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5 Gut Instincts You Should Never Ignore

March 7, 2015 by Power of Positivity

When people say they’re gut instincts, they really mean that their intuition is guiding them in making a decision.

We all have this innate ability to listen to that inner voice telling us not to go through with something, or that the person asking us for help might have ulterior motives, or that our childhood dream could actually become a fulfilling career choice in our adult life.

We can essentially decode this often indescribable gut feeling we get in certain situations, because that pang in your stomach, a sudden bout of fatigue, or strong urge to help the person next to you can reveal more than you think.

Here are five instincts you don’t want to ignore:

1. “I don’t feel good.”

If something in your body doesn’t feel right, you should listen to this feeling before it gets any worse. A lot of people ignore subtle signs from their bodies and end up dealing with a much larger problem than they originally planned for. Your body instinctively knows when something is off balance, and those initial warning signs warrant your acknowledgment and further investigating to find out what your intuition is trying to tell you. Don’t ever hesitate to go to your wellness advocate if your inner voice starts to scream at you to take action – the human body communicates to us surprisingly often through the power of intuition.

On another note, pay attention to how you feel every time you interact with someone. Do you feel drained, anxious, or depressed? These feelings have come to the surface for a reason – by listening to yourself intuitively, you can determine which people in your life suck your energy dry, and who actually makes you feel alive.

Your intuition speaks to you in many ways, so never ignore any “off” feelings you get, no matter how subtle.

2. “This situation seems dangerous.”

Have you ever seen the Final Destination movies, where one person out of a group of friends gets intense visions before something bad happens? These movies, whether intentionally or not, portray the uncanny role that intuition can play in perilous situations.

For instance, maybe on your weekly trip to the grocery store, someone meets your gaze and you instantly get an uneasy feeling about them. Let’s say they start to follow you discreetly around the store, and then you watch them go outside without buying anything. However, they don’t leave; instead, they wait outside the store, and you intuitively feel that by going to your car, you will put yourself in a potentially life-threatening situation. While this person may not have directly endangered you, your intuition commands you to not leave the store without telling the manager or calling the police first.

The fight-or-flight response in humans was designed to warn us of immediate danger, and move us to act on that feeling. While our gut instincts can have flaws, you should listen to them regardless – they might just save your life.

3. “I should help that person.”

Gut instincts don’t always indicate something negative. Since we all originate from the same source, we have direct ties to each other and can sense when someone needs help. We have the powerful ability to read other people’s energy by evaluating their facial expressions, body language, or just how we feel around that person. Have you ever noticed how everyone scrambles to offer whatever help they can after a natural or man-made disaster?

This strong desire to assist our fellow humans comes prewired in our evolution as a species; after all, when humans lived off the land, they depended on one another for survival. Some of them gathered wood for shelter and fire, while others wanted to help find food for themselves and others. They helped one another not just out of necessity, but because of a deep understanding that humans need to feel cared for and protected.

Offer help even if the person in question doesn’t ask for it – nonverbal cues can offer much more insight than words in these types of situations.

4. “This comes naturally to me.”

Overthinking can often cause problems that didn’t even exist in the first place, especially in regard to your natural talents. Maybe you have spent weeks practicing your lines for a play, and have all the hand motions, inflections in your tone, and the whole thing down pat. Then, when you get on stage for your final practice, you suddenly forget everything you worked so hard practicing. Or, maybe you have become the star player on your baseball team, but your mind runs on overdrive and puts you under pressure, making you miss every ball pitched to you at home base.

People with extraordinary talents commonly choke when it’s time for them to perform, and all of it stems from letting their minds run haywire. They pay too much attention to their thoughts, rather than letting their instincts take over. If something comes naturally to you, distract your mind with something other than the task at hand, such as a song or memory that makes you happy, and allow your instincts to take over instead.

5. “This just feels right.”

Whether it applies to changing careers, picking your next boyfriend or girlfriend, or deciding where to live, your intuition actually plays a bigger role than rational thinking in these decisions. When you make these life-altering choices, it mostly boils down to how you feel about them. Think about it: we all just want to feel good, so we add and subtract things from our life to align with that feeling.

If your career earns you $100,000 a year but makes you miserable, would you stick with it rather than take your dream job that pays $40,000? Your gut instincts would probably tell you to do what makes you happy and take the lower-paying job rather than keep one that makes you feel dead inside.

When something feels right, a lightbulb goes off inside you and it doesn’t really require much cognitive ability – it comes easily to you.

Listen to your gut instincts next time you make an important decision – it will help you choose the right path.

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

Want to Start Meditation But Not Sure How? Here Are 6 Tips to Get Started

March 5, 2015 by Greater Good

We’ve all heard about the benefits of meditation–lower stress levels, more focus, increased self-awareness, better sleep. But actually doing it–and doing it right–can be a challenge.

Or so we think.

It turns out meditation isn’t as hard as many of us make it out to be.

Follow these 6 simple techniques to make meditation a regular part of your routine — no experience necessary!

1 – Start small.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by attempting to sit in stillness for an hour a day. It’s not easy and five minutes is enough to start feeling the benefits. Begin with a challenging but achievable practice schedule and increase the duration as your comfort level grows.

2 – Use a meditation guide.

You don’t have to go it alone! There’s no shame in starting with a guided meditation soundtrack or video to ease yourself into the practice. YouTube videos and smartphone apps are great resources for this. Once finding stillness becomes more natural for you, you can graduate to self-guided meditation.

3 – Be forgiving.

No matter what happens during your practice, don’t stress about it. You may feel nervous about clearing time in your schedule, anxious when your thoughts wander, or frustrated if you feel like you just can’t relax. Feel these emotions as they come up, and then gently let them go without judgment. As your practice grows, it will get easier and easier to return to the present moment. Take things one day at a time, one breath at a time.

4 – Experiment.

As a beginner, feel free to experiment with various styles and seated positions in your meditation practice. Try sitting cross-legged, on your knees, on a pillow, or on a chair. Place your hands at the center of your chest, palms-down on your knees, or folded at your waist. You could even consider lying down. Everyone has their own style, so explore until you find a posture that is relaxing yet energizing for you.

5 – Prepare your space.

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is failing to create peaceful practicing conditions. If you’re nervous that your phone might ring, the kids might burst in, or your teapot might boil over, keeping your mind at rest will be a struggle. Light incense or some good quality candles to signify the start of your practice. Create an altar of soothing images or memorabilia to focus on and keep a warm, fuzzy blanket within reach.

6 – Create a meditation routine.

Being consistent with how you practice will not only make it easier to embrace stillness, but it will also help you develop a strong habit. Pick a time of day to consistently devote to meditation — every day! — and designate a quiet space you know will always be available. Make meditation a habit rather than a choice and before you know it, your day will seem incomplete without it.

(Still not sure how to begin? Set yourself up for meditation success with this incense and tea light comfort set.)

Written by Grace H.

7 Ways to Deal with Toxic Attitudes

March 5, 2015 by Power of Positivity

Dealing with difficult attitudes from others is a sure path to patience, compassion and kindness…

The seemingly abundant challenges in the world today breed a lot of angry, self-serving, negative attitudes (unfortunately). Some choose to use the obstacles they face as opportunities to grow and learn, but many take a different route and inflict their bad moods on others. If you aren’t careful, their toxicity can easily get lodged into your own positive thinking mindset – so knowing how to handle these types of people in the best way possible is crucial.

Let’s look at some positive methods of braving others’ inner storms in a way that leaves you out of the crossfire…

Here are 7 positive ways to deal with toxic attitudes:

1. Offer them an ear to listen.

One positive way to challenge volatile behavior is to actually open up a line of communication between you and this person. Who knows what kinds of problems this person faces mentally, physically, or otherwise, and maybe no one gives them the time of day to really talk about their issues. Be that person who combats their anger with compassion, and tells them they have the floor for whatever is bothering them. You might just encourage them to put an end to their struggles and come up with a proactive solution.

Everyone deals with pain differently, and maybe they just need someone to show them how to channel it in a more productive way. Moreover, everyone fights silent battles on a daily basis – you never know what people have endured and for how long, so show a little understanding when you can.

2. Walk away from bad attitudes, if possible.

We know this advice doesn’t really apply in a workplace, but you can still distance yourself from coworkers who continually put out bad vibes. This tip more specifically relates to relationships you have in your life; if your friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend always seems to put you in a bad mood, don’t hesitate to get out of the situation. Everyone goes through tough times, but it indicates a much deeper issue if they can’t go one day without complaining or putting themselves in a victim mentality. Of course, some people suffer from chronic depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other mental problems, but this still doesn’t mean they get a free pass to treat you poorly or project their feelings onto you.

If you have tried to help them but they choose to remain in misery, you eventually have to let them deal with their problems on their own terms. You cannot claim responsibility for everyone’s happiness; it’s an inside job.

3. Create some “me time” in your schedule.

Toxic people can drain your energy pretty quickly if you have to endure their company in the workplace or at home. Make sure to take time to re-center yourself and rid your mind of the heavy energies so they don’t make a permanent home in your own energy field. Dealing with these types of people day in and day out can become exhausting, and will really deplete your energy stores after a while. Recuperation and rest matter, especially in the world we live in today.

4. Kindly point out that their behavior hurts others around them.

Some people will take advantage of your kindness and sincerity, unleashing their hostility onto you. Make sure you make them well aware of your boundaries, and don’t walk on eggshells around them just because they can’t seem to reign in their own emotions. Let them know that their poor attitude affects everyone around them, and you won’t tolerate it any longer.

No one should have to consistently deal with conniving, manipulative, or brash behavior, and you should nip it in the bud before people think they can get away with it. Maybe this will get them to change their tune so others will want to be around them more.

5. Remember that how people treat you is their karma.

Sometimes, you just have to keep in mind the laws of the universe, and that negative people will have to face the consequences of their behavior. Everything always comes back full circle, so just remember to treat them with love and compassion, because you have control of your own karma. Others may not be aware of these “divine laws”, or they may not care, but this remains constant: ultimately, how others treat you is out of your hands, so just sit back and watch the universe respond accordingly.

6. Do something to make their day better.

You can either sit there and watch someone struggle or offer to help them up. You always have a choice in the moment, so choose kindness. Choose compassion. Bring them some food on their lunch break if they have piles of work to finish and you know they can’t leave, bake them some cookies and leave them on their desk, or make them a homemade crafty gift to show you care.

This world could use more acts of kindness, and a lot of people are hurting right now – be the person that lifts others up even if they always bring you down. Maybe you can be the one to encourage them to start looking on the brighter side of life.

7. Smile. 🙂

How can someone possibly keep spouting off negative vibes when you meet that energy with a smile? It will immediately put them in a better place of perspective, and remind them that this world still has good people left. Maybe they have a very negative home life and don’t have a lot of emotional support. Maybe they feel neglected or unloved, so spread your love with your smiles. It will even uplift your own mood, and help others around you.

The simple, small act of smiling can create enormous changes in Earth’s energy – use it abundantly!

For the First Time Ever, Evidence of Light as Both Wave and Particle Captured

March 4, 2015 by Power of Positivity

For the first time in history, scientists have captured light behaving as both a particle and a wave. Published recently in Nature Communications, this experiment proves what quantum mechanics tells us about the dual behavior of light. A research team at a prestigious science institute in Switzerland conducted this experiment in an unparalleled way. It used electrons to get a snapshot of light behaving as particles and waves, simultaneously.

To give you a mental image of how they set up the experiment, the scientists pointed a laser light at a small metallic nanowire. That fueled energy to the charged particles inside the nanowire. T particles began to vibrate due to the increase in energy. Then, the light begins to travel inside the wire in two different directions. When the waves generated by the laser collide, they form a new wave called a “standing wave.”

Now, they just needed a way to capture the particles within this standing wave. Luckily, they figured out a clever way to do it. They fired a stream of electrons close to the nanowire, using them as a method of capturing the particles in the wave.

The researchers then used a powerful microscope to observe the electrons either speeding up or slowing down as they interacted with the standing wave of light. This behavior simultaneously demonstrated that light behaves as a particle, as well.

How, you ask?

The electrons fired into the standing wave of light collided with the photon particles that light is made up of. When this occurred, the electrons’ speed dramatically increased or decreased. Then they began appearing as a small exchange of radiant energy between the electrons and photons. This phenomenon of the creation of energy “packets” directly captures the light particles along the nanowire.

Employing the use of ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM), scientists could finally capture what people have been striving for since the days of Einstein: light existing as both a wave and particles at the same time.

Credit: Fabrizio Carbone/EPFL

When introduced to light radiation, the particles within the nanowire become “excited,” and the light moving in a back and forth manner resulted in the standing light wave. Capturing the action with an ultrafast microscope enabled scientists to finally prove that light can simultaneously behave as both a particle and a wave through quantum manipulation techniques.

By imaging the energy spectrum of the exchange of electrons and photons. Additionally, it shows the spatial distribution or distance between the light waves. Therefore, scientists can observe complementary aspects of a localized electromagnetic field.

So this experiment successfully manipulates energy on the smallest scale in the dimensions of time and space. Thus, we can make exciting new discoveries about our world and use new knowledge to further our understanding.

By interfering with particles on a quantum level, some scientists say this could even lead to miniaturization in the future.

This observation at the nanoscale opens up the door for future technologies according to Fabrizio Carbone, a leading researcher on the project.

3 Ways to Be More Compassionate

March 1, 2015 by Power of Positivity

“Love and compassion are necessities. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s children, hate, violence, apathy, and greed were as foreign to us as having to pay bills just to survive. We played with other children on our street, helped one another when we tripped and fell.. Indeed, we really had no idea about the horrors lurking outside our neighborhoods. We simply did what came naturally to us. And we did not know we would soon become influenced by people not so familiar with basic human compassion. Before the conditions of a largely imbalanced society, we actually operated on kindness, peace, and understanding.

Can we reorient our minds back to a place where we’re living with more love, trust, and compassion in life?

The answer is yes.

Here are 3 ways to be more compassionate to others (and yourself!)

1. Practice Loving Kindness Meditation

If you have practiced or read up on meditation, you know that the act of meditating literally creates new pathways in your brain, and rewires the neurotransmitters already in existence. It allows you to view the world through different lenses, and you can choose from a variety of different meditation practices depending on what you want to achieve. To cultivate a more compassionate brain, psychologists have discovered through many studies that loving kindness meditation can actually increase altruism in people. Yep, that’s right. You can train your brain to become more compassionate through a simple meditation sequence. Even if you have never felt very compassionate in your life, you can actually develop the skill relatively easily.

The study

In the study conducted by Psychological Science, the researchers gave half of the participants a 30 minute audio recording that they listened to once a day for two weeks. The recording was an adaptation of the Buddhist practice of loving kindness meditation. Scientists called it compassion meditation. In the recording, participants were guided to extend compassion to themselves, friends, acquaintances, and anyone they had encountered troubles with.

After the two week period, the participants played an online game intended to calculate their selflessness. The game consisted of three players, one (the participant) who had $5, another who had $10, and a third who had no money. The computer-generated player with $10 was asked to share some of his money, but only gave $1 to the impoverished player. Then, the participant could choose any amount of his $5 to give to the poorest player, and whatever amount he choose would be doubled by the richest player. For example, if the participant decided to part with $2, the wealthiest player would have to give up $4.

The results from the game revealed that people who had received the compassion meditation training spent nearly twice as much as others who received a different type of training designed to get participants to think about a stressful situation in a less distressing way.

Also, the brain activity of the participants reflected the increase in altruism as well. Brain scans revealed that people who underwent the compassion meditation training had heightened activity in neural networks responsible for understanding suffering of others and regulating emotions.

So, practice loving kindness meditation for just thirty minutes a day. Then, you can reap the benefits of this exercise and become a more compassionate person. You can also utilize two other methods to help you foster more empathy towards others.

2. Live More Compassionately

Put what you’ve learned in your meditation practice to good use and fill other people’s lives with more compassion. Not only will it make you feel great to extend kindness to other people, but it will improve their lives as well. Think about it – what if you smiled at a stranger every single day? This would encourage them to smile, and might even change their outlook on the world as well. Ripples create waves, so remember that when you go out in public and notice other people who look worried or stressed.

All of us can offer some sort of help to other people, whether through our words, actions, or smiles. After doing a nice deed for someone on a consistent basis, it will start to become second nature.

3. Listen to Other People More Often

Do you spend time relating to other people and putting yourself in their shoes?

If not, try to really understand your family member or friend who has been going through a rough time, or just needs advice about something. You can relearn compassion in this way by taking the focus off your own struggles for a while. Instead, try giving your attention to someone else in need. Everyone goes through some sort of troubles in life, but you could be the one to relieve some of the stress by simply opening your ears and heart.

Add value to this post with your tips to help grow compassion in the hearts of others. We need it now more than ever!

6 Excuses Holding You Back (And How to Overcome Them)

February 28, 2015 by Power of Positivity

“He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin

Your brain is a conundrum. It contains better processing capability than any supercomputer, yet at times frustratingly impulsive and temperamental. We engage in fleeting and meaningless thought patterns yet are able to concentrate for long durations of time. It is fair to say that the brain is sometimes on ‘autopilot’ – doing its own thing without any voluntary interaction.

Something that the brain does when on ‘autopilot’ is make excuses. While you certainly may not ‘feel’ up to the task, you know that you’re more than capable. Whatever this task may be – studying, cleaning, a project, etc. – you just can’t seem to stop making excuses for bucking down and doing it. In the end, you just feel more frustrated, nothing is accomplished, and the task is still staring you in the face.

Don’t fret. Excuses are just another auto-response generated by that complex circuitry of neural networks called your brain. Let’s examine a few of the more common excuses that may hold you back.

Here are 6 excuses that may be holding you back (and how to overcome them):

1. “I don’t have the time.”

To be fair, many of us are short on time because of work, family, kids, etc. Indeed, this is a legitimate limitation for many of us. This doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, however.

First, consider your priorities. You innately understand that family and work comes first; perhaps followed by housework, school, or something else. What about the remaining time in your day? Understandably, this time is perhaps limited…but it’s still there. Are you taking full advantage of this time, whether its 5 minutes or an hour?

Second, consider the possibilities. Consider the time that you spend on procrastinating, being anxious or absentminded. Instead of using up that hour catching up on your favorite show, can you record it and watch it on the weekend? If your kids demand your attention for something that can wait, will you ask them to occupy themselves for a period of time?

Be creative and don’t underestimate the power of small chunks of time.

2. “I don’t have the ability.”

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford

While there may be inherent differences in ability from one person to another, brain research is finding that our brains adapt much faster than previously thought. Neuroplasticity – the changing of neural pathways in the brain due to changes in behavior, environment, thinking, and learning – has shown that it’s possible to evolve intellectually.

You can become smarter, more resilient, and happier while pursuing your dreams. Don’t allow the illusion that you’re somehow incapable of achieving the goals that you’ve set for yourself.

3. “I’m just too busy.”

As with “not enough time”, this is an excuse that has some legitimacy. As a society, we’re overworked and overscheduled, distracted and off-balance. We’re not here to challenge this fact – doing so would be dishonest.

Not only is this excuse counterproductive, it induces unnecessary stress. The constant feeling of busyness directly increases our stress levels. We can only increase the stress hormone cortisol before it initiates a “fight or flight” response. Over a period of time, this leads to a state of chronic stress. Busyness often manifests itself in other ways as well – bad concentration and memory, impulsive behavior, lethargy, headaches, and feelings of malaise.

The solution is to simply be present. Concentrate on one thing at a time. When you have angry or impulsive thoughts, simply allow them to fade.

4. “I don’t have the money.”

The truth is that money is simply a tool; a method of exchange. However, economic statistics continue to show that wages continue to flatten while the cost of living increases – this can certainly become a problem.

There exists a movement called minimalism, where one lives with the basic necessities of life and nothing more. Minimalism is not well known in the Western world because of the materialistic consumerism mentality to economics that has permeated our society.

But the fact of the matter is that we don’t need to live this way. Study after study continues to show that material possessions and the accumulation of money do not correlate to happiness. Perhaps this is because we become susceptible to the lies that success equals money and money equals possessions.

The first step involves making the conscious decision to not live beyond your means. The second step is to determine what constitutes a want versus a need. You need food, water, shelter and electricity. You want the flat-screen TV, luxury car, cable package and cell phone. The third step involves minimizing or eliminating the wants in your life.

Of course, whether or not minimalism is a desired lifestyle is completely your choice. There is nothing wrong with having nice things in moderation. Rather, it is the constant desire to buy and have more that creates unnecessary and toxic excess.

5. “It’s too late…”

It’s too late to pursue my education.

It’s too late to change careers.

It’s too late to fall in love.

It’s too late to start my own business.

It’s too late to leave an impact on the world.

The great writer Richard Bach once said:

“Here is a test to find out whether your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t”

As a prior college counselor, I had the distinct honor and privilege to interact with people interested in pursuing their education. From recommending and enrolling in courses to watching students walk across the stage to receive their diploma, the experience was touching.

One such student was Robert Titus, a former salesman from Houston, who received his Marketing degree at the age of 80. His reason for this was simple: he promised his mother a long time ago that he’d achieve a college degree.

Whether your goal is a college degree, writing a novel, traveling the world or something else, the only limitations are the ones that we place on ourselves. If there is still air in your lungs and desire in your heart, there is no reason to stop.

6. “I’m too tired.”

It’s impossible to examine this excuse without thinking about time and busyness – excuses two and three on this list. After all, if we didn’t feel busy or deprived of time, we’d have no reason to be tired. As with time and busyness, there is some merit to the fact that we get indeed feel lethargic from time to time.

You must simply inspect your daily activities and what is causing tiredness. Are you rushing throughout the day from one place to another? Are you getting adequate amounts of sleep (minimum 7-8 hours)? Are you staying out or going to bed late during the weekdays? All of these reasons – along with a multitude of others – will undoubtedly result in fatigue.

The solution is making some lifestyle changes to counteract this tendency. Stress or poor time management are likely the culprits, both of which are easily rectified. Make it a priority to feel energized throughout the day by discarding the bad habits that lead to tired feelings. Try to implement a short nap into your day for some added benefit.

Break free from these excuses right now. Make the declaration “I release the roadblocks to my abundance. I am victorious!”

Share your victories in the discussion below!

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