The Four Emotions that Can Lead to Life Change

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones; each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you'll turn your life around.

1) Disgust

One does not usually equate the word "disgust" with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person's life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, "I've had it!" That's what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25, I said, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke. I've had it with being embarrassed, and I've had it with lying."

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, "Enough is enough."

The "guy" has finally had it with mediocrity. He's had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is not going to live like this anymore." Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will, the "I've had it" day, the "never again" day, the "enough's enough" day. Whatever you call it, it's powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

2) Decision

Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong, or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it. I don't have much advice to give you about decision-making except this:

Whatever you do, don't camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It's far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

3) Desire

How does one gain desire? I don't think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

a. It comes from the inside not the outside.
b. It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It's a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, "I want it now!"

Therefore, while searching for your "hot button" of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don't erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

4) Resolve

Resolve says, "I will." These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, "Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose." In other words, when someone resolves to "do or die," nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, "I will climb the mountain. They've told me it's too high, it's too far, it's too steep, it's too rocky, it's too difficult. But it's my mountain. I will climb it. You'll soon see me waving from the top or you'll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I'm not coming back." Who can argue with such resolve?

When confronted with such iron-will determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, "We might as well let him have his dream. He's said he's going to get there or die trying."

The best definition for "resolve" I've ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. As is my custom, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, "Who can tell me what "resolve" means?" Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, "I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up." That's it! That's the best definition I've ever heard: Promise Yourself You'll Never Give Up.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, "That's it, you've had your chance"? You say that's crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, "My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!" No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, "How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?" I suggest you answer, "As long as it takes." That's what these four emotions are all about.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

Related Articles:

10 Tips to Cope with Negative Emotions at Work
It's a fact of life - if you want to succeed in business, you need to know how to interact and communicate effectively with your employees, business partners, vendors, prospects, and customers. As a small business owner, this might involve rapid shifting from one type of language to another.

Social Anxiety - The Extremes And Effects
Public speaking, meeting the potential in-laws, a blind date, and even a job interview are all possible anxiety producing events. These, and other common life events will often cause any 'normal' person to experience some stress. When, however, the stress is so severe, so intense, so disproportionate to the reality, and the person becomes immobilized by the fear of being in the situation, that it becomes a real cause for concern, and will require medical counsel.

Spring Cleaning For Your Mind And Emotions
Spring-cleaning your house is a yearly ritual, but what about clearing out the cobwebs from your mind? What could be a better way to start the spring season than the gift of a clear and rejuvenated mind, free from negative impressions about the past and anxiety about the future? You can learn tools to effectively sweep away stress in the Art of Living Course, a breath-based workshop offered by the non-profit Art of Living Foundation at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center from March 9-13, 2007.

Overcoming Shyness and Social Phobia - How to Wiggle Out of the Shyness Shell
Do you find overcoming shyness and social phobia a difficult task? Have you ever been stuck speechless in certain situations? Do you often find yourself acting fidgety and all the while being the complete wallflower? It is normal to be shy sometimes, especially when you?re faced with a situation you?re not familiar with; but it can be discouraging if it interferes with your normal life. The great news is, YES, you have the capacity to overcome shyness and social phobia.

Acknowledging Emotions and Feelings
We'll begin with a question:What is a moral?I'd say it's something you have an intense feeling or emotion about, generally so intense you would never cross its boundary.Agree?Have you ever crossed a moral boundary? It doesn't feel good does it.

Entrepreneurial Emotions or It Seemed Like a Great Idea at the Time
It's your first business or the next Great Idea in your ongoing business, online or offline, it doesn't matter. The roller coaster ride is a theme and variations on the same experiences.

Instant Mood Boosters For Busy Women
Women are very busy these days, as a matter of fact they have always been And as women, we know that unfortunately, most of the time we don?t prioritize our health

What Is Social Anxiety?
Who among us has never been in a large group of people and felt timid, nervous, and even downright terrified? Feelings such as these can happen from time to time, especially if we are a generally shy person. But when feelings of fear and panic are present in all situations such as these, you may be exhibiting signs of social anxiety ? persistent and severe heightened fear and panic in social situations. When these feelings take over and begin to impact the way in which you socialize and engage in personal relationships, it is thought that treatment can significantly benefit the way in which we manage these overwhelming feelings.

Setting yourself free from negative emotions
The way we feel is largely determined by outside circumstances. In other words we are victim to external factors. If another driver cuts us off on the road, our mood immediately changes and we become frustrated and start swearing. What was meant to be an enjoyable drive suddenly becomes a miserable one. What was meant to be a good day immediately turns into a horrible day. But life does not have to be that way. We can gain control of how we feel. Our feelings do not have to control us, in fact it is the other way round. We can control how we feel. We can choose either to feel good or to feel bad regardless of what other people do to us. This did not come clear to me, until I read Stephen Covey's book, the Seven Habits of Highly Effect...

When Your Emotions Become Like Ticking Bombs & Cause Disease
So, where does disease come from? How does it get manifested in your body in the first place? Do environment and diet really play key roles in causing disease? Well, the information contained in this article will shock you to say the least. For years now health officials have told the public about how diet and environment specifically contribute to most illnesses.

How Food Affects Mood
Everyone can benefit from understanding how food affects our mood "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," wrote the eminent Greek physician Hippocrates during the dawn of western medicine. We took his advice.

A Good Joke Can Lighten the Mood
A joke is a way of getting people to laugh. It is a great opener for a speech or in a social gathering to break the ice.

Overcoming Fatigue, Weight Gain, Cravings and Mood Swings
Adrenal fatigue and exhaustion have longed been overlooked - but not by many doctors who practice holistic, integrative medicine. There has been a lot of mis-information about cortisol due to infomercials. They have everyone thinking it's cortisol, but it's so much more than cortisol. It's about your adrenal glands and how we can nourish and support those overworked adrenal glands.

UnlimitedRingtones.com Put Consumers in a Holiday Mood
Sweeten your holidays with the Top Ten Holiday ringtone candy for your phone. UnlimitedRingtones.com releases their Top Ten Holiday Ringtones List Today.

Don't Let Social Anxiety Disorders Ruin Your Career
Social anxiety disorder is a disorder that is based on excessive self-consciousness. This can manifest itself in a feeling of fear or dread of public situations like a doing a business presentation are speaking up in a meeting. The symptoms of social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, are very broad and can affect people in a variety of ways.