Tag Archive for abundance

How Changing Your Mindset Can Improve Your Life

January 2, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

Is it time to re-consider your mindset? The beginning of the year is a good time to give it some thought. 

While you think it over keep these GenuLines tips close at hand.

How Changing Your Mindset Can Improve Your Life

“See yourself living in abundance and you will attract it. It always works, it works every time, with every person.” – Bob Proctor
 
I’m guessing that you don’t often think about how your mindset affects your life. You’ve always thought this way.
 
Either because of your upbringing or other circumstances.
 
This in fact does affect your life. By changing how you think you can improve your life.
 
boy changes his mindset
 
 
Abundance mindset, scarcity mindset, fear mindset, fixed mindset, growth mindset, and confident mindset. These of some of the different types of mindsets we have.
 
Each unconscious and conscious belief affects our lives every moment.

Self Improvement

Here are some ways changing your mindset to an abundance or growth mindset can improve your life.
 
You aren’t afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Changing to a growth mindset allows you to see the many paths available to you in whatever you’re seeking.
 
These can include job advancement, creative outlets or something more personal. This allows you to move forward rather than being stuck in the same place.
 
When you make these changes, you see there are plenty of resources to go around. Now, there will be competition, but you’ll see the opportunities in every aspect of your life.
 
You become comfortable sharing ideas without feeling threatened or intimidated. This leads to better choices, environments and relationships.
 
You aren’t afraid of being a part of a team and participating in group situations.

Relationships

Setting your sights on growth helps you build better personal and romantic relationships. You realize people will always have differences.
 
You find that a relationship involves learning about and from each other. And you grow together and develop skills to work well together.
 
You’ll begin to judge yourself and others less. You won’t have time to waste on judging what others are saying or doing. Instead you’ll be focusing on making progress in your life.
 
The growth mindset has you accepting constructive criticism for what it is and using it for growth. It helps you be more confident because you won’t need validation to reassure you that you’re doing it right.

You Can Change 

And it will improve your life. You can cultivate, learn, practice and grow new skills.
 
You no longer worry about what will happen. Instead you’ll commit to the process of doing, finishing and learning along the way.
 
Your growth will help you become a better person. Your skills will grow and you’ll build relationships.
 
You’ll step out of your comfort zone to go after what you want and believe you’ll get it.
 
JohnK 1-2-2023
 
stick man hears about mindsetOverheard: “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other”
                                  ~Audrey Hepburn
 
 
 
 
 
 

disclaimer for mindset

Handle Adversity: Consider Opposing Viewpoints

September 17, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Adversity can bring you opportunity- an opportunity to do your homework! GenuLines helps you get an edge by looking at all sides of an issue.
 

call to action for adversity

Handle Adversity: Consider Opposing Viewpoints

Adversity often grows out of misinformation about a situation. You know the information might not be true but you act on it as if it was.
 
A good way to counter this situation is to take the other end of an argument or the opposing viewpoint.
 
 
two men showing antagonismFirst, consider the people you have an issue with and learn more about them. Do you disagree with their political views?
 
Or do you have some other bias against them? For instance, religion can bring out different standpoints and beliefs.
 
 
 
 
For the sake of discussion, we’ll call your opposition adversaries. You’ll need to find out more about them.
 
The internet is a good place to start. If you get stuck go old school. Visit your local library and ask the reference librarian.
 
They specialize in research and they can help you.
 
Get A Read on Things
Read material that you normally would not. Do this even if you’re not facing an adversarial situation.
 
It gets you in the mindset of accepting differences in others. You can look for magazines and books, or you can view blogs and forums related to the topic you want to learn.
 
You aren’t required to agree with adversarial topics. You only want to learn more about them so that you have information on your side.
 
Back your arguments with information. This will make it tougher to challenge you because you can cite your sources.
 
Play devil’s advocate when approaching any subject. Try to pose questions that your adversaries would pose. See if you can understand why they would pose those questions.
 
It may get you to rethink your own beliefs.

What were they thinking?

It’s also important to understand the motivations of your adversaries. Here’s an example. Fundraisers sometimes use a lot of hype to get you to buy into their message.
 
When this happens, knowing the facts will help you make your decision.
 
Try to stay away from name-calling since this never solves the problem. You’ll come off as petty.
 
And you might strengthen your adversary’s position.
 
It’s okay to argue with people when you have the facts on your side. But, some people won’t accept those facts no matter how hard you try to get them to consider them.
 
When this happens, there isn’t much you can do but walk away.
 
JohnK 9-17-2017
 
 
stick figure hearing about adversityOverheard: “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above them”
                                ~ Washington Irving
 
 
 
get quotes about adversity
 
animated man talks adversity
 
 
Banner to combat adversity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer concerning adversity

Being a Perfectionist May Be a Sign of Low Self Trust

February 5, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
 
 
Are you a perfectionist? If so, your expectations may be set too high. GenuLines takes a look at this tendency, flaws and all.
 
 
So you’re a perfectionist
target for perfectionistIt’s natural to want everything to be perfect. The trouble is there’s no time for it.
 
You’ll be disappointed to find that most people aren’t perfectionists.
You need to learn how to manage expectations.
 
 
 
It’s a delicate balance, and you have to know when you’ve done as much as you should. You can always do more, but you need to move on.
 
You snooze you lose
Another problem with perfectionism is that you may miss opportunities. Suppose you decide to hold off releasing a product because you want to put more features into it.
 
You delay the release of the product by several months. But you see that your competitors are finished releasing their versions.
 
The product you would have released was better than your competitors. Customers would have likely bought your products over your competitors.
 
Try explaining that one to management or shareholders!
 
Spreading the news
Good customer experiences with products get shared with friends and family. This sharing also occurs on social media channels, which in turn, can go viral.
 
It’s more challenging to build up a product that’s not yet released than it is to build up one that is.
 
When perfectionism is okay
There are cases that call for perfectionism. Medical techniques and technologies come to mind.
 
In most other fields, though, perfectionism will hold you back. It’s not necessary, and it only leads to frustration and delays.
 
Of course, you should never release products that have a sloppy design. Or are dangerous to the consumer.
 
That’s where this delicate balance comes into play. The product needs to meet safety guidelines.
 
Your reputation is at stake, and you don’t want customers bashing your product or your brand. In this case, it may be necessary to delay the release of products until they are safe, etc.
 
In self we trust
How is being a perfectionist a sign that you don’t trust yourself? You think that nothing is ever good enough and that you have to keep striving to be better.
 
When you trust yourself, you can reel in expectations to manageable levels.
 
JohnK 2-4-2019
 
 
perfectionist stick figure
 

Overheard: “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content”

                             ~ Leo Tolstoy   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer for the perfectionist
 

Ira Israel on CHI FOR YOURSELF And A New “Freebie”

February 13, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

Ira Israel pictureLast week’s CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Ira Israel ran into some “technical difficulty” as they say. So it was not available to you live. But my conversation with Ira was recorded.

Ira Israel is the author of How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You’re an Adult: A Path to Authenticity and Awakening.

 

First, a look at some of the show’s talking points:

  • The central theme of the book
  • The meaning of “negativity bias”
  • A definition of authenticity
  • The part resentment plays in our lives
  • Is there such a thing as the “mid-life crisis?”
  • The myth of romance
  • Beginning the process of forgiveness

…and, the show itself. Listen by clicking on below–

 



 

 

A new CHI FOR YOURSELF “freebie” is up and available. Get this free report on dealing with stress when you click here–

 

FREE Stuff

 

 

 

 

JohnK 2-13-2018

chiforyourself.com home page

 

 

 

Ira Israel on CHI FOR YOURSELF And A New “Freebie”

February 13, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

Ira Israel pictureLast week’s CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Ira Israel ran into some “technical difficulty” as they say. So it was not available to you live. But my conversation with Ira was recorded.

Ira Israel is the author of How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You’re an Adult: A Path to Authenticity and Awakening.

 

First, a look at some of the show’s talking points:

  • The central theme of the book
  • The meaning of “negativity bias”
  • A definition of authenticity
  • The part resentment plays in our lives
  • Is there such a thing as the “mid-life crisis?”
  • The myth of romance
  • Beginning the process of forgiveness

…and, the show itself. Listen by clicking on below–

 



 

 

 

A new CHI FOR YOURSELF “freebie” is up and available. Get this free report on dealing with stress when you click here–

 

FREE Stuff

 

 

JohnK 2-13-2018

chiforyourself.com home page

 

 

 

A Grown-up Look At Childhood: Ira Israel on CHI FOR YOURSELF

February 8, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

It’s our first (first run) CHI FOR YOURSELF episode of 2018! 

Ira Israel pictureOur guest will be psychotherapist and counselor Ira Israel, author of How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You’re an Adult: A Path to Authenticity and Awakening.

Ira offers a step-by-step path to recognizing the ways of being that we created as children and transcending them with compassion and acceptance.

Hear the CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Ira Israel on Friday, February 9th at 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific time at chiforyourself.com

 

JohnK 2-8-2018

chiforyourself.com home page

Adventures In Solitude With Robert Kull

February 2, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

Although many cultures have long recognized solitude as an opportunity to look inward, in our culture we sometimes think that spending time alone is unhealthy.

In the 2009 CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Robert Kull, we learned that spending time alone can actually soften our sense of alienation from others. Kull used his journey to deep wilderness solitude to drive that point home.

Robert Kull talking solitude

Robert Kull is the author of SOLITUDE: Seeking Wisdom in Extremes- A Year Alone in the Patagonia Wilderness.

Listen to the interview by clicking on below-

 

 

 

 

 

JohnK 2-2-2018

chiforyourself.com home page

 

 

 

Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!

 

 

 

Eating To Live And The Signs That You Eat Too Much

January 31, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments
 
 
Eating is a fundamental pillar of life. Most of us enjoy it, especially when we’re savoring some great tasting food!
 
eating bad food Unfortunately, we also don’t always have the best sense of when to stop eating. Especially when we have access to good-tasting foods in immense quantities.
 
We poke fun at humorous situations such as Homer Simpson eating until he can’t move. But, there are consequences to this. They range from a mild stomach ache to cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
 
 
 
 
Plus, overeating is not as dramatic as eating until our pants are about to burst. It’s subtle. It’s more like eating more than we need in one sitting. Or eating until we’re full rather than eating until we’ve gotten the nutrients we need.
 
We don’t have the natural constraints our ancestors did to prevent us from overeating. In evolutionary terms, most humans couldn’t overeat. Large-scale agriculture and food processing are fairly recent developments.
 
Most humans (especially Americans) have access to more food and convenience than ever.
 
So, what drives us to eat more than we need?
 
One key insight is the emotional connection to food many people have. Research has shown that they tend to eat more or overeat when they’re feeling sad. Or depressed. Or if they’re struggling with an issue.
 
A study in the Journal of Adolescent Health looked at eating disorders like binge eating. It found that “it’s important to consider depressive symptoms in overeating.”
 
Are we eating because we’re hungry, or because of an emotional issue we’re dealing with?
 
Another consideration is symptoms of Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. The Medical University of Warsaw found that these symptoms can lead people to eat more. Why? To satisfy urges to increase insulin. So, it’s important to practice moderation when eating sweets. They cause us to eat far more than we actually need.
 
Finally, your body is your best warning system. Warnings come when you experience constipation, blockage, vomiting or stomach aches. Your body is telling you it’s had enough.
 
If you feel a constant need for laxatives or antacids it’s most likely your body’s alarm system at work. It’s telling you that you’ve taken in far more food than you need.
 
Your body’s energy level and mental alertness also are signs of eating too much.
 
We all enjoy a well-prepared meal or delicious healthy snacks. Yet as far as biology is concerned food is no more than fuel for our body to consume and turn into energy.
                                                                                                                                          eating bad food
But when you bog your system down with excess or poor quality food (A.K.A. junk food) your energy will decrease. You’ll feel sluggish and less alert. Rather than boost energy, it will make your digestive system feel overloaded.
 
Your brain and your emotions work together to send you the warnings. These can come in the form of depression or stress.
 
 
 
 
Be mindful with this. Be aware of your current state. Your body tells you through your energy levels and digestion system when you’ve had too much.
 
The signals are there. Are you listening?
 
JohnK 1-31-2018
 
 
Image for overheard for eatingOverheard: “It’s not that some people have the willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”
                    ~Carl Sandburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Build Self-Esteem: The First Step Toward Self-Development

January 24, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

 

 
If you’re interested in self-development but have low self-esteem, the first thing you need to do is change that. Until you do, it’s much harder to assess what you need to learn and change to achieve your goals. In fact, if you have low self-esteem it can be difficult to even see what your goals are.
 
dartboard of self-esteem
 
Imagine yourself as a dart board. At times anything and anyone can become a damaging dart pin at one point or another.
 
These dart pins will destroy your self-esteem and pull you down in ways you may not even be conscious of. It’s important not to let them destroy you, or get the best of you.
 
 
 
 
So what are the dart pins to avoid, and how can you keep them from hurting you?
 
Dart Pin #1  Negative Work Environment
 
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive.
 
No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. You may find you are working harder and harder for less and less return.
 
Stay away from this since it can ruin your self-esteem. Find ways to manage your work within the normal working day at least 90% of the time.
 
If you have to compete with others, compete on your own terms. Don’t fall into power games or negative behavior that could hurt your self-image.
 
Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior
 
Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, the walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers … all these negative behaviors in others can damage your self-esteem.
 
And, they’ll push back your self-development program. But remember, it’s not the person who is the problem: it’s their behavior.
 
Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment
 
Changes challenge our paradigms. They test our flexibility, adaptability, and they alter our thought process.
 
Changes will make life difficult for a while and often cause stress. But when we look back we’ll see that change is often the catalyst or cause of self-development. Decide not to resist it.
 
Dart Pin #4: Past Experience
 
It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when you experience pain. But don’t let past hurts turn pain into fear.
 
Dragging the issues of your past relationship into your new one is a road to failure. Don’t expect your partner to be a mirror image of your last partner.
 
Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson, and move on.
 
Dart Pin #5: Negative World View
 
Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self-esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.
 
Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory
 
Your behavior is said to be the result of a mixture. The ingredients include your inherited traits and your upbringing.
 
Other factors include your environment, such as friends, work situation, and the economy. You can even throw in the climate in your country.
 
Know that your genetics or upbringing don’t determine your life path. Failures among your family members don’t rub off.
 
Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.
 
In life, it can be hard to stay true to your code. Especially when things and people around you seem to keep pulling you down.
 
Yet, building self-esteem will lead to self-development if you become responsible. Be responsible for who you are, what you have, and what you do.
 
man raising self-esteem
 
When we develop self-esteem, we take control of our mission, values, and discipline. Self- esteem brings about self-improvement, true assessment, and determination.
 
So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self-esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment.
 
A positive way of living will help you build self-esteem and set you on the path to positive self-development.
 
JohnK 1/24/2018
 
 
self-esteem image of stick manOverheard: “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your handbrake on.”
                       ~ Maxwell Maltz
 
 
 
 
 
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3 Steps to Creating New Habits

January 17, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments
 
Let’s talk about forming new habits. There are times in our lives when we want to create new and better habits for ourselves.
 
This could include getting into the habit of eating healthier. It might be drinking more water. Or it could be moving more and taking the dog for a daily walk. Or it could be work-related, or spiritual, or…
 
There are so many areas in our lives we can improve and make easier if we create new habits. 
 
Getting into the habit of doing something is often easier said than done. We seem to form bad habits without any effort, but getting into a “good” habit can be a little more challenging. 
 
arrows toward habits
 
We’ll break it down into a three-step process. This will make it easy to follow until you’ve internalized the new behavior and made it a true habit. You’ll do it without having to think about it. Like brushing your teeth. 
 
Decide What You Want To Do 
 
The first step is to decide what the new habit is. Be as specific as possible. Be bold. Don’t tell yourself you want to exercise more. Say something like “I will go for a 30-minute walk every single day.” Deciding what your new habit will be and committing to when and how you’re going to do it, is half the battle. 
 
Remind Yourself To Get It Done 
 
The next few days should be smooth sailing. You’re motivated and excited to get this done. Sticking to your new habit isn’t an issue. But a few days in you’ll notice that it’s easy to slip back into old habits. 
 
Say it’s raining and you’re not feeling like going out and walking. Or the hours in your day seem to be getting away from you. This is when it’s important to have a daily reminder. Set an alert on your phone or add the new habit to your daily to-do list for a while. 
 
Make It Part Of Your Routine Until It Becomes A Habit 
 
It takes some time before a new behavior becomes a true habit. Until then, a routine will work to your best advantage.
 
A routine will help you solidify the habit. This way you won’t have to spend a lot of willpower or rely on daily reminders. 
 
Make that daily walk part of your after-dinner routine. Or switch from grabbing a snack at the vending machine at work at 10:00 in the morning to packing a healthy snack. 
 
You can do this! Decide to create the new habit. Practice the routine until it’s second nature and you’ll be well on your way to forming a new good habit. 
 
JohnK 1-17-2018
 
chiforyourself.com home page
 
 
 
Image for overheard for habit formingOverheard:  “Whatever ought to be, can be”
                     ~ James Rouse
 
 
 
 
 
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