Successful Blog

5 Ways to Appreciate Yourself and Enjoy Your Life!

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A Guest Post
by Dia Thabet

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“The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.” ~Sonya Friedman

Self appreciation is an important component for building self esteem and confidence. Appreciating yourself is necessary for your growth in this world as you won’t be able to grow if you think and view yourself negatively.

To learn how to appreciate yourself, follow the 5 steps below:

1. Love yourself

You can not appreciate yourself if you don’t love and value yourself. Loving yourself is not a form of arrogance and narcissism. It is appreciating the gifts that God has given you and the beauties that God has bestowed upon you.

Start today taking 5 minutes a day to express your love for yourself. The more you do this exercise, the more it will become ingrained in you. You can’t ask for a better habit to acquire than loving yourself.

2. Laugh

This is simple, yet people don’t do it often. Make it a habit to laugh every day. Spend time with your children, watch a comedy show, and look at funny pictures. The important is you take action and make laughter a habit in your life.

If you can’t find anything to laugh at, then just fake it. Studies show that even a fake laugh has powerful effects on the individual’s overall well being.

Remember when you laugh, you are showing that you are appreciating your health, hence you will reduce anxiety and stress in your life.

3. Meditate

Taking 15 minutes a day to quiet your mind and thoughts is necessary. Most of the great people who accomplish great goals in life know the importance of meditation; hence they appreciate the art of silencing their thoughts.

Guess what? You are great too and taking those 15 minutes a day to meditate shows that you appreciate inner peace and that you are willing to take the time to clear your thoughts from the negative and harmful thoughts.

4. Exercise

Let’s face it; your body needs to move to stay healthy. Do yoga, aerobics, swim, jog, walk, or join the gym. Find whatever type of exercise you like and enjoy doing and start doing it daily.

5. Talk kindly to yourself

Let me ask you, do you talk to yourself in a kind way? Do you use encouraging and positive words or negative talk? According to studies, more than 80% of people’s self talk is negative. When the majorities make a mistake, instead of looking for the lessons, they start blaming themselves.

Make a decision right now to start talking to yourself in a kind and compassionate way. God has sent you to this earth for a purpose. Know that you are a beautiful person and true gift to the world. Remember, the more appreciation and kindness you show to yourself, the more kindness you will be able to give others.

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”
Kahlil Gibran

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Dia Thabet writes for the coaching site 2 Achieve Your Goals , You can find her on Twitter as @Dia_Thabet

Thanks Dia! Great start to a weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

5 Sure Fire Ways to Motivate Yourself

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A Guest Post by
Farouk Radwan

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We all have goals and tasks that we want to accomplish but unfortunately we don’t always find ourselves motivated to do our tasks or to pursue our goals.

One of the big differences between successful people and those who didn’t succeed yet is the ability of the first group to motivate themselves to work on their goals.

Certainly we all want to be successful and that’s why I decided to write this post to tell you about 5 surefire ways that can help you motivate yourself.

1) Know exactly what you don’t want: Sometimes knowing exactly what you don’t want can motivate you more than knowing what you want. Wanting to be rich will certainly motivate you but not wanting to be poor, miserable, broken, sad or helpless can sometimes motivate you more.

Visualize the worst scenarios that can happen If you didn’t work on your goals can give you a strong motivational boost.

2) Combine both positive and negative motivation: In order not to fall in the trap of negative thinking you must use both positive and negative motivation techniques. Just like you should remind yourself of the negative consequences you should use visualization and images to remind yourself of the amazing feelings you will get when you succeed.

For example if you want to get rich you can hang on the wall above your computer a picture of your dream house or dream car. Each time you will look at them you will get motivated.

3) Don’t wait for the right mood or the right time: Lots of people mistakenly believe that people who are highly motivated always feel good while pursing their goals while the truth is that those who are self motivated have learned how to work even if they feel really bad.

Its not about waiting for a good mood to start but its about learning how to start even if there is no good mood.

4) Use motivational media: No one can underestimate the effect of suggestions we receive from songs, movies, pictures ..etc. If you are getting these suggestions anyways then why not make some of them positive by filtering out the negative media you get subjected to and increasing the positive media you encounter?

5) Lack of knowledge results in lack of motivation: Why would a person who want to do something badly never become motivated to do it? For example I know many people who would die to lose weight but in the same time never try to do it. The reason some people lack motivation is that they don’t know what to do in order to solve their problems, had those people educated themselves about possible solutions they will become motivated to pursue their goals
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Farouk Radwan wrotes for The Ultimate Source for self understanding – 2knowmyself.com You can find him on Facebook as m.farouk.radwan and on Twitter as @2knowmyself

Thanks, Farouk for the motivation on a Friday morning!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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Forget About Your Ship Coming In – Think about the Captain

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For @ChrisCree , @SheilaS , and @BeckyMcCray

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about how often we end up looking and caring in the wrong direction.

A friend is going for a job or a contract and does everything she can to be all that person wants. Then hears “I’m sorry, but you’re just not a great fit for this job.” She’s so involved in that one position that she’s crushed and any other option is a loss.

Another person so needs a sponsor to move his project forward. He puts together what is a most compelling argument. The potential partner, unfortunately, doesn’t have the resources to help. He sees time lost and his inability to convince someone.

Both are waiting for their ship to come in.

Every day I talk to someone who’s got a grand plan for how things will lay out or how things should be, will be, if only that ship comes in. Listening to them talk you can almost see that ship in the distance on the horizon. The hidden assumption is that the ship will come in and pick them up.

That’s the problem, even if that is a ship in the distance, you don’t own it. Who knows where it’s going? Even if it comes in, where it goes is up to the captain.

What if we slightly shift our vision — stop looking at that one ship and starting thinking about a world full of captains?

Sometimes the harbor is filled with ships waiting to take on working staff and paying passengers. Sometimes is not. But one thing’s sure more than most. Some of people who run the ships have gotten to know each other.

It’s the person, not the job or the sponsorship, that my two friends should be tracking … care about the “captain,” not the ship. Lots of folks have reasons to want to ride along with them for some reason. You can’t negotiate your way on board if the right person doesn’t care about you.

If you want a chance at the real opportunity …

Get the “captain” to fall in love with your vision and to believe in its reality. Move the “captain” to feel like a hero and smart for helping you.

You see …

Even if the captain’s ship isn’t going where we’re going, that person still knows a whole network of other “captains.” If we communicate the value of what we’re doing, chances are most captains will start looking for a ship going in our direction.

Care about the captain and not the ship.

How can you shift your vision to the people who can get you where you’re going?

Liz's Signature

Social Media Book List: Interview with Author Joe Heuer aka The Rock and Roll Guru

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. This week I decided to doing something a little different…an interview with one of the authors I have highlighted on my weekly series. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

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Please share with the readers a bit more about you and your background?
I’ve been fortunate to do some really groovy things in my life, from coaching college basketball to writing books and speaking. I’ve always chosen projects to work on and books to write by order of deliciousness…in other words, I base the vast majority of my decisions on what I think will be the most fun. I believe if you always do fun things, there will always be plenty of fun things to do. That’s my personal mantra, as well as my business plan.

It is true, even though you have an immense love for rock and roll, you have never been in a rock band?
I don’t play an instrument and I’ve never been in a band. However, I have been to hundreds of concerts by my favorite rockers.

With your book, #Dream Tweet, it is all about inspiration. What does inspiration mean to you at its core?
According to my rock & roll philosophy, inspiration is a synonym for fun and joy and passion and appreciation. When we’re inspired we’re groovin’ on what we’re doing all the way down to our toes. It’s when we feel most alive and in tune with the universe.

How did you become interested in the rock and roll so much that you made a living out of it?

Rock & Roll has been my muse and my passion since I was a small child. My older brother swears I could sing entire Beatles albums by the time I was four years old, which was in 1965. I also remember him bringing home the early Dylan stuff and between that and the Beatles, the die was cast and I was a rocker. It’s been my constant companion ever since.

Share with the readers about your book, #DreamTweet.
I’m blessed to be living my dream as the Rock and Roll Guru. Seriously, is there a cooler job title in the world? I wanted to share my thought process for living my dream, because it’s not at all complicated. The book is about creating a dream, taking inspired action, having a ton of fun and detaching from the outcome while groovin’ on the journey (the journey of life, not the band Journey).

For those wishing to live their dreams but don’t know where to start, what is your advice?

Focus on what you love to do, and make time to do more of it. Do what you love in the spirit of service with all the joy & passion you can summon. Live in appreciation and be open to opportunity, knowing you can design your life around your passion and dreams, whether that means making it your career or business or hobby or whatever floats your boat.

You are a speaker as well as an author. What advice do you have for those who are beginning a speaking career?

Speak as often as possible and get really good before you start asking to be paid.

What is next for the Rock and Roll Guru?

I’m totally stoked about another book I have coming out next month titled The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty. I’m probably the first person to interpret customer service/customer loyalty in terms of rock & roll. We’re making the ebook available for free at RockandRollGuru.com, and that will be up on the site within the next week. No strings attached. You don’t have to register or give us your email address. Just download the pdf. Of course, if people like it they can also buy a copy of the printed version…or many copies to give as gifts.

My other hugely fun project right now is the Rock & Roll Dictionary. It has been an absolute blast working on this, as I use my Daffynitions approach to explain my favorite rock stars. I’m thinking I might finish it this summer…or not, as the spirit moves me.

Here is a fun question just for fun sake. What is your favorite album?

My favorite album is whatever is on my turntable right now…or what’s in the car stereo…or what I’m listening to on my iPod as I go walking.
How can people stay in touch with you and purchase copies of your book, #DreamTweet?
My Rock & Roll headquarters is RockandRollGuru.com. You can find all my books here or at your favorite online bookstore. For a daily dose of fun you can also follow me at both twitter.com/rockandrollguru and twitter.com/daffynitions

In Business and Life: Books that strive to Motivate and Inspire Us

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

Where Did The Gift Go?

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This week I would like to start off with a book I have read and working with entitled Where Did the Gift Go? by Ricky Roberts III.

I believe we all need inspiration in our lives, sometimes more than others. What I really enjoyed about Ricky’s book is the honesty and devotion to his message throughout the book. He writes about the gifts we each have within us to live our greatest lives and how we can regain these gifts at any time we want.

I would like to share with you a brief excerpt from “Where did the Gift Go?”:

“In this book, I ask, “Where did the Gift Go?”. I say the gift is here, right now, just to be. It’s in the essence of who you are and how you choose to live every moment that you are given. Live your life!
If you were to take ten people on a timeline, chances are they will all fall in different places on it. Naturally
some come in the world at the same time, or leave at the same time, but the chances of them coming and going at the same exact time are unlikely…”
“I, my friend, can tell you the exact moment of one thing, and that is your life, the gift. It is now!”

I see it, even in myself many times, I get going so fast, I don’t slow down long enough to really appreciate the gift of life staring me in the face. Each moment we are here on earth, we can make a difference within ourselves and help others do the same.

If you wish to pick up a copy of Where did the Gift Go? you can pick it up on Amazon.

About Ricky: At the age of seventeen, after being stabbed nine times, Ricky realized a higher calling in his life and has been driven to work that purpose since then. He is devoted to this path of service and is passionate about making a difference wherever he can.

Drive

Now is time for me to showcase a book I have not read but it is on my reading list. This week my choice is Daniel Pink’s latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us.

About the book:
From Daniel H. Pink, the author of the bestselling A Whole New Mind, comes a paradigm-shattering look at what truly motivates us and how we can use that knowledge to work smarter and live better.

Most of us believe that the best way to motivate ourselves and others is with external rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That’s a mistake, Daniel H. Pink says in, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, his provocative and persuasive new book. The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

About Daniel:
I was born on the American east coast. Then I was reared (that’s the word we use) in the American midwest — where I enjoyed a steady diet of team sports, public libraries, and 70s sitcoms. After punching my ticket at a few outposts of what was once called “higher education,” I went to work, got married, and had kids.

If you would like a copy of Drive, go here on Amazon.

Again, I hope you have enjoyed this week’s post of these two books on motivation and inspiration. If you have read either or both of these books, please comment and share with us your thoughts.

Distraction or Opportunity

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It’s summer and I have summer things on my mind.  

Bonfires, camping, the beach, music festivals. picnics, road trips with friends… You get the idea. 

Today I was working away, attempting to “get things done,” as we’re all focused on productivity these days, and I just kept getting distracted. Distracted by invitations, phone calls, cars driving by with windows down, music blaring, people streaming by on their way to the pool. 

beach2I’ve been working on writing this post for two days and my mind just kept drifting. I couldn’t think of anything to write. 

All and all it wasn’t a very productive day. 

I started thinking about it differently when someone on Twitter pointed out that I might not be distracted by summer but distracted by work. 

And you know what? Maybe it isn’t summer. Maybe I just need a break and instead of looking at it as not being productive I can look at it as an opportunity.  

A wise friend I haven’t seen in a while once told me, when I was complaining about not being able to write, that in order to draw from the well you have to make sure it gets filled up. 

She’s a farm girl – she thinks a lot about rain 😉 

I think I’ll call her to see if she would like to go to the beach this weekend. 

I’m going to use that distraction as an opportunity. 

from Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick