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Thinking with meaning
Thinking is one of the most wonderful gifts we have.
But not thinking on the surface, rather diving deep into what matters to us.
The real issue is that we hardly have time to think deep enough. We are preoccupied, we are worrying, we are solving, but that is not thinking deep. People who have left an amazing legacy behind, have been able to spend some time alone, thinking and reflecting… not about what is NOW but about what their purpose is, what are they here for.
Now that we have a fresh year ahead, take time to think… I particularly like Viktor Frankl‘s book Man’s Search for Meaning
With many distractions – oh, yes, I know.. stop reading this and start thinking – when do we find time to think?
Here is to your thinking,
Alicia
PD: subscribe to this blog sending an email to fil@aweber.com (don’t worry, we hate spamming too, you’ll have to double opt-in, so no subscribing your annoying cousin)
Self Improvement Bonanza
I know that collaboration beats competition.
When we collaborate, we reduce our scope to something much smaller, because it is more specific, it has higher value, but a narrower client base.
In a world still shaken by the financial crisis, a new form of consciousness is emerging. I see it all the time. More and more people are doing something that is meaningful to them, not just something they are good at. And that excellence shows.
In the spirit of a new business world, I toast to the power of collaboration. and within that power of collaboration, I have been invited to participate in a huge event of Self Improvement Gifts, where hundreds of individuals have poured to give free gifts (I’m giving three) so we can help others.
I strongly suggest that you look at it… chances are you will find an amazing gift, yes, gift… free of charge, and created and given by someone who is so passionate about what they are bringing to the world that it is fantastic.check the Self Improvement Bonanza from Jan 6 to 11th, and don’t complain that I didn’t tell you…http://selfimprovementgifts5.com
I’ve already had a peek at the gifts and look at what you’ll be able to get your hands on if you
ACT FAST:
* How to Become an Advanced Early Riser – Steven Aitchison
* Turn Your Passsion into a book… – Warren Whitlock
* Total Wellness Guide – Craig Raphael
* COACHES: Create a 6-Figure Practice, Here’s How! – Barb Wade
* Achieve Your Dreams – Brenton Lindo
* I Have Value Meditation – Estra Roell
* Creative Visualization Mastey – Bruno Auger
* Wealthy You 2011 Vision Sheet – Nachhi Randhawa
* Find the Best Self Improvement Niches and More – Tuks Engineer
* Wake Up to the Dream - Eva Gregory
* And TONS (OVER 400+) MORE!
This event only lasts for few days, so don’t delay and get over there now
To Your Success In 2011!
Alicia
I’m giving in three gifts!
Let me know if you find themhttp://selfimprovementgifts5.com
Posted in Uncategorized
As the year ends, as the year begins
As the year ends…
May you have the time to reflect on last year’s happenings to build the year you want.
When you found success, I hope you remember how hard and smart you worked and not how lucky you were
When you found failure, I hope you remember how you had doubts and learnt not to take things for granted
May your successes give you strength and the belief that you can do what you want to do
May your failures give you weakness and help you be more human
May you wonder about what could be, without knowing
May curiosity give you sparks
May wisdom bring you joy and above it all
May you build on your hopes and actions to make each single day, a day worth living.
So you live with purpose and build a legacy behind for all of us who know you.
Here is to a remarkable 2011
Al finalizar el año …
Que tengas el tiempo para reflexionar sobre los acontecimientos del año pasado para construir el año que deseas
Que tus éxitos te recuerden cuando duro trabajaste y no la suerte que tuviste…
Que tus fracasos te recuerden que dudas y que no debes esperar que todo salga como deseas…
Que tus éxitos te den fuerza y la percepción de que puedes lograr lo que deseas…
Que tus fracasos te hagan mas débil y mas sabio, y mas humano…
Que te preguntes sobre lo que podría ser, sin saber…
Que la curiosidad te provoque explorar lo desconocido…
Que el saber te traiga alegría y, sobre todo
Que construyas cada dia, un dia que vale la pena vivir…
un dia que le de a tu vida un propósito y nos deje un legado a quienes te conocemos.
Que hagas un 2011 inolvidable.
Alicia
Posted in blessing, inspiration
Tagged experience, inspiration, learning, legacy, new year, old year, purpose
May you be the gift this holiday
We live in times of wonder… Thanks to the financial crisis, we are looking at something else, and we have come to the realization that we do matter.So, this year, may you be the gift, your presence, your actions, your thoughtsMay you bring joy and encouragement, concerns and frustrations, hope, resilience and doubtMay you realize how wonderful it is to be aliveMay you be the giver, the makerYou are the miracle.
Jump into the unexpected
I have been listening a lot lately that people who are successful chose so. Well, sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes people sit there and watch their lives in contentment until something magical happens and they shine.Like what?Well, did you know that Nat King Cole, the singer that made the song: ‘dreaming of a white Christmas’ so famous, was happy and content just playing the piano in Chicago? Yes, he loved doing that… at a small restaurant where people did not really care much about the background music. Then one day, a drunk white man kind of ordered him to sing. Nat kindly told him that he did not know how to sing. The owner of the restaurant approached Nat and whispered: you better sing boy, that man spends here more than you earn… so poor Nat sang…His mellow, velvety voice filled the air, people did listen, and the rest is history.You might also know the joke about the guy who has a party at his millionaire home and offered his cars to any brave person who jumps into his crocodile filled pond and gets back up alive.Nobody answers.So the wealthy guy offers more: my cars, my airplanesNobody answers.The offer goes higher: cars, airplanes, homesNobody answers.Even higher: cars, airplanes, homes and b…Suddenly there is a splash and this brave guy fights the crocodiles and finally emerges all cut up, bleeding and tired.Brave man, the wealthy guy says, you have demonstrated your bravery.. here are the keys to my cars, my homes. My airplanes…Excuse me, the ragged man says: I do not wish to have your possessions.Oh my Gosh, the wealthy man says.. then what is it that you want…Help me find the one who pushed me!So here you might be, on the verge of a pool, waiting for something extraordinary to happen to you, or wanting to do something amazing… and every day opportunities go by…Get the glasses on and take those steps or thank those who help you grow by forcing you into the unexpected.In the mean time, maybe you can start singing in the shower, when you take a walk or with your kids or beloved ones. One thing is for sure, you will have a moment of happiness, and your lungs will grow healthier.
Crusoe and Positivism
Whenever you feel that you are stuck, in a situation where you can longer prosper, using the method described in Robinson Crusoe will help immensely.
Published in 1917, the novel takes us through the journey of a castaway in a remote island in the Caribbean. Think about it, the poor guy is stranded in a deserted island, with nobody to talk to, hungry, naked, lost… Slowly but surely he starts building his nest and on the few occasions he finds other people, they are either cannibals or pirates, rescuing a cannibal whom he called Friday. He waits and waits to be rescued… and over and over he needs to find hope when hope is lost. No wonder, Crusoe felt depressed.
As the story shows, we are not our circumstances, but our approach to them. At one point, he sits down to write the evil and the good in his situation.
In a nutshell (and following the book’s language) he writes for example:
Evil: I am alone
Good: I was saved
Evil: I am hungry
Good: there is food around (I’m not in winter)
Evil: I have no clothing
Good: the weather is not cold
And so the list goes on… for each negative, he finds a counterpart that is positive. So, instead of thinking that he has landed in paradise, he goes onto crafting a way of thinking that both acknowledges the negatives that he experiences but at the same time forces his brain to think about the positives.
Using this Minus-Plus system helps us stretch our brain, and by doing so, we are rebooting our neuronal connections, reinforcing the positive connections that are not cared for when we feel sad, stressed or frustrated. At the same time, we are responsibly acknowledging that the negative has its space… a space that has to be shared not filled!This is by the way, one of the basis of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, used by psychotherapists to treat some mental illnesses.
On to you, Alicia
What do you think? is this way of balancing good/bad useful?
FYI: the original novel was written by Alan Dafoe under this looooooong title: The Life and strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, where-in all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself”
Posted in challenges, determination
Tagged challenges, countereffect, Crusoe, determination, discovery, positivism, travel
The magic of small tasks
When we are sad our body feels like shutting down.
It is in those times of reflection that the front lobe wants to make sure the feeling is valid. To so, it calls the long term memory and brings up images from times where the emotion was similar… Chances are that because we are alive, we do accumulate both positive and negative memories.
The search on the bank of memories -yes, at the back of our brain- happens when we are down, have you noticed that when we are positive we do not need to rely on previous experiences? We don’t need reassurance when we are ecstatic or thrilled. It seems that we do not store overjoy anywhere. We just feel it.
When we are gloomy, frustrated or sad, our brain gets very busy leveraging on our misery, bringing past experiences that have nothing to do with the present to validate our feelings. In such circumstances our body asks for inactivity, so it can do the energy-depleting exercise of sorting out our memories to find exactly the ones that are aligned with the emotion that is holding us down.
Perhaps that was a good coping mechanism when we lived in caverns, and we weren’t able to sit and watch TV and open the fridge to grab a bite. It was probably the time to paint, to think, and to sulk. Without any activity, however, our brain keeps wiring back and validating our emotions. In the times of the caverns -or actually in some regions- the sense of sadness can only last as long as we don’t have to get up and go out to seek food.
Unlike the pre-historic times, however, we are now aware of how our brain works and how we can manage our thoughts to manage our feelings.When our ancestors painted and did manual work they were counteracting sadness and melancholy. It is because both problem solving uses the same area in our brain that is used to search in the bank of our term memory. Without much energy to embark in problem solving, we might as well rest. Yet, inaction, even mental inaction is not a cure for sadness. That is when small tasks become a blessing.
When we are gloomy, taking care of a small short task is magical. We get our brain to work on finishing a small task instead of allowing it to seek for reasons or validations that we can’t change, as they are in the past. Whether it is cleaning a drawer, making a pie, fixing that door, planting a pot, or completing a puzzle, keeping your mind occupied on doing something that you can finish magically wipes away the sadness.
A moment of sadness is the perfect time to finish up that small task that has been in our to-do list. Your brain will be busy sorting out how to finish it, and you will feel accomplished… this is one of the secrets of finding happiness and preventing depression.If you are sad, take action and embark on a small task.
Posted in happiness
Tagged accomplishment, achievement, acting, done, possitivism, small, small tasks
From falling in love with your work to falling in love with music
For months now I’ve been talking at corporations about Falling in love with life. Depression and frustration seems to have taken a toll in people’s lives at work. As I’ve always been in love with my work, it came as a surprise. I didn’t really think that people could spend lots of time doing something they hate, or in a toxic environment, but it seems that there is a good chunk of people who simply sit down at their own auditions in life and never get to the stage.It only takes ONE person to the change that person’s world. That person IS….As I’m a firm believer that Life doesn’t happen to me but I happen to life, I posted a question on linked in http://dld.bz/xnpu … and through the magic of sharing I am developing a conversation about music. I have to thank Olga Lishansky for bringing this to my attention.And here is one of the most fascinating stories about music… Enjoy Benjamin Zander in a magnificent exploration.
Hope you enjoy it!
Posted in benjamin zander, brain, gratitude, happiness
Tagged benjamin zander, brain, Chopin, gratitude, music, pleasure