How To Have A Winning Mentality

Very few people have a winning mentality, yet the world is filled with lots of individuals that are so talented at different things but never achieve anything. Our body has limitations that our mind does not. We focus so much on what goes on from the neck down that we forget that it all starts in our mind.

Why most people never achieve their goals while two or three percent actually reach a high level of success? What stops them from accomplishment? And how can you have such a winner mindset?

The crucial point to become a person who is a winner in any course of action is to have a winning mentality. We all have the potential to achieve greatness. And yes, you can be that champion who excels by always pushing his boundaries of performance.

But if you are not mentally ready, you are never really physically prepared. The people who take this one action every single day are the ones who achieve their goals and dreams. And they do it more often than anybody else.

To get a winning mentality, it is not giving up at the first sign of a setback. You just got to try everything. And then, you need to try it again. That is the thing; you have to be motivated to at least try. I firmly believe that everyone on this planet has a gift. But it is your job to figure out what that gift is.

A Winning Mentality is Taking Action

Then it becomes your job to decide if you are going to act on it or not. There is nothing you cannot do. It is a matter of setting a focused goal because, without one, you will miss it every time. When you get a winning mentality, you have to pick a target.

And then get the steps along the way and realize that all the resources and all the experts are there at your disposal. But ultimately, it is only going to be tapped if that target is in your heart and soul.

Action is what gives you a winning mentality and changes your all life. But why most people do not take action? The answer is fear. So what do you have to do to get yourself to do it? You got to make sure that you push yourself through by making a decision. The point in which change happens is in the choices you make.

A Winning Mentality is Making Decisions

Every change that you want in your life comes from something simple: a decision. See, a real choice is not like when you say "I will try it and see" because that is not a decision. But rather when you cut off any possibility except the thing you are committed to. Such a winning mentality is like "That is it!"

A decision is the first step. It becomes a war within you because you give yourself no other choice than to do it. Commitment is what comes after you decided and it is to commit for the long term. No matter if it is hard or easy, you are doing it. So it takes you from this moment, and it carries you into the future, even when things are difficult.

When you have a winning mentality, you decide, commit, and resolve to see your dreams and goals through.

A Winning Mentality is Self-Discipline

You should not wait too long; you have to start to build that discipline right now to get what you want. Remember that there are seven billion other people on this planet trying to get this thing called success. Most people think that success is a straight line. They believe that they are going to get out of high-school, get a job, and everything is going to be okay.

It is not how it plays out. Instead, at the moment you decide to be successful, the line begins to get all squiggly. That is what success looks really like. Discipline comes with a winning mentality. It means taking the hard road, the uphill path to do what is right.

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." - Jim Rohn

Most people stop at failure. But we all failed at things. To have a winning mentality is to continue to fail at stuff because it is the most powerful tool you can use. Of course, it all depends on how you use it. And many people are just satisfied with where they are.

A Winning Mentality is Believing

But there is always the next level. Your definition of greatness and what you want to achieve can be entirely different than someone else's. No one intends to be the first because people are afraid of the consequences that come with doing something first.

You cannot be listed as a failure if you are fighting for what you desire. There are two types of people: individuals with a winning mentality that are going to get what they want and the life they dream of, and the people that do not. In which category are you?

There are a lot of people out there that are always trying to improve themselves. They look for the one change that can make all the difference. Yes, they are searching for the one change that will make their dreams come true. But there is not one thing or neither ten things since there is no quick path and no shortcuts.

A Winning Mentality is Being a Warrior

Getting better is not a hack or a trick, or a 'one' change that you need to make. To get better and have a winning mentality is a campaign. It is an hourly, daily and weekly battle. And it is an incessant fight that does not stop against weakness, temptation, and laziness. It is a battle of discipline, hard work, and dedication.

It is waking up early and going to bed late and grinding out every second in between, and every single day. So you have just to start doing it. Take that first step and make it happen. Get out and get after it here and now.

Every one of us is a goals achiever, but very few people think about the obstacles that are there, and them overcoming these barriers. But to have a winning mentality and become an incredible achiever, you have to accept the fact that there will be walls. You also have to teach yourself that you can overcome them.

A Winning Mentality is Improving Oneself

So, you have to do that in your mind first, and then you back it up with a plan. And guess what, you will start to have a winning mentality and become a goal achiever instead of someone who just sets a goal.

If you do not like the way, your life, career or business is, change it. Or if you do not like your body, work on it. If you want to change anything in your life, you have to change first. The choice is yours; there is no right or wrong, it is only when you make the firm decision to take action that things are happening.

People often ask me how to stop the laziness or get rid of the procrastination. I tell them that it all begins in their mind. You might want to have a winning mentality or have a beautiful idea in your head, a vision you hold, but yet you do not know where to start.

Here and Now is a Winning Mentality

The questions flow in your mind: "Where do I start? When is the best time to begin?"

My answer is always the same as I tell people: "Here and now."

Maybe you want to get in a workout program, start a business, write a book, build a house or make a movie. Then you start right here, and when you begin, you have to start right now because the idea is not going to execute itself. The book will not write itself. The weights in the gym are not going to move unless you do.

You want a winning mentality, improve and get better, then stop looking for a shortcut. Rather find your discipline. Find it in your guts, passion, and drive. Finding it, you can. And then you will find your freedom.

The Impact Theory of a Winning Mentality

Here is a hard truth. People do not necessarily want you to succeed. And the bigger your dream, the more people are going to come out of the Woodward to try to stop you. So if you are striving for something important, if you are trying to make real change. Or if there is something in your life that you are absolutely hell-bent to create, you need to understand that you are going to be fighting against something.

Most people are going to be pushing back against you, and it is going to be your winning mentality and ability to hold true to your vision that is going to determine whether you can pull it off.

"You have enemies. Good. It means that you stood up for something at some point in your life." - Victor Hugo

The Winning Mentality and its Opposing Force

That is what people often miss. They somehow want to get through the journey unhurt and somehow hope that with the great change they want to make, others see their vision. You should understand that people will not fall in line behind you and follow you. It is not the way people work.

Having a winning mentality and a vision already puts you in an incredibly rare group of individuals. Being able to see something that other people cannot see, that is the role of a visionary and winner. That is literally interpreting a world that others do not even know exists.

You must understand that when you build something for yourself, you will always have an opposing force. Stay away from those who try to put down your ambitions. Small people always do that. But the really great ones, they make you believe that you too can become great.

A Final Conclusion

So, that is the kind of person you want to surround yourself with, people that believe in you. The kind of people that is willing to stand by you, even if they do not fully understand your dream, yet remain at your side.

You have to be willing to fight because if you are not prepared to do so, you might as well sit down now. Having a winning mentality is standing up and be ready for war. Winners are not people who never fail, but rather people who never quit. So, your level of success is determined by your level of discipline and perseverance. And all achievements begin with you.

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Quantum Psychology

Quantum Psychology: 'The Other' Fallacy

Quantum physics thus reveals a basic oneness of the universe.

- Erwin Schrodinger

Over the ages, mystics, yogis and seers share information, truth, which modern quantum physics begins to see. Science has arrived at what some human beings have known for a long, long, very long, time. Quantum psychology offers an application of quantum principles to how our mind and consciousness operates, at levels invisible to everyday operations. Many have found these ideas, sometimes referred to as quantum mysticism or spiritual psychology, as being very conducive to well-being.

One of our more general dis-comforts and dis-eases in life, as human beings, social creatures living and working together in various structures and routines with others, appears to be our relationship with others, and, often, with 'the other.' That 'the other' could be a lover, best friend, spouse, a child, a sibling, colleague - it can be a foe, an enemy, a nemesis; and, it can be spirit guides, angels, aliens and even 'god.' 'The other' can also represent groups, the more universal 'they' or 'them.' And, there also exists 'the other' that we are not yet aware of but should it/he/she/they/them come into our awareness, 'the other' would be its name. 'The other' is the world 'out there.'

The other person, group, situation, or whatever appears to be going on 'out there' may, with all those others, actually, be going on in our own mind, and brain (which is the body). It's not 'out there.' It's 'in here.' It's brain activity. Out there appears as a projection, and reflection, of the in here. The happenings going on in our mind-body system could certainly incorporate a shared reality as others may experience the same thing, or near enough for agreement, as in all watching the same movie, sharing the same language, existing in the same gene pool, seeing the same sky. We not only operate within a personal mind-body system; equally, and perhaps more dominantly, we contain an influential collective mind-body system. We are born into a culture. on the planet, at a time and place, loaded with ongoing situations, incidents, events, circumstances, which we confront and deal with as something separate and distinct from the operations of our own mind, and brain. The important point to note, and one of the key teachings of yogic lore: that 'the other' appears to be separated from us, and,... Not really. 'The other' observed is inherently connected to the observer, each influencing the other. The observed has no substantial, independent existence of its own. It is dependent upon the observer for its existence. The observer has no substantial, independent existence of its own either, depending on the observed. The observer and the observed are two sides of the same coin, of Awareness. Awareness itself transcends observer and observed, subjective and objective. Awareness itself is devoid of an object, or subject; it is often described as 'not this, not that.' In this regard, Awareness comes across as unreal, like sub-atomic particles. You can't see it, hear it, feel it, and yet everything you see, hear and feel, is rooted in that invisible, unreal realm, transcendent to everyday life in the same way atoms, and sub-atomic particles, are not visible, audible, tactile; you can't smell or taste sub-atomic particles; and yet, it is those invisible and 'unreal' particles upon which rests all that we do see, hear and feel as real.

That which we perceive as 'the other' does not exist without 'the self.' And, 'the self' does not exist without an object to observe, which is perceived as 'not self.' And yet, that 'not-self' exists because of 'the self' just as 'the self' exists because of the 'not-self,' the observed, that which is perceived. The self and the not-self, the subject and the object, are, ultimately, one and the same Awareness, one and the same mind, just as heads and tails are of the same coin.

This understanding of subject-object dependence is more apparent in dream consciousness. In that state of consciousness, all that we experience appears more readily accepted as a fabrication of our own awareness, our own mind, our own brain. One of the measurable differences between dream consciousness and waking consciousness is the higher frequency of brain wave patterns in the latter, in which objects appear much more substantial, solid, real. What we call reality occurs in waking state of consciousness. In dream state of consciousness, reality is very different than it is in waking. The 'laws of physics' don't quite apply. It's a different world. Different 'stuff' makes up the material, and content often appears as odd and non-sensical, scenes and experiences that are as different from waking as an animated cartoon is from a family drama. And yet, at the time of dreaming those scenes and experiences can influence us as vividly, and emotionally, as 'real,' as being awake. These two very different operations of consciousness exist within the same Awareness. We say I am awake, I slept. I dreamt. I awoke. The 'I' is identified with those states of consciousness.

Waking consciousness is represented in brain wave frequency of plus or minus 20Hz, and referred to as Beta Waves. Dream consciousness is more in the frequency of about plus or minus 6Hz and referred to as Theta Waves. While dreaming, rapid eye movement happens and dream states are often called 'REM' sleep. The deepest part of sleep consciousness, called Delta Waves, runs at about plus or minus 2Hz. Alpha Waves are some of the more pleasant states of awareness within mind consciousness at about plus or minus 10Hz. Alpha is to Beta what daydreaming is to filing out tax forms. More recently, Gamma Waves have been detected upwards of 40Hz and indicative of moments of insight, discovery and that 'ah-ha' episode. A peak experience of revealing clarity, and solidity. Dreams are less solid, less logical, less rational, perhaps even not rational at all, though very creative; dreams are known to have some predictive value and have been understood as a link to that mysterious land of deep sleep, and beyond. Deep sleep consciousness is very amorphously nebulous. And yet, critically important. Without enough and proper sleep, dreaming and waking suffer. These 3 states of consciousness, waking, sleeping and dreaming, make up what we call our life.

Yogic lore speaks of a fourth state of consciousness, 'turiya' in their language. A consciousness transcendent to mental activity, and physical activity; transcendent to sleeping, dreaming and waking. It is awareness itself; unmoved, still and silent; a flame in a windless place. Transcendental consciousness is awareness, without an object, without a subject; pure awareness, nothing else. No frequency. No vibration. Anything else is the mutual arising of the subject-object relationship, at any level, and contains 'the other.' In having a nightmare, daydreaming, or waking as you walk down the street filled with sensory objects of awareness, subjective thoughts and emotions, memories and imaginations, 'the other' is present; and, yet, of the same awareness, the same consciousness, the same mind, happening in your brain, which resides in your body, which exists in this world of waking, dreaming and sleeping. And yet, without that fourth state of transcendent consciousness, pure awareness, there would be no waking, dreaming and sleeping awareness at all, just as without the unseen molecules and cells of your muscles and organs, there would be no muscles and organs.

This understanding that 'the other' can be seen as a fundamental fallacy forms the basis of religious and spiritual sentiments such as The Golden Rule, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' 'let kindness be your religion' and 'love your enemy.' These recommendations are based on Quantum Psychology, and 'the other' fallacy. Correct this fallacy that 'the other' is separated, unconnected, independent with the understanding that subject and object, self and not-self, are in fact conjoined, connected and dependent one upon the other. Quantum Psychology is a leap in awareness to wholeness.

Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.

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Lifting The Barriers To Happiness

As humans it is our birth right to be happy and joyous and no one can take it from us. The interesting thing is that we are ourselves the main impediment to living a happy and fulfilled life. Over the years, we have formed some beliefs and engraved then into our mind as truths. Whereas all these beliefs are mere fallacies. If we are to live to our maximum then watch out the following barriers to our own happiness.

a. Happiness Is Something External

Believe me or not Happiness has nothing to do at all, with the external circumstances. It is totally in our control. It is in our mind. It is not the situation itself but the reaction to the situation that makes us unhappy.

b. Happiness Is Near To Impossible in Today 's Stressful World

People say, after all, stress is here to stay and if we want to live in this world, we have to encounter stress in one form or the other. The answer to this is: it is us who make a situation stressful or otherwise. It is in our control. Birds, animals and plants also live in the same world. Have you seen a sparrow in stress, a cat in tension, a tortoise in distress? Never! Actually there is no stress in the world! Sounds weird? But it is THE FACT. Let me quote here one of my favorite authors Dr. Wayne Dyer. He says "There is no stress in this world, only people thinking stressful thoughts". What a price less quotation! Just read it again and again and let it settle deeply into your heart and soul. Just observe the power of these words. Next time whenever you start feeling anxious or stressful or worried, just repeat the above words slowly and let them take root in your heart. I have not said mind purposely because mind is the cause of all this stress.

c. Happiness Is Found In Some Achievement

This is also one of the thoughts our mind repeats to us almost incessantly until we are convinced that we can only be happy if we have achieved something great or if we are immensely successful at this or that skill or field. Actually, the converse of it holds true. Remember this and keep it written somewhere where you are able to see it often. YOU DO NOT GET HAPPY BY ACHIEVING SUCCESS, YOU ACHIEVE SUCCESS BY GETTING HAPPY.

d. Happiness is in Future-I Will Be Happy When...

This is also one of the major misconceptions and keeps billions of people unhappy throughout their lives. The internal dialogue within us is something like this: I will be happy when I get a promotion, when my daughter gets married, when I am selected as one of the top 10 performers, when this bad weather is over, when economy is stable, when my dream of world tour materializes, when the boo I am writing gets completed, when I am able to meet my ideal person, when I hit a jackpot etc. etc. and the list goes on and on and on. It is endless. What does this mean? It is called postponing happiness to the future. This is all nonsense. We can only be happy in the present moment. Past is gone and future is in no body's control. So why not enjoy each and every moment of the present. If we are not happy NOW, we cannot be happy in the future.

e. Unhappiness is Natural State Of Humans

Another mayor delusion which we all have within our mind is that it is OK and natural to be unhappy. After all there is so much to be handled by an adult in day to day circumstances, how can one remain happy? Only children can be happy because they have nothing to do except enjoying their lives. Here lies the point; when a child can be happy without status, possessions, achievements, awards, then why can't we be? The answer to the questions raised above is that first of all we have to train our mind that our Natural state is Happiness and not Unhappiness. It is the conditioning done by our society, our culture and our environment to our minds which makes us believe that happiness is some elusive concept- unable to achieve in this practical world. So from now onwards challenge this well-established view and say repeatedly to yourself that HAPPINESS IS THE NATURAL WAY OF LIVING OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS.

f. Happiness Needs Some Special Skill

Believe me, to achieve happiness you do not need to be intelligent or bright or even literate for that matter. You do not have to be sharp or clever or smart. The only thing you need is commitment -a solid commitment with yourself. If you are really committed that you will remain happy for the rest of your life, come what may, then YOU WILL REMAIN HAPPY and if you just want to be happy or you are just thinking to be happy then it won't work. A strong commitment is what is required and nothing else.

In short, to paraphrase what has been written above, happiness is totally in your own control and it only depends on how committed you are to achieve it.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Lifting-The-Barriers-To-Happiness&id=9639438

Shifting Out of Negative Space

Meditating does not mean that you extract that part of your memory and forget all that has ever happened before. Especially life events that haven't served you well and more than anything in this world, you would like the "pain and suffering" to be taken away. You must know, that our mind is like the revolving earth, ever evolving and spinning in its orbit in its own perfect proximity and whatever that's been planted before, it is there and always will be.

Because it is so wide and limitless, we can choose where we would like to lead our thoughts to. Our mind is the limitless space, and "negative" spaces are fundamental to building an "image and picture" of anything we wish to put together. That is how we are able to visualize dreams, scenarios, circumstances and fragments of things we have come to learn and know about. We put those pieces together inside our heads. When you learn to "un-clutter" the mind, you get to choose to be on the other side of the "negative space" that is part of your brain and living mind and you can't turn that part "off" like a switch. You can only ever attempt to make the effort for a "shift" into a different space.

When you "quiet" the mind, you see more clearly and there is a small window of opportunity to make the "shift" when that happens. Slowly, steadily, you shift yourself to a different space - a positive one. One that contains new affirmations and thoughts, new memories, experiences and places you have recreated for yourself. Planting new seeds takes time for it to grow and also takes consistent care for it to ensure that it is healthy and strong before you can bear fruits and flowers for you to enjoy and repeat the cycle.

It is a process, a journey, a learning curve for the mind to adjust and know its way around. Just like anybody you first come to know as a stranger, our minds are the same and it could be our potential best friend or worst enemy. You can make the effort to understand her strengths and weaknesses to make the "relationship" work or you can resist, resent it and feel like it is a battle and challenge every day and feel the need to fight against it all day long. It is a choice we all have and we can make it work to our advantage.

Meditation doesn't necessarily mean sitting in a chair or on a floor and just closing your eyes in a dead quiet room that could echo your breath and forcing your mind to stop the chatter. In the beginning, this would probably be counter-active to your first step of taking the leap to have control of your mind. It would probably work better if you used other tools or routines to help jump-start your mind and introduce new positive things and subjects into it before you begin to sift and sort.

Yoga is one of the methods that best serves as a physical and also a mental workout, producing best results for both body and mind. Because you literally hold your own physical body as your object of attention, all the focus and concentration put on it will ultimately produce positive results if you commit wholeheartedly and go into the postures with intent and give it your undivided attention. If you do it consciously for a full 60 - 90 minutes every day, that would definitely lead you feeling a whole lot better re-leasing all kinds of tensions and stress in your body and mind with your attention taken away from any feelings of negativity in that frame of time and put right onto your physical body directly to tone and strengthen. It is by far one of the most effective practices for easily distracted individuals.

You can of course pick up a quieter and more subtle routine and habit like a good self-development read, (if exercising is a big issue for you for whatever reason) books of a positive nature and feed your mind with more "good stuff" so that you can "fill it up" with new knowledge that are applicable in your daily activities and one that serves you well. Painting nature also serves as an extremely good way to put your attention on bright colors and natural feel-good settings and environment over a good period of an hour straight, uninterrupted with your mind stationed in a good, happy place.

It is a little obscure as people always have this idea that only professional artists can pick up that paintbrush to do something like that. But really, you don't need to be Picasso to attempt to engage in this activity. If you have a love for nature, it will not be a difficult task for you to set your eyes on it for a full hour, however your painting turn out to become is totally irrelevant and only serves as an outlet to grab hold of your attention.

The more positive activities and attitudes you choose to include into your daily life activities, the easier the road to be able to sit down and literally do nothing and naturally be able to quiet you mind comes quickly. You will no longer have to use external tools to aid you in doing so. It will just be you, your space and your mind. That is the ultimate goal eventually. Not having to meditate while you're in an awkward pose (yoga) or having to set your eyes on something beautiful to do so (nature) will be the best outlet to go about because you take yourself and your mind everywhere you go, literally.

You can't always carry your yoga mat with you 24/7 or readily have paints and brushes in your bag pack or a new book constantly at the back of your palms so if you can eventually do it with nothing in your hands or on your plate to "keep you occupied", you have successfully achieved the best method to do your meditation. To simply just sit there, close your eyes and let it all go. (Negative thoughts and feelings) To allow well-being to enter with ease and flow, making the shift to the positive space of every-thing you ever desired for and want in your life.

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How To Ride The Wave Of A Positive Thought

What were you thinking a moment ago?

Was it positive, uplifting or disempowering?

Notice your feelings generated by the thoughts.

Are they pleasant, neutral or disagreeable?

If you're able to move your attention to your emotions, congratulations, you know how to ride the wave of a positive thought.

What do I mean by that?

If you observe a surfer on a wave, you'll notice it will turn into a large swell at one point. With enough momentum it surges into a larger wave, carrying the surfer to the shoreline.

Thoughts come and go from the landscape of your mind like ocean waves. New thoughts enter your stream of consciousness every one second. This means thoughts don't last, unless you direct your attention towards specific ones.

We live in the feelings of our thoughts, not the outside circumstances that influence them. External conditions do not impose upon your thinking, however it can produce an emotional response if the stimuli is strong enough.

"Truth is: Getting stopped by a thought, negative or positive, lays the groundwork for any disconcerting experience. It's never what we think, but that we think that gets us into hot water," affirms sports psychologist Garret Kramer in, The Path of No Resistance: Why Overcoming is Simpler than You Think.

Some days a thought produces a negative emotion while other days it's insignificant.

Why?

What has changed apart from the day?

We react to our surroundings on those occasions for unknown reasons, i.e. tired, moody, hungry, etc. At that time we're ruled by our thinking more so.

Your mind doesn't differentiate between a positive or negative thought. It doesn't register them in this manner - but you do, as the observer. When we label thoughts, we assign them importance over others, so they occupy space in our minds.

I want to be clear: You are not your thoughts.

You are not your thoughts, because they appear and dissolve from your mind and none are permanent. They may be repeated often, but they are never permanent. To imply you are what you think is misleading, to the degree you might experience a positive thought one moment and a negative one the next. If you are defined by that distinction, who are you according to this narrative?

If we live in the feelings of our thoughts and experience an anxious thought, it doesn't imply you're an anxious person. It means you experienced a thought which produced anxiety in your body. You may have an illuminating thought the next moment which cancels the earlier one. There are exceptions of course, governed by a clinical diagnosis by a trained mental health professional.

So the question arises, who are you then?

Garret Kramer affirms once more, "All you really need to do is leave your thoughts alone. Why? Because when left alone, as we've seen, all thoughts are impotent. You're free to excel no matter when or where a negative, or even a positive, thought invades your brain."

The key to overcome unwelcomed thoughts is not to eject them from your mind, but to be mindful of them. Approximately 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts pass through your mind every day. Thoughts flood into your consciousness on a moment-to-moment basis, like a TV show streamed online.

If thoughts flow into our consciousness, how can we reduce the impact of the negative ones?

By being mindful of disempowering thoughts, you bring them to the forefront of your mind and become conscious, rather than unconscious of them.

Unconscious thoughts are part of the landscape of our minds. Similar to streaming a TV show on a computer, you can be distracted by a pop-up window selling you a product or service. Your intention is to view the show, yet the distraction pulls you away from it. Unconscious thoughts have the same effect. They emerge from nowhere and can lead us to dark places if we're unaware.

"The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of

unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought, the resistance is some form of

judgment. On the emotional level, it is some form of negativity. The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment, and this in turn depends on how strongly you are identified with your mind," states author Eckhart Tolle.

The key is to recognise our unconscious thoughts without invoking negative feelings or adding a narrative. We do so by witnessing them through the eyes of equanimity, instead of reacting with negative emotions or actions.

To ride the wave of positive thought, first note the feelings produced in your body. Note your emotional response without becoming invested in them.

Eckhart Tolle states, "Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body's reaction to your mind - or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body."

Empowering thoughts have an enriching quality, demonstrating they are in harmony and balance. Thoughts that produce an uncomfortable sensation, is your body's way of showing you they are out of alignment.

In this setting, the body is a feedback instrument informing you of your thinking.

You needn't be attentive to every thought. Yet, if you're aware how those thoughts generate positive or negative emotions, it's possible to choose more balanced thoughts.

When an inspiring thought emerges, move into your body and notice your emotional response.

Is it in your chest, stomach or elsewhere?

How does it feel?

Is it a tingling sensation that radiates or does it move to other regions?

Meditation is useful when sitting with your thoughts in a quiet setting. Even as little as five minutes in silence helps you become acquainted with your thoughts, instead of passing through your mind without conscious awareness.

To ride the wave of a positive thought, note the feelings they produce while shifting your awareness to them.

As you witness your thoughts, your awareness observes them thus diminishing their intensity.

In time, you create longer streams of positive thoughts, having become familiar with their ebb and flow.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Ride-The-Wave-Of-A-Positive-Thought&id=9412998

The Art Of Worrying

The Art Of Worrying is a comprehensive training on chronic worrying, when this takes too much space and becomes an uncomfortable habit. It's based on accurate studies, and widely shared to make this information available to anyone needing support. It reminds to each of us how to behave and deal with this time, energy, and life-killing attitude when it surfaces in all its splendour on the screen of our consciousness. What it conveys is subsequently aimed at all people, men and women, possessed by the demon of chronic worrying.

The Art describes the preparations required, different perspectives, and viewpoints before we can solve our chronic worrying, and why it's surely better to take steps to be able to manage it at will. Inviting us to live in the present - avoiding focusing on thoughts that center on past events, and likely future, or on what could have been or happened, since they are part of a virtual and partial reality -, it explores different techniques, to put an end to worrying, which are the same that allow us to activate it when we need it, or are pleased to recite it, to eventually get to the meditative lifestyle, focused on the now, absent of thoughts in general and full of everything.

Most of us are worried. There's a constant stream of worrying flowing below the conscious level of our mind that keeps us in a continuous state of tension. It is a subtle energy, crept between our synapses, which feed on excitement and apprehension. Worrying is a pest, the nuisance of our time, culture and civilization. It symbolizes all the things we can do, we would like to do, and we do not know if we'll be ever able of doing. It is the probable, the future, the hypothetical, and uncompleted. It is time that is never enough, strength that is never enough, help that never comes, and resources that are never adequate. It is the clock of our being that keeps on ticking the countdown of our soul, buried under multiple layers of worry.

It is the weapon of the Gods, the instrument with which they keep us subjugated within the boundaries that we, ourselves, drew first around us. Boundaries that we can overcome and break at any time, because they do not belong to our essential nature which is unlimited space, absolute abundance, and infinite capacity to create and build everything that our mind synthesizes from the universal impulse. Our ultimate reality is quietness, mastering, and observing the surface ripples from the oceanic depths of the self, and seeing them as a festive excitement, bubbling young and carefree, where the pure joy of living blends with the universal magnificence that is joyously in us and around us and through us manifests its boundless possibilities of existing.

The Art Of Worrying helps us in and out of all this, and reminding that we're complete entities, and perfectly able to determine our own destiny, gives us a push to jump in what we already are, for the simple reason that our presence is not questionable.

To help you with calming down your mind and stop this chronic worrying, these Apps will help you.

Click Here to Download Your FREE Guide

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Stress and How to Cope With It

Stress is a normal response to difficult situations. We often confuse it as some form of mental pressure caused due to our own inability to deal with things. But that's not what it is. Stress is not an action, it's a reaction. Stress is our reaction to various external factors.

Before we get to the whole coping part, first we need to understand a few things about stress that are essential.

1. Stress is not always bad

Stress is the body's way of reacting to a challenge. When faced with a tough situation, there are a whole lot of reactions that the body goes through. Increased pulse rate, adrenaline boost, faster response to stimuli and among those, stress is one.

But the same stress that 'stresses us out', also makes us quicker and more prone to handle situations better. Stress makes us do our best. So it isn't always a bad thing.

2. Stress varies from person to person

Some people are inherently calmer and more composed, compared to others. So, their reactions also are different. Stress levels change vastly across different people and are not to be compared at any stage.

If I can deal with a tough situation well that does not make another person's stress or panic a bad thing. It is after all only a reaction.

3. Stress is not always an illness

There are a variety of stress related disorders. But just because a person is prone to stress, does not make them a patient. Stress disorders, like all other disorders are something that cannot be confirmed unless clinically diagnosed.

Thus, stress in daily life is as normal as it can be.

4. Stress always has a trigger

May not be something happening at the moment. Sometimes the trigger of stress goes back in time, that we don't even recall the incident. That is because our mind is an expert at suppressing information that can be distressing. But no stress, ever comes without a trigger.

Stress that is positive or good for us in some way, is called Eustress and the one which makes us all panicky and unable to see straight is Distress.

Modern day MNCs encourage some amount of work stress to ensure that employees push ahead and don't get too comfortable. Although as the position becomes more and more powerful, eustress becomes distress. Let us now look at some stress related disorders.

1. General Stress

This is your old school, before an exam, important day type of stress. It is so normal and so vastly experienced that if you don't experience it, people think you're a bit weird (in a good way of course!).

General stress requires nothing more than a few deep breaths and a cool glass of water. It goes away as fast as it came.

2. Acute Stress

This is in a way, the big brother of general stress. It is not in any way damaging, but it makes you completely frazzled and leaves you exhausted.

This would be the stress people experience when work load is doubled, during year end or when you study for a history test and get the math paper in hand. The situation is overloaded and so the brain becomes irritated and you start sweating and panicking.

Acute stress can also be dealt with the old ways, but the best thing to do is to simply let it pass.

3. Episodic Acute Stress

This is one of the serious types. It's one thing to be stressed out, but something is off when a person gets worked out about almost everything. Even things that is not stressful. So be it their wedding day or their nothing day, there is something they will stress about.

For people with episodic stress, things get out of hand very quickly. Calm becomes chaos in the blink of an eye. They take on more than they can chew and at the moment of truth, they are about to explode.

Episodic stress patients are often studied for crisis management purposes just to get a grasp of how masses will respond to a situation.

4. Chronic Stress

While acute stress can be thrilling and exciting, chronic stress is not. This is the grinding stress that wears people away day after day, year after year. Chronic stress destroys bodies, minds and lives. It wreaks havoc through lives.

If you can imagine what the stress must be in a situation of war, then I assure, you can imagine what chronic stress is like. It requires medical help and proper treatment.

While Chronic Stress needs proper medical attention, the other forms of stress can be dealt with. One can even cultivate a habit to deal with it.

For people whose daily lives involve stress (stock brokers I see you!), these few tricks always come in handy.

Coping with stress

• Always, DEEP BREATHS. Don't argue, simply follow. Breathe deeply and breathe often.

• Water. Drink it slowly and prolong the drink. Don't gulp it all down and expect to be calm. The more time you take, the more time you get to process things.

• Use a stress ball. Those smiley faces aren't a joke. They release tension from your muscles and that helps you relax physically.

• Be patient. Nothing is going to happen sooner than it is meant to, simply because you're about to burst a nerve! Close your eyes and be patient.

• Be prepared, if you can. This is what you need to do before events that are inevitably going to happen (EXAMS). Be prepared well in advance. No stress.

• Count down from 100. With every number down, think like it's one point of stress leaving your body. By the time you hit 0, you'll be back to #1.

• Know you are human. Like seriously! There are limits to what you can and cannot achieve. So stop biting off more than you can chew. Accept only enough work and do it perfectly.

• Have some quiet time alone. Have some beverage (whatever you please) and let the negativity get out on its own.

To end, get this one right up there on your list of best quotes -

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."

http://ezinearticles.com/?Stress-and-How-to-Cope-With-It&id=9339018

Meaning of Concentration

Concentration is the ability of an individual to direct his entire attention to a particular task or object, without being affected by the numerous external forces trying to divert his attention. There is a belief that concentration isn't as much about paying attention to one thing, as it is about choosing to ignore everything else. It is more about the ability to give your undivided attention to a particular thing.

Our mind processes an approximate of 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day. That's near about 69.44 thoughts a minute. So when we talk about concentrating, we're not talking some silly number! We're actually talking about a good 70 thoughts a minute. Our mind actually processes and then picks one out of those thoughts and we deem it important enough to pay attention to, while ignoring the other 68 or 69 thoughts!

Exhausting, in my opinion. But for the brain, it's all in a day's work!

Where does concentration begin?

• As far as the brain is concerned, concentration is thought to begin in the frontal lobe of the brain. This process begins from infancy and continues till the day we die.

• Unlike focus, which involves being aware of something in general, concentration is all about isolating a particular task or situation or object and paying attention only towards it.

• Concentration involves paying attention, recognising the object of attention and understanding the object of attention as well. You don't simply look or think. It is a combined process of various cognitive functions coming together and in a way, dissecting the task or object at hand.

Concentration can be developed and paid at different levels. So there is scope for growth in the level of concentration. It's like peeling away the layers, to reach the core of something. It takes a little bit more concentration to peel away each additional layer, till we finally get to the very crux.

Let us now understand why there is a need to concentrate on something and what all other benefits it yields. In the end we shall take a look at some methods to build better concentration.

Need to Concentrate

• To get things done. To complete tasks. 

• To stay on track with our work. 

• To be able to understand every aspect of our work. 

• To complete our work to the best of our abilities

When we concentrate, we put our entire mental prowess into understanding something, which in turn helps us analyse and solve problems in a better way. That is why when we try to solve mathematical problems, we need a little more concentration than usual. Our mind has to work that little bit harder to analyse and solve the problem at hand.

We all have the ability to concentrate some of the time. But at other times our thoughts are scattered, and our minds race from one thing to another. To deal with such times, we need to learn and practice concentration skills and strategies.

To concentrate, we have to learn a skill, and as with any skill this means practice repeated day after day until we achieve enough improvement to feel that we can concentrate when we need to. If you remember, I once spoke of the mind and the thoughts. Explaining the mind as a rock and the thoughts as flowing water. The more the thoughts hit the mind, the deeper the lines that fall. With concentration, we are doing something like that. We are constantly hitting the mind with a single thought or a single stream of thoughts, which ultimately have a lasting impact.

When we concentrate, the brain tends to get exhausted and very soon, it is too tired to stay on track any more. At such times, we realise the importance of expanding our horizons and concentrating more.

Let us now look at some techniques to concentrate better.

1. Pause and Notice

Every time you try to concentrate on something, you inevitably find your mind wandering to various related aspects. This is not really productive. At that juncture you need to pause and take note. What did you start with? Are you still on the same subject? If you have swayed even a little bit, then come back to the real thing.

2. Set aside some worry time

When we concentrate, one of the chief problems we face is worry. We tend to worry. The worry may be random. It may have absolutely no relation to the point. But that will not stop your mind from worrying.

So, rip the issue out from the root. Just simply set aside a fixed amount of time for worrying. So if you are working 12 hours, keep an hour in between to take a break and plainly worry. Worry your heart out! 

And then stop worrying.

3. Have a fixed position of seating

As weird as this sounds, concentration has a whole lot to do with physical movement too. You keep moving around; you won't be able to concentrate. You will feel tired or sometimes your mind will begin wandering.

So you need to stop wandering and sit down when you are doing something.

4. Find a silent place

When the work is important, the place where you work becomes even more important. Find a place with the least amount of distractions. Ensure you don't have too many people around you who can snatch your attention away.

Libraries, empty rooms, classrooms, corner offices (we all want one!), work best for this.

5. Take a break

You need a break from concentrating too. The mind tires out and what happens after that is not concentration. It's a waste of time and energy. Whatever happens, don't try to force your mind to keep concentrating. Give it some break. Sleep a little or even just divert your attention for a while.

Concentrating is more about a choice. If you've committed to do it, just do it. So, first commit and you will find it happening.

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5 Jedi Mind Tricks to Dramatically Improve Your Performance

In order to perform at the highest level, it's more important than ever to focus on living in the present.

Andy Puddicombe spent 10 years studying to become an ordained Tibetan monk and is now the successful co-founder of the meditation app, Headspace. In his TED talk, he says:

"I think the present moment is so underrated. It sounds so ordinary, but we spend so little time in the present that it is anything but ordinary. Our mind is our most precious and valuable resource that we depend upon to be creative, focused, spontaneous, and perform at our very best in everything that we do, and yet we don't take any time to look after it. We spend more time looking after our clothes, cars, and hair than our mind."

This got me thinking about the importance of being fully present during my whirlwind days of back-to-back calls and meetings, and how much bigger and impact I can have when I'm fully focused, and not distracted by other thoughts or tech devices.

Below, I've outlined five keys to maintaining focused attention and spending more time in the moment.

1. Provide thoughtful and constructive input.

Technology devices present a tempting distraction to many people who live in the digital fire hose. However, not being focused or fully present can work against you. Misreading the issue being raised or question being asked, or making short-sighted assumptions about a problem or solution -- these are common unproductive outcomes  of not paying attention to the big picture. 

The most thoughtful investors and board members I've seen in action always make it apparent that they are fully present. They listen deeply and ask for missing information. They try to understand the interests and concerns that are driving an entrepreneur in what they are trying to accomplish. They guide the conversation by acknowledging (not necessarily agreeing with) what others have said, and they push toward some kind of clear and constructive resolution to whatever issue is being addressed. In these situations, I've found there is a lot of power in using the word "and" instead of "but" to build a bridge from one person's perspective to your own.

2. Remember the power of preparation in problem solving.

Most people take time to prepare for a talk or presentation, but it amazes me how few people take the time to prepare in a calm, thoughtful way, for problem solving (or negotiation -- just another form of problem solving). Most people aren't at their most creative in the midst of an intense discussion, and they end up looking like a deer in headlights when they have to make a decision on the spot. Spending time in advance thinking creatively about the key issues and how to address the interests of the other parties can be incredibly valuable.

In my prior work as a negotiator, we'd recommend that our clients spend focused, thoughtful time in advance of any discussion where big issues had be to solved or negotiated. The amount of preparation time required was interpreted in different ways by our clients, however. For example, one time a client called, and we had the following conversation:

Client: "I need your help preparing for my negotiation."

Me: "OK. When do you want to schedule that call?"

Client: "Oh, the negotiation starts in 10 minutes. I'm circling the block!"

Conversely, a woman walked up to me at a conference recently and said that she had approached me after a negotiation talk I had given a few years ago for advice on a job that she was considering. She thanked me for helping to clarify her decision and the approach she should take to negotiating her comp for this new position. A key part of the advice I'd given her was on taking the time to prepare effectively, considering all the relevant data and thinking creatively about her options . It turns out the company she joined was Wildfire, which was acquired by Google for $350M (plus earn-outs)! I said, "Sounds like that worked out well for you!" She beamed, "It changed everything."

3. Increase creativity.

Sophie Lebrecht, brilliant founder and CEO of the company Neon (which organizes and optimizes the display of digital content leveraging neuroscience), points out that Jonah Lehrer's research on the topic of insight and aha moments has shown that we are more likely to come up with and accept new concepts in unfamiliar settings.

Similarly, in her book Thrive, Arianna Huffington mentions a quote by Gregory Berns, author of Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently: "Only when the brain is confronted with stimuli that it has not encountered before does it start to reorganize perception. The surest way to provoke the imagination, then, is to seek out environments you have no experience with."

So, being fully present in a different environment -- out of your office -- can actually help you to be more creative in your work.

4. Notice new opportunities.

Sophie also notes that being present helps to avoid missed opportunities. There are often subtle hints that markets are going to move or change in particular ways, which can be learned by paying close attention to customers, partners, and investors. The information can be fragmented, indirect, and couched in orthogonal conversations, but if you are present and listening carefully, you can piece together clues to be ahead of the curve. If you are only half-present in meetings or on calls, checking your phone, and thinking about your overflowing email inbox, you will either miss critical information, or not fully digest the significance of something you only partially heard.

She says that when she started to hear about connected devices such as smart TV's and watches, she realized that images were going to become important, not just to relay visual content, but also as a touch point for navigation and a fertile bed to develop image personalization. Nobody sat her down and told her this directly, she just pieced it together from a variety of related conversations.

There is a reason that the tagline on my work bio reads: "We invest in entrepreneurs who see a path to disrupting large markets that most of the rest of the world doesn't see." The entrepreneurs that I like to back pay close attention and are fully absorbed in leveraging as much relevant data as possible while pursuing innovation.

5. Appreciate the life-changing impact of taking time to just be.

"When did you last take any time to do nothing?" asks Andy Puddicombe. We fill our hours with back-to-back frenetic activity, but sometimes the right answer is to just be for a bit, giving your brain a break.

One of my favorite quotes is by Ursula K. Le Guin, part of which is: "Very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be." Taking the time to simply be -- in whatever form works best for you -- is important for a number of reasons, some of which I outline below.

Maintaining perspective. When stuff hits the fan, maintaining perspective is critical, especially for entrepreneurs. As Andy says, "We can't change everything that happens to us in life, but we can change the way we experience it."

Clarity of thought. Taking some time to clear your mind is also invaluable. Sophie notes that being in the moment and creating space for a clear and relaxed mind can help you to see beyond what people are saying to what is really going on. For example, she says, some of the Neon team were really apprehensive about moving into a relatively small office space and felt that it would be a waste of time to move the company twice in one year. She took a step back from the situation and realized that they might actually be concerned about two new large pilots that were to be worked on during the time of the move -- not about the move itself. She was able to see beyond the stated problem in order to address the core issue that was really bothering her team. She made it a priority to maintain a temporary office space for them to work out of during the move, thus limiting their downtime.

Sophie says, "In startups, we need to be present and calm to be able to make decisions quickly with limited information. Being overwhelmed with the little things in life, you can become distracted, burnt out, and unable to make insightful decisions. Using time off the grid when you're not flooded with responsibilities allows you to approach critical challenges with a fresh perspective. A key chapter in Scaling Excellence, by Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao, called 'Lightening the Cognitive Load,' highlights the serious dangers and missed opportunities that result from constantly having too much on your mind."

Health and productivity. Our health, stamina, and ability to sustain the grueling work schedule that many of us deal with are, in fact, threatened if we don't take breaks or vacation time. Arianna Huffington notes in Thrive that having our minds constantly racing on worries or tasks makes the human fight-or-flight systems go into overdrive and never switch off, which can ultimately lead to a whole host of physical maladies, as well as reduced mental cognition capabilities, all of which translates to less productivity and creativity.

No regrets. Finally, something that is easy to forget in our harried lives is that never taking down time increases the potential for regrets. Andy says, "We are so distracted that we are no longer present in the world within which we live. We miss out on the things that are most important to us." This is also one of the key tenets behind Randi Zuckerberg's work via Zuckerberg Media: technology should be leveraged to help us in our lives, but should not take over our lives.

Connections with those we care about, new experiences and adventure -- all of the things that are the very essence of being human -- can fall by the wayside if we don't take time away from our work to raise our heads, step out of the fire hose for just a bit, and clear our minds.

The days are short but life is long, and I truly believe -- based on more than 20 years of observation and experience in the world of venture and technology companies -- that those who keep the long game in mind will win.

http://www.inc.com/katherine-barr/jedi-mind-tricks-to-dramatically-improve-your-performance.html