When your mind is full of distracting thoughts and worries, why not try using this technique to stop thinking, calm down, and bring everything back into focus…

“To understand how you might be thinking
thoughts without realizing it, stop right now,
close your eyes, and do not think a single
thought for ten seconds.

If thoughts came even though you decided to
stop them, you know thoughts are happening
in your life without your knowledge of them.
If your mind will not obey you and stop for
ten seconds, can you imagine the amount of
thoughts that are being produced in one day?

You can change this and master your mind. All
it takes is practicing the process of not thinking
a thought for ten seconds. In a short amount
of time you will be able to stop all thoughts for
ten seconds, fifteen seconds, thirty seconds,
and so on, until you are the one who decides
whether you will think a thought or not. The
peace that comes when you are the master of
your mind is indescribable, and along with
that you will also be a master of the law of
attraction. Imagine that!”

~ From The Secret Daily Teachings by Rhonda Byrne

I’ve just been reading how Rhondda Byrne used this “secret” technique to rid herself of reading glasses:

“I asked, and then I visualized myself without reading glasses in every situation.

My eyesight became clear in three days. I didn’t notice the three days that it took because I KNEW it was done in the moment I asked. If I had noticed the three days that it took, then I would have been noticing that it was not already done.

I totally believed and KNEW it was done. I had absolute faith. I can just as easily say that it took me three days to realize that my eyes were seeing clearly or that it took me three days to adjust to my clear eyes. That would be true, because I knew the moment I asked that it had been given to me, and I had absolutely no doubt whatsoever. From that state of knowing, my eyesight became clear in three days.”

Extracted from The Secret Daily Teachings by Rhonda Byrne.
Another good read: Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses by Jonathan Barnes.

According to Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, we should look for the good in every single thing even if it appears to be negative:

“If we can know that good is all there is, then we will see a negative situation transform into all good. Most people keep the good away from themselves because they label something as bad, and then, of course, that becomes their reality. But there is no bad in the Universe; it is just our inablity to see things clearly from a bigger perspective.”

Here’s an example of how this bit of advice helped me: I’ve had a lot of computer problems just recently, with endless “blue screen of death” crashes. This lead to me experimenting with lots of free system management programs in an attempt to fix the problem.

In the process I’ve come across such little gems as WinPatrol which not only takes up little resources, but will do a whole bunch of things including monitor your PC for unexpected changes, check for spyware, and get your machine up and running a lot faster by delaying non-essential startup programs by up to an hour.

Other useful stuff I found included FixIt Utilities 7, easy-to-use diagnostic and maintenance tools, FCleaner, an all-in-one optimization tool, Quick Startup, which will give you more information and control over processes running in the background, and AlertThingy2, a really useful application for displaying the latest updates from all your social networks.

So, even though I may not of got to the root of my problem yet, the negative situation has led me on a fantastic voyage of discovery, and I now have some great new software installed.

Found Magazine collects found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles– anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Literally anything goes.

Check out all the strange, hilarious and heartbreaking things people have picked up and passed on to Found Magazine.

I found the link to this site while reading Elisabeth Wilson’s inspirational book Slow down: Enjoy life and live longer
Here’s the extract:

Here’s an idea for you…
If you need proof of how pregnant with creative possibility ‘found’ objects can be, take a look at www.foundmagazine.com you’re almost bound to find something there that can become your jumping off point for a new idea.

Check out the Power of Less Video
Leo Babuta’s new web site: www.thepowerofless.com

When you are feeling tired, worried or stressed out,  a simple 10-minute breathing meditation session  can pacify your mind, making you more focused and in control of things.

A few minutes in meditative silence will give you a whole new perspective on the world, free up your imagination and creativity, and make you feel more positive with renewed energy for going back to the problems of the day.

Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, you are able to reduce stress, feel much calmer and better able to cope with your everyday problems and difficult situations. It certainly works for me!

More details can be found at www.how-to-meditate.org

This inspirational video from Dave Stewart, featuring a host of celebrities, just blew me away…

via YouTube

I’ve always been a great believer in Yoga as the perfect form of exercise and meditation.

The new Body in Balance website offers information and services on all forms of yoga, pilates, and meditation. They can also be found on Sky channel 275. www.bodyinbalance.tv