Archive | July, 2014

Life Will Be Perfect When…

… I’ve lost those last 5 pesky kilos

… I’ve quit my soul sucking job

… I have more time to prepare the healthy meals I know I should be eating

… I’m not feeling so tired

… I’m bikini ready

…. I get paid more money

… my relationship is more romantic

… I get to travel to that country I’ve always wanted to visit

… I’ve got my fitness back

… I have more headspace

… I meet my soulmate

… I finally get to wear the clothes I’ve always wanted to

… I get to take the first holiday I’ve had in years

… I can finally figure out what it is I’m meant to be doing with my life

Can you see how making your happiness conditional on achievement is a recipe for disaster?

Don’t get me wrong, the feeling of accomplishment is a powerful thing. And I’m a pretty big go-getter. I love implementing ideas and seeing things through.

But it’s easy to get caught up in the “if you just finish this one thing then life will be perfect” trap.

The trick to enduring happiness?

Is loving what is.

Take a look around for just one second. What can you see? What can you hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?

What if, instead of wishing things were different, you just paused with a small sigh of appreciation for everything in your world.

Right now. As it is.

Unconditional presence = unconditional happiness.

Or as I like to call it… joy.

What are you appreciating in your world right now?

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Radical Renegade: Naomi Goodlet

Radical Renegade - Naomi Goodlet ~ The Attitude Revolution

When Naomi mentioned that Community was her favourite TV show too, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit.

Throw in a love of mindfulness, spirituality, and the rainforest, and the deal was sealed.

Naomi’s had an incredible journey from overwhelmed soul-crushingly anxious head case, to liberated loving healing entrepreneur. Like I said… soul sister!

I know you’ll love getting to know Naomi too. Dive in, comrade.

1. How did you become a Radical Renegade?

It was my own healing journey that led me want to coach and help others. As a teenager I had crippling anxiety and panic attacks that became worse into my 20′s. I was on anti-depressants at a young age and was in some form of mainstream therapy for about 8 years, still my anxiety remained, in fact it had gained power over me.

I stopped leaving the house unless I really needed to. When I did go out I became paranoid about being close to an exit ‘just in case’. I would sit awake in bed at night trembling, crying and wishing my anxiety would leave me alone!

In 2005 I discovered meditation, which changed everything. I forced myself to get my butt to a weekly class despite feeling anxious and it completely changed my life. I learnt about the power of the present moment, the magic of guided imagery and the capacity for self-healing that was already within me.

In 2006 I became a qualified spiritual healer and meditation teacher and even though anxiety was still a part of my life, I was no longer afraid of it. Then I discovered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and it helped me get over those final hurdles to become anxiety-free.

I was amazed at how simple, yet effective ACT was for me so I decided to become an ACT practitioner as well. I absolutely LOVE helping people discover mindfulness, tap into their spirituality and life their best life!

2. How do you maintain a rocking attitude?

3 things:

- Mindfulness practice
- Following my heart
- Allowing myself to feel however I am feeling without judgement.

3. What would be your #1 piece of advice to help someone do a 180 towards self love?

Even though I’ve had times in my life where I have disliked or even hated myself, I actually find self-love really easy now, but I guess that comes with years of practice.

My advice is always to begin with self compassion. Talk to and “hold” yourself as you would if you we supporting and nurturing a loved one or a dear friend. Be there for yourself!

Once you master self compassion, self-love is the natural next step.

4. What are the last 3 books you read?

1) I’m a bit of a Russ Harris groupie as I’ve done his ACT training so I recently read “The Reality Slap”, which is a great resource for people who are stuck in an undesirable situation (although I would always recommend The Happiness Trap as his best book).

2) The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte. Danielle’s raw & honest writing style and this book truly did fire me up.

3) A pile of dream and sleep study books, none of which were all that notable in their own right. While researching for my own book about dream analysis I read everything I could get my hands on about sleep, sleep studies, dreams, dream meanings, Jung, Freud, you name it!

5. You’ve just published your own book - tell us all about it!

Dreams: Messages from Your Subconsious

Funnily enough, my book is not about mindfulness, spiritual healing or ACT. It’s about dream analysis!

I started writing it years ago as a resource for myself so that I could look up dream symbols to confirm their meaning for clients and I just kept writing (with a 2 year break in between when I had my daughter).

I hope to inspire people to develop a deeper relationship with themselves by better understanding the messages in their dreams. It is available on Amazon for Kindle.

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Isn’t Naomi amazing?! I love how she has kept adding to her transformational toolbox of peace so that anxiety no longer rules her life. What’s in your transformational toolbox? Head over to the Facebook page and let me know!

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Naomi Goodlet

Naomi Goodlet is a Mindfulness Crusader, Spiritual Rebel and Anxiety Hacker. Check out her free Mindfulness E-book “Be Here Now” with 14 free mindfulness audios at her website http://naomigoodlet.com

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Your Unique Vibration

Your Unique Vibration ~ The Attitude Revolution

A gorgeous comrade contacted me recently with the following question…

“Ever since buying your meditones and falling head over heels in love with them, I’ve been fascinated by the concepts of vibrations, brain waves etc. Are there any books or sites you can recommend to learn more about these things?”

Yes. Yes I can.

Mine. ;)

Come with me and dive into the most fascinating biology lesson ever!

Your Brain 101

neurotransmitters

The two major components that make up your brain are neurotransmitters and brain waves.

Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that allow your neurons (brain cells) to communicate with one another.

This chemical communication is what causes each neuron to fire off an electrical charge. These electrical impulses create waves of consciousness ie brain waves.

So your brain communicates with alchemy and vibrations!

Just like sound waves, your brain produces rhythmical pulses that are measured in Hertz; and different speeds, produce different results.

There are four major categories of brain waves: Beta, Alpha, Theta & Delta.

You always produce all four main brain wave types. But it’s when a particular brain wave is dominant that it influences what kind of state you’re in.

There are also four major neurotransmitters that correlate to each brain wave type: dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA & serotonin.

Let me explain…

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Beta Brain Waves

beta

Beta waves are important for staying alert and focused. They vibrate between 14-30 Hertz, and they’re produced by the neurotransmitter dopamine.

When you’re concentrating hard, being active or learning something new - you’re helped along by dominant Beta brain waves. But when you’re panicking and full of anxiety - Beta waves are taking over.

Alpha Brain Waves

Alpha

Alpha waves help you stay chilled out and imaginative. They vibrate between 8-13 Hertz, and they’re produced by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

When you’re daydreaming, relaxed or drowsy - Alpha brain waves are your dominant state. But too many alpha waves makes it difficult to concentrate.

Theta Brain Waves

Theta

Theta waves are dominant during deep meditation and REM sleep (ie when you’re dreaming). They vibrate between 4-7 Hertz, and they’re produced by the neurotransmitter GABA.

When you’re deeply calm and intuitive, or laying down long term memories  - Theta waves are influencing you. Unfortunately, an excess of Theta waves has been linked to ADD and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Delta Brain Waves

Delta

Delta waves are dominant during restorative, dreamless sleep. They vibrate between 0.1 - 3 Hertz and are produced by the neurotransmitter serotonin.

They help you rest deeply and heal (Human Growth Hormone is also produced during Delta sleep).

Some people have experienced ecstatic states of bliss during meditation as they access Delta states consciously (something quite difficult to achieve without meditones). But similar to Theta, an excess of Delta brain waves can cause slow wave brain disorders, like ADD and depression.

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So you can see that no one neurotransmitter or brain wave type is better than the other. You need all four for different reasons. It’s when your brain waves or brain chemistry is out of balance that things go awry.

Your unique combination of brain waves and brain chemistry is what makes you YOU.

It’s as individual as your fingerprint.

Your character, your personality, your “strengths” and “weaknesses” are all encoded in your unique vibration. - click to tweet

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My Best Book Recommendations

Have I sparked your interest in neuroscience? Gosh, I hope so. I find it endlessly fascinating.

Here are my top reads for easily digested, interesting info about your brain.

The Brain That Changes Itself

untitled

Years ago, scientists believed that you were born with a finite number of neurons that just died off as you aged. Now they now that the brain maintains itself right up until the moment of death. The new science of ‘neuroplasticity’ proves that it’s never too late to change anything!

The Edge Effect

edge-effect

The best book I’ve read on understanding how chemical imbalances lead to illness. Filled with great info and in depth questionnaires, you can then learn how to create your ultimate brain through supplements and nutrition. Personally, I would skip the suggestions on drugs and hormone replacements unless you’re working extremely closely with a trusted holistic doctor.

My Stroke Of Insight

msoi

When I first heard Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk, I cried. Her story is inspirational, moving and a true testimony to the power of neuroplasticity. A wonderful, personal story of a neuroscientist not only surviving stroke, but thriving.

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Got any geeky book recommendations for me? Did you find this post helpful?

Jump on over to the Facebook page and let me know, comrade!

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