How An Index Card Can Change Your Life

I’ve carried around a 4 x 2 inch index card with the words “Are you being more loving today”, for a few months. By doing so and looking at it many times during the day, I’m creating a constant awareness of this new habit. Most goals or new habits fail because we start off incredibly enthusiastic at first but then fall back into the safety and security of old habits.

My values of peace, joy and even love are being reinforced by this index card. I’m less judgmental, feel more empathy and smile in public more often. When I am waiting in line I do not curse under my breath or demand my change back from a cashier with an outstretched hand and a frown on my face. I approach with a smile, a joke and open heart, and in turn I usually receive a smile back.

By having the words “Are you being more loving today”, carried in my wallet I am becoming more loving in all aspects of my life. I’m calmer and more peaceful in public, at work and with family. I am becoming more of an extrovert and feeling greater compassion.

This technique of writing down a goal or habit on an index card works for anything. Whether you wish to exercise, make new friends, lose weight, stop smoking or feel more joy. It keeps a strong awareness of what you truly wish to change at all times. If you want to exercise more it isn’t always about going to a fancy gym, it may be taking stairs or riding your bike to pick up a DVD. Reading the card reinforces the habit!

I hope you can use My Life Changes as a way to discover your purpose, values and goals in life. Now pick a goal and keep it on you at all times. Look at it many times daily. After a while it will become a part of you and the card can be tossed away. Get rid of those old habits. I dare you to try it, I’m sure you will be amazed.

Reference: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

An Amazing Yet Simple Life Changing Lesson

I’ve taken a bit of a break from writing (for health reasons) but am back in the saddle (but writing from bed, so no real saddle), and would love to share a major life changing method. This method will now be the cornerstone for me (hopefully for you) and a perfect addition to the website tools. Ready?

Use a 6 x 4 Note card to break or create a new habit or goal

Once you have defined your goals using the tracker, choose one goal and write it down on an index card.

Writing your goal down on an index card and carrying it with you at all times creates a solid awareness of the change you want to make. This awareness of your goal will be strongly reinforced if you pull out the card many times during the day. Make yourself pay attention to your goal. It will remind you of how important the goal is to you. The statement on the card may be as simple as these examples.

• Get more exercise and be physically fit.
• Stop smoking, feel better and save money
• Be more loving

Getting more exercise doesn’t just mean just joining a gym. It means taking a walk. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Walking the dog. Riding the bike. The note card should be pulled out whenever you have the urge to fall back into a bad habit or routine.

Being more loving can apply to family members or the cashier at grocery store. Pull that note out and you are suddenly aware that you can be a more loving person. Who knows, it may even help you find love!

Once the behavior is now a habit, you just throw the note card away (or keep it for sentimental reasons).

So you don’t need an iPhone to make a major change. All you need is to take your time defining your goals and then a simple index card to create a steady awareness of that goal or habit.

I can’t think of a better method and it works great for me!

Related Posts:

How To Quit A Bad Habit Using An Index Card

How To Overcome Addiction

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Get Rid Of Passive Barriers To Live Your Dream Life

I opened up my credit card bill recently and grimly realized that a payment to a caterer was on it. My original intention was to pay this portion cash a few months ago. But passive barriers crept into my mind and hijacked my common sense and discipline. What are passive barriers? They are those self destructive thoughts that make us delay both minor and important decisions. I’ll get to it later. It won’t make a big difference in my life. I’m too tired to do this. It’s too complicated. I’ll get rejected. The sad part is that some people let passive barrier thinking affect their whole life.

What are some important decisions that people put off? I should get a health check up. I really should invest in the company savings plan. I will pay off my credit cards this year. I’ll phone that family member tomorrow. I’ll lose ten pounds by the end of next month.

So why do we put these things off? In most cases we try to change too many bad habits at once, which will usually lead to nothing changed. It’s much easier to focus on one area of our life instead of five. This way we create a constant awareness of a life change instead of just giving it a second thought. The other is the classic instant gratification feeling as opposed to a long term investment. We may have fun spending on our credit cards or eating those French fries right now. But in the future we may find ourselves with no savings and horribly overweight with a heart condition.

The choice is yours. Be honest with your passive barriers and address them one by one towards a future of contentment and joy. Or have fun now and pay dearly later. I have to go pay my credit card bill now. Sheesh.

Related Posts

How To Overcome Addiction

How To Break A Bad Habit

If you enjoyed this post today, please do me a big favor and use the “Twitter” button down below (click on the + sign) to share it with your Twitter friends and followers (You can also share it on Facebook, Digg, or any of the other sites you see below as well).

How To Overcome Addiction

Overcoming addiction is first and foremost about understanding addiction and then doing something about it. Read up about it, even find out how the brain changes – become very prepared to overcome.

Addictions can be overwhelming for certain people and actually rewire parts of the brain. The brain areas that regulate instinctive behaviors called the hypothalamus, and the amygdale which regulates emotion and anxiety, can both show neuron and connection alterations through addictions.

Once you fully understand some of the major traps that the mind and brain fall into, you are then educated, aware and ready to take concrete action. Some of the best actions are:

• Replace negative or addictive thoughts with pleasant ones.
• Don’t rely on sheer will power, set a goal to break a habit for 90 days and it will get easier as each day passes.
• Learn to stay in the present moment instead of worrying about the future or past.
• Let go of the ego.
• Keep on reading up on addictive behaviour. Read up on human evolution and conditioning. Seek out a few good experts and avoid instant fixes. Here are a few great resources.

The Brain That Changes Itself – Norman Doidge MD

The Mandala Of Being – Richard Moss

The Evolving Self – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Positivity – Barbara Fredrickson