Posts Tagged 'bertoliva'

Bert Oliva

Not How I Planned It!

by Bert Oliva

What do you do when things do not go as planned? When your car breaks down or you get a phone call that changes your plans for the day? Do you get angry? Do you get frustrated? Or do you take the situation for what it is and keep moving forward?

We’re all human. We all get frustrated and annoyed at times, especially when plans fall through or change due to circumstances beyond our control. The question is, how long do you feel that way? Do you allow yourself to feel your initial reaction to the situation and then continue with you day in whatever way it turns out to be? Or do you allow your initial reaction to control how the rest of your day goes?

If you tend to do the second one, you are not alone. However, that also means there is still work to be done. If you work on going with the flow more and not allowing situations and circumstances to upset you, you will have more happier and fulfilling moments throughout your life.

Remember, the one thing in life that is constant is change. One of my favorite sayings in life
is “We plan, God laughs.” So, the next time plans don’t go your way, go ahead and laugh along with him. It’s much more fun.

PowerTools™
1) The next time something happens that changes your plans, give yourself one minute to feel your initial reaction. Whether it be frustration, annoyance, anger, etc., everything goes for one minute. If you can, write down your feelings or let them out in another form for that minute.

2) Once that minute is up, it’s time to change your state. For at least 30 seconds, do something totally out of your norm to get yourself out of your mood. Do some jumping jacks, dance, sing your favorite song, etc. Do something that will get your mind off your emotions.

3) Now that you’re back in the driver’s seat of your emotions, look for the positive. What’s the benefit of having your meeting cancelled this morning? Do you have more time to prepare? If your significant other has to miss your special date tonight, that gives you time to spend with you, etc. It may be small and require thinking out of the box, but every negative truly has a positive. Find yours.



Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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3
JUN
0
Bert Oliva

Identity Crisis

by Bert Oliva

Are you an identity thief? Do you have multiple identities that you slip into depending on whom you’re around? Are you the good boy or girl with your parents while you’re the stern scary boss at work or the outgoing fun one when you’re out with your friends?

How many different personas do you have in your wallet? How often do you switch between them throughout the day? Do you even know which one is the true you anymore? Or are you in an identity crisis?

It’s time for you to be you and be the best you, you can be. Stop allowing society, circumstances, and the people around you to dictate who you are and what you do. Life is too short to live under the restrictions of other people’s expectations.

Throw out those false identities and half-truths. Just be you. Those people that matter and are true friends will respect and love you more. And you will be happier than you ever knew possible.

PowerTools™
1) Who are you? Write down who you are, what you stand for. Write this using the third person to help you get distance from yourself and the most out of the exercise. (For instance, instead of me writing “I am a…,” I would write “Bert is a…”)

2) Realize this “definition” of you that you just wrote down is fluid. It will change as you grow. Go back to this definition and refine it often. Each time will give you a clearer picture of yourself.

3) Whenever you find yourself in a situation where you are tempted to slip back into an old persona, look at your definition. Ask, “What would this person do in this situation?” Do it.



Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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21
APR
0
Bert Oliva

ALWAYS A DAY AWAY

by Bert Oliva

I’ll do better tomorrow. I’ll do better tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow…

The days flip by like a page-a-day calendar. At the end of each day, we tell ourselves “I’ll do better tomorrow,” rip off the page, and toss it. But what happens the day when there isn’t a new fresh page? When there isn’t a tomorrow?

As cliché as it may sound, tomorrow truly is not promised. This evening is not promised. Your next breath isn’t promised.

It’s time to start making the most of every moment you have on this earth, because, believe me, it will be shorter than you think it will be. We all waste so much time worrying and putting off and wishing and complaining that we forget to live. We forget to enjoy every moment and make the most of every moment.

The time to do better is now. That’s NOW. Not tomorrow, or next week, but right this very moment.

PowerTools™
1) Make a list of three things you can do this week to change your quality of life.

2) Choose one of these things, set a deadline for yourself, and do it.

3) Tackle the second item on your list. And then the third.



Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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31
MAR
0
Bert Oliva

OVERCOOKED

by Bert Oliva

I’m a really focused person. Once I’ve set my eyes on something or said I’m going to do something, I will not quit until I’ve accomplished it. This personality quality is something that has enabled me to be incredibly successful over the years. And it’s something that I pride myself on and have honed to help me be even more successful.

However, this tenacious drive, which so many of us have, can also be very detrimental. It can lead to lack of sleep, extra physical and mental stress on the body, and even loss of focus. Thus, as with everything in life, balance is key. Being tenacious and driven is vital to succeeding in anything we set our minds to, but we also must know when to take a break and allow ourselves to rest and recoup.

If we keep pushing without resting, we will eventually burn out and not achieve our goals to the best of our abilities, if at all. On the other hand, when we allow ourselves a mental and physical break from the task at hand, we usually come back with new ideas, more excitement, and outperform ourselves.

Learn when to call it quits for a few hours, or even a day, and rest. You will be pleasantly surprised when you come back to your work.

PowerTools™
1) Set a time deadline for when you will be ending your work day today.

2) Set an alarm on your phone, and when it goes off, call it quits. Put your phone on vibrate, close your computer, etc. Put your feet up and relax. Spend some quality time with a family member. Enjoy the moment you are in fully.

3) Get yourself ready for bed early and be in bed in time to get at least 6 hours of rest tonight. You will thank yourself in the morning.



Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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17
MAR
0
Bert Oliva

I’M BETTER THAN YOU

by Bert Oliva

I’m better than you. I’m great at what I do. I’m the best looking person here. I’m intelligent.

Some of these statements exude arrogance and some of them are simply very self-confident. If you are honest with yourself, then you have probably thought at least one (though probably more) of the above statements to yourself at one point or another in your life.

All of these are almost natural thoughts that occur in our minds before we are even aware of them. And most of them are coping mechanisms that our subconscious minds think up to help us cope with uncomfortable situations.

However, it is important that we start examining our own thoughts. Why? Because there is a very thin line between self-confidence and arrogance, and it is important for us to become aware of when our thoughts (and our subsequent actions) are leaning towards arrogance.

EGO is Edging Greatness Out. When we act from the ego, we do not allow ourselves to tap into our full potential. Worse still, we can actually keep those around us from tapping into theirs as well. On the other hand, when we are confident, we are actually able to tap into our potential more easily and subsequently help those around us do the same.

So, let’s be confident together and help each other reach the greatness within ourselves.

PowerTools™
1) Pay attention to your thoughts today and bring a journal, notebook, or something to write on with you everywhere you go.

2) Every time you have an arrogant thought, write it down.

3) Then rewrite the arrogant thought into a confident thought. (For example, “I’m the best looking person here” could be written as “I’m looking good today.”)


Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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28
JAN
0
Bert Oliva

USE YOUR VOICE

by Bert Oliva

Words are extremely powerful. They can build you up and they can break you down.

In my seminars, I ask the audience, “How many people have ever been on a diet?” Usually almost everyone’s hands go up. Then I ask, “Ho many people have actually lost weight on a diet?” and nearly everyone’s hands go down. Of course we don’t lose weight on a diet, because the first part of the word is “die.” Our subconscious minds can not differentiate between the two words, so usually we will sabotage our own dieting efforts in order to survive. However, if we say we are making a “lifestyle change and changing our eating habits,” we are much more likely to be successful in our efforts.

That’s why it’s important that we choose our words carefully, especially those that we say aloud. Words in our minds are powerful, but those we speak out loud are energized with our desires and further strengthened by those around us hearing our words.

PowerTools™
1) Pay Attention to what you say out loud. Are there certain phrases that you say a lot?

2) How do those statements make you feel? How do others react to them?

3) For those phrases that do not give you results you want, shift your words. Instead of saying “I will try,” say “I will do,” etc. A slight shift in your words causes a much larger shift in your subconscious mind.


Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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27
JAN
0
Bert Oliva

WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE?

by Bert Oliva

Are you one of those people that pushes with everything they have all the time? Really? At times, we all have moments when we don’t push as hard as we can. And we make excuses for ourselves: I’d push harder, if my bills were paid… if my health was better… if I had more sleep…

Now is not the time for excuses. Excuses either put us in the past or the future. However, this moment right now is all we have, so it’s time we start living it. When we give everything we have to this moment, there is no need for excuses—we are pushing to our limit.

And, the more we push to our limit, the more our limits grow. Because, truly, the potential of the human spirit is limitless. We just allow ourselves to limit ourselves with excuses.

PowerTools™
1) Start paying attention to how often you make excuses for yourself.

2) Set a goal for yourself each morning and do not go to sleep without accomplishing it.

3) Each night, evaluate your day. Ask yourself whether you really gave your all in everything you did today. If not, how can you push harder tomorrow?


Live Life,
Bert Oliva

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24
JAN
0
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