Love Yourself

There is no power in this world more effective for manifesting your desires than self-love. The ability to feel comfortable as an individual is a key to happiness. Many people struggle with this task.

Learning to love who you are as a person is something that takes practice, because our minds create dramatic stories about inferiority. Ninety percent of the time when you feel badly about yourself, you are really just stringing together a fiction. The mind is an amazing thing. We can create so much with our imaginations that all of the negative thoughts seem real to us. However, the movies that we play in our head often portray us as failures, but these are no more real than dreams.

The secret to learning to love yourself is to realize that you are not who your imagination says you are. Your imagination does not have to be your enemy. Use your mental movies to watch all of the good things that have happened to you in your life, and play them over and over again. This is no different than what you do with the negative movies. At first this visualization technique may be challenging, depending on your current level of self esteem. You should always remember that you choose how to feel about yourself, and that you are your own worst critic. If you think people hate you, you are wrong. You simply repel them with your own negative vibrations! First, begin by loving yourself, and people will respond to this in a positive way. Remember, when you feel good, good things happen.

Finding Yourself

Many people spend their entire lives searching for a "sense of self." They use it as a reason to go on extended vacations, attend colleges, and take interesting jobs. Though all of these things can be beneficial to leading a full life, the fact is that you do not have to do any of these things in order to "find yourself." Your higher self is always there, but it is not something that you can consciously understand. It is separate from your thoughts (the constant voices playing in your head) as well as your emotions. Your higher self exists on a different plane, and it only can come through when you stop searching for it. All you need to do to find yourself is to realize that you do not understand yourself and never can. You are comprised of a greater energy than words or thoughts or feelings can express, but being yourself is as easy as relaxing and clearing your mind. Allow your higher self to come through by disassociating from your worries and fears. Sit for a few moments and clear your mind while focusing on your breathing. This meditative technique will almost immediately give you a feeling of peace and well being. This is an expression of your higher self.

How to Lose Weight With Writing

The first thing you must do to begin your weight loss journey is to create a contract with yourself. Get out a pen and a piece of paper and copy down the following words:

Starting on (insert date), I choose to live my best. I choose to be happy, healthy, slim and fit. I deserve to accomplish my weight loss goals. (Your Signature)

Make sure that you truly believe in the words that you have written. View this piece of paper as a real, binding contract. It will prove to be the most valuable document you have ever signed.

Once you have drafted your weight-loss contract, purchase a journal. This will be used to record EVERYTHING that you eat. Make sure that you write in this journal each day, and keep your contract inside of it at all times. At the end of every day, read over your journal and your contract. Just by viewing if what you eat is in accordance with your contract, you will begin to make healthier food choices and eat less frequently.

These are two ways that writing can help with weight loss.

How to Transcend Suffering

Notice the title of this article includes the word "transcend" and not "end." Ending suffering should not be your goal, for without suffering, there can be no learning. We will all make mistakes and fail miserably at some point in our lives. Disasters will strike, and there is no avoiding it.

However, there is no such thing as "Good" or "bad" until we think about something. We create our own suffering, and in order to transcend the pain we must accept it. The things that happen in your life do not define you. They do not make you who you are, so do not identify yourself with pain. There is no magical guide to happiness, but unhappiness can be transcended by acceptance. When bad things happen, you still exist. You can never lose yourself, despite your surroundings. Live for this moment, accept the pain of this moment, and accept the joy of another. Do not spend hours in worry, or resentment, for these feelings only lend themselves to more. Reach your hand out to happiness, and happiness will reach its hand unto you.

How to Create Instant Confidence

Confidence is a powerful belief in your own abilities. This state of mind is incredibly important to helping you achieve your goals. Confidence is an important aspect of living an inspired life, and I am going to tell you how you can create confidence at any given time.

All you have to do is close your eyes and visualize an event or situation that you would normally for awkward in. Make sure it is something you would like to be confident in. For example, you see a beautiful girl you would like to talk to (you can substitute virtually any situation.) Now, visualize yourself becoming a giant. Feel immense power flowing through you as you grow forty feet tall. Imagine yourself towering over the world.

Now, imagine giant you tilting back forty degrees. Storm clouds, lightning and thunder surround your head.

Feel this image fall down into your body. Feel bold, powerful, giant and confident. Imagine that you can do anything. When you feel the confidence overwhelm you, place your thumb and index finger together. Now, the next time you are in the awkward situation you visualized, place your thumb and index finger together and you will be reminded of this confidence.

If used properly, you'll be meeting girls easier than Brad Pitt and Will Smith combined.

I did not make up this technique. It is the property (as far as I know) of Tony Robbins, but I don't think he would mind me sharing it with you. It has helped me many times before, and I am sure it will help you too.

Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Life Instantly!

Some of these instant life improvement techniques are from other articles I've written and some are brand new. I've consolidated them into a top ten list. These tips will help to improve your life right now.

1. Think of all the things you appreciate in your life and write them down. That's right, appreciation and gratitude is a great way to improve your mood. No matter how bad your situation is, you always have something to be grateful for. Focusing on the things you appreciate about your life is an amazing way to feel good.

2. Give Something Away: Have a friend who could use something you have? Giving is a great way to feel good. Someone feeling gratitude towards you is the ultimate reward. Show someone you love or care about how much you appreciate them by giving them something (preferably something that they'll actually use.)

3. Exercise: That's right, go for a run, a jog, a swim or a walk. Do anything that gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. Afterward, you will be in a great mood, guaranteed.

4. Meditate: Go to a comfortable place, feel your body relax, focus on your breathing and clear your mind for a while. The process of meditation is amazingly helpful.

5. Focus on What You Want: Ever find yourself thinking about all the things that are wrong with your life? Have you ever stopped and thought about what you actually want to have happen in a positive way? Just by doing this you will start to feel excited.

6. Get Some Sunshine: Even if it is a rainy day, put on your rain coat and go outside. The sun is still out somewhere, and it is just waiting to make you feel better. Sunshine is an amazing gift, and being close to nature and fresh air will always do you good.

7. Learn Something New: Learning something new is an amazing way to mix things up and have you feeling excited. Do something that you would not normally do. Don't worry if you aren't any good at it. Just try! It will add new experiences to your repertoire.

8. Wake Up: Focus on the moment. Your mind can be mean sometimes. It likes to think about the future and the past and only focus on the negative. Don't let your mind do that to you. Live in the moment and don't worry too much about the past or the future. The only thing you have control over is this moment!

9. Lighten Up: Watch a funny move. Laugh. Do anything that makes you happy. Life is supposed to be fun. If you are sad, the moment is wasted. Get into the flow of well being. Your mind makes things out to be more serious than they actually are.

10. Forgive: Make the choice, right now, to forgive yourself and others. Let go and forget about any mistakes you have made, because they don't matter. Forgive others who have treated you poorly, because they're opinions do not make you who you are. Only you can control who you are, so choose not to be angry and hateful towards yourself and everyone else. Forgiveness is the most powerful tool, (next to gratitude) that you have in your journey towards a better life.

Is John McCain Right?

You may be wondering what John McCain, the republican presidential candidate, has to do with living an inspired life. I am in no way, shape or form promoting any political party. I offer no support to the republican party (or the democratic), because it has nothing at all to do with the nature of this blog.

That being said, I want to bring attention some interesting news. One of McCain's top political advisers has described America as "A nation of whiners" concerning the state of the economy. Many of you may be startled by this statement, but I am tempted to agree.

Even during the depression, there were people making millions. Too many people are blaming the economy on their financial problems, when in the end it is their own fault. The only way to change the state that you are in, financially or otherwise, is to accept responsibility for it. Blaming the economy takes away your power to change your situation. Complaining and whining will not help anything. Focus on the things that you want, instead of focusing on the poor state of the economy.

How to Achieve your Goals

Goal setting is an excellent practice that can lead you to a higher level of achievement. Goals create a clear and tangible desire that one can work towards. But there is a severe problem that occurs with goals.

Have you ever set a goal and failed miserably to reach it, even though you did everything you possibly could to reach it?

I am about to tell you exactly why you failed, and how you can prevent this from happening in the future.

Big goals don't happen overnight (usually), but too many people try to rush towards their goals, and when it doesn't occur immediately they get frustrated and give up. There is a surefire way to avoid this.

All you have to do is be GRATEFUL for the small steps you take toward your goal. Lets say your goal is to lose fifty pounds, and you have already lost a pound. Instead of focusing on the 49 pounds you have left to go, you must be grateful that you have lost a single pound. Being grateful for anything will bring more of what you are grateful for into your life.

Keep a journal of your specific goals, and below them right down the things that you have done to achieve them and what small achievements you have made. Focus on these small achievements in relation to the larger goal, and be grateful for them. There is no way that this method will fail. If you use it, you will achieve any goal you set out to reach.

Mental Inspiration: Learn Something New

One of the greatest things about this world is that there is so much variety. There will always be millions of new things to experience. In order to maintain good mental health, you should go out of your way to learn something new every day. This new thing should be something that is out of your comfort zone. If you are a mathematical person, try writing a sonnet (a fourteen line poem written in Iambic pentameter.) If you are an avid reader, try a challenging game of Sudoku.

Don't get discouraged if you are not good at what you try. The important thing is that you are trying. Mistakes are the best way to learn.

Learning new things creates new mental pathways in our brains. New connections are set forth. This process can keep our brains healthy and fit for life. I believe that the mind is the strongest muscle in our body, and it needs to be flexed frequently in order to maintain its amazing power.
Consistent learning has even been proven to offset and prevent Alzheimer's disease.

So, here is another step on the path toward living an inspired life: get out there and learn something new, and don't forget to have fun doing it!

The Importance of Fitness: Lose Weight!

Yesterday, I discussed how important gratitude is to living an inspired life. Gratitude is the first of three categories of life that must be balanced in order to live happily. The second is the physical. You are not your body, but you do dwell within it. You would not let your house fall into disrepair if you could help it, so why would you do it to your body? When you are in good physical condition, you are in a position to allow the full potential of self to come through. You feel better about yourself, and when you feel good, good things will happen.

Many people say they don't have enough time to dedicate to personal fitness. I say, you don't have enough time not to. Cardiovascular activities increase your life span. Make sure you spend some time each day getting your heart rate up. You know the drill. Run, bike, walk or swim. Be creative and do things that entertain you. Find something you can do that you really enjoy, and it won't feel like "Working Out" at all.

Interval training is a great way to increase weight loss benefits from Cardio workouts. An example of interval training would be running at full speed for thirty seconds, and then jogging slowly for thirty. The intervals burn far more calories than long distance running because your body does not have the chance to adjust to the calorie loss. Don't let your body cheat you out of your hard earned weight loss. Play with interval training!

Both men and women can enjoy the benefits of weight lifting as well. Muscles burn fat and raise your metabolism. They also can raise your self-confidence. Overweight men often have a great time turning muscle into fat. You already have plenty to work with, and you'd be surprised how fast your strength will increase after a few weeks at the gym.

Anyone who lifts weights should do compound exercises. The three pillars of a weight lifting routine are squats, dead lifts, and bench press. These lifts burn the most calories and build the most muscle because they activate the peak muscle fibers and put the most stress on your body. They can even increase levels of free testosterone (the muscle building hormone.)

Building muscle and losing fat can have you looking and feeling your best. All it takes is a little time, and you can start today! Let me know if you have any more questions about weight loss and muscle building. If you would like to know more I will post more specific articles about the physical aspect of an inspired life.

A Poem about Inspiration

This is a poem I wrote about the power of an inspired life. I hope you enjoy it!


When decision is impressed upon the matter of life
There are forces that go to work, beyond comprehension.
They are the builders of dreams and bringers of fortune
And are sustained by the wealth of imagination.

How does man accomplish their desires?
All that must be done
Is to make the choice.

The land will come to the sailor that sees it,
The crop will grow for the farmer that sews it,
And all the riches will be brought to he who
Claims them as his own.

Success is not a slave to fate,
But forged by the individual
In the fires of passion and creativity.

A Life of Inspiration: Gratitude

The Importance of Gratitude:

Hello, my name is Robert and I'd like to welcome you to my blog on how to live an inspired life. As I define it, an inspired life is nothing but one of happiness and freedom. A person who lives an inspired life has the ability to be creative, confident, and to love freely and passionately. They can achieve anything they want because they attract people and events into their lives that help them to move toward their goals easily.

This article is about the first step to living an inspired life: gratitude. You may think that this is relatively simple, and it is. Gratitude is one of the most powerful positive emotions that we are capable of experiencing. If you want to live a better life, be grateful for everything that you already have.

You will find all that you look for in this life. If you are always searching for things to be grateful for, you'll start to find them. They will become more and more abundant. You will feel better about your life, and when you feel good, good things will happen to you.

People also notice gratitude. The next time someone does something nice for you, go out of your way to show your thanks. Try to do something of equal or greater kindness for them. Also, it is a great idea to do nice things for people who have done nothing for you. Gratitude is a two way street. When someone feels gratitude for something you have done for them, you feel great. As I said before, feeling good leads to good things.

You can take the first step towards living an inspired life right now. Get out a piece of paper, or if you prefer, open up microsoft word, and write down anything and everything you are grateful for. Look at this list every morning when you wake up and every night you go to bed. Continue to add to it whenever you think of new things you are grateful for. Trust me, the list will grow substantially. You will slowly start to notice all the wonderful things that life has to offer. Do this for only a week and see how much your list has grown. All the beautiful things that you are grateful for will continue to multiply. Gratitude is a powerful tool that will begin your quest for living an inspired life.