Everything we do makes a difference. At any moment we can choose greater stress or greater relaxation. Certainly at times it’s more difficult than others, but shifting yourself into greater peace and relaxation can be as simple as practicing any of the following:

Turn your attention to the moment. Most of the stress we have comes from lamenting something that has already happened or worrying about the future. If you find yourself feeling stressed turn your attention toward your breathing. Take a few slow, deep, belly breaths and then just breathe naturally keeping your attention on your breath for a few minutes.

Move your body. Take a walk, do some stretching, do yoga, go to the gym or for a bike ride. Our bodies love movement and even just a little makes a difference. I know how different I feel when I’m exercising regularly.

Imagine yourself at a peaceful place. Just picturing yourself at one of your favorite places (or a place you’d like to go) can shift your emotional state. The brain doesn’t know the difference between something real or imagined. The same neural pathways fire and the same feel good hormones get released whether something is really happening or whether we are just imagining it.

Spend some time in nature. Being in nature is very calming and settling. So whenever you have the opportunity – take a walk outside, sit on a park bench, garden or relax by a body of water.

Focus on love. Think of those that light up your heart. Talk to a good friend or close family member. And give and get hugs. It’s amazing how soothing a chat, a laugh, a heart-to-heart or a hug can be.

Affirm the positive and imagine yourself already having what you want. Close your eyes and visualize the outcomes that you want having already happened. See yourself as happy, peaceful, healthy, successful, fit and having attained the goals that you seek. Also, imagine others (people in your life that are in distress) as happy and well.

Practice EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Whatever you want to work on whether it is stress, pain, worry, anxiety, fear, or a habit you want to break you can “tap on it “and make a huge difference. In EFT we tap on energy meridian points and this helps balances our energies. The website www.emofree.com has lots of information on EFT and I also utilize it and teach it to my Hypnosis, Reiki and Massage clients as part of their sessions.

I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain […] Read more

• Go to bed earlier
• Finish things ahead of time
• Eat whole-food
• Exercise
• Be present
• Organize
• Listen to music
• Think positively
• Drink lots of water
• Journal
• Read
• Be productive
• Eat fresh fruit
• Breathe deeply
• Go for a bike ride

Sometimes I see books promising a happy, abundant life that seem kind of complicated to me. As we’ve moved into 2012 I offer a recipe for a happy life that is simple and straightforward — but which I guarantee works. I know it works because I’ve proven it in my own life, and I’ve seen its results in the lives of countless other people over the ages.

Just two ingredients — courage and compassion

There are only two ingredients for this recipe I’m going to share with you today, and they are courage and compassion. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this recipe is too simple to be any good. It actually requires considerable skill and attention to do it properly.

For example, it is important to make sure that you apply these two ingredients of courage and compassion in precisely the right proportion according to the need of the moment. One circumstance may be so gut-wrenching that it demands an immediate expression of courage on our part. Nothing else will do.

But then, as we all know, another moment may come along that doesn’t especially call for courage. It calls for a change of heart so that we can see another person’s point of view in a difficult situation. Or feel the pain of another person, or of nature — or our own pain – and act with new understanding and love.

Personally, I think one of the hardest things in life is to be truly kind to ourselves. Let me remember the gift of compassion given freely to each of us at our birth, and if I am pushing myself too hard — as perhaps I am beginning to do right now — let me realize that and offer kindness and compassion into the situation so that balance is restored in my experience.

I have learned that these two virtues of courage and compassion are one. They are always together. They are the core of true character and we separate them — or attempt to separate them — at our peril. “A house divided cannot stand,” it was said long ago, and the words are as true today as they ever were.

I wish you success and joy as you meet the challenges and opportunities of the year to come.

Contentment does exist, of course. It is one of the primary characteristics of our own true nature. It is one of the greatest blessings that life has to offer. But like anything truly worthwhile, it has a price.

1. Be willing to forgive.

How can we be content if we carry frozen in our heart — like an iceberg in the Arctic — the raw pain of past injustice? How can we be contented if we think someone, or something is doing is wrong? It is impossible.

The answer is simple. All you really have to do is forgive yourself, and you will automatically forgive everyone and everything else.

How can we forgive ourselves? How can we forgive the shame and fear that have inevitably accrued in our lives?

I find the key is to be still, and realize in the presence of my own eternal being what is forever perfect, timeless, and free. It has never sinned, and is without shame. What does it have to be ashamed about? What is there to forgive? Nothing.

2. Don’t be hostage to your goals.

We need goals in life, of course. We need dreams, and we need to follow our dreams. But I find there is a curious paradox here – a kind of creative tension — because we cannot be hostage to our dreams.

But what is most important? Being true to my own being, forever untroubled and unchanged by anything that happens in my life or anywhere else.

 3. Don’t let thoughts rule.

Thinking is essential, of course. But I know I sometimes think too much. Don’t be afraid to give your mind a rest from time to time.

Idle or destructive thoughts cloud the blessing of contentment that is always with us, wanting to be allowed access to our heart.

As Socrates, that great and wise man once said: “Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”

4. Give your gift.

What is the unique gift you bring to this world? Think about this. See if you can describe your gift in a single sentence. We are not just talking about a particular role or activity here, though that’s included, but the unique spirit, or essence that is yours.

Knowing what your gift is and giving it freely, consistently and with love is a sure path to contentment.

5. Listen to your own inner wisdom.

Contentment and wisdom go arm in arm. Even as I write these words a mental image comes to my mind of a pair of young lovers strolling blissfully together in a sunlit garden.

If you would know more contentment in your life, be still, and listen to that quiet voice of wisdom speaking to you from the depths of your being.

6. Love your own being.

Love your own limitless, unconquerable Self with all the passion that is in you. For it is the very source of the contentment and happiness that is your birthright and your “natural wealth.”

I came into this world — like you – a pure, unblemished being. And when I come to the conclusion of this earthly life, I will remain — like you — a pure, unblemished spiritual being.

What a paradox. The body that makes possible my presence in the earth has experienced many traumas and tragedies — like you — and many fulfillments and delights. And yet the hero within us all is untouched and unchanged by any of these external events.

Some say we are here to grow, and learn, so that at some later time we can return a wiser and more enlightened soul. But I experience that the hero — the truth at the core of my existence — is already wise, and enlightened.

Yes, I am here to grow. But it is so that I may love the hero more and express the hero more — and know more deeply with each passing moment that this is who I truly am.

A long time ago, when I was a young fellow, I was told that if I do this, or don’t do that, I will go to heaven when I die. But life has taught me that the hero is already in heaven. Others insist I am nothing but dust of the ground. From dust I came and to dust I will return.

But I prefer to listen to the hero. And what I hear the hero say – in a moment when I am still, and quiet within – is this: “You are a spiritual being and you are alive forever more.”

Your attitude may be the biggest thing holding you back. And that’s great news, because you can change it very quickly.

Other challenges and limitations can take much time and energy to overcome. Yet if your attitude is what’s limiting you, then you have the key right here and now to break free.

Your attitude does not define you and it doesn’t really control you. It does, however, exert a powerful influence on the way you see the world.

The simple fact is that with a positive, purposeful and loving attitude, you are able to see and to connect with life’s best possibilities. And simply by deciding to choose it, you can immediately benefit from such an attitude.

You don’t have to let your attitude be held hostage by negative people, events or circumstances. You can choose whatever attitude you wish, no matter what may be going on around you.

So give yourself a powerful advantage. Choose an attitude, right now, that will illuminate the positive side of life, and begin right away to reap the great rewards of your empowering focus.

- Ralph Marston

You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.

And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.

And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives.

And you’ll want the physicist to explain to those who loved you that they need not have faith; indeed, they should not have faith. Let them know that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly. Amen. - Aaron Freeman

1. The Law of Divine Oneness The first out of the 12 universal Laws helps us to understand that we live in a world where everything is connected to everything else. Everything we do, say, think and believe affects others and the universe around us.

2. The Law of Vibration This Law states that everything in the Universe moves, vibrates, and travels in circular patterns. The same principles of vibration in the physical world apply to our thoughts, feelings, desires, and wills in the Etheric world. Each sound, thing, and even thought has its own vibrational frequency, unique unto itself.

3. The Law of Action The Law of Action must be applied in order for us to manifest things on earth. Therefore, we must engage in actions that support our thoughts, dreams, emotions and words.

4. The Law of Correspondence This Law states that the principles or laws of physics that explain the physical world - energy, Light, vibration, and motion - have their corresponding principles in the etheric or universe. “As above, so below”

5. The Law of Cause and Effect This Universal Law states that nothing happens by chance or outside the Universal Laws. Every action has a reaction or consequence and we “reap what we have sown.”

6. The Law of Compensation This Law is the Law of Cause and Effect applied to blessings and abundance that are provided for us. The visible effects of our deeds are given to us in gifts, money, inheritances, friendships, and blessings.

7. The Law of Attraction This Law demonstrates how we create the things, events, and people that come into our lives. Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies which, in turn, attract like energies. Negative energies attract negative energies and positive energies attract positive energies.

8. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy This 8 out of the 12 universal Laws is a powerful one. It states that all persons have within them the power to change the conditions in their lives. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones; thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding the Universal Laws and applying the principles in such a way as to effect change.

9. The Law of Relativity This Law states that each person will receive a series of problems (Tests of Initiation) for the purpose of strengthening the Light within. We must consider each of these tests to be a challenge and remain connected to our hearts when proceeding to solve the problems. This law also teaches us to compare our problems to others’ problems and put everything into its proper perspective. No matter how bad we perceive our situation to be, there is always someone who is in a worse position. It is all relative.

10. The Law of Polarity This Law states that everything is on a continuum and has an opposite. We can suppress and transform undesirable thoughts by concentrating on the opposite pole. It is the law of mental vibrations.

11. The Law of Rhythm This Law states that everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms. These rhythms establish seasons, cycles, stages of development, and patterns. Each cycle reflects the regularity of God’s universe. Masters know how to rise above negative parts of a cycle by never getting too excited or allowing negative things to penetrate their consciousness.

12. The Law of Gender This last out of the 12 universal Laws states that everything has its masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) principles, and that these are the basis for all creation. The spiritual Initiate must balance the masculine and feminine energies within herself or himself to become a Master and a true co-creator with God.

By Bronnie Ware

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Well worth reading the entire article!

Be still.

Just for a moment.

Listen to the world around you. Feel your breath coming in and going out. Listen to your thoughts. See the details of your surroundings.

Be at peace with being still.

In this modern world, activity and movement are the default modes, if not with our bodies then at least with our minds, with our attention. We rush around all day, doing things, talking, emailing, sending and reading messages, clicking from browser tab to the next, one link to the next.

We are always on, always connected, always thinking, always talking. There is no time for stillness — and sitting in front of a frenetic computer all day, and then in front of the hyperactive television, doesn’t count as stillness.

This comes at a cost: we lose that time for contemplation, for observing and listening. We lose peace.

And worse yet: all the rushing around is often counterproductive. I know, in our society action is all-important — inaction is seen as lazy and passive and unproductive. However, sometimes too much action is worse than no action at all. You can run around crazily, all sound and fury, but get nothing done. Or you can get a lot done — but nothing important. Or you can hurt things with your actions, make things worse than if you’d stayed still.

And when we are forced to be still — because we’re in line for something, or waiting at a doctor’s appointment, or on a bus or train — we often get antsy, and need to find something to do. Some of us will have our mobile devices, others will have a notebook or folder with things to do or read, others will fidget. Being still isn’t something we’re used to.

Take a moment to think about how you spend your days — at work, after work, getting ready for work, evenings and weekends. Are you constantly rushing around? Are you constantly reading and answering messages, checking on the news and the latest stream of information? Are you always trying to Get Lots of Things Done, ticking off tasks from your list like a machine, rushing through your schedule?

Is this how you want to spend your life?

If so, peace be with you. If not, take a moment to be still. Don’t think about what you have to do, or what you’ve done already. Just be in the moment.

Then after a minute or two of doing that, contemplate your life, and how you’d like it to be. See your life with less movement, less doing, less rushing. See it with more stillness, more contemplation, more peace.

Then be that vision.

It’s pretty simple, actually: all you have to do is sit still for a little bit each day. Once you’ve gotten used to that, try doing less each day. Breathe when you feel yourself moving too fast. Slow down. Be present. Find happiness now, in this moment, instead of waiting for it.

Savor the stillness. It’s a treasure, and it’s available to us, always.
—
From the Tao Te Ching:

It is not wise to dash about.
Shortening the breath causes much stress.
Use too much energy, and
You will soon be exhausted.
That is not the Natural Way.
Whatever works against this Way
Will not last long.

This new year, do something different: stop setting goals.

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then making resolutions for another year is a sure-fire way to drive yourself crazy. I did it for years, and it got me nothing.

Resolutions are pipe dreams, and goals are a waste of time. They are designed to trick you into believing all you need to change your life is a plan.

But plans don’t work. Life is too chaotic and busy. For most of us, it’s impossible to stick to a list of goals for more than a few weeks, not to mention an entire year.

So how do you change your life? By controlling what you can: your daily habits.

The Pointlessness of Plans

Most good things happen without a plan: friendships, falling in love, finding a job, and so on. If you want to make your new year count, you’ll need to be intentional — not by setting goals, but by making space in your life for what really matters.

This was how I was able to get into shape, launch a blog, train for a half-marathon, get a book deal, and keep my day job this year — while loving every minute of it.

Most productivity systems focus on beginning with the “end in mind” and setting goals to get there. Many are based on the assumption that in order to get what you want later, you have to give up what you want now. You work the plan, endure pain, and win.

But this is not the only path you can take.

I just finished one of the best years of my life, and most of it was completely unplanned. How did I do it? By creating new disciplines I actually liked doing. I wasn’t only fixated on the end results; I also enjoyed the process.

This is the secret to a healthy, productive life and to making an impact on the world. Create good, sustainable habits that you enjoy, and you’ll end up with a life you can be proud of.

Instead of Goals

There is an alternative to setting goals that will bring you closer to the life you want. Focus on a few practices you can enjoy doing on a regular basis. The trick here is consistency. These four helped me:

• Get up early. When the world wakes up, distractions abound. If you are going to focus on creating a new life for yourself, you’ll need to find the time. The best way to do this is to work while others are sleeping. At first, I didn’t like waking up before the sun, but eventually my body adjusted and I began looking forward to the solitude.
• Over-commit. The adage “under-promise and over-deliver” is a farce. It only propagates the status quo. Real difference-makers push boundaries. They test, prod, and poke until something gives. You can do this, too, by saying “yes” to more things than you’re comfortable with. Learn to stretch yourself. You might be surprised by what you’re actually capable of. Your confidence will grow, too.
• Talk to strangers. Relationships are what make the world go round. This is true for your career, personal well-being, and inner life. When you meet new people, you make connections that can lead to all kinds of future breakthroughs. Even when it’s uncomfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to new people. The worst they can say is “no.” Fortunately, many won’t.
• Practice generosity. Give away your time, money, services, and ideas. When you do this, you will get a lot more than you give. People will learn to trust you, and if you really help them, they will tell others about you. This will build your reputation, and you will have more friends than you know what to do with. And as the saying goes, what goes around really does come around.

After a year of doing these things, I ended up with a life I couldn’t have imagined or planned for. And I had a blast doing it. So I’m going to do it all over again, without setting a single goal.

The best year of your life is within reach — if you are willing to give up on the craziness of plans and instead focus on creating new habits. The first step is to begin.

In our daily lives, we often rush through tasks, trying to get them done, trying to finish as much as we can each day, speeding along in our cars to our next destination, rushing to do what we need to do there, and then leaving so that we can speed to our next destination.

Unfortunately, it’s often not until we get to our final destination that we realize what madness this all is.

At the end of the day, we’re often exhausted and stressed out from the grind and the chaos and the busy-ness of the day. We don’t have time for what’s important to us, for what we really want to be doing, for spending time with loved ones, for doing things we’re passionate about.

And yet, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to live a simpler life, one where you enjoy each activity, where you are present in everything (or most things) you do, where you are content rather than rushing to finish things.

If that appeals to you, let’s take a look at some suggestions for living a simple, peaceful, content life:

1. What’s important. First, take a step back and think about what’s important to you. What do you really want to be doing, who do you want to spend your time with, what do you want to accomplish with your work? Make a short list of 4-5 things for your life, 4-5 people you want to spend time with, 4-5 things you’d like to accomplish at work.
2. Examine your commitments. A big part of the problem is that our lives are way too full. We can’t possibly do everything we have committed to doing, and we certainly can’t enjoy it if we’re trying to do everything. Accept that you can’t do everything, know that you want to do what’s important to you, and try to eliminate the commitments that aren’t as important. See this article for more.
3. Do less each day. Don’t fill your day up with things to do. You will end up rushing to do them all. If you normally try (and fail) to do 7-10 things, do 3 important ones instead (with 3 more smaller items to do if you get those three done). This will give you time to do what you need to do, and not rush.
4. Leave space between tasks or appointments. Another mistake is trying to schedule things back-to-back. This leaves no cushion in case things take longer than we planned (which they always do), and it also gives us a feeling of being rushed and stressed throughout the day. Instead, leave a good-sized gap between your appointments or tasks, allowing you to focus more on each one, and have a transition time between them.
5. Eliminate as much as possible from your to-do list. You can’t do everything on your to-do list. Even if you could, more things will come up. As much as you can, simplify your to-do list down to the essentials. This allows you to rush less and focus more on what’s important. See this article for more.
6. Now, slow down and enjoy every task. This is the most important tip in this article. Read it twice. Whatever you’re doing, whether it’s a work task or taking a shower or brushing your teeth or cooking dinner or driving to work, slow down. Try to enjoy whatever you’re doing. Try to pay attention, instead of thinking about other things. Be in the moment. This isn’t easy, as you will often forget. But find a way to remind yourself. Unless the task involves actual pain, there isn’t anything that can’t be enjoyable if you give it the proper attention.
7. Single-task. This is kind of a mantra of mine, as I talk about how to single-task all the time. But it’s an important point for me, and for this article. Do one thing at a time, and do it well.
8. Eat slower. This is just a more specific application of Tip #6, but it’s something we do every day, so it deserves special attention. See this article for more.
9. Drive slower. Another application of the same principle, driving is something we do that’s often mindless and rushed. Instead, slow down and enjoy the journey. See this article for more.
10. Eliminate stress. Find the stressors in your life, and find ways to eliminate them. See this article for more.
11. How and why to slow down. This is such an important point, that I’m going to point you to two other articles on this: here and here.
12. Create time for solitude. In addition to slowing down and enjoying the tasks we do, and doing less of them, it’s also important to just have some time to yourself. Read this article for more.
13. Do nothing. Sometimes, it’s good to forget about doing things, and do nothing. Here’s more.
14. Sprinkle simple pleasures throughout your day. Knowing what your simple pleasures are, and putting a few of them in each day, can go a long way to making life more enjoyable. Here’s a list of 75 simple pleasures.
15. Practice being present. You can practice being in the moment at any time during the day. Here’s how.
16. Find inspirations. Learn from the best. Here are 5 inspirations for being in the moment.
17. Make frugality an enjoyable thing too. Instead of delayed gratification, try enjoying life now while saving for later.