The Brain-Gut Connection

By Jahiel Yasha Kamhi 

You've probably heard about the brain-body connection, but have you heard about the connection between your brain and your gut?

My hope is that this article will provide you with some interesting information on this subject.

The brain-gut connection is a scientific principle that serves as a link between neurology, the branch of medicine studying disorders of the nervous system, and nutrition, the science of consuming foods that are necessary for our health.

I have a question for you. What does food mean to you? Do you see it as fuel for energy? Is it a means of nutrition for maintaining a healthy body? Or maybe you think of food in terms of just the pleasure you get from consuming it?

Whatever your answer is, the food you choose to take into your body affects both your physical and mental health. You could even view it as a piece of information that tells your body how to maintain your health.

Most people don't think of food as a source of disease... or, conversely, as a source of healing.

For instance, neuroscience tells us that cognitive problems could be related to a poor diet.

Is a gut really an important factor for mental health? Yes, it is. The gut has another name: "the second human brain." Why do you think science has chosen to call a part of the digestion system by that name?

Here's why: Ninety percent of serotonin and dopamine, well known brain neurotransmitters, are produced in the gut-not in the brain. What's even more surprising is that 99% of human DNA (the carrier of genetic information) comes from the bacteria in your gut and has nothing to do with your parents.

One of the functions of the vagus nerve, which extends from the brain and passes through several organs all the way to the gut, is controlling food digestion.

The gut is the place in our body where inflammation starts. Inflammation is the cause of many diseases, including cognitive impairment (i.e., trouble remembering, learning, concentrating, and making decisions). Inflammation causes heart disease and cancer, as well.

We can say that whatever happens in the gut has a big impact on the brain. The food, and your food choices, are fundamentally important to your overall health.

The science is positive: 50% of all Alzheimer's disease cases are preventable simply by choosing the right foods. Think about this statement before buying your food at the supermarket or when ordering a meal in a restaurant.

You've just learned some important reasons to take your gut more seriously.

If you want to live a healthy life, learn more about your food intake, good/bad bacteria, pro- and pre-biotics, and other information about your gut.

Are you really paying attention to your food intake and to the brain-gut connection? If not, don't you think it's time that you do?

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Learn to Reward Yourself for Success With These 3 Steps

By T. Harv Eker

Have you ever felt guilty about accepting a reward? I’m not talking about getting a hand out here, but actually being comfortable and feeling good about finding a way to reward yourself for your hard work. Ready on to learn how to fully celebrate your successes and remove all guilt in your life!

Celebrate Success by Learning to Reward Yourself

If you’ve ever felt like you “can’t” or “won’t” reward yourself for your hard work, I’m going to give you three simple steps to follow to remove all guilt… so you can celebrate each of your successes and feel great about rewarding yourself.

1. The golden rule of rewarding yourself

When it comes to finding ways to reward yourself, follow this golden rule: do what works for you.

That’s it!

For most people, they don’t have a ‘play jar’ to spoil themselves. They don’t take time for themselves. They don’t focus on loving themselves.

They don’t focus on that feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment for more than three seconds before it becomes doubt, judgment and “What’s the next thing?”

The reason I incorporate rewards so heavily into my “Ultimate Life Makeover System” web class is because number 1, many times it’s tangible. When you buy that dress you’ve wanted or that jacket you’ve wanted and you see it in your closet all of the time, you’ll say, “Wow, it’s worth doing the things I committed to doing!”

And number 2, rewarding yourself for your accomplishments gives you the motivation, drive, and self-confidence to keep moving towards your goals with momentum.

Many people won’t give themselves a little reward here and there, which is why it’s so important to take the time to do this consciously.

Here’s the simplest way I teach to do this: Set an action and a deadline for that action to be completed,, set a reward, and when you complete that action, take your reward! Then… repeat this over and over and over again.

So, what works or WILL work for you when it comes to patting yourself on the back for a job well done?

2. Redefine rewards

If you believe that you should only get a reward for doing something difficult, then you need to rethink this belief immediately.

The bottom line is if you associate rewards with something difficult, you created that belief.

In other words, you were taught that if you do something unpleasant or difficult, you deserve and should get a reward.

But then what if you don’t do something difficult? Well, you don’t get one… right?

This is faulty thinking, and something that holds a lot of people back. You can and should get rewarded for accomplishing things you actually enjoy doing, too.

For example, if you ENJOY your work, and you are successful with it, guess what? You should be REWARDED for that!

You shouldn’t have to do work that you hate, and that is unpleasant and difficult simply to make money because you’ve linked rewards with unpleasantness.

If this is something you believe, then very unconsciously you have linked getting rewards from unpleasantness—and this singular belief is holding you back from enjoying your work, your life, and blocking you from experiencing true happiness.

3. Move beyond “either/or”

If you associate rewards with pain and suffering, then you’re living in an either/or world.

Remember what I said in my book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: most people live in an either/or world. Either it’s money or happiness, money or spirituality, money or health, money orfree time, money or this, money or that.

It’s either/or.

How about we do what we love? How about we enjoy what we do? How about we do very pleasant and wonderful things and we get a reward as well?

Imagine this is your new rule: I can do what I love and get rewarded.

I can do what I enjoy and get rewarded in all kinds of ways, not just satisfaction and accomplishment (because the mind doesn’t hold onto these for longer than 3 seconds).

Instead, write down what you want in your life including all the “luxuries” you’ve ever dreamed of. They could be material. They could be any kinds of things, but you’ve got to allow yourself to enjoy them.

I’ll tell you why many people don’t do this: it’s because the conditioned, fear-based mind doesn’t want that. Because if you’re really nice to you and really good to you, then what is your mind supposed to do?

Its job is to look for the problems; to mainly look for what’s wrong. You must consciously step in and stop this in its tracks!

By unlinking rewards from unpleasantness, and instead believing that you deserve to be rewarded for ALL the great things you accomplish, you’ll begin operating on a higher energy plane – and living a more abundant, happy, fulfilled life in the process.

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Work Hard In Silence And Let Success Make The Noise

By Sergei VanBellinghen

To be successful, you have to be able to work hard in silence and let success make the noise. When people are putting forty hours work week, you need to put eighty to a hundred hours a week, which in turn improves your odds of success. It sounds crazy, but it pushes you to be extraordinary.

But what pushes some people to work so hard? How is it possible to have so much determination or even the discipline? Is it conceivable to achieve your goals in a shorter period of time?

The first thing that pushes certain individuals to work hard is hunger. Even if intelligence is a valuable tool, there are a lot of smart people out there that cannot fight their way out of a paper bag. But when someone has a hunger that does not go away, to be more, do more, get more, and never ends, it becomes a person who is the best at what they do.

I believe that everybody has that hunger, but for some people, it has been lifeless for a long time. The reason being is that they are afraid to try or to fail. It is human nature to protect yourself from the fear by lowering your expectation. But you get what you tolerate. While some people accept their fate, others decide that enough is enough.

Therefore, when you decide to make a change, it is the beginning of a breakthrough. You then create a different vision for yourself. Some of you are already doing it right now. More than ever, it is a time to begin working hard, in silence, and inoculate yourself with positive words.

When you work hard in silence, you create a different and new you which then become unstoppable. You have to replace the negative garbage which is polluting your mind and replace it with optimistic thoughts. If not, you will slowly die at age 25 and will not get buried until you are 75.

Get a Clear Vision and Work Hard 

If you are reading this article, it is because you are different from everyone else. To work hard, you need a clear vision of where you are going and what you want. You have to focus on you, and not try to convince people who do not believe in what you see the future to be.

When you go outside and look for pigeons, it is pretty easy, but if you are looking for eagles, it may take you a few minutes to find them. The fact is that when you reach the top and let success make the noise, it feels kind of lonely but you have to remember, you eat better.

There are times, and days such as certain mornings where it is better not to think, but to get up, work hard, and in silence. Do what you have to do. Then read or learn something new. But there are other times when you have to think and get really creative. You need to keep a clear vision of what you want and grind. Then make a dollar into two, invest it and grow your net worth.

Roll Up Your Sleeves and Work Hard 

The reality is that reading a book, going to a conference, having a great conversation where you get this golden information is fantastic. But what makes mastery is execution on the ideas. No concepts work unless you are willing to roll up your sleeves, do the practice, invest the time, put the effort, and work hard.

We have all observed a lot of people, who love reading the books, showing at the courses, doing all of the online training but nothing ever changes. And they do not know why it does not work, why their lives do not improve or why their thinking stills the same.

Well, it is because ideas do not work if you do not execute on them. You have to work hard. If you look at any great entrepreneur, leader or performer, there is one thing that makes them prodigious, and that is their grit. It is their hunger, determination, and perseverance to practice that makes them who they are. Successful people are willing to make all the sacrifices.

Work Hard with Passion and Shift Your Mindset 

And yes, they are passionate. So you also have to be obsessive. Do you know the root of the word passion? It is "suffering." Therefore you have to be willing to suffer and work hard for your vision. You got to feel the pain to reach the top and be one of the best in the world.

You have to be able to suffer the laughter and ridicule of your critics and cynics to get to a place called success. And as you get to that area, let victory speaks for itself. For all of it, you have to change your mindset. And in this shift, you must accept appreciation.

The truth is that often, everything is about getting, so what we focus on is somewhat what we do not have. Therefore, you have to shift your mindset from focusing on what you lack to the connection of the growth and goals you want to achieve. You have to work hard every day until you accomplish what you desire.

Work Hard by Practicing Repeatedly 

No matter what is going on in your life, I know that there will be things that knock you down, stuff that sucks or reasons to be unhappy but there is always a reason to bounce back. How do I know that? Well, I do also have them in my life; we all do. But it is how you deal with what is happening.

There is no magic button to build self-confidence. Hard work and repetition is the key to confidence. Let me remind you of the ten thousand hours rule. There is no secret formula other than practicing the same thing over and over until you master it.

The problem is that you cannot expect to have confidence or mastery tomorrow. But you can build confidence if you put yourself in a situation where the skill you have to learn is getting you under pressure, and you are pushed to work hard. It is your ability to practice and keep trying that makes you an expert.

Work Hard and Let Success Make the Noise 

Most people have a problem with repetition, and it is that a lot of them bail after a little bit of failure. Have you ever bailed after the first bit of adversity? At times I know I did. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all used to repeat something, but you just have to practice and work hard at your craft if you want to master it, and never accept failure.

Determination and persistence are great tools to use. So, you have to persist. All I care about and all that matter to you is what your mindset is like regarding today and your future. Keep your 'why' in your mind, work hard in silence and let success speak. You can, you will, and you must.

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How Triggers Impact Mental Health

By Donnisha Sambrano 

Most of the psychological triggers are caused by external events, circumstances and stimulus, such as sight, sound and smell. Some of these triggers can invoke the feeling of distress and flashbacks of traumatic events. Though most of the triggers are innocuous in nature, some of them can turn quite threatening. Because of their innate tendency to evoke traumatic memories and emotions, it can turn more challenging for people to wrestle with these triggers. More than a warning bell, it can turn into an obstacle capable of instilling fear and inhibitions.

Psychological triggers among individuals coping with addiction and psychiatric illnesses are more likely to induce the feelings of anxiety, panic, discouragement, or other uncomfortable states of emotion. Moreover, the exposure to these triggers increase the risk of re-engaging in unhealthy behaviors and negative thinking among people with mental disorders.

Therefore, it is essential to know the ins and outs of these triggers. By developing the ability to identify triggers and implementing measures to reduce their impact on life, a person can significantly dissuade the aggravation of the symptoms of psychiatric diseases in the long run. In fact, triggers can influence moods and behaviors even among individuals not affected by mental disorders.

Although a person cannot predict, identify and avoid all triggers, building effective coping mechanisms can prevent negative effects by strengthening a person's ability to exercise control over them.

Though reacting to triggers is a normal thing, one should keep this point in mind that most reactions are built subconsciously over a long period of time. Some forms of coping are very maladaptive in nature that can cause a person to be in a constant state of anxiety and distress. This not only worsens his or her mental health symptoms, but also prevent him or her from exploring more adaptive ways to deal with their triggers.

Understanding how triggers work

As such, a person's reaction to triggers is not understood well. However, it is believed to emanate from the sensory memories and the formation of habits. When a person perceives patterns that resemble his or her traumatic experiences, it is very likely that he or she is probably already responding to a trigger. After certain time of the traumatic event, the person's efforts to cope with the incident coerces him or her to form certain habits.

Most of the times, these habits are not beneficial to the person and over time it can become deeply ingrained or his or her second nature. Such individuals are unlikely to be aware of the psychological impact of their natural reaction and the habits they demonstrate, especially when the trauma is fresh in their mind. Therefore, it is essential to keep a check on one's potential triggers to avoid serious consequences, particularly on mental health.

Among various types of mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a large number of psychological triggers. Some of the negative life experiences, such as death, injury, sexual assault or other debilitating incidents, can lead to the onset of PTSD in people. When the brain links certain sight, sound, smell, circumstances and places to the sensory memories of the traumatic event, it could potentially trigger his or her memories of that incident and coerce him or her to relive it again.

Triggers also play a crucial role in dictating the chances of a relapse among individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). People with mental health problems and SUD aware of their unique triggers for relapse should plan their day to avoid some places or people that can reignite distress and cravings.

Correspondingly, they could find ways to controlling their thought so that their mind and body does not give in to the pressure of a trigger. It is unlikely that a person will be able to stay away from his or her triggers at all times, but it could significantly reduce the hardwiring of their negative automatic responses.

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Money-Making Tips from 50 Smartest People - Tony Robbins

Fantastic investing advice from Tony Robbins. You DO NOT need a lot to start investing and using compound interest makes it yield in time. Great stuff!

How To Banish Your Fear Of Success In Just 3 Simple Steps

By T. Harv Eker

Have you ever wondered why you haven’t reached the level of success you want in life?

Many of us are afraid of failing, at least some of the time. But fear of failure is when we allow that fear to stop us doing the things that can move us forward to achieve our goals.

But for a lot of people, it’s not a fear of failure holding them back…

It’s a fear of success.

When you’re afraid of success, you can find yourself getting very close to your goals – and then suddenly falling short. You might not even know why — or what you’re really afraid of.

Recently I had a conversation about this with a student during one of my Tough Love Mentoring calls, and I discussed why this happens… and the three steps you can take to identify, understand, and overcome your fears today.

When you find yourself stumbling on the path to success, there are three elements you need to do if you really want to create change. The first element is Awareness. The second is Understanding. And the third? That’s where you Reprogram or Rewire yourself in order to change your conditioning.

Let’s take a look at each of those 3 steps in more detail… 

Step 1  — Awareness: Get To Know Your Fear

You may tell yourself: “I have a fear of success.”

But what is it about success that’s so scary? What’s the story in your head that’s really holding you back?

Until you identify it, you’ll never be able to move on.

So what do you do? If you have a fear of success or even failure, narrow it down.

Ask yourself: what is the belief at the core of your fear? Write down exactly what your mind is saying. I’m not talking about general terms – I want you to dig deep and be as specific as possible. What are you afraid will happen?

Some of the most common fears I hear are things like this:

• “If I succeed, everyone’s going to want something from me.”
• “I’m going to have to take care of my whole family, and I don’t want that responsibility.” 
• “I’m going to have to pay too much in taxes and I hate taxes.”

Once you nail down what you’re really afraid of, it’s time for the next step…

Step 2 — Understanding: Why Your Fears Aren’t Real

Now there’s one thing that is really important to understand if you want to be successful… 

Everything you’re telling yourself right now is complete freaking bulls**t!

It’s made up by your mind itself. Fear isn’t real.

Now I mentioned earlier that this came up during a recent coaching call. And during that call, one of my students disagreed with me on this. She told me, “Not all fear is bulls**t. I don’t believe that.” But let me explain what I mean when I talk about fear.

What is the definition of fear? It’s the anticipation of pain.

And when you’re anticipating something, is that past, present or future?  It’s not the past or the present. Anticipation is the future. But it isn’t the actual future – it’s the future you’re imagining. And guess what? The future doesn’t exist – yet.

That’s what I mean by bulls**t. It’s only imagination. It’s not real. It only feels real because you made it that way. That’s why it’s so important to overcome the fears holding you back.

You weren’t born with this fear, by the way. When you were half a minute old, you probably weren’t saying, “I’m going to have this fear that I’ve got to take care of everybody now.” That came later, as you grew up and learned to see the world a certain way.

Ultimately, you’re the one making it up.

You’re the one continuing to buy into that story. Whether it’s good or bad, everything you tell yourself is really just a story. We just make the whole thing up as we go along. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can let that story go.

“Fear is just the anticipation of pain. Ultimately, you are the one making it up.”

Step 3 — Reprogramming: Finally, Let Go Of Your Fears By Reframing Them

After you’re able to understand that your fear isn’t real — that it’s just the future you’re making up — the final step is looking at the story you’ve told yourself, and reconditioning or reframing it.

And by that, I don’t mean telling yourself “This belief is wrong.” Since fear lives only in your imagination, there’s nothing right or wrong about it.

Instead, I want you to ask yourself a simple question: “Is this belief helping me, or not helping me?” It’s that simple.

The truth is, you can change your beliefs any time you want to.

So every time you have a fear that’s holding you back, I want you to tell yourself, “That’s not helpful. I’m going to believe something else.”

Then, take a moment to reframe it. For example, take the fear I mentioned earlier:  “If I am successful, everyone’s going to want something from me.”

Stop and think: Where did that come from? Was there a person in your life who told you this? In this example, maybe it was your dad – and every day he would say to you, “Don’t bother trying for more because if you do, everyone’s going to want it. Everyone’s going to be a taker.”

That’s his frame. That’s his belief. But it doesn’t have to be yours.

You have the choice to let it go and believe something else. Why would you want to cut yourself off now from being successful just because you might have to worry about a problem in the future?

I always say, “Why don’t we just cross that bridge when we get there? How about you become super successful now, and worry about any problems as they come up?”

Once you stop worrying about what’s going to happen in the future and start living in the moment, you’ll be amazed at how much progress you make in a short time.

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How to Design the Perfect Day

What would be your perfect day? Where would you be, who would you be with, what would you do?

Where To Begin On Your Fitness and Health Journey

By CA Flemming

Going back and forth with where to start on your new healthy adventure can be very frustrating and confusing to the point where a lot of people give up after a week of trying new and different things. My best advice while starting this new adventure is to get in the mind set that everything works differently for everyone! Not every diet will work the same for each person. For example my best friend can only have half the carbohydrates a day than I can because my body can process them faster and distribute it evenly throughout my body. So don't get frustrated from the beginning because everyone starts out in the same place you are now.

Here I have listed a checklist of things you should consider while starting off on your new adventure of being fit healthy and happy!

Throw out more than half of the junk food in your house, if not all of it. 

They are only temptations that we don't need. Yes you can eat them occasionally but having them linger around gives us more incentive to give into the temptations.

Write a list of your fitness goals. 

Start off with writing down your morning weight and date it. Then write down where you want to see yourselves and the time frame you are giving yourself.

Start thinking about meal prep. 

Meal prep is all about making meals for your week to get you started on a healthy week because the moment you open that fridge you can grab anything but if you know you already have meals that you prepared you are more willing to go for those and that is always the healthier option.

Go shopping for healthy food options. 

You can check out anywhere on the internet for recipes and grocery lists for healthy food options.

Get a gym membership 

I know not all of us have a lot of money to spend on expensive over the top gym memberships but there are some gyms like XSport or Planet Fitness that offer $10 memberships and the moment you know you are paying for something you will tend to use it way more often. If this really isn't a viable option then do at home workouts, take daily walks, start up running or biking riding as a new hobby. It is all about starting off with small changes.

Drink more water. 

Your daily water intake should be at least 8 glasses of water a day. This will help with your skin, hair, and overall hunger that we tend to get when we start a diet.

Think of this as a lifestyle change for the better. 

The moment we stop calling it a diet is the moment we keep trying for this end goal and we keep up with what we started off doing in the first place.

HAVE FUN!

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