Change Your Outlook

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

― Brian Tracy

       I believe firmly that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Change and growth isn’t about waiting for your circumstances to change or for someone’s behavior to change, it is about changing how you perceive the world around you. By changing your attitude and outlook, you can go from being stuck to creating a life filled with joy and limitless possibilities.

Know Yourself

“Know who you are, and be it. Know what you want, and go out and get it!”

― Carroll Bryant

       Be secure in who you are and each day strive to be that person.  There will always be someone who has a negative opinion of you and your choices, but at the end of the day, you must remember this is your life.  So, ignore the naysayers and do you.  Everything else will fall into place.

Take Control

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”

― Susan Polis Schutz

       What you do in this life is truly up to you. No one else can live your life for you. We each have our own path we must walk alone. And it is up to you to choose how you travel. You can choose to make your path very difficult to traverse by tying ankle weights to your legs or you can choose to free yourself from the burdens of yesterday and embrace your journey. Free your mind, body and soul. Take the power inside of you to author your own story. Because at the end of the day, this life is yours and yours alone.

Be in the Present

“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”

― Alan W. Watts

         The first step in moving forward and creating the life you crave is to be present in this moment. You need to learn how to live in the here and now. The past is gone and you can’t get it back. While the future has yet to happen. But the present moment is happening right now, so don’t let it pass you by. It’s time to become engaged and connected with the present moment.

The Path of Change

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

― Jon Krakauer

        Don’t be afraid of change because it is so easy to become complacent and comfortable in our lives. We may be miserable but something holds us back from getting up and making change happen. Whether it be a fear of the unknown or of failure. But at some point, you must wake up and realize that life isn’t about feeling safe, secure and comfortable all the time. Sometimes you have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and take a leap of faith to truly learn what it means to fly. So, today stop making excuses for your unhappy circumstances and take your first step down the untrodden path of change.

Free Yourself

“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others”

― Steve Maraboli

        Today, choose to be free of caring about what the world thinks of you. Choose to be free of letting other people’s words and opinions define you. Live your truth and your truth alone.

Stay True to Who You Are

“Life is funny. Things change, people change, but you will always be you, so stay true to yourself and never sacrifice who you are for anyone.”

― Zayn Malik

    One of the most important lessons you must learn is to never compromise who you are for anyone – including for a job, a significant other, a family member, or a friend. It is so hard to stay true to yourself when you have outside influences and voices trying to change you and criticizing you when you try to say no. But it is at these times when you are facing immense pressure to behave in a certain manner that you must find the strength and courage to not give in and to not sacrifice who you are. Stand tall in your convictions and always listen to your inner voice.

Be in the Present

“Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.”

― Steve Maraboli

       As you close out another week, let go of all the negative that happened on Monday, Tuesday, etc. It’s done. You can’t go back and change any decisions or actions, so why carry it into tomorrow? In the same breath, try to hold back from stressing and worrying about tomorrow because it hasn’t happened yet. So, every time your mind drifts, try to refocus it back to the present because this moment right here, right now is what matters. You are in control of this moment and it is truly a precious gift not to be wasted.

Be Comfortable with the Company You Keep

“The person in life that you will always be with the most, is yourself. Because even when you are with others, you are still with yourself, too! When you wake up in the morning, you are with yourself, laying in bed at night you are with yourself, walking down the street in the sunlight you are with yourself.What kind of person do you want to walk down the street with? What kind of person do you want to wake up in the morning with? What kind of person do you want to see at the end of the day before you fall asleep? Because that person is yourself, and it’s your responsibility to be that person you want to be with. I know I want to spend my life with a person who knows how to let things go, who’s not full of hate, who’s able to smile and be carefree. So that’s who I have to be.”

– C. JoyBell C

       It is true that the person you will spend time with the most is yourself. So, you better love the company you keep. You must contemplate the type of person you would like to wake up to. Who do you want to spend time with? And then you must strive to be your highest self at all times. Check the pettiness, jealousy, hatred and self-loathing at the door. Embrace compassion, learn to forgive and let go – be a free spirit.  And become someone you would be honored to walk hand in hand with through this journey we call life.

Change the Channel

Life has no remote….get up and change it yourself!”

― Mark A. Cooper

      If at any point in life, you get tired of the the show playing…then get up and change the channel. No one else can do it for you. You have to decide when you’re tired of watching reruns and repeat episodes that make up your life and then make some changes.