Before you start reading this post, I want you to STOP and mentally list a few things in life that matter the most to you.

Go on, do it now…

…The reason why I made you do this is because our ‘rat-race’ world has the tendency of making us lose sight of what’s really important in our lives, the only things that really matter.

You get conditioned to believe that money is important, that your career or your business is important, that your house or your car is important in your life. But none of these things really matter in life, because the things that matter most in life can’t be priced.

Ask any person who’s had a gun pointed to their head, ask anyone who’s survived a serious car crash or ask someone who’s had a near-death experience. Ask them what matters most in life.

99% Of them will tell you that the things that matter most in life are family, friends, love, time, health and freedom.

It’s sad that it often takes a near-death experience for us to realize what’s really important in our lives, yet that’s the truth for most people (I’ve been guilty of this too).

It’s so easy to get caught up in your job, your career, your personal desires for money, cars, houses and other material possessions.

But when you die, are any of these things important?

Can you take your money, your cars or your houses with you when your time is up?

What You Cannot Change

Fact: You’re here in this world and you have a life to live.

This is something that you had no control over, and it’s something that you have to make the best of. If you’re lucky and all goes well, it’s safe to say that, from the day you were born, you have about 80 years to live.

In the grand scheme of things in our universe, nothing you do really matters. You are just one of the 7 billion odd people on one planet in an endlessly gigantic universe. At some point our sun will burn out and everything you’ve done in your life, every legacy you’ve left behind, everyone you know… will vanish.

So what does that mean?

It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t care about anything and neither does it mean you should live each day like it’s your last.

You have to take control of your life and live it in such a way that you appreciate every day that you’re alive. You should strive to spend as much time with the people you love, with the people who mean the world to you. You should strive to be honest, help others, work in such a way that you do what you love doing. And you should strive to leave the world in a better way than you found it.

Money Is Important – But For A Different Reason

I mentioned that money is not among the things that matter most in life, money is definitely important.

Although it sounds like I’m contradicting myself, I’m not and I’ll explain why.

The reason that money is important is because it allows you the freedom to spend time with the people who really matter. If you have enough money then you can have your partner not need to work to help pay the bills. Enough money allows you to pursue your own hobbies and business ventures so that if you wish, you could work from home on your own terms.

Enough money allows you to move to a safe location if that’s what you need to do. It allows you to buy healthy food so that you’ll be able to live longer and healthier and have more time to spend with the ones you love. Enough money can buy education for the people you care about so that they’ll be better off too.

But notice how I say enough money and not just money.

You don’t need to have a million dollars in the bank to be able to spend your days with the ones you love. You don’t need Ferrari’s, mansions on the beach or private jets. You just need enough money.

I know that for some people it’s a personal goal to make a ton of money, to become really rich so that they can buy all the things they never had. And that’s okay… as long as it doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice spending time with the ones you love to be able to make that money.

Don’t let money become your main focus in life. Let money be a means to have the freedom and time to spend with the people you love and doing things that you love doing.

Don’t Lose Sight of What Matters Most

At the very start of this post I asked you to mentally list a few of the most important things to you in life. I truly hope that you thought about friends, family, love, happiness, health or freedom. But if not, don’t worry. It’s not too late to change your mindset.

Try to spend more time with the people you care about, and try to spend more time doing the things you enjoy doing. Especially now over the festive season, forget about work, money and chasing status for a bit. Enjoy life, love and friendship. Share good food together with the people you care about. Go away for a few days.

And after the festive season passes, don’t lose sight of what matters most. Try to remember at all times what is important in your life because when your time in this world is up, I want you to be able to look back on your life without regrets, knowing that you spent as much time as you could with the people you care about and doing the things you enjoy doing.

Be Grateful For What You Have

A simple habit you can adopt to remind yourself of what matters most in life is to, every night before you go to bed, mentally list all the things in your life that you’re grateful for.

It’ll take you a minute or two at most.

For example:
I’m grateful for the roof above my head, the bed in which I sleep, not having to worry about my safety, being in good health, my family, friends, partner and the opportunity to wake up tomorrow and work towards my goals.

I’ve been doing this for some time now and not only does it help to remind me of what’s really important to me in life, it also helps me get through difficult times more easily.

When things aren’t going my way and I’m facing obstacles or failure, I can turn to all the things that I’m grateful for in my life and it puts the setbacks and failures in perspective (they’re not that bad).

Jill is a Harvard PhD who built a highly successful career in science. Everything went just perfect till the moment when she got a stroke on one of her mornings. As a result, she lost almost all of her cognitive and physical skills, but survived. Moreover, eventually she finally recovered which took more than 8 years. Step be step she learned everything: from speech recognition, to walking and reading.

The Book tells her personal story and gives a basic understanding of our brain. According to author our brain functions can be separated by hemispheres: left and right. Right one lives in a present moment and is responsible for our sensory feelings, intuition, and perception of universe as a whole. Left one in turn is our rational mind, future planning, past evaluation, speech, critical thinking, etc.

After the stroke Jill lost functions of left hemisphere. The most interesting part is that despite the loss of cognitive functions, she describes her experience with sincere rapture. She emotionally tells us about feeling of “deep inner piece and bliss” and expresses ideas that I highly connected with a topic of mindful meditation that kind of follows me last month.

In My Stroke of Insight Jill talks a lot about right hemisphere with which connects this state of bliss comparing it to nirvana. She highlights how close we are from this state: “only one thought away”. But we often lose it by being immersed in our thoughts and actions or in left hemisphere.

How according to author can healthy people get closer to this state? Among many ideas which she shares you can find very simple things. Such as gratitude for everything that you have and what surrounds you, attention to and development of sensory feelings, meditation, special perception of environment during physical activity, etc.

But the most important thing is attention to one’s own thoughts and feelings, conscious choice of what to focus on and what not to. Jill believes in neuroplasticity, in our ability to train our brain through attention and concentration on aspects that we’re interested in.

The law of attraction says that “like attracts like.” You bring about what you think about. You are the creator of your life experience and you create through the balance of your thoughts. Ideally, when you see or experience something you do not like or that does not feel good to you, you will “make a note of that,” and attract something different into your experience – something that you do like and that feels good to you. This of course is a choice, I mean, you can accept negative things and continue to put such things into your experience, but most of us want the good stuff, so that is the frame of reference for this article – positive, happy, joyful, good things.

Whatever it is that you are wanting to manifest, whether it’s a million dollars, a healthy body, spiritual peace, a loving relationship, or greater intellectual capacity, you will attract it faster if you find ways to get on a vibrational level with it more frequently. Okay, I feel like I need to explain that too.

This thing that you want, whatever it is, you obviously desire it because you believe that it will bring you joy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a temporary state of joy, like the first $100,000 on your way to a million, or something permanent, like for a broken arm to heal; whatever it is, it’s going to make you happy. So the emotion driving the desire for this thing you want is joy. Right? Okay then, so what we need to do, is find ways of experiencing joy now, so that our vibration is in line with this thing we want. Like attracts like – joy attracts joy.

That’s what Rhonda Byrne meant on the Oprah show when she said the most important thing is to feel good. That’s what Joe Vitale means in his book(s) when he says the most important thing is to feel good now. Feeling good now, as much of the time as you possibly can, will cause a vibrational shift in your emotional well-being that will attract that which you desire to come to you, and it cannot help but come to you faster the more you stay in vibrational alignment with it. That was a long sentence, I want you to go back and read it again. Oh, what else is copy and paste for – here – I’ll print it for you again.

Feeling good now, as much of the time as you possibly can, will cause a vibrational shift in your emotional well-being that will attract that which you desire to come to you, and it cannot help but come to you faster the more you stay in vibrational alignment with it.

Here’s a shorter version: The more you feel good, the faster you will get what you want.

Does it make sense, then, to try to be happy all the time? Now, there’s almost always someone who must challenge my philosophy with, “But it’s not possible to feel good all the time. We need to experience the pain, the guilt, and the sorrow, in order to appreciate the times of feeling good.” And to that person, I just need to take a Dr. Phil moment and ask, “How’s that working for you?”

So in the interest of feeling fantastic and getting everything you want out of life, here is a list of simple things I like to do to feel good right now.

Listen to upbeat music. My favorite is Al Jarreau’s Boogie Down. I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth gets me going too. Practicing music, if you’re at all musically inclined, works as well. Just be sure to keep it upbeat and positive – remember, this is supposed to raise your vibration, so no tearjerkers or anything remotely sad. Got it?
Watch your favorite TV shows. Good ones – funny ones – old ones – like the Cosby show. There’s just something about Bill Cosby that always makes me laugh. I love his clean, positive humor. I especially like smart comedies. Frasier is another good one. Anything that lifts your vibration will work, and if at any moment it starts to not feel so good, just turn it off – move on to something else. I had this saying when I was on my diet: “It’s not worth the calories.” As in, when something didn’t taste good, I would save the calories for later to use on something that did taste good. You can do the same with television. There’s certainly plenty of it out there, and there are plenty of other ways to utilize your time and raise your vibration. So don’t waste a second on anything that doesn’t feel good. It’s not worth it.
Watch your favorite movies. Same idea as above, except a little longer for those days when you have the time. And if there are any parts of the movie that “bring you down,” just fast forward past that part. After all, you already know what happens, don’t you? I have an emergency copy of Legally Blonde in my archives. Be careful about comedic movies, though. Some are funny, but lower your vibration because of their content. If it’s funny because it makes fun of people or contains foul language, it will not achieve the results you’re looking for. So pass on the early Eddie Murphy for the Nutty Professor and you’ll be a better match.
Write an entry in your gratitude journal. I’ve talked about gratitude journals before and by now I’m sure everyone has heard of them. Unless you’ve made it a daily habit, though, I thought you might need a little reminder of how well it works. Just start listing everything that you are grateful for right this moment. If you’re having trouble with a particular person or situation, focus on that, and write everything you appreciate about that person or situation. Keep writing until you feel better. Trust me, this works.
Focus on love. It can be anyone or any thing that you love. Not feeling so happy with your significant other right now? That’s okay – we’ve all been there! Write about your cat. Or your new car, or your old car, or your pretty wall paper, or your new desk chair, or your favorite pen, or the fact that it’s Spring, or that it’s snowing outside, or . . . get the drift? I know a person who says you can’t love something that can’t love you back. That’s silly. Love is an emotion and the more you feel it, the more you will bring things to love into your experience. So love what you love and love that you love it.
Get out in nature. Go barefoot in the grass, sit under a tree, feed the birds, smell flowers, listen to a waterfall or waves crashing against the shore. There’s something about nature that lifts our vibration. I believe it’s the connection with millions of other living things that nature provides. The vibrations offered by plants and animals in nature are so pure, so unassuming. The tree you sit under might by hundreds of years old while the flowers have only been up a few weeks. Most things in nature co-exist peacefully. There’s no competition, no worry, no doubt; just the basic assumption that all is well. Spending time with these beings of nature will help you pick up on that vibration.
Exercise. Walk, run, swim, jump up and down. Sometimes we just need to get our blood flowing. Exercise of any kind, whatever you like, will energize you on all levels, including your vibrations. If you have some sort of medical condition where exercise is impossible, do whatever you can to shake up your aura.
Drink something. Eat something. Skipping meals and being hungry or dehydrated are sure ways of lowering your vibration. My personal favorites, (for raising my vibration of course), are chocolate, large, juicy-ripe blackberries, and orange juice. (Not all at the same time, but occasionally, all on the same day!) What are your favorite little food gems that you know will lift your spirits? Stock up!
Do something nice for someone – spread love and joy. This will get you in a good mood fast. The other person doesn’t even have to know you did it. When you see someone else’s vibration lifted because of some action you chose to take, it will send you soaring to the joy category. It’s okay if they know you were responsible, but it’s also okay if they don’t. My favorite things are the unexpected, like giving the garbage man a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.
Play with your pet. This is a double-whammy because not only does the play raise your vibration, but a pet will teach you how to focus. Seriously, watch your cat or dog the next time you fidget with that string or throw that ball. There might as well be nothing else around. We need to focus like that when we’re creating. Watch, learn, and lift.
De-clutter something. Did you really think you were going to get a list from me that didn’t include something about how clutter around you creates clutter in your brain? It also lowers your vibration and I can prove it. Clean off your desk. There. Doesn’t that feel better? Told you so. Want to feel even better? Clean out the basement, the garage, the car, all the closets . . .
Act “as if.” I love this one. Go through your list of goals, and act as if each one is either already in place, or will be tomorrow. Want a new house? You’re moving tomorrow. What do you need to do to get ready? (Probably de-clutter – ha!) Trying to manifest more money into your experience? Who is your accountant? What are your investments? With which banks do you do business? How do you manage all that money? Desiring a relationship? He or she is moving in tomorrow. Where will they put their clothes? Will you need to redecorate? Where will the extra car be parked? What activities will you enjoy together? That broken arm is going to be healed by tomorrow. What will that mean for you? You’ll be surprised at how your thinking will change, and so will your vibration when you look at things from the “as if” perspective. You will also be amazed at how quickly your dreams materialize afterward.
Get a massage. Need I say more?
Take an hour off. This concept is counter-intuitive for most of us because we rush around trying to get everything done only to drive home from work in a really bad mood. I discovered a long time ago that if I take an hour off, especially one hour of solitude, I end up getting much more than an hour’s worth accomplished in return. This is probably due to the fact that taking that hour raises your vibration and you can always get more accomplished from a joyful mindset than from a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Read something motivational. So why did you buy all those Brian Tracy CD’s and Steve Chandler books? And don’t you have a “To Read” pile somewhere? Oh, and please remember those web articles hanging out there in your favorites. Steve Chandler is my favorite for a quick pick-me-up. His book, 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever, always puts me higher on the emotional set-point scale. If I’m in the car, anything by Brian Tracy will make sure I arrive at my destination with a smile on my face, ready to work. And if I have the time and want to be challenged intellectually, I’ll head over to Steve Pavlina’s site to see what he’s been up to lately. The important thing here is to know what works for you and keep it handy. Then use it!
Light some aromatherapy candles. Preferably, you’ll only utilize this one when you are at home. I find fragrances to have a huge impact on my vibration. Now, we’re not all the same in that a scent that works for me might be horrible to you and you might not respond to scent at all, but you won’t know until you try. Experiment a little. You’re worth it.
Open a window. The smell of fresh air works for just about everyone. Getting stale air out and fresh air in is good feng shui, good housekeeping, and good vibrations. Ooh – I just thought of another song!
Take a nap. If you’ve ever had little ones around, you know how they can get cranky in the afternoon if they haven’t had their nap. Well, do we really ever grow up? When I catch myself in a particularly cranky mood, I take a nap. It helps. Just 20-30 minutes and I awaken as a completely different person. Well, not completely. But my vibration is much better and when nothing else works, it helps to do this first, then get up and listen to Al Jarreau.
Go shopping. I remember saying to a friend one day, “I’m depressed. I need to buy something.” She thought that was hilarious. And I suppose it was. But I was serious. I caught on when I was a teenager that spending money somehow made me feel better. It doesn’t have to be something expensive, and if you live in a rural area like I do, you don’t even have to get in the car – you can buy things online and get an immediate shift in your vibration. Isn’t technology wonderful?! Part of it is just being good to yourself, and part of it is putting a little $ in circulation that will benefit someone else. Now, you know what I’m talking about here. Going online and running up all your credit cards is NOT going to raise your vibration to the point of joy. But finding the perfect pair of spring sandals at Talbots.com – AWESOME!
Create your own “vibrational lift” list. You know what works for you and I have to say that after creating this list, my vibration is at a pretty high level right now. Just thinking about feeling good and ways to feel good will make you feel good. Did you catch all that? Great – now go feel good!

Hail mighty Dragon! Your arrival is most welcome. People and businesses around the world have had difficult times over the last few years, so the good luck you bring is timely and needed.

The Dragon is in fact the major symbol of good fortune in Chinese Astrology. The Dragon constellation, for example, is accorded the honor of being the guardian of the Eastern sky. According to tradition the Dragon brings in the Four Blessings of the East: wealth, virtue, harmony and longevity.

Indeed, of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac the Dragon is the most special, as it is a mystical being rather than an earthly animal. It is sometimes called a karmic sign. In this context that means we can expect grand things this year. Bigger than life is very much a Dragon thing. There will be spectacular successes as well as crash and burn failures.

To get an idea of the magnitude of events that might occur in 2012 it is helpful to look back on the last time the Water Dragon made an appearance, the year 1952. In February Elizabeth II became Queen of the United Kingdom, beginning a reign that still continues today. The UK was responsible for another amazing feat of longevity. In November Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap opened in London, eventually setting the record for the longest, continuously running production of a play in history. It is not really cause for celebration, but in 1952 the United States introduced two of the most destructive weapons in history, the hydrogen bomb and the B-52 bomber. On a more positive note, the field of medicine saw the first successful separation of Siamese twins at Mt Sinai hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. And, to make the point that significant bad things can also happen in a Dragon year, in December a killer fog descended on London, one result being the invention of the word smog.

Throughout history parents in China have hoped to have children during Dragon years. What famous people will be born in 2012, and how will they change the world? The year 1952 claims world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Lee Hsien Loong. In the world of sport Jimmy Connors dominated the world of tennis and became one of the greatest players ever, while football coach Bill Belichick has struck fear into the hearts of opponents, winning four super bowls in the process. And, Craig Newmark, founder of Craig’s List, has revolutionized the world of advertising. In fact Dragons dominate the world of business. CEOs born in 1952 have run Coca Cola, Exxon-Mobil, Alberto-Culver, Time Warner, Colgate- Palmolive, Viacom, UPS, Radio Shack, Clorox, Tiffany & Company, Hershey, ITT, Macy’s, Xerox and Walgreens to name a few.

Of course not everyone can grow up to be President of Singapore or CEO of Coca Cola. The Dragon, however, is a reminder everyone has dreams, and that the time to pursue them is now. Some may be as ridiculous as those of Don Quixote, comic hero of the famous Spanish novel. Others may change the world, or at least your life. Now is thus the time to take a chance, to reach for the proverbial brass ring, to not only dream but act on that impossible dream. The Dragon gives you the best chance to make it come true.

A word about timing. The Dragon is associated with Spring. This means you need to get off to a fast start in 2012 as things are going to happen early in the year. Hopefully you used some of the quiet time last year to plan. When the train leaves the station, you want to be on it! Good luck and opportunities to make money could come very soon after lunar New Year or Tet.

The Dragon is not, however, just about money. There will also be fireworks when it comes to love and romance. New love can blossom or an old one rekindle on the spur of the moment. It is relevant here to note the Dragon is closely associated with festivals and celebrations, as exemplified by its status as the star of New Year’s parades. That makes 2012 the perfect year for engagements, weddings and baptisms.

A word of caution. The Dragon is after all a mythical beast. And, after the parade is over, the Dragon is put away for the next occasion. It thus suggests happenings of a transitory nature. So enjoy that new love, but understand it is more than likely just to be a fleeting romance.

So far it’s been all about the Dragon. The fact that 2012 is a Water year is extremely important and demands consideration. That’s because Water nourishes the Dragon’s fixed element, Wood, giving this Dragon a big advantage over the rest of the breed when it comes to bringing good luck. The same holds true for accomplishment. This Dragon is actually going to realize some of those big dreams!

There is an even greater reason to rejoice. Ever since 1996 the year element has been in a destructive relationship with the fixed element of the animal sign. That is the longest unfavorable period in the 60 year cycle of Chinese Astrology, and that means a scarcity of good luck. The year 2012 is thus blessed not only by the lucky Dragon but also the end of that destructive cycle.

Furthermore, under the influence of the Dragon it is a yang year. Yang Water is like a flowing river rather than a stagnant lake. Things will move, ideas flow, creativity abound, economies boom, and love blossom in this environment. It is likely to be an exciting year indeed.

Since this is a Water year, those people born in a Wood one will generally fare better than others of their animal sign, while those born in a Fire one are likely to do worse. It’s also slightly negative for those born in an Earth year and mildly positive for Metal sign people. Finally, those born in a Water year will be in their element and do well if their animal sign is compatible with the Dragon.

Regardless of your sign, there will be significant upheavals in 2012. Soaring stock markets, natural disasters, and noteworthy, cultural and political developments will be more the norm than the exception. There will be celebrations of all kinds. And, good luck will be coming your way. Are you ready to fly with the Dragon?!

2. Drink 8 glasses of pure water daily.

3. Sleep 7-8 hours every night.

4. Take a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.

5. Move your body regularly and practice yoga.

6. Breathe. Meditate. Calm your mind.

7. Be present. Let go of the past and don’t worry about the future.

8. When you have a negative thought, replace it with a positive one. Optimism is healing and pessimism will make you sick.

9. Practice gratitude. What you focus on grows.

10. Do what you love as often as you can. Travel, dance, write, paint, play music.

11. Surround yourself with awesome people and spend more time with those you love. Love is the best medicine.

12. Express your love.

13. Express yourself.

14. Let go of anger, regret, guilt or any other emotion that isn’t serving you. These lead to diseases of the mind and body.

15. Help others, especially when you are down. This will uplift you too.

16. Live a non-toxic lifestyle. This includes avoiding unnecessary drugs and chemicals, as well as people, relationships and jobs that bring you down. Your time is valuable; don’t waste it on anyone or anything that doesn’t deserve it.

17. Spend time in nature.

18. Leave your to-do list undone, re-charge, take vacations and don’t work too much. In the end, no one says they wish they had spent more time at the office.

19. Create goals so you know where you’re going and have things to look forward to, but be open to detours.

20. And believe in yourself.

Wishing you much love, health and happiness,

Author: Dr. Sandra Olic, NMD

Buddha was a wise dude. I am by no means a Buddhist, but I do enjoy many of the teachings and philosophies of Buddhism.

There’s no need to stick to one teaching, one person, and one book. We can pick what feels right to us. The following life lessons are quotes from Buddha.

I’ve written about what they represent to me, so remember to stop and think about what you’re feeling as you read them. Be aware of any tension, feelings, and thoughts that arise and just let them be.

1. “A jug fills drop by drop.”

To me this signifies patience. In life, things build up slowly. This is especially apparent for me as I’m taking my online business to the next level.

So often we want to rush and get to our goals, but when we take a deep breath, relax, and think about it; the journey is actually what really matters.

2. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

Let’s face it, we worry too much, and it isn’t getting us anywhere. The majority of the time you spend dwelling on the past or worrying about the future is time wasted.

When you feel your mind drifting away from the present moment, bring it back, and be completely in the now. Feel your body, observe your surroundings, listen to the silence between sounds, and enjoy.

3. “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”

You cannot fight for peace. Wars cannot be stopped by having more wars. Patience, forgiveness, and love are what we have to use if we want to make this planet a better place.

It is easier said than done, of course, but it is what needs to be done. As we grow and become more compassionate, these characteristics will naturally become a stronger part of us.

4. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

How often have you held onto anger and replayed it over and over in your mind? If you’re anything like me, you’ve done it at least a few times.

It feels like it’s helping, but it really isn’t. When someone has done something to you, or something has happened, it may feel good to be angry, but anger never solves anything. It will only keep you stuck and miserable.

5. “In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”

Whenever your beliefs are challenged, you will feel resistance. That’s when you have to be aware of what’s going on and stay open-minded.

Life is not about who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s about personal growth. Stay open to new ideas and implement them if they are useful to you.

6. “In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”

Borders, countries, and race do not exist anywhere but in our minds. We ourselves make these decisions. Isn’t it time that we start rethinking and start looking at ourselves as one human race?

Think about the distinctions you make every day and how they affect your life. Are all of them what you want them to be?

7. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

You alone are responsible for your life. If your life isn’t where you want it to be, it certainly doesn’t feel like that, but remember, you have the power to change, if you choose to do so.

Making excuses, blaming, and wallowing will get you nowhere. You alone must take responsibility and walk your path.

8. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

Happiness, peace, and joy all come from within. Sure, external circumstances may make you happy in the short-term, but they cannot bring you long-term joy.

There are ways to be happier working a job you hate, and there are ways to be miserable being your own boss. When you have enough, more money and more stuff will have a diminishing effect on your happiness.

9. “The mind is everything. What you think you become.”

What do you focus on? Where are your thoughts right now? Where your focus goes, energy flows, so be very aware of what is going on in your inner space.

The mind needs stimulation. It wants to fix things, so much so that it can create problems in order to have something to solve.

10. “He is able who thinks he is able.”

Something I talk about a lot is finding your passion and making a living doing what you love. Some people are more than willing to give me a list of reasons for why they could never do what I do, while others jump right in and start making it work for them.

If you think you can, you can, but if you think you can’t, you can’t. There will always be obstacles in your way, and if you are constantly thinking negatively, you will run out of steam.

11. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

Last, but not least: go easy on yourself. I’ve been working for myself and challenging the status quo ever since I got out of school at the ripe age of 18. I can be extremely harsh to myself, but during the last few years, I’ve learned that being okay with not being perfect is essential to my inner health.

You will make mistakes. You won’t know everything, so keep an open-mind, relax, and enjoy this journey we call life.
Follow your heart, your gut, and your intuition. They are there to keep you moving in the right direction.

You won’t always know what’s going on, but as long as you follow your excitement, and your passion, you will be on the right path.

This was a guest post by Henri Junttila, who writes at the Wake Up Cloud, where he leads the way to passion and freedom. He is also the author of Passionate Living: A Guide To Doing What You Love.