ARE THOUGHTS EMPOWERING OR BS?
"Whether you think you can or think you can't - you're right".
Henry Ford
This is a very powerful thought & it's also B.S.
If it empowers you it's powerful if not then it's B.S. Thoughts, positive or negative, only have power if you let them.
How you respond to thoughts and your opportunities is what defines your wellbeing, health and levels of success.
It might be empowering to do so from a place of confidence and belief
But it might be just as empowering to overcome doubt & excuses.
The truth is you get to choose only when you go beyond thinking and into reality.
Otherwise you thoughts can keep you in fantasy land
TRY THIS
MEDITATE ON THE HEART
- Set a timer for 6 - 21 minutes and tune into the physical sensations of breathing in the rib cage. Allow your thoughts to rise up and float away. Stay connected to your breath and the beating of your heart. If you get drawn into a thought or distracted redirect your attention to the sensations of breathing and the heart beating.
DO SOMETHING PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING
- choose a safe but challenging workout that is going to take you to the edge of your comfort zone. Hear all the voices in your head as the workout unfolds but focus on the task at hand.
DO WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO.
- set intentions at the start of each day and bring them into existence. At the end of the day reflect did you do what you set out to? If not what thoughts stopped you (what thoughts took you of path)? If so what thoughts didn't stop you (what were you thinking just before doing the thing?)
If you do this consistently you will begin to realise you're more than your thoughts
AMPLIFY GRATITUDE
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
John F Kennedy
If you count your blessings consistently
You'll realise you're blessed.
Once you realised your blessed you feel fulfilled and whole And start to live from a place of appreciation and purpose.
Your drive comes not to fill a void or finally be worthy
but to share your gifts, honour your greatness and celebrate life.
TRY THIS
30 Days of Gratitude
*Everyday for the next 30 write down 1 - 3 things you're grateful for
*spend at least 90 seconds exploring what feeling come up with each of the things on the list.
*consider one small thing you can do to honour that which you have to be grateful for.
5 Questions on Harmony
"Thoughts, intentions, feelings, and all the senses are focused on the same goal.
Experience is in harmony."
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow
How many harmonious moments do you experience each day?
How often is your body, mind and soul aligned with the task at hand?
How often do you practice deep, engaged focused work or play or learning or teaching or living?
What might life be like if you were to have more of these moments?
What will you devote yourself to today?
ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES
“If you learn how to withdraw your attention from all objects of distraction and to place it upon one object of concentration, you too will know how to attract at will whatever you need.”
Paramahansa Yogananda,.
The Law of Success:
Using the Power of Spirit to Create Health, Prosperity, and Happiness
What you focus on (with your thoughts, words & actions)
Shapes your experience.
When you focus on your intentions You are more likely to notice opportunities that you would otherwise miss.
When you focus on your priorities You're more likely to be fulfilled
When you focus on the path Your goals will come to you When you focus on you blessings You will realise you're blessed.
TRY THIS
*Count your Blessings - think of 3 things you’re grateful for.
*Choose that to focus on - set your daily intentions
*Notice when you're distracted - REFCOCUS or REST
FOCUS LEADS FLOW
"Anything great you ever want to do requires focus.
That applies to the gym, your vision, and your relationships." Arnold Schwarzenegger
What will you aim at this week?
What you focus on grows.
And with so many choices, focus takes commitment
& the will & skill to navigate distractions (& temptations)
& refocusing when attention wanders
& staying focused in the face of boredom and fatigue
& taking enough rest you have the ability to focus at a high level.
PONDER THIS
What will you focus on this week?
WHO ARE YOU BECOMING
"Coursing through every civilization are the myths that shape what its people come to believe about reality and possibility.
Some of them are healing and some damaging.
Some are easy to recognize for what they are.
But some are more subtle, more pernicious, permeating the substratum of culture and the marrow of the psyche."
MARIA POPOVA
Beyond what's expected of you
Beyond what's advertised to you
Beyond your conditioning
Beyond your self limiting (& self aggrandized) beliefs
Beyond who you think you are and the excuses that keep you stuck
Is a vast sea of potential, a uniquely gifted human being, an opportunity to make a strong choice, the right choice, time and time again until you become someone you're proud of.
The Myth of Not Enough
"You can do anything, but you can't do everything."
If you want to get to the top of the mountain focus on the path.
In a culture of hustle (& you are almost certainly getting hustled)
it can be easy to imagine "I'm not doing enough".
What's usually more true is you're doing too much, but perhaps not one thing consistently enough to notice progress and feel a sense of achievement.
PONDER THIS
What's one project you'd like to progress?
What actions can you take today to progress said project?
What is likely to distract you from that project?
How will you handle those distractions?
BE STILL & SHINE LIKE THE SUN
"In uneventful times, The mind is easily distracted. Then you should make yourself still and let your true nature shine.
When things are happening all around you,
The mind is easily scattered, Then you should make your true nature shine and allow your center to become still."
Hung Ying-ming
Master of the Three Ways: Reflections of a Chinese Sage on Living a Satisfying Life
Beyond boredom is a state of calm, a sanctuary of inner peace, wisdom & deep rest.
Underneath the noise of stress, reactivity & busyness is a sanctuary of calm from which your best self can shine.
To avoid being controlled by boredom & busyness and become, instead, purposeful, productive, peaceful and present simply takes practice.
TRY THIS
Each morning take 3 - 30 minutes to connect with your body, mind & soul and set some clear intentions for the day (for a short video on how to do this click here).
Throughout the day slow down enough (particularly if you feel yourself stressed or rushing) to ask yourself these questions.
What is an ideal outcome I’m working toward in this moment?
What am I thinking?
What am I feeling (emotionally)?
What am I feeling in my body (physical sensations)?
Having checked in with my inner world is there a more ideal outcome available?
What’s the best next step to take?
Sit and Realise You Are More
"When not preoccupied with our selves, we actually have a chance to expand the concept of who we are. Loss of self-consciousness can lead to self-transcendence, to a feeling that the boundaries of our being have been pushed forward."
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,.
Flow: The Psychology of Happiness
Stillness is a profound teacher for those willing to practice
Meditation is a vehicle for moving beyond who you think you are so that you can realise your potential.
TRY THIS
Each morning find a place to sit still for 3 - 15 minutes.
Notice what it’s like to be sitting still.
Feel the body breathing.
Know that you don't have to do anything, just be still & feel the breath & notice what it’s like.
When your time is up write down what you noticed.
You Are Ready
"You don't have to feel ready, you've just got to be ready"
Take the first step.
On a great day you might be emotionally, mentally, physically engaged.
Motivated and ready to go.
But if you wait motivation before you take action you'll not build the consistency to be able to switch on at will.
When you don’t feel like doing something you should be doing ………
REMEMBER THIS
You don’t have to feel ready to be ready
Your thoughts & emotions only hold you back if you let them.
Do the thing and you will get the energy to do the thing.
MOMENT(UM)
“real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”
Camus
Each moment is a gift
An opportunity to fully inhabit life as it is,
To embrace and be fulfilled.
And each moment is a stepping stone
An orientation to a future that is shaped by how you choose.
PONDER THIS
What practice is available to you now to become more present?
If you were fully present right now what would you do?
WHY ARE YOU HERE
"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
-Mark Twain
You were born into this world with abundant potential and possibilities, this human life is a blessing and you are capable of so much.
If even a portion of this potential is to be realised you must find something to aim at, something to live for.
Whether chosen or discovered a sense of purpose is a powerful force, a gift to you and (hopefully) humanity.
Your purpose is a worthy ideal (an idea or vision you love).
Something to orient to that's worth harnessing the power of mind/body/soul for.
Something worth stepping out of your comfort zone and taking consistent action toward.
Something worthy of overcoming impulse, distraction, weakness and resistance.
Purpose gives life meaning, direction and allows us to live courageously (from the heart).
It encourages you to honour this blessed life and use it for something good.
PONDER THIS
What's your "why"?
What's meaningful enough to you that your willing to devote your time and energy too?
What’s meaningful enough that you will do the work to be at your best?
What will you do today in service of your purpose?
The Tiger and The Monk
"Without the monk the tiger is a slave to impulse.
Without the tiger the monks freedom is trapped within."
Within each of us there is a tiger and a monk.
The tiger is one with the world. Physically and mentally fit, intuitively responding to the world from a place of personal power, majesty and greatness.
Master of their domain.
The monk is one with the world. Spiritually fit. Wisely responding to the world operating from a place of oneness, love and equanimity.
Master of body, mind and soul.
CONSIDER THIS
How can you be more like the tiger?
What areas of your life are meaningful enough to you that you want to master?
What does mastery in those domains look like?
How can you be more like the monk?
What thoughts, habits, behaviours and emotions would you like to cultivate and grow?
What thoughts, habits, behaviours and emotions would you like to let go off?
DID YOU LIVE WELL?
"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful."
Margaret J. Wheatley
The end of year has a cultural significance and (though some of us might try to ignore it) it provides you with an opportunity.
An opportunity to acknowledge another year of your life has been lived.
PONDER THIS
Did you live this year well?
Did you live it as well as you could've?
How could of you lived it better?
The Genius of the Body
“As one can see most obviously in gifted athletes and performers, the body itself can be a source of knowledge — coordination, grace, agility, stamina, skill — both intuitive and learned. Indeed, there are a rare few who might be called Einsteins of the body — geniuses at inventing, expressing, and employing movement.”
Bill Hayes
Your body is full of wisdom, potential, power and love.
It can be realised and released by listening deeply and leading courageously.
TRY THIS
Take some time to be still and silent
Feel your body breathing
Allow the in breath to expand awareness through your body
As you breath out let go any tension and allow awareness to flow through you.
After 3 - 15 minutes of stillness invite movement into the practice.
Open to the possibility of being guided by the breath and the body (this may take some practice).
After 15 minutes of moving in this way move on with your day - with a gentle effort of staying embodied.
Tune into the Wisdom of your Body
"In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past."
Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
Our bodies are gateways to the present moment, vehicles that carry us through the world and containers that we often get lost in (they are also much more then words can convey).
Disconnection from our bodies, leaves us disconnected from the world, lost in thought and stuck in our heads.
Reconnecting to our bodies can be a therapeutic rest for the mind and nervous system, a way of opening more fully to our experience and shifting our perspective and a way of re-engaging with a wisdom and intuition that is largely ignored and trampled by the modern world.
TRY THIS
three ways to connect with your body
Workout - if you're feeling high energy or want to build more energy workout. Lift some weights, run, dance, jump, play - get into your body and notice what it's like to move in a vigorous challenging but safe way.
Mindful Movement - sometimes our bodies are tired and minds are wired. In moments like this engaging in low impact, low energy movements - like yin yoga, tai chi. or just gentle, slow, nurturing movements - can be a beautiful healing retreat from the noise of the mind.
Stillness / Listening - meditating on a still body can be surprisingly challenging and empowering. Simply sit with the experience of stillness and notice what comes up in the body and mind for 3 - 15 minutes.
Key of Yet
“I am always doing what I can't do yet in order to learn how to do it."
Vincent Van Gogh
the key is in your hands
