Well I've been out of the picture for quite a while now. Just too busy and getting busier. Here is the link to Edition 2 of my groundbreaking book, Eliminate Your Fear: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/eliminate-your-fear/985342

Mind over body

It’s long been known that there is a thing called the Placebo Effect where if you believe you are getting medication when you are actually getting a sugar pill — your body can sometimes respond as if the medicine is actually working. Recent research suggests if you believe you are exercising, your body may respond as if it is. Read more in this article “Can Your Thoughts Affect Your Weight? “ by Alix Spiegel

Using mind to build muscle

I've always believed in the power of visualization and now breakthrough research in the field of exercise physiology has yielded stunning revelations about the way we get fit. The big surprise, though, is not what we "have" to do, but what we might "not" have to do.

Our thoughts can literally redefine the size, shape and strength of our bodies.
Read this interesting article by Jonathan Fields (Source: JonathanFields.com) on how imaginary workouts can build strength and fuel weight loss.

http://www.mindpowernews.com/ImaginaryWorkout.htm

Manage your attitude

In the animal world the speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack. That probably applies to humans as well. Certainly for humans... "The attitude of the leader will determine the attitude of the pack."

I'm always on about attitude and thinking right but do you reckon that means I never have a negative thought?

It sure doesn't. I wish I could be that way but I've got this big problem.

I'm human. And like every other human being, I too have doubts, fears, and disappointments in my life. Sometimes they get the better of me for a little while too. But to help others and be a leader, we've got to minimize those times.

Do we need to be perfect and never feel negative? Of course not. But we can manage our attitudes and constantly aim to think the right way. Thinking affects our feelings and then our actions. Never underestimate the influence that our actions and our attitudes have on our team, even if that team is just the people around you.

How to talk to Angels

A client friend of mine asked me about angels and how to talk to them because i mentioned that was another strategy for dealing with things. Now I'm no expert on angels but my wife has acouple of books on them and I read them some time ago. It made me think.

I like to believe there's more to life than just us here on the physical plane and there certainly seems to be plenty of evidence (though much of it is anecdotal) to suggest we are not alone. I think angels are around us. They may not be all white and winged. They may even be in the guise of ordinary people we come across in our daily travels. I don't know. I don't think it matters if you don't have any concept of what they look like.


I do know that when I try to do everything by myself, including finding lost things, for instance, I often get to the point where I've hit the wall. Things aren't working, I can't find what I'm looking for etc. So I just say, "Okay Angels, I give in. I've done the best I can by myself but I need your help. Please help me..." So for me I just talk to them as though they were a friend beside me. Often somewhere at the beginning of the day I just say thanks to them for being with me today and ask them to help me in various ways.

I guess it's like prayer in a way. I'm not a religious person but I find this a comfortable spiritual thing. I can say that when I call on them for help then let go my attachment to whatever it is I want help with, I invariably feel better about it and things do go better. I generally find what it is I've misplaced that's for sure. You can even call upon specific angels by name if you want. Apparently different angels are good at particular things.

Who really knows. Maybe just the belief in them is a source of personal strength. Talking to them... well what have you got to lose? Nothing really. But I do make sure no one else is around to hear me when I talk out loud to them. They might think I'm nuts already but why give evidence to prove it hey.

Fat people

"If the poor overweight jogger only knew how far he had to
run to work off the calories in a crust of bread he might
find it better in terms of pound per mile to go to a
massage parlor." - Christiaan Barnard

I look around and see overweight people everywhere. It's not a pretty sight and very sad when you realise that just about every one of those people would prefer to be slim. (You might have guessed I don't really believe them when fat people say they are happy with their size - it makes it easier to live with yourself if you can convince yourself you're happy about it.)

But what's even sadder is they're all pushing stuff uphill - and it's runny stuff as well.

Why?

Well everything is working against them. Food manufacturers and sellers load food with fats, salt and sugars because the western world's taste buds have been conditioned to want those more and more. People want instant gratification more and more hence more fast foods are eaten. And even the weight loss industry is against them. The whole shebang is geared toward making a buck out of all the poor miserable suckers who want to lose weight, but struggle with it.

The industry is worth billions and the people behind it know that for every one that does make it to the slimmer side, there's a hundred left who will continue on with their losing battle, buying the latest pill, formula or program with a promise.

In the end though, as bitter a pill it is to swallow, for most people losing the battle, the reason lies within their own minds, emotions and resolve.

Persistence

Last night I woke up to the lovely sound of gentle rain on the iron roof just outside my bedroom window. I was really enjoying being snug and comfortable and the sound of the rain.

Then my cat was there right outside meowing over and over again, because he wanted to get inside I suppose. His sound was a bit annoying because I just wanted to hear the rain, but I had to admire his persistence. For some reason I took the situation as a message to be persistent myself with something I'm faced with at present. So I ignored the cat and was more persistent than he was so he eventually went away.

I hope that's an omen that if I'm persistent I will eventually conquer my challenge.

Dark before dawn

It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

Seriously though, life can sometimes seem pretty tough. You get tired, lose focus, wonder what’s the point and why bother trying. When I do crisis counseling, believe me, there are plenty of people out there like this.

It’s small consolation to know that there are always others even worse off. So what to do? The only answer is changing the feelings and the thoughts. Easier said than done I’ll grant, but it can be.

How?

Using the tapping techniques I use in coaching and counseling can help take the sharp edge off lots of those feelings and thoughts. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

Diamond comes from coal

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. - Plato
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It can be very frustrating to struggle and toil to achieve your goals but repeatedly meet with setbacks and failure. Margaret Thatcher once said "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it," and she was absolutely right.

You have to believe that you will succeed! Never admit defeat as long as there is still time to accomplish what you set out to do and you are still able to put in effort.

Your greatest asset is patience; your greatest weakness is succumbing to the desire to give in and quit. Banish discouragement and feelings of impossibility by working hard, doing more, and not giving in! A diamond was only made beautiful after hundreds of years as a lump of coal being succumbed to great pressure and intense heat.

How to let go

In the personal development world we always hear, "think positively," and "focus on the positive". But anyone who's human knows that it's virtually impossible to let go of all the negative stuff we've accumulated over the years.

Einstein once said: "You can't solve a problem on the level of the problem."

Meaning, if the problem is with your thinking, you can't solve it by thinking it away!

So what's the answer...?

I'll tell you what it is, but you have to make me a promise:

You have to promise you'll keep an open mind.

I've been broke, depressed, anxious, sleepless, and terrified.

There are so many books on healing, success and personal empowerment - and I've read lots of them.

But after years of reading and trying self improvement methods I found myself still stuck. It's not that they were worthless, but that they all required willpower. Therein lay the problem for why they didn't work as well as they could.

You can't just get rid of negative thinking with effort of will. That self-sabotage won't stop by wanting it to. Subconscious beliefs and drive thoughts and negative emotions that cause us to sabotage ourselves despite our best efforts.

Well, I discovered the most powerful, life-changing technique on the planet for neutralizing those emotions. It is the missing ingredient to the Law of Attraction.

The ingredient that allows you to immediately let go of everything that's holding you back from achieving what you deserve.

What is it?

It's a simple technique based on ancient Chinese medicine that's been used for thousands of years which I use in my capacity as a counselor and performance coach.

Pick up a copy of my latest book "Eliminate Your Fear" and find out all about it.

Your most important choice

What is the one thing that would truly make you happy? It might seem like an easy question when your mind immediately yells out 'money' or 'a better job'. But deep down what are you seeking?

Could it be peace of mind?

After all, feeling happy is a mental thing. In fact feeling anything is a mind thing sparked by our response to events around us and the thoughts we think.

It begins with accepting yourself, your life, and your circumstances. Then making choices to focus on the positive, your hopes and dreams and refusing to entertain fearful thoughts. Back that up with positive action to keep you busy working toward what you want rather than trying to avoid what you don't want.

During this life you'll have many hard days - long work days, sleepless nights, worrying about the future, etc. Where you put your focus is your most important choice. This week, think about the joys of your life. Find creative ways to enjoy the little bumps in the road.

Happiness

"A great obstacle to happiness is expecting too much happiness."- Bernard de Fontanelle, French writer.

We’re always looking for happiness aren’t we?

Most of the time we think of it as something 'out there' to be found. Happiness is really just a state of mind, not a way of life or a destination that you'll reach one day. Bumps in the road of life are to be expected, and we mustn't let them ruin our days.

A typical pattern of thinking is that if a combination of factors would just fall into place THEN we would finally be happy. But in reality satisfaction can only come from within. It is a mental game played within your head between your hopes and your fears.

When you let the fears win you are unhappy. When your hopes and sense that everything will be okay wins, you find happiness and peace of mind. So refuse to even contemplate your fears and focus instead on believing that you'll be okay.

Amazing mind

The Phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan miund.

Acordnig to rscheerchers at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy , it denos't
mtater in waht oredr the ltetres in a wrod are, the olny ipnoatmt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat leteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

The sacred self

"The body is a sacred garment," according to Martha Graham. "It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor". In the Garden of Eden, eating was modeled as one of life's most pleasurable experiences. But then Eve took a bite out of that apple and ever since then men and women have been at war with food.

But I don't think weight problems are God's way of punishing humankind. Perhaps your weight issues are really a symptom of something else - boredom, depression, regret, or rejection maybe. At the root of many issues is our self-loathing at worst, our self-indifference at best.

Food is not the enemy. We are. Break the cycle of dieting and replace it with loving yourself enough to make good choices about your diet. Examine your eating habits this week. Are you honoring your body with your food choices? How can you love yourself back to a healthy relationship with eating? One way is to use Emotional Freedom Techniques. Take steps now towards defeating the natural compulsion or craving that might take you down a path of regretful eating.

How to make Law of Attraction work

The Law of Attraction is a big issue at the moment. You've probably heard the hype about "The Secret". They all make it sound so easy to achieve your dreams in only weeks...

Well it could happen and maybe for some it does, but it's probably not going to happen for most people as quickly as the gurus promise it will.

Why?

Well, what most people are teaching about the Law of Attraction is incomplete.

See, the Law of Attraction dictates that you won't attract positive things into your life if you're holding on to negative beliefs about yourself; and you won't attract success if you're holding onto negative emotions, like anger, fear, guilt and jealousy.

Unfortunately few people really how to effectively let go of those negative beliefs and emotions.

In my capacity as a counselor and performance coach I use the most powerful, life-changing technique on the planet for neutralizing those emotions. It allows you to immediately let go of anything that's holding you back from achieving what you desire. It's actually based on ancient Chinese medicine that's been used for thousands of years.

Pick up a copy of my latest book "Eliminate Your Fear" and find out all about it.

Mind power

I'm always on about the power of the mind and how thoughts are real. Well in June 2004 a completely paralyzed man underwent surgery to implant a small sensor in his brain that enables him to play video games, write email, change TV channels and open his curtains - using only his thoughts!

Richard Normann, professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah, invented a tiny sensor that detects neural activity in the brain. This lead to the development of the Brain Gate Neural Interface System. At present three external computers on a cart are needed to process the signals from the sensor into signals like a computer mouse. Eventually these processors will be small enough to fit inside the patients body and be wireless.

So see. Thoughts really are real. With our technology we can detect them and now even harness them, albeit in small ways, to control devices. Amazing to think what the future holds.

Be happy

Our emotions control and direct how we feel as well as how well or how poorly our bodies function.

The great Mike Brescia in the early 1990s used to go into nursing homes and senior living facilities and test the hearing of the residents over several days at a time.

In one particular facility, everywhere you looked were dogs and cats roaming the halls... and you could even hear birds singing in some of the rooms.

When he asked the director about it she said that in every long-term nursing facility where pets were allowed the residents flourished... many symptoms of old age were reduced or eliminated altogether, and less medication was needed over all.

Why?

Because everyone was happier...

And that particular facility was located next door to an elementary school. So one day a week, the little children would visit all the elderly residents, going right into
their rooms and talking and drawing and singing for the old folks...

... and on those days, even LESS medication was needed for all purposes especially pain!

So it goes to show that it is vital to keep your mind focused on positive and happy things as much as possible.

Always have goals to work towards every day and make sure you notice what you did right... praise yourself for your achievements, however small and your body will reward you with feeling better and staying healthier and you’ll live a longer, more productive life.

Make it a great day!

Halfway

Well here we are... halfway through the year.

I love halfway points. To me they signify the home stretch. It's just a mental trick to motivate myself.

On a journey, once you're half way you may as well keep going because it's as far back as it is to go forward.

In resistance exercise for example, while I know that it's the reps in the last half of the set that hurt the most they also do the most good. So halfway marks the the most productive part of the set.

Also, my mental attitude is that if I can get halfway then I can get the rest of the way. This helps a lot with perserverance. Naturally I still have to keep my common sense and know that this is not an infallible truth. Sometimes we get to a point where we can't go any further. Like climbing a cliff - just because I get up the first bit doesn't guarantee getting up the next bit.

The point is, it's how we perceive it that counts. The good thing about halfway points is that they can sometimes be adjusted. Age 50 is halfway if I hope to live to 100. Once there however I don't really want to think I'm in my declining years so why not adjust the halfway mark to 60! After all, it's okay to change your mind isn't it?

It's a bit of a mind game. So what if someone thinks you're a bit whacky for playing it. If it helps you keep going, stay enthused, perservere and progress, then it's worth it. After all, success is all in the head. How we think determines everything.

If halfway helps, use it. If this only helps until the halfway point then cheat and change the game once you get to the halfway point! Maybe adopt the mindset that it all gets easier, or you can take it easier after the halfway point. It doesn't matter.

In the game of life, a lot of the rules can be made up by you to suit yourself. Sure you've still got to follow a lot of other rules you didn't make up, but you can still pretty much play the game the way you want.

Get the RAS on your side

The subconscious is your faithful servant. It is completely neutral and impartial. It will carry out any instructions you give it.

The problem is, we keep giving it conflicting instructions.

You see, many of us are still running negative programs we picked up as children when our non-conscious minds were totally open and impressionable. As we grew up we formed beliefs. Our RAS (part of the brain called the reticular activating system) seeks evidence that validates those beliefs. Our beliefs lead to habits of thinking, which, over the years result in reinforcement of the beliefs through repetition of our own negative thinking.

As it turns out, our own thoughts, repeated daily, are one of the primary ways that our "mental computer" can be programmed on a sub-conscious level, which is the level of beliefs, habits and automatic behavior.

To change your results, you must overwrite old negative programming and install positive new programming into your subconscious.

This can be achieved through such techniques as written goal setting, positive self-talk (affirmations), and mental imagery (visualization).

You will meet resistance from the sub conscious however. One way to counter that is to use the EFT tapping technique.

If any change is to occur you must alter this programming so the RAS allows your world to change.

What creates your body?

Metaphysics & brain science have merged and proven that positive thinking and goal setting literally create your body and your entire life experience.

For years, positive thinking and goal-setting were criticized as new age stuff.

But recent breakthroughs in neuroscience along with greater understanding of mental laws prove that the thoughts you think literally turn into the events you experience, the material things you possess... AND even the health of your own body.


We now know there are specific parts of the brain, such as the reticular activating system (RAS), which call our conscious attention to things that are important to reaching our goals and filter out those things that are unimportant.

The RAS is activated by the "programming" which is in our subconscious in the form of beliefs. These beliefs cause the RAS to filter out what doesn't fit with our belief system. This is why people have so much trouble accepting the change desired from positive thinking and the affirmations that accompany goal-setting.

We are discovering that our brain is cybernetic in nature, which means that it is literally like a computer, waiting for a program to be installed.

Our sub conscious mind is the "power center" and the programming that drives the RAS to filter out what doesn't fit with our belief system can be changed. How do we change that programming? Well that's the big question isn't it? How do you go about it? I'll give you my ideas tomorrow.