Author: Pete Jones

The importance of a daily, habitual, consistent routine isn’t realized by anyone unless they actually try it out for a matter of weeks and months.  Depending on what we choose to do each day, we can literally alter the trajectory of our entire life.

Today, THIS moment, we are ALL living in the residual reality we each created with our choices from months ago.  Our eating habits from months ago recreated our physical body and chemical states into what they are RIGHT NOW.  Our current state of mind was determined by our repetitious thoughts and all we chose to consistently focus on a few months ago.  Our current financial situation was determined by spending choices we USED to make.  We can turn it all around ANY moment we choose to, as long as we are willing to remain committed to consistency and the habits that will absolutely, EVENTUALLY, get us to where we want to be!

Years ago, I started making small changes for myself.  I had just gone through a divorce, had injured my back, and was living in my mom’s condo.  I had lost everything and found myself in a situation where I had to start completely over.  It wasn’t the first time I had to start completely over with nothing, either.  I felt like a loser.  I wondered, “After all I have experienced and learned, what can I do to start fresh and become the best version of myself I can possibly be?”  I started with these goals:

• Lose weight and get into better shape.
• Get a place for myself and my three sons.
• Change my mindset and become a more positive person.

Once I knew exactly what I wanted I knew what I had to do to get there, so I made these changes, and wrote these goal on a piece of paper:

• Workout every day, even if only for 5 minutes.  Consistency was the main goal.
• Find a job that would be flexible enough to allow me time to heal my back and not fire me if I need to miss work because I couldn’t walk that day.
• Read a positive quote every day.

Reading my goals every day helped me focus on what I wanted and needed to do daily.  It was difficult at first, even though my goals seemed simple and easy at the time, but after a few weeks it became much easier!  I thought about these things, talked with others about them, and started doing more and more things related to my goals.  I attracted people into my life through conversations that helped me with these goals.  One person told me about a documentary all about weight loss through alleviation of carbs and sugars called, “Fed Up.”  I watched it, changed my food intake, and lost 60 pounds in just 6 months!  It changed my life.  My body healed, my back returned to normal, and I was capable of working more.  By reading inspirational quotes every day, my mindset changed, and my mind began to heal and improve as well.

I had to remember KISS.  Keep It Super Simple.  Small changes lead to huge life benefits, over time.

Reminder to self:  YOU are in charge of yourself, your life, and especially your mind.  You can blame others for your life and make excuses why you can’t do what you want to, or you can take responsibility for ALL of it.  Take the power away from everyone and everything holding you back and start by making one or two small changes to your daily routine that will alter the course of the trajectory of your life forever.  Know who you want to become and where you want to be in three years.  Then, you will know what you need to do to get there.

The fact is this:  The more you take care of yourself and the more you do for yourself to become who you deserve to be and who you want to become, the more the people around you will benefit from being a part of your life.  You will begin to inspire those around you to be the best they can be, as well, and your life will magically, effortlessly, naturally continue to improve.  What have you got to lose?  If you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting the same results. 

Is your life exactly as you want it or can it be improved in some way?  Will one little alteration in your daily routine change any aspect of your life for the better 10 years from now?  I think so, but only because I tried it out.

TO EXPERIENCE AN ALTERNATE PERSONAL REALITY, WE MUST ALTER OUR DAILY ACTIONS.  OUR HABITUAL, REPETITIOUS AND CONSISTENT PRACTICES, ROUTINES, AND RITUALS REALLY DO CREATE THE PERSONAL REALITY WE WILL LIVE WITHIN IN A FEW, SHORT MONTHS.  

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will figure out something small I can do to alter my daily routine in some way that I believe over time will benefit me and those around me.

Here are some easy tried and true ways to improve daily habits:

The goodinthehead Habit-Hacking Challenge

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.  

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

SELF love, self acceptance, self appreciation, and self validation empowers us with all we need, and we become fully capable of no longer depending upon others for love, acceptance, appreciation or validation. THIS IS WHERE OUR POWER LIES…

I used to want to be like other people.  I would look at their personality, charisma, accomplishments, attitudes, and demeanor, and want to be them, or at least be more like them.  I was never really comfortable in my own skin because I was always looking at and paying attention to my flaws, weaknesses, and character defects, while comparing it all to the strengths I saw in others.  I was overly critical and judgmental towards myself, while being generous, affirming, complimentary, and forgiving towards others.  I wanted to be better, do better, act better, but I didn’t really know how.  It wasn’t until I started practicing accepting myself the way I was and trying to be the best I could be at being ME, that I started to really progress and change for the better.  It is something I wish I had learned to do much earlier in life, but am incredibly grateful for now.

It wasn’t until I started to work on Personal Growth that I was able to feel more confident, having started to earn that confidence through building credibility with myself by practicing consistent beliefs and habits that were in alignment with the WHAT I really am, and the WHO that I wanted to be more of.

Eventually, through spiritual work and practices, reflection, alignment, the use of certain plant medicines, and awareness, I came to the realization of WHAT I am, WHAT WE ALL ARE, and I realized that even “personal progress” is just another illusion that the ego provides.

We are all unique.  There is only one of us in human form and nobody out there is exactly like us.  It is useful to be proud of who and what we are and recognize our own capability to change in any way we want to within the human experience in order to progress a little more each day.  By constantly evolving and progressing, we build our confidence in our self, obtain a feeling of accomplishment and joy, and as a bi product, others benefit simply by being around us.  When we grow ourselves and strive to become a better version of our self each day, we help others in the process.  We add value.

It is okay to aspire to adopt the characteristics of the people we admire.  I look for the good, effective, helpful quality traits and admirable habits in others that I want to expand into, and practice those.  It is the journey on the way to becoming great which makes us even greater than we already are, throughout our personal, human experience.  I’ve found that adopting the characteristics of the people I admire most, as if I am trying out different video game skins or trying on different coats helps me to become a better version of my human self.

Success leaves clues.  Any one of us can mirror and practice successes and become more successful at anything we wish to.

Reminder to self:  Love, appreciate, and accept yourself exactly as you are now and remember just how unique you really are for this human experience, and how important this uniqueness is for the purpose of informing consciousness, or The One.  Allow yourself to be human, imperfect, and flawed, knowing that this full acceptance and your best efforts ARE PERFECTION.  You are an original.  You are so beautifully unique.  Be proud of the WHO you have become, and all you have learned and experienced!  Be kind to yourself.  YOU are in charge of you, and constantly becoming more of the who you want to become.  You are in control of your thoughts, your words, and your actions throughout each day.  YOU are in control of you, if you choose to be.

This short video, featuring Ram Dass, is something I listen to almost EVERY DAY.  It has empowered me to more and more fully accept, appreciate, love, and allow myself, EXACTLY AS I AM.  It can be found on YouTube, and it is titled, Ram Dass-How to love yourself.

Today I will aspire to be the best me I can be, accepting, appreciating, allowing and loving myself exactly as I am.

Go to the YouTube search engine and put in: Hal Elrod 6 steps to mastering miracle mornings.  THIS INTERVIEW IS A MUST WATCH FOR PERSONAL GROWTH!  😊👍

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.  

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

They say that a stupid man never learns from his mistakes, that a smart man eventually learns from his mistakes, and that a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

Being a part of a team means being wise.  It means we can listen to others, and learn from the mistakes of others.  Being a part of a team is empowering, and allows us to stand on the shoulders of others.  One of the key contributors to true personal growth is being wise enough to learn from a team of others.

It is the bonds we form within our immediate family, the surrounding tribe around us, and the connections that we make with others, that we will benefit from the most.

If we look to those around us that we learn to trust for advice, or even if we just choose to learn from their mistakes and wisdom which has led them to their own personal successes, we are sometimes able to learn much more quickly how to become more effective and helpful to ourselves and others around us.

It isn’t until we learn to help and inspire others to overcome the obstacles we’ve been through, and help others to get through what we’ve already suffered through, that we really begin to grow and are blessed with answers and insights we needed all along, and there are MANY ways to do this.

If we all aspire to be there for others to support them and help them when they need it, and if we all aspire to be someone who encourages others to take care of themselves and others, then others will always be there for us when we need it most.  Spread the love, trust, help, kindness, empathy, and support that you have needed and wanted all along, and watch your world and the world of others around you become more beautiful as they do the same.

What we put out into the Universe comes back to us.

What we transmit, we receive MORE of.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will aspire to be someone who encourages others to take care of themselves and others by being the best version of myself I can possibly be.  I will always be there for others when they need me.

The interview on the YouTube show, Impact Theory, featuring Lori Harder is truly eye-opening and empowering.  She is the author of the book, A TRIBE CALLED BLISS, and her story brings perspective to being a part of a team.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

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Reminder to self:

Nobody is going to save you.  That is your responsibility.

Nobody can change or control you or your emotions unless you allow them to.

What you choose to focus on, think about, talk about, and do, is 100% your responsibility.

The level as which you are present in your life, and the habits you create, are entirely your responsibility.

When we take full responsibility for our own thoughts, words, actions, and habits, instead of passing the buck, or blaming people or situations for the way our lives are going, it empowers us. It shows character.  It is a sign of strength.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will hold myself accountable for my life.  Everything about it is the way it is because I allow it to be that way.  I can choose to be in control of my thoughts.  There is always room for improvement, and if I want something about my life to change, I will hold myself accountable and make the change I want.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

Sometimes we are unhappy where we are in our life journey.  Sometimes we are unhappy with our current situation or who we have become.

It is helpful to adopt the belief that where we are is EXACTLY where we NEED to be in THIS moment.  Most of the time, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we will find that we are exactly where we deserve to be.

Life has a way of kicking our teeth in, breaking us down, and even destroying us, simply to offer us the opportunity to try again, and to build ourselves back up stronger, wiser, and better, and empowering us to earn the title of RELENTLESS.

It takes a lot of courage, ESPECIALLY during difficult times, to consistently believe that everything happening TO us is actually happening FOR us, but when we choose to believe that this life, this world, and this Universe was designed from the beginning to conspire on our behalf, it is much easier to let go of the illusion or the need of control, be accepting of our best as good enough, allowing the beautiful plan to take effect in our lives, and just BE.

When we are able to accept all things as they are, believing them to be perfect as is, it is proof that we have finally learned to accept ourselves as the perfection that WE are, as is.  We were born perfect spiritual beings into a human experience, then taught to think of ourselves in this human form as imperfect, as though WE ARE these bodies-but the reality is that we are still perfect spiritual beings, experiencing the human experience.

I used to say, “There is a reason for everything”.  Now I say, “There is purpose in all things.”  I feel this may be more accurate.  Bad things, horrendous things, happen all the time to innocent people and children.  It is difficult to believe that there could possibly be purpose behind something like this, but maybe the purpose behind it is that it sparks something within us, awakens our humanity, compassion, and anger, which then motivates us to go out and fight for those who can’t yet fight for themselves.

I believe we are all at different stages in our own very personal and unique life journey or life experience.  Accepting all that has happened to us, letting it go, and working toward the goal of bettering our “self” every day to the best of our ability for the benefit of those around us will lead us to living a more fulfilling life.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will try to see a purpose in a difficult situation i am now having or have recently experienced, and try to find a way that going through those difficulties may have somehow changed me for the better.  

There are a few books I enjoy that are about LETTING GO.
THE LANGUAGE OF LETTING GO, by Melody Beattie, and LETTING GO, The Pathway of Surrender, by Dr. David R. Hawkins. I highly recommend these books.

People sometimes ask me why I am listening to the exact same podcast, Ted Talk, or speech from YouTube, over and over.  I used to call it “brainwashing myself”.  There is a more technical and interesting answer:

In the brain, when we think a thought, complete a task, or do something repetitively, there is a transfer of energy.  An electrical impulse literally, physically fires, and the neurons that fire together wire together.  The more we think, say, or do something, the thicker the correlating neural branch becomes in the brain as the neurons continue to wire together because of repetition, in order to generate MORE of that thought or task, so that we get better at it.  The REALLY interesting thing is that the thoughts we no longer think LOSE the neural connections, as the neurons the OLD thoughts USED to use are now being recruited to be used by the thoughts we continuously choose to think.  Evolution has unfolded for us to be this way, and WE CAN USE THIS TO OUR ADVANTAGE!

This is why things become easier with repetition.  Anything repeated or practiced often enough becomes an automated part of our subconscious and is habituated into our lives like a program being run on a computer.

I am constantly looking for alternate, different, improved ways of BEING, and ways to improve my thinking and way of living.  When I find someone who has views, words, a mentality, a mindset, and a way of thinking which coincides and aligns with what I want to become MORE of, I tend to gravitate towards, or become attracted mentally and emotionally to, that person and what they are capable of teaching me.

I have learned that the more I listen to the things I want to adopt into my life, and adopt these things as my OWN thoughts and beliefs, the more likely those proper, correlating, effective, helpful neural branches will form and thicken.

Repetition and practice are the keys to becoming more of who and what we want to.  When we know exactly what we want, and can envision the outcomes we want, we know exactly what to listen to repeatedly, what goals to consistently work towards, and what actions to constantly take.

When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.  Having a morning routine and a plan for the day is useful and beneficial to our success, our personal growth, and our confidence.

Listening to and learning new things is a great way to stretch and grow one’s mind.  It’s a great way to put one’s self out there and be exposed to different, more effective ways of creating one’s life.  None of these new ways of thinking and being will ever benefit us, however, if we do not take consistent, intentional, repeated actions which will grow these neural connections from a baby tree into a Redwood.

Are our current beliefs and practices those we were taught as small children?  Are our beliefs and practices really ours?

In this world full of distractions, it is increasingly important we choose our distractions wisely, or even replace them all with intentional activities.

Here are some sources of inspiration and information which have helped me the most to practice doing this in recent years:

YouTube Videos

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will remember to think, say, and do things that I really want to stick, remembering to create truncated bundles of neurons the size of redwoods in my brain with the important things instead of just thinking of or trying things once or twice and growing a twig.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.  

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

Mindset is everything.  What we think is electrical in nature and becomes what we say.  What we say becomes what we do.  What we do becomes the who we identify as in our body, our character, and our personality.  ALL of this leads to how we FEEL, which is magnetic in nature.  All of these things contribute to the lives we create, what we attract into our experience, the way we interact with others, and how others respond to us.

Focusing on our mindset, our beliefs, our personal philosophies, our perspectives, and what we think about and consistently focus upon, therefore, is of the utmost importance.

Years ago I was suffering the effects of a 15 year depressive streak, during which I was suicidal for the entirety of that time.  The thing that literally saved me?  With help,  I got off all prescribed medications and was able to finally realize that my thoughts, beliefs, perspectives, and my mindset, were entirely up to me.  Once I decided to change those things, my whole world changed.  Thankfully, for the better.  I was no longer a victim of circumstance.  It was INCREDIBLY difficult, at first, and it took a lot of time and energy, but this shift in mindset empowered me to save myself from myself, and begin creating an alternate personal reality that is FAR more beautiful, meaningful, fulfilling, and productive, than I ever experienced before, and if I can do it, ANYONE can.

I began by saving my favorite quotes and re-reading them and focusing on them, daily.  It changed my belief system, the way I perceived EVERYTHING, and what I consistently thought about and focused on.  It literally saved and improved my life.  Doing this ONE simple, easy, little thing, made me think about MYSELF differently.  I realized that I COULD be consistent at something, and that one small shift ALTERED AND UPGRADED MY SELF IMAGE.  Once I was consistent with this one thing, I began to wonder what else I could be consistent at.  I worked on nutrition, exercise, sleep, self-acceptance, and meditating, becoming consistent with these things, as well.  Quotes, beliefs, and sayings are literally PROGRAMMING TOOLS that we can use to re-program our OWN subconscious minds and upgrade our SELF IMAGE.

WE CANNOT RISE ABOVE OUR OWN SELF IMAGE. TO UPGRADE THIS ONE THING IS TO UPGRADE EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF OUR LIVES, AND COMPLETELY REARRANGE AND UPGRADE OUR OWN, UNIQUE, INDIVIDUAL, PERSONAL REALITY.

We project outward what are are within, thereby rendering our reality.  The REAL work is our own, inner connection.

What exactly do you WANT to create?  What do you WANT to think about and focus on?  Is what you think about and focus on all day long a cyclical, repeating set of programs SOMEONE ELSE put into your mind as a young child?  Is it time to upgrade the programs on your brain’s personal hard drive with more useful, effective programs that will empower you, help you gain momentum, and progressively create and expand into MORE of the WHAT you really are, and the WHO you WANT to be more of?

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple shift in thinking and believing, to alter the mindset we have and the trajectory of our lives forever in a really big way.

As we grow up we adopt the beliefs of our parents and those around us because we trust them.  At some point we have to face the reality that we need to decide what we truly believe for ourselves, rather than pleasing others by adopting the mindset and beliefs they want us to.  We need to make sure that these beliefs coincide with our goals, the targets we are aiming at, our “why,” and our purpose. Are our beliefs, perspectives, habits, ways of operating in this world, and mindset really ours, or are they someone else’s?

Eventually, we can choose to make the decision to embrace a personal and unique mindset, a set of core values, the personal principles, and beliefs, that will help and empower us as much as possible on our daily, consistent journey towards doing things WE want to do, for ourselves and the ones we love.

What is the set of beliefs that will empower me to accomplish what I WANT to accomplish in my life?  What skills do I need to learn and practice?  If I were to start over today, with a blank slate, and create a completely new and improved version of myself and the desired results of MY idea of a perfect life, what beliefs about myself, others, and the world in general would help and empower me to get there quickest?

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will start to decide the exact mindset I want in order to accomplish my goals and hit the target I am aiming at so I can live out a purposeful, fulfilling life of helping and empowering myself and others.  

When it comes to MINDSET, Carol Dweck is the first person to turn to.  Her book, Mindset, is one of my favorite books.  I was first introduced to her on the YouTube show, Impact Theory.

Tom Bilyeu and SO MANY of his guests from his numerous podcast recordings have helped and empowered me to shape and mold my mindset in SO MANY beneficial ways. I’m grateful to have come across him in my search for ways to improve personal growth and happiness.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

Each and every day offers up the potential for so many opportunities.  Each day is new.  It is like pushing a reset button, and each day is another chance to do things that will help us fulfill our goals, hit our targets, and expand into personal growth, or regress and become a lesser version of ourselves.

I believe that all of the horrific things each of us goes through, sooner or later in this life, end up being for our good in some way.  Each of us is experiencing a unique life experience, learning important, helpful, new things, and being reminded of things we have already learned but maybe stopped focusing on.

EVERYTHING is feedback.  EVERYTHING is information, telling us what we need to know and do differently to constantly upgrade our life experience.

I used to say, “There is a reason for everything that happens.”  That would help me to look for the reason or purpose behind each moment of the day and each event that would happen throughout the day.

Now, I like to say, “There is purpose in everything.”

I like to believe there is.  I prefer to believe that the Universe was designed from the beginning to conspire on our behalf.  I like to ask, throughout each day and especially during difficult times, “What is the possible purpose behind this happening?  What good could come from this?  What benefit will be produced by me experiencing this right now?”  It has been through asking questions like these that I am able to refocus on gratitude and abundance, instead of bitterness, lack, resentment, anger, hatred, and fear.

What we do think and speak, our subconscious BELIEVES-NO MATTER WHAT we tell it.  Why not tell it ONLY things that will be HELPFUL, BENEFICIAL, HEALING, and EMPOWERING?  The RAS (Reticular Activating System) CONSTANTLY and ONLY seeks out ALL places, people, things, circumstances, and situations available each second (that is 40 BILLION bits of information per second with our 5 human senses) to PROVE to our consciousness what we are telling it.  THAT WHICH WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE WILL BE MADE TRUE BY THE RAS AND BIAS CONFIRMATION.

EVERY THOUGHT AND EVERY WORD IS A CREATION.

That which we focus on tends to repeat itself in our lives.  That which we focus on grows, exponentially.  That which we focus on, WE FEED.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will look for the purpose or the lesson in the things that are happening to me, and retell my story in a more useful and empowering way, reframing it to how everything is happening FOR me.  No matter what happens, I will try to see anything I cannot control as an eventual blessing, and I will try to believe that it is meant to be, as it is, in this moment.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

I once had the pleasure and opportunity to live in Greece for a full two years.  One day, I met some people who were not Greek.  They were “Gypsies.”  They lived in a beautiful, very large home with marble floors and chandeliers.  It was exquisite.  They had a Mercedes and a BMW.  They were obviously well off.  They had more than 10 children, each one disfigured horrifically in some unique way.

Every day they would drive each of the children to a different spot somewhere in Athens and drop them off for the day to beg.  At the end of the day, they would pick up these children and bring them home and feed them and put them to sleep to wake up the next day and do it all over again.  It was a business.  The parents were the ones who disfigured their children.  It horrified me.  I had never heard of such a thing.  I couldn’t believe it was true.

Imagine being one of these children, born perfectly healthy and beautiful, raised to a certain age only to have your legs and arms cut from your body or your eyes burned out of your head, or your face and body marked and scarred by acid.  I was blown away.

Each day we wake up and most of us are in the habit of focusing on what is going wrong in our lives, what is challenging us, causing us problems, and what is causing us stress.

Reminder to self:  Remember that your lot in life could be so much worse.  Remember your blessings and everything you have to be grateful for every single day.  Start the day by thinking of all the things going RIGHT in your life and being grateful for the unique problems and challenges you have, realizing that they are actually blessings in disguise, and NOTHING like what some people are going through in THEIR life journey.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today, I will make a list of EVERYTHING I have to be grateful for in my life.  I will reflect on this list throughout the day, and add to it as necessary.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.

An incredibly helpful habit we can practice every day that will display a high level of character on our part and connect us more deeply with those around us, is to quickly admit when we mess up, and then do all we can to fix the situation and repair any damage we may have caused.

We have all heard, “It takes a real man to admit wrongdoing”.   Well, it’s true.  It takes a pretty big person, and a whole lot of courage, to accept responsibility for something they have done incorrectly and most likely on accident.  More so, if it was done on purpose.  It is, in many people’s minds, the equivalent to saying, “I messed up, which means I’m not as smart, good, hard working, efficient, or valuable as others around me.”

NOT SO!

Admitting wrongdoing actually says, “I am confident and responsible enough to admit to others when I fail or mess up!  I am a continual work in progress.  I am trusting, and I trust others to forgive me for acting imperfectly, like I would them.  I want to improve myself every day and in every way, and my work and everything I say and do reflects my character and I am proud of it!”

Reminder to self: 

• We can trust others to have empathy and help us improve.  Know that not everyone will.  Some people are at a different place in their life experience.  They will throw you under the bus.  They will spotlight your failure so that their own failures are minimized, and so that they seem to look better than you.  They are not yet confident, and they are still learning.  Remember that you will get more of what you tolerate, and you deserve more of what you allow, but try to go through life with grace, understanding, empathy, kindness, and love, regardless of how others behave.

• We can choose to improve ourselves every day and in every way.  Know that not everyone will want this for themselves, YET.  It takes time to adopt new ways of thinking, speaking, and doing things.  It takes self-awareness.  It take practice.  It takes repetition.

• Our work, and everything we say and do, is a direct reflection of our character.   As we improve the quality of our character, it is likely that the work we do, and everything we say and do, will also improve.  PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION.

Quickly admitting wrongdoing lets others know you will throw yourself in front of the bus instead of throwing them in front of it.  It says a lot about your character when you take responsibility.  It says you can be trusted, respected, and counted on.  Doing this consistently, and habituating this practice, makes us more reliable, predictable, and dependable.

Quickly admitting wrongdoing is a huge step in owning our power instead of blaming another, dodging consequences, and giving our power away.

Today’s challenge for myself:  Today I will quickly admit any wrong doing by saying:  “I messed up and I will do everything in my power to make it right.”  I will pay attention to how this makes me feel, remembering that, no matter the consequences, I have earned the right to be proud of myself for this one thing.

The interviews with Simon Sinek on the show, IMPACT THEORY, on YouTube, are some of the most empowering pieces of content on the internet today.  I hope you get as much from it as I did, and that you share it with others to spread the message he teaches.

goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.  Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders.  Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about.  It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.

Remember:  Mindset matters.  Character counts.  That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives.  WE CREATE our personal realities.