POSITIVE THINKING: A GUIDE TO THE HEROES JOURNEY

One of life’s greatest lessons is that you alone are responsible for your thoughts and actions. While you cannot always choose your circumstances, you can choose your thoughts. Those thoughts will shape the kind of person you will become, as well as the decisions you make.
You are responsible for constructing your life journey, like my Daddy always says, ‘MAN IS THE ARCHITECT OF HIS FORTUNE’. The inspirational dream, isn’t measurable, it’s about reaching the stars and not counting them.
You should have checks for your dream journey like:
ü I am working at being a positive person, with a positive self image
ü I am living in the present and taking responsibility for my life
ü I am a dreamer, imagining where i could be in the future
ü I have set specific,realistic,achieveable and measurable goals
ü I have one key goal,i will GROW a little each day
ü I am not afraid of hard work
ü I am prepared to move out of my comfort zone
ü I can follow a healthy balanced life style

Most importantly, in attaining set goals, you must learn how to manage your time.managing your time, is one of the secrets to enjoying the goal getting journey. It leads to a balanced lifestyle, ongoing personal growth and a sense of personal satisfaction as you develop new skills. In this you can discover through trial and effort the method of managing time that suits you most.

In the journey to success, you will always encounter obstacles that will groom you, so they are necessities. However in managing obstacles, you have to hold on to your positive thoughts about yourself, your strength and your ability, these are the key parts of the goal getting journey. But you should know that life is a journey and it’s in stages, also your new habits, new methods of planning in improving your journey through life will also take time. If you try to be consistent overtime you will get results progressively.

A characteristic of successful men and women is that they never use the word ‘FAILURE’ They look upon temporary defeats and setbacks as simply another way of learning how to succeed...They learn from every experience. They refuse to get upset. They keep their minds focussed on their goals.

It is worthy of note that life has meaning and purpose. This is why it is worthwhile exploring opportunities, developing new skills and interest, coping with new situations and having a positive view of the future.



30 TIPS FOR THE JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE

Attitude – never ever forget that you choose your attitude and how you respond to all that life throws at you. Live in hope and work hard at taking a positive, constructive attitude into everything you do and into all your meaningful relationships.

Ask – never stop asking questions no matter how trivial you might think they are. When others share their stories with you, you will gain knowledge which could significantly impact your life decisions.

Apologise – no-one is perfect. When you make a mistake, say you are sorry.

Celebrate – celebrate the small and large victories; the times you achieve a relatively simple goal or achieve a long-term, major goal or when you successfully make it through a tough challenge. Never lose your sense of humour. Laugh often. Have fun.

Communicate – work consistently hard at developing and improving your communication skills. Become a brilliant listener, a motivator, encourager and inspiration to others. Develop a positive vocabulary, watch your body language and radiate care, compassion and unconditional love towards others. Show empathy, be genuine and respectful and people will value your contributions to their lives.

Conflict – conflict is part of life. Learn how to turn conflict into a positive learning and growth experience. Deal with it without violating another’s rights and don’t run away from it. Develop mediation skills. Become a healer where there is tension, pain, misunderstanding and suffering. Peacemakers are desperately needed!

Failure – don’t fear failure. Move out of your comfort zone if the challenge is not life-threatening. Life lessons are learnt when you give something a go. The key is to learn from the experience.

Finish well – whatever you do, give it your best shot until you finish, even if this is simply completing something only you know about. Whatever you start, even when you decide it’s not something you wish to pursue, finish well. Those who finish well find more windows of opportunities opening and they will soar on eagle’s wings.

Goal-getting – be a goal getter. Experiment with different methods of reaching your goal/s until you find the best method for you. Draw up a clear action plan and take small steps initially. Research suggests that those who set goals achieve much.

Humility – stay grounded so you do not allow your achievements to go to your head. Be proud of all you achieve, always remaining humble.

Integrity and Forgiveness – be a person of integrity, someone who keeps their word and who others can trust and depend on. Be respectful of yourself and others. Be quick to sincerely forgive those who wrong you, even when you battle to forget.

Learning – never ever stop learning and acquiring knowledge. Knowledge feeds the soul and helps you to become an effective change-agent in your local and wider community. Research, read widely, consult others and explore the works, ideas and opinions of others.

Listen – always listen to the opinions and ideas of others. Older people have more life experiences and their stories can assist your personal growth. They also were adolescents. Through listening, you have the opportunity to discern information you would like to use and store or discard.

Mirror Talk – love the person you see in the mirror each day. Remember you are unique and special and no-one else has your specific gifts and talents. It’s a fact – never forget that. Ignore those who tell you otherwise.

Money – avoid making money your God. It won’t and never can be. While it’s wonderful to have sufficient money to feed, clothe, house and educate ourselves, later to raise a family in a safe and secure environment, money will not buy you happiness.

Opportunities – engrave into your Being that every obstacle can be turned into an opportunity if you are prepared to think creatively, seek the guidance and wisdom of others and have the patience to work towards something, rather than expect a quick-fix solution or instant gratification.

Passion/s – identify your passion or passions. If you could do anything you wanted today and had all the qualifications you needed, what would you choose to do? That’s your passion – do something with it! Chase it!

Persevere – don’t quit! Go the extra mile even if you have to sweat a little, make some sacrifices (of social life) or commit yourself to something for a little longer. You will amaze yourself at what can be achieved when you do this.

Positive Peers – when you surround yourself with positive peers you will have a greater chance of becoming the best you can be. Positive peers know right from wrong – always choose your friends carefully and let trust develop over time.

Reflect – take time out each day to think about how you are doing, what you are doing, why you are doing it and what lessons can be learnt. Pray, meditate and be still for a few minutes each day.

Relationships – keep building your relationships and networks with peers, family, other adults (teachers, coaches etc.), employers and, most importantly, with God – that’s a challenge, but the soul needs to be nurtured. The world is slowly coming to appreciate that the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is historically proven. Not sure? With an open mind, check out the details yourself. To be loved unconditionally is an amazing experience and it’s something every honest human being desires.

Self-discipline – build a disciplined lifestyle into all you do e.g. 9 hours sleep a night (don’t make excuses about that!); a balanced lifestyle (at least 30 minutes of exercise every second day); manage your time well (time to work, time to study, time to eat, time to socialise and relax, time to exercise, time to follow an interest or hobby, time to sleep); say ‘no’ to drugs and alcohol abuse (so you don’t damage your brain during crucial developmental times), cigarettes and inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Service – give of yourself to others expecting nothing in return. Get involved in outreach programs. Through reaching out to others, you will discover many more positive qualities about yourself. Sometimes a friendly smile directed at a stranger or a peer can change their day. The world needs servant leaders – become one.

Share – share your ideals, passions and goals with at least one adult you trust and respect, in addition to your parent/s (optional). This is the person who can guide and encourage you non-judgmentally towards achieving your dreams. This experience teaches you how to be vulnerable with others in a safe and secure environment, a necessary life skill.

Stay focused – keep your eyes on your personal photograph at all times. That will get you through the tough and challenging times. There are no quick-fix, easy solutions. Success takes consistently hard work, careful planning and perseverance.

Take ownership – write down in the Present tense i.e. as if you were achieving your goal/s today, how you are feeling e.g. I feel …because …" Take ownership of your picture.

Teamwork – always seek to be a team player, a sure way to develop positive peer relationships, have role models in your life, be an encouragement to others, turn obstacles into opportunities and reach out to those in need.

Thanks – always express your genuine thanks to all who share their gold nuggets of wisdom and experience with you or offer you a helping hand.

Visualise – create an imaginary photo (or a real one!) of yourself achieving whatever it is you would like to achieve ie, as though you have already achieved it. Note your body language, your facial expression, your positive thoughts – never let go of it.