Matt Clark Unplugged

Unplug, Less Stress and More Success

// May 29th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Success Tips

In the last few months I have gotten involved with something that I have always wanted to do. Have a wilderness retreat that I could go and hike and bike and spend time outdoors and unplugged. I was up this past week and began to see how this time in nature and unplugged from the noise of the city was incredible for my continued personal growth and also reducing stress.

Two years ago I unplugged the tv, and that was amazing. This freed up some much time in my daily life I was able to get more things done in less time. However, did I clear all the noise in our surroundings? No, this is almost impossiable these days.  I still had wi-fi flying around, lights on, fridge humming in the background etc. Wow, when I think about all the noise that goes on when you live in a urban environment it seems overwhelming.

For most of us we can filter the noise out and focus on the important stuff. It is important to remember that the unconscious mind does not filter it out, it takes it all in. This can tie up our mind, which can limit your ability to focus on things that matter most.

The benefits of unplugging once in awhile can be compared to a physical fitness program. It provides a time for us to calm the  mind and think, gives us more energy, reduces stress and allows us to be at peace with the moment instead of feeding our senses with future and past events.

I polled my Twitter followers and Facebook friends and was somewhat shocked at the results. Most people said they don’t unplug, or if they do it is only once or twice a year for a few days. You can follow some of the comments on Kwippy

Benefits of Unplugging

• Time to think, meditate, and free your mind. Less stress
• Building relationships and connecting with friends and loved ones through socialising and shared activities in the real world.
• A healthy body. Instead of slouching in front of the TV, unplugging encourages you to get active. Go for a walk or a run. Get outside and breathe in the beauty of nature, get out and play.
• Being able to focus on your goals and dreams, rather than using TV as an anesthetic to numb your mind into settling for less than you long for.
• Time to be creative – do something you have always wanted to do.

Create a “Unplug From it All Day”

With the proven benifits of unplugging it seems that if success is something we seek then we should take some time to unplug. Don’t get me wrong I love technology, however we should take time at least once a week to unplug and reset.  I put together some tips on how to setup a “Unplug From it All Day” and some suggestions for what to do with yourself in this free unplugged world.

1. Unplug, that is right, unplug the tv, computer, phone, anything that will distract you. This will help when the temptation hits you to maybe just check the email, answer that call or when bordem sets in because you not used to all this silence.
2. Leave the cell phone at home, yes unplugging means no cell phone!
3. Go for a hike, get out in nature. This is truly the best place to be when unplugged. Reconnect with the peace and calmness and abundance of nature.
4. Join a friend for coffee, beer whatever just make sure you are face to face and with real people.
5. Meditate, this will recharge and clear your mind. If you have never meditated before, this is a goodtime to start I have some tips on learning how to meditate here»
6. Get out and play! Go play at the park, play in the sandbox with your kids whatever just go play.

Setup a day when you can do this at least once a week and you will be recharged and cleared of stress and tension.

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You Get What You Focus On

// May 7th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Personal Development

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You get what you focus on. How many have heard that? Seems simple right? But, often the simpler they appear the deeper they run. We need to pull back the layers and find the true meaning.

For instance, you are focused on a getting a new car. It is the perfect car for you. You want that car badly. You have laser beam focus. Since your focus is on strong desire, the results is that you get more of that. More desire, more longing.

Now, what if your current circumstances predict that you are not able get that car right now. You begin to think of the lack of not having the resources to get the car. Again, you are getting more of what your mind is focused on. More feelings of lack, more circumstances that keep you from receiving that new car.

So, what can you do differently? Instead of focusing on your outgoing desire for the car, you instead focus on the internal emotions of having the car. Replay how it feels to have the car. Your mind will behave in alignment with your new thinking. You will begin to attract things, people, and circumstances that will lead you to having the car. It is a subtle difference, a difference that brings the successful use of the Law of Attraction to you.

You get what you focus on, so be careful of the way you focus. Be conscious of your consciousness.

What have you been focusing on that is keeping you from what you desire?

Balance in Your Life

// April 30th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Daily Insight, Personal Development

Are you looking to find Balance in your life and not sure how to do it?

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What does that word mean to you? Many of us seek balance in our lives and sometimes it seems it is just not possible. We juggle our career, family, personal life and usually one area of our life suffers. What is balance, how can we achieve balance in our family and personal life when most people spend 80% of their waking hours at work.

Balance to me is not one or the other it is both. You see to achieve balance in your life you need to move with the flow of your life and your feelings. We need to stop flowing with the external circumstance that are put on us and move inside to our internal flow and what our feelings are telling us. This is the true guidance system of life and such the path to finding balance in all areas of our lives.

Your feelings are the gauge of the balance in your life. When something feels good and right and we are enjoying it, that it is our feelings telling us that this is right and to continue doing more of it. When something feels forced and uncomfortable, that is time to move your focus in another direction. The thing is that if we enjoy something and we continue to do it we bring more of what we enjoy into our lives and the lives of the people around us.

This does not mean if you enjoy watching TV, you just sit on the couch and watch TV. Sooner or later our feelings will let us know that it is time to move to something else. If you disregard that feeling you will notice that sitting around is not so much fun anymore and eventually for most of us we will get off our duff and go do something.

If we can trust our feelings and come from a place of seeking balance and joy in all areas of our life our internal guidance system will work as long as we trust in it. That guidance system is accurate, we just need to listen and go with the flow!

Think of it as a GPS, many of us may have used a GPS and we trust the directions it gives and we find our destination. If you tell yourself you want balance in your life, trust the directions of your feelings and you will reach your destination.

Some tips for learning to listen to your feelings:

1. Ask yourself in the moment what you are feeling, joyful, happy, excited or mad, angry, frustrated. If it is the first feelings of a good and joyful state keep doing more of that, have fun and go for it. When you feel that you are not having fun anymore and you notice that things are forced, it is time to take a break and move to something else.
2. Take time to be in the moment, the only way you can listen to your feelings is to be in-tune with the current moment you are in. If you are thinking of the past or the future your mind is so focused elsewhere you will be late on picking up your feelings until your body is overwhelmed. This leads to stress, frustration, and sometimes illness. Live now, in the moment, it is truly where everything happens.

Balance, how do you find it in your life? Share your tips for our readers!