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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Steps on Acquiring A Healthy Mindset

Having a healthy mindset is a very important tool in achieving success. Here are the steps on how to acquire a healthy mindset:

1. Learn to hear your negative mindset voice. Your negative mindset voice might say these things:

As you approach a challenge, that voice might say to you “Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don’t have the talent.” “What if you fail—you’ll be a failure” “People will laugh at you for thinking you had talent.” “If you don’t try, you can protect yourself and keep your dignity.”

As you hit a setback, the voice might say, “This would have been a snap if you really had talent.” “You see, I told you it was a risk. Now you’ve gone and shown the world how limited you are.” “ It’s not too late to back out, make excuses, and try to regain your dignity.”

As you face criticism, you might hear yourself say, “It’s not my fault. It was something or someone else’s fault.” You might feel yourself getting angry at the person who is giving you feedback. “Who do they think they are? I’ll put them in their place.” The other person might be giving you specific, constructive feedback, but you might be hearing them say “I’m really disappointed in you. I thought you were capable but now I see you’re not.”

-http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html

2. Be aware that you have a choice.

How you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism is your choice. You can interpret them in a fixed mindset as signs that your fixed talents or abilities are lacking. Or you can interpret them in a growth mindset as signs that you need to ramp up your strategies and effort, stretch yourself, and expand your abilities. It’s up to you.

So as you face challenges, setbacks, and criticism, listen to the fixed mindset voice.
-http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html

3. Talk back to it with a positive mindset voice.

As you approach a challenge:

THE FIXED-MINDSET says “Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don’t have the talent.”

THE GROWTH-MINDSET answers, “I’m not sure I can do it now, but I think I can learn to with time and effort.”

FIXED MINDSET: “What if you fail—you’ll be a failure”

GROWTH MINDSET: “Most successful people had failures along the way.”

FIXED MINDSET: “If you don’t try, you can protect yourself and keep your dignity.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “If I don’t try, I automatically fail. Where’s the dignity in that?”

As you hit a setback:

FIXED MINDSET: “This would have been a snap if you really had talent.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “That is so wrong. Basketball wasn’t easy for Michael Jordan and science wasn’t easy for Thomas Edison. They had a passion and put in tons of effort.

As you face criticism:

FIXED MINDSET: “It’s not my fault. It was something or someone else’s fault.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “If I don’t take responsibility, I can’t fix it. Let me listen—however painful it is– and learn whatever I can.”

-http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html

4. Act on your positive mindset.

Over time, which voice you heed becomes pretty much your choice. Whether you

  • take on the challenge wholeheartedly,
  • learn from your setbacks and try again
  • hear the criticism and act on it is now in your hands.

Practice hearing both voices, and practice acting on the growth mindset. See how you can make it work for you.

-http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html

How To Achieve Your Dreams

1. Write down your clear goals. Tangible goals work. Having written goals focuses the mind on delivering the results. It works. Its one of the most powerful ways of creating focus.

2. Meditate on them as often as you can.

3. Make strategies on how you can achieve them. For example, if you want to be an actor, first thing's first, study in an acting school.

4. Do the necessary actions.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Instrument for Brainstorming New Ideas for My Stories and Songs and Stuffs


That -- to the left, is my new voice recorder which I bought this afternoon. =D

I will use this to record any new ideas that may come up, it's portable so so much the better. If an idea suddenly pops to my mind, I have my handy recorder with me. Hihi. I'm so happy.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Voice Lessons

My account about my voice lessons and its developments can be found in my other blog, The Lighter Side of Damean which I linked in this page's right section where I put a link list of "all the blogs I created". Have fun reading and commenting! =D

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Secret to Life

....is to enhance your talents and skills. I have a nice voice, but not a good singing voice. Hehehe. You can hear my voice in my audio voice in my profile. That's how my voice sounds. This afternoon I will meet with my voice tutor. For the first time. Hehehe. I'm soooooooo excited!

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For more blogging about my voice lessons, go to my other blog, The Lighter Side of Damean, that I created and listed as a link at the right side of the page.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Some common goal setting tips


1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

50 Habits of Highly Successful People

Here's THE LIST. By Craig Harper (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/fifty-habits-of-highly-successful-people.html)


1. They look for and find opportunities where others see nothing.

2. They find a lesson while others only see a problem.

3. They are solution focused.

4. They consciously and methodically create their own success, while others hope success will find them.

5. They are fearful like everyone else, but they are not controlled or limited by fear.

6. They ask the right questions - the ones which put them in a productive, creative, positive mindset and emotional state.

7. They rarely complain (waste of energy). All complaining does is put the complainer in a negative and unproductive state.

8. They don’t blame (what’s the point?). They take complete responsibility for their actions and outcomes (or lack thereof).

9. While they are not necessarily more talented than the majority, they always find a way to maximise their potential. They get more out of themselves. They use what they have more effectively.

10. They are busy, productive and proactive. While most are laying on the couch, planning, over-thinking, sitting on their hands and generally going around in circles, they are out there getting the job done.

11. They align themselves with like-minded people. They understand the importance of being part of a team. They create win-win relationships.

12. They are ambitious; they want amazing - and why shouldn’t they? They consciously choose to live their best life rather than spending it on auto-pilot.

13. They have clarity and certainty about what they want (and don’t want) for their life. They actually visualise and plan their best reality while others are merely spectators of life.

14. They innovate rather than imitate.

15. They don’t procrastinate and they don’t spend their life waiting for the ‘right time’.

16. They are life-long learners. They constantly work at educating themselves, either formally (academically), informally (watching, listening, asking, reading, student of life) or experientially (doing, trying)… or all three.

17. They are glass half full people - while still being practical and down-to-earth. They have an ability to find the good.

18. They consistently do what they need to do, irrespective of how they are feeling on a given day. They don’t spend their life stopping and starting.

19. They take calculated risks - financial, emotional, professional, psychological.

20. They deal with problems and challenges quickly and effectively, they don’t put their head in the sand. They face their challenges and use them to improve themselves.

21. They don’t believe in, or wait for fate, destiny, chance or luck to determine or shape their future. They believe in, and are committed to actively and consciously creating their own best life.

22. While many people are reactive, they are proactive. They take action before they have to.

23. They are more effective than most at managing their emotions. They feel like we all do but they are not slaves to their emotions.

24. They are good communicators and they consciously work at it.

25. They have a plan for their life and they work methodically at turning that plan into a reality. Their life is not a clumsy series of unplanned events and outcomes.

26. Their desire to be exceptional means that they typically do things that most won’t. They become exceptional by choice. We’re all faced with live-shaping decisions almost daily. Successful people make the decisions that most won’t and don’t.

27. While many people are pleasure junkies and avoid pain and discomfort at all costs, successful people understand the value and benefits of working through the tough stuff that most would avoid.

28. They have identified their core values (what is important to them) and they do their best to live a life which is reflective of those values.

29. They have balance. While they may be financially successful, they know that the terms money and success are not interchangeable. They understand that people who are successful on a financial level only, are not successful at all. Unfortunately we live in a society which teaches that money equals success. Like many other things, money is a tool. It’s certainly not a bad thing but ultimately, it’s just another resource. Unfortunately, too many people worship it.

30. They understand the importance of discipline and self-control. They are strong. They are happy to take the road less travelled.

31. They are secure. They do not derive their sense of worth of self from what they own, who they know, where they live or what they look like.

32. They are generous and kind. They take pleasure in helping others achieve.

33. They are humble and they are happy to admit mistakes and to apologise. They are confident in their ability, but not arrogant. They are happy to learn from others. They are happy to make others look good rather than seek their own personal glory.

34. They are adaptable and embrace change, while the majority are creatures of comfort and habit. They are comfortable with, and embrace, the new and the unfamiliar.

35. They keep themselves in shape physically, not to be mistaken with training for the Olympics or being obsessed with their body. They understand the importance of being physically well. They are not all about looks, they are more concerned with function and health. Their body is not who they are, it’s where they live.

36. They have a big engine. They work hard and are not lazy.

37. They are resilient. When most would throw in the towel, they’re just warming up.

38. They are open to, and more likely to act upon, feedback.

39. They don’t hang out with toxic people.

40. They don’t invest time or emotional energy into things which they have no control of.

41. They are happy to swim against the tide, to do what most won’t. They are not people pleasers and they don’t need constant approval.

42. They are more comfortable with their own company than most.

43. They set higher standards for themselves (a choice we can all make), which in turn produces greater commitment, more momentum, a better work ethic and of course, better results.

44. They don’t rationalise failure. While many are talking about their age, their sore back, their lack of time, their poor genetics, their ‘bad luck’, their nasty boss and their lack of opportunities (all good reasons to fail), they are finding a way to succeed despite all their challenges.

45. They have an off switch. They know how to relax, enjoy what they have in their life and to have fun.

46. Their career is not their identity, it’s their job. It’s not who they are, it’s what they do.

47. They are more interested in effective than they are in easy. While the majority look for the quickest, easiest way (the shortcut), they look for the course of action which will produce the best results over the long term.

48. They finish what they start. While so many spend their life starting things that they never finish, successful people get the job done - even when the excitement and the novelty have worn off. Even when it ain’t fun.

49. They are multi-dimensional, amazing, wonderful complex creatures (as we all are). They realise that not only are they physical and psychological beings, but emotional and spiritual creatures as well. They consciously work at being healthy and productive on all levels.

50. They practice what they preach. They don’t talk about the theory, they live the reality.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

GREAT QUOTES

GREAT QUOTES: "Do not go where the path may lead...instead go where there is no path and leave a trail." ~motto of successful people

"Freedom lies in being BOLD."
~what successful people keep in mind

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
~Henry David Thoreau ~advice to people who desire to be successful

"The power of imagination makes us infinite." ~John Muir ~tool to create success

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"6. You are a one-man army. You not only have to plan everything in your life like a general or commander-in-chief would do, but you have to get down and dirty and execute your plans as a soldier would do. If you keep thinking yourself as just the general of your one-man army, well, your just never going to get anything done, are you? You have to be a very smart one-man army also."

-Planning and implementing are two very different spheres. You must make your plans a reality.

"9. Trust your family. Friends are good to have, but you have to trust your family. If you have good relationships with all your family members, you’ll be successful. You need your family, and a healthy relationship with your family members will help you out in the long run. Blood runs thicker than water, and if you have treated your family members right, they will be much more trustworthy than any friend you can possibly have."

-It's instinct to love your family because blood runs thicker than water. Treat your family right and they'll help you achieve your goals and they'll support you in your agenda.

"10. Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Successful people throughout history have always been curious. Curiosity and innovation has always lead to the best ways people make money. They see a problem in the way things currently are, and then they improve them. If you are trying to understand everything in the world, you’ll be more alive to your surroundings, making you much sharper. It has been said that every piece of knowledge you learn will always be used."

AWESOME! I love this revelation.

Let's emulate Mr. Trump. That way, we will get what we want.

Quotes taken from an Interview with Mr. Donald Trump.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Weight Loss Method and Tools ;-)

My Goal for August 2008: Lose Weight =D

I have learned that there are 12 ways to lose weight and keep it off. A change in lifestyle is highly essential, in fact, it is the SECRET to weight loss. This lifestyle change must first be initiated internally, meaning that this includes a change in one's mindset, habits and character. Yes, at first it is like trying to start life all over again, but later it becomes YOUR LIFE. In fact, you will be happier, confident and positive, which would help you achieve your goals and dreams. :D

Lifestyle change is not the only necessary tool in long-term weight loss. The second one is keeping a food diary. Here's the reason why keeping a food diary is essential:

"Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers. Study any patterns that emerge from your food diary and identify where you may be able to make more healthful changes. A food diary provides an added benefit of keeping you focused on and committed to your goals."
-http://www.thedietchannel.com/weightloss.htm

Exercise is the key to a successful weight loss. A person who is faithful in exercising is a person who will enjoy weight loss for a long time. Find a workout that offers convenience and enjoyment. Consider your daily activities and MAKE TIME for exercise. Allot time for your workout.

Aspire for good health instead of weight loss. This is very effective because, psychologically, there will be no hindrances when aspiring for good health; while aspiring for weight loss allows insecurities to surface from inside which in turn will handicap your efforts towards losing weight.

Conscious eating includes finding out why you overeat. It is a significant skill to learn to deal with emotions (without food) that cause you to overeat. CONDITIONING is a successful tool in dealing with these emotions without the comfortable outlet of eating. Conditioning includes addressing emotional and behavioral issues.

"...the developmental skills of self nurturing and effective limit setting. The skills are taught and practiced repeatedly in therapy until the participants use them automatically. "Our earlier research suggested that once the skills became integrated, a trend toward persistent emotional and behavioral balance followed," Mellin said. "Participants reported eating less not because they were complying with a diet but because they stopped wanting the extra food."

Each developmental skill involves asking oneself two sets of questions, Mellin said. The self-nurturing skill questions are: "How do I feel? What do I need? Do I need support?" The limit-setting questions are: "Are my expectations reasonable? Is my thinking positive and powerful? What is the essential pain and the earned reward?" The skills are designed to internalize responsive self-parenting and to create emotional balance. When one is emotionally balanced, then he or she is less likely to go to excess, Mellin said.

-http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/2004010235/

Remember that fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. A healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories.

Remember also that: Eating less fat will help you to lose weight. Eating less fat and replacing it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.

Best weight loss plan: substitute foods instead of eliminating them.


Simple truth about weight loss:

Many people think weight loss is like emptying a bucket with a ladle. A scoop out of the bucket today, tomorrow, next week will eventually empty the bucket. Not so with our bodies. When we decrease our food intake, our bodies try to absorb and store more calories the next time we eat in excess of what our body needs. So, even though we are cutting down most of the time, we will not lose weight if we get extra calories part of the time.


Factoring exercise into your weight loss plan:

You can exercise more to lose weight, but beware of this idea. Most people don’t realize how much exercise is needed to lose weight without cutting calories. Plus, exercise increases appetites. If a dieter can avoid eating any more than was consumed before the diet and can burn off an additional 500 calories every day, that person can lose a pound a week. One mile, walked or run, or five miles on a bike, burns 100 calories. If you can do five miles a day—every day—and not eat any more no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can lose a pound a week. Or, you can cut 250 calories per day and do two and a half miles to accomplish the same thing.

Everyone can lose weight. Not everyone can or should be skinny, but everyone can reach a normal, healthy weight. It requires an acceptance that we cannot eat all we want, whenever we want. We can enjoy food and the occasions in which food is served, but our food intake must be balanced with our activity to achieve and maintain a normal weight. -http://www.thedietchannel.com/Weight-Loss-Truths-and-Myths.htm


Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy life while dieting!!