Mind, body connection: 7 easy steps to maintaining balance

Usually when I awaken, my mind is fuzzy. A cottony tangle of sleepy remnants harvested over the previous seven hours. Yesterday morning, however, the synapses knitted together a single thought: balancing the mind-body connection. I could ask myself why I attempted to make sense of a topic that begs deeper scrutiny at any time other than 4:15 in the morning. But if I were to venture a guess, I’d say it’s because my sub-conscious was trying to get my attention to validate: I’m out of balance! This led me to check in with Google, which turned up these seven steps as a useful check-and-balance system for re-establishing and maintaining a mind-body connection: 1) take time each day to quiet the mind and pray/meditate; 2) eat a healthy diet; 3) exercise every day; 4) prioritize restful sleep; 5) release emotional toxins (i.e., let go of past hurts, disappointments and anger); 6) nurture loving relationships and 7) enjoy wholehearted laughter at least once daily.

How do you maintain mind-body connection?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Excuses, excuses

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

I’ve gotten in the bad habit of making excuses.  I just read a book called Good to Great … in 30 Minutes.  (And yes, it only took me 30 minutes).  In a nutshell, fostering a culture of discipline, overcoming adversity and focusing our attention on what drives us — economically and passionately — are the key concepts toward attaining and sustaining greatness.  My problem is that I’ve been concentrating on the stuff that doesn’t advance my goals.  In fact, that “stuff” actually takes me away from what I should be doing and want to be doing.  It’s almost as if I’m purposely sabotaging my ability to achieve greatness.  I don’t know if I’m afraid of failing in the long run or what, but I know it’s counterproductive.  However, now that I know what I’ve been doing, it’s time to eliminate the “toxins” to my progress.  Next is to replace them with the stuff my goals are made of.  No more excuses.

What are some excuses keeping you from achieving success?