Should you read it?

If you love a good story with really interesting characters and a lot of twists - this book has these in spades.  If you are interested in how we use our thoughts to create, and the power such a connection could hold, Dan Brown has done a good job of weaving it through this story.  When you finish the book, you will have had quite an exciting journey and learned some things along the way.  That are always the qualities of a book worth reading and this one is.

I am currently reading quite a few books and will be sharing them shortly.  Let me know if you have one to suggest I consider.  Books are like flowers, they just keep appearing everyday and keeping up with them is not easy but well worth it, just like the flowers.

First, it was an experience in the Zone, something I regularly talk about with athletes and performers.  Within that few seconds I responded to what was happening with efficiency and clarity. For example, had I not turned the car away from the car coming at me, I could have been killed.  Instead, the other driver hit me just behind the driver’s side of the car, sparing me from the direct force of the collision.  Additionally, when I came to a stop up on the sidewalk, I found myself within two feet of a large utility pole which had I hit it directly could have killed me as well. Climbing out the other side of the car with only a bump on my head where I hit the side window, I felt relieved and fortunate.  My wonderful car however, was totaled.

The second distinctive part of the experience was what happened next and later.  As I moved through the process with the police, the insurance company (State Farm was fabulous and took care of it all so nicely),  and the towing etc., I had a couple of hours to stand on a corner that appeared only to be frequented by the homeless.  A couple blocks east of the Las Vegas strip, it was not a place I would have ever been spending time. All I could do was wait, answer questions, make phone calls, but mostly stand and look at my poor Maxine Maxima.  After ten years together, I didn’t expect, plan or even consider that this is how it would end.  It was more sad that anything and I grieved for the loss of Maxine. (You do have a name for your car,don’t you?)

Then and now I was reminded of the impermanence of everything.  Yes, this was a car, but our relationships, our work, our environments; none of it is permanent.  When we get attached to the permanence of it (an illusion), it is easy to live in fear of losing it, which inevitably we will.  When we remember that nothing is permanent and fully accept that, we are free to enjoy, love, and appreciate it for however long it is in our experience.  That is how I felt about Maxine and now I feel a small sense of loss but mostly just appreciation and gratitude.

I no longer have a car and I am totally OK with that.   I have no plans to purchase one anytime soon because I can walk, ride my bike, or borrow a vehicle to get anywhere I need to go.  Of course, I realize by working from my home that it is much easier for me. I feel a sense of calm and presence with where I am and have not even considered the “what if” of it or a “should” in any form. I haven’t been without a car since I was in college and it feels like that is where I am supposed to be.

This experience has been a confirmation at so many levels of being in the present, being grateful, trusting what happens and will happen, how our thoughts determine our experiences, and especially how little (if any) control we have over anything. This accident was not to teach me that but to remind me of that.

Next time you worry, fret or fear the loss of anything, remember that nothing is permanent and whatever happens is an opportunity for you to be present, be grateful, and join the flow.  When we let go of attachment, we find freedom - it is that simple.

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After years of research, teaching and conversations, I have concluded there are three basics the mind always uses. Knowing how your mind works provides clues to why and how you are having your current experiences and how you can change your experiences in the future. Consider any challenge or problem you are facing, find what your mind is doing below and you will know how to use your mind to get a solution or resolution by either reversing what the mind is doing or using the same concept in a more effective way.

• A thought is a possibility with a repeated thought a probability, and a continuously felt and focused thought an inevitability. Thoughts matter. Think about what is wanted or not wanted and you will get.

• The mind cannot be controlled nor ignored. It is the center of operation for our feelings, behaviors, and choices. It can be taught, changed, and made a partner but only if you know what it is doing and what you want it to do.

• The mind relies on perception and the interpretations that follow to affirm or defend the mind’s reality and truth. Change the interpretations (beliefs, meanings, fears) and change automatically follows.

These are the three mind basics that are constant and consistent each day for each of us. How are they directing your experiences and how can you use them to expand or redirect those experiences?

©2009 Dr. Jane Miner - PERSONAL Solutions. For more information or support for your personal solutions contact me at jane@janeminer.com. May be reprinted with this attribution fully intact.

If you are new to my blog, welcome. If you are a trusted friend from my newsletters, also welcome and thank you. Please share the web address of the blog with your friends, colleagues and family members. I would appreciate it as together we can make the blog come alive while providing a unique and very personal resource. This was and is my intention.

Finally, I as I look out the window of my office/library, I am watching two hummingbirds spar for the territory of the hummingbird feeder which is placed less than three feet from the window. I love hummingbirds because they are so capable and their potential so awesome relative to their small bodies. For example, did you know they are the only bird that can fly backwards? They remind me that all of us have unlimited potential and relative to our physical capacity our potential is even more awesome and endless. If you are not experiencing your full potential maybe you have been flying backwards too much.:))

I will also be sharing my experiences in the desert and what this amazing and very much alive place on the planet continues to teach me. I hope to include pictures so you can join me there as well. So from the hot desert (109 today) I thank you and look forward to our connection in the future. Jane

The most disruptive distractions can be assigned to three categories: people, thoughts, or things. People become distractions when we focus on what they are doing or not doing rather than what we are doing. Our thoughts become distractions when we look for meanings, hold expectations, or are fearful. Distracting things include objects in a meeting room, crowds at an athletic competition, or a room that is too hot or cold.

To handle distractions quickly and effectively gently redirect focus to what is in front of you and can be done right now. Fighting with or trying to ignore distractions only guarantees the mind’s focus on them. Since the mind follows focus, redirecting focus automatically changes focus. For example, if your thoughts are on what you fear, you need only redirect focus to what you desire. When an object captures your focus, shift your view to the task before you and how you can do the task, which eliminates the distracting object from your focus.

By redirecting focus you handle distractions by instantaneously changing focus to what is informational and useful in an experience. When that new focus is on the people, thoughts, and things that lead to success, you are well on your way to effectively doing what you intended and making appropriate responses that will lead to success.

©2009 Dr. Jane Miner - PERSONAL Solutions. For more information or support for your personal solutions contact me at jane@janeminer.com. May be reprinted with this attribution fully intact.

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No matter how frustrated, confused, or angry you are, you can change your mental state by airing it out! The more you focus on your feelings the more time and energy they consume, usually intensifying. A simple shift in focus can stop the momentum of feelings, allowing you to refocus on what you can do and doing it. This simple shift is accomplished using your breathing. Try this:

Take three deep breaths (diaphragm) and slowly exhale the air you have inhaled. As you exhale, listen to the air crossing your lips and feel the warmth it contains. By the third exhalation you will feel yourself calming and relaxing.

The combination of the focus on the breathing and the sound and temperature of the air will interrupt the fears, thoughts, and feelings coming from your mind. This simple interruption diverts your mind, giving you a moment to refocus and to better assess the current situation.

If after the three breaths the frustration, confusion, and anger continue to build something more may be needed. Remove yourself, take a time-out or take a walk, to interrupt your mental state. Find a quiet place and air it out again but longer, up to five minutes if needed. Take relaxed and comfortable breaths as you continue to keep your mind’s focus on the exhalations.

Continuing in a mental state of frustration, confusion and anger will not yield positive or sensible responses. Use the “airing it out” technique to create a state where you can regroup mentally and make choices and responses that will get a better result or resolution. With practice the technique gets easier and eventually becomes automatic. It is a simple and effective technique with a powerful effect.

©2009 Dr. Jane Miner - PERSONAL Solutions. For more information or support for your personal solutions contact me at jane@janeminer.com. May be reprinted with this attribution fully intact.

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When we look at success and failure as opposites, we usually end up seeking success and avoiding failure. The result is we experience neither, as the powerful avoidance of failure can prevent taking risks and even paralyze our efforts to increase success. If we weren’t avoiding failure, success would be easier and more attainable.

Imagine a line with two end points and a number of points in between the end points. On one end is failure or what would I call limited success. On the other end is absolute success or the maximum use of capabilities. The points in between are all the possible results you can obtain from practicing and using skills, executing strategies, or taking risks. All experiences, performances, and applied efforts are also points along this line. These points represent different levels of success - none are failures.

The truth about failure is that the only way you can fail is not to participate or learn. The only way you cannot experience more success is to avoid effort and experiences leading to success. Technically then, you cannot fail. Doing something is not failure, only more or less successful than what you did before.

When the meaning of your actions and efforts are viewed as points along a continuum of success, you can take chances. Learn what does not work, and focus on what will work. Then your success increases with every action, effort, and improvement. Evaluate each experience with a question,”What will move me to the next point of success?” By answering this question and taking another action, failure will not be a possibility so avoiding it unnecessary as success and more success awaits you.

©2009 Dr. Jane Miner - PERSONAL Solutions. For more information or support for your personal solutions contact me at jane@janeminer.com. May be reprinted with this attribution fully intact.