Let’s say you set up a still life on your table. Maybe some fruit or a nice bouquet of flowers and a charming old-fashioned oil lamp. You can take that subject and look at it from many different angles and see many different things. Each angle or perspective would be different though no less correct. What each individual perspective has in common other than the subject matter itself is that it’s an incomplete view of the subject at hand. You can approach the subject from one angle and it will look totally different when you zoom in from a different direction. We can apply this idea to our own lives by simply remembering that we can’t always see the full picture when it comes to a person, a thing, or a situation.

This idea helps us to be more tolerant toward others, and it helps us maintain our own sense of peace when we feel life is treating us unfairly. Remember when considering the subject of yourself, the most important perspective you should be concerned with is your own; because you have the most complete picture of yourself as a person. You alone have access to your thoughts and all the myriad of variables and circumstances that cause you to make the decisions you do. Everyone else just has pieces of the puzzle, you have the full picture and it’s up to you to decide how you want to look at it. Just remember, good or bad you are the one who has to live in your head. On that note, I should add that consistency will go a long way toward preserving your sanity and peace of mind. While the side of ourselves we present to different people might differ in some ways if we can keep our facts somewhat consistent we’ll keep our lives simpler in the long run.

In the art world, we understand that not only does our perspective alter the image we see, so too does the lighting. Generally speaking, the brighter something is the more positively we view it.  We all know a room that is lit up is generally a lot less frightening and imposing as the thought of something hiding in the darkness. We can take this idea of lighting and compare it with gratitude. Gratitude is like the light we shine into the darkness that chases away the shadows of our fears and reveals to us the blessings we truly have. The more we shine the light of gratitude, the more we are able to see those blessings that were once hidden from us.

If we were to go back to the still-life analogy, we can start off by striking a match or sparking a lighter in a darkened room. We have a small amount of light that allows us to find a bowl of fruit or flowers to paint then we notice a lantern we can turn on. The lantern gives us a better view of the room and from there we’ve illuminated the door which we can pass through to see a beautiful sunset for us to paint ablaze with all the beauty and splendor nature possesses.

I should also add that what you put in is key. If you had ignored the fact you had a match or a flashlight and just focused on the darkness and wandered in said darkness you probably would have stubbed your toe or bumped your shin. Next, you might have stumbled around the room cursing and knocked over the table or stepped on the cat and gotten clawed.

The law of Karma or the law of Attraction is real; you get what you give. If you are an angry bitter person you’ll have an angry bitter life. If you are peaceful and loving, chances are your life will be peaceful and loving as well. Think of it as making a sandwich. If you put good healthy ingredients into the sandwich you’ll have a wholesome tasty lunch. If you squeeze a bunch of hate and angst and anger between a couple of slices of apathy you’re bound to get a s**t sandwich. Just simple logic.

Now most of our power comes from within, from the perspective we choose to look at things, and from the light we choose to shine; our power comes from how we choose to ACT in situations (thoughtfully, mindfully, aware, as opposed to reacting blindly or emotionally).

We can choose to paint a happy scene and happy places, or we can choose to paint a scary terrifying scene of our own personal hell and focus on that for half of forever. It’s up to us what kind of subject matter we want to focus on… You are the god of your own universe as am I, but we’re also co-creating with all the other gods and goddesses around us, it’s important to honor that and our ability to choose, and how necessary that ability is sometimes.

Think about all the different perspectives that are out there and surround yourself with the people who build and empower you to become the kind of person you want to be. Keep the healthy mirrors around you; cherish the people who will believe in you and lift you up. They will give you strength when you are feeling weak. They will make you smile when you want to cry.

Surround yourself with people who reinforce your perspective of good in yourself and the world. When you encounter negative people who try and cut you down or make you feel small remember they are coming from their own small perspective. Try and see them in another light and hold space for the beauty that’s inherent within, while respecting that sometimes the best way to do that is with space.

Finally, remember the words of Bob Ross while you are painting your life,

“This is your world, you can make it however you want.”

Written by Rebecca River

Sources-

Shared with permission from original author.

Featured Image credit: banashreepalit.files.wordpress.com

But what does that mean?

Well…I guess it means, in simple terms…knowing what you’re doing…at all times.

To me it means, being with yourself…feeling your breath on your lips when you breathe. Feeling the rise and fall of your chest. Feeling the ground underneath you when you walk. Watching your thoughts as you think and enjoying the moment of being alive.

Doing things intentionally isn’t nearly as common as you think.

Studies show that about 45% of what we do every day feels like decisions, but they’re actually habits.

That means almost half of the actions we take every day are actually happening on auto pilot.

Well, when we live on auto-pilot, we’re certainly not in full control of our lives, meaning that we’re giving a percentage of our control and power away to habits that we’ve formed in the past.

There is also a great chance that the habits you have either

1. Aren’t serving you to the highest potential
2. Possibly Destructive

The reason I say that is that there is a fundamental truth about Humans: We aren’t perfect. Even people performing at a very high level could always improve at something. There’s always a way to be more efficient in our lives. And there is always room for improving our mental game.

I’m sure you’ve also heard about the concept that 70-90% of our thoughts are the same as yesterday.

Well…if you’re in it to win it. Having the same thoughts over and over again probably isn’t serving you either.

So…

Here are 10 ways To Live More Intentionally so that you have more control over your life and ultimately become happier.

 1. Write Things Down

Make lists. Write things down. It truly works wonders. People often overestimate some abilities while they underestimate others. Most people overestimate their ability to stay organized, remember things and follow through on tasks or goals they need to achieve. Writing things down is one of the key’s that has helped me accomplish many of the things I’m proud of in my life. Don’t underestimate the power of a pen and paper. If you don’t usually write things down and you start the habit, you’re making a conscious decision to do something that is outside of your normal routine and pattern. By writing things down like your inner thoughts, feelings, daily tasks and goals you not only gain a better understanding of yourself through self-reflection but you also now have some additional motivation to follow through on the things you’ve written down.

2. Notice The Finer Details In Your Environment

When life becomes routine, our surroundings start to blend in and we start overlooking some of the little things. Ever wondered why moving to a new place, seeing a new site, or traveling is so gratifying or exciting? As humans, we’re predominantly visual creatures and our eyes play a big part in everything we feel. Consciously choosing to notice different things in your environment that you wouldn’t usually look at brings you back to yourself. It brings you back into your body and allows you cut the pattern you might be in at the moment. Our eyes are one of the greatest gifts we have as human beings and it’s important that we use them consciously and in a way that serves us.

3. Drink More Water

Water plays an incredibly important role in your health and unfortunately in today’s society, most people are dehydrated. With the abundance of processed foods, sugary drinks and restaurant options available, many people aren’t getting proper nutrition and still neglecting their water intake. By carrying around a large water bottle with you at all times, you’re not only contributing to your health (more energy, a clearer mind, better skin, more functional cells and better detoxification) you’re actually creating a positive habit that’s going to serve you well beyond most other habits you could form.

Taking a drink of water from your water bottle a few times per hour not only hydrates you, but also allows you to live consciously by breaking the pattern you are in and consciously choosing to do something positive for your health. Each positive thing you do builds momentum and momentum is the secret key to creating sustainable positive change.

4.  Learn To Say No

Learning to say no to is like a muscle. And with any new muscle that you haven’t worked out and strengthened, it’s going to be weak at first. Learning to say no can be one of the best things you can do for your life in the long run. Because it’s easy to say yes to the things that aren’t that good for you. And it’s easy to say yes to things that would distract you from what you need to be doing. Learning to say no allows you to take control of your life so that you can live more intentionally and more consciously.

5. Take Deep Breaths Often

Let alone the fact that many people aren’t engaging In some type of moderate or vigorous exercise regularly to get their blood flowing to oxygenate their muscles and cells, many people just don’t breathe deeply. By consciously taking deep breaths every so often, you bring yourself back into your body and break your pattern. Taking a moment to take a deep breathe is also a perfect time to be grateful for your health, the oxygen of the earth that is always there keeping you alive, and the moment you’re in. Because the truth is, that moment won’t last forever…

6. Stand Up For What You Believe In

All of us have things we feel strongly or are passionate about. And we’ve all been in a situation where we didn’t quite speak up about something, whether it was to fit in, not cause an argument, or we simply let it pass as “it’s not THAT important.” The problem with that is, is that every time you don’t say something when you want to, you end up walking away feeling a little dis-empowered. And feeling disempowered is never good for our growth.

The problem most people encounter when trying to stand up for what they believe in is that it opens them up to possible attack and criticism. In other words, haters. And most people are scared of that.

The flip side is, when you stand up for what you believe in, your life has the possibility to improve beyond your wildest dreams. Everything people want is on the other side of fear.

7. Do Something You Feel is Out of Your Character

Living intentionally doesn’t just mean breathing deeply and drinking more water. It means congruency between your thoughts and your actions. It means being in control of your life and the direction it’s headed.

That means that if you have thoughts about taking an action, take the action.

The world needs more action…from everyone.

You might have heard of Charles Cooley’s Looking glass Self which describes “Other people’s views build, change and maintain our self-image, and thus, there is an interaction between how we see ourselves and how others see us.”

To reduce this drastically, we could say that our personalities are a reflection of our “thoughts” about our environment. We might act, behave and think in a certain way as a result of us imagining that that is how our friends, family and acquaintances perceive us to be.

And so in turn…people create a box for themselves and for their life. They believe they can only do certain things and that other things are out of their reach.

But all that is false.

Doing something out of your character is one of the best ways to live intentionally. Because none of us have accomplished 100% of what we want in life and many people have things that they want to do, but are afraid of what might happen.

Doing something you think might be out of character is only in your head.

People accept you for who you are at face value.

The truth is that people aren’t in your head.

They don’t know your inner dialogue and every detail of your past.

They understand what you present them. So if you want to start acting “out of character” just do it. And you’ll find that people are far more accepting about it than you might have thought.

Living Intentionally through some of these practices are just some of the ways you can start taking control of your life, your health and your destiny. This post was inspired from my recent experiences and remembering that we are here on earth only for a short period of time…and that every moment is a gift.

This mechanism also explains how we are able to plan out entire future events without spending a lot of time in our minds planning. In other words, somehow we are able to speed up our memory and future memory very quickly. The breakthrough has many implications including research into spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s, and schizophrenia according to the scientists.

Mental Compression ‘Software’

This newly discovered mechanism can compress information in your brain for later memory retrieval, planning, or imagination. The data is encoded within the brain on a wave frequency that is different that those used for recording experiences in real-time.

Our brains can share information in electrical waves that flow throughout the mind and by tapping into the various frequencies, we can play back our memories or use them to construct possible future scenarios. All of this mental work can be played in fast forward showing us that our minds are incredibly intuitive computers.

“The reason we’re excited about it is that we think this mechanism can help explain how you can imagine a sequence of events you’re about to do in a time-compressed manner,” says Laura Colgin, an assistant professor of neuroscience. “You can plan out those events and think about the sequences of actions you’ll do. And all of that happens on a faster time scale when you’re imagining it than when you actually go and do those things.”

Inside of our brain, fast rhythms of gamma waves will encode memories about the things happening to your right now. These waves are encoded one after another as your brain and senses process the vast amounts of information coming at you every moment of every day. Scientists found that when they slowed the gamma rhythms which your mind uses to retrieve past memories, imagine or plan for future events, you can store much more information in the longer waves. This makes it easier to fast-forward data retrieved in the brain.

During mental compression, your mind acts very much like a computer. When you replay a mental image it often doesn’t have the original detail that you had when you first experienced the memory. Unless your computer is allowed to fully extract a file the quality is also lost. This data may help us learn how to strengthen our memory as well as understand why memory surrounding emotional events such as crimes is less than reliable.

Colgin also found in the research that this discovery could help people with schizophrenia because they have a disruption in their gamma rhythms which makes it hard to tell the difference between their imagination and real experiences.

“Maybe they are transmitting their own imagined thoughts on the wrong frequency, the one usually reserved for things that are really happening,” says Colgin. “That could have terrible consequences.”

Recall and Memory

As we gain greater control over our minds ability to compress and rewind time we may be able to tap in a more accurate memory known as recall. Recall is where we literally rewind our minds and then play the event in its true form again in our mind. This is the core of photographic memory and is not clouded by the haze of traditional memory or emotions.

Kairos vs Chronos Time

In Ancient Greece, they had a way to explain the difference between our perception of time speeding up and slowing down (Kairos), and regular chronological time. Kairos time was also known as gods time because it feels as though you are outside of the matrix of regular time. In Kairos time life just flows around you, you perceive it at a very fast rate, respond quickly, follow coincidences and feel as though no time has passed or energy was spent on the task at hand.

This type of time perception has also been termed being ‘in flow‘ or ‘in the zone’. Sports athletes and spiritualists seek after and study this state in order to maximize their performance.

How Scientists can Slow Down Time

Time dilation is a concept that is largely based on the spatial relativity theory from Einstein. This theory basically states that the faster something is moving the slower time appears to move. This relative experience reminds me of videos that show life from the perspective of a fly. The fly moves at ‘normal’ speed relative to himself but large animals and humans appear to be moving very slowly. All a scientist would need to do in order to slow down the perception of time is to speed up physically. Since flys can move very quickly they can get a small dose of what it is like to slow down time.

How to Hack the Matrix and Slow down time

Another theory about the slowing down of time isn’t physical, however, it is mental. Until we can learn to move our physical bodies at a superhuman speed we can instead train our minds to do the speeding up for us.

If we can train our minds to move much faster then it could appear to us that time has slowed down. Although it is technically a perception and not reality it would still give us very fast reflexes and the ability to absorb grand amounts of detail all at once. This superhuman trait would be like the Jedi powers of the star wars universe or the mind powers of sherlock holmes.

1. Shift into Observer Mode: Learning how to get into a neutral space in your mind is the quickest way to start training your mind and emotions to become calm and receptive to the rapid data of your surroundings.

2. Practice Mindfulness: Everyday as often as you can try practicing mindfulness. Get deep into your senses so that you can fine tune your abilities to receive data from everywhere all at once.

3. Practice slowing your mind down: Try thinking and perceiving your world in slow motion. Though you can still move at full speed allow your mind that slow presence in order to shift into a receptive state and quiet itself.

After some time of practice staying in the moment, being neutral and slowing down you will find that you will snap into moments of flow where time will appear to slow down and you will be able to react very quickly to what is going on around you. Your reactions will be more than just physical as your mind will be able to process intellectual and emotional data more quickly as well.

Sources-

University of Texas at Austin. “Scientists discover how we play memories in fast forward.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 January 2016.

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