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Tag: Mindfulness

What is Better than Happiness? 19 ways to transform your day

Happy comes from the root word Hap which means chance or good fortune. Its first meaning was recorded in 14c which means “luck” except for the Welsh which means “wise”.

Being lucky and being wise are quite different.
Don’t we rather be “wise” and take charge of our own luck? Naval Ravikant’s 4 types of luck is worth looking into.

You create your own luck by putting yourself in a position where luck can find you.

In his podcast Naval discusses four kinds of luck.

  • 1-Blind Luck – This is pure dumb luck, fortune, or fate. Where were you born? Who are your parents? Stuff you have zero control over.
  • 2-Luck from Hustling – Luck that comes from hard work and persistence. Opportunities are created through sheer energy and activity. Things get “stirred up” from the high amount of activity. The more activity you generate, the more opportunities that arise.
  • 3-Luck From Preparation – Luck that comes from being prepared to act on an opportunity. Having the ability to spot an opportunity. Other people do not notice, but you are skilled and attuned to spotting an opportunity. You are sensitive to luck.
  • 4-Luck From Your Unique Character – Luck that is generated because you have built a unique mindset or brand. Opportunities arise because you are one of the most qualified people to assist. Somebody else spots an opportunity and turns to you to assist because you are uniquely qualified. Someone else’s blind luck becomes your opportunity.

Source: https://www.michaeldmcgill.com/2021/04/24/how-to-create-your-own-luck/

There is also Joy which is defined to be the source of pleasure and happiness. Joy being an inner feeling rather than an outward expression which is happiness. We can simplify this concept with the oldest aphorism “As within so without” The duty here is to cultivate inward unconditional Joy and its outward expression will flow out effortlessly as happiness.

Let’s dive into these insights.

1. Learn Something New

Make a daily habit of learning something new. Learning fires up new neural connections in your brain. Keeping your brain healthy, opening up doors to other ventures and increases your value. So entertain your curiosity, it might lead to new wonderful places. Question the normal, open yourself up to new combinations of interests to get to know yourself even deeper. You can always let go if it doesn’t resonate. But always keep on trying new things, there is a lot out there, from cuisines to musical instruments to language to arts and crafts. Get comfortable with something new and get ready for better worlds. Remember that you contain multitudes.

2. Let go

Unload the things that don’t serve you. Imagine letting go of a heavy backpack. Letting go is acceptance of things you cannot change. Much of our suffering comes from voluntary forcing to carry things that don’t need carrying. So lighten up by surrendering some of the load to a higher power.

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”

– Herman Hesse

3. Pay Attention to Little Things

Doing small things in a great way is an opportunity open to everyone in the present moment. Small acts have big impact, tidying up sets you up for success. Trimming your nails is a simple act of renewal. The little things are the big things. What little thing are you going to engage in with a big heart?

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

– Arthur Ashe

4. Author Your Future

Take a moment to imagine what is possible for you within the next 6 months. What opportunities are you willing to take up on. Write down a strategic plan with specific actions. Set some SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. Designing your future will provide confidence that you are in charge of your life and joy will inevitably be found.

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”

– William Ernest Henley

5. Go To The Edge

The version of yourself that you are destined to be is on the other side of your comfort zone. Find the edge of your comfort, ask why you have set those boundaries and discover new worlds. On the edge you will feel truly alive, exhilarated and renewed. A constant rebuilding and polishing, a persistent joyful rebirth moment to moment. So meet that edge with gentle courage. Now isn’t that a joyful thing?

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”

– Joseph Campbell

6. Find Freedom

Too often we get too comfortable in limitations of our own making. Joy can be found in your freedom to discover yourself, your journey and your mission. Know your values, hold them close as you venture new worlds. Joy can be found in freedom.

“FREEDOM IS THE OPEN WINDOW THROUGH WHICH POURS THE SUNLIGHT OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND
HUMAN DIGNITY”

– Herbert Hoover

7. Live in the Moment

This is the heart of mindfulness. Bring yourself here. Listen to your breath. Scan sensations in the body. For each hour, spend 5 minutes to just be here. Nothing to change, nothing to do, just being. We are human beings after all, not human doings. You are here, just this. Just sitting. Practice this and notice the joy that is already in you. It has always been there we just need to intentionally live in the moment.

“Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.”

– Jon Kabat Zinn

8. Expand Your Awareness

Allow yourself to drop the story of “Me”, “mine” and “myself”. Your True self is beyond your persona and identity. When you let go of the story of “I need this to be such & such for happiness to happen”, You open up yourself to a majestic plane of consciousness where all is correct and dancing beautifully. Nature is one best tool for expanding the awareness. Try npr’s joy generator.

“We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don’t know about and don’t understand. There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them.”

– David Attenborough

9. Envision The Best Outcome

Live in the positive expectancy of the best. Stay calm when things don’t go your way. Be not attached to the fruits of your labor. Just be consistent in acting as if the best has already happened. This is being pro active in creating inner joy first. There is also a concept called law of inverse transformation that I have learned from my favorite metaphysician Joseph Murphy.

“If a physical fact can produce a psychological state, a psychological state can produce a physical fact.”

– Joseph Murphy

10. Plan a Trip

It doesn’t need to be Paris or Tokyo. Just a change in environment to spice up your day to day. Take a long drive somewhere unusual. Maybe along the coastline or up in the mountains. Planning a trip creates something to look forward to. It is also a practice of designing your life. Plan ahead and be flexible to change. New places will bring forth dopamine and you will expand your domain of familiarity. Have a journal on hand because you might receive your aha moment as you cruise.

“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.”

– Henri Nouwen

11. Accentuate what is Working

What has been working in your life? Too often we ruminate on the things that don’t work or what’s lacking. Take a deep breath and find Joy in what is working. See the fullness instead of the emptiness. What have been your strengths? Maybe they were the values you’ve been carrying all along, resilience, forbearance, endurance, adaptability. Focus on what works and be glad that it does. What joy to know this.

“Seeing everything just the way it is – that is the way to be within. If you see something other than what is there, it means you are contaminating the world with your opinions and prejudices.”

– Sadhguru

12. There is Joy in Humility

The difference between an intelligent person and a foolish person is that the intelligent one knows that he is foolish. Know that you do not know a thing. What our conscious mind thinks it knows is minuscule compared to how truly things are. Do you know how water works? How your consciousness work? Fire? Rocks? The Octopus? Walking this life with humility and reverence opens us up to joyful wonder. Like a child easily pleased.

“The key to knowing joy is being easily pleased.”

– Mark Nepo

13. Hit the Pause Button

Literally stop everything and just be. Notice the beauty that surrounds you. Recognize the life you have created so far. In practicing this habit of pausing, you are training your subconscious mind to intentionally find joy in little things that are already around and within you.

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

– Albert Einstein

14. Befriend the Mind

Too often we let our thinking rob us of our joy. Befriending the mind is setting healthy boundaries between your awareness and the minds chatter. Know that you are not your thoughts and you can let the mind wander to different places and viewpoints without losing your centeredness. When something unloveable arises from the mind, you are a friend who understands the nature of the mind. You say “thank you mind for these thoughts but I choose to stay here in my center, my peace, in this space lies your joy.

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.“

– Jon Kabat Zinn

15. Maintain Balance

When everything is in balance, all is well and at ease. Stop the endless cycling of the mind. It is a predicting machine. It predicts the future and lives in the familiar past. Find joy in what is. Everything is neither good nor bad but our judgment makes it so. Maintain a balanced diet, exercise, human connection and creativity. Balance of the mind and heart; joy will ensue.

“Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows”.

– Jack Kornfield

16. Be Solution Oriented & Trusting

Be the change you want to see, be part of the solution rather than the problem. Approach life and its complexities with courage and knowingness that all works out for the best. There is a solution to every problem and most of the time it is very simple and will get solved by leaving things be. Trust in the Dao. Try your best at helping the situation but know how to surrender to higher power as well. Knowing that you are not responsible for fixing everything is a joyful relief.

“There is a spiritual solution to every problem”

Dr. Wayne Dyer

17. Find Joy Being Alone

Whenever you are alone the easier it gets to connect to your higher self. To rejoice in all the life that is around you. This is the time where you can really just be yourself and observe what it’s like. Getting to know yourself without other people’s expectations. So find your favorite self care modality and feel free to indulge.

“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”

– May Sarton

18. Rejoice in the Success of Others

There is no limit to the pie. Other people’s success doesn’t mean shortage in yours. Play the game of collaboration instead of competition. Nobody needs to be beneath anybody. Status is a zero sum game, but wealth creation is a positive sum game according to Naval Ravikant. More information here. So celebrate other people’s success and think of how you can progress that success through your creative thinking.

See others as you see yourself. Salute the divinity of others as in yourself. Their success is your success. You are a player in this one big team of humanity.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

19. Experience the Sunrise

Not even the finest artist nor the most distinguished poet can paint and describe the beauty of a sunrise. A symbol of renewal, the dawning of consciousness, the beginning of life itself. Make an appointment to see the sunrise by yourself or with a loved one. It is the grandest of all art exhibits. It is free, it happens daily. All we gotta do is show up and tap into its indescribable joy.

“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.”

– Nathan Philips

Conclusion

There are many ways in which we can cultivate inner joy. Knowing them is only the tip of the iceberg. Putting them to practice is where the fun really is. Play the game of Joy in your daily life and observe how things around you change for the better.

Good Morning; How to Wake Up Ready For A Successful Day

“The early morning has gold in its mouth.”

Benjamin Franklin

Each day we are given an opportunity to start a new day. A new day means a new space where we can create something new. Lead us closer to who we aspire to become and achieve worthwhile goals.

A new day is a chance to renew, revitalize and act on our highest purpose. To make the most out of the gift of life. To harness the capabilities of your mind. The only freedom we have is the way we think which leads to how we feel and act moment to moment. Let’s take a look at some insights that will make each day optimized to its full.

1. Prepare the night before

“Finish each 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. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your morning routine starts the night before. Decide what time you shall rise. Keep your phone away from your bed so when the alarm goes off you will be obliged to stand turn the alarm off. If heading out on a walk prepare the shoes right by the door. It is called lessening the friction of the habits you want to form.

2. Eliminate Decision Fatigue

Each evening before going to bed do a quick assessment of where you are in your life. Identify your long term goals and short term goals. Decide on how you are going to spend the precious moments of your morning. Be specific on what actions you are going to take say between 5:00am – 7:00am. These 2 hours utilized with accuracy and consistency will bring you exponential growth. Much time and energy is wasted on decision making with questions like how I’m I going to achieve my goal? Rather, decide the night before and all you need to think about is execution in the morning. Deep intense focused work with your mind uncluttered is a sure fire way to go about what ever you are planning to achieve.

3. Quality Sleep

Quality of sleep doesn’t necessarily mean many hours of sleep. It means you sleep in peace knowing exactly what you are going to do as soon as you wake up. Avoid watching the news, other media and thinking of your problems. Clear the mind before going to bed by asking your subconscious mind to answer all of your questions as you sleep. The thoughts you think right before going to bed is what your subconscious will accept as truth.

“one should never go to sleep without requesting something to the subconscious mind.”

– Thomas Edison

4. 2 Minute Breathing

This can be planned the night before. Upon waking up, sit with your spine erect and just breathe for two minutes. This establishes a good relationship between your awareness and your mind. You will notice the minds non stop chattering and in this two minutes, establish your distance from the mind and carry that space all throughout the day.

“When life is foggy, path is unclear and mind is dull, remember your breath. It has the power to give you the peace. It has the power to resolve the unsolved equations of life.”

– Amit Ray

5. Hydrate & Change Environment

“If there is Magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”

– Lorn Eiseley

Your body uses up a lot of water while you sleep so hydrate immediately or after your moment of silence. Changing your environment like walking outside immediately gets you out of your head and into the body. Tuning yourself to the earth and provides clarity on your next moves.

“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.”

Mark Caine

Remember the last time you went to somewhere new? Your brain was induced with dopamine and you were excited like a child. Changing environment will give you freshness when you get back to deep focused work. So including a little walk to your morning routine will be beneficial.

6. Start with a Smile

The first couple of moments after you wake will set the tone of your whole day. Be intentional in smiling. Smiling provides relaxation and relieves tension. Don’t wait for something extraordinary to happen before you smile. Just start your day with positive expectancy, hope for the best, gently navigating your way as best as you can. Smile first, then the universe will provide more of what to smile about.

“A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.” 

7. Cultivate Gratitude

This can be done anytime of day. Close your eyes and think of three things you are grateful for. Gratitude celebrates what we already have and sets our minds to receive more. If we are thankful and tuned in to humility we tap into a power greater than us. So if you got your needs met, get happy now and don’t worry about the things you don’t have.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

– Oprah

Try having a little notebook and make it your gratitude journal. Write on it whenever you feel grateful. It’s nice to look at it from time to time to remind us of the fullness of life.

“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.”

8. Tidy up

“Only by taking care of your immediate environment can you then move onto bigger challenges.”

– Jordan Peterson

Tidy up as you go. Cleaning and organizing your surroundings will get you more inspired and clear on what you set out to do. Clearing a small part of your room let’s say your desk has a tremendous impact on your overall mood and happiness. So as you go about your day, make it a habit of leaving things better than you find them.

9. Play Relaxing Music

You know that feeling when you enter a nice spa? There are certain tones and vibrations that shifts your mood instantaneously. Look into Solfeggio tones.

“Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering.”

Haruki Murakami

10. Minimize your to do

Narrow down your activities to the bare essentials. Pick 3 things that must be done within the day. Narrowing it down to three increases the likelihood of it getting finished. The trick here is choosing what 3 key actions to dedicate your time on that helps your higher purpose. Maybe writing an article? Practicing an instrument? A exercise regimen? Set some bright lines and make it non negotiable. Put Important tasks first before the urgent.

  • Important activities have an outcome that leads to us achieving our goals, whether these are professional or personal.
  • Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associated with achieving someone else’s goals. They are often the ones we concentrate on and they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.

Make it a point to prioritize the important before being too busy with urgent.

Hope these tips help you in achieving your perfect mornings!

4 Easy Simple Ways To Change The Trajectory of your life

“Life is C (Choice) between B (Birth) and D (Death).”

– Jean Paul Sarte

You design your life through the daily choices you make. Where you put your attention most of the time is what your mind gets molded into and is then transformed into who you are. Knowing this, we have the power to look at where we a lot our energy adjust accordingly, learn what works and let go of things that aren’t essential.

Your present condition is the sum total of all of your choices. Your choices are votes to what you are committed to. Also choosing not to choose is a choice, so maybe you’ll start to look at things that you used to ignore or take for granted with more attention.

I find this four way approach to be really helpful because it can be applied to your daily routine immediately. Let’s get to it.

1. Do More of Something

Take a look at the past couple of days. What activities have helped you in achieving your full potential? Have you been meditating, exercising, eating healthy with intention? Maybe try to do more of that. The secret here is making Simple Small Steps. For your meditation maybe increasing the time to another 5 minutes. With lifting weights, adding a couple of reps. For your health maybe adding more health foods into your diet like grabbing more blueberries and avocados while in the grocery. There is power in incremental increase and with consistency, you will benefit from its compounding effect. There is great power in 1 more no matter how small in the right direction.

Action step: What activity are you already doing daily that you will do more of?

Increasing the duration, frequency and intensity.

2. Do Less of Something

Ask your self what activities have you been doing that aren’t serving your highest purpose. It might be making you happy on the surface level but isn’t pushing the needle towards your highest good. An example would be time spent consuming media. Maybe you lessen your Netflix and chill time by 30 mins. You do not need to take it away totally for it is your way of decompressing and recovery which is vital too. The trick here is to asses what’s really important and prioritizing them. Less time allotted to what serves your lower end desires and more time allotted to your higher end desires.

“Easy choices = Hard Life, Hard Choices = Easy Life”

– Jerzy Gregorek

So make those seemingly hard choice of doing the right thing; (more exercises, be more positive, healthier diet, more creativity, more meditation) to improve your life in the long run. It is in the choices where you dedicate your time which dictates your outcome and direction in life. It is how you create and live your life after all.

Action step: What thing do you do daily that you will do less of?

Decrease its duration, frequency and intensity.

3. Stop Doing Something

As you start looking meticulously at your day to day, logging in your habits and watching yourself. What activities that aren’t for your highest good that you are ready to let go of? Maybe throughout your life some habits or frames of mind have proven themselves of no use to the person you are intending to become? Try letting go of them gradually leading up to totally. Doing less and less as we have discussed in Number 2. Then in this step you totally let go of them. Imagine them as your old garment that don’t suit your style anymore. Say “Bad habit of such and such, I no longer need you, thank you and goodbye”.

Action step: What bad habit that you are lessening and now completely letting go?

Acknowledge it, honor it and say goodbye to it!

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”

– John D Rockefeller

4. Start Doing Something

In studying these mental models, habits and self help articles, you now know that anything and everything can be started and it is up to you to head on out and do it. 100 push ups a day? Start with one. Writing a book? Start with 1 page. Learn an instrument? Book some lessons. One trick to starting is booking and investing time and money for it. Starting a blog? Invest in a domain and hosting. If you invest time and money, you are more likely to take it seriously. So ask your inner self through silent pondering and act on it.

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

– Tony Robins

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”

– Karen Lamb

Conclusion

  • What are you doing more of?
  • What are you doing less of?
  • What are you gonna stop doing?
  • What are you gonna start doing?

Reference: Jim Kwik

thanks for being here, Namaste 🙏

Best Mindfulness Practices To Maintain Balance Daily

Mindfulness is a great practice to learn. It is the act of paying attention on purpose with no judgment. I have been fascinated with this modality for years now and here are some concepts that have greatly increased my peace, creativity and understanding.

Pick one thing that resonates and put it to practice. Reading and knowing is not enough, doing does the trick. So let’s get to it.

1. Have a set time for meditation.

Don’t get intimidated by the concept of meditation. Just like most things, it is really simple once you do it. Start small and easy, pick a time let’s say every 8:00am; sit with the spine erect and just breathe for 5 minutes. Observing the breath as it enters and exits the body. Notice sounds, feel the sensations of the hands, mind will wander but your awareness will bring it back to the breath.

Start with 5 minutes and increase that time in increments, like a muscle, your brain will develop and learn.

Track your improvements in the coming days.

“What you measure and record grows exponentially”

– Dr. Benjamin Hardy

“Wherever you are, be there totally.” – Eckhart Tolle

2. Watch Your Inner Speech

Become more aware of the quality of your presence. Kill the ANT as they say (automatic negative self talk). Negative self talk has been the default for the most of us but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Our subconscious might have been programmed when we were younger but with mindfulness we can easily discern what is good and what is bad, chucking the bad in the F$&* it bucket.

Become a selective sifter, only choosing what’s good and blessed.

Guard your inner speech, your self talk is limited to only what it experienced and therefore protective of its correctness. Listen to the deeper part of you, the Self, the Dao, your inner wisdom. Inner wisdom don’t chatter, it comes in whispers of acceptance, love and compassion. With deliberate practice, you will have a better relationship with the mind and inner voice.

3. Switch “I got to, to I get to”

If we approach our obligations and responsibilities with gratitude rather than complaining. You will have avoided lots of secondary suffering. The mind tends to inflate and exaggerate what really is and this habit of the mind causes the task at hand to be harder. But with a slight shift in perception like “I’m thankful that I’m bestowed this task of such and such that will help me in my growth” instead of “Oh geez, why do I have to do such and such I’d rather do this and that”.

“Wrapped in our nearest duty is the key
Which shall unlock for us the Heavenly Gate:
Unveiled, the Heavenly Vision he shall see,
Who cometh not too early nor too late.”
– GOETHE

So muster up the courage to wash the dishes and clean your room with no war in the heart.

4. See With Fresh Eyes

We tend to get overstimulated with our phones leaving desensitized. Use the tools but don’t let it use you. Taking things for granted, running on autopilot and constantly craving for low quality dopamine will leave you imbalanced and internally yearning for something real. Disconnect, practice silence and observe how you will see things anew. Maybe discover and rekindle those parts of you that were dormant until now that you looked at them with fresh new eyes.

5. Connect With People

We have learned how human connection is vital to our wellbeing. It increases Oxytocin in the body which is responsible for the dial action of blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. Make a habit of juggling your loved ones, hi fiving co leagues and maybe smiling and talking to your barista.

We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the Universe.

– Amit Ray

6. Don’t Jump To Conclusions

Your mind is a time traveler and a constant predictor. It predicts what is going to happen next, it is a super creative imaginator, it imagines and conjures up mental pictures that aren’t real. It is a great gift to have this capability but we must know how to use it. Rather than training the mind you train your reactions to the mind’s nature to predict scenarios. Make it a habit to pause and let the moment just be what it is. Jumping to conclusions blocks new pathways for you to grow. Remember, you conclude and assume only from your past programming. Let go of the past and make way for the new.

In the space of a mindful pause, crucial information might rise up that will direct us in a more balanced direction. So take into account new information, cultivate a supportive growth mindset.

7. Smile Throughout The Body

It requires more muscles for us to frown rather than smile but some of us are more used to. Smile relaxes the face, brings forth relaxation all over the body and raises up the vibe of yourself and others. Practice intentional smiling, make it your default mode of being.

A genuine smile distributes the cosmic current, Prana to every body cell.The happy man is less subject to disease, for happiness actually attracts into the body a greater supply of the Universal life energy.

– Paramahansa Yogananda

Hope these simple steps help you in creating a more mindful day. May you be open to new things, ready for happy surprises carrying a bright smile along the way.

Thanks for being here! Namaste. 🙏

Some links to look into ❤️❤️‍🔥🙏😊

Meditation with healing sound: Click here

Featured recipe: Chickpea Curry

Featured Song: Come Along With Me

Stay Strong and Resilient even through the Toughest of Days 

It is almost mid January and a time for a check in. Have you been committed to the things you promised yourself last New Year’s Eve? Here are some insights to keep you on track.

1. Commit to being Positive

Go beyond the common expression of “just be positive”, rather take a deeper commitment and be willing to see the “how this situation is helping me?”. The really good one I use is “How is this situation the best thing that ever happened”. Looking back at a hardship that you have overcome in the past, isn’t that the best thing that ever happened? Even though at that time it seemed unreasonable and unfortunate? Learn from the old Chinese proverb that said, it is northern a fortune nor a misfortune, it just is. Go to a neutral, non opinionated place then from there move up to the positive side. Being habitually positive, you will build resilience.

2. Seek the Challenge

Do you always play the game on easy mode? Well if you do you are missing out a lot. Getting used to being challenged increases your resilience. It creates new connections in your brain that creates new possibilities for you. A new skill, new creativity, new product, a version of you that you always dreamed of. Find that sweet spot of being challenged in the areas of your life you want to improve, fitness, family, social, financial or in the arts. Find flow, and as you do, you stack up resilience points that will bring you to the next level of your game.

3. Know your Moral Center

Companies and organizations have core principles and so do you. You need to manage and organize your self before participating in your external world. Identify what you are about, what is your mission? Macro and micro, from here you can easily design how you will show up to the world. In your silent meditation, asses who you are? A loving mother? A household owner? A ceo? A creator? A janitor? Wherever you are in your life right now is caused by your inner moral beliefs. Be the captain of your soul and chart your way to the life of your dreams. Staying true to your center also provides you with direction on where to go next.

”You don’t need to see the whole ladder, all you gotta do is take the next steps”

“ You can’t go wrong by doing the right thing,”

“Find your why, and the how will appear”

4. Remember your Lessons

Lessons are repeated until learned fully. Make time to be thankful for past mistakes and put them to use. Do not waste a good mistake, they are blessings and guide to your gradual becoming. Keep an open mind and be always ready to learn. Always remind yourself to be more bewildered than clever. The things you do not know yet holds the key to the world of your dreams. So be a diligent student and learn from past mistakes.

5. Be Flexible

You are not the person you were yesterday. Deepak Chopra said life is more of a verb. You are constantly changing at a cellular level with every food you eat, thought you think and feelings you feel. Nothing is solid, all is made of tiny balls bouncing off of each other. Nothing of your problems are solid. So be flexible with tools and skills to apply in overcoming a challenge. Be flexible in seeing ways to approach a certain problem. A good trick is to reframe a situation as “how is this problem the best thing that ever happened?”. Being physically flexible can help a lot too.

6. Nurture your self

Putting yourself first positions you in a place of centeredness, groundedness and stability. Enough sleep, healthy diet and exercise sets you up to be able to handle challenges and with your brain in tip top shape, you will be calm and be seeing things from the bird’s eye view, carefully planning and deploying your moves.

7. Keep moving

Be persistent and consistent with developing problem solving skills. Keep moving physically, mentally, stacking up your strengths and course correcting along the way.

Hope these things gave you a boost of confidence knowing that you can be resilient. Have a growth mindset and an attitude of gratitude. Here’s a good one; Switch your “I got to” to “I get to”, this immediately switches your perception of a situation.

Some things to share

MAKE YOUR OWN BREAD

NEW MUSIC VIDEO

Deep breaths! Stay centered! You are always bigger and above this kerfuffle.. Namaste…

27 Ways To Manage Overthinking

Our minds are designed to see the negative, calculate, predict what is going to happen. It is hard wired due to programming and its journey towards self preservation. Not knowing how to manage our overthinking mind will lead to its own demise. Anxiety, confusion, fear and all other negative mental states can be avoided with simple insights to remember.

1. 3 Deep Mindful Breaths


Bringing your attention to your breath automatically shifts your nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic. It shifts from tense and stressed to rest and digest. In these 3 deep mindful breaths you affirm that all is well, you bring your attention where your true power lies, the now. So keep this tool in mind, all throughout the day make time to pause and take 3 deep mindful breaths, an opportunity to recenter, look again and cultivate a positive mindset.

2. Body Scan


Bring attention to parts of the body and intentionality blow relaxation upon them. We tend to store emotional tension on the hips and shoulders. Take a moment to untense starting from the feet going up to the crown of the head. Train the mind and utilize its power to focus. In here we are focusing attention in certain parts of the body and softening them, exhaling through them and returning them to ease and balance. The mind can be commanded to disperse its attention as far wide as the galaxy and to focus its attention to the tiniest of atoms. In this practice, by the power of awareness we focus the minds attention to each cell of your body, allowing it to renew and relax to its natural state.

3. Nature Immersion


Nature is our greatest teacher. We came out from it and manifesting through it. Overthinking is caused by the delusion of separateness from the one true source of all life. The life that is happening that is you, your story, your identity is only a minuscule part of what is really happening. Take a walk in nature and tap into the feeling of the vastness of the sky and the groundedness of the mountains, the lightness of the birds and the depth of the ocean. Listen to nature and become more a part of it. There is a higher order going on unfailingly and your tiny existence is a part of it, being a part of such grand intelligence cultivates faith and knowingness that I am and You are safe.

4. Brain Dump


Much as you do a morning digestive system dump, same goes for your brain. Our minds are sensitive receptors of data, you might have been carrying debilitating thoughts in your head since you were 7. In this brain dumping practice, you release clutter in your head, things that have been bugging you, things that inspire you and everything in between. Mindfully jot down these concepts in your head on paper or on your journal. Treat them as files that need to be transferred in an external drive. Once it is out of your head and on paper, you can asses on how you will go about it; Accept, change or delete completely.

5. Pattern Disruption


Maybe you got comfortable in being stressed and being a overthinking worrier. We tend to get attached to what we know and tend to repeat it over and over till it becomes a habit. Make sure your habits are nourishing and helps you get closer to the future-self of your ideal. If in a loop of bad habits, disrupt that pattern by doing some slight changes in your schedule, maybe take the scenic route, listen to new music, or try out a new yoga practice. There is always an opportunity to look at old things in a new way. If your days are feeling stale, give it a good stir and introduce some new spices and get psyched on new flavors that life can bring.

6. Identify Thought Patterns


Sit in a quiet undisturbed place away from your demanding responsibilities. Maybe a corner in a living room, an altar, a place of serenity and solitude. In this minute of silence notice the quietness, realize that the noise that is keeping you running tired hither and tithed is a voice inside your head. It is normal, we all have voices in our heads trying to persuade us what is best for us. But in this practice, you bring attention to the awareness of the voice, listen to the voice and become really inquisitive of its chattering. With your greater awareness you can easily Identify the egos pattern. It is usually running away from something, protecting its correctness and is just afraid to love. Notice the pattern of your thoughts and know the roots of its behavior. Knowing this you can move on with actions that lead to more compassion and more harmonized with the greater good.

7. See The Bigger Picture


Affirm to yourself that out of this situation only good can come. Anything that is causing us to overthink is our lack of willingness to accept or take responsibility of what is bestowed upon us. Anything that happens to us is for us, everything that happens to you is for you. It is the way we see things that we need to work on, not the thing itself because “the bigger picture is just is” and “you are just another one of those”.

8. Acknowledge Past Victories


Like practicing gratitude it is really helpful to relive your past successes that brought you here. Take time to meditate on the hardest lowest point in your life and remember the version of yourself who took the situation by the horn and took charge to solve the problem no matter how painful it was. Pain is what builds our character, through pain we were born, through suffering we learn and after all of that to Love we shall return. You maybe in a position in your life where you are complacent, maybe it is time to run towards something bigger carrying all the skills and strength we built up in the past. From a psychological point of view time is not linear, it is holistic, meaning you are now all of what you learned and about to become. You are the whole package with endless features. You contain multitudes. Acknowledge your past successes will bring you more of it.

9. Enter Flow State


Flow state happens when you are fully engaged in a specific activity for a specific period of time. In this state, mind stops to overthink and will have become fully immersed in the thing you are doing. Flow state increases productivity by 400% and you get to be truly alive. Flow state happens on the edge of your capability, challenging enough that you are not stressed, and easy enough that you are not bored. So find an activity where in you can tap into flow, drawing, running, playing an instrument, finishing a task. Small mundane tasks are also a gateway to flow state, dishes, laundry, de cluttering and tidying up. It is up to you! What are you gonna flow with today?

10. Positive Reframing


We discussed previously that it is not the thing that bothers us but it is how we perceive and feel about that causes the problem. Positive reframing helps us gain un understanding that there are always two sides of the coin. The law of polarity says so, notice when the negative mindset is getting the best of you. Notice and observe we’re you focus your attention, for where your attention is focused on the more of that the mind creates. You can also go the midway path of the Dao which is all is neither a fortune nor a misfortune, it just is. From that state of equilibrium channel your energies to what positive key aspects of the certain situation has. You have the capability to reframe or counteract a thought with a more positive, nourishing, life affirming set of lenses. Notice, settle in the midst of it and refocus on the good side.

11. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals


In your silent self reflection, listen to your inner guide. In this space of inner awareness, set Audacious goals. Put them on paper and set daily Smart goals. It needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. Being clear on your purpose, knowing your “why”, being persistent in daily actions to its attainment will leave you no time to overthink because you are in constant motion flowing towards the becoming of the Self you imagined. Overthinking is a privilege and luxury that we are tempted to be in. Get down on what you are about and get going, do not be afraid because for sure you will fail and will be wrong but you will be stumbling towards the right direction. Look up Carl Jung’s Circumambulation of the soul, we will never arrive or finish as long as we are breathing we are always in an end and a beginning of something malleable circling around the northern star. What you create daily is up to you, towards your northern star or away from it. With SMART goals may you flow your way with balance and ease. Nurturing and discovering, making and breaking, developing a thick skin along the way.

12. Have An Attitude Of Gratitude


Our minds tend to have a negativity bias, this is due to our nature to self preserve. Notice this pattern of the mind to see the negative and focus on the positive through gratitude. In silent meditation name 3 things you are grateful for, it can be as simple as another day, to as specific and complex as your hero’s journey. Switch your “I got to’s” to “I get to” perceive things that you have to do as opportunities to cultivating a better world. This is where you put on your big picture glasses, I get to take care of things around me, I get to nurture my curiosities educate myself and equip myself with skills that will make my uniqueness shine and contribute. Practice gratitude for knowing the laws of mind, be thankful that you are capable of unselfish performance of duties, unwavering rectitude and unlimited forgiveness. Each and every hour of the day, a lot 1 minute to thank divine intelligence that we are still here.

13. Go Back To “Why”


Overthinking tends to make us feel that we are in charge and tricks us in thinking that we are helping the situation. Take a step back, zoom out and go back to “Why” you are ruminating on this specific thing. Maybe you are protecting something, maybe you are scared to lose something, maybe you want to be the best at something. Go to the root of why and gain a greater perspective and maybe a solution will pop up. Maybe in shifting your attention to the core values of your purpose will help a new way of arriving at the situation come to be. Most things can be bypassed and are of little or of no importance. Go back to your why and the how will come to you.

14. Identify and Deploy


Identify problem and deploy solution. Get specific on what you are ruminating on. Is it a pending loss of something? Is it overthinking on ways on how circumstances will be? You can think all you want but the mind won’t be satisfied until bless you master it. One way of handling overthinking is to identify what specific thing you are worried about, lay out possible scenarios, after this you can even get simpler. Narrow it down to either it will or it won’t. Is it yes or no? Make up your mind in 90 seconds. Be decisive and keep a positive mental attitude no matter how uncomfortable it may seem. We lose good things to make space for better ones. If you are unwilling to change, nature will do it for you, so it is better to get flexible, adaptable and capable. Let us approach life rather than avoid it. So once you know what you need to do, just do it with a smile and a little positivity.

15. Access Peace From Mind


We are often presented with the concept of peace of mind but it is impossible for the mind to get peaceful, it’s very nature is to dissect and know and to be uneasy and unsettled in the present. The real trick is to become aware of the mind. Become aware of its automated generation of thoughts and know that these thoughts don’t have any power unless our awareness choose to be emotional about a certain thing. Know that you only bring power to thoughts through your attention so be a selective sifter, only choose to put attention to thoughts that are of help to you and others.

16. Exposure Therapy


Exposure therapy is one of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques that is very effective. Expose your self to that thing that triggers you and the innate intelligence will adapt and won’t be bothered no more. Chose to face what makes you overthink, the intensity of the anxiety will heighten immensely but will die down immediately. Expose your self to cold and you won’t be cold, expose your self to public speaking and you won’t be afraid no more. It is best to choose to expose yourself to things that you need work on, than being pushed by nature and circumstances external to you. Intrinsic motivation to face what is needed to be dealt with develops your character rather than waiting too long and being forced by need to face a certain situation. An example would be I am intrinsically motivated to lift weights to feel strong rather than a need to lift weights because the doctor prescribed me to do so. I think we both prefer the prior one.

17. Self Coaching


If you are the personality type that doesn’t want to be told what to do, this one is for you. There’s no other person in the world that knows who you really are and what you want other than you. Be accountable and responsible for where you are going in life, destinies and meaning is not handed down to you, it must come from you. Gather the tools you need and structure a day to day with yourself being accountable. Start small, you can start by walking daily, meditating, cleaning, getting clear on your goals. Hold your self accountable and track your progress.

18. Practice Imagining


Visualize your ideal self, paint a clear mental picture of how you want the problem solved. Visualize your creativity shine. Your mind is practicing its great powers by overthinking, overthinking is already imagining scenarios right? So might as well imagine all the good things that you want and desire! What you put attention to grows!

19. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway


Overthinking is going through all the variables regarding a certain scenario. Here is the reality, there is no end to the combinations of possibilities that might happen. You are over analyzing something because you are scared or you are hiding behind the intellect but the real truth is you just might be plain scared. There is an anti dote to this. Feel the fear and do it anyway, in doing so you’ll find that overcoming what you are afraid of is what will get you to the next level of your journey.

20. Set Deadlines


Compressing the timeframe will help you make a snap decision. A lotting 90 seconds to deal with a certain matter gets it solved in 90 seconds although not completely but it will take the issue up onto the next phase. So intend those segments in your day. Commit 1 hour to tidying up, 30 minutes of cardio, 15 minutes on deciding what to cook. Learning to set deadlines will create a version of you who takes action. The type who finishes tasks, getting things done, always start small maybe just decluttering your reactions to your thoughts.

21. Start Early


Setting a morning routine sets your day up for success. Knowing what you will do the day before leaves you no time for overthinking. You will be too busy becoming towards the life of your dreams. Here is a quick structure of a morning for you. Practice silence, then next minute gratitude, then next minute visualize the day, 39 minutes cardio l, 10 minute journal, carry an affirmation Al through out the day such as, “Today I shall manifest creativity within me and I am open to opportunities where my talents will be utilized”. “Today I’m open to surprises” this will get impressed to the subconscious mind and will reflect upon your daily affairs. So affirm your power first thing by practicing these self empowering tools.

22. Be Here Now


Yes it is an Oasis Album and a Ramdass book but let us not underestimate this powerful phrase. The whole essence of Zen, Mindfulness and Yoga is this. To be here now is to be where life is, all suffering and pain is either remembered or anticipated meaning they are not really here. Sit for a moment and be here, letting go of what is passed, letting go of what is to come and just be this. Sitting breathing, thoughts rising, dissolving. Not needing to make anything happen. Not needing to chance things in a certain way. Just this. Resting, relaxing and letting be. This will surely rid of overthinking for you will realize it’s futility compared to just this.

23. Take It Slow


Think of your mind as a machine automatically presenting thoughts. Your brain runs on different brain waves, delta when asleep, theta / alpha semi awake this is where intuition, subconscious and conscious overlap. At beta your waking state, the brain is vibing at a high speed that if you act on its every whim you will definitely burn out. There is no need to match the pace of your thoughts. Your awareness can be slowed down by slowing the breath and becoming awareness and knowing that you are not your thoughts. Do things gently at a slow pace. Increase the space between stimulus and response is my favorite. Watch the spaces. Observe the emptiness and feel its fullness. Wait and let spirit move you rather than the ego.

24. Become The Observer


Will I, won’t I, This or that, here or there. There is no end to the choices and variables the mind can ruminate on. Pondering the problem is one of the mind’s favorites. Accept that the mind overthinks and with practice you will be used to being the observer of the mind. Your awareness is separate from the thinking mind, think of it as a multimedia player playing an endless montage of best of’s and what could haves and what ifs. You are just an observer of that motion picture. Initially you will have a hard time watching thoughts because of your habit of associating with each thought that arises. But through practice of disassociation, engaging not entangling, knowing the truth of the nature of the mind. You have entered the world of the observer and will have a good relationship and will be able to utilize the brilliant powers of the mind. As you observe, you get to pick what thought forms you will bring attention to. Let the mind overthink, let the heart beat, you are awareness and the observer, the one who selects and creates life through disciplined wise choices.

25. Read The Serenity Prayer


God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer was written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous. This prayer sets things in perspective. It categorizes things you can change which you can act upon, and things you can’t change where in you practice acceptance and letting go.

26. Take A Cold Shower


I read from my favorite author Stuart Wilde that goes along the lines of “Throw yourself in the river at 4:00am each day, that should fix the ego pronto”. If you engage your ego in something it doesn’t want you immediately disempower it. Plus enjoy the many benefits of cold exposure. A very good tool to disrupt the pattern of over thinking.

27. Do Not Mind What Happens Next


This one is inspired by Krishnamurti. Either it will or it won’t. Your peace is not deep upon conditions. May your peace be as deep as the ocean and as sturdy as the mountains. You are eternal, immortal universal and infinite. So the next time you find the squirrel eating produce in your garden let him and thank him for blessing you with his presence, his squirrel time is precious too you know. Not minding what happens next keeps you open for miracles and opportunities. Let go of rigid expectations and start to open a new world right now.

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