Posted by admin on June 30th, 2008 — Posted in Spirituality Tips
Isn’t that an appealing title? How to Have an Effortless Life! Well guess what? The only time your life will be effortless is when you’re buried six feet under.
It takes effort to get results, and not just any effort, it takes smart effort. You cannot expect to achieve anything without doing something. Unfortunately in our society today, people are making an enormous effort to keep themselves busy all day, yet for many they look at what they have done and realised that much of the time had been wasted. They review their day and wonder what they had achieved.
You need to plan, focus and take action on what you want to achieve to get the outcome you desire. You need to get organised!
My Story
Last week I was in a shop trying on a shirt and I asked a lady who was also in the changing rooms how it looked on me. (I don’t bother asking the sales assistant as they usually tell you it looks great regardless of whether it does or not). She thought it looked great and I must confess, I thought so too! Still, being a woman I like to have someone else to confirm it.
Now here’s what I found both flattering and interesting. The lady said “The shirt looks great, I wish I had the same body”. She was referring to my body! That got me excited! That’s the first time someone had said that to me. Mind you this woman was about 15 kg overweight and would probably think that about anyone who was smaller than her.
I replied “Thank you! (and then blurted out in a nice way) However, you could too, just exercise regularly and eat healthily”. I forgot to mention she had an open packet of potato chips in her bag. This lady probably thought I was born this way, one of the lucky ones who could eat and drink anything they wanted and walked occasionally for exercise.
It takes effort
What this lady didn’t know was that every morning I drag myself out of bed at 5.30 a.m. to work out at the local gym. And I do that regardless of how cold or wet it is, how tired I am, whether it’s summer or winter. I pay the price to get the results. I’m also particular about food, trying wherever possible to eat low fat, low sugar food and drink plenty of water.
If there’s an easier alternative, a magic pill which will miraculously keep the weight off, body toned and make me feel great consistently without harming my health, please let me know. Until then, I’ll keep paying the price and making the effort because the results are worth it.
Pay Yourself First
Having read the last couple of paragraphs you might say “why doesn’t she exercise later in the day?”. The reason I don’t is that I am a “morning” person and know that by going to bed earlier and getting up early I can get it over with first thing. Otherwise if I chose to exercise later, chances are circumstances would arise and I’d postpone it.
One of my coaching clients is a runner. He originally rang me because his work and his life was out of control. He runs 20 kms a day and has done so for many years. I asked him how did he manage to religiously run every morning before work yet couldn’t seem to leave the office by 5.30 p.m. each night. He answered “It’s easy to jump out of bed in the morning and run, there’s nothing or no-one able to stop me at that hour (5.30 a.m.). Yet when I’m at work there are too many demands on my time and they seem to always arise late in the day.”
Learn to pay yourself first. Just like George Clason wrote in his book “The Richest Man In Babylon”, take 10% of whatever you earn and pay yourself first. Use it to invest, otherwise there will never be anything left once you pay everything else. And I’m sure many of you can relate to that.
How to Pay Yourself First
You need to make yourself the first priority. Ensure you allow time each and every day to action your own personal agenda.
Here’s a couple of ideas to get you started:
Block out time each day in your diary for your exercise. Eg. Walk at 6.00 a.m. or lunchtime. Plan that first.
Block out time each day to follow up on your personal issues. Eg. Book dental appointment, respond to phone calls, contact bank. Do that early in the day otherwise you’ll run out of time and leave it
Make sure that you stick to it. Learn to say ‘no’ if other people want to make other plans for you during those ‘me’ times. You must take care of yourself first. You have the power to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to other people’s demands on your time. Treat yourself as your no. 1 priority.
The Final Word
When you decide (yes, that right), it’s when you decide to make yourself the highest priority in your life, you’ll find how much easier it is to live your life. When you decide you’re worth it, it will be easy for you to say ‘no’to other people’s demands/requests. Of course, you’ll need to learn how to organise yourself so that you are effective as possible.
Have a great week!
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist, Leading Life Coach and a dynamic presenter. She runs her own business The Office Organiser specialising in working with Small Business Owners and Managers helping them to dramatically improve their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess and have more time for living life! http://www.office-organiser.com.au
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Posted by admin on May 1st, 2008 — Posted in Spirituality Tips
At a recent seminar we were asked to imagine if some football commentators were giving advice to churches about how to increase their attendance. They might suggest the following:
- Charge people $5 to $20 for admission.
- Replace padded pews with hard, backless benches.
- Take off the roof and make the people endure the elementscold, wind, heat, rain, whatever.
- Make the service last more than 3 hours.
- Require that they scream and shout every few minutes.
I guess this comparison of worship assemblies with football games is intended to make us feel guilty about our lack of church attendance. But I wonder if this is really a fair comparison. What advantages does the football game have over the typical worship assembly? What accounts for the difference?
A football game is always a dramatic conflict. It is always clear which side to root for, who is ahead, and which side has won. In a worship assembly the conflict is there; in fact, it’s a much more vital conflict than the clashing line of scrimmage. But this conflict is often hidden. People may be unaware that it even exists. Even more difficult to discern is which team is ahead. And when the assembly is over, who has really won? In a sense, the game is not over then–it just goes on and on.
The most significant difference is in the degree of involvement. Someone has said that in football, thousands badly in need of exercise watch 22 players badly in need of rest. But a worship assembly actually has no spectators. We are all in the game, on one side or the other. If you arrive at an assembly thinking you are a spectator, how differently do you act than if you realize you are a player?
Imagine how many would attend a football game if all were expected to play. It’s your involvement that makes a worship assembly truly meaningful. Get up off the bench and throw yourself into the game!
Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.
Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.
Go to his DeeperStudy.com for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”
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Posted by admin on March 31st, 2008 — Posted in Spirituality Tips
In Corrogue it is frosty.
The earth is hard and unyielding. This reminds me of how our hearts often become. They become cold and we ourselves become frosty. The flow of our energy is blocked. “The soft animal of our body” which is mostly water becomes hard, unmoving and unyielding. Then we enter “times of trouble.”
These words “Times of trouble” are from the beautiful song penned by Paul McCartney entitled “Let it Be.” This song goes as follows:-
“When I find myself in times
of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
“Let it Be.”
Often when we find ourselves in “times of trouble” the last thing we want to do is “let it be.” We want it to be fixed. We want it not to be the way it is right now. We are like Brer Rabbit who fights with the Tar Baby. The more we fight the more entangled we become.
One of the greatest lessons in life is the lesson of “letting it be.” This is a lesson from the energy of the Divine feminine. In this song the energy of the Divine feminine is represented by Mother Mary. It could as well be any other wondrous representation of the Divine feminine. In China it might be Quan Ying. In Ireland it might be St Bridget. In Tibet it might be the Goddess Tara. In all times and all cultures she comes to those in trouble if they are willing to receive her wisdom.
Often in times of trouble we are the ones who create our own trouble.
We have not learned the art of non-attachment. This is a great art. It is a lifetimes practice in the avoidance of suffering. In the West we think non-attachment means non-feeling. Essentially it means focused disinterest. It does not mean you do not care. You can care greatly but be detached from the outcome. Do the best you can do and then “let be” and “let go.”
Detachment allows for love in action.
This is allowing the free flow of the energy of your body to express in the way it needs. Detachment requires trust and deeper trust. It is the surrender of any outcome to the grace of the Beloved. You simply do not get entangled in the way something turns out. In the vast scheme of things how are you to know.
If you worry you attract worry. If you are anxious you attract anxiety. You are a channel for the energy that you put out. We create your own world. We are all fields of energy vibrating in a vast network of eternal energy. This is the eternal energy of love. We call this by the name God, Goddess, or maybe Universal mind. It doesn’t matter what you call it as it is only “what it is.”
Often in “times of trouble” we do not allow the answers to come to us. The heart has hardened and the flow of wisdom of the Divine feminine is blocked. Mother Mary is there waiting. Quan Yin is waiting. The Goddess Tara is there waiting. They are always there waiting. It is part of our journey to “be open.” We learn to “let go” and “let God.”
Our journey in life is to learn to know who we are.
There is a paradox here. We learn to know who we are by knowing who and what we are not. We give up identifying with all that we are not. When we let go of who we think we are the Blessing is here. We stop losing our life’s energy. We stop trying so hard to make what is already alright be all right. We stop losing life by refusing to save “our life.”
Letting it be is an insult to the ego.
It is affronted by the idea that when something is wrong it should not take control. We are simply required to do what we can do without attachment to results. When we trust the universe we are essentially trusting in ourselves. The deeper the trust the deeper the connection to all there is. The deeper the trust the less trouble you will be in.
You begin to know and trust, “What will be will be.” You begin to trust in your ability to co-create. You are as a hollow bamboo and love plays her song through your allowing heart. You become a co-creator of love in action. This is not “your love” but the play of the Beloved through you.
This is wisdom. It is not the wisdom of the ego. Wisdom and ego are separate. Wisdom is. It does not belong to “little me.” It is a free flow of knowing. It is allowing the wisdom of the soft animal of your body to do what it loves.
This wisdom comes from the free flow of energy in the body. It is your body of wisdom that flows freely unfrozen by resentment, bitterness, anger, or hatred. These are the energies that block our life force and cause us to be “not at ease.” Wisdom is the refinement of all these “grosser” forms of energy. The word “gross” in this sense is used by way of description and is not to be considered a judgement.
We often need to express such energies in a safe and caring environment. Such energies are not to be condemned. They are to be given freedom of expression so “the soft animal of your body” can be in balance again. We need to find our personal Mother Mary’s or our personal Soul Friend or Friends who will be before us in our “times of trouble” and allow us to “let it be.”
Their gift to us is non-judgement, non-attachment and non-doing. They sit with your soul. Sometimes they appear fierce because they are not out to flatter your ego but to keep your feet on the path of this journey into love. They teach you the alchemy of transformation. They teach you that you are forever enough. They teach you to “let it be,” “let it go” and “let it God.”
They teach you that the Blessing is already here and that you are it. This requires you to know who you are by giving up your attachment to all you are not. You surrender all you think you are and maybe one time you will be amazed. You will be amazed at how beautiful and wondrous you are beyond the prison of ego.
Tony Cuckson is an Anam Cara. This Celtic term means “Soul Friend.” He specializes in providing insight for the spiritual journey, Blessings for YOU, words of wisdom and finding inner peace. Visitors to Irish Blessings Matter website and Tony’s Blog get the opportunity to develop a purpose driven life through articles, newsletters and other programs.
Get your free report called “7 ways to it’s a wonderful life” at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.com/, or go to Tony`s Blog at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.info/
where you will find links to information related to spiritual guidance, spiritual coaching and spirit in business.
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Posted by admin on March 21st, 2008 — Posted in Spirituality Tips
Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune.
Knocking on someone’s door or making that extra call may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door or call.
For example, a guy says, “I’m digging ditches. Should I love digging ditches?” The answer is, “No, you don’t have to love digging ditches, but if it is your first entry onto the ladder of success, you say, ‘I’m glad somebody gave me the opportunity to dig ditches and I’m going to do it so well, I won’t be here long.’”
You can be inspired by having found something; even though you are making mistakes in the beginning and even though it is a little distasteful taking on a new discipline that you haven’t learned before. You don’t have to love it, you just have to learn to appreciate where you live, appreciate opportunity and appreciate the person who brought you the good news; that found you.
Appreciate the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself, appreciate the person who said, “Hey, if I can do it, you can do it.”
If you will embrace the disciplines associated with the new opportunity you will soon find that your self-confidence starts to grow, that you go from being a skeptic to being a believer. And soon when you go out person to person, talking to people, you will find it to be the most thrilling opportunity in the world.
Every person you meet - what could it be? Unlimited! Maybe a friend for life. The next person could be an open door to retiring. The next person could be a colleague for years to come. It’s big time stuff. And sometimes in the beginning when we are just getting started we don’t always see how big it is.
So, before you are tempted to give up or get discouraged, remember all success is based on long term commitment, faith, discipline, attitude and a few stepping stones along the way. You might not like the stone you are on right now, but it’s sure to be one of the stones that lead to great opportunities in the future.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine.
Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved
worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go to
http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com
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Posted by admin on March 20th, 2008 — Posted in Spirituality Tips
I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult… I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking. ~ Og Mandino
Pick a big dream, a once in a lifetime dream, a song in your heart dream, a gift to mankind dream, a purpose-filling dream. Then run with it and persevere!
Feel gratitude for the time spent developing your talents. The joy is in the journey with its obstacles and surprises. When we reach the peaks on the first horizon, another horizon appears. What then?
Persevere again. Great missions are never achieved; they are lived. They continue to beckon us forward. They need constant tending, and in that tending are many small achievements. Beyond success is fulfillment more rewarding than any physical destination.
We are pulled forward purposely; life continuously seeks expansion. We were made to experience and participate in that joyful, creative flow of living energy. It’s music is vigilance, and we are its dancers.
To persevere is to move in alignment and in harmony with life.
When you feel like your journey is becoming long and difficult, recall these enduring words spoken by John Quincy Adams (1767-1848): “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”
Ask yourself these questions:
What is my personal journey?
What am I firmly committed to accomplishing during my lifetime?
What has stopped me from completing my goals in the past?
What do I need to believe to consistently work toward my goals and develop the habit of perseverance?
What joys do I experience each day while living the purpose I intend to fulfill?
What will I realize when I have completed my ultimate mission?
Whatever the answers, persevere. The God-given gifts inside you will carry you forward!
© Copyright by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular ezine bringing great stories and inspiring thoughts to brighten your day. Find many colorful inspirational nuggets to share with your friends by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com/nuggets/
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