Month: March 2017

It is often stated in much literature that we should live without goals, yet many people end up realising that living without plans is harder than what they originally thought. Taking this path often frustrates friends who do make plans, and it can leave you home alone with your thoughts on a Saturday night. So why would we want to live without goals?

None duality, Buddhism and many eastern ideals discuss the importance of the present moment. Anguish can be found in the past and worrying often belongs to the future. This tied in with a rampaging ego can be detrimental to the human psyche over time. So it is often taught that future goals and expectations (which are tied in with the ego) can lead to emotional harm. And one of the most important lessons on this line of thought deals with our emotional ties to possessions.

Buddhism in particular speaks a lot about the unhealthy link between physical objects we want (such as money, cloths, housing, mobile phones and so forth) and our happiness. It goes a little something like this… If I get that car I will finally be satisfied. If I just get that job it will make me happier. If I find a partner it will solve all of my problems. If I don’t have that new Samsung S8 or the new Iphone I won’t be as popular and this will make me sad.

Tying our emotional status to physical objects is fleeting at best. This thought has been implemented in our brain by professional marketers that told us that this is the case. So, you get the high from searching, the nerves from waiting, and then finally you are relieved that you received your physical object… but then what? How long does that high last?

Obviously these types of highs are temporary. They are short term stimulus for the brain, and once you own the item it instantaneously loses its emotional value, just like a car loses its price value the moment you drive it out of the dealership.

Not long after purchases are made we begin to focus on other things we can buy just like a junkie searching for their next fix. The sales market arena are well aware of our emotional ties (because they created many of them) and therefore they continue to market at our emotional weaknesses and insecurities. Yet as purchasing these items never fully satisfies we remain unsatisfied and constantly trying to fill the void. It’s much like pouring water into a cup with a hole at the bottom of it.

The above explanation almost makes it sound like we are addicts, and in many ways, we are. Much like eating food to ignore emotions, reaching for that cigarette, dope or alcohol to satisfy that empty feeling within ourselves, we feel like we are on an endless pursuit. But where does it all end?

Let’s say you win the lottery. Does this solve all of life’s problems? Of cause it does… Having money worked well for John Belushi, Jimi Hendix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Amy Whinehouse didn’t it. Ahem… And these guys didn’t just have money, they also had fame, people that adored them and everything that they were told would satisfy them in life. Yet it didn’t work for these people because material things do not fulfil our greater needs.

So if having THINGS doesn’t do it for us then what are we really after? Is it the future goals that keep us going or is it what is behind the hour glass. We will talk about this next time.

Okay Spaceman, you stuffed up! You talked about the past in the last chapter and now you have jumped to the future. What about the ghost of Christmas present? Well, he was always the most boring ghost anyway and he can wait. The present is a big chapter and before we get into it, it is important to see what lays on either side.

Let’s start off with the science stuff…

I have already gone over a lot of this in the chapter about the past (part 1) yet let’s do a quick recap for the science nerds out there (as I am one of you).

As part of the theory of relativity (thanks Einstein) we know that the closer we travel to the speed of light the more our time slows down for us. You could be travelling close to the speed of light for 8 minutes yet 80 years could have passed on Earth during that time. The problem with this is that when you arrive in the future it becomes your present. And as traveling backwards in time (although plausible) is even more theoretical, there is a good chance you won’t be able to travel back in time to tell people that you were ever in the future. So we are back to square one.

As it is highly unlikely that we will be able to travel to the future in our life time, it does mean that the future is nothing more than a thought in our brain. Yes, the future will exist one day though we will not be able to experience it with our 5 senses until the future becomes our present. And as stated above, even if we were to travel to the future (or the past for that matter), whilst we are there, it will be our present. We can’t escape the present moment.

If this is the case then why am I writing a whole chapter about the future?

Great question, I am glad you asked it!!

Highlights of this chapter will be around what the future really means to our perception, how our beliefs of the past affect our future (which we have partly discussed in the last chapter) and also how and if mantras work. Yet the main focus over the coming blogs will be on goal setting. There is a confliction with many beliefs that state that we should not be attached to our goals and that we should live in the present. Yet how do we do this within a 9 to 5 world that requires us to make plans and organise ourselves? We need to find a balance.

We will be racing through a lot of information very fast so keep your eyes peeled on the coming blogs.

 

A while ago most superhero’s on TV were quite light hearted and friendly, but nowadays it’s about who makes the darkest hero with the most disturbing past.

Compare Adam West’s Batman to Christian Bale’s. It’s not just the acting that took a surprising change but also the cinematography, the music, the guilt, the emptiness and the overall feeling of sadness. It seems harder and harder to find the moral of these stories whilst the depth has gone much further than the Riddler’s riddles. And today we have superhero’s that are beaten to a pulp, they kill others for their own vengeance and some of the new ones are even raped and tortured. So why the change?

The answer is much more than light verses dark. After many flashes of terrorism, death, lack of compassion, hurt and murder on the 6 o’clock news it isn’t any wonder that our fantasies are laid out in a desolate place. And this is where it all begins.

Now sure, there are still some fluffy villains out there, and I can’t wait for DC’s next screw up, though for the majority of these TV shows and movies we are seeing excessive murder and hopelessness. And this is because in our minds we are closer to the fantasy than our actual reality.

A reality is nothing more than our perception, and of cause, what we focus on we head towards. And what we have been focusing on recently is what we can’t do rather that what we can. This makes us feel helpless and useless. Within this world of isolation where we fear making friends with our neighbours, we need to believe in more than just someone fighting for a cause. Instead, we need a hero, a single person that represents the goodness within ourselves that can fight the battle of evil for us. We wish we were that person and we wish that we have the power to make a change.

In many ways, the glimmering superhero is a sign that there is goodness within us. That we want to see more within this world than what we currently perceive exists. We believe that something can be done yet we feel helpless towards a resolve so we create someone else to do it for us. Yet the reality of what we can achieve is much greater than what we perceive.

Believe it or not, the world is a beautiful place full of love, peace and contentment. There is as much peace as there is evil even though it is not shown on the nightly news. And although these fictional characters seem to set standards far too high for a single person without superpowers, their power is within our grasp.

Think of life like an ocean. When we do something nice it makes a splash and the ripples reach out further than the eye can see. Just because we can’t see where the ripples end it doesn’t mean that we haven’t made a significant change. Kindness and compassion rarely display instant results, though eventually, if we remain aware and present, we can see what has really been achieved. Maybe we will only see a glimmer of hope or inspiration within someone. Maybe a simple optimistic conversation generates positive energy within their soul which they will take to others. Or maybe it’s just a smile that we give to a stranger that makes a person think ‘wow, not everyone’s a wanker!’ Who knows? But it’s these little things that make a real difference.

So what is a superhero?

A true hero knows the meaning of the word power which is defined in the dictionary as ‘the ability to act’. A hero acts. And although we can’t shoot webs from our fingers, fly through the air or run faster than a speeding locomotive, what we can do is affect a person’s perception of their world. And what is the world but seven billion perceptions. Our reality is based on what we focus on, so by helping people see the good side of the world we are making a tremendous change. From there, who knows how far our ripples will travel.

There are many types of hero’s out there in the world. We can’t all save lives, but we can certainly make sure that those that live on this earth have the ability to see a joyful one.

Yes, it’s going to be one of those blogs where I ask you to do stuff which will increase the quality of your life. But if this isn’t your vibe (this is me being cool) then still stick around. I will also be closing off this chapter. Now let’s get moving…

Think about a moment in your past that created a disempowering belief. See it from today’s perspective and remain a fly on the wall whilst you tap into the belief/shame or disappointment that the occurrence created.

As you play the moment over in your mind realise that the situation, mistake or event has happened and can’t be undone. Acceptance is always a valued step towards healing. And although we are going through the event once again, beyond this point we are accepting that we no longer need to relive this moment over in our minds any further.

Once you have remembered the moment I want you to pinpoint the original disempowering lesson which came from the experience. What was it? How has this disempowered you in the present via the way of actions, lack of actions, negative thoughts or lack of confidence? What questions has it made you ask? If at all possible it is worth writing these answers down or at least giving it a minutes thought.

Now that you know the disempowering belief and how it affects you, I would like you to come up with a new empowering perception to replace it. What is the opposite message to what you originally received? What new belief would excite you, give you confidence and/or make your life more enjoyable? Take your time and come up with something awesome. Think about this for a moment and let a smile come over your face when you do it. Really embrace the empowering sensation as if this was already a fixed belief within your psyche.

It is now time to swap your old perception to the new one. To do this we require a little faith.

Keep holding onto the idea that the new empowering perception is your reality. Feel how much better things are and have faith that this is something that will continue within you from this point forward. Understand that the fact that you remembered the past event, have thought of it during reading this blog, and are now trying to change it, mean’s that you are ready to do this now. Not tomorrow, not in a year’s time, NOW! If you have faith that this is why you are here RIGHT NOW then you are right! It’s the faith that this is true which will guide your new belief to be true. You are the creator of your reality and only you control your perception of life. You’re past has brought you to this exact moment, right here, right now. And I can state this confidently because you ARE here right now reading this! Therefore by default this moment is meant to be! So pump yourself up with energy and feel connected to everything around you. You deserve a positive mindset! Everyone does!

If for any reason you don’t feel pumped to change, THEN PUMP YOURSELF UP! Get into it! Yes, I am a bit of a nutter for saying this, but what the hell! You live once! Get inspired! And when you are feeling great about your new belief stop reading for a second and embrace the moment. Make movements, yell at the top of your lungs, dance, do what comes naturally and feel the passion! Enjoy it and come straight back…

Did you do it? Are you inspired? I hope so 🙂

This type of change is effective, not because I am a great blogger, but because if you took this seriously, your psychology must already be demanding a positive shift. Once your mind is in this state it just requires a source of inspiration. For this reason you may want to come back to this blog at a later date if that inspiration is not currently within you….

Before we go onwards there is one more final step, and it is something that we have done in a previous blog. I want you to come up with some positive questions and answers to replace the old negative ones you used to use. And over the next 48 hours I would like you to lay witness to your thoughts. Each time you notice a negative thought, I want you to remember the positive feeling you have now and replace those old questions with the new ones. And that’s it, no more is required.

These steps may all sound simple yet a massive amount has just been done:

You accepted that the past can’t be changed (which gives you closure)

You have the inspiration (which creates long lasting impressions).

You are aware of your old patterns (meaning you are focused on the present moment)

You will remain aware of your future thoughts and replace the old ones with new positive ones (which means you are changing your automatic pattern so that you don’t relive the old disempowering mindset blindly)

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took a whole two days to build it so please have patience… eeerrrrr. Okay, you got me. The first 48 hours is the most important and will make certain that permanent changes to your psyche will occur. Yet the longer you remain focused on your thoughts and changing them the more effective it is for the long term. So please feel free to focus for a week or even a month if you are inspirited to do so. It will change your life.

In conclusion:

We all know the Terminator saying ‘there is no fate but what we make’. I believe that this is just as prevalent for the past as it is for the future. The story we tell about our past affects us immensely in today’s reality. By taking that moment in our past and stating that the reason for it was to bring you to where you are right now is a powerful message. And as stated before, it’s a true one because you ARE here now.

I see the past, the present and the future as all being aligned. If you apply a positive message to your past experiences, it means that you will be searching for signals to justify this truth within the present and future. And this is why it is so important. If you apply a negative belief to a past experience such as ‘you’re not good enough’ then you seek this belief in the present. Yet if you change your experience to mean something positive such as ‘you are good enough’ then you seek this positive message instead. This is all about perception and focus.

So the main message in this chapter is regarding faith. It is important to believe that things have happened in your life for a reason, and furthermore, for you to be the one that writes that story. You are and always have been the one that controls what the past means to you. So make your faith work with you instead of against you. And once this is done you will begin to see positive aspects in your life that you never had noticed before. Not necessarily because they weren’t there, but because you never noticed them.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In many ways it is a part of a trilogy. Next, we will be talking about the future before heading to one of the most important chapters in this book, the present.