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Day 50 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. Both Tony and Jim are huge in the personal development field, particularly in the area of performance psychology. The basis of The Power of Full Engagement is that it is, “energy, not time that is the fundamental currency of high performance.” This is great news for those of us who think that there are never enough hours in the day. The 4 principles of Full Engagement are as follows:

1. “Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.”
2. “Because energy diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.”
3. “To build capacity we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.”
4. “Positive energy rituals – highly specific routines for managing energy, are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.”

It is important to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of the universe, be it the seasons, the sunrise or the ebb and flow of the waves. This should be so in every part of our day to day lives, work periods and rest periods. This is managing our energy effectively. In sport, this idea began with Flavius Philostratus (AD 170-245) who wrote training manuals for Greek athletes. Russian sports scientists resurrected the concept in the 1960’s and began applying it with stunning success to their Olympic athletes. Today, ‘work-rest’ ratios lie at the heart of periodization, a training method used by elite athletes throughout the world.”

Jim spent a long time analysing top tennis players and their matches and he found that the distinguishing feature was not in how they played but in the differences in what they did between points. He says, “the best players had each built almost exactly the same set of routines between points. These included the way they walked back to the baseline after a point, how they held their heads and shoulders, where they focused their eyes, the pattern of breathing and even the way they talked to themselves.” He noticed that in the time between points, the best players were able to lower their heart rates by as much as 20 beats per minute. This ensures that energy is conserved, sharpness is increased throughout the game and fatigue is lessened. It makes sense doesn’t it? It is important to apply this to all parts of our lives if we wish to utilise our energy effectively and avoid burn out. This means proper quality rest, not TV or filling the body and mind with toxins, it defeats the whole purpose.

This is definitely good quality advice for ending my 50 ideas in 50 days.

Day 48 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Wheel of Time by Carlos Castaneda. I first read Carlos Castaneda whilst studying South American history at university as part of my Spanish course. It wasn’t part of the curriculum, I came across one of his books in the library and loved it. So, I’m very pleased to be looking at the key ideas of The Wheel of Time. Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of Toltec wisdom is how it inspires and encourages us to take a journey into self-discovery that leads to transcending any conditioning and to following our own individual path. This is something that is echoed by many tribal traditions across the globe. There are 3 specific points I’d like to focus on from The Wheel of Time.                    

1. Make sure the path that you choose is a path with a heart, if you are at the decision stage and you feel there is no warmth and feeling in this choice, forget it. Carlos says, “anything is one of a million paths therefore a warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions…there is a question that a warrior has to ask mandatorily: “Does this path have a heart?”” How does this decision feel to you? Does it feel right? No heart, no path.
2. “Once a man worries, he clings to anything out of desperation; and once he clings he is bound to get exhausted or to exhaust whoever or whatever he is clinging to. A warrior-hunter, on the other hand, knows he will lure game into his traps over and over again, so he doesn’t worry.” It’s all about knowing and trusting. Once you begin that spiral of worry, you set in motion a whole host of negativity and begin to cling to things in desperation. If we focus on the positive or the negative, the amount of effort is the same, so choose not to worry. Carlos says, “the trick is in what one emphasises. We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
3. Carlos goes on to say that our lives are full of the internal chatter in our heads, so if the internal chatter is negative or if it is incessant worry about things you cannot change – stop it! “And whenever we finish talking to ourselves about the world and about ourselves, the world is always as it should be.” Does negative internal chatter actually change the situation? Does it make the situation better or does it make your life any easier? Most probably the answer is no. So stop it, be aware of what is happening around you and find something to appreciate.

Day 47 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Silva Mind Control Method of Mental Dynamics by Jose Silva and Burt Goldman. Before 50 ideas, I had heard of Jose and Laura Silva’s work before but was more familiar with Burt Goldman since he is a fellow hypnotherapist. There are some excellent, practical tips in this book you can utilise in your everyday life, techniques that I have used myself and with clients, to great effect.

First things first, let’s think about our different levels of brain waves. (This was covered also in my post about Bill Harris and Holosync) The different states are as follows:

Delta – 0.5-4 cycles per second (deep unconscious sleep)

Theta – 5-7 cycles per second (deep comfortable sleep)

Alpha – 8-13 cycles per second (REM sleep and meditation)

Beta –  example: approx. 19 cps (conscious aware state, creativity)     

                               approx. 21 cps (stress and anxiety)                       

So if we want to slow our brain from a stressed to a relaxed state (beta to alpha) there is a wonderfully simple little hypnotic technique that is so effective. I have taught this technique to over 90% of clients. The trick is to do it often, initially every day until you get to the point where your mind is so conditioned that you can bring about this change with a single breath or visualisation. Inhale and in your mind say, 3,3,3, do another 2 deep breaths for 2 and 1. If you are particularly stressed, begin from 10. Practise this often and before long you can bring on the relaxation with one inhale and exhale.     

The book says, “fear is imaginary just as faith is imaginary – and both being imaginary, they are subject to your mental control.” Fear is just negative expectation, think about it, you are imagining what could go wrong. Silva and Goldman say to get rid of the fear, we must turn our expectations round from negative to positive. What good is there in imagining the worst outcome? Focus on the positive things that could happen. (Then the Law of Attraction works in attracting the positive outcome too but that’s a different blog post.) How about changing your thoughts from, “I’m going to fail this driving test because I’ll forget to do x, y and z” to “I’m going to pass this test with confidence and ease, I’m a careful and relaxed driver.”

Finally Silva and Goldman give 5 superb little rules of happiness, they say “stress is not caused by problems, it is your attitude toward the problem that causes stress…the question is not, how can I rid myself of stress but how can I change my attitude toward work, events, disappointments, fears and people?

1. If you like something, enjoy it.
2. If you don’t like something, avoid it.
3. If you don’t like something and can’t avoid it, change it.
4. If you can’t or choose not to avoid or change something you don’t like, then accept it.
5. You accept something by changing your perception of it.

Simple steps and essentially, changing your perception is not as difficult as you may think. Find something, anything good in the situation and focus on that instead.

Day 46 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe by Glenn Clark. In this beautiful little book, Glenn Clark writes about the wonderfully talented genius that is Walter Russell. Walter lived from 1871 to 1963 and firmly believed that genius was in everyone. Unfortunately, it is never discovered by many due to the way that we think. Walter says, “some appear to have it more than others only because they are aware of it more than others are and the awareness or unawareness of it is what makes each one of them into masters or hold them down to mediocrity.” This genius, Walter believes is manifested in 3 different ways. Firstly, by the amount of work they produce, secondly they never know tiredness/exhaustion and thirdly, they improve vastly as they grow older. He says, “great men’s lives begin at forty, when the mediocre man’s life ends.” Wow! This quote is most definitely a rapturous one for me as I approach my 40^th birthday and yes, I can believe that for some people it seems like the beginning of the end. However, around this time it can also feel like a whole new chapter of contentment, excitement, confidence and wisdom.

In order to connect with our genius, Walter suggests something that is echoed by so many personal development thinkers, past and present and that is, to appreciate the stillness. He says, “if you are alone long enough to get thoroughly acquainted with yourself, you will hear whispering from the universal source of all unconsciousness which will improve you…lock yourself up in your room or go out into the woods where you can be alone.” I can’t agree with this strongly enough. Too much conscious mind chit-chat limits our potential and keeps us from what we are truly capable of. Connecting with that stillness not only recharges your batteries but helps you gain flashes of insight that normal everyday life might be unable to give you.

And what of our daily life? Tasks should be completed with love and happiness, even the most mundane. There are things that we would perhaps rather not do but doing them with hatred or disagreement of any kind won’t get it done any more quickly or easily, nor is it worth the negativity it creates in your body. Walter says, “there should be no distasteful tasks in one’s life. If you just hate to do a thing, that hatred for it develops body-destructive toxins and you become fatigued very soon.” Ever noticed the difference in how worn out you feel when you have a negative attitude toward something? Housework is one of the best forms of exercise so how about hoovering with a little happiness and see how differently you feel!

Day 45 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Book of Understanding by Osho. It’s time to put my bias aside and actually take the time to read some of Osho’s work. I must say, I always consider myself to be open minded when it comes to reading, to the point that I will read and give my opinion but I never wanted to read any of Osho’s work because I always considered him to be too materialistic. (I have never understood why someone would need so many Rolls-Royces.) However, bias aside, today, I am willing to finally look at his work.

Osho believes it is entirely possible to have a union between the material and the spiritual, he says, “it is the synthesis of matter and soul, it is a declaration that there is no conflict between matter and consciousness, that we can be rich on both sides.” Our lives should be a dynamic existence, truly living is accepting the lows and embracing the highs, taking risks, fully aware that you are living and not wrapping yourself up in cotton wool, so as to avoid sadness or failure. He says, “for centuries, that has been the way of the monk, ready to sacrifice all possibilities of ecstasy just to avoid the agony. He is ready to avoid all the roses just to avoid the thorns. But then his life is just flat… a long, long boredom…he does not really live, he is afraid to live.” Correct me if I’m wrong here but, for many monks and nuns, particularly westerners, they decide to become ordained and have a life of servitude and meditation because they have lived a dynamic life and they are aware of it’s fickleness, illusion and impermanence.

There are, however, a couple of points that Osho makes that I wholeheartedly agree with and they are as follows:

1. Observe your behaviour and your negative thoughts. “Watch as they arise, without any judgement and condemnation, they will disappear, leaving a tremendous amount of energy that you can use for creativity.” This is very well said, shades of the Buddha here. So much energy is spent on judging our thoughts and actions. Allow those thoughts to pass without judging good or bad. They just are.

1. “I am not against rules, but the rules should arise out of your understanding. They should not be imposed from the outside. I am not against discipline, but discipline should not be slavery. All true discipline is self-discipline.” True. Think for yourself, don’t accept on blind faith, analyse and decide. Let your inner resources be your guidance.

Okay, so I would agree here that one blog post probably does not do Osho’s work real justice but this short time has introduced me to his work and has made me a little less judgemental and that is always a good thing.

Day 44 of 50 ideas in 50 days is Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. I’ve been really looking forward to the ideas in Maxwell’s book as I had never come across it before. The ideas inside greatly intrigued me. I am always keen to delve into ideas about the unconscious mind and how we can use it to create a better existence for ourselves. Originally published in 1967, Maxwell (a plastic surgeon) wrote the book because he was interested in how surgery changed the emotional lives of some and not others. Some gained a greater confidence and others kept the same low self esteem they suffered prior to the operation.

‘Cybernetics’ comes from a Greek word which literally means, ‘the steersman.’ ”Servo-mechanisms are so constructed that they automatically ‘steer’ their way to a goal, target or answer. When we conceive of the human brain and nervous system as a form of servo-mechanism, operating with Cybernetic principles, we gain a new insight into the why and wherefore of human behaviour.” What does this actually mean? When a missile is fired, it uses it’s mechanical senses to stay on target, (think positive feedback) when it’s not on target, (negative feedback) it adjusts it’s course so it’s back on track.

Maxwell says, ”a human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with what he imagines to be true about himself and his environment.” Do you receive that negative feedback and believe it? What about your years of conditioning? We all have limiting beliefs to some degree or another. The greater these are, the more limited your achievements. Maxwell was certainly a pioneer of his time, he was aware of the power of the unconscious mind and it’s ability to change radically due to it’s plasticity. He says, “your nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a real experience” so he suggests using your imagination, “if you have been shy and timid, see yourself moving among people wit ease and poise – and actually feeling good because of it.” Exercises like this are essential for success in any area of life, Maxwell suggests 30 minutes and I think, initially this is a great suggestion because you are building new ‘memories’, a new image of yourself and this requires a little time.

Limiting beliefs are ultimately responsible for being unable to reach our goals. (Not including external factors that may stall or stop us.) We can will something to happen and use all the conscious effort we can in planning each step but if our unconscious mind is working largely on conditioned limiting beliefs like, “I’m not good enough,” then we are unlikely to get the results we want. This is why an exercise like Maxwell describes above is so important and equally effective, if we truly want to make a difference and have results.

Day 42 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. I love this book! My mum gave this little masterpiece to me around 15 years ago and I have re-read it many times since. Alongside ‘Synchrodestiny’ it’s my favourite book by Deepak. So it is with complete exhilaration that I give you his Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

1. The Law of Pure Potentiality – know that you have the potential and ability to do whatever you want. If you have the will, there is a way to reach your goals. Deepak says, “when you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have…and the more you experience your true nature, the closer you are to the field of pure potentiality.” He talks about the connectedness to your inner source and in this place there is an absence of fear and immunity from criticism. Lovely!
2. The Law of Giving – Simply put, give to others and you will receive it back. Give selflessly with joy and with no expectations of results. “The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.” If you want more of something, love, appreciation, good friendships, then be it, give it, allow it to flow. It is all energy, don’t allow it to stagnate.
3. The Law of Karma – “The best way to understand and maximise the use of karmic law is to become consciously aware of the choices we make in every moment.” Be aware of what you say, your actions and the choices you make, be careful of negative, conditioned responses and be mindful of your interaction.
4. The Law of Least Effort – There are 3 parts to this law. Firstly, acceptance, accept what is, if it is outwith your control. Accept someone for who they are, no sense in trying to fight what is. Secondly, responsibility, change what you can change, don’t be a victim, take responsibility and be constructive. Finally, defencelessness, no need to react and be defensive about things, stop reacting! You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.
5. The Law of Intention and Desire – I love how Deepak distinguishes between these two things in that desire has attachment to it and intention has not. It is possible to harness the power of pure intention, independent of the outcome. He says, “intention is that quality of attention that is unbending in it’s fixity of purpose…you are able to maintain an unshakable serenity while being committed to your goal with intense passion.”
6. The Law of Detachment – Do not get attached to the outcome so much that everything depends on it or you feel that your life will be lacking if you don’t achieve it. Focus only on what you need to do next, feel the joy of the process.
7. The Law of Dharma – “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of goals.”

So what is your purpose? If you don’t know then perhaps it’s a good idea to take some stillness time to reflect on it. If you do know and you are not doing it, maybe you need to consider making some changes in that direction.

Day 41 of 50 ideas in 50 days is Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Perhaps another of those books I may have put off reading had I not been doing 50 ideas in 50 days. I’m so glad I have been introduced to the wisdom in another of Esther and Jerry’s works.

The most important thing to consider where the Law of Attraction is concerned, for anything, be it money, relationships, job etc, is what state of mind you are in. The more positive frame of mind you are in indicates your connection to source and inner guidance, this allows positivity and abundance to flow. The book says, “shortage of time is not your problem. Shortage of money is not your problem. Shortage of Connection to the Energy that creates worlds is at the heart of all sensations of shortage that you are experiencing.” So, in other words, when we are having a bad day, we are probably running a whole lot of negative chit chat and are quite disconnected from our inner source.

So, in order to live in a place that is more connected and as a result, manifest the kind of life we want, “the most valuable skill that you could ever develop is the skill of directing your thoughts toward what you want – to be adept at quickly, evaluating all situations and then quickly coming to the conclusion of what you most want – and giving your undivided attention to that.” So if you find yourself thinking about what you don’t want, or about the lack of something in your life, stop and immediately direct your thoughts to something more constructive, creative and positive. Practise this often. Even if it seems really difficult at first if you are so much in the habit of focusing on the negative or the lack of something, Esther and Jerry suggest something very helpful. It’s called The Pivoting Process. Simply put, “whenever you recognise that you are feeling a negative emotion (it is really that you are feeling the lack of harmony with something that you want)…ask yourself, what do I want?” It’s important to stop that flow of negative thoughts and focus on what you do want to manifest in your life. After all, the Law of Attraction works like a magnet with your thoughts and how connected you are to your inner source.

So understand that money, like everything else is fundamentally energy. Stop the flow of negative thoughts, practice positivity, the Pivoting Process, you will find a greater connection to your inner source and the positive, more fulfilled side of the Law of Attraction.

Day 40 of 50 ideas in 50 days is Your Erroneous Zones by Dr. Wayne Dyer. This was Wayne’s first book and it is packed full of wisdom for taking control of your life and not letting negative thinking dominate it. The main idea of Your Erroneous Zones is self-reliance, in other words, we don’t need approval from outside to know that what we feel inside is right. Wayne says, “using yourself as a guide and not needing the approval of an outside force is the most religious experience you can have.” Wayne has certainly learned this from life experience, growing up in an orphanage after his father left and his mother couldn’t afford to care for him and his siblings. Self-reliance was a matter of survival for him. If he had settled on the viewpoint of being a victim of his circumstance and sought his value from an outside source, his life would have been a completely different story.

Wayne says, “if you believe in yourself fully, no activity is beyond your potential. The entire gamut of human experience is yours to enjoy, once you decide to venture into territory where you don’t have guarantees.” If you set limitations and truly believe that you can’t go beyond them (consciously or unconsciously) then you won’t. Change and transformation happens when we venture outwith our comfort zone. The belief you have about what is happening and what lies ahead will shape that transformation. Wayne stresses the importance of having a fountain of strength that comes from inner security. He says, “this is the only lasting security, the only real security. Things can break down, a depression can wipe out your money, your house can be repossessed but you, you can be a rock of self-esteem.” Wise words from someone who knows because he has lived it.

Wayne urges us to take action and begin the process of what we wish to achieve by doing it now. No procrastination necessary here. He says, “the only thing holding you back is you and the neurotic choices you have made because you don’t believe you are as strong as you really are. How simple…just do it.” Advice that echoes many self-development authors, action cures all worries, doubts and negativity about your abilities. For the vast majority of the time that we worry about doing something causes far greater internal suffering than actually doing it. Trust in your guidance and inner resources, they are a source of never-ending strength.

Day 38 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra. If it’s thanks to my father for introducing me to Chogyam Trungpa and as a result, Pema Chodron then it’s thanks to my mother for introducing me to the work of Deepak Chopra. He is an amazingly talented teacher, healer and writer who has a tremendously straight-forward yet profound writing style and his wisdom shines through his words.

I love Deepak’s idea of ‘living from your soul,’ it’s the place of intuition and creativity, it calls you and directs you to fulfil your purpose. He says, “if we could learn to live from the level of the soul, we would see that the best, most luminous part of ourselves is connected to all the rhythms of the universe. We would truly know ourselves as the miracle makers we are capable of being.” Living from the soul means moving past the limitations of the conscious mind, the fear, the hesitation, the disbelief, because it stops us from living truly and on purpose. Those conscious mind limitations come from a place of conditioning, of being told what is true and accepting it. It is important to trust that part of ourselves that is connected to something greater.

“If we were able to live at the level of the soul all the time, there would be no need for hindsight to appreciate the great truths of life.” It’s quite amazing when you have hindsight about an experience that felt so difficult at the time, yet when looking back, you can see things objectively and understand the lesson from it, how it has made you grow. When living from the soul, it’s possible to appreciate the lesson as it is at the time without getting absorbed in the illusion of what is happening. It’s important to ask yourself, “what is the message here? What’s the significance of this?” A shift in perspective can make such a profound difference in your well being. Deepak says that asking this question is one of the major ways to, “consciously participate in the creation of our lives by understanding the world that is beyond the senses.” In this way, such questions lead to greater knowledge of self and life experiences. As a result, it ensures that you are a participant in the creation of your life and not a result of the conditioning of others.