Microsoft Word who will cry when u die doc

Cure Your Monkey Mind

To get the best from life, you must be completely present and mindful in every minute of every hour of every day. As Albert Camus wrote, “Real generosity towards the future consists in giving all to what is present.” Yet, on most days, our minds are in ten different places at any one time. Rather than enjoying the walk to work, we wonder what the boss will say to us when we get to the office or what we will have for lunch or how our children will do at school today. Our minds are like scampering puppies or, as they say in the East, like unchained monkeys, rushing from place to place without any pause for peace.
By developing present moment awareness and an abundance of mental focus, you will not only feel much calmer in your life, you will also unlock the fullness of your mind’s potential. When too many distractions compete for your attention, the power of your mind is dissipated in all those different directions rather than concentrated on one point like the rays of a laser beam. The good news is that you can practice becoming more attentive to the present and develop this skill within a relatively short period of time.
One of the best ways to cure your monkey mind is through a technique I call “Focused Reading.” Every time your mind wanders from the page into a daydream or a worry, make a check mark in the right hand margin of the page. This simple act will increase your awareness of how poorly you concentrate and, since awareness is the first step to change, help you to build the skills you need for a clearer, quieter mind.

Get Good at Asking

“He who asks may be a fool for five minutes. He who doesn’t is a fool for a lifetime,” goes the wise Chinese Proverb. It makes me think of an ad I read in the classic fields recently that said, “To the beautiful woman in the brown suede coat at the drugstore at [street location provided] on Saturday, November 28 @ 4 p.m. You bumped into me in front of the magazine section. I would love to meet and chat.” The man who placed this ad then left his phone number. Destiny had given him an opportunity – possibly to meet the woman of his dreams
– and he had squandered it. And now, after regretting the fact that he “did not ask,” he has had to resort to placing an ad in the newspaper in the desperate hope of finding this woman.
The more you ask, the more you get, but it takes practice to get good at it. Success is a number game. As the Buddhist sages observed, “Every arrow that hits the bull’s eye s the result of one hundred misses.” Over the coming weeks, flex your “asking muscles” by asking for a better table at your favorite restaurant, for a free second scoop at your local ice cream shop or for a complimentary upgrade on your next airline flight. You might be surprised at the abundance that will flow into your life when you just ask sincerely for the things you want. Remember, the person who asks for what he wants at least has a chance of getting what he wants. The person who does not ask has no chance. One of the best books I have read on the power of asking is The Aladdin Factor, written by my friend and speaking colleague Mark Victor Hansen along with self – esteem expert Jack Canfield. Full of practical ideas and simple techniques, the book also contains a wealth of inspiring quotes like this one from Somerset Maugham: “It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”