Have you ever noticed that sometimes, our greatest fears often come true?

See, it’s not because we are right in fearing that something bad will happen. Rather, our attitude pervades everything we do and we subconsciously end up working to make our fears happen — pouring so much energy and time into our fear and negativity that we actually cause it to manifest itself in reality.

Take this as an example: The young man who’s afraid of being alone in life. Thus, he latches onto any relationship with an iron grip, often emotionally suffocating his partners/friendships/lovers so much that he drives them away because he appears needy and has yet to learn how to be satisfied and happy with himself. Thus, his fear of being alone becomes true, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Failed friendships and loves stoke his fear, on and on.

Or, try a more materialistic example: The woman who’s afraid of losing her job. Thus, her body image takes on a certain standoff-ish posture; her attitude at office meetings shifts ever so slightly; the way she interacts with her coworkers, and more importantly her boss, becomes defensive or angry or guarded. All these things create an unfavorable aura around her that leads to complaints from her colleagues, frustrations from her boss and, ultimately, dismissal.

The mind’s power is evident everywhere. Even pharmaceutical companies know this, with researchers carefully monitoring the power of placebo where fake drugs can often be just as effective, if not more effective, than the pills with active medicine in them.

What can you do? You can either scream “holy s#!*” or take a “holy shift.” Be aware of the fears you hold and the actions those fears may lead to. Be aware of the anxieties you possess, the negative energy and frustrations you may contain within your sphere of influence. Then, allow them to shift. Fear is real and fear is tangible, but you know what’s also very real? Your ability to shift this energy into a positive space.

How to holy-shift your way out of fear:

There are many ways. Try…

• …Simply acknowledging it. Often, we bury our fear under denial and compartmentalize it away. This doesn’t help us overcome it.  When you notice a fearful thought or a worried, anxious idea enter your mind, acknowledge it. Say to yourself, “I am fearful of losing my job” or “I am worried about my child’s health.” Sometimes, simply by acknowledging a buried, anxious thought, you release that thought and it dissipates.
• …Taking a small mental step to the left or right. Worries, fears and anxious thoughts are often like a big, fat red target in your mind’s eye. By taking a mental step to the side, you can get a glimpse of what’s behind that big target blocking your vision. Try and find something in that situation that gives you courage and boldness. In the science of neuroplasticity, scientists acknowledge that we retrain and rewire our mental thought patterns constantly. Shift your attention constantly to a positive truth in what seems like a negative situation, and every day you’ll shift yourself toward greater joy.
• …Allowing others to help carry your burden. When we are fearful or anxious, we often feel like we’re alone in our struggle. Having a new voice speak into the dark space can open it up with fresh air and renewing light. This could be a therapist, a spouse or a trusted friend. Knowing that someone else is helping you face a fearful moment can suddenly give you courage and boldness.
• …Letting it go into the universe itself. Often, we simply feel overwhelmed. There are situations around us that are sometimes bigger than humanity itself. Many people find themselves invigorated when they plug into the divine. Christians often talk about casting their burdens to God and allowing him to handle it. You could also invoke the support of your angel guides and spirit guardians who are always around you, protecting you and offering you a clear path through the madness. Try this classic prayer from the Catholic Church: Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day/night be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Remember, there is NOTHING wrong with feeling worried or anxious. It’s a natural response to many of the things that happen in our lives. But don’t let your fear rule you, and most importantly, don’t let your fear manifest itself. Instead, use your power of manifestation to create the fruits of the spirit: joy and happiness and peace!

In the end, trust yourself and trust the journey. You’ve got this!

“Yield.”

“Stop ahead.”

Last week, my brother and I went on a snowboarding trip to Whistler, B.C. Along the way, we hit a lot of road construction and the requisite traffic signs telling drivers to take their time as they made their journey north.

And I got impatient. Don’t worry, I didn’t speed. But I might have found myself thinking that age-old question, “Are we there yet?”

I’ve found myself thinking that many times over the past few years on some of the bigger journeys of life. Have I arrived at my dream job? Have I made it to the ideal salary level? Have I gotten to where I want to be in my yoga practice? Is this where I want to live? Is this love? Is this me?

In our modern lives, we’re so focused on the end goal. The destination. The final result of the equation. The stopping point where “it all will make sense,” we tell ourselves. That’s fine when it’s about the hard, objective aspects of the universe (though these are much rarer than you might realize). However, when it comes to the grander paths of the universe – your faith walk toward your Christ, or your journey toward your true love, or your path to understanding your true Self in its truest fashion – an obsession with the end destination can actually create roadblocks in your evolution.

First, it sets up an artificial list of to-do items toward what you perceive as salvation. For example, you could pick up any self-help book and say, “Ah, these five steps will lead me to happiness.” Yet your perception as a human being isn’t the same as your perception as Being, so it’s highly likely that what you think you need to do, or even the place you think you need to end up in, is not entirely accurate.

Second, focusing on what you need to do spiritually to achieve your idea of Heaven or happiness or whatever it is you think you want will inevitably move your focus and attention off of your self toward an external Other that you think can provide your salvation. In essence, this is you creating an idol, and the Bible shows that all idols will fall in the end. The Bible teaches that salvation is a matter of working out your own faith. Not working through the faith prescribed by teachers or gurus or self-help books, but working through the personalized plan of growth and salvation and eternal joy that God has placed on you.

Third, treating spirituality like a set of actions or to-do items presumes that you are static, that your soul is static, and that we are all static in our similarity. Yet your soul is unique and alive, and your spirit is alive. In the Biblical tradition, God took what was static (your earthly body) and breathed Himself into you – a divine breath or cosmic spark that experiences this universe and moves you toward the divine or away from the divine dependent on your choices to follow the divine plan.

On my trip to Whistler, while the end destination was beautiful, my brother and I were awed by the serene views and ocean vistas we saw while on our journey. The same is true in your path through this universe. The best things that life has to offer often aren’t in the end destination. It’s the things you uncover along the way: the exciting adventures you embark on; the lovers and friends you meet; the lessons learned through sorrows, joys and the everyday experience; and the new ways of thinking that are unveiled only to you and through you as you move along the path.

So smile. Relax. Enjoy each passing moment for what it is, and don’t pressure yourself into thinking that you have to hit a certain list of criteria along the way to unlock the mystery. The mystery is simply the present Now, with God as the ground of your Being. When you realize that, you have tapped into your potential for infinite joy.

Now, I’m as much in favor of a good nap as the next guy, but a nap should be a break, not your default work mode.

On the other hand, working from home tends to blur the boundaries between work and personal life — if you work too hard, you will have no personal life left.

So how do we stay productive, and at the same time stay sane? As I recently quit my day job, I asked the readers for their advice. They came through, as always, and I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for others to use as a guide (well, I’m going to use it as a guide too).

A few caveats, before you dive into the list: Again, these are from the readers, so you guys deserve all the credit. Second, I edited them, so any typos are my fault. Third, this is a compilation list, meaning that some tips may seem contradictory — that’s because the best way to use this list is to find the ideas that work for you, and give them a try. If they don’t work, come back to the list and find a few more ideas. Don’t try to implement them all, and certainly not all at once.

Thank you, readers!

1. Define your spaces; separate work from home. Have a room dedicated to working. Don’t do it wherever you happen to be. Set aside some space, preferably a room (it doesn’t have to be big) to be your workspace. That way, when you enter it, you know consciously what you’re there to do: go to work. It changes the state of mind from “I’m at home” to “I’m at work”.

2. Set regular hours, and stick to the schedule.

3. Don’t stay unshaved in pajamas. Instead, have breakfast, have a shower, get dressed. Then make a list of sensible tasks for the day and get started.

4. Close the door. It’ll be very easy to leave the door to whatever room or space you set apart to be your workplace open. Don’t do it. If the door is open, that represents something to you, and to your family. To you, it represents the idea that if it’s a bit tough, or you don’t feel like working today, you don’t have to. To your family, it represents the idea that Dad is around, and I can go and talk to him.

5. Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind, which helps make your day more productive.

6. Turn off the telephone when you need to work without distraction. Turn off IM and email notifications too. In fact, if possible, shut off the Internet.

7. Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day. There’ll be times when you haven’t got any ideas, or just don’t feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. It’s a short fall from “It’s just not happening at the moment” to “It’s a bit tough, I’ll stop for the day”. Next thing you know, you never seem to get anything done.

8. Keep three lists of three. The first list has three things you will do today. The second is three things you’d like to get done, but aren’t essential. The third is three things that need to be done at some point. That way, when you’ve trogged through your days work, you don’t end up sitting twiddling your thumbs.

9. Start the day properly. Have a good breakfast, spend some time alone to just sit and do whatever. Relax, let your mind wander. Pray. Just make sure that your mind isn’t in the “I hate working” frame of mind.

10. Have a good chair. Mesh backed ones, or good comfy leather perhaps. It’s worth spending some money on.

11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts, projects, anything that springs to mind. Then have a pinboard to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work you’ll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.

12. Give yourself breaks. Don’t be locked in the room all the time. For every hour you work, have a 15-30 minute break. Give your mind time to digest what it’s just done, then come back. You’ll improve the quality of what you produce a hundredfold.

13. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic, write down the basics on a note, and pin it up. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished.

14. Schedule, if possible, around your natural schedule. Some people peak in the morning, others in the afternoon, still others at the witching hour.

15. Have a pint of water by your desk all the time. Try and work up to drinking a few pints a day, if you don’t already.

16. Be careful what music you listen to while you work. Music, TV, the weather… Just about everything will influence your mood. Some you can’t change, some you can. Make sure that you surround yourself with things that will give you the best frame of mind for whatever you’re about to do.

17. No turning on the computer for a quick email check or to do 1 little thing until you’ve gotten “ready for work” as mentioned above. The nuance is if you have nowhere to be, that 1 little thing leads to showering at 2 in the afternoon with a splitting headache because you’ve forgotten to eat etc.

18. Know when to stop. Don’t work late into the night. Set defined times when you’re going to work, and then when it passes, stop. You can have a bit of leeway here, but make sure that you don’t end up letting work run your life.

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” - Ovid

19. Don’t work an eight hour day. One reader works about 5 hours, in four blocks of an hour, with a 20 minute gap between each. If you do more than that, your attention might start to wander, you’ll be restless and your work won’t have it’s normal level of quality.

20. Designate certain days for certain work. For example: file everything on Friday afternoon, no later than Saturday morning. This allows you to walk out of your office for your “weekend” without feeling like you left work unfinished.

21. Set boundaries for those around you as well. Schedule your work time and make sure the kids and spouse know that you are unavailable for playing, chores, etc. during this time.

22. Sound Canceling Headphones. Seriously useful if you have a 3-year-old.

23. Pay attention and crunch numbers with your accounts regularly. You are less inclined to watch television when you realise how much it can cost you to mess around. Put a reminder that “work NOT done = no money”.

24. Have a good lunch. One readers suggested that something with good carb content works best. Puts you in the mood for the second half of the day.

25. Track your time. One reader suggested a simple program called gtimelog (http://mg.pov.lt/gtimelog/). You enter what you’ve done when you’ve completed it. It’s very simple and stays out of your way. At the end of the day, week, you can see a summary. It also allows you to break out work time vs. fun time in a simple manner.

26. Set online times. You don’t always need to be accessible for chit chat. This may be more applicable to telecommuters than the self-employed.

27. Don’t allow work to consume your life. Easier said than done when working from home. Make sure you set limits for the amount of time you will work.

28. Make time for people. When people ask, give them what you can. Respond in some way to every email. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get around to it. You don’t have to reply that day. Just make sure you do. It matters.

29. Say thank you a lot. Figure out who the people who have helped you and your blog (or your business) the most. If you’re a blogger, that’s the readers, not the people who gave you mentions on their big blogs. The people who have given their time and energy to helping you get where you are. You owe your life from this point on to them. Make sure they know you’re greatful.

30. Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder, so you can continue to work from home.