BELIEF

 

What distinguishes the successful person from one who has not realized his/ her full potential is the BELIEF that they are able to begin with and sustain in pursuit of their goals for they Begin Efforts Looking Inwards Embracing Faith. As they say well begun is half done and self belief is the key to beginning a task well. Belief is not something that is alien to us. We were born with it but we were not aware of it. Look at a little child who first begins to turn on the side, then learns to turn over on to its belly and thereafter begins to crawl. While instinct and evolutionary process could explain this progression, one cannot deny that there was an unconscious self belief that propelled this progress. Look at a toddler taking its first steps. It falls, perhaps hurts itself, cries but soon the failure is forgotten and with renewed belief it keeps attempting till he/she has taken the first wobbly steps.

The problem with us lacking belief actually began when we experienced and understood the term fear. Fear sows in us the seeds of doubt and slowly the large majority of us fall into a quagmire of self doubt, insecurity and risk aversion. The antidote for this is calculated risk taking which involves making a realistic assessment of the reality around and then cautiously proceeding to pursue ones goals. Once we repeatedly do this and embrace success, fear is slowly erased and replaced by belief that comes from regained confidence, renewed passion and anticipated success.

The long term means to have BELIEF is in Looking Inwards and finding your strengths, your abilities, your passions and your temperament. In the process you would also become aware of your limitations, your dislikes, your fears and your inadequacies.  The process of looking inwards is a journey to self discovery; a path we often avoid, for fear of confronting the unpalatable. Yet it is this self discovery that liberates us from our self imposed limitations be it in being risk averse or failing to harness our talents. Ironic as it sounds, this is actually a conscious attempt to discover the unconscious powers within that have remained latent but can now be ignited with a zealous spirit and harnessed into a passionate flame that powers us and fires us from within.

Once we realize that we are powerful beyond belief, we need to Embrace with Faith everything that has to be done to attain our goals. As they say Faith can move mountains; and you can imagine how much more easier it is to move ourselves as compared to mountains, provided we have faith in our abilities, our resilience and our cherished desires. Faith transcribes self belief into a self propelling, self directed and self motivated ball of energy that launches itself to attain its goal.

So take a deep look inside and find your destination, then embrace with faith the efforts you have to take and the sacrifices you have to make and Begin your Efforts for that is when your BELIEF will translate into the success that comes with you Beginning Efforts Looking Inwards Embracing Faith.

Action Points:

1. Source a copy of the book You will see it when you believe it by Wayne W. Dyer and get another perspective into Self Belief.
2. Attempt the following task. With nothing else in your pocket other than a handkerchief and your personal id spend a day in the city and if possible raise as much money as you can for your favorite charity (without disclosing your intent or begging). Hints: (a) Do not carry any money or your credit cards with you. (b)You can earn that money by doing odd jobs. (c) Before you begin also write down the amount you believe you can collect for the charity so that you have a worthwhile goal to pursue.
3. Read the post on FAITH - Finding Answers In The Heart by clicking on the following link  http://www.poweract.blogspot.in/2010/01/faith.html

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Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

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HEART

Within the confines of one’s HEART lies the key to life in its physical form but more importantly life in its emotional avatar for it  Holds Empathy Appreciation Respect & Trust. The ECG can at best give an output that mimics the state of one’s heart in its physical form but the true nature of one’s heart lies in the manner and mode in which one is able to cope with the people, situations and feelings that one has to face day in and day out.

While emotions are never triggered by the heart, there is a predominately romantic feel in associating all emotions with the heart. In particular the more positive ones like love, affection, kindness etc are always conjured up as emitting from the heart while the extremely despicable ones like hate, anger, revenge etc are associated with an evil and stone like heart. Consequentially the good and the evil are both given some space in the confines of the heart; with the former occupying a disproportionately larger area.

Love is the most common emotion that the heart is supposed to be filled with. While a heart is portrayed as the most visible cliché of a romantic shade of love, what it does not fully bring to the fore are the other shades of love like love for family, friends, objects and things. What is even less evident is the reality that the heart if used as the epicenter of positive emotion holds a wide range emotions that give purpose, meaning and positive energy in relationships. Let us examine a few of these.

Empathy- it is the equivalent of walking in another’s shoes. Only then can we know where the shoe pinches and we can appreciate their view point and perhaps even experience what they go through.

Appreciation- Many of us secretly admire others but rarely do we take the initiative to express our appreciation. Pause for a moment and look back at the numerous times we have felt elated when appreciated by others. It is not that we lack the ability to appreciate but what we lack is the drive and the magnanimity to express it.

Respect – This is all about acknowledging age, experience, expertise and being humble. Only one with a strong upbringing and a pure heart can have this in ample measure.

Trust – The simple adage Trust begets trust should be the trigger to help us express our confidence and belief in others. It is possible that occasionally our trust could be misplaced and we regret our mistake. However, that should not be an yardstick to judge others for each person is an individual different from others and each one inherently must be extended your trust.

In an ideal world an ideal person with the perfect heart would be the one who Holds Empathy Appreciation Respect & Trust in his/ her HEART

Action Points:

1. Here is a picture of a hear with a few spaces earmarked. Can you fill it up with other positive emotions that your heart possesses?
2. Can you outline some other English terms associated with the heart.eg. stone hearted, hearty laugh, large hearted etc. How many of these terms apply to you? 

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog

http://www.actspot.wordpress.com

HOPE

When things go wrong, quite often we panic, we get frustrated and we despair. The negative emotions add to our anxieties and worries and make it hard for us to see things in the correct perspective. The net result is that we end up being very cautious, very suspicious and find it hard to savor the good moments in life. However instead of getting flustered if we can redirect those emotions by some positive thoughts and energy we will be blessed with HOPE and we will be Holding On to Positive Expectations.

Many times we see an event as something dreadful and irreversible and then we find it hard to focus on the anything positive about the whole situation. Assume a close family member is diagnosed with cancer, our immediate reaction is to visualize the worst scenario where the cancer has spread and the days of the individual are numbered. On the other hand if calmed down and accepted the reality with equanimity, we would examine the matter logically, factually and optimistically looking out for signs of HOPE to which we can cling on to. Yes hope can be generated by taking a cool, calm and unhurried view of events as they unfold, even if they are fraught with colossal bad news. The secret lies in remaining calm and unruffled but being alert to the evolving happenings.

To understand what it means to be calm and unruffled and yet be alert, observe a duck paddling in the water. They glide gracefully on the surface but below the water their fins are furiously paddling. Take a leaf out of the ducks style and adapt it to our own life and presto we have got the hang of the basics of generating hope. When calm we can think more clearly, be more proactive and hang on optimistically. By merely being calm we will reduce our anxiety and possibly think clearly but it still won’t be enough to trigger hope. To trigger hope in us we need to anticipate possible favorable outcomes, discount bad news with some signs of positivity and squeeze out the tiniest ray of hope that may exist in the circumstance.

Sometimes the key to HOPE lies in associating with people who are stronger mentally, naturally optimistic by nature and those who can stand by you in any crisis. Finding such friends is a blessing and you can find them when you seek them out. Sometimes they may seem to be people who are carefree and happy go lucky; others may portray an air of invincibility and arrogance, and there could be others who seem timid and aloof but they have one thing in common; a strong heart and a calm head. It is best if we can emulate their silent trait when in a crisis or else hold on them when in deep trouble and you will miraculously experience HOPE when all seems lost and suddenly you will be Holding On to Positive Expectations.

Action Points:

1. Look back at a crisis situation you faced and recollect the pessimistic thoughts that went through your mind. Now look at how the crisis finally ended; did u panic in vain? Were you calm enough to tackle the crisis with fortitude and HOPE? What was the learning point from that episode?
2. Assume you are traveling abroad and you have been mugged and lost your passport and purse and all valuables. You wake up in a hospital with the cops questioning you. What will be the next 5 moves you will make? Whom will you call first? What will your message be ?

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com