The Benefits Of Being Mindful

Mindfulness is a mental activity that in due course eliminates all suffering - Ayya Khema 

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that is the perfect tonic to modern day stress and anxiety. But it goes far beyond that and can be instrumental in helping you improve in a vast range of different ways. These benefits will demonstrate just how transformative mindfulness really is:

It Reduces Stress and Improves Focus

Mindfulness teaches us how to be present and exist in the moment. This helps us to rise above the stressful thoughts we might be having and even to ‘reprogram’ them in some cases. Mindfulness practice requires intense focus and mental discipline. This is something that many people are lacking these days owing to the constant distractions we get from our technology and our general ability to get any or all entertainment in seconds.

It Is Free And Accessible 

Health organisation's love mindfulness because it is something anyone can practice. Once you understand the concept and have been taught the basics, this is something you can do anywhere and with no equipment. It can even be taught over the web!

It Improves Athletic Performance

Mindfulness is only one step away from being a ‘flow state’. This is a heightened state of awareness and presence that leads to amazing improvements in athletic performance.

It Has Many Health Benefits

Studies show that mindfulness can be used effectively to combat insomnia. Likewise, mindfulness is one of the main treatments used for panic attacks. In general, mindfulness can be used to make dealing with almost any negative emotion considerably easier.

It Enriches Life

Being mindful means being present and that in turn means being aware of all the wonderful things happening around you. Instead of being in your own head, you start actually experiencing the world around you. This can even enhance your relationships.

You Will Learn About Yourself And Others

Learning to ‘observe’ your own mind is an amazing skill that teaches you how your own brain works. This is both fascinating and a very useful skill for growth and development.
When you learn more about yourself, you learn more about the minds of others too. Mindfulness will give you the means to help your friends and family and to better manage your relationships with them.


With thanks to Sean May https://www.scienceofimagery.com/the-top-10-benefits-of-mindfulness/


Discover the little known Secrets to Reprogram your Mind for Success 

Steps To Eliminate Limiting Beliefs

Each person has their own set of beliefs. Beliefs are so ingrained in each person to the extent that while some may make sense, others question where they came from and why they have them. Some beliefs are emotional, other are psychological, and some are held so highly in a person’s mental make-up that they are considered to be absolute no matter what.

People are not born with beliefs.  Rather, they acquire them throughout their lives. Many beliefs are obtained in childhood and adolescence, through the different interactions people have with others, be it being scolded by adults or praised by peers. Therefore, many beliefs that a person has are about relationships, as they are usually the ones with the most emotional impact both positive and negative.

Some researchers have theorised that some beliefs hold a person back from pursuing their dreams or desires.  They often serve no purpose other than to weigh people down with excess baggage. These are called limiting beliefs, and while a person may realise or become aware of them, very few actually take the steps to eliminate limiting beliefs. This is because some may consider these beliefs to be too ingrained to remove or all too familiar. Limiting beliefs may be considered as a person’s comfort blanket or zone.  Stepping out of them or changing them completely could prove to be a challenge.

Some examples of limiting beliefs are:

• “I do not deserve to love or be loved”
• “I am not good enough”
• “I am not smart enough”
• “Who would ever want to buy what I have to sell?”
• “I am too old to do..."
• “I am too young to do…”

Many guides are available to help people change or remove their limiting beliefs. These guides make it seem easy, but a person needs to remember that a belief can be so ingrained that it could be hard to think of a counter-belief or discard it completely. Here are some steps to help eliminate limiting beliefs:

Identify the Limiting Beliefs

The first step to change is accepting that a person must change. On a piece of paper write down each one of the limiting beliefs that a person wants to eliminate (or dispense with the paper completely and do some mental reflection). This step is crucial because a person has to be brutally honest with themselves about what they want to change and what exactly are their limiting beliefs.

A good way of identifying limiting beliefs is to start with the phrase “I am afraid that I…” then complete it. A person’s fears, no matter how irrational, are usually the root of many limiting beliefs. Once a person has identified their inner demons and are ready to accept that they must break free from them, they can move on to the next step.

Challenge the Beliefs

Once the limiting beliefs have been identified or written down, the next thing a person must do is challenge them. This is done by giving a counter-argument or counter-instance against the belief. For instance, a person’s belief could be “I am a terrible writer.” The counter-instance to this belief could be “But I was able to write a published article back then.” For each belief, a person must think of an instance where the belief was not completely true. It could be derived from a person’s own experiences or through the experiences of their friends, coworkers, or family members.

When Had These Beliefs Held a Person Back?

This question is an important question to ask whilst taking the steps to eliminate limiting beliefs,  because this requires a person to look deep into one's self and remember all those times they wanted to do something or wanted something but was held back by their beliefs. Some supplementary questions that could accompany this could be:

• “How has a belief hurt me in the past?"
• “What have I lost by this belief holding me back?”

Asking these questions, can help a person dig deep into their past experiences to find the root cause of these limiting beliefs. Which specific memories helped propagate these beliefs and which were the most emotionally charged ones?

Write New Beliefs and Repeat as Many Times as Necessary

Once a person has identified their limiting beliefs, written counter-instances, and found the root of these beliefs, they should write out new beliefs that will empower them. For instance, their limiting belief could have been “I am a terrible writer.” After much reflection and introspection, the new belief could be “my writing is not the best, but with a lot of practice, I will become better.” Repeat this step as many times as necessary.

With thanks to Loki Ong Negativty Killer http://affiliateshinobi.com/taking-the-right-steps-to-eliminate-limiting-beliefs/

Your Health Is Vital To Your Success

There are a lot of responsibilities in life. Most people do everything they can to ensure that each of those responsibilities are taken care of. However, there is one responsibility that many people tend to neglect which is their personal health.

Overall health is important. There is a delicate balance that exists within us and this balance can be thrown off by the negative impacts of both physical and mental illness. Basically, the healthier we are, the better our lives will be.

Being fit and healthy may have been at the top of your New Year resolutions list, but that does not mean you should ignore your health now that we are almost midway through the year. Instead, remind yourself that every day is the perfect time to start (or continue) your healthy run. 

Make sure you are doing these simple things to maintain your optimum health..

Fight stress: The rush of the gift giving season is well and truly behind us, but the daily responsibilities of life still leave you feeling hurried, rushed, or stressed. Make sure you take breaks in your day to relax and do something you enjoy to prevent burn out. High levels of daily stress negatively affect your quality of life, so make happiness a priority by relieving stress and you  will find that you will be healthier overall.

Exercise and sleep: For many, the Winter season means regularly combating sniffles and sneezes. Nip that cold in the bud before it affects you by exercising at least thirty minutes a day as well as catching up on your sleep. Getting quality sleep and exercise will help keep your immunity revved up and ready to battle the season’s nastiest bugs.

Eat for your health: You are what you eat, so make it count. Make sure you are eating enough fresh produce, since fruits and vegetables are jam-packed with the nutrients you should be getting every day. If you are not sure what you are eating, keep a chart of your recommended daily intake of nutrients handy, and track your eating habits in a journal or online so you know where to fill in the gaps to reach your nutrition goals.

With thanks to Sean May https://www.scienceofimagery.com/good-health-believe-it-or-not-
is-vital-to-success/

The S.M.A.R.T Way To Set Goals

We all have two choices: We can make a living or we can design a life. Here’s how to do the latter.

Jim Rohn

The most important benefit of setting goals is not achieving your goal; it is what you do and the person you become in order to achieve your goal that is the real benefit.

Goal setting is powerful because it provides focus. It shapes our dreams. It gives us the ability to hone in on the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life. Goals are great because they cause us to stretch and grow in ways that we never have before. In order to reach our goals, we must become better.

Life is designed in such a way that we look long-term and live short-term. We dream for the future and live in the present. Unfortunately, the present can produce many difficult obstacles. But setting goals provides long-term vision in our lives. We all need powerful, long-range goals to help us get past those short-term obstacles. Fortunately, the more powerful our goals are, the more we will be able to act on and guarantee that they will actually come to pass.

What are the key aspects to learn and remember when studying and writing our goals? Here is a closer look at goal setting and how you can make it forceful and practical.

Evaluate And Reflect

The only way we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we will get there is to know where we are right now and what our current level of satisfaction is. So first, take some time to think through and write down your current situation; then ask this question on each key point: Is that OK?

The purpose of evaluation is twofold. First, it gives you an objective way to look at your accomplishments and your pursuit of the vision you have for life. Secondly, it shows you where you are so you can determine where you need to go. Evaluation gives you a baseline to work from.

Take a couple of hours this week to evaluate and reflect. See where you are and write it down so that as the months progress and you continue a regular time of evaluation and reflection, you will see just how much ground you are gaining—and that will be exciting!

Define Your Dreams And Goals

One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life and the ability to establish and set goals to live out those dreams. We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families. We can dream of better financial, emotional, spiritual or physical lives. We have also been given the ability to not only dream, but pursue those dreams—and not just pursue them, but the cognitive ability to lay out a plan and strategies to achieve those dreams. 

What are your dreams and goals? This is not what you already have or what you have done, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you? Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there.

Take time to be quiet. This is something that we do not do enough of in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet—to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams. Schedule some quiet “dream time” this week. No other people. No cellphone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen and your thoughts.

Think about what really thrills you. When you are quiet, think about those things that really get your blood moving. What would you love to do, either for fun or for a living? What would you love to accomplish? What would you try if you were guaranteed to succeed? What big thoughts move your heart into a state of excitement and joy? When you answer these questions you will feel great and you will be in the “dream zone.” It is only when we get to this point that we experience what our dreams are.

Write down all of your dreams as you have them. Do not think of any as too outlandish or foolish—remember—you are dreaming! Let the thoughts fly and take careful record.

Now, prioritise those dreams. Which are most important? Which are most feasible? Which would you love to do the most? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action—not just dreaming.

Make Your Goals S.M.A.R.T

The acronym S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive.

Specific

Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures.

Measurable

Always set goals that are measurable. I would say “specifically measurable” to take into account our principle of being specific.

Attainable

One of the detrimental things that many people do—with good intentions—is setting goals that are so high that they are unattainable.

Realistic

The root word of realistic is “real.” A goal has to be something that we can reasonably make “real” or a “reality” in our lives. There are some goals that are simply not realistic. You have to be able to say, even if it is a tremendously stretching goal, that yes, indeed, it is entirely realistic—that you could make it. You may even have to say that it will take x, y and z to do it, but if those happen, then it can be done. This is in no way to say it should not be a big goal, but it must be realistic.

Time

Every goal should have a timeframe attached to it. One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end—a time in which you are shooting to accomplish it. As time goes by, you work on it because you do not want to get behind, and you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. You may even have to break down a big goal into different parts of measurement and timeframes—that is OK. Set smaller goals and work them out in their own time. A S.M.A.R.T. goal has a timeline.

Have Accountability

When someone knows what your goals are, they hold you accountable by asking you to “give an account” of where you are in the process of achieving that goal. Accountability puts some teeth into the process. If a goal is set and only one person knows it, does it really have any power? Many times, no. A goal is not as powerful if you do not have one or more people who can hold you accountable to it.

With thanks to Jim Rhon http://www.success.com/article/rohn-4-tips-for-setting-powerful-goals