How to Win a Grey Cup?

It's been a big day for football:
Over a dozen games for the NFL and the Grey Cup for the CFL.

I'm not a crazy sports fan but I love to see great athletes and teams put on exhilirating and inspiring performances (don't we all?) .

Thinking about the Canadian championship between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, there were a few questions that kept playing in my mind all day: what makes teams win? What makes a good team lose? What goes on in their bodies and in their minds to determine how they play as individuals and how they play as a team? And how can you condition the players and team over a season so that they become unstoppable? What makes a team lose in game seven of the Stanley Cup like the Edmonton Oilers did last year? And what allowed the Edmonton Eskimos and Oilers of the '80's to win all of those cups year after year? What changed? That was just my train of thought...

Now, the answers to these questions can be simple or extremely complex.

First, what makes teams win? A desire to win, a belief that they can and deserve to win, and a vision of victory that takes them through all the hard times. The greatest leaders and coaches will create an environment where these elements grow.

Of these, the greatest element is the VISON of victory. It all starts with a vision, and the vision is what gives the person or team the energy to go on when things are difficult. It's what pushes us to learn what we need to learn, to practice what we need to practice, and to do what we need to do.

Why?

Because with a powerful vision, the pain of NOT achieving victory is much greater than any pain you will feel on the journey. All the training, all the discipline, all the sacrifice is nothing compared to the agony of NOT achieving your vision. And the pure bliss of victory is oh sooooo sweet!

The vision of victory is what drives us on. It's also what aligns the Universe to your cause. Remember, what you focus on grows. You reap what you sow. Imagination is the most powerful nation in the World.

However, that doesn't mean sit on your ass, visualize and expect to wake up with all your dream realized!

If the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't train hard all year, show up and play hard all season, and keep going and going no matter how things were, they wouldn't have won the Grey Cup today!

As one of the winning players said it:

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."

Get the VISION you want for your life. Make it clear, vivid and powerful. So powerful that it pulls you magnetically to DO everything you need to do in order to achieve it. And no matter what, KEEP GOING.

Do this, and sooner or later, you WILL succeed. And the Love and Joy you will feel will be more than worth all the pain and suffering you may have to endure along the way.

Here's what another teary-eyed player said after their win:

"We faught so hard. It was a hard game. This is a dream come true."

Go for it. And... keep... going.

Now, if only we could condition our beloved athletes and sports teams to BELIEVE in their dreams a little bit more. How far could they really go?

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

How To Change The World

Many of us want to change the people and the world around us.

We see all the things that we think others should change about themselves. We notice everything about the government that we know should be different. We look at celebrities, teachers and leaders and make comments about what they should or shouldn't have done. We notice everything wrong with the environment and with war and with the economy.

Does any of that help?

I'm sure you all know the answer.

No. Complaining and wanting the world around you to change so that you can stay the same will only bring about more frustration and pain because your reality will not change until YOU change.

Those who change the world do so by changing themselves and how THEY interact. They don't sit there and complain. They don't even write letters or books to complain about the state of the world (although that's an action more than just talking about it). No. Those who change the world start by changing themselves. They ACT. They DO something instead of complaining about it not being right.

And believe it or not, they actually become what they idealize.

Remember, what you focus on grows. Energy follows attention. The more you think about an ideal, the more you are pulled to embodying that ideal.

All the greatest leaders (think of your favorites) have been people who embodied the teachings they were promoting. In other words, they walked their talk. They got things done. They LIVED their dream. That's why people followed them.

If you are the type of person who goes about with the "do what I say, not what I do" attitude, you will not inspire others. After all, if you can't even believe enough in something to live it... why should they?

For those who wish to make a difference, to change the world, even if only in the eyes of one other person... you must BE the example for others. We learn by imitation as much as anything else, so we all need examples to follow and practice until we find our own way. Don't just talk about change. We all talk, and most of us do only that. The ones that make a difference do more than talk. They ACT. They become the greatest that they can be. They ARE the greatest that they can imagine themselves to be... and that inspires others to do the same. You can never change another against their will. The only way to change others is to change yourself.

This doesn't mean that you need to be perfect and never make a mistake, no way! We all make mistakes otherwise we would never learn. And that's the key point: make all the mistakes you need to make, to learn what you need to learn. And for this to work you must LEARN from your mistakes!

Not one of us is 'better' than anyone else. We are all the same, all ONE at our source. We are all everything that we see and experience in our reality. Everyone we meet or hear about is a reflection of something inside of us...

Believe it or not, we can all be great leaders. We can't all be the leader of everything, but we can all be great leaders in something... each in our own area of burning passion and desire. We can all be great leaders in that which we love most. It's up to us to decide what we are willing to do, to BE, to achieve it.

Have the courage to transcend mere talking. Instead, BE.

As Gandhi (pictured above) said it:

Be the change you wish to see in this world.

Make the commitment. Change yourself. BE the change you desire. After all, why would you have the desire if you wouldn't be able to achieve it?

If the desire is there, it is possible for you.
You just have to find a way.
And keep trying until you get it. Even if it takes thousands of tries, or more.
Show them how it's done.

Wishing you the deepest peace,

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

I Remember

Whether you agree with the war(s) or not is irrelevant. Rememberance Day (Veterans Day in the States) is for remembering the sacrifice of everyone involved in the World Wars, and everyone since then who fights for peace and freedom.

Although I am not a soldier, I grew up surrounded with examples of heroes giving their lives for the powerful causes they believed in. It is something that resonates with me and was instrumental in helping me transcend my fear of death. Still, I can only imagine what it must have been like in those wars...

Thank you to all who gave their lives, and all who work for freedom.

Let's remember that many died so that we may live. That those who fought sacrificed everything in some cases, so that we may have a better world. Well, lets do them proud. Let's make this world a better place, so that they will not have died in vain.

I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

Flowers and Pixies and Stars, Oh My!

I just spent probably the better part of an hour writing a rant against people promoting "airy-fairy" type of new-age spiritual beliefs and practices. I was going to post it here. I just deleted the whole thing.

Then I wrote a short note about why I deleted the first text and how I forgave everyone who does the "airy-fairy" thing. I deleted that too. It sounded too airy-fairy.

So now I'm just going to say this:

We are all here for a reason. We all have our roles to play in this world. Go with whatever works for you. If at some point it no longer works, go deeper, or find something else.

Nuff said.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

What's Holding You Back?

A few days ago I attended an event with my friend David (that's him, in blue, with one of the teachers, John Assaraf). It was "Quantum Quest - an evening with teachers from The Secret". A few weeks before that, there was meeting Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. These types of events can be very powerful if you are in a state where you can allow yourself to open up and expand. That's the whole point. To learn from the best in order to grow yourself. To have those who have done it give you a boost.

So did I get my boost? You bet. I even told my buddy after Jack Canfield's talk that there would be "no more foolin' around" and again reinforced that statement after Quantum Quest.

The truth is that no matter how much we think we can do something on our own, we all need to surround ourselves with positive people and influences as much as possible. We can all benefit from meeting others who can help us expand our awareness of what we believe we can achieve. Either by reading their books, watching their dvd's, listening to their cd's, taking their courses, meeting them at seminars and events, ect. Even choosing more positive, encouraging and mind-expanding people to hang out with has a HUGE influence on the type of thinking that you will get into the habit of doing and the type of person you are.

On the flip side, and I don't want to sound like a jerk saying this but, to be the best that you can be, you must eliminate or at least greatly reduce the amount of contact you have with anyone who holds you back, pulls you down, discourages you and is otherwise negative, whiny or complaining. If it's someone in your familly or at work (and the rest of the people at work are great) then just see or talk to them only if you absolutely have to. If you don't have to see them, don't.

Don't be an ass about it either! You can still be cordial and polite with them, silently wishing them all the best in their journey. It just won't be with you, at least not as things are now.

Anyway, surround yourself with books and dvd's and people and things that help you to believe in your dreams and help you to achieve them. That was the message of all the speakers of these events:

We can all achieve anything we can imagine... when we remove our own self-imposed limitations.

Each had their own way of removing the obstacles in our path, the things that are stopping us from being who we most desire to be. It could be our actions, our thoughts, our beliefs, our subconscious programming, our hierarchy of values, our fear... The energy is always there, most of us just have our foot on the brakes.

What's holding you back?

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

The Real Fountain of Life - Part 2

*To read part 1 of this series, see below.

As I said last week, to change your life, you must change your vibrational frequency/consciousness so that your state of being now matches the reality that you desire. Meaning that to be rich you must find a way to feel rich right now. Or to have a strong and healthy body you must find a way to feel strong and healthy right now. When you feel it, you are in that state. And as you spend more time in that state, your reality shifts to match.

I also mentionned that there are two general points from which to start:

From an exterior-based practice that moves deeper. Or starting deep inside and allowing the inner transformation to permeate every part of your "external" reality. The fastest way to change would be to do both internal and external "work" on yourself, and that's what many do, but for our purposes here I'm going to stick to the two categories.

Last week I spoke about physical exercice being the real Fountain of Life as far as "external" practices are concerned. This week, it's meditation.

When you hear the word "meditation", what comes to mind?

The Dalai Lama? Buddhism? Monks chanting sacred mantras? An old man with a long white beard sitting alone on a mountaintop?

I know many people do. I do too, although these things form only a small part of everything that can now be included in the term. The truth is that the foundation of all forms of meditation (and there are as many as there are types of dances, music, or belief systems), is a quieting of thoughts. It is finding the stillness and silence that is our true being. The only difference is in the technique used to silence the mind. Some focus on the breath, a mantra, a visualisation, or an activity of some sort (like tai chi, yoga or walking), but the end result sought is the same. Inner peace and clarity.

And as the mind rests, allowing worries and stress to dissipate, the body relaxes. Which makes meditation one of the greatest practices for healing and rejuvenating one's health. And the REAL Fountain of Life as "internal" practices go.

Integrate some form of physical exercise and some form of meditation into your daily or weekly routine now and as the years go by people will marvel that you seem to age very little or not at all. You will smile or laugh, remembering how this journey all began... being grateful that you went with it and never really stopped. And now that people notice, it is your turn to guide those who ask.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

The Real Fountain of Life - Part 1

Last year, a very powerful (and some say, confusing) movie came out. It's called "The Fountain". The film is directed by Darren Aronofsky and the main characters are played by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. What is it about? It's about a man searching for the Fountain/Tree of Life to save his love, and this happens during three different time periods (and, one could say, levels of consciousness) that eventually merge in infinity.

The reason I bring it up is that the search for a cure to aging, disease and death - the Fountain of Eternal Life - seems to be eternally elusive.

And yet... we do have everything we ever needed to remain young and vibrant, even to reverse aging, for the entire span of our existence... right in front of us. It is a common phenomenon, to not see what is right in front of our noses, that some have appropriately named "the elusive obvious".

Allow me to explain it for you as best as I can.

The Universe, the whole of reality, is energy moving back and forth from a formless state to varying degrees of form. These forms are characterized by varying degrees of vibrational frequency/consciousness. This means that to transform one thing into something else, the vibrational frequency/consciousness of that form must change.

Kind of like changing the temperature of water.

If you remove heat and the temperature drops below zero celcius, the water molecules slow down (slower vibrational frequency) and the water freezes into ice, a different physical form of water. If you add heat to the ice, that means that the water molecules start to move faster and faster, until the ice melts into water and eventually into steam at 100 celcius, when the water molecules move so quickly that they expand . That's another physical form that water can take.

The good news is that we, and everything else in the universe, work the same way.

Our life and our bodies are pure energy that has taken specific physical forms. To change our bodies, we must change our vibrational frequency/consciousness.

There are two general approaches here:

1. Starting from inside and working your way out.
2. Starting from outside and working your way in.

An example of inside-out vibrational transformation would be meditation.
An example of outside-in vibrational transformation would be physical exercise.

Today I read about a new study done by the Buck Institute for Age Research titled: Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle. It explains how resistance exercises - that build muscle - reverse aging in muscle cells. Yes, reverses. That means that with resistance exercise, your body and YOU... become younger. And the study was conducted over a six month period with subjects 65 and older, proving that we can become physically younger at any age.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the less muscle you have, the more fat your body will gain over time, even if you eat less.

The reason why this happens is that muscle is a metabolic tissue, it's active, it's alive, it burns calories. The less muscle you have, the less you are able to burn calories, and the more fat you put on over time. It's fine to be thin (if it's healthy), but if you're thin and you have no muscle on your body, you will put on fat... and you will not feel very alive. In fact, you'll look and feel old.

To reverse aging and look and feel young for the rest of your life, train your body to build muscle. And if you train your muscles intensely enough, your heart and lungs will get strong too.

Starting from the outside-in, physical exercise is the REAL Fountain of Life!

So find some kind of resistance exercise you enjoy (yoga, pilates, running, weight training, sports, martial arts, ect.) and start now. In six months time, with more muscle and less fat on your body, you'll look and feel younger and more alive than you have in years.

*Next week, I'll address the topic of more inside-out training for the Fountain of Life.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin