Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the end of the day that you wonder how you even got anything done?
Most people go through life on auto-pilot without any thought as to what is happening.
Is that you? Do you find yourself so wrapped up in a routine that you struggle to make progress on your goals?
If so, consider these tips, and start winning at life every day!
Tip#1: Win the morning.
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day – the Golden Hour.”
Be strategic in how you start your mornings. If you wake up late, grab a cup of coffee, and race to get to work on time you have set a panicked tone for the day.
If a rudder steers a ship through its course, your first hour should help set the direction of your day.
Set several alarms if you need to wake up on time. Get up slowly and take some time to feed yourself mentally and emotionally before starting your “work” day.
Tip#2: Celebrate the small wins.
No matter how full your day is with problem-solving, you must celebrate the small wins.
Did you wake up on time and make your bed before you left for work? Win!
Did you finally figure out how to get that column to total correctly on your balance spreadsheet at work? Win!
“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” – Bill Watterson
There is no other way to live except in the moment.
Too often we find ourselves looking ahead to the weekend, to the next month, to the next holiday, etc. We anticipate exciting and disappointing things all the time.
Instead, let’s practice gratitude for each moment and learn to enjoy it to the fullest. Take time to talk with your coworkers or your children. Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Don’t let life’s small moments pass you by.
Tip#4: Recap your day with highs and lows.
One strategy that has worked great for me is to invest 5-10 minutes each day to verbalize and write down my highs and lows.
When I’m tired or stressed, I tend to think that I have had a very boring or “bad” day. However, if I take the time to analyze my day, I find there are almost always more positive events that I have simply forgotten.
Even if there were some low times, I can meditate on those for a moment and see if there’s anything I can learn and grow from.
I don’t believe in coincidences, so start paying attention to everything that happens each day.
Tip#5: Unwind and relax at night.
How do you finish your day? If starting your day is important, so is finishing the day.
What is it that you enjoy most to relax and unwind? Watching movies, reading a good book, taking a walk, playing with your children? Pick one of those activities and try it out for a week to see how it makes you feel.
You want to choose things that allow your mind to escape from any worry and bring feelings of happiness and contentment.
I hope these tips help you to take control of your life and start winning every day!
I’m Johnny Miller, the founder of Finding Your Fit, a blog about finding margin and career direction in life. Come check out my blog and see how you can begin designing a career roadmap that actually fits your life.
If you think that highly productive people are superheroes who have special methods which help them be at the top of their game every single day, you are very wrong. They apply these simple habits and stick to them religiously. With a little practice, you can do so as well!
1. Neat surroundings
Focusing on your work while the workspace is full of distractions can be very tricky. So if you have piles of papers or documents in your line of sight, take some time to put them in a drawer and tidy up your surroundings a bit. It will help you concentrate on your work and allow you to dedicate more time to a particular task.
2. Power naps
As odd as it might seem, taking short naps during your work hours can actually help you feel less stressed and increase your productivity. You will also be less prone to impulsive decisions after you doze off for an hour or so which will undoubtedly make you more successful.
3. Away with the distractors
Checking your Facebook or Instagram feed constantly can lead to a distracting spiral which will disrupt your productivity at the end of the day. It can sound impossible, but as soon as you identify the distractor that takes up most of your work time, you should try to reduce the minutes (or hours) you spend on it. The most common distractions are the internet, social media, texting, office gossip, and e-mail.
4. No cell phones
Leaving your phone on while working can be damaging because the very sound of vibration can make you think about the received text message so your mind cannot focus completely. Using your smartphone during work hours can harm your productivity but also make you less communicative. Not to forget that you will probably miss some important deadlines along the way.
5. Move regularly
Being physically active can do wonders for your creativity and efficiency. You don’t have to join a gym and exercise every single day – simply take a walk or a quick twenty minutes jog. It will help you clear up your thoughts and come up with brand new ideas.
6. Positive work environment
If you work for a company that often surveys their employees and gives positive feedback, the chances are you will feel more confident and be at least 21% more productive on a regular basis. Fewer people would leave the firm and your clients will be 10% more satisfied with the quality of the delivered products or services.
7. Sunshine and nature
Is your workspace situated in a poorly lit corner with the artificial lights? Try relocating closer to a window. The results of a study by California Energy Commission proves that people who enjoy the sunshine and natural surroundings during their work day are more efficient by 25% when it comes to performance tests. The tested subjects also processed the calls 12% faster.
8. Plan ahead
Use schedules and to-do lists in order to determine which tasks require your immediate attention. Try to keep your ideas out of it and write them down in a separate notebook so you don’t mix them up with the work.
9. Don’t overwork yourself
If you think that clocking in more hours on a weekly basis will make you more productive, you are very wrong. People are not machines so there is no need to tire yourself every single week. John Pencavel who works at Stanford University published his research in 2014 which proves that employees who worked for 70 hours a week were as productive as those who worked for 56 hours.
10. Catch those z’s in moderation
Showing up well rested at your workplace is a first step to boosting your productivity but this doesn’t mean that you should sleep for twelve hours either. The research published by Finnish Institute of Occupational Health proves that under sleepers and over sleepers used more sick days than people who slept for seven to eight hours every night. So make sure you stay in that range.
11. The most important 20%
If your work day lasts for eight hours, you should spend exactly ninety minutes working on the hardest and most important tasks that require your full focus and attention. It will help you deliver the high-quality results without increasing your work related stress.
Conclusion
Some of these habits such as limiting the time you spend on your phone or social media might look complicated and impossible at first but you can always start small. As a matter of fact, you can tidy up your work space right now and make an instant change that will brighten up your mood.
Also, don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to apply every single habit from this list right away. And keep in mind that sometimes your productivity depends on the company you work for and you can’t directly influence that.
Sometimes you see huge posters on the road inviting you to attend a Landmark Forum course. What exactly is the Landmark Forum? What do they teach that you cannot learn elsewhere? Who are these people? Is it some sort of a spiritual organization or a cult? Questions like these can flood your mind and literally make you crazy. How do you deal with the problem? The best way to do so is to experience the Landmark Forum. You will get the answers to all your questions once you enroll at this Forum. Coming to the main question, who exactly does this Forum benefit? Who can join the Forum courses?
The answers to both these questions are the same. These courses can benefit everybody, and anybody can join the Landmark Forum courses. Usually you have specific categories of individuals enrolling for the courses.
There is a section of people who do it out of curiosity. They might have heard a lot about these courses from their friends. They have a desire to experience the same. Hence, they enroll into the courses. In fact, such people are the ones who benefit the most. This is because they come with an open mind and without any kind of preconceived notions about the course. Their only exposure to the course might be the discussion they had with their friends or the odd Landmark Forum review they might have read.
You have a section of people who are eager to bring about a change in their lives as well as that of the others. They come with a lot of expectations. Such people can also benefit provided they participate with their heart and mind. They should develop a positive attitude and learn to take the rough with the smooth. This Landmark Forum course can be a tough experience. If you have preconceived notions about these courses, you will not succeed in imbibing the true essence of the course. This course discourages you from having any kind of preconceived notions about anybody.
You can also find people who are disgruntled with their lives and come to this Forum as a last resort to set their lives back in order. It depends on the mindset of the individual. If he comes with an open mind, he can very well succeed in rebuilding his life. However, if he comes with a closed mind, it is better that he takes the full refund the moment it is offered to him.
What do you gather from the above examples? One thing is certain that one should not have any preconceived notion about the course. He should be ready to take on the course as well as life as it comes. To borrow a cricketing terminology, this is what we call as treating every ball on its merit. You may find the odd bouncer or so. It is better to duck and let the ball fly past.
The Landmark Forum teaches you to develop a positive approach to life. If you do that, you develop an open mind and hence become flexible in life. This is the secret of maintaining a healthy relationship.
Sometimes you see huge posters on the road inviting you to attend a Landmark Forum course. What exactly is the Landmark Forum? What do they teach that you cannot learn elsewhere? Who are these people? Is it some sort of a spiritual organization or a cult? Questions like these can flood your mind and literally make you crazy. How do you deal with the problem? The best way to do so is to experience the Landmark Forum. You will get the answers to all your questions once you enroll at this Forum. Coming to the main question, who exactly does this Forum benefit? Who can join the Forum courses?
The answers to both these questions are the same. These courses can benefit everybody, and anybody can join the Landmark Forum courses. Usually you have specific categories of individuals enrolling for the courses.
There is a section of people who do it out of curiosity. They might have heard a lot about these courses from their friends. They have a desire to experience the same. Hence, they enroll into the courses. In fact, such people are the ones who benefit the most. This is because they come with an open mind and without any kind of preconceived notions about the course. Their only exposure to the course might be the discussion they had with their friends or the odd Landmark Forum review they might have read.
You have a section of people who are eager to bring about a change in their lives as well as that of the others. They come with a lot of expectations. Such people can also benefit provided they participate with their heart and mind. They should develop a positive attitude and learn to take the rough with the smooth. This Landmark Forum course can be a tough experience. If you have preconceived notions about these courses, you will not succeed in imbibing the true essence of the course. This course discourages you from having any kind of preconceived notions about anybody.
You can also find people who are disgruntled with their lives and come to this Forum as a last resort to set their lives back in order. It depends on the mindset of the individual. If he comes with an open mind, he can very well succeed in rebuilding his life. However, if he comes with a closed mind, it is better that he takes the full refund the moment it is offered to him.
What do you gather from the above examples? One thing is certain that one should not have any preconceived notion about the course. He should be ready to take on the course as well as life as it comes. To borrow a cricketing terminology, this is what we call as treating every ball on its merit. You may find the odd bouncer or so. It is better to duck and let the ball fly past.
The Landmark Forum teaches you to develop a positive approach to life. If you do that, you develop an open mind and hence become flexible in life. This is the secret of maintaining a healthy relationship.
Sometimes you encounter situations that make you question your luck. You could be the desperate single lady, or the sterile man with no kids, or the college graduate with a shitty job and less pay. You could have an ill mannered housemate or a wife who isn’t fully committed to your marriage.
At that point, you begin to desire and wish you had someone else’s life. But do you know that your situation is not entirely a coincidence, things can be made to happen and it’s not always by chance.
Many people live by a rather phlegmatic code; instead of taking life by the horn and creating what they want, they would rather wallow and accept whatever toxic situation comes along. Many of these people believe the saying that goes in the line of;
“What’s done is done” or “if it happened to me then it was meant to be” or “everything happens for a reason” or more luckily “if it works out then it was meant to be”.
But this is one line of thinking that can make you really comfortable in failure.
The problem
This is an adopted character and it is not coming from your true personality; it is not your authentic expression. It is you giving up without even trying. These thoughts are generated and nurtured by two kinds of fears
(a) Either by a fear of rejection or failure
(b) By a subtle fear of having what you truly want and desire. A cold feeling of unworthiness.
Allow me to dwell on the latter for the rest of this article.
This fear also comes with an unconscious belief that you are not good enough to have the things you want, that some things are not meant for you.
This belief is usually created in your earliest years as a consolation mechanism in your subconscious to protect you from heartaches of disappointment. It is a protective mechanism, a kind of self defense strategy. This system is lying quietly in your subconscious and it is shaping your behaviors and actions
The problem now is that it will continue controlling your behaviors and thoughts. It will lead you to accepting unfulfilling situations and toxic relationships. It will leave you asking questions like “how did I get here” or “why is this happening to me”
How this consolation mechanism works
Picture an individual, let’s call him John. John is coming toward success in his career path. But if he subconsciously feels unworthy of such an opportunity, he will start to avoid and sabotage him progress with his own actions.
He will begin to create a barrage of meaningless internalized rationalizations and create excuses as to why that positive life enhancing opportunity isn’t going to work out for him. Instead of grabbing the opportunity, he’ll refer the job to others who he feels are better than himself.
He is scared of succeeding but he doesn’t know it. This, unfortunately causes John to mindlessly opt for negative choices in life. He will make bad relationship and career choices along the way. This will lead to a reduction in his self-esteem and confidence and over time. The overall final effect is depression.
So what is the solution, how do you break yourself loose from this? How can you stop your fear from making these important decisions being made unconsciously on your behalf? How can you remove negative unconscious behaviors? The solution is to challenge the negativity, not to replace it, but to remove it along with all mental trigger systems in which this belief is hooked into.
The common dogmatic idea is to “believe” that your past failures have merged with your being and are inseparable from your personality. Some believe that if something happens to you over time, it fundamentally represents who you are. Examples;
(a) Mary has stage fright and she froze every time she was asked to speak in public. The common idea is that she has got low self-confidence and thus she is not a natural leader.
(b) Andriy apologizes first even when he is clearly not at fault. The common belief is that he has got low self-worth and thus will be a push over, forever.
But this is not true. Both of them are not defined by the implications of their flaws. However they are experiencing a fear of expressing their real self.
This fear will continue to sink deep within the person and lie like a trap. It can be triggered by external forces like daily social events that reanimate past situations. This dynamic will make them vulnerable and push them into making poor life choices.
Because of this, the individual’s choices are focused on escape routes and efforts to avoid such triggers. Hence this activates the fear of that states “I am not worthy of having what I truly want and desire”
As a result, this poses a serious challenge to the individuals character growth. It provides an artificial blockade to the individual’s personal expression and in turn influencing the course of their lives. A lot of victims attempt boycott these inner negative feelings by turning to mind numbing sedatives such as narcotics or alcohol.
Even though some people perceive those as a temporary solution that allows them to endure otherwise untenable situations. I hold that the sedative approach only serves to enslave them to a life of addiction. This gives further evidence that such an individual has been enslaved, and has accepted to live in an unfavorable situation.
What to do about it
Lets look at it this way, much like working with an old computer software that has got limited a purpose; it only makes sense to scrap it and get updated with a newer and more efficient version. The past has got to go, its time to begin afresh with an entirely new script.
In this case we are referring to the human hard drive which is your mind, and it needs new information about your strengths. It will deal with the memories of the so-called evil past and allow for an entirely new and more positive and expansive script to run you.
As a result you will believe more in yourself and make positive life changing decisions. Your choices will no longer be influenced by fear because you now know what you’re capable of. You will choose and create from free will; not from the fear of rejection or loss.
In order to do this one must first bring into question the limiting belief that “the past will control the future”. How is this possible? Your future is not affected by your past unless you let it. Whether under or beyond your power, every situation in life is result of a decision or a series of decisions. All you must now do it to influence what you can change and relentlessly chase what is within your reach.
You need to understand that your life is like a book and the next page has not been written. The more interesting fact is that you alone have the power to write the next line. In the field of logic and arithmetic, statisticians write complex formulas that help them guess the probable outcomes of future events; they do this by merely studying previous patterns. But your life is not a figure or a statistic, our human nature is too random and spontaneous and this allows us to be anything or anyone we want. In fact we are only confined to patterns if we truly want to.
You are not cursed, and most people don’t care about your past failures. They probably have a couple of things to be ashamed of too. What matters more to anyone is what you do now, right from this moment on.
Adoga Godwin loves to motivate others and help them become better. He writes at http://ift.tt/2vo7HFn
Sometimes you encounter situations that make you question your luck. You could be the desperate single lady, or the sterile man with no kids, or the college graduate with a shitty job and less pay. You could have an ill mannered housemate or a wife who isn’t fully committed to your marriage.
At that point, you begin to desire and wish you had someone else’s life. But do you know that your situation is not entirely a coincidence, things can be made to happen and it’s not always by chance.
Many people live by a rather phlegmatic code; instead of taking life by the horn and creating what they want, they would rather wallow and accept whatever toxic situation comes along. Many of these people believe the saying that goes in the line of;
“What’s done is done” or “if it happened to me then it was meant to be” or “everything happens for a reason” or more luckily “if it works out then it was meant to be”.
But this is one line of thinking that can make you really comfortable in failure.
The problem
This is an adopted character and it is not coming from your true personality; it is not your authentic expression. It is you giving up without even trying. These thoughts are generated and nurtured by two kinds of fears
(a) Either by a fear of rejection or failure
(b) By a subtle fear of having what you truly want and desire. A cold feeling of unworthiness.
Allow me to dwell on the latter for the rest of this article.
This fear also comes with an unconscious belief that you are not good enough to have the things you want, that some things are not meant for you.
This belief is usually created in your earliest years as a consolation mechanism in your subconscious to protect you from heartaches of disappointment. It is a protective mechanism, a kind of self defense strategy. This system is lying quietly in your subconscious and it is shaping your behaviors and actions
The problem now is that it will continue controlling your behaviors and thoughts. It will lead you to accepting unfulfilling situations and toxic relationships. It will leave you asking questions like “how did I get here” or “why is this happening to me”
How this consolation mechanism works
Picture an individual, let’s call him John. John is coming toward success in his career path. But if he subconsciously feels unworthy of such an opportunity, he will start to avoid and sabotage him progress with his own actions.
He will begin to create a barrage of meaningless internalized rationalizations and create excuses as to why that positive life enhancing opportunity isn’t going to work out for him. Instead of grabbing the opportunity, he’ll refer the job to others who he feels are better than himself.
He is scared of succeeding but he doesn’t know it. This, unfortunately causes John to mindlessly opt for negative choices in life. He will make bad relationship and career choices along the way. This will lead to a reduction in his self-esteem and confidence and over time. The overall final effect is depression.
So what is the solution, how do you break yourself loose from this? How can you stop your fear from making these important decisions being made unconsciously on your behalf? How can you remove negative unconscious behaviors? The solution is to challenge the negativity, not to replace it, but to remove it along with all mental trigger systems in which this belief is hooked into.
The common dogmatic idea is to “believe” that your past failures have merged with your being and are inseparable from your personality. Some believe that if something happens to you over time, it fundamentally represents who you are. Examples;
(a) Mary has stage fright and she froze every time she was asked to speak in public. The common idea is that she has got low self-confidence and thus she is not a natural leader.
(b) Andriy apologizes first even when he is clearly not at fault. The common belief is that he has got low self-worth and thus will be a push over, forever.
But this is not true. Both of them are not defined by the implications of their flaws. However they are experiencing a fear of expressing their real self.
This fear will continue to sink deep within the person and lie like a trap. It can be triggered by external forces like daily social events that reanimate past situations. This dynamic will make them vulnerable and push them into making poor life choices.
Because of this, the individual’s choices are focused on escape routes and efforts to avoid such triggers. Hence this activates the fear of that states “I am not worthy of having what I truly want and desire”
As a result, this poses a serious challenge to the individuals character growth. It provides an artificial blockade to the individual’s personal expression and in turn influencing the course of their lives. A lot of victims attempt boycott these inner negative feelings by turning to mind numbing sedatives such as narcotics or alcohol.
Even though some people perceive those as a temporary solution that allows them to endure otherwise untenable situations. I hold that the sedative approach only serves to enslave them to a life of addiction. This gives further evidence that such an individual has been enslaved, and has accepted to live in an unfavorable situation.
What to do about it
Lets look at it this way, much like working with an old computer software that has got limited a purpose; it only makes sense to scrap it and get updated with a newer and more efficient version. The past has got to go, its time to begin afresh with an entirely new script.
In this case we are referring to the human hard drive which is your mind, and it needs new information about your strengths. It will deal with the memories of the so-called evil past and allow for an entirely new and more positive and expansive script to run you.
As a result you will believe more in yourself and make positive life changing decisions. Your choices will no longer be influenced by fear because you now know what you’re capable of. You will choose and create from free will; not from the fear of rejection or loss.
In order to do this one must first bring into question the limiting belief that “the past will control the future”. How is this possible? Your future is not affected by your past unless you let it. Whether under or beyond your power, every situation in life is result of a decision or a series of decisions. All you must now do it to influence what you can change and relentlessly chase what is within your reach.
You need to understand that your life is like a book and the next page has not been written. The more interesting fact is that you alone have the power to write the next line. In the field of logic and arithmetic, statisticians write complex formulas that help them guess the probable outcomes of future events; they do this by merely studying previous patterns. But your life is not a figure or a statistic, our human nature is too random and spontaneous and this allows us to be anything or anyone we want. In fact we are only confined to patterns if we truly want to.
You are not cursed, and most people don’t care about your past failures. They probably have a couple of things to be ashamed of too. What matters more to anyone is what you do now, right from this moment on.
Adoga Godwin loves to motivate others and help them become better. He writes at http://ift.tt/2vo7HFn
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re often being pulled by something – either a feeling of general anxiety, flashes from the past, or hopes for the future.
Most of us have become so used to this state of being, that we’ve forgotten what it’s like to live without this underlying sense of worry.
Floating in a pool of magnesium-saturated water, inside a large car-sized tank, untethered from the world – sounds, sights, subdued – could be one of your pathways to peace.
“The irony of sensory deprivation tanks is that in order to think outside the box, you must first go inside one.” ― Ryan Lilly
Most of us don’t manage our stress well
Reading a spiritual book can help us see new sides to life. Meditation can help us achieve a state of presence. But the benefits of these experiences are subtle; compounding over a longer period.
The commonly idolised quick-fix doesn’t seem to exist when it comes to having peace of mind. And the truth is, it doesn’t. It takes patience, a growth mindset, and self-awareness to better our internal states.
But after experiencing floatation, I can safely say that it might be one of the most compelling modern day tools to shift our perspectives for the better, helping us see our problems and blind spots in a new light.
The modern world has too much noise
The modern world is full of distractions, and with that comes a never ending bombardment of hyper-stimulation. All of this internal and external noise, compounded by the endless list of tasks we have on our minds, can often take up a significant chunk of our lives. If we don’t manage this noise, we can slowly get swept away by it.
There are endless examples of people who’ve had wealth and fame, and yet are still desperately unhappy. In essence, we can’t enjoy the ride of life, and achieve what we want, if we’re constantly at the mercy of our emotions and inner struggles. That’s where floatation can help. It allows us to see ourselves, and the world, with a little more objectivity; enabling us to experience peace of mind and a greater sense of clarity.
My first glimpse into floatation
Once I was finally in the tank for the first time, I found myself moving around a little more than I would’ve liked. I tried my best to relax my breathing, but I was almost trying too hard – and I got a glimpse into just how chaotic my inner world was.
Yet slowly, I adjusted.
My thoughts slowed down, as I let go a little more. Looking back at that first float now, though, I feel as if I didn’t completely relax. Regardless, my experience after leaving the tank was remarkable. The world seemed 5% brighter, and my body was a little lighter and freer.
A lot of the things that were stilted inside me had unravelled.
I smiled a bit more and began to realise just how much internal baggage I was holding onto. In that respect, my first float was incredibly liberating.
Why it may take more than once to experience the benefit
On my second visit, I was quickly able to let go more effectively, and went into a deeper state of relaxation and peace – partly, also, because I was more comfortable with my surroundings. Messages from my intuition floated in and out of my mind, and I stepped out of the tank with an almost Morpheus like sense-of-knowing.
Imagine how beautifully empowering that felt.
Because of the greater benefit I experienced from the second session; it’s fair to say that floating is just like anything else – you get better at it the more you practice it.
Why I still float
Floating allows you to access another part of your consciousness – one that’s only available during certain conditions. However esoteric that might sound, how often do we take the time to be present with ourselves?
The truth is, not often.
To this day, I continue to float, and I keep learning more about myself each time I go…
If you work on a PC and you’re interested in learning how to improve the way you live your week, read my free book on Spiritual Productivity.
You’ll learn about how to split up your day into four chunks, so you worry less about external influences.
You’ll learn about the ‘Playful Time’ technique and other small hacks that will take your productive work on the PC to the next level.
And much more…
Samy Felice is a writer who brings meaning to words. His Free Book explores how to make success easier.
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re often being pulled by something – either a feeling of general anxiety, flashes from the past, or hopes for the future.
Most of us have become so used to this state of being, that we’ve forgotten what it’s like to live without this underlying sense of worry.
Floating in a pool of magnesium-saturated water, inside a large car-sized tank, untethered from the world – sounds, sights, subdued – could be one of your pathways to peace.
“The irony of sensory deprivation tanks is that in order to think outside the box, you must first go inside one.” ― Ryan Lilly
Most of us don’t manage our stress well
Reading a spiritual book can help us see new sides to life. Meditation can help us achieve a state of presence. But the benefits of these experiences are subtle; compounding over a longer period.
The commonly idolised quick-fix doesn’t seem to exist when it comes to having peace of mind. And the truth is, it doesn’t. It takes patience, a growth mindset, and self-awareness to better our internal states.
But after experiencing floatation, I can safely say that it might be one of the most compelling modern day tools to shift our perspectives for the better, helping us see our problems and blind spots in a new light.
The modern world has too much noise
The modern world is full of distractions, and with that comes a never ending bombardment of hyper-stimulation. All of this internal and external noise, compounded by the endless list of tasks we have on our minds, can often take up a significant chunk of our lives. If we don’t manage this noise, we can slowly get swept away by it.
There are endless examples of people who’ve had wealth and fame, and yet are still desperately unhappy. In essence, we can’t enjoy the ride of life, and achieve what we want, if we’re constantly at the mercy of our emotions and inner struggles. That’s where floatation can help. It allows us to see ourselves, and the world, with a little more objectivity; enabling us to experience peace of mind and a greater sense of clarity.
My first glimpse into floatation
Once I was finally in the tank for the first time, I found myself moving around a little more than I would’ve liked. I tried my best to relax my breathing, but I was almost trying too hard – and I got a glimpse into just how chaotic my inner world was.
Yet slowly, I adjusted.
My thoughts slowed down, as I let go a little more. Looking back at that first float now, though, I feel as if I didn’t completely relax. Regardless, my experience after leaving the tank was remarkable. The world seemed 5% brighter, and my body was a little lighter and freer.
A lot of the things that were stilted inside me had unravelled.
I smiled a bit more and began to realise just how much internal baggage I was holding onto. In that respect, my first float was incredibly liberating.
Why it may take more than once to experience the benefit
On my second visit, I was quickly able to let go more effectively, and went into a deeper state of relaxation and peace – partly, also, because I was more comfortable with my surroundings. Messages from my intuition floated in and out of my mind, and I stepped out of the tank with an almost Morpheus like sense-of-knowing.
Imagine how beautifully empowering that felt.
Because of the greater benefit I experienced from the second session; it’s fair to say that floating is just like anything else – you get better at it the more you practice it.
Why I still float
Floating allows you to access another part of your consciousness – one that’s only available during certain conditions. However esoteric that might sound, how often do we take the time to be present with ourselves?
The truth is, not often.
To this day, I continue to float, and I keep learning more about myself each time I go…
If you work on a PC and you’re interested in learning how to improve the way you live your week, read my free book on Spiritual Productivity.
You’ll learn about how to split up your day into four chunks, so you worry less about external influences.
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Samy Felice is a writer who brings meaning to words. His Free Book explores how to make success easier.
Hope is a powerful thing; without it, we are lost.
Have you ever felt yourself wanting to give up? Maybe you’re feeling like you can’t get ahead or improve your relationships. Maybe you’ve been trying to lose weight for years and are ready to throw in the towel.
This is the perfect time to remind yourself that your fight isn’t over.
Here’s the thing about hope: It’s always available. Regardless of where you’ve been or where you want to go, it’s possible to regain a feeling of hope.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re trying to shake the feeling of hopelessness.
You haven’t tried everything.
This is a hard pill to swallow for some who have spent a lot of time and energy on their goals. You may have tried a lot, but you haven’t tried everything. Admitting this is the first step to shedding hopelessness. Where there are options, there is hope.
Try spending some quiet time thinking about your problem. Think of it from an outsider’s perspective to try to come up with creative solutions. If your problem is weight loss, maybe you try a drastically different diet plan that you ever have before. Do some research to support your new plan. Find studies or success stories that prove that it works for some people, and you’ll be more likely to believe it can work for you.
Plant a seed of doubt.
You may have landed in this hopeless place because of doubt. Maybe someone else doubted your abilities or maybe you doubt your own. Doubt can be nearly as powerful as hope, so you can use one to cancel out the other.
Plant the seed of doubt about whether you’re truly in a hopeless situation. Is there really nothing you can do?
The more you doubt your hopelessness, the easier it will be to find a way out.
Focus on what you have.
If you’re feeling hopeless about one area of your life, focus on another.
Hope breeds more hope in the way that despair breeds more despair. Focus on things that make you feel hopeful about the future, and you may be able to squeeze out those feelings of hopelessness before they seep into other areas of your life.
Take a leap.
If you can’t find hope no matter how hard you try, just jump in anyway.
Do something different, whether you believe it will help or not. Ask friends for suggestions or do something that has worked for someone else. It’s better if you believe, but doing something is still more productive than doing nothing. Whatever you try may work or it may not. Just keep trying until you find something that works.
Shift your focus.
Sometimes, we trick ourselves into thinking things are more important than they are. For example, when a relationship ends, you may have trouble learning to live without the other person. This isn’t because you can’t live without them. It’s because you’ve focused so hard on the difficulties of living without them that you cannot see anything else.
Try convincing yourself that the thing you’re feeling hopeless about, whether it’s a relationship or a job, doesn’t matter anymore. It’s trivial in the grand scheme of things. Feeling hopeless about this job or relationship would be like giving up on eating for the rest of your life because you dropped a plate of food.
This may not work for every problem, but you’ll be surprised at how many problems a shift in focus can solve.
Live in the moment.
The practice of meditation tasks people with focusing on the present and letting go of the past and future. You don’t have to meditate, although you certainly can, but you should focus on your life right now.
Look at your surroundings and allow yourself to experience all that is happening in the moment. Where are your problems?
Unless you’re dealing with a health issue, your problems are likely in your head. This doesn’t mean they are imagined. It simply means that your thoughts are controlling your feelings.
This is a problem we all have, and it takes practice to correct.
Try consciously thinking about the present moment and all that is happening here. Do this whenever you begin feeling hopeless.
Ask for help.
When we get lost in our thoughts, it’s difficult to see any other way. Ask someone else what they would do in your situation.
People generally feel good about helping others, so whoever you ask is likely to give you a thoughtful answer. Think of it as a second opinion on the issue that’s making you feel down.
With fresh, new ideas on how to address your issue, you should begin to feel a glimmer of hope. The ideas may or may not work, but the important thing to remember is that there’s always another way.
If this way doesn’t work, ask someone else. Find another way.
We all feel hopeless from time to time, so it’s nothing to be ashamed about. However, if you’re feeling like hopelessness is overcoming your life, it’s time to get help. Talk to a counselor about how to overcome severe feelings of despair and hopelessness.
Trevor is a recovering addict & alcoholic whose been clean and sober for over 5 years. He currently works as a content writer for Coastal Detox. Since his recovery began he has enjoyed using his talent for words to help spread treatment resources and addiction awareness. In his free time, you can find him working with recovering addicts or outside enjoying about any type of fitness activity imaginable.
Hope is a powerful thing; without it, we are lost.
Have you ever felt yourself wanting to give up? Maybe you’re feeling like you can’t get ahead or improve your relationships. Maybe you’ve been trying to lose weight for years and are ready to throw in the towel.
This is the perfect time to remind yourself that your fight isn’t over.
Here’s the thing about hope: It’s always available. Regardless of where you’ve been or where you want to go, it’s possible to regain a feeling of hope.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re trying to shake the feeling of hopelessness.
You haven’t tried everything.
This is a hard pill to swallow for some who have spent a lot of time and energy on their goals. You may have tried a lot, but you haven’t tried everything. Admitting this is the first step to shedding hopelessness. Where there are options, there is hope.
Try spending some quiet time thinking about your problem. Think of it from an outsider’s perspective to try to come up with creative solutions. If your problem is weight loss, maybe you try a drastically different diet plan that you ever have before. Do some research to support your new plan. Find studies or success stories that prove that it works for some people, and you’ll be more likely to believe it can work for you.
Plant a seed of doubt.
You may have landed in this hopeless place because of doubt. Maybe someone else doubted your abilities or maybe you doubt your own. Doubt can be nearly as powerful as hope, so you can use one to cancel out the other.
Plant the seed of doubt about whether you’re truly in a hopeless situation. Is there really nothing you can do?
The more you doubt your hopelessness, the easier it will be to find a way out.
Focus on what you have.
If you’re feeling hopeless about one area of your life, focus on another.
Hope breeds more hope in the way that despair breeds more despair. Focus on things that make you feel hopeful about the future, and you may be able to squeeze out those feelings of hopelessness before they seep into other areas of your life.
Take a leap.
If you can’t find hope no matter how hard you try, just jump in anyway.
Do something different, whether you believe it will help or not. Ask friends for suggestions or do something that has worked for someone else. It’s better if you believe, but doing something is still more productive than doing nothing. Whatever you try may work or it may not. Just keep trying until you find something that works.
Shift your focus.
Sometimes, we trick ourselves into thinking things are more important than they are. For example, when a relationship ends, you may have trouble learning to live without the other person. This isn’t because you can’t live without them. It’s because you’ve focused so hard on the difficulties of living without them that you cannot see anything else.
Try convincing yourself that the thing you’re feeling hopeless about, whether it’s a relationship or a job, doesn’t matter anymore. It’s trivial in the grand scheme of things. Feeling hopeless about this job or relationship would be like giving up on eating for the rest of your life because you dropped a plate of food.
This may not work for every problem, but you’ll be surprised at how many problems a shift in focus can solve.
Live in the moment.
The practice of meditation tasks people with focusing on the present and letting go of the past and future. You don’t have to meditate, although you certainly can, but you should focus on your life right now.
Look at your surroundings and allow yourself to experience all that is happening in the moment. Where are your problems?
Unless you’re dealing with a health issue, your problems are likely in your head. This doesn’t mean they are imagined. It simply means that your thoughts are controlling your feelings.
This is a problem we all have, and it takes practice to correct.
Try consciously thinking about the present moment and all that is happening here. Do this whenever you begin feeling hopeless.
Ask for help.
When we get lost in our thoughts, it’s difficult to see any other way. Ask someone else what they would do in your situation.
People generally feel good about helping others, so whoever you ask is likely to give you a thoughtful answer. Think of it as a second opinion on the issue that’s making you feel down.
With fresh, new ideas on how to address your issue, you should begin to feel a glimmer of hope. The ideas may or may not work, but the important thing to remember is that there’s always another way.
If this way doesn’t work, ask someone else. Find another way.
We all feel hopeless from time to time, so it’s nothing to be ashamed about. However, if you’re feeling like hopelessness is overcoming your life, it’s time to get help. Talk to a counselor about how to overcome severe feelings of despair and hopelessness.
Trevor is a recovering addict & alcoholic whose been clean and sober for over 5 years. He currently works as a content writer for Coastal Detox. Since his recovery began he has enjoyed using his talent for words to help spread treatment resources and addiction awareness. In his free time, you can find him working with recovering addicts or outside enjoying about any type of fitness activity imaginable.
Sig Nordal 