Communicating with Higher Intelligence

Welcome to another edition of the SIGA Success Strategies online magazine.

In this issue we will get a glimpse of how Jose Silva's understanding evolved in regards to communicating with higher intelligence.

Mr. Silva said that "All scientific conclusions are semi-conclusions. You get a more powerful telescope, a more powerful microscope, you can learn more."

Here is something he wrote several years before he developed the UltraMind ESP System and the revolutionary MentalVideo Technique, which gave him what he had long sought: A reliable way to obtain information, help, and guidance from higher intelligence.

Here is the early concept regarding how we get help from the other side... the "semi-conclusion" from Jose Silva:

(Editors Note: When more of the picture was revealed to him, he realized that we must go even deeper than we can go consciously, because we need to use the "Delta Doorway" to the other side to communicate with higher intelligence...)


by Jose Silva

I believe that we were placed on this planet for a purpose.

Whoever put us here must have had some reason. Whoever put us here, I refer to as higher intelligence...So what am I supposed to do while I am here? There must be some reason I am here. What should I be doing?

It makes sense that if somebody sent me here, it would probably be to help correct problems. That is our reason for being here, our purpose in life. Here is why I believe this:

HELP CORRECT PROBLEMS

It seems like we haven't finished the evolutionary process yet. We are still inventing things to make life better, and there seems to be more that needs to be done. So perhaps I'm here to correct problems.

That does make sense doesn't it? If you are employed by somebody, they employ you to do a good job. If you do a good job they pay you for it. If you don't do a good job, they'll quit paying you for it, won't they?
If you do an outstanding job, they'll promote you. They will give you more responsibilities - and more pay. You will enjoy life that much more, you will get more satisfaction.

The more problems you solve, the more rewards you are going to get. It sure seems to work like that, in life as well as in business.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

What happens if we are creating problems?

I am out there creating problems, why should higher intelligence even want me around?

Maybe that's why people who create problems end up having so many problems. Maybe not at first, but sooner or later that law of cause-and-effect seems to balance out.

This approach has worked for me for my entire life. And it has worked for Silva Method graduates who apply it for more than a quarter of a century.

When you program to correct problems, and keep in mind what your needs are, plus a little bit more, then you will get everything you need to continue to be successful and happy.

FINDING YOUR PURPOSE

If you want to know how to carry out your purpose in life, then enter your level and ask. You will get answers.
It is important to ask at deep levels. Practice the Long Relaxation Exercise (Silva Centering Exercise) - relaxing parts of your body, then relaxing your mind, until you are very deeply relaxed both physically and mentally.

From this deep level, you will get in touch with your "higher self" as some people call it. I call it the other side. On the other side - in the spiritual dimension - I believe that there are beings who have been assigned to help us.
These beings are not limited by time and space the way that we are. They have access to more information than we do. They can formulate better plans than we can.

So enter your level. Deepen that level by using any of the deepening exercises as you learned in the course (relaxation, countdowns, etc.)
And ask what you should be doing here.

Find something to do that is of a constructive and creative nature, then do it, and all things will be added unto you.

How to Improve Your Creative Visualization Ability

by Vishen Lakhiani 


At FinerMinds and MindValley we do everything to try and connect with our readers and customers. We’re always wondering what’s on your minds and how we can better help you, so we begin creating a series of videos to help answer your biggest questions.

At our sister sites, such as the American Monk, Silva Life System, and Quantum Jumping, one of the biggest questions we get asked is, “How can I improve my creative visualization?” It makes sense that this question comes up since most personal growth techniques and courses advocate creative visualization.

So to help answer the question (you’re probably thinking it too), check out the video below. I teach a technique called Image Streaming that will help you improve your ability to visualize.





February 8, 2011

Afformations – A New Approach to Positive Thinking

Positive Affirmations Don’t Work For You? 

Try Afformations — The New Approach to Positive Thinking

by FinerMinds Team  June 18, 2010

Positive affirmations are positive statements that you exclaim everyday to manifest in your daily life. Lot’s of people use it to start the day or to get what they want. But for some, these affirmations don’t do anything more than create unfulfilled desires.

If this sounds familiar and you find positive affirmations don’t really work for you, Noah St. John is about to share with you his 4-step process of Positive Afformation to turn this around and help you manifest your daily desires effectively (and no, we didn’t spell that wrong!) :)

Find out what positive afformation is, learn how to apply it to your life…and when you’re done with this exercise, let us know what your afformations are in the comment box below.
…

Afformations – A New Approach to Positive Thinking

by Noah St. John, Ph.D.

If you’ve ever read a self-help book, you know that traditional success teachers have told you to say “affirmations” – positive statements that you’d like to be true. For example, a classic “affirmation” is: “I am rich.”
Try it. Say “I am rich.”
What just happened? Did you hear a voice in your head that said: “Yeah, right!”?
There’s only one problem with “affirmations”: they really don’t work for most people. Why? Because you’re trying to convince yourself of something you don’t really believe.

Have you ever been persuaded to try “affirmations”… and then had absolutely nothing happen?

Me too. And about a gazillion other people.

Noah St. John is the #1 bestselling author of The Secret Code of Success: 7 Hidden Steps to More Wealth and Happiness (published by HarperCollins).
You may have seen Noah on CNN, ABC, NBC, and in The Washington Post. Appearing in over 2,500 media outlets, he’s the world’s most-quoted expert on how to take out your head trash.

Read the first 3 chapters of The Book of Afformations FREE at http://www.afformations.com/

One morning in April 1997, I was in the shower, thinking about how the human mind works. I realized that human thought IS the process of asking and searching for the answer to QUESTIONS. For example, if I asked you, “Why is the sky blue?”, your mind would start searching for the answer.

So I asked myself a logical question: “If the human mind is always asking and searching for answers to QUESTIONS, why are we going around saying statements we don’t even believe? Why don’t we cut out the middleman?

Take the “affirmation” “I am rich” – to which the brain replies “Yeah, right!” What would the QUESTION be?
“Why am I so rich?”
Try it. Ask yourself: “Why am I so rich?”
What’s your brain doing right now? Searching for an answer to the QUESTION!
The staggering realization I made that morning in April 1997 was that you create your reality in two ways: by the statements you say to yourself and others, and by the questions you ask yourself and others. Until then, no one had fully realized, or shown how to harness, the awesome power of what happens when you ASK EMPOWERING QUESTIONS.
And that’s why I named my discovery The Afformations Method.
The 4 Steps to Creating Afformations That Change Your Life

Identifying Abundance Blocks With Energy Healer Christie Marie Sheldon

It's so cool to 'meet' Silva Graduates who are using what they learned in the courses along with their inborn skills and abilities. As you watch this video notice where her Silva training shows through. Enjoy! 

by FinerMinds Team 

Awesome News Alert! We’re super excited to be bringing you an exclusive interview between Vishen and renowned Energy Healer, Christie Marie Sheldon.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes, it doesn’t seem to matter how hard you work or how much you count the pennies, things are always a bit tight at the end of the month? According to Christie, the key lies in overcoming the hidden Abundance Blocks that lurk within your energy field and subconscious mind.

Now, we’ve never seen Vishen at a loss for words before, but the (personal) things Christie’s been able to pick up about him have actually made him dumbstruck. She’s picked up on things that he’s never even shared with his closest friends – it’s pretty incredible. What Christie does (as she explains it) is communicate with someone’s energy to find out the source of the problem. Even right down to specific events and dates in a person’s life.

Check out this exclusive interview as Vishen finds out how she’s able to do this and how she got started on her path as an Energy Healer.

(psst, don’t miss him getting his energy read about half way through!)

May 10, 2011

Use The ‘Reset’ Button – How To Improve Positive Thinking

by FinerMinds Team  March 18, 2011


Do you want to know how to improve positive thinking in your life? If you do, join the club. Now that we all understand the power of our thoughts to create our reality, we know this is key to a happy life. The trick is getting control of – and changing – those thoughts that aren’t giving you what you want. This is where the ‘reset’ button comes in real handy.

Your mind is like a computer. The operating system is your brain and it’s got all kinds of programs running. There are programs that run automatically – like breathing, digestion, and your heart beating. They run no matter what. You’ve also got ‘emergency’ programs that kick in during a threat, like when your immune system encounters a virus, or the ‘fight or flight’ instinct when sudden, immanent danger is at hand.

And then there’s that program called ‘Thinking’.

The thinking program has two levels: Conscious and Subconscious. The two are interconnected – informing and building upon each other as you go through life. So if you’ve got some negative subconscious thoughts from not-so-great (or even really bad) experiences from the past, they tend to bubble up and over into your conscious mind. And your conscious mind, when it repeatedly thinks these thoughts, strengthens the wiring (synaptically speaking) of your subconscious.

There are some great ways to work with the subconscious. Hypnosis being one of the best. But there’s still the rest of your day to think about (no pun intended). This is where the Reset Button can be your biggest boon. When your computer system has gone haywire and you just can’t seem to fix the problem, what do you do? Hit the reset button. Well, you can do the same thing with your brain. Here’s how it works …

Your Conscious Reset Button

The first thing you need to do in order to use the reset button is pay attention to your thoughts when you think you’re not thinking anything. When does this happen? You might be surprised to find out it’s most of the time. Here are some examples:

■when you’re driving your car

■when you’re cooking

■when you’re cleaning

■when you’re just ‘spacing out’

■when you’re taking a walk

In fact, whenever you’re doing things on ‘auto pilot’, your thoughts are usually active, even if you’re not paying attention. And what are these thoughts? Often they’re things bubbling up from the subconscious. And when they’re not, these thoughts are usually ‘shaded’ by the general attitudes (fears, worries, self-doubt; or self-confidence, trust and love) that are most predominant in your subconscious.

So when you start paying attention to what you’re thinking about, when you think you’re not thinking, you’ve take then biggest step toward change.

In fact, the next part is really easy.

As soon as you catch yourself thinking any thoughts that aren’t positive, you just say (out loud if you can) ‘Reset!’ And then shift your thoughts in a better direction.

Sound too simple? Well, the first few times you might not get very far past the reset button before you go back to thinking you’re not thinking and letting negitude rule. But with just a little bit of practice, you’ll be surprised at how well this works.

Give it a try and leave us a comment to let us know how the reset button is working for you.

David Morelli

This video just gets better and better and you listen and experience it. I encourage you to take the time...experience the meditation...think of his suggestions...and think about how this relates to what you've learned in Silva. You already have the tools - and more! - that he's talking about.  Blessings...

taken from the FinerMinds blog...by FinerMinds Team February 23, 2011

As many of you might know, last December, we hosted a personal growth getaway on the pristine beaches of Costa Rica called AwesomenessFest. About 200 people passionate about self development and spirituality came together, connected, and shared their learnings.

So for those who couldn’t join us, I wanted to share one of the best rated speeches at AwesomenessFest. It’s by psychic, David Morelli. He’s incredibly successful, having hit 2 million-dollar businesses over the past couple years and his radio show podcast, Everything Is Energy (hosted by him and his wife, Kristin) is the #3 show on iTunes just behind Oprah Winfrey and Marianne Williamson.

And he achieved all this using his intuition. Check out this video and if you want to skip straight to the meditation at the end, fast forward to the minute 22:33.

Meditation Found To Increase Brain Size

by FinerMinds Team   April 13, 2009

Because of the overwhelming response we’ve had to our post on Super Brain Yoga, we’d like to introduce you to an amazing study conducted in the field of meditation. For the first time there is scientific evidence that meditation does indeed affect the physical structure of the brain.

For decades the benefits of meditation have been known, studied, and advertised. But it wasn’t until recently that science has come around and acknowledged the physical and cognitive advantages of meditation. Researchers at Yale, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that meditation can indeed change the physical structure of the brain.

The article below summarizes the research that has been conducted thus far and what this means in terms of slowing down aging, improving cognitive thinking, and enhancing health and well-being. The type of meditation and quality of meditation used in the studies are also discussed.

Have a look at the article and let us know whether you think the change in brain structure is significant and if it represents a physical embodiment of the benefits of meditation

Source: Harvard University (By William J. Cromie)

Link:http://www.sciencenewsden.com
By ajayniranjan

People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don’t. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input.

In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. That’s intriguing because those sections of the human cortex, or thinking cap, normally get thinner as we age.

Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being,” says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at Harvard Medical School. “These findings are consistent with other studies that demonstrated increased thickness of music areas in the brains of musicians, and visual and motor areas in the brains of jugglers. In other words, the structure of an adult brain can change in response to repeated practice.”

The researchers compared brain scans of 20 experienced meditators with those of 15 nonmeditators. Four of the former taught meditation or yoga, but they were not monks living in seclusion. The rest worked in careers such as law, health care, and journalism. All the participants were white. During scanning, the meditators meditated; the others just relaxed and thought about whatever they wanted.

Meditators did Buddhist “insight meditation,” which focuses on whatever is there, like noise or body sensations. It doesn’t involve “om,” other mantras, or chanting.

“The goal is to pay attention to sensory experience, rather than to your thoughts about the sensory experience,” Lazar explains. “For example, if you suddenly hear a noise, you just listen to it rather than thinking about it. If your leg falls asleep, you just notice the physical sensations. If nothing is there, you pay attention to your breathing.” Successful meditators get used to not thinking or elaborating things in their mind.

Study participants meditated an average of about 40 minutes a day. Some had been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Depth of the meditation was measured by the slowing of breathing rates. Those most deeply involved in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure. “This strongly suggests,” Lazar concludes, “that the differences in brain structure were caused by the meditation, rather than that differences in brain thickness got them into meditation in the first place.”

Lazar took up meditation about 10 years ago and now practices insight meditation about three times a week. At first she was not sure it would work. But “I have definitely experienced beneficial changes,” she says. “It reduces stress [and] increases my clarity of thought and my tolerance for staying focused in difficult situations.”

Controlling random thoughts

Insight meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere. “People who do it quickly realize that much of what goes on in their heads involves random thoughts that often have little substance,” Lazar comments. “The goal is not so much to ‘empty’ your head, but to not get caught up in random thoughts that pop into consciousness.”

She uses this example: Facing an important deadline, people tend to worry about what will happen if they miss it, or if the end product will be good enough to suit the boss. You can drive yourself crazy with unproductive “what if” worry. “If, instead, you focus on the present moment, on what needs to be done and what is happening right now, then much of the feeling of stress goes away,” Lazar says. “Feelings become less obstructive and more motivational.”

The increased thickness of gray matter is not very much, 4 to 8 thousandths of an inch. “These increases are proportional to the time a person has been meditating during their lives,” Lazar notes. “This suggests that the thickness differences are acquired through extensive practice and not simply due to differences between meditators and nonmeditators.”

As small as they are, you can bet those differences are going to lead to lots more studies to find out just what is going on and how meditation might better be used to improve health and well-being, and even slow aging

More basic questions need to be answered. What causes the increased thickness? Does meditation produce more connections between brain cells, or more blood vessels? How does increased brain thickness influence daily behavior? Does it promote increased communication between intellectual and emotional areas of the brain?

To get answers, larger studies are planned at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard-affiliated facility where Lazar is a research scientist and where these first studies were done. That work included only 20 meditators and their brains were scanned only once.

“The results were very encouraging,” Lazar remarks. “But further research needs to be done using a larger number of people and testing them multiple times. We also need to examine their brains both before and after learning to meditate. Our group is currently planning to do this. Eventually, such research should reveal more about the function of the thickening; that is, how it affects emotions and knowing in terms of both awareness and judgment.”

Slowing aging?

Since this type of meditation counteracts the natural thinning of the thinking surface of the brain, could it play a role in slowing – even reversing – aging? That could really be mind-boggling in the most positive sense.

Lazar is cautious in her answer. “Our data suggest that one small bit of brain appears to have a slower rate of cortical thinning, so meditation may help slow some aspects of cognitive aging,” she agrees. “But it’s important to remember that monks and yogis suffer from the same ailments as the rest of us. They get old and die, too. However, they do claim to enjoy an increased capacity for attention and memory.”

Take The Gratitude Challenge

The Brighter Side – Take The Gratitude Challenge

by FinerMinds Team  December 1, 2010

30 bloggers + 21 Days = delight, beauty, love and a whole bunch of other cools stuff. Check out what happened when the company Tiny Prints challenged bloggers to take up three weeks of gratitude.

Not Just For Humans Anymore – Animals Have Spiritual Experiences Too

Not Just For Humans Anymore – Animals Have Spiritual Experiences Too
from the FinerMinds blog

Does your cat contemplate the cosmos? Does your dog desire the divine? Apparently some brain researchers think so. Like us, they may experience awe, wonder, and other mystical moments.

For all you animal lovers out there, this story is sure to inspire an even deeper appreciation for your beloved pets.
What evidence have you seen with Rover or Spot that confirms for you their spiritual natures? Drop us a comment and let us know. (BTW: did you know chimps sometimes trance-dance? See what Primatologist Jane Goodall has to say about it!)

Animals said to have spiritual experiences: Ever have an out-of-body experience? Your dog may have too  by Jennifer Viegas of Discovery News

Animals (not just people) likely have spiritual experiences, according to a prominent neurologist who has analyzed the processes of spiritual sensation for over three decades.

Research suggests that spiritual experiences originate deep within primitive areas of the human brain — areas shared by other animals with brain structures like our own.

The trick, of course, lies in proving animals’ experiences.

How "Thank You X 5" – Giving Thanks - Feels Good

So let’s begin …


Grab a paper and pen or a new document on your desktop, then list these five things:

1. Health

2. Relationships and Family

3. Work/Career

4. Fun-Time

5. Stuff

Now, for each of these five parts of your life, list at least five things you’re grateful for. If you want to go totally wild and list more, go for it! The more things you find to feel grateful for, we promise you, the better you’re going to feel.

Once you’ve got your list, send us your five favorite “Woohoo, hallelujah, thank you, thank you, thank you!” favs.

Here’s our top five:

1. Health

As one FinerMinds reader likes to remind himself when life seems less than ideal: We’re all still “walkin’ talkin’ seein’ and peein”.

2. Relationship and family

Between the FinerMinds team, we’ve got 8 healthy parents, two happy, healthy kids, four loving partners/spouses, a good handful of wise elders and too many inspiring friends to count. We also have all of you – the FinerMinds community – and for that, on this and every day, the FinerMinds team is truly thankful!

3. Work/career

Well let’s face it, a career focused on mind-blowing awesomeness is nothing to sneeze at. We know how fortunate we are to have careers we enjoy. But none of us here started with the ideal, so we’re thankful, too, for all of the jobs that supported us and gave us the skills we needed to do what we’re doing now.

4. Fun-time

Let’s see … birthday parties and beaches, good jokes and kind gestures, awesome comments and bad jokes that make us laugh anyway. Oh! and we can’t forget roller coasters and ice cream!

5. Stuff

The internet and iPods, reliable cars and cozy slippers, safe drinking water, sunshine, walkin’ shoes and of course, turkey dinners.

Your turn!

We know sometimes the holidays can bring people down. We also know that down can turn to UP with a thanks-giving rampage!

How To Stay Healthy And Energized Throughout The Day

Some people wonder how they'll incorporate Silva into daily living. In this video Laura Silva gives us a glimpse of her life and how she uses what her father taught her...what we today call The Silva Method (Silva Life System and Silva Intuition Training).

"How do you usually start your day? What's your routine like, and does it work for you?


Many people find it difficult to believe that I would run a marathon every three weeks. Add this on top of running Silva International and being a loving wife and mother, its no secret that I need to have an endless supply of energy.


For me, it is important to stick to a certain routine to maintain my health, and to always have energy to be able to give more.


I thought I would share how my day looks like. I hope you will enjoy the video and maybe it will help you in some ways too." Laura Silva, from the SilvaLifeSystem blog

Maybe you'll get some ideas like I did. Enjoy! A Day in the Life of Laura Silva

Chocolate, Purple And Making Peace With The Past – 50 Lessons To Live By

In case you missed this on the FinerMinds blog....

Chocolate, Purple And Making Peace With The Past – 50 Lessons To Live By

by FinerMinds Team

Rumors of her being 90 years old just aren't true, but that doesn't make her sound bytes of wisdom any less potent. You've probably seen some of Regina Brett's "Life Lessons" before, like "When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile," or "Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger". They're from her book God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours. Advice like this never grows old – or unwelcomed – so enjoy these mighty morsels of insight and happy Monday!

              Serious Chocolate Steps

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

        Peace without Comparison and God Never Blinks

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

           Candles, Purple and Sex on the Brain

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

        Change, Miracles and Second Childhoods

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

           Is it Useful, Beautiful or Joyful?

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

How to Achieve Balance in Your Life

12 Areas of Balance
by Vishen Lakhiani

You'll probably use several sheets of paper as you watch this one. I find it very valuable and trust you will as well.

Blessings....

The Emotional Vampire Survival Guide: Emotional Freedom in Action

The Emotional Vampire Survival Guide — Discover How To Deal With The 4 Types Of Vampires


by Editorial Team (FinerMinds) Published in: Energy

ShareEditor’s Note: This isn’t quite like Twilight. But have you ever met someone and felt as if you’re energy has been sucked out of you? You might’ve felt on top of the world one minute, and bam! Right after you meet this person, you’re feeling down and out. Chances are you just met an emotional vampire.

Dr. Judith Orloff below gives an interesting account of the 4 types of emotional vampires and what you can do to protect yourself from them. She uses a technique called Emotional Freedom. It’s an awesome read, so I recommend checking it out.

…

The Emotional Vampire Survival Guide: Emotional Freedom in Action

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life

To be emotionally free you can’t remain naïve about relationships. Some people are positive and mood elevating. Others can suck optimism and serenity right out of you. Vampires do more than drain your physical energy.

The super-malignant ones can make you believe you’re an unworthy, unlovable wretch who doesn’t deserve better. The subtler species inflict damage by making smaller digs, which can make you feel bad about yourself—for instance, “Dear, I see you’ve put on a few pounds” or “You’re overly sensitive!”

Suddenly they’ve thrown you emotionally off-center you by prodding areas of shaky self-worth. To protect your sensitivity, it’s important to name and combat these vampires. The concept struck such a collective chord in my book Positive Energy that in Emotional Freedom, my latest book, I illustrate how it applies to protecting your emotions and not absorbing other people’s negativity.

SIGNS THAT YOU’VE ENCOUNTERD AN EMOTIONAL VAMPIRE

•Your eyelids are heavy—you’re ready for a nap

•Your mood takes a nosedive

•You want to binge on carbs or comfort foods

•You feel anxious, depressed, or negative

•You feel put down, sniped at, or slimedTYPES OF EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES

Vampire #1: The Narcissist

Their motto is “Me first.” Everything is all about them. They have a grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement, hog attention, and crave admiration. They’re dangerous because they lack empathy and have a limited capacity for unconditional love. If you don’t do things their way, they become punishing, withholding, or cold.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Keep your expectations realistic. These are emotionally limited people. Try not to fall in love with one or expect them to be selfless or love without strings attached. Never make your self-worth dependent on them or confide your deepest feelings to someone who won’t cherish them. To successfully communicate, the hard truth is that you must show how something will be to their benefit. Though it’s better not to have to contend with this tedious ego stroking, if the relationship is unavoidable use the above strategies to achieved desired results.

Vampire #2: The Victim

These vampires grate on you with their “poor-me’ attitude and are allergic to taking responsibility for their actions. The world is always against them, the reason for their unhappiness. When you offer a solution to their problems they always say, “Yes, but.” You might end up screening your calls or purposely avoid them. As a friend, you may want to help but their tales of woe overwhelm you.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Set kind but firm limits. Listen briefly and tell a friend or relative, “I love you but I can only listen for a few minutes unless you want to discuss solutions. Then I’d be thrilled to brainstorm with you.” With a coworker, listen briefly, sympathize by saying, “I’ll keep good thought for things to work out. Then say, I hope you understand, but I’m on deadline and must go back to work. Then use “this isn’t a good time” body language such as crossing your arms and breaking eye contact to help set these healthy limits.

Vampire #3: The Controller

These people obsessively try to control you and dictate what you’re supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything. They’ll control you by invalidating your emotions if they don’t fit into their rulebook. They often start sentences with “You know what you need?” and then proceed to tell you. You end up feeling dominated, demeaned, or put down.

How to Protect Your Emotions: The secret to success is never try and control a controller. Be healthily assertive, but don’t tell them what to do. You can say, “I value your advice but really need to work through this myself.” Be confident but don’t play the victim or sweat the small stuff. Focus on high priority issues rather than on putting the cap on the toothpaste.

Vampire #4: The Splitter or Borderline Personality

Splitters see things as either good or bad and have love/hate relationships. One minute they idealize you, the next you’re the enemy if you upset them. They have a sixth sense for knowing how to pit people against each another and will retaliate if they feel you have wronged them. They are people who are fundamentally damaged—inwardly they feel as if they don’t exist and become alive when they get angry. They’ll keep you on an emotional rollercoaster and you may walk on eggshells to avoid their anger.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Stay calm. Don’t react when your buttons get pushed. Splitters feed off of anger. They respond best to structure and limit setting. If one goes into a rage, tell the person, “I’m leaving until you get calmer. Then we can talk.” Refuse to take sides when he or she tries to turn you against someone else. With family members, it’s best to show a united front and not let a splitter’s venomous opinions poison your relationships.

…

This article is based on Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life, where Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. As Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, she passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness.

Is The Right Side Of Your Brain Taking Over?

The New Era Of Creativity

by Editorial Team (MindValley)

Published in: Creativity

Editor’s note: Do you consider yourself a creative person? Have your found being creative a help or a hassle in your personal, professional or financial life? Check out what author Laura Silva has to say about the positive future for creatives.

Are The Right Brains Taking Over? The New Era Of Creativity

Peek into any history book and you can see the progression of society. From the stone age to the agriculture age, then with the invention of machines came the industrial revolution. As recently as the early 90’s with the birth of the internet, we entered the stage we have come to know now — the information age.

But some are saying that a new era is dawning upon us. In Daniel Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind — Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future” — Pink suggests we are moving into a Conceptual Age — characterized by creators and empathizers. According to him “Artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, counselors, big-picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”

The Conceptual Age

Pink goes on to state that, like in the industrial revolution whern many human jobs were replaced by machines, these days any job that requires logical, analytical left brain thinking is now being replaced by a computer program. Many new professions are changing to right brain professions — and if you’re not creative it could be harder for you keep a job in this new era. The new job market no longer belongs to knowledge workers, but the creative — those who can take the abundance of information and knowledge and create something with intrinsic value. As he puts it

“A funny thing happened while we were pressing our noses to the grindstone: The world changed. The future no longer belongs to people who can reason with computer-like logic, speed, and precision. It belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind. Today — amid the uncertainties of an economy that has gone from boom to bust to blah — there’s a metaphor that explains what’s going on. And it’s right inside our heads.”

Not only “right inside our heads”, but the right hemisphere of our brain — the side responsible for creativity.

For more on the conceptual age, check out Dan’s great article “Revenge Of The Right Brain”.

The Value Of Creativity In The Workplace

This can be exemplified if you take a peak at FastCompany’s top 100 creative people in business in 2010. The top 10 not surprisingly contains a international pop star, film maker and TV producer — but the other 7? Shockingly the top ten rounds out with a Harvard law professor, the CEO of Safeway and top executives from Apple, Nike, Microsoft and Nissan. Proving that the perceived value of creativity has spread to sectors not previously thought of as “creative”.
Improved creativity is not only limited to the job spectrum. Expressing your creativity leads to a more energetic and greater quality of life. This is because when we create things and make things we are expressing ourselves in our truest form.

Creativity Adds Value To Your Life

You can improve your relationships with loved ones through a little creative thinking. Ever find yourself in a rut? Or maybe going through the same arguments over and over again? Simply by flexing your creative muscles you can approach old problems with a fresh outlook. Maybe even surprise your loved ones with a unique surprise that expresses your true feelings and appreciation for them? You can also attract new, exciting people into your life through a little creative efforts.

The definition of creativity is “whereby something new is created that has some kind of value.” The truth is the more creativity you deploy, the more things you CREATE and the more you HAVE! You can create more love, happiness, joy, health or time in your life.

Discovering Your True Self

When you express yourself you journey down the path of self discovery and authenticity. When we create something, we take it from the essence of what we truly believe, feel and think. Creativity is also a spiritual expression, so naturally people who often express themselves creatively feel more self-confident and connected to a higher source.

So maybe creativity isn’t just for art class anymore?

Are you "Happy but Broke" or a "Stressed Out Visionary"?

While some of us get a lot of emails from Vishen (Finer Minds, MindValley, etc.) I find it's best to take a look rather than automatically hite the 'delete' button.

This video, the result of one of his latest emails, is quite good. Really makes me think.

I trust you enjoy it and please leave a comment.

Better & Better,

Living Life in Balance

Most of us enjoy our lives and seek to make them better and better. How to make them better? Most people agree that balance is the key.

How do you keep balance in your life? Do you have a process that allows you to know when things are 'off kilter'?

When you watch this video from Vishen Lakhiani you may choose to take a few notes. Definitely worth your time!

Enjoy!

Are You Happy but Broke or a Stressed Visionary?

Vishan Lakhiani provided an interesting video today called   Which Are You: "Happy but Broke” or a “Stressed Out Visionary?"

Think about what he has to say and discover where you really are. Then think about what that means for you. Do you need to do something differently? If so, what?

Enjoy!

5 Levels of Manifestation

A short, "meaty" video I believe you'll enjoy!



This video is originally provided through Finer Minds LLC