KEEP MOVING FORWARD...

"It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than to think your way into a new way of acting."

THE PLAN

It can be frustrating and stressful when things don't go to plan.

Keep peace of mind by knowing that even when things don't go to plan, it is always part of THE plan, and keep moving forward.

ATTITUDE

"The right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms every time."

LET GO OF RESULTS

Don’t make the mistake of becoming too results oriented.

The danger is that by focusing too hard on results, we neglect the present moment. We forget to enjoy the journey – the many present moments which are all we really have. Years can pass in a flash, and we might ask ourselves, where did it all go?

Plan. Set worthy and inspiring goals. Work hard on achieving them. Let go and enjoy the journey.

HOW TO AVOID STRESS – Part 2

Here are 3 more tips to beat stress and support your best health.

1. BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR WORRIES

Over 90% of what most people worry about on a daily basis include; things that never happen, past things that can’t be changed by worrying, needless health worries, and petty miscellaneous worries. Less than 10% of what most of us worry about are actual legitimate concerns! This means a massive amount of mental energy and focus is being wasted, whilst we stress ourselves out.

“Worrying is like praying for something you don’t want to happen!”

Be aware, so that you spend an appropriate amount of time on planning for legitimate concerns. Avoid the stress and drain on your vitality that needless worrying creates. Remember, Action cures Fear, so take an action step as soon as possible once you have assessed your legitimate concern.

2. SLEEP

It’s a vicious cycle - Stress leads to a loss of sleep and a loss of sleep leads to an increase in stress. Yet surprisingly sleep is the first thing we give up when we feel stressed, often forfeited in favour of late night TV, mindless surfing, and other such “distractions”.

The solution: practice good sleep hygiene. Going to sleep and waking at the same time each day (or at most +/- 30mins from a set time) creates a rhythm for your body.  Only use your bed for sleep or romance. Don’t keep a television in your bedroom or use your mobile device before bed - studies show that artificial light from screens dramatically suppresses sleep-hormone production.

Here’s an easy way to fall asleep more efficiently.  Create an “Evening Routine” that you will build into a habit or ritual. Turn off all devices 2 hours before going to bed (phone in flight mode or at least on silent).  Suitable activities to fill your evening routine may include reading (fiction books have been shown to beneficially affect sleep), a daily reflection and journaling practice, and a meditation session.

Broken Sleep? Those moments when you find yourself awake and alert in the middle of the night or early morning can be seriously frustrating! This routine will help as your body adjusts to a regular pattern. One surprisingly effective trick, is to not have a clock visible at all (do not check your phone for the time).  If you find yourself awake before your alarm, simply start counting your breaths on the exhale, up to 10, then repeat. You will soon be back to sleep and this becomes more effective with practice. The key is not to start the mind on its wandering journey of conscious thinking - this can keep us awake tossing and turning until the alarm goes off.  

3. MEDITATE

The studies are conclusive. Meditation relieves stress, calms a busy mind and promotes peace within. It can be as simple as a 2 minute session twice a day. Start by sitting quietly and focussing all your attention on your breathing until a 2 minute timer goes off. Catch yourself as soon as you find the mind wandering, and bring your attention back to the breath. The more difficult you find this, the more you need to persevere!  I personally favour 10-15min sessions twice a day, on waking and before bed.

Meditation is one of the most important yet underutilised tools available to reduce stress, support health and healing, and promote inner peace and creativity. There are countless techniques, do some research and find what appeals to you.

HOW TO AVOID STRESS – Part 1

There are many things out there that threaten and erode our health and quality of life.  These include processed food, sugar, excessive sitting and lack of exercise, and long term use of medications.  But the one thing that is at the root of all disease and dysfunction of the body, is Mental-Emotional Stress -which is epidemic in the ever increasing pace of life we live in today.

Here are 3 tips that will help reduce stress in your life.

1. NEVER RUSH.  Rushing can be a big source of stress. Always allow yourself more time than you think you need to get to your destination or complete a task.  Don’t plan back to back appointments. You simply cannot rush and be peaceful at the same time. This also applies when eating.

2. STAY PRESENT. Don’t allow your mind to take you away from what you are doing in any given moment.  FOCUS on what you are doing, and do not even attempt to multi-task.  Multitasking actually causes stress and reduces efficiency at the same time!

3. BE RUTHLESS TO THE THINGS THAT DO NOT MATTER.  We get stressed if we feel we have too much on our plate.  If you sit down and really assess the things that you give your time to, you will find that a lot of them really aren’t necessary, and don’t add anything to the quality of your life. For example; watching TV, browsing social media/youtube/surfing the net without a purpose, reading or watching the news (“but I need to know what’s going on in the world” – No. You really don’t).  If a fraction of the time spent on these things were dedicated to conscious breathing, a meditation practice or “quality time” with friends or family, it would change your life.

HITTING BACK THE CURVE BALLS

We have all heard sayings like “Life will throw you a curve ball once in a while”, and, “When it rains, it pours”. 

An easy trap to fall into, is feeling on top of the world when everything is going well, yet getting knocked down and feeling depressed when things don’t work out as planned. Life throws a curve ball, and all of sudden things can go from “Life is perfect” to “Let me find a rock to crawl under”.  The weather of your life is just perfect, and out of nowhere it starts POURING.

Feelings of success, motivation and stability can very quickly turn into suffering, stagnation and stressful uncertainty. If we don’t have strategies to hit back these curve balls, it can put the brakes on our momentum and prevent us from moving forward.

Even the most motivated people on the planet, feel down and in a slump sometimes. The difference between those who more consistently get results and those who suffer, is being able to motivate oneself despite feeling down or stuck.  

MYTH: We feel good only when everything is going right.  If we buy in to this belief, then we will be tossed about like an emotional rag doll every time some bad weather comes along.  Yes the storm always passes, but significant suffering will be experienced during the downpour, which will take a toll on our health and vitality.

REALITY: We need to be able to actively maintain our mood and performance when everything is going WRONG! It sounds simple enough, but without awareness and practice it is all too easy to revert to the emotional rollercoaster of life’s ups and downs.

Here are 3 ways to stay motivated when you feel stuck.

1. Accept Uncertainty.

“The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with.” 

I just love this quote from Anthony Robbins. After hearing it I have added “I eat uncertainty for breakfast!” to my morning affirmations.  It has had an incredible effect, and I find myself repeating this (in my head or out loud depending on the situation) whenever a curve ball comes my way.

2. Believe in Yourself, then take Action.

“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Which one are you?”

An awesome quote from Henry Ford.  If a curve ball comes your way, and you get stuck on the negative thought train of self-doubt, you will magnify the amount of suffering you experience.  Being stuck in self-doubt will cultivate fear (fear destroys confidence), and your mind will go to work on coming up with excuses.  Reasons why you “can’t”.  Welcome to Victim Town.

The fear we experience when we face tough problems can be paralysing.  Yet there is a cure, and it is Taking Action. Action cures fear. Yet without Hope, you are unlikely to take action. Believing in yourself cultivates Hope, so start there.  Practice immediately replacing those ANTs –Automatic Negative Thoughts- with opposite positive ones. This will destroy those negative thoughts before they become mental monsters.

3. Focus only on what you can control.

Most of the time it is our perception of events rather than the events themselves that cause us to suffer. Ultimately we can’t control external events or situations, but we always maintain full control of our opinions of those events. Use your perception wisely.

If we become addicted to focussing on things outside our control, we can expect sleep problems, low energy, and a crippled quality of life.

One helpful strategy is called “The Process”.  It simply involves ignoring the big picture, and focussing on doing what’s in front of you, even the smallest of tasks, with full effort.  Just do one right action after another and you’ll be too busy to even notice the obstacles were there! Take some quality time to come up with your game plan, then get to work on it one fully focussed step at a time.

Curve Ball? No worries, just begin The Process.