The Power of Now
Original pic by Simone Lugli from Pixabay
“Wherever you are, be there.” – Jim Rohn.
We waste our life by focusing on everything except for the present moment. Too many people focus on the past. There are two ways to focus on the past. One is rumination, and the other one is introspection.
Rumination: There are two definitions for this word. I find the second one interesting.
1. a negative way to dwell on the past
2. a cow chewing cud
Introspection:
1. a positive look at the events of the past
2. searching the past for lessons
How many times do we focus on past mistakes for too long? We are just like that cow chewing the cud over and over again. I just saw a meme that says we need to focus on the past to succeed. That’s all it said. I say absolutely not! Don’t focus on the past to the extent that you lose the present and the future. Sure, we can look at the past and learn lessons from it, but ruminating on it will destroy the present and the future.
On the other hand, some people dwell on the future so much that they forget the present. They focus on their goals, wishes, and dreams until they cause anxiety and stress. Some people worry about tomorrow so much that they ruin today. Then when tomorrow gets here, they find out it wasn’t so bad after all. So what good did it do to worry? You just destroyed two days for nothing. That’s two days of your life you will never get back.
What can you do now to get closer to your goals? What can you do now to get healthy? What can you do now to fix your relationships? What can you do now to help with your finances? What can you do now? Focus on now.
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Mental maps
Original photo by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
I want you to draw a quick map to your local gas station. Then call a friend that lives nearby and have them draw the same thing. You will find when you compare maps that everyone’s map is a little different, even if they’re drawing the same exact route. Now get out and drive or walk to that station and see how much you missed. Why am I having you do this?
We all operate from our own personal mental map of the world. We are hit with 11 billion bits of information daily, and our prefrontal cortex filters out what it thinks is important and focuses on that and that only. How many things did you eliminate from your map to the gas station? How many things did you put in the wrong place? How many things did you make bigger than they actually were? You see, our brains distort things according to our worldview.
You see our mind filters and labels information based on our beliefs, values, and experiences. Unfortunately, some of these experiences are passed down from generation to generation and are not a part of our own hand-drawn map. The great thing is we can change our maps of reality. We can modify our belief systems, limiting mindsets and values.
Our brains have something called a Reticular Activation System. I like to call Raz. Raz is a bundle of nerves at our brain stem that filters out all the important things around us. The hippocampus labels the situation, and then the Raz seeks out what you have labeled important.
If you don’t believe me, here’s a little game.
- Look around the room for 90 seconds and look for everything red.
- Close your eyes and try to remember everything in the room that was green.
- Open your eyes and see how well you remember the green things surrounding you.
I bet you missed quite a few. Your mind was focused on finding red.
You see, our mind distorts things and eliminates things. How many burgundy things did you see, and you classed them as red? How many pink things did you call red? How many green things did you miss completely? I know this seems simple, but the way our brains work is amazing. If we can figure out how our brains operate, we can hack our systems for success.
The key is to remember everyone has their own original map of the world. And everyone’s map is wrong. We hold the key to rewriting our map. So next time you’re arguing with your spouse, stop and realize their map is different from yours. How can you guys come to a conclusion? Can you find some middle ground that you can agree on and start from there? Perhaps it’s time to rewrite your maps.
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Surviving Christmas with Gratitude:
Transform your chaotic holiday season with this journal and 5 minutes a day!
Not everyone enjoys the holidays. After losing loved ones, it’s hard to continue with the festivities, but it’s vital to learn how to live again. After suffering through trauma, it’s hard to celebrate with a loud and rowdy crowd. Did you know a daily gratitude practice will change your life, both mind, and body?
Studies have proven that our brains literally cannot be fearful, anxious, or stressed and be grateful at the same time. Did you know that? The part of the brain that handles these emotions cannot do both simultaneously. It has to shut one off to open the other. Now you can be anxious and immediately grateful afterward, but you cannot be both at the same time!
What if you reprogrammed your brain to refocus on gratitude and shut off the anxiety during this season?
With a daily gratitude practice, you will do just that!
#christmas #selfhelp #survivingchristmas #lifecoaching #inspiration #motivation #lifecoaching #focus #mindset #tonyrobbins #wherefocusgoesenergyflows #personaldevelopment #depression #anxiety #holiday #mentalmaps
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Not Really
Original Image Credit: Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. You hear it everywhere during the holiday season, but not everyone agrees. It can be one of the most challenging times of the year if you’ve lost loved ones or suffered trauma.
Change Your Idea of the Perfect Holiday:
Many silently suffer through the end of the year, dreading every party, event, and gathering. Why? It all starts with the mental picture we have of Christmas. We are inundated with a picturesque story of what the holiday “should” be. We suffer when our picture doesn’t match what we think is perfection. Unfortunately, no one tells us that we can change the picture.
Will changing the mental picture bring back our loved ones? No. Will it change our financial status? No. It will change your outlook on life, though. It will change your biochemistry and make you feel better. It will make the holidays seem brighter and more friendly.
Change of Focus:
What you focus on, you feel. When we focus on the negative, we get more negative hormones, negative emotions, and negative behaviors. The same is true when we force ourselves to focus on the positive things. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Ten minutes might be bad, but there are another 1,430 minutes left. Will you ruin the rest of the day by focusing on the ten bad moments? It sounds silly, but we do it all the time.
This holiday season, turn your focus to the positive and see what happens. Every time that annoying co-worker spews at the mouth turn your focus to something else. Every time that manipulative family member starts, turn your focus. It’s not easy, but it’s effective.
Have you signed Up for Synova’s Free E-Book?
Surviving Christmas with Gratitude:
Transform your chaotic holiday season with this journal and 5 minutes a day!
Not everyone enjoys the holidays. After losing loved ones, it’s hard to continue with the festivities, but it’s vital to learn how to live again. After suffering through trauma, it’s hard to celebrate with a loud and rowdy crowd. Did you know a daily gratitude practice will change your life, both mind, and body?
Studies have proven that our brains literally cannot be fearful, anxious, or stressed and be grateful at the same time. Did you know that? The part of the brain that handles these emotions cannot do both simultaneously. It has to shut one off to open the other. Now you can be anxious and immediately grateful afterward, but you cannot be both at the same time!
What if you reprogrammed your brain to refocus on gratitude and shut off the anxiety during this season?
With a daily gratitude practice, you will do just that!
#christmas #selfhelp #survivingchristmas #lifecoaching #inspiration #motivation #lifecoaching #focus #mindset #tonyrobbins #wherefocusgoesenergyflows #personaldevelopment #depression #anxiety #holiday