A Roadmap to reaching your potential...

Good Morning,

I have a few questions for you this morning:

• What do you want to achieve in life?  big question I know
• How do you plan to achieve your goals or get to that desired destination?

The reason I ask is because I want to review Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, and how using some personal motivation that resides in each of us can help us achieve our goals and destiny.

The Pyramid of Needs

1. Physiological Needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep, and intimacy
2. Safety Needs - protection from the elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, freedom from fear
3. Social Needs - belonging, affection and love - from co-workers, family, friends, and lovers
4. Self Esteem Needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect
5. Self-Actualization - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experience.

What is the importance of the Pyramid in understanding how to reach our potential? 

Maslow believed that when needs are unmet people are motivated to achieve those needs first, and then seek to fulfill the higher needs - (ex. - starving people will do anything to satisfy that basic need because if they don't they won't survive)  I would hope that each of you reading this are meeting your basic needs, but this example creates a good focus for us and further justifies the thinking of Maslow.  The pyramid is just that -  A pathway of moving to a higher level of personal growth where we meet needs that either are central to our survival or will greatly enhance our human experience.

So where are you currently on this pyramid?  Do you want to find out?  Here's a quick quiz that will help:

http://helloquizzy.okcupid.com/tests/the-revised-maslow's-hierarchy-of-needs-test

Did you complete the quiz? 

Does it seem like an accurate assessment of where you're currently in your life?  If it is, but it's not where you want to be how are you going to change that starting today?  I want to provide some help in the form of an article you can read that outlines a process for you to start moving up that pyramid toward the goal of self-actualization.  Below is the link to the article.  I will discuss the article and provide some practical strategies related to the article in my next blog post.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Self-Affirmations

I hope this has been beneficial.  Please let me know because my goal is to provide help to people in achieving their goals for personal development and health.  Thank you for visiting, and have a wonderful day.

Take care,

Dave

​

Thoughts for the day - Making it is all about hanging on...

Life can seem hectic at times, and feel like we're just trying to hang on.  In those moments we have to press on and move ahead with confidence and purpose.  If you've hit a bump in the road or feel like your just hanging on, here's some thoughts to help you on your journey today.

Take care,

Dave

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.

Maya Angelou

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas A. Edison

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.

Mary Anne Radmacher

If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.

H.G. Wells

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

I like the way this guy thinks... Insights from Steve Maraboli

Some of us are stuck in life because we hang on to the things in the past.  The author of these quotes has some amazing insights on how to free ourselves and our minds of this unnecessary baggage, so we can reach the peak of our life.  Don't just hang on today, climb the mountains of your goals and dreams.  You may have to drop your pack of regrets and sorrows, but won't it be worth it to enjoy the view at the top.  Take care, and have an amazing day.

Dave

"We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW wth the power to shape your day and your future." 

Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

"Sometimes life knocks you on your ass... get up, get up, get up!!!

Happiness is not the absence of problems,

it's the ability to deal with them."

Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

"Incredible change happens in your life

when you decide to take control of what you do have power over

instead of craving control over what you don't."

Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

"Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history,

but not a part of your destiny."  

Steve Maraboli

"At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets."

Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Live Happy - The 4 W's to make it happen in your life...

"Happineszs a state of well-being, contentment, a satisfying experience, and good fortune"(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness)

Think about your life right now in this moment.  Are you truly happy?  Are you pursuing the things in life that add to your happiness?  Have you thought about the importance of happiness to our existence as human beings?  Finally, does happiness really matter?  I'd like to share the 4 W's that I believe are important to Living Happy.

Why Happiness?

Being happy is truly a mind, body, and spirit experience that has lasting benefits in our lives.  It has been supported by scientific research for many decades.  More recently scientific research is diving into the topic more with the changes in health care reform and the rise of disease.  What's evident  if you read any health or psychology articles is that being a happy person has a positive effect on our entire being.

Some of the research has shown significance in how happiness can create the following benefits:

• Becoming a genius - Being happy may not get you to be a card carrying member of Mensa, but studies have shown clearly that happiness has some significant benefits to our cognition.  Some of these benefits include:
• Improved problem solving skills
• Greater imagination and thought production
• Increased ability to assimilate new information - I was smiling and that's why I used those big words - wow it really works - Awesome!!! :)

• Becoming an Adonis - Sorry to disappoint, but being happy won't make you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger's identical twin, but it has been proven to have these helpful effects on the body:
• Decreases the workload of the heart by lowering BP and HR
• Decreases Cortisol (a hormone that exists to help manage our body's response to stress, but high levels of it are detrimental and cause decreased immunity, increased belly fat, decreased muscle, and decreased thyroid)
• Decrease the risk of heart disease by limiting bad blood plasma like cholesterol

• Becoming the Life of the Party - This could actually happen by being a happy person.  Studies show that people with the following traits are able to be more successful at creating meaningful relationships.  Those traits are:
• Enthusiasm - nobody wants to be around Debbie Downer (except us SNL fans)
• Gratefulness - understanding and appreciating the many good things in our lives.
• Optimism - that glass is half -full I tell you - the ability to see beyond the negative

Listed below are some links to some good information about the benefits of happiness on our bodies, minds, and spirits.  

Happiness and health

Smile your way to happiness

Happiness and making a buck

Being mindful of happiness

What Happiness looks like in action

In order to enjoy these benefits we must take action in our lives to "Be Happy - don't worry" - good song.  Seriously, it is important to understand some practices we can implement in our lives to promote the happiness that leads to our holistic improvement.

Here are the 3 G's of Happiness:

•  Gratitude - Gratitude means thanks and appreciation.  It's the warm feeling you get when you remember the person who told you to drop your 1980's hairstyle and get with the new millennium already.  It also opens ourselves to new opportunities and possibilities.

• Giving - Another way this could be said is being generous with your time, your emotions, and your finances.  When you give to another person it fills a special place in our hearts.  How did it feel when you gave an unexpected person something from your heart?  They smiled, and you had this warm fuzzy feeling in your heart.  That may not be the scientific wording for that reaction, but you know what I mean.

• Greatness - Not being a pompous jerk, but pursuing excellence in your own life that can positively impact others.  Having that drive to make a difference in this world.  This means taking action to look for these opportunities in your life, and knowing...

When Happiness starts to make a difference

Happiness will only occur when you decide to actually take action.  Then happiness can start to invade lives in a way that creates positive change.  When you walk down the street or through the office, do look for the opportunity to make another person's day?  How much effort does it take to say thank you or give a smile?  When you take the time in that moment it can make all the difference to both the giver and receiver.  So when should you start looking to make a difference?  Yesterday.  If I've learned anything from the privilege of helping hospice patients and their families, don't wait for tomorrow.  Therefore, just like any goal, we have to put a plan into action for success.  Here are some practical things you can do to start making a difference:

Three ways to put happiness into action:

• Give your Mind - This means in all your interactions you need to be present.  Whether it's in your relationship or your friendship you need to give your attention.  This promotes happiness because you've just validated the other person's importance to you, and made them feel valued. Working on being a better communicator and listener in our everyday interactions can promote happiness.

• Give Your Heart - Look for ways to put your caring for others into action without making sign that says, "See what I did".  When you look for opportunities to make others feel better it can create increased happiness and fulfillment in our lives.  Look for opportunities with your family, your friends, the person on the corner, or an official organization where you can give to others.  Do you remember what happened to the Grinch when he gave to the Who's?  Let your heart grow today as you give some of it away to others in need.

• Give Your Hand - Scientific research supports the effects of human affection from the time we're babies in the nursery.  Without the touch of another human our growth and development become stagnate.  Therefore, having touch in our lives is important to building happiness.  As a staff nurse I always would get down to eye level with my patients, and gently touch there shoulder to let them know I would be there to meet their needs.  Each of us can do this each day with those we love, know, and meet.

Where Happiness can Grow

Being happy in life takes understanding why it's important, knowing what actions can produce the happiness we seek, how to generate happiness in our interactions with others, and finally we have to have a place where we can let happiness grow.

Here are 3 locations where you can let your happiness grow:

• Place full of purpose - We each need to have a sense that what we do in our life makes a difference.  Being happy won't occur if you don't have a location for your happiness to grow. Is it the smile of my little 3 year old when Daddy comes home at night?  Is is your visit to a sick relative that provides them comfort as you sit with them in that strange place?  Or is on the corner in your car at the traffic light as you hand a dollar out your window to another person in need?  Only you know where that place should be for you, but to be happy you have to find that location for your purpose.

• Place where you can grow - Each and every one of us need to and hopefully want to become better people.  To be happy in our lives we need to have a place that promotes our personal growth.  A small group, a friendship, and non-profit organization.  Or it could be your own routine of reading, meditating, or exercising.  All these actions provide the environment for you to grow and increase your happiness.  Look at your life today, and find that place you can grow.

• Place where you can share - It is amazing to me that with so many people on the face of this earth not one of us is the same.  That's great news because we are all special individuals with unique gifts and talents that can be used to improve our life, and the lives of others.  Do you have a place where you share your gift?  Do you know what your gift is?  Most often your gift is that thing or things you do that come naturally to you that you enjoy, and can impact others positively.  Are you a great artist?  Do you have talent baking?  Are you a compassionate person that knows how to make others feel better?  Or are you talented at inspiring others to be their best?  There are a bunch of great books out there that can help with the process, and then you need to find a place to unleash your greatness on the world.

So are you ready to Live Happy, and make it a part of your everyday life?  Would you like to know of a place that might possibly be your opportunity to change your life and others?  If so, reach out to me about a great opportunity to make a difference... here's a sneak peek

           A Place to Make a Difference

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome... Going Beyond Life's Challenges

 

Good Morning,

Don't we all feel like were climbing a huge mountain sometimes.   I know I sure do when things don't seem to be going my way or unannounced challenges enter my life.  The big question for both you and me how should we respond during these times?

As some of you may have read on this site, I spent some time in the military with a good bunch of guys.  They were leathernecks, devil dogs, some may even call them jarheads, but they were resilient men who proudly held the title of United States Marines.  My experience with that organization formed much of my thinking about success and failure.  The Marine Corps had a motto that we lived by that was a commentary on how Marines are expected to deal with failure and challenges, "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome".

One of my many stories that illustrate this concept was when we hiked into the mountains of Northern California.  In a matter of three days we covered more than 15 miles, and ascended from 2,000 to more than 8,000 feet with a ton of gear on our backs.  It was a grueling hike that took its toll on many.  A friend of friend of mine became one of the many who emulated our motto on that trip.
It started a few weeks prior to this exercise when he had purchased some new boots.  Much like each of us who were with the infantry he tried to find a pair of boots that were comfortable and would hold up to the rigors of the field.  During those weeks prior to the trip he ran in the boots, bathed them in mud while on field ops, and generally did everything he could to ensure these boots would protect and sustain his feet.

Sadly, this wasn't the case on our winter wonderland hike.  His boots became cold, and lacked pliability.  His boots began to start creating little hot spots all over his feet that turned into horrible blisters.  When we were half-way through the hike he came and got me to check his feet because he was in a ton of pain.  We quickly pulled his boots off, and all I saw were blood soaked socks.  The entire bottoms of his feet were covered with open blisters.  I quickly dressed his wounds, and was going to put him in the hummer when he stood up and starting walking away.  This trip was a rite of passage for him, a chance to prove to himself he could overcome obstacles and deal with painful challenges.  It was his opportunity to live the Corp's motto and be successful.

I'm surely not condoning abusing our bodies, but making the point that in life you and I sometimes face seemingly unbearable challenges.  Like my friend, we too can "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome" when we believe in our cause and in ourselves.  Thank you for letting me share, and ramble a bit.

So, how are you going to "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome" in your life today?  Whatever it may be, you can do it by believing in yourself, and figuring out how to beat that challenge.
 
Here are a couple quotes for your day:

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

 

“if you set your goals ridiculously high and its a failure, you will fail above everyone else success”
― James Cameron

Have a great Day!

Minimize the Clutter in Your Life - 5 ways to achieve success through organization...

Does your life ever feel like its spinning out of control because you have numerous demands from your work, your family, and the other unplanned events that impact your life daily?  It often feels similar to having a cluttered garage, and feeling overwhelmed by the piled up projects staring you in the face.  To be productive in life we all to make time to enjoy the things that bring us happiness, and the only way this can occur is by creating a system that ensure organization in our lives.  

Here are 5 easy ways to achieve success by organizing your life:

• A place for everything:  How many mornings can you remember needing to rush out of the house to get to work when you realized you can't find your keys?  You retrace your steps in a mad panic, so you won't be late to work that morning.  Thankfully in the midst of your anxiety, a helpful hand comes around the corner dangling your car keys.  Part of the reason this occurs is because that there needs to be a place for everything in your life.  When you dedicate a specific location to put things in place in your life, the chaos of the missing keys quickly subsides.

• A time for everything - Why were you chasing those keys in the first place?  Most likely because you have a challenging schedule where you have to make time to work, eat, sleep, spend time with those you love, stay healthy, and maybe have a minute to mentally digest it all.  Sadly there are only 24 hours in the day, and these necessities in life make it difficult to keep a grip on things in your life.  I recently read Steve Harvey's newest book where he gives the details on his daily schedule.  The guy wakes up a 3am and proceeds to work-out, meditate, do conference calls, conduct business meetings, host 1 radio and 2 TV shows, and finally gets home at 8 pm to act as a father and husband to his family.  He said he's only successful because each event on his life has a scheduled time.  If we want to be successful in our lives we also need to organize our time by creating a events that fit into the moments of our day.

• A note for everything - I don't know about you, but sometimes the thing resting on my shoulders (my head) fails me.  Therefore, creating a list of my tasks helps me track my progress.  I write down everything.  Even those amazing inventions that are yet to be unleashed on the world.  Writing down the things that impact our schedules creates the organization we need to see how well were managing our time, and creates opportunities for improved success. 

• A deadline for everything - That was due yesterday?  That can be a typical response for the unorganized person who hasn't written down what they need to do or when it needs to be done.  Without time lines for the tasks in our lives, we become like a rudderless boat adrift in the chaos of a busy schedule.  Start creating more organization by adding time lines to that to do list, and continue to re prioritize the demands as they're met or rescheduled.  Knowing your time lines will reduce your stress, let people know you're dependable, and create success by achieving the goals and tasks in your life.

• A purpose for everything - Creating the opportunity for success in our lives requires that we move forward with a sense of purpose in our lives.  We must develop a mindset that is supported by a drive to make a difference in our own lives and others.  Our actions and motives must be tied to the reason for developing a pattern of organization in our lives.  Therefore, when your life feels like it's spinning out of control we have to take control by intervening with the actions to create organization.   By having a place for everything, scheduling the time we need to accomplish our tasks, writing down the things we need to accomplish, understanding that we need to meet deadlines, and focusing on the purpose for developing organization we can achieve the success we desire in life.

“Organization isn't about perfection; it's about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.”
― Christina Scalise, Organize Your Life and More 

Don't Be Afraid to Be Amazing...

Good Morning,

Today I wanted to talk about believing in yourself because it is the only way people can become finishers.  By finisher I mean winner, champion, achieving your goals, and making a life that you want for yourself and those important to you.

Have you ever had a great idea, concept, or a plan that would fix a problem?  Have you been told that it won't work, or been ignored, or the people you pitched the idea to decided to go a different direction?  I'm sure it's a yes to all of those questions because if you want to go anywhere in life you have to take some risks.  You also need to believe in yourself in those instances, and believe in what you can offer people that will positively affect others.

A year and a half ago I personally left a corporate position because I wanted to make a change in people's lives. In my last position I was unable to get that accomplished for a number of reasons, but I still believed there was something more I was supposed to do.  The creation of the eBook I've co-authored that will be released in a month is a dream coming true that I hope will help people change their lives.

During the process I've experienced unexpected personal and family illnesses,  financial challenges, depression, and frustration at times.  That's life for each and everyone one of us, but through it all I've held on to the belief that I want to make a difference.  I want to be the change, I want to see people take control of their lives, and I want to see people live longer lives with those they love by sharing some information that will help end their battle with smoking.

What is it for you?  Do you have doubters or do you doubt yourself?  We all have moments of uncertainty, but you need to remember who you are, the talents you have, and how you want to make others' lives better by following that passion.  I'm going to leave you with some quotes below that hopefully will encourage you today.  Have an amazing week, and look in that mirror and tell yourself "I can do it"!!!  Take care.   Dave 

 

 

"To succeed we must first believe that we can."  

Michael Korda

 

"A person can be as great as they want to be.  If you believe in yourself, and have courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice little things in life, and pay the price for the things that are more."  

Vince Lombardi

 

"Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe."  

Cynthia Kersey

 

"To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will."

Sugar Ray Robinson

 

"Don't be afraid to be amazing."

Andy Offutt Irwin