The Power of Habit

At the Words of Inspiration Blog, we believe that we can be our best and live a lifestyle of health, happiness, and love by the choices we make and the habits we develop and practice.

Practicing healthy habits such as gratitude, hopeful and positive thinking, exercise and good nutrition lead to healthy, happy and successful lives. May these words inspire and motivate you to change some bad habits and develop good habits for life! 

THE POWER OF HABIT

I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.

I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do you might as well turn over to me,

And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done,

And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great individuals

And, alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great I have made great

Those who are failures I have made failures.

I am not a machine,

Though I work with all the precision of a machine

Plus the intelligence of a human being. You may run me for profit or run me for ruin; It makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, And I will put the world at your feet Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am habit!

~author unknown

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


Things do not change. We change. ~Henry David Thoreau


Hard work is a two-way street. You get back exactly what you put in. ~Unknown

We must train from the inside out. Using our strengths to attack and nullify any weaknesses. It’s not about denying a weakness may exist but about denying its right to persist. ~Vince McConnell


For a great resource to help you develop 10 life-changing habits, check out: The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino


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Winning in Life--How to Hit the Target Every Time!

We are often told to aim high in life, but we must aim at what we would hit instead.  A general purpose is not enough.  The arrow shot from the bow does not wander around to see what it can hit on its way, but flies straight to the mark. ~Og Mandino

We can aim for the stars, but without clear vision and focus, our energies will be scattered.  What are we really reaching or aiming for anyway?  That is something we must decide for ourselves.  And once we do, we can make plans on how to attain our goals.  All the while, we keep our focus on the specific purpose for which we envision and aspire toward.  Suppose, for example, that you decide to go to college.  A general goal may be to lose some weight and get into shape and/or to change our eating habits.  That is a great aim and desire, but it will remain just that until it is made more specific with some steps we can take with short-term and long-term goals.  Once we decide on what specific plan or progam we would like to use, we will begin to have a clearer focus and vision for our future.  Another general goal may be to earn a college degree.  To make it more targeted we would have to decide on a career path we would like to take and the type of degree we would like to earn. 

It is much more motivating, attainable, and fulfilling to aim at something specific rather than at a random target.  It is empowering and keeps us active participants in our life purpose and destiny rather than just hoping that someday things will just fall into place or waiting for opportunity to come knocking at the door.  The truth is, we have to knock on the door of opportunity for ourselves.  When we realize this and the responsibility we hold, we will endure; we will perseverance; we will keep focused and concentrate because we know what we want and where we are going.  Challenges will present themselves to us and we will be ready.  Our eyes will be set on the goal.  We will aim toward it and continue to move forward until it is attained.  This is the most effective approach to successfully reaching our goals. And it is sound advice inspired by one of the greatest inspirational writers I respect and admire, Og Mandino!

Copyright © 2011 Krystal Kuehn. All Rights Reserved.



An archer cannot hit the bullseye if he doesn't know where the target is. ~Anonymous


You can't hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have. ~Zig Ziglar The establishment of a clear, central purpose or goal in life is the starting point of all success. ~Brian Tracy

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. ~Stephen A. Brennan



Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." H. L. Hungt


People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. ~Earl Nightingale I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. ~Jimmy Dean


Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination. ~Fitzhugh Dodson


First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Epictetus



Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a licensed professional counselor, author, teacher, and musician. She specializes in helping people live their best life now, reach their full potential, overcome barriers, heal from their past, and develop a lifestyle of health, happiness, and love. Krystal is the cofounder of NewDayCounseling.org, a family counseling center, specializing in helping individuals, couples and families with professional counseling services for relationship problems, parenting issues, depression, anxiety as well a s substance abuse classes, anger management groups, and more. Krystal is also cofounder of BeHappy4Life.com as well as Facebook.com/WordsOfInspiration and several blogs.

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Start Where You Are & With What You Have

Every artist was once an amateur. ~Ralph Walso Emerson

Do you remember when you first learned how to drive a car, cook a meal, use the computer or your new cell phone? How about when you first learned to play a sport or a musical instrument?

Whenever we want to learn something new or accomplish anything in life, we usually begin with the basics. As we build upon them, we get better and better. And as a result, there are some things that we do really well. With practice, education, and commitment, we can become quite proficient, maybe even experts.

Every new project or goal challenges us to learn and grow. We are all beginners at some point. We start with what we have and it is up to us to keep at it in order to get better and accomplish our goals. Eventually we will move beyond the amateur stages and begin to see progress. Sometimes things don't come as easily to us and we are tempted to just quit. We conclude that we don't have what it takes or that it's much too difficult for us. Times like these can push us on to try harder or find alternative solutions or ideas to reaching our goals.

Remember, it takes an investment of our time and energy to improve our lives and accomplish anything worthwhile. If we can accept where we are right now and believe that we can get better, our efforts will pay off. With each step we take, we make progress. As we acknowledge our small successes, we will experience greater satisfaction and move closer to our goals.

Today I choose to accept where I am and believe I can get better.

Today I choose to take at least one small step toward my goals.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~Theodore Roosevelt

~

There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.
~Henry Ford

~
Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price. ~ Vince Lombardi

Copyright © 2010 Krystal Kuehn, New Day Counseling Center. All Rights Reserved.



Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family marriage counseling and child teen counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & inspiration to change your life, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Check out Krystal's other blogs: Give Thanks Journal, Baby Poems & Be Your Best blog.


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It's A New Day for a New Beginning

Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new end. ~Carl Bard

You've heard it said, It's not how you start, it's how you finish.  Sometimes we wish we could go back and do things all over again.  It would be so different if we could just have a brand new start.  But no matter how far off track we have gotten, or where the road has turned, we can still reach our destination.  The life before us is filled with hope and promise.  No detour can change our purpose and call.  We just might have to take a different way to get there than we expected.  Yet, we will fulfill our dreams and purpose as long as we are willing to pick ourselves back up and start from where we are at right now. 

It's a new day for a new beginning!

Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way.  Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be. ~Marsha Petrie Sue

The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. ~Dave Weinbaum