Larson Institute of Self-Mastery » Habits

Taking Baby Steps To Better Health

Guest — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:02:18 +0000

Author: Ethan Kalvin

Perhaps the biggest reason why New Year’s resolutions don’t cross the finish line at the end of the predetermined time line is because it is going to take some sobering lifestyle changes that will generally take longer than the month of January. While the goals are always very ambitious, the results are much less than desired and usually inspires giving up rather than pressing through to get the results you envision. Revamping a new you will require more than 30 days. New Year’s resolutions are good examples of goals that are usually never achieved because of the gun ho attitude that soon looses steam and the time line that is attached to them. However it is very possible to achieve any goals set, by using a common sense healthy perspective approach.

Any steps that you undertake to make significant changes for the good in your life should always be taken seriously, because of the positive impact it will have but it should never be allow to lead to extreme behavior. While any type of change can be difficult, making these changes successful is more successful if done in a timely manner, without being a overwhelming self defeating endeavor.

For instance if you want to begin eating healthier then start by doing something small to change your eating habits like drinking more water, eliminating soda from your diet, switching to whole grain bread, or even just adding one or two servings of fruits or veggies per day. You will find the taking one little step in the right direction and keeping with it until it becomes a healthy habit is by far the best way to keep moving in the right direction and making the changes that you want to not only for the short term but for the long haul.

Great diets are fantastic, but work better when coupled with a good daily exercise routine. Exercise routines can often be tackled with the wrong enthusiasm and can be self defeating because of a gun ho attitude. Making your goals very realistic and not goals that super heroes would have trouble measuring up to is another commonsense approach to making lasting changes you can live with. Why would you expect to go from no miles to 10 miles a day jogging when no one else expects you to. This is a unrealistic goal and is failure prone for anyone. However, if you slowly increase your daily activity you can see you goals become a reality. This will also allow your body to adjust nicely to the changes going on and not try to go into movement shock within the first couple of days.

The changes that can be implemented by most anyone with the desire to change, will most always work best if the start is slow and is increased slowly. A good New Year’s resolution should by designed to last all year long, because the changes that need to take place will take longer than the couple of months you are hoping for. Increase your expectation by making your goals and resolutions more change friendly. A better resolution plan could include a full twelve months before making the next phase of changes the next New Year’s resolution.

About the Author

www.gohealthinsurance.com is a brilliant stop when you require coverage. Get quick info on Cigna health insurance and others quickly.

Procrastination: How You Can Stop It

Guest — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:09:03 +0000

Author: Louis Williamson

There are could be any number of reasons for why you can’t stop procrastinating: you might be doing something that you really don’t like doing. You might not know enough about the job or task that you need to do. You might be scared to fail at the task. You might lack confidence. Whatever the reason is, it tends to do you no good whatsoever.

As a former serial procrastinator I made a few conscious changes to improve my productivity and stop procrastinating in the most important areas of my life.

1. Understand the issue

This might sound a little strange, but think about it: how can you stop procrastinating if you don’t know why you are doing it? This tends to be the key to addressing many problems or issues which people experience – for me, it was only when I started sitting down and asking myself why I didn’t want to do something that I could produce a plan for attacking the task at hand.

2. Develop a PHASED plan of attack

When I was faced with a difficult task I used to look at it in one go and completely overwhelm myself. I would then decide that, because I didn’t know where to start, I would not start at all! Under these circumstances it is difficult to stop the urge to procrastinate. I found that the best way to deal with this was to break the task down into manageable pieces and determine what the key milestones were along the way to completing the whole task. Doing this enabled me to monitor the progress that I was making, which gave me the encouragement to keep going to the end.

3. Do what you need to do… and no more

Somebody once said to me that perfectionists were the biggest procrastinators… After thinking about it for a little while I realised that there may have been some truth in this. I would consider myself to be a perfectionist, and while this might be a good trait in some circumstances it does also mean that a job might seem larger than it actually is due to my desire to do a “perfect” job. This has often led me to procrastinate over some tasks which may not have been as big as I thought they were. The key to stopping this? Understand what the task is and what you need to do to complete well; in most cases the difference between a good job and a perfect job may not be worth the additional effort – or stress which you place upon yourself.

Whatever the reason is for why you can’t stop procrastinating, the fact that you have take the time to look up the issue (and therefore find this article) is a step in the right direction! There is a wealth of information and self-motivational tools out there that can help you determine the systematic causes and how to overcome them. One of things which I didn’t believe in at first were self-help books (why would a stranger think that they know the key to my problems?). But I have found the occasional books which I must admit have been very insightful. For more information please click here to visit my website, Procra-STOP.com.

There are could be any number of reasons for why you can’t stop procrastinating. This article outlines 3 reasons, from the perspective of a recovering serial procrastinator. There is a wealth of information available on the internet which can also help you to understand the reasons why you procrastinate and overcome the problem once and for all.

About the Author

Louis Williamson is a 30 year business manager and internet entrepreneur. His website, Procra-STOP.com, documents his experiences as a serial procrastinator.

5 Steps to Change Habits by Changing Your Brain – Create New Neural Pathways

Guest — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:02:24 +0000

Guest author Marilyn B. Gordon

Because of the brain’s ever-changing potentials called neuroplasticity, anything is possible. People who’ve had strokes can retrain their brains to function again by building new pathways. Smokers and overeaters and many others can learn new behaviors and attitudes and can transform their lives.

I used to drive with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator, and I wanted to train myself to drive with one foot only. It took some time, as I had a strong neural pathway for two-footed driving. But because I had the will to do it, I built a new pathway, and I rewired or reprogrammed my brain. You can remove a behavior or thought or addictions directly from the brain.

Some Powerful Ways to Retrain the Brain

1. Use aversion therapy.

This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s an optional path. I like to call it “the maggots on the chocolate cake technique.” I used to love candies and sweets, and when I stopped eating them, I still had to pass by them when I walked by the candy store in town. I used aversion to train my brain to walk on by: “That’s junk,” I said to myself. “It’s made in factories, sickeningly sweet, makes me feel bad. The company makes it so sweet just to addict buyers. I don’t want any of that.” So I talk myself out of it. I’ve use it with many clients (only those who say they want it) on smoking, junk food, cocaine and many other behaviors.

2. Create a specific plan and choose what to do instead.

When you get specific, it’s easier to build new neural pathways. You “make it official.” Decide if you want to exercise instead of overeating or if you want to eat fruit instead of candy. Just keep focused on the new choice. You may want to create affirmations and anchors to reinforce your choices. This can be “I’m free or “I’m in control.” Reinforce this with energy therapies like EFT or other techniques.

3. Transform the obstacles.

Look at what’s in the way. Look at secondary gain – what you’ve been getting out of the old habits or pathways. Look at the stress in your life and how you can handle it differently. Get your mind in the place of possibility. Handle the emotions and thoughts and get on a new superhighway in your mind.

4. Connect with your Higher Source for inspiration and support.

Listen to our guidance. Know you have the Force within you, and therefore you have great power. Meditation creates new pathways and brain changes. Actual studies have been done on the brains of monks to show meditation’s effect on neural circuits of the brain.

5. Transform and make the shift.

Know that transformation is always possible and that you can create new brain pathways whenever you’re ready to make the shift. When you keep your mind in the “I can do it!” space, you get a clear sense that you’re done with the old and on a new beam now.

Want to learn more about life transformation, spiritual growth, and healing? You can download our 100 page free ebook, Extraordinary Healing at http://www.lifetransformationsecrets.com. You can also subscribe to our wonderful free monthly newsletter, “The Transformation News.” Marilyn Gordon is a life transformer, board certified hypnotherapist, teacher, speaker, healer, school director, and author with over thirty years of experience. Her latest book is The Wise Mind: The Brilliant Key to Life Transformation and Healing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_B._Gordon

The Power of Subconscious Mind: Let It Take Over You

Guest — Mon, 16 May 2011 08:20:47 +0000

Author – Asim Bawany

“We must realize that the subconscious mind is the law of action and always expresses what the conscious mind has impressed on it. What we regularly entertain in our mind creates a conception of self. What we conceive ourselves to be, we become.” – Grace Speare

“The unconscious mind of man sees correctly even when conscious reason is blind and impotent.” – Carl Jung

“Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing. As individuals think and believe, so they are.” – Claude M. Bristol

The human mind is more profound than what we have imagined. The power of subconscious mind can bring us to the equilibrium that we have envisioned. Do you ever wonder how unfair life is to some and how impossibly good life is to others? We see many people work as hard as they can but they seem to be stuck in one step of the ladder and never able to reach the top. Meanwhile, there are others who did not even sweat a single drop but reached their aspirations. These examples are not that much of a shock. But you have also met people who are not that much of a good friend to others, yet have been given many opportunities in life. There are also those people who are the kindest in the world yet receive fewer chances in life.

Success in life comes from more than just mere positive thinking. Even positive thinking itself is not enough evidence of pure mindset positivity. The power of the subconscious is way beyond positive thinking… It is believing. The reason why it can bring you to success is that the subconscious part of the brain can enable you to aspire, believe that aspiration, and eventually allowing your “believing” makes your aspiration come true. To give you better understanding regarding this matter, let me simplify to you the steps on how to put the power of your subconscious to action:

1. Believe

This is the foundation of what the actions that the power of your subconscious mind can do. Let there be coordination between you and your subconscious mind. Allow yourself to cooperate with your subconscious mind. When your subconscious mind tells you to succeed, try hard to go with it. This way, you desire, and you believe your desire.

2. Mold your mind

Mold your mind to believe what you want to happen. Make it a habit. This way, you are practicing your subconscious mind to continue working. Also, this way your subconscious would be in control.

3. Try to increase the power of your mind

Increasing the power of your mind will allow you to be controlled by your subconscious mind. How can you do that? There are many ways to increase the power of your subconscious mind, or your mind alone. Problem solving is one example. Solve problems while you are not under any pressure. Just allow yourself to think. One example of problem solving is answering your own questions. Think beyond the usual rationality of man. Think deep and imaginative thoughts. Expand your level of reasoning. Both thinking and feeling are all fruits of the mind. We are how we think we are. The subconscious mind tells us what to do, but the conscious mind might contradict it.

Bring your subconscious mind to life and you’ll be able to keep track of your life. It is hard to do it sometimes. But if you allow the power of your subconscious mind to train your conscious mind, there would be nothing impossible to achieve.

The power of subconscious can lead you to success if you allow it to take over you.

To help you become your best self here is a FREE Report, just CLICK HERE.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Asim_Bawany

Breaking Bad Habits – 5 Simple Steps for Changing a Habit

Guest — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:39:01 +0000

Guest author T. McDonald

“Good habits are hard to develop but easy to live with” and “Bad habits are easy to develop but hard to live with”, according to Brian Tracey, a well-known motivational teacher. You may recognize that to successfully manage habit changes, breaking bad habits may be required in order to develop new ones.

Breaking bad habits takes at least 21 days. Of course, in difficult cases, it can take as long as a year. Here’s an example of the process of how to change an unhealthy habit to a healthy habit. Suppose you’ve decided that coffee is not good for you and right now, you drink coffee with sugar daily. The new habit you would like to institute is to drink herbal tea without sugar.

At first, it may be challenging to break the bad habit of drinking coffee. You will have to use self-discipline for the first few weeks but gradually it will get easier. Once you are able to change the old habit to a new healthier one, it will serve you very well. Habits are remarkable because they don’t require thinking. You just “do it” for years until you find yourself changing the habit again.

Here are 5 easy steps for changing habits:

1. Awareness: You must become aware of your habits. What is this habit exactly? How is this bad habit or group of bad habits affecting you? How is this habit affecting others? For example, smoking often has negative effects on others as well as on you.

2. Wanting to Change: As someone with a health problem, you must decide that breaking bad habits through a conscious effort is a worthy goal. You must convince yourself that the change in the habit is worth the effort involved.

3. Commitment: You must be determined to do whatever it takes for breaking bad habits so that you can better control your life. You make a decision that “no matter what” you will change the habit. You do the work required to stop. Here are some examples of habits you might want to change: Smoking, eating too much, eating processed foods, not exercising, drinking coffee or other beverages with caffeine in them, eating too much sugar or fat, drinking alcohol, procrastinating, etc.

4. Consistent Action: It is important to focus on changing just one habit at a time. Then, take consistent daily actions for breaking the bad habit that has been causing problems and take the actions to develop a new one. We suggest doing this process one step at a time rather than trying to do it all at once. Sometimes changing a habit can be done “cold turkey” like smoking and sometimes it works better to make a gradual change.

Be sure to give yourself positive rewards often for taking small actions toward changing a bad habit. Continual day-by-day actions are what are critical. This is NOT about an occasional action or step. It is about being consistent every day.

5. Perseverance: There will be times when you question whether it is all worth it. You’ll say to yourself that breaking these bad habits is too difficult; that you are too “weak” to change. Your old self, often so comfortable living with the bad habits, is trying to hold on. Breaking your old patterns may require meditation and prayer.

Visualize regularly the rewards for following through and the costs of not following through on breaking the bad habits and especially the value to your future of building new better habits.

Get support from others, especially other people who want to make changes in their lives and read about people who have been successful in breaking bad habits. Affirm that, no matter what, you will not backslide into your old bad habit patterns.

Now, you are armed with a 5-step process for breaking any bad habit or other condition that requires changing. If you have an addiction to something such as alcohol, these steps alone may not be enough. You may require additional professional help or a support group, but for most cases this 5-step process will do the trick!

T. McDonald is a lifelong student of inner growth and a writer. She edits Diabetes Guide where you will find information on the glycemic index diet, weight loss, diets, managing diabetes, alternative sweeteners, breast cancer bracelets, how to prevent breast cancer and much more.

You have permission to reprint this article as long as all links are hyperlinked and the resource box and copyright are retained intact.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T_Mcdonald