Positive Attitude
Stop Compromising Your Happiness
Stop Compromising Your Happiness
Did you know you could be compromising your own happiness without even realizing it?
If you constantly find yourself feeling unhappy and dissatisfied with your life, it’s worth looking within yourself.
Discover 4 things that could be compromising your happiness right now.
That Inner Critic
We all have an inner critic and sometimes it can be pretty hard to ignore. It’s constantly there judging you and making you doubt your own abilities.
It’s true, we’re often our own worst enemies and listening to your inner critic is only going to crush your happiness. So, how can you stop yourself from listening to this negative inner voice?
When you notice that inner voice telling you negative things, contradict it. Think something positive to counteract that negative thought or judgment. Replacing negativity with positivity will help you to start fighting back against your inner critic.
Playing it Safe
Do you avoid taking new opportunities out of fear? Playing it safe may feel like the best course of action, but it could be really jeopardizing your happiness.
It’s often the fear of failure which stops us from going after the things we want. However, if you start seeing failure as a positive learning experience, you’ll start taking more opportunities. You’ll never know what you can achieve if you don’t even try.
So, stop playing it safe. Take those opportunities. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Focusing on the Past or Future
While it’s normal and healthy to look back in the past or towards the future, it’s important not to lose sight of the present. The trouble is, if you’re too focused on the past or the future, you’re not going to be able to enjoy right now.
The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be controlled. However, right now at this very moment, you can choose to be happy. So, stop beating yourself up over the past and stop worrying about what’s to come. Live in the moment and see just how much happier you feel.
Over-Dramatizing Things
In life, things do go wrong. It’s impossible to be happy 100% of the time. However, some of us have a habit of over-dramatizing the negative experiences in our life.
Do you find that when the smallest things don’t go your way, you think to yourself “that’s it, everything is falling apart”? Blow the littlest things out of proportion and convince yourself it’s worse than it really is. It’s a big drain on your happiness and all you’re doing is worrying too much over nothing. (I’ve been there, and live every day making the conscious decision to keep the over-dramatization of things under control.)
These are just 4 things that could be compromising your happiness. What you need to remember is that you control your happiness. So, make the decision to stop making these mistakes and learn to let things go if you truly want to be happier.
Have some more tips on how to not compromise happiness? Join us inside the Studio Workshop Facebook Group and please share! We’d love to hear from you!
Stop Compromising Your Happiness
Stop Compromising Your Happiness
For more great articles and resources – check out my resource page!
Do you have a Vision Board?
Do you have a Vision Board
Do you have specific goals? If so, do you have a Vision Board?
If not, think about what you want simply by asking yourself some questions:
• Where do you want to be with your business in the next year? In 5 years? In 10 years?
• How much money do you want to make in these same time frames?
• Do you want to hire employees or a virtual team?
• What services or products do you want to offer your clients?
• Where do you want to live?
• What’s on that bucket list?
One friend of mine who is in sales told me he likes to have two vacations booked a year with his family because he needs something fun to look forward to and the single summer vacation wasn’t enough anymore. Another friend in direct sales recently told me that she stopped dreaming big a long time ago because she got depressed when she couldn’t make those dreams a reality. Now she’s found great success with her company and has started dreaming big again.
I’ve also seen some gurus online say they are motivated to earn more because then they are able to give more to their favourite charities and causes that are close to their hearts. Again, there are no wrong answers when defining your goals. It’s more important to have them defined so you know when you reach those goals so you can find something new to achieve.
Create a Vision Board for Daily Motivation
Jack Canfield, the New York Times Bestselling Author of the “Chicken Soup For The Soul” book series, is a big believer in the power of vision boards.
Canfield said “Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you.” The Law of Attraction is a powerful thing. Our thoughts can lead to amazing things.
Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. The Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually. If you focus on negative doom and gloom you will remain under that cloud. If you focus on positive thoughts and have goals that you aim to achieve you will find a way to achieve them with massive action.
This is why the universe is such an infinitely beautiful place!
I adore creating vision boards because they are visual reminders of what you want to achieve. They also serve as a daily reminder of what makes you happy and they are meant to give you motivation when you just don’t feel like working that day.
Take those answers to the goals questions above and find visual representation for each one. In today’s digital age, most of us use Pinterest and create a vision board there. Some still love to use photos and magazine images onto poster board or even to paste images into a Word document. Do what works for you – what will motivate you. What you will see every single day.
When creating your board, take notice of photos that catch your eye, even if it doesn’t specifically answer a goal question. There’s something that attracted your subconscious to the photo so it’s worth posting on your vision board. Post your vision board prominently in your office or as your computer wallpaper so you can see it every day. And remember that action is mandatory in order to reach those goals.
[Tweet ““Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you.” Jack Canfield”]
P.S. It is also a great idea to check out this blog post about goal setting and happiness!
https://www.thevirtualstudio.ca/how-goal-setting-can-help-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness/
Do you have a Vision Board
Do you have a Vision Board
Do you have a Captivating Vision Board
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
We have all heard the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff.” right? I am sure you know that getting stressed over the little things is a significant way to bring unnecessary grief into your life. It’s believed that we can avoid a lot of negative feelings, and even health problems, simply by learning not to let the little things get to us.
I truly believe it so, here are a few things that I try, and I do mean try, to do and hope they also help you not sweat the small stuff!
Focus on the Big Picture
When something small happens that makes you want to get angry, compare the moment’s significance to everything else going on in your own life, and in the world around you. You may have spilled your cake batter on the floor an hour before your guests are due to arrive, but… Are your friends still going to love you and enjoy the evening even if you don’t have a freshly baked cake for them? Probably, so clean up that mess and put your energy somewhere other than berating yourself for this small mistake.
Don’t Forget That We All Make Mistakes
When something threatens to destroy your positive outlook, remember that everyone makes mistakes. Whether it is yourself or someone else who caused the situation that right now, feels like a train wreck, keep in mind that mistakes are a normal part of life and they happen to everyone. Don’t let one bad moment take you by surprise.
Forgive Others
It can be hard to forgive someone else when it feels like they have brought you extra work and stress. If someone rear-ends your vehicle or swings their car door open far enough to bang into yours, you may be tempted to lash out at them verbally. However, stop and think about how it would feel if the roles were reversed. I am pretty sure these types of things are not done on purpose, so don’t act and feel as though you have never made a mistake. React with kindness and choose empathy.
Forgive Yourself
Forgiving others, for the most part, is easy. Forgiving ourselves – not so much. There are many moments that we treat ourselves worse than we would ever allow a friend, client or even a stranger to treat us.
When you are having a difficult time forgiving yourself, think of how you would handle a similar mistake made by a team member friend. Stop and think before bullying yourself, and consider seeking professional help if you can’t stop a cascade of negative thoughts every time you fall short of perfection.
A perfect example would be when a team member falls ill, do you tell them to stay home, rest and get better? I am sure you do! Then why do you push yourself to work when you fall ill? If you are anything like me, you would power through and rest after work is done for the day. It wasn’t until after I started seeing a counselor that I realized that I was not able to treat myself with kindness and forgive myself for the littlest of things.
Ask Yourself Will It Matter in Ten Years?
We all have problems, and usually, at that moment, any problem seems big. Perception is not always the truth, though, and it is up to us to put our situation into perspective so that we can adequately deal with whatever comes our way.
When something negative happens in your life, ask yourself if it will matter in ten years. If it won’t, let it go. Heck, I sometimes ask if I will even remember in 10 days! So, if someone gives you the middle finger in traffic, don’t lose your cool, it’s just not worth it. Save your emotions for things that are life-changing and deserve your full attention. Laugh it off and move on.
I guess, in short, when something goes wrong, you have two choices. You can slip into a range of emotions, or let it go. Making the choice not to sweat the small stuff will bring you life-changing happiness, and you will be thankful for your own shift in perspective.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. What are some of the things that you practice and suggest for others to do, to help not sweat the small stuff?
“You are responsible for your life.” Oprah Winfrey – TRANSFERED
Have you ever thought that you just lived the same year twice? Noticing that you are in the same place today as you were last year or the year before? You are responsible for your life
I have, I had repeated the same problems, my challenges hadn’t changed, my thought process was the same. Total deja-vu, everything was-the-same… I had been working like crazy, putting in a crazy amount of hours but nothing was different than it was the year before. There was no growth and nothing had improved.
When I realized this, in that pivotal moment, I realized that it wasn’t that I was not working hard enough but because I had not been taking 100% responsibility for my life.
It’s a powerful lesson that Oprah says she learned at an early age. If you want to move forward in life, only you can make it happen by taking responsibility. Watch below as Oprah shares her story.
[Tweet “”Only you have the power to take the responsibility to move your life forward. The sooner you get that, the sooner your life gets into gear.” Oprah Winfrey”]
TVS has launched the Inspired Action Mastermind!
A premium mastermind for mission-driven, service-based women entrepreneurs who are ready and willing to put in the work it takes to reach the next level!
Inside the Inspired Action Mastermind, we are an intimate group of entrepreneurs, all of which are committed to the success of one another’s businesses. It is a mastermind that provides the support and guidance you need to help you move your business forward. Because, when you’re in the right mastermind group, you can start to see your business and yourself through someone else’s eyes as you support one another and leverage each other’s experiences.
If you are ready and willing to shift your mindset and tackle all the hard questions to accomplish your dreams, then join us.
It is time to stop comparing yourself to others.
Do you ever find yourself comparing yourself to others? Viewing their success as only a way to make yourself look bad? If so, you are not alone. If so, it is time to stop comparing yourself to others. For some, the success of others equates to highlight their own failures.
If you are anything like me, you’ve done it, you’ve compared yourself to others and felt horrible after. The good news is that people out there compare themselves to you and the not-so-good news is that it is a fixed mindset we need to get out of.
Comparing ourselves is part of human nature. It’s how we grow, it’s how we strive, but sometimes, unfortunately, it’s an excuse to give up.
This is something that has to change, today!
Stop Comparing Yourself
Stuck in the Fixed Mindset
If we don’t have something to compare ourselves to, you might reason, then how will we learn to achieve and grow? When we compare ourselves to others, we have something to gauge our success and failure with and, therefore, a measure of where we can do better and achieve more.
Unfortunately, for those with a fixed mindset, this does not occur at all. There is actually a backwards way of thinking. That reverse method tells us since we are not as good as the other person, we might as well just quit. That doesn’t work in the world of intelligence, however. Not to mention, it is ineffective.
We have it in our minds that the other person as being luckier or having it easy. Another excuse is to say everything just falls on that person’s lap or, even worse, use their success to highlight some other unrelated shortcoming. It is that fixed way of thinking that does not propel us forward and keeps us from our own success. But – what if it is only a matter of re-training your brain to adopt a mindset of growth?
Adopt a Mindset of Growth
On the opposite end of the spectrum is a growth mindset. Where we give ourselves the opportunity to change and grow over time, as we learn to re-train our brain into a mindset of growth. By viewing someone else’s success as a way to strive harder, do more, and work harder, we will be re-training our brain to view this not as an excuse to stay status quo, but as a reason to thrive.
Once we choose the thought patterns that intelligence can be developed, we can most certainly train our ourselves to reach higher heights. Then, and only then will we see a radical change in our lives.
A stepping stone to success.
Once you understand that your self-image has nothing to do with failing at something and that this failure is actually a path to higher learning, you will be at ease in your own skin.
Wouldn’t that be nice to be at ease in your own skin? If you change your mind, you can re-train your brain to view failure as a stepping-stone to new successes. You will begin to understand failure as a learning tool and not as a way to define your image.
So, the next time you want to compare yourself to someone else, stop and ask yourself if their success can highlight inspiration for you. Maybe they put a tremendous amount of effort into the realization of dreams and all that hard work paid off. This could be a learning tool for you rather than something viewed as an enemy.
Other people’s success should be a way and a means for you to learn, grow, and, most importantly, be inspired. This is just one more way to empower your entrepreneurial mind.
Now I’d love to hear from you. Where will you find motivation for growth and be inspired where you did not see it before? Join us inside the Studio’s Study Hall and let us know what your passion is or something you don’t like to do – but love when it is done! The group is a community of supportive women, where you will find business-focused training and support for female entrepreneurs.
It is time to stop comparing yourself to others.
Define your own success. If I can, so can you.
Are you able to define your own success? For the longest time, I wasn’t. I am talking years, of feeling that I was not successful. Even though my business was booking 50+ weddings a year, family portraits, commercial work, corporate events… the list goes on and on. I was shooting as often as I wanted, editing and providing product and value to my clients. Every. Single. Day.
Yet, in my head, I was not successful. I could not put my finger on why I felt that way, I was doing what I loved and loved doing it! It wasn’t until I burned out that I realized what it was. I didn’t have anything to measure my success with. I had goals, yes but they were broad, vague and seemed to always be in the distant future.
At my wit’s end, I sat down and decided it was time to define what success meant to me, not to everyone else. I mean, specific goals aside, what EXACTLY did it mean?
So, I did what any reasonable person looking for answers did. I googled it.
What did I find? I learned the definition of success is:
‘the accomplishment of an aim or purpose’
That sure hit me like a hammer! I looked at my monitor and said, out loud, “So setting a goal and accomplishing it is the meaning of success? No, too easy!” I had to dig deep to define my version of success. Getting it in my head that it is not what my family and friends think or even my industry collogues or leaders think, but MY definition of success. It was vital that I stopped comparing myself to others in the industry and realize their success has no bearing on my own.
I took a few days to reflect and truly work out precisely what it is I needed to feel fulfilled and know what success meant to me. I realized I wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible. As well as continue to build my businesses and inspiring other women, like me, to follow their path. I needed to know that I was making a positive impact on the business world and genuinely making a difference. Finally, I wanted to be able to go to Starbucks or out for dinner whenever I felt like it without needing to see if I could afford it and have a Broadway Across Canada subscription. Very clear, very specific and very attainable.
So now, I work from home running two businesses, I help hundreds of women run their businesses and have the freedom to enjoy that latte whenever I want AND I have my subscription! Les Misérables in July! BAM!
For me, that’s success. For others, maybe not.
I guess what I am trying to say is, I changed my perspective on success and you can too. By no longer viewing what was perceived as success through the “glazed over” look of thinking I needed more, I was able to dig deep within myself and figure out what success meant for me. Which made it that much easier to achieve.
To help you out, if you haven’t already, download the free 2018 goal setting workbook, define your success, set and accomplish your goals!
Now I’d love to hear from you. How will you define success for yourself? Let me know below in the comments or visit V-Net and share with a community of women in business, like you.
Inspiring life quotes from Star Wars…transfered
It is May 4…
Happy Star Wars Day!
I came across this amazing infographic on GeekTyrant, who got it from Distractify.com and I had to share it with you because I just love it!
My personal favourite is:
[Tweet “”Your focus determines your reality.” Qui-Gon Jinn”]
Take a peek, get inspired then go out to the universe and make a difference!
Now, I want to hear from you!
Tell me below, what is your favourite Star Wars quote and why?
May the Force be with you!
Star Wars
Hello, May!
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations
I belive that one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time. Taking time to be more fully present. ~ Oprah Winfrey
Just under a year ago, the crazy successful TV series from Oprah Winfrey, Super Soul Sundays, was converted a podcast. Oprah talks with a fascinating selection of writers, philosophers, spiritual leaders, and celebrities about discovery, growth, life, experiences and so much more. It is designed to motivate you, guide you through life’s biggest struggles and help bring you one step closer to your best self.
I don’t have cable tv, haven’t for many many years, so I didn’t even know that Supersoul Sunday even existed until I came across the podcast! And I am so glad I did, listening to each episode has been very inspirational and motivating. The conversations are always along the theme of conscious living, self-discovery and how to live a fulfilling life.
Subscribe, listen, breath it all in and begin your journey!
Do you listen to podcasts? Share your favourites below or in the Facebook group, I’d love to find more to listen too!