Tag Archive for self-improvement

Can You Learn To Control Your Behavior?

June 30, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

Can You Learn To Control Your Behavior?

You want to change and control your behavior. This is a big part of personal growth and development.

Or you might want to learn more self-control.

You want to better manage your time, lose weight, or manage your money. You can do any of these things when you change your behavior in some way.

But changing your behavior is harder than most people think. which is why so many people have a hard time sticking to New Year’s resolutions. So, what’s the best way to learn to control your behavior?

Let’s take a closer look at all the things that influence your behavior.

What Controls Behavior?

We know certain things are bad for us or not in our best interest, but we keep doing them anyway.

There’s not a person among us who doesn’t know that getting enough exercise is important for our health. Yet we’re currently facing an obesity epidemic.

So, knowing what you need to do is not enough in itself to change our behavior.

A Goal

Having a goal is an important component to changing behavior. Without a goal, there’s no clear destination to work toward.

A goal provides you with motivation and a clear path forward. Having a goal makes your behavior more important to you and helps it clarifies what you want to achieve.

Goals should be realistic and attainable. And you should set a time frame for achieving them.

A Plan

Now that you have a destination, which is your goal, it’s time to develop a route, which is your plan. To get to where you want to be, you need to determine the precise steps you’ll take.

Your goals dictate your eventual, final behavior change. And your plan includes all the incremental changes you’ll put into your life to form a daily routine.

This is the game plan toward changing your behavior.

The Right Mindset

A realistic and specific goal and a plan for achieving it are both necessary for behavior change. But without the right mindset, you’re not likely to reach permanent change.

You have to believe that you can change your behavior. Know that you have the power and will to make this change that you believe to be important.

Controlling Your Emotions

Your emotions also play a significant role in your behavior. When you’re upset, depressed, or stressed, you can neglect the behaviors you know are good for you.

You’ll lean toward the ones that make you feel better. We use our behavioral choices to help overcome negative emotions.

Learn to identify and then control your emotions. This is essential for controlling your behavior.

Otherwise, you’ll find your best efforts at behavioral change sabotaged by negative emotions.

Putting it All Together

So, if you want to change your behavior long-term and enact real change in your life, here’s what you want to focus on. First, you need a decisive, realistic goal about what you want to change.

Then you need a plan for a gradual working toward this behavioral change.

You need to track and adjust your attitude and mindset about this new behavior. Be sure to keep your thinking positive and goal oriented.

Also pay attention to your emotional state.

Learn to handle emotions in a productive way. Don’t let them get in the way of your efforts

Combine these points and move closer to making lasting behavior changes.

JohnK 6-30-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior”

~Maxwell Maltz

You CAN Break Bad Habits

June 16, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

You CAN Break Bad Habits

Have you been trying to break a bad habit for a long time? You read about how to do it and give it a try.

But, time and again, you keep repeating the same bad habits.

Are you eating the wrong foods? Are you smoking and can’t seem to kick the habit.?

Before you start working on how to break your bad habits, GenuLines suggests you think back to how you started them.

What kind of mindset did you have at that point? Were you a teenager who wanted to fit in?

You could also be overeating because you’re stressed out about your job.

Once you’ve identified how your habits started, it’s time to determine how important they are in your life. The correct answer would be, “they’re not important.”

But, they are important, or you wouldn’t continue those habits.

Try to list why they’re important. In other words, why do you need to continue with your bad habits?

If you get to this point of clarity you’ve turned the corner on breaking the habit. The reasons are important but don’t dwell on them and beat yourself up.

You can’t do anything about the past. It’s best to move on and try to stop continuing the habits.

The Key to Change

Stop bad habits by replacing them them with good ones.

If you’re a smoker and you have a craving for a cigarette, go out for a jog. Jogging can work for bad diets as well by taking your mind off your cravings.

You can deal with poor eating habits by having accessible fruit and vegetables.. Ideally, you want to have these ready-to-eat, and place them right next to junk food.

Of course, getting rid of the junk food in the first place is a great way not to have it within reach.

The next step in breaking habits is to realign your mindset. You need to focus on what you’re gaining by not continuing the bad habit.

For instance, if you’re having a problem with alcohol, try to keep focused on the way you feel without alcohol. For most people, that’s better.

You can break bad habits. It does take some effort.

But, your life will change for the better, if you’re willing to put in the effort.

JohnK 6-16-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Don’t let your sins turn into bad habits”

~Saint Teresa of Avila

Article image by Artem Podrez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-burger-smiling-4728880/

Success Takes Longer Than You Think

April 7, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

Success Takes Longer Than You Think

Big Goals. Large visions for your life.

Any major success you move toward. It’s no doubt going to take a lot longer than you think.

It’s part of life.

You get a good idea about something you want to be, do or have. And the idea captures your mind and emotions.

The honeymoon phase is awesome.

You daydream and brainstorm your exciting new idea and its world of possibilities. You’re energized and GenuLines is ready to help you take on the world.

But if you’re new to all this keep in mind that you have some work ahead of you. Scaling a mountain isn’t quick and easy.

Looks Are Deceiving

Sure, from a distance, the mountain may not look that big. It looks like pretty smooth terrain and a manageable grade when you stare at it from a distance.

So you sprint to your starting point.

That’s when the work begins. And reality starts to sink in.

MOST people don’t make it far enough up the mountain to put skin in the game.

They quit early enough that the pain of investment isn’t harsh enough. The sting of quitting isn’t harsh enough.

But if this goal is something that you REALLY want then your first step is the “investment phase”.

You have to put in enough effort to reach a point where quitting would be more painful than continuing.

Once you reach this point, you gain a whole new perspective. The struggle doesn’t go away, but it takes on a new form.

You find a sort of peace and “sense of knowing” during your struggle.

You know you’ll make it to your goal though you don’t know how long it’ll take. But it almost doesn’t matter because you no longer count the cost.

You’re only focused on the path.

This is an easy metaphor to understand. But it applies to anything in life.

Make it a point to nurture your dreams. Have big visions and give yourself permission to dream even bigger.

Then, make CERTAIN you stay with it. Get to the point where turning around is no longer an option.

Even though it’ll likely take far longer than you think to reach your peak.

JohnK. 4-7-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out”

~Robert Collier

Article image by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/yelling-formal-man-watching-news-on-laptop-3760778/

You Can Define Your Perfect Morning

March 24, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

You Can Define Your Perfect Morning

As I sit down to prep this GenuLines blog post a new morning is starting. I have my own way of approaching each day.

I call it my daily regimen.

How about you? Is there something you want to do that would make a big difference?

A habit you can do on a daily basis?

It could be in any area of your life. From exercise and healthy eating to working on your relationship with your kids.

Sit back and imagine your perfect morning. It isn’t stressed or rushed.

Best of all it’s a day when you have time for everything on your list.

This could mean having time for a long shower. Or going for a run before breakfast.

Or having a few minutes to connect with your spouse over breakfast.

There are a lot of “maybes” but the key is to start with what’s most important to you. Then think about how you could fit it into your morning routine.

Dream On

Remember, you’re only dreaming and imagining at this point. You’ll work on figuring out where to find the time to fit it in and how to make it all work out later on.

For now paint a vivid picture of what your new morning could look like. Get very clear on what you want that perfect morning to look like.

Imagine it in as much detail as possible. (And I would suggest you keep all this to yourself)

Write it down somewhere so you can refer to it as needed. In short, define your perfect morning.

Why is this so important?

Because you can’t start to make any meaningful changes until you know what your goals are.

You need to know your destination before you can start to pick a route and figure out how you’ll get there.

That’s what today’s task is all about.

It’s figuring out where you want to get to. Don’t stop until you have it figured out and firmly pictured in your mind.

JohnK 3-24-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it”

~Richard Whately

Live a More Fulfilled Life- Choose to Accept Yourself

March 10, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

Live a More Fulfilled Life- Choose to Accept Yourself

You want a fulfilled life. But do you wear a mask of perfection?

Beneath that facade lies a whirlwind of strengths and weaknesses. It’s the messy reality of being human.

Even the most benevolent among us can’t escape the occasional dark cloud; So, what happens when your best intentions get sidetracked by your demons?

How do you navigate those turbulent moments that test your genuine self? Today GenuLines will dive in to the topic.

The truth is, all of us are a mix of strong points and weak ones.

That’s to be expected. It’s part of the human condition.

Usually, it takes just one bad day for the demonic side of a person to show up. What do you do when those days come your way?

How do you deal with that?

My point is that your flaws are what give you character. They’re actually what make you special and unique.

If people wanted to date you based on your good looks you’re going to be in trouble. Why?

Looks fade. What happens when the wrinkles appear?

What gives you character is your weird laugh, your quirky sense of humor, your off-beat way of looking at situations. These are things that people hang on to.

Crazy High Standards

Unfortunately, if you keep on focusing on impossible standards, you become blind to the flaws that give you character. Now, a lot of people can accept this, but they would try to rework their flaws.

They would try to reshape their flaws.

You could try this. Flaws can be reshaped, but understand that they never go away.

This is all part of the territory. Learning to accept yourself is really the first step in learning to live in a flawed world.

That’s how things work. That’s how they are.

You’re actually tapping into a deep reservoir of personal power if you accept your flaws. This means you choose to stop running away from them, apologizing for them, justifying them, pointing the finger at others, or otherwise avoiding them.

Instead, you acknowledge them. Acknowledgment is the first step.

Next, you learn to live with them. Then you take ownership of them.

Eventually, you’ll get to the point you need to reach: making your flaws work for you instead of against you.

JohnK 3-10-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Why You’re Not Happy (And How to Change This)

February 10, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

Why You’re Not Happy (And How to Change This)

So you’re reading this while you grapple with feelings of discontent in certain areas of life. Especially when it comes to being happy.

I get it.

Quick fixes and hacks don’t deliver and don’t help your mood. The changes they bring don’t last.

Their temporary highs don’t give you genuine fulfilment. Enter GenuLines and our ways to point your life toward fulfillment.

The truth is, your life isn’t a circumstance beyond your control. Your happiness and fulfillment are not accidents or the result of external factors.

They/re a direct result of the choices you’ve made in the past.

The law of cause and effect is undeniable: every decision you’ve made has led to where you are today. Your thoughts, more than anything else, have shaped your life.

Your thought patterns and the way you choose to think have created the circumstances you’re in. And here’s the good news: you have the power to change your thoughts and, in turn, change your life.

As humans, we’re incredibly adaptable. We can thrive in most any environment, no matter how challenging.

But we often forget this power and allow our circumstances to define us.

We become victims of our own expectations and standards. We forget that we created those standards in the first place.

One key to happiness and fulfillment lies in recognizing that you have the power to choose. You can choose to focus on what you can control and scale up from there.

You don’t have to be held back by your current circumstances.

So, where do you start? Focus on the areas of your life where you’re doing reasonably well – the areas where you have control.

See if you can improve them, broaden them, or expand your area of control. From there, you can tackle the more challenging areas that may be holding you back.

Remember, your life isn’t a fixed landscape. It’s a dynamic, ever-changing environment that reflects your choices and decisions.

Choose to focus on what you can control and adapt to your circumstances and you can create a more fulfilling and happy life.

Don’t wait for external circumstances to change; change yourself by changing your mindset. You have the power to choose.

And with that power comes the ability to create a life that truly reflects genuine living.

JohnK 2-10-2025
chifoforyourself.com

Overheard: The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Article Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-cube-on-brown-pavement-208147/

Self Development And Your Success

November 4, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Self Development And Your Success

Life experiences come and go. But, how do they impact your life’s success?

Some of us insist that every event serves a purpose. Negative events can challenge you to see the positive in them.

A “looking with new eyes” mindset might open you up to more positivity. And GenuLines has some practical tips on guiding you on this journey.

Feeling as if you’re a failure

There are no failures in life – only people moving through different experiences. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept yourself?

Comparing yourself to media figures

Don’t compare yourself to them. The same holds true for the real people you meet.

There is no need to obsess about your looks, financial situation or anything else. Self acceptance does not depend on those things, nor does the approval of others.

Down and out

When you see that other people are feeling down about themselves, give them a helping hand. But if you find that they’re determined to stay in their negativity, leave them to it. Nobody benefits when you’re both in a tailspin.

There are no mistakes – only lessons learned

Don’t feel stupid or doomed because you failed some kind of test. See failure as a step on the road to success.

Take things one at a time

It’s fine to have big goals but split them down into realistic, simple steps. Self development means working on habits that you have built up over years or decades. You will not turn everything around overnight.

At YOUR best

Understand that self development will help you to be the best YOU that you can be. It will not turn you into somebody else. Look for your own strengths and build on them, instead of comparing yourself with others.

Little things matter

Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do are like a pat on the back. Saying “hi” or “hello”, or passing little compliments can mean a huge amount to other people.

Be sensitive to other people’s plight. Help them to see the positive in their lives. This will come back to you in a positive way.

You’re willing to accept change

But it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. It may not be the right time for them, or the method you are using may not be what they need. So do everything you can to be successful with your self development, but don’t bore others with it.

There’s a profound quote that says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We’re all here to learn our lessons.

Your parents, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors, even strangers. They all have the potential to be your teachers.

Open the door to self development. You can learn from every person and every situation that you encounter.

JohnK 11-4-2024
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out”

~Robert Collier

Article image by Zen Chung: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-pen-writing-on-a-notebook-5749155/

The Importance Of Your Mindset In Anything You Do In Life

October 21, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

The Importance Of Your Mindset In Anything You Do In Life

There are two distinct approaches to this thing called mindset. And the outcome of each type of thought lies at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The first is a “fixed mindset,” while we call the second one a “growth mindset.” Read on as GenuLines shows you which brings more success in life.

The “fixed mindset” tends to see skills, potential and abilities as pre-determined. So, you can’t improve on them.

The growth mindset is open to the idea that there’s always room for improvement by way of working at it.

The “fixed” category tends to make you feel powerless. In the growth category there’s more optimism about who’s calling the shots so to speak.

But there are a few other big differences in these two attitudes.

The main one is how you view mistakes or obstacles and your attitude toward them.

For example, if you have a fixed mindset, you’re quicker to get discouraged by your first setback. The growth mindset and its optimistic attitude help you “make the best of it.”

Any negativity can turn into a chance to learn and grow. Are you getting the idea that the fixed mindset doesn’t leave much room for growth?

But wait, there’s more!

For one, there’s knowing that your mindset can have a major impact on your health and well-being. A depressed and discouraged attitude can suppress your immune system.

You’re more prone to illnesses. And you might take longer to recover from what your defeated attitude brought you.

With a growth mindset you tend to be sick less often- and happier too.

Experts on the subject agree that you have control over your attitude. Their consensus is that it’s smart to switch out of a fixed mindset.

And you can do it in any phase of your life.

This is good news if you find yourself stuck in the pessimistic fixed mindset. Your fatalistic attitude toward accomplishments and success don’t have to be permanent.

You can always improve.

John K 10-21-2024
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

~ Earl Nightingale

Article image by Brian Jones from Pixabay

Is Your Own Negativity Affecting Your Friendships?

July 29, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Is Your Own Negativity Affecting Your Friendships?

You’ll find lots of information online about how to do away with negative friendships. But what if the source of negativity is coming from you?

It isn’t always easy to recognize when you’re being negative. Some people have no idea how their negativity is impacting others.

Today GenuLines looks at how your negativity could be affecting your friendships. We’ll also look at what you can do about it.

Are You a Negative Friend?

It isn’t always easy to see the negativity in ourselves. You can be unaware that you’re projecting negativity onto others.

So, how can you identify if you’re a negative friend?

Here’s a few signs to look out for:

You find it hard to maintain friendships.

You make plans knowing you’ll cancel them.

You don’t check in first or see how your friends are doing

Most conversations are about you

They don’t come to you for advice or support

Now, some of these signs may not be down to your own negativity. For example, you may not check in first with your friends.

This is because it always used to be you initiating contact. That alone would not make you a negative friend.

Many people find it hard to keep friends. Yet, if you generally find it easy to make friends and not keep them, there may be a problem.

Assess your friendships, including those from the past.

Is there a pattern, and could it be due to your negativity? Life gets busy and it isn’t always easy to keep in touch with friends.

But if you never contact anyone first, this is a sign you may be a negative friend.

Remember, friendships are a two-way street. Your friends need to know you care about them too.

The Impact Negativity Has on Friendships

So, why is it important to be a more positive friend? For starters, negativity can kill friendships.

Nobody wants to be around someone who always spouts negativity.

It brings down their mood, leading them to feel more depressed or drained after being around you. Another way negativity impacts friendships, is that it’s bad for the heart.

Studies have shown that negative friendships affect heart health. So, you could be impacting your friends’ health issues with your constant negativity.

These are only some of the problems you can cause if you are a negative friend.

When you bring negativity into your friendships, you won’t have strong relationships. Healthy friendships are important for our health and wellbeing.

So, if you do identify as a negative friend, now’s the time to start working on adjusting your mindset. It might not be easy; but, doing this will help you have much healthier and happier friendships.

JohnK 7-29-2024
www.chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Positive anything is better than negative nothing.”

– Elbert Hubbard

Why Communication Is Such An Important Life Skill

July 15, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Why Communication Is Such An Important Life Skill

Communication skills have always been a most important life skill. And there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon.

Excellent communication skills can help take you far in your career. And your personal life.

It’s easy to think that this skill isn’t important due to advancements in technology. But it’s even more important since we use so much tech to communicate and learn.

Speaking in a clear way that’s easy to understand is a valuable tool. You can work at and perfect this like any other skill, but you have to put in the work.

In this article, GenuLines explains why communication is such an important life skill.

Good Communication Skills Improve Your Social Life

It should be obvious that being a good communicator would help to improve your social life. It can help you with all sorts of loved ones, from friends to significant others to family members.

When you have good communication skills, you often also have good listening skills. You might find that you’ll have fewer disagreements, dramas, and fights, too.

Effective communication helps you express your feelings in a clear and concise way. People are less likely to take offense at what you say.

You’ll be more able to get to the source of your problems instead of letting them linger or spiral out of control.

Good Communication Skills Improve Your Professional Life

This is a key trait of successful people. It’s a feature of good leaders.

When you lead you’re responsible for getting across what needs to get done.

Good Communication Skills Can Make You a Better Person

You reach conflict resolution in an easier way.

This goes a long way toward improving your friendships and relationships.

More and more electronic communication brings disregard and neglect of our communication skills. There’s a sort of irony in that you need those same skills to succeed in electronic communication.

There are challenges to working on your communication skills. But they’re worth it.

The payoff is that you’ll improve your relationships, your career, and your life on the whole.

JohnK 7-15-2024
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”

~George Bernard Shaw

« Older Entries

Chi For Yourself

Raising Consciousness..Living Genuinely!

Tag Archive for self-improvement

Can You Learn To Control Your Behavior?

What Controls Behavior?

A Goal

A Plan

The Right Mindset

Controlling Your Emotions

Putting it All Together

Share this:

You CAN Break Bad Habits

The Key to Change

Share this:

Success Takes Longer Than You Think

Looks Are Deceiving

Share this:

You Can Define Your Perfect Morning

Dream On

Share this:

Live a More Fulfilled Life- Choose to Accept Yourself

How do you deal with that?

Crazy High Standards

Share this:

Why You’re Not Happy (And How to Change This)

Share this:

Self Development And Your Success

Feeling as if you’re a failure

Comparing yourself to media figures

Down and out

There are no mistakes – only lessons learned

Take things one at a time

At YOUR best

Little things matter

You’re willing to accept change

Share this:

The Importance Of Your Mindset In Anything You Do In Life

But wait, there’s more!

Share this:

Is Your Own Negativity Affecting Your Friendships?

Are You a Negative Friend?

The Impact Negativity Has on Friendships

Share this:

Why Communication Is Such An Important Life Skill

Good Communication Skills Improve Your Social Life

Good Communication Skills Improve Your Professional Life

Good Communication Skills Can Make You a Better Person

Share this:

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