Mastering the basics for a happy life

The days of sitting cross legged in a lotus posture for hours on end, going on long travels to and India ashram, changing your name or shaving your head and wearing long robes, are no longer a prerequisite for deep spiritual transformation and growth. Having done all that, and loved every minute of it, I can tell you from first hand experience. Times are a changing!

Freedom can be found in every corner of this globe, because it really is an inner experience, that is not limited by space and time. Also the world is  changing and how we learn today is not the same as how we learned 20, 30 and forty years ago. Our spiritual development is happening at a much faster rate too, with people able to get out of 15 mins mins of meditation what used to take an hour! We are bombard even in the media, with calls to be more conscious, compassionate, kinder and  even happier in our daily lives. Having a negative attitude is no longer as cool and as "normal" as it used to be.

How to Accelerate Progress in These Times

Having said that there are some things to bear in mind, as a modern day seeker of inner peace, if you are looking to accelerate your ability to enjoy the now.

1. Surround yourself with spiritually aware people

Nothing can derail your efforts more than spending too much of your time with people who are on a totally different wave length than you.  In fact find people that will inspire, motivate and even push you to go deeper. The funny thing is, if you have the courage to stay true to your desire to meet and be surrounded with amazing people, you will manifest this, for sure! Just don't give up and keep removing yourself from situations that drain rather than energise, that limit rather than, give you wings to soar. 

2. Start Your Day With a Spiritual Boost

Instead of just jumping out of bed and hoping for the best, do something in the morning that puts you in the right frame of mind. Do a gratitude list in your head before your feet even touch the ground. Meditate, dance, do yoga, sing or say out loud to your reflection in the mirror what you want to get out of that day. Keep a diary and write a few words down that remind you of who you are and what your purpose is. Read a passage out of a book that inspires you. Eat a healthy and energising breakfast.Too often I see people underestimate the power contained in these small daily rituals.

3. Fall In Love With Mastering The Basics

The basic should never be over looked in our quest for knowledge. This society of modern times is becoming a more, more, more type of society. We want more and in our hunger to fulfil this desire, we can loose the simplicity in things. We can over reach, destroy and complicate things. The basics in spiritual development are these....

Love yourself, love life and love the world, as it is right now. Let go of fear and embrace trust. Forgive continuously  and express gratitude with each breath. That is really all you need to master to become the master of your own destiny, heart and mind.

It is okay to ask for support.

Gandhi puts it Beautifully 

"If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns."

So even though we have all these new opportunities and we are grabbing them with both hands, woman, we still need to seriously examine how old thought patterns are affecting us negatively as we try to move forward and upwards. It is easy to keep blaming others, especially men for what we are still creating through our action, words and thoughts.

Change is Easier Than Most People Will Have You Believing

Its all about surrounding yourself with real people that inspire and motivate you. People who themselves are working tirelessly on their own spiritual growth. People who help you to take quantum leaps out of limiting states of heart and mind. So often I see people trying to wade through personal empowerment on their own...not taking almost as much advantage to having a live, living breathing mentor, spiritual teacher,coach, personal development advisor.

Now it may look like I am trying to toot my own horn here or blow my own trumpet, and yes there might be a touch of that going on ;-) lol! But seriously, I am super passionate about turning people on to fully experiencing and recognising the benefits of having effective mentoring and personal advisors that have worked on themselves enough to be looking at the world through a different pair of glasses, giving a perspective that will empower and enhance ones ability to bring ones amazing gifts into the world.

Do you believe in God?

I was reading through some wonderful wise words of my First teacher and found this lovely story, that speaks directly to the heart of understanding the nature of our beliefs and our belief in God.

   Once Sri Raman, one of the great seers of this age, was asked by a journalist coming from the West,     "Do you believe in God?"

   Sri Raman said, "No."

   The man was shocked. He had heard that this man has realized God, and now

   he says he does not believe in God! He repeated the question. He said,

   "Have you heard me rightly? I am asking, "Do you believe in God?"

   Raman said, "I have heard it. Do you understand what I have said? I don't believe in God, because I know. There is no need of belief. I know the whole existence is divine. There is no personal God anywhere. Every part of this universe is divine. I know it, there is no question of believing." Beliefs are to distract people from discovering the beauty, the grandeur, the splendor, the divinity of existence.

Where can we find happiness?

After  a divorce many many years ago left me feeling weak, sad and lacking in confidence. This all changed when life led me to a powerful teacher who helped me to experience an inner state of being that was totally separate and independent of the realities and experiences of my physical body!

I discovered this, when you turn your focus inward and connect to something greater than the ego of the I, a great weight is lifted off ones shoulders and the ability to choose happiness as a way of life becomes so much easier. I believe you get more of what you focus on. Focus on connecting to inner peace and a wonderful way of being, living, loving becomes available to you. 

Master the MInd

Where do you think negativity comes from?

I see that a lot of negativity comes from my mind. Through my thinking and feeling and the choices I make I can increase or decrease the amount of negative energy I am engaging in. By holding on to thoughts and feelings that do not serve the bigger picture of unconditional love, being in the now AND being okay with what IS.

Everything comes from the same source. Everything is part of the energetic oneness that connects everything. Like the sun and the darkness, like birth and death, like positive and negative its all arising from the same source. It is all part of who we are. As individuals you get more of what you focus on! keep your focus on the positive aspects of your life, no matter what life throws at you, That’s the secret to being happy and peaceful in the now

Where do you think negativity comes from?

How does meditation improve our daily lives?

How does meditation improve our daily lives?

Meditation is all about being quiet and comfortable in yourself being in a harmony, flow and balanced in body, mind and spirit. Rejuvenating your energy levels, letting go of worries and stress. Opening your heart and mind again and again, even after you have been hurt, even after you have not done well at something, even after something has left you feeling confused and lost. Meditation puts you in direct access with the source, and an abundance of love, positivity and powerful spiritual energy and light that will give you the strength to face ALL challenges life will throw at you! Meditation can transform your daily life completely if you know how to meditate properly to fully access the benefits of this powerful transforming tool! #Love-silence

planting seeds for your future, now

Next Level

There is nothing more satisfying in daily life than to feel you are making progress at whatever it is you are leaning into. Whether you are progressing at work, in the gym, or on a spiritual and emotional level. Progress, advancement, makes us happy and gives us great satisfaction. Its our nature to aspire to be, do and achieve more! What are you working on? How would you like to grow, expand, take over your personal best? 

Planting seeds

For me I work from the inside out. If I want my outer reality to change I work on my inner state of mind, heart and clarity. I find peace in knowing where I came from, learning from my past. Where I am, realising that I am planting seeds for my tomorrows, right now. Planting seeds of gratitude, trust, peace and happiness means I can breath easy and watch my seeds grow. We do reap what we sow as much as we might wish it to be different! what seeds are you sowing?

An Epic Summer

Love Now

My trip in Thailand, this summer, was incredibly enlightening and up lifting. I got to fall in love with myself all over again ;-)! The self that is beyond name, occupation, education, status and the physical body. The Self that is the spirit, soul, eternal and divine part of us. The part of our human nature that allows us to evolve emotionally and BE happier and motivated human beings. I find myself feeling so full of love, that it over flows out onto the side walk and gushes out around me, wetting the feet of anyone who comes too close. 

Peace Now

I danced wildly on beaches in the rain, I swam with colorful fish in the ocean, I got intoxicated on spicy curries, I got lost on winding roads on my scooter, as I found myself more comfortable with the solitude of my own company. I find myself held firmly, gently, in the arms of peace, and it won't let me go. It clings to me, sings to me, kisses and caresses me. It makes love to me, filling me up with a stillness that is endless. 

Know when to unplug

Know when to unplug

With the rising burnout, stress, physical and emotional  problems on the rise. Knowing when to stop and rethink, what and how you are doing things is paramount to keeping in top form. The signs are all there, you just have to listen. Your body is always trying to give to signals in the form of pain, tiredness, restlessness. The mind and emotional body also calls for your attention, in the form of angry outbursts, crying frequently for no real reason, finding it hard to relax, sleep or focus your mind on the task at hand.

Keep it real with yourself

The only person that can truly regulate when enough is enough, is you. And its best to do it before you run out of energy completely. With all kinds of pressure constantly coming down on our heads its easy to feel cornered and feel that you have no options but to push through and take yourself to the edge of breaking point. The problem is the edge maybe closer than you think, so extreme caution should be used, when your body starts reacting to the stress levels.


Take charge of yourself well-being with compassion

Talk to anyone who has ever had a break down, melt down, of mind and body, and you will understand that its better to stop before that happens! Nothing is worse than being unhealthy to the point where you can't function anymore in the way you want to. Some people have paid the price in physical illness and others  pay it in mental and emotional challenges. Either way

We are doing it to ourselves

Its important to realise that no one is holding a gun to our heads forcing us to ignore the alarm signs. People are busy with themselves and so waiting for someone else to notice you are stretching yourself thing is the first mistake many people make. We  think if we complain long enough or give visible signs of frustration or exhaustion, somebody else will have compassion on us and give us a break. As no one can feel what you are feeling or know what's truly going on in your head, no one is going to save you from yourself! Even if they tried you probably won't listen, as the listening is the problem.

 The Solution

If you are reading this and thinking this may be you, resolve to take a time out. Just make it happen. Lose the excuses, and find a way to create some time for yourself. We all need time for ourselves once in a while, to recharge, to reflect, to contemplate on the big questions and on what we are doing. Time to just do nothing, be in nature and space in. Time to retreat from taking care of others and do some taking care of yourself. It is not a weakness to feel that you want this and need this, a wise person listens to their body and emotions, to stay healthy. A happy energised and relaxed you means everything and everyone else in your life benefits and things will flow more smoothly and harmoniously.

It's not about what you do, it's all about how you do it.

It's not about what you do, it's all about how you do it.

A lot has been said on the subject of making plans, and working the plan, writing lists and getting the stuff done. I want to add some food for thought. If you are not enjoying what you are doing and feeling good while you do it, your productivity in the actions you take will not be high. The results we get from work we do when we feel stressed, tired and uninspired does not meet the standard of work we are capable of doing when we are feeling, creative, fired up and in our full energy flow state. You can have two salesmen working on selling the same product. The one who is distracted, depressed and hates his job just won't be able to keep up with the one who is motivated, clear and loves what he does.

Being Unhappy Affects The Way You Work

Your level of emotional wellbeing has a dramatic effect on how productive you will be. Having even just one extremely  negative person on a team can also disable a teams ability to work together as a powerful and effective unit. Personal development techniques like meditation and mindfulness is one of the most effective ways to learn how to generate more love, passion and enthusiasm for what you do. It is our human nature to want to be good at what we do, and to try to out perform our best performance to date. The secret to achieving success is by following your bliss and finding out what you naturally enjoy doing.  

Do What you Are Really Good At

Being really good at something turns us on. There is nothing like being able to do what you like and what you are good at every single day. Look at all the success stories and there lies the secret. The love and passion for what they do is what gives them the determination to keep going regardless of the curve balls, set backs, uncertainty or whatever else appears on their path. Nobody is not good at something! Everyone of us has a gift. Some gifts are given more glamor and importance than other gifts and that's where people get confused, and start thinking they don't have talents and things they are really good at.

It Could Be More Simple Than You Believe

The first thing you need to do is recognise what you are really good at, it may be something simple like enjoying to be around people and talking to people. it may be something you never thought was very special like enjoying to be out in nature, or growing your own vegetables or planing games, or helping people find solutions to problems. Whatever it is there is something which you are good at and that you love doing. Once you have defined your natural and/or developed gift/gifts the next step is to start thinking out of the box about how you could use/develop these skills to start making money for you. 

Thinking Will Change Your Life

As a meditation master and lover of the "no mind" state it may seem like me asking you to start thinking may be me contradicting myself! LOL, but trust me, it's not. Not enough people use this aspect of their human capabilities correctly and there for most sadly don't benefit from it as much as they could. Worrying and obsessing over things is just mental activity which is not the same as focused and directed thinking processes like,  creative thinking, brainstorming, out of the box thinking, visualisations, contemplation time, listening for ideas. These types of thinking processes are all the same as digging for gold in a goldmine. When we take the time to think in this way, it is like sieving through the dirt and in time discovering the gold nuggets. You will be amazed at how you will find ways to turn your gifts and passions into gold, if you just start to allow your self to think creatively and without restriction or limitation....

WHAT WE DON'T SAY MATTERS

WHAT WE DON'T SAY MATTERS

Do you sometimes get the feeling that we are loosing our ability to trust each other? Do you get the feeling that a promise just does not mean what it used to? A man's word meant a lot in the old days and that now words just don't seem to mean as much. But instead of complaining about this, what can we do about it? How we contribute to a more honest and trusting environment, where our words truly mean something, in both our personal and work relationships?

MAKE YOUR WORDS COUNT

Let us call upon our highest integrity and speak from there. Rather learn to say no and be more honest. We are terrified of real truth, almost as much as we are terrified of lies and liars! Truth has one major advantage, it allows you to live in the reality of what is. Would you rather someone was truly enjoying your company than pretending they were because they are too afraid to tell you the truth? Do we ignore someones emails instead of taking the time to respectfully explain to them why we no longer wish to communicate with them? On the surface this all seems harmless, but an emotionally intelligent being knows better than to stuff emotions away, hoping they will disappear with time.

TIME CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH

Stuffing down the truth only leads to trouble sooner or later. How many dramas have unfolded and exploded in your life, simply because you did not tell the truth about what you were feeling and thinking? Yes with time the pain of promises broken, expectation not met and so forth, may seem to fade away, but in not dealing bravely and honestly with people, numbness may set in. You may become disconnected, depressed, jaded and cynical of all happy people. Finding their enthusiasm and optimism nauseating and somewhat naive! 

DECIDE TO DEAL WITH IT

To keep our own integrity and light hearted bubbliness we are going to have to work on finding innovative ways of dealing with other peoples "trips" in a better way than just ignoring them, lying to them and hoping that in time we will feel less annoyed or hurt. Did you know that every single person on this planet is the same as you? Beyond the obvious differences like male, female, race, social standing and education. Yes on the personality level the human being covers all the colours of the rainbow, but on a soul level, spirit level, god level, energy level ...whatever you prefer to call it....we are the same. Its in the understanding of this idea and philosophy  that you grow into a more tolerant, honest and compassionate human being.

SEE BEYOND THE DIFFERENCES

When we start looking at others and the world, as part of who we are, as opposed to something separate from us our integrity increases. We start to realise that we should treat every person in the same manner in which we wish to be treated. Especially the ones we don't like! Especially the ones we love to judge and complain about! Do you like it when people lie to you, even about little things? Do you like it when people ignore you instead of having the courage to face you with honesty and openness. We can dramatically change the world by changing ourselves.....working on who we are..rather than judging who "they" are.

What Were you Thinking?

What Are You Thinking?

Did you know that you become what you think about most of the time? What do you think about most of the time? Get control over your thoughts and you will start creating a life that surpasses all your greatest expectations. The secret is sticking with the dream idea long enough for it to come into fruition, most of us change our mind constantly, killing the flow that we set in motion to manifest our desires. Do you sometimes wish you had the “je ne sais quoi “ to be even bolder and more consistent in the thoughts you are putting out there.

Why is thinking positive so important? 

Science now fully confirms what philosophers have been saying all along, our thoughts and feelings are energetic frequencies that we broadcast into the world around us. We draw in the same frequency we are vibrating on. Another tip being supported by scientific research is that meditation and mindfulness workouts are by far the most effective and innovative tools on the market  to rapidly train yourself to think and feel, and therefore act more positive. Leading you to greater success results at work and in your relationships and family life.

Our feelings define our thoughts.

Feeling good, leads to better-quality thinking and superior manifesting results. Your words contribute massively in creating your emotional state of being. Do you choose your words wisely? Just notice how you feel physically and emotionally after a negative verbal or online interaction, even complaining will no longer feel like a harmless pass time.Our actions are a result of what we think and feel. If we are stuck in more negative thoughts and feelings, than in positive thoughts and feelings this is going to affect our actions and our ability to act with more tolerance, compassion and kindness to all people.

It is not a question of being a "good" person

Think about the times in your life when one “weird” thing after the next happened, causing you to feel really bad and therefore attracting even more negative experiences, events and people into your life. Bottom line is this, what we think and feel matters, a lot! It is the driving wheel of your freewill. Without gaining the ability to think positive thoughts consistently and feel intense positive feelings on a daily basis…you will become a magnet to negative events, situations and people, because of the negative frequency you are putting out there. Now don’t confuse this with being a good person. You can be a very good, loving and kind person, but if you don’t feel good, peaceful and clear. This will have a damaging effect on your ability to effortlessly draw in wonderful experiences, exciting opportunities and amazing people into your life.

A life full of happiness

Happiness is the new productivity
Happiness is becoming a intense topic of conversation, in a world were more people are getting totally out of balance emotionally and physically. People are starting to realize that happiness it is not just a given, but something that has to be cultivated and developed, with passion and enthusiasm.

Live the Happiness Movement

Why do we need to take time out to actively seek it and learn how to "be happy"? Because we all know that everything becomes easier when we feel good. When we are uplifted, motivated and focused, we feel powerful and fearless. We feel like we can deal with anything life throws at us when we are not consumed with negative thoughts and feels. Feeling Negative and sad makes you distracted, confused and reduces your ability to perform as you would like to.

Beat the Blues

Our mind is our greatest asset. It is our magic wand and our genie in a bottle - when we know how to use it so it works for us and not against us. Meditation, mindfulness, contemplation is by far the most effective way to directly train your mind to be still and quiet. Quiet your mind and you instantly feel happier! Meditation practice is more than a stress relief tool and more like a powerful way to create and influence your reality. It puts your emotional vibrational frequency on a level that will literally start making magical things to start happening in your life.

Most people try to compare meditation with jogging or other sports that they enjoy doing, thinking that the results are similar. Nothing could be furthest from the truth. The difference is that in meditation you are only working exclusively on training, tuning and developing your "mind power" to operate at a level of awareness that puts you into touch with a "life perspective" that is fully peace, harmony and joy oriented.

Comparing doing sports that undoubtedly make you feel good, to sitting silently and actively training your mind to rewire your brain and create new neural pathways for success and happiness is equivalent to saying a tomato and a potato are the same thing  Sure they both belong to the veg family but you just cannot make a yummy gratin out of tomatoes or a pasta sauce out of potatoes!

Sports will make you feel great, no question, but Meditation will give you the edge in everything you do. It will make you do everything that you do better! That is why highly successful people all over the world are now taking the time to train their ability to be more happy and peaceful in the now, through actively engaging in training their mind to be quiet, getting connected with what is known as an "alfa mind state." 

Compassion is About Opening Your Eyes

Compassion is About Opening Your Eyes to the Bigger Picture

Bigger Picture
What is the bigger picture, and how do we stay focused on it? The bigger picture view point is all about being able to see through time and space and not just what is in front of you at any given moment. Most of us see our lives and what is happening to us, as if it is separate from the world and everything else that is going on.

The Truth

The truth is that we are not separate from everything thats going on. We are intrinsically and deeply connected to the world around us. It may sound a bit like something from a sic-fi movie, but science is confirming what spiritual gurus and yogis have been saying for centuries.

We are One

The problem we have is that most of us can't feel or see this "one connection" and that is why we have a hard time buying into its existence in the first place. Also owning up to this deep connection to everything around us, would mean that we can no longer blame everybody else for our problems.

Living the Truth

It would mean that we need to take full responsibility for how we contribute to everything that is going on around us, and even the stuff that is going on millions of miles away from us on the other side of the globe. We would have to consider how our actions, thoughts and beliefs contribute to the overall reality we call life on earth.

Contribute Now

Are we really doing everything we can to contribute to a better now, or are we waiting for someone else to do something to make our lives better and make the world better.  Its starts with the simple things like whether we recycle, or become more aware of how certain things like the food we eat, the furniture we buy, may affect the planet and the world more negatively than we previously realized.

Compassion is an Action

Being a more conscious and compassionate person should not be something we do to impress others, but something we do because we genuinely care for the wellbeing and happiness of all people around the world. Whether we like them, or agree with the culture or politics, real compassion goes beyond that and returns to the fact that we are all connected and everything we do, say or think has an effect on how the world is. Take action now, to develop a more profound view of your role in this world.

Develop the Power to Keep Getting Up

Develop The Power to Keep Getting Up
Deeply understand that whatever you wish to have, do or be, will come to you when you realize this ago old truth: most of the battle is won in your head and heart.
If you can believe it with a strong steely determination and use the hearts energy as fuel to keep the engine going, come what may. Then you will be well equipped to go after just about any dream you have. Be inspired by this TED talk . This lady is extraordinary and her story awesome!!!

Let the Battle Commence
And make no mistake about it, to achieve "extraordinary" you will have to wage war and claim your territory....mentally and emotionally. We are our own greatest enemy, and unless we develop the ability to fight for what we want and believe in, we will loose the joy of living. The battle against the negative thoughts and feelings that hold us back from going for it has to be taken on. How?

Get Fired up
We are going to need to get fired up, lit up, pumped up and tackle the journey with all guns blazing, metaphorically speaking of course! We will need to dig deep and not just once, but again and again and again. What makes it easier? Developing our ability to go the distance spiritually through shared support and guidance in matters of the heart and mind.

Skills Can Only Get You So far
It is wonderful to be skilled and to have strong talents you can draw from, but you cannot rely on these alone to go the distance and make the journey fun. For that you will need, spirit, humor, clarity and people who help you keep those levels high! We should never underestimate the importance of self preservation through building inner strength of character.

Empower Network
Even if you think, my life is perfect, I want nothing more than things to keep going on as they do now, I have all I would ever need to be happy. Even if you think all this you will still have wage the battle of the restless mind and the challenge of the human interaction, as no man is an island. And for that battle to be won you will need some mad inner skills, like a huge open loving heart, a crystal clear mind and a whole lot of patience!

Warrior within
So whatever you now reality maybe, invest in your spirit. Build your tolerance and cultivate the warrior within. Toughen up as you soften up. Become immune to self doubt and fear. Sharpen your conviction and fight the inner war clean and fair, using love and peace in the now as your weapons of mass destruction to annihilate any idea of ever giving up on those things that matter to you.