In the martial arts students are taught how to endure pain. The masters know that there will be pain which comes with the use of the art. If not in life it will happen in practice. Martial Artists know that victory is on the other side of the pain.

In life we all experience pain. It is not the pain that sets us back, it is the way we deal with it.The hardest form to deal with is probably emotional pain. Yes, we all must experience pain but we do not have to experience suffering.

Having the attitude that the pain is a part of life, not allowing it to stop us from living and making the choices that will take us through the pain and on with our lives will keep suffering at bay.

We must remember that life is an experience and pain is just one of the challenges to be overcome and learned from. This is how we see all challenges and obstacles in the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle.

Go into your pain and listen to what it is telling you. Why are you experiencing the pain? What could you have done to prevent it? Learn and the pain becomes an ally on your path to becoming a better human being.

In this way you flow with life. Suffering happens when you resist that flow. There is only well-being in our Universe. All else, any form of dis-ease is the result of our resistance to life’s flow.

With patience and persistence anything is possible in life. We only have to ask and believe we will get for it to be so.Our pain is a symptom of our misunderstanding of life and is a reminder that we are off track.

You say, well there are some pain that we have no control over, such as the death of a loved one or the breakup of a relationship. This is true but we must understand that these things are a part of life and move through that pain to make our lives better.

We have all seen people who have experienced the lost of loved ones. Why is it that some seem unable to function afterward and some act in a way that you would never know they are in pain if you did not know them? It is there attitude and understanding of life that makes the difference.

TODAY’S TIP: The next time you experience pain remember it is a learning experience and move through it with love and compassion.

What is your pain?

One of the hardest things about creating one’s dream life is the need for faith. Faith is belief in something which is not seen , the unknown. Man has an inbred fear of the unknown so this sets up a conflict within self.

Attitude and belief are the factors that decide if one has faith. In this instance we are not talking about the faith of religion. The faith of religion is faith in someone, God or another divine being. It is faith in something outside of self.

The faith we cultivate in the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle is faith in self and life. We try to have faith in our God-like self and the goodness of the Universe. This is not to say that religious faith cannot be used to create a dream life, but this faith is usually limited by the dogma of religion.

If we maintain a positive attitude and believe that life is good it is much easier to manifest our desires. If we believe life is good we get good, if we don’t then we don’t get good. In other words we get what we believe.

When we want something, acting as if we already have it brings it to us faster. This requires some amount of discipline on our part. I have mentioned the tools to cultivate this discipline and strengthen our faith.

These tools are meditation, visualization, affirmations, and self talk. Practicing these daily will result in better focus and has positive ramifications in all areas of life.

Part of the problem is that we are told we must live in the now. This is the only place where we have some control. We can control our actions and reactions and guide our choices. The choices we make in the now determine our future.

Live in the now but make it a habit to project into your future daily. Set aside some time to do this. When you project, run a movie in your mind and see yourself acting as if you already have that which you desire. As you do this, with faith that it will be, the universe will come to your aid.

You can cultivate belief, therefore you can cultivate faith. The mind does not know the difference between that which is real and that which is imagined. If you imagine something long enough it will become real. This is how we create.

Remember everything begins in the mind. Make your mind your friend and use it to manifest your dream life. Whatever the mind can see and believe can become reality.

TODAY’S TIP: Believe in miracles and your life will be filled with miracles. See the miracles in your mind, believe in them and miracles will become a part of your reality.

Is your faith growing?

It is often hard to accomplish things when we feel we are alone. We may use this as an excuse not to attempt things. I spent several years of my life not doing the things I wanted and telling myself that I was waiting to meet someone that I could share them with.

I now realize that I was guilty of trying to find my satisfaction in someone else. I was simply giving in to my fears and using my being alone as an excuse. There is an art to relationships. It is said that love is two becoming one while remaining two.

It is also said that relationships are give and take. I submit that the perfect relationship is about giving. Not 50/50 but 100/100. The joy comes from doing what you can to make the other happy. Many will think that means giving up something, but it does not.

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we know that what you receive by giving is far more than the giving itself. The most successful people are those who give the most.

Having someone who has your best interests at heart makes life so much easier. Marriage is like heaven when it works and like hell when it does not. All relationship can be compared to marriage on some level.

Connecting with people who have the same or similar goals can make the accomplishment of those goals easier. Exercising with another makes it easier for both. They motivate each other and makes the other accountable. It is much harder to disappoint someone else than one’s self. Joining force creates a sense of responsibility.

For this to be it is not necessary that both do the same exercises only to work out at the same time or the same place. Of course if you are doing the same exercises it makes it all that much better. This principle can be used to work on any area of one’s life. By joining force with someone who has the same desires and goals make life easier for both.

The concept of combining force with someone to exercise with is the same as combining force with a spouse or loved one. All relationships must contain certain basic ingredients. Honesty is the most important. Openness is another, to the degree of what is being worked on.

The truth is that you are never really alone. The greatest relationship has to be with oneself. Once you have achieved balance with yourself all other relationships are easy. If you are at peace with yourself you do not need someone else to motivate you or make you accountable, you just are.

With that accountability within self it becomes second nature to achieve success in the way that is for you. It is at this point that you become the motivator of others and are able to be of service.

TODAY’S TIP: Take an honest look at your relationships. Determine which ones are true and based on love and respect. Also determine which are for dependency or some other reason that feeds your weaknesses.

How is your relationship with self?

Are you familiar with the book, “Zen and the Art of Archery?” For those who are not it is about a technique to improve the skills of archers in ancient Japan.

The targets were suspended and swung from side to side. The archer would stand the required distance from the target, but instead of shooting arrows at the target would visualize the process of shooting the arrows. He would see himself notch his arrow, draw his bow and release his arrow. In his mind he would see the arrow hit the target, dead center.

When I started to study archery this book was recommended to me. I was already familiar with visualization so knew it would work.

Some years ago this concept was taken to another level. A group of professional basketball players were divided into two groups. One group went to the gym every day and practiced the skills of the game. The other group did not set foot in a gym, they spent the same amount of time but practiced only in their minds.

At the end of the experiment both groups came together to see how each group had improved. To the surprise of all, the group that practiced only in their minds out performed the group that went to the gym everyday.

What does this mean? Well, it goes to show the awesome power of the mind. The mind cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. The mind can be a powerful tool in manifesting our desires and for improving the skills we use daily.

We visualize all the time. For the untrained mind most of the visualizations are what we call daydreaming. If we train our mind so that we direct the visualizations, we can improve the quality of our lives and bring more joy and peace.

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we recognize this and know that visualization can be used to improve our sports skills, improve our health, bring us more money or improve any other area of life.

In order to use visualization to your best advantage you must become disciplined. The best way to do this is to practice meditation regularly. Meditation is of course not necessary to daydream but together, Meditation and visualization is one of the most powerful tools available to us to improve our lives.

Use the screen of your mind to project healthy, happy movies that will transform your reality into the life of your dreams.

TODAY’S TIP: If you want to improve a skill use visualization. Practice daily. You may surprise yourself.

Can you see it now?

Have you noticed that you have an ongoing dialogue in your mind? This is self talk. What you say to yourself determines who you are. What are you telling yourself?

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we recognize that this dialogue is manifesting our future. For many this dialogue is negative. They tell themselves that they want a new car, but cannot afford one. People may go to a job interview and their mind is telling them that they are not qualified or other reasons why they will not get the job.

What you tell yourself will come true. So, if you tell yourself you cannot afford a new house. It will be so. If you tell yourself that you are going to have a new house, with belief, your universe will help you get it.

The best example of the power of self talk is Mohamed Ali. When he was 11 or 12 years old he used to stand in front of the mirror and tell himself how great he was and how his life was going to be when he grew up. He didn’t know anything about self talk but everything he told himself came true.

That is the power of self talk and it works without fail whether we realize it or not. With the awareness of its power we can use it for our good. We can make positive self talk a habit. We can make a habit of telling ourselves how great we are and placing emphasis on our strengths. We can also use self talk to work on strengthening our weaknesses.

Start when you first get out of bed. Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself good things about you. Continue this all day and go to bed telling yourself how successful and happy you are.

Remember that the mind can not tell what is real and what is not. It will believe anything you tell it. You only have to keep telling yourself and in time you will believe it. In this way we can persuade ourselves to believe that which we want to believe.

Set your intention to engage only in positive self talk. Once that intention is firmly in place you can then start to cultivate the habit of positive self talk.

At first you will have to think about it and every time you do think of it tell yourself something good. Tell yourself how successful you are and how good you feel. If you consciously do this for a while it will become habit and you no longer have to think about it. Repetition becomes habit.

Use the big four daily and your life cannot help but improve. The big four are meditation, visualization, affirmations, and positive self talk.

TODAY’S TIP: Seek ways to improve your life daily. The more you seek the more you will find.

Are you ready for a new life?

We have talked about meditation and visualization. There is one more technique that ranks along side these two. It is affirmations. These three; meditation, visualization, and affirmations, make an unstoppable team in manifesting one’s reality.

This is so important that I am going to use two quotes today.

“As long as you know what it is you desire, then by simply affirming that it is yours — firmly and positively, with no ifs, buts, or maybes — over and over again, from the minute you arise in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night, and as many times during the day as your work or activities permit, you will be drawn to those people, places, and events that will bring your desires to you.” ~Scott Reed ~

I have included the second quote because I think it sums it up. It is the complete explanation of how affirmations work. You can program your mind to believe just about anything. This is why there are cults whose beliefs are so far away from the normal concepts.

To use affirmations successfully you must be sure you are programing something that you really want. Affirmations must be concise and simply worded. Use as few words as possible but be sure that your phrase is inclusive of your idea.

Word your affirmations as if they have already happened. Example; I am, not I will be. The two most powerful words in affirmations are, I am. As I run I repeat; I am healthy, I am wealthy, I am wise.

While you are exercising is a good time to repeat your affirmations. Synchronize the words to your steps or movements. I use one word for one step. Find your rhythm. Speak your sentence on the exhale. It can be out loud or spoken in your mind. You want to make sure the sentence you are using can be spoken in one exhale.

Start your day by looking into your eyes in the mirror and repeating your affirmations. End your day the same way. Then repeat your affirmations through out the day as often as you can.

There is a train of thought that believes that you must repeat your affirmation at least 36,000 times for it to become effective. So you can see that the more often you repeat it during the day the sooner you will start seeing results.

Here is a technique to help you get the benefit of your affirmations sooner. Record your affirmations on an endless loop tape, like the ones in some answering machines. Purchase a Pillow speaker and play your affirmations while you sleep. Your mind is most receptive during sleep.

Here is an affirmation to start with, until you have decided on your personal ones:

“Today, I recognize my own strength and power and have the courage to do things I have never done before. I am full of belief, both in myself and my abilities and in the help which surrounds me at every turn. I am courageous, strong and capable and I can do whatever it is I wish to do.”

This affirmation is too long to repeat while exercising but could be recorded and played at night.

TODAY’S TIP: Write out your affirmations on 3 x 5 cards and keep them with you during your day. This will make it easy to read until you have memorized them.

What will you affirm?

Have you heard the expression, “it’s all in your mind?” This usually indicates disbelief of something someone has said. However it is always a true statement. It is all in the mind.

Everything we have ever done or had began in our mind. We see ourselves getting into the car before we actually do it. We see ourselves buying a new house before we actually buy it. First there is the idea then the creation of the idea.

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we recognize this fact and use it to mold and create our life. We do this with the power of visualization. Visualization is seeing the pictures in your mind. This is the first step to manifestation or creating our reality.

There is a saying, “If the mind can see and believe it, it can become reality.” This is how we create the life most will only dream of. Only the minority go beyond the dream to make it reality. This minority has the courage and faith to believe in miracles.

If you have the courage and faith to believe in miracles anything is possible. After all, each day is a miracle. Dare to dream and and set your intent to make those dreams come true. Yes, you can.

The first step is to determine what your dreams are and what you want out of life. Set your goals and desires on paper. Be clear and concise because you may get what you ask for. Ask yourself why you want the things you have written down. Do you want them because you think you should have them? Your parents or friends tell you that you need them? Is it because someone else has them?

None of the reasons mentioned are valid. The only reason should be because it will make your life and the life of those around you easier and more joyous. If that is your motivation you can make your dreams come true and your life will reflect the joy and sense of accomplishment.

If it is for other reasons, you may get what you seek but you will not find fulfillment, only a sense that something is missing. This will cause you to spend your life in endless pursuit of something that you are never quite sure of.

Once you have you goals and desires clear it is then time to start the manifestation process. Write out a script of how you will be, act, talk and feel when you have accomplished your goals. Rehearse your script daily as often as possible.

The next step is to formulate a plan, a step by step plan, as to how you are going to get what you desire. If you are unable to formulate a plan, give up the dream because it is not a dream it is a fantasy. That is the difference between a dream and a fantasy, the plan.

Once you have your plan you only have to follow the steps you have laid out. Once you start in earnest you will find that the Universe comes to your assistance.

TODAY’S TIP: Use visualization in all areas of your life, from health to finances. If you are consistent and follow your internal guidance, it will be.

Can you see it?

That which we call failure is a part of everyone’s life. It is your attitude that determines if failure is a deal breaker or simply an obstacle to overcome. Each day is a new day and the opportunity to begin again.

How do you view failure? How do you deal with it? Those who allow weakness and fear to control them turn in the rest of their life when faced with it. Those with courage start again and again until they achieve success.

We are the creators of our reality. In order to create the reality of our choice it is necessary to be able to see beyond the obstacles and barriers that appear along our path.

The greatest destructive force in life is fear. In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we realize that fear is simply not knowing. We fear that which we do not know.

We are told that we must confront our fears but if we do our fear will win. Confrontation only adds to the conflict. We must work through our fear. We do this by accepting it and understanding it. Once we understand it, it becomes easy to work through it.

Also we must have clear intentions and precise goals. Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times in his attempt to invent the electric light. His intention and goal was strong enough to get him to the 10,001 attempt and success. How strong is your intent?

It is said that we are equipped to handle anything that life throws at us. We can as long as we stay connected to our spirit or source energy. After all life is our blessing and the world our oyster.

Start each day with a fresh attitude and the determination to not let life’s curves throw you for a loop. You are only defeated when you give up. As long as you are working towards your goal it really does not matter if you ever accomplish it.

The joy is in the journey. As long as you are on the path you can experience the joy and if life ends before you get to the goal, it’s alright. You were joyful and life was good. If you stop any place along the way you forfeit the rest of your life.

This is the attitude to start with each day. Failure is only to teach us. Each obstacle and barrier is the opportunity to learn a lesson and become better Human Beings. If there were no obstacles we would remain in a rut, never experiencing the joys of living.

TODAY’S TIP: when ever you feel that you have failed remind yourself that you still have time to start over. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and begin again.

Does your life contain failures or lessons?

Attitude, attitude, attitude, this is our most powerful tool in life. How we think and act is guided by our attitude. We attract what we give out. If we have a positive attitude we attract the positive, if negative we attract the negative.

Our attitude is mostly determined by our belief systems. If we belief that life is good then our attitude will reflect that and our life will be good. If we believe everyone is out to get us our attitude will reflect that and the people around us will cause us all kinds of problems that will seem as if they are out to get us.

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we learn that we control our attitude. We make the choice to believe that we are meant to be happy and enjoy life. Therefore we assume the attitude that our life is filled with joy and fulfillment.

Controlling our attitude so that it remains positive can be a daunting challenge. As we look around us we see so much negativity. The people around us seem to bring their negativity to us and expect us to indulge them. The majority of what we hear in our media is the worse of humanity.

It’s as if we need to cloak ourselves in a suit of armor to protect us from the world around us. That suit of armor is our attitude,combined with the courage to not allow others to sway us from our convictions.

There will be those who will accuse us of being cold and uncaring. We already realize that we are unable to help those who do because they are not at a place where they are willing and ready to help themselves. If we alienate them, perhaps we are better off.

Take a look at your day to day living. Do you wish it could be different? If so, how can it be different? Well it can be any way you want it to be. It is your choice, all you have to do is choose.

Start in the morning when you wake up. Set your intention that the day will be to your liking. Use visualization to see the day as you want it to be. Have the courage and faith to believe that it will be so and it will.

Before going to bed each night look back over your day. Give thanks for your day and pick out things to be grateful for. Relax and let go of all the stresses of the day and go to sleep with a smile on your face and a glow of gratitude in your heart.

This attitude along with making sure to maintain your health and wellness is the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle. The peace and contentment of knowing we are doing our best to be the best human beings we can make our lives truly worth living. We are of the image and likeness of God. We are Gods in miniature. Lets act like it.

TODAY’S TIP: Believe in yourself and if you don’t, keep telling yourself you do until you do. There is greatness in each and every one of us.

Are you ready to be great?

When we finish going to school many consider themselves educated. However our education does not stop at that point. We continue to learn, but what we do with that learning is most important.

After our formal schooling many of us fall into a rut. The rut of everyday living. We start a career or get a job and we stop consciously educating ourselves, or we narrow our outlook so we miss much of life that is around us.

Our purpose here on earth is to learn and grow. We must view the search for knowledge as a lifelong endeavor. In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we realize that we must continue to search and extend ourselves in the quest for knowledge.

We are attempting to become whole human beings and we cannot afford to only pay attention to part of ourselves.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “what you don’t know cannot hurt you.” Well I am here tell you that it is not so. What you don’t know can hurt you. I was reminded of that just today. A friend had surgery last week for prostrate cancer. He told me that he had symptoms long before he went to the doctor. He was too busy and did not have the time to get checked out. This was with people around him telling him he should get a check up.

If he had the knowledge of his body he might not have had to go through surgery. A part of knowledge is being aware of and interpreting the information around us. In my friends case it was what his body was trying to tell him.

The gathering of knowledge in and of itself is not very valuable. You must do something with that knowledge for it to be useful. This brings another point to mind. Many people gather knowledge and just let it sit in their mind. This is something that could be used to better life.

It is said that the highest form of knowledge is knowing one’s self. This is our ultimate quest, to rediscover who we are. This has been hidden from us at birth when the veil is lowered. After that there is always that nagging thought in the back of our mind that we are missing something.

As we gather knowledge we should remember that above all else we seek to peal back the layers of self. To get back to that spiritual entity that lies just beneath the surface of our consciousness. The more we discover ourselves, the more power we uncover.

The bible says that man has dominion over all of creation. This is because we are the only living thing on earth with the power of choice and will. The word dominion has been corrupted to mean mastery, with some thinking that it means that the earth was created for man.

I have never been able to understand how anyone would think this since the earth was created millions of years before man even appeared on it. In truth dominion means caretaker. It is our responsibility to appreciate and take care of the earth. We have not done a very good job so far.

However as more of us come to that realization and take responsibility for our lives the better the world is taken care of. Strive to become the best Human Being possible and you are fulfilling your purpose.

TODAY’S TIP: Take time daily to look around you and contemplate the depth of things both natural and man made. Find love in all things.

What have you learned today?