Communication is a topic that is often looked upon as difficult or as something that takes great skill. It doesn’t have to be that way because communication is natural and easy when you are being natural and authentic.

I’m sure you have had moments when you and another person just didn’t see eye to eye, and other moments when there were misunderstandings that led to arguments and bad feelings. Since we are all different in our perceptions, beliefs and life experiences, these things will happen, but when we handle them with authenticity, they rectify themselves easily.

Let’s say someone says something to you that you don’t really understand. Instead of nodding in agreement because you don’t want to seem unintelligent, be real and say, “I’m sorry, would you rephrase that? I don’t fully understand what you are saying.”

If someone says something that hurts your feelings, instead of festering about it in private or complaining about it to others, simply reveal how you feel to that person.

When something is happening that makes you embarrassed, instead of running away from the situation, own up to it in the moment by saying something like, “You know what? I just tripped over my words and I feel like an idiot. Can I start again?” Or “I know the answer I gave wasn’t anything close to what you were looking for. Let me take another shot at it please.” Or “I wish I wouldn’t have acted that way last night. I am embarrassed by it and really apologize. Would you forgive me?”

By handling situations in this way, the stress of the situation tends to dissipate and you end up keeping the lines of real communication open instead of leaving it up to others to guess what you may be thinking or doing. When there is guessing involved, miscommunication is sure to follow.

Most people view communication as difficult because they try to avoid the reality of what is happening. Whether it be embarrassment, guilt, misunderstanding, or many other emotions that lead to miscommunication, learn to be fully authentic and willing to be seen as someone who makes mistakes. In that way, you will actually be more respected and liked.

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Faith M. Davis is both an author and a copywriter/marketing professional focusing on the subjects and industries she knows and loves most: holistic health, wellness, self-help, metaphysics and inspirational topics. More information about her work and her services can be found at www.faithmdavis.com.

Yesterday I was on top of the world! My work was flowing beautifully. I felt energetic and passionate. It was like nothing could get me down.

Today, however, I woke up not feeling so hot. I don’t have any energy. I don’t feel like doing my work, and everything just seems harder than it has to be.

Do those statements resonate with you? I am sure you have had numerous times in your life when both of those statements were true for you. Why is this? Why do we have ups and downs in life?

As hard as we try, we really will still have the lows in life. It is part of being a living being. And it’s okay!

I’m a certified life coach, a writer of self-help material and I have a good understanding of the cycles of the universe, but even so, I still find myself asking “what is wrong with me?” when I have those moments of feeling down. The good thing is that I am inquisitive about it because it allows me to get to the bottom of it so I can correct what is out of balance.

I suppose we could be in a state of balance all the time if we could meditate for 4 hours a day, never worry about money and never encounter hardships and stress. Since that is unrealistic for most of us given the society we live in and the pressures that are placed upon us, we need to learn to be okay with our ups and our downs.

Use your downs as an indicator that you need to make some kind of change to get back up, and make sure to take the time to both recognize what those changes need to be and to actually make the changes.

For example, I had a long span of time in which I felt pretty darn good and life was flowing along beautifully. Then a couple days ago, I started to just feel lifeless – I couldn’t feel the passion I had been feeling for my work and for life in general. It bothered me and I analyzed why that could be, and I realized that I have been working myself too hard.

There were several changes I needed to make including starting off the morning outside with my journal and a cup of tea, taking time away from my computer for lunch and doing yoga every day. When I do those things, I keep myself balanced, but lately I have drifted away from them because I was so wrapped up in my work. With only 12 hours behind my belt since making those changes, I am already feeling myself blossoming again.

The lesson here is that as hard as we try, life will have ups and downs. Know that, be okay with it, and then use the downs to create higher and faster returns to the ups.

If you believe someone would enjoy and benefit from this post, please share it. Just click on the + Share button and you will see lots of options for sharing it with friends including email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Faith M. Davis is both an author and a copywriter/marketing professional focusing on the subjects and industries she knows and loves most: holistic health, wellness, self-help, metaphysics and inspirational topics. More information about her work and her services can be found at www.faithmdavis.com.

When things don’t go your way, do you complain? Of course, you probably do. We all do! Some of us do it more than others, but it is something we are all inclined to do. And in many cases, complaining is a reaction that is quite warranted, but the reality is that the act of complaining is like a nasty disease. It makes us feel even worse and it spreads the same bad feelings to innocent bystanders.

When we complain, we are focusing on what is wrong. And, according to the law of attraction, we will experience more of what we focus on. Not only that, but we spread negativity to the people who listen to our complaints, making them more likely to focus on and attract negative things in their lives as well. While complaining can feel like a healthy form of venting, it is really one of the worst things you can do for yourself and others.

In life, almost everything is a choice. You can choose to complain about things that go wrong, or you can choose to be the person who goes against our normal, negativity-spreading society and instead be a ray of hope, spreading possibility and love.

Be the ray of hope! Instead of sharing your trials and hardships with the world, choose not to share them. When someone asks, “How are you?” just smile and say, “I am great!” even if you aren’t. By doing this, not only will you find that people enjoy your company more, but you will also begin to be the cause for greatness in the world instead of being a contributor to the root cause of negativity and hardship.

Take this concept a step further and ask yourself if you are enabling others to bring more hardship into their lives by allowing them to complain constantly. It is one thing to be a listening ear, but it is another thing to be an enabler that helps them attract more to complain about into their lives (not to mention what that negative energy is doing to your life as well). When others want to drone on complaining, turn the conversation around by bringing up something pleasant and positive to focus on. The faster the negative energy is changed, the better you will both feel, and you will begin the wheels of hope and happiness turning instead of the wheels of misery and negativity. You will do that person a huge favor by showing them to the light instead of enabling them to stay in the dark.

If you believe someone would enjoy and benefit from this post, please share it. Just click on the + Share button and you will see lots of options for sharing it with friends including email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thanks!

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Faith M. Davis is both an author and a copywriter/marketing professional focusing on the subjects and industries she knows and loves most: holistic health, wellness, self-help, metaphysics and inspirational topics. More information about her work and her services can be found at www.faithmdavis.com.

Goal setting is something we have all heard about and it has been stated time again that those who are successful write their goals. Still, most people struggle to not only find the time to set goals, but to also follow through with making those goals a reality. Have you done anything today to get you closer to achieving your dreams?

If your answer to that question was, “no,” than you certainly aren’t alone. With the numerous demands and responsibilities that fall on us these days, it is no wonder we don’t have the time to wrap our minds around adding even more to our lives so that we can achieve that big goal.

What is important to know is that every single behavior pattern is formed from the habits we create for ourselves. If you are too busy with your day-to-day life to work toward reaching your goals, then you are in the habit of doing that. Do you think that successful people had the luxury of having extra time on their hands to be able to work towards their dreams? No way! In fact, you have probably heard it said that if you want something done, ask a busy person. Successful people don't have extra time on their hands – what they do have is better habits.

You can start to create better habits for yourself today! All it takes is to make a commitment to yourself that you will do one thing everyday to take a step toward the goal line. It can be the tiniest of things; calling a friend to ask where they learned a specific skill, or just brainstorming ideas. Anything is better than nothing.

By doing something everyday to get you a step closer to your dreams, you create a habit that leads to success. Just think where you’ll be a month from now, 6 months from now, a year from now. I’m sure it will be a much different place than where you are right now!

If you believe someone would enjoy and benefit from this post, please share it. Just click on the + Share button and you will see lots of options for sharing it with friends including email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thanks!

Faith M. Davis is both an author and a copywriter/marketing professional focusing on the subjects and industries she knows and loves most: holistic health, wellness, self-help, metaphysics and inspirational topics. More information about her work and her services can be found at www.faithmdavis.com.