Tag Archive for: mind

What Your Color Choice Says About Your Mood

 

We all make choices each day with regard to color. Most obvious is choosing the color of the clothes that we will wear for the day. Do you feel pink today or do you feel blue? The colors we choose have meaning behind them. Some of us are more color sensitive and aware of our choices than others. "Mood dressers" are people who are in-tune with their emotions and dress accordingly. When you dress today, see what your color choice says about your mood!

Wear Green - Relaxing and Tranquil Green is considered to be the most powerful healing color. Wear green when you want to feel more in-tune with Mother Nature. Green helps reduce anxiety and stress and helps you feel calm. Green represents Spring and new beginnings. Choose this color to wear whenever you are embarking on something new.

Wear Blue - Calm and Serenity Blue is especially calming and helps lower blood pressure and relaxes muscles. It is also associated with decrease of appetite. Blue is the color of peace and tranquility and is excellent in promotion of healing and spiritual meditation.

Wearing Gray or Black - Invisibility and Blending In Black and gray are fashion staples and pretty much go with everything. We all have the basic black pants or black dress that can be worn to a number of different occasions. Black is generally worn when you prefer to blend in and not make any statement. Wearing black will allow you to keep a low profile in social settings, not to mention look slimmer. Don't wear black if you want to stand out in a crowd. On the flip side, black can also represent class and wealth when accented by a power color.

Wear Orange - Energize and Lift Orange is a very high-energy color. Wearing orange is fun and can make you feel quite playful. Wear it when you want to lift your mood and physical energy. Orange is also connected with sexual energy. Because of its intensity some people cannot wear this color comfortably. Try accenting your outfit with a splash of orange instead.

Wear Pink - Feminine and Flirtatious Most people associate pink with babies, little girls, and feminine energies. Wearing pink conveys compassion, an open heart and is also a symbol of innocence and beauty. Whether male or female, a person wearing pink appears approachable and capable of loving others. It has a soothing effect and reflects romantic love.

Wear Purple - Unique - Non-Conformist Purple is worn to stand out in a crowd and is associated with royalty. Purple is the wrong color to wear if you want to blend in and go unnoticed. Wearing purple shows others that you feel special and unique and want to be noticed. If you want the world to know that you are one of a kind and do not desire conformity, then wear purple.

Wearing Red - Powerful and Confident Red is a very powerful color that stimulates and energizes. Wear red when you want to exude confidence and attract attention. Red also symbolizes love and passion and is said to increase the appetite. On the flip side, red is a color of dominance and can also draw opposition in others.

Wearing White - Fresh - New Beginnings White represents new beginnings, innocence, cleanliness and neutrality. Wearing white provides an opportunity to start the day with a clean slate and offers a fresh and bright outlook. Be sure to get rid of any dingy or stained white clothes and replacing them with brighter whites.

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Sydney Chhabra, Ph.D. is a seasoned Psychologist and Personal Life Coach with 20+ years of experience. Sydney has a very warm and personable style of communication and takes a very practical approach in life coaching. She is genuinely supportive and maintains a focused and solution-oriented approach. To learn more, visit: http://www.midlifecoachingforwomen.com.

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Good thinking

If you watched the swimming events at the Olympics, you probably observed the incredible focus the medalists demonstrated. Sure, they're strong and fast. But when hundredths— maybe even thousandths—of a second are all that separate the winners from the losers, it's obvious that something besides strength and speed is at work.

A comment by Flip Darr, a former collegiate swimming coach who played a part in training eight Olympic medalists, sheds some light on what that critical ingredient might be. "I felt in my coaching career that if I would work on [the swimmers'] head[s], their bodies would come along," he said. "A lot of coaches work on their bodies and then at the last moment try to do their heads. The thing is, if they are working with their heads all the time, and working with their head over the body, mind over matter, they will have more confidence when they walk up to the block."

What a great illustration of the value of good thinking. Athletic ability is important, but preparing for the biggest race of one's life is as much mental as it is physical—if not more so. As Bill MacCartney, the former head football coach at the University of Colorado, once told me, "Mental is to physical what four is to one."
That's a powerful argument in the case for good thinking—on the football field, as well as in your office at work. The specific thoughts that increase your effectiveness as a leader might not be the same as those required for an Olympic medal, but the overall commitment to thinking is identical.

As we continue the discussion about thinking that we began in the last issue of Leadership Wired, here are five statements that further underscore the importance of solid contemplation. => http://bit.ly/vP7eZq

Steer Clear From Memory Problems

 

You can start maintaining your naturally good memory by learning how to use memory tools. The snapshot method can help you further since it involves a lot of imagination. Use the scenario below to practice memorization.

Although there are many factors which affect good memory, memory exercises are proven effective ways to keep your memory strong.

Imagine yourself with your friends in a fast food chain. You have been asked to place the order for all your friends at the counter.
There are four of you and each of the orders are different. The line is long and you need to get the orders fast since all four of you are already hungry. No time to jot down the orders.

Bob wants large fries and a double-patty burger Cecile wants a nacho chili with lots of cheese and a large sized milkshake John wants a medium sized pizza with lots of mozzarella cheese You want a double patty chicken burger, large fries and a soda

As you approach the counter, run the food that you and your friends want to eat in your thoughts. Since your friend Bob wants large fries and a double-patty burger, think of Bob walking around wearing a double-patty burger suit and a large fries hat on his head. Next, since Cecile wants a nacho chili, think of her babysitting cheese, chili and nacho chips in her arms; each baby drinking from a bottle of milkshake. With your friend John, think of him riding a motorcycle with medium sized pizza pans as the wheels. His mozzarella cheese perfume is oozing in the wind. As for you, imagine yourself tending a Siamese twin chicken which can only be fed with fries and a soda.

The association here is determined between your friend and the food he/she desires. It's also important to hold on to the details you are able to make, since its what's going to help you more in terms of retaining and recalling the information later on.

Try to repeat the scenario several times in your head to complete your memorization exercise and you'll slowly develop a good memory.
You'll also get the ordered food right.

Click here to learn more about memorizing using the Snapshot technique and other memory improvement techniques.  Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

 

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Personal Alchemy: Three Steps To Positive Transformation

Lately, I've become intrigued by the idea or process of "alchemy." Funk & Wagnall tells me alchemy is a transformation, "a change in nature, form or quality." So how to take charge of your own personal alchemy? For me, it's about changes and transformations of mind, body and spirit. Therefore, in this article I've outlined three of my favorite ways to approach personal alchemy on the path to wholeness and health.

Step One: Dissect A Past Transformation:
It's easy to feel overwhelmed when thinking about the process of making a personal overhaul. Therefore, it's important to break this idea down to its least common denominator. To begin, recall if you can a positive transformation you've made in your life. It could be as simple as beginning and staying with an exercise program. In your mind locate and focus on one specific personal transformation.

Next, break down your transformation into its components: mind, body and spirit. I tend to look at everything in this tri-fold sense. I believe it is important to see the way a particular event contributes to the growth of each component. Right now, take a moment to observe the ways each of these components have contributed to your transformation:

Mind: Was your mind committed to making this positive change?

Body: What daily actions did it take to make this personal transformation effective and permanent?

Spirit: Was there a spiritual component at hand guiding you toward your positive goal?

Related article   Change by Choice

Step Two: Begin The Uncovering Process:
Now that you've dissected a previous transformation, the uncovering process is simple. This process asks you to take some time with your journal and uncover a new personal transformation you would like to experience. With pen in hand, take time to make notes to yourself. Start small. What transformations would you like to make this year? Do some dreaming.

When you've finished, scan your list for one worthwhile goal that is achievable. If you are unable to commit to one on your list, try these ideas to complete your uncovering:

According to Louise Hay in her book "You Can Heal Your Life" these components will help you live a holistic, healthy life. Perhaps one may inspire you toward a worthwhile goal.

Nurture The Body: Practice sound nutrition. Aim to make the best choices for your body and choose food and beverages that make you feel well. When appropriate supplement with herbs, vitamins and homeopathy.

Practice a sound exercise program. Find a form of exercise that is appealing to you and is one that you will do. Choose from: aerobic exercise, resistance training, tai chi, yoga or Pilates. When appropriate use body work such as massage or reiki.

Nurture The Mind: Add to your daily practice, visualization, guided imagery, affirmations or dream work. Spiritual meditation is also a great way to quiet the mind and allow time to tune in to the divine.

Nurture The Spirit: Find time to practice prayer work, meditation, forgiveness and unconditional love.

Related Article:  The Potential of change

Step Three: Find Answers In The Silence: Then Take Your Goals One By One
We can't possibly do everything. For as someone once told me "you have only, all the time there is." With this in mind, I am brought back to my earliest ideas about personal alchemy. This involves one of the most difficult, yet necessary practices: finding time for silence. Finding time is the challenge I most often face when looking at my own personal growth and aiming to find ways to simplify and speed up the process.

Silence. Why does it work? From a physics or scientific standpoint, the electrons within the molecules of the body actually speed up when the body slows down. It seems difficult to understand at first, but the key is its reciprocal process. When the body slows down, the energy surrounding the body and passing through the body speeds up, literally directing the body: instructing it.

Grace, balance and growth are often natural extensions of this process. When you take some time to be still and offer your goal up to the universe, you can then become aware of the divine direction. To do this, try to first become aware of your surroundings. Then aim to find time each day to move toward your worthwhile goal. Keep it close to your heart. Know that there are many distractions in life, but if you take time to rest and stop for one moment, it could be the moment you will receive your greatest inspiration.

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Author unknown.
When in doubt, there's always help!  For a creative boost and further direction in your discovery process, please explore these sources: 
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity By Julia Cameron.   
Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss.

Stop Negative Thinking in Its Tracks – 3 Simple Stress Management Tips For a Positive Attitude

Most entrepreneurs and solopreneurs that I facilitate have difficulty when it comes to be able to stop negative thinking. Negative thoughts can cost you a bundle in achieving your goal of financial success.

Negative attitudes and thoughts release a poison into our bodies and that causes more negativity and feelings of unhappiness. This paves the way for failure, disappointments, and frustrations.

There are several little known resources, tips ideas that not only can save you a ton of money, but make you dream affordable. And I am about to reveal 3 simple stress management tips to stop negative thinking.

#1: Smile

If you have been raised in a negative atmosphere, it may be difficult at first to start thinking in a positive way. The first step is to smile more. A smile is said to be contagious. Try smiling at a stranger and see if it is returned. Smiling gives you a healthier sense of well-being and it takes fewer muscles than frowning!

#2: Thoughts and attitude

Thoughts and attitudes cannot be changed in an instant or even over night. It takes work to make your mind aware that it is thinking negative thoughts or putting out negative images.

It has to be trained to think only good and positive thoughts. Visualize positive outcomes to the situations in your life.

This will take patience and perseverance and it is something that will need to be worked on every day. Soon, positive thinking will become more natural and you will think good thoughts automatically.

#3: Visualization

Visualization is a great way of turning negative thoughts into positive ones.

When a situation pops up, look at it and allow your mind to see a positive outcome. Expect things to work out instead of picturing the worst possible outcome.

You may believe the power of positive thinking is a dream or a myth. Why not give it a try for just a few days or a week.

See if your attitude will change toward your circumstances.

Remember, positive attracts positive.

Smile often! It may change your life and help you achieve your dreams.

One of the biggest obstacles that prevent entrepreneurs and solopreneurs from being able to stop thinking negative is that they are too busy.

I hope I have helped to change your thinking. When you realize how simple and easy it is to relieve your stress on a daily basis, you will look forward with excitement to search and find more opportunities to have fun each day.

About the Author, Cecil McIntosh
Curious about additional, effective stress reduction tips? You can discover 21 extra effective ways for creating your own stress relief management system with the free "21 Stress -Stopper formulas for a healthy and happy life" special report at http://emptyyourcup.com/stressstopperformula.php
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Understand the Power of Now: 3 simple steps to embrace the moment

If you've taken a yoga class you might have been asked to "stay present." What on earth does that mean, you wonder. If you're here, aren't you "present"?

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, in his now-classic, bestselling book, The Power of Now, attempts to break it down for us. He suggests that being fully present, or living with joy, means to be absorbed in this very moment - without thoughts rattling around in our heads. Tolle says we exist in our purest state beneath the frantic chatter of the conscious, ego-driven mind.

If you've ever been in an emergency where you felt supercharged, and responded instantly with a startling clarity of action - you've entered the state that Tolle believes is our natural mode of being. But how do you stop the chatter in your head that blocks this pure state of mind? With so much to do and think about all the time, we need to learn to quiet the compulsive thinking of the mind.

Below are three simple steps to help you get in touch with your natural state of mind - without the chatter. In other words, it's how you tap into The Power of Now.

New Study Suggests You Can Reprogram Your Brain in Less Than Five Days!

Many previous studies have shown through the use of neuroimaging that meditation can change the brain. But most of those studies have looked at medium to long-term meditators. Some looked at monks who had meditated for decades, and some looked at new meditators who had meditated daily for 6 to 8 weeks. At least this much meditation practice was thought to be necessary to create measurable changes in the brain.

But a new study at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte suggests that brain changes may happen much more quickly, in as few as four days!

Read more ...

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Seven Ways to Boost Your Mind Power

By Randy Hall

Intelligence is something most people wish they had more in abundance because it can open doors, create wealth and make it possible for you to do things easier. If you are one of these people the read on as the few steps may just be the key to the doorway of a better life.

Below you will find the seven steps that will help your brain work better and speed you on your quest for the things you want out of life.

1. One key to a healthy mind is a healthy body

By becoming fit your heart works better and pumps blood easier to supply oxygen to your brain. So it follows that a light exercise program will get you on your way to a fitter you. Stay active by walking or do some simple exercises in your home like deep knee bends or situps.

A simple work-out can trigger endorphins, which are responsible for making us feel happy. By feeling this way we have a more positive outlook which will have a positive effect on the brain.

2. Feeding your body the right foods also feeds your brain.

Adding natural supplements such as vitamins and minerals not only have a nutritional effect on your body, but on your mind as well. The results of course are better brain power! Natural supplements can be found in health food stores or for sale on the Internet.

3. Exercise your brain

We all know that exercise will keep your body fit and the same holds true for the brain. Use your brain everyday to think, memorize, even play word games like scrabble or crossword puzzles. Any activity that will make you use your brain will be beneficial. So read, talk with others, or meditate. All of these things will stimulate your brain.

4. Turn off the TV and write something

Let your imagination wander and write a fictional short story. Start a journal or read an article and expand on it. There are many things that you can write about that will help keep your brain active and alert.

5. Pick an educational hobby

There are many to choose from, like stamp collecting or start a coin collection. Find out which ones are valuable. I have a friend that paid off his 30 year mortgage in a year by finding valuable coins. Whatever you pick it should be something that you have to do some research on, so make sure it is a subject you are interested in pursuing. The purpose of this is to start using parts of your brain that aren't normally used or haven't been used before. Learning to play a musical instrument is a good way to use new parts of the brain.

6. Get plenty of sleep

When you sleep your body recharges and rebuilds itself. Sleeping is benefficial to your overall health and you should try to get six to eight hours every night. If at all possible take ten-minute power naps as well. Sleeping well will keep you energized so you'll be ready, willing and able to be active. Don't deprive yourself of sleep as it also allows the brain to function better by being more alert.

7. Find peaceful repose

Relax in a nice easy chair and let the worries and cares of the day fall away. Rid yourself of the anxiety and stress of work, family life and social activities. Try to let your mind be completely at rest for 15 to 30 minutes each day. This will give you inner peace and serenity. Become one with your surroundings. Listen to the gentle sounds of nature around you and bask in the glory of the world around.

Remember negative thoughts cause us to become tense. Happy, positive thoughts put us in a better frame of mind, where our minds will work more efficiently and effectively.

Once you find you have taken the seven steps as far as they can go in boosting your mind power you may want to increase your mind power even more. Unlocking your true mind power is not only possible, but the scope of it is incredible. There is a clinically proven method of doing just that. To learn more about this method just CLICK HERE!

Break time may improve memory

Taking a rest break—while awake—can help strengthen memories, a new   study suggests.

“Your brain is working for you when you’re resting, so rest is important for memory and cognitive function,” Lila Davachi observes.

 “This is something we don’t appreciate much, especially when today’s information technologies keep us working round-the-clock.” (Courtesy: NYU)

 The findings, which appear in the latest issue of the journal Neuron, expand our understanding of how memories are boosted. Previous studies had shown this process occurs during sleep, but not during times of awake rest.

“Taking a coffee break after class can actually help you retain that information you just learned,” explains Lila Davachi, an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, in whose laboratory the study was conducted. “Your brain wants you to tune out other tasks so you can tune in to what you just learned.”

The study, whose lead author was Arielle Tambini, a doctoral candidate in NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science, focused on memory consolidation—the period when a memory is stabilized after it is initially created, or encoded.

To determine if memory consolidation occurred during periods of awake rest, the researchers imaged the hippocampus, a brain structure known to play a significant role in memory, and cortical regions during periods of awake rest. Previous studies have demonstrated regions of the brain more active during periods of rest, but their function at these times had been unclear.

The experiment tested subjects’ associative memory by showing them pairs of images containing a human face and an object (e.g., a beach ball) or a human face and a scene (e.g., a beach) followed by periods of awake rest. Subjects were not informed their memory for these images would later be tested, but, rather, were instructed to rest and simply think about anything that they wanted, but to remain awake during the resting periods.

The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to gauge activity in the hippocampus and cortical regions during the task and during the ensuing rest period.

Researchers found that during rest after the study experience (after the visuals were shown), there was a significant correlation between brain activity in the subjects’ hippocampus and cortical regions that were active during the initial encoding of each stimulus pair. However, this boost in brain correlations was only seen following experiences that were later memorable suggesting these parts of the brain act in tandem for a purpose—to consolidate memories during rest.

Also, when examining each subject individually, researchers found that subjects who had greater resting correlations between the hippocampus and cortex, also exhibited better performance on a subsequent associative memory test and those whose brain correlations were weaker, had worse memory—in other words, the greater the activity in hippocampus and cortical regions, the stronger the memory.

“Your brain is working for you when you’re resting, so rest is important for memory and cognitive function,” Davachi observes. “This is something we don’t appreciate much, especially when today’s information technologies keep us working round-the-clock.”

The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and Dart Neuroscience.

Written by James Devitt-NYU , and published by Futurity.  Discover the future.  News from leading research universities in the u nited States, Canada and the United Kingdom

NYU news: www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/

 

 

Memorization Problems: Solved!

 

Have you ever had problems in remembering names, numbers, grocery items needed, and other little details such as the location where you placed your car keys this morning? The truth is, we all have our moments of forgetting little bits of information that matters at the exact moment we need them.

But did you know that memorization techniques boil down to two basic things? These are ways on how you focus your attention and create a meaning in correspondence to the information or object you store in your memory. With memory techniques, you encourage your mind to be creative while utilizing your innate memory skills.

One of the proven memory techniques known today is called the Link Method. As mentioned above, enhancing your memory skills require you to become creative and imaginative which are considered very strong memory boosters when exercised correctly.

Using the Link approach, it has been proven that an object associated to the next on the list is less confusing to do, not to mention the order of the information included are also memorized easier. The list of items to be memorized can easily be remembered no matter how irrelevant they are from one another. With continuous practice and diligence, Link Method allows you to remember things from the top of your head without getting stuck in frustration in the middle of urgency. Now isn’t that a good thing? Of course it is.

Let me give you an example. Say you need to remember five items. We can take the items as the following; a cat, rice, hat, pigeon and fence. They are entirely different and have no relevance from one another but remembering these bits of information is a piece of cake with pure Link Method. What you need to do is have your imagination working by starting on the cat. Imagine it as a Siamese cat that eats rice since he’s from Siam. The rice is served in a hat but then, a pigeon comes along and starts to eat the rice. Seeing this, the cat chases the pigeon away and ends up landing in the fence.

What you can do in addition to the scene above is to create details for each character. Try to imagine the colors, location and other important details as you construct the scene. Experts found out that the memory skills of a person work very well with colors. However, it is not so good when it comes to shapes.

Going back to the scene we’ve created, plus points would go for funnier imagination. Humans respond and capture vivid images that are unique and funny. It may sound crazy but it’s proven to work. Imagination and memory is a good pair that works excellent together. Using it takes less of an effort but requires enthusiasm and willingness.

These are just basic factors you can learn out of the entire section of memory techniques. Find out more