No One Told the Bees

Did you know that scientists have proven that it is aerodynamically impossible, based on the ratio of their wings to body size, that a bumblebee can not fly?

Yet here I sit on this Springtime day, watching a number of bumblebees, buzz around the yellow daisies. Their chubby little striped bodies hovering above the petals and pollen coating their legs before they take off in perfect flight back to their hives.

Obviously, the scientists did not inform the bumblebees they couldn't fly, because they do it so effortlessly, even gracefully.

"What's the big deal?" you might be asking. But the real important question we should be asking is "Are we like those little bumblebees?" What amazing things do we achieve, regardless of the opinions or evidence of others? Or are we living life restricted and laden down by what others have told us and we have taken as fact?

Many people have said that you will get the best lessons from your biggest mistakes and failures. While often this is true, as it helps us continue on in the face of adversity. It may also be seetting up an internal conflict between:

1. Having to struggle for success, or

2. Become an incompetent flop.

What a choice!

Imagine if we didn't accept this scenario. But rather take a different approach to life. What if we believe that the best lessons are motivated by love and success rather than fear of lack?

Many people base their lives on the following beliefs:

- Life is tough, so suck it up

- Bad things happen to good people

- Failure can be the best teacher

- Life will be good after I get past this ... (day, week, month, year, class)

What do you think their lives are like?

As a comparison, how would you like to live a day in the lives of people who base their behaviour on beliefs such as:

- Life is fantastic

- Today is the best day of my life

- Life is such a party

- I love my life

- I give others respect and honour them

- Success comes easily to me

- I am a special individual who contribute greatly to my community

- I easily learn new skills and knowledge

You may be wary, and think that all this positive thinking is rubbish and doesn't work. And you are right, if that is your belief. But why not give it a shot, what's there to lose by trying? Remembering though the wisdom of Yoda from the Star Wars movies "Do, or do not. There is no try."

Or just like the humble little bumblebee, fly effortlessly and elegantly, soaring above and beyond the garden. Without caring about what others say or

think you can or cannot do. Go on and take off and fly high.

No One Told the Bees

Living on Purpose

To get the most out of life, it must be filled with passion and significance. For this to happen, you need to know what your purpose in life is. When you discover your life purpose, or better yet when you are actually living it, you are filled with an overwhelming feeling of joy and fulfillment. It gives you the way to direct your values and passions in a meaningful way. Your life purpose is the foundation of what makes you a unique and special individual, it is the very essence of who you are.

People can be divided into two categories in terms of having a purpose in life. There are Leaders and Sleepers. Leaders are out there taking charge and responsibility of their own lives, have a compelling passion for life and are respected for what they achieve in their lives. Sleepers are those who meander aimlessly through life with no purpose. Leaders thrive on overcoming adversity on their path through life. While sleepers are just waiting out their time before they expire. When a Leader meets a challenge, it is head-on until they are triumphant. When a Sleeper finds a problem in their way, they turn around and wander away. Which are you?

There are numerous inspiring tales throughout time of Leaders who appeared to know what their destiny was in life and spent most of their lives accomplishing greatness. While that's awesome, most of us are not that fortunate. We get to discover our own destiny and alas the majority often discover it very late in life, if at all. So to make your adult life much more rewarding and easier, let's go about discovering what your life purpose is.

Lots and lots of people mix up their life purpose with their role in life or career (such as mother, father, husband, wife, teacher, lawyer or many other roles). While these are just vehicles by which you can achieve your life purpose, and are not by themselves your life purpose. For example, your life purpose may be to help people achieve wellness. This can be done through the roles of doctor, nurse, ambulance officer, dietitian or many others.

Being aware of what your purpose is in life drives you towards numerous achievements and allows you to live a full passionate life. There are two elements involved in discovering your life purpose. They are your highest values and your strongest passions.

Your highest values are the base level beliefs, morals and standards that guide your behaviour and make you, you. Other things in your life may change, but these values do not.

Your strongest passions are how you express and share your values. These are what you absolutely love doing in life. They may include specific skills or talents you have. As well as things you would love to do someday but haven't tried yet.

Defining your purpose in life can be done in 4 simple steps and requires only some paper and a pencil. Divide the paper into two columns and on the left list your values and on the right your passions.

Values are those things that describe you as an individual. They can include such character traits as love, humour, strength, creativity, compassion, resourcefulness. you can come up with at least 5 to 8 relevant to you.

Then list how you express that value, these are your passions. For creativity it might be artistic endeavours, dance, problem solving or whatever is right for you. They are what you love doing or would love to do. They can include goals and dreams you plan to have in your life.

Now looking back at your column of values, select the top three that are extra special. The MOST important ones for you. The three that there is no way you could live without them.

Finally take these top highest values and their related strongest passions and create your own mission statement. The following statement is just a basic guideline.

"My purpose in life is to [highest values] through [strongest passions]"

My own mission statement is "The purpose of my life is to create and inspire with beauty and wisdom to help myself and others learn and grow even more."

Use you own words until you get a mission statement that feels right for you. CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have just discovered the purpose of your life. Now go and live it. And know that you are the master of your destiny and can change or modify your mission statement as you grow and change as an individual.

Living on Purpose

Finding the Power of Your Subconscious

Image by Art 4 Inspiration

The brain is an amazing organ. Some people claim we only utilise 10% of our brain power. But, in reality, we use 100% of our brain for various functions. Whether all of our mind resides within our brain is something that is still under debate by scientists.

People who study the human mind believe that it is divided into two parts; a conscious part and a subconscious part. The conscious mind is the one that we are aware of. It is the thought patterns that you have and are able to deliberately change at will. Yet to use the subconscious part of your mind is also possible. It just takes some extra effort through techniques such as meditation or self-hypnosis. Actually effort is not quite right because to access this part of your mind requires you to relax and go beyond all the chatter and noise of the conscious mind.

There are some people who scoff at the idea that self-hypnosis can improve the effectiveness of our subconscious minds. Basically it works like this. The subconscious mind often creates mistaken ideas that lead us to repeating the same mistakes over and over again. But through self-hypnosis you can reprogram your subconscious mind to be a help rather than hindrance.

Let's look at a specific example.

Imagine that you were a child who struggled with a subject at school, it could be any subject, but we will select art. One of your parents may have started the thought that you were no good at art by jokingly telling you that you can't draw a straight line. If this happens repeatedly as a child, when you are older a voice will be programmed in your subconscious telling you that you are hopeless at art and can't do it. Every time you are presented with an opportunity to paint or sculpt, that nagging voice, which you will not be aware of, will be telling you that you are no good at art so don't bother trying.

Yet this is not the case, you are creative and artistic as anyone else. And we can use self-hypnosis techniques to connect to that little voice, that inner thought process, and change it.

The usual way of entering a self induced state of hypnosis is through progressive relaxation. Here you lie on your back or sit in a comfortable chair. Then imagine each part of your body, starting with the toes and working to the head. Focus on relaxing the individual muscles and body parts and make them go limp. Do the same with your legs, hips, belly, up the back, chest and shoulders and arms to the neck and face.

When you are completely relaxed, imagine that you are walking slowly down a staircase, counting the steps backwards as you go down. When you reach zero, or the bottom step you should be in a deeply relaxed state.

In this state, tell your subconscious mind the message you want in your life. In our example it could be "I am a creative individual who enjoys creating unique pieces of art." Some people have overcome many fears and bad habits such as over eating, public speaking, or shyness by tapping into the power of their subconscious mind. It may take daily practice to overcome the message of the past, yet with time your new message will become stronger. Why don't you think of something that might be holding you back from success and give it a go to change the message.

Finding the Power of Your Subconscious

Finding the Power of Your Subconscious

Image by Art 4 Inspiration

The brain is an amazing organ. Some people claim we only utilise 10% of our brain power. But, in reality, we use 100% of our brain for various functions. Whether all of our mind resides within our brain is something that is still under debate by scientists.

People who study the human mind believe that it is divided into two parts; a conscious part and a subconscious part. The conscious mind is the one that we are aware of. It is the thought patterns that you have and are able to deliberately change at will. Yet to use the subconscious part of your mind is also possible. It just takes some extra effort through techniques such as meditation or self-hypnosis. Actually effort is not quite right because to access this part of your mind requires you to relax and go beyond all the chatter and noise of the conscious mind.

There are some people who scoff at the idea that self-hypnosis can improve the effectiveness of our subconscious minds. Basically it works like this. The subconscious mind often creates mistaken ideas that lead us to repeating the same mistakes over and over again. But through self-hypnosis you can reprogram your subconscious mind to be a help rather than hindrance.

Let's look at a specific example.

Imagine that you were a child who struggled with a subject at school, it could be any subject, but we will select art. One of your parents may have started the thought that you were no good at art by jokingly telling you that you can't draw a straight line. If this happens repeatedly as a child, when you are older a voice will be programmed in your subconscious telling you that you are hopeless at art and can't do it. Every time you are presented with an opportunity to paint or sculpt, that nagging voice, which you will not be aware of, will be telling you that you are no good at art so don't bother trying.

Yet this is not the case, you are creative and artistic as anyone else. And we can use self-hypnosis techniques to connect to that little voice, that inner thought process, and change it.

The usual way of entering a self induced state of hypnosis is through progressive relaxation. Here you lie on your back or sit in a comfortable chair. Then imagine each part of your body, starting with the toes and working to the head. Focus on relaxing the individual muscles and body parts and make them go limp. Do the same with your legs, hips, belly, up the back, chest and shoulders and arms to the neck and face.

When you are completely relaxed, imagine that you are walking slowly down a staircase, counting the steps backwards as you go down. When you reach zero, or the bottom step you should be in a deeply relaxed state.

In this state, tell your subconscious mind the message you want in your life. In our example it could be "I am a creative individual who enjoys creating unique pieces of art." Some people have overcome many fears and bad habits such as over eating, public speaking, or shyness by tapping into the power of their subconscious mind. It may take daily practice to overcome the message of the past, yet with time your new message will become stronger. Why don't you think of something that might be holding you back from success and give it a go to change the message.

Finding the Power of Your Subconscious

The Language of Pigs

John Mills, a 19th century philosopher stated that "It is better to be an unsatisfied human than to be a satisfied pig." He was saying that humans can experience emotions that are just not available to animals.

Humans have the privilege to be dazzled by the beauty of a sunset, have music move them to tears or feel pride and joy that learning a new skill involves. On the flip side, we are also able to feel great pain and sadness. This experience of intellectual and emotional sensation is not available to the majority of other animals and definitely not to the same degree of humans. Yet neither, do they have a concept of suffering. Animals can't feel pity for themselves. Mills is suggesting that if given the option, we as humans would not want to swap lives with that of a pig. Even though the measly pig is immune from the pain and suffering we often have to bear.

We need to remember that the ability to feel fear, disappointment, loneliness or sadness, is only the flip side to being able to experience delight, beauty, happiness or love. Yet we go to great lengths to rid our lives of pain. We stress about the dips and bumps in the roller-coaster of life.

So many individuals complain about the hardships or unfairness of their lives. But, do we wish we were less than human? We still wallow in negativity; denying our individual greatness, doubting the skill we have to overcome adversity and flourish in success. We become nothing more than human swines grovelling in self-pity.

We are amazing and unique creations of the universe. There is nothing we can't accomplish. But is that what we tell ourselves? Too often the chatter is about thing we can't do, how horrible others are and how unfair life is. It's ironic though that this chatter is creating your environment everyday through the language you use.

Ask yourself, "What environment am I creating?" By talking about everything that is wrong or unwanted in your life, you infect your world with the language of all this yucky stuff. By talking about not liking school, being lonely or having a generally blah! life, this is what you focus on or notice in your life. And before you know it you will be surrounded by people and circumstances that back up your language. And believe me, this is NOT what you really want or like for your life.

On the other hand, if you focus on or talk about the kindness of others, your enthusiasm for school projects, or a passion for what you want then this is what others will associate with you and you will be treated accordingly.

This does not guarantee that you will never be disappointed or treated badly. And there are times you may feel you have the right to be angry or upset. You just need to understand that by displaying these emotions to others around you, there will be a cost in terms of how they feel about and treat you.

Happiness is not a right. Sorry but you are not entitled to be happy. You have the right to pursue happiness, to create it in our lives but the world does not owe you a life of blissful happiness. And while chasing this happiness, things may go wrong and it's possible you will find yourself somewhat sad or even downright miserable at times. Well basically, get over it! We are each responsible for the amount of happiness in our own lives, and our own lives only.

We can use our language to help bring happiness into our lives, or to build a wall to keep it out. But it is your decision. You can work at creating the language of happiness around you, which is often challenging. Or you can choose the language of those lazy pigs. But then you will have to live in a squalor and get slops. It's your choice.

The Language of Pigs

Life is the Best Teacher

An important realisation that I had a while back, was that life is an awesome school that can teach us so many lessons. Everything that occurs, everyday, is filled with lessons just waiting for us to learn. I discovered that life is full of brilliant lessons, but alas, there are so few people who are willing to learn these lessons.

Those of us who have embraced the lessons life can throw at us often find day-to-day life easier, more rewarding and fulfilling. While others, the majority it seems, that are not willing to learn their lessons appear to struggle more in every area of their lives and often see life as being unfair.

During my own life, there have been times which things were tough and challenging. Yet these times I now fondly remember because of the lessons they taught me. Coming out of the other side of these experiences, I have been blessed with the gift that comes with learning a lesson from life.

And now I would like to share my gifts with you.

Especially the big one, that I hold dear and use everyday, which is that IT PAYS TO HAVE A DREAM! Life is dull, boring and not at all inspiring if you don't have a dream. With a dream in your life, what you can do, have or be, is limitless.

I am saddened that sooooooo many people drift through their time on Earth without a dream. For they are making it difficult for themselves by not having something to live for. A life without a dream is one that no-one should endure.

When I finally learnt this wonderful lesson, my life opened up with endless possibilities. I should tell you, before learning this lesson I was such a boring, miserable person, that had no plans or interest for the future. Thankfully, I learnt this lesson and became a positive, creative dreamer which turned me into a new person.

There are lots of other dreamers around if you look. They are the individuals impacting and making a difference in our world. In every aspect of human endeavour, you can find dreamers. People who start with nothing but a dream and allowed their dreams to take them places they couldn't possibly have originally imagined. They usually get there by having trust in their dreams and doing the hard work necessary to arrive at that place called Success.

Students of life, I want to share with you, that life is just not fulfilling without a dream. Getting up and doing the same old stuff everyday for your entire life is not something you should have to suffer through. A dream acted upon can take you places that you can not even envisage, yet.

The greatest gift that you can give yourself is to have a dream, a BIG dream. A Brilliant Incredible Grand dream. Let others, if the want to draggle through their lives but please don't let it be your case. So go on and dream and make it a REALLY, REALLY BIG Dream!

Life is the Best Teacher

I Control How I Experience Life

How do you interpret the title of this article? For me, it means that I am responsible for how I experience the events, situations and people in my life. I do not blame others for my experience, nor do I allow them to blame me for their actions. I am responsible for my life and my life only. For example, if somebody smashes into my parked car, I am not responsible for them doing so. I am however, responsible for how I respond. I could get furious and want to belt them up. I could get sad and burst into tears. I could have compassion and check that the person is not hurt or suffering. So you see, for the same event there are a number of different responses. It is evident that the incident is not the cause of the experience. Otherwise for every single event, everyone would have exactly the same experience, every single time.

In our lives we often feel that the events, situations and other people are the cause of our experience in life. We blame others, making them responsible for our lives. This thinking that others have that much control over us, over our feelings and emotions is a victim mentality. This is a very disempowering place to be in because you are giving the power of your life to others. You are making them responsible for your emotions. Do you want to be responsible for how everyone else is feeling? Most of us would answer a definite NO! So why would you want to make anyone else responsible for how you are feeling? Sorry but you can't have it both ways.

So why should you control how you experience life? The basic answer is that by taking on that control and responsibility for your life, you are empowered. You control what you feel and think. You have the power to experience any incident in whichever way you choose.

The more meaningful answer is that you can also discover the original beginnings of your emotional reactions. In other words, you can ask yourself 'why am I reacting to this event this way?' For example, you may get angry when a teacher, coach or friend gives you some advice or feedback with the hope that it helps you improve. Because, you are in control of your experience, you can ask yourself "Is there any patterns to getting angry?' "When previously have I felt anger?', 'What stories do I attach to the events?' or 'What are the actual facts?'

Within each event, we can discern facts, judgments and emotions. A fact is a measurable, quantifiable, objective and observable notion. A judgment is your personal perception, or interpretation and a story. Judgments are subjective. An emotion is how we feel about the event. There are seven basic emotions. These are anger, sadness, fear, shame, excitement, joy and love. These emotions come in different varieties, such as frustration and rage are degrees of anger.

As you ask questions about your experience of an event, you will start to learn that the emotion you are learning is linked to the judgment you make rather than the facts of the situation. Let's look at our example. A teacher gives you some feedback about an assignment. You may judge that this teacher is being pompous. Through questioning yourself, you come to realise that as a kid your dad always was telling you what to do and how to do it. You hated this and you are still quite angry about it. So when your teacher gives you advice, you respond as if you are hearing your dad telling you what to do. By separating the facts from the judgments and the emotions, you are able to respond differently with your teacher. You can learn that your reaction is your own and has nothing to do with your teacher. They are merely trying to help you by giving you advice. So instead of getting angry when others give you counsel, you are able to just listen without judgment and decide if you will do anything with the information.

When you take control of your life you have the power over what you experience. You are no longer controlled by your reactions. And then you can create the life that you really want.

I Control How I Experience Life