Hi Everyone,

This is going out to you if you have joined and/or are following my blog here on blogger.

In the next few days, I will be deleting this blog as all of my blog entries are shifting over to my new website http://www.joshuazuchter.com/inspirational-blog-articles/ . I invite you to join me there instead and definitely comment and let's chat in that space instead of here.

I look forward to continuing to go deep together and having some fun in the process! Sending my warmest, Joshua

Personal Declaration: A Deliberate Choice of Being

I allow my day to unfold as it may and I allow myself to experience joy regardless of the unfolding!
-Joshua Zuchter

Many say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In some cases that is true, while for others it is not.

The essence of this message though, is significant - The way we begin our day typically determines how we will feel for the rest of the day. If our day begins with difficulty, frustration, clutter and resistance, how do you think the rest of our day is likely to go? Alternatively, if our day begins with peace, inspiration, energy, clarity, and magic, there is a much greater chance our day will continue in a similar manner.

For most of us, upon awakening in the morning, we get a sense of how we feel. Unfortunately, it typically ends there as we then become victims to those feelings. If we are feeling good then we are good, if we are feeling bad then we are bad and don’t feel like going into work or potentially even getting out of bed. The saying ‘he/she woke up on the wrong side of the bed’ is a great example of how we can become the pawns to our own minds rather than the players.

What if, however, upon awakening in the morning and before leaving bed, we face the potential of the day in a more deliberate and intentional way?

What if, instead of tuning in to how we feel, we choose how we want to feel and then reinforce and infuse those desired feelings into our consciousness and literally declare those feelings?!

An incredible tool that I have been suggesting to clients of late, that we can put to great use first thing in the morning, or for that matter at any time we need it, is a Personal Declaration. This is similar to a personal affirmation, mantra or life statement that helps to empower, enliven, and ground us.

If you know me, you know that I enjoy comic book movies. One of my favourites is The Green Lantern, played by Ryan Reynolds. Although the movie’s reviews were not stellar, it had some profound wisdom in it that we can all utilize.

In fairly brief summary:

The Green Lantern Corps is the name that represents, essentially these super beings who patrol the Universe and protect it and its inhabitants from danger. One of the interesting scenes from the movie, (don’t worry, I know you REALLY want to watch it so I will not give anything significant away) is when Ryan Reynolds, as The Green Lantern character, is on the verge of being destroyed. The ‘bad guy’, Parallax is essentially saying that within a few moments, the Green Lantern will be dead as will the rest of planet Earth and there is nothing he can do about it.

You can probably guess what happens here. None-the-less, at that exact time, the Green Lantern begins to repeat the Green Lantern Corps’ mantra:

In brightest day...

in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power
-Green Lantern's light!

This is a very potent moment in the film as Ryan Reynolds’ character, who was fearful, actually faces his fear.

Regardless of whether anyone thinks this is cheesy or not, this one statement, repeated by the Green Lantern, helps him to face his fear. Rather than becoming lost in his fears and his own mind, by repeating this ‘mantra’, he is literally making a declaration – it is a deliberate and intentional choice of Being.

The statement helps him to face his fear and move beyond it.

There are only three ways to deal with fear that I know of:

1. Take a drug – this, however, only numbs us to the fear and therefore the fear is still there and we must stay on the drug otherwise at some point, we will have to face it.
2. Suppress the fear – unfortunately the fear remains for another day.
3. Face the fear. In order to do this however, one needs to be able to be sane and clear enough to do so. One has to have belief, faith, determination, and the courage to face one’s fear. This is where a Personal Declaration can provide incredible benefit.

Whether you are a morning person or not, using a Personal Declaration that can be used in the morning has many benefits including:

• Gives you energy to arise
• Provides more natural, balanced energy that can sustain you throughout your day
• Nourishes for your Soul
• Helps to keep you grounded and centred emotionally
• Supports being productive
• Helps to create focus for you day
• Fosters more life balance throughout the day
• Fosters more peace throughout the day
• Supports having a clear mind
• Supports you not being affected as much or at all by others and what is going on around you throughout the day

Your Personal Declaration can be used as a personal pep talk, when you are aware that you should be taking action on something but are afraid or anxious.

Personal Declarations can include the following elements:

1. What you stand for.

2. What is important to you.
3. What traits, beliefs, and ways of looking at life you uphold in the highest way.
4. How you would choose to feel each day.
5. How you choose to interact with others in the perfect world each day.

Here are two samples:

Today I choose to feel empowered knowing that the choices I make today are a part of the creation of my world.

Today I choose to be relentless in loving others regardless of whether love comes back.
Today, I allow myself to experience the profound nature of who I am and in the experience of today, open myself up to the wonder and magic that exists in each moment.
Today I strive for excellence in everything I do. Today I honour and respect my body’s essential needs for life. Today I allow all people to make their own choices as I will also make my own. 

Another example quoted from the movie documentary What the Bleep Do We Know, by Dr. Joe Dispenza:

“‘So if we're consciously designing our destiny, and if we're consciously from a spiritual standpoint throwing in with the idea that our thoughts can affect our reality or affect our life -- because reality equals life -- then I have this little pact that I have when I create my day. I say,

'I'm taking this time to create my day and I'm infecting the quantum field. Now if (it) is in fact the observer's watching me the whole time that I'm doing this and there is a spiritual aspect to myself, then show me a sign today that you paid attention to any one of these things that I created, and bring them in a way that I won't expect, so I'm as surprised at my ability to be able to experience these things.

And make it so that I have no doubt that it's come from you,' and so I live my life, in a sense, all day long thinking about being a genius or thinking about being the glory and the power of God or thinking about being unconditional love.”

I recall travelling to a third world country years ago. The individual who organized the tour did not follow through on what was promised… so there I was in a third world country, not sure what to do, while at the same time super angry that it was still occurring. I remember being in a train station. I had an enormous head ache to the point that I felt like my head was going to pop off. In that moment, I had a thought to repeat a quote I wrote from years prior:

‘Cast your judgments aside for you have attracted the Light of God into your life through all Beings who are manifest.’

-Joshua

In that moment, that quote became my Personal Declaration because it was the only thing that would temper my mind at the time. I must have repeated it out loud about 300 or more times until my mind finally let go and I felt more peace. That Personal Declaration must have saved me somehow.

If you would like to begin using a Personal Declaration, and for that matter create one of your very own, here are some guidelines to keep in mind (from an article I wrote about how to create affirmations). The same principles apply to creating your own Personal Declaration as they do for creating affirmations or mantras.

If you would like to write one out and want quick feedback from me, send it along and I will personally give it a bit of attention and reply with brief feedback for you.

Once you have created your own Personal Declaration it is time to begin ‘vibing’ in it.

Choose it. Declare it. Step into it. Make it so.

Say it each and every morning before arising out of bed. Repeat it throughout the day. If it is long and requires reading, get to the point where you know it by heart.

Also be open to the fact that as you evolve, so too will your declaration. You may remove some items, while at other times add.

Make your declaration very personal, meaningful, and so deep that it stirs your Soul, your mind, and gives you chills each time you say it!

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2013 Joshua Zuchter. All rights reserved.

 

The Olympic Experience

Are you like me? … Every two years, life and business seems to take a dip because of something that is known around the world as:

‘The Olympics’!

J

Sports I normally would never watch, all-of-a-sudden attract my attention. I generally allow myself to really get into the ‘drama’ that ensues that seems to act as a strong magnet pulling me away from other duties. Thank goodness I have at least some discipline!

Did you watch the Olympics this year or perhaps even attend some of the events (I know some of my clients who live in the UK got to)?

I found myself enjoying every event and every sport. There is something about these individuals all being the top in the world that inspires me and makes me actually want to compete even though I am likely older than nearly every single one of them – I do look younger, though. ;)

This year, and of course as I am Canadian, I watched the Olympics on the Canadian station of CTV and the main announcer was and typically is Brian Williams. I have to say, he was what made the Olympics so enjoyable to watch for me. There was little to no hesitation in his questions, he is a true gentleman, honest, kind, seems open-minded, thoughtful, and very positive with everyone he meets. Here is one interview between Brian and Canada's olympic gold medalist in Trampoline Rosie MacLennan

From CTVNews Youtube Channel

When most people are watching the Olympics or sporting events, I do wonder if we realize how much the people in between make the difference. Imagine, in these London, Britain Olympics there were over 70,000 volunteers that helped to make all of this happen. I salute all of them and Brian Williams and would like to ask you

did you watch the Olympics?

AND if so what is/are your favourite memory(ies)? Be sure to comment below.

Now it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled programs, duties, chores, responsibilities, and preparing for the next Olympics of course!

Fractaling and Analsis Paralysis

Fractaling and Analysis Paralysis

You may have experienced this ‘syndrome’ before… you were having a challenge with someone or something. You then tried to figure out why you were feeling the way you were feeling.

After a great deal of exploration and logically trying to piece together the origins of the issue you were experiencing and trying to figure out why it was there, you may have come to some type of realization or epiphany as to where it came from.

You all-of-a-sudden experience some kind of release or ‘breakthrough’ and feel better. Weeks later, you happen to re-experience yet another similar issue only to be confronted with having to figure out again how you attracted the scenario or why you are experiencing this again. ‘Perhaps you missed something or didn’t go deep enough’ as your ego/left brain may consider. And on and on your mind goes.

The source of this photo is currently unavailable.

I reassuringly identify this now with my clients as analysis paralysis, a term I have heard many times before. I affectionately call it ‘fractaling’. A fractal is the image you see here… often created with beautiful and gorgeous designs and swirls… that are never ending and seemingly very much like weeds.

(Pardon my reference to weeds – we have had little rain and over the past 2 weeks I have been deweeding my lawn in attempt to resuscitate it!)

If you understand weeds, then you will also understand fractals. A fractal and the ego (analyzing why you have attracted a negative situation) are the same. It is possible that you will come up with a solution as to why you attracted it, what the benefit or gain is for you and how you can avoid repeating it. The ego/left brain, however, in its natural state of obliviousness or lack of awareness of itself, ‘fractals’.

The result is a never ending hunt that will keep the ego searching for answers FOREVER without ever leading to a state of peace.

This ‘fractaling’ or analysis paralysis is spreading as more and more people are becoming aware that they are creating their reality. However, in the pursuit of ‘correcting’ or ‘changing’ their lives, they are becoming lost in the never ending analysis. This is also prevalent in some therapy and coaching based models in which you analyse or seek to find the ‘why’ in what is going in your life.

There is a solution to this, albeit one that will not soothe or feed the ego, thereby taunting it even more. The solution is simply to let go OR to breathe - something the ego will resist.

You see the ego wants to figure out everything AND understand everything. At the same time, the ego blocks itself from every understanding anything completely.

When it has the slightest understanding, it then finds new possibilities to explore. This causes fractaling.

If you were to see this in action, it would be akin to a dog or cat chasing its tail – completely oblivious to the fact that it is chasing itself – as the ego likes to do.

There are occasional times when exploring root causes is beneficial. However, this is more of a rarity than the norm and should be used sparingly. Over the past year, with most of my clients and of course with myself, I have been moving further away from this type of analysis paralysis - as we will simply keep analysing forever.

The breathing technique that I teach during my Wisdom Wednesday events AND the Sedona Method are two excellent ways of letting go of the cause of challenges that come up.

Over time, as one practices the simple act or art of letting go or being in a let go state, we simply don’t become attached to issues in the first place and there ends up being only one thing…

Peace – and therefore nothing to analyze!

So remember using analyzation sparingly, instead practice breeeattttthhing, let go, and avoid ‘analysis paralysis’!

A New Trend with Christmas Trees for ALL Faiths and Cultures

Possibly the most well known symbol for Christmas - that has delighted families and friends for hundreds of years while at the same time frustrated superintendents, cleaning staff, and environmentalists to the same degree is the Christmas tree.

For those who celebrate Christmas the TREE is a big thing. For most of the rest of world though, and actually the majority of the world, this time of year can mean the same as every other day, or it might possibly mean spinning a dreidel (if Jewish and/or a gambler) and eating delicious and fat filled deep fried potato latkes (once per year isn’t so bad… not 8 days worth though!)

A significant issue that has arisen with the use of Christmas trees relates to what multi-faith families can or should do.

This idea came as a result of speaking with one of my clients who converted from Christianity to another religion who, although content with her choice and new religion, misses celebrating with a Christmas tree.

Further, she wants her young son to experience all of the fun that can be had with decorating the tree and the general festivity of decorating, etc.

With so many multi-faith families these days and with so many people who are not religious but would like to celebrate the holidays for the pure fun of it, I would like to propose an alternative for celebrating the holiday season for ALL faiths, while at the same time using a tree (preferably a fake one):

A Gratitude and Wishing Tree!

Rather than the some old tree each year, and having it represent Christmas (why should those who are not Christian go without?), make it a tree upon which your family can hang lights, bulbs, AND words and pictures of people, experiences, achievements, goals, and other material items that they are both grateful for and that they desire in the upcoming year.

This by-passes the more religious nature of the tree and makes it fun for ALL people of ALL faiths and religions (even those with no religious affiliation).

In my eyes Christmas and Hanukah are primarily about gratitude, not unlike Thanksgiving. With this in mind and to foster the experience, why not make it a Gratitude and Wishing Tree!?

This also, of course, makes sense to have the gifts beneath it AND it is multi-denominational for all faiths AND children (adults too) who have always wanted to experience what it is like.

I would even encourage putting a menorah (Hanukah) on the top and hang dreidels off the pine needles! – just don’t light the menorah or you may have a personal experience similar to Chevy Chase and the Griswold’s in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!

If you decide to do this, definitely take a photo of it and send it to me. If you allow it, I will post it and we can view and delight in the many creative Gratitude and Wishing Trees and possibly begin a global trend!

What Is In a Friendship: Giving OR Receiving?

Through the best of times and ideally through the worst of times, there are people in our lives who we can count on for support, an open mind, and a caring nurturing way of being - who sometimes feel like they are more family than our own blood relatives - our friends.

True friends, are those dear souls who we celebrate life with, grow with, share in the spice of life with, and who support us through our tough times as we also support through theirs.

Just speaking with a friend who unconditionally loves you and will listen to what you have to say without judgement, and instead holds the space for you to ‘get it out’, is absolutely important and useful to our evolution as people.

Friendship, though, is not just a one way street. A true friendship is a mutual exchange of aligned connection. This means supporting each other, listening to each other, working together through the thick and thin of life, doing best to stay open to each other even if there are issues between the two.

I hope that you are like me and have had close friendships with a variety of incredible people throughout your life.

At the same time I have seen the reality that relationships can change dramatically over time.

I remember having nearly 0 friends growing up - until high school, when my whole life changed. I had a dream high school experience with many great friendships and many great adventures and experiences. I recall overall, that high school life just seemed to get better and better each year – The movies American Pie and High School Musical, to a degree (and without singing), mirror my teen experiences. I even recall times when my group of male friends and I would go out, it felt like we were a posse of sorts!

After high school and into University, although I made many friendships while some old ones dissolved, my dream social life continued up until my 3^rd year, when most of us became more serious about having to face the idea of what type of ‘career’ we would pursue when we completed school for the first time in our lives within 1 or two years.

Life began to change - not just for me, but for everyone I knew. Friends moved to different cities, different countries, began having families and of course priorities changed. This was and is the natural flow of life and of the rhythm of being human; it is also the law of attraction.

Over the past year especially, I have noticed a dramatic change in friendships both personally as well as for many many countless others I speak with.

As someone who is a natural ‘giver’ and who many would agree with is a ‘giver’ I know one when I meet one and throughout my life I have met many.

One particular change or trend that I have noticed over the past year is the number of friendships that are changing. Perhaps over the past couple of years you have seen a number of friendships decrease or dissolve and have been wondering ‘what the #@*% is going on?’

The great news is you are not alone!

Many ‘givers’ are awakening. ‘Givers’ give to others and truly care about others, while expecting little to nothing in return.

(You are likely a ‘giver’ if you read these Be-Inspired articles or blogs.)

You see, ‘givers’ typically give and have little to nothing left for themselves. ‘Givers’ are also not very good at receiving as they have been practicing and have become masters at giving not receiving. ‘Givers’ typically fight for the underdog, want the best for everyone, and often ‘wear their hearts on their sleeve’.

For those of us who are like this, we are entering interesting times. For those of us considered ‘givers’, we have a great number of friends who we likely consider as friends and who are great receivers. In fact, when it comes to the law of attraction, people who give typically attract those who receive just as ‘receivers’ typically attract ‘givers’.

In most cases, both ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ do what we do to such an extreme, that we were likely ‘givers’ or ‘receivers’ since we were very young and without any awareness whatsoever.

Recently though, those of us who give, while at the same time are not great at receiving, are beginning to awaken.

As a giver who is awakening who is now looking for respect, care, a helping ear from the receiving ‘friends’, it is becoming very obvious and common that those ‘friends’ – the ‘receivers’, are not willing, not interested, or do not have the drive to do so. This results in the ‘givers’ feeling a rift with these ‘friends’ and a ‘parting of ways’ or the connection dissolving.

This ‘phenomenon’ has been growing over the past year and the realization that is arising from the awakening is that those ‘friendships’ were possibly and likely not necessarily true friendships in the first place, but rather more of a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship between a ‘giver’ and a ‘receiver’.

Some of the indicators or potential flags that show that you might be in this type of conditional ‘giver’ and ‘receiver’ relationship vs an authentic unconditional friendship include the receivers saying or showing:

-“My family is my priority and I just can’t take time away from them”

(ironically, when THEY NEED you, they will take time away from their family to get your help for themselves)

-‘Time’ or ‘scheduling’ issues’ in getting together with you

-Forgetfullness and therefore missing schedule get-togethers – after the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th times

-You will hear from them when THEY want to speak with you, rather than when you contact them

– this is usually clear when you leave messages and they do not return your call until they are ready (meaning longer than a few days)

-They say they will call, e-mail, or text you but do not until it is convenient for them or at all

These indicators are more common that one would think and it is important to acknowledge that these are potential signs that the ‘friendship’ is likely not mutual and that conversations need to be had to sort it out or to just let them go.

Five Powerful Elements to Consider About Friendships:

1. True friendship is about mutual exchange and respect of each other – giving to each other, supporting each other, and growing together - with no excuses.
2. To experience and attract true friendships – that include respecting you, who you are, and your opinion about life - YOU must respect you, who you are, and your own opinion about life and not accept friendships that will do anything less.
3. To develop a true friendship, rather than a 50/50 inauthentic connection, giving unconditionally is a must. This is different from giving and then expecting the other to give back, which would constitute a conditional ‘friendship’. 
4. It is important to be at peace with being on your own and without friendships. This will be far more useful than having ‘one-sided friendships’ that you give your power and energy away to. Although at the same time, be open to the fact that new ones will come in.
5. Be compassionate and give your ‘friends’ A second chance… not 5 second chances, not 10 second chances, A second chance… a chance to show that they are also willing to and interested in supporting, giving to, and growing the friendship.

I have gone through several stages in my own life, in which the friendships I had were with people I considered as my soul brothers and sisters. Over time, as their focus and priorities changed and as did mine it was inevitable that those connections would end or simply not exist as they once did.

The light, at the end of tunnel so-to-speak, is that along with your changes and a clearer understanding of what you are looking for in a true friendship, new friendships will also enter into your life.

Now that we, as ‘givers’, are becoming more conscious about learning how to give AND hopefully practicing receiving, new friendships that are created will have a wonderful potential to last for the rest of this lifetime.

If you are reading this and realizing that you are more of a ‘receiver’, and YOU are awakening as well, consider this an opportunity to reconnect with those ‘givers’ who have likely been giving all along.

Show your gratitude to them – call them, tell them how important they are to you because of who they are (not because they give to you and you still need them). More importantly – be committed to the connection and to growing it, respecting them and being a part of a true friendship in giving and/or supporting them on the few occasions they call out to you for help.

Either way, although it is not easy sometimes to let go of once important connections, it is important to do so to allow the even more profound connections that are awaiting you.

As some of the old ‘friendship’ doors close, many new wondrous ones are about to open!

“To me, fair friend,

you never can be old

for as you were ~

when first your eyes I eyed,

such seems your ~

beauty still.”

-Shakespeare

From Wimpy to Elite: Techniques for Strengthening Your Mind Muscle

The happiest people in the world, the most successful people in the world, the most genius people, and the wealthiest people all share at least this one common trait... and it is possible for anyone to develop if it isn't already naturally a part of your makeup ... in today's blog article.

The purpose of this article, is not to discuss anything related to your physical prowess, strength or the lack thereof as is evident in the reference to wimpiness in the title! Rather, we are about to explore a muscle that is likely the most under-utilized muscle in our entire system and possibly the most important to your functioning at a high level… the muscle of your mind.

You see your mental strength, mental endurance, and mental flexibility are what will make the difference between you being able to make it through a boring movie to being present and collision-free when driving; from being clear minded, free of rampant emotions, to being able to visualize and summon your desires by working with the law of attraction; from ‘losing it’ with a close friend or family member and being able to handle any major world cataclysm that may occur from a state of peace.

If there is one thing that most people do not do and should, that would be to increase their mental strength, mental flexibility, and mental endurance!

In this article we are going to explore exactly how to do this with some exercises you can practice, as well as share with your friends, family and other loved ones.

Consider me your Mental Coach for the duration of this article!

What most people fail to recognize is that nearly all sports are much more mental than they are physical! In tennis, if you hit a bad shot, that one shot can stay with you until you finally lose the match because you were so upset about it. And the same goes for every sport!

If you are not present when lifting a weight in competition or if an Olympian is not present when speed skating they won’t even come close to placing and in many cases injuries ensue!

If you are exercising and not present mentally, it is easy to pull a muscle, or experiencing something worse!

I am sure you would agree that strengthening the mind is something that should be taught from grade 1 and continued on for life and without question, the greatest geniuses and masters of our time are those who are masters of their minds.

Those masters of the mind are either very strong mentally in endurance and can therefore outlast others (such as neurosurgeons who need to be able to maintain focus for long periods of time), or they are mentally flexible, such as scientists and artists who can think outside of the box and come up with cures or masterpieces.

Lastly, they may be simply very strong mentally in that they can process many pieces of information at once, or, one piece of information that requires a deeper level of understanding and awareness, such as lawyers who have come to learn legal jargon, and philosophers who have developed their depth of understanding into the complexities of the foundation of existence itself.

The truth is, it is absolutely possible for anyone to develop mental strength, endurance, and flexibility. Below you will find a few techniques that I have come across that you can practice to turn your mind into a well sculpted thinking and creative machine that you can use at will.

1. Taught to me by my mentor and teach Sue Maes-Thyret:

Grab three strings of yarn. At one end tie them together to a door knob. Next, start braiding them. This is not the difficult part. The next step is as you are braiding them notice if your mind wanders from the act of braiding. Whenever your mind strays from the act you must untie the strings and start over. Give this a go and share your results below at the end of the blog.

2. Sue gave a variation on the above for which you don’t need any yarn or tools. Simply count out loud and when you notice your mind wandering, start over. You will likely be surprised at how far you can get… or rather at how far you don’t get!

3. For flexibility, and this is one of the most powerful techniques that I know for manifesting what you desire… choose an area of life you are experiencing a challenge in and take 3 minutes to come up with benefits for that challenge - saying them out loud.

Here is how it might sound: The challenge may be that you might not have the amount of money you want. A benefit of not having enough money is that it allows you to become creative with creating money. It allows you to use our points that you have accumulated through miles. It allows you to put less focus on material objects and the collection of material objects and instead to focus on other non-material items that do matter.

The key with this exercise is to do it for 3 minutes at a time. During that time, as you do, you will be stretching your mind creatively and therefore increasing your ability to think outside of the box of the mind.

4. Meditate. A strong mind does not just mean being able to think A LOT! It also means being able to turn it off at will when you want it to be off or when you don’t need it. The best mental exercise for this, bar none, is meditation. This is different from thinking creatively, or being able to focus for long periods of time. This actually involves letting go of the mind so that it is in a state of rest and ready for when you do need it.

The most effective form of meditation that I teach involves lying or sitting down on a comfortable bed, chair, or on the floor. You then set your timer/watch/iphone for 15 a minute countdown, then close your eyes, and finally simply allow your mind to do whatever it is doing. If it is silent, great. If it is wandering, great. If it is thinking, that is fine. Allow it to do whatever it is doing.

After practicing this for a period of time, you may notice something wonderful, that your mind may actually be relaxing more and more each time you do it; perhaps your mind becomes silent for a shor time or possible for long periods of time.

5. Keep these keys in mind:

a. Just like exercise, don’t overdo it! Do not do these exercises to the point of exhaustion. Instead do them until you have reached no more than about 95% of your capacity!

b. Do not do anything else while you are practicing these techniques. For example, driving and trying to count with your focus on the numbers is NOT a wise idea!

c. If you cannot last for 3 minutes, work your way up to 3 minutes over time, and, feel free to switch up the topic each day!

d. Consistency is key. It will be far easier to make this a habit than doing it on day 1, skipping a few days, and then having to restart the process. Like a train, more energy is typically needed to get it going than to keep it going!

e. Switch up the exercise and create a routine. Day 1. could be counting aloud. Day 2. could be braiding. Day 3. could be the benefits exercise.

f. Take breaks! It is better to do these exercises with breaks than to do them to the point of exhaustion.

g. You want to be able to handle two types of states of mind… a heavy mind and a no mind state. The no mind state involves 1 set of practicing meditation for 15 minutes every day. The heavy mind involves high repetitions with a lot of heavy emotional weight. This way ideally you will be able to handle both high mental weight along with no weight resulting in a lean mind that is at peace.

You now have some exercises to practice firming up, strengthening, toning, and beefing up your mind muscle!

Now get to it!

Your Mind Coach,
Joshua