think you are having one of those days, ask yourself "What can I control?" to bump yourself back in the game.

First and foremost you must take a look at where the apparent control of the situation is placed.

Are you putting control of the situation in your court, with the empowered desire to move forward through the situation positively and grow?

Or... are you putting control of the situation outside yourself, with the dis-empowered desire to do anything productive or positive?

Real productivity and true growth happen as a result of realizing the degree of control you have.

The more you recognize your own relationship with control, the more you can produce the personal power needed to realize your goals and dreams.

The more goals and dreams that are realized the more that you in turn grow as a person.

Therefore, if you have a great relationship with control then naturally you will grow faster.

However, if you have a poor relationship with controlling yourself in situations then naturally you will struggle more.

Ask yourself "What can I control?" to ensure you are not playing the blame game or justifying your reaction.

For example you are playing the blame game if something upsetting occurs and you immediately react to the situation and accuse others involvement.

Blame holds you back from moving forward, hinders your ability to find a true solution and puts the power in somebody else's hands.

You simply cannot control the actions of others and if you thought you could, it is your fault for being misguided, mislead, or mistaken.

When you are faced with adversity, which is a natures best teacher, it is better to reframe than to justify or blame.

The sooner you adjust incorrect assumptions about control the quicker you can reclaim your power.

The next time you feel like you about to lose it, ask yourself "What can I control?" to figure out where your energy and attention is best spent.



THE SECRET

Control is something that you can never lose no matter how much you give it away.

Take time to practice asking yourself the question "What can I control?" and you will eventually come up with only one answer.

The only thing for certain in any given situation is that you always have control over your attitude.

Your attitude is controlled by your beliefs.

Beliefs are the stories we tell ourselves and assumptions we make about ourselves about others in the world and about how we expect things to be.

We get our beliefs as a by-product of living, they almost happen without much conscious effort in making them.

They were usually something that was witnessed, modelled, or experienced by you when you were younger.

Chances are great that you learned many of them from your primary caregiver, which for most of us is your mother.

Beliefs are like software programs on your computer, written in specific languages designed for different purposes and processes.

The belief programs themselves, just like circumstances and situations are in real life are neither good or bad.

However, these beliefs programs either move you forward or hold you back, help you or hinder you.

How can you tell if you have any belief systems that fall into the category above?

Easy, are you feeling bliss, joy, happiness, love, fulfillment or any positive emotions?

If not, and you are experiencing negative emotions like, guilt, anger, pain, shame or suffering then there is definitely a bad program in your beliefs.

Most of these negative emotions come from having attachments to certain outcomes and situations.

When we feel that the outcome or situation is not in our control then we tend to worry.

If you can control something in a situation then you don't need to worry about it because you can do something about it.

If you can't control something in a situation then you don't need to worry about it because you can't do anything about it.

Worrying about what you can and cannot control is a genuine waste of your precious time.

Each moment and every second the only goal you should be focused on is finding the best way to move forward in your life.

Once you find the area of control that will make the biggest impact towards your desired outcome then focus all of your time and creative energy on it.

The next time you don't like a particular set of circumstances remember that your ability to choose the next best course of action is solely yours.

If you are reacting emotionally to a situation then you are definitely not building your ability to respond.

A great tool to help you develop response-ability and gain new possibilities is to ask yourself "What can I control?"

Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

This weeks Motivating Mindset will help you to not take people, situations and circumstances so personally.


THE CHALLENGE

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:
"How does my personality factor into this situation?"


THE PROMISE

Ask yourself this question and you will get up close and personal with the less desirable effects of your personality.


THE TIPS

If you're human and alive (which you automatically qualify for if you are reading this right now) then it is very likely that you've taken something too personal.

Have you ever been guilty of getting too emotional or over-excited in situations?

Have you allowed yourself to become upset or disappointed when things didn't work out?

Have you ever let other peoples opinions about you affect you for longer than you would like?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions then you are guilty of taking something way too personally.

Here is one strategy for effectively working through your thought process when things aren't feeling all that fun.

The next time you're feeling negative or upset about something, ask yourself "how does my personality factor into this?"

With practice this question will help you think about putting yourself in other peoples shoes which is an invaluable leadership and communication tool.

Teaching yourself to learn to appreciate other peoples perspectives will improve every relationship you have and attract more quality people into your life.

Type "6 men elephant" into a search engine like Google and read the parable that you find.

It is a great story that clearly demonstrates how everyone perceives things differently and yet there are still elements of truth in each of the various views.

The elements of truth that we live our life by is more commonly referred to as your personality.

If you are a person then you have a personality.

Personality is the pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique.

Your personality is the collection of systems that governs your attitudes, assumptions and actions.

Simply stated, your personality is a filter in which you see the world.

Both consciously and unconsciously your personality guides and navigates you through life.

No matter who you are or what your personality is there is always room for growth.

Personalities themselves are not right and they are not wrong.

They can however either be helpful, as in moving you towards the direction of your goals and dreams, or they can be unsupportive and not helpful.

Learning more about your thoughts, traits and tendencies will help you quickly strengthen personality areas that work and avoid areas altogether that don't.

While most of psychology deals with general principles of thought and behavior that all people have in common, personality psychology examines what makes people different from each other.

Many theories have been proposed over the years to explain how personality develops and is expressed. Some of the major approaches include:

Psycho-dynamic theories, Behaviorist theories, Biological theories, Trait theories and Type theories.

Every theory has its own personality tests and each one can potentially provide important insights into your operating system.

If you wish to have your own personality assessed, there are several ways to do so.

Although there are companies that will charge money to have a valid test performed and scored, most Universities are always in need of volunteers for psychology research.

Personality psychology is obviously a strong area to start with, however keep in mind areas like social psychology, clinical psychology, and cognitive psychology also frequently employ personality tests.

Some researchers will offer to divulge personality test results in exchange for volunteering. Even if this is not offered, it can never hurt to ask for your results.

Another way for you to get started in search of your personality is by searching online for a personality test.

A few of the more recognized personality tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, DISC Assessment, The Enneagram, and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory.

Your challenge is to take one of the above tests as soon as possible and find out more about yourself and how you tend to react/respond in situations.

Play with these tests and your personality, explore and experiment with as many tests as you can.

When life seems to get the best of your day ask yourself "how does my personality factor into this?" to uncover clues as to where and how you can grow next.


THE SECRET

In order for you avoid taken something personally means that you must be able remove yourself from the elements of the situation that affect your person.

Therefore in order to detach yourself from your personality you must first come to one important realization... You are not your personality!

Is it that surprising to hear that you are not your personality? It shouldn't be.

Think back to the difference in your personality at least every decade of your life.

Experts suggest that human beings change personality as often as every 4 to 5 years.

Your personality is a sum of the preferences that you have developed as a result of the social, cultural, economic and environmental influences in your life.

Over time this sum changes as some influences seem to lose their power and new other factors start to impact your life.

Think back if you can remember to what you liked and disliked when you were 5 years old.

Now consider the same for when you were 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc.?

Were your likes and dislikes the same when you were 10 years old as they are now? Probably not.

Maybe your favorite color is still the same but things like your favorite hairstyle and fashion sense have hopefully changed over the years.

In fact, most of the opinions that you used to define yourself decades ago are long left behind or have at least evolved as you've gotten older haven't they?

Are you still not convinced that you are not your personality?

Close your eyes for a moment (wait... after you read this paragraph!).

Now that your eyes are open direct your attention to the last thought you had.

When you took notice of that thought that just came into your head. Who noticed it?

Does the being that noticed your thought show up on a x-ray or brain scan?

Or was it a being that cannot be defined by machines or words but is with you and inside you all the time?

Can this being be defined by the field of work its employed or by the type of clothes it wears?

Here's a hint... you are not what you do and you are not what you have. You are also not your thoughts.

All of those things are all temporary, fleeting, impermanent.

If your preferences and opinions about something can cease, change and evolve over time without effecting you then your personality cannot be everything you are.

Instead what you are is a part of this magical life in constant change. You are the change.

You are a work of beauty in-progress, a magnificent masterpiece in the making, a spark of God's light disguised as a separate entity.

You may have had the privilege of experiencing your true being with more purity and clarity if you have done any psychological and/or spiritual work on yourself.

Keep in mind that while personality is the place where inner growth and learning must begin, after you become an observer of your personality then it's time to move on.

It is even wonderful to love your personality but in the end your personality is just a tool, a means to an end.

As the engineer of your life it is up to you to determine the best way to use the tools that you've been given.

Ask yourself ""how does my personality factor into this?" to practice becoming more like the person you truly want to be.