Balance and performance.

The term use it or lose it is just as relevant to the mind as to any other part of us. Recent studies have shown that performing mentally challenging tasks and games reduces the risk of such diseases as Alzheimer's.

Having spent a lot of of time with Octogenarians has lead to a clear understanding of the three keys that many of them use to maintain a positive philosophy and a positive life.

They are that we all need something to look forward to, something that is meaningful for us to do and someone to love.

After the loss of partners in their senior years many turn their attention and affection to pets.

Having a dog is, to someone bereft of their partner, a means of fulfilling all three.

Activity focus and drive is one way of being able to feel good about ourselves. Whether it is through physical activity or completing a stimulating project.

Clearly if the activity enhances other outcomes we are striving to achieve in life it doubles the reward. A good example is an office bound executive who has become overweight through physical lethargy who decides to shed some weight and become physically fitter,

The flow on benefits are an increase in  satisfaction as the work load appears to become lighter. When in reality they have gone from merely functioning to performing.  This can lead to more stimulating extra curricular activities and so the overall quality of life improves exponentially.

Dr Mark Hyman, author of The Ultramind Solution, is unique among health practitioners in that he has not only identified causes of a fall off in mental performance, but at the same time has provided solutions.

Many have concerns about memory issues and a "foggy" brain or more more succinctly put, a lack of mental clarity. 

Bottom line is that to perform long term there needs to be a programme of maintaining a balance in all sectors of our lives.

While Western medicine has its place it falls short in that it is interventionist rather than preventative.

At a personal level I live with uncorrected atrial fibrillation which at the outset saw hospitalisation every couple of months for over a decade.

Today with a combination of Western and traditional Chinese medicine I still lead a very active professional life.

Chinese medicine seeks to restore balance to the energy systems of the body. An example of this is highlighted through the work of Dr Michael Lam.

Our very existence is miraculous particularly when the complexity of our very existence is considered. Too much of a good thing isn't necessarily good for you nor is too much of a bad thing. 

The right things in moderation create the very real opportunity to live well in the moment along with great hope for an amazing future.

My father, Carol Stedman, died at the age of 37 of war injuries, but he instilled in his family the mantra that if you have your health you have everything. Most importantly the ongoing opportunity to live a success filled and happy life.

The challenge is what areas of your life need bringing back into balance so that you can live long, enjoy life and prosper?

Motivation And Focus

Procrastination and addiction have a lot in common. In the beginning of our lives we are encouraged by people who, to us, are promoting that what we're starting to do is somehow fun and that they get enjoyment out of it too.

As we then go on through life we seek out experiences that make us feel good. Using many different means to arrive at that feel good state. Couple that with ambition in the desire to achieve and so get that good feeling again and it's possible to focus almost our entire attention on that objective.

When our background has left scars on our psyche, or deep emotional scars sometime the intense focus is a means to prove our self worth to ourselves and others.

What I've come to understand from those who have established a very clear picture of who they are and then worked over time to hold that belief is there is no need to prove you are good or worthy. 

The pursuit of acknowledgement or recognition for self esteem is to diminish others. Real success comes through a very fine balancing act between that which is important to that which brings meaning to our lives.

A case in point was to ask a father how he managed to love each of his children, and have him respond that they are all loved for their uniqueness and equally. 

It took a while to grasp that.

One of the hardest juggling acts is often between ambition and family. Or more to the point providing for their immediate needs and I don't have to spell out how diverse a childs needs are.

We may feel good for the time we spend with them and feel good with our ambition, the secret is to feel good about ourselves (men I'm talking to you here) when we provide for them.

That is something that isn't edified in mainstream 21st century culture. More often than not he is portrayed as bumbling buffoon. e.g. The Simpsons.

So MEN,  it is up to us to claim our rights as the hunter who brings that which provides for the families needs, and do it out of a sense that I'm going to feel good each time I do. Because that is what it means to me to be a MAN!

Happy hunting warrior

"Think in the morning. 

Act in the noon. 

Eat in the evening. 

Sleep in the night."

— William Blake: 

English poet, printmaker, and artist

The Kings Speech..by Cath Meadows

Often it is not our own thoughts, but the thoughts and encouragement of others that brings the most significant and meaningful things into our lives.

Fellow author Cath Meadows from Canada has a keen perception on beauty and an innate ability to put it into words. Her encouragement lead to my seeing  Kings Speech. 

These are her thoughts.

KING’S SPEECH

The phenomenal film KING'S SPEECH speaks to your comments. I’m so grateful for every aspect of this brilliant film that taps into the promise of humankind.  The exceptional casting and the entire production ring of true connection. No accidents, this tender, thought provoking and heartrendering film is a gift to the promise of Humanity.

In our Tic Tac Tech world of instant global communication, we may link but are less likely to bond.  This breeds adolescent demands for instant gratification, and nurtures a sense of entitlement. Generations are desensitized against violence and gruesome. Manners, vocabulary, honesty and kindness, our values and ethics are dwindling in an age of unraveling.

But now The King’s Speech … Oh, for the grace of an honourable, trusting and beautifully vulnerable human be-ing in a world of do-ing. Oh, for a shilling to seal the deal.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush cathect and form an unrivaled team. Their overlapping yet fluid dialogue was penetrating. Helena Bonham Carter, icing on the cake. Tom Hooper, Wow!

Terrified, angry, tearing and captivating eyes grip the soul. Quivering lips, and stayed glances speak volumes in this film. Intonation and body language deepen the abyss of reflection … all serve to draw individual viewers to their own inward journey. One remains perplexed and focused, unable to look away yet slipping inward. Soothing and intense expressions and loving glances elicit hope, fear and love. Even crass has class. Presence is on board.

We study Shakespeare, may the powers that be decide to bring the King’s Speech to the educational system.

We crave what this film brings. I am awake, present and grateful.

Thank You,

Cath Meadows ©

Victoria, BC, Canada

cathmeadows@shaw.ca

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the 

best cures." 

— Irish Proverb

Make it a great week! After you watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8

Changing Paradigms

Have you noticed over the last few years that change is happening faster and there's more of it?

It has been said that the only constant in life is change, to which I'd add, "so you need to get good at adapting to change.

This quote from the team at "The Secret" sums it up really well.

"When a big change occurs in your life it forces you to change direction. Sometimes the new path may not be easy, but you can be absolutely certain that there is magnificence for you on the new path. You can be absolutely certain that the new path contains things that you could not have experienced otherwise.

When we look back at a negative event that occurred in the past, we often see how in fact it transformed our life. We see how that event directed us toward a life that we would not change for anything."

Isn't it better to be prepared to change so that we can have the good things that we want and need?

Change in our ways of thinking and doing and maybe even what we're prepared to do differently to have those things. 

Like creating an ideal lifestyle in our twenties and really enjoying the rest of our lives.

Finding the right information, the right ideas, the right mentors and being prepared to do what it takes is a good step in the right direction.

An interesting thought.

"Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth."
— Aesop: Was a creator of fables in Ancient Greece

It's amazing how easilly we can be limited because of how we measure our internal representation. You know that place you hope no one can see, that place where our darkest fears reside, against how we perceive the external posturing of others. 

Somehow to us it seems we don't have a snowballs chance in hell against all these gorgeous, gifted, witty, talented people.

It may then come as a surprise to realise that they're probably looking at you in exactly the same light.

There's a great quotation that some originally attributed to Nelson Mandella, and while it would be nice to think that these words  were spoken by this great elder statesman sadly it seems it was someone elses.

So this week the challenge is to measure yourself by asking this of yourself.

It's quite enlightening when you do.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Get out there and shine gloriously at whatever you do and have fun.