The ABC's for Living Inspired

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How to live a more enjoyable, stimulating life.

Acknowledge:

Knowing your strengths, talents and abilities is the first step to unleashing your potential and power. We are all blessed with so many wonderful gifts and we can't unwrap and share them with others if we fail to acknowledge what they are.

Blessings:

Blessings are all around us. If we choose to look for them, we will certainly find them. Let's also shower as many blessings over those around us, bringing tremendous light and joy to so many lives.

Control:

There are many things in life that we have very little or no control over – what happens to us, what other people say or do. However, we have incredible control over how we choose to respond to every experience we encounter. Our control lies in our attitude and our behavior.

Discipline:

The master key to success lies in discipline. We are surrounded by enticing temptations and obstacles that deflect us from our goals. Discipline is like a muscle; the more we work on building this skill, the more we develop excellent habits that bring us closer to achieving our biggest success. Discipline means asking yourself: What is the very best use of my time right now and then consistently following through.

Encouragement:

When we are inspiring ourselves and others, we have to create a solid case of confidence and reassurance based on evidence. Empower through positive, motivating affirmations. We are all fighting battles and a gentle word that offer hope and support can literally save a dream.

Focus:

One of the most powerful questions for focusing is asking yourself: What would I be doing with my time if I knew I had only six healthy months to live? Focus your time, energy and resources on the things and people that truly matter most to you. Vague goals produce vague results. Take the time to get clear about where you are going and what you'd like to accomplish. Write this down. Then focus.

Give:

Giving to another and knowing our contribution has had a lasting impact creates true happiness and peace of mind. Anytime you give, you grow; every time you give, you get, whether it’s a kind word, giving charity, volunteering, or connecting to a cause that speaks to you. Your giving has the power to light up the world.

Help:

Think about the people you look up to, those who already are where you'd most love to be. Ask them how they did it. Reach out to the experts. Spend time with them. Learn from them. Get their help. Use the love and support of family and friends to spark your bravery and courage. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Inspiration:

Read, learn, blog, journal, go to classes and talks and lectures that inspire you. Inspiration has to be incorporated into your daily schedule so that each day you treat yourself to this essential vitality. Commit to starting and ending your day with inspiration. One minute of inspiration can ignite a passion inside of you that can alter the course of your life forever. Give inspiration that space to catalyze the greatest moment you will ever know.

Joy:

Choose to become joyful. Appreciate the gift of life. Laugh and smile, have fun and lighten up. If you see someone walking around without a smile, offer them one of yours.

Kindness:

Imagine a world where each person is deeply devoted to kindness. Let's work on being the kindest spouse, the kindest friend, the kindest parent, the kindest manager, the kindest employee, the kindness coach, the kindness child. Together we can change the world.

Learn:

We never stop learning. We’ve been blessed with incredible intellect and the ability to innovate. When we learn, we open our minds and discover new possibilities. We can learn to pioneer anything! The sky is the limit. Let's give ourselves permission to try new things, take new risks and be humble enough to learn from new leaders, and new teachers.

Meditation:

Slow down. Take time to breathe. Mindfulness offers incomparable value to the human spirit, psyche and body. Dedicate a set time each day to pausing, being truly present and listening to our souls.

Never:

Never give up.
Never do a permanent act based on a temporary emotion.
Never say "I can't"
Never push aside a dream that means the world to you because of the time or effort it's going to take to materialize.

Optimism:

Optimists have a tendency to make lemonade out of lemons. It's a quality that positively affects mental and physical health. God created a good universe so be hopeful and positive. When you are optimistic, failure is merely feedback and hardships are learning experiences and even the most miserable day always holds the promise that ‘tomorrow will be better.'

Prioritize:

Prioritize your life so that your highest value activities take preference. Enhance and refine your time management skills so that you are able to identify what tasks you need to tackle first. Say yes to your priorities and make each day count.

Quit:

Quit whining. Quit complaining. Quit making excuses. Quit spending time with people who don’t see your value or worth. Quit negative habits. Quit staying in the same place when you are itching to move.

Release:

Let go of the things that are weighing you down. Let go of the drainers in your life. Regret, mistakes, anger, resentment, ego, jealousy, competition – let it all go. Free up your energy for positivity, love, new dreams and invest this newfound energy in your loved ones who continually lift you higher and cherish your worth.

Sorry:

Apologize to those you hurt, intentionally or unintentionally. Accept an apology you were never given and move forward without anger. Forgiveness is a gift we not only provide another person, but it is a precious gift we give ourselves.

Thank You:

Thank you is still the magic word. We all want to be thanked for our efforts. It is such a simple word – yet it means so much. If we want to role model gratitude, we need to show sincere appreciation and thanks wherever we go. Recognizing that others do for us not only reminds us to be modest and humble, but it opens doors to more deeper and meaningful relationships, enhances our empathy and improves our psychological and physical health. Gratitude enables us to count all our blessings and not take things for granted.

Unplug:

Shabbat is one of my favorite days of the week. It is a day where I completely unplug from technology. Switch off. Spend time with yourself, by yourself. One of the greatest discoveries of self-transformation and personal development is not only getting to know yourself, but getting to like what you find. Connect to all your loved ones. Look people in the eye. Listen with all of your senses. We miss out on so much when we are plugged in to devices rather than to hearts.

Voice:

Speak your truth. Wear your passion. Let people know what you care about. Let people get to know the real, beautiful, one-of-a-kind YOU and what you stand for. You have a unique voice. You have greatness within you. You have something the world needs. That’s why you are here. Use your voice to speak your goals. Use your voice to care. Use your voice to inspire. Use your voice to make positive change. Use your voice to pray. Use your voice to sing. Use your voice to laugh.

Work:

The most brilliant life tools in the world can't work unless you do. There are no quick fixes or magic wand. Real transformation is a slow process that requires hard work. With commitment and dedication to working hard, nothing can stand in our way of moving forward. Hard work means that we are willing to try, fall and stand up again, we are willing to be bold, and we are willing to face ridicule and criticism.

eXtra:

Go the extra mile and do more than you did before. Expand your comfort zone with extra focus, extra power, extra love, extra drive and extra outcomes.

Yesterday:

Leave it behind, glance back to see how far you have come and keep moving forwards. Leave your past mistakes behind you. Yesterday just determines your starting point today. It in no way predicts how far you can really go. Live now, savor the present, and plan for tomorrow.

Zest:

Fervor. Zeal. Wake up. Do what makes you come alive. Show keen curiosity. Step up. Be a leader, not a victim. Decide to be accountable not helpless, decide to be interested, not indifferent.

This article originally appeared in Jewish Life Magazine, South Africa.

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