1. Change yourself.
When
you change how you think, then you will change how you feel and will in
turn affect the actions you take. So the world around you will change
as well, not only because you are now viewing your environment through
new lenses of thoughts and emotions, but because the change within can
allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have
thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.
2. You are in control.
You
can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much
everything. You don’t have to freak out, overreact or even react in a
negative way. As you come to realize that no one outside of yourself
actually controls how you feel, you can begin to incorporate this
thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. This
new habit can grow stronger and stronger over time. A huge benefit is
this will make your life a whole lot easier and much more pleasurable.
3. Forgive and let it go.
Forgiveness
does not equal condoning. Forgiveness benefits you, and not the person
whom you are forgiving. Forgiveness allows you to release old hurts
and disappointments so that you can move forward with a new, more
positive way of viewing your life. When you forgive, you have taken
control over your feelings and choose to release yourself from the bonds
of what has been holding you back.
4. Take action to live the life you want.
Resistance to taking action comes from you imagining negative future consequences, or reflecting on past failures. To
truly accept your worth and purpose in your life, Gandhi stated that
you must practice this belief in your thoughts, feelings and actions
daily. When you are grateful for the life you live, you must practice
that gratitude faithfully. You must practice the skill of being the
best version of you. The result for "walking the walk" is a fuller
understanding of your place in the world and what you can do to make a
positive impact.
5. Take care of this moment.
The
only thing we can be absolutely certain of is what's happening in this
moment. And this moment. And this one. Gandhi encourages staying in
the present as much as possible and to be accepting. The past is gone,
and the future is an uncontrollable entity. What you're doing right now
is all that matters. Enjoy where you are. Appreciate and accept what
is.
When
we idolize others, such as celebrities, political leaders and sports
figures, we run the risk of becoming setting them apart from our
experiences and abilities. You think you could never achieve that status
because they're special and different from you. The truth is, everyone
puts their pants on one leg at a time. We are all human, fallible and
capable of making mistakes. Speaking of mistakes, we must stop beating
ourselves up over mistakes we've made and instead see with clarity where
we went wrong, what we can learn from those mistakes, and try, try
again. And again.
One of the reasons
people don’t get what they want is simply because they give up too
soon. The time they think an achievement will require isn’t realistic or
they just don't understand what it takes to see something through.
Never
give up. Find what you really like to do, and you’ll find the inner
motivation to keep going, going and going. Gandhi was so successful with
his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so
persistent. They just didn’t give up.
8. See the good in people and help them.
We
can choose to focus on what's good in people, while maintaining
awareness of their ability to make poor choices. When you see the good
in people it becomes easier to be motivated to be of service to them. By
being of service and recognizing their value, the rewards are
multiple: a) you feel good knowing you've eased another person's
burden; b) the person you helped feels more connected to the community;
and c) the people you help may feel more inclined to pay it forward. And
so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows
and becomes stronger.
9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.
When
your thoughts, words and actions are aligned, you feel powerful and
good about yourself. When words and thoughts match, that shows through
in your communication. With these channels in alignment people tend to
really listen to what you’re saying. You are communicating with
sincerity, self-respect and a desire to truly connect with others.
10. Continue to grow and evolve.
Humans
are works in progress. The world provides us with experiences that
challenge our beliefs and values. Ask yourself whether what you believed
as a child is still your stance today. Is your best friend the same
one you had when you were in middle school? People change, and so do
their preferences and beliefs. This is GOOD. We're supposed to evolve
and become the best version of ourselves. If you need convincing, see
Rule #1 above.
Images courtesy of Google Images, unless otherwise noted.
(c) 2011-2016 Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.
