Tag Archive for: Motivation/Inspiration

How To Have Lots of Energy

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I’ll never forget the time that I found instant energy. For a while I’d been trying  to find the energy to get started on all the things I wanted to do.  I’d be sitting in front of the television thinking “If only I could find the energy to get off this couch, my life would be a lot better.” I felt depressed and  unmotivated.

One day while watching Family Guy and eating Captain Crunch, someone knocked at my door. Too tired to get up, I shouted “Come in!” The UPS guy ran in with a package and dropped it right in my lap.

I was too tired to get up and a get a knife, so during the commercial breaks I used my spoon to saw through the tape and open the package. I pulled out the packing peanuts to uncover a strange glow wrapped up in some paper. I unwrapped the paper and to  my surprise, it was some Energy! I finally had some!

I jumped right up and cleaned the house. Then I wrote up my resume and went out and found my dream job. The money started rolling in. I started working out regularly, got real buff, and started dating a model. I learned to play guitar and  joined a band. We made a record and went on a whirlwind European tour that included fine dining at…

 I awoke to the opening tune of SpongeBob SquarePants. My bowl of  Captain Crunch was all over my lap. It was just a dream. “God, I’m tired” I said. The minute I said that my eyes got real droopy. I thought about taking a nap right then and there but the thought of the Captain Crunch all dried and crumbly on my pants was more than I could bear. I jumped up and shouted “NO!” I’m 35 years old! When is my life going to start?”

Then I noticed something  interesting. Just standing up and shouting had given me some energy! I found some paper and a crayon and wrote down my discovery: “Movement = energy”

I realized something else: the minute I said “I’m tired”, I felt tired! I wrote down this realization as well. “Whatever I say, my mind will obey. Energetic language = energy.”

I have a confession. This was not the first time I had fallen asleep while eating sugery cereal. One time I awoke on the couch to find my mouth open with unchewed Cocoa Puffs. I swear I thought I saw a fly flying away. It seems every time I eat a lot of sugar I get sleepy. I got a pencil and wrote this down: “Good nutrution = good energy.”

I was feeling a bit motivated now. I felt the stirring of energy inside me.  I decided to make a list of some things I would do with my bit of energy:

  1. change pants
  2. take all 12 cereal bowls off the coffee table and put them in sink.
  3. wash dishes while listening to Rush’s “Moving Pictures” really loud
  4. sort through three week-old pile of mail

Now I had some direction, some things I wanted to do. Curiously, this gave me even more energy. I had another insight and wrote this down: “Having a plan = energy.”

I was sorting through my mail  when I came across a letter from the landlord. “Ted, you are a month late on the rent. If you don’t pay the rent by this Friday I will evict you. Signed,  Your Landlord. (p.s. Judging by the overflowing garbage cans in your yard you obviously have enough money for a wide variety of cold cereal, cookies, and pastries. Suggestion: get a life.)”

The nerve! I was annoyed but also majorly freaked out. Eviction! How could I pay the rent on time if Wendy’s wouldn’t give me a raise?  I would have to find a better paying job and fast. I took the abandoned bird’s nest out of the spokes of my bike and rode down to the mall and collected a bunch of applications. When I got home, I wrote this down: “Purpose = energy”

I filled out a bunch of applications to drop off the next morning. It had been a busy day so I was feeling stressed out and tired. I wanted to sit in front of the tube.  I played my guitar instead and that energized me. I practiced “Blackbird” for awhile. I felt relaxed and calm now. Before I went to bed at 10:30 I wrote  down two things: “Fun = energy” and “De-stress =  energy”

The next day I woke up at 6:30.  I felt refreshed.  I scribbled “Good Sleep = Good Energy”. Out of habit I turned on the news: The Economy. The War. Terrorists. Floods. Car Accidents. I turned off the television, unplugged it and stomped on the remote. It occurred to me that compared to most of the world, I had a pretty good life. I was healthy, I had a place to live, lots of expensive cold cereal, and I had opportunity and the freedom to take advantage of it if I chose to. There was nobody bombing my house or my city. I felt blessed and was moved by this feeling. I wrote down “Gratitude = energy”.

I eventually took all my insights and made a sign that I hung on my wall:

” I Am Energetic”

  • I have abundant energy because I move my body by walking daily.
  • I have abundant energy because I say that I do. I refuse to say the opposite.
  • I have abundant energy because I have an energy producing diet.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a plan.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a purpose.
  • I have abundant energy because I have a good balance of work, play and relaxation.
  • I have abundant energy because I manage my stress.
  • I have abundant energy because I get enough sleep.
  • I have abundant energy because I focus on what is right with my life and I am grateful.

I started reading this every morning out loud because it energized me.

Here’s the key: nothing can give you energy. YOU MUST LEARN TO GENERATE IT.  Today, at 50, I’m grateful that I have more energy than I’ve ever had. I’ve found a sleep schedule that works for me (11-6).  I try to walk every morning.  Two days a week I’m a stay home dad with my two daughters, so I work 12-16 hour days four days a week and a few hours early on sunday writing this blog. I’m a little busier than I like (we both have huge families that we visit often), but I admit it’s my choice. I’m very conscious of how valuable time is. I have a purpose, a plan, and written down goals. I rarely watch television. And I never, ever say I’m tired unless I’m ready to go to bed. There have been a couple of health issues recently that lowered my energy, but I got my butt to my doctor, my chiropractor, and my acupunturist, and got it back. While writing this, my wife, who had no idea of this week’s blog topic,  came into my office and said “I’ve figured out that having energy is mostly in your mind”.  You can say that again sweetheart!

(Disclaimer: With the exception of the last paragraph, the preceding story is for eduational purposes only and is mostly a work of fiction. To the best of my recollection, I have never fallen asleep with unchewed breakfast cereal of any brand in my mouth. However, I did once have to remove a bird’s nest from the spokes of my bike.)

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

TMan

p.s. Need more energy and motivation? Call me before July 10th to book a coaching or hypnotherapy session and I’ll give you my “Energy Generation” audio recording  at your next paid session.

 Ted A. Moreno

Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612

How to Keep from Catching the “Mind Flu”

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When I was 12 years old I read “War of the Worlds” by HG Wells. The book was really scary and the image of giant alien tripods  stayed with me for a long time. When I saw the most recent movie version though, something else stuck with me that I didn’t remember from the book.  (Beware: Movie Spoiler!) The aliens die in the end because they had no immunity to the diversity of bacteria and viruses to which we developed immunity millions of years ago. I thought that was cool; the aliens were killed off by the common cold. They probably weren’t getting enough sleep, being busy destroying the world and all…

Since I’ve had kids I’ve been catching two or three colds a year. Sheesh! I’m too busy to be sick!  Lately, though, since this whole H1N1 thing, I’ve been reading a lot on how to avoid getting sick. (Check out Dr. Mercola.com.)

I’ve come to believe that the key to staying healthy is to have a strong immune system so that you can fight the  cold and flu bugs that are always around us and that will inevitably breach your castle wall. For example, many health and wellness practitioners recommend keeping your immune system strong by getting enough sleep, avoiding sugar, taking the right supplements, and managing stress. They suggest that getting chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture or massage can be helpful as well.

Consider that your mind works the same way. Let me ask you, have you ever had the experience of catching the what I call the mind flu? Perhaps one day you became aware that you’d become so negative, discouraged, and defeated that even your dog didn’t want to hang out with you for fear of catching it.  You caught the negativity bug! Like Zig Ziglar says, you were infected with stinking thinking and needed a check up from the neck up!

What you’ve got to do is to immunize your mind to the virus of negativity that is always out there: in the news, on the internet, in social conversation, in your own language, in your mind.

So how do you keep your mental immune system strong enough to ward off the mind flu that always threatens us?  By taking your mind vitamins! Supplement your mind daily with positive material that keeps your mental immunity strong. Always be listening to motivational or inspirational material. Exercise and expand your mind by reading literature that challenges you and inspires you. How about a “mental adjustment” or “mind massage” by coming in for a hypnotherapy session?  It’s perfect for  a quick reduction in stress.

In last week’s post I suggested some links to audio files that have been helpful in keeping me inspired to be positive and focused on my goals. This week, I’d like to suggest some reading material that has really impacted my life  that can keep your mind so healthy that no negativity bug can infect it.

“Real Magic” by Wayne W. Dyer. I’ve been a fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer since I discovered a copy of “Your Erroneous Zones” on my parent’s bookshelf. (I picked it up because I thought it said “Your Erogenous Zones”. Hey, I was in high school.) Not everyone relates to Dyer’s somewhat New Agey philosophy, but after reading this book, I had people asking me “You seem really happy, what’ve you been up to?”

“Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. For me, at the time I read this years ago, the idea of controlling your thinking  and positive mind programming  was an astounding discovery that I  didn’t completely get at the time.  I recently recommended this to a client who said it was the best book he’s ever read. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece.

“Illusions” by Richard Bach. By the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a short but fascinating parable of a reluctant messiah in modern times. Easy to read but capable of creating a real shift in your perception.

“Unlimited Power” and “Awaken the Giant Within”. Anthony Robbins. Regardless of what you think about Tony Robbins, he’s come a long way from where grew up in Azusa, California. Here’s a guy that I’m told used to be called “Baby Huey” because of his weight and height as a kid. Now, with no credentials to speak of, he has become a multi-millionaire and arguably the reigning Self Help Guru of our times. In these two books he offers some practical techniques that are simple but effective.

“The World’s Greatest Salesman”. Og Mandino. This book was given to me when I was in sales training for door to door book sales. A must for any sales person.

“Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill. The grandaddy of success literature. Published  first in 1937, some claims suggest that it has sold 30 million copies since then. This book contains what many people consider the fundamentals of success. I really like the version I have, which uses updated language and cites modern success stories such as Bill Gates, Ray Kroc and Steven Spielberg.

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. I know, I know, I’m always taking about this book. Sorry, but it’s my blog! I’ve read it 4 times and will probably read it again.

Spiritual and Esoteric Literature. The mind and the spirit are linked. Don’t discount the ancient texts for keeping a happy and positive mind. The Bible and the Tao Te Ching are just two examples of essential guides that throughout history have given millions around the globe direction  for living. Some I have read but not all.  

As  prevention or  cure for  the mind flu, these books have worked for me and still do. I acknowledge that these are all older books; I realize there are more recent yet excellent books that I haven’t yet read. I invite you to post your comments on books that you’ve found to be life changing as far as your own personal development. I’d love to hear what has worked for you.

I’m Grateful I’m Not A Turkey

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Here’s my gratitude list for 2009.

I’m grateful:

  • that my nose is not any bigger than it is.
  • that I’ve never lived in Minnesota.
  • that I don’t have a dog.
  • that I’ve been to Texas and got out safely.
  • that I saw that cop on Gladstone Avenue before he saw me.
  • that I live with three beautiful females.
  • that I don’t live with four females…
  • that my pet fish doesn’t make noise.
  • for my really dry and often misunderstood sense of humor.
  • for needing reading glasses a lot because it means I can see.
  • that I saw Sister Vincent Marie sniffing markers before anyone knew it was bad for you.
  • that I had cute nuns like Sister Vincent Marie.
  • for not having to worry about my Mercedes Benz because I don’t own one.
  • for having the opportunity to lease a Porsche for six months
  • for losing the opportunity…
  • for still having a full head of hair even though my mother in law says it’s twice as gray since I got married.
  • that I got married.
  • that even though I’m freezing my butt off out here at 1am in my home office, that I have a warm house to go to just a few steps away.
  • that I don’t have to stand on a median selling oranges.
  • that I would if I needed to.
  • that my father has a garden.
  • that my mother always has food for us when we go to her house.
  • that I can play “Ave Maria” on my bamboo flute.
  • that I discovered Chris Whitley
  • that I can play a mean version of “Psycho Killer” on guitar. (you might even get scared)
  • that I like beer. (Benjamin Franklin said beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
  • that I got to spend lots of time in Coronado dorm
  • that I got to ride my bike over Gates Pass.
  • for ice cream
  • for ice cream ( I really like ice cream)
  • that I have little kids
  • that I developed a terrible case of iritis more than once because it made me value my eyes so much more.
  • that I come from humble people (I know it may not seem like it..)
  • that my mouth isn’t any bigger than it is.
  • for my books, even the ones I haven’t read.
  • that there are people that actually care what I have to say.
  • for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What is Lost, What is Gained?

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 I was checking out You Tube  one evening last week, watching Joni Mitchell play “A Case Of You”.  A song of incredible sadness and vulnerability, it speaks of lost love and the pain of letting go. The raw honesty and the craftsmanship of the song’s album, “Blue“, made it a commercial and critical success and helped establish Mitchell as one of the most influential singer songwriters of the late 20th century.

I stayed up late into the night watching videos;  from 1965,  Joni Anderson, before she became Mitchell, on a Canadian hootenany show, Let’s Sing Out, in black and white, fresh faced, a young girl on the verge of realizing a dream. In another, more recent video, a much older Mitchell in front of an orchestra singing “Both Sides Now“, her trademark falsetto gone now, and in it’s place, the smoky and husky voice of age and experience. I wondered how it felt for her to sing this song about  perspective, 30 years after she penned it. Perhaps she felt more keenly the truth of her lyrics that “something’s lost but something’s gained”.

As I continued wading into the video past of 70’s singer- songwriters, (yes I am aging myself, that’s kind of the point) I came across a live version of James Taylor and Mitchell singing a duet on Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes“. A few more clicks and there’s a video of one of James Taylors early television appearances; young, almost adolescent, a full head of hair, wispy moustache, looking like someone needs to give him a good meal. He sings “There’s a song that they sing when they take to the highway, a song that they sing when they take to the sea“.  His journey takes him through self commitment to a mental institution and 18 years of heroin addiction. He talks about this in another video; he is balding, lines in his face, in the sunset of his career. “I should have died  four or five times” he says. Next, I’m watching videos of Sting and Allison Krause playing at a James Taylor tribute. Would there have been a tribute if he had not experienced what he did?

These are songs I grew up with, and they made me think about my own journey. Closing down my computer close to 1 a.m., I went outside to my backyard, stood in the full moon’s glow and thought about my travels as a single guy. I remembered playing my guitar alone in a cabin in Montana, in the shadow of the Continental Divide. I recalled  partying and dancing joyfully with fellow members of a theater group, at the director’s house in Bisbee, accompanied by whatever  we could find,  egg shakers, bongo drums, claves.  In my mind’s eye I looked down from the top of Wasson Peak on solitary monsoon  clouds drifting across the Tucson basin  like air ships floating over a desert sea.

Other memories came to me as well, not as pleasant. Sitting in a Civil War battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia, miserably unhappy, wondering why the hell I was so far from home.  I understood then why someone would want to kill themself. I thought of standing on the mall at the University of Arizona, watching the same moon, cold and alone.

I went inside my house and checked on my sleeping children, and laid down in bed next to my sleeping wife. I missed my carefree life, playing music, hiking, travelling.  It’s true that something is lost there, in time and age, but so much more is gained.  Maybe more valuable than what you lost, if you can choose it to give it to yourself.

The song that you sing when you take to the highway is not the song you sing when you take to your plow.  On the highway there is exploration, out in the fields you work, decision. There’s an intention there to create, to plant a seed, to stick around and nurture it and to see what you can harvest, even if you don’t feel like it. Transformation can happen in an instant, I have seen it, but most of the time it is a slow process, sometimes painful, almost always messy, as we struggle out of the skin of what we are comfortable with and into  what are becoming.

To move forward you must let go, and it’s not easy and sometimes it’s not pretty. Change will happen with or without you, but transformation, that is, change into who you want to be, that requires intention, focus, energy, and a willingness to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you are lucky you can make it happen. If you are luckier it may happen to you.