My Favorite Self-Help Stuff

I have learned this technique from psychic Bill Burns (and from Barbara Rose, who also learned it from Bill and explains it particularly well). It’s designed to increase a sense of self-appreciation and self-love, an essential ingredient to feeling good about oneself and to making life work well.

Here’s how it works:

Stand in front of the mirror and discuss with yourself what you did that day that pleased you. Then tell yourself what about those things pleased you and what about who you are made that possible.

I realize that this may feel awkward at first. Do it anyway.

I find it easier, and for me at least, more effective than Louise Hay’s technique of just telling yourself “I love you.”

You may want to take notes about the things you wish to discuss (see the feel-good list above) before you actually do the mirror exercise. But feel free to adlib as you come up with more things.

Here’s an example of how this might work:

I went for a walk in the park today. This pleases me because I’m taking care of myself and it made me feel good. It also helped me relax and it will contribute to keeping my body healthy and my emotions on the positive side. The quality in me that made this possible is the fact that I’m in touch with how I feel, I pay attention to it, and I take care of myself, as I must because this body is all I have, and I appreciate it and make an effort to treat it well.

Do this regularly every evening and you will notice a big shift in how you feel.

And if you’re ready to let go of all that extra stress, you’re invited to download my FREE Easy Intro to EFT and get started right away. Why EFT? It’s an extremely powerful tool for stress relief!

Self-Appreciation lists and Bill Burns’ Mirror Technique are powerful techniques to regain self confidence and feel better about self and life. Read on about how they work.

A) Write a Self-Appreciation List

List as many things as possible that you’re proud of: go back to childhood, though that’s optional. Just keep writing. Include anything big you did. Graduated from school and from college for example. Or kindergarten. Got a good grade in some class. An award for bowling or a project.

Remember to include even the less obvious things. Papers you wrote, fish you caught, things you fixed, friends you made, places you’ve been. It all counts.

And don’t forget to include anything you like about yourself: Your smile, your eyes, your hands, your ability to listen, your courage in the face of challenges, your capacity for empathy, your toes.

Writing a self appreciation list will go a long way towards helping you remember that you are really very much okay.

And in my next post, I’ll talk about Bill Burns’ Mirror Technique.

Note: I just submitted this article to Ezinearticles.com, but thought, why not post it on my blog first? In fact, I ought to be doing this more often.

And so that’s why there are so many posts appearing all at once right now — becauseI want them here before they get published at EZA.

Enjoy!

Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged. When there’s too much to do, or the situation seems challenging or even hopeless, you may want to give up. Yet there’s always hope. Read on for nine inspirational quotes that will help you keep the faith and put things in perspective.

“Chance is the pseudonym God uses when He does not want to sign His name.”

--Anatole France

Praying helps. And the help that then appears may often seem like a coincidence. But we know better…

And if we feel hopeless and envy everyone else for their easier lives, just take a look at those magazines at the checkout lines in the supermarket. The people in those magazines are millionaires, mega stars, and most of them are gorgeous too. Yet look at the kind of trauma many of them are dealing with. Their lives aren’t easier. Who would you really want to switch with? Are you sure? Do you know everything that’s going on in their lives?

Here’s a quote to put our sometimes less than perfect lives into perspective:

“No one has it ‘all together.’ That’s like trying to eat ‘once and for all.’”

–Marilyn Grey

And if we’re only too aware of our fears, here’s a cool quote for that:

“Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure.”

–Rainer Maria Rilke

And here’s a quote that reminds you that fears are overrated:

“There are no wrong choices; there are only different choices.”

–Susan Jeffers

Of course, Susan Jeffers is the person who wrote Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. That’s one of the most powerful books I’ve ever come across. If you haven’t read that, I highly recommend that you do. And yes, do it anyway.

And if you’re still afraid, take courage because…

“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

–Eddie Rickenbacker

If that sounds like taking medicine, so be it. Then again, maybe it’s also a way to make life more adventurous. Alan Cohen put it very nicely:

“The purpose of life is not to arrive safely at death.”

– Alan Cohen

We weren’t meant to play it safe, but to take chances, to face and overcome challenges. And yes, to follow our bliss, as Joseph Campbell said. And that’s definitely not playing it safe, not for most of us anyway. In fact…

“Leap, and the net will appear.”

– Julia Cameron

Or in a related image (there’s a theme here, isn’t there?):

“First you jump off the cliff and you build your wings on the way down.”

–Ray Bradbury

Will those wings grow fast enough? Surprisingly, they usually do. And as these inspirational quotes remind us, there’s treasure to be found in having courage because…

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

–Anais Nin

Enjoy!

Elisabeth Kuhn

The second EFT World Summit is happening right now.

And you can attend for FREE! No catch, other than that you have to be there and make sure you catch the audios within the 24 hours they are up. Where? Click here for EFT

What if you can’t make it or want to listen to them again?

They DO make a package available where you can get access to the audios (or even hard copies) of all the 20 programs that are part of this.

And believe me, these audios rock! I’ve listened to every one so far (6 in all).

I thought I knew a ton about EFT (and I DO), but I learned a LOT of new stuff just in those last 3 days. So you can bet I’ll be listening to the other 14 audios too (2 a day).

So what IS EFT and why do I like it so much?

EFT is short for Emotional Freedom TEchnique. And it’s exactly what the name says. By basically tapping on certain parts of your body (mostly face and hands, collar bone, and, well, under your arm pit) you can tame and release emotional trauma and distressing feelings.

It’s absolutely incredible. When I first read about it, I immediately wanted access to it, but I thought I had to find a high-priced practitioner to benefit from it. Still, Emotional Freedom technique sounded really good to me.

Imagine my happy surprise when I discovered I could learn to do this myself. It has literally changed my life. In my stress relief manual, EFT is taking up more pages than any of the other techniques. It’s this important.

The key is to remember to do it. Sometimes I get stressed about something and it takes me a few hours until I remember that, hey, wait a minute, why not tap on it. And so I do, and I feel calmer within minutes.

So for anyone who isn’t familiar with it yet, just go to the EFT World Summit site and check it out. Or get my FREE stress tips report and send me an email, and I’ll send you the link to my free ebook on EFT later tonight

Meanwhile, run, don’t walk to the World Summit so you won’t miss the two programs that are still running until 8 EST (one on business success and one on public speaking!).

I’ll write another post tonight, about EFT, how I use it and how it has helped me and my students and friends.

See you at the summit!

tap tap tap

Elisabeth Kuhn

How do storytelling and a happier life go together. And what is an article about it doing on a self-help blog?

We all tell stories about our lives. And our lives generally unfold in a way that matches the stories we tell.

When I first came across the story-telling and happier life connection, I immediately put it to the test.  And I was amazed (or maybe flabberghasted — such a great word, and not enough occasions to use it).

You see, I’ve been telling the story of struggle. I was struggling as a kid, trying to get pocket money, trying to make it in school, trying to get the attention of our parents, trying to please them, trying this, trying that. And I struggled making it through college, and graduate school, and getting a job, and then on the job, and with my finances, and on and on and on and on.  My life felt like a never-ending struggle.

And then, I looked at my life from a different perspective.  In fact, all I had to do is ask others what they thought about the way my life had been unfolding.

That story was very different. It was a life filled with excitement, achievement, friends, adventure, lots of learning.  What seemed a struggle from one perspective was the impetus that made me go out and meet the most fascinating people as I worked at making money to support my habit of acquiring degrees.  Just as an example.

And when I look around me, in moments of utter despair, when I think I’m now done in at long last (like thousands of times before), and realize I live in my dream apartment, in a city I really enjoy, with food in the fridge, clothes to wear (okay, so I could use some new ones), a really comfortable bed, and, well, thousands of books on the shelves, which explains where the money went…

Struggle?  Maybe.  If I insist.  But really, there are other possible stories, and I’m tired of the struggle story and am reframing my life as a success story, and things are coming along.  Not always as quickly as I’d like, but with some faith and persistence, and especially resourcefulness that has served me so well over the years, it’s starting to move into the direction I’ve hardly dared to envision.

So try to write down your story.  Tell it to others, and get their point of view.  You may be amazed.  And so storytelling definitely belongs in a self-help blog, and it can be precisely what propels you into a happier life, as you drop the struggle story and start telling your story of success and happiness.

And by the way, what inspired this particular entry was a blog post on profitable storytelling that I came across (in a round-about way) through Twitter:

http://profitablestorytelling.com/blog/2009/04/30/a-cautionary-tale-of-business-expansion-with-customer-service-depletion-when-can-hiring-people-on-your-team-can-hurt-you/#comment-1953

2009 is here, and January is already halfway over. Can’t believe how quickly this happened all of a sudden.  And I have a very apropos artlce and wanted to give you a resource list of some of my favorite self-help articles (and other useful ones) for easy reference (with quick annotation):

Another take on New Year’s resolutions:

How to stay calm (or calm down) under pressure:

http://tinyurl.com/calmnow

Get a Great Job in 2009!

http://tinyurl.com/greatjobreview

Use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to cope with job interview stress (or any other stress) (complete with step-by-step instructions):

EFT for Job Interview Stress

Sell Stuff on Amazon.com vs. Ebay and how to get the most buck for your stuff:

Sell Stuff on Amazon and make more money

Stress and the Law of Attraction, and how stress prevents you from getting what you really want:

Stress and LOA

Beat sugar addiction now that the holidays are over…

Beat Sugar Addiction

Job stress, health and consequences & what to do about it:

http://tinyurl.com/jobstresskillscareers

The ultimate (and probably controversial) stress management technique

http://tinyurl.com/BeBadSooner

And here’s a big vibration lifter:

http://tinyurl.com/gratitudearticle

Better than a sleeping pill:

Write yourself to sleep

Enjoy!

P.S.: I just counted and it looks like there are 11 of them…  The last one is a bonus!

The holidays are pretty much over, and we’re gearing up for the new year.  Are you ready? What will the new year bring?

Are you among the people who make New Year’s Resolutions?  I have some thoughts about that…  Check them out in my article here:

An Alternative Take on New Year’s Resolutions

Some of us may want a new job or other money-making activity (own business?).  But if a new job is what you’re after, I’ve got to tell you about my friend Pam’s amazing Great Job finding system:

Pam’s Great Job Finding System

I wrote about that before (when it was in Beta Testing). Well, it’s official now, and it will be at its full price soon (and worth every penny).

BUT in honor of the new year, she is currently selling it at a HUGE secret discount at 75% off the official price. How can you tell how much it really is?  By clicking on the Buy button so you can see what it says in the Shopping Cart.  I don’t think it will ever be available at that price again.  It’ll be four times that much just two days from now!

Anyway, I’ll write a review of it later tonight or tomorrow morning so you’ll have more info, but you can also just go there and get the FREE audio and mini ebook she’s giving away, and that should give you a pretty good idea of what you’ll be getting with the real thing.

Having a job yhou love makes a huge difference in your life.  And being able to get it without the usual struggle is even better.

So get Pam’s Freebie, for yourself or someone you love.  Someone who’s miserable in his or her job, or doesn’t have one at all, and give them a chance at finding a job they’ll actually love.

Click for Pam’s GreatJob Freebie Here!

Meanwhile, let’s all reflect on the year past and anticipate with excitement what the new year will bring.

All my best to you, and wishing you success, love, and happiness.

Elisabeth

Is your job too stressful, and maybe getting worse? Do you wish you could quit?  Do you secretly wish you could do something else?  Do you want to find out how to find the perfect job for you?  And get it?

Well….  You can.  You may not want to quit immediately, but there is a way you could find a job that will be MUCH more satisfying and in fact positively enjoyable, working for someone who really appreciates you (including in the way we all really want to be appreciated, i.e., by paying a great, competitive salary).

But what about the economy, you may wonder.  Well, yeah, it’s a bit of a challenge right now, but people are still hiring really perfect candidates. People retire, quit, die, move to follow a spouse.  Managers and executives are still looking for replacements.

And if you’re the perfect person for them and they know it, you’ve got a really good shot at getting the job.

But how will they know? How will YOU know?

Enter my friend Pam Jonsson.  She’s spent many years of her life helping people just like you finding the perfect job for them.  She’s the keeper of job search secrets, and she is willing to share.

She wants to help you too.

No, not in person, though she’s open to doing consultations.

After years of people suggesting it to her, she has finally put together a really amazing program that helps people find their perfect job (ebook & audio, plus an email course for the fancy version).

It’s so new that we’re only now beginning to BETA test it, and so if you’re interested, you can get it now for an incredibly low price, especially considering the value you’re getting.

And yes, we’d like something in return:  success stories, and testimonials.

And you know what’s the best thing?  Before you buy anything, you can download a mini-version for no charge whatsoever.

It’s an audio and a PDF, and it may well change your life.

http://www.theperfectjobforyou.com

So go ahead and get ready to nab your perfect job.

And for a short moment, while I’m testing something, you may
(or may not) be able to sign up for it right here:

A new Twitter friend and find:  Gail Goodwin, her inspirational blog and in particular her story “Just a little fog”  Loved it! And a great fit for my self help blog, which is all about feeling better and living a happier, more fulfilled life.

Find it here: Gail’s inspirational blog

Do check it out.  It really spoke to me — got a bit of fog of my own right about now, though it’s starting to lift again

And while you’re at it, read the Jellyfish story too (I got my own jellyfish as well), along with her other stories.

Great stuff.  Enjoy!

A very cool Change-Your-Life blog just popped into my radar, and I thought you might find it interesting…

After being in the middle of a major life change myself (well, I already jumped off the cliff, now working on growing the wings in a great big hurry), I’ve read this post with great interest:

Levnow’s blog on preparing to change your life

And the rest of the blog is very interesting too. Another candidate for my blog roll

I’ve been gathering books around my (as is my habit) to help me figure out the next step. Among them the following:

My favorite Abraham-Hicks books (and CDs): Ask and it is given, the amazing power of deliberate intent, and, well, I’m waiting with baited breath (whatever that means) for the new one that’s going to come out, oh, about next week!

Then: Always change a losing game,

When the Buddha gets stuck

Alan Cohen: Why Your Life Sucks

And more… I’ll add them, along with the details, later. Right now I have to run off to get a technical hick-up sorted out before the store closes (my old external hard drive with iPod library etc. is acting up and the new one I just got to rescue the stuff on the old one isn’t working!)

One saying by Alan Cohen is taped to my kitchen cabinet so I see it every day:

“The Purpose of Life is not to arrive safely at death!”

So let’s go with the Carpe Diem motif: Let’s enjoy each day and (almost) everything in it. And if there’s anything in there that we don’t enjoy and that’s changeable, by all means, let’s change it!

P.S.:  Just came across another COOL Blog and a terrific article: <a href=”http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/08/05/the-top-10-traits-for-lifelong-fulfillment/” target=”_blank”>10 Steps for Lifelong Fulfillment</a>. Check it out!