Are You Living Your True Self?

Many people today are not living their true self. Many people believe certain things about themselves, but it rarely shows up in their actions. Between beliefs and actions are a person's values. What do you value? If you truly value it, then it will show up in your actions. You may say you value something, but that does not mean you do. Values have little to do with talk, but everything to do with walk. For example, you may say you value your car, but if you never wash it or take it in to the auto mechanic for maintenance, then you do not truly value your car. You may say you value your spouse, but if you do not spend quality time with them you do not value them. You are only fooling yourself. Values are your core beliefs and they show up in your actions. You will live out what you value.

Be honest with yourself; are you really living your true self? If not, what are you going to do about it? Do you get frustrated and angry easy? This could be because you are not living out your desired values. After examining yourself you may realize you have some values you do not particularly like. The good news is you can change your values. Remember, values deal with how you act and you can change how you act. In other words, if you thought you valued honesty, but after inspecting yourself you see dishonesty actually shows up more often than you would like; you can change that. The first step to change is being honest about what your values are right now. Identify the ones that you do not want to be a part of your life. One way you can identify present values is by looking at what things, people, and places are most important in your life right now. Then ask yourself what benefits these things, people, and places bring to your life. What benefit do you receive from them? The things you value will show up more than once. Another way to see what your values are is simply by realizing what values are expressed in your daily life. You can also ask family members or close friends to tell you what they believe you value. They know you best and have seen your life up close and personal. Identifying your values is not too tough, but making the changes you want will be the challenging part. My suggestion would be to find a close friend or family member who can help hold you accountable to the changes you desire to make. If you do not have someone that can fulfill the role, you might consider hiring a life coach. A life coach's specialty is getting an individual from where they presently are to where they desire to be. You can visit www.morphcoaching.com for more information about coaching.

Remember, you have the power to change your values. Don't waste another moment being frustrated, angry, or sorrowful. Begin changing your values from what they are to what you desire them to be. When you are living your true self you enjoy life more. You look forward to life more because you will surround yourself with people, places, and things that help you express your values. Start on your journey to living your true self today!

The "P" Word

You guessed it, procrastination! Procrastination by definition is to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done. It also means to put off intentionally and habitually. The Wikipedia states that procrastination is the deferment or avoidance of an action or task. "For the person procrastinating this may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of productivity, the creation of crisis, and the disapproval of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments."

Why do we procrastinate? What resolution, goal, or dream did we set the beginning of the year, last year, or years gone by that is still yet to be fulfilled because of procrastination. I believe we procrastinate because we make excuses for not doing something. We procrastinate so we do not have to change since it takes effort to change things. We procrastinate for the very fact that effort itself requires energy, time, planning and we already live very busy lives. We also procrastinate because there is little to no motivation.

First, we must have vision. If we do not have vision or a dream we will go nowhere. We will remain stuck in the same daily routine day in and day out. Nobody can change that for you except for yourself. Get a vision for your life. Get a vision for bettering your life. Get a dream for living the life you desire. Second, stop making excuses for why you cannot have what you are dreaming of. Stop saying you do not have time or the finances. Look at your life and lifestyle and begin making the necessary changes to move you in the direction of having more time and finances. We all have needs, but a lot of things we have are "wants". Third, you must get a new attitude. It takes hard work, sweat, and tears to get what you want. It will not just fall on your lap one day. You have to go out and get it. You have to work for it. Lastly, you must be motivated in order to overcome procrastination with determination. The dream or goal may not be enough to motivate you, although it is a start. What affect will the dream or goal have on others when it is achieved? How might working toward the dream impact your life? Other motivations include people and situations. Allowing a negative situation or a negative speaking person to push you forward rather than discourage you can be good motivation.

I have found that most people usually need someone to walk the journey with them. We cannot nor should we try to do things alone. Have you ever thought of how dependent we are upon one another in order to accomplish our dreams? We are dependent on people in the present, past, and future. People in the past, whether it was our parents, grandparents, or others had to pave the way to open doors we are walking through today. The same is true in the present and the future. The fact is we need each other and we need to get used to it and embrace it. Some may also need the added benefit and motivation of a life coach who can help you stay on track to achieving your goals and dreams. You can visit http://www.morphcoaching.com/ for information about hiring a coach

Don't give up! Put the necessary measures in place to stay focused and motivated. Get procrastination out of your vocabulary and life and start accomplishing your dreams. What specific action will you take tomorrow to begin moving in the direction of fulfilling your dream?

The Easy Part

Have you ever noticed that the easy part to making changes in your life is the decision? Deciding to do something is the easy part. Putting that decision to action is a little tougher. Now, I am not saying it is impossible, but it is tougher. For example, you may know that exercise is good for you and so you make the decision to start exercising, but actually setting the time to start and begin exercising is another story. If only we could just make the decision and since we made the decision; we would automatically do what we decided. However, life does not work that way. We must make the decision and act on that decision. We may have a desire to achieve something, but until we put action to that desire; it will remain just that, a desire. This is why many people find themselves in ruts or at a stand still in certain areas of their life. They think because they have passion, desire, drive, heart, etc. they will just jump right in and accomplish what they decide, but there is more to it. You must act on your passion, desire, drive, heart, etc. I can decide to read a certain book, but until I pick up the book and begin to read it my decision is useless. I can decide to put applications in for a new job, but until I go out to possible job opportunities and fill out applications; nothing is going to happen. Do not get me wrong, making a decision is good. Having vision and dreaming dreams are good, but that is only the starting block. There is still a race to run if you want to be successful. The decision is the easy part; acting on that decision can be challenging, but it is very doable. Next time you make a decision to do something, set a date to begin or have it completed. Do not procrastinate or you might find it being one of your 2008 New Year's resolutions.

Life coaches help many people with this very issue. Coaching helps people pinpoint their goals, set practical steps to achieve them, and designate a time to have it completed. However, the biggest advantage to coaching is healthy accountability. Most people do not have accountability in their lives. A good push from a coach may be just what you need. If you would like more information on coaching for your professional or personal life, you can visit www.morphcoaching.com or call 239.438.8494.