As we move into late fall, many of us start to see that the holidays are coming upon us sooner than we want. Fall is such a beautiful time of year. It is almost hard to believe that some of those trees out there can produce such bright orange and yellow leaves. Warm air has been replaced by cool brisk mornings and we know that winter is knocking at the door. This also means that we are approaching the end of 2010 and, for many; it is a time to think about how different they want next year to be for them.
Right around now, many of us will start to think and lay out some goals for our selves. Work goals, weight goals and exercise goals probably top the list and it seems like every time January 1st rolls around, we jump on that band wagon and set out to create or form some new habits through setting some goals. Sound familiar to anyone? If this is you or you are thinking about setting some goals come the end of this year I want you to consider something. For now, consider that there are two different ways to move closer to those goals. Yes, hard work and persistence is and always will be the main way but there is also a way I want you to give some thought to and that is: changing your beliefs. As an example, I am going to use losing weight. Primarily because so many of us want to set new weight goals come late December.
Because the beliefs we hold about our self are such a huge limiting factor within each of us, I am going to start with that. Let’s say that I weigh 200 lbs and wanted to lose 40 lbs over the next 6 months, bringing me to an ideal weight (for my size) of 160 lbs. When I first think about this as a goal and start to consider it and even write it down, my deep rooted program (my belief about what I currently weigh) is going to start rejecting my new thoughts and actions. In fact, upon it hearing that I want to weigh 40 lbs less, it will start to put up a fight, maybe even throw a fit. It will tell you all the reasons why you can’t lose 40 lbs: You love food too much, you can’t exercise, you can’t give up those sweets and we can do that next year and so on and so on. Literally, it will throw every reason in the world at you as to why it just can’t happen and all of it is nothing more than a mental battle. Yes, it is all going to happen between our ears. The truth of the matter is you and I can lose as much weight as we want. It is our programmed belief that 9 times out of 10 will hold us back and most of us don’t even realize it.
Our belief about our self will mostly dictate nearly everything we do or want to do. When it comes to goal setting, if we want to be more effective, what we have to do is before we set that weight goal, is start to tell our selves that we can lose weight. Verbal, out loud affirmations usually work best at things like this. First we give our current program something to consider, (I can lose the weight) then we tell our self this over and over and over again. This starts the “re-programming of your belief”. Yes, that old program will push back, I can promise you but you will need to keep pushing forward. Until your belief is changed or has started to be changed about what you should weigh, starting any kind of new diet, exercise program or goals you have set, will most likely come up short. Simply because you will be not only battling your body and what it wants, you will also be in a mental battle. You and I are better off to get all the tools we can on our side if we are going to be successful, especially when are trying to change a built in program.
While there are many people who can charge forward without changing this belief first, they appear to be the ones with an extreme amount of will power, determination and a lot of drive. There will always be those folks who can and do reach their goals this way. It seems that later, after they have started the physical change in their body (through diet and exercise) that the belief is then changed secondary. If the belief is not changed, this is often when we see people bounce back to their old ways and old weight. The program in their mind (belief) was never changed.
For the rest of us though… this might be that one tool that will help give us that edge we have been looking for when it comes to making changes in our life. I don’t claim this as an elite tool for everyone I just know that what we believe to be true, is in fact true for us. If we can change our belief, we can change our actions. Change our actions and we can have a different outcome.
Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
What Happened to That Dream?
Remember when you were a child and you had dreams of becoming a fire fighter or maybe a doctor, an astronaut or even a business owner? Maybe your dream was to travel the world and see the sights of Rome, Africa or Alaska. At one time, I had a dream to be a race car driver, which later turned into being a stunt man. Those dreams, when we were in our younger years, seemed fairly obtainable didn’t they? No one told us we couldn’t do this, that or the other. No one even told us that it was going to be hard to go after that dream. We just kept visualizing in our minds over and over again how it would be, what our life would be like. We visualized what it would be like to be in that moment, living our dream and actually doing what we pictured ourselves doing. Can you remember this? Remember how you felt? If you look deep enough, it’s still there, probably buried down deep under a mountain of stuff, but I assure you, it’s there.
Whatever happened to us chasing those dreams? How did they become so buried? In nearly every conversation I have had with someone who has followed their dreams, somewhere in the conversation they have always added that they never stopped thinking about their dream and never stopped believing they could have it, regardless of their age. Could it be then, that the rest of us have let life take over and get in the way? Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What happened to those dreams I had as a kid?”
As an adult, I believe those dreams we had as children were not an accident, a coincidence or a bleep in our imaginations. You and I have the ability to dream, believe and create things from virtually nothing. We were given this from the ultimate creator, God Himself. Not only have we been given this gift, we have also been given the necessary tools to follow through with our dreams. For thousands of years people have done this, from the Bible to history books to successful people like Bill Gates. It all starts with a dream, the vision of what we want to achieve. I have heard it said that everything in this world has been created twice. The first time, in someone’s mind and then in its physical form. All of it started with a dream.
As we grow, we also dream new dreams. Maybe they are dreams with a deeper meaning, focused on helping people. As we mature, often times our dreams mature along with us. Now that I am 41 I no longer have a dream to be a race car driver or a stunt man. However, I still have dreams and the further down the path of life and maturity I go, the larger my dreams have become.
So, I want to ask you: What is your dream? What is inside of you that has been sticking around and will not go away? Have you buried it? If so, it may require you to search inside and pull your dream out, dust it off and spend a little time with it. I believe the dream is there. On some level each one of us, regardless of who we are, carry a song in our heart and a dream to entertain. For some, it raises its head up once in awhile and says, “Hey, remember me?” Your dream… it is still there… can you see it?
I once was being counseled by a very wise mentor of mine who posed this question, “Scott, if it is God that plants dreams within us and we choose not to follow those dreams, could we be missing the blessing and the calling He has upon our life?” Needless to say, his question got me thinking.
Dreams give us a focus, a direction, something to help give life meaning and purpose. You may have a dream to be the best mother or the best father possible and through that, give your kids every possible tool to become all they can be. Or, you may have a dream to open up a community center offering a place for kids to play sports and games, or for families to participate in activities together. Regardless of what it is, or how big or how small it is, it is your dream and it takes the same amount of time and energy to dream a small dream as it does a big dream. Nurture it, protect it and believe in it because if it were not obtainable or even worthwhile… it would have never become your dream.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.co.
Whatever happened to us chasing those dreams? How did they become so buried? In nearly every conversation I have had with someone who has followed their dreams, somewhere in the conversation they have always added that they never stopped thinking about their dream and never stopped believing they could have it, regardless of their age. Could it be then, that the rest of us have let life take over and get in the way? Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What happened to those dreams I had as a kid?”
As an adult, I believe those dreams we had as children were not an accident, a coincidence or a bleep in our imaginations. You and I have the ability to dream, believe and create things from virtually nothing. We were given this from the ultimate creator, God Himself. Not only have we been given this gift, we have also been given the necessary tools to follow through with our dreams. For thousands of years people have done this, from the Bible to history books to successful people like Bill Gates. It all starts with a dream, the vision of what we want to achieve. I have heard it said that everything in this world has been created twice. The first time, in someone’s mind and then in its physical form. All of it started with a dream.
As we grow, we also dream new dreams. Maybe they are dreams with a deeper meaning, focused on helping people. As we mature, often times our dreams mature along with us. Now that I am 41 I no longer have a dream to be a race car driver or a stunt man. However, I still have dreams and the further down the path of life and maturity I go, the larger my dreams have become.
So, I want to ask you: What is your dream? What is inside of you that has been sticking around and will not go away? Have you buried it? If so, it may require you to search inside and pull your dream out, dust it off and spend a little time with it. I believe the dream is there. On some level each one of us, regardless of who we are, carry a song in our heart and a dream to entertain. For some, it raises its head up once in awhile and says, “Hey, remember me?” Your dream… it is still there… can you see it?
I once was being counseled by a very wise mentor of mine who posed this question, “Scott, if it is God that plants dreams within us and we choose not to follow those dreams, could we be missing the blessing and the calling He has upon our life?” Needless to say, his question got me thinking.
Dreams give us a focus, a direction, something to help give life meaning and purpose. You may have a dream to be the best mother or the best father possible and through that, give your kids every possible tool to become all they can be. Or, you may have a dream to open up a community center offering a place for kids to play sports and games, or for families to participate in activities together. Regardless of what it is, or how big or how small it is, it is your dream and it takes the same amount of time and energy to dream a small dream as it does a big dream. Nurture it, protect it and believe in it because if it were not obtainable or even worthwhile… it would have never become your dream.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.co.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Part 2 - "it is what we continually say that matters."
Last week, I suggested that you say to yourself, out loud: I am important and I am valuable. Did you do this? If it felt odd or even difficult to say, it is because your subconscious did not believe it when you said it. Not only did it not believe it, but it simply did not line up with what you believe about yourself. Now that might be a little hard for some people to hear but I will assure you it is true. A low self esteem can be seen the easiest when we say something positive and supportive about ourselves, to ourselves and then watching inward to see how we feel after saying it. Is there an uncomfortable or a push back feeling when you say this?
I have seen many people walk down a hall or a sidewalk with their head hanging low, looking at the ground in front of them. They rarely ever notice the people around them. It is as if they are in some kind of withdrawn state of mind. All to themselves, looking at no one and noticing nothing around them. Years ago, I often wondered why it was that people did this. I even caught myself doing it a few times. I wondered what this behavior was and why people do it. I had a boss of mine at one time that hung his head down low everywhere he walked, looking at the ground. Something within me just stirred and I wanted to know where this came from and why do people do this?
Today, many people all around us suffer from low self esteem or a bad self image. It seems that there are no common denominators as to who is affected and who is not. White collar, blue collar, young and old, people from all walks carry around a poor self image. The one thing that we can tie all of this together with is that at some point, in our past, those of us affected by this condition had a less than supportive atmosphere we lived in or spent time around. Maybe it was an abusive situation or there was a lack of affection or love. Maybe it was that we never got the approval of someone who we looked up to and admired or were put down verbally by our parents, Aunts or Uncles, even siblings. Many ingredients are mixed into us to produce a self image.
Recently, I heard an old kids saying that I had not heard in literally, 20 plus years. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Upon hearing this, I thought back to my youth and how kids can sometimes unintentionally say the meanest things. While this is true that names cannot hurt us, what should have been added to this little phrase was: as long as I don’t believe in what is being said to me. Name calling has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. It is not the name calling that affects us, it is when we start believing what we hear, then, the words can do more than just hurt us, they can sink us! Unfortunately though, if our subconscious here’s something over and over again, it will start to believe it.
You and I need to be on guard with not just what people say to us, but what we continually hear, over and over again. This is where the damage can be done and it doesn’t happen over night. It happens slowly, over time, day in and day out. We have to guard our ears but we need to guard even more than that. We need to guard what we believe about our self. Do you believe you are an ugly person or do you believe you are a beautiful person? Do you believe you are a caring, thoughtful person or do you believe you are selfish? Chances are what you have been repeatedly told or what you have been telling yourself is what is true for you. Right or wrong way of thinking is not relevant here… it is what you believe that changes everything, especially when it comes to YOU.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
I have seen many people walk down a hall or a sidewalk with their head hanging low, looking at the ground in front of them. They rarely ever notice the people around them. It is as if they are in some kind of withdrawn state of mind. All to themselves, looking at no one and noticing nothing around them. Years ago, I often wondered why it was that people did this. I even caught myself doing it a few times. I wondered what this behavior was and why people do it. I had a boss of mine at one time that hung his head down low everywhere he walked, looking at the ground. Something within me just stirred and I wanted to know where this came from and why do people do this?
Today, many people all around us suffer from low self esteem or a bad self image. It seems that there are no common denominators as to who is affected and who is not. White collar, blue collar, young and old, people from all walks carry around a poor self image. The one thing that we can tie all of this together with is that at some point, in our past, those of us affected by this condition had a less than supportive atmosphere we lived in or spent time around. Maybe it was an abusive situation or there was a lack of affection or love. Maybe it was that we never got the approval of someone who we looked up to and admired or were put down verbally by our parents, Aunts or Uncles, even siblings. Many ingredients are mixed into us to produce a self image.
Recently, I heard an old kids saying that I had not heard in literally, 20 plus years. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Upon hearing this, I thought back to my youth and how kids can sometimes unintentionally say the meanest things. While this is true that names cannot hurt us, what should have been added to this little phrase was: as long as I don’t believe in what is being said to me. Name calling has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. It is not the name calling that affects us, it is when we start believing what we hear, then, the words can do more than just hurt us, they can sink us! Unfortunately though, if our subconscious here’s something over and over again, it will start to believe it.
You and I need to be on guard with not just what people say to us, but what we continually hear, over and over again. This is where the damage can be done and it doesn’t happen over night. It happens slowly, over time, day in and day out. We have to guard our ears but we need to guard even more than that. We need to guard what we believe about our self. Do you believe you are an ugly person or do you believe you are a beautiful person? Do you believe you are a caring, thoughtful person or do you believe you are selfish? Chances are what you have been repeatedly told or what you have been telling yourself is what is true for you. Right or wrong way of thinking is not relevant here… it is what you believe that changes everything, especially when it comes to YOU.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
Friday, October 1, 2010
It is what we repeatedly say out loud that matters most
Recently, I heard a story of a young boy who loved to play baseball. He spent a lot of time studying and watching baseball games on TV, trying to understand everything about the game that he could. One day, in his backyard, he was working on his batting. Being by himself, he would throw the ball up, grab his bat and swing at the ball. He would tell himself: “I am the greatest batter who ever lived” and then swing at the ball. On his first attempt of doing this, he missed. So he reached down, grabbed the ball and said out loud to himself: “I am the greatest batter who ever lived”, threw the ball up and swung again, missing for a second time. But he would not allow himself to get discouraged. He reached down for a third time, grabbed the ball and again repeated the words: “I am the greatest batter who ever lived” and then swung. Unfortunately, he missed and the ball landed beside him again. Without getting mad, he paused for a moment, smiled and then said: “I may not be the world’s best batter, but I am certainly the world’s greatest pitcher.”
What you and I tell ourselves makes a big difference in how we see ourselves. Primarily because what we repeatedly say, our subconscious will believe. As well as this being good news, it can also be very bad news. I know recently I have written on this subject yet something more has stirred inside me. For weeks now, I have had many people confess that at times, the words they used when talking to themselves were not very positive. In fact, when they made a mistake or forgot to do a task, on many occasions the self talk they used was actually down right destructive. A handful of people even told me they had been doing this for as many years as they could remember.
Upon hearing this, what we need to remember is that it is not necessarily what we say or think everyday that matters most. Instead, it is what we repeatedly say out loud to our selves that make all the difference in the world. Our subconscious will take those words in as “truth” and mark them as our “belief,” thus helping to shape our self image and self esteem.
In this story, the young boy would not allow negative self talk to come into his mind. Simply put, he did not focus on his faults, he focused on what he was good at. In addition to his focus, he verbalized his success with what he saw in his mind. What he wanted is what he spoke from his mouth. These are the principals and the keys needed for us to acquire a better self image and higher self esteem. I know how natural it is for those negative self defeating thoughts to come into our minds. For years I battled this. After some extensive searching, one thing that helped me defeat the negative self talk and destructive thoughts, was that I realized that my thoughts are “NOT” who I am. Once I truly got this, it gave me permission to look at myself in a whole new dimension. “You mean I am not a failure?” “You mean I am actually a very important person?” “I really can make a difference in those around me in my community?” The answer is easy. Yes you do and yes you can!
Don’t give in to the negative thoughts and destructive self talk. You are valuable and, yes, you are unique. God only made one of you and it was not by accident. What He has created in you, only you can do. Not me, not your spouse, not your Pastor nor your parents. He created you for a special assignment. You and I need to always be on guard for things that try to tell us: “Oh you can’t do that” or “Why are you even trying, you will never make anything of it.” Those thoughts do not come from God and there is only one way on earth that they will ever hold any truth, and that is, if you allow them to!
Take a moment after reading this and say to yourself, out loud: “I am important and I am valuable.” Then, say it again and again and yet one more time. Does it feel strange? Do you find it uncomfortable to say this? If you do, then I want you to read next week’s message because I have more to share on this and you are NOT going to want to miss it!
For now, be blessed and have a great Friday everyone.
What you and I tell ourselves makes a big difference in how we see ourselves. Primarily because what we repeatedly say, our subconscious will believe. As well as this being good news, it can also be very bad news. I know recently I have written on this subject yet something more has stirred inside me. For weeks now, I have had many people confess that at times, the words they used when talking to themselves were not very positive. In fact, when they made a mistake or forgot to do a task, on many occasions the self talk they used was actually down right destructive. A handful of people even told me they had been doing this for as many years as they could remember.
Upon hearing this, what we need to remember is that it is not necessarily what we say or think everyday that matters most. Instead, it is what we repeatedly say out loud to our selves that make all the difference in the world. Our subconscious will take those words in as “truth” and mark them as our “belief,” thus helping to shape our self image and self esteem.
In this story, the young boy would not allow negative self talk to come into his mind. Simply put, he did not focus on his faults, he focused on what he was good at. In addition to his focus, he verbalized his success with what he saw in his mind. What he wanted is what he spoke from his mouth. These are the principals and the keys needed for us to acquire a better self image and higher self esteem. I know how natural it is for those negative self defeating thoughts to come into our minds. For years I battled this. After some extensive searching, one thing that helped me defeat the negative self talk and destructive thoughts, was that I realized that my thoughts are “NOT” who I am. Once I truly got this, it gave me permission to look at myself in a whole new dimension. “You mean I am not a failure?” “You mean I am actually a very important person?” “I really can make a difference in those around me in my community?” The answer is easy. Yes you do and yes you can!
Don’t give in to the negative thoughts and destructive self talk. You are valuable and, yes, you are unique. God only made one of you and it was not by accident. What He has created in you, only you can do. Not me, not your spouse, not your Pastor nor your parents. He created you for a special assignment. You and I need to always be on guard for things that try to tell us: “Oh you can’t do that” or “Why are you even trying, you will never make anything of it.” Those thoughts do not come from God and there is only one way on earth that they will ever hold any truth, and that is, if you allow them to!
Take a moment after reading this and say to yourself, out loud: “I am important and I am valuable.” Then, say it again and again and yet one more time. Does it feel strange? Do you find it uncomfortable to say this? If you do, then I want you to read next week’s message because I have more to share on this and you are NOT going to want to miss it!
For now, be blessed and have a great Friday everyone.
Friday, September 24, 2010
It's our Attitude
The other night my wife and I were playing a board game with our daughters prior to their bedtime. It was a school night so we were trying to move the game along quickly so they would not stay up too late, resulting in a “tired morning” for them. The game was Chutes and Ladders. A great game for younger kids as it helps them to count and focus.
About 15 minutes after starting the game, my wife was the first one to reach the finish line, making her the winner. My daughters and I continued to play and a short while later, my youngest reached the finished line as well. By this time, I was about done with the game mentally and it was getting closer to their bedtime. So I left the game and my wife stepped in to fill my spot. About ten minutes later, I heard my oldest daughter yelling down the hall: YEAH….WOO HOO! I put two and two together and realized she had crossed the finish line! A moment later as she walked down the hall to where I was, I asked her if she was at all upset because she had not won the game. Her reply to me left me almost speechless, “What do you mean Dad, I did win, I beat you.”
Of all the tools you and I carry around with us perhaps our attitude is the most critical and the most powerful. It can help us soar to new heights or aid us in temporary setbacks. My daughter’s attitude at that moment was so positive it literally made all the difference in the world for her. The difference between struggling, being upset and procrastinating going to bed or ending her day knowing she had just beaten her Dad at a game. Yes, I was very proud of her, that she chose to look at the glass half-full rather than half-empty. Maybe some of my “can do” attitude is rubbing off on her!
Looking back on this fun family night, what I find most interesting is the game we played had an ending no one could predict. None of us knew who would come in first and who would come in last. No one knew who would be sent back to the bottom and who would advance to the top. The game was played out the only way it could have been. This is very much like our lives, isn’t it? We rarely know what tomorrow is going to bring and usually don’t even know what the next hour will bring. Yet all the way through to the end we have an “attitude.” Good, bad or indifferent, it is there and we move forward with it the best we can. Just as a game is played or our lives are lived, there is our attitude. And yes, I agree, that it truly is our attitude that determines our altitude.
My daughter’s attitude toward how the game ended made a world of difference for her, which resulted in making the bedtime routine a little easier for my wife and me. So really, not only does it have an immediate effect on ourselves but others around us as well. I know that not all the time do our kids have a good attitude. When they do, it might be a good idea to show them the difference it makes to everyone around them. They, too, need to understand when they have the right attitude in life it can lift them to new heights, or destruct the best well thought out plan. For this reason alone, I am a firm believer in kids being involved, to some degree, in sports. It teaches them not only how to work as a team, but to be a winning team they ALL need to have a “can do” attitude, not just one or two of them.
Regardless of what you and I do, where we go or who we see, we are going to do it with a very radiant attitude. You see, we get to carry our attitude with us every where we go and anyone around us will be able to see it. We can choose that attitude each and every day in everything we do. Granted, some days it may be easier to choose a good attitude, but none the less, it is still our choice. It’s not your spouse’s choice, your boss’s choice or your family’s choice. It is your choice and I want to encourage you to choose wisely. Regardless of what or where tomorrow leads you, choose to have a great attitude. One of my local favorite restaurants I take my family to has a sign on the wall and it reads: “Ask yourself a question, is my attitude worth catching?
Have blessed Friday everyone.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com
541-343-3614
About 15 minutes after starting the game, my wife was the first one to reach the finish line, making her the winner. My daughters and I continued to play and a short while later, my youngest reached the finished line as well. By this time, I was about done with the game mentally and it was getting closer to their bedtime. So I left the game and my wife stepped in to fill my spot. About ten minutes later, I heard my oldest daughter yelling down the hall: YEAH….WOO HOO! I put two and two together and realized she had crossed the finish line! A moment later as she walked down the hall to where I was, I asked her if she was at all upset because she had not won the game. Her reply to me left me almost speechless, “What do you mean Dad, I did win, I beat you.”
Of all the tools you and I carry around with us perhaps our attitude is the most critical and the most powerful. It can help us soar to new heights or aid us in temporary setbacks. My daughter’s attitude at that moment was so positive it literally made all the difference in the world for her. The difference between struggling, being upset and procrastinating going to bed or ending her day knowing she had just beaten her Dad at a game. Yes, I was very proud of her, that she chose to look at the glass half-full rather than half-empty. Maybe some of my “can do” attitude is rubbing off on her!
Looking back on this fun family night, what I find most interesting is the game we played had an ending no one could predict. None of us knew who would come in first and who would come in last. No one knew who would be sent back to the bottom and who would advance to the top. The game was played out the only way it could have been. This is very much like our lives, isn’t it? We rarely know what tomorrow is going to bring and usually don’t even know what the next hour will bring. Yet all the way through to the end we have an “attitude.” Good, bad or indifferent, it is there and we move forward with it the best we can. Just as a game is played or our lives are lived, there is our attitude. And yes, I agree, that it truly is our attitude that determines our altitude.
My daughter’s attitude toward how the game ended made a world of difference for her, which resulted in making the bedtime routine a little easier for my wife and me. So really, not only does it have an immediate effect on ourselves but others around us as well. I know that not all the time do our kids have a good attitude. When they do, it might be a good idea to show them the difference it makes to everyone around them. They, too, need to understand when they have the right attitude in life it can lift them to new heights, or destruct the best well thought out plan. For this reason alone, I am a firm believer in kids being involved, to some degree, in sports. It teaches them not only how to work as a team, but to be a winning team they ALL need to have a “can do” attitude, not just one or two of them.
Regardless of what you and I do, where we go or who we see, we are going to do it with a very radiant attitude. You see, we get to carry our attitude with us every where we go and anyone around us will be able to see it. We can choose that attitude each and every day in everything we do. Granted, some days it may be easier to choose a good attitude, but none the less, it is still our choice. It’s not your spouse’s choice, your boss’s choice or your family’s choice. It is your choice and I want to encourage you to choose wisely. Regardless of what or where tomorrow leads you, choose to have a great attitude. One of my local favorite restaurants I take my family to has a sign on the wall and it reads: “Ask yourself a question, is my attitude worth catching?
Have blessed Friday everyone.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com
541-343-3614
Friday, September 17, 2010
What are you telling yourself
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and heard them say: “I am such an idiot” or, “I can’t believe I was so stupid to have done that.” I know I have heard it and I must say I just cringe inside every time I do. Not only do I cringe but my heart almost skips a beat. That is a pretty strong statement to say, especially to our self.
Just last week I found myself in this kind of situation. I was carrying on a meaningful conversation with a gentleman whom I have know for a few years when all of a sudden, right out of left field he says: “Dang it… I am such an idiot, how could I have forgotten that!” Of course I stood there in shock, almost in disbelieve of what I had just heard. But, being the kind of person I am I just had to know: why did he say that about himself. So I asked and like I thought he might say, his response was one of light hearted, no big deal answer. I however, do believe that it is a very big deal. Calling yourself an idiot? No big deal? Really?
The fact is that it is a very big deal, much bigger then you can realize. Our subconscious minds are always in the mode of taking in information that it hears. Things we say and the things we hear others say. Every day, all day, everywhere we are. It’s main function is to take in data and store it so that it can use it later. If you have ever read any books on human psychology and human nature, you know exactly what I am talking about. This can be though a curse and a blessing all at the same time. A curse because everything it hears and hears enough of, it takes in as “truth” and “belief.” Yes, I said EVERYTHING.
The blessing is that through this sub conscious mind, we have the ability to change the way we think and what we believe. This alone should give everyone of us a hope that regardless of where we have been or where we come from, we can alter our current path and even re program our thinking to gain a different result in our life. I know for me… this is what I had to do to overcome my past.
What you and I tell ourself, each and ever day is critical to where we will be, 2, 5 or even 10 years from now. Our self image and self esteem is dependent upon it. I know this first hand because I was one of those people who beat myself up verbally when I screwed up or made a mistake and the problem I constantly faced was that I always felt bad and not worthy after I said it yet I could never figure out why.
Don’t kid yourself here. Your subconscious mind is well aware of what it hears. If you are someone who has been guilty of repeatedly saying things like this, you might want to stop consider what it is that you are doing to yourself. Your self esteem and your self image are on the line. Simply put: It will believe and become what it is told. We need to be careful of what it is that we are saying. To our kids, our spouse and especially to ourself. Our minds are a lot like a computer program. What we put into them, is what will come out.
Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com
541-343-3614
Just last week I found myself in this kind of situation. I was carrying on a meaningful conversation with a gentleman whom I have know for a few years when all of a sudden, right out of left field he says: “Dang it… I am such an idiot, how could I have forgotten that!” Of course I stood there in shock, almost in disbelieve of what I had just heard. But, being the kind of person I am I just had to know: why did he say that about himself. So I asked and like I thought he might say, his response was one of light hearted, no big deal answer. I however, do believe that it is a very big deal. Calling yourself an idiot? No big deal? Really?
The fact is that it is a very big deal, much bigger then you can realize. Our subconscious minds are always in the mode of taking in information that it hears. Things we say and the things we hear others say. Every day, all day, everywhere we are. It’s main function is to take in data and store it so that it can use it later. If you have ever read any books on human psychology and human nature, you know exactly what I am talking about. This can be though a curse and a blessing all at the same time. A curse because everything it hears and hears enough of, it takes in as “truth” and “belief.” Yes, I said EVERYTHING.
The blessing is that through this sub conscious mind, we have the ability to change the way we think and what we believe. This alone should give everyone of us a hope that regardless of where we have been or where we come from, we can alter our current path and even re program our thinking to gain a different result in our life. I know for me… this is what I had to do to overcome my past.
What you and I tell ourself, each and ever day is critical to where we will be, 2, 5 or even 10 years from now. Our self image and self esteem is dependent upon it. I know this first hand because I was one of those people who beat myself up verbally when I screwed up or made a mistake and the problem I constantly faced was that I always felt bad and not worthy after I said it yet I could never figure out why.
Don’t kid yourself here. Your subconscious mind is well aware of what it hears. If you are someone who has been guilty of repeatedly saying things like this, you might want to stop consider what it is that you are doing to yourself. Your self esteem and your self image are on the line. Simply put: It will believe and become what it is told. We need to be careful of what it is that we are saying. To our kids, our spouse and especially to ourself. Our minds are a lot like a computer program. What we put into them, is what will come out.
Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.
Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com
541-343-3614
Friday, September 10, 2010
Timing...it really is everything
Almost four years ago, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a gentleman who planted seeds of greatness into my life. This is someone I looked up to and respected. I am sure you know what I am talking about, that many of you at some point have had someone you looked up to, to give you a critical key to life which helped you make a difference. For me, this was a much needed “piece of the puzzle” I was needing.
Steven Fulmer, a life coach and the Creator of LifeQuest Mapping, gave me something at just the right time in my life when I was ready to hear it. He said this:
If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If you always get what you’ve always got, then you’ll always think the way you’ve always thought. Then if you always think the way you have always thought, you will always feel the way you have always felt. So if you always feel the way you’ve always felt, then you will always do what you’ve always done and so finally, you will always get what you’ve always got.
Yes, it is Socrates and not only did it make a lot of sense to me, it brought me to a whole new level of awareness. Maybe some of you have heard this statement before - it is profound. What I find most interesting about this quote is not just the message it holds but the timing of it and how hard it hit me just when I was ready to hear it.
Since then I have learned that timing truly is everything. I have no doubt that many, many times the right message has been given to me, but I was simply not ready to hear it or know it was the right message or that it was for me. I believe many of us, everyday, are given critical “keys to life and the life we desire” but are simply not ready to hear it. We have all heard the old cliché, “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” There is a lot more truth to that than most of us realize. Many times throughout my life, the right people have been near and/or around me. Although it was so obvious, I just wasn’t ready mentally or possibly even emotionally.
The more I see, the more I want to see and the more I realize that throughout each of our lives, the timing of certain events are critical. Have you ever heard that opportunity knocks on every door? I believe that statement to be very true. The best and greatest opportunity in the world could be right in front of you. If you’re not ready and aware, it won’t manifest itself in your life and you will miss it. The good news is, it could possibly come back around at some point. However, if you’re not ready, it won’t matter, you will miss it again.
Starting today, look around you and pay attention to who it is that is in your life and who it is that will come into your life over the next 30 days. If you watch closely and seek answers for what your heart truly wants, you might find the keys you need to unlock the next door are closer than you realize.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
Steven Fulmer, a life coach and the Creator of LifeQuest Mapping, gave me something at just the right time in my life when I was ready to hear it. He said this:
If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If you always get what you’ve always got, then you’ll always think the way you’ve always thought. Then if you always think the way you have always thought, you will always feel the way you have always felt. So if you always feel the way you’ve always felt, then you will always do what you’ve always done and so finally, you will always get what you’ve always got.
Yes, it is Socrates and not only did it make a lot of sense to me, it brought me to a whole new level of awareness. Maybe some of you have heard this statement before - it is profound. What I find most interesting about this quote is not just the message it holds but the timing of it and how hard it hit me just when I was ready to hear it.
Since then I have learned that timing truly is everything. I have no doubt that many, many times the right message has been given to me, but I was simply not ready to hear it or know it was the right message or that it was for me. I believe many of us, everyday, are given critical “keys to life and the life we desire” but are simply not ready to hear it. We have all heard the old cliché, “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” There is a lot more truth to that than most of us realize. Many times throughout my life, the right people have been near and/or around me. Although it was so obvious, I just wasn’t ready mentally or possibly even emotionally.
The more I see, the more I want to see and the more I realize that throughout each of our lives, the timing of certain events are critical. Have you ever heard that opportunity knocks on every door? I believe that statement to be very true. The best and greatest opportunity in the world could be right in front of you. If you’re not ready and aware, it won’t manifest itself in your life and you will miss it. The good news is, it could possibly come back around at some point. However, if you’re not ready, it won’t matter, you will miss it again.
Starting today, look around you and pay attention to who it is that is in your life and who it is that will come into your life over the next 30 days. If you watch closely and seek answers for what your heart truly wants, you might find the keys you need to unlock the next door are closer than you realize.
Have a great Friday everyone and be blessed.
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