Are You A Leader Or A Follower?

It’s a question that is often asked with the implication that there is only one real answer. Either you are a leader, or you are worthless, fit only to be shepherded by the strong, intelligent, and brave.

 

Before we continue, it is important that you know that this is not the case. Leaders are important, but so are followers. After all, where would leaders be without followers? The world needs leaders, but it also needs followers. It’s also okay to start a follower with the aim of becoming a leader, or to be a leader today and a follower tomorrow.

 

Whatever the case, it’s probably easier to break the question up into questions that address the qualities of leadership. This article won’t tell you whether you are a leader or a follower, but it will help you to answer the question reliably for yourself.

 

Are You Confident With The Situation?

 

Confidence is important to leadership, both confidence in yourself to lead and confidence in yourself to handle the situation. If you aren’t sure that you can lead or aren’t familiar with the type of situation that you are faced with, you probably aren’t the best person to lead in that situation. 

 

Passing up a leadership position in this situation will protect you from making a critical error in a leadership position but it will also protect the team by allowing a better prepared person to step forward, increasing the team’s chances of success.

 

You also should have confidence in your team. Without a good team, the project will likely fail. If you don’t see much chance of success, do you want to be a leader or a follower when the ship goes down? Sometimes the decision to be a leader or a follower is based more on the situation than it is on your ability.

 

How Do You Handle Pressure?

 

When faced with great responsibility, some people rise to the occasion and others collapse under the pressure. Knowing which one you are can help you decide not whether you are right for the position but whether the position is right for you.

 

It is also important to consider what kind of position you are looking at. Some leadership positions mean that you are truly at the top of the heap, while other leadership positions mean that you are in charge of a team but are also answering directly to someone else. The latter kind is often more stressful.

 

Assessing Your Self-Sabotaging Behaviors

Are you sabotaging yourself? Have you been keeping yourself from succeeding and standing in your own way?

 

If you answered yes, it’s time to assess your self-sabotaging behaviors. In this article, we’ll help you identify if you're sabotaging yourself and help you overcome it. 

 

You’ll learn:

 

● How to watch for the warning signs of self-sabotage

● How to generate goals instead of excuses

● How to recognize your problem areas

 

Let’s get started!

 

Are you sabotaging yourself? 

 

If you’ve noticed that nothing seems to go your way, that around every turn there tends to be some disaster or trouble, but you just can’t figure out what’s causing it, you might want to do some self-reflection. After all, most likely the only thing all these situations have in common is you.

 

Are you limiting yourself or letting fear get the better of you? Are you always making excuses, no matter how small the mistake or transgressions? Are you sabotaging yourself?

 

Watch for the warning signs

 

Partaking in any of the following behaviors to excess are important warning signs for self-sabotage:

 

● Self-medicate (drinking, drug use, etc.) 

● Making excuses

● Making less effort

● Distracting yourself

 

If you notice these behaviors in yourself, you may need to pull yourself out of your self-sabotaging behaviors.

 

Stop making excuses

 

Excuses are like poison and once they seep their way in, they’re nearly impossible to get them back out again. If you find yourself always making an excuse for just about everything, even things of little to no consequence, you’re guilty of self-sabotage. 

 

Rather than make excuses, make goals. Rather than just excuse the behavior or situation away, take the time to analyze it and determine what went wrong, what factors were in your control, and what you could’ve done better. Turn your self-sabotaging into motivation by keeping action on your mind rather than excuses.

 

Challenging negative emotions

 

A big part of self-sabotage is self-deprecation. You have to recognize these emotions for what they are and not take them too seriously. Work through them and be kind to yourself. This effort will allow you to move into a more positive and empowering state of mind so you can get out of the horrible trend of sabotaging yourself. 

 

This can often be easier said than done, but it’s work worth doing. This is one practice that can be used to better your whole life, not just in the effort to eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors. Everyone struggles with negative emotions, it’s how you work through them that matters.

 

Recognizing your problem areas

 

Everyone has some area where they’re more self-sabotaging than others. What triggers your self-sabotaging behaviors? In what area of your life do you find yourself self-sabotaging the most? 

 

Part of recognizing these areas is learning when you need to be more careful and pay closer attention to your behavior. It can also help you zone in on where you need to concentrate your efforts. Is it fear holding you back and causing you to self-sabotage or is it something different?

 

Don’t give up

 

The most important advice we can give you for this endeavor is to not give up. It can be a grueling journey at times, but you can get through it. You just have to stay focused, keep your motivation up, and refuse to give up. Stick to it and stay the course; you’ll be glad you did.

 

Have you been guilty of self-sabotage? If you’re ready to make a change and stop sabotaging yourself, it’s time to assess yourself and take on the challenge of eliminating this behavior. We hope this article has helped you to work your way through your self-sabotaging behavior. Though the journey will be difficult and grueling, if you don’t give up on it, we promise it’ll be well worth it.

 

Believing In Yourself 101

Believing in yourself is a powerful, very powerful skill to harness and possess. It can get you further than you ever dreamed, helping to rid you of your fears and self-doubt and build up your self-confidence and self-esteem. 

 

In this article, we’ll cover the five most important steps to harness the power of believing in yourself so you can soar in your life.

 

1) Believe What You Want is Possible

 

Science used to tell us that we responded to information that came into our brain from the outside world, but we now know that that’s not really what’s happening. We respond to what our brain expects to happen next based on our previous life experiences. 

 

Your mind is a powerful, powerful thing. With the power of positive expectation, you can manifest what you want in life. Strive to always hold a positive expectation of what's going to happen.

 

The first step towards believing in yourself is believing that something good will come out of that. You have to believe that you hold the power to transform your life.

 

2) List Your Goals

 

In order to achieve your goals and get to your ideal life, you have to determine what it will take to get there and list out your goals. First, visualize what it is you want for your life, paying close attention to detail and being sure you know every component well. 

 

Next, you need to think hard about what it will take to get there. Determining this will help you determine what goals you need to reach. List them in the order you will need to complete them and be detailed with the steps you will need to take.

 

3) Visualize 

 

Visualizing your goals and what it will take to get there will help to keep you motivated in reaching them. Before you know it, you’ll be subconsciously taking huge steps towards making your ideal life a reality.

 

You’ll find yourself taking on more responsibility, being more direct, and taking more risks in both your professional and personal lives. The more you do this, the more you’ll get out of it and before long, you’ll find yourself well on your way to achieving your goals.

 

A great way to assist your visualization is to use a vision board. Much like practicing manifestation, vision boards help you to see and visualize what it is you want and where you want to go in life. A vision board is a graphic representation of what you want in life. Look at it every day while visualizing what you want and where you want to go.

 

4) Act As If You’ve Arrived

 

Ever heard the saying, “dress for the job you want, not the job you have?” Similarly, you need to act the part of the ideal life you want to live. Act as if you already have what you want and are already the kind of person you need to be.

 

Whatever actions you see as belonging to the person who is living your ideal life, start doing now! It works similarly to manifestation. The more you consciously ensure the behaviors and actions are a part of your daily life, the closer to ideal you’ll become.

 

5) Actively Work Towards Your Goals

 

Far too many people set goals, never work towards them, and wonder why they haven’t reached them yet. You will get nowhere by letting fear take hold and keep you from taking actions towards reaching your goals.

 

Take risks, put yourself out there, show your worth; take all the necessary steps to reach your goals and make your dreams a reality.

 

Finding Joy, Meaning And Prosperity In Your Work

We all want to be happy and successful in our lives. We want to work our dream job and feel meaningful and joyous doing it. The trick that most people don’t realize is that this won’t just happen. You have to work to find meaning, joy, and prosperity in the work you do each day. You have to keep the right perspective and keep yourself focused to truly achieve happiness and find meaning in the work you do each and every day.

 

In this article, we’re going to help guide you in finding those things in your job, rather than changing your job over and over again until you think that you’ve found them. We hope that these simple steps help you to find the meaning and joy you’re searching for in your work and achieve true prosperity.

 

Set Boundaries

 

Let’s start with finding joy in your work and keeping joy in your life. The first step to achieving that joy is setting healthy boundaries and maintaining them. You have to allow yourself time to have a break and recharge your brain. You have to keep your work life separate from your personal life. 

 

In order to keep this joy around, you have to set healthy boundaries and stick to them. You can’t let your work control your life. You also can’t let your personal life distract you from your work. If you want to succeed and achieve happiness through your work, set boundaries. This will help you to be truly prosperous from your work, as well.

 

List the Reasons Your Job Exists

 

A great way to find purpose and meaning in your job is to determine why it is your job is necessary. This will help you to determine the purpose of what you do and find meaning in your work. Finding meaning in your work is all about perspective.

 

Every job serves a purpose and has some meaning. Each and every job helps someone or something along the way and serves a role in helping the collective good. Listing the reasons for your work will help you to see and keep in mind the meaning in your job.

 

Shift Your Focus Away from Money

 

Your relationship with money can mess up your perspective on your career and life. If you make your big career and life decisions based on money, you’re not going to happy and you will find it difficult to find meaning and prosperity in your life.

 

Make your career and life decisions based on your joy, your goals, and the collective good. This will ensure that your career keeps providing you with joy, meaning, and prosperity. Don’t worry about how much money you will make or focus on what you’ll lose.

 

Why Bother?

 

You may think, it’s just a job, why bother ascribing any meaning to it at all? But that’s how people start to get burnout with their jobs and become apathetic. You need to find more than just a way to make money in your job. You need to find meaning and joy in what you do; otherwise, you’ll never be truly prosperous.

 

It may sound like extra work, but we promise, these efforts are far worth it. You need to find joy and meaning in your career and feel like what you’re doing serves a purpose. This is the only way to truly be prosperous and successful. You have to view your job as more than just a means to make money; keep your perspective focused on the purpose and meaning of what you’re doing.

 

Getting Everything You Want: Transcending Fear

Have you been feeling like there are roadblocks in your way keeping you from getting everything you want out of life?

 

Do you hold yourself back from seizing new opportunities or trying new things?

 

It’s time you stop letting your fear control your life. In this article, we’re going to help you transcend fear and start getting what you want in your life. Let’s dive in!

 

Fear Serves a Purpose

 

As annoying and detrimental as fear can be, it does serve a distinct and useful purpose in our lives. It alerts us to impending danger, helps to keep us from making mistakes, and helps to keep us safe. However, how you handle your fear makes all the difference.

 

Sometimes those fears are unfounded and actually hold you back from getting what you want. The trick is knowing when your fears are founded and when you should challenge them and transcend them.

Getting Past Your Fears

 

This sounds a whole lot easier than it actually is. Once you’ve determined which of your fears are founded and which you need to work on transcending, you’re ready to start working past them. Start by analyzing your fears.

 

Ask Yourself These Questions

 

1) Why are you afraid?

2) What specifically are you afraid of?

3) What’s the worst that can happen if you push past your fears?

 

Push Yourself - Keep These Things in Mind to Help Motivate You

 

1) You are capable of anything you set your mind to.

2) Stepping out of your comfort zone is good for you.

3) Challenging yourself improves you.

 

Sticking with it

 

Implementing these changes is hard enough, but sticking to transcending your fear can seem impossible on your own. You can’t let yourself backslide; you have to keep pushing past your fear. Here are some tips to help you stick with it!

 

Have a Fear-Busting Partner

 

Having someone to hold you accountable and keep you in check can be your most valuable asset when trying to transcend your fears. They’ll keep you from backsliding, hold you accountable, and challenge you when you need it. They also offer all the support you need to help you keep with your routine and not let your fears hold you back anymore.

 

Stop Making Excuses

 

Excuses are your fears’ best friends. They let you weasel out of what you’re afraid of doing without ever having to acknowledge the fear itself at all. Excuses are detrimental to your progress in transcending your fears. Stop making excuses for letting your fears get the better of you; admit you’re afraid to do it and do it anyway.

 

Acknowledge Your Progress

 

Positive reinforcement is known to be a very effective method of adjusting behaviors. Reward yourself for pushing past your fears, you deserve it! Every time you push past something and do better, reward yourself for it. Track your progress and reward yourself when you successfully transcend your fears, it will help the behavior stick around.

 

Why Bother?

 

Transcending your fears is an important step on your road to success. In order to get everything you’ve wanted out of life, you have to step out of your comfort zone and transcend your fears. It helps you to push past limits that only you have given yourself and achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. You’re the only thing holding you back, so stop letting fear control you! Transcend your fears and start getting what you want!

 

If you’ve been feeling like fear is a big roadblock in your life lately, maybe it’s time to make a change. We hope this article has helped to guide you down the right path to transcending your fears and achieving success. We wish you luck in this long and difficult journey; the rewards are more than worth the effort.

 

How Humans Form Beliefs About Themselves

We often hear the words “I think therefore I am” quoted tragically out of context. The French philosopher Descartes wrote these words, it was part of the conclusion to a larger treatise about how we form beliefs about the external world. However, in that classic work, “Meditations on First Philosophy,” Descartes came to the conclusion that the only thing that we can know with certainty is ourselves.

 

The ability of humans to think and hold beliefs about themselves is widely regarded as one of the things that make us human. But, how do we do it? How do humans form beliefs about themselves and what do those beliefs mean for our sense of happiness and sense of self?

 

What Others Say about Us

 

Descartes might be upset to know that despite his assertion that we cannot really be sure of the external world, most psychologists agree that we form our opinions of ourselves largely based on the external world.

 

The external world factors into our beliefs about ourselves in a number of ways. For one thing, our perception of what others think of us plays a huge role. If other people tend to praise and appreciate us, we are more likely to feel good about ourselves. However, if other people tend to degrade us and put us down, we are more likely to have negative opinions about ourselves.

 

The great twentieth-century psychologist Carl Rogers wrote extensively on the individual and the individual’s perceptions of itself. Rogers believed that we have two conceptions of self, one is who we want to be and the other is who we think we are. According to Rogers, the closer these aspects are the happier and more successful we will be. As a result, Rogers believes that in order for a person to reach their full potential they must be a part of a community that encourages them to struggle and thrive.

 

How We Feel about Ourselves

 

Our perceptions of ourselves aren’t only formed based on the perceptions of other people. We are also able to evaluate our own actions and decisions. For example, have you ever made a decision, or created something and felt pride in yourself even though no one else knew about it? This kind of pride comes from being happy with how we feel about ourselves rather than being happy with how others feel about us.

 

According to Rogers, this kind of feeling is very important for us as we work towards our goals. For example, someone who wants to be a doctor but is not yet a doctor should be experiencing “incongruence” -- what Roger called it when our ideal selves and actual selves are out of sync. However, if that person is studying medicine, they may already feel like they have achieved their dreams because they are working toward achieving their dreams.

 

Analysis of Those Considerations

 

Finally, our minds can form beliefs about ourselves in a third way. Our mind is able to take what it thinks others think about us and what we think about ourselves and form a sort of aggregate opinion. This can even manifest as an internal dialogue as we try to decide whether we are right about ourselves or whether others are right about us. This dialogue plays out in what some experts call the “monkey mind” - it’s what thoughts are going on while we’re not aware of them. While we may not be aware of them, they can play a significant role in how we think and feel.

 

Now that you know how humans form beliefs about themselves, hopefully you can use this information to help to shape your own beliefs about yourself. This can be done by creating positive environments, doing things that feel right for you, and being more in touch with your own thoughts and feelings.

 

How To Change What You Believe About Yourself

What we believe about ourselves has a huge role in our wellbeing. It impacts what we attempt to do and has huge implications for how we feel about our places in the world.

But, is it possible to change how we feel about ourselves? It is possible. But to know how to change what you believe about yourself; you need to know where these beliefs come from.

 

How We Form Beliefs About Ourselves

 

Our beliefs about ourselves come from three main sources.

 

The first source is what we believe other people believe about us. If other people usually praise us, we are more likely to think positively about ourselves and if other people talk negatively about us, we are more likely to think negatively about ourselves.

The second source is our own perception of ourselves regardless of what other people think about us. Sometimes you do something completely for yourself or know that something that you have done is good before anyone else even knows about it. These feelings can have a huge impact on what you believe about yourself.

 

Finally, your brain has a way of putting these two things together to form an aggregate opinion about yourself. If everyone says good things about you but you aren’t proud of your own actions, you won’t feel great. Similarly, if you are happy with what you do but other people don’t respect or appreciate you it can be hard to feel truly good about yourself.

 

All three of these elements work together to help you develop beliefs about yourself.

Now that we’ve discussed how we develop beliefs about ourselves, we can talk about how to change that.

Changing How Others See Us

 

The first two ways that we can change our beliefs about ourselves is to change what other people say about us. There are two main ways to do this.

 

The first way is to create a healthy environment by removing toxic people from our lives. The idea isn’t to surround yourself with only people who say nice things about us. Criticism is important and if you try to weed out all of it you will eventually come to believe things about yourself that aren’t true. While this can feel good it can be dangerous. 

 

However, some people really do put us down and make us feel bad regardless of what we do. They may do this because they are jealous or because they want us to feel bad about ourselves so that we will think more highly of them. These are the kinds of people that you want to identify and avoid.

 

The second way to change what other people say about you is to change the way that you present yourself to others. It could be that others aren’t supporting you because they are unaware of your aspirations or endeavors. Being more involved in your community and taking on more positive outreach projects can help you to grow a larger and more supportive community.

 

Changing How We See Ourselves

 

Changing the way that you feel about yourself is similar to the second element that we discussed under changing how other people see you. If you aren’t proud of yourself or happy with yourself, it could be that you aren’t doing enough to be proud of yourself for or that you aren’t working toward your ambitions. If this is the case, try to identify more opportunities to do things that are important to you, even when other people aren’t watching.

 

Changing How We Process The Information

 

Finally, you can change the way that you think about yourself by changing the way in which your mind processes the information that we’ve been discussing. As discussed above, your mind works to create an aggregate opinion of yourself based on its understanding of what you think about yourself and what others think of you. This happens in what some experts call your “monkey mind” - you can look at it as what you’re thinking about when you aren’t thinking about anything.

 

Your monkey mind can form feedback loops where it takes something negative and then dwells on it. It takes this one negative thing and makes it seem more and more important until it taints your entire perception of yourself. 

 

This kind of thing can be difficult to combat because most of us aren’t aware of what the monkey mind is doing most of the time. To keep a closer eye on the monkey mind, consider developing a mindfulness practice so that you can better understand what your monkey mind is saying about you and how to correct it.

 

Changing what you believe about yourself takes time, but it has so many benefits. It helps you to have a more accurate understanding of your abilities which can help you challenge yourself in new and exciting ways that help you to develop yourself into the person that you want to be.

 

How You React Determines How You Will Overcome Obstacles

Each of us faces problems in our lives. It is an unavoidable fact of life that you will encounter problems, meet challenges, and experience failure now and then. That is true for every person on this planet. The difference is not how often you experience these problems but how you react to them that will determine whether you will be successful or not. Your belief in your own success and abilities to overcome your challenges is what will determine your outcome in life. 

 

A Tale of Two People

 

To illustrate this point, let’s consider two people, Candace and Penny. Candace looks at her life and sees nothing but problems. She always worries about what others are doing or thinking, she is often jealous of the successes of others, and when she sees a problem, she is highly likely to stop trying to reach her goal. 

 

Penny loves her life. She enjoys learning and sees the challenges she faces as opportunities to grow. She focuses on her goals and how she can achieve them, and she seems to bounce back after facing obstacles. 

 

Is it that Candace has more problems than Penny? No. They experience similar difficulties and face the same number of challenges regularly. What defines these two is how they view their problems and react to them, which informs their ability to ultimately be successful. 

 

When Candace looks at the successful people in her life, like Penny, she assumes their lives are easier or that they somehow do not have problems like she does. What she does not see is the mindset and hard work that these successful people put into overcoming the challenges that are a natural part of life. Instead of worrying about why they are facing difficulties, these people focus on solutions. 

 

How Your Reactions Dictate Your Success

 

Your reaction to problems will set you on a course for either success or failure. When you decide that it is not important enough to be patient or make sacrifices to reach your goal, you will never achieve success. When you are more focused on getting instant gratification than on what you can learn from your current experience, you cannot fulfill your dreams. 

 

Everything worth attaining in life takes time and effort. And it does not happen all at once; it happens in small steps and stages that are barely noticeable until you reach the finish line. And if you fail to do the everyday work, if you do not dedicate yourself to the habits that will get you there in small, everyday ways, you’ll never realize the result. 

 

When you come to a hill, you have two choices. Do you go up and over it or do you stay at the bottom? The first is the only way that will get you to your final destination, which is on the other side of the hill. Choosing the second means giving up on your goal. 

 

Habits like procrastination, making excuses, blaming others, and being a perfectionist are all ways you mentally justify why you can’t reach your goal. And these reactions to problems will keep you from realizing your dreams every time. Habits like self-discipline and engaging your personal power are reactions that will help you overcome whatever blocks your way and reach your goal. 

 

Final Thoughts

 

The difference between Candace and Penny are not the circumstances they face. They both have problems, and they both have opportunities to deal with those obstacles. The difference is in how the approach and think about these problems, which comes from their mindset. Changing your mindset about barriers is the best way to learn to overcome whatever hurdles you will face in life. 

 

Is Poor Self-Esteem Keeping You From Success?

Have you been struggling to achieve success? Can’t put your finger on what’s hindering you?

 

Your problem could be self-esteem. Believe it or not, self-esteem plays a huge role in whether or not you achieve success. Low self-esteem can keep you from getting what you want in life, achieving success, and being the person you want to be.

 

In this article, we’re going to explore how self-esteem can affect your success, how to identify if that’s the problem, and what to do about it.

 

How can self-esteem affect your success?

 

Low self-esteem can cause a lot of adverse effects; it can slowly rot you from the inside. It causes you to doubt all your actions and decisions, questions everything you say, and keep yourself from going for goals and taking risks.

 

High self-esteem, on the other hand, can get you what you want out of life. Confidence and high self-esteem are qualities of leaders; they’re appealing to employers. You’ll not only make decisions easier, but you won’t question what you say and do and you won’t hold yourself back.

 

How to identify if self-esteem is your problem

 

There are a few key signs that can clue you in on having low self-esteem. 

 

You constantly doubt yourself

 

Everyone doubts themselves from time to time, but if you’re constantly doubting everything you do and say, you likely have a self-esteem problem. Take a look at yourself and be completely honest; how frequently do you doubt yourself?

 

You never speak up for yourself

 

Keeping to yourself and not speaking up for yourself when the situation warrants it can be a sign of low self-esteem. Low self-esteem means low confidence. It means you don’t have the inner strength to defend yourself and speak up for what you want and what you believe in.

 

You’re holding yourself back

 

When was the last time you took a risk? When you were last presented with an opportunity, did you seize it or let it pass you by? Low self-esteem can cause you to hold yourself back and keep yourself from seizing opportunities. 

 

What to do about it

 

There are a couple of practices that can help you build up self-esteem. These exercises, when taken seriously and done regularly, will help you to boost your self-esteem and confidence.

 

Give yourself a pep talk

 

We realize this may sound silly, but it does actually work. A big part of low self-esteem is self-deprecating thoughts. You have to fight these thoughts and force them out and the only way to do that is by replacing them with positive ones. Give yourself a regular pep talk.

 

Remind yourself of your good qualities and strengths. Tell yourself what you’re capable of. Tell yourself what you would tell your best friend if they were down.

 

Step outside of your comfort zone

 

To take risks and seize new opportunities, you have to step outside your comfort zone. You can practice this by starting small and doing one thing new that puts you outside of your comfort zone each day.

 

You don’t have to go too far outside of your comfort zone the first time, but you do need to work towards getting a little further outside of it each time.

 

Give yourself at least one compliment a day

 

We’re often way too hard on ourselves, not giving ourselves enough credit and refusing to see the good within us. A good way to break this habit is by giving yourself at least one compliment a day.

 

We understand that this may feel weird at first, but given time, it’ll become second nature to you. Before you know it, you’ll subconsciously compliment yourself all the time and your confidence and self-esteem will skyrocket through the roof!