Reblogged: 6 Willpower Hacks to Help Achieve Your Goals

It's time to move on and enjoy the way to reach the destination

I am a goal-oriented person. But I still have loop holes in achieving some of my goals.  For about three months,  I experienced procrastination on pursuing my plans.  I lost my self-discipline and scheduling for no reason at all.  I was just so lazy doing things that I should have done.  Haisst!  I know it is a bad move but I need to move on and continue what I've started.

 Today's read is so timely for me.  If you're in a case like me, it's a good guide in achieving goals.

6 Willpower Hacks to Help Achieve Your Goals 

by Kirstin O´Donovan

Some of the most rewarding and exhilarating times in life are when you achieve something you set out to do, right? You feel on top of the world! The opposite is also true: some of the most testing and depressing times in life are when you really want to have or do something, but you can’t muster up the willpower in that moment to do what you want.

Photos from Lifehack

 What is willpower anyway, and what makes you have more or less of it? Willpower is, to put it simply, a combination of self-discipline and control over yourself and your behaviour. You especially need more willpower at those times when you exert yourself to do something that doesn’t come easily.

If you have ever thought that you don’t have willpower, the good news is that you were wrong. Willpower is not a gene, it works like a muscle. And the more you practice it, the more you will have. But like any muscle building, you also have to be careful not to overdo it and wear yourself out.
Here are the top six willpower hacks to help you achieve your goals.

1. Boost your energy supply

Studies have shown that exerting your willpower reduces your energy and blood glucose levels. Replenishing glucose is key to having more willpower because willpower is a mental muscle that is directed by glucose levels. When your sugar levels in your blood are low, you will most likely find it more difficult to control your urges.
So, the better the food that you eat, the more willpower you will feel. Leading professors and health psychologists suggest the following for a quick boost. Eating any foods that are naturally high in sugar will give you the boost you need, so carrots, raisins, almonds, or apples, for example, will fuel your brain. Also, drinking lemonade will give you a quick glucose hit without the caffeine of other sodas.

2. Reduce the amount of decision making

You already know that willpower gets depleted the more you need to practice self-control. Did you also know that making decisions uses up your self-control? In other words, the more decisions you make in a day, the lower the self-control you will feel by the end of the day.
If you want to strengthen your willpower muscle, start planning ahead more often and try to decrease the number of decisions you make on a daily basis. If you are running around like a headless chicken all day making decisions, you are not going to have a lot of willpower left by the end of the day. An alternative is to start brain-dumping, taking your main thoughts and concerns out of your head and getting them onto paper. Those thoughts are taking up energy that can be better used elsewhere.

3. Finding a connection in the moment

Think back to the last time you struggled to muster up the willpower to do something, whether it was avoiding the delicious donut in the bakery on your way to work, or finding the energy to go to the gym. What tends to happen in those moments is that you focus only on that moment and subconsciously disconnect the intention from the overall goal or value. The more disconnected you feel from what you are doing now and what you want in the future, the harder it will be to take action.
Always keep top of mind what is most important to you and connect what you are doing now to the future. Your ‘future-self’ will be so thankful for it. Keep focused on how this will benefit you in the future if you can keep pushing forward at the hardest times.

4. Inhibit the ‘pleasure seeking’ part of your brain

You have a very strong part of your brain that is constantly seeking pleasure and it never gets tired. This is actually why we procrastinate at a very ‘basic’ level: it is normal. However, this doesn’t always serve us, of course. As a result, it doesn’t make sense to go to a bakery and have a coffee when you are trying to avoid the pastries.
Don’t make things harder for yourself, make them easier! Your brain is using precious energy in that moment fighting those temptations, and it’s depleting your willpower. Don’t try to ignore or block out distractions, rather aim to eliminate them. Whether it’s at work when you need to focus more or in your personal life, make things easier for yourself if you can.

5. Don’t be so hard on yourself (yes, it makes it worse)

Thing you can expect to face when you embark on any type of change are, of course, challenges and hard times. It doesn’t make sense to think that change is going to be an effortless and easy ride, or that if you struggle at times then there is something wrong with you.
Ironically, we expect things to be easy and when they aren’t, a lot of negative self-talk usually follows. When you feel bad about yourself and guilty because you didn’t follow through on your intention, research shows that you will almost certainly go back and do what you didn’t want to do.
On the other hand, when you are kinder to yourself and you show more self-compassion, you give yourself more motivation to keep going. This happens because you are talking to the part of you who wants to change, and not that part of you who feels like you can’t.

6. Strong habits means stronger willpower

Another great way to strengthen your willpower muscle is to start doing simple, challenging exercises more often by giving yourself small goals throughout the day. Let’s imagine you are at the gym and you have done 50 sit-ups. Push yourself to do one or two extra. It’s a small challenge, but it builds more discipline, not to mention confidence!
Think about your daily life at home. How about putting away those clothes on the floor or doing the dishes before you go to bed? They are small actions, but ones which in due course make your willpower muscle stronger.
If you know that you could do with a little more willpower in your days, start by employing these six top willpower hacks today and you will achieve far more in a few months than you have in years.

I need to start today again, join me as I do this six willpower.  Be it a fitness goal, reading goal, dream goal or relationship goal.  Aja!  

Be Positive Think Positive

Wedding: #JL and Gel

Self-Love: 100 things to Thank for-Day#26

A heart-y day Yamisweeters!

Today, one of my 100 Things to thank for is Self-Love.  I am thankful because I am surrounded by people who practices self-love.  Thank you Lord, konti lang ang mga bitter.  Kasi di ba pag nakapaligid sa'yo ay bitter, nakakabigat din.  Siguro kaya super light lang ng life ko ay dahil there are a happy lives around me.  I have a wonderful family and friends na kahit may mga sad things sa buhay ay havey pa din.  Kaya feeling ko ay kasaya saya ng buhay.

But I realized na... yun lang pala ang nakikita ko o tinitingnan ko.  Meron din na nahihirapan how to handle trials because they neglected themselves.  They are playing martyrs just to share the happiness or contentment of the people they love.  All they know...is they are sharing their love in a proper way.  Parang ganito lang.  "Isusubo ko na lng ibibigay ko pa sa anak ko!!!!! Pero konting pagkakamali lang ng anak ay masisigaw na kaagad at isusumbat ang lahat ng mga isinakripisyo nya para sa mga anak."  So it's better give yourself an importance to share more to others.  Di ba tayong mga Mommy kapag nakapagpa-spa or parlor tayo, refresh na refresh tayo at inspire tayo kasi we added self confidence to ourselves so medyo relax tayo at hindi basta basta nag-iinit ang ulo.  LOL!  Am I right?  Nakakarelate ka?

So sa mga martyr martyr dyan, this is for you.  Practice self-love.  This thing is not being selfish, para din po yan sa mga mahal nyo sa buhay.

Reblogged

30 Ways to Practice Self-Love and Be Good to Yourself 

 Hey you! Did you know that you’re very special? There is no other person in this world like you. You deserve to be loved not only by those around you but by the most important person in your life — YOU. Practicing self-love can be challenging for many of us, especially in times when we face serious challenges. It’s not about being self-absorbed or narcissistic, it’s about getting in touch with ourselves, our well-being and our happiness. We practice self-love so we can push through our limiting beliefs and live a life that truly shines.

So do yourself a favor, take a deep breath, give yourself a little hug and start practicing the following:

1. Start each day by telling yourself something really positive. How well you handled a situation, how lovely you look today. Anything that will make you smile.
2. Fill your body with food and drink that nourishes it and makes it thrive.
3. Move that gorgeous body of yours every single day and learn to love the skin you’re in. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.
4. Don’t believe everything you think. There is an inner critic inside of us trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this also stops us from living a full life.
5. Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
6. Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
7. End all toxic realtionships. Seriously. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life.
8. Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
9. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s incredible the feeling we get when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
10. Embrace and love the things that make you different. This is what makes you special.
11. Realize that beauty cannot be defined. It is what you see it as. Don’t let any of those Photoshopped magazines make you feel like your body isn’t perfect. Even those models don’t look like that in real life.
12. Take time out to calm your mind every day. Breathe in and out, clear your mind of your thoughts and just be.
13. Follow your passion. You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time. The thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should go do that!
14. Be patient but persistent. Self-love is ever evolving. It’s something that needs to be practiced daily but can take a lifetime to master. So be kind and support yourself through the hard times.
15. Be mindful of what you think, feel and want. Live your life in ways that truly reflect this.
16. Treat others with love and respect. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always repay the favor, but that’s their problem not yours.
17. Find something to be grateful for every day. It’s inevitable that you are going to have your down days. This is fine and very human of you. It’s especially important on these days to find at least one thing you are grateful for as it helps to shift your mind and energy around what’s going on.
18. Reach out to family, friends, healers, whomever you need to help you through the tough times. You are not expected to go through them alone.
19. Learn to say no. Saying no sometimes doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person.
20. Forgive yourself. You know that thing you did one time (or maybe a few times) that made you feel bad, embarrassed, ashamed? It’s time to let that go. You can’t change the things you have done in the past but you can control your future. Look at it as a learning experience and believe in your ability to change.
21. Write it down. Head swimming with so many thoughts it’s giving you a headache? Write them all down on a piece of paper, no matter how crazy, mean, sad, or terrifying they are. Keep it in a journal, tear it up, burn it, whatever you need to do to let it go.
22. Turn off and inwards. Grab a cup of your favorite tea, coffee, wine, whatever your choice of drink, and sit down for a few minutes on your own. No TV or distractions, just you. Think about the wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, what your big dreams are and how you can make them happen.
23. Give up the need for approval from others. “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” – Dita Von Teese
24. Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. You know why? Because we are all human. We make mistakes, we feel emotions (good and bad) and this is OK. Allow yourself to be human.
25. Get creative and express yourself in whatever way you like. Painting, writing, sculpting, building, music, whatever takes your fancy, and make sure you leave your inner critic at the door. There are no right ways to be creative.
26. Let go of past trauma and wounds. This can be a really tough one and it may be one of those times you need to turn to others for support. The truth is though, when we let go of things that have happened to us it’s almost like a weight is lifted off our shoulders. We don’t have to carry that around with us anymore. We deserve better.
27. Find your happy place. Where’s the one place you feel totally at ease, calm, happy, positive, high on life? Go to that place when you are going through hard times, or imagine yourself being there. Think about how it feels, what it smells like, what it looks like.
28. The next time you are feeling happy and on top of the world make a list of your best qualities and accomplishments. It may sound a little corny, but it can be a wonderful reminder when you are having a day that’s less than amazing.
29. Get in touch with your inner dialogue. If it’s anything less than loving, encouraging and supportive, it’s time to make a change. You deserve to be spoken to in the same way you would speak to your best friend, sister, brother, daughter, or son.
30. Have fun! Get out there and do the things that light your fire. Enjoy them, enjoy being you and enjoy your incredible life.

So go out, hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay nasa loob ng balur ang happiness.  Labas labas din pag may time.

Think Positive Be Positive

 

Every day is remarkable: 100 Things to Thank for

I love today's post by Francis Kong

"Today is the start of a brand new working week.
Here is what I would like you to do. Decide to be REMARKABLE!
Remarkable simply means something that is worthy to remark on. Do Good. Be Good. Improve and Deliver."


These words are boosting to a kind of person like me.  A mom, an employee and a goal-oriented human.  Work are a lot, twenty four hours are not enough to do all the things that should be done.  But all of us has the same number of time,  it's just a matter of priorities and acceptance.


So........how can we make our day REMARKABLE?


I'm so thankful because I am making each day remarkable in my own way.  And when I read this blog,  I totally relate myself and love the advices.  Please make some time to read to freshen up your day.

Reblogged.

Finish Each Day and Be Done with It!

Dear Friends, 

Do you have a hard time leaving work at work? Is your to-do list so long that it is never possible to finish everything you set out to do in a day? I have always loved this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: 

  

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

The quote serves as a reminder of the importance of putting boundaries around our time and expectations of each new day. This week, I would like to simply remind you to "finish each day and be done with it." Forgive yourself for not accomplishing everything you "could" have. Relax and be at peace with simply doing what you were able. Give yourself permission to make a few mistakes, be imperfect and inadvertently get off track from time to time. After all, you are human. One of my friends - a successful executive and single mom of three - told me a few years ago that she had learned that "being superwoman is a super myth." She was right on point. You can get into the habit of taking on too much responsibility and then expecting yourself to handle every responsibility perfectly and expediently. Before long, you can become exhausted and even burn out.  

Here are a few ways to practice "finishing each day and being done with it" this week:

LEAVE YOUR WORK AT WORK.

If you work from home, do the same. When your work day ends, mentally shift from professional life mode to personal life mode.

LET YOUR TO-DO'S SPILL OVER INTO THE NEXT DAY.

Often, to-do lists are quite unrealistic. Be honest with yourself about what you can actually accomplish in a day. If something doesn't get completed, move it to another day. Put your to-dos into proper perspective. Sometimes we stress out over tasks that are not urgent matters.

EVERY CONFLICT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE RESOLVED TODAY.  

If you've had a tough day with co-workers, your children, a spouse or a friend, don't feel pressured to always resolve the issue the same day. I'm not suggesting that you should avoid difficult conversations, but rather that it is important to identify the right time and place to have them. Sometimes, waiting a day or two can allow heated emotions to simmer, and a more productive conversation to occur.

CLEAR YOUR MIND TO FOCUS ON THE PRESENT.

When you find yourself focused on all that you did not accomplish during the day, take a deep breath and make a decision to focus on your goal again tomorrow. Refuse to beat yourself up over moments that have passed earlier in your day that you will never get back. Instead, maximize the moment you are in right now by enjoying it fully. For it, too, will never be regained.

END YOUR DAY ON PURPOSE.

Do you sometimes fall asleep on the sofa? Do you drift off to sleep vowing to read one more chapter in a book only to wake up with the lights on and an open book on your pillow? Studies show that most people have a more restful night's sleep when they have a bedtime routine consisting of dimmed lights and low or no noise in the hour before going to sleep - followed by turning off the lights and resting until drifting off to sleep. End your day intentionally and you will find yourself energized to begin your next day!

Journaling assignment:
What tends to burden you at the end of each day? What will you do differently beginning today to let it go until a new day begins?

My challenge to you this week: 

Finish each day this week and be done with it! Head over to my blog and leave your comments, I'd love to hear from you!

 

Until next time ...   

 

 

Have a remarkable day Yamisweeters!

The Feast Experience: Day# 35(100 Things to thank for)

I'm just so thankful for today that we had a chance to experience God through The Feast at PICC.  It's the  different crowd that makes it an extraordinary experience for me.  It was a happy and best experience.

It's the last series of HIS & HERS topic.  All about appreciating every things about other person that drive us crazy.

The Feast

After the 9:30 Holy Mass, there is a more than hour talk about the topic.  The topic woke me up with my relationship with officemates, housemates, family and friends.  Misunderstanding starts when we assume a lot of actions and words that were not validated  by the person concern.  Never assume, always validate to avoid misunderstanding.  It's a simple reminder for me to have a smooth working relationship as well as friendship in my working environment.

Wow! It's another learning stage being a person when it comes to relationship.  Ang saya lang.

It is another wonderful day with my family.  And a good experience also to my kids.  We went there to celebrate that God has given us all the blessings that we need.

Thank you Lord for your Feast of LOVE and HOPE!

During the Talk

After the Talk

Of course hindi mawawala any selfie selfie with this remarkable day.

#shoeselfie

#OOTD: Dress-Mango, Scarf-SM Dept. Store, Shoes-World Balance & Loomband by #cutiemic

Have you experienced The Feast?  How was it?

#GIRLBOSS: 9th of my Books to Read

Hello Yamisweeters!  I am here again, completing my reading goal.(lol!) Aja! I'm surviving. hahaha!

Tada......... #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Photo from www.abeautifulmess.com

This book is a success story of Sophia Amoruso, the CEO of Nasty Gal. I found this book so perfect for me in line with my personal goals.  Sophia's FOCUS on her goal caught me.  It inspires me a lot because of her notable and practical advices.  I am happy to share some of it.

Advice # 1: The more you experiment, take risks and make mistakes, the better you'll know yourself, the better you'll know the world, and the more focused you'll be.

Advice # 2: Confidence is more attractive that anything you could put on your body.

Advice # 3: Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back.  Learn to create your own opportunities.  Know that there is no finish line;  fortune favors action.

Advice # 4: Money spells F-R-E-E-D-O-M.  If you learn to control your finances,  you won't find yourself stuck in jobs, places or relationships that you hate just because you can't afford to go elsewhere. (Ouch! for this)

Advice # 5: Each time you make a decision or do something nice or take care of yourself; each time you show up to work and work hard and do your best at everything you can do, you're planting seeds for a life that can only hope will grow beyond your wildest dreams. 

Advice # 6:  Take care of the little things.  Even the little things that you hate and treat them as promises to your won future.  

Advice # 7: We choose what and how we believe, and our beliefs are tools that we then use to make things happen......or not.

Advice # 8: Your challenge as a #GIRLBOSS is to dive head first into things without being too attached to the results.  When your goal is to gain experience, perspective and knowledge, failure is no longer a possibility.  Failure is your invention.

Advice # 9: Create your own job.  Become the master of what you do.  Fully immerse yourself in your culture.  Be humble.  Never forget where you came from.  And always be polite.  Good old-fashioned manners can get you very far.

Advice # 10: Look up and look around, and if you're not finding something inspiring, then you're probably not looking hard enough.

It was fun reading it.  You'll get more.  So grab a copy and read it.  

Be Positive Think Positive!

Good to Great: 8th of my Books to Read

I brought myself into a challenge when I picked my 8th books to read.  Because like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, it is equally a nose-bleeding read for me. LoL! Honestly, I dedicated a lot of time reading it.  I read over and over again for me to understand it clearly. Haha!  Sorry naman slow ako!  Another thing,  it consist of illustrations and I found it so challenging.  It was like I went back to college. Well,,,,,it's just part of my self-learning stage.  Kaya keri lang, no complain.

To make an introduction to the book,  "Good to Great" by Jim Collins was a result of a research with great people in about five years.  It is the answers on the question preyed in the mind of Jim Collins, 

"Are these companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-tern superiority?  And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?"

It is about how you take a good organizations and turn it into one that produces, sustain great results, using whatever definition of results best applies to your organization.

Oh ha! Di ba ibang level? 

This book is definitely far from the level of my thinking.  But I know I can use all my lessons learned in the future or even in my daily deals in life.

And here are what I've learned from this book:

1. If you want to leap from good to great, you must employ a level 5 leader.

Level 5 Hierarchy

The author believes that potential level 5 leader exist around us,  if we just know what to look for, and that many people have potential to evolve into level 5.

2. The old adage "People are your most important asset" is wrong.  People are not your most important asset.  The right people are.

3. A primary task in taking company from good to great is to create a culture wherein people have a tremendous opportunity to be heard and ultimately for the truth to be heard.  Spending time and energy trying to "motivate" people is a waste of effort.  The real question is not, "How do we motivate our people?  If you have to right people, they will be self-motivated.  The key is to not de-motivate them.  One of the primary ways to de-motivate people is to ignore the brutal fact of reality.

4.  The good-to-great companies are more like hedgehogs-simple, dowdy creatures that know "one big thing" and stick to it, not like a foxes who are crafty, cunning creatures that know many things yet lack consistency.

5. A culture of discipline is not just about action.  It is about getting disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and who then take disciplined action.

"Stop doing lists" are more important than "to do" lists.

6.  Crawl, walk, run "can be a very effective approach, even during times of rapid and radical technological change.  Technology is an essential driver in accelerating forward momentum.  but when used wrong-when grasped as an easy solution, without deep understanding of how it lines to a clear and coherent concept.  technology simply accelerates your own self-created demise.

7.  If you diligently and successfully apply each concept in the framework, and you continue to push in a consistent direction on the flywheel, accumulating momentum step by step and turn by turn, you will eventually reach breakthrough.  It  might not happen today, or tomorrow, or next week.  It might not even happen next year.  But it will happen. 

8.  It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life.  And it is difficult to have a meaningful life without a meaningful work.  Perhaps, then, you might gain that rate of tranquility that comes from knowing that you've had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution.  Indeed, you might even gain that deepest of all satisfactions; knowing that your short time here on earth has been well spent and that it mattered.

A good-to-great flywheel

I hope you learned a lot too with my book review.  It's very informative and inspiring too.  You can get a lot of good points during a transition of your organization or even your personal life or career.

Be great Yamisweeters!!