When I was eleven I watched a martial arts movie called “The Last Dragon”. It was my favorite movie at that time (It is amazing how different the movie is through the eyes of a 36 year old). Anyway. Though I could hardly remember the movie, the final scene always stuck with me. Bruce Leroy is taking a beating from the bad guy. The bad guy keeps asking “Who is the master”? In the final moments Bruce Leroy, whilst having his head dunked in water suddenly realizes what was right inside him all along. Bruce Leroy is the master. At that point he starts glowing does some really cool Bruce Lee hand waving and wins the day.

I did a search and found the ending on the web.  Watching it got me wondering, how often do you go through life never realizing the mastery that lies within you?
We are so busy being hard on ourselves that we never take the time to appreciate all that we have achieved, all the gifts that we have.  We might justify this by saying we don’t want to become lazy or too full of ourselves, but in truth we are are hardest critics (yes even harder than our mothers).

When we focus on our talents and our accomplishments, we have the opportunity to become energized. Thought we might not get a visible golden aura about us, a person that is energized by their gift is more visibly alive.

If you don’t believe me, take 2-3 min to right down all your gifts, talents and accomplishments, then read them aloud. You will be amazed at the added energy.
Imagine starting everyday off with this mindset.

Remember. You Are A Master.

The Last Dragon Ending

Are you right now?

Are you fatigued or energized?

Do you feel tightness in your chest or do you feel open an free.

Pessimistic or Optimistic?

You could go for days without food or water, but without air you would hardly last a minute.

And just like there are unhealthy and healthy ways to eat, so too with our breathing.

If you are feeling tired, unmotivated, and tight in your body, shallow breathing might be part of the cause.

Not only does your breathing give your body oxygen to power its many processes, but the actual action of breathing helps to move the toxins through your lymphatic system.

Shallow breathing = less oxygen and toxins not being moved out of your system

Deep breathing = Oxygen rich blood and toxins being flushed out.

You can find numerous breathing exercises on line and you can even find some interesting breathing test as well

It is worthwhile to take a few minutes daily to do some breath exercising. Work it and it will work for you.

Here is one that I like

Breathing Exercise

If you can do this exercise for five minute 3 times a day (morning, noon, night) in a quiet and distraction free setting you will also benefit from it as a meditative practice as well.

What you need:

You
A quiet place.
Lungs

The Technique:

Breath using a 1:4:2 ratio.

For example:

Breath in – 3 seconds

Hold breath – 12 seconds

Breath out – 6 seconds

Repeat the process for 10-20 breaths.

Be careful not to over exert yourself.

Start of your inhale at 3 seconds and work your way up.

If you feel to much strain when you are holding your breath cut back on the time.

the process should be relaxed.

Do this 3 times a day for 10 days and you will begin to notice a huge difference to your energy, your clarity and your ability to stay healthy.

“Wax on, Wax off. Breath in, Breathe Out” – Mr Miyagi, Karate Kid

Coaching Question:   

• Why is your breathing important to you.
• How will better breathing help you today.

How are you feeling?

Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Unfocused? Miserable?

You are getting descent sleep and you are eating OK but you just can’t seem to get out of your rut.

It could be that your Procrastination List is way to long.

Have you ever tried to navigate your computer with 50 windows open, or not defrag your computer for a year? So to with your physical and mental world. When you mind is filled with dozens of things left undone, the clutter uses up all of your energy and makes you move slower than molasses.

But when you close all those files and defrag your computer? Whoosh. Every thing just flies.

When you remove the clutter of things undone from your life you experience a sense of ease, lightness, clarity and an abundance of energy.

The exhilaration that you feel after a physical clean up is far greater when you do a mental clean up.

The mental clutter in your mind that leads to procrastination is often as a result of three types of decisions.

Not Making a decision.

Being indecisive is a way we fool are selves into thinking we have multiple options. In truth we are in the paralysis of analysis and nothing gets done. Not choosing will sap your mental energy.

Look at being indecisive as if you made a decision. It is the decision not to act at all. By seeing it this way one of two things will happen, you will either close the issue as it has been decided “I’m not taking any action” or it will force you into making a more deliberate decision.

Deciding But not acting

Deciding but not acting on the decision.

This is related to what we spoke about in the last post
The Enemy Of Change

If you plan to start tomorrow then it will never happen. We can never be sure that tomorrow will come, all we truly have is today.

If you don’t take action on your decisions it is as if you never decided. ” I am going to start eating healthy tomorrow.” tomorrow arrives but you already forgot about your decision. It’s like you never decided.

When you make a decision take action. Action builds momentum, it gives life to your decision. With even the smallest action you begin the process that will lead to success. When you have made a decision, take action immediately. No matter how small the action, take it.

Decision with incomplete action.

As the saying goes “There is nothing like a job well done”. The key word is DONE. You know that feeling you have when you have been working on a project, a report, or maybe refinishing a bedroom and you finally finish it. That feeling is a key in building your momentum to continued success.

When you decide and take action but leave things hanging, you are continually nagged by that incomplete task. Again it drags on your energy.

When you complete something relish in the moment and celebrate, then take the high you are feeling and immediately begin on another task. The energy from the previous success will grow in the new project.

Success requires focus.

In order to succeed you have to be able to focus on the objectives at hand. When your mind is all cluttered with uncompleted projects, your focus is weakened and you are hampered in achieving your highest level of fulfillment.

So are you choosing to clean our your physical and mental clutter?

Here are 5 action steps.

1. Make a list of “My Incomplete Projects” – Make sure to include physical and mental things that are incomplete; Work, home, relationships, education, dreams, goals, meditation, fitness, healthy living, un-returned calls, an incomplete assignment, or a broken friendship left unresolved, etc.

2. See if there is anything on the list that you can complete immediately. – Maybe there are some items that you will decide that you will make no decision and remove it from your thoughts. For example, You can’t decide between a Blackberry or an IPhone. Instead of being indecisive maybe you will decide to buy neither. You’ve gone this long without them you might as well just let it be.

3. Pick a few tasks that you complete this week. A few that you will complete this quarter and a few that you will complete this year. Take an action immediately. -Break down the tasks into manageable pieces, don’t try to do everything at once or you will become overwhelmed and end up wasting your life watching TV so you can sit in oblivion and avoid real life.

4. When you complete a task Celebrate and Take Action. - Don’t take celebration for granted. When you complete a task celebrate whether you buy yourself and ice cream, treat your self to a massage, take a personal development course or go on the vacation that you always dreamed of (this last one might be save for finishing your whole list). After you have completed and celebrated TAKE ACTION. Move onto the next task and immediately take action. Remember no matter how small take action. If you decide that you what to exercise more, don’t wait till tomorrow, do 5 push-ups NOW.
5. When you have cleared your slate enjoy the moment and anticipate the future. – When you have removed the clutter from your physical and mental world, reflect on how you feel, really embrace that feeling. Then take joy in the amazing potential that lies before you. With a clear uncluttered mind, you will be able to take the things that matter most to you and focus your full and abundant energy on them.

Find the clutter! Clear the clutter! Feel the energy!

Have an Abundant Weekend,

Rob

Have you ever felt like you just can’t get in gear?

Physically you feel fine. You’re eating OK, getting a bearable amount of sleep, and don’t have to many stressors weighing you down. But mentally you are a sputtering blob. You feel like you are running on one Read the rest of this entry »