More Mind

I know its been QUITE a long while since I have last written but I'm sure we all have those days that turn into weeks that turn into months where you are just crazy busy! Such has been the case but now it is time to get back to self centering. As you may recall this blog is about focusing on he mind, body, soul, freedom ( from financial worry), and entrepreneurship. 

I last left off speaking of certain things we can and should do to keep our minds sharp well into our golden years. Out of the five "steps" this one is the easiest for me just for the simple fact that I love to read! 

I am going to move on to the next step but I wanted to speak a little about a book I read a few months ago and a couple more time since then that has had a dramatic effect on my life. I know this may sound corny to you but it truly has. That book is "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. This book actually hit the market several years ago. I didn't read it then because EVERYONE was reading it and I tend to shy away from books that are popular culture simply because in my opinion those books are not that great to me. 

Anyway, earlier this year in conversation with two of my friends they both recommended that I read this book. Because my friends and I enjoy many similar books I figured it must be a good read. So I went to the library for the book and after reading it I went out and bought it, read it again and have since purchased it for my iPad so I can always have it at my fingertips. 

The long-short of the book so that I don't prattle on is that "what you think about you bring about". If you are the type of person who always has negative thoughts then you will almost always attract negative situations to you. Same goes for positive thoughts. Think positively and positive things will happen. Such has been the case for me since I have read the book. Those who know me best tell me I seem different, happier, I have a glow about me. All these things are true and it just gets better everyday. And when I feel a little off I just pick it up and read it again to get re-centered again. So with all that said feel free to click on the amazon.com link and purchase this book! It will be your best investment!

Moving on I am proud to say that I have signed up for sign language classes starting in October. I am very excited about this as it has always been something I wanted to learn and what a great way to help engage my mind! What about you? What new skill(s) are you working on to keep that beautiful mind sharp? Get out there and get smart! What are you waiting for?!

Sharpening the Mind

This is the month we focus on our minds so for this week’s topic we are going to discuss what types of things we can do to help keep our minds sharp.  Many of us believe that mental decline is just something that is going to happen to us as we age and we should just deal with it. But that is not the case. There a quite a few things we can do to help us stay sharp and focused well into our old age.

Here are a few tips to help get and keep that brain of yours sharp:

Learn a new skill or craft you have never tried before.

You are never to young or old to do this. Try learning a new language or even playing a musical instrument. These will challenge your brain on many levels. For me I would like to embark on the journey of learning to knit. I was shown how to do it by a girlfriend some months ago and it seems fairly easy. Now I just need to pick up some needles, a book, some yarn and get started!

Read. Read. And read some more.

Whether you choose to do your reading online, reading the newspaper or reading books and magazines you can’t go wrong. Reading is a great way to keep the mind engaged intellectually and expand on your vocabulary. I absolutely love to read! I have read so many books on so many topics.  I travel for a living and right now I have about 5 books with me and 3 magazines. This is quite normal for me as I never like to leave my house without enough reading material. I definitely need to invest in a Nook!  I will be sharing some of those books and magazines with you throughout the course of this blog.

Tease your brain.

Brainteasers and puzzles are mentally stimulating for the brain. I have chosen to do word searches because I have always enjoyed them. Sudoku is another game that I enjoy. Games that force you to strategize such as chess, spades or solitaire are also great. I choose to play dominoes because I have to think about not only what I have in my hand but what the other players are holding and be able to add up the points quickly to keep the game moving at a fast pace.

Try not to write everything down.

If you are prone to making lists like I am that’s cool but try this exercise for a week. Make the list as you would at the beginning of the week but instead of keeping it in sight put it out of sight. This way you are forced to remember and know what needs to get done.  Have you ever been to a restaurant where the waiter/waitress didn’t write down anyone’s orders but got them all right? This happened to me in Belgium two months ago. There were four of us all with very different orders and what we wanted didn’t want etc. This gentleman did not write ANYTHING down and got everyone’s order correct. I want to be like that when I grow up!

Stay positive and chill out.

Simply put, banish those negative vibes (or people) and learn to relax. Whatever bad things that may have happened to you during the day leave it at the threshold of your door. Don’t even bring those vibes into your home. Doing yoga is a great way to relax as is reading a book. Try listening to some music while having a cup of tea. This is my favorite thing to do.  

Meditate.

There are many benefits of meditation. Some of those benefits are: Confidence and self control, improved concentration, ability to focus and work efficiently, and the ability to let go of negative emotions such as anger.

Meditating can be done at night before going to bed or first thing in the morning. Make sure that you find a space where you won’t be disturbed and if you have never tried meditation before start slow and work your way up meaning start with maybe 2-3 minutes and then work up to 5, 10 and 15 minutes. I have tried meditation before and it is difficult to clear your head of all the mental noise but the more you practice the easier it will get.

 Eat right and exercise.

A general rule I've heard here is that what’s good for your heart is good for your brain. So you can’t go wrong with a diet that is rich in fruits and veggies. As for exercise, just 30 minutes a day of low activity such as walking is enough to do the trick.

 Take a cue from Sleeping Beauty.

Sleep helps improve memory function, mostly during REM sleep so to best take advantage of this try to get uninterrupted sleep and at least 7-9 hours a night. If you don’t get enough sleep your mind won’t be as sharp. Did you know that it is possible to go a week without eating but impossible to go a week with sleep?

Give your mind time to assimilate.

Last but not least give you mind time to soak up and digest all the new information you are learning. You don’t want to put your mind into information overload.

Walk Tall


Ms. Bluautumn

The mind is everything. What you think you become. 
Buddha 

Mother Theresa's Poem

A week ago while attending yoga class the instructor, towards the end of class read this poem and I thought it was such an inspirational poem that I asked her for a copy. This poem was written by Mother Theresa and is engraved on the wall of her home for children in Calcutta. So I would like to share this poem with you and hope you find it just as inspirational as I have. Enjoy

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If your are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends

And some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God,

It never was between you and them anyway.





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Are you ready to make 2011 your best year ever?!

If you answered yes then you’re in the right place! I came upon the idea of writing this blog after speaking with several of my friends and colleagues about my new plan for 2011. This is by no means a new years resolution (because let’s face it who can keep those anyway), but a plan to implement for the year in every month. If you’re wondering what that plan is well I’m about to tell you. It’s something you all have heard of before but somewhere along the way and for some reason the concept has lost its luster. The plan is simple. I call it my mind, body, soul, freedom, entrepreneur plan. Now, we have all heard of these topics right? So why are we not focusing more on them? I decided that for the year 2011 I am going to implement something from each one of these categories to help make myself and actually hopefully my community a better place.

To start let me break down what each of these categories represents.

Mind: within the mind category we are going to be focusing on things to make and keep our minds sharp. This could range from reading more books, doing crosswords, learning a language, picking up a musical instrument or even taking up knitting. Anything that is going to help increase your brain power is what you want to focus on here. The goal is to keep that brain of yours nice and sharp well into your old age.

Body: here we want to focus on getting our bodies in shape. Eating right and exercising are the keys to keeping the body healthy. My grandmother walked everywhere she went. She lived to be 101 years old. Got your attention now don’t I?!

Soul: some might also refer to this category as sprit. This will be whatever is comfortable for you from either finding a church to belong to or doing more volunteer work within your community or elsewhere if you so choose.

Freedom: ahh. Such a lovely word! This category is actually related to finances. Because when you have no debt you have more freedom to do the things you want to do.

Entrepreneurship: this is a category I am feeling is more and more important everyday. I feel it is important for everyone to have more than one stream of income coming in.

Now, I will admit right here and now that I am no expert but I realized that these were the categories I needed to focus on to help me become the person I want to be and the more I mentioned it to people everyone seemed to agree and want to do the same that is why I’ve decided to write this blog because I feel it is important to share this concept with anyone who is willing to read it and embrace it.

Since I too am just getting started on the MBSFE plan we will all have to help keep each other in line. I will be focusing on a different topic each month starting with the mind. You’ll be able to read about things I have done, am doing, or planning to do and I would love to know what you all are up to as well! So keep me posted!

Yours truly,

Ms. Bluautumn

p.s. if you’re wondering about the name it came about because blue is my fav color and autumn is my fav time of year.

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
Jim Rohn