Empowerment Articles
10 Steps to Improving Self-Esteem
June 7, 2012 | Anita Revel
Say No to Negativity. Negative emotions such as anger, frustration, envy, blame and impatience are normal in small doses. You are allowed to experience these emotions, but give yourself a time limit to stay with them. When your time is up, stay STOP! out aloud and choose to cancel the thought or feeling and replace it with a positive one. Browse through motivational blurbs at GreatDay.com to counteract negative feelings.
Laugh Out Loud. Open your clown chakra, a psychic energy point located between the belly-laugh chakra and the milk-spurting-out-the-nose chakra. Do this by taking a deep breath and belly-laughing (with or without milk) for five minutes straight. Laughter empowers you in hopeless situations and gives you a sense of control when things around you seem crazy. If you can laugh at your situations you can survive the terrible things that happen to you.
Give Your Inner Critic a Tea Break. If you get a compliment, learn to say Thank you! Don't brush it away because that's how you've been taught to handle a compliment. If you're not getting any, start handing them out. As "what goes around comes around" you will soon enjoy receiving plenty in return.
Practice Shameless Affirmations. An affirmation is a short statement (present tense), of how you would like to be now. Make it a habit to repeat the affirmation sincerely and often. When your psyche hears, over and over again, how valuable you are as a person, you will start to believe it and manifest your state of mind. Visit Affirmations Central for a comprehensive list of affirmations to choose from.
Choose How You Respond to people and situations. You can either hide under the Rock of Denial and lash out and blame others, or you can behave with dignity, courage and humour. Know that you have the power to choose the image of a happy and confident person. When you are at the crossroads of how you will respond, say out aloud, I choose dignity to help you take a conscious, worthy direction.
Perform Random Acts of Kindness. Sharing abundance and goodwill makes people happy and gives you a warm feeling of satisfaction. Usually RAOK are your own personal secret, but don't limit yourself to private acts only. Pay the road toll of the car behind you, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or tip the author of this column. Zillions of RAOK suggestions are listed at the RAOK website -- you can even start your own web-page here to share your achievements!
Write Your Own Eulogy. This may sound macabre, but by writing a speech about all your great qualities will reinforce all your good aspects. If you have attributes you want included in your eulogy, commit to incorporating them into the way you present yourself to people.
Dress for success. A smile is the first thing someone notices about you. To create a fabulous first impression, show your pearly whites in a dazzling smile to sweep people off their feet. Clothing-wise, respect yourself by dressing and grooming in the best manner that will radiate your gorgeous inner self. Listen to your instinct, and dress accordingly. If you're comfortable in your own skin, you'll be at the centre of balance when interacting with other people.
Reminisce. Share a meal with your family or friends and take turns to talk about a funny memory. Start off the story with I remember when... for a great catalyst. Flicking through photo albums are also a great way to trigger memories, not to mention tickle the funny bone just looking at those god-awful fashions! Post your stories and pictures in a weblog (at blogspot.com, for example) so family and friends can read and contribute world-wide.
Spoil Yourself. Reward your good work with a treat, and don't you dare feel guilty about it! Tell yourself you deserve it, and believe it. Curl up on your sofa with a soppy romance, eat a chocolate bar after your tenth gym visit, or let a friend cook you a meal. Don't forget to thank yourself for your efforts -- it's all about appreciating You.
Anita Revel is an Australian author of books, articles and resources for women's well-being. View her work at AnitaRevel.com.
How To Make Your Dreams Come True
April 12, 2012 | Wayne Dyer
2003 Family Circle: How do you make this a time of personal transformation?
Dyer: First look at any disharmony or scarcity in your life - your finances, struggles, even some health problems - and say: I created this. My life is the result of the choices I've made. What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.
Family Circle: Is that New Age psychobabble or does it really work?
Dyer: It may sound like psychobabble, but in fact, we become what we think about. William James, the father of psychology, said that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you hold it there long enough, it will become a reality. I've found that has worked for me.
Family Circle: Give an example.
Dyer: When I wrote my first book, Your Erroneous Zones, there was nothing I wouldn't do to make it a success. I called bookstores to create a demand, then delivered the books to the stores myself! I always say it's never crowded along the extra mile.
Family Circle: But what if your life isn't changing in the ways that you want it to?
Dyer: Realize that insanity is repeating the same thoughts and behaviors again and again, and expecting different results. To get a new outcome, you have to rewrite your agreement with reality, which I do regularly.
Family Circle: What do you mean?
Dyer: You have to compose a brand-new agreement with yourself that says: There is nothing that is not possible for me. I can attract abundance into my life. Connect with that thought. Norman Vincent Peale said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Family Circle: So if you want to lose 10 pounds . . .
Dyer: First visualize yourself looking the way you want to and never let that picture out of your head. Envision yourself eating healthful foods and exercising. If you hold those thoughts in your mind, you'll act on them.
Family Circle: So what happens when you focus on all the things that you don't have?
Dyer: You stay stuck. Every thought you have either makes you stronger or weaker. Thoughts of kindness, hope, forgiveness, and peace are strengthening. Anger, anxiety, worry, and fear weaken you. You must process events in terms of appreciation rather than depreciation. You either feel that the universe is plentiful and providing, or you feel short-changed, that nothing is ever right. That's what I call a scarcity mentality - expecting that things won't work out for you. I was recently on a plane that was running 30 minutes late. The woman sitting next to me said, "With my luck, I won't make my connection." I answered, "With my luck, I will!" I think she may still be in Dallas.
Family Circle: How can you reprogram yourself?
Dyer: Before you go to bed, create an image of what you want for yourself; then act as if you are who you want to be. Catch yourself verbalizing self-defeating thoughts, stop labeling yourself, and take time just to be.
Family Circle: And how do you do all that?
Dyer: You quiet your mind. On average, a person has 60,000 separate thoughts a day. We're thinking too much! As an ancient proverb says, "It's the silence between the notes that makes the music." So get quiet. Meditate; go for a walk; listen to the birds, the ocean. Breathe in the fresh air and allow your mind to let go.
Family Circle: can just hear workaholics saying they don't have the time to do that.
Dyer: If you don't take time for being healthy, you'll eventually have to make time for being sick. You can meditate for two minutes at a red light. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and clear your mind. The person behind you will let you know when your two minutes are up!
Family Circle: What are the signs of inner peace?
Dyer: People who have a sense of peace tend to smile, feel compassion, and enjoy the moment. They lose interest in conflict, and they don't worry!
Family Circle: You often say, "Stop worrying because there's nothing to worry about." How can that be?
Dyer: It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over because there's nothing you can do about them, and why worry about things you do control? The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.
Family Circle: So the next time you're tossing and turning in bed . . . ?
Dyer: My teacher in India always said, "First think of God, whatever God means to you. Think of the universal force that allows an acorn to turn into an oak tree or a blossom to become an orange." The moment you bring spiritual energy to the present, worry and anguish dissolve.
Family Circle: Other than yourself, do you know anyone who has mastered this?
Dyer: I don't know that I have! I've got eight kids and I struggle with the same things most people do. I've dealt with marital problems and addictions. What I've learned is to remind myself that all I have is today. That helps me shift my attention to what's good and right.
Family Circle: You always say that forgiveness is a dramatic way to transform a life. Forgiving your father for abandoning his family was a turning point for you.
Dyer: After he died, I went to my father's grave and told him, I don't know what motivated you to run your life as you did, but I forgive you. Afterward I felt a deep sense of relief and peace. Forgiveness is transforming. I use the metaphor of the snake bite. It is not the bit that kills you; it's the venom. When you hold a grudge, the poisons of anger and blame destroy you. Your heart weakens, your blood pressure rises, you get ulcers. It wrecks your health, makes you miserable.
Family Circle: And when you forgive . . .
Dyer: . . . miracles begin to appear in your life because forgiveness heals. It's the core of every great spiritual teaching - from Jesus and Buddha to Gandhi and Mother Teresa.
Family Circle: You also recommend the art of detachment, calling it "one of life's great lessons." What do you mean?
Dyer: I mean detach from the opinions of others; from the habit of judging or controlling others; from the past; from the need to be right and to win; from an obsession with material things. Follow your passion in life, but detach from the outcome and allow the universe to handle the details.
Family Circle: So, as we usher in 2003, what would you say is the key to achieving happiness?
Dyer: When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. That's what life is. There's no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. It's what you bring to life.
*Excerpted from Family Circle/January 14, 2003 issue
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans, is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. He became a well-known author with his bestselling book, Your Erroneous Zones, and has gone on to write many other self-help classics, including Meditations for Manifesting, Staying on the Path, Your Sacred Self, Everyday Wisdom, and You'll See It When You Believe It.
Consulting Your Soul Dr. Wayne Dyer
April 7, 2012 | Dr. Wayne Dyer
To me, spiritual and physical are not two separate dimensions of reality. I think of spiritual practice as a way of making my life work at a higher level and receiving guidance for handling my problems. The ways in which I do this involve a few simple, basic practices:
Surrender is the most crucial and perhaps most difficult for me. In surrendering, my thoughts are something like this: I simply do not know how to resolve this situation and I am turning it over to the same force that I turn my physical body over to every night when I go to sleep. I trust in this unseen part of me to keep my heart beating, my blood circulating, and so on.
Accessing spiritual solutions means converting my inner thoughts and feelings from discord and disharmony to love. In the spirit of surrender and love I silently chant, "I invite the highest good for all concerned to be here now." I try to see anger, hatred and disharmony as invitations to surrender and love. With this understanding I have the option to allow spirit to manifest and work through me.
I believe my spirit is inseparable from the infinite. Having a relationship with the infinite part of myself encourages my recognition of spiritual solutions. The awareness of my infinite nature is terrific for putting everything into perspective.
My approach to problem-solving involves cultivating an empty mind. In this space I listen, and allow myself to have complete faith that I will be guided in the direction of resolution. I let go of my ideas about how something should be resolved.
Finding spiritual solutions to my life's problems always involves generosity and gratefulness. For me, this means giving my life to my soul purpose and being grateful for the opportunity to do so. I believe that I get back from the world what I put out to the world, not only physically but also in terms of my thoughts. So, I recommend spiritual practices that involve being generous and grateful with thoughts as well as actions.
Nurturing a sense of connectedness to everyone and everything invites spiritual solutions. When I see myself as connected I am not looking for occasions to be offended or to judge. I don't see anyone as my enemy or an obstacle. This is how I relinquish negative self-talk and connect to the solutions that are available to me. In moments of despair I try to affirm, "I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing that is separate from me."
Finally I choose cheerfulness as a gauge of my level of spiritual consciousness at any given moment. The more cheerful, happy, contented, and satisfied I am feeling, the more aware I am of my connection to spirit. So, does all this mean I'm suggesting that you always give money to people who ask for it? No. But I am suggesting that the next time you see someone asking for money, look at that situation as being between you and your spiritual consciousness - between you and God. Consult your soul and if you feel that you don't want to give, don't. But rather than letting anger or judgment rule the moment, offer that person a silent blessing from the part of you that is a part of him. This is consulting your soul.
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans, is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. He became a well-known author with his bestselling book, Your Erroneous Zones, and has gone on to write many other self-help classics, including Meditations for Manifesting, Staying on the Path, Your Sacred Self, Everyday Wisdom, and You'll See It When You Believe It.
Wayne Dyer - 20 Abundance & Prosperity Quotes
March 8, 2012 | Chris Knight
"Within you is the divine capacity to manifest and attract all that you need or desire."
"We are Divine enough to ask and we are important enough to receive."
"You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being, not because anybody says so, not because you're successful, not because you make a lot of money, but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason."
"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."
"The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away."
"Successful people make money. It's not that people who make money become successful, but that successful people attract money. They bring success to what they do."
"Self-worth comes from one thing -- thinking that you are worthy."
"Prosperity in the form of wealth works exactly the same as everything else. You will see it coming into your life when you are unattached to needing it. "
"Our intention creates our reality."
"Love what you do."
"Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life."
"It's never crowded along the extra mile."
"I will grow. I will become something new and grand, but no grander than I now am. Just as the sky will be different in a few hours, its present perfection and completeness is not deficient, so am I presently perfect and not deficient because I will be different tomorrow. I will grow and I am not deficient."
"Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find."
"A non-doer is very often a critic-that is, someone who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes philosophically about how the doers are doing. It's easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk, and change."
"Anything that has been accomplished by any other human being in the physical realm is within the field of possibility."
"Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it."
All of the above excerpts are credited to Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Resource Box:
Chris Knight is the humble moderator of the fan discussion board for Dr. Wayne Dyer: Wayne-Dyer.InspiresYOU.com -- He invites you to drop by, register for free [http://wayne-dyer.inspiresyou.com/profile.php?mode=register], and join the discussion. It's by fans and for fans of Dr. Wayne Dyer, and as such, is not connected directly with Dr. Wayne Dyer.
More about who Dr. Wayne Dyer is: Affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans, is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. He became a well-known author with his bestselling book, Your Erroneous Zones, and has gone on to write many other self-help classics, including Meditations for Manifesting, Staying on the Path, Your Sacred Self, Everyday Wisdom, and You'll See It When You Believe It.
Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs' Empowerment Tips
July 15, 2011 | Ponn Sabra
3. Exercise Balance with Your Family.
Since your family gives you the most personal fulfillment, it is important to always prioritize your business accordingly. Choose to live life with your family, not because of, or for them by making excuses to yourself, such as "work comes first". After almost facing death, I learned that I must always: Work Wisely + Play Plenty = Rest Reassured.
4. The Enterprise Must Include the Power of Power Networks.
As a conductor of your own enterprise, you can not see yourself as a one-woman-show. You must choose to utilize the power people in your life, by asking for help when you need it, and effectively delegating in order to capitalize on your strengths and that of your power network. When certain experts are not represented in your power network, you must actively seek advisors or mentors and develop a team of specialists, so the benefits are received by everyone involved in the power network - the true Power of Power Networks.
5. Experience Success through Principles That Work.
Rather than re-invent the success cycle; read, study and try different principles proven to have worked in the numerous business-improvement resources available to you. Choose to learn something(S) new every single day.
Give this one a try: The Empowerment Equation to Success:
Desire + Action = Success
Action = 5 A's: Acquisition, Affirmative Attitude, Accountability, Asking, and Accomplish.
6. Exclusive Business Brand.
Brand yourself as the exclusive business in your target market. The more you invest your time, money, efforts, and human resource in developing your Unique Selling Proposition, once your clients start rolling in...their loyalty will last for their lifetime and that of their offspring. The power of being the first and only means you have no competition. Therefore, your clients have no one else to turn to. Always chose to be a specialist at something...not a generalist in everything. Dare to be Your Best Self! [Beware: Once you start succeeding at what you do, you WILL have competition. At which time, it's critical to build alliances...not enemies.]
7. Establish Systems to Maximize Time.
You must establish as many systems as possible (i.e., priority planning, to do's, office hours, meeting days, etc.) to be time-efficient. Streamline all your business protocols for maximum productivity that includes but not limited to your daily, weekly, monthly and annual duties and responsibilities.
8. Expand Your Marketing Reach.
Diversify your online and offline marketing portfolio. Always be open to try something new, different and creative, but never stop at a one-time opportunity. Repetitive efforts are rewarded the most. Areas include: website, blog, article submission, local and internet press release campaign, venture partnerships, link exchanges, charity sponsorships, public speaking, radio interviews, teleseminars, volunteerism, search engine optimization/marketing, building power networks, and hosting local events.
9. Experiment for a Positive Bottom Line.
For every new formula, system, or marketing campaign you try, you must always test and track your results. Stay accountable to your bottom-line by being patient enough to see results and persistent enough to gain the most from your efforts. Don't give up too easily, and don't let dead-weight pull you down. Always be cost-conscious.
10. Envisioning Goes beyond Goal Setting.
Envisioning your goals means being able to apply all your senses to the moment when your goal is achieved. Basically, you need to touch, taste, smell, feel, and hear your goal already accomplished, so that moment becomes so vivid in your mind, that you will become happy and empowered right now.Your positive focus will fill your workdays with fun, and you'll always be proud of your efforts rather than disappointed with your unfinished tasks. Coming from a Type-A personality, this is easier said than done; but having just written this down, I'm now accountable to you. Now, I challenge you to stay empowered and keep our power network alive!
Ponn M. Sabra, The Women's Empowerment Queen, is the best-selling author of "Empowering Women to Power Network [http://www.empoweringwomenbooks.com/powernetwork.htm]", and Founder of http://www.EmpowerWomenNow.com Hop over to to get empowered today!