This immensely globalized existence that we live in, makes changes possible in a matter of seconds. It becomes imperative for each and every one of us to quickly adjust to our changing world or risk becoming trapped in situations that may lead to harmful levels of stress. The changes that we encounter in our daily lives, in most cases, can have a direct connection to out physical and emotional well being. In some cases, these can result in either a good or a bad outcome. Generally, having stress is not something to worry about because stress within limits is a good way to deal with difficult conditions.

When your levels of stress become unbearable, you should start to worry because it is your body’s way of telling you that something in your body is in dire need of your attention. It would help you immensely if you consider the use of stress reduction meditation as a tool in your fight against high levels of stress.

Possible scenarios for high levels of stress may include: sitatuations at work or school that lead to competitions or frustrations; beating deadlines. But, there is really no need to feel that you have to completely eliminate stress from your life in order to cure your problems; what is important is that you learn how to manage stress so that it does not result in an even bigger problem. Stress reduction meditation is a good option because it is easy to perform and it helps to relax your exhausted mind.

Meditation Heals the Body, Mind and Spirit

Stress reduction meditation involves the practice of peathing which should be started as soon as you notice any symptoms of stress. The more you concentrate on your peathing, the better is the chance that you will attain some sort of stress reduction.

One more thing to remember about stress reduction meditation is that of good posture. This means that you should keep you back straight and your head up at all times. A indicator of stress is when someone is slouching in posture and perhaps a simple frown.

Stress reduction meditation also helps you to clear your thinking because it helps you to imagine pleasant things such as swimming in placid water. In effect, you experience a new level of consciousness, one that is anxiety and stress free.

Ultimately, what stress reduction meditation offers is the option to identify the underlying reasons for your stress and helping you deal with stress by pointing you in the correct road to recovery.

If you are one hundred percent committed to solving your stress related problems, then you should consider planning a stress reduction program which includes this stress reduction meditation that even doctors are raving about.

Many years ago, I used to work with a bunch of single guys. One, whom I’ll call Dave, was not very well liked by the other guys at work. This was due in part to the fact that he was a jerk.

Okay, there might have also been a bit of envy involved. You see, Dave seemed to easily get dates with many of the beautiful women in the area. This was a mystery to many of the guys at work, and even seemed unfair.

I would hear comments like, “That lucky (blank)! How does that jerk go out with all the beautiful women?” But the solution was clear to anyone who paid attention - he asked them out! Of course, he really was a jerk, so they usually said no. However, he just kept asking, until some of the woman said yes.

Now isn’t this so common? We wonder at the “luck” of others, when the key is that those lucky people are doing the simple things we are afraid to do.

Who is more likely to get a date? A man who asks out one woman or a man who asks out ten?

Who is more likely to get a raise at work, a woman who just quietly does a good job and hopes it’s noticed, or one that does a good job and asks for a raise?

You have to have the courage to do something if you want the results of that action. This is obvious stuff, right? Almost all such “lessons” are, but we need to be reminded. We also need to take action to put lessons into practice.

Feel The Fear And Do It Anyhow

I was recently at one of those free money-making seminars, and the speaker asked who wanted a hundred-dollar bill. A few hands went up. When he asked who would come up and get it, only a few people out of hundreds approached the stage. He handed the bill to the first one there, while the crowd sat watching, too afraid to embarrass themselves.

Exactly why did this one man get the hundred dollar bill? Simply because he walked up and took it, while the others were too afraid.

We can see that fear gets in the way of having “good luck.” What can we do then to have more courage? We can act in the face of fear. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” I would add to this that you gain good luck.

Of course, there are some powerful techniques to make this process of developing courage easier, but that is a topic for another article.

People all over are looking for ways that they can improve their career prospects and we have seen in recent years that employees are looking to improve their time management skills in order to improve their overall performance. There are quite a few time management skills training courses and personal instruction programs that one can attend locally, nationally and internationally. We also see that many have chosen to use the internet as their means of learning more about time management and their overall career prospects in order to manage and earn more. For sure, effective time management is one of the quickest things one can do to get ahead in their careers.

By motivation we understand a set of principles or factors that influence one in the direction of acting for success. Apparently without motivation we’d all be conquered over by laziness and passivity. And indeed, ever since we came to understand the world around us, supposedly at a very young age, we have kept getting involved in a motivating existence. It all starts with the child being rewarded with a candy for listening to his/her mum. Therefore, without even becoming aware of what we undergo, we are taught the very basics of responding to motivation.

Motivation results from the reward that follows a certain action, and it is the pleasant feeling we experience that keeps us going on and on. The reward as such can be of an intrinsic nature, meaning that the mental and emotional satisfaction prove sufficient to repeat the action later. Yet, there is an external type of motivation too that consists in material or laudatory rewards. Consequently, motivation can fall into two distinct categories as intrinsic, or inner, and extrinsic, or outer. As it may be obvious to you already, intrinsic motivation has to do with your own person and what you want whereas the extrinsic type has to do with external factors or people. The intrinsic type of motivation is also divided into two more subcategories. On the one hand there is intrinsic motivation triggered by sheer personal pleasure like a hobby, and on the other there is intrinsic motivation caused by obligation which usually includes work tasks.

All in all, motivation surely defines the way we move through life. This is the factor that has made us take our first steps, that has supported us in learning how speak our native tongue correctly, that has guided us in school years and university studies perhaps, that finally sets in motion all the life areas from job and career pursuit to children and family providing. Motivation can take many forms and is found in many things.

Getting lucky requires a certain frame of mind. This is the good-luck-generating attitude expressed in the following quote:

“If you view all the things that happen to you, both good and bad, as opportunities, then you operate out of a higher level of consciousness.” - Les Brown

The Science Of Getting Lucky

During his ten-year study of luck, professor Richard Wiseman found that lucky people use many psychological strategies to turn bad luck into good luck. They might automatically imagine how things could have been worse. This is to eliminate any paralyzing sense of hopelessness in the current bad situation.

They also look at what can be done, and concentrate on that. Obviously this could be far more productive than the alternative. Have you ever seen someone getting lucky by focusing on the negative?

You may have you heard the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” That is exactly the frame of mind of a lucky person. In their minds, there are always motivating questions, like, “What can I do with this situation? Could this be lucky in some way? How can I make lemonade from these lemons?”

“The way we see the problem is the problem.” - Stephen Covey

Getting Lucky Means Seeing Problems As Opportunities

In his book, “Screw It, Let’s Do It,” Richard Branson has a great story about turning a problem into an opportunity. He and his wife were in the Virgin Islands, and the flight to Puerto Rico had been canceled. There were a lot of disappointed people, and they were all sitting around doing nothing. What could they do, after all, but wait until there was another flight?

Branson doesn’t think that way, however. He found a plane, and asked how much it would be to charter it one way to Puerto Rico. He was told $2,000. Looking around at the number of people waiting, he did some quick math. Then he took a small chalkboard and wrote on it, “Virgin Airways.” Below that he wrote “One way flight to Puerto Rico, $39.”

After the 52nd person signed up, he was making a profit. Although he didn’t actually start his famous airline until later, this was the inspiration. A problem is sometimes an opportunity - but only if you approach it that way. This one lead to the creation of a major airline.

Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Getting lucky becomes easier when you think like that. Why not start today?

Do you want to get lucky? Actually, there are many very specific techniques for generating luck in your life, many based on important research that has been done in the last twenty years. One of the simplest ways to get lucky is to just start looking for good luck.

You have probably noticed that if you start looking to buy a car of a certain type, they are suddenly all over. They were there before, but now you are seeing them, because you are looking. More specifically, it is due to your reticular cortex. This small organ in the brain directs incoming stimulus to your conscious or unconscious mind. If you are looking for a type of car, it helps you out by letting you be more consciously aware of those cars.

This “gatekeeper” of the mind works in any area you choose. If you start looking for luck, it will help you find it. It helps you “tune into” opportunity once you have decided that this is important. The simplest way to activate this is to start counting the ways you are already lucky. Soon you’ll have even more luck.

Why Not Get Lucky Today?

There are those who will tell you that God or the universe brings luck into your life once there’s gratitude in your heart. This actually describes the process pretty well, but here is a less spiritual explanation: When you acknowledge the luck you have, and you start looking for more, you create a certain frame of mind - one that helps you take advantage of opportunities you might otherwise not recognize. You are instructing your reticular cortex to let information about potential opportunities rise to a conscious level.

For example, suppose a friend mentions that a furniture store is going out of business. Normally, you might think nothing of it. But because you have been counting your blessings and looking for more examples of your good luck, your mind is thinking “Hmm, how could this be an opportunity?” Then it occurs to you that the company you work for has been considering getting a several new desks, and that they are on sale for 60% off at this store. You tell your boss. The company saves hundreds of dollars, the boss is impressed by how you took the initiative, and he gives you a raise. You get lucky.

Noticing how lucky you are, even in small ways, makes the possibility of good luck more real to you. This gets you watching, and the watching gets you thinking, “How is this lucky for me? Can I do something beneficial with this situation? You’ll notice is that you feel better if you try this, and you’ll see results. Gratitude is good for you, and it won’t be your imagination when you start to get lucky.