Hope=Energy

Think about the last time you felt energetic.
Most likely, it was when you were anticipating a positive experience in the near future.  Why is this so often the case?
The answer is becoming increasingly clear in this psychological research and literature in the field known as positive psychology.
Positive psychology is a relatively new field of study that has shifted the focus away from pathology (people who have problems, or things that go wrong with our minds).
Instead of researching the minds and behavior of people who are experiencing emotional difficulty, psychological research in the positive psychology arena has increasingly focused on positive emotions and the powerful effect of positive emotions on our lives.
Have we learned anything useful yet?
You bet, and some of the most astounding findings have to do with the positive human emotion and thought process frequently referred to as “hope.”
What is it exactly?
Hope is rather difficult to define because the things people hope for vary so significantly.
Nonetheless, a good general description of hope would be a positive expectation with thoughts and emotions that reflect a consciously or unconsciously held belief that something we desire will occur.
If you think about that definition, you may notice that hope is a near opposite to depression.
And one of the things we know about depression is that it shuts down your energy.  If you are serious about modifying any aspect of your life in a positive direction, energy is a critical ingredient to change that you cannot do without.
So how can we harness the energy that comes from hope?
The most obvious answer is to increase the frequency and intensity of hope in your daily life.
An even better answer is to increase the frequency and intensity of hope regarding the specific plans you have for positively changing your life.
That last point was important, so I’m going to repeat it in different words to make sure you didn’t miss the point.
Increasing hope will increase your energy, but life modification will occur much more rapidly when you make purposeful attempts to increase the hope you experience regarding a narrow band of goals that have deep personal meaning for you.
So how do you do it?
How do you actually increase hope on purpose?
You can increase your hope by following a set of simple steps.
First, set a very clear and very realistic goal with a deadline that you choose for completion of the goal based on a realistic assessment of the time commitment and energy you have available for pursuing your goal.
I used the word “realistic” twice in that last sentence for a reason.
You won’t experience much hope if you feel your goal is unattainable or unrealistic.
Many motivational speakers encourage their listeners to set the highest goals they can possibly imagine.  While there are times when such a mental exercise can be valuable, sky-high goals should not be the foundation of attempts at true life modification.
If you are banking on luck to reach your goal, your hope will be low, and your energy will be low.
With low energy, you will join the masses who are stuck in commonplace, mundane activities that merely maintain the status quo in their lives.
Choose to be different.
Design your goals so that the only ingredients you need to add to your plan are effort and consistency.
When you have designed your goals and the specific steps that you will take to reach your goals, only consistent effort should remain as a factor that is yet to be determined as the future plays out.
With this kind of goal setting, you will be amazed to find that you feel happier and more hopeful on a daily basis.
As a result, your quality of life will go up at the same time that you work harder toward achieving your goals because of your new-found energy.
This article is really about leveraging your emotions correctly in order to create the life that you desire.  Leveraging your emotions is one of the critical elements we teach in the life modification system.
Go beyond intrigue and put these ideas to work in your life.
The results will speak for themselves.
-Dr. Todd Snyder

It Shows In Your Face

You don’t have to tell how you live each day;
You don’t have to say if you work or you play;
A tried, true barometer serves in the place–
However you live, it will show in your face.

The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart,
Will not stay inside where it first got a start;
For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace–
What you wear in your heart, you wear in your face.

If your life is selfless, if for others you live,
For not what you get, but how much you can give;
If you live close to God in his infinite grace–
You don’t have to tell it, it shows in your face.

See It Through

When you’re up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it’s vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don’t let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!

Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you’re beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don’t give up, whate’er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!

Why Not Think?

It’s a little thing to do,
Just to think,
Anyone, no matter who,
Ought to think,
Take a little Time each day
From the minutes thrown away,
Spare it from your work or play,
Stop and think.
You will find that those who fail
Do not think.
Half the trouble that we see,
Trouble brewed for you and me
Probably would never be
If we’d think!

3 Good Motivational Quotes Software Programs

Here are 3 pretty good quote apps worth downloading:

1) Wisdom of the Ages

This is a collection of 6500+ quotes organized by topic. The quotes are pretty good too. My only complaint is that you can’t copy them to your clipboard unless you pay to unlock that feature. But the free version seems to work ok!

2) Intelliquote

This one is free, is searchable, and has about 3400 quotes. When you minimize it, it will show pop up quotes in your system tray. This app also allows you to copy and paste quotes out of it.

3) Notable Quotable:

This one has 4200 quotes and allows you to copy a quote to a clipboard. It’s quite easy to cycle through the quotes quickly, I find, mainly because the font is so big. But the quotes are organized by author, which makes it impossible to search out a topic you’re interested in! Strangely, they set this app with a 60 day license, yet don’t appear to provide a reason why they do this. There is no upgrade fee to pay, so what’s the point?

Anyway, I know there are other similar apps out there. I know there’s a huge one that I’m forgetting; one with 40,000 quotes in it, but I forget the URL. I once owned it, but lost it in a crash.

KINDNESS

If you were busy being kind
Before you knew it you would find,
You’d soon forget to think it was true
That someone was unkind to you.

If you were busy being glad
And cheering people who were sad,
Although your heart might ache a bit,
You’d soon forget to notice it.

If you were busy being good
And doing just the best you could,
You’d not have time to blame the man
Who’s doing the very best he can.

If you were busy being true
To what you know you ought to do,
You’d be so busy you’d forget
The blunders of the folks you’ve met.