How to achieve your goals by the end of this year

Do you have any goals you would like to achieve this year?

If so, watch this webinar by Gary Ryan Blair, the expert in how to achieve goals.  Gary has trained NASA, Federal Express, Disney, IBM, and many other major corporations on how to achieve goals, and now he has given me permission to provide this little training video for you on my blog.  In this webinar Gary gives you 10 strategies to follow.  If you follow them exactly how he shows you, then you can finish this year strong!

Click on the video link below and learn exactly how you can achieve your goals.  And don't worry - this link will not take you to another site.  The video is loaded right here on my blog especially for my readers to gain for free some of the benefits large corporations pay thousands to obtain!

If you want to learn more from Gary Ryan Blair about how to achieve your goals, then go to http://tiny.cc/100daychallenge.

Every day is a special occasion!

The daily grind, groundhog day, same old same old, same s*@t different day......whatever your favourite expression, there’s no denying that life can get, well, a touch monotonous. 

Most of us have a daily routine, we are creatures of habit, but this can lead to feeling like you are trudging round on a treadmill, forgetting to be happy. There is no doubt that happiness is one elusive scoundrel. Most of us think ‘Ah, I will be happy if.....’ or ‘If only x,y,z would fall into place I would be happy’.

We feel that there are huge obstacles in the way of happiness, like big hairy monsters guarding some mythical gate to which we cannot find the key. But, quite often, it‘s little things that enrich our daily lives. Small pleasures that add sparkle to our day and help us to feel happy NOW, not in some magical future, or dim, distant, rose-tinted past.

I’m going to let you in on a piece of advice I read, many moons ago, that had a huge impact on me.  It’s helped me feel happier, and has made life that little bit more lovely! So what is this elixir of happiness? It’s simple - every day should be treated as a special occasion.  

The notion of using little luxuries – whether big or small, expensive or less so - to make yourself feel good each day, and not just saving them for some elusive special occasion, sounds simple, or even obvious, but it’s something that not many people practice. And it's strangely freeing.

Open that bottle of champagne you’ve been saving and have it with your fish and chips on Friday night! Use your favourite perfume every day, not just on nights out. This concept gives you permission to be frivolous and can make a big difference to your levels of contentment. Life should be enjoyed and any little pleasure that helps you feel good should be grabbed with both hands, and not ‘saved for another time’.

We’ve all bought something amazing, put it on a shelf like some precious artefact, and just admired it whilst thinking I’ll use that only on special occasions. This is a daft attitude, frankly. A belief which says that only on high days and holidays can we possibly give ourselves the best in life. Only on those days are we allowed to treat ourselves really well. In actual fact, we should treat ourselves well all the time! 

Sure there will be days when plain and simple is just fine, thanks very much. Similarly there will be things that you do, for a special occasion, to set that day apart in some way.  But don’t forget that any day can be wonderful! A stressful day can be soothed by having a deep bath with your favourite bath oil; dinner with your partner can be made more lovely by setting the table nicely, and using your best glasses; your confidence can be given a boost by using your posh toiletries in the morning, rather than your usual day to day stuff. 

It’s about shaking up your daily routine and allowing yourself little pleasures, and not feeling that there has to be some reason to warrant treating yourself. Just the fact that you are living another day on this mad, funny, eclectic, wonderful planet, is reason enough.  And please don’t feel it is selfish or self-indulgent. As the wonderful Gretchen Rubin points out in her brilliant book ‘The Happiness Project’ – which I thoroughly recommend – the best way to make those around you happy, is to be happy yourself. Plus treating yourself as though you are ‘worth it’ will make you feel better about yourself.

So, you see, by not treating yourself well, you are actually being more selfish. And when you put it like that, it’s a win-win! You have a duty of care to yourself and being your own best mate benefits those around you too! So celebrate YOU today and throw a few little luxuries into your day. You’ll be glad you did!

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About the Author

Charlotte Pingriff is an Artist, Body Caster and Writer. She runs the quirkily creative Perfectly Cast – a lovely arty haven of happiness, positive body image and down to earth cheer. Perfectly Cast is currently in a period of transition and re-launches at the end of September with a brand new look and a whole lot more wonderfulness for all. Take a sneak peek at www.perfectlycast.co.uk and follow Charlotte on Facebook and Twitter for all the news, and to witness the chrysalis becoming the butterfly! 

Personality Makeover

Have you ever wanted a makeover?  Or perhaps had one?

A makeover can make you feel on top of the world.  But the kind of makeover most people have is rather superficial.  It may be about a new set of clothes, cosmetics, a different haircut, or perhaps a combination of some or all of these.

The kind of makeover I am talking about here, though, is not superficial.  Rather, it is permanent if you want it to be.  Also it doesn't need an expert to do it for you - it is something you do for yourself.  I am talking about a makeover of your personality.

Why would you need or want a personality makeover?  Well, are you perfect?  I guess not.  Are there some areas of your life where you would like to be better?  Probably.  If so, that is all the reason you need.

You should begin by taking stock of yourself.  List your strengths and weaknesses.  Where would you like to be better?  Start narrowing down your list to those areas you would like to improve.

Once you have your list you are ready to begin.

In order to work the change you desire you will need to do the following three things:

1 Affirm

2 Visualize

3 Act

If you are familiar with personal development I am sure you recognize the first two.  You have probably tried affirmations in the past even if you don't regularly practise them now.  You may also have tried visualization.  By "act" I mean create the right body stance to match whatever personality characteristic you are trying to enhance.

Each of these techniques is powerful in its own right.  Used together they are an unstoppable force!

Exactly how you will use them will depend very much on the traits you are trying to develop.  I will give you an example here so you can see how it is done, but you must then adapt this so it fits the makeover you are applying to yourself.

Imagine you have decided you want to be happier.  You want to maintain your happiness even in circumstances which might normally make you miserable.

Begin by creating the right phrases for your affirmations.  Make them personal, make them "in the moment" rather than a future hope, and concentrate on the positive you want to develop, not the negative you want to reduce.  So you should have phrases like "I am really happy right now!", "Regardless of what is happening around me I am so happy!", "I am happy all the time!".  Add to this list with some phrases of your own.

Now begin to think of some times when you were really happy.  Picture them as vividly as you can.  Try to visualize all the little details - everything you could see around you, what you could hear, even the smells.  As you do so, call up the feeling of happiness you had then.

Extend this visualization to something that hasn't yet happened, but that will make you happy.  "Recall" it in just as much detail.

Begin acting happiness.  Get into the body posture you have when you are happy.  Smiling is an obvious start to this.  But not just smiling.  How about your shoulders?  Are they hunched forward (a sign of being miserable rather than happy)?  If so, sit up nice and straight with your shoulders pulled back.  Not strained, but naturally back.  Feel tall, as though your body is being pulled up into the sky.

Now put it all together.  Affirm, visualize, and act happy.  Not just the one time (although even just that once will make a big difference).  Keep doing it.  At least two or three times a day.  Every day.

Consider this just like a physical exercise routine.  Something you do regularly which gradually builds up the right muscles.

Within no time at all you will find you are so much happier.  Great!  Now pick the next trait on your list and work on that too, but not forgetting to keep working on the first one too.  Before you know it you will be a different person.  Just like those models you see in the makeover TV shows - but in a far more meaningful and positive way!