Finding "Balance" In Your Life...

The day of the Equinox, at the end of June, brought the "light" and the "dark" into perfect balance. It is one of the few perfectly-balanced days when we have exactly 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.

What does your life look like? Do you have a balanced life?

For example, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and many others teach the value of a balanced life.

For those who are not familiar with these teachings, perhaps you may remember the timeless Yin-Yang symbol shown at left - Female and male; Dark and light; Water and fire. No matter which example you take from the Yin-Yang symbol, it's still about balance.

The "Wheel of Life" (shown below) is a tool that can help you see if the life you are living is balanced. Is your "Wheel of Life" round and would it turn smoothly? Or is it more of a square?

The Wheel of Life exercise covers such areas as your social life, health, spirituality and more. When you take an unbiased, honest look at your current situation, The Wheel of Life exercise will allow you to see if your life is balanced.

The Wheel Of Life

First, print out a copy of the Wheel.

Then, begin by placing a dot on each line, and rate how much time and energy you put into that area of your life. The center of the circle is equal to zero and the outer edge of the wheel equals 10. The closer the dot is to the edge of the circle the more time you dedicate to that area. When you have finished, draw a line to connect the dots...is your wheel round? Will it roll? Or is it flat or even bumpy on some sides?

Take time to reflect and think about how the ratings of certain areas affect your life and what you want out of life. Look at areas where you are happy and also those that need attention in order for you to make progress.

Develop a plan to smooth out the "flat" spots on your wheel. THE POWER OF THOUGHT System, available now is an excellent book to help you get what you want out of life, when you want it. Order your book and free exercise book - today!

Copyright 2009 Keith A. Shaw and MindBodySpiritCentral.com

Take Years From Your Life By Multitasking

Everyday I see more and more people trying to do five things at once. Case in point, the guy in the car next to me:

1) driving at 65 mph,
2) and talking on his cell phone,
3) while smoking a cigarette, and
4) drinking his coffee and
5) fixing his hair in the rear-view mirror.

Most of us think that having the ability to do several things is a gift or a blessing that helps up to get more done in less time. But the truth is that you can drive yourself crazy while trying to multitask and obsessing over every little problem.

In fact, when you are “multitasking” you are not truly concentrating or focusing on any of the things that you are doing. Your attention span is actually about zilch.

And, with the advent of text messaging, instant messaging, Twitter (why do they call them Tweets and not TWITS?), e-mail to your phone, laptop, etc., you are using up your precious mental power.

Studies have indicated that over your lifetime, your brain has a FINITE amount of processing power and the ability to focus your attention. So you have an important decision to make, my friends. Do you REALLY wish to waste your limited, precious mind power on email or sitting on the couch watching one endless reality show after another (yawn!) or “Facepage”?

So how do you maintain your power of concentration and mind power to give you laser-like focus?

The first way is through meditation. Eknath Easwaran once said, “Through meditation and by giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose.” As many of you may be unfamiliar with or just learning to practice meditation for the first time, it is a good idea to find a quiet area in your home where you can remain undisturbed for 10-15 minutes. As you become more skilled at meditation and mindfulness, you will eventually be able to do it during your daily activities. Even if your work is “repetitive” you can meditate while doing it. Jacob Boehme, the German philosopher, realized his vast knowledge of divine things while working long hours as a shoemaker. In every life there is time to meditate and think. In fact, we all have exactly same amount of minutes available to us, 1,440 of them, everyday. Do not let your busy, hectic schedule exclude you from meditating.

The second exercise is concentration in breathing. Breathing has many benefits, not only the improvement of health but also a calming effect. Breathing exercises help you to develop more physical power and more life. Practice inhaling long, deliberate deep breaths. Stand up straight and breathe in through your nose (your mouth is shut) while counting slowly to five. You can close your eyes if you wish. Focus and concentrate on filling the bottom third, then the middle third and then the top third of your lungs. Hold your breath for a count of seven and then exhale until you can not breathe out any more air (i.e., all the air is out of your lungs). When you are exhaling, focus on emptying your lungs from the top first, that is, top to bottom. Do this exercise for five to ten repetitions, at least once per day. Slow, deep, prolonged inhalations and exhalations are of tremendous value. When you feel stressed and your heart is pounding, your circulation is not regular. When your lung action is uneven, the mind becomes unsteady and not fit for concentration. This is why controlled breathing is very important as a foundation for physical health and mental concentration and development. Practice, practice, and practice some more…

The third way is to concentrate on your most critical goals for the next day for 10-15 minutes before you turn in before the night. What you want to do is focus on just the OUTCOMES, not the intricate details. Let your subconscious mind work as you sleep and you will find yourself awakening, ready to hit the ground running. I have found this to be a sure-fire way to set the “tone” and direction for my daily activities.

Turn off the iPod, switch off your cell phone and turn off the television and other electronic devices. Work on building your power of concentration for a longer, healthier life.

Copyright 2009 by Keith A. Shaw and Mind Body Spirit Central.com, LLC

What Is Your Destiny?

Experts agree that practically all of our daily behavior is habitual. Habits make or break us to a far greater extent than we ever would like to admit. Habits can be both a powerful enemy and wonderful ally.

In fact Ovid, the Roman poet who lived 2,000 years ago, said “Nothing is stronger than habit”.

Your life is a mass of habits that irresistibly draw you toward your destiny. Practical, emotional, and intellectual, your habits are systematically organized for your benefit and detriment. You must learn to overcome habits which restrict and injure your future or destiny and to cultivate those which increase it.

Habits have often been called a “labor-saving invention” and are formed through repetition. After they are formed, they require less mental and physical strength to accomplish everyday tasks. Whether good or bad, anything you do over and over again will become a habit. The more deeply the habit becomes engrained, the more automatic it is. In other words, most of what we do everyday is as if we were on “auto pilot”.

If it were not for our habits, we would have to be more observant of our environment. For example, when you walk across a crowded street, the habit of stopping and looking both ways prevents you from getting run over by a bus. Therefore, the right kinds of habits keep us from making mistakes and mishaps. Habits also mean less risk, less fatigue and greater accuracy.

The majority of people are controlled by, and operate in certain ways because of the power of habit. They seldom think of concentrating on why they have certain habits, or study themselves to see if they could make improvements in their lives. The good news is that you can literally re-program yourself for greater success in any area of life. By building your Power of Concentration, you can increase your awareness and focus on developing good habits.

Positive and successful habits create positive rewards. For example, if you want to enjoy a healthy, energetic and long life, you must have positive, healthy habits. Good nutrition, daily exercise and a positive attitude have proven to have an influence on longevity and quality of life.

Negative habits lead to negative consequences. If you have negative health habits, sooner or later, you will pay the price. The results of negative habits may not show up immediately, but they will appear. People who smoke cigarettes don't die from their first cigarette, but millions of people die every year from this habit. In fact, an acquaintance of mine recently died alone from a heart attack, due to a life-long smoking habit. When he was found a few hours later, the cigarette he was smoking was still in his hand – burned down to the end!

Whether you develop positive or negative habits all comes down to what I call – THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MIND. The attitude of your mind affects many things including the expressions of your face, determines the actions you make, impacts your physical health and regulates your life.

The first thing to realize is that all habits are governed both consciously and subconsciously by your will. Most of us are forming new habits all the time. In fact, studies have demonstrated that on average it takes about twenty-one days to form a new habit. By the same, it takes twenty-one days to break a habit and change your pattern of behavior. Of course, the longer you hold onto that habit, the stronger it grows and the more deeply it becomes embedded and a part of you. The good news is, you can still make or break any habit by strong concentration. People just like you and me do it every day.

At this point many of you, especially those who are "set" in your ways, may ask: "How can I change the attitude of my mind? How can I, after months and years of discouragement and of going through the motions, suddenly conceive and carry out a plan for doing something that will change my current situation and make my life more rewarding?”

The answer is that it can be done, and others just like you have done it.

Even if you consider yourself of AVERAGE ability, you can be successful, independent, and free of bad habits from this point forward, if you can commit to creating a desire to change within you, develop goals and concentrate on achieving those goals that will absolutely lead to new positive, productive habits.

For example, to become healthy and fit, develop goals and habits that lead to better health and fitness.

Or as another, if you want to improve your finances study and develop habits that lead to greater wealth and financial freedom.

Start today and improve your future. No one but yourself is responsible for your habits. When you realize the importance of forming the right kind of habits, what a different world you will have for yourself.

Copyright 2009 by Keith A. Shaw and MindBodySpiritCentral.com, LLC

Who Ya Gonna Call? STRESS BUSTERS!

In my last article on 27 March 2009, “Stressful Times”, I shared with you how stress can lead to a number of negative health and emotional problems, such as relationship issues, needless arguments, weight gain, high-blood pressure, sleep disorders, panic attacks, rapid heart beat and more. Well, it looks like I hit the nail right on the proverbial head with that one.

In the last week alone, I have seen several articles addressing the same subject. In one of them, Pam Belluck of the New York Times shared some interesting insights and statistics from experts.

1) Anxiety, depression and stress are troubling people everywhere, as they worry or react to pervasive uncertainty,

2) Therapists and psychiatrists are seeing more and more first time patients,

3) In an American Psychological Association poll from September, 80 percent of those surveyed said the economy is causing significant stress, up from 60 percent six months earlier,

4) The National Sleep Foundation reports that 27 percent of people surveyed have experienced sleeplessness as a result of stress, and

5) The National Suicide Prevention hotline reports that calls have increased by over 27 percent from January 2008 to January 2009!

In good times, even when it seems that nothing can or will go wrong in your daily life, you and everyone else experiences stress in some way or another. But not everyone chooses to let it affect him or her in the same way – especially in the tough times as we see now. Unfortunately, many people, both children and adults, are reaching for anxiety medication, alcohol, food or take out their frustration in anger directed at someone close at hand.

Here are some additional tips on how to handle and manage your stress level.

First, be sure to eat “intelligently”. Be smart and eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, true whole grains, low fat dairy, lean meats or fish and healthy unsaturated fats – stick to those that have been processed as little as possible. Eating a pure, healthy diet will give you the nutrients and energy you need to manage stress. Limit processed foods of all kinds, even those, commercially produced or those from the “fad diet plan of the month” that proclaim to be healthy. Many of those processed “fad diet plan” foods you see in commercials and the internet have just as many sugars, sugar alcohols, chemicals and ingredients in them as a “Pop Tart” pastry.

Next, be patient and slow down. Too many people try to cram in way too much for their days, leaving them overwhelmed. Prioritize your "to do" list and don't feel bad if you have to cut something out in order to slow down. Use your energy wisely and be productive, don't waste energy on unnecessary things.

Third, take time to relax daily. Relaxation should be part of your every day routine. And, give yourself the permission to do something that relaxes you. When you find yourself in a stressful situation, concentrate on your breathing by taking deep breaths and notice how much more relaxed you feel. As you become more calm and relaxed, your heart rate will slow. Qigong for Concentration is an excellent way to learn breathing and meditation exercises that can bring you to a calmer state of mind. The gentle, graceful movements of Qigong and meditation, combined with controlled breathing exercises make it an ideal program to improve men’s health, women’s health and children of all ages – they are even great exercises for senior citizens.

Fourth, do some physical exercise every day. Exercise does wonders for stress reduction. In fact, Qigong for Stress Relief is a perfect way for you to reduce back and joint pain, improve your health with breathing exercises and of course - blast away your stress. Qigong is the "breath work" or the art of managing the breath to achieve and maintain good health and to enhance the energy mobilization and stamina of the body in coordination with the physical process of respiration.

Finally, get at least seven hours of sleep. There is absolutely nothing that worthwhile on television that should compel you to stay up until midnight, or later, to watch. Calm down before bedtime with Qigong for Beginners and candles. As you listen to the soft music allow your mind to be quiet and at rest as you relax and do the exercises. And to wrap it all up, relax even further with the “Meditation” exercise. Meditation is one of the leading means to relieve stress, increase your ability to focus and improve your overall health and well being.

Living a stress-free life is critical to your overall health and well being. Experience the power of Qigong.

Each DVD comes with a free book that includes additional stress busting information!End Your Stress. Feel Calmer. Be Happy!

GET FOUR FREE GIFTS IF YOU ORDER TODAY! I will include:

1) My 33 tips on how to organize your life and REDUCE STRESS - at no charge - along with

2) 3 Motivational CDs and…

3) Order two or more Power Of Qigong DVDs (any title) and I will also take 10% off the price!

Stressful Times Need A Stress-Busting Remedy

No matter where you live in the world, there is plenty to get stressed out about. For example, the Nikkei, DAX, FTSE and Dow have constantly been like a roller-coaster ride. One day the markets are up. The next day it’s crash and burn time. People are unemployed in record amounts. Others are afraid to do anything in the event that they may be next in the unemployment line. In the U.S. there happens to be another source of stress – tax time! Yes, the April 15th deadline is fast approaching.

And, don’t forget about the everyday stresses like your career, taking care of yourself and your family and even your commute to work! Yes, even that “honk honkin’, finger flippin’ road rager” causes you to be stressed out.

The problem is that stress can and does negatively affect your health – both mentally and physically. Studies have demonstrated that stress leads to:

1) Emotional issues, such as a lack of concentration and substance abuse, relationship issues, needless arguments and domestic violence,

2) Studies are showing that stress also causes unwanted weight gain. With obesity approaching epidemic numbers in many countries, who needs the extra pounds,

3) Plus, there’s the physical symptoms such as high-blood pressure, back pain and sleep disorders!

In fact, according to recent estimates by the American Heart Association, nearly 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure (hypertension). Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. Doctors recommend weight loss and regular exercise as the first steps in treating mild to moderate hypertension. But, perhaps you do not want to join a gym or work up a sweat. Or you have physical limitations that prevent vigorous exercise. Or, you have just slowed down as you got older.

Here’s my “secret” stress buster that I will share with you – Qigong.

Qigong is thousands of years old and involves the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical postures and motions of the body. Qi means breath or gas in Mandarin Chinese and is the energy produced by breathing that keeps us alive; gong means work or technique. Qigong is then the "breath work" or the art of managing the breath to achieve and maintain good health and to enhance the energy mobilization and stamina of the body in coordination with the physical process of respiration. The gentle, graceful movements of Qigong and meditation, combined with controlled breathing exercises make it an ideal fitness program to improve men’s health, women’s health and children of all ages – they’re even great exercises for senior citizens. As humans, our Qi energy is at its peak in our late teen years, 18-20. As we age, we lose a little of our energy, year after year. It is only through continued practice of Qigong that you can increase your Qi energy and vitality to build physical and mental strength, help fortify your immune system, relieve stress and speed recovery from injury for a longer, healthier life.

The Power Of Qigong For Stress Relief program relaxes your mind and body to release your stress, improve and calm breathing, strengthens your internal organs and can help to lower your blood pressure. Evidence suggests that reducing your blood pressure by just 5-6 points can:

1) Decrease the risk of stroke by 40%,

2) Decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 15-20%, and

3) Reduce the likelihood of dementia, heart failure, and mortality from vascular disease.

Ask yourself these questions…Are you overweight? Do you exercise at all? Do you currently need drug therapy to bring your blood pressure down to a safe level? Is your boss and lifestyle driving you crazy?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then The Power Of Qigong For Stress Relief is for you!

After a “cleansing breath” warm up exercise, you will practice and learn the incredible “Stress Relief Qigong” exercise that will help to control, lower and maintain a healthy and stress free level. As you do the exercises you will enter a state of calmness and serenity. In addition the soothing, yet very effective movements in the “Stress Relief Qigong” exercise will help your flexibility, remove pain, gently loosen your joints and also improve your balance and equilibrium. Your body will move in all directions — lightly moving up, down, pushing, pulling, turning and twisting — on the way to better health, fitness and wellness.

Next, you’ll move on to the section “Breathing Exercises” to further reduce your stress, letting your tension melt away.

And to wrap it all up, further relax with the “Meditation” exercise. Meditation is one of the leading means to relieve stress, increase your ability to focus on your plans and thoughts for success and improve your overall health and well being.

Living a stress-free life is critical to your overall health and well being. Experience the power of Qigong. Each DVD comes with a free book that includes additional stress busting information!

End Your Stress. Feel Calmer. Be Happy!

GET FOUR FREE GIFTS IF YOU ORDER TODAY!

P.S. Order The Power Of Qigong For Stress Relief and I will include my 33 tips on how to organize your life - at no charge - along with 3 Motivational CDs.

P.P.S. Order two or more Power Of Qigong DVDs (any title) and I will also take 10% off the price!

What Is Inside Of You? Peace and Happiness? Or Stress and Turmoil?

Yesterday, I saw Jack LaLanne on a television program. Yes, the 94-year old fitness expert and inspiration to millions and millions of people is still going strong. In the closing remarks for the interview, Jack left his audience with the following thought. “You are responsible for everything you do - both on the outside and also inside of you.”

But what is inside of YOU? It is said that Michelangelo saw in every rough block of marble a thing of beauty. And with his vision and master hand he would carefully bring it into reality. And just like that rough block of marble, within each and every one of us, there sleeps a marvelous image awaiting the master hand of faith and the chisel of patience to bring it into view. When that marvelous image is revealed and realized it manifests itself as pure and selfless love.

Pure and selfless love is not always easy to find, but it is there. It is hidden deep in every human heart, and is frequently covered up with a hard and almost impenetrable fortress. It is the truth in man. It is that which is real and enduring. All else changes and passes away. To realize this love by continuous effort and practice of goodwill to others, to live in and become fully conscious in it, is to enter into a state of serenity, peace and happiness.

To fully understand the lesson I want to leave you with you must first understand the difference between human love and divine love.

Human love clings to material objects while excluding everything else. The attachment becomes so strong that when a material object is taken away or denied, the result is great and deep suffering. For example, look at all the people who are so attached to their iPods, cell phones, as well as overpriced coffee drinks that they will literally just “die” without them. If you want some real-life examples, just turn on any “Judge (insert name here)” television show! You will see people suing each other, left and right, over inanimate, material objects!

In contrast, divine love is distinguished from human love in this supremely important way - it is free from partiality and prejudice. On the subject Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

What is more, divine love embraces the whole universe without clinging to any part of it. Those who achieve divine love come to it by gradually purifying and broadening their human loves until all the selfish and impure elements are removed. Because human love is narrow and confined and mingled with selfishness it causes suffering. No suffering can result from divine love as it is so absolutely pure that it seeks nothing for itself.

To reach, understand and experience this love, you must work with great persistence and diligence upon your heart and mind. Benjamin Franklin said, “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” You must be patient and keep your faith strong. As with a sculptor’s block of marble, there is much to remove and much to accomplish before the beautiful image inside the marble block is revealed.

When you strive to reach and to achieve both patience and wisdom, expect to be challenged along the way. And, it is absolutely necessary that you are. A couple of things to expect:

1) Realize that no one arrives there on the first attempt, and
2) At times, as you proceed, all your work will seem to be futile.

Now and then a setback may discourage you, and perhaps when you think your work is almost completed and you have been successful, you will find what was imagined to be the beautiful image that is divine love did not appear. When this happens, you must tap into your indomitable spirit, and begin again with your prior learning and experiences to guide and help you. You must also recognize that there is no such thing as defeat. All failures are deceptive and not real. Every slip, every fall, every return to selfishness is a lesson learned. Gain from your experience and utilize the failures as stepping stones on your pathway to higher things.

These failures are like guiding voices that tell you plainly and simply where you are weak and need improvement. When you begin to carefully watch your actions, you will learn from your experience what you need to work on, and what needs to be removed out of your heart to move closer to the goal of selfless love.

As you proceed each day, you will gradually detach yourself from your inner selfishness. The love that is selfless will gradually become revealed to you. For example, when you are growing patient and calm, your anger and irritabilities pass away from you and the more powerful negative desires and prejudices cease to dominate you. It is then you will know that the divine is awakening within you. You will draw nearer to the eternal heart and selfless love, the possession of which is peace and serenity.

There are effective tools and exercises to help you develop the beauty of divine love within yourself in my book, The Power Of Serenity and Peace - The Truth To Finding Happiness In Today's Stressed Out World.

GET FOUR FREE GIFTS IF YOU ORDER TODAY!

P.S. Order The Power Of Thought or The Power Of Concentration and I will include my 33 tips on how to organize your life - at no charge - along with 3 Motivational CDs.

P.P.S. Order both systems and I will also take 10% off the price of your books!

Copyright 2009 by Keith A. Shaw and Mind Body Spirit Central.com, LLC