Meditation: What is all the fuss about?

Hugh Jackman, Orlando Bloom and Gwenyth Paltrow do it,
Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan swear by it,
Goldie Hawn is an advocate for it, and
the late Steve Jobs practiced it.

Meditation is becoming popular among celebrities, athletes and businessmen, and has received a lot of attention in the media in recent years.  Scientists are dedicating thousands of hours researching into its hidden magic.

But what is meditation?
What is all the fuss about and is it practical for you and me?

Meditation can be defined as "an intentional and self-regulated focusing of attention, whose purpose is to relax and calm the mind and body". (1) And according to an article in www.psychologytoday.com the benefits read like the pot at the end of the rainbow:

• reduced stress an anxiety
• decreased anger and confusion
• reduce pain and enhance the body's immune system
• increased energy
• improved relationships
• and the list goes on...

Sounds like the ultimate solution! Right? So why don't we all do it?

"I can't sit still or cross legged on the floor"
"My mind won't turn off"
"I am too busy"
"It is not in line with my religion"
"Never heard of it and don't know how"

Sound familiar? These are some common reasons why we think we cannot practice meditation.  Even the word meditation conjures up the image of somebody sitting in the lotus position, a serene expression on their face without a care in the world.  While this image is something we may desire, it is not practical for many of us.

The good news is that meditation has been adapted for today's society and can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, even you!  Whether you dedicate 30 seconds waiting at the traffic lighs or 30 minutes at the end of the day; a more relaxed body and calm mind is obtainable.
You many not have a body like Hugh or Gwenyth or slam dunk like Michael Jordan, but you may find a little peace in a busy world.

If you would like to know more or would like to join a 6 week Meditation Fundamentals course contact me on 0419 004 212 or visit www.nextstepcg.com.au

Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. 2007 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier,Inc.

(1)

Expectations

Guest blog from Chaim Avinu

From the moment we are born people have expectations of us and as we grow we learn to have expectations of ourselves and others.  What do expectations really mean?

The World Dictionary defines ‘expectation’ as:

• the act or state of expecting or the state of being expected
• (usually plural ) something looked forward to, whether feared or hoped for: we have great expectations for his future ; their worst expectations
• an attitude of expectancy or hope; anticipation: to regard something with expectation statistics: the numerical probability that an event will occur

I find it remarkable that the word cannot be defined unless it is put into a sentence, which gives me the impression that the word itself has no real meaning or value, but it is the value we place upon it that gives it its true meaning.  I believe the word “expectation” implies that the choice has been made for us.  We are no longer in control, but still have the responsibility to complete the ‘task.’ It holds us back; confines us to someone else’s idea of who we should be, rather than allowing us to have the freedom to become who we are. 

If expectations hold us back, we need to find a word to use instead; allowing us to complete the task without the expectation.  The answer is to set ourselves goals.

Why choose goals over expectations? 

I believe expectations have a negative connotation; anger, frustration and disappointment occur when we fail.  When we meet an expectation there is little or no reward because it was a ‘given’.  Goals are associated with positive emotions such as motivation, happiness and excitement.  We are taught to reward ourselves when we reach a goal and if they are not met we are taught to stay positive, pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and start over again.

By learning to replace expectations for goals it allows us to grow and gives us the freedom to be who we are.

Emotional Investment

Guest blog from Chaim Avinu

We usually associate the word ‘investment’, in terms of finance or the stock market.  People buy shares in a company with the expectation they will make more money in return. So then, what is emotional investment?  As in the definition above we can say that, one would put a certain amount of feelings into something or someone and expect the same if not more back in return.  If this does not happen in either situation, we ‘cut our losses’ and move on.  There are some people who will continue to invest even when they are losing, which forces them further into ‘debt’ or negative emotional investment.

If we can begin to be aware of the investments we make in our daily interactions with each other, we are able to better control our emotional return, ensuring that we continually stay or strive to be in the positive (feelings of being happy, content). 

How can we do this?

We all wish to be happy, but how do we know when we are happy, what measurement do we use.  The use of ‘emotional points’ can help.

Emotional points is a scoring system, where we assign a value to our feelings.

Positive feelings = 1 point. (happy, contentment)

Neutral feelings = 0 points. (indifferent)

Negative feelings = -1 point. (anger, frustration, sadness)

Start the morning with 10 points and throughout the day as you interact with the people and environment around you, you rate your feelings. Gaining or losing points depending on how the situation made you feel.  At the end of the day you add up your emotional investment.

Did you lose, stay neutral or gain?

Ending up more than what you started with, shows that you have had a ‘happy’ day or positive day. You may even decide to reward yourself with an extra 5 points.  By rewarding yourself with a bonus you make yourself happier and can receive another point for creating a positive feeling.

 If you ended up at the starting point, you were neutral most of the day.  By giving yourself an extra point bonus for not falling into the negative, you have put yourself in the positive and therefore you are entitled to the 5 point bonus for being in the positive.

If you are in the negative, make sure you cut your losses and stop negatively investing because you will have to continue to minus points. The best thing to do is say something positive, eg. ‘At least I didn’t beat myself up’ or ‘It was hard but I did the best I could’ a positive comment will make you feel positive and stop the ongoing negative investment. 

What we need to remember is to be mindful of the emotions we attach or invest in our everyday interactions and try to make as many of them a positive experience, causing perpetual positive investment.  We must always ensure that we try to avoid investing in a loss in the first place and also recognize when we have invested too much.

I believe in time it will become second nature to weigh up the investment you are about to make and make it a positive one.

Catch the Bandit

Have you ever noticed that food seems to disappear while you’re reading, watching TV or working at the computer?

Where did it go? I don’t remember eating it? One of the kids must have taken it?

I have found this to be very frustrating and as my life got busier this seemed to happen more frequently. I knew I had to take a stand when my coffee started to disappear and catch my food bandit red handed… I decided to set a trap.

The bandit was most successful when I was distracted by my computer,

The next time I made my coffee I sat at my desk and waited for the bandit to show…

I kept a keen eye on my coffee and focused on any sound to announce the bandit’s arrival.  Time passed and nothing happened, the sweet smell of the coffee began to distract and entice me. Lifting the mug I felt the weight and heat in my hand.

The more my senses were absorbed in my coffee, the more I forgot about catching the bandit.

The bandit never showed up that day and it was the best coffee I ever had.

Everything in life is a choice

When you feel the need to hurry,
remember that everything in life is a CHOICE.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

 

 

 

I always wanted to be a social worker or a counsellor but never found the time.
Now that I have completed my Diploma of Counselling I realize that I always had
the choice but never made the time.

Now I am where I want to be and am ready to make a choice and go the next step
and make my dreams come true.

Regards
Sylvie

One Small Step

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu - Chinese philosopher

This quote reminds me to focus on the small steps when I feel my goal is out of reach.  It is from here that NextStep was created and the first step to change....

How many times have you been asked “What’s your 5 year goal” or “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” We are encouraged to create goals and use them as motivation, but sometimes we focus too much on the goal instead of the steps that are needed to get there. That’s when it becomes all too much and too hard, fear and anxiety creeps in and our goals slip away.

We cannot rid ourselves of fear and anxiety but we can learn to minimize it.

Instead of focusing on the ‘big picture’, we need to adjust our focus on the next small step, such as writing an email or making a phone call.  The bigger the fear and anxiety the smaller the steps we need to take.

Learning to use our small steps as motivation and celebrating each one in a positive way keeps us moving forward toward our ‘big picture’.

Like you, I have a number of long term goals.  But in the meantime I am going to focus on writing my next blog. What’s your next small step?

Until next time, I hope your goals are big and your steps are small.

Rochelle

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In the meantime here is some food for thought:

Thoughts become Words
Words become Action
Actions become Habit
Habits become Character
Character becomes Destiny