There’s never a good time to sit down and think about what you want to accomplish in life. We have busy lives, and even when we’re not busy, we might just feel more like vegging in front of the TV or checking our feeds than thinking about the rest of our lives.

Do it today, if you haven’t yet. It could take as little as 10 or 20 minutes, and it could make all the difference in the world.

And it’s not that hard. You probably already have a good idea of what you want to do, but you may not have it written down. Or maybe you’ve done this exercise before, but you haven’t updated your goals for awhile. Now’s the time to do it.

1. How to start? First, think about what you’d like people to say about you at your funeral. This comes from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — the habit called “Begin with the end in mind.” It’s also very effective. Imagine you are at the end of your life, looking back. What would you like to have accomplished? What kind of person would you like to have been?

Now here’s the key: start living your life so that you will eventually get to that point.

2. Now that you’ve given that a little thought, jot down some ideas for life goals you’d like to achieve before you die.

They can be in many areas, but here are a few to start with: professional, education, family, spiritual, travel, recreation, hobbies, community, charity. You can probably think of more, and you don’t need to have goals in all of these areas. Just some topics to get you started.

3. Refine your list, or expand it. After your initial brainstorm, you may want to trim it down. But you may also want to expand: sometimes it’s fun, and worthwhile, to dream big.

4. Now break it down. What should you accomplish in the next 10 years for each of these goals? How about 5 years? How about two years? One year? And this month?

Once you’ve planned out each goal for 10-year, 5-year, 2-year, 1-year and 1-month periods, you’ve got yourself a pretty solid plan.

5. Take action! I like to take my monthly goals, and make a to-do list for this week. What can I do today to further my goals? And if I can get just one thing done, I’ve done a lot to make those dreams a reality!

Take a step towards your dreams today by writing them down, and making a plan.

A little trick I like to use to make my days much more pleasant is to find little, simple pleasures and sprinkle them throughout my day.

They’re not big things, but each simple pleasure can translate to a great day if you use them right.

So in the morning, I might have a cup of coffee, and sip it slowly to enjoy it fully. I might read a gripping novel, and revel in the world of fiction. I might watch the sun come up, and marvel at the world in pastel hues.

In the shower, closing my eyes, and just let the cool water run over me

Yeah, You get the idea — these are little things, and don’t really cost a thing (or not much, anyway), but they are tremendously gratifying. I’ve just described some of the things I might do to start off my day, but the possibilities are endless, and can be done throughout the day.

I thought it would be fun to compile a list of simple pleasures, to give you all some ideas of what I mean, and to spark other ideas of your own. Of course, you can probably come up with a thousand more, and it should also be noted that one person’s pleasures aren’t always pleasures for others.

1. Walking barefoot on grass.
2. Listening to good music in the car.
3. Taking a long, relaxing shower.
4. Iced Tea.
5. A good novel.
6. Popcorn and an old movie on DVD.
7. The smell of fresh-cut grass.
8. Watching the sunrise.
9. Walking on the beach.
10. A gentle morning run.
11. Watching the sunset.
12. Hugging your child tightly.
13. Dark chocolate.
14. Dancing like you’re crazy.
15. Telling jokes till your sides ache.
16. A long conversation with a good friend.
17. Being lazy on a Sunday.
18. Waking to a clean house.
19. Banana split.
20. Singing in the shower, loudly.
21. Dancing in the rain and stomping in puddles.
22. Watching your child play.
23. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.
24. Helping someone in need.
25. Making someone smile.
26. Homemade pie.
27. A nature hike.
28. Laying back and watching the stars.
29. Making a sandcastle.
30. Floating in the water.
31. Taking an afternoon nap.
32. Watching your children on Christmas morning.
33. Laying back and looking up at clouds.
34. Watching the ocean.
35. Getting a massage.
36. Reese’s peanut butter cups.
37. Acting crazy in public.
38. Seeing your savings account grow.
39. Seeing your debt shrink.
40. Blowing bubbles.
41. A gentle breeze.
42. Watching your kids play soccer.
43. Playing a good game of basketball.
44. Fresh popped popcorn.
45. Fresh snow.
46. Swinging on a swing.
47. Homemade strawberry shake.
48. Watching animals in nature.
49. Staying up all night talking.
50. Having a picnic.
51. Swimming at night.

What are your little pleasures for the day ??? Let me know in the comments... :)

Relationships......Ah, the most important word in our lives. Something we cant live without, whether its a relationship with a friend, a lover, spouse, parents or colleagues....

The person who knows the art of cultivating relationships has a magic wand with him !!
You want one ?? Keep reading :)

Instead of recognizing the differences between yourself and others, try to recognize what you have in common. At the root of it all, we are all human beings. We need food, and shelter, and love. We crave attention, and recognition, and affection, and above all, happiness. Reflect on these commonalities you have with every other human being, and ignore the differences. This exercise comes from a great article from Ode Magazine — it’s a five-step exercise to try when you meet friends and strangers. Do it discreetly and try to do all the steps with the same person. With your attention geared to the other person, tell yourself:

1. Step 1: “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.”
2. Step 2: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”
3. Step 3: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.”
4. Step 4: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.”
5. Step 5: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”

And then you will automatically develop a completely different approach in dealing with that person. You will notice that you are enjoying being with the other person. It will help you create better interpersonal relationships with others....

We all know that money can’t buy happiness … but many times we act as if we’d be happier with a bit more money. We are conditioned to want to be rich (when we know the rich aren’t happy either); we are trained to want the latest gadget or style that television tells us to want; we want to earn more money because then we’ll have the good life.

But none of that will bring us happiness.

No matter how much we earn, no matter how much we have in the bank, no matter how nice our clothing or cars or toys, none of it will make us happier. And the sad thing is that it could take us decades of pursuing wealth and luxury items before we realize this.So what will bring us happiness? Luckily, it’s three things that don’t cost a thing. These three things have been proven by research — surveys of hundreds of thousands of people about what they have, what their lives are like, and how happy they are.Here they are, the Three Secrets to Happiness:

1. Good relationships. We have a human need to be close, to be intimate, with other human beings. Having good, supportive friendships, a strong marriage or close and loving relationships with our family members will make us much more likely to be happy. Action steps: Take time, today, to spend time with your loved ones, to tell them what they mean to you, to listen to them, and develop your relationship with them.
2. Positive thinking. I’m obviously a big proponent of positive thinking as the best way to achieve your goals, but it turns out that it can lead to happiness too. Optimism and self-esteem are some of the best indicators of people who lead happy lives. Happy people feel empowered, in control of their lives, and have a positive outlook on life. Action steps: Make positive thinking a habit. In fact, this should be one of the first habits you develop. Get into the habit of squashing all negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Instead of “I can’t” think “I can”. It may sound corny, but it has worked for me, every time.
3. Flow. This is a popular concept on the Internet these days — the state we enter when we are completely focused on the work or task before us. We are so immersed in our task that we lose track of time. Having work and leisure that gets you in this state of flow will almost undoubtedly lead to happiness. People find greatest enjoyment not when they’re passively mindless, but when they’re absorbed in a mindful challenge. Action steps: Find work that you’re passionate about. Seriously — this is an extremely important step. Find hobbies that you’re passionate about. Turn off the TV — this is the opposite of flow — and get outside and do something that truly engages you.

You’ve been given the Three Secrets to Happiness. Don’t waste them!

If you use this concept on a daily basis, it can help you out tremendously. It’s very simple: your MIT is the task you most want or need to get done today.You can set up maximum to three MITs — the three things you must accomplish today. Depends upon you, but try setting not more than 3 MIT's.The idea is that no matter what else you do today, these are the things You want to be sure of doing. So, the MIT is the first thing you do each day.

And here’s the key to the MITs : at least one of the MITs should be related to one of your goals.
While the other two can be work stuff or anything else you feel, one must be a goal next-action. This ensures that you are doing something to move your goals forward that day.And that makes all the difference in the world. Each day, you will be doing something to make your dreams come true.

Another key: do your MITs first thing in the morning, either at home or when you first get to work. If you put them off to later, you will get busy and run out of time to do them. Get them out of the way, and the rest of the day is gravy!It’s such a small thing to implement, and yet I’m raving about it like it’s a huge revelation. But it is. Sometimes small things can make big differences. I highly recommend you give it a go.


Note : MIT is not my invention. I found the concept of MIT at an article which I read at http://lifehacker.com/software/top/geek-to-live--control-your-workday-187074.php

FEAR.....Its one of the worst problems humans are facing since centuries.....It makes people do weird things. It makes people feel insecure, uncertain and anxious, it can even destroy relationships.We know so many people who would say - I fear this, I fear that....
But have you ever wondered if fear is fearful of anything ?

'Fear' is afraid of FAITH. Yeah, That's the key to tackle fear.

Where there is faith, there is no fear.

- In cricket, If a batsman has faith in himself that he will make a century, will he fear the bowler?
At least he will give it a try..... How else do you think Sachin Tendulkar has made the highest record for centuries in Test as well as one day cricket?Even the most fearsome of bowlers say - "Sachin knows no fear"

- If a painter has faith in himself that he will create a masterpiece, will he fear the canvas?
MF Hussain (India) is more than 91 years old, very recently he sold a painting of 7.5 Lakh US Dollars. Do you think he fears his age, I bet he doesnt.

Faith has great powers in it. Faith can move mountains. Fight fear by having faith.If you have faith in yourself that everything is going to turn out good for you and that you are going to achieve your goals, If you have built enough faith, then even if any obstacle comes in your path, you will be able to conquer it.

There is a bible verse whose English translation says:
If you have faith, everything shall be possible to you.
Its just a matter of having faith, having belief in yourself. Whatever fear you have, just remove it by filling your mind with thoughts of FAITH.

1. If you have fear of rejection - Say to yourself that your opinion matters to you more than the opinion of others. or if u have a few close friends, say to yourself that opinion of your close friends matter to you more than opinion of others. That will help you gain some confidence.You are a unique historic event in yourself. There is no one on the whole planet quite like you and they can never be, even if they try.No one can be you as efficiently as you can be !!

2. If you have fear of failure - Imagine yourself as succeeding. Try doing it repeatedly. Tell yourself that you will always succeed no matter what, and if you do that repeatedly, all your fears will vanish away.Even after then, if you fail, then remember -

Failures are the pillars of success.

- Do you think Thomas Edison succeeded the first time itself when he was creating the bulb?He had to undergo many failures to achieve big victory

Always give yourself thoughts of positivity and faith. Ok, Lets try this out.
Right now, with me - Read the next 4 lines loudly, no matter where you are sitting. They can bring a beautiful change in your life. Yes I mean it - Say them loudly and you will see the difference. :)

I believe in myself. I have faith in me.
I have faith in me that I can achieve all my goals.
I have faith that my life is becoming beautiful with each passing day.
This moment is the first moment of the rest of my life !!


Don't forget to tell me in your comments - Howwaaazzzaattt !!

Sometimes, it really happens that we are deep down in our worries. We feel as if there is no end to our problems. We feel as if we have fallen deep down in a well and our life can't get any worse....

GOOD NEWS !! If at that time we feel our life cant get any worse, and we are at the deepest point in a well, Then there is only one way - and that one is TO RISE UP. If our life cant get any worse, that means we are going to bounce back, we are going to feel good again and enjoy life.....Yeah

At that time, we need motivation to bounce back.....here is how we can do it...

1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.

2. Find inspiration and get excited. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories.

3. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a person having Mercedes car, for example) also helps.

4. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.

5. Get support. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.

6. Realize that there’s a rise and a fall. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal , ask for help , and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.

7. Stick with it. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this week, don’t give up. Again, that motivation will come back. Think of your goal as a long journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the road. You can’t give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you’ll get there.

8. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.

9. Read about it daily. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.

10. Think about the benefits, not the difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard something is. Working 12 hours in office sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how tiring working long hours in office can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’ll get your salary slip, and what great gifts you can buy from that money.

11. Squash negative thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!” and replace it with, “I can do this!

I hope it helps :-)

We get to see there are so many books about positivity, motivation, success, not just books, there are so many articles on internet regarding the same..... Thats not enough - You will find so many people around you saying - BE POSITIVE even when they know you are in a bad situation.... Blah, What the hell ?
Why does it happen ???The point is that why do we need to be positive.......mmmmm, I pondered over it and have found an analogy to explain why we need to do so.. :)

A beautiful, soft leather couch, having a very deep seat with cozy cushions for those afternoon naps or sleepovers. Ah, just looking at it would make you feel good..... Yaeh, thats a great place to lie down and relaaaaxxx....

What if it is allowed to be kept like that for some time, say a few days....... What would happen ?It would still be soft and comfy, but it would accumulate dust over itself....Would you like to sit on it now, without first removing the dust ????

Of course not... he he he

You would want to clean it every now and then so that it always look beautiful..... so that you always wanna make use of it, by feeling comfy sitting on it. So that when you see it, you say - WOW !!!! What a beautiful couch......Even our mind is like that - like a beautiful couch !!!!!
If we just allow it to remain like that, if we do not give it positive thoughts, dust of negativity will accumulate over it, and the once beautiful mind will now start looking dull....But you want your mind to remain beautiful always ....
Its simple, just spray a few fresh drops of positivity and it will get cleaned.....

That is why, we need to clean our mind so that it always remains beautiful.... just like the fresh and crystal clear drops of dew on grass during mornings !!!!

If your week is seven buckets, and you go into each bucket without planning ahead, and you fill it up with little pebbles and grains of sand and whatever other debris comes your way … soon there will be no room for the Big Rocks. Your buckets fill up faster than you know it, and once your buckets are full, you’re done. You can’t get bigger buckets.

What you can do is put the Big Rocks in first, and fill in the pebbles and sand around them.

The Big Rocks are the major things you want to get done this week. A report, launching a new website, going to the gym, spending time with your spouse and kids, achieving your dreams. These Big Rocks get pushed back from week to week because we never have time to do them — our days fill up too quickly, and before we know it, weeks have passed and the Big Rocks are still sitting on the side, untouched.

Plan your week ahead of time, placing your Big Rocks first
Here’s how you do it (with the unavoidable list, of course!):

1. Make a list. At the beginning of the week — Sunday evening or Monday morning — write out the Big Rocks that you want to accomplish this week. These should be the important things — if you looked back on the week and said you did them, you would be proud of having done them. Be sure to include not only work stuff, but some of the tasks that will further along your life’s goals and dreams.
2. Keep it short. In the beginning, just have 4-6 … you don’t need to try to do 10 or more Big Rocks, especially not at first. Later, you may get better at judging how many Big Rocks you can do in a week, but for now, shoot for about one per day.
3. Place the Rocks. Look at your weekly schedule. If you don’t have one, write out the days of the week with one-hour blocks (or print out a schedule from an online calendar). Write out pre-existing appointments. Now take your Big Rocks, and put them in the schedule. Try to put them in a spot where you know you’ll get them done. Not a spot that’s traditionally too busy to concentrate, and not in a little half-hour window between meetings. Give yourself time to do it.
4. Leave space for the incoming pebbles. Don’t fill in the rest of the schedule if possible. Every morning, look at your schedule and commit yourself to doing the Big Rock(s) for that day. That’s your MIT ( Most Important Task ) for the day. If there are less important MITs, you can put them in the schedule, but don’t put too much. A tight schedule tends to bump into itself, pushing things back when other things inevitably take too long.
5. Do it early. If you can, place your Big Rocks first thing in the morning. Don’t schedule them for later in the day if possible, because by that time, a few fires have come up, and the Big Rock will get pushed back as always. Do it first, and then you’ve got the rest of the day for the busy-work.
6. Be Proud. When your week’s done, look back on it — if you got any (or all!) of the Big Rocks done, be proud of yourself and happy. It feels good!

How does this simple method make you more productive? Well, productivity isn’t about doing a lot of stuff.
It’s about getting the important stuff done.
But if you’re running around doing all the little stuff … sure, you did a lot and you were very busy, but how much did you really accomplish? Oftentimes we can look back on our week and say, “I didn’t get a lot done, but I sure was stressed doing it!”This is a way of getting the important stuff done. Sure, you’ll still have to worry about the little stuff. But at the end of the week, you can look back and say that you’ve been productive.
It makes a world of difference.

How often have you eaten a meal and not really tasted it, or completed a chore or drove to work without really thinking about it?Our days often pass us by while our minds are elsewhere.One of my favorite methods of finding happiness and preventing stress is living in the moment — No one actually lives in the moment all the time — I don’t think it’s possible. Some, with practice, can learn to live in the moment for longer than most of us, but there will always be times when you’re worried about the future or thinking about the past, and forget to be in the moment.Being in the moment isn’t as easy as it sounds.It takes practice. But it can be achieved at times. To help inspire you to live in the moment, here are 2 great examples:

1. Children. There’s no one better at being present than a child. I love to watch my neighbor's son. He’s not thinking about what happened to him yesterday, or what he’s going to do later today. He’s Spiderman, and he’s fighting the bad guys, and nothing else in the world exists. If he gets mad about something, he overreacts, and nothing else in the world matters but what has upset him. But he’ll cry about it, and then soon return to normal, happy again, the offending situation forgotten without a grudge. He has no cares about tomorrow, and for that, I love to watch him. We need to use children as inspiration, and try to be like them sometimes. Jesus instructed us, “Be as a child,” and those were wise words.

2. Yourself, lost in something. You’ve been in the moment plenty of times. Can you remember a time when you lost yourself in a task? Not lost in thought, but lost in the doing of the task itself — you were concentrating fully, you thought of nothing else. The world disappeared. It might have been work — you might have achieved that state of mind known as “flow” — or it could have been a hobby, playing sports, fixing something, anything. Try to remember a time like that, and replicate it.

So, I would request all of you to start living in the moment. You must have heard :

Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is mystery
Today is God's gift to you....
That is why it's called 'The Present' !!!