Pop Quiz: When was the last time you acknowledged and appreciated yourself?
That’s right: YOU. Not your spouse, not your children, or not your boss, co-workers or friends. Just YOU!
Seriously, think about it.
And if it’s been so long since you last pat yourself on the back, then I want you to take the time right now to acknowledge and appreciate yourself for everything you’ve accomplished today, throughout the year, and in life. Ask yourself: How many times have you succeeded in the past month? The past year? The past 10 years? Are you able to recall your successes as easily as your failures and missteps?
This is not a selfish and egotistical act in the least. By taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you’ve achieved–and perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses–you actually can enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and -appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments.
In working with top leaders and thought philosophers of our time, I will tell you that among their secrets of success is a regular practice of acknowledging and appreciating what they have. It can offer an oracle into the future because it not only tells you where you are but it also helps clarify where you want to go in life. Whatever that might be. The road then becomes easier to navigate–easier to see from the distance and walk confidently step by step.
Don’t forget to think about big and little accomplishments. Many people under-appreciate the minor things they do successfully every day . And yet they can recall in detail all the times they have failed or made mistakes. That’s because the brain remembers events more easily when they are accompanied by strong emotions.
For example, you might vividly recall a graduation, losing 10 pounds, having a child, winning an award, or landing a highly sought after position. But see if you can identify just as many minor, more subtle successes, such as your intimate conversation with your spouse last night, the re-connection you established with an estranged friend last month, the quality time you were able to spend with your children today, how you checked off all your list of To Dos for the weekend, how you learned a new task at work, or got your kid to school on time.
These may seem like minor acts in the grand scheme of life, but they are what make us feel whole, happy, and accomplished along the journey toward those larger, and much more deeply satisfying moments.
Acknowledging your mistakes also has it pluses, but we often don’t have trouble recalling or mulling over those. The point is, if you don’t acknowledge your successes the same way you acknowledge your mistakes, you’re sure to have a memory full of blunders. And a mind stuffed with negative chatter about the gaffes of life won’t fuel your energy, nor your confidence, creativity, and motivation to keep going.
Consider this, too: if you only remember the mistakes and failures, you won’t be as ready to take risks that will lead to your successes. Build your self-esteem by recalling all the ways you have succeeded and your brain will be filled with images of you making your achievements happen again and again.
Give yourself permission to toot your own horn and don’t wait for anyone to praise you. Here are two suggestions:
1.)Record Your Personal History. Take time to write your achievements down. Start when you were very young and think of all your achievements since then. Don’t just pick the major milestones; write down all the things you take for granted. For example, if you list your college degree, write your appreciation for having the opportunity to go to college and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.
You can also create a log of success every day and review it when you are faced with a new challenge. By writing it all down daily, you’re securing it in your long-term memory and it will become a part of what makes you tick. It can even become a source of positive reminders and affirmations for when you’re feeling down, as well as a personal record of you that becomes your legacy.
2.) Celebrate Yourself with Mementos. Surround yourself with reminders of your successes. Put up pictures, articles, trophies, awards and other pieces that bring your attention to your success. Make your environment speak to you about your achievements. Be proud of them!
By the way, showing appreciation for yourself and accomplishments has many rewards that go far beyond boosting your own self-confidence.
Appreciating yourself is creates a cascading affect–your heightened confidence will spill over into other aspects of your life. Watch what happens when you gain that special trust in yourself. You’ll attract opportunities, experience more fulfilling relationships, and have no trouble reaching loftier goals.
Remember, people like to be around those who have a healthy self-esteem and who are achieving their goals. Commit to acknowledging your achievements and your brain will begin to tell you the truth: that you can do anything!
Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
What happened in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina directly affects you.
HOW?
There are HUNDREDS of levees all over the country that could break and flood at any time.
How could this be?
Watch the video below, produced by Ken McCarthy.
Who’s Ken McCarthy?
Ken McCarthy is one of my business mentors, and he has
as been working for years since Hurricane Katrina to help educate the public
about what REALLY happened, why it matters, and what YOU need to know about the Truth.
It’s called exercise. How? Let us count the ways. In study after study, regular workouts have been proven to insulate you from heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and diabetes. Exercise lowers blood pressure, reduces body fat, raises “good” cholesterol, lowers “bad” cholesterol, improves blood flow, keeps intestines and the colon healthy, and regulates key hormones.
To ensure you reap all these benefits, we asked leading experts on aging and exercise to devise the ultimate anti-aging workout. All agreed that it should include the four cornerstones of age prevention: consistent cardio, intense intervals, yoga, and weight training. Start now and you can turn back the clock… for life.
1. DO: Consistent Cardio
The verdict is in: People who exercise almost daily really do keep ticking longer. When scientists pored over data from the famous Framingham Heart Study of more than 5,000 women and men, they discovered that active folks lived nearly four years longer than their inactive peers, largely because they sidestep heart disease–the nation’s leading killer. Aerobic exercise such as walking, biking, jogging, and swimming protects your heart by lowering blood pressure, reducing “bad” cholesterol, and keeping arteries flexible to improve blood flow.
Your Rx: 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Work at a pace that allows you to talk freely; if you can sing, you’re not exercising hard enough. To get started, choose an activity you enjoy and do 10 minutes, five days a week. Then increase by five minutes each week until you’re doing 30 minutes at a time. Dividing your exercise into three 10-minute bouts throughout the day works, too.
2. DO: Intense Intervals
Exercise keeps your mind fit by bringing more blood and oxygen to the noggin, rejuvenating your brain in the process. “The hippocampus, the main area of the brain where memory resides, is particularly susceptible to damage from low blood flow or lack of oxygen - both of which become more likely as we age,” says brain researcher Eric B. Larson, MD, of the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle. Doing bursts of higher intensity activity will increase blood flow and oxygen even more.
Your Rx: 45 minutes, twice a week (moderate-paced cardio exercise interspersed with 1-minute speed bursts every two minutes). Based on a 1-to-10 scale, you should feel like you’re working at an intensity of 7 or 8 (brisk enough that you can talk, but you’d rather not) during the speed bursts and an intensity of 5 or 6 (moderate enough that you can talk freely) the rest of the time. If you’re just starting out, do 15-second intervals, slowly building up to one minute as your endurance increases. Because this is cardio exercise, you don’t have to do these workouts on top of the steady-paced cardio session (though you can if you have the time, and you’ll shape up even faster). Just extend two of those workouts and make them intervals.
3. DO: Weight Training
A healthy heart is key, but unless you have strong bones and muscles, getting up off the couch, climbing the stairs, and walking out the door to enjoy life won’t be so easy. Lifting weights is one of the best ways to keep these body systems in tip-top shape, says Wendy Kohrt, PhD, a professor in the division of geriatric medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. And it can help you stand tall–a quick way to look younger.
Your Rx: 20 minutes, twice a week. Pick up two sets of dumbbells (3 and 5 pounds for beginners; 5 and 10, or 10 and 20 if you need an even bigger challenge), available at most department stores or sporting goods stores. Then follow the strength-building workouts at prevention.com/firmbody.
4. DO: Yoga
The less tense you are, the fewer lines and wrinkles you’ll develop. One of the best workouts to fight stress? Yoga. In a German study, three hours of practice a week lowered the anxiety levels of 16 women ages 26 to 51 by a whopping 30 percent. “As your mouth, jaw, and brows relax, you can literally see the creases soften,” says Larry Payne, Ph.D., director of the Yoga Therapy Rx program at Loyola Marymount University. It may also protect against free radicals, compounds that break down skin’s elasticity. Your Rx: 30 minutes, four times a week. To get started, go to prevention.com/youthfulyoga.
Your Ultimate 7-Day Plan
This routine combines everything into one easy-to-follow schedule:
Day One
30 min cardio
30 min yoga
Day Two
45 min intervals/cardio
Day Three
20 min weight training
30 min yoga
Day Four
30 min cardio
30 min yoga
Day Five
45 min intervals/cardio
20 min weight training
Day Six
30 min cardio
30 min yoga
Day Seven
REST
More Ways Exercise Keeps You Young It boosts your mood: Cardio workouts up levels of the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine.
It helps you sleep: The rhythmic breathing and relaxation of yoga and tai chi help you fall asleep and snooze longer.
It keeps you slim: Beyond burning calories, exercise may also help regulate the production of leptin, the “fat hormone” that controls appetite.
It firms you up: Lifting weights builds muscle–the magic tissue needed to counteract gravity and prevent sagging.
It charges up your sex life: Hormonal changes as you age can lower libido, but just 20 minutes of exercise gets you in the mood by increasing blood flow to the genitals.
Dr. Colyer’s comment: My schedule is very similiar to this, but instead of yoga,
I practice Qi Gong and Tai Chi Chuan.
If you are looking to get started with an online business,
or want to improve the online marketing you are already doing,
keep reading, or just click on the link below:
As you may or may not know,
after practicing here in Upstate New York
forr the past eight years, I recently sold my practice
and retired from the office.
One of the reasons I was able to do that was because
Melanie and I are moving into teaching and training,
with the Internet being our main source of clients
and business.
Two of our health care and business colleagues,
Dr. Judith Shervin and Dr. Jim Sniechowski
(collectively called “Judith & Jim”),
are hosting their second “Bridging Heart & Marketing”
seminar in Los Angeles next month.
This seminar is going to be great!
Even if you just want to get some information
about Internet Marketing, or want to expand your knowledge
for your existing Internet-based business,
they are hosting Preview Calls with all of the speakers,
For F.R.E.E.!
Melanie and I heartily endorse Judith and Jim,
and their “Bridging Heart and Marketing” seminar series.
