Misc
Don’t pursue perfection… pursue betterment
Perfection is boring. When we’re perfect what do we have to work for? Instead of trying to be absolutely perfect, each day pursue being a little better than you were the day before.
Your biggest obstacle/battle is with yourself
The biggest walls that stand in the middle of your roads are created by you. The walls are built from your fears, self-doubt, and other factors.
This may seem like a negativity, but this is encouraging because once you realize this, it will help you jump over, go through, or tear down your walls.
Who would you be if you lost your profession, hobbies, or talents?
For instance, say you were a painter, and one day you tragically became paralyzed. You could no longer hold a brush in your hand or move your arm. How would you define yourself? Would you still be you?
It’s necessary to experience sadness & negativity
The only way to truly enjoy happiness and positivity is to sometimes experience sadness and negative. And really, there’s no way around it, life is going to toss you tough time.
Happiness is beauty
When you are happy, you are beautiful. It doesn’t matter what you look like, the true measure of your beauty is your happiness.
You can look back but don’t try to turn back
The best way to drive down the road of life is too often look in the rearview mirror but not turn the car around. It’s important to reflect on the past but you need to keep moving forward.
To achieve your dreams, you need someone who doesn’t believe in you
Every person who has achieved amazing success has had someone who doesn’t believe in them. Even more likely is that they had numerous people who didn’t believe in them.
So don’t worry that you have naysayers – be concerned when you don’t – use them in a good way to motivate you.
Hi Lyved readers!
I’d just like to ask you a quick question; are there any topics you would like Lyved to tackle in upcoming articles? I’d love the hear what’s on your mind.
Please post a comment below if you’d like to share.
Thank you very much!
On January 1, 2008 I launched Lyved to the world. I really had no idea where this site would lead. Now, 2 years later, I’m amazed at what Lyved has accomplished. Besides reaching hundreds of thousands of people and being mentioned by many popular websites, what is unbelievable is what Lyved’s articles have done for readers.
Through article comments and by email many readers have expressed what Lyved has helped and motivated them to do. Many have found their purpose in life, one woman said that the tips she read helped her find a job, and others have had more positivity enter their lives.
I’m so glad that the thoughts, ideas, and words published on Lyved can do this for you.
I want to thank you very much for those who have been reading from the beginning and those who just started reading today. I appreciate all of you!
Sincerely,
-Andrew
2010 is almost here. Like a lot of people you’re probably setting resolutions for yourself to achieve during the year. To give you and your goals a great start, here are a few past articles from Lyved.
How to just do it
You can plan and plan but many times you just got to do it.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/how-to-just-do-it/
7 ways to change your life in the next 7 days
Life change can be put in motion in not much time at all, maybe even in a week.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/7-ways-to-change-your-life-in-the-next-7-days/
The Vengeance of Unfulfilled Dreams
When you give up on your dreams, your dreams won’t let it go. They’ll come back with a vengeance.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/the-vengeance-of-unfulfilled-dreams/
Escaping Cape Fear: 9 Ways To Not Let Fear Stop You
Fear is often the biggest thing standing in the way of our achievements.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/escaping-cape-fear-9-ways-to-not-let-fear-stop-you/
The art of getting off your ass
We all need a little kick in the behind now and then.
http://www.lyved.com/success/the-art-of-getting-off-your-ass/
Freaking Out: 5 Career Success Myths
Our parents, peers, and society perpetuate many myths about career success as if they’re fact. This could have hampered you in the past, it could be affecting your present, so now it’s time to destroy those myths for 2010.
http://www.lyved.com/success/freaking-out-5-career-success-myths/
A Personal Constitution: The Way To Make Your Resolutions Stick
Most New Year’s resolutions are very short-lived. Perhaps a personal constitution can help you change that.
http://www.lyved.com/success/a-personal-constitution-the-way-to-make-your-resolutions-stick/
At a crossroads with no directions
Perhaps this New Year you know you want to do something new with your life, but you don’t know where to head, you feel you have no direction.
http://www.lyved.com/misc/at-a-crossroads-with-no-directions/
What do you want on your headstone?
Having a purpose in life and more focus might be as simple as one sentence.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/what-do-you-want-on-your-headstone/
The clock keeps ticking
No matter how long you wait, the big clock keeps tickin’.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/the-clock-keeps-ticking/
This is a guest post.
Life requires that we make decisions, often and continuously. Some decisions are small with limited impact, like “where should I park?”; but some are very large and potentially life changing, like “should I go back to college?” We make decisions in our personal lives, within our families, and related to our employment to name just three of the many channels. There came a time in my life that I realized that a structured process for decision making would improve the outcomes, potentially worth much for the larger decisions. Here are the steps in that process:
1.
Recognize you have a decision to make and how important it is to you. Allocate appropriate attention to it based on its importance. Select the right day for making the decision.
2.
Resolve to keep all options and NOT make the decision or over focus on just one option until it is time to narrow the choices.
3.
Determine what information, skill, viewpoint or other input you could use that might improve the probability of getting it right. Move out right away on accessing that help. Keep notes.
4.
Use your head. By this I mean that you should be careful to analyze the objective data in the early going. Your feelings in the matter are part of the fact set and can be cranked in as such, but the strong tendency is to allow feelings such as fear, love, excitement, anger, fantasy, etc. to drive the process and determine the outcome you WANT which you then use your head to JUSTIFY. At this stage resist letting feelings take over…keep the process in your head.
5.
Are you keeping notes? Do it. It is easy to revisit the issues, track the process and order your thinking. Reorder the notes from time to time as the imperative considerations begin to emerge.
6.
As the time for the decision approaches, narrow the choices to the 2 or 3 best alternatives and focus on them. Be disciplined and focus only on these best alternatives.
7.
When the time comes DECIDE, using the facts you assembled and analyzed and now in full cognizance of your feelings about the matter. Applying the heart driven judgment at the end is a powerful part of the process and takes human intuition fully into account, but the process does not get derailed from reality if you limit this step to the end.
8.
Implement your decision with zeal and conviction. It is the best call you could have made. Have confidence in it.
A tremendous advantage of being careful about this process for the big calls in life is the freedom of knowing you have done all you could do. You were careful, methodical and diligent giving the matter the importance it deserved. You made the best call that was possible at that time, knowing all that was knowable. So, do not look back, even if subsequent events temp you to think you went the wrong way. The only reason to look back is to review the process you used so you can improve it the next time.
Based on my experience, this process will offer you freedom and confidence.
Written by Lamar C. Smith
Lamar C. Smith is Chairman of the Board of Directors of H.O.P.E Farms Inc., a non-profit organization for high-risk boys, and a director of Torchmark, Inc., a leading provider of life and health insurance products and annuities. Smith is a former CEO of First Command Financial Services, a retail brokerage firm with more than 300,000 clients. He was an Air Force Special Operations Fighter pilot with over 114 combat missions and has earned decorations including Silver Stars, six Distinguished Flying Crosses and 11 Air Medals, which are awarded for gallantry and heroism. A board member of Search Ministries, Inc., he resides in Fort Worth, Texas with his family.
Lamar brings extensive personal, professional, and life experience to lessons for Balanced Living told through the exciting story in “There’s More to Life Than the Corner Office.”
To learn more please visit: www.ImprovingYourBalance.com
