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Category: Success

Reality Check; It is never What you think it is

We all trip over and fall down every once in a while. It happens to us unexpectedly and after a certain time we come back stronger and smarter. If we look back on the causes of these trials, most often than not it is because of our choices. Things that happen externally that might appear unrelated to our way of being reveal their connection and oneness through lessons. All that happens to us is because of our way of being, perception of ourselves and the world. These prompts and insights are here to help you own your life, learn the lessons and avoid repeating them by understanding the basic principles of mind.

The intellect you cling to is limited

From the moment we wake up, most of us automatically jump into the role of who we were yesterday and prepared to repeat the same story. Joe Dispenza calls this the trap of the familiar past and the predictable future. The mind is comfortable with what it knows so it sticks to those two certain things. But your real freedom lies in the generous now. Now is where the birth of new ideas are, where the creation of your future self is, imagine a caterpillar birthing into a moth and Phoenix from ash. Empower your SELF over the mind by sitting still. Know the truth of your being and let the mind’s chatter be. Your mind is your intellect but it’s not intelligence. Intelligence is the one that moves and runs the universe, your intellect tries to understand how it works and is never satisfied with answers. Know the place of intellect, it is good with some things like planning and checking the bank balance and tuning the car up but that’s not the whole of what you are. You are awareness and divine intelligence, an expression of the divine, unique and never incorrect. We all just are in the process of life be lifing. So when presented with complexities by the mind; say thank you mind for your contributions but I’m sitting here for now, breathing and looking at the sky.

“Can you accept the notion that once you change your internal state, you don’t need the external world to provide you with a reason to feel joy, gratitude, appreciation, or any other elevated emotion?”

-Joe Dispenza

Get an alternate perspective

If the mind hooks you in with attractive demands such as; “you should do this and be like that or else it won’t be a good thing for me and others and you will fail”. Take a step back and observe this conversation of the mind and SELF. Sit still and be grounded, once again, thank your mind for its opinion but the real you, the SELF is complete in and of itself and do not need to fall prey to the minds demands. Try getting an alternate perspective, the one that feels gentler and kinder. The choice that promotes growth and nurturing. Lean in to what feels right not what the mind thinks is best. Feeling transcends understanding and is more powerful and creative. It is the Buddha and Christ in you. It is conscious awareness. In an alternate perspective you get to access “omniperception”. You get to understand what is best for the ocean, not just what’s good for a single drop. From time to time, take a step back and get an alternate perspective. Learn this habit and bring ease and harmony to your day to day.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”

– William Blake

Quit certainty cold turkey

Let go of always needing to know. The mind is never at ease even though all information is out there, there is always something it needs to know. Curiosity opens up new worlds and is the doorway to creativity but there is a difference between open inquiry and wanting things a certain way. If we always impose our preferences and beliefs into everything we encounter there will be no room for miracles. Try being comfortable with uncertainty. Try this mantra “I may have preferences but I really don’t mind what happens next”. Either it will or not won’t. This is neither a fortune nor a misfortune, it is just is. Try to quit our attachment to certainty and observe a lightness in the heart and your whole being.

“You want to know my secret? You see, I don’t mind what happens.”

– Jiddu Krishnamurti

Figure it out by observing not thinking

Sit still and be quite for a certain amount of time and there will be nothing that you can not know. Everything is divinely simple, there’s a spiritual answer and solution to everything. When bothered by complexity and indecision, take a moment to observe. Observe yourself being bothered, observe your physical self sitting and thinking of the problem. In this practice we get off our mental loops and get to see things for what they really are. You are awareness, not circumstances. Circumstances change and can not be controlled and it doesn’t have any power to disturb your peace unless you allow it. Always remember, things are mostly fine if we stop fiddling with it. Let most things be, let your loved ones be, let your natural well being be in balance, harmony, life affirming and giving. Brilliant insights come in observing and not judging, be sensitive to whispers from eternity.. They are subtle so quieten the intellect and be a mindful observer.

“Mother Nature is always speaking. She speaks in a language understood within the peaceful mind of the sincere observer. Leopards, cobras, monkeys, rivers and trees; they all served as my teachers when I lived as a wanderer in the Himalayan foothills.”

– Radhanath Swami

Be truly happy knowing that happiness is fleeting

The secret location of happiness is found in the abandonment for the need for it. Stop looking for happiness outside of you, what you have been looking for is what you already are. How many more shiny objects and promotions do you think you need? What ever you are looking for, let me stop you right there. You are already that. Yearn for inner joy, calm and tranquility than happiness that is instantly followed by despair. Be not attached nor afraid of anything…. Loss, change and disrepute. Stay in your equanimity and be above all the crash of breaking worlds. Here you are, sitting, smiling taking this journey gently, with ease and gratitude.

“You only want to be happy. All of your aspirations, no matter what they are, are a yearning for happiness. Basically, you wish yourself well…desire isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s life itself, the desire to expand one’s horizons of knowledge and experience. It is your decisions that are incorrect. To believe that something as insignificant as food, sex, power, or fame can make you happy is to deceive oneself. Only anything as big and profound as your true self can completely and permanently bring you joy.”

– Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Truth comes when you stop grappling with it

Imagine a pond of water, if you disturb it by swishing the water all around using a stick the water will turn muddy, unclear and unsettled. But leave it alone for a couple of hours and the sediments settle at the bottom and the water becomes sparkly and clear once again. The stick is our intellect trying to run hither and tither asking all sorts of nonsense, demanding this and that leaving us with a muddy perception of the truth. Stop disturbing the waters and we shall find truth. Truth of peace, love, clarity and abundance.

“All you need is a calm mind. Once your mind is tranquil, everything else will fall into place. Self-awareness affects mental changes in the same way as the rising light affects the environment. Inner energies awaken in the light of calm and steady self-awareness and create miracles without any effort on your behalf.”

– Nisargadatta Maharaj

The purpose of life is life itself

The million dollar question of the purpose of life. What is the purpose of life? It is life itself. It is all the courage and battles of your ancestors summed up in your DNA. You, being a divine spark of light from the cosmos entering your mums womb, hung out for 9 months and cried for air and has never stopped breathing. Your mission to lighten up the load of mankind and be a light to those in the dark. To leave things better than you find them. To become awake to everyday miracles. You digest sunlight and turn it to energy. You are constantly putting together pieces of your masterpiece. No matter how hard you search, you will be brought back to yourself. Be ok with life. It is pretty astounding to be here.

“Be a lamp unto yourself, make of yourself a light’ were the last words of the Buddha. no teacher or outside authority can give us the truth or take it away. in the end, we will find that our heart holds the simple wisdom and unshakable compassion that we have sought all along.”

– Jack Kornfield; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path

Afterthoughts

You are done running around looking for answers and asking questions. Let go of the need to know. Practice silence and prayer. Nothing can bother you but your own mind untrained so become a master in letting a story go and shifting perspectives. Not immediately reacting is a beneficial tool to. Just smile, be at ease and know all is well.

– Namaste

Some people have a Fixed mindset, some have a growth mindset; Which one are you?

Do you think you stay the way you are all through out your life? Do you believe that your capabilities are predetermined and dependent on genetics? If so, you have a fixed mindset missing out on a lot of possibilities and potential manifestations laying dormant in your system.

It doesn’t need to be this way, the fact that you are reading this is a sign that you are curious in breaking free from having a fixed mindset. Let’s know more about these mindsets and get on towards actionable tips to apply in our day to day.

You are perfect the way you are … and could use a little improvement

This insight is from Shunryu Suzuki (Beginners Mind). This one has stuck with me for a long time now and comes quite handy in staying in the middle of being and becoming. Your improvement is what you are. Deepak Copra said to view life as a verb for we are always changing moment to moment through breath, thoughts, emotions and food. The thing to keep in mind is to how we are changing, is it towards the higher Good of ourselves and others? or to degradation, atrophy and indifference. Lean in to what inspires, it might be little and simple, but know that it is important.

We often catch ourselves saying “this thing is not for me, I’m not the type of person who does this, I could never accomplish that” these are fixed mindsets and can easily be shifted to “this is not the thing for me right now but I can give it a try and see how it feels, I’m not the type of person who does this but let me give it a try and see how it feels, I could never accomplish that but I can start with this simple small step right now.” Adding yet to a “not” statement is handy too.

Watch your thoughts all through out the day and catch your mind if you have an unconscious fixed habit that hinders you from trying something new.

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.”

– Dale Carnegie

Becoming is your being

This insight is inspired by Carol Dweck (Mindset). She said, becoming is better than being but we can also view it as one and the same thing. You are gradually becoming even if no effort is applied. The life within us expresses its majesty even if you are just sitting doing nothing. We often get wrapped up in what is needed to be done and finished but as Alan Watts said, the music is enjoyed not per note and not just the final bang. Be gentle in your gradual becoming, take on the pace of nature. Gentle, secure, grounded & correct in all aspects. Enjoy your moment to moment arrival always at an interesting place. That’s all there is, we just are always in an interesting place and the next small step is up to you. Make that step one of effortless effort.

“The Universe contains three things that cannot be destroyed; Being, Awareness and LOVE”

– Deepak Chopra

Do you embrace challenges?

Make a habit of seeking challenge, in seeking challenge, we grow and widen our domain of familiarity. We create new neural connections, we create paths of opportunities. I always keep in mind and have practiced that if I deliberately challenge myself first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is easy. It can be something physical or something mentally challenging like creating something. Befriend challenges and discover a better version of yourself.

“Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.”

– Cicely Tyson

Do you accept and learn from criticism?

This might seem simplistic but this time let’s be more intentional about this. Accepting criticism is hard because the ego only listens to praise and self aggrandizement. In our self actualization journey, knowing the difference between your ego and your real self is key to mastery. Nurture the part of you that is open to listen and change; that is your real self. The one that can’t accept criticisms is your ego, and in refusing to change, learn and grow it inflicts pain. We have discussed in earlier posts that when we believe the separateness of ego, it only hurts us. So from time to time, ask yourself (What is this situation trying to teaching me?)

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”

– Norman Vincent Peale

Are you more clever than bewildered?

We were all once a kid, remember your curiosities when you were 7? We must not lose this sense of bewilderment. In mindful noticing of things around, you will find yourself flabbergasted with awe only if you take the time to look closely with curious appreciation. Look at a leaf, a rock and a tree, watch cars and trains pass by, breathe and observe the sparkles of the sun on the water. Imagine outer space, imagine time before and after you are here, isn’t it too amazing? Here’s a fact to be bewildered upon; “There are more patterns of connections between neurons in your brain than there are sub atomic particles in the universe” look up the work of Gerald Edelman. We often times get clever and assume that our way of thinking is the only way and we end up taking for granted possibilities.

So the next time you feel the urge to dismiss a certain situation or event. Approach it with new eyes. Everything can be experienced anew, even brushing your teeth.

“That’s the ruling story on this planet. We live suspended between Love & Ego”

– Richard Powers

Observe your attitude towards learning

Do you ever find yourself saying, “Oh he’s just a natural when it comes to basketball, I’m not”. Swap it with “He put a ton of time practicing to achieve that, I’m able to achieve that skill level if I put my time and effort on it.
Consume inspiring media and connect with people who encourage a growth mindset. Be mindful of your unconscious biases, once you identify them it will be the start of unstoppable growth.

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

– Zig Ziglar

Learn about neuro plasticity

Learn about the the most amazing thing between your ears and what it is capable of. Click here if you wanna deep dive on this topic. Our brains, like our muscles are capable of changing to where your desires take you. If you want a brain with an immense capability for playing music, start practicing 1 song. You are moldable and ever changing. Just thinking of this brings a feeling of liberation. I used to not be able to touch my toes but now my padahastasana (yoga pose) rocks. So imagine what you could be, write out a simple plan and act on it daily for 66 days. It’s fun and you’ll discover parts of yourself you never knew existed.

“I was suitably impressed with the eighty-six billion neurons that glittered like stars in the skull but was a little overwhelmed by the idea that the constellations could be moved, shaped, and changed negatively and positively.”

– Jennifer Fraser

Practice makes permanent

What we practice gets easier and soon enough becomes automatic. Grow into the person who does the type of thing you desire through deliberate practice. Make walking around the block a permanent practice by doing it daily no matter the weather conditions may be. It is not enough to learn something; daily application is where compounding growth is. When the mind hints you to “skip it”, do a 5 second countdown and just do it anyway. You’ll thank yourself later. It is always best to track your progress and do a daily assessment in the evening on how you did that day.

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.”

– Archilochus

“ There are no shortcuts. It will take you at least a decade to achieve expertise, and you will need to invest that time wisely, by engaging in “deliberate” practice—practice that focuses on tasks beyond your current level of competence and comfort.”

Afterthoughts

Knowing the difference between having a growth mindset and a fixed mindset; where do you think you stand? In what ways are you having a fixed mindset and in what ways are you having a growth mindset? What possibilities do you imagine for yourself if you cultivate more growth mindedness?

8 ways To Awaken Right Now & Everyday; Know That Freedom is Right Where you are

Know what the cause of what makes you feel incomplete. Liberate yourself from what’s hindering you by knowing and practicing simple principles. Apply and sustain these 8 ways of li ing in your day to day and become more at peace with life.

Right View

“And what is right view? Knowing about suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. This is called right view.”

Pali Canon

To practice right view, we need to let go of the concept of the world as fixed. View the world as constantly changing, imagine the seasons and the circle of life. In practicing right view, we won’t be attached to relative concepts that will inevitably change. Practicing right view also implies that everything is interconnected and a part of the whole. Make it a habit to check in moment to moment on how are you thinking right this moment. Are you perceiving a certain thing from a narrow lens? Can you widen your understanding regarding this situation? What am I resisting? What is preventing me from having a right view?

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

– Wayne Dyer

Right Intention

Apply the power of your mind to intend renunciation and surrender. Right intention means selfless detachment, putting your higher self first before the ego. We often times get caught up by the demands of the ego because it is louder, it is what we see on the external and it keeps on bugging us with its endless chatter. Let go of attachment to possessions and beliefs. Often times because of habit, we become addicted to the egos story. It doesn’t need to be this way. Disrupt this pattern by internally replying to the ego; “no thanks”. From time to time, ask; what are my intentions behind pushing forward with this specific thing? Why am I deliberately pouring energy towards it? Is it self serving? Am I aimed at the highest possible good besides my own? Are my intentions for the whole or for just a small part? Is this harming others?

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage. 
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”

– Dhammapada

Right Speech

Yogic tradition has it that speech must pass before three barriers prior to being uttered aloud. These barriers come in the form of three questions: Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary? 

Your word is your wand, your word is law. Be mindful with our speech. If urging to speak but not one of benevolence, beauty, praise and usefulness it is best to practice “noble silence”. Abstain from lies and gossip and only speak of truth, noble and God like matters. Our speech is the next level of manifestation of our thought, it is more real in wave form as compared to thought. So we must be watchful of our speech.

“Be a light in the darkness. Speak healing ”

– Alex Kakuyo

Right Action

Make every action one of honorability, peacefulness and morality. In practicing the right view, intention, and speech, it will lead us to right action. Train ourselves in protecting and sustaining life around us. In treating everything around us as sacred, we will become more mindful in each act that we do. Maybe we consider segregating and recycling more thoroughly. Stop using plastic, these little things have a huge impact that we tend to underestimate.

“The practice of Right Action is a practice of faith, a faith that says what we do matters. We matter. And whether we’re refilling the coffee pot at work or speaking in front of a crowd of thousands, we have the power to change the world one small act at a time.”

– Alex Kakuyo

Right Livelihood

Integrate your talents that it may support the wellbeing of yourself, others and the planet. Maybe take a deeper look into the organization you are working for, is it ethically and morally aligned to your values? Is the organization harming animals and the planet? If so you might wanna shift to one that is working on positive change. There’s a lot of conscious companies out there that offer lots of opportunities.

“…Think of it as ‘Right Livelihood 2.0’… In addition to not causing harm to yourself or another, this is livelihood that is an expression of your Core Intention, work that you can fall in love with and that no longer feels like “work”: work that matters.”

– Maia Duerr

Right Effort

There are four aspects to right effort.

  • The effort to prevent unwholesome qualities from arising.
  • The effort to extinguish unwholesome qualities that already have risen.
  • The effort to cultivate skillful and wholesome qualities.
  • The effort to strengthen wholesome qualities that have already arisen.

In everything we do, keep in mind these four efforts. It is a very good tool to really look at how we are performing or serving our duty. Keeping our efforts wholesome with moment to moment check ins. As you go about the day and your work, keep an unwavering rectitude, unlimited forgiveness & unselfish performance of duty.

“By your own efforts waken yourself, watch yourself. And live joyfully.”

– Gautama Buddha

Right Mindfulness

Develop an accurate and precise awareness of the present moment with no opinions & judgements laid upon. Pay no attention to the filtered perceptions of the mind but it n the impermanence and interconnectedness of all things. That everything is subject to change, and a change in one thing causes others to change. See everything as an ever changing expression of the universe. Today may you have right mindfulness in thoughts, emotions and actions. We often get bummed by how others treat us, saying “they treat me this way causing me pain”; in right mindfulness ; “they treat me this way because that is how they are and it is ok”

 “When right mindfulness is developed and made much of, one realizes what one should do and should not do. Whether one should speak or not speak. When one speaks, what should be spoken and not spoken. Right mindfulness is the basis for the development of the right path that culminates in knowledge, wisdom, contentment and the highest happiness.” 

– Mithra Mettimury

Right Meditation

Right meditation or concentration means detaching from your sense perceptions. Have the mastery of not giving in to the immediate urges and impulses of the senses. With sustained and applied way of thinking, a certain joy will arise. A joy not coming from sensual pleasures, it comes from knowing, accepting and appreciating the way things are. Even this joy will subside and one enters equanimity, a state above pain and pleasure, sorrow and joy. In simply giving up our preferences, attachments and yearnings we liberate our selves from what we think we need to complete us. Sit still, give it time, and practice right meditation.

“You are not limited to this body, to this mind, or to this reality—you are a limitless ocean of Consciousness, imbued with infinite potential. You are existence itself.”

– Joseph Kauffman

Conclusion

We often feel constrained and being enslaved by our desired. Understand that there are many layers to your consciousness, you can easily rise above your torments simply by knowing that you are not your ego and its demands. You aren’t even your body or your persona, you are the whole of life and you can just watch from a safe place and appreciate it’s magnificence. Liberation can be attained where you are with these 8 practices. Make this your way of life and watch things around you change.

The fallacy of your persona; How to finally End Suffering and Find Permanent Peace

We are not our names, jobs and societal roles. These are merely constructs, concepts and stories. We are much bigger than we think we are. We are not our thoughts, actions & emotions. We are the awareness of the existence of all of these perceptions. Try thinking of a time before you existed and then towards a time that you don’t exist anymore, you can even bring your attention way towards outer space and see the earth as a blue marble. Who and what notices all of these experiences? Know the difference between your expanded consciousness and your egoic consciousness and knowing where to focus our attention will save us a lot of unnecessary misery.

Establish that you are not your identity/self image

Start the day by affirming this “I am eternal, immortal universal and infinite”. Much of our suffering comes from protecting the correctness, avoiding to learn, or running away from things that aren’t in congruent with our ego’s beliefs. Our ego’s beliefs are narrow, based on some teaching we picked up somewhere and why we believe them we can’t truly understand. In mindfulness, we can watch the ego’s biased choices, and opinions. Do not immediately entangle yourself or invest a whole lot of energy in protecting the ego’s position. Try to see things from a bird’s eye view and watch your ego’s murmurs diminish. If you entangle yourself with the ego’s demands, you will burn out and will never be at peace.

Suffering stems from your Self-Image. That you should be this and that and you can only be at peace when such and such has occurred. Sounds familiar? Here’s an essential truth, you can never control how others may react or think of you and you can never find peace outside of you. Be bigger than your identity, don’t take anything personally and too seriously. Make space to expand your being and to become part of all things. Treat everything with reverence and understanding. Imagine it’s the first day of school everyday, remember those days? We were so open and connected.

“We end up putting so much attention onto our image that we remain in a continuous state of protecting or improving our image in order to control how others see us.”

– Adyashanti

Let go of control

As much as we are invested in our self image, we are also addicted to control. Accept that control is an illusion and you immediately break free from the rigid requirements of your ego’s make beliefs. The trick here is to find balance and to know the extent of what you can control. You can devote yourself and try your best to plan a perfect picnic, but don’t get bummed if it unexpectedly rains. Show up with the best efforts you have and expect the higher power on how it will paint the picture. Mostly what we plan is very different from what the higher power has done laid for us. Be keen on picking up signs, be quick on learning the lesson, diligent in reading the messages, flexible in ways to progress and head on out with relentless yet gentle persistence.

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”

– Steve Maraboli

Be flexible on your beliefs

The small part of you is attached to what it knows. It will do everything to protect and defend its correctness, comfort and pleasure. We will open ourselves up to new heights and become truly aligned with our purpose if we are not bound by should and shouldn’ts of our beliefs. Establish a bright line that keeps you aligned with your truest values and principles but keep the door open to new ways of thinking and going about things and how other people are. In practicing this openness, collaborations happen and births of new things become possible.

“That which yields is not always weak.”

– Jacqueline Carey

Stop thinking that everything outside of you is a threat

Have in inclusive mindset. Include yourself by listening, smiling and understanding. Nothing is a threat unless you make it so. Even in front of a wild animal, embody oneness. Tune in to the feeling of all life creating more life. In diversity there is evolution, are you growing with it or afraid of it? You were not afraid jumping into this human experience so why should anything be a threat to you? Listen to your inner knowing more than your ego. If a hunch is telling you to try something new, go for it before the ego pushes you back to comfort. So get used to a lot of unexpected stuff, unknown places & unusual people and accept them as part of one beating beautiful life. We just intersect and interact once in a while to push each other up to greater awareness. No big deal, we will all return to the one eternal consciousness anyways so appreciate all the variety you can while you are here.

You are not separate from everything you perceive outside of you. The sooner you understand and practice this the sooner you will find peace and eliminate suffering. Much of your suffering is in the mind only, learn the habit of constantly dropping stories you latch onto and you set yourself free.

“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”

– William James

Stop believing the thoughts that make you suffer

We have learned to practice STOP in our previous entry. Stop, Take a deep breath, Observe & Proceed. Create space between your awareness and your thoughts. Our thoughts happen of themselves but our investment in them is where we trip. We get wrapped up and it puts us in a constrained limited world where the only reality is the world that makes us suffer.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Doing the work by Byron Katie really comes in handy in these challenging times. Ask these 4 questions in times when you are entangled in thoughts of suffering.

  • Is it true?
  • Is it absolutely true?
  • Who would you be without this thought?
  • What would it be like if I turn this around?

Conclusion

In studying the difference between our ego and awareness, we learn where our suffering comes from and know how to manage them through simple shifting of attention and some inquiry.

Our inner world and outer world are not separate. Transcend the illusion of separateness and you shall find peace. Go above the judgement of good & bad and you have accessed the space of non duality. Always be centered where all is in balance and equanimity. Here in lies your piece.

Although letting go of your beliefs might feel like dying, you are dying to give birth to a more peaceful version of yourself, one that is free from suffering, Christ like and carries joy every where you may roam.

Sharing is caring. Let’s raise the consciousness of humanity one small act at a time.

Mindfulness now; How to Live with Intention, Balance & Ease

“Life without a plan, As useless as the moment it began, Serves merely as a soil for discontent. To thrive in, an encumbrance ere half spent.”

– James Allen

You opened up your mind and tried many practices, ideologies, and activities but you still feel you aren’t where you are supposed to be. You work yourself to the point of burning out and still feel unfulfilled? No matter how hard you try there is always something lacking in your life. You do not need to look elsewhere for the answer is already with you. With just a minor tweak in your thinking, you are well on your way to living a better version of yourself. Your life’s worth is not dependent on what you do, what you produce, or what you have to give. It is how you feel about each moment in your life that adds up and make the quality of your life. So with these prompts, let’s make one of ease, simplicity, & impact.

Master your mornings

Make a commitment the night before. Decide the time of waking. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep. Make sure you hit these crucial points upon waking.

  • Silence
  • Affirmation
  • Visualization
  • Tidy up
  • Movement
  • Identify Key 3 Key Actions that aligns with your last ng term goal

Mastering your mornings will speed up your self-actualization. You will learn a lot about yourself and you will build the type of person who can rise above the norm and is one of high performance and excellence. Before achieving greatness, start by mastering your mornings.

“Remember, the moment you accept total responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you claim the power to change anything in your life.”

– Hal Elrod

Break free from the constant urge to do something

After you have identified the person you intend to become, you will constantly be bombarded by distractions. Once you have decided on a particular thing, commit to it till it’s done. It’s always helpful to be specific. An example would be the law of 100, 100 push-ups, 100 articles, 100 emails, 100 paintings, it is up to you. You won’t have time for distractions because you have your blinders on focused on those 100 somethings that you have decided to put your focus on. It doesn’t need to be 100, the key here is to aim for a specific number to finish in a certain time frame for a certain amount of days. You get to design this so there will be no reason for it to not fit your lifestyle. Aren’t you psyched? What 100 of something are you aiming for?

When you feel the impulse to do something ask, does this help me in achieving the goal I have decided for myself?

“At the end of the day, you can’t control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.”

– Ben Zobrist

Drop in and deepen the moment

You can always drop in and be present even in the middle of your day-to-day activities. There is immense depth in each moment and it can be a gateway to eternity and total peace. You can drop into this state in he middle of washing dishes, doing laundry and cleaning. Carry presentness not only in your morning routine but all through out the day. Keep the expandedness you cultivated in your morning meditation, it is a space that will keep you safe from all ever changing external circumstances. Whenever feeling constrained, just drop in and know that you are much bigger than all that surrounds you.

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.”

– Eckhart Tolle

Perform an act of kindness

What makes us suffer is our delusion of separateness. Often times we ask what is in it for us before doing anything. This leads to very little or no return in energy. Be giving in ways that you are unique and you shall be compensated in unexpected ways. Big heart = Big profit, Little heart = Little profit. We are not separate from each other and how we serve. Imagine your external as a mirror. You are helped as you help. You are glorified as you glorify. Inside of us is an infinite well of stamina and enthusiasm. So open up and don’t be stingy on what you can give, you have a lot.

“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.”

William Gladstone

Stop putting things off and face what needs facing

In living with intention, start being accountable for your situation. Start with little things, tidy up your personal space, be on time with your financial obligations, keep your kitchen organized and schedule those experiences that have been wanting to become reality. Face things as they are and the intensity of their overwhelm diminishes, put them off and it grows stronger from a lizard to a dragon. Nip it in the bud before it gets too beg and devours you. Most of them are really easy and just needs a little decisiveness and tenacity which you already have in you.

“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”

– Benjamin Franklin

Do more of the things that make you feel alive

Indulge your creativity. Cultivate the courage to create. What you are interested in right now is only a bridge to many doors of more curiosities that will lead to more skills and opportunities. A couple of hours of flow state a day will keep you balanced and keep you connected to your higher self, the real you. So whatever it may be, drawing, dancing, walking, cooking, engage in it and be one with it. Intend this important activity. A couple of hours of feeling truly alive will get you through any issues that might come across in your day.

“Keep taking time for yourself until you are you again.” 

– Lalah Delia

Let go of the habit of revisiting old negative stories

Disrupt the pattern of replaying the same story. The mind only does this because it sticks to what it knows. It has found comfort in it’s own misery. Drop the old story, flip the narrative and start anew. Treat it like an old movie that you have grown out of. Today try writing a new screenplay, one of triumph, epic adventure and a guaranteed happy ending. All are just stories you tell yourself, why not make it a good one. Remember all we need is just a little intention and decisiveness. Decide that today is a good story and so it will be.

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

“Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”

“This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stop waiting for the ideal path to appear

The ideal path won’t be presented to you on a silver platter. The universe doesn’t owe you a framework to follow. Everything outside of you is in hazy wave form, you harden them into material form through thought and inspired action. Be open to paths to take in order to arrive closer to your north star. There are many ways to peel an orange. How you will arrive at your desired destination is up to you. One thing is for sure, you gotta move towards it. Just take that one single step forward each day and be aware of the changes along the way.


“Luck comes to a man who puts himself in the way of it. You went where something might be found and you found something, simple as that.”

– Louis L’amour

Maintain composure in the amidst change

Our natural state is one of balance. Work on your inner stability so strong that no external test can make you wobble. Do not take anything too seriously. Give everything space, allow them to be. Everything is just another one of those. You are one of billions who are having the same experience and actually if you are reading this, you are doing pretty good. You are taking charge in empowering yourself with tools to navigate this ever changing world. Strengthen your centeredness. It is best to establish this early in the morning.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” 

– Romans 8:28

Afterthoughts

Serenity can be accessed anytime of day. Nourish and nurture what your higher self or real self calls you to become. With dedication to your mission, commitment, diligence, watchfulness, energy and effort all can be attained. Work with the great power higher than ourselves. Make each day count by making the right choices. The power is in you, now.

Real-time Mindset Shifting tools when life Gets Overwhelming

Much has been said about shifting our mindsets through meditation, self care and retreats to fully disconnect to reconnect. But when we get thrown back into our day to day we immediately spiral back to our old ways falling pray to the tyranny of the mind. It doesn’t need to be this way. Equip yourself with these real-time tools that can be easily deployed when you notice you are being tempted to get caught up in your head.

Physiological Sigh

A tool popularized by Andrew Huberman, that has been discovered in the 1930’s. A deep nasal inhale followed by an extra inhale and extended exhale. Our lungs are not just two big bags of air but it is surrounded by millions of mini sacs that if we were to lay it out would cover an entire football field. Isn’t that fascinating?

  • Deep nasal inhale
  • Another inhale
  • Extended exhale
  • 1 -3 times

It will instantly calm you down and what I love about this is you can do this real-time, no equipment, no audio, no meditation room, just straight up operating on your biology to get to balance. Once we get our chemicals balanced in the blood and in the brain we will operate with more clarity. Learn more here.

“Positive thinking is not about being delusional. It’s about learning how to take control of internal processing and knowing it’ll shape your external environment.”

Andrew D. Huberman

5 Second Rule

Popularized by Mel Robbins, It is the idea that you do a count down from 5 to 1 just like a rocket ship launch. If you have an instinct to move towards a goal you must physically move towards it in 5 seconds. If not the idea will stay in the brain and eventually you will be talked out of it by the brain because, you will have been persuaded by the mind’s reasonings protecting its comfort. The mind doesn’t like new things, and change, but the inner you is driven and destined yo evolve so commit to your actions using the 5 second rule. “The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.

“If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.”

— Mel Robbins.

Why does this work? It is because of Metacognition. The ability to interrupt the sub conscious pattern and flips on your pre frontal cortex. The moment you start counting backwards you lean towards action, as you count, you skip the brain’s resistance to change. If you want something new to happen, you gotta start something you have never done. What is your gut telling you? Use the five second rule before you get talked out of it by your patterns. It’s like ripping a band aid off, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, off we go! Watch more here

Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique)

Made famous by Poppy Delbridge. Is a technique combining tapping parts of the face and affirmations. Identify what is bothering you, affirm a solution and tap for 7 seconds the eyebrows, sides of the eyes, under the eyes, below the nose, the chin and the. The top of the head. It might seem a bit funny at first but, all we gotta do is try. Affirmations plus a specific activity such as tapping activates the Amygdala, the part of the brain which processes threats. Identifying what causes anxiety leads to clarity of solutions. The mere act of tapping too has the same effect of mindful body scan. Shifting away from the distress and towards ease and solution. We have meridians too all over our bodies which are path ways of life force which I think benefits from tapping. So when you are about to do something that scares you, tap away and affirm your power.

“The basic component of the Universe, energy, occurs in either materialized or un-materialized form. All that we see and feel is an expression of energy. All energy is the love of the Divine flowing through us. When we resist the flow of love, we experience discomfort. When we align with the love, we feel joyful and at peace.”

Arnold Patent

Grounding Object

It maybe helpful to have a grounding object like your favorite stone, a prayer card, a small bottle of essential oil. Something that you can touch and bring your attention to. I have a small obsidian stone that I keep in my pocket. We can embody the meaning behind the object; an example would be the obsidian stone being a highly-regarded protective stone, known for its ability to block, absorb, and transform negative energy. Obsidian is believed to be a stone of clarity, with the ability to release emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages, drawing out stress and tension. So from time to time during the day I reach down and touch the stone and automatically centers me back to the present. What is your grounding object?

“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone…. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ”

– Lin Yutang

Calming Imagery

I’m n whatever situation you may be. You can always pick a quiet spot, close your eyes and imagine your safe place. It can be a beach, a tranquil zen room or just out in nature. This soothes the anxiety response and shifts your attention to calm and safety. We get anxious because we believe that we are being limited or constrained by a certain situation, by using the power of calming imagery, consciousness expands and brings forth a stability.

“The thinking mind is best controlled by the imagination. ”

– Carson McCullers

Worry Time

Designating a time for worry. If anything that causes you to be anxious pops up, write it down and a lot a specific limited time to worry about it. An example would be “I will deal with this thing that is causing me anxiety at 6:00 – 6:15 pm”. In designating a specific time for it, you will then force yourself to come up with a solution for it on the time decided upon. You will not spend your whole day ruminating on it because you know that from 6:00 – 6:15 you will be dealing with it and will come up with a perfect solution. So whatever is bothering you, box it up in your head and put a label “to be opened at 6:00-6:15pm. A little time management goes a long way.

“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.”

– Victor Hugo

S.T.O.P.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed, use this acronym STOP. S is to literally stop what you are doing. T is to take a deep breath. O is observe yourself and surroundings and really assess the situation for what it is. P is for Proceed with compassion for self and others. I find this one very handy because sometimes all we really need to do is to Stop, and everything seems to revert to balance. I learned this one from Tara Brach.

“What would it be like if I could accept life–accept this moment–exactly as it is?”

– Tara Brach

R.A.I.N

The acronym RAIN is an easy-to-remember tool for bringing mindfulness and compassion to emotional difficulty.


Recognize what is going on;
Allow the experience to be there, just as it is; Investigate with interest and care;
Nurture with self-compassion.


You can take your time and explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the steps whenever challenging feelings arise.

“Mindfulness is a pause – the space between stimulus and
response: that’s where choice
lies.”

– Tara Brach

Conclusion

Hope this post provided some tools for your kit. What’s more important is using these tools whenever challenged. We all know what we need to do but do we really put them to practice? I hope you be your best each day, track your progress and keep on getting better even 1 % a day goes a long way. I believe in you and together we can make this world a better place.

Home

Things You Might Have Taken For Granted

“I breathe in the fullness and richness of life.”

– Louise Hay

It is in our nature to always be looking for the next thing. The moment life presents us with something exciting may it be intrinsic or extrinsic in nature, our appreciation for it seems to always be fleeting. We binge watch entertainment, devour food, go from place to place and our minds are never here. We are always onto the next thing. This helps us in our expansion and growth but without making time to cherish what we already have we end up missing the point of our journey leaving us depleted and confused. It doesn’t need to be this way. With these simple reminders, may we appreciate the things we have done or have, filling our cups up with overflowing joy before we venture for anything more.

Your Uniqueness

What makes you different makes you special. It is the way we see this uniqueness that most people are misguided. Being different should not be frowned upon or feel bad about. Gone are the days of conformity, it served us back in the industrial age when people were trained to become factory workers. But with technology and automation, creativity and being different in the way you think is of prized value. Think of creative new ways of doing things. Evolve things that has been written, maybe give a traditional recipe a new twist. Being different should be shared and celebrated. You are a manifestation of the divine knowing itself as you go through life. You are unique, valued, needed and play a part in this great miracle of life. So, what’s unique about you and how will it add to the beauty of the world?

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

– Geneen Roth

All Your Experiences

You may think you did lots of things that were of no use and was a waste of your time. We take these experiences for granted, internships, minimum wage jobs, a friend you used to hang out with, activities you used to enjoy, hobbies you stopped pursuing. All of those contributed to who you are right now. So it is really helpful to look back and pick an experience that you might think was useless and take another look and find something in that experience that helped you. Remembering what we have learned keeps us from nature pushing us to relearn a certain lesson. All your experiences matter and should be valued, try thinking like this.

“The only source of knowledge is experience.”

– Albert Einstein

Daily Learnings

Each day there is a lesson to be learned. A lot of times hidden under our discomforts and judgements. Be in completion with the version of yourself yesterday in seeking these tiny valuable gems. It will lead you closer to the version of yourself you aspire to be. Maybe a more compassionate, understanding, open, flexible and creative. Try as much as you can, moment to moment, ask: “what is this trying to teach me?”.

“Learning never exhausts the mind.”

– Leonardo Da Vinci

Transitions

All of our time here are eternally happening moment to moment. All is now, always transitioning from this to that. Often times we project our thoughts to a certain situation that we tend to lose touch with the now. It is ok to plan and think ahead but always turn your attention to here. We can only design our future up to a certain extent, the real deal is what is happening right now. You, reading this, somewhere, transitioning to a version of yourself that is more present and grateful. Knowing that we are always transitioning, find and acknowledge beauty each and everywhere you look.

“The three realms of existence are as transient as autumn clouds.
The birth and death of beings go on like a dance show.
The lives of beings pass by like a flash of lightning in the sky,
Rushing down, like a cascading waterfall down a steep mountain.”

– The Buddha

The Familiar

We tend to take familiar things for granted but they are as important as the new and exciting ones. All we need to do is to see familiar things in an unfamiliar way. You might have taken the place you are in for granted, your talents perhaps? Daily routines may turn mundane and un eventful, but it would be of great advantage if we do some simple reframing. Your usual route might be reframed from “this is my route for years and I’m bored” to “the sky looked different today and the waters sparkled unlike any other day”. Do not take the “Familiar” for granted, it is there because it works and it serves you. What familiar thing in your daily life are you going to reframe as new?

I“t takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”

– Alan Cohen

Your Body

Yes we are more than this meat suit made of flesh and bones but this is really where we most spend our time. This is where your spirit lives and it is your instrument for creation. It is sacred and never take your body for granted. Unleash its full potential by self care, exercise and proper diet. Make your inner light shine through your eyes and skin. Flow and be vibrant by raising your alkalinity through good thoughts, good food and applying best practices for self care. You can design your own rituals and regimen. Nourish and love your body, it will love you back a thousand folds.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

– Buddha

The Fact That You Are Reading This

The fact that you are reading this means you are practicing self care. You are taking charge of your personal growth, you are probably in your beautiful home, having tea and can breathe deeply and smile. You probably finished some degree and have a craft that sustains you or people who love you that has got your back. Approximately 700,000,000 million people aren’t educated enough to read so this is a good one to be thankful for.

“Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.”

-Thornton Wilder

Conclusion

Hope we give these insights the attention they deserve. Our lives are made up of these little things and you know what they say about little things…. They are not little.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

https://www.makepurethyheart.com

Tony Robbins Best Quotes

“The power of positive thinking is the ability to generate a feeling of certainty in yourself when nothing in the environment supports you.”

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”

“If you can’t, you must. If you must, you can.”

“The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.”

“Your past does not equal your future.”

“Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions.”

“Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards.”

“The path to success is to take massive, determined action.”

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

“Goals are like magnets. They’ll attract the things that make them come true.”

“People who fail focus on what they have to go through; people who succeed focus on what it will feel like at the end.”

“Persistence overshadows even talent as the most valuable resource shaping the quality of life.”

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

“It’s what you practice in private that you’ll be rewarded for in public.”

“In life you need either inspiration or desperation.”

“Every problem is a gift – without problems we would not grow.”

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”

“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.”

“You don’t have to have a reason to feel good. You’re alive! You can feel good for no reason at all!”

“If you talk about it, it’s a dream. If you envision it, it’s possible. If you schedule it, it’s real.”

Starting the day With the right Mindset

Visualize being less stressed, more focused, and lighter every day gently walking towards your goals.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” 

– Aristotle

Set the tone of your day by practicing simple habits. Your mornings are your foundation. Make it a point that you establish and tackle your non negotiable commitments first before the urgencies take over and get the best of you.

The key here is to be intentional. Once you establish the importance of certain things, it will be easy for you to commit and follow through.

Present moment awareness before you touch your phone

Set a time for waking the night before. Spend first couple of hours of waking in silence. Observe your urges of checking your emails and notifications. This is because you are addicted to cheap dopamine. You get rewards for looking at updates because your brain constantly want something new. Low effort high reward but damaging in the long term and leaves you feeling empty when the scrolling stops. Try engaging in a more enriching and engaging activity; maybe non activity will give your brain a much needed reset.

“You may not be tired after all; you might just be exhausted from playing dopamine tennis with your brain.”

– Naval

Clear the mind of loop traps

Before engaging in any activity. Clear the head of loop traps. Observe your triggers, will you allow something that bothered you yesterday bother you today? Most of us hit the replay button of the same story. This is because the mind likes patterns and sticks to what it knows. With intention clear all caches and histories. Start on a new white smooth clear white canvas. Notice hunches and new possibilities. Don’t get trapped in cycles of nonsense. Take a deep breath, embody your truth and head on out with a new story to write.

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” 

– Eduard De Bono

Luke warm water + Lemon

Skip the coffee, wait till after a couple of hours to optimize benefits of caffeine. Let your natural hormone cortisol spike up and level out first before adding caffeine to your system, this I learned from Andrew Huberman. Lemon water will alkalize your system, remove toxins that might have built up, vitamin c and it’s just refreshing and will give your day a zesty start.

“After you put your feet on the floor in the morning, immediately say this phrase, “It’s going to be a great day.” As you say these seven words, try to feel optimistic and positive.”

– Bj Fogg

Make your bed and tidy up your room

Pretend the person you are trying to impress is going to enter your room in 10 minutes. Watch how beautiful your room will get no time. Completing a task like this sets you up to take on more tasks with confidence. There’s a book called make your bed. Tidying up your room gives respect and reverence to your dwelling. It gives respect and reverence to your self. It is where you sleep and heal and it should be orderly and dandy like a modern zen retreat center. This will free up a lot of space in your mind. Your stuff and Knick knacks around you don’t only take up space in your room, they take up space in your head too. So tidy up, organize and put things away. This will help you a whole lot.

“That obstacle course is going to beat you every time unless you start taking some risks.”

– William McRaven Quotes from Make Your Bed

Gratitude

Cultivate a calm smile as you enumerate things you are grateful for. Gratitude relieves tension, induces serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. Focus on the fullness of life rather than what is lacking. Carry this mindset all throughout the day. This can even be done in 1 minute before getting up. Think of one person and one opportunity you are thankful for.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” 

– Melodie Beattie

3 key actions of the day

Turn your 10 to dos to 3 musts. These are important specific actions you need to accomplish to make the day a success. What 3 key actions do you need to do that will help you get closer to your long term goal.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– H G Jackson

Make undistracted time and place

Our best focused work can be done in the morning. One study shows that we are distracted every 6 – 8 minutes and it takes another 22 minutes for a “task residue” to be fully dissolved. A little bit of intentionality and being specific with your undistracted time and place will be beneficial.

“ten-minute rule.” If I find myself wanting to check my phone as a pacification device when I can’t think of anything better to do, I tell myself it’s fine to give in, but not right now. I have to wait just ten minutes.”

– Nir Eyal

Prime for positivity

Set some time to commit to positivity. That today you will focus on solutions. That you will see the good side of things. You will focus on how you are learning and not how you are correct. Create this state that is above circumstances and be ready to tackle on the variables of the day.

“Once you start making the effort to “wake yourself up” – that is, be more mindful in your activities – you suddenly start appreciating
life a lot more.”

– Robert Biswas-yDiener

Conclusion

Our mindsets can make or break our day which makes up our week, months and years. A little effort and consistency goes a long way. We know so much information on how to become the best but the real game lies in the application of what we know.

More of my work here. MAKE PURE THY HEART ❤️‍🔥

Namaste 🙏

Empower your future; Ways to Take charge of your destiny

When we were young, we let our parents lay out the foundations of what we are to become. Gave us shelter, food and education. But there comes a time where your intrinsic motivation starts to spark and you gain awareness different from what you are told. A life that you might have seen from others that you strongly resonated with. For some households unique ideas are nourished and supported to some extent, but for some it is time to empower our vision and grab the bull by the horn and create lives worth pursuing.

No one will save you, tell you who you should be and what to do. It is time to hold yourself accountable for your where you stand and start creating the life that is meant for you. Here are some ways you can achieve them.

1. Have a Clear Vision

Take stock at where you are in your life. What what brought you here, to where you are and where would you like to be? Before you get all entangled in the endless to dos of your day, offer 5 minutes to really ask yourself what specific situation is ideal for you. Learn the skill of imagination. Everything you see around you has been imagined by someone brave enough to persist. Create a clear mental picture of you in your ideal day in your ideal body with your ideal relationships. If you are able to envision it, it is only a matter of time till it comes to fruition. Your mind’s capability to picture it is the power that will bring the in animate object to animate. Believe, plan, learn and course correct along the way. These mental pictures might change daily but one thing you need to keep consistent, it is your intentional imagining.

“There is nothing capricious in nature and the implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feel it.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Write Things Down

Make a habit of writing things down. Your mind is a great receiver of information that might contain deeper insights on what you are about to do with regards to your higher mission. Be sensitive to what inspires you and what gets you curious. I’d like to call them “hits” when I get that feeling that “this might be something worth looking into a little bit deeper”. So never ignore a hunch. Write it down, investigate and wait till the power of right action and divine inspiration penetrates your whole being and you have no choice but to move your body towards it. Writing things down keeps your brain from ruminating on a thing that might be keeping you open for more data downloads. So get it out of your head, into paper and conjure up a good plan and deploy with intense focus and flow.

“Paper is to write things down that we need to remember. Our brains are used to think.”

– Albert Einstein

3. Make Short & Long Term Goals

Know the difference between urgent and important tasks. This is the Eisenhower matrix. Urgent: Tasks or activities that are time-sensitive and require immediate attention to avoid immediate consequences. Urgent activities typically support others in achieving their goals. Important: Tasks or activities that support strategic progress towards your personal and/or professional long-term goals.

Finish important tasks first before doing urgent tasks. We easily get wallowed up in the busyness of the day that we might appear productive but in reality it doesn’t move the needle towards our long term goals. Be strategic, time your tasks and rate yourself at the end of the day. Embody your future-self by writing down 3 key important actions that you will finish before 8am. Design a schedule that works for you and follow it. Empowering your future starts with these little steps.

“We all need lots of powerful long range goals to help us past the short-term obstacles”

– Jim Rohn

4. Let Go Of Something Good For Something Better

A habit might have been crucial for you to be where you are now but if you don’t change, nothing will change. Remember that designing your future requires a lot of editing and course correcting. Feel free to look at things that are not necessarily a bad habit but maybe something you can let go to make space for something better. Maybe let go of watching too much entertainment, it is good and relaxing but maybe try replacing it with reading or introspection. Maybe your job has brought you stability but have not challenged you enough to be fully fulfilled, you do not need to quit your job which sustains you, maybe letting go of inessential responsibilities in your job that don’t bring you joy can be a power move. It’s all about allocation. Apply the 80/20 principle.

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”

– Tony Robins

5. Be Decisive

Decision comes from the word decisio which literally means to cut off. Know where you spend your time. Cut off unnecessary baggage. You might be carrying baggage in your head from the past and dread of the future. Create a single minded focus on how you will create your future and stay in that realm. When you notice the mind wandering, remind yourself of why you are creating your future and get back on track. Deliberate practice, you wanna be the person who can stand on your hands? Do the drills for 30 minutes daily for 66 days. Decision making is empowering and it will bring you places you never knew existed.

“Decision making is easy when your values are clear.”

– Roy Disney

6. Move The Body

This can’t be exaggerated enough. Create dopamine by doing some jumping jacks, lifting some dumbbells or going for a walk. Do a standing jog or do some simple stretches. This will activate your proprioceptors, you will know how to safely inhabit the body and will prime you for tip top performance.

“The primary and most beautiful of nature’s qualities is motion”

– Marquis De Sade

7. Put Money On It

if you invest money for a course or a business, it is more likely that you will follow through. A lot of us get excited when things are new but fail to be consistent or quit when things get boring. Do not easily be distracted with your mission and never hesitate to invest in yourself.

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”

– Zig Ziglar

8. Know How You Will Serve

it’s all about serving other people or a great cause. What talents do you have that might be of service to an organization or community. If you give something of yourself, the universe will give it back to you ten folds in unexpected ways. Serve in ways that celebrates your character and your uniqueness. Pick an industry, take the course, print the brochure and head on out confident that this is only a small part of an expansive journey.

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

– Rabindranath Tagore

9. Get Proximal

The proximity principle in psychology describes the way relationships are formed between things close to one another. Position yourself where you are able to succeed and move up. Get yourself in the loop, engage with people in the industry you are in. Choose the city where your industry is thriving. So get as closest to the sun as you can be. Maybe intern for your dream mentor. Be open to people you can help and can help you. You’ll be surprised how things connect in the future.

“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” 

– Tony Robbins

Conclusion

These are only some of the ways you can take charge of the future. These only work when applied deliberately. What strategies are you gonna apply? Hope you find one that really works for you. You contain multitudes and there is no limit to what you can be, do or have.

Namaste 🙏

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