positivity – Page 2 – Ruthann M. Wilson

Shift Your Mindset From ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’

Let’s shift and move forward.

Replace ‘I can’t’ with ‘I can’.

In order to move forward, we have to believe that we can. Stay open to possibility by shifting your thinking from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’.

Exercise: Write a list of wants/needs/desires that ‘I can’t’ thinking is keeping you from pursuing. Pick one of the things on your list to work on this week. Write down all the reasons you can’t do it and then tear it up. Write an affirmative statement ‘I can [insert whatever you picked]’ three times and commit to taking action, starting today. Post your affirmation everywhere to remind you that you CAN! Celebrate your accomplishments along the way.

Let the shift begin!

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All the best,

Ruthann

Consciously Create Your Day: Intentional Choices to Shape How You Feel Each Day

What you do on a daily basis matters. Days become weeks, weeks become years, and years become a lifetime.

We are given the gift of twenty-four hours each day to spend as we choose. It is a gift that we treasure through the choices that we make. In the busyness of life it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we create our lives one day at a time.

This week, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes in the morning to begin each day with the end in mind. Ask yourself the following questions:

How do I want to feel at the end of the day? Write down three feelings you would like to have at the end of the day.
What do I need to ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ so that I can feel (whatever you identified)?

Set aside 15 minutes in the evening to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Is there a gap between how you want to feel and how you are actually feeling? What will you ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ the following day.

At the end of the week, evaluate your progress. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

Need additional support? “Bring it All Together on a Daily Basis” (Chapter 6, Be True to You) is designed to help you consciously create your day.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

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All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Make Peace with the Past: Healing Old Wounds to Live Fully Today

Making peace with the past is a lot easier said than done. It requires a commitment to facing things that may be painful, regretful, or less than desirable so that we can live fully in the present.

The past can be a great teacher if we allow it to be or it can hold us back. If you look back on your past and feel emotionally charged with sadness, anger, or regret, it is a clue that there are parts of it that are unprocessed. Explore what you are feeling about your past and commit to working through what needs to be processed and healed. Do what’s right for you so that you can be fully present and not living in the past.

Questions for reflection:

What in my past is keeping me from living fully in the present?
Who or what do I need to forgive?
What steps can I take today to make peace with the past?

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

All the best,

Ruthann

Reclaim Your Power: The Impact of Daily Choices

Your ability to choose what is best for your life is your greatest power and means of evolving your life (i.e., relationships, finances, career, etc.)

In the busyness of life, it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we create our lives one choice at a time and we can make a different choice, at any given moment, to change our lives. Sometimes we don’t realize we’re on autopilot until we suddenly ‘wake up’ and realize we’re not making progress on the things that matter the most to our lives. Busyness can sometimes give us a false sense of progress.

Indecision is also a choice that keeps us from making progress. Indecision begins with small things and can become a way of life. Do you find yourself saying “I don’t know”, “I don’t care”, “It doesn’t matter”, or “You decide” frequently? If so, begin to reclaim your power by making decisions for your life, even in small matters.

If this topic resonates with you, I invite you to create awareness of the choices that you are making on a daily basis and the impact they are having on your life. Keep in mind, not making a choice is also a choice.

Questions for Daily Reflection:

What choices did I make today? Why? Were they empowering or disempowering choices?

Empowering choices are in alignment with your values/what is most important to you, affirm your sense of worth and personal freedom, boost your energy, and help you move forward. Disempowering choices are the opposite. They may or may not be conscious.

Life is all about choices. Use the power of reflection to bring awareness to what you are choosing for your life.

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All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Expect the Best: Change Your Mindset for Success

Expectations are powerful. They can help us move forward or they can hold us back. If you are feeling stuck, ask yourself “What am I expecting?” and see what comes up. This simple, but powerful question will bring awareness to the beliefs and/or fears that are holding you back. Once you have awareness of what is holding you back, you can work on changing your mindset.

We change our minds by replacing limiting thoughts and beliefs with empowering thoughts and beliefs that enable us to create what we desire. It’s a journey and a process. Chapter 4, “Be Willing to Let Go”, in Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you change and refocus your mind.

We all experience times in our lives when we are held back by limiting beliefs and/or fear. Embrace these times as opportunities to change, grow, and deepen your trust in the process of life. When we trust the process, we dream big, set goals, work toward our goals, and expect the best for our lives. If things don’t go as planned, trust enables us to ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?” and use our lessons learned to keep moving forward.

Feel free to share this post with others by clicking on the share button below. Join my mailing list to receive email updates (Join mailing list).

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is available at Amazon.com

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Embrace Growth: Stop Shrinking Yourself

“Don’t shrink yourself to fit into places that you have outgrown.” —Anonymous

Life is always inviting us to reach, stretch, and grow. Sometimes we accept the invitation with a wholehearted yes, and sometimes we decline the invitation through indecision and inaction and stay in places (e.g., jobs, relationships, situations, etc.) that we have outgrown. Although these places may not be ideal, they are familiar, comfortable, known.

We usually know it’s time for a change long before we take action. Inner promptings for change are often experienced as restlessness, dissatisfaction, or a desire/longing for something more. If you relate to any of these feelings, take time to listen to your inner voice and be willing to find new places to grow. It might mean finding a more challenging job, new friendships, or new ways for you and your mate to grow.

Progress requires change, and change begins to happen when you leave your comfort zone.

If this post resonates with you, I invite you to reflect on the following questions.

Where in my life am I shrinking myself to fit into places that I have outgrown?
What do I need to believe and do to grow?
What is one thing I can do [today] to support my growth?

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All the best,
Ruthann

Renew Your Faith: Steps to Personal Growth

I believe life is a personal journey of faith and process of empowerment.

Simply stated, faith is our ability to look forward with positive expectancy. It is not something we find outside of ourselves, it is an inner resource that we awaken to and renew through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Faith empowers us to create our future—individually and collectively. It is deeply personal and influenced by many things—thoughts, beliefs, trust, and experiences.

Renewing your faith is an intentional and ongoing process. There is no right or wrong way to do it. I’ve made a few suggestions based on my own experience and what has helped me along the way.

Reset your mind—release/let go of thoughts and beliefs that limit you and replace them with thoughts and beliefs that enrich, expand, and empower you to create the kind of life and world that you desire.
Trust life as a process—the nature of life is change and transition for the purpose of growth and evolution. Every ending is a new beginning if you are willing to trust the process.
Stay open to possibility—there is more to life than what you can see. Create time and space in your day to prayerfully ask “What is possible for my life?”.
Choose your words wisely—words carry power and energy and shape your life.
Keep moving forward—if things don’t go as you planned, ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?”. Use your lessons learned to help you keep moving forward. If you feel stuck, ask “What is the best thing I can do right now to move forward?” and then do it. 🙂

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All the best,
Ruthann

Create Harmony: Align Your Thoughts, Words, and Actions

Align: to change something so that it agrees with or matches something else.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

You can create any experience that you desire by aligning your thoughts, words, and actions. It’s a lot easier said than done, but truly transformative when put into practice.

Thoughts and beliefs are powerful—they create your reality (positively or negatively) each and every day. What you choose to focus on will magnify in your life.

This week, I invite you to identify a quality that you would like to magnify in your life and bring your thoughts, words, and actions into alignment with that quality. For example, if you want to experience a greater sense of peace in your life, think peaceful thoughts, speak peaceful words, and create a peaceful living and work environment.

Spend a few minutes in silence and let your heart be your guide in choosing a quality to magnify. Through this process, you will not only enrich your life, you will enrich the lives of others and the world (yes, the world!).

♥

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All the best,

Ruthann

Be Prepared to Receive: Trust, Prayer, and the Practice of Asking

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.”

—Maya Angelou

I love this quote by Maya Angelou. It is a great reminder that we should not only ask for what we want but believe so strongly that it will happen that we prepare to receive it. The degree to which we prepare for something to happen is indicative of our belief and trust that it will actually happen.

Making requests/asking for things is a part of our everyday lives. We ask for information, directions, meetings, assistance, etc., on a regular basis without much thought or risk. There are times, however, when we need or want something that is beyond what we can see or control. It is during these times that we often go to a deeper place of asking/requesting through prayer. When we pray and prepare to receive, we create conditions for what might seem like magic to happen in our lives.

This week, I invite you to think about the requests/prayers that you have for your life. Are you clear in what you are asking? Do you trust that what you are asking will actually happen? Are you preparing/taking action in anticipation of it happening? Are you open to more than one outcome?

Ask for what you want and be prepared for it or something better to happen.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

First Things First: Mastering Your Priorities for a Fulfilled Life

“Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.”

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

First things first is a phrase that basically means things that are truly important should be prioritized over less important things. What are less important things? Whatever you decide based on the type of life that you want to live.

First things first is something we all know, but many of us struggle to put into practice on a regular basis. There is often a gap between what we say is important and what we actually do. Over time, the gap can contribute to feelings of being inadequate, inauthentic, off track, etc.

Becoming aware of where we have gaps is the first step to creating better alignment between actions and priorities. If you are experiencing a gap between what you say is important and what you actually do on a day-to-day basis, take a step back and explore the gap. Use what you learn to make changes/adjustments to your personal and/or professional life.

Here’s an activity, best accomplished in writing, to get you started:

Create a list of 3-5 things that are important to you. Be specific as possible. Put them in order.
Reflect on the past three months and record the order in which these things have been a priority in your life.
Is the first thing on your list, first in your life? If not, why not?
Do the things on your list reflect what you (vs. someone else) want for your life?
Identify steps you can take to align your actions with the order of the priorities on your list.
Ask someone you trust to lovingly hold you accountable.
Take action

Priority setting is an effective tool to create focus in your life. It will help you stay true to what matters most in your life.

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All the best,

Ruthann