photography — ASPIRE. MOTIVATE. SUCCEED!

Make a List of your Dreams

May 8, 2012 By AMSDaily 4 Comments

There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, Yes, I’ve got dreams, of course I’ve got dreams. Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they’re still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, How good or how bad am I? That’s where courage comes in. – by Erma Louise Bombeck

Photo of Michaela Cruz- Ungos

By Ronald Colunga

Let’s get you thinking on your life.

Make a list of dreams that you have and post them on here.

Add why you think you can achieve them or why you think you can’t.

Editor’s Note: Go over and take a look at Lifessteppingstone.com! where Ronald writes his thoughts. You’ll be glad you did!

Filed Under: Daily Inspiration, Photos by Michaela Cruz-Ungos, Tuesdays with Ronald Tagged With: Bucket list, inspiration, life, Make a List of your Dreams, motivation, photography, relationship, vision board, wisdom, writing your dreams

Take the Opportunity Today: Write a List of Things You’re Good At

May 7, 2012 By AMSDaily 21 Comments

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. – by Aristotle

Photo of Randy Legaspi

By Stuart Young

Take the opportunity today to write a list of things you are good at. The longer, the better!

Most of us find it easy to be critical of the things we think we can’t do when in actual fact there’s a ton of stuff that we do day in day out that we’re good at.

Today let’s remember all those things.

Make the list as long as you can.

Put it somewhere you can easily lay your hands on it and the next time you hear yourself (or anyone else) say you can’t do something read that list.

Keep the positive at the front of your mind, the negative you can work on.

Cheers!

!!!!!READERS’ DELIGHT!!!!

Starting today every Monday (only), until May 14th, four lucky commenters will get a free copy of Stuart Young’s book: ‘How To Change Your Life One Day At A Time’ and also a free bonus of his 90 Day Program entitled: ‘Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life’ which will be delivered directly into our lucky commenter’s inbox.

So, go ahead – start commenting! The winners will be announced on May 14th on this series.

Editor’s Note: Stuart Young writes his thoughts on How To Change Your Life One Day At A Time. He aims to provide a “set of 365 practical little guides which WILL change your life if you commit to implementing as many as possible.” He is also completing his book about changing your life one day at a time. You can check his thoughts here.

Filed Under: Daily Inspiration, Photography by Randy Legaspi, Take the Opportunity: Stuart Young Tagged With: contest, knowing yourself, life, motivation, photography, Positivity, productivity, quote by Aristotle, relationship, self awareness, wisdom, Write a List of Things You're Good At, writing

Free Will – A Double Edged Sword

May 4, 2012 By AMSDaily 10 Comments

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. – by Jawaharlal Nehru

Photo of Randy Legaspi

By Avdhessh Arya

Life is a combination of two mysterious phenomenons: Effects of your past karmas and free will.

Free will simply means that you are free to do anything at your will. It’s the freedom and power to ‘Fire at will’.

It’s the power you are blessed with to do anything.

But as with any power, free will does come with a price-responsibility to use it with caution.

Free will is a double edged sword, a sword that can cut your hands if you are not careful.

I have seen many people abusing this great power.

They use free will to harm and control others. They exploit people and snatch from them something that is not rightfully theirs. And then, law of karma kicks in. It makes them pay for their misdoings.

Their life becomes a series of misery and sufferings. And then, they complain, whine and crib.

They look for excuses. They blame society. They blame people. They blame god. While in reality, it’s their foolishness that is to be blamed.

If you don’t know how to play with fire without getting burnt, don’t!

Not only will it burn you, but, will leave such scars, that you will not be able to recover fully, ever.

Editor’s Note: Avdhessh Arya, is a personal development coach for youth and voice actor, who helps young people break walls of self-imposed limitations and become confident individuals. He is also the founder and owner of avdhessharya.com, a website portal with focus on dealing with lack of self-confidence, negativity, self-doubt, lack of focus and more. Visit http://avdhessharya.com to read more such insightful articles.

Filed Under: Avdhessh Arya's posts, Daily Inspiration, Photography by Randy Legaspi Tagged With: avdhessh arya, Free Will – A Double Edged Sword, inspiration, motivation, personal development blog, photography, quotes, wisdom

How to Keep your Energy Levels Balanced throughout your Busy Day

May 3, 2012 By AMSDaily 12 Comments

Photo of Shem-shem Pablo

By Liz Scala

Lately I’ve been struggling with my own sleep and energy levels; as I am sure many of us have at one point or another during our careers. As a nurse, I have worked swing shifts, night shifts, and have been unable to create a sleep-wake cycle. I am certain many people have had trouble falling and staying asleep. I’m not sure why my sleep is disrupted right now as I really haven’t changed anything in my life. I also am not saying my sleep is terrible; I am just aware it could be better.

The reason I’ve become aware of this broken sleep is I feel more lethargic and less energetic during the day. This could also be related to the fact that I have a lot of upcoming events or have a lot on my mind. But whatever the reason, I am certain my restless sleep is causing my decreased energy levels.

This brings me to the topic I wanted to discuss: energy levels. We have more control over our energy than we think. People, in general, feel they are powerless over their energy increases and decreases throughout their day; falling victim to things like shift schedules, overtime, and staffing numbers. Fortunately, this is not the case. You DO have control over your energy.

I want to share with you several ways you can keep energy levels balanced throughout your busy work day:

Get more rest. Instead of going to bed at 1 am, and getting only 4.5 hours of sleep, because you stayed up late surfing the web or logged on to Facebook; turn off the technology and settle in earlier. Create a set scheduled bed time, as much as you are able to, and keep it. Get 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Make a space that is conducive to sleep which means turning off distractions, keeping the room dark, cooling the temperature, reserving the bed for sleep, and unwinding beforehand.

Exercise. A surefire way to increase your energy levels is to actually do things that spend your energy. I know this sounds counterintuitive. Most times people protest, “I have no energy to work out; after work I just want to go home to veg out and sleep.” I promise you, once you get into a workout routine you will have more energy. As your heartbeat increases with exercise, more blood surges through the brain, more oxygen is absorbed by your cells, and you feel more mentally alert and energetic. Better-conditioned muscles make daily tasks easier. As you become stronger through exercise; so does your immune system.

Drink more water. This seems to be my answer for everything; but it works! Water accounts for approximately 60% of your body weight. Your organs require water in order to function properly. You will flush out the toxins that slow you down. By staying hydrated you will avoid feeling sluggish, tired, and irritable.

Stay away from “energy boosters.” Things such as coffee, caffeine, sugar, “energy” drinks, etc are all ways to send your energy levels crashing. Why? You take them in for a quick burst of energy, but then since they are not natural your body “crashes” down off of them causing you to need more to sustain those energy levels you enjoyed. Excess sugar causes fluctuations in blood sugar, which can result in plummeting energy levels. Although coffee initially raises stress hormones and gives a rush of energy, consuming several cups of coffee per day can promote burnout. Avoid unnatural ways to boost energy.

Take some time each day just for you. Create a daily ritual where you take 20 to 30 minutes for yourself just relaxing and doing nothing (no watching TV or surfing the net). Read a book, listen to music, meditate, have a cup of tea, try a new yoga pose, or sit outside just being quiet. Do something that is just for you. Schedule it in as you do anything else. Make your “me” time priority.

Go outside. Nature is a great energizer. Breathe in the fresh air. Get your dose of natural vitamin D from the sun. Tire yourself out with the outdoors. Run around with children, play a sport, or tackle some yard work. The more you are outside experiencing the elements; the better rest you will get and ultimately the better energy you will have.

Breathe. Energy, in Chinese Medicine, is called qi (pronounced chi). One important way we make qi is by breathing deeply. Deep, diaphragmatic breathing is a simple way you can improve energy levels.

Editor’s Note: Liz Scala writes about Health and Wellness monthly for AMSDaily. You can visit her newly designed blog at Living Sublime Wellness to read more on these topics. Subscribe to her website to get your free daily meditation audio and a journal gift!