10 Steps to Superior Health Using Mind Power

HOW WELL IS WELL? Perhaps you have never asked yourself this question. It will prove interesting to think about it a moment and doing so may start a train of thought which will carry you into a state of happiness you have not known before. When do you think of yourself as being well? When you are free from aches and pains? When you can do your normal work without exhaustion? The questions which could be asked are numerous, but the big question is: Even if you are free from aches and pains and are able to do your regular work without exhaustion is it possible for you to feel still better?

The pinnacle of well-being is mental and physical vibrancy, when you can throw your entire enthusiastic self into anything you do whether work or play; when your mind is free from worry, because you accept the problems of the day as a challenge instead of approaching them with fear; when your heart is free from hatred because you have eyes which look only for the good in others; and when your todays are better than your yesterdays, and your tomorrows are looked forward to with joyous anticipation.

10 Simple Steps to Health Consciousness

Following are ten simple steps for radiant mental and physical health, which are all you need to develop a health consciousness:

1. Have an incentive to want to be actively alive—on top of the world. We can do almost anything if we really want to. This applies to physical well-being as much as it does to anything else. We might go through the motions of doing things intended for better health, but, unless our actions are backed by a burning desire to succeed, we need not look for spectacular and glowing results.

It's wonderful to feel good, to have that up-and-at-'em feeling, but before we can make progress in creating such a feeling, we must have a mighty good reason for doing so.

Step 1, therefore, is to acquire an incentive—a valid reason for wanting every fiber of your being to effervesce with vibrant energy.

Only a few suggestions will be offered as thought starters, but for the real incentives, explore that mind of yours to learn just what it is you would like to accomplish—or be.

Would you like to be a power in your community? Would you like to have the type of personality which sways people? Forcefulness is not a question of how you pitch your voice, or how loud you talk. It is a reflection of a mind alert and a body dynamically alive and vigorous.

Would you like to have a large circle of admiring friends? Would you like to be the one singled out for your opinion and advice, because there is something about you which spells authority?

Would you like to be elected to important posts in your lodge or club, because of your personal magnetism?

Perhaps your desires might run along the lines of personal accomplishment. You may have said: "I would take up the study of music, if I felt better." Or, it might have been painting or the mastering of one of the many crafts.

I may be a thousand miles from anything which nearly approaches your own incentive. You may be single and give anything for the right mate, but feel you do not have the youth or physical attractiveness to interest the opposite sex.

But, regardless of what your desires are, get an incentive which will give you a reason to want to be on top physically and mentally; then you will be in a position to get the maximum good from the steps which follow.

2. Know you CAN gain better health and live longer. The only people who have ever accomplished anything are those who knew they could. To approach any task with doubt in your mind about your ability to do it is a certain step toward failure.
Buoyant health is not something we acquire by luck. It is a reflection of the way we think and the way we live. Bodies which creak with aches and pains are not given to us by Fate as a punishment of some kind. We have them because of the way we live and think.

The mistake which most people make is to think that the price we pay for a joyous state of well-being is so high, the reward is not worth the effort. How utterly wrong!

One might say that sacrifice is part of the price we pay for a vigorously alive body.
But is it? Let us take a few habits as examples. Think of those who smoke to excess and whose hands shake if they are without a cigarette for a few moments. Would it be a sacrifice if they were to practice moderation to the extent that a smoke would be enjoyable, instead of a means to keep from suffering? Think of those who drink too much. Is the intense suffering from a hangover the reward they gain from the habit? Would it be a sacrifice to suggest moderation, that a drink could be taken now and then for sociability, instead of being the means of shearing one of all semblance of culture and refinement?

At first thought it may be hard to believe that we make more sacrifices with an ailing body than we do to have and maintain a glad-to-be-alive body. Think it over and you'll quickly agree. Reflect over the many things you could and would have done, had you felt like it. Think of the places you would have visited, had you the mental and physical spirit to do so. And think of the countless hours of feeling just "half fit."

Your judgment tells you that if you embark on a program aimed at glorious health, you can accomplish it. So, Step 2 is to know you can gain better health and live longer.

It may be necessary to resort to a bit of mental discipline in developing a better health consciousness. If, for years, you have been seeing yourself as one under par physically, it will take an effort to get yourself to the point where you know, beyond doubt, you can enjoy radiant health. Motion creates emotion, we learn, so, for a few days, hold to the thought: I CAN gain robust health. Of course, accepting the thought that you can gain better health is not enough. You must take the steps which will make better health a reality. In other words, the realization that good health is within your grasp must be brought into reality by action.

3. Get your mind in order. As you learned in the previous chapter, the word "psychosomatic" is now frequently heard in connection with illnesses of various kinds. Doctors are including many, many ailments in a long list of those which are originated in the mind. This fact does not mean that a psychosomatically sick person is insane; it merely means that most psychosomatic conditions result from fear and worry.

Stomach ulcers are thought of as originating mostly in the mind; "strain" we call it, but what is mental strain other than worry over certain conditions, or our vivid fear that we will prove to be inadequate to cope with them?

My definition of worry is holding mental pictures of things we do not want, instead of things we do want. Think about this a moment, and you'll agree.

We might also say that worry is evidence of doubt in our ability to solve the problem which is causing the worry. Perhaps if we look at it from this angle, we might stiffen our spines a bit and prove to ourselves and others that we are bigger than the object of our worry, and will do what is necessary to change it.
Realize that worry never helps anything. To the contrary, it impairs health and blocks happiness.

Self-mastery is a reward which comes to the one who can conquer fear and worry—and they are easy to conquer—if one will accept and act upon the truth:
"Worry prevents our doing the very thing which will provide the means to prevent the worry."

4. Learn the things you should and should not do! A sage once said: "Success comes from doing the things you know you ought to do, and not doing the things you know you ought not to do."

It could wisely be said that invigorating health would result from following this sane advice. But, of first importance is to know exactly what you should and should not do. Where can this vital information be obtained?

The moment we become imbued with any thought, we become almost a magnet for information on that subject. We are attracted to books and periodicals covering various phases of it. Our minds and thoughts dwell upon it.

"A fault discovered is half overcome," I learned when just a boy. I believe if I were to take exuberant health as an objective, the first thing I would want to know is the condition of my body at present. I would, therefore, let my doctor give me a head-to-toe examination, so I would learn many of the things I should and should not do regarding my physical being.

An architect visualizes his ideas as they come to him. At his drawing board, and with his instruments, he develops his thoughts objectively. Since we are architects of our own beings and affairs, it would be well to begin by listing those things we should and should not do in our pursuit of glowing health.

A plan of action should be conceived which would include activity on the things we should do, and discipline in avoiding the things we should not do. Naturally our program of action will include supervision over the food we eat. But here and now let me say that eating for robust health does not mean giving up the things you like in favor of those you do not enjoy.

Vitamins and minerals are as essential to vibrant health as light and water are to plants. To have a deficiency of either vitamins or minerals means living in a body under par physically, one which will break down many years before it should.
A startlingly large percentage of people suffers from malnutrition, not because they are eating too little, but because the foods they do eat are deficient in the elements necessary for health.

Selecting a diet of items recognized for certain vitamins and minerals is no assurance that they are being obtained. Good virgin soils hold an abundance of the minerals essential to good health but, in all parts of the country, these minerals are being used up much faster than nature or the farmer can put them back again. They are used up by overcropping, carried away by erosion, washed out by rains.
Vitamins are not food. They do not turn into blood, flesh and bone, or supply energy with their substance as foodstuffs do. They act instead as important links in the chemical processes by which the body turns food into tissues, removes waste products, and produces energy. Without vitamins these vital processes could not go on.

Selecting food with care is always a wise precaution, but the one determined to have scintillating, glad-to-be-alive health, will not risk getting all essential elements from foodstuffs presumed to contain them, but will make certain of a balanced diet by adding food supplements obtained from a reliable source.

5. Develop an ENTHUSIASM to do and not to do! Acquiring the facts just given is essential in reaching our objective: Radiant Mental and Physical Health; but, merely acquiring this information is not enough. We must develop an enthusiasm for carrying through; for putting into operation the plans which will insure radiant health.

There is one word, common to most of us, which has been responsible for many of our failures in life. That word is tomorrow. How often do we learn of something which would be of help to us, and we resolve to do it—tomorrow? And, of course, tomorrow never comes.

If you have been reading with a serious mind, you are enthusiastic—right now!
You are beginning to see vistas of thrilling happiness with a sparkling mind backed by a dynamic body. Problems which have heretofore been worries to you now appear as challenges. But, as you peep behind the curtain and envision your new future, do not allow procrastination to make you think of tomorrow as a starting point. Start right now; the moment you lay this book aside. The start need not be a physical one, doing something the eyes can see. The start can be your resolve; your resolution that, since your rightful heritage is vibrant mental and physical health, you, from this moment onward, will do everything within your power to make it a part of your existence.

6. Take years off of your life through your actions! Motion creates emotion. The men and women who make pals of their children and who enter into the activities of youth will remain young far longer than the parents who live like traditionally old-fashioned mothers and fathers.

We can't act young without feeling young, and when we feel young, we are putting the processes of Nature to work toward making us young.

Dancing, swimming, rowing, hiking, are a few of the activities which promote physical well-being. But, right here, in connection with these pastimes, there is a thought of considerable importance. Do not do anything merely because you think it will be good for you. Since, as we learned in Step 2, there is a definite relationship between mind and body, learn to like the things you do. If you dance, enjoy it to the fullest extent, and you will gain from the combination of psychological and physiological benefits. This holds true with all other forms of exercise. The more you like them, the greater will be your benefit.

Our clothing plays an important part in the way we feel. If we wear drab garments, we do not feel as gay as when we dress colorfully. Although it is always imperative to use good taste, there is no rule against wearing clothes which express our cheerfulness.

What did you enjoy doing ten, twenty or perhaps thirty years ago? Try to renew your interest in it. You may find the years literally rolling off your age as you do so.

7. Go on a mental diet. Again referring to psychosomatic ailments, those physical conditions which emanate from mind, I would dare to say that a mental diet is more important than a physical one.

As you have been learning throughout this book, negative thoughts produce negative reactions. An old philosopher once said: "Seek thy comrades among the industrious, because the idle will sap thy energy from thee." Whether or not this is true, remember some of the visits you have had with those whose conversation is confined to subjects of gloom and disaster. Remember how gloomy you were when you left them? On the other hand, think of times spent with the optimistic, hopeful ones, and you will remember feeling inspired, and wanting to do big things yourself.
Discipline yourself to think in terms of health and happiness. Select reading matter which will encourage you to climb to greater heights.

Do not indulge in negative conversation. When writing letters, see how much encouragement you can give, instead of making them dissertations of woe.
The secret of happiness is not in doing the things you like to do, but in liking the things you have to do. The acceptance of this thought will be a forward step in your mental diet.

In Step 5 you determined to abandon the word tomorrow from your vocabulary as far as procrastination is concerned. This definitely applies to your mental diet.
You are on it—right now.

8. Teach others how to have radiant mental and physical health. It is true that happiness comes from giving happiness, and that to teach others how to gain radiant mental and physical health would make us extremely happy. There is, however, another reason for the suggestion given in this step.

We cannot successfully teach anything to others without setting an example. It would be incongruous to tell others how to be joyfully alive and exuberant, if we were to drag ourselves along looking only half alive. We want to show what life means to us, so that it will be an inspiration for others to follow our example.
Since charity begins at home, persuade the various members of your family to join with you in attaining radiant mental and physical health.

Start a movement among those with whom you work, not only for the good you will be doing them, but for what it will do for you.

Practically everything we do in life is based upon habit. We live according to the habit patterns we have created. Some habits are good; some are not. In following Step 8, you are unconsciously training yourself to create and live according to new and highly beneficial habit patterns.

9. Live correctly! These two words could lead you into many different avenues of thought. They could refer to your food, to your habits, to your whole mode of living.

"Let your conscience be your guide" is the meaning I wish to convey. To talk about our relationships with others may seem a far cry from the rudiments of good health, but psychologists know that the things we do that challenge our self-respect are reflected in our physical condition.

A person who is not dependable never enjoys the vibrant health common to the one who is respected for his dependability. An unpunctual person is not on top of the world physically. Why? Because something psychological is disturbing him within. Subconsciously he loses a certain amount of self-respect, and a psychosomatic illness is usually the result.

In connection with Step 9, I cannot neglect disposition. One with a bad disposition never enjoys vigorous health. Pages could be written proving how a bad disposition undermines happiness and success, but for its effect on your health—ask your doctor. Ask him to explain how anger actually releases a poison in the blood stream which retards the digestion and encourages any one of a long list of maladies.
Anger and reason do not go together, as evidenced by the fact that when we are angry, we say and do many things we later regret. You can see, therefore, that by giving in to anger, you are literally retarding your progress, and doing immeasurable harm to your physical being.

10. Be happy! A prominent and successful doctor once said that a happy person is seldom ill, but that when he is, he responds to treatment much faster than other people. You will have no difficulty in agreeing with this doctor, if you will reflect a moment. You know you feel much better, physically, when you are happy than you do when you are sad and depressed. You also know that when you are not quite up to par, and something happens to cause great elation, you at once feel better.
This will show you why the two words Be Happy make a fitting conclusion to these

Happiness comes from within. You now have—and always will have—all the happiness there is. To be happy is merely to express happiness. And to express happiness is to take a great step forward toward acquiring inexhaustible, glowing health.

You now have the 10 Steps, but this is only the beginning. From this moment onward, they are to become a part of your daily routine. Think about them; practice them; live them. A new and incredibly joyous life awaits you.

What to Think for Perfect Health

In order to sever all mental relations with disease, you must enter into mental relations with health, making the process positive, not negative - one of assumption, not of rejection. You are to receive or appropriate health rather than to reject and deny disease. Denying disease accomplishes next to nothing; it does little good to cast out the devil and leave the house vacant, for he will presently return with others worse than himself. When you enter into full and constant mental relations with health, you must of necessity cease all relationship with disease.

The first step in the Science of Being Well, then, is to enter into complete thought connection with health. The best way to do this is to form a mental image or picture of yourself as being well, imagining a perfectly strong and healthy body, and to spend sufficient time in contemplating this image to make it your habitual thought of yourself.

This is not so easy as it sounds. It necessitates the taking of considerable time for meditation, and not all persons have the imaging faculty well enough developed to form a distinct mental picture of themselves in a perfect or idealized body. It is much easier, as in The Science of Getting Rich, to form a mental image of the things one wants to have, for we have seen these things or their counterparts and know how they look. We can picture them very easily from memory. But if we have never seen ourselves in a perfect body, a clear mental image is hard to form.

It is not necessary or essential, however, to have a clear mental image of yourself as you wish to be; it is only essential to form a CONCEPTION of perfect health, and to relate yourself to it. This Conception of Health is not a mental picture of a particular thing. It is an understanding of health, and carries with it the idea of perfect functioning in every part and organ. You may TRY to picture yourself as perfect in physique - that helps - and you MUST think of yourself as doing everything in the manner of a perfectly strong and healthy person.

You can picture yourself as walking down the street with an erect body and a vigorous stride. You can picture yourself as doing your day's work easily and with surplus vigor, never tired or weak. You can picture in your mind how all things would be done by a person full of health and power, and you can make yourself the central figure in the picture, doing things in just that way.

Never think of the ways in which weak or sickly people do things; always think of the way strong people do things. Spend your leisure time in thinking about the Strong Way, until you have a good conception of it, and always think of yourself in connection with the Strong Way of Doing Things. That is what I mean by having a Conception of Health.

Know that the Infinite Power of the Universe Flow Through All Things, Including Your Body

Think about health and the possibilities of health, of the work that may be done and the pleasures that may be enjoyed in a condition of perfect health. Then make this conception your guide in thinking of yourself. Refuse to entertain for an instant any thought of yourself which is not in harmony with it. When any idea of disease or imperfect functioning enters your mind, cast it out instantly by calling up a thought which is in harmony with the Conception of Health.

Think of yourself at all times as realizing this conception, as being a strong and perfectly healthy personage, and do not harbor a contrary thought. KNOW that as you think of yourself in unity with this conception, the Original Substance which permeates and fills the tissues of your body is taking form according to the thought, and know that this Intelligent Substance or mind stuff will cause function to be performed in such a way that your body will be rebuilt with perfectly healthy cells.

The Intelligent Substance, from which all things are made, permeates and penetrates all things; and so it is in and through your body. It moves according to its thoughts, and so if you hold only the thoughts of perfectly healthy function, it will cause the movements of perfectly healthy function within you. Hold with persistence to the thought of perfect health in relation to yourself. Do not permit yourself to think in any other way. Hold this thought with perfect faith that it is the fact, the truth. It is the truth so far as your mental body is concerned.

Any Thought Held Continuously Will Be Made Visible

You have a mind-body and a physical body. The mind-body takes form just as you think of yourself, and any thought which you hold continuously is made visible by the transformation of the physical body into its image. Implanting the thought of perfect functioning in the mind-body will, in due time, cause perfect functioning in the physical body.

The transformation of the physical body into the image of the ideal held by the mind-body is not accomplished instantaneously - we cannot transfigure our physical bodies at will as Jesus did. In the creation and recreation of forms, Substance moves along the fixed lines of growth it has established, and the impression upon it of the health thought causes the healthy body to be built cell by cell. Holding only thoughts of perfect health will ultimately cause perfect functioning, and perfect functioning will in due time produce a perfectly healthy body.

It may be as well to condense this chapter into a syllabus: Your physical body is permeated and filled with an Intelligent Substance, which forms a body of mind-stuff. This mind-stuff controls the functioning of your physical body. A thought of disease or of imperfect function, impressed upon the mind-stuff, causes disease or imperfect functioning in the physical body. If you are diseased, it is because wrong thoughts have made impressions on this mind-stuff. These may have been either your own thoughts or those of your parents - we begin life with many sub-conscious impressions, both right and wrong.

But the natural tendency of all mind is toward health, and if no thoughts are held in the conscious mind save those of health, all internal functioning will come to be performed in a perfectly healthy manner. The Power of Nature within you is sufficient to overcome all hereditary impressions, and if you will learn to control your thoughts, so that you shall think only those of health, and if you will perform the voluntary functions of life in a perfectly healthy way, you can certainly be well.

77 Brain Hacks to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better

If someone granted you one wish, what do you imagine you would want out of life that you haven't gotten yet? For many people, it would be self-improvement and knowledge.

New knowledge is the backbone of society's progress. Great thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and others' quests for knowledge have led society to many of the marvels we enjoy today.

Your quest for knowledge doesn't have to be as Earth-changing as Einstein's, but it can be an important part of your life, leading to a new job, better pay, a new hobby, or simply knowledge for knowledge's sake — whatever is important to you as an end goal.

Life-changing knowledge does typically require advanced learning techniques. In fact, it's been said that the average adult only uses 10% of his/her brain. Imagine what we may be capable of with more advanced learning techniques.

Here are 77 tips related to knowledge and learning to help you on your quest. A few are specifically for students in traditional learning institutions; the rest for self-starters, or those learning on their own. Happy learning.

Health

1. Shake a leg. Lack of blood flow is a common reason for lack of concentration. If you've been sitting in one place for awhile, bounce one of your legs for a minute or two. It gets your blood flowing and sharpens both concentration and recall.

2. Food for thought: Eat breakfast. A lot of people skip breakfast, but creativity is often optimal in the early morning and it helps to have some protein in you to feed your brain. A lack of protein can actually cause headaches.

3. Food for thought, part 2: Eat a light lunch. Heavy lunches have a tendency to make people drowsy. While you could turn this to your advantage by taking a "thinking nap" (see #23), most people haven't learned how.

4. Cognitive enhancers: Ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo biloba is a natural supplement that has been used in China and other countries for centuries and has been reputed to reverse memory loss in rats. It's also suggested by some health practitioners as a nootrope and thus a memory enhancer.

5. Reduce stress + depresssion. Stress and depression may reduce the ability to recall information and thus inhibit learning. Sometimes, all you need to reduce depression is more white light and fewer refined foods.

Balance

6. Sleep on it. Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote about in his book Psycho-Cybernetics about a man who was was paid good money to come up with ideas. He would lock his office door, close the blinds, turn off the lights. He'd focus on the problem at hand, then take a short nap on a couch. When he awoke, he usually had the problem solved.

7. Take a break. Change phyical or mental perspective to lighten the invisible stress that can sometimes occur when you sit in one place too long, focused on learning. Taking a 5-15 minute break every hour during study sessions is more beneficial than non-stop study. It gives your mind time to relax and absorb information. If you want to get really serious with breaks, try a 20 minute ultradian break as part of every 90 minute cycle. This includes a nap break, which is for a different purpose than #23.

8. Take a hike. Changing your perspective often relieves tension, thus freeing your creative mind. Taking a short walk around the neighborhood may help.

Perspective and Focus

9. Change your focus. Sometimes there simply isn't enough time to take a long break. If so, change subject focus. Alternate between technical and non-technical subjects.

10. Change your focus, part 2. There are three primary ways to learn: visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. If one isn't working for you, try another.

11. Do walking meditation. If you're taking a hike (#25), go one step further and learn walking meditation as a way to tap into your inner resources and your strengthen your ability to focus. Just make sure you're not walking inadvertently into traffic.

12. Focus and immerse yourself. Focus on whatever you're studying. Don't try to watch TV at the same time or worry yourself about other things. Anxiety does not make for absorption of information and ideas.

13. Turn out the lights. This is a way to focus, if you are not into meditating. Sit in the dark, block out extraneous influences. This is ideal for learning kinesthetically, such as guitar chord changes.

14. Take a bath or shower. Both activities loosen you up, making your mind more receptive to recognizing brilliant ideas.

Recall Techniques

15. Listen to music. Researchers have long shown that certain types of music are a great "key" for recalling memories. Information learned while listening to a particular song or collection can often be recalled simply by "playing" the songs mentally.

16. Speedread. Some people believe that speedreading causes you to miss vital information. The fact remains that efficient speedreading results in filtering out irrelevant information. If necessary, you can always read and re-read at slower speeds. Slow reading actually hinders the ability to absorb general ideas. (Although technical subjects often requirer slower reading.) If you're reading online, you can try the free Spreeder Web-based application.

17. Use acronyms and other mnemonic devices. Mnemonics are essentially tricks for remembering information. Some tricks are so effective that proper application will let you recall loads of mundane information years later.

Visual Aids

18. Every picture tells a story. Draw or sketch whatever it is you are trying to achieve. Having a concrete goal in mind helps you progress towards that goal.

19. Brainmap it. Need to plan something? Brain maps, or mind maps, offer a compact way to get both an overview of a project as well as easily add details. With mind maps, you can see the relationships between disparate ideas and they can also act as a receptacle for a brainstorming session.

20. Learn symbolism and semiotics. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols. Having an understanding of the symbols of a particular discipline aids in learning, and also allows you to record information more efficiently.

21. Use information design. When you record information that has an inherent structure, applying information design helps convey that information more clearly. A great resource is Information Aesthetics, which gives examples of information design and links to their sources.

22. Use visual learning techniques. Try gliffy for structured diagrams. Also see Inspiration.com for an explanation of webs, idea maps, concept maps, and plots.

23. Map your task flow. Learning often requires gaining knowledge in a specific sequence. Organizing your thoughts on what needs to be done is a powerful way to prepare yourself to complete tasks or learn new topics.

Verbal and Auditory Techniques

24. Stimulate ideas. Play rhyming games, utter nonsense words. These loosen you up, making you more receptive to learning.

25. Brainstorm. This is a time-honored technique that combines verbal activity, writing, and collaboration. (One person can brainstorm, but it's more effective in a group.) It's fruitful if you remember some simple rules: Firstly, don't shut anyone's idea out. Secondly, don't "edit" in progress; just record all ideas first, then dissect them later. Participating in brainstorming helps assess what you already know about something, and what you didn't know.

26. Learn by osmosis. Got an iPod? Record a few of your own podcasts, upload them to your iPod and sleep on it. Literally. Put it under your pillow and playback language lessons or whatever.

27. Cognitive enhancers: binaural beats. Binaural beats involve playing two close frequencies simultaneously to produce alpha, beta, delta, and theta waves, all of which produce either sleeping, restfulness, relaxation, meditativeness, alertness, or concentration. Binaural beats are used in conjunction with other excercises for a type of super-learning.

28. Laugh. Laughing relaxes the body. A relaxed body is more receptive to new ideas.

Kinesthetic Techniques

29. Write, don't type. While typing your notes into the computer is great for posterity, writing by hand stimulates ideas. The simple act of holding and using a pen or pencil massages acupuncture points in the hand, which in turn stimulates ideas.

30. Carry a quality notebook at all times. Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamed the words of the poem "In Xanadu (did Kubla Khan)...". Upon awakening, he wrote down what he could recall, but was distracted by a visitor and promptly forgot the rest of the poem. Forever. If you've been doing "walking meditation" or any kind of meditation or productive napping, ideas may suddenly come to you. Record them immediately.

31. Keep a journal. This isn't exactly the same as a notebook. Journaling has to do with tracking experiences over time. If you add in visual details, charts, brainmaps, etc., you have a much more creative way to keep tabs on what you are learning.

32. Organize. Use sticky colored tabs to divide up a notebook or journal. They are a great way to partition ideas for easy referral.

33. Use post-it notes. Post-it notes provide a helpful way to record your thoughts about passages in books without defacing them with ink or pencil marks.

Self-Motivation Techniques

34. Give yourself credit. Ideas are actually a dime a dozen. If you learn to focus your mind on what results you want to achieve, you'll recognize the good ideas. Your mind will become a filter for them, which will motivate you to learn more.

35. Motivate yourself. Why do you want to learn something? What do want to achieve through learning? If you don't know why you want to learn, then distractions will be far more enticing.

36. Set a goal. W. Clement Stone once said "Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve." It's an amazing phenomenon in goal achievement. Prepare yourself by whatever means necessary, and hurdles will seem surmountable. Anyone who has experienced this phenomenon understands its validity.

37. Think positive. There's no point in setting learning goals for yourself if you don't have any faith in your ability to learn.

38. Organize, part 2. Learning is only one facet of the average adult's daily life. You need to organize your time and tasks else you might find it difficult to fit time in for learning. Try Neptune for a browser-based application for "getting things done."

39. Every skill is learned. With the exception of bodily functions, every skill in life is learned. Generally speaking, if one person can learn something, so can you. It may take you more effort, but if you've set a believable goal, it's likely an achievable goal.

40. Prepare yourself for learning. Thinking positive isn't sufficient for successfully achieving goals. This is especially important if you are an adult, as you'll probably have many distractions surrounding your daily life. Implement ways to reduce distractions, at least for a few hours at a time, else learning will become a frustrating experience.

41. Prepare yourself, part 2. Human nature is such that not everyone in your life will be a well-wisher in your self-improvement and learning plans. They may intentionally or subconsciously distract you from your goal. If you have classes to attend after work, make sure that work colleagues know this, that you are unable to work late. Diplomacy works best if you think your boss is intentionally giving you work on the days he/she knows you have to leave. Reschedule lectures to a later time slot if possible/ necessary.

42. Constrain yourself. Most people need structure in their lives. Freedom is sometimes a scary thing. It's like chaos. But even chaos has order within. By constraining yourself — say giving yourself deadlines, limiting your time on an idea in some manner, or limiting the tools you are working with — you can often accomplish more in less time.

Supplemental Techniques

43. Read as much as you can. How much more obvious can it get? Use Spreeder (#33) if you have to. Get a breadth of topics as well as depth.

44. Cross-pollinate your interests. Neurons that connect to existing neurons give you new perspectives and abilities to use additional knowledge in new ways.

45. Learn another language. New perspectives give you the ability to cross-pollinate cultural concepts and come up with new ideas. As well, sometimes reading a book in its original language will provide you with insights lost in translation.

46. Learn how to learn. Management Help has a resource page, as does SIAST (Virtual Campus), which links to articles about learning methods. They are geared towards online learning, but no doubt you gain something from them for any type of learning. If you are serious about optimum learning, read Headrush's Crash course in learning theory.

47. Learn what you know and what you don't. Many people might say, "I'm dumb," or "I don't know anything about that." The fact is, many people are wholly unaware of what they already know about a topic. If you want to learn about a topic, you need to determine what you already know, figure out what you don't know, and then learn the latter.

48. Multi-task through background processes. Effective multi-tasking allows you to bootstrap limited time to accomplish several tasks. Learning can be bootstrapped through multi-tasking, too. By effective multitasking, I don't mean doing two or more things at exactly the same time. It's not possible. However, you can achieve the semblance of effective multitasking with the right approach, and by prepping your mind for it. For example, a successful freelance writer learns to manage several articles at the same time. Research the first essay, and then let the background processes of your mind takeover. Move on consciously to the second essay. While researching the second essay, the first one will often "write itself." Be prepared to record it when it "appears" to you.

49. Think holistically. Holistic thinking might be the single most "advanced" learning technique that would help students. But it's a mindset rather than a single technique.

50. Use the right type of repetition. Complex concepts often require revisting in order to be fully absorbed. Sometimes, for some people, it may actually take months or years. Repetition of concepts and theory with various concrete examples improves absorption and speeds up learning.

51. Apply the Quantum Learning (QL) model. The Quantum Learning model is being applied in some US schools and goes beyond typical education methods to engage students.

52. Get necessary tools. There are obviously all kinds of tools for learning. If you are learning online like a growing number of people these days, then consider your online tools. One of the best tools for online research is the Firefox web browser, which has loads of extensions (add-ons) with all manner of useful features. One is Googlepedia, which simultaneously displays Google search engine listings, when you search for a term, with related entries from Wikipedia.

53. Get necessary tools, part 2. This is a very niche tip, but if you want to learn fast-track methods for building software, read Getting Real from 37 Signals. The Web page version is free. The techniques in the book have been used to create Basecamp, Campfire, and Backpack web applications in a short time frame. Each of these applications support collaboration and organization.

54. Learn critical thinking. As Keegan-Michael Key's character on MadTV might say, critical thinking takes analysis to "a whole notha level". Read Wikipedia's discourse on critical thinking as a starting point. It involves good analytical skills to aid the ability to learn selectively.

55. Learn complex problem solving. For most people, life is a series of problems to be solved. Learning is part of the process. If you have a complex problem, you need to learn the art of complex problem solving.

For Teachers, Tutors, and Parents

56. Be engaging. Lectures are one-sided and often counter-productive. Information merely heard or witnessed (from a chalkboard for instance) is often forgotten. Teaching is not simply talking. Talking isn't enough. Ask students questions, present scenarios, engage them.

57. Use information pyramids. Learning happens in layers. Build base knowledge upon which you can add advanced concepts.

58. Use video games. Video games get a bad rap because of certain violent games. But video games in general can often be an effective aid to learning.

59. Role play. Younger people often learn better by being part of a learning experience. For example, history is easier to absorb through reenactments.

60. Apply the 80/20 rule. This rule is often interpreted in dfferent ways. In this case, the 80/20 rule means that some concepts, say about 20% of a curriculum, require more effort and time, say about 80%, than others. So be prepared to expand on complex topics.

61. Tell stories. Venus Flytrap, a character from the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, once taught a student gang member about atoms, electrons, and protons by saying that an atom was one big neighborhood, and the protons and neutrons had their own smaller neighborhoods and never mixed. Just like rival gangs. The story worked, and understanding sparked in the students eyes.

62. Go beyond the public school curriculum. The public school system is woefully lacking in teaching advanced learning and brainstorming methods. It's not that the methods cannot be taught; they just aren't. To learn more, you have to pay a premium in additional time and effort, and sometimes money for commercially available learning tools. There's nothing wrong with that in itself, but what is taught in schools needs to be expanded. This article's author has proven that a nine-year old can learn (some) university level math, if the learning is approached correctly.

63. Use applied learning. If a high school student were having trouble in math, say with fractions, one example of applied learning might be photography, lenses, f-stops, etc. Another example is cooking and measurement of ingredients. Tailor the applied learning to the interest of the student.

For Students and Self-Studiers

64. Be engaged. Surprise. Sometimes students are bored because they know more than is being taught, maybe even more than a teacher. (Hopefully teachers will assess what each student already knows.) Students should discuss with a teacher if they feel that the material being covered is not challenging. Also consider asking for additional materials.

65. Teach yourself. Teachers cannot always change their curricula. If you're not being challenged, challenge yourself. Some countries still apply country-wide exams for all students. If your lecturer didn't cover a topic, you should learn it on your own. Don't wait for someone to teach you. Lectures are most effective when you've pre-introduced yourself to concepts.

66. Collaborate. If studying by yourself isn't working, maybe a study group will help.

67. Do unto others: teach something. The best way to learn something better is to teach it to someone else. It forces you to learn, if you are motivated enough to share your knowledge.

68. Write about it. An effective way to "teach" something is to create an FAQ or a wiki containing everything you know about a topic. Or blog about the topic. Doing so helps you to realize what you know and more importantly what you don't. You don't even have to spend money if you grab a freebie account with Typepad, Wordpress, or Blogger.

69. Learn by experience. Pretty obvious, right? It means put in the necessary time. An expert is often defined as someone who has put in 10,000 hours into some experience or endeavor. That's approximately 5 years of 40 hours per week, every week. Are you an expert without realizing it? If you're not, do you have the dedication to be an expert?

70. Quiz yourself. Testing what you've learned will reinforce the information. Flash cards are one of the best ways, and are not just for kids.

71. Learn the right things first. Learn the basics. Case in point: a frustrating way to learn a new language is to learn grammar and spelling and sentence constructs first. This is not the way a baby learns a language, and there's no reason why an adult or young adult has to start differently, despite "expert" opinion. Try for yourself and see the difference.

72. Plan your learning. If you have a long-term plan to learn something, then to quote Led Zeppelin, "There are two paths you can go by." You can take a haphazard approach to learning, or you can put in a bit of planning and find an optimum path. Plan your time and balance your learning and living.

Parting Advice

73. Persist. Don't give up learning in the face of intimdating tasks. Anything one human being can learn, most others can as well. Wasn't it Einstein that said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"? Thomas Edison said it, too.

74. Defy the experts. Dyslexia, in a nutshell, is the affliction of mentally jumbling letters and digits, causing difficulties in reading, writing and thus learning. Sometimes spoken words or numbers get mixed up as well. In the past, "experts" declared dyslexic children stupid. Later, they said they were incapable of learning. This author has interacted with and taught dyslexic teens. It's possible. Helen Keller had no experience of sight, sound, or speech, and yet she learned. Conclusion: There is more than one way to learn; never believe you cannot.

75. Challenge yourself. People are often more intelligent than they realize. In a world that compartmentalizes and categorizes everything, not everyone is sure where they fit in. And genius can be found in many walks of life. If you honestly suspect that there's more to you than has been "allowed" to be let out, try an IQ test such as the one offered by MENSA. It's unlike the standardized IQ tests given in many schools. You know the kind — the ones which traumatize many young students into thinking they are stupid, simply because the tests don't really assess all student's knowledge and learning ability. And the ability to learn is far, far more important than what you already know.

76. Party before an exam. Well, don't go that far. The key is to relax. The worse thing to do is cram the night before an exam. If you don't already know a subject by then, cramming isn't going to help. If you have studied, simply review the topic, then go do something pleasant (no more studying). Doing so tells your brain that you are prepared and that you will be able to recall anything that you have already learned. On the other hand, if you didn't spend the semester learning the ideas you need, you might as well go party anyways because cramming at the last minute isn't going to help much at that point.

77. Don't worry; learn happy. Have a real passion for learning and want to share that? Join a group such as the Joyful Jubilant Learning community

Subliminal Advertising Is Probably Effective

The brain does register subliminal images even if a person is unaware they have seen them, UK researchers report.

The research, in Current Biology, suggests subliminal advertising is probably effective.

The practice, which was first used in the 1950s, has been banned in the UK, but is still permitted in the US.

Using brain scans, a team from University College, London, showed people only registered the images if the brain had "spare capacity".

Subliminal images may be contained in other information, which people are aware of receiving.

The researchers cite the example of the film Fight Club, where a character who works as a cinema projectionist inserts a single frame of pornography into the 24 frames of a film shown each second.

In the movie, those watching were unaware of the split-second shot, but felt depressed or aggressive afterwards.

'Invisible' objects

Although it has long been thought that subliminal images can be detected without people being aware of them, and have been used in techniques such as subliminal advertising, this is the first time researchers have provided physiological evidence of the impact.

The seven participants in the study wore red-blue filter glasses that projected faint images of everyday objects, such as an iron, on to one eye and a strong flashing image on the other.

The strong flashing image meant the participants were not consciously aware of the faint images projected on to the other eye.

At the same time, they were asked to carry out an easy task, such as picking out the letter T from a stream of letters, or a harder task of picking out a white N or a blue Z.

Using functional MRI brain scanning, the researchers found that during the easy task the brain registered the 'invisible' object although the participants were unaware they had seen it.

This was highlighted by activity in a part of the brain called the primary visual cortex.

But during the harder task, which required more concentration, the fMRI scan did not pick up any relevant brain activity suggesting the participants had not registered the subliminal image.

Buying power?

Dr Bahador Bahrami, UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: "What's interesting here is that your brain does log things that you aren't even aware of and can't ever become aware of.

"The brain is open to what's around it. So if there is 'spare capacity', in terms of attention, the brain will allocate that resource to subliminal activity.

"These findings point to the sort of impact that subliminal advertising may have on the brain.

"What this study doesn't address is whether this would then influence you to go out and buy a product."

Dr Bahrami is set to carry out more research to evaluate the further impact of subliminal words and images.

Source: BBC

Love and Sex and Switchwords

A young man recently asked me if I could recommend any good switchwords for “attracting wonderful women!” and also for high-quality lovemaking. Well, I have certainly used switchwords beneficially on many occasions in this area of my life since first learning the switchwords in 1975, when I was 23. And I can give several suggestions, which of course can be used by either men or women.

Most people seem to assume they cannot just instantly generate love, it has to happen by itself somehow. But though the happen-by-itself emotional kind is very sweet, my experience has been that anyone can generate love at any time in any situation just by intending it so. Using switchwords gives easy access to that.

Generally, of course, I recommend simply silently chanting occasionally the master switchword “TOGETHER“. That’s so profoundly appropriate with a love partner, in all ways. I enthusiastically recommend experimenting with it while doing anything with your lover, including making love. Nothing more is required, basically, in my experience, and it’s so easy, simple, and beneficial. Your mind is probably going to think of something anyway, so you might as well give it something very beneficial and easy to think!

However, if you specifically would like to create an aura and vibration and experience of love with a love partner — or for that matter, with anyone in any situation, not only with a lover — then I suggest silently chanting or occasionally declaring TOGETHER-LOVE or TOGETHER-DIVINE-LOVE.

I have many times in my life used an affirmation I learned from Dr. Catherine Ponder, “I AM A RADIANT CENTER OF DIVINE LOVE” with excellent and reliable results. She recommends that whenever you want to make friends with someone, just silently chant “I AM A RADIANT CENTER OF DIVINE LOVE,” and watch what happens! I’ve many times experienced that that works very well indeed!
Or, that particular affirmation is also excellent for melting anyone who is being hostile or nasty towards you. Dr. Ponder also recommends another more specific powerful and effective affirmation for this type of situation: “LET DIVINE LOVE BE MADE ALIVE IN THEE.” She calls it “shooting them in the back with love!”

By the way, I’ve made it a little practice of mine to occasionally mentally direct that (”LET DIVINE LOVE BE MADE ALIVE IN THEE”) to every “terrorist” on the planet, and I invite anyone else to join me in doing that. In my humble opinion, love is the only real and sustainable solution to terrorism. “War against terrorism,” which is to say “war against war,” occurs to me as a seemingly noble idea which is actually inherently stupid and counterproductive. Gautama Buddha says it best: “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”

But back to romantic-sexual love: HOLE is the specific switchword for attractiveness.

Certain long combinations of switchwords can also be very useful and enjoyable. However, I think for most people, silently chanting a long switchwords mantra while making love would seem difficult, distracting, and absurd. If you can do it, though, I can promise that your lover will be highly pleased and so will you!

Another similar shorter switchword combination I recommend which is easier to remember and silently chant, is: TOGETHER-DIVINE-LOVE-HOLE-BLISS.

This is a wonderful mantra to use with a love partner you’re already with. However, if you’re wanting to attract a lover, and you sense that this kind of energy may be appropriate with someone you’ve met, you can try mentally chanting this and see what happens. Of course if you haven’t yet met anyone to try it with, you can always use the switchword REACH (to solve a problem) or even CIRCULATE (to eliminate loneliness)!

By the way, in my experience, using switchwords is never a matter of dominating someone else or attempting to “control” them; you’re just broadcasting a thought vibration and creating a possibility, and anyone else is free to join you in it or not.

You can of course customize and edit these switchwords combinations as you wish; there are over 100 known switchwords to choose from for generating various results and experiences. However, as always, I experience that using just a single word as a creative affirmation, declaration, or mantra is easiest and best. So I again most highly recommend the elegantly simple, all-inclusive, and effective TOGETHER for attracting and being with a lover, as well as for sharing the most optimum life together.

Enjoy!

Thanks & Peace & Love,
Shunyam Nirav,
Masterworks Unlimited, Inc.

How to Read Minds to Influence the Opposite Sex

I hope you won’t be too disappointed when I tell you that you’ll never read minds like Mel Gibson in “What Women Want.”

However, you can learn how to get a better idea of the general state of mind and receptivity of the person in front of you. And you can subliminally persuade the opposite sex. Lets jump straight to one of the fun ways.

Watch Those Pupils
A persons pupils get bigger when they are aroused, interested and/or receptive. If you look into his or her eyes and see those pupils growing large - it’s looking good for you. Basically big pupils (unless it’s just dark) mean a person likes what they see.

Try this experiment, and you’ll understand how immediate this effect can be. Go right now and look in the mirror at your own eyes. As you look at them, imagine a sexy man or woman you are attracted to - in whatever way would turn you on. You’ll see that your pupils get bigger in just seconds. Actually, if you love to fish, they may get big just thinking about a lake you love. Anything you like to look at can make your pupils bigger.

Now, there are two ways to use this.

1. Mind Reading
For the mind reading part, you can now watch for changing of pupil size to know if someone is interested in you or what you have to say. And yes, shrinking pupils generally do mean the person is not interested. Just be careful to note if light in the persons eyes is causing the shrinking pupils.

In addition to judging the general level of interest and/or receptivity to you, you can use pupil size to go a little
deeper into a person’s mind. For example, during the course of a conversation, you can describe various scenes or delve into different topics, while watching the persons pupils. If their pupils shrank at the mention of skiing, and got huge when you described a beach you like, you can be fairly certain they would like the Bahamas over a ski resort.

The great thing about this little trick is that you can easily test it and refine your technique. Start with a friend whose interests you know already, and watch their pupils as you describe various places or even ideas. See if getting them to visualize, by saying something “Remember how that car of yours looked,” gets a bigger pupil response.

2. Influencing
If you haven’t yet experimented with your own pupils, by watching them in the mirror, go try it now. You’ll find that you can quickly train yourself to change your pupil size at will. Just find a mental image or two that gets them really big, and use these as necessary. Look at a light briefly when you want to shrink your pupils back down. Now, how do you use this?

We all use little clues like pupil size as we interact with people. We are affected by people’s expressions and body language even when we haven’t yet learned to identify it. In other words - the person in front of you will unconsciously pick upon your enlarging pupils. They will unconsciously take this to mean that you like them,
and for many people, this will make them like you more. By enlarging your pupils at will, you can effectively establish rapport more quickly.

More Mind Reading Tricks

Listen. This is the easiest and most effective way to read minds. Just pay attention, ask a few questions and listen to what they say about themselves.

Watch the Posture. Leaning towards indicates that the person is interested and receptive.

Watch For Hair Play. When women play with their hair while talking to you, it is almost always a sign of receptivity.

Watch the Mouth. A slightly open mouth is a sign of curiosity and interest.

Watch the Head. A tilting head, especially if it comes with a smile and eye contact, is a sign that the person likes you.

Watch the Eyes. By watching what a they are watching, you can learn a lot. What kind of women does a man look at? Does he pay any attention to the game on the TV? Note whether he seems bored or interested as he looks at different things.

Watch the Eyes - Part Two. Here is what people’s minds are doing when they are thinking or asked to remember something. This is true for most right handed people (reverse all this for left-handed people): As you face them, and their eyes go…
Up and to the right - they are remembering a visual image.
Up and to the left - They are constructing a visual image.
To the right - They are remembering sounds or conversation.
To the left - The are constructing sounds or conversations.
Down and to the right - They are in an internal dialog.
Down and to the left - They are accessing kinesthetic feelings, tastes and smells.

More Ways To Influence The Opposite Sex

Use His or Her Name. Try to use a persons name as soon as it feels right. If you aren’t sure when it’s right, ask them. “Is it all right if I call you Sue?”

Use Inflection. Remember from the previous chapter that the meaning in a sentence like “I think you are the best dancer here,” depends on the word you emphasize. This subtle use of inflection can be used to convey “hidden” messages. Saying to an insecure woman “I think you are the best dancer here,” could be unconsciously taken as defending her honor, since it implies that other’s might not think she is.

Use Mirroring and Matching. Match the speed of your speech to that of the person you’re talking to. Sit like he or she is sitting. Use the words they use. This is a fast way to build rapport. Once there is a “bond” built, you can start to lead the conversation and actions where you want them to go.

Compliment Her or Him. Discover what the person is proud of first, then find a genuine way to compliment them in that area.

Listen. Always show a genuine interest in what the person is saying. Ask appropriate questions, so the person knows you’re paying attention. Use their interests to lead into a direction you want to go.

Make Good First Impressions. Men usually form a quick visual impression in less than 20 seconds, and then make another judgment based on appearance and personality within a couple minutes. Women usually place less immediate emphasis on appearance, and form an “intuitive” first impression in a couple minutes. The
lesson? Work fast.

By Steve Gillman
Excerpt from “A Book of Secrets”