Wendy Betterini's Articles in General Self Help - Self Improvement Articles from PositiveArticles.Com

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Wendy Betterini's Articles in General Self Help

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The Mountain Behind The Mountain I'm reading through a new book I bought recently, "Creating a Charmed Life" by Victoria Moran. It features a collection of 75 short essays about how to bring more joy, meaning, and simplicity into your life. One of my favorite essays from the book (so far) is called, "Give Up Your Mountain." By "mountain" she means the foreboding issue that stands between you and the life you want to be living. Everyone's mountains are different. For one person, it might be haunting m... Mind Over Matter: The Power Of Thoughts One of the greatest challenges in life is understanding just how powerful our thoughts are. Many of us learn this the hard way - myself included. After spending most of my early life caught up in negative thought patterns, it occurred to me that I had created exactly what I had been thinking about all those years. I worked at a stressful, unfulfilling job. I had an extremely low income, and no matter how hard I tried to improve my financial situation, I was always broke. I... New Beginnings: The Gift Of Starting Over I recently had the pleasure of seeing the movie, "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. (Note: this article contains spoilers for the movie. If you haven't seen it yet and don't want me ruining the surprise, you might want to put this article aside until after you've seen it.) The main character, "Lucy" (Barrymore) has virtually no short-term memory due to a car accident. She remembers everything up until the point of the accident, but retains no new me... Ten Ways We Hinder The Law Of Attraction "Why isn't the Law of Attraction working for me?" This cry of frustration is uttered often by people who are learning to consciously create better lives using the Law of Attraction. After spending weeks trying to raise their vibration, focus their minds and bring forth a better reality, they can't understand why they're not seeing results. Does this describe you? Have you raised your eyes to the heavens and demanded to know why the Law of Attraction isn't working for you? ... Successful Decision-making Process Decision-making seems like it should be a simple process, but sometimes we can find ourselves vacillating back and forth between one or more choices, truly unable to make a solid decision. One of the things that makes decision-making so unnerving is the fear of making a wrong move. We may hesitate about making any kind of decision because we're not sure of what the outcome will be. We get mired in "what ifs," paralyzed by fears of what could go wrong. We worry that choosi... Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zones Let's face it, there will always be things we fear in life. Some of us fear the obvious "biggies" like heights, spiders, fires or flying. However, many of us develop fears around things that shouldn't hinder us, but often do. Do you fear rejection? Taking risks? Failure? Success? All of us have the tendency to form "comfort zones" around ourselves: boundaries between what makes us feel comfortable, and uncomfortable. Comfort zones are not always bad. Sometimes they can pre... Wording Intentions: Asking For What You Really Want Have you ever asked the universe for something and gotten a result that wasn't what you intended? When wording our intentions and speaking our desires, it pays to be very specific! Consider these examples: Shannon wants to be debt-free, so she states an intention: "I want to pay off all my debt." Suddenly she starts receiving demands for payment in full on loans she's been paying in installments, or she receives notices about old debts she's forgotten about. Kim wan... Supercharging Your Affirmations In a previous article, I revealed a simple process for writing your own powerful affirmations. I discussed the importance of getting clear about your existing beliefs, writing affirmations to replace those old beliefs with new empowering ones, writing affirmations in the present tense, the importance of consistent repetition, and the necessity of believing in the words you're saying. Today I'd like to share a simple three-step process that can greatly increase the power an... Writing Your Own Powerful Affirmations A common question I see from people just beginning their personal development journey is, "How do I write effective affirmations?" Often they will go in search of existing affirmations that they can apply to their own situation, but they may or may not find something that works for them. In my experience, it is much simpler to come up with our own personal affirmations because they'll get right to the heart of the matter like nothing else can! First, let's explore th... Feeling Good And The Law Of Attraction The more we learn about using the Law of Attraction consciously in our lives, the more we understand that our emotional state determines our vibrational frequency, which attracts the quality of experiences we have. With this knowledge comes the understanding that feeling good (happy, joyful, enthusiastic, optimistic) will attract more of the same into our lives. But is it really possible to feel good all the time? How do we deal with life's little (and not so little) ann... Setting Successful New Year's Resolutions It’s almost that time of year again – New Year Resolutions! Millions of people around the world are vowing to lose weight, quit smoking, stick to a budget, and more. How many will actually follow through with these changes? Probably not many. Have you done this before? Have you made promises to yourself and not kept them? You are not alone. Why does it seem so easy to make changes in our lives, until we actually begin to do the work? Change is hard. Most of us don’t stop t... The Ease Of Being In Flow Have you ever experienced moments when everything seemed to just flow? Moments when you didn't have to struggle or fight or force things to happen? It's as if there were a giant hand holding a magic wand a few paces ahead of you at every step, magically shifting circumstances so that everything goes your way. As a writer, I'm keenly aware of "the flow." It usually means the difference between my words spilling smoothly and effortlessly onto the page, or each word being wru... Why It's Possible: Transforming Limiting Beliefs If you could change anything in your life right now, what would it be? And why haven't you done it yet? If you're like most of us, the answer lies in your existing beliefs. We often forget the powerful role our beliefs play in creating what we want. We can visualize, affirm, set goals, and work hard till the cows come home -- but if we don't believe something is possible, we will resist the formation of it in our lives. The good news is, once you understand how your bel... Blessings Upon You I find myself thinking about blessings a lot lately; more specifically, the concept of feeling blessed. In a recent article, I wrote about the bittersweet periods in life when we find ourselves struggling through difficulties at the same time we’re experiencing moments of joy, and the importance of focusing more on the happiness and gratitude we feel rather than pain and fear. After a couple of weeks consistently focusing more on blessings and gratitude, I’m beginning t... Detours On The Path Of Life The other day I was clearing out my home office in preparation for our upcoming move, when I stumbled upon a box of supplies left over from an old business opportunity I had undertaken several years ago. It was a perfectly fine business opportunity, but it wasn't for me. Looking back, I knew even then that it wasn't right for me, but I had determinedly ignored my inner voice and pursued it anyway. As I sorted through this box of paperwork and supplies, I felt my face flame... Bittersweet: When Bad Comes Along With The Good In life, there are cycles of good and bad. Times when our lives seem joyful and easy, and times when we're struggling through what seem like endless difficulties. Then there are times when the two seem to co-mingle. These are the times I call bittersweet. Perhaps you've had a bittersweet period in your own life? Usually it begins with something wonderful, followed immediately by something awful. You get a great promotion at work, then your spouse loses his or her job. Or you ... Allowing And The Law Of Attraction As we learn more about using the Law of Attraction consciously in our lives, we become masters at visualizing, affirming, and attracting what we desire. We learn how to infuse our desires with emotion and power, we learn how to raise our vibrations through joyful thoughts and align ourselves more fully with the circumstances we want to bring about. However, most of us forget one crucial step in the process: allowing. Allowing is a multi-faceted phase in the creation proces... Self-Growth: When Everything Falls Apart We often have the perception that self-growth will be simple, enjoyable, and rewarding. It certainly can be, but there is also another aspect of the self-growth journey that is rarely mentioned. And that is, when everything falls apart. One of the major parts of self-growth is learning how to look inside yourself and get clear about certain things. Most often, this involves recognizing and dissolving inner blockages. These are usually deep-rooted beliefs that we formed in ... Goal Setting Is All About Timing Is there anything more maddening than working hard on a goal and running into constant obstacles that keep us from getting where we want to be? The past couple of weeks have been exactly like that for me. I have some big projects I'm working on, and every time I tried to progress to the next point, something would happen. My computer problems were the biggest part of it, but also other little obstacles kept me from getting from point A to point B. I kept trying to find a w... Challenges And The Power Of Acceptance Inevitably in life we will have to face disappointment from time to time. Sometimes they may be little disappointments, and other times they may be great, big, heart wrenching disappointments. When this happens to us, we have a choice in how we react. Some of us may give up on our dreams, others may keep fighting stubbornly against the tide, and still others may choose another path to travel. One important aspect of dealing with disappointment is acceptance. When we keep f... Improve Your Relationships By Loving Yourself Many of us, especially women, tend to put others’ needs before our own. We neglect ourselves and eventually resent those who have been on the receiving end of our love and attention. What we fail to realize is the importance of putting ourselves first. No, it is not selfish. In fact, it’s impossible to meet the needs of others effectively without first being balanced in our own lives. Loving yourself will not only prove to be a positive experience, but it will improve your re... Learning To Love Yourself: Even Your Ugly Parts Does that title make you cringe? It made me cringe when it popped into my head a few days ago. We don't like to think about our "ugly parts," do we? By ugly parts of course I mean those aspects of ourselves we perceive to be less than perfect. For some it might be physical flaws, like acne, jiggly thighs or a persistent pot belly no matter how many hours we spend in the gym. For others there may be emotional issues like fears, phobias or low self-esteem. One lesson I ke... Self-Esteem: How To Let Your Light Shine This week something interesting happened to me. I made a gift for someone, and they absolutely loved it. As they exclaimed over it and admired it, they asked if it had taken me long to make. I shrugged and said, "Just a few hours" - when in fact I spent more than 30 hours working on it. I poured alot of heart and soul into it. Why then, did I diminish it? Why did I feel the need to fib about how much effort I had put into that gift? I must admit, I had to give that questio... Improve Your Productivity With Healthy Living Living a healthy lifestyle will not only make us feel better physically and mentally, but it can also greatly improve our productivity at home and work as well. Many people think they lack the time (or money) that it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle, but the fact is that it is far easier than one might think. Making small, simple changes that lead to a healthy lifestyle is as easy as taking a look at what we put in our bodies and how we treat ourselves on a day-to-day basis.... Consciously Choosing A Positive Attitude Do you consciously choose your attitude each day? If you're like most people, probably not. Most of us tend to let our circumstances choose our attitude for us. We're in a good mood as long as we get up on time, the kids cooperate and get to school on time, the car starts without a problem, we don't encounter any traffic jams on the way to work, the boss doesn't yell, our workload is manageable, etc. This system can work fine as long as everything runs smoothly in our lives. ... Taking Action To Improve Your Life When we first decide to make positive changes in our lives, we usually underestimate the amount of effort it will take. It's easy to dream and imagine a better life, but we also need to give form to our thoughts with decisive action. And that's where most of us get stuck. Imagine that you wanted to build a house, and think about the process that needs to be put into place. You'd need to conceive the idea, buy land, draw up plans, order materials, hire professionals to do t... The Benefits Of A Flexible Attitude Life is full of challenges, and many times we have to stop what we are doing to completely switch gears. Having the ability to be versatile, and developing a flexible attitude will go a long way in adjusting to the ebbs and tides that life will inevitably bring. When life or work seems too frustrating to deal with, all we may need to make it work is an attitude adjustment. When we focus on fighting the obstacles that challenge us, we waste time and energy that could be use... Tips For Successful Goal Setting When we first begin working toward a goal, we are filled with passion, fire and excitement. We feel invincible and we just know that we can accomplish whatever we desire. We take off running toward our goal, determined to make it happen, and we know we CAN make it happen. Then we begin to encounter some obstacles. We may struggle through a few of them, but then we begin making excuses for not working on our goals. Perhaps we lose interest and get overwhelmed with daily act... How To Develop A Motivated Mindset From time to time, each of us will find ourselves in a rut of boredom and disinterest. We seem to lose our zest for life and feel tired, irritable and unmotivated. We want to hide under the covers rather than face the day. Perhaps you're feeling overwhelmed by work, or sad about the pain and suffering in the world, or just bored with the routine of your daily life. You are not alone. We all go through periods like this at some point. The good news is that we can do somethi... A Rested Mind Can Improve Your Productivity Imagine that you’re working late at night on a project due in the morning. Your body is tired and your mind is numb, but this project must get done, so you push on. You continue to work, despite the distinct feeling that the project would be much easier if you went to bed and approached it again in the morning. You feel obligated to do it now, so you stay up until the wee hours of the morning, producing less than desirable work in much more time than it would have taken with ... Self-Esteem: Developing A Strong Belief In Yourself Inevitably in life, we will face disapproval or rejection from others. It might be a family member, friend, employer, or even a stranger. They might disagree with the way we live our lives, the decisions we make for ourselves, or even who we are. They might belittle our dreams, criticize our goals, or make hurtful comments that reveal a low opinion of us. These experiences can be quite painful, because we all want to be liked and accepted. We all want to be supported and nurt... Strategies For Overcoming Procrastination When we decide to make changes in our lives, one of the biggest obstacles we might need to overcome is procrastination. We want to change (don't we?), yet we keep putting off the very steps that will create the desired results. At times we might feel like a crazy person, starting and stopping, starting and stopping. Why can't we just get it together once and for all? Unfortunately, it's not that simple unless we develop an iron will. In the meantime, we might need to come ... How To Nurture Your Goals And Dreams One of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves is make a conscious effort to nurture our goals and dreams. After all, isn't nurturing care what makes everything grow? Think of the nurturing energy you provide to your children, your pets, your spouse, and even your own personal development. Without nurturing care, living things will die. Our dreams and goals are certainly living things, breathed into being by our own thoughts. It is vital to nurture them and encour... Becoming A Student Of Life One of the habits that has served me well throughout my life is keeping the mind-set of a student. I've always had an insatiable curiosity about a wide variety of topics, and I'm usually reading several books during the same time period. I've read about some really fascinating things, like quantum physics, and some really cheesy things, like romance novels. Truth be told, I've enjoyed them all! It occurred to me the other day that it doesn't matter what I'm learning about,... Self-Esteem: Being Your Own Cheerleader Many of us believe that the only way to feel good about ourselves is to have someone else constantly reaffirm to us that we are good people. The truth is, however, that the act of simply believing in ourselves can be enough to give us the necessary confidence to accomplish the impossible, achieve greatness, and pick ourselves up when we fall. Far too often we rely on others in our lives to provide us with a best friend’s kindness, a child’s love, or a spouse’s support. If we ... Trusting Your Inner Guidance When we begin to feel lost or confused about various aspects of our lives, our first instinct is to search for direction. We feel sure that the answers we need are out there somewhere, and finding them will help us to know the right way to turn. While seeking advice and guidance from others can be helpful at times, it is not always the best way to help ourselves. Rather than relying on someone else to tell us our truth, we can instead choose to look within and find the ans... Learning How To Overcome Self-Sabotage It's easy to forget just how powerful our subconscious minds can be. We are often completely unaware of how our actions (or inactions) are affecting our lives. We may complain that things never work out for us, we have bad luck, or we just don't have what it takes to be successful. What we fail to realize is that we are actually creating our own circumstances through subconscious self-sabotage. In order to overcome self-sabotage we first have to use conscious awareness to exp... Using Conscious Creation To Improve Your Life You've probably heard the phrase, "Idle hands are the devil's tools" -- meaning if you don't have something to keep you busy, you're likely to get into trouble. That can be argued of course, since the intent to cause trouble probably has to be present also. However, the concept itself does hold some truth regarding what we create in our lives. If it's true that we get back what we put out (into the universe), then it's easy to see why "idle hands" would be a bad thing for ... Self-Growth: Building Character And Integrity It's been said that character is defined by what you do when you think no one is watching. What an illuminating concept that is. Most of us have a public face and a private face. There are parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see. Typically, we tend to hide the aspects that would not be viewed favorably by society. Greed, lust, jealousy, pettiness, fear and so on. We also tend to hide our weaknesses. No one needs to know that we can wolf down a gallon of ice cream... Learning To See Challenges As Opportunities Are you a person who loves challenges, or hates them? I must admit I've spent most of my life as a person who hates them. I always thought of challenges as frustrating, maddening obstacles keeping me from where I want to be. I even used to take them personally, feeling like the universe must hate me and like to see me struggle. ;-) As I grow older and (hopefully) wiser - I find my competitive nature rising up to meet these challenges, and I'm learning to see them different... Work/Life Balance: Making Every Day Sacred So many of us rush blindly through our days, fall into bed exhausted, and wake up the next morning to do it all over again. For many of us, our lives are composed of millions of meaningless moments, all strung together - perhaps with a sprinkling of sacred moments mixed in. I'm sure you can think of a few sacred moments in your own life. Maybe your marriage, the birth of your child(ren), or perhaps a heartfelt moment of connection with a good friend. These are the moments whe... Action Vs. Apathy: Just Get Moving! How many times have you felt truly defeated by the circumstances in your life? You know, the "I don't know why I bother to keep trying, I'm going back to bed and staying there" feeling. It happens to everyone - housewives, corporate executives, rock stars, actors, world leaders. Each and every one of us has had a day when we felt that we just weren't able to cope with our daily lives. However, some of us have days like this more frequently than others. Some of us even feel...

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