Blog for Self Improvement

In the age of instant gratification, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain concentration. Whether you're in another marathon meeting or on a critical sales call, it is important to stay engaged. With the temptation of instant messaging, Blackberry, cell phone, the Internet, or even day dreaming; it is more of a challenge than ever to stay focused on the task at hand.

Why are we so distracted?

We have become a society that is inundated with interruptions. There are two driving forces that converge to make Americans even more susceptible to a lack of concentration than others. First, we are capitalists. Businesses want to sell you something as often as possible. So, wherever you are, there are advertisements tempting you to open your wallet. Second, we are addicted to technology. Related to our consumer-driven economy is a focus on having the latest and greatest technology. We are intense in our desire to have the coolest gadgets.

This has created an entire generation with an attention span of about 30 seconds. This is how we have been conditioned. Like an athlete training for an important competition, it is possible through repetition to be conditioned to exhibit specific behaviors. With the Internet, TiVO, text messaging, e-mail, and changing billboards; our attention is being divided more than ever. We have acquired an ability and a need to switch rapidly between activities. However, this ability is often counter to what is required to be successful.

The Formula for Focus

In the same way, you have been conditioned to switch your attention between tasks rapidly, you can condition yourself to concentrate for increasing periods of time. There are two methods that will increase your ability to concentrate in as little as 15 minutes a day: interval and resistance training.

Interval Training.

Step One: Go into a quiet room with no distractions.

Step Two: Sit down comfortably in a chair with a back. Close your eyes and place your palms on your thighs.

Step Three: Inhale deeply, hold for a couple of seconds, and then exhale. Repeat this action for 2-3 minutes paying special attention to path that your breath takes. Follow it in your mind's eye through your nose or mouth down your through into your lungs, then back out. Focusing on your breathing helps to clear your head. This is also an effective exercise to calm you down when you are nervous as well. Once you have established a clear connection of your mind to your breathing, move onto step Four.

Step Four: Breath normally for about 10 minutes keeping your mind clear. At first, it will be very difficult to keep thoughts from overwhelming your attention. This is normal. This is a sign that you are breaking the habit of a short attention span. Over time, you will be able to keep your mind focused on what you want for longer periods of time.

Resistance Training.

This method is less formal but just as effective. It is analogous to lifting weights. The more you lift, the stronger you become. Keep this image in your mind as I explain the process.

Step One: Engage in a project that will take longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Step Two: Set a timer for 15 minutes. Step Three: Work exclusively on this project for the full 15 minutes. You will be tempted to check your phone, your e-mail, get a drink of water, etc. Don't allow yourself to be distracted. If you are, just pick right back up where you are an continue. You can practice this process multiple times during the day. This method works by engaging your ego. By setting a target, you will tap into your desire to win, which will temporarily put off your emotions.

So there you have it, by using these methods, you can improve your ability to concentrate in just 15 minutes a day!

By: Bill Tyler

Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Bill Tyler is Co-Founder of Bubble UP! maker of The Bubble Planner, The Left-Handed Planner, My Daily Bubble for Women, and other unique time management tools. He has written several hundred personal development articles.

There are particular moments in life that when you wish you could depend on anybody’s self improvement advice. But even if they gave it to you with the best intentions, in case anything goes wrong, you are always going to blame those persons.

That is why specialists strongly advise you, every time you find yourself at a crossroads, to always take the decisions by yourself.

The question arising is: how can we know how to take it and which is the best solution?

No matter how young or old you are, you must have gotten to a point in your life when you have to take a big decision, which will probably affect your entire existence.

There is no doubt that there are certain moments in life when you feel helpless and disoriented and believe you could use some self improvement advice in order to figure out how to proceed with your life.

The answer is never simple. However, there is one self improvement advice that can be of great help and employed regularly will have great results.

It is called meditation and it has been used for centuries in certain rituals and by ancients civilizations. Even in old and famous books, like the Bible, people are invited to meditate, to discover and fight the evil in us and by knowledge to gain control over our decisions and our lives.

How do we proceed when meditating?

First of all, you need to be away from any source of distraction. You cannot analyze your deepest feelings and thoughts and watch a movie at the same time.

Secondly, you need to ask yourself a series of questions that will help you to better determine who you really are. The questions should relate to everyday aspects.

What do you like doing?  

What made you most proud of yourself during your entire life?

What is it that you always wanted to do and you never found the time?

What role does money play in your life?

What is it more important for you, you family life or your career?

How much do you depend on others?

If you are worried about a certain decision, let all the questions be related to that issue. If you are just confused when asking the questions, think about the common topics that one has to deal with during his life.

Do not forget to write down the answers. Try to concentrate and to be sincere. After all, nobody will judge you.

All these questions will help you determine exactly where you stand and what is it that you want form life. All you have to do is to get the right interpretation of your own replies.

In order to do that, help yourself to a coup of tea or your favorite coffee and take the time to analyze them thoroughly. Mark with a red pen whatever you find pride worthy answers and with a black one the things that do not make you proud.

Post the list somewhere where you can see it more than once a day, or post it in more than one place.

You will notice that, step by step, even unwillingly, the black things on your list will start turning red. Do not forget to renew the list when most of it has turned red! It is the best way to always be aware what your expectations from life are.

Take this simple self improvement advice and see the positive results for yourself.

The world is made up simply of energy. That is right … what causes the beats in our heart, what makes our minds work, what gives us those feelings is simply energy. Buddha talks about enlightenment and Buddhist Monks will spend this and the next life time learning how to become enlightened or more importantly how to ascend our spiritual body into the next.

So, what is death?

I have seen many people die around me, both family and friends. I watched the transition of my own grandfather from being a strong fit man to one that literally withered before my eyes. Yet within the pain comes a reality that as we become closer to death we also have the chance to make the transition from this form to another. Whether it is a form that lives within us or one that occurs on the moment we die, none of us know till the day it happens.

You know the really cool part about all of this. All of the critics no matter who they are and what they think they know can say with 100% certainty as to what happens not just when we die but when we meet the point of enlightenment and ascension.

It amazes me that as every person gets older, regardless of their beliefs, regardless of how hard nose they are or whether they believed in God or not, they all search for that point of knowing that there is something out there greater. Our own mortality and I guess our own arrogance wants to know we are going to go some where greater and that what we have done will continue on. Every single person I have seen or met believe as they get older, in that greater being or at least the hope there is something greater out there and that this is not the beginning and the end. I have even seen some of the most powerful men in this world, mellow as their own frailty hits them they search out for that spiritual being to help them in their transition.

I have heard many critics across the planet criticize the Buddhist monks who have dedicated their lives to path of enlightenment. I have even heard those same critics on the death bed of monks sit and laugh at them saying how foolish they were to have dedicated their lives to such foolish conquests. That there lives have been nothing but a waster of time. But have they …

This is a question that only you and I will be able to answer the day we reach enlightenment but what a journey it will be…

So, what is the starting point in the path to enlightenment …

The path to enlightenment is an exploration of yourself and who you are. Most Buddhists will start this path through prayer and meditation. In fact, regardless of what you call it, prayers or praying, it is all a form of meditation. This meditation (or prayers) are designed to take you to that state in which you get in touch which your feelings and belief with something greater. It is designed to break you away from your state of being.

Many people recommend, including many of the Buddhist Monk leaders, that we should meditate for a minimum of 20 minutes a day, preferably longer to help relax but as you begin to study what meditation is all about and the forms of meditation, you will find that this length of time will be know where near enough. You will find that meditation is about that search for enlightenment and the path towards this thing we call ascension. You will feel sensations and experiences you never expected, it will also open up your ability to change your own life.

Meditation is the facilitator in helping you reach inside of you. See without meditation you can not reach to your inner soul to explore your inner self. Essentially, to break the bounds we have with the physical world.

All right, so this is getting spooky or the things hippies talk about. Let us try this …

Think of a song you really really like that gives you goose pimples, where it uplifts you and you feel the energy surging through your body, that you feel happy, search for those emotions … got one … well one of the songs that does that for me is “A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins. Now start off by putting your song on and listening to it. Sit on the ground, cross your legs, breath slowly and listen to that song in its entirety. Block out all the other noise around you, simply focuses on the words as your mind clears.

What do you feel …

Let go of the words … do not focus on them … focus on your inner self. Can you still feel the goose pimples, can you feel the energy surging around your body. Okay, so now imagine this, being anywhere in the world, simply stopping, without any music or tools, meditating, searching within your inner self and feeling those exact feelings. Being able to create and control those feelings on your command. That is right; using meditation will help you on that path. How cool would that be?

Being able to do just this simple task is the first step you will take in your path to enlightenment. It is about being able to control you inner self, letting go and eventually being able to break the bounds of the physical world. That takes practice, study but more so, a lot of experimenting. There is nothing anyone but you who can do this. This path is within you.

A word of warning … the path to enlightenment will take a lifetime to master … and probably a few after. Look at the Dalai Lama, he is still on his path to enlightenment, and many lifetimes on. But hey, what a journey it will be. Imagine what you can do … imagine what lies on your path to life, your future, your eternity.

About the Author: Looking for other resources to help you with your meditation, we have Meditation Music (Baroque Music), Meditation MP3 and Simple Meditation Exercises

Source: http://www.easyarticles.com

Too much stress? You need a simple stress meditation. Of course, learning to meditate might intimidate you, and it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. A solution to both problems is a meditation you can learn right now, that will take a minute to do each day.

An Easy Stress Meditation

When you breath through your mouth, it expands your chest. Breath through your nose and you'll notice how your abdomen extends. Nose-breathing causes the diaphram to pull air to the bottom of your lungs. This delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream and brain, and it also tends to relax you. Breathing through your nose is healthier, and it's the basis of this one-minute meditation.

Here's how you do it. Close your eyes, sigh, and let the tension go out of your muscles. It may help to tense up your muscles first, then release that tension. Then let go of your thoughts, as much as possible, and take four or five slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing.

Can Meditation Be This Easy?

The short answer is yes. No, you're not likely to get you into a deep meditative state with this simple stess meditation. However, you will get benefits, including a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.

It helps to develop a "trigger" for your meditation. For example, do your four breaths when you get into the car, or right after lunch each day. These triggers are places or times that remind you, so your meditation becomes a habit.

You can say this isn't "real" meditation, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the relaxation you'll get from this technique. If you want, you can always pursue deeper meditation later. Meanwhile, remember that not everything has to be difficult to be of value. Why not try this easy one-minute stress meditation?

About the Author: Steve Gillman writes on many topics including brainpower, weight loss, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. Learn more and get FREE e-courses at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Source: www.easyarticles.com

Meditation has been embraced by western society over the last few years with more and more people choosing to meditate to help them cope with day to day life. It amazes me that in a society in which each of us are wealthier than our grandparents that we are certainly no happier than the people during the depression. In fact I honestly believe we are more miserable than those who suffered the worst period in history. Meditation is an excellent tool to help you deal with challenging times.

There are many different methods that you can use to meditate, you can sit on a floor, sit on the grass, lay on a bed or sit on a chair. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages so what we want to look focus on is the method of meditating in a chair and some of the elements of this meditation technique you need to be aware of.

The Chair Meditation technique can be used literally anywhere. You can meditate on a chair at work, at home, if you are in a wheelchair or if you are sitting on plane going to that important business meeting. However there are a number of key elements to be aware of that will affect your comfort and your ability to effectively meditate on a chair.

The first step in meditating in a chair is that you need to sit in it. Make sure that you have removed your shoes so that you can feel the floor and have a connection with your surroundings. You feet should be flat on the floor, if you can not touch the floor then find a chair in which you can.

Whilst you are sitting in the chair make sure that you back are straight and comfortable. Do not tense your back during the session or keep it rigid because if you do you will find during your meditation that your back will get sore and will affect you ability to be able to maintain focus.

The next step is too look at your hands. Place your palms onto each leg and place your palms upwards. If you are sitting in a confined space, like an airline seat put your open right hand on top of your left hand and put them into your lap.

Now it is time to focus on your shoulders. They should be level and your elbows should be parallel with your legs if you have placed your hands on your knees. If you have put your hands into your lap then your elbows should be slightly away from your body.

You mouth is another important aspect of your meditation in a chair. You need to ensure that your jaw is relaxed and that your tongue is resting on the back of the top row of your teeth. The last aspect you need to consider is your eyes. My personal preference when meditating is to close my eyes, but I know that some of my colleagues prefer to meditate in a chair with their eyes slightly open gazing towards the floor but maintaining focus.

Now that you are sitting in the chair effectively, you can now begin your meditation session. A deep breath meditation technique is always a good way to start simply because your posture on the chair is more conducing to an open chest and makes breathing a little more easier.

Look meditating on a chair can be just as effective as meditating on the floor. The most important thing to remember is to ensure you address the 7 areas of posture I discussed before. An effective posture ensures that the energy you emit during your meditation session will be able to flow freely and you will reduce the chance of a distraction.

The bottom line is this, if you are using a chair to meditate you should be sitting in a manner that ensures you are comfortable and you are not going to be distracted but at the same time you do not want to be so comfortable that you fall asleep.

Source: www.easyarticles.com

About the Author: If you are looking for effective High Performance Meditation Music check out our website at - Meditation Music. Meditation can also be very useful in overcoming asthma - if you are looking for information on this terrible disease visit our website - Buteyko Breathing Method or if you would like the opportunity to read the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill on the 13 secrets to success then visit our website.

This article is a brief description of the spiritual path that I am walking upon.

I think for any path to be feasible there must be certain ways of increasing our understandings and realisations. In my case, I was taught how to interpret dream and meditation symbols. The key main components of my path are :

1. Meditation
2. Dreams and vision interpretation.

Many other modalities, act as secondary supports along the journey. But the crux of the path essentially lies in consistent meditation and dream/vision interpretations. It is perhaps possible not to meditate, provided we remain sensitive to incoming-intuitions and other means of receiving insights and self-discoveries. Pendulum reading does play a part in filling some of the roles performed by meditational vision interpretation, but it is certainly not as flexible. This is because the readings that we get from pendulums are limited by the type of charts we use. In another word, visions can have infinite variations, whereas pendulum charts can only give us answers within their range of options.

Additionally, Reiki attunements helped in increasing my sensitivity to energies.

I simply cannot emphasize more on the role dream/vision interpretation plays in self-growth acceleration. It is very effective in deepening our understandings and in transforming ourselves. Prior to knowing how to interpret dreams, progress was slow for me. Dream interpretation significantly opened up new ways of receiving detailed information essential for my continued self-growth.

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules to self-discovery. Living Life itself is the path. However, I do believe in practice and consistency, if we were to achieve any desirable results.

I have been a meditator for many years... It was about 5-6 years ago that I discovered that I am at times receiving visions/images/insights in my mind that educated me about certain things. Often these visions revealed only what was understandable by me at any given moment of my journey. It was at this beginning stage of vision-receiving, that I met a highly Enlightened Teacher who taught me the current method that included dream interpretation. I am truly grateful to that Teacher.

Along my path, there were at times, what appeared to be past-lives feelings surfacing onto my conscious mind. These feelings were mostly traumatic, but realising them allowed me to understand the reason of my present life fears. Because of the potentially shocking and at times unpleasant experiences of past-life emotional re-living, I strongly feel that only one who is focused on progressing spiritually attempt to uncover past life experiences. Past life uncovering must be treated with respect.

Well, this is my system of practice in a nutshell. As you can see, the path is quite flexible in the sense that it is fully integrated into my life experiences and it does not really present itself as a separate endeavour. Also, each individual path will be unique and different from others. This is mainly because, each one of us, have different issues and areas that needed addressing.

I recognise that many different types of path can lead to similarly desirable results. Perhaps, the external expressions of different paths often belies similar dynamics under the differing facade.

Source: www.easyarticles.com

 About the Author: The author is a guy living in the Far East. He has been a meditator for more than 15 years. He runs a self-growth resource site at http://www.dreamdatum.com