Friday 15 October 2010

How to Stimulate Positive Coincidences

In what way do we have control over the little, or big, positive coincidences in our lives? Are they really just coincidences, chains of events and is it only an illusion to be able to control these? Or is a human being capable of creating positive coincidences? The truth can not yet be scientifically determined. Luckily this is not important. 


What important is, is how to obtain positive experiences. And the way in which the world around you enables you to have or feel these positive experiences. I personally catch myself quite frequently on thinking about mistakes in the past or future problems. Also I am a person who likes to think in utopia's. That decreases the chance on a satisfying time immensely. It is an art to see the great, lovely, intense and awesome events or feelings of a certain moment, at that moment.


To live in the here and now, and doing what your intuition, or feelings, tell you to do. That is the start of a road to happiness.


The funny thing is that the more I listen to my intuition, the more positive events come on my path. As I said earlier, it is not important whether or not this can be scientifically explained. To listen to your intuition stimulates a chain of positive events. The foundation of an upward emotional spiral. 


So, how exactly do we achieve this 'living in the moment' thing? You will not hear me say this is easy, especially when you are currently having difficult times in your life. However, there are a few things you can do to get in the vibe. 


Here is my top 5 things to do to get in a positive vibe:


1. Eating chocolate
2. Getting plenty of sunlight
3. Physical activities
4. Physical contact
5. Giving and receiving compliments


Note that these are all things that stimulate the brain to release endorphins. Endorphins are fuel for happiness. 


After making sure I do these top 5 things, I take a break.
Just stop for a second.
Stop some more.
Take a few minutes.
Give yourself the time to look around and really see everything around you, pay attention to it.
Try to hear every sound that you can hear.
Pay attention to whatever your body is in contact with, how does that object feel.
Breath, and feel the air flowing through your body.


These small things make you aware of your current surroundings. They stimulate you to be in the moment. From that point on you can continue with whatever you were doing. Only now, you take the time to scan for positive events. Whether it is an ice-cream you found in the back of your freezer or a phone-call from a  friend you haven't spoken in a while. For these are the things that matter. These are the small things that start your upward spiral.


"The best way to predict the future, is to invent it" - Allen Kay

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Sketching a Dream


What if tomorrow you could do whatever you want and wherever you want? How would you design your life when you could walk away from everything you’re currently bound to? What is most important in your life right now? Questions like these are almost continuously going through my mind.

The Pre-set Path
People are prepared to follow a pre-set path from the day they are born. Kindergarten, Elementary school, High school and University. While ideas of young children about their future are usually encouraged (helicopter pilot, astronaut), this encouragement changes 180 degrees at the age of about 12 (“Be realistic!”).
You are being launched into a standard path in which it is expected that you already know what you want to study or become at the age of thirteen or fourteen.
Even if you are not sure, a (random) education will in many cases be the next step.
Being towed along with standards which are determined by the masses is in many cases what comes next. The more you get involved with this, the more blurry your own vision on the world will become. If you will develop a vision at all that is.

Quarter Life Crisis and Lifestyle Design
While the more creative minds usually tear free from this sad mainstream society, many others will hit a so called Quarter Life Crisis between the age of 20 and 35. Google it if you like. It is the result of continuously being pushed further and further. Eventually one will come to the inevitable question; “Is this really what life is all about?” Free thinkers usually come earlier to the conclusion that it is not important what people think is important, but what matters is what you think is important. So what things matter to me?


Happiness and excitement
While it doesn’t harm someone to think about what makes him/her happy. I think a more direct question is; “What excites me?” What exactly were moments where you felt intense excitement, where you felt like you really wanted to do something in particular? It is worth it to look for these things. These activities create the ultimate feeling of happiness. And these are the activities you should pay attention to.

About your Author
Hello, my name is Maarten. Just before the summer of 2010 I graduated as a mechanical engineer. The study taught me many interesting perspectives on the area of technology, innovational concepts and opened my eyes on what impact technology has on our society.

While attending this study I did not mind about what people thought of as ‘normal’. I never felt the need to drink so much that my body wanted to repel the beers that were so hard to put into my body in the first place. After classes I loved to feed my hunger for wind and water sports, even while my fellow students thought of it as a waste of time. My classmates were not amazed to see me entering the class one day with an alternative self-developed transportation device, my longboard. They were also used to the fact that I was usually the one who would openly discuss any dissatisfaction about the course or the teacher, with the teacher. In the most respectful way possible of course.

At this moment I can direct my life any way I want. I am graduated and my horizons are broad. I am looking for a Lifestyle design which enables me to do everything I enjoy. Racing sailboats will hopefully be a big part of that for example. I don’t have the ambition to change the world with this Blog, nor will I try to stop wars. In this Blog I will write about my opinion on the development of a high quality lifestyle. Join me on my adventure and research to how you can achieve this lifestyle as well.

One has to have dreams right ;-)