My new year’s resolution? To lose weight. The same as hundreds of thousands of other souls out there.

Where to start? A nice simple diet coupled with cardio every day. I know it can be difficult, as I have been tempted to quit nearly every day; tempted to give into that can of coke or that piece of cheesecake.

photo by Liberoliber

The following simple tips will help you keep on track. They worked for me in the toughest of times.

1. Hungry after a meal?

Drink water. This will fill up your stomach and alleviate your hungry pangs. This I have found the most useful. After supper, approximately 2 hours before bedtime I start to get snack-ish. By drinking a glass of water I trick myself into thinking I am not hungry. Then, by the time my body realizes, I am fast asleep.

2. Replace the sodas/pops with water.

This will cut down the calorie intake drastically. Bored of water? I know I am…try sugar-free flavored powder.

3. Stop eating 2 hours before bed.

If you have to eat something, have something light, or a meal supplement. Going to bed after having a huge meal is taxing on your digestive system. By not eating before bed you will get a better sleep and the calories won’t be directly stored instead of burned off immediately.

4. Eat 5 small meals a day.

This will keep your metabolism going and help to curb your hunger. Calorie burning will be easy if your metabolism is always idling.

5. Add protein into your meals.

As many sites state, they are better for you than carbs and fats and are good for helping repair your body after exercises, which you will hopefully coupling with your new diet.

6. Leave food on your plate.

This will short circuit the instinct to eat everything in sight. Stocking up on calories use to be beneficial to our survival since many days may have passed without any food. Since our society is now over flowing with food, this instinct to eat all is mal-adaptive.

7. Get stressed and look for chocolate?

Instead, deal with stress through cardio or through yoga or mediation. You will feel great afterwards.

8. Stock your house with healthy snacks.

I know when I am about to watch a movie I look for the candy, soda and popcorn immediately. Replace this with fruits or vegetables. Try the reduced calories popcorn. Cut out the soda. Trust me, it might be hard at first but it is doable.

9. Limit alcohol.

I freaked out when I saw how many calories were in a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. You may not think it, but alcohol is huge for calorie intake.

10. Hate to say it, exercise.

It takes about three weeks to make a habit. Start slow, about 10 minutes of running on a treadmill a day or something similar. I started in January, doing approximately 5 minutes on an elliptical bike, 2 days a week. I am now doing 30 minutes on weekends and 20 minutes during the week. If you want to lose weight you need to burn the calories.

It is not easy, I know it, you know it, we all know it. The previous tips are ones that I have found to be most effective in helping me keep my New Year’s goal. It has been three years since I have been making a decision to lose weight, this is the first year that has gotten off to such a great start.

If I can do it, so can you, and you have other tips share with all of us.

In everyday life even when things seem just right or lets say perfect you may still find yourself in a position where getting out of bed and getting started seems a mammoth task. This isn’t really because you’re physically tired though that’s an accepted situation which can happen to the best of us from time to time, but I’m talking about sheer lack of motivation to go about doing anything.

When you don’t feel the urge or need to do anything despite there being enough to do around you, you simply have lost your motivation somewhere. This could be more of a mental setback than anything else. You first need to sit back and analyze the situation and know what has caused you to lose hope or momentum, whichever way you put it.

1. How to analyze yourself
   The best thing, is take a break, a very short one if need be. This will help you unwind and best thing your head won’t be filled with thoughts related to your line of work. When you get that off your head, you’re free to introspect and focus on your thoughts. This can work wonders, because with nothing else to worry about you can be attentive to your inner needs. You’ll get the time and opportunity to look into yourself and find out what it is that’s missing. You can ask yourself all the necessary questions and seek answers.
2. Don’t give up
   There could be times when despite all the thinking required, you still don’t find any answer at all or maybe what you think about isn’t satisfactory. Don’t let this get you down. This is only a momentary lapse and this phase will soon pass. And quite honestly it’s absolutely fine if you don’t have all the right answers because if we knew it all we wouldn’t be who we are.
3. Re-plan
   At times like this when you can’t seem to find that much needed motivation, go a little further back and a little into the future and think why the plans that you have made are not working. If this is what is troubling you it’s time to be a little more realistic and revise your plans. This can work very well for you, because with a whole new approach you’ll be opening more doors and finding that much needed opportunity. Don’t compromise on your dreams, just find the right approach.

Once you’ve taken care of the above factors, there’s not much left to worry about. When it comes to motivation it’s true that you can find it in everything. A hard working colleague, a friend who is organized and manages to keep up a smile even at difficult times or even from little events that happen in and around your life.

But sometimes even this maybe short lived because euphoria and motivation are not really the same thing. The secret is to find your inspiration and identify your calling because it’s important not to lose inspiration. Keep your spirits high by doing the things that inspire you and don’t let daily troubles get you down. If it’s a favorite film, a good looking actor, an exciting football game, a good looking model, a morning activity like jogging and keeping fit and so on and so forth, the list is endless, don’t let these things become an event of the past.

Inspiration and willingness

Motivation is as much a factor that’s present within you as much as it is around you. If from within, you don’t feel the need to be motivated then no amount of outward motivation can get you up and going. Motivation may be inspired from great leaders like Buddha, great warriors like Alexander or great human beings like Mother Theresa. But that’s only half the job. You may like them, respect them but they’ll never inspire you enough if there’s no willingness within. So don’t wait and sit back for motivation to creep back into life. Find your motivation and let it work wonders for you.

And a few examples

If you’re low on motivation, enroll in meditation session, listen to a discourse, read an inspirational story but remember that all of this things didn’t come about in one day and are not mere feel good factors. There’s a lot more truth and history to them than we’ll ever know. So find your motivation, do the hard work and seek the inner truth, that’s what’s going to keep you going. Your true motivation lies in your everyday life and how you lead it.

The choices are yours and you don’t need to be highly educated, qualified or learned to identify where motivation has its roots. It’s different for each of us. So go find your inspiration today and live this motivated life.

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” that’s what Paulo Coelho said, but not many of us live by this principle. Is it just another of his literary genius or is he one of those that knows the real secret of this world and understands the true meaning of our existence. Yes the secret is what our life revolves around. It is simple and the more we believe in it the more it proves its existence in every sphere of our daily lives. The secret is about wanting something. It isn’t about asking someone around you for it but about believing in the fact that you want something and asking for it from the forces of the universe. This simple truth may be told to you by a believer, or may come to you through chanting or even by life’s simple examples. The real thing here is to truly want something and believing the fact that it will come to you. If you strongly believe what you ask for will be yours.

The truth

There’s no greed in wanting something as long as it’s not for the wrong reasons. We all have the right to be happy and ask for the little joys of life. At any given time we could be in a difficult situation and may need help of any nature. At times like this let go of your inhibitions and with an honest heart ask for the help you need. You needn’t do this in a religious surrounding and neither do you need to call your best friend. You simply need to ask for what you need and that’s as simple as it gets.

The reason

If you’re wondering isn’t this as good as wishful thinking, yes it is but it is also much larger than that. If you believe that the world is a lot beyond just what meets the eye and that there are happy spirits around us that are there to help and see us through life, then the reasons won’t be important because you will understand it with ease.

The argument

In reality when you make an earnest request it certainly won’t go unanswered just like they say when you pray without asking for incorrect reasons. It is your belief in the forces of this world that enables your wishes to come true. A simple reason being, when there’s something in your mind you consciously, semi consciously or unconsciously work towards it. That’s one part of the job done. The rest they say happens because you’ve been graced.

Acknowledge

Once you start believing that things happen because you asked for them, be grateful for every such gift you receive. Believe in the graces you receive and be thankful each time. Consciously acknowledge such occurrences around you and keep your faith.

Spreads the good word

Once you begin to believe in such graces, spread the message and help others realize this truth. It is a great gift that you can give to others. It instills faith and allows them to be thankful for the millions of small gifts we receive each day. Honestly it is all about realization and appreciation of things that happen around us and in our lives. It is true that sometimes we work very hard to attain something and the happiness at the end is worth it. But the other reality to everything that happens in our lives is that things happen because they’re meant to be. So acknowledge your life and realize you’re special and that’s why you receive so many gifts each day. Pass on this good fortune to others and keep asking for everything you need. There are too many forces in and around us that are always at work even when we sleep. There is harmony around us that lets things happen when they need to.

Express your gratitude

For the good fortune that you experience ensure that you pass it on to others. Do good to others, when you’re in a position to help. You could be their angel for the moment. It is about selfless giving and stepping in to help when you know you can, because honestly not all help is monetarily bound. There are many things each one of us is in a position to do to put others out of their present worry.

So, step up and help, because sooner or later someone else will walk into your life and help you. Each day is new and each moment you can give. Experience the joy in helping and consequently receiving because for every godd that you do to help the secret grow, there is a blessing in store for you that always comes into play when you need it most.

[photo copyright wanzw]

Yes, you heard right, deal with every problem that comes your way, and this need not necessarily be the most difficult problem. There’s a very effective solution to all your problems. You need not have your problems grow on you. Deal with them as soon as they turn into a problem. For this you simply need to categorize each problem as minor or major. Yes that’s all you have to do. Make your life easy and trouble free by exercising a few things that you are already aware of.

Things to do when you feel down and under

1. Take a deep breath.
   At first, take a deep breath and calm down, and a deep breath doesn’t mean just one. Slow down, sit and exhale in and out. Do this a few times and you’ll feel much lighter.
2. Make a list
   Once you feel a little better take a pen and paper and start writing down all the matters that are troubling you. Yes start with all your problems and include payments, bills, housing, clothing, appointments, invesments or anything that should be done.
3. Categorize your problems
   Carefully listing all your problems will ensure that you don’t forget anything for the last minute. This helps you prepare while there’s still time than do a last minute job of something that’s important to you.

Once the list is there in front of you, you have a realistic idea about the extent of matters that need to be taken care. Now divide the events in your list into things that can be resolved immediately and those that need to be left for later.

The right action

Once you know your immediate problems, solve then. Quite simply if the light switch needs to be repaired get it done today so you won’t wake up with the same problem morning after morning. This is the best gift you can give yourself. Instead of having the problems grow on you; deal with it as soon as you can. So with the light switch repaired you can happily remove it from your problems list and get on with the next effective action. This way you’ll have less weight to carry on your shoulders and can deal with your problems as soon as they arise, if it presents you with such an opportunity.

When you’re able to deal with you smaller problems on a daily basis, you’ll be able to lead a more relaxed and hassle free life because you won’t be bothered all the time. Simply there won’t be things that cause worry at the back of your head every waking minute. This offers a much more relaxed outlook and keeps you stress free.

Identify with your problems

It’s all about being able to identify your problems. It’s necessary that you accept and acknowledge the fact that there are many issues you have to deal with on a daily basis, whether big or small. So, it’s best that you don’t sleep over your problems because that way they’ll only mount. Resolving smaller matters with urgency leaves you with a less crowded head so you can think freely about the more serious aspects of life.

It’s always better to be aware about things that you know need to be taken care of, rather than sideline them and deal with it all in the last minute. You don’t need to rave about your problems at all times, but keeping matters of importance in your head makes you aware of them at all times. As such, when the opportunity arises, you’ll be able to resolve an issue immediately because it’s all so clear in your head.

Let there be motivation

Whether it’s in the best interest of your family or personal well being, it’s important you take care of things in the right manner. This way you not only ensure a personal peace of mind but will be guarantying a secure life to your loved ones. Having your problems weigh you down will not only rob you of your calm and peace but will slowly affect the wellbeing of your family. They will be troubled about your wellbeing and in time will start to take your tensions upon themselves. Let this not happen. Take the right action today so all of you can live in harmony and peace. Do not let your problems make you snappy and lash out at others, its’ not their fault. Maybe it’s not even your fault, it’s just a situation, like many others good or bad, it’s an opportunity to move onto the next stage of life, so deal with your problems and accept what comes on next instead of being bogged down by your present state.