We have talked about the big four and now lets talk about some other tools that you may find helpful in manifesting your dreams. The more tools you have, as long as they are useful for the purpose you seek, the better you are.

The first tool I want to talk about is very helpful in strengthening your visualizations. That tool is a vision board. Find pictures to represent the things you want to accomplish. Place them on a cork board or other type of board and place the board somewhere that will be visible, like in an office or other room where you spend time.

If you do not have a space where you can put a vision board, or even if you do, place copies of those pictures around the house, like on the bathroom mirror and in your car. The more often you look at your pictures the better. When you look at them imagine how you will feel and act when you have them. This strengthens the desire which speeds up the process.

Another tool is to make a PowerPoint presentation of your pictures and create a shortcut to the file on your desktop. Every time you turn on your computer, run you presentation. Run your presentation several times during the day. Again the more the better.

Find yourself an accountability partner. It can be a spouse or friend. Keep them informed as to your plans and dreams. Meet with them at least once a week and go over your plans. Tell them what you will be accomplishing that week and at the next meeting let them know if you did or did not fulfill your plans.It would be helpful if that partner was on a similar quest. That way you could act as each others accountability partner.

Knowing that if you do not attain your weekly goals you will have to admit it to someone else gives you more incentive to keep on track. The closer this person is to you the better this works.

The last tool I want to talk about is Mastermind groups. Join a Mastermind Group that is dedicated to similar things as you are. If you cannot find such a group then start one. The value of Mastermind Groups cannot be overstated.

Not only will such groups help to keep you motivated and on track, but can offer suggestions as to how to enhance your progress. They can even help to give you more clarity and offer ways of achieving that you may not have thought of. The power of any group increases the power of each individual involved.

Your Mastermind group should meet regularly. Try to meet on the same day each week or every other week. You may not want to meet more often than weekly. Your group may become unproductive and dissolve.

TODAY’S TIP: Organize your activities and days to take advantage of as many of the tools presented as possible.

Do you keep your eye on the prize?

Have you heard the saying that you are your thoughts? Everyone hold a running conversation with themselves. It is only when you start talking out loud that you run into problems. What do you talk about?

Unfortunately most people’s conversations with themselves are, for the most part, negative. I suggest to my clients that they do a little experiment. I tell them to get a 3 x 5 notebook and take it with them at all times for two weeks. Then when ever they think about it to write down what they are thinking about at that time.

At the end of the two weeks they are to review their book. Most find that the great majority of their thoughts were non productive and negative. I then tell them to begin to make a conscious effort to direct their thoughts in a positive direction.

I recommend that you do the same thing. Keep a log of thoughts for two weeks and then begin to direct your thoughts in the direction you want them to go. One of the tools to do this is self talk.

We talked about Mohamed Ali talking to himself in front of the mirror as a young teen. He was engaged in using three of the tools we have talked about. He was using visualization because he saw himself in his mind. He was using affirmations because he repeated his phrases over and over. He was also using self talk because he talked to himself in front of the mirror and when he wasn’t in front of a mirror.

Affirmations are a form of self talk, but it is not all there is. You can go beyond affirmations by holding conversations with yourself to enforce and strengthen your future visions of where you want to go and be.

Tell yourself how much you love yourself. We are taught that self love is somehow wrong. It is not self love that is wrong, it is self conceit that is a problem. You must love yourself or you cannot love another.

Keep telling yourself how your life will be when you have achieved your dreams. The more you tell yourself, the more vivid your visualizations will become and the sooner your dreams will be achieved.

Spent as much time as possible holding these conversations with yourself. Just don’t start talking out loud in public. However speaking out loud when you are alone increases the effectiveness.

TODAY’S TIP: Don’t pass a mirror without looking into it and into your eyes and saying something nice about you.

What are you going to tell yourself?

The third major tool in your quest for realizing the the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle is affirmations. This is another very powerful tool when used correctly.

Muhammad Ali is a perfect example of the power of affirmations. In his autobiography he tells of standing in front of the mirror when he was about 11 or 12 years old. He would tell himself how great he was and what he was going to accomplish in life. He did not know what he was doing but you can see the results. He did indeed become the greatest.

It is said that if you repeat something long enough you will believe it. This is one of the techniques of our society. We are told something so often that we will begin to believe it whether it is actually real or not. This is often the way public opinion is formed.

With faith and perseverance affirmations can be used to instill beliefs that we want to believe in our minds. With the discipline of affirmations we can gain control over our thoughts and destiny.When practiced with the other three disciplines of meditation, visualization, and positive self talk; there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

The wording of your affirmations is all important. Your affirmations must be in present tense. When you use phrases such as; I will or I want, you leave room for doubt. Your Universe will interpret your affirmations as something you will want sometime in the future and not act on them.

You want to use positive words as I am or I have. The universe then knows that you want it now and will begin to assist you in obtaining your desires.

Repetition is another very important factor. The more you repeat your affirmations the sooner they start to become a part of your reality. Some say that you must repeat your affirmations 36,000 times before they start to become effective.

This means that if you repeat them 1,000 times a day it will take you 36 days before you start to see changes. For this reason you want to repeat your affirmations as often as you can through out the day.

The most powerful times to go over your affirmations is first thing in the morning, preferably before you get out of bed, and the last thing at night. At night it is again preferable that you be in bed and ready for sleep.

The reason for this is that the mind is most receptive and clear when you first wake up in the morning. At night your mind is also open as you relax for sleep and you carry those thoughts into your dream state, where they can be worked on at a higher level.

TODAY’S TIP: Repeat your affirmations while you are walking or doing other tasks that will allow you to set up a rhythm. For instance, I repeat, I am healthy, I am wealthy, I am wise in time with my steps while I am running.

I AM, are you?

In the beginning there was the word. Since there were no words in the beginning could it be a symbol for an image in the mind of God? In other words did God visualize the Universe before he created it?

Everything begins in the mind. You must think of something before you do it. Before the automobile someone had to see an automobile in their mind. This is visualization.

You can create anything you wish if you can see it in your mind and believe it. You create your personal universe, so why not create one that you can enjoy. The problem is that most of us simply let our universes be created for us by outside influences.

Using the art of visualization along with meditation will enhance the manifestation of the life you dream of. Visualization can be used to improve any and all areas of life. You want more money, see yourself with more money. Have health problems, see yourself healthy.

With discipline and persistence the pictures in your mind can become a part of your reality. That is, if you believe it. How does one practice visualization?

Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. Begin as you would meditation. Relax the muscles of your body and quiet your mind. Then see a movie screen inside your mind. You have the power to project anything you wish onto that screen.

If you want to improve your health, see yourself on that screen healthy and whole. If you want more money, see yourself on that screen acting as you would when you have the money you want.

It is good to write out a script of how you will act when you have achieved the goal you seek. Use that script to formulate the movie in your head. Play it over and over for 5 or 10 minutes.

You can combine your sittings to include both meditation and visualization. However, remember that you can not do both at the same time. So schedule time for each. You may want to meditate for 20 minutes and visualize for 10 minutes for a 30 minute session.

Also use visualization as often during the day as you can. It is like daydreaming only you are doing it with purpose. These sessions could be short, perhaps only a couple of minutes at a time.

The more you practice visualization the stronger the images become. The stronger they become the closer they are to becoming a part of your reality. Be sure to use the same scenario in your visualizations until they are realized. If you change your script often will not be successful.

TODAY’S TIP: You can use visuals to enhance your visualizations. We will talk about how to do that in a few days.

What can you see?

Today we will go a little deeper into one of the techniques of the big four, as I have called them. We will discuss meditation. Meditation is an invaluable tool for gaining control of your life.

First what is meditation and how does one practice it? There are many different techniques for meditation, from simple mindfulness to repeating mantras or phrases. They all have the same desired effect. They all are designed to quiet the mind and relax the body.

By quieting the mind your are able to tap into the Divine Consciousness or your higher self. Everything in the physical plane is interconnected. With meditation we are able to be aware of that interconnectedness. We are able to become one with all that is.

In the beginning of your practice you will only be aware of your body relaxing and your mind becoming still. It will take some time to get in touch with your connection with Divine Source. This is why I recommend that when beginning to practice meditation you commit to at least six months without any expectations and with consistent practice.

Also when you begin it will seem as if 15 or 20 minutes will never end. With consistency it will begin to feel as if it is only a few seconds. This happens when you release self and transcend time. Be patient and one day suddenly all your efforts will be worth it.

Through Meditation it is possible to see your true self. It is possible to release the layers of self deception and deceit. It is possible to get in touch with the pure guidance of spirit, which will always lead you in the right direction.

It is said that we already contain all knowledge and when we are able to achieve awareness of our pure and true Divine self we can tap into that knowledge. Somewhere deep inside us we know what is best for us. Being able to tap into that place and follow the guidance given is invaluable.

There is nothing in this life that we cannot have or do. We must decide what to have and what to do. We cannot have and do everything. It is my belief that we have planned our life when we are born. The challenge is to accomplish that plan. To do this we need to follow our guidance with courage and conviction.

Meditation will help you to become more aware of that plan and of the guidance given. There is a saying, “go with the flow.” Meditation helps to get in touch with that flow.

TODAY’S TIP: If you are having trouble with meditation purchase a guided meditation tape and listen to it everyday until you become comfortable enough to begin a different technique.

Are you open to trying this tool?

To truly enjoy the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle you will have to come out of your comfort zone. You must risk and set your intention to enjoy life. As the saying goes, “if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This means you must change.

The Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle is a disciplined lifestyle. You must become a disciple of life and put forth the energy and discipline to make your life work for you. Discipline can be difficult at first but becomes easier as you maintain it.

Today we will discuss some of the tools you can use to make it easier. The most important ones are what I call the big four. They are meditation, visualization, affirmations, and positive self talk. With these four you not only establish a pattern of daily discipline, but you also establish a rhythm of progress towards the life of your dreams.

With meditation you gain control over your thoughts and body. Set aside time for meditation at least once, preferably twice, a day. Try to do it at the same time and same place each day. It does not matter what discipline of meditation you practice, only that you be consistent. Commit to six months practice because it will take several months before you feel that you are accomplishing anything. In six months you will begin to experience miracles in your life.

You can incorporate visualization into your meditation settings. However you do not want to spend all the time you have set aside for meditation for visualization. If you have set aside 30 minutes you may want to meditation for 20 minutes then visualize the last 10 minutes.

Use affirmations through out your day. Your affirmations should be in present tense as if they were already true. The most powerful beginning of any affirmation is, “I Am.” The most important times to repeat your affirmations is when you first get up in the morning and just before you go to bed. Repeat them as often as you can during the day.

Positive self talk is a very powerful way to change your reality by conditioning your mind to except the things you want for yourself. Talk to yourself about how you want to be as though you already were that way. Tell yourself you love you and appreciate you. You always talk to yourself so why not make it productive?

TODAY’S TIP: Meditate outdoors when possible, in as natural a setting as you can. Pine trees give off the most positive energy of all trees.

Does this help?

The purpose of a healthy lifestyle is to structure life so as to utilize every moment to raise awareness and improve the quality of one’s life. This is done by directing the flow of one’s life towards a more positive tomorrow.

As the quote says, Life is change, It is up to each and every one of us to direct that change. We can consciously direct it to make each day better that the one before or we can allow the winds of chance to do it for us. When chance controls our change we will never know what the next day will bring and more often than not we remain stuck in the ruts of life.

If however we start each day with a grateful heart and expectation of a wonderful and productive day, we will be surprised at how often it will be so. Think back and you will see that on the days you have gotten up dreading the day it usually turned out to be an awful day. The days you got up happy and anticipating the day it turned out good.

I will say this over and over in my posts; you create your own reality. Make the choice to create it as you would like it to be. Before you get out of bed lay there and think of all the things you have to be grateful for. Then get up and do some deep breathing. This will feed oxygen to your body and you will feel energized and alive.

Set your intent to have a good day, see it happening. If you have tasks for that day see yourself performing those tasks with confidence and skill. See the positive ending and feel as you will when they are successfully completed.

Visualizing is one way to practice the game of life. What you can see in your minds eye can become reality, if you believe it.

TODAY’S TIP: Meditation and visualization are two of the most important practices that will lead to a more satisfying and joyful life. We will talk more about each later but if you do not already practice them, start now!

Can you see your future?

Whatever we think about we bring about. It is with our thoughts that we start the manifesting of our realities. When living the ultimate healthy lifestyle it is important that we choose our thoughts. Random thoughts very often are negative and can cause all types of problems in our lives.

We might want to pay someone to take some of our thoughts away. Try this experiments. Buy a 3 x 5 notebook and carry it and a pen with you at all times. Whenever you remember, jot down what you are thinking about at that time. Do this for two weeks, then read what you have written from front to back. You will be surprised at how much of your thoughts are non-serving. They are either negative or nonsensical.

To take control of your thought choices is not an easy job and takes commitment and persistence. The best tool to help, by far, is meditation. Meditation teaches you to calm the mind and body. After practicing for a while it will be possible to simple shift your thoughts when you notice that you are thinking a thought that is not in your best interest.

It also helps to practice body awareness. Notice how you are feeling. If you have feelings other than good it is telling you that something is not right. Notice what you are thinking at that point and you will most likely be thinking something that is taking away from your well being. Make the effort to think of something different. As the spiritual teacher, Abraham says, ”Reach for the thought that feels better.”

I will cover the subject of meditation in a later post but start now to practice if you do not already do so. You can buy a guided meditation tape at any music store or book store. Just follow the directions and listen to it at least once a day.

Remember you are your thoughts.

TODAY’S TIP: Do something to stimulate your mind daily. Puzzles or even learning a new language helps to keep the mind healthy. The mind needs exercise just as much as the rest of the body. The brain is a muscle.

What are you thinking at this moment?

As 2010 comes to a close I would like to talk about looking forward to the new year and the new you. Each day is like being born again. Each day we are presented with new opportunity to improve our life and our self.

Most of us look towards the new year with hope that it will prove to be more fulfilling than the passing year. This is always a definite possibility. It is always up to us.

In order to make the new year better than the last we must put the desire and the energy into making it so. There is one other thing we must put into it and that is faith.

We must have the faith that it will be a better year. We can believe it, but belief is not enough. We can believe in our mind, but we must go deeper, into our heart.

This is where faith lives. Faith is knowing something is so even when we don’t know how we know. Some say faith is blind. It is on the surface, but beneath the surface we are seeing with our spirit or soul.

I am not an expert on faith. I struggle like everyone else. It is sometimes very trying to keep having the faith in myself and my direction. I must constantly reinforce my faith. I think this is true of most everyone.

Therein lies the secret. We must continually strive to maintain and reinforce our faith. We do this by establishing habits and patterns that help cultivate greater faith. Faith in ourselves, our world, and our future.

We live life daily, therefore we must be as consistent as possible in structuring our daily habits and patterns to make each day a better day than the previous one.

Ceremonies can be helpful in this. The purpose of ceremonies is to get the energy flowing. With a ceremony you are sending energy into the Universe and that energy must return to you. Energy must always flow in a circle.

Ceremonies are also to celebrate. Set up a ceremony with your exercise routine to celebrate your health and wellness. Set one up for daily meditation to celebrate your connection with Source. Set up ceremonies through out your day to celebrate being the best you can be.

Your daily ceremonies will help reinforce your intention. If your intention is strong enough it will become your reality. Having faith in yourself and your abilities are necessary to keep focused and on track. This will strengthen your intention and make it easier to have the discipline necessary to keep your daily habits on course.

I am sure you have heard the saying, one day at a time. This is how life is lived. View each day as a new opportunity to show yourself and the world that you are serious in your quest to be the best that you can be.

TODAY’S TIP: Remember that you become what you think about most. Keep your thoughts positive and directed with faith and perseverance.

Do you keep the faith?

This week we will look at another great discipline for those who wish to improve the quality of their life.

We have looked at QiGong, Pilates, and Yoga. Forms of the martial arts, such as Kung fu and others, are very beneficial in all areas of life. Martial Arts practice is more intense than those we have talked about, but is an excellent way to keep the physical body and the mind in shape.

The Martial Arts are a great way to build confidence in everyone from children to adults. It will flow into all areas of life because with the discipline you are establishing makes it easier to become discipline in other things that you wish to accomplish.

The martial arts encourage you to be form habits that get and keep the physical body in tip top condition. They are physically demanding and work to keep the body flexible and build strength.

The arts also work on strengthening the mind and giving the practitioner more control of their mind. The more mental control one has when practicing the martial arts the easier and faster one becomes skilled.

Practice of the martial arts is good for the entire family. It is especially good for children. I would suggest that as soon as a child shows interest int the arts that lessons should begin.

When looking for a teacher be selective. Find a master that is truly concerned with the well being of his students and who has the moral and ethical values that lead to the well being of the student.

Avoid those Martial Artists who are full of themselves, have a big ego, and who convey a sense of humility.

When I started practicing the martial arts back in the 1960s it was considered a religion in that there was a heavy emphasis on the spiritual values of the Arts. These values were things like never strike first and use your ability only when it is the last resort. There was also a strong emphasis on meditation. We practiced meditation for some time before we began studying the movements.

The attitudes have changed over the years. Now we have what is called Ultimate Fighting, or the martial arts as a sport. When I practiced it was no contact. We pulled our punches just before the point of contact. I think this resulted in greater control and timing.

If you wish to explore your interest in martial arts visit the Dojo, studio, of different styles to find the one that interests you. There are two divisions, the hard style and the soft style. The soft style would include Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido.  Hard styles include Kung Fu and others.

TODAY’S TIP: Find a discipline that you can embrace. It will enhance health and well being.

Have you tried the Martial Arts?