Inspirational Speaking… and All That Jazz!

So yesterday I joined 6 other entrepreneurs who were all speaking at City College Norwich to a group of 100+ students, as part of the ‘Positive Image‘ campaign, created by Sarah Harding to help empower young people.

We each had a 30 minute slot to speak and in total over 550 students attended talks during the day and gave fantastic feedback afterwards.

So what did I speak about?

Well I shared with my journey from teendom through to where I am today, including lots of the good and bad times that got me here. I then went on to speak about values and how important it is to live your life in line with your values, those instinctive ideas that tell you what is good, bad, right or wrong in your life and the essence of who we are. These are pretty much hard-wired into us and if you’re not working in line with them you’re going to end up pretty miserable!

Then I went on to speak about beliefs and how we create so many beliefs all the time that we think are true. That we believe are part of who we are. That in reality are nothing but generalisations about experiences that we’ve had, that we’ve chosen to make into a belief (consciously or unconsciously).

I gave an example of being bitten by a dog as a small child and how that child might then create a belief that all dogs are bad and carry this belief through their whole life. This belief then may morph into a strong phobia of dogs that has a huge impact on their life, until death.

Now, most of us know, rationally, that the majority of dogs are lovely and it’s just a few you need to be careful of. Yet fear and phobias don’t work on a rational level and if we create a negative belief and we then build on that it can have far reaching consequences.

Then we flipped it and looked at positive beliefs and how we are in control of what we believe, whether we believe it or not! That we have the power to pick up or let go of beliefs as and when we choose. We just need to make that choice and take action towards achieving it (i.e. see an NLP/life coach/hypnotherapist etc or make small stepping stone changes daily yourself).

So how great would it be to choose positive beliefs instead of negative ones?

How great would it feel if you truly loved yourself and whenever you were faced with a decision, you chose the positive belief over the negative?

Just imagine how such positive choices could affect your life and not only your own life, but the lives of the people around you too.

So what can you choose to believe today that is positive?

After beliefs I spoke about Law of Attraction (LOA) and that by giving off positivity we attract it back to us.

Now I was pretty amazed when I asked the room who had heard of LOA and not one hand went up. So this was potentially the first time the these 100+ students had heard about this powerful mindset.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a great believer in LOA and have seen it in action time and time again. So I was in my element explaining how it can be used to benefit life.

I gave a few hints and tips about choosing to be nice to people. To compliment instead of insult. To remember that you do not have any idea what is going on in someone else’s’ life or mind and that your words might have a massive impact on their day, week, month, year, or even life! It is that important. Your snide remark may stay with that person for their whole life (see beliefs above!). You just don’t know. The world has enough problems and we need to be empowering others, not dragging them down. So choose your words carefully and empower rather than degrade whenever you can.

Remember:

Is it true?
Is it helpful?
Is it inspiring?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?

If it is none of the above then why say it? Think what your agenda is by saying something that could hurt. What is happening inside you that makes you want to make others feel pain?

They say that perception is projection, in other words, what we see in others is what we dislike/want to change about ourselves. Perhaps next time you feel the urge to say something less than positive, take the time to ask yourself what it is in you that makes you feel that way about the person you are speaking to. It can be very enlightening, if a little uncomfortable at times!

And it didn’t end there (yes they were still engaged with me, for which I am hugely thankful).

I then moved on to goals and goal setting. One of the teachers said they had ‘tasks’ they were used to setting but not SMART goals.

I wanted them to think outside of the school box and look at long term goals that were in line with their values – and of course a little Law of Attraction doesn’t go amiss in this potent mix either!

So we looked at powerful goal setting:

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = As if now
R = Realistic / Relevant / Responsible
T = Timed

and how they could use this for when they’re job hunting, planning grades etc.

Of course I had to mention that it’s all very well using these techniques and thinking, for example, I’ve set a goal to get a great job, and then doing nothing and thinking it will manifest. With the best will in the world that just ain’t gonna work! Or at least the likelihood of it is greatly reduced.

If you set a goal you then have to take MASSIVE action towards achieving it. You want that great job? Set your goal and then get out there. Network, send off applications, get on LinkedIn, JobHop and other online agencies. Take action and you will active your goal. I’ve seen it happen many times and it is always an amazing feeling when you get it!

So we had to wrap it up at this point and I kept thinking on the way home how many things I could’ve, should’ve said but there just wasn’t time – I spoke for 35 minutes in the end and it’s amazing how short a time that really is.

It was so lovely to have some of the students come up to me afterwards and say that they found it inspiring (what is a better compliment than that from a 16-18 year old!). We even had a lull between me and the next speaker and a few said I could continue as they were enjoying it – it’s so nice to be wanted! 😉

There is something quite magical about working to empower other people, especially the next generation. If we can empower them when they’re still young, just think what they could achieve!

Life is too short to be riddled with negative beliefs and surrounding yourself with negative people.

Get out there and LIVE!

Be around people who support and empower you and you you can in return support and empower them too.

Enjoy life – it’s there to be lived and enjoyed.

Climb out of the box and inject some serious positivity into your life – you just never know where it may lead you!

I could get used to this inspirational speaker malarkey!

You can find out more about the Positive Image campaign here: http://www.timetolookbeyondthemirror.co.uk/

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Author: Sophie Jewry
http://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is the practice of bringing the mind inward by focusing the attention on a single object in total concentration. Without total concentration, there cannot be meditation, as the mind creates thought waves continuously and brings our attention from one thing to the next. As the concentration increases, the thought waves diminish and the mind becomes calm and quiet.

Meditation is that empty space created by quieting the mind, where there is nothing but an uninterrupted flow of energy, and the usual preoccupations with the world completely disappear. At higher levels of meditation, duality also disappears and there is nothing but oneness with the Divine. This is called Samadhi or Nirvana. The permanent state of Samadhi is what we call Liberation or Self-realization, and it is the aim of all forms of yoga and all spiritual paths. Liberation is the true aim of life, and meditation is both the practice and the door to attaining it.

The ultimate benefit of meditation is the realization of God, but there are many other advantages in every stage of spiritual development. Because it purifies the body in general and the nervous system in particular, diseases of the body and mind are greatly improved. Energy levels and mental powers are increased as well, the creativity and intuition are enhanced and inner joy becomes a regular experience. Stress levels are highly reduced by meditation, and the medical community is starting to realize the value of the different practices yogis have been doing for thousands of years, particularly hatha yoga and meditation.

If you are able to meditate at least for half an hour daily, you will become level headed and face life with peace and spiritual strength. Meditation is the most powerful mental and nerve tonic. Divine energy freely flows during meditation, and exerts a benign influence on the mind, nerves, sense organs and body. It opens the door to intuitive knowledge and to other realms of reality. The mind becomes calm and steady. Inner peace becomes possible and real.

With practice, duality disappears and Samadhi, or the superconscious state, is reached. Be patient and consistent, reaching this state takes a long time.

Important Guidelines for Meditation

• As purity begins with the physical body, cleanse your body before meditation.

• The seat for meditation or asana should be made of wool on the bottom and cotton cloth on the top. Avoid sitting on the bare ground, since your energy may be drained off, and do not share your asana with anyone.

• Regularity of time, place and practice are important, as they condition the mind to slow down, paving the path to deeper levels of meditation. Ten minutes every day is better than one hour every now and then.

• The best times to meditate are early dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is quiet and charged with special spiritual energy. If it is not possible to sit for meditation at these times, choose a specific time and stick to it everyday.

• Try to have a separate room for meditation, if at all possible. As meditation is repeated, the energy will increase and the atmosphere will be filled with peace and purity.

• When sitting, face North or East in order to take advantage of favorable magnetic vibrations.

• Sit in a steady, comfortable, cross-legged position with the spine and neck straight but not tense.

• Keep the breathing rhythmic: inhale for three seconds and exhale for three seconds. The breath, the prana (vital force) and the mind are connected. Regulating and controlling one will regulate and control the other.

• Do not force the mind to be still, as this will set in motion additional thought waves. Allow the mind to wander at first, focusing on a mantra or specific technique, as the mind will eventually become still with practice.

• Select a focal point for the mind to rest. Most people choose the Ajna chakra (third eye), as it is close to the eyes and easy to focus on. Eventually, the Anahata (heart) chakra can be chosen.

• If you are not using a mantra, you can also focus on a neutral or uplifting object or image while concentrating on the breath.

• Attempt to live a pure, pious, sattvic life. Treat your body as a temple. Strive to eat pure, nutritious food and avoid intoxicants. A vegetarian diet will accelerate your spiritual development.

Article by: Yol Swan
Intuitive Spiritual Counselor, Life Purpose Coach & Vibrational Healer 
http://YouAreYourHealer.com

Eleven Hints for Life

I found this today and thought it was lovely so wanted to share it on here:

1. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. But what is more painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let that person know how you feel.

2. A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let go.

3. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

4. It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.

5. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone-but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

6. Don’t go for looks, they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth, even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.

7. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

8. Always put yourself in the other’s shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

9. A careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word may wreck a life. A timely word may level stress. But a loving word may heal and bless.

10. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

11. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die,
you’re the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

– Unknown

The Power of Words

Have you ever thought about how powerful you really are? Well, I can tell you that we hold a power within us that has the ability to lift spirits, destroy dreams and everything in between. And that power is WORDS.

Have you noticed how the bad ones stick and the good ones, well, we like hearing them but we tend to get embarrassed and pass them off as perhaps being a half truth? Crazy though it is, so many of us have done this more than once in our lives.

Have you ever thought about the power your words contain and what far-reaching influences they can have on other people?

I’ll tell you a story* that may give you some food for thought:

Several summers ago a teacher was sitting on a sea wall resting after a long hike along the coast path. She was eating a sandwich and observing what was happening on the beach and she spotted two little boys, about six years old, playing together. They’d been running around for a while, having fun and now, a little tired from their activities, they sat down near the teacher and began talking.

Perhaps they’d just met, as children do on holiday; regardless when or where they met, they had a lot to talk about. Finally, one said to the other “What do you want to be when you grow up? I’m going to be a brain surgeon.”

“Gosh I don’t really know. I’ve never thought about it. I’m not very bright, you know.”

The wind took the rest of the conversation away and the teacher was left wondering where that second little boy had developed that limiting belief about himself. Probably from another teacher! Or a parent. At the age of six, if he doesn’t change that belief, or if someone else doesn’t help him to change it, it will affect the rest of his life, limiting his sense of possibility, holding back his potential.

Beliefs are not true. They are constructs around which we organise our behaviours. So we each behave as if our beliefs were true. And for this reason all our beliefs come true, for beliefs, whether empowering or limiting, are self-fulfilling prophecies.

Sit with that for a while and consider then, the power of your own words and perhaps how you can use that power to help and to empower others. To lift people’s spirits and to help them believe that anything is possible and that they can indeed be, regardless of their age, anyone they want to be – for if they can believe it, they can achieve it!

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

Love and blessings

Sophie

*The Two Little Boys:
Primary Source: The Magic of Metaphor by Nick Owen
Secondary source: NLP at Work by Sue Knight