commitment – POTENCIA

Reading is Power, or Did You Forget?

“Reading is a way to expand your mind, open your eyes, and fill up your heart.”
Oprah Winfrey

As kids, we’re taught to read for fun. As teens, we’re taught to read for answers. In college, we pay extra for notes – and barely read those. Along the way, we forget how important reading is for our minds and our progress in life.

Reading allows you to strengthen your mind’s ability to focus and interpret words. It allows you to see life and new experiences from a different perspective. Reading gives you information that can be used to spark conversation at home, with friends, and even in the workplace. It’s a power tool, and while young millennials spend an hour scrolling through posts that don’t teach them anything, the wealthy are reading for hours a day to grow their minds and their pockets.

Don’t believe me? Google how often Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, or Barack Obama read! These are wealthy, successful individuals who constantly urge young adults to expand their mind in order to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others.

Try this: challenge yourself to pick up any book, or listen to an audiobook, of your interest and give yourself a deadline to have read it by. Hold yourself accountable by telling a friend, writing it in your journal, making it your screensaver – you get it. I guarantee you’ll have not only learned something new, you’ll feel accomplished in achieving your goal.

Quit holding yourself back – It doesn’t work unless you try!

I’m always working to be a better version of myself and hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you – comment below!

Practice Makes Perfect – What Are You Perfecting?

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle

Is social media the first thing you check when you open your eyes? Then it’s no surprise you find yourself on Instagram or Twitter throughout the day without consciously opening the app. Do you get home and immediately turn the TV on every day to “unwind”? Then it’s no surprise you’d have the remote buttons memorized while you scroll through shows for the rest of the night.

It’s important to recognize and understand two things:

1. It’s not enough to set a goal; you must identify what habits you want to form to achieve that goal

2. You get better at what you practice consistently

Let’s say your goal is to save an extra $100 by the end of the month for the next year. Great, you’ve set your goal. However, habitually, you spend $50 from each check going out to eat with friends. Well, if you’ve set your goal without identifying what habit you want to change or adopt, you’ll have saved $0 by the end of the month.

You master what you practice consistently. That means the first month you choose to say no to friends in order to save your money towards your goal is going to be hard. But if by the middle of the year you remain firm with the expectations you’ve set for yourself, saving your money and finding alternatives like inviting friends over for a movie night will become second nature; and as a result, you’ll achieve your goal and feel empowered to strive for more.

Quit holding yourself back by staying committed to habits you know are detrimental. Set your goal, set the habits you’ll adopt to achieve your goal, and hold yourself accountable for your actions in whichever way works best for you (some people tell their friends, others journal to declare the expectation). You master what you practice consistently – what are you perfecting?

I’m always working to be a better version of myself and hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you – comment below!

The Power of Affirmations: Choosing Confidence

“One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”
Dalai Lama

Confidence – a concept rarely spoken of as a choice and often spoken of as a “either ya’ got it or ya’ don’t” trait. The truth is that confidence lies within each and every one of us; and it’s up to us to decide whether we want to allow it to help mold us.

“If it’s such an easy choice, then why aren’t more people confident in themselves?”

The answer is simple – consistent practice of affirmations.

Let’s face it, we live in a time of instant gratification– instant responses, instant media, instant food. But for those who are not given confidence from our environment (family, friends, society, etc.), learning to believe in yourself and be confident in the qualities you uniquely possess requires the consistent practice of affirmations. This means training yourself to rely on your own opinion instead of those around you. Don’t wait for a certain number of likes on a photo to decide whether you’re looking good or not. Don’t rely solely on the support around you (though you should always be grateful) to help talk you down when you’re overwhelmed with work and life and losing confidence in your abilities. Don’t decide what traits you like about yourself based on what your circle thinks. Instead, rely on yourself – yes, it’s possible!

How do you do this? Here are a few tips:

Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones – when you’re feeling down over your quality of work, stressed over deadlines, worried about falling behind in school and feeling hopeless, stop and take a deep breath. Remind yourself of the characteristics you love about yourself and how they’ll help you get your tasks done. Then segregate those tasks into manageable steps!

Make an affirmations list – keep a list of positive statements about yourself, either in your phone or journal (whatever you keep with you most of the time). When you’re feeling down immediately read this list and give yourself a reason why these statements are true. Examples of affirmations include listing the traits you’re proud of or noting your accomplishments that remind you of your capabilities.

Face yourself when speaking – it’s a lot easier to let your negative thoughts consume you when you’re not facing yourself so take a good look in the mirror every morning and remind yourself of your unique qualities and the immense opportunities that lie behind discovering that confidence.

The key is to be consistent. By constantly combatting your negative thoughts with positive and resourceful ones, you’re improving your state of mind – the most essential component to navigate through life. Over time, what used to be a conscious task will become effortless – giving you the realization that confidence is a choice and anything we strive for can be achieved with confidence, commitment, and consistency.

I’m always working to be a better version of myself & hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you on your thoughts/ journey – comment below!