Redirecting Mind Chatter to the Mental Spam Box

Thoughts are so often with us but, like a letter in the mail, we do not have to receive them: they do not belong to us.

It can be hard to detach ourselves from these results of the mental process, particularly those which create a negative emotional reaction as so many thoughts do. It feels so personal as the what-ifs and perhapses run through the mind like an out-of-control child, absorbing the attention and triggering feelings of fear, stress and anxiety.

It is interesting that thoughts that are from the Higher Mind are quite different - not random or chaotic but reasoned, clear and helpful, and often decisive. They are an inner knowing, the certainty we have occasionally when we wake up about what to do or where to go. We could call them messages from Spirit.

Higher Mind thoughts are letters we are pleased to receive. Lower Mind thoughts are junk mail, communication you have not asked for and do not want: if you can't stop it coming through your mental door, then when it arrives you observe it for what it is and dispose of it calmly without getting attached to it.

I find it helps, if I get caught up in some mental spam, to take a few deep breaths when I am able to see what is occurring, to break the thought pattern and bring myself back to the present and myself, in the knowledge that the thought is not who I am. It is one of the hardest parts of being human to do this and after years of trying I do not always succeed. I will persevere, however, for I know it is worth it.

Nature provides us with the perfect example of how to do this. While birds and animals like to have structure and routine in their lives, largely driven by the rhythms and pulses of the Planet and beyond, they have the capacity nonetheless to change what no longer serves them effortlessly and move on.

If a nest of fledglings is predated, the parents will, season permitting, create a new brood; if the local climate becomes colder or hotter, species affected will move north or south; if the lion king in a pride dies, another is found to replace him. There is no sentiment in the world of nature, rather there is pragmatism and intuition based on the immediate need in order to survive and enjoy life. It is not cold-blooded, for there is much caring and tenderness and a shared sense of community responsibility based on the present moment.

Living as I do surrounded by wildlife, I am blessed to have many opportunities to observe how nature works, and to learn constantly from it. I see that a deer, say, has a wonderful capacity to accept, adapt, and let go. It carries no burdens, is (unless ill or under threat) physically and emotionally relaxed, and is fully connected with its environment. Apart from the need to subsist and beget new life it has no cares.

As I reflect on animals' capacity to let go and just be, I see how often I and perhaps you are not. Sometimes I find my back is tense, shoulders are raised, my mind is chattering and I am on auto-pilot, somewhere else than in my present. More and more I try and pause periodically in my day and check in to see where the tensions are and where my mind has gone, to try and bring myself into a constant state of "let go" at every level of my being. Just like the birds, the more I do this and am able just to be, the greater my sense of oneness with all that is above, all that is below, and all that is around me.

The more I do this, the more I watch my nature teachers, the more I realise, with gratitude, how much I have to learn - and that is fine.

Claire Montanaro is a skilled and sought after spiritual teacher, speaker, lecturer and author, with a reputation for inspiring and empowering her clients, students and audience. Based in Wales, her heartfelt desire is to assist people to actualise their total connectedness to all that is. Additionally, she offers a global philosophy for living and being in the new age for all seekers of truth. Seven simple yet intensely profound Principles form the core of her teaching, the practice of which embodies the New Consciousness and is a catalyst for One-ness. Her book "Spiritual Wisdom" is published by Piatkus Books. Her website can be found at http://www.inluminoglobal.co.uk where you can read more articles like this in her regularly updated Thoughts for the Day (blog).

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The Quest For Healthier Beliefs

As a child one thing my folks were consistent in saying was wait until you're older, then you'll understand life. I didn't understand life then and I don't understand life now.

I was like most children growing up. At the very top of my wish list was to have fun, be happy, and enjoy life. That's what I thought life was all about. Now in my adult years I wish I could start over with a clean slate because my distorted thinking has caused distractions to my inner being.

We do ourselves justice when we look back over our lives and see how our habits and beliefs have robbed us of the ability to see reality.

The crime we punish ourselves with is seldom seen. So often we hurt ourselves by stubbornly refusing to change our thoughts and reactions. We often search our exterior looking for solutions that only come from within. Because we become so commitment to our beliefs, the only possible way to experience a break through is through an honest self inventory. If examined closely, a self inventory will show how our beliefs affect our daily lives.

What I've found is my problems and their accompanying solutions stored away inside my mind buried deep within my beliefs. My thoughts and actions based on beliefs that provided a false sense of self. Because I cherished my unhealthy beliefs the pain I felt during the examining process was unbearable at times.

In my re-examine process I used a shovel of spiritual truth and began digging deep within myself eventually overthrowing anything that was contrary to spiritual truth. It wasn't easy and took great practice and courage, but I knew it was the only thing that could convert me from the walking chaotic being I once was into the man I am today.

Years of compressing my feeling with denial, rationalization and justification had come to light. Because of my ability of being honest.

In our quest for healthier beliefs it's important that we approach one belief at a time. If we try to attack them all at once we can become overwhelmed with anxiety. As we do this we experience the comfort that only patients can offer. We must remember our purpose is to become healthy mentally so we can become healthy spiritually and physically.

Our distorted beliefs will eventually become our reality. We began to make choices based on how we think things are instead of on what is. Wisdom has taught me to look at the evidences. Our responsibility is to start and finish a quest that can only be done by ourselves. A mentally and spiritual journey that bring a happier and joyful you, start by adopting healthier beliefs.

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This Is Not The End - Inspiring Speech On Depression & Mental Health

Handling Life's Obstacles?: Challenges, Or Problems?

At some point, or another, each of us face some obstacle, or obstacles, and often, the difference between enjoy the happiest, most contented, life, or a far more stressful one, is how we perceive and conceive of these, and proceed, forward! When something, unforeseen, and/ or, unwanted, occurs, each of us, must decide, whether to follow the path of problematic thinking, versus, deciding to view them, merely as a challenge, to overcome! You can think you can, or think you can't. Either way, you'll be correct. Henry Ford, credited with these words, believed he could create the world largest automobile company (when others, didn't believe in him), and perceived every obstacle, as an invigorating challenge! With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, how our attitude, in terms of overcoming life's issues, often determines the end - result.

1. Perceiving problems: The sky is falling. Is this, your way of handling life's lemons? When we see something, as being, problematic, it creates a negative attitude, which, does little, to nothing, towards achieving the best resolutions, and/ or, solutions! Those proceeding, this way, often resort to procrastinating, because they permit their fears and apprehensions, to dominate their mindset, attitude, and actions. They proceed, often, with despair, and the belief, It's out of my control, instead of, looking for viable, relevant solutions, and a better, personal, action plan!

2. Seeing obstacles as challenges instead of problems: When you proceed, with a greater degree of open - minded thinking, and self - confidence, you enhance your potential, and possibilities! Instead of limiting your options, alternatives, and opportunities, when you see things, with the perception, I can handle and overcome that, it creates far less stress, and more willingness to proceed forward, with a plan, instead of simply, procrastinating, and trying to avoid, what you perceive as undesirable/ scary, etc. Many things in our lives, can be explained, by looking at how the greatest, sports champions, handle the stresses and strains, of performing, under - pressure! When the game was on the line, the great, Michael Jordan, always, wanted the ball, because, he visualized making the key shot, and the basketball, flying through the net. The greatest professional golfer, of our time, Tiger Woods, always focused on the green, beyond the hazard, instead of the negative possibilities, of having the ball, fall in the hazard!

When you view obstacles as challenges, to overcome, as opposed to, emphasizing potential problems, you do harm, to your ultimate health, and well - being! Will you be your best friend, or worst enemy?

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, and conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. Website: http://plan2lead.net and LIKE the Facebook page for self - help: http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

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The One Thing Only 1% of People Do | TRY IT FOR 21 DAYS and Success Will Come!

How Changing Your Mindset Can Change Your Life

If you have been struggling to lose weight, improve a relationship, find a new job or just have more fun, the answer may be in your mindset. Mindset is a concept developed over a decade ago by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck through her research to understand how people cope with failures. Dweck defines mindset as the view we adopt of ourselves and proved that it can profoundly affect how we live our lives. She found that people generally fall into two categories, those with a fixed mindset and those with a growth mindset. A "fixed" mindset suggests that our intelligence, ability and personality are carved in stone and do not change much over our lifetime. An example of this mindset might be "I am not athletic"" or "I am a math person" which suggest that these traits can't change. The downside to a "fixed" mindset is these kinds of beliefs limit personal growth. By contrast, a "growth" mindset suggests that individuals have basic abilities but can develop and cultivate these and other abilities or intelligence and talents through effort and strategies. This view allows for potential to grow and opens us to greater possibility and success. Adopting a growth mindset can improve all areas of life from personal to professional. Changing from a fixed mindset to a growth can be accomplished through three steps.

Three Steps to Grow Your Mindset

According to Dweck, a growth mindset is based on the belief that we can change throughout our lifetime. While changing our beliefs can be challenging, the growth mindset can be developed in small steps.

1. Awareness of how we think. The first step is to become aware of our behavior. When we tune into our thoughts and start to notice our reaction to challenges, criticism and setbacks, we can notice patterns where we are stuck. Challenges, criticism and setbacks are roadblocks with a fixed mindset. For example, a fixed mindset reaction to a difficult challenge is to question whether we can succeed. If we don't think we can, why would we try only to fail. For instance, the thought "I am not going to volunteer to help my boss with that project because I am not sure I have all the skills. If I fail, I will look like a fool in front of my co-workers" is limiting the possibility for growth. In addition, constructive criticism is taken as an affront and a typical "fixed" mindset response is to become defensive and feel like a failure. "I can't believe she told me my paper needed work. I am a horrible writer." Setbacks can be a reason to give up because they reinforce our belief that we did not have the ability in the first place. "I auditioned and didn't get a part. I knew I wasn't a good singer."


2. Choice, The second step is to take this awareness and begin to see each of these is a choice. While it is comfortable to stay with our habitual responses, growth occurs when we make choices to change our limiting beliefs. A limiting belief keeps us in a safe zone but also keeps us from growth. For example, if my limiting belief is "I can never lose weight because my parents were overweight", why try at all? This choice is to default to limiting thoughts. Or in the setback example of not being selected because of lack of natural ability, the response is a choice to give up because I "failed" and my ability is fixed. The growth choice requires more effort to stretch our abilities or maybe change the strategy.


3. Challenge the belief. The final step is to challenge the belief as it comes up. To challenge these beliefs, it is important to see challenges, criticism or setbacks as opportunity for growth. For instance, in the above example of the audition "although I did not get this part, I learned about the audition process and I will continue to take voice lessons because it is important to me and I enjoy it. I might not get a part the next time I will keep trying new strategies. I can ask for feedback and see how I might improve." The shift from focusing solely on the result to enjoying the process to critical with a growth mindset. In addition, being open to feedback helps us develop much more than seeing it as a failure. Dweck suggests incorporating the phrase "I am not there yet" instead of "I failed" to stay encouraged to keep trying. As Henry Ford said "whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right!"

Liz Brown PCC is a Certified Life, Wellness, ADHD and Recovery Coach. As the owner of Be Well Life Coaching LLC she helps individuals and groups navigate life changes through coaching and workshops. Visit http://www.bewelllifecoaching.com for more information.

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