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“I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin

Who Do You Think You Are? Are you aware that you are constantly answering the question -“Who do you think you are?” With every thought you think, every word you speak, every action you take, you are expressing who you think you are. As you answer this question, you are at the same time answering the question – “What do you think you can have?” Your circumstances are always an exact match to the way in which you answer these two existential questions.

You are constantly telling the Universe who you are and what you can have with your thoughts and feelings. For example, if you think Feel Good Thoughts such as – I’m so lucky / I love my life so much / I always get what I want – then, in accordance with the Law of Attraction, the Universe will deliver to you circumstances of like vibration. If, however, your habitual Thought-Feelings center around complaint and disgust such as – Life sucks / I have bad karma / I never get a break – the Universe will bring you all kinds of things to be miserable about.

You are a Master of the Universe. Do you have any idea what a powerful being you are? Do you realize that the entire Universe is at your service? You are a fully empowered Master of the Universe, constantly creating your life in exact accord with your thoughts and feelings. You are Source Energy focused physically for the purpose of creating whatever you desire. You’re here to have fabulous adventures and fantastic experiences and you have an unlimited budget of Energy and Abundance.

It’s your life and you’re in charge. The position of Master of the Universe is not limited to a few extraordinary, highly evolved people. You are the Creator of your Life. You tell the Universe who you are and what you can have. Because the Universe knows you are a Master Creator, it fulfills your request without judgment. When you place your order, the Cosmic Café responds – Coming right up!

“Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Actually, it’s who you think you are that speaks so loudly. We are limited only by our thoughts and beliefs, especially our self-image. You can change your self-image by repainting the mental picture you hold of yourself. It’s your picture and you can repaint it any way you like.

What I Know for Sure. Here’s a great affirmation to amp up your self-image. Write it down and keep it with you in your purse or wallet. Post it on your mirror, your computer, your cell phone. Make it the first thing you think of in the morning and the last thing at night. As you say these words to yourself, deeply feel how wonderful and powerful you are.

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE: I AM absolutely and eternally wonderful and worthy of all good things. I KNOW that I can be and do and have whatever I desire.

You Decide. So, what’s the real answer to the question – Who do you think you are? It’s that you are whoever you decide to be. So, you decide:

• Decide that you are absolutely and eternally wonderful and worthy of all good things.

• Decide that you are a fully empowered Master of the Universe

• Decide that you are the Master Creator of your own Life

• Decide that you can be and do and have whatever you desire.

Did you see the film, “Field of Dreams”? Probably. And, if not, I suggest that you rent the video. Even if you have not viewed the film personally, you at least know its most famous line, repeated often in the film and in our conversations: “If you build it, he will come.”

In the film, the voice did not say when or how or why or even who! The voice only said, “If you build it, he will come.” Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) agonized over the message, took actions that were ridiculed, and spent all his resources. (Do you know anyone like this in real life?) He did not discover nor do we as the audience know what the message really meant until “it” was built.

He trusted the process of his inner guidance, supported by a loving family, tenacity, curiosity, and disillusioned writer Terence Mann (James Earl Jones). And Ray built it. Then, not only did “he” come, but “they” came, filling the field with electricity that drew more people.

Had Ray trusted the paradigm which claims we must have all the facts and proof before proceeding, he would not have built the field. The film is about many issues: clarity of vision, dreams and dreaming, building and rebuilding, trust, goodness, relationships, hope, getting a second chance, taking risks, love, reconciliation.

It is a picture about positive power in an unexpected place.

Copyright © 2006 Marshall House. Jeanie Marshall, Empowerment Consultant and Coach with Marshall House, produces Guided Meditations and writes extensively on subjects related to personal development and empowerment. Voice of Jeanie Marshall, http://www.jmvoice.com

In other words, it is in the “doing” that we appreciate and learn the meaning of an action or activity, not simply in thinking about it.

It’s the action that preceeds the “feeling,” whether it’s the glory of victory or the agony of defeat.

Some people think and think about doing something and even imagine the feeling they will have when they engage in their specific activity.

Sadly, something seems to always hold them back from ‘doing’ and truly enjoying the feeling.

We all have talents and the capacity to employ those talents. In fact, we are blessed with talents by God who expects us to use them and share them with others. These talents unless used, shrivel away.

When we find ourselves ‘in the dumps’ one sure-fire way out is to help someone else. In “doing” so, you’ll learn the importance of what you did, you’ll see the effects of what you did and you’ll never forget what you did, likely encouraging and empowering you to continue “doing,” and defining your purpose in life. Tomorrow morning when you are in the shower, start to sing and enjoy your first of many good feeling of the day.

For more tips on motivation techniques visit our web site: http://www.lunchbagnotes.com.

Ann Marie is a senior at Cal Lutheran University. She majors in elementary education and expects to begin a teaching career in the fall. She is also the co-author of two books and has written several articles on the parent-teenager relationship.

We all have enormous reserves of mental capacity that we habitually fail to use. There is no problem that we cannot solve, no obstacle we cannot overcome, and no goal we cannot achieve when we learn to use the incredible power of our mind to its full capacity. When we us the power of our mind to it’s fullest our creative capacity is unlimited.

All of the truly successful men and women in history started down the path the success by learning to listen to their intuition. Your intuition is your direct connection with infinite intelligence. It is often called the “still small voice” within. You may experience your intuition as a gut-feeling or as an inner sense of what is right or wrong for you. Sometimes your intuition manifests itself as an inspiration, a hunch, or a flash of insight.

Intuition is a natural ability. It is a skill that you already have. But this skill must be developed. It’s a mistake to begin making any important future decisions based on your intuition if you have only had a few random experiences with it. The more practice you have with your intuition, the more effectively you’ll be able to use it. You intuition is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows and the faster it acts.

Every change in our life begins with a new piece of information. People who are the most successful are those who deliberately expose themselves to the greatest number of new and different ideas. They do this by reading books, listening to audio programs, attending seminars in their chosen field. They know that it only takes one good idea to change the entire direction of their life. So it stands to reason that the more ideas you come up with the greater the probability there is that you’ll come up with the right idea.

All highly successful men and women are those who completely trust their intuition to guide them in every situation. They never speak or act until they feel an inner urging to do so. They know that their intuition will always bring them exactly the right answer at exactly the right time. Highly successful men and women rely continuously on their intuition and as a result they seldom make mistakes.

Your intuition is the direct pipeline to a form of intelligence that is completely beyond your physical brain. It’s accessed by your subconscious mind. You subconscious mind is controlled by the thoughts you think and the beliefs you hold in your conscious mind. The more you affirm and visualize your desired goals in your conscious mind, the faster they are picked up by your subconscious mind, and this then triggers your intuition.

We’ve all made many decision in our life. Some right and some wrong. When our intuition tells us to do something or not to do something, it is always right. How often have you made a decision that went against your intuition, only to regret it later? How often have you pushed aside that hunch or nagging inner feeling, only for your decision to come back to haunt you? This is because you intuition is always correct. It gives you exactly the right answer you need at exactly the right time for any given situation.

When you have a clearly defined goal that you very much want to achieve it automatically stimulates your intuition. The more you think about, affirm, and write out your goal, the more your mind will be committed to finding ways to achieve it. When you repeatedly send the message of your goal to your subconscious mind, you activate your intuition to bring you the ideas, insights, and opportunities to help you achieve it. That is why intensely goal oriented people accomplish far more than people who are general or vague as to what they want to be and have.

Problem solving is another excellent way to activate you intuition. Whenever you have a pressing problem that you have clearly defined and intensely desire to solve, it automatically activates your intuition to find a solution. But, in order to activate your intuition, the problem must be clearly defined. It cannot be fuzzy or vague in any way.

Asking hard and focused questions is yet another way to stimulate your intuition. The more you train yourself to ask hard, focused, and provocative questions, you activate your intuition to give you the insights and ideas you need to move forward in your life.

Practicing solitude on a regular basis is the best way to stimulate your intuition. Solitude is an essential tool in developing the creative insight and intuition that will give you the ideas and answers to important questions, that will in turn, bring about powerful changes in your life. Most people have never practiced solitude. They are so busy, they feel that they don’t have the time to set aside 30 minutes each day to practice solitude.

What most people fail to understand, is that one good idea through the practice of solitude can save you a year of hard work. All of the greatest leaders and highest achieving men and woman in history have all practiced solitude. If you want to be successful, you simply cannot afford not to practice solitude on a regular basis.

Here are eight simple steps to help you practice solitude and develop your intuition:

1. Go to a quite place where you will not be disturbed. Relax, sit comfortably, and close your eyes.

2. Begin to breath deeply. When you inhale focus on breathing with greater calmness and peace. Visualize and feel relaxation flowing into you each time you breath in. When you exhale feel yourself blowing out the pressures and stresses of the day and know that the tension is draining from your body.

3. Picture a funnel, its wide end extending up and out from the center of the top or your head.

4. Gently guide your awareness upward and focus your attention out through the funnel. Be open to whatever you experience.

5. Remember, do not try too hard; do not force your concentration.

6. Feel how a multitude of impressions seem to pour into your mind through the funnel. Notice the sensation of heightened awareness that opens to you there.

7. Practice alternating this exercise. One day practice this exercise with your eyes closed and then the next day practice it with them open.

8. Practice this exercise daily for a minimum of 30 minutes each day.

Each and every one us has at our disposal the same intuitive powers used by some of the smartest men and women who have ever lived. You have the ability to tap into and use a higher form of intelligence than you have ever used before. Your intuition can help you solve any problem and achieve any goal. Once you begin to develop and use your intuition you will become more alert, effective, and smarter in everything you do. Your potential will unfold at speed that you cannot now imagine. Your future will become unlimited.

Copyright© 2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe’s work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

Building up your motivational muscles – You see, I believe that just as we run, work-out, or exercise to build and condition our muscles and to get in good physical health, so can we condition our mental muscles…

I am a firm believer that each of us can condition ourselves to see the best in our day by introducing positive actions.

Unlike its sister, physical conditioning… Positive conditioning won’t even leave you feeling all sweaty! So now the question is how do we do this.

Here are a few tips that I use and may work for you as well…

1) Make your vehicle a success classroom! Keep a healthy supply of positive books on tape handy. Anything you have ever wanted to learn can be done in the same time you would normally be listening to the latest top 40 hits.

2) Keep a good book handy. Approach this from the standpoint that each time you dedicate to reading something positive you are actually building up anti-negatives if you will.

3) Be sure and keep a personal success journal. This will offer you the needed fuel to be able to look back and realize that you are making great gains. Particularly during the times you might feel otherwise.

I hope you have found these helpful.

Here’s to your success, Josh Hinds

(c) All rights reserved.

Josh Hinds of http://GetMotivation.com specializes in helping people to achieve maximum success and live the life of their dreams. He is also the co-founder of http://AudioMotivation.com – visit now to hear leading motivational speakers and authors share their tips and advice with you.

“I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wishes. The greater part of all mischief in the world arises from the fact that men do not sufficiently understand their own aims. They have undertaken to build a tower, and spend no more labor on the foundation than would be necessary to erect a hut.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) – German writer, scientist, master of poetry, drama and novel

Recently, I attended a course which was aimed mainly at people who want to start their own business, or in my case, who want to make sure that they have done everything correctly when setting up their business. The attendees ranged from those whose business was just an idea and they were there to find out what they need to do to get it up and running, to those who were further advanced and nearly ready to go. What has become apparent to me is that it doesn’t matter what your idea is and how advanced you are in your plans and arrangements, if you haven’t done the groundwork your business will be on very shaky foundations. This relates to so many things we aim to achieve in life. The groundwork may be quite tedious and laborious, but without it, the rest will either never be constructed, or if it is, it will come tumbling down around your ears very dramatically!

What foundations do you need to put in place to give you a firm start? What are your challenges? What do you need to face up to? Who do you need to talk to, to seek advice or assistance from? Are there courses being offered in your area that could help you build strong and stable foundations for your future? Take action to get those first blocks in place to move you forward.

So many times I hear ‘I know what I should be doing.’ If that is really the case, why not make this the day to start doing it? Stop putting it off. And if you really don’t believe that you need to do it, forget about it. If you are not convinced that it is something that you need to be doing, then you are never going to put in the effort to do it properly, if at all. And if it really needs to be done, either do it yourself as best you can and get it out of the way, or find someone else who is willing to do it for you.

What are your dreams? Have you really thought them through? What can you do today that will bring you closer to those dreams? You may have to break down from there to now in smaller steps, but if you plan it correctly those steps will be steady and sure and will lead you to achieve your goals.

Get going! Putting the groundwork in and then following through requires you to be fit for the job. Have you looked at the people on a building site, especially those who are involved in the first stages of getting the foundations in correctly? Have you ever seen one who was unfit and not able to do their share? It is a very physical job and those who aren’t up to it soon fall by the wayside. Get fit for your future by putting the effort in now and sticking to it.

Starting something new takes commitment. Have a really good think about what you are doing and whether you really want to be doing it. If you are, then do it to the best of your ability – if not better! This is for you, so go for it!

Even if you are past the foundation stages of what you are doing, it never hurts to add something fresh to your thinking and actions. Is there something new that you could introduce to add value to what you are doing? Is there someone whose ideas or expertise you think would help to move things along? Don’t get stuck in the mindset of ‘this is the way it’s always been done’. Sometimes the way it has always been done is fine, but often we should re-examine our practices and processes and see if they need a little adjustment. What do you think needs tweaking for you?

Sometimes we need to approach challenges and problems by thinking ‘out of the box’. It’s time to use your creativity. Use your vision and instincts, as well as your experience and skills to construct new ways of doing things.

Often it seems that doing the groundwork can appear a thankless task. It is often boring and time-consuming, but time and time again those people who have skipped over that bit have had their project and dreams collapse around them. Don’t let that be you. Put the foundations in as best as you can and the rest of the construction will rise accordingly – strong, stable and secure.

Kate Harper is based in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. Check out her website http://www.harpercoaching.com

She works with people who are fed up with moaning about their lives and have decided to do something about it. If that is you, please take a look at Kate’s website. Her special interest is in promoting Wellbeing through coaching. She is happy to work with people from any part of the world.

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Madame Marie du Deffand

Take your first step today and contact Kate.

One of the really great things about creating your dream are those times when you go into a trance. That’s when you look up after three hours and discover that the rest of the world has gone to bed while you’ve been creating your work of genius. And this is when your creativity is at its absolute sparkling best.

Here are some elements you can put in place that will help you slide into that exalted place more easily, and give your creative spirit the nurturing it needs.

1. Turn off the news and listen to music instead.

The creative part of your self is sensitive, easily upset by the negative stream that passes through the news desks of our nation. Therefore, limit or completely turn off the news. Once you wean yourself of it, you’ll find that you really don’t care what the headlines are. If you live alone, and like to have television or radio ‘noise’ in the background to keep you company, play music, books or poetry on tape, or positive talk radio.

2. Keep your work nearby.

Ideally, you’ll have an office with a door that’s right in your home. That way, if inspiration strikes while you’re folding laundry, you can put down the sheets, walk upstairs and do something about it. (I was cooking dinner when I got the idea for this article.) When recording artist Stevie Wonder is on the road, he has a crew member whose sole job is to set up his keyboards wherever he is. In an interview with The New Yorker, Stevie stopped himself several times to go off and compose when a melodic theme popped into his head, right there in the middle of a backstage dressing room.

3. If you take a break, stay ‘fuzzy’.

There’s a certain fuzziness that comes with creating — a loose-in-your-joints feeling that results from letting the creative flow pass through you. By all means try to hang on to this feeling, even when you need to take a break. Don’t interrupt it with a lot of hard-edged activities like business calls, important decision-making, or reading financial mail. Instead, drift around, read a magazine, a book, or a letter from a friend, turn on music, play a game with your child. or cook a little food.

4. Always act on your instincts.

This is how some of the best research for your project will get done. Call up that friend whose name keeps floating across your mind; take that flyer that seems intriguing for reasons you can’t quite figure out. If you listen to your instincts the first time, it’s really much easier to get things done.

5. Keep note-making material handy wherever you are.

There should be small pads of paper, notebooks, or personal messagers sprinkled throughout your life. Put them in useful places like your car, the bathroom, and beside your bed, where the best ideas often strike. Use a personal messager or digital recording device to keep track of your ideas. This is a neat little recording gizmo often no bigger than a credit card, that can record 25 or even a couple hundred messages at a time … whenever and wherever the mood strikes. Some of them even come on key rings; many cost less than $10.

When you have a moment, you can copy these messages into your computer, daily planner, notes, or wherever the information needs to go.

6. Get out and see other people’s work in your field.

Read trade journals, see exhibits or attend conferences. Get to know who and what is out there. Not only will this fill your head with ideas and ways to do things differently, it will give you inspiration on many fronts, including how to make your own work even more distinctive. You’ll also learn things about your business you simply can’t learn any other way, and possibly find your way to valuable collaborations or business partnerships.

7. Live and work in a beautiful place.

There is no substitute for natural beauty — even if it’s a sunset seen from an apartment on the twentieth floor. Having a view of nature, one way or another, is a wonderful way to keep the spirit flowing through your door and into your work. If you can’t arrange a river view, put something natural in your surroundings that speaks to you, even it’s a window full of house plants. Your soul will thank you, and your work will thrive.

8. Indulge in the other arts.

For decades, Woody Allen spent every Monday night playing his clarinet with a bar band at an Upper East Side jazz club in Manhattan. Steven King and Amy Tan have been known to play in a rock band called The Remainders. Michelangelo wrote sonnets and love songs, and even Paul McCartney has had exhibitions of his paintings. Spending some time fooling around with other forms of creative expression is not only enriching for your soul, it opens you up to new possibilities for your main creative work. ©2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns LLC.

It is not what you do every once in a while that determines your destiny but your consistent actions that determines your ultimate destination in life. To move in the direction you ultimately desire for your life, your destiny, it is absolutely critical to stay motivated. There is nothing like good motivational audio books to assist you and keep you on track in pursuing your goals.

There is a science to motivational audio books. Those individuals with the power to motivate us are indeed very special for the power of their words and actions inspire us to become more, bigger and better. As our knowledge of the workings of the human mind expand, the more we gain to understand what makes us do or not do what we do. There are numerous motivational audio books on the market by rare individuals that have mastered the principles of the human mind and who can pave a direct route to what motivates you. (read more on what motivation really is…)

Good motivational audio books will always assist you in defining goals for your life. Exciting goals will get you up early and keep you up late. They inspire you to marshal all your recourses and use everything you can possibly find within the sphere of your influence to bring them to fruition. Know that the human mind is always pursuing something. It is your task to direct your focus in what your mind pursues. Motivational audio books tap into the power of your mental focus. Whatever we focus on consistently we move towards. In his timeless classic, As a man Thinketh, James Allen states that by the power of our own thoughts we have made or unmade ourselves. If we don’t consciously direct our thoughts into the direction we want our lives to go, then worry and anxiety will take over by default. There is more than enough negative influences around us all the time to grow a wonderful garden of weeds in our minds.

Listening to motivational audio books as part of your daily routine will help to keep your mind positive. Having a positive mental attitude is absolutely critical if we want to lead a happy and fulfilled life. It is even more important in achieving success as noting good can ever spring from a mind that is constantly focussed on negative and destructive thoughts. Tony Robbins once said something that changes my life. He said that “what is wrong is always available, BUT so is what is right. It all comes down to what you choose to focus on.”

Motivational audio books have the power to motivate us. That is it calls us to action and helps us install powerful motives for acting on our goals and aspirations. If you are motivated you have a motive or reason for doing something. The magic of motivational speakers is that they help you find reasons within yourself to do whatever is necessary to achieve your goals. When you are motivated everything just seems to “flow” and tasks that previously you thought of as too hard or impossible becomes doable and pleasurable. Motivation is the perfect antidote to procrastination.

Motivational audio books allow us to use and utilize NET TIME (no extra time) – time when you are not actively doing something constructive. Whether you are commuting, running on the treadmill, relaxing and even while you are sleeping. What? Listen to motivational audio books while I’m sleeping? Yes! Remember that your subconscious mind never sleeps. It’s always “awake” and always absorbing whatever it is “fed” by the environment, our conscious minds and thoughts.

Let’s face it we all have bad days, days when we feel like we are fighting a losing battle and that our lives have no real meaning. We all have days where we feel depressed and days where we procrastinate. It’s exactly then when you need to have your favourite motivational audio books at hand. No matter what you do make sure you stay motivated and break through the wall of procrastination.

“Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough of it in one sitting. It needs continual and regular refills.” – Peter Davies

This article is published with the permission of The Self Improvement Gym, a network of website dedicated to helping ordinary people create extraordinary lives and turning their dreams into reality. For more information please visit http://www.TonyRobbinsAudiobooks.com for free e-books, e-zines and other recourses.

I have decided to declare 2004 as the YEAR OF HAPPINESS for me. What about you? Yes, you can also do so! Anyone living in any part of the world has the right to be happy and enjoy every moment of his/her life. There is no harm in declaring the year 2004 as the Year of Happiness for All Mankind.

You cannot bring happiness to your life unless you decide to be happy. This is the most important decision of your life which you must take now with a firm commitment with yourself. Think, how great you will look, when you will bring smile to your face and happiness to your life.

Once decided to be happy and declare 2004 as the Year of Happiness, you put yourself on the path which leads to a happy, healthy and succcessful life. You put all your abilities and energies to work for you to bring happiness into your life and you really do not know what wonders you can do. Give yourself an opportunity to prove that you can live a happy life.

If there is one reason to be unhappy, there may be ten reasons to be happy. Why allow unhappiness to overcome happiness. Why not look for opportunities to be happy rather than making excuses to be unhappy. There is absolutely no reason in keeping oneself unhappy over petty things and unrelated matters.

Most patients prolong their illness simply because they do not realize that their condition is improving which is a matter of happiness for them. They rather keep on feeling the pain and complaining. This type of negative attitude of the patients certainly delays the recovery from illness. People must know that happiness is the best medicine which cures many diseases.

I suffered a massive heart attack in March last year while working in my office. An ambulance took me to the hospital in a critical condition. After a few hours, I was back to life (though in the ICU with lot of heart monitoring devices attached to my body). Believe me, that was the most happy moment of my life when I realized that I was alive! The joy and happiness of being alive, eliminated the pain which I was suffering and helped me in quick recovery.

Being alive itself is a matter of joy, excitement and happiness. Wyile you are alive you can do a lot to bring happiness into your life. But the “true happiness” will come to your life only when you will also try to bring happiness into the lives of other people. If agree, then please join hands with me in spreading the message of happiness to as many people as possible by referring this article to your friends, family and colleagues. Also help and motivate them in devising and implementing an Agenda of Happiness.

Let all living men, women and children declare 2004 as the YEAR OF HAPPINESS.

About The Author

Hifzur Rehman is the author of popular articles on self improvement. He is also the editor of his website http://www.selfimprovement.ch which is a source of great inspiration for all those people who want to live a happy, healthy and successful life. A visit to his website would open the doors of success for you.

Hifzur Rehman (c) 2004 – All Rights Reserved.

hrehman@selfimprovement.ch

I’ve got to be honest with you, the greatest human failing is not being able to judge your own personal strengths, gifts, talents and abilities. In fact, if you’re like most folks, you spend way too much time identifying your weaknesses and spending all your time trying to overcome these imperfections. This is very detrimental to our spirit and totally takes away from your strengths and talents. If you’ve been doing this all your life, now is the time to stop! Being a successful retiree means learning how to use your strengths, gifts, talents and abilities. In this article, we’ll discuss ten proven tips to help you take advantage of your abilities:

• Recognize your abilities – The first thing is that you have to do is recognize your abilities and dismiss feeling of inadequacy. You must recognize your strengths, gifts, talents and abilities, whatever they may be. Believe in your ‘true self’ and find out what you’re truly good at and what your “unique calling is.” We all have special talents and are unique individuals.

• Identify your unique strengths – Explore and identify your strengths and talents. For instance, if you had pursued carpentry as a career or as a hobby, your strengths could be an eye for detail, precision, and creativity. You could mold your after-retirement career around these traits.

• Be confident and proud of your strengths- It is a natural tendency to underplay your strengths. After all, no one wants to be a “brag” but retirement is the time to be confident and proud. You’ve accomplished so much in your life and now is the time to take advantage of your skills. So, its OK to give yourself a small tap on the back. By capitalizing on your strengths, you can accomplish all of your goals and help others in your path.

• Building your retired life around your strengths – After recognizing your strengths, gifts, talents and abilities, plan your retired life around them. Use your skills and talents to identify opportunities. Perhaps you’ll pursue a ’second’ career after retirement or a volunteer opportunity. The possibilities are endless. Just be open and receptive to receive and you’ll gain a sense of fullness and accomplishment.

• Finding new goals -. Now that you have some time on your hands, really think about your goals and aspirations. What is it that you want to accomplish in your life? Has your dreams changed since you were a teenager? Do you still have the same interests that you did 20 years ago? How can you make your dreams become a reality?

• Start a business – Today, retirees are better educated and skilled. Use your knowledge and skills to start a business or nonprofit organization. Not only will you use your talents in a wonderful way but you’ll make a significant contribution to the world.

• Educate others – If teaching and coaching is your special talent then don’t hog it, share your knowledge with others. Conduct adult education classes or tutor students.

• Re-education – Reeducate yourself. After all, learning is a lifelong process and you could use your retirement years to increase your knowledge. Take this time to learn new skills or brush up on rusty ones.

• Community service – Pay back to the community that gave you so much by volunteering your services. For instance, if you’re a retired carpenter, perhaps you can make cribs for a teenage pregnancy shelter.

• Remain active -Stay active in the community. Perhaps you can run for political office, help someone with their campaign, become a deacon, whatever you’re called to do.

In conclusion, everyone has special gifts and talents that could be utilized to make the world a better place in which to live. Even if they were previously hidden or dormant, retirement is the time to take advantage and pursue them.