Медитация относится к государству, в котором ваше тело и ум сознательно расслаблены и сосредоточены. Практикующие этого искусства сообщают о повышении осведомленности, сосредоточенности и концентрации, а также о более позитивном взгляде на жизнь.
Медитация чаще всего ассоциируется с монахами, мистиками и другими духовными дисциплинами. Тем не менее, вы не должны быть монахом или мистиком, чтобы наслаждаться его преимуществами. И вы даже не должны быть в специальном месте, чтобы практиковать его. Вы даже можете попробовать его в вашей собственной гостиной!

Хотя существует много различных подходов к медитации, фундаментальные принципы остаются теми же. Наиболее важным из этих принципов является устранение обструктивных, негативных и блуждающих мыслей и фантазий, а также успокоительное ума с глубоким чувством сосредоточенности. Это очищает ум от мусора и готовит его к более высокому качеству деятельности.

Негативные мысли у вас есть – те из шумных соседей, властный officemates, что парковка билет вы получили, и нежелательные спам-говорят, чтобы способствовать “загрязняющих” ума и закрытие их позволяет для “чистки” ума, так что он может сосредоточиться на более глубокие, более значимые мысли.

Некоторые практикующие даже закрыли все сенсорные входные данные – ни достопримечательностей, ни звуков, ни ничего на ощупь – и пытаются отделить себя от волнения вокруг них. Теперь вы можете сосредоточиться на глубокой, глубокой мысли, если это ваша цель. Это может показаться оглушительным на первый, так как мы все слишком привыкли постоянно слышать и видеть вещи, но, как вы продолжаете это упражнение вы окажетесь становится все более осведомлены обо всем вокруг вас.

Если вы обнаружите, медитируя позиции вы видите по телевизору угрожающие – те, с невозможно арочные спины, и болезненный вид искривления – вам не нужно беспокоиться. Принцип здесь заключается в том, чтобы быть в удобном положении, благоприятном для концентрации. Это может быть, сидя скрестив ноги, стоя, лежа, и даже ходить.

Если позиция позволяет расслабиться и сосредоточиться, то это будет хорошей отправной точкой. Сидя или стоя, спина должна быть прямой, но не напряженной или жесткой. В других позициях, только нет-нет сутулый и засыпает.

Свободная, удобная одежда очень помогает в этом процессе, так как жесткая одежда, как правило, душит вас и заставить вас чувствовать себя напряженным.

Место, где вы выполняете медитацию, должно иметь успокаивающую атмосферу. Это может быть в вашей гостиной, или спальне, или в любом месте, что вы чувствуете себя комфортно дюйма Вы можете осуществлять коврик, если вы планируете взять на себя более сложные позиции (если вы чувствуете себя более целенаправленной делать это, и если акробат в вас кричал для освобождения). Вы можете иметь место расположены так, что это успокаивает ваши чувства.

Тишина помогает большинству людей расслабиться и медитировать, так что вы можете тихой, изолированной области вдали от звона телефона или гудение стиральной машины. Приятные ароматы также помогают в этом отношении, так чулок на ароматические свечи не такая уж плохая идея либо.

Монахи, которые вы видите по телевизору, изготовив эти монотонные звуки, на самом деле выполняют свою мантру. Проще говоря, это короткое кредо, простой звук, который для этих практиков имеет мистическое значение.

Вам не нужно выполнять такие; однако следует отметить, что сосредоточение внимания на повторяющихся действиях, таких как дыхание и гудение, помогает практикующему войти в более высокое состояние сознания.

Принцип здесь фокус. Вы также можете попробовать сосредоточиться на определенном объекте или мысли, или даже, сохраняя глаза открытыми, сосредоточиться на одном виде.

Один образец рутины было бы – в то время как в медитативном состоянии – молча назвать каждую часть вашего тела и фокусировки вашего сознания на этой части. При этом вы должны быть осведомлены о любом напряжении на любой части вашего тела. Мысленно визуализировать освобождение этого напряжения. Он творит чудеса.

В целом, медитация является относительно без риска практике, и ее преимущества хорошо стоит усилий (или не усилия – помните, что мы расслабляемся).

Исследования показали, что медитация действительно приносит полезные физиологические эффекты для организма. И в медицинском сообществе растет консенсус в отношении дальнейшего изучения последствий такого. Итак, в ближайшем будущем, кто знает, что мистическая, эзотерическая вещь, которую мы называем медитацией, может стать самой наукой!

Change Doesn’t Happen Alone!

Most of us wish we could improve certain things about ourselves.
But lasting change is difficult, because many of our habits are deeply rooted within our core.

If you look up a definition of self-change (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary); the word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary. Click on a spelling suggestion below or try again using the search bar above.

I’ve never delivered a baby, so I’ll say change is at least one of the hardest challenges that any of us will ever have to face.

We are social beings – meaning we need each other to survive. We need interaction and exchange with other people to get feedback to let us know where we are so we can gauge our progress. Not to mention relationships and support.

I believe that change is participatory and involves getting help, giving help, and learning to help yourself as well as sharing your and others knowledge and experiences.

That’s why I created this site PablosHelpDesk

To create an exchange of ideas and hope for change.

We can all change. With a little hope, effort, determination, and a dash of faith, it is possible to be the person you want to be. Even the oldest habits can be changed to some degree.

My goal is for us to come together to openly share experiences and offer mutual support as we struggle through this chaos we call life.

So thanks for coming, please leave us feedback, so we can learn and grow. If you like share comments, and/or leave us some ideas on items that are important to you.

Talent stack is a concept coined by Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic. It’s the idea that you can combine normal skills until you have the right kind to be extraordinary.

An example is Scott himself. He’s not the best artist — there are better artists than him. He’s not much of a business expert — there are more savvy experts. He has never taken a college-level writing class. Yet, he created Dilbert, a famous comic strip that appears in 65 countries.^[1] Scott is said to have a net worth of $75 million, majority of which comes from Dilbert.^[2]

As he says, “When you add in my ordinary business skills, my strong work ethic, my risk tolerance, and my reasonably good sense of humor, I’m fairly unique. And in this case that uniqueness has commercial value.”

Understanding how a talent stack works is important. Normally, people think that success comes from developing talent in one skill. This works well in some fields. In medicine, the natural progression is to pick a specialty. In sports, you train to become best in your field, like Tiger Woods (golf) and Michael Jordan (basketball). In acting, you develop the best acting chops, like Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman.

But besides becoming world-class in one skill, talent can come from having a unique stack of skills that no one else has. You can utilize different skills to create value in a way no one else can, thus becoming one-of-a-kind in your own league.

More Examples of Talent Stack

Lisa Elfridge is a celebrity make-up artist on YouTube. She was already known prior to starting her website and YouTube channel. But after she started her channel focusing on beauty and makeup tips, her authority and success rose to a whole new level.^[3]

Reason? She is one of her kind in her field.

• Celebrity makeup artists work with their clients for photo shoots, appearances. They don’t publish their work online. Most of their self-marketing happens offline, through networking, connections, etc.
• On the other hand, online makeup gurus generally show how they do their own makeup. But they are not professionally trained. They cannot give professional advice on what is the best makeup for different skin tones, or for skin that is not like theirs.

Lisa has a unique talent stack to navigate the ultra-competitive beauty space:

1. Makeup skills. She has professional makeup skills.
2. Industry knowledge. She has real experience working with celebrities.
3. Presentation skills. She communicates her makeup tips in an easy-to-understand way. White backdrop, no frills or production gimmicks. No music. Just her and her beauty tips.
4. Video creation skills. She knows how to create professional-looking videos, or at the least she hires people with the right skills.

People in the celebrity makeup world have the first two skills. Online makeup gurus have the latter two skills. But Lisa is able to harness all four skills, hence becoming extraordinary in her field. That’s her talent stack.

Example: Blogging

When I started my blog, I was not much of a writer — I have never taken a professional writing class. I have average web design skills. I have good marketing and business strategy skills. I have very strong analytical skills. And I have a strong passion for growth.

Put these together and I was able to create a coaching business that thrives despite stiff competition. My blend of skills is strong enough to stand out in the market:

1. Marketing and business strategy. Most web business owners do not have professional marketing knowledge. What was common sense to me, in marketing my business, was alien to everyone else. After entering the field, I realized no one really knew what they were doing in terms of business strategy and management. Many bloggers were just randomly blogging but no one was thinking about their blog as a strategic platform for their business, not until the 2010s when the commercial potential for blogging became obvious.
2. Design and coding. Many web business owners do not have web design or coding knowledge. In the end, they get stuck with technical issues as running a web business has become super complicated today. You can hire a designer but you get stuck in the to-and-fro and trying to convey your ideas to them. Even when paying high fees for good designers, there’s still a gap between intention and execution. And that’s not even talking about ongoing maintenance which is part of any website today.
3. Coaching. My coaching has a unique edge because I can analyze and break down intricate problems, with a focus on solving issues by tackling their root cause. On the other hand, most coaches provide surface solutions and some form of emotional support, but their clients continue to deal with the same problems becauss the root issue is never addressed.
4. Writing. I am an average writer, but at the very least my writing is passable and good enough for blog articles. I’m also constantly working on my writing skills.
5. Analytical skills. For everything else, my ability to learn and analyze things helps me fill the gap.

Since starting my blog, I have built new skills to further stand out from the competition: public speaking, podcasting, video editing, and networking skills. With a diverse mix of skills, I’m able to stay ahead despite constant market changes.

How a Talent Stack Works

A talent stack works in this way:

• You leverage on the skills that you have to create an edge. Marketing, networking, technical, design, etc.
• Even if you don’t have a skill, you can learn it to set yourself apart from others.
• You mix seemingly normal skills together and become extraordinary in your own right.

Example: Recruitment

Let’s say you are a software engineer. You are great in your field. You design and develop software with ease. However, you are stuck in a job that pays you almost the same amount every year.

Many software engineers are technically competent but lack the savviness to market themselves. They are simply not taught how to market themselves in engineering and computing classes. A possible talent stack here can be:

• Technical. You already have this skill if you’re a software developer.
• Networking. You form positive relationships with people across the organization. You have high visibility among the management. You form relationships with recruiters, headhunters, and peers in different industries to expand your job options. You know how to use Linkedin to connect with industry peers and get potential job offers.
• Presentation. You can present yourself well, and your ideas eloquently.
• Marketing. You know how to market yourself and sell your strengths. Your resume is filled with achievements but not responsibilities. You know how to present your skills and job history in the best way.

You don’t need to be the best in networking/presentation/marketing. Just knowing some networking, presentation, and marketing skills puts you at a sweet spot, ahead of others. Because everyone else (in your field) lacks these skills.

One of my recent clients is a technical developer. In the past year, he learned different technical skills (that are emerging in the market now) to widen his skills set. Doing so increased his appeal as a job candidate. At the same time, we worked on his self-marketing skills — giving his resume an overhaul, focusing on achievements rather than responsibilities, learning to position his skills and capabilities. He also began networking — with recruiters, headhunters, industry peers — to get himself out there.

In the end, he got a job offer that paid him 60% more than his previous job.

If he didn’t upgrade himself, chances of such an attractive job switch are virtually zero. He would be locked in his current company, subjected to the offer presented by his company. In fact this was what happened in his previous jobs. But because of his skill sets, he can navigate the industry easily and get the best offer. He’s not the best marketer. He’s not the best networker. But having decent skills in these are enough to put him ahead.

The goal of a talent stack is to stack different skills to create a sweet spot. A sweet point that dramatically raises your value in a competitive field. This applies whether you are a blogger, salaried employee, business owner, baker, software developer, coach, or something else.

3 Questions to You

My questions to you:

1. What industry are you in? Blogging? Health and fitness? IT? Coaching? Online business? YouTube? Others?
2. In your industry, what skills do people compete on?
3. Given that everyone has these skills in #2, what new skills can you learn to 10X your market value?

Another Example: Music

For example, electronic music tends to be very loud music that is used for raves, nightclubs, and festivals. Kitarō is different. He uses electronic and other instruments to create instrumental, East Asian music that is soothing and pleasing to the ear. In the American music industry, his music is a refreshing change.

He is not the best synthesizer player. He’s not the best flute player or drummer. But his ability to integrate western style of music with eastern elements makes him one of the most prominent musical acts of New-Age music, with more than 100 million copies of his 50 albums sold worldwide.^[4] Kitarō’s talent stack lies in his synthesizer skills, his general knowledge in music (self-taught), his familiarity with the Eastern culture (he was born into a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers), and his connection with nature (he lives in the mountains to get inspiration for his music).^[5][6][7]

Wrapping Up

What new skills can you learn? If you have absolutely no idea what to learn, some true-north skills that are great for stacking are:

• Public speaking
• Marketing
• Coding (Because the world today is so digitized)
• Social media marketing
• Business management
• Whatever you are passionate about

Again, you don’t need to be the best in every skill. Simply learning a new skill opens up so many options. For some, learning and combining different skills may be the answer to discover your passion and talent — rather than something that you discover by sitting around and waiting for life to happen.

Read:

• What To Do When You Have Too Many Passions
• Skills Development
• The Market Leader Effect

The post How to Build an Edge: Develop Your Talent Stack appeared first on Personal Excellence.