A new book find I was lucky enough to stumble upon a few weeks back is "The Shaolin Workout-28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior's Way."
 
It was it was written by Sifu Shi Yan Ming, a 34th generation Shaolin monk who emigrated to the United States in 1990's and who has carved out a reputation as one of the premiere kung fu instructors alive today. His center, the USA Shaolin Temple in NYC, boasts a large number of students, including quite a few celebrities.
 
Although the book contains a progressive exercise program that promotes flexibility, balance and strength, it also contains a healthy dose of the Sifu's philosophy as well. One passage really struck a chord with me in regards to many of the clients I see at my hypnosis counseling practice. Sifu states:
 
"Everyone is handsome. Everyone is beautiful. Sadly, everyone is not aware of that. This is one of the reasons we so often fail when we try to "improve" ourselves through a new exercise program or a new diet. We begin, in effect, by insulting ourselves: 'I'm f at, I'm out of shape. I need to go on a diet. I need to go to the gym more often.' If you start out with such a negative opinion of yourself, it's no wonder you ultimately fail. What kind of motivation is that?...remember that you're not improving yourself. You don't need to be improved, God made you! You're just polishing yourself, to let your true beauty shine."
 
There is an interesting concept known as "away" and "towards" motivation. Away motivation is where we move away from something because it causes pain or distress. And as you can probably guess, towards motivation refers to the motion we make towards those things that will make us happier and healthier.
 
Although away motivation does have its value when it gets us to take initial action, it does a really poor job in keeping us motivated in the long run. Why?
 
For starters, if you have been subject to significant verbal abuse by any of your significant others, by making the change, you are in a sense validating their opinion. And who wants to do that!
 
Second, once you have made the change (i.e. getting in better shape) the initial motivation is removed and chances are you will slide back to the old patterns. So it is important to be clear in your own mind what the benefits will be once you get where you want to be.
 
Lastly, as any hypnotist can tell you, the subconscious mind cannot imagine a negative. "I will stop being such a loser" forces you to think about being a loser! Be positive in your self talk, refuse to entertain negative thoughts and keep on polishing that diamond in the rough!

There is a celebratory mood here this week as I observe my 46th trip around the sun (my preferred euphemism for birthdays-and an accurate one too when you think about it!)

And yes, birthdays are often associated with doing something fattening or immoral, yet I wanted to share something with you that is a bit different.

Motivator Software
One of the online companies I am affiliated with, MySelfHelpHub.Com.is giving away a program for your computer that can help you reach your personal development goals. One of the primary secrets of success is persistence and people often fail because they don't give the process of change enough time.

The Motivator Software is a sophisticated tool that allows you to craft personalized messages that will regularly appear on your PC for as long as you like.

As far as I can tell MySelfHelpHub.Com is giving this away in order to get you interested in some of their other offerings and I have found them easy to do business with. To learn more or to download your copy, please visit The Motivator Software.