I really believe that we all need to be consistent in life because we find joy in our consistent behaviors and habits and efforts. If you Can find consistent actions that bring you constant joy you want to do those things over and over and over. So I just have to believe that everyone wants more out of life, you want to maximize moments when given to you and I want you to find joy and happiness too. So let me help you as I cover five ways that I use to bring consistent habits to my day here you go:

1. Decide what’s important and ask why isn’t it a priority: Priority is the lesser unapologetic motivation. When you catch someone sticking to something consistently, there is always an underlying priority they have set before them. Shawn I hear someone say they should do something and everything in their life doesn’t point to that. This means that thing is not a priority.
2. Write down your vision and goals: this can be done two different ways and I use both. The most recent activity I use to stay consistent is to write down a daily vision, this can be done as a task list / line item or a check list that moves you closer to what you want.
3. Always share your progress: This step is important because of peer pressure. Pressure from others in a positive light and pressure from yourself to be a Pearson if your word. Be creative how you share your progress.
4. The gratification of done: one thing that brings me daily gratification is that I was able to cross of the things I’ve put down. Now, this isn’t about perfection , it is about progress. Move forward daily.
5. Know it’s going to take longer than you think: This key is super important only because of our microwave mentality. I fell victim to this many times over the course of my life. And trust me I want things done and not to linger. This truth I’ve learned that 21 days to creat a consistent habit is nice to hear , but give yourself six months to really lock in that habit. So never give up, great things take time.

Coach Milton

Is Consistency important in relationships?

I have my thoughts but will share this first from Brandon Tarver, in TX.:

"Consistency is crucial. Think how animals are compared to man. They are consistent and have been that way since the beginning of time. Man is so inconsistent it’s ridiculous. Let’s pick a wild animal such as an alligator. Imagine if an alligator acted like an alligator one day, then a duck they next day, then a tiger the day after that and like a dog another day. Would you have any respect for it? No b/c it’s inconsistent and you don’t know what to expect, trust, feel or predict. Now imagine that same animal being consistent with another animal, a human and its own kind, how do you feel about it now? I bet you would respect it. That’s how powerful consistency is and no relationship can survive with inconsistency b/c it will frustrate you. Trust me on that one."


I agree with a lot of this is saying here, consistency is our expectations in relationships.  Expectations are good in the right context, but expectations can become a hindrance if you are not willing to be flexible in the long term of the relationships.  Every relationship will start at one point and if there is movement and growth in the relationship then there will be change.  This change is probably the most consistent in life and its up to us Maximizers to be in those moments when we sense change and to be patient in our own understanding and the other person understanding as well.


Love to hear your thoughts?


Coach Milton
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Life situations are often complicated and erratic. One day you might feel sure that everything is perfect, and the next you might question every decision you’ve ever made. If you want to find consistency in life, you need to be consistent in your methods, habits and ways of thinking. Finding consistency can help you persevere through hard times and periods of personal doubt. It starts with building a more stable, consistent way of living for yourself, and extends outwards into other areas of your life.

4 Keys to get that consistency in your life:

1. Accept the Challenge

Make a decision to be abetter version of yourself until you are the best version of yourself consistently. It start with a decision!

2. Daily Resolution
Act Daily with one dat yo attack and approach at a time, looking over a week or month can be overwhelming and it allows your mind to try and figure out ways to cope even though the future is not yet made known. Act with a daily resolution!

3. Give it 183 Days
I wish I could say that 21 days after you start a new habit all will be right in the world, I believe at 21 days your mind is stating to take you seriously that we have a nw habit to form, but it will take 183 days for the new consistent behavior to really create momentum in your life.

4. Accountability
Peer Pressure, telling someone that you trust to keep you consistent is a major factor in finding this beauty of discipline in your life.
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Blessings- Coach Milton



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I can’t say it better than this article, so I am passing this on to you some timely wisdom and understanding of some what’s and how’s of beliefwithin your body.

“Man is what he believes”

Anton Chekhov

Beliefs are basically the guiding principles in life that provide direction and meaning in life. Beliefs are the preset, organized filters to our perceptions of the world (external and internal). Beliefs are like ‘Internal commands’ to the brain as to how to represent what is happening, when we congruently believe something to be true. In the absence of beliefs or inability to tap into them, people feel disempowered.
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Beliefs originate from what we hear — and keep on hearing from others, ever since we were children (and even before that!). The sources of beliefs include environment, events, knowledge, past experiences, visualization etc. One of the biggest misconceptions people often harbor is that belief is a static, intellectual concept. Nothing can be farther from truth! Beliefs are a choice. We have the power to choose our beliefs. Our beliefs become our reality.

Beliefs are not just cold mental premises, but are ‘hot stuff’ intertwined with emotions (conscious or unconscious). Perhaps, that is why we feel threatened or react with sometimes uncalled for aggression, when we believe our beliefs are being challenged! Research findings have repeatedly pointed out that the emotional brain is no longer confined to the classical locales of the hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus.[1] The sensory inputs we receive from the environment undergo a filtering process as they travel across one or more synapses, ultimately reaching the area of higher processing, like the frontal lobes. There, the sensory information enters our conscious awareness. What portion of this sensory information enters is determined by our beliefs. Fortunately for us, receptors on the cell membranes are flexible, which can alter in sensitivity and conformation. In other words, even when we feel stuck ‘emotionally’, there is always a biochemical potential for change and possible growth. When we choose to change our thoughts (bursts of neurochemicals!), we become open and receptive to other pieces of sensory information hitherto blocked by our beliefs! When we change our thinking, we change our beliefs. When we change our beliefs, we change our behavior.

A mention of the ‘Placebo’ is most appropriate at this juncture. Medical history is replete with numerous reported cases where placebos were found to have a profound effect on a variety of disorders. One such astounding case was that of a woman suffering from severe nausea and vomiting. Objective measurements of her gastric contractions indicated a disrupted pattern matching the condition she complained of. Then a ‘new, magical, extremely potent’ drug was offered to her, which would, the doctors proclaimed, undoubtedly cure her nausea. Within a few minutes, her nausea vanished! The very same gastric tests now revealed normal pattern, when, in actuality, she had been given syrup of ipecac, a substance usually used to inducenausea! When the syrup was presented to her, paired with the strong suggestion of relief of nausea, by an authority figure, it acted as a (command) message to the brain that triggered a cascade of self-regulatory biochemical responses within the body.[2] This instance dramatically demonstrates that the influence of placebo could be more potent than expected drug effect.

An important observation was that, part of the placebo response seemed to involve the meaning of the disorder or the illness to the individual. In other words, the person’s belief or how she/he interprets (inter-presents or internally represents) directly governs the biological response or behavior. Another remarkable study involved a schizophrenic. This woman was observed to have split personality. Under normal conditions, her blood glucose levels were normal. However, the moment she believed she was diabetic, her entire physiology changed to become that of a diabetic, including elevated blood glucose levels.[3]

Suggestions or symbolic messages shape beliefs that in turn affect our physical well being. Several cases of ‘Disappearance of warts’ have been reported by Ornstein and Sobel wherein they ponder on how the brain translates the suggestions (sometimes using hypnosis) into systematic biochemical battle strategies such as chemical messengers sent to enlist the aid of immune cells in an assault on the microbe-induced miniature tumor or probably small arteries are selectively constricted, cutting off the vital nutrient supply to warts but not touching the neighboring healthy cells.[2]

Findings of carefully designed research indicate that our interpretation of what we are seeing (experiencing) can literally alter our physiology. In fact, all symptoms of medicine work through our beliefs. By subtly transforming the unknown (disease/disorder) into something known, named, tamed and explained, alarm reactions in the brain can be calmed down. All therapies have a hidden, symbolic value and influence on the psyche, besides the direct specific effect they may have on the body.

Just as amazingly life-affirming placebos are, the reverse, “Nocebo’ has been observed to be playing its part too. It is associated with negative, life-threatening or disempowering beliefs. Arthur Barsky, a psychiatrist states that it is the patient’s expectations — beliefs whether a drug or procedure works or will have side effects — that plays a crucial role in the outcome.[4]

The biochemistry of our body stems from our awareness.[5] Belief-reinforced awareness becomes our biochemistry. Each and every tiny cell in our body is perfectly and absolutely awareof our thoughts, feelings and of course, our beliefs. There is a beautiful saying ‘Nobody grows old. When people stop growing, they become old’. If you believe you are fragile, the biochemistry of your body unquestionably obeys and manifests it. If you believe you are tough (irrespective of your weight and bone density!), your body undeniably mirrors it. When you believe you are depressed (more precisely, when you become consciously aware of your ‘Being depressed’), you stamp the raw data received through your sense organs, with a judgment — that is your personal view — and physically become the ‘interpretation’ as you internalize it. A classic example is ‘Psychosocial dwarfism’, wherein children who feel and believethat they are unloved, translate the perceived lack of love into depleted levels of growth hormone, in contrast to the strongly held view that growth hormone is released according to a preprogrammed schedule coded into the individual’s genes!

Providing scientific evidence to support a holistic approach to well being and healthcare, Bruce Lipton sheds light on mechanism underlying healing at cellular level. He emphasizes that ‘love’ is the most healing emotion and ‘placebo’ effect accounts for a substantial percentage of anydrug’s action, underscoring the significance of beliefs in health and sickness. According to him, as adults, we still believe in and act our lives out based on information we absorbed as children (pathetic indeed!). And the good news is, we can do something about the ‘tape’ our subconscious mind is playing (ol’ silly beliefs) and change them NOW.[6] Further recent literature evidences provided knowledge based on scientific principles of biology of belief. There are limited studies on clinics of traditional beliefs and if we get more scientific data, we can use these traditional systems in clinical mental health management. Human belief system is formed by all the experiences learned and experimented filtered through personality.[7] The senses to capture inner and outer perceptions have higher brain potentials. Some questions that arise in this context are, does the integration and acceptance of these perceptions result in the establishment of beliefs? Does the establishment of these beliefs depend on proof demonstrations? The proofs might be the perceptions, which we can directly see or having scientific proof or custom or faith.[8,9] Beliefs are developed as stimuli received as trusted information and stored in the memory. These perceptions are generalized and established into belief. These beliefs are involved in the moral judgment of the person. Beliefs help in decision-making. Bogousslavsky and Inglin explained that, how some physicians were more successful by taking an account of patient beliefs. Beliefs influence factors involved in the development of psychopathology. They also influence the cognitive and emotional assessment, addictiveness, responses to false positives and persistent normal defensive reactions. Total brain function is required in stabilizing the belief and in responding to environmental system. Some of the brain regions and the neural circuits are very important in establishing beliefs and executing emotions. Frontal lobes play a major role in beliefs. Mental representations of the world are integrated with sub-cortical information by prefrontal cortex. Amygdala and Hippocampus are involved in the process of thinking and thus help in execution of beliefs. NMDA receptor is involved in thinking and in the development of beliefs. These beliefs are subjected to challenge. A belief that is subjected to more challenges becomes stronger. When a new stimulus comes, it creates distress in the brain with already existing patterns. The distress results in the release of dopamine (neurotransmitter) to transmit the signal.[10,11] Research findings of Young and Saxe (2008) revealed that medial prefrontal cortex is involved in processing the belief valence.[12] Right temporoparietal junction and precuneus are involved in the processing of beliefs to moral judgment. True beliefs are processed through right temporoparietal junction.[13,14] Saxe (2006) explained that beliefs judging starts at the age of five years citing example of judging of belief questions on short stories by the children.[15] Belief attribution involved activating regions of medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyri and hippocampal regions. Studies by Krummenacher et al, have shown that dopamine levels are associated with paranormal thoughts suggesting the role of dopamine in belief development in the brain.[16] Flannelly et al, illustrated on how primitive brain mechanisms that evolved to assess environmental threats in related psychiatric disorders.[17] Also were highlighted the issues such as the way beliefs can affect psychiatric symptoms through these brain systems. The theories discussed widely are related to (a) link psychiatric disorders to threat assessment and (b) explain how the normal functioning of threat assessment systems can become pathological. It is proposed that three brain structures are implicated in brain disorders in response to threat assessment and self-defense: the regions are the prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia and parts of limbic system. The functionality of these regions has great potential to understand mechanism of belief formation and its relevance in neurological functions/dysfunctions. Now it is clear that biology and physiology of belief is an open area for research both at basic and clinical level. The future directions are to develop validated experimental or sound theoretical interpretation to make ‘BELIEF’ as a potential clinical management tool.

Perceptual shifts are the prerequisites for changing the belief and hence changing the biochemistry of our body favorably. Our innate desire and willingness to learn and grow lead to newer perceptions. When we consciously allow newer perceptions to enter the brain by seeking new experiences, learning new skills and changed perspectives, our body can respond in newer ways –this is the true secret of youth. Beliefs (internal representations/interpretations) thus hold the magic wand of remarkable transformations in our biochemical profile. If you are chasing joy and peace all the time everywhere but exclaim exhausted, ‘Oh, it’s to be found nowhere!’, why not change your interpretation of NOWHERE to ‘NOW HERE’; just by introducing a gap, you change your awareness — that changes your belief and that changes your biochemistry in an instant!

Everything exists as a ‘Matrix of pure possibilities’ akin to ‘formless’ molten wax or moldable soft clay. We shape them into anything we desire by choosing to do so, prompted, dictated (consciously or unconsciously) by our beliefs. The awareness that we are part of these ever-changing fields of energy that constantly interact with one another is what gives us the key hitherto elusive, to unlock the immense power within us. And it is our awareness of this awesome truth that changes everything. Then we transform ourselves from passive onlookers to powerful creators. Our beliefs provide the script to write or re-write the code of our reality.

Thoughts and beliefs are an integral part of the brain’s operations. Neurotransmitters could be termed the ‘words’ brain uses to communicate with exchange of information occurring constantly, mediated by these molecular messengers. Unraveling the mystery of this molecular music induced by the magic of beliefs, dramatically influencing the biochemistry of brain could be an exciting adventure and a worth pursuing cerebral challenge.

Blessings on your journey of belief- Coach Milton


1. Candace Pert. Molecules of emotion: Why you feel the way you feel. New York, USA: Scribner Publications; 2003. ISBN-10: 0684846349.
2. Ornstein R, Sobel D. The healing brain: Breakthrough discoveries about how the brain keeps us healthy. USA: Malor Books; 1999. ISBN-10: 1883536170.
3. Robbins A. Unlimited power: The new science of personal excellence. UK: Simon and Schuster; 1986. ISBN 0–7434–0939–6.
4. Braden G. The spontaneous healing of belief. Hay House Publishers (India) Pvt. Ltd; 2008. ISBN 978–81–89988–39–5.
5. Chopra D. Ageless body, timeless mind: The quantum alternative to growing old. Hormony Publishers; 1994. ISBN -10: 0517882124.
6. Lipton B. The biology of belief: Unleashing the power of consciousness, matter and miracles. Mountain of Love Publishers; 2005. ISBN 978–0975991473.
7. Bogousslavsky J, Inglin M. Beliefs and the brain. Eur Neurol. 2007;58:129–32.[PubMed]
8. Gundersen L. Faith and healing. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:169–72. [PubMed]
9. Mueller PS, Plevak DJ, Rummans TA. Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: Implications for clinical practice. Mayo Clin Proc. 2001;76:1225–35.[PubMed]
10. Patel AD, Peretz I, Tramo M, Labreque R. Processing prosodic and musical patterns: A neuropsychological investigation. Brain Lang. 1998;61:123–44.[PubMed]
11. Tramo MJ. Biology and music. Music of the hemispheres. Science. 2001;291:54–6. [PubMed]
12. Young L, Saxe R. The neural basis of belief encoding and integration in moral judgment. Neuroimage. 2008;40:1912–20. [PubMed]
13. Aichhorn M, Perner J, Weiss B, Kronbichler M, Staffen W, Ladurner G. Temporo-parietal junction activity in theory-of-mind tasks: Falseness, beliefs, or attention. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009;21:1179–92. [PubMed]
14. Abraham A, Rakoczy H, Werning M, von Cramon DY, Schubotz RI. Matching mind to world and vice versa: Functional dissociations between belief and desire mental state processing. Soc Neurosci. 2009;1:18. [PubMed]
15. Saxe R. Why and how to study Theory of Mind with fMRI. Brain Res. 2006;1079:57–65. [PubMed]
16. Krummenacher P, Mohr C, Haker H, Brugger P. Dopamine, paranormal belief, and the detection of meaningful stimuli. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009 Jun 30; [Epub ahead of print] [PubMed]
17. Flannelly KJ, Koenig HG, Galek K, Ellison CG. Beliefs, mental health, and evolutionary threat assessment systems in the brain. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2007;195:996–1003. [PubMed]

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.
- Tony Robbins
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If you read my last blog you would see how powerful and magical a belief is. Belief is a magical phenomenon that is experienced by every living human. It gives us a power of creation, good or evil. On the surface, it is just an intangible thought that flows through one’s mind; yet, it is much more than that. In times of adversity, what a person believes in, can work wonders for him/her. Our beliefs influence our minds in a certain manner. They make us understand seemingly some of the most difficult things about life and the world around us. The catch here, however, is not understanding, but interpreting those meanings.

Personal interpretations might differ with respect to a given idea or situation and therefore, different people might have different beliefs regarding the same thing. In fact, sometimes, individual interpretations of two people may be completely contrasting with each other, leading to completely opposite beliefs and viewpoints. For instance, of the two given people, one might believe in the institution of marriage, whereas the other may not. The result of these beliefs may be, two, completely contrasting patterns of social behavior, each of which might influence a particular section of society.

Beliefs also, to a large extent, influence one’s morality quotient. What a person believes definitely affects his/her outlook with respect to right and wrong. Beliefs are rarely, and need not be, ‘right’ at all times. More often than not, they do not even have legitimate foundations. Therefore, nobody else, but only an individual may be held responsible for his/her beliefs and what they might yield. Therefore, looking pragmatically at the bigger picture is of utmost importance. The quality of our beliefs determines the kind of person we are, and what we have in store for society and for the world.

It is important to note that one’s beliefs are entirely a question of his/her personal preference. Neither can they be imposed on people, nor can people be forced to abandon their beliefs. No matter how correct or incorrect they are, they are vital to the very existence of an individual, who believes in them.
Beliefs thus, are an inseparable part of our existence. No matter what we might believe in, still, we are all believers. Some of us believe in the presence of God; others believe in His absence. Nevertheless, we believe! And, we are the way we are because we believe in what we believe. Our beliefs can be ‘good’ or they can be ‘bad’, but they always remain with us, until we decide to believe differently.
 
Believe,
Coach Milton
-excerpts taken from spiritualray-

Belief = Confidence & 10 Reasons Confidence Leads to Success

Confidence- when people feel good about themselves they do good for themselves and others. Confidence is a key ingredient to the success of your business. The belieffactor is the cornerstone of confidence and success. With beleif you are anchored in an ideal, vision, dream , outcome. The anchor is held together by different means, but the main tie is that you are taking action towards the worthy goal, idea, dream or outcome consistently. Again I ask, “What do you believe?”

What Do You Believe?

Once you have settled that question , lets look at 10 ways belief with it’s byproduct of confidence can and will lead to success:

Here are 10 Reasons That Self-Confidence Leads to Success:

1. The Drive to Start Things — Confident people start things. They are not shy about striking out on a new idea even when those around them are still pondering it.
2. The Ability to Stand Up for Oneself — Confidence allows you to stand up for yourself in a fair and consistent manner. Otherwise, you may find yourself unheard or unfairly treated.
3. The Ability to Say No — Confident people have the ability to say “No” when appropriate They do not take on unnecessary or inappropriate work or obligations.
4. The Ability to Say Yes — And at the same time, confident individuals say “Yes” to opportunity. They do not miss new options because they are shy. I have seen individuals’ pass up opportunities (even promotions) because they didn’t think they were “worthy.”
5. Confidence Overcomes Fear — Lack of confidence can lead to paralysis from fear. Fear of failure. Fear of what others think. Fear of the unknown. To succeed, you need the confidence to face and overcome your fears.
6. Believe In Themselves — Self-confidence means believing in yourself. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.” He was right.
7. Set the Bar High Enough — Confident individuals set the bar high and aim high. Lack of confidence leads to weak goals, setting the bar too low, and mediocre results.
8. Stretch Your Limits — Confidence lets you know your limits and test them. By stretching your limits you increasethem. You are stronger than you think
9. Confidence Asks Questions — Confidence allows you to ask questions, even when others are silent. Confidence even lets you “ask for the job.”
10. Believe In Winning — Confident people believe in success. And more importantly, they believe in their abilityto succeed.

I would love to say this list in conclusive, but you can help me by adding more reasons confidence can lead to success and I’d love for you to share your thoughts. I want to hit home this idea of belief because if I can get you there you’ve already won half the battle. Winning is one important element with maximizing the moment!
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Believing In You,
Coach Milton



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Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case regardless of empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty.

So, Milton are you telling me that despite factual data , I can believe something to be true anyways? Well, that is correct! I want to be able to explain what this all means. I am no science major or doctor, but what I do know is there are plenty of examples where this definition that you have been provided is true and played out in the interaction of humanity and life.

Let us start with a story of a young Jewish boy who was faced with an opportunity to not only win a woman, but treasure and respect as well. David before he was crowned King of the Jews was approaching a battle that his siblings were participating in, just bringing them lunch. When he was there he could hear the enemy talking all kind of smack (my interpretation) , this angered David and he wondered why no one had taken charge and made something happen.

“no one had taken charge and made something happen.”From the outside looking in, the person doing all this talking was a giant of a man, it was said that he stood 9 feet tall and had broad shoulders and a huge sword. David stood less than 6 foot and not quite the muscle make up as the giant. Facts you say this giant should be able to easily defeat any one including David, but the belief of David moved past facts into truth. If you don’t know the story, David kills Goliath this giant and takes his head , shield and sword, all while using a slingshot with a pebble. He was claimed as being a hero for his nation and went on to be one of the greatest Kings the Jews ever had.

I could share thousands of stories over time where belief overshadowed what facts are set before you. But I will from here give some coaching:

1. Understand the facts
2. ask the question, “what do I believe anyway?”
3. Determine to decide your course of action
4. take action by choosing every moment to support what you believe
5. surround yourself with others that will solidify what you believe
6. celebrate like no other

These 6 steps are an anchor to living your best life. You can do marvelous things, my only challenge and encouragement is this; if you believe do everything in your power everyday to see it (your beliefs) move forward.
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Blessings,
Coach Milton

Self believing is the inspired feeling you have inside that tells you that you are capable of anything. You feel empowered, confident and fueled with energy in the face of challenges and problems.

And those who haven’t got it, those with negative self belief, probably let many things go by undone. How many things have you let slip by because you lacked belief — and doubted yourself?

Doubts such as: Can I really do this? Other people are far better suited than me, so let them do it. Or you may think — ‘What will others think if I do or say this?’
Or when you think…
“I really can’t… or, “I don’t deserve this.”But, if you want more, you need to stop telling yourself that you can’t, or don’t deserve it, or someone else is better at it, or wishing you were like anyone else.

Here’s What Happens When You Have Self Belief

1. Self belief gives you the freedom to make mistakes

It lets you cope with setbacks by seeing them for what they are: temporary and not the end of the world.

1. Self belief lets you recognize opportunities

If you believe you can reach your goals, then your mind operates with the highest possible amount of receptivity to detect opportunities. When you have clear goals — you start to notice all the elements needed to reach them, simply because the clarity of your goals, gives meaning to those elements as they reveal themselves to you.

1. Self belief helps you find creative solutions

When you approach a problem, you feel anxious about it and your thinking gets clogged, which makes finding good solutions less probable. Self belief makes you relax and think clearly. It stimulates reasoning, memory and creativity, which makes it more likely to find good solutions.

1. Self belief stimulates action and persistence

It’s hard to put in the consistent work needed to reach any worthwhile goal if you don’t have self belief. And when you fail, you confirm this lack of belief.

1. Self belief makes others more responsive

If you ask someone for something and you believe they’ll give it to you, they will sense the conviction and be more inclined to respond to your request. If you lack belief, your request will be hesitant, which makes it more likely to be rejected.

Utilize these key 5 areas to move you forward in discovering the vastness that awaits when you are in a state of self belief.
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Coach Milton

Recently there has been challenges thrown my way and I believe these challenges are opportunities to grow and change. It can be funny how you never know how high you can jump until you are asked to. Either out of necessity or you are being asked to. But, during these challenging times, it is very oh so very easy to allow stress to overtake you. Stress is a real thing, and when I feel it, I really feel it emotionally and physically. Can anyone agree with me?

In my studies of the word joy, I see and am beginning to understand that this joy is rich, full, abundant and can be accessed at any given moment :-) Joy as I am learning is like a well that is continuously flowing with fresh water and the more times you access this well, the more there seems to be. It is almost seems that the less you go to this well, the more it dries up.

One way to access this joy is to embrace joy from others and accepting it in your environment. Joy is a big-sounding word, and so we tend to look for classic expressions of “big” joy — huge smiles, exclamations of delight, hugs and cheers. The kind of joy associated with winning the lottery and marriage proposals.
Yet other forms of joy exist all around us. As you begin to look for joy, you will notice more and more of them. There is the joy of pleasures, simple or sublime, such as enjoying a delicious meal, listening to music, or savoring how it feels to hold a baby in your arms. There is the joy of purpose, and how it feels to contribute, work hard, learn, and grow. There is the joy of being connected to something bigger than yourself, be it nature, family, or faith.

There is the joy of having your needs met — being helped, listened to, or held in a comforting embrace. There is the joy of laughter, and especially shared laughter, and especially shared laughter when everything seems to be falling apart. These are just a few of the possible joys you can witness. When you keep your eyes open for them, you learn a lot about how much possibility there is for joy for ordinary moments, and even difficult circumstances.

How to catch joy
Here are five favorite everyday practices for catching joy. As you strengthen your intention to notice joy, you will surely discover your own favorite ways to witness and share in the joy of others.

• Watch a child or animal play.Delight in their joy, energy, and wonder. Let yourself smile or laugh as their playfulness awakens a similar spirit in you.
• Watch an athletic, artistic, or other kind of competition without taking sides.Appreciate the effort, skill, or artistry of all competitors — and celebrate the joy of whoever wins. Feel glad for their success, and watch how they celebrate it with others. See if you can extend your empathic joy to how they share the moment with friends, family, coaches, or teammates.
• Help someone else celebrate their happiness.If someone shares good news, ask them to tell you more, and listen whole-heartedly. If you become aware of an accomplishment or milestone in a person’s life, write them a congratulatory email or Facebook post. Go beyond cordial congratulations and really feel the joy of helping someone savor something positive.
• Witness the good in others.Set the goal to notice when others display character strengths like kindness, honesty, courage, or perseverance. Take joy in seeing the good. Feel heart-glad about what you observe. Let yourself feel inspired by their actions to do good yourself.
• Let someone else do something nice for you.This might not seem like a practice of joy, but it becomes one when you begin to pay attention to how happy it makes the other person. Sometimes our own discomfort with receiving kindness, or fear of being a burden to others, gets in the way of seeing that joy.

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Be full of Joy,
Coach Milton

What is joy? In our process of maturing, we often think that joy is the result of happy circumstances. And it may be. I have seen a little new born and think wow and I had a feeling of joy.


We find joy in happy experiences and in our relationships with our loved ones. But joy is a deeper thing than just the result of happy circumstances. If it were only such a result, there would be times, many times, when we could not have joy; and in Truth, joy is always ours.


A more mature view of joy is that it is a by-product of serving others, of sharing good. It may be the sense of a job well and honestly done. But joy is even more than this. It is not a result of anything—of good deeds, of doing work well, of anything else. Joy is not a result; it is a cause. It can happen to us, but we can also make it happen and make other things happen because of it.
Joy is a spiritual principle that we can lay hold of and use. It is a principle that we can use all the time, whether outer conditions are as favorable as we would like them to be or not. And if they are not what we wish, we can do more than put up with them; we can make them improve by using the principle of spiritual joy.


Joy is a good influence in any situation, and there are many ways we can express joy, with positive thoughts, pleasant words, a smile, even by using our sense of humor


As Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10), because joy in our inward being irresistibly calls forth joy in the outer world.


We cannot wait for circumstances to bring us joy; we must make our own joy and let it act upon circumstances. One of the paradoxes of Truth is that a happy heart draws to itself all that it needs for happiness. And we can keep our hearts happy by drawing on the wellspring of joy that is a part of our spiritual nature.


Any problem or trouble can be overcome by the power of joy. Some overcomings take longer than others. But even if we are dealing with a problem of long standing, that is no reason to despair or to give up hope of solving new problems that come along.
But how do we cultivate joy in the heart, more joy in our lives? Use is the law of increase. If we want more joy, we must use joy. We must lay hold on joy, and let it well up from within us through thought, word, and action.
First, we must realize that God is the source of our joy, the only Source. People and things and situations are wonderful when all is well, but since they may change, we must not place our spiritual dependence on them. We must depend on the Source which cannot change and from which all good flows.


Second, we must be poised and centered in the Christ mind to use the power of joy. We can make our work and play alike, pleasant and creative, if we practice the presence of God. When we realize that we are always one with God, we work with the joy and ease of the power of God within us. Even when our attention is on the work at hand, we can learn to go through every day with the feeling of God’s presence, with the knowledge of God’s love, power, and joy flowing through us.
Third, being centered in the Christ mind, we can speak the word and do that which is needed to bring forth joy. Remember: ... But suppose we cannot feel any joy in our being? Are there ways we can make it spring up? Indeed there are! There are material ways, such as cheering ourselves up with bright clothes, a bouquet of flowers, a good dinner, or some other pleasant experience.
We should also, however, use the spiritual ways of cultivating joy. We can stop turning our attention so far inward on our own personal universe and its problems. We can turn outward instead, to consider others and what we can do for them. When we can bring joy to others, we always find joy ourselves. …
Another way we can increase in our hearts is by counting our blessings and giving thanks for them. We do not need a great stimulus to feel the joy of giving thanks. If we appreciate the smallest blessing that comes to us or that has always been with us, and take nothing for granted, we find that we are living in a constant state of joy.
There are three chief things to remember about joy if we want its power to live by. It is the cause, not the effect, of good in our lives. It increases for us through use, because when we speak, think, and act with joy, there is no room for anything else in our lives. We can cultivate joy with material helps and by serving others, turning our attention outward rather than inward, and giving sincere thanks to God for all our blessings.  

Be encouraged ,
​Coach Milton
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