We live in an era of limitless possibilities; one where any person can live the life they desire to. And yet, one of life’s sharpest paradoxes remains the fact that your brightest future centers on your ability to overcome your limiting beliefs

At the commencement of each new year, I am frequently asked by many students, “how can I achieve my goals and learn to live a mindful and spiritually fulfilled life?” In other words, they want to learn how they can make lasting changes and find true balance within their lives.

Despite having noble intentions, many individuals live their lives on autopilot; not fully experiencing themselves in the world. And while activities like yoga, exercise, and meditation help, most people find it difficult to remain focused on what’s possible when confronted with the trials and demands of our fast-paced and ever-evolving society.

Take a minute to imagine yourself in a tranquil atmosphere, separated from all the distractions you encounter – then, ask yourself: “What would I do if I were not afraid?”

Of those who succeed in making resolutions, many also fail. However, many fail before they give success a chance, mostly out of fear. Some are afraid of failure, while others are afraid of success. Regardless of the source, fear immobilizes too many and prevents us from achieving what we desire and are capable of.

It is human nature to avoid emotions that scare us. Who wants to walk directly into what promises to be a painful experience? Of all the negative emotions that can reduce your capacity for attracting what you desire, fear is one of the most potent. Are you anxious, stressed, or frightened when you think about everything that could go wrong in life?

We all doubt whether or not we are doing enough, making enough money, or if we are going to be “successful” enough. I know this personally, as I’ve devoted long periods of my life to a continuous state of fear and self-doubt. I questioned my abilities to the point that I was making my decisions based on what others desired of me, not what I aspired for myself.

The good news is that once you face your fears – and give the boogeyman air – rather than shove your fears into a distant compartment of your brain, it begins to lose the ability to rule you and dictate your decisions.

Everyone struggles with uncertainty at some point in their life, even successful people. A little self-doubt is normal and healthy. It prevents a person from crossing that fine line between self-confidence and hubris. However, the difference between normal apprehension and people who live in fear is the fact that a highly successful person does not let self-doubt derail them from what they set out to accomplish.

I look at self-doubt as just a temporary condition.

If you’re contemplating making a big change, I say: do it. The fear won’t kill you, even if it feels like it might because the consequences of not making that leap might be a lifetime of regrets. Really, what’s the worst that can happen?

Remember, transitions can be challenging, but this is your life. Remain committed to the process of self-discovery and be open to exploring your passions in healthy, honest ways. Once you begin to see fear as an opportunity rather than a hindrance, you will create fewer limitations for yourself, and the universe will guide and support you along the way!

Fear holds you back and keeps you focused on the idea of lack, while love fills you with positivity and heightens your energy vibrations in a way that makes your abilities much more powerful.

Here are some things you can start doing immediately if you want to learn how to transform fear into love.

1. Embrace and Master Your Emotions: It’s important to understand that transforming fear into love isn’t about repressing or denying the truth of your feelings.
2. Identify Your Fears: Are there any obstacles in your life that you know you need to confront, but have been avoiding?
3. Demystify Your Fears: Much of fears power comes from the fact that it’s often poorly understood. For example, think about times you’ve experienced crawling unease, a pounding heart, or fear of failure without really having a grasp on exactly what frightens you or why.
4. Give Fear a Shape: Ask yourself what you are most afraid of. What factors contribute to your fear, what triggers it, and what gives it more power over you? In addition, consider the ways in which your fears have been getting in the way of your happiness and success.
5. Don’t forget: your circumstances keep changing all the time! Don’t live in the past. Just because something could not happen last year, doesn’t mean that it won’t happen this year.
6. Visualize Your Dream Life. If not for other people’s judgments and expectations, what would you be doing with your life that you feel inhibited from doing now? Make a list of as many things as you can think of – big or small – that you would do if you weren’t afraid.
7. Break It Down: Once you become consciously aware of your authentic self, you can begin to confront the areas of your life that are not in alignment with your truth.
8. Celebrate Your Milestones: Each time you successfully overcome a meaningful obstacle, take the time to share your accomplishment with others. Plan a small party or social outing – whatever feels appropriate. It is important to celebrate your achievements with the people you love. Not only will celebrating your achievements help to strengthen your support network, but it will also serve as inspiration as you strive to achieve future endeavors.

Observing the practice of Ahimsa (non-violence), the first Yama of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, involves refraining from the intention of causing physical and psychological pain to any living being, and the conscious integration of compassion into all aspects of daily life. Ahimsa is about the intent, rather than the deed itself. It is an attitude of universal compassion.

Ahimsa isn’t simply the practice of refraining from vehement words or violent actions, it’s also about abstaining from harmful thoughts. It is the total and complete absence of violence from one’s mind, body, and spirit.

Abstaining from violent and harmful actions is easy when you’re comfortable and secure, but freeing yourself from harmful thought patterns presents a mountain that every single one of us is equipped to climb, yet few of us have the courage and confidence to do so.

In understanding just how non-violence can manifest itself in our lives, we must first realize how our daily actions and responses encompass elements of harmfulness. More often than not, this happens against ourselves. Our thoughts contain negative responses like disappointment, resentment, or guilt.

If we don’t consistently remove the thoughts of negativity, of self-harm, and of self-criticism, those thoughts begin to grow and multiply. Rather than celebrating the gift of who we are, we start to judge, compare, and criticize ourselves and others. Negative thoughts can slowly become translated into words and actions.

If you are consistently critical of yourself, it is inevitable that you will also be critical of others. If the only thoughts going through your head are negative, there is a minimal chance that you are sending positive energy into the world. Coming from the space of accepting and appreciating the innate beauty, wholeness, and imperfect perfectness in ourselves and people around us will strengthen the roots of Ahimsa in us.

Ahimsa starts with the practice of forgiving someone for something that they’ve done against you, or forgiving yourself for something you’ve done. The mind is the most potent tool in our possession. Our thoughts and emotions play such a big role in our overall well-being. Finding your inner peace through Ahimsa will, in turn, allow us to find peace in our interactions with others.

Ways to Practice Ahimsa

1. Practice mindful eating.
2. Allow yourself to receive. You may think that by always giving, you are ensuring non-harm and opening generosity to others.
3. See through, not with, the eye.
4. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle that you may not be aware of.
5. Cultivate the seeds of positive and loving thoughts.
6. Care for Mother Earth and our ecosystem.
7. Resolve conflicts through peaceful measures.

We can understand Ahimsa as maintaining mindful of thoughts. Thoughts naturally move into and out of our minds. The thoughts themselves don’t necessarily cause harm. However, holding onto thoughts and letting them repeat again and again in your mind is what eventually turns into actions or words of violence. Start to practice simply observing your thoughts instead of reacting to them. When you allow yourself to acknowledge and observe, you’ll find that your thoughts slip from your awareness just as easily as they come in.

Ahimsa is complicated, but it can also be as easy as riding a bike instead of driving a car. Ahimsa is looking in the mirror and not thinking that you look fat in that outfit (and not telling your sister that she looks fat in hers). Ahimsa is as easy as remembering that all beings everywhere have the right to be happy and free. Ahimsa is mindfulness. Ahimsa is an idea that can grow into a reality if we allow it to.

That’s where our non-violent thoughts come in. When we think lovingly, these thoughts trigger the release of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is the chemical that makes you feel good and relaxed. Unlike cortisol, dopamine brings strength to the immune system. It can even cure illness. Those who think of themselves as optimists tend to have stronger immune systems and recover faster from illnesses and injuries. Optimists may even live longer than those who think of themselves as pessimists.

The practice of Ahimsa is a work in progress and let us not expect drastic changes over night. It takes time to make new habits and behaviors. Let us take one day at a time and sooner or later, we will see that we are established in Ahimsa. A strong intention and loving patience will make it happen.

How to Practice Ahimsa

1. Non-violence towards other living beings: This one can be a bit tricky, and definitely uses a great deal of brain power to decipher on a daily basis. The first step towards this one is simply becoming aware; so get out there, read voraciously about the harmful things that are being done to animals and humans (think sweat-shops and child slaves), and then see if you can make small changes to minimize the damage that your life on this planet is causing.
2. Non-violence towards the planet This is another dangerous minefield filled with more information than you can poke a stick at, but the simplest and most effective way to be kinder to the planet is so mind-blowingly simple – just buy less crap! Who has a cupboard filled with things they never use? A wardrobe filled with clothes they rarely wear? That infamous second drawer in the kitchen filled with all kinds of utensils you never use? If you don’t LOVE it, and you don’t NEED it (want is not enough), then don’t buy it! Simple.
3. Non-violence in your thoughts: Learning how to not think mean thoughts towards others is one thing you can do to bring non-violence into your life. It’s pretty darn hard, but achievable if you can try and remember that everyone just wants to be happy. Much harder than this, is if you’re anything like me (and 99.99% of humans on the planet), in which case I can almost guarantee that your violent thoughts are more often than not directed towards yourself. The person in your life that you are the cruelest to, the hardest on, and the least compassionate towards is probably yourself. We tell ourselves that we aren’t good enough, aren’t smart enough, aren’t good looking enough and aren’t worthy enough, etc. So here’s what you can do: start slowly. Start by telling yourself that you love yourself each morning – maybe into the mirror, oy maybe by giving yourself a big hug at the same time. Write a list of your best qualities, your best features, and read over these daily. Slowly (but surely) these positive thoughts will begin to become second nature, and it will be easier to dismiss your unkind thoughts. Learning how to be non-violent towards yourself in your thoughts is a life-long journey, but one which gives us the largest reward of all – happiness. Practicing Ahimsa towards yourself requires work and time and a whole lot of patience, but I promise you that it’s the best change you will ever make in your life!

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”- Benjamin Franklin

Every single person has a yearning to be prosperous and find lasting happiness. As a young person, we ask ourselves questions throughout our journey to success and happiness.

• Who are we? Beyond being physical beings in a material world, we are all uniquely special spiritual beings, who are here for a reason.
• Why are we here? Beyond being here to survive, we are creators who are here to live, expand, and realize our full potential. Our hearts have the access to inner wisdom, the ability to dream (follow our hearts), and create a wonderful life.
• Where are we going? Beyond meeting our physical and material needs, each of us has something special to offer the world. We’re here with a higher purpose, to make a difference.

These inquiries, and many more similar questions, provide us with the motivation to learn and grow, but at some point in our busy lives, we become preoccupied; we stop asking these powerful questions and begin to live our lives on autopilot. The harsh truth is, when we stop asking these questions, we stop growing and we begin to die.

As conscious people, learning to Live Life on Purpose. We need to constantly develop ourselves intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. We grow and change physically as we develop from infancy to adulthood and old age. We grow and change emotionally with every experience, and we grow intellectually as we respond to events within the world around us.

Why is it important to always learn and mature as an individual? We’ve all made mistakes throughout our lives that haven’t precisely put us in the best light; perhaps mistreating a person in a past relationship or telling a little white lie to get out of trouble for a mistake made at work. Chances are, however, you have undoubtedly felt a small amount of guilt and grew because of these experiences.

Anything that you want to remain in your life, your money, your health, your relationship, your happiness, love, must be cultivated, developed, and expanded. Otherwise, it will degenerate. Some people satisfy the need to grow by working out physically or by reading books. Others need to study and learn constantly in order to feel as though they are truly growing.

Lifelong learning can be socially invigorating, and it can also improve memory and cognitive abilities. There are two main reasons for learning throughout life: for personal development and for professional development. These reasons may not necessarily be distinct as personal development can improve your employment opportunities and professional development can enable personal growth.

Your ability to expand your mind and strive for lifelong learning is critical to your success. By dedicating yourself to learning, you can get ahead in every aspect of your life. All it takes is a commitment. When you think about the things you do every day, you probably wouldn’t put, “learning new things” on the list. Living busy and hectic lifestyles makes it difficult to even think about learning new things and trying something new, but you could be missing out tremendously, both personally and professionally.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ­­­­­­ – Henry Ford

Growth learning helps you expand your mind. You’re acquiring information that you didn’t have previously, and that enables you to do things that you could not have done prior. Some of the very best thinkers in the world today are producing some of the very best material and ideas that you can use for continuous education and mind expansion.

Learning widens your horizons, enhances your knowledge, keeps you up to date with the current world. Learning is essential to our existence. Just like food nourishes our bodies, information and continued learning nourishes our minds

An individual is not born lucky, but rather possesses the habit of personal development; continuously learning new skills to achieve the desired result in life. Truthfully, a person may not always achieve their vision in life, but he or she will experience a richer and more rewarding life when dedicated to regularly pursuing new goals and learning new skills. Making that commitment to personal development is the first step on the path towards personal fulfillment.

Growth is about making a personal investment in one’s self and improving his or her skill set in order to manage life effectively and provide value to the community. Personal development allows a person to be proactive. Setting goals that are time-sensitive causes a person to achieve their dreams in life. Luck happens when hard work meets opportunity. This is why it is so important to try new things and push yourself out of your comfort zone. The potential benefits are really huge and to be honest, there is nothing to lose. So, you should start today and learn something new!

The goal of personal growth is to find balance between living your life and learning new skills and tools to be your best self. Learning helps you expand your mind, and as you begin to acquire information that you did not have before, you can begin to do things that you could not have done before. Knowledge is the primary source of value in our world today, and your ability to expand your mind and devote yourself to lifelong learning is the key to breaking any success barriers.

Ways to Practice a Growth Mindset

1. Listen to audio. Many of us have a favorite radio station and enjoy listening to music. Try adding just 30 minutes of educational audio a day to leave you feeling strong and inspired.
2. Read books. In this day and age of modern technology, it may seem like books have become lost or forgotten. “The Alchemist” by Pablo Coelho and “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman are books that share journeys of personal development through fictional stories and are available in audio formats as well.
3. Find a mentor. Look for someone who inspires you and is already where you want to be in life. If you are able to, don’t be afraid to talk with them, share your aspirations, and even ask them questions.
4. Notice behavior patterns. We are all creatures of habit. Some of these habits are helpful and others are not. It’s good to be aware of your habits, so that you can actively weaken the ones you don’t want and strengthen the ones you do want.
5. Keep track of your self-reflection. Start a journal where you record your observations and monitor your personal growth. This will help you when looking back at your year to remind yourself of where you’ve been and where you want to go.
6. Get out of your comfort zone. Resting on your laurels means that you will not grow. Get out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there, take risks and aim to do something different, such as learning a new skill or hobby.
7. Create a plan and a list of goals. Where do you see yourself in 1/2/3/5/8/10 years’ time? If you know your ambitions, write them down so that you have a clear view of the goals you would like to achieve.
8. Learn new skills. Learning doesn’t end when you finish school. Learning is a lifelong journey. Take up a new hobby, whether it’s crafting, designing, coding, painting, learning to play a musical instrument, or taking up a new sport. Adding more strings to your bow is quite impressive, and it shows that you are a well-rounded person.

Have you ever wondered about how some people are able to achieve massive amounts of success in their field, while others work just as hard, but achieve very little? The not-so-secret truth, is that individuals who show up on a regular and consistent basis are often the ones who accomplish something worthwhile in life. Life distracts you – it interrupts you. A large part of success comes from putting the right amount of time in, and on a daily basis. It comes from keeping up with the daily grind. The truth is, inspiration and success come from your starting point. Luck and success happen when hard work and consistent effort meet opportunities.

Like it or not, consistency is essential if you want to make any significant change in your life. Waking up every day and striving to do your best without being attached to the outcome, is an indispensable skill; one that you could use to achieve your goals, and live your life with purpose. The arduous part, is to remain focused on your goals and dreams, especially when there are no short-term payoffs. It is easy enough to get distracted by life. List most of us, you skip working on your goals and dreams on the days you don’t feel your best and often choose to focus on painless distractions.

One of the fundamental distinctions between successful people and unsuccessful people, is that successful individuals arrive and try, even when they would rather focus on easy, mindless tasks for the sake of being busy in life. They say that practice makes you perfect, but practice simply makes you a practitioner. Rather, it is perfect practice that makes you perfect. Perfection in practice depends on the three main elements: first, you have to practice for a long period of time; second, your practice must not be interrupted—you must do it regularly; and third, you must do your practice with love and respect.

5 Ways To Help You Achieve Your Goals And Dreams Through Consistent Practice

1. Get your “why” clear: know your vision – having a compelling reason for why you do something will help you keep going.
2. Pick one project at a time: do not take on multiple tasks at the same time, pick one thing, focus on it, and achieve the results you want before moving on to something new.
3. Schedule your priorities: plan your activities by priority and stick to them. As you knock the items off your list, your resolve gets stronger and motivates you to keep moving further.
4. Ignore the voice: ignore the voice that tells you to skip the things that are important. This is probably the most difficult one, but as you do more of this, it’ll get easier.
5. Accept your slipups: it’s ok if you miss something, don’t beat yourself about it too much. Consistently move forward and get back on track by shifting your focus to the next task.

Consistency commands respect and honor on your part. It demands that you commit yourself to a sustained effort of action over the long-term. This essentially means that you keep your promise to yourself and to others that you will follow through with what you set out to do consistently over a period of time, right up until the moment your objectives are achieved. As such, consistency is all about your ability to be dependable, reliable, and responsible for all your choices, decisions, and actions.

Consistency is about building small, empowering habits and rituals that you partake in every single day that keep you focused on your highest priorities and goals. Therefore, it essentially comes down to your ability to hold yourself accountable for the daily choices you make with no excuses and no complaints. You, and you alone, are accountable for what you do and what you fail to do. All responsibility lies solely in your hands.

Consistency means to focus on the present moment, while simultaneously maintaining a long-term vision of the future that helps you measure your results and the impact of your daily actions. With this regular feedback in your hands, you are better able to learn from your failures and mistakes to help you effectively alter your course of action where required

And the best part, is that the longer you remain consistent, the better able you’ll be to see just how far you’ve come. If you’ve ever been in a situation where you haven’t seen a noticeable change in the direction you want, it’s because you haven’t been consistent long enough or you’ve been consistently going in the wrong direction. Make sure that you’re following the right course and you keep at it. From there, your success is bound to follow, as long as you never quit.

If you take consistent action towards your goals every day, where do you see yourself in three months?

6 Ways to Develop More Consistent habits

1. Use a morning ritual. This is perhaps the most powerful tip I have found so far in this area. Simply set up a routine in the morning that you do as soon as you wake up; this works so well because what you do early in the day often sets the context for the rest of your day to follow. As humans, we have a strong tendency to want to be consistent with what we have done before. That’s one big reason why a bad start often leads to a bad day and a good start often leads to a good day.
2. Do things, even if you don’t feel like it. Your inner voice and feelings can be disregarded if you like. Remember, you can do whatever you want to do anyway.
3. Don’t hurt yourself. Whatever you do throughout your day sends signals back to yourself about what kind of person you are. Do the right thing – like being effective, kind, or going to the gym to feel good. If you get lazy, negative, or just plain mean, you’ll tend to feel worse after a while. You don’t get away, there is no escaping yourself. And there is always a price to pay. Use these points as powerful motivators to become a better person.
4. Focus on and take responsibility for the process, not the potential results. If you focus on the process, you will be a lot more relaxed and prone to continue, than if you stare yourself blind on the potential results that never come as quickly as you want to.
5. Find and do what you love or like to do. It is always easier to stick with the program if you love, or at least like, what you are doing every week. So, experiment and find what suits you best.
6. Hold yourself accountable, with help – we all plateau. It’s frustrating, but also a normal part of life. The key to bursting through ceilings, be it mental, physical, or financial, is to hold yourself accountable. Now, that doesn’t mean to hold yourself accountable for doing it all, but hold yourself accountable for getting help. Regardless of the form help takes, make it a priority to get some this year. You’ll be surprised by how much further and faster a little help can take you as you struggle to stay consistent and realize your dreams.