Determination

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” -- George Sheehan

You will become the person you were meant to be when you realize that there are no other options. Determination is when you decide that nothing is going to stop you. Are you letting things and people stop you? What are you telling yourself? What excuses are you using?

Affirmation – say: “I am determined to keep going and nothing will stop me.”

Fear

“Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.” Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Fear is a good thing. It helps us protect ourselves from the things that can really harm us. But, we use it too much as an excuse. It readily available to use for not doing...for not changing. Use fear wisely to protect yourself BUT, don't use it as a crutch. To get any happiness or success, you must be willing to set aside fear and take that leap of faith. Take risks or you will always get the same thing.

Affirmation-Say: “I will have courage even when I am scared.”

Believe

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers

Don't let your fear or self-esteem hold you back from anything. Don't think for one minute you can't do something! Whatever that "something" is - there are others less capable than you who do it! What's the worst that can happen if you try? Feeling less than courageous? Look in the mirror and write down what you love about yourself - brains and all!

Affirmation – Say: “I will believe in myself and my abilities.”

Pick your battles

“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”- Jonathan Kozol

Is life with others a constant struggle? Do you look at others with a negative eye? Do people in your life constantly go against you? Is it you or them? Do you go head to head with people all the time? Chances are you are struggling with something on the inside and you are taking it out on those around you – family, friends, and strangers. As you fight the fight, look at yourself in the mirror and decide, is it really them or really you. If you make everything a fight in life then you are always fighting. What are you really fighting about?

Affirmation – Say: “I will relax, make peace with myself and not make all issues a battle.”

Purpose

“You can have anything you want - if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” - Abraham Lincoln

Do you know your purpose? Do you honor that purpose with each and every decision? Do you move forward only to keep your eye on your failures or your past. Look ahead and crave something better – if you do not you are not alive. Do not settle! You were not put here on this earth to just go through the motions. Find your purpose and honor it. The world needs you and all that you have to offer.

Affirmation – Say: “My purpose is to share my gifts with the world.”

Reinvention

“We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options.” David Suzuki

Don’t like what you see in the mirror? Reinvent yourself! You don’t have to do it over night. If you work on it a little at a time, others will begin to see the new you and more importantly accept the new you. However, you must look at the whole you. All of us have blind spots that hold us back. Set yourself to discover what those are whether through journals, meditations, or another person’s feedback. Once you have the truth of “you” - you can be anyone you want to be.

Affirmation – Say: “I am going to reinvent myself with all the options the world has to offer.”

Honor

“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” Socrates

You may have heard the term or saying: “Honor one self.” What does this mean to you? I like to call it “fake till you make it.” If your outside is confident, kind, helpful, motivated – make your inside catch up. Pretend on the outside but tell your inside it’s the truth. After a while you might actually believe that you can be anything you want to be. The way to honor your self is to start with trying and end with doing.

Affirmation – Say: “I will honor myself by no longer pretending and by being my best self.”