A CLEAR MIND
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Hello again.
We broached this topic once before but I thought it might need elaboration. Both study time and work time need to be broken in a way that refreshes the mind. Many people know about having a break and yet they push on without it in some martyr fashion or don’t do it properly.
It’s not only the small breaks that are necessary, we need larger breaks to get the big picture of where we are. It’s usually called a holiday. But then Sir Richard Branson is (in his own word) “fortunate” in having an attitude that spawned wealth and a life style that doesn’t need a holiday. Life is one long happy ride.
Let’s have a look at both of these.
If you went to work eight hours a day, seven days a week you’d be running low on ideas and enthusiasm. You’d be stale. As an employer I wouldn’t get the freshness needed in an employee. You’d go home grumpy, yell at the kids, kick the dog and have an argument with your partner. You’d be doing this because of not having time alone to rest or encounter something new.
We all need outside stimulation.
If you arrived at work one day and your boss said to fix up any urgent work quickly because we are all going to the beach or a theme park for the day, you would probably think he was nuts. But when it hit you he was serious how quickly would you get through the next job? You’d get through it without a gripe or hitch or stop. You’d work flat out to get the job done.
How much more enthusiasm would you take home and bring to work the next day?
I wonder if there is a boss out there who does this. It would be great for morale.
Working alone or studying needs to take you places to keep your mind fresh. Take a pad and biro but don’t try to get ideas or draft sentences, just go and let the mind free to enjoy new surroundings. Don’t go to the same park or coffee shop or quiet spot you usually go to.
Do something different. That’s the whole idea of having a break. Get on the river ferry and go somewhere you haven’t been or take a train ride to ten suburbs away.
This is a mental holiday wherever you go as long as it is out of the ordinary.
If there is some reason why this can’t be done then you have your own perfect mental health
Here’s how. Just sit back and relax with a straight back. Take a few deep breaths through your nose, hold and exhale quickly through your mouth driving out all the air you can.
These breaths should alternatively fill your lungs as full as possible and then empty them as much as possible.
Then sit and picture as vividly as possible a totally relaxing place. It may be a forest glen, a deserted beach, a hillside overlooking a green valley or sitting in a boat on a placid lake at sunrise. What color is the sky; light or dark blue or streaked with sunlit clouds? Maybe it’s the colors of sunset or sunrise.
It’s your place. Try to imagine that place now. It doesn’t matter if you change it later but it is good to go with your first choice at this stage so you get the hang of it..
Now become totally aware of how you feel. You feel at one with your surroundings. This is where you can relax. Feel the soft breeze on your face and body; notice the temperature and the scent of the place. Is there freshly mown grass or the aroma of flowers blooming? Maybe you can smell the ocean breeze or crispness of the mountain air.
Do you hear any sounds, like crickets or bird calls? Maybe there is a waterfall nearby and you hear its water cascading over the mossy rocks to a pool below. Can you hear that celestial choir over the horizon? Maybe you can hear the silence.
What are you dressed in? Are you barefoot or in comfortable soft shoes? Loosen any tight clothing. If you have long hair, let it flow.
Touch the elements in your surroundings. Feel the hardness or softness of them. Let the sand run through your fingers or roll in the grass and look at the clouds as they pass slowly.
Walk a while and taste the delicious fruit nectar or drink the crystal water. Wipe the sweet smelling herb on your arm. Are there butterflies? Can you see that little animal watching you? Do you want to say “Hello” and pat it? There is nothing here that can hurt you. This is your place.
Gaze at the pastel shades of the plants and marvel at the crimson of others.
Relax like you have not relaxed before. You can always relax here and the more times you come here, the more you will be able to relax.
Take a few breaths to get back to the jobs at hand.
As you become more familiar with this place you will be able to go to it whenever you want to rejuvenate. Nobody can take this from you. The only secret you need is to DO it.
Now let’s look at Sir Richard Branson. He has obviously got a fertile mind interested in a whole range of topics. That very fact is what makes his life a joy to live.
He would be bored to distraction watching TV. A regular job would offer nothing to stimulate his mind. So why do so many people kill their lives by accepting monotonous, dead end occupations?
Maybe it’s fear of loss or of success; ignorance of what they could achieve; just plain dumb ignorance; laziness; childhood teaching; apathy or inability to think beyond their immediate world. Who knows?
Several facts stand out. Branson is not interested in what Mrs. Jones next door is doing. He has a wide view of the world. He has his own life. He looks at what he does as an opportunity not a chore. He analyses situations. He has faith in his judgment. He makes decisions and he DOES something about it.
It is a fact that less than 5% of people will actually do something to achieve any major lasting improvement in their life.
If you got the magic words “Open Sesame” there is only a 3-4% chance that you would bother going to the cave. Ask yourself why.
Branson’s first venture into the aircraft business came about when he realized it was cheaper to hire a plane to get to his destination than pay for a ticket. He simply filled the plane with paying customers and made a profit.
Here is a very short summary of his life http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3693588.stm
His attitude is positive and he finds joy in newness. His self confidence is rampant but with a good deal of research behind it.
He will follow an idea no matter how silly it may be just to see where it could lead. He will give it a try, after all what can happen? We all started with nothing.
If he lost all his money he would make more to replace it.
How does his attitude differ from yours? He is willing to try! If you do nothing you will get nothing. It is simply a matter of mind. You probably will make mistakes. We all do at some time but the trick is to anticipate them.
His break from work is the challenge of the new; the freshness of a new venture. He stimulates his mind with further challenges..
You may not be able to start a Virgin Galactic but you can start a home business or tune a hobby to be financially rewarding. Try to make an extra $5 per day for the next month. Start tomorrow and mark the calendar. If you don’t get it find out why and try again.
Try for ten dollars per day when you have got it right.
If you can make five or ten per day; can you repeat the idea to make ten or twenty per day?
There is a need for volunteers in so many groups in your area. Helping can change your life. You can make a difference and be rewarded with new friendships.
Anything you can do to refresh the mind is going to help you. It provides an increasing confidence, happier nature, better mental and physical health and expands your interests.
We could talk about epinephrine, alpha waves, biofeedback or meditation but these are all available on the net so if you have a particular curiosity type them in.
For any artists wanting to start a project Your Eden is a great place to put you in the mood.
*****
Thanks for the comment about the previous issue, Evan.
Click on Evan’s blog about acupuncture at the bottom of that issue.
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Bye for now,
Jay Ross.
