Rethinking your life

I am back from a wonderful vacation. I took pleasure in sun bathing, afternoon naps and the delicious indulgence of warm melting chocolate cake! Overall, my trip was priceless. My favorite moment of the trip was seeing the expression on my son's face when he first walked on the shoreline and was amazed by the power of the waves. Looking at the beach through his eyes is something I will forever treasure.

I love going on vacation but most of all I love the way I feel coming back. It's a fresh new start. I feel rejuvenated and transformed. I have an opportunity to reset myself and readjust my focus. It allows me the time and clarity to rethink my life. Am I doing what I want to do? Am I aligned with my higher purpose? Am I divinely guided?

Being on vacation or taking a break allows me to answer these questions with honesty and clarity. It allows me to have a new and fresh perspective on my life. We all have the potential of getting caught up in our own drama. We get so stuck that we aren't able to see opportunity even when it is right in front of our faces. We create clever alibis for our failures and unhappiness.

If only I had money….

If I had a better job….

If things were better….

If only I could go on vacation….

If I had more time…

If I wasn't in debt…

Most of your alibis can be backed by justifiable facts. Your alibis make logical sense to you. You cling and defend them because you CREATED them! You might find yourself waiting for the perfect time to change your life, to get a new perspective or to feel better.

You see I became very aware of something while on my cruise. I realized that most of the people I talked to dreaded returning to their normal life. Most of them were using the vacation as an escape or denial of their current circumstances. As I talked to them further they revealed stressful environments, unfulfilled careers and health related issues. They are missing something- waiting for something different but doing the same thing.

In closing I leave you with this statement "stop doing the same thing and expecting something different." There is no better time than the present moment to "RETHINK YOUR LIFE." Are you doing what you want to do? Are you aligned with your higher purpose? Are you happy? Stop trying to escape or deny your circumstance. CONQUER it!

By Diana Guintu, M.Ed.
Co-Founder of I Choose Change Counselor and Coach
Copyright © 2007 I Choose Change
If you are interested in using this article on your website or in your publication, please contact info@ichoosechange.com for permission

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Get Out Of Your Way!

Want to get back to the confident and self-fulfilled person you used to be? Wondering how you’re going to be a better mom, a better spouse, or a better employee? If you are stuck in the muck and mire of a situation that is wearing you down, and as a result you are feeling anxious, depressed, or hopeless, you might be sabotaging your own efforts to get unstuck.

Yes, what I’m saying is, it’s your fault!

Wait, wait! Before you press the delete button on this email, hear me out. Most of us sabotage our efforts to move forward without realizing it. We are on autopilot. Busy with the everydayness of life: going to work, caring for the kids, trying to make quota…you get the picture. We clutter our mind and life with “have to’s.” If you’re like most people, you have great intentions about moving forward, improving your business, strengthening your relationship or being a better parent. But if you aren’t doing or getting what you want from your life, there is a reason, and plain and simple, you need to get out of your own way.

“It’s not you, it’s me"

It is easier to blame our boss, our spouse, our kids, our cat, our schedule, or anything else we can think of, on our problems. But by blaming external factors for what is happening in our lives we make ourselves powerless. We can’t create the change needed to get unstuck. How can you have the life you want if you are completely out of control? Sure, some things are not within your power, but everything you think, feel and do, is all yours.

Taking responsibility for your own life can sometimes be a difficult endeavor. However, it is important to know that you are in the driver’s seat. You have choices! You are in control of your life, good and bad. Therefore, no matter what is happening in your life, whether you feel stuck in a dead end job, or struggling to make your marriage work. You have the choice and the responsibility to choose change. You owe it to yourself.

It’s all in your head…

There is one thing you can start doing today that will help you get started. You must take inventory of your mindset. Is your dominating thinking pattern one of scarcity or one of abundance? A scarcity mindset means focusing on what you DON’T have as opposed to what you DO have, resulting in feeling hopeless, lonely, and powerless. Think about it. Do you find yourself complaining on a regular basis about what you don’t want, don’t have, and can’t have? Are those around you pretty negative?

With an abundant mindset you feel excited and powerful, with choices. You are able to focus on the overflowing resources or opportunities. You feel empowered and confident that you have more than enough. There are no limits to what you can achieve, have, or dream. An abundant mindset allows your inner strengths and passions to come to the surface without self-limiting patterns, such as skepticism, fear, and doubt getting in the way.

Hey, Shifty

You can start changing today by shifting your mindset from scarcity to abundance. Engage in positive thinking. Ok, ok, I know you’ve heard this before. I know it’s very cliché. But I beg the question: Are you getting what you want from your life, or aren’t you? Because if you’re not, I bet you’re willing to try just about anything. Making that mindset shift It is actually the key to changing your life. Start changing your mindset by deliberating planting thoughts of choice, confidence and joy. By creating a dominating thinking pattern that reflects abundance you will be creating a new reality. You will naturally and effortlessly become unstuck.

By Diana Guintu, M.Ed.Co-Founder of I Choose ChangeCounselor and Coach
To reprint this article please contact info@ichoosechange.com for permission.