How Breathing Differently Can Make You Happier

"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire." – Quote from an 11-year-old’s science exam

John Grinder, co-creator of NLP talks about the link between respiration, physiology, internal state and high performance. He calls this ‘the chain of excellence’. I recently read a book by Osho, the wonderfully non-PC mystic and guru. In the book, Osho instructed the reader to pay attention to their breathing rate when they were sad, and notice the timing of the in-breath and out-breath. He explained that next time they were happy, they could re-induce the sad state by merely repeating the breathing pattern. Fortunately, he added, it works the other way round too!

Follow some or all of these exercises;

Firstly; When you are experiencing a powerful, positive state, allow yourself to become aware of your breathing rate. Pay particular attention to the timing and rhythm of your in-breath and out-breath.

Secondly; Next time you are in a neutral or negative state, start breathing at the rate and rhythm from exercise one, and within a minute or so, the positive state should begin to return.

Many gurus advise people to do breathing exercises regularly. I know Tony Robbins does in his marvellous book “Unlimited Power” he advises that you start each day with a breathing exercise of inhaling slowly and deeply, then holding it for twice as long as the inhalation and exhaling in twice the pace. It really is invigorating and a great way to get motivated at the start of the day, especially if you are looking to do some things with your day that require motivation.

Breathing is powerful, our life force and is a major factor influencing our state of mind (if you uncertain about this, hold your breath for two minutes & re-read this sentence) This being the case, please use your common sense when doing any of these exercises (if you have a respiratory condition, please check with your health advisor first.) I do not want any asthmatics complaining that they did themselves harm following these exercises!!

So, thirdly; Start breathing comfortably but deeply, in through your nose & out through your mouth. Imagine that you are breathing from that area of your abdomen just beneath your belly button. Make the in-breath last to a count of 5 and the out-breath to a count of 6. Continue for at least 2 minutes, and notice what happens.

This 5:6 ratio seems to be a simple yet powerful way you can induce a relaxed state at will. The art of Yogic breathing is called Pranayama. Pranayama offers many different approaches for cleansing the mind & body through breathing exercises. Here’s one of them (with thanks to RA Wilson):

Fourthly (this may seem a bit odd to do, I’d recommend not doing this in front of friends or at work!) ; Lie on your back & pant like a dog, breathing rapidly in & out through your mouth 20 times. Then, breathe slowly, deeply and gently in and out 20 times through your nose. Once again, do the mouth-panting 20 times, then resume gentle nose-breathing. Notice what happens.

This technique is referred to as the breath of fire, and typically results in a state of… well, you find out!

These techniques can be very powerfully utilised when wanting to get in control of your state if you are going through a period of change such as reducing your weight, stopping smoking or developing more confidence.

Please remember that most people don’t breathe nearly enough. Start to breathe more deeply and notice how much better you feel. Have lots of fun with this. Notice how good you can make your self feel when you breathe differently.

Copyright 2005 Adam Eason. All Rights Reserved.

Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. His website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products.

Visit to also receive a free, unique hypnosis session, instantly downloadable, to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

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The Power of Sound for Your Brain

When I was at college, I used to play in a band and I loved it. Mainly because of my love of music. We had some really big gigs and used to write our own songs as well as covering some obscure music from those times. It is amazing that the music I used to listen to at that stage of my life can still make me feel a very particular way.

It's like when I run listening to my ipod, it makes such a difference. I can run faster and longer when I have certain tunes on.

What's more, I love listening to loud uplifting music when I get out of the shower first thing in the morning, because it makes me feel really alive, upbeat and charged up for my day ahead. My girlfriend is the same, even though our music tastes differ, she likes to sing loudly in the shower and while getting ready for work in the mornings. When I asked her about it once and she described how the music made her feel, she started to grin with delight, and I was intrigued by just how powerful sound can be and how we can all use it for our own benefit.

Not sure if many of you will remember this, but here in the UK some years back, Prince Charles was quoted saying "I just come and talk to the plants, really-very important to talk to them, they respond I find" in The Daily Mail. All kinds of research has been done as to how sound affects the world around us.

I recently read some research by William Congreve about the effects of music on our own development. I seriously doubt that William Congreve would have said "music hath charms to soothe the savage breast" if he had heard my band practising in my parents front room when I was at college, but he did think music offered people some special things.

The point that Congreve so memorably made more than 300 years ago, however, still rings true. Music elicits unconscious reactions. Brahms reportedly puts cranky babies to sleep. Mozart supposedly helps children achieve higher results in exams. Pleasant melodies of all sorts are said to lift depression, relieve anxiety and reduce pain associated with cancer.

Even many prominent psychiatrists acknowledge that sounds can indeed provoke the nervous system. The most dramatic examples are two types of epileptic seizures. High-frequency sound waves can trigger "audiogenic seizures." The emotional reactions to music can cause "musicogenic seizures."

There is a fascinating piece of research that shows how sound affects cells of water and if you think that the majority of us all is water, then you can begin to think that the sounds we continue to deliver inside our minds can be of some serious importance here.

What I want you to think about are the sounds you allow to be played inside your own mind. In my self-hypnosis master class and book, I mention a lot about internal dialogue. I want to go even further than that today though and go beyond the meaning and content of dialogue and just listen to the sounds that we notice in our minds; the tone, rhythm and pitch and how each affects you.

First of all, have a go at doing this:

Firstly, have a nice sigh. Sigh, naturally and out loud, three times in a row. A sigh sends a signal to your brain that all is ok with you and that you are safe and well. The process of sighing three times in a row typically gives an overall sense of comfort and relaxation and it should only be taking you 30 seconds or so!

Secondly, imagine sighing out loud three times.

You may recall from lots of my previous editions of Adam Up that your unconscious mind does not know the difference between an actual experience and a sensory rich imagined experience. So just imagine sighing out loud three times now. You can imagine sighs in situations where you want to feel the benefit and where loud ones might not be appropriate.

Sound has a profound influence upon us at levels below our conscious awareness. When you hear someone whose voice irritates you, that is a very real feeling being created by responses within you and the chemicals your brain is producing in relation to that sound, interesting stuff eh?

Similarly, when you listen to someone who has a really sensual, alluring voice, that has a very real feeling attached to it as well doesn't it? There is a genuine connection between tone of voice and feelings. This does not have to be exclusive to communicating with others; it matters how you communicate with yourself too!

So, thirdly, imagine from memory that you can hear your favourite piece of music. I know that there are pieces of music that just make you feel wonderful. Notice the extent to which it is possible for you to feel the sensations the music creates in your body. Now become aware of the associated feelings you experience.

You will notice that lots of the world’s comedians, performers, prominent speakers and trainers play music when they come on and leave stage. They know that it helps them and you feel good at those crucial times.

Fourthly then, listen to a favourite piece of music and allow yourself to become aware of how you experience it. Music doesn’t just come in through your ears, rather, notice how you feel it with your entire body. When the piece finishes, play it over again in your mind, and discover the how you can reproduce all the sensations you originally felt. Then, next time you find yourself in a circumstance or situation where you would benefit from feeling those sensations, play the music in your mind!

Once you are sure that this really makes a difference inside your mind and body, you can begin to create and to think about various sounds that, when imagined, have certain effects on you. It really does bring new meaning to the term "sound effects."

When I meet certain people, I have all kinds of "oooh" and "aaah" going on in mind. I just know that lots of you imagines being at a fireworks display then didn't you? How about some laughter sounds and giggly sounds, or cartoon characters? Use the sounds that the world gives you and create more of the good ones, uplifting ones and fun ones inside of your mind and notice how it changes your daily experience. Notice the kind of tonality that you have with your own internal dialogue, if someone spoke to you that way, how would you respond? Would it relax you? Would it put you on edge? Use your own tone of voice inside and outside of your mind to resonate better with yourself and others; it makes a vast difference.

Please visit Adam's website for a vast range of resources from the fields of hypnosis, personal development and human potential and to receive your amazing, free, instantly downloadable hypnosis session for relaxation: http://www.adam-eason.com

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The Winds of Change

Most people shiver when the winds of change blow their way. They are blinded by the strong winds hitting their face and making their eyes water and sting, knowing that things are shifting, it just can't be good! The comfort zone is going to be invaded and it won't be pretty! They can't see that the winds of change also bring along with them new opportunity, chances to grow, to heal, to face challenges. Yes, these things can be scary but what a gift they are!

How do you react to change? Do you welcome change, or dread it? The truth is, the only thing constant in life is change! Change is all around us, at every moment in the day, from our body cells constantly rejuvenating themselves, to nature's constant flow, to our thoughts, and so on. We are constantly changing...changing our minds, changing our clothes, changing hopefully for the better.

So what is the big deal? If we are constantly changing, it should be a normal state for us. Yet something in our minds tricks us into believing that we are standing still. That we have found ourselves a comfortable little niche and we can tuck ourselves away from those big scary winds. Not so! There is no comfortable little niche! It's a trick of the mind. That comfort zone you say you've got yourself in? You know, the one that you find so hard to step out of? It doesn't exist. Well, it does exist, but not in the way you think it does. Inside that comfort zone is...you guessed it. Constant change! So now what? We need to reframe our thinking and acknowledge the truth that we have been comfortable all along with change! Betcha' didn't see that one coming!

Now what do we have to say about the fear of change? We now realize that we have been changing all along and that we have even been comfortable with it! It's insanity! So where is the fear and the discomfort? If it is not outside of the comfort zone, dwelling in the dark and mysterious land of change as we once thought, then where is it? I'll tell you exactly where it is, it is lurking around in the darkest corners of our mind. That placement gives us a big gift. It gives us the gift of control! If that fear and discomfort is indeed inside our minds, then that means we have total control over it! Yes, the fear is a choice we have made! Let's take a look at our choices in the instance of change.

Have you ever tried walking against a strong wind? It's difficult isn't it? Leaning forward with your head down, taking long steps to push yourself forward. It's exhausting! It's the very same when you try to fight the winds of change. You are going to put in a lot of effort, exhaust yourself and move very slowly, or maybe not at all! You are going to get stressed out, start to believe you cannot handle it, and start to freak out! This is a welcome arena for fear and it will move right in, probably bringing it's in laws right along with it!

Now how about walking with the wind at your back, flowing together in the same direction? Ahhh, it almost carries you doesn't it? You are light as a feather as the wind guides you along, and really, you walk much faster than normal because you have such an amazing force of nature helping you along! If you let go of your resistance to the winds of change, and instead, flow with them, they will carry you, support you, if you only let them. As you discovered in your comfort zone, when you don't fight change, and instead accept it as a normal flow of life, then everything will fall into place. With everything falling into place, there is no room for fear or any of fear's relatives to move in!

Change can be empowering, indeed in the end it nearly always is. Change never comes without a challenge and it never comes without a gift. Learn to look at change as both a challenge and a gift, (as well as a natural constant part of life) and allow the winds to carry you. You will find that your time in the winds is much smoother, quicker and when they die down, you will see the gifts they have left gracing your life.

Arielle Sumner Consoli has been dubbed "Long Island's Favorite Life Coach". Aside from writing for such websites as The Long Island Guide (Ask the Coach!) and longisland.com (The Life Coach Expert) she has helped numerous people live their ideal lives by making lasting changes, removing blockages, achieving goals and by simply showing them how possible it is to truly live their dream. Arielle gives complimentary sesions, and hold numerous teleclasses throughout the year. Stop by her website at http://indigoskiescoaching.com for more information.

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Coaching: Living Consciously Vs. Living Habitually

How many times do you find yourself making decisions that are not in your best interests?

Well to make it more clear reflect on all of those behavior patterns that you have been trying to break. As you do you will recognize the extent to which you feel control over your mind, your body and your life have been usurped by some invisible force that takes you to places that are highly undesirable to you.

How is this possible? After all aren't your mind, your body and your life supposed to be yours? Well of course! So how can you explain the fact that you seem to have so little control over them throughout most of your life?

Well it's as simple as saying that you are making choices to become unconscious during these times. Let me explain what I mean by this.

You probably remember if you are old enough, the time in your life when you learned to drive. During that time you found yourself having to pay attention to all of those things you had to do in order to avoid having an accident. At the time it likely felt overwhelming if not a bit taxing.

Today however you probably drive hundreds of miles a week without even thinking about the hundreds of decisions you make to avoid having an accident.

That is because all that "learning" caused your nervous system to become imprinted with a complex program that one might call the "this is how I drive safely program”. It feels easier to simply let the program do the work rather than have to be fully conscious of everything you need to do, doesn’t it? In other words the program is supposed to help you conserve energy and make your life easier.

So whenever you get in the driver's seat you automatically bring up this unconscious program and it allows your conscious mind to attend to other things. In other words it frees you up.

Now suppose however that this "driving program" had a flaw in it. For instance, suppose that it had a "virus" in it that caused you to never check your blind spot.

Would that unconscious program serve you? Well I think you'll see that it could cause you a great deal of agony each time you had to change lanes because you wouldn't "know' to check that blind spot and hence that would leave you vulnerable to the occasional accident.

Now let's take this metaphor to the higher level of life decisions.

Your beliefs about your self, your capabilities, others, and your reality are pre-programmed inside of you at an unconscious and emotional level by the time your are 6 years of age.

This is because during that period, according to neurophysiologists, children are walking around in what is called a "delta or theta brainwave state". That is equivalent to a state of deep sleep. In this state we are highly suggestible or hypnotizable.

Hypnotizability implies that we are highly programmable. It also suggests that we are in an unconscious state. During these early years we become programmed with many dysfunctional or "virus embedded" programs that we fall into the habit of relying on later in life.

Another way of saying this is that whenever we encounter a situation in adult life that makes us uncomfortable or that strains our conscious attention there is a tendency to want to go into "auto pilot" mode and relieve some of the strain with pre-programmed unconscious "software".

Many of us do this regularly without even realizing it. We make decisions about our health, our careers, our relationships, what we believe we are capable of, what we believe about others, what we believe about our reality, etc. and all based on unconscious programming. Much of it however is based on the limited experiences we had while we were children.

Another way of saying this is that we become "unconscious" or that we live "habitually". When we do this we find our lives going in directions that are severely limiting and unfulfilling to us.

What is most interesting however is that many individuals are not even cognizant of the fact that this situation even exists. That is they are afraid to admit to themselves that they are "not fully in control of their lives".

What they are also afraid of is revisiting and releasing the old dysfunctional programs of their early lives. That is they are afraid to become fully conscious!

Now I ask you does that sound like a viable alternative?

Well if you see that to be "alive" and therefore "viable" is equivalent to being conscious then being unconscious is not viable is it?

In fact to live in a programmed state is equivalent to being a machine, isn't it?

If you would like to reawaken from your unconsciousness and reclaim your Life kindly visit the web link below for an introductory consultation.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Web Site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/IntroConsult.htm

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Are you in control of your mind, or does it control you? Ask yourself this right now. Are your decisons made with conscious thought or are they the mindless actions of an unconscious program?

Try watching and observing your thought processes and actions and how they influence your life and the decisions you make. CHOOSE to control your mind and lead it on the journey through life that YOU WANT, don't settle for a life of mindlessness. Only when you realise that you are in control of your brain, body and mind can you start the process of unleashing your real potential.

The "Wouldn't It Be Nice If..." Game

In the Law of Attraction circles, there is a game that we play all the time and that I want to tell you about for it is a great one to keep your focus and manifest your wishes. The game is called "Wouldn't It Be Nice If...?"

Those who follow spiritual laws to lead their life know a basic fact and that is:

Your thoughts are very powerful. They determine your life.

If you think positive thoughts, you life is very positive. You are healthy, you have money, time, a great lifestyle, opportunities, friends, a good love relationship, and you live joyously.

If, on the other hand, you chattering mind is negative, your life is a disaster, so to speak. It is quite the contrary from been joyous. You are broke, you have no friends, no opportunities, your relationships suck, you hate your job, your health leaves much to be desired, life is a drag. You hate it most of the time.

So, how do you know what kind of thought are you thinking? Just look at you, your surroundings, and your reality. Most of us have our ups and downs. We are also very imbalanced, as some areas of our life are good, some are satisfactory, and some are plain yucky.

For instance, you may have a great family and good friends but you hate your job and your boss is exasperating. Or, you do love your job and make good money but you have several small physical problems or a huge one. Or, perhaps, you have good health and a loving family but have no money.

That means that your thoughts are positive in some aspects and negative in others. You need to learn to send positive thoughts all the time for everything in order to balance your life so all of it is just one joy after another.

What you need to do to balance your life based on the Law of Attraction and the power of your thoughts is to transform all of your negative thoughts into positive ones. To accomplish this, this simple game does wonders. Here is how you play it:

To everything that you so desire (but your mind limits), begin your sentence with "Wouldn't it be nice if...?" For example:

"Wouldn't it be nice if I had someone to help me organize my desk?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if I found the best caretaker for my pets when I way in the summer?"

"Wouldn’t it be nice if my body were supple and firm?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if I had a cash availability of $50,000 in the bank?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if I could eat all the chocolate in the world and still keep my ideal weight?"

By saying "Wouldn't it be nice if...?" you trick your mind into accepting what you want because it is just a wishful question and your mind can’t say: "Oh, yeah, right! Not in your dreams!" But pay attention how powerful this wishful question is when you play the game. Your manifestations will start pouring in your life.

© Maria Moratto 2006

Want to have more abundance, health, time, love, and fun?
Visit Prescription For Bliss at http://www.rx4bliss.com sign up for the newsletter and receive a fr*ee ebook called "Happy People Are More Abundant!"

Want to find Financial Freedom for only a dollar a day? Visit http://www.investworks.net and read the fr*ee e-book on how to use this simple system.
Dr. Maria Moratto is the author of "Healing Your Body, Mind, and Soul," "Mending Your Broken Heart," and “Spiritual Business: Attract Clients, Money, and Success.”

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Focusing your mind on what YOU WANT instead of what you don't want is an important skill which you must master you ensure personal and financial success. Most successful people have mastered and internalised this fact eiconsciouslyouslunconsciouslyously, as they understand the truth that our dominate thoughts control our lives and the circumstances we find ourselves in...Keep your targets, goals and desires clearly in your sights and you will hit them, conversely if you focus on what you don't want you will hit it too.

It is imperative that you only focus on the outcomes and circumstances that you want to experience.

48 Things to Remember About Living Your Dream

You have one, don’t you? A dream? Of course you do. We all do. Whether your dream is big or small here’s some advice on Living Your Dream.

1. You can be sure it’s a dream and not a fantasy if your dream involves serving others in some way.

2. You’re never too old to start living your dream.

3. Living your dream will allow you to be the best you can be and use your natural gifts, passions and talents to the fullest.

4. Living your dream will give you energy, even if your dream requires you to work harder than ever before.

5. Dreams are never too big, even if they start out feeling that way. You will grow into your dream!

6. Your dream is your dream for a reason. Therefore, if you don’t live your dream, you’re not living up to your purpose in life or your full potential.

7. Sometimes dreams have a way of bringing up the pain of our past. That’s because just on the flip side of your dream is all your “stuff”.

8. Living your dream will help you heal your “stuff”.

9. You already possess all the talents and passions needed to bring your dream to light.

10. Your dream expects only one thing from you – to give it away.

11. Living your dream requires courage. You won’t be able to live your dream if you can’t find your courage.

12. Living your dream will inspire many others to live their dream. Can you imagine a world of people living out their dreams?

13. Your Dream = Love

14. Dreams DO come true.

15. Dreams can and will change over time. Therefore, keep asking yourself, “What’s my dream today?”

16. If you have a dream, you’re lucky. All the more reason to start living yours!

17. Living your dream may require you to make changes in your life; some big, some small, but all worth it.

18. Living your dream may make others uneasy. That’s O.K. That just means they've been ignoring their dreams for far too long and by seeing you live yours they’re reminded they have something more to do in their life too.

19. People will try to discourage you from living your dream. Live your dream anyway.

20. Encourage every kid you meet to discover and live their dream.

21. Be a Dream Maker. Help other people make their dreams come true.

22. BELIEVE in your dream.

23. Some dreams don’t make sense at first. Stick with them, they will soon enough.

24. Fight for your dream.

25. Do whatever it takes to make your dream a reality.

26. Dreams come from many different places within you. You may feel your dream in your gut, your heart, your head, your soul. It doesn’t matter where it comes from along as it’s your dream and not someone else’s.

27. Some dreams come true over night and others take t-i-m-e. That’s O.K. The longer the wait, the more appreciative you’ll be when your dream comes true!

28. Dream BIG!!

29. Dream every day.

30. Dream the impossible.

31. Dream for others who can’t dream for themselves.

32. Dream of what it will be like when you’re living out your dream. Gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it?

33. Allow your dream to unfold in its own natural timing. Never push a dream. They don’t like to be pushed.

34. Do one thing today to make your dream come true.

35. Enjoy living your dream. Your dream really enjoys you!

36. Don’t be scared of your dream. Dreams aren’t scary, unless you make them so.

37. Forgive your dream. It may require a lot from you, more than you can give sometimes.

38. TRUST there’s a purpose to your dream. Keep trying to discover the purpose to yours.

39. Don’t hide your dream. Dreams like to romp around, play and be in the company of other dreams.

40. Your dream wants you to be a little bit crazy on occasion. In other words, dreams really don’t thrive from playing it safe. Get it?

41. Your dream wants you to know that it will come true if you do your part. Your dream promises it will do its part.

42. Never stop dreaming. If you’re a person who likes to dream and fulfill your dreams, more and more dreams will make their way to you. Dreams like people who listen to them.

43. The bigger you get, the bigger your dreams will get.

44. Living your dream may be the road to making more money than you ever have before.

45. But if you don’t (make more money), that’s O.K. because by living your dream you’ll finally understand that it’s not about the money anyway.

46. Your dream is perfect for you.

47. Dream now, dream later, dream all the time.

48. DREAM beautiful dreams.

Copyright 2006 Cari Vollmer

Cari Vollmer, personal growth expert, is the founder of LifeOnTrack.com and InspireYourDay.com. For practical life strategies and success tips, sign up for LifeOnTrack.com’s FREE e-zine, LivingOnTrack, at http://www.LifeOnTrack.com

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Learning to imagine big dreams and live and follow these dreams is one part of becoming free from the world and awakening your mind and soul. CHOOSE what life live you lead instead of letting life happen to you, be PROactive not reactive.

You are the 'master of your ship and the captain of your destiny', steer it where YOU want to go. Live the life you want NOW.

Are Your Beliefs Spoiling Your Life?

Throughout your life, you have formed a set of values and meanings to make sense of the world you live in. These values and meanings constitute your beliefs and your beliefs are what you hold to be true about life. Your beliefs are at the core of your existence and you wouldn’t be the person you are now without them.

Beliefs are very important. The only reason you act and behave the way you do is because of your beliefs. For example, people who believe in God will act in a way conducive with their belief – praying or going to church for example. If you don’t believe in a God, it is very unlikely you’ll pray to one.

This pattern follows in most areas of our lives and here are three very powerful beliefs that can hurt you and spoil your quality of life. They are beliefs common to stress, anxiety and depression and they underpin these illnesses. Do you hold any or all of the following beliefs:

1. I’m helpless and hopeless. I can’t do anything, things are totally beyond my control and there's no point in trying to do anything about it because nothing I do ever works. This is a very powerful and limiting belief. If you believe that you are helpless, then you will act accordingly because you won’t take action to change things. Why would you if you strongly believe it is a hopeless cause? Helplessness is learned and it is also flawed. Many people are blind to the power they possess and a belief in helplessness keeps them in the dark. But just as helplessness is learned, it can be unlearned.

2. Nobody loves me. I’m an effort to be with, I bore people and I never have anything interesting to say. It’s much better if I stay alone and don’t inflict myself on others and spoil their happiness. OK, it was very hard for me to write the last few lines because they’re exactly what someone I loved dearly said to me on many occasions when we were due to socialize with friends. Hearing such words cuts you to ribbons, my word it is such a destructive belief. If you believe this, you will act accordingly by isolating yourself from others. You’ll find excuses so you don’t have to go out and when you do, you will sit in silence and try to melt into the background. And as you won’t be engaging with others, this belief will be re-enforced. Another aspect: people who believe this will put themselves down when others question them.

So, someone says “you’re quiet tonight, are you OK?” Will get a “well, that’s me, I haven’t really got anything interesting to say so I’ll keep quiet and not bore anyone.” Honestly, I’ve seen this happen many times. Even when they’ve been loved, even when they’ve had family and friends who loved them and enjoyed their company, this belief blinded them to all of it. Can you see how the belief comes first no matter what is happening in reality? In other words, it is THE BELIEF causing the harm, not others. Not family, not friends, but the belief and if you strongly believe this, nothing will convince you otherwise until you start to question and test this belief.

3. Finally, perhaps the most limiting belief of all. Be honest with me here when I ask: Do you believe it is wrong to be blissfully happy? The obvious immediate reaction is “yes, of course!”. But stop for a second because this is important. Very few people truly believe this. They see others struggle in life and believe that it is wrong to be happy while others suffer. Feeling happy makes them feel guilty. Also, you may hold a deep-seated belief that there has to be suffering in life, that somehow, suffering brings enlightenment. If you are happy, then you’re selfish and this is wrong because the happiness of others comes before yours and you must sacrifice your happiness for the greater good. But you have a right enjoy a happy life. There is no value in suffering and there is nothing to feel guilty about in being happy. Believing otherwise will mean you will act in a way that spoils happiness and continually robs it from you.

Please examine the beliefs you hold. Question their validity and if they’re making you stressed, anxious or depressed, then please understand they can be unlearned and replaced with better ones.

Until next time.

Copyright 2006 Christopher Green

Former anxiety sufferer Chris Green is the author of “Conquering Stress”, the internationally acclaimed program which will help you to permanently conquer stress, depression and anxiety without taking powerful drugs. For a free mini course, please click here => http://www.conqueringstress.com/

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Identify and take control of the limiting beliefs that are holding you back and stopping you from reaching your goals in life, not only can they cause untold unhappiness they will prevent you from achieving your personal and financial targets. Believe in yourself and live the life thta YOU deserve and that YOU WANT!

Don't settle for second best...

Thoughts Become Things

We are where we are, because of our thoughts in the past. Thoughts become things. We consciously or subconsciously always think about something. The problem is that we usually think more about things we don’t want, than about the things we want. It doesn’t matter if we want or don’t want something, we’ll get what we mostly think about.

Try to observe your thoughts for a day or two. Do you mostly think about the things that you worry about, you don’t want them to happen, you are afraid of, or do you mostly think about pleasant and wonderful things? Your present situation is the result of your predominant state of mind in the past. And you are creating your future now. Your future will be like your predominant state of mind now.

The past is gone. You can’t change it, but if you are dwelling on unhappy past now, you aren’t feeling happy now, and you are creating unhappy future.

Because you’re creating the future now, only the present is important. By having predominantly happy and positive state of mind now, you’re creating your happy and positive future. It’s called the Law of Attraction. You can attract whatever you want in your life: happiness, wealth, perfect health, love and wonderful relationships.

But you can also attract things and situations that you don’t want. Actually we do it sub consciously all the time.

Because you are energy, you are like a magnet; everything is energy, you, your mind and your body. But you can control your body, and you can also control your mind.

Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you don’t control your mind and allow it to dwell on negative thoughts and feelings, it’s your worst enemy, because it creates your unhappy future. If you control your mind, it’s your best friend, because it becomes your best friend which will create your great future.

Of course lives of most of the people are a mixture of happiness and unhappiness because of their flickering states of mind. Now, because of knowing and understanding of the law of attraction you can start creating your happy future and be sure that you’ll get what you want in life. The Law of Attraction is a broad subject and there’s no space in this short report to explain everything. Fortunately there is now more and more information available on the subject of attraction.

People like Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein and many others knew the law of attraction and lived according to the law of attraction, but it was a secret for most of the people. Now a lot of people are learning about the secret, the law of attraction and the science of manifestation.

The article is only a part of a longer report ( PDF version) about the Law of Attraction, the Science of Manifestation and the Principles of Success. If you want to read the FREE report “How You Can Get Everything You Want in Life” go to http://www.manifestwealthmentor.com/manifestation.html.

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This article is so true, how many times have you worried about something bad happening and eventually it does? A great book on this topic is "As a Man Thinketh" it's a great book which you can buy from Amazon for only a few dollars or you can download a copy here:

Right click the link below and save to your computer...

As A Man Thinketh

Start focusing on what you want in life, make a concious decision to take action and as Nike say, "Just do it"!

The Ant Philosophy

Over the years I've been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy.

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Wow, what a great philosophy to have - the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Special Note: Be part of the 1% that makes a decision to achieve all their goals in 2004! Enroll today in the Jim Rohn One Year Success Plan. For details visit his website address below.

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Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

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This is a great story and a simple philosophy to follow in your life and endeavours which will help you achive success. Developing similar strategies and mindsets will help you free yourself from the shackles of life....Remember the key pojnts of the philosophy:

1. Never ever quit or give up!
2. Plan and prepare for the future, where do you want to be in 6 months time? What action are you going to take to ensure you reach it?
3. Do all you can possibly while you can to ensure your success during lean times.

A quote from Akeelah and the Bee . . .

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our
deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is
our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask
ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

So what is stopping you from being a success? Go out there and take what you want...

Have You Trained Your Mind to Concentrate on Happiness?

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed several things changing in me: 1) a deep inner search for what makes me happy, and 2) an ever-growing stack of books next to my bed.

People read for a whole host of reasons, some need help getting to sleep at night, while others are living out their fantasies through fictional or non-fictional characters in exotic places, still others read for the educational value and the joy of learning.

My devotion for the past ten years has been purely based on the subject matter as I’ve discovered a passion for the philosophical.

Currently, I’m doing two books at the same time. It wasn’t a cosmic jolt that led me to do this, but instead, half way through book one another arrived in the mail. I started to review the second one and found it in some ways in direct contrast to the first. Then it became fun to watch the two authors do combat without knowing they were in a battle. Bear with me because this isn't a book review, but a way to show divergent views of acquiring happiness.

“Doing Nothing” by Steven Harrison (Tarcher/Putnam $16.00) and “The Art of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. (Riverhead Books $22.95) are both enjoyable reading, if you are in search of deep thought and abstract ideas.

Harrison writes in a style that forces you to stretch your traditional bounds. Half way through his book, I found his discussion on quieting the mind during meditation completely opposite the Dalai Lama’s.

Let me quote: Harrison: “ What is the nature of meditation when using techniques? Through the use of meditation techniques, one can concentrate the mind...by bringing our mind back to the object of concentration, over and over again, we become less agitated. We bring our mind back to our breath or back to our mantra...this is not quiet, this is dullness. We are concentrated, but we have lost our sensitivity.”

On the other, hand the Dalai Lama says: “When I say training the mind in this context I’m not referring to ‘mind’ merely as one’s cognitive ability or intellect. Rather, I’m using the term in the sense of the Tibetan word 'sem', which has a much broader meaning, closer to ‘psyche’ or ‘spirit’, and it includes intellect and feeling, heart and mind. By bringing about a certain inner discipline we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living.”

Both men seem to have a sense of the movement of man towards happiness and away from suffering. They both do agree on the attributes of positive thinking.

If you have an untrained mind you will lean towards negative thinking and unwholesome acts. If you have taken the time to learn how “your” mind works you will, hopefully, have learned to recognized when it takes the negative road and when you have the opportunity to change to a more positive path. In doing so, we sidestep the unhappiness created by the acts brought on by the negative thought pattern.

Happiness is defined in so many different ways and by its diverse meanings becomes even more illusive. When you have too many choices of ways to obtain happiness, life’s complexities loom large. Gaining focus and concentrating will narrow the field and thus simplify your goals. But, happiness is still a state of mind that you create.

It may be the very process of discovery that brings you joy, rather than the ultimate outcome. Like the child that can’t cry hard enough for the ice cream or cotton candy, only to get sick from overindulgence. Where was the happiness? The untrained childhood mind hadn’t yet learned to weigh the choices and take the appropriate action, which was probably the frozen yogurt.

If we create our own happiness and learn to love life in the moment we’re living in, it has a tendency to slow down and become a continuous meditative state. After reading the Dalai Lama’s book, I think that is what he has obtained, an ongoing meditation during normal everyday activities.

I had the good fortune to see the Dalai Lama when he visited Denver a few of years ago and the man does give the impression of someone who has perfected the art of happiness. I, on the other hand, am getting closer, but I fear I have a long way to go.

How do you view your state of happiness? Are you striving to be positive and happy, or do you dwell on the negative and wallow in despair? I challenge you to take some quiet time and find out who is in charge, your soul or your mind.

No matter how you look at it, it’s fun to ponder.

Keith E. Renninson is a motivational speaker and co-author of the popular parenting tool and illustrated storybook "Zooch the Pooch, My Best Friend". Through the 1990's with much self-examination, academic study, bicycle racing, and mountain climbing, he discovered a renewed zest of life, which included a love of metaphysics, philosophy, humor, and writing and speaking. As Keith says, "Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue...it's all in what you make of it." You can read more about "Zooch the Pooch" or contact Keith to speak at: http://www.zoochthepooch.com

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Happiness is a state of mind which anyone can achieve through meditation and through strategies to train, develop and nurture the mind until it is in complete concious control. Only when we truly have control of our thoughts and thus our associated responses and reactions can one achieve harmony and happiness.