Tag: fear

Do You Have These Four Areas Mastered?

On By seancovellIn Health and WellnessLeave a comment

The Four Areas of Your Life

            How is your life going? Are some areas good and others… not so much? Did you know there are really four aspects of life that you must master to have a truly incredible life? Right now you’re thinking, “Sure. Sounds too simple.” Indeed it is simple to have an incredible life. It’s not easy, but it’s not complicated either. Here are the four areas of life that you must acknowledge and control to truly have an incredible life.

Mental Life— The mental part of your life relates to your belief systems and the way you make meaning of the world. Your mental life is the philosophy you have about life, business, family and everything else. The mental world is how we all make meaning of what happens and how we determine what to do. The easiest way to identify your mental world is to think about the thoughts you produce daily. “He hates me.” “She thinks I’m ugly.” “I’m so smart.” “Everyday above ground is a good day.” All of these thoughts reflect what’s going on with you mentally. Your philosophy about everything in life all comes from your mental life. Mentally, you must develop a success philosophy that will produce thoughts and therefore habits which will serve you.

Emotional Life— Emotions are really just chemical reactions in the body and brain, but they have a tremendous impact on the quality of our lives. Emotions can be affected by the thoughts you produce, but emotions can also occur independently. In fact, when we think about the quality of life, what we are really talking about is how much time you spend in positive emotional states. Happiness, gratitude, ecstasy are all states of emotion that most value and wish to spend time in. The elephant in the room that few are willing to say out loud is that your emotions are in your control at any given time. You get to choose what emotional states you live in. Emotion comes from the root motion–meaning that by changing your physical state, changing the foods and drinks you consume and spending time being mindful of emotions that arise in your mind, you can have complete control over your emotions. The key is to remember that you CAN be in control of them, but to do this you must be mindful of what emotions you are experiencing and take action to shift your emotional state to one that you value.

Physical Life— We live in what we perceive to be a physical world. Everything, everyone, our bodies present in a physical form. This is easy to understand, but it’s worth noting that most people do not have control over the physical aspect of life. The current epidemics of obesity, heart disease, and prescription drug addiction suggest that mastering the physical world is far from complete for humanity. Though we have discovered secrets of the universe like electricity, gravity, radio waves and x-rays, bacteria and other planets, there are many more physical aspects to life that people have yet to discover and understand. For the purposes of this article, however, I suggest that you start by getting control over this aspect of your life first. The reason being that your physical life controls so much of how you view the world. Your health, energy level and vitality directly affects your mental and emotional world, and by changing yourself physically, you can have a positive or negative effect on the quality of your life. Start by getting fit, gaining strength and developing the capacity to produce more energy. (Energy is not something you have, it’s something you produce.)

Spiritual Life— This area of life is by far the most misunderstood. The word spiritual usually brings about thoughts of religion. However the word spirit comes from the root “spiritus” meaning breath. Spirituality really predates any religion and it’s root meaning shows how truly the important this part of life is. Spirituality deals with our consciousness and its contents. To understand spirituality, you must recognize that you are not your thoughts. You are the one who is producing them and listening to them. Your spiritual world reflects your ability to ability to separate yourself from your thoughts and feels as well as recognize there are other states of consciousness available to you through meditation and mindfulness. Some call this prayer. Some call it something else. What it really is though is the ability to recognize and connect to an infinite energy and intelligence that is apart from the thoughts your mind produces. To become spiritual then, you must first recognize that you are separate from your thoughts. You are something else entirely. You are a “spiritual” being, one that is able to change your consciousness and self reflect.

Mastering these four areas of life is so difficult that I feel it’s safe to say most never achieve it. Worse, most don’t even recognize there are different aspects to life. Some say, “There’s just life.” That mindset fails to recognize that just like a stew, life can be boiled down to it is most simple ingredients. Start by acknowledging these four areas of your life and you can begin to work towards changing them in a positive way. Every area of your life should work to serve you, not hinder you in living in an incredible state most of your life.

Here’s to your incredible life,

Sean

15 Ways to Add Value in the World

On By seancovellIn Health and Wellness, UncategorizedLeave a comment

People love lists, and for me personally they work to keep my mind steady and in proper working condition. However most lists are not useful to us as we don’t usually follow them, but certain lists belong in every human’s operating manual. The most important thing we can do with our time is to add value to another’s life. Nothing will yield more satisfaction in life than by contributing to the brotherhood of man. Likewise, nothing can yield you more money in the marketplace than figuring out how to add value to another’s life. So, without further ado: 15 Ways To Add Value in the World…

  1. Always do more than you get paid for. Go the extra mile so that people speak nicely of you always.
  2. Make people feel special whenever possible.
  3. Focus on complimenting everyone you meet and spend time with by sharing something you admire about them.
  4. Figure out their needs and try to deliver what they need. This is the foundation of both a fulfilling life and the free market.
  5. Look them in the eye and smile often.
  6. Keep fresh memories about all the positive aspects of that person and relay that information often.
  7. Be lavish with praise and slow to criticize.
  8. Think about life from their perspective and try to alleviate pain when possible.
  9. Touch them physically or with words to communicate your love for them.
  10. Let them know you think of them often.
  11. Take a tone of voice that communicates respect and understanding.
  12. Do something nice without expecting anything in return.
  13. Go out of your way to deliver a moment of happiness whenever possible.
  14. Do not let your imagination go wild with false, negative thoughts the person may have.
  15. Silently say, “Thank you, I love you,” in your head before speaking with another human. Everyone is fighting a battle you may not know about. Remember that and you’ll always operate from a place of compassion and not fear.

The Most Important Thing

On By seancovellIn Health and WellnessLeave a comment

I’ve just finished reading a book called The One Thing. My thoughts? In a word: fantastic. It’s basic premise is that you must narrow down you focus, your priorities to just ONE important thing. The authors suggest in planning your day, week, month, year, ask yourself, “What’s the one thing, such that by doing would make my life easier and make all else unnecessary?” What a fantastic question. I would venture to say that most never ask it. I know that I haven’t. I wish I had earlier in my life. Regardless, it got me thinking, “If you could only have one trait, what the most important one to have.” This is another way of asking, what the most important “thing” in life. After careful consideration, I know the answer. Courage.

Courage is the most important thing in life to have. Without it, nothing would happen. Without courage we humans would live in constant fear of everything–fear of death, fear of embarrassment, fear of losing loved ones, fear of financial ruin, fear that we are not enough. It’s in our nature to be fearful. We are not the biggest or strongest creatures to have roamed the Earth. We are constantly faced with things that could kill us, ruin us, embarrass us or make us quite uncomfortable. Fear is what drives us if we act on instinct alone–unless you have Courage.

Courage is not the lack of fear, it is acting in spite of fear. The two attributes are not mutually exclusive. They balance each other like good and evil, light and dark, yin and yang. Fear is what holds us back. Courage is what drives us forward. Courage is what drives all of humanity forward. Life without courage is no life at all. Another word for courage is faith. A life without faith is no life at all.

From The One Thing: “One evening an elder Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on in all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concern, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision and irritation. The other is faith (courage). It brings calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excitement and action.” The grandson thought about it for a moment then meekly asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”

FEED YOUR COURAGE. STARVE YOUR FEARS.
-Sean

Conquer Worry

On By seancovellIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

HOW TO CONQUER WORRY AND DOMINATE 2016

Watching the news today, one would think that humanity is on the brink of Armageddon. Sinking global stock prices, ISIS, global unrest and just overall bad news. If you are thinking about what the future holds and are uncertain about what to do to survive this global crisis. I urge you to think inward. Very few things in life are within our control, but they are the most important. Among these are time and health. The only thing we truly have is the time left in our lives and the quality of our life in the form of our health. With this in mind, let all of us focus on increasing the quality and length of our lives with the hope of bettering the world around us. The following are recommendations to help cope with stress, gain strength and maintain a positive attitude. Take heed of this advice and send this article to everyone you know who could use some help.

Fear

All stress, worry and anxiety is fear.  And there are really only two types of fear; 1. that you won’t be enough , 2. that no one will love you. Are you afraid of losing your job? Your wife? Your health? What if you did? What would happen. See,  those fears really boil down to the fear that if something bad happens, you’re not enough or others won’t love you.  These fears are easily banished by taking action.  The problem is that taking action requires discipline.  It takes the PAIN of disciplining yourself to confront fear and refuse to let it get a hold of you forever. Get better thoughts and emotions in your life. Decide to live in a great place whenever possible.  And yes, it’s possible to live in a great state when the world is falling down around you. It just takes tremendous discipline. So let’s get moving!

Exercise

If you are feeling down or lethargic ask yourself, “Am I working out 4 times a week? Am I sweating? Am I combining strength training with cardio exercise?” If you answered yes to all of these questions, really look inside and be honest with yourself. We’re talking about your life and if you are living in denial or making excuses as to why you can’t exercise, you’re inherently sabotaging yourself. Be honest. You need to exercise vigorously at least 4 days a week. No excuses and no whining.

Why?

A recent article from the Mayo Clinic reports on the mental benefits from exercise. The release of endorphins via exercise can cause an elevation in mood and reduce stress. Regular exercise forces us to concentrate on ourselves rather than the situation of the world. In addition, working out can reduce the symptoms of mild depression. Perhaps the most important mental aspect of working out is the boost in self-confidence. There is a mind-muscle connection in which the mind controls the body. But this connection works the other way around as well. While many sit and complain about how they are “not in the mood to workout”, they forget that working out the body will improve the mood. Next time you’re not in the mood, go lift some weights and see if your attitude improves. I guarantee you will feel stronger, more energetic and more confident.

Bottom line: Stop sabotaging yourself! Go train your body and improve your take on life.

Diet

The food you are taking in could very well be causing your mood to sink. Fast food and restaurant food contain large amounts of sugar, flour, hydrogenation and trans fats, which cause an inflammatory response in the body. This will cause your mood and your body to sink faster than a rock (result: food coma). Moreover, intake of these types of substances is devastating to the liver and kidney, which filter out toxins and synthesize amino acids and other compounds. Fast food and highly processed foods are the equivalent of a tiny bomb going off inside your body. I point to Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film nside your body. I point to Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film “Supersize Me” as evidence of what can happen from constantly bombarding your body with these types of foods.

I can’t even tell you the amount of times I have heard clients say, “I don’t eat this stuff all the time.” What they really mean is, “I don’t have McDonalds for every meal.” Sometimes it’s McDonald’s for breakfast, Taco Bell for lunch and Jack in the Box for dinner. Get the point? We must eat clean in order to properly manage our lives and our well-being. If we don’t prepare our own meals and eat nutrient dense foods, we are consuming large amounts of flour, sugar, alcohol, saturated fats and other elements that destroy the body. If so, we are THINKING WITH OUR TONGUES RATHER THAN OUR BRAINS! To maintain a healthy, positive attitude, we must think logically and give our bodies what they need, not what our tongues want.

Reading

Turn off the news and read a book. This author used to work in the media early in life and my arthritis began to give him more trouble than ever. The constant flow of negative information and geo-political problems can cause people to wonder why they should even try to carry on. Turn off the radio and TV and stop listening to pundits and analysts who claim to be experts. Rather, pick up a copy of “Think and Grow Rich” or “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” Learn how to heal yourself. The point is this: all the problems that you are facing in your life have been dealt with and written down by others. Take the time to read and learn how you can use the experience of others to improve your own life. The written word contains the secrets to life. All you have to do is be willing to seek the information out.

Supplementation

When we are under a lot of stress, particularly financial stress, we tend to cut back on purchases we deem are non-essential. Unfortunately, many of us will eliminate or cut back on the things we need the most to prepare us to deal with stressful times. Two things that come to mind are gym memberships and our supplement regimen. Stress left unchecked will eventually exhibit itself in the form of disease, both mental and physical. The best way to combat both is to give our body and mind the nutrition and proper exercise it needs to work towards developing a healthy mind/body relationship.

We all know there are times when we justify purchasing that 99-cent hamburger on the sweetened white flour bun in order to save money, rather than opting for something healthier, which may cost a little more. The problem with doing that is, once you have put that idea in your head, you will soon develop a lifestyle habit that will ultimately cost you much more in the way of compromised health. If you live the fast food lifestyle, it is even more important for you to maintain a healthy supplement regimen to make sure your body and your brain are receiving all of the nutrients they need, not only to run efficiently, but also to fight off disease and depression. A high quality multi-supplement containing nutrients like essential fatty acids, such as omega-3s from fish oil and B vitamins with powerful antioxidants like alpha lipoic acid and green tea extract, can go a long way toward nourishing and protecting your most valuable assets– your body and your brain.

If you are too busy to prepare or buy a healthy breakfast or lunch, you can at least add water to a healthy and delicious protein shake rather than consume a jelly doughnut. If you don’t know what supplements to take, look it up! The world is at your fingertips.

No one knows what the future holds, but it makes sense to prepare ourselves physically and mentally for whatever may come our way. If indeed we are headed for a long economic downturn, allowing ourselves to become physically and emotionally ill will only paralyze us in our own personal depression, making us even more of a victim. Remember, great things were accomplished during this country’s Great Depression era of the 1930s, such as building the Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building. Don’t let the worry about what might happen paralyze you into inaction. Take control of your thoughts—that, in turn, will lead to control of your actions. Prepare yourself to conquer worry and whatever challenges may come your way by exercising and nourishing your body and your mind. DOMINATE 2016!

-Sean Covell