Tag Archives: motivation

5 Easy Exercises to Create a Positive Life!

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If you prefer, you can listen to this article on my podcast HERE. Or click on the picture below.

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“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

5 Ways to Create a Positive LifeWho’s in Charge?

You’re probably familiar with the saying ‘what you think you create’ but how can you seriously filter every bad thought? There is a way, I promise. But before we delve into the amazing powers each of us possess, we have to get one thing straight.

There’s only one person responsible for what you think and do and that’s YOU.

If the thought of being the creator of your reality scares the willies out of you, then read on…

The Freedom to Be Happy, to Be You

Can you remember learning how to swim or ride a bike?  Can you see how determined you were to succeed because you knew the pay-off was going to be huge?

You may have started off with water-wings, splashing about aimlessly— gulping in water — or peddling your heart out whilst trying to maintain your balance even with the training wheels on!  But that child never gave up.

Then what came next once the wheels were removed?  Probably scrapes and bruises the first week but did that deter you?  Did you give up then?  Probably not.  You wanted to ride!  You were hell-bent on feeling the wind on your face and the freedom that would bring with it.

Same goes for swimming — gliding about in the water refreshes and frees your body of weight.  You knew that swimming was going to be the biggest trip ever!

Where am I going with this?  Your thoughts need training wheels/water-wings if you want to experience the same freedom from negative thought.  And here’s how you’re going to do it…

Getting Real Right NOW

Here are a few things you can start to do today to become more aware and proactive with your thoughts:

  • Morning Motivation — When you wake up, give yourself 5-10 minutes to think about what how you want to see this day play out.  See if you can catch any worrisome or negative thoughts before they take hold of the exercise.  Put up a STOP sign in your mind and gently kick those blighters to the curb.  Then bring your focus back to visualizing your positive day ahead.  Try to smile and see/feel yourself enjoying this bright new day.  Emotions back your thoughts into manifestation.
  • Marrying the Mind — When you start to get a hold on your thought stream and just how much power you DO have over it, you can start to have a better relationship with your thinking.  You are now in control and you can focus your inner dialogue on what serves you instead of calling in all the unwanted experiences.  Start your affirmations off with a strong ‘I am…’.  For example ‘I am going to have a great day today’, ‘I am going to have a safe trip’, etc.  Try avoid the phrases ‘I desire’ or ‘I want’ because it only brings more desiring and wanting for the future.  When you use ‘I am’ it is in the present tense and is happening right now not in some future timeline.
  • Mind Mangle Cleanse — During the day (if you are but a mere mortal) you will probably find yourself slipping into worry, blame, anger, despair and an array of other harmful mind banter.  You may even find that your head is throbbing because of all the distorted ‘mind mangling’ that’s going on up there.  Here’s  your chance to hold up that STOP sign again and see if you can look at things from a different perspective.  Most of what we worry about never comes to pass and most judgments/situations when seen from a different angle can evoke empathy instead of anger.  See if you can alchemize your thinking — in other words, find the treasure in the trash. Read related article: 3 Ways to Alchemize Chaos
  • SmartSelectImage_2022-11-01-15-09-45Re-Member — We often get lost in ‘doing’ and not ‘being’.  Try to remember all the things that make you happy and bring you joy. Start a gratitude journal (see my gratitude journal to your right and you can get yours by clicking on the picture) When you smile the world smiles with you.  So, remember to feel gratitude for life, nature and the people that make your world spin.  Look at every magnificent dawn or sunset as a blessing, every fragrant flower or birdsong as a gift, every smile or hug as a gesture of love and draw on those experiences when you’re in a negative frame of mind.  See if you can remove yourself from a negative situation and sit under a tree or listen to some soothing music.  Seek out those small but beautiful moments in your life and embrace them.  Hold them close to your chest and bring them out when you need to.  It’s bound to make you smile. You can always alter your reality at any time.  Don’t forget that.  If you choose to stay in the gloom, then just know that ‘this too shall pass’.
  • Over and Out — At the end of the day, review what happened and see if you can pick out any situations that you have turned around in reality.  Did you manage to have a good day?  Did things turn out like you affirmed in the morning?  Or close to?  Or can you do better tomorrow?  Keep trying and if you do see results it’s going to make you more determined — just like that little tike on the bicycle, gearing up for the next day’s practice.  Because you know that practice makes perfect!

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” — Joyce Meyer

You will get a grip on your oh-so-powerful thought stream and you’ll be able to eventually steer those thoughts to benefit your life in ways that will make your head spin — in a good way!

Now it’s up to you to give yourself a reason to smile every day.

Cherie Roe DirksenCherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com. Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality.

Other articles you may enjoy:

4 Ways to Cure Negative Thinking       

Imagination is a Powerful Tool

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You can listen to this as a podcast HERE (or click on the picture below) or continue reading below.

It’s so very important to keep your dreams alive and your imagination well-greased, as the quote below suggests.

Click on the picture to get your dreams and desires journal!

Of course, not the dreams where you’re in your underwear being chased down town center by a T-Rex or rocking up late to school without your PE kit. No, I’m referring to those personal goals and ambitions.

Lately I’ve been musing on my dreams and desires and have found some sneaky outdated ones.

And that’s okay.

I’m entitled to change my mind about what I want now. I thought that maybe not following through meant I was a failure. Upon reflection, I think I was failing at being true to where I’m at now, and clinging onto outworn ambitions has definitely been holding me back.

New dreams pop up like mushrooms. And it’s healthy to assess which ones to keep and which ones to spring clean.

I’m a person that feels the need to follow every idea through to conclusion, to my detriment. I’ve come to face it though, that’s just a recipe for burnout. My new mantra — like the old adage, ‘pick your battles‘ — is ‘pick your dreams.’

An Easier Way to Dream Up a New Objective

The best tool in your manifesting basket is your imagination.

Imagination isn’t just child’s play, it’s a potent projector. It’s a really beneficial practice to engage in some proactive imagining or lucid dreaming (where you get to control where the dream goes) for say 15-30 minutes a day, give or take.

Do it over a cuppa, or when you’re having some downtime. It’s important to be comfortable and to not be interrupted where possible.

Let your imagination soar and explore all possibilities, outcomes and scenarios of your most heartfelt dream. Keep imagining and strengthening your belief in that particular path.

You’ll be amazed at what you can manifest!

Have a Good Cry (If That’s What You Need To Do)

Funnily enough, after I had reassessed where I wanted to point my compass, I had a bit of a…well, you know…meltdown. I went through all the things I was doing ‘wrong’ and had a bit of a tearful moment and, of course, a ‘poor me’ pity party (and, yes, my stoic husband had to sit through the rant).

I was aware that I was being very negative in this rather dark doldrum but I let it happen. Purge time!

You guessed it, literally 15 minutes after I released my tears and fears (yep, ‘shout, shout, let it all out’ moment), I received a very unexpected business phone call that just confirmed the Universe had opened a floodgate for me (yes, very punny seeing I had just released my own tearful floodgate).

I hope this little blurb has ignited a ‘dream spring clean‘ if that’s what you need in your life right now. Share your thoughts in the comment section below 🙂

If you’d like a reminder of using your imagination to pursue your dreams, the illustrated quote above is available on posters, cards (remember cards also serve as mini prints ;D) and magnets, and also a plethora of other products (click here).

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The Importance of Being Earnest

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Sisters of Joy by Cherie Roe Dirksen

What a drab word — ‘earnest’ — but hang on a minute…is it really?

When one hears the word ‘earnest’ it conjures feelings of great seriousness — being diligent, sincere and fervent.  Stiff upper lip old chap!

Take a Walk on the Wilde Side!

Now let’s look at the funky and ferocious side of this delectable word — it also means:

  • wholehearted
  • passionate
  • purposeful
  • zealous
  • enthusiastic

Not such a lackluster word, eh?  In fact, it’s a word we should live up to every day.

Now, I’m no idiot — not everyone falls out of bed as perky as a Pyrenees.  So how does one evoke such earnest behavior?

Give Your Thumbs a Break

By switching off that iPad, turning off the smartphone, unplugging the television and getting that butt out the door, you could pave the way to more earnest characteristics!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet — that old information highway, social networking delight — but you’ve got to have balance or you’re going to stagnate.

Trouble is, inertia can slowly creep in without you even noticing it until you’re the opposite of earnest — apathetic…trivial…dare I say, frigid? *Shudder*

But wait — there is hope…

Where New Ideas Form

Go experience the great outdoors, meet new and diverse people — old and young alike.  Everyone has a story to tell, motivation to give, wisdom to impart, knowledge to share and enthusiasm to spread and when these types of people get together A-bombs go off (well, not literally…but you get the drift)!

Since my move to the country, I have met the most interesting people from 16 year olds to 80 year olds — I love ’em all and would hang out with them in a heartbeat. Every one of them has a rich blend of reality to weave and fresh ideas to bring to the global table.

Make time to hang out with your friends (you know — the real flesh and blood ones).  There’s nothing more exhilarating than hanging out with your tribe.  Don’t have a tribe?  Go find them!  And they’re not usually the ones hanging out in bars either (although it’s not unheard of).

Mingle and get to know your community — you’ll be surprised where your tribe is actually hiding out.

Kick Bunbury to the Curb

In earnest eagerness to exit this essay, I want you to stop bunburying — yes, you read right!  ‘Bunburying’ — a legitimate English word coined by Oscar Wilde in his book ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ (after Bunbury, the fictitious invalid friend of Algernon whose supposed illness is used as an excuse to avoid social engagements) and a word I’m going to throw around a lot more in polite conversation.

Get out there and socially engage with Wilde enthusiasm.  I encourage you — my dear readers — to make merry, emblazon your passions, engage in zealous pursuits, live wholeheartedly, sow your seeds of vim and vigor and entice people to do the same with your ardent fervor!

Let’s hope it’s catchy — you might start a wave of industriously, impassioned and potently purposeful living!

And I say all this to you in earnest whilst closing my Oxford dictionary.

Other articles that may tickle your fancy:

Subscribe IconWhat You Need to Throw Out When You Decide to Choose Fulfillment

How to Use Your Heart Wisdom

How to Win the Lottery using the Law of Attraction

3 Unusual Steps to Mapping Your Way Through Life

3 Motivational Tips on Getting Back into the Artistic Arena

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I am back from my trip to Egypt and what an adventure it was!  More about that on my Thursday blog though.

Inspiration and Chaos

It was a whirlwind of events, inspiration, emotion and culture shock but inevitably, on the plane home, I started processing my experiences and began to drift into the abyss of ‘what am I doing with my life?’.

You know the feeling, right?  You go on holiday and then you have to come back home to the same old same old…

“Go full throttle or go hide under a rock!  Instead of grabbing the bull by the horns, grab it by the balls…more risky but you will get an infinitely more intense reaction.”

Not me!  I made a firm decision not to climb back into my safety box — Oh no!

Time for Change

So what changed?  3 things spring to mind:

  1. More Risk — I decided I needed to take more risks.  So what if I fail, at least I tried!  This can be on the artistic front and dabbling more in multi-media projects;  trying out new techniques and new marketing techniques.  In fact, a few days before I left, a good friend of mine and NLP/Reiki coach (www.soulworks.co.za), did some Reiki on me and said that when she approached my throat chakra, she sensed that I was not sticking my neck out enough.  How right she was!  The trip made me see even more clarity in that statement.  Go full throttle or go hide under a rock!  Instead of grabbing the bull by the horns, grab it by the balls…more risky but you will get an infinitely more intense reaction.
  2. Simplify — My day-to-day life and schedule was a bit ‘all over the place’.  My big toe was in this venture and that.  I needed to get real about my goals and to simplify my agenda.  This took me one afternoon to sit down and write out my new set of goals and ambitions.  Now I have a clear intention about where I am heading and it is much more flexible than my old agenda.  I have a lot more free time to just be.
  3. Be Authentic — Find out what you are about. What sets you apart from others?  What is your true passion?  What can  you do differently?  How can you incorporate all your multi-faceted uniqueness into one ball of creativity?  Brainstorm these questions and come up with your own set of rules for riding out the next wave of your life.  Surfs up!

The last thing I’d like to add is — don’t sweat the small stuff.  We often get so hung up on the finer details of life instead of looking at the bigger picture.

“You will be amazed at how other people don’t really care about your failures, it’s more about your damaged ego than their perception of you…”

Everything will be alright if you are in your integrity and walking your path of power and purpose.  Trust in that and enjoy your life to the fullest.

If you fall off the bike, dust yourself off and get back on again.  Who’s looking anyway?  You will be amazed at how other people don’t really care about your failures, it’s more about your damaged ego than their perception of you, so what have you got to lose?

Finally, what are you doing to increase your creative stamina and keep the flame alive?

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