mind

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Attention, Attention – Read All About It

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Recently I was exploring several ideas about how things in life work or don’t work. After spending time journaling and further exploring my ideas I soon had helpful inspiration and guidance.

The guidance was that what determines how well you and I do things is how well we place our attention on what we are doing. That makes sense doesn’t it?

I want to suggest a more expanded definition than how attention is usually defined – it is not only the focusing of your mind but also of your heart and spirit.

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Take A Walk On The Wild Side

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It’s time to get up and move. Spring has sprung and your body is ready to re-engage with the natural world.

I love to walk. There are many reasons for that. Let me share with you why walking is so important. My hope is that you will join me and make walking part of your daily life.

There are many benefits from walking. Walking is not only good for the body but also super good for the mind, heart and spirit:

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You Are Awesome – Let Me Count The Ways

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It is time for a hugely important reminder. You are awesome!!!

You might wonder, ”How can I say that?” You might want to hide at the hint of such an idea. Or you might say, “Thank You, I so much needed this reminder?” 

Here’s why I have such a high opinion of you:

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Do You Want To Continue Your Story Or Move Toward A Larger Possibility

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What do you tell yourself about who you are and what your life if about? That is your story. How does your story limit you?

Like computers, you have a set of basic programs that run your life. Many of your programs contain out-of-date stories that too often limit how well you function.

Much of your earliest programming needs serious upgrading. Yet you continue daily to replay that programming with your thoughts.

These programs can be upgraded to expand your life.

By the time we reach adulthood we have very deeply grooved programs about:

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How Walking In Peace Will Save You And The Planet

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“When we are able to take one step peacefully and happily, we are working for the cause of peace and happiness for the whole of humankind.” Thich Nhat Hahn

I want to invite you to join me and walk the Earth in peace.

I am sure you have noticed that the world seems uneasy. Each of us walking peacefully is needed. 

You can start by bringing awareness to your body as it moves. Notice your feet touching the floor or ground, feel your spine in action, be aware of your senses sensing. See what happens when you slow down enough to pay attention this way.

You can become mindful of your steps as you walk on the planet, as you approach work, as you move to your computer or reach for your phone, as you shop in the grocery store, as you enter into the room where someone you care about is, as you visit places in your community, as you go from room to room, and as you make your way towards your bed at night.

Each step you take shapes your experience.

You can walk peacefully when:

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The Ten Commandments For Healthy Living

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No, this is not a mythical story about a guy coming down from a mountaintop. It is more about the basics of what you need to keep in mind to live a vibrant and healthy life. (Thought you might appreciate these ideas for 2013)

These commandments may actually be more useful than the original ten in stone. More useful because they are about the well-being of your mind, your heart, your body and your spirit.

One day in my early 20’s something became very clear to me. I was walking up a long set of stairs and was breathing hard. I made a clear decision in that moment to be healthy and keep fit.

I made that decision because I wanted a long and vibrant life. I knew then that my choices about my well-being would shape the rest of my life.  

Since that day my study and exploration of health and fitness has been a key part of my life. I have learned there are a number of universally important ways of being in the world that optimize health.

The following are 10 Commandments For Healthy Living. I offer them as a guideline for you in creating a life of true health and well-being.

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Your Choice: Joy Or Suffering

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Recently something became very clear to me. I have known this idea for many years but it has taken time for me to really understand the impact of this statement: We shape our experience of life moment-by-moment by our thinking. 

We all have the opportunity to live a life of joy and happiness. It is a choice we make throughout each day. If joy is not the choice then the results often included suffering. Suffering is a product of our mind running us, not us running our mind.  

The following is a summarization of the mental obstacles to living a joyous life:

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What Is The Nature Of Your Mind?

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When asked to tune into what is going on in the mind, most people listen for a minute or two and then let their thoughts take over.

In my work I often have people spend time becoming acquainted with what is going on in their mind. Most have difficulty because the mind can hardly sit still especially without practice.

What I have noticed in my own exploration is my thoughts are endless. Research states that people have approximately 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. You can do your own research.

Try sitting down for 15 minutes and noting down each time you have a thought. You will be surprised at how much is going on upstairs.

These thoughts represent a lifetime of programming. About 80-90% of the thoughts we have today are the same thoughts we have had over and over again. Imagine a powerful computer running the same script repeatedly. This is the nature of your mind – it keeps repeating itself.

Would this inner script shape your experience of life?

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How Having An Open Mind And Open Heart Can Change The World

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You and I live in critical times that will shape the destiny of humanity and the planet. We were born to be part of this time because of our unique capacities. These capacities can only be realized if our minds and hearts are open.

Recently walking through a parking lot (I know this seems like an odd place but frankly any place is wonderful when the light goes on), I had a moment of great clarity. I welcome these moments of insight. They feel like a gift from a much wiser source of knowing than my ordinary mind.

The clarity was – The time is now for everyone to step forward with a total openness of mind and heart. This openness is essential for all of us to break from the old stuck ways that no longer work. Once liberated, together we can create new more expansive forms of expression.

New forms of expression are needed across our social structures, business models, economic systems, human services, planetary practices, and political and religious organizations. They could all work better for the good of all humanity and the planet. 

You and I are here now to be powerful agents for positive change. The challenge is how to do this. How can we bring the endless flexibility and genius of our open minds and the infinite compassionate wisdom of our open hearts to work together for the greater good of all life on the planet? The task is monumental, the challenges never ending, and thankfully our possibilities and potential are awesomely incredible.

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Do You Hear Opportunity Knocking At Your Door?

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You come equipped with incredible inner resources. You are built for success. You have all you need to fully express who you are with passion and purpose.

All you have to do is open to the wise knowing within. This wisdom is available because you have these inner resources onboard:

o     Your body is ready to guide you to greater health and well-being.

o     Your mind hungers for more exploration and learning.

o     Your hearts is full of loving kindness and compassion waiting to be expressed.

o     Your intuition is whispering to you right now about how to live more fully.

o     Your spirit invites you to expand almost constantly.

Are you open to this deeper knowing? Are you listening to the guidance provided to you whenever you tune in? Do you follow what you know inside is right for you to do?

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I Have This Vision Of The World I Want To Share With You

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Recently I have been sensing in my heart and spirit that the time is ripe with possibilities for a major transformation on the planet. The need for real change is something most of us feel at a deep level of our being. What do you sense/know of the importance of this moment in human history and what part do you see yourself playing?

Keep this in mind. Everything humanity has created began as a thought, an image, or a moment of insight or inspiration inside our minds. There are endless wonderful creations (art, design, music, dance, compassionate acts and much more) and a number of things we messed up on (war, believing our fears, politics, the greed agenda, and many more). 

The point here is that we created all this - both the wonderful and the less than wonderful. So we can recreate or create anything that would be beneficial to all of us. There really is no known limit to human creativity.

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Why Walking Meditation May Be Just Right For You

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If you enjoy a good walk, you will enjoy a walking meditation. Walking meditation is a way to be up and moving and yet allows you to enter into a place of stillness and inner peace.

You can walk through a neighborhood, a park, a schoolyard (off hours), on a trail, on a circular path, on the way to and from work, or around your block. Walking in this matter brings you more fully present to the areas you travel through. You may even notice beauty and points of interest you missed before.

Walking meditation quiets your mind, helps release tension in your body and encourages you to tune in and hear the wisdom within. After a meditative walk you are likely to have a more peaceful mind, a relaxed body and an intuitive sense of what is right for you.

Here is my favorite prescription for the ultimate in walking meditation experience:

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66 Moments of Choice Sure To Set Your Life On Fire

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Exploring life is what I write about. As you explore the following choices be aware that they have great power in shaping who you are and how you live your life.

The choices you make every day will either fill you full of light or send you down in flames. Some will be less dramatic but each choice has such influence over your sense of self and the kind of impact you have in the world. 

The following are 66 of the moment-to-moment choices you are given to explore on a daily basis. Choose wisely; be guided by your intuition, your heart and your higher nature.

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What If As We Grow Older We Become More Open Instead Of More Closed?

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Life’s bumps and bruises cause in all of us a variety of responses some of which are healthy and some less so.

We can take what life gives us, learn from it, expand our minds to take it in, and open our hearts to accept what is. With this kind of openness we can be wise in mind and loving and compassionate in our heart.

We can also fight change, resist what we could learn from, argue to be right, and slam the door shut to our heart if we don’t like what is going on. This reactivity causes us to close down, be angry and too fearful to engage with other hearts and minds. 

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Soaring To New Heights

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In the late afternoon yesterday we headed up to a high point along the coast a place we love to visit. As we made it to our favorite viewing point we looked out to see a beautiful white crested eagle soar in the updrafts right past us. I watched it carefully imagining that I was able to follow the currents of life as this graceful and power bird does. Like a surfer riding a wave or a skier riding a mountain, I wondered how do I move more in alignment with the greater forces of the universe?

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21 Audacious and Mind Expanding Personal Development Ideas

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If you realize you are not yet all you want to be, here are some very unique personal development tips that will change your view of yourself and how you see all of life. 

  1. Choose a foot either will work, this foot will be you contact with both the Earth under you and your expansive nature. When you feel out of sorts, feel your foot, feel it making contact with the floor/Earth. Also when you want to move out of ordinary mind, sensing your foot will help bring you into the moment where wise mind is waiting.

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12 Essential Attributes For An Extraordinary Life

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My blog is in the midst of a major transformation.  I thank you for your patience as this transformation unfolds. I am so excited about what I am working on and I have much to share as we go. 

The following 12 essential skills/attributes you will need within and out in the world to live and have the most extraordinary life:

  1. Live Mindfully – this key ability is being aware of self, thought, feelings, and body; a sense of connection to self and how you relate to the world. There are many specific mindful practices that will enrich your life in many ways. 
  2. Have Patience – in this fast paced times patience seems like a lost skill but it is even more important. Can you be patient enough to let things happen as they need to and still keep your focus? Step back when you feel yourself in a hurry and worry mode and patiently trust in things working out.
  3. Skilled at Self-Care – taking good care of yourself is essential for your well-being and for your effectiveness out in the world. How are you taking care of your heart, your mind, your feelings, your body, your health, your energy, your spirit and your social life? If you work intensely with people you need to focus even more on self-care.
  4. Are Accepting and Non-Judging – to excepting of yourself as you are and to stop the self-judging are very important if you want to believe in yourself and what you are doing. Once you are accepting of self and stop the judging you can go out into the world and be free of judging everyone or everything as “good” or “bad” and instead be accepting of things as they are.
  5. Courage for Action – the biggest step is often moving into action around ideas that matter you. It takes courage to set your own course, to live by the values that matter to you and to be boldly out in the world making a difference.
  6. Have Emotional Wellness – your feelings are critical to pay attention to because they are clearly telling you when you are on course or have lost your way. When it feels right and alive you are heading in the right direction. Please simply acknowledge all your feelings because they are all okay. Acknowledging and accepting all your feelings brings you emotional health.
  7. Have Wholeness Of Mind – an open mind is essential in today’s world. Many old ideas, strategies and solutions are not working so your mind has to be open to learn, grow and be flexible. A healthy mind is one that questions its own thoughts and knows how to quiet down the endless thoughts. No one has all the answers, if you are absolutely sure of your right, you most likely have a closed mind.
  8. Are Creative In Your Expression – to enhance you effectiveness it is very helpful to access your creativity. Your creativity can come in many forms including your leadership, the way you appreciate others, your writing, the way you parent, the unique viewpoints you come up with, the way you use humor in conversations etc. There never has been found a limit to human creativity.
  9. Live From the Heart – the most powerful tool in the world is your heart, your compassion, your ability to care and your loving kindness. Listening with compassion is the best gift ever for those you love.  Love really has the power to transform you and humanity for the good of all beings and the planet.
  10. Have Appreciation and Gratitude – if you can live in appreciation and gratitude then the whole world seems like a gift. A daily practice of appreciation will enrich your life in many, many ways. Appreciate those you love, the beauty around you, the gift of the moment and everything else.
  11. Present Focused – the only place you can do anything is now. There is nothing you can do ever that will change the past. There is nothing you can do that will control the future. All you have is the here and now. If you can be present to life there are endless possibilities. 
  12. Inner and Outer Connected – first you must find your connection to your inner wisdom, intuition and your purpose, then find your way to move into connection and unity with those around you. When connected you can be work with others in collaboration for the well-being of all of us.

These attributes are all ones you can acquire and get skilled at. My work going forward is to help you develop these personal skills so you can be a positive force for change in your life and in the world.  The times call you and me and everyone to not settle for the ordinary but instead be extraordinary in all we think, feel, and do. You are awesome!

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Change Your Story

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I want to thank Buddhist teacher Cheri Huber for the inspiration for today’s post. She tweeted something like, “Just change your story.” My inner voice said that is an excellent topic for my blog.

What stories am I talking about? If you take the time to observe what goes on in your mind and do so over a period of time, you will notice some regular themes. Most of these themes are ones that direct the way you see the world. Let me give you some examples:

You can have a story about money being bad, and you never seem to have the money you want. If you have a story about money being bad and you want to be a good person, then your story of money will keep you from having it.

You can have a story about not being good enough. That story plays every time you go after something and don’t get it. Soon you expect to fail and you feel that you are not good enough to have what you want.

You can have a story about how amazing you are, and everything you do turns out great. Believing in yourself usually means you take risks, follow your heart, and do what it takes to succeed. This story is one that you don’t want to change. If anything you may want to play this story more often. 

Why would you want to change your story? Stories that don’t work for you like: you not being good enough, not deserving, not okay as a person, money as bad or any other negative story limits greatly the possibilities of your life.  So when you notice a limiting story you play about who you are in your own mind, you then have the choice to change that story. You most likely have some deeply grooved stories that hold you back from having the life you desire (this is true of all of us.)

Changing your story begins by listening to what stories you have playing and then questioning whether they are serving you well or not. Most of the stories in you mind are thoughts that have been replaying for many years. These stories can be replaced once you are aware of them but if you don’t take the time to become mindful of your thoughts, these stories will limit what you want to make happen.

Simply put, pay attention to how you talk to yourself, you inner dialogue, the stories of how you see the world. As you notice ideas, beliefs and stories that are limiting you, you then have awareness. With awareness, you acquire choice. With choice you can change old themes to new ones that move you in the right direction.

Imagine having thoughts, ideas and beliefs about you and your life that make your life the way you want it to be. If you commit to listening inward, asking yourself questions about what you are thinking, and becoming aware of thoughts you want to replace, then you take back control of the life you long to create.

Here are some ideas to help you be more aware, take the time to explore these practices compassionately:

  • Notice in the morning what your basic story is as your day begins. Notice what your story is about work or not working
  • Notice what your story is about yourself as you go through your day
  • Notice your story about your family
  • Notice your story about your body
  • Notice your story about your feelings
  • Notice your story about the people you spend time with
  • Notice the story about how you feel about your life’s direction
  • Notice the story about how you feel after work
  • Notice how you spend your free time and your story about that
  • Notice how much time you spend in distracting yourself and the story you may be trying to hide
  • Notice when and if your heart is open and the story about that
  • Notice if you ever slow down or take it easy and the story of why you do or don’t
  • Notice how you feel at the end of the day and the story of that day
  • Notice if you ever appreciate beauty and any story about that
  • Notice if you are ever grateful and any story about that
  • Notice if you feel your life has meaning or not and the story about that
  • Notice is you feel at peace and any story about that
  • Notice if you are happy and the story about that

Keep on noticing until you understand what stories take you higher in life and which ones cause you life to close down. 

Be kind in all of this noticing. To judge yourself negatively for the stories you have would be to begin a new limiting story or add on to one you already have. The best frame of mind is to just impartially get to know what is going on inside and upgrade the stories that need to change and energize the positive ones that are already there.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I am changing my story.

Last night I placed this message on my Facebook page and today I want to share it with everyone who stops by to read my blog. I so much appreciate you and you interest in expanding your mind and opening your heart. 

I am taking a scary but exciting leap. I am going to need your support. I will now make my living with my blog, my coaching and my training and presentations. I affirm this with all of you as my cheer leading team. I am putting a plan together now, with a relaunch of my blog, a spelling out of my services and products and the building of a co-created movement called Better World Together. Stay tuned, have your thinking caps on, your hearts energized and people in mind I can be of service to. Love and peace to all of you.



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Is Suffering Even Necessary?

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This is something that is important to realize in your own life. When you are suffering, most of the suffering is caused by your own thoughts. You would be best to give up the idea that others cause you to suffer. That is not true because they are not your thoughts. Your thoughts are all your own.

Your thoughts create how you feel. There is no one else you can blame for how you feel.  Your feelings come from your thoughts about what is going on in your life. If you play the blame game for how you feel, you are basically saying other people have control over my brain and make me think certain thoughts that cause me to feel how I feel. That is not true nor is it ever true.

With this is mind; there are some other important considerations:

  • It is important to know what you are thinking, what is the internal dialogue that goes on in your head? If you don’t know what is going on inside of you, you are a train without an engineer. 
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  • Thinking and awareness come into conflict because it is very difficult to think and be aware at the same time. There is however a part of you that can be aware and knowing simultaneously. That knowing is not a thought but more a sense of what is true. The source of this higher knowing is you beyond your ordinary thought. What is it? You can call it what you want; it is a knowing that comes from your higher mind, your higher nature, your soul/spirit, the part of you that is infinite and eternal.  Are you aware of this higher nature in you?
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  • You can step away from the noise upstairs and enter into a observing watchful mode, this observer self is free of judging, accepting, seeking the truth of the moment. Truth is usually best known through the watchfulness of your higher self. This Self is one with your soul, your spiritual nature. This eternal aspect of yourself is within the collective intelligence of all of life on the planet and not separate from the source of all creation. “Not separate from,” is a way to say at one with but many will argue for their separateness from the Source of the Universe.
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  • You can free yourself from the limits of your own mind by being aware of the limits of your own thoughts, by being aware that all thoughts need to be paid attention to and often questioned. The mind wants to hold onto the familiar and will even refuse to release beliefs that are false and don’t work.  Have you every caught yourself arguing for a belief you then realized was no longer true?

 

Enter into the place within you that is quiet, still, and knowing. There in that place you can shape your experience of life with clarity and then shape your thoughts to support that life. Now is the time.

*Update of the experiment – I am finding it difficult not doing more in the way of actions other than tuning in. My one hour of intense actions is often more like two hours. My writing keeps calling me for more than an hour. All kinds of things in life get me distracted. I also see that my mind can use some additional focus.

There is really turning out to be a learning experience more than an experiment.  I will keep working at it though because I feel the value of it. I also feel the inner conversations with my higher nature are too easily mixed up with the sly workings of the ego-mind.  More on all of this as the light becomes brighter.



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Notes Of Interest

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I read a very interesting article this morning that I want to share by Rick Hanson, His latest book Just One Thing is awesome for anyone interested in developing more peace of mind and well-being.

I have a regular post coming today which I am sure you will find interesting.

Lastly and most importantly I want to say Thank You Martin Luther King for the person you were and the light that still shines from your life. Here is a picture and quote I think shares his message well.

Peace and love to you all.