4 Little Known Secrets of Meditation
November 13, 2007
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Secret #1:The True Purpose of Meditation=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Many people feel a sense of fascination when confronted with the possibility of mystic visions, psychic intuition and heightened mental functioning. While meditators often report these sorts of improvements, these experiences should not be the primary reason for practice. The purpose of meditation is to bring us back to ourselves.
As we become healthier, happier and realize greater self-awareness, the other benefits of meditation begin to follow naturally — improved mental functioning, greater intuition as well as greater access to unconscious resources and abilities.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Secret #2:Distraction Does Not Equal Failure=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Meditation is not work in the sense that you have to “force” yourself to concentrate completely for long periods of time. If we consciously try to prevent thinking, it’s going to have a negative impact on the meditation.
Instead, whenever we become lost in thought or confusion, we simply acknowledge those thoughts and then gently return the attention to the object of the meditation. We do this as many times as distraction or thought occurs. Eventually, the mind becomes calmer and discursive thought begins to slow.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Secret #3:Insight Alone Is Not Enough=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Want Power Before Will Power
November 12, 2007
The problem isn’t that you don’t have enough will power to achieve what you want. You have will power, but it’s not will power you need, it’s want power.
You have to first want
You must want to change your habits, want to lose some weight, want to give up your evening snacking before your will comes into play. Once you want a thing badly enough, you will do whatever it takes.
If you think you want something (to make a change in your eating habits perhaps), but then find it difficult to follow-through with your plans, most likely you simply want your current reality (your current habits and patterns) more than you want your goals (less weight, better health, etc.)
I can hear you all the way over here, telling me I’m wrong: “No, that’s not right! I want this more than anything, I just don’t have any willpower!” Round and round you go, but the truth is, you will get what you really want. Think back, has there ever been a time when you really wanted something? A certain piece of clothing, a certain house, car, job, spouse? Hum… Yes, we go after what we want, if we really want to acquire or achieve it we do. Nothings going to fall in your lap, you’ve got to go get what you want.
5 Steps to Stress Relief
November 11, 2007
Take a moment to think about the week that just passed. Are your first thoughts of long hours at work, driving your kids to every kind of practice imaginable, hurrying to make dinner, clean the house, do laundry, vacuum and wash dishes? Is it any wonder that in today’s busy world, more and more women suffer from stress-induced anxiety than ever before?
If you often find yourself struggling with the effect stress has on your physical and emotional well-being, follow the following 5 steps to stress relief:
1. Acknowledge it. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? It might even sound futile. But taking a moment to admit to yourself that something is stressing you out is the first step in letting go of it. As women, studies show that we often take on more than we can handle. By acknowledging that an extra activity will put more added stress on an already hectic lifestyle, you can balance out the pros and cons and make a decision that’s right for you.
The Power Workout:
November 11, 2007
Scenario: I really want to get in shape, but I work all day and attend multimedia classes until 8:30. How do I find the time to exercise, and what are a few good exercises for beginners like me? Solution: Finding time to exercise is certainly a challenge. Even the most motivated among us suffer setbacks during our business’s busy season or when a new project is on the horizon. The key to fitting fitness into your busy day is to recognize that finding time isn’t the issue–it’s making time.
You may be surprised to hear that you can enjoy the benefits of a regular exercise program in as little as three hours per week.
The following routine shows you how:
Monday: Half-hour of jogging, biking (on hills) or other intense aerobic exercise you enjoy
Tuesday: Half-hour of strength training (squats, sit-ups and push-ups for beginners; weight training with machines or dumbbells for the more experienced)
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: Repeat Monday
Friday: Repeat Tuesday Saturday: One hour of exercise–any type of exercise. Go rollerblading with a friend, take the family to the hills for a hike or swim laps at the pool.
Stay On Target! Stay On Target!
November 10, 2007
Stay On Target! Stay On Target!
by: Donovan Baldwin
You Star Wars fans remember that chant from one of the Star Wars films. I have to apologize here. I HAVE seen and enjoyed all the Star Wars movies, but am not enough of a fan to remember tasty tidbits like who said it and in which episode. However, I DO remember that the speaker was exhorting a comrade to “Stay on target” and to ignore all those pesky little attacking fighters trying to blow him to smithereens!
Fortunately for most of us, the attackers we have to dodge on a day to day basis are a little less lethal. Unfortunately, they can be distracting enough to divert us away from a path to success, whether in life, relationships, or in business.
There has been an awful lot written about goals over the years, and most would agree that having a goal is paramount importance in achieving success. Even so, you might be surprised at how few people have really thought about what their true goals are, much less about how to stay on target to achieve these goals.
Divine Authorship
November 9, 2007
What does the story of your life say about you? Does it speak of heroic journeys into new and exciting lands of achievement and growth? Or is it an angry and repetitive diatribe against the vagaries of a wantonly malicious universe? Does it sing with finely crafted phrasing and uplifting themes? Or is it plodding, dreary and full of errors, omissions and clichés?
Some people feel their destiny to be carved in stone. I believe that our lives are an ongoing exercise in creative writing and as such it is always possible to cease following the storyline that we have been using to illustrate our lives with up to this point, open to a fresh page and start anew. In fact, the Universe itself does this every moment of every day, continually reinventing itself and setting up the storyline for the next moment to come.
Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - NO Nitric Oxide
November 8, 2007
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the body in order to communicate with other cells. It is created when enzymes break down the amino acid arginine. The main benefit of nitric oxide is its role in controlling the circulation of blood and regulating activities of the brain, lungs, liver, stomach and other organs. It also helps in the control of blood pressure, dilates blood vessels to cause penile erection and is used by the immune system to fight viral, bacterial and parasitic infections.
It is the ability of nitric oxide to increase blood flow that is of most interest to bodybuilders who can benefit as follows:
1. The increased blood flow delivers more nutrients to the muscle cells thus helping them to grow during the adaptation and recovery phase.
2. Its ability to reduce inflammation helps muscles that have been subjected to extreme stresses.
Given its close relationship with arginine care should be taken in applying small doses and increasing them gradually until an optimum level is reached. Bear in mind that many protein powders and other supplements are fortified with amino acids so check the labels carefully. The manufacturer’s instructions should be followed in all instances.
Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.
Tips For Successful Weight Loss
November 7, 2007
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my mother tried every fad diet under the sun. I recall one time she ate boiled cabbage and nothing else for a whole week. I felt my mothers’ frustration and misery, however I could not understand why it was so difficult for her to lose weight and keep it off ? until that is I became a weight management coach.
For the past two years I have been assisting people to achieve their ideal weight and in this time I have experienced what contributes to a successful weight loss story.
Getting serious - It all starts with you and how serious you are about losing weight. The key to successful weight loss is partly dependent on your level of commitment. How would you rate your seriousness on a scale of 1 ? 10 (10 being deadly serious)?
No quick fix - If you have made the commitment to get serious about losing weight then you need to make the commitment to do it safely and effectively. One piece of invaluable advice my own family doctor passed onto me is that slow and steady is always the best option. The longer it takes you to lose weight the less likely you are to put it back on.
Wealth And Abundance for Everyone. Yes…Including You
November 6, 2007
Wealth And Abundance for Everyone. Yes…Including You
by: Daniel MacDougall
We are surrounded by abundance. Nature is extravagant, sometimes seemingly wasteful in its abundance. Look around and you will see it everywhere.
There are many factors involved in why it is so hard for us to open the valve controlling the flow of abundance in our lives. By the time we become aware of the fact that we create our own limits, the beliefs and habits we’ve developed that produce these limits are so ingrained they are very difficult to change.
What we receive in life is controlled by the limits we place on our emotions, behaviors, thoughts and actions. Anyone caring to look will find an abundance of love, joy, money, and health are readily available to everyone willing to accept them. If there is any lack in our lives it’s not because there is not enough, but rather, because we are limiting our intake.
Society also has its role to play. Since most of the world’s governments have become capitalistic societies, it’s in their best interest to promote conditions and belief systems that produce large numbers of have-nots. Simple economics tells us that in order for capitalism to thrive, there must be a large supply meeting a large demand and you must have people who are in debt to create a large enough demand to consume that large supply.
Thoughtfulness
November 6, 2007
Thoughtfulness
by: Henry Ramsey
Of paramount importance and relevancy to true and lasting human accomplishment is the way we deliberate between short term gain and long term accomplishment. The overriding consideration must be our degree of thoughtfulness. Thoughtfulness means an honest examination of the desired objectives over time. It means adherence to the primary value of truth while addressing perceived short term needs, without distorting the long term goals. Those trusted with overseeing the mission must be ever vigilant in not allowing principle to yield to exigency, especially when the wiles and demands of the surreptitious or loud and aggressive are insinuating themselves into the mix for personal gain.
If the self interested are allowed to dominate or eclipse principle through corrosive influence, the consequent decline in overall diligence becomes the acceptable norm. Capitalism today, the most pervasive and influential system in industrialized society, has become a predominate fixture in perpetuating this decline. International conglomerates wield unchallenged power over people and nations only to satisfy their own narrow ends, with no regard for external ramifications, yet they survive and flourish essentially unfettered and unchallenged.
