Jill Rapley's Life Journal Notes » decide

Your Habits Are Here To Stay

Jill — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:09:43 +0000

This phrase has been repeating itself in my mind for the past 2 days. Yes, it is true. Your habits are here to stay, UNLESS:

You decide you don’t want them to stay. Yes, once again it is all about personal responsibility. In fact the very first key to all personal development is to accept personal responsibility.

You cannot change something that you do not own right?

This brings us to the next point:
You decide you WANT to (and WILL) change these habits you don’t like.

But wait, have we not already made this point?

No. Why?
It is one thing to decide you don’t like a habit in your life. It is another thing to decide you WANT to and WILL change it.

How many times have you and I put up with things in our lives that we don’t like? Right!

So it is not enough to decide you don’t like a habit. You need to move further and actually make up your mind that you WILL change it.

WHEN?
Ok, so when are you going to start changing this habit? NOW is the best time to start! (In other words strike while the iron is hot

HOW?
The very best way change any bad habit is to replace it with a good one. This keeps your focus on the good habit you are forming, not on the bad one you are leaving behind.

Warning:
This IS going to take work, time and patience. The bad habit was not formed over night. The new one will not be formed instantly either.

It will take daily ACTION with:

Determination.
Discipline.
Diligence.

There is a prize! What is the prize? A changed life with new habits!

Keep your eye on the prize and you will be able to do it!
Keep your mind on the benefits that your new habits will bring to your life (better health, better production, clearer mind etc).

Visualize what your life will be like with these new habits every day, as you work towards forming them.

Before you know it you will be enjoying life with some brand new habits!

Photo Credit

One Big Key You Can Use To Control Stress

Jill — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:14:58 +0000

Today’s wisdom nugget deals with how you and I can control stress in our lives. This one also came from the book that I have just finished reading (Getting Well Again).

What is this one BIG key that will enable you to control stress in your life?

You decide how you INTERPRET
the meaning of everything
that happens in your life.

You cannot control everything that happens to you, but you CAN control how you interpret what happens to you.

It is not the event that reaches your emotions and affects your body. It is how you interpret the event that touches your emotions.

Here is an example quoted from the above mentioned book:

The loss of a job may mean:

A defeat or sign of failure
A challenge
A chance to start out fresh
A sign that life is unfair

Beliefs that will motivate perspectives above:

Perceived opportunities to get other jobs
The degree to which the job was a symbol of personal worth.
Beliefs about being in charge of one’s life.
Their ability to create a new positive situation.

To sum this up:

You create the meaning of events.
You determine the significance of these events.

You will tend to determine this significance based on your mindset (which can also be called your library of preconceived ideas, judgments and decisions made in the past).

Here is a challenge for today.
If you find yourself under a lot of stress, stop and ask yourself these questions:

How am I interpreting these events?
What would REALLY happen if I gave less significance to these circumstances?
Are there some things that I am taking too much to heart?

Ask yourself these three questions, and answer them honestly.

Did you find that your answers reveal you are adding stress to your life. What can you do to change this?

Resource: Getting Well Again – a Step-By-Step, Self-help Guide to Overcoming Cancer for Patients and Their Families. (Amazon Aff).

No Worries

Jill — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:38:25 +0000

No worries is an expression that has become rather common in the “down under” countries of Australia and New Zealand.

But in one Aussie man’s life, this expression has taken on even more meaning. Nick Vujicic is a young man with a BIG testimony.

Today I was challenged once again with the testimony of Nick’s life when a friend from Acapulco posted one of his videos in Facebook.

Nick’s attitude to life demonstrates a very powerful truth:

Life can be good or bad, not because of anything that may have happened to you in life,
but because of what you do with what happens to you.

Nick’s life theme is “No limbs, no limits, no worries”.

Nick’s choice in the face of his life’s challenge is to overcome and be happy. As you watch the videos of his life’s story, you will see that he has taken on the challenge of becoming totally independent and he is succeeding.

Little tasks that you and I do without thinking such as cleaning our teeth or shaving (for the guys), are not simple tasks for Nick, but he has found a way!

He also dives, and swims, he plays golf, he surfs, he kicks a soccer ball!
He loves live and enjoys it to the full.

Nick leads a full, happy and VERY productive life because he has CHOSEN to. He has decided that nothing will stop him, and his whole life demonstrates this!

He has decided to live a life of no limits and no worries.

What choices do you make when faced with obstacles, adversity and life’s supposed “unfair treatments”?

Watch the following videos, be inspired and be challenged!

Part 2

What in Nick’s life story challenged you the most?