Category: Productivity

Reflection

The Critical Part of Success You’re Most Likely Too Busy For

Leave a comment

The definition of success is personal.

In this case, we’ll have it be whatever you want to achieve or obtain. The attainment of a goal that is important to you and part of your plan.

“You know when you’re successful when you feel fulfillment. If you feel stuck or empty, you’re doing it wrong.”

-Consciousness Liberty

For those of you who don’t know me, my mission is to help you free your consciousness and help redefine the paradigms that we live and work by.

One of those paradigms is the “work hard” wave we’ve been riding in our working culture. American culture, Chinese culture, and many others we have glorified working long hours, “putting in overtime”, “grinding”, “working hard” and “being on-call”.

I don’t know about you, but for me, doing things hard usually means that your skillset is not well equipped for the task at hand.

When you are properly equipped for a task, it is not hard, it’s fluid, it’s enjoyable, it’s effective and efficient, (and in some cases masterful). It’s not hard.

Hard is not optimal. It’s an indicator of friction and by definition an indicator of expending, energy, effort, force or strength into a task.

It’s force. Not power.

And that’s an important difference.

Due to this “work hard” culture, we overwork to the point of compromising our health, our happiness, our productivity, enjoyment, and ultimately – our success.

We’re Too Busy to Create Our Own Success

Our obsession with pushing and working long hours, actually makes us more inefficient in our work. For example, we expect our coworkers to put in long hours, so we take long lunches, schedule long meetings and run them poorly. Being poorly prepared for a meeting and wasting time.

Plus…

It ignores this critical component of success nobody talks about.

Reflection

Why?

We’re too busy being busy, and sharing with everyone how busy we are. We don’t make the time to come up for a breather and realign on our priorities, activities, and the way we do them.

We are in a whirlwind of work that always fills up the time allotted.

And boy do we give it time.

Most of our time.

It’s important to reflect on our tasks and consider,

  • What’s the impact of this?
  • Is this getting me closer to my ultimate goal?
  • What is my ultimate goal?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you’re expending a lot of energy on activities that fill up your day, and ultimately your life, and take you no closer to your success.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.”

– T.D. Jakes

Reflection, the Missing Piece to Your Success

You know how at the beginning of this article we talked about how success is personal?

Well, that’s a big deal because you can be a “high performer” at work and be rewarded for your long hours and extra effort and not be “successful” because you’re not fulfilled. You’re checking off tasks at work, but they aren’t the tasks that really matter to you.

Or you may be struggling to keep up at work, and compromising your health and your most precious relationships.

And may not even realize it when it’s happening because you’re too busy.

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”

– Margaret J. Wheatley

The Benefits of Reflection

If you’re used to the “go, go, go”, “caffeine and crush”, “sleep when you’re dead” culture, reflection can seem painstaking, or worse, a waste of time.

So, why reflect?

Besides the fact that the most famous Emperor of Rome did.

Anyway, so here’s why.

Reflection allows you to gain perspective, deeper wisdom, more alignment, plan new more effective actions, more effective strategies, and gain insights and ideas that can be used to further maximize your time, processes, impact and potential.

University of Florida researchers found that those who start the day by thinking of the kind of leader they want to be were more effective at work.

A University of Zurich study concluded that reflecting on past personal challenges you’ve overcome helps you process negative experiences.

So, what do you get when you have that alignment?

When you’re doing the things that are most important to you?

Happiness and fulfillment.

And as Socrates once said, a life worth living.

Why Does Reflection Make Such a Big Difference?

We go through life having experiences. When you have significant experiences that are of high emotional intensity or high consequence, your mind will automatically create a reference point to better handle that specific situation (and situations like it). it’s a biological survival program.

This works pretty well for some basic life situations: don’t touch that plant again (it’s poison ivy). Don’t talk to that person(they are mean), eat that thing, (that was delicious). But sometimes situations get more complex and your biological survival system can backfire. Don’t speak your mind in the meeting (that was not well received).

As John C. Maxwell said, reflection turns experience into insight. Reflection fine-tunes what success means to you and what are the strategies and steps to get there.

And in some cases, it defines that.

“I never make the same mistake twice. I make it like five or six times, you know, just to be sure.”

-Unknown

Kind of funny how that quote is by Unknown. Anyway, let’s move on.

Types of Reflection

For the purpose of effectiveness, we’ll make a distinction between reflection and self-reflection. They are pretty much the same thing, but a distiction can be made that will improve your practice.

  • Self-reflection – What Socrates calls “knowing Thyself”. When you reflect on you. On your understanding of what “you” are.
  • Reflection – Distinguished by reflecting on your work, tasks at hand, projects, etc. in a specific situation.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

-Aristotle

How to Reflect

There are many exercises and ways to reflect. For our purposes here, let’s keep it simple.

  1. Ask yourself questions. Self-dialogue.
  2. Preferably write things down.

Remember, the quality of your questions will determine the quality of your results.

In a specific situation such as a project or event, there are some fundamental questions that can help you get the ball rolling.

  1. What is my goal?
  2. Is this serving my goal?
  3. What did I do? What happened (cause)
  4. What was the result? (result)
  5. What could I have done better/different to have better results?
  6. What valuable lessons did I realize?
  7. How can I incorporate/ integrate these into my work, life, behavior?
  8. What should I start doing? Stop doing?

That’s pretty much it. I suggest setting aside time every day or every week for reflection (Bonus points for scheduling it into your calendar). It’s a conscious design of the evolution of you. Many people find that various journaling practices are an excellent tool for reflection.

How to Self-Reflect

If you want to do general self-reflection, the same process applies.

Knowing yourself is a critical part of your wellbeing, success and fulfillment.

So, I created a list of questions for you to get right to it. You can find them here.

Reflection & Marcus Aurelius

One of the greatest exemplars of reflection practice was the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. His private writings to himself we published and popularized as the work, Meditations in the category of Stoic philosophy. The Meditations of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius have been read by many historians, philosophers and leaders as they provide insights into the great mind of this Imperial Ruler.

Reflection & The Law of Duaity

In hermetic philosophy, there is a universal law known as the Law of Duality.

The practice of reflection satisfies this law, which maximizes your effectiveness. In this way, you can avoid burnout, boredom, and imbalance. And live a life that is fun, inspires your work and helps you work better.

If you are to compare work to weight lifting, it’s during the periods of rest that your muscles get stronger. It’s during your reflection time that you integrate and align your learnings.

And YOU get stronger.

The Practice of Reflection

In order for you to be successful in starting your new reflection habit, I invite you to create time and space for the reflection practice. Set yourself up for success by scheduling a recurring time in your calendar for this.

Here are some quotes to give you a gentle butt-kick of inspiration.

“Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.”

-Albert Einstein

“People who have had little self-reflection live life in a huge reality blind-spot.”

-Bryant McGill

“The more reflective you are, the more effective you are.”

-Hall And Simeral

Let’s slow down to speed up together.

Refrences:

https://kidadl.com/articles/top-reflection-quotes-to-gain-perspective
https://antimaximalist.com/self-reflection-quotes/
https://fromemuseum.org/challenges-faced-by-socrates/
https://nwyatt227.medium.com/3-lessons-to-live-by-from-marcus-aurelius-9c33759e9e77
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14623940903138266
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5703031/
https://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/clubhouse/handouts/reflection-v6.pdf
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/reflection-quotes

Hard Work is Outdated. How to Hack Your Biology to Work Smart

Leave a comment

Have you noticed that your best work and best ideas come to you when you’re inspired, when you’re flowing?

The world is changing. The way we used to think and work as a collective is shifting.

Industries are disrupting the status quo. What was once the taxi industry has been disrupted by companies like Uber. The hotel industry has been disrupted by Airbnb and hard work has been disrupted by smart work – by hacking. Biohacking, lifehacking, flow hacking and more.

“Hard work, forcing and pushing are no longer working like they used to. We are evolving into a smarter way of working by better understanding and leveraging our biology to compliment our outcomes.”

– Consciousness Liberty

Today’s “work” is about flow, inspiration and alignment. Being drawn, compelled, CALLED to create. As we experience the massively productive, fun and brilliant work created in flow and inspiration, we also want to learn to harness its replication.

What is meant by “Hard Work”?

Let’s get the semantics out of the way to avoid confusion. What is “hard work”? First of all, it has nothing to do with the TYPE of work you do. Dirty work vs. clean work, white or blue collar, college degree or not, business, hobby or sport.

Mike Rowe, “Dirty Jobs” show host, equates “hard work” to trades and dirty jobs, which can be very lucrative, fulfilling and fun. Props to Mike for shining the spotlight on trades work and crushing the stigma that one type of work is better than another! “Getting your hands dirty” work is NOT what we’re talking about here.

It’s about the WAY you work, the WHY of your work and the VALUE that it adds to your lives and others.

On the same page? Great, read on.

Smart work asks, how optimal is it? Is it aligned with your main objective? Is it serving you or making you stressed and ill? Are you able to enjoy your work and your life or are you grinding to buy things you don’t even have time to use or enjoy?

Smart work is NOT coasting. It’s not working halfheartedly.

Smart work is courageous, persistent, resilient, resourceful, passionate, focused, results-driven.

Smart work is NOT HARD, not forceful, not burning out, not unsustainable, not illness provoking.

Got it?

Good!

What is Flow?

Flow is the holy grail of working smart.

“Researchers describe flow as a unique state of concentration in which action seems to be effortless. Whether painting, writing, planning, scheming, inventing or running a 10K, you feel alert, unself-conscious and totally absorbed in the present moment.

Flow is a state entered when you are performing at your peak or stretching beyond former limits. Emotions are positive and energized, yet your attention is so focused on the task at hand that you may not be aware of feelings at all except in retrospect. Everything but the task is forgotten—time, surroundings, even yourself. Awareness and action become one.”

– https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/06/05/you-need-to-get-into-flow-concentration-at-its-best/#7a7f8d6918c4

So, what’s the key to working smart? How do we turn working hard into working smart?

Here are some techniques to help you work smarter. Green words highlight specific biohacking tips.

1. Have a purpose.

Identify your WHY, goal, or intention to achieve something worthwhile. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, just something worth your time. Your brain is a meaning-making machine and having a purpose gives you meaning, which shapes identity. Identity precedes your actions.

How do you find that purpose? Listen to your heart, your higher self and intuition. Of course, you can use your intuition at any point in the process. Learning to follow your heart instead of your head saves you tons of hard work for something you never really wanted in the first place.

2. Step fully into now.

Ground, be aware, mindful, present. Get fully into your body. You’ll know your there when you experience clarity. Try bringing your attention and awareness right behind your eyes. Increase your sensory attention. Focus on how things taste, smell, feel, etc.

This brings you back into your place of power, where you can have more influence on the world around you. Your presence is better and people will listen to your ideas and respect the energy you bring to the moment.

Mindfulness and being in present awareness increases mental flexibility and the ability to regulate behavior, avoid knee jerk reactions, resist distractions and improves decision making.

Grounding practice can help you be in the moment, decrease stress, decrease inflammation and increase blood flow.

“Neuroscientists have also shown that practicing mindfulness affects brain areas related to perception, body awareness, pain tolerance, emotion regulation, introspection, complex thinking, and sense of self.”

– https://hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain

3. Align your energy to your work.

Ensure you have aligned your environment and yourself for the task at hand. Set up a workspace, a designated time or day, and/or a trigger. Think of your mindset when you’re in bed, when your in your office or workspace, when you’re at the gym, a nice restaurant, or at a concert. All different energies.

Try having a fine dining experience in a construction site or a gym. Not as conducive as a low-lit, beautiful atmosphere, huh?

You get the idea. If you want a detailed checklist, you can find it here.

4. Get inspired.

Music is one of the biggest ways I’ve found personally to quickly and effectively shift mood. At a close second are exercise and movement. When you move and flow the energy in your body, the thoughts in your body also flow and great ideas start pouring in.

Unexpected bonuses to shift energy include showering, when you’re about to fall asleep, and in relaxed states.

In the book, Stealing Fire, Steven Kotler wrote about the altered-states economy. What we do and consume to shift our states,

Here’s a breakdown for how to shift your states:

  • Drugs – pain drugs, coffee, alcohol, MDMA.
  • Media – video games, virtual reality, music, porn.
  • Recreation – yoga, meditation, adventure travel, gambling.
  • Personal growth – life coaches, self-help, business coaches, retreats.

Get into the habit or carrying a little pen and paper or use your phone’s notes to capture those inspiring ideas in the moment.

No, you won’t remember them later, so write them down. Especially the ones you have before drifting off to sleep.

5. Move your body.

This deserves its own category because there is more to moving your body than exercise. Use your body to change your energy flow. You can use exercise, body language, posture, stretching and movement to change your chemistry, emotions and consequently your thoughts.

If you are engaged in high-energy exercise, your brain physicaly cannot process depression and high-intensity activity at the same time.

Posturing, or getting into the posture of, what you want to achieve also triggers your brain to become that which you are posturing in.

A study published in the journal Psychological Science in 2010, concluded that when people sat or stood in expansive poses for just one minute, they felt more powerful and in charge, and their body chemicals changed. They had more testosterone and less cortisol, the stress hormone.

“By simply changing physical posture, an individual prepares his or her mental and physiological systems to endure difficult and stressful situations.”

– Psychological Science, journal, 2010

“Just sitting up straight, a simple power pose, may increase self-confidence.”

– European Journal of Social Psychology, 2009

Some research shows that body posture also affects persistence when dealing with difficult tasks. This also works with subtle movements such as facial expressions.

Having good posture contributes to keep the body in good health, free from pain, and digesting properly.

6. Leverage NLP & habitry by using triggers.

There is an entire part of your brain that’s wired to function based on habit.

Habits are based on triggers. Time, place song, sensation, words, scents are all triggers. Use these to your advantage.

For example, if you want to instantly click into a mode, such as “workout mode” – set a trigger to shift the moment you step foot into the gym. The first time you do it, you’ll feel the resistance. Over time it will become automatic – like those secret trigger words for international assassin spies – aaaanyway – you know what I mean.

7. Get in flow.

Flow is the holy grail of working smart and takes inspiration to the next level. That is what is going to create states of flow, altered states and the kind of work when you are just crushing it and your on fire! Ideas and pouring in and your excited and completely immersed.

Biologically speaking, flow happens on the edge of alpha and theta, at around 8 Hz. When your brainwaves are in theta, your brain is open to “gamma spikes” the brainwave frequency that is associated with “Ah-ha” moments.

Want to know how your brain is in theta? Click here to learn more about the characteristics of a theta mindset.

Or, you can track your brainwaves with a Muse headset and a 3rd party app called, Mind Monitor. If you haven’t checked out Mind Monitor, I recommend it. It will show you your brain’s wavelength feedback in real-time so you can direct them.

One of the foremost authorities on flow, Steven Kotler, describes it as having the subjective characteristics, STER.

  • S: Selflessness – Perception of self disappears and you are absorbed in the process.
  • T: Timelessness -Prefrontal cortex deactivates and time dilates or contracts.
  • E: Effortlessness – Brain is connected,
  • R: Richness – Attention is strong in the present moment and pattern rec is amplified. Productivity and creativity increase.

How to get into flow:

  • Focus
  • Clear goals
  • Uninterrupted
  • The challenge/skills ratio is right. (See graph below)
  • Triggers
  • Passion /purpose
  • Risk – Drives focus, which drives flow.
  • Autonomy
  • Novelty
  • Complexity
  • Unpredictability
  • Deep embodiment
  • Immediate feedback
  • Creativity/ pattern recognition
– prototypr.io

Remember, flow is universal. It’s available to everyone at any time provided the right conditions are met.

8. Get real with yourself.

What do you value? What is your main objective? How are these activities getting you closer to your main objective? What is keeping you from your main objective?

Identify your limiting and conflicting beliefs. You’ll know what these are because you will feel conflicted or uneasy when you affirm your goal. This requires hard questions and hard choices, not hard work.

If you want some help identifying and breaking through limiting or conflicting beliefs get in touch with me, Jacqueline@consciousnessliberty.com. I help my clients overcome non-serving beliefs, blind spots and self-sabotage and find clarity and fulfillment. You can find out more here.

9. Optimize, delegate or eliminate what is keeping you from your goal.

Outsource what’s slowing you down and create a “do not do” list of things that waste your time. A big part of productivity, efficiency and working smart is not only what you do, but what you don’t do.

You can optimize your time by batching similar tasks, planning your day, (or week) ahead of time, prioritizing (top 1-3 goals for the day) and by assigning a time to each task.

10. Immerse yourself.

Once you’re present and inspired, begin to surround yourself with anything that promotes it. For example, create an environment that supports the activity, surround yourself with people that promote the activity and begin to read about listen to talk about anything that is related to the activity.

Conversely, stay away from the opposite of that. 😂 Nuff said.

11. Give it some time.

If you’re not fully inspired it may take some time to get into flow. Keep at it. Keep doing what you do, keep working at it and practicing the steps above. Soon you’ll be aligned and flowing. If it doesn’t happen perfectly the first time, do it again and again. It will become easier. Your biology is designed to take in what you repeat. Hack it wisely.

12. Focus on results, not actions.

One critical component to working smart is taking the time to reflect on what you are doing. Is this work getting you closer to your main dreams and goals, or are you “always busy” and going in circles?

What’s working? What’s not working?

Examine, adjust, retest, reflect.

Smart workers know that it’s about the quality of the output, not the quantity of input, that makes a difference.

Slow down to speed up my friend.

13. Schedule in your downtime.

If you think you can grind, power through and energy drink yourself to your goals, you’re working hard, not smart and you’re missing the big picture. There is a universal law of duality that we operate in as human beings. That which comes up, goes down.

Learn it, leverage it.

Understand the importance of rest and leverage that rest to recharge and come back stronger. Step away from work to enjoy doing nothing, reflection, partying, hanging out, whatever.

This creates energetic contrast which is the natural rhythm or pedulumn swing of life.

Speaking of enjoyment…

14. Enjoy yourself & the journey.

Embrace the journey. Growth can be painful, so when you are creating your “work smart” plan, learning, or expanding your skillset your brain will attempt to fight you, distract you and stop you to “keep you safe”. So many people think the reward and pleasure is in the destination, but if you learn to train your brain to enjoy the journey, you will be happier and more productive along the way. It’s called cultivating a growth mindset.

Remember that when you are creating something it takes energy input, and you want to input the right energy of passion, enjoyment and inspiration. Not stress, pressure and force.

Therefore…

Remember, use power not force. Work smart.

There is a current of lifeforce energy present in all things. When bringing something into being, you don’t want to go up against the current. Understand this flow in life and in yourself and leverage it.

Use the techniques above, enjoy your time, grow as a person, contribute to others. The energy present when you create is what you infuse into your creations.

Here’s to working smart. To have a blast while growing as a person. Developing your unique gifts and contributing to others.

Let’s evolve the work paradigm together.

Much love!

Resources:

  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-moment-youth/201712/how-your-brain-finds-meaning-in-life-experiences
  • https://hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelritlop/2016/12/28/6-tips-on-working-smart-not-hard-this-year/?sh=77a165b229f5
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/06/05/you-need-to-get-into-flow-concentration-at-its-best/#7a7f8d6918c4
  • https://youtu.be/q5OsIRaaFgs
  • https://www.nebraskamanufacturing.com/2013/07/work-smart-and-hard-mike-rowe-on-the-skills-gap/
  • https://www.inc.com/danny-iny/what-it-really-means-to-work-smart-on-your-business.html
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_hNZ5T4nY
  • https://www.hopkinswellness.com/physical-therapy/the-impact-of-poor-posture/
  • https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-posture-and-gestures-affect-state-mind
  • https://totalwellnessmagazine.org/articles/slouching-and-feeling-slumped-how-posture-can-affect-your-mental-health
  • https://agileleanlife.com/the-big-difference-between-smart-work-and-hard-work/
The Easy Win

Leveraging the “Easy Win” as a Tool for Massive Success

1 Comment

Do you like it rough?

Life.

Do you like life rough?

If you’re a bit confused by what I mean here and a little bit distracted thinking about sex, let me explain.

Most people want to be successful. It is a natural instinct of humans to want to grow and achieve. To win. To conquer.

If you ask most people if they prefer encountering challenges, roadblocks, fear and obstacles to success or if they want an easy win to something they really, really want, most would say, “Gimme the easy win.”

For example, you have an idea for a business selling hats. (Yes, hats. Just stay with me here.)

Would you rather:

A. Have someone give you a successful and lucrative hat selling business where you’re time input is 10 hours a week and you make 5 times what you would need to live a comfortable life. A team of A-players, resources and logistics are already in place and flowing.

B. Start your hat selling business from scratch with no previous experience in the business and no contacts, processes or resources.

You’re passionate about the business in both scenarios. Which one would you choose?

It’s safe to say most people would easily choose A.

It seems to be the obvious choice or opportunity, safety and financial wealth while pursuing your interests and passions.

In small undertakings, many of us will choose the easy road.

Yet, when it comes to things that people deem as important, they choose the hard road to success over and over again.

As humans, we tend to place a higher sense of worthiness to larger goals. When it comes to life purpose, we want to select a goal that is worthy enough to dedicate our lives to. We want a partner that is worthy enough of marriage. A challenge that is worthy enough of effort.

Why We Overcomplicate Things

We come up with a brilliant idea then we think of extravagant ways to execute it. We make this goal “worthy” of our attention and hard work.

Let’s go back to selling hats.

Your initial idea about a hat store, becomes a place that customizes the hats based on a person’s interests and physical dimensions. Now you imagine stores all over the world that carry these specialized hats!

You’re super excited for the possibilities!

You continue to imagine the hell out of it, then get overwhelmed and push this great idea off – indefinitely.

Usually, a mix of factors involving fear will paralyze you from realizing your dream. Your brain, which is designed to ensure your safety and survival will attach feelings of pain to this goal! Your mind will look for all the reasons why it’s not safe – designed to help you prepare and ensure your safety.

The sheer magnitude of this step can be so daunting.

It’s time to build a bridge.

How?

Easy wins.

Easy wins are usually bypassed by the mind as not being interesting or worthy enough to accomplish.

Why Do We Like a Challenge?

A sense of satisfaction happens when we stretch or grow in order to accomplish something. How many times have you been proud that you accomplished getting dressed and driving to work in the morning? Or that you practice good hygiene? With some exceptions, good hygiene is a basic given in life that we do and don’t really get great life satisfaction out of it.

There are things in our life that are we are used to and will not cause a great amount of life satisfaction from their accomplishment.

Such as walking around the block. Not much to boast about. How about running your first marathon?

This is due to hedonic adaptation. Hedonic adaptation is the tendency to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major recent positive or negative events or life changes. This means you will start adapting to your accomplishments and they no longer cause the pleasure or satisfaction that they used to.

The body also gets used to strength and resistance training. This is known as progressive resistance – where overloading the muscles is constantly increased to build muscle and strength. What was once “heavy” is now “normal”.

Point is, the human being is designed to constantly strive and grow to “succeed”.

…[E]xercise is a wonderful example, where there’s something so satisfactory about the pain we get sometimes from trying to accomplish something, training for a marathon. And if it was effortless, it was painless, I don’t think we would get the same pleasure from it. I think that it illustrates that one critical ingredient here is control. So when it comes to pain, we could experience all sorts of pain – spicy foods, training for a marathon, a horror movie – but it’s critical that we control the intensity of the pain. Pain is never pleasurable when it’s out of your hands, when someone else is inflicting it. We are not wired up to enjoy pain under those circumstances.

– https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128721732

Because of the effort and personal growth that is required to accomplish this task, we assign more worth and satisfaction to its accomplishment.

In Earl Nightingale’s seminal classic, The Strangest Secret he defines success as ‘”The gradual realization of a worthy goal.“

What is worthy?

A measure of value or worth is compared to demand, supply and relativity of the environment. The ratio of a thing as compared to its environment. The importance, usefulness, worth of a thing to the one measuring the value.

The more we assign value or worth to the goal, the more we think we need to work for, suffer for or train for to accomplish it. That struggle and sacrifice increase its worthiness. That struggle and sacrifice is what we get satisfaction from and what we associate success with.

So Why the Easy Win?

Human biology is made to adapt and respond to demands that are placed upon it. The stronger the demand, the stronger the response. It evolves and grows based on the frequency and intensity of use.

  • A big risk successfully executed creates a BIG PLEASURE response.
  • A small risk successfully executed creates a small pleasure response.
  • A big risk failed creates a BIG PAIN response.
  • A small risk failed creates a small pain response.

Once a big pain response occurs, the brain creates an increase in resistance to executing the same (or similar) challenging element again. The more failure, the more it reinforces its resistance to it.

The Easy Win:

1. Builds Self-Confidence

The easy win creates the reinforcing idea in the brain of accomplishment.

It creates baby steps to building self-confidence. Self-satisfaction. Self-belief. The feasibility of success improves.

2. Creates A Dopamine Release

Dopamine is released when you receive a reward through food, success or otherwise. The dopamine release helps with reinforcement of the activity that produced the feel-good dopamine release. The dopamine release also helps the brain focus, in order to attain more of what caused the previous dopamine release.

So, now you’re starting to associate pleasure with the achievement of your goals. You’re getting used to accomplish your goals and your biology is supporting pleasure and focus.

3. Allows For Testing

When you are taking smaller steps there is less consequence in testing, pivoting, and improving. You have more opportunities for testing without devastating consequences.

4. Leverages the Principle of Progressive Resistance & Hedonic Adaptation

Through the easy win you begin to familiarize yourself with your “big worthy goal” one step at a time, until it feels like it’s possible.

A series of easy wins build a bridge to BIG dreams. Something that seemed so far away before, now feels like it could happen.

5. Builds Supportive Habits

You get used to executing the idea. You build a routine and habits around it.

You can build upon it. Brick by brick.

To Sum Up

Leveraging the easy win can sometimes feel like it’s “beneath you” or not worthy enough of your time.

However, it’s a calculated and streamlined way to grow as a person, to reach our goals one step at a time, to stretch and grow while building confidence and to feel successful and fulfilled.

Share your experience with incorporating the “easy win” into your success strategy below!

References:

Need More Time? How to Multiply Your Time With Strategic Multitasking

Leave a comment

“Hey Siri, create an event for 10:30 am on Wednesday.”

“You already have 2 events at that time, should I schedule it anyway?”

“Yes.”

Multi-tasking was a hot item in the early 2000’s. It was on everyone’s resume and a highly sought-after skill.

Around 2010, multi-tasking became a dirty word and a recipe for exhaustion, distraction, confusion and scattered performance.

Studies confirmed that switching between tasks resulting in having to take time to ramp-up time between them, causing lost time and more expended mental energy when “switching gears” between tasks.

The Desire for Focus

In a world full of pings, notifications and google on the go, focus has become the go-to aspiration and skillset.

The ability to hone in on the one thing, what matters most, simplification, cutting the noise and getting to the point.

The problem is, there are just too many things. Too many to-do’s, avenues, networks and frankly speaking – too much cool shit out there.

So how can we do it all?

How can we have it all?

Enter a whole new approach to muli-tasking. How to create time out of nowhere.

Strategic Multitasking

Your brain is not designed to write an email and hold a phone conversation at the same time.

But, your brain can do several things at once and, drumroll please, EVEN BETTER when you become strategic in your multitasking.

The idea behind strategic multi-tasking is to multiply your time by doing more than 1 thing at the same time, thus multiplying your time 2X or even 3X.

And It Gets Better

In addition to multiplying your time with multiple tasks, with strategic multi-tasking, you will be able to reduce the time it takes to perform each task – AND enhance the effectiveness of each task.

So, here’s the gameplan:

  • Double or triple your time by doing more than 1 thing at once.
  • Do the task better. Create better content, have better ideas, brainstorm better, etc.
  • Reduce the output time of each by increasing the effectiveness, leading to saving even more time.

But first, you need to know which tasks to group, and which not to. Some tasks are more effective when grouped, some tasks require sole focus and concentration.

It comes down to 2 things.

  1. Which tasks require the attention part of your brain and which tasks can be done with the automation part of your brain.
  2. Separating tasks by sensory type based on the 5 senses. Sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell. 2 tasks of the same sensory type cannot be matched.

Tasks are categorized like this:

  • Habit Tasks – Tasks that have been repeatedly performed and have transitioned from a focus part of your brain to an automated part of your brain. Ideal for combining.
  • Focus Tasks – Require attention, and usually require analytical ability. Cannot be combined.
  • Creative Tasks – Require attention and creativity. Can be combined.
  • Learning Tasks – A.k.a, learning tasks. Require attention. Can be combined.

Habit Tasks

  • Driving
  • Making the usual foods (Following a new recipe is learning, and will once again require focused attention)
  • General house cleaning, window cleaning, dusting, sweeping, tidying and organizing
  • Walking
  • Exercising
  • Listening to music
  • Showering

Creative Tasks

  • Creating
  • Designing
  • Brainstorming
  • Strategizing
  • Problem-solving
  • Writing

Focus Tasks

  • Budgeting
  • Data Analysis

Learning Tasks

  • Listening to Audiobooks & Podcasts
  • Reading

These are just samples. You can create and expand your own lists.

Here’s How You Do It / The Formula

TASK
COMBINATIONS		HABIT TASKCREATIVE TASKFOCUS TASKLEARNING TASK
HABIT TASKYESYESNOYES
CREATIVE TASKYESNONONO
FOCUS TASKNONONONO
LEARNING TASKYESNONONO

Basically, you can ONLY combine Habit tasks with your choice of

  1. habit tasks
  2. creative tasks
  3. learning tasks

Remember, you can only combine tasks if they involve different senses. Reading and cleaning the house both require vision in order to perform the task, but cleaning the house and listening to an audiobook is doable.

How Can Combining Tasks Help Me Do Them Better & Faster?

Boosts Creativity

Creative tasks are better done in combination for a variety of reasons. Starting with the fact that our society is predominantly left-brained centric, getting into our creative mode can be challenging and time-consuming.

Combining creative tasks with habit tasks:

  • Distracts your brain just enough to let your subconscious mind go to work and brilliant ideas “spark into your mind”
  • Relaxes your dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to let creativity flow
  • Gets your body moving to provide more oxygen and blood flow to let ideas flow.
  • Activities such as listening to music, showering and exercise release dopamine into the brain, which has been linked to creativity.

In a study done by Stanford University, walking boosts creative thinking by an average of 60 percent.

Science shows that some of our most creative ideas happen in the shower due to a relaxed, distracted state and dopamine release.

Creates Awareness

Strategic multi-tasking requires you to do some planning ahead, categorizing and grouping of tasks. In effect, you create a holistic picture of your tasks and awareness around them, and after them.

According to Parkinson’s Law, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

So, the more work you’re aware of, the more efficient you are.

Bonus points for time-blocking.

Sample tasks that are good to do together

  • Clean the house + listen to podcasts
  • Drive + listen to podcasts
  • Workout + listen to music
  • Read a book + take notes
  • Walk + brainstorm + listen to music
  • Walk + brainstorm + have a conversation related to the topic
  • Learn something new + dusting the house
  • Shower + brainstorm
  • Cook + clean & organize the kitchen + catch up with loved ones on the phone

Protip: Smart Stacking

Smart stacking is all about 2 things, timing and location.

Planning your tasks around the amount of time they will take and where you will be. For example, starting your laundry and doing dishes, then doing computer work, so that your laundry is ready to dry and your dishes are dry and can be put away before you need to leave the house.

Sure beats doing computer work first on impulse and realizing that you need to leave the house while your laundry is still in the wash and has 20 mins left.

For those of you who hire someone to do all your non-lucrative tasks, here’s another example.

Prep an email the night before to send automatically in the morning while you’re in a meeting, so that you can get a response by the time the meeting’s done. Then, maximize the bit of “dead time” between your meeting time and lunch-time by referring to your list of quick tasks to knock out. Plan your deep work for after lunch. Then walk to lunch while brainstorming. Upon returning from lunch, jump into “deep work” or focus tasks.

Old Favorite: Group Like Tasks

This classic technique involves grouping like tasks that complement each other. Completed in succession or through strategic multitasking.

For example, while I’m writing for Consciousness Liberty I write and listen to music. And between writing sessions, I listen to content related to what I’m writing about to see if there is anything that can enhance the article. While listening to content, I like to do a habit task like cleaning, or organizing my computer desktop/workspace.

This is not an exact science, it’s an idea designed to give you a mindset shift around time and efficiency.

The world around us is evolving at a rapid pace, and so should we.

Take the ideas that work for you and design your conscious evolution. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much more you can accomplish.

References:

Accessing the Superconscious State (For Beginners)

Leave a comment

Warning. Some of these practices can be advanced. Consciousness Liberty and its associates take no responsibility for any effects you may experience. All responsibility is taken by the practicer. Use with caution at your own discretion.

We are in a pivotal time in history. Our world is becoming more interconnected and information is flowing at an all-time high. There are endless distractions, services and products offered at your fingertips – and on the go.

With the onset of this informational age, we can have trouble with concentration, over-information, over-medication and performance.

The good news is that we are beginning to understand and leverage our tech and knowledge to improve the quality of our lives and enhance our performance.

Enter superconsciousness. We’ll start by defining what it is and how it can enhance every aspect of your life.

The ideas behind leveraging the superconscious state of mind are genius-level thinking, an empowering perspective, a startling flow of ideas, inspiration and excitement. We will be accessing the “higher self”, or the superconscious aspect of you that connects you to all the knowledge in the universe.

Within superconsciousness is the flow state. A state of being where you are mentally focused and clear. Otherwise known as “being in the zone.”

Here are more reasons to learn how to access the superconscious state:

  • Inspired action
  • Genius level thinking
  • Flow state
  • Brilliant ideas
  • Operating from love and absence of fear
  • Clearer or enhanced perception
  • Extrasensory perception
  • A broader perspective that one of the “ego” self
  • Self-confidence
  • Peacefulness
  • Compassion
  • Intuition

So let’s get into what the superconscious state of being is exactly.

There are varying levels of consciousness as defined by different schools of thought, ranging numerically within 3-7 levels, and more. They include subconscious, pre-conscious, conscious, unity conscious, higher consciousness, divine consciousness, cosmic consciousness and superconsciousness.

The different levels of consciousness create varying states of knowledge, perception and feelings.

What is true in one state of consciousness may not be so in another state.

“There is only consciousness in all its different expressions.”

– Deepak Chopra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXamK3g3mko

Within the state of superconsciousness, you come into realization with a bigger part of “yourself”, “God”, “The Universe”. You release operating from a fear-based survival mindset into operating with a love-based, giving, service mindset.

Superconsciousness within the levels of consciousness

To illustrate, we’ll organize consciousness below in descending order from the highest realization and vibration to lowest:

  • Divine consciousness
  • Unity Consciousness
  • Cosmic Consciousness
  • Superconsciousness
  • Consciousness
  • Preconscious
  • Subconscious

Divine Consciousness – Seeing through the eyes of God. Nuff said.

Unity Consciousness – The state of consciousness that realizes that all is connected and we are all one. This can be an aspect of superconsciousness in its deeper or higher levels.

Cosmic Consciousness – Transcending sensory human consciousness. Loss of fear of death from “Knowing” that life and death are illusions from a more expanded perspective. Containing the Akashic Records or information about everything contained in the Universe.

Superconscious – Your mind connected to a bigger “self” accessing a perspective or ideas of superhuman abilities, genius thinking, broader perspective. It contains the qualities of interconnectedness, peace, bliss, clarity, love, altruism, service, safety and wellbeing.

Conscious – Your mind in a state of awareness and able to choose, direct, and reason.

Preconscious – The information within your mind that can be easily accessed into consciousness. This includes emotions or information that has not been repressed such as recalling your old address or phone number.

Subconscious – Below your conscious state or aware state and including your memories, stored emotions and experiences, automatic bio functions. Habits performed without “conscious thinking” and repressed or forgotten emotions and memories.

Superconsciousness As Related to Unity, Divine & Cosmic Consciousness

In superconsciousness, you can see the material dimension and the subtle interworkings of cosmic and unity consciousness and bring a broader perspective of ideas and optimal level of functioning to the human experience.

So in effect, superconsciousness at it’s higher levels overlaps with the lower levels of cosmic and unity consciousness.

So how can you reach the state of superconsciousness?

The broader perspective of superconsciousness can be measured in certain brainwave states known as lambda and epsilon frequencies. When you are in this brainwave functioning, the characteristics and experience of superconsciousness are present.

I’m not gonna put it to you lightly here. This is not always an easily achievable state. It usually takes practice and exercise.

Now that we understand the qualities of superconsciousness and the measurable frequency of superconsciousness, we can get into it.

Here are the various ways to attain superconsciousness. Before you get all excited and think you’re gonna be aaaallll superconscious for your next work project, let’s go over some prep.

The lambda and epsilon frequencies of superconsciousness are very high or low frequencies, meaning you need to train your body and mind to receive them.

If you do not train beforehand, it’s like trying to lift 10X the weight you usually lift at the gym with no prior training. Or like trying to run really high voltage into a lightbulb designed for low voltage. You’ll blow the lightbulb. I.e. you may hurt yourself.

You’re a bioelectrical being, so the lightbulb analogy is actually pretty accurate. Symptoms of blowing your personal bio-system may include,

  • Intense pressure in the body
  • Headaches
  • Psychosis
  • Unexplainable illness
  • Emotional instability

ranging from subtle to extreme.

So much like weight lifting, proper training needs to happen mentally, emotionally, spiritually and holistically.

Superconsciousness at its higher levels encompasses cosmic consciousness and even unity consciousness.

So to start training, we will access the lower levels of superconsciousness.

Accessing the Lower Levels of Superconsciousness

I will teach you to access the lower levels of superconsciousness to start. This is your higher self, intuition, genius thinking, flow state, heart intelligence and infinite intelligence.

There are 7 techniques below. And 3 bonus techniques that enhance the effects and make it easier to enter the lower levels of superconsciousness.

Remember that this takes consistent practice over time. The good news is that you can practice pretty much anytime you choose.

1. Get into love and gratitude states

You know that feeling where you’re in love and everything is perfect? This is the right frequency foundation. Feel love, feel gratitude. Just thinking about it is not enough.

Bonus: Get into a state of awe. Feel awe. Usually, you can find that feeling in the majesty of nature.

2. Keep your body moving and flexible

Walk, run, dance, swim, practice yoga. Keep your body healthy and flexible. A stiff body can inhibit the flow of energy and may also cause pressure or pain.

Bonus: Listen to your favorite song and let it move you. There are songs that just “take you there”. Songs that you absolutely love and take you to this inspired, pumped up, amazing place. Use those and allow the song to move your body.

3. Relax the mind and body

In order for energy to flow through the body, you need to relax it. Talk to Qui Gong practitioners. They’ll agree.

4. Ask for what you want

Set an intention. Align your mental energy for your desired outcome.

5. Allow it to flow

When your genius-level thinking, ideas and inspiration come, don’t question it, don’t crush the life out of it with logical, analytical or rational thinking. Ensure you allow it to flow to you by feeling worthy of it and trusting in it.

6. Eat clean and eat for vibration

In order to hold higher vibrations, you want to keep your body healthy and eat food that enhances that high vibration your going for. Usually, it’s eating clean (no junk food, no chemicals) and eating real food, not prepackaged foods.

This helps your body, the energy vessel, to better hold these higher frequencies. Fasting also allows for your body to move into higher vibrations.

Bonus: Note that eating meat grounds you. If you want to facilitate these vibrations refrain from eating meat around the time of practice.

7. Practice Transcendental Meditation

This is where things start to get a little more advanced. When you first start Transcendental Meditation, you will begin to tap into superconsciousness. As you continue to train in Transcendental meditation, you will eventually experience “the gap” an expanded level of consciousness that transcends your identification of self and your body. And you experience cosmic, super or unity consciousness. This coincides with lambda or epsilon brainwave states biologically. You will also be running much higher vibrational energy throughout your body.

Ready for some advanced superconscious state techniques? Stay tuned for my next post on advanced techniques for accessing the superconscious state.

Have questions or want to share your ideas or experience? Share below!

References:

Want Better Results in Less Time? Do this 1 Thing to Work Smart & Increase Your Productivity

1 Comment

When performing any task – or series of tasks – such as work, exercising, conversing, dating, brainstorming, meditating etc. and you want to double or triple your productivity, the first thing you want to do is

Line up the energy around you and within you.

This creates a coherent, energetic focus, reduces friction and reduces the amount of time it takes to “get up to speed” or “get into flow” and maximize your productivity.

So how exactly do we do this?

We’ll start with the 10 step checklist to lining up your energy. It’s broken down into 2 main elements:

  • Your Environment (4 steps)
  • Yourself (6 steps)

Then, we’ll go over some examples of setups for tasks such as meditating and writing.

Here’s your checklist to lining up your energy:

1. Your Environment – Space

Where you perform the task. Create a space where you do that task and only that task. This helps for several reasons.

  • It acts as a trigger to train your brain to perform how it usually does when these environmental conditions are met.
  • It meets the requirements for the task at hand and is conducive to facilitating the task. That could mean that it provides the tools you need for the task, or people around you doing the same or similar tasks, or people that can be available to support you in your task.

2. Your Environment – Music

Select music that enhances the mood or feel of your task at hand for increasing performance.

Sometimes having no music is the way to go. Or you can use apps that create ambient sounds or music to help you in your task at hand. I like this app for ambient sound, Noisili.

3. Your Environment – Lighting

Lighting plays a huge role in energy alignment. It affects mood, biochemical production, and the general feel of a place. Use it to your advantage.

4. Your Environment – Misc

Including temperature, minimizing distractions, awareness of technology, food and scents.

5. Yourself – Body

Movement is a crucial determinant in thought and emotion. When you move or posture your body a specific way, it triggers your brain to feel that which you are embodying.

6. Yourself – Breath

The way you breathe has a profound impact on your state. Breathing short and fast stimulates your sympathetic nervous system and facilitates excitation and a state of anxiousness, adrenaline release or even anxiety as your body is prepared for action and self-preservation (flight or flight). Breathing slow and deep, in turn, signals your brain and body to go into parasympathetic or resting, relaxation mode. Either of which can help your task at hand.

7. Yourself – Emotions

Music plays a role in influencing emotions. You can also sit for a few minutes and consciously think of things that produce the desired emotion you want, then feel into that emotion. By “feel into” I mean focus on it, feel it and consciously maintain the feeling. Do this as long as you’d like to really get into that state of emotion you want. I recommend at least 20 seconds.

8. Yourself – Mental Commitment

Once you mentally commit to doing something, it has invaluable power to help you align all your resources into it’s completion. Good examples of this are:

  • Success stories of people with no plan B.
  • The ability for you to finish a 2-week task in 2 days because you know that you need to finish and turn it in by then.

9. Yourself – Mental Identity

The ability to see yourself as the right person for the task at hand. To believe in your ability to do it.

10. Yourself – Mental Flow

As you begin to align more and more elements, it’s easier to align yourself into mental flow or what many productivity gurus simply call “Flow”. It is a state of effortless, and sometimes genius-like, performance and productivity where the passing of time is forgotten, ideas and execution become effortless and brilliant and one is so absorbed in the task at hand that they lose themselves, per say, in the task.

Let’s take a look at some examples of tasks with these steps applied.

This is my setup.

Meditation

  1. Environment – Space
    • Using the same space for meditation.
    • Using cushions.
    • Got used to using a blanket during meditation when it was cold, now it feels strange not to cover myself with a blanket. It immediately triggers a meditative state of consciousness.
  2. Environment – Music
    • Depending on the type of meditation and outcome, music is optional. I usually prefer no music to lose sensual contact and shift into a loss of ego consciousness. Consciousness of self.
    • I use binaural beats if I want to entrain my brain to a certain frequency.
    • I listen to music to evoke feelings for Metta Meditation.
  3. Environment – Lighting
    • No lighting is preferred. Lack of light stimulates pineal gland melatonin production and pineal gland simulation in general – which is great for meditation. 3rd eye stuff haha.
  4. Environment – Misc
    • I may use incense or essential oils depending on the desired outcome.
    • Phones on airplane mode. I become very averse to cellphone and wifi frequencies while meditation and afterward.
    • Tibetian singing bowl to cleanse the space before meditation.
  5. Yourself – Body
    • My go-to meditation position is half lotus pose.
    • Hands are upright, index finger to thumb usually. That changes depending on the desired outcome.
    • Tounge resting lightly on the roof of my mouth. Known as Jiva Bandha, it facilitates energetic flow.
  6. Yourself – Breath
    • Deep and slow for relaxation and oxygenation.
    • Different breathing techniques, or pranayama, have different consciousness-altering effects.
  7. Yourself – Emotions
    • I use music, thoughts or visualization to generate certain emotions for desired meditation outcomes. Great for Metta meditation or generating love vibration for the experience in itself and bliss.
  8. Yourself – Mental Commitment
    • I meditate every night. I know I’m going to do it and am committed to it, even if it’s late because I’m aware that it benefits my life.
    • The daily routine helps take any question or hesitation out of it.
  9. Yourself – Mental Identity
    • I consider myself someone who meditates regularly and is spiritually inclined.
  10. Yourself – Mental Flow
    • Everything else mentioned facilitates the energy and triggers the state to get into “flow”. In meditation, flow creates feelings of bliss, expansion and connection; and the absence of fear. I know I’m in flow when I’m in this consciousness state.

Writing

When I write for Consciousness Liberty, here’s my setup.

  1. Environment – Space
    • Go to a cafe and order a drink. Usually coffee.
    • I like having the feeling of people around while writing or working.
    • Minimizes the opportunity for distractions or engaging in other activities like being at home does.
    • Preferably a patio or nature scene if the weather is nice.
  2. Environment – Music
    • Usually, play a fast or powerful instrumental to free write. Sometimes it’s a slower music flow. Music definitely helps a lot.
    • I use headphones almost all the time when writing in a cafe. I’m looking for immersion into my writing.
  3. Environment – Lighting
    • Natural sunlight is preferred. Sitting next to a window or outside.
  4. Environment – Misc
    • I like the ambiance of a beautiful cafe.
    • Warm cozy atmosphere or beautiful patio day.
    • As for scents, tastes, and nervous system stimulation – coffee.
  5. Yourself – Body
    • Sitting in alert, attentive posture while writing.
  6. Yourself – Breath
    • Take a few deep breaths when I get stuck or caught up.
    • I also bring my attention to how I’m breathing from time to time.
  7. Yourself – Emotions
    • When writing in flow, I use music to help bring out an emotion related to what I’m writing about. Hands down, big influencer.
  8. Yourself – Mental Commitment
    • I drive to the cafe for the sole purpose of writing. When I sit in the chair to write, I’m not going anywhere else, doing anything else – I’m fully committed.
    • I also have a day a week I reserve to write.
  9. Yourself – Mental Identity
    • I identify with Consciousness Liberty and the values within it – no question.
  10. Yourself – Mental Flow
    • After several minutes, ideas begin to flow and I flow with it. As I follow this ritual, it’s becoming easier and easier to get into flow faster.

So, you get the idea.

If you’re thinking right now, “Oh yeah those are obvious basics,” then congrats, you already understand the concept.

We recognize intuitively when “something is off.” When you’re at a fine dining restaurant and the lighting isn’t right, you’ll feel it. You may not always recognize the specific factor, but you’ll feel it.

The idea is that you apply this concept and checklist of aligning your energy first, then tweak and test to maximize productivity.

How can you maximize alignment in a brainstorming session, before a big speech, before a competition, to facilitate rigorous training, for getting into flow faster, for sustained performance, etc?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Here’s to working smarter – not harder!

Unlock brain potential

Unlock Your Genius Through Brain Synchronization

Leave a comment

Ready for a mindset shift?

There is no such thing as being a left or a right-brained person.

We were born with both sides of the brain to use both sides of the brain.

In contemporary western society – specifically the business sector – we tend to favor our left brain’s analytical, logical, focused thinking.

Society has conditioned us to identify and favor one side of the brain, so we identify with either being left or right brain and tend to use only one side. We say things like, “Oh, I’m just not a creative person.” or “I’m not a numbers person.”

What if you could have both?

Luckily, you can!

Favoring one side of the brain creates limitation and mental imbalance characterized by migraines, stress, brain fogginess, memory lapse, anxiety and a limited and narrow capacity for thinking and functioning.

Let’s take a look at what the left and right hemispheres are designed to do

To simplify:

  • Left hemisphere thinking: Generally more sequential, linear, logical, practical, mathematical, analytical, scientific, and time-oriented.
  • Right hemisphere thinking: More non-linear, intuitive, abstract, big-picture focused, creative, and space-oriented.

It appears to be common knowledge that the right side of the brain is creative and language-based and the left brain is logic and analytics based. In reality, both sides of the brain handle both analytic and creative elements. It’s just that one side of the brain is more specialized for a certain type of action. [10]

There is an interesting phenomenon that happens when you take on a certain task. One side of your brain will take on the task even if it’s not specialized for the task, and your brain will not switch over to the other side of the brain, even if the task is better suited. It will just take the task and run with it. You could be using the less suited side of your brain or missing out on entire regions of your brain when functioning and thinking. [9]

When you don’t use one side of the brain, your brain defaults to what it’s used to and the parts that don’t get used atrophy. This creates a narrow-minded view of the world, limited thinking capacity and neurological imbalance. It’s like trying to draw a picture using word processing software instead of Photoshop or an image editing software. It’s just not the best tool for the job.

We are going to explore how to achieve brain synchronization, strengthen the parts of the brain that don’t get used as often, create new neurological connections in the brain, and balance your central nervous system for a great deal of physical, mental, and emotional benefits.

It’s time to maximize the use of your brain and maximize your potential.

“This relative shift in hemispheric dominance (from left-brain dominance to whole-brain dominance) may result in therapeutic effects which are likely to enhance mind-body integration and overall improvements in physical and emotional health. Because of a reduction in cognitive activities during moments of whole brain synchrony, it is believed that negative thinking, self-punitive thoughts and excessive worrying are apt to slow down and consequently a reduction in cognitive anxiety is experienced.”

[Carrington, 1977; Sadigh,1991; Schwartz, Davidson, & Goleman, 1978. https://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter459/]

You have two sides of the brain so why not use both to your advantage? Why not use them together to achieve powerful results of increased focus, super learning and enhanced creativity.

You can do this through brain synchronization.

First of all, what is brain synchronization?

“[Synchronization] Coherence is one mathematical method that can be used to determine if two or more sensors, or brain regions, have similar neuronal oscillatory activity with each other.” or thus in sync with each other.

[https://npepjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40810-015-0015-7]

The oscillatory activity of wavelengths is detected with an Electroencephalography (EEG) or Magnetoencephalography (MEG) machine and then analyzed with several types of mathematical algorithms.

What are the benefits of brain synchronization?

Being able to combine or connect each part of the brain’s specialty is like bringing together a team of experts, all in your brain.

Brain coherence creates homeostasis in your central nervous system and allows for more flexibility in thinking. You are able to draw upon the strengths of your brain in both the analytical and creative sense, increased peacefulness and clarity of mind, increased sports performance, memory, health, emotional stability, focus, less stress, better sleep, allowance for super learning and more energy. [2]

[https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/whole_brain_synchronization/]

Brain synchronization also reduces migraines, fogginess, and memory lapses and helps build clarity, concise thinking, and help recover maximum functionality.

So you’re probably thinking, “YES! Let’s do this! How do we begin?”

Before we get carried away with brain synchronization, it’s important to note that your brain has evolved into two separate hemispheres for important reasons.

“It doesn’t seem feasible for the hemispheres to fully share information or to operate in a fully unified fashion. Moreover, in a lot of cases, keeping things separate is (literally!) the smarter way for the hemispheres to function. Dividing up tasks and allowing the hemispheres to work semi-independently and take different approaches to the same problem seems to be a good strategy for the brain … just as it often is in partnerships between people.”

Kara D. Federmeier, cognitive neuroscientist [http://sequencewiz.org/2014/08/13/integrating-right-and-left-brain/]

In order to survive, our brains evolved the ability to focus simultaneously on two things at a given time. The left brain is designed to focus on what you give your attention to – a more narrow, detail and time-oriented design – while the right brain stays available to focus on all the dangers and what if’s – a broader and spacial oriented design. [10]

This is designed to keep you alive, in case you’re minding your own business, observing some cool stuff and an unexpected danger comes your way. Or in nature – while you’re hunting and potentially being hunted.

Pretty awesome right?

So usually, that’s how it works, although there are some specialized tasks that benefit from using both sides of the brain and various regions of the brain in communication.

What is brain synchronicity best used for?

Sometimes you want your brain hemispheres to function independently and sometimes you want them to synchronize. When is the best time to maximize brain synchronization?

  • Exercise & Playing sports – Coordination and physical execution.
  • Brainstorming – generating ideas, creative thinking, writing or “downloads” – spontaneous bursts of genius thinking or ideas that pop into your mind.
  • Neurological balance – central nervous system balance, limbic system/mood balance, clear thinking, removing fogginess or migraines/headaches, promoting peacefulness.
  • Positivity – Enhancing positive outlook on life and positive thoughts.
  • Super learning – Enhancing the capacity for learning and retaining information in the brain through strengthening and facilitating information transfer in various regions of the brain. The striatum learns things quickly, while the prefrontal cortex puts the pieces together to understand the big picture. If the communication is not effective or present, you will have more ability with understanding and retaining the information.

“The striatum learns very simple things really quickly, and then its output trains the prefrontal cortex to gradually pick up on the bigger picture,” Miller says. “The striatum learns the pieces of the puzzle, and then the prefrontal cortex puts the pieces of the puzzle together.”

– Dr. Jeffrey Miller [http://news.mit.edu/2014/synchronized-brain-waves-enable-rapid-learning-0612 ]

Brain Regions

Neuroimaging brain studies have found that there are specific regions of the brain that are specialized at processing certain types of information. There is also evidence that shows that separate specialized parts of the brain communicate with each other in order to combine their specialties and increase the effectiveness of thought.

Each region is designed to specialize in a specific task and when tasks require various specialties, the brain is designed to communicate through neurons firing to each other on the same frequency – thus brain synchronization.

“C. Maxwell Cade, in his research concerning the mind and its states of awareness, concluded that peak mental functioning is associated with bilateral hemispheric synchrony.”

[https://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter459/]

Biologically, how does brain sync work?

The left and right hemispheres of our brain are physically separate. The deep groove that separates them is called the longitudinal fissure. There is a band that connects them called the corpus callosum (see image below). The corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve fibers that connects our brain hemispheres, is the bridge or communication center between the two hemispheres.

longitudial fissue and corpus callosum
[http://www.anatomyqa.com/neuro-anatomy/cerebrum-funcion-areas-gyri/]

Studies have shown the corpus callosum is thicker in ambidextrous people and people who meditate.

Studies have shown ambidextrous people (Being ambidextrous technically means equal with both hands) to be better able to read people, see both sides of an issue, and recall details of an event and their context. Better integration and balance of the brain hemispheres allows a better kind of thinking.[2]

A 2012 UCLA School of Medicine study found that the “corpus callosum,” the grand central station-like cable of nerves cross-linking the brain hemispheres, was remarkably stronger, thicker, and more well connected in meditation practitioners.

Dominantly using only one side of your brain, causes shrinkage in the areas of your brain that are not being used, such as the corpus callosum.

Just like building muscles with exercise, you will strengthen and build your corpus callosum with use to be able to more easily communicate between your brain hemispheres.

Brain synchronization and the formation of new neurological connections

It has been shown that brainwave synchronization likely precedes the changes in synapses, or connections between neurons, believed to underlie learning and long-term memory formation.

Through the brain’s neuroplasticity, it’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. [3] Over time you can rewire and reform it use it’s maximum potential.

“If you can change your thoughts from moment to moment, you can’t be doing it by constantly making new connections and breaking them apart in your brain. Plasticity doesn’t happen on that kind of time scale.”

“There’s got to be some way of dynamically establishing circuits to correspond to the thoughts we’re having in this moment, and then if we change our minds a moment later, those circuits break apart somehow. We think synchronized brain waves may be the way the brain does it.”

– Miller, member of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
[http://news.mit.edu/2014/synchronized-brain-waves-enable-rapid-learning-0612]

How to synchronize the brain

There are several ways that brain synchronization can be achieved.

1. Meditation

One of the most effective ways to create left and right brain synchronization is meditation. Meditation balances your left and right brain hemispheres and strengthens your corpus callosum. [8]

“During meditation, the grand central station-like cable of nerves connecting your two brain hemispheres, the corpus callosum — becomes deeply stimulated, much like a joggers legs on a long run.”

[https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/whole_brain_synchronization/]

2. Exercise & Movement

The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Using both sides of your body uses and strengthens both sides of the brain improving coordination.

You can also focus on crossing the midline of your body by touching one side of your body to the other, such as your left hand on your right knee. When doing so, your brain sends signals from one hemisphere to the other.

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

This technique has been used by yogis throughout history to purify the nadis or energy channels in the body. The nasal cycle has been scientifically shown to be linked to the opposite hemispheric dominance.

When your right nostril is dominant, the EEG (electroencephalogram) measured activity in the brain is greater in the left hemisphere of your brain – and vice versa. When the nostril dominance switches, so does the activity of the brain hemisphere.

Follow along with Adriene in the video below to learn how to do Nadi Shodhana.

4. Switching Up Your Routine

If you are normally someone who is logical and analytical, try a free-thinking approach or ideology outside of your normal routine and vice versa. Use your non-dominant hand for activities such as brushing your teeth or eating.

The left brain is better suited for familiar movements, while the right brain is better suited for new ones. Variation in movement activates both sides of your brain.

5. Binaural Beats & Hemi Sync Technology

One of the easiest ways to sync the left and right hemispheres of your brain is through binaural beats. This involves delivering sound waves of sightly different frequencies through headphones into each each to produce brainwave entrainment that follows the difference in hertz between each frequency.

So if one ear is hearing 100 HZ and the other is hearing 107 HZ, there is a difference of 7 HZ and your brain will entrain (or follow) the frequency of 7 HZ, thus falling into theta brainwave frequency. Read more about brainwave frequencies here.

“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.

“By entraining brainwaves with binaural beats using headphones, it is possible to float the brain in this state of hemispheric synchronization for prolonged periods. Each time we do this, it is like exercising a new brain function, which makes the brain more able to engage this function as it’s normal repertoire of behavior,”

“Using sound in these ways, it is possible to make profound changes in brainwave patterns and states of consciousness, observable on brainwave mapping equipment (EEG), as well as positive changes in the body, measurable with blood tests, bio-feedback equipment and other sophisticated procedures. We are also able to influence the core balance and functioning of the brain and central nervous system as a whole.”

– Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. Founder/ Director of The Center for Neuroacoustic  Research in Carlsbad, California [https://scientificsounds.com/index.php/library/neuroacoustics-the-healing-power-of-sound]

Our brains are usually in the beta brainwave frequency of alertness and concentration, so it’s good to entrain your brain back to alpha, theta or delta frequencies, promoting relaxation while syncing your brain hemispheres. To read more about brainwave frequencies, click here.

Hemi-Sync technology is specifically designed to achieve brain synchronization and induce various desired states of consciousness such as deep relaxation or focused attention. [5]

You can also find various videos on brain synchronization by searching online for “brain synchronization binaural beats”.

6. Listening To or Playing A Musical Instrument

Various studies have been done on the effects of music on the brain. Listening to music lights up the large-scale neural networks of the brain associated with emotion (limbic system), listening, motor (movement) skills and creativity.

Playing music is unique because it engages the right brain, through focus on the melody in music. The left hemisphere is responsible for the understanding of musical structure and motor skills when playing the instrument.

Listening to music and playing instruments strengthens the various areas of the brain and their connections and improves the amount of neural response to stimuli for increased coordination and sensitivity. [6, 16, 17]

How do I know when my brain is synchronized?

Good question.

You can tell when you feel clarity of mind, when you feel “in the zone”, awesome ideas are flowing and you feel present and vibrant.

You can also tell by the positive outlook you have on life and the feeling of being unstoppable.

You can also tell by your coordination ability. When you’re playing the guitar smoothly and flawlessly or making shots while playing sports.

You get the idea.

Remember, just like exercise, over time you will strengthen the various regions of the brain responsible for synchronization and facilitate information transfer, optimal thinking, coordination and memory, a balanced neural system and a positive outlook on life.

Not bad huh? You’ll feel like you have superpowers.

Just don’t let it go to your head haha. 😛

References:

  1. Carrington, 1977; Sadigh,1991; Schwartz, Davidson, & Goleman, 1978. https://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter459/
  2. https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/10-key-brain-regions-upgraded-with-meditation-2/
  3. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=40362]
  4. http://sequencewiz.org/2014/08/13/integrating-right-and-left-brain/
  5. https://hemi-sync.com/learn/how-hemi-sync-works/
  6. https://funmusicco.com/how-does-music-stimulate-left-and-right-brain-function-and-why-is-this-important-in-music-teaching/
  7. https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/whole_brain_synchronization/
  8. https://www.gaiameditation.com/whole-brain-synchronization-unlock-full-potential/
  9. http://sequencewiz.org/2014/08/13/integrating-right-and-left-brain/
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFs9WO2B8uI
  11. http://news.mit.edu/2014/synchronized-brain-waves-enable-rapid-learning-0612
  12. https://www.iflscience.com/brain/magic-mushroom-chemical-hyper-connects-brain/
  13. https://npepjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40810-015-0015-7
  14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7555225_The_Role_of_the_Corpus_Callosum_in_Interhemispheric_Transfer_of_Information_Excitation_or_Inhibition
  15. https://scientificsounds.com/index.php/library/neuroacoustics-the-healing-power-of-sound
  16. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/music-and-the-brain-2006-09/
  17. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205081731.htm



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

Leave a comment

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

1 Comment

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

Leave a comment

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/

Working with a life coach

7 Common Misconceptions About Working With A Life Coach

Leave a comment

From “getting it done on your own” to not being “important enough” to warrant life coaching, here are 7 common misconceptions about working with a life coach.

1. A life coach provides solutions.

A life coach does not provide you with the answer or the solution to your problem. A life coach helps you see what you don’t see and will guide you through new ways of thinking to solve the problem. The resolution comes from you; the guidance comes from the life coach.

A life coach will ask you powerful questions to help you discover new ideas or solutions you would not have thought to explore before, which can lead to transformational “a-ha” moments and expanded awareness.

No one knows you better than you know yourself, and there is no better person to design your life than you.

2. Once I hire a life coach, the sessions may go on indefinitely — which gets expensive quickly.

Once you hire a life coach your life will never be the same. A good life coach will equip you with the right tools and a new mindset to use for the rest of your life.

It’s at your discretion to know when you are working through an issue and when you’ve reached a resolution and no longer need the assistance of a life coach. Many clients will work with a coach to solve a specific issue and no longer need a coach once it’s resolved. It could take only one session or more, depending on complexity and severity. You can always choose to work with a coach again for a new issue or not. It’s up to you.

If you are working with a coach and not making the progress you desire in the time that works for you, don’t hesitate to speak up or change coaches.

3. I’m not in a role important enough for a life coach yet.

I am not a celebrity, CEO of an important organization, so I don’t need a life coach.

This common misconception usually keeps people stuck in mediocrity. They believe that what they are doing is not important enough to warrant a life coach’s expertise or that they are not important enough to invest in themselves.

Anytime and every time in your development is the right time to invest in yourself.

4. There are so many life coaches out there, how can I possibly find the right one for me?

Finding the right life coach for you can be daunting.

Many life coaches have a specialized niche that creates the expertise required to help their clients get epic transformational results and make leaps and bounds of progress. So look for a life coach with a specialization in what you are looking for.

It’s important to also consider personality, coaching style and how much you resonate with a specific coach. Fortunately, many coaches offer free initial sessions, so you can find the coach that’s right for you at no cost to you.

5. I can’t afford a life coach.

This goes hand in hand with feeling “not important enough” for life coaching. You most likely already own at least 1-3+ electronic devices worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars and several designer items with a similar price tag. You probably also have expendable income to buy clothes, cool gadgets, fast cars or anything else to take your mind off the fact that you are NOT LIVING THE LIFE YOU KNOW YOU DESERVE.

It’s time to get real with yourself and invest in yourself.

Life coaching is designed to lead to growth, improvements and breakthroughs that outweigh the cost of coaching and end up saving you time and money, getting you the raise you’ve had your eye on for months or saving you from expensive health bills down the road. In many cases the time and energy you save much outweighs the cost of a life coach. Many people end up with benefits of great ROI on the costs. For example, a session or two with a life coach could lead to a substantial raise at your current job, find fulfillment in a new career, or find the love of your life —dramatically shifting your life for the better.

The idea of getting a life coach is to invest in your most valuable asset — yourself — and see a return on that investment.

Hesitating to hire a life coach has an opportunity cost, meaning the money you are missing out on by choosing not to take action on that investment. Once you hire a life coach you will wonder why you didn’t  do it sooner!

6. It doesn’t matter if the coach is certified.

Yes, anyone can be a life coach, but when it comes to selecting a coach, does it matter if they are certified?

Actually, it does.

With a certified life coach you can be certain that they are trained properly as professionals to provide you with a valuable and transformative experience. Without certification, its hit or miss.

You can find a coach that has no certification who is amazing or someone who has their own ideas of coaching that may not align or live up to standards recognized by the International Coaching Federation. 

These standards are globally recognized and can guarantee the coaches credibility in their mission to serve you.

7. I can do it on my own.

Yes, you can do anything.

However, it will most likely take your longer and be significantly more frustrating.

You are limited by your own thoughts and perceptions that you’ve been creating over the course of your life. You have your perspective of the world, that is unique ONLY to you.

Over time, you have developed many skills in various categories, however, you are not a master in everything. Every individual has their own track in life which creates mastery in certain areas.

It’s safe to say that, generally, the part of your life that you are struggling with is an area that you are not an expert in. This is exactly why you hire a life coach who has expertise and experience in THIS SPECIFIC AREA where you have a weakness. It’s perfectly natural and common for you to excel at certain areas of your life and to have room for improvement in other areas of your life.

If you are still wondering if you should hire a life coach, ask yourself,

“Why am I not where I want to be?”

“What have I been dealing with, dreaming about or avoiding for longer than required?”


😉 Hint: If it’s been years and you haven’t made progress, the answer is Yes, hire a life coach and get ready for the life you’ve been dreaming of!

Top 10 reasons to hire a life coach

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Life Coach

Leave a comment

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.

5 Brainwave States You Should Know About

1 Comment

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

1 Comment

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 Mental Masturbation of Personal Development

2 Comments

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.

🙂