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?

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?

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?

I think that one of the most difficult things we face in creating our dream life is the ability to stay focused. We are continually distracted by things going on in our lives. Also our minds roam from one thing to another, quite often beyond our control.

This can make it very difficult because it is necessary to remain focused on our dreams and aspirations in order to make them a reality. The more time we devote on our endeavors the better our chances of success.

This is why it is important to cultivate an attitude of perseverance and project our vision into the future. It is also important that we not spend too much time in the future because everything happens in the now. There is a fine line between living in the now and spending too much time planning for the future.

It is best to set aside some time everyday to sit with ourselves and project into the future. Only 10 or 15 minutes is necessary, once or twice a day. During these times see your life as you want it to be. Make it like a movie and see yourself preforming some task or experiencing some event. Make it as real as possible by seeing it, smelling it, hearing it and tasting it.

As you do this consistently you will notice that it becomes more detailed and clear. This is how things begin to be projected into your reality and become a part of your life.

If you find that picture changes often it is an indication that you do not have clarity of vision. If that is the case you must rethink your goals and desires to make absolutely certain that it is something you truly want. Do not be afraid of change but be weary of constant change in your vision.

You must be consistent. Stick with one thing long enough for it to work. If you cannot stick with it, it may mean that you do not believe in it or yourself. It can also mean that you are afraid of success or failure. If you feel that this is the case be honest with yourself and take steps to work through it.

The greatest tool one has to maintain focus is meditation. Meditation, if consistently practiced, leads to control over one’s mind and thoughts. With control it is easier put forth the discipline needed for success.

When you are projecting your vision into the future it is not meditation, it is visualization. Visualization and meditation are different, although they can be practiced in the same sitting. It is important that both be practiced each day.

TODAY’S TIP: Write out a scenario of how it will be when you have achieved your goals. Use this as your scene for visualization.

Where will you be in five years?

I remember the lesson I learned when I became a homeowner. When things started to go wrong there was no manager to call. I had to deal with the problems. I had to either call a repairman or do the work myself. It was then that I learned how much I could do.

I remember when the house needed painting on the outside. My wife and I were discussing it and she says, “we don’t need to hire anyone we can do it ourselves.” I knew what that “we” meant. Well I decided to tackle the job and was surprised and pleased when I finished. If I do say so myself, I did a very good job. You can not tell that it was done by an amateur unless you look closely.

I was able to do a good job because I researched the project before I started. I went online and talked to the people at the paint store. The research gave me confidence in my ability to do the job.

This story illustrates that you never know how capable you are until you attempt to do it. Most of us sell ourselves short as far as our capabilities are concerned. We tell ourselves that we can not do something without opening our minds to the possibilities.

This is a theme though out all areas of life. Many never reach their full potential because they tell themselves that they can not do something without even trying. You can do it, all you have to do is believe.

We are creatures of unlimited potential. What would have happened if Edison had not tried to make the electric light because he told himself he could not do it, after all it had never been done?

What have you left undone because you didn’t think you could? What do you dream of that you tell yourself will never be because you can not do it?

In the Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we know that there is nothing we can not do if we really want to do it. We know that there is nothing we can not have if we want it bad enough. Bad enough to do what ever it takes to make it a part of our reality.

The great thing about life is that there is always more. We can never do it all so it is our choice what we want to experience. What more do you want to experience?

Open your heart and mind, over come the fear, and go for life. You can do it and have it if only you will dare to dream. Then determine to do what is needed to accomplish your desire.

If you need more education, get it. If you need more money, figure a way to get it. If you need more courage, confront your fear and move through it. You can do it if you can see it in your mind and feel it in your heart.

TODAY’S TIP: Use positive self talk to build confidence and remove barriers. If you repeat it enough, you will believe it.

Do you have the courage?

Stress is the number one cause of illness. Stress causes tension in the body which interferes with the normal flow of our life force energy. When the energy is impeded it can cause all types of dis-ease.

Stress happens when we are disconnected from our center or true self. It comes from worry and is totally wasted effort. It does not make things more likely to work out for the best. It increases the possibility of wrong action because with stress comes a lack of clarity. It clouds the mind and often does not allow one to see the whole picture.

In time, continued stress will cause mental or physical illness, or both. When our energy cannot flow freely or builds up in organs above their normal capacity, the body begins to break down. The ultimate result is death, such as a heart attack.

In an Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle we learn that stress control is a daily affair. However it seems in some situations stress is expected and if not present causes unreal expectations. For instance, when I was a manager for a major corporation I was accused of not caring about my job because nothing rattled me. I had to point out the productivity of my team before upper management would except my management techniques.

Stress serves no useful purpose and is counterproductive. The more relaxed and at ease you are the healthier you are. There are things that you can do to reduce or prevent stress in your life. First is to cultivate the attitude that you will not let things get to you. As one New Yorker stated, “I don’t let nothing rent space in my head.”

Recognize that you can only do what you can do. Everything works out better when approached with a clear and calm mind. When you feel stress coming on stop and take a few deep breaths. Tell yourself to relax.

Here is a little technique you can use anytime and anywhere to calm your mind and body. Whenever you start to feel stressed think of something in your past that made you feel extremely happy and elated. Concentrate on that event, it can be anything from achieving a goal to making love. Just keep the picture of the experience in your mind and relive it, see it happening; hear the sounds associated with it, smell the smells, feel the emotions.

Hold the experience in your mind for a few minutes. You will feel increasingly more relaxed the longer you hold the image. The more you practice this the easier it will become to remain calm, even in the most stressful situations.

TODAY’S TIP: This is a tip that will be repeated often because I believe that it is the best thing anyone and everyone can do to not only reduce stress but to improve the overall quality of one’s life. If you do not already practice meditation regularly, start now. I will do a post on meditation later but for now if you do not know where to start go to any bookstore and buy a guided meditation tape. Listen to it at least once a day, twice a day, morning and night is optimal.

What stresses you out?

Each day brings us the opportunity to begin again, to start making the changes that will improve our life. If we are dissatisfied with where we are in life we have the power to change it.

When I was Co-Director of the Chystal Unicorn Foundation in Colorado we sometimes had people come to us for help then not take any advice we gave. We would say about those people, “Well, they are not miserable enough yet.”

Unfortunately for some people they must hit rock bottom before they change course to improve their life. Even that is not enough for some. Some will wallow in their misery and refuse to take responsibility for where they are. They blame anyone and everything except themselves.

In order to cultivate the ultimate healthy lifestyle one must accept that you are where you are because of the choices you made along the way.

Think about it. If you had made different choices you would be in a different place. If you had gone to college if you did not or not gone if you did. If you have not married or married someone different you would be a different person today.

If you are not satisfied with your life you can change it by making the choice to do so. It only takes determination and courage. You have both, if you choose to display them.

The first thing you must do is form a clear picture of where you want to be. With no idea of what you want and where you want to go you will remain dissatisfied and unhappy. Find yourself a quiet place and ask yourself what you want your life to be. Don’t rationalize or settle for what you think you can do. Open your mind to life’s possibilities.

The question is, if you could do or have anything you want, what would it be? Don’t allow the limitations you have placed on yourself influence your vision. Dream big.

Once you have a clear picture put together a plan to make the changes that will lead in the direction that will make your dream come true. Then make the commitment to follow that plan.

You will never know how much you can accomplish until you put forth the effort. Then you will surprise yourself with your progress, because when you put the energy into it the Universe will begin to conspire in your favor.

Life offers unlimited potential to all of us. Just look around and see the people who have started on the bottom but refused to let life keep them down and have excelled and achieved the impossible.

You create your reality. Make it something you can be proud of.

TODAY’S TIP: Take a few minutes each day to daydream of the life you want to live. Everything begins in the mind.

Do you know what you want?