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THE 99 DAY CHALLENGEA guided journal to increase happiness

and reach your goals in just 99 days

By Dennis van der Heijden

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Copyright and DisclaimerCopyright © 2015 Dennis van der HeijdenEditor: Aaron YorgasonEditorial Design: Hugo HerreraGraphic Design: Sridhar SilverResearch Assistant: Samwel Waithaka Ndegwa

FIRST EDITION

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re-trieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechan-ical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

DISCLAIMER: This guided journal details the author’s personal experiences with and opinions about journaling, gratefulness, happiness and progressing through projects. The author and publisher are providing this guided journal and its contents on an “as is” basis and make no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to this guided journal or its contents. The author and publisher disclaim all such representations and warranties, including for example warranties of merchant-ability and educational or medical advice for a particular purpose. In addition, the author and publisher do not represent or warrant that the information ac-cessible via this guided journal is accurate, complete or current. The statements made about products and services have not been evaluated by the U.S. govern-ment. Please consult with your own legal or accounting professional regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this guided journal. Except as specifically stated in this guided journal, neither the author or publisher, nor any authors, contributors, or other representatives will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this guided journal. This is a compre-hensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory; direct, indirect or consequential damages; loss of data, income or profit; loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties. You understand that this guided journal is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed medical, educational, legal or accounting profes-sional. Before you begin any change in your lifestyle in any way, you will consult a professional to ensure that you are doing what’s best for your situation. This guided journal provides content related to educational and psychological topics. As such, use of this guided journal implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

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DEDICATIONS

My Dear Andrea and Max,

I wrote this guided journal for you two. Another little challenge your dad placed on himself to show he’s never too old or young to be stupid, crazy and weird.

Since the day you were born, the world and myself put you in a box and put a label on it; the box where I thought you belonged, without strict religion, with-out pushing you to be the best at something, and with the knowledge of parent-ing that my parents showed me, mixed with new ideas from recent studies and some methodologies that appealed to me.

I know whatever I say or whatever your mom says you can or cannot do, will be forgotten before it sinks in. I hope you grow up with the ability to see beyond what people say you should be, including me. Analyze my actions in light of the world and the knowledge available to me at the time. Pick the good stuff from that and improve on the bad stuff you wish to avoid. You will live a life of new potential every day.

This guided journal is my attempt to show you that, with a little effort each day, you can become anything you want to be. Please don’t just dream about it. Move to action so you can fulfill your own purpose and smile on what life offers each day.

Dad

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CONTENTS

Copyright and Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Dedications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Three Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Reasons Why The 99 Day Challenge Is The Right Journal For You . . . . . 899 Challenges can be your guided journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Why does this journal work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Basic Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Growing happiness is based on strong and healthy habits . . . . . . . . . .16Why write as soon as you wake up? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17The power is in finishing in the evening with 3 minutes of journaling . . .18

The Week’s Preparation Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Declarations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21An Example of a Week’s Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Week’s Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Counting Kindness and Gratefulness Increases Happiness . . . . . . . . 24An Example of the Week’s Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

The Morning Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27The four minute morning routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28About getting over excited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Examples of how you can fill three lines of gratitude . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Moving ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Evening Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The evening routine allows use to visualize the path to change . . . . . . 34Three great things that happened today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34How could I have made today better? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35My random act of kindness was? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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The Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Example Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Fill in Your Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

The Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To all the people that smile each morning, welcoming a new day full of opportu-nity to change things for the better.

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THREE QUESTIONS

Do you want to invest 7 minutes a day to increase your happiness? Yes No

Would you like to make measurable progress, looking for a proven way to really move forward? Yes No

Do you want to increase your connection with the people around you? Yes No

If “Yes” is the answer to any of these questions, you have the right journal in your hands.

Step into the world of potential and happiness.

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7 REASONS WHY THE 99 DAY CHALLENGE IS THE RIGHT JOURNAL FOR YOU

1. Happiness is not a mystery but a science, and this guided journal helps you focus on the key elements that will increase your happiness.The science of happiness is not a secret. Research in positive psychology has made great progress in unraveling the key elements that increase happiness. This journal borrows heavily on elements from positive psychology, what we now know about happiness and the steps to increase it.

Guess what? Happiness is not increased by having more material things. But you know that already. That’s why you are holding this journal in your hands, you can decide to be happier and so you will be according to a study where peo-ple asked to focus on happiness were getting happier 1.

2. The vision of the best positive self is different for you, so we have built in flexibility to help you challenge and find yourself.You are awesome and you know it, although you might not say it out loud in front of the mirror each day (we’ll get there). But, you are also an individual and unique, so this guided journal is not a one size fits all kind of journal. It leaves space for your specific challenges and worldview. This journal is here to help you work on your best positive self.

3. Measuring happiness is possible. This journal is your journey and you will have a record of it.Your path in life has already been filled with amazing journeys. But without pictures, videos and stories you tend to forget how much you have grown as a person. This guided journal helps you look back on the days, weeks and months that you step-by-step took on this new challenge. This journey will be recorded for you and will help you to learn and grow. Being mindfull of your growth helps you happiness grow 2.

1 Yuna L. Ferguson and Kennon M. Sheldon, The Journal of Positive Psychology, Trying to be happier really can work: Two experimental studies, June 2012.2 Kirk Warren Brown and Richard M. Ryan of the University of Rochester, The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-Being, from Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003, Vol. 84, No. 4, 822–848

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3 Robert A. Emmons, University of California and Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami.

4. This journal is not for people who write journals, it’s a workbook for busy people who want to grow.The patience required sit down and write a journal is not for you. But we promise it will only take four minutes of your time in the morning and three minutes in the evening, and we can proof to you that your challenge can be an opportunity to move forward in just 99 days.

5. You will surprise yourself faster than you thought, since this journal will make daily suggestions that are close to your heart, they will feel good and you will forget how easy it has been to follow them.Happiness is a science, the science of positive psychology. But that does not mean we are still experimenting. We have the tools, thanks to 80 years of re-search, and you will receive a snippet of that research every day that will make an impact on the same day. This journal is your guide that offers suggestions as well as helping you make and monitor your progress. Keeping focus on your goals and adding gratitude to your journal make you more optimistic and hap-pier 3.

6. Waking up each morning is a gift with this journal you celebrate each day.The day passes by so quickly. You wake up, maybe start immediately connecting to the world on a social network and before you know it, you’re heading to bed the same as everyday. This journal will help you make sense of what happened this week, today, and your plans for tomorrow. You will wake up with a sense of comfort knowing that each day is a gift and you can unwrap it a thousand different ways.

7. This journal for those who want to make not only their life better, but who also want to improve their relationships.The journey to a better you starts with committing to 99 days of journaling. This guided journal makes the commitment easy and fun. The benefit of this journal’s structure is that you will have the opportunity to involve other people in your journey. Sharing daily experiences with the people close to you will im-prove the relationships you have with those that share your daily activities and achievements.

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“Happiness is a state of activity.

”Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics

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The 99 Days Challenge can be your guided journal if you choose to com-mit to get out of your comfort zone and dare to dive into the actions that make you happy.

There is so much time wasted starting something and not finishing it.Move beyond this page of no return and see you on the way to the end of this wonderful journey.

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WHY DOES THIS JOURNAL WORK?

“We first make our habits, then our habits make us.

”John Dryden

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WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ THAT INSPIRED YOU TO IMPROVE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE?

Remember how you made the mental note to implement the top three sugges-tions your new found guru offered you?

What happened with that book, your good intentions, the book before that, and the inspirational quote you posted on your profile last week?

Just reading a book and forming intent will not automatically make it so. 92% percent of New Year’s resolutions fail 4, and it’s not the intention that’s the problem. It’s primarily the specifics of the goal and habit that keeps a person from accom-plishing their goal.

Forming a new habit is difficult. Usually, 21 days after starting the first results have to become visible for the energy not to wear off. So, this guided journal has some extra checks built in around that time. However, you need to make it to that 21 days of investing seven minutes each day to begin receiving measurable results.

This guided journal works by setting a main challenge for you, then through the following 14 weekly cycles of:• A weekly preparation of your first of day of the week.• Seven individual day pages divided into two questions each morning and three

in the evening.• A weekly count of the impact you have had on your challenge.

The cycles help you form a habit each day that will rapidly improve your happi-ness, and when shared with others increase the happiness in your relationships.

4 Study 2008 S. Shapiro with the assistance of Opinion Research Corp. of Princeton N.J. under 1012 people from the United States of America. http://stephenshapiro.com/resolutions-that-work/

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THE 99 DAY CHALLENGE

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BASIC PRINCIPLES

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GROWING HAPPINESS IS BASED ON STRONGAND HEALTHY HABITS

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;watch your words, they become actions;watch your actions, they become habits;watch your habits, they become character;watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

” Frank Outlaw, 1977

The path to achieving your goals and increasing your happiness is simple, yet hard. It involves doing more of the things that increase happiness and fewer of the ones that make you unhappy. Where do you start with moving beyond just thinking the right thoughts and turning those thoughts into reality as de-scribed into the quote above?

The basic structure of this journal and The 99 Day Challenge is:Conceive and express your thoughts by finding the right and precise words to describe the goal you want to reach. The more precise you are, the easier it will be to transform those thoughts into actions. Pushing hard every day on ill-defined goals will move you no closer to those goals, although you will feel as though you’ve worked hard on thema.Believe and repeat the actions phrased in their completed form out loud every day or alternatively whisper them, or make the movements with your mouth. This will help embed them in your memory 5. You need to visualize each goal in enough detail that you will be able to almost smell, heard and taste the experi-ence that comes with the achievement of your goal.• Use as many senses in resisting the goals in their completed form by using

smell and touch while doing it (suggestion – spray a bit of perfume on this journal’s back cover).

• Set weekly a limited amount of objectives towards the goals that you will address that week.

• Achieve your goals by investing four minutes each morning in answering the two questions and reading the suggestion of the day.

• Analyze and repeat by investing three minutes each evening in remember-ing the past day and answer three short questions. This will create a way to

5 This is called the “production effect” by Art Markman, Ph.D. in Psychology Today.

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close the day’s learning and repeat your goals. Then celebrate the past day and prepare to improve on the next.

• Every week put aside a few of minutes to analyze the past week in the weekly summary provided.

If you would like to improve the relationships you have with others close to you, using the evening part of your daily journal can be an inspiring time to share your experiences with them. You will be surprised with how adding just an ad-ditional couple of minutes to your end of day ritual to share your answers with your significant other can improve your connection with them.

Why write as soon as you wake up?

Really how important is tapping your social likes onto your phone when you wake up? You are the one responsible for your happiness and your life. Taking control of that is the only way to make a positive change in your life.

It’s not always easy to get started, but you know that after a bit of practice, push-ing a little on the borders of your comfort zone can be a good thing. The first part of the day is still yours and yours alone. Before checking your email, your social networks, you have the chance to think about you and what you want. Nobody will ruin that moment, where you and you alone will be able to move your goals and your happiness forward.

Commit yourself to writing for these four minutes while you are still sleepy.Laugh at your drowsy mood and write that down in your morning journal.Had a rough night? write that down in your morning journal.

The results will be visible as early at 21 days. So, if you are unable to even stick with something for 21 days, for 4 minutes each morning to see results that are backed by science, how can you justify to yourself liking that cute kitten post, watching that 5 minute funny Youtube video and ever wonder why things are not moving forward in your life? Resisting forming positive habits can lead to depression, obesity and deteriorating relationships. Don’t go there.

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Write in your morning journal:

“People don’t want to blame things on themselves; they want other people to be held responsible for their lives. People get very angry at me because they’re very unhappy and they say, ‘Gee, if I only had the opportunity, if I only had the education.” “And I say, ‘Hey, those things don’t really matter. You’re responsible… as of right now. You can change your life.

”

Joe Karbo

The power is in finishing in the evening with 3 minutes of journaling

The evening questions are a wonderful closing to the day. Three minutes less TV or less checking your cell phone to invest in your well-being is something you deserve. The questions should not take you more than a couple of minutes, will help you reflect on your day and prepare you for tomorrow.

Force yourself to write these three minutes even when you are very tired.Watched the entire movie or the entire season? Do just 3 minutes of writing.Had a wonderful night and drank one too many? Write in down in your evening journal.

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

” Les Brown

You will find that ending with today’s great things that happened and remind yourself how your kindness made someone’s day. Those two answers will en-sure you close that day with positive vibes, ensures you’re to reminded about what your week objectives are, that you understand every day is a day you can move yourself forward, makes that little change in you and in the world.

The last moment of your journaling day allows you to reflect on how the day’s actions and feelings can impact tomorrow and encourages you to share your day’s wonderful moments with your significant other. Today will not end with only how you’ve impact on yourself and the world, but also on people closest to you. Congratulations! You are spreading happiness already.

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THE WEEK’S PREPARATIONEXAMPLE

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away

from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

”Mark Twain

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“Every successful person has overcome his drawbacks by making effective use of whatever time, energy, money, ideas, etc., he possessed. They knew it wasn’t what you had that counted ... but how effectively you used it.

” Joe Karbo’sThe Lazy Man’s Way To Riches

Your week starts with your decision on how it will go. The week will start with mak-ing an important step towards the goals you have set. The goals come from the commitment you make to yourself and wrote down at the beginning of the 99 Day Challenge. Understanding what to pursue is important. Although we focus a lot on gratitude, acts of kindness and reflection to make you aware of the daily habits that create happiness, you might have other goals. This journal has a special moment for this; the start of the week.

The “week’s preparation” is a moment for you to plan for your week. The four sec-tions of the upcoming week will help you get the most out of that week.

Preparation

Understand what you are trying to solve. Write down a short list of items you need to understand or read before you can make real action on the goal or goals. This can be list of tasks you need needed to move forward. This is your preparation in defining the exact goal(s) in all it’s (their) facets to start living the experience.

EXAMPLE: Signing the contract for the new sales manager and train her in com-pany procedures. Don’t forget to send her the demo videos and CRM logins so she can start preparing when she arrives. Ahhh, don’t forget the account logins that IT needs to send on her first day.

Experiences

Write down the exact experiences in detail and how you will complete them in re-gards what you expect to experience this week. Detail your goals and their completion in all details, paying special attention to fragrances, feelings, smiles and satisfaction the completed goal gives you. Living your achievements makes it easier to work hard for them, and also give you the pleasure of the achieving your goals a little bit now.

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EXAMPLE: I’m so happy that I forwarded that email to my sales manager. I feel relief knowing she can take care of this and it allows me to focus on reading this book on team building I didn’t have time for before. Man, it’s awesome to just sit here in the corner sofa of the coffee shop with a real book in my hand. The smell of coffee and the background chatter reminds me of the days I studied in a similar cafe. I remember now that being an entrepreneur is not all about working long hours. It’s also about offering trust to people in order or make room for my own personal growth which will benefit the entire company.

“You must make certain to give your subconscious only suggestions, which heal, bless, elevate, and inspire you in all your ways. Remember that your subcon-scious mind cannot take a joke. It takes you at your word.

” Joseph MurphyThe Power of Your Subconscious Mind

Declarations

To gain this experience, the most important part of the week starts with your dec-laration of the experience in its completed form. You need to formulate things that are part of that experience. These declarations are not meant as things to obtain, but to confirm them as a quality that you already possess will help you train your brain. The subconscious mind takes whatever you give it as fact, so feeding it with doubt, self-pity or wishes returns nothing more than what you put in there: doubt, self-pity or wishes. Offering it future desires as current facts and it will assume that you have them.

EXAMPLE: I am trustworthy and I offer people my trust. I’m able to relax when I want and focus when I need to. Both help me greatly with my personal development.

These declarations and experiences can be both read daily in the morning and evening if you would like to speed up the process of making these goals happen for you. In no way am I’m saying here that they will just materialize out of thin air, or that the universe will bring it to you. It simple feeds you body and mind healthy things and stops feeding it the junk food that is preventing you from hav-ing a healthier body and happier mind.

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AN EXAMPLE OF A WEEK’S PREPARATION

The best start for your week is looking at your commitment to your 99 Day Challenge and prepare this week to be the best person you can be and undertake milestones that will move you forward. For your week’s preparation you can focus on some of the per-sonal or business goals you had in mind for your 99 Day Challenge. Below an example of a “Week’s Preparation” on how my own first week, where I focused on: Improving my team’s independence, their reporting skills and my bad habit of micro-management.

Preparations

I went over Slack, my team’s meeting summaries and emails of the last four weeks to see what questions arose and found things like: budget questions of something in their own circle (that’s how we call teams). In addition, I found people assigned their circle team members new roles that were not document-ed anywhere. This made me feel nervous and I stepped in several times to correct things in the teams (here I’m micro-managing).

Experiences

I feel grateful that the Holocracy is already working out for us. It’s given me more time to focus on finishing this journal and I’m really happy that the team is already having their key metrics uploaded and are present at the weekly meetings. I feel really excited. Really feeling bubbles in my stomage that I’ll be traveling within weeks and meeting new people that will give me even more ideas to make my company better. I’m writing this chapter at Indigo Beach, my favorite restaurant in Playa del Carmen Mexico, seeing my son play at the beach and having nice friends with us that make me feel blessed.

Declarations

* I trust people and people trust me with their fears, feelings and doubts. * I am proud to be vulnerable. It helps me process my problems and fears as well makes me approachable to others. * I trust my team with their decisions and I trust my decisions are the best ones I can make at the time.

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THE WEEK’S SUMMARY

“When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.

”

Steve MaraboliUnapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

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COUNTING KINDNESS AND GRATEFULNESSINCREASES HAPPINESS

The strong link between happiness in counting and recalling kindness and gratitude has been discussed in many studies 6. We cannot ignore the simple fact that, when we see a picture of our childhood’s good moments, the bad memories tend to slip away with each remembrance of a good memory.

In the weekly summary of your activities, acts of kindness and happy moments reinforce the good parts of you. Even though some people struggle with this idea, the majority of our day we are kind and helpful. The 1% of our day where we struggle with patience, kindness and people around us gets most of our focus.

“When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.

” Thomas S. Monson

Being kind to others seems a virtue to strive for, but in my experience this is easier when being kind to yourself first. The week’s summary takes less than 5 minutes to do and will help you relive the better parts of your previous week, filling you with energy for the next week’s preparations on your journey to ful-fill your purpose. The questions below we recommend evaluating a day before you fill the page for “Week’s Preparation”. The first week we don’t reflect on the previous week, but the remaining 13 weeks you will find this page after the 7th day.

Research indicate that counting kindness indicates that happiness increased 7 so at first we ask you to give a summary of no more than eight words each of the 10 of the great things that happened over the week and rate them with one to 10 stars.

6 Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Lyubomirsky, Sonja; Sheldon, Kennon M.; Schkade, David. Review of General Psychology, Vol 9(2), Jun 2005, 111-131 and Counting One’s Blessings Can Reduce the Impact of Daily Stress byIzabela Krejtz, John B. Nezlek, Anna Michnicka, Paweł Holas and Marzena Rusanowska

7 Keiko Otake of Department of Psychology Tohoku Gakuin University in study: Happy people become happi-er through kindness: counting kindnesses interventions

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We already filled the first 6 stars for you, since great moments don’t get worse then 6 stars, now do they? Then work out a total of your happiness score to keep progress of how you are doing.

The seven day structure allows you to use this journal not only for work, but also offers you the opportunity to improve your relationship with your significant other, family and friends over the 99 days we help you establish your new habits. Remember that although our general mood levels and well-being are partially determined by factors like genetics and upbringing, roughly 40 percent of our happiness is within our control, according experts 8 this journal is a good step in increasing happiness.

The second question on your weekly summary is to describe how you felt with some of your acts of kindness and for the last question of the week’s summary we ask you to describe your week’s progress in three words.

8 Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, University of California-Riverside psychology professor in book, The How of Happi-ness.

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AN EXAMPLE OF THE WEEK’S SUMMARY

The best way to finish your week is spend five minutes of time to measure how much you have moved forward. We ask you to spend these extra minutes during your weekend. If you want you can skip one day in the weekend if you feel that your three minutes in the morning, three minutes in the evening and the additional five minutes are too much to invest in yourself (aka 11 minutes a day on the weekend).

What were your 10 greatest moments of this week?

Describe your feelings after a specific act of kindness

I felt nice when walking back home from work. I guessed the tourist was kind of lost with his backpack and looking at Google Maps on his mobile. What star ted out a bit awkward turned into a nice chat and me walking him 20 minutes through town, showing him some of the nice local restaurants. I went out of my way to let him experience the city friendliness and taking the time to walk him around. It’s fun when you unplug the headset and notice other people more… surprise…

Describe Your Week’s Progress in Three Words

1. No Cellphone 2. Surprises 3. Connected

Great Moments – Short summary 1. Bumped into an old friend 2. Listened to girlfriend’s journal day 3. Put phone away and played with son 4. New team member got full time contract 5. Was able to meditate for 12 minutes 6. Was done 2 hours early on Monday 7. Spend an hour talking to colleague 8. Walked with a tourist and found him hotel 9. Attended energy healing (out comfor t zone) 10. Helped at a community garden project

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THE MORNING ROUTINE

“Every morning we are born again.What we do today is what matters most.

”Buddha

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THE FOUR MINUTE MORNING ROUTINE

Our brains are naturally predisposed to look for the downside of many aspect of life, but when we practice being aware of the positive we can overcome this unhelpful point of view. We can however, teach ourselves to frame out life with optimism, and therefore create the happiness we are seeking. It doesn’t take much, only four min-utes a day is enough to retrain your brain and set free all the best things in your life.

Now, where is the best place to start? Reflecting on Gratitude.

Writing is something that not only takes focus, it also reinforces the ideas you put down. And when you focus on people, things or events that have made you feel good, you reinforce the connections in your brain that relate to those good feelings, and when this focus is repeated again and again, our brains make stronger connec-tions, so such feelings can be experienced more easily.

This is why, after you awake every morning you should start the day by saying, “I am grateful for…” and follow up with three things that you are sincerely grateful for.

You see both expressing sincere gratitude can have a profound effect not only have a profound effect on your life; it will affect the people around you as well. Reflect-ing on what you are grateful opens us up to our positive emotions; we suffer less stress, feel more alive, enjoy sleep that is more restful, improve your immune system and can offer more compassion and kindness to those around us.

Feeling grateful shouldn’t be reserved for just for special occasions. We all feel grateful when a marriage proposal is accepted or we receive a large bonus at work, but it also helps to be thankful for little things, like our nightly meal or the affection of our favorite pet.

Research has been done on this, and show that by regularly putting down simple recollections of the moments that we feel grateful in a diary or journal can improve our satisfaction with our life and noticeably improve our overall well being.

“It’s really not that difficult to be happy. You just have to be grateful and espe-cially appreciate what you do have now. The rest will come, my dear.

”Fasela Oosterwolde

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In order to foster this ingrained well being it helps to keep an eye out and think about what you have to be grateful for each and every day and make sure to write it down. Such focus and reminding yourself with this gratitude journaling effects to gradually alter the way we experience life by changing how we focus on the situations we find ourselves in.

How to gain the best and most enduring benefits? Don’t merely focus on the most obvious and repeat. Simply putting down “I’m grateful for my lover/spouse/ chil-dren” is probably exactly how you feel, but only focusing that will limit the new connections you are building and won’t help out you recognize new and unex-pected moments of gratitude you can experience. Recognize and write down those individual and specifically meaningful moments, like “my husband knew I’d had a rough week at work, so he made sure to take care of all the chores so I could have a relaxing weekend” or “my sister knew my favorite musician would be in town on tour, and surprised me with tickets she’d bought months ago to his sold out show so that we could go together.”

As great as that is, remember to also look beyond the obvious and close to home. The outside world you pass through everyday offers numerous opportunities for you to deepen your gratitude practice. You just need to expand your awareness, glancing not just ahead but all around you. It can be a challenge, or a game for you to notice new things that you otherwise would have overlooked.

About getting over excited

The payback from being grateful can be a wonderful thing, as it encourages us to both start and continue making the changes that will improve our lives. But, un-derstand that it may take time to ingrain a new habit like this. You may fall back into stressing or worrying when at times you might find yourself too exhausted or distracted in the evening when it comes to your evening journaling routine. That’s all right, you can lose momentum, and that’s when mental contrasting can help. This is a technique that allows us to be optimistic about what a new habit can provide us, while understanding that in the real world we can’t accomplish all our goals at once. Obstacles can get in the way, and recognizing them can encour-age us to put in a little more effort to overcome them. So, if it is unrealistic for you to schedule your journaling at night, then morning may be the best time for you.

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EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU CAN FILL THREE LINES OF GRATITUDE:

I am grateful for:

1. My parents continuing suppor t that they have given me since I was a child

2. All the musicians and ar tists that fill my life with beauty

3. Communication tools that helps me keep in touch and meet new friendsacross the planet

“When life gets hectic and you feel overwhelmed, take a moment to focus on the people and things you are most grateful for. When you have an attitude of gratitude, frustrating troubles will fall by the wayside.

” Dana Arcuri,Harvest of Hope: Living Victoriously Through Adversity, A 50-Day Devotional

Here some other thoughts on people, places or things to be thankful for:

* The family member that challenges your patience and your view of how theworld should be and your concept of the depth of your love you have for them.* For how the bus station is laid out so that you have to hust le to meet yourconnection every day.* How just the variation of spices and sauces can make what might appearto be the same meal a completely different and unique experience.* For me, when I am are stumped, the internet and its denizens can help mefind exact ly what I are looking for or take you on a fascinating journey to aplace I never expected existed.

Moving ahead

Understanding what you want right now helps you concentrate on achieving happiness. Of course, there are many distractions. The flow of message into your email inbox can be a torrent. People and situations both fun and worrisome

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compete for your attention. So, make sure you write down what you want and what you need to make it happen as soon as it comes to mind and before you wade into your ever-busy life. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you get down these things before the rest of the days problems and necessities takes a hold of your life.

A few ideas of what you might put down:

* There is a task that needs to be taken care of. You know that you willbe frantic if you leave it to the last minute, so get it done early so you canrest your mind.* There are a lot of new TV shows that are premiering next month, makesure you can schedule your time so that you don’t forget to catch the onesyou want to see.* I have many stressful meetings coming up next week, so I will clear mylunches to head to the garden to meditate every day.

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THE EVENING ROUTINE

“Stop walking through the motions of a conditioned routineand start consciously taking action on your visualized intent.

”Steve Maraboli

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THE EVENING ROUTINE ALLOWS US TO VISUALIZE THE PATH TO CHANGE

Meditation

Meditation can sound mystical and “not for me”, but during your daily routine we suggest you take 3-5 minutes to find a comfortable spot (this can be your desk), close your eyes, focus on your breath and try to relax, just following the natural breath rhythm, not judging, letting your mind wander, but smiling when it happens and refocus your breath. Science has proven that meditation works great9 and with every other day tips we hope you find your way to a couple of minutes of peace a day.

Meditation is useful regardless of gender, culture, age, religion or race, and for this reason, meditation is a universal practice that joins the fabric of peaceful existence with oneself and with others together. I, therefore, figured that med-itation should not be just an abstract procedure without any guide on how to conduct a session. Though there is no stated way of meditating, some elements become clear with each method taken in pursuit of reflection and quiet time with one’s thoughts. These elements form the backbone for the following detailed suggested methodologies of meditation inclusive of all gender and spanning over all cultures.

“Praise and esteem can feel good, which is fine, but don’t look to them for inner peace and lasting happiness.

”

Allan Lokos, Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living

Three great things that happened today…

Going over the day in a relaxed setting allows you to playback the tape of your day and remind yourself of what the good things happened during the day. The day is full of little details that were magnificent and, after a couple of days journ-aling, you might even notice these things while they happen. Training ourselves to see and remember the great things that happen each day allows us to recollect them at will and live more in “the moment” and not for the future or in the past.

9 Physical Activity, Mindfulness Meditation, or Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback for Stress Reduction: A Randomized Controlled Trial by Judith Esi van der Zwan, Wieke de Vente, Anja C. Huizink, Susan M. Bogels, Esther I. de Bruin pubished 2015 in Springerlink

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Some examples of things you could write down are:

* The girl in the shop was so nice, bringing my jacket to the back and doingher best to remove the stain from the coffee spill. I almost felt embarrassedsince I dropped the cup. It was very sweet of her.* I found a coin in the park today near the children’s playground and itreminded me of a story where someone dropped coins on purpose at a needychildren’s playground so the kids could find the treasure. I left the coin anddropped three more for the kids to discover them.* A client wrote me that they were really happy with our product. I printedher email and taped it on the coffee machine and many more smiles followed.

How could I have made today better?

There is no need to beat yourself up over things that did not go well during the day. See if you can add one learning moment for today and write it down. Improvement will get you closer to your envisioned experiences and show your growth to your self-declared new you. Some ideas are:* I noticed empty cans on the beach and thought it would have been easyto pick them up, I left them there. I’ll make an effor t next time.* Driving home I didn’t pay attention to the road and someone cut me off. I guess if I paid attention it wouldn’t have happened. I won’t blow my hornnext time and will instead try and be more patient, especially when it’smost likely my fault anyway.

My random act of kindness was?

The journal offers you a daily suggestion, but you can use your creativity through surprising a fellow citizen. Some ideas are:* Write a note of appreciation to a colleague today.* Give another driver your parking spot.* Buy an inspirational book for a friend.

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THE COMMITMENT

“There is nothing better in life than commitment topersonal development and lifelong learning.

”Lailah Gifty Akita

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EXAMPLE COMMITMENT

I Dennis van der Heijden commit to write daily in this guide for four minutes every morning and three minutes every evening from August 1st onward for the next 99 days. On the weekend I will find pleasure in write my weekly summary and the next week’s preparation because I really want to make this change in my life

When I finish the first seven days and the summary for the week I will reward myself by: Taking myself to dinner at my favorite pizza place

When I don’t finish the first seven days and the summary for the week I promise to: Drink water instead of soda, for the entire next weekend

I will do the following three things to help me write in the journal every day:1. Put the journal under my pillow after I finish writing in the morning2. Share each evening, talking about my day with my girlfriend3. Set my alarm for 15 minutes earlier star ting tomorrow

My 99 Day Challenge Is:Build trust in my team so I can take a 16 day vacation while not checking my email

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Fill in Your Commitment

I commit to write daily in this guide for four minutes every morning and three minutes every evening from onward for the next 99 days. On the weekend I Wwill find pleasure in writing my weekly summary and the next week’s preparation because

When I finish the first seven days and the summary for the week I will reward myself by:

When I don’t finish the first seven days and the summary for the week I promise to:

I will do the following three things to help me write in the journal every day:1.2.3.

My 99 Days Challenge is:

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“All things are ready, if our mind be so.

”

William Shakespeare, Henry V

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THE JOURNAL

“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.

”Pat Conroy

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“Of course there must be lots of Magic in the world,” he said wisely one day, “but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning

is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen. I am going to try and experiment.

”

Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

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WEEK’S PREPARATION

Preparations

Experiences

Declarations

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Random act of kindness tip

I am grateful for:

1.

2.

3.

What will I do today to move forward?

Day: Date: / /20

Make the day for someone by buying them breakfast or lunch. Feel free to decide who you’d buy this lunchtr. It may be just someone you meet on the street. Feel free to invite anyone.

Exercise for the day: Crunches

This exercise involves lifting up the shoulders towards the roof in a slow controlled manner without flapping the arms or nodding the head. This is repeated for three minutes.

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Meditation tip

Three great things that happened today:

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2.

3.


My random act of kindness was:

Set up a schedule before getting started. This should help you to keep your mind ready and in anticipation for each session.

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I am grateful for:

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The best way to spread a message of kindness is simply the same way you don’t wait for people to be friendly; you show them how. Start your morning by smiling and saying hi to anyone you meet over the first three hours of your day.

Exercise for the day: Planks

Bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Hold the position for as long as you can. Your goal should be to hold it for two minutes.

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Meditation tip


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Choose the best time for your meditation. The best time is neither when your stomach is full or on an empty stomach. Concentration is essential for meditation, and those extremes will not help with your concentration.

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I am grateful for:

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Contribute acts of charity. For instance, by assisting someone financially or by tipping a bit more than usual, with a little note written on the back of the bill.

Exercise for the day: The fist pump

His exercise involves making two fists and start fist punching the air while alternating be-tween your arms. Do this for at least a minute or longer if you can. This exercise is particular-ly easy when you listen to motivational music at the same time. or more while dancing an imaginary music by rocking the waist.

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Meditation tip


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Define the distractions that are prevalent in your environment. Identify any hurdles that may keep you from experiencing true quiet and peace within your defined place of mediation.

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I am grateful for:

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Be sure to say a kind word to at least one person you meet where you live. Don’t necessarily flatter them, just take a couple of moments to find something you admire about them and share it.

Exercise for the day: Bicycles

Lying on the facing upwards, the shoulder and the knee opposite each other are lifted simultaneously and then the other shoulder and knee. This is done continuously such that it looks like one is cycling.

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Meditation tip


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Develop anticipation for your sessions. Appreciate the need for anticipating a session. It will help your mind prepare your whole body, both mentally and physically. This helps to get you into shape for your session.

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I am grateful for:

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Be sure to be kind to the person behind you in line at the gas station, toll booth, coffee shop or lunch place. You could pay for something the next person in line is ordering. A free cup of coffee can make your day.

Exercise for the day: Burpees

Involves swift movement from standing, then squatting and ends up in the pushup position. This is done rapidly and continuously for 3-5 minutes.

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Meditation tip


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The value in keeping calm. Keeping calm is a virtue that you need to embrace. Even in the worst of situations, it is imperative that you maintain your cool at all times. By keeping calm, you will gain a better perspective of whatever situation you may find yourself in.

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I am grateful for:

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Helping someone who is in need never goes unrewarded. Maybe today you can offer someone your better seat on the bus, train, at the restaurant, on a plain or at the cinema.

Exercise for the day: Running up stairs

This involves simple running up and down the stairs either at home or in the office, though with caution to avoid tripping and falling.

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Meditation tip


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Maintaining a clear mind. A clear mind is the avenue that opens up new channels to how we can solve problems. Keeping the mind in an open state also ensures you are in shape and motivated to deal with situations as they arise. Going forward, a clear mind will help you become more adaptive to changes in your environment.

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I am grateful for:

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Go out your way to help as soon as the chance offers itself. For instance, give away some clothing to some one who is without. There are plenty of people who would appreciate clothes you have not worn for the last 24 months.

Exercise for the day: High knees

This exercise involves running while engaging the core and pumping the arms. The knees must be kept as high as possible and the upright stature be main-tained.

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Meditation tip


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Appreciate the art of reflection. Create a connection with the past through re-flection. Let your mind flow freely in reflection. Try to feel every emotion that comes with each moment and make peace with these moments.

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Congratulations, You Made it to Day 7!

“The best time to begin keeping a journal is whenever you decide to.

”Hannah Hinchman.

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WEEK’S SUMMARY




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Great Moments – Short summary1. 2.3.4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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Reread page 39!, then reward yourself

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Preparations

Experiences

Declarations

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I am grateful for:

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Think about what you say to others. Do not be rude to anyone, nor say anything unkind. The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid.

Exercise for the day: Walking lunges

This involves simple walking on lunges for about 3 minutes. The walk should be brisk but care should be taken to prevent the knees and ankles from staining.

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Meditation tip


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Breathe regularly. Listen to your breathing and flow with it, allowing it to be as natural as possible. As you are doing this, try to loosen up and connect to the virtual world created within the rhythm of breath and reflection.

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I am grateful for:

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When faced with a reason to be unkind or if you are tempted to say something unkind halt and swallow those words for, “no one has ever harmed his stomach by swallowing evil words”, Winston Churchill.

Exercise for the day: Lateral hops

This exercise involves small jumps from one side to the other and back as though one is jumping over a rope.

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Meditation tip


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Exercise patience. Be patient with yourself and with your experiences. Do not rush yourself into meditation. Instead, let it happen smoothly and freely. Control your level of anticipation. This should help your swift transportation through the sessions.

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I am grateful for:

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Being kind does not mean doing something that is extra magnanimous. A simple nod to someone is kindness enough. Robert Brault said that “if today you can’t be anything else to anybody, you can be the passing stranger who nodded hello”.

Exercise for the day: Jump squatting

This exercise starts with a regular squat that is followed by jumping up explosively. Upon landing, the body is lowered back into the squatting position and the procedure is re-peated.

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Meditation tip


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Be true to yourself. Do not mask or run away from any feelings that you may experience. Eliminate all fears; this way they will not hinder you. Embrace your true feelings and appreciate the experiences they create.

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I am grateful for:

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Be there to console a person who might feel they are not worthy to be alive. Be there for a person who thinks that the world is unfair to them. Just by being there to listen and offer sympathy can work wonders.

Exercise for the day: Box step

In this exercise, a box, a stool or an imaginary object can be used. The left toes are tapped on the box and then the person jumps to switch the feet on the box. This is rapidly repeated severally.

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Meditation tip


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Strive to be honest. Honesty is the instrument that helps build the relationship between you and your environment. The mutual concepts of trust and honesty that you can enjoy with your fellow humans is a key factor that will unveil the secrets of true happiness.

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I am grateful for:

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Visit, write or call someone who is sick. There is always someone in your circle who could use a warm cup of coffee, tea or a warm conversation to perk up his or her lonely day.

Exercise for the day: Frogger

This involves a simple plank to squat technique that in-volves jumping the feet to the outside of the hands from a plank position. With the hands kept on the floor, the person jumps back to the plank position and the proce-dure is repeated.

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Meditation tip


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Stay simple. This is a not only self-explanatory, it is also straightforward. It calls for the simple idea of holding everything in the right weight accorded to it, as is deemed reasonable. Simplicity helps you to see things as they are.

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I am grateful for:

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Donate food or offer to help those who the world seems to have turned its back on. To them, the world is full of people who couldn’t care less. “Be that someone who couldn’t care more”.

Exercise for the day: Dance

Pick two of the favorite songs and dance to them through-out the songs to the end. One song can be slower and the other much faster in rhythm.

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Meditation tip


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Do not hold back. Loosen up completely to the power of meditation. Do not be afraid to explore yourself. Dig deep into the self, but cautiously, to levels you have the confidence in your ability to handle.

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I am grateful for:

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Offer a listening ear to someone in need; anyone who really needs someone to listen to them. Be that listener they can turn to. Epictetus once said that, “we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”.

Exercise for the day: Rope jumping/skipping

One jumps a rope by himself or through assistance of own or two other people. This is an excellent exercise on the cardiovascular system.

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Meditation tip


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Minimize expectations. When getting into meditation, it is advisable that you en-gage yourself with minimal expectations. Too much expectation can cause anxi-ety and consequently may distract you from the process. This can be detrimental to the overall purpose of meditation; you may end up not achieving anything.

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WEEK’S SUMMARY




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Preparations

Experiences

Declarations

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I am grateful for:

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Be grateful to those that have been kind to you. As the Malayan proverb goes, “one can pay back a loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind”.

Exercise for the day: Shoveling snow or raking the leaves

This may look like a normal routine chore but I help in exer-cising the chest and hand muscles.

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Meditation tip


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Make it part of your life. Meditation should not be a one-day thing. It should be a habit that becomes an integral part of your schedule. Include meditation as part of your daily activities the same way that you allocate time for other things.

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I am grateful for:

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Try to understand and be considerate to people and the problems they face. Marian Wright Edelman once said that, “being considerate to others will take your children further in life than any college degree”.

Exercise for the day: Jumping jacks

Standing with the feet together and the arms down the side of the body; the feet are jumped out to the sides and the arms up above the head at the same time. The motion is then reversed and is repeated several times without break.

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Meditation tip


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Meditation is not limited to space or time. Do not cower from breaking the laws of space and time. Unshackle yourself from these limitations by understanding the nature of meditation and the true purpose of alleviating yourself from that which binds you.

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I am grateful for:

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You can randomly help your neighbor mow their lawn once in a while, surprise them with a gift or do something for them out of love. We’ve been told countless times to love thy neighbor, and if it requires that you bend your understanding of truth, then truth will understand.

Exercise for the day: The secret handshake

While seated up with the feet flat on the floor, one clasp the hands together as if in a handshake then pulls and resists the opposing motion from both hands. The hands are held in that position for 10-15 seconds then the procedure is repeated.

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Meditation tip


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Posture. Different forms of meditation advocate certain postures. However, it is not a necessity to remain in any given posture if you aren’t feeling comfortable and relaxed. However, it is essential that you learn various forms of meditation and the postures used to achieve them.

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I am grateful for:

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Visit orphan children in children’s homes and similar places. Be there for them when they are in distress. Remember every day that you should reach out and touch someone. Bringing a children’s book and just reading a story can work wonders.

Exercise for the day: Leg lifts

Lie down facing upwards with the legs close to each other. The legs are then lifted straight up and brought to the tummy. The legs are then put down slowly as they are stretched in opposite directions and then brought to the tummy. The procedure is repeated severally.

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Meditation tip


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Discover yourself. The journey of meditation also includes understanding oneself. This includes what you like or what you do not like. Learn as much as possible about yourself and how to use this new knowledge about yourself to enhance how you conduct your sessions.

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I am grateful for:

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Reach out to people who have suffered through a natural catastrophe; for in-stance, the Haiti earthquake, which caused much human suffering. Be there for them to fight the hardest battle for them. John Watson said, “be kind, for every-one you meet is fighting a hard battle”.

Exercise for the day: Superman exercise

One lies flat facing downwards with both legs and hands stretched straight. The chest and thighs are then lifted off the ground simultaneously such that one remains balanced on the tummy. This is repeated severally.

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Meditation tip


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Learn the various techniques. The process of meditation can be conducted through various techniques. Focus, for instance, is an elemental meditation. While focusing, you may learn that, for you, soft focus delivers the best results. This is the value of exploring various techniques.

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I am grateful for:

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Buy a card and write to someone, maybe unknown to you, then drop it in one of the mailboxes of the homes you pass by each day to work.

Exercise for the day: Inverted V pipe

One lies down facing downwards and placing the toes on the towel. The hands are placed on the ground such that the body is balanced on the toes and the hands. The legs are then pulled close to the body to form a V shape then the legs are pushed away from the hands and the procedure is repeated.

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Meditation tip


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Drop your worries. Sometimes we worry over what turns out to be insignificant details, but cumulatively becomes a hindrance.

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I am grateful for:

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Tell your story, or do something to help someone who might have found them-selves in the same situation elsewhere. Use your story to inspire others elsewhere, because in life “you are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say”.

Exercise for the day: Single leg lift jump

Stand straight and lift one leg off the ground. The hands should try to touch the ground while the leg is up. This is done while jumping on the single foot. The procedure is then repeated.

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Meditation tip


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Living life freely. Make sure to live life fully and reduce your worries. This way meditation will become not only complementary but also very effective.

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WEEK’S SUMMARY




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Preparations

Experiences

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I am grateful for:

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Offer an hour of your expertise today to a local TimeBank and give it to someone who will appreciate it but most likely would have been able to afford to hire you by the hour. We all have unique expertise and sharing it is a gift to the world.

Exercise for the day: Push-up and knee kick

Lie down flat on the ground and does one push up and then bring the left knee forward to touch the left elbow, then the right knee to the right elbow and this is repeated severally.

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Meditation tip


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An occasional smile. A smile helps. A happy heart inspires a clear system and good energy. A positive vibe will go a long way in helping you share in the joys of life.

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I am grateful for:

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Help as many people as you come across in this life. Do what is in your power to make sure that no one suffers under your watch. Zig Ziglar once said, “you can have everything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want in life”.

Exercise for the day: The nape shaper

The head is held in the hands and the palms are pressed into the forehead. The backward motion is resisted through engaging the neck muscles. The hands are then clasped behind the back of the head, trying to push the head backwards. The motion is also resisted with the hands. This is repeated severally.

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Meditation tip


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Have a timing mechanism. For instance, a count helps keeps track of an activity, yet doesn’t cause distraction. Sometimes a count helps you relax your mind to as it slips into another place.

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I am grateful for:

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Learn to be truthful and honest. Try to offer genuine compliments today to people that are not flattery. It will be easy to find something to admire in a person when you look closely.

Exercise for the day: Bent leg rotating

One stands upright and places the hands on the back of the head. The left leg is then lifted bent and lifted toward the waist. The leg is then rotated with the knee bent to form circular motions. The other leg can also be used in the procedure and this can be done for the five minutes.

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Meditation tip


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Understand when it is productive to use a timing mechanism. A timer may be a good thing, but it can also become counterproductive if it pulls you out of your meditation to glance at the time. This causes loss of concentration, which is not good.

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I am grateful for:

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Be sure to accept any faults that may come your way. It is always good to learn from the errors that we make as human beings. Never lay blame others for your own mistakes. Practice vulnerability today and admit one error.

Exercise for the day: Glute Bridge

It involves lying flat with the knees bent and the feet placed flat on the floor. The hips are then raised such that the body forms a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. The left knee is then raised upwards towards the chest and then lowered. This is repeated with the right knee and the cycle continues.

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Avoid overstressing. You should not push your body to its limits while meditat-ing. For instance, avoid sitting for longer than you can bear.

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Treat people as they should be treated, not as they merely are. Because in treating them as they should be confers them the power to be what they should be. Em-power someone today.

Exercise for the day: Skater Hops

It involves standing straight while resting the body’s weight on the right leg with the hips and knees bent slightly. The right knee ankle is then extended and the person jumps forward towards the left and lands on the ball of the left foot while bending the knees and hips slightly. The jump is continued using alternate legs.

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Designate a place for meditation. It is important that you set up a place for your-self that is specifically for meditation. This place should be quiet and away from the distractions of normal life. It will also help that it is in a location with plenty of free-flowing air.

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Use post-it’s today to put little notes on people’s computer screens at work, in the library and at coffee shops when they step away from the computer.

Exercise for the day: Rotating T extension

One sits in a pushup position and the arms straightened the weight of the body is then shifted from both the arms to the left arm only and then the torso is rotated to the right. The right hand is then held up straight and one looks at the right palm for the body to form a T shape. This is repeated on the other side of the body.

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Learning to work with your emotions. For the most part we learn to work with our emotions in order to help us to keep moving forwards. Thus, it is essential for you to learn to work with your emotions from the start.

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Drop some coins in the children’s playground, It will make the day for the finder of your treasure.

Exercise for the day: Alternative lunge

A person stands straight with the left leg forward and the knees are bent to lower the body. The heel of the left foot is then pressed through to return to the initial position and then the left foot is immediately moved back and lowered into a lunge. The right foot is then pressed through to return to the standing position. The procedure is repeated.

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Learn to awaken to new possibilities. This involves opening up your mind to seeing the other sides of things, not as simply as they appear in front of us but also seeing beyond.

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You can let someone else have your seat, relax and enjoy your comforts. A Chi-nese proverb says, “a bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses”.

Exercise for the day: Stationary jog

This is the jogging that is done without changing position (running while not moving). It is important that the jog starts with a slow swinging of the hips and then picks up slowly to the level where the knees are lifted up the chest for effective results.

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Learn to work with your senses. Different forms of meditation take advantage of your heightened body senses to deliver peace and oneness. Sight, hearing, phys-ical sensations and the like contribute hugely to good meditation. Employ your senses fully.

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Offer to pay bus fare for someone at the bus station. Someone said, “the best way to knock the chip off your neighbor’s shoulder is to pat him on the back”.

Exercise for the day: Inverted shoulder press

One begins in a pushup position with hand placed wider than the shoulder-width apart. The feet are then moved the hands and the hips are raised to form an inverted V. The elbows are then bent till the head almost touches the floor and the procedure is repeated several times.

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Feeling the energy. This is known as energy meditation. It is the art of harness-ing the energy of love and compassion and allowing our hearts to feel these emotions to the true depths of their meaning.

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Walk with someone who does not have an umbrella on a rainy or very sunny day. Mary Engelbreit said, “open your heart, open it wide; someone is standing outside”.

Exercise for the day: Reverse Lunges

One stands with the feet spread the shoulder-width apart. He then steps back with the left leg and drops the knee down. The person then rotates with the right leg and the procedure is repeated.

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Heighten the intensity of your sessions over time. With getting used to medita-tion comes the need for improving how you meditate. It calls for intensifying your sessions, increasing the level of focus and discovering yourself anew each time.

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Help push someone in a wheelchair down the street. Because that is what kind-ness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they cannot, but be-cause you can.

Exercise for the day: Lying dumbbell

One lies on an elevated surface such as a bench with a weighted item on each hand. The weighted objects are brought up and down several times. This can be done with imaginary weights on each hand.

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Define your limits. Life is governed by the limitations we set for ourselves. It is therefore important that you define your limits and learn how to set boundaries.

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Offer a hand to a blind person and help them to cross the street. Ask them if they need help and how they prefer to be helped.

Exercise for the day: Pushups

One lies flat on a flat surface with the body fully stretched. The hands ate spread slightly past the shoulder-width and rested on the surface. The whole body is then lifted off the ground with the hands, maintaining the straight posture. This is repeated severally.

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Let other people know. This should help them understand you, and on the same note, help them aide you in your meditation quest.

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Take dishes off the dining room table and help wash them. Thomas Fuller said, “If thou are a master, be sometimes blind; if a servant, sometimes deaf”.

Exercise for the day: Desk squat

One turns the back on a bench or a surface that is past the knee height and below the waist. The person then holds the bench on his back using both hand and lifts himself up straight. He then pushes himself downward to a squatting position and the proce-dure is repeated.

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Enjoy yourself while in meditation. It is a time to be in bliss with yourself and the environment. Let the process be one that you have been be yearning to expe-rience. Enjoy yourself while you’re at it.

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When you walk outside try to pick-up five things you consider garbage, then throw them in the nearest trash can. Maintaining a clean street is everyone’s work.

Exercise for the day: Swing-ups

While lying on the ground facing up, feet flat and knees bent, swing the extended arms forward raising the torso so as to touch the wrists towards the knees. The arms are then extended overhead as the torso lowered back to the ground. The procedure is repeated several times.

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Join others. If it is possible, you should join a group of other meditators. Share in their experience and enrich yourself and in the process, learning their ways and techniques.

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For a change, thank the garbage collector or street sweeper for their work in keeping your neighborhood clean. You will be surprised how rarely they hear these simple words of praise.

Exercise for the day: Air squats

At a standing position with the feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward, keep the weight of the body on the heels and use the arms to bal-ance. Move upwards while dropping the crease of the hip below the kneecap and driving upward through the heels to stand back to the original positions with the hips now extended. Repeat this several times.

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Adopt meditation as a lifestyle. It should be part of your lifestyle, rather than an occasional habit. Making meditation a lifestyle means integrating it with your life and letting it be a part of your life as a whole.

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Offer to drop someone off at his or her place when going home. Do not be like the people who will hide their careless character in the, “I am minding my business paradigm”. Robert Brault says, “there’s a lot of not caring that goes under the name of minding your own business”. Do not be a victim.

Exercise for the day: Split-squat jumps

Holding the feet at hip-width apart, the right leg is stepped back two feet to balance on the ball of the foot. The body is then lowered into a lunge and then accelerated upward in an explosion like a celebration. The legs are switched so that the right foot I planted forward while in the air. This can be rep eated with the other leg and several times.

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Adopt a non-judgmental mind. This means taking a moment of reasoning before acting. This means putting thought and reason first and using them to deter-mine the best way possible to respond to a situation.

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Say sorry to the people you wrong or to the people you hurt. “Life is short but there is always time for courtesy.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Exercise for the day: The twinkle toe

This involves tapping of the toes on the floor while seated slowly at the beginning and then gradually harder. This can be done against an object such as a trash can while alternating the feet rapidly in a fashion that resembles kicking of a football.

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Quiet your mind. This involves being mindful of yourself. This means being fully aware of yourself in achieving peace of mind. It does not necessarily mean fully shutting out your environment completely. In reality, that may never completely happen.

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Help someone change his or her flat tire on the highway. Remember, “one man cannot hold another down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him”. Booker T. Washington.

Exercise for the day: The wall sit

Stand with the back against the wall such that the body is parallel to the wall. The knees are then bent and the person slides down until the thighs are parallel to the floor. Sit in that position for about 60 seconds.

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Do not push yourself too hard. You should not push yourself if you find your session is not working for you. Leave it for a later time. A shift of moods and/or environment may be the cause of such occasions.

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Walk away from someone who tries to hurt or humiliate you. “The only people with whom you should try to get even with are those that have helped you.”~ John E. Southward.

Exercise for the day: Calf raising

Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart then press up on the tippy toes, pause then lower back downwards. This can be repeated more than ten times while raising one leg at a time.

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Take a break once in a while. As with any normal routine, meditation is no ex-ception where it comes to taking a break. So, once in a while, take some time off and let your mind be free from any worries. This will gives you enough time to work your way out.

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Help clean up the trash in your neighborhood. When you move away, they will remember you for helping keeping it clean.

Exercise for the day: Seated leg raiser

One straightens one leg or both while seated and holds them for sometime then the leg(s) is lowered to a level such that the feet does not touch the floor. This can be re-peated with alternate legs and some load such as a purse or briefcase can be lowered on the leg in action to increase the abs work.

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Utilizing meditation. Understand that meditation can be put to many uses; all of which depend on what we have in mind. For instance, it can be put to use as medicine. Meditation has been known to counter many medical complications.

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Call someone and tell him or her that they are an important part of who you are and they are a positive building block in your life. This will go a long way to help them cultivate self-worth. “Be thoughtful of others and you will not be shy, since they are incompatible addictions.” ~Robert Brault

Exercise for the day: The Cubicle Dip

One sits at the edge of a desk with hands on either sides of the body while gripping a chair’s edge with feet stretches slightly. He then straightens up the arms and the body is lifted. The arms are then bent at 90 degrees so that the body dips down. He then re-straightens such that the body is raised above the chair.

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Note the after effects of a session. Use each session as a learning experience. This way you can detail the benefits you gain from meditation. This will serve as motivation to working even harder to immerse yourself in the art.

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Console the loved ones of the deceased, remind them that they are not alone and remember, “everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something”. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Exercise for the day: Standing leg curl

One stands behind a chair, holding it for support then gently kicking one foot backward such that the heel reaches the thigh level. The foot is then lowered back and the procedure is done with the other foot. This is repeated severally.

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Employ guidebooks or apps. Appreciate the need for documentation on well-known practices, and from these guides. Learn what works best for you, then invest in these methods learnt to discover their full potential. Examples of online guides are Calm.com and Headspace.com.

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Like someone’s photo posted on a social media platform and compliment them. “There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness be-stowed by a small compliment”. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

Exercise for the day: The Namaste

One sits upright with feet straight and flat on the floor then the palms are brought together in front of the chest and the both hands are pushed hard together. The prayer-like hands are hold together for a while and the procedure is then repeated several times.

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Identify potential moments of meditation. These moments have been termed as moments of nourishment. Sometimes you may find it hard to carve out time for meditation. That is where such moments come in handy, and in the event they appear, be sure to take full advantage of the opportunity.

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Help someone during your next trip to the supermarket. Not everyone is tall or as familiar with the location of each item as you are. Lost shoppers are easy to spot, offer them a helping hand.

Exercise for the day: Flapping

Stand with arms by the sides of the body and the palms facing back. Pulse the arms backwards for ten seconds and then relax and repeat the procedure 15- 20 times en-suring that the arms are kept long and straight.

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Make a differentiation; you are the reality, not your thoughts. This means that your thoughts are not who you are and should not affect your being in reality. This highlights the need to define boundaries between your thoughts and reality.

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Take out the trash this morning; It might be a surprise and nice act for your room-mates or family. Acts of kindness don’t have to be big things… the little things count as well.

Exercise for the day: The lumberjack

While standing, clasp an imaginary axe that is rested on the shoulder. Swing the imaginary axe gently by making the elbows straight and moving the hands toward the right thigh. Bring the clasped hands to the right shoulder then swing it to the left thigh. This can be repeated as many times as possible.

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Be fully aware of yourself and the environment. It is not necessary you be in a designated place to be mindful. You can be anywhere and be fully aware of your-self and the environment. It is simply just being that is enough.

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Someone missing some cash to complete a purchase? Maybe by chipping in will bring not only a smile to you and them, but also the others waiting in line.

Exercise for the day: Shoulder shrug

Both shoulders are raised upwards towards the ears and held for 5-10 seconds then relaxed. This is repeated several times and can be done while holding some objects in a standing position.

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Live the moment. While meditating or otherwise, be sure to live in the moment at the time. Allow yourself to fully feel the relief of whatever it is that is you do. Let yourself experience the moment as the energy surges.

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Help solve a dispute with someone you have had a row with by making a com-promise on your own terms. Henry Boye says, “The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway”.

Exercise for the day: Crunch

Curl the chest inwards towards the legs while sitting with both elbows on the thighs, trying to resist the whole body movement with the arms. Hold at that position for 10-20 seconds then repeat the procedure several times.

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Grow in meditation. Every point of your journey in meditation is a step further in understanding the art. You should, therefore, grow with each session. There is always something new to learn and, as such, strive to learn that new thing every single time.

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Volunteer for a guidance and counseling session to share your story. Frank Tyger said, “there is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear”.

Exercise for the day: Office genie

While seated on a chair, raise the legs and put them in a criss-cross position and the hands on the seats. The body is then pushed upwards such that the feet is raised off the seat and is held floating for at least 15 seconds. The feet ar released back to the chair and the procedure repeated.

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Set your mind and train to learn the schedule of the session. This is to say, as you intend to leave your meditation world, teach your mind to let the transition from that world to the world of reality be a smooth one.

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It’s not your job to collect those shopping carts left out in the parking lot, but just bringing one back that is not yours is an act of kindness and a great example for others.

Exercise for the day: Pinstripe pushup

While standing one and half feet from the wall, one leans forward until the palms are flushed against the walls. This is done with the arms parallel to the ground. The elbows are then bent to push the body toward the wall then back to the original position. This is repeated severally.

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Learn the art of appreciation. Appreciating what you do for yourself with medi-tation should serve as your motivation for the need to continue. Appreciate the time before you learned the art of meditation and how much you have grown since then. That is what this whole exercise banks on: appreciation.

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Put in the effort to be at the least kind enough to offer a towel to someone who is crying. Bob Hope argued, “if you haven’t any charity in your heart, then you have the worst kind of heart trouble”.

Exercise for the day: Crunches

This exercise involves lifting up the shoulders towards the roof in a slow controlled manner without flapping the arms or nodding the head. This is repeated for three minutes.

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Set up a schedule before getting started. This should help you to keep your mind ready and in anticipation for each session.

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Warn somebody of impending danger on the path that they are walking on if you can foresee it.

Exercise for the day: Planks

Bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Hold the position for as long as you can. Your goal should be to hold it for two minutes.

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Choose the best time for your meditation. The best time is neither when your stomach is full or on an empty stomach. Concentration is essential for meditation, and those extremes will not help with your concentration.

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As a boss, remember to humble yourself to that employee of yours, be interest in their affairs and understand what distresses them. It is said “it’s nice to be important, but it is more important to be nicer”.

Exercise for the day: The fist pump

His exercise involves making two fists and start fist punching the air while alternating be-tween your arms. Do this for at least a minute or longer if you can. This exercise is particular-ly easy when you listen to motivational music at the same time. or more while dancing an imaginary music by rocking the waist.

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Define the distractions that are prevalent in your environment. Identify any hurdles that may keep you from experiencing true quiet and peace within your defined place of mediation.

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54. Share with someone the warmth of your smile. Jackson Brown notes, “on that day, to the stranger, give them one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day”.

Exercise for the day: Bicycles

Lying on the facing upwards, the shoulder and the knee opposite each other are lifted simultaneously and then the other shoulder and knee. This is done continuously such that it looks like one is cycling.

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Develop anticipation for your sessions. Appreciate the need for anticipating a session. It will help your mind prepare your whole body, both mentally and physically. This helps to get you into shape for your session.

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Be polite and courteous to that insolent and mean bully who always gets on your nerves. You know what? It’s only right to treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are.

Exercise for the day: Burpees

Involves swift movement from standing, then squatting and ends up in the pushup position. This is done rapidly and continuously for 3-5 minutes.

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The value in keeping calm. Keeping calm is a virtue that you need to embrace. Even in the worst of situations, it is imperative that you maintain your cool at all times. By keeping calm, you will gain a better perspective of whatever situation you may find yourself in.

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Volunteer to drive the campaign of the sympathetic and the kind who are fighting to help their fellow humans. Cleveland Amory said, “What this world need is a new kind of army, the army of the kind”.

Exercise for the day: Running up stairs

This involves simple running up and down the stairs either at home or in the office, though with caution to avoid tripping and falling.

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Maintaining a clear mind. A clear mind is the avenue that opens up new channels to how we can solve problems. Keeping the mind in an open state also ensures you are in shape and motivated to deal with situations as they arise. Going forward, a clear mind will help you become more adaptive to changes in your environment.

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Invest your talents into make the day for someone. Understand what they love or are struggling with by listening and showing interest some days before, then prepare a nice and fitting surprise.

Exercise for the day: High knees

This exercise involves running while engaging the core and pumping the arms. The knees must be kept as high as possible and the upright stature be main-tained.

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Appreciate the art of reflection. Create a connection with the past through re-flection. Let your mind flow freely in reflection. Try to feel every emotion that comes with each moment and make peace with these moments.

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Greet someone when you come across him or her and wish them a good day. Aesop said, “no act of kindness is never wasted, regardless of how small”.

Exercise for the day: Walking lunges

This involves simple walking on lunges for about 3 minutes. The walk should be brisk but care should be taken to prevent the knees and ankles from staining.

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Breathe regularly. Listen to your breathing and flow with it, allowing it to be as natural as possible. As you are doing this, try to loosen up and connect to the virtual world created within the rhythm of breath and reflection.

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Show up at a friend’s event and be there to provide moral support. Your showing up will help them love themselves more and perform better. R.J. Palacio said, “friendship and character are qualities propel us on occasion, to greatness and also define us as human beings”.

Exercise for the day: Lateral hops

This exercise involves small jumps from one side to the other and back as though one is jumping over a rope.

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Exercise patience. Be patient with yourself and with your experiences. Do not rush yourself into meditation. Instead, let it happen smoothly and freely. Control your level of anticipation. This should help your swift transportation through the sessions.

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Walk away having done well for a person who fails to appreciate you. Let what-ever good deed you did for them speak for you.

Exercise for the day: Jump squatting

This exercise starts with a regular squat that is followed by jumping up explosively. Upon landing, the body is lowered back into the squatting position and the procedure is re-peated.

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Be true to yourself. Do not mask or run away from any feelings that you may experience. Eliminate all fears; this way they will not hinder you. Embrace your true feelings and appreciate the experiences they create.

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When you feel you are being too nice, consider it your day’s act of kindness. Don’t question it, celebrate it.

Exercise for the day: Box step

In this exercise, a box, a stool or an imaginary object can be used. The left toes are tapped on the box and then the person jumps to switch the feet on the box. This is rapidly repeated severally.

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Strive to be honest. Honesty is the instrument that helps build the relationship between you and your environment. The mutual concepts of trust and honesty that you can enjoy with your fellow humans is a key factor that will unveil the secrets of true happiness.

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Invest 15 minutes in deciding if you want to be an organ donor, then put in research on how to make this last act of kindness a reality by law, then inform your family and friends about your choice.

Exercise for the day: Frogger

This involves a simple plank to squat technique that in-volves jumping the feet to the outside of the hands from a plank position. With the hands kept on the floor, the person jumps back to the plank position and the proce-dure is repeated.

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Stay simple. This is a not only self-explanatory, it is also straightforward. It calls for the simple idea of holding everything in the right weight accorded to it, as is deemed reasonable. Simplicity helps you to see things as they are.

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Make kindness, your lifestyle. Take some extra fruit for lunch and give it to someone as a small gift.

Exercise for the day: Dance

Pick two of the favorite songs and dance to them through-out the songs to the end. One song can be slower and the other much faster in rhythm.

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Do not hold back. Loosen up completely to the power of meditation. Do not be afraid to explore yourself. Dig deep into the self, but cautiously, to levels you have the confidence in your ability to handle.

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Give someone a little more affection today. A kiss on the cheek, a hug or a squeeze on the shoulder can just make their day.

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Invite people to your house and host them for the night. Let them learn about kindness and encourage them to want to practice it, even the kind ones.

Exercise for the day: Shoveling snow or raking the leaves

This may look like a normal routine chore but I help in ex-ercising the chest and hand muscles.

193

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Make it part of your life. Meditation should not be a one-day thing. It should be a habit that becomes an integral part of your schedule. Include meditation as part of your daily activities the same way that you allocate time for other things.

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Renew a friendship that is in need of attention. Write a nice email, post some-thing on a social network to help you reach out and reconnect.

Exercise for the day: Jumping jacks

Standing with the feet together and the arms down the side of the body; the feet are jumped out to the sides and the arms up above the head at the same time. The motion is then reversed and is repeated several times without break.

195

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Meditation is not limited to space or time. Do not cower from breaking the laws of space and time. Unshackle yourself from these limitations by understanding the nature of meditation and the true purpose of alleviating yourself from that which binds you.

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Collect and donate some used books to a book exchange, library or local non-prof-it. Having less stuff clears the mind and makes room for happiness.

Exercise for the day: The secret handshake

While seated up with the feet flat on the floor, one clasp the hands together as if in a handshake then pulls and resists the opposing motion from both hands. The hands are held in that position for 10-15 seconds then the procedure is repeated.

197

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Posture. Different forms of meditation advocate certain postures. However, it is not a necessity to remain in any given posture if you aren’t feeling comfortable and relaxed. However, it is essential that you learn various forms of meditation and the postures used to achieve them.

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Mingle with everyone freely without care or judgment. In doing so, you will appreciate life as it is and show true kindness.

Exercise for the day: Leg lifts

Lie down facing upwards with the legs close to each other. The legs are then lifted straight up and brought to the tummy. The legs are then put down slowly as they are stretched in opposite directions and then brought to the tummy. The procedure is repeated severally.

199

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Discover yourself. The journey of meditation also includes understanding one-self. This includes what you like or what you do not like. Learn as much as possible about yourself and how to use this new knowledge about yourself to enhance how you conduct your sessions.

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Cook good food while you’re at it. Regardless of how you feel this will go a long way to show how good a soul you have.

Exercise for the day: Superman exercise

One lies flat facing downwards with both legs and hands stretched straight. The chest and thighs are then lifted off the ground simulta-neously such that one remains balanced on the tummy. This is repeated severally.

201

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Learn the various techniques. The process of meditation can be conducted through various techniques. Focus, for instance, is an elemental meditation. While focusing, you may learn that, for you, soft focus delivers the best results. This is the value of exploring various techniques.

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Bathe your pet and take good care of him today, He/she is there with his kind-ness and enthusiasm every day. Give something back.

Exercise for the day: Inverted V pipe

One lies down facing downwards and placing the toes on the towel. The hands are placed on the ground such that the body is balanced on the toes and the hands. The legs are then pulled close to the body to form a V shape then the legs are pushed away from the hands and the procedure is repeated.

203

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Drop your worries. Sometimes we worry over what turns out to be insignifi-cant details, but cumulatively becomes a hindrance.

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Praise a parent for their child based on a valuable quality or action they per-formed. Nothing is more gratifying for a parent to see other notice the work and effort their parenting has produced.

Exercise for the day: Single leg lift jump

Stand straight and lift one leg off the ground. The hands should try to touch the ground while the leg is up. This is done while jumping on the single foot. The procedure is then repeated.

207

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Living life freely. Make sure to live life fully and reduce your worries. This way meditation will become not only complementary but also very effective.

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Talk to a homeless person today. Just a couple of minutes of your time is probably more than they have gotten in a long time. While at it, you might want to share a snack you have with you.

Exercise for the day: Push-up and knee kick

Lie down flat on the ground and does one push up and then bring the left knee forward to touch the left elbow, then the right knee to the right elbow and this is repeated severally.

209

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An occasional smile. A smile helps. A happy heart inspires a clear system and good energy. A positive vibe will go a long way in helping you share in the joys of life.

210


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Try different approaches to the problems that you face. Start by changing your attitude and how you judge w and see the difference.

Exercise for the day: The nape shaper

The head is held in the hands and the palms are pressed into the forehead. The backward motion is resisted through engaging the neck muscles. The hands are then clasped behind the back of the head, trying to push the head backwards. The motion is also resisted with the hands. This is repeated severally.

211

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Have a timing mechanism. For instance, a count helps keeps track of an activity, yet doesn’t cause distraction. Sometimes a count helps you relax your mind to as it slips into another place.

212


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Take a day off or go home early and spend it well. We often think we will be needed and missed, but very often, those other than our business clients could also use our attention. Family and friends will appreciate it and they deserve it.

Exercise for the day: Bent leg rotating

One stands upright and places the hands on the back of the head. The left leg is then lifted bent and lifted toward the waist. The leg is then rotated with the knee bent to form circular motions. The other leg can also be used in the procedure and this can be done for the five minutes.

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Understand when it is productive to use a timing mechanism. A timer may be a good thing, but it can also become counterproductive if it pulls you out of your meditation to glance at the time. This causes loss of concentration, which is not good.

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Give hope to others. Offer them love. This you can do by, for instance, lending your vehicle to help with food distribution. After all, no one has ever become poor by giving.

Exercise for the day: Glute Bridge

It involves lying flat with the knees bent and the feet placed flat on the floor. The hips are then raised such that the body forms a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. The left knee is then raised upwards towards the chest and then lowered. This is repeated with the right knee and the cycle continues.

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Avoid overstressing. You should not push your body to its limits while meditat-ing. For instance, avoid sitting for longer than you can bear.

216


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Use your knowledge to help save the life of a person in distress. The language of kindness is universal, which even the deaf and the blind can hear and see.

Exercise for the day: Skater Hops

It involves standing straight while resting the body’s weight on the right leg with the hips and knees bent slightly. The right knee ankle is then extended and the person jumps forward towards the left and lands on the ball of the left foot while bending the knees and hips slightly. The jump is continued using alternate legs.

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Designate a place for meditation. It is important that you set up a place for your-self that is specifically for meditation. This place should be quiet and away from the distractions of normal life. It will also help that it is in a location with plenty of free-flowing air.

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Like and appreciate something which has been done by somebody else, or at the worst, offer an honest opinion which does not leave that person in doubt. “Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike”.

Exercise for the day: Rotating T extension

One sits in a pushup position and the arms straightened the weight of the body is then shifted from both the arms to the left arm only and then the torso is rotated to the right. The right hand is then held up straight and one looks at the right palm for the body to form a T shape. This is repeated on the other side of the body.

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Learning to work with your emotions. For the most part we learn to work with our emotions in order to help us to keep moving forwards. Thus, it is essential for you to learn to work with your emotions from the start.

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Excuse someone who seems to be in a real hurry. You never know what you might be holding them back from. As such, be kind, Plato once said, “everyone you meet is fighting a much harder battle”.

Exercise for the day: Alternative lunge

A person stands straight with the left leg forward and the knees are bent to lower the body. The heel of the left foot is then pressed through to return to the initial position and then the left foot is immediately moved back and lowered into a lunge. The right foot is then pressed through to return to the standing position. The procedure is repeated.

223

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Learn to awaken to new possibilities. This involves opening up your mind to see-ing the other sides of things, not as simply as they appear in front of us but also seeing beyond.

224


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Donate blood. Your simple act of kindness may provide what someone’s life de-pends on. Do it with a cheerful heart and with good intention. Kevin Heath said, “wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness and to make a difference”.

Exercise for the day: Stationary jog

This is the jogging that is done without changing position (running while not moving). It is important that the jog starts with a slow swinging of the hips and then picks up slowly to the level where the knees are lifted up the chest for effective results.

225

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Learn to work with your senses. Different forms of meditation take advantage of your heightened body senses to deliver peace and oneness. Sight, hearing, physical sensations and the like contribute hugely to good meditation. Employ your senses fully.

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Go an extra-mile to make somebody smile or laugh. Henry Ford said, “to do more for the world than the world does for you, that is success”.

Exercise for the day: Inverted shoulder press

One begins in a pushup position with hand placed wider than the shoulder-width apart. The feet are then moved the hands and the hips are raised to form an inverted V. The elbows are then bent till the head almost touches the floor and the procedure is repeated several times.

227

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Feeling the energy. This is known as energy meditation. It is the art of harnessing the energy of love and compassion and allowing our hearts to feel these emotions to the true depths of their meaning.

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Introduce yourself to people. For instance, let your neighbors know you and who you are. Nathaniel Branden says, “there is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-confidence, the higher the chances of treating others with admiration, kindness as well as compassion”.

Exercise for the day: Reverse Lunges

One stands with the feet spread the shoulder-width apart. He then steps back with the left leg and drops the knee down. The person then rotates with the right leg and the procedure is repeated.

229

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Heighten the intensity of your sessions over time. With getting used to medi-tation comes the need for improving how you meditate. It calls for intensifying your sessions, increasing the level of focus and discovering yourself anew each time.

230


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Show gratitude to people that do you a service. Edith Wharton said, “there are 2 ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it”.

Exercise for the day: Lying dumbbell

One lies on an elevated surface such as a bench with a weighted item on each hand. The weighted objects are brought up and down several times. This can be done with imaginary weights on each hand.

231

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Define your limits. Life is governed by the limitations we set for ourselves. It is therefore important that you define your limits and learn how to set boundaries.

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Be sympathetic to the situations that other people face. To imagine yourself in a similar situation, Coco Chanel said, “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself aloud”.

Exercise for the day: Pushups

One lies flat on a flat surface with the body fully stretched. The hands ate spread slightly past the shoulder-width and rested on the surface. The whole body is then lifted off the ground with the hands, maintaining the straight posture. This is repeated severally.

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Let other people know. This should help them understand you, and on the same note, help them aide you in your meditation quest.

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Be rational before acting or doing something. As such, the things and respon-sibilities that you face will be properly deal with. Joan Didion also added, “the willingness to accept responsibilities for one’s own life is the source from which self¬respect springs”.

Exercise for the day: Desk squat

One turns the back on a bench or a surface that is past the knee height and below the waist. The person then holds the bench on his back using both hand and lifts himself up straight. He then pushes himself downward to a squatting position and the proce-dure is repeated.

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Enjoy yourself while in meditation. It is a time to be in bliss with yourself and the environment. Let the process be one that you have been be yearning to experi-ence. Enjoy yourself while you’re at it.

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If you made it till here and like how your life changed, buy a next book. You are nearly done getting your mind in shape

238


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You can hold the door for someone or help someone who can’t do something for themselves. The best index of a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good and how he treats people who can’t fight back.

Exercise for the day: Swing-ups

While lying on the ground facing up, feet flat and knees bent, swing the extended arms forward raising the torso so as to touch the wrists towards the knees. The arms are then extended overhead as the torso lowered back to the ground. The procedure is repeated several times.

239

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Join others. If it is possible, you should join a group of other meditators. Share in their experience and enrich yourself and in the process, learning their ways and techniques.

240


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Adopt an animal from the local animal center and help care for it as a friend and a pet. William Wordsworth said, “the best portion of a man’s life is the little unnamed and forgotten acts of kindness and love”.

Exercise for the day: Air squats

At a standing position with the feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward, keep the weight of the body on the heels and use the arms to bal-ance. Move upwards while dropping the crease of the hip below the kneecap and driving upward through the heels to stand back to the original positions with the hips now extended. Repeat this several times.

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Adopt meditation as a lifestyle. It should be part of your lifestyle, rather than an occasional habit. Making meditation a lifestyle means integrating it with your life and letting it be a part of your life as a whole.

242


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Offer a compliment to someone, make them feel appreciated and let them know the true essence of humankind is kindness. Other virtues may come from edu-cation or knowledge, but it is important if one wants to be a genuine person and impart satisfying meaning to one’s existence, they must have a clean heart.

Exercise for the day: Split-squat jumps

Holding the feet at hip-width apart, the right leg is stepped back two feet to balance on the ball of the foot. The body is then lowered into a lunge and then accelerated upward in an explosion like a celebration. The legs are switched so that the right foot I planted forward while in the air. This can be rep eated with the other leg and several times.

243

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Adopt a non-judgmental mind. This means taking a moment of reasoning be-fore acting. This means putting thought and reason first and using them to determine the best way possible to respond to a situation.

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Be there for lonely people. It might happen that all they need is a friend to listen to them and their problems. Bob Kerrey said, “the least costly, most powerful agent of change is an unexpected act of kindness”.

Exercise for the day: The twinkle toe

This involves tapping of the toes on the floor while seated slowly at the beginning and then gradually harder. This can be done against an object such as a trash can while alternating the feet rapidly in a fashion that resembles kicking of a football.

245

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Quiet your mind. This involves being mindful of yourself. This means being fully aware of yourself in achieving peace of mind. It does not necessarily mean fully shutting out your environment completely. In reality, that may never completely happen.

246


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Visit a nursing home and let the people there know they are loved. The best part of life is thriving with passion, concern, humor, style, generosity and kindness and not just through surviving.

Exercise for the day: The wall sit

Stand with the back against the wall such that the body is parallel to the wall. The knees are then bent and the person slides down until the thighs are parallel to the floor. Sit in that position for about 60 seconds.

247

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Do not push yourself too hard. You should not push yourself if you find your session is not working for you. Leave it for a later time. A shift of moods and/or environment may be the cause of such occasions.

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Send handwritten notes to people at Christmas time. Remember there is no small act of kindness. Scott Adams said, “every act creates a ripple that has no logical end”.

Exercise for the day: Calf raising

Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart then press up on the tippy toes, pause then lower back downwards. This can be repeated more than ten times while raising one leg at a time.

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Take a break once in a while. As with any normal routine, meditation is no excep-tion where it comes to taking a break. So, once in a while, take some time off and let your mind be free from any worries. This will gives you enough time to work your way out.

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Let other people to borrow your equipment. At one point, you will need someone help you likewise during a difficult time. It is also important to know that one of easiest things to give away is kindness; usually, it comes back to you.

Exercise for the day: Seated leg raiser

One straightens one leg or both while seated and holds them for sometime then the leg(s) is lowered to a level such that the feet does not touch the floor. This can be repeated with alternate legs and some load such as a purse or briefcase can be lowered on the leg in action to increase the abs work.

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Utilizing meditation. Understand that meditation can be put to many uses; all of which depend on what we have in mind. For instance, it can be put to use as medicine. Meditation has been known to counter many medical complications.

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Help people when they are moving, to make their burdens easier and lighter. Al-bert Schweitzer said, “the purpose of human life is to serve and show compassion and the will to help others”.

Exercise for the day: The Cubicle Dip

One sits at the edge of a desk with hands on either sides of the body while gripping a chair’s edge with feet stretches slightly. He then straightens up the arms and the body is lifted. The arms are then bent at 90 degrees so that the body dips down. He then re-straightens such that the body is raised above the chair.

Day 91:

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Note the after effects of a session. Use each session as a learning experience. This way you can detail the benefits you gain from meditation. This will serve as motivation to working even harder to immerse yourself in the art.

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Take someone out to see a movie. Love and kindness are never wasted, they are bound to make a transformation in people’s lives.

Exercise for the day: Standing leg curl

One stands behind a chair, holding it for support then gently kicking one foot backward such that the heel reaches the thigh level. The foot is then lowered back and the procedure is done with the other foot. This is repeated severally.

Day 92:

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Employ guidebooks or apps. Appreciate the need for documentation on well-known practices, and from these guides. Learn what works best for you, then invest in these methods learnt to discover their full potential. Examples of online guides are Calm.com and Headspace.com.

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Let other drivers merge into traffic. This is an act of mutual respect to show that respect is a two-way street. “If you want it, you have to give it”. ~R. G. Risch

Exercise for the day: The Namaste

One sits upright with feet straight and flat on the floor then the palms are brought together in front of the chest and the both hands are pushed hard together. The prayer-like hands are hold together for a while and the procedure is then repeated several times.

Day 93:

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Identify potential moments of meditation. These moments have been termed as moments of nourishment. Sometimes you may find it hard to carve out time for meditation. That is where such moments come in handy, and in the event they appear, be sure to take full advantage of the opportunity.

260


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Be encouraging to people you come across. Sarah Fielding said, “the words of kindness are more healing to a drooping heart than balm or honey”.

Exercise for the day: Flapping

Stand with arms by the sides of the body and the palms facing back. Pulse the arms backwards for ten seconds and then relax and repeat the procedure 15- 20 times en-suring that the arms are kept long and straight.

Day 94:

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Make a differentiation; you are the reality, not your thoughts. This means that your thoughts are not who you are and should not affect your being in reality. This highlights the need to define boundaries between your thoughts and reality.

262


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Let people meet others through you, teach that they need each other in life and that in moments of trouble we are made kind by being kind.

Exercise for the day: The lumberjack

While standing, clasp an imaginary axe that is rested on the shoulder. Swing the imaginary axe gently by making the elbows straight and moving the hands toward the right thigh. Bring the clasped hands to the right shoulder then swing it to the left thigh. This can be repeated as many times as possible.

Day 95:

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Be fully aware of yourself and the environment. It is not necessary you be in a designated place to be mindful. You can be anywhere and be fully aware of your-self and the environment. It is simply just being that is enough.

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After using a cart from a store, make sure to return it or drive it to the front. Let someone else feel the warmth of a kind act. Neilen said, “if you have not felt the joy of doing a kind act, then you have neglected yourself”.

Exercise for the day: Shoulder shrug

Both shoulders are raised upwards towards the ears and held for 5-10 seconds then relaxed. This is repeated several times and can be done while holding some objects in a standing position.

Day 96:

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Live the moment. While meditating or otherwise, be sure to live in the moment at the time. Allow yourself to fully feel the relief of whatever it is that is you do. Let yourself experience the moment as the energy surges.

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Be courteous and show interest and respect to whomever you are with at the time. Do not doubt how this is kind; Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things, even if we do not get anything in return.

Exercise for the day: Crunch

Curl the chest inwards towards the legs while sitting with both elbows on the thighs, trying to resist the whole body movement with the arms. Hold at that position for 10-20 seconds then repeat the procedure several times.

Day 97:

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Grow in meditation. Every point of your journey in meditation is a step further in understanding the art. You should, therefore, grow with each session. There is always something new to learn and, as such, strive to learn that new thing every single time.

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Contact a person who has made a difference in your life; not to avoid being termed as unthankful, but, primarily because it is the right and kind thing to do. Frank A. Clark said, “if a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got or given, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he is going to get”.

Exercise for the day: Office genie

While seated on a chair, raise the legs and put them in a criss-cross position and the hands on the seats. The body is then pushed upwards such that the feet is raised off the seat and is held floating for at least 15 seconds. The feet ar released back to the chair and the procedure repeated.

Day 98:

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Set your mind and train to learn the schedule of the session. This is to say, as you intend to leave your meditation world, teach your mind to let the transition from that world to the world of reality be a smooth one.

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DAY 99: YOU ARE AWESOME!Today is day 99, after 14 weeks of great progress you made immense progress. Please use this day 99 for a day of reflection and look at page 39 and please write below the changes you made in the last 99 days.

Describe your progress in your personal 99 Day Challenge:

Describe how acts of kindness made changed you:

Describe how meditation helped you:

Describe if the exercises helped you feel better:

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the 99 day challenge€¦ · 1 the 99 day challenge a guided journal to increase happiness and...

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