Category: Living Now

Living Now, Mindfulness, Productivity

Embrace Gratitude

Lyn Bailey

A Great Way to Embrace Gratitude Every Day

Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions that you can experience. It connects you to what is truly important in your life. It reminds you that as long as you’re breathing, everything is going to be okay. And it helps frame your day, your expectations, and your actions. Embracing gratitude can be as simple as saying thank you. Here are the top ten ways you can invite more gratitude into your life.

# Start a Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journals became popular about ten years ago. Oprah talked about how powerful gratitude was for her and people took note. A gratitude journal is a daily practice where you write down a number of things that you’re grateful for every day.

You can make it part of your daily routine by writing in your journal first thing in the morning as you look at your day or last thing at night. There are mobile apps for gratitude journaling or you can buy a journal. A simple college ruled notebook works too. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

If you need help with recognising gratitude in your life, then call me on +61402855787 for a FREE discovery call, or download this great Gratitude Tool to give you a jumpstart.

 

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Abundance, Living Now, Mindfulness

3 Tips to Start Your Day

Lyn Bailey

Deciding The Best Way for You to Start Your Day Positively

You have decided to start your days with morning gratitude and/or positive thinking. That is great. Now you have to decide how to do it. You have nearly endless options to choose from. Here are some tips for deciding what to choose.

1. It Works For You

Not every option works for everyone. That is normal and to be expected. Everyone is different, after all. Try a few of the options and see what works for you. If something does not seem to work for you, do not feel bad, and definitely do not try to force yourself to keep doing it.

There are many options out there and you will find something that resonates with your soul if you keep looking. Do not settle on the first thing you try unless it grabs you and refuses to let go. Try different options. Experiment.

2. You Can Do It Consistently

Consider your schedule when weighing options. Some methods take more commitment than others, even if that is only a few minutes longer. How much time do you have in the morning? Not just some mornings, either, but every morning.

If you only have a few minutes most days, making a gratitude list in your head is probably a better idea than trying to fit in 30 (or even 10) minutes of yoga. That is not to say that you cannot do more than one thing. Perhaps you can do your gratitude lists every morning and do yoga as well on the weekends.

Remember that whatever you choose must be something you can do each and every day, or at least on 90 percent of them. Life does happen, after all.

3. You Like It (So You Will Do It)

Do you know the number one reason people fail at starting a gym routine? It is not a lack of time or commitment. It is simply that they do not like what they are doing. Humans are strange creatures who are not likely to continue doing something they do not like, at least not unless they have an overwhelmingly good reason to do so.

The same thing applies to trying to create other new habits too. If you do not like something, you probably will not keep it up. Likewise, it is hard to stop bad habits because on some level you like them, and your brain goes – Quit? Why?

This is slightly different than the first tip (something must work for you) because they are two different things. Ninety minutes a day on a treadmill will work to make anyone fit, but few people like that enough to do it!

I find a Gratitude morning ritual is very simple, quick and easy. As soon as I wake up, I take about 3 minutes to ponder on 3 things I have to be grateful for today. This morning it was another day on this earth, my physical health and my 4 amazing children, who are also my four best friends. It’s a wonderful way to start each day.

If you need help developing a morning ritual to start your day with Gratitude, download my FREE “I am Grateful for….” Worksheet .

DOWNLOAD HERE

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Abundance, Living Now, Mental Health

5 Benefits to Starting Your Day with Gratitude

Lyn Bailey

Why Start Your Day With Gratitude and Positive Thinking?

Did you know that starting your day with positivity is one of the best things you can do to improve your life? It has an immediate, powerful impact on your life. The benefits are numerous, and you start experiencing them from the first day you deliberately begin your day being positive and grateful.

These are the top five benefits you gain from a positive start to your day.

Better Mood

Starting your day with positivity increases your mood and helps you have a better day. Being positive brings you inner peace, lowers your stress levels, increases your optimism, and makes you feel good. All of these benefits combine to put you in a better mood.

Taking time out to inject positivity and gratitude into your day improves your mood at all times of the day but it is especially effective first thing in the morning.

Increased Health

Positive people are healthier than their peers. This is partly due to the lower stress levels experienced by those who practice positivity, but there is more to it than that and scientists are still working to understand it. Positive people are healthier on every level and tend to live longer as well!

Starting your day with gratitude and positive thinking sets the tone for your entire day and will lead you to be more positive throughout everything in life.

More Success

Being positive and grateful first thing in the morning helps clear your mind and allows you to focus more on your tasks for the day. This leads directly to having more success every day and over the long term. Positive people, as a whole, are much more successful than others. This is true in every aspect of life, from careers to relationships.

Happiness

Not only does starting your day with gratitude and positive thinking increase your mood, but it makes you happier. It boosts all of the “feel-good” hormones in the brain that make you happy. This isn’t a transitory effect, either; it lasts all day and over the long term increases your overall, permanent level of happiness.

Improved Relationships

When you start your day with positivity, you clear your brain and are in a much better space to relate to the people you care about most. This makes it easier to maintain healthy, caring relationships. This improvement starts almost immediately and lasts over the long run.

These are just a few of the benefits you can get from deliberately beginning each day with gratitude and positive thinking. You will experience many more if you make it a habit!

 

 

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Abundance, Living Now, Mental Health

5 Ways Gratitude Can Turn Your Bad Situation Around

Lyn Bailey

5 Ways Gratitude Can Turn Your Bad Situation Around

Gratitude has the power to get you through difficult times and turn your life around. It can motivate you to keep reaching for your goals by constantly placing what you have already accomplished right in front of you. This is why you are always told to learn to master thankfulness and nurture a grateful mindset.

Eighteen years ago, my marriage of 34 years broke down and ended in divorce. I was devastated. How could I manage on my own? How could I support myself? How could I ever be happy again? I felt so many emotions – guilt, shame, rejection, overwhelm, fear – just to name a few. How could I ever get out of this black hole? I didn’t know where to begin.

So, one day a few months later, I was meditating, a practice I have been doing daily for many, many years, when this thought popped into my mind. “There is so much to be thankful for. You have 4 amazing children, 2 beautiful granddaughters, your health, a roof over your head, a great career as a midwife, food on your table, wonderful friends, just for starters. There is a way out of this. You will try and figure it out.” I started to feel a sense of relief. “I may have lost my marriage but I still have the strength to work and rebuild a new life,” Just like that, I broke free from the chains that were holding me in the past, looked to what I wanted in the future, and started to live my life in the present, knowing this is the only moment I have complete control over. Gratitude became my new way of life, as I started to see the new doors that were opening in front of me.

One thing that enabled me to turn this bad situation around was creating an attitude of gratitude, shifting my focus from the pain of my marriage breakup to future I was free to create just for me.

Thankfulness turns your unfortunate situation around by:

  1. Shifting your focus.

   The worst thing about hard times is erasing them from your mind or finding ways of concentrating on something else. You can’t help but focus on how horrible your situation is and unintentionally think about how everything went wrong. Nonetheless, shifting your focus is possible if you maintain gratitude in trying times. Phrases like “I am still standing” “I have survived the worst” and “I still have so and so or such and such” will get you through tough times.

  1. Encouraging positive emotions.

    Gratitude gives birth to positive thoughts. Positive thinking is the key to positive emotions because what you think determines how you act, react, respond, or feel. Mastering thankfulness gives birth to positive emotions which keep you focused on “I am strong enough” and “I can fix that.” Therefore, understand that turning your situation around is possible only when you feel you can.

  1. Eliminating your fears.

   Gratefulness encourages you to concentrate on your ability to turn things around thereby eliminating your fears. Appreciating what you have accomplished and what you can still accomplish helps you notice that you have the chance to turn things around. So, use gratitude to overcome your fears.

  1. Emphasizing your strong points.

   Paying attention to what you can do when you are in a crisis is the only way of seeing things from a different perspective and changing what you don’t like. If you focus on “I am good at ABC” and “I can use this skill to effect change” you will move your life in the right direction and see the changes you are longing for.

  1. Imparting a strong sense of worth.

    One thing that makes you realize your sense of worth is having someone show you how much they value you when you are at your lowest point. To have someone do the unexpected for you reminds you that there are people out there who care about your welfare and that alone gets you going.

Appreciating that your life is not what it used to be because of something that someone did for you when you weren’t expecting or when you were not deserving fixes your mind on a thousand things to be grateful for.

Anything is possible when thankfulness becomes the center of your life. For instance, overcoming negative thoughts, controlling your emotions, getting back up, as well as turning your life around.

If you want help seeing life differently and developing an attitude of gratitude, download my FREE Gratitude Tool HERE

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Clutter, Living Now, Time Management

Minimalism Habits to Adopt

Lyn Bailey

There are many ways to live a minimalist lifestyle. Some people choose to live with less stuff, while others focus on simplifying their daily routines. Regardless of your approach, there are several key habits that all minimalists should adopt to simplify their lives.

1. Let go of stuff you don’t need

One of the most critical minimalist habits is letting go of items you no longer need or use. It’s easy to accrue a lot of stuff you don’t need. Getting rid of these items can declutter your home and simplify your life.

2. Don’t be afraid to say no

Many people feel like they have to say yes to everything. But this isn’t always necessary and can lead to an overly complicated life. If you don’t want to do something or don’t have the time, it’s okay to say no.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Another essential habit is not being afraid to ask for help when needed. Many try to do everything independently, but this isn’t always possible or necessary. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask a friend, family member, or professional for assistance.

4. Be patient

Patience is hard to come by sometimes. People often want things immediately. But sometimes, good things come to those who wait. So instead of rushing into things, take your time and enjoy the journey.

5. Be organized

Being organized doesn’t mean that you must live in an immaculate home with hotel vibes. But it does mean taking the time to declutter your space and put things in order. In addition, being organized helps you save time and stress because you don’t have to waste time looking for stuff.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff

Some sound advice for wannabe minimalists is not to sweat the small stuff. In other words, don’t let the little things stress you out. If something minor goes wrong, don’t dwell on it. Just let it go and move on.

7. Live in the present

Instead of focusing on the future or dwelling on the past, focus on the here and now. Living in the present will help you enjoy your life more and reduce stress.

8. Be grateful

Build a habit of gratefulness for what you have instead of worrying about what you don’t have. This will help you appreciate the good things in your life and be more content with what you have, which will possibly help make it easier for you to stop buying more stuff.

9. Simplify your wardrobe

Instead of having a lot of clothes that you never wear, focus on quality over quantity. Keep only the items you love and know you’ll wear. Consider choosing only two or three colors so everything matches or learning about capsule wardrobes.

10. Enjoy the journey

Minimalism is said to be a lifestyle, not a destination. Therefore, focusing on the end goal instead of what you are doing right now is a mistake. Instead, focus on enjoying the process. Appreciate the simplicity of your life and the things you can do because of it.

Adopting these habits will help you simplify your life and live a more minimalist lifestyle. But remember, minimalism requires that you enjoy the entire journey of your life in all areas of your life, not just the part where you accumulate stuff.

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Living Now, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Productivity, Time Management, Working Mums

Benefits of Having a Balanced Schedule

Lyn Bailey

Benefits of Having a Balanced Schedule

If you want to get more done in life without feeling too busy and burning out, it’s imperative that you create a balanced schedule. A balanced schedule has enormous benefits for your life when you make sure to account for what you need and want to do in every area of your life.

When you have a balanced schedule, you:

  • Feel less stressed because you’re not overwhelmed by a packed schedule
  • More free time to enjoy life apart from work and responsibilities
  • Are able to focus better on the task at hand when you have regular breaks
  • Avoid burnout from working too much or taking on too much at once
  • Get more done because you’re efficient with your time

A balanced schedule is the key to a happy, productive life. If you currently feel overwhelmed, stressed, and like you can’t keep up, it’s time to take a step back and assess your schedule. See what can be cut out or spread out more evenly. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel when you have a handle on your time.

Creating a balanced schedule means looking at all the areas of your life and ensuring there’s enough time for everything important to you. This includes work, family, friends, hobbies, and taking care of yourself. If one area takes up too much of your time, something else is likely suffering.

For example, if you’re working long hours, you may not have enough time for your family or friends. Or, if you’re spending all your free time on hobbies, you may neglect your work or other obligations. Therefore, finding a good balance between all the areas of your life is essential.

One way to do this is to create a weekly schedule where you block out time for each area of your life. This can help you see where you may need to make some adjustments. For instance, if you realize you’re working too much, you can cut back on your hours or take on less work. Or, if you’re not spending enough time with your family or friends, you can make an effort to schedule more social activities.

Like your boss, friend, and neighbor, you only have 24 hours a day, so be realistic regarding how much time you can devote to each area of your life. Also, keep in mind that your schedule may need to change from week to week, depending on what’s going on in your life. So schedule the most critical aspects of your life, like work and family, and then fill in the rest of your time with other activities.

A balanced schedule is essential for a happy, productive life. When you are mindful about what you really need to live a satisfying life, pay close attention to needs in all areas of your life and ensure there’s enough time for everything important to you, you can avoid stress, burnout, and feeling overwhelmed. So, take a look at your schedule and make the necessary adjustments to create a more balanced life.

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Goals, Health, Living Now, Mindfulness, Productivity

Why Can’t I Follow Through?

Lyn Bailey

Why Can’t I Follow Through?

Do you struggle with the act of following through?

Not finishing what we start is a common problem many people face in their life. It can quickly become a problem as these tasks stack up and start to weigh on us. While there are many reasons we may put things off, here are several of the most common.

You Are Stuck In Your Habits

One reason you may not be able to follow through with something new is that you are stuck in old habits. You might be unconsciously doing the same things you’ve always done, and thus you get the same results – failure to follow through.

To remedy this problem, you need to break your bad habits and build new helpful habits to replace them instead.

You Aren’t Being Proactive

Another reason you might not be following through with commitments is because you aren’t being proactive. Maybe you are just sitting around hoping that something or someone will come along and force you to follow through. Newsflash – that isn’t going to happen.

If you want to follow through with something, you need to be proactive and ultimately actively involved in trying to follow through. Taking action is the only way you will ever become better at following through in your life.

You Have A Negative Mindset

If you have a negative mindset in life, it can be very difficult to follow through with commitments. When you spend your whole day thinking of negative thoughts, the thought of following through with something seems so daunting, and negative.

For example, if your goal is to work out every day to get into shape, but then you spend all day thinking about how you hate working out, how you’ll never be in shape, and how you won’t ever be the person you want to be, you can guarantee you won’t get up off that couch and go exercise. Instead, it’s time to try approaching your goal with a positive mindset.

Overall, following through isn’t always the easiest thing for us to do. If you find yourself stuck in old habits and have a negative mindset, you can almost guarantee that nothing will change when it comes to your ability to follow through. So, if you want to be someone who follows through, it’s time to be proactive and take steps to change your life today.

What have you started and not finished? If you would like some help in getting back on track with this project then click HERE to book a FREE Discovery Call with me.

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Goals, Living Now, Mindfulness, Productivity

What Can I Learn From Tasks I Fail to Finish?

Lyn Bailey

What Can I Learn From Tasks I Fail to Finish?

It’s quite likely there’s been a task you’ve failed to finish at some point in your life, whether it was a project at work or maybe even one in your personal life.

However, although failing to finish something isn’t a great feeling, there are many ways you can learn from the tasks you fail to complete.

How Not To Do The Task

The first thing you will learn from failing to complete a task is how not to do it. This lesson might seem a little silly, but it matters – a lot. Learning what not to do, is an essential part of the learning process. The next time you aim to complete this task, you know what actions and behaviors to avoid. The more times you fail, the more ways you learn how not to accomplish your task. 

You Will Learn Something About Yourself

Whenever you fail at anything in life, it will teach you a lesson about yourself. Failure – and more importantly – your reaction to failure will teach you a lot about yourself. It will be an insight into your ability to deal with obstacles. You can also learn about your ability to bounce back from failure. Most importantly, failure can reveal weaknesses you need to address or strengths you never knew you had.

That It’s Time To Move On

Sometimes, when you fail to finish a task, it may teach you that it is time to move on. While on the one hand, you don’t want to give up; on the other hand, you need to examine if it is worthwhile pursuing in the first place.

This lesson is especially true if the reason for failure is completely out of your control. Maybe there isn’t a market for that new product idea. Socio-economic issues that you can’t do anything about might impact your career. These are times it might be time to move on.

It’s also important to examine if your goals still reflect your current values and needs. If you regularly fail to complete a task, maybe it is because it isn’t that important to you anymore?  Why waste energy on tasks that don’t reflect who you are?

Conclusion

You will likely come across a task you cannot finish at some time during your life. Don’t fret, though. When you fail to complete a task, it can teach you several important lessons. You can apply those lessons to your next task to ensure you can complete it and finally achieve success.

What have you started and not finished? If you would like some help in getting back on track with this project then click HERE to book a FREE Discovery Call with me.

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Goals, Living Now, Mental Health, Multitasking, Productivity

The Top 3 Reasons We Don’t Finish What We Start

Lyn Bailey

The Top 3 Reasons We Don’t Finish What We Start

Do you feel as if you are constantly leaving a trail of half-finished projects in your wake? Are you the type of person who has one project in particular that you’ve always wanted to finish but just haven’t gotten around to it? If that sounds familiar, keep reading to find the top three reasons you tend not to finish what you’ve started.

  1. You’ve Lost Motivation

When you started the project, your enthusiasm for starting something new first motivated you. However, if you haven’t seen any results in some time, this may have caused your motivation to lower. The best way to combat this loss of motivation is by breaking your project down into more manageable pieces and rewarding yourself along the way for steps well done. Conquering these more manageable pieces will help keep you motivated even when the project is long.

2. Negative Thoughts About The Project

Another reason you may find it difficult to complete a task is because of the way you think about the project. When it comes to mind, do you think you will never finish it or is your mind filled with thoughts of how hard the project is? Both are negative paths of thinking, and they will keep you from finishing the project. Instead, it’s time to transform your thinking to be positive regarding the project you are trying to complete. A more positive outlook will give you new energy and motivation to complete the task.

3. Lack Of Discipline

Another reason people can’t finish the projects they start is a lack of self-discipline. A person with self-discipline doesn’t give up when the going gets tough. They also tend to avoid procrastinating or slacking off. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s probably time that you work to cultivate self-discipline in your life. Boosting your self-discipline will ensure you can start finishing all the projects you start.

In conclusion, finishing what you start is quite often difficult. The most likely reason you cannot finish projects is probably one of the above reasons. If you want to enjoy feelings of success, it’s time that you get to the bottom of your reason for not finishing a project and then work towards conquering the reason. This way, the next project you start, or one you have left uncompleted, will finally be done. After all, it’s always better to be late than never finish at all.

What have you started and not finished? If you would like some help in getting back on track with this project then click HERE to book a FREE Discovery Call with me.

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Goals, Health, Living Now, Mental Health, Time Management, Working Mums

How Finishing What You Start Can Change Your Life

Lyn Bailey

How Finishing What You Start Can Change Your Life

 

If you constantly leave unfinished projects by the wayside, you know all too well how it feels not to finish a task. But the truth is, you can’t accomplish anything if you never finish what you start. It’s time for you to learn how to finish tasks because finishing tasks can change your life in several beneficial ways.

You’ll Find You Have More Career Options

No one wants to hire an employee who doesn’t finish projects or often leaves them partially complete. Once you demonstrate that you can finish projects every time they are assigned, you’ll find that you receive more promotions and other career paths open to you that weren’t there before.

 You Will Feel More Relaxed

Leaving unfinished projects in your life creates anxiety in your mind whether you realize this or not. When you begin to finish projects instead of leaving them undone, you’ll find that you feel much more peaceful and less anxious about the world around you. This will have profound effects on your mood and your relationships with others in your life.

You Will Feel Success

People often undermine the power of feeling successful. It really is a feeling which puts you on top of the world. Once you feel successful in one task, it will spill over into all your other tasks. This momentum will propel you to be more successful in your life. All from just finishing one task.

You Will Be Ready For Your Future

With the feelings of success that come from finishing what you start, you will also enjoy feelings of preparedness. Feeling more prepared will make you feel ready to face the future ahead. Future changes and projects will seem less scary and easier to accomplish, paving the way for future tasks for you to finish with ease.

Finishing what you start is not an easy task, but once you get the ball rolling and truly get yourself to complete tasks, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the benefits which follow. You’ll not only have more options in your life, but you’ll also feel more emotionally at peace with these options. And don’t forget you’ll also feel success, which will keep you on the road to achieving your dreams.

What have you started and not finished? If you would like some help in getting back on track with this project then click HERE to book a FREE Discovery Call with me.

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