Inside-Out

Over the years, I've written extensively on the subject of introspection and how, by taking a look at ourselves from the inside, we can begin to better understand what drives us, why we do certain things, and why we react the way we do under varying circumstances. 

In my writings, I have described some of the ways in which we can "go there" and explore our inner selves and reach a point where true introspection occurs.  I hope you've been able to experience the intimacy of gaining that perspective and getting to know yourself better by using some of the methods I've covered.  If you've missed those articles, I encourage you to peruse the archives to see what resonates with you. There's lots of great content available! 

Today, I'd like for us to consider an alternative method to gain a different perspective of ourselves - one that's often overlooked and unrecognized.  That perspective comes to us by way of other people and how they see us. 

The value of how others see you can sometimes be a tough pill to swallow.  Think "personal judgment". Yikes! It is especially tough to discover we're not as perfect as we may believe we are. Let's face it, our own self-acknowledged shortcomings are difficult enough to accept and expose our vulnerabilities to some extent.  Nonetheless, the outside perspective has value and merit as a source of insight into the various aspects of our persona when the ultimate goal is to gain complete introspection. 

In many businesses, the personnel system requires the supervisor and subordinate to meet in private to discuss the performance evaluation of the subordinate worker.  It can be an uncomfortable process for either party.  If conducted properly, however, the feedback process offers an external perspective on how the recipient is viewed by others.  Still, it can be tough to hear that, in spite of all the praises and accolades, there exists inevitable room for improvement. Everything discussed has the potential to play a role in helping to provide a useful perspective, which leads to introspect, and ultimately, to personal improvement and development.

No matter how hard we may try, seeing ourselves from an outside perspective provides an incomplete picture if we attempt to conduct the process alone.  We are said to have a "Johari Window", or a perspective that simply and effectively hides or disguises the truth about some part of our external selves, from our personal viewpoint or knowledge.  One of the four Johari Windows is that area known (and seen) by others but hidden from our own field of view.  It's this window that, if openly accepted for what it offers, can play a role in providing a more complete perspective of who we are as individuals. 

The ultimate goal of introspection is to improve the synergy and quality of our lives by getting to know ourselves on a deeper level. Consider taking an honest look at how you are perceived by others.  Ask a trusted friend to be honest with you about how you're viewed in varying situations and circumstances.  As uncomfortable as this may seem at first, it is one of the best methods to acquire a complete picture of your true self. Accept all of the feedback humbly (the good and the not-so-good) and be honest with yourself.  After all, just about anything can be changed, altered, or improved. 

Here's to an open window leading to a fresh new perspective and your personal growth. 
Take a deep breath!


Until next time...

- G -

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."

-----------------------

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about once per month), 
visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Author

Once there, click on "Connect to Introspection!" in the left column.  You'll then be subscribed and will receive a notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my books or appearances.  

If you like this post, please recommend it to others!
-----------------------

333

The Power of Equilibrium

"A powerful book that provides an interesting

 cross-section of three different points of view for 

the balance of body, mind, and spirit."

~ Amazon Reader Feedback

Get your copy of this insightful book

on Amazon.com TODAY!

Available Now!

***********

Step into the mind of Author Luc Vors.

"Keep producing things, great or small, and you will find that your 

creative mind will blossom with more and more ideas." 

***********

Check out the wise, knowledgeable, and often entertaining perspectives of Author Elisabeth Auld inside the editions of

 Gals in Blue.

************

Check out our new affiliate partner, J. Jane, a fascinating blog of mentorship for, by, and between women.

j. jane 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Get your copy of Gary's best-selling novel 

Dream Operative, 

 NOW AVAILABLE 

on Audible.com!

FEAR Is a Thief is on Amazon.com 
and is NOW AVAILABLE on Audible.com too! This inspiring book is the first in a self-empowerment series that was written to help people get past fear using five fundamental truths as a basis for understanding and taking action for a better life. 
Get your copy today at FEAR Is a Thief/Amazon.

Also be sure to check out: KEY HORIZON, the second novel in the G. Weston spy series. This thriller is receiving rave reviews across the spectrum and has captivated a new following of "spy-fi" readers. 

Order your copy of these exciting novels today at Amazon.com.

A Spirit of Gratitude

Life is a gift. Are you grateful for it?

A spirit of gratitude opens our eyes to a world of wonder we so often take for granted. It’s not difficult to experience a spirit of gratitude if we’ll just take a few moments to acknowledge the many wonderful things that surround us.
 

We live in a culture that has an obsession with negativity, so it’s easy for us to get caught up in how “bad” things are if we allow ourselves to focus on the things we don’t have or how life is never quite good enough. However, if we pause for just a moment, pay attention and look around, there are so many wonderful things that surround us that we can be grateful for.

 

The truth is it takes much more courage to appreciate what we have—no matter how insignificant or small it may seem—than it does to surrender to the scarcity model and let ourselves off the hook for taking action because something isn’t “enough.”

 

The power of gratitude opens the floodgates of an unlimited flow of happiness and abundance into every aspect of life. It is transformative and enlightening. It connects us with all that is good and rests upon a decision we consciously make to acknowledge goodness and to focus upon the things that connect us to the miracle of life. That decision creates a basis for the state of mind we ultimately create as our center. Think about it—if we choose to focus on what we are grateful for over insufficiency, discord, lack, etc., what state of mind are we choosing?

 

What state of mind are you operating from?

 

Gratitude is a practice, not a concept. And, like any other practice, the more genuine and consistent we are with it, the more valuable and beneficial it is. Therefore, we must take the time to practice it. Don’t be so concerned about understanding it right away. Your understanding will grow—from within—the more you practice it.

 

There’s no “right” way to practice being grateful. Your options are broad and diverse. Whether you choose to keep a journal, use positive affirmations, focus on gratitude in your quiet time of prayer or meditation, simply thank the people around you, or remind yourself to slow down and breathe—taking time to focus on what we’re grateful for is one of the easiest and most effective ways to empower ourselves, open ourselves to awareness, and remember what matters most in life.

 

Most of us, especially those of us on a path of personal growth and discovery, know that gratitude is essential if we are to discover and experience the essence of the ultimate purpose in life—happiness. The more we focus on cultivating a spirit of gratitude, the more we have to feel grateful for. And, while many of us have experienced the effects of this personally, recent scientific studies have concluded that gratitude can have significantly positive effects on our health, our moods, our productivity, and our relationships as well as our well-being and sense of satisfaction with life. It makes sense if you think about it. The more we focus on what we are truly grateful for, the more life will reveal things that connect us to all that is good.

 

When you are in a sincere state of gratitude your energy and attitude is one of acceptance and harmony. You resonate, and as a result, project a much higher energy frequency which is exactly what attracts to you the events, conditions, and circumstances you desire.

Whatever you are feeling, whether it be love, fear, anger, happiness, anger, joy, gratitude, resistance etc., you are, in essence, creating and projecting a magnetic force that attracts and draws to you events, conditions, and circumstances which are in direct correlation to what you are feeling.

 

Fear of something creates a magnetic force that can attract more of what you fear. Expressing Gratitude for any situation projects a magnetic force that draws to you more of what you are expressing gratitude for.

 

In other words enabling and allowing yourself to transition into and remain in a state of gratitude puts you in harmonious alignment with more of what you are grateful while, at the same time, emits and projects a resonance which attracts additional results the same in kind and quality as the deeply felt emotion of gratitude projected.

 

So, take a moment to open your eyes to the miracles that surround you. Pay attention to the subtleties of life that you’ve been taking for granted. Connect your gratitude to an emotion of sincerity, because if the emotion isn’t present, the results won’t be either. Make a commitment to yourself that you will think about the things you are grateful for every day.  I truly believe you will be pleased with the things you discover and the new path your life will take as a result.

 

Please take a moment to watch the short YouTube clip below. I believe it will open your eyes, mind, and soul to the power of gratitude. It spoke to me, and I now offer it in the hope that it will also speak to you…

 

https://youtu.be/gXDMoiEkyuQ

Until next time…

~ G ~

“Begin with gratitude and watch the miracles flow your way.”  ~ Jim Rohn

 

 

Get your copy of Westfal's first novel Dream Operative, a #1 Amazon.com Best-Seller! NOW AVAILABLE on Audible.com!

FEAR Is a Thief is on Amazon.com and NOW AVAILABLE on Audible.com too! This inspiring book is the first in a self-empowerment series that was written to help people get past fear using five fundamental truths as a basis for understanding and taking action for a better life. Get your copy today at: FEAR Is a Thief/Amazon.

Also be sure to check out: KEY HORIZON, the second novel in the G. Weston spy series. This thriller is receiving rave reviews across the spectrum and has captivated a new following of "spy-fi" readers. 


Order your copy of these exciting novels today at Amazon.com.

A Formula for Success

Success is one of the most broadly defined terms in the lexicon or jargon of achievement-minded people. It's no wonder then that more people are often uncertain whether they have truly achieved success in any real sense.

Let's agree for a moment that success, even in its broadest context, is personally defined. You actually get to define what success looks and feels like for your life. What an awesome opportunity! Be careful not to define it by the standards of others, however, because their formula will not work for your version of success. Claiming your definition assures your ultimate happiness and actually assures the fact that success will be indeed achieved. Also, beware of the inherent danger of defining your success against a monetary standard. While money is an element of success it should never be used as the standard by which success is measured. The only pure measure of success is happiness.

Contrary to popular belief, we do not pursue success, we attract it. One of the most exciting things about this philosophy is that the attraction formula is relatively easy to follow and the results are almost immediate. With a clear vision, presence of mind, and a determination for change, we have the power to attract elements of success into our lives. Those elements ignite an evidentiary transformation that reminds of the things we must do daily in order to reach the ideal of our defined model of success.

As we make small changes in our lives we begin to experience the positive results that are attached to those new disciplines—most of which are experiences that occur...almost immediately. Our biggest responsibility is to recognize the changes and to systematically build upon them. The positive results we experience serve as a confirmation that we're on the right path and as motivators that power our determination to become better at developing even more disciplines.

As we begin to see the course of our lives shift toward our ideal definition of success we are reminded that the only way we can attract success is through a philosophy that begins with a personal transformation of patience and persistence. Do the right thing consistently and success will find its way to you. And remember, success is a process, not an event, so exercise patience while knowing that you are attracting success through the transformation process one step at a time.

Until next time...

-G-

"Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire." 
~ Unknown

We're proud to announce Gary's next book, set to be released this summer. FEAR is a Thief is the first in a self-empowerment series that is written to help people get past fear using five fundamental truths as a basis for understanding and taking action for a better life. Also be sure to check out: KEY HORIZON, the second novel in the G. Weston spy series. This thriller is receiving rave reviews across the spectrum and has captivated a new following of "spy-fi" readers. 

Get your copy of Westfal's first novel Dream Operative.

Order your copy of these exciting novels today at Amazon.com.

For a comprehensive perspective on the diversity of Gary Westfal, please visit his website (www.gwestfal.com).
 
If you'd like to receive a notification anytime Gary publishes a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit his Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Writer, Artist Educator.

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom left of the column. You'll be subscribed and will receive a notification anytime he publishes a new blog or provides updates. Please help Gary by recommending this blog to others and by "liking" his Facebook page. Let's push this deserving author to the top among the greats where he belongs.

Please help the author reach more people. If you enjoyed this article you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...

Why Character is Important

Good character is built upon sound moral principles. The concept of character can imply a variety of personal attributes including the existence or lack of ethical principles such as honesty, courage, fortitude, loyalty, or sincerity. Character describes a set of virtues or qualities that distinguishes one person from another given varying situations that "test" the parameters of an individual's behavior.

Personal success and achievement is predicated upon the foundation of character, and character is often the result of choices we make that effectively define who we are during a given situation. If a good character-based decision-making process is not present, we'll likely know it from the moment we make a decision that is incongruent with the kind of character that is inconsistent with the foundational principles of success and achievement. Good character can literally help transform us from who we are into whom we wish to become.

Character is the culmination of learned traits. It's not something we're born with. It is something we must take full responsibility for creating. We build character by the standards we uphold, given the varying circumstances we find ourselves in during our lives, no matter what. The character traits we adopt is a personal choice that reflects outwardly inasmuch as it reflects inwardly. In other words, our character is evident to others inasmuch as it is to us. Our character traits are distinguishable between and among us all.

Our character defines who we are and sets the moral standards we uphold as the model for our lives. We build character from certain qualities that we must adopt and instill within ourselves. An honest introspection is typically in order as we face new decisions that require us to form new character traits. Much like the careful nurturing of our mind, body, and spirit, we must also be careful to nurture the qualities we desire to uphold as we form new character traits that define who we are and whom we wish to become.

The really amazing thing about character is that if we're sincerely committed to transforming ourselves into the person we wish to become, we'll not only create those good character qualities, but we'll also strengthen them and re-chart the very course of our lives.

Commit to building your character, starting today. Be mindful of the manner in which you react to given situations while keeping in mind that the manner in which you act or react defines who you are as well as who you wish to become.

Until next time!

-G-

"Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you."



Just released: KEY HORIZON the second novel in the G. Weston series.
Get your copy of my first novel Dream Operative.

Visit my website (www.gwestfal.com) or Amazon.com and order your copy of these exciting novels today!

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Writer, Artist Educator

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom left of the column. You'll be subscribed and will receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel series. Please help me by recommending this blog to others and by "liking" my Facebook page.

If you enjoyed this article you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...



   

 

What's on Your Slate?

What are You Writing on Your Slate?

In the not so distant past, teachers used chalkboards as a primary means of conveying academic information to students.  The chalkboard was originally constructed from slate stone; hence the term slate.  Students would gather information written by the teacher on the chalkboard, commit it to memory, and begin the learning process.  This foundational means of delivery provided the impetus of what we now term as original programming or primary education. 

Each of us has a perspective of life that we have formed over time using experiences as our primary source of education.  Much like foundational academia, life’s experiences are written on our internal slates and form the basis of our opinions, attitudes, biases, and the overall perspective we carry that governs the way our lives are principally shaped.  The real secret to this analogy is that our slate can be updated, changed or re-programmed.  This is to say, that we’re very much in control of what we decide to write on our slate.  After all, a chalkboard was designed to be written upon, erased, and re-written upon.

All too often, we allow the currents of life to take us places we’d rather not be.  We get caught up in circumstances and complain about not having enough time or energy to accomplish the things we’d rather be doing in life.  The most common cause can often be attributed to how we’ve programmed our minds with what we’ve written on our “slates.” 

What have you written on your slate?  Does it accurately project the elements or principles you embrace?  And do those elements support the desired direction of your life? 

The cliché “clean slate” is typically used to infer an erasure of the old, outdated manner of thinking that tends to erode and stifle personal growth and obscure opportunity.  A clean slate makes room for new terms or elements that can be written to increase perspective, abundance, opportunity, and personal growth.  Don’t be afraid to erase your slate and update it with new elements that speak to the goals and aspirations you truly desire. 

So pull out your slate, dust it off, erase the routine, negative,  ineffective elements, and start today with new elements that speak to the core of who you want to become…who you choose to be…and how you want to start living your life today!  Check your slate often.  Commit the elements to memory.  Allow them to become a part of you.  Live by them.  Defend them.  And watch your life transform as the new things you have written on your slate become reality.  

Until next time!

- G -

"I think, therfore I am.”   - Rene Descartes 

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Author

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom of the left column.  You'll be subscribed and will receive notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel Dream State.  And help me by recommending this blog to others and "liking" my FB page.

Please visit my All American Warriors! bog at: http://allamericanwarriors.blogspot.com/ 

Please visit my website: www.gwestfal.com

If you enjoyed this article, you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...

Enjoy the Journey

Enjoy the Journey!

You’ve no doubt heard it many times, but having goals and aspirations is essential to the forward progression of life.  It’s true, because, without knowing where we’re headed, how would we ever know once we’ve arrived?  Or worse yet, how the heck would we even know the path it takes to get there?  Well, today’s blog is not so much about the destination as it is the journey.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard things like, “I hate this job” or “college sucks” from some of the very same people who later attest to how much that job or class meant, in retrospect, in building or shaping the outcome of their present, and most often, improved situation.  Ask most young military recruits who are caught up in the middle of initial basic training and they too will tell you just how "terrible" their situation is.  But ask them to look upon their training after they’ve successfully graduated and they’ll have story after story on how the experience left an indelible change on their lives, and oftentimes, literally transformed them into mature adulthood. 

All too often, we get so caught up in anticipating what’s next that we lose sight of what’s now.  If you think about it, the very things going on around us right now is the result of the actions we put in place to bring us to this moment.  Ignoring it is not only tragic; it robs us of the subtleties that are designed to keep us moving forward in a meaningful way.  In other words, don’t forget to stop and enjoy the journey! 

This blog is a reminder to enjoy the journey, or the now.  There’s so much happening in the journey that we can experience and truly savor.  Our experiences and reactions to the journey literally shape who we are as individuals.  If you have children, you have more than your share of examples right in front of you that serve to drive the point home to its core.  Our children change every single day.  Yet, it’s so easy to get used to the subtle changes taking place right before our very eyes that makes it all too easy to look past…until they do something so funny or spectacular that it gives us pause and reminds us just how perishable the journey is…just how delicate and important the moment is.

If you don’t have children, try something else that’ll serve as a reminder.  Sit and watch a sunset one evening.  As you watch the beauty of the changing colors cast upon the horizon as the sun sets, take note of the amount of time passing before your very eyes.  Here’s a wake-up call – it’s the last sunset you’ll ever see…today!  Tomorrow’s sunset isn’t a guarantee.  If you’re able to grasp that concept, the sun will seem to set so much faster than it normally would if you were to simply allow it to happen without savoring the experience. 

There are so many other things that can serve as a reminder to enjoy the journey.  Don't allow these important things to escape you without an attempt to enjoy them for everything they offer.  Look around on your drive to work instead of thinking about what's on the agenda once you get there.  The agenda and all the expectations of work will be there when you arrive.  Why waste your journey on thoughts that won't change a thing anyway?

Another important part of the journey is to pay attention to what it’s telling you about the direction of your life.  It’s in the journey where we make conscious adjustments to our future.  We base those decisions on the experiences provided to us inside the journey.  If we experience joy and satisfaction, we tend to view that positively and seek to perpetuate more by repeating the decisions it took to bring us to this point.  Conversely, if we tend not to really care too much for our circumstances, we choose to change them so we can enjoy a different journey in the future.  Every journey, however, good or not-so-good, provides insight we can use to make these adjustments.  So, my humble advice is to experience the journey for everything it provides. 

Our journey brings us to places and circumstances for a reason.  The reasons are as wide and varied as each of us are unique.  Suffice it to say, however, that each of our journeys are designed to shape us to become wiser, more aware individuals with the potential to make decisions that continually change the path of our journey.  The direction that journey takes is ultimately up to you alone to control.  I only hope you stop occasionally to enjoy the scenery that surrounds you along the way!

Until next time!

- G -

"Don't get so caught up in what tomorrow will bring that you fail to experience the joys of today."  - G. Westfal - 

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Author

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom of the left column.  You'll be subscribed and will receive notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel Dream State.  And help me by recommending this blog to others and "liking" my FB page.

Please visit my All American Warriors! bog at: http://allamericanwarriors.blogspot.com/ 

Please visit my website: www.gwestfal.com

If you enjoyed this article, you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...