Earlier I was reading an email from a friend, in which he told me about a personal growth weekend he’d been on.  He wrote: ” it struck me that that was the week-end when I fell back in love with my life….“. I got goosebumps when I read that  – what an incredibly powerful statement to be able to make!

I know that I have the choice to feel the same about my life too … as long as I exercise that choice! In recent weeks I’ve been feeling a bit low, anxious about matters financial, and basically feeling a bit overwhelmed. Perhaps its the transition into Spring, that old issues are springing forth too?!

As usual, the Universe is pointing out to me, only an almost daily basis, that I can overcome these unhelpful thoughts in my head. A couple of weeks ago I got a link in an email, to register to view some excellent videos by the wonderful Bob Proctor – try them out yourself too: http://www.bobproctor-training.net/; the main theme of the 3 videos is that we can change the thoughts (or programmes, you could call them) in our heads.
[He is a promoting an excellent-sounding program, but you don't have to sign up for that - just watch the videos at least, they're very interesting.]

I had lunch with a friend on Friday, and we started talking about why I seem to be fearful about certain things in my life. Now, in most cases (things like being chased by a lion, or having a car accident, excluded in this!) fear is just a product of our minds – False Evidence Appearing Real, as the acronym goes! So my most important task for the moment is to be aware when I’m running old programmes of negative self-talk in my head, and question their validity – and chances are I’ll realise that things are never as bad as I fear!

(By Jeremy Orbell)

The evocative phrase: ‘Living every day with passion’ conjures up wildly different images for many people. Living is life, pure and simple, and your perception or definition of life is determined by your past experiences and your current thought patterns.

What does the word passion mean to you? Apart from the obvious sexual reference or lust, it can be about a very different kind of desire – the drive to succeed. It is an emotional term that can be positive or negative but it a powerful driving force. It could be for a political cause or just a hobby but ultimately it’s about doing what you love to do.

Life can be of heaven for some or hell for others. Then there are those who seem to view life purely as existence whereby they move from day-to-day without any inclination that there could be something more. Where do you fit in?

Take a moment to think about where you are this moment in time. Are you contented, stressed, angry, thrilled, eager or sad? None of the above? Express to yourself now your emotional state and say it out loud.

Well? Did telling yourself outright have any physiological effect on you and your body? Did you slouch, stand up, smile, jump around or nervously chew your nails? When you spoke was it vibrant, quiet, excited or angry?

What does this tell you? The sound of your voice and your posture is giving you an obvious sign of whether you are truly contented or not and you should treat the message being fed to you with respect.

I’m sure some of you will have noticed that I have asked a great number of questions in this article. The writing style may seem cumbersome but I have deliberately been using it to get across the importance of asking questions of yourself.

There is a rule that many life coaches use that says that you should never give direct advice if at all possible. This is because the coach’s viewpoint is mostly based on their own personal circumstances, morals and viewpoints; what would be right for them is not necessarily right for the client.

If you have a success coach of your own or witness a session taking place on TV, listen to how they speak to the coachee. It’s questions, questions, questions. This surprises many people as they often expect that they will be dispensed with some words of wisdom that will suddenly cure all their problems. Not true.

We all have it within us to solve our own problems because, let’s face it, who knows you better than yourself? Keep asking yourself questions and couple your answers with consistent action and you should begin to see some changes. If these changes don’t have the desired response try again, do it differently, until you have results that you are happy with.

Remember that we have options to choose from and decisions to make every moment of every day and we decide how we react to any one of them.

This may all seem to be off-topic but it isn’t really. Passion is an evocative word as we’ve said and when we attach it to the way we live we instantly become more positive and excited about life.

Do you feel passionate about our job? If the answer is no what does that mean? Apart from telling you that you probably shouldn’t even be doing it in the first place, it also asks you to consider your motives for being there at all. If it’s purely because of money are you able to accept that financial gain justifies any unhappiness on a longer term basis?

What activity gives you the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment? Think back now to the last time you experienced the high of doing exactly what you wanted to do, purely for the love of it. Grasp that memory and relive the feeling and do whatever you can to make it part of you.

Living every day with passion is about waking up in the morning excited about the day and the possibilities and opportunities that lay ahead of you. What will I learn, what will I experience, who will I meet?

Ask yourself again: “What is my passion?”. Decide now, take action and make it real. “

Jeremy Orbell wrote this article on Ecademy; I would like to thank him for asking enough questions to get my mind working in a much more enthusiastic way!

Some of us get to the stage in life where we need to find out what it is that we’re on this planet for, or what the purpose or meaning of our life is. I have been heading towards that point for a couple of years, and I think it has now hit me: I need to really find out what it is that gives me joy. What is it that makes me leap up each morning and love the day? What is it that will keep me going when times are tough or uncertain, and my path may not seem too clear?

I have been reading the book Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, a WWII concentration camp survivor. It’s rare for me to make notes in a book, but this one compelled me to – there were some very deep thoughts to go back to.

“It is spiritual freedom – which cannot be taken away – that makes life meaningful and purposeful”

and

He who knows the “why” for his existence, will be able to bear almost any “how”

What amazed me were the stories of how people survived the most horrendous experiences – because they had something to live for… even if that “something” was only in their mind! It’s proof, if proof is indeed needed, of the power of positive thoughts in our lives.

No matter what may happen or fail to happen, life is what you choose to make it. Choose again and again, in every situation, to make it great.
— Ralph Marston