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Can A Bad Relationship Be The Result Of An Unhealthy Body And Mind?

Filed Under (Personal Growth, Self Confidence, Self Esteem, Spiritual Growth) by Kevin on 27-02-2008

Your life can be affected in many ways by having an unhealthy body because of poor eating habits and the lack of exercise. But can your love life be affected?

When a new relationship is started with that certain someone special, then you want it to last as long as possible. A healthy relationship needs to be established in order to achieve that. You will want to ensure that you have a healthy body and mind in order to have a well-built relationship with someone.

How can a relationship be made healthy? By having secure, self-esteem and confidence in yourself will result in a healthy mind, resulting in you being aware of what you want out of life. Self-determination can be achieved when having a healthy mind, which will help you to believe in yourself and undertake things yourself, not depending entirely upon your partner.

By having an unhealthy mind, you will have very little or no sense of worth or self-confidence. Communication becomes absent because you are in your own little world and only look to your partner for direction in your life, which will place a weight upon the shoulders of your partner.

A healthy body is when you take care of yourself. An effort is made to maintain a healthy weight and you take pride in your appearance. You don’t smoke or drink or undertake anything that would give grounds for damage to your body over a period of time.

On a regular basis you undertake exercise in order to keep your heart in a healthy condition and consume a sensible diet. You keep a positive attitude which makes your partner want to spend quality time with you.

You will certainly have an unhealthy body when you cannot be bothered to take care of yourself or your body. You let yourself go while smoking and drinking. Most of the time you consume junk food and your waist inflates.

You don’t undertake any form of exercise or do anything that would maintain a strong heart because you cannot be bothered and do not care about yourself. You have a bad mental attitude, which results in your relationship breaking up because your partner does not wish to spend anymore time with you. After all, you can’t fault your partner. If you don’t care about yourself, then why should they?

A positive attitude can be acquired once your body and mind are in sync with each other. This will keep the line of communication with your partner fully open. This will allow you to listen to your partner which will help you to support them if they require. It is more likely that you will do whatever is necessary in order to keep your relationship solid.

Avoid setbacks at all times and take a stand on your physical and mental health. Do not allow setbacks to obliterate your state of mind or have an impact upon your health for the long term. Maintain a healthy body, mind and relationship.

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Discovering Inner Peace

Filed Under (Inner Peace, Meditation, Relaxation, Spiritual Growth) by Kevin on 25-02-2008

It can be a long and sometimes difficult journey to discover true inner peace, but it is possible. Attaining inner peace is a process which must begin with identifying what you truly value. From this starting point, be willing to mix with positive people, improve your understanding of yourself and others, and be prepared for an exciting journey.

Our beliefs and values set the direction of our lives. If we do not live in harmony with them we will live in a chronic state of stress and will be unable to experience inner peace. Shakespeare’s often repeated line “To thine own self be true” is very wise. To those of us raised to care about everyone else’s opinion but our own, it may seem selfish. However, if you don’t discover its importance early in your life you will realize it later with many regrets.

The pathway to inner peace is no easy journey. If you really desire inner peace, then you’ll have to be prepared to do the inner work. Getting to know the true you is certainly a part of this process. Defining what is important to you and making sure your goals and decisions harmonize with your values and beliefs are important aspects of this journey. Another very important and immediate thing you can do to become more peaceful is to remove or eliminate unnecessary and significant stressors in your life. You will also need to learn to manage those stressors which you cannot avoid.

Joy in life is also very important to inner peace. Be honest, do you need to lighten up? Maybe just a little? If you are too intense and have too narrow a focus in life, you can miss out on a lot of joy. Be willing to broaden your horizons and be more open to the positive experiences of life.

Most of us know the devastating impact that critical, judgmental and negative people can have on our lives. They can take your peace right away from you and leave you stewing in anxiety, anger, doubt or other unpleasant negative emotions. It is therefore very important to choose your company wisely if you want to experience inner peace. Minimize your contact with negative thinkers and try to spend more time with positive individuals.

Communication is also an important aspect of achieving inner peace. Be willing to deal with conflict early instead of letting misunderstandings get out of hand. If you need to, make an effort to improve your communication skills. It is worth the effort if it decreases conflict and stress in your life and helps you to maintain a calm and peaceful outlook.

Our inner peace is more dependent on good communication skills than many of us realize. It helps us to overcome preconceived ideas, judgments and prejudice. Let’s face it, the way we see the world and interpret other people’s words and actions can make us feel very stressed. Communication skills such as being observant, paying attention, listening, giving feedback and speaking can all help us to maintain positive relationships.

When we give someone our full attention and show them that we have heard and understood them, we automatically improve the dynamics of the relationship and they in turn, will tend to be predisposed to relate to us positively. By engaging proactively with others, we will minimize conflict and misunderstandings and thus reduce stress in our own lives. We also need to give ourselves the same consideration if we truly want to experience inner peace. Our self talk can be either positive or negative. Pay attention to what you are saying to yourself and keep your self talk as positive as possible.

Overview

Inner peace is a goal worth striving for. Take some time to reflect on the information in this article. It may be helpful to ask yourself questions such as: Do I listen carefully to what others are saying? What sort of things am I saying to myself? Do my friends contribute to my inner peace or do they contribute to my stress? Take notes as you read through this article and you will come up with a number of questions you can ask yourself that will help you identify areas of your life you need to work on if you want to increase your inner peace.

Spend some time in quiet reflection, evaluating your responses to these questions. Knowing yourself is the first step to inner peace. The next step is to identify obstacles to peace and possible solutions. Consider how you can improve your thinking, choices and overall life in order to move towards a state of contentment and calm.

You may need to make some major changes to your life. You may have to release some friends in order to attract more positive people into your life. This may be a hard but necessary decision for your own well being. Perhaps you need to avoid certain television programs that fill your mind with worry and negativity. Whatever the changes you decide you need to make, it is important to have the positive intention to fill your mind with uplifting ideas that lead to a calm and peaceful mindset.

The process may not be easy, but the journey to inner peace is well worth undertaking. If you are willing to devote time to self reflection and personal evaluation, you find the pathway well lit and the destination closer than you think.

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Getting Back In Shape - How To Do It

Filed Under (Fitness, Good Health, Motivation, Wellness) by Kevin on 23-02-2008

Does your stomach upset you? Maybe you wish to make an impression upon people by building up muscle, or maybe you long to be in better shape. However you feel, if you do not embark on taking action without delay, your dream will not be turned into a reality. Even if you loathe exercising, this article will assist you in getting back on the fitness track.

It is essential, in order to remain focused, that you are prepared to do what it takes to get back onto the fitness track. Allow me to explain. In order to lose weight or gain muscle, or accomplish whatever goals you may have, you have to want to do it. Once you have made the decision to do this, you then need to prepare you plan of attack. There are many available resources that you can study for tips and ideas. You can visit your local book store where you will find an array of fitness magazines and books that will supply you with the information that you require. Cable channels also offer great information and ideas. Select some exciting exercise workouts that you know that you can complete and stick to.

Consequently, you may have purchased some magazines and books and worked out some good exercise routines. This is all well and good, but you need to put it into action. Generate a plan for the purposes of working around your schedule. If your plan appears to be too much, then break it down a little. If you are planning on attending the gym, then ensure that you spend more than an hour in there. Of course, it is great if you are experienced with fitness regimes etc. but if you are a beginner then you need to find the motivation to begin and keep going. Take action when attending the gym. I have, on many occasions, been to the gym and witnessed people just sitting around doing nothing. This doesn’t work up a sweat and I am sure that you will agree, you do not wish to pay for a gym membership and not put it to full use.

Never allow an ego to come between you and your workout. It is important that you remember that you are not attending the gym in order to impress anyone. You are there to become healthier. Once that is fixed into the back of your mind, it will be possible for you to go a great deal further.

With any luck, this article has given you food for thought on the different ways that you can get your exercise routines back on track. One last thing that must be mentioned is, when it comes the time for a day off, then enjoy that day, but ensure that you get straight back into the gym. Whilst it does feel great not to work out, you really are not helping yourself. Thank yourself later by taking action today.

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Cornerstones Of Self-Confidence

Filed Under (Personal Growth, Self Confidence, Self Esteem) by Kevin on 21-02-2008

We all need self confidence in order to succeed in life. Without self confidence we will be unable to face life’s challenges with equanimity. With it we will be able to face them with courage.

The dilemma we are faced with, however, is how to gain self confidence when we lack it in the first place? The key to genuine self confidence is to experience success. This is not as difficult to do as you might think. Many people set themselves up to be discouraged by making it hard to succeed. You can make it easy to succeed by breaking down your larger goals into smaller ones that you can more easily achieve. Make sure that you enjoy each small achievement and your self confidence will increase.

Self image is another important concept of self confidence. If you have a poor self image, your self talk will probably be negative. If you are constantly criticizing yourself and you feel like you are never good enough, you are making it very difficult (if not impossible) to succeed. A low self image is often the by-product of the messages we received as children but it can also be the consequence of the devastating blows we can receive as adults such as divorce, job loss or business failure. We have to learn from our mistakes, however we don’t want to get stuck in a cycle of self blame as it can be a slippery slope to despair and depression. As motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins says: “The past does not equal the future.” Look forward, not backwards and begin to work towards a brighter future.

People also affect our self confidence both positively or negatively. The simple decision to spend time with friends and family members who are positive and supportive and to avoid spending much time with those who are negative will lead to increased self confidence.

The way we respond to feedback is another important factor which will influence our level of self confidence. While it is certainly true that we need to see ourselves as inherently worthy, we need to avoid over-confidence or arrogance. We are all unique individuals who have something special to offer the world. This understanding will help us to develop the sort of positive beliefs, values and thinking that will strengthen our self confidence so that we can move forward successfully in life. However, all criticism is the result of negativity. Some criticism is very valuable. Be willing to listen to criticism, pay attention to information you can use to improve as a person and throw away the rest. Your ability to respond maturely to feedback will help you become the best person you can be. Likewise, your ability to discern unwarranted criticism and disregard it will keep your self confidence intact.

The way you speak to yourself is also very important. Positive self talk will give you the confidence and belief in yourself to step up to the challenges and opportunities of life and undertake them with courage and excellence. Negative internal dialogue, on the other hand, will keep you from even trying. Be willing to monitor your thoughts and actively choose to think positively about yourself and your abilities.

Your self image is intimately tied to your destiny. Most people let their minds run amuck, unaware that their thoughts and feelings about themselves are actually writing the story of their lives. We have to guard against thoughts of failure and inadequacy. If we aim high and believe that we are capable of achieving our goals we will have set ourselves on the pathway to success. The power of a positive vision cannot be underestimated on this journey. Where do you want to be in five or ten years from now? Write down your vision and turn it into goals.

It is easy to get into the bad habit of thinking negatively. To overcome this habit you will need to make a concerted effort to focus on your positive traits. Keep a note of your strengths. What sort of compliments do people tend to give you? What would you like to improve about yourself? Take charge of these areas and make a plan. Taking action will automatically shore up your self confidence. If you make a habit of thinking and acting confidently (no matter how you feel) and limit your contact with people who criticize you or belittle your dreams, you will become a far more self confident and successful person.

By applying these strategies and taking responsibility for your life, you will find that you will become a naturally self confident person. Furthermore, it will be a genuine and deep self confidence that can stand firm under the storms of life.

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How To Improve Your Memory

Filed Under (Good Health, Personal Growth, Wellness) by Kevin on 19-02-2008

Most of us have had problems with our memory at different times in our lives and in different ways. However, it is an interesting fact that we can remember some things vividly while at the same time having a very real problem remembering others. This can be used to our advantage, however, by giving us an idea of how to improve our memory overall. If we can identify the reasons why we can remember some things vividly we will be able to employ the same techniques to remember others.

If you want your brain to work at an optimal level, you need to exercise it. Just like the body requires regular exercise to function well, so does the brain.

Your brain can actually be trained to remember the things you want it to remember when you want to remember them. If a knife is not used for a long while it will become dull and hard to use. However, once it is sharpened and regularly used, it will stay sharp for quite a while. All you need to do is sharpen it from time to time and it will do its job well.

Your memory operates in much the same way. To keep it sharp you need to use it. If it has already become dull, simply sharpen it again and then keep it sharpened.

One way you can do this, is to peg something that you need to remember to something else. This creates a reference point for your brain. For example, if you want to remember where you parked your car, don’t just try to remember the location of the car. Look for a reference point such as a lot number, color code or a permanent fixture near your car.

An effective method which has been used in times past to remember a number of different points is to create an acronym from the first letters of the words on your list. Let’s say you have to remember to buy meat, fruit, eggs and milk. Reorganize the letters to “femm” and you have a made up word you can remember. Put it in a sentence such as “I am a femme fatale.” You’ll remember you added an extra ‘e’ to make sense and then quickly recall “fruit, eggs, milk, meat.”

Improved concentration is necessary to boost memory. However, if you get stressed about this, your good work will be undone and memory will be affected. Be patient with yourself and be willing to take your time.

There are a number of ways to improve concentration. You can practice memorizing a list of unrelated words by creating a story around them. Alternatively, you can memorize the words of a song and sing it. What about simply choosing a paragraph from a book or magazine and memorizing it?

The act of concentrating and deciding to remember something causes the brain to develop additional neural pathways that help you to increase concentration and improve memory.

Learning something new also keeps the mind alert and able to concentrate. Continued education and learning exercises your brain and improves memory.

The internet has made learning new information from the privacy of your own home easy and convenient. You can search dictionaries and encyclopedias. You can use an online thesaurus to improve your vocabulary and exercise your memory.

There is so much information on the internet that you need to have a focus for your search. If you read or hear about something you don’t know much about you can do an internet search and discover more about it. This will not only aid your memory but you will also become a more knowledgeable and interesting human being.

Naturally, the internet is not the only source of knowledge. Newspapers, magazines and books are all excellent sources of information and can help you improve concentration and memory.

You will find that your curiosity will be peaked about other, related issues and you will begin to seek new information and become more broadly educated. By exercising your brain in this way, it will begin to make better and quicker connections between information which will enhance your memory.

It is important to remember that these strategies will only improve your memory if used regularly. An additional benefit is that you will become a more knowledgeable and interesting person.

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