You Want to Effect Real Change? Ignore What’s Wrong with the World and FOCUS on the GOOD.

The next time you’re with your friends in a social environment, notice what they focus on when they speak to you. Are they focusing on what’s wrong with the world? The issues and the pain points? Or are they focused on the amazing things happening in the world and their lives? How happy and grateful they are?

Where are they directing their energy?

Where are you directing yours?

When you put your attention into something, you give something energy. In order for you to have thoughts and emotions, you have to put some energy into their creation.

Most of us have heard about “The Secret” and how directing your thoughts and emotions with intention works. Simply, focus your thoughts and emotions on what you want. Say it out loud, write it down, describe it in detail etc. and it will manifest into your life.

So, what do you think is happening when you are talking about the current issues in the world?

You are giving them your Attention and your energy.

You are making them stronger and keeping them alive.

Now, am I saying to ignore the issues and what’s wrong with the world?

Yes.

If they are not directly present in your life, meaning you had to go find them on your newsfeed and you don’t know anyone that is dealing with them directly. Yes, ignore them.

Before you completely disagree with me and think:

“What the hell, are you kidding me? Ignoring them isn’t going to make them disappear. We need to create awareness etc.”

Consider this.

You will do more good, provide more help and be more effective if — you focus on the good. Otherwise, you are adding your energy to the issue at hand. You’re making the issue worse while your ego feels a sense of righteousness. Feels good to you, but it’s counterproductive and counter-effective.

Yes, you want to create awareness as in, “Hey this issue is happening. Now you know about it.” And THAT’S IT.

No emotion, no talking on and on about it, and no ruminating about it.

Let’s do a quick experiment.

Think about 3 things you’re grateful for. Feel them, say them out loud. Feel that gratitude feeling running through your body.

Now.

Think of those 3 things and find what’s missing from them or what’s wrong with them.

Examples:

  • Gratitude: I am so grateful for my house.
  • What’s missing: Although my furniture is a little plain, I have no view of the ocean, the washing machine is loud, it’s not well lit, whatever.

Chances are you can come up with something to find lack in.

  • Gratitude: I’m grateful for my healthy body.
  • What’s Missing: Yeah I’m healthy but I could lose some weight, and I could be tanner (or lighter) and my butt could be more lifted and my legs more toned…. bigger biceps, better calves, etc.

We are good at focusing on what’s missing. You can thank your brain survival system for this (news media capitalizes on this BIG TIME) Because your brain is wired to look for dangers and threats.

So which was the more productive thought?

Which one made you feel happier? Raised your energy?

Which one do you think is going to bring more things you’re grateful for in life?

Chances are, you easily noticed it was the thought, energy and vibration of  GRATITUDE that made you feel happier. It will also cause you to notice more gratitude in your life.

Wanna know why?

Let’s look to science!

From an energetic frequency perspective, we’ve often heard that energy attracts like energy. I wasn’t able to find any scientific proof on this.

However!

I was able to conclude with science that like energy creates and amplifies like energy.

How?

Acoustic Resonance & Sympathetic resonance

“Acoustic resonance is a phenomenon where acoustic systems amplify sound waves whose frequency matches one of its own natural frequencies of vibration (its resonance frequencies). Additionally, a vibration from one object can be passed on to another object at rest, if it has a similar resonance frequency. This transfer of acoustic energy is known as Sympathetic resonance or sympathetic vibration. It is a harmonic phenomenon wherein a formerly passive string or vibratory body responds to external vibrations to which it has a harmonic likeness.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_resonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathetic_resonance

In the brain, the resonance takes the form of:

Brainwave Entrainment 

“Brainwave entrainment, also referred to as brainwave synchronization and neural entrainment, refers to the capacity of the brain to naturally synchronize its brainwave frequencies with the rhythm of periodic external stimuli, most commonly auditory, visual, or tactile.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwave_entrainment

Basically, the brain will begin to sync with the same vibrations it is exposed to.

Additionally, your brain contains an amazing system, called the:

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

The Reticular Activation System or (RAS) is a bundle of nerves that filter the information coming from the environment. The way the filter is set is determined by what you consciously (or subconsciously) set your attention to.

Your RAS will filter out what you are not focusing on. If you are focused on your friend’s conversation in a busy restaurant, you will be able to filter in her conversation and filter out all other conversations as background noise. You will NOT be able to comprehend what you are not focused on.

So,

When you are focused on and talking about what’s wrong with the world with someone, you are passing those vibrations to someone else. If they resonate with you, you begin to create those vibrations inside of them. Then you will both amplify each other’s energies.

Therefore,

What kind of world do you live in when you are vibrating in “what’s wrong” mode? What are you CREATING and putting out into the world? When you and your friend talk about problems you amplify the energy and create more of that which you are talking about! Especially when you get mad about it.

So, let’s talk about PEACE, LOVE, ACCEPTANCE, FREEDOM. Create THAT WORLD for yourself and those around you.

Let’s amplify THAT into the world.

So, focus on the good. It’s a much better use of your energy. Like

Like Ghandi said,

“Be the change you WISH to see in the world.”

And Gandi knows what’s up. 🙂

 

REFERENCES:
https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time
http://www.inwardquest.com/questions/462/law-of-attraction-says-that-like-attracts-like-so-why-do-electrons-repel
https://www.themagicofquantum.com/review.php
http://science.jrank.org/pages/2489/Energy-Magnetic-energy.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Waves/funhar.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwave_entrainment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_resonance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathetic_resonance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonance

Overcome Stress by Balancing Your Vagus Nerve

As a side effect of our high performance and demanding lifestyles, stress has become a commonplace issue in modern society.

“80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. And 42% say their co-workers need such help.” – American Institute of Stress.

“Stress levels in the workplace are rising with 6 in 10 workers in major global economies experiencing increased workplace stress. With China (86%) having the highest rise in workplace stress.” – The Regus Group

According to a 2016 survey by the American Psychological Association, among the top stressors are money, work and economy followed by personal health concerns; and the top three forms of coping with stress include exercise/walking, going online or watching tv.

So,

What is the vagus nerve and what does it have to do with stress?

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve of the autonomic (relating to involuntary or unconscious actions such as heartbeat and digestion) nervous system in your body, connecting your brain to your stomach, heart and many other organs. It is also the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system.

The vagus nerve in yellow.

The parasympathetic nervous system is known as the “rest and digest” system. When it is functioning healthily, it plays a key role in moving you from a stress and anxiety, “fight or flee” state, into a restful state.

This changes the chemicals in your body. Adrenaline and cortisol levels drop and neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and GABA are released to help the body go into the parasympathetic mode or a relaxed state.

Parasympathetic nervous system – “rest & digest”
Sympathetic nervous system – “fight or flee”

Stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to override the parasympathetic nervous system.

Prolonged stress keeps the body in a sympathetic state, weakening vagus nerve function through constant suppression.

This leads to a laundry list of complications such as:

Obesity
Anorexia
Bulimia
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
esophageal reflux
Bradycardia (Abnormally Slow Heart Rate)
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty breathing
delayed gastric emptying
Vasovagal syncope
B12 deficiency
Chronic inflammation
Seizures
Depression
Anxiety
Difficulty recovering from PTSD
Difficulty recovering from stressful situations
Difficulty making memories
Brain fog
Mood swings
Heart palpitations
Feelings of being disconnected to others

What else does the Vagus Nerve do?

“The word “vagus” means “wanderer” in Latin, describing how this nerve wanders all over the body connecting various organs via neural communication Including your tongue, pharynx, vocal chords, lungs, heart, stomach, intestines and glands that produce anti-stress enzymes and hormones (like Acetylcholine, Prolactin, Vasopressin, Oxytocin), influencing digestion, metabolism and the relaxation response.

80-90% of the nerve fibers in the vagus nerve serve the purpose of communicating the state of your viscera up to your brain.

Because of the communication between the gut, heart and brain. The vagus nerve plays a role in intuition, or “gut instinct”.

When the “tone” of your vagus nerve is working optimally, your body can relax faster after stress.

How can I balance or “tone” my vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve initiates your body’s relaxation response, so if it’s not working properly, you will stay in a prolonged sympathetic fight or flight state.

A balanced or toned vagal nerve also leads to positive emotions and feelings of positive social connection.

Here are some techniques you can use to stimulate your vagus nerve for optimal function:

Cold Exposure

Any kind of acute exposure to cold increases vagus nerve activation. As your body adjusts to cold, sympathetic system declines and parasympathetic nervous system increases.

Slow and deep Breathing

Breathing communicates your body’s state of being to the brain. When under an attack, from a predator per say, your breathing will increase as you prepare for “fight or flight”.

In a relaxed state, your breathing is naturally slower. You can hack your state of being by changing the rate and depth of your breathing.

On average you take about 10-14 breaths per minute. Slowing this down to about 6 deep breaths per minute will help activate your vagus nerve by increasing the sensitivity of “baroreceptor” neurons.

Your heart and neck contain neurons called “baroreceptors”. These baroreceptors detect your blood pressure and send a signal to the brain to activate your vagus nerve to lower blood pressure and heart rate.

The sensitivity of these baroreceptors can be enhanced with deep breathing. This increases the likelihood of communication for vagal activation to lower heart rate and blood pressure, putting your body into a parasympathetic state. This helps to curb anxiety much more quickly.
When breathing consciously slower, breathe in deeply from your diaphragm. Breathe into your belly and consciously expand it outward.

Exhale slowly.

Singing, Humming, Chanting & Gargling

Any action that stimulates the muscles and nerves around the throat and initiates the work of a vagal pump, sending waves through it.

This includes singing, humming, gargling and chanting.

Chanting a mantra such as “om” in meditation has a compound effect of stimulating the vagus nerve through slow breathing and vagal activation through chanting vibration.

Acupuncture

Ear acupuncture specifically, has proven to have the most stimulating effects on the vagal nerve and has also proven to treat neurogenerative diseases through vagal nerve regulation.

Probiotics

In a study done on animals, the introduction of the probiotic Lactobacillus Rhamnosus created positive changes in the GABA receptors of the brain, a reduction in stress hormones and less depression and anxiety behavior. It led to the conclusion that the bacteria in the gut created beneficial changes that were facilitated to the entire body and brain by the vagus nerve.

Meditation

Not all forms of meditation have been proven to stimulate the vagus nerve enough to produce measurable results. There are two types of meditation shown to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Loving-kindness meditation increases vagal tone. To do loving-kindness meditation, or Metta meditation, simply direct feelings of goodwill to others while in meditation.

Om chanting meditation also stimulates the vagus nerve.

Omega 3

Omega 3 Fatty Acids have been shown to reduce heart rate and increase heart rate variability. Since a higher heart rate variability (HRV) measures healthy vagal tone, this led to the conclusion that Omega 3’s increase vagal tone.

Exercise

Mild exercise stimulates gut flow. Gut flow is mediated by the vagus nerve, meaning exercise stimulates the vagus nerve as well.

Tensing the stomach muscles also stimulates the vagus nerve.

Zinc

Zinc has been shown to be an essential mineral for health and to manage anxiety. On a study done on rats, administering zinc showed vagus nerve stimulation.

Massage

The vagus nerve can be stimulated by massaging several specific areas of the body. Foot reflexology increases vagal modulation and activity.

Socializing and laughing

Researchers have found that experiencing or reflecting upon positive social connections increases positive emotions and improves vagal tone.

Laughter has also been shown to increase heart-rate variability and improve mood.

How can I know if I have a strong vagal tone?

Doctors can determine the “tone” or “strength” of your vagus nerve (and your cardiac health) by measuring the time between your individual heartbeats, and then plotting this on a chart over time.

This is known as your heart rate variability or HRV.

When your HRV is high, your vagal tone is also high. They are correlated with each other.
You can also measure vagal tone with heart rate and breathing rate monitoring.

Another effect of having a high vagal tone is feeling a closeness to others and having more altruistic tendencies or behavior.

If you are interested in measuring your HRV, you can measure it with this. 

References:

https://selfhacked.com/blog/28-ways-to-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-it/

The Biology of Kindness: How It Makes Us Happier and Healthier

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201405/how-does-the-vagus-nerve-convey-gut-instincts-the-brain

http://www.brainprotips.com/vagus-nerve-symptoms/

http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LilburnES/PromoteGA/biochemistry/Brain_CNS.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/65710/9-nervy-facts-about-vagus-nerve

http://www.gostress.com/stress-facts/

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2016/coping-with-change.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagal_tone

https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/science-of-the-heart/article-explains-

http://drsircus.com/general/function-vagus-nerve/

Using Your Heart, Brain & Gut Intelligences Collectively To Make Better Decisions

Your brain is not the only organ in your body with it’s own intelligence and ability to make decisions.

You also have your heart and your gut, both of which are decision-making tools who guide you through life holistically.

Society has conditioned us to develop our rational logical left brain while ignoring all the other intelligences in your body. We were not educated holistically and balanced. We are educated to be overdeveloped in logic, which is limiting and remedial for the potential of the capacity of the holistic beings — psychical, emotional, mental, and spiritual — that we are.

We are creators of worlds and more.

We are one with the universe and each other.

We are infinite and immortal.

So let’s get down to business and lemme show you how to make better decisions. First of all, you have more than one independent intelligence in your body. Each of your cells have their own consciousness and their own little “thought processes” although seemingly simple in comparison to ours.

“Critically the cell is now seen to be interpreting our environment into whatever adapted reality it can inside the cell, with the purpose of ensuring we survive and thrive in our environment. IBMP personally call our cells the cellf, instead of the self, to show the direct correlation and link from micro level cell consciousness, to the macro level self consciousness of traditional psychology.” – Energetics Institute.

For simplicity, let’s focus on the three main intelligences in your body.

Your Brain — Your Gut — Your Heart

Yes, all of three of these are capable of making their own decisions based on their own way of perceiving the various inputs in your life.

You already know about the intelligence of your brain, so let’s move on to the intelligence of the gut.

The Intelligence of the GUT

Within your autonomic nervous system, you have three systems.

Sympathetic nervous system – Responsible for the “fight or flight” state of your body. This system initiates, communicates and regulates a hightened, ready for action, state through various neurotransmitters, receptors, hormones etc.

Parasympathetic nervous system – Responsible for the “rest and digest” state of your body. This system initiates, communicates and regulates a relaxed state through various neurotransmitters, receptors, hormones etc.

Enteric Nervous system – This system has been described as a “second brain”. It communicates with the central nervous system through the vagus nerve and sympathetic nervous system.

The enteric nervous system, or “gut brain”, has the ability to influence the brain.

90% of the signals passing along the vagus nerve come from the enteric nervous system to the brain.

The enteric nervous system is located beneath the ribcage in the upper area stomach (the solar plexus area.) This is why it’s critical to have a strong, balanced and toned vagus nerve. Read more about that here.

The Intelligence of the Heart

The human heart has approximately 40,000 neural cells. Its’ neural system sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart.

The heart’s electromagnetic field is 5,000 times greater than the brain’s. The field’s reach is about 8-25 feet from its central location.

The heart sends the brain emotional and intuitive signals. The heart directs and aligns many systems in the body so that they can function in harmony with one another.

“Scientists at the nonprofit HeartMath Institute, which had been conducting research into heart intelligence and emotions posed the theory that “heart intelligence actually transfers intelligence to the emotions and instills the power of emotional management,” the book explains. “In other words, heart intelligence is really the source of emotional intelligence.” – HeathMath Institute

The heart is a powerful instrument of intelligence.

However,

In order to truly attain heart intelligence, as defined by the HearthMath Institute, there must be a holistic coherence between the mind, emotions and heart.

Heart intelligence is the flow of awareness, understanding and intuition we experience when the mind and emotions are brought into coherent alignment with the heart. It can be activated through self-initiated practice, and the more we pay attention when we sense the heart is speaking to us or guiding us, the greater our ability to access this intelligence and guidance more frequently. – The Heartmath Institute

Achieving coherence to make better decisions

To achieve coherence between your mind and emotions, the Hearth Math Institute has developed a Quick Coherence technique.

This uses the energy of your heart to balance your mind and emotions.

You can play or download The Quick Coherence techniques for Adults here.

Balancing your mind and emotions creates coherence between your brain, heart and gut.

In addition,

To maintain a healthy balance in your gut, maintain a healthy gut flora.

Researchers at Rockefeller University found that the bacteria in our gut produce one of the same signaling molecules that humans do, which can then interact with receptors in the body to mediate health.

While psychological and physical stressors can affect the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiota, experimental changes to the gut microbiome can affect emotional behavior and related brain systems. These findings have resulted in speculation that alterations in the gut microbiome may play a pathophysiological role in human brain diseases, including autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. – Gut Microbes and the Brain: Paradigm Shift in Neuroscience

If you maintain a healthy balance in your brain, heart and gut, your heart you will create the type of ecosystem in your body that contains the proper hormones, signals and messages, creating the foundation for optimum intelligence, decision making and intuition.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228144/

http://www.russligeikis.com/?p=95

https://www.heartmath.org/resources/heartmath-tools/quick-coherence-technique-for-adults/

http://energeticsinstitute.com.au/cellular-consciousness/

https://www.brucelipton.com/resource/article/insight-cellular-consciousness

http://drsircus.com/general/function-vagus-nerve/

http://www.heartintelligencecoach.com/what-is-heart-intelligence/

http://gizmodo.com/a-fascinating-potential-link-between-gut-bacteria-and-h-1798633344

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/brain-cells-in-the-heart/

https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/the-math-of-heartmath/heart-intelligence/

Top 10 reasons to hire a life coach

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Life Coach

Whether you’re jumpstarting a new career, in the middle of a life transition, upping your leadership game or feeling stuck and unsure of where to go next, a life coach can facilitate that process.

No issue is too large or small for life coaching.  Working with a life coach can save hours of trial and error, unlock hesitation or remove the fear keeping you paralyzed from taking action. A life coach helps you get clear on what you want and helps you get there in the most efficient and effective manner.

Here are the top 10 reasons to hire a life coach.

1. A life coach sees what you don’t see.

Your viewpoint of life has been undoubtedly molded by you, your environment and your life experiences. You hold specific beliefs and habits that shape your lens of yourself, life, situations events and others. Many times the answer we’re looking for and don’t see may be right in front of you.

A coach can see you and your situation, through the eyes of a trained professional whose goal is to focus on YOU, guiding and facilitating the process, while YOU focus on what you want.

A life coach can see old patterns or beliefs that have been keeping you stuck and work with you to resolve these and move past them in the direction of your goals.

You can stop banging your head against the wall now, your life coach has just shown you an open door.

2. A life coach helps you “get there” faster.

I had an issue I was working on for months. One session with a life coach helped me see a solution and come up with a plan of action for resolution all in under 30 minutes. This has saved me so much brain power by solving the root of an issue I had been mulling over in my mind countless times.

Many people think they don’t need a life coach because they can accomplish their goals, clear their blocks and live their dreams all on their own.

Sure, you can also walk from Los Angeles to New York, with nothing but your two feet to take you, but wouldn’t you rather take a plane? 

There is no prize at the end of the finish line for “person who did it all on their own”. By not hiring a life coach you could be missing out on years saved, lots of revenue missed out on and much unnecessary stress. Your time is valuable and hiring a professional will help you get results faster, allowing you to focus on your dreams and passions.

I prefer paying to resolve an issue in 30 minutes much more than trying to resolve it in a few months for free, with no guarantee of resolution. I’d make the money back if my attention was no longer being drained and diverted. It’s a no-brainer.

3. A life coach helps you get clear.

If you know exactly what you want in life and how to make it happen, congrats you’re ahead of most people.

Many people have vague dreams of greatness and bursts of inspiration of making their dreams come true someday, but have no plan to actually make it a reality.

Some people are not sure what they want or what their life’s purpose is. This can make life feel meaningless and dry, leading to feelings of hopelessness or the feeling that something is missing.

Clarity is one of the most valuable assets to reach your goals.

How can you get there if you don’t know where you want to go?

By offering an external perspective, a life coach helps you see yourself and your situation through a new lens. A life coach will ask you powerful questions you may never think to ask yourself, thus creating space for new thought patterns, new ideas and new questions that lead to new revelations and new solutions.

4. A life coach can help you improve your health and life balance.

Sometimes the demands of work, the stress of life or the struggle to find time for loved ones can take a toll on your mental, physical and emotional health and vitality. Without your health, undoubtedly, every other area of your life suffers.

Sometimes it feels like we can’t have it all. If we excel at something in our life, something else has to suffer. However, that’s not the case. Each of us is born with unique skillsets. Some people are better at relationships. Some people are creative but scattered. Some people are pragmatic and accomplish tasks, but are rigid. And many people unconsciously overwork to the point of exhaustion — or even illness.

A life coach can help you see which areas you excel at and which areas require more attention or assistance, so you can create a lifestyle that allows you to have everything that is important to you in life.

5. You don’t have to do it alone. 

Finally, someone in your corner. A life coach is a professional that is trained to help you become who you need to be to achieve your goals for profound and lasting change. Friends and family are great councils, but if you’re looking for someone who truly has your best interests in mind and the professional training to make it so, a life coach is the way to go. The results are worth it.

Some people just work much better when someone holds them accountable and they are able to verbalize their goals and action plans. Introducing your accountability partner. When things get tough, you know that you don’t have to face it alone. A life coach is with you every step of the way, so you can have the courage to keep going in the toughest of times.

6. A life coach can open the door to potential you never knew were possible.

While working with a life coach you can discover different ways of thinking or different techniques that you never considered to be possible before.

Because a life coach works with a countless number of people to lead them to transformation and the realization of their goals, they built up an extensive toolset and breadth of experience that you now have access to.

By combining expertise, training and an extensive toolset, a life coach has the ability to see and unlock potential in you that you never even dreamed of — until you experience your own life coaching sessions.

7. Investing in a life coach cements your commitment to self.

Once you decide to hire a life coach it creates and solidifies your commitment to yourself.  You’ve effectively “put your money where your mouth is” and it’s bound to light a fire in you.

There is much power in making a commitment of choice to finally achieve the dreams you’ve had for years or even your entire life.

Whether you are feeling stuck or just ready to take the next step in your personal growth, hiring a life coach shows that you’re serious and you’re ready. Then you can feel the support and the difference that a life coach can make.

8. If you’ve lost faith, momentum or confidence.

Sometimes life just hits us hard and our confidence and optimism take a dive. Too many things happening at once — massive change or just a history of failures can leave you feeling lost, confused or low in confidence.

A life coach helps you work through these moments to help rebuild your confidence and create plans that provide the results you want.

9. If you are completely overwhelmed or out of your element.

Sometimes your dreams and aspirations are so massive and overarching, that the thought of actually achieving them leaves you short of breath. Sometimes a drastic change or major life transitions happen so quickly, we lose our identity. Sometimes you’re dealing with something that is beyond you and just have no idea of how to approach or solve it.

These are the best times to hire a life coach.

These times of change are major times of growth and hold the potential to skyrocket you into the next phase of your life.

These are opportunities in disguise and working with your life coach you can make the most of them, grow radically and step into the new version of you and your ideal life.

10. If you’re ready to create lasting, sustainable change.

When you hire a life coach, you will be transformed into a greater version of yourself and with your new awareness, you can never go back to being your old self again.

A life coach helps you step in your vision of your greatest self and ideal life. You will no longer tolerate the old habits and patterns that you used to conform to.

The process of working with a life coach is a life-changing experience. You will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner to create the life you’ve always wanted.

Now is the best time to start.

Beyond Delta & Gamma: Superconsciousness Lambda & Epsilon Brainwave States

Knowing about the 5 main brainwave states can help us better understand our awareness types and which is best for our current goals.

Now scientists are beginning to discover what monks have experienced for many years: Rarely seen brainwave states associated with ecstatic states of consciousness. Lambda and Epsilon brainwave states.

Lambda and Epsilon brainwave states.

What is the Lambda brainwave state?

Lambda waves are very high frequency brainwaves associated with wholeness and integration. They are also associated with mystical and out of body experiences.

FREQUENCY:

Lambda waves oscillate at a frequency of  100 to 200 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Lambda brainwaves are rarely seen in most people, but are present in the minds of Tibetian monks who can sit for hours meditating.

It’s important to note: Between gamma and lambda brainwave states exists a higher level gamma state: hyper-gamma. Hyper gamma brainwaves exist within the highest range of gamma, around the 100 HZ range.

Lambda state creates synchronization of the left and right brain hemispheres. This state is sometimes experienced as the “aha” state.

Hyper-gamma and lambda states of consciousness are associated with the ability of certain sects of Tibetan monks who can mediate in the Himalayan mountains in sub-zero temperatures wearing little clothing and maintaining a hot body temperature which melts the snow around them. The heat generated by this frequency gives the body the ability to radiate heat and melt snow.

Remember this guy?

This is Wim Hof, nicknamed “The Iceman” who has the ability to control his core body temperature and withstand extreme freezing temperatures. Although I don’t know his exact method for doing so, it looks like it has a lot to do with the ability to maintain Lambda brainwave state.

Wim Hof, Iceman

What is Epsilon brainwave state?

Epsilon waves are very low frequency brainwaves associated with wholeness and integration. They are also associated with mystical and out of body experiences.

FREQUENCY:

Epsilon waves oscillate at a frequency of below .5 HZ and above 0 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

The epsilon state of consciousness is a very low-frequency brainwave. (Most electroencephalogram (EEG) devices are not able to measure below .5 HZ. )

This is the state yogi’s go into when they achieve “suspended animation”. In this state, western medical doctors will no longer perceive a heartbeat, respiration or pulse.

Epsilon state, like lambda state, also shows synchronizing of the left and right brain hemispheres along with feelings of wholeness and integration.

So, what is the link between Lambda and Epsilon brainwave states?

You may have noticed that the definition of these two brainwave states is exactly the same except for their speed of oscillation.

Although these brainwave states oscillate at vastly different speeds, experiences within them are found to have exactly the same consciousness states.

Many different groups of independent EEG researchers have found these states to be the same, suggesting a circular link between these two extremes of brainwave activity.

Upon taking a closer look at the extremely slow epsilon brainwave patterns, researchers have discovered super fast hyper-gamma/lambda brainwaves “riding” within and vice versa. This helps explain why the same consciousness experiences occur with widely different brainwave types.

How can I achieve lambda or epsilon brainwave states?

MEDITATION:

In order to achieve these brainwave states, a consistent daily meditation practice is recommended.

It’s important that you first familiarize yourself with gamma and delta states. Your brain will naturally begin to increase production of alpha, theta, delta and gamma waves.

You will also experience increased self-awareness. Familiarize yourself with gamma and delta states before going into lambda or epsilon.

BRAIN ENTRAINMENT:

Brain entrainment audio tracks are also available, although it’s recommended that you try entrainment tracks on gamma and delta frequencies first.

Achieving hyper-gamma, lambda and epsilon states leads to very powerful states of consciousness and may incur headaches, so be cautious when experimenting.

This blog or author does not take responsibility for any effects you may experience upon experimenting with these brainwave states. Any effects experienced by the experimenter are the sole responsibility of the experimenter.

References:

Epsilon, Gamma, HyperGamma, Lambda Brainwave Activity and Ecstatic States of Consciousness Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson, D.C., B.F.A.

http://www.musicmefree.com/Epsilon-and-Lambda-Brainwaves.php

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BRAINWAVES by Jeffrey L. Fannin, Ph.D.
  

5 Brainwave States You Should Know About

Featured image designed by Freepik.

There are many vibrational brainwave states and each thought and emotion has its own signature wave state.

Changing our thoughts and emotions changes our brainwave vibrations, but did you know that you can change your state of being just by changing your brainwaves?

These are 5 categories of brainwave vibrational states that you should be aware of.

Gamma – Beta – Alpha – Theta – Delta

brain_waves_large.jpg

Image: http://www.medicalook.com/human_anatomy/organs/Brain_waves.html

Gamma

FREQUENCY:
Gamma brain waves oscillate at a frequency of 38 to 100 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

The fastest, generally occurring recorded brainwave state, gamma brainwaves contributes to rapid information processing, peak concentration and learning. They are shown to be highly active when experiencing states of love, altruism and “higher virtues”. Gamma neurological firing was once said to be above the frequency of neuronal firing, but now is known to fire at a tiny amplitude, barely noticeable.

Gamma brainwaves serve to bind and harmonize the different parts of the brain. When your various senses observe an object through sight, smell, taste etc. the object is perceived by different parts of the brain. Gamma unifies the information and creates coherence of various inputs.

It’s also associated with feelings of compassion, higher levels of insight and information, psychic abilities, spiritual realizations and out of body experiences.

This new region of brain activity and states of consciousness associated
with more spiritual states of self-awareness is called Epsilon. Read more about it here.

Gamma state improves memory and perception and is considered the optimal state for functioning.

SIGNATURE FEELING:

Beta

FREQUENCY:
Beta brain waves oscillate at a frequency of 12 to 38 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Beta state is the dominant state of the alert, waking mind. When engaged in activities of the outside world, you are in beta state. This brainwave state consists of high frequency, low amplitude waves and uses a lot of energy to maintain. They are great for engaging in tasks, thinking fast, writing and engaging in conversations.

Most schools and workplaces encourage and operating in the beta state. Beta state is great for engaging in tasks, thinking fast, writing and having conversations.

Beta is also associated with excitement and rushes of adrenaline. You are in beta state when you are goal oriented and getting things done. Prolonging in this state is associated with stress, muscle tension, increased blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia and addiction.

SIGNATURE FEELING:

Alpha

FREQUENCY:
Alpha brain waves oscillate at a frequency of 8 to 12 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Alpha waves and slower and higher in amplitude than beta waves. Alpha state is a relaxed and usually meditative state. Alpha brainwaves promote creativity, problem-solving and a flow state or “getting into the zone”. Alpha brainwaves allow for more balanced emotions.

Because alpha is a relaxed state, tension, anxiety and stress dissolve when you move from beta to alpha. This leads to mental coordination, alert calmness and the release of serotonin.

Alpha brainwave state bridges the conscious and subconscious mind. When you are in alpha state accessing your subconscious mind, you are highly suggestible. Your subconscious mind doesn’t understand logical and physical limitations like your conscious mind does. When you are in an excited or stressed state, you may block the production of alpha waves. Meditation or relaxation techniques can bring you back to alpha state.

When you are in an excited or stressed state, you may block the production of alpha waves. Meditation or relaxation techniques can bring you back to alpha state.

Alpha waves also promote the awareness of being in the present, or “in the now”. Switching into alpha states boosts the immune systems and helps with learning large amounts of information.

SIGNATURE FEELING:

Theta

FREQUENCY:
Theta brain waves oscillate at a frequency of 3 to 8 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Theta brainwaves are of greater amplitude to alpha and even slower. Usually, theta brainwaves occur when you are in a dreaming state of sleeping and in deep meditation. Theta brainwaves can occur when you are awake, although most adults do not get relaxed enough to maintain this state.

Theta is associated with intuition, healing and creativity. Theta is also great for language learning and development. Theta improves spiritual awareness and is associated with ESP and channeling.

Artists, musicians and children can more easily access theta by being in a very relaxed and/or creative state.

You can get into theta state while driving, when you “zone out” and don’t remember how you got from there to here. Repetitive tasks that disengage your mind such as brushing your teeth or showering creates theta waves allowing a flow of ideas to suddenly come up.

You can also go into theta when daydreaming, playing video games, jogging or meditating. In theta state, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on our internal world.

Theta state is where we keep deep feeling, raw emotions, fears, traumas and nightmares.

When in theta state, you have difficulty focusing and prolonged theta state may create feelings of disengagement, boredom and depression.

SIGNATURE FEELING:

Delta 

FREQUENCY:
Delta brain waves oscillate at a frequency of .5 to 3 HZ.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Delta brainwaves are of higher amplitude than beta. Slow, loud and deep — like a drum beat. They are created in deep, dreamless sleep and in the deepest meditations.

They promote feelings of empathy, extreme bliss and compassion.

They are associated with deep, restorative healing sleep. Delta brainwaves stimulate the pituitary gland releasing human growth hormone, HGH. They are also associated with aiding in the release of anti-aging hormones, melatonin and DHEA, while decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone that promotes aging.

Apart from infants and advanced meditators, not many people are able to be in a delta brainwave state and remain conscious. Usually, they will drift into unconscious sleep beforehand.

Delta brainwaves allow for connection beyond your subconscious mind and into your unconscious mind, where you have access to control what would normally be unconscious or automatic functions in your body, mind and emotions.

Delta waves are involved in involuntary bodily functions such as heartbeat and digestion and are where much restoration and healing in the body takes place.

Delta promotes excellent intuitive abilities, connection with your spiritual self, ESP and out of body experiences.

SIGNATURE FEELING:

References:

https://www.transparentcorp.com/research/gamma-brain-waves.php

http://www.brainsync.com/brainlab/brain-wave-chart-.html

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BRAINWAVES by Jeffrey L. Fannin, Ph.D.

What are Brainwaves?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-function-of-t-1997-12-22/

5 Types Of Brain Waves Frequencies: Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta

Hardwired for Survival: 10 Tricks Your Brain Uses to Keep You in Mediocracy

A few weeks ago, I had a particularly interesting incident. It felt as though just as things were going well — they were going too well — and they couldn’t have been going so well.

Something had to go wrong.

As so it did.

Although consciously, it made no sense. I knew something was off.

It was as though when everything is well, my brain went into panic mode and began searching for something to fix or watch out for.

Eventually, it would find what it was looking for.

I was thinking about potential reasons why this was happening. Things like belief systems, biological factors (stress, hunger, pms, anxiety), habits etc.

I met up with my cousin for dinner and he mentioned Metallica’s new single called Hardwired [to Self-Destruct.]

And then — it clicked.

Our brain is biologically hardwired for survival. It’s scanning for dangers while tending towards safety and self-preservation.  Which is why it’s challenging to be that extraordinary person you know you are. Your brain is hardwired to certain survival tendencies — which are very much exploited by our society — and keeping you in mediocracy.

How so?

Your brains’ biological tendencies along with misguided belief systems create a recipe for tricking you out of success and into the safety of mediocracy.

Because of the way society is constructed. Our parents — and our parents’ parents — and our parents’ parents’ parents have beliefs that don’t serve them. And guess what? — they pass those on to you. Before you are able to filter them out or refuse them.

From the moment you are born until about the age of 7, you absorbed information in totality without filters. You had not yet developed the ability to compare and choose whether to accept or reject information.

So there it goes. All directly into your conscious and subconscious mind, which is programmed for survival.

Here are 10 tricks to look out for when your brain is trying to keep you “safe”.

1. Your brain wants to go on autopilot

Your brain eats up a lot of energy to think. So to conserve energy, it learns repeated actions and puts them into autopilot. The way you walk, brush your teeth, your routines, the words you use. You get the idea.

To create the habits that provide you the most value, consciously think about what you want to do and do it. This will take an increased level of self-awareness.

Note: it will also take a lot of energy to change and develop new habits, and it will make you uncomfortable. Your brain will want to stop you. The idea is to keep going until the desired habits go into your brain as autopilot.

2. Your brain will lead you away from pain and towards pleasure

When trying to create a new habit or pushing towards a goal, your brain will notice you are expending energy or creating pain and try to protect you by stopping you.

It will create distractions, cravings, thoughts that dissuade you, tiredness, sleepiness. Anything to move you back into a comfortable, pleasurable space.

Now, this brain tendency is especially powerful when combined with beliefs that don’t support your goals. You will literally create a reality around you that supports your beliefs and your brain will do its best to lead you back to what is safe, and usually what is your mediocre life.

3. Your brain uses comparison as input for reality

It’s pretty straightforward. If you go from standing in an arctic tundra that’s below freezing, to standing on the beach on a chilly day, that beachside breeze feels much warmer than if you were to arrive there from the desert.

This is a VERY IMPORTANT brain trick to notice. It’s the reason, your new job was awesome at first or your new love was incredible at first. Your brain begins to get used to the similar reality input and the stimulation levels caused by contrast will be decreased. This is yet another way your brain protects you from expending energy.

In order not to get used to the beautiful things in your life and take them for granted, gratitude practice is the most powerful habit. Every day, think of 1, 3 or 10 things that you are grateful for. It keeps your brain in check. Extra points for writing down what you are grateful for.

4. Your brain creates setpoints

Going hand in hand with your brain being on autopilot, your brain creates setpoints for everything in your life. Your health, wealth, body, etc.

The trick is to change these setpoints, and not just by meeting them, but by completely blasting through them. For example, if your best record in running was to run for 15 mins and you run for 15 mins. it will feel like a lot of time. Remember your brain determines reality by using comparison.

But let’s just say you pushed yourself to run for 30 mins that day. Now 15 feels like a halfway point. It no longer holds this place of “extreme” in your mind.

Same goes for wealth. Is making $1000 in a day a lot of money to you or is it way below your setpoint? Is waking up at 11 am normal for you or did you just miss half the day? It’s your setpoint.

4. You are hardwired for survival

Meaning you will do things based on fear and looking for danger. The need for survival is heavily exploited by society. Society puts ideas of scarcity and struggle in our minds. The world is not built that way. Just look at nature. There is so much abundance in the world.

However, when you sense a threat you will go into survival mode out of fear, causing you to do many things that you would not do if you were in a loving and peaceful state.

Your brain will always be on the lookout for what is wrong in order to protect you. Keep that in mind because seeing only what is wrong creates the wrong attention and perception of the world around you. You will also manifest this kind of world around you, reinforcing the idea.

So, consciously focus on what is good in your life.

5. You don’t know what you want

Because you are wired for survival you are more cautious when it comes to taking risks because who knows, you could die.

People call this the fear of failure. It’s more like the fear of being rejected and/or dying. If you start a business and it fails, you lose your money end of on the streets are rejected by those you know and love and may die.

When you don’t try things you don’t have the experience of them. So you make up stories in your mind. Scenarios of potentials that you are too afraid to experience. Your brain cannot tell the difference between real or imagined so you will have these thoughts and potentials over and over again in your mind and they won’t go anywhere.

Take conscious action towards what you want. Take a dance class or take a trip to a place you may want to move to. Make it happen or you will wonder about it endlessly and confuse yourself.

6. Your brain finds what it’s looking for — or creates it

Within your brain, you have a system called your Reticular Activating System or RAS. Your RAS regulates your cycles of sleep and alertness. It also controls your attention and filters nearly all information that enters your brain.

When you are looking for something in particular, your RAS will filter inputs to help you find it. Whether it’s a certain color in the room or a small scuff on the walls of your house, chances are you will notice it if you are looking for it.

Even if it’s not there, your brain will sometimes create the thing it wants to find. If I told you the room smells like pizza because I brought pizza for you and you really believed me, you can almost smell it as you expect the scent of pizza to be there at any moment now.

There is also the possibility that your expectations of an incident or thing will also attract this into your life through manifestation or The Law of Attraction.

To read more about Law of Attraction and the 12 Universal Laws, CLICK HERE.

7. You are a social creature

We are connected energetically and socially to each other. Countless experiments have been done on the herd mentality or people doing things because other people are doing them. This is called social proof or what some people call sheep behavior.

The challenge about escaping the mediocracy of the rest of the populous is that you begin to experience loneliness and pain that goes with being different and your brain will try to get you back to being included with everyone else. that way is more comfortable, they will accept you and you are more likely to survive.

In fact, social rejection has been known to kill babies. No seriously, and plants too.

8. Creative energy is also sexual energy

Just when you are about to create something, that same energy also tends to go sexual and society exploits us for it. Remember you are here to be yourself and to create, which is how you provide value.

However, your creative energies are used up through sex. Especially in men.  Ejaculation takes up incredible energy for men. Fortunately for women, orgasms do not take energy away like it does to men.

Keep that in mind when you get inspired… and turned on.

9. Logic is valued over imagination when it comes to reality

When you have an experience over and over again, your brain will attribute it to reality rather than to you creating this reality with the signature of your vibrations.

10. Your food and lifestyle don’t support your brain or optimal function

Given our present global conditions and food systems, finding nutrient-rich, uncontaminated food has become a challenge. The soil is depleted of nutrients, fish and water have heavy metal poisons, food has chemical poisoning and genetic alterations (GMO).

Combine that with a sedentary lifestyle, inside office conditions, stale air, EMFs, no sunshine, cubicles or offices away from nature and you have a recipe for your body to expend a HUGE amount of energy to protect you and keep you healthy.

The reason why this is a brain trick is that you have no idea why you are so tired and your brain is just trying to fix everything “backstage” without you knowing how pesticides, GMOs and EMFs are affecting you.

In some cases, people get ill when consuming a food additive such as MSG. Personally, I get headaches strong enough that will stop me from eating that food completely. Unfortunately, for many of the above, they are not enough of a threat on their own to such a strong alert in your brain.

Death by 1000 cuts.

These countless influences take bits of your energy and remove your ability for optimal thinking and functioning.

So, do yourself a favor and create a healthy lifestyle to support your brain and body. It’s pretty basic. Exercise, good rest, clean eating and going out into nature.

The Art of Ladyness

Over the past few centuries, the ideals of what makes a gentlemen and lady have evolved, especially when it comes to the role of women. The site, The Art of Manliness, contains valuable information that is useful to many boys and men alike.

The art of ladyness, however, is faced with many opposing viewpoints concerning women and the way they should look and act in today’s world.

The art of ladyness is about being the best woman you can be. Walking hand-in-hand with men as equals.

Let’s start with the definition of equals.

Equality between men and women does not mean that men and women are the same, they are not the same. Men and women are equal compliments of each other.

They each provide their own strengths and weaknesses both physically, mentally and emotionally.

Here’s how you can be a lady. Keep in mind, not all women, girls or chicks can be ladies.

A pretty woman without substance or intellect is not a lady. A lady is educated, intelligent as well as stunning. So let’s get started.

 

How to act the part. Being a Lady.

Being a lady is about respecting yourself and others.

1. Move Gracefully

Being a lady has alot to do with how you move and carry yourself. It shows how your portray and convey yourself and it changes your emotional and mental patterns.

When sitting, standing or walking keep your back straight and shoulders comfortably back. Keep your eyes up when you walk, not down looking at the floor. Research shows that changing your posture changes your mood. Let your posture, your mind and your mood compliment each other with graceful power.

2. Speak Eloquently

Avoid words such as “like” “omg” “totally” and high pitched giggling, when in a situation in which you want to be perceived as a lady of intelligence and class. Note the tone of your voice, posture, and speed as you speak with others.

Expand your vocabulary, not to be able to sling around fancy words, but to be able to accurately express what you want to say. Use words that compliment the message you want to send and color the message with the images you want the listener to imagine. Study rhetoric.

When speaking your mind do it tactfully. A lady does not lose control or raise her voice when agitated.

3. Set Goals & Achieve Them

Find something that you are passionate about and research it, follow it, achieve it. Set goals and work to make them happen.

This increases your self-confidence and enriches your world experience. That brings us to…

4. Know the Community & World Around You

And I’m not referring to celebrity gossip. Know a thing or two about politics, about science, about philosophy, gardening, etc. Be able to hold a conversation with someone you just met. Be a woman of the world per say.

5. Let A Man Be A Gentleman

There has been some confusion about male and female equality with regards to chivalry and independence.

If your man offers to open the door for you, pull back your chair, pay for dinner, open something for you, etc etc, do not be offended or uncomfortable. There is nothing wrong with letting a guy show he can care for you with little gestures. Generally speaking, a man takes initiative and employs chivalry when taking his lady on a date or out in general. A lady accepts these gestures and also returns the favor whenever the situation seems fit.

It’s ok to let your man take control, relax and have fun when you guys are together. It doesn’t mean you need it. When you are by yourself, you know you are more than capable of handling anything that comes your way. A lady is independent but also comfortable enough to let her man take initiative.

6. Understand Style to Look Stunning, not Slutty

A few rules of thumb are:

  • Be comfortable in what you are wearing. Make sure it fits your size. Not too tight or loose.
  • If you are going to reveal a certain body part, cover up another one. Don’t reveal everything at once. Some mystery is key.
  • Dress for the occasion.

7. Honor Your Man

I’ll admit, this one is a challenge to do correctly. It has to do with being in your confidence and power enough to completely surrender to your man. To relinquish control requires love, trust and humility.

8. Live Virtuously

Find out what virtues matter most to you and live by them.

9. Be Humble

Humility may sometimes be mistaken for weakness when it is actually one of the truest indicators of confidence and maturity.

It encompasses many other virtues such as respect for others, inner-peace and openness to learn and grow. A lady who is humble can see the world from a more accurate lens with the understanding of the intrinsic value of each human being. Then she can truly learn, grow, be of service and provide value to others and the world.

10. Learn to Master Your Emotions

This is one of the most challenging. It takes great awareness and mental discipline to achieve. Master this and you’ll be unshakable.

Some best practices to stay healthy and happy are to exercise, eat well and sleep well. When it comes to mastering your emotions on more challenging days try natural supplements such as maca root and vitamin b.

Learn to go deeper into mastering and transmuting your emotions. 

Bonus: Don’t be Afraid to Get Dirty

Be adventurous. Back in the day, a woman playing certain sports, rock climbing, running around may have been possibly unlady-like but today it’s the definition of an awesome female, especially when you can share that adventure with your man. Let go and get a bit dirty, and try new things.

Just know your boundaries. Don’t try to show yourself up and like like a man, you are not a man and could end up hurting yourself. Know when to jump into something and when to stand back.

Don’t try to match a man’s physical strength. Remember complimentary equality.

The Mental Masturbation of Personal Development

I’ve been a personal development junkie over half my life.

It started when I discovered the “self-help” section of the library in my mid-teenage years.

I “got off” on determination, drive, resilience and the “accomplishment” of absorbing a vast amount of personal development content as quickly as possible.

I read countless of books a month. From the greats like Napolean Hill, Dale Carnegie Deepak Chopra, Brian Tracy… Most of which I don’t remember anymore.

Pushing and racing into a disciplined “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” life, laden with productivity — tracked down to the minute.

Years later I realized, “It’s bullshit.”

It’s not what any of us really want. It provides you a temporary high and pleasure and sense of accomplishment because your brain is wired to value that which you work, struggle and hurt for. So with enough struggle, you feel that pleasurable “accomplishment.”

The greatest magic in my life happened when I left my corporate job and decided to travel the world. Everyone around me told me it was a “career ender”. It was crazy, it was unwise and it would create an unsightly “gap” of employment in my resume. I was told it was dangerous to go alone to 3rd world countries. I was told, “No, you cannot go.”

I was so miserable where I was. I was so empty. I was afraid. I was more desperate than afraid. And I was OBSESSED with going.

So what did I do?

I didn’t care. I said, “Fuck it,” and I left. If all went to hell, then to hell with it.

It was the most beautiful, most liberating most powerful experience of my life thus far.

So I learned that when I let go, EVERYTHING LINED UP.

And then I got another job. An amazing job that I love.

And I forgot about letting go again.

I pushed and struggled and strained to prove how strong, how capable, how extraordinary I was. It was exhausting. Literally. I required over 9 hours of sleep per night and would wake up tired. My mind was racing, life was a battle and city life was draining. It affected my health, my relationships and my worldview.

Everything became more challenging. I was living life in “expert mode” I became resilient as fuck. My mental fortification has become so strong I thought my body would die before I gave up.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to overcome these challenges.

But guess what?

Paddling upstream because you’re a badass, world changing, spiritual warrior leads to more upstream paddling. It leads to more challenges.

I couldn’t figure out why I was on a treadmill of endless challenges.

Intelligently, (and finally), I decided to pursue a new path.

In the meantime. I can hold out where I am. I can be resilient. I can overcome. I can hold on just a few more months. I can take it. I can take the criticism, the pain and the struggle that comes with paddling upstream.

And then one day I thought. “What if I just did whatever I wanted right now?”

Quit my job earlier and travel to Tibet. Walk over to that bookshelf and pick up a book to find a pamphlet about a homestay in the jungle and go there. What if I just did that?

What would become of my life?

And so here I am — ready to surrender. Ready to give in to a greater power. Let it take me.

I can hear the voice of my intuition waking up.

To all you personal development junkies — Go ahead. Tear me down. Tell me I’m a hippie. Tell me how unmotivated I am and how I’m going nowhere.

I read 0 books on schedule and a few when I feel like it.

The struggle is a lie. The work is real. But when you work from passion and alignment with your truth, it’s not work anymore — it’s fun. It’s energizing. You love it and want more of it.

How do you know if you are in alignment? You will feel a rush of good emotion.

Try both ways and see what happens.

I dare you.

🙂

Congratulations, You Don’t Fit Into the Box

Dare to be yourself in a society that is not built to support you.

It’s one of the most heroic things you can do.

We glorify heroes with integrity, determination, innovation, grit, and the ability to stand for what they believe in — in movies.

We glorify failure and innovation. Yet in my experience, I have been put down repeatedly because I stand for honor, justice and truth.

I have been told:

  • You’re wrong
  • You don’t know
  • You make mistakes
  • It’s not enough
  • You can’t
  • Stop talking
  • You’re crazy
  • You’re too: strong, soft, loud, powerful, young etc.

I have spoken up, spoken out and been shut down. I have been judged, criticized, condemned, yelled at and told to just “take it.”

Now, let’s get one thing straight. I approach this “feedback” from a place of grace and humility, truly looking to learn something from it and improve myself.

I did not find anything major to fix, however. In fact, it was blatantly off the mark. Some of it was complete lies.

No matter how I tried to learn from it, I found nothing. I wasn’t learning anything and I questioned myself to the point of questioning reality. The feedback was, in fact, THE OPPOSITE of me.

I came to a few conclusions,  and let me preface that all of these are possibilites. I do not claim to be “right” and I am exploring the options.

So here we go:

  • Perhaps it’s the backfire of manifestation. I am focused too much trying to dissect the problem. That is a possibility.
  • Perhaps I am their mirror and their teacher. Highly likely.
  • Perhaps I have blind spots. Also possible.

And when I take a good, long look in the mirror, I am satisfied and at peace. I feel alignment and integrity in my heart.

Actually, I do know what I’m talking about. I know damn well.

So, going back to the concept of “no right and wrong” I realized this.

I don’t fit into your box. That doesn’t mean I’m wrong or you’re wrong. I just don’t fit into your box.

And the box may be anything from your social circle, your workplace, your city, your society, your religion or your culture.

There is nothing wrong with you. We don’t belong in boxes.

You may be the biggest “spotlight of truth” in your environment and you will get heat for it. And the environment just doesn’t sync with you. And that’s ok.

You are meant for greatness and you know it when you feel it in your heart, no matter how wrong or crazy the world tells you that you are.

If it weren’t for Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, would people still be walking around accepting slavery and discrimination due to a person’s skin color?

That’s insane. And yet it was accepted as “just how it is”.

You have been chosen as a warrior to change the environment that doesn’t support us.

You — and many, many more of you.

Many of us with good hearts and good intentions feel that something is off. And when the whole world is off, the whole world will point at you and tell you. “You’re the one who is wrong. Because you don’t fit into this society.”

The society doesn’t support you. Society isn’t built in congruence with nature and it doesn’t serve you, so you are here to build a new one.

The following words will resonate more with your heart than they will with your mind.

It has been so many years that we’ve lived this way that we’ve forgotten what natural actually is. It is still reflected in our films and our music and our art.

We spend the majority of our lives in boxes with machines and it’s eating away at us. Elizabeth Gilbert explains it well in her book, The Last American Man

I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the sun. The course of water over the earth is circular coming down from the sky and circulating through the world to spread life and then evaporating up again. I live in a circular teepee and build my fire in a circle. The life cycles of plants and animals are circular. I live outside where I can see this. The ancient people understood that our world is a circle, but we modern people have lost sight of that. I don’t live inside buildings because buildings are dead places where nothing grows, where water doesn’t flow, and where life stops. I don’t want to live in a dead place. People say that I don’t live in a real world, but it’s modern Americans who live in a fake world, because they have stepped outside the natural circle of life.

Do people live in circles today? No. They live in boxes. They wake up every morning in a box of their bedrooms because a box next to them started making beeping noises to tell them it was time to get up. They eat their breakfast out of a box and then they throw that box away into another box. Then they leave the box where they live and get into another box with wheels and drive to work, which is just another big box broken into little cubicle boxes where a bunch of people spend their days sitting and staring at the computer boxes in front of them. When the day is over, everyone gets into the box with wheels again and goes home to the house boxes and spends the evening staring at the television boxes for entertainment. They get their music from a box, they get their food from a box, they keep their clothing in a box, they live their lives in a box.

Break out of the box! This not the way humanity lived for thousands of years.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, The Last American Man

Stay within the lines, follow the crowds and chase the dream — but — it’s not our dream.

How do you know?

You feel it. Inside yourself. You’ll feel a deep misalignment. You can push it down, but it will never let you go.

So be brave, stay true to yourself and let criticism wash over you.

Here are some tips:

  1. Don’t take advice or criticism from someone who hasn’t achieved what you want to achieve. Many people talk a lot without knowing what they are talking about. They are just reflecting their current state of being, not yours.
  2. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right. Trust yourself and go with that.
  3. Be brave, follow your heart, and stay optimistic. There are many more like you.

May we meet someday.

10 Steps to Getting Your Busy Life Back to What Really Matters

Take a tip from Zen Buddhism.

In the western way of living, we pride ourselves on how much we can accomplish and what the accomplishment is depending on our values.

Many times in your circles of friends you will chat about how busy you are and how you have no time. Usually, the conversation goes like this:

Guy 1: What’s up man?

Guy 2: Nothing dude, just keeping busy. You?

Guy 1: Same, been working a lot. Also been working on the car and family’s in town. Been a little crazy.

Guy 2: Yeah I know what you mean. I’ve been doing designs for my indie t-shirt company, but work’s making me come in on Saturdays and between writing and the kids I have no time.

Guy 1: Yeah I feel ya, we went out yesterday and I am still hungover.

And you get the idea…

So here’s the tricky part. I’m going to share a tip with you taken from Zen Buddhism. The tricky part is that it’s up to you to figure out how to use it without becoming offended.

Both guys in the example above have a lot on their plates and no matter how much is going on in their lives their response is always, “Yeah I’ve been super busy you know, crazy busy.”

Many people in the western world believe that this is normal. In order to feel like part of society, you have to move like society and that means fast. Climb that ladder fast and do it in style. Because you graduated from college 2 years ago already and your buddies are already in management positions. Where are you? Aren’t you successful and productive? Do a coffee run because you have a big day! Did you take your dog to the vet and your clothes to the cleaners before noon? Good! Because you have lunch with your buddy and dinner and drinks tonight with some good friends. Make sure you get some gym time in.

Let’s face it. When we don’t have time, we aren’t making time. Sometimes we do all these things in a day and we are exhausted, busy, studying, working, working out, starting a business, hanging out, learning, improving.

Countless hours spent on the internet rabbit-holing about the history of beer or gluten free pasta, carnivorous plants or the origins of a cat’s meow. Before you know it, you can hold your own with a botanist and order a beer that you can identify all the ingredients and their historical origins and impress your drinking buddies.

Here’s the tricky part. Is this bad or good?

Well, it depends. It depends on you. It depends on your priorities and being able to concentrate on one or a few things at once. But we of western minds have a hard time with this.

Many people have told me this: “You can’t have it all.”

Do I listen to them?

No.

I disagree. So I tell you this.

You CAN have it all. You feel happiness in your ambitions and drive and accomplishments. Many of them. Go for it. Be a well-traveled, brewer, bonanist, wildlife protecting black belt, photographer who can identify the subtle language of cats. Who cares whatever. Are you happy?

If yes, then awesome.

My reality that I want to share with you is this:

“You CAN have it all but not at the same time.”

But usually, you are spinning wheels, feeling tired and busy all the time but really accomplishing and finishing what? What happiness are you bringing? Life seems to be an endless treadmill, but damn that treadmill is fast. Let’s simplify.

If you have 20 different hobbies, 1-2 jobs, 56 ideas for startups and way too many friends in person, (let’s not even get into the several hundred/ thousand plus on Facebook).

Time to pick a few and stick with a few. How do you know which ones those are? How to choose? How many? What’s important? What you want? Discipline? Ugghh..

Haha ok let’s start:

1. Evaluate Your Life

Track your days down to the hour and figure out what you spend your time on.

2. Find Out What You Value

Take your time because this is important. The important things are what your time is for.

3. Write Down Your Goals

Just do it.

4. Compare Your Goals With Your Life

See where you can change little things so that they align.

5. Pick Your Main Thing

The thing you love to do or want to dedicate the most time to. For some of you, this may be 2 different things. You love jujitsu but you spend most of your time at work. If you love your work awesome, we are on the right track if not, I recommend you find out how to live what you love.

6. Pick 2-3 More Things

Try for 2 but if you are having a really hard time, then 3.

When choosing, do not worry about what people think are worthy goals. If you love raising birds or gardening, let that be your thing. You can do anything!!

7. LET GO OF THE OTHER THINGS!!

Simplify, Focus!

8. Maintain

When faced with a decision ask yourself how this brings you closer to your goals.

9. Zen It Up

Seriously this is the hard part. Don’t do anything for a certain amount of time. Just sit there, be, relax, enjoy, be aware.

Your brain needs a break once in a while, just like your body needs a break, so allow it. When you give your brain a break it will work better for you.

10. Set Time Aside for Little Distractions

A plan this tight will be close to impossible to sustain without breaking in the long run. So what do you do?

You break it first. You design distractions into your plan. It takes the pressure off and reminds you that you are human and yes, you are allowed to slack off a bit to balance this epic life you’re building.

 

How to Walk in Heels

Funny, when I first wrote the title to this article, I accidently misspelled heels to hells.

How to walk in hells actually sounds more accurate.

For years I admired the look of heels and the feeling of them, but everytime I would try to wear them, I returned wounded and bandaged and defeated.

I tried again for months, daily — using bandaids, socks, even lipbalm to prevent blisters and pun intended, kept on walking.

It was when my feet started to get painfully misaligned from succumbing to the gravity of my foot sliding into beautiful dainty pointed shoes that I threw in the towel for years.

I still bought heels, owned them, admired them.

And never wore them.

I believed that when women wore heels it was powerful, magical and beautiful.

I knew that superwomen who constantly rocked heels existed — and I was determined to figure out how they did it.

heels4

Today I am able to walk in heels, at least 5 days a week to work. All day, no blisters, no misalignment. And the best part is, I’m actually quite comfortable in them.

I will show you exactly how I did it, but I warn you.

There will be pain, there is always pain and that is the price you pay for wearing heels.

How to Walk in Heels

1. First of all, BUY QUALITY SHOES!

Anything synthetic or, God forbid, plastic, is going to wreck your feet and test your pain threshold. Start here and you’re halfway there.

When you buy your shoes, make sure they are quality. If you are a beginner, get lower or thicker heels, but with these steps, you will be able to walk in thin stilettos like a pro.

When you buy your heels, make sure your toes are all comfortable next to each other, if they are squished, buy another shoe. If they are a tiny bit tight in the front on pointed toed shoes and they are leather, then you are alright, they will stretch slightly to fit.

Notice how your shoes fit against your ankles. If they rub on your ankles right away, practice walking straighter or skip on buying that pair.

Shoes should be snug, but not crushing your toes. Think of buying leather heels like buying jeans, you want to buy them just slightly snug because the leather will stretch just like the denim will stretch.

2. Learn to Walk in Heels. Here’s How.

heels 2

Here’s an important trick to walking in heels. First of all, take the time to adjust your feet and toes comfortably every single time before starting to walk. Sounds obvious, but a tiny misalignment will lead to some major pain in just a few minutes.

Learn how to rest your weight into the back of your shoes, not the toes. Many women feel like they are learning forward when wearing heels because of the angle. Focus on bearing your weight back. Put your weight on the front of your feet, and your heel wearing will be short lived.

Learn how to take steps while focusing on keeping the weight focused on the back of your shoes. To begin, you will feel like you are overcompensating by keeping your weight back, but you will actually create balance.

Practice walking on an even surface.

3. Endure the First Few Weeks 

This is why I never made it the first several times I tried to incorporate heels into my life. Your feet will be very surprised by heels and will react — painfully.

Keep bandaids at hand. Pro tip: put the bandaids on before you get blisters. You’ll know where that is. Trust me you’ll feel it.

After the first few days or weeks, the front of your feet will be on fire and you will get blisters.

After the first few weeks is when the magic starts to happen. Your feet start to get used to the feeling of heels and it starts to “feel right”. Your feet will diminish the pain signals to your brain and blisters will no longer happen. Your feet will begin to get used to heels.

You may also feel pain in your calves and back. If it’s muscle pain, that’s your body working out muscles it may not be used to using. If it’s shooting pain, you’re doing something wrong. STOP WEARING HEELS. If it persists, consult a doctor.

Protip: If your feet start getting slightly misaligned STOP. STOP WEARING HEELS. This can lead to dangerous inflammation, displaced sesamoid bones and bunions, due to the misalignment and the constant rubbing friction. This can really, really mess up your feet.

If this is happening, it’s because you:

1. Need to buy better quality shoes. Real leather shoes.

or

2. You are walking way too much and your feet are shocked by it.

Stop, let your feet heal and if you are brave, try again.

This is what can happen if you abuse your feet in heels.

hammertoe1-300x216

Image from: http://www.footnankledoc.com/services/hammertoes.html

More Pro tips:

Buy closed toe shoes. Avoid open toe shoes, especially the peep toes, at least in the very beginning. Your feet will slide into the little space and it’s terribly painful.

Buy shoes with a platform. It keeps the height of the heel and lessens the angle. Look at the angle of the sole of the shoe. The higher the incline, the more “expert mode” the heels.

Avoid walking large distances at once. Shorter walking distances are much more optimal, especially at the beginning.

Keep flats on hand. Take a pair of flip-flops or the rollup ballerina flats and change into those when you’ve had too much.

Wearing pantyhose take the difficulty up a notch. Your feet will slide more into the front of your shoe. Once again, this is expert mode.

When walking over surfaces that have gaps in the floor such as sidewalk grates, keep your weight on your toes so your heel doesn’t slip into the grate. It sucks. It messes up your shoes pretty bad as well.

Stay positive and take your focus off the pain and on the beauty, design and power of heels.

Apply The Law of Neutralization & Never Have Another Bad Day Again

Let’s face it, some days you wake up and wish you never left your house. You feel unusually irritable, depressed or just “blah” or “meh”. This affects you, your relationships, your career and your overall success in life.

As you grow and take on more responsibility, there is more pressure to perform — to take on more demanding, advanced and challenging tasks in your work and home space.

The pressure’s on to perform and excel every day. 

So how do you sustain your permanent “A-Game” to perform at your very best every day?
How do you make every day a GREAT day?

“To change your mood or mental state — change your vibration.” – The Kybalion

I’m going to share some very powerful ancient wisdom, so you can use the Law of Neutrality to never have another bad day again.

Applying the Law of Neutralization brings mental and emotional balance, stability and sustained success in your life.

Sounds too good to be true?

The law is simple. The challenge lies in the application. It takes diligence and mastery to command.

Ready? We are going to dive deep into wisdom here so stay with me even if you don’t understand all the details.

According to Hermetic philosophy, there are 7 natural Principles of the Universe. Among these 7 is the Principle of Rhythm. The Principle of Rhythm is defined in the book, The Kybalion, which states:

“Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.” – The Kybalion.

This principle can be seen in nature in the form of day and night,  the changing of seasons, the waves of the ocean and the rise and fall of your moods.

This principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow, backward and forward.

We see and understand the rise-and-fall behavior of these energy waves that permeate our existence.

Rhythm

It is a pendulum-like movement between the two poles. Hot and cold, happy and sad, courageous and fearful, empowered and powerless.

And it can make a world of difference in your performance when you wake up especially demotivated or fearful.

This principle explains that what goes up must also come down, including your wealth, moods, success etc. Understanding this principle is crucial to your perpetual success and balance in life.

The good news is that once you understand this principle you can also neutralize it. The Hermetists used this principle and also understood how to neutralize its’ effects.

“…there are many Planes of Causation, and one may use the laws of the higher to overcome the laws of the lower.” – The Kybalion

The Law of Neutralization

The law of Neutralization works by applying the laws from the higher planes of consciousness, the mental plane, to the lower planes of consciousness, the emotional and physical planes of consciousness to neutralize the swing of the pendulum caused by the Principle of Rhythm.

The Principle of Rhythm manifests on the mental as well as the physical plane.

“Rhythm may be neutralized by an application of the Art of Polarization.”
– The Kybalion

The moods and feelings you experience on the emotional plane of consciousness are due to the backward and forward swing of the mental pendulum which carries us from one polar experience of emotion to the opposite. Such as elation and depression.

Applying the Law of Neutralization

First, we will understand what the planes of consciousness are, so we can affect the higher upon the lower.

According to various spiritual and esoteric teachings, there are 7-31 planes of consciousness that range depending on how they are broken down and explained.

Below, I have defined them as 7, to keep it simple. Although they can be further broken down.

#1 or highest plane of consciousness is the Logoic Plane. The lowest or densest plane is the physical plane at #7. The highest plane vibrates at the highest frequency and the lowest plane vibrates at the lowest frequency, comparatively.

They are:

  1. Logoic / Monadic Plane
  2. Divine Plane
  3. The Spiritual Plane
  4. The Buddhic / Unity Plane
  5. The Mental / Causal Plane
  6. The Emotional / Astral Plane
  7. The Physical Plane

Taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plane_(esotericism)

We are focusing on applying the Law of Neutralization on the mental plane, in bold above. From this list, you can see that the mental plane lies above the emotional and physical planes. So we will use the law of neutralization to balance our mind and consequently our emotions.

According to the Kybalion:

“The Hermetic Master, or advanced student, polarizes himself at the desired pole, and by a process akin to “refusing” to participate in the backward swing, or, if you prefer, a “denial” of its influence over him, he stands firm in his polarized position, and [1.] allows the mental pendulum to swing back along the unconscious plane.

“All individuals who have attained any degree of self-mastery, accomplish this, more or less unknowingly, and by refusing to allow their moods and negative mental states to affect them, they apply the Law of Neutralization. The Master, however, carries this to a much higher degree of proficiency, and [2.] by the use of his Will he attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of those who allow themselves to be swung backward and forward by the mental pendulum of moods and feelings. – The Kybalion

I have bolded the key parts of the above:

    1. By using the law of neutralization you allow the swing of the mental pendulum to swing in the unconscious mental plane instead of the conscious mental plane.
  1. This is achieved by willpower.

“The Will is superior to the conscious manifestation of this Principle, although the Principle itself can never be destroyed. We may escape its effects, but the Principle operates, nevertheless. The pendulum ever swings, although we may escape being carried along with it.” – The Kybalion

So what does this mean exactly?

The master uses willpower do 2 things:

    1. Polarizes himself with a selected mental state (say positivity) and stays there, basking in positivity.Then
  1. Raises his ego (himself) to a higher plane of mental consciousness. It is akin to rising above a thing and letting it pass beneath you.

This causes the swing of the pendulum to manifest on the lower plane, while the master is on the higher plane, thereby escaping the pendulum swing backward as it manifests on the unconscious lower plane. (Remember the master’s conscious mind is now on a higher plane).

greatness

To give you a few examples:

    1. Let’s say you are 5 years old and another child has taken the toy you were going to play with at school break. How crushing. You cry for 25 minutes.
  1. You are now 13 and your parent is picking you up from school in an outfit strikingly similar to yours. How mortifying! What will your friends think? It’s ruined your day and perhaps even your life at school.

Assuming you are now adults of various ages, the above 2 examples seem petty and insignificant, right?

That is because your ego, or understanding of self, has risen above this. You have risen above this.

Let’s try another example.

You start a business and it fails. Devastating. “Am I a failure? Who do I do? This can’t be happening!”

Now, let’s say you’ve started 15 businesses. 10 of which have failed and 5 succeeded. A failure is more like a lesson learned and moved past, not an identity with self (ego). Your mental and emotional response is completely different, now that you have a broader experience of starting 15 businesses as compared with the narrow experience of starting just 1 business.

In all cases, you, ego, has risen above.

So you, as a master, when faced with the failure of your first company, raise your ego above the situation and don’t let it affect you. Although you don’t have the experience of starting 15 companies yet, you have the knowledge that your perception can vary based on your understanding of self and situation.

So, you use your willpower to foster the mental thoughts of accomplishment — and give yourself credit for trying, for risking for learning.

Thoughts and feelings of you being a failure swing beneath you. You have risen above.
This takes practice, mental focus and willpower to achieve. Successful control in applying the Law of Neutralization is both simple and masterfully challenging.

Best of luck and success to you.

Beyond the Law of Attraction, Discovering the 12 Universal Laws & Using Them To Your Benefit

“The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding.” – The Kybalion

The moment the world was re-exposed to the Law of Attraction, it was taken and entranced by it. It profoundly changed the way we saw the universe and our place in it.

However, this is only the beginning of the Universal Laws. Once you discover, understand and use these laws to your benefit, you will hold the immense power of deliberate influence of the reality around you.

Let’s begin by defining the Law of Attraction.

“Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on.”

“It is believed that regardless of age, nationality or religious belief, we are all susceptible to the laws which govern the Universe – one of which being the Law of Attraction. It is the Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually.”

Source: http://www.thelawofattraction.com/what-is-the-law-of-attraction/

There are 7-31 generally defined planes of existence or dimensions of reality. The exact number is debatable of course.

The planes of existence you know most well operate by these Universal Laws. They are the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual planes, respectively.

There are 7 Universal Laws of Principles defined in the book, The Kybalion.

There are 5 additional Universal Laws, which actually fall under the first 7. However, they are worth mentioning, as defining them promotes their understanding and application.

Also,

Notice the difference between mutable and immutable laws.

The first 3 principles defined in The Kybalion are immutable, meaning the are absolute and cannot be changed or transcended. Their existence has always been — and will always be.

The remaining 4 principles are mutable, meaning that they can be transcended through the practice of alchemy.

To transcend these laws, you must apply the law of the higher planes of existence on the law of the lower planes of existence.

For example, the mental and emotional planes of existence are higher than the physical.

Here they are. The 12 Universal Laws. Proceed with caution and responsibility, for the principles presented below are vastly powerful tools.

I. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM

“THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.” – The Kybalion.

What it is:

This Principle embodies the truth that “All is Mind.” All being defined as material, spiritual, mental, emotional, energetic existence is a mental CREATION of the ALL. It is subject to the laws of created things.

How it works for you:

When you are to understand this principle you realize that what you think you create and you can create with enough energy and consistency that the energy can condense enough to materialize into matter. What many people know as the law of attraction. This shows you can imagine anything you want and bring that into existence for you. You are not only the captain of your ship but the master of your universe.

II. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE

“As above, so below; as below, so above.” – The Kybalion

What it is:

This principle embodies the truth that there is always a correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of being and life. There exist various planes of existence, each with its own laws. When you understand how these work, you can apply this law to various planes. These planes are mental, spiritual, psychical, etc.

How it works for you:

When you understand how one world works, you can understand the ones above and below.

Examples:

  • Electrons and protons revolve around the nucleus in an atom = Planets revolve around the sun.
  • Blood flows through your body = rivers flow through the land.

Check out the images below of brain neurons (small scale), trees (medium scale), and a nebula (large scale) to see this principle represented.

neurons
Neurons viewed under a microscope. Image made available by http://brainmaps.org/ and used under Wikipedia Creative Commons Licence.

trees-like-neuronsPhoto by Mikkel Schmidt.

crab_nebulaThe Crab Nebula used under Wikipedia Creative Commons Licence.

They all look alike. And they behave alike. When you find the differences and find the similarities, you will find the secrets of the universe. As above so below, as small so large.

Imagine this: Look up at the stars in the sky and look down at the sand on the beach. We will use the comparison of the sand on the beach to count the stars in the sky.

Notice the sand stretching for miles. Now, create a rough estimate of the number of individual grains of sand you see.

Now, add up all the grains of sand on all the beaches on this planet. Take that number and apply it to the stars above.

Quite a lot yes?

You are only beginning to grasp the magnitude of the universe.

Take the sand on all the planets in our universe, then apply that number to the stars. Take all the sand in the all the universes and apply that number to the stars.

We’re getting warmer.

Fun yeah?

Mind-blowing.

You can use this knowledge and information to understand the various “scales” of the universe by understanding the one on your “scale”.

III. THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION

“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.” – The Kybalion.

What it is:

This Principle embodies the truth that “everything is in motion”; “everything vibrates”; “nothing is at rest”. These are facts which modern science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. We have studied matter closely and broken it down into molecules, into atoms, into electrons, protons, neutrons, photons, quarks, etc. until we arrived at energy. We realize that everything is energy and that energy is in motion. This corresponds with the law of “change” everything is changing. Everything is always moving, even when it appears motionless.

How it works for you:

When you realize that everything is perpetually in motion that means it can be changed moment to moment. Every moment you can decide what it can move to, vibrate to, transmute to. This presents to you — the creator — an enormous amount of control and power moment to moment, eternally.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY

“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.”
– The Kybalion.

What it is:

This principle embodies the truth that everything is dual, polar and has an opposite. We can know something by comparing it to something else. These “opposites” are varying degrees of the same thing, located on the same scale, on the same line.

Take hot and cold for example. At first assessment, these appear to be very far from each other — opposites in fact.

If you go from a hot tub into a pool, the pool feels cold. Now go from the pool to an ice tub. The pool is warm now! The ice tub is cold. You get the idea. Same goes for topics such as sharp and dull, high and low, etc.

How it works for you:

Once you understand that these “seemingly opposites” lie on the same line of a plane, the scale can be easily adjusted from, metaphorically speaking, left to right, right to left. Take hold and cold, and dull and sharp. You can slide from cold into hot, but you cannot slide from cold into sharp. That is a different line. You have the ability to transmute sadness to happiness. To go from scattered to focused.

Now that you understand how this works, you know you can take a scattered mind and create focus by adjusting the degree.

V. THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM

“Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.” – The Kybalion.

What it is:

This principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow, backward and forward. It is a pendulum-like movement between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago.

We see and understand the rise-and-fall behavior of these energy waves that permeate our existence.

Rhythm

How it works for you:

This principle explains that what goes up must also come down, including your wealth, moods, success etc.

Understanding this principle is crucial to your perpetual success and balance.

The good news is that once you understand this principle you can also neutralize it. The Hermetists used this principle and also understood how to neutralize its’ effects.

They learned to apply the Mental Law of Neutralization and you can too. Half of the work of figuring out the law has already been done for you by the Hermetists. The other half is your own poise and execution. You cannot annul or fight the principle, but you can work around this principle by applying the laws on the higher planes of consciousness to this one to neutralize the swing.

VI. THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE & EFFECT

“Every Cause has its effect; every effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.” – The Kybalion.

What it is:

This principle embodies the fact that there is a cause for every effect; an effect from every cause. It explains that: “Everything Happens according to Law”; that nothing ever “merely happens”. Nothing happens by chance or accident.

There are various planes of cause and effect in the dimensional planes of reality and the higher dominate the lower. However, there is no escaping the law, merely a strategic application of law upon law.

How it works for you:

You can understand this law as basic physics or karma, and yet there is much more than can be done in the application of this law. You can in effect, “rise above” this law and become a “causator” instead of an “effect” of it.

The vast majority of people who are unaware of these laws become “effects” of them without the realization of the causes that they create.

In order to rise above, you must use the rules of cause and effect that lie upon the higher planes — and therefore rule on the physical plane of existence. To do so, you employ a higher level of awareness of your moods, emotions, environments and tendencies. Is your will inspired by a state of emotion you are affected by or an emotion you are deciding upon?

VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER

“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on planes.” – The Kybalion

What it is:

The principle of gender embodies the truth that gender manifests in everything, in all phases of phenomena and every plane of life. Gender manifests on the physical plane as male and female, although this principle’s application is much broader. The word “gender” comes from the latin root, “to beget, to procreate, to generate, to create, to produce.”

Gender occurs on a sub-atomic level with negatively charged electrons (feminine) and positively charged protons (masculine). Gender also occurs on the mental level. The subconscious (feminine) and conscious (masculine) parts of the mind, along with the right (feminine) and left (masculine) hemispheres of the brain.

How it works for you:

The two energies of the feminine and masculine are attracted to each other and come together to create or produce something. The feminine is ready to receive energy from the masculine and nurture it, grow it. Then in turn, the masculine energy is ready to “Action it” and express it into the world.

When you learn to embrace the complementary power of these 2 energies you become much more effective at realizing your creativity and desires. You also embrace these energies within yourself in totality, becoming more balanced and whole.


The Additional 5 Laws of the Universe

Under the 7 principles defined in The Kybalion, there are 5 more “Laws of the Universe” that are worthwhile to outline in order to more effectively understand their applications.

VIII. The Law of Divine Oneness

Under The Principle of Mentalism & The Principle of Correspondence.

Everything is connected to everything else. Everything is mind. The mind is all.

IX. The Law of Action

Under the Principle of Gender & The Principle of Cause & Effect

In order to realize a manifestation our physical plane, the energy of action must be employed. We must engage in actions that support our thoughts dreams, emotions and words.

This law complements the Principle of Mentalism, because what begins in the mind can be acted upon to realize that mental creation in the physical plane using the masculine energy of action. This masculine energy of action follows and activates the principle of Cause & Effect.

“The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals — a vain and foolish thing.”

“Knowledge, like wealth, is intended for Use. The Law of use is Universal, and he who violates it suffers by reason of his conflict with natural forces.” – The Kybalion.

X. The Law of Compensation

Under the Principle of Cause & Effect

This Universal Law applies to blessings and abundance that are provided for us as the effects of our causes. These take the form of blessings, money, gifts, support, favors and more.

XI. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy

Under the Principle of Vibration

Everything is always in motion, and thus in perpetual change. Change is the nature of the universe. In order to flow with natural law, we either accept change as it occurs, or effect change with the Principle of Cause & Effect.

Trying to control an event, person or thing into stagnation and non-change violates this law and brings the change of death or dissolution. No new energy is introduced until the vibration dissolves that which was, also changing it, as nothing escapes the law.

Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones, so true power over the lower is employed when this law is employed from the higher dimensions of existence; understood and applied.

XII. Law of Relativity

Under The Principle of Polarity

This law is an important one to keep in mind to gain a truer perspective of the reality around you.

Throughout your life, you will be rewarded and tested. This law reminds you to keep things in perspective as you may believe you are facing a colossal challenge, only to become aware of a situation which a friend is facing. Your friend’s challenge makes your challenge seem like just a “small bump in the road” by comparison.

All is relative.

This understanding restores your power, harbored in the understanding that the challenge may not be as insurmountable as it once seemed.

“All you judge is the comparison.” – Jacqueline, Creator of Consciousness Liberty

Source: The Kybalion

Download The Kybalion: the-kybalion

10 Step Exercise To Really Find Your Life’s Purpose

Everyone — just like they have unique fingerprints, also have unique “fingerprints” figuratively. They are the things that YOU LOVE, that other people just wouldn’t understand.

And there are things in life that people just can’t get enough of that you don’t see the point of. Snapchat?…

Those things are you and they relate to your mission in life. The good news is that no matter what you want to do in life, no matter what. NO ONE, I mean NO ONE is going to do it like you. With your style, ideas, execution etc.

Most people spend their entire life searching for their life’s purpose. It’s right in front of you…

In all the little quirks and things you love. Although they are clouded by things that other people love. What your parents think they love and what you’re friends think success is because some online guru is preaching the flavor of the week.

For this exercise, you will write down a list of the top 10 things that come to mind when asked these questions. Don’t filter, just write down what comes up. If you write down more than 10, don’t worry. Just get about 10 on paper.

Ready? Let’s go.

  1. What do you enjoy spending your “spending money” on? Top 10. Circle the top 3.
  2. What do you enjoy doing? Top 10. Circle top 3.
  3. What moments or experiences do you value in life? Write down your top 10. Circle the top 3.
  4. What are your values in life? Make a list of the top 10 things. Circle the top 3.
  5. What topic or subjects strike up an emotional response in you? What gets you most excited? Whether it’s a positive or negative emotion. Write down what they are and the corresponding emotion.
  6. What books or magazines are you currently reading? If none, create a list of 3-5 topics you would like to read about.
  7. Preferences:
    – Do you prefer to work alone or in groups?
    – Do you prefer to work at a computer or out in the field. Passive vs active work. It could be a percentage such as 30% computer work, 70% speaking on stage.
    – Would you define yourself as more of an introvert, extrovert or both?
    – What is more important to you, mastery or variety?
  8. Make a list of every idea related to a business or project you want to create. It’s really important you take time to do this completely. It will create ALOT more clarity.
    Can any of these be combined? combine the similar ones. Example coffee shop + library, or daycare center + spa, or digital courses + meditation audios.
    Rate them then select your top 3.
    Which can you start right now without capital?
  9. What do you want your legacy to be after you die? What’s that 1 thing you want to contribute, leave behind or be known for?
  10. What is your biggest pain point in life? What frustrates you most about the world or holds you back in life?

Ok now write down the top in each category.

Here is an example:

Values:

– Nature
– Exercise
– Family

Business ideas:

– Children’s outside jungle gym
– Daycare center with a garden
– Animal conservation program.

Spending:

– Adventure excursions in nature
– Organic products
– latest “green” technology

Books or magazines:

– Home & Garden Magazine
– Books about parenting
– Books on DIY

Preferences:

– Do you prefer to work alone or in groups? In groups
– Do you prefer to work at a computer or out in the field. Passive vs active work.
   Active work outside.
– Would you define yourself as more of an introvert, extrovert or both? Both.
– What is more important to you? Mastery or variety? Variety.

Enjoy:

– Exercise and healthy living
– Interacting with children
– Sunshine and nature

Value:

– My health
– Time with family
– Being able to go out into nature and a clean environment

Legacy:

– Create a healthier world starting with our children where they learn how to live in accordance with nature.

Take the top in each category and compare them in the following ways.

Values + Business ideas + spending + Book topics + legacy = Your current goal in life.

Check for overlap:

Values:

– Nature
– Exercise
– Family

+

Business Ideas:

– Children’s outside jungle gym
– Daycare center with a garden
– Animal conservation program.

+

Spending:

– Adventure excursions in nature
– Organic products
– Latest “green” technology

+

Book Topics:

– Home & Garden Magazine
– Books about parenting
– Books on DIY

+

Legacy:

– Create a healthier world starting with our children where they learn how to live in accordance with nature.

=

Your Current Goal in Life: “Create a daycare with a jungle gym and small garden that teaches children about respecting nature, growing their own organic food and preparing it, going on hikes and learning about plants and animals.”

Compare your current goal in life to your top 3 business ideas. What stands out?


Preferences + enjoy = How you want to bring your goal to life.

Preferences:

Do you prefer to work alone or in groups? In groups.
Do you prefer to work at a computer or out in the field.  Passive vs active work.
   Active work outside.   
Would you define yourself as more of an introvert, extrovert or both? Both.
What is more important to you? Mastery or variety? Variety.

+

Enjoy:

– exercise and healthy living
– Interacting with children
– sunshine and nature

=

How you want to bring your goal to life: “I want to work close to nature in sunshine with children where I can teach them about various topics to lead a balanced and conscious lifestyle.”


Enjoy + Value = Your goal in life must allow for these things to happen to have balance.

Enjoy:

– exercise and healthy living
– Interacting with children
– sunshine and nature

+

Value:

– My health
– time with family
– Being able to go out into nature and a clean environment

=

To have balance: “I enjoy a healthy lifestyle in a clean, natural environment working with children. My 30 hour workweek allows me plenty of time with my family and to maintain my favorite exercise routine.”


Topics with emotional response + Biggest pain point + Legacy = Your purpose in life.

Topics with emotional response:

– Environmental destruction
– My health and my family’s health
– Making sure the future generations are educated and supported to live in   accordance with nature and respect nature.

+

Biggest pain point:

– Watching my child growing up in an unbalanced society, without enough exercise or nature and knowing I have to do something about it.

+

Legacy:

– Create a healthier world starting with our children where they learn how to live in accordance with nature.

=

My purpose in life: To ensure future generations have access to a clean, healthy and natural way of life by teaching children a hands-on approach to nature and healthy, balanced living and protecting the environment for generations to come.

Congrats, you are now clear on your life’s purpose.

If you have any resistance to the statement above, you either

  1. Didn’t thoroughly complete the exercise.
  2. Have discovered self-limiting beliefs.

What now?

If you are like most people in the world, you will find your mind and body may “fight” you by giving you all the reasons it won’t work. Excuses, tiredness, sickness, fear, self-criticism, and questioning. Is this really my life’s purpose? What about this other idea I just got?

This is why we created a difference between “Your Life’s Purpose” and your “Current Goal in Life”

“Your life’s purpose” is the burning desire, the soul desire to serve others in your unique way. Only you can do this and it’s usually the constant thread in your life.

“Your current goal in life” is your current business idea and form of execution. However, it may not be your last.

You may have several careers or businesses that align with your purpose in life. So if you choose a career or business, go for it. Dive into it. When it’s time you may naturally evolve into something else. In some cases you won’t. In all cases, it’s the right path, flow with it.

If you want to see what careers are available in over 71 different countries, check out Jooble. When you perform a search with Jooble, you’ll get links to job postings from more than 21,640 different job sites that are the most relevant to your search terms. Find something new and exciting locally or anywhere around the world! Warning: Job sites can be overwhelming at times, so take the information and requirements that come up with a grain of salt. Remember, baby steps. 

What are your thoughts? Did you find your life’s purpose? Comment below.