How to Motivate Employees Using Recognition

Do you motivate employees enough? As a business owner or human resource manager, part of your job is to ensure employees are doing their job. Sometimes, they fail to do their job because they lack skills or they simply do not want to work. Yet, studies indicate that it is far more likely that individuals will stop doing their job properly due to a lack of recognition than because they are lazy or unwilling to work. That means your business could be losing key productivity levels and even the best employee talent.

How to Motivate Your Team

The question is, then, how do you motivate employees? To do so, you need to provide for the employee's needs. There are several things you can do now to make a big difference in those key productivity levels and employee talent needs.

#1 - Set the Standard and Stick with It

A common problem is that there is no standard in place. Do you have rules? Do you have an employee guidebook? Do your managers following it? As the human resource manager, setting the rules is good for everyone. Doing so will encourage employees to meet their goals and to know where they stand.

#2 - Talk about the Good

It is also important for you to notice what your employees are doing. If you do 100 pieces of work today, for example, and you break records, hit all key productivity levels, and feel good about yourself, what is going to make you do the same thing the next day? It is knowing that the employer or the human resource manager is there to say thank you and to pat you on the back. In other words, recognize the good that people do so they keep doing it.

#3 - Keep an Equal Page

It is often the case that a mother will spend a lot of time dealing with the child that cries the most, gets into fights at school, or doesn't do his or her homework. The same happens in a work environment. The employer or human resource manager spends a lot of time with that one employee that is not doing a good job and the good employee talent is ignored. That cause a drop in motivation and leaves your best employee talent looking for a new job.

It may seem challenging, but by following these tips you can put in place a process that helps you to build strong employee bonds. You can motivate employees.

Todd Bavol is the President and CEO of Integrity Staffing Solutions. Integrity Staffing Solutions is a national staffing firm assisting individuals and corporations in making the right employment fit. To view job openings in Warehouse, Professional and Administrative positions, visit the Integrity Staffing Solutions web site at
http://www.integritystaffing.com.

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How To Quickly Turn Your Dreams Into Reality

A lot of us wonder how some people are able to make it big or are doing what they have always longed to do. The answer to this is simple. Some people are more motivated than others. In order to achieve your dreams, you need to be inspired.

Today, I am going to share with you some motivational tips for all those who are currently in the process of chasing their dreams.

Be Clear of What You Want

To turn your dreams into reality, you have to be clear of what you want. You cannot just chase the dark because it is infinite. Becoming clear of what you want will allow you to think with an open mind and focus on that particular goal instead of tackling different things at a time. Moreover, aside from being clear of what you want, you also need to put all your focus into it and make sure you are fully determined to chase it.

Don't Be Lazy; Don't Sulk

Many of us have so many dreams and goals that we want to achieve but we fail because we tend to become lazy and start sulking. We ponder over the wrong things and put everything on the side instead of moving ahead with reason.

Becoming lazy about your own goals in life is the worst form of suicide. Lazy and sulking is a source of several factors such as lack of motivation, lack of belief that you can do it, not feeling the need to do it sometimes and feeling the need to do so in other instances amongst others.

Look at the Bigger Picture

Make sure that you look at the bigger picture whenever you want to achieve something for the long term. See, achieving your dreams, turning them into reality and doing what you were born to do requires a lot of effort. Things don't come easy in life and this certainly doesn't because if it did, each one of us would have been equally successful and popular but the truth is, we are not.

You have to be patient and look at the bigger picture whenever it comes to chasing your dreams because if you neglect it and look at the short term only, you will suffer big time. Mostly, in chasing dreams, you are mostly put off by the short term constraints and restrictions. As a result, all of us forget the bigger picture. We forget how our effort and dedication in the present will help us in the future.

Conclusion 

To achieve your goals, make sure you put all your demons aside and don't let the negative you talk wrong in your mind because there is absolutely nothing wrong with chasing your dreams in life.

Visit FreshGoals and Read Our Article For 5 Ways To Empower Yourself

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How To Achieve All of Your Goals

It is motivation that gives us the drive to do something, it is motivation that pushes us to accomplish even the toughest of tasks and it is motivation that keeps us happy.

Hence, today I am going to give you a few tips on how you can keep yourself motivated in life to achieve your goals and dreams.

Have an ultimate goal in life
You need a strong goal to keep yourself motivated. If you don't have a specific goal in life then it will be extremely difficult for you to keep yourself motivated. A life without a goal will only lead to confusion and frustration. Hence, it is important to set a challenging goal in life and try hard to attain it.

Break your ultimate goal into smaller goals
Keep in mind that it might take up to several years to attain your ultimate goal. A lot of people get de-motivated along the way and then lose focus on their goal. Hence, it is always wise to break your ultimate goal into smaller goals and accomplish these smaller goals. This will not only keep you motivated but will actually satisfy you internally. By doing so you will also feel that you are swiftly progressing towards your ultimate goal.

Don't compare yourself with your friends
If you want to stay motivated then stop comparing yourself with others. Your family background and your priorities might be different from your friends. Hence it is inane to compare mangos with kiwis. Comparing yourself with others will only cause more frustration and uncertainty. Furthermore, don't focus on others achievements and success. Remember, only you are responsible for your success or failures hence make your own path.

Step out of your comfort zone
Procrastination not only slows down your progress but it also shatters you internally. You should stop thinking and start acting. Step out of your comfort zone and try to explore new opportunities. Once you step out of your comfort zone you will realize that there is so much more to life than you previously thought about. Moreover, by stepping out of your comfort zone you will also uncover your hidden talent and potential. This will get you motivated and happy in life.

Learn from your mistakes
A wise person always learns from his/her past mistakes and never repeats them in the future. A lot of people weep on their past mistakes and get de-motivated. Keep in mind that your past has no connection with your future. Hence, stop complaining about your past mistakes and move on. Learning from your past mistakes will make you motivated.

The bottom line is that motivation leads to success and happiness in life. Try to stay motivated and positive in life.

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Motivating Yourself On A Daily Basis Does Make A Difference

You can indulge in some daily activities that will most definitely help you get through every day in high spirits.

Listen to Music

Everyone listens to songs that inspire them, pump them and get them going in mood. You can get pumped up by listening to music daily and that will stay through you throughout the day. Don't listen to mellow songs because they are going to depress you and suck the positive energy out of you. When I want to get inspired, I mostly listen to upbeat songs. David Guetta, Rihanna and a few others are my personal favourites.

Work Out Is Important

Majority of the people have problems with finding inspiration to work out and trust me I don't really expect different things from you either. However you should at least try to look at it from a different point of view. You should try to use exercise as a way of getting motivated and being productive.

Workouts help in changing your mood for the whole day. It makes you feel that you have attained something and helps in making one feel good about themselves. It is not necessary for one to perform hardcore workout sessions.

Just a bit of cardio and weight training should do you wonders in terms of finding motivation. Workouts send that testosterone and adrenaline rush that goes unmatched by any other activity. Workouts can really assist you in making you feel great about yourself and change your attitude for the better.

Don't Procrastinate

Get out of the bed every day with a "yes it can happen" attitude. Don't procrastinate as that is not going to help you or do you any good. Don't take breaks and don't become a lazy bum. Whatever you have to do, make sure you do it because sulking will really not help you with achieving your goals.

Everyone plans; there is no one who doesn't want all the good for them in life but not all are able to achieve it. Why? Simply because not all that put their mind towards something are able to achieve their goals. By procrastinating, you will blow away every good thing that can possibly come your way so try your best to avoid it at all costs.

Know Your Goals

Don't forget to have a clear idea about your goals. What is it that you want to achieve and how will you achieve it is something that you should be clear about. Without a proper goal in mind, you will be lost.

Have A Better and Bigger Mindset

Rich people don't pity themselves. What helped them get rich was effort and hard work. They did not procrastinate. All the rich people have had a proper vision, a proper sight and a proper direction in life. Have a mindset, one like the rich people do. Don't feel sorry for yourself and stand up for what you believe in as if you do that, you are automatically going to find motivation every day.

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What Is Spiritual Healing?

Spiritual healing techniques are all linked by a common faith in universal life energy. The power of belief will help you to heal.

There are many different kinds of spiritual healing, from laying on of hands to color therapy, but all share the common belief that some illnesses can be cured without medicine or surgery. Christians ask God to help a loved one get better; Chinese mystics point to Chi Energy that needs to be rebalanced. Both know that there are invisible energies in the world.

Healing thoughts

Whether you choose to believe that these energies are controlled by a higher being or are just a part of nature that we can tap into, you can still learn to channel them. By drawing them into your body, you will benefit from a boost to your health and vitality.

Energy centers of the body

Crown Chakra
Controls the higher function of intelligence. Blockages can affect logical reasoning.
Third Eye Chakra
Sees beyond the psychic realm and governance your psychic abilities and awareness. Blockages can result in feeling unsettled in life.
Throat chakra
Controls how we express ourselves verbally and nonverbally. Blockages can result in bossiness or being overbearing.
Heart chakra
Control self-esteem. Blockages may result in selfishness.
Stomach chakra
This is the energy center that controls personality and emotions. Blockages may result in feeling sick to your stomach.
Sacral chakra
Governs sensuality and sexuality. Blockages may result in excessive cleanliness.
Base chakra
Controls mental and physical strength. Blockages can lead to aggression and mental problems.
Life force energy flows throughout your body, the blockages can occur in any of the major chakras.

Invisible healing energy
All forms of spiritual healing work for me, believe in a life force or universal energy that is found in all living things, and even affects inanimate objects such as crystals and rocks. The invisible healing power is commonly known as Chi - the term used in traditional Chinese healing, and is considered to be an intangible flow of energy that runs through the body, nourishing and healing it. Health can be affected by a blockage in the flow of Chi, so many healing practices from Crystal healing to Reiki and shiatsu, focus on restoring balance to the energy flow.

This energy is invisible to the naked eye, although some people believe that the aura, given off by your life force can be photographed using a method known as Kirlian photography. These images show the electrical energy that emanates from physical matter.

A guide to spiritual healing

There are various methods of spiritual healing, most of which are fully compatible with one another. Many of these healing methods are explored.

The power of your mind
The power of the mind to heal the body is often underestimated in Western medicine, but it is central to many of the ancient spiritual healing practices. It has been widely noted that the desire to get better plays a role in how quickly someone recovers from illness or injury.

The power of belief. In the case of spiritual healing practices, understanding how a therapy works is not as important as believing in the ability to heal. It is our faith in a healer's ability to rechannel energies or select an appropriate Crystal that ensures our well-being. Belief in a higher power, be it the Christian God, nature, magic, or a healer's hands, is the key to ensuring that therapies can work.

Many therapies fall into the category of spiritual healing but all rely on the power of belief and faith.
Vibrational therapies and visualization

Vibrational therapies are based on the idea that everything is surrounded by an electromagnetic energy field that resonates at its own frequency. When the body is in good health, this frequency remains fairly constant, but it can be disrupted by ill health.

Crystal healing is one of the best-known vibration therapies.
Therapies such as color therapy, crystal healing and sound therapy aim to rebalance or absorb negative vibrations and restore happiness and health to our bodies; it's a rebalancing of energy.
Additionally, visualization and meditation can play a role in some Vibrational therapies. For example it is thought that visualizing yourself bathed in a particular color has the same effect on your mood as looking at that color.

Color therapy utilizes our emotional response to specific light waves in the visible spectrum. The type of healing that occurs depends on the color used.

Channeling energy
Once you have opened your mind to the concept of a universal healing energy, you can start learning to channel it. Channeling energy is performed to draw vitality from the world around you into your own body, or into someone else's to aid healing and boosts general well-being.
Energy therapies practice as diverse as Crystal healing, Reiki and spell casting use tools, even if it is simply the reiki healer's hands, to focus and harness the flow of energy. The energy centers known as the chakras are often the focus of such channeling's and can be stimulated by various means.
Reiki works to aid the flow of life energy throughout the body, for restoring health.

The laying on of hands

All of us appreciate that a loving hug can lift the spirits. We also know that gently massaging sore muscle or rubbing a bruise can make us feel better. Healing hands, some therapies take this idea a step further, believing that certain people are born with special abilities enabling them to heal through the power of touch by, laying hands on to the sick person.

Some healers believe they have an innate power within themselves, while others believe they work on behalf of a higher being, such as the Christian God. A hands-on healer uses their hands to channel or redirect healing energy; therefore they use their hands as a tool for well-being.

Bill Robinson operates a Metaphysical and Holistic Directory which includes all forms of alternative healing. There are over 100 articles about all things holistic along with hand picked websites of healing practitioners. Visit http://333connect.com for all of your Alternative Healing needs.

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We've Passed Through a Wall From Problems / Suffering to Heaven on Earth

That's right; we've passed through a wall separating Kala Yuga (the age of suffering) and the Age of Enlightenment, Man's Golden Age, Heaven on Earth--whatever pleases you to call it.
Everything bad is on the other side; but did you leave it there?

Today's message is to drop all the luggage that no longer serves you in this New Age. (We understand there's still some shuffling going on--that's to be expected.)

You were all prepared living in the Antarctic--the Frozen Antarctic! You wore thick, woolly gloves, goggles to protect your eyes, thick, heavy coats, fur-lined boots, long underwear, 4 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of pants with outer linings, and on and on.

Suddenly, you are in the Bahamas. That's what it's like--that's the extreme level of difference going on in the world right now. Every week we rise in more attunement to Natural Law, the Will of God, by a full percentage point. Or at least we have been.

But now, our progress has slowed! Want to know why? Simply because you're still wearing/carrying all the stuff you needed in the Antarctic! Drop it! Leave it there on the beach-- once you drop it, it actually dissolves! No body even needs to clean it up--it literally dissolves.

What do we mean? Any anger/hatred/need for revenge/need to "teach them a lesson"/punish is simply luggage. Let go of it. Any companies/individuals/ governments/politicians that appear to be "adding to the problem"/"creating problems"/are "unfair"/or simply wrong -- just drop them. No need to point, argue, protest/petition/etc.. Simply take back your power (your decision-making power, your right-to-decide), drop them (including all your thoughts right or wrong) on the beach--and watch them dissolve!
There is nothing more to do!

Watch every negative aspect of life simply dissolve by doing nothing; don't fight them or resist them as it (the transition) will take longer if you do.

They--the negative forces-- have already lost. They know it. Now you do, too.
Just act accordingly-- we're in the last 10 minutes of the thriller movie; the bad guys are surrounded and have dropped their weapons--literally. Their hands are in the air (they haven't surrendered officially, but everyone knows they are helpless). That's where we are; now just enjoy the end of the show. P.S. The epilogue lasts for a glorious 10,000 years!

That's it! That's our message today.

Create Heaven--all good everywhere, no non-good anywhere--in your life now. Visit our website--Heaven-Creating.com. All our products at Heaven-Creating.com help create Heaven. Don't leave any stone unturned. Do everything you can to help yourself and others. All our products are powerful and serve this purpose, but the 2 most powerful are: Most Powerful Prayer Heaven-Creating® DVD and Heaven-Creating® Heaven Machines. http://Heaven-Creating.com/.

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Don't Rely on Yourself to Get Things Done - Create External Motivators

"An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force."
You know how it works... if it's up to you get something done - and no one is relying on it - you procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate...
And it doesn't get done.
But the second that you're responsible to someone else and someone is depending upon you to get it done, man, you've never seen yourself be so productive.
One of my coaching clients was invited to write a chapter for a textbook on coaching. We spent weeks on what she wanted to say, how she might present the information, mind maps, creating a writing lifestyle, writing goals. But not really a chapter written. The moment the editors established a deadline... BOOM! The entire chapter was written.
It's the war of internal motivators vs. external motivators.
Internal motivators take a back seat because external motivators scream at you. Internal motivators take the form of good ideas. "It is a great idea to work out three times a week." "That would be a great class for me to design and offer."
In the JOB world, primary external motivators come in the form of deadlines, 9am-5pm clock-in/clock-out, and a boss. Then, there's secondary external motivators like finances. You have to pay the mortgage with something. Finally, tertiary external motivators are higher on the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs... things like creating a more fulfilling life, doing things differently, being a model, walking your talk.
It's easy enough if you have someone setting up the external motivators. But if you don't have that nice person who is going to give you deadlines and the like, how do you create your own external motivators?

• Step back and look at the big picture. If you want to make six figures this year, how are you going to get there? If you want to speak at three conferences, how are you going to get those gigs? Attaching the "good idea" to the big picture of your goals might be enough of an external motivator.
• Part of that big picture is understanding how the task fits in - and why. If you need a website, then know why you need a website. If the answer is to have a place to send potential customers to, then ask yourself who those people are and what they might need from your website. Then figure out what you need to make that a reality. A website designer? A business coach? (And when you need others to do the task, then they, in essence, become an external motivator. Hard for the website designer to create a website for you if you don't do your part.)
• Set a deadline. Announce your new program or product. Or tell someone she can expect such and such by Thursday at 5:00pm. Now you're accountable to someone else, not solely yourself.
• Break the task down into its individual, smallest pieces. It's much easier to motivate yourself to do a simple, easy task like "Contact a website designer" than "create new website."
• Create tangible rewards if you do the project or tangible risks if you don't do it. If your reward for doing your task is a vague "things will be better," that's not good enough. Or if the risk of not doing it isn't painful enough, there's no reason to do it. Go back to your goals. If you don't launch the new program, you can't make your income goal for the month, and you'll have to work harder next month.

As entrepreneurs, we're probably better at being internally motivated than others, better than we think. AND we still need help. Create those external motivators and give your internal motivators a little boost.

Want to write from your soul? Of course, you do! Because when you write from your soul, you connect more deeply and successfully with potential clients and your community. Download your free Writing From Your Soul system at http://www.WritingFromYourSoul.com.

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Self Help For Depression

There are so many people walking around with depression but they do not go and ask for help. This can be for a variety of reasons. Fear of the unknown is one of them. This is actually so unnecessary. Why walk around with a symptom if you can be cured of it?

Remember that depression does not only affect you but it actually affects the people around you as well. So it is important to tackle this issue together. Emotional support during a depression battle is vital. You must discern whether you want to opt for self help for depression treatments or medical treatments.
Keep the following in mind when before you go for treatment:

1. Depression treatment may take time to work properly. Do not get impatient. This is why emotional support is especially important. When you want to give up, it helps a lot when someone is next to you spurring you on.

2. You will probably have to investigate which therapy or exercise works best for your depression symptoms. There are some great resources available. Just remember that everyone is different and that one treatment will not 'fit' all. Be ready to experiment.

3. You have to understand what kind of depression you are going through. Remember that depression symptoms are categorized in different levels of severity. I do not think that self help for depression treatments would be a great option for severe depression but professional medical advice should rather be sought.

4. Never isolate yourself. Isolation will not help your depression. You need to be in contact with people you trust while you are going through treatment. This will greatly enhance your chances to overcome depression.
Other aspects that are vital to remember include the following:

You need a balanced diet. There is a very definitive connection between depression and eating habits. The healthier you eat the cleaner your body will be and the better you will feel. This is a decision you will have to make. It takes discipline and rewards of this discipline will come back to you in multiples.

If you are sleep deprived you will struggle to overcome depression symptoms. A good nights sleep goes a long way. Make sure you have a mattress that sleeps well. If you think about it, you spend a third of your life in bed (8 hours of sleep per 24 hour cycle).

If you do not exercise, your body cannot produce endorphins. These endorphins help a lot to overcome depression. These 3 points mentioned here are also excellent self help for depression tips.

There is a way out and you can be cured. Just make a decision that you will get out of this depression rut and it will be so.

JP Roux has a desire to see people being set free from depression. Their are many cures for depression and depending on the severity of your depression, you should consider self help for depression [http://selfhelpfordepression.org/]. For more advice, go visit his site at selfhelpfordepression.org [http://selfhelpfordepression.org/]

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100 Most Common Characteristics of People With Poor Self-Esteem

Poor self-esteem is the single most deadly personality trait that a person can have, because it shades all aspects of their lives in a negative way. Whether in their relationships with others, with themselves, in their careers, with their families, they exhibit a tendency to put themselves down and have all sorts of negative self-talk that prevent them from ever fully realizing their full potential.

What would be considered some characteristics of poor self-esteem? Below is a list of the 100 most common characteristics of people with low self-esteem, notice any that applies to you?

Social & Relationships
1. Withdrawing from social activities
2. Fear of being in the limelight
3. Fear of speaking in public
4. Anxiety in social situations
5. Lack of social skills
6. Conform to social norms and not willing to "rock the boat"
7. Always the wallpaper
8. "Nice", boring, forgettable
9. Being the listener to all with problems
10. Unable to accept and give compliments easily
11. Not being fair to yourself - placing everyone else first
12. Need to please others at all costs
13. Keep on giving while finding it difficult to receive from others
14. Unduly self-conscious
15. Worrying about others' opinions of you
16. Worrying whether you have treated others badly in any way
17. Quiet and shy
18. Treating yourself badly but not other people
19. Need to impress everybody
20. Talking a lot to attract attention to yourself
21. Likes to complain
22. Always needing to prove yourself correct in arguments
23. Lack of trust in others
24. Feelings of sexual guilt
25. Fear of intimacy
26. Pushing away others even though you want to get close to them
27. Boasting behaviours
28. Excessive apologizing
29. Selfish, non-caring of others
30. Fighting with others over small things
31. Develop shallow relationships
32. Revenge seeking attitude
33. Lack kindness with people, can be harsh and unreasonable
34. Possessive
35. Making fun of others to make yourself feel better
36. Difficulty saying no to others
37. Have friends and parents with similar characteristics
38. Limited interests
39. Prefer to live in an imaginary world than the real world
40. Like to ask others how they find you
41. Need others to constantly affirm you

Career and Success
42. Reluctance to take on challenges
43. Fear of success
44. Fear of failure
45. Lack of confidence in own abilities
46. Expecting little out of yourself
47. Expecting little out of life
48. Not speaking up on your opinions
49. Not having the courage to stand up to own principles and values
50. Critical of self and others
51. Indecisive and wishy-washy
52. Job hopping
53. Giving up easily
54. "I can't" attitude
55. Easily affected by criticism or negative comments
56. Have difficulties asserting yourself
57. Self-sabotage behavior
58. Likes to stay within comfort zone
59. Lack of life purpose
60. Difficulty with authority figures

Physical
61. Eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia
62. Overly concerned with how you look
63. Neglecting physical appearance
64. Neglect of the physical body
65. Body odor (BO)
66. Alcohol addictions
67. Cigarettes addictions
68. Sexual addictions
69. Addictions to online games
70. Lack of energy
71. Compulsive or obsessive actions
72. Abused or currently the abuser of others
73. Self-hurting behaviours

Emotional
74. Depression and sadness spells
75. Accentuating the negative
76. Inner destructive self-talk
77. Suicidal tendencies
78. Phobias and insecurities
79. Fear of the future
80. A lack of fulfillment and joy
81. Serious and inability to see the humor in situations
82. Comparing yourself with others and always ending up short
83. Inability to accept your own shortcomings
84. Self-pity
85. Feel victimized
86. Jealous and envious
87. Perfectionistic
88. Feel dependent on others
89. Lack of self-respect and self-love
90. Feelings of lack and inadequacy
91. Not living in the present but dwelling on the past or future
92. Feelings of hopelessness
93. Lack of self-awareness
94. Feelings that you are small and unimportant
95. Feel lonely and isolated
96. Expect the worst of others
97. Feels life is unfair to you
98. Frustrated with the way that your life is going
99. Lack of inner peace and harmony
100. Feeling overwhelmed

Many people believe that poor self-esteem is something that you are born with and which you cannot change easily and quickly, but that is a myth that I would like to debunk. In the new millennium, new techniques have been discovered that can transform poor self-esteem in a quick, easy and effective manner that you would be amazed. The costs of poor self-esteem - failure in all aspects of life, need no longer be a fact and something that you must live with for the rest of your life. The first step is always the toughest, especially for people with poor self-esteem. Are you ready to take that first step to a life of confidence, fulfillment and newfound freedom?

Darius is a Confidence Coach and co-founder of http://www.SingaporeSelfEsteem.com, a company that helps people become the confident individuals that they are meant to be.

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If you have some time, don't forget to watch this video about " How to Overcome Low Self Esteem "

Are We Victims Of Our Circumstances Or Have We The Freedom To Transcend Them?

Do you feel out of control of your life? That events and the situations around you dictate how you feel? That your appetites or fears are in charge of you rather than you being in charge of them? That you are not free to break away from their hold and that life is a powerful current that you are helpless to swim against? Many have wondered about just how free anyone is to determine one's personal destiny. Are we victims of our circumstances or have we the freedom to transcend them?

Limiting factors

We are all only too aware of the way personal freedom is restricted by lack of money, demands of parenting, or the economic recession, to mention just a few limitations commonly encountered in everyday life. From an academic viewpoint, scientists point out the myriad of factors which influence our behaviour and thus curb our liberty to do and be what we want. These factors include - to name just a few - your bodily constitution and family upbringing, any physical impairment, the chemical effects of medication and the social values of our culture.

Reciprocal determinism

Yet, although the environment can be seen to determine behaviour, psychologists also talk about how we shape our own individual environment. This they call 'reciprocal determinism'. One example is the experience of mass media. People can affect this by what video and television they individually choose to watch and what magazines they choose to read. Another example is to do with personal interactions. We have all come across those people who seem to cope well with problems. They can be easy individuals to be with because of their rewarding conduct and charming and sincere way of dealing with others. They predictably bring about a positive social atmosphere wherever they go.

In other words although the environment around them may play an important role in determining what they do, nevertheless to some extent they make this environment themselves in how they interact with it. Perhaps we have some say in controlling our lives after all.

Inner versus outer freedom

Another reason for supposing we have more chance to take control over life is the sense of inner freedom we can experience. For example how you choose to think is something you are free to inwardly do regardless of your outward activity. You can manufacture a self-fulfilling prophecy by the way you look for the worst or the best in others, or in the way you focus on the threats or the opportunities in any new challenge.

My favourite Greek once said:

"I must die. I must be imprisoned. I must suffer exile. But must I die groaning? Must I whine as well? Can anyone hinder me from going into exile with a smile?" (Epictetus)
Not even the god Zeus could conquer his inner freedom of will.

A patient of the psychotherapist Irvin Yalom had a serious physical deformity. She believed that life without a love-sexual relationship with a man was without value - that one is either coupled or one is nothing. So she shut down many options for herself including a close non-sexual friendship. Through therapy she eventually realised that although she was not free to escape her deformity, nevertheless she was inwardly free to adopt a different attitude towards it.

Illusions of freedom

We can get ourselves caught up by negative attitudes and corrupting habits. Fears and obsessive cravings can become reinforced if repeatedly adopted. The sufferer does not realise how much of life is dictated by these feelings.

Some people drift into self-centredness. They can be caught up in the desire to exercise manipulate and control, to get even with anyone who does not please them, and get hold of anything that they fancy having by foul or fair means.

When one wants to carry on in this way it seems like one is acting freely. But I would suggest that anyone who has allowed bad desires and self-delusional thinking to predominate is actually in a state of spiritual slavery. When you are carried away with delight in something it seems like you are a free person to have chosen it. But this is self-deception.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Real freedom

According to philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, real freedom is something very different. It is having the heavenly state of mind and character to be able to receive the spiritual life unspoilt by all the negative stuff that blocks out the heat of love and light of wisdom.

"Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace."
(Buddha)

As long as we remain attached to envy, greed, resentment and other selfish attitudes we are not free to experience deep happiness. The negative stuff first needs to be set aside if we are to gain unfettered access to the divine source of all that is good.

Copyright 2013 Stephen Russell-Lacy

As a clinical psychologist, Stephen Russell-Lacy has specialised in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, working for many years with adults suffering distress and disturbance.
He edits Spiritual Questions a free eZine that explores links between spiritual philosophy and the comments and questions of spiritual seekers. You can share your views and find out more about making sense of life.
His book Heart, Head and Hands draws links between the psycho-spiritual teachings of the eighteenth century spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg and current ideas in therapy and psychology.

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