Tag: focus

Cheer Up in 60-seconds: Use this…

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Life is full of highs and lows, ups and downs. It’s human nature.   If life was excellent all of the time, we’d appreciate it less. But, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have a quick remedy to cheer ourselves up, right? Well, I’m going to share a method that is at our fingertips all the time and in unlimited supply! Here’s the remedy: the moment you find yourself lingering in negative / unhappy / low energy thoughts… stop what you’re doing for a moment, close your eyes and think of three or four things that you are grateful for in your life. They can be big or little things, tangible or intangible, relationships, friends, opportunities, experiences, health, fitness… anything. There are so many things in life that we can appreciate. We all have a list and it has nothing to do with monetary wealth.Read More »

Hyper Minds

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I never noticed how hyper my mind was until I tried to calm it down a bit. For the longest time, I tolerated my mind’s incessant chatter and activity, assuming it was completely normal. My mind swirled with literally constant activity, whether I was reviewing what just happened, trying to remember to-do lists or contemplating what was soon to happen. Even when there was no reason to be thinking and I thought I was relaxed, I found something to consume me mentally. Does this sound familiar? It only occurred to me recently that the mind, like any tool, should be able to rest. In other words, it does not have to ‘work’ all the time.   And, only when I actively calmed my mind (using some rudimentary meditation techniques), did I realize what a peaceful and energizing experience it was.Read More »

Leverage

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Another important life efficiency concept, distilled by Tony Robbins and others, is Leverage. Leverage is critical because, if used correctly, it frees us to spend more time doing: 1) things that we want to do and, 2) things that are simply a better use of our time. In simplest terms, leverage suggests that we reduce our own personal burdens, workloads and general time commitments by delegating to and utilizing other people and resources in our lives as much as possible. In other words, don’t constantly feel like you have to do everything yourself. Delegate, share, and diffuse the burden. Think how it might feel to reclaim some time back in your life.Read More »

Lessons from a Dying 94-yr old

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About 6-years ago, I sympathetically befriended an elderly man, a Hungarian holocaust survivor who reminded me of my father. In the sunset of his life at age 88, he had outlived all of his family and, unfortunately, never had any children.   When I met Steven, I was immediately struck by his amazing mind and the depth of his repertoire. I also was saddened by how lonely his life had become. It seems very ironic that a man with so much richness to share had nobody with whom to share it. Over the next 6-years, I spent hours and hours just listening to him speak – some of the most interesting stories I have ever heard. Having survived the holocaust and subsequently living in 4 different countries, you might imagine the topics of discussion.

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What Exercise Teaches Us

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When we are forced to focus, we actually clear and calm our minds, which is the fundamental discipline of meditation. So, when this ‘focus’ happens during exercise, whether you realize it or not, you are actually experiencing moments of meditation. And, as documented by hundreds of books, experts and web sources, meditation is VERY healthy (link to one of the many documented meditation benefits given below).   Many sports including cycling, trail running, mountain biking, water skiing, snow skiing, snowboarding, surfing (and others) are ways that we calm our minds without even trying. Here’s why… Read More »