Stop giving away your power.  When you seek approval to shoot for your goals and dreams, you give away your power. Don’t ask permission to live your life, just go live it! The people you most want approval from may not have your best interest at heart, but rather their own. They may want to protect you, yet not realize your strength. They may not understand, so show them.

Get quiet, listen to your gut, then go for it. It’s ok to get opinions, weigh options, and do your research, after all you want to make sure you’re starting down the right path to your goals. But don’t give away your power, write your own permission slip.

Stay CLEAR…stay FOCUSED…and it will be yours…Heather Frey, President and Founder of SmashFit.com.  Heather had such an amazing post that I asked her permission to reprint it along with my thoughts.

When you quit…you really fail. You have potential…act on it…create results. Results yield a belief which funnels more potential. Even negative results  can be positive…realizing moving forward that you had a 50/50 chance of having a positive outcome…never ever quit! Always “push through” no matter how challenging and daunting it may seem. Then you will truly WIN!!  I remember a quote from the movie “The Replacements“…Gene Hackman told Keanu Reaves that when the game is on the line, winners always want the ball.  do you want the ball?  Do you see yourself as a winner?

Empowerment is within your reach…reach out and grab it…never let go!

Whether you are a type of person who makes New Year’s resolutions or not, we all need to take a step back and evaluate our lives on a periodic basis. The New Year seems to be a good time to take a few minute and reflect upon what we have accomplished and what our goals are going forward.

Personally, I am not a New Year’s resolution type of person. I feel that we should be setting standards for ourselves on a daily basis of what we wish to accomplish today and where we expect ourselves to be in the future. The New Year is a good time to sit down with a pencil and project your future goals. I like to project my short-term goals for 6 months and 1 year. …with my long-term goals being 3 years, 5 years, and 10 years.

Here are five simple ways to enrich your life as you project yourself moving forward:

* Express a humble gratitude for everything you have at least once a day.
* Read something inspiring every day to improve your career….something that will stimulate your mind.
* Start on an exercise program…make it a lifestyle change. Something as simple as walking 20″ a day can pay dividends.
* Interact lovingly with your family….need I say more?
* Release that negativity…forgive. Losing that negativity is a major key to success.

These simple steps can empower your life. They can relieve you of stress and anxiety so that going forward, you can focus your energy on positive things to improve your lifestyle…be empowered!

What is your vision?  what are your goals?  Where do you see yourself in 5 years…in 10 years?  So often all of us get caught up in the hear and now, rather than being forward thinking and planning for our future.  This can be a daunting task considering the state of our economy.

Consider this…no matter how challenged your situation might become, when you realize that the more you can let go, the more empowered you will feel…your new journey will have just begun toward freedom.  Only when you have lost everything…then you are free to do anything.  I am not advocating putting yourself in a situation where you lose everything to begin anew.  What I am advocating is that no matter where you might be financially, emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically…let it go.  The past is the past.  Yesterday is history…just a moment in time.  Today is a new day to renew and “push through“.

Start to empower yourself by expressing gratitude for everything you have at least once a day.  Read something truly inspiring each day…maybe just a quote on the internet, or a “tweet” from “twitter” that catches you eye.  Find a blog to subscribe to that is uplifting and make it a practice to follow through and read each post as it hits your email inbox.

Avoid negative people, influences, and situations in your life.  Interact lovingly with your family…we an all improve in that category.  Isn’t it funny that the people we love the most…we often take for granted?

Focus each day on the unique gifts and abilities that you are blessed with and practice utilizing those talents each day.  When you empower your life by following these simple techniques, you are manifesting your vision.  Your future and your goals will become clear.  When you focus outward rather than inward, you will empower your mind and your body toward the future.  Are you manifesting your vision today?