Personal power is a choice. To feel powerful or powerless makes all the difference. The important thing to know is what beliefs you hold.

Beliefs can render one all-powerful or powerless. Beliefs impact every experience in life, intertwining the psychological, emotional and physical realms. For example, positive beliefs uplift one with the potential for joy and greater vitality. Negative beliefs on the other hand induce worry, evoking anxiety and tension in the body. With the reptilian brain and fight or flight stimulated within, the vortex of dark mental, emotional, and physical experiences maintains a heightened level of stress. This is a norm for people but it doesn’t have to be.

The key to transformation is living fully in the moment. Bring awareness to patterns of limited thinking that do not serve you well. Shift in the moment from mindless reactions to wise responses. Take a moment to breathe, settle the active mind and shift from powerless to your natural state of personal power. Two very effective practices for transforming experiences include gratitude and positive affirmations. Gratitude maintains a positive orientation while positive affirmations speak a new truth that resonates for you. “I trust in the goodness of life to carry me through.” or “I am grateful for the experiences of my life.” are two simple statements that can change things in your life in significant ways.  Know that personal power is a birthright and everyone has the right to live a healthy wholesome life!

The mind wants to make sense of everything. It judges right and wrong, good and bad, should and shouldn’ts in life. You may say to yourself, “I shouldn’t feel angry” or “I shouldn’t still be sad”. In reality, nothing in life can be defined as absolutes, especially emotions. All emotions are friends. Emotions help us to process experiences in life and return to a natural state of balance. Anger, fear, and sadness are all messages from within revealing our path to wholeness. Allow them to surface without repressing them. Create space for wise insights to arise along with mindful steps towards healing. Perhaps you need to set healthier boundaries for yourself and others. Take full responsibility for what you’re experiencing and choose the path that leads to greater peace, harmony and satisfaction with win-win results!

Mind fitness includes movement. Moving your body helps to rid dark emotions caused by negative reactions. Whether you choose to walk, jog, dance, ride a bike or jump on a mini trampoline, the increased circulation you experience will be powerfully transformative. Rigid ways of thinking loosen up. Anger dissolves, sadness drifts away, and frustration is released. Stress is also reduced. Did you know that ‘stressed’ spelled backwards is desserts?! Imagine sweetening your experiences in life. Envision joy sprinkled with delight each day. It is waiting for you!

Last week’s post covered the importance of silence in Mind Fitness. Following the practice of silence, action is another vital component where insights and revelations are brought to experiences in daily life. For instance, if silence brought you the awareness that you need to set healthier boundaries in relationships, the action you might take is to speak your truth. You could say something like “I feel extremely disappointed when you are repeatedly distracted by your cell phone and not able to engage in important conversations. Would you be willing to turn off your phone for 5 or 10 minutes so that we can make progress in our relationship?” Stepping into action is the point of literal transformation, creating a new reality in the moment. As a result, old maladaptive patterns dissolve, leading to a more fruitful, satisfying and rewarding life!

Silence is a vital part of mind fitness. Silence is the portal to positive change and deep inner knowing. When the active mind is calmed of incessant thoughts, a sense of spaciousness naturally arises. This opening provides an opportunity to perceive life differently and dissolve mental chatter. Since the majority of chatter is both repetitive and negative, it serves no one well to allow it to continue. Studies reveal that these negative thought patterns were derived early in life and are the result of an over stimulated nervous system. Calming the mind requires also calming of the body. Synchronize mind and body through silence and non-judging observation, gently releasing any thoughts or sensations that arise. Regular solitude yields immense rewards and a more peaceful life.

Flexibility is another important part of mind fitness. Whenever you feel stuck, confused, or overwhelmed, step back from the situation to ground and center yourself, then observe any rigid thinking you may hold. Ask yourself “Where is my mind closed and rigid?” Also take time to ponder what you do not know about the situation in order to expand your perspective. This is often difficult to do, especially if you are immersed in the problem. A helpful strategy here is to make plenty of time for meditation and opening yourself up to intuitive insights.

For instance, if you are currently struggling with a family member who is critical and judging, you could begin by keeping conversations brief and succinct to maintain mutual respect. When apart, create large amounts of solitude to access body signals and intuitive insights on the situation. With adequate reflection time, you may receive a flash of insight, revealing a bigger picture. Perhaps the situation is much more complex than you realized and now you know for certain that loving kindness and compassion are necessary for both parties. Stopping the pattern of participating in conflict is key. Discovering and enacting alternate ways of communicating are also essential. All that is required is for one person to shift their thoughts and behaviours for influencing change. Mindfully make wise choices, moment by moment and walk forward with lightness and grace. Flexibility is key for on-going mind fitness.

Mind fitness involves expansion. Having an open mind is crucial in order to grow from limitations. Whatever struggles you are currently experiencing are not just the result of external conditions but also your reactions. If you view yourself as stuck with no options for freeing yourself, that will be your reality. Therefore, having ‘a mind like the sky’ is essential.

How does one open their mind? There are many ways to achieve this. One way is by releasing pent-up emotions through physical exercise or movement, including free form dancing, jumping on soft ground, or bouncing on a trampoline. These are very powerful  methods as they literally move emotions out of the body. Meditation is another way for opening the mind. Focus on the sensation of your breath, the flame of a candle, a mountain or a gorgeous flower. As you do this, allow any mental chatter that arises to drift away as easily as they drifted in. Gradually you will notice increasing spaciousness within. Finally, focus on what you are grateful for and recite positive affirmations that resonate for you. Repeatedly say aloud “One thing I am grateful for in this moment is ….”  All of these are powerful tools for transforming your experiences in life as they literally change neural pathways in your brain! Sample a variety of ways and commit to the ones that work best for you. The time for positive change is now!

Mind Fitness is a journey. Similar to physical fitness, it is an on-going process that requires a deep level of commitment and daily rituals for maintaining balance within. The world offers many opportunities for practicing balance. What we do in the face of challenges makes all the difference. If we are stuck in stress and struggling, we are often reacting to the situation based on unresolved hurts from the past. In contrast, if we regularly exude vitality, we have likely established effective rituals for grounding and centering ourselves regardless what is happening in the external world. Wise responses are the key. Be fully present in the moment as you step into positive transformation!

Believe that you are invaluable and irreplaceable. There is no other person in this world the same as you. You are a unique and special being: One of a kind!

Even with this uniqueness, we all share commonalities with other humans. We all have the same basic needs involving shelter, security, and physical nourishment. This is one of the great paradoxes of being human. We are both similar and different. Hold reverence for each. Hold reverence for yourself and all humanity. We do not suffer alone nor heal alone. Grow love within and it will naturally emanate without! As Gandhi brilliantly stated, “Be the change you wish to see in the world!”

Your story is your life. Therefore, what you tell yourself becomes your reality. If you tell yourself that you are victim, this will be present in your everyday life.  However, if you tell yourself that you are powerful and capable of influencing positive change, this too will be mirrored back to you in your life journey. The energy you bring to the external world is reflected back to you in subtle ways. Be aware of what you want to experience in your life and make it your reality. Reshape your story as needed. Be the change!