How To Program Your Mind For Success

One of my clients feels down.

She says she feels worthless, like she is 'a piece of doo doo' (her own words), that the world would be better off without her in it. (Now, after I asked her other questions to make sure she had no actual suicidal intents or plans, and got the 'depression' side of things out of the way, the conversation continued.)

'What makes you feel so bad about yourself?' I asked her.

'I've been told over and over that I'm rubbish: my mom told me I'd never amount to anything because I was rubbish; my first husband told me I was rubbish and beat me up because of it, my second husband called me a rubbish wife and mother and also beat me up til I got the police to get him out, and now my daughter, who I love to bits, tells me when we have an argument, that I'm a rubbish mom, and she hopes she never grows up to be like me. And when you hear the same thing over and over again you start to believe it.'

Wow.

This poor woman had come to believe the worst about herself because of what she'd been told all her life.

She'd been listening to the same tape being played over and over albeit in different players (by different people).

If only she knew then what I'm about to tell you now (I did share the following info with her though, and it made a big difference, but more on that later...for now, read on.).

What she did not realize was that within her own statement lay the key to her breakthrough.

The key sentence which hid the solution to her situation was: 'when you hear the same thing enough times/over and over, you start to believe it.'

That statement is not only true, but it has a sound scientific basis behind it, which I won't go into today.

The human mind is an amazing machine.

When you hear the same thing over and over again, you really do believe it to be true. Whether or not it really is true. Your mind doesn't distinguish between fact and reality. It just accepts whatever you feed it, and causes it to grow as you continue to think about that thing/hear the same thing repeatedly. And what you believe about yourself determines how you feel (your emotions), your actions (behaviour) and eventual results in life.

Do you begin to see how you can manipulate this fact to your own benefit?

The beauty of this is that your mind doesn't care who's saying it, as long as it hears it over and over again, it comes to take it as gospel truth.

In other words, it doesn't matter who's playing the tape, your mind accepts the programming anyway.

So the key to my client's breakthrough, and to yours, is to change the 'tape' you're listening to. Get proactive and become the player of the right type of tape, and refuse to listen to other, contrary tapes.

Be like Russell Crowe's character in 'A Beautiful Mind', who, by the end of the movie had learnt how to overcome his demons such that even though the hallucinations remained, they did not affect his life as they'd done earlier. Because the negative tape-players won't go away - they'll always be there, but when you've mastered the tapes you listen to, their nasty voices won't affect you at all. You'd be an overcomer.

So begin to listen to a different tape from today. Be the player of the tape, find other players who are playing the same tape and hang around them, read books which 'play the same tape', listen to audios and watch videos which 'play the same tape'.

This is called proactive, creative, bombardment. It doesn't matter who's playing the tape - what matters is the content of the tape. Make it empowering, self-esteem-building, content.

It's the only way to overcome the effects of negative programming which can have such devastating effects on your life.

I leave you this week with a thought.

The tape you listen to determines the calibre of people and circumstances you attract into your life. This woman had listened to the wrong tape all her life, and, having built a strong belief based on the content of that tape, she'd attracted men who had continued playing the same tape.

What calibre of relationships (friends, spouse or partner, etc) are you surrounded by right now? How do people at work/school relate to you?

What does your answer say about the sort of tape you've listened to all your life?

Isn't it time you changed tapes and started playing one that says only empowering, success-attracting, stuff? Isn't it time you listened to, surrounded yourself with, people who played the same sort of tape?

About The Author
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about health & fitness, personal development and Women's issues. Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

Read Your Food Labels, people!!

Every day, people are being deceived into thinking they are buying healthy foods when they buy things with such labels as 'fat free', or 'sugar free'. They faithfully buy these products but then notice no improvement in their health, rather they notice the weight stays on and perhaps piles on even more, and their cholesterol levels keep rising.

Take a look at the food ingredient label below, from a 'health food/cereal'. What do you think of it?

I tell you, the box that this product came in, is probably healthier than the product itself.

Most every week at the surgery, someone will moan to me that they don't understand why their health indices are not improving, seeing as they eat only low or no fat products and don't use sugar but use sweeteners.

So today let me explain to you once and for all what's what.

Whenever a food claims to be fat free or low fat, (check the ingredient label and you will find that...) sugar has been added to it to make it palatable for you. This is processed sugar. Guess what happens to it in your body: it wreaks havoc to your metabolism, and drives your hormones to cause you to store it as fat.

So your processed 'fat-free' foods are actually making you fatter and sicker.

Whenever a food claims to be sugar free, chances are it contains sweeteners like aspartame. Apart from the fact that aspartame is a known poison (a later article will deal with this very real, very serious issue), feeding your body with these 'low calorie sweeteners' also messes with the hormones that control hunger and satiety, causing you to have impaired controls such that you are unable to know when you are actually full - so you wind up eating more overall, leading to overall weight gain.

When a food contains sugar, it's processed sugar, which causes you to release the hormone insulin. Insulin being released more than normal due to high sugar intake (such as if you eat the product whose label is shown above ), causes your body to store the excess sugar as fat. The more fat you have the more insulin resistant you become, and this puts you at risk of a whole host of chronic deadly diseases, including diabetes mellitus and heart disease, not to mention overweight and obesity.

Note that 'sugar' on a food label ingredient list, includes anything that ends in '-ose' eg dextrose, fructose (with high fructose corn syrup being one of the worst out there...), sucrose, etc.

Folks, ignorance is NOT bliss.
What you don't know WILL hurt you.

Take control of your health today: read labels. Avoid processed foods. Avoid fat-free or sugar-free things. Avoid foods containing sugar.

Rather, seek out sources of food which are wholesome and healthful and have had minimal handling from origin.

If you eat meat, seek out the free range, grass-fed variety, which has not had any hormones or antibiotics injected into it (such chemicals get stored in the fat of such animals, so if you're not getting your meat from a farm that rears grass-fed , chemical-free animals, you should eat lean cuts of meat).

If you take dairy, seek out raw dairy that's from cows that have been reared as described above (grass fed, chemical-free). Unprocessed dairy is healthy if you're not allergic to dairy. It's the processed stuff (pasteurized, UHT ) that causes a lot of harm though.

Train yourself to enjoy the sweetness that comes from fresh fruit- but don't over eat these either as too much of a good thing can be bad...

But please do not be one of those people who gets deceived by smart, glossy marketing tactics.

Read your food labels and don't get suckered into unhealthy foods and drinks pretending to be healthy.

For an overview on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, pop on over to www.doctorkem.com and read about
The 8 Pillars of A Healthy Lifestyle





About The Author
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about health & fitness, personal development and Women's issues. Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

How To Approach Every Challenge To Guarantee A Successful Outcome!

The root source of pretty much every outcome in your life right now
is right between your ears.


Thoughts really are things.
They really do have the power to bring about the physical
manifestation of themselves, if you hold onto them long enough.


The sooner you accept this fact the sooner you will see your breakthrough.


What you think about, what you focus on, really does expand into reality.


What is your current challenge?
No money in the bank?
Poor health?
Unhappy relationship?


Name the challenge.
Acknowledge it.


But don't dwell on it.
If you focus your thoughts on your challenge, if you keep on rehashing the
current situation, you'll get more of the same. You'll stay stuck where you are.
You won't move ahead out of the situation. Worse still, when you focus on
the current challenge and how bad things are, you experience the emotions
of fear, panic, sometimes even depression.


This is because the more you think about a problem, the bigger it seems to
get, until you become overwhelmed and paralysed by the stress of it all.
What you focus on expands.


However, if you start thinking of ways to solve the challenge, you immediately
cause a shift in the atmosphere around you. If you continue thinking of ways
to solve it, you will find yourself becoming aware of possible solutions to the
challenge.


If you continue thinking of ways to solve the challenge, and you actually
act on the ideas you receive in this resourceful frame of mind, you will definitely
overcome that challenge.


The more you focus on the solution, the bigger the solution becomes and the
smaller the problem seems in comparison. This perspective empowers you
to go out there and do something about the challenge.


But first you must believe.


You must believe that you've got what it takes to overcome your specific challenge.
You must believe that God wants to help you overcome it.
You must believe that each challenge has within it the solution to it.
You must believe in yourself and your (God-given) abilities.
You must believe that your specific challenge is surmountable and you can surmount it.
You must believe that there is a way out and you can find it.


These types of thoughts take your mind off the problem and fix it on the solutions.


This way you are taking advantage of the fact that what you focus on expands.


You will find that by focusing on the solutions, your depression and negativity
lift and are replaced by hope and expectation.



But you must ACT though, on ideas that occur to you in this resourceful state.



Appropriate action is the bridge between your dreams and their achievement.
Discipline yourself to continue focusing on the solutions, even when things happen
to remind you of the problem eg you receive a message saying a payment has been
declined due to insufficient funds.


Acknowledge it, then shift your mind immediately to the solution you're working on.



And above all things be thankful.
Express gratitude for the challenge.
Be grateful for the solution that is available to you (even when it's not yet available
physiclally - thanking God for it anyway, brings about its transmutation from the
unseen to the seen realm, so be thankful anyway...).



You see, this is the underlying principle behind your situation.


Once you lay this groundwork on the inside of yourself, you're in a better position
to act on any ideas to solve the challenge that may be presented to you eg business
ideas, relationship-building ideas, health-maintaining ideas, etc, etc.


Trying to do the outward things without doing the inner work is a sure fire recipe
for disaster, even if you appear to experience short term, temporary, success.


So again I ask you:
What is your challenge?


But then I also ask you:
What are the possible solutions to this challenge?


The second question is what I want you to dwell on from now on, and related
questions (all to do with the solution, not the challenge), such as what do I need to
implement the solution I choose to work on?, etc.


Make this shift in your thinking right now and you will immediately cause
a change in direction of your future. Then commit to staying on course to
victory.


As you do this, the solution will not only become clear, it will become easy and
fun for you to implement.


You can do it!
Whatever you're going through, note that you're 'going through'.
It's temporary.
You're a winner in this game.

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

10 Low or No Cost Exercises You Can Start Today!

Most everyone knows that exercise is good for you.

People mostly talk about it in terms of helping them lose weight.

Now, while it is true that regular physical activity accounts for 15-20% of the process of losing weight (a crucial 15-20% nonetheless) - the rest of the process, by far the most important aspect, is your nutrition - regular exercise has several other real health benefits.

So real are these health benefits, exercise has been called 'the miracle cure we've always had but neglected to use...'! Here are just a few of these benefits you get from regular exercise:

• It increases insulin sensitivity - making it a very necessary part of your treatment if you've got Type 2 Diabetes
• Improves your bone density and thus prevents osteoporosis; promotes supple joints and can prevent arthritis
• Improves your brain function and potentially prevents Alzheimer's and other dementia
• Has been shown to be more effective than antidepressants, in treating depression
• Improves your sex life (bet that'll get your attention!)
• Increases your 'good' (HDL) cholesterol level
• Keeps your bowels functioning regularly
• Helps protect against certain cancers 
• Improves your mood, helps you focus and concentrate more, thus enhances your performance and productivity.
• Lengthens your life
• Improves your blood pressure

The key is to find something you enjoy doing, and not to overdo anything. It's also important to ensure your exercise routine includes the three main elements:
- Aerobic/cardio
- Strength training/resistance training
- Flexibility training/stretching.

To get you started, here's a list of 10 fun exercises you can do and make part of your routine, but I suggest you pop into your local leisure centre and get free advice from a personal trainer on which of these to do, how often, etc.

I'll be posting more on these in due time, but if you're not sure of any exercise mentioned below you can youtube it and see some demonstrations.

1. Walking
   
   
2. Jump rope
   
   
   
3. Dumbbell exercises
   
   
   
4. Jumping Jacks
   
   
   
5. Push ups
   but seriously though:
   
6. Lunges (with or without dumb bells)
   
   
   
7. Burpees
   
   
   
8. Pull ups
   
   
   
9. Fitness Ball
   
10. Resistance Band stretches.
    
    
    
11. CyclingI know I said I'd give you 10 but I do like to go the extra mile :)
    

There are lots more no-cost exercises you can incorporate into your life.

Where there is a will there's a way.

Always.

Quit making excuses for not exercising: get going already!

If you've got joint problems that make you unable to walk or cycle and such, do the non-impact exercises and include weight training with dumb bells in your regime. You can do this!

What are your thoughts on this issue? Please comment below.

PS: Please contact your doctor for an assessment to confirm that you are fit to start any exercise program or other lifestyle change, before you get started.

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

The Best Kept Success 'Secret'

Listening to one of my favorite teachers, the late Jim Rohn, I got thinking. Mr Rohn had just 'revealed' a stunning 'discovery': the most successful people on the planet have 24 hours in a day! Er...so do the the rest of the people on Earth.

How come some people, given the same amount of time each day, earn £10,000 per month, while some earn £10,000 per year? What's the difference?

Since we've all got the same number of minutes each day, the difference in outcome must be in how we each use the time we've got.

Some people call it 'time management'. Not quite sure how we get off thinking we can control time, let alone manage it. Steven Covey in his classic 'The 7 habits of highly effective people' came up with a term which imho most accurately describes this concept of how we use our time: it's Personal Management. The only person you can (and should) control, is you. So you should control the way you spend your time.

What you spend your time doing sows the seeds for the results you experience in your life. You are 100% responsible for the way you spend your time, so it makes sense to spend it doing things that pull you towards your goal. Things that provide increased value to yourself and the marketplace. Things that improve your skill set.

Tips To Help You Use Your Time Wisely

• List out your tasks - create a daily to-do list
• Prioritise the tasks on your list based on your goals and values. Categorise things according to their importance, urgency or both, using this grid on the right (Thanks Dr Covey!)
• Ensure that the majority of your activities fit into quadrant II (important but not urgent).
• Create time for the things on your list, in order of priority. Be realistic with your expectations here so that you don't set up yourself for disappointment.
• Learn to say 'No' and mean it.
• Learn to delegate certain things so you can focus on more important ones.
• Be in the 'now' - when you're at work, work. Give it your full attention: don't be surfing the net or facebooking when you are supposed to be working or studying. Refuse all distractions while working. When it's time to play, go all out by all means, but whatever you're doing, be fully present.
• Shop online to save a trip to the grocery store.
• Check your email maximum twice a day, then leave the net. Resist the urge to browse, surf, click links etc - save that for your dedicated 'surfing time'. Even your surfing should be purposeful, not aimless. Make every minute of every day count for something. 

Every minute of every day you are planting a seed for your future. It's your choice what seed you sow, therefore the results you experience in your life are entirely your responsibility.

Be like wise old Moses who asked God to 'teach us to number our days so that we may spend our time wisely'.

What are your thoughts, experiences, challenges, etc, in the area of effective use of time? Share below.

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

Beauty Sleep... not just a myth!

A good night's sleep is a powerful 'drug'. If you fully understood what is accomplished when you sleep well at night, you will agree with me that nothing and nobody is worth your losing any sleep over.


Adequate sleep is one of the 8 Pillars of A Healthy Lifestyle.

So today I'll share with you the benefits of adequate sleep, then I'll give you some tips on 'sleep hygiene' - how to ensure you get the best possible sleep every night.

Benefits of A Good Night Sleep.

1. Reduced stress, greater ability to cope with daily stressors. Inadequate sleep causes you to secrete high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. If you habitually don't sleep enough, this constantly elevated level of cortisol could put you at risk of several health problems including depression, decreased bone mass, brain degeneration, diabetes and more.
   
   
2. Weight loss. Inadequate sleep messes with the balance of other hormones as well, including the hormones that control satiety and appetite. Studies have shown that if you consistently get less than 7 hours of sleep each night, because the signals from these hormones are disrupted, you find your appetite is out of whack, and you're unable to tell when you're full so you eat more and...you got it - pile on the weight!
   
   
3. Lowers your 'bad' cholesterol. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released during sleep, and one of its jobs is to lower the level of 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) in your body. Inadequate sleep disrupts this process and puts you at risk of accumulating LDL,  which is bad because of the next point...
   
   
4. Protects your heart. Adequate sleep is good for your heart. Raised levels of LDL, put you at risk of having heart attacks and strokes. So make sure you inlcude adequate sleep in your health arsenal if you wish to avoid these baddies. Inadequate sleep also can contribute to raised blood pressure, which is also bad for your heart.
   
   
5. Makes you smarter. Adequate sleep promotes mental acuity and improves your memory for reasons researchers are not fully sure of. One thing we do know, however, is that while you sleep, your brain is hard at work processing information, creating links and memories, storing stuff for future use and so forth. Inadequate sleep messes with this process.
   
   
6. May prevent cancer.  Especially breast and colon cancer. Studies suggest this may be due to the disruption in melatonin secretion which happens when you don't sleep in a dark enough environment. Melatonin secretion is reduced by exposure to light. Melatonin is your sleep hormone: it's released from about 9pm, and it makes you feel sleepy...it's secreted for the next 12 hours after that and by daytime its levels are barely detectable. Melatonin also plays a part in providing immunity, and is a powerful antioxidant (free radical destroyer). Some studies also suggest it inhibits cancer cell growth and can directly kill certain tumor types.
   
   
7. Anti-aging treatment. Disruption of the hormones secreted during sleep leads to an increase in oxidative damage caused by free radicals in the body. This oxidative damage is partly responsible for the visible signs of 'aging' you may be experiencing prematurely. So you see, beauty sleep does have scienctific merit!
   
   
8. Increased alertness. This is something you've probably experienced yourself, after a good nights sleep.
   
   
9. Body repair time. While you sleep, your body works to put your nutrients (hopefully you've provided it with healthy food during the day) to work, restoring and repairing tissues that have been damaged by ultraviolet exposure, stress, and other things that raise your free radical levels.
   
10. May reduce depression. Nuff said.
    

 Tips For A Good Night Sleep

1. Go to bed early, say around 10pm and aim for the amount of sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed and recharged the next morning. Our system does most of its recharging between 10pm and 2am. Most adults need between 6 & 9hours of sleep each night for optimal health. This varies though, from person to person - some people function well on more or less than that, and your current state of health affects how much sleep you should have eg during illness or early pregnancy you'd need a lot of sleep.
2. Maintain regular sleep and waking times.
3. Make your sleeping area (bedroom) as dark as possible. Get rid of as many light sources as possible, because even the standby lights from your electronic equipment cause you to secrete less melatonin.
4. Don't drink caffeine or do exercise just before you sleep.
5. No TV right before bed. Ideally there should not be a TV in your bedroom.
6. Exercise regularly, but your workout, if done later in the day, should be more than 3hours before sleep.
7. Munch an apple about 30 minutes before you sleep: it helps promote deep sleep by encouraging tryptophan, the sleep-inducing protein, to get through your blood-brain barrier.
8. Have your last meal 2-3hours before you sleep though.
9. Avoid alcohol just before bed as it disrupts with the phases of deep sleep during which your body does its healing and repair work.
10. Relax: a soothing bath, some soothing music, thinking calm thoughts...these all help too!

Here's hoping you sleep tight tonight! Please leave your thoughts and comments on this topic below.

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

Health Benefits of Vegetable Juicing!

I just love me some veggie juice in the morning as part of my breakfast (which often has got to also contain some high-quality protein to be complete).

So I'm going to share with you some great reasons for you to consider developing this habit, by sharing with you what I had in my FRESH veggie juice this morning:

• 4 celery sticks
• 5-6 broccoli florets
• Half a cucumber
• Some ginger (for that 'kick'-it's awesome!)
• Some turmeric (not the powder but the actual root)
• A handful of kale
• 2 small apples for taste :)

Now I gotta admit, the concept of drinking vegetable juice took me a while to accept - but I knew I had to do this because the health benefits were just too many for me to ignore. The above juice gives me an instant energy boost that I don't know how else to explain. This is not to mention the goodness I'm ingesting by drinking it.

Here, let me break it down for you:

Broccoli:

• Contains Vitamins including the following (benefits listed below by no means exhaustive, simply an overview):
  A - for great vision, has been said to help prevent cataracts,
  B - for proper functioning of most every body function,
  C- powerful antioxidant and antihistamine,
  E - powerful antioxidant,
  K - bone health and healthy blood clotting when needed), 
• Minerals contained in broccoli include the following:
  Calcium - bone health, preventing osteoporosis
  Copper -  beneficial for growth, repair, utilisation of iron, antioxidant action, etc,
  Iron, - helps carry oxygen to your cells
  Potassium - which helps reduce blood pressure, reduce risk of stroke, among others
  Zinc - tissue repair, improved immunity, anti-inflammatory, improves blood sugar levels, etc
• Anti-cancer chemicals: broccoli is loaded with these
• Improved immunity
• Lots more, stay tuned

Celery

• Contains Vitamins B & C
• Also Minerals Iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium
• Helps with water retention as can be diuretic
• Contains cancer-fighting coumarins
• Anti-inflammatory esp joint pain
• Boosts immunity
• Lots more, stay tuned...

Cucumber

• Vitamins A, C
• MInerals Calcium, Iron, magnesium, Iodine, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, silicon
• Great for healthy skin, nails and hair
• Great for bone health also
• Lots more, stay tuned...
  

Ginger

• Anti-cancer (esp breast, ovarian and colon)
• Anti-inflammatory
• Helps ease menstrual cramps
• Anti-emetic if you need one...
• Helps with heartburn
• Immune booster
• Lots more

Turmeric

• Powerful anticancer agent
• Improves liver function
• Improves digestive function
• Supports joint health
• Supports healthy skin
• Supports blood health
• Helps maintain cholesterol in normal range
• Provides pain relief
• Helps stabilise blood sugar
• Lots, lots more, stay tuned.

Kale

• Contains Vitamins A, B, C, E
• Contains Minerals: Manganese, Iron, Copper, Calcium
• Helps digestive health
• Powerful antioxidant
• Anti inflammatory
• Anti-cancer properties
• Lots more!

Apples

• In addition to making the juice more palatable for me, these babies also have great health benefits in their own right:
• Powerful antioxidant
• Promote satiety so helps with weight management
• Anticancer properties
• Good for your heart
• Quercetin in the apple promotes endurance during a workout
• Lots more! 

Need I say more? All this goodness packed in one cup of juice this morning! No wonder I feel so good after drinking a cup of fresh veggie juice!

There'll be more posts on veggie juicing so sign up now for the FREE Health & Success Newsletter (form on the right side of the page) to learn more!

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

Tips To Help You End The Year With A BANG!!

It's the last quarter of the year already! If you've not quite yet accomplished the goals you set at the start of the year, cheer up! 90 days are plenty of time for you to turn things around and make this your best year YET! Here are tips to get you on track:

1. Know who you are...and be true to yourself.Who do you think you are? What do you see yourself as? Your answers, your belief about the answers to these question influence your attitudes, behaviours and results in life, so you better have a sound paradigm to work from. You are a spirit being made in God's image. Your body houses the real you. Your natural state is perfect health and abundance (because that's God's natural state). If your current (outward) reality does not reflect this, it is because you have let your circumstances control your life. Knowing and acknowledging who you really are, and the implications of this Truth, and meditating on what it means, will put you in a position to cause your physical reality to reflect your true inner reality: perfect health, joy and abundance. Meditate on this til it sinks in.

2. Define clearly what you desire...then FOCUS on making it happen.Do not limit yourself here. I have not asked you to decide what you think you can have or what you think you deserve or what your mama thinks you should have. I am suggesting here, that you should state what *you* would like to be, do and have, which you don't have right now. Use your imagination - that's what it's there for. You have an open cheque, so to speak. Fill it in with what you choose. This is why you are told to 'Ask for whatsoever you desire...'. Let that desire be clear in your mind. Whether you like it or not, you're headed somewhere. I'm asking you to decide your destination so that you're arriving there by choice, not by chance. So get clear on what you really desire for your life.

3. Believe that what you desire is *already here*.Everything in this world is energy. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed from one form to another - if you took Physics classes you'll be familiar with this statement. Well here's a real-life application of this law.

Everything you desire, everything you could ever possibly wish for, already exists! It simply exists in intangible form, waiting for to do what you need to do in order to change it to its material version. You know how water can change from steam to liquid to solid (ice)? Different forms, same substance. Same thing applies to your desires. Believe this, and you're fortifying your 'power positioning'.

This is why you are told to '...believe that you receive what you ask for, and you shall have it...' Before you ever showed up on planet earth, God (who knows your end from your beginning), placed everything you could ever possibly need to live an abundant, joyful, peaceful life, in place. Now you've gotta learn how to bring it into the physical, where you can use it.

You will learn more about this and the other tips in this article in subsequent issues of the Health & Success newsletter (sign up FREE on the right side of this page). 

4. Practice daily gratitude for what you desire.Being thankful for something before you receive it strengthens your faith, and keeps your mind focused on the object of your gratitude. Benefit: what you focus on is what you get (according to the so-called 'Law of Attraction' - which is actually based on Matthew 6:33, among other scripture passages....). An attitude of gratitude also puts into motion the Law of action and reaction - when you give thanks to God for already granting you what you've asked for, you trigger a response from Him towards you - 'whatsoever you desire'.

5. Practice genuine forgiveness.Here's what we're trying to do: cause the thing you desire to be attracted to you. Unforgiveness, grudges, malice, hatred, doubts and fear are examples of things that cause resistance and block the flow of that which you desire. So if you've got a grudge against someone, or a feeling of resentment, even if they've wronged you, forgive them. Let go of all the hurt, anger and other negative feelings their actions may cause you to have. Do this for *you*. I love this saying "harbouring resentment or unforgiveness against someone is like you drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." So true. The only person to lose in this scenario is you. So just let go. Let them be. Let the blessings have a f*r*E*E, unobstructed channel to flow to you. This is a sign of true self-mastery.

6. Practice genuine love.Love everyone, whether you feel like it or not. Treat everyone exactly how you'd like to be treated. This is a decision you make, and it's one of the most empowering ones you could ever act on.

As Og Mandino puts it in 'The Greatest Salesman In The World', when you meet or come across someone today, think to yourself 'I love you' - send everyone thoughts of love, whether or not you know them. Then relate to everyone with genuine love. Not sure what that means? Real love means treating others with kindness, patience, respect, belief in the best, not envious, rejoicing when others do well, not self-seeking, and thinking only good thoughts towards others. Treat everyone this way unconditionally and your 'power positioning' becomes the strongest it could possibly be. Remember that you don't live in isolation: whatever success you desire must involve other human beings. So treat everyone right, just as you'd like to be treated.

7. Practice genuine detachment.Don't be attached to anything or anyone. When you forgive and love people, don't do it expecting them to treat you the same way in return. Do it because it's in your best interest to do so. Do it knowing that you will receive, though not necessarily from the ones you've given to. Trust that God will see to it that you get well compensated for everything you give. 

This principle alone takes away any fear of rejection or fear of failure you may otherwise feel in any circumstance.

Detach yourself from the outcome of your actions, and you will experience a tremendous amount of freedom and joy. You'll also be able to sleep well at night, knowing that in everything you've done today, you've given your best shot, and fussing over the outcomes won't change anything, so you can let go let the outcomes of your actions manifest.

8. Practice daily sowing - Take ACTION.
Taking the right action positions you to receive what you desire and believe you'll receive.

That's why it's important to know what you desire in the first place. When you do, then you'll know which steps to take to help you get there. You'll then be able to focus on the appropriate action steps that will bridge the gap from where you are now, to where you'd like to be.

With your mind set the right way (see tips 1 to 7 above), you have a solid foundation to base your actions on. The right actions, that is. Note that the right action means doing the things that move you closer to your goal, to the very best of your ability. Even if it's not apparent how something contributes to your goal (eg your current job may not have any immediate bearing to your desired goal), do everything the best way you know how. When all your actions are successful, they add up to a successful life.

9. Practice daily giving.Give something of yourself everyday. Start each day determined to add value to someone's life. Everything you give is a seed sown, and you will reap it in multiples. It's a Universal Law - nothing you can do about it:). If you desire financial abundance, be a regular giver to those that are less fortunate, in addition to your regular tithe to your church or other place of spiritual support. Give, not because you expect back from the person you're giving to, but because you know that the supply is limitless and in giving you receive from God, the all-abundant Source of all things. And here's a 'secret': the very act of giving, sends a message to your subconscious mind that 'I have'.

Remember, you attract what your subconscious mind dwells on. So by being a habitual giver, your predominant subconscious mindset is 'I have', and you attract more of that which you give. When you don't give because you're afraid you won't have enough, you send the message to your subconscious mind that 'I don't have enough', and you attract more lack and insufficiency as a result of your fear.

Super tip: start your 'giving' habit by sharing this post to at least one person you know - this information may be just what they need at  this time.

10. Practice Proactive Health Maintenance.
Your body is the only one you've got. None of your goals matter if it's in poor shape. Look after the temple you've been blessed with. One remarkable thing about the human body is that anytime you treat it the way God intended, it rewards you with an amazing degree of health, energy, vitality (side effects: good body weight, incredible self- esteem), and it displays the ability to heal itself as well. So take care of your body. Treat it with respect. First become health-conscious. Then follow that up with the right actions - healthy, balanced diet; cellular nutrition with quality supplementation; regular, moderate exercise, and all the other pillars of a healthy life as described over here: 8 Pillars of Healthy Lifestyle

Bonus tip:

Commit to lifelong learning.

Ever heard that 'leaders are readers' or 'earners are learners'? Both statements are true. Study personal development material, study material about your chosen field of endeavour, study the Bible, study, study, study. Spend quality time each day studying and meditating on what you learn. You can only become a better human being by learning and applying what you learn.

Think you need discipline to achieve what you desire? You bet you will! If that word makes you groan, consider this: which price would you rather pay? The 'price' of discipline, or the price of regret? Whatever 'discipline' you require is short-term, with long-term benefits, unlike regret, which lasts long after the fact.

Most of the items on the list above involve disciplining your thoughts - this is the hardest thing anyone could ever ask you to do; once you've got your thoughts under control, your attitudes and behaviours naturally flow out of you, leading you to the outcomes you desire.

But your desires are worth the effort, surely?

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com

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