We all have many aspirations and goals in our lives. We want to succeed in multiple realms simultaneously; we work to advance our career, our relationships, our health and fitness, and our values. It often seems that we struggle to keep a healthy balance between all of our sometimes conflicting aspirations. We should organise and prioritise our values.

There are four general pursuits we value:
1. Wisdom,
2. Character,
3. Physical strength and Health,
4. Wealth,

Naturally, these values will conflict and undermine each other. Too much of one will take away from the focus on the other.  In order for these values to create a wholesome life, they must be organised.​

It’s easy to make a case for balance because, without it, even our best intentions and most vigorous efforts can quickly become counterproductive and profoundly unsatisfying. The challenge with balance, of course, is not so much in talking about it, but in achieving it — and maintaining it over time.

When problems arise in a given sector of our life, it’s often a sign that an imbalance is present: We’re exercising too much, or not enough. 

We need to really look at any one area of our life,  evaluating whether it is appropriately balanced. We can then look across all these areas and ask, is there a balance between them? 

Successfully doing this kind of broad analysis requires a deep level of self-knowledge, because you must know and be comfortable with what “balanced” is for you.

The quality of our lives is a reflection of the investment we make. So if there’s something you don’t like, change it.

Our sense of balance comes from spending our time in a way that allows us to express most or all of our core values.

You can download my workbook to find out which arena needs to be improved!
 Click here

Wisdom, wealth and honour are positive things we may aspire to have. Not all of us are born with great intelligence. We may not be able to run marathons, and most of us are not born into richness or honour. Nevertheless, we each can acquire these virtues if we just re frame what these qualities truly mean.

• Who is wise? - He who learns from every person ...

Thirst for wisdom, and you will become wise. Realise that you can learn something from every person, and every encounter will increase your intelligence. The key is humility. 

Wisdom or sagacity is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgement, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, self-transcendence and non-attachment, and virtues such as ethics and benevolence.

• Who is rich? - He who is happy with his portion ...

Material wealth is transient. The thrill of buying something new is lost with the itch of the next purchase. Only when we have inner contentment - realising that what we have is exactly what we need - can we be truly wealthy.

True wealth is having a sense of abundance – one that we experience rather than possess.

Seeking true wealth may mean seeking deeper relationships, more personal growth, or ways to create more meaning in life. Achieving true wealth means possessing the ability to enjoy the small, ordinary pleasures of life.

• Who is honoured? - He who honours others ... 

Respect others! We can only give to others what we possess, but each of us has that essential dignity to honour others.

The definition of honour is high respect, great reputation or high rank received or enjoyed.

We don’t choose our life’s circumstances, nor do we choose what talents or abilities we are born with. But we can control how we react to our circumstance.

By Galya Yan

The process of freedom takes on different forms. We may have freedom but still, be a slave.

Often, we need to freeing ourselves of our own slavery as the egos and the self-centeredness; the fears; the self-imposed limitations and false expectations.

The ramifications of corona have ramped everything up. So instead of soldering on, as we have, we must enlist a full battalion to contend with the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical compression this pandemic has placed upon us.

Leaving our own slavery begins with one decision and act. But in order to change involves several steps.

There is possibly hesitation. We step forward, preparing for active change. Then, sometimes, we stumble back and possibly have to begin the process again.

Once we are free, we need maintenance in order to sustain the new change. The behaviours, ideas and dynamics must be ingrained in our heart and soul. This can be ongoing.

1 Contemplation

We know we are fearful. We know we are addicted. We know we have a poor body image. We know we are in a dead-end relationship. And we know we are dying inside.
Limiting beliefs hold us back. Lack of support holds us back. The grand scale of change holds us back.

Once we realize the consequences of not leaving our own slavery, this phase shifts. Here, we connect with our core motivations and start getting excited about the possibility of freedom and movement towards a different reality.

2 Preparation

After this, we begin preparation for that new reality by taking small steps towards freedom.

We do research. What is the best way to change?

How has my body image become so distorted? Why do I continue to pretend everything is OK in this relationship? Why does my life feel so meaningless?

We tell friends and family we want to change. We make it public.

3 Action

Next, we activate our new change. We address obstacles that come up. We celebrate small successes.  

We treat setbacks as opportunities for awareness. We develop our action plan. We continue until small successes become larger shifts.

4 Maintenance

 We have changed. We have left our own slavery.

But we have to avoid situations that could trigger a relapse. We have to cultivate stress-management skills. We have to have refinement, awareness and mastery of our new reality.

True, it’s a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth it.

And now comes an opportunity to do the work. Why? Because most of us are being forced to stay home. We can do the groundwork, the steps. Our internal life has taken precedence over our external life.

Leaving enslavement is ongoing; it is a work in progress. But it’s far better than staying in place.

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By Galya Yan

 
We all may have had a different idea of how we would live in 2020 and now we are in lock down.

It's also a good time to think about what you really want. Often there is a big discrepancy between what we want and what we really want. We need to find our own want. By looking deeper inside; by searching for what we really want.

The process is actually quite simple. Just ask yourself: “What do I want?”
And once you answer, ask again, “But what do I really want?”
Repeat the process until you get to the real answers.

What do I want?

To go to work.

What do I really want?

To have money.

But what do I really, really want?

To provide for my family.

You see, everything we want has layers upon layers to uncover. And persistence is vital. Because if we get stuck in the first layer, we miss the big and important picture.

Usually, deep inside, we all want to be connected. Connected to our family. Connected to our friends.

And if we keep this in mind, it will help us stay focused.

In our journey through life, we have many different kinds of experience. Some are happy and boisterous; some are more sombre; some are just dogged day-to-day getting through what has to be done; some are serene and moving; some are inspiring.

So what do we want?

For COVID-19 to go away.

What do we really want?

To get back to normal life.

What do we really, really want?

That there should be no more suffering in the world. That all the people in the world should work together to make the world a beautiful world.
​
We don't have control over this pandemic. We don't have control over when this lock down will end.

But we DO have control over how we respond. We can control how we will come out of this hurricane season.

We all have to adapt.  It is important to be flexible.

By Galya Yan

Wondering when lockdown will end, and what a post-COVID-19 world holds for the future of the workplace?

You are not alone. But in the meantime, if you are bored at home here are some productive things to do.

No matter if you’re at home or work, procrastination keeps you from accomplishing anything and makes you feel bad about yourself.

First, the thing that I did was to not panic, sit and create a plan on how to spend my money, how to save my money, (not buying stupidly), sit and talk with my family so everyone knows how and what we will do, and is on the same boat. Then we painted the walls in our house, we clean, we sort documents, and our wardrobes... 

So let see what you can do :

1.  Create a list of projects that you need to get done around the house and keep it somewhere visible. 
2.  Take care of some of your spring cleaning tasks. You can paint your house.
3.  Create a budget that you can stick to, helping you save more each month.
4.  Meditate for several minutes to let go of stress or worries. Knowing that there is a bigger energy in control.
5.  Spend more time with your family. Play table games...
6.  Donate old clothes to streamline your closet...
7.  Do something that you love. Finding a little time for yourself can boost your mood and help you stay productive afterwards.
8.  Cancel subscriptions to any services that you have not used in the last month, including gym memberships.
9.  Start a garden in your backyard or kitchen. 
10.  Start work from home.
11.  Learn new skills.
12.  Read a book...

When events happen which seem catastrophic, it is not only possible but very important for you to allow yourself to come to a place of calmness.

Panicking serves no one - not yourself, not the people who are suffering, nor the planet. Allow yourself to trust that there is a larger purpose and that it may not be necessary for you to know that purpose at this time. Allow yourself to have faith that ultimately, all will be well.

By Galya Yan

The fear that has risen in recent months made people fear more than normal and focus on that fear, which of course created more problems. Toilet paper has disappeared from shelves and many other products. Buying food that does not last long means excess money spent in the garbage.

We all need to calm down and focus on the things we can do in a wise way. 
For example:

• Don't spend your money stupidly!
• Don't panic!

It's not easy to be locked up for a long time with more people or even by yourself. 

• Master your anger and aggression! 
• Give personal space to others and to yourself when it is needed!
• Do Something, Anything!

In times of uncertainty, the biggest thing you can do is focus on the areas of your life that you can control.

When you focus on areas in which you have security or can choose to create security, you are empowering to develop a greater sense of surrender, peace, faith and confidence.

• ​What can you control right now?
• What can you be responsible for?
• You can control what you feed your mind.
• You can control what you feed your body.
• You can control how much water you drink.
• You can control your attitude.
• You can control your desire to find gratitude.
• You can control your breathing.
• You can control how much media you follow and trust.
• You can control what you share.
• You can control who you follow.
• You can control who follows you.
• You can control whether to do exercises or not to do exercises.
• You can control keeping your home clean.
• You can control the making of your bed.
• You can control your perception of what is happening.

The list goes on and on.

Here is the last thing I know.

Although there are many things out of your control right now, there is one main guiding light that is fully controlled.

And this source (God, the Universe, Energy, whatever it is for you) ensures that light always follows dark, summer always follows autumn, spring always follows winter, and this harmony always follows chaos.

By Galya Yan

What can we do about it?
​
Noise is more than just a mere distortion in that it blocks out the very signals that can point us towards positive growth.
In order to reduce noise, we need to do three things:

1 Stop Our Noise
The world is a huge noisemaker. It throws billions and billions of bits of information at us per second. While our senses can receive a lot of that data, our conscious brains can only process about 40 bits per second. From this possibility, we choose which infinitesimal slice of data we wish to perceive, from which we construct our versions of reality.
The more negative information we take in, the less positive signal we can hear, and vice versa.
When we listen to gossip and negative judgements, when we listen to the news, Facebook, etc., we are using up that tiny little bandwidth of reality. If we can only utilise 40 bits per second, what do we really want to use them for?
Studies in positive psychology and neuroscience have demonstrated that even a 5 per cent reduction in noise significantly improves our chances of picking up positive signals.

2 Cancel the Internal Noise

It’s not just the noise that’s “out there.” Have you listened to your own thoughts lately? You know that “voice”—the one that wears you down with its constant pessimism, self-doubt and negativity. It’s even more harmful than external noise. The effect of this voice is that it has the potential to kill our positive potential. We all know about the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Learning strategies for reducing this internal noise, therefore, is critically important and will result in huge payoffs in all areas of your life.

3. Recognise the Signal

The signal is information that is true and reliable and alerts you to the opportunities, possibilities, and resources that will help you reach your fullest potential.
Anger disconnects people, and so they yell to be heard “over the distance.” Love, on the other hand, brings us close—so close that the barest whisper is loud enough for us to hear the words of our beloved. The “small thin sound” is all around us and even within us.
Learn to distinguish between “noise” and “signal.” Understand that destructive noise shows the negative, dark the positive and kills your potential.

Stop the noise as much as you can! Choose your inner thoughts! Quiet your brain and your soul!

If you need a help go on contacts and let us know! 

By Galya Yan