http://www.longislandexchange.com/profilesLong Island Exchange http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=24 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=24 One of the most common issues I come across with my clients is a lack of confidence or self esteem. While these issues are similar and do intertwine, they are, in fact, two completely different issues. Confidence on the one hand, is a muscle built as you learn to trust yourself. If you dont trust yourself, you lack confidence. When you take risks, reach goals, or try something new, you are building confidence. Confidence can be defined as a trust in ones self. How much do you trust yourself? When you answer that, you will find the level of your self confidence. Self esteem on the other hand, is how you feel about yourself. Self esteem is affected by how judgmental or critical you are of yourself. Do you focus on your positive or your negative attributes? Ultimately, the ability to see and focus on the positive while being able to accept the negative is the basis for improving your self esteem. Your level of self esteem will directly affect your confidence leve ..... Thu, 18 May 2006 10:05:16 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=20 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=20 The Winds of Change Most people shiver when the winds of change blow their way. They are blinded by the strong winds hitting their face and making their eyes water and sting, knowing that things are shifting, it just cant be good! The comfort zone is going to be invaded and it wont be pretty! They cant see that the winds of change also bring along with them new opportunity, chances to grow, to heal, to face challenges. Yes, these things can be scary but what a gift they are! How do you react to change? Do you welcome change, or dread it? The truth is, the only thing constant in life is change! Change is all around us, at every moment in the day, from our body cells constantly rejuvenating themselves, to natures constant flow, to our thoughts, and so on. We are constantly changing...changing our minds, changing our clothes, changing hopefully for the better. So what is the big deal? If we are constantly changing, it should be a normal state for us. Yet something in ..... Wed, 10 May 2006 14:05:17 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=13 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=13 Sometimes being alone is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Are you one of those people who absolutely relish being alone? Or does the mere thought of it make you feel completely uncomfortable? In our society we are conditioned to doing things quickly, staying busy and being constantly connected. While all these are good and serve a purpose, they are the cause and foundation for underlying stress in many people. Oddly enough-many of those same people will stress even more at the mere thought of having to spend time alone for any period of time and perhaps (gulp!) sitting quietly, doing nothing but focusing on themselves. Allow me to share with you the following insight-doing the above-you know, meditating-for a mere 15 minutes a day-is one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves. Its been proven that you will feel the results after a mere seven days. Seven! In a world where most look for instant gratification, thats not bad! Now, I r ..... Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:04:55 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=11 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=11 I can make a difference. ..... Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:04:12 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=9 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=9 I am the one I have been looking for. –Iyanla Vanzant We spend so much of our time waiting to be loved, hoping love will find us, searching, yearning for that special love. Feeling empty and lost without it. Wanting someone to give us love and fill us up. Unfortunately, thats not usually how life works. You will draw to you exactly what you create in your life. You will draw to you what you believe you are worthy of. Nothing more, nothing less. In other words, when you believe that you are worthy of love, you will love yourself and then you will draw love to you from other sources. Lets take this a step at a time. Take a realistic evaluation of yourself. Be honest with yourself about how valuable you believe you are as a person. The way you see yourself and treat yourself is the very way others will see you and treat you. Do you see yourself as valuable, worthy of the gift of love? More importantly, do you treat yourself lovingly and as a valuable be ..... Fri, 21 Apr 2006 09:04:08 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=8 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=8 When you think of choices, what comes to mind? Decisions like what to wear, what to eat or perhaps even what to do this weekend? These are all valid choices but I wonder how many of us have been neglecting some very important choices in our lives. Im talking about choices that affect your life. Choices that you may make yourself, or heaven forbid, allow someone else to make for you! What! You may think, I dont allow other people to make decisions for me! Its true, however, that many of us dont realize how many of our own choices for empowerment we just toss by the wayside and allow others to have control. Whose life is it anyway? Are other people living your life for you? Who will have to live with the consequences? They wont! What I simply am suggesting is that you become more conscious of how you make decisions and choices. Do you make decisions with confidence? With unwavering trust in your own wisdom and competence? Do you ask others ..... Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:04:09 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=5 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=5 I let go of feelings that are not mine. ..... Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:04:40 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=4 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=4 Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. --Marianne Williamson ..... Sun, 16 Apr 2006 07:04:14 -0500 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=2 http://www.longislandexchange.com/profiles/rss.php?header=blogs&id=2 Passion is in Fashion Is your life passion filled? What are you the most passionate about? Are there places and parts of your life where the passion has disappeared? When some people hear the word passion, it conjures up visions of sexual passion. Yet, that is only one small part of what passion is. We have (or dont have) passion for life, passion for certain things that we do, passion for living or just the act of being a very passionate person. What does it really mean to have these kinds of passion? It means you are enthused, dedicated, joyful, committed, excited, revved up. In short, when you do something with passion, live passionately or are passionate about something, you can bet that you are living directly from your heart and soul at those moments. Living deep, living large, living with gusto! Passion can be a sort of gauge, are you living via the go, or living via the soul? If you are living and doing via the soul, the passion will be ..... Sat, 15 Apr 2006 16:04:56 -0500