In an attempt to revive this blog, I’m going to be posting a series of inspirational quotes, or positive affirmations. Reading and thinking positive things can be empowering, and help you dream big and achieve even bigger.

Here is one of my favorite positive affirmations:

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself
- Unknown

Photo credit: jdurham from morguefile.com

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With end-of-year sales everywhere, millions of consumer flock to the malls keeping the economy going one purchase at a time. Considering the economic downturn and the millions of people without a home this past Christmas, it makes no sense to keep charging even more onto our well-used plastic.

Interestingly enough, unlike many other “self-help” crazes, there are countless successful people using the same principles and attribute their happiness and success to the strategies taught in ‘the secret’.

James Arthur Ray, author of ‘harmonic wealth’ says you have to think, feel and act what you would like to achieve. A video of an interview with James Arthur Ray is posted below:

When you commute an average of three hours a day, you soon start to feel like most of your life is eaten up by travel. Traveling that far to a less than exciting job makes the entire matter even more depressing. It’s easy to see the point of traveling for ten-twelve hours to an exotic location for an even more exotic job, but getting on the road, bus and train for your day to day office-grind is not the most stimulating.

This video was created to support London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic games. Although everyone can, and should, interpret it in their own way to me this video sends an important message. The message I take from it is different from the message that was intended; London tried to convince the IOC that hosting the Olympic games in London would inspire the youth of the world.

Sometimes our lives seem ruled by “to-do’s”.

How will I ever get done
I can’t get to sleep early, I have a million things to do
I’m exhausted and the dishes arn’t done, the bills are not paid yet, and the laundry also needs folding

These are common thoughts and frustrations keeping us up at night, putting strain and stress on our relationships and depriving us from enjoying our lives. Compound any regular person’s responsibilities with the crippling inability to be efficient because you are so bogged down by the many things that need to get done, or by natural causes such as depression or other mental illnesses, and it is easy to understand why bills are past due and the laundry is piling up.

Food for your courage: it’s OK to be bogged down and cry, but remember that this is not the time to give up. It may be time to rest, but success is failure turned inside out. Look at a problem from the one positive angle you may be able to find, however insignificant it may seem.

There are cases where depression is related to a sense of not having achieved what one wants to achieved, or acquired what one wants to acquire. Thus, for many people being depressed is related to a sense of failure. Whether “failure” preceded depression, or feelings of failure are a symptom of depression is like asking which one came first: the chicken or the egg. In this case, the answer is highly personal.

Here is a very inspirational and positive video on leadership. These are the bite-sized inspirational pick-me-ups that can make all the difference in your day. If you see one every day, or think a few positive thoughts, it can make a big difference in your life.

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‘Lighten up!’
‘Think positive!’
… and ‘it could always be worse’

Just some of the ‘positive encouragement’ thrown at negative people. Thousands of books have been written about ‘positive thinking’, and if we are to believe ‘the secret’, you are a few positive thoughts away from wealth, success and delirious happiness.

In Britain, studies have been conducted that have shown physical exercise to help combat depression. Watch the video for yourself:

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