Author Archives: Admin

3 Ways to Use Challenging Times

Challenging times, no matter how difficult, can be a portal for development. When you feel anywhere from stressed to hopeless, take some time to see, and feel, what’s happening. In the moment of experiencing where you are, you have an opportunity… an opportunity to evolve your consciousness. An opportunity to step out of the stress or suffering. An opportunity that others, in more seemingly “comfortable” situations, simply do not have.

1. Use your emotional energy to change your situation.

Step one is to observe the situation that you are in. You may feel any number of negative emotions: frustration, anger, resentment, sorrow, hatred, etc. Feel the situation fully and accept the situation for what it is. Use the emotional energy to propel you to take action. Action may be internal or external if you are capable of doing something about your situation to improve it… use the energy to push through the difficulty. If your external situation is truly beyond your control, then go deep into the emotional energy and accept it as it is. The “stress”, “pain”, or “suffering” you are going through is a result of non-acceptance of your situation. By accepting your situation you are no longer creating the internal stress, mental pain, or suffering for yourself.

2. Recognize the opportunity for growth.

On a constant basis, recognize even minor challenges and frustrating situations as a time for growth. As soon as you catch yourself feeling any negative emotion, step outside off the emotion and observe yourself. Strive to catch yourself immediately – as soon as the emotion starts. This may happen at work with your boss, at home with your spouse, with your children, with strangers, or even with yourself. Don’t fight the negativity, but don’t feed it – just observe. Become aware of it, accept it, then let it go because you know it’s not serving you. By recognizing the “challenging situations” as opportunities, you will inherently become more mentally balanced, and at peace. You will also start to notice that many of the negative situations you were experiencing simply stop happening or become much less intense.

3. See the challenge as a catalyst for something new.

Every situation that we perceive of or label as negative does have a positive side effect. For some, it takes time to develop the ability to re-frame your experiences into something positive. The positive aspect of your situation does exist – no matter how difficult it may be to recognize it in the moment. Learn to use your situation to open your mind to new possibilities. You will eventually be unable to see anything as inherently good or bad… When you catch yourself labeling or categorizing events or times of your life along the spectrum of good or bad, step back for a moment and realize that this is a chance for you to grow. These experiences are what make you whom you are…they are the catalysts for change. They are necessary to guide you and teach you. They are portals for change, providing you with the energy (motivation) to act. Focus on being open to the opportunities these moments create.

You can’t juggle without letting go

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Ever seen a juggler try to juggle while not letting go of anything???

We try to control way too much of our lives and our surroundings…too many unimportant things. We try to control ourselves, our expectations, and others. We have a tough time dealing with the unknown, the unexpected… worrying about all the “what if”s that might come up. We worry and stress over things that MIGHT happen as if they already have happened, and reflexively we attempt to CONTROL what we really can’t – because we’re afraid of something going wrong, even if we’re not sure what it is.

Even when we think we are in control, we really know that control is just an illusion…

We expose our bodies to a lifetime of stress unnecessarily… Health-wise we’re more likely to over-eat, not sleep well, develop heart disease, depression, chronic fatigue, on and on. We feel overwhelmed.

Trying to control too much is caused by an inability to discern what is and what is not truly important.

Want to live a happy life? Learn to let go. Don’t stress over possible outcomes of the future. Put trust in others…

More likely than not, the opportunity of YOUR lifetime is going to be a result of something not going exactly as YOU had planned.

Letting go does not mean not trying…it does not mean not doing your best. It means letting go of fear of what MIGHT happen. It means letting go of the expectation that everything will always go as planned because we know we’ll be able to deal with it. It means letting go of trying to do EVERYTHING yourself so that you can accomplish more than you have ever imagined when you enlist the help of others.

It means letting go of the future (what might happen), and of the past (what did happen), so that you can truly enjoy life (what is happening now).

Be Happy…Now! :D

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Almost everyone is waiting for something to happen… Waiting to reach some goal to be happy. Waiting to find the right person, save enough money for a house, pay down debt… Too often happiness is always around the corner… or, a more accurate metaphor, at the end of the rainbow.

Happiness is a simple conscious choice – and does not depend on your current situation or circumstances. As soon as you base your happiness on anything outside of your own self, it slips through your fingers and is gone. If you reminisce on happy events from the past, you’ve lost the happiness of the moment. You only feel the “missing” of the happy moments of the past that are gone. If you are waiting for some state of life (graduate, new job, pay down debt, waiting to “get” something or “have” someone in your life), then you are in a position of wanting something to happen…waiting for it to happen…putting your happiness on hold. You are again feeling things from a position of lack – living without happiness because it lies in the future. What’s more, the moment you had been waiting for, should it arrive, will at some point be gone. The happiness that was once coming in the future will be gone in the past…again leaving you empty. The answer is that happiness is already within you… here…now.

Happiness is an emotional feeling that comes from within yourself, and is not dependent on anyone else’s opinion of you, does not need anyone else’s approval, and does not depend on luck or current circumstances in any way… Happiness is an enjoyment of life – feeling in the moment… feeling connected, feeling alive… There are wonderful experiences and there are terrible experiences, and everything in between…but you are alive and there is an immense and wonderful appreciation that can be had for all things you experience in life… experiences that make you into the person you have become, that have given you the energy to be and do and create… to live and enjoy life.

A very simple metaphor that I like to use is to think of what makes a great movie great….There is no movie that I’ve ever seen where everything happens perfectly…goes exactly as planned…Where everything works out and nothing bad ever happens. Nobody on this planet would sit through the first 10 minutes. But cliffhangers… drama… action… excitement…love…loss…everything from tragedies to tearjerking romances…. THAT is what grabs us. THAT is what makes for an interesting experience that keeps us on the edge of our seats. Seeing the main character work through the lulls and depressed states, cope with inevitable losses, face challenges, overcome the odds….If that is what makes for a great movie, why would we want anything less for our lives?

Want Positive, Be Positive

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Jim Rohn said it best:

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”

You need positive people in your life. People that believe anything is possible. People that support your dreams. People that are developed enough to not be afraid of your success, that help you think farther and help you stretch your own boundaries.

How do you find positive people? Be that person to others and they will find you.

Accept people as they are and be careful not to judge or criticize people that may show some negativity or not be as supportive as you would like. You attract positivity by exuding it, not by forcing it upon others. Remember, you choose with whom you spend your time. Just because you would like to spend time with one person or another, and you would like him/her to be supportive doesn’t mean it will ever happen. Not everyone has to have the same hopes, plans, and dreams as you do, and that’s ok.

When you start paying attention to the “positivity level” of others, positive people will stand out. Take an inventory of the people in your life right now – who falls into the positive, optimistic, can-do-anything personality category? What’s even better is a do-er rather than a dreamer…Most people will be hard-pressed to think of anyone…

As you exude and attract positive people, you can’t help but be changed. Others supporting you, showing you that something you thought was impossible is possible through their own actions… others supporting you when you attempt what some would claim is impossible, unrealistic, or unlikely… You need that when you’re facing those challenges. The accumulation of subtle shifts of mindset on a daily basis is critical to your success.

So as you finish up this week, and the rest of this year, look for positivity.. use the holidays to make new connections, and develop new personal relationships.

– Want positive, be positive.

Live On Purpose!

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Live on purpose. From Merriam Webster:

on purpose : by intent : intentionally

Living on purpose means living intentionally. Making choices based on your own intentions, what YOU intend. Making what YOU will of your life.

An amazing thing happens when you start living on purpose – everything becomes easier. The stress lessens, and the weight of life becomes light instead of heavy.

Living on purpose means being pro-active… following your instincts, your gut intuition that is flowing up from your subconscious mind. That inner voice telling you what you should be doing, or telling you that you should be doing something different than what you are doing now.

When you live on purpose, motivation flows freely…work is effortless and joyful. You feel rewarded.

Until you have taken that first… most difficult step…where you’ve made that decision you knew you needed to make…in spite of the unwarranted fear you felt… you will not know the lightness of being that follows from living on purpose… The feeling of a great weight being lifted, stress becoming non-existent, and a contagious happiness throughout your life.

Living on purpose becomes something you MUST do once you start… something you just must do because you know where living on purpose leads and how living on purpose feels.

WARNING:Living on purpose may cause a happy life, lightness of being, and can be highly contagious….

Do Your Best

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Whatever you’re doing, do your best. Give doing your best some thought. Do your best at everything. Do your best to take care of yourself. Do your best to care about and help others. Do your best at work, do your best for your family.

Do your best to accept that your best will never be perfect. Don’t beat yourself up because you think you should have done better.

Do your best refers to what you’re doing right NOW, not what you did or how you did yesterday. Likewise, don’t worry about how you might do tomorrow.

Doing your best means you can relax in the knowing that you DID your best, and that what will happen will happen. Whatever the result from the mix of things within your control and without your control will be what it will be – and you did your best.

If you haven’t been doing your best, it’s ok because that’s in the past. Do your best NOW. As you begin to do your best you can relax, a weight will be lifted in your mind and in your heart and you will be able to accept whatever comes of it – good or bad or great.

Do your best for yourself – that is more than enough for anything else. If you believe in God, doing your best is the highest form of worship – making the best of the life that you’ve been gifted.

Now…Do your best…Now

Find the GOOD in the negative experiences of your life…

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Everything, both good and bad, that has happened to you or that is happening to you has a purpose. The difficulty most of us have with negative experiences is that we cannot see their purpose through our immediate pain and suffering. In the moment, when we’re going through something that seems to be the worst experience of our lives, we can be caught up in all kinds of negativity, thinking things like “why is this happening to me?”, “what did I do to deserve this?”, and in some desperate cases, “my life is ruined”, or worse….

The questions do have answers, and the statements are simply wrong.

It took me decades to realize how profoundly my life has been impacted in a positive way by negative experiences. It has taken effort, self introspection, forgiveness – to both others and to myself.

Without my own negative experiences, I would not have the same perspectives to share with others to help them through their trying times as well.

One of the hardest things to see when in the midst of a stormy period of life is the positive effect that the hardship will have on your life or the lives of others. If you think about it, there are instances of positives in negatives all around. The creation of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), which has saved countless lives, would never have manifested if it were not for the founder’s own tragedy. Countless masterpieces of art, writing, and music have been birthed of the pain and suffering of the artists themselves. Scientific discoveries and research have been borne of loss of loved ones to disease. On a more personal level, both positive and negative experiences have made you into the individual you are today, have given you the strength and wherewithal to deal with other less trying circumstances with ease… to help yourself, your loved ones, and others…

Recognizing and seeing more examples of how POSITIVE negative experiences have effected both myself and others helps tremendously when dealing with both day-to-day stressors, as well as accepting and working through more difficult times that have yet to come.

Life is not perfect – it is not meant to be. It is messy, dirty, and all of that is ok and beautiful at the same time.

The key to all of this is your perspective… The above image is a perfect example. If you’re constantly looking for a vase, you’ll always see a vase, but as soon as you look for the two faces, it’s hard to see the vase alone. You might oscillate between the two, but you can always CHOOSE to see the faces once you’re aware of what to look for.

In the beginning, changing your perspective is difficult – particularly when there is an emotional response attached. But over time, you will be able to see how numerous good things in your life would never have manifested had you not gone through certain negative experiences. When this happens, you might even feel thankful for the negative experiences LEADING you to the positive outcomes.

The more you look for the positives in the negatives, the more you will see. A goal of this shift in perspective is to help you deal with the rough times when you’re still in the fog and clouds with no end in sight… so that you can trust that at some point you will understand the purpose, that you simply know that at some point, something good will come of it because the positives are forever bound to the negatives and vice versa.

An ultimate realization is that life experiences are neither inherently good or bad in and of themselves, they are simply what comprise LIFE – something we experience with both joy and pain.

On a final note, we are not alone in this world. Although we often think only of ourselves, life is not always about you, or me…Some of us will have to look further to see the positive in the negative – outside of our own personal experiences. I choose to think of those people which have to look outside their own experiences to balance the good with the bad as having a higher calling… a purpose in life that is meant to take on a burden that others could not, or to impart a larger, much greater positive effect on others than the negative effect they themselves have endured.

Back 2 Basics – Step 1 – Exercise

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I’m not talking about joining a gym, running a marathon, or anything extreme. What I’m talking about is exercise as an IMMEDIATE form of mental therapy, and secondarily a tool for general health and physical fitness.

1.) EXERCISE AS MENTAL THERAPY – MEDICATE YOURSELF!

So – why IS exercise STEP 1… not step 4, or step 5? Other things, such as what you put into your body for instance, are arguably more important than ‘planned’ exercise in many ways. So why does exercise come first? Here’s why:

Exercise has an immediate, positive effect on your outlook and mental well-being.

Don’t believe me? Put it to the test and remind yourself of what you already know – it works. You’re going to use this frequently going forward as you build up the rest of your foundation for success.

To be sure, exercise didn’t start out at the top of the list. I was having a slow day – motivation was lagging a bit. Mentally, I just felt drained. I knew exercise would help, but it was a catch-22. Finally I got tired of being tired. I turned off that inner voice that was telling me how tired I felt and I just started ‘doing’. I changed clothes, put on my shoes, and walked out the door to go for a jog. By the time I got back home 30 minutes later, I felt great and I knew that Exercise had to be bumped up to Step 1. If you’re looking for a quick and effective way to immediately change your mental state, exercise is it.

Use exercise as a mental health tool – a highly effective, all natural, very healthy source of mental energy. Let it be the catalyst for changing the rest of your behaviors.

Since you’re using exercise as a tool, avoid any self judgement. It’s very easy to focus on negative things, such as the fact that you can’t run a mile like you used to when you were younger… or the fact that you might have put on a few (or more) pounds, or that you’re out of breath after just a few minutes…. but your physical capabilities and appearance are not the point. Focus on how you FEEL, your mental state, your energy level after exercise…. THAT is what’s important.

2.) LONG TERM EFFECTS – REQUIREMENT FOR SUCCESS

Secondarily, you’re looking for the long term effects of exercise. You will find that you are less stressed and more easily able to cope with difficulties. You will sleep better, and have more energy and endurance – both mentally and physically.. You’ll feel better, look better, and exude more confidence. In line with the theme of one of my earlier blogs, Big Life Changes Don’t Like Being Alone, you’ll also find that you’re eating better (part of a psychological effect of investing the time in yourself, and wanting to make the most of that investment, IMO).

I didn’t talk much about what kind of exercise you should be doing. Exactly what kind of exercise isn’t quite as important as the fact that you’re doing something. Everyone is different – so find out what works best for you. Most importantly, listen to your body… and if you’re not aware of how or what to do – start simple, with something like walking or simple stretching. Educate yourself, and enlist a personal trainer if necessary.

Personally, here’s what I look for with respect to exercise as a tool for mental well-being and overall health:

Cardiovascular fitness
Flexibility and range of motion
Low risk of injury
Something enjoyable

This doesn’t meant that everything you do has to fit those criteria, just that you want to be balanced in order to help your body be as healthy as possible.

3.) BE VIGILANT

Be vigilant about fitting exercise into your life. It doesn’t mean sacrificing everything else and becoming a health fanatic. Again, think balance. However, make sure to give a certain degree of importance to this so that a.) you find or make the time, and b.) you actually do something useful with the time.

Train yourself to look to exercise as a tool when you need it for an immediate boost.
Really focus on the positive state you’re in afterwards so that your body and mind have a definite cause and effect association between exercise and the positive effects.
Use exercise as a catalyst to help you work on firming up the rest of the foundational steps – such as good sleeping and eating habits, which we’ll talk about soon.

So what are you waiting for? GET STARTED!

Back 2 Basics – 12 Steps To A Foundation For Success

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Firstly, what I’m going to advise you to do, you already know. So why do you need to hear it all again? Simply put:

You are either ALREADY DOING all the things I’m going to tell or you’re not – and if you’re not, you don’t have a SOLID FOUNDATION for success.

Without the basics, it will be very difficult to be successful, and very difficult to maintain success if you do get lucky. With the basics, you’ll be HEALTHIER, HAPPIER, and BALANCED.

Obstacles that were once in your way will gradually disappear, and things will start to fall into place as if they were meant to be.

You’re going to receive 12 posts that will give you specific things to consider. If you’re already in alignment with the advice, give yourself a pat on the back. If you’ve been “in alignment” for less than a year in any of the areas – then use this information to reinforce your new behaviors so you don’t regress.

Some advice as you read the posts and try to make any changes in your life:

Set reasonable goals. Rome wasn’t built in a day. This isn’t a race.
Go easy on yourself. If you slip up, it’s ok. Simply think about what happened – why you slipped up, and try to find a creative way to help yourself not slip up the next time.
Enlist others for support. friends, family… talk to them about what you are trying to do. For those of you that are on your own – be strong in the beginning and you’ll attract support as people see changes in you.

Interestingly enough, if you’re already doing all the basics right – you WILL be happy – and for some of you, this will be enough to find peace, happiness, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Some of you will have aspirations for more based on lifelong dreams, the need to provide for your family, or maybe the desire to help others. Don’t fret. Once we have our foundation underway, we’ll immediately start on the 6 Key Steps to Build Up Your Life.

Here’s a hint on Step 12 – Help Others. Start by sharing this with those you care about – friends, family, loved ones.

Also, the easiest way to receive the new posts and updates is by liking the Your Higher Level Life! page on Facebook.

Stop Living by FEAR

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FEAR!

Just seeing the word itself can raise your heartbeat. The problem with many of us is that we live our lives, making (or avoiding) most of our important decisions based on FEAR.

Each one of us has this built into our DNA for survival. Fear is a good thing when it’s not running rampant in our lives. Without it, few of us would survive past adolescence. But in our modern world, the same fear “wiring” that kicks in when we’re afraid for our lives – that would save us in the “wild” – cripples us when it shouldn’t.

PEOPLE DRIVEN BY FEAR ONLY TAKE ACTION WHEN THE PAIN OR FEAR OF STAYING IN THE CURRENT SITUATION IS WORSE THAN THE PAIN OR FEAR OF TAKING ACTION

Imagine you need to cross a chasm to reach a land of riches… but the gap seems too far. You can live where you are and survive forever, but it will be a meager existence. If you were to make the jump, you’re dreams would become reality. Now imagine you’re being chased by a hungry lion… running for your life, with nowhere else to turn – you sprint to the edge and jump with everything you’ve got!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

Life Expectancy in the US:

78.2 years.

4066 weeks.

28,465 days.

There’s not much time.

What we should really be afraid of is letting our time on this planet wither away without going after our dreams before it’s too late.

Your Higher Level!

Find your HIGHER LEVEL, and LIVE IT!

Author Archives: Admin

3 Ways to Use Challenging Times

You can’t juggle without letting go

Be Happy…Now! :D

Want Positive, Be Positive

Live On Purpose!

Do Your Best

Find the GOOD in the negative experiences of your life…

Back 2 Basics – Step 1 – Exercise

Back 2 Basics – 12 Steps To A Foundation For Success

Stop Living by FEAR