Thursday, 9 January 2014

The thing is....


Life isn’t meant to be lived perfectly…but merely to be LIVED. Boldly, wildly, beautifully, uncertainly, imperfectly, magically LIVED. -Mandy  Hale

Every year I start off  with a blog of purpose, and this year the poignant points to convey - really was not emerging with me. So after days of pondering; I began to look back over the years at persons, who for one reason or another, is worth admiration...and decided to pinpoint attributes about them, that motivate or impress upon me. These include Artists, Astronauts,  Business women, Business men, Designers, Financial gurus, Government officials, Makeup Artists, Marxists, Media personalities, Musicians, People who have passed through or still is in my life, Poets, Revolutionists, Savants, Starlets, Sport officials, Techies, and Writers. One attribute that is very common with them is that, though their paths may have been different they all had one thing in common - they declared their future VERBALLY....and if any doubt was cast initially - there was no doubt to be had...as there was iota of truths to their declarations. This year I decided to share some of them with you. Firstly let me start off with one very important thing to acquire this year.


In 2012 the attempt to do this for the following year 2103...was quite unsuccessful to say the least. By the second month the jar had began to gather moth....by the fourth month it was smashed by accident...by the fifth month all was forgotten. Point being made? About half of us apparently make New Year's Resolutions each year. Exercise, weightloss, quitting drinking, quitting smoking, tone down on partying, spending excessively, working towards a qualification, travels etc....these are usually some of the most popular concerns. Guess what? Businesses know this too. At the right time (just around the turn of the year) we’re bombarded with adverts designed to attract people who’ve just resolved to change something important in their lives. 

Willpower is one thing and isn’t very helpful, if the down-side of failure makes people despondent. To be more successful set achievable goals, break them down into doable steps, tell a close friend or family member about your plans, and reward yourself for successes. It’s also very important to be aware that we all occasionally make mistakes. People who are usually successful in achieving their resolutions, tend to accept this fact. Self analysis and a healthy dose of a little self-criticism ok. Intrinsically doing this at the beginning of the year, is always a good thing. Just don't be too hard on yourself when you have not met a goal, especially if you had bench-marked the timing. 



As the man said....


Do you know that the source of most of your problems and gateway to success is within you - from the neck up? The power that is carried by our thoughts and words, is underestimated by most. They're so powerful that they can bring either blessings or curses into our lives, depending on their nature.
Getting rid of negative thinking is not enough. For example, I sometimes get horrible migraines and I would make statements like "Oh, this headache is killing me" .... sure enough it would last the whole day! Or someone sneezes and they may think "Oh, I'm probably getting the flu." These types of negative statements seem to come so naturally to all of us. We need to discipline ourselves to be more positive - it's not so easy! Our thoughts and words are like the rudder of a ship - they may seem small, but they affect the very direction of our lives. Reacting negatively, allows fear to take over our thinking. We begin to dwell on things that haven't even happened and may not happen. Our negative thoughts cause us to speak the words that will shape our future.


Recently CNN's anchor Zain Verjee, revealed that she battled Psoriasis with a rigid diet, will power and the mind . Some may say what is claimed at best, is only conjecture....but the proof is in the results.    
“Whatever you feel, you become. It is your responsibility.”
- Osho

I'm sure in hindsight, you'll realize that you may have declared somethings over your life and they may have come to fruition - whether negative or positive. 
Choosing better thoughts, and speaking positively will change and reap a better life. The temptation to think negatively is a constant temptation BUT we don't have to accept it. We have a choice.

 "Death and life are in the power of the  tongue…."
 - Proverbs 18:21

Choosing life generating thoughts, will emit positive, powerful, life-giving words - that will naturally follow. Controlling our thoughts is one thing, controlling the mouth is another. You'll never control your mouth unless you first learn to control your mind. Our words will bring forth whatever we desire. 

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
A great example of how powerful words are....  
 
Believing is the first important step to switching our thinking from being negative to positive...and making our future tangible. Remember, what's in our hearts and minds will come out of our mouths. Whatever desires we have, will become attainable based on those theorems. 


1. Automatic positive thoughts allow for a mental foundation that puts your mind at ease. This in turn makes you better equipped to make difficult decisions and helps you to stop second-guessing yourself. With clear goals and less-clouded judgment, your motivation and desire to reach such goals will be increased since you will see them as attainable. Looking on the bright side can go long way.

2. Positive thinking may seem to only directly affect your mental health, but a shift in attitude can be just  as beneficial for your physical health. Negative thinking, however, activates centers of the brain that cause stress hormones to be released. This hormonal cascade, if not managed properly, can lead to many of the disorders and diseases that commonly afflict people today. In the long run, regularly harboring positive thoughts can make your body more resilient and help it combat ailments by releasing neurohormones to offset stress hormones.

3. In addition to helping your body on the inside, positive thinking can work wonders on your outer appearance too. Unmanaged stress may not be the root of skin problems, but it tends to be a trigger factor for pre-existing conditions such as acne and eczema. A simple smile (which already works to brighten your appearance) can quickly put you on the path of positive thinking. This, in turn, will keep those stress levels in check and help keep your skin clear. You will have a natural glow. 

4. Perhaps one of the most important benefits of positive thinking is its ability to change the way you see yourself. Once you begin to have a more positive attitude, you'll begin build confidence and a sense of sureness, because you'll start to trust and believe in yourself. Remember, the first person you need to be in relationship with is yourself. By being kind to yourself and bringing yourself to positive thoughts, all the other benefits will gently unfold and only increase over time. 

....And remember to smile -Nelson Mandela

See the glass half full, find the silver lining, look on the bright side...there are endless platitudes and cliches that are so regularly recited, they don't seem to carry much meaning. This seems especially true on the days when metaphorical rain pours down on your metaphorical parade, or when a storm cloud seems to be hovering over your head for days on end. But taking a closer look at optimism reveals these everyday turn of phrases actually have the right idea in mind.
Once you equip yourself with the proper tools to transform negative thoughts into positive ones, you'll begin to notice a change, not only in yourself, but in other aspects of your life from relationships to even your physical appearance :). 

Here is a great video to watch:

 

And here are a FEW of my inspirations:

Althea Gisbon - Tennis player

Anais Nin - Poet and writer

Carolina Herrera - Designer

David of the bible

Deborah of the bible

Bill Gates - Microsoft

Frida - Artist

Gloria Steinem - Writer

Hafiz - Poet

Jane Fonda - Actress and Activist

Joseph of the bible

Jay Z - Musical Savant, rapper and business man 

Kimberly Bryant - Black Girls Code

Layla-Joy Williams - Shoe Designer

Mae Jamison - Astronaut

Magic Johnson - Basketball player and Business man

Malala Yousafzai - Activist for women and children 

Martin Luther King - Revolutionist

Michael Manley - Jamaican Politician

Nelson Mandela - Marxist and Revolutionist

Oprah Winfrey - Media Personality

Pat McGrath - Makeup Artist  

Bobbie Brown - Makeup Artist

Paulo Coelho - Author  

Phylicia Rashad - Actress

Ursula Burns - Xerox

Zora Neale Hurston - Novelist 

















 



   
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