Note to God: Weaving Wisdom Out of Pain (Post written on: Oct 21, 2015)

Post written: Oct 21, 2015, and for whatever reason I kept it as a draft until now.

Themes: Finding the positive outcome of painful experiences; choosing thoughts deliberately empowering yourself through self-awareness; giving yourself time to heal and allowing time for the processes of life to happen organically; releasing pain from the past; moving forward in your life.

Dear God,

I have asked you, the Universe/God, this morning, out of curiosity and because I would love to use this as a moment of learning and even deeper clarity and well-being: what is the meaning and reason behind my little shin cut from Friday afternoon? It happened so suddenly, mindlessly and pointlessly. Ridiculous! I’d like to better understand and fully absorb, in the most resourceful way possible, what this means and what are you trying to tell me through it? 

Nothing happens in vain; everything has a reason for being and for happening.

First thoughts:

Realization of how much I don’t want to feel hurt or pain. It feels so OFF to be hurt physically. I don’t want a single hair on my body to be hurt or injured.  I extrapolate this one step further – I can also hurt myself not physically but in other ways – emotionally and with my thoughts. This type of self-inflicted pain (I was stretching but without paying much attention to where my feet were placed). 

Pain is not only physical - it can be generated from within with the THOUGHTS we think. 

Hurtful thoughts are ones that lower our mood, deflate our spirit and bring us down.

If they are thought on a consistent basis they can turn into resistance (manifested through ailments and low energy) and can hold us back and away from moving closer towards our goals and desires. It is like creating a roadway deviation or an accident which then creates a traffic jam and thus slows you down on the road to achieving your dream. Nonetheless, there is still always hope because this implies that you are still on your way to your destination (Feelgood-Ville) however, moving more slowly and possibly even feeling other un-resourceful emotions now such as frustration, doubt, and fatigue.

You and I, we can always turn such thoughts around. We can question them, we can shed light on them rather than ignoring and planting them deeper in our psyche. We can bring them to the surface like picking a ripe tomato and analyzing it. If it's a rotten tomato - let it go! Throw it away! Free yourself of all the rotten tomatoes in your life and you will only ever need to eat delicious, fresh, organic, plump and nutrition tomatoes :-) i.e. you will only ever need to focus on and entertain beautiful, uplifting, positive and empowering thoughts.

Moral of the story:

Choose predominantly and then chronically, exclusively powerful, empowering, resourceful, loving thoughts.

Thoughts that move you closer to what you want and desire. Take the faster road, traffic-free and unencumbered, to reach your desired destination, and also notice that you enjoy the journey more because you are flowing, driving at your desired speed, possibly enjoying a beautiful, spectacular scenery! If you have not been used to being mindful or aware of your thoughts, then perhaps now is the time to start. No better time like the present. All we truly have is this moment right NOW. What are you thinking right now? What are you habitually thinking? How are you thinking your thoughts? How are you interpreting your experiences? And subsequently, what meaning are you giving to all these experiences?

Increased Thoughts Awareness:
As you begin to pay more attention to how and what you are thinking, you can decide deliberately, consciously, eagerly what thoughts will help you feel better and move you closer to what you want.

• Key Question: What do you want to feel? What do you want to think?
• Stop the negativity, stop the self-criticism, stop the comparisons to others, stop the self-doubting, the hesitations; stop the judgments, criticism and fault-finding. 
• You are GOOD, you are PERFECT, you are all that is so make peace with it, embrace it and know with all your heart that embracing things as they already are will not hold you away from what you want and all you ARE becoming.

Allow the Healing Process. Life Does Go On!

Healing takes time and progression; there is a certain order to things that we cannot micromanage. As with the external, so with the inner healing. Whenever we experience internal emotional pain we need to fully acknowledge and appreciate that there is a grieving process and then a healing process (the more significant or deeper the hurt, the longer or more delicate the healing is required). Do you allow yourself to grieve and heal properly? 

Sometimes we don’t properly grieve & heal because it is too much to handle and too painful. We want to be strong rather than ‘weak’, or we simply don't want the hurt feeling. Unfortunately, this does not make the emotional hurt disappear. Rather it remains embedded in the psyche as recurring thoughts, attitude, or expectations. If you want to move forward in your life and release past hurts, acknowledgement and proper healing is essential.

A bruise or cut needs to be treated and allowed time and space to repair - blood has to clot, new cells have to form, old cells slowly begin to harden forming a thin layer of old dead skin cells…then it becomes itchy until eventually the scab comes off. At this point there is vulnerable, virgin skin beneath that is exposed. 

That patch of skin won’t ever look the same; however it will be brand new, repaired and no longer hurting. Soon you forget about it and go about your daily life as if nothing happened. You only remember if you bring your attention to it. You realize that the injury is quite inconsequential in the big scheme of your life for other things have come to pass and now take your attention. 

This is the magnificent blessing and gift in the pain. The fact that life goes on, feelings pass, healing happens, and new things will take its place. You feel happy once again!

Rejoice!  All is well. :-)

Effectively Manage Your Emotions at Work (or anywhere!) - A re-adapted NLP Process

Are you a Sensitive or Emotional member of your team or group? Or do you work with such a sensitive/emotional individual(s). There is a high likelihood that you do.

In either case, along our professional development and journey we have all found ourselves in a situation in the work setting where emotions got the best of you or someone else. Perhaps this entailed a manifestation of explosive emotion, or an experience of deep discomfort, upset, anger, frustration, or indignation. Regardless of the felt emotion, these scenarios resonate with every single member of the human race, for as humans we are most certainly feeling and sensing creatures, and this sensing/feeling quality does not necessarily switch off at work.

In fact, emotion can sometimes deepen and reveal itself in the workplace in ways we had not considered possible - and this is most reasonable when you consider that we spend a significant bulk of our day at work. Indeed, it is no wonder that a sizable chunk of our personality will express itself in the workplace. Add to this the fact that work can generate stress via its multiple, diverse demands from different stakeholders, different priorities, and personal preferences - it is a like a colossal soup of goals, projects, personalities, emotions and perspectives, and somehow the components of this mixed-ingredient soup need to combine in just the suitably harmonious combinations in order to yield a palatable end product - a delicious soup i.e. fruitful results in the office.

There needs to be some degree of harmony and complementarity between the ingredients in order to generate a satisfying soup. In the same way, there needs to be a degree of flow and synergy in human relations, and thus a management of the emotions of each participant in each working relationship.

As we cannot manage anyone elses emotions it behooves us to assume responsibility for our own emotions and to learn effective State Management, or effective management of our emotions.
If our emotions are an undeniable and powerful trait that makes us discerning beings, how can we work with it? What can you do the next time you experience difficult emotions at work? This article will provide a specific NLP-based (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) tool that is already in your 'toolbox', which you are now activating by reading these words. It will help you to effectively manage your emotions when encountering difficult situations and peers at work.

Take a step back, literally - Assume a different perceptual position.

• If you can, physically disengage/remove yourself from the situation that is generating your internal discomfort, frustration, emotional state, etc. and go to a place where you can be alone. Perhaps close the door of your office for privacy or go to an empty meeting room, or simply go to the bathroom - all you need is a clear spce where you can be alone.

In that area, stand where you are and call this "Position 1". Position 1 represents that troubling situation.

• Now imagine there is another circle to your right. Call this Position 2.

Take a step to the right and move into Position 2 - acknowledge that in this new space you (i.e. Bob) have removed yourself from the situation (Position 1) and you are now an outside observer of Position 1 i.e. the situation and you in that situation.

• From Position 2, look at yourself (look at Bob) in Position 1. Take a breath and look at what is happening there. Describe the situation and the unfolding of the scene. What was said specifically and what transpired in Position 1 that upsetting or uncomfortable?

 

How does Bob in Position 1 feel? Ask yourself the questions: "What has been actually said? What is being asked? What is really going on here? Where is Bob assuming or interpreting or Mind Reading?"

As much as you can, stick to a narrative told in the voice of an outside observer.
As you deliberately disassemble the situation in a more levelheaded manner, you can begin to identify what is bothering you from a more objective perspective.

The simple act of physically moving yourself into a new space (Position 2), and then studying what happened, will help you tremendously in gaining some composure and greater clarity. As you dismantle the scene you regain a sense of control and thus you feel slightly better than you did before. Feeling better and calm will undoubtedly enable you to respond to any situation in a more resourceful manner.

• Lastly, in Position 2 ask yourself: "How do I want to feel?" Identify your desired internal state - how you want to feel when you move back into the situation, which you will have to do soon enough.

AND: What is the single thing Bob could do, moving forward in this situation, that will help him continue with his day with his desired state? This action must be feasible within the work context and it would not involve or impact anyone else - it is designed for your personal, internal and private improvement of personal emotion. This desired state could be ease, peace of mind, indifference, acceptance, clarity, etc. Only you know how you want to feel which will be better than how you were when you started this exercise.

• Once you identify your desired state and then identify the 1 step or thing that you can do right away that will generate this desired state (ease, peace, acceptance, etc.) take a moment to see yourself doing that 1 thing...Close your eyes and visualize yourself moving into that picture doing the action and see yourself feeling better. What is your facial expression? How are you sitting? How are you talking and how are you breathing? Fully engage with that image of yourself for 30 seconds at least.

With this image clear in your mind's eye, open your eyes and go back to work. You've already charted your steps and you've decided how you want to feel. Everyone can have their win-win...the key is to focus on how you want to feel regardless of the external factors which you cannot control.

Step back into your situation and allow yourself to move forward with ease and more clarity about how you want to feel (without attaching to people or factors) and focus on that feeling. You are bound to succeed. It only requires a few minutes of your time, identifying a better feeling and then focusing on it whilst engaging these 2 simple perceptual positions.

 

Conclusion:

So the next time you are at work and you have the unique opportunity to feel an emotion that is not ideal for you, try these steps -

Before reacting take a breath, remove yourself from the situation and go somewhere where you can be alone.

Identify Position 1, then move into Position 2.
Look at the circumstance of Position 1, see yourself there. Describe the scene and realize that you can remove yourself from the issue, and thus you regain control, composure and better manage your internal state, which is the most that anyone can do regardless of the conditions.

Finally, identify your desired state and what is the 1 thing that you can reasonably do (at work) that will support you in feeling better (the desired state). Then Visualize yourself doing that 1 thing and see yourself receiving the immense benefit of the simple action. Focus on that vision. Then go back to your day and continue about your business.

Congratulations! You have just dismantled a strong internal bomb and have replaced it with more clarity, focus and self-empowerment. Bravo!

A BeeYOUtiful day :-) - From The Vortex

Today is a BEAUTIFUL – BEEYOUTIFUL – DAY!

“

I am a powerful creator

I am tuned it, tapped in, turned on :-)

“

Oh yeeaah!

Magic

Spendor

Brilliance

Shiiiiiine

Marvellous

Awesome

Fantastic

Super

Duper

Terrific

Fun

Frisky

Playful

Alert

Aligned

Committed to me and myself

Love it

Have it

Do it

Be it

Love it

Own it

Do it

Own it

Free it

Be it

Love it

Live it

Thrive

Dive

Delight

Deep

Sight

More

Fore lore soar

More

Blessed

Glad

Deep

Leap

Might

Height

Sight

Might

Night

Light

Bright

Kite

Knight

Mite

Might

Skip

Play

More

Love

Connect

Fun

Light

Laugh

Run

play

The Magic - Daily Gratitude

Thanks to a recent catch-up with a good friend who shared with me the wonders of the book "The Magic", by Rhonda Byrne (same author of The Secret), I've decided to follow the book again. I had purchased the book almost 2+ years ago, started reading and then somewhere along the way fell off its trail and it slipped into temporary oblivion.

Anyways, Practice 1 is to write your list of 10 things for which your are grateful, every day/morning.
Here is today - Day3:

1. I am really grateful for this fresh, new day because it's a new opportunity at life, to enjoy time with the people a like and who love me, to be a cocreator, and to have fun and enjoy the life experience.
2. I am so thankful for this morning's fasted swim; I loved it because it helps me to take rest from gym while also burning fat, boosting my metabolism and keeping my muscles activated.
3. I so deeply appreciate the beauty of the morning time, especially today poolside; the radiant sun gives me energy and tans me, the birds are flying high and free, singing their bird songs, and the air is clean, fresh, new. It is peaceful and supporting; kind and caring; loving.
4. I really appreciate my safe and convenient drive to work because I reached safely and in good time; i like the flow of things.
5. I feel really grateful for the delicious decaf coffee I had; perfect taste, hot and nicely complementing my breakfast.
6. I really appreciate the nice person who took my pic this morning in bathing suit because i was able to really see progress in my physical development, and to appreciate who I am much more.
7. I totally love and am thankful for the safe, supportive, collegial and professional work environment where I work.
8. I am so thankful for the free car parking my company offers; bc of it I have a secure place where I leave my car the whole day, for free.
9. I am so thankful for my colleagues and all my peers at work, and everyone I interact with, bc everyone is a co-creator and our interactions gives us all more clarity and guidance on what we prefer (and don't prefer). There is a ton of valuable feedback in our daily interactions.
10. I am so thankful for last night's amazing sleep bc today I had great, positive energy and exuberance; I appreciate being able to appreciate and how thinking about these marvelous things enhance my sense of living and quality of life.

 What 10 things are you thankful for today? :-)

Where does Inspiration come from?

Where does inspiration come from?

I've always been an expressive and creative person and yet recently, in the last 1-2 months I have been experiencing myself as going through a new, enhanced phase of self-expression and creativity. Specifically, I've been more impulsed and motivated to make short videos on positivity, Life Coaching, NLP, wellbeing, gym workouts, and selfies that are linked with some positive message (mainly on Instagram).

Some days I feel like an fountain bursting forth unlimited ideas, concepts, lessons learned, and insights. Other days I will feel myself quieter and calmer...either I want to write a post however no tangible subject that I'm 'feeling', and other times it is just a matter of being too busy with work and life basics.

Ultimately, anything we create and generate requires energy. Indeed, everything in life and the world is energy in one form or another. So when we create anything we are transmuting a preexisting unseen energy, energy that is sourced from ? - Within or from the external world? This strikes me as a more metaphysical question which I don't intend to unravel just right now.

All in all, I've noticed a steadily ascending curve of production and output, which I feel is great. The moment of creating something new, visual or written, that I can share with the world gives me a thrill, sense of accomplishment and personal pride. Truly our global digital age makes it incredibly possible to share content worldwide over across different age groups, nationalities, languages, backgrounds, etc.

So as I continue to create, produce and desire doing so, I naturally wonder: Where does one's passion, drive, enthusiasm or creativity come from? Do we come with a set amount or quatity of "creativity cells" or creative quota, or quotient which we expire once we reach the bottom of capacity?

Or is creativity unlimited, infinite, boundless, eternally multiplying, abounding and able to be increased when we choose?

Can anyone become more creative if they choose doing so?

What are the advantages of being creative - how does it serve us?

These questions only scratch the surface of a meaty topic, a topic for introspection.

It seems to me that if you are creative you will also be more adaptable, flexible and visionary. These 3 key resources are intrinsically linked to any person's success. The creative mindset coupled with these other qualities better enable us to surpass obstacles, take on more new life experiences, be ready for more progress, advancement, promotion; counter challenges with more of a 'can-do' attitude, and it appears to prime you for a life of optimal levels of satisfaction.

If we can be creative and we can adapt to almost any situation.
Being creative, we can be flexible in working our peers and successfully maneuvering all of life's negotiations.
If we are creative, we can indeed visualize and be visionary in creating the life we want and the circumstances that we'd prefer.

With Creativity you can innovate solutions, think outside of the box, stretch the limits, and create something new. This is where entrepreneurs come from; this is the source of all genius inventions that ever were and ever will be.


In closing: It seems that Creativity is quite a powerful asset. How creative are you willing to be?

How fast can you change a thought? - Ways to Enhance Your Personal Power

Have you ever noticed that most of our states of discomfort, displeasure or unease stem from thoughts of corresponding nature, or thoughts that generate these negative states?

When I commenced my journey of self-improvement, self-development and self-strengthening I discovered meditation, holistic healing and various modalities that are designed and intended to enhance our state of mind and thus quality of life. One of the teachers I came across was Byron Katie who pioneered a line of powerful inquiry aptly entitled The Work. Her work has helped millions of people worldwide overcome life's difficulties, tumultuous thoughts, and inner demons.

The reason I bring this up is because she, along with dozens of other empowering figures, Louise Hay for example, have harnessed the power of Self-Awareness by underscoring the notion that:

A thought is only a thought and it can be changed.

If the source of negative emotions, and thus a negative state of mind, is a corresponding thought, and a thought can be changed, then it makes sense to conclude that if we change thoughts to positive/empowering/uplifting/resourceful thoughts we will consequently experience a boosted state of being. 

Thus the question: 

How fast can you change a thought?

There are different factors involved in Thought-Creation and Thought-Change.

Thoughts that we think consistently and repeatedly become a personal mantra and take the shape of a Belief. Beliefs are potent as they shape identity, self-confidence and our map of the world.

Thoughts that are strongly held are suffused with emotion, and emotion that is interlinked with a belief and desire for action is a potent catalyst for change and taking action.

However, not all thoughts are consistently held nor do they all become beliefs.

Some thoughts are fleeting and ephemeral, emerging unexpectedly from random life situations.

Some thoughts generate a positive mood or state, while others can potential have the opposite effect. The latter can be conducive to generating unresourceful states such as fear,doubt, anger, frustration, etc.

The thoughts that combine emotion and consistent "airtime" assume MOMENTUM, and we know how that momentum goes - once you get started it takes a life of its own, and soon enough one thought trails behind the other and it grows exponentially.

This is great for the Positive ones, however not so much for the latter set.

So how do we change the set of thoughts we willingly and readily want to release?

There is no simple, easy or one single answer or technique. Everyone is different and experiences thoughts in different ways depending on the various intrinsic personality traits.

I would like to present and share a nifty NLP + Life Coaching Technique that I have applied in Coaching sessions and on myself which has resulted in great, desired results for the Client. 

It is through the use of SUBMODALITIES and METAPHOR COACHING.

Perhaps you can consider:

- How do you effectively shift unresourceful thoughts?

- What are your trick, tips and techniques?

- What is the main difference in the momentum between your positive thoughts and nnegative thoughts?

- If you could change one thought you think repeatedly that is not serving you, what would that be?

What would be its Counterpart (the opposite thought)?

Powerful questions generate powerful answers.

SUBMODALITIES and METAPHOR COACHING

In NLP, Submodalities are referred to as representational systems or modalities; the Reps systems is basically the way we individually use the five basic senses: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory. Everyone has a more dominant use of certain reps systems. For instance, some people are more Kinesthetic which means they are more physical and absorb more experience through being involved in physical movement. If you are more visual you will be more impacted by the things you can see (perhaps you've heard the generalization that men are more visual?); some people are more auditory which is evident in musicians and people who are sensitive to changes in tonality and pick up on slight variations in a person's voice. Certainly we are all a combination of these senses however the point is that typically 1 or 2 reps systems will be more dominant.

Thus, if you can actively engage your dominant reps system you can actually generate powerful change in how you experience a situation, memory and, yes, a thought.


Life is a journey; enjoy the unfolding.

How fast can you change a thought? - Ways to Enhance Your Personal Power

Have you ever noticed that most of our states of discomfort, displeasure or unease stem from thoughts of corresponding nature, or thoughts that generate these negative states?

When I commenced my journey of self-improvement, self-development and self-strengthening I discovered meditation, holistic healing and various modalities that are designed and intended to enhance our state of mind and thus quality of life. One of the teachers I came across was Byron Katie who pioneered a line of powerful inquiry aptly entitled The Work. Her work has helped millions of people worldwide overcome life's difficulties, tumultuous thoughts, and inner demons.

The reason I bring this up is because she, along with dozens of other empowering figures, Louise Hay for example, have harnessed the power of Self-Awareness by underscoring the notion that:

A thought is only a thought and it can be changed.

If the source of negative emotions, and thus a negative state of mind, is a corresponding thought, and a thought can be changed, then it makes sense to conclude that if we change thoughts to positive/empowering/uplifting/resourceful thoughts we will consequently experience a boosted state of being. 

Thus the question: 

How fast can you change a thought?

There are different factors involved in Thought-Creation and Thought-Change.

Thoughts that we think consistently and repeatedly become a personal mantra and take the shape of a Belief. Beliefs are potent as they shape identity, self-confidence and our map of the world.

Thoughts that are strongly held are suffused with emotion, and emotion that is interlinked with a belief and desire for action is a potent catalyst for change and taking action.

However, not all thoughts are consistently held nor do they all become beliefs.

Some thoughts are fleeting and ephemeral, emerging unexpectedly from random life situations.

Some thoughts generate a positive mood or state, while others can potential have the opposite effect. The latter can be conducive to generating unresourceful states such as fear,doubt, anger, frustration, etc.

The thoughts that combine emotion and consistent "airtime" assume MOMENTUM, and we know how that momentum goes - once you get started it takes a life of its own, and soon enough one thought trails behind the other and it grows exponentially.

This is great for the Positive ones, however not so much for the latter set.

So how do we change the set of thoughts we willingly and readily want to release?

There is no simple, easy or one single answer or technique. Everyone is different and experiences thoughts in different ways depending on the various intrinsic personality traits.

I would like to present and share a nifty NLP + Life Coaching Technique that I have applied in Coaching sessions and on myself which has resulted in great, desired results for the Client. 

It is through the use of SUBMODALITIES and METAPHOR COACHING.

Perhaps you can consider:

- How do you effectively shift unresourceful thoughts?

- What are your trick, tips and techniques?

- What is the main difference in the momentum between your positive thoughts and nnegative thoughts?

- If you could change one thought you think repeatedly that is not serving you, what would that be?

What would be its Counterpart (the opposite thought)?

Powerful questions generate powerful answers.

SUBMODALITIES and METAPHOR COACHING

In NLP, Submodalities are referred to as representational systems or modalities; the Reps systems is basically the way we individually use the five basic senses: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory. Everyone has a more dominant use of certain reps systems. For instance, some people are more Kinesthetic which means they are more physical and absorb more experience through being involved in physical movement. If you are more visual you will be more impacted by the things you can see (perhaps you've heard the generalization that men are more visual?); some people are more auditory which is evident in musicians and people who are sensitive to changes in tonality and pick up on slight variations in a person's voice. Certainly we are all a combination of these senses however the point is that typically 1 or 2 reps systems will be more dominant.

Thus, if you can actively engage your dominant reps system you can actually generate powerful change in how you experience a situation, memory and, yes, a thought.


Life is a journey; enjoy the unfolding.