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5 Things Epic People Do Right Before Bed

November 3, 2015 by Power of Positivity

How you define an epic life for yourself may be different from what someone else would. In some form, we all wish to live an epic life, whether it is in our careers, finances, or personal goals. To really help accomplish this, a strategy for your valuable downtime in the evening helps you to focus time and energy on what’s important during your uptime. Sleep is important to function successfully, but before you head off to bed, check out these things that can put you in a successful frame of mind.

Here are 5 Things Epic People Do Right Before Bed

1. Plan For Tomorrow

People who live epic lives know that they have an important event, project, or presentation tomorrow, so take time before bed to rehearse it in their minds or aloud with the help of family. For example, lay out the clothes that you will wear tomorrow. Visualize yourself wearing that outfit and having people praise you for how successful you were, and how great you sounded and looked.

Planning and preparing before bed set the scene for success. There is a fine line here that could cross over into worrying about the future, but these people focus on the positive. They know they have prepared enough and will shine in the morning.

This is not last-minute cramming to complete a project because people living their dreams don’t procrastinate. This is a time to put the finishing flourish on things so that they run smoothly in the morning.

2. Bond With Family

Before they settle into bed for the night, this group of people realizes that spending quality time with family and friends makes life the most epic. This could be simply some pillow talk with their partner, allowing them to share their thoughts in an intimate environment. Or it might be reading a bedtime story to the kids at night.

Setting aside time for those most important to you show that you care. It strengthens relationships with those whose support is important to your success. Like the Oscar winners who thank spouses and family members during acceptance speeches, you need to thank your support system by giving them your valuable time. You couldn’t do it all without them.

Time, once spent, can never be regained. This is one motto that these people take seriously. They prioritize everything and spend time wisely, even before bed. No one in their old age wishes that they had watched more TV. Make time for the family now.

3. Read

Reading before bed gets your mind into a thoughtful, relaxed state and has been a longstanding habit for many reasons; pleasure, information, inspiration and distraction. Looking to live as big as a top CEO? Here’s a suggested reading list from several of them.

Relaxation is the most common reason that successful people read before bed. According to a study by the University of Sussex, subjects could reduce stress levels by 68% by reading. Only six minutes of silent reading was needed to reduce heart rate and muscle tension.

4. Write Down What’s On Their Minds

Some people have difficulty falling asleep due to the day’s stress. Things play out over and over again in their minds. They try to solve the day’s problems and often lose sleep.

Successful people know that tomorrow is another day and those problems will still be there. Having a good night’s rest will only make them better able to tackle those problems tomorrow.

But sometimes, even the most well-rested minds can forget by the following morning. By quickly jotting down the list of thoughts in their mind, they relieve the memory function of their brain. Now they don’t have to worry about remembering something in the morning.

Make it a practice to keep a notebook and pen by your bed so you can quickly jot down your to-do list, grocery list, project list, etc., and get it out of your valuable brain space. Now you have more room for sweet dreams.

5. Think Happy Thoughts

Even something as simple as being thankful for the warm blanket and comfy bed you’re snuggling into at night puts you in a positive mindset. Successful people look back at what they accomplished for the day with pride. They reflect with gratitude on all that they have learned and accomplished.

Several studies show that making a list of things people are grateful for before bed led to longer, more restful sleep and less worry at bedtime. Positive thoughts replace negative ones and set the tone for a relaxed sleep.

An optimistic mindset is a great way to drift off to sleep. Instead of worrying about what needs to be done, you’re focused on the great things that have already happened. Knowing that great things have already come to you helps set the expectation for more of the same.

People do more when more is expected of them. This is known as the Pygmalion Effect. When we reflect on our past success before bed, we expect great things of ourselves. We create a self-fulfilling prophecy of our greatness.

Final Thoughts on Before Bed Habits

With these five things accomplished before bed, you will unburden your mind, spend time with the important people in your life, and fall asleep with positive thoughts. You’ll successfully achieve blissful rest and awake ready to conquer the world.

Bios Urn Will Turn You Into A Tree After You Die

November 1, 2015 by Power of Positivity

Is there life after death? That’s one of the big mysteries of life. There are many different beliefs about what happens to our souls after we leave this world. Where there is no debate is what happens to our bodies. Now, you could come back–as a tree.

What happens to the physical form of someone who has passed is a personal choice sometimes made by the person before death and sometimes made by the families after death. Some people donate their bodies to science, some choose a traditional burial, while others prefer cremation, where the ashes remain in a special place or return to the soil in a location that has significance to the family.

There is a new company that is offering a new option. Bios Urn, whose taglines are “back to nature, back to life” and #lifeafterlife, has developed a fully biodegradable urn. What makes this urn special is it includes a tree seed, a specialized soil mixture, and an expansion disc. It provides an environment conducive to growing a tree when loved ones add the ashes and bury it.

Meet the Innovator Behind the Idea of Transforming into a Tree After Death

The idea is the brainchild of CEO Roger Moliné:

“One afternoon my brother was planting some vegetables with my grandmother. They were in the orchard when suddenly our grandmother found a dead bird lying on the floor. Instinctively, without thinking too much, she took the dead bird, made a small hole in the floor and threw on it both the dead bird, with some of the seeds she had on her hand. That action or better said that reaction was what inspired the Bios Urn. A product that could use the remains of someone or something that passed away, and convert it into a new form of life.”

The benefits to our environment are pretty obvious, but the Bios Urn has benefits beyond the tangible. Everyone handles grief differently, but there is something symbolic and spiritual to seeing a loved one live on in nature. The company says, “Bios Urn turns death into a transformation and a return to life through nature.”

The tree resulting from planting a Bios Urn will offset carbon emissions created by the cremation, but that was never the goal.

“We’ve never wanted to be connected to the death care industry,” Moliné told The Huffington Post. “We want people to rethink the concept. That person has just had a bad moment in their life.”

The decision of what to do with a loved one after they pass, especially if their wishes aren’t known, is difficult and often made amid intense grief. It is a vulnerable time and hard to make rational decisions. Bios Urn wants to create a new ritual that takes care of the grief while explaining death from the viewpoint of life.

Moliné is sympathetic to the grief and the process of making such an important and personal decision. He recounts his story:

“When my father passed away a year ago now, I had what’s probably the worst moment of my life. All the process was horrible, from the hospital to the funeral home … everything was so badly designed. Nobody took care of the emotions or the experience and loss of the ones who go through that process. I just felt alone being in front of a company who wanted to take profit from the situation I was living,”

“That made me realize how much we can change with Bios Urn. Going to a mountain or a forest with family or friends and planting a tree instead of burying a (casket), makes the process much more appealing. With Bios Urn, we can propose a different ritual that takes care of the emotions in a different way and explains that process of death from the side of life. That’s why I will always admire those pioneers who in the middle of the worst moment of their life, they opened a website, bought a Bios Urn and had the strength to replace a cemetery with a forest.”

Final Thoughts on the Bios Urn

When purchasing your Bios Urn, you can choose between one of five different types of trees or supply the seeds for a tree that is indigenous to your area.

On their website, Bios Urn shares a variety of #lifeafterlife stories. One such story is about Little Snowflake, an albino Western Lowland Gorilla, the only one of his kind. What made Little Snowflake different is what kept him in captivity. He touched the lives of many and still does, thanks to Bios Urn.

Like Little Snowflake, we can also continue to live on through nature, providing beauty and positively impacting the planet. We will be able to touch the lives of those we love in physical form and become something that lives on forever.

What Does Your Birth Chart Reveal About You?

November 1, 2015 by Power of Positivity

Have you ever read your birth chart? It’s actually pretty interesting.

Our birth charts, or natal charts, can deliver important messages to us about our strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and anything else that serves our souls in this lifetime. Learning about how the stars and planets aligned when you were born and how those placements affect your soul can help you greatly along your spiritual path.

Everyone’s birth charts are unique, and take into account all the planetary alignments on the exact day and time you were born. Many people find them to be astoundingly accurate and helpful, because you can uncover so much about who you are and why you came to Earth in the first place.

Here are 5 incredible things you can learn from reading your birth chart:

1. Your birth chart will teach you what career path suits you best.

Our birth charts can also point us down the right road as far as a career choice goes. If you’re more of a drifter, your natal chart can help you determine how you best fit into the working world, and what you can do to illuminate your path further. It all depends on the alignment and positions of the planets and stars, which means that your career path could be entirely different than anyone you know. Our birth charts help us to recognize our individuality, and feel comfortable within our own skin.

Also, knowing what you should do to make an income will help alleviate any stress you might feel about a possible career for you.

2. Your birth chart will teach you your unique strengths and weaknesses.

In your birth chart, you can uncover what types of activities and work come naturally to you, and what you need to work on more. The detailed information included in your natal chart can help you understand what types of experiences shape you into a stronger person, and what people and places you should avoid.
The best part about the chart is that it’s completely honest, and will tell you both the positive and negative aspects of your personality. Don’t take it too personally, though; it’s only there as a tool to help you grow spiritually and allow you to learn important lessons.

3. Your birth chart will show you that you actually have three signs…

Your birth chart will show you that you are not just your Sun sign, but you also have a Moon and Rising Sign as well.

Our Sun signs quite literally describe the zodiac sign that the Sun occupies during the time we were born. So, if you were born on May 24, for example, you are a Gemini in terms of your Sun sign. However, your Moon and Rising, or Ascendant, signs are equally important.

Your Moon sign represents your instinctual self, which you might keep hidden from others. This can be interpreted as the “darkness” in you, and where you go to find peace and a place to rest your head from the pressures of the world. It also governs emotional development, and can greatly explain your behavior. Some astrologers believe our Moon signs more accurately describe who we are, although the culmination of your Sun, Moon and Rising sign should encompass your true essence.

Finally, your Rising sign describes how people see you at first glance, and how you appear to the world around you. It can either be the same as your Sun sign or completely different. Our rising signs help us determine how we will take action in the world, and what sort of help we can offer to others.

4. Your birth chart explains how the planetary alignments and positions affect your personality and energy.

Just learning about the traits of your Sun sign won’t give the proper depth when it comes to discovering all the secrets about your soul; this is where your birth chart comes into play. It describes the position of each planet and which Zodiac sign it was in at the time of your birth. You will see this listed on the left side of the chart.

Make sure you also pay attention to your North Node, because this represents the experiences you need to have in order to grow spiritually. Your South Node, on the other hand, shows the qualities that come second nature to us that we have likely mastered.

In addition, the Earth’s 24-hour rotation about its axis determines which Houses the 12 zodiac signs will fall under. The Houses govern different aspects of life, and the placement of the Zodiac signs and planets at the time of one’s birth explain the great variations between even twins who are born moments apart. You can read here about what the Houses mean and how they affect your personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

5. Your birth chart reveals the big soul lessons you will face in life.

Your natal chart can also reveal the types of experiences you will have on the Earthly plane that will test your will and transform you from a caterpillar into a butterfly. This is important information to know because the lessons you learn while here will help you heal past karma and show others the way to the Light as well. It can also help you know what’s coming in your soul path, so that you may manifest what you need in order to bring those experiences to you.

How to read your birth chart:

There are many free birth chart calculators online that you can use to read your birth chart. After finding one you prefer, follow these steps:

First, you will need to input your name, gender, date and time of birth, and the city and state in which you are born. Then, you will see a table listing the positions of the planets in your chart, ordered by sign and degree. You will also see your Ascendant sign, or how you appear to others, as well as the signs on the cusp of each house in your chart. We will cover that in further detail below.
After looking at the chart, you will see very detailed descriptions about your Sun sign, as well as what all the planetary alignments mean for you.

What does your birth chart reveal about you? Please comment and share with friends!

5 Things to Never Sacrifice For Love

November 1, 2015 by Power of Positivity

Love and relationships can either bring mutual growth and happiness or feel suffocating and debilitating after a while. All relationships serve their purpose, whether you stay with someone for a few weeks or an entire lifetime. Any relationship should support, love, encourage, uplift, and challenge you to become a better person, not drain your energy and make you feel bad about yourself.

If you have to sacrifice any of the following things for love, you might need to reevaluate what value the person adds to your life.

5 Things You Should Never Sacrifice For Love

1. Freedom.

If you constantly have to check in with your partner or feel guilty about going somewhere with friends or family, this shows that your significant other lacks confidence within him or herself. Possessive behavior almost always points to extreme internal insecurity, often from unhealed childhood wounds, such as abandonment or neglectful parents. Even though this person deserves love and kindness, you need to cut ties with the person to allow them to heal on their own. Controlling behavior suggests that the person does not feel comfortable with him or herself, and this needs to be worked out before he or she commits to any long-term relationships.

2. Yourself.

Never change yourself for someone else; the right person will love you for nothing less than your full, authentic self. Also, the right person would never want you to change because they genuinely love your genuine essence without you having to change a thing. Granted, relationships all require small compromises, like maybe eating at a restaurant your partner wants to try instead of the one you really wanted to go to. Still, you shouldn’t have to alter your personality or beliefs for someone else. Be yourself unapologetically, and if your partner can’t accept you, you need to go for

3. Happiness.

If someone doesn’t enhance your life and add to your joy, then what purpose do they serve in your life? Bottom line: if your partner drags you down and makes you feel crappy about yourself and life, then it’s time to call quits on the relationship. You need someone who will match your vibration and bring vibrant energy into your life, not someone who leeches the energy from your life. Of course, he or she won’t always feel completely blissful, but if they can’t seem to find happiness on their own or offer it to you at all, then let them go…they need to focus on giving themselves more love for their own inner healing, not a relationship.

4. Your dreams.

An ideal love consists of people on the same mission, supporting each other every step of the way. Or, just two people with different dreams but still encourage and cheer each other on. Don’t hesitate to leave the relationship if you don’t have someone on the same path as you or even someone with your back. What you want out of life makes up a large portion of who you are, and you don’t need someone who dismisses or bashes your goals.

5. Inner peace.

Your guy or girl should make you feel a deep sense of calming love that makes you forget about the chaos around you. If they make you anxious, nervous, or angry most of the time, they will only weaken your vibration and cause you to become vulnerable to negative energy. Your partner should have peace within him or herself and reflect it onto you as well.

5 Signs Someone Is Trying To Mentally Manipulate You

October 31, 2015 by Power of Positivity

Healthy, loving relationships are a necessary part of living a happy life, and those relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. Of course, we all have moments when we are focused on ourselves, which is typically a good thing. We have to take care of ourselves before we can help others. The problem begins when someone is always focused on their agenda without regard for others around them–someone who likes to manipulate others.

They learn how to “trick” someone into believing what they are doing is for them when only it benefits the trickster – otherwise known as a manipulator.

The hardest part about manipulation is we often don’t even know it’s happening. Recognizing the signs is the first step to taking back control.

5 Signs Someone Is Trying to Manipulate You Mentally

1. They use our words against us and to their benefit.

A manipulator is often trying to sell us on something. They interrupt our thoughts and speak over us when we’re talking, all hoping to get us off our game. When we notice the behavior and call them on it, they find a way to use our words to make us feel guilty.

Instead of apologizing for forgetting to stop at the store on the way home, a manipulator might respond:

“I am so overwhelmed with work right now. I know you would never have asked me to stop at the store if you knew how much pressure I’m under.”

2. They use passive-aggressive methods to manipulate us.

Master manipulators do not want to be seen negatively, so they avoid being direct and honest. Instead, they will have others do their dirty work to avoid the “bad guy” syndrome. They talk behind our backs, rally the support of our closest friends, and mount a campaign to prove they are right, and we’re wrong. They are verbally supportive but act in very unsupportive ways.

3. They suck the energy out of us and everyone else in the room.

Manipulators carry a dark cloud around with them. When they enter a room, they make a point of making sure everyone notices. Instead of working the room normally, they look for everyone to display sympathy and work to make them “feel better.” They want to be the “cause” because it is more likely to get them what they want.

4. They seek out and use our sensitive and trusting nature.

Manipulators play on the fact that we are trusting and sensitive in nature and seek out our vulnerabilities and use them to their advantage. They use a false sensitivity to connect with us and to help shield their true intentions and motives.

5. They use guilt to manipulate us.

As a manipulator gets closer to us, he will learn the things that have emotional control over us. He uses these triggers to pull at our heartstrings. So we feel as if we have no choice but to give in.

A manipulator that is good at playing the mental game knows how to play the role of victim to get what they need. The play on guilt, sympathy, and our sensitivities as a way to emotionally blackmail us into serving their needs.

It can be challenging to pull away from a master manipulator because they have dug deep and created a strong emotional hold on us. We may need to seek the help of a loyal friend to break free.

It’s not uncommon to begin to question our sanity when trying to determine if we are being manipulated or not. The best way to figure it out is to start writing down encounters that feel inauthentic. It will help us to stop questioning whether it’s real or not. Besides, it will help give us the ammunition we need to leave manipulative situations.

A manipulator is good at talking their way out of things by trying to confuse us, by using our trusting nature and by playing to our sympathies and emotions. With a log of actual events, it will be hard for a manipulator to talk their way out of their actions.

They may not adequately explain themselves or even apologize. But they will understand that you are aware and refuse to be manipulated going forward.

Final Thoughts on Seeing When Someone Wants to Mentally Manipulate You

Sometimes it’s easier to spot than others and tracking events that give you pause will help see them for what they are. Make no mistake about it. Someone who continually manipulates to get what they want broke the bonds of the relationship long before they were found out.

Mentally and emotionally manipulative people can be passive aggressive or overly demanding. Either way, it’s not acceptable, and we can’t allow it to continue. It’s time to stand up for ourselves and take back the control that was taken from us.

5 Ancient Exercises You Need To Be Doing Everyday

October 31, 2015 by Power of Positivity

The five Tibetan rites, also known as the “The Fountain of Youth,” are a series of continual movements thought to be over 2,500 years old. The rites take about 15 minutes and should be done daily, preferably in the morning. These ancient exercises can help you boost your health.

The daily ritual of performing the five Tibetan rites at the beginning of each day will offer many benefits including the following moves:

Increased flexibility
Better balance
Stronger muscles
Stress reductions
Clarity of thought
More energy
Improved overall health
Enhanced sense of calm

When beginning the five Tibetan rites, make sure and start out slowly aiming for three repetitions of each movement. As with any exercise, we should listen to our bodies and take care not to force anything beyond their natural tendencies. If you experience pain or severe discomfort, look for ways to modify the movement or do fewer repetitions until your strength and stamina increase.

Eventually, you will want to work your way up to 21 repetitions for each of the five movements. Do these ancient exercises slow and methodically, remembering that your breathing plays a role.

The Five Ancient Exercises You Need to Be Doing Everday:

Rite 1: Sufi Whirling

The Movement

Stand with your arms extended outward at shoulder level. Begin to spin clockwise slowly while looking in front of you. If you get dizzy, you can focus on a single point but try to allow your vision to blur as you spin. Stop when you feel dizzy or if you are losing your balance. Work your way up to 21 complete spins.

The Breath

Feel your breath entering and exiting your stomach. When you stop the movement, breathe more deeply in and out until you have regained your balance and your heads stop spinning.

Rite 2: Leg Raises

The Movement

Lay flat on your back on the floor with your arms along your side, palms up. Keep your legs straight and take a deep inhalation breath as you lift your legs as high as possible eventually ending up over the head. At the same time lift your head off the ground bringing your chin to your chest. Exhale slowly as you lower your head and legs back to their original positions.

Note: You can modify this movement by placing your hands under your buttocks with your palms facing down to support your lower back.

The Breath

Inhale as you raise your legs and exhale while lowering them.

Rite 3: Recovery Posture

The Movement

Kneeling, place the palms of your on hand along the side of your thighs. Bend your chin towards your chest and begin to inhale deeply. Slowly raise your head and begin to lean back as you move hands from the side to the back of your thighs. Slide your hands down lower as you lean back further to help support your weight. Allow the weight of your head and neck to drop backward as you look up. Keep your eyes open to maintain your balance and feel the release in your spine. Begin exhaling as you slowly return to your original position.

The Breath

Inhale as you move back into the bend and exhale when returning to the original position.

Rite 4: Table Posture

The Movement

Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you about shoulder-width apart. Place your arms along your side with the palm of your hands flat on the ground and your fingers pointed towards your toes. As you begin to inhale, raise your buttocks while keeping your arms still and bending your knees. Shift the weight to your arms and continue to lift until your thighs are parallel to the ground, allowing your head to fall back. Exhale as you slowly return to the original position.

The Breath

Inhale as you lift and move into the table posture and exhale as you return the original position.

Rite 5: Inverted-V

The Movement

Here is the last of our ancient exercises. On your hand and knees, inhale as you move into the Cobra position by moving forward, straightening your legs, arching your back and leaning your head backward. Try not to let any part of your body touch the ground except for your toes and hands. As you begin to exhale, move into Downward Dog by bending at the waist into an inverted V. Straighten your legs and arms while tucking your chin into your chest.

The Breath

Inhale as you lower yourself into Cobra and exhale as you move into Downward Dog.

After completing the fifth movement, lay on your stomach with your arms stretched out at shoulder length with your chin on the ground. Close your eyes and feel your breath and blood circulate through your body.

When your breathing returns to normal, turn your head to one side and take a few deep breaths. Turn your head to the other side and take a few more deep breaths. Relax for one minute and then begin your daily routine.

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Here are 5 Things Epic People Do Right Before Bed

1. Plan For Tomorrow

2. Bond With Family

3. Read

4. Write Down What’s On Their Minds

5. Think Happy Thoughts

Final Thoughts on Before Bed Habits

Meet the Innovator Behind the Idea of Transforming into a Tree After Death

Final Thoughts on the Bios Urn

Here are 5 incredible things you can learn from reading your birth chart:

1. Your birth chart will teach you what career path suits you best.

2. Your birth chart will teach you your unique strengths and weaknesses.

3. Your birth chart will show you that you actually have three signs…

4. Your birth chart explains how the planetary alignments and positions affect your personality and energy.

5. Your birth chart reveals the big soul lessons you will face in life.

How to read your birth chart:

What does your birth chart reveal about you? Please comment and share with friends!

5 Things You Should Never Sacrifice For Love

1. Freedom.

2. Yourself.

3. Happiness.

4. Your dreams.

5. Inner peace.

5 Signs Someone Is Trying to Manipulate You Mentally

1. They use our words against us and to their benefit.

2. They use passive-aggressive methods to manipulate us.

3. They suck the energy out of us and everyone else in the room.

4. They seek out and use our sensitive and trusting nature.

5. They use guilt to manipulate us.

Final Thoughts on Seeing When Someone Wants to Mentally Manipulate You

The Five Ancient Exercises You Need to Be Doing Everday:

Rite 1: Sufi Whirling

Rite 2: Leg Raises

Rite 3: Recovery Posture

Rite 4: Table Posture

Rite 5: Inverted-V

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