Are you in control of technology or does technology control you?

Love it or hate it, technology is going to keep moving forward faster than you or I can comprehend. And with the passing of another Christmas and the onset of Christmas sales electrical gadgets and goods will be big on the agenda. Computers, TVs, Blackberries, Ipods, Nintendo and X-box are just a few that will be snapped up at the sales around this time of the year. My question is how are they going to benefit you and your lifestyle?

It is great to have the latest stuff but do you stop and think how this affects you? Is it helping you to advance in the game of life or is it holding you back. I would never dare tell anyone that they shouldn't have that video game or the latest in Television technology. But I would definitely question how their latest acquisition will benefit them. Lifestyle experts and commentators are commonly quoted as saying the obesity crisis is due to our reliance on technology and its constant advancements causing our lives to become more sedentary. But I disagree as gadgets, cars and computers are simply emotionally void tools. How we decide to use these tools is the key.

If you decide to use the newest TV for quality relaxation time then it is a good acquisition. However if you use it as your major source of entertainment it won't serve your lifestyle well. Same goes for all of these mobile phones and gadgets that allow you to check your emails anywhere, anytime. Great tool if you are in control of it and it isn't in control of you. The problem arises when you allow yourself to be controlled by technology.

My simple advise to all and sundry is only use technology to make you more efficient not just for entertainment and happiness. Because it will be hollow and the regular updating of it will mean you are never satisfied. Yet if the technology utilised in your life is making your life more efficient and productive then it is worth every cent. Here's a guide to use when thinking of updating or buying new technologically advanced goods or gadgets.

1. Why am I getting it?: Will this acquisition improve the quality of your existence or decrease it? Will your health creation efforts be affected because of it? Will having the latest in technology remove or create more stress for me? Would I be better off spending the money on something more beneficial for my development or health. Will it unbalance my health creation efforts. Such as sleep, activity levels, time I have completely to myself.
2. Am I in control?: Is my subconscious mind ritualised adequately to stop this new acquisition from negatively affecting my health creation efforts? If not maybe you would be better off investing in bringing your lifestyle habits up to speed.
3. Sleep on it?: Is the reason for wanting this new gadget or piece of equipment to keep up with everyone else, to be trendy and for show. Or is it to improve your lifestyle by allowing you more freedom to stay in control of your health and harmony creation. Don't think you have to have it today unless you have ticked all of the right boxes and you are sure this is right for you. Price should not be a reason to buy, your wellbeing should be.

Being set in your ways has its good points

Following on from the the last article on the creation of rituals I am going to reinforce what I think is an added bonus of creating positive rituals. Whilst it is all fine and dandy for me to rave on about how you should be doing all of these things, I am sure you know this already. Whether you do it or not is another thing. But I want to explore the setting of positive rituals even further because I feel this is such an important issue. If this turns a few lights on and really highlights the benefits of this type of action for you then I will be a happy man.

High achievers all adhere to positive rituals, principles or guidelines whatever you want to call them. But why? Because it saves mental and emotional energy and enhances spiritual energy naturally. It also leaves you energised with more energy to burn when you want to spend time with the family, partner or what ever other hobbies or interests you may have. Even better you don't even have to think about doing them because they are already committed to habit.

The reality is if you don't follow guidelines or rituals at the moment they will sound like hard work, time consuming and inflexible. To follow them you will have to consciously make the effort to implement them into your lifestyle. Conscious efforts take lots of energy to maintain. That is why if you don't view a ritual as positive because your perception of it is, it isn't enjoyable or it's hard work and will take lots of discipline and will power. There is a fair chance you won't maintain it because you will view the effort to be too great and subsequently won't keep at it long enough to commit it to memory. How many times have you heard of a fitness regime dropped after 2, 3 or 4 weeks. Because it wasn't committed to their subconscious mind (habit) to become part of their daily ritual or routine. The energy used in the effort was too great to maintain because it wasn't a habit yet and the effort outweighed the reward at the time.

I'll leave it there for this one as I want you to ponder this for a while. I would even encourage you to investigate people you view as successful and see whether there was a ritual or pattern they followed religiously. Fair chance there is. Positive rituals can come in any shape or form from dietary habits to exercise routines to complete daily work routines. There is no limit and the more positive ones you commit to habit the more joy you will have in your chosen field and the less restrictions you will have to hold you back.

To set goals or create positive rituals.

Do you set yourself goals? And if so do you write them down? If you answered yes to both questions you are in the top 3 percent of the population. It would be great if after reading this information you were to take the time to write down your goals. But will that do you any good? It will be better than not writing your goals down, but for the majority it will be a token gesture that will have a short lived effect. The passion won't be there and within a couple of weeks you probably won't even feel motivated enough to even read the goals you have written down.

The solution is to get some passion in your life. Visualising a desired outcome will start this off. Once you know what outcome you really want to produce work your way back from that outcome and create a regular positive ritual that will take you towards your special place. By employing a positive ritual you are creating an empowering reason to follow certain processes on a regular basis that will take you to successful and fulfilling outcomes.

So you are still setting goals but by creating a positive ritual and including them as part of your daily routine you will be motivating yourself internally and pretty much guaranteeing self development and progression. Say losing 10 kilograms was your goal. Sounds fine but to most it sounds like hard work so the motivation level may be lacking. Where as visualising yourself in a bikini or bathers looking slim and tanned would have more appeal to most and by describing that in words will motivate you more when reading the goal. Then creating a positive daily ritual to assist achieving that goal will ensure you lose those 10 kilos. In your daily ritual may be eating at certain times, exercising at a certain time and drinking so much water. Associating this ritual to your success will motivate you to achieve your goal.

Follow these steps when you find a goal or desired outcome you really would like to achieve.

1. Dream of your desired outcome: Find a result that you really want to achieve and aligns with your value system and would give you a real sense pride and happiness.
2. Create a regular positive ritual: Factor in a daily process that will take you towards your outcome and associate this with your end result. This will give you the intrinsic motivation that is desired because you are completing a ritual that you associate with a positive result.
3. Measure your progress: Having this measure will allow you to adjust your routine or carry on as you are. It will ensure progress and success.
4. Reward yourself: When you have achieved part of or half of your outcome and your end result then celebrate this fact. You will quickly associate achieving goals with rewards and happiness.

So do both set goals and create positive rituals then you are destined for more positive outcomes.

Investigate energy management instead of time management.

Energy management may sound a little broad but I feel time management is even broader. And frankly, the more I witness and learn from mentors and influencing figures in my life, time management is a floored concept. What's more it seems to create a society fitting more and more into a day, a week, a month and a year but getting less done and more unbalanced in a lifestyle sense. We are loosing direction in the quest for time management but all we are succeeding in doing is creating a condition I have termed Lifestytis.

I feel we need to focus on energy management to obtain better performance, increased productivity and lifestyle balance. Look at top level athletes be it Aussie rules football, Hockey, Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Netball or Athletics they all manage their energy levels. If resting pulse rates are too high steps are taken to rejuvenate the athlete. Off seasons must be taken otherwise injury, burnout and motivation will occur without doubt. So why do we as the general population work 40, 50 or 60 hours a week consistently and expect to stay motivated and productive. One great description that describes this type of living is flatlining. Work from 7 till 7 then go home eat, check emails, watch TV and then fit in some sleep. Get up and do it again.

Try this for a suggestion to increase the enjoyment, productivity, motivation, health and well being you experience. Start living your life like you are on a roller coaster ride. Say you work for 8 hours, let the first 90 - 120 minutes be the downward descent - go hard and fast. Then take 15 -20 minutes to go slow and replenish your energy levels. Stretch, walk up and down stairs, play cards, juggle or have a power snack. But it must be fun. Then get back to work because the downhill descent is coming up again. Go hard, get urgent for the next 90 minutes or so and capitalise on the downhill momentum. Keep this up all day and see how much more work you get done, how much extra energy you have left over and how much more enjoyable your work becomes.

See how focusing on energy level usage and replenishment can assist rather than focusing on managing time. We are only human and if we focus on time management we naturally focus on fitting more in to that time. Something has to give and our health usually draws the short straw because it is immeasurable until you lose it. So to manage energy try this and see how you go.

1. Stress energy levels - work, exercise, learn or whatever it is you do to a point where it is stressing you and you are out of your comfort zone. But do it relatively quickly.
2. Replenish energy levels - Stop the activity causing stress and do something totally enjoyable yet relaxing. Clear your mind totally.
3. Repeat, repeat and grow - Listen to your body and when you are tired, mentally, emotionally or physically, your energy is all used up so you need to replenish it. Sleep, eat, massage or whatever works for you. But rest and recovery will not only replenish energy levels but make you stronger, fitter, more productive and more motivated because you will adapt to the stresses you continually place on yourself (get out of your comfort zone)

Let me know how you go but most importantly enjoy yourself.