Powerful Ideas for an Extraordinary Life

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1

Sleep less. This is one of the best investments you can make to make your life

more productive and rewarding. Most people do not need more than 6 hours to

maintain an excellent state of health. Try getting up one hour earlier for 3-4

weeks and it will develop into a powerful habit. Remember, it is the quality not

the quantity of sleep that is important. And just imagine having an extra 30

hours a month to spend on the things that are important to you.

 

2

Set aside one hour every morning for personal development matters. Meditate,

visualize your day, read inspirational texts to set the tone of your day, listen

to motivational tapes or read great literature. Take this quiet period to

vitalize and energize your spirit for the productive day ahead. Watch the sun

rise once a week or be with nature. Starting the day off well is a powerful

strategy for self-renewal and personal effectiveness.

 

3

Do not allow those things that matter the most in your life be at the mercy of

activities that matter the least. Every day, take the time to ask yourself the

question " is this the best use of my time and energy? " Time management is life

management so guard your time with great care.

 

4

Remember that your expectations create your reality and life pretty much sends

you what you think and expect.

 

5

Always answer the phone with enthusiasm in your voice and show your appreciation

for the caller. Good phone manners are essential. To convey authority on the

line, stand up. This will instill further confidence in your voice.

 

6

Throughout the day we all get inspiration and excellent ideas. Capture them.

Keep a set of cards (the size of business cards; available at most stationary

stores) in your wallet along with a pencil to jot down these insights. When you

get home, put the ideas in a central place such as a coil notepad and review

them from time to time. As noted by Oliver Wendell Holmes: " Man's mind, once

stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. "

 

7

Set aside every Sunday evening for yourself and be strongly disciplined with

this habit. Use this period to plan your week, visualize your encounters and

what you want to achieve, to read new materials and inspirational books, to

listen to soft soothing music and to simply relax. This habit will serve as your

anchor to keep you focused, motivated and effective throughout the coming week.

 

8

Always remember the key principle that the quality of your life is the quality

of your communication. This means the way you communicate with others and, more

importantly, the way you communicate with yourself. What you focus on is what

you get. If you look for the positive this is what you get. This is a

fundamental law of Nature.

 

9

Stay on purpose, not on outcome. In other words, do the task because it is what

you love to do or because it will help someone or is a valuable exercise. Don't

do it for the money or the recognition. Those will come naturally. This is the

way of the world.

 

10

Laugh for five minutes in the mirror each morning. Steve Martin does. Laughter

activates many beneficial chemicals within the body that place us into a very

joyous state. Laughter also returns the body to a state of balance. Laughter

therapy has been regularly used to heal persons with varied ailments and is a

wonderful tonic for life's ills. While the average 4 year old laughs 500 times a

day, the average adult is lucky to laugh 15 times a day. Revitalize the habit of

laughter, it will put far more living into your life.

 

By Robin Sharma

 

to be continued...