How Multitasking Limits Your Success

It’s a multitasking world. Answer the phone, write an email, cook dinner, check on the kids, read the mail and get ready for that meeting tomorrow…all at the same time. We're told that multitasking is a good way to get ahead but is it really? The average adult attention span is about 20 minutes and Western culture has decided to try and cram as much into that time as possible through the introduction of multitasking. The issue, though, is that the human brain can only place its full attention on 1 thing at a time which means the more multitasking you do, the less effective you are at doing it.

From an energetic and Law of Attraction perspective, multitasking leads to more unwanted results than we would prefer. This attitude of switching our attention from one thing to another every few seconds, and the stress that comes from it, contributes to the mixed results we get in our lives. For instance, we attract some positive things that make us feel like we’re heading in the right direction and a few days later, it looks like we’re back where we started. An inability to stay focused on one idea (which multitasking reinforces) results in switching energies from one thing to the next. One minute you’re focused on an exciting idea in your life and the next you’re worried about gas prices or who will win the next election. To really attract what we want in life, we have to be single-minded and focused, which Westerners have not been trained to do.

Looking at the East, where meditation is still an important part of the culture, we see trained minds capable of holding a single idea for hours on end and we marvel. They have trained themselves to focus like a laser beam and the results are highly impressive. This is how the Yogis and Tibetan and Buddhist monks perform miracles that boggle the Western mind—slowing their heart rate and breathing until they appear to be dead or sitting half naked in the snow with wet towels wrapped around them and drying them only with their body heat, for example. Interestingly, these feats are not performed by the more Westernized people who have adopted our fast-paced way of life.

Do Olympic coaches promote multitasking in their athletes? No. They teach their athletes to focus solely on winning. “See yourself at the finish line. See the gold medal around your neck” a coach might say. Many studies have verified the effectiveness of this method and major companies have begun to employ it. If multitasking really is the way to get ahead, why aren't the most successful people using it? In truth, the highly successful people understand the importance of focusing on a single idea. Rather than multitasking, they take the time and focus to visualize the end result of their endeavor, just like the Olympic athletes do.

I highly recommend learning to use guided imagery as a means of focusing thought. This method has been in use for thousands of years and is just as effective today. Experts say we only use 10% of the mind’s ability and I have no doubt that a big part of the reason is we haven’t learned to really focus our attention. We are easily distracted (another trait multitasking reinforces) and rarely put our full attention on anything. Just think about how much more effective you could be in your life if you learned to focus your attention.

Learn more about guided imagery .

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

The Top 3 Stumbling Blocks to Psychic Development

Have you heard someone say, “Everyone has some degree of psychic ability”? Did you then think, “Ok, so where’s mine?” I think everyone has psychic ability that is either naturally prevalent or is latent but can be developed. However, those who wish to develop these skills often are met with a few stumbling blocks that normally stop them from reaching their goals. Let’s take a look at 3 main stumbling blocks to psychic development.

The first stumbling block is a misunderstanding of psychic ability. A lot of people expect what they see in the movies: bright, colorful, photographically clear images that present a story. I have found, though, that most clairvoyants don’t have that kind of crystal clear experience. For instance, when I see something, it’s usually a brief flash, occasionally in color, and it’s often symbolic and requires a little thought to find the meaning behind it. I have had many discussions with friends of mine who are psychic and they tell me they have the same type of experience I do.

It is also important to know that clairvoyance (seeing psychic images) is not the only ability a person can have. Some people hear (clairaudience) things such as the voices of spirit guides; others feel (clairsentience) energies or detect danger through “gut feelings”. Some even smell etheric scents. Whatever your psychic strength is, start by developing it first and then move to others later, if you want to. My psychic strength happens to be clairsentience.

The second stumbling block to psychic development is what I call “chasing the information”. This refers to the tendency to “go get” the information we want. Chasing the information places a big road block between what we’re trying to learn and ourselves. Instead, approach it from a relaxed and receptive state, allowing the information to come to you. Have you wondered why so many psychics have prophetic dreams? They are in a very deep state of relaxation and receptivity when they're asleep. If you know how to meditate, I would recommend slipping into a light meditative sate. If you don’t know how to meditate, don’t worry. Just be calm and relaxed and allow the information to enter your mind.

The third stumbling block to psychic development is trust. Many people expect the information to take one form and end up getting something different, causing them to dismiss what was received. The key to moving along the path of psychic development is to trust the impressions you get. For instance, I was working with my sister one time, trying to discover the cause of her headache. I received an image of her house and couldn’t make sense of why I would be shown that. I was sure my mind was simply conjuring up this picture and it had no relevance. But, trusting what I was receiving, I asked her if anything was going on at home that might be causing her stress and she confirmed that she was very worried about an upcoming party she had to get the house ready for. Had I simply assumed I was making up the picture of her house because it wasn’t what I was expected to be the answer, I might not have found the problem.

Psychic development can be a very fun and rewarding journey as long as you approach it from a relaxed and open state of mind. Try not to force anything and don't get discouraged when things don't turn out the way you hoped. In time, you will develop a greater trust in your abilities and see real improvement. I wish you the best of luck on your road to psychic development.

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

The Art of Effortless Doing

Western culture covets hard work and the harder it is the more we seem to appreciate it. If we find we aren’t achieving the results we want, we try harder and if that doesn’t work, we try even harder. It is almost as though we think if there isn’t struggle and sacrifice involved, the work isn’t worthwhile. However, the most fundamental functions of life are so effortless they don’t even require thought. Breathing, sleeping, eating, drinking, cell replication, heart rate, body temperature, oxygen exchange, and digestion are all things we literally can’t live without but when was the last time you struggled to do any of them?

The Chinese have a belief system called Taoism that holds a very different philosophy from the Western one. The Taoists follow a principle known as Wei Wu Wei or effortless doing. By observing nature, Taoist monks realized that it thrives without struggle. The trees, grass and flowers grow without strain, the rivers flow without trying, the sun rises and sets without effort, and the planets revolve without forcing themselves to. All of nature does without doing. It acts naturally, easily and always in the correct way. Put simply, nature does the natural thing.

It is when people push against nature that difficulties arise. A tree is a tree and a squirrel is a squirrel and as long as they each act the part, everything is in balance. However, if the tree tries to become a squirrel or the squirrel a tree, they will find their new identity rather hard to maintain. Likewise, if a natural artist spends his time in the role of an accountant, he will quickly find his job to be tedious and dull. He is acting against his nature as an artist. When he paints, sculpts or draws, however, his spirit is lifted and energized because he is flowing with his nature.

Effortless doing doesn’t mean doing nothing, however. To breathe, you must draw the breath. For blood to circulate, the heart must contract. For the artist to create a masterpiece, he must paint, draw or sculpt. However, all of these actions are so natural they occur automatically. Just try to keep an artist from creating! The art of effortless doing requires doing what is natural for you at all times. If you find yourself in a conflicting situation, you know you are not in your natural flow. Ask yourself, “What would I rather be doing instead of this?” to get an idea of the direction you should be moving in. Trust your nature and allow it to flow. As the Taoists say, “Do nothing and everything gets done”.

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

Dr. Wayne Dyer's book Living the Wisdom of the Tao is an excellent tool for understanding and integrating the wonderful philosophical gems of Taoism.

Are the Benefits of Energy Healing Simply the Result of the Placebo Effect?

The placebo effect is defined as “the aspect of treatment not attributable to any pharmacological or physiological properties”. There are 3 components that comprise the placebo effect:

1. The patient must have positive expectations and beliefs that the treatment will work.
2. The caregiver or provider must have positive expectations and beliefs that the treatment will work.
3. There must be a good relationship between caregiver and patient.

When a person has an illness or injury and actively seeks out an energy worker to help treat this problem, it is reasonable to assume that the placebo effect may play a role in the person having a beneficial response to the session, since the individual clearly had at least some faith that the treatment might be of help. However, can the beneficial effects of an energy session always be attributed to the placebo effect? As a practitioner of various energy modalities myself, I have encountered numerous instances where one or all 3 of the components of the placebo effect were missing and there was still a very beneficial result from the session. To better illustrate, I will provide examples where each of the placebo effect components were countered.

Component #1- The patient must have a positive expectation or belief that the treatment will work. What about the times the client doesn’t know what the particular energy modality is or thinks it’s a complete waste of time? An example of this situation immediately comes to my mind. I was working at a hospital in the X-Ray department and a technologist was feeling incredibly stressed. I asked her if she would be willing to let me try something that might help. She asked what I was going to do and I simply said, “I’m just going to rest my hands on your shoulders. All you have to do is sit there.” Her response wasn’t exactly positive but it wasn’t negative or hostile, either. She stared at me for a bit, as though I were crazy and said, “Yeah and how’s that going to help me relax?” After a little coaxing, convincing her that she wouldn’t be out anything if it didn’t work, she did consent to allow me to place my hands on her shoulders. I would like to point out that I never mentioned the word energy, nor did I tell her what she could “expect” (a feeling of warmth or tingling or feeling more relaxed, etc.) after my hands were placed. It only took about 1 minute before she noticeably relaxed in her seat. At that, I asked her how she felt and her response was, “I feel like Jell-O. I could fall asleep right here.” I removed my hands and she asked me what I had done. I only told her it was a relaxation technique and she said, “Well it works!” She then promptly returned to the main department and began telling the other technologists to try out what I had just done for her.

Another example was the time I offered to help a friend with her fear of bats. She was very skeptical and only agreed to let me do this to humor me. However, after 10 minutes of working with her, a fear she had had for 26 years was completely gone. Interestingly, she had an encounter with a bat that very night while at a concert. She said she was sitting in the bleachers and noticed a bat was flying around one of the lights which was only a few feet from her head. She went on to say that she would normally have been terrified but, this time, felt no fear at all.

Component #2- The caregiver must have positive expectations or beliefs that the treatment will work. What if the provider places no expectations on the treatment? Most energy healing practitioners are taught not to place expectations on a session. I was taught to clear my mind, be present in the moment and simply let the energy flow. Whenever I give a session, I employ a “Let’s see what this does” attitude and gauge the session by periodically asking the client how he or she feels. Based on the feedback I get, I adjust my session accordingly.

Component #3- There must be a good relationship between the caregiver and patient. What if the client is apprehensive about or resistant to receiving the treatment? This happens quite regularly if a practitioner offers a session rather than being asked for one. Though the client might agree to receive the energy, his or her attitude is often one of disinterest or disbelief, as clearly illustrated in the two examples given in component #1. It is only after the session ends and the client sees a difference that he or she displays open receptivity to the treatment.

I think if a wide range of energy healing experiences were examined, it would be fairly easy to see that there is more to the beneficial results of a session than just the placebo effect. In fact, Dr. Gary E. Schwartz has studied energy healing for eleven years and has written a book on his findings-The Energy Healing Experiments. After conducting numerous laboratory experiments, Dr. Schwartz has found that there is legitimacy to the claims being made by clients of energy healers.

Having said this, however, I’m compelled to ask the following question: why are we so quick to dismiss beneficial effects of any type of treatment as being “just a placebo effect”? It’s like saying, “If the benefit wasn’t a result of a pharmacological or physiological response, it isn’t valid.” Regardless of the mechanism, isn’t what really matters the fact that the client or patient feels better? If someone with great faith in energy healing came to me complaining of a headache and I gave him or her a session and, afterward, the headache had improved or dissipated, does it really matter if the result was due to the energy or the placebo effect?

Another issue that I think adds to the placebo being shrugged off as a legitimate means of treatment is a lack of understanding its true power. *A man named Wright was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma which was unresponsive to all forms of traditional treatment. His body was covered with tumors the size of oranges and his spleen and liver were so enlarged that 2 quarts of fluid had to be drained from his chest every day. Hearing of an experimental drug called Krebiozen, he begged his doctor to try it. At first, the doctor refused but, after repeated requests, he finally relented. On Friday, the doctor injected Mr. Wright with Krebiozen and went home. To his amazement, the following Monday Mr. Wright was out of bed walking around. The doctor noted that the tumors had reduced by half their size, which was a faster reduction than could’ve been achieved with even the most powerful radiation treatments. Ten days after the Krebiozen was administered, Mr. Wright left the hospital with no signs of cancer. For two months, he remained well until he began seeing articles in medical journals indicating that Krebiozen had no effect on lymphoma. Soon, he became depressed, relapsed and had to be re-admitted to the hospital. As an experiment, Mr. Wright’s doctor told him that the initial supplies, the ones the articles had been written about, had deteriorated but he now had a new shipment in that was a more concentrated version. In truth, however, the doctor only used saline solution. Once again, Mr. Wright had dramatic results. Tumors disappeared, fluid vanished and he was back on his feet in a few days, cancer free and feeling great. Another two months passed before Mr. Wright began saw an announcement from the American Medical Association stating that Krebiozen was worthless in the treatment of cancer. Mr. Wright’s faith was shattered, he relapsed again and died two days later. *(The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot, p. 93)

There is an alternative term sometimes applied to the placebo effect that I think is worthy of consideration. That term is remembered wellness. The mind clearly has the ability to heal the body of ailments ranging from very minor to the most severe. Apparently, the mind is capable of remembering a sate of wellness within the body and steering it back to that state. If this ability of the mind to access a state of remembered wellness is the basis of the placebo effect, it seems to me that more time and energy should be spent on understanding this mechanism so that it can be reliably reproduced when needed. I’m sure that any physician would agree that relying on the body’s natural ability to heal itself instead of resorting to external and artificial means would be ideal in all situations.

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

Inquire Within

We have been taught from a very early age that we, as individuals, can’t know the answers to our questions. That we don’t know what is best for us and we must turn to others who are supposed to be more educated on the matter. In times of confusion, we turn to ministers, rabbis or priests, counselors and teachers or parents, expecting these people to somehow know what we need. The truth, however, is they can only tell us what is true for them and, in fact, the more astute of them will very often give a very sound piece of advice…"Listen to your heart. You know what you need to do”.

Every one of us has a uniquely individual perspective and what holds true for one us does not necessarily hold true for another. What makes one individual happy may make the other miserable. One might thrive under stress and the other might crack, so how can we expect anyone other than ourselves to know what is truly best for us? To find the answers you seek, you must inquire within.

The nature of the universe is one of constant change. The whole universe changes from instant to instant and we, as individuals, do the same. Every cell in our body grows, changes and dies, and it has been documented that in seven years every cell of our body has been replaced. This means that you are quite literally not the same person you were 7 years ago. Also, as you gain knowledge and expand your awareness and understanding of yourself and the world surrounding you, you experience change. As you grow and change, what was once true for you may no longer be true now. A decision you made last year might no longer be desirable or beneficial today.

We normally aren’t very cognizant of this constant change because we live our lives so caught up in our on-going dramas that we don’t stop what we are doing and reflect on how we differ in the evening compared to the morning. These changes are usually subtle but they are noticeable. For instance, if you come home at the end of the day more staunchly convinced that you don’t like your job, you have changed. A belief you held in the morning has been more firmly reinforced by evening, which means it has changed over the course of the day.

Many of us acknowledge that there is a spiritual aspect to human beings and we tend to think of ourselves as a body with a spirit but I would submit that we are, indeed, spirits with a body. We are essentially non-physical beings who have projected a portion of consciousness into a physical world of dualities. This explains why we tend to have such a rough time while we’re here. We are generally not expressing who we really are. We spend our time doing things that, deep down, we know are not best for us. As we recognize this incongruence, we have feelings of confusion and unhappiness and we don’t quite understand why. So, having been taught that we can’t possibly know what is best for us, we turn to those around us…those who are supposed to have the answers but who are, in fact, only doing the same thing we are; being something that is inconsistent with their natural self. They tell us to stay the course because that’s the most logical and safest thing to do and, besides, that’s what everyone else does. “Few people ever really find happiness” they might add. But nobody seems to consider why it is that those few do and the rest of us don’t. What are they doing different?

Unfortunately, continuing in this way causes us to do things that don’t serve us to the fullest and there will always be that nagging feeling that there is something within us left incomplete. Until we can be truly honest with ourselves and look at what serves us physically as well as spiritually, we will find life unfulfilling. Almost all of the most successful people in the world will tell you that in order to be truly successful, you must be passionate about what you do. How many of us are passionate about what we do 8 or more hours of the day? Stop and consider this thing called passion. Where does it come from? Might it be that this drive within us is an expression of the spiritual self? Perhaps this is our spiritual essence telling us what we should be doing to achieve fulfillment; providing us with the answer to the questions we’ve posed to so many others, hoping they could tell us what we need to do.

If you really want to know what the best course for your life is, go inside and ask. Still your mind and listen to the quiet voice that speaks to you. It most likely won’t tell you in words what you need but you will most definitely be given direction. The key is to trust the information you get and then begin to act upon it.

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

To Thine Own Self Be True

“To thine own self be true.” Shakespeare wrote these words over 400 years ago and their wisdom is just as valid today. The problem, though, is most of us aren’t true to ourselves. In fact, very many of us don’t even know who we really are.

Growing up, we were told to act like other people. “Strive to be like Jesus” or “Why can’t you be more like your brother or sister?” or, in my case, an entire classroom of kids were told on more than one occasion, “You should all be more like Jason.” Which, I should point out, didn’t increase my popularity any. Paradoxically, however, these same people who petition us to model ourselves after others will also tell us, “Be yourself.” In childhood, every time we would attempt to express our individuality, we were cut short. “Don’t do that!”, “Stop it!”, “Behave yourself”, “Grow up”, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” Eventually, we lose all sense of who we actually are and our personality becomes an amalgam of characteristics we’ve modeled from other people. I’m sure you can think of examples of natural tendencies you have or used to have that were punished when you dared to freely express them.

So what is the result of this suppression? We become something other than what we really are. We pretend to be someone we’re not. We wear a patchwork mask of all the traits we’ve been taught are most acceptable by those around us. We pretend to be interested in a conversation just to be polite, we laugh at things that aren’t funny or suppress our laughter if we think it “inappropriate” to laugh. We hold back our true feelings and pretend we aren’t hurt, scared, unhappy, sad, embarrassed, turned on, in love, or overjoyed because to make those things known would be socially unacceptable; those feelings are only to be expressed in intimate company, if at all.

Think of something that is quite opposite your nature. For instance, if you’re a pacifist, think about being a warrior. If you’re a Democrat, think about being a Republican and vice versa. Try that persona on for size. Imagine what it would take for you to actually be that person, complete with emotions and thought patterns.

It would be very foreign and probably uncomfortable, wouldn’t it? Why? Because you are trying to be something that you’re not and that is always a hard thing to do. One reason so many people are so unhappy is they are trying incredibly hard to wear a mask that doesn’t fit. After years and years of this, we begin to lose track of who we were to begin with. We forget the way we used to think or feel but that doesn’t mean this side of us has gone away. It remains inside us trying desperately to get out and the more we ignore it, the harder it tries. This struggle of the natural self to shine through is felt as a sense of incompleteness or unhappiness. We begin to try and fill the void inside with things…cars, houses, clothes, jewelry, relationships, drugs, sex, money, food, etc. but no matter how many things we acquire, we always feel the need for more. Think about this. If the things really were fulfilling, why would we need more and more of them? The answer isn’t more money or more things. The answer is to find fulfillment in yourself and that means taking the time to learn who you truly are and respect that version of yourself enough to allow it to be expressed. After all, if you’re not true to yourself, are you ever true to anyone?

Blessings,

Jason Hundley

In the Blink of an Eye

Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Most people know this and some spend a great deal of time dwelling on it. One day you’re gainfully employed and the next, you’re laid off. One minute you’re driving down the highway and the next you’re in a terrible wreck. Out of the blue, the house needs major repairs or you contract a serious illness. Yes, life can change in the blink of an eye.

The funny thing is it can change for the better just as quickly and easily as it can change for the worse. We seem to think that the bad things happen to us all of a sudden and out of the blue but the good things have to be planned for and slowly achieved. Winning the lottery isn’t planned for. You buy a ticket and you win. Just like that, you’re a millionaire. Falling in love isn’t something you plan for, either. It usually hits you so fast you don’t even know what happened. How about your best friend? Did you plan on meeting him or her?

The good and the bad have an equal chance of taking place; we just tend to focus on the bad, since those are the things we don’t want. The paradox of this, however, is the more you fight the things you don’t want, the more attention and energy you give them. It is a basic principle of psychology that the more we focus on something, the more likely we are to experience it. For instance, if you place a 2 x 4 on the ground, you can probably walk from one end of it to the other without trouble. Now suspend that same 2 x 4 fifty feet off the ground and see what happens. Odds are, you're focusing so much on not falling that you're probably going to lose your balance.

I'm not saying you shouldn’t plan to avoid the bad things. For instance, I’m not saying you shouldn’t put on your seatbelt when you get in the car but I am saying you shouldn’t spend the entire drive fretting about getting into a wreck.

Wonderful things happen to us every day but we’re often so busy planning to ward off the terrible things we imagine might occur that we hardly take notice. We’ve conditioned ourselves to be so fearful of what might happen that we walk through life in a sort of stupor, mentally preparing for the next anticipated tragedy. Once one has been averted, we instantly jump to the next. In this mindset, we blind ourselves to the good and enjoyable things that are happening right now. I’m sure you’ve seen people who sit brooding over some concern of theirs while everyone around them is enjoying themselves. And what does this brooding produce? 9 times out of 10 the things we spend so much time worrying about either don’t happen or aren’t nearly as bad as we imagined they would be.

To me, it’s a bit strange that we, as a society, have determined that the occurrence of negative things is more likely and more realistic that the occurrence of positive things. Most people would probably say you have a greater chance of getting laid off than you do retiring early with plenty of money. Most might say you have a greater chance of getting divorced than staying married the rest of your life. And these people would undoubtedly point to statistics and facts and say, “See? Here’s proof.” But why aren’t they pointing to the other side of the coin? Why aren’t they pointing to the people who do stay married or those who do retire early with plenty of money? Even if they are siding with the statistical majority, there are still examples of the opposite, which proves it can be done. If, for instance, you’re saying, “50 percent of all marriages end in divorce.” I can say, “50 percent stay married. How do you know I (or you) won’t be in that 50 percent that stays together?"

Remember that everything can change in the blink of an eye but the door can swing both ways equally. Instead of focusing on all the bad things that could happen, why not spend more time thinking about all the good things you’d like to have happen. What makes the negative any more likely than the positive?

Blessings,

Jason Hundley