This is Volume 32 of the Self Improvement and Personal Development Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader.

As you check out these quality links, be sure to help the authors out by adding their posts to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social networking site. Enjoy!

1) Ramblings from a Glass Half Full - In his post The Key Ingredient to Sustained Success? Calvin Had it Right, Terry Starbucker keeps us "in the know" with the most basic truth of how to succeed!

2) Jordan Cheng’s Success Journal - The post Why Most Successful People Are Renegades is so dead-on with what I've been telling my readers for a long time - success does NOT come from doing what everyone else does.

3) Martha Beck Blog - No one is a "slave" to their lives, yet many people act like they are. Martha's post Do you really HAVE to do anything? includes a great method of finding what you want, and then CHOOSING to do that.

4) Scott H. Young - Awhile ago I wrote this post about when your environment changes, and Scott's post Self-Improvement Tip: Ride the Wave of Moving Day does a great job of discussing that concept along with some tips on what precisely to do when the time comes for change.

5) How to be an Original - For those of us who use passwords all the time (and who doesn't these days?), Lodewijk's post Tweak your passwords to benefit from them lists some truly original ways to not just remember passwords, but to actually put them to good use!

6) Pick the Brain - If you are on the fence about whether action or desire are the keys to getting what you want, why not try both? In the post The Other Side of Productivity: Coincidences, Synchronicity, and Serendipity, check out a good discussion of the concepts.

7) That's Fit - If you've been getting your motivation for health and fitness from magazines or the television, you probably think that you need to be in at least decent shape to get the ball rolling. That is, of course, total rubbish. Read Exercise is not only for the fit for more info.

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

Very much obliged to ImprovedLife for giving the Top Post award to the Today is that Day post 5 Not so Q.U.I.E.T. Methods of Personal Growth and Development in the Fifth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life. Thanks a bunch!

Thanks as always to the authors who create content worth sharing, and to the readers who inspire us to do so!

One of the biggest problems that people face (if not THE biggest), is that they stand in their own way when it comes to getting what they want out of life in general, or even out of any given situation.

Self-sabotage is not just some cutesy catch-phrase, but rather a state of being that is every bit as real as poverty, obesity, homelessness, and any other world-class problem that you can think of. The human capacity for beating the crap out of our own dreams is, sadly, one of our greatest talents.

Don't despair, however, because there is an easy way to get the ball rolling back in your direction, and it starts with 3 simple things to consider whenever you are faced with any lifestyle challenge, or even just a momentary challenge that you are trying to get through.

Focus on what you WANT, not on how you are going to get it

When it comes to getting what we want, our attention immediately go to HOW we are going to get it, and immediately on the heels of that comes our belief (or lack thereof) in whatever methods we came up with.

If you wanted to cross the street, you would know that you just had to look for cars, then put one foot in front of the other, and you would believe 100% in your ability to to do that. However, when we want something more complicated, our belief in our ability to get it runs in direct proportion to our belief in whatever method we come up with.

Here's a clue: You don't know everything!

Just because you came up with some "master plan" for attaining your desires does not mean that your plan is going to come to fruition. You could attain what you want by your plan working out, or, you could get what you want through some other method that you could not possibly have foreseen.

Coming up with a plan is awesome, and you should plan to your little heart's content. However, you must also be open to attaining whatever it is that you want through means other than the means that you came up with. If you fail to do that, you will be a slave to your own plan, and if your plan doesn't work out, then your belief in your ability to get what you want will disappear instantly.

Once the belief is gone, the chance of getting something is gone just as instantly.

Get out of your own way by coming up with a great plan, and working diligently on that plan, but at the same time remaining open to your desires coming at you from a direction that you never even considered.

Mentally prepare for the worst-case scenario

Directly on the heels of our ability to get something being based on our belief that we'll get it comes our attachment to having it. Whether you want world peace, or if you just want to get a decent cup of coffee, you want whatever it is that you want for some reason.

Whatever that reason is, you want it because you want it, and you are attached to getting it. You feel that you will not be happy - over the long-term or the short-term - unless you get whatever it is that you want.

Here's another clue: Your happiness is NOT dependent on you attaining that one desire!

No matter what it is that you want, unless your very survival depends on you getting it, your life will continue even if you don't end up with it. You may not have world peace or that award-winning cup of coffee, but your days will continue to clock away just the same. In the end you'll find that you getting what you wanted was not the "end all, be all" to you attaining happiness.

Get out of your own way by mentally planning for the worst-case scenario. What would happen if world peace never came about? What would your life be like if you didn't get that cup of coffee? Once you have answered those questions, embrace the fact that there is a real possibility that you won't get what you want, and then come to terms with it.

By releasing your attachment to getting whatever it is that you want, you also release your need to find a rock-sold, fail-proof plan to attain it (see above). Put simply: Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. 

Have a back up plan

What if your worst-case scenario actually happened? What if world peace went the way of the dinosaur (doesn't something have to exist before it becomes extinct?), and what if your perfect cup of coffee never got brewed?

What would you DO?

In the step above, when you mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario, you helped yourself to release your attachment to getting what you want. However, the critical next step is to actually PLAN for a life that doesn't include getting what you wanted. By doing this step, you further release your attachment to getting your desire, and you also increase your belief that you will be happy even if you don't get it.

Sure, most people want world peace or a good cup of coffee, but let's not fool ourselves - there has to be an existence that we can be happy with even if those things never happen right?

Maybe we turn inwards for peace, or the wars of today are the building blocks of an incredibly wonderful future.

Maybe we decide that coffee isn't all its cracked up to be, and we develop a real appreciation for water, and its many health benefits.

Get out of your own way by planning for the life that does NOT include you attaining your desires. Call it your "back up life" if that helps you to feel like you aren't giving up on your dreams. Practice this concept by thinking in terms of some real-world examples:

• What if you don't get that job? What will you do?
• What if your business fails? What happens then?
• What if your girlfriend dumps you? What will you do?
• What if you can't become a super-model with P90X? What's next?
• What if your boss really DOES hate you? What's the next step?

None of these examples are meant to insinuate that you should just give up - far from it! Rather, the goal here is to encourage you to plan for your goals, work toward your goals, and be happy when visualizing your goals. However, by releasing your attachment to actually attaining your goals, you will remove the biggest roadblock that you have to getting them - YOU!

WHAT'S NEXT?

Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners
Get reminded of this wisdom with Offline Merchandise
Check out my Personal Development Products
Join the Today is that Day Newsletter
Attain your Health AND Financial Goals

Most regular readers here at Today is that Day are familiar with the wisdom often shared by Edward Mills over at Evolving Times. Ed's content is always worth checking out, and his understanding of the Law of Attraction is more than you are going to get from the average Joe who just happened watch 'The Secret' once or twice.

In fact, unlike many bloggers, Ed actually shares his wisdom "offline" as well as on the 'net, and he has been coaching people one-on-one about the Law of Attraction concepts for a long time. I have personally had the privilege of talking to Ed on the phone many times, and his character and integrity are even more evident in real time than they are on the Internet.

Edward Mills
Creator of The Energetics of AttractionEd's latest project is a teleseminar series called the Energetics of Attraction. In short, the Energetics of Attraction combines a person's individual energy patterns with classic Law of Attraction practices, and the end result is a level of control over your life that the Law of Attraction alone has trouble delivering for a lot of people.

After all, how many times can you be told to visualize, say affirmations, and just generally feel good about life? Yes, those things work, but the Energetics of Attraction takes it to a level that standard Law of Attraction teachings don't deliver.

The teleclass is 100% free of charge, but it is also coming up quick, so if you want to get a slot, cruise on over to register right now: Energetics of Attraction

On the call, Ed promises to deliver all of the following:

• How to simply AND easily separate your personal energy from other people's energy (OPE). This one simple technique can literally change your life overnight.
• Why sending your intentions "out to the Universe" is not enough and how to GROUND those intentions into the physical Earth!
• How to instantly shift your perspective and increase your personal vibration. 

Overall, it sounds like great stuff, and it doesn't cost a dime, so why not check it out and see what Ed has to offer?

No one likes to be called a quitter, and it's pretty easy to not end up with that title, because in truth, very few people actually make enough of a true effort at something to even honestly say that they tried in the first place.

Oh sure, most people make a "token" effort at improving their lives, yet how many people can honestly say that they gave it everything they had before they gave up and moved on to something else?

Photo Credit: mthrlsgoatOur lives are replete with opportunities for us to "rise above," and to excel in every conceivable manner, yet a lack of immediate gratification tends to knock us flat long before we ever even get up a full head of steam. We never even get the chance to quit trying to attain something because we never completely engaged in the process of making it happen to begin with!

Think about any area of your life where you are wanting to make improvements, and then think about how much of a true effort you are making in that regard. Give no thought to phrases such as "doing the best I can," or "doing what I can with what I've got". Release your reliance on phrases or concepts like those, as they only serve to give yourself permission to fail based on any given set of circumstance. Think more along the lines of what if your life actually depended on you being successful? Are you trying that hard? Honestly?

What's your relationship status?

If you aren't 100% happy with your relationship status, can you honestly say that you have tried every single thing in your arsenal?

• If you're single, do you act in every way like the type of person that you want to have in your life, or do you wish for that "dream mate," yet not consistently act in a manner that your dream mate would be attracted to?
• Do you go out of your way on a consistent basis to meet new people, or do you sit around at home thinking that you'll magically come across that special someone?
• Do you have a winning, confident attitude that will naturally attract prospective mates to you, or do you sit around wallowing in your loneliness?

Even if you have been taking appropriate action in each of those areas, have you been doing so for the entire span of time that you've been looking for a new mate, or have you just acted in those ways when it was convenient for you?

• If you're married or involved in a relationship that needs improvement, do you work on improving that relationship every single day, or do you think that the relationship will just heal itself?
• Do you go out of your way to do the things that will make your significant other happy, even without them doing things for you first?
• Are the needs of your significant other something that you tend to frequently, even if they don't at first reciprocate those efforts?

Although it is possible that your present relationship will not work out even if you do all of those things, until you make a consistent effort to try, you'll never know for sure what could have been.

What is your health status?

Are you one of those people who is constantly trying to lose weight or improve your health in some way, yet you keep not achieving your goals? There are very few health and fitness related improvements that can't be achieved when you truly make a consistent effort, so why is it that you can't ever seem to get there?

• Do you consistently follow the basic nutritional guidelines that we all know lead to good health, or do you eat in a manner that you know is not going to effectively get you to your goals?
• Is an effective exercise program part of your daily lifestyle, or do you let work, family, or personal obligations keep you from regularly working out?
• Do you seek out the knowledge that you need in order to power a long-term health and fitness plan, or do you hide behind your lack of understanding as an excuse?

In each of those examples, there are ways to succeed, and ways to fail, yet you can't "quit" the health and fitness scene because it "didn't work" unless you first make an honest and long-term effort to achieve success in that arena.

What is your financial status?

If you dream of financial freedom or comfort, it will require an on-going effort on your part to provide some sort of value that other people are willing to pay for. What value is it that you are providing that is supposed to ensure your financial abundance?

• If you work for yourself, do you make a daily effort to provide the best possible experience for your customers, including long-term relationship building, or do you just go after quick sales?
• Do you have systems in place for creating new or improved products and services, or do you sit around wondering why you don't have enough customers?
• If you want to start a business, do you consistently learn about and study business models and opportunities, or do you maintain your status as an underpaid employee because you lack the knowledge to do your own thing?
• If you work for someone else, and you enjoy doing so, are you making continuing efforts to provide more value to your employer, or are you just waiting for your next raise?
• Do you have a long-term plan with that company that includes specific goals, or are you simply doing your job every day, and hoping for the best?

Regardless of what your financial or employment status is right now, there is some way that you can improve those circumstances. However, unless you consistently try to improve, no one else is going to do it for you.

All of the examples given above are meant to illustrate the exact same concept: If you don't honestly try to improve, and if you don't make those efforts consistently, and over the long-term, you never really tried at all.

You have nothing to "quit" because the effort needed for you to succeed was never put in place to begin with.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners
Get reminded of this wisdom with Offline Merchandise
Check out my Personal Development Products
Join the Today is that Day Newsletter
Improve your Health and your Finances

This is Volume 31 of the Self Improvement and Personal Development Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader.

As you check out these quality links, be sure to help the authors out by adding their posts to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social networking site. Enjoy!

1) The Art of Manliness - The post The Virtuous Life: Industry does a great job of pointing out that although we have the means to outsource many areas of our lives, that doesn't necessary mean that we should.

2) Christine Kane - With all of the talk on the 'net about how we need to get over our egos, Christine's post Getting Rid of Your Ego: A Personal Story brings a well-rounded and realistic point of view to that whole topic.

3) Unusual Business Ideas That Work - If you have ever wondered why people will pay $19.95 for something, but they won't pay $20.00, or if you are in charge of pricing your own products or services, I definitely recommend getting an earful of the insight provided in the post Why $19.95 Sells And $20.00 Don't.

4) Debra Moorhead - Although making that extra effort has been a well-known ingredient to success for a long time, Debra's post The Secret to Becoming a High Achiever has some really good info about the actual patterns that surround the go-getter, and why those patterns equate to achievement.

5) The Next 45 Years - Eating healthy meals leads to healthier bodies, yet despite the fact that people realize that, sometimes you just have to eat when you are on the road. If fast food must be a part of your life, check out Alex's post Simple Fast Food Hacks for Eating Healthier and find out how to eat as healthy as possible at some restaurants that normally offer less than wholesome choices.

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

Carnival of Creative Growth #25 at Energies of Creation

Fourth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life at ImprovedLife.ca

Carnival of Life, Happiness and Meaning #41 at Life Insurance Lowdown

Personal Development Carnival: Issue 36 at The Next 45 Years

Thanks as always to the authors who create content worth sharing, and to the readers who inspire us to do so!