Have you ever noticed how mentally draining a problem, a beef, with another can be? Have you spent a lot of time stewing over what to do or say when you’ve had a disagreement? There’s only one way to handle that so you keep can Energize Your UMF! Handle the beef in a timely manner.
Many people have found that matters only get worse when they try to settle the disagreement without taking the time to become less emotional and more rational. They will sometimes say things they wished they hadn’t in the heat of the moment. Things that can’t be unsaid.
However, some have spent days and days stewing because they wouldn’t take the initative to settle things. If left too long, there is a tendency to start compounding the reason for the disagreement. Other things come to mind that in the past were not a big deal but when added up create a monster problem.
Finding the balance is key to keeping your mind trouble free. Don’t jump on things when you are reacting emotionally. Don’t stew over things for days on end. Take the initative to clear the air and come to some kind of agreement. Even if it’s only agreeing to disagree.
Leaving things unsaid is a different recipe for disaster. The less you say, the more troubled your thoughts become. Soon you can’t look that person in the eye for fear they’ll see your upset, animosity, annoyance or whatever else it has become. Avoidance soon becomes the norm.
The most effective and efficient way to Energize Your UMF! is to tackle difficulties promptly. That might mean laying low for a time while you sort out how you are going to handle things. It is important to get your emotions under control so you speak from a state of reason.
You will find that you have more energy when you are at peace with those around you. Keep short accounts with others. Handle disagreements in a timely manner. You will be glad you did!
“Take a hike” is often a phrase used in a not so complimentary manner. Usually it gets expressed when one person is totally frustrated with another and wants to immediately part company. Maybe it gets said like, “Get Lost”.
However, I mean it literally. Yes. Take a hike. Get out into the fresh air. Breathe deeply and walk briskly. Rev up your physical muscles and exercise your mental muscles too. Leave behind all your mechanical noise makers like your mp4 players, iphones, ipads, etc. Aim for the quietness of nature.
Which means, of course, that you are not hiking along the streets of a major city.
Most of us don’t spend much time in the quiet. There is always some form of “noise” going on around us all of the time. So, when do we ever get to hear ourselves think unless we specifically set out the time to do so? Like taking a hike!
Time and time again, we may yell out the phrase,” I can’t even hear myself think.” And then laugh and move on without realizing how important it is to know what we think…to actually stop and listen to our own thoughts. That still small voice trying to get our attention is usually worth a listen.
Ever told yourself to do or say something but you didn’t only to find out later that you should have? That’s the still small voice. Some say it’s your conscience speaking; some will say it’s your inner power; others will say it’s your higher power.
Whatever the name, tune in to hear your own thoughts. Many have been surprised at what they’ve learned in doing so and now are leading much more satisfying lives.
They say the hardest question for people to answer is, “What do you want?” You can ask yourself, but you still need to listen to the answer. Now’s the time. So go. Take a Hike! and find out.
It has been said that to know how to read and yet not read, is the same as to not know. Think about that for a moment. The same could be said for anything.
Take learning new knowledge or skills for an example. If you were to learn some strategies to manage your time more efficiently, but don’t use them, it is as if you never learned. If you were to learn how to play the piano, but never do, it is as if you never learned. And the possible examples are virtually endless.
Learning should be a part of every person’s every day routine. Being a life-long learner is what moves us forward in our relationships, careers and financial status. Who doesn’t want that? But the truth of the matter is that if we don’t actually take some action and apply what we have learned, then nothing is going to change.
Change. A nasty word to many. Remember Einstein’s quote? “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” Know anybody like that? Are you? If you want things to change then things have got to change.
So how does change happen? By learning new knowledge and new skills? Initially, yes. However, that is not enough. The learning must become a part of who you are and what you do. That’s DO! Action. Without applying the new learning, it is as if you haven’t learned.
What are you doing with what you’ve learned today?
There have been many science fiction stories involving the use of tin foil headgear to protect the brain. The intent was to keep out any unwanted radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. To the wearer, it was a lifesaver; to others, it was something to point at and ridicule. To be considered one of the “Tinfoil Hat People” has never been a good thing.
However, the concept of protecting one’s mind from unwanted intrusion is a valid point. Our minds are phenomenal recepticles of all manner of things coming in from our five senses. That is how we learn. There is no judgement attached to our senses. Whatever it is we taste, see, hear, touch and smell is just what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. Judgement comes after when the mind begins to process the data.
So what are your senses taking into your mind? Do you take care about what you see? Do you guard your mind from images that will forever burn into your brain? Just like you cannot unring the bell, you cannot unsee something once it gets planted into your memory. Depending on the gravity of the image, it may leave a lasting impact on how you think about certain things. Have you ever witnessed something that you wished you hadn’t?
Have you heard words spoken in anger that still live on in your mind? Can you still hear the cutting words of parents or teachers? What do you listen to that could leave similar scars? Do you make it a point to avoid negative conversations? Do you listen to songs full of lyrics that tear people down rather than build them up?
If all this sounds rather drastic, think about it for a moment. There are many things that we see and hear that we have no control over. If we should witness a horrific accident and hear the heart-wrenching cries of those who were hurt, there is little we can do to obliterate that from our memory. It happens and it leaves its mark.
But there are also many things we do not need to see or hear by simply making a choice not to. We can control to a large degree what goes into our minds by making those choices. We can guard our minds simply by deciding to.
No need to wear tin foil headgear. Just choose what you watch on TV; choose the papers and books you read; choose the songs and radio stations to listen to; just choose it all.
Guard your mind. You can’t unring the bell.
Now that it is the beginning of a new year, we are searching for that tid-bit of information, that secret formula or magic key that will shed light on how to make 2012 so much better than last year. We have made some resolutions and hope they’ll last beyond the traditional 5 week period.
So, for what information are you looking? Do you know what you need? Have you created a plan and now you need to find ways to implement said plan? Who do you go to for advice? That is the BIG question.
Often times we tend not to ask the person most qualified to answer our questions. We need to consider the source of this much sought after advice. Is there enough credibility for the advice to really be meaningful?
For instance, if we wanted to know how to make several hundred thousand dollars a day, we wouldn’t ask the homeless person sleeping on the streets of Toronto on the coldest nights of the year. (For clarity’s sake, I did say making it not having it stored up somewhere!)
We would be looking to get this advice from someone who has a proven track record, someone who could establish that they know of what they speak. That information could come in any form from a book they wrote, articles on the internet, interviews given on TV or a personal consulting session. Rest assured that the source of your advice would be highly credible.
Now just suppose that you wanted to live on the streets of Toronto on the coldest nights of the year, would you go to that same credible source? Not liekly. You would be best to seek one such person and take their advice on how they survive. Their proof is in their very existence.
But often times, many of us will fail to choose our sources wisely and end up listening to someone who knows not of what they speak. Not REALLY know. It might be friends, or family members or colleagues at work. And all of them may have their own reasons for wanting to keep you where you are and not provide any valuable insights, experience or knowledge to move you to where you want to go.
So as you foray into the new year of 2012, as you look all around you for the best advice to take you from where you are to where you want to go, I have just this to say.
Consider the source.
Merri
Have you ever been to an eatery where what you really wanted was to chat with your friends but couldn’t due to the surround-sound chatter of others?
Have you ever found yourself straining to hear so you could at least appear to be tuned in so you could make intelligent responses? Has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps the smile on your face isn’t really appropriate for the conversation you cannot hear? If so, then you are a member of a really large group.
In order for our minds to tune in, we must be able to quell the noise. Sometimes that is easy for us to do by merely switching tables to a quieter corner or perhaps, as I had to do the other evening, go to a different place. That worked extremely well. My evening with friends became enjoyable, entertaining and lively as we set out to solve the world’s problems.
That’s the kind of noise to which we’ve all been exposed. That noise becomes immediately obvious to us and we therefore immediately seek to find a solution. And often times, we tend to be immediately satisfied.
But there is other noise that pervades our lives and causes us to have distracted if not dysfunctioning minds. That noise comes to us from many different places and solutions may not be quite so easy to find. Often times it’s our lack of awareness that causes our dysfunction and until we become aware, then we remain in that sad mental state.
So awake! Become aware! Take in all that surrounds you and listen; really listen. Can you hear it? What is the chatter that is within you that perhaps you have been tuning out but keeps playing just the same? You can turn the volume down on a radio so you don’t hear it, but unless you click the button to off, it still plays. What is playing on your mental set?
Do you hear the endless emails calling out for your attention when you have so many other tasks to perform? Maybe you have the “come hither” of your social media ringing in your ears. Or is it a mountain of paperwork piled high on your desk where each piece of clutter chatters incessantly at you? And all of these have access to the same radio station playing in your mind.
To acquire your UMF!, your Ultimate Mental Fitness, get busy stilling the noise. Quiet your mind by setting regular times to handle your email and social media. Don’t pile papers on your desk. Get in the habit of deciding what to do with them immediately. Keep your desk clear. No clutter; no chatter.
Now you can hear the truly meaningful messages that will Energize Your UMF! and propel you to greater success.
Happy New Year! Make 2012 the best yet!
Merri
It has been said that we are 70% of the sum of the people with whom we spend the most time. For some of us that is a daunting statistic. However, it may explain a few things about ourselves.
Quite some time ago, I changed my view on Time from one of spending it to investing it. Recognizing that it is my most precious non-renewable asset, I realized that it mattered greatly what I did with my allotted time. Changing my perspective made me think seriously about what I was doing.
That doesn’t mean that frivolity has been eliminated from my life, to which many of my friends can attest. Indeed I seek it out often when frivolity is what every fibre of my being is craving. Such ROI like joy and laughter are much needed stocks in my portfolio for increased mental fitness. I highly recommend it. Find like-minded family and friends to reap the same benefits right along with you. Become part of their 70%.
Investing your time in seeking mental fitness means also to choose people who think in those terms. Look for people who exhibit exceptional attitudes towards life. Look for people who are still learning, putting that new knowledge into action and then sharing it with others. These people can’t help but teach you by their example.
Invest your time in reading the teachings of those who inspire and encourage. The ROI here is priceless. You are limited only by your own selections. Wisdom literature abounds on the shelves of countless bookstores both new and used. And, of course, online in countless writings as well. No excuses for those people not to become part of your life.
What is the ROI on your time? Are you spending it or investing it? Do you invest purely in yourself or do you consider investing in others too?
If that opening statement is correct, then the first 70% of our make-up, our character, our potential should be easy to establish by choosing with whom we invest our time. The other 30% will be the ROI: Ultimate Mental Fitness.
And that, will drive you to Energize Your UMF! and allow you to reach new heights in whatever you do!
Every day around the world, people are awakening to a renewed quest for physical fitness. They are vowing to follow healthier diets, committing to an exercise regime and promising to get more sleep. All of this is excellent in the pursuit of great physical fitness.
But what about Mental Fitness? In most cases this doesn’t get factored in as being a relevant component to physical fitness. For fear of entering the ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg’ dilemma, I propose that without a commitment to mental fitness, the degree of physcial fitness would be greatly reduced. For it is in the mind that the spirit and the will reside which are both needed to live up to the vows, committments and promises.
What are you doing to strive for Ultimate Mental Fitness? Are you concerned about what goes into your mind? In with the good stuff and out with the bad? That is the way to create the kind of fitness that enables you to live your life to the fullest, both physically and mentally.
