Everyone needs a little inspiration, a little motivation, to keep themselves on track. I do many things, but one of them is finding things like quotes that inspire me and remind me of what I’m doing and why. Here are my 5 quotes that are currently on my vision board, which I make a conscious effort to go over every morning at my desk.

I am the Peace that I Seek. -(My Personal Mantra right now)

Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. – Unknown

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw of the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the  trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

The mark of an Authentic Life is when we are no longer willing to contain our Greater Self just to avoid discomfort. Your life has a higher purpose than seeking approval. If you offer your life to your grandest vision, it will free the genius within you. -Josh Cohen.

These quotes remind me of the the fact that I am hear for a reason, that doing what feels right to me may be risky and considered foolish by others, but that I will regret not following my heart in the end if I choose to be guided by the judgments of others. These are important reminders for me right now, as I have made many drastic changes to my life. If ever I am in doubt,  I have my board to remind me what I’m doing.

Got any great quotes that are guiding your through your journey?

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This is the time of the year where many of us look at our lives and feel like it’s time to make changes; for some of us it’s major life changes, for others it’s just minor tweaks. The beginning of a New Year marks a new start for us all, and it gives us added incentive to consider that by the end of this year we could be living the life we’ve only dreamt of.

As I sit here writing this, I have lofty goals for myself this year. After my first year of self-employment I have learned a lot about my strength and weaknesses, the things that are truly important to me, and even where my breaking point is! My “career” goals for this year are include growing my local business to at least double the size it is now, and growing my blogs in the same fashion. Financially, I hope to remain debt free (I say this but I have a giant school loan I choose not to count because I will be paying on it so long!), purchase a house with my family, and begin the process of saving again (my saving habits have suffered after a year of struggling as a new business owner. I’m hoping to change this!).

I’ve written about many of the things I believe most impact our ability to affect last change in our lives. I just don’t think I’ve ever put it all together. So, that’s what I’m going to do today.

1. Know who YOU are and what you stand for. Sometimes we can’t accomplish goals we think are important because they’re actually important someone else (and so we believe they should be important to us). Make sure you’re being guided by your values, not others. By that same token, make sure that you are in control of the direction you’re heading!
2. Make sure your goal (or destination) is  clearly defined. There’s nothing worse than having a goal in you mind and realizing that your best efforts to accomplish it is at best keeping you running alongside of it! The more clearly defined your goals (think I want to make “more” money vs. I want to make $27,000 more this year), the more efficient you’ll be at getting there.
3. Practice Gratitude. No matter how far away you may be from your goal, being grateful for your present situation is key to long-term happiness. It will only make you that much more appreciative of your new life when you get there!
4. Keep your Spirits High. Don’t let setbacks get you down. These kinds of things are a normal part of life, and if making changes in your life were easy, everyone would be doing it! If you find yourself unmotivated, depressed, or deflated, remind yourself of number 3 (gratitude!) and get back on the horse. You’ll be glad you did.
5. Stay Motivated. Do whatever it takes. Visualize, talk to yourself in the mirror, tell the world on Facebook- whatever it takes! This is the number 1 reason I think people fail to make significant changes in their lives; at some point, you start to forget why you’re doing all of it and you just… quit. Don’t be a quitter!
6. Keep Your Life and Yourself in Balance. Letting things get out of control in the interest of going after life change might sound like a good idea, but all that focus you put into change will eventually be ripped out of your hand and brought back to your current life and current situations. Maintaining balance is difficult. No one is perfect at it, but it helps to keep things as simple as you can, to appreciate the present for what it is, and to be at peace with your life as it is, while you work toward your life changing goals.

People who are into personal growth are always thinking “How can I be a better ______”? It’s a great way to be, and I am glad to consider myself one of those people who actually thinks about those things. Thinking about it and doing it are not the same, as we have all learned over time. These six steps are truly what I think  makes all the different between success and failure.

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We all want to know how to reduce stress. For one, being stressed out makes everything harder. We all long to be those people we meet from time to time who seem to have no stress what-so-ever in their lives, who seem free from the confines of the daily stress we all endure. How do they do it? I have found that while I may not be able to remove the stress of daily life entirely, there are some simple tricks that are quick and painless.

Here’s how to  reduce stress in 5 simple ways:

• Visualize. Close your eyes and imagine the most serene and tranquil place possible. Visualization can fill you with hope and rid you of tension! This could be your favorite room in your home, or it could be somewhere you’ve never been but long to go. Focus on the image and take deep breaths.

• Listen. Put on a song that makes you happy. It could be something totally obvious (“Don’t Worry be Happy“), or just a song that is in someway special to you. Music can lighten your day anytime, and usually it just takes one good tune to do it.

• Walk. Now, this one won’t work if you’re trapped in a car, but if you’re at home or the office and you feel all your muscles tightening from stress, get out in the fresh air and walk. The movement will help to relax your muscles and the fresh air will calm you down. For a double-whammy, consider combining this with 1 or 2 above.

• Chocolate. Need I say more? Really, something soothing and sweet is a good way to snap your body out of the tension it feels from stress and concentrate on something that brings you joy… even if it’s only for a minute.

• Gratitude. Put things in perspective for yourself. Find a quiet place and think about one thing that you are most grateful for in that moment. Focus on it and all the reasons why you’re so grateful. It’s more difficult to stay stressed about something if you change your focus to something that makes you feel good inside.

There are obviously other ways to reduce stress if you have more time. Try mediation, take a nice long bath, or dance it away. But often we’re too busy to take that kind of time in the middle of the day. Knowing how to reduce stress in a few short minutes can be a life saver when you’re about to go into an important meeting, or know that your stress will continue to build throughout the day if you don’t do something about it earlier.

What are your top ways to reduce stress? I would love to hear about them.

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