50 Mind Tricks for Weight Loss

50 Mind Tricks for Weight Loss

Source: TotallyZen.com

You know there is no magic way to shed pounds or become fit. The only way to get there is through hard work and eating right. Yet you can give yourself a leg up in the process by changing how you think about food, weight loss and eating healthy. By changing how you think, you'll also change how you act and hopefully impact your health for the better.

Meditation can play a key role in helping you overcome food issues and create the body you want to have now. Awareness, consciousness, focus and concentration  developed through yoga practice and meditation will help you to embody these key points.

Here are 50 tips to help you learn some tricks to get your mind ripe and ready for weight loss.

General
These general tips will help you learn to adapt your thoughts to healthy weight loss.

1. Be patient. Losing weight in any kind of healthy way is going to take time. Give yourself a break and relax, and the weight will come off.

2. Don't stress. Stressing about weight loss will likely only make it harder to lose.

3. Be realistic Setting unrealistic goals for your weight loss isn't healthy for your body or mind. Get your mind set on more realistic accomplishments and you'll be happier and healthier.

4. Create a routine. Success with any weight loss program requires creating a routine and sticking to it in what you eat, when you work out and how you think about your progress.

5. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you aren't eating enough, you're eating too much, or you're pushing yourself too hard.

6. Use your imagination. Our imaginations are powerful things and you can use yours to picture your body and your life the way you really want it to be.

7. Take it slow. You cannot expect to change your mindset or your body overnight. Take the process slow and steady for the best results.

8. Be honest with yourself. Being honest might be more difficult or more painful, but you cannot move forward in changing your body or how you think about it without facing some hard truths about yourself.

9. Find out what you truly want. The reality is that you might not be ready to lose weight or commit yourself to the work that it takes. Find out what you truly want in your life. Knowing that you really, really want to lose weight can be a huge factor in motivating you.

Mindset
Learn how to change your mindset with these tips.

10. Always be accountable. There is no one else who is responsible for you losing weight. You have to be accountable for what you eat and how often you work out.

11. Break the cycle of excuses. We all make excuses to try to justify our behavior, but these kinds of excuses aren't doing you any favours when it comes to weight loss. Force yourself to accept your failures and work to improve them.

12. Deal with your emotions. For many people, food is an emotional thing and a coping mechanism for other things that aren't right in their lives. If you want to change your mindset about your body, you'll first have to deal with these powerful emotions.

13. Make the decision to be thinner. Sometimes all it takes is a firm resolution to make a change in your life. If you want to lose weight, make the choice to do so and let your actions follow suit.

14. Take responsibility. No one is forcing food down your throat or keeping you from the gym. Once you realize that and can take responsibility for your own actions regarding your health and fitness, you'll be one step closer to meeting your goals.

15. Think clearly. Weight loss, body image and personal health can be emotionally charged issues. When you think about these things it it important to separate them as best you can from your emotions and make logical, thoughtful decisions about what is best. For instance, our emotions might tell us we need a piece of cake after a hard day, but our logical thinking would tell us it will only make you feel worse about yourself.

16. Change your programming. Many of us have programmed our brains to think we are fat, unhealthy and will never look or feel like we want to. Thinking this way is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, but by changing your mental programming, you'll change what you're capable of in weight loss.

17. Stay positive. There is no upside to negative thinking when it comes to losing weight. Staying positive will help you feel better about yourself, keep you motivated and reduce stress — all of which will help you lose more weight.

18. Train your mind to think in your best interest. If you want to lose weight, focus on replacing your unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. After a while, you will think less unhealthy thoughts and be a step ahead in reaching your goals.

Motivation
Give your mind some motivation with these ideas.

19. Pick out a motivational photograph. Whether you want to look more like you did 20 years ago or have the physique of someone else you admire, choose a photograph you can look at when you're struggling to help keep yourself motivated.

20. Set smaller daily goals. While your larger goals are important, focusing on smaller, individual goals will give you more of a sense of accomplishment and change your mindset on a daily basis.

21. Use support from friends. There are few things that can change how you feel about yourself and your progress like motivation from friends around you.

22. Reward yourself. When you've worked really hard for something it's only fair to reward yourself. Give yourself an indulgence, though not a food-related one, that you've really been wanting.

23. Tell yourself you can do it. Change your mindset about weight loss by constantly reminding yourself that no matter how hard it is that you can and will do it.

24. Never stop thinking about your goals. Keeping your goals in mind throughout the day will help motivate you and keep you on the right track.

25. Surround yourself with good role models. You won't do yourself any favors when you're trying to lose weight if you surround yourself with people who practice bad habits and influence you to do so as well. Spend time with friends who motivate you to be healthy instead.

26. Have a mantra. Finding your own personal weight loss mantra can be a great way to help keep yourself positive and focused on your goals.

27. Look at the bright side. Setbacks don't have to ruin your motivation for weight loss. Instead, think of them as a chance to work harder and prove your commitment to your goals.

28. Create a map to your health and happiness. Spending some time laying out your goals, collecting photos that motivate you, and planning out your steps along the way can help make process easier, more real and something you're more motivated to do every day.

Food
Change your relationship with food by changing your thoughts using this advice.

29. Think yourself out of bad habits. Bad habits with food don't have to take down your weight loss goals. Instead, use the power of your mind to fight these bad habits. It will take some doing but you can overcome them.

30. Look at food differently. Food isn't your enemy or your friend — it's neutral. Learn to look at food as a source of nourishment rather than a reward or a way to deal with emotions.

31. Picture what food is doing for your body. When you look at what you're eating, picture what that food can do for your body and how the nutrients will help you feel.

32. Allow yourself to eat when you're hungry. Losing weight should never mean starving yourself. Listen to your body and feed yourself when your body tells you it's hungry. Just make sure it's actually hunger and not boredom or thirst you're giving into. Likewise, stop eating when you are full.

33. Eat foods you crave. You can have foods you crave while you're trying to lose weight if you can do so in moderation. Keeping things totally off limits could cause you to binge.

34. Be conscious. Always be aware of what you're eating. Eating mindlessly while watching TV can lead to a lot of unwanted and unneeded calories.

Self-Image
How you see yourself can make a big impact in how much weight you lose. Try these solutions to feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh.

35. Change how you think about your body. If you think you are a fat person, you'll likely stay that way. Train your mind to see yourself as attractive at any weight and you'll see more weight loss progress.

36. Get control over your thoughts. When your thoughts are out of control it's easy to think cruel things about yourself and put yourself down. When you start to feel your thoughts heading in that direction, take the wheel and steer them somewhere positive.

37. Stop looking at the numbers. Weight isn't everything when it comes to health. Some people look super skinny and feel healthy at one weight while another person might be totally different. We all have our own comfort zone, so listen to your body, not the scale.

38. Focus on how you feel. You might not have met your goal weight yet, but focusing on changes in how you feel can help keep you motivated and feeling good about yourself.

39. Stop berating yourself. Negative thoughts aren't going to help you lose weight. If you have a misstep or aren't progressing as fast as you'd like, never berate yourself. Simply get up the next day and start again from a positive standpoint.

40. Fill yourself with love. If you want to get the most out of your weight loss journey, make part of the process learning to truly love yourself. No one is perfect so get a handle on accepting and appreciating your faults.

41. Take pride in your appearance.It doesn't matter how much you weigh, you can look good and feel good about yourself. Shower, put on a fragrance, style your hair, and wear your favourite clothes. It will change how you see yourself and how others see you as well.

Meditation
Learn how to turn your meditation practice into a reflection on your personal weight loss goals with these tips.

42. Imagine yourself eating like you should be. The more you imagine it, the more likely it will become reality.

43. Picture yourself thin. If you believe that you can and will be thin, then you give yourself the motivation and drive to actually make it happen.

44. Think about activities you'll do when you're thin. If you're too overweight to do things you love right now, picture yourself doing those things as the new, thinner you.

45. Relax. You can't take control over your thoughts and your mind if you're stressed out and distracted. Simply relax and let go the problems of the day.

46. Picture yourself wearing something you've always wanted to wear. A big reason many people want to lose weight is to fit into the clothes and style that they love and admire. Get a mental picture of how you'll look sporting something you've always wanted to wear to give you some motivation.

47. Imagine that you love to exercise. Rely on the power of imagination to help give yourself the initiative you need to get fit and in shape.

48. Don't let negative thoughts interfere. It's easy to think negative thoughts about yourself when you're tackling a big and difficult obstacle like losing weight, but you have to make sure to keep these kinds of thoughts out during your meditation. Replace them with happy, supportive ones instead.

49. Kick all unhealthy habits and foods out of visualization. Don't let your mental fantasies include unhealthy foods and behaviours. You might really crave them but the purpose is to retrain your mind to let them go.

50. Breathe deeply and calm yourself. Once you're calm, relaxed, and in control of your mind and body, you'll be able to start thinking clearly about who and where you want to be.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life

By James Carpenter, Ph.D., Author of 
First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everday Life

There is a new theory about your mind -- about where your decisions and experiences come from before you are aware of them. This theory has solid science behind it, and it suggests that there is a lot more going on in your mind than you realize.

Parts of this theory are familiar. Research has told us that brain events stand behind every thought we think and lead to them. And we have learned that many implicit psychological processes precede our experiences too, processes like subliminal sensations, stored memories and long-term values. These things aren't conscious in themselves, but the unconscious mind uses them to help lead to whatever we do become conscious of.

A difference about this theory, called "First Sight," is that it assumes that a much bigger domain of unconscious information stands behind experience. This includes things that are beyond the reach of our senses -- it includes the extrasensory. And it assumes that this reference to extrasensory information is not rare, but that it is continual.

First Sight brings in what is popularly called the "paranormal." It is different from previous ways of thinking about the paranormal in that it shows that our use of extrasensory information is actually normal and helpful, although unconscious. No "para" is needed anymore. This theory leads us to an expanded idea of our normal psychology.

I am the author of this theory, and while I have mainly had a career as a clinical and research psychologist, I have also had an abiding interest in ESP. My mother started it for me by having many experiences that suggested bursts of unusual knowledge. She would sometimes just know when something bad happened to one of our relatives in another state. Then a phone call or letter would usually come along and fill in the details. Once when the family was in deep trouble and she was exhausted from worry, she had an odd vision that reassured her. A man who looked like Santa in a business suit told her that the family would be alright and would be moving to a town that was two towns divided by a river with no water. A few weeks later, my dad got a good job in Las Vegas, N.M. -- a divided town that fit the description.

While my mother's experiences probably stimulated my interest in ESP, they also provoked my skepticism. I couldn't see around corners, and she generally couldn't either. I didn't know what to make of these aberrations. I believed that science should be able to sort it out.

Experiences like my mother's are not particularly rare. According to polls, most Americans believe that ESP is real, and most think that they have had at least one such experience. A number of laboratories around the world have been studying these things rigorously for over a century and much information has accumulated about them. This knowledge has remained mostly on the edge of science because it has been hard to square it with the rest of our understanding of human functioning.

I have been increasingly troubled by the gulf between our growing knowledge about ESP (and related ideas such as telepathy, precognition and psychokinesis, together referred to as "psi phenomena") and the rest of our understanding of how we tick. First Sight brings them together.

My major thesis is that psychic abilities such as ESP -- long considered to occur only in "gifted" individuals or on rare traumatic occasions -- are, in fact, ongoing subconscious processes that continuously influence all of us in making everyday decisions. As the model's name implies, these common abilities should not be regarded as an incidental "second sight" but as a critical "first sight," an immediate initial contact with information not otherwise presented to our known senses. And just as we are not typically aware of other subliminal or incidental stimuli that impinge upon us and influence us in myriad ways, so too we typically remain unaware of this extrasensory information and its influence. Subliminal primes lead us to experience related things more quickly and more emotionally than we otherwise would. Psi information does the same.

I develop this point of view in First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life, published by Rowman & Littlefield. Predictions from the model are held up against our knowledge both in parapsychology and in mainstream research in cognitive psychology, social psychology, personality/clinical psychology and neuropsychology. The model organizes the parapsychological knowledge very well, and helps resolve several puzzling inconsistencies. It also shows that our unconscious use of non-local information is essentially continuous with how we use other kinds of implicit information. ESP, memory, subliminal perception, implicit physiological responses to emotional events and many other things all follow the same tacit rules. No need for "para."

The model tells what psi is for. It's for helping to implicitly guide us in forming each thought and decision. The theory spells out how and when non-local information can be expected to turn up in our experience and behavior and when it should not. The research facts fit these hypotheses well.

The model also tells us where psi fits into personal experience. When are we likely to experience it, and how might we develop this aspect of ourselves? Some of the things that make experiencing psi more likely include an openness to it as a source of information, an open and non-analytical state of mind, and a great need for the particular information. Remember the time my mother had an experience of a town that she didn't know of yet, but to which we would be moving? She believed that ESP was real, she was too exhausted at the moment to be analytical about her experience, and she really needed to know something reassuring and true. These are some of the crucial ingredients and they opened up a moment of expanded knowledge. First Sight is intended to help us learn more about this hidden side of our minds.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

How the Ouija Board Really Works

The mystery isn't a connection to the spirit world, but why we can make movements and yet not realise that we're making them.

By Tom Stafford / Source: BBC

Ouija board cups and dowsing wands – just two examples of mystical items that seem to move of their own accord, when they are really being moved by the people holding them. The only mystery is not one of a connection to the spirit world, but of why we can make movements and yet not realise that we're making them.

The phenomenon is called the ideomotor effect and you can witness it yourself if you hang a small weight like a button or a ring from a string (ideally more than a foot long). Hold the end of the string with your arm out in front of you, so the weight hangs down freely. Try to hold your arm completely still. The weight will start to swing clockwise or anticlockwise in small circles. Do not start this motion yourself. Instead, just ask yourself a question – any question – and say that the weight will swing clockwise to answer "Yes" and anticlockwise for "No". Hold this thought in mind, and soon, even though you are trying not to make any motion, the weight will start to swing in answer to your question.

Magic? Only the ordinary everyday magic of consciousness. There's no supernatural force at work, just tiny movements you are making without realising. The string allows these movements to be exaggerated, the inertia of the weight allows them to be conserved and built on until they form a regular swinging motion. The effect is known as Chevreul's Pendulum, after the 19th Century French scientist who investigated it.

What is happening with Chevreul's Pendulum is that you are witnessing a movement (of the weight) without "owning" that movement as being caused by you. The same basic phenomenon underlies dowsing – where small movements of the hands cause the dowsing wand to swing wildly – or the Ouija board, where multiple people hold a cup and it seems to move of its own accord to answer questions by spelling out letters.

This effect also underlies the sad case of "facilitated communication", a fad whereby carers believed they could help severely disabled children communicate by guiding their fingers around a keyboard. Research showed that the carers – completely innocently – were typing the messages themselves, rather than interpreting movements from their charges.

The interesting thing about the phenomenon is what it says about the mind. That we can make movements that we don't realise we're making suggests that we shouldn't be so confident in our other judgements about what movements we think are ours. Sure enough, in the right circumstances, you can get people to believe they have caused things that actually come from a completely independent source (something which shouldn't surprise anyone who has reflected on the madness of people who claim that it only started raining because they forget an umbrella).

You can read what this means for the nature of our minds in The Illusion of Conscious Will by psychologist Daniel Wegner, who sadly died last month. Wegner argued that our normal sense of owning an action is an illusion, or – if you will – a construction. The mental processes which directly control our movements are not connected to the same processes which figure out what caused what, he claimed.

The situation is not that of a mental command-and-control structure like a disciplined army; whereby a general issues orders to the troops, they carry out the order and the general gets back a report saying "Sir! We did it. The right hand is moving into action!". The situation is more akin to an organised collective, claims Wegner: the general can issue orders, and watch what happens, but he's never sure exactly what caused what. Instead, just like with other people, our consciousness (the general in this metaphor) has to apply some principles to figure out when a movement is one we've made.

One of these principles is that cause has to be consistent with effect. If you think "I'll move my hand" and your hand moves, you're likely to automatically get the feeling that the movement was one you made. The principle is broken when the thought is different from the effect, such as with Chevreul's Pendulum. If you think "I'm not moving my hand", you are less inclined to connect any small movements you make with such large visual effects.

This maybe explains why kids can shout "It wasn't me!" after breaking something in plain sight. They thought to themselves "I'll just give this a little push", and when it falls off the table and breaks it doesn't feel like something they did.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

Could this be YOUR “day”?

Could this be YOUR "day"?

Can you look back on one day that changed your life forever?  

For me, it was a day back in 2006, at a seminar in Vancouver, Washington. The day I first met Bob Proctor.

At that point in my life, I had achieved a tremendous amount of success. I'd excelled in school, practised law on Wall Street, become equity partner in two major law firms.

Professionally and materially, I was where I wanted to be.

Yet I had never really understood how I'd done it. When people asked me the "secret" to my success, I wanted so badly to give them an answer that would help them to achieve their own goals. But I didn't have one. I couldn't explain it, it had just been easy for me.

Meeting Bob and discovering his teachings finally gave me that answer: the universal laws! Without realizing it, I'd been living in harmony with them my entire life. That's what accounted for the ease with which I'd always been able to get what I wanted.

This discovery hit me like a lightning bolt . Finally, I understood why some people  struggled to succeed even with hard work and determination. More importantly, I understood how to help them change that. From that moment on, that's what I dedicated my life to doing.

That day ignited a whole new set of goals in my mind, every single one of which have come to fruition. It led to the creation of the Thinking into Results program — a program I conceived in my mind in its entirety immediately after that remarkable day in 2006. It led to my partnering with Bob as President and CEO of LifeSuccess Productions.  And now, with the formation of The Proctor Gallagher Institute, we have taken that partnership to a whole new level.

The fact is, any day can be the one that sets your life on a whole new path, including this day!  All it takes is a simple mind shift: from "I want" or "I hope" or "I wish" to a firm, unwavering "I WILL." 

The very moment you commit to that decision, everything changes. The entire universe starts moving you toward the result you want, and starts moving it toward you.

Socrates wrote, "The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."  I couldn't be more proud of what we are building here at the Proctor Gallagher Institute, or more excited about the changes we'll see result from it. 

And when I say we, I mean Bob, me, everyone in our organization, and most especially, you.  Your amazing dreams and your infinite potential to achieve them are why we are here.

I can't wait to see what unfolds in the wake of YOUR life-changing day!

Sandy Gallagher

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

Superstitions Bring Good Luck, Study Finds

Superstitions Bring Good Luck, Study Finds

By Amber Angelle / Source: Life's Little Mysteries

The next time you cross your fingers or tell someone to break a leg, you may actually be bringing some luck.

Superstitious ways of bringing good luck are found in cultures around the world, and it turns out they may be ubiquitous for a very good reason: To some extent, superstitions work.

New research shows that believing in, say, the power of a good luck charm can actually help improve performance in certain situations, even though the charm and event aren't logically linked.

This is what a team of psychologists at the University of Cologne in Germany report in the May issue of the journal Psychological Science. In a series of experiments employing tasks involving memory and motor skills, the scientists studied the effect of behavior and "object superstitions" -- which rely on good luck charms -- in college students.

Cross your fingers

The first experiment looked at the influence of the concept of good luck in a test of putting a golf ball. Experimenters handed participants a ball, and those who were told the ball was lucky tended to outperform those who weren't.

In another experiment, participants were given a cube containing tiny balls and a slab with holes. The goal was to get as many balls in the holes as quickly as possible. Again, participants who were told, "I'll cross my fingers for you," by the experimenter performed better.

The final two experiments involved a lucky charm brought by each participant. In a memory test and an anagram test, the participants who were permitted to keep their lucky charms with them performed better.

Boosted confidence

To find out if superstitious beliefs were truly giving students an edge, the scientists surveyed them before the final two experiments to gauge their confidence levels. The participants who kept their good luck charms set higher goals for what they wanted to achieve on the tasks, and said they felt more confident in their abilities.

"Engaging in superstitious thoughts and behaviours may be one way to reach one's top level of performance," the researchers write in the journal article.

People often become superstitious when faced with unknown and stressful situations, possibly explaining why athletes and students are often superstitious, the researchers say. Engaging in a superstition could reduce tension related to a high-stakes competition or an exam.

As the study showed, superstitious beliefs may also increase a person's belief in his or her own abilities and talents.

"Superstitious behaviour won't help you win the lottery,"said Barbara Stoberock, a psychologist and co-author of the study. "But it could help you win a sporting event or pass a test," she told Life's Little Mysteries.

And what may seem like a "lucky break" when the underdog team wins may really be the result of team-wide, superstition-induced confidence.

The researchers plan to next look at the effects of negative superstitions, such as believing that crossing the path of a black cat will bring bad luck.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

The Subconscious Mind Never Forgets

By Taryn Crimi / Source: Angelic Guides

Today we would like to focus your attention on the topic of memory; more specifically we would like to discuss how you can access your subconscious mind and its limitless capacity to retain information.

This message is specifically for those who are having trouble remembering, as well as for those who are interested in learning about yet another ability of your conscious and subconscious mind.

Why is it that some people have wonderful memories while others seem to forget just about everything? You see the human memory is a funny thing.

In actuality everyone has a flawless memory. How can this be? All information which you consciously encounter is instantly downloaded into the subconscious mind however you can only access this "memory" if your conscious mind allows you to do so. So why do some people forget information while others remember so much? The only difference is their beliefs about their "memory" and the information their beliefs allow to be accessed.

We will use a simple computer analogy to further explain our message. Imagine your subconscious mind accurately recorded every piece of information that you have ever learned, read, and heard however it is protected by a "password". If you do not enter the correct password, then you will be denied access to the information. Your beliefs are the "password" that will allow you to gain access to all the information you have ever learned. The beliefs also are responsible for determining what you will "store" in your conscious mind and what you will "store" in your subconscious mind.

All of the information that you have ever covered is contained within your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind never forgets anything. We want you to know that your mind has retained every single fact, explanation, and topic that you have ever encountered. All you need is the "password" to access this information. Know that we are referring to not only the information that you have learned in this lifetime but in all others as well.

Your subconscious mind contains all of the information that you have ever learned, read, or heard in all lifetimes, however the information that has not been learned directly by you in any lifetime is "stored" in the Akashic Records of all that is. You of course have access to this information any time you wish provided you have developed your ability to consciously connect. Regardless, your subconscious mind always has access to this information and "downloads" any necessary information when needed. Some may prefer to refer to the Akashic Records as the "super-conscious". The name which you prefer makes no difference; we are simply sharing where all universal information is kept and how it can be accessed by anyone at any time. All information is available to anyone provided you know how to access it.

You are seeing a smaller representation of this manifest in your technology today. The internet is a wonderful example. The internet contains many many billions of sites with incredible amounts of information; however you must know where and how to access this information in order to benefit from it.

Why is so much more information stored in the subconscious than in the conscious mind? It would take up too much of your conscious thought to organize and maintain ALL of the information you have ever come into contact with in each of your lifetimes. It is stored in the subconscious mind so that you may access this information any time you wish. Of course as a fully conscious being you will once again be conscious of all information; however this reality requires a very specific focus on the current lifetime you perceive. To be once again conscious of all information would in a sense, "pull you out of the game". Information was never meant to be locked away, rather it was only meant to be stored and "organized" so that you could access it when needed.

Your conscious mind acts as a filter. It will only retain information that is in alignment with what is believed to be useful or needed at the time. Try to think about just how much information you come in contact with even on a daily basis. The amount of data is staggering. However your conscious mind will only retain what it deems to be useful, important or of interest. The "filter" is determined by the beliefs which you currently hold.

Since we are discussing the topic of memory, we find it to be a suitable time to briefly mention why some suffer from what is known as short-term memory loss more regularly than others. When the soul is not actively grounded in the body it cannot remember what it did only a short moment ago. This does not pertain to only the elderly, in fact many young, otherwise healthy individuals also experience moments of fogginess. Some common examples would be when someone is reading a book and realizes that they have in fact read several pages without having any conscious memory of what they read. Another example of this is when you find yourself walking into a specific room only to stop and wonder why you are in the room at all. It's not that your soul has "left," but rather we would say that the soul and therefore the consciousness of the body has shifted focus to another "place" and "time". This leaves the body, seemingly moving about on "auto pilot".

The body is still capable of performing ritual tasks, with little to no awareness of its surroundings. Individuals can still breathe, speak, eat, walk, fall asleep and to someone watching the body, it would appear that all was "normal". It may seem a bit surprising for some to find that their soul detaches or shifts focus away from the physical body quite often, but it is a rather normal occurrence. Your soul detaches its focus from the body every night while you sleep.

Now with that being said, let us now touch upon how one is able to gain access to the information held within their subconscious mind and bring it forward consciously. There are several things you can do. The first is to integrate and truly understand what we have just shared with you. "All of the information that you have ever encountered is contained within your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind never forgets anything." Once you have been introduced to any information consciously it will instantly be stored in the subconscious mind. Once you truly know this you can then begin to shift your beliefs to allow your conscious mind to gain access to all information once you need it.

We always welcome you to request our help to assist you in learning to gain access to this information when you need it. You can certainly invite us to help you while you sleep. This is a wonderful time for us to work with you because your conscious mind no longer has a "filter". Your intention before you fall asleep is all that is needed for us to be able to begin working with you. Also realize that once you have the "password" you do not have to consciously remember every single fact, instead you need to have the ability to search through the information in your subconscious mind for the correct answer. Another simple analogy would be the use of your calculator. You do not necessarily need to be able to perform the math yourself; you only need to know how to get the correct answer.

Very few at this time have the conscious ability to instantly "remember" any information they come into contact with; often these people are labeled as autistic. They have the ability to remember a tremendous amount of information, or more accurately they have the ability to access the subconscious mind to access a tremendous amount of information. With the proper beliefs information is free to pass without any resistance; much like an open door policy. Information is free to flow to and from the conscious to the subconscious based on the beliefs and filters one has in place. This potential resides within all humans at this time, however it is only found within a seldom few who are considered to possess "super human" abilities at this time. This is changing, along with all of you.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

How to Command your Superconscious Mind

By Peter Kelder
Author of Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth

"There is a slight difference between the words mantra and mantram. Both are taken from a Sanskrit word meaning instrument of thought. The difference is this: a mantram is a vocalized instrument of thought, while a mantra is silent."

Whether you realize it or not, you create and shape your life with your thoughts. All things that become part of your physical reality are first created in the mind from the raw material called thought. Because it is an instrument of thought, a mantram is a tool which you can use to help shape your life as you wish it to be.

Now, in order to use mantrams to your advantage, you need to first understand the mind and how it works. Nowadays, the term subconscious mind is one that's frequently heard but seldom understood. Instead of subconsciousness, the lamas use a word that could be translated as superconsciousness -- consciousness of a higher order. The job of the superconscious mind is to take thought, which is pure energy, and give it physical shape in the material world.

Whole books could be written on the subject, but just now the important thing for you to remember is this: your superconscious mind is a willing and eager servant whom you command by way of your thought patterns.

When you think a thought, you issue a command. Your servant obeys by manifesting the thought in the physical world where it becomes the things and events in your life. Thus, physical reality is a mirror of your thought patterns. Change your thought patterns, and you change the reflection in the mirror. In other words, you change your life.

This concept, as simple as it is, is a stumbling block for many people. They point to some unhappy or even tragic event in their lives and refuse to believe that they could have created it with their own thoughts.

But if you examine your thoughts closely, you're likely to discover negative patterns competing with positive ones. In one breath you'll say, "I want to achieve happiness." But in the next breath you'll give yourself a thousand and one reasons to be unhappy: your job is stressful; the weather is unpleasant; bills are piling up; you're overweight; the neighbors are noisy; you are late for an appointment; and on and on. So while your stated goal is happiness, your thoughts are working overtime to create just the opposite.

A mantram is something you can use to unify your thought patterns and bring them into alignment with your highest and best desires. To start using this powerful tool, you must first clearly identify the rewards which life is to deliver to your doorstep.

A Very Simple Exercise to Unify Your Mind

There's a very simple mental exercise that can help you accomplish this. It takes only a few minutes, so I suggest that you repeat it every month of so. Sit down and make a written list of the things you desire most. Don't reason as to what you ought to want. Instead, jot down your desires quickly, including everything that comes to mind.

Now examine your list carefully and ask yourself what rewards each of your stated desires must bring you. The rewards are what you're really after, so write them down also. For example, if you wrote, "I desire a better job," what you really want are the rewards of a better job. Maybe you want the fulfillment that comes from putting to good use special talents and training you have. Perhaps you want a bigger paycheck and the feeling of security that comes with that. Or maybe you want the pleasure of working in a friendly, relaxed environment.

The rewards you want should always be expressed in terms of feelings. Feelings, both bitter and sweet, are the fruits of your lifetime experience. They are the prize. When you depart this world,you leave behind your material treasures. But your feelings remain with you always. So choose with care those which you wish to have as lasting companions.

Now review your list of desires and the rewards you wish to achieve. Read it top to bottom, and as you do, search for just two or three words or phrases to summarize everything. This may seem impossible at first. But once you look closely, you'll see groups of seemingly different desires and rewards all aimed to a common goal. Separate your desires into two or three such groups and find a word or phrase to capsulize each one. To use a simple example, if you desire a better house, an expensive automobile, and a new wardrobe, the fundamental goal behind all three is abundance or prosperity.

Create a Short, Simple Command For Your Superconscious

By now you should have a clear picture of your fundamental goals, so put them all together and state them in a brief command. Make the command positive, short, and to the point. For example, "I demand happiness, power, and prosperity right now." And there you have it. When your command is spoken aloud, it becomes a mantram, or plainly stated, a device you can use to stimulate your superconscious mind into action."

The word power is a good one, because it will help bring about health, strength, and vitality in your physical body. And on a mental level, it will empower you to become master of your own destiny. "Right now" at the end of your command tells your superconscious mind when you want things to happen: NOW. It tells your superconscious mind to get busy immediately manifesting your desires

How to Use Your Mantram

Now that you have a mantram, putting it to use is as simple as can be. All you need to do is speak it aloud with conviction. Don't be timid. Feel the power of your voice and speak as if you are commanding a magic genie who will bring you whatever you desire. Once you have spoken your mantram aloud with unwavering conviction and resolve, you've done all that's needed.

Speak your mantram just before going to sleep at night and upon waking in the morning. Then form the habit of repeating it at regular intervals throughout the day. If you find yourself in front of a mirror, gaze directly into the reflection of your own eyes and repeat your mantram with firm confidence.

Then, as you go about your daily life, pay close attention to all the things you think and say. Be alert for negative thoughts or words that will send conflicting commands to your superconscious mind. They will undo the positive force of your mantram, so when you detect them, stop, take a deep breath, and cancel the negative thoughts or words by speaking your mantram with steadfast resolve.

Of course, if you are in the presence of other people, you can't all of a sudden blurt out, "I desire happiness, power, and prosperity right now!" In such a case, I would suggest that you use a mantra. All that's needed is to repeat your mantra inwardly and contemplate the meaning of the words. Since it isn't reinforced by the power of the voice, a mantra isn't quite as effective as a spoken Mantram, but it will get splendid results nevertheless.

Focus on the End Result

Whether you're using a mantram or a mantra, an important thing to remember is this: when you command the superconscious mind, you must focus only on the end result which you desire. Never try to dictate how superconsciousness will accomplish its miracles.

The superconscious mind is far more clever and resourceful than you can possibly imagine. If it is headed off in one direction, it is not discouraged and does not give up, for it knows that there are ten thousand other ways to achieve a desired goal. If, through your own thoughts and preconceptions, you try to tell the superconscious mind how to do its work, you will only limit its options and restrict the magic which can unfold.

The superconscious realm of your mind is a magnificent thing. It takes great delight in working to accomplish literally anything you desire. Desire is a very strong force, and when you use it to stimulate the superconscious mind into action, it will be thrilled to bring you your heart's desire in ways you never dreamed possible.

Another thing you should know is this: the superconscious realm of the mind does not judge your thoughts before it responds to them. It does not differentiate between pain or pleasure, sorrow or happiness, grief or joy. A better way to state it is, no feelings or emotions are pleasant or unpleasant to the superconscious mind. Its job is to transform thought patterns into matter -- all thought patterns. And it couldn't possibly do the job it is meant to do if it were to first judge your thoughts good or bad, happy or unhappy, worthy or unworthy.

In short, the wonderfully simple secret which can help everybody achieve whatever they desire is this: change your thought patterns, and you change your life. If you think thrilling thoughts, the superconscious mind will flood your life with thrilling things, instead of the miserable things in life.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

Playing Movies

Playing Movies

Have you ever wondered how children can sit through replay after replay of their favorite Lion King or Little Mermaid video? It amazes me that they'll voluntarily watch the same show every day without a single complaint or request for something new.

What's more amazing, though, is that adults do the very same thing with their days.

The majority of men and women play "movies" in their heads again and again, relentlessly focusing on the review of past events, most of which are unpleasant and disturbing experiences that have come their way.

If they're actually able to stop their contemplation of past events, they allow impressions of their current surroundings and results to govern their lives. And, once in a while for variety's sake, they'll contemplate the future by either worrying about it, or daydreaming and wishing that something better might come along. And then they wonder why bad things keep happening to them, or why they never rise above the issues and obstacles in their lives.

Frankly, they would be better off watching The Lion King 40 times a day - because at least then, they'd be immersed in a creative and upbeat, positive process. See, most people have never learned how to "program" creative and upbeat "movies" in their heads because they've never been taught the value of creative visioning and purposeful thinking.

If you doubt me, listen to the varied conversations going on around you. Sadly enough, I can readily predict that you'll hear a Dante's nightmare of disconnected thoughts with very little effort put forth in carrying on a purposeful (much less positively-minded) conversation. While it is true that people are free to think anything they please, as long as they remain set in their ways, there is very little that can be done to change the unpleasant experiences that keep cropping up in their lives.

There is, however, a strong movement that is stirring the multitudes into a new conception of living. The study of the mind - and its veritable unearthly power - is at last taking its proper place in modern civilization. Proper use of the mind and its various faculties will give you anything you choose - but the emphasis here is on the word "proper." To move in this favoured direction requires study and focused, consistent effort ... with a good measure of creative juices stirred in.

In the classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle tells young Susie Walker she can become whatever she chooses through the aid of her imagination. Kris went on to explain, the "Imagi-Nation" is a place we can all go ... just like the British nation or the French Nation.

Although this may seem a cute line from a movie, it's also a very healthy way to view the imagination.

Your mind is a place you can purposely go to. And FREE WILL is your passport. No one is ever refused entry. There are no borders or limits put on the size of what can be built. And best of all, it's a universal nation that allows all of us citizenry!

Just as the oak tree develops from the gene that lies within the acorn, and a bird develops from the gene that lies asleep in the egg, so too will your achievements grow from the organized plans that first begin with your imagination. An image in your mind is the first stage of the creative process in life. From your imagination your visions and plans arise.

In his best selling book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, "You will never have a definite purpose in life; you will never have self confidence; you will never have initiative and leadership unless you first create these qualities in your imagination and see yourself in possession of them." He went on to say that, "... imagination is the most marvellous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known."

Now, let's use our imagination and start to build a picture. I want to introduce you to an interesting concept that I have taught in my seminars for years. If you grasp this concept to the fullest, you can BE, HAVE or DO anything your heart desires ... and I mean anything.

I want to talk about Fantasy - Theory - Fact. The premise underlying this concept is that everything has its origination in the form of Fantasy, which some adventurous soul dared turn into a theory and then became bold enough to turn into a fact. The entire transition, of course, is the result of the highest form of positive thinking, concentration and what could very easily be construed as erratic behaviour.

Give this serious thought for a moment. The idea of moon landings, communicating by email, travelling on jets, cellular phones or wearing synthetic garments was, a very short time ago, sheer fantasy. Today, they are considered commonplace. How did that happen? Well let's take a few moments and give it some thought.

This entire cosmos is filled with thought stuff - a creative form of energy. Your marvelous mind has factors that you can, with little effort, develop to use to improve the quality of life, not just for yourself, but for human kind. Imagination is one of those creative faculties.

The individuals who were responsible for the conception and creation of the email, cell phones and any of the thousands of modern conveniences we enjoy today had a highly developed imagination. Furthermore, they were not easily influenced by the opinions of the masses, the naysayers who historically have criticized and ridiculed anything they do not understand. These pioneers used their mental faculties to fantasize, to build wild and wonderful pictures in their mind. Then, holding their thought with their will, they began to watch their fantasy unfold into a theory and then into fact. They seemed to have an innate awareness that if they could visualize it, they could do it.

Hence, the fantasy was turned into a theory followed by thoughts of how they could, not why they couldn't. That is how we got out of the cave and into the condominium.

Let your mind play. Fantasize a much better form of life than you presently enjoy. Try it - you'll like it! Draft your future with imagination, ponder and calculate with intelligence and awareness, then knit it carefully with care.

Your mental growth or development will determine what the future holds for you. Go to your mental nation and build a beautiful picture of where you want to find yourself one year from today. Then, devise paths and find tools to help get you there.

A few ideas:

• Design an effective program for your own personal development.

• Build a worthwhile library.

• Make a list of 12 good books you will read and refer to - one each month.

• Select programs that will help you understand the awesome powers you possess and how to utilize those powers in practical ways to improve the quality of your life.

• Commit to reaching new goals. The only barrier separating you from your goal is ignorance - ignorance of how simple ... and simply powerful ... your mind really is.

• Replace the ignorance with knowledge. And replace your old movies with the movies you've always wanted to write - they're there, just waiting for you in your Imagi-Nation.

Use your imagination,

Bob Proctor

Circulated by: Lawyer Asad

The Awesome Force of Your Will Projected

By Stuart Wilde, 
Excerpt from The Trick to Money is Having Some

What I learned from the European oculists is that the greatest power available to us humans is our will when projected correctly.

The difference between will and intention is that, for many people intention is just a mental act - a kind of wishful thinking - whereas the force of will projected from your consciousness contains not only your thoughts and desires but also the enthusiasm of your own Life Force.

Your will, projected correctly, will contain that vital ingredient, your spirit - the very essence of what you are.

The force of that spirit, clearly defined, will deliver to you the focus of your will, by virtue of the fact that the clarity of its concentration is honed to such an uncluttered purity that it cuts right through reality and fires the full weight of its power upon any target.

Remember that your consciousness is contained in a sea of consciousness, which is basically all the energy and thought forms of the world around you. For the most part the energy of people around you will be weak and ill-defined. What little power they have is often undermined by emotion.

In that pea-soup of mumbling and grumbling, along comes the magician: powerful, clear, uncluttered by yearnings or fanciful ramblings of the imagination. Detached as he is from the emotions of humanity, he stands on a launch platform that is already a rung or two higher than the crowd. From there he fires his will into the circumstances of life, knowing that his power is unstoppable.

How could the Universal Law of life deny this man? It can't. His power is too great. His will is uncluttered by any thought of deserving, of good and bad, of having or not having. It is focused solely on what he wants.

His desire is not delivered because of any higher selection process, rather it comes to him solely through the force of his demand. It is because he wants it, because that thought is laced in his will, empowered by the very spirit of his being, that it cannot be denied him.

When first confronted by this idea, I had a natural reaction against the aggression needed to reach that certain level of intent. It seemed to me that somehow it was "wrong" to harness one's power in occult terms, to force life to hand over one's every wish and whim.

But gradually I got used to the idea and developed a theory of morality around my particular method. Soon I realized that what was important to me were my achievements - the things that I knew I had to complete in this lifetime. How I got those things, providing I did not infringe on others, was irrelevant.

The points to consider are, what do you want and how much energy are you prepared to exert to get what you want? If the level of enthusiasm you are willing to commit to your quest is not great, then obviously you don't want what you think you do, or at best your quest is not that important to you.

But if some aspect is very, very special to you, it becomes sacred by virtue of its integrity. Then the level of your commitment to that ideal is vital, for you know that the whole reason for your life is contained and centered in that one quest or achievement.

If this is so, you are required by its very sacredness to exert every fiber of your being, through physical effort, mental acuity or occult power, to deliver the focus of your intent.

Somewhere in your life there will be an overriding theme to your quest, some part of your desire which cannot be denied without a terrible cost to the very essence of what you are. Are you going to ignore it, or do you have the courage of your commitment and the confidence to demand that life, humanity, or circumstances give you what you want, with no other excuse, reason nor apology, other than that you demand it?

The point is, if your intention is forceful and your will is clearly defined people line up to give you what you want.

You have to have confidence in yourself. You have to be able to believe in your own power. If you have the slightest doubt about your worthiness it takes you immediately from infinite possibilities to a more sparse result.

Imagine the tiger in the forest. Does it wonder if the deer on the path is his? Is there any question of the tiger's worthiness? Being inter-connected as all things are, the eternal Tao sustains itself. The little creatures give themselves up to the tiger as nature gave of itself to sustain the creatures. Perfect balance is maintained.

The only thing to watch out for is the danger of going over the top and taking undue advantage of others or getting carried away by the ego. In a world where everyone manipulates or controls everyone else, wouldn't it be nice if you could become a success story without having to resort to the same mucky techniques?

As you concentrate upon yourself and your life you will soon become much more powerful than 99% of those with whom you deal. You should take care to temper your energy and not get carried away by the wealth or the position you find yourself in. If you don't watch carefully it is likely that sooner or later you will self-destruct. Or worse still, you might achieve your every wish and whim but look back on your life and see ugliness, see that you achieved your quest in material terms but failed to translate those material benefits into an honourable code of living or spiritual essence.

The whole trick to money is balance. Balance at a thousand a month or balance at a million a month. The great value of that balance is that it underpins the spiritual you and allows the inner beauty and creativity to come out. That is why for most people money is the one lesson - other than love perhaps - that we are here to learn.

You should sit down with your loved ones and really discuss your financial needs so that each of you can define what he or she wants and what each one's level of intention is. Then you can tailor your hopes and dreams to suit your intention and you can see if the level of your projected will is going to be strong enough to deliver whatever it is that you want.

If your intention is not really that high you will have to accept that as fact and you may have to adjust what you expect from life. Alternatively, you can work on your intention through concentration and discipline, to make it stronger. Then once it is strong the force of your will projected into life will guarantee the delivery of your heart's desire.

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

The Science of Speed Reading

By Nikhil Swaminathan Researchers find that total reading rate is made up of three, additive components: phonics, contextual clues and word shape.

Source: Scientific American

In work that may one day narrow the gap between speedy, voracious readers and slower, disinterested ones, researchers at New York University (N.Y.U.) have determined that three different mechanisms are used to decode the words in a particular sentence.

The three processes: phonics (a letter by letter sounding out of words); contextual clues (earlier parts of sentences that help readers anticipate upcoming words); and holistic word recognition, or the physical shape of words.

"It's obvious that people must use all three kinds of information to read," says Denis Pelli, an N.Y.U. professor of psychology and neuroscience and senior author of the study published this week in PLoS ONE. "It was far from obvious…that you can turn on and off each of the three kinds of information and that you can attribute a percentage of the reading rate to each."

Using passages from author Mary Higgins Clark's murder mystery Loves Music, Loves to Dance, Pelli and study co-author, undergraduate Katharine Tillman, manipulated passages to block readers from using each of the word-deciphering processes.

To muffle context clues, they shuffled words in a sentence ("contribute others. The of Reading measured"); discrimination via word shape was covered up by inserting random capital letters ("ThIS tExT AlTeRnAtEs iN CaSe."); and to eliminate letter by letter decoding, they substituted similar-looking letters into a word, thereby retaining the ability to use word shape and context, once a reader figured out a previous word ("Tbis sartcrec bes lctfan suhsfitufas").

In an effort to determine the impact of the absence of each aid, researchers directed 11 subjects to read passages that were either pure text, had one alteration or two of these manipulations combined. Their findings: that phonics, not surprisingly, the largest component of reading speed, determined 62 percent of the rate. The stunner was that the other two processes consistently contributed the same amounts to reading speed. (Context clues controlled 22 percent of reading speed and word shape governed 16 percent, according to the study.)

Pelli says this research paves the way toward better understanding and addressing the deficiencies of young students who fall behind early in reading.

"It's possible that doing the phonics intervention is the ideal intervention," he says of the most common type of reading training. But "it would be interesting to know how phonics is affecting the other two processes rather than just overall reading speed. We think that it would be very interesting to break down reading rate into these three components in the evaluations of [possible] interventions."

Edited by: Lawyer Asad

7 Simple Steps to Overcome ANY Fear

BY KELLY NIVEN

Overcoming our fears is the most liberating feeling in the world. 

I should know.  I used to live my life in constant fear.  I was so fearful that I suffered horrifically from anxiety and depression.  I was scared to live.  I was scared to do everything that I wanted to – fly, drive long distances, interviews, public speaking, expressing myself.

The list is endless.  The truth is many are living a life full of fear.

The road to freedom is gradual one.  It does not happen overnight.  However not taking that road is worse than the fear of the unknown.

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal." Paulo Coelho

I am thankful I no longer live my life in fear.  I have broken free from the destructive thought cycles that result in anxiety and depression.  I have long overcome my fear of flying, driving and interviews.  I am almost over my fear of public speaking.

And over the past month I have finally (after a very long struggle) overcame my fear of expressing myself.  I have finally found my voice.  Don't get me wrong I have seen brief glimpses of it over the past 2 years.  However, now the fear has finally gone, 100%.  Disappeared and I feel on top of the world.

I realise there is a process you go through each time you overcome fears.  I would like to share this with you.

1)     Make a commitment.  Decide what fear you would like to overcome and make a decision to do something about it.  Thinking about it is going to help.  You might think "what's the point" "I'm doing okay as I am".  This is self defeating.  It might seem like the easy option but it's not.  When you don't face your fears head on, you limit yourself.  This slowly and gradually decreases your self esteem and confidence.  You feel good when you are pushing yourself, when you are extending your comfort zone.  This starts by making and a decision to do whatever it takes, no matter what. No going back when it gets tough.   

2)     Take action – you need to take actionable steps to achieve what you want.  It doesn't matter how small but you need to keep moving forward.  As I was saying you grow when you extend your comfort zone.  This does not mean that you need to go so far that you head straight for panic.  Don't get me wrong if you learn and work well under pressure, go for it. The majority of us learn best with slight pressure.  Too much pressure makes you want to recoil.  In my opinion the best way to grow is to keep extending the comfort zone step by step.  For example when overcoming my fear of flying I was regularly flying short distances.  I would not have gone long haul at the height of my fears.  Similarly when I was scared of driving long distances, I gradually increased the distance.  Over a short period I was able to enjoy driving and flying.

3)     Re-programme your subconscious mind.  You have unconsciously programmed your mind to react a certain way in the situation you fear.  Whenever you encounter the situation your brain responds in the same way that is did on previous occasions.  It can be a challenging cycle to break.  Many people live with the same fears their whole life and never do anything about it.  This is self defeating.  The good news is that you subconscious mind does not know the difference between a real situation and an imagined one.  This has been scientifically proven.  Your body will respond to the imagined or real experience in the same way.  Therefore, a very effective way to re-programme your subconscious is through the process of visualisation.  Visualisation of how you feel and how you want to act when doing something you fear does work.  It will not work in isolation.  You still need to make a decision and take action.  However, as a technique to overcome fear it is very powerful.

4)     Learn to control your thoughts.  Your thoughts are creating your reality.  When you are scared and fearful your thoughts have gone into overdrive.  If you cannot control your thoughts at crucial moments it will be difficult to overcome fear.  THE best exercise I know to control your thoughts is "watch the thinker" by Eckhart Tolle.  You practice observing and watching your thoughts over a period of time.  The amazing thing is when you become the observer of your thoughts you realise the essence of you is something far deeper (the observer).  If you are the observer then you are consciously able to choose the thoughts or disregard those that are unhelpful and fearful.  This exercise has been a pivotal part in my overcoming my fear of public speaking.  It is life changing. 

5)     Be aware of how you talk.  Talking to people about your fears, how bad you feel and anything else for that matter is not going to help you overcome them.  The language that you use is very important.  The aim is to re-train and programme your subconscious mind.  Your thoughts, words and actions have to be congruent.  There is no point in trying to change your thoughts if all you speak about is your fear/s.  More often than not we think that talking about it will help.  I am all for expressing our emotions but talking about your fears will not help any.  It is self perpetuating.  Remember, thoughts, words and action – all congruent.

6)     Accept your limits.  Limits are fine and perfectly acceptable.  It is wise to get to know these limits.  Pushing yourself too far has the opposite effect of overcoming fears.  You may decide it's too hard and give up all together.  When you reach your limits, have respect for yourself, pull back a little.  Be kind to yourself.  Change that lasts and sticks long-term is a gradual process.  Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.  You know yourself better than anyone.

7)     Don't take yourself too seriously.  One of the biggest things that I see in Toastmasters (public speaking club) is people taking themselves too seriously.  I know when I joined I was one of those.  I have come to the conclusion that it is better to be in the game than not at all.  Being in the game, giving it a go will be a mixture of ups and downs.  When you are in the arena playing you are going to make mistakes.  You will get in wrong sometimes.  This is natural when learning new skills and overcoming fear.

What I know is this! When you go through all of the above and you overcome your greatest fear, you will feel like a different person.  This is what makes it all worthwhile.  So keep taking those steps no matter how small.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

Mark Twain

Edited by: Lawyer Asad