Scientists have found that when we go into a state of strong concentration or are extremely busy, we "turn off" the part of our brain that is self-aware. You've probably experienced this when you "lose yourself" in a task or are so concentrated that you don't even think about how you feel at that moment.

Essentially, you're a robot.

Which is why we all need to take time out and focus on ourselves, consciously working on being self-aware. If you're always on the go and life is so busy it's a blur, you're likely to never reach a high state of self-awareness. Especially when your brain just switches off.

Check out this article below for the details. It's pretty neat stuff.

Watching the brain 'switch off' self-awareness

By Gaia Vince from NewScientist.com

Everybody has experienced a sense of "losing oneself" in an activity - being totally absorbed in a task, a movie or sex. Now researchers have caught the brain in the act.

Self-awareness, regarded as a key element of being human, is switched off when the brain needs to concentrate hard on a tricky task, found the neurobiologists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Read More…

Just this Wednesday, President Obama made major headway for civil rights legislation when he signed called the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, making it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity.

It is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, who were both killed due to their sexuality and ethnicity in 1998.

While hate crimes still exist, this is a major step for humanity. Check out the article below for the details:

Hate Crimes Bill Signed Into Law 11 Years After Matthew Shepard's Death

By Rachel Weiner from the HuffingtonPost.com

President Obama signed major civil rights legislation on Wednesday, making it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. The new measure expands the the scope of a 1968 law that applies to people attacked because of their race, religion or national origin. The U.S. Justice Department will have expanded authority to prosecute such crimes when local authorities don't. Read More…

Symbols are a very important part of our life. We might not realize it but a company logo or a small emblem can trigger strong emotions or thoughts in us. Everyday, we're flooded with symbols, such as:

• Lion = bravery, courage, king of the jungle
• The crucifix = Christianity, sacrifice, Jesus
• Dove = peace, hope.
• Shamrock = Ireland, luck, Saint Patrick's day

If you had to pick one symbol, glyph, drawing, or logo that would represent YOU, what would it be?

Drop a comment below and let us know what your personal symbol is and why. If Bruce Wayne had a bat, what would you have?

Well, maybe not in short distance but when it comes to long distance (like a marathon) your chances of beating a horse are pretty good.

If this sounds a little ridiculous, it's not. Your body is designed to be a runner. From your skin to your big toe, your entire body is made to run.

But then why do people consistently injure themselves while training or running long distance? Sadly, it might have something to do with our obsession with the latest high-tech sneakers.

Check out this article from the New York Times on the beauty and brilliance of the human body.

And after you're done reading, feel free to stand in front of the mirror and admire yourself

The Human Body Is Built for Distance

By Tara Parker-Pope from the NYTimes.com

Does running a marathon push the body further than it is meant to go? Read More…

The value of time off is far too understated in this day and age. And if you think something as simple as "time off" is easy to find, you might be in for a surprise.

While juggling a career, a family, parenting, a social life, etc., "time off" becomes harder and harder to find. It's unfortunate because some of the most ingenious creative sparks have come from taking a lil' time off.

Check out this video of renowned graphic artist (he's designed album covers for the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed) as he describes the best thing he ever did for his career. And yes, it was taking time off.

Editor's Note: Before you start reading watch this special video message from Robert Scheinfeld:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Our discussion here begins with a discussion of The Truth of who you really are. Who you really are is what I call an “Infinite Being” – a magnificent being who lives in a constant state of infinite power, wisdom, abundance, and joyfulness. Along your journey, you’ve no doubt heard something like this:

"We are Spiritual Beings having a physical experience."

That’s true, but it’s the little-known True nature of our “physical experience” I want to chat with you about here.
Your natural state as an Infinite Being also includes having an unlimited desire to play, explore, and express yourself creatively. As a result, you decided you wanted to play a game called "The Human Game."

We’re all here playing The Human Game!

The Human Game - What is it and why do we play it?

I define the term “game” as anything we do for entertainment, fun, challenge, and to express ourselves creatively. As such, to me, sports and traditional games like checkers, chess, bridge, and monopoly are games. But so is painting sculpting, playing a musical instrument, reading novels, watching plays, movies or TV shows, etc.
For purposes of discussion and using metaphors in this article, however, I’m going to focus 100% on sports games. All sports games have specific structures, themes, “playing fields,” and specific ways of winning. Read More…

A couple weeks ago we put up the first part of Raymond Aaron's seemingly insane polar race (click here to see it >>). And now we've got part 2 of the series.

More than just the polar race, this mini-movie asks the question, "How much can one person do, if they put their mind to it?"

Throughout history, individuals have continued to amaze people and Raymond Aaron's case is no different. Check out part 2 of this mini-movie and see for yourself:

After watching this, I've got one question for you:

If you could be known for just one thing in your life, what would it be?

Let your imagination run wild. It could be anything from being the best parent in the world to climbing Mount Everest in record time. Drop a comment below and share your thoughts with us.

P.S. Stay tuned for part 3 of the movie to find out what happened to Raymond Aaron on this frosty goal.

As you know I recently spoke at Engage Today and that was an amazing experience. Just to be on the same stage as the Dalai Lama and Richard Branson as well as many other people we've featured on FinerMinds like Greg Habstritt, Marci Shimoff, Paul Hoffman, Janet Attwood, and others.

So I spoke about our company MindValley, which is the publishing company behind FinerMinds and some of the work practices we do that take ideas from the personal development world. More importantly, I talked about how these personal growth practices have allowed our company to skyrocket in the last 1 year and become one of the world's most democratic places to work at.

But enough about that. I'm not gonna share the speeches and ideas from the event. What I will share with you is behind the scenes footage that i took with my flipcam (and i know some of my speaker and author friends are gonna blush cause of this). This is a chance for you to actually see Sean Stephenson when he's not being watched by the public, or when Greg Habstritt is flirting with his wife, or when Chris and Janet Attwood are gushing because they just met Richard Branson .

Enjoy!

Vishen

Hey guys,

At FinerMinds we're dedicated to giving you the best content out there in personal growth and spirituality. So to get to know you better and bring you more amazing content, we would love it if you could help us out with some feedback. In the quick 1-question poll below, let us know which author or personal growth guru you'd love to see more of.

Who Do You Want To See More Of On FinerMinds?

1. Robert Scheinfeld

If you don't remember, Robert has spent over 20 years helping people change their lives through spiritual counseling. His last article on FinerMinds was a bit controversial and caused quite a stir. He talked about the "Human Game" we're all playing and how in reality, we're all infinite beings. You can check out his article over here >>

2. Raymond Aaron

Raymond Aaron is one of the top goal-setting gurus out there. He's helped thousands of people turn their lives around, often increasing their incomes by 2 to 3 times. We just started publishing his Polar Race series on FinerMinds (inspiring or risky? you decide) and one of his latest videos on goal getting involved your "psychic immune system." Have a look here, if you haven't already >>

3. Richard Luck

One of the coolest contributors we've had to FinerMinds. He wrote an article about the powers of subliminal messaging and talking to your subconscious (click here to read it) and even offered a free subliminal video that he and Noel Jones creates. Really cool stuff.

4. Janet Attwood

Janet is a visionary, a transformational leader, and a world humanitarian. Not to mention she's also famous for the creation of the Passion Test with her co-author Chris Attwood. Her most recent contribution to FinerMinds was "The 7 Keys To Living A Passionate Life". If you haven't read it yet, you can check it out here >>

5. Paul Hoffman

If music and personal growth could have a love child, it'd be Paul Hoffman. You've probably heard his songs of inspiration and success before and will agree they're amazing (not to mention fun). He wrote an awesome article for FinerMinds a few months ago on the power of music and its connection with meditation and it got rave reviews. If you don't remember, just click here to read his article and get 2 of his audio tracks too >>

6. Sonia Choquette

A top psychic and intuition teacher, Sonia Choquette has spent the last few decades spreading the message of intuition as well as teaching it to over 50,000 people. I recently interviewed her for FinerMinds and I can honestly say that it was one of the best interviews ever. She goes the 3 levels of intuition and gives some really cool exercises to boost your 6th sense. Click here to check out the interview >>

Thanks so much for helping us out with this!

Cheers,

Vishen

Hey, thought this might be a cool article to read. The activities are really simple and you're probably thinking, "well, I knew that," but when was the last time you actually did one of these activities?

We lived in a pretty fast-paced, multimedia-connected world and sometimes forget how important quality time with loved ones is. So hopefully these might inspire you to bring back family night.

5 Fun Activities For You and Your Family

By Sherri Kruger from ZenFamilyHabits.net

My fondest memories are from those times spent with family. My husband, my sisters, my folks, my in-laws and more recently my kids.

Having fond family memories requires active participation from everyone involved.

Experiences don’t just happen you have to create them.

Here are five fun activities that you can do with your family or use them as inspiration to get you started. Read More…