Motivational Monday

Good morning everyone :) Happy Monday! It is a perfect rainy day to stay in bed but because none of us can actually do that (despite every fibre of our being demanding it so) Motivational Monday is doubly important!! So today, I want to share with you some bits of advice on enhancing our self esteem and self worth. Life is going to go on whether we get involved in it or not, so why not take heed of some of this advice and improve your outlook of your life and yourself today...

Take full responsibility for your life, stop blaming others and give up the "victim" act. See yourself as the cause or source of what happens to you and then you will see you have the power to change things for the better.  

Conciously generate positive thoughts and feelings of self love and acceptance in place of old thoughts of inferiority and inadequacy. Be in charge of your thoughts.

Be willing to create a lifestyle that generates, nourishes and maintains sound self esteem and self worth. Associate with others who have high self esteem and don't stay engaged in relationships with negative people that bring you down. Surround yourself with people who enrich your life. 

Participate in life to the highest level you can. We are all plagued with the same problem of being time poor but make time to do those things that you enjoy every day.

Watch what you say and stop being critical of yourself and others. Look for something likeable in everyone you know and focus on that instead of the less desirable traits they may have. 

Keep your awareness and thoughts focused on the present time. Don't live in the past or borrow anxiety from the future. The only time you have is now and you have the power to respond to the present in whatever way you choose. 

Stop feeling guilty, wrong or bad. See mistakes a valuable lessons. See the cause and effect in your behaviours and learn from that. Every mistake is an opportunity for growth. 

Acknowledge yourself frequently. Keep a journal of your successes, wins, accomplishments, thoughts feelings and beliefs. I know it goes against the grain to "toot our own horn" but it is a wonderful developmental tool to put into practice. It helps reduce and hopefully eliminate negative self talk that can be unbelievably debilitating for our self esteem and self worth. 

Practice the art of relaxation (be it Yoga, massage, Reiki etc) and give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing periodically. Schedule time for you and don't feel guilty about it!

Whenever you have thoughts that start with "I have to...I ought to...I need to...I should...I better" stop yourself and change it to "I want to..." The perfect example is getting up and going to work (what a drudge that can be some days). Instead of saying "I have to go to work", tell yourself "I want to go to work so I can save for our holiday" or "so I can help pay the mortgage on our beautiful home". Try and put a positive spin on it :)

Most importantly, love yourself unconditionally. Love your life unconditionally and love others in your life unconditionally. All too often we say things like "Once we buy our first home, then I'll be happy" or "Once I finish this course of study, I will have my life in order" or "Once the kids learn to listen, I will enjoy being a Mum" (and we all know that is never going to happen...kids ears are painted on!!!) Don't put conditions on your happiness because your life will never be "in order" and there is no destination of happiness that you are going to reach. Happiness is a choice you can make each and every day and you will find that it comes from within you, not all these things around you that you think will make you happy. 

Quite simply, make the most of every single day and choose to be happy about the gift of 24 hours you've been given when you open your eyes in the morning. Happy Monday xox