July 4 N'Light'N

MindVisualizertm Presentations on July 4th N'Light'N Festival in Los Angeles, CA.

Comments from a reader

Thanks for the advice. Your coloring idea is very useful as well as poetic and inspiring. For example, a sunny spring day when flowers bloom and birds sing can lift up the spirits while a gloomy, cloudy day can have the opposite effect on most people, that is why I think that your idea of “coloring” one’s day is really important.

I have noticed that elated feelings are possible anywhere, following your suggestions, particularly in the Southern States of the US where people are more polite,friendly and warmer not only to each other but to strangers as well. As you suggest it is rewarding and heart warming to meet somebody one does not know and feel a friendly emotion, whether it is kindness, appreciation or even gratitude if it so happens and somebody is helpful without thinking of any reward just plain human outreach.

Maybe if more people were aware of the good feelings friendliness offers we would live in a better place. Would be really beneficial to the whole world to take your advice to heart.

From the Desk of Dr. Moshe Zloof, Advice of the week for May 27 09

Lighten Up Your Day with ‘Slivers of Empowerment’

By

Dr. Moshe Zloof

Recent research in happiness has shown that statistically most people are happier giving than receiving. Giving does not necessarily mean handing out money or material objects, but can be mental or spiritual giving. I am sure many of you have experienced the elated feeling when mentoring and empowering someone, watching the positive effect it has on them, be it your children, your students, or your employees.

Empowerment need not only be a long term process. We can all lighten up our daily lives by throwing ‘slivers of empowerment’ at every person we meet, a friend, a cashier, a waitress, people we encounter on planes, or on the hiking trail. In MindVisualizertm we refer to this process as turning a neutral and boring event (depicted by a small blue ball) into a positive sometimes even exciting one (depicted by a yellow ball); that may lighten up your moment and the moment of the receiver.

Advice: To lighten up your day you should be constantly aware of people around you and always be ready to approach them to brighten their day. It’s the little things in life that make the difference. Some examples of what I've done:

• If a cashier in the supermarket is fast, tell him how impressed you are with their speed, thus positively affecting the pride in his job.
• If a waitress is doing a great job, praise her in front of her boss. In my case I pick a small black book (that I always carry) and I scribble her name in it declaring that she earned to be the waitress of the month!
• I always try to compliment people on their appearance, clothing, hair style, demeanor, posture etc.
• On planes, or in doctor’s office---instead of reading a magazine or solving Sudoku puzzles —take the opportunity to engage in conversation with people sitting next to you and try to brighten their moment. You will find fascination and learning experience in talking to strangers about their issues, background, culture, passion, etc.

In Short, interacting with people can be a tremendous source of energy and help you ‘color’ your day. Initially you may have make a conscious effort to engage strangers in conversation, but after a while- as it happened to me and others- it will become second nature, ‘hardwired’ into your system.

From the desk of Dr. Moshe Zloof, Advice of the week for May 20, 2009

Suggestions to Help Reduce Your Suffering in Times of Crisis

By Dr. Moshe Zloof

Life, as we all know, is like a roller coaster with many ups and downs. Sometimes circumstances, along with bad luck, can propel a person into a state of crisis. While some people can deal with rough situations better than others, it still takes its toll in the form of worries, anxieties, and stress -- the mind is constantly being invaded by Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs). This further magnifies the suffering, affecting one’s mood and behavior.

Advice: To alleviate some of the distress, I suggest

1. Use past ‘Points of Reference’ Each time ANT enters your mind, make an effort to replace it by a positive one, such as recalling how you overcame a similar experience in the past--a point of reference--or how others dealt successfully with similar situations.
2. Divide up the problems that are causing the worries. If you share your life with a spouse or a partner, try to divide the issues so that each one of you deals only with part of them. For example, if one loses his/her job, causing financial hardship, then one spouse can focus and worry about finding a job, while the other deals with the family finances. But, most importantly, don’t point fingers at each other -- it will just drain your energies even more.
3. Consider worst and best case scenarios to make you feel better; think that the situation could have been worse, and imagine a positive outcome that will perhaps turn out to be a Blessing in Disguise.
4. Use your support system. Don’t be shy in asking for advice from family members and friends. It is okay to spill your guts out once or twice to in order to get good advice. Just be careful not to overdo it. You don't want to become an ‘Energy Vampire’.

Comments:

• Part II of last week will be sent out in the near future.
• If you need any private coaching or want to attend a Visual Workshop on MindVisualizer, email Dr. Zloof at mzloof@aol.com.

From the Desk of Dr. Moshe Zloof. Advice of the week - for May 13, 2009

If you are trying to impress, are they indeed being impressed??

By Dr. Moshe Zloof

Today’s fast life style of competition propels some to flaunt their "success" through material acquisitions. Instead of appropriating a portion of their income to savings and careful investing, they spend it frivolously on various consumer products like luxury cars (Mercedes, BMW), expensive vacations, or designer clothes, just to impress their friends, neighbors, and family members. In doing so, they are overlooking many factors that should be carefully examined:·

• The friends, who can guess at their income bracket, will not only be unimpressed, but they may resent them and view them in a negative light as non-responsible people. · In no way will these same friends help them financially, should that need occur sometime in the future--not after watching them squandering money irresponsibly. ·
• The burden of the excessive monthly payments can take a psychological toll on their families, especially in time of recession when one is constantly worried about losing his/ her job. In many cases family members feel drained, develop severe anxieties, and new marital problems

Advice:

Unless you are independently wealthy, or the price of a luxurious life style does not affect your financial status, try to restrain yourself from trying to impress others except yourself.

First strive to achieve solid financial security and then financial independence.

Once that is accomplished then you have the luxury to spend on your dream purchases. ·

Also, try to ignore what the marketing machinery of our society is trying to instill in us, namely the monthly payment mentality: “The car costs only $199.00 a month....the TV costs $89.00 a month;” figure out if you can afford the true price of the product, often hidden by the salesperson.