Leaving the Country - Seeking Inspiration!

I will not be posting until July 5th as I am leaving the country for a trip to Guatemala and Honduras. During this time I will hopefully taking some great photos to share and also some new perspective on life in general. It's always interesting and beneficial to personal development to immerse yourself into a new culture. Just like in life, it's a matter of understanding how each and every opportunity is a chance to grow and learn something new. So wish me luck! I look forward to continuing the 10 days of discussing some great quotes that I've learned to live by and use as motiviation in my daily life.

The picture is a shot of the island that I will be staying during the latter half of my trip - the Roatan Island.

UPDATE: I've replaced the picture of the island with a shot of someone's home in the colonial town of Antigua in Guatemala. I look forward to sharing more on my experience in Central America.

10 days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 3

Day 3 of discussing a quote that has the potential impact lives on a daily basis. This quote is directly in line with what my father used to tell me as I grew up - that the one thing you can control - day after day - is your attitude.

"Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"

Initial Thoughts: Heard that one before. Is it someone's attitude that is contagious or is it just that some people have the "it" quality of being influential. Attitudes are contagious and extremely important in tackling life's challenges.

Digging Deeper: Your attitude is so important and relevant to your ultimate destination in life. Attitudes, as the quote indicates, drive behavior and are very transparent to those around you. Those who understand that their attitude is something that they can control everyday, from the moment they step foot out of bed, tend to have a more positive outlook on life and of course - tend to be more successful in multiple facets of life.

I've found that it's common for negative attitudes to persist when faced with a problem, and more specifically a problem that you have little experience with handling. Or it's a deep-rooted problem, such as a high level of debt where you may struggle seeing the long-term effect of working harder now to pay off a little more each month. Such situations are ripe for a negative attitude, which lead to negative actions that bring down your ability to directly address the problem, or reach a goal of paying off that debt.

What to Walk Away With: If there are aspects of your life that you do not enjoy, that you dread, that suck, that aren't ideal in your opinion - try inspecting your attitude towards these things that bring down your ultimate level of happiness and fulfillment. Like anything in life, it takes practice and repitition. Continuous reminders will help. Reading books on the subject will keep your mind fresh and ready for new challenges - and more importantly give you new ideas and positive ways to overcome the challenges you are currently facing.

10 days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 2

Day 2 of discussing an impactful quote! I am trying to develop a community of readers by providing some insight into positive thinking and consious living - and the impact those to things can have your life and its overall state of happiness.

"I think, therefore I am"

Initial Thoughts: Here is a very simple quote that simply relates your conscious thoughts to forming who you are in reality - linking your thoughts to reality. We've all heard and said as a child "you are what you eat!" - well the same holds true in life relative to your thoughts - You are what you think!

Digging Deeper: This quote is famous not just because it is simple, but because it is so very true if you believe it. So much of what we do on a daily basis is dependent upon our frame of mind and the overall health of the thoughts that we are processing in our brains. It ties into the importance of brainstorming and visualizing how an important test, big presentation, or a much anticipated date will go in your head before it actually happens. If you are nervous, lack confidence, or don't believe in yourself - well let's just say the chances are slim that this event will go exactly the way that you desire. IF, you visualize the successful outcome of the event and believe in yourself, this hot date or big presentation already has a much better chance of turning out in your favor. Your behavior and overall life circumstances are a direct consequence of the thoughts that you have - because your thoughts are the basis for making decisions.

What to Walk Away With: Knowing that you are in control of your life and the decisions you make is important to understand. A basis of values and principles by which you live your life is a must, but it begins with your frame of mind. On one token - it's turning your way of thinking when something bad happens to you into something that doesn't affect your overall being and character. How do you think - When someone angers you? When someone steals from you? If you feel as though you have been wronged? If you feel like you have been dealt a bad hand? At these potentially negative points in your life, you think and you are responsible for your actions.

The other side of the token is overcoming daily challenges at home, work or elsewhere in your life. It's thinking that you can overcome and succeed - then TELLING yourself how you overcome and succeed while envisioning the end goal coming into fruition.

10 Days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 1

Inspirational quotes can make a difference in a life when taken to heart and thought about beyond the surface.

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." By Leon J. Suenes

Initial Thoughts: At first this quote almost seems a bit harsh - relative to paying the price for your dreams to come true. Is it going to be some sort of miserable experience for me to make my dream come true? Doesn't sound so much like a dream if I gotta pay the price!

Digging Deeper: Upon digestion of the quote, paying the price implies that it's not often that your dream comes true by falling into your lap. Now that would ideal, that would be nice - but it's not reality. What dreams coming true and paying the price have in common is what I like to call hard work, persistence, and a level of determination that surpasses any obstacle in your journey to the end, to your dream.

What to Walk Away With: While many of us dread waking up in the morning to go to work, or tackle that particular day's abundance of what seem to be meaningless, purposeless tasks - many are waking up everyday to live out their dream. Dreams are coming true - literally everyday - all over the country, all over the world. And what these people have in common, is a focused passion that doesn't die off after a week of motivated initiative. It's a continued effort keeping the end goal in mind day in and day out. It's continuously assessing progress relative to short term and long term goals. It's slowing down, paying the price, investing the time, to make those dreams a reality.

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it."

If you can set your mind to something, you can achieve it. It's very similar to my prior post of the great quote, "If you think you can or can't, you're right." Basically, what I take away from this particular quote is to recognize, discover, learn your passion, your dream, and figure out a way to incorporate that into your everyday life. The first step is crucial - recognizing what really makes you happy or what you truly are passionate about. And it's funny because often times you belittle your passion and tell yourself that it's not worth persuing as a dream or a career. Take me for example, I'm not yet living out my "dream" persay, but I understand that it's possible for me to get there.

Once you recognize your passion, you can then, in some way, use that passion to fuel your fire. Begin slow, begin small - and give something a chance to snowball. My father once told me something about time that I will never forget - it's unforgiveable. You can't get it back in any capacity. Today comes and goes, and never comes back. BUT, your actions today, can be used to build something greater, something worthwhile and lasting if you don't let it pass you by.

So maybe take a few minutes everyday, or maybe once a week on Sunday night before the week starts and write down something you can do that week to get a little bit closer to your passion or your dream....

Back to it...

So after posting twice to this blog and dropping it, I'm deciding to commit myself to posting to it once per day. Not only do I feel as though I can contribute something and help out in some way, it is therapeutic for me to write my thoughts on why it is so helpful to keep things in perspective and live consciously as you progress through life. And if my thoughts, or my interpretation of other's thoughts can somehow help or alter someone's frame of mind, someone in need of a new way of thinking to get over a certain challenge in their life, then that's what will make me continue writing.

First off, my air conditioning doesn't work, so I'm sitting here typing, as I sit and exert zero physical energy, just SWEATING. But, not to worry, I'll get over it.

Second, let's get into some real stuff. I was in a Barnes & Noble last week and I picked up the book The 7 Habits of Effective People and started paging through it. Seemed interesting - picked it up from the library. As I first started reading it a very interesting concept was spelled out. Paradigm.

Each and every person views the world through their own individual and unique paradigm. Our views, thoughts, values, opinions, principles are all in direct relation to how exactly we view the world - and our behaviour is a direct result of our paradigm. Think of it this way - each person has their own set of glasses on - and your paradigm acts as your lens, your filter as to how you interpret the world.

Now here's the fun part - we all have flaws and ways we'd like to improve our lives - or ways we think our lives could be better. Most of us know what would make our lives better - "If I could just lose the weight that I've put on over the last two tough years" - or - "If I just spent a little more time on my family, at home, life could be simpler, better".

So a great place to start is to gain a deeper understanding of your own paradigm. Reach beyond your paradigm, your lens, and spend some time viewing the world in a different light.

I'll be posting more. I'm a bit rusty. But better stuff is on the way!!

You only live once.