< Previous:For instance, “I want to lose weight”…How much? When? How? Be careful of the instructions you give your unconscious mind…it is your friend, and a good friend will help you find something you lost; and it may just work hard to put that ‘lost’ weight back on! So you may want to rephrase that to “I would like to become slim, fit and healthy”. So if the thoughts you think and the words you constantly say to yourself about yourself are negative ones, you know the ones like… hen it comes to your health and weight loss your mind is there to serve you, but be aware it needs clear orders to follow. • I can never lose weight • I’m always fat • I always fail • This is too hard • I have not control • I’m miserable • It’s a constant struggle • I hate my body/bum/arms/tummy… 7You subconscious and unconscious mind are obeying the orders you are communicating via your thoughts. I mentioned earlier that your subconscious mind is your friend, it supports, obeys you and obediently delivers the feelings, emotions, and memories that you have associated with this type of thinking – negative thinking. …what most occupies your mind tends to turn into behaviour and reality. So if you stay in this stuck rut of negativity and don’t take the steps to change, these feelings do become your behaviour and yes your reality. Perhaps this is your reality right now? If this is the case please don’t despair… When you are truly ready to change it can happen quickly and easily. Though you may not realise it right now, inside that wonderful head of yours, you have all the resources you need to bring about change and success. I need to add the disclaimer here, it’s up to you to bring about the change and success you want – no one else can do it for you. Others can help and support you, but they can’t do it for you. How exciting is it though when you realise and accept everyone has the potential to develop and grow. In the words of Tony Robbins “Everything I need is within me now” which means: you can do anything you set your mind to! hen you are going to stay stuck in what I call the stuck rut.I havelivedwithseveralZenmasters - all ofthemcats.- Eckhart TolleWHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK?By David Elsey We all want to feel like we are achieving something greater – both in ourselves and for the good of others. We set goals, hoping that every target we achieve will bring us one step closer to a happier and more inspired version of ‘’ourselves.’ We often tell ourselves that in order to achieve our goals we must be focused, be present, honest and courageous, to live everyday with passion and conviction, andstand by our core values. From there stems our desire for common goals such as money, love, weight loss etc. t's human nature to create meaning and purpose in our lives. IACHIEVING YOUR GOALS...Swhy do we struggle to reach the goals we set?Are we setting the bar too high or are we justa victim to mental blocks that hold us back? The harsh realty is that we are all casualties to self-doubt and play an integral role in ourown failures. The question is how do we go about changing our relationship with goalsand improving the chances of achieving them? Practical advice for goal setting in any areas of life, be it in career, business, relationships or ourselves, is to write them down! o, with all of those aspirationsfloating around in our consciousness everyday, Preferably in a place where you can refer to them daily. Your goal ‘charter’ written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, butcher’s paper on your study wall or creative journaling in your ‘vision’ book are great ways. We need constant reminding of our goals because as humans we are so easily distracted and need constant reiteration, especially if they sit outside of our usual habits. Ensure everything you do is related in some way to them. Neale Donald Walsch, author of ‘Conversations with God’ said, “There is no purpose to life except what we create” and“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. So, create a paradigm around your goals and watch as chore turns to habit. Many of us get complacent with our wellness and clarity. However this is paramount to achieving goals. If you party all weekend and finally come up for air on Tuesday… there are 3 days out of 7 you have not been focusing on your goals. Then, you are likely to spend the next 2 days lamenting, creating self-doubt and procrastination about your lost days. Suddenly, there are 5 days of non-focus and usually non-action toward your goals gone, and it is nearly the weekend again. One-step forward two steps back. It’s important to note that while fun and adventure are a crucial part of self-care, like everything else, moderation is a good thing. Next step: embody your goals. Our minds are tricky. Sometimes, when we declare our goals publicly, our minds think we have already unconsciously achieved the results, which causes a vacuum of motivation and leads to non-action. So, how do we change this? A common method I suggest is to set weekly tasks and write them down. Always keep your ‘eyes set’ on the next thing. Have a look at the big picture every now and then, but set achievable stage goals. If we focus on the big picture too much, it can become overwhelming and de-motivating. Earlier, I mentioned values. Living to our values ensures a healthy self-esteem. A healthy self-esteem makes goal achieving much easier. Let’s say you have a goal of climbing Mount Everest: what values would you have to nurture and practice in order to achieve this goal? You commit to the values of fitness, courage, patience, teamwork, planning and strength. These values will go a long way to achieving your aim. Be clear on the values required to get what you want. It is important to note that when we do not align with our declared values (to ourselves), our self-esteem drops also, makingit harder to achieve the outcomes we want. According to many developmental theorists, events during childhood create unconscious beliefs about ourselves. A critical father may create a belief of ‘I’m not good enough’. Or we may even take on our parent’s beliefs. We then look for evidence to support these core beliefs, often subconsciously. When we are not attaining our goals, we fall victim to these limiting beliefs; here are a few more examples: ‘I’m not worthy’, ‘I’m not safe’, ‘I don’t trust’, ‘I need to control’, and so on. We usually all have hundreds. And, most importantly, we are not alone in this. It’s highly recommended to get coaching or counseling around these limiting beliefs in order to free yourself.Without shifting these beliefs we may keep playing out these patterns again and again, so get outside help. It is our thoughts and feelings that inhibit our goals, not our ability. So, next time you approach a new or existing goal, focus on the steps, and remind yourself of why you are doing this. When you find the passion behind the goal, you’ll find the willpower to do what it takes to achieve it. Our limiting core beliefs go a long way to determining what we can achieve, often holding us back from reaching our goals, despite all our good intentions. FIND YOUR CALMBy Erin Martin nxiety affects so many people nowadays.It can be crippling to deal with in everyday life and it’s great that we have lots of alternative ways to manage this, from meditation, crystal therapy, EFT tapping, mindfulness and many more. For me, mindfulness was the key to overcoming the anxiety which had been a weight around my neck for over 10 years. I was determined not to take any prescriptionmedication. I wanted to deal with this in more natural way for my body and to get to the base anxiety trigger without going down the prescription medication road. 5 WAYS TO AIAnxiety is activated by mentally living either too much in the past, or too much in the future.Living in the “now” is where the power lies to conquer the anxiety pattern.Some people can be dragged into an anxiety thought train without really seeing it for what it is, so its power can be taken away by understanding where it comes from. By applying the following tips, you will begin to shift your energy into a different state. You will emanate a more harmonious vibration and your life will begin to change. am a firm believer in that we have the power to heal ourselves, we just have to find the right tools for us and be prepared to do the inner work. Next >