Author: Stevie Puckett

My specialty is connecting people and ideas. I'm an advocate for proactive self-development. I see opportunities that others might not see. I like to encourage. I’m a personal growth author and audiobook narrator.

Personal Power Tips

There are many ways to define personal power. Here are some to consider.

  • Personal power is being in control of your life.
  • Personal power is the ability to achieve what you want.
  • Personal power equals control of resources.
  • Powerful people are focused on their goals.
  • Powerful people take impactful action.
  • Personal power is the ability to influence others.
  • Personal power is freedom.

ON A SCALE FROM WEAKEST TO STRONGEST

Now, of course, power can be used in a positive way or in a negative way. It has been said that being forceful is the weakest power of all. Brute strength often only yields negativity and resentment; and only short term gain. A much stronger use of power is to use charm and positive influence to help others build their power. This is a much longer-lasting strategy with easily seen benefits including increasing the power of the initial charmer!

TUNE IN

Be an observer of yourself throughout your days. Take periodic attitude checks. Begin to recognize when you feel apathy, negativity, or just generally stuck. Use those feelings as a signal to alert you that you have lost touch with your personal power. Once you are able to recognize what it feels like when your power is depleted, then you can start to experiment and find what works to make you feel powerful again. At that point, you will be cued into a key cycle that you can use to manage yourself to success.

FOR A POWER BOOST

  • ­Think about a time when you had power and let your body and your mind feel it.­
  • ­ Practice non-reaction instead pause, then respond decisively.
  • ­ Use positive self-talk.
  • ­ Be charming.
  • ­ Assume goodwill.
  • ­ Take action.
  • ­ Give to others.
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Making the World a Better Place

Giving people near and far the benefit of the doubt as often as possible about the little mundane things in life helps to make you a force for good and the World, in general, a better place.

In the final sum of things though, it probably helps you most of all. It helps to keep stress levels low and keeps you focused on more of what you want rather than fussing about all you see that you don’t appreciate.

It helps to realize in advance the kinds of relationship transactions you prefer and to appreciate them when you see them. You can also lean towards patience with others by knowing that everyone is doing the best they can at the moment, just like you are.

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Less Pain for You

One of the books I’ve been reading this week is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I can recommend it. There are many great ideas and stories there.

The purpose of this post is to share one idea that made me laugh out loud.

The Truth About Talent is the title for chapter 18. In it, James outlines a series of questions to help you hone in on the area you should focus on, based on your personality and genetics, to have the best chance of success. He mentions that you can find your niche by noticing that thing that you do that causes you less pain then it causes others!

The mark of whether you are made for a task is not whether you love it but whether you can handle the pain of the task easier than other people.

~James Clear, Atomic Habits

I found that hilarious but real. It’s another way of finding your strengths. Usually, the idea is to list what people often ask you to do. Or you list things others often appreciate that you do. It’s a way of recognizing something that is so obvious to other people but which you find so easy as to render it invisible to you.

The work that hurts you less than it hurts others is the work you are made to do.

~James Clear, Atomic Habits

Based on our natural inclination to compare ourselves to others, it becomes straightforward to remember and to recognize such tasks. I found James Clear’s questions in this section helped me realize several qualities I hadn’t entirely clarified for myself. Although his wording made me giggle, the question can help with identifying essential distinctions to consider in career choice.

Try it and see if the idea helps you become more aware of your own unique combination of personal qualities that should be a part of your professional brand and daily focus in your work.

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Emotions as Pointers

What if emotions aren’t given so much emphasis? What if they simply indicate the way we’ve been focusing our thoughts?

Maybe emotions are just data to consider and if that’s true, maybe we can intentionally lead our emotions where we want them to be.

Have you ever noticed that you are able to muster up certain emotions you want? How did you do it?

Have you ever seen an athlete prepare mentally for their event? Or thought of how an actor might have prepared for an emotional scene? How do you think they do it?

Do you think it might be possible to get ahead of emotions as a regular way of being? If so, what an advantage it would be to be able to plan in advance how we would prefer to feel and know exactly how to hang out there more often.

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The WHY Behind My Work

I study self-development because I love the idea of maximizing human potential. To me, the best ideas are ideas for people, not just ideas for idea’s sake. That doesn’t turn me on nearly as much though it is fun to brainstorm on any given topic from time to time.

I read the book The Miracle of a Definite Chief Aim a couple of weeks ago and formulated mine like this…to further personal growth knowledge.

I am very, very interested in all things personal growth. I also want to record what I learn and share it.

Sometimes I feel like I am actually journaling things for myself, to remind myself, but somehow sharing what I learn is an integral part of my motivation. It’s almost like I want to leave a record for others to discover or even as a legacy for my family.

One thing I’m certain of, all this studying is for nothing if I don’t document it somehow and I dearly love the process. So I move forward with no other clear aim but that and I take one small step after the other following the inspiration.

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The Bliss Or Bust Formula

The Bliss or Bust Formula is a process that will help you experience what you want in life. Learn to apply it, and you will perceive the world differently. The next step becomes so easy and the feeling of overwhelm vanishes. Try it and watch the magic happen.

Step #1: How do you want to feel?

There are so many emotions to experience. It’s wonderful to feel happy, joyful, youthful, energetic, sexy, athletic, beautiful, funny, calm, confident, connected, creative. We could go on and on. This is the juice of life! The reason any of us want anything is because of how having it will make us feel good. The trick is to identify what you want to feel more of and then intentionally practice and notice that feeling. Use your imagination. Plan in advance to notice and enjoy the feelings you want.

For example, if you know that you love to feel serene, you can easily have more of that feeling. Begin by planning to feel serene. Tell yourself, “I look forward to feeling serene more and more. It’s going to be so nice. I love to feel serene.”

Take notice of all the serene things around you as you go through the next several hours. Now that you have clarity that what you want is to feel serene, be still and listen for it…feel for it. You will find yourself spontaneously feeling good several times a day. Take a second or two to spotlight that feeling when it comes around.

Step #2: Feel it.

Say to yourself, “Ah! I’m feeling so good right now. I love to feel good. I love to feel serene. I love this feeling right now, and I look forward to feeling this way more and more.”

Anytime you think of it, intentionally feel serene. You can look forward to feeling serene more and more. Imagine and observe serene insects and animals as often as possible if only for a few seconds at a time. Smile at them. They are here to remind you that what you really want is to feel serene.

Step #3: Take action when inspired.

Learn to notice the feeling of inspiration. Recognizing inspiration to act will help you complete the next step easily and with perfect timing. Contrast that with pushing yourself forward with the brute force of discipline only and you can easily recognize the difference.

There is a distinction to be made here between the feeling of inspiration which feels like a complete idea and subtle momentum to move versus inner dialog which feels worrisome and urgent. Inspiration is a subtle, calm, and fearless vibe. While inner dialog is a loud, urgent, and worrisome vibe.

Be brave and begin listening more and more for the subtle voice. Move with inspiration. When you are tuned in to inspiration, there is no second guessing or devil’s advocate argument going on in your mind. You just know it and you feel the impulse to take action.

When you move forward with inspiration on your side, things that once seemed overwhelming now become very flowing and easy. You can plan ahead to feel inspired too. Be it about what you need to get done in a day or a certain problem you want to solve (see step #1).

#4 Only positive thoughts in your mind.

Spend less and less time shaming yourself, feeling guilty, feeling sorry for yourself, worrying what others think, and/or generally looking at the negative side of things. Recognize those thoughts for the worthless mind clutter that they are and let them go. Get quicker and quicker at shutting those thoughts down by dropping them. Don’t fight them. Just give them a nod, smile, and let them go.

There are many different things you can try to stop the energy-draining, resistance-building, mind clutter of negative thought. Following are some ideas to experiment with:

  • Ask your Higher Self to remove anxiety and worry from you, or simply to fill you with bliss or love or joy (which all trump negativity every time if you can allow them).
  • Have a phrase at the ready to release yourself from the struggle. Say to yourself, “Baby, you don’t need it” or “Easy does it.”
  • Listen to your favorite songs and turn them up. Let the music heal you.
  • Find a good place to sing, cry, or yell it out.
  • Exert your body with exercise or divert your mind with games.
  • Do a micro-meditation. Close your eyes and call for what you want to feel. For example, “I want to feel my patience right now,” or “I want to feel my love right now.” Then breathe and feel for it.

#5 Only positive words from your mouth.

Choose which words you say and what stories you tell and repeat wisely. Speak more and more about what you look forward to and what you enjoy. You spread bliss like this! Others may hear your words and feel the freedom and flow of inspiration too. But, no big deal if they don’t. Your main concern needs to be thinking and speaking about what you want and what you enjoy. It’s a habit that will enhance your life. It just happens to make you a force for good too.

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Two Options Exercise

This is an exercise to try sometime when you have two important options you are considering. It’s the “Flip A Coin” exercise.

Designate heads to one of the choices and tails to the other choice. Then flip a coin and notice how you feel once you see which choice won.

How you feel as a result of the flip is your intuition at work. It suddenly becomes quite clear how you feel about the option that won and maybe even what was better about the other choice.

This exercise of taking that one small action can really tune you in to how you would feel about the choices rather than just logically thinking them through using your mind only. How you feel about the decision is much more predictive of how you will do with that decision once you’ve kicked it off into action.

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Shine Brighter with Intuition

We all need beautiful dreams, have outstanding potential, and want lovely experiences to enjoy while on Earth.

Everyone is a sparkly butterfly with potential. Some allow themselves to sparkle more than others do. Each of us can bravely shine brilliantly in our unique way. Are you shining brightly? Just being someone who confidently creates their life story is the most powerful thing we all can do to help others do the same.

How can you be more courageous and shine brighter? By staying connected to your intuition. Take a new perspective that enhances life on a daily basis starting now. This perspective will assist you with clarity and great timing and will enhance your life. Life is simply a more fulfilling adventure when connected to intuition.

  • You are a massive, ageless being…a tiny piece of you is focused into your body.
  • The rest of you is waiting to assist you through your intuition. It’s like intuition is the gateway between body and soul.
  • Get calm and focus inward. Know what the rest of you wants to communicate with you on an ongoing basis. That’s intuition at work and play!

Keep a piece of yourself focused inward as you go through your days. Listen closely and fearlessly. You’ll notice so many more precious moments in life and funny moments too! See yourself in those around you and be open to the messages. You can be a powerfully positive force for good in helping many, including yourself, enjoy life more.

With practice, you will learn to tell the difference between mental chatter and intuition. You will understand the power of calm mind and you will know perfect timing. This new way of staying connected to your intuition will work to your advantage time and time again.

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On Negativity

People can be real jerks sometimes. I know you know that. Just because someone else is choosing to feel miserable or to be negative doesn’t mean you have to let that invade your energy level. You don’t have to focus on that. You can maintain your vibrational position so that they don’t bring you down to theirs. Here’s the trick: Use their negativity as a reminder.

  • Use it as a reminder of how you don’t want to be and why. Hint: One has to be feeling pretty bad to be so negative.
  • Remember that they are free to create just like you are.
  • Use it to remind you of the opposite emotion or vibration and how you do want to feel. This is a technique called “Pivoting” that Esther Hicks coined years ago.
  • Use it appreciation the wisdom you have about how you can focus differently and feel better.
  • Use it to set intentions for how you want to feel going forward.
  • Use it to remember the importance of controlling your focus.

For example, if someone treats you badly or is negative or gruff, instead of letting them dominate the airwaves, use them as a cue in your own mind to think, “Boy, do I appreciate that I’m not miserable or upset or angry like that person.” And then maybe think something like, “That reminds me that I always want to be kind, that I want to be happy, gentle, and kind,” and “It makes me appreciate the goodness I notice in most people.” This reaction is better than getting hung up focusing on their negativity which would certainly bring your vibe down and cause you to notice more negativity in the future.

To the extent that you can clear that type of negativity out of your zone, all the better but it’s not necessary. Even in ongoing relationships, it just takes one person shining brightly to dominate with positive vibes and uplift others by doing so. A big part of it is to realize that you don’t have control of them and what they are choosing to focus on. And, it takes unconditional love. They don’t have to be different in order for you to love them. Understand, they are doing the best they can at the moment, just like you are. Don’t even waste your energy trying to change them. Love them where they are. Keep a light focus if you don’t like what you see, or look the other way. Know they can rise to meet you on a higher level of vibration whenever they want to. They may want to sooner rather than later when they see how much fun you’re having up there!

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Sports, Integrity, Life

Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose —it teaches you about life. -Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King has it right regarding sports teaching about character and life. The player has the opportunity to face the anxiety (aka fear) and respond with integrity (aka love). Doesn’t mean they will but it also doesn’t mean they won’t learn to respond with integrity eventually even if a hard fall is required first. People are always learning even if they don’t intend to. Life is one big experiment that way.

Sports aren’t the only places to learn to face the fear and respond with integrity, of course. Lessons come for everyone through one life arena or another: family, school, health, relationships. We can choose to be authentic in our daily interactions and activities. There are opportunities regularly for each of us to choose integrity and good reasons for doing so even if it means “losing” in the interim. The biggest reasons for doing so are to know your true self, to stretch your own personal limits, and to live the whole-hearted* beauty of an authentic life.

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Emotions as Clues and Momentum Builders

What have you been thinking about? Your emotions can hint at what you are focusing on when you notice them. How have you been feeling? Are you thinking thoughts that help you feel your vitality and personal power? Are your thoughts helping you create what you want in life or are they holding you back from what you really want? You can control your focus and attitude. You can have more of what you want.

We all have habitual ways of being. Does your way of being serve you well? If not, or if you want to bump your life up a notch, you can change the way you are thinking and see new results. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort if you want more of what you want. And, yes, you can have more of what you want.

Creating more of what you want in life is about decoding the messages within your emotions, focusing your mind, trusting your intuition, and taking inspired action. Are you thinking thoughts that help you feel your vitality and personal power? Your emotions can clue you in to what you are thinking about. You can control your focus and attitude by checking in on how you feel.

What does it feel like when life is only getting better? Make it a priority to feel your own vibration soar for at least a few seconds each day. Allow the high vibe, make a space for it. Do so and you will find your day flowing like never before.

Enhancing your life and achieving your desires begins with a feeling. The feeling that you have when you get what you want. Will you feel healthy, wealthy, connected, sexy, happy, relaxed? What is it? Feel it now, don’t wait. Does your body tingle with anticipation? Open up to the energy. Do you feel a tickle behind your ears, butterflies in your stomach? Breathe it in, feel good now and often.

Imagine enjoying life just as you like it. Dream it. Feel it. Remember to enjoy. Learn to let that good-feeling positive vibe inspire you forward to the next action step with perfect timing.

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What is Intuition Anyway

There are many different definitions of intuition and some will feel better to you than others. Use whatever feels good to you. Here are some ideas to consider.

  • Some like to think of intuition as a gut instinct.
  • Some say it is a sixth sense.
  • Some say it is communication from your spirit guides.
  • Some take a more scientific approach and say that using your intuition means you are using more of your brain.
  • I like to think of intuition as a bridge between physical self and spiritual self.

In general though, the most basic definition of intuition is that it’s a “sudden knowing.” The word knowing is really, really important because most commonly people know the truth of their intuitions when they occur but then they analyze for weakness and eventually talk themselves out of their intuition!

Understanding that basic definition of intuition as a “sudden knowing” and keeping it in mind as you work to improve your intuition will raise your confidence level. It will help you move forward. That one idea will help you further develop and further understand and further trust your own intuition.

 

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What You Think of Yourself

Regarding beliefs and their impact on the potential for human transformation:

  • We have some control over our lives.
  • It all begins with what you think of yourself.
  • There are no limits to the transformation that can take place within your body.
  • You can always control your attitude, your sense of yourself, and your virtue.
  • We can change our lives by changing the way we think.
  • What you believe becomes true.
  • There are no limits to the human mind except those we put on ourselves because of our beliefs.
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