No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

For years I lived an uneventful existence. I wasnt happy. I wasnt unhappy either. I was just sort of stuck.

I had a good career, earned lots of money, and I had great friends and a loving family. You would think that this doesnt sound too bad, but I felt unfulfilled and unmotivated. I repeatedly lived each day like the one before.

I looked around me and saw that everybody within my own circle of friends, relatives, and immediate family were no different. They too seemed stuck. They seemed unmotivatedlike they were living their lives on automatic pilot.

I began to question why this was. Why do so many people just accept this pattern as normal, as if this is the way it is supposed to be?

I read hundreds of books on philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. I continued with this for a couple of years until I gradually I began to see things with greater clarity. I began to wake up. Then one day, out of the blue it just hit me, like a ton of bricks.

The key to unlocking my prison door was not contained in any books I read (although they did help me somewhat). It was in my ability to accept what is in this moment. So I now I make that choice.

Here are 8 tips to help you make that choice:

Most of the time we have no idea what we are supposed to be doing, or who we are supposed to be imitating. I say imitating because this is what we do: We conform to the external environment.

We play roles and cover up our true selves by identifying with things that end up defining who we think we are. Im a doctor, a salesperson, a secretary, a lawyer; Im sad, happy, lonely, or miserable. Im angry, jealous, afraid, and I cant help itits who I am.

The truth is, though, we are none of those things. They are symptoms of the sleepwalking disease. You are more important than any label. We are not our professions. We are not our feelings. We are not our circumstances. We are not even our mind.

What we are is far greater, far superior, far more important, and far more mysterious than our conceptual mind tries to define. This is why we are far more powerful than we think we are.

Let go and embrace the moment, whether it contains an obstacle or an opportunity. Stop fussing over trivial matters and start focusing on whats really important to you.

Dont go through life expecting things to change. Life becomes hard and unfair when we decide to complain about things rather than trying to change them ourselves. Wake up to the truth that life is not a practice-run.

Be bold and courageous, and make decisions that benefit your growth. Put yourself on your imaginary death-bed and realize that time stands still for no one. Start as soon as possible to make any necessary changes you may need to.

Take the first step before more time gradually passes by while you stand still stagnating. Your choice. Your life. Your responsibility. Your power.

We create our outside reality by the thoughts and beliefs we maintain about life in general. What we believe in our inner world, we see in our outer worldnot the other way around.

We all have problems, and were often tested by circumstances outside of our control. Even though you may not be in control of whats going on outside of you, you most definitely can control your reaction to those situations.

We have the power because our inner world (cause) affects the influence we allow the outer world (effect) to have on us. So next time you hear somebody mention that you have great personal power, know they are 100% correct. You have more control than you think.

We place far too much emphasis on other peoples opinions about us, often to the exclusion of our own. This takes away from our own personal power. No matter what anybody says about you, it doesnt hold any significance to who you truly are unless you identify or agree with them.

Stop identifying with other peoples opinions and become aware of how you see yourself. Nobody knows you better than you do. Never accept another persons reality as your own. Always believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. And, most importantly, never let another persons opinion of you affect what you believe about yourself.

If you have to compare yourself to someone else, let it be a person who is less fortunate, and let it be a lesson to learn just how abundant your life truly is. Its just a matter of perspective.

You may find that you are not entirely grateful for what you possess. You may believe that you need more than you have right now to be happy. If this is the case, then you are absolutely rightyou will need more, and you will continue to need more.

This cycle will perpetuate as long as your mind believes it to be true. If you focus on what you have, and not on what you lack, you will always have enough, because you will always be enough.

You have arrived. Everything you need is right here. Cut out the distractions, open your eyes, and see that you already have everything in your possession to be happy, loved, and fulfilled.

Its not out there. It never was out there. Its in the same place it was since the day you were born. Its just been covered up by all the external things you have identified with over the years.

Be yourself. Love yourself completely and accept everything that you are. You are beautiful. Believe it, and most importantly, remind yourself often.

If someone cuts us off in traffic or skips the queue at our local cinema, we may feel our blood pressure begin to rise and feel the need to react in a negative manner. We get uptight with other peoples actions, and in the end we punish ourselves for their bad behavior.

We end up losing control over our own actions because of the way other people act. But we are responsible for our own action, regardless of how rude other people may act. If its hard to stay cool, remember: you are the one who loses in the end, if you lose the lesson.

We know life is about the journey and not the arrival. We dont need to arrive if we accept that we are already here.

Be content with where you are today and dont make the mistake of putting off being happy because you are waiting for the right moment to shine. Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to enjoy the journey.

Not everyone woke up this morning and not everyone will go to bed tonight. Life has no guarantees. Every minute you are living is a blessing that has to be experienced in the moment. Its not always easy, but its always an optiona choice. Your choice.

Photo by h.koppdelaney

Declan lives in Dublin, Ireland. He is a plasterer, printer, and inventor but most importantly, a thinker. His passion is to constantly work on himself through meditations, mental exercises, visualizations, and affirmations.

Original post:
8 Tips to Help Create a Positive Mental Attitude