by Vishnu | May 28, 2015 | adversity, Change, Motivation
A guest post by George Mortimer
“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” Vince Lombardi
Not everyone’s worst moments look the same.
You may have lost your job, gotten divorced or made a terrible financial decision.
Our circumstances may be different, but the journey to overcome them is quite similar.
My rock bottom was the deterioration of my health.
Growing up I ate whatever I wanted. I figured as long as I worked out and stayed active it didn’t matter what went into my body.
I was playing NCAA basketball. I worked out 7 days a week. I was in great shape. All while eating a diet consisting of take out food and the dollar menu.
In my second year of college my habits caught up to me. I woke up one morning with a dagger sharp pain in my stomach I’ve never felt before.
I spent two days in bed before deciding I needed to go to the hospital. Once I got there I didn’t leave for five days.
Turns out I had a severe case of Pancreatitis. Basically, part of my Pancreas was dead.
“Dead is dead.”
The doctor told me, if I didn’t take care of myself, it would spread and kill me.
I couldn’t believe it. On the outside, I looked completely healthy, but inside my body was literally falling apart.
When I was released to go home I had two choices: continue the downward spiral of not taking care of myself or, I could start making changes.
Changing the past is never an option, we can only deal with life by each moment.
Before I could change I had to admit that who I was wasn’t who I was supposed to be.
The Defining Moment To Turn Your Life Around
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” – Abraham Lincoln
Once you accept what life’s handed to you, you can focus on what you need to do to make things better.
Realizing where I was, being only 19 and seeing where I was headed if I continued my poor habits, the decision to change was simple.
When your life crashes to the ground and you’re unhappy with your current situation, it comes down to making the decision to change.
Starting a new diet or finding a therapist, sure, those are great ideas. But it’s useless action if you aren’t certain you want to turn your life around.
You can do whatever you want with your body but none of it will matter if you don’t bring your mind with you.
The Beauty Of Revival
After leaving the hospital, I started making changes in the food I consumed and found passion in taking care of myself.
The biggest change, however, was in my mind.
Part of my pancreas was no longer alive. A once living part of my body was now dead. Instead of letting it ruin me, I decided it meant the rest of me needed to come to life.
I started listening to my body and how it felt. Life came one step at a time. As a by-product of my body feeling better, I felt lighter and happier as well.
Turns out the changes I made would pay off greater than I ever expected.
Five months later I was back in the hospital to meet with the doctor for a check up. I was put to sleep so he could put a microscopic camera down my throat to get a better look at my Pancreas.
When I woke up even the daze from the anesthesia couldn’t hide the amazement I saw in the doctor’s eyes.
“Your Pancreas has fully restored and looks perfectly normal. I’m not sure how, but it’s revived.”
What the doctor also didn’t know was that it wasn’t only my pancreas, but my entire life that had gone through a revival.
Realizing the seriousness of my situation, that my poor habits could destroy me if I continued them, I found new meaning in life.
It was only when I heard that part of my body was dead that I fully understood how fragile life truly is. More importantly, I learned how crucial it is to enjoy every ounce of the life we have.
So crucial, in fact, that it brought a non-functional part of my body back to life.
The Greatest Comeback Of Your Life
“It’s not what you go through that defines you. It’s what you do after you’ve gone through it that really tests who you are.” – Unknown
Maybe your health has been a challenge.
Your family and friends might have it easier than you, and it’s not fair.
But no matter how difficult your health journey, no matter how much you’ve gone through, you can turn it around starting now.
Looking back, there were three steps I took to turn my negative experience into a positive outcome.
1) Accept – Embrace the past and accept there’s nothing you can do about what’s already happened.
Before I could take better care of my health I had to understand what I was doing that put myself in the position I was in, such as poor nutrition and staying up late. I had to accept what my choices led to and put it behind me.
2) Correct – In every circumstance there’s things you did well and things you didn’t do well. Your job is to maximize the first and minimize the latter.
Even though my eating habits weren’t great, I worked out every day, which was a confidence boost for me. I knew I was taking care of my body at least in one way and I used it as motivation to start a healthier diet.
3) Relax – Life is a work in progress. Things won’t happen overnight and it’s inevitable that you’ll still make mistakes. Trust the process and believe that if you stick with it, good things will happen.
While I’ve never eaten fast food since, I do slip up with my sweet tooth sometimes. I don’t get down on myself when it happens. It’s a reminder to not take life so seriously and that as long as my next meal is healthy I’ll be okay.
If you want to make a comeback, these simple steps will get you started. Because the truth is, you’ve been through enough. It’s time for you to experience true happiness and how great life can be.
You deserve something better, and it’s time for you to have it.
One Last Thing
When I was sent home from the hospital I had two decisions: to do nothing and accept my fate, or take action and change my life.
Now you have to make the same decision.
When it all boils down, turning your life into a life you love and appreciate starts with you.
No one can make you change, no one can make you see the world through a new lens.
No one can tell you what to do with your life.
That power lies within you.
George Mortimer lives in his van to pursue a life of freedom. He works online to inspire people like you to create more freedom and live a life you love. Download his two brand new ebooks for free here.
by Vishnu | May 20, 2015 | Blogging, Business, Overcoming Challenges
Starting a blog saved my life.
It was at the height of heartbreak and loss that I started blogging.
When everything had fallen apart and my world was dark as the night, I founded my blog.
When the pain was unbearable and the tears uncontrollable, all I had left was my domain name, WordPress and my laptop.
My eight-year marriage had ended. I left my career. Quit my job. Left my permanent address and became a roaming nomad.
I was lost, without purpose and shell-shocked by life’s bitter twists of events.
As I lay on the boxing mat of life, ready to shut my eyes and call it a good fight, Vishnu’s Virtues (this blog) was born.
Here on this blog, I’ve been able to write about every aspect of heartbreak, loss, pain and suffering.
I’ve shared my struggles and expressed my deepest feelings and thoughts.
My blogging journey has sustained me. At the same time, my blog has been a source of inspiration and guidance for others who are in a similar situation.
Today, I want to share with you 8 ways starting a blog can change – and even save – your life.
I hope once you’re done reading, you’ll consider taking the next step in starting a blog.
8 ways starting a blog can save your life.
1) Write away your struggles.
One of the primary ways I’ve been able to deal with the shock and initial heartbreak of my relationship was through my blog and the articles I wrote. On other blogs, you can find many of my posts about heartbreak and accepting changes in our lives.
Starting a blog can be good therapy because it allows you to write down your feelings, share your innermost thoughts and analyze your life experiences.
The more you blog about your struggles, the more likely you will come to terms with them. As you write away your pain, be assured that it will subside and reduce in intensity.
2) Share life skills you’ve learned.
Use your blog as a way to share the life skills you’ve picked up.
As you experience growth, understand yourself more and come to terms with the difficult events in your life, you’ll acquire more skills you need to handle life.
When blogging, you can reflect upon those skills and the life lessons you’ve implemented.
For example, did you gain more confidence? Did you let go of failure? Did you stop living in the past? Were you able to manage your fears?
How did you do it? How did it change your life? What tips can you share about how the new skill has improved your life?
3) Self-awareness.
When life breaks you open, you have many realizations about yourself.
Who are you as a person? What can you learn about your character, your personality, your habits, your thoughts and beliefs?
The more you write about yourself or explore topics of interest in your life, the more understanding you’ll have about yourself.
Just a note of caution here – a complete focus on yourself and your growth is hardly of interest to a reader.
Share your journey and perspective in your blogging, but be helpful and provide the way for others to find their own self-awareness.
4) Inspiration and motivation.
Blogging allows you to meet many different people online, including life coaches, personal development enthusiasts, motivational speakers, writers and more.
This isn’t a bad thing. And hey, I’m one of “those people” in the online space who are committed to inspiring others.
What you’ll find is that other bloggers will inspire you. As you improve and make a comeback in your own life, you’ll be able to share your successes and inspire others.
Every day you’ll have opportunities to read posts that help you get going or that pick you up from a low place.
Bloggers tend to be inspirational. They want to live their best lives – they desire to be better people. They want you to live your best life and live up to your potential. Isn’t this a great group to be around?
5) Friendship and support.
Writing is a lonely journey, but blogging is about a community.
When you write a post, you will hear from friends and supporters who will love your post, hate your post or have additional thoughts about your post. (Without a community, you’ll hear crickets.)
They’ll help you clarify your ideas, challenge them and help you come up with stronger ideas and thoughts.
Even if you write a bad post, many bloggers in the blogosphere will have your back and be there for you.
Bloggers are a group of supportive online friends with shared interests who work together to help each other because they know, together, they can help more people. They know they are stronger together.
There are disagreements, but most of the time those disagreements seek to clarify an idea or agree about a concept. Bloggers generally pull, push and refine ideas and thoughts.
By the way, you may noticed that I shut off the comments on my blog. I did this to focus my time on writing for you but I do get a chance to interact with my readers through emails and social media.
6) Find your purpose.
Blogging creates clarity in your content and ideas.
It can also lead to clarity in your life.
Believe it or not, blogging can lead you to your purpose.
What topics are you writing about? What topics do you care about? What blogs are you reading? Which topics do you gravitate toward?
In my case, I found that I was repeatedly writing about hitting rock bottom and standing back up, so I came to realize that my purpose revolved around overcoming adversity, discussing spirituality and helping others who were going through breakups and divorce.
As I got clearer about my life purpose, I took a coaching course. I started coaching people online and started living my life more in alignment with my purpose.
Your blog’s purpose and your life’s purpose can go hand in hand.
7) Earn a living.
Another way blogging can save your life is by helping you support yourself financially.
Not everyone who starts a blog makes money from it, but a popular blog can be a great tool to establish your expertise, market your services and sell your products to others.
You CAN earn a living from your blog, start a business with your blog and support yourself through your blog.
You can earn a living through your blog as a freelance writer like Akanksha, as a copywriter like Razwana, an ebook designer, a course designer, a prolific author, and many other ways.
Blogging is really a win-win in that you deliver much content for free and help many people who come to your site looking for advice. For people who want more, you provide a service or a product that helps you support your work.
Another way that blogging helps is that it dramatically improves your writing.
Writing better might not save your life, but it will help you express yourself, communicate better and get more of what you want – possibly even a new job, a new business or a new adventure that will change your life.
8) Serve others.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” M.K. Gandhi
The other way blogging will “save” you is that you’ll have an opportunity to continuously serve others.
A friend once told me that, when dealing with personal life turmoil, the best way to get out of it was to focus on other people: give, serve, help.
Use your personal stories and life situations to help others along their own journeys.
If you’re in the personal development space, show the way for others to improve their lives.
If you’re in the coaching field, write content that will help your clients achieve their best lives.
If you’re a business blogger, show your readers how they can serve their clients better.
Serving others by blogging allows you to make a global impact and touch the lives of many people who can find the solutions you’re writing about.
Bottom line – blogging has been my life-saver!
I’ve found tranquility in my writing and solace from my readers.
I’ve encountered inspiration and have heard that I inspire others.
I’ve formed friendships, found my purpose and even earned an income from blogging. (Watch out for a future post about how starting my blog has helped me support myself.)
Blogging has helped me come back in life and has transformed my life.
All of which brings me to: YOU.
If you’re at a low point or simply lost in life, consider starting a blog.
If life has knocked you out, kicked you down or tripped you up, consider starting a blog.
Same for your business. If it’s stuck or struggling, consider starting a blog to teach more, share more and serve more people.
Note to readers: If you’re inspired and ready to start blogging, check out the hosting company and affiliate partner Bluehost, which I use for this blog. Use this link for a 50-percent discount on hosting and a free domain name.
by Vishnu | May 17, 2015 | Inspiration, Personal Development
Do you need a boost of uplifting quotes after life’s stumbles and falls?
When you’re facing your darkest hours and your most difficult times, remember better days are ahead. Here at 18 uplifting quotes to help you move forward in life when the future seems bleak and the going gets tough.
18 uplifting quotes to inspire you to keep going:
1. “You may encounter many defeats but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” Maya Angelou
2. “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” Haruki Murakami
3. “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” Christopher Reeve
4. “In the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity.” Albert Einstein
5. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
6. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill
7. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” Chinese Proverb
8. “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” Zig Ziglar
9. “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Oprah Winfrey
10. “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” Robert F. Kennedy
11. “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” Marilyn Monroe
12. “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” E.M. Forster
13. “Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” Virginia Woolf
14. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson
15. “Defeat is simply a signal to press forward.” Hellen Keller
16. “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” Kenji Miyazawa
17. “The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Viktor E. Frankl
18. “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” C.S. Lewis
If you enjoyed these uplifting quotes, please share these 18 uplifting quotes on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
Photo credit Unsplash
by Vishnu | May 10, 2015 | adversity, Love and Relationships
Today, I invite you on a sacred journey with me.
I want to share with you a gift from my heart.
I’ve struggled to come out of my life’s worst point over the last couple of years.
You’ve accompanied me on this journey back from heartbreak.
You’ve laughed with me, cried with me, inspired me and walked with me back on this journey to healing a broken heart.
When my world was colorless, your friendship was the color.
When I was down and out, you read the words on this page.
When I shared my deepest pains and struggles, you stood there as calm and resolute as ever – listening.
You may have been learning from me but I was learning from you too.
Every comment you made mattered. Every post you read mattered. Every email you sent me helped.
And now that I can breathe again and see again and feel life again, I thank you for you sticking around. Thank you for reading and thank you for your friendship.
I can’t repay you but can thank you and be forever grateful to you.
I can share this gift of my heart and soul with you.
Today, I release 10 Sacred Laws of Healing a Broken Heart: Let go of the Past, Mend Your Heart and Find Love Again
And I want to gift it to you on your own path to healing.
Please find this book available on Amazon.com FREE from May 11, 201 – May 15, 2015.
I ask you to read and learn more about my journey to healing a broken heart and moving on with my life.
For a preview of the book, here are the 10 Sacred Laws of Healing:
1) The Law of Acceptance: Learn how to deal with and accept the pain of heartbreak.
2) The Law of Compassion: How to love yourself and care for yourself after you’ve ended a relationship
3) The Law of Oneness: Forgive and learn to overcome your ego. Learn the power of forgiveness and see your ex and yourself as one.
4) The Law of Letting Go: Learn to let go of your ex’s role in your life and how to show gratitude towards them.
5) The Law of Truth: How to live an authentic life based on your truth.
6) The Law of Now: Find out how to stop living in the past, replaying the heartbreak in your mind and enjoy this moment.
7) The Law of Wisdom: How do you take the lessons you’ve learned from heartbreak to apply them to your life.
8) The Law of the Soul: Heartbreak can lead you to a soul awakening. How do you get quiet and start living a more soulful life.
9) The Law of Creation: Encouragement to start over, rebuild and recreate a new life for yourself. Time for new beginnings.
10) The Law of New Love: How to trust again and love again. Use this knowledge to bring new love and a new relationship in.
You can get a free copy of your book from Amazon.com here. After May 15, the book will be available for purchase.
For the US, click here.
For India, click here.
For the UK, click here.
For Australia, click here.
For Canada, here.
If you read it and enjoy it, I have a humble request – please take a moment or two and leave a review of the book on Amazon.com. Your review will be valued and appreciated.
