Learning How to Calm Your Mind posted by Tracey Marks, Founding by invitation onlyThursday, February 18th 2010 @ 12:00 AM (not yet rated)    post viewed 174 times

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Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with frantic thoughts about all you need to get done the next day? Are you ever unsure about where to start because you have so much to do and no time to get it done?

Everyone has these feelings from time to time, but you can learn to calm your mind. A calm mind is a more attentive and proactive mind, and in learning to remove anxious thoughts, you can learn to enjoy your life far more than you already do!

How to Achieve Peace Within

When you have a mind that will not stop, you usually are hard-pressed to find inner peace. The more your mind races, the more anxious and frustrated you may become, and this can lead to unproductive days, weeks, and even months. You don't have to continue to live this way. There are many ways to calm your overactive mind and you really can learn how to live a more calm and peaceful life.

If your mind starts running a million miles a minute and you're not sure which way to turn next, try to pause and repeat a positive affirmation. When you use the power of positive self-talk, you will program your mind to work in a new and different way.

When things seem as if they are getting out of hand, you can use an affirmation such as, "I trust my ability to relax. I am calm and peaceful." Although this may not be the case at the moment, if you repeat this constantly you will start to believe it. This will help you change your inner dialogue in those moments when you are tempted to succumb to the craziness surrounding you.

Positive affirmations are important because they give you permission to turn off the negative dialogue in your mind and replace it with positive thoughts. The negative dialogue feeds the feelings of turmoil, and when you replace them with peaceful affirmations, you change your life, one positive statement at a time.  

If you have a hard time believing that this strategy will work for you, give it a try with an open heart and mind. It really does work!  In no time at all, you'll feel more peaceful and reap the benefits in every area of your life.

Many of us feel like we cannot do anything about the crazy lives we lead and the inner discontent we feel. I can assure you that this is not true! When you use positive affirmations, you can reprogram your brain so that there is only room for positive thoughts. You will be surprised to find how quickly a positive affirmation such as, "I trust that there is a plan for my life, even if it has yet to be revealed to me" can work for you.

If you feel like your life has gotten off course and you don't think it's possible to lead a calm life, why not give a peaceful affirmation a chance?  If you repeat affirmations often enough, you'll soon begin to believe them, and you'll turn a seemingly simple statement into reality.

Vivian Scott Women's Empowerment Coach Eternal Vision Enterprises

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Managing High Job Expectations posted by Tracey Marks, Founding by invitation onlyTuesday, February 16th 2010 @ 12:00 AM (not yet rated)    post viewed 162 times

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Do you have a boss who expects nothing less than perfection?  Managing high job expectations can be challenging, but it isn't impossible.  You simply need to develop coping skills so your stress never gets the best of you.  In fact, you can learn how to deal with the stress of high job expectations in a way that allows you to become more effective at your job!

 How to Manage Your High Job Expectations

 There are many different tools that can help you deal with high job expectations.  The goal is to handle your job expectations more effectively so you can feel better and accomplish more in less time.  For those with a boss who always expects the best, this is a must!

• Prepare for the stress.  When you know you're going to be stressed out or that expectations will be high, you can proactively prepare for it to take the debilitating properties out of the equation.  For example, if you're worried about the uncertainties that can't control, involve others to find out the answers. If it's literally impossible to predict, then all you can do is accept the fact that you can't control everything and make some contingency plans that will help you feel more confident and comfortable.

• Rehearse for stressful situations.  For instance, if you know that you will be making a presentation in front of an audience or that you have to present information to your boss, rehearse your presentation using the same materials you will use for the real deal. This will allow you to see your areas of opportunity so you can work on gaining the confidence you need.  When you rehearse, you take the unknown out of the equation so you can simply focus on doing your best without adding any additional anxiety.

• Be aware of your thought processes.  Many times, when there are high expectations placed upon us, we start thinking negatively.  For instance, when your boss is being demanding, you may think to yourself, "There is no way I can ever get that done! I'm incapable!"  This kind of self-defeating talk gets you nowhere. You need to replace the negative thought processes with thoughts like, "Stress challenges me to do more and be more."  You will be able to excel when you disallow any negative attitudes and replace them with empowering thoughts.

• Organize your work.  When you create an action plan, you'll find that it's easier to deal with high expectations. Create a list of the things you need to get done, and prioritize them so if you start to feel distracted or stressed out, you can always defer to the plan.  When you have a plan, your performance will live up to your expectations and you will find that you are less likely to give in to stress and frustration.

 As you can see, there are some simple, yet effective, ways to deal with high expectations. Remember: when people expect a lot from you, it really means that they believe you're capable of great things.  It's actually a compliment!

Vivian Scott Women's Empowerment Coach Eternal Vision Enterprises

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Rejuvenate Yourself After Burnout posted by Tracey Marks, Founding by invitation onlyTuesday, February 2nd 2010 @ 12:00 AM (1 ratings)    post viewed 250 times

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Vivian Scott Women's Empowerment Coach Eternal Vision Enterprises

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Escape from Toxic Relationships posted by Tracey Marks, Founding by invitation onlyMonday, February 1st 2010 @ 8:46 PM (not yet rated)    post viewed 185 times

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Toxic relationships are those that sap you of energy, like being chewed and spit out.  There are various reasons people hold on to toxic relationships and sometimes the process of becoming disentangled is harder than it was to get involved in the first place.

But just a toxic substance is poison to your body, toxic relationships are poison to your soul.

Let’s look at some strategies on how to detect a potential toxic relationship:

1. Don’t expect people to change. People can make changes over time, especially if they work at.  But it is a mistake to let yourself be attracted to a person’s potential rather that what you see in front of you today.
2. Do get to know the person on a deep level.  Conversations on serious topics often reveal the person’s character.  If you can get a sense of this early on, it will be easier to avoid getting involved. 
3. Do study the person’s history. The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. It is very tempting to think “things will be different with me.” But they won’t. Chances are the same issues that presented themselves in the past will recur even it if takes a different form. For example, unless a person undergoes a major intervention (such as professional help) to overcome anger, they will continue to be angry with you.
4. Do check for signs of manipulative behavior. Manipulative and controlling behavior is a norm in many toxic relationships. Some people need to control to feel validated.  One classic sign of manipulation is heavy use of if-then statements.  “If you really cared about me, you would do [fill in the blank].”  If you find yourself often being drawn to do things you don’t want to do and/or feeling guilty about it, you’re probably being manipulated. 
5. Do keep a list of qualities to evaluate in a potential partner. This is a good exercise that may help you get a handle on what type of people you attract or pursue. It’s best to downplay superficial attraction and focus on personality or specific traits. Unlike looks, attitudes are harder to shape.

The most obvious application of these strategies is with romantic relationships. But toxic friendships and acquaintances also negatively impact our quality of life. Work to eliminate all toxic relationships. It will be a gradual process, but can reap great rewards in achieving a peace of mind.

Vivian Scott Women's Empowerment Coach Eternal Vision Enterprises

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