We can't avoid the headlines and magazine covers sporting photographs of the rich and famous are flaunted at supermarket checkouts. Celebrities seem to live glamorous, fairy tale lives.
Have you ever felt just a little bit jealous? Have you thought "I want what they've got"? Do you feel that you too deserve the fairy tale?
Let's face it, we can dream our lives away, and it won't make any difference. It is time for a dose of reality. Do you really want constant scrutiny in the media? Do you want every heart ache and every extra pound to be international news? Few people really would.
Perhaps you would be content to be a cut above the rest of the pack. In other words, successful enough to enjoy some glamour without becoming such a celebrity that your life becomes public property.
So, what do you have to do to become a cut above the rest? The following is a one week program designed to change your life. If you simply focus on one step every day you will experience a gradual transformation of your life.
1. Discover your life purpose. There is no point desiring to be an actor when your talent is in something else. It is important to become aware of your gifts and then find a purpose that makes use of them and fits well with your beliefs and values. Once you identify your purpose in life, you will have a compass that can guide you to true happiness. If you are hoping for prosperity and happiness but are wandering aimlessly through life, you may well be disappointed.
2. What are your values? It is important to know your own values because if your goals are not congruent with what you truly believe, you will find it difficult to succeed. Start by making a list of the five most important values you possess. Then compare your goals to this list. If they don't agree, you may need to change your goals.
3. Address your needs. Shakespeare said "To thine own self be true." To live authentically, you need to live with integrity. A part of this requires that you acknowledge your own needs and do what you can to meet them. When we have unmet needs, we can live unhappy, stressed lives. Some of your needs may not actually be good and rather than meet them, you may have to deal with them. For example, if you have the need to control others, that is a need best overcome. However, before you can deal with your needs you have to know what they are. List four needs that are most important to you. If you don't do what you can to meet your needs, you can end up living a depressed and stressed life.
4. Discover your passions. Invest some time in finding out what makes your heart sing. In other words, what are you passionate about? Become enthusiastic about life. Let yourself be inspired.
5. Develop a strong inner life. Modern life is so busy that sometimes it is hard to find quiet time. However, this is essential if you want transform your life from the inside out. By regularly spending time in meditation or relaxing in nature, you will become more connected with your own spirit. Deep breathing can be very calming and help you release stress. Sometimes, you can get the same effect by sitting in a room with low lighting and enjoying classical music.
6. Acknowledge your strengths. Do you know what your strengths are? If you don't, ask someone close to you. List three of your positive characteristics and be willing to share this list with friends. By simply acknowledging your strengths to yourself and others, you will grow in self confidence.
7. Be a giver. Contribute to the world. We are all connected to one another and when we help others we are, in turn, lifted up ourselves.
This is a simple seven day plan to improve your life. By simply working through these seven points, you can gain a winning edge. You simply have to desire to become a better person and be willing to see yourself through the eyes of other people.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Doreen and her mom
By: voterperson | 01-09-2008
MY QUESTION AFTER YOU READ EVERYTHING: Do you agree with what I said? AND AFTER TODAY?S CONVERSATION CAN DOREEN ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HER MOM ALWAYS THOUGHT DOREEN WAS THIN
UPDATE TWO WEEKS LATER:
Doreen: ?Can I ask you something?
Mom: ?What?
Doreen: ?You always thought I was thin?
Mom: ?YES I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE THIN
PART ONE
:: OK yesterday Doreen?s mom (in her 80?s) and Doreen (in her 50?s) went to a movie.. Any way as the movie started all of a sudden Doreen got very hot and extremely dizzy.
Mom: ?What is wrong?
Doreen: ?I feel dizzy?
The dizziness stopped but Doreen was nervous a little bit throughout the movie. When the movie ended:
Mom: ?Just wait until we get into the car I want to talk to you?
Doreen: ?Well if we are going to have a fight I don?t want to hear it?
Mom: ?Then take the bus?
But Doreen got into the car
Mom: ?You have to stop drinking coffee?
Doreen: ?I know I am going to stop?
(And Doreen thought that would be the end of the conversation - wrong)
Mom: ?I know you drink coffee for weight loss. You don?t need to lose any more weight?
Doreen: ?But I was always skinny?
Mom: ?Yes but now you are even skinnier?
This got Doreen mad and they had some fight. When they came home her mom said nasty things to Doreen and Doreen said nasty things back to her mom.
Mom: ?You need to gain weight?
Doreen: ?No I don?t?
Mom: ?It isn?t just the coffee but the way you eat?
Doreen: ?I like salads?
Mom: ?But when you order a salad they give you mostly lettuce and six strips of chicken you leave over two.?
PART TWO; (THE NEXT DAY);
Doreen: ?Mom do you want to know why I got mad yesterday it is because you made it sound like I wasn?t always thin?
Mom: ?That is how you hear it?
UPDATE (TWO DAYS LATER):
Doreen: "Mom you always thought I was thin"
Mom: "Yes"
Doreen: "What about when we had another fight at home after the fight in the car and you said that I get mad if people call me fat"
Mom: "Who would ever call you fat. I only said that because I was mad"
Then Doreen called me and I told her that ?her mom always thought she was thin. Her mom just meant you were always thin but noW you are even skinnier? MY QUESTION: Do you agree with what I said?
Im in love with a married man
By: shawna | 31-08-2008
Im 32 and in love with a married man who is 52 , 20 years older than me ..I have so many emotions inside I dont know what to do ? I have known this man since I was 18 and he has always made it known that he has wanted me.. We have been seeing eachother for a year now and have fallen in love with eachother.. He has been married 3 times and the marriage he is in now is going on 20 years .. I dont know what to do ??
Mam/sir i have an adhd what should i do?
By: ana | 31-08-2008
mam/sir i have an adhd what should i do?
My husband cheated on me once about 2 years ago ...
By: Mandy | 31-08-2008
my husband cheated on me once about 2 years ago after almost 7 years of marriage. we were back together after about 6 months. im still finding it hard to let go of that trauma that i went through. he regrets what happened and i believe him about it. its hurting our relationship because i cant move on. how can i move past this?
My girlfriend has no sex drive at all, I am going ...
By: Scott | 31-08-2008
My girlfriend has no sex drive at all, I am going crazy and causing arguments without the sex. I have tried everything I know, but nothing works. Can anyone help me?
Values
By: carol | 31-08-2008
Looking for some short activities for an adult sunday school class on the topic of values. Any ideas?
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