• Become aware of negative thoughts and notice how your negative thinking makes you feel and behave.

• Break the cycle.  Challenge your negative thoughts with a reality check.

• Replace negative thoughts with the positive opposite.

• Use positive thoughts and positive talk every day.

• Say affirmations.  An affirmation is a positive statement, repeated over and over to reinforce the information to your subsconscious mind.  Your subconscious mind cannot differentiate between what is real and what is suggested.  The mind processes affirmations as fact and attempts to actualise the positive suggestions.  Affirmations should always be stated in positive language and in the present tense.  Phrase your affirmations as fact, and as having already happened.  In your mind, experience the desired outcome.

• Use creative visualisation.  Creative visualisation involves seeing yourself reaching your desired outcome.  Imagining something desired as having happened, has the same effect on the brain as when it has actually happened.  Seeing yourself achieving your goal helps to build experience and boosts your confidence.  Set your goal and be specific.  Find a quiet place free of distractions, and make yourself comfortable.  Creatively visualise in great detail, going through the porcess of achieving your goal and being successful.  Visualise colours, smells, sounds etc.  Recognise the feeling of how you would feel having acheived your desired outcome.  Repeat the process often.

• Positive thinking is known to reduce stress, and visualisaiton lifts our mood and self esteem.

• Have an attitude of gratitude.  Being truly grateful for everything that you already have in your life is essential.  Start a gratitude journal and write five things everyday that you are eternally grateful for.  This is a great tool for focusing on the positive aspects in your life.

Have fun tuning into positive thinking. 

Wishing everyone a very happy and holy Easter 2012.

Many people never leave their comfort zone unless forced to do so.  When confronted with a major life change, our routines are shattered and we are then treading unfamiliar waters.  These upheavels can actually result in unexpected positive outcomes.  You will be gaining new experiences, meeting new people and gaining new knowledge and skills, all whilst strengthening different parts of yourself.  Here’s how to take control of the unknown:

Manage your fear: 

Feel the fear, then do it anyway.  Some life experiences can heighten your worst fears.  Fear really just is false evidence appearing real or fantasised events appearing real.  Don’t let worse case scenarios play in your head, replace them with images and thoughts that support and strengthen your goals.  Visualise the outcome that you want to happen. 

Write up a pros and cons (benefits and drawbacks) list:

The more information you have at hand, the better you will feel.  Draw up a pros and cons list relating to making change, this will help to alleviate confusion and evaluate your situation.  You will be satisfying your logical mind by doing this.

Tune into your intuition:

Intuition can help us to push past the familiar and safe.  You know that feeling of knowing you’re meant to do something even if you can’t explain why.  If your decision is taking you out of your comfort zone, then you need to feel confidant that it is the right one.

Build resilience:

Have you ever taken a small risk and then wished you hadn’t?  There are still advantages.  You will be automatically expanding your comfort zone.  This means that even if you find out something doesn’t work, you will know what to do next time.  It gives you a chance to explore what works best for you.

Everything comes to us in divine timing.  As gratitude is a flow of energy, it’s a great idea to have a gratitude journal.  Start by journaling five things that you have been grateful for during the day.  Now this is not rocket science, it could be as simple as being grateful for a beautiful sunny day.  Or if you haven’t had a good day, you could simply be grateful that it’s time to go to bed.  You could even give gratitude in the moment as something happens.  Always affirm gratefully.  I am so happy and grateful that  ……………………………..

Also give gratitude for the challenges and struggles that you face in life as they help you to grow.  Every challenge and struggle is a life lesson.  Find the good within the struggle to move you forward in your life journey.  And to all you lucky readers who still have the gift of your parents, give gratitude every single day that they are still with you.  You will then only need to come up with four other things each day to be grateful for.  Too easy.

Noelene xoxo

There are two days in every week we should not worry about  Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.  One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and care, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains, its smiles and laughter.  Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.  All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.  We cannot undo a single act we performed.  We cannot erase a single word we said, yesterday is gone forever.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.  With its possible adversities or success, its burdens, promises and performances.  Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.  Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendour or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.  Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet to be born.

This just leaves only one day, today.  An person can fight the battles of just one day.  It is only when you and I add the burdens of those awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.  It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.  It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened or did not happen yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may or may not bring.

Let us therefore, live but one day at a time.

MONDAY -  Start with baby steps to avoid overwhelm.  Pick a room and set a timer for just 15 minutes.  You’ll be surprised what you can achieve in such a small amount of time when you work fast and have your mind set on the end result.  Work as fast as you can, cleaning, tidying and sorting.  Once your timer alarms, stop and move on to the next room.  Take a break after every two rooms (1/2 hour).

TUESDAY – This is paperwork sorting day.  Tax documents need to be kept for five years, utility bills such as gas and electricity only need to be kept until the next one arrives with the previous payment on it.  Credit card statements should be shredded to prevent identity theft once you’ve checked the transactions are correct and paid the monthly instalment.  Have a filing system so that everything is easy to find.  Consider steamlining your filing by choosing paperless billing when offered.  Every day spend five minutes sorting and opening your mail and paperwork.

WEDNESDAY – Wardrobe clearing day.  Create two piles.  One to keep and one to sell, swap or donate.  If an item of clothing hasn’t been worn in the past 12 months then it really should be put in the pile to go.  You will probably never wear it again so it is just taking up space.  Never keep clothes that are too small in the hope that one day you’ll loose some weight.  If you do loose weight, you can reward yourself with new clothing.  Rehang and refold your clothing.  Sort by colour or season.

THURSDAY – Handbag and wallet clean out.  File receipts you may need for items purchased.  If a receipt isn’t needed, throw it out.  Place cash notes in order of value and all facing the same way.  Seperate silver and gold coins.  It’s a great idea to save all the coins you have in your purse/wallet at the end of each day.  You’ll be surprised at just how quickly loose change can add up.  Respecting the money you already have is the first step to achieving financial freedom.  Every Thursday can be a wallet and handbag tidy up day.

FRIDAY – Clear out old toiletries and cosmetics and declutter your bathroom.  Throw out everything that is passed it’s use by date, broken, seperated or gluggy.  Remove loose hair from your hair brush.

SATURDAY – Out with the old and in with the new.  Make room for new things to appear in your life by donating items to charity.  You could also have a garage sale to make a few extra dollars, but donating is quicker, easier and makes for good karma.

SUNDAY – Now that your space is becoming clutter free, keep it that way.  Use the one in, one out rule.  If you buy a new dress for example, then donate a dress from your wardrobe to charity.  Every night before bed do a quick tidy up, you’ll feel more energised waking to a tidy environment.

Wishing everyone a very happy St. Valentine’s Day.

It’s better to hang out with people better than yourself who have acheived what you are aiming to acheive.  Choose associates whose behaviour is better than yours, and you will drift in that direction.

- Warren Buffett

Happy Australia Day To Everyone, Enjoy.