Letting go of the old is one of the hardest things in the world for most human beings. Letting go of old worn-out habits, old ineffective thought patterns, old routines that just don’t fit anymore, old impressions of places or people that are now no longer useful, old feelings that are emotional scars that will not heal and get in the way of progress, are all things that most people when reading of them nod their heads and agree should be thrown away like an old ratty security blanket from childhood. Yet, how few of those people really would throw away or learn past these things! Most would just continue holding on to them.

Change–which is the one constant in the universe and in life–is quite a frightening thing for most people. Not small changes, for small changes are so common to our everyday experience that we even take them for granted. We take for granted that the sky will change and it will be lighter today and darker tonight, or if it is cloudy today it will be sunny in a day or two. We even take for granted some longer-term changes; we know that we were shorter and weaker when we were five than we are now, and we know that the short, weak five-year-old before us will one day grow into a taller, stronger woman or man. There are even some sad changes that we take for granted: if we have a pet dog we know that one day that dog will grow old and die. We don’t like to think of that day and so we rarely do, but we know it’s going to happen and we don’t lose sleep over it.

But there are other norms that we cling to with a quiet desperation, and anything that threatens to change them we feel threatens us. The thing of it is, all of these changes have to do with things that are within us. They might be embodied in outward circumstances, such as our careers or homes, but even then they have to do with what we feel we are as a soul, a personality.

There is one thing that most adults fear more than death or, it seems, even physical torture. And that “thing” is being wrong. It is this fear of being wrong that prevents us, most of the time, from letting go of the old. Too many times, when we are about to let go of the old we feel that we are admitting to having been wrong (and the assumption that there’s something shameful about being wrong is itself a negative, false assumption). You see, we feel as if we have invested just way too much time and energy to learn and figure out what we believe we have. We have, therefore, an overwhelmingly powerful emotional investment in what we think we know–our ways of doing stuff, our priorities, our beliefs, our feelings about people and places and things.

The ego, which is rightly the gatekeeper to our spirit, says to us, “Wait a minute! You’re thinking about changing your ways with this? You’re getting ready to change your mind about that? Don’t you remember when that certain event happened to you that proved to you that the way you’ve been doing things since then works? You’re safe! Why change? It could be very dangerous!”

But the ego forgets that change is the only constant in life. It forgets that the past is dead; only the here and now is real. We can let go of the old when we find that it’s no longer useful, or it gets in the way of a new level of achievement, or our circumstances have changed. It is natural for us to let go of the old; for as children we do so with ease. But as we get older, we become a little more and a little more expected to have permanent knowledge of stuff. Our society values our pride in thinking we know everything. Instead, we can and must learn to take pride in being fearless about making mistakes, changing, seeing a new perspective, letting go of the old, and revelling in the endless journey the end of which is not an arrival but an evolution into ever-new possibilities.

The attitude of gratitude is a terribly overlooked aspect of manifesting your dreams and desires. When you feel gratitude for all the good that you have in your life, without even making any efforts you are throwing open wide the doors to bring even more abundance of good things into your life.

An attitude of gratitude is like a magnet, charging up your life to receive blessings and abundance. Have you ever heard the phrase, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”? Well, needless to say that is always said as some kind of indictment of the rich–those who have abundance. It’s a statement of jealousy and it’s one that is supposed to impart to the listener how “unjust” life is. But as a matter of fact, that statement unwittingly expresses a great and perfectly “just” cosmic law. On the surface, it seems very unfair; but scratch the surface and you’ll find simple natural laws and natural energy working according to, well, their nature.

The rich, the wealthy, those with abundance, are grateful. Those who are poor are not. Now, you will likely say, “Of COURSE that’s how it is! The wealthy are grateful for their good luck, while the poor certainly don’t have anything to be grateful for!”

But are the wealthy lucky? Not usually. Usually they have worked from the ground up to get their fortune. And even when they have started with “a silver spoon in their mouth”, they have had to learn what to do with their money to make sure they keep it. It’s not nearly as simplistic as those with less money assume–and that’s exactly why they have less money!

You see, most people get the cause and effect backwards here. They assume that the fortune, the “good luck”, comes first, and then comes the gratitude. Without the good fortune, no gratitude. Wrong.

It is the gratitude that attracts more good fortune!

You can cultivate an attitude of gratitude to help you get more abundance in your life by keeping journal. Get yourself a very nice blank journal–not some spiral bound notebook. Every day, write down at least five things you are grateful for. Now, every day is different; not all days are as good as others. When you have a bad day, just write down the most basic things; you are grateful to have your place to live; you are grateful for the food you ate that day; you are grateful for your dog; etc. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written these things down before–all good things are worth repeating. As you feel yourself growing more grateful for what you have, you’ll suddenly be amazed one day when you have more!

Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before. People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical. There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe. Millions of Americans today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity. The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease. Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy.

There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments. Americans mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body.

Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*. Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body. Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness. In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self. Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies. Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life.

There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice. Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted. The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background. The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food. Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything. *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) - published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India

The mind can hurt you, or help you. You just have to know how to go about using the mind to your advantage. As you walk through the maze of your mind, you will find that there are all kinds of obstacles that can hinder you in finding your way. You may run into a dead end, or run into a two-sided mirror that only reflects the image of you. Whatever your case may be, you can’t give up trying to sharpen your mind.

Memories can act as a barrier for you to because despite the good memories you have, I am sure that there are some bad memories that you wish that you could just forget. I know personally, I have wonderful memories and there are some memories that I can recall that I wish that there were someway that I could go back in time and make them not even happen, but you can’t let that get you down. My bad memories are pretty horrifying but I manage to let the good ones form a cloud over the bad. So that when I want to take a stroll down memory lane, I have no problem doing so.

Your mind holds the key to all of the memories you have stored from the time that you were born up until the age you are now. In my case, that is twenty years of information that my mind has stored and unless you have suffered a serious disease or disorder your mind has the ability to pull all of those memories up. Just think of all the things that you have done in your life that meant a lot to you. As soon as you do think of those memories, your mind is going to start playing a film of what your life has been like. For those of you that do suffer from physical or mental disorders or disease there is still a chance that you may be able to recall your memory however, it may be painful. That is why it is important that you speak to your therapist before trying any of the techniques that I have described.

Some people have the ability to master their mind, which is great. Still, others have no ability at all to pull their thoughts together. This is often a struggle in school, at work, in relationships, and as a completely difficult in life. What can you do when you just can’t remember? Are you constantly getting in trouble for forgetting information that is important?

In order to sharpen your memories you are going to have to organize your thoughts, once you have outlined the basics you should be able to write down certain things that you can remember so that you can derive a conclusion. The more you write down your thoughts, memories, ideas, and the like the more easily it will get for you to remember. In addition, you can use the recite and repeat tactics to recall important information. The more practice you put into sharpening your mind, the likely you will not forget. Keep in mind that the short-term memory spots information, processes and instantly forgets. With this in mind, you can see that looking at the information closer can sharpen the short-term memory.

Before I go let me say one more thing that could help you along the way. When you do come to a certain memory that may be hard for you to face, don’t just stop trying to realize what has happened. All you need to do is work yourself around that certain memory so that you can go forth with your search to define you.

We live in an age when stress seems to be around every corner, at every office. The demands of modern life require us to be constantly “plugged in” through e-mail, cell phones, pagers, and Blackberry devices. You might feel as if your senses are constantly being bombarded, both at work and at home. As a result, stress might have led you to the breaking point.

But there is a great universal stress reliever—one that is close to everyone. Nature offers bountiful opportunities for relieving stress. It might seem old-fashioned to “commune with nature,” but it can be incredibly cathartic, decreasing your stress level immeasurably.

First, you must be willing to take the time to drink in nature and all its beauty. Often, we feel overwhelmed by commitments—so overwhelmed, in fact, that we become guilty if we take time out for ourselves. However, if we are to successfully combat stress, we absolutely must reserve time for stress-relief, and nature can be one of the best stress relievers available.

Each season offers its own unique brand of stress relief. In the autumn, we can be soothed by the multi-colored leaves on the trees, the crunch of leaves under our feet, and lovely azure October skies. By experiencing the beauty of nature, we can become more relaxed and better able to take on life’s challenges.

In the winter, we can take brisk walks through the snow, watching the flakes delicately float down to earth. We can be energized by the brisk winds and frigid temperatures. We can also gain a certain amount of confidence in battling the elements, helping to relieve our stress level.

In spring, we can enjoy the true riches of nature. We can experience the scent of flowers just beginning to bloom…the loveliness of plants that have survived winter’s scourge…and listen to the birds chirping in the trees. Gazing at trees just beginning to bud can be incredibly soothing after a stressful day on the job.

Meanwhile, in the summer, we can experience nature at its most vibrant. We can enjoy the scent of the grass after the lawn has just been mowed…and watch the trees gently waving in the summer breeze. We can revel in the sun’s rays, or enjoy the refreshment of a summer shower. Just a few minutes in the outdoors can reduce our stress level dramatically.

There are also a number of nature-related activities we can engage in in order to relax. For instance, hiking offers a tremendous opportunity to see the splendor of nature up close and personal. Skiing allows us to enjoy winter’s beauty, while a game of Frisbee can be a tremendous lift on a summer afternoon. Because nature offers such a feast for the senses, enjoying the outdoors can bring a sense of calm and tranquility to our lives that few other things can.

Some people have found a relaxing nature-related hobby in gardening. Planting flowers, trimming bushes, and weeding can help to relax both the mind and the body. Others have found that yard work can help to reduce stress. Such activities as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or shoveling snow can help to remove us from sources of stress, giving us a much-needed break.

You may be so inspired by nature that you write poetry about the things you see and hear. Such writing can be tremendously cathartic, especially when undertaken outdoors. Lying in a chaise lounge under a tree, composing sonnets about flowers, can get your creative juices flowing—and lower your stress level in the process.

You might be surprised how therapeutic nature can be. It can re-awaken your senses, allowing you to see things you might have missed before. It can demonstrate to you the beauty of creation and give you a renewed vitality for life. It can provide you with a welcome sanctuary from the world of blaring stereos and non-stop TV chatter. Even if you don’t consider yourself a nature lover, brief periods outdoors can give you a new sense of purpose. With such a positive outlook, your ability to handle stress will be enhanced. In essence, spending a few moments outdoors is like taking a mini-vacation from the rigors of your daily life.