The Chinese New Year is near, and many of the traditional greetings that will be uttered and sent via email and SMS will have something to do with abundance. Prosperity, for example, is an abundance of monetary wealth. And when it comes to money, most people believe that you must work longer, harder, or be luckier than the next person if you are to ever achieve any type of financial security. It is a common belief that "money is hard to come by," or money doesn't grow on trees."
Well, although I have never seen a money tree, the concept of wealth creation can be much easier than most realize, or can imagine. Obviously though, money isn't the only aspect of living an abundant life. Abundance also includes good health, joy, love, satisfaction, and continuously working towards being all you can be.
To make matters simpler, there are actually 3 areas that determine a true sense of fulfillment, which must be balanced if you are to truly experience and enjoy life to the fullest.
These 3 key areas are Money, Health and Relationships.
If you had $30 million but your health was such that you couldn't get out of the house to enjoy it, it would have little value. If you had the same amount of money and great health but no one to share it with, life would be quickly become empty and meaningless.
By the same token, if you were absolutely broke, but enjoyed health relationships and outstanding health, it would be impossible to experience and fully enjoy those things that money can buy, which would allow you to do for yourself and those you love, whatever you would like.
With respect to money, it has been estimated that if the worlds wealth were divided amount the people of the world equally, there would be enough for every single person alive, children included, to live in a 3000 square foot home and have $7 million in cash! So why is it that some seem to have it all, while others scrape by from day to day just to pay the bills and keep food on the table?
Well, negative geopolitical factors aside, the answer is thoughts and emotions. These two incredibly powerful aspects of your life are what determine what you have or don't have. These two seemingly simple aspects of mind are the difference between living a life of overflowing abundance or barely getting by. This is because our thoughts and emotions form our beliefs. These beliefs are established, for the most part, when we are just young children and are based on the experiences of our parents, and what they were taught and came to believe as truth in their life.
Before we can create a life of abundance, we have to understand that three key areas contribute to its development - money, health and relationships. And when it comes to money, it's our thoughts and emotions that determine if we are financially secure or not. Our thoughts and emotions feed our beliefs and our beliefs are what drive our lives.
Many people believe that the occurrences that happen in their day to day lives happen because that is "Just the way life is". what many fail to realize is that the reason these things happen as they do is because that is what they are attracting themselves through their belief system.
Take for instance Roger Bannister, the man who broke the all time record of running a 4 minute mile, on May 6th 1954. Until the time he accomplished that incredible feat, it was believed to be impossible, and beyond human ability to do so. That is until Roger Bannister came along, who broke the previous world record, and finished in an amazing 3 minutes 59.4 seconds! Once it was found that such a thing actually could be accomplished, that record has since been broken many times! Once people actually believed that it was possible, it became much more so!
Look at your own life. What self limiting beliefs have you allowed to hold you back from accomplishing your most sought after dreams and deepest desires? What unfulfilled dreams are you hesitating to act on because the world says that it's impossible?
You don't have to be a track start to create whatever it is that you desire in your life. You don't have to be someone else to achieve whatever you desire and enjoy more abundance in your life than you previously imagined. You don't have to be anything other than yourself.
So what is the secret of abundance?
There isn't one.
All that is necessary to attract all the abundance you could ever hope for, is for you to shed the self limiting beliefs that you have allowed to stored as your truth. All that is required is that you develope an awareness of the overflowing abundance and unlimited potential given to you.
You have the power to choose.
Change your beliefs and you can change your life.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Happiness From Within
Many people believe that happiness is something that comes from external sources, like their profession, wealth, having the perfect mate or creating the ideal family. Holding on to such a belief hands control of our lives over to uncertain and unconcerned forces.
Truly happy people though, understand that they have the power to cultivate authentic happiness and become more optimistic about the future. These people recognize that life will endlessly throw challenges in their path. But they can decide how these challenges affect them. Such people view the future with optimistic hope and excitement as they create the life they want to live, creating joy from within.
So, what does it take to be happy from within?
Here are some simple suggestions to get you on track:
First and paramount, make happiness a habit, a way of life. Happiness is a choice that needs to be made every day, every hour, and even every minute. Genuinely happy people are so because they choose to be.
Cultivate mindfulness, In striving to be fully present in each moment, you can live a life of greater depth and meaning
Direct your daily thoughts. Thoughts can easily stray or be moulded by other people and factors. Be aware of the thoughts that you believe in as truths. In order to become aware of your thoughts, begin by writing down your thoughts. Then read what you have written and question whether or not these thoughts are helpful to you or realistic. Are they truths based on facts or just your own beliefs?
Live in a state of flow. Author Mihaly csikszentmihalyi suggested that flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. To achieve flow an activity must have the following components: the activity must be challenging, it must be clear in how it will progress meaning that the rules are simple, it must requre all of our concentration, and we must feel we are making progress and are in control. The more flow activities you incorporate into your life, the happier you will feel.
Now this is a really crucial tip - practice forgiveness. It is the path of inner happiness and peace. In genuinely forgiving another person, and don't forget forgiving yourself, you will feel a profound sense of healing. Not to mention more time and energy you can devote to other more rewarding things.
Genuinely happy people know that joy comes from within, not from outside sources. And here are some more ways you can cultivate happiness from within, and choose happiness as a habit, a way of life.
Develop discipline. By overindulging in food, alcohol, sex or other temporary gratifications, a weakening of our mind, body and soul can result. By practicing self discipline in our daily lives, we strengthen our mind and self-image because we promote a feeling that we are in control of our body. By using restraint, we achieve stability which leads to contentment.
Be an optimist. This includes, but is not limited to, perceiving problems as temporary, and not taking things personally. Such optimistic thinkers view the events that happen in their lives as always having a positive side. They choose to believe that ones ability to conquer hardship is determined by how one recovers from a setback. They hold on to the belief that nothing can hold them down permanently.
Simplify your life. Whenever I travel, I end up realising that I've over-packed. Essentially, I'm carting along baggage that I never use and don't really have to use. And look around you - your office, your bedroom. Going through your wardrobe alone should send you into spasms of regret over wasterd money. Life is needlessly bloated and complex these days. To restore a sense of balance to our lives, we must try to do less, own less, worry less and push ourselves and others less. I'm not saying that you should stop reaching for the stars or expecting the best, but if you look critically, there are meny things you can really afford to let go.
Exercise reguarly. Ah... I'm guilty of not doing enough myself. But daily exercise has a huge impact on how positive we feel about ourselves. Giving our body a regular workout helps reduce tension and stress. Regular exercie also helps to reduce fat, improves muscle tone, clears the skin, and promotes a general sense of energy and mobility.
And lastly, give love freely. Everyone loves being loved, and just as crucial, being told they're loved. But expressing love makes us feel good too. There is powerful magic in the sharing of giving and taking that creates great joy. And konwing that the person you love knows that you love him or her is an indescribable feeling that stays with you like a constant umbrella, shielding you from the rain.
These are but a few first steps to incorporating happiness-producing habits in our lives. I know you'll come up with countless more.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Truly happy people though, understand that they have the power to cultivate authentic happiness and become more optimistic about the future. These people recognize that life will endlessly throw challenges in their path. But they can decide how these challenges affect them. Such people view the future with optimistic hope and excitement as they create the life they want to live, creating joy from within.
So, what does it take to be happy from within?
Here are some simple suggestions to get you on track:
First and paramount, make happiness a habit, a way of life. Happiness is a choice that needs to be made every day, every hour, and even every minute. Genuinely happy people are so because they choose to be.
Cultivate mindfulness, In striving to be fully present in each moment, you can live a life of greater depth and meaning
Direct your daily thoughts. Thoughts can easily stray or be moulded by other people and factors. Be aware of the thoughts that you believe in as truths. In order to become aware of your thoughts, begin by writing down your thoughts. Then read what you have written and question whether or not these thoughts are helpful to you or realistic. Are they truths based on facts or just your own beliefs?
Live in a state of flow. Author Mihaly csikszentmihalyi suggested that flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. To achieve flow an activity must have the following components: the activity must be challenging, it must be clear in how it will progress meaning that the rules are simple, it must requre all of our concentration, and we must feel we are making progress and are in control. The more flow activities you incorporate into your life, the happier you will feel.
Now this is a really crucial tip - practice forgiveness. It is the path of inner happiness and peace. In genuinely forgiving another person, and don't forget forgiving yourself, you will feel a profound sense of healing. Not to mention more time and energy you can devote to other more rewarding things.
Genuinely happy people know that joy comes from within, not from outside sources. And here are some more ways you can cultivate happiness from within, and choose happiness as a habit, a way of life.
Develop discipline. By overindulging in food, alcohol, sex or other temporary gratifications, a weakening of our mind, body and soul can result. By practicing self discipline in our daily lives, we strengthen our mind and self-image because we promote a feeling that we are in control of our body. By using restraint, we achieve stability which leads to contentment.
Be an optimist. This includes, but is not limited to, perceiving problems as temporary, and not taking things personally. Such optimistic thinkers view the events that happen in their lives as always having a positive side. They choose to believe that ones ability to conquer hardship is determined by how one recovers from a setback. They hold on to the belief that nothing can hold them down permanently.
Simplify your life. Whenever I travel, I end up realising that I've over-packed. Essentially, I'm carting along baggage that I never use and don't really have to use. And look around you - your office, your bedroom. Going through your wardrobe alone should send you into spasms of regret over wasterd money. Life is needlessly bloated and complex these days. To restore a sense of balance to our lives, we must try to do less, own less, worry less and push ourselves and others less. I'm not saying that you should stop reaching for the stars or expecting the best, but if you look critically, there are meny things you can really afford to let go.
Exercise reguarly. Ah... I'm guilty of not doing enough myself. But daily exercise has a huge impact on how positive we feel about ourselves. Giving our body a regular workout helps reduce tension and stress. Regular exercie also helps to reduce fat, improves muscle tone, clears the skin, and promotes a general sense of energy and mobility.
And lastly, give love freely. Everyone loves being loved, and just as crucial, being told they're loved. But expressing love makes us feel good too. There is powerful magic in the sharing of giving and taking that creates great joy. And konwing that the person you love knows that you love him or her is an indescribable feeling that stays with you like a constant umbrella, shielding you from the rain.
These are but a few first steps to incorporating happiness-producing habits in our lives. I know you'll come up with countless more.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Stress Relief at Work
Everyone acknowledges the existence and inevitablity of stress at the workplace, but how many of us really understand the extent of damage it's wreaking?
Even as we speak, millions around the world are on the verge of a breakdown due to work-related stress. And it's not just the workers themselves who take a beating. Some estimates put the loss of GDP due to stress in some developed nations at about 10%! Employees falling sick, employees fearful of going to work, employees not putting in their best effort, all these cripple productivity.
Managers have the duty to monitor stress levels in the workforce, identify the factors that cause stress, and take firm measures to reduce it. The top factors that increase stress at work include: poor working conditions (e.g. long hours, travel, noises, smells, work overload and work underload), a lack of clear role in the company (e.g. ill-defined expectations, conflicting priorities and responsibility for others), and poor relationships at work (e.g. low levels of trust and lack of support).
In order to reduce and prevent stress at work:
1. Employees should have genuine control over their work and be allowed an appropriate degree of self-management of workload.
2. Roles, responsibilities and expectations should be fully defined.
3. Employees should have a role in planning and decision making.
4. The physical workplace environment should be of a high standard, including natural light where possible, good ventilation, and good health and safety practices.
5. Employees should be actively discouraged from working excessively long hours.
Although there are many ways of relieving stress outside the office, only a few techniques are suitable for use in the workplace. One method that can be used in a work environment is aromatherapy. Many essential oils are recognised for their stress-relieving effects, and can help aid concentration and focus, and improve productivity and mood. Candles will most certainly be frowned upon by your Fire Safety Officer, but there are plenty of electric oil diffusers available that don't require burning.
Try oils like lavender, rosemary and orange, all of them known to reduce anxiety, depression and fatigue, and aid clarity, balance, relaxation and rejuvenation.
How else can you enhance your workplace to increase worker well-being and productivity?
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Even as we speak, millions around the world are on the verge of a breakdown due to work-related stress. And it's not just the workers themselves who take a beating. Some estimates put the loss of GDP due to stress in some developed nations at about 10%! Employees falling sick, employees fearful of going to work, employees not putting in their best effort, all these cripple productivity.
Managers have the duty to monitor stress levels in the workforce, identify the factors that cause stress, and take firm measures to reduce it. The top factors that increase stress at work include: poor working conditions (e.g. long hours, travel, noises, smells, work overload and work underload), a lack of clear role in the company (e.g. ill-defined expectations, conflicting priorities and responsibility for others), and poor relationships at work (e.g. low levels of trust and lack of support).
In order to reduce and prevent stress at work:
1. Employees should have genuine control over their work and be allowed an appropriate degree of self-management of workload.
2. Roles, responsibilities and expectations should be fully defined.
3. Employees should have a role in planning and decision making.
4. The physical workplace environment should be of a high standard, including natural light where possible, good ventilation, and good health and safety practices.
5. Employees should be actively discouraged from working excessively long hours.
Although there are many ways of relieving stress outside the office, only a few techniques are suitable for use in the workplace. One method that can be used in a work environment is aromatherapy. Many essential oils are recognised for their stress-relieving effects, and can help aid concentration and focus, and improve productivity and mood. Candles will most certainly be frowned upon by your Fire Safety Officer, but there are plenty of electric oil diffusers available that don't require burning.
Try oils like lavender, rosemary and orange, all of them known to reduce anxiety, depression and fatigue, and aid clarity, balance, relaxation and rejuvenation.
How else can you enhance your workplace to increase worker well-being and productivity?
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Recovering from a Disastrous First Date
First dates. Most of us have experienced our fair share of less than favourable ones. In fact, some of them might even be described as "disastrous". Meeting a romantic prospect for the first time is a tricky endeavour, and if it doesn't go well, the effects could stay with you a long, long time. For some, the memory of disastrous first dates is enough to make them a nervous wreck on subsequent dates.
so what can you do to receover from a disastrous first date?
First and most crucial, forgive yourself. Most of us, when under stress, do things we wouldn't normally do. If you thought you talked too much, or not enough, if you laughed too much, overreacted to some statement, or done some incredibly unattractive thing, don't be too hard on yourself. We're often harder on ourselves than we would be on another person.
So show some compassion toward yourself. It's natural to feel nervous on a first date. And nobody gets everything right, not even people who are attractive, intelligent and confident. The only reason why these people seem to fare better than others is that they forgive themselves more readily, and get over awkward situations more easily.
Once you've learnt to forgive yourself for not performing as well as you would've liked on a first date, you can go on to forgive the other person. Yes, we may like to believe that we don't pre-judge or judge people superficially, but on some subconscious level, we all do. And that can very often spoil an otherwise great date. So do not expect the other person to live up to all your expectations. By taking for granted that first dates usually don't go well, you take a big step forward in emotional maturity. Unless the other person was abusive or rude, they deserve a second chance.
Now, if you did something awkward or that warrants an apology, follow up with a gift or flowers and a simple note of apology or explanation. Don't wirte off your chances simply because you think you did something out of line. Most people are more forgiving than you think, and besides, your willingness to try again might impress the other party.
And don't let experience affect your self-confidence. You have many good qualities, and just because this person didn't recognize them, that doesn't mean there isn't someone else out there who can. The most important thing is to be honest, be your authentic self. You deserve someone who will appreciate for who you really are.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
so what can you do to receover from a disastrous first date?
First and most crucial, forgive yourself. Most of us, when under stress, do things we wouldn't normally do. If you thought you talked too much, or not enough, if you laughed too much, overreacted to some statement, or done some incredibly unattractive thing, don't be too hard on yourself. We're often harder on ourselves than we would be on another person.
So show some compassion toward yourself. It's natural to feel nervous on a first date. And nobody gets everything right, not even people who are attractive, intelligent and confident. The only reason why these people seem to fare better than others is that they forgive themselves more readily, and get over awkward situations more easily.
Once you've learnt to forgive yourself for not performing as well as you would've liked on a first date, you can go on to forgive the other person. Yes, we may like to believe that we don't pre-judge or judge people superficially, but on some subconscious level, we all do. And that can very often spoil an otherwise great date. So do not expect the other person to live up to all your expectations. By taking for granted that first dates usually don't go well, you take a big step forward in emotional maturity. Unless the other person was abusive or rude, they deserve a second chance.
Now, if you did something awkward or that warrants an apology, follow up with a gift or flowers and a simple note of apology or explanation. Don't wirte off your chances simply because you think you did something out of line. Most people are more forgiving than you think, and besides, your willingness to try again might impress the other party.
And don't let experience affect your self-confidence. You have many good qualities, and just because this person didn't recognize them, that doesn't mean there isn't someone else out there who can. The most important thing is to be honest, be your authentic self. You deserve someone who will appreciate for who you really are.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Helping A Stressed Loved One
Stress and depression can afflict anyone, and it can be especially tough to handle when it's our loved one who's suffering. When it seems all our words and deeds do nothing to assuage their misert, we ourselves can feel helpless and desperate.
If you're living with a loved one who's under severe stress of suffering from depression, remember that recovery is a journey, it's a work in progress, so if improvement does not seem apparent, don't be disappointed. No matter how useless you may be feeling, your loved one appreciates your support and listening ear.
Every comforting or encouraging word is helpful, but however frustrated you feel, never say to a depressed or stressed person: "Come on, snap out of it! What have you got to be worried or sad about anyway? People have it much worse than you!"
Understand that these words are easy enough for you to say, but for a stressed or depressed person, they can seem as though you're trivializing their condition, making them seem weak for not being able to "snap out" of such a petty state. Severe stress and chronic depression are illnesses. You wouldn't tell someone with high blood pressure or pneumonia to "snap out" of their condition, would you?
Also, try as much as possible not to impose advice or your own analysis or knowledge of the problem onto your loved one. Your suggestions may be in the best interest, but to the sufferer, it can sound confrontational. This may put him or her under pressure. all they'll do is dismiss your comments and clam up whenever you're around as they'll feel they're being scrutinized.
A better way is to challenge them very gently by reminding them of a time when they did something good. For example, when you hear your loved one say: "I'm useless, I never get anything right.", you can say "Sure you do, hey, remember the time when you did this...?"
Finally, you may find a resource - a book, a video, or supplement that you think will help someone to beat their illness. But you must resist the urge to directly give them these resources. For someone to emerge from these illnesses, they have to make the decision themselves. A direct offer will more often than not be refused. So, if you find something you think will help, leave it lying around somewhere your loved on will find it. Such an indirect approach is more effective because once again, there is no pressure, no reminder, no confrontation, It is the sufferer who takes a willing first step towards recovery.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
If you're living with a loved one who's under severe stress of suffering from depression, remember that recovery is a journey, it's a work in progress, so if improvement does not seem apparent, don't be disappointed. No matter how useless you may be feeling, your loved one appreciates your support and listening ear.
Every comforting or encouraging word is helpful, but however frustrated you feel, never say to a depressed or stressed person: "Come on, snap out of it! What have you got to be worried or sad about anyway? People have it much worse than you!"
Understand that these words are easy enough for you to say, but for a stressed or depressed person, they can seem as though you're trivializing their condition, making them seem weak for not being able to "snap out" of such a petty state. Severe stress and chronic depression are illnesses. You wouldn't tell someone with high blood pressure or pneumonia to "snap out" of their condition, would you?
Also, try as much as possible not to impose advice or your own analysis or knowledge of the problem onto your loved one. Your suggestions may be in the best interest, but to the sufferer, it can sound confrontational. This may put him or her under pressure. all they'll do is dismiss your comments and clam up whenever you're around as they'll feel they're being scrutinized.
A better way is to challenge them very gently by reminding them of a time when they did something good. For example, when you hear your loved one say: "I'm useless, I never get anything right.", you can say "Sure you do, hey, remember the time when you did this...?"
Finally, you may find a resource - a book, a video, or supplement that you think will help someone to beat their illness. But you must resist the urge to directly give them these resources. For someone to emerge from these illnesses, they have to make the decision themselves. A direct offer will more often than not be refused. So, if you find something you think will help, leave it lying around somewhere your loved on will find it. Such an indirect approach is more effective because once again, there is no pressure, no reminder, no confrontation, It is the sufferer who takes a willing first step towards recovery.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
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