The concept of saying ‘yes and’ instead of ‘yes but’ is a powerful communication tool. However, it can be applied not just to how you interact with others, but also to how you interact with yourself. People easily fall into the pattern of ‘yes butting’ themselves out of doing things.

As an example, consider a person who is thinking about starting a new career in marketing. Let’s call her Sally. Let’s also assume that Sally has never worked in marketing before. It is quite likely that every time Sally thinks about a marketing career, the ‘yes buts’ start. ‘I want a career in marketing.’ ‘Yes but I have no experience.’ ‘Yes but what if I fail?’ ‘Yes but no one will hire me.’ ‘Yes, it would be nice, but I just can’t.’

‘Yes butting ‘will cause two things in Sally’s life. First she will come up with hundreds of logical reasons to not try the new career, thus talking herself out of doing what she wants. Second, she will create a strong negative vibe that she will associate with her new career. Plus, that negativity will spill over into the rest of her life, probably making her even more dissatisfied with her current career.

What if Sally tried it with ‘yes and?’ ‘I want a career in marketing.’ ‘Yes, and with that career I would be able to explore my creativity.’ ‘Yes, and I would make more money.’ ‘Yes, and I could adjust my resume to focus on the work most like marketing that I have done.’ ‘Yes, and I could try to speak to people who have marketing careers and get advice about how to proceed.’ ‘Yes, and I could take a night class on marketing to beef up my resume.’

With ‘yes and’ Sally focuses on the positive benefits of the career shift, which motivates and energizes her. Then, ‘yes anding’ leads to some action steps and solutions to her problem. ‘Yes and’ can be a very powerful tool.’

In the book, ‘The One Minute Millionaire’ by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen, there is an exercise that involves keeping a rubber band on your wrist and snapping it every time you say or think, ‘yes but.’ This will make you aware of just how often you say it, plus it interrupts you from doing it so over time you will naturally stop saying ‘yes but.’ Try it, and you might be surprised by just how red your wrist will become even after just one day.

***

Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

For more articles, downloads, and informations, visit: AvishParashar.com AvishParashar.com

To learn how to apply the powerful principles of improv comedy to your own business or life visit ImprovForEveryone.com/ ImprovForEveryone.com/

In the Chonyid one has to exercise Vairagya and Viveka, or detachment and discrimination–detachment as to what is seen, and discrimination as to what is real and unreal in the unfolding panorama. One has to overcome one’s attraction to the images of beauty in this first Chonyid stage as well as to overcome one’s repulsion to wrathful and awesome images in the following Chonyid phase. One has to embrace every appearance as a reflection of one’s own pure primordial nature. Forms should be seen as illusory, their inner essence, however, should be realized as the essence of Reality. Tsele Rangorol explains it in this way:

“The key point in the Bardo of dharmata is simply to rest in awareness, no matter what happens, and to be able to embrace everything with the mindfulness of awareness-wisdom, without losing the continuity of that awareness.” (1993:7)

Aside from psychic images that one perceives in the Chonyid, one may also see coloured-lights, either bright and dazzling or dull. The bright coloured-lights originate from the five “Dhyani Buddhas” of the spiritual planes, whereas the dull coloured-lights emanate from the 6 lower realms of becoming. Like the psychic images that one may see in the Chonyid, the coloured-lights are also a manifestation of one’s mind. Their appearance may continue all the way through Sidpa bardo. In the following we list the realms with their associated coloured-lights together with the Dhyani Buddhas and their corresponding colour rays:

[Note: The table may be seen as originally published at our website]

Generally speaking, one has to distance oneself and not be attracted to the dull lights as they lead one to a rebirth in a lower world. Conversely, bright coloured-lights lead us to a more fortunate rebirth in the spiritual worlds. When encountered, therefore, one has to abide in the dazzling coloured-lights and allow them to guide one to a higher state. Detlef Lauf in the Secret Doctrines of the Book of the Dead, tells us what would occur if we were to be attracted to dull lights:

“If thou art frightened by the pure radiances of Wisdom and attracted by the impure lights of the 6 lokas, then thou will assume a body in any of the 6 Lokas and suffer sangsaric miseries . . .” (1989:125)

Chonyid Bardo, Second Stage

This stage is a continuation of the previous stage. Should the awareness-principle still be unliberated from the bardo in the previous experience, this stage dawns to reflect the darker side of one’s psyche for immediate reaction–or response. When the images of one’s spiritual aspect exhausts itself from one’s psyche, what remains are the negative side with images called by Tibetan teachings “the 58 wrathful deities.” Like the images of the peaceful deities, these wrathful images are mere illusions, thoughtforms, hallucinations, or mirages. They are simply projections of one’s negative thoughts, feelings and karmic stains. It is therefore imperative that the soul grasp the true nature of these images and not be repulsed, frightened or alarmed by them. Nothing can hurt one’s primordial nature, one’s Divine Self–”the Real cannot be threatened”–and this is a lesson that one has to learn even now while incarnated in the physical form. A calm abiding in one’s pure awareness without any dualistic thought of “I” and “thou” or any sense of separation should be cultivated and maintained. There should only be a feeling of unity, of oneness, of integration with All That Is, which is one’s Divine Self. Understandably, such an awareness may not come automatically while one is facing terrifying images. It is for this reason that there should be a reasonable amount of spiritual practice while one is still yet alive on the physical plane. Referring to the images perceived in the bardo and a possible emancipation through right understanding and awareness as well as the result of wrong apprehension, Detlef Lauf comments:

“If all the temptations of deceptive visionary images, which are continually referred to in the texts [Bardo Thodol] as hostile forms of the intellect, can be recognized as empty creations of one’s mind and can be immediately penetrated, one will attain liberation. These images dissolve away and the awareness reaches the peaceful and imageless release of nirvana. Every fleeing from these fearsome and terrifying bardo images and every feeling of being seduced by certain colours and visionary apparitions is a step into the ambivalence of the feelings of hatred and desire and is attachment to the opposites of divine consciousness. It is therefore a step back into ignorance, for the antagonistic forces of desire and aversion prevent salvation and unity of awareness in the state of liberation.” (1989:69)

One of the reasons that one slips into this bardo from the former stage is that the anxiety, and the terror engendered by the fear of the unknown, and augmented by the appearance of holy images which often stimulates guilt feelings, causes the awareness-principle to evoke the negative side of its subconscious content, thus resulting in the appearance of wrathful images. What one experiences in the bardo is the direct result of one’s karma and the nature of one’s psyche, whether it be spiritual or carnal. The images of peaceful or terrifying deities, or other frightening forms are there to purify the awareness of ignorance and to offer an opportunity for the awareness-principle to grasp their inner nature. Should the soul react negatively to these images, it passes on to the next bardo. A positive response offers release. One’s negative reaction is due to one’s karma and lack of spiritual unfoldment.

Should one fail to gain liberation in the Chikai or in the former stage of Chonyid because of one’s negative karma and negative mental and emotional traits, there is still hope to liberate oneself at this stage; not from samsara, however, but from rebirth in one of the lower planes of the six worlds. Liberation at this stage also emancipates the awareness-principle from having to undergo the “Judgment” in Sidpa bardo. A soul gains liberation, totally or partially, at whatever stage his karma allows. As said before, preparation beforehand through spiritual practices is an indispensable task to be undertaken by those seeking a better soul-life. Chokyi Nyima, the author of The Bardo Guidebook, advises this succinctly:

“The Buddhas very kindly gave many teachings and methods of practicing, but all these different systems converge at one point: right now, while you are alive, get used to the non-conceptual wakefulness called luminous dharmata, the state free from concepts, beyond a meditation of mental fabrication . . . Accustom yourself to non-conceptual wakefulness now so at the time of death you will not have to go through the remaining bardos [Chonyid and Sidpa] to a new rebirth. Resting in non-conceptual wakefulness is enough to cover all aspects of practice . . . ” (1991:137)

In Chonyid bardo one’s psychic senses are enhanced, and one acquires a certain degree of clairvoyance. The pilgrim of the bardo is somewhat aware at this stage of the surroundings related to its physical form and its newly-terminated incarnated life. The soul may hear and see its relatives and friends grieving and lamenting, but they do not perceive the astral form of its awareness-principle. The awareness-principle may or may not realize at this stage that it has permanently severed connections with its physical form. The incapability of offering comfort and solace to beloved ones at this point frustrates the soul. Bombarded by frightening sounds and coloured-lights likewise make this an exhausting period for the soul.

Sidpa Bardo, First Stage

Here, in Sidpa bardo, the lights, sounds, and images assume a sight more ghastly than the previous bardo. The psychic motion within one’s consciousness is intensified to the utmost degree and it projects out with a centrifugal force all of one’s inner negative qualities that takes on forms that corresponds to those qualities. It is in this bardo that one’s negative karmic deeds play strongly upon one’s conscience. In Sidpa, the feelings of guilt, of hatreds, greed, anger and other egoic expressions seemingly assume terrifying phantasms–demon-like, to torture one’s consciousness of all of the misqualifications of one’s personal energy. As the peaceful deities are said to emanate from the heart-center, so the terrifying images that one experiences in the bardo are said to emanate from the head-centers. One’s main objective and natural inclination at this state as in previous ones, is to escape, to flee from these frightening, awesome and gruesome images. This is a mistake of the dualistic mind, however, that requires a reiterated warning: all that is experienced in the bardo are mental projections, and are, therefore, unreal. The bardo experience is subjective and is but a mental journey with an alchemical purpose. To acknowledge mental projections as real and to be deluded by them causes the awareness-principle to further entrap itself in the snare of Maya. This is spiritual death to the consciousness which is referred to by the Piscean Master when he advised his disciples to “let the dead bury the dead.”

Should one by any chance, however slim, attain a partial liberation in the Sidpa, one obtains the Nirmanakaya–a pure emanation of the Dharmakaya, the Monad. Eventhough with this attainment, the awareness-principle is still subjected to the wheel of birth and rebirth. However, the next birth may be in more fortunate circumstances and surroundings, conducive to spiritual growth, unfoldment and awakening.

We should reiterate here that the Bardo, not being a place or a realm, but an inner experience, is different for every soul making its transition. Every form, image, figure, or symbol making an appearance on the screen of consciousness simply reflects one’s own subconscious content. They are one’s personal conscious and subconscious fantasy assuming a virtual reality. All of the forms that appear corresponds to one’s sublime or carnal thoughts, feelings, passions and impulses. One’s habitual pattern of thoughts and feelings are the most potent in expressing themselves in the bardo. The average soul may succumb in a negative way to these protean forms and changing scenes, the spiritually inclined would, however, transform these images into more pleasant ones with the power of thought. Recognizing the underlying reality of the bardo forms, one may go through it quickly. Amidst the dark thought-forms of Sidpa bardo, there still lurks the Clear Light of the Void. Therefore, reaching out to the greatest light perceivable hidden in and around the monstrous forms one may discover a “saviour” that leads one away from experiencing the Judgment in the latter half of the Sidpa bardo.

At every stage masterful beings watch intently the souls experiencing the bardo–to give subtle aid when necessary, or when a plea for help is made. The nature of that aid is dependent upon the soul’s own personal karma. Such saviours when recognized amidst the psychedelic and surrealistic images will free one from further doings in the bardo.

Sidpa bardo is often called the “bardo of becoming,” because at this stage it is almost certain that one would be reborn in one of the 6 realms, in one of the phenomenal world of change. In Sidpa the awareness-principle is made aware through certain signs and indications that it is deceased. With such an awareness it may desire to be quickly reborn; it does so by seeking the lights emanating from the human realm–as though drawn to it. These lights play upon the psychic senses, swirling and twirling together as though a human couple were in the act of copulation. Other lights from the other lower realms also play about in one’s vision. The light that the soul is attracted to and merges with determines the realm of its rebirth. This may occur before or after the judgment–normally after.

Sidpa Bardo, Second Stage

One now comes to the Judgment with which almost all religions teach. After undergoing the previous bardos without being released from it, the soul, the awareness-principle, hallucinates a judgment scene. In this judgment, all of the actors–the judge, the prosecutor, the defender, the scribe and others–are all aspects of one’s being participating in a drama that directs the attention of the soul to all of its misdeeds in thought, words, and action–whether of omission or commission–in the physical life that it had just passed. It is a period of soul-review, reflection, introspection and self-examination. Regarding this soul-review, Helena Blavatsky, the co-founder of the Theosophical Society remarks:

“At the solemn moment of death every man, even when death is sudden, sees the whole of his past life marshalled before him, in its minutest details. For one short instant the person becomes one with the individual and all knowing Ego. But this instant is enough to show him the whole chain of causes which have been at work during his life. He sees and now understands himself as he is, unadorned by flattery or self-deception. He reads his life, remaining as a spectator looking down into the arena he is quitting; he feels and knows the justice of all the sufferings that has overtaken him.” (cf Cosmos in Man 1983:180)

In this judgment one’s past life is relived and viewed as though one were watching a movie. One is enforced here to realize the significance of one’s misdeeds and made aware of one’s error. Every misdeed the soul has to account for, and motives are scrutinized by one’s conscience represented by Dharmaraja, the Judge, literally, “king of the law.” This is the event where the saying “God is not mocked,” is seen explicitly. All of the persons that the soul had harmed or done wrong in any way, seemingly appear to accuse the soul of its violation of truth and righteousness. Their sufferings and pain are somewhat felt by the soul being judged, that it may acquire an understanding of the effect of its evil actions. One’s reaction here may determine one’s “placement” in the subtle realms, whether it be in one of the hell regions or in purgatory. Should the soul be filled with remorse and shame, acknowledge its error, sincerely repent and ask forgiveness, it may be granted a reprieve and sent to the purgatorial worlds; otherwise, if it is filled with hate and anger for God and man and hardens its heart, it would be isolated in hell where it has illusory visions of being tortured by demons, or even literally feel the effects of the flames. This punishment in reality is self-imposed, for none condemns the soul but its own self. The low vibrations that it generates with its negative feelings simply anchors it down to the mire of the astral worlds.

The results of one’s judgment are recorded in the seed-atoms and in the subconsciousness of the soul, and this has a great influence upon its subsequent lives in the physical plane; and while still imprinted fresh in its mind in the subtle realms, it provides food for thought and consideration which may evolve into a conscience of a higher standard. In the judgment of Sidpa the soul sees itself for what it really is and not what it believes itself to be or what others believe itself to be.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.
indotalisman.com/ www.indotalisman.com
bezoarmustikapearls.com/ www.bezoarmustikapearls.com

Do it now. Procrastination is a thief. It steals from your present, future, and past. One of the common qualities of unhappy people, is their tendency to constantly put things off. They somehow feel they will have forever to do whatever…

Happy people have developed the habit of, doing it now. They know that the present passing moment may never come to them again, so they work as if they will live forever, but live as if today is their last. One day we will all be right!

If they made a movie of your life what would the title be: he/she Waited or
he/she did it now. Yes, there will always be tomorrow, for some of us, but not all of us. Imagine, if this book was the last one you ever got to read.

We wait, for God only knows what, to take action. We spend our lives working in jobs we hate, married to people that push our buttons every waking moment, and we live in climates that tests our endurance to the limits. We are not trees. We can move, quit, find a new partner or change anything we do not like. I am not suggesting a lack of commitment here, only that you take a serious look at what you would like different in your life, and what are you doing about it?

People who are happy don’t wait, they act. They do what they can with what they have now. Better to do something now, than waiting to be able to do nothing later. People wait for the right timing to have kids, get married, retire, start their own business. Why? The time will never be right. There will always be something. So get to it, and do it NOW.

Say it now. Un-communicated feelings, attitudes, and emotions mean SQUAT. People don’t know how you feel, until you tell them. We, most of us, are not mind readers. We do not know that you love us unless you tell us. We do not know why you are upset unless you tell us. We do not know what your needs, hopes, dreams are unless you communicate them with us.

You would be amazed at how many people hold back words, when words are the only way to let people know what is on your mind. Parents don’t tell their children how special they are. Spouses don’t take the time to tell their partner how important they are. Employers don’t take the time to share positive feedback with their employees, and friends rarely, if ever tell each other that they really care about each other. I guarantee there is someone in your life that wants, needs, even aches for a kind and loving word from you.

Happy people do not assume that the people in their lives know how they feel. They tell them regularly how special and important they are.

Put this book down now and call, write, or walk into the kitchen and tell the special people you care. You will feel better, they will feel better, and you will be well on your way to a happier disposition.

Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at mailto:tim@timconnor.com tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at timconnor.com timconnor.com.

When you have been in business for any length of time – doesn’t really matter what kind of business really, as I think that the principle applies in every area of life – there is one very strange phenomenon that you cannot fail to notice.

Haven’t you ever found yourself wondering why some people seem to have success with every single thing they do, whilst other people, in exactly the same situation and with exactly the same tools at their disposal, fail in the most abject manner?

Do these successful individuals have some magical powers, or are they just incredibly lucky?

Surely, no such powers exist, and nobody gets that lucky time after time after time, do they?

Well, one of the oldest sayings in the world runs something to the effect that you make your own luck. As the great Gary Player put it, when he was told that he was a “lucky” golfer (and I may be paraphrasing slightly here) “The harder I work (or maybe it was “practice”) the luckier I get”.

So, what is the secret? Quite simply, it’s all in your mind – inside that grey lump that separates your ears!

Ever heard of a thing called “the Millionaire Mindset”? According to the best selling motivational author, T.Harv Eker, it is exactly this mindset that gives these extremely successful individuals what seems to be an “unfair advantage.”

Harv is the author of many best-selling books, and an acclaimed business trainer, as well as the creator of several highly-regarded courses such as The “Millionaire Mind Intensive”, “Wizard Training” and “Train the Trainer”.

This guy is one of the most highly regarded trainers, simply because he not only talks the talk, he most definitely walks the walk as well. How else can you describe someone who went from zero to millionaire in only 2-1/2 years using the “Speed Wealth” principles that he teaches.

He shows you how to instantly rid yourself of limiting beliefs that have stopped you from accumulating wealth in the past.

The crux of Harv’s teachings is that your subconscious mind may actually be holding you back from the success you want in business. In other words, the key to being a resounding success rather than a dreadful failure is inside you. All you’ve got to do is to find and then use that key.

What Harv contends is that the subconscious is much more powerful than your conscious mind, and I guess anyone who has, or example, ever been amused at the antics of people during a stage hypnotists show can buy into this theory.

It’s your own beliefs, ideas and misconceptions – perhaps even those formed during you childhood – that can hold you back. If you believe that money is hard to get, for example, then it sure as heck will be, simply because you don’t believe you will succeed right from the start. You are beaten even before you walk out onto the playing field. Even though you go through the motions to win or to achieve your objectives, you never really expect to get there, and consequently, you’ll always fall short on something that is critical to the success of your venture.

You mind is automatically stopping you just like a water thermostat turns off the burner at a certain point.

Now, Harv was not always such a resounding success story.

Listen here to the story of his early struggles. Harv’s parents were penniless immigrants from Europe, and he himself spent many, many years contending with “failure”.

During those years of struggle, however, he never once deviated from his ambition to be a millionaire. In fact, it was what he learned during those years that allowed Harv to formulate his four step plan that you can adopt today to change your life, to gain that all important “millionaire mindset”.

You’ve got to:

1) Stop blaming. Take absolute responsibility for every single controllable result in your life. If it’s not controllable, then it’s outside your hands, but, be brutally honest with yourself – was it really outside your control, or are you kidding yourself? If you can control whatever it is, then you can also change it and get a different result, a much better result, next time.

2) Stop complaining. When you complain you are focusing all of your attention on the problem, on the negative, rather than on the way to solve the problem. The Universal Law of Attraction suggests that what you focus on expands, so focusing on the problem clearly isn’t going to help you. Focusing on the solution just might!

3) Use what Harv calls “the power of intention”. Set yourself a target (you DO have a target, don’t you? If not, how can you expect to hit the bullseye?) Take that target and double, triple it, or even quadruple it. If you want to make an extra $5000 per month, aim for $20000. It’s an immutable truth that whoever it is out there in the great beyond that controls your destiny will only ever gives you what you ask for, and aiming much, much higher should rekindle your enthusiasm and make it that much easier to accomplish.

4) Bless that which you want. Don’t envy or feel jealous of those who already have what you desire. If your neighbor gets a fancy new car, say “Good for him!”, and double your efforts to achieve the same, rather than wallowing in self destructive pity or envy. If someone you know gets a promotion, congratulate him, and, again, multiply your efforts to achieve the same levels of success.

The sooner you can put these “Millionaire Mindset” principles into action, applying them to the decisions you make and your response to the situations you encounter each and every day, the quicker you too will be on the road to experiencing dramatic success and you should see your income start to explode very soon afterwards.

Steve Cowan is an Asia based entrepreneur who runs the leading “Self Help” audio book site at talkalive.com talkalive.com and compiles a blog offering a wide diversity of reviews at webbiz99.com webbiz99.com

Don’t you often marvel at how diverse and beautiful this planet is, and how extraordinary it is that we’re a tiny speck hurtling through space at thousands of miles an hour?

Think of the huge oceans and the peaks of distant mountains. Grasses nudged by a gentle wind on a spring day. Think of a cat sitting on a gate, washing its face. All these beautiful things resonate with an energy that, if you allow yourself to be open enough to receive it, will resonate with the deepest part of your being in a profound and wonderful way.

That resonance is the universal vibration in all things. Rocks, plants, the birds and animals, and the fish in the sea. Rivers and ice and restless seas. You and me. The whole world.

Listen to the wind high in the trees and watch the treetops bend and play in its current. Watch fish leap high in rivers, and feel the grass growing under your feet. Think about the healing energy you transmit in a loving embrace, or the touch of your hand on a shoulder.

Energy is what connects all things from the most microscopic of elements to the wildest of storms. It is the universal life force.

You can feel it inside yourself – not only the heartbeat that pumps oxygen into your muscles and lungs but the deep vibration of truth that sings in your heart and in your soul. And energy cannot stay still – it lights up your eyes and transmits to the world around you; you cannot help but be drawn to energy that flows from someone in tune with their inner vibration.

Think of the way the sun draws flowers from their buds and encourages plants to grow. Think of the way the heat of the sun persuades a flower to give up its scent and how it warms water – think of all the energy released in these simple things and imagine how intense that energy field will be around a flower or a flowing stream.

And now think of how your inspiration and strength of purpose fires up your spirit, and how your enthusiasm lights up the air around you and draws others to you. Remember that energy is dynamic and that you are filled with energy. It radiates from you.

Let it radiate from your heart and soul.

Neel Raman, is an author, presenter, workshop facilitator and coach to many. He has written ‘Hoops and Freedom’, a powerful self-improvement book, in the form of an entertaining fiction story, targeted at those who want and demand more from life. To get the first chapter for FREE and to receive FREE motivational lessons, visit: focusedon.com.au/blog focusedon.com.au/blog
To find out more about this book and to register to receive FREE newsletters and other FREE offers, visit: HoopsAndFreedom.com HoopsAndFreedom.com

In order to understand how alpha meditation can help improve your creativity, it is important to start by understanding what binaural beats and brainwave entrainment are.

Brainwave entrainment is the use of some external stimulus, usually a specific audio recording delivered to a person via stereo headphones, to induce a certain level of brain wave activity. When a person’s brainwave activity is artificially altered by these means, it will subtly shift their awareness.

Using binaural beats is a common and effective method of brainwave entrainment. In order for the binaural beats to be effective, a person must be using stereo headphones so that they can hear a different sound in each ear.

Most of the time, the binaural beats will be embedded underneath the layers of tracks on a song, usually soothing ambient music or soundscapes, so that the person listening can focus on the music and not on the frequencies they are hearing.

The ideal brainwave frequency for alpha meditation is about 10hz, so if we wanted to create a set of binaural beats that could be used to artificially induce this specific frequency, we could play 110hz in the left ear and 120hz in the right ear.

To any person who is hearing these different frequencies in each ear, their brain will act like a tuning fork and it will lock on to the difference between the twi frequencies, which in this case would be 10hz.

‘Alpha’ is the name that we use for the range of brainwave frequencies from around 8hz-13hz. A person will naturally experience alpha waves during a 24-hour cycle, and it is usually when they are in a light sleep and are dreaming. However, this state can also be achieved by listening to soothing music, preferably music with alpha binaural beat already embedded in the layers, and simply lying down and resting. When a person reaches this alpha state while they are still conscious, their imagination will be active and they can see very vivid imagery.

After practicing this daily for a short while, even just a week or two, a person’s creativity will naturally be higher and coming up with new ideas will seem easier.

If you are interested in pursuing alpha meditation, you can do a number of things. While it does not require music with alpha binaural beats, this is highly recommended because your brain will automatically lock on to the alpha frequency.

You can go to your local music store and look for CDs on ‘alpha mediation’ or ‘alpha relaxation,’ or you can also look online at places like iTunes. Or if you would like to have full control over your alpha meditation experience, you can embed any song of your choosing with binaural beats using a software called Subliminal Studio. You can also read more about this software at HumanMindPower.com under the ‘Audio’ section.

With the ability to deliver messages directly to your subconscious mind, you can alter your belief system to become more confident and successful without doing any conscious work. Quite literally, this is the humanmindpower.com “Lazy Man’s Road To Success.” Learn more subliminal techniques for delivering messages directly to your subconscious mind at humanmindpower.com HumanMindPower.com

“Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full with painful effort, vain striving for the wind and feeding on it” (Ecclesiastes 4:6 Amplified Old Testament).

Dear readers, I realize I am a fanatic about all the cacophony in the world. I have a favorite bookstore I haunt, or used to, until the national chain succumbed to the cry of the masses to numb our minds with pop music, not even classical music which at least soothes the savage beast within us. The first time I heard it I appealed to the powers, but was told that mine was the first complaint. So much for the last place on earth I could enter and feel at peace!

I culled the following gem from a Bible commentary:

I. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUIET SPIRIT.

The habit and disposition of quietness need not be accompanied by torpor. There is, indeed, a quietness of sleep, as there is also a silence of the grave. But in the passage before us the quiet spirit is directly connected with life. The body may be busy while the spirit is quiet; nay, the mind may be nimble and alert, even full of activity, while yet the spirit is at rest. Observe, then, the marks of a quiet spirit.

1. Peace. There is peace within the soul, and therefore quiet. The turbulent spirit is like a mutinous crew that may make tumult on board the ship while the sea is as still as glass, and the peaceful spirit is like a well conducted crew that works in quiet while the sea is torn with tempest.

2. Patience. The quiet spirit does not complain under chastisement, nor does it angrily resent unkindness. The psalmist was “dumb” under calamity. Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

3. Unostentatiousness. Some give more show than service, and make more noise than profit. Eager to attract attention, they “sound a trumpet before them” (Matthew 6:2). Not so the quiet in spirit, who labor in silence, content to be obscure so long as they know they are not living in vain.

II. THE BLESSEDNESS OF A QUIET SPIRIT.

It is here set forth as a source of life. No doubt fretful restlessness wears out the life of the bad. Placidity makes for health. Moreover, the life that is dissipated in noise produces no good, and therefore does not collect the means of its own support. The quiet in spirit best make a livelihood. Further, certain special advantages of this quietness may be noted.

1. Depth. “Still waters run deep.” We can look far into the quiet lake, while only the surface waves of one that is fretted with cross winds can be seen. The calm, brooding soul knows depths of thought and secret experience that are unfathomable to the foolish, restless, noisy soul.

2. Strength. The silent forest grows strong. The mind is made vigorous by patient endurance. One who is calm is master of the situation, while another who is fretted and flurried feels lost and helpless.

3. Fruitfulness. The calm, strong, silent soul, vigorous and yet unostentatious, ripens best the fruits of experience. Such a one does most real work.

4. Beneficence. Noise vexes the world, and a restless, complaining spirit is a weariness to men. The quiet spirit breathes a perpetual benediction. Its very presence is soothing and healing.

III. THE ATTAINMENT OF A QUIET SPIRIT.

No doubt there are great constitutional differences in this respect, and while some are naturally or by ill health restless, irritable, demonstrative, others are naturally quiet, self-possessed, even reserved. Due allowance must be made for these differences before we attempt to judge our brethren. Still, there is a measure of quietness attainable by the use of the right means, viz.:

1. Self-mastery. When a man has conquered himself, the tumult of civil war in his breast ceases.

2. Faith. To trust God, to know that he is doing all well, to seek and obtain the help of his Holy Spirit, are to find the secret of peace and quietness of soul.

3. Love. Selfishness makes us restless. “A heart at leisure from itself” can learn to be patient and calm.

Prayer: Please, Father, save our sanity (SOS) from all the racket!

At an executive retreat, a consultant expert asked the assembled leaders, “Why do you get paid?” After listening to a variety of responses, he revealed his answer: “Leaders get paid for making decisions.” He is right, to a point, but the message he sent was a dangerous one for leaders to hear.

Sure, leaders make decisions, but if they think of themselves as decision-makers, that is what they will be. Not leaders. Decision-makers organize their universe around problems. In general, they seek to define a problem, solicit input, create a desired outcome, and then select a strategy.

Exceptional leaders don’t start with the problem. They start with the organization’s goal. Next, they assess the current state of the organization in relation to the goal—the organization’s position, in other words. The third step is to determine the strategy to reach the goal from the current position.

Although these two models are similar, they are not the same and the difference in outcomes can be dramatic. One works from a proactive state (Where do we want to go?). The other works from a reactive state (How are we going to get out of this situation?). Leaders who consider themselves decision-makers do so because as they moved up through the ranks, they rode the coattails of their clever decisions. Instead, leaders should inspire those beneath them to make good decisions. If leaders are making all the decisions, there are fewer opportunities for their team members to test their wings. And these leaders are not spending enough time or effort identifying their organizations’ overarching goals, current positions, and strategies (what I call “GPSing”).

Start using GPSing, if you are not already. Focus in on the goal with questions, identify the organization’s current position, and then search for the correct strategy. Think of yourself as a leader, not a decision-maker.

Gary received his undergraduate degree from University of MN and attended Harvard Business School. He has participated in leadership programs including Covey, Disney and the Aspen Institute as a Crown fellow.

Energy flows through us and around us in a wonderful swirl. This energy contains information.

Our physical brain is a highly developed instrument which analyses the information contained in energy and translates it into a form and gives the instructions required by the physical body to act. Before this information is received and then translated by our brain into language and forms, it is just vibrating energy. Even intuitions and feelings released by the soul are translated into physical form for the personality to act upon and for physical work to happen.

People who are psychic and who see and feel angels and other non-physical beings, have brains trained to perceive and translate very fine energies not easily comprehensible by those who live only by their physical senses. This is how mediumship and other work like channeling are done. Energy is received by the energy systems of the body and then translated by the brain into physical language. The accuracy of the channeled information depends upon the emptiness of the channeler and the ability to put aside the personality during the process of receiving and translating. Of course some part of the information might be colored to some extent by the personality of the receiver, so it is better to not attach to all the words spoken by the channeler during the channeling, but to focus more on the nuances and the central theme of the channeling.

People who are solely physically oriented are also receiving and translating energy and reacting accordingly. The difference is that they are not aware of this process and feel very localized and bound to their own immediate physical experience.

All of the above is very pertinent to the process of manifestation.

When we receive the energy of a particular situation and this energy is translated by our brain, we either feel good, or bad. And this feeling enables us to know where we are in the process of manifestation, and the extent to which we are blocked.

We are constantly being bombarded by energy and the trick is to make subtle changes in our thinking which then changes the energy that we are swimming in.

For example, let us say that you are in a relationship or a job that is stuck. The energy is bad and you don’t see any way of thinking any differently about it. The result is that you feel dis-empowered. Your life force (Prana) goes down and you feel unable to make the changes to your thought patterns that are required to improve the energy thereby enabling the Law of Attraction to bring you good news.

Here is something that you can immediately do to change the energy-

Give. Give something to a charity, do some extra work at your job that is not expected of you. Do something for someone which immediately puts you into the position of a giver, instead of a taker. And the result is a feeling of empowerment which then shifts your energy from helplessness at not receiving to one of giving and feeling empowered. This is such an amazing vibrational change, that it will change the energy in which you are swimming from one of dis-empowerment, to that of empowerment, and also get the Law of Attraction to bring you good news.

Keep changing your energy levels and swim powerfully with the best thinkers of this world!

Let your brain receive and work on energy patterns that contain wonderful and happy information that makes you feel really good, rather than the same old information of loss which pushes you back in the stream of life. Know that the ability to change energy lies in your hands.

——- Love and Light Sugandhi Iyer Coach, Joyful Manifestation www.lifebusinesscreations.com

Author Bio- After studying the Vedic texts of the East, specialising in Krishna’s teachings, and the wonderful teachings of the West, a master of energy and consciousness, I have put together an amazing system to get people to self-realization and empowerment. I am a teacher, coach and advisor who helps people make powerful changes in their lives, enabling them to experience relief from fear, and move towards purposeful co-creation with the Divine (Universe) and blissful living.

He was late twice last week. Yesterday, you asked him
for an update on his project, but you haven’t gotten it yet.

This morning, he sat in the staff meeting and looked bored.
He never said a word. You try to get him to tell you how things
are going with his work, but his one word answers don’t tell you much.

What is going on with this employee? How can you inspire him to
boost his productivity and behave more like a team player?

Several different issues may be at the root of such employee
behavior. Once you identify the problem, a course of action
can be developed.

THE UNSOPHISTICATED WORKER

Some workers might behave like the employee described
above because of a lack of knowledge about appropriate
work behavior.

Such employees arrive at your organization with the
attitude that they are just paid to put their time in.”
They usually have not grasped the “bigger picture,”
including the connection between their performance and the
overall success of the company.

This orientation to work can be described as “paycheck driven”
as opposed to “career driven”. Unfortunately, this attitude can
become infectious and this “minimum standard” is adopted
by others in the office.

Possible solutions

Management may have to play an educational role for the
unsophisticated employee. For those who have never had a
work mentor or have not considered their role in contributing
to the success of their company, a quick turn around could
result by providing a clearer picture of the way business works.

Some other approaches may be even more effective. Peer
group can be powerful force — even during our adult years.
If possible, one can try to position the employee (by both
physical proximity and project assignment) around more
enthusiastic and motivated staff. Perhaps others’ more
positive work attitudes can be as infectious as the
unsophisticated employee’s negative attitude has been.

Another strategy may be to assign direct, tangible rewards
to each assignment that the unsophisticated employee completes.
These rewards should be small but should
convey “appreciation”, so they are not perceived to be a
financial bonus (as this would perpetuate the “paycheck
driven” orientation). Perhaps a book that reflects a
personal interest of the individual, a lunch coupon, or a
cup or figurine for their desks. Of course, one must think
of all the employees that do their jobs without need for
recognition at this level, to make sure that they do not
feel penalized. Perhaps some other types of rewards for
higher functioning employees (such as an achievement lunch
in their honor) would keep them feeling well rewarded while
giving the less motivated employee additional rewards
toward which they can strive.

Roberta Cohen, LCSW is a grief counseling expert that provides

path2solutions.com/critical-incident-stress-management.shtml critical incident stress managment services, management
consultations,
corporate trainings, coaching and customized
counseling services for corporate executives and their families.

For businesses or families requesting grief counseling or
critical incident stress management response, please visit:
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