Meditation is primarily linked to several eastern religions; it is typically an integral part of their practice, like prayer and confession.

Each religion has their own different form of meditation, from Zen Buddhists practice of Zazen, Taoists practice of Tai Chi and even Sikhism’s practice of Satnam.

Just like belifs in religion or philosophy, experimentation is vital to finding what meditation works for you along, with some persistence.

Some methods will not suit you at all while others will produce some good sensations. Keep trying different methods and implementing your own modifications. Find what works for you. It took me quite a bit of experimentation to find what truly works best for me. I read a few things initially and then modified them to suit. For those who missed part 1 of this topic, be sure to check it out.

The most common method I use is just to sit or even lay in a comfortable position, nothing special, and just to focus on my breathing. Slowing it down, feeling my chest gently rise to maximum capacity as I breathe in through my nose, pause and then gently exhale out of my mouth feeling my chest fall completely. I slow it down to about a 20-30 second cycle, thinking about nothing else. I generally do this for at least 5 minutes to 20 minutes at least once a day - till I feel totally at ease.

If I’m feeling particularly stressed or frustrated I sometimes have difficulty in calming my mind and focusing on my breathing. This would happen often to me a few years ago when I was travelling by train a lot. After a long day of studying a noisy two hour train journey home 5 days a week became a major annoyance and I was struggling to get any study done, wasting two hours.

I learnt to visualise that I was in a much more enjoyable place. Often I would visualise that I was sitting on a rocky hill in the forest behind my parent’s house. It was a relaxing place I really enjoyed as a child and I quickly felt at ease picturing myself back there. I’d play some calming music that I really enjoyed and spend 5 minutes picturing myself sitting on the rock. I could then focus on my study, as soon I felt my focus slipping I would close my eyes and picture myself back on the rock looking out at forest in front of me and hear the birds calling out, before returning to study.

Sometimes I will use meditation to ease pain. I do this using a variety of techniques; the most common is to calm myself and then focus on the area that is giving me trouble. If I have a pain in my leg I might imagine someone is giving me a massage, visualising the strokes and feeling the pressure on my muscles.

If I’m feeling a lot of pain over my body or generally fatigued I will lie-down and one by one visualise a healing energy working its way through my body, from my toes (to my feet, up to my ankle, etc) up to my fingers and then to the hair on my head.

These things and others work for me. I would advise you to keep an open mind and try different types of meditation.

If something doesn’t work for you, move on. Also don’t think you have to do it by the book, or follow some gurus’ instructions. If you feel uncomfortable sitting cross legged, don’t do it, find a comfortable chair, couch, pillows or a hammock. If you do not like chanting a particular mantra, don’t do it, find or create a mantra that works for you or just find a different method.

As I mentioned in a previous post for me car racing is even a form of meditation. For you it could be something like painting or knitting.

Listening to music can be fantastic, though some forms lend themself to calming your mind more than others. I prefer some chillout or classical generally. However some rock and pop as well as anything acoustic can be good as well.

Yoga is a form of meditation that has become wildly popular in the west and Tai Chi is another alternative, a slowed down form of martial arts.

Anything enjoyable that requires you to focus your mind on a single task and allows you to forget about other concerns I believe can be a form of meditation.

So get out there, try a few different methods and find what works for you. The benefits are too great to ignore. I’d recommend the first exercise I mention, focusing on your breathing. But really you should chose whichever appeals to you the most.

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In that moment I question if I’m enjoying what I am doing. If the answer is yes then I’m free to continue.

But if the answer is a no, then I look further at just why I’m not enjoying myself and what to do about it.

Is what I am doing necessary in some way to achieve further happiness, if so I’ll continue after trying to find a way to improve the enjoyment or lack of.

An example of this is helping my dad build and maintain our race cars. Though I have an enormous passion for racing, I have very little interest in the mechanical aspects of the race car. Working on the car for me is not an enjoyable activity.

I don’t have a natural mechanical aptitude and struggle to understand some of the inner workings of a car. Instead I focus on how I can improve my performance while racing, through learning more about racing techniques, analysis of my driving and even mentally rehearsing laps like top athletes do.

My dad however is blessed with a mechanical aptitude and is an all around handyman who grew up around cars, his father and uncle were the same. My father loves working on the cars, pulling apart the engines, making changes, maintenance, and much more. He even built one of our cars from scratch using some plans. A tremendous achievement.

For me helping my dad work on the car from time to time is a fairly necessary evil, I don’t yet have the budget to pay some one to take care of race cars for me and if I fail to take care of them and it breaks down I miss out on the enjoyment I get from racing it.

So I do help out a bit to make sure the car works, to gain greater understanding and more importantly to continue a great relationship with my dad, If its important to him I should at least respect that.

If I’m not enjoying myself I also ask am I learning something important to me. Learning is not always fun and if I’m learning an important lesson I’m prepared to temporarily sacrifice some happy time to gain further important knowledge or life lessons.

I recently finished reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The book contains an incredibly important message but to me is rather poorly written, I found it a chore to read despite the great wisdom it contained. Normally when time permits I read a book over the course of two weeks or so. It took me over three months to read, putting it down and reading something else then coming back to it. I also took the time to absorb the lessons.

The Power of Now teaches you to stay centered in the present moment, not projecting into the future (e.g. worrying about what may come) or dwelling on the past (e.g. regretting a previous action).

By reguarlly asking yourself ‘am I having fun’ you not only stay in ‘The Now’ as Tolle calls it, but you also ensure what you are doing now is benifical to you in some way. Wherher it be having fun or learning something important.

Are you having fun?

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I’ve been meditating for about 7 years now and find the benefits innumerable. Among others I reduce stress and apprehension, ease pain, improve concentration, clear my mind when it is clouded with multiple thoughts and more.

Don’t just take my word for it though.

One respected study showed mediation can create positive changes in metabolism, heart rate, breathing and brain chemistry. MRI imaging has even proven meditation can actually rewire brain circuitry - powerful stuff.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School studied 41 stressed out high tech employees, some were taught mediation techniques over 8 weeks while the other employees continued daily life. Brain scans were complete at the beginning of the study, after the 8 weeks and then four months after that. Scans revealed those who learnt and practiced mediation had moved the bulk of their brain activity from the stressed out right frontal cortex to the calmer left side. They were noticeably calmer and happier than those who did not learn mediation.

A Taiwanese study in transcendental meditation showed increases in IQ, creativity and practical intelligence in practitioners.

Other forms of meditation are used to decrease pain (controlled breathing techniques are widely used to ease the pain of childbirth), lower blood pressure and more. A 1996 study published in The American Journal of Medicine even showed 100% of insomnia sufferers enjoyed improved sleep after practicing mediation.

A 1982 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience showed mediation can even slow the aging process. Long term meditators (five years or more) had a physiological age that was on average 12 years younger than their chronological age. Short term meditators were typically 5 years younger. You never hear respected results like that from regular beauty treatments

My first introduction to meditation came while I was enduring what at the time was an unknown illness that left me debilitated for 18 months. During that time I became incredibly depressed, stressed about my future and, at my lowest point, was seriously contemplating suicide.

As part of a pain management program (whereby doctors give up trying to find a diagnosis or cure for you and instead try to teach you to ‘deal with it’) I saw a psychologist. After berating and insulting me for twenty minutes, she thought it would be nice to finish the session with a 10 minute guided meditation. After the previous 20 minutes my mind wasn’t exactly open to the experience and I didn’t notice any benefit.

I was highly skeptical of the practice but after exchanging emails with a girl who suffered from a similar affliction a few months later she mentioned that she received some strong benefits from meditation.

She described how it had calmed her distressed mind, as well as giving her some temporary relief from pain. She kindly gave me some brief instructions to the method she used.

My mind had been alternating between thoughts of sorrow, pity, suicide, anger, worry, pain, more anger, pain and worry before the cycle repeated again, 24 hours a day. I thought it was time for a change.

My first ten minute session was a welcome relief. For that period I was free, the pain slipped from my mind and with each deep calming breath all of the worries, anger and sadness left me. From that day on I was a convert - meditation has been vital a part of my daily life since.

I would encourage everyone to try it with an open mind. There is nothing to lose, no damage to be done and little if any cost. There is however plenty to potentially gain so give it a try.

Continue on to part 2 of this series, where I cover some of the many different techniques and practices and get you started meditating.

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I have been an amateur racing driver since the age of 16 and a thrill seeker from the time I lost my training wheels. I have also practiced meditation since my mid teens.

Until recently I failed to see the connection between what seem like polar opposites.

For some time I have noticed during adrenalin producing activity your mind is so singularly focused on the task at hand or fear/rush that there is no room for other thoughts. The incessant daily chatter in your mind evaporates. Your worries disappear - there is no room in your mind to think about what you have to get done or where you are going to find the money to pay that next bill.

I enjoy the freedom from life’s concerns as much as the adrenalin rush and sense of achievement pushing the car to a perfect lap.

Meditation is very enjoyable for me as well. It calms my mind - clearing out all thoughts.

I never truly noticed its similarities with meditation. One quietens the mind while demands total concentration.

When racing your eyes continuously scan the road as far ahead as possible - analysing the correct line through the corner and looking for the best way around the car ahead, also intermittently scanning mirrors for cars gaining ground and checking the RPM’s to ensure you shift gears at the correct time. One hand moves from the wheel, you brake hard, clutch in and change down gears, blip the throttle, and let the clutch out all in the blink of an eye. Applying measured amounts of gas to maximise speed out of the corner without applying to much and spinning the tyres or spearing off the track. That all occurred within about 5 seconds.

During 5 seconds of meditation I have slowed my breathing so much, I would slowly breathe in, feeling the air inhaled through my nose and my chest steadily rising as the oxygen fills my lungs. There are no other thoughts in my head. It would take an additional 10 seconds approximately for the breathing cycle to be completed, holding the oxygen in my lungs for 5 and then gently exhaling carbon monoxide through my mouth and feeling my chest fall.

It wasn’t until I recently read the following passage that the similarities hit home.

“The reason why some people love to engage in dangerous activities, such as mountain climbing, car racing, and so on, although they may not be aware of it, is that it forces them into the Now - that intensely alive state that is free of time, free of problems, free of thinking, free of the burden of personality. Slipping away from the present moment even for a second may mean death.” - Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

When racing my car or meditating, the effect on my mind is essentially the same - everyday thoughts vanish.

A word to the wise, meditation is a lot more cost effective than car racing, sky diving or mountain climbing and the risk levels are worlds apart.

In a future post I will discuss the basics of meditation, cover some of the benefits and introduce a few different methods sure to suit everyone. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so as not to miss it.

Also if you enjoyed this post could you please help others to find it by using the Share This button below. Digg, Stumble, add to del.icio.us or whatever suits. Thanks very much.

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“It is my life - but I don’t know what I want to do with it. I have yet to have that ‘Aha’ moment … the moment of clarity when you find something you love and want to do,” wrote Hips Magee.

This is an incredibly common problem so I thought I would take the time to share my thought and what has worked for me.

There is no right or wrong way to do it. However if you are waiting for an ‘Aha’ moment you could be sitting about for a while.

Be proactive. You may have a magical epiphany while sitting on your couch watching TV - but chances are it will come from some intense thinking or peaceful reflection.

One way is to make two lists. For the first list write down all of your hobbies and anything else you enjoy doing. No matter how small and insignificant it may seem, write it down.

On the other list write down all of your strengths - even small things like making people smile.

Then when you feel its complete look for similarities between the two lists.

For me I really enjoy writing and I’m reasonably good at it. So from there I started looking at different careers involving writing and even combining it with other hobbies and skills. For instance my last job was as a journalist for a car racing magazine. By combining my love and talent for writing and car racing I was onto a pretty great job.

I later realised that I enjoy being in charge of my own destiny and like to discover and write about a wide variety of subjects, so becoming a freelance writer is a great fit.

The travel bug is calling and within the next 12 months I’m hoping to begin some serious world travel. Along the way I plan to write about my adventures and experiences.

If you have trouble matching a passion, something you really enjoy, with a skill then look to gain that skill. Read some books, take a class, find a mentor, etc.

Passion is the most important ingredient. Skills can be acquired, enjoyment cannot. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will work and study hard and become a success.

You may get it wrong at first, I did. That’s fine - move on and find something else.

After high school I studied Public Relations and although I really enjoyed it I felt that as career something just didn’t seem right. I then turned to journalism, a related field with quite a lot of similarities. My studies even taught me how to write like a journalist, how to pitch and other vital skills. I also now have the added benefit of knowing how the system works better than many journalists. PR people and journalists have intertwined roles like defence and prosecution lawyers, they have a different job to do, yet share a lot of skills and aim for a similar outcome.

Your first choice may be as a flight attendant. After some time in the job you may realise it’s not for you for some reason. Perhaps a job as a travel agent is more suitable or a tour operator. Maybe you could create a school to prepare people to get a job as a flight attendant, or work in recruitment for an airline. The options are endless - but they all revolve around the same core passions of travel or just a love of the airline industry.

Before taking the big flying leap of changing career or your studying do some research to help discover if your new path is right for you. Check what the work conditions are like, what are average salaries and other perks.

Talk to a few people who do the sort of job you are considering. Ask them every question you have. Do they like their job, how did they get it, how many days of a year do they get… whatever you want to know.

If that job doesn’t fit move on to something similar. If that doesn’t seem right either then perhaps something involving a different passion, or combine several passions is more appropriate.

All the best and remember to follow your dreams.

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Well done - if not go back and do it. You can thank me in a few years time.

Now it’s all well and good to write out your list, but it’s just the first step. There is plenty more to go.

You have figured out what you want to do - now you need to consider the following:

How are you going to do it. Big goals in particular can be intimidating so the best way to make them seem more achievable is to break them down in steps.

Let’s use the goal of climbing Mt Everest. You need to do your research (when is the best time of year to go), find people to climb with, do plenty of training, get the right equipment, book tickets, fly over and find a Sherpa - then your probably ready to head for base camp.

Write down a few notes next to each entry breaking it down like I described. If you can’t answer that question now put an asterisk (*) next to it and make sure you research it later so that you can write down roughly how you will do it.

What do you need to achieve it. This fits in with How, but having the resources to complete the goal is often vital, so I’m giving it a special mention.

Some may require large amounts of money to complete - so obviously they will have to wait until you save up or find an alternative source, such as sponsors or a loan.

Others may require a higher fitness level than you currently have. So you will need to hit the gym before attempting your goal.

When are you going to do it. I have an ultimate limit on my goals; I want to achieve them all before I turn 60. Ideally I want to cross them all off much sooner than that, but 60 is the absolute deadline. You should set a deadline for your goals as well.

But that is not enough, I want you to go through your list and look for ones that have other time limits on them. Some may be heavily dependent on you having good health - its difficult (though not impossible) to maintain peak fitness into your 40’s and 50’s. So any goals that require peak fitness should have deadline before your fitness will start to decline.

Other goals may have a time limit to them. If one of your goals is to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing then obviously your deadline is pretty short. You should get serious right NOW.

Finally the most important part of the process:

Just do it. Writing it down and planning it out is great, but it all amounts to nothing unless you take the plunge and get it done. So take action and complete your goals.

Not only do I enjoy actually achieving my dreams, but the joy of crossing it off the list is also pretty cool.

I look at my list regularly and review what I want to do, adding and removing things as I go.

Each year I try and narrow down a few goals I want to complete. I look through the list and if I have the necessary resources and other circumstance suit then I will short list those goals and focus on them. However I don’t neglect those that do not make the yearly shortlist - sometimes things just fall into place.

Do not be afraid to ditch a goal if it no longer appeals. I realise some things are no longer important to me, or that I really wasn’t serious about doing what I had written. Our priorities and dreams change, so to should your list.

However do not cross of anything because it is too hard. You will be robbing yourself of something important. Instead spend some more time breaking down the steps to achive it- take those baby steps. Do some research, find someone to complete the goal with you, talk to someone who has already achieved it.

As I learn about new things and receive inspiration from others new goals are added. Just as you lose passion to complete your existing goals you will gain the desire to add and complete new goals.

Now get out there and make your dreams come true.

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Basically while bed ridden for 18 months I wrote a list of everything I wanted to do once I got out of that bed.

To me there is nothing more inspiring. It contains every major thing I wish to achieve in my life and so far I have ticked off quite a few.

So let’s get you started on your way to achieving your dreams.

First step is to get a sheet of paper. Although I keep my list primarily on the computer, initially brain storming on a piece of paper is better.

With an A4 sheet aim to fill the whole page with goals today.

It does not matter how crazy, impossible or easy the goals are - write them down. If it is something you have ever wanted to see, hear, do… write it down.

Start by thinking of what you would like to achieve. I would like to set a Guinness World Record, participate in some form of world championship and go rock climbing.

Then move on to places you will like to go to. I’d like to live for at least six months in Europe, go to Carnival in Rio and spend some time on a private island.

What would you like to learn? I want to learn to dance in Buenos Aires while maybe you would like to learn to surf in Hawaii or Florianopolis.

Who would you like to meet? My list includes Sir Richard Branson, perhaps the cast of your favourite TV show or Nelson Mandela is more your style.

Then think about your big passions. what important things would you like to do involving them. For me I love car racing and writing for instance. So quite a lot of my goals revolve around these two things. I want to write and publish a book, I wanted to create this blog, to work for a top car racing and motorbike team (done and done) and I want to compete in at least 3 car races for a decade (progress).

Get some inspiration by looking at other peoples lists. I recently discovered 43things.com a great sites filled with ideas and peoples lists. You can even use the site to keep track of your goals.

Take a break and come back to the list in a few hours or even a few days. Add more.

No matter how impossible or silly it seems - write it down.

Once you’re finished do not just forget about your list. Schedule to review it every few months. My list is never complete, I review, add to and even remove some things from it.

Continue on to part 2 of this post - The Vital Steps to Make your Dreams True. It will show you how to turn that list of dreams into a raft of accomplishments and great memories.

P.S. Between posts here on the blog I completed my first guest post. I talked about the importance of failure and persistence in order to achieve success with some great quotes and examples from Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, Richard Branson, Calvin Coolidge and Michael Jordan. Please head on over to AlexShalman.com and check it out.

P.P.S. It’s great to see the stats on the site increasing. I’ve now had a hit from every continent (except Antarctica) and a handful have subscribed to my feed. A big thanks to everyone who has been reading - have an awesome day.

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Most people think of major illness as bad thing and at the time I did too. Looking back now spending almost 18 months of my mid-teens bedridden and in constant agony was probably the best thing that had ever happened to me.

It was the year 2000, Monday on the third week of school for the year and I was taking the bus home after a day of studying. The last class was a drag and I felt the onset of a monumental headache even before the bus arrived.

The hour long journey with 10 minute wait at the depot seemed like an eternity. My body was in revolt. A big band played in my head while the rest of me felt exhausted and limp.

A typical 10 minute walk from the bus stop to my home took almost an hour as I struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

I collapsed in bed and there I spent the bulk of the next year and a half wracked in agony. My joints swelled with inflammation and were in constant pain. Walking more than 100 meters spiked my pain level for days.

School was largely put on hold. A teacher came to my home twice a week to tutor me on maths, which I hated, as well as a bit of English, which I loved and excelled in. There was no classroom, no friends and no other subjects. It took over 18 months to return to full time study.

But rather than focus on the negatives today (I will write more about the illness in the future) I’ll discuss the life changing positives that came from it.

Most importantly it truly forged my personality. I don’t dwell on the negatives or feel sorry for myself. There is always someone out there in a worse state than you – no matter how bad things are it could always be worse so quit complaining. I’m continually up-beat and positive, a smile is never far away. I appreciate everything I have and know that if there is something I really want I have the drive to push through and make it happen.

At my worst I was referred to a hospital pain management group ran by a doctor, physiotherapist and a psychiatrist. Basically when your sent there it means doctors have given up finding a diagnoses and rather than find out what is wrong with you they just try and make life a little easier for you and to make you push through the pain so you can lead a more fulfilling and regular life.

It was a brutal time pushing through a lot of physical and mental pain and anguish. Although I hated the experience I did learn a lot of important lessons from them that apply to life in general as well as overcoming chronic pain.

One was the importance of meditation. The psychiatrist talked me through a very simple mediation technique which I was incredibly skeptical about at first. Although perhaps this was just the anger I felt towards her at the horrible things she said to me (though sadly she was not the only medical practitioner to do so) and the evil anti-depressants she prescribed which robbed me of all emotion, good and bad. Since then I have practiced mediation daily and swear by it to relax and yes even to calm high pain levels.

The doctor and physiotherapist also talked me through the process of breaking through pain barriers. After walking like an 80 year old arthritis sufferer and narrowly avoiding being confined to a wheelchair I struggled to walk that few extra meters each day. Before the illness I was a competitive swimmer who trained 5-6 days a week as well as playing other sports, after I had lost almost all muscle tone and put on a lot of weight (which is just coming off now). Picking up the bar without any weights on it was a struggle for months. Within six months of recovery I was walking and swimming for hours and getting back some of that muscle.

Exploring different treatment options opened my mind beyond the western world and the established way. So desperate for answers and relief I tried all sorts of eastern and alternative treatments including acupuncture, (fire) cupping, gua-sha, lymphatic drainage, MORA Therapy / Bio-Resonance medicine and more.

With all that time spent bed ridden I had a lot of time to think and to dream. I considerd everything I wanted to do when I finally could free myself from that bed and I began to create a list of everything I wanted to achieve in my life. An ultimate life time to-do list - I’m glad to say I’ve already achived quite a few of them.

While I was sick I developed a great passion for car racing and the goal of racing was one of the main things that pushed me to continue. I also received some great advice and inspiration from two very high profile racers who I probably owe my life.

My passion for reading and writing grew even stronger. Although I could barely write due to the pain in the joints of my hand and holding a book open was also a struggled I continued to do so as much as I could.

Due to the development of those two passions I completed some great work experience while I was at school. I worked with Australia’s most successful racing team and then joined 7 time world champion Valentino Rossi’s team when they won the world championship in Australia. They were incredible experiences and I would never have even dreamed of doing them let alone having the determination to make it happen had I not gone through the illness a few years earlier.

Beyond all of that I became incredibly close to my family. I couldn’t have gotten through it all without my parents and even my sisters tireless support. My extended family was incredible as well, grandparents, aunts and uncles and my cousins. Serious illness not only puts tremendous strain on the individual – the family suffers so much as well.

I also learnt to really appreciate my true friends. After I got sick all of my high school friends quickly forgot about me, when I needed them most. When I returned to school I was incredibly skeptical of those around me and did not really trust anyone. Although I hung out and socialized with a lot of people I really didn’t have any true friends. After high school I studied in Melbourne for two years where I quickly found a handful of great friends who stand by me to this day.

Health is also something I very much appreciate. I’m still in quite a bit of pain everyday, it hasn’t gone entirely but I manage it well. This year I’ve finally began to turn the tide after a few years of neglect. A healthy diet and exercise program compliment the tecniques I’ve developed over the years to manage my condition.

Major illness is a terrible thing. The physical and mental torture I went through is not something I would wish on even the most evil people in this world. But few other things in this world could make you as thankful and appreciative for even the most simple of pleasures and everyday things we take for granted. The simple ability to walk a few blocks or write a letter to a friend is truly a privilege, enjoy them and all aspects of your life. Even the hardships. They will make you stronger, wiser and more caring.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill

Thanks for reading this. I hope you all try to always look for the positives in life.

Bill

P.S. I really recommend you check out this wonderful new eBook, A Brief Guide to World Domination by Chris Guillebeau. This great (and free) book will get you thinking for yourself, planning your life and making a difference in the world. And don’t worry, it wont turn you into a ruthless dictator.

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Only a decade ago most of us would have thought it ridicules to check our mail more than once a day. Yet now we are checking our (e)mail on blackberry’s and our computers constantly - like and addict awaiting his next fix, we keep checking to see if something is there.

10 years ago most people did not carry their phone around with them - if they were away from there home or office they were virtually un-contactable.  Nowadays some people are shocked if they are not able to immediately talk to you. Even scarier young children are running around with them as well.

At the dawn of the last century news was once only accessible via the newspapers. You would read the news in the morning and that was generally it, some would buy an evening newspaper as well, but it was rare. Radio then began brief hourly news updates, TV introduced the nightly news, then morning shows chipped in as well. Ted Turner and the internet totally changed the game. Now it is constantly available, we can watch CNN 24/7, check the headlines at anytime using the office internet and get email alerts on breaking stories about the latest pop stars fashion faux-pa at the opening of a cereal packet and much more.

The cult of celebrity and the rise of the supermodel in recent decades has made us more image conscious than ever before. Timeless style has been replaced by slavish emulation of the latest fads and trends. Many fall victim to depression, eating disorders and more while trying to emulate their ideal from movie screens and glossy pages. And there is the rising tide of credit card debts and bankruptcies in order to keep up with the Jones’.

Fast food restaurants and pre-packaged meals save time but shorten our lives. Chemicals, additives and sugars destroy our bodies.

We now expect more of ourselves - its not enough to complete one task, we must attempt to complete several at once. Multi-tasking, the art of doing several things all in an average to poor standard at once. It’s not enough to be a good mother, you should be a yoga fit yummy mummy with a booming business ran from the spare room as well as a thriving social life plus the perfect loving husband. Us guys don’t get let off to easily either.

Kids have it probably worse than ever. It seems the genuine fun is being sucked out of childhood, each generations freedom seems to be curtailed more and more. Stranger danger would have us believe there are pedophiles and other nasties lurking around every corner. Media fueled paranoia means many kids aren’t even allowed to play in their front yard let alone wander the streets with a friend, creating adventures and having fun. The tree house or fort dad used to help us make is now ordered from a catalog and installed by a professional. Dad is even too busy to push us in the swing.

Those longer hours he spends at work don’t really produce more result. He’s just putting in face time, which means the boss and his boss don’t feel so bad about working there absurd hours for a few thousand extra. The shareholders and board members are predicting strong growth this quarter and if it doesn’t happen heads will roll.

Is it any wonder divorce rates keep soaring. Everyone is so stressed these days that the slightest disagreement escalates into urban warfare. That’s no place for kids to grow up. They see their parents at each other throats, physically and verbally, then the depression, break downs, substance abuse and painful legal battles.

How did it all become so complex and perverted? Does it really have to be that brutal and harrowing?

But we should not just blame technology and ourselves. No, this is a societal epidemic. We are pressured from childhood till retirement to push harder and harder - to give our all. Buy this, look like that, don’t settle for the rest.

There is no perfect solution, I wish I had it. Just lots of slow steady progress to push the tide back. We can all do our part by overturning these conflicts in our lives.

Choose a healthier diet and let your kids have some real adventure. Focus on a single task  till you complete it well, then move on to the next and go home earlier to push that swing. Cultivate your own style and be happy in your body. Pause that argument with your partner, take a breath then talk the problem through rationally. Cut back on the media and let that phone ring every now and then.

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Study hard, get good grades, get into a good college/university, get a good job, perfect partner, nice car, 1.8 kids and a white picket fence.

Along the path you continually ask yourself, ‘why am I doing this’?

Why am I studying these subjects that I hate just to get into a college/uni I don’t really want to go to. Once there study hard in order to get a depressing job working 48+ hours a week in hopes of getting promoted to boss so you can double your hours for an extra bedroom and toilet in your house. Continue to slave away to make someone else rich for 40 years and hope and pray your health is reasonable so you can enjoy a few years of retirement, before the circle of life comes 360-degrees.

Deep breaths. Think happy thoughts.

Think about those dreams in the back of your mind. The ones you almost feel ashamed to think about for fear it might jeopardize the ‘perfect life plan’ everyone else has writtenfor you. That plan hatched by society and drilled into your head by your parents, your teachers, your friends, the media and even Santa Clause (do ‘the right thing’ all year and you will get presents).

Chances are there have been a few people in your life who have encouraged you to deviate from the lifeplan. Perhaps a grand parent who suggests you follow your passion for art rather than corporate drudgery. Maybe that stranger you met over coffee and spoke of adventure off the beaten path.

You probably found some way subconsciously to tune out there message despite its appeal. Perhaps that person did not have a shiny new sports car and 4 bathrooms, so obviously their advice is invalid. Maybe they just seemed a little crazy!

“Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.” - Albert Einstein

There were quite a number of people who thought Einstein was a little crazy. However he persevered doing what he wanted, ignored his detractors and became one of the greatest minds in history.

You too can follow your passion and rise above the pressure from others. Make your own plan.

Imagine your a Hollywood script writer, craft your perfect life. You could travel the world, get the girl (or guy) of your dream, find a cure for cancer, become a monk or an Olympian. You could even do all of those things if you want. The options of what to write in your script are endless.

A vital Hollywood trick is the re-write / re-shoot. You test out your script and if you don’t like it, that’s ok - go ahead and change it.

Less than 12 months ago I was working in a hardware store. I then found myself working full time as a sports journalist and now I’m building a career as a freelance journalist and pursuing other interests.

I’m not sure what I will be doing in another 12 months, but I’m working on the script and I think it could be a blockbuster. Either way I will be doing what I want, not something I have blindly accepted from society.

Remember it is your life, do with it what you want and let other people take care of themselves.

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