Would you like a breather from that sometimes?

If you can empty your mind you can give yourself a sense of peace, an emptiness and quiet that allows you to relax.And also to allow space [...]]]> Do you find that your head is constantly full of “stuff”? Things you must remember to do, new ideas, worries……….

Would you like a breather from that sometimes?

If you can empty your mind you can give yourself a sense of peace, an emptiness and quiet that allows you to relax.And also to allow space for new ideas to come. Just stopping can have huge benefits to your well-being, and to whatever projects you are working on.

It is wonderful to be free of the chatter in your brain. And another advantage is the additional clarity you get. This can be especially noticeable if you go outside. Just listen to the birdsong and appreciate the beauty and diversity of nature around you.

It’s a great place to be.

So if you don’t already do this, where do you start?

Well, there are different ways to do this and it is worth finding one that works for you.

Some people choose to meditate, or you can just choose to put yourself into that innocent space you experienced when you were a child.

Don’t know how to meditate? There are no rules to this, put simply it’s just about sitting quietly and allowing your mind to become empty.

“Meditation is not a solution of any problem in particular; it solves nothing. It simply helps you to get rid of the mind, the problem-creator. It simply helps you to slip out of the mind like a snake slips out of the old skin. Once you know you are not the mind the great transcendence has happened. Suddenly all problems become insignificant; slowly, slowly they evaporate. You are left with a profound peace; a great silence prevails. This silence is the solution. This peace is the answer, the answer of all answers”. OSHO

It is a book about connecting to [...]]]> If you have ever felt that there is more to life then you might like this book. The Magician’s Way by William Whitecloud is easy to read and written in the form of a story, whilst at the same time introducing lessons in the way of the Magician.

It is a book about connecting to your heart, and what your heart really wants to do (so your purpose if you like)

The story illustrates the concepts and shows how we let our thoughts and feelings rule our lives, and how, if we are not careful, this can block us from true happiness. It also shows how we can very easily make the choice to step away from this and follow our hearts, and illustrates the steps to take.

I have now read this book three times and get something new every time. It’s a great little book

Why not have a look?

By asking “What Do I Love?” or “What would I love?” you bring the attention of your mind to that thing.

So whenever you are faced [...]]]> ..is a question that easily refocuses your mind. We hear so often that focus creates reality and this is a really quick and easy way to shift your focus.

By asking “What Do I Love?” or “What would I love?” you bring the attention of your mind to that thing.

So whenever you are faced with a dilemma or something not quite going as you would like, take a moment to step back and ask yourself “What Would I Love?”, and go with what comes immediately, don’t “think” about it too much. What pops into your head first will be the true answer.

Once you have this consider it, and how you can act so that you move towards it as your target, your end result.

Even if you don’t know “how” it doesn’t matter, focus on what you really want to happen. This is the first step towards creating the outcome that you want.

And it can apply to any aspect of your life and any situation.

Did you know that the average 40 year old man, has 175,000 hours left? That’s it. So every wasted hour is gone, forever, you can never [...]]]> It is important to realise that we can’t really manage time, time itself is fixed, we can only manage how we use the time that is available to us.

Did you know that the average 40 year old man, has 175,000 hours left? That’s it. So every wasted hour is gone, forever, you can never get it back. Its like a snowflake, once gone, its lost forever.

Its worth noting that successful people put a high value on their time. Often they take a longer term view of things, so that when they look at whether something needs doing they look to see how it fits into the bigger picture before deciding whether to do it or not.

But you will be pleased to hear that managing your time is a skill that can be learnt, you can develop it with practise.

If you make a commitment to doing it

Remember it takes 21 days of repetition for something to become a habit, so if you can just get yourself to do a few things differently for 21 days, they will then start to happen automatically.

And keep in touch with this blog for tips

Happiness is a spiritual state that arises when we focus on the real and permanent and take our attention away from the fleeting and impermanent. Everything will [...]]]> ‘Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.’ – Denis Waitley

Happiness is a spiritual state that arises when we focus on the real and permanent and take our attention away from the fleeting and impermanent. Everything will pass in the world but there is an essence within you that is eternal and will never fade. You may call this your Soul, Higher Self, or God/Goddess within. When you know your divine essence you will live more gracefully in the world. True happiness comes from touching the light within. Then you will never again feel alone in the world. Then you will never again feel unloved.

Just as we create happiness from the inside out we also generate meaningful change from the inside out.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, [...]]]> I went to see the film Invictus a couple of weeks ago. And I wanted to share the poem that inspired both Nelson Mandela and the film as I think it has a message for all of us.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)

We are all the masters of our own fate, and the captain’s of our own souls. Sometimes it’s good to reflect on this and what it really means…….. and the power that gives you

1 – Be your unique self

2 – Make decisions from your inner authority

3 – Give up trying to control life

4 – Stop personalising what others think

5 – Allow yourself to make mistakes so [...]]]> Do one of these steps and change your life, do them all and you have revolutionised your life……….

1 – Be your unique self

2 – Make decisions from your inner authority

3 – Give up trying to control life

4 – Stop personalising what others think

5 – Allow yourself to make mistakes so that you can discover what does work

6 – Stop comparing yourself to anyone else

7 – Develop a sense of humour about life’s messy parts

8 – Trust yourself

9 – Be confident that if something happens you have the resources to deal with it

10 – Give yourself time and space to grow and evolve

11 – Love yourself

‘Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.’
Lao Tsu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher

Where is the time to think of new ideas or creative ways of tackling your problems? And [...]]]> Phone calls to make, e-mails to answers, quotations to get out, outstanding invoices to chase etc etc!! This is the life of a small business owner. Your day is typically filled with all this ‘routine’ and mundane stuff.

Where is the time to think of new ideas or creative ways of tackling your problems? And yet the benefits of coming up with new ideas or ways of solving problems are numerous, it’s just a case of finding the time. I am a great believer in scheduling some ‘thinking time’ into your day. Here’s what to do.

During the day, on a ‘thinking time’ pad, write down some issues or questions you need to find answers to. Don’t attempt to find solutions now, just park the question and carry on with your work. Take your diary or mentally decide what time you are going to start, and mark out 15 to 20 minutes. You may find you are better first thing in the morning, or you may prefer the afternoon when you find things quieter. It doesn’t matter when as along as you commit yourself.

When the allotted time comes, take the phone off the hook and tell everyone you don’t wish to be disturbed. Once you are relaxed let your mind wander and capture all the great ideas and solutions which will flood your mind. Write your thoughts down as a mindmap, using lots of different colours to really stimulate your brain!

When you get into the habit of taking some thinking time you’ll be amazed at not only the number of new ideas and solutions to problems you’ll come up with, but also how relaxed you’ll feel afterwards.

Go on, don’t just think about it, do it!

Thanks to Rob Warlow, Small Business Success, http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz