I started to see some big success in year three of my business, but I couldn’t wrap my head around why I was feeling miserable and lost. After months of dissecting the situation, it was easy to see that I was so focused on building the life and business of my dreams while completely neglecting my own mental, physical and spiritual health.

That is something that you never want to happen, because once you lose a sense of fulfillment and empowerment, everything you do will start to feel as if you are just going through the motions and coasting along. It’s a surefire recipe to become miserable and live beneath your full potential.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for hustling and working harder and smarter than everyone else. That was the blueprint for how I was able to overcome a teenage drug addiction that nearly killed me and then have the opportunity to go on to play in the National Football League. But you must never forget to care for and consistently empower yourself.

Two Ways to Empower Yourself

Here are two ways to empower yourself immediately that will ultimately help your business and personal success as well.

1. Discover the Incredible Power of Stillness

This one was a life-changer for me. My whole life leading up to discovering the incredible power of stillness was predicated on moving fast, quickly and constantly. It still is to an extent, but my biggest issue back then was never taking the time to just slow down and be still for even a couple minutes a day.

When I refer to stillness, I am referring to a number of different things: mediation, prayer, thinking in solitude, journaling in the presence of beautiful Mother Nature, and just slowing down somehow every day.

We live in a busy world, and it’s imperative to find time daily to escape the noise and get in tune with yourself. Maybe you have another way of escaping the noise. Whatever that may be for you, I encourage you to make time for it every day.

When I started to adopt some of the practices that I mentioned, my peace of mind alone was instantly and drastically noticeable. Practicing stillness and searching for solitude throughout my day has changed not only my success in the game of business but, most importantly, in my health and overall well-being.

2. Empower Yourself by Loving Yourself

I have written so much and speak all the time on the topic of how important it is to love your customers, team members, and the process of getting from where you are to where you want to go, but I haven’t spent as much time on a major factor in being able to do all of the above exceptionally well: To love yourself.

Loving yourself consists of taking time for yourself. Loving yourself means taking time off if you feel the rate at which you are going is unhealthy. Loving yourself means never neglecting your well-being, values, and characteristics that define who you are as a person for monetary gain or professional advancement. Loving yourself gives you power over your life and helps to empower yourself.

One of the major reasons why so many successful men and women lose the empowerment in their lives that once ignited them is their lack of love and nourishment towards themselves. Continue to work ridiculously hard and become the absolute best at what you do, but don’t forget to love yourself along the way and devote the time to regularly empower yourself. No one can love you and empower yourself to the extent that you can.

It’s easy to forget about yourself when you are striving to achieve the audacious goals that you have for your life and business, but discovering the incredible power of stillness and loving yourself are two practical and easy ways to empower yourself on a consistent basis.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post Empower Yourself For A Sense of Fulfillment appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Think about it: let’s say you have a goal that you desperately want to achieve, but three months down the road you find out that you didn’t reach your mark. What happens? You quickly rush to blaming yourself and questioning your abilities and talents. You start to listen to the negative voices that keep rolling in and out of your head. You feel powerless, and like a victim instead of a victor.

What you have to understand and never lose sight of is that you have more power and control inside of you than you think you do. Some people get hit so hard by the outcomes of life that they lose complete sight of their uniqueness and wonderful talents they have been blessed with.

Failures and disappointments aren’t present to degrade our confidence and love for ourselves. You can experience so much more in life when you don’t look at disappointments and failures as some terrible mishap. Learn how to make it “OK” to fail and mess up every now and then.

Look at Abraham Lincoln. How many times did he fail before he actually was elected president of the United States? Look at Steve Jobs. He was a remarkable man who went through disappointment after disappointment before he actually achieved success. When he achieved success, he was fired from the company he founded! Look at Albert Einstein. How many times did he fail before once and for all breaking through?

These are three remarkable men who achieved remarkable success and went through very difficult and tough times. What they didn’t do though is let the hits they took from life keep them down. When things went wrong, they didn’t go with them!

They never forgot how powerful and special they truly were. If you make the decision to tell yourself daily how special you are and list all of your unique qualities, no setback or failure will ever be able to hold you back.

Here are five ways you can start to remind yourself daily of how powerful you really are.

1. Write in a gratitude journal.

When things go wrong in life, being able to sit down and start listing all you are thankful for will rekindle your happiness and give you a sense of accomplishment. Even small successes will serve to remind you of your past successes and that you will be successful in the present and future.

2. Continually review and look at your long-term goals.

Short-term disappointments are less likely to derail your well-being when you pay mind to all you wish to accomplish in the future.

3. Strive and work to dig deeper in your spirituality journey.

We all have different beliefs, but working to strengthen your spirit will help reinforce how powerful you are. Going to church every Sunday, reading scripture throughout your day or tapping into the power of meditation can help paint a positive picture of yourself.

4. Find time to read 10 to 15 pages of something motivational, inspirational or uplifting.

Just spending 10 to 15 minutes a day reading uplifting material can help renew your mind and enlighten your day. It alone can take your life to the next level.

5. Keep a note card filled with powerful and moving quotes.

Whenever I feel down or upset about something, I take my note card out and repeat over and over to myself the positive quotes that I had written on it. This habit helps to interrupt all of the negative thoughts that are trying to take control of your thinking.

You are powerful. Don’t ever lose sight of how powerful you really are. Life will knock you down and derail your path, but you don’t have to give in! Don’t let the tough times demoralize your beauty. You have a unique skill set that no one else possesses.

You are here to make a difference and make this world a better place. Just remember, you are far greater than any problem or circumstance that stands in your way!

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post Building Yourself Up Effectively appeared first on Matt Mayberry.