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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Advice on Unrequited Love

Unrequited love is one of the hardest things to deal with. You love someone who doesn't love you. It's pure torture and by this point it will feel like the world is being very unfair on you. So is there anything you can do about it? Here's some tips and advice on unrequited love and how you can deal with it.

Understand it's not you, it's them.

This is very true, even though you won't feel like it right now. The truth is, people pass quick judgments too soon and often they don't know what they're passing up on. It has nothing to do with you but everything to do with them. You need to stop blaming yourself and putting yourself down over this.

Timing is not right.

A lot of love has to do with timing. Even if love is there but the timing is not right, a relationship is oftentimes doomed. In this case, you need to respect that some things you'll just have to be patient and wait for. Trying to force a situation to happen before its time, will only bring about more negative consequences.

Are you self-sabotaging yourself without even realizing?

Are you trying to make up excuses or reasons that the person you want won't want to be with you? Sometimes we'll sabotage ourselves without realizing, because how we see ourselves gives off a strong vibe to others about how they see us. If you don't respect and love yourself, how can you expect others to as well?

Be yourself.

If someone has the wrong idea of you, sometimes you just need to show them who you really are by just being yourself. We often want to impress the one we love but in the end, we want them to want us as we are, not someone we pretended to be.

What if the person you want used to love you but now doesn't? Is it possible to win back love that has been lost? If this is your case, it is in fact a lot easier to restore love than pull love out of nothing.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Achieve Your Goals Using Affirmations

What is a positive affirmation? It is as simple as some positive resolve you make as a first step to change your thought process to become positive. Affirmations can be used by anyone to scale up your excellence in any field. Affirmations are nothing but reinforcing confidence in yourself and thus helping you fulfill your ambitions.

Affirmation can transform your life in a big way. They get deeply embedded in the sub-conscious mind and thus reinforce your confidence. To embed them it is advisable to read them out aloud, totally understanding their meaning and purpose. Whenever you read them read them with a passion as if you already have what you are trying to achieve.

Make it a point to read your affirmations daily. The ideal time is to read them first as you wake up and just when you are about to sleep. Even during your daily routine, if you can try to go through your affirmations.Don’t give up if you are not able to see results immediately. Be patient and continue reading them. Practice them for 30 days without fail. They will become a part of your thinking and if you follow them for a period longer than 30 days you will increase your mental capability and you will reap the best results soon!

The results that you enjoy need not be identical to what others have got. Every person is different and so are his/her beliefs. Hence, even the results can vary greatly from one individual to another.If you want results quickly, I recommend you to write them on a notebook daily. To add a personal touch, write your name along with the affirmation. Or still better technique, is to start by writing your name. This will further reinforce the affirmation on to your brain.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Feast For Fear

Fear is a persistent and insatiable guest who is hungry for something scary to eat. Today's financial headlines and emotionally charged news stories provide a banquet feast for fear.

Fear grows larger as it consumes more negativity. The bigger it gets, the more overwhelming and devouring it becomes. As it inflates, fear bullies us into feeling too vulnerable and victimized to do anything about it.

Like most bullies, fear does not have any real power. Though loud and intimidating, fear is powerless to do anything but scream in our ear and shake up our system. Fear only has power to the extent that we allow it to run our lives.

When you overfeed fear it becomes obese. Nothing else can fit in your house not love, not happiness, not friendship - Nothing. When terror rules your body and emotions, you can barely think. What can you do?

First realize that fear is a built in alarm system that comes with the house. You cannot get rid of it. You can put it on a low negativity diet and get it down to a reasonable size. I'm not suggesting a starvation diet. I am suggesting balancing a reasonable serving of speculative, negative news with heavy servings of reality check.

Fear will also feed on the negativity of others. If you can't get close to the negativity without feasting on it, then cut back on your contact. As you feel stronger, you can begin to influence those conversations. I'm reminded of Socrates, who when confronted with gossip would ask three questions. First, "Is what you're going to tell me true?" If the answer is no, then he would ask, "Is what you're going to tell me good?" If that answer is no, he would ask a third question, "Is what you're going to tell me useful?" If the person said no to all three questions, Socrates would ask, "Why would you tell me something that is not true, good or useful?"

When the alarm system in your house turns into a raving bully, you may need outside forces to get back in control. Find an experienced professional counselor or coach who can support you in confronting the bully of fear and resetting your alarm system.

Be aware! Fear is in the House with a ravenous appetite. Don't allow it to feast at the table of scarcity, negativity, anger, resentment and powerlessness. Limit its diet to low servings of negativity balanced with enriched reality check. Supplement with support as needed. Bon appetit!

Aila AccadLevel: BasicWith over 35 years of education and experience in the areas of Personal, Interpersonal and Organizational Growth, Aila Accad has synthesized a huge amount of ... ...
"copyright 2009 Aila Accad, RN at ailaspeaks.com"

Monday, May 11, 2009

10 Positive Outlook Affirmations

Those of you already familiar with the idea of affirmations can skip straight to the paragraph headed '10 Positive Outlook Affirmations'. For those of you who are a little uncertain, here is a very brief definition:

An affirmation is a positive and encouraging statement which when said over and over again to yourself with heartfelt emotional intensity, can alter your thoughts and, more significantly, your deeper thought processes. The Law of Attraction suggests that our immediate reality is shaped by our deeper thought processes (positive thoughts create a positive personal reality, negative thoughts generate a negative personal reality). Therefore, if we can control and 'make positive' our thoughts, we can dynamically influence the fundamental quality of our existence for the better.

10 Positive Outlook Affirmations

1) The Universe is always with me. I can relax and let go because the Universe will support me.

2) I make new and inspiring friends wherever I go. Even before I reach out to others, they are reaching out to me.

3) The Universe meets all my needs in abundance. I have only to ask.

4) The Universe is attentive and treats me well, and so others are attentive and treat me well.

5) I am deeply grateful for the abundance of love and happiness in my life.

6) Wherever I go, I encounter love and affection. I am loved and appreciated just as I am.

7) Love is present and abundant in my heart right now. I can feel it, healing and nurturing.

8) The Universe wants me to be fulfilled. The Universe created me to be fulfilled. The Universe and I are working together toward this goal.

9) There are no ruts in life. Every moment is new and unique. Every moment is charged with infinite possibilities.

10) I often set a little time aside to do the things I enjoy. The Universe supports me in this and wants me to be happy.

As with all affirmations, it is important that they feel right to you before you begin reciting them.

Feel free to alter them to suit your own style and personality. Just remember to keep them positive and in the present tense.

I hope you find these positive outlook affirmations useful.

Good luck.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Please submit posts!!!!


Hi Everyone,


I sincerely hope that this blogspot has been of some help to many of you...
I would like to try something new, as from June for a short while I may not be able to blog as regularly as I have for the past year but would like you to submit any posts that you think may be of help to others regarding self-confidence, self esteem, weight loss, stress management etc. Anything that falls under the self help or self improvement category.
You can submit these posts to mrp721@gmail.com and we will go through them and post them if they are approved for this blog.

I look forward to receiving your articles, please do not forget to put your name on the post and PLEASE do not use articles that have copyrights.

So with that said feel free to start submitting your articles immediately, in the subject line just put Blog Submission. So get writing and submit now.
Again that email address is mrp721@gmail.com

Bless you all
Meredith


7 Things You Should Never Apologize For


When I was younger, I used to have a habit of saying, "I'm sorry" after doing or saying something that I thought may have been non-appealing to the recipient. It didn't matter what it was. It could be a joke that I told that didn't garner an appropriate response of laughter from my perspective. It could be after something as simple as a sneeze.

However, after growing up a bit, I realized that I don't have to be sorry for EVERYTHING. I should only apologize when an apology is necessary. In certain instances I've also learned that there are times where you may do or say something that may be a bit uncomfortable for another person. You shouldn't have to apologize for saying those things. You may wish to apologize for the pain that saying these things may have caused but the actual act and reason should not be one of remorse.
In this article, you'll find seven instances where you should be willing to take action and not apologize for it later.
Being honest. People often say, "the truth hurts," or "you can't handle the truth," or "you don't really want to hear the truth." The fact of the matter is, everyone does want the truth; however, it's no longer in your control once the truth is out how the other person will handle hearing that information. What you should be mindful of is the timing of your truth delivery. There's definitely timing to truth. Sometimes, you may need to delay what you share for a more appropriate time. You may not wish to tell your best friend right away that you are thinking about moving to France when they're mourning the loss of a loved one. But when you do choose to tell them at the best moment, there's nothing to be remorseful about. Be honest.
Loving yourself. In a previous article, I brought to the forefront how important it is to love yourself before you can honestly and truthfully love another. When you pour love into yourself, many people mistake that for selfishness or even overconfidence. Take inventory of the type of signal that you're emitting when you are "loving yourself." If you are in a genuine place of love, then that signal should not get misinterpreted, but if it is clouded with a little bit of separation, meaning you're trying to make yourself feel better at the expense of someone else deliberately, then that's not really a love vibration is it? So, if you're getting back from someone that you're being selfish, really check the authenticity of your self-love. However, if you're certain that you are giving yourself the very best, then that's nothing to be sorry for.
Crying when you need to. Even if you're embarrassed to cry, crying is a release of pinned up emotion that everyone was built with the capacity to do. It's fine and quite cleansing to let out tears when they well up in your eyes. It doesn't make you any less strong or mature to cry. It's a natural response to overwhelming emotion (whether happy or sad), and it's all OK. Crying also moves you to a more upstream vibration if you're vibrating at the lower end of the emotional scale, because it helps you to move beyond what could have been holding you back.
Taking a break. I used to be guilty of this one a lot. Life can get a bit challenging and complex when a lot of things are happening simultaneously. Many times we're expected to just push through and "suck it up." If we do this too much, our body will shut us down in the most seemingly inopportune time. It's more healthy and beneficial to literally stop every once and a while to breathe, to let your hair down, to relax, to rejuvenate. It's necessary. It's part of our body's natural rhythm. When we disrupt this, we can break down our bodies' defenses and become more susceptible to sickness. Take a load off. You deserve it every once and a while especially when you know you're moving in the right direction.
Being alone. Being by yourself is not a bad thing. Taking some alone time to get quiet and at peace with the Oneness that IS and around you is a treat! It's a gift from Source to be able to connect and communicate directly with whom and where all of your help comes from. It gives you the space to tap more into your intuitive gifts and really hear what it is that's calling you.
Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, relish in the opportunity to spoil and cherish yourself...to
meet only your demands....to listen to only your requests..... and to tend to only your needs.
Take the time to pamper and really love on yourself. You'll be more equipped to share later.
Change. This is the ONE thing in life that is consistent. Change always occurs and we as humans need to be sensitive and flexible to change. It may be a bit uncomfortable to impose abrupt changes on another person's life when you're involved in the change, but oftentimes change is very necessary for survival, peace of mind, help, strength, hope and faith. When you make a decision, at the time that you make it, you should do so with certainty and have your reasons why. But don't be afraid to change your mind. You have the right to do so especially if you learned something after your decision that could save you lots of heart ache in the long-run.
Listen to your gut and trust your intuition. If change is coming, welcome it.
Saying "no." This is a gigantic one. Saying "no" sets boundaries, and why should we have to apologize for protecting ourselves? Sure, it may hurt your significant other's feelings to say no to a request that they earnestly may want a "yes." too. If the "yes" causes you to compromise integrity, your spirit, your trust, your values, your truth or anything that means a whole lot more to you, then saying "no" shouldn't be something that you regret later. When you say "no," as with everything else in this post, really mean it and have your reason for why you said it.
Make sure it has weight.
These are the 7 instances that have become most apparent in my life. What are other things you feel you shouldn't have to apologize for?

Thursday, May 7, 2009

5 Top Tips and Tricks For Affirmations Preparation

Let's start with a quick précis of what, precisely, we mean by 'affirmations'. For those of you already familiar with the idea, you can skip straight to the paragraph headed '5 Top Tricks and Tips for Affirmations Preparation'.

In essence, an affirmation is a positive statement which when properly employed can reprogram your subconscious, a positive statement which when said repeatedly to yourself with genuine emotional intensity, can influence internal forces and can lead to the manifestation of dramatic changes in your life.

There are three fundamental stages to the affirmations process. The first stage is recognising that reality as you currently experience it exists as a direct result of your thoughts and thought processes. The second stage is recognising that if you change your thoughts and the way you think, you can change the quality and details of your reality. The third and final stage is reprogramming your subconscious to allow your thoughts and thought processes to change.

5 Top Tips and Tricks for Affirmations Preparation

1) Decide which aspect of your life will benefit most from the effective application of affirmations. Until you become proficient, it's generally a good idea to focus on one aspect at a time. In other words, start with a plan.

2) Always write your affirmations down. There are two benefits to this. Firstly, it will help you memorize them. Secondly, you're more likely to carefully consider your choice of words and phrasing. Which leads us neatly on to:

3) Only use positive words. Negative words (such as can't, never, don't, mustn't etc) can create negative feelings which can weaken your affirmations.

4) Always word your affirmations using the present tense. This creates a sense of immediacy. Past or future tenses create a sense of distance between you and your affirmations, which is unhelpful.

5) Schedule a specific time for your affirmations and try your best to stick to that time. Your affirmations need to take on the characteristics of a habit.

If you follow these 5 tips, you'll find your affirmations quickly become second nature.

Good luck.
Stephen WintersLevel: Basic PLUSStephen Winters is a freelance writer and editor specialising in the self-help, personal development and self-improvement field. He writes and edits for The Happiness Superstore ... ...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

5 Abraham-Hicks Processes For Abundance

There are many Abraham-Hicks processes for abundance, too many to include in a single article. So, here (following my investigation of many forums, blogs and websites) are five that have proven to be particularly popular and effective.

1) Which Thought Feels Better?

This is a simple process for generating positive thoughts. The more positive thoughts you generate, the less room there is for negative thoughts and the more positive thoughts become second nature to you. Think about an aspect of your life you feel needs some improvement. List five thoughts that relate to it. Which of those five thoughts made you feel better? Keep that thought, scratch out the others. Now, you need to come up with a thought that makes you feel even better in relation to this aspect of your life. Keep doing it until you have five thoughts, each making you feel better than the last.

2) Segment Intending.

This is essentially about breaking your intentions down into small, manageable and, most importantly, immediate goals. So, for example, immediately before you go into a job interview, you set the intention that the interview will go well and you will be confident and articulate. It's important to note here, that you are not pursuing the goal of 'getting the job', because that is a future outcome. You are purely looking at immediate intentions and results.

3) The Book of Positive Aspects.

The purpose of this process is to increase our positivity perception. Using a notebook (your Book of Positive Aspects), pick a subject. It can be a person or an activity (your job, for example), but the exercise will be more effective if you pick something you don't feel particularly good about. List all the positive things about your chosen subject. You'll find there are more than you imagined. With practice, you'll also find yourself finding ways to 're-describe' negative aspects of your subject in a positive way. For example, your supervisor no longer 'gives you hard time', instead he or she 'tests, and consequently strengthens, your patience'.

4) Magical Creation Box.

This process helps you focus on what you want and creates a real sense of anticipation that these things are imminent. You can either buy a beautiful looking box or you can make one using materials from an arts and crafts shop. Either way, the box needs to look special in some way. Label it your 'Magical Creation Box'. In the box put symbols of all the things you want. Images cut from magazines and catalogues work well. For example, an image of a sandy beach from a vacation brochure can be used to symbolise an exotic holiday. Add to and revisit your box often.

5) The Prosperity Game.

Each day, imagine you receive a check for $100. Imagine spending the money. All of it: no savings or investments are allowed. Really visualise making your purchases and enjoying them. The next day a check for $200 arrives. Repeat the same process. Each day a new check arrives for double the amount of the previous ($400, $800, $1600, $3200 and so on). This process helps you to achieve wealth perception. It prepares you for the receipt of wealth. If you aren't prepared for wealth, do you think it will really come to you?

Good luck.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

4 Powerful Ways to Regain Self-Confidence Despite Challenges


"The way to develop confidence is to do the thing you fear."
~William Jennings Bryan
I understand how easy it can be to get frustrated when we move forward on our dreams and goals. Because no matter how exciting everything seems at the beginning of new adventure... things take as long as they take, exacerbating obstacles arise, and aggravating challenges happen. Sometimes it seems as if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.
With all this going on, it's not uncommon to become impatient before achieving success, and wanting to give up just a moment too soon. Who hasn't felt self-doubt and stress when things just don't seem to be coming together?
Self-confidence can often be at a low-low place when we are in the midst of making important changes. The question becomes how you learn to trust yourself to continue moving forward even when things aren't going as effortlessly as anticipated? Below are four powerful ways to regain confidence when it looks like you've almost lost it altogether.
Breathe and Release Stress Levels
Stress = self-doubt. It's a myth that stress or worry is the best way to move through difficult situations. Stress happens when we believe that we do not have the time, experiences, or resources to deal with a challenge or situation. Feeling pressured and anxious about a perceived unsolvable or impossible situation, our bodies release adrenaline and gear up for a fight or flight response to handle the immediate danger. Stress equal self-doubt because it takes you into an internal perception that your only two alternatives are to fight the problem or run away from it.
Taking a few minutes of alone time to breathe and calm down helps bring new perspective that while the situation at hand may be undesirable, it is not a life or death situation. With relaxation comes a new ability to be at ease with yourself. And with ease comes the ability to tap into inner resources, grasp valuable insights, and find new innovative, creative solutions.
Be With Your Own Feelings
Taking time alone creates space to relax, clear out the world, and be with no one else's feelings but your own. By stepping away from all the outside noise and busyness, you allow new opportunity to clear confusion and sort out your emotions and feelings. Once your head is clear, you can simply take a deep breath, and ask, "What is it I need to know about this situation?" or,
"What will move me one step closer to what I most want?" Then be willing to trust that yourself and open to receiving the quiet guidance of your own creative spirit.
Open to New Possibilities
Your goal or pursuit may currently be wildly frustrating, but remember that your dream is important. Just because you've hit a few snags doesn't mean it's time to throw in the towel. To bring back your enthusiasm and confidence, try this experiment. When something is troubling you, just sit with it. Don't do anything to logically fix or solve the problem. Instead, just sit, place your intention on allowing the best possible outcome, and breathe. Momentarily step away from the negative thoughts circling with frenzy within your head. Welcome your creative self to offer new insights and potential solutions to your situation. Your job is to stop fretting and stressing with the problem, and instead place your focus on being open to amazing new possibilities.
Insights and creative solutions may not be apparent in the exact moment. Instead, be receptive and open for creativity to show itself however it wants and whenever it's ready.
Slow Down and Soften Up
Confidence increases as we realize our ability to be inventive and full of resourcefulness. By tapping into our inner creativity, we can become aware of solutions we hadn't considered before.
When you have a challenge or an issue you want resolved, learn to slow down and let down your defenses. Relax, let go of your stress, and breathe. Slowing down and softening your body allows your creative insight to make new connections, see things from a new perspective, and notice things you hadn't noticed before.
Of course, we all want to know the exact route to reach our destination, and plan things perfectly so we move forward with no unexpected surprises. But odds are that every worthwhile journey leads down some major unexpected side roads. We may even get lost along the way.
Confidence is not about leaving point A and arriving at point Z in perfect, non-eventful fashion.
Instead, confidence is discovering that you can trust yourself. You do know the general direction you are heading toward. You do know when you're off course. And you can trust yourself to allow your imagination and positive actions to point yourself back in the right direction. Follow the four steps above and watch your confidence grow as you regain trust in your own ability to step forward - one step at a time - into your dream.

Friday, May 1, 2009

3 Keys To Developing Inner Productivity


Looking at the number of books and articles on organization and time management available today, one would think the market for productivity strategies was close to saturation, and the demand for more would be dropping. But this doesn’t seem to be true. Instead, it seems like a new book, article, or seminar on productivity comes out every day.

Why are people still hungry for productivity advice, even with so many techniques on the market? I suspect one reason is that the existing literature doesn’t address one of the biggest obstacles to our productivity — the patterns of thinking and feeling that limit our ability to get things done.

Here’s a common example. As I’ll bet you know firsthand, it’s hard to get much done when our awareness keeps drifting into the past or the possible future — replaying arguments we had with a loved one, worrying about how much the bonus in our jobs is going to be this year, and so on.

The “tips and tricks” productivity gurus offer us — more efficient ways to organize our e-mail inboxes, make to-do lists, hold shorter meetings, and so forth — can be useful, but they won’t do much to help us get more done if we can’t focus our attention.

The good news is that what I call “inner productivity” — the mental and emotional state we need to work at peak efficiency — can be cultivated. Many of the methods for doing this have been recognized in Eastern spirituality for thousands of years, but are just beginning to enter the mainstream in the West. I’ll describe what I see as the three essential elements of inner productivity — Attention, Intention, and Foundation — and some exercises we can use to develop them within ourselves.

1. Attention

We’re most efficient, and produce our best work, when our work has our full attention. Too often, our awareness is only partly focused on our task, and the rest of it is lost in memories and possible futures. As I said, rehashing painful moments from the past and dreaming up potential problems are common mental pastimes. However, a less obvious example comes up when our attention keeps drifting to the product of our work — the money we’re going to earn, the vacation we’ll get to take, and so on — rather than focusing on the process of what we’re doing in this moment.

How can we build our capacity to hold our attention on our work? One way to return your attention to the task in front of you is to notice the sensations you’re feeling in your body — whether it’s a warmth, tingling, pulsing, or something else. As Eckhart Tolle writes in The Power Of Now:

“If you keep your attention in the body as much as possible, you will be anchored in the Now. You won’t lose yourself in the external world, and you won’t lose yourself in your mind.”

A great way to do this is to train your awareness on a part of your body that’s in contact with another object, such as your feet on the floor or your pelvis on your chair. Focus your attention on the pressure of the object against your body. This practice tends to quickly clear away irrelevant thoughts and let us focus on our task again. As you practice this exercise over time, you may find that, when distracting thoughts arise in your work, you begin naturally, unconsciously bringing your attention back into your body and thus into the present.

2. Intention

Another reason we commonly find our attention floating away from the task at hand is that we aren’t working with a clear, compelling goal in mind. Perhaps there’s no overall vision behind what we’re doing — we’re just working to pay the bills, or because we feel like “we’ve got to be doing something.” Or, although we have a definite goal in our work — maybe, for example, buying a bigger house — that goal is just based on a desire to meet others’ expectations, and doesn’t actually move us on a deep, physical level. In these situations, motivation is harder to come by.

A great intention exercise is to focus on what you’re contributing to others with your work. Sometimes, we get sidetracked by a sense that we’re being selfish by pursuing our goals — that we’re working solely for our own gain, and not to benefit humanity. Or maybe we’re plagued by the feeling that we aren’t serving anyone — even ourselves — with the work we’re doing. When we’re paying our work-related bills, for instance, it may be hard to keep in mind that we’re accomplishing anything at all, much less serving anyone, with what we’re doing — even though it’s a necessary part of running our business.

If you find yourself getting discouraged this way, try pausing for a moment and focusing your attention on how what you’re doing is serving the world. Picture the peace, productivity, and other gifts you’re bringing into people’s lives. Even something mundane like organizing your files ultimately works to help others — after all, if your files are more organized, you can serve your colleagues and customers more efficiently. I believe that, as human beings, we have a natural desire to help and give our gifts to others, and keeping this desire in mind can be a great motivator.

3. Foundation

An important, but often overlooked, factor in our productivity is how comfortable we feel with ourselves. Do we love and appreciate ourselves unconditionally — even if we make a mistake or a setback arises in our work? Or is our appreciation for ourselves conditioned on whether our work receives praise or blame from others?

Many of us assume the best way to stay motivated is to condition our appreciation for ourselves on our work performance. Because we feel unpleasant when we don’t love ourselves, this belief goes, the threat that our self-love might be withdrawn will motivate us to do a good job.

Interestingly, many psychologists suggest the opposite is true — the more our love for ourselves hinges on our success, the less focused and motivated we’re likely to be.

For instance, in The Tomorrow Trap: Unlocking The Secrets Of The Procrastination-Protection Syndrome, psychologist Karen E. Peterson argues that we use procrastination as a means of protecting ourselves against the shame of failure. Because we know we’ll withdraw our self-love if we fail, we understandably find it easier not to try — or we get stuck in “analysis paralysis,” trying to produce perfect, criticism-proof work. This suggests that building what I call a solid inner foundation — a sense of unconditional appreciation for ourselves — is key to meeting our productivity goals.

One way to start developing this type of foundation is to get familiar with the places where you condition your love for yourself on your work performance. In other words, where are you telling yourself “if you don’t achieve this goal, you’re worthless?” For example, some of us can’t bear the possibility that a colleague or client might get angry at us. Others can’t stand to be less than “the best” in their field, and if someone else’s work gets more attention they feel inadequate. And so on.

Notice how just becoming conscious of how you refuse to love yourself unless you accomplish certain things begins to transform your relationship with yourself. Before, it may have seemed obvious that your value as a person depended on your work success, but when you look squarely at that idea it starts to look less convincing. You begin to realize you can choose to appreciate yourself no matter what happens in your work, and that making that choice gives you the inner strength you need to meet your goals.