wynnsoft.com: Newsletter Number 4

Message Number #4 14/06/2004

"Someone's Sitting In The Shade Today Because Someone Planted A Tree A Long Time Ago"
Jim Rohn

Merry Meet <Salutation:40>,

Welcome to issue number 4 of the WynnSOft Newsletter.

This Newsletter is distributed in HTML format, if you have problems reading it then view it on the Web

http://www.wynnsoft.com/newsletter4

Featured Articles

The most expensive pastime in the world!
Resistance

Plus

Latin word for the week 'Discipulus'.
Myths and Deities 'Macha'.
Magickal Dictionary 'Pentagram'.
Magickal Site of the Week.

The most expensive pastime in the world!

Do you find that there is constantly never enough time in the day to get everything you want to get done, done? There is one indisputable fact in this world and that is Time. Time just is, there are no two ways about it. Time is the same for all of us, no matter who we are. So why does it seem that some people take full advantage of their time, while others seem to be constantly battling against it!

If you look at an average day you spend 8 hours sleeping (on average), 2 hours eating, 1 hour for personal hygiene which equals 11 hours. Add to this, 8 hours a day working, 1 hour on travelling (average) that makes 9 hours. In total that is 20 hours. Which leaves you a grand total of 4 hours to do what you want to do. Only 4 hours in the day.

So you have only 4 hours for your own personal enjoyment on a typical weekday. It is a good job that we have the weekends!!

How do you spend those 4 hours on a typical weekday? If you are like a lot of people you may decide to spend them in front of the Television. A survey conducted by a French magazine Telerama revealed that people spend on average 20 hours a week in front of their television sets. 20 x 52 weeks in the year = 1040, divided by the number of waking hours which = 16, amounts to 65 complete waking days per year. (Source The Complete Time Management System by Christian H. Godefroy and John Clark).

65 days a year, imagine if you could give yourself that amount of extra time. What could you achieve?

Television is really an anaesthetic for the mind, it stops you thinking. It puts your mind to sleep while you are watching it. It prevents you from utilising your mind to its full extent, it stops you listening to your mind. There is no real interaction with television, if you surf the internet for example you have an active interaction with what you are doing. You utilise your mind to make conscious decisions about what you are doing. With television everything is passive, the only interaction you get is switching channels.

I decided a year ago to treat television in a very different way. At the beginning of the week I scan the latest TV schedules and look for any programmes that might interest me. I then either set the video recorder timer to tape these programs or make a deliberate note in my schedule to watch the program, I block off the time as I would with any other appointment. I set myself a limit of watching only two hours of television a week. This makes me really think about what I am going to watch. For up to the minute news and information I subscribed to an email news service in my local area, just so that I can keep in touch with what is happening in the world. I get a daily email and a news flash bulletin if any major event happens, so I no longer need to watch the nightly news on the television.

This change has certainly given me more time to concentrate on the things I want to achieve in my life. Time which I have devoted to self improvement, learning Latin, speed reading, walking, all in all taking more time to get enjoyment out of life. Rather than just being anaesthetised in front of a television set.

Another way to think about watching television is to put a monetary value on your time. How much is an hour of your time worth? If as in the example you watch 20 hours of television a week that equals 1040 hours a year. Multiply that by say $20 an hour, that equals $20,800.00. I know you do not get paid for your free time, but if you really think about it, what is to stop you utilising your free time to start your own business? Or to learn something that can aid your current career?

If you thought to yourself watching this television program for the next hour will cost me $20 would you still watch it? You might if it was something you really wanted to watch, but if you are just watching it for just something to do you might start to think differently.

Do not get me wrong I am not against television but I know people who let their lives be ruled by television. They schedule their time around the current soaps or sporting programs. Have you noticed that there is something almost religious about television these days? Most people even organise their living rooms around the television set. The television is almost an altar with everything positioned around that central point.

If you have a problem with Time Management in any way, then television is certainly an area that you may want to think about as a solution to resolving your Time Management problems.

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Resistance.

As I have previously mentioned, our minds like nothing better than to take the path of least resistance. When we come up against something we have no experience of doing, our mind triggers the emotion of fear. More importantly the fear of failing. If we have no reference points a new experience can look very daunting and our mind to compensate will introduce fear as a reaction. This fear effects us on a daily basis.

Fear of starting a new project because we might not be able to achieve our desired outcome. Fear of asking a question in a meeting in case we look stupid. Fear of making an important telephone call in case we get a rejection or things do not work out the way we hoped. Fear of trying something new.

We often find that our fears are completely unfounded once we actually undertake the desired action. I remember when I was very young and learning to swim, one of the things we had to do was to jump off the side of the swimming pool into the water. Even though I could swim a little at the time, I was absolutely petrified about jumping into the water. I stood at the side of the pool for about thirty minutes glued to the spot. I just could not jump into that water. I knew I could swim, I knew the water was not deep. The fear that glued me to the spot was just the fear of doing something I had never done before. The longer I stood there the more resistance to jumping into the pool built up. The more the fear in my mind built up. This fear was not helped by the fact that everybody else had managed to jump into the pool without any problem. It was not helped by the jibes from my friends bobbing about in the water below me. The more I looked at the water, the more my mind kept telling me not to do it, my mind was afraid of what would happen.

My fear that day disappeared with a short sharp push from the teacher. I didn't have time to think, one minute I was standing on the side of the pool. The next minute I was in the water. Rather than something terrible happening to me, I felt great. I thought it was wonderful. I immediately climbed out of the pool and jumped back in. I spent the rest of the day, jumping in an out of the pool. I even got on to one of the diving boards and jumped in. I had a great a wonderful time that day.

Now if I had not been pushed, I would probably to this day still be standing at the side of the pool. This goes to show, that action in itself cures fear. That's right, let me say it again 'ACTION CURES FEAR'.

Bearing this in mind as we look at resistance. We can utilise resistance combined with the maxim that 'Action cures fear' to achieve a great deal. What are you resisting at this moment in time? What is the one thing that you have been putting off ? What is that important decision you have avoided making? Think about if for a while, what is you mind resisting most.

Pick you highest resistance item and then apply the maxim that 'Action cures fear'. Just as my teacher pushed me into the pool, you may need to push yourself a little. When we have a high resistance item it sometimes helps to break that item down a little. Say for example you have been resisting phoning the Bank Manager about your overdraft that has got out of hand, or some other financial problem. You have already received a couple of threatening letters but decided to ignore them for the time being. In other words you have been resisting making the call because you fear the outcome. You mind has most probably already thrown out all sorts of worst case scenarios to make your fear even more amplified. When you look at what you need to do the resistance in you builds up, so break it down. Can you call the Bank Manager to discuss the problem? Your mind might initially tell you no, the fear kicks in. Break it down further. Can you pick up the phone? Yes of course you can pick up the phone. Can you dial the number? Yes of course you can dial the number. Slowly build up from there. Can you ask to speak to the Bank Manager? Yes of course.

If you have trouble with a high resistance item break it down into small steps, the key is to take the initial first step of action. Before you know it you will be through to the Bank Manager. The more you break it down and take the first step of action, the more your fear subsides.

So rather than let your mind by default follow the path of least resistance. Challenge your mind and start to address your high resistance items. Choose each day, one item that you have been resisting then take action. Always keep in mind that 'Action cures fear'.

Each and every time you address a high resistance item, your fear subsides, your mental strength increases. Day by day your mind becomes more focussed on taking on those challenges in life. Fear, though it will always be there, will no longer be a ruling factor in your mind.

Action Plan for the week.

What are you resisting at this moment in time? What is your highest resistance item? Break it down into small steps and follow the maxim that 'Action cures fear'. So take action now and address your highest resistance item.

Work out how much time you spend watching television in a week, then ask yourself "Could I be doing something that offers me more value? That gives me more enjoyment from life?"

Latin word for the week. (Latin is very useful for reading old Magickal Texts)

Discipulus = Student

Myths and Deities

Macha (maax-ah) = (Ireland) Great Queen of Phantoms; Mother of Life and Death; War Goddess.

Maccha was a goddess who is sometimes taken to be one deity and sometimes taken to be three. Also called Mania, Mana, Mene, Minnie. She was associated with war, fertility and prosperity. She was regarded as being a Mother Goddess. As a war goddess she did not actually take part in the battles, but was present on the field of battle and utilised her powers to help one side or the other. She is associated also with ravens and crows. The Irish, after a battle, would cut of the heads of the losers and called them Macha's acorn crop. She represented cunning, sheer physical force, sexuality, fertility and dominance over males.

Magickal Dictionary

Pentagram - A five pointed star with one upward point. Used by Christians, who have since denounced its application, for centuries to represent the five wounds of Christ. Most commonly used today as a Spirit symbol in Wiccan and Pagan rituals. Often engraved onto a metal disk and referred to as a pentacle. Used on many alters as a power point for the consecration of tools or other ritual objects. Satanists utilise the symbol put in a corrupted form, they position the point facing downward which has no association to Wicca/Witchcraft or Paganism.

Magickal Site of the Week

This weeks Magickal Site of the Week goes to Branwen's Cauldron of Light

http://www.branwenscauldron.com

Resources for the Wicca, witchcraft and pagan community.