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Forgiveness – Why Is It So Difficult? Part 1
When someone we love and trusted has treated us with disdain the last thing on our minds at first is forgiveness. Our dreams have been shattered and we usually become angry and want revenge. Forgiveness isn’t on the horizon.
If you’re infused with anger and resentment toward another person, your thoughts are likely full of negativity. You may also have guilt for how you contributed to the situation or think that forgiving is only for the weak – and you never want to forget the transgression so it will never happen again.
Being judgmental is also a reason why it’s so hard to forgive another. If you perceive the other person as not appreciating you or all you’ve done for them or the love and trust you’ve put in the relationship, it becomes even more difficult. You’re so disappointed by the other person’s behavior that you refuse to put it in the past.
It’s important to remember that forgiveness doesn’t automatically let the person off the hook for what they’ve done. Even if they apologize or make amends for the transgression, you may think they need to continue paying by being non-forgiving and casting them out of your life for good.
You can make the choice to forgive and still not reconcile or accept what they’ve done. But, when your harshness of judging begins to permeate your own life and make you bitter and resentful, forgiveness can be a gift that you give yourself so you can pick up the pieces and go on in a healthy manner.
15 More Power of Positive Thinking Quotes
- “Positive thinking” unaccompanied by action and effort is another term for “escapism”.
- “Don’t get upset with people or situations. Both are powerless without your reaction” – Unknown
- “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time” – Thomas Edison. (All great people have said this.)
- By all means use visualization to positively achieve goals – but be aware that fantasies can also “dull the will to succeed”.
- Those who truly know the meaning of positive thinking embrace failures as learning opportunities or challenges.
- Positive thinkers don’t criticize or look down on others. Nor do they waste time blaming others for their disappointments.
- Don’t just change your own way of thinking: Encourage others in your family to think positive thoughts and talk success too.
- Life doesn’t always allow us to be positive. But true positive thinkers return to that choice and practice as soon as they can.
- Insisting you practice positive thinking 100% of the time is to deny your feelings – and often deny the feelings of others.
- If you want to practice positive thinking, learn to embrace and think change.
- When you need to raise your energy to positive, meditate on a moment, image, song or person who fills you with joy.
- Keep a “Smile File” – photos of family, friends and even strangers whose smiles lift your spirits. Use it to stay positive.
- Pin positive affirmations, quotes and reminders in your work station – but do choose ones that really resonate with you.
- If you want to develop a positive attitude, stop complaining whenever you catch yourself doing so.
- If you truly want to embrace positive thinking, practice praising yourself for even small things you do right.
15 Power of Positive Thinking Quotes
- Thoughts are not static. They gather momentum like a snowball on a hill. Positive thoughts blossom – negative thoughts flatten.
- Negative thoughts can quickly become catastrophic. Learn to “re-frame” them into more positive, realistic thoughts.
- Find ways to turn even negatives into positives.
- Use music to help shift thoughts from negative to positive. Make a playlist of tunes or songs you find energizing or inspiring.
- Don’t feed negativity by hanging with negative people or listening to negative music. Raise your energy by using positive stimuli.
- “If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining” – Guy Finley
- The difference between being truly rich or poor is how you choose to feel – no matter what is going on around you.
- If you truly want to embrace positive thinking, stop paying attention to (and feeding) your negative thoughts and fears.
- If positive thinking is to work, you need to realistically decide where you need to change your thoughts.
- Pay attention to your words. They create your reality. Negative words create a negative reality; positive words create a positive reality.
- Humor can help stimulate a positive attitude, which helps positive thinking. So as they say, use it – don’t lose it.
- Do one thing daily you truly enjoy and let yourself look forward to it. That is the secret to shifting a negative outlook to positive.
- “You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” – C.S Lewis
- Positive thinking doesn’t mean sitting back and waiting for the Universe to drop Twinkies on your lap: It’s never giving up.
- Try starting the day by thinking of 10 things you are grateful for. (If 10 is too much, pick a number that feels comfortable.)
How to Get Big Results by Believing Big
How many of us can picture ourselves living in the house of our dreams or driving our dream car? How many of us allow ourselves to even consider getting out of our mundane, penny-pinching lives and living the life of our dreams?
Dreaming big is an important part of success for anyone. Allowing ourselves to dream big and believing wholeheartedly in those dreams is what separates the winners from the losers. Just look around you and see the proof in those that dream big and get better results as compared to people who dream small, or don’t allow themselves to dream at all. Think what a tragedy it is that some people don’t think it’s worth it to visualise a better life for themselves and as a result, never have the chance to live their dreams.
The other important part of achieving success is being willing to work to make those big dreams a reality. For people who dare to dream big and are willing to work hard, success can become a definite reality.
How much success we can achieve in life is limited only by how much we believe we can achieve success. Don’t be afraid to set your sights high – you can achieve anything that you want and more!
Just think of how much you can achieve simply by believing that you can. A life that offers you financial independence, the ability to make your own decisions and life goals, all that you want both materially and all the time and freedom to do what you want.
So many people feel trapped in their lives of tiny dreams, of getting by, of constantly craving more and yet thinking themselves undeserving of more. Is this how you want to live your life? Open your mind, your imagination, expand the size of your thinking and your drive for success and get to work. Think big and make those dreams happen!
How To Develop A Motivated Mindset
From time to time, each of us will find ourselves in a rut of boredom and disinterest. We seem to lose our zest for life and feel tired, irritable and unmotivated. We want to hide under the covers rather than face the day. Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed by work, or sad about the pain and suffering in the world, or just bored with the routine of your daily life.
You are not alone. We all go through periods like this at some point. The good news is that we can do something about it. Here are some tips to help break out of the rut and feel excited about life again:
1) Take a “Time Out” – Prolonged stress can wear us down and zap any enthusiasm we once had. Before doing anything else, take a few minutes to breathe and just BE. Empty your mind of all stress and worry. This takes practice, but don’t give up! As thoughts come into your mind, gently push them back out and continue to keep your mind empty and calm. Take slow, deep breaths and let all of your muscles relax. Sit quietly and recharge your batteries. Try to do this daily, or even twice daily (morning and night). We need quiet time as much as we need anything else in life. Give yourself the gift of inner peace.
2) Get Inspired – Read something motivational, inspirational or uplifting. Look at some beautiful nature photos, or read something humorous. Consciously move your thoughts to a more positive place. Focusing on nothing but work and our daily tasks in life can leave us feeling pretty uninspired. It’s easy to turn it around if we want to. We just have to seek out things that will lift our spirits and our moods. Make it a point to laugh, be happy, joyful and lighthearted each day. Don’t wait for inspiration to come knocking on your door, go out and find it, or create it. Conjure up some funny or touching memories. Write them in a journal so you can go back and read them when you’re feeling down.
3) Get Excited – Think about the things you have planned for the day, and rekindle the enthusiasm you once felt for them. When we first begin a new project, or start a new job, we are excited about the possibilities and eager to get moving! Over time, we can lose that enthusiasm for a variety of reasons. Travel back in time for a 
moment, and think about what got you so excited at the beginning. What made your heart beat a little faster? Recapture that feeling and hang onto it! Even if your tasks aren’t anything to be really excited about, at least think of some positive benefits to doing them. For example, list the ways they will benefit your children, your spouse, yourself, your job or your home. Identify the payoff, and focus on that. Even mundane tasks have some benefits. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of switching our mindset to see the positive side.
4) Baby Steps – Sometimes the hardest part is actually getting started. A project seems so monstrous that we cringe at the thought of all that time and energy we’ll have to expend. Instead of overwhelming yourself, start small. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just start working on it. Allow yourself to stop after 15 minutes if you really want to. But most often, once we actually start working on something, we won’t want to stop. Don’t focus on the big picture, look at the smaller details and take them on one at a time. Any large task seems manageable once we break it down into smaller steps.
5) Care of the Body – Sometimes our feelings of fatigue are caused by physical deficiencies, not mental. Be sure you are getting enough rest, eating food that nourishes your body, drinking enough water, getting enough exercise, etc. Especially when we’re very busy, we tend to grab the quickest, easiest meals, which aren’t always the best choice for our bodies. Eating a lot of highly processed foods and sugar is like putting watered-down gasoline into our cars. In order for our cars to run smoothly, we need to maintain them properly, and so it is with our bodies also. Remember, the body is the vehicle for the mind and soul!
Finally, remember to reward yourself from time to time, and be gentle with yourself! There will always be things that “need” to be done. But some of us take on way more than we can handle, and our lives turn into a pit of drudgery because of it. Try to eliminate the things that truly don’t bring you joy, or at least minimize the time you spend on them. Do what you can, and let the rest go. Or ask for help. Don’t feel you have to do everything yourself.
Remember that motivation, just like happiness, is something we CHOOSE. We may need to give ourselves a little push at the beginning, but once we get into the right mindset, it’s simple to stay there if we choose to.
What Is Big Thinking?
What Is Big Thinking?
When it comes to big thinking, it is important that you clearly understand exactly what big thinking is and what it entails. If you think about it, you can’t successfully put any process into place if you don’t understand that process first. So let’s take a look at what thinking big involves.
As you can tell from the name, thinking big is a mental process. Thinking big is about recognizing that you can accomplish whatever you want, no matter how big the dream, if you believe in yourself and are willing to put in the work that will allow you to make that dream a reality. Yet, despite being a mental process, thinking big isn’t restricted to only to thought. It is also about taking action on your positive thoughts and conquering you fears and inhibitions so that you get successfully to your goal.
A lot of people don’t succeed at the process of thinking big for the same reason. They simply won’t change the way that they think. You see changing the way that you think is one of the most important changes that you can make. However, change is frightening to most people. It is this fear that condemns these people to continue thinking small and, therefore, acting small. Why is this so? For one very simple reason – our thoughts have a direct effect on how we act. On the other hand, how we act also has a direct effect on how we think. Thought and action are tied together. They are a two-way street. Behavioral traffic freely goes both ways – from thought to action and from action to thought. Each one changes the other and both can move you forward or hold you back, depending on your state of mind.
So, it is only when you have a good handle on how thought and action interact can you begin to purposefully control your own big thoughts. This is because big thinking must be a way of life. There is no room for half measures or back sliding behavior. You must be committed to eliminating all negative thoughts and actions from your life. You must be committed to believing in yourself and believing in your dreams as well. There is no other way. Any other path leads back to small thoughts, small actions and a small and narrow world view. So, it’s either go big or go small when it comes to the process of thinking big.
