LIFE-MASTERY IN A NUTSHELL

Life-mastery can be achieved following one simple rule -- bring a fully present and loving self to every situation and task ... no matter how difficult or onerous.

This applies to all aspects of daily life -- relating with people; doing your job; maintaining your health, finances and household, as well as when engaging in creative activities.

As simple as this approach seems, it can be very challenging; we may need to change many of our beliefs, ways of thinking and habitual responses and completely recondition ourselves. But whatever is required, the benefits are enormous and well worth it.

If we approach every situation with our most attentive loving self, we can experience life at its best. And, as we increase our capacity to be loving and to be fully present, we can experience ever higher levels of satisfaction and success ... including what some consider divine experiences.

A great sense of wonder, reverence and creative excitement may be experienced anywhere. This means that even a mundane task may not only become pleasant or enjoyable, it can become a very high experience whereby we actually rejoice in it. It also means that all our relationships and activities can provide new opportunities for deep connection and fulfillment ... more than we may now imagine.

This level of living is what I call living in your divine zone. And it’s for anyone who chooses it by focusing on being extra loving and present throughout each day. This is the key commitment that transforms life. But don't take my word for it. Experiment with being more fully focused and loving for a few minutes each day and see what happens.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

INCREASING SUCCESS

Have you ever thought about what makes some people more successful than others? A lot depends on their ability to explore new possibilities.

Highly successful people tend to be more courageous, positive, flexible and outgoing and thereby live in a larger field of possibilities; those who are shy, negative, rigid or fearful are forced to live within the narrow confines that these qualities impose.

Highly successful people continually reexamine their beliefs and reality-test them. So they keep changing how they think, feel and act; thus they keep exploring new possibilities and improve their ability to succeed.

Put simply, highly successful people are more adaptive and keep challenging themselves to exceed their present limits!

Each time we adapt and break through a personal barrier, we expand ourselves and increase our ability to shape better life results. But before one can do this, it’s necessary to acknowledge that it’s often our own personal limitations and resistance to change that are holding us back.

Most of us understand the obvious need to remain physically healthy and strong. Many of us also recognize the importance of education. But perhaps less recognized is the importance of being willing to becoming more experimental and change set ways. But this is often how great breakthroughs and success come about.

Breaking through personal barriers is the route to a highly successful life. To the extent that we don’t expand ourselves, we limit our life’s possibilities. So eagerly face your personal limitations -- don’t ignore or defend them. This is often the first step to becoming a highly successful person.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO FRIENDS.

RECEIVING HIGHER INNER GUIDANCE

Meditative focusing is the means for shifting to a greater Self. At this level we’re not only connected to our full creative potentials (the source of all of our greater possibilities), we’re also supremely guided.

Many years ago, being meditatively focused, I felt a sudden urge to take an aimless stroll. I wandered to a bench at 79th Street and Broadway. Unexpectedly a thought came to me: "Time to buy a co-op ... 92nd Street." Immediately I was inspired to go to a real-estate office and see what was available. What was offered didn’t seem right. A week later at my country house, I got an intuitive flash to cut the weekend short, return home and check with doormen along Broadway. My wife and I did just that. When we got to a building on 92nd Street, we learned of two apartments. One was not right, the other was spoken for, but something inside urged me to ask to see it anyway. And the moment the door swung open, a ‘voice’ within me joyfully shouted "YES! THIS IS IT". I asked the agent to check with the owner (even though it was thought to have been taken). We found that the agent who had been handling the apartment had dropped out of sight, leaving the sale unconfirmed. The owner immediately offered the apartment to us and at just the limit we could afford. She could have easily asked for (and gotten) more and priced me out, but she didn’t. We bought, moved in, and have never been happier.

Was this just random good fortune or a ‘hidden hand’ at work here? I can’t say. But I do know from experience that when I meditatively focus, a special guidance often occurs. By ‘listening’ to the subtle ‘voice’ of my ‘Greater-Self’, I’m guided to my best future. This process has helped me in many important ways throughout the years, including starting a Personal Growth Center, investing, and finding my dear wife.

However we choose to explain it, there’s a deeper level of Self we can tune in to that more wisely can guide us. And it happens when we become perfectly still and meditatively focus within.

Goodness and Joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO FRIENDS.

YOUR GREATER SELF LIES AHEAD

Have you discovered your greater self yet?

If you haven’t, you may find it hard to imagine and believe that a greater self exists within you. But it does.

You’ll begin to know this greater self when you suddenly experience beauty, not just in the obvious places (such as in a field of flowers or a rolling hillside), but all around you in the common sights of daily life. You’ll see it in the plodding bent-over frame of an old man crossing the street, as well as in the bright bubbling cherubic smile of an infant grabbing at his wiggling toes.

When you arrive at this greater self, you’ll not only see beauty more often and in the most unexpected places, you’ll also be more open to the creative possibilities of life -- what once may have seemed as a setback will suddenly seem like an opportunity to move ahead. You’ll also find greatness and fulfillment in the simple experience of just being alive -- a walk in the sun will be a grand event; a chance meeting with a neighbor ... an unexpected pleasure; the sights and sounds of your environment ... a sensory texture to savor.

And what may be most impressive of all is the new way in which you’ll suddenly carry yourself and meet the challenges of life. Disappointments and discomforts will be taken gracefully, discontent will be seen as an unnecessary response. And perhaps most wonderful of all, you’ll continually bathe in the warm glow of success because it will no longer be something you’ll need to strive for, but always present -- something that automatically comes with each thing that you lovingly do.

Yes, believe it or not, your life can be greater than you may now imagine. And this wonder can happen at any moment. All you have to do is recognize all the goodness that actually lies right within you and begin allowing it to emerge.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO FRIENDS.

THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY -- A Guide to Life Mastery

DEVELOP TRUE KNOWING

We rely on verbal thinking to understand our world, but we should recognize its limitations -- it can equally and convincingly shape false ideas and beliefs as well as truthful ones. This is one of the causes of so much ignorance and misdoing in the world (just consider propaganda, advertising, prejudice and bias).

And even when we attempt to use language to convey a concrete existence, such as a particular person, place or thing, at best it can only convey a general impression.  To know any object as it actually exists, we may need to carefully and directly examine/experience it, noting all of its specific characteristics and qualities.

Verbal communication can be even more difficult when we try to convey a new reality.  Consider how difficult it is to understand the writings of great thinkers who present new ideas about the nature of reality. Despite all their skill and best efforts, we may easily misinterpret their meaning. (This is one reason why the world often takes a long time to appreciate true genius.)

Verbal thinking can only provide a skeletal understanding of what exists and, at its best, only points us in the right direction. But for greater knowing we must go beyond the use of language. So while a picture may be said to be worth a thousand words and direct experience a thousand pictures, by experiencing intuitively and empathetically, our knowing can go still further. It’s from these deeper levels of knowing that genius derives its true knowing.

So, don’t merely rely on verbal thinking and sensory experience; seek a deeper and fuller knowing, and live more successfully.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY -- A Guide to Life Mastery

THE POWER OF CORE BELIEFS

Core beliefs subconsciously shape our lives, often creating human failure. My life and observation of the lives of many others bear this out.

As a young man I strove to be a great artist. But no matter how hard I tried, I had little success. The truth was that I subconsciously believed that I was meant to be a struggling artist and like Van Gogh, my art would be appreciated only after my death. At my core, I was committed to playing out a romantic and tragic vision I had of being an artist. So that’s how my life went.

As long as I was unaware of this hidden core belief and allowed it to rule me, the art and life I created could not bring me happiness or success. I could only continue struggling and suffering the lonely and desperate life of an artist/martyr.

Years later, after studying with a Gurdjieff Master, I began seeing myself more objectively and everything changed -- I saw myself as a very different kind of artist, changed the kind of art I did, and my work was shown in major New York galleries as well as at The Indianapolis Museum of Art (alongside the works of Andy Warhol and other major artists).

As my awareness increased, my ability to produce fulfilling and successful life results increased. And while I didn’t realize at the time exactly what was happening, I sensed that I was onto something. So instead of continuing to create art, I began investigating the psychology of creating success. After many years of such investigations, it became clear that to create a completely successful life, it’s essential to root out any misdirecting core beliefs we may have.

So if you find you’re failing in some aspect of life, look deep within and you may find, like I did, that certain beliefs are causing it.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

AWAKEN TO YOUR HIGHER MIND

Your higher mind is your best resource for confronting life’s difficulties. Yet, unless you come to know it, you live without its great benefits.

Those who recognize their higher mind and live by it meet life’s challenges better; they can assert their creative will, exercise their intuitive higher intelligence, and enjoy better results in all aspects of living. So instead of life being a constant struggle or an unsettling melodrama, it becomes a constantly fulfilling creative process ... a higher quality life is produced.

Yet, until we make this great self-discovery, it’s just idle talk. The truth and significance of our higher possibilities can’t be validated by hearsay; we need to personally make the discovery. And before being willing to extend ourselves in this direction, we may need to have some sense of its presence.

For this you may consider some of your best moments: when you felt a secure confidence and were in full command; had an authentic intuitive insight or creative inspiration; felt deeply moved by great art or beauty; had a moment of great courage; or were exhilarated by the simple fact of being vitally alive. Whenever you had such moments, you felt a greatness of spirit unlike your usual self. Now just imagine who you would be if you constantly experienced yourself in these exceptional ways.

If you can relate to this, then you have some sense of your higher mind and what is possible. And there’s also a good chance that you already are, or will be, seeking a path to fully realizing this greater Self.

The path of life mastery leads to the greater life your spirit seeks. So don’t hold yourself back. Move along this path and discover a greater life and Self ... and fulfill your true spiritual needs.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

INCREASING PLEASURE

Pleasure enhances life. But sometimes we overdo pleasure and achieve the opposite effect instead. Or, we may undermine our ability to get the full pleasure that’s possible by not being fully attentive.

So, if we try to increase pleasure by eating more of something delicious, it may result in discomfort and eventual weight problems -- diminishing and spoiling the pleasure and bringing us unsought displeasure. Or, if we’re distracted by meandering thoughts, conversation, TV or reading, we reduce eating to a mechanical semiconscious act and don’t fully enjoy what we’re eating. But with increased awareness we not only experience tastes, smells and textures better, we also sense our true needs better. At this level of awareness, we’re more discriminating and intuitive and can more wisely choose what, when, where and how much to eat as well as which foods to mix or not mix. And thus, we maximize our pleasure by increasing health and our sense of well-being, as well as by fully enjoying the food we’re eating.

So overindulgence and under-awareness are two ways in which we may keep ourselves from having a most pleasurable life. However, if we approach increasing pleasure from a quality-of-awareness perspective instead of a quantity-of-intake one, we can increase pleasure without negative consequences, as well as reap some additional benefits (i.e., better health and appearance).

This applies to all forms of pleasure and activity. The more we fully focus our attention on what we’re doing -- i.e., practicing mindfulness (an aspect of focusing on a master mind level) the more pleasure we may receive from what we’re doing.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO FRIENDS.

SEEING WITH A CLEARED MIND

How well do you see what’s before you?

Psychologists, scientists, artists and other trained persons will attest to the facts that perception is selective and that we’re rarely objective. Yet, despite their professional experience and greater insight into the process of seeing, even they’re often ruled by personal biases, just like the rest of us.

Perceiving objectively usually takes a special effort of will to put all biases aside. Until we can do that, we’ll continue to see reality in a limited and tainted way. I say usually because occasionally, when we’re off guard and relaxed, we spontaneously see objectively.

This may happen on vacation, as when lying on a beach lazily staring at clouds, stars or sea. Or, when walking in a wooded area or countryside we’ve never been to before. Suddenly, we may see with fresh eyes and experience a sense of awe. Yet this same clear vision is available to us at any time, even in our most familiar surroundings. But it takes an act of will to drop all automatic biased reactions to simply see what’s there. To develop this ability, practice ‘NO MIND’ CONTEMPLATION.

Try this: take a familiar object (like an old shoe) and with a blank mind, just stare at it for a few minutes. See if you can drop your idea of it and just see the specific shapes, forms, colors, textures and details that actually make up its unique physical existence.
After doing this you may find that the familiar object has much more to it than you’ve previously realized. It may even seem strangely new and fascinating to you. But all that’s happened is that you’ve expanded your perception by seeing with a CLEARED MIND.

Now practice this way of seeing all that’s around you.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

EXPANDING PERCEPTION

How we see things usually determines how we react. For example, you might feel and react differently if you thought the boss was taking you out to lunch to fire you than if you thought he was doing it to give you a surprise promotion. Reactions greatly depend on what we think is happening or going to happen. Therefore, it’s crucial to make sure that we’re perceiving reality correctly before taking action.

This is not always easy to do. When under the influence of a strong bias, fear or expectation, one may tend to see things incorrectly, react improperly, and get bad results. So it’s important to expand one’s perception of reality.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Consider that your thoughts may not be necessarily what’s true, but only what you're imagining, expecting or calculating.

2. Ferret out the facts; consider what you actually know for sure.

3. Try to get new information that might help you clarify things.

4. Remind yourself of how often and easy it is to jump to wrong conclusions.

5. Examine yourself for any hidden fears, desires or agendas that may be causing you to shape your current view.

6. Recognize and accept that you can’t always anticipate everything correctly.

7. Be willing to trust your ability to know what’s best to do as you explore the situation and learn more.

With these approaches we eliminate being automatically influenced by limited or false perceptions; we expand our perception of reality and increase our ability to act more successfully. Keep this check list handy and refer to it whenever you’re worrying about something. It may help steer you right.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

SEVEN LEVELS OF AWAKENING

We may observe that the world, as well as most peoples’ lives, is in constant conflict and struggle ... and wonder if this has to be so. And if not, what the solution may be. Here’s my take on it:

Most humans are not fully ‘awakened’ beings; thus life is unnecessarily narrow and difficult. However, as we progress along a path of seven levels of awakening (awareness leaps we can make), our capacity to live with ease and flourish expands. Most of us get to the third level, some to the fourth, and very few get beyond that.

These seven levels of awakening are part of a natural consciousness growth process ... and perhaps The Divine Plan. Briefly, here’s how it goes.

The first awakening occurs at birth, when we leave the darkness of the womb and gain awareness of a sensory outer world. The second comes in infancy as we awaken to our own separate bodily existence and begin to explore this outer world on our own. The third comes in early childhood when we awaken to ourselves as a thinking self and begin developing a thinking mind -- i.e., a personal collection of mental representations of ourselves, others, and our world. This thinking self usually reaches a plateau at some point in adulthood.

This is as far as most people go.The next four awakenings are more difficult and require a special kind of mental work and often the help of an experienced guide. These are awakening to: our programmed subconscious mind (sub-wills), our objective overseeing Master Will, our intuitive channel of perception, and our divinely loving soul.

These four higher awakenings are experienced by a rare few, but the numbers are increasing. And as more people awaken to these higher levels of being, human life will become more peaceful, harmonious, loving, joyful and free.

LIFE MASTERY TRAINING supports the higher levels of this ‘awakening’ process. If you’re interested in finding out more, see WEEKLY LIFE MASTERY TRAINING link at the upper left of this site, or go to: http://guidetolifemastery.blogspot.com/p/about-author.html

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

BRIDGE TO HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS

The fact that we’re conscious is obvious. But what may not be so obvious is how our consciousness works and how to make the best use of it.

Consciousness is more than the mind. It’s an intelligence taking place at every level of our being, from the quantum (subatomic) level to the cellular, culminating in the brain. The brain is the control center of consciousness; it produces the inner activity we experience as a thinking mind.

The experience of thinking is what gives us our sense of being a conscious person in control of our actions -- as we act out our thoughts, we take ownership of them even though we often don’t consciously formulate or choose them. Most of our thoughts arise spontaneously from our subconscious, triggered by beliefs, mindsets, and fractured parts of ourselves (sub-personalities), each having its own cause and ‘will’ (sub-will).

When triggered, these elements of our subconscious automatically spring into action and shape our behavior. To take true control, we need to become very mindful and observe ourselves with detachment. As we do this, we bring into focus a higher level of self and mind -- a Master Mind Self.

At a Master Mind level of Self, we may truly take responsibility for our actions and choose which thoughts (or feelings) to follow. We could also choose to focus at other higher ‘channels’ of mind -- i.e., intuition, prayer, meditation, and divine union; all lead us to ‘miraculous’ outcomes when entered authentically.

Thus, detachment is the bridge that takes us from a lower, automatic functioning mind to a higher, Masterfully functioning mind. Ironically, it’s through detachment that we gain our greatest creative power and connection with life.

(To learn how you can be more successful in life, see:
http://guidetolifemastery.blogspot.com/p/life-mastery-training.html

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

ARE YOU PREPARING FOR SUCCESS?

The simple key to all success is doing what’s needed, timely. This is how success of any kind is brought about -- in career, relationships, and all other aspects of daily life. When we’re ready and able to deliver what’s needed, we’re in a position to naturally succeed. So when we’re not successful, we probably weren’t sufficiently prepared to succeed.

Therefore the key to success lies in how well prepared we are for it

All very successful people seem to know this instinctively. They invest a lot of time and energy in preparing themselves for success. And a major part of this preparation is in training their mind to work at higher levels.

Mind is the essential tool of success and when we operate at its higher levels, success comes naturally. It’s not the normal workings of mind, but the higher levels of mind, that bring about great success ... and many highly successful people are constantly using their mind’s higher levels -- that’s one big reason why they’re so successful.

The higher levels of mind to which I refer are DETACHMENT, MASTER WILL, INTUITION, INSPIRATION and HARMONIC RESONANCE. Focusing at these levels of mind often is what gives highly successful people their edge. Thus, they not only live more inspired and successful lives, they inspire others to do the same.

Many people have been led to believe that these higher levels of mind can’t be reached by choice. They believe this only because they haven’t been shown how, or they haven’t taken the time to train their mind in these ways ... or because they’ve become trapped in their mind’s lower levels and can’t see their way free. And all of these issues can be addressed. (This is what my weekly LIFE MASTERY TRAINING and upcoming event, LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND, are for and about.)

Accessing higher levels of mind is an important human capacity, often misunderstood or overlooked. Yet learning to do so is often the last bit of preparation we may need to do in order to bring our lives to peak success.

If you want to know more about my upcoming event, LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND, try the link below.

http://guidetolifemastery.blogspot.com/p/life-mastery-training.html

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

A KEY PROBLEM OF MIND

A key problem of mind is that its default setting is autopilot, so we often think, feel and act automatically.

This serves a convenient purpose, allowing us to do routine things with ease. But it can also keep us from utilizing our higher capacities of mind and acting with wisdom and finesse. Thus, we often don't get our best results and sometimes unintentionally act inappropriately and get bad results. So, while living on autopilot can be convenient and easier than not, it can also be the very cause of much failure and unhappiness.

To live more successfully and at our happiest, we need to take control of our mind and deliberately focus it at higher levels -- levels that are fully rational, objective, intuitive, and creatively and lovingly inspired. But before we can do this, we may need to recognize how much we live on autopilot and undermine our higher mental capacities. And this can be difficult to see and accept, for we tend to cling to the strong belief that we're in full control of our thoughts and actions ... when we're actually not.

Yet, if we make an effort to observe ourselves closely, we may notice how automatically many of our thoughts, feelings and actions arise. (By definition, automatic means we're on autopilot.) We may also notice how our mind often leaps uncontrollably in different directions. This is not to say that all our automatic and spontaneous responses are wrong -- in many cases they serve us adequately. It is rather to underscore the fact that they are automatic and we're not as in control as we may think. And that they often unpredictably impact events in detrimental ways regardless of our good intentions.

If you observe this process you may see the true situation -- that our actions are often automatic and don't meet the true needs of many situations; and that to get the good results we want, a freer and higher level of mind is often needed.

To read about my upcoming LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND seminar, see the link: A LIFE MASTERY TRAINING EVENT on my Blog site's upper left corner or use the link below.

Http://guidetolifemastery.blogspot.com/p/life-mastery-training.html

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

See LIFE MASTERY TRAINING EVENT link
on left for Sept. 25th Seminar info.

HOW TO MANIFEST THE MOST GOOD
Life may sometimes seem pointless. We’re born. We go about our daily business of pursuing life goals. Then, in a blink of universal time, it’s over -- WE DIE!

This prospect might sometimes weigh heavily on us. However, it can also serve to spur us to get the most good out of life with whatever limited time we have. And if you are determined to do just that, then consider the following:

The level of good we can get out of life depends greatly on our ability to manifest it. And this depends on the power and quality of our energy; the greater and more positive our energy is, the more influential and constructive we can be. All existence consists of energy, and that includes you and me. So the power and quality of our energy is the key to manifesting what we want.

Also, consciousness is the primary energetic force behind all existence and happenings. All reality is a projection of consciousness, be it divine consciousness projecting universal reality or be it your [or my] consciousness projecting our own experience of life. So it’s the energy of consciousness that’s most creative.

So if we wish to manifest great goodness in our lives, it’s essential that we generate powerful positive consciousness states. It’s by generating and applying such consciousness states that we may make best use of our time on earth.

And love is the most powerful positive (and creative) consciousness state that we can generate and apply. So by deliberately generating a loving consciousness state, often, we manifest the most good in our lives.

(To learn more about LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND, read about my special Seminar by the same name on my blog site’s upper left corner.)

Blog site: http://guidetolifemastery.blogspot.com/

BECOME YOUR BEST SELF

WEEKLY LIFE MASTERY MEETINGS
Meetings are held in Manhattan on Wednesdays -- 7:30 to 9:30 pm, $10 per session.
The main goal
To eliminate stress, fear, loneliness, procrastination, relationship conflicts -- i.e., to resolve all issues that stand in the way of achieving inner harmony, love, fulfillment, financial security and career advancement.
The key training focus
Developing a new, higher level of focus that puts one in a better position to deal well with the professional world and all challenges of daily living.

The training
The training is high-minded and very practical at the same time. Spiritual practices and tools for more conscious living are given and are immediately applied to daily life. Each week members share the practical gains they’ve made from utilizing these tools and practices. As training continues, shared success breeds more success ... preexisting problems lessen, become transformed or disappear.

All sharing is voluntary and depends upon each student’s comfort level. Group sharing is a very powerful tool for supporting, healing and inspiring one another.

Meetings also explore how life really works -- how states of mind influence others and the results that one gets; what it means to be human; how we get to be who we are; what secretly controls us; why the world is the way it is; what meditation really is; the power of beliefs; how we free creativity; the nature of will; what true life success really is; and many other topics of interest that I may have touched upon in my weekly THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY guidance letters.

Another unique feature of Life Mastery Training is that there’s no beginning or end. It's an ongoing process with rotating themes. Each student enters at a different point and moves at a different pace and stays until he or she feels satisfied to have reached a good level of life mastery.

If you wish to apply, e-mail me something about yourself, i.e., age, education, professional training, goals, interests and concerns, plus your phone number so we can explore things further.

Best regards,

Joseph Russo
LIFE MASTERY TEACHER,
PSYCHOTHERAPIST & LIFE COACH
212 362-0238


A BRIEF BIO

Joseph Russo has been a psychotherapist, artist, and leader in the HUMAN POTENTIAL MOVEMENT for over 35 years.

He's studied esoteric psychology with a Gurdjieff master and in the 70's founded 'The Creative Quest Personal Growth Center' in N.Y.C. At his center he conducted group and individual therapy and gave workshops in Awareness, Creativity, Relationships and Interpersonal Communication.

He's lectured on Creativity and Mental Health at colleges and Health Expos in New York City. He also served on the committee that produce the first Creative Arts Therapy Week event in New York City.

He wrote and published LIVING IN YOUR DIVINE ZONE, wrote a column for the LIFE AND DIET TIMES, and has been writing and publishing THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY for the past 10 years. He's the originator of THE LIFE MASTERY TRAINING PROCESS, which he currently offers weekly on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

For information about THE LIFE MASTERY TRAINING PROCESS or individual guidance sessions, e-mail: joseph.russo3@att.net

KEY TO A GREAT LIFE

Consciousness expansion leads to life mastery -- the better we see, think, feel and act, the better we can meet life’s challenges and live successfully and happily.

Consciousness expansion is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and deserves to be a primary focus of life. Yet it’s usually not. For most people it’s not even a focus at all. Why? Because normally, consciousness is taken for granted.

Normally we see, think, feel and act without considering that all of our responses to life are controlled by our state of consciousness, and the better our state of consciousness is, the better we do. And, as consciousness greatly expands, we can become life masters -- conscious creators of our circumstances and future.

Realizing this, in itself, is an expansion of consciousness. And with this expansion, a greater self and life becomes immediately possible. Then one may begin to investigate the possibilities for expanding consciousness and make it an important part of daily life.

To accelerate this process I've designed a special Seminar/Training coming up soon. If you wish to actually experience higher levels of yourself make it to this seminar if you can.

For more info., if you receive this as an email, click on THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY below and go to blog page. At blog page scroll to LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND.

LIVING AT

HIGHER LEVELS

OF MIND

Seminar/Training

THE GREAT SECRET OF LIFE IS LEARNING

TO LIVE AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND

Here's your chance to get hands-on guidance on achieving the level of life mastery you've been reading about in THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY.

In this special Seminar/Training you can learn:

How your mind really works.

Where your thoughts come from.

About the 9 key levels of mind you're capable of.

How to shift from LOWER to HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND.

About your Master Mind Level and how it gives you greater control in every situation.

A meditation technique for generating your highest magnetic state for attracting all the good you want.

And much more ...

This is a rare opportunity to bring yourself and your life to a new level.

WHAT FUTURE DO YOU WANT?

Many people dream of a better future. They make plans and look to the future for happiness and fulfillment. But often it doesn't actually come for one simple reason – they haven't been able to distinguish between wishful thinking and using their higher mind to get what they want.

Until we can make this distinction and learn to utilize our higher levels of mind, we're only able to wish for what we want, not actually bring it about.

NOW IS OF THE ESSENCE

  

LIFE IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL. It's the real thing.

If we waste the time of life running in circles or down blind alleys -- living only at our mind's lower levels -- we can't go back and relive that time. Those opportunities for greater living are gone. But what we can do is make the most of NOW ... and THE TIME AHEAD. And begin living at higher levels NOW!

Now, and the time ahead, contain numerable opportunities for turning our lives around and improving how we live. And each NOW carries the possibility of bringing us to the moment of truth that we may need in order to begin taking advantage of these opportunities.

NOW MAY BE YOUR MOMENT OF TRUTH ... ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

This seminar will be given only once this year. And space is very limited. So REGISTER NOW and reserve a place for yourself.

BUT WAIT! ...

Before registering you may want to know more about the presenter.

A BRIEF BIO

Joseph Russo has been a psychotherapist, artist, and leader in the HUMAN POTENTIAL MOVEMENT for over 35 years.

He's studied esoteric psychology with a Gurdjieff master and in the70's founded 'The Creative Quest Personal Growth Center' in N.Y.C. At his center he conducted group and individual therapy and gave workshops in Awareness, Creativity, Relationships and Interpersonal Communication.

He's lectured on Creativity and Mental Health at colleges and Health Expos in New York City. He also served on the committee that produce the first Creative Arts Therapy Week event in New York City.

He wrote and published LIVING IN YOUR DIVINE ZONE, wrote a column for the LIFE AND DIET TIMES, and has been writing and publishing THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY for the past 10 years. He's the originator of THE LIFE MASTERY TRAINING PROCESS, which he currently offers weekly on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

For information about THE LIFE MASTERY TRAINING PROCESS or individual guidance sessions, e-mail: joseph.russo3@att.net

* * * * * * *

Seminar/Training

LIVING AT HIGHER LEVELS OF MIND
WHEN: 10 AM to 4 PM on Sept. 25th
COST: $125
PLACE: New York Spaces, 131 West 72nd St.
(on Manhattan's Upper West Side)

Save $25

REGISTER BY SEPT. 12TH AND PAY ONLY $100.
Get your check in the mail by Sept. 12th and save $25.
REGISTER AFTER SEPT. 12TH, PAY FULL $125.

Make checks payable to Joseph Russo, and mail to:

Joseph Russo
215 West 92nd Street, Apt. 11 D
NYC 10025

IMPORTANT: Please include phone number, e-mail and return address with your check so we can contact you and/or return your check if seminar is filled.

Okay, that's it.

NOW YOU MAY WANT TO REGISTER AND RESERVE A PLACE FOR YOURSELF.

HOW POSITIVE THINKING WORKS

If you’ve tried Positive Thinking and it hasn’t always brought the good results you want, here’s why this may be so.

The creative power of Positive Thinking depends on how persistently and sharply we focus our positive thoughts, how congruent they are with our subconscious beliefs, and on how energized and free we are to act.

If we subconsciously harbor beliefs that are contrary to our conscious thoughts, they’ll have little power to manifest what we wish, no matter how positive they are. For example, if we subconsciously believe that we don’t deserve love, money or happiness, no amount of positive thinking will bring any of these about. Our subconscious beliefs will always overrule our conscious thoughts. That is, until we become aware of them, and change them. Thus, the process of examining consciousness and weeding out undermining subconscious beliefs is essential for the power of positive thinking to work.

Also, to successfully assert positive thought requires great energy and true willpower -- the ability to deliberately, persistently and sharply focus one’s creative intentions and overcome all obstacles to their fulfillment. So the power of positive thought also depends on the ability to take action. And any inability to do so equally undermines the creative power of positive thought.

Thus, to fully utilize the Power of Positive Thinking, we may first need to do some preliminary work -- ferreting out contrary unconscious beliefs and changing them, increasing our positive energy capacity, and unblocking the ability to act in concert with our positive thoughts. All are part of a system of Higher Consciousness or Life Mastery training.

With these developments we enable the creative power of positive thinking to fully work for us and increase our power to manifest all the good that we want.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

YOUR CREATIVE NATURE

If you don't think you're creative you probably got that message early in life ... and bought into it. To better understand your own creativity, don't think of it as a special ability some people have, but as a universal human capacity.

During the normal process of living we’re all continually creating outcomes of various kinds; every action we take causes something to happen. And underlying this process lies thought.

Thought is the creative engine of human life; what we think is what we get.

This may be understood in three ways. First, right or wrong, every thought we believe shapes our experience of reality; we tend to see things not as they really are, but rather, as we think them to be. Second, our thoughts shape actions that tend to bring what we expect; i.e., Self-fulfilling Prophecy. For example, if we think someone doesn’t like us, we may act negatively toward them and cause them to not like us.

Our thoughts have great reality-creating power, so we’re wise to examine our thoughts and carefully select which thoughts we choose to believe.

Third, we can focus attention at higher, self-transcendent levels of mind and access new insightful and inspiring thoughts. And as we do, our positive energy increases and our actions become more remarkably creative, shaping astonishing new innovative realities that may delight, and serve others.

So don’t doubt your creative power. Instead, recognize it. And take more conscious responsibility for it by being more aware of and careful to choose what you think and believe. And learn to focus your attention at higher levels of mind.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

2 POWERFUL SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVING LIFE

Many of us know that having a positive attitude works better for us than having a negative one -- it helps us to have a happier, healthier and more successful life. Yet, when things happen that we don’t like (or if we just expect them to happen), we may not be able to muster the positive energy and better state of mind needed to act most effectively and constructively. Instead, we may just react negatively and ineffectively, and not get our best results.

And here lies the crux of much of human failure -- the inability to generate the high positive energy and state of mind needed to shape our best results.

If we observe ourselves carefully, we may find that we’re often reacting negatively and inappropriately many times a day. Whether these reactions appear justifiable or not, they taint our experiences and keep us from getting our best results. So justifying them is not helpful. What is, is eliminating them, and raising our positive energy and state of mind. Then we’ll more reliably act in ways that can get us our best results.

Unless we do this, creating the good life we want will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, no matter how sincere and well-intentioned we are. The ability to generate high positive energy and a better state of mind is essential. Any inability to do this will keep us from achieving the good life that we want.

Higher consciousness training and psychotherapy seek to remedy such inability, each in its own way. Psychotherapy uncovers and reduces maladaptive mindsets that cause negative and inappropriate behavior. Higher consciousness training increases positive energy and brings one’s mind to higher levels of functioning. Each improve our ability to respond better and get better results.

These are two powerful systems for improving life. By improving our mind’s functioning they help us to more surely create our best life.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

MAKING EMOTIONAL TURNAROUNDS

Many years ago, in my first issue of THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY, I accidentally sent out an unedited draft. When I read what I had sent I was painfully embarrassed. Due to a mistyped word, an important idea had been changed into a dubious one. I thought, "I look like a fool. How could I do such a dumb thing?"

My agonizing self-recrimination went on for an hour or so until I couldn’t take it anymore and a higher part of me rose up and said, "This is an opportunity to practice a Life Mastery Training technique and make an EMOTIONAL TURNAROUND."

So I took a few deep breaths, accepted my human fallibility, forgave myself, looked for the humor in the situation, and had a good laugh at myself. Then I looked to see what I could learn from what had happened.

Soon I realized that to avoid making such a mistake again, I needed to improve my procedures for checking before sending out e-mail material. I also realized that I could write about this experience in my next issue as an example of how emotional turnarounds can be readily made.

With these two realizations, I not only felt much better, I felt inspired -- great positive energy rose up in me and I began to move ahead.

So when you feel bad about something you did, try this procedure. It may be difficult or seem impossible at first, but as we learn to accept our human fallibility, forgive and laugh at ourselves and then look for the good that can come, we increase our ability to make quick emotional turnarounds.

Practice this process when you mess up. You’ll suffer less and take another great step toward life mastery.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

PATH TO YOUR GREATEST SELF

At birth we’re ruled by instinct. As we develop thinking, we become ruled by ego, personality and reason. These are the first four steps of ordinary human consciousness development. To take the next steps, detachment is needed. Detachment is the bridge. It takes us from being an ordinary functioning self to being a higher functioning self. Here are the nine steps in this process:

          1. INSTINCT
              Biology and survival rule.

          2. EGO
              Self-centeredness and self-importance rule.

          3. PERSONALITY
              Personal and social biases rule.

          4. REASON
               Rationality and understanding rule.

          5. DETACHMENT
              Impartiality and search for truth rule.

          6. MASTER WILL
              Executive command and integrity rule.

          7. INTUITION
              Higher perception and insight rule.

          8. INSPIRATION
              Energizing revelation and higher purpose rule.

          9. LOVE
              Divine spirit and sublime energy rule.

As you may have noticed, the more we advance along this progression, the fuller functioning and higher guided we become. The first four steps lay the groundwork for ordinary consciousness and functioning. The next five extend consciousness and functioning to a Master Mind level, whereby we raise thought and action to higher levels, i.e., life mastery.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

ACTUALIZING SPIRITUALITY

Actualizing spirituality is something we can do many times a day, not only when meditating, praying, or attending religious services. We can do it anytime simply by expressing our higher nature. Each time we choose to be more accepting, compassionate, positive, patient, humble, reverent, giving, forgiving or loving, we actualize our higher spiritual nature.

To increasingly actualize your higher nature, practice REMEMBERING YOURSELF.

Each time you REMEMBER YOURSELF, you can better notice how you’re acting at the moment ... and then ask yourself, "What would my highest self be doing right now?" Then take that action.

By continually asking this question, we can increasingly actualize our spiritual nature; each time we remember ourselves we have an opportunity to deliberately express the highest within us.

In this way we become spiritually very focused and powerful.

Of course, it will help to first learn to recognize the true 'voice' of your higher self. And that's where meditation and other forms of consciousness-training may come in -- they can help us become more attuned to our spiritual dimension. And as we do, we better recognize and heed the true voice of our Higher Self.

Attaining this level of self-awareness and action leads to life mastery. As we do this, we increase positive experience and fulfill our life’s best possibilities.

So take up this practice. You’ll rejoice in the experience each time that you do.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

To have a good life we need to do more than feel good and think positively, we need to have good health, financial stability, loving relationships and meaningful purpose. The key tool for achieving all these goals is our mind. But like any other tool, if we don’t use it well, it can work against us.

Ordinarily, the mind automatically operates according to mental sets -- fixed biased beliefs and opinions we hold firmly, whether they be right or wrong. Thus, unless we can objectively monitor our thoughts and become free to change them, we become trapped in them, and better results aren’t likely.

So to improve life, the ability to change one’s mind is essential.

Right now you hold some very strong beliefs and opinions about yourself, others and the world. Many of these may be holding you back from achieving good health, financial stability, loving relationships and meaningful purpose. You may even have a sense of what some of these flawed opinions and beliefs are, and yet go on following them, letting them hold you back.

This is a very common problem we all face -- we become easily habituated and tend to follow the same paths of least resistance, no matter what. It takes special effort to observe our thoughts and challenge them. Yet this is the way to a better life. Anyone making a better life learns to do this.

So now consider a few thoughts or beliefs that you may need to change. If you change even one, it can make a big difference.

It’s a simple principle: to change your life, just change your mind.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

LIVE MORE HARMONIOUSLY

Often, we unwittingly create unhappiness.

Say we're caught in a traffic jam and instead of exercising patience, we cut in and out of lanes trying to get ahead of others. By doing this we may annoy or challenge others and cause unnecessary tension within ourselves. We may even get into an altercation or accident and further delays.

Or: say we live on a tight budget and see something we really want but can't afford. And instead of accepting the fact and moving on, we get caught up in an inner struggle. If we buy it we'll upset our budget and feel financial stress soon after. If we don't, we may walk away feeling sorely deprived. By not accepting our situation, either way we create unhappiness.

Or: say someone expresses an opinion that differs from ours. If we're impatient and intolerant and try to shoot it down instead of listening calmly and respectfully before expressing our own, we may launch into a stormy argument, causing bad feelings that may linger and even weaken the relationship.

There are hundreds of such common instances in which conflict and tension can unwittingly get produced each day -- unnecessarily. To live more harmoniously we may first have to recognize that often we are the very culprits creating discord in our lives.

Almost any situation can become tension-filled ... or not. It often just depends on realistically accepting situations for what they are and relaxing in them. In other words, we may have to learn to NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF; PLAY IT COOL; and GO WITH THE FLOW.

You may have heard all these phrases before. If you now take them to heart, you'll find that you can live much more harmoniously!

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

THE SECRET OF PRAYER

Do you think of prayer as wishful thinking or a way of soliciting God’s help? Either way, you may be misunderstanding what lies at the root of prayer.

While there’s scientific evidence that praying can have true worldly effects -- prayed-for people and plants grow healthier; people who pray live longer; bacteria can be influenced by prayer; etc., -- it’s not clear exactly what causes these effects. When praying brings results, is the cause praying, or is it something else?

If we think of prayer merely as speaking words to God and asking for help, we may have reason for skepticism and doubt. However, if we think of prayer as a way of generating and focusing creative energy -- the essence of all being and from which all existence arises -- then there’s a way of conceiving a rational explanation for the workings of prayer.

In other words, if we recognize that prayer is a way of focusing the creative power of consciousness, then its results are no greater a miracle than any other creative act; no different than eliciting a new insight, idea, inspiration, or creative vision -- all of which suddenly emerge from nonexistence and cause new life possibilities to form. Prayer may actually be a way of mobilizing the creative power that secretly resides at our depths.

In this light the main difference between prayers getting answered or not has not to do with our prayerful words, but rather the quality of consciousness that underlies those words. When praying in desperation and fear, we may be unwittingly working against what we want, failing ourselves. Successful prayer may have everything to do with how well we focus the creative power of consciousness and the level of positive energy we generate.

Here may lie the true secret of prayer.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

COULD YOU BECOME A LIFE MASTER?

Many of us may think that life mastery is an unrealistic goal, yet I think everyone should make it their key goal in life.

Here’s why: wouldn’t you rather to be a master of a game, sport or occupation than be poor at it? I think we all would. But many of us may think it’s too hard, or that we don’t have enough talent, or that mastery means becoming great or the best or perfect. And this is not possible for most of us. So it may not seem worth the effort to even try.

But it is worth the effort. For even if we only achieve a degree of mastery at something, we’re much better off. For we gain more control, success and satisfaction with each step we take, no matter how small.

To bring about mastery, we simply need to keep making a little progress, week after week. Then, given enough time, we’re sure to achieve a level of mastery.

Now you might ask, "But if I barely have what it takes to master just one thing, how can I expect to master all of life? Isn’t that expecting too much?"

Not at all. Because life mastery is achieved by mainly developing only one thing -- one’s consciousness. Once we realize this, achieving life mastery is much more conceivable.

It’s our state of consciousness that makes the difference in everything we do.

Once we know this and focus primarily on improving our state of consciousness, we’ll surely move toward life mastery and living with great satisfaction and ease. And what can be more important than that?

So don’t sell yourself short. Aim for nothing less than life mastery and give life your best shot!

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

FREEDOM FROM EGO TYRANNY

Normally we don’t see our biases for what they truly are -- ego-reinforced restrictions that keep us from realizing our greater possibilities.

Until we realize this we may have no reason or desire to be free of our biases; instead we may dutifully defend them and live within the restrictions that they impose. However, once we’re aware of how they limit and diminish us, we may seek to break free of them.

Higher consciousness training often serves this purpose. And meditation is one of its best tools. But as you practice meditation, know that it’s not an end in itself, only a training -- a way of learning to connect with one’s inner spiritual essence and free the mind from its ego enslavement.

As we do this, we become able to focus the mind in a new way; we begin to see reality more objectively and develop authentic intuition. Thus, a new life and self with greater creative energy and positive potentials becomes possible.

By freeing yourself from the tyranny of your ego biases, you can become the hero of your own life drama.

You may begin to do this simply by observing when strong likes and dislikes attempt to rule you. Then step back and take an impartial view of them ... and choose something different.

As you do this you’ll become free to act more wisely and increase your power to get better outcomes.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

INCREASE AWARENESS ... FORWARD "THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY" TO A FRIEND.

THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

Is something blocking your happiness?

If you’re not happy it may not be due to being less lucky, deserving or successful than others -- but because you’ve placed many restrictions on happiness, deferring it to the future. You might have told yourself, "When I get everything I want, then I’ll be happy."

But even if you do get everything you want, happiness may still elude you. Because getting what we want only brings temporary good feelings, not happiness. Becoming a happy person requires much more than that. It’s the result of developing a high level of positive awareness -- being able to see value in everything, even in what’s normally considered ‘bad’.

Our possibilities for happiness dramatically increase as we see humor in our failings, misfortune as a chance to test courage and grow stronger, mistakes as valuable lessons to guide success, pain as a call for improving self-awareness and self-care, conflict as an opportunity to improve relating skills, anger as a signal to improve understanding, and beauty as an intrinsic quality inherent in the unique character of most people, places and things.

Happiness also comes as we increase our capacity for gratefulness, generosity, acceptance, authenticity, and compassion, as well as embracing positive ways of thinking and dropping negative ones.

The bottom line: the way to happiness lies not so much in getting all we want, but in upgrading the quality of our consciousness and character.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

THE MASTER ATTITUDE

A simple action, although it may seem insignificant at the time, can make a great difference. It can determine success or failure.

A chess master knows this. He or she may move a pawn just one square forward and change a game’s outcome. An unsuspecting novice may not realize the significance of such a simple move until several moves later. But the chess master knows what the novice may not -- that if the proper counter move is not immediately made, the master has already won; it’s just a matter of playing out the remaining moves until the novice realizes it. (You may have had this kind of experience as a child as you mastered the game of tic tac toe.)

The same applies in life. A simple act can turn out to be a crucial turning point setting off a chain of events having great consequences. For example, an instance of thoughtful action can initiate the unfolding of a great friendship, career, or love relationship. And likewise, a single callous act can set the reverse in motion. Success or failure often hangs in the balance of a single act.

Every master knows this and therefore will always conscientiously make their best effort -- no matter how basic or mundane the task. This is the norm for masters, producing excellent results and great satisfaction in almost everything they do. In Zen this is called ‘right action’.

It’s wise to adopt this attitude. Once you make it your norm, like compounded interest, you’ll realize a great stream of positive returns and a much better life.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND!

Do you have control of your mind? Does it take you places you never intended to go? ... like in the following case:

"Must do my errands ... now where’d I put keys? ... not on hall table ... how’d that book get there? ... thought I put it back ... did my roommate do it? ... hate when people mess with my things ... damn! ... got to say something ... wish I had my own place ... can’t afford it ... need a raise ... better job ... hate my boss ... always on my back ... glad tomorrow’s Friday ... got to fix resume ... find a better job ... keys not by TV ... wonder what’s on ... (CLICK) ... stock market ... ugh! ... change channel ... what’s this? ... old movie ... I need to sit ... its the Marx bothers ... I remember this funny movie ... (smile) ... Sis hated Groucho ... never understood why ... this part is great! ... (a giggle)... Groucho is great ... so talented, rich, famous, smart ... loved by everyone ... wish I was loved like that ... but no luck dating ... need to do something special ... maybe write a book ... get one good idea and make a fortune ... look at Groucho roll his eyes ... so alive and mischievous ... what a spirit ... wish I could be alive like that ... oh, here comes Harpo ... and the funniest part ... (a giggle, then eighty minutes later) ... movie over ... what time is it? ... getting too late for errands ... there’s the keys ... on trunk ... too late now ... might rain ... oh well, maybe tomorrow ... what else is on TV?"

The mind is often like a pinball, bouncing around erratically without purposeful direction (as the above illustrates). But we can take control of it by monitoring our thoughts and choosing which to follow and which to say NO to. Don’t let random or reactive thoughts misdirect you. To live more successfully, practice noticing when your mind is meandering. Then refocus it and get it back on track.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.