Do you believe in Magic?

 It's never too late to rekindle your sense of belief and wonder in something greater. Life can be challenging, and sometimes, we lose faith in the face of adversity or the passage of time. However, I want to encourage you to embrace the beauty of believing in something, whatever that may be.

Belief is not limited to any particular faith or ideology; it's about finding a source of inspiration and solace that resonates with you. Often, life throws us unexpected tragedies, and it can be difficult to reconcile these hardships with our beliefs. But remember, doubt is a natural part of the human experience, and it's okay to question. What's essential is that you don't lose the desire to believe.

There are countless belief systems and religions out there, each offering a unique perspective on life's mysteries. Don't let anyone dictate your beliefs; it's a personal journey of discovery. It might be uncomfortable to delve into this topic, but it's a path to self-discovery and inner peace.

Start by asking yourself some fundamental questions. Do you believe in a higher power? Are you drawn to the wisdom in religious texts like the Bible, or do you find resonance in the teachings of Buddhism or the reverence for nature? What are your existing beliefs, if any? Contemplate how these beliefs shape your sense of right and wrong.

It's worth noting that societies often derive their moral and ethical frameworks from religious or philosophical foundations. In America, Christianity has influenced the creation of laws and values, while other parts of the world have different cultural and religious perspectives on morality.

Believing in something gives you a sense of purpose and provides boundaries for your actions. It's a comforting presence in your life, offering guidance and a moral compass. If you're seeking structure and ethical guidance, then belief can be a powerful ally.

Once you've reflected on your core values and beliefs, embark on a journey of exploration. Research and study different belief systems and religions, seeking knowledge to comfort your soul and answer your questions. Knowledge is a powerful source of strength.

Learning about various belief systems not only broadens your horizons but also helps you understand yourself better. It empowers you to make informed decisions about what truly resonates with your heart and soul. By gaining insight into the diverse cultures and philosophies that underpin different faiths, you'll find clarity and purpose.

Remember, travelling the world and experiencing various cultures can be an eye-opening way to deepen your understanding of different belief systems. It allows you to see how people integrate their beliefs into their daily lives, and this firsthand experience can be transformative.

In your quest to find belief and purpose, take your time. It's a personal journey, and there's no rush. Many people turn to religion or belief systems as a source of structure and meaning. As you explore, you may discover the path that resonates with you the most.

Belief can breathe new life into your spirit, offering hope, guidance, and a profound sense of wonder. Embrace the journey of rediscovery, and you'll find that belief has the power to enrich your life in ways you never imagined.

Assumptions, values and belief 2

As I wrote earlier, we live in a reality of assumptions I suggested you make a list of the assumptions you make about your personal life and journey. Then choose one of the fundamental assumptions and ask yourself what you would do if that assumption were to become invalid. This can happen more easily than you realize, usually for one of these reasons:

1.  A new, previously unknown, a person comes into your life and completely changes your worldview. In industry, the music industry assumed people would always listen to music on CD’s or records. That assumption became invalid once digital music and online sharing became available. The press assumed people would always buy and read newspapers until the web made more news available less expensively to everyone everywhere. 
2. A life-changing event, it could be the death of a spouse, a chronic illness, a fall that leads to hospitalization, the flu, a divorce. Any and or all of these changes can threaten your view of the world and challenge the assumptions you hold about your place in the world.
3. Changes in legislation can damage and even destroy society and our relationships. Canada and the US were once known for welcoming immigrants, but today in the United States, people seeking asylum are seen as dangerous criminals and our society is rejecting the idea that immigration is positive for our society. Neighbours, family and friends who have different views on immigration are no longer speaking. 

Look at the underlying assumptions of your life, choose one and ask yourself, what you would do if that assumption became invalid. Exercises such as these are useful not simply to have a contingency plan in case someone else does something to disrupt your life, but also as a means of coming up with a creative vision that might enable you to disrupt your worldview! After all, it is better to be in charge than the victim of change, is it not?

As you grew and took on more responsibilities in life, such as work, a life-partner, children, ageing, and mortgages to name some, it is easy to live a life that is controlled by assumptions rather than your true self. One of the most common assumptions people tend to make is that they need to earn as much income as possible for their families. As a result, we work long hours, bring work home, answer email at the dinner table and neglect the family in hopes of getting promotions and salary increase. 

When you retire this following could be your reality. Imagine your income is only half as much as have now.  How would you have to change your life to make that work? How much more could you do for your family in such a situation?

Very likely, your creative vision will be a lot more desirable than the creative vision that involves having a lot more money, a bigger house and a nicer car; none of which you can enjoy since you are working long hours to pay for all of them!

Boomers are divorcing at an alarming rate. Among U.S. adults ages 50 and older, the divorce rate has roughly doubled since the 1990s, according to a Pew Research Center report. If you have been in a long and comfortable relationship, you probably assume that your partner will stay with you forever. So, imagine the scenario in which your partner leaves you. Why might she (or he, of course) do that? What could you have done to make her want to stay with you? How could you have made the relationship better for her?

Needless-to-say, taking action on these ideas will only delight your partner, even if he/she has no intention of leaving you!

Do you believe in Santa?

My grandson is approaching the age where many children start to doubt that Santa is real. It is a tough time for any child who has been told all his/her life that Santa is a real person. Our belief system functions to keep us sane, if not safe. Our parents tell us that Santa is real, and we trust and believe our parents. Yet, as we start to expand our sense of the world, and create and gain new friends, some older than we are, we learn new things. One of the things we learn from our ever-widening circle of friends is that some of them do not believe Santa is real. Our friends in an effort to help us understand the world tell us that Santa is not real and Santa is really our parents.

But our belief system is strong, and we know our parents can be trusted to tell us the truth and so when we ask we are told that, yes Santa is real.

My grandson came home and said to his mom, "I have three friends that tell me they don't believe in Santa, but they believe in God. What the heck is up with that?  I told them that I believe in Santa, but I don't believe in God."

His Mom asked, "Why?"

His response was, "When we were in Canada, we went to Grouse Mountain, and I saw the real Santa. Also, Santa brings me presents, and I have never seen God, and God has never given me a present." Seven-year-old logic.

My grandson had been to Canada a few times and when he was five, we had gone to the Xmas celebration at the top of Grouse Mountain called The Peak of Christmas as part of that experience, we went for a sleigh ride, visited Santa's workshop in the snow, and he got to see Santa in his workshop. It was a magical experience for all of us, and he still believes he saw the real Santa in his workshop.

My grandson lives in Australia and Xmas is usually pretty hot, we were there one year and it was 40 degrees Celsius (104 for my American friends) on Xmas day. Seeing Santa in his workshop and walking through the snow to get to the workshop, makes Santa more believable. One day he will catch up to his friends and lose the belief that Santa is real, but my hope is that he keeps the spirit of Xmas. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year when people give freely to others and to those in need. This giving is part of the Xmas spirit which sadly only comes on some at this time of year but should be with us all year. Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to you.

A goal or a dream should be a challenge

A goal or a dream that doesn't challenge the dreamer to become more than they've ever been, to go where they've never gone, and to feel things they've never felt, is actually like wishing for a giant life-snooze button.

Do your dreams challenge you or do your dreams make you feel comfortable. Dream big, get uncomfortable. Life is about finding and rising above the challenges that face us daily. Get excited about life. 

Attitude is everything

I am sure you've heard it a hundred times - attitude is everything. What exactly does this mean? If you feel you need an attitude adjustment or know someone that does,here are some of the major contributors to attitudes?

Experience - Experience can be a great teacher or it can cause us to default to previous responses when dealing with totally new circumstances or people. 

If we don't learn from our experience we can't use it as an effective tool to improve or change for the better. Negative experiences have a significant impact on our attitudes and until we are willing and able to evaluate them maturely and accurately we are destined to continue to repeat similar behaviors in completely new and different situations.

Mindsets - Think of a mindset as cruise control. Once you press the button everything happens automatically.

So, if over time you have become a negative or pessimistic person it is easier to think this way about everything than think otherwise. Attitudes are driven by mindsets. 

If you have any prejudices as a part of your attitude base you will tend to think and act this way regardless of current circumstances. Mindsets are one of the major factors that contribute to our attitudes whether it is your attitude about time, weather or any other human factor or interaction. To change attitudes requires that you change a mindset, but I'm sure you realize that because of an existing mindset this can be a very difficult if not impossible task. 

And why? Because most people would rather remain the same than do the work to change. The other reason is that when we have certain attitudes we will go to great lengths to defend them as right or appropriate.
Personal history - Your personal history; how you were raised, values you were given, beliefs you have developed over the years are a significant factor contributing to attitudes. If you have consistently failed over the years regardless of the activity or endeavor, if you have not come to see these failures as a valuable learning tool but a reason to bring this philosophy to any new action you will tend to continue to repeat these outcomes.

You can't change your history, but you can change how you choose to interpret it in your present moments in present circumstances. It is a choice, one that is vital if you want to change any attitude.

Expectations - The number one cause of disappointment are unrealized expectations of either yourself or someone else or even a situation that does not turn out the way you hoped or planned. Expectations are simply what you want to happen or when or how you want someone to act or behave. These expectations are generally grounded in your personal attitudes like - people should be on time, the weather should cooperate, stupid drivers should stay off the road while you are travelling, planes should be on time - got it? 

These are simply personal beliefs that you have that have developed over time that are then manifested through your expectations thus reinforcing your attitudes in this area. 

Conditioned environment - You were raised in an environment you couldn't control. All that your parents or caregivers could pass on to you were their beliefs, values etc. Although these might have been appropriate for them given their circumstances it is unlikely that some of what they passed on to you is still relevant in today's complex world. What you learned from teachers, church leaders, relatives, or even neighbors was "where they were coming from in their life" but it has no relevance whatsoever to the decisions you face and the choices you must make in your life. 

Education - Education can be a significant factor when it comes to attitudes as what we learn, who we learn it from and how we are trained to apply our learning can impact views, opinions and beliefs and how we execute these.

Your political influence is driving many of your views, prejudices, opinions and values. I am not implying that any of these are wrong, right or neutral just that they are impacting your attitudes. Yes after our early educational influences many people change their views, but this is usually due to continued neutral and impartial ongoing education.

Perceptual interpretations - Everyone filters what they hear, observe and experience through a very personal and unique mental emotional filter. Let me just conclude that the ingredients in your mental filter, things like; expectations, age, gender, race, religious beliefs, cultural background, education etc. all have contributed to your opinions, interpretations, beliefs, values and yes prejudices. 
Yes there are many more contributors to a person's attitudes, but I'll wager that most of your current attitudes can be measured using the above topics as your template.


I'll leave you with a question - are any of your dominant or primary attitudes getting in some way sabotaging your success, happiness, inner peace, relationships, career or any other life area

Practice

Yesterday I talked about belief in self and how that will bring about success. 

But, in addition to our need to believe we also need to pay our dues, we need to practice, to study, and to prepare ourselves. 

We need to think then act. We need to face the external and internal beasts that frighten us.

We need to pay the piper whatever dues we think we have to pay. 

We need to do the dance, walk the fire, wait in line,  plant the seeds, hoe the field, go to market; whatever it takes

Because on the day that we become all that we now dream of becoming... 

Oh my gosh, there is simply no price that would seem too great.

It's going to be that good, you're going to be that happy, and it's going to be for so, so long, 

Works of Fiction

Hopefully you do not fall prey to the following fictions of life as we move into 2013

Trust your instincts

A new University of Alberta study says when it comes to goal setting, your unconscious mind can be a great motivator.

Alberta School of Business researcher Sarah Moore and colleagues from Duke and Cornell universities say that unconscious feelings about objects in the environment influence the pursuit of long-term goals. Their study explores how the unconscious mind responds to objects in relation to an individual’s goals—and how the unconscious continues to influence feelings about these objects once the goals are reached—whether or not the outcome has been successful.

In Freud we trust
“In the past few years, we recognized that some of [Sigmund] Freud’s ideas on the unconscious mind were, in fact, correct and that a lot of our decision-making and a lot of our feelings are based on things that we’re not really aware of,” said Moore, who is an assistant professor in the Alberta School of Business. “In our study, we looked at how our unconscious feelings about objects in the environment influence how we pursue goals.”

Moore notes that previous studies have shown that when it comes to short-term, finite goals, such as responding to basic needs (for example, thirst or hunger), the unconscious will evaluate objects and form preferences based on whether the object will help an individual achieve the goal. She says that in the case of thirst, items such as a water fountain or a bottle of Coke will be seen favourably, while a chocolate bar or KFC sign would not.

However, she explains that, once the goal is reached, those same objects will be evaluated differently.
“Once your thirst is quenched, you don’t evaluate the water fountain positively anymore because you’ve accomplished the goal,” she said, “ but there are differences when we look at long-term goals."

Win some, lose some—but goal still important.
Moore’s research focused on longer-term goals, such as getting in shape or undertaking educational pursuits. For both types of goals, she says, the process is similar in that the unconscious identifies and responds to positively to objects and triggers in the environment that support the goal. However, the unconscious deals differently with these objects during progress towards long-term goals. Moore says that, unlike with short-term finite goals, the unconscious will continue to positively value objects related to the long-term goals even after a level of success has been achieved. She says this phenomenon points to the indeterminate nature of the goal.

“In some sense, we’re never ‘finished’ long-term goals,” said Moore. “If we successfully finish the small steps toward our long-term goals, it becomes a cycle: we take a small step, we succeed, we feel good about it; therefore, we continue to feel good about the long-term goal. This process makes us more likely to take the next small step toward achieving that goal.”

What was surprising for the researchers was how participants in their study reacted to objects after a failure. While the researchers expected the participants who failed to react negatively or express dislike for objects related to their test goal, Moore and her colleagues found that failure resulted in a neutral view of the objects.

“You don’t hate the objects related to the goal because that goal is very important to you in the long run,” said Moore. "Your unconscious is telling you ‘now is not the time to pursue the goal. You just failed, let’s leave it alone for awhile. We’re not going to pursue these objects in the environment; we’re going to switch to some other goal."

The study was recently published in Cognition and Emotion.

For further information, contact:

Monica Wegner
Communications Strategist monica.wegner@ualberta.ca 

Fuzzy logic

A great poem by Gayle Noble


I opened my eyes as if in a dream
All around me was the sea of life
I felt like a dingy adrift ....
How will I guide myself though this mess?
I need a compass ...


The conscious came forward ...
"I will guide you. I always point due right. Set your course by me."


I need someway to move, I thought ..
The breeze of imagination played with the strands of my hair.
Oh, I thought. How can I use that?


The full sails of hopes, dreams, and desires fluttered in the breeze.
With what can I trim these sails?


Moods, whims and fancies fell out on deck;
They went straight to trimming sails.


Who will guide this boat?
"Fuzzy logic reporting for duty, Sir ..."
I looked at the scruffy logic ... well ...


Fuzzy picked up my compass and looked around. "I need some rudders."
Analytical logic, statistic logic and intuitive logic reported.
They stood stiff and grim in the wind of imagination.


A fancy made a face.
A whim went so far as to stick her tongue out ... testing.
Analytical logic took out a little black book and wrote down their names.
I would have to keep an eye on him!


Fuzzy took the helm; "Full speed ahead!!"
I played with a few whims to trim the sails more to my fancy then went below.
I had forgotten already about analytical.
I didn't notice when he put my name in the book.


No longer adrift on the sea, I was a full clipper
capable of pirouette turns though the course of life.


I haven't woken up yet.

Empathy, motivation and realism

In the past few days, there has been an opportunity for me to think about empathy, motivation and realism, and a number of people have emailed different links on these areas. So I would like to share some thoughts from Steve Denning on the links

A New Way To Communicate (Truly)

You've probably seen those artists at conferences, who work at the back of the room and put together a fascinating set of sketches of what was being discussed during the conference. After the session is over, you go over and have a look at it and you can see the threads of the conversation often amusingly depicted on a large board. But there's a lack of connection between the experience of listening to the talk and then later viewing the drawing.

Well, what if the artist was at the front of the room? And what if the sketches were being done in real time, perfectly in sync with what the speaker was saying? You would have a new way to communicate.
  
I was intrigued by his email and I decided to explore and found this interesting channel on YouTube  The RSA . I have for the past few years enjoyed TED (see this link for an explanation of how the idea came about, and this link for a link to TED)and the exploration of new ideas and the way they present the ideas, but  the Royal Society of Arts in London has done more with a series of talks. What's interesting is that they have taken a fairly slow moving fifty minute talk, and turned it into a fast-paced mesmerizing ten minute barn-burner. Astonishing but not surprising. as the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) has been a cradle of enlightenment thinking and a force for social progress for over 250 years.

To learn more about the RSA, visit: http://www.thersa.org/

Changing is not easy

Changing what you have,  comes from changing who you are. And changing who you are comes from changing what and how you think.

Michal Fortin in one of his posts says "I did so in an attempt to try to find the one common denominator in all religions, in all cultures, in all societies. Some people say it’s love. That may be true, but what I have found is, in almost all cases, the common denominator has been “You are what you think"

Masaru Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. The implications of this research creates a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health. We can do this by changing our thought patterns.
 
So how do we change what we think? (Rhetorical Question) I believe we change because we become exposed to new ideas, some that reaffirm our paradigm and others that question the paradigm of our world.
 
Education, travel, reading, and listening to others all expose us to new ideas. If we have an open mind, then we begin slowly to change our thinking and if we change our thinking then perhaps we can change who we are or who we will become.

If  as Masaru Emota claims we can change the shape of water  as it crystallizes by exposing it to different thoughts then I think it stands to reason that perhasps we change ourselves by our thoughts?
 
Something to think about.

The following is a post from Art Ramsey from his Inner Peace and Wisdom newsletter. I find his ideas to be inspirational so I am sharing them here. I also think his ideas are important to understand if we are to move towards the balance needed to bring harmony to our lives.

Emotional responses to events in our lives depend on our belief system. So when someone seemingly challenges our beliefs we seek to defend them in any way we can. We become like the staunch patriot, who strongly defends his Country or sports team no matter what. We may not even be aware of the belief threatened, but somewhere within our minds we feel the belief to be true.

 Depending on the event, we either react or respond to what we may consider a barb, or there may be a two-step way of replying - first, we react, and then respond. The usual outcome of these actions would be considered negative, causing an emotional and stressful response. Anytime we are provoked by someone or some event that does not meet our expectations, we fall back to unconscious beliefs.

But what if we could respond in a different way? What if instead of depending on past subconscious beliefs to drive our responses, we responded in a totally new way? What if, no matter how terrible we thought the situation to be, we could respond by looking at it as a gift? What???!!! A gift? You out of your mind Art?

 Could I look at stubbing my toe, breaking a glass, or falling down a hill and injuring my wrist as a gift? Could you look at getting fired, coming down with some serious illness, or getting a divorce as a gift? Well, at first, no. But if we look deeper, if we move past our usual anger or pain, we may discover something else.

 People I know and others I have heard about, who have experienced a serious, life-threatening disease have, after it was over, recognized that it helped them see something about themselves they would not have seen otherwise. Granted, during the event it may not have looked that way, and these situations happened over a somewhat long period of time.

 It may be that the people mentioned above had longer to consider what was happening in their lives than a sudden event like breaking a glass and cutting your hand. But, even so, most people would view getting a disease like cancer with much trepidation. Would beliefs surface here? Most assuredly, but they would surface quickly at first, and then perhaps creep in over time as well.

 How then could we view events we experience that we term 'bad', negative, terrible, or just not wanted, in a different way? We could stop during or after the event, and look for a message it may be giving us. Obviously, after stubbing my toe, the message is to be more aware of my surroundings. But what about experiences that are not so obvious?

 Let's look at a few examples. You walk across the kitchen floor, slip on something wet, and almost fall, catching yourself on the counter, but knocking a glass on the floor that breaks. First reaction - either laugh or get angry with yourself. Your second response, while picking up glass pieces, is to be upset that you are so clumsy, or blame whoever left the wet object that caused it all. What could you learn from the event?

 How did you slip on the wet object? Were you watching where you stepped, or were you looking across the room at something? Being aware of each step wherever you are could be something to learn. Martial artists learn early to open their awareness to everything around them.

 Example 2. You are driving along a four-lane road in the left hand lane in traffic, when a vehicle that had just entered the highway from an entry ramp passes you, and puts on its left turn signal. It then swerves into your lane in front of you. You touch the breaks, give the person the finger, and get upset with the jerk. But then, the vehicle's turn signal comes on again, and the car makes a left-lane turnoff.  

 What could you learn from this? What caused you to get upset when the car pulled in front of you and seemingly cut you off? Obviously, you did not know the reason the driver did what he did, and responded from a belief. And that is the point here - you never know why someone else does something. Therefore, the lesson could be tolerance, but there is also a belief about being 'cut off' or someone 'butting in'.

 Example 3. Your partner or spouse has just walked out forever. You are angry, depressed, and frustrated about the situation. You immediately blame him/her for causing the relationship to come to this point. While moving through your emotions later, you remember events over the years of the relationship. You begin to see your part and how events unfolded.  

 Once we get clear minded about a situation, we can reflect and then respond differently. We need to delay our reaction until we have a moment to let the belief that would have caused it to pass without an effect. If the unconscious mind gets into the act, we are doomed, at least immediately. Afterward, when the reaction has passed, we can recover and look for the gift.

 Is finding the gift or message easy? No it is not, but it can be accomplished with practice and determination. It will probably be one of the most rewarding pursuits you can engage in; even better than to stop complaining. I suggest you start with something simple. Make it easy on yourself. Then proceed to what seems more difficult.

 When you find the gifts in the everyday events that have pledged you years, your life will get easier, and you unlock a door to happiness that has been shut for a long time. Working on the effects caused by unconscious beliefs is a path to freedom that I cannot describe in words. You will have to experience it for yourself

Something to think about

Every day, "the score" is even. Every second, in fact. Everyone lives each day for him or herself, no matter what they did. No one owes anything to anyone, no matter what happened.

And from this, what I hope you most get, is that whatever you do next, you do it for the joy it brings you. The joy you receive will support your belief. Remember that one of the fundamental proofs that support our beliefs is that they produce a result.
The universe is watching do you see joy in your world.

Wii Video Games Help Stroke Patients Recover More Quickly

My thanks to Bill Daggat for this post:

Stroke patients who engaged in Wii games regained lost strength and motor skills more easily and more quickly than their counterparts who played conventional recreational games, according to Canadian researchers at the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. The study involved 22 people between the ages of 41 and 83 whose strokes left one arm weak, although they were able to touch their chin or opposite knee. Two months after their stroke, half of the patients began a two-week course of video-game therapy with Wii tennis and Wii Cooking Mama, which uses movements that simulate cutting a potato, peeling an onion, slicing meat, and shredding cheese. The other 11 patients played recreational games, such as cards or Jenga (a block-stacking and balancing game). Both groups engaged in eight doctor-supervised sessions, about an hour long, over a two-week period.

Researchers found significant motor improvement in the speed and extent of recovery in the patients who used the Wii technology, which allows users to gauge their actions on a television screen with nearly real-time sensory feedback. When evaluated after the therapy and again a month later, the patients in the Wii group could reach out and grab an object, such as a can of soda, about seven seconds quicker than those who played the recreational games. A larger clinical study of 120 patients is underway. 

Feb. 25, 2010 (San Antonio) -- Active Wii video games may bring some fun into stroke recovery, helping patients regain lost strength and motor skills in the process.

In a first-of-its-kind study, 11 stroke victims with weakness in their arms could reach out and grab objects more easily and more quickly after two weeks of playing the active video games.

In contrast, 11 stroke patients who played card or block games for two weeks showed no change in arm strength afterward, says Gustavo Saposnik, MD, director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

"For the first time, we've shown that the virtual reality gaming system is safe, feasible, and potentially effective at improving motor function after stroke," he tells WebMD.

Until the video games prove safe in larger numbers of stroke survivors --shoulder painbeing the main concern -- it’s too soon to recommend people start playing Wii games after stroke, Saposnik says.
But should the video games pan out in a study of 120 stroke patients now in the planning stage, the Canadian researchers believe they will become an adjunct to traditional stroke rehab programs.
"The great thing about gaming is that it engages the patient and motivates them to participate -- for hours. It gets them to use the [weak] arm repeatedly, which is what is needed to regain strength. And it's fun," says American Stroke Association spokeswoman Pamela Duncan, PhD, a physical therapist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Duncan is familiar, but not involved, with the research.

Stroke Rehab With Wii Games

Saposnik says he got the idea for the study after his 5-year-old daughter told him their Wii tennis match was stacked against her.

To even out the odds, the left-handed researcher tried playing with his right hand. "It was difficult. But over time, I got better, leading me to believe [the games] could be beneficial for stroke rehabilitation," he says.

The study involved 22 people whose strokes left one arm weak, although they were able to touch their chin or opposite knee.

Two months after their stroke, half began a two-week course of video game therapy with Wii tennis and Wii Cooking Mama, which uses movements that simulate cutting a potato, peeling an onion, slicing meat, and shredding cheese.

The patients could use a Velcro strap to attach the controller to their hand if necessary.

The others played recreational card games or Jenga, a block stacking and balancing game.

Both groups engaged in eight doctor-supervised sessions, about an hour long, over a two-week period. "During each session, they'd engage in one game for 30 minutes, then the other for the next 30 minutes," Saposnik says.

The findings were presented here at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

Source:www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20100225/wii-games-speed-stroke-rehab

Why do we lie?

My thanks to Mark for his thoughts on this idea

We lie to proctect ourself.

We lie to justify our beliefs.
We lie to protect others.

 When we lack faith in ourselves, we lie to project who we want to be. We think that this proves to ourselves that we are a good person. The truth is that we then believe in a lie and that reinforces our lack of faith in ourselves.

So many hidden lies are inside us. We bend the truth or exaggerate a story to get our point of view across. Or we leave out information that reinforces a view that we disbelieve in. Sometimes we have a strong view on a subject but then manipulate our view to suit our own needs.

Say we see a documentary on how badly chickens are treated. Mass-produced, fed on hormones, cramped in cages, mistreated etc. etc... The documentary affects us and we are disgusted at how bad life is for the chicken. Next time we are at the shops we go to buy eggs and we remember the documentary so we look for the carton that displays, “free roaming chickens laid these eggs.” These eggs a bit more expensive,  but worth it to us because we believe we are doing the right thing. Then we go to the butcher and there is chicken in the window with nothing to say where it’s from or how it lived but curried chicken is the spouses favourite dish and it’s their birthday. We end up buying the chicken. We justify it by convincing ourselves that we have done our bit for the better lifestyle of the chicken because we bought the more expensive eggs in the carton that displays a picture of a happy smiling chicken.

That is one example of how we lie to ourselves. We have a perception of how we want the world to see us but when that very perception does not suit us, we invent a lie to make ourselves believe that we are a good person. The core fact is that we eat those very chickens.

 We lie because we are afraid of the consequence of our actions. If we do something wrong we do not want to admit it. There is the fear that people will think badly of us. Deep down we think this because we think badly of ourselves. We are guilty and ashamed that we are not the person we want to be. When we lie we are reinforcing this guilt and become even more ashamed of ourselves but a lot of the time we supress this guilt and rely on our ego to be our spokesperson. We see someone in the shop buying the cheap eggs and we shake our head at them in disgust to enhance the fact that we are a better person than they are, to invigorate our ego. When we run people down it has nothing to do with them it is about us. We are seeing our flaws in them and we don’t like what we see so to make ourselves feel good, better, wiser and so on... We knock them. We are lying to ourselves.

Lies do have their place. If a mad man with a gun asks you which direction did your brother just run off in, you are going to lie. That is not a damaging lie and you will not feel any guilt at all.

It is when you lie to yourself that damage occurs to you. The manifestation of guilt and deception turns to feelings of worthlessness and issues of low self-esteem.

It is hard to bust through your ego and get to your own truth. So often, what we believe to be the truth is hidden or buried beneath an array of beliefs. It is these very beliefs that you need to start to question to start peeling away the layers.

You do get to the core and you will know it when you get to it. Once you have, re question every answer that you have arrived at and come up with another answer that is closer to the truth, something that is closer what you really believe.

You cannot fix something if you do not know where it is broken or you cannot change something if you do not know what needs changing.

To believe in yourself and get through life with balanced confidence, self-esteem, and love you need to be truly honest with yourself to the core.

Realization comes from questioning Recognising your beliefs is, I believe, all that was needed to start undoing them. This is not easy because as we age we find that our belief system works for us most of the time. However is their not value and  true balance of life in knowing who we really are?

 An example of balance can be seen by looking at the problem of weight control On one end of the scale is obesity on the other end of the scale is anorexia. Both are tied to the emotional struggles of the mind. The centre of the scale, the perfect weight so to speak, is the balance where the mind is free of all issues that hide the belief in yourself.

What if

What if  life were  challenge free, how adventurous would your life be? 

What if you had the perfect body, perfect self-esteem, everyone adored you, and you

won the lottery every Sunday?

What if  painful as they may temporarily be, you could choose a life

during which challenges might arise whenever your thinking needed expansion,

on the sole condition that every one of them could be overcome no matter how

daunting they may at first seem?

Remember everything makes you more. What would you choose?

The basics

Learn to focus on you, instead of others, may be the key you've been seeking to finding what is missing from your life.

If you find that you're comparing yourself to others and coming up short, it's time to stop that destructive habit. Comparisons get you nowhere. Rather than leading to positive improvements, they only cause you pain and discontent.

A better choice is to focus on your own personal needs and wants. You're a unique individual who requires a personal approach! This helps you boost your self-image because you're focused on improving yourself and not trying to beat someone else in some uncharted race.

Learning to focus on you rather than everyone else around you can be a difficult task. Too often, we're so used to focusing on our families and friends that we don't even know how to begin the process of focusing on our own choices and decisions that determine our lives.

Follow these five tips to help you focus on fully enjoying your life:

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1. Devote one hour a day to "me time." During this time, focus completely on yourself and the things you need or desire to feel strong, lovable and important. Reflect on what's important to you. Dream big dreams and figure out small steps you can take to achieve them.

Your "me-time" can be anything you like it to be: take a relaxing bubble bath, go for a walk, take a nap, get a manicure, read a novel, or do something else. Anything that brings you pleasure simply for the sake of pleasure qualifies as me-time.

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2. Take care of your own physical, spiritual and health needs. Relying on someone else to meet your needs only leads to dependence and resentment. Don't wait for someone else to do these things for you. You have the power within you to meet your own needs and the only way you can be truly whole is to do just that.

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3. Feed you mind and body good healthy fuels. You cannot expect your mind and body to function at their best if you don't provide them with the fuels they need to work at full capacity.

Feed your body good foods: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Drink plenty of water to keep your body fully hydrated.

Feed your mind by reading informative, well-written books,newspapers, and magazines. Choose recreational reading that builds your mind and spirit. Limit your TV watching and spend your time pursuing things that stimulate your thinking instead.

Play board games rather than video games. Listen to music designed to stimulate your brain waves with binary beats.

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4. Spend time each day doing something you love. No matter what your hobby is, it's healthy to indulge in a creative pastime. Gardening, painting, woodcarving and pottery are all hobbies that encourage your creativity while you use your hands to create something beautiful.

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5. Start a gratitude journal. Begin and end each day by listing five unique things you're grateful for in your life. Before long, you'll find that you spend more of your time dwelling on all the good things you have in the world rather than negative obstacles you might face.

Focusing on you helps you take the best possible care of yourself. It allows you to replenish your batteries and regain your strength so you can be fully present and engaged in the rest of your day.

Use these tips to start changing your focus today, and have many happy tomorrows! Believe me, try these methodsout and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results =)

Do share with me your results. I look forward to hearing from you.  Have a great day

Preventing Stress make a decision

Make Decisions - here are two techniques:

 A. Can't make up your mind? Maybe your subconscious can help you.

1. Before going to bed, think about your problem and the various choices you could make. Think about each choice clearly in your mind. Tell yourself you're going to make the decision while you sleep.
2. You may not name the solution the next morning but if you keep trying, you will eventually awaken with your mind made up.

B.Sit down with a pencil and paper and make some lists.

1. List your options.
2. List the consequences of each option.
3. Write your response(s) to this question: What will happen if I don't choose at all? If you don't make a decision, that's a decision in itself and it also has consequences. Once you realize that something is going to happen whether you make a decision or not, you may find the decision easier to make.

C.  Avoid Procrastination

1. If procrastination causes stress in your life, learn to stop putting things off. People don't do their best work under pressure. However, some people convince themselves that if they do so they can avoid dealing with their habit of procrastination.
2. Make a weekly schedule and fill it with lots of time for leisure as well as work. That way, you'll enjoy your playtime because you'll be doing it at the right time, not when you should be working. And when you are working, you won't resent it because you'll know that your leisure time is coming up soon.

D.  Delegate

1. People who haven't learned to delegate often feel needlessly stressed. Some are poor delegators because of too little or too much ego.
2. Delegating isn't a matter of dictating to others; it's asking others to assist you by doing tasks they can handle. This gives you more time to do those tasks that perhaps only you can do.

The laws of attraction myth

The law of attraction states that "Like attracts like." What we want comes from being in a high frequency of gratitude for what we have and the joy and excitement of moving ourselves toward what we want. .
According to Wikipedia :-0 the first references to the law of attraction occured in 1879, in the New York Times was the first major newspaper to use the phrase "Law of Attraction", describing the wagon trains of the Colorado gold rush as "moving in obedience to some occult law of attraction that overcomes all obstacles in their progress to their destination".New York Times (1879-04-06). TO LEADVILLE IN WINTER: COLORADO'S NEW MINING CAMP. New York Times, April 6, 1879

From the idea that mystical forces can help overcome all obstacles has arose a new dependence on the idea that the universe is on your side and will help you achieve whatever your heart desires. However many riders are added so that if you do not get what you want you are made to realize that perhasp  you are not really true in spirit, you have some hidden doubts or you associate with the people who are not on the same plane or path that you are on. There are so many riders and hidden clauses in the law of attraction that allow believers to understand why they are no getting what they want that makes me want to shake my head in disbelief and wonder if the writers of these laws are writng insurance policy fine print.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that there are forces that will allow you to get what you want. I do however believe that you control most of them. These forces are first hard work, vision, determination, understanding of self confidence in your ability to do what needs to be done. We also need luck. Edison said luck is 99% persperaton and 1% inspiration. We need luck on our side, but luck in life and business comes because we see what others miss. Luck is not random except in lottery sales.

Don't stop believing that the universe or some other spirtitual force will help you get what you want, if that is what you need to do to help you explain your life choices, but also recognize that attitude, hard work, vision and confidence are also needed to help.

Are you struggling?

One view is that people stuggle because they have forgotten who they are.

By that we mean your True and Authentic Self,  on the other hand, who we THINK we are
is how we show up in life. If we are struggling it may be that we will never be who we are.

Who we THINK we are comes from listening to other people rather than listening to ourselves. Because we have listened to others most of our life, we find ourselves believing what we are told.  For a large portion of my life we choose to believe what others tell you to believe. Many of you may have learned early that what other people think of you is more important that what you think of youir self. 

What I suggest is you start to focus on WHO YOU ARE and what you can do in this moment. Life is not about who you are not, what you cannot do, and what you don't have, it is about who you are, what you can do and what you have or what you want.

WHO YOU ARE is everything. It is the ONLY thing that really matters because everything hinges on your ability to be yourself and to do that you must become intimately aware of the false beliefs you have about yourself and about the way life works.

Do you accept life as it is? Remember,  this is not always easy and doesn't always follow a straight and convenient path. Do you let life unfold through them instead of putting their life into a box of expectations.

Your greatness is not dependent upon anything you accomplish. You don't need to prove anything to anyone - even yourself. I am here to tell you one thing - you and everyone that comes in contact with you are already great. To live your greatness, you must know WHO YOU ARE and you must do what you can do in THIS MOMENT. Nothing else is required.