(DGIwire) — Imagine if we each had the ability to channel our inner Mozart, Einstein or Jobs. Iron Man’s powers of invention, Spider-Man’s flexibility, the speed of Superman, the agility of Tony Hawk and the Force of Yoda: all of these become a lot more possible for us ordinary humans to harness if we choose to follow a few simple steps.
Dian Griesel, Ph.D., a visibility strategist and sought-after advisor to corporate leaders seeking to channel their own internal superpowers so they can better manage their worlds and corporate messaging, offers the following suggestions.
- Listen to yourself. Most of us can’t stand constant chatter—from others, that is. Yet chatter is what we allow to go on in our brains all day long and much of it comes out in self-talk or conversations with others. How often do we hear people declare with exasperation or resignation, “This job (or client or person or whatever) is killing me!” Listen! Even if you stop reading now…the most important takeaway from this article is this: Declarations such as these will weaken you as effectively as kryptonite hurts Superman. They crush energy, health, motivation and success. Nothing is “killing” you—so stop saying so…and keep reading and learn how to beat this evil villain in Step 2.
- Get grateful. The big picture in life is this: You are very lucky to be enjoying any aggravation that you might currently be experiencing. I’ve lived through three plane crashes and an “incident.” (No, not anywhere near a world record.) Whenever I find myself getting frustrated, annoyed or otherwise distanced from my inner peaceful powers, I remind myself of my great fortune and the fact that I’m lucky to be alive. Be grateful for whatever is on your plate today. Surely whatever it is…someone somewhere is wishing they had First-World problems.
- Set the tone. Every day is better if you start on a positive note. Simple messages that charge inner strength are a good place to start. Each day, the free website 1440moments.com posts a simple mental meditation. Remember, there are 1,440 minutes in a day. How do you want to spend yours?
- Move. For those who want to channel super physical and mental strengths, movement will be necessary. Without movement, bones get creaky, muscles weaken and brain cells get filled with toxic waste because they’re not getting enough blood flow. Until you learn to fly (PS: Carefully read #6) , walking whenever you can is a good first step. Intensity is less important than regularity. Simple workouts are proven to be just as effective in triggering the release of neurochemicals known as endorphins. These chemicals are responsible for making us feel happy and by feeling happier, a more positive effect on the brain can be observed. The goal is to move at least for a couple of minutes every hour. The benefits of mini-workouts are well-documented in the book TurboCharged.
- Read. Aspiring superheroes stretch their abilities in a variety of ways. One important power booster is reading. It’s important to stay on top of the news, while also reading something daily that inspires personal interests. Everyone benefits from reading the top news headlines of the day for about 2-5 minutes. The goal is not to linger too long unless this is required for your job as too many headlines are often negative and can cause buzz kill. On the flipside, spend as much time as you can, reading whatever reflects your passion. Pleasure reading helps power up energy and makes everyone feel more alive.
- Meditate. Having taught self-hypnosis for years, I’ve always chuckled when people say they don’t have the time to meditate. If people would just try meditation or self-hypnosis once—they would quickly realize that inherently they already have the most remarkable powers ready and willing to be accessed. The most amazing aspect of meditation is that it is the only thing I know of that can actually expand time while further empowering one’s ability to accomplish more when doing less. Learn how to meditate or find a good hypnotherapist and get some personalized sessions recorded.
- Sleep. Sleeping is the time when your body rebuilds and recharges itself. Common-sense advice recommends at least six to eight hours of sleep a day. Aside from these hours, 10-minute power naps are also a way to recharge and get energized to take on more activities for the day.