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Posts Tagged ‘Universal Mind’

MMN – Good Clues

13 Nov

MMN - Good Clues

Before children go to school they learn more facts, more information about the world, than it takes to get a university degree! Among other things, they learn to walk and to speak, two enormous achievements by any criteria.

Research has shown that 85% of 6 year olds have a positive self esteem and consider themselves to be good learners.  What has happened to the other 15%?  Somehow they have learnt to think less than positively about themselves.  Ten years on there is an even sadder picture - only 16% of 16 year olds are positive about themselves and think they are good learners.

When a young child takes their first faltering steps, they do so in an atmosphere of love and support, of encouragement, and delight in their achievement.  Above all, it’s a fun experience. And remember, falling over (or making mistakes) is all part of the experience – we learn by making mistakes.

Learning to Speak at any age is a Highly Complex Task

The child is motivated by a great need to communicate, yet they must first sort out individual sounds from a seemingly unintelligible jumble of noise, learn that these sounds have meaning, understand rhythm, stress and intonation and master the rudiments of grammar!  Often we correct their mistakes, although some observers have found that children have a marvellous capacity to learn from these ‘mistakes’ and eventually succeed.  Indeed they appear to learn faster if not corrected.  Perhaps if a child is corrected too often, they learn to think less of themselves.  Certainly some leading researchers believe this to be the case.  I am sure you have heard that research has shown that you can start teaching children as young as six months foreign languages just by exposure to a language and that by 3 they can be multi lingual.

Pressures of Examinations and a Good Clue

What is it that happens to our children as they move through school?  One pressure they are faced with almost immediately they begin school and it increases as they get older, is the dreaded and feared “examination”.  Almost from the start they are tested and graded, measured against each other or some other standard, which may have no meaning to the children themselves.  Some children appear to thrive on the pressure of competition.  Unfortunately many others soon develop an attitude of failure, learning very quickly that no-one expects much of a ‘failure’ and therefore the pressure is off.

Examination, particularly the HSC, places enormous strain and restriction on students and teachers alike.

Nevertheless they appear to be here to stay, in the foreseeable future at least.  What we can do is to teach children how to learn more effectively in the school environment – to encourage them to keep learning the way they have from birth, to learn in such a way that utilises all of the amazing abilities and capacity of our brain – the greatest computer ever designed!

A good clue is to use mind mapping. It was made famous by Tony Buzan (although many people used mind mapping or mind scapes or mind charts before Tony Buzan), and is a widely accepted method of making notes, planning essays and projects, developing understanding, thinking and analysis skills, and increasing retention and recall.  It also develops creativity and encourages the use of the imagination, even in the traditionally ‘logical, left-brain’ subject areas.  Children can be taught many techniques that mimic the natural learning processes of the brain.  Learning becomes easier, more creative, more fun.

I have a number of helpful products in this area

A useful website is www.studentstepstosuccess.com

The book Student Steps to Success is available as a download and in hard copy format.

A useful meditation is Achieving in Exams and Effective Study - available as a download and in CD format.

Self-confidence is always a huge issue and a useful meditation is -available as a download and in CD format.

My one-day Student Seminar titled The Learn Faster Kit – is on 2 DVDs, 7 CDs, a book and a workbook.

How to Learn is all Important

MMN - Good CluesMany students need to improve their chances of doing well in our current education system.  One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is to teach them how to learn….

And use sophisticated mind mapping, analysing and thinking skills, structuring and writing essays, improving reading and comprehension, and developing perfect memory and recall, all using the infinite power of our amazing brain.

The fact that we all talk to ourselves 50-60,000 times a day, emphasizes the huge impact this must be having on our subconscious mind.  Take notice of how many negative words you hear when you keep your ears tuned to listen for them. You may be astonished at how many you might hear … I can’t… What a pain in the neck… I forgot…

Their meaning, their impact is pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Imagine this … you’re a contestant on a Quiz Show and  it’s the final ‘mad minute,’ scores are tied, and the last question is…

“What are the 8 steps to program your goals in your subconscious mind?”

$100,000 worth of prizes and $150,000 in cash is yours if you can press the buzzer and give the answer…. can you?

If you can’t it’s time for a refresher, isn’t it? Come to the CHI Seminar in Tassie (it is at a $300 OFF price which pays for your airfares).

How to ‘kick-start’ your day, and keep it running….

You probably didn’t jump out of bed this morning and immediately think - ‘I must Switch-On my brain.’  More likely, you thought about switching on the gas or the electric jug, for that all important morning heart starter. Yet according to medical science, switching on your brain is precisely what you should do, and continue to do throughout the day.  Why?

Because, for memory to take place scientists have proven that Left/Right brain communication must take place.

One important thing to know is that the ‘creative’ side works 40 to 400 times faster than the ‘analytical’ side, and in each of us, one side is usually dominant.  Hence the excitement builds when you realise that accelerated learning comes…. when you can get both sides working together as a team.  How?  It’s easy!  You just do certain exercises as prescribed by a certified Kinesiologist.  (Kinesiology means the study of motion, in particular the study of how muscles act and co-ordinate the body.) An exercise I mentioned recently (in this Mind Matters News), designed to integrate the brain, is called the ‘lazy-eight.’  This activity trains you brain to switch between left and right sides easily and it’s great  if you want a spark of Creativity before approaching any task.

All the best!

Sandy MacGregor

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Posted in Active Meditation, alpha brain wave state, Awareness, Body, Body Connection, Brain, CALM Techniques, Children, conscious and the subconscious mind, Conscious Mind, Creating Happiness Intentionally (CHI), Excitement, Freedom, Good Clues, Happiness, Improve Concentration, Improved, Inner Peace & Harmony, Intelligence, Learning, Life's Purpose, MInd, Mind and Body, Self Growth, Self Help, Self Improvement, Self Improvement Deals, self love, Self Motivation, Self talk, Self Talk Process, Subconscious, subconscious habit, Subconscious Mind

 

About Loneliness

08 Nov

About LonelinessLoneliness is a subject which in some ways is also linked to friendship (or lack of friends), possibly lack of self esteem, and depression. I received quite a large response from my previous email about friendship and I have included in this MMN some of the responses, below.

Loneliness is not the same thing as being alone.  Many of us seek time alone to emotionally recharge, to reflect or to explore our creativity or hobby.  Being along is often a choice whereas loneliness is not something we choose.  Paradoxically a feeling of loneliness can be experienced even when one is not alone, but rather amongst a crowd of people.  When loneliness is experienced in a crowd of people, it can be even more isolating and make us feel disconnected in a frightening way.  Loneliness may be felt as a result of a lack of love in our life and can be as devastating as the feeling of grief after losing a loved one.

 

Relationship Breakdowns

After the breakdown of a relationship we may feel abandoned, rejected, unworthy and insecure and this can lead to a feeling of loneliness.  A period of recovery from this sort of grief is necessary and eventually it is important for our mental health to move on and resume a useful and enjoyable life where we once again feel lovable, accepted and valued.

Of course, apart from the loss of a loved one, there are other circumstances in life which can lead to loneliness.  Almost any socially unsettling event such as moving to a new area, the birth of a child, a child leaving home, living in an isolated area – these  can all be the cause of loneliness.  Even within a marriage or close relationship, loneliness can be experienced when there is lack of communication and anger and resentment build up.  Learning to adapt to a new reality and find ways of reconnecting ourselves is important.

 

Challenges With the Pace of ”Living”

With today’s fast living style, close personal friends are often not highly valued and nurtured but are abandoned in place of social networking and  “internet friends”.  This is a great loss and the loss of true personal connection can lead to a feeling of isolation and loneliness.  Keep in mind that all friendships are important and not just those of a romantic nature.  As people initially share small things together this can lead to eventually sharing innermost feelings, which of course may take time, but friendships can evolve and be cemented.  Nobody will ever be exactly the same as us, so respect and accept the differences.

About LonelinessPursue your interests and hobbies and join a social club or sports group, or other interest group such as bush-walking, bush-care, music, art, theatre, scrabble, Bridge. Take up walking and offer a smile to others along the way – if you’re feeling lonely yourself it will make you feel better and more connected and it also just may help somebody else. Involve yourself in some  voluntary work – thinking about helping others can take the focus off self introversion and self obsessiveness and can help with self esteem.  When you learn to respect and value yourself you can come to enjoy your own company and eventually others will too.  Taking care with your diet and your physical health can also improve your self esteem.

Deprivation of freedom as a form of punishment has always been present in society and enforced loneliness as in solitary confinement is sometimes used as a more extreme form of punishment and sometimes even torture.  This is just one more aspect of loneliness and hopefully one that not many of us will have to face.

 

Research Paper

If you scroll down to the Editor’s Summary on this Research Paper about Social Relationships (from two universities from USA)  I think you’ll find it interesting.

Every human being will experience loneliness at some stage in their life – even if it is the first time you are away from home and familiar surroundings.
So Sandy, know that loneliness is not a permanent state and may be an indication of some need that is missing.  Improve your self confidence meditation CD #10 or the Instant Download Self talk is very important – keep it positive and use the Peaceful Place technique in meditation CD #18 or the Instant Download Here.

Some Great “Friendship” Responses

    Hi Sandy! Even though I haven’t corresponded with you for ages I do appreciate the newsy updates you send me and the wisdom in the thoughts expressed.
    This one on Friendship I felt an impulse to respond to as I absolutely agree with the sentiments and suggestions.
    Among many courses and classes I have facilitated over the last 30 plus years was one that we did for about 16 years called “Building Self-confidence” and as part of it we emphasized friendship, awareness of the negativity of others (even when kindly meant),  and the freedom one experiences when “taking responsibility for self ”.  Simple wisdom’s that we often saw had the power to change participant’s lives  -  so I am really glad to see from your newsletter that people are still asking the questions and listening to the answers.  Keep up the good work.   N.T.  Vic.

   2. Another definition which I gleaned from somewhere was that “Friends are people who share common values”. I find this a very useful viewpoint from which to analyse relationships. We might extrapolate the definition to one of “overlapping values” because it would be very rare to find two people who share ALL their values. This ties in with Sandy’s definition of Integrity – do your values match your goals?? So it is that as I am often teamed up with diverse persons in the workplace, I can work with the “good” in each one. But what’s the definition of “good” in that context? I suggest that I am simply coupling up with the values which we have in common, and doing my best to respect but ignore any of their values which I don’t want in my portfolio!
    So I might say that my best friends have (say) 95% overlap with my values while it is unlikely that I will be friends with someone with less than say 75% overlap, and people with 50% will be at best acquaintances or colleagues.  B.S.  Tas.
And from a good friend of mine:
Didn’t know I needed encouragement mate … however, you might follow this up with how to get and keep a friend.

1.      Reach out to fellows whether you know them or not.
2.      Give more than you get.
3.      Communicate well. Remember two ears – one mouth.
4.      Always be there but don’t get in the road.
B.C.  NSW.

    I must say that I haven’t been doing the Peaceful Place often enough. However I believe that it does have a very positive influence on the way that I think.
I suppose I don’t give myself enough time to do it, basically, which, when I think about it, is a pretty lame reason. I’m a farmer and so it always feels like something has to be done around the place and I don’t allow enough time for meditation. In writing this though, I have just understood the fact that I have to take time out to do it. It is worth doing because of the positive influence it has on my mind.
Thankyou .  H.A.  NSW

    Thank you for your wonderful informative emails, they really keep my thoughts on track. I particularly enjoyed having my thoughts revised on “friendship”.
     Being an only child, friends my own age are what I place importance on and I have retained my school friends.  I have discovered that those who are not true friends really don’t appreciate it if your life is going too well. Fair weather friends are for the birds and hard times seem to sort the wheat from the chaff. There is nothing as good as a true friend.
    Thank you again Sandy – I find your emails on these topics so interesting. C.W.  NSW.
     Hello to all in the CALM team! MMN is always inspiring, particularly as it usually sparks other thoughts and ideas.
    But this one takes me back a long way, well before I first heard Sandy in 1992, and I would like to share a couple of comments in case they are helpful for anyone or will progress this discussion:
   1. A book which shaped my philosophy about relationships whilst in my 20′s was “Intimacy and Solitude” by Stephanie Dowrick. It’s many years since I’ve looked at it but it had “answers” to the questions posed in MMN.

About Loneliness

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Posted in Acceptance, Anger, Anxiety, anxious, Aspects of Anger, Awareness, Behaviour therapy, Brain, CALM Techniques, Challenges, Conscious Mind, Forgetting, Forgive, Forgiveness, Freedom, Happiness, Harmony, Healing, Hopelessness, Inner Peace, Inner Peace & Harmony, Inner Self, Inner Voice, Kindness, Life, Life and Forgiveness, Life Purpose, Mind Matters, Mind of God, Self, Self - Confidence, Self Anger, Self Forgiveness, Self Growth, Self Help, Self Improvement, Self Improvement Deals, self love, Self Motivation, Self talk, Subconscious Mind, Universal Mind

 

Creativity is a Skill that can be Developed

27 Sep

Creativity is a Skill that can be DevelopedCreativity is such a diverse word and can have a whole spectrum of meaning. There is the sheer joy of the feeling of achievement of having created something – no matter in what field.

A dressmaker feels it after creating from scratch a new outfit; a musician, author, artist, chef, sports person, a reader …. Even if you’re not on the world’s stage but just creating in your own home or office.

Creativity is a skill, like riding a bicycle or operating a computer, that can be learned and developed with practice.
In the work place There seems to be a direct relationship between the quantity of new ideas that you generate in your work, and the level of success that you achieve. I think that if you improve the quality of your thinking, you improve the quality of your life.

Some of the ideas below which can be implemented right now, are more appropriate to a company or work situation, but nevertheless may be of interest to individual application.

Thoughts You Can Use to Expand Your Creativity

Every single idea that improves the way we live and work, in large or small ways, is an act of creativity.

In his/her line of sight, each average worker sees improvements that can be made and Successful companies encourage a steady flow of suggestions and ideas for improving the way the work is done. Small incremental improvements to cut costs, increase quality, boost customer satisfaction, etc., can translate into huge increases in profitability.

Happy, valued and appropriately rewarded employees and executives are more creative. People can have a natural tendency to resist new ideas but it can help with creativity to move out of your Comfort Zone and sometimes take some calculated risks and be open to new ways of doing things. Optimism, cheerfulness, positive expectancy and laughter can all trigger creativity.

1. Three Triggers to Creativity

Creativity is a Skill that can be DevelopedNormal creativity is stimulated by three things:
a. Intensely desired goals. Intense emotion of any kind is a stimulant or trigger to creativity. The more you want something, the more likely it is you will find creative ways to accomplish it. What are your most intensely desired goals?
b. Pressing problems. What are the most pressing problems facing you at this time?
c. Focused questions. The more precise and focused the questions, the more rapidly the creative reflex operates to generate workable answers – not sure about this one.

2. Problem Solving Made Simple

Any organised method of problem solving can be more effective in generating higher-quality solutions than no method at all. Here are seven steps you can follow:
a. Define the problem clearly—in writing.
b. Read; research; gather information; get the facts. Many problems exist simply because no one has gathered sufficient information about them.
c. Discuss the problem with others; ask questions of informed people; consult experts and others who may have had a similar problem in the past.
d. Try consciously to solve the problem. Consider every possible alternative.
e. If you still have not found a solution, turn the problem over to your subconscious mind, and get your conscious mind busy elsewhere.
f. Review the problem just before sleeping, and ask your subconscious for a solution.
g. Be prepared to write down the answer and act on it when it appears.

3. Brainstorming

Brainstorming can be a powerful and effective way to solve problems and achieve goals – a way of using focused questions for concentrating the power of your mind.
a. Write your most pressing problem or most keenly desired goals at the top of a page in the form of a clear question (for example, “What can we do to increase our sales by 20 percent in the next 90 days?”)
b. Force yourself to write 20 answers to the question, without stopping. (If you haven’t done this before, it could be difficult at first.)
c. Review the answers, and select at least one for implementation immediately.
d. The more you practice this method, the more creative and alert you will become.

4. Questioning to Stimulate Creativity

The creative mind is stimulated and triggered into action by focused questions. The more questions you ask, and the better they are, the more accurate and creative will be your thinking. Some examples:
a. What are you trying to do?
b. How are you trying to do it?
c. What result or outcome do you desire?
d. How could you approach it? Is there a better way?
e. What are your assumptions?
f. Could they be wrong?

5. Developing the Qualities of Genius

a. They have the ability to concentrate single-mindedly, 100 percent, on one thing, to the exclusion of all distractions.
One method: Write down every detail of the problem you are working on right now. “Swarm all over it.” Focus totally on solving your most important problem.
b. They have the ability to see the big picture. They remain open-minded flexible, almost childlike in examining every possible way of approaching a problem.
c. They take a systematic, orderly approach to solving each problem. They ask questions such as: Why? Why not? Why not this way? Could there be another way? They have the ability to suspend judgment and to avoid becoming attached to, or enamoured of, their own idea.

Creativity is a Skill that can be Developed6. Mind-Stimulating Exercises

Here are some key questions to stimulate your creativity:
a. What are your three most important goals in life right now?
b. What are your three most pressing problems right now?
c. Describe the ideal outcome you desire from a problem facing you right now.
d. What one thing would you dare to attempt if you knew you could not fail?

7. Identifying Key Obstacles

Creativity must be focused on removing the most important obstacle to your success.
a. What is the major obstacle that stands between you and your major goal right now?
b. What could you do right now to be removing it?
c. In every process, there is a “limiting step” that determines the speed at which the goal will be accomplished. What is the limiting step in your work?

8. Using the Subconscious Mind to Tap Your Creativity

Well – you know what I believe – yes – the deliberate use of the Subconscious mind – the other 88% of the mind. I have a meditation process called “Tapping Your Creativity” which is available as a CD here or available as an immediate download. I encourage you to read the success stories below.

Two Quick Stories

R. Buckminster Fuller was a man of many talents – he is considered as one of the greatest innovators of the 20th century. His entire adult life was spent as an inventor – practical, inexpensive shelter and transportation, engineer, architect – the best known creation in this field is the geodesic dome – poet, and star-gazer. Most importantly, “Bucky,” as his friends referred to him, was a creative thinker. He was responsible for the invention, development, and implementation of over 170 patented ideas. He published more than 30 books and made fifty-seven trips around the world sharing his abundant supply of ideas with others. As a young, nonconforming student, Fuller was expelled from Harvard in his freshman year. His enthusiasm and creativity remained undampened. Fuller would often spend up to 22 hours a day studying math, architecture, and physics.

His self-acquired knowledge, combined with his creative ideas, made him a man ahead of his time and a leading innovator.

Murray Spangler developed a mindset similar to Bucky Fuller’s. As a department store janitor, Spangler suffered considerable discomfort from the dust his broom stirred up. The wheezing and coughing prompted him to find an unconventional way to clean floors. “Why not eliminate the sweeping,” he thought, “and suck up the dust instead.” His friend, H.W. Hoover, financed the first awkward but functional vacuum cleaner. Spangler’s futuristic, uncluttered thinking allowed him to overcome personal discomfort and go beyond conventional thinking.

So, know that Creativity is a skill that can be developed. I have used the CD I spoke about in number 8 above to come up with all my product including seminars, books, CDs, DVDs and Packs – it was like the ideas kept coming by deliberately using the subconscious mind!

All the best

Sandy

 

“Your gift from God is your potential – Your gift to God is to use it.”

 

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Posted in Acceptance, Active Meditation, Alpha Brainwave, Alpha Brainwave State, Awareness, CALM Techniques, conscious and the subconscious mind, Conscious Mind, Creativity, Enhancing Creativity, Habits, Happiness, Influence of The Subconscious, MInd, Mind and Body, Mind Connection, Mind Matters, Mind of God, Peace of Mind, Peaceful, Personal Growth, Self - Confidence, Self Forgiveness, Self Growth, Self Help, Self Improvement, Self Improvement Deals, Self Motivation, Subconscious, Subconscious Mind, Subconscious Mind In Learning

 

Ideas Regarding Self-Improvement

09 Aug

Ideas Regarding Self-ImprovementOne of the constants in life is change and our life experiences constantly change all of us. All of us have different life experiences with various events that happen which automatically effect and stretch us in some way and teach us assorted life lessons. We learn – mostly from negative experiences – these are our life experiences! We gradually learn to manage life’s hurdles and challenges which will be ever present. Indeed we are always learning!

Rivalry and competition are stronger in our society than ever before. New technology is with us at every turn which makes it imperative to constantly update our knowledge and skills to retain an edge for getting the work we want. Paying attention to our own self-improvement is crucial. In this way you will retain your advantage and flexibility in most circumstances.

Balance and Awareness

Having balance in your life helps to create the life you want. Recognise what you enjoy doing and what you’re good at and concentrate on refining and improving those talents.

You need to be aware of aiming for self-improvement and take steps to make it happen. You will need to find the right tools and aids to advance you along the path of self-improvement and this may take a bit of financial outlay for books, seminars or other aids.

To achieve self-improvement it is important for each of us to be responsible for our own thoughts, actions and behaviour. Furthermore we may need to relinquish or modify certain attitudes such as excessive anger, bullying, judgements and accusations.

Do You Have the Skills to Change?

Sometimes we want to and sometimes we need to change. Everyone of course is different and what approach we take to change or to handle change will vary. This deliberate change could be called self-improvement and generally there is room for self-improvement in every person’s life. A good question is – how to start?

How do people find out how and where to start? As we work towards our differing aspirations we can often realise that we don’t have the skills needed to change our life. Many people consider doing something to improve their life and because they don’t know how or where to start it becomes too easy to shelve the idea.

Look Inside and be Open to Creating Self-Improvement?

Focusing on the inner self is a good way to go. I’ll be happy when thoughts never really work – like ……….. I’ll be happy when – I get a better job, have a committed relationship – or when – something else happens in my life. Perhaps you believe that you really will be happy when – that certain something materialises. It may be your belief that being wealthy would buy you happiness – it doesn’t work. Happiness is a decision! You choose to be happy.

Of great importance is our own self-esteem, self-acknowledgement and self-love..

Do goals properly by using the subconscious mind. Setting Goals in Personal, Positive and Present Tense language and then checking all goals with SMART – that is, specific, measurable, achievable, reality and time-based when necessary is the only sensible way to achieve success.

Cultivating the self-discipline and responsibility to head in the right direction for achievement of this is important. Create good habits of positive self-talk, doing goals five times a day and making sure you actively meditate are all essentials of Self-Improvement. Know yourself, your life purpose, your aptitudes together with your special talents.

Some Ideas on How to Achieve Self-Improvement

Ideas Regarding Self-Improvement1. Find out about techniques and ways to handle difficulties and the tough times.

2. Learn to give up hatred and blame and free yourself from resentment and negative thinking.

3. Choose to be responsible for all aspects of your life.

4. Set specific, achievable goals.

5. Learn how to increase your self esteem and confidence.}

6. Learn how to be selective and say “No” when necessary to help reduce stress and look after yourself. For stress reduction ask for the help of others and practise daily meditation and healthy habits of eating and exercise.

7. Surrender graciously and adapt to those things you cannot change.

8. Developing emotional intelligence will help you to be in control of your emotions. By developing emotional intelligence it will increase your ability to understand not only yourself but other people and their feelings.

So, working towards self-acceptance and self love is a good place to start. Have faith in yourself. Focusing on self-improvement will lead you towards an improved and more contented life. Skills will be developed to assist you towards an improved lifestyle and performance. Your effect on others will be positive and you will contribute to making the world a better place.

All the best

Sandy

“Your gift from God is your potential – Your gift to God is to use it.”

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What Are Others Saying?

02 Aug

What Are Others Saying?

Have you ever known what it is you want to write about but the words don’t come! That’s how I felt when I was preparing this Mind Matters News. I’ll write down what I want to write about and see where it leads me. Have you noticed the number of books which have come out following the release of that international phenomenon – “The Secret”? The book and in particular the DVD have introduced many millions (I would venture in excess of a hundred million) to the fact that each and every one of us can influence our own destiny.

The Real Secret

The real secret is not so much the Law of Attraction, as is the fact that we actually have the power!

No, that’s not what I want to write about – I have done that in Mind Matters News and this Mind Matters News. I want to draw attention to the major topic of the new books that are around in the area of personal development. The topics flirted with include personal power, happiness, who are you, passion, talent, money, keys of the Law of Attraction, and more. Most mention Purpose of Life or Life Purpose.

I started teaching about Life Purpose by conducting a 4-Day live-in Life Purpose Seminar, titled Creating Happiness Intentionally (CHI) in 1994. It was a play on the word Chi (life energy) in so far as saying we use our own energy to determine and direct us where we want to go. How do we use our own energy? By going within. How? By meditating. In this meditation state, driven by our conscious mind, we can contact our inner guidance (our Higher Self), we can work with our intuition (yes, we all do have this), we can remember significant dreams, we can ask questions and get answers. We can learn what we want to do in life.

So what?

That’s just the beginning! If you work at your goals and then use the 8-Steps of “Putting it All Together” to achieve them faster, then in what direction will you go in life? Yes, towards your goals … and what comes as a result of moving towards your goal? There is a huge sense of satisfaction and feelings of positivity … and happiness is the end result. By moving in the the direction of our goals we are getting on track! On track with what? On track with our Life’s Purpose!

So by summarising all our goals – making sure that most are in different areas of our lives so that we achieve balance and harmony, we can come up with a Life Purpose Statement. The statement itself summarises all the goals and directs you to where you want to go. Can this change? Of course it can! So I say Life Purpose Now … it’s like a 5-year plan of life.

It would be remiss of me to say life is all “beer and skittles”. It’s not! It’s full of challenges, blocks, doubts, self limiting beliefs and experiences. All the experiences are lessons for our soul. Where else do we get huge lessons from if it’s not “the bad stuff” ? This is how we learn. However, much of our belief patterns and experiences can cause traumas which we need to identify, acknowledge and learn from … and move through. They can be blocks to life’s progress and physically stop us from getting to where we want to go … if they’re not dealt with.

In 2000 I also published a book of the same name as the seminar – CHI – and the book includes all the aspects of the CHI Seminar, including the exercises and meditations. When I spent 3 months in USA in 2004 I investigated publishing books and was told that the next big topic in the Self Development world was Happiness, Life Purpose and Forgiveness. I felt as though I was on track!

Where to Find What Others are Saying

What Are Others Saying?Here are some recently published books I purchased to see what I could learn:

* “Life Lessons” – co-authored by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and others.
* “The Passion Test” by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood.
* “Keys to Living the Law of Attraction” by Jack Canfield (who was the author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul”) and D D Watkins.
* “Who do You Think you Are” by Keith Leon – this is 65 interview with the current greats in personal development about discovering their life purpose.
* “Money & The Law of Attraction” by Esther and Jerry Hicks which claims to be the channelled “Teachings of Abraham”.
* “Happy for No Reason” by Marcia Shimoff who was the co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul”.

There is a veritable cornucopia of information in these books and they all cover the topic of “Life Purpose”. Are they very different from the conclusions reached in “Creating Happiness Intentionally”? Not really and actually I do think my CHI book tells “how” to arrive at Life’s Purpose.

I like this paragraph from Jack Canfield’s book “Key to Living the Law of Attraction”:

Find your purpose and passion in life.

Each one of us is born with a unique life purpose. We are all here for a reason, and we are all here to serve each other. We are like individual cells in a body, each of us performing our own unique functions and collectively serving the being as a whole. A life of purpose is not only a true expression of who you really are – it is your gift to the world – and the world needs what you have to offer. When you are living your life “on purpose,” you will find greater fulfillment and joy in all that you do. The universe will support you in all of your endeavors when you are living in alignment with your purpose, your passion, and your inner truth.

KISS

My wife, daughter, son and others have encouraged me to KISS … Keep it Simple … and brief. It’s a challenge for me as once I get “carried away”, there’s no stopping me. It’s a sad fact of modern life that we’re all ultra busy and inundated with emails and other forms of media … things to read, things to do. Time is of the most precious essence. I hope you find time to read my Mind Matters News Reports. Do I have a New Year’s Resolution? Yes … to make these Mind Matters News inspirational and pithy so that you will have the time to read them!

I am grateful for the feedback I received from my last Mind Matters News on Mental Toughness. Somebody passed this on and as a result I may be going to Switzerland next year. So please do feel free to share these Reports with others if you feel inclined to do so and I welcome your feedback.

So, I think what really matters is that we all get on track and lead a purposeful life.

Sandy MacGregor

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Life’s Purpose – A Personal Experience

31 Jul

Life's Purpose - A Personal ExperienceI often ask people who have attended the Creating Happiness Intentionally (CHI) Seminar for updates on how they are going. Recently I spoke to Barry Daniels who offered to put in writing where he’s up to with his Life’s Journey. I thought that what Barry wrote was really special to share with you, so I am devoting this entire Mind Matters News, with his permission, to his personal journey.

Barry writes…

Like many others I have had quite a journey through life, which has included loss of all physical assets, loss of career, loss of trusted relationships, loss of loved ones, loss of status. All within a 3 year period.

I am an avowed student and admirer of the easy to learn techniques developed by Sandy and it was what I learned through doing Sandy’s Seminars, and in particular his live-in 4-Day Life’s Purpose Seminar – CHI, that has helped me turn my life around and focus on my own Life’s Purpose. Progress and change for me, in the major part, has been due to attending Sandy’s CHI seminar in March 2006, a 4 day event that opened a whole new perspective on the world.

Sandy is a living example of a man who has heeded the call of his own Life’s Purpose.

But more than this, Sandy imparted a new kit-bag of easy to understand and apply life skills, from which I can draw upon, and build as my knowledge and confidence grows.

Very practical, down-to-earth and easily applied techniques which I could apply immediately. A workshop for change that is real, and with disciplined effort on my part, LASTING!

A Work in Progress

I think of my Life’s Purpose as a Work-In-Progress, not a revolution, rather an evolution.

What a wonderful gift. I am reminded of the story we have all heard, “How do you feed a hungry man? Don’t give him fish but rather teach him to fish! “

So how did I get to this point in my life, what happened for me with my journey to my Life’s Purpose?

I am just a typical Aussie guy, just turned 50. To give you an insight into my personal story, I have been married for 27 years, and we have teenage children, in fact, we are nearly empty nesters, but not quite. We have 19 year old triplets … 2 girls and a boy and a 21 year old girl. And 2 dogs who are of course both very special members of our family.

In a nutshell, my childhood was one which had no discipline or boundaries. I was left to my own devices and raised in a dysfunctional family. Both my parents suffered to varying degrees from Bi Polar, with regular bouts in and out of psychiatric institutions and they separated weeks after my birth. I went from one foster home to another and finally became a Ward of the State from age 11 to 18 during which time I lived with foster parents who were from a Plymouth Brethren Christian background and lived in the middle class suburbs of Melbourne. At the end of those 7 years I was unceremoniously kicked out, admittedly after some not so wise behaviour on my part.

My departure occurred weeks before commencing my study for an engineering degree, and without accommodation, resulting in me living in, and carrying all my worldly goods in, my car for a few weeks before finding accommodation in a 3 berth Caravan under a car port. This was to be my home for the next 5 years, whilst I studied for my engineering degree, which I completed by age 22 before marrying at age 23.

Life's Purpose - A Personal ExperienceSuccess Before the Fall

Fortunately my oldest brother being a successful property developer, was able to provide me with much needed work, and moreover property investment skills for which I have always been grateful. I worked for him on weekends, and any public holidays I could, along with the obligatory weekend Friday & Saturday evening stints at the Golden Arches, all whist still living in the caravan.

The next 20 years saw the creation of 4 companies, 400 staff and an eventual failed public listing in the middle of the dot com malaise. Everything then evaporated within 2 years with a $40M collapse of my group in 2001. We sold off all our family’s physical assets to pay creditors, and I then had to manage my brother’s affairs and become his carer after he suffered a massive stroke, all whilst assisting my sister over a 12 month battle with cancer in 2004, which saw her leave this earth to freedom in 2005.

Two Quick Stories

Here’s a story of a friend whom I see each day at the same café. He’s 59 and retired 9 years ago due to stress and diabetes, yet he looks like a marathon runner! How can this be, as he also has other health issues?

He believes his health issues are all due to stress. Stress of speed at work, urgent demands, lack of meaning in his job, no leadership, and false signals of urgency every day. Everything was said to be Important and Urgent, but what he found was that although tasks may have been important … none were really urgent. Yet his management treated all his delegated tasks and projects as urgent.

One example he quotes, being just before he had his first heart attack, was when he had been handed a project on his desk to attend to, which his manager stated was urgent. Well 6 weeks later when he returned to his desk, guess, what? He found the same file sitting on his desk, the same folder that he was told, was very urgent, 6 weeks earlier, before being rushed off to hospital after the heart attack.

I am also reminded of another dear friend of mine, Greg aged 54 who was diagnosed with 4 cancerous tumours in his liver in August 2008. Greg and I lunch every 4 – 6 weeks, and during one of our lunches, not long after Greg had been diagnosed, he made a remarkable comment on his life, and career. He stated that he felt he had been living two lives – one that everybody knew, as a Real Estate Agent, and another, where he felt he should have followed another career in philosophy or related field.

The Importance of Life’s Purpose and Knowing You’re on Track

Greg’s comment was like one of those light bulb moments. I had always felt in the 15 years I had known him, he should never have been a Real Estate Agent. It just was not him.

And, maybe we all need to learn the long lost skills of slowing down and assessing what is important, and what is urgent, and what is both.

Knowing our life’s purpose can prevent us spending valuable moments forever reacting to others views of what is urgent, what is important, all the while being so busy that we are too rushed to hear the messages or notice the signs, the co-incidences, where life is trying to show us our Life Purpose and journey.

How many of us are living lives which we wonder deep down, are not really where we should be?

If we are heading along the journey of uncovering our Life’s Purpose we start to create a framework as to how what we do each day measures against our Life’s Purpose.

Time and space do not allow me to elaborate on all the tools I have learned through attending Sandy’s CHI Seminar which led me to the realisation of my Life’s Purpose. And of course I wouldn’t want to spoil the wonderful processes that unfold during the four days. Treat yourself to this wonderful retreat and the unfolding of your own personal Life’s Purpose Now! There is no greater gift you could give yourself.

Happy Travelling, enjoy the journey of discovery, just make the decision to start NOW.

Sometimes it takes courage to step out and claim your life. Take up Sandy’s challenge of stepping through the “Black Door” … you never know what’s on the other side.

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Barry’s story. I do encourage you to explore more about Life’s Purpose – what I do is here www.lifepurpose.com.au and ……. information about a great two day stepping stone (including peoples stories of success) which is to be held on 27/28 March is here.

Sandy MacGregor

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Research is Confirming the Value of Forgiveness

26 Jul

Research is Confirming the Value of ForgivenessI get a shiver of excitement each time I see something that scientifically validates ideas that I have believed and been putting forward for quite a while now. Everyone knows by now that I am a “prove-it-to-me” type of person – thus my excitement at more proof! Remember, 25 years ago when my son Andrew used techniques to save his leg from amputation, using these same techniques today has been scientifically validated and is now called psycho-neuro-immunology. I have believed for some time that forgiveness is a prime component of happiness and can in fact lead to happiness. Now there is some compelling research, a book Dare to Forgive by Dr Edward M. Hallowell, a Harvard psychiatrist and two articles on the subject that I have seen recently, which show that the lack of forgiveness can have serious health consequences. In other words, to put it positively – Forgiveness leads to a plethora of both mental and physiological advantages. Surely happiness is the result!

Dare to Forgive

In his book Dr Hallowell, who has thoroughly researched the subject, states that learning to forgive is a process …… not a moment. Furthermore learning to forgive is as important as learning to say please and thank you. Imagine that! ……. you do forgiveness every day just as you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’!

Dr Hallowell says research has shown that anger, worry, stress and tension lead to high blood pressure, a lowered immune system, colds, headaches, effects your sex life and all of this puts pressure on your heart. Forgiveness has a direct bearing on all of these negatives – improving all of them. He likens learning to forgive as a way of healing these negative emotions, and being of the same importance as for example somebody exercising and modifying their diet to control blood pressure.

Anger affects lung function

Dr Rosalind Wright, an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, did a study, the results of which were published on 31st of August 2006 (online edition of Thorax). In an article about Dr Wright’s work which Amanda Gardner wrote for Health Day Reporter, she said Hostility and anger have been strongly linked with many other health problems in older adults, including heart disease and asthma. These emotions also appear to have an impact on chronic airway obstruction, suggesting that they could also effect the lungs.

To see if there was a link between anger and hostility and a way the lungs work, Wright and her colleagues examined 670 men aged 45 to 86.

Levels of hostility, measured at the beginning of the study in 1986, averaged 18.5 points on a standard scale, with values ranging from 7 to 37 points. Lung function appeared to decline as anger numbers rose, and vice-versa.
Over the next eight years, the researchers re-calculated the men’s lung function three different times. Men who scored poorly in lung function at the beginning of the study were worse at each subsequent measurement, they said.

The above appears to be proof that carrying hostility and anger affects our own lungs. So why do it? There is a ready-made remedy, which is forgiveness and self forgiveness. I have said so many times that forgiveness is personal, no one else needs to know, and thus forgiveness is for the forgiver and not the forgiven.

Let it go.

Let it go it was an article by Kelly Baker published in the Sunday Telegraph on 15th of July 2007. It’s worth a read and you can Google it. Besides quoting Hallowell and a Sydney psychotherapist, Susannah Paterson, who extols the virtues of letting go and forgiveness, Kelly Baker writes -

Susannah Paterson says: “In our Western, capitalist society there’s so much pressure to just move on and forget” she explains. “Whether our bad experience is major or just something small, many of us are in an enormous hurry to let go. We want to get better and get back to normal, but grief is a process and it takes time to move through it.
? Many people suffer great trauma and grief and in the end all of us will experience some grief. Why? Because, unfortunately suffering is part of life. That’s something we can all think about from time to time. If we did we might find we were better able to cope when tragedy stuck.

I often say with trauma or loss or dealing with any negative experience, from ill-health to divorce, it is the negative emotions and the negative self talk that are harmful – and there is a lot of solid research to show this. When negative self talk gets a hold and becomes a habit this leads to depression. 60,000 times a day we talk to ourselves and when negative self talk becomes a habit we become unaware of it. Awareness of our thoughts is a great key – then we can do something about it.

Happiness

Research is Confirming the Value of ForgivenessSo, harbouring bitterness, anger, resentment, guilt, judgments and more doesn’t help anyone. If another person is involved or has contributed to any of the above then these emotions harboured within yourself don’t have any effect on the other person. However they do have a detrimental physiological effect on you. Your health suffers and by being bitter and angry you affect others around you.

I have friends who after a trauma, particularly the death of a loved one, have ended their long marriage purely because one partner wanted to move on and the other was stuck – leading to more unhappiness as divorce is always a challenge.

Resentment and hatred experienced on a daily basis is self poisoning. The caustic anger generated will damage one’s health and relationships. Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves – it is a most practical tool.

Forgiveness of others and of yourself truly can lead to happiness. Without forgiveness, sometimes true happiness can be quite elusive! In closing let me say one thing about “forgive and forget”. You cannot forget because the way memory works means that with any emotional event it is indelibly imprinted in your memory. You can dull the pain with forgiveness and smile at the memory – particularly recalling the good things.

So, know that there are good scientific and spiritual reasons to forgive. Forgiveness never condones an event, however it truly leads to happiness.

All the best,

Sandy MacGregor

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Towards Spiritual Meditation

24 Jul

Towards Spiritual Meditation

A few words firstly about Eastern meditation. Most Eastern meditation is based on working towards “emptying the mind” or “having no thoughts”. We talk to ourselves 65,000 times a day. It’s a huge challenge to have no thoughts and many people who try to learn this type of meditation give up, saying that they “can’t meditate” because they are always interrupted by thoughts. It is important to realise that you can have thoughts and still be in the Theta brainwave state – that is, still be meditating!

Some Challenges and Solutions
You may well be in the middle of a meditation when other thoughts come in. What do you do with these thoughts? Pretend that the thought has come in say through the left ear and then let it go out through the right ear. Or pretend that you capture that thought and put it in a pilot-less aircraft flying overhead – the thought goes. If the thought comes in again then take this action again. If the thought keeps on coming in then write down the thought and tell yourself that you will take action later, then go back to meditation. If it happens again, then tell yourself that you have taken the action of writing it down and you will handle it later, then let the thought go again – out your right ear. It generally won’t come back. Remember also that some of these thoughts may well prove to be very useful reminders.

Baroque music at 60 beats to the minute can be useful music to help to meditate (I have two hours of the baroque masters available on my web site – all at exactly 60 beats). Other music to meditate to can be my CD Peaceful Place #1 – Instrumental. The heart beat tends to get in time with the music, which in turn helps to keep you in the meditation state of Theta.

A few words about sleep. For active meditation, you need to be awake, so if you have a tendency to drift off to sleep, then do two things: one is to meditate when you are not tired, and the second thing is to get into a more uncomfortable position. With some people who have gone to sleep both lying down and sitting down, I have suggested to stand safely, with their back in the corner of the room. When you are using meditation to go to sleep, this is an obvious exception.

If you drift off and find yourself say at a beach on a tropical island while you’re meditating, then just tell yourself to come back to your Peaceful Place and continue to focus on your breath or chanting. You have remained in Theta. All that’s happened is that your thoughts have wandered. You get better and better at focusing in meditation as you practise daily meditation.

Two Analogies Explaining My Beliefs
To write a little about moving towards spiritual meditation I need to explain a couple of personal beliefs which are a little na-na-nu-nu!

When observing a patient connected to an electro-encephalograph, the read-out of the brainwaves (energy) are on a monitor screen. Invariably, say on a TV show, the flat line will appear and it shows “Brain Dead”. What do we call that energy when it has left the body? There are many answers aren’t there – here are some: Energy, the Light, the Force, Prana, God, Spirit, Chi, Soul, spark of God …. and there are more. Isn’t our English language inadequate – same thing, but many different words. Now I’m sure you have heard of near death experiences! In these instances when the body has no energy in it – brain dead – the energy suddenly re-appears. Whatever was outside the body is now inside the body. What’s that called? Logic would say that it’s called the same – energy, the Light, the Force, God, Spirit, Soul, spark of God. My personal choice is to say the energy is a spark of God. So, if I use these words ” spark of God”, you know if you prefer to, then substitute whatever the right word is for you. The thought of God being within and without is very comfortable for me. I believe that God is within each one of us.

The second analogy is about a sun ray shining in England, for example, is connected to the sun ray shining in Australia, back through the body of the Sun.

To me, in the same sort of way, we are all inter-connected, because the God in you is connected through the body of God to the God in me. This also helps to explain unconditional love – when I love you I am loving that component of you which is the same as in me, that is, the God in you, which is joined to the God in me. Hence, I am loving me more and for me, it explains why “I can’t? love another unless I love myself.” You can see how this avoids the personality – I may choose to like or dislike the personality, but I always love the God in another. I can also choose to love at a distance.

So I believe that God (Energy) is everywhere, including within, and that we are all joined through God.

Another Personal Belief
I believe that the “Light” – the Highest Light – when called upon for the Highest Good of All Concerned – is something physical which can fill and surround and protect you. God’s Light. You can send this Light to others for healing, love, protection and many other things, always saying “For the Highest Good of All Concerned.” (For a more complete explanation, read my book “Switch On to Your Inner Strength”, pages 210 to 215).

You will find in every one of my active meditation CDs I call on the Light (within the body of the words that are used for guided imagery) without any explanation at all and in the Peaceful Place CD#5 – Meditation I suggest that you chant the words Love, or Peace, or Om, or Hu and then interchange that chanting with focussing on your breath. This meditation is a very deep meditation and I believe it to be a good move towards spiritual meditation.

Spiritual Aspects
The following ideas have come from my spiritual teacher, John Roger of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness .

The passive process of meditation is one of emptying the mind and could be equated to “Waiting for Spirit” or “Waiting for God”.

The process of prayer is also a meditation. Deep focused thought that can be equated to “Talking to God or Spirit”.

The process of contemplative meditation can be equated to “Thinking about Spirit” or “Thinking about God”.

The process of Active Meditation when one is doing the chanting of God’s names can be equated to “Going to Spirit” or “Going to God”.

Towards Spiritual MeditationA Word on Spiritual Exercise
The following suggestions have been taken from the book Fulfilling Your Spiritual Promise Volume 2 by John-Roger for doing spiritual exercises. Sit in a comfortable chair, upright if possible and do not use music. Call yourself forward to the Light for the highest good and ask for spiritual protection. Chant Hu or Ani Hu silently (Hu is Sanskrit and is an ancient name for God, and Ani adds the quality of empathy.) You can focus your attention in the centre of your head directly back from your forehead. After chanting for 5 minutes or so then stop and listen within – you are listening for the Sound Current. If you lose focus start chanting again – then listen again – and so on …..

So what the latter process does is to awaken one to the Soul within you, the God within you, and Soul is that dynamic, forceful, unit of Energy. Soul is an extension of God or Spirit. To go within and ask for direction from your Higher Self, that part of you connected to Soul, which knows your purpose this lifetime, can be a very useful process.

So, remember that meditation produces enormous life benefits. Every meditation you do releases stress – the first component of anxiousness and worry. If you’re in an office and are “snowed under”, daily meditation will help to set priorities and see solutions more clearly.

All the best

Sandy MacGregor

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Enhancing Creativity

19 Mar

Enhancing CreativityMost people probably have memories of being creative in their childhood and absolutely loving it.  Using our creativity is one of the first ways we learn –  using playdoh, plasticine, paints, crayons, colouring in, threading beads, French knitting, gluing mosaics, cutting out, making small pottery items and much more.

As we progressed through life perhaps our creativity was no doubt stifled in favour of the more left brain activities such as mathematics.  Opportunities to explore and express our creativity seemed to diminish if not disappear completely.

Recapture Some Childhood

You may have woken up one day as an adult and thought that you might like to recapture some of that childhood, carefree creativity.  Well you can – creativity is certainly not just the domain of those we call artists.  And whether or not you recognize it, you are probably constantly using your creativity to think of better ways of doing something, to fix a problem around the home,  create a new and exciting meal, knitting a jumper or make a business plan.

Authors, inventors, actors, musicians, singers, comedians, performers,  are all expressing their creativity in an artistic and very obvious way.  These traditionally creative fields are not the only areas of expression of creativity. Also expressing their creativity are business people, scientists, parents.  Indeed we all do express our creativity in some way, no matter how small that may be.  And we all have that spark within us that is capable of being creative.  Creativity can mean something different to each of us and we all have individual talents and interests.  With training and using certain techniques we can all rediscover our creativity.

Be Aware of Your Inner Voice

Creativity is not just the domain of the so-called gifted and there are ways of developing and enhancing creativity.  Research has shown that having a positive attitude can sometimes be beneficial in allowing our creativity to emerge.  Using our own minds with guided imagery and meditation can help to stimulate and encourage creativity.  We talk to ourselves many times a day and that inner voice can sometimes be negative if we are unaware and allow it to run unchecked.  We can be our own harshest critic and we need to turn around any negative self talk to be positive and reassure ourselves of our confidence and abilities.  Your inner voice may be trying to protect you from being judged or from failure or embarrassment.  However you may be surprised by just how much you can achieve when you have the added assistance of your own mind.

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Try Something New

To release your dormant creativity be prepared to try something new and be open to change and variety.  For creativity to flourish we may need to leap out into uncertainty and be prepared to a risk.

Reading can help to enhance your knowledge and range of skills in preparation to relaunch your creative self.  Listening to inspirational music or DVDs or CDs of successful and motivational people can be helpful.  Keep a journal and make mind maps.  Keep an open mind and allow your curiosity full rein.

Sometimes creating a separate and stimulating environment in which to meditate or to work can be helpful.  There are many colours and shades in this world, so lash out and experiment with using colour in your environment.

Hesitate no longer and seize the day.  Remain positive and go for your dreams.

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Mind and Matter – Mind Matters

07 Mar

Mind and Matter – Mind Matters

I am heartened (actually I am thrilled) that all the newest science about the brain (and mind) supports and confirms the scientific approach that I already use when I teach about this subject. I would like to introduce some thrilling and exciting aspects of using the mind – the subconscious mind – deliberately.

In 1989 I said that the exploration of Human Consciousness is one of the last great frontiers that quantum science is focusing on. I say “one of the last” because I also believe that another frontier is the proving, in layman’s terms, the existence of “the Universal mind” (some call it the “Mind of God”). These two areas of interest and research are intimately intertwined.

I have found Dr Joe Dispenza’s book “Evolve Your Mind” a cornucopia of recent science, which explains the deeper operation of the Human Brain and the Mind. “The Mind”, Dr Joe writes, “is the brain in action.“The brain at work” is a description of the mind that appeals to me or as Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield says: “The mind is the personalisation of the brain”.

An Example of “Quantum Physics”.

My son-in-law told me of an experiment he carried out at university, whereby light passed through small holes onto a sensitive screen that measured the pattern of light hitting the screen. When the experiment was observed and then not observed, the pattern of light measured on the screen was different. That’s right! When someone was observing the light, this very action had an effect on what was observed.

Think about it. Matter is effected by your energy. Your mind effects matter. Your energy matters. Each one of us has our own distinctive energy. The world is a different place because of your presence! Indeed it is true! Your energy makes a difference. It’s a short jump to say that what you think matters. Mind matters! Quantum Physics is the study of what is mentioned above, along with other topics.

Every time we have personal growth and change ourselves, say from being an angry, or fearful, or vengeful, or negative person, we are changing our own energy, and therefore effecting those around us (and the world), in a different way. Wow – such power! By using our brain to change our mind set we have the power to make great changes.

Neural Conduits.

There has been scientific photography of how we create Neural Pathways in our brain, which I have written about before. An example of beneficial neural pathways is how people can visualise (over and over again in their Peaceful Place, using emotion) the achievements of say a fantastic dive sequence, or a complicated move on the parallel bars, or shooting a basket, or place-kicking a goal, or complicated dance steps, and then do all of these automatically. All wonderful examples of mind power!

Have you heard the expression “nerve cells (in the brain) that fire together wire together”, and hence the continual firing together forms a neural pathway. The more this pathway is used, the stronger and more established it becomes. Actions become automatic because the “body” basically takes over.

Another way of explaining this (from Dr Joe’s book) is that science has shown that when we quieten the internal chatter of our brain (going to Peaceful Place in Alpha and even more so by going from here into deeper meditation – the Theta brainwave state) we are using the frontal lobes of our brain in focused concentration to develop the neural networks in our neo-cortex (Left & Right brain) of whatever it is that we are working on to achieve with our mind.

Doing this over and over using great emotion (the language of the subconscious mind is emotion) develops the neural pathway. When it is automatic the memory of it moves into the seat of the subconscious mind – the cerebellum, which is in the mid brain or the Limbic System. The cerebellum is the home of all our automatic actions, being directly connected to all the circuits firing in the Neo Cortex and is the caretaker of what the body has learned from the mind.

Sandy MacGregor’s downloadable CDs, DVDs and courses (he has been coaching since 1989) are available at Massive Deal Discounts so that you can easily Use Your Subconscious Mind To Achieve.

To “Wire Together, Fire Together” there is a by-product.

It is absolutely fantastic that science has shown that there is an important corollary to the ‘fire together, wire together’ mantra. When certain thought processes are repeatedly interrupted then the nerve cells that no longer fire together will no longer wire together. The great thing is that these nerve cells do not want to stay inactive. Instead, they seek out new connections and they use recycled neural growth factor to attach themselves to new neurons.” Page 396 of “Evolve Your Brain”.

The whole process has been scientifically filmed and is called “pruning”. I have seen a video demonstrating “pruning” which to my untrained eye was a little hard to follow.

Changing an Implicit Memory.

The scientific term once a memory has moved to the subconscious mind is “implicit” memory. Other memories or actions when they are not automatic are called explicit. When we are forming a new habit it starts as an explicit process before becoming an implicit memory.

Once a habit (say a bad habit of being a smoker that we want to change) has become an implicit memory it is more of a challenge to change because it has become part of the Comfort Zone and something we are familiar and comfortable with. The subconscious mind (or Comfort Zone) wants what it has already and does not want something new that it doesn’t already have. So “pruning” has to take place.

The important first step is to have the awareness. Awareness of being a victim, a complainer, an angry person or challenged by unworthiness, a depressed person, an anxious person, a judgmental person, and more, is the first step to change. Wanting to change is the next step, that is, saying YES. And then actually making the change comes next and I teach this part of how to change.

Nobody said it’s easy. Something you might like to try is to lie down and with either of your legs trace in the air the infinity sign which is the shape of a figure 8 lying on its side and at the same time trace a figure 6 with one of your arms. Difficult isn’t it? If you use your will power, practice and visualisation, after a while you could change the hard wiring in your brain.

In the same way by persisting the methods I teach and using:

1. Write down your goal in positive, person and present tense language.
2. Write down the reasons you want your goals (WIIFMs).
3. Relax while in your Peaceful Place and visualise the successful outcome of your goal.
4. Using emotion (building emotional anchor).
5. Meditate deeply on aspects that apply to the above.

In this way you will be able to establish the new habit or implicit memory in your cerebellum and prune back the previous implicit memory.

So , isn’t it exciting and fantastic that the science of the brain has shown that change can be achieved and that with positive energy we can affect the world positively.

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Posted in Human Consciousness, Implicit Memory, Matter, MInd, Mind Matters, Mind of God, Neural Pathways, Quantum Physics, Universal Mind

 
 
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