Are You Ready to Change Your Bad Habits?

“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.”

~Unknown

We often get comfortable with our habits, even if they are not habits that are good for us.  It isn't that we are too lazy to change them; only that sometimes the pain of that bad habit isn't strong enough to motivate us to "get up" and change.  Actually, changing habits doesn't have to be that difficult, but is DOES require that you have the intention and motivation to stick with your decision to change and follow through.  Just as you have to decide to get out of bed in the morning, you also have to decide that you want to make the change.

 This week:  Think about a bad habit you have wanted to change. Are you ready to make a commitment to this change? It needs to be more than a belief that "it would be nice to change,"  it needs to be absolutely essential for you to make the change.  Think about what will happen if you don't make this change.  What will happen to you and the life you want to have?  What won't happen as a result of not changing this bad habit?  Are there things that won't happen if you change this bad habit?  What good things can happen if you make the change?  Fully consider the consequences of keeping yourself stuck in this bad habit.  Decide if you are really motivated to change.  If not, don't pretend that you are.  Acknowledge to yourself whether you are motivated to change or not.  If not, what will you need to do to get motivated?  Do you know what it will take to change that bad habit? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make the changes necessary to overcome obstacles to their success and happiness.  When you have the right tools, you can change any bad habit, and it isn't even all that difficult.  For more information got to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ and download free resources or call for a complimentary consultation.

Are You a Pessimist or an Optimist?

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

~Winston Churchill

It all has to do with your perception.  Pessimists focus on what isn't working or won't work--all the difficulties.  An optimist focuses on opportunities and doesn't allow the difficulties to block them.  Which are you?  Which focus would help you move forward in your life? 

This week:  Experiment with focusing on the opportunities in the obstacles that confront you.  It may seem artificial or contrived, but it will allow you to practice changing your focus.  Notice what the difficulties allow you to learn.  Assume, just for this week, that you can overcome any obstacle or difficulty that presents itself.  Sometimes that is enough to change the focus on the obstacle and find solutions.  Put your brain to work at solving the difficulty.  Your brain is exceptionally good at finding solutions when you get your pessimism out of the way.  At the end of the week, notice what your experience was like.  Can you build on it? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people find their own inner resources and solutions to their life's challenges.  She has over 30 years experience helping people overcome self-sabotage and other obstacles to their success and happiness.  For more information and free articles, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .  

In Order to Change, Keep Moving

"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

If you don't like the way your life is going, take steps to change it.  Most of us have some thing that we would like to change, but we have to be willing to take the steps and move in the direction we want to go.  Just sitting and wishing things would change is not going to get you there.  You have to be willing to take action.  You have to be willing to MOVE.  Sometimes all it takes is small steps in the right direction to begin to build your momentum.

This week:  Identify some change you would like to make--big or small.  What small step could you take that would BEGIN to move you in that direction?  First, state your intention to change.  Next, begin to take a small step in direction of the change.  How was that?  How do you feel having taken that first step towards changing something you have identified that it is your intention to change?  What is the next small step?  Keep your steps pretty small, and notice that it isn't as difficult as you might have first thought.  Do this all week.  At the end of the week, evaluate your progress toward a change.  While you may not have reached your outcome, you probably have moved forward.  If you keep this up, you will build greater and greater momentum.  Before you know it, you will have changed in the direction for which you were aiming.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make changes they did not think were really possible using her solution focused approach.  At the Inner Resource Center, LLC, she helps people access their inner resources for success, happiness and greater meaning.  For more information and several free resources, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

You Become What You Think

"You become what you think about all day long and those days eventually become your lifetime."

 ~ Wayne Dyer

We attract those things we think about.  The thoughts you think are very powerful, because your brain tries to create all those things you think about--positive AND negative.  If you are constantly self-critical, or mired in self-doubt, you create that life for yourself.  If you don't like the way your life is going, the fastest way to change it is to change your thinking.

This week:  Catch yourself when you are thinking something negative about your life or yourself.  Challenge those thoughts.  Ask yourself "Is this really true?"  If it is, then ask yourself "What do I have to do to change it?"   Even though you may not be where you WANT to be in terms of success or happiness, change your thinking to reflect that you "just are not there yet."  Since you are in charge of what your life becomes, why not create the life you want rather than the life you don't want?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people reach goals they had not thought possible.  At the Inner Resource Center, LLC she helps people identify their inner resources and build on them for greater meaning, happiness and success.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Happiness Is Within You

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

~Marcus Aurelius

Happiness does not come from outside of ourselves.  It comes from within.  We decide how we will feel.  We decide how happy or sad we will be.  The way we think about our lives and the events that happen determine the emotions we will feel.  If you want to be happier, change your thinking.

This week:  Take a good look at the thoughts that determine whether you feel happy or sad.  Are you always thinking negative thoughts?  Is your glass "half empty" rather than "half full?"  Ask yourself:  "What would I need to believe in order to be happier?"  For just one week, adopt that belief.  That belief has the potential to be just as "true" as a belief that makes you feel badly.  Notice how you feel.  If you struggle with believing something more positive, consider getting some help to banish these negative beliefs.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people overcome the limiting beliefs that block their success and happiness.  She specializes in helping people get rid of "emotional clutter"--those negative emotions and limiting beliefs that we form from past negative experiences.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ or http://www.emotionalclutter.com/ . 

Postponing Things Until Tomorrow Keeps You Stuck

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week."

~ Spanish Proverb

Too often we postpone taking action.  We procrastinate.  We decide that we don't have time today to do what needs to be done.  We postpone relaxation or happiness for vacation or retirement.  We postpone telling a loved one how important they are until it is too late.  We think we will be successful tomorrow--when some special project is completed or some award has been earned.  The problem is that we postpone living a full and satisfying life.  And tomorrow never comes...

This week:  Identify something you have been postponing, something you have put off until "tomorrow."  DECIDE that you are going to take an action to accomplish it TODAY--maybe just some small action.  Then, each day take another small action.  You will find yourself slowly and steadily building momentum until your project is completed or until you have begun living in the present moment instead of postponing being satisfied until some far off "tomorrow."

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people live happy, meaningful, successful lives.  She is good at helping even the biggest procrastinator take action, helping them build momentum toward their goals.  She specializes in helping people overcome the "mental clutter" and limiting beliefs that often contribute to procrastination.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

If You Want Your Life to Be Different, You Have to Decide to Change

"You are the way you are because that's the way you want to be. If you really wanted to be any different, you would be in the process of changing right now."

~Fred Smith

We all have the ability to change in ways that will make our lives work better for us--to be happier, more successful, more satisfied with our lives.  But the most important thing to do is to DECIDE to change.  Once that happens, you can set into motion ways to change what isn't working.

This week:  Think about how your life is right now.  What isn't working for you?  What would make your life more satisfying?  Make sure you are thinking about YOUR life, and not someone else's.  You don't have the ability to make someone else behave differently--you can only change yourself.  DECIDE to change some area of your life during 2010.  Really commit yourself to making this change.  Make sure what you decide to change is something that is really compelling for you.  Otherwise you won't make the change.  Now decide what steps you will need to take to make those changes.  Congratulations!  You have just laid out a plan for making a change that is important to you!

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make changes to bring greater meaning, satisfaction, happiness and success to their lives.  Using her 30 + years of experience, she helps find just the right resources to help you change.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

To Succeed You Must Overcome Self Doubt

"If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can't accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."

~ Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter

What we believe guides what we are able to achieve. When you doubt yourself, you plant the belief that you cannot accomplish it. The key to success is the belief that you WILL succeed--because you will do EVERYTHING necessary to make that success happen.

This week: Think about what you would like to accomplish if you believed in yourself enough to make it happen. What are you "tough enough" to follow through on, no matter what it takes? What are you absolutely committed to? Until you know what you absolutely, positively MUST accomplish no matter what, you won't have the determination necessary overcome those doubts and make it happen.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals they might not have thought even possible by using her solution focused approach. She helps people overcome limiting beliefs and negative emotions--what she calls "emotional clutter"-- to create enough space in life for success, happiness and greater meaning.

How to Live on Purpose

"The fruits of a fulfilling life—happiness, confidence, enthusiasm, purpose, and money—are mainly by-products of doing something we enjoy, with excellence, rather than things we can seek directly."

~Dan Miller

When you live with purpose, doing something that you are passionate about, enjoyment tends to follow. When you commit yourself to excellence--being the best you can be, using your skills and gifts fully, your life also takes on a fullness that is missing when you are just going through the motions.

This week: Do something you feel strongly about or that you enjoy. Notice whether the "fruits of a fulfilling life" accompany that. Do you feel happier? More confident? More enthusiastic? Did you feel more purposeful? Did you make money at it? If you felt even a little bit more fulfilled, you are on the right track.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people live more meaningful, happier lives. She specializes in helping people get rid of emotional clutter--those negative emotions and limiting beliefs formed from past experiences, and find their life's purpose. For more information about her solution-focused approach, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

How to Find Happiness

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."

~Albert Schweitzer

When you focus your attention and energy on memories of bad experiences or every ache and pain, you tend to live in the negative and it is hard to be happy. But when you focus on what is going well in your life, or what you have to be grateful for, you pave the way for happiness. We get what we focus on, so why not focus on every ounce of happiness you find in your life? That is the way to make it grow. Let go of those negative emotions and beliefs that limit you. You'll make room for the happiness you thought you were missing.

This week: Focus on what is going RIGHT in your life. Get out of memories of past negative experiences, and focus on a time when you felt empowered and happy. Notice what happens when you are focused in that direction.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people find happiness and joy by getting rid of "emotional clutter"--those negative emotions and limiting beliefs that we stockpile from past experiences. For more information about how she can help you move on, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

The Three Essentials for Happiness

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

~Joseph Addison

People seem to always be searching for happiness, when the keys to creating happiness lies right before their eyes. Having something worthwhile to do keeps us busy and occupied, and focused on things outside ourselves. Loving is one of the things that make us human--finding some way to express our affection and joy. Something to hope for keeps us growing and moving forward, and that is what living is about.

This week: Ask yourself, "What worthwhile thing can I DO to creat greater happiness in my life?" Give love to someone else or something else--reach out to another. And DREAM about what you HOPE to create in your life. Notice how it feels when you have those 3 essentials in place.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and owner of Inner Resource Center, LLC. She is the creator of 7 Steps to a Happier Life. For more information, contact her through http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Living Your Life's Purpose Brings Happiness

"Many persons have a wrong idea about what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."

~Helen Keller

When you discover and begin to live your life's true purpose, you discover that decisions are easier, life is more satisfying, and you can really create a happy life. When everything is congruent with your life's purpose, happiness follows.

This week: Begin to think about your life's true purpose. Consider where your passion lies. Connect with what is most important to you. What sort of mark would you like to make on the world if you could? Who would you want to help?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people discover their life's purpose by taking them through a 7 step process For more information about her audio CD/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Notice the Small Signs of Happiness

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity

but of balance and order

and rhythm and harmony."

~Thomas Merton

We sometimes think that being happy means we much be ecstatically happy. We sometimes think that our happiness needs to show itself intensely. In fact, happiness is a continuum, from contentment and satisfaction to joy and esctasy. Rather than expecting happiness always to be intense, wouldn't it be better to enjoy the happiness which comes from balance and order, and rhythm and harmony?

This week: Notice the times when you feel content. Notice the small moments when you are enjoying yourself. Rather than looking for an emotional "high," notice if there is happiness associated with feeling centered and balanced. Notice the happiness associated with the rhythms of life. Enjoy quiet happiness.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and NLP trainer. She helps people let go of "emotional clutter" that stands in the way of being happy. To contact her, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Find Joy Inside Yourself

"Joy is not in things; it is in us."

~Richard Wagner

When we look for joy or happiness in things we own, or in externals, we rob ourselves of the experience of discovering that feeling welling up from inside ourselves. It isn't where you live, what car you drive, or how nice you look; joy is the gift you give yourself when you discover those moments when you are truly alive in the present moment.

This week: Pay attention to those moments when you experience happiness or joy. Ask yourself: "What do I appreciate about my life right now? How can I connect with the joy that is inside me?"

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer with 30 years experience helping people find happiness--inside themselves. For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/