by Dr. JL Knight | Jan 14, 2019 | Overcome Negativity, Personal Transformation, Transformation
We live in a society where value and status are placed on
material things like cars, homes, and clothes and we all dream about having
more – more money, bigger homes, more cars – yet we never seem to be happy. In
fact, instead of being thankful for what we do
have, we feel envious of the people who have more than us.
Being in constant competition with neighbors, coworkers, or familymembers can be exhausting! Eventually, you’ll lose sight of the importantthings in life, such as your children, relationships, and health. If you place astrong value on things, you won’t feel very fulfilled and you’ll end up creating an inner tension that will onlydrive you away from happiness. After all, happiness isn’t defined by the amountof stuff you collect.
Remember What You’re Grateful For
If you had to list what’s good in your life, right now, and you weren’t allowed to mention any material possessions, would you have a hard time coming up with the list? Do you have a hard time just being happy and grateful because you’re always longing for something bigger or better?
We all have big dreams for ourselves, but we can’t begin to work toward our goals until we accept who we are and where we’re at right now. That acceptance begins with a sincere appreciation for the life lesson’s of yesterday and the talents and skills we have today.
Sure, we all want a big house, nice furniture, big-screen TVs, better paying jobs, luxury cars, gourmet food, fancy jewelry, and designer clothes – but how can we appreciate the finer things in life if we can’t be thankful for the simple things? After all, a big-screen TV won’t matter if you didn’t have your eyes to see and your ears to hear! Of course, desiring goodquality items isn’t wrong, but your focus should be on living and enjoying yourlife, not things.
- Expressing your gratitude
doesn’t have to be reserved for Thanksgiving dinner. Share with your family why
you’re grateful today and really listen to what your family says
in return.
- Encourage your kids to dig
deep in their souls to find their gratitude. Kids need to learn
how to take their focus off of material items and onto influential people,
positive experiences, and quality of life.
Refocus Your Thoughts with a Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journalis simply a notebook where you write down everything in life you’re thankful for. It doesn’t have to take more than 5 minutes in the early morning or beforebed each night. The idea is to clear your mind, reflect on the day, and see thegoodness in life.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Buy or make yourself a
nice, attractive journal so you’ll take care of it and will look forward
to journaling everyday.
- Reflect
on anything new that came your way: new friends, clients, or opportunities.
- Don’t
be shy about repeating things from previous days; praising your good
health and loving family never tires.
- Did a friend do something nice for you
today? Did you find a lost item? Did you handle a difficult situation well?
Gratitude isn’t reserved for
really big things; you can be grateful for the small things, too.
- Periodically,
go back over your journal and read all that you’re grateful for. It’ll be
a great pick-me-up on especially difficult days.
The more you add to your journal, the more you’ll teach your mind a new way of thinking. Your outlook on life will become morepositive and you’ll feel a deeper sense of connection with those around you. And you’ll discover the sheer beauty that already exists in your life.
By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
Copyright © 2018 The BusinessTransformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Jan 7, 2019 | Overcome Fear, Personal Transformation, Transformation
If you begin to use affirmations in your life, you’ll
unleash a power that can eliminate the control fear has over you. You can
use affirmations to get you through the tough times and gain self-confidence.
Why You Have Fears
Throughout life, many situations will cause fear, but fear isn’t always bad! It can actually play an important role in your life.
Fear can instantly get your heart pumping faster and give you the adrenalin rush needed to get you away from a threatening situation. If someone were to chase you down the street, your fear could push you to run faster or think on your feet. In fact, fear may be necessary to drive you to safety.
Unfortunately, fear also comes at times when you’re in no danger at all. That’s when fear becomes destructive. These types of fears can hinder your daily lifestyle and make you act in ways that you wish you didn’t.
These are the fears to overcome. Irrational fears, like the fear of being in an elevator or a fear of speaking in public, could cause you to avoid situations that could provide tremendous value in your life. Instead of avoiding fearful situations, learn to conquer your fears and live your life to the fullest.
How Affirmations Can Help
Affirmations can help you overcome your fears by keeping your focus on being positive and in the present moment.Affirmations are short, positive statements that are written in the presenttense. They describe how you want to feel as if you already experience thoseempowering emotions.
You can find affirmations that pertain to your specific fear, or you can write your own. For example, if you fear elevators, you can recite to yourself: “I feel calm and relaxed right now.” Repeat this phrase along with other affirmations next time you ride in an elevator. Find the courage within yourself to face the fearful situation.
The Importance of Believing in Yourself
Affirmations only provide power for you if you bring to them a determination to get over your fears. Repeated on a daily basis, affirmations program your mind to believe and act differently in the stressful situations you’re seeking to overcome. But you must be consistent and keep an open mind for them to work for you.
People get over their fears every day. You can find the courage and strength within yourself to finally declare that you’re free from fear! Even if affirmationsseem kind of silly at first, stick with it. They might not make you feel courageous immediately, but give it some time. Keep repeating them and you will see positive results.
Affirmations for Any Fear
You can find affirmations for almost any fear or negative emotion. But it may be more effective to write your own. Simply imagine yourself in the situation, responding perfectly and feeling peaceful inside. Write a positive, present tense statement, in the first person, describing what you see in your mind’s eye.
Create a few affirmations and repeat them to yourself over
and over again. Repeat this exercise every day, and soon you’ll begin to notice
yourself feeling differently about the situation.
Once you’ve worked through one fear with affirmations, you’ll possess a tool that can conquer any fear that you have.
Begin harnessing the power of affirmations today! Start small and allow the positive results to motivate you to use them more and more in the future.
By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
Copyright © 2018 The BusinessTransformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 31, 2018 | Personal Transformation, Transformation
When you’re living in the moment, your focus is on that
moment only. The past and the future can’t touch you.
It can be a difficult task to put your feelings about the
past or future aside. It’s like when someone says, “Don’t think of a pink elephant!” Did you think of one,
just now?
Well, your grief is sometimes that pink elephant and it seems like there’s nowhere to turn. In this
situation, you can look for help from present moment thinking.
Remaining in the present takes practice. While you’re
learning how to live in the moment, remember that it gets easier as time goes
on.
Using Meditation
You can work on controlling your thoughts, but one practicethat’s all about staying in the present moment is meditation. This simpleexercise can also help you get over your grief.
Here are some meditation tips:
- Make a
meditation schedule – 30 minutes per day every day.
- Go to
a place where you can relax and be alone.
- Sit in
a position with good posture.
- Take
deep breaths in and out.
- You
can use a “mantra” or
positive affirmation to help you focus.
- When
thoughts arise, acknowledge them, and then let them go.
The most difficult thing you might encounter when learning
to meditate is calming your busy mind. Focusing on your breathing helps clear
away extraneous thoughts and worries.
When you’re grief stricken, it’s an especially difficult
time to keep a clear mind. Thoughts of the past will more than likely keep
coming up in your practice. This is normal. As you continue
practicing, it will get easier to focus on the now.
An important thing to remember is to avoid judging yourself.Don’t punish yourself for thinking of the past when you’re trying not to thinkabout it. Realize that your mind is taking a turn you didn’t intend, and then lightly nudge it back in the right direction. Be grateful that you were able tocatch yourself in the midst of a negative thought, and then move on.
Keeping Up Your Practice
Once you’ve adopted a philosophy of present moment thinking,
concentrate on keeping up with your practice. Rather than a mechanism you turn
to only when you’re in a pinch, consistent present moment thinking can bring
you an exhilarating new lifestyle!
When you learn to live in the moment, you’ll find peace and happiness in life. You’ll be more calm and collected and enjoy every moment for what it is. How amazing is this!
Moment By Moment
As your practice deepens, you’ll fully realize that life isjust a series of moments. It’s not a definable measure of time, but you’ll feel many moments in every minute. Little by little, you’ll learn to recognize them.
You may find it difficult to remain in the present just because you must refer to the past and plan for the future in order to live. This is true, of course, but once the reflection is over, and the planning isput away, your goal is to remain in the moment as much as possible.
- Refer to the past when you
must, but avoid reliving grief or daydreaming.
- Plan for the future, but
don’t obsess over it.
- Simply look at what you’re
experiencing right now and immerse yourself in it.
When your mind is completely focused on the present moment, you’ll be surprised at how energizing life can be!
By Dr. Jacqueline L.Knight
Copyright © 2018 The BusinessTransformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 24, 2018 | Decision Making, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Do you ever wonder why you’re here? After all, you were created with a unique set of passions and talents that no one else in the world can duplicate! Discovering your purpose in life lets you use your unique assortment of feelings and abilities to bring you greater self-fulfillment.
When you’re doing what you feel like you must have been born to do, you can create a life you enjoy through and through. Your goals will have more meaning to you and challenges will be naturally easier to overcome as you joyfully move toward achieving those goals.
This process for finding your life purpose enables you to tune in to your inner self and figure out what makes you tick. Take the time to find your purpose – your life will certainly change for the better!
Prepare Yourself
For this process, an open mind is optional but helpful. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think this will work – it just means it might take a little longer. All you really must have are a piece of paper, something to write with, and approximately an hour of peace and quiet.
As you’re doing this exercise, try to empty your mind as much as possible. The clearer your mind is, the quicker and easier the process will be. Also, do this while you’re relaxed, alone, and unlikely to be disturbed.
The Process
- Focus on your intention. Write at the top of your paper: “This is my life purpose.” This simple act sets your intention in your mind for the next hour.
- Begin listing your thoughts – even doubts about this process. As you clear your mind and focus on this process, write whatever comes to mind, no matter what it is. If you think to yourself, “This isn’t going to work,” then you would write, “This isn’t going to work.”
- Answering these questions will get you started. Then keep writing your thoughts until you find your life purpose.
- What are your talents and abilities?
- Which talents would you like to develop further? Why?
- What are your passions?
- Do you get joy from helping others? Who?
- Have you always wanted to be a philanthropist?
- What activities do you enjoy?
- What have you always wanted to do, but you haven’t done it yet?
- Who do you most enjoy being around? Adults? Children? Why?
- Do you love animals?
- Do you like to travel?
- Do you want more excitement in your life?
- What are your favorite books or movies? Why?
- How do you feel about your relationships?
- Do you take an interest in politics or world matters?
- What is your most important priority in your life? Family? Work? Something else?
- How will you know? You’ll just know. It will be the answer that fills you with the most emotion. You may even cry. The idea will resonate with you completely, and there won’t be any doubt. Just continue writing whatever comes into your mind until you reach that point.
- Commonly, answers will repeat themselves. A lot of unrelated nonsense is also likely to come out. Our brains can be a little cluttered, and this exercise will expose that fact. Don’t let anything you write distract you from your intentions; odd things quite frequently end up on the paper.
- There will be several answers along the path that feel pretty good to you, but remember, you’re looking for the big one. When you see the ones that are good, but not “it,” this means you’re close, but not quite on target yet.
- You’re looking for that one idea that feels overwhelming to you. In this exercise, it’s common for your life purpose to reveal itself in less than 100 ideas, but it can take as many as 400. Keep writing.
How Can I Apply My Life Purpose to Benefit Me?
Now that you’ve discovered your purpose, always try to honor it. To do so, keep it in mind consistently. Ask yourself, “Is this in alignment with my ultimate purpose?” A life lived like this, with direction and intentionality, is a life you can truly enjoy.
So don’t wait any longer; schedule a time to do this when you know you’ll have some peace and quiet. Knowing the core reason you’re here is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself.
By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
Copyright © 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 17, 2018 | Personal Transformation, Transformation
Sometimes you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world to accomplish your dreams. Yet there are reminders every day that our time on Earth is short. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict how much time you’ve got left, which is exactly why there’s no time like the present to make your dreams come true!
Concentrate on The Positive
It’s vital to start with positive thoughts. Whenyou think positively about yourself and your dreams, you’ll begin to believe thatyou can achieve anything. These initial positive emotions can lead to a dedicated drive and enthusiasm that’ll help build lasting momentum.
Remember that nearly everyone feels overwhelmed when you’re about to embark on a long journey. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to fall intonegative patterns of thinking, but you must fight these thoughts. It can be hard to imagine that so much can be achievedsimply by having positive thoughts, but it’s true!
The truth is, when you think about something as scary as “I could die tomorrow,” it’s
hard not to be drawn into a panic.
But instead of worrying about how much time you and your loved ones have left, concentrate
on making the present moment as productive as it can be towards your true
calling.
Careful Planning
Once you’ve decided to take action, and you’ve battled your
negative thoughts, it’s time to make some feasible plans to get you where you
want to be.
Keep these tips in mind as you go through your planning phase:
- Set realistic goals. If your goal is going to take years, give yourself years. You can’t expect everything to happen overnight.
- Be specific. Include all the details in your plans. If you stumble along the way, you’ll be comforted in knowing that you have your detailed plans to help you stay the course.
- Reward yourself. When you’ve made progress towards your goal, give yourself areward. Even if your ultimate goal is far off, it’s fun and motivating to enjoyrewards as you complete steps toward your goal.
Action in Small Steps
One of the biggest tips when it comes to following your dream
is to break down your actions into small, manageable steps.
For example, your goal could be to become an airline pilot
or you might want to start your own business. Both of these goals are hefty and
have the potential to take years of work and training.
When you first think about these goals, it’s easy to be
scared of how daunting they seem. Instead of resorting to fear, try breaking
down these goals into dozens or even hundreds of small steps. Chances are that
each small step is not nearly as overwhelming as the big picture.
At the same time, always keep the big picture in mind.
When you visualize yourself reaching your end goal, it can be an image that
gives you the drive to keep going during tough times.
Inspiring Others
Once you’ve achieved your goal, consider inspiringothers to reach their goals, too. Perhaps you have some friends orfamily members who say things like, “I’ve always wanted to do that,” but they remain working at their dead endjob.
Help them take action!
You’ll know from experience that, while it may be a risk,the reward is more than worth it. Yes, following your dreams is even a reward in itself! Itbrings you joy in the present and hope for the future. So carpe diem – seize the day!
By Dr. Jacqueline L.Knight
Copyright
© 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 10, 2018 | Components of Transformation, Mindset, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Success starts with mindset. Different mindsets give different outcomes. A poor mindset leads to poor results. A positive mindset leads to success. While your experience, education, and skills can matter a lot, your mindset can make all the difference.
Luckily, anyone can develop a mindset primed for success. It’s certainly easier and less time consuming than mastering a complex skill!
Create a mindset that creates success! Include these components in your mindset:
1. Gratitude. Be grateful of what you have and have already accomplished. Be happy for the success of others. If you can’t feel happy for others when they are successful, your own success will be limited.
2. Evaluation of risk and reward. Successful people are masters at evaluating risk and reward. Unsuccessful people either refuse to take any risks or take on far too much risk for the potential reward. Neither is a successful way to approach life.
3. Focus on emotional and physical health. Sacrificing your health for success isn’t true success. What do you really gain if you achieve your goals but sacrifice your physical or emotional health in the process? Know your priorities before chasing success.
4. Abundance. Believe that there is enough to go around. Then, you won’t be in competition with others. You’ll only need to compete with yourself. You’ll maintain a more positive attitude if you believe your dreams are possible. What do you believe is possible for you to achieve?
5. Keeping mistakes and failure in the proper context. Failure is guaranteed to happen more often than not. Learn from your mistakes and failures and try again.
6. Growth. Placing a priority on growth is a necessary part of success. You can’t achieve anything new without growing in some way. It might be your skills, attitude, discipline, or courage that need to grow. Rest assured, something needs to grow if you’re currently stuck.
7. A willingness to be uncomfortable. Growth isn’t pleasant. There will be discomfort as you develop yourself, fail, and make mistakes. Even success can be uncomfortable. How uncomfortable are you willing to be to become successful?
● The willingness to be uncomfortable is the limiting success factor for most people.
8. A positive attitude. How much are you willing to do if you’re certain you’ll be successful? A lot. How much are you willing to do if you don’t have high expectations? A lot less. Give yourself and your abilities the benefit of the doubt.
● Notice how you think and how you talk to yourself. Is it positive or negative? What impact do you think that has on you?
9. Planning. Success for each person is a precise goal. You’re not going to hit it on accident. Without a destination in mind and a plan for getting there, you’re relying too much on luck to reasonably expect success.
10. A great mentor. A mentor that has achieved the success you desire knows where your head needs to be. He knows what’s important and what’s just noise. Your mindset will be more accurate and effective if guided by a qualified mentor.
Think about your current mindset and compare that to the results you’re currently experiencing in your life. Can you see the connection?
If you feel that you have the skills you need to be successful, but still come up short, it might be time to take a look at your mindset. Anyone can choose their mindset. There are no prerequisites for having a great mindset. You can just choose. Put your mind into a positive state that aids in your success.
Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
The Business Transformation Coach
