Mastering Your Monkey Mind

Posted on21. May, 2011 by admin2.

It was an honor and privilege to be a presenter at the Toastmasters District 57 Conference. Here’s a quick review of  the tips from my speech.

Mastering Your Monkey Mind

1. Your Thoughts Affect Your Body -This is known as the Mind-Body  Connection.  Be sure to watch the video to enjoy a powerful demonstration where you can experience how your thoughts affect your body.

Empowering Positive Suggestions:

• “Everyday in every way I’m getting better & better” by Emil Koa        -this is my favorite positive suggestion

• Every presentation I give gets better & better & more enjoyable too
• I have the perfect amount of time to plan, prepare and produce the speech I desire
• My words flow out perfectly with a powerful concise message
• I easily connect with my audience and inspire them
• I can change the mood by changing my inflection, my tone, or pace
• I can adapt to any audience with grace and ease
• I feel calm, comfortable, confident with an alert mind when I present
• I LOVE table topics.  I can think fast, witty and intelligently on the spot
• I have the abilities, resources and skills to create my speech
• I tap into my left logical mind and my right creative mind to make a powerful speech

2. You can also utilize your body to empower your thoughts.

To bring more self confidence into your public speaking, or any situation, simply become aware of how your body and mind is when you are naturally confident.

Think of 3 areas of your life where you’re naturally confident.  Perhaps it’s a hobby that you absolutely love & enjoy.  Or, maybe, you’re the #1 go to person for certain tasks at work.

The point is that there’s many areas of your life where you’re naturally confident, where you feel good about yourself and your abilities.  As you become aware of these moments in your life, you become aware of how your body is.

Are you standing tall, with your shoulders rolled back and a smile on your face?

What’s the monkey mind telling you?  That you can easily do this in your sleep that you know it so well?

Once you become aware of your thoughts, feels and body when you’re confident, you can easily copy these sensations and reconnect with them when you need them the most, such as public speaking.

Self Hypnosis Script for Public Speaking

In a few moments I will begin to squeeze various muscles, then take a deep breath and release any stress or tension in my mind and body.  Once my body is physically relaxed, my mind will easily follow.

I begin with the muscles in my face.  First I make a few funny faces, moving my jaw, wiggling my tongue and then tighten all the muscles in my face.  I take a deep breathe and as I breathe out I release any tension or stress in my body and mind.

Next I focus my attention on my shoulders and neck.  I grasp the muscles in my neck, bringing my shoulders up to my ears and squeeze tightly as I take a deep breath, then I release, let go and feel good.

The deeper I relax, the better I feel.  Each breath, I naturally relax deeper and deeper, feeling better and better.

Now I squeeze the muscles in my chest and upper back.  I take a deep breath and any stress or tension will be release as I exhale and let go.

Next I focus my awareness on my lower back and stomach, holding the muscles tight as I take a deep breath.  As I exhale, I let go of any anxiety, letting go or anything that no longer serves me.

Now squeeze all the muscles in my legs, holding my knees tight and calves.  Squeezes my toes and holding it tight.  I take a deep breathe and as I breathe out I release any tension or stress in my body and mind.

Each breath I feel better and better as my mind begins to drift and dream.  The deeper I relax, the better I feel.  The better I feel, the deeper I relax.

In a moment I will squeeze all the muscles from the top of my head to the tips of my toes releasing anything else that no longer serves me.  I begin with tightening the muscles in my face, my neck, my shoulders, my arms, my back, my chest, my stomach, my legs, and all the way down to my toes.   I take a deep breath and as I exhale I let go of any stress, tension or anxiety, releasing and letting it go far far away from me.

As I relax, feeling so comfortable and good, I bring these wonderful feelings and sensations with me when I speaking in front of an audience.  I have all the abilities, all the skills and resources to plan, prepare, and produce a powerful presentation.
I have all the time I need to plan, prepare and produce a dynamic speech.  Whether I have months, weeks, or only moments, it’s the perfect amount of time for me to create the speech I desire.

I easily connect with the audience.  I’m able to work with the unique dynamics of any audience.  I can adjust the mood by simply adjusting my intonation, the inflection of my voice, or the rate I speak.

I feel comfortable, alert with a sense of peacefulness and ease within when I’m standing in front of an audience.  Whether it’s for work, family & friends or Toastmasters, I can easily adapt and adjust to any crowd.

My words come out smoothly, with a clear, concise message.  I’m able to communicate my message with a powerful impact to help change people’s lives.

Every day in every way I get better and better.

I learn from each presentation.  I acknowledge myself for the good and take in valuable feedback.  I know what feedback is useful that I easily adapt and use.  I also know what feedback is useless and let it go.  I work with what is and improve upon that.

I feel confident, comfortable and good about myself as I deliver my powerful speech.  I easily adapt to any audience.  My words come out clearly, concisely with the impact I desire.

Every speech I deliver, I get better and better and better.

I now take a few moments to bask in this beautiful blissfulness.

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Twists for Energy, Mobility & Cleansing

Posted on07. Apr, 2010 by admin2.

Enjoy this video with 3 easy twists that you can easily do in the morning, afternoon, or night.

Benefits of Twists:
* Stretches and maintains flexibility in the spine
* Cleanses and massages internal organs
* Improves digestion
* Stimulates the seven chakras
* Alternately stretches and compresses each side of the chest improving respiratory function
* Helps you find emotional balance and stress relief
* Stretches neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles (depending upon the specific twist)

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7 Elements To Permanent Change

Posted on06. Apr, 2010 by Administrator.

How come making a change is so hard, difficult and challenging?

I believe it’s because we simply haven’t been given the process to make effective,      permanent change.  Without identifying these 7 elements, you’re likely to sabotage your success.

Here’s the 7 Elements to Change:

1. Identify and clearly state your goals. I love the SMART formula, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Measurable

2. Desire: How motivated are you in attaining your goal on a scale of 1-10 (10 highly motivated).  If it’s less than a 8, I recommend working on your motivation first.

3. Belief: Create a future vision of yourself already attaining your goal.  What are you doing in this vision? What do you hear yourself saying to yourself? What are others saying to you?  How do you feel?  Include all of your senses in how you’re thinking, feeling, seeing, tasting and hearing.

4. Identification: Who do you currently identify with the same problem or challenge?  Also, who do you identify who’s successful at your goal?

5. Self Sabotage: What are you self sabotaging behaviors?  What new actions are you choosing to take instead?

6.  Repetition: What habits are currently holding you back from reaching your goals?  What new habits are you creating to reach your goal?  Remember, it only takes 21 days to create a new habit.

7. Self Talk: What are you currently telling yourself about reaching your new goals?  Is your self talk negative?  Or positive and pumping you up?

I’ll be going into more detail of each element in the next blog.  Until then, a great resource to jump start you into learning the elements of change is an blog talk radio show by Anastasia Netri who interviewed  Andrea Spence on April 5th 2010.

How to End the Self Sabotaging Cycle

Here’s to YOUR Successes!

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How to Create WIN-WIN New Years Resolutions!

Posted on11. Mar, 2010 by Administrator.

Are your New Years Resolutions realistic, or completely outrageous? What about setting up your New Years Resolutions in a win-win strategy?
For each goal, have 3 objectives.

1. A Minimum Goal. Something you can easily achieve by simply taking 1 step forward. This will help you create success and build momentum to keep moving forward.

2. A Target Goal. Your goal that stretches you a little further than you’re comfortable for and still realistically achievable. When you achieve this goal you’re extremely proud of yourself.

3. Outrageous Goal. This exceeds your current possibilities; it’s like shooting for the moon and expands your mind further.
I love this system by Raymond Aaron because it makes one feels successful from the very beginning. Sometimes the hardest step is the 1st one to take and once you’re in action it’s easy to keep moving forward.
Also, it reminds me of Brian Tracy’s saying on “How to eat an elephant?” …one bite at a time. It’s the continual work that pays off and creates the successful outcome we desire. Whether it’s putting money away every month towards one’s financial freedom or eating more vegetables to achieve one’s healthy weight, it’s our day to day actions that create the success.
Too many times I believe we limit ourselves, that’s why it’s important to think about what’s possible and bigger than our current goals. What would your goal be if you were guaranteed success? How big can you think?
For example my Toastmasters Goals:
- Minimum Goal: 12 speeches a year. I accomplished this in 2009 so I can easily meet this goal by keeping at my current pace of 1 speech a month.
- Target Goal: 36 speeches a year. I will have to step out of my comfort zone and find new places to give presentations
- Outrageous Goal: 72 speeches a year -6 speeches a month, I would have a completely different career, traveling a lot more and having a fabulous time!
What are you current goals? I would love to hear how this system works for you!

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Illusions of the Mind~

Posted on11. Mar, 2010 by Administrator.

Is your reality an illusion? Or are illusions your reality?

How is it possible that you and I can look at the same picture and see two different things? Take a look at the picture below, what is the age of the woman? What is the age of the woman in the picture?

Can you see the young lady? Can you see the older woman? Can you see them both at the same time? Why or why not?

Perhaps we see exactly what we’re looking for.

Look around your room and notice everything that is red. Then close your eyes and name everything that is green. I bet you found half as many green items as red, since you were not originally looking for it.

It’s the same in life, if you’re looking for doom & gloom, I bet you can find lots of evidence to support that. If you’re looking for the good, you’ll more easily find that too.

Here’s a fun activity to do everyday before you go to bed, list 5 successes that you had today, whether it’s big or small. As you focus your mind on success, it will be easier for your mind to create more successes.

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The Power of the Subconscious Mind!

Posted on10. Mar, 2010 by Administrator.

“In each of us, two natures are at war –the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of the must conquer.  But in our hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be we are.”  Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant

The subconscious mind operates our body and mind, automatically.  It is where all habits reside and where all of life’s programming and imprints take place.

The conscious mind is the seat of will power, which is a function of the decision making capability.

If we attempt to create any change, it has to be done on the level of the subconscious mind where memory, programming and habits reside.

The hypnotic state is the tool that we use as a vehicle to communicate with the subconscious mind.

When we do things on the subconscious level we do them automatically, quicker, more efficiently and more accurately.  It is a great advantage that we can relegate many tasks to the subconscious so as to free our conscious mind.

To demonstrate the functionality of the subconscious mind, try the following exercises.

Exercise #1: The A-B-C’s;

Say the entire alphabet as fast as you can, and notice how long it takes.

Next, say only every other letter.  That should be easier and quicker right?  Well try it by saying every other letter.

The first time around you were reciting something you already knew on the subconscious level, and thus it was easy, fast and accurate.  The second time around you had to think consciously about what you were saying so, of course you found that to be a much slower process, fraught with mistakes.

Exercise #2:  The hand clasp

Clasp your hands (interlacing the fingers) three times as fast as you can.  Notice how comfortable, quick and easy this action is.

Now clasp your hands with the other thumb on top (interlace the opposite way).

Do it three times fast as you can and notice how uncomfortable and slow it is compared to the way you are used to doing it.  Again, when you do it habitually and subconscious, it is easy and fast contrasting with the slow and cumbersome conscious way.

Exercise #3: Typing

If you know how to properly –i.e. with all fingers and without looking at the keyboard – you know how fast you can go when you ar in the flow (typing subconsciously).  However, when you do stop to look at the keyboard and spell out the words (typing consciously), you find that it is much slower and you are prone to making mistakes.

Exercise #4 Driving

Remember learning to drive?  Remember how difficult it was?  You had to remember to place your foot on the brakes, insert the key ,start the car, use your blinkers, put it in gear, step on gas pedal etc.  Then you had to deal with the traffic!  Everything was done consciously thus slower and with effort.  Now you can drive in rush hour without blinking an eye, with your radio on, coffee in one hand, cell phone in the other.
Learn to be more productive with less stress, solve problems quicker and easier and eliminate the blocks that are preventing you from reaching for your highest potential in your business and personal lives!

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How to Avoid Going Brain Dead…

Posted on10. Mar, 2010 by Administrator.

In your spare or ‘boredom’ time you can stimulate your brain with fun, easy, creative exercises.  With as little as a minute of time for each exercise, you can easily increase your reading, writing, comprehension, spatial coordination, arithmetic and much more.

1. Ear Rub

Technique: Massage your ears for 1-2 min.  Rub in the inside, outside and all around your ears.

Benefits: Improves listening comprehension and enhances ones focus.  This technique helps with public speaking, singing and playing music.  This is also great to help restore one’s equilibrium, especially in moving cars.

2. Double Doodle

Technique: Begin with your arms out in front of you and begin mirroring your arm movements.  Then take 2 pens to a piece of paper while you mirror your arm movements.  Begin with simple doodles and work your way up to writing your name.

Benefits: Helps with math, spelling and writing by enhancing the blood flow to your left brain.  Also, it stimulates the right brain to encourage creativity, play and innovation.  This technique increases hand-eye coordination in both visual fields, great to improve ones sports abilities.

3. Cross Crawl

Technique: Alternatively move one arm to the opposite leg and the other arm and its opposite leg in slow motion.

Benefits: Improves spelling, writing, listening and reading.  This is an ideal warm-up exercise before learning since it stimulates both the right and left hemisphere.

4.  Crazy Eights

Technique: Extend your arms in front of you; clasp your hands together with interlocked fingers and your thumbs pointing up towards the ceiling.  Move your arms first up to the top left and continue in a sideways figure “8” motion.  Make sure to come upwards through the middle of the “8”.  As your arms move through the figure “8”, your eyes should follow your thumbs through the motion.  Be sure to move only your eyes and not your head as you do this.

Benefits:  This exercise stimulates the right and left hemisphere simultaneously, increasing the communication to each hemisphere. Reading comprehension and long term memory are improved with this technique.

5. Balance Poses

Technique: Take a moment to get centered on your feet by shifting your weight to the front of your feet, then shift the weight to the back and then side to side.  Feel your feet well grounded and planted on the floor.   Then lock out your left leg and lift your right foot a couple inches off the floor.  Repeat with opposite leg.  Allow your gaze to be soft as you stare at something standing still.

Benefits: Be working on ones balance it helps one become more centered, focus and improves concentration.  It also helps ones patience with oneself.

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