Let's make a plan to create lives we love!

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Perhaps this could be posted elsewhere, but for me it involves emotional mastery.

Premise: It's best to create a life we love and share it with others rather than look for happiness and fullfilment outside of ourselves.

This much is pretty clear. Angela does a great job of reminding us all that we are 100% responsible for our lives and that we have the power to create a life we love. All of her encouragement has helped me a great deal as I am sure it's done for others.

I am starting this thread so we can share wisdom and tips for how to create a life we love and take full responsibility for our lives. I am doing this because though I know it's a great idea, sometimes I get lost when I try to implement it. Maybe others feel the same way. We can help each other.

I feel like I've changed inside, but it's not always apparent on the outside. I still have people telling me that I am "doing it again" - slipping into a habitual way of being that doesn't do me or anyone else any good. I don't get wrecked by a lot of things that used to crush me, but people still assume old motives and reactions from me even when the thought hadn't crossed my mind. And sometimes, I still do let my old, unconscious self take over.

What do you do to make sure you are taking responsibility for your life? How do you generate the qualities you desire in your life? How do you keep yourself on track? When, if ever, does it become automatic? Is anyone else struggling with getting it from your intellect to your actions/thoughts/behaviors?

I welcome everyone's opinions and advice. Thanks in advance.

[Mitalp]

I think we all get lost. I constantly remind myself of who I am and what I want. I make sure I practice my personal development on a daily basis, as well as my spiritual practices. I work hard to become the person I know I can be, but I do still slip into the old habits. I guess it's just part of the process, that we have to learn to over come.

When I find myself slipping, I hit the reset button and ask myself these two questions:

Mital, What do you want?
and
What are you going to do about it?

Those questions help be get back on track.

One interesting thing that I learned at T. Harv Ekers, Millionaire Mind Conference was using a rubber band to keep you thoughts and actions in alignment. You put a rubber band around your wrist, and every time you have a thought or take an action that's not in alignment with your desires, you snap it. This makes the mind associate that thought or action with physical pain, and the mind tends to stay away from that which causes it pain. I guess it's the same as being conscious of your thoughts and actions.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Great input Mital, thanks! That's the second mention of the "rubber band method" I've run across today (of course I have heard of it before). Maybe I need to implement that.

[The David]

As a younger teenager I used the rubber band to break an addiction to self-injury. The pain was distracting, and just severe enough to provide a little pleasure. I haven't used it in a while. I probably should, I'm a little afraid that I might enjoy it too much.