Transform Your life Today - eleven elements™

  Personal development is 

a practice not a philosophy. 

It’s not about what you know, 

it’s about what you do with what you know. 

The most important ingredient is AWARENESS. 

Awareness is a quality of the mind; without it, nothing can be achieved.

If you read no further, please understand the central principal to all personal growth: 

CULTIVATING AWARENESS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT TO MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. 

This is simple, we have to develop and practice the habits that keep us present, in the moment, NOW. 

Simple techniques develop the neural network in our brain to support the act of being self-aware at all levels – physically, mentally, emotionally, in every way.

  How would you like to learn to use your breath as a superpower? 

A force that not only keeps you healthy and strong but that allows you to achieve powerful altered states that connect you to your true self.

The transformative potential of breath as a personal development and spiritual practice is remarkable. 

It’s a simple and super effective tool. It’s portable, free, and powerful. 

Our breath is more than just inhaling and exhaling air. It is the essence of life itself, the vital force that animates us. 

It’s our Wi-Fi connection to the Cosmos! 

The simple act of paying attention to our breath can help manage stress, regulate our nervous system, enhance our immune function, and improve our sleep.

Millions of people have experienced the transformative effect of breathwork practices 

and now, you can too! 

  Beliefs shape our perception of the world, influence our thoughts and actions, and have a direct impact on the quality of our life. 

They are the software of the mind, the lens through which we experience the world. We suffer or prosper as a direct result of our beliefs.

Our beliefs are not fixed, we can change them if we learn how to work with the mind.

The process begins by learning how to examine our beliefs and shift them. 

We have two minds, not one. A conscious and subconscious mind; this is important to know!

Most of our beliefs are unconscious and have a powerful effect on our behaviour, our habits and the outcomes of our life. 

This is why we must learn to work with the subconscious mind.

Personal power begins by recognising patterns in our life that point to our beliefs; especially those that are not serving us. 

We then apply techniques to change them. We keep the ones that serve us and get rid of the ones that don’t. 

  Conscious intention is taking the time to be aware of the various aspects of your life and consciously creating intentions for them

It creates a path that shapes your experiences. It’s a process not an event. It unfolds over time. 

Conscious Intention is a 

Creative Force!

It's about having a sense of purpose that propels you forward in every aspect of your life. Not just setting goals or checking off to-do lists, but embracing the transformative force of Conscious Intention. 

This applies to all aspects of your life: physically, materially, financially, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

You don't have to know the exact path to the outcome but it’s important to have an  awareness of what you would like your life to be. This becomes a compass that directs you and sets you off on your journey.

It's a process I call 

"Organic Manifestation"

The Cosmos, the universe, your subconscious mind, God, The Great Mystery, serendipity, luck, karma, however you choose to frame it, conspires to help you move in the direction of your intention.

  It might sound silly to include this as a major part of our personal development, but it's not.  

Our body is about 75% water. The health of our cells depends on it.  

Water is essential for our overall health and well-being and yet most of us don't drink enough of it.

Every organ and every function in our body needs water. 

Because we don’t drink enough we can become chronically dehydrated, and this is one of the major causes of many serious and chronic diseases ! 

 I started to consciously drink water 12 years ago. Before that, I hardly drank much. I have made it a habit to start my day with a large glass of water. 

It’s as simple as that, water is life and we need to drink it!

   Discipline is the glue that holds our personal development practice together. 

It is the ability to consistently engage in actions, regardless of how you feel. On good days and on bad days. When you feel inspired and when you don't; especially when you feel uninspired. 

Discipline is the practice of doing something over and over. What we repeat regularly becomes habit. It becomes neurologically wired into our brain. It becomes part of our character. 

When we do things regularly and consistently they take root in our life.

How we think makes us feel a certain way, and how we feel dictates how we act. In order to sustain our intentions and achieve any type of growth we need to be disciplined about what we allow ourselves to think and do. 

Discipline is repeatedly directing our will towards an intention with mindful awareness.  

Comfort feels good, but it leads to inaction. 

Discomfort causes change. 

So one of the disciplines is to make sure that you are never too comfortable. 

Challenging ourselves and creating positive discomfort helps us grow, and helps us to build the muscle of discipline.

The pain of disciplined action is far better than the pain of stagnation 

  We are what we eat, but we must remember that we don't only eat with our mouth and we don't only eat food. 

We consume with all our senses. Our eyes, our ears, our nose, our feelings and, very importantly, with our mind. 

My teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, spoke of the four kinds of nutriments:

1. Edible food and drink. Our physical diet.
2. Sense impressions: Media, music, books, our surroundings, our friends, who we spend time with.
3. Volition: Our deepest desires and purpose.
4. Consciousness: Our mental environment. Our thoughts, beliefs, and subconscious patterns.

All of these are important because they  shape our body and physical health but also our mind, our emotions, and our life as a whole.

We need to apply the elements of awareness, conscious intention, and discipline to our diet.

  Down time refers to the practice of taking time for ourselves. 

We need to allow ourselves to rest and take care of ourselves.

 It involves finding balance between disciplined action and restorative breaks. 

While discipline drives us forward, down time allows us to recharge, reflect, and simply “be”. 

Balancing the two requires conscious intention and self-awareness. 

Some individuals may need more discipline to prioritize rest (because they are over busy), while others may need to cultivate discipline in taking action (they have a tendency to procrastinate). 

Down time is an opportunity to rest, reconnect with our essence, experience joy, and reflect on our journey. Striving for a harmonious balance between doing and being is key to leading a fulfilling life.

 Keeping something in your mind  plans, ideas, thoughts, images, wishes, dreams - doesn't manifest them unless you take action. 

The Law of Three applies: 

Thought, Speech, and Action.

 Embodiment is bringing these three elements together in order to manifest in the physical world.

You can't expect to get fit by thinking about the gym. So how can you expect to reveal your purpose and manifest your life by simply  thinking about it? 

Knowing about something and executing on it are two different things. 

Embodiment is such a simple notion. It seems ridiculously obvious, yet we often get stuck by keeping things in the mind and not acting on them.

  The fundamentals I teach and practice are fundamentals of life. These are tools, routines, rituals, and knowledge that deal with body, mind, and spirit.

A fundamental is something that forms a necessary base or core; of central importance. 

There are hundreds of practices, the key is to choose the ones that work for you.

 Meditation, journaling, exercise, yoga, mindfulness, breathwork. These and many more are what I refer to as Fundamentals. 

Life is challenging and we need tools to navigate it. The aim of having good fundamentals is to create a beautiful and holistic life.

  With good fundamentals in place, you still experience challenges, but your practice becomes your sanctuary. Your place of stillness and refuge. Your re-set button. 

God. The Cosmos. The Universe. The One Being The Wise Call by Many Names.

To me The Great Mystery is the phrase that I use to describe this awesome and unknowable aspect of life. 

I like the term because it implies that it is and always will be a Great Mystery. I cannot work it out with my mind and I don't need to. 

I am truly in awe of this existence. Ever since I was a boy and stood under the stars I KNEW there was something greater than what meets the eye. 

I FELT A ONENESS WITH ALL THAT IS

What I strive to do is to treat The Great Mystery like a surfer treats the ocean. We don't need to understand the entire ocean in order to surf, but surfing is the single most profound and exciting thing that we can do!