Focus your Way to Success

Focus is something that a lot of people in the self improvement industry talk about. It is one of the crucial elements in accomplishing anything. It brings our attention and concentrates it on one task so we can complete it successfully. So the question is how do we focus our attention?

There are many techniques out there to increase focus. Here are a few tips to help you to become more efficient in your activities:

1. Do one thing at a time.

Simply pick a task and do it until it is done. It is easy to say, but not so easy to accomplish. Creativity in that aspect can definitely help. I recommend using a time management system that will help you to categorize tasks, to assign priority of one task to another; so you know which you have to do first. If you follow any good self improvement system, one of the first things they would tell you is the importance of learning how to manage your time properly. Self help often implies taking the responsibility for your own life. That includes learning how to manage your time in the most efficient manner.

2. Pick tasks that are easy to do first and try to accomplish as many of them as possible.

We often gauge self improvement by the sense of how much we have accomplished. So by trying to accomplish many tasks, we in fact increase our self confidence, and in turn are more motivated to focus more on what we are doing. Using your creativity to find motivation can be a great tool. Motivation is a driving force behind all self improvement.

3. Concentrate on the outcome.

It is very important to have goals that will excite us. The key to motivation is being excited about what you are doing. One of the ways of keeping that excitement going is to be absolutely clear about what you want to accomplish. Use your creativity to find goals that you feel give you an emotional response. Goals, if you are emotionally connected to them, are a powerful motivator.

Mastering the art of focus will greatly enhance you self improvement efforts. When you are focused and your creativity is at its peak you will be able to achieve great success in anything that you do.

Making Dreams A Reality Through Real Estate

The best reason for investing in real estate is that it actually works! Real estate investing proves that the American dream is still very much alive. What other avenue can an individual begin in virtually any circumstance in life and build an empire of wealth in a relatively short period of time? Real estate investing does not discriminate against education levels, class, age or region.

You do not need a college degree to understand the fundamentals of real estate investing. You do not need to have a high-paying job or already be wealthy to get started. It can create enormous amounts of wealth for any person who is simply willing to follow the system. There is no need to re-invent the wheel; our system has been proven for any investor in any circumstance or economic condition. You’ve heard similar claims so many times now that they almost sound cliché. Well, even the most skeptical critic will soon see the power of real estate investing as the avenue you’ve been looking for to change your life … that is, if you choose to get started.

All you need to start investing in real estate is determination, self discipline, creative thinking, willingness to work hard, confidence and a dream. The dream is the most important element. The dream’s power will make the other qualities come naturally. Have you ever struggled to follow through with a project you’ve started? It may not be because you’re lazy or lack self discipline, but because you never had the appropriate motivation. Perhaps the goal wasn’t that interesting to you to begin with, or perhaps you never really believed you could attain it. It is important for you to realize what is attainable so that your dream is not limited. Realizing that you can live a life of abundance makes it possible for you to have the ultimate dream.

I’m not talking about the dream of a nice house, fancy clothes and a sports car in the driveway. The dream I’m referring to is much largerâ??all-encompassing. It is the dream of freedom. You may think, “This is the United States. I am free.” Let me ask you, do you own your time? Can you wake up in the morning and spontaneously decide that it is a good day to take the family out on the boat? Can you leave for that month vacation in Hawaii you’ve always wanted to take? Can you sit at home and read a book from cover to cover? Can you take the piano lessons that you always wanted but never had the time or money to take? Can you go back to school for the college degree that you never completed? Can you stay home and raise your children? If you are like most people in this country, you cannot. If you are like most people in this country, you do not own much sunlight in your life. You wake up just before the sun rises, go to work, return home just as it sets and retreat to bed. Then you wake up and repeat the process again and again until, if you’re lucky, you’re 65 years old and you retireâ??too tired and too old to do all those things that you put on hold until you had “some time.” You are not free until you own your time. Time is the most valuable amenity that wealth can buy. That dream, the ability to own your time, is really the essence of the American dream. Ironically, it is a dream that few people attain, yet it is readily accessible to all. Using real estate as the vehicle, we will teach you how to become wealthy, buy your time and know how it feels to live your dream and be free.

Before we outline real estate’s power to help you achieve your dreams, it is important that you understand how we define wealth. We don’t define wealth as an adjective to quantify someone in terms of their net value (millionaire or billionaire). Wealth is simply when passive income exceeds your expenses. In other words, someone is wealthy when their assets or investments generate enough income to cover all of their living expenses. For example, the interest that is credited to your bank account each month isn’t a result of any work (in the traditional sense) by the account holder. No matter how small the interest payment may be, every month it gets put into your account. You didn’t “work” for it, but it is your money. This is what is meant by letting your money work for you. If your monthly living expenses were $2,000 and the interest you earned from your savings account was also $2,000 per month, then you would have achieved wealth. By not having to rely on a job to pay your expenses, you have become financially free.

Most people do not have enough money saved to earn the interest necessary to cover their living expenses. So how do you create a passive income large enough to allow you this financial freedom? You must buy assets that produce enough income to exceed your living expenses. An asset is anything you own that produces cash; a liability, on the other hand, is anything you own that takes cash out of your pocket. For example, a shiny new car with a shiny new monthly payment would be a liability because it takes money out of your pocket each month to own it. A property that you rent for more than its mortgage payment and expenses is an asset. Instead of it costing you money to own, it actually creates income. This is just one example of the many ways in which real estate can create wealth for you.

Wealth is really another word for control. You are wealthy if you can wake up and do nothing all day, every day, while your assets produce enough money to cover your expenses. You are wealthy when you control your own life, when you decide what you do day after day â?? soaking up sun and sand in exotic locations, staying home to raise your children or having time to pursue your own interests and hobbies. Wealth is having the time and money to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it.

Real estate has a proven history of making people extremely rich. What most people don’t know is what steps to take and in what order to take them. Most real estate investing “gurus” offer a “one-size-fits-all” approach, providing generic ideas and uncertain results because their philosophies fail to consider individual experience and circumstances. The best success in real estate will come to you by matching strategy with your strengths and desired outcome.

Eight Ways to Reduce Stress and Feel Great

A kind of “stress dam” I like to call it, is setup when we cannot or do not know how to release tension. When you allow stress to build, it releases hormones that cause us to be more accident-prone and less able to make good decisions. This can also reduce our motivation to succeed and even cause burnout and loss of performance. Trying to start and maintain a new home business can cause a slow buildup of stress.

In some people the stress builds up to a certain point and they “explode” in anger or “fly off the handle” as my mom used to say. Some people break things or treat others badly. This is the wrong way to relieve stress and could be dangerous. It also will transfer stress to coworkers and worse to your customers.
Stress can change the way you answer emails and phone calls to customers or clients. You may not notice a thing but your customer can feel that slight boiling point or impatience with them.

MOVIES AND TV
Why do we like to watch a good action movie? You know it’s fake and all that killing isn’t real. Think about it. If you know it’s not real then why do you get more excited when the action builds? I’ll tell you something you should think about a lot and give more thought to what your kids are watching too! The fact is: Your creative mind thinks it’s real! It does not know in any way that what you are watching is not real! No matter what logic you think of to inform the creative side of your brain that this movie is only for fun is ignored by the creative side of your mind. It has no logic except, It’s real. So, you know what to do.

BAD AND COSTLY INTERNET ADVICE
It’s easy to spend a small fortune on E-books and information products that are worthless. You should only deal with a few very honest and knowledgeable businesses on the internet. It may be hard to believe but one of the best internet business guides and advice doesn’t cost a thing. I do know some very good and honest people that teach online business but it’s expensive in my opinion. Why not get the information for nothing. The paid versions may offer a little more hand holding. The free version wants to sell you their web service but its customers have had the greatest success.

TWO KINDS OF EXHAUSTION
Eight or ten hours of normal work isn’t going to make you come home and plop down in a chair where you can’t move for hours. Then drag yourself off to bed when the wife calls you. Notice I said Normal workdays. If you’re fighting fires all day or catching fish in the North Sea or working in a gold mine then it’s normal to be exhausted.

I’ve known farmers that collapsed on the bed, dirty clothes and all. After knowing them for a while it was easy to see the stress caused by the huge problems and low profits of farming. It would sap their energy like a sponge. I noticed my cousin wasn’t like that at all. After work he was tired but after dinner he would say “Hey Walt, let’s go fishing.” And off we would go to the river and fish till dark. He didn’t let anything bother him and so had more energy. He had learned to “let go” and release the stress energy naturally.

A mature individual views mistakes as a learning experience and not as a shameful event. Don’t worry what others think of you and build your self confidence from within you. This will increase your self esteem.

Assertiveness is much better than a passive or weak approach to business deals. Stress is built up when you acknowledge the power of the other person or worry about potential conflict. Not in an aggressive way but in an assertive approach ask for what you want by negotiating rationally with the other person. In this way you show respect for your working relationship and it’s much better for your self-esteem.

Drinking and using drugs is a selfish self-centered way to feel better. Not one person in the history of the world ever gained a thing from this behavior. It’s obvious. And that includes actors and rich people. If you feel like you need to drink or use drugs you should go and help someone instead. Do not expect anything in return not even thanks. I helped a lady the other day and she told me to go jump in the ocean.

Release stress in natural ways. Make sure you are getting enough sleep. As you get older you may need more. Some people say “I don’t need much sleep” but it catches up with them sooner or latter.

Dreaming is a natural stress reliever. If you do not dream much or don’t remember what you dream then you are not getting enough sleep. One of the things I do is take vitamin B6, (not in a multi). It makes me dream more, remember my dreams and take away my stress.

Careful of the type of movies you see! Part of you (your creative mind) thinks it’s real. That’s why you like them so much. Try drawing or music to relax and Later at bedtime, you should sleep like a baby. Wild sounds (that’s why God made birds) of nature are also designed to clear out the cobwebs. Most people have no idea how the forest can clear the mind but campers and fishermen know.

Writing your problems and feelings down in a notebook helps a lot. ( some people may have to burn it afterwards ) A wonderful way to help yourself is to make up a story with all your problems dumped into the characters. You can give them worse problems then you ever had and then solve them by the end of the story. I wrote an entire science fiction screenplay with every thing I ever wanted and it worked wonders for me.

Nice Guys with Girl problems. Ever wonder why girls like the bad boys and not the so called “nice guy”. It’s because overly nice guys are seen as needy and not as strong confident men. Oh please like me! I’m so needy! Lots of guys do this you’re so pretty kind of kiss her hinnie. Don’t do it! Tease her in a nice funny way. Never act or be needy because if you do she surely won’t need you! If you are a REAL MAN she will be lucky to get you so give it time. Please remember that women are never ATTRACTED to WUSSIES so never act like one, NEVER! Real Women love Real confident Men by nature and by choice.

Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Sahaja Yoga a living experience
to know your self - by Giuseppe Di Munno

SahajaYoga is based upon a
living experience coming from. within, which paves the way to a state of
consciousness beyond both the mind and the emotions. This state of thoughtless
awareness, developed by practising Sahaja Yoga, enables us first to discover and
then to become the real « Self », thus finding the self-fulfilment that human
beings have always sought , guided in their search by the various prophets and
religions over the ages. The ultimate stage in this search, and in human
evolution, is for us to become one with the primordial energy that is our
creator.. Every religion and philosophy speaks of Union with the Divine, yet not
one of them is able to tell us how to achieve it.

This knowledge is only made available to us in writings and words that remain
fixed in our minds, but do not give us access to the real, pure knowledge that
springs from within. Sahaja Yoga entails spontaneous union with the Self. « Saha
» means with, « ja » means spontaneous, while Yoga represents Union with the
omnipotent Power of Divine Love. This experience is our second birth, and it
frees us from the domination of our minds and our emotions. It announces the
pure universal religion known as « Vishwa Nirmala Dharma » in Sanskrit.

This transformation comes about when a subtle energy called Kundalini is
awakened and rises within us to establish our Yoga, or Union, with the
primordial energy.

1) What is Sahaja Yoga?
Sahaja Yoga is the next stage in the evolution of human consciousness. This
experience, which started to spread in 1970 thanks to Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,
has since been extended to more than 70 countries. The knowledge of Sahaja Yoga
is very old, yet it was kept secret and mainly only transmitted from guru to
disciple. Therefore for a long time,only very few people had access to it. Now
Shri Mataji has made this knowledge accessible to all, and Self-Realisation has
become a reality for hundred of thousands of people all over the world.

Sahaja Yoga was foretold a long time ago by numerous spiritual traditions and
religions. Until the advent of Sahaja Yoga we manifested our concepts and our
ideas by means of our ego and our conditionings, without being able to achieve a
state of thoughtless awareness, which is a collective dimension. Because there
is no absolute norm for distinguishing an authentic teacher from a false one,
many seekers of truth have allowed themselves to be misled by following false
and self-proclaimed “gurus”, who are driven by power and money.

Sahaja (= spontaneous) Yoga (= union with the Self) takes our awareness beyond
relative thinking and into the realm of reality which can be perceived in a
tangible manner on our central nervous system. The result of this experience,
also called Self-Realisation, Second Birth, Baptism, Satori etc., is that our
spiritual evolution happens without effort, just like a seed which transforms
itself spontaneously into a great tree. The spiritual evolution which is the
moving force behind this process brings us into physical, mental and emotional
balance. As Shri Mataji says, “You cannot know the true purpose of your life
unless you are connected to the power that created you!”

2) Why is Sahaja Yoga different from other forms of yoga?

To quote Shri Mataji’s own words, “Sahaja Yoga is different from other yogas
because it starts with Self-Realisation instead of that being a distant and
inaccessible dream.” In these modern times, which Shri Mataji calls the blossom
time, She brings a method by which this experience (Self-Realisation) manifests
spontaneously (Sahaja), without any effort.

A small light is lit inside us - a new dimension is accessible to our awareness - and, through Sahaj meditation, we can grow without having to undergo any
hardship, by living a normal family life within society. It is in the light of
this new awareness that we become our own master, our own guide. After
Self-Realisation, we can feel a gentle, cool breeze coming from the top of our
head (through the fontanel area) and also in our hands (thanks to the connection
with the central nervous system). We can identify blockages in our energy
centres (chakras), and we become capable of cleaning these centres with the help
of our subtle energy, the Kundalini.

We enter into a state of collective consciousness. That means that we can feel
the energy centres of other people and purify them too. The fact that we are one
cell integrated in the whole becomes a tangible reality in our everyday life. To
become one with the pure spirit within us is the ultimate goal of human life.
That goal has been described in different ways, but it remains the essence of
all the religions and all the spiritual traditions in the world.
Self-Realisation is the first stage. Once this connection is established, it
needs to be nurtured by our attention. Regular meditation allows us to become
aware of our true identity.

3) What are vibrations and the Kundalini ?
The Kundalini is the power of pure desire within us - a maternal, spiritual
energy which resides in a latent state in the triangular sacrum bone at the base
of the spine. The awakening of the Kundalini was always the goal of all the
religions and all the spiritual traditions throughout the world.

“The Kundalini cures you, improves you and showers you with blessings. It keeps
you free from all the problems of the material world,” says Shri Mataji. The
manifestation of the Kundalini energy is known as vibrations, from the Sanskrit
word Chaïtanya. After Self-Realisation (the awakening of the Kundalini) these
subtle vibrations can also be felt in the form of a gentle, cool breeze coming
from the fontanel region of the head (on the top of the head) and also in the
palms of the hands.

Sometimes, when the Kundalini encounters no obstacles on its way through our
subtle system, this refreshing, soothing sensation can also be felt inside the
body (particularly along the spinal column, which corresponds to the central
channel of our subtle system.

4) When and how did Sahaja Yoga start ?
Shri Mataji had always known that She had the power to awaken the Kundalini and
that She had come to make that awakening accessible to all human beings. But She
wanted to wait until her family obligations permitted Her to achieve her true
mission. Saddened by the extent of the damage done by dishonest so-called
â??gurus’, Shri Mataji’s wish was that all the seekers of truth should attain
their Self-Realisation. Accordingly, in Her meditation on 5th May 1970, Shri
Mataji opened the seventh chakra. The Sahasrara chakra (which has a thousand petals) is at the primordial level
of the personal evolution of every human being, that of spiritual integration.

Shri Mataji started by giving Realisation to a small group of seekers in India.
Then a first group of a dozen seekers received the awakening of the Kundalini:
Realisation en masse had started. Sahaja Yoga spread very rapidly in the
villages in India, where innocent people were ready to receive this divine gift
with an open heart.

When Shri Mataji’s husband was appointed as Secretary-General for Maritime
Affairs at the United Nations, London became their place of residence. Some
Western seekers started to receive their Self-Realisation … then, gradually,
Sahaja Yoga spread through Europe and the United States. In 1989, Sahaja Yoga
spread like wildfire in Russia and in the Eastern European countries, where
thousands of seekers filled the stadiums and public meeting places to hear Shri
Mataji speak and receive their Self-Realisation. Today, Sahaja Yoga is
established on the five continents and is present in more than 70 countries.

5) Is Sahaja Yoga easy to practise? What effect does it have ?
It is the sincere desire of the seeker which is the driving factor of the
Kundalini. When the seeker is thoughtless, it is his desire that allows the
spontaneous energy of his subtle system to transport him into the silence of
meditation. Meditation requires neither physical nor mental effort. It is a
spontaneous happening. The benefits:

Very quickly, the benefits of meditation are felt in various aspects of our
life.

A. Physical benefits:
It is our subtle system which co-ordinates all the work done by the organs and
the cells in our body. When one of our subtle centres is blocked, physical
dysfunctions appear in the organs it controls. It is then that most illnesses
appear. Traditional medicine tries to cure the symptoms. Sahaj meditation allows
us to attack the causes directly, by rebalancing our subtle system and by
cleaning our centres. Thus, even so-called incurable illnesses can be cured in a
spontaneous manner by the purifying work of the energy of the Kundalini.

B. Mental benefits:
When we enter a state of meditation, we enter a realm of silence ; the thoughts
which assail us fade away, and the reality of the present is revealed to us in
all its intensity. Our senses send us a direct image of the world which is not
altered by our mind or our conditionings. The mind even becomes the enlightened
servant of our illuminated spirit.

C. Emotional benefits:
When the Kundalini is awakened and we are immersed in a state of meditation, our
emotions are also brought into balance. All the weaknesses which hinder the
expression of pure and sincere sentiments, such as greed, insecurity, jealousy
etc. are reduced when the joy of meditation is felt. This joy is absolute,
devoid of all duality. This same joy becomes the motivation of our emancipation.

D. Spiritual benefits:
Last but not least, Sahaj meditation reveals to us the Eternal,Divine being that
is Truth, Awareness and Bliss. We become part and parcel of the whole,like a
drop in that ocean of Love,and in meditation we melt into that Primordial being.
This experience is the next stage in the evolution of an ordinary human being’s
awareness: that person is said to be born again or realized. This means that our
spiritual essence, that had been hidden until then, becomes Reality. We can now
set about purifying our inner being, with the help of the self-knowledge that
Shri Mataji gives us and the relationship we establish with Her in our
meditation. Our union with the Divine will become stronger and stronger as we go
along and that is without doubt the most precious benefit that Kundalini
awakening can bring us. This Middle Way that is established within us day after
day by our Kundalini will shower blessings of all sorts upon us, not only of a
physical, emotional or psychological nature, but also material, social and
professional benefits.

>From the very beginning, the Vibrations help us to decipher and decode messages
from the collective unconscious informing us of problems affecting the different
chakras. Thanks to our own enlightened attention and the observation of our
inner being during meditation, we will be able to know the vibratory state of
our own or anyone else’s subtle system..

The effect of Vibrations on the environment:

Scientific research done in Russia on the effect of the Vibrations on problems
caused by radioactivity has shown a marked drop in the level of radioactivity
when objects previously exposed to radiation are exposed to the Vibrations. It
was also found that the Vibrations had a positive effect on polluted lakes: when
exposed to the Vibrations, pollution levels dropped.

Experiments in agriculture show that the Vibrations improve plant growth and
seed germination potential,and better crop frequency and yield. At a time when
whatever is “100% articial” is all the rage, we have a glimpse here of what
tremendous potential the Vibrations have for mankind. The strong point of these
resources, that can be used as therapy, in ecology or in food production, is
that they are part of an entirely natural process.

Priority to the inner transformation of our awareness, however. It is essential
to understand that the purpose of Realisation is not to cure or bring about
improvement; these are only the side-effects. The purpose of Realisation is, and
always will be, to achieve our union with the Divine. Therefore, the most
miraculous of all the benefits made accessible to us is this new dimension to
our awareness.

Shri Mataji explains that in this way, the human being becomes universal:”
Gradually,the person no longer identifies with whatever is false or
artificial.Thus,he notices the intrinsic beauty of things, and not their
material value as belongings. With full knowledge, he identifies with the truth.”
As the subtle centres open,their qualities begin to manifest in us. Innocence,
forgiveness, detached generosity, satisfaction, peace, security, diplomacy and
humility will spread like the scent of a flower that blossoms, as our meditation
grows deeper and more sincere.

6) What is the Self ?
The Self is what we really are. This final stage in our evolution that enables
us to become our real being, the Self, can only be reached when we manage to rid
ourselves of all false identifications with our physical, mental and emotional
perceptions. The Self resides in our heart, and its awakening by the Kundalini
can be felt in the fontanelle area on top of our head, in the chakra of a
thousand petals known as Sahasrara. The instant when we experience this
awakening is called Self-Realisation.

There is nothing revolutionary about the theory behind this experience, as it
was described not only by saints and prophets in days gone by, but also by the
Swiss Carl Gustav Jung in more recent times. However from a practical point of
view Sahaja Yoga is revolutionary, in that now, thanks to the technique brought
to us by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, it is at long last possible to experience
Self-Realisation tangibly and collectively, check it easily day by day and
gradually go deeper and deeper.

7) How much will this cost me?
Self-Realisation is free. We cannot pay for a living and spontaneous experience,
just as we cannot get a seed to sprout by paying Mother Earth. On the other
hand, we consider it our privilege to create this Internet site and we are
willing to pay for doing so, just for the pleasure of sharing with you what has
become of our lives since we received our Self-Realisation.

Our Website http://www.sahajayoga.ch
describes the practice of Sahaja Yoga and how it works. We also propose a first
approach to Sahaja Yoga, in the form of a simple exercise that can be done at
home

Sahaja Yoga Switzerland

Tips on How to Get Motivated

How far you are motivated to accomplish your work? One of the reason a person can become procrastination is lack of motivation. Learn on how to get you motivated from this article.

Speaking from the Organizational Behavior point of view let us take a look at what motivation is all about. The human brain as I mentioned earlier is a virtual store house of energy. There is nothing that we cannot do once we put our mind to it. Yeah, sure, all that has been proved time and again. But along with it comes a string attached. The same brain is easily distracted.

In fact our imagination is probably the one thing that can travel faster than light. And so it is no easy task to keep the brain occupied in the same task for an extended period of time. If the job is monotonous the task becomes more difficult and if the job is demanding and involves a lot of pressure to keep time then you are done for.

Motivation can be thought of as the process of channeling the surplus energy of the brain towards a definite goal or purpose.

So how long can the human mind focus on the same thing. Studies have shown that the maximum attention span of an average human being is just 45 minutes. 45 minutes? So much for those meetings and discussions that lasted for three or four hours. No wonder nothing much comes out of such meetings. In all likelihood most of the audience conked out after the first 45 minutes and after that focused their attention on staying awake.

If you have a good boss or superior, then the task of keeping you motivated rests with them. But even then you have the responsibility to keep yours self motivated, and believe me, self motivation is the best motivation because it comes from within.

So here are a few tips on how to ward boredom away and keep you motivated.

12 Tips to stay motivated and keep procrastination away
1. Never keep doing the same task for two long
2. Try to take breaks every half an hour. Get up and walk or do some stretching exercises
3. Try to alternate between two boring tasks. This will reduce the boredom in both tasks by 50 percent.
4. If you have someone else with you who is doing the same job, try exchanging jobs with the person
5. Talk about your job to a sympathetic listener who can give you encouragement
6. Reward yourself once you have done a job well
7. If you have an uninteresting job left to do, write it down and pin it somewhere in your work station so that you can see it and get constantly reminded about it till you do it.
8. Try to make your work environment more attractive by pinning up some motivating words or some pleasant wall posters, preferably something that can make you smile. Those Dennis the Menace posters are really wonderful for this.
9. If you are allowed to, try playing some soft music while you work.
10. Write down a list of not-so-interesting tasks that you have done and pin it up. It just tells you that if you have done it before, then you can surely do it again.
11. If possible keep a small potted plant near your work station; watching it grow is a wonderful source of inspiration. But take care to look after it properly. If you are going to watch it wilt and die, then it is going to have the opposite effect.
12. Take time to relax, just sit back and close your eyes and hum a favorite tune for a minute or two. But do not fall asleep!

Most of the points 12 Tips to stay motivated and keep procrastination away are self explanatory but I would like to elaborate on one point that is rewarding your self.

These tips can help us to keep ourselves motivated. We have to always remember that good motivation can always make us move one step ahead, and without we realized, we already move quite far.

The Nine Habits Which Self Made Millionaires Adopt

I hope you’ve read my other article, the ‘Seven-Step Formula to Financial Abundance’. If not, I highly encourage that you read it as in this article I’m going to elaborate further into adopting the million- dollar mindset, which is the first in the Seven- Step Formula to Financial Abundance.

This is widely regarded as the most important step too. This is because in order to be achieve financial abundance, your mind has to be first conditioned for it. Always remember that millionaires think and see the world very differently. Unless you condition your brain to think the same way, you will fail to identify and spot the opportunities and lessons hidden amongst obstacles and failures. Only with the million-dollar mindset will you develop the drive, focus and determination to take the necessary action to propel yourself towards financial abundace.

You may ask this question ‘Is the Million Dollar Mindset really so powerful?’ The answer is ‘Definitely!’ If you have the million- dollar mindset, you will not let failure destroy you. And mot importantly, when faced with obstacles, you do not admit defeat but rather you will overcome them and emerge stronger.

One very good example would be famous real estate mogul and host of popular TV show ‘The Apprentice’ - Donald Trump. The Donald Trump you see today is a billionaire and has achieved immense success. However, many people may be unaware that he actually lost his entire fortune when property prices crashed in the early 1990s. Most people facing such a huge setback would inevitably concede defeat. But certainly not Donald Trump, who managed to overturn a $900 million personal debt and nearly $3.5 billion in business debt into a $3.7 million fortune. The reason is because his mentality is different from the average Joe and he refuses to let setbacks dominate him.

So what is the million- dollar mindset? Basically, it is the way we perceive the world. It is the way we frame, filter and make sense of the events and experiences in our life. Thus, the million- dollar mindset is made up of your habits, beliefs, values and attitudes. So with that, lets move on to explore the ‘Nine Habits of Self- Made Millionaires’ which will enable to think like a millionaire too.

Millionaire Habit 1: Be a Value Creator by Always Exceeding Expectations

There are basically three categories of people in life. The first is what I deem as the ‘Value Reducers’. People who fall under this category have a habit of doing less than expected. Therefore, they reduce the value in whichever organization they belong to. As such, they are considered as liabilities and expenses to a company.
Then you have the second category of people who have the habit of doing exactly as expected. These people sustain the value in whichever organization they belong to as they merely do what is expected of them. As such, they are considered as dispensable assets and low return investments to a company.
Lastly, there is this minority but yet most powerful category of people known as the ‘Value Creators’. These are the people who do a lot more than expected. Through their own initiative, they will always exceed others’ expectations of them. Hence, they create tremendous amount of value for their companies. And because of that, they are considered indispensable assets and high return investments to their company. These are the people who do not have to worry about getting retrenched because their bosses will eventually notice their efforts and pay them more and more in order to retain them. Even if their current bosses do not recognize their value, they do not need to worry as other companies will definitely hunt them down for the value they create.
Thus, tell yourself that you must always strive to be a value creator from this moment onwards!

Millionaire Habit 2: Be Proactive and Make Things Happen

The second millionaire habit u need to adopt is to be proactive and make things happen. People who are proactive do not wait for things to happen, but rather, they take the initiative to make things happen. When there are no opportunities around, they do not sit and wait for opportunities to come knocking on them. Rather, they go out and seek opportunities for themselves. Likewise, when faced with setbacks or problems, proactive people will go all out to find solutions to their problems and overcome their setbacks. Therefore, they have the choice to change and control their life.
On the other hand, reactive people wait for things to happen. If there are no opportunities around, they just sit back and wait for opportunities to come. But they fail to realize that opportunities do not just come by so easily. Reactive people when faced with setbacks or problems will simply concede defeat and choose to complain instead of trying to improve the situation. As such, they are often not in control of their lives but rather, they choose to let other people control their lives.
Hence, only when you are proactive will you be in full control of your success and wealth. So start making things happen straight away!

Millionaire Habit 3: Do What You Love

The next habit you need to adopt is to do what you absolutely love most. This may sound stupid as you may ask why will anyone do what they hate. However, take a good look around and you would see many people working in industries they do not have a passion for. Why do most people complain about going to work each day? Its simply because they do not have a passion for their work, and thus they simply dread it. When things do not go their way, they will simply complain.
However, most successful individuals have one thing in common. They love what they do. And it is because of this intense passion for they what they are doing that drives them to succeed. To these people, their work is equivalent to play. Thus, they are enjoying every single moment of their work and their motivation is natural.
Only when you eat, breathe and sleep your field of work, will you be the best in the industry you are in. And in today’s competitive world, when you are far from the best in your industry, you are going to find it extremely hard to survive. Hence, start identifying what you are strongly passionate about. Thereafter, think of who can learn from in that industry and strive to be the best. When you are able to do what you love, you will never have to ‘work’ another day of your life!

Millionaire Habit 4: Believe in Delayed Gratification

This is one habit which many people are guilty of not being able to keep up with, including myself. Yet, it is one habit which will determine if you are going to be financially free or not. You see, there are effectively two ways you can use your money. One is to spend it, the other is to save or invest it. Most people opt for the former, because you get instant gratification from it. When you spend your money on the new watch or designer clothes, you get instant happiness. Thus, instant gratification is the habit of wanting to enjoy now and not having the patience to wait for future benefits. People who constantly desire instant gratification rarely have the discipline to save and let their money compound and grow. Not surprisingly, they will never be wealthy.
On the other hand, people who opt to save or invest their money believe in delayed gratification. These are the people who will not spend their money impulsively on things which will not bring them future benefits. Rather, they will spend their money wisely, choosing to invest in seminars, books. They will also invest their money in stocks and bonds, and allow their money to compound and grow. Initially they may not see huge returns, but they have the patience to wait for their money compound slowly but surely.
Therefore, start analyzing your spending habits today and ensure you believe in delayed gratification.

Millionaire Habit 5: Never Get Complacent and Constantly Improve Oneself

What major reason why people fail is because they get complacent. Problems often occur when you get complacent. When you are complacent about your business, you tend to relax and that’s when your competitors will overtake you. When you are complacent about your health, you tend to neglect it and that’s when illnesses will attack you. Therefore, no matter how successful or wealthy you might think you are, always ask yourself how can be the best.
Hence, always strive for excellence in whatever you do and continuously seek ways for improvement in all areas of your life.

Millionaire Habit 6: Be 100% Committed and Make it a MUST to Succeed

So what does it take to be 100% committed? People always think that they are committed to achieving success or wealth. However, there’s a clear distinction between wanting to succeed, and being 100% committed to succeed. When you are 100% committed to succeed, you make it an absolute MUST to succeed. You will do whatever it takes to succeed. If it means having to only sleep 4 hours a day, you will do it. Do not worry though, as I’m not encouraging you to sleep only 4 hours. But you must be able to see the clear distinction. Making something a MUST means making it your number one priority and stretching yourself way beyond your comfort zone to achieve it.
When you are not 100% committed to achieving something, you will never achieve it. This is because the path to success and wealth is never easy. Thus, people often give up when the going gets tough. It all boils down to the fact that they have not make it a MUST. When you are 100% committed to be a millionaire, you will do whatever it takes to overcome the challenges you might face. However, if you only ‘wish’ or ‘want’ to become a millionaire, your mind will eventually be filled by other ‘wants’ that will eventually take away all you attention and time.
Start asking yourself this question now, ‘Is success and wealth a must for you? Or is it only a want?’ If your answer is a ‘MUST’, then you should change the way you are spending your time now and be 100% committed to achieving it.

Millionaire Habit 7: Instill a Sense of Integrity

This is indeed one very important value you need to adopt, as people will only trust those with integrity. Once you lose your integrity, you also lose the trust that people have in you, and you will lose your friends and business partners. Having integrity involves doing what you say you will do. You must be someone who is reliable and responsible and only then will people want to associate with you.
So, start instilling a sense of integrity in you right now and wealth will come to you!

Millionaire Habit 8: Have Self- Discipline

In order to succeed, you must have the discipline to go through all that is necessary for you to succeed. Even if the journey is tedious and boring, you must have the discipline to persist. You must have a set of rules for yourself and you must stick by it no matter what it takes. Only with discipline can you overcome all challenges and create wealth.
So, start instilling a sense of self- discipline in you and never compromise on your rules.

Millionaire Habit 9: Perceive Failure as Feedback and Turn it Into Success

The final millionaire habit is the ability to perceive failure as feedback and turn it into success. What many people do not know is in actual fact, many millionaires today have experienced major failures in their life. The truth is that everybody fails at one point or another. However, while most people will allow failure to kill their faith, successful people are able to perceive it as feedback and turn failure into success.
There are three ways people respond to failure. The first group of people will get extremely disappointed and they just give up completely. The second group are slightly more determined as they will not give up instantly. Rather, they will keep trying but using the same strategies over and over again. As a result, they will continue to fail many times until they become disillusioned and also give up eventually.
However, successful millionaires perceive failure differently. Every time they encounter setbacks, they do not see it as failure. Rather, they perceive it as feedback that they are not using the right strategy. Hence, they will accept this feedback and change their strategy until they achieve what they desire.
Remember this quote: ‘Success is the result of good judgment. Good judgment is the result of experience. Experience is the result of bad judgment’ Anthony Robbins.
Hence, accept the fact that we will bound to experience failures. However, do not perceive it as failure but rather see it as feedback and let it help you achieve success!

So, there you have it! The Nine Habits of Self Made Millionaires. Master them, and I guarantee that you will experience a positive change in your life. To study the other steps in greater depth, you need a practical, powerful and comprehensive wealth creation programme. To learn more about how you can create, manage, multiply and enjoy your money, visit Best Secrets of Millionaires

Why You Must Be A Disciplined Self Starter To Take Courses Online

Taking college courses online is a great opportunity to arrive in recent years. As more colleges offer online classes becoming a student is easier than ever. There are some important things to keep in mind since it is quite a challenge.

To begin it is important to have unlimited access to a computer and Internet connection. Having a computer in your own home is the best scenario. It is also important to be able to read, write, and have reasonable computer skills and knowledge. You should be familiar with the computer and the Internet. Online courses are based on the Internet and communication between emails will be imperative. Having your own email address and knowledge of how to use email will be a major part of your advancement ability. You must also be able to understand basic software programs such as Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. These or similar programs are commonly used in your daily work.

Secondly you must be self motivated and have excellent time management skills. It will be important to keep on top of your work and not procrastinate. You may need to force out other distractions at times to study and do assignments. Pacing yourself is a knowledgeable skill that will be put to use often. Try to designate specific times every day to complete study and class work. A minimum of 13 hours per course per week is the recommended time allotment needed for success. Independent study involves much dedication to accomplish.

Organization is another key to your success. You should have clear goals set and time to complete them. Setting aside a separate study and work area in your home may help to keep you on track. It is important to have the supplies need on hand and available to keep things on task. Having reference materials in order and available will help as well as all project materials.

You should be ready for a challenge because there is rarely anyone available as easily as in a classroom for help. One on one contact with your professor should be available during certain times, however most rely on emails. Ability to motivate yourself, accept constructive criticism well and not getting easily discouraged are key personal traits that will help you to succeed.

It is also very important that you enjoy the course of study you choose so that you will not lose interest prematurely. Having clear goals will help to get through the classes needed but not necessarily liked.

With motivation, goals and organization online courses are available to those who are up to the challenge. You may be surprised at the amount of stamina it takes to succeed in online course but when you do you will have pride in your ability to accomplish great things.

Find Insight And Knowledge From Self Help Audio Books

You have probably never thought of an Audio Book as a tool for self help, motivation and growth. But the truth is, audiobooks are excellent resources of all kinds of information.

A self help audio book may be an inspirational story about someone who survived a life altering event. Maybe you have challenges in your career and need the motivation to be strong and see it through. Audio books can provide wonderful insight for anyone needing personal encouragement.

Audio books are the perfect medium for weight loss and other health issues such as cigarette smoking. For the person trying to lose weight, an audio book can be the absolute most positive tool you have. For instance, if you are following the South Beach Diet, you can download the audio book version and listen to Dr Agaston narrate through the program, step by step. Then listen while you exercise, drive or do house chores.

Perhaps you have a job where you earn your salary based on sales commissions. You may benefit immensely from a very popular download by Zig Ziglar. This man can motivate a snail. This download provides vital strategies for specific closes, hundred of sales questions, and dozens of persuasion procedures to help everyone sell their ideas, products or themselves.

Of course these are just a couple of examples of self help audiobooks, a browse through an online audio book store will provide you with thousands of self help titles to choose from.

The convenience of audiobooks make them terrific for on the go people. You can listen to any audio book on your iPod, MP3 player or even on a CD for portable convenience.

Self help audio books can provide the information to enrich and enhance lives. All that is needed is the eagerness to improve and the willingness to open your mind to grow.

Make Your Self Hypnosis Better

For those of you that have already learnt the art of Self Hypnosis, I want to put together my top tips for getting the best out of the process. I personally have practiced it for many years and must say that without Self Hypnosis, my business and my personal life would not be as successful as it is today! Self Hypnosis really helps to give you direction and also to keep you motivated and driven at those all important times. With Hypnosis on your side you can truly achieve the impossible. Now I will show you how you can ’super hone’ your skill to reap the greatest benefits!

You may want to use all of the following tips or you may wish to mix and match to get the best result for you.

1. Self Hypnosis is best practiced in the morning! This is because it sets you up for the day. Make a list the night before of everything that you need to achieve the next day. Circle the things that don’t motivate you and then use your Self Hypnosis time to boost your motivation to achieve these goals. Don’t practice just after you have woken up though as you may fall back to sleep - take a shower or have some breakfast first.

2. Use Self Hypnosis daily and you will soon see the results! By setting aside fifteen to thirty minutes a day to practice your Self Hypnosis, you will be on top of your goals before you know it. Choose a slightly different induction though as to vary it a bit for your mind. Also use it to get benefits in different areas or your life and not just the same one. I work on as many as ten goals at anyone time as to give my subconscious mind a bit of variety.

3. Use every facet of your imagination and do some suggestibility testing while in Hypnosis! I like to imagine myself on a hot and sunny beach and imagining all of the things that go with it. I imagine the sun warming my back, the feeling of the sand between my toes and the sound of people playing volley ball. After doing this I can actually feel the warmth, which allows me to understand that my mind in responding to the suggestions that I am giving it. I sometimes like to imagine being in a snowy field as well and experiencing the cold.

So there you have it… three great tips that will boost your Self Hypnosis success. I hope that you enjoy them and put them to good use!

Mind and Self Hypnosis: A Short Introduction

Mind and Self Hypnosis by Eldon Taylor, Ph.D., DAPA, Ct.H.

Introduction

First, I want to suggest to you that all hypnosis is fundamentally self hypnosis. This idea is not new from me, for one of the real pioneers of modern hypnosis, Dr. Milton Ericcson made this statement many years ago. The fact is, hypnosis is based on suggestibility and you must be willing to accept the suggestions or their is no so-called trance state to follow. Now, that is not to say that gifted hypnotists are not able to disarm defenses one might have, but it is to say that YOU are the key to a successful hypnotic session. The common fear of hypnosis, that someone else has control over you, has no place in a self-hypnosis session, for you are both the hypnotist and the subject–and just to be clear, the fear is mislaid and false to fact.

You will learn that hypnosis is a natural state that can be objectified by brain wave activity. This special brain wave state known as alpha and theta (we’ll look at those more closely later in this text) is not only a powerful state for mind training, deep relaxation, accelerated learning opportunities and so forth, but a state that most move through several times each day. All of this and more is covered in these programs, so let’s get into some important matters that are not discussed there.

Self Hypnosis to Condition Belief

Not long ago I was preparing a literature review of hypnosis. One of the texts I used is written by two scholars with impeccable credentials. The book is called “Hypnosis, Will and Memory” (Laurence and Campbell, 1988). It is essentially a psycho-legal history of hypnosis. Repeatedly the text cites a time when hypnosis was believed to be either of the devil or pure unmitigated fakery. Finally, the scientific community investigated hypnosis. Scientists who doubted hypnosis used a test to determine true hypnosis from fakery. The test was largely based on body levitation evidence. In other words, it was assumed as a result of direct observation that a subject truly in hypnosis could and would levitate!

Now skeptics tested for fakery and often reported finding hidden wires and ropes and pulleys. However, these same skeptics reported true unfaked levitation on many occasions. Not only did they report it, the evidence was sometimes offered in the courts. Okay, levitation was not such an unnatural act until the laws of Newton became popularly known. Suddenly, everyone knew that the human body was heavier than air and could not float. Levitation suddenly disappeared from the scene and the literature. Prior to that, levitation was often witnessed by the most reliable of even the skeptics in instances of hypnosis, spiritual enlightenment and so-called demonic possession. Indeed, levitation was one of the criteria for determining the guilt or innocence of a witch.

It would appear that belief, individual and collective, directly influences the physical world. Physicists have often reported the role of the “observer” in influencing the outcome of physical measurement and observation. Indeed, many physicists believe that consciousness interacts with matter. A recent study employed some sophisticated statistical measurements to evaluate the mind’s interaction with matter. The data clearly suggested an information exchange between mind and matter.

Belief in ourselves, abilities, powers, and the influence over our own lives and the world around us, is at the crux of what each and every one of us experiences in life. Belief literally may define and delimit our every experience. Eroding belief is doubt. Self doubt is the most personally damaging belief we can hold.

Monkey Conditioning–Behaviorism

Regaining our inherent self-confidence, self-belief, self-respect, and self power is relatively easy, if we’re willing to make the proper choices. The difficulty is in the choices. Humans can behave very much like the conditioned animal. It is for this reason that Classical Behaviorism gained such popularity in psychological schools of thought. Behaviorism essentially argues that the human condition is entirely a product of nature/nurture and is conditioned to believe, behave and otherwise execute life. There is no such thing as a higher principle or a need for self-actualization. The human is but a shabby animal with higher cerebral processing mechanisms than other animals. It behaves in habitual patterns and treatment consists chiefly of changing the patterns. The assertion seems simple, change behavior and you change the person. This assertion has some very pragmatic applications and we’ll use it as we progress with the material at hand. However, just so there is no ambiguity, the underlying hypothesis which asserts no higher principle is as false a notion as any one will ever encounter! In fact, it is my opinion that only one with true cognitive dissonance and/or absolute ignorance of the world around us would hold such a view.

Altered States Of Consciousness

For some, an altered state of consciousness is a taboo. It portends to “mess” with the mind. The mind is not to be messed with. I have always found this assertion naive for the reason that every human being experiences various states of altered consciousness daily. When the typical person turns on the television, an altered state generally ensues. Indeed, children become conditioned to enter an altered state within minutes after beginning to view TV. Studies have demonstrated that even when children are hooked up to brain wave monitoring devices such as electro encephalographic feedback and given substantial reward motivation to remain in fully alert states of consciousness, that in under five minutes they will fail to maintain ordinary wakeful consciousness. The child will slip into what is commonly termed alpha consciousness (more on this in a moment). When a person day dreams, falls into a light sleep or state of reverie, slowly wakes from a deep sleep, or fixates on almost anything, they are almost always in an altered state of consciousness. So what is an altered state of consciousness?

Typically, consciousness is divided into four categories. Normal consciousness is called “beta,” lightly modified consciousness “alpha,” deep sleep “theta,” and comatose states “delta.” States of consciousness are thought of in terms of brain wave rates (cycles per second). Beta consciousness is normally 15 to 30 cycles per second, alpha is 8 to 14 cycles per second, theta is 4 to 8 cycles per second and delta is less than 4. Now let’s translate this schema into something meaningful outside the realm of definition.

Beta

In normal ordinary wakeful states of consciousness, the mind operates from its most critical platform. It constantly judges input from self (inner talk) and others. It evaluates and reacts. Indeed, it chiefly reacts. For even when one believes they are evaluating, more often than not, the evaluation is settled before it begins. The belief system of the unconscious not only places a lens through which all matters will be disputed, but it also hides behind a protective veil the information that may give rise to mistaken decisions. That is, the unconscious mind during normal wakeful states is operating as a software program feeding the flow of everyday life through a mosaic of interpretations that are written chiefly upon avoidance and attraction principles (experienced and imagined). Therefore, when the conscious mind says something like, “I can do this. I’m good enough to excel and succeed,” the unconscious (subconscious if you prefer) sends some inner talk message like, “Really, good enough for what? How aboutâ?¹? Do you remember?” etc.

Now, maybe the reason the unconscious sends the negative message is due to some fear from the past, or some fear projected through imagination. Perhaps the negative feedback is due to negative input from peers, parents, and so forth. It is also possible that the negative is due to some deep sense of unworthiness that is the result of a need to punish oneself. It could also be the result of some deep belief that conflicts with our desire, such as the desire to become successful and an inner belief that sorts along a line of logic that goes something like this, “If I want to be saved in Heaven, I must sacrifice here and now. Further, money is the source of all evil.” There could also be a myriad of other reasons and a virtual labrynth of entanglement between them all. The fact is, in ordinary beta consciousness very little new information can really get in. Now, “very little” in this reference is by comparison to alpha consciousness. In fact, just as an aside before going further, the methods of Superlearning and Suggestopedia (Ostrander) clearly demonstrate the advantage of learning school room information such as language, math, science, and so forth, in alpha consciousness states.

Alpha

Alpha consciousness is the state most refer to as the primary state experienced in hypnosis. Hypnosis has been viewed from many perspectives and historically has held more than one definition. However, the agreed upon definition today is a heightened state of suggestibility. This heightened state of suggestibility is just what the title implies. In alpha consciousness one is particularly prone to the acceptance of skillful suggestion. The nature of suggestion depends on who is suggesting. A hypnotherapist will make healthy and positive suggestions while a sales person trained in the art of hypnotic selling may give personally self-serving suggestions (Moine, Lloyd). The power of suggestion and the psychology of compliance, mentioned in further detail in the next chapter, are used every day in mass marketing strategies to sell everything from illness to religion (Taylor).

When one is in an alpha state, whether naturally or artificially induced, their inner talk tends to slow down and become image oriented and/or guided as opposed to constantly self-initiated, albeit often unconsciously. Since we live in a modern society we are exposed to a variety of stimuli that our forefathers never knew. Let me provide a couple of examples.

Much of the television, radio and print media programming of today dwells on violence, sex and so-called taboo issues. The word is sensationalism. The more sensational, the better the reviews, the more money, the larger the audience and so on. Rather systematically over the past twenty to thirty years, the threshold of arousal has increased in the population, forcing an ever increasing thrust into areas of an explicit nature in order to maintain the sensational. Consequently, our inner talk, our fantasies, our very ideation has been influenced. This new tolerance for vengeance, anger, fear, violence, sexuality and so forth has tilted our society. Values have diminished to the point that we have younger generations without the proverbial “clue” as to what life is about. The world is for living and taking and minimizing pain while maximizing pleasure. Twelve-year-old children walk into school and gun down their teachers and school mates. Drugs, child prostitution, gang violence, drive-by shootings, and so forth are the chief worries of parents today. How did our society degenerate to this point?

Many psychologists and psychiatrists, sociologists and anthropologists, and for that matter, political scientists, have made vociferous outcries asserting the neurotic nature of our times and are lining up in an attempt to end the media management of arousal thresholds and value orientation. Television has probably the single largest impact on people today. It guides our purchases, the information most have about their world or any single issue/event, merchandises everything from wearing apparel, hair style, fashion in general to wholesaling the common cold. “It’s the flu season and it’s coming to your town! Everyone will get it! You can relax and baby yourself, pamper your whims and take some needed time off, maybe even cement your relationships, if you have XYZ on hand.” How much sickness do you think is vended in the same way attitudes and beliefs are sold through our media?

Some of you may want to say, “Taylor, you’re nuts. Television doesn’t make anyone sick. You don’t get the flu from a TV!” Fair enough. Let’s look a little deeper. When a person is in a state of alpha, such as hypnosis, the science and literature show us clearly, without doubt, that the body can be suggested to health or illness. A hypnotist can suggest a burn, place an ice cube on the arm, and a blister will almost immediately appear. As a practicing hypnotherapist, I personally witnessed phenomena that illustrates the mind’s control over the body to the degree that suggesting a simple runny nose is, as Sherlock would say, “Elementary!” But in order to tie this suggestibility of alpha states in to the problems posed by television viewing, we should also take a look at another area of scientific enquiry that may surprise you.

Studies have shown that the average individual will enter alpha brain wave states within four minutes of being engaged by television (Taylor). If you think about it, this should not come as any surprise. How many times have each of us seen someone, or been that someone, who appeared so engrossed in television that it required yelling at the person to get their attention?

Okay, alpha consciousness and “cold season”â?¹I ask you again, how much illness do you think is sold in order to create the market that sells the cure?

It should be obvious that the state of alpha consciousness is not only natural but can be a beneficial time to put positive information into our bio computing brain/mind. The essential use of alpha can also either be a matter of choice or a matter of habituation. Recently I saw a sign in the supermarket selling the publication: TV Guide. The sign underneath the current issue said, “Check Out.” A picture of a television with the initials TV within it was all that accompanied the sign. How many times have you heard or used the phrase, “I’ll watch television and check out”? Check out, vacuum the mind, and so on; these are the terms we all naturally think of when we think of TV. Turn our minds over, let go of our concerns, ohâ?¹and let someone else program them. Why “check out”? In alpha states of consciousness endorphin levels increase. Endorphin is the body’s natural opiate system. It feels good. Sometimes, perhaps too good.

Before we continue with our discussion of brain states, let me provide a visual analogy that may be helpful. If you think of brain wave activity as the number of lines on an inch of graph paper, then you have a visual image of mental activity at least as we measure it with electro-encephalographic instrumentation. Instead of thinking of the lines on paper, think in terms of the size of fencing. The closer the lines are to each other, the smaller the fencing material. The smaller the fencing, the more restrictive it is to both incoming and outgoing “stuff;” in our analogy, let’s say birds. The mind is very much like this. The tighter the wire enclosure, the less information (stimulus) we can process and remember. This is why superlearning states use alpha consciousness. As the brain wave activity slows down, the holes in our fencing material become large and more information can get it. (See the illustration below).

In future chapters we’ll examine in more detail some of the powers and practical applications of altered states of consciousness. For the purposes of this chapter, our introduction is only intended to serve as groundwork.

Theta

Theta consciousness is often associated with deep sleep and very deep levels of hypnosis or meditation. It is generally believed that the so-called super human feats of the many spiritual masters, such as those reported eating hot coals, controlling body functions, and so forth, are achieved while in theta consciousness. Indeed, mystics tend to teach that as the brain wave patterns slow, the vibration of the body alters. By allegedly changing the vibration of the body, many things thought to be impossible become possible. The rate of vibration is seen analogically as light vibrating at a rate much faster than

glass, therefore it passes through the glass. A stone, however, vibrates much slower than glass, consequently preventing it from passing through without breaking the glass. Thus, there is an arguable inverse proportion to brain wave activity and body vibration. As the brain wave activity slows, the body vibration rate is said to increase.

Delta

Delta consciousness is ordinarily thought of as comatose. For years this state of consciousness was believed to be so turned in on itself that outside stimuli went totally unnoticed, perhaps even unrecognized at any level of registration. However, the work of Oliver Sacks showed the world that even in this state of consciousness, there is awareness. In his work with patients (see his book Awakenings), he used massive doses of dopamine, and literally awakened (at least for a short time) most of the patients. Stranger than fiction, these patients reported their various records and sensitivities to the history of their treatment, the hospital protocol, their environment and so forth.

This has just been a short introduction to hypnosis. The bottom line is one that you may want to check out for yourself. My suggestion, try it. If you still want to know more first, then you will want to read the story in the July 2001 issue of Scientific America. The article shatters many common myths including those that attempt to debunk hypnosis as either fakery, pleasing the hypnotist or imagination. The hypnotic subject experiences a state of consciousness that is independent from so-called ordinary consciousness. It is not about compliance or imagination, nor is it about placebo responsiveness, low intelligence or the weak minded. Hypnosis is a safe state where many wonderful insights and healings can and do take place.