If you are not meditating, do it now!

There used to be a time that people could choose if they wanted to meditate or not. Not anymore.

I am a meditator for the past 40 years and I have seen the effects of meditation in my life, and they are exactly what people needs right now. Let’ prepare a small list…

You are feeling sad because of what someone told you. By meditating, you experience the best of yourself, you set in your self-esteem and you go beyond sorrow.

You just lost your job! And look at the Economy!!! Calm comes through the experience of meditation and then, new ideas come up to your mind… possibly a solution.

Your partner left you… for NO REASON! Your best friend is your mind, just feel the positive comforting energy that comes from your thoughts.

You have a PROBLEM! Meditation can help you finding a solution to overcome it.

Yes, other paths could help you, if you are having just one problem at a time – great, right? “Problem # 2, wait your turn!”

Meditation and its related processes, like prayer or contemplation, are the only methods that can compensate the present complexity in a successful way.

If more problems come, new ways of meditating will help the self to manage them. And meditation never tires you.

Try it.

Right now!

Finding a gem among the stones

Problems.

Criticism.

More problems.

The boss is not happy…

… neither your life partner.

The weather is awful and…

… let’s not even mention the road traffic!

Bad situations come to our lives, which can turn into a thorn in our existence and it is not easy to avoid it. But we can change the way to see these scenes.

First, let’s take a look into that idea of bad situations as thorns. We can remind ourselves that behind any thorn there is a beautiful rose waiting for us. It may be a difficulty or a small tragedy, but there is a rose in the form of a lesson, a change in the lifestyle or something even more valuable. Instead of focusing on the thorns, look for the rose!

Second possibility is to see circumstances as stones on the way: enough stones, your way will be well paved. Yes, it is bad, but it will pass and you will certainly grow due to this. Remember the paved road, instead of the stones.

And in relation to that, a few of the stones may be gems: because your boss is not happy with you, you find a better job or due to the intense traffic jam, you decide to go and live at a better place. Check the bad things in your life, because a few jewels are expecting to be collected.

A map to understand cause & effect

In terms of solving problems and personal change, there is a special element that was forgotten, at least by me: cause & effect.

If there is a sickness, by understanding its symptoms (effect) as connected to a cause, it is easier to heal; if anyone only focus on the symptoms, trying to fix that, it is possible the cause remain intact and later on, symptoms will come back. It is a principle that medicine follows, and so other areas of our human complex society: if I am hurt by someone (effect), by finding the cause (something I said) I may fix it; if you are not going well in terms of business (effect), by finding the cause (bad marketing skills), it is possible to solve the problem, and many other examples.

However, in life things are not so simple. One thing is the ONE CAUSE – ONE EFFECT, but what about if there are many CAUSES and one effect? Or worse, when causes and effects are not easy to track…

So, here is a small map of a sort and I hope it helps you to deal with different situations in which you can identify causes and effects.

• One cause, one effect. It is the easiest one, but the trap lies in trying to fix the effect and leaving the cause alone. Go for the cause, the effect will fade away.
• One cause, several effects. If you see situations come to your life and you can track them to one common cause, again go for the cause, but because there are many effects, work on them too; it will make life easier.
• Several causes, one effect. Yes, it is possible that one single effect has different sources, which means it will take time to solve it. Solution would be the same as before, but my personal suggestion is… forget the causes! Just focus on the effects and, at your own pace, deal with a few causes that come on your way.
• Several causes, several effects… or not! This is the highest level of complexity and causes & effects model won’t work on this case. Focus on your objectives in life, check about your specialties and make a plan to move forward.

Hope this map works for you!

Live a life with 100% challenges and 0% problems - Reason 20

Do you have a problem?  If you are a leader then that is excellent…

You see, a leader is basically a problem solver, but in an uncomplicated way since he or she never considers a problem as, well, a problem!  For a leader, it translates into challenges.

After all, if you solve a problem, that means you are still at school, but when you overcome a challenge, it means now you are a grown-up.

It is not just a question of word choice, and many leaders like to use the word problem, but the attitude defines how that leader will deal with the circumstances.  While a problem causes fear and worry, lots of stress and confusion, a challenge stimulates and inspires the best to emerge.

Leaders keep a big smile, as challenges come to oppose them and to encourage them to grow.


(Excerpt from the book 82 Reasons to be a Leader)

Proactive problem solving

When we deal with situations, the normal approach is reactive: we wait until things happen, and then we act.

What if we act BEFORE things happen? After all, we have so much knowledge, experience and intuition to understand if what is coming is a storm, hail or just a drizzle, and with that knowledge we can dress properly.

This skill requires a deep sense of observation and a lack of labeling. It requires a wide openness from your side, as things sometimes don't show their real appearance and you need to be open for anything that happens.

You have to be careful to not become paranoid... Proactivity is not based on fear, but on trends and observation. Let's see some examples of this skill practically:

• You can sense your son is going to have a hard time in his exams. Fear can generate an attempt of control from your side and you can even try to bully your kid into more and more study. Proactivity helps you to deal with that situation before it happens, so you can help your son emotionally making him understand he is loved no matter what, and you can show him you are available whenever he wants, if he needs some help with his studies.
• One of your salespersons is going for a big client and you can see he won't be able to make the deal. An afraid boss will decrease his employee's self-esteem by giving bad suggestions ("Why don't we send Jane instead?") or offering himself to go with him, but not with the right attitude ("Let's go together, so when things go south, I can fix them."). Proactivity will help you to invest more time in training, to dialogue with your people and to show respect for them in all situations; in this way, the salesman can look easier for help and prevent a failure.
• You can feel your health is not that good... Fear can make you either go for a doctor for any pain you feel, or hide from all doctors as you don't want to hear their diagnose. Proactivity will make you go to a doctor in a regular basis, keep a diet and a routine of exercises that help you to feel healthy, so when you really feel something worse is happening to your body, it is easier to detect, accept and go through a treatment.

Start right now: don't judge, just watch. Be open for changes in life and be prepared, but not afraid of them.

Problems II

Still having problems in life? Congratulations! Still alive...

I hope you do not have prejudices regarding this word: PROBLEM. Actually, the fact that you still have problems indicates your own energy, because there is no problem without a solution, and if there is solution, there is life.

But how to solve the problems?

For logical or mathematical problems, you can use basically a simple process:

• Analysis. One tries to understand the problem from various angles, open to new paradigms and possibilities.
• Synthesis. After expanding the problem for understanding, it's time to "repack it". It is common the problem changes at this stage, taking an easier form to be handled, or perhaps more interesting.
• Solution. It comes as a natural evolution of the problem. It is the last stage of the process.

Well, if we use the same process for general problems adapted to the human side, we get:

• Analysis. It is essential that you understand the problem from several perspectives. Talking to other people, reading books with a positive approach or just sitting and contemplating on the situation helps to take the darkness and negativity out of the problem. By giving light you solve it by half, corresponding to the emotions that come along with it.
• Synthesis. On the screen of your mind, the problem becomes something you can work. It can be an image or a simple paragraph, small, that carries the essence of the problem.
• Solution. With positive attitude and awareness, look at the problem and make a decision on what to do about it. It is important to understand that not always the solution is related to the personal desire. For example, the solution can be let go and let someone go - not the best, from the point of view of the desire for not being alone, but the most important thing is to reach a stage of full contentment.

And if you really want to work with the problem in another dimension ...

• Analysis. Be detached from the problem completely. Through meditation, it is very simple. You can "deliver" the problem to God and just enjoy the relationship with the Supreme Being, who will give you all the power you need for this.
• Synthesis. On the screen of your mind, look at the problem as something positive. Experience the solution that comes along with the problem, thanking life for this opportunity for improvement.
• Solution. Assimilates deeply the meditation experience, being inspired by the solution that you are taking into your life. Allow the problem to continue with God as Father and Friend, but bring you the fantastic solution you realized. Apply it into practice, with courage, enthusiasm and love.

I hope it will help you.

No problem

One of the biggest challenges a translator faces is to be faithful to the one he or she is translating. Even when the translator does not agree. A short time ago, I was translating a friend's lecture in which he was making a strong statement: THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS. But...

As a coach, I've learnt to avoid certain words, among them... Yes! Exactly: PROBLEMS. But...

But, what is it so bad in a problem, really?

In fact, between using words like challenges, opportunities for improvement or lessons, I believe the word PROBLEM is much more effective in terms of motivation. Why?

A problem is anything that demands a solution: there are math problems, problems in terms of food, sleep and harmony in relationships.

The key word for PROBLEM is implicit: SOLUTION. A problem ALWAYS have a solution, otherwise it is not a problem...

If there is a challenge, sometimes the solution is far off as it depends on the individual's skills. There can be opportunities of improvement, but they vanish after a while and even though we are taught some lessons, it is not sure we will learn anything.

By having a problem, there is the mental clarity that THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION. Maybe the person will need to learn some skills or develop certain capacities, but the solution is there. Better, in the school of life you can copy from others - so, if someone else has solved the same problem, just adapt her or his solution to your own life.

I suggest you to start to see problems in another way, as a circumstance that you will be able to solve FOR SURE, as its solution already exists.

No problem...