#dreamaudaciously

[michaeltheexceptional]

In our culture we're encouraged to dream big, the people we rever are entrepreneurs who create worldchangingcompanies, authors who pen bestsellers, activists who start movements. But if we measure our sense of accomplishments against these lofty standards we can set ourselves up for dissatisfaction and self judgement. For most of us our contribution to this world will not make the covers of magazines our accomplishments will be on a smaller scale, contributions that takes place in our immediate world among our friends and family, in our work place and within our communities. So today I invite you to value your own contributions no matter how small or obscure. Give yourself credit for all the ways you bring goodness into the world, that might mean working on a science project with your nephew, maintaining a flourishing garden in your front yard for your neighbor's to enjoy or cooking for your sick friend. Aspire as high as you can dream but celebrate the actions that are close to the ground. Smaller scale doesn't mean less important. Honor the accomplishments of been a loving parent, a generous friend, and a kind hearted coworker find a sense of meaning in bringing goodness into your immediate world even if it goes unnoticed. As Leo Buscaglia said "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."#intimacy #intimateconnection #frienship #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewyou #anewversionofyou #setyourintentions #naturalproducts #healthylivingdaily #livinghealthyandfit #myweightlosejourney #goals #losingweight #clean9challenge #foodcravings #weightloss #goat #removeclutter #networkmarketting #workingfromhome #achievements #nurturing #thoughts #selflove #goat #selfesteem #selfcare https://www.instagram.com/p/B9TGjl3JQf6/?igshid=17r1913df5n7c

[michaeltheexceptional]

Today we will be exploring the challenge of work stress. For many of us stress is a regular part of our day whether we are rushing to meet deadline or picking up a slack for a sick colleague. The work environment can be a place of overwhelme and we often have this idea that if we just keep pushing ourselves we'll accomplish more and more but if we neglect selfcare and run on fumes we pay the price in the form of poor concentration and loss of productivity to qoute the Daugh De Cheng " staying constantly sharpened wears out the blade." The stress hormone is automatic and unconscious, it happens bellow our radar. One of the benefits of mindfulness is that it helps us notice when we're overwhelmed, that way we can take a pause and hit the reset button. When we stop even for a one minute meditation we give the mind a break so that we can return to work rejuvenated. So I'll like to propose an exercise, after today use a stopwatch to time how many breath you can take in one minute. Take slow deep breaths and each time you breath a complete inhale and exhale count one when you reach one minute make a note of home many breaths you took in one minute then the next time you are at work and you notice that you are stressed and anxious close your eyes and breath that exact number of breaths counting slowly in your head once you finish you've taken a mindful minute. Though it may seem counterintuitive to pause when work is piling up, this practice helps reduce overwhelme and increases productivity. As Remez Sasson said, "Learn to calm down the winds of your mind and you will enjoy great inner peace."#intimacy #frienship #highperformancehabits #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewyou #anewversionofyou #naturalproducts #healthylivingdaily #livinghealthyandfit #myweightlosejourney #goals #losingweight #clean9challenge #foodcravings #weightloss #setyourintentions #goat #removeclutter #networkmarketting #workingfromhome #achievements #nurturing #thoughts #selflove #goat #selfesteem #selfcare https://www.instagram.com/p/B9QgRjuJ31l/?igshid=o5n8qbxhcaah

[michaeltheexceptional]

Today I'll like to talk about the variety of little voices in our heads, those that criticize us, antagonize us, and influence us. One might be the voice of our over protective mother always cautioning us to be careful. One might be the voice of our strict father. Telling us that we need to be better and try harder. There is a good chance we've internalized the voices that influenced us as a child allowing them to criticize us and direct us at every turn. Often we don't even recognize where they came from, they've been with us for so long we feel like we don't have any control over them but we do. When our own mind berates us for what we did wrong or tells us what we should or shouldn't do we can take a step back and observe this internal dialogue with deeper awareness of how these thought pattern arise and take over our mind. We can learn to free ourselves from them, we can step back as the witnesses de-tangling ourselves from our narratives to ask; where are these voices coming from? Do these narratives serve us? Through these practice of detached observation we can soften the voices and the impact they have on us. While these thought patterns can seem over powering, remember that this practice of deepened awareness takes time so be gentle with yourself. Even just one moment of awareness can help us step outside of our thinking and bring us closer to freedom. As Eckhart Tolle said "What a liberation to realise that the 'voice in my head' is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that" #intimateconnection #frienship #highperformancehabits #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewversionofyou #setyourintentions #naturalproducts #healthylivingdaily #livinghealthyandfit #myweightlosejourney #goals #losingweight #clean9challenge #foodcravings #weightloss #goat #removeclutter #networkmarketting #workingfromhome #achievements #nurturing #thoughts #selflove #goat #selfesteem #voicesinmyhead #internaldialogue https://www.instagram.com/p/B9BLalEJgiM/?igshid=z225p4pm2oc

[michaeltheexceptional]

Today we will be talking about food cravings.In the new year many of us resolve to change our eating habits and we discover that dieting alone is often insufficient in our quest to shed weight. What's also important is to understand how cravings work and to change our relationship to food. When we open our cupboard or fridge and reach for a bag of cookies our mind believes that this will make us feel better. It can be extremely hard to resist a perceived source of satisfaction and pleasure, but when we give in to our cravings there is only temporary relief a fleeting sense of escape or comfort so after there is regret and shame and often physical discomfort. Many years ago when I was working to overcome a eating disorder one of the most helpful parts of my recovery was learning to apply mindfulness to my relationship with food. Mindfulness teaches us how to deal with our cravings without giving into them. When we crave that unhealthy snakes, rather than diving in, we learn to pause and get curious about what's happening, we learn to observe the thoughts, emotions and sensations we're experiencing and witness them without acting in the brief gap between stimulus and response we begin to ask ourselves what's going on in our minds and body, am I stressed or seeking a distraction, what do I really need right now? If we pause and gain a deeper awareness of what's happening we can observe and write out our cravings watching it arrive and pass like a car driving by on the road. As Henepola Gunarantana said mindfulness gives you time, time gives you choices, choices skillfully made leads to freedom. You don't have to be swept away by your feelings you can respond with wisdom and kindness rather than habit and reactivity. #highperformancehabits #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewyou #anewversionofyou #newyear #setyourintentions #serendipity #naturalproducts #healthylivingdaily #livinghealthyandfit #myweightlosejourney #resolution #newyearresolutions #losingweight #clean9challenge #foodcravings #weightloss https://www.instagram.com/p/B7AjlUIpoOT/?igshid=flalrqqzdh1x

[michaeltheexceptional]

As we deep our toes into the waters of the new year, I will like to discuss serendipity. We have been talking about how the start of a new year is a time of planning, many of us hit the ground running come January 1st, the calendar stocked with goals and intentions. But as we chart the course for the next 12 months we also wants to leave some space for the unexpected remembering that life has a way of surprising us. Our tendency to plan and forecast every minute details can deserve us if we leave little room for the unknown. There is a great story that reminds us of the importance of been open to life serendipities the year was 1995 and a twenty two year old student named Larry was visiting Stanford University where he was considering to do graduate studies in computer science, Larry shows up at Stanford campus at Palo Alto and a student of science who showed him around was a twenty one year old student also studying computer science a confident young man named Sergey. They didn't know it at the time but only a few years later these bright young students will co-found Google one of the most transformative companies ever created. Did Larry Page and Sergey Brin know that their chance encounter that day has the potential to transform their lives and the entire world? Probably not but were they open to it? Apparently so. And we have all experienced this powerful unpredictable force in our lives. When I reflect back on the most pivotal people and events in my life there was always a spark of serendipity, as Nancy Thayer said "the universe is always speaking to us sending us little messages causing coincidences and serendipities reminding us to stop to look around to believe in something else, something more." So amidst your plans open yourself to that new relationship or job or hobby or partnership or perspective that you couldn't have seen coming leave room for God to work his magic. #highperformancehabits #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewyou #anewversionofyou #newyear #setyourintentions #serendipity #naturalproducts #healthylivingdaily #livinghealthyandfit #myweightlosejourney https://www.instagram.com/p/B699ah6J6aN/?igshid=lbop2ncwrylp

[michaeltheexceptional]

A new year presents an opportunity to look ahead with fresh eyes and dream up the future we want for ourselves. For some of us looking ahead brings feelings of doubt or overwhelming. To often we're discouraged from dreaming big. We're told its audacious or unrealistic to imagine the most magnificent possible version of our lives. We often accept that our dreams maybe too large or maybe difficult to achieve and let them go. So as you ponder your coming year I want to encourage you to indulge in pure uninhibited possibilities, move into a dreaming state beyond the boundaries of doubt and limits. Allow yourself to imagine and be inspired by what's possible, envision your life evolving in whatever ways you wish whether large or small, your health, career, education, relationships or contribution. And if this experience is uncomfortable remember that every great invention started in the imagination of someone who dared to imagine it, from democracy to aviation, from the muppets to the world wide web, every breakthrough every discovery every solution to every problem ever solved came from a place of possibilities. So begin dreaming, and get comfortable existing in pure possibilities, keep it close to your heart even when you return to your routines, habits and schedules. As Gloria Steinem said without leaps of imagination or dreaming we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming after all is a form of planning. Be audacious in your dream. #highperformancehabits #livingyourdream #dreamaudaciously #calmmeditation #dailycalm #dailycalmquote #anewyou #anewversionofyou #newyear #setyourintentions https://www.instagram.com/p/B62RFmIJx16/?igshid=o41fzdqks666