I often find it difficult to explore some of the key concepts in what I might call personal development or self improvement given that ordinary words and language are inadequate. By way of example, do the words ‘universal energy’ properly capture the fact that we are energy, we live in a world and universe comprised solely of vibrating energy and that energy is responsive? Does the sobriquet ‘Law of Attraction’ have the same meaning for different people? And where are the boundaries between mind, body and spirit?

Of course, in fact, there are no borders between mind, body and spirit just as there are no limits between us individually and the universe of which we each comprise an indispensable and intergal part. We are not just part of a whole, when it comes to us individually, there is just one – mind, body and spirit are simply different aspects of the one. This is important because, when we consider the facts of the matter, it becomes obvious that our thoughts have an immediate effect on how we feel physically and mentally. By way of example, when one examines the apparent reality of stress and its very real physical results, we find that our thoughts directly generate changes in body temperature and heart rate, shifts in the creation and release of a all manner of chemicals all of which, if unchecked, lead to serious illnesses – such as heart attack and stroke – and, if seriously out of control, will result in untimely death.

What is my point? . Our mental state has a direct influence on the state of mind of others around us – this has been proven many times by research in the field of psychology. How much more does our mental state affect us, ourselves? Your fitness, health and wellbeing are all directly linked to your mental state. Even your weight – your ability to gain too much of it or a whole range of dietary disorders from bulimia to anorexia – is a direct consequence of what is going on in your head.

And what you’re thinking is directly within your own control – or will be if you could be bothered to make the simplest and, ultimately, most powerful decision that any one of us can make as grown ups – choosing your own thoughts. The average mind is plagued with toxic thoughts, most of which rise from the subconscious. Research asserts that the normal subconscious focuses on the events of our formative years and is predisposed to focus on the more negative events. This is our default state of mind. That is not to say that we can’t decide what we’ll pay attention to, however.

You are your own boss. Your life, in all its aspects, is dictated by what you’re paying attention to – whether you know it or not. The ultimate and liberating decision that I just mentioned can be taken, each day, each moment, by deciding to pay attention to the actual sensory experience of the present moment. This is the only sure-fire way of preventing your own subconscious focusing on self-destructive thoughts. No other mechanism is as effective, no other way gives you the power to completely transform your health, your fitness, your wellness, your personal effectiveness and, most importantly, your ability to have a life of happiness, peace and effortless success.

I find it perculiar. I know plenty of people who tell me that they simply cannot how to relax. One guy told me that he feels guilty sitting relaxing on a Saturday – he feels compelled to fly around the house or garden hell bent on finding something to do. Another guy recently revealed that, whilst Saturday morning is his golf morning, and although he actually goes out on the course, he doesn’t really play! He can’t – his mind is stuck reliving everything that happened during last week or what’s happening the following week. He’s out on the course but, not only is he not chilled, he’s not even all there! Even worse, a guy who doesn’t have a care in the world – great job that he’s really on top of, great personal life, great everything, tells me that when he plays golf he actually feels guilty – feeling that he should be at home or in the office.

Modern living effectively demands that we should be constantly on the go. But there’s a world of difference between filling your time with activity and doing the really important things. And one of the important things that you need to have as an integral part of your life is time to chill. A New York Times piece a couple of years back revealed that native tribes in the Amazon basin have the lifestyle that every New Yorker wants – seven hours work each week, the balance spent at leisure. However, New Yorkers simply wouldn’t know what to do with all that leisure. Sure, there’d be loads of activity crammed into it – but what about totally chilling (like the Amazonians)?

You need to find yourself an easy chair, sit yourself down and do nothing for thirty minutes – you’ll be amazed where your mind might take you. Or find a shade tree, spread out a blanket and just sit there. This is the kind of space that is required in our lives – not to rest, but to clear our minds, let inspiration enter and focus on the important things that we need to do to truly live our lives. Sir Isaac Newton was reposing under a tree when the apple fell for him – find your tree and you’ll realize that pennies will drop for you. A little relaxation will change your life.

Almost as soon as the day swings into action it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by the routine, the urgent (not necessarily the important), this morning’s crisis or, most prevalent of all, useless thinking. Even if you have started your day properly, it is simply so easy to become submerged and revert to our default state of unfocused mindlessness.

So, for a start, what does starting your day properly mean? Well, we make certain that we don’t leave home physically unprepared for the day ahead. We wash and dress ourselves – shaving or applying the odd dab of make-up as required! But, we unwittingly leave the house each morning mentally unprepared for the day ahead. Starting the day properly means ensuring that, first thing in the morning, you’ve taken the appropriate step or steps to clear your mind and focus your energy. I recommend five to ten minutes mental preparation first thing. Find somewhere quiet to sit and focus on what your senses are telling you – one sense at a time. This ensures that you’re focused on what is really happening rather than on the subconscious programs that otherwise run your life – the latter being your default mental settings.

Right, let’s say that you’ve got your day off to the perfect start, you’re switched on, fully focused, mentally wide awake and ready for action. Small things like a delayed train, like getting stuck in traffic, like somebody asking you to do something unexpectedly – so many little things can upset us. To say nothing of the big things! It is so easy to wander effortlessly into mental oblivion as the day progresses. What we’ve got to do is make sure that, during the day, we pause to catch our breath – literally.

Ancient wisdom places great emphasis on the opportunity that our breathing offers us to clear the mind of useless nonsense and distraction and, consequently, focus our energy. So, here’s an easy, quick and entirely useful tip – because, after all, you’ve got to breathe anyway! Take a couple of moments – moments is all that’s required – during the day to turn your attention to the reality of your body as you inhale and exhale. Focus your attention on what it feels like to breathe, how your body responds with each breath in and out, how the air passes through your right, left or both nostrils. Give thanks for the reality that you are alive and breathing. Pay attention to nothing else for these few moments. If the hassles or useless thoughts of the moment start crowding your mind, take three deeper breaths to refocus your attention. With each breath, understand that whatever might be doing your head in right now will be completely forgotten in months, weeks, days or even hours. Understand that, with an focused, alert and ready mind, all things are possible.

There are occasions when we simply feel flat – perhaps not dejected, disillusioned or depressed, just plain flat, energy-less and disinterested. And even though I’ve been teaching my many personal development clients how to start each day by switching on their minds – and I do the same myself – sometimes, within no time at all, one ends up feeling, well, ‘I wish I was somewhere else!’ or ‘I don’t feel like doing this!’ I’m not talking about things going wrong with our day, I’m simply talking about what one client described like this: ‘I get into my office, full of beans, I sit down at my desk, open up my PC and, suddenly, it’s like I’m in a kind of daze.’

What takes the wind out of our sails so effortlessly? How can we be so fired up for the day ahead and then suddenly so flat? Actually, the answer is all too simple – flat is your default state of mind. Yeah, believe it or not, research confirms that few of us is tuned in sufficiently to actually be appropriately attentive and focused to get all that can be gotten out of the normal day. As if that wasn’t enough, research also asserts that, left to its own devices, our minds slip towards negativity. It’s the way we’re hard-wired – and all the personal development or self improvement in the world won’t personal development or self improvement isn’t going to change the hardware.

But what personal development will change is the programs that we run. Again, left to its own devices, our subconscious mind is happy to watch reruns – to keep running the same old broken programs that make our daily lives mundane, uninteresting, repetitive and boring. You need to get control of the remote control! Self Improvement will teach you how to change channels and enable you stop watching the same old nonsense. It will enable you tune in to reality TV – the reality of the here and now.

Sadly, this feeling of mindless-couldn’t-give-a-damn simply invades our minds by default. And that will forever, for the rest of our days, be our default way of thinking unless you set about developing a mindful, focused, tuned in state of mind – and not only have you got to do this every single day, you’ve got to find a mechanism to make sure that you can call on that state of mindfulness when you find yourself slipping down the inevitable slippery slope towards mindlessness – because, as sure as you’re breathing in and out, you’ll start slipping and sliding the moment you take your eye of the ball.

OK, I’m mixing my metaphors, between PCs, TV and slippery slopes – but you understand? Our mind is always waiting to mug us – we’ve got to be alert as much as is humanly possible.

Unfortunately, normal people view life through dark glasses and, as a result, everything appears gloomier than it is. This is the norm because the normal mind is hard-wired to look at reality through our conditioning and it is more likely than not that the mind will pay attention to negative rather than positive conditioning. This mental shortcoming is what is keeping your life on hold.

You’ve got to alter the way you look at the world – this is at the very heart of personal development. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you look at life through rose-tinted spectacles – that would disable you from noticing possible pitfalls or warning signs. This attitude prevents people from knowing when to give up on something that is not working for them – for example, a dead relationship or a floundering business. As such what is widely known as positive thinking or a positive mental attitude is seriously dangerous and often leads to the excuse of all: “I’ll do nothing because I know that things are going to get better!”

Something different, even innovative, is required. What I am suggesting is that you see life for what it is – the reality of the present moment. Only in the here and now can you see the upside of opportunities that you might altogether otherwise miss with your dark glasses on. Similarly, you will be acutely aware of downside of what you’re doing or thinking about doing – something that you could completely miss if you’re looking through your rose-tinted glasses.

But, here’s the thing – the reality and potential of the present moment can only be experienced, appreciated and capitalized upon if you by-pass your hard-wiring – something that doesn’t come naturally to the normal adult. But it came naturally to all of us as children. In fact, it was that clear state of mind that enabled us to be programmed in the first place. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to relearn how to fully be in the here and now without putting your own personal spin or preconceived notions into the mix. You need to stop making a nonsense of the present moment by relying on your programming.

This can be achieved by coming to your senses – I mean that quite literally. You’ve five of them – you need to start noticing what they’re actually telling you. Research tells us that, as normal adults, we don’t pay a blind bit of attention to what our senses are actually telling us. Instead, our programming has lulled us into a false sense of security that we know best. We don’t – how could we, we’ve no perspective on the bigger picture of what life might be like if we let it.

To come to your senses, you need to spend a little time every day, preferably first thing in the morning, training your mind to notice what you actually see, feel, hear, smell and taste, without interpreting, without analysing, without jumping to your routine conclusions. Why not work one sense each day and discover where it takes you.

If you’re into personal development or self improvement, you’ll have some understanding of the importance placed by many experts on being focused in the here and now. Ekhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ emphasizes the virtues of what might be described as presence of mind. However, Tolle, together with other personal development ‘gurus’, doesn’t either adequately explain why ‘Now’ is so important or, indeed, offer practical advice on being more present.

First of all, now is the only time and place that actually exists – the past is something you learn from (although psychology proves that most people don’t learn but subconsciously live there) and the future is something that will only pan out the way you’d like if you’re prepared to be focused and effective in the present. Also, quantum physics suggests that the universe only exists now – and it confirms that universal energy is responsive to our energy – now. In other words, it is vital to be present. Being present gives you ‘presence’ – the hallmark of all successful people.

The big problem is that we’re not present. Our subconscious is focused in our so-called formative years, whilst our conscious mind is plagued by useless thought – thoughts tending towards negative self-doubt and worry. In fact, research suggests that the normal mind is just one percent present. If that’s true you are extremely unlikely to elicit much response from a waiting universe.

Basically, it is imperative that you develop your presence. But how? Presence means being focused on what you’re doing and where you are now. Many people, according to many surveys, are not focused on what they’re doing, they prefer to do what they’re doing whilst thinking that they don’t like what they’re doing! In addition, most people haven’t grasped the simplicity of what focus is. Focus means paying attention – pure and simple. It means tuning into the reality of the moment, using the only mechanism that’s available to you to do this – your five senses. Your five senses are your sole interface with the world. Yet we pay no attention to what our senses tell us, we prefer to let our subconscious put its own spin on reality. We use our preconceived notions to make sense of now and, in the process, make complete nonsense of it.

You need to relearn how to pay attention. We were all experts at it when we were young children. The easiest way to relearn is to set just a bit of time aside to re-focus one sense at a time. I suggest that you find somewhere quiet to sit tomorrow morning. Close your eyes and notice how all the sounds around you become more defined. They’re not, of course, it’s just that you’re paying greater attention. Notice what you’re feeling in your body – feelings that you wouldn’t notice when you’re normally all over the place. Another morning you might focus on how your body’s responses when you breathe. A few minutes each morning will considerably affect your ability to pay attention throughout the day – you will be more focused, more present, more in tune with what’s going on and the opportunities that abound.

Then you can measure your presence by reference to your results. You’ll be more responsive to people and siutations that they might otherwise fail to notice or avoid completely, you’ll be more open to doing things that you wouldn’t otherwise do. And, on the basis that the one thing that has you stuck in a rut is the fact that you rarely do anything different, bold or courageous, this can only be a good thing. As a result of your presence you will not just be open to new opportunity – you will actually create your own opportunities. The net result is that, at least, your life will move forward – in the right direction. At most, your life will never be the same – you will achieve effortless and measurable, happiness and success.

The purpose of life is to be happy – at least according to the Dalai Lama. However, most people are not quite sure what happiness actually means. Is it having lots of nice things – nice home, vacation home, flashy car, designer clothes, exotic vacations? Because, certainly over the last number of years, plenty of people fell into the trap of evaluating their happiness based on their possessions – and comparing their ‘happiness’ to what others owned. I actually had a client telephone me at one point to tell me that his wife was going to leave him because she said and I quote ‘The neighbours go on better holidays!’ Wave her off, I said!

Happiness is not related to having lots of nice things – it doesn’t exclude them, but they are not a prerequisite. Happiness is about having happy times or, as I say to my clients, ‘being gurdy!’ It’s a feeling that you have that all is well with the world – with your world. It’s a feeling of wanting for nothing – not not wanting to venture to new heights on the sensational adventure of life’s rollercoaster – but simply of not wanting for anything in this perfect moment.

Happiness is a now thing. Bad news flash – the normal mind is all over teh place and certainly not here now, so it’s unable to experience happiness. Psychology confirms that the normal mind is focused in the past (especially on the childhood experiences that have created our self-image) and focused in the future (either looking forward to something good, wanting for something that we haven’t got or worrying about something or other that we’d prefer not to happen). Under these circumstances no way is it possible for the normal mind to be happy – except for the odd flash.

To be happy, you’ve got to become abnormal. Normal people don’t bother to turn up to their own lives – and there’s over seven decades of research that proves this conclusively. To achieve effortless happiness ( including effortless success) you’ve got to turn up to the present moment – the only place and time that you can live your life. It takes a focused and tuned in mind to be present – there are many different ways that you can develop your focus and ability to pay attention. However, your success and happiness depend upon it – they are correlated with how well you pay attention – again an ability that the normal mind will never master. You must relearn how to pay attention – it came naturally to you when you were child when you experienced everything new by using each of your five senses. To be happy and successful you’ve got to come to your senses all over again. When you do, you won’t need to go in search of happiness – happiness will simply find you.

Are you happy with yourself and with your life? I suspect that there are things that you would want to alter in both your life and you, yourself – I’ve rarely met anyone who is truly happy. Of course, people frequently believe that if they improve themselves, get fit, buy a new car, have really cool holidays that, then, they’ll find happiness. That kind of ‘happy’, however, is transient and superficial. True happiness has got to be lasting and not based on having this or doing that.

The one place that you will discover happiness is within. However, that is a foreign country to shielded from them by what psychologists call ‘The Sentry’, a defence mechanism that we all have which prevents anyone else getting into our subconscious minds where they could brainwash us. The big problem is that this ‘Sentry’ keeps us out as well! And with good reason – or, at least, it certainly seems like a good idea until you take a closer look at how we operate – our beliefs about how the world operates and ourselves are stored in our subconscious. You wouldn’t want to go messing with that stuff, would you? Or would you? Because most of us believe ourselves to be inadequate at least in some way, most of us aren’t one hundred percent happy with who we are. That’s because our beliefs are not based on fact but on a build-up of what we call the programming or conditioning that we were subjected to during what you might call your formative years. This programming or conditioning is the source of both your discomfort with yourself and, just as importantly, everything that you believe to be wrong in your life.

Our reality is created from beliefs – it is those beliefs that automatically dictate our behaviour, our actions, our reactions and our interactions with others. It is through this process that we, ourselves, create our take on reality. What’s going on in your head, at a deep subconscious level, quite literally creates your life. And it isn’t real, it’s made up from what others did to us or for us during those formative years. So of course you’d want to go messing with your beliefs, because normal beliefs hold normal people back.

You need to mess with your beliefs. You need to get to the real, inner you, to find true happiness – that is where you’ll find a you that is unstained by the crap of normal conditioning, unspoilt by all the beliefs that mess up our so-called normal lives – silly beliefs that keep us in our place – like we should know our place, like you’ve got to work hard to succeed, like pain is never far behind pleasure, that pride comes before a fall – fill in your own list.

Forget that crap. Also, forget about who you thought you were and discover who you really are – and the kind of life that you can really have. Your mind’s been focused on normal crap – stop it. I teach my clients various forms of ‘mental calming measures’ – meditation if you will – you need to calm down, wake up and see the light. And then you will find effortless happiness.

Although the evidence of depression may be all too tangible in your life, depression is simply not real. If you’re suffering from depression, it’s just your imagination because depression is directly linked to your subconscious mind’s obsession with useless thoughts that you ‘learned’ during your formative years. It is normal for your subconscious mind to focus on the past – everyone’s does – it’s just that the garbage that yours is focused on is probably a little (or a lot) abnormal. This is not your fault – your subconscious mind was impressed with these thoughts by others, people and events that made you feel bad, guilty, upset during your childhood years.

And although it’s normal for your subconscious to focus on out-dated deeply-rooted programs, this habit doing you damage – you can see it and feel it in your everyday life. Again, mustn’t feel bad about this – everybody’s subconscious mind is doing the same damage – at least you have the advantage over others in realizing that you have a problem.

However, the problem is completely down to what your subconscious mind is focused on. You must tear your subconscious focus away from those self-destructive thoughts and redirect your attention to the one place and time that is actually real, the only place and time that you can fully live – the present moment. If you succeed in turning your attention to the here and now you will experience something that you probably have never experienced before – there’s no such thing as depression, there’s no such thing as fear or worry, there’s only a world full of possibilities and opportunities – and quantum physics proves that that wonderful world will respond to your hopes and dreams.

Pills or medicine will not enable you experience the difference between reality and the illusion of stress – they might make the pain vanish for a while but your subconscious mind will always slink back to the old, out-dated thoughts that are not real but just an imprint of a past long gone. The one way that you will experience reality – one cleansed of depression – is to learn how to clear your mind. This is no big deal because, as a youngster, you had a completely clear mind – that’s how those bad feelings were impressed upon you way back then. All you must to do now is re-train yourself to pay attention to what your five senses are telling you, just right now – without adding your subconscious mind’s warped interpretation onto the facts.

I am convinced that the best way to relearn how to pay attention to the reality of the present moment is meditation – preferably, for starters, guided meditation. It will take you a while to get used to it, you may find it difficult, but a small amount of commitment will yield the enormous benefit of your being able to live your life to the full.

The Pusuits of goal success is an easy and effective method of
achieving whatever you want in life, whenever you want it.
Goal setting enables you to plan and focuss on what you want.
It sends positive energy into the universe to attracts events,
people and opportunities to assist you in achieving goal success
over what you set to achieve.

The fastest way to achieve goal success is to set goals and focuss
your mind and activities on how you will achieve the set goal
within the period you set to achieve it. Here are 4 vital points
to observe to achieve quick goal success.

1. Free your mind from all negative thoughts. Ease out all
angers you feel toward others and yourself. Don’t entertain any
feelings of self rebuke over past failures or mistakes. And don’t
think ill about anybody or situations. Let your mind be free and be
happy and optimistic about everything around you. Find and see the
positive sides of people and things that surround you.

2. Take good care of yourself both physically and mentally. Eat
food that are good for your health. We’re being told everyday to
avoid sugar as much as possible, and we’re ecncouraged to take
vitamins and supplements. Good physical conditions affect the mind
and our mental performances. Regular excercise is good for your body
as it releases endorphins. Endorphins increases the performances of
the mind and clears all mind encumbrances.

3. Let your mind be clear of the end results of your goal by giving
yourself the vision of what you want to achieve. Is it a house or
a car? Is it a promotion or a status in the society. See this clealy
in your mind. Give yourself the priviledge of seing that this thing
has been achieved and already being enjoyed by you. This important
process will activate your subconscious mind in programming the
universe to assist you in realising this goal quickly and with ease.
Thus, don’t allow your mind to doubt the success of achieving the
goals you set.

4. Break the process of achieving your goals into steps and follow
each steps deligently. Make sure you achieve a step before moving
to the next step. Don’t cut corners. Be sincere and be prepared to
go the whole hogs in the necessary areas of achieving your goal
success.