Speak and Listen

12 Mindfulness Quotes that Will Change the Way You Spend Your Life

1. At times, you have to say “no” to good things to be able to say “yes” to important things.  You can’t do it all.  Be mindful and choose wisely.
2. The best gift you can give someone is the purity of your full attention.  Just be present with them and pay attention to the little things.  Do so and you will discover the best in both yourself and them.
3. Your presence can be carried with you wherever you go.  Appreciate the small moments.  There are few joys in life that equal a good conversation, a good read, a good walk, a good hug, a good smile, or a good deep breath.
4. Worry is the biggest enemy of the present moment.  It does nothing but steal your joy and keep you very busy doing absolutely nothing at all.
5. The problem is rarely the problem.  The problem is often the incredible amount of overthinking you’re doing with the problem.  Let it go and be free.
6. The more anger toward the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving the present.  And remember, letting go isn’t about having the ability to forget the past – it’s about having the wisdom and strength to embrace the present.
7. Paradise is not a place – it’s a state of mind.  Whenever the grass looks greener on the other side…  Stop staring, stop comparing, stop complaining, and start watering the grass you’re standing on.
8. What separates mindful privilege from empty entitlement is gratitude.  A mindful heart is a grateful one – it doesn’t take things for granted.  And the greatest gift of this gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more mindful you become.
9. The secret to happiness is not always in doing what you like, but in mindfully liking whatever you do.  Be present with each step, do your very best, and let go of the rest.  There is always, always, always some reason to be grateful and some interesting lesson to learn along the way.
10. The most fundamental lapse of mindfulness – the most common harm we do to ourselves – is to practice ignorance by not having the courage and the respect to slow down and look at ourselves honestly and gently.
11. In order to understand the world, we have to turn away from it on occasion. Sometimes we simply need to distance ourselves to see things clearly again.  It’s important to remember that downtime, rest, and play are productive too.
12. You should sit quietly for fifteen minutes every day to gather your thoughts, unless you’re too busy, in which case you should sit for an hour.  Remember this.  The world is as we are inside.  What we think, we see, and we ultimately become.  So gather and choose your thoughts wisely.  Think how you want to live.

WRITTEN by MARC CHERNOFF

Life Is Short

52 Good Morning Mantras (That Will Change Your Life)

1. The secret to being grateful is no secret.  You choose to be grateful.  Then you do it again and again.  Every day.  When you forget, begin again.
2. If you worry too much about what might be, and wonder too long about what might have been, you will ignore and completely miss what is.
3. You don’t know what the future will bring.  So your best strategy for living is to make the best and most positive use of the present.
4. Two things, more than anything else, define you daily: Your patience when you are struggling, and your attitude when you are not.
5. Patience is not about waiting – it’s the ability to keep a positive attitude while working hard for what you believe in.
6. It’s not selfish to enjoy life.  What’s selfish is to insist on being negative despite all the positive possibilities available to you.
7. Before you waste it on anger, resentment, spite or envy, think of how precious and irreplaceable your time is today.  Positivity always pays!
8. You may be exhausted.  You may be discouraged.  You may feel uncomfortable.  No matter what, your best option is to move positively forward.
9. Those times when you don’t feel like being positive are the times when choosing to be positive makes the biggest difference.
10. It’s impossible to accomplish what you assume you cannot do.  Be careful not to become a prisoner of your own assumptions.
11. If you truly wish to improve your self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth, stop allowing other people to be responsible for them.
12. Your track record for getting through hard days is 100% so far.
13. When you fail to get what you want, consider that it just might be a blessing in disguise, enabling you to have something even better, soon.
14. Use your struggles and frustrations today to motivate you rather than annoy you.  You are in control of the way you look at life.
15. What may seem like a setback is really an opportunity for you to learn something new, and develop a more effective, more realistic strategy.
16. Again and again, remind yourself why.  With a strong enough reason why, you’ll be able to do what’s required at any time and in any circumstance.
17. Be determined and ambitious, but not out of a desperate sense of need – do it out of a love for the possibilities.  Enjoy your journey!
18. Do your thing with passion and integrity even if folks don’t notice you.  We do what we do not for an applause, but because we know it’s right.
19. If the grass looks greener on the other side…  Stop staring.  Stop comparing.  Stop complaining and start watering the grass you’re standing on.
20. When you are lost in worry, it is easy to mistake your worries for reality, instead of recognizing that they are just thoughts.
21. Whatever your challenge is, worrying about it won’t help.  Either do something to address it or do something to let it go.
22. Unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you accept that it’s over, you cannot move forward.
23. Most people make themselves unhappy simply by finding it impossible to accept life just as it is presenting itself right now.
24. You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying.  What you can do is calm yourself, and the storm will pass.
25. Nothing is permanent.  When you understand this, you can do almost anything you wish because you’re not trying to hold onto anything anymore.
26. The most powerful changes happen when you take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over everything you don’t.  (Read The Untethered Soul.)
27. Too often we see ourselves as the victim, rather than the creator, of our present situation.  This is why our life is so difficult to change.
28. When you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself.  And that changes everything.
29. Being happy and grateful doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.  It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.
30. Your life will improve only when you take small chances, and the first and most difficult chance you can take is to be honest with yourself.
31. It’s not what you say to everyone else that determines your life; it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the greatest power.
32. Awareness is not just noticing what’s going on around you, but what’s going on within you as well.  Keep your eyes open and your Self in mind.
33. Be careful about who you give the microphone and stage to in your life, especially when times are tough.  Don’t just listen to the loudest voice.  Listen to the truest one.
34. Don’t let someone who has done nothing tell you how to do your thing.  Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.
35. You can’t base your ideas of success and happiness on other people’s opinions and expectations.
36. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly again.
37. Don’t be scared to walk alone down the path less traveled, and don’t be scared to love every minute of it.
38. Wherever your heart is – wherever your truth is – that’s where you will find your reason to smile.
39. Don’t let not knowing how it’ll end keep you from beginning today.  Uncertainty chases us out into the open where life’s true magic is waiting.
40. You can’t be afraid to have certain conversations.  It’s better to talk and find out, than to keep going and get nowhere.  Communication is key.
41. No matter what happens in life, be good to people.  Being good to people is a peaceful way to live, and a beautiful legacy to leave behind.
42. Changing the world doesn’t necessitate earth-shattering feats but rather, doing small things with great love.  Think simple, not spectacular.
43. Our days are always happier and more fulfilling when we give people around us a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.
44. Don’t judge someone just because they’ve made different mistakes than you have.
45. When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself.
46. Set an example.  Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.
47. Be thankful for all the rude, obnoxious, and difficult people you meet in life. They serve as important reminders of how NOT to live.
48. There are no permanent jobs on this planet.  We are all interning here.  Learn from everyone, remain humble, and don’t forget to have a good time.
49. There’s no such thing as a self-made person.  Someone else believed, encouraged and invested in you.  Be grateful and be that someone for others.
50. Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in your journey.
51. Every day is a new beginning; treat it that way.  Stop thinking about what could have been and start looking at what CAN be. (Marc and I discuss this in more detail in the “Passion and Growth” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
52. Right now it all starts over.  The possibilities ahead are endless.  Be strong enough to let go, wise enough to move forward, diligent enough to work hard, and patient enough to wait for what you’ve earned.

The “4 C’s to Mental Toughness”

The “4 C’s to Mental Toughness”

Psychologist Dr. Peter Clough developed the “Mental Toughness Training Model,” a psychometric assessment measure, which enables users to assess mental toughness in four core areas

Confidence
Challenge
Control
Commitment

Here’s how you can use the components to your advantage and become more mentally tough:

1. Confidence

Do you believe in yourself and your abilities? Can you effectively navigate conflict and challenges? Do you have well-developed social skills?

People who are self-confident believe that they can achieve success, despite any obstacles they encounter. They work hard to develop themselves in competitive environments. They are proactive, decisive and courageous in spite of fear. Take Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran for example. She had a terrible fear of public speaking, but she knew that she had to embrace it, rather than run from it, if she wanted to become successful. Her strategy? She thrust herself into every possible speaking opportunity she could find and worked at it like crazy. Today, she’s in demand on stages all around the globe.  Regarding self-confidence she says, “Don’t be afraid. Stand up and shout loud and clear enough for everyone to hear: “No, I am NOT stupid.”

2. Challenge

Do you thrive in environments that constantly change or present new opportunities for learning and growth?

People who embrace challenges tend to have an extraordinary ability to think and work outside the box. They enjoy exercising creativity, exploring innovation, and accepting some degree of risk. Why? They are keenly focused on achieving positive outcomes. Spiritual teacher and The Power of Now author Eckhart Tolle, teaches that challenges, difficulties and uncertainty, all concepts that point to change—and upset the status quo—are natural parts of life that should be embraced. He notes that, “Change is absolutely necessary and offers a new way of being in this world.”

3. Control

Do you feel that you have control over your life and the power to shape your destiny? How do you deal with the ebb and flow of life’s ups and downs?

People with a strong sense of control over their lives tend to be more relaxed and self-confident. They are more connected to their emotions, self-regulating and motivated to achieve results. They believe that they’ve got the power to influence their outcomes, and lo and behold they do. Peak performance expert Tony Robbins developed a five-step process aimed at helping others develop more control and achieve greater results. It’s totally worth taking a closer look, especially as part of developing an overall mental toughness strategy.

4. Commitment

Are you committed to achieving your outcomes? Do you set goals and work consistently to achieve them, even when you experience setbacks?

This is also known as “stickability.” Misty Copeland showed the world she was committed to becoming a prima ballerina, even in the face of unmistakable adversity. Her advice? Stick with it and persevere. It may seem counterintuitive, but “the path to your success is not as fixed and inflexible as you might think,” she says.

Feeling less than mentally tough?

What’s true for sure is that we all need it to succeed, no matter our background or what industry we’re in. It’s the secret sauce for performing at the top of your game, especially during tough times. And just like a lot of other important leadership traits, mental toughness is not something you’re born with. It’s developed over time it by focusing on the key components, little by little.  

Use the 4 C’s to your advantage and you will be well on your way to achieving mental toughness—and greater success.