Acceptance, Envy and Contentment

One who accepts with patience, that which he cannot change–has learned one secret of victorious living.
Another part of the lesson, is that we can learn to moderate our desires. “Having food and clothing,” says Paul again, “let us be content with these.” Very much of our discontent arises from envy of those who seem to be more favored than ourselves. Many people lose most of the comfort out of their own lot–in coveting the finer, more luxurious things which some neighbor has. Yet if they knew the whole story of the life they envy for its greater prosperity, they probably would not exchange for it their own lowlier life, with its more humble circumstances. Or if they could make the exchange, it is not likely they would find half so much real happiness in the other position, as they would have enjoyed in their own.
Contentment does not dwell so often in palaces–as in the homes of the humble. The real cause of our discontent is not in our circumstances; if it were, a change of circumstances might cure it. It is in ourselves, and wherever we go–we shall carry our discontent heart with us. The only cure which will affect anything–must be the curing of the fever of discontent in us.
A fine secret of contentment, lies in finding and extracting all the pleasure we can get from the things we have–the common, everyday things....In whatever state we are in–we may find therein enough for our need.
(J. R. Miller, “The Hidden Life” 1895)
Taken from http://asacrificeofpraise.wordpress.com/

Choose the Life You Want

Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear and a need for defense)
and risk (for the sake of progrss and growth). Make the growth choice a dozen times a day.
Abraham Maslow

FEAR

Fear is the most toxic of all feelings because of its potential to prevent us from getting things we want. And to make matters worse..often our greatest fear...is the exact thing that we want.
It can be the origin for inaction, immobilization...getting us stuck in a life that goes round and round to nowhere.
The best antidote for fear is perspective...realizing that that which we are afraid of doesn't usually happen.
Affirmations are also helpful along with self-talk and creative visualizations...
Tell yourself- 'I let go of all my fears'
' I face my fears head-on every day.'
' I can do it.____________'
'I know that everything will work out okay for me.'
See yourself DOING it.
Do it....how wonderful you will feel.

Believing In Yourself - Confidence Building
What often stops us from pursuing and succeeding in our chosen passion is ourselves. Out mind gets so cluttered with doubt and self-defeating thoughts that we end up believing them and giving up. This fear and resistance to change is something we all experience and can relate to. There is no magic pill that’ll make these thoughts go away.

Only this advice: practice taking action despite fear and doubt, as often as possible. We are creatures of habit, the more we repeat something, the better we get at it, the more automatic it becomes, and the more natural it feels.

Here are some tips that I have personally found helpful in confidence building:
Take massive action - And doing so often. As much as possible. The more you do this, the less scary it will seem, and the more confident you will feel.

Visualization - Our repeated thoughts (whether conscious or unconscious) create the tracks for the train of our mind to run on. The train ends up looping in a cycle unless we create new tracks for it. Visualization is an effective tool for creating new neural pathways in our brains, thereby introducing new experiences through our imagination. Our brains cannot distinguish between what is happening in reality and what is being vividly imagined. (Shakti Gawain has a great book on the topic if you’d like to learn more.)

Affirmations - Similar to visualization techniques, affirmations create or thicken neural pathways in our brains. It’s effective in replacing negative thought patterns with thoughts more conducive to our wellbeing. Affirmation is simply writing down a positive statement in present tense that includes where you want to be or states qualities of the more wholesome ‘you’ that you would like to embody. Repeat this statement as often and as much as you can. Posting this statement on walls where you’ll see it is also helpful. Examples, “I am an outstanding person. I live in the present moment. I embody love, compassion and kindness towards others.” Or “I am an achiever. I achieve my goals. I live life with passion! I am contributing in massive ways. I am outstanding!” Note: This is not lying to yourself, but rather feeding positive messages to your unconscious mind. We get enough self-defeating thoughts as it is from our ‘ego-ic’ minds. This is just a tool to help us undo some of that.

As you strengthen your beliefs about your skills and continue to perfect your craft, you’ll notice a shift in the way in which people respond to you. They will start to see you as the more wholesome you.

Taken from: www.bspcn.com