The Value of Money and Saving for Less Stress and Relaxation

We met a 'friend of a friend' in a supermarket at the coffee section. I was picking one of the Italian choices and our 'friend of a friend' was deliberating over the supermarket's own brands. I said I really enjoyed the flavour and aroma of the Italian brand when relaxing in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee. For her, it was the cost and then taste which was motivating her choice.

Later, she briefly mentioned her long financial troubles and how she has now decided to turn her life back to normal. Currently living alone after the breakup of a long term relationship, her spending habits had not changed with her circumstances.

She experienced too much stress, for too long and had been unable to relax due to money concerns. She felt her independent way of living and well being were already compromised.

After the shopping, we sat outside a cafe for a drink. I was curious to discover what she was doing to improve her financial status and get 'back to normal' again. She told me so much, I began writing notes (I often carry a small notebook and pen for those moments when inspiration flows).


The Big Picture - Providing for Your Future Well Being

• Paying all bills before saving money.

• Saving money and building up 'easy money' or 'emergency cash' to reduce relying on loans or handouts.

• Saving for desirable purchases, like evening wear, holiday or car.

• Investing for the long term future with special bank accounts.

• Being aware that the value of many things goes down as well as up.

The Smaller Picture with Big Consequences
Creating 5 accounts for different expenses. For example:
1. Bills
2. Food
3. Savings
4. Holidays
5. Long Term Savings


The Value of Money Compared to the Cost
Calculate what you spend monthly or weekly. Design a comprehensive list that shows all outgoings. Be honest with yourself. Contrast the list with your income. Ideally and necessarily the income is to be greater than the expenditure.


Increasing Savings by Reducing Expenses

• Using only a debit card for shop purchases, having 'locked away' the credit card.

• Reducing the cost of energy bills by changing suppliers. Remembering to turn off lights and unused electrical items (avoiding 'sleep' or 'standby' options).

• Choosing cheaper home and car insurance options.

• Change the mobile/cell phone contract to a cheaper alternative.

• Finding lower cost telephone, television and internet broadband bundles.

• Picking bank accounts with higher interest savings.

• Paying attention to bank account details to avoid charges.

• Avoiding using the car whenever possible and opting to walk or cycle more.

• Using price comparison websites.

Food

• Eating at home more and eating out less.

• Buying essential foods that will be eaten and not forgotten in the fridge or cupboard.

• Learning tasty, healthy new recipes.

• Snacking and binging less.

Health and Well Being

• Learning relaxation and stress reduction techniques that can be useful for anytime.

• Yoga.

• Running outdoors instead of paying to use a treadmill.

• Cycling and walking instead of using the car for short journeys.

Nights Out

• Cutting down on the drinks and food bill.

• Going out 2-3 nights of the week instead of four.

• Stopping the gym membership and exercising outdoors in the spring and summer.

• Visiting a variety of restaurants and bars not just the expensive or trendy and expensive ones.

• Buying only necessary clothes (with the intention of finding cheaper, good quality alternatives) and adventuring into the wardrobe to rediscover what's already there.

Finally, I will add her favourite self-questions: Do I need it and will I use it? Can I afford it?

This describes most of her plan for finding new choices and creating new beliefs for enjoying saving money and spending less. All the while adding value to well being and learning to relax again.

Thanks for reading
Jens

Stepping Into The Talent of Your Role Model

Finding the skills you need from the talent you admire
This article offers you a practical and unusual way of recognising and learning some of the skills from someone you admire. It may help you overcome doubt, fear and even encourage problem solving. It has certainly helped me. I recommend using it together with real-world practices as it may accelerate your use of any gains made.

This post blossomed from an evening’s food and conversation with friends and their children. I realised that kids can give fantastic insights into how we adults can change our beliefs and positively change our behaviour.

Children and young adults will sometimes associate deeply with certain characters or celebrities and take on some of their characteristics. This may include a fashion and music style, mannerisms of speech or body posture and even a person’s attitude toward life. I suddenly remembered that this is an excellent way to explore how another’s skills or talents may be suited to you as well. It’s been used by a few self help teachers in the past and for good reason, as I’m sure you’ll discover.


Taking yourself into the Talent
The following technique is great to use when combined with your real-world learning of skills. It may help accelerate the use of that knowledge as I believe there is no substitute for real-world learning. As you know, we all share similar attributes of speech, thought, feelings and physical expression. We all know the wonderful benefits to be gained from our imaginations when we intend them for practical use.

Begin by sitting comfortably and reading the exercise below. Then go through it step by step and enjoy!

The 3 key attributes to gather for yourself are:
1. Skills
2. Confidence
3. Relaxation

• Find someone whose skills or performance you will like to experience as your own. This may be a prominent public speaker like Barack Obama, Tony Robbins or Oprah Winfrey or any other accomplished person.
  

• Take time in observing how they do, what they do. Study them on YouTube, Television, DVD or real life if you have the opportunity.

• Relax whilst watching them. Absorb their movements, sounds and the feelings you get from the flow of their performance. Enjoy becoming very familiar with the way they perform.

• Close your eyes and imagine them performing again. You can create any scenario you like. See them vividly going through their excellent routines.
  

• Hear clearly what they say and more importantly, the ease and skill with which they say it. Feel throughout your body their confidence and assuring presence.

• Mentally move around this person and watch them from different places. Decide which position feels best to appreciate and incorporate their talents for your own use.

• Gently move into your image of the person. Pretend you are seeing through their eyes, hearing through their ears and enjoying their feelings. Make this your experience of their excellence.
  

• Notice everything that is useful and positive about their excellent way of doing what they do.

• Feel as much as you can from using their talents and have fun in repeating this for familiarity.

• Gently move out from your role models’ body, having recorded their skills, assured relaxation and confidence for your own use.

• Move your body gently and open your eyes slowly. Take some moments to relax further and be more aware of your own unique self. Then stand up, walk around and recall what you discovered.

• When the first real life opportunity presents itself to you, practice your newly combined skills.

Remember to combine this technique with real-world learning of skills to help accelerate the use of that knowledge. I recommend you repeat this technique often to help you overcome doubt or fears. Use whenever it’s appropriate and useful to you. Change to suit your own wants and needs. It’s best practiced when you’re happy and comfortable to do so.


With your newly absorbed skills, imagine yourself doing the things you will like. Then ask yourself the following:

• How much more relaxed do I feel?

• How much more confident do I sound?

• How much more assuredly do I move?

• How much more comfortable am I when expressing my new behaviour?

This tool is all about relaxing, going inside and noticing new things and ‘realities’ for absorbing what is useful for you.
Taking a role model that you admire and enjoy watching is best. For ease of use, choose a person whose talents you can easily recognize. Notice how you can apply their talents to benefit you. Then discover your own unique expression with them. Wishing you the very best.

What were your experiences from using the technique?
Do you think this tool is useful to you?
Please let me know.

Thanks for reading
Jens


Thank you BT and VT for your inspiring examples.

Creating Pleasure from Leisure

Leisure and pleasure are two nouns that sit beautifully together. They even sound 'sensation'-al when you say them. If leisure is the freedom from time-consuming responsibilities, I'm curious as to what people do. What activities or hobbies help us feel refreshed, relaxed, energized, excited or relieved? In this article I offer an attitude to activities for pleasure.


'Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.' Paul McCartney
Some people and you may know a few, don’t do recreational, leisure activities or hobbies. They have ‘interests,’ ‘pursuits’or ‘occupations’. I don’t share a serious attitude toward my activities. Actually, I do because I believe they are for pleasure and I’m quite ’serious’ about that.

I was chatting to a friend during the weekend and they declared “ I haven’t got time to spend on a hobby ” after telling me all about their busy but incredibly unproductive week. I replied
“ hobbies don’t have to cost anything only a small amount of your time and the value is the pleasure you get.” I thought it was a smart reply. I even gave myself a congratulatory pat on the back.

More importantly, it caused me to reflect upon how I regard exploring new activities for pleasure. In the past, I didn't always indulge in a hobby because I would think “It’ll take ages to learn or be good at that.” That was the simple ‘red light‘ statement that stopped me from discovery. What a good way to deny yourself pleasure from expressing creativity and having little adventures. So I missed the point and pleasure of some things. Thankfully the past is where it should be. Behind me.


‘Any activity first begun has only the value you place upon it.’ Anon
Now, I regard leisure as fun, ‘light’ occassions that express what you desire and how you express yourself in the moment. Some people's hobbies have longevity and aims, some have wide reaching social goals and consequences, others are rewarding for their immediacy and the short term. Some you may even think frivolous.

However you consider hobbies, you’ll find they share this common attribute:
They are play-things for your imagination and an expression for your creativity. They are either immediate for pleasure or later for another profit.

To misquote Napoleon Hill: ‘Do not wait. Start with whatever tools you have at hand.'

The 'tools at hand' are you and your creative imagination. Whatever hobby you have from abseiling to reading and writing, somehow, somewhere you are engaging your mind and body in sensations from which you expect great feelings of well being. That’s the reward you expect from listening to your latest music download to completing your first triathlon.


Many opportunities are at hand to discover pleasures for your leisure.

• Walking for relaxation and exploring new places.
  
• Reading and listening to audio books
• Singing
• Meditation
• Drawing, sketching anything. Doodling.
• Exercising
• Blogging
• Restoring old vehicles
• Playing an instrument
• Exploring techniques for your well being
• Twittering
• Listening to music
• Cooking with new ingredients and styles
• Learning to skate
• Watching foreign movies
• Quilt making
• Learning a second language
• Living life in whatever way you choose
• Travelling
  

For me, it’s all about manifesting my creativity in any way, at any time I choose. I can be inspired and excited by music and I’m sure you know how that feels. Reading a book can be the cause of reflection and the inspiration for a blog article. Walking and exploring new places can bring opportunities to meet new people.


The goals of my leisure are:
1. Pleasure
2. Creativity
3. Benefits to my health

Remind yourself that leisure activities and hobbies can be simple, enjoyable, time-effective, relaxing and fun. Those may be the only goals you need to begin. By changing a routine and doing the simplest activity, can positively alter your mood and change your day for the better.

What are your favourite spare time activities? Do you have the time for leisure?

'Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and follow where they lead.'
Louisa May Alcott


Thank you D for helping inspire this post. What a star!

Thanks for reading
Jens

Using your Mind-Body Skills for Improved Sports Training

Sport training, relaxation and visualisation are not usually considered important for the non-professional or non elite trainer or sports person. Yet have you considered that before every physical action you take, you probably visualise it, feel it in your body and most likely have some inner dialogue about it?
I'm no expert on you but if you're a healthy human being you will likely notice one, even all three of these inner functions.
Which leads me to ask: what of your mental and emotional skills in preparing for sport or exercising? This article reveals some techniques to enhance and balance the quality of your training preparation and performance.

I'm going to introduce a series of mind-body conditioning tools for you. They begin with preparation before your training or exercise and lead into you performing your exercise itself - in this example running. They will help you build a new awareness of yourself through meditation and transfer this to your body movement and attitude when training.

Goals
The first goal is for you to build a clearer sense of your form and perception and beauty of movement.
The second goal is for to either achieve more optimal performance, overall fitness or greater enjoyment and appreciation of your activity.
Furthermore, you will hopefully enjoy greater skills in visualising or imagining new possibilities and achievements.


For the purposes of this article I used running as my exercise as it's very popular and practised by many sport and exercise enthusiasts. Yes, I practised the following suggestions myself. You can use these techniques with many types of exercise. I've also used them with body weight exercises like burpees. Practice the techniques yourself to discover if they give you new limits of mental and physical fitness. Let me know your discoveries.


1. Breathing and Awareness Meditation

• Sit down comfortably, relax and close your eyes.

• Breathe normally through your nose.

• Notice the sensations of the breath upon the tips of your nostrils.

(I highly recommend you sit and enjoy this meditation at many other times as well for general calm and well being).

• Be aware of this sensation for 2 to 5 minutes. Build this from 2 minutes to whatever length of time is good for you. Remain relaxed and focus upon the breath on your nostril tips.

• Afterwards you should be in a calm, relaxed or altered state from when you first sat down. Be aware of what you are experiencing in this new state. Then move on to the following.

2. Movement

• Remaining in this new state, stand up and move around, gradually building up a greater range of movement.

• Remember to stay or return to this state during these movements.

• When you feel ready, begin slowly running. Notice what this feels like.

• Return to the state when you are ready to go for a normal run and notice what the differences are between this and your other runs.

The next suggestion is to be performed on a different training session from the one above.

3. Vivid Visualisation

• Vividly imagine your body being light and durable.

• Maybe your body is filled with a substance that represents those attributes to you.

• Clearly imagine what it feels like, what colours are associated with it and any sounds.

• Carry this visualisation into your next run.

• Notice if the differences are beneficial and produce improved running style and stamina.

I'd also recommend only running when you feel the 'light' effects of this visualisation are present. This will help you strongly associate the feelings with the running.

The next suggestion is to be performed at a different training session from the one above.

4. Focused Awareness and your Dynamic Imagination

• Begin by sitting down and meditating on the sensation of the breath upon your nostrils for 2 - 5 minutes.

• Immediately after, in as much detail as you can, imagine a quiet, bright, outdoor space where you can clearly see any objects or movement.

• See a human figure running towards you in the distance. This is your perfect runner. It has the perfect injury free running style, it has stamina, agility and is obviously enjoying the run.

• Importantly, it has knowledge to share with you. Observe how it runs.

• As it closely approaches you, join it in the run. See yourself running with this figure or you may merge with it.

• When this experience is vivid, get up and begin running for real.

Alternatively, only run when this experience of the perfect runner is most clear in your mind.


Above, I've given you 4 steps to explore exercising through your mind-body connection. I want you to enjoy this and find the different ways you can connect your 'inner skills' to your training or sporting performance. You may be searching for optimal performance, increased overall fitness or greater enjoyment of your activity. Whichever it is, I hope you find something very useful in these techniques. I'm sure you will at least have a greater skill in entering useful altered states for your well being and relaxation. That alone is a wonderful achievement.


I currently exercise regularly in a non-competitive style. Which means exercising in solitary style through short distance runs, sprinting, body weight workouts using intervals and Tabata sessions. I enjoy it. It's varied, demanding and short. I rarely exercise for more than 45 minutes. I have enjoyed playing squash and now live in an area with no squash facilities for many miles around. Boohoo.

Let me know your discoveries.

Thanks for reading
Jens

11 steps for a change

1. Begin your day with a few positive, energising, self-endorsing statements. For example, in the morning saying phrases like "I'm feeling wonderful!" "I'm relaxed and alert" "I'm enjoying a great day" is obviously going to be more positive for your immediate well being than habitually repeating things like " Oh, I'm too tired" "I've got to drag myself to work in an hour" "I can't be bothered today".

2. Say your positive statements with enthusiasm even if you're feeling tired and notice just how quickly you begin to feel better. The amazing thing with using your voice like an actor on stage or film is you can feel the different effects your voice has on your body and attitude almost immediately. It's one of the most powerful everyday tools for creating good feelings.

3. Wear different coloured clothes than you normally would. If you normally wear lots of black, white and red add some colours like yellow, blue, green and pink. Spring and summer are good seasons to explore colour themes for your wardrobe. You can buy cheap t-shirts, shirts and shorts and if you don't like wearing them give them to a charity.

4. I'm adding this one because it's useful, practical, obvious and heavily overstated in the self help genre. Differentiate between what is achievable and what is an unrealistic goal. Focus upon the achievable. Focus upon what is most important. Alternatively, just do what you want to do and have fun!

5. Change your diet by exploring different food types. For example, choose a morning to eat fruit and some nuts instead of bread or packaged cereals and notice if you feel different or have more energy. Listen to what your body tells you when you eat new foods. Your body is your own precious automatic, regenerating feedback machine. So use it with loving care.

6. Discover how many different, new or exotic varieties of food are available to you. Maybe vegetables are exotic to you. If not exotic then maybe a little rare in your diet. What does your local grocers or supermarket stock? What are the differences in cost? How exciting can you make a new dish? What music will you listen to when making a particular dish? Consider tastes, smells, cooking time, ways to cook and who to cook for to help make eating more exciting and healthy.

7. Be yourself. What does this really mean? Whatever happens and whatever you do, who else can you be? It's often a ridiculous suggestion for someone to make. I prefer " Be True to Yourself". I only put it here because some friends said they like to read "Be yourself" and it means "Be true to yourself." I'm a crowd pleaser!

8. Read a book that attracts you and stimulates your imagination or satisfies an interest or hobby you have. Alternatively become a write yourself. Start a blog. Write poetry or songs. Begin a blog with poetry.

9. Turn off the TV, computer, Ipod or any other device that you habitually allow to consume your attention. Take control and enjoy doing something else for a change. There's plenty of alternatives to choose from.

10. Begin exercising. I'm sure you're as surprised to find this here as I am to find myself including it. Go walking, cycling, running, workout using your body weight. There's lots of online information on exercising. Go take a look. You do not need a gym to get fit and healthy. Foremost you need yourself, your imagination and your motivation.

11. Be quiet, relaxed and still. These are three natural states of being. Have fun in exploring them and write down what you discover about each. You may be fascinated by what you find. They may even positively change the way you perceive life.

Thanks for reading
Jens