20 Ways to Start Believing in Yourself

Believing in yourself is the starting point where all things manifest from. When you don't believe in yourself, you literally block everything from happening for you. It's the difference between wishing you had luck - and creating your own luck.

Learning how to believe in yourself is necessary for achieving goals and handling challenges, but how do we do it?

The first step to opening yourself up to believing in yourself is to learn how to stop being your own critic, and start being your own proponent. In all honesty, you will never live a positive life when you are trash-talking yourself.

If you are someone who finds yourself engaging in trash-talk, you need to pay more attention to what you are saying to yourself throughout the day.

You need to ensure your self-talk is working for you, rather than against you. You will want to note that it is not wise to trash-talk others. This is important to your success. Why you may ask? Because you will experience setbacks - and those you trash-talked will mock you when you slip up. It's a kind-of karma where you talk bad about others, then bad happens only to you. Your success is not based on how poorly you see others; it is based solely on you focusing on your good nature and your abilities.

Here are 20 ways to believe in - and affirm yourself:

1. I am confident in my abilities and open to new challenges.
2. I have everything it takes to be successful.
3. I can achieve anything I put my heart into.
4. I deserve kindness and respect from others.
5. I get better every day.
6. I have so much to offer others.
7. I will stand up for myself.
8. I am a good hearted person.
9. I draw from those who are successful and inspire me.
10. I know the good I am capable of.
11. I am exactly who I am supposed to be.
12. I am happy with the person I am. 
13. I am content with my life.
14. I deserve kind and supportive people in my life.
15. I have many strengths and apply them for the greater good.
16. I am aware of my weakness and am working on them.
17. I am open to healthy and positive relationships.
18. I am proactive.
19. I am in control.
20. I make right choices and choose right responses.

People who doubt themselves are guaranteed to fail. It is important that you combine the positive self-talk with actions congruent with them. You will want to make a habit of building this into your regular work/home life first before applying them when pursuing your dreams.

Achieving God's Blessing

 

The modern church hammers down about the favor of God and his unmerited blessing. It has many people chasing it with false hopes. As a result, people tend to doubt God – down to the point of wondering if he is even real. 

A popular article suggests to receive God's Blessing, one must serve with their time and money. This has people believing they are doing God a service through long prayers, saying grace in public, going to church, emotionally charged singing, charity, or even witnessing. They saturate themselves attempting to earn the unearnable. (Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:)

There is a difference between serving yourself, and serving God. Thanks to the modern church, we have pagan's in the pews who believe they are Christians – because they think they know who Jesus is – when actually, they don't!

Until you know who Jesus is, you will never perceive – or achieve the favor of God – and since it's His divine power, it needs to be administered His Way. 

We see a wonderful example how King Saul was in pursuit of David (1 Samuel 19:10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.) but David, (1 Samuel 24) had a deep respect to the point to where he called King Saul “God's Anointed”. 

Divine Blessing or Favor begins with having a good attitude toward all people. This means treating difficult people like they are Your Personal Favorite – after all, this is what God has already done for you – and expects from you. 

God's favor is real, but it is set up to establish His Plan through you as opposed of for you. (Psalm 90:17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.)

Though we’re all subject to the blessings of God, some are more blessed than others. I believe this has more to do with your willingness to perform God's Divine Calling over your life. So here it goes:

1. Love God – Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
2. Trust God – Isaiah 58:11 and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
3. Understand God – 1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 
4. Please God – Esther 2:9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.
5. Serve God – Genesis 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
6. Love people – Jonah 4:2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
7. Understand People – Jonah 4:4-8 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
8. Serve People – 1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
9. Serve Your Family – 1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
10. Censure Yourself – 2 Timothy 3:2-3 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
11. Be Submitted – 1 Timothy 6:9-11 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12. Be Blameless – Philippians 2:15 that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
13. Be Humble – James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
14. Be Honest – Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
15. Be Wise – Proverbs 14:24 The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.
16. Be Faithful – Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
17. Count Your Blessings – Psalm 103:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

This last point is pretty important; God doesn't necessarily bless You for YOU, He blesses you for you to perform His work. (Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.)

We humans have been conditioned by society to “one-up” our neighbor. We tend to look at their possessions and base our perception of God's Blessing on them by what they have. By doing so, we fail to understand what it means to have God's Blessing upon our own lives.

When God does Bless us, we need to remember to count our blessing with humility as opposed to pride; this is the difference between demonstrating gratitude or arrogance.

We need to take our role seriously so we do not fall short of entering into His Rest – which we only enter into after we fulfilled our calling. (Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.) 

God's Divine Blessing is about having peace over the pressures of life – not wealth.

Blessings,

 

The Power To Forgive

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

This is my dog Judah. We got him Christmas Day 2020. He’s a Shephard/Hound cross. We got him when he was three and a half months old. We suspect that his puppy beginnings were not so great by how he was, and how long it took him to warm up to us. We’ve had dogs in the past, but they’ve been small dogs; this time, I wanted a real dog. The only experience I had with a large breed dog was when I was 5. I had a St Bernard. She was special to me and I never got over losing her. 

In the spring of 2020, we bought a new home. Since the home was of significant size, we thought about getting a dog, but we put it off because we were renovating and setting things up. There were a lot of things to upgrade. When I first saw the home on the market in November of 2019, I was put off by it. When February of 2020 rolled around, I decided to take a closer look especially when the owners dropped the price - and it was beside a creek. We felt good about it - so we went ahead with the purchase - and ended up getting a great deal!

I enjoyed setting up our new home. Obtaining it was nothing short of a miracle. When the pandemic began, there was the "Mad March" market drop. We used our RRSP's to finance our down payment. The Monday after the RRSP withdrawal (which was the previous Friday), the market experienced one of the greatest drops in history. Had we not withdrawn the RRSP when we did, we would have lost 35% of the down-payment and would have had to make up the difference in the down-payment (which we didn't have) or run the risk of forfeiting the down-payment and losing the home altogether. 

I believe God had his hand in this... Psalm 44:3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

In the summer, we had another interesting experience in which we were able to repay the full RRSP withdrawal back! We figured this was now the time to get a dog - but I put it off. I decided to pray about it because I wanted to make sure that I was the right person for the dog. I prayed about it for three months, then I started to pursue one in November - believing that I was in the right position to welcome one into my new home.

I found a couple of beautiful dogs, but they fell through for reasons that crushed my heart.

By this time, the lockdowns were in full force and that was disheartening enough; I began to feel a little desperate. I saw Judah advertised as a dog named Timer, but I hesitated because there was something sketchy about the photo.

After a long - daunting search for a suitable dog with unfavorable results, I decided to consider Timer. 

I spoke with the dog-breeder (puppy-mill) and I learned that this dog had a great deal of my own character traits and I was assured he was trained to go to the bathroom outdoors. So I arranged a meeting which happened to be on Christmas Day.

The woman - Kayla pulled up and about 8 dogs (including puppies) all pooled out of a little old hatch-back. I said I wanted to get a feel for the dog without a commitment. She said that for a "hold" she would go into town and then come back. I agreed. When she pulled away, I realize that I now had a dog that I wasn't totally sure of and she had my deposit. She called, and demanded the remainder via e-transfer. So we sent it, and from that moment on, we were dog owners.

The first thing this dog did was he started to chew everything! Don't laugh, it was wicker!

Since it was the early afternoon on Christmas Day, we had no way to get to the pet store to get supplies (we were unprepared because of the sudden thrust upon us). So we allowed the wicker to get chewed up until we were able to get Timer - now Judah, some provisions.

We got him a comfy bed - which he chewed up. We got him stuffed toys - which he chewed up; my husbands high-top Nike's - all chewed up, and then we were all cut-up because he chewed on us as well! Wow - his teeth were sharp!

By this time, I was uncertain that getting Judah was a good decision. Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I decided to pray about this - so I asked God what the right decision was. I didn't want to give up on Judah, so after I prayed about it. I believed that God would condition my heart so I was the right person for the dog (it's never the other way around).

I took him for all his shots - and after them, he was still exhibiting aggressive behavior. The vet suggested to get him neutered (by this time he was past 4 months). I went ahead with it and he was less aggressive with us.

At the beginning of summer, when the new carpet smell dissipated and the temperatures increased, I noticed an odor. I then realized he covered all of the main area upstairs, on my new carpet, with his pee! I broke down. It took several hours over several days, loads of disinfecting solution and a great deal of time on my knees to blot it all out. 

While I was on my knees, I recalled Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

As God spoke to my heart with this verse, I realized that is how forgiveness works; we can't remove what we've done or change how our actions have affected God or others. I understood this because Judah has paws and not hands. He also did not have what it takes to physically clean the carpets; the ownership was on me to clean - the ownership was also on me to also forgive - but it could only come through the conditioning of my heart. I wanted to give up on Judah and considered rehoming him, but I knew that was not an option.

Then I understood what God did for us through Christ Jesus his Son. You see, He blots out our sin - not us - we can't - we don't have the right tools; it came by the heart of God through the Blood of Jesus. This is the only "solution" that removes the stain of sin on our soul. 

I looked at Judah and cried and cried; As I did, he was aware that his actions caused me grief. That grieved him and Judah has never peed in the house since! 

This is how forgiveness works; I was the one who suffered - but I was also the one who had to forgive. 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Only the injured person can blot out the transgression, and when it is blotted out, the relationship heals and is restored. Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Jesus was wounded on the Cross; from His example, we learn that it is only the wounded person who must forgive because they are the only one in the position to offer it. 1 John 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? The person who offers forgiveness seeks love and restoration...Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

You see, when someone does you wrong, your heart will respond in love (restoration) or hate (division or separation); it is solely based on the condition of your heart: 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. When we respond in love, we show God that we truly are His children!

A year later, I feel so blessed to have the joy, comfort and companionship Judah brings; he is so much a part of our family that he even has his own room!

God Bless,

Maria

Simplifying Forgiveness

An Eye For An Eye

Leviticus 24:20 Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

King Hammurabi reigned in ancient Babylonia from 1792-1750 BC.

He was well favored by the people because he considered the pleasures and comforts of them rather than just himself and his noblemen.

King Hammurabi brought in a set of laws known as the Code Of Hammurabi.

Death was often a punishment for criminals for even the most minor offence.

Under this Code, people were considered innocent until proven guilty. When guilty, they were punished under the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" method.

We see that the Bible shows this as well in the above verse.

Nowadays, people offend one-another continually. A great deal of these situations are not worthy of going to court over; so, what do we do with minor offenses?

Jesus outlines it clearly:

Matthew 5:38-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We need to learn how to turn away from those who are bent on evil.

When we oppose them, their (heart) condition worsens, and the stubbornness of their hearts harden towards us.

Although their hatred is not necessarily our problem, we still need to address the difference between what is holy, and what is profane.

When disagreements arise, It's usually "I'm right", "no, I'm right". God's Word is the only authority because truth is right and it doesn't pick a side.

Ezekiel 44:23-24 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

This passage shows us that when disputes arise, everyone involved stands in judgment, and it is only those whose hearts are humble before God's authority that will show forth to be clean, and walk out from under God's judgement. So remember, an eye for an eye only sees the outside - not the person's heart, which is what matters to God the most.

God Bless,

Maria

WHO ARE YOU?

 

WHO ARE YOU? (All links go to KJV Scripture Reference)

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer - and there's a reason for that!
As human beings, we have a tendency to think of our man/womanhood as something concrete and tangible that connects us to the 'real world'; that's why we follow celebs and mimic them in appearance and attire. After all, fitting in is what we aim for - right?
Who we really are is nothing more than a product of our minds-in terms of how we see ourselves IN this said 'real world'!
As we go through experiences, we develop our own idea that either enables or disables our ability to relate to - or fit-in this world we live in.
The good times offers comfort, but the bad times challenge our establishment. These challenges are what cause a schema that is supposed to break us from this world, and embolden us to see things from a new perspective.
We need these experiences because we are not here to stay; we are only passing through.
Getting back to the question of Who Are You?

You are a mental being, not just any mental being, but a self-conscious mental being; but your state of mind depends upon how self-aware (awake) you are to sound judgment.
The world would have you follow after the image of celebs as opposed to the Image of God - chasing after the glamour and having you doubt your beauty, gender, your wellness, the rhythm of your heartbeat, the sound of your cough - all the way down to your own happiness. The world wants you to doubt everything about your life all - especially the foundation we are built on (shape of the earth)! The world causes this because they want to control you. As people identify themselves in their weakness (doubts)- they give their power over to the world's system without realizing it.
If this said 'real world' is where you identify yourself, then you are in a world of trouble!
There is only One Way to pull yourself out and that is by removing yourself from it altogether. You do that by reversing what the world taught you and returning to the foundation that God placed you upon (A Perfect Foundation).

The story on David & Goliath is altogether a perfect example of going against the world and the labels they attach onto you.
When you go with the flow you are only drowning in the sea. The way to fight the world's system is by going against the grain by causing friction and making a difference! What you overcome is what you become, and like Christ, HE overcame the world - including death! (John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.)

When you overcome mental/spiritual challenges by working in opposition against them, you are in a position to make a difference in this fake world we live in. It is then and there that 'Who You Are' is established.

God Bless!

Destroyed By Comfort - Preserved Through Hardship

 

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. Matthew 11:28-30 

The number of people stressed these days is almost equal to the number of people on earth. With corporate greed, political corruption and the covid lie, hardship can strip those who are weak of everything – even down to their own will… 

For those who are unfamiliar or inexperienced with suffering, you will need to manage yourself manfully; this is only done through wisdom.

For those who think that God will take care of all their troubles, you're in for a rough–ride! Jesus says in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”

Hardship is an essential element to preserve through; not only in the Christian life but in every area of life. In business, hardship is described as a stepping-stone or the downside. In fitness, it’s described as strength-training; in relocating, it’s described as networking (Need I go on?).

In Christianity, the Bible describes it as a filter through which Christ-followers will enter the Kingdom of God.

The Bible calls us to endure hardship.

Why? Because it's faith building.  

Those who have filled their lives and set their beliefs on temporary comforts have never really allowed themselves to become familiar with hardship. These folks fall apart at the slightest sign of hardship. 

Hebrews 12:7 says "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" 

Discipline is training and training is designed to make you stronger; every bodybuilder would agree.

When people face pressure, they have two choices: buckle under it or lift the weight off of them.  

If you want to change your life for the better, you need to do just that. 

Many of us become indignant when we face hardships because we feel the treatment is unfair or unjust. In our self-righteous-anger, we 'right' the wrong that was done to us.

Unfortunately, this is failing to endure. 

2 Timothy 4:5 says "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship."

I've seen people destroyed because of comforts. They end up stressed, sick, inflicted with terrible diseases, full of anxiety, depressed, unable to make decisions, struggling with addiction, drug-overdosed and in some cases, dead - all because they refused to meet challenges along the way, and manage the downside.

Philippians 4:13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. 

There is always a reason for our sufferings; none of them are in vein. God uses them to remove worms of self-concern and to plant seeds of faith. 

As your faith builds, you know how to handle hardship without letting it knock you off course…on a side note, when we live for comforts [pleasures] we are already off course.

What are some of the way we can get back on course?

We can:

Fear not – When we fall to fear, we lose our faith, when we lose our faith, we seek [false] comfort. Turn to the Word of God for His guidance and direction.

Welcome change – but only if the change brings you closer to God. Most of our comforts alienate us from God so this makes complete sense.

See things from another perspective – when we focus solely on ourselves, we entertain the wrong emotions – every time! When we focus on Christ, it takes our eyes off of ourselves, and we see the situation more clearly.

Endure hardship – when you look at the life of Job, you will note that he endured through it all. He was in right standing with God – meaning – his heart never convicted him of any sin. In the end, he was rewarded for maintaining his position.

Understand the purpose of your hardship – Be willing to accept the challenge. God doesn’t bring you to a duel in which He doesn’t give you the tools to overcome. Overcoming the hardship is the only way through it. Each time you run from hardship, they get more difficult to deal with. It’s always best to deal with them and put them behind you; this is how you get stronger.

If you ever watched the movie The Passion Of The Christ, one can easily observe that Jesus was more concerned for the sins of others rather than His own well-being. He endured a great deal of pain and preserved under it until his assignment was complete. Jesus was the strongest man to ever walk this world and in Him, we learn how to endure hardship victoriously!

Comfort is your greatest sign of weakness.

Enduring hardship is the greatest sign of strength. 

When we preserve under pressure  - we are the ones who 'get the crown'. 

Revelation 2:3 says "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."

11 Ways To Promote Financial Growth

 11 Ways To Promote Financial Growth 

As long as you're in the drivers seat, you are spending money on gas (so to speak). With everything, there is a cost - nothing is free! With that said, you need to beware of all freebies because they often come at an even greater cost which can take years to recover from.

Financial education is paramount when protecting your assets & promoting financial growth. Here are some tips to protect what is yours:

Think Investing - Not Spending

Rather than focus on pinching every penny, start focusing on increasing revenue - to invest with. The more you have to invest, the more your money goes to work for you, even as you sleep.

I know of one company that pulls all of their finances out of the business account - and invests it in the market each weekend. Their motto is "in the scope of investing, even a small increase is a good gain"!

Use Leverage 

The wealthy will use their credit as a tool, not a crutch: This is where you use credit as leverage to build a business or invest - instead of making purchases on things you don't need with it. This will also help you build a strong credit score, which will allow you to borrow at lower interest rate.

When it comes to investing, start small until you gain experience; then increase your risk.

When it comes to starting a business, see where the demand is; people will pay for a great product or service.

Have A Goal

Instead of dreaming about how you’d spend a lottery winning, dream about a business you can start. When the rich need money, they don’t wonder if it’s possible, they simply make it a reality.  There is an endless amount of opportunities from odd-jobs, to finding valuable things at thrift stores and selling them; then there is art, photography, wood-working and restoration...get excited about that instead - and throw love into what you do! 

Fear Not!

Too many people have fears when it comes to money, Worrying about money is a waste of time, not to mention the negative, destructive psychological impact it has on your mind as well as your physical well-being. 

Imagine you just invested in a stock. Now imagine that stock loses a great deal of it's value; you have 2 choices: you can either pull out out of fear, or put in so that when it (eventually) rises, you get a higher return on your investment (ROI). If you don't pull out, you don't actually lose anything; you only lose when you give up.

When you are worrying, then you are clearly not doing anything! The way to stop worrying is to take action because action puts you in the control group! 

Give Up Giving Up!

When you look at the financial crisis that is occurring around the world right now, it's easy to get down and out over how bad it really is. When you get discouraged, you are more prone to giving up.

But when you start thinking about it, you will realize that now is the perfect time to accept challenges and see what you are really made of. When everyone else is talking about what they can’t have or do (financially), rich people are making the most out of those opportunities that most people won't do; they also cash-in on those who gave up!

Be Solution Oriented

Wealthy people never focus on problems, they only focus on solutions. Problem solving is the #1 way wealthy people go about in life. I mean - have you met a poor problem solver? Being poor in itself is a problem, but clearly you're not comfortable with being poor which is why you're reading this.

As you know, life will throw you one crisis after another, so you need to be willing to go beyond reading the information stated here.

Have An Action Plan

In order to become wealthy, you must always have a plan in action – whether it would be to cut unnecessary spending, renegotiate interest rates on your credit cards and loans, start (or grow) a business, invest, or turn an investment deficit into a profit - there has to be continual forward motion.

Now, if you just thought "that is easier said than done" you've just defeated yourself. With some badass math skills and a willingness to take risks, and/or make some sacrifices, it is very easy.

Have A Good Perspective

In order to see yourself having money, you need to shift your mindset to get out that "I don't have enough" phase. 

One way to achieve that is to realize how much you actually have. Truth is most people have a great deal of money coming into their homes each month; it's just a matter of assessing how much it takes to satisfy all your cravings. 

When you're grateful for what you have now, that appreciation will lead to contentment because contentment is gain on it's own!

Challenge Your Beliefs About Money

Money doesn't literally grow on trees, but as long as you keep telling yourself that, it will always be in short supply.

Likewise, if you believe that money is the root of all evil, you will defeat your shot at increase. For the record, it's the love of money that is the root of evil - not having it! (Just saying) Also, having no ambition or being hesitant will hinder your growth.

Develop new mindsets about money and your ambition. The only difference between you and rich people is their approach to them.

Be A Giver

You may think you need to be stingy in order to become wealthy, but when you give, you get the feel of being wealthy. Then you will no longer see yourself as someone in need (poor), but see yourself as one who extends their hands to the needy (role-reversal).

No Risk = No Reward

This will result in your mind being open to possibilities; let me explain:

Pretend your mind is an elastic band. Each time you take a risk, you gain valuable experience. When you experience a setback, you take caution; and when you experience a victory, you reap the rewards. 

With each experience, your mind and potential grows - and guess what grows along with it? 

Money!

Maria

Developing Mental Strength

In today's society, we have many factors that drain our energy— and when our energy is drained, our ambitions are often drained along with them.  How we compose ourselves is essential for moving forward. Henry Ford once said, “when everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” This is what gives the situation strength. 

Each trial you face is geared to make you strong - even though you may feel weak or drained. Having mental strength is essential for being an overcomer. So, how do you develop mental strength? Here are a few tips:

Have A Mission Statement

A personal mission statement is a declaration of your purpose and core values. It's not just a statement, but a blueprint of - not only your intentions, but how you plan to accomplish your goals. I believe having a personal mission statement is important; it shows others what you stand for.

Have A Mantra:

The word “mantra” comes from Sanskrit—and glosses itself as a “mental tool” that keeps us motivated and focused, while we deal with life's setbacks - as we strive to achieve our goals. 

One of the most fabulous mantra's I have heard was from the motivational movie Cool Runnings Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! 

An interesting fact is the term “Cool Runnings” means “peaceful journey”.

Mantras are a good way to manage stress, it offers you a positive outlook, teaches you acceptance, patience, and increases self-awareness.”

Avoid Self-Pity:

Mentally strong do not people feel sorry for their themselves when trials and tribulations come their way. They have the understanding that life is not always fair. However, they are able to navigate through trials by empowering themselves with knowledge and having the emotional maturity to not fall apart.

Empower Yourself: 

Mentally strong people have self-awareness — and work within the scope of their abilities. They remain in control of their actions and emotions at all times. They know that their strength lies in their ability to handle change.

Accept The Challenge:

“If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.” 

Mentally strong people accept challenge and welcome change. 

People's greatest fear is change because change means venturing out into the unknown. What people fail to realize is 'comfort' is really complacency. Challenges in themselves have a way of energizing a mentally strong person because it usually brings out the best in them!

Don't Live To Please Others:

A mentally strong person strives to be kind, and willing to meet the needs of others. Mentally strong people are also good negotiators—spotting a good opportunity when they see it. They are also not afraid to confronting someone — but when they do, they leave that person's dignity intact.

Be A Risk Taker:

A mentally strong person has a natural ability of weighing the risk— to— benefit ratio thoroughly. They are willing to accept all potential disadvantages of their decision after each action they take. 

Leave The Past Behind:

There is strength by acknowledging the past— but only when you've learned from it. A mentally strong person avoids filling their head with past disappointments. They choose to invest their brain energy and time on things that are only productive.

Accept Responsibility:

A mentally strong person accepts all responsibility for each of their actions and has the self-awareness to avoid over-reacting in difficult situations. Those who have the ability to be self-reflective and productive even in times of adversity will achieve success because attitude is the equivalent to altitude!

Be Happy For The Success Of Others:

Mentally strong people have the ability to feel joy and excitement at the success of others; they are not threatened over their success. They will even go the distance to learn from them. A successful person is usually willing to let others know how they achieved it — and a successful person 'in training', is willing to learn from them!

10. Don't Give Up:

“Losers quit when they fail. Winners fail until they succeed.” —  Robert Kiyosaki

Mentally strong people are willing to fail because the learning experience of each failure brings them closer to their desired results.

Require Alone-Time:

Mentally strong people require time alone. People today have lives filled with chaos - and mentally strong people don't want that mental-garbage polluting their aura. This allows them the mental energy to plan, be productive and work towards their goals. 

Work Toward Something:

Life isn't going to hand you the winning lottery ticket. Your lottery willing is in the chances you take and the challenges you are willing to face. Mentally strong people enter the world prepared to work and succeed on their own credentials, in all phases of their journey.

Live For The Journey:

Whether it’s a diet or a workout plan, or starting a business or a family, mentally strong people are in it for the long-haul! They know that all of their efforts lie in what they do while they are on their journey. They celebrate each milestone, increase in joy, and accept all setbacks every step of the way. They are fully aware that all good things come in good time. 

I hope you found these tips for developing mental strength helpful.

Maria