Click here to view the embedded video.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were “stuck” trying to come up with something creative? When you “sleep on it”, your subconscious mind is really working on all the data that you’ve consumed and most of the time, it will give you a better solution in the morning!

Here, John Cleese, an Academy Award-nominated English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer, talks about creativity or problem solving and the subconscious mind. While his technique is to “sleep” on an idea or the project that he’s working on, we at Silva know that you can get the same effect when you meditate.

As Silva students, you already know the unlimited power of your mind. When you’re at the Alpha or Theta level, you’ll have access to wealth of information that will put you way ahead of the rest. This will also help with your work, ideas, creativity and problem solving. So remember this the next time you’re “stuck” — Just take a deep breath, get into your Alpha or Theta level and voila! You’ll see the directions you need to take to get answers to your problems

Better and Better,

Laura

“Money Is The Root Of All Evil”

I am sure you have heard this statement before, or maybe even said it yourself. But did you know that this is a limiting belief?

Today I want to talk to you about money and mindset (it is always one of our very favorite topics ). I’ve talked about this plenty of times before and I’m sure by now you know that  your mindset towards wealth and success can really make a big difference!

The truth is, if you have more money, you’ll have more power to do good and make a change in the world. You’ll be able to give to charities, give some child or a refugee hope, contribute to research and science on illnesses or medicine and give to charity groups. The poor need and deserve the assistance of those who have the means.

Let’s take a look closer to home; money means freedom, which most people are seeking. With money, you’ll have the freedom to work when and if you want to. This means you’ll have time for your loved ones, friends and family which is the most important thing in life. You could even spend that money to help other members of your family with their mortgage or college education.

You’ll be able to travel the world and strengthen or build whatever new skills you want by learning. You can then put your skills to good use, therefore creating more positive change in the world.

Money does make the world go round… For example, charities need money to run their organizations. Musicians need money for instruments, studio time, and music lessons. Schools need money to teach. All I’m saying here is that we shouldn’t be striving to make money for money’s sake but to enable a meaningful and enjoyable lifestyle.

Its important to remember — Money is a means to an end. Not an END in itself.

Money can be a really great tool that when used wisely can add to the value of human life. It’s good to be cau­tious when it comes to saving or spending but remember to keep in mind also your atti­tude towards money. To put it sim­ply, if you don’t think you have enough, then you’ll never have enough and if you think that money is evil, then it will be detrimental only to you!

So now share with me your thoughts. Do you think that not having a lot of money is key to happiness? Or do you agree with me when I say that more money can create more good in the world? Or do you believe money is the root of all evil?

I look forward to reading your comments!

Better and Better,

Laura

Do you remember a specific moment, event or point in your life that caused you to completely change your belief systems — usually for the better? Do you remember what it was?

I think many of us have gone through a life-changing moment — maybe even a few– and that is why we’re fortunate enough to be students of Silva.

But a turning point can come in many other ways in life, just like it did with these 2 ex-US army soldiers who started the Contagious Love Experiment project.

What is it? In a nutshell, it’s a project to spread more love across the planet

In this very inspiring article, 2 former US Army officers talk about how they reached a turning point in their lives due to a series of events and finally realized how they were stuck in their mental confines, surrounded by their own hatred and unhappiness.

They now walk and bike across the country, to not only spread love but also to meet people, talk about their experiences in the war, and learn about other organizations that started with one person’s idea of change.

Get inspired and read the rest of the article below. Don’t forget to share with us what your moment of change was

Cheers,
Jill

What one experience completely changed your belief system?

The Contagious Love Experiment sounds like a ’70s rock band. It’s not. It’s the title of a cross-country journey made by two Iraq vets—Josh Steiber and Conor Curran—that started this past summer. Inspired by the title of Gandhi’s autobiography (The Story of My Experiments with Truth), Josh decided to become a conscientious objector. His plan: to walk and bike across the country, meet people, talk to them about his experiences in the war, and to learn about other organizations that started with one person’s idea of change.

Wait. Hold on. Iraq vets? Gandhi? War stories? Bike rides? Contagious love? Yes, my thoughts exactly. I had to talk to these guys.

Josh Steiber Says No to War and Yes to Change

I first spoke with Josh, the initial instigator of the experiment. He decided to join the army right after 9/11 when he was still in middle school. He felt that if there was a war going on when he was of age, he was going to enlist. And he did: High-school graduation was in June of ’06, basic training began in July, and by February’07, he was deployed to Baghdad. On the surface, there wasn’t a person better suited for the job. He was young, healthy, and strong. He grew up attending religious schools where he read about “the prophecy of George Bush”. He believed that “we” were right and “they” were wrong. He wanted to help rid the world of the bad guys in much the same way a doctor would cut out a tumor.

Once he got there though, his reasoning began to make a lot less sense. “I realized things weren’t so black and white. I realized that much of my decision to enlist was based on fear and paranoia and hatred. Kicking down doors of people’s homes on a daily basis in order to find anything suspicious, seeing innocent people die—it forced me to question my own beliefs and to realize that I needed to start looking at people with compassion,” Josh says.

Read more…

But here at Silva, we’re going much, much deeper than the usual.  Once you take this quiz, you’re going to discover just how healthy you are in the 4 main areas of health that complete you.

These areas are:

• physical
• spiritual
• emotional
• mental/mind

All 4 areas are interconnected for a healthy, happy you.

If one area isn’t doing so well, you won’t be doing so well either. It’s imperative that all 4 areas are working like a well-oiled machine so that you can live the breakthrough life you’ve always dreamed of.

So, take the quiz now to discover which areas are your healthiest and which areas need improving!

It’s fun and easy, and don’t forget to share your scores with us!

For each even question, give yourself 1 point if you said Yes/Agree

For each odd question, deduct 1 point if you said Yes/Agree

Remember that you can have between –8 to 7 points for each category.

Take The Health Quiz Now

Mental Health

1. I know I’ll get embarrassed if I speak up.
2. I am here on earth for a reason and I will discover that reason sooner or later/have discovered my life purpose.
3. I make excuses for myself all the time.
4. I can plan ahead without fear of future.
5. I often feel that people stare at me and talk about me behind my back.
6. I choose positive resourceful thoughts even in difficult situations.
7. I feel like I do dumb things all the time.
8. I do my best in every situation and give a 100%.
9. I am generally optimistic but believe that you can’t always get what you want.
10. I recognize that I hold beliefs that have held me back in the and try to change them.
11. I am happy with what I have and I don’t really need more.
12. I welcome new ideas and experiences.
13. I believe that it’s wrong to want to have more than what’s been given to me.
14. I feel like I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it.
15. Some things are just out of my control.

Physical Health

1. I do not enjoy playing or taking part in any sporting activities that cause me to sweat or my heart rate to increase.
2. I eat a balanced and healthy diet — even if I slip off the bandwagon sometimes, I can easily get back on track.
3. My physical strength is less than average/I cannot touch my toes/I cannot walk for less than 10  minutes without getting out of breath.
4. I work out at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes.
5. I do not have an organized routine. I sleep and eat whenever I want.
6. I mediate daily or have a habit of meditation.
7. I never seem to get enough sleep; I am always drowsy.
8. I sleep at least 8 hours a day.
9. I often eat fast food or deep fried foods.
10. I love to walk to places as opposed to driving/being transported there or I always take the elevator instead of the stairs.
11. I like to lie in bed late at the weekends.
12. I fall asleep within the first 15 minutes of my head touching the pillow.
13. I frequently skip meals or forget to eat because I am so busy.
14. I drink at least the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. More if I am active.
15. I am addicted to caffeine or nicotine — or habitually use these substances.

Emotional Health

1. I am quick to anger, sometimes without reason.
2. I do not fear rejection from my friends, family and the people surrounding me.
3. I often judge people based on my current emotions.
4. I am generally a positive person and it shows.
5. People think I am arrogant when I’m in fact just shy and insecure about myself.
6. I am confident in my abilities and skills in my job and career.
7. I have a temper that I can’t seem to control.
8. I am confident and secure in my relationships.
9. I am a shy person.
10. I forgive anyone anything they do, easily and completely.
11. I am quick to get defensive and want to punish those who challenge me.
12. I believe that failure is only the next stepping stone to success.
13. I am my own harshest critic.
14. I welcome and accept anyone’s shortcoming with open arms.
15. I question other people’s abilities or motives.

Spiritual Health

1. There is no meaning to life. It is just part of the natural equilibrium of things.
2. I never let myself believe that my faith in me is unjustified.
3. I don’t believe anything that hasn’t been tested and proved by science.
4. I accept that there are some things I will just never understand.
5. I often ask myself why should we continue living?
6. I feel a strong connection to a higher power or inner source and frequently communicate with it.
7. I don’t believe that there is a reason for being on earth other than to live out our years.
8. I have full faith in myself and I believe that faith is what gets me though tough times.
9. I do not have an “approach” to life — it just happens you have to deal with it.
10. I believe that I will achieve all that I aspire to achieve in my life and more.
11. I don’t believe that I have any control over my fate. Everything has been preplanned for me so I should just hope for the best.
12. I have discovered and am living my life purpose.
13. I don’t think there is a “way out” at all. Life’s been designed to pull you under so that you’ll struggle until the day you die.
14. I know exactly the reasons for my current approach to life.
15. I have no specific rituals that I do (like pray, meditate, etc.) that connect me to a higher source.

So How Did You Do?

To rate yourself, add up how you did in each category — the closer to 8 you are, the healthier you are. If you have 0 or are in the negatives, then the less healthy you are. Read below to find out how healthy you are in each of the 4 areas of health:

Physical  Health

Having a high positive number in the physical health category means that you are most likely an active, outgoing and strong person. Your nutrition, dietary and sleep habits put you at a very low risk for heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and a myriad of other health challenges. While there is always room for improvement, you are on the right track.

If you have a negative score, then you’re likely in poor physical condition. If you are currently not having any health challenges, you could still be at risk for physical illness. Maybe you even notice small things — like getting sick often, reoccurring headaches or feeling tired all the time.  With these current health habits, you could be facing a future of poor physical health.

Emotional Health

If you have a positive number in emotional health you are likely a very calm and peaceful person who forgives easily — yourself and others.  Strong emotional health helps you react to stress in a resourceful way. Your friends probably describe you as a positive, optimistic type of person.  You are most likely confident,  a level headed person who is very adept in dealing with your emotions. That is, your feelings and emotions don’t control you or the decisions you make. Positive emotional health helps protect you from depression, the negative effects of stress, heart disease and high blood pressure.

If you scored negatively, you have delicate emotional health. You could be quick to anger and are prone to stress out very easily. Stress represses your immune system making you more susceptible to colds and other illnesses. You could be the type of person to have many doubts and fears, which might stem from a lack of self confidence. Low self esteem can lead to jealousy and shyness, which damages the relationships with those around you.  Poor emotional health can lead to loneliness, depression, and inhibit your chances of succeeding.

Mental Health

If you scored a high positive number in the mental health category that means you’re the type of person who has goals and a vision for your life. You are most likely a life long learner who is constantly looking for new experiences to grow and challenge yourself. You tend to choose positive resourceful belief systems that help you reach your goals. Your friends would describe you as a go-getter and a problem solver.

If you have a low or negative score, you could be the type of person who doesn’t “dream big” or reach for the stars. This could possibly be because  you think that it is not possible for you. You tend to second guess yourself and your abilities. You could be known as the “glass is half empty” type of person. You are prone to apathy and this is because you often feel as though much of your life is out of your control and your job is to just deal with it.  Weak mental health can make you more susceptible to lethargy, sleeping problems and mental illness, especially as you age.

Spiritual Health

Having a healthy spiritual body is beneficial in many ways.  Having strong faith will help you in making the big decisions and aid you in facing the difficult times. Your connection to a purpose greater can make you feel fulfilled and happy.  You are most likely generous and charitable. Your strong spiritual connection will help you understand the big picture — keeping you positive and healthy.

Weak spiritual health will cause you to feel hopeless and out of control. Sometimes you might act a little selfish or greedy. You tend to be a more negative person and sometimes feel as if there is no purpose for living. Having weak spiritual ties makes you more susceptible to depression, mental illness and stress.

Thanks for taking the quiz and I hope that you find it useful. It’s always important to understand ourselves completely and that includes our health.

Share your scores and how you feel about your health below. I can’t wait to read your comments!

Better and better,

Laura

But health doesn’t only mean a healthy body. It also means a healthy mind, spirit and heart.

The World Health Organization once stated, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

And I totally agree. Most of the time, the only thing that’s keeping us away from perfect health is the perfect excuse. Don’t you think?

The article below captured this so completely. Have there ever been a time when you thought “Oh, I can’t do this, I don’t have the money,” or “I can’t do that, I just don’t have the time,” and when you see someone else just positively glowing with health, you think “Yeah she can do that because she is rich and have ample of time on her hands!”

This may sound a little bit harsh, but it is all just excuses. You do not need to spend a dime more to choose a salad over fries or for a nice walk in the park over the TV

Read the rest of the article below yourself and see how a high net worth is not the requisite for a healthy lifestyle.

Can An Apple A Day Increase Your Net Worth?

By BJ. Gallagher

One day, not too long ago, I took a break from my writing to watch a popular afternoon talk show. The featured guest was a well-known TV-actress-turned-health-expert who was expounding on her elaborate self-care routine: daily meditation, yoga several times a week, frequent Pilates, vegetarian meals of organic produce grown in her own garden, umpteen vitamin and mineral supplements, frequent applications of bio-identical hormone potions, and fabulous sex with her handsome husband. Of course, she was flogging her new book, promising that every woman could look so good at 60.

I turned off the TV in disgust. “Of course she can do all that great healthy stuff,” I harrumphed. “She’s rich. She has all the time in the world to devote to exercise, meditation, and home-grown veggies in home-cooked meals. She hires personal trainers to come to her home; she can meditate all day long without a care; AND she’s got a great husband to manage her career. If I had her money, I’d look that good, too!”

All the women I know are stressed out and stretched to the max, just trying to keep the mortgage paid and utilities on. Many are raising kids — often alone — wondering how they’re going to make ends meet. They’re worried about keeping their jobs, or finding new ones if they’ve lost theirs. “How on earth can I find time for exercise — or even sleep — when my life is too busy just trying to hold it all together?” they lament.

I was catching up on reading the other day and I found this quote:

“If we don’t get the epidemic of childhood obesity in check, for the first time in a century children will be looking forward to a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

I remember when this first came out as headline news in 2002. There were  countless articles and news reports on what could have possibly caused this health epidemic — fast food, video games, advertising, pop culture.

What was really interesting to me, is that everybody was blaming external factors for the poor health of our kids. It was always someone else’s fault, from corporations to the health care system or even the government.

This blast from the past reminded me how grateful I am to know that we are all responsible for our own health — mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I strongly believe that we were all born healers and have the capacity to learn how be in complete control of our health.

Whats refreshing to know is that in this day and age, I don’t seem to be alone in this belief.

For example in the movie Avatar, what moved me is the powerful message that we are all connected and have the ability to heal ourselves and others.

This is me as an Avatar — If you want to look this good, I have a link on my facebook page

Did you also get this message when you watched it?

Even though Avatar is a science fiction movie, it seems as though the concept of  healing oneself is now becoming more and more accepted.

Although I’m sure not everyone accepts this belief.  Whenever there is a new radical idea that challenges current world view, it will always receive some degree of criticism.

Alternative healing used to be one of those radical ideas. It is now currently between the stages of growth and maturity. It’s been studied, validated and is now moving towards general acceptance.

Here at Silva we have conducted countless research projects and published  reports on scientific evidence behind energy healing since the 1960’s. My father, Jose Silva, was one of the first to scientifically prove the power of mind and how it can heal the human body.

So what’s next?

Maybe it is because I grew up exposed to my father’s research, I always believed that energy healing will become a natural part of the medical community.

What I want to know is what you think.

Have we become a healthier society  in 2010 than in 2002?

Do you believe there has been a shift in global consciousness?

Are people taking more control of their own health? What has changed in your life with your beliefs towards your health?

So is Avatar really science fiction after all?

I look forward to discuss your thoughts.

Better and Better,

Laura

Not only that, it’s also been covered by numerous major dailies such as the Washington Post and The New York Times.

Here’s an article that’s written by a news journalist, James Crenshaw that was published in FATE Magazine.  Here, he talks about the various experiments which he personally observed with a few professors on psychic healing. The methods used, as well as the results are truly interesting and mind-blowing.

Download the Report Here

I know that there are those of you out there who doubt your own abil­i­ties of heal­ing, which means you doubt the power of your mind. So I recommend that you read this report  to erase any hesitations you may have which will hinder your ability to heal.

Better and Better,

Laura

Arna is now a Silva instructor and a successful business owner. I’ve posted her story below for your reading pleasure and as a source of inspiration.

Change Your Thinking — Change Your Life

Want to sleep better, change unwanted habits, improve your business and have the life of your dreams? Then think about it! The power of your thoughts can change your life.

You may have heard that you can achieve anything you set your mind to – but is it really that simple? Yes, it is scientifically proven! Best selling authors call it “The Secret” or the “Law of Attraction.” Jose Silva has perfected the techniques and The Silva Method Workshop now teaches you how to put these powerful tools into practice. If you want to not only know more, but create more with your thoughts, you can experience the power of your own mind by attending this Silva Method workshop presented by Arna Berg who claims she owes much of her abundant success in life to The Silva Method.

Learn to improve your life

After years of working for someone else, Arna explained that circumstances led her to start a little business in Simpson Bay Yacht Club and she opened the doors of The Business Centre. In the beginning it didn’t go very well, every day she wondered how to attract clients, whether the business could pay her a salary and if the business would even survive to the end of the first year. In 1992 her friend Malcolm Maidwell read a book about the Silva Method and he persuaded Arna and a small group of friends from St. Maarten to fly to New York and take this four-day workshop. The things she learned there dramatically changed her life.

I’ve been meaning to ask you this; how often do you celebrate your success?

I was just thinking that we’re always so quick to point out our own failures. We dwell on them and then spend all of our energy obsessing about our mistakes. I’m guilty of this too, I just try my best not to show it

Think about the last time someone gave you a compliment. Were you quick to brush it off?  Or did you quickly think of something to compliment them back with?

But really, why do we do this?

Of course it’s important to take note of our failures — it’s a stepping stone to keep learning and growing, but it’s also important to celebrate our accomplishments because by doing this, we’re giving ourselves positive motivation.

Most of the time, we let our successes pass quietly by. Why don’t we linger in the moment, no matter how big or how small they may be?

We already know that when we celebrate our achievements, we tell the universe that we’re happy with ourselves and with the outcome of our efforts. By doing so, we open ourselves to even more success, so I think it’s about time we start doing more celebrating and less nit-picking

With that in mind, I want to share with you some tips on how you can appreciate yourself everyday. Hopefully they will inspire us all take the time and effort to indulge ourselves in our moments of glory.

5 Ways To Celebrate Success Everyday:

1. Accept and enjoy the compliments
2. Thank everyone who supported you
3. Reflect on your achievement and linger in the moment
4. Write down your success and put it in your success journal or somewhere you can see it
5. Help and inspire others to achieve their goals

Now it’s your turn! Tell us what your greatest moments in life are — it doesn’t have to be anything huge, just anything that’s given you immense personal satisfaction and happiness.

Also, if you have any personal way to this, like maybe toasting to yourself, let us know too! I look forward to reading them!

Cheers,

Jill

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, what with the myriad of celebrations and events happening around the world, including Valentine’s Day, the Chinese New Year and the start of the Winter Olympics, we sure do have a lot of things to occupy ourselves with!

Of course, the subject of all our attention, energy and focus here at Silva International is on Laura’s brand new product, the Silva Intuition System. I’m sure most of you’ve already seen or heard about this amazing system and how it’ll help you sharpen and grow your intuitive skills to give you an edge over almost everyone else in life.

And just because this is also the biggest thing in my mind right now, I just wanted to put up this really fun and awesome quiz that Finerminds had in their blog recently. Yeah, it’s about intuition and it’s really fun and really entertaining…

I did it for the first time last week and I was totally surprised with the results…  I mean, you think you know something, but actually you don’t really know all that much. So in case you missed out on this last week, click below to get started… Go ahead and have some fun this Lunar New Year, the Silva way!

How Intuitive Are You? Take The Quiz And Know Your 6th Sense Score

by Vishen Lakhiani

Ever wonder how intuitive are you? Are you someone who goes by the book relying solely on logic or do you follow your hunches and go with your gut feelings?

Well, this quiz may not be as magical as the “Which Harry Potter Character Are You?” quiz but it’s way more beneficial, exciting, and will give you a quick glimpse of how you make decisions in your everyday life.

There are 4 levels of intuition. Level 1 is your warning system, level 2 revolves around your social intuition, level 3 is your creative intuition, and level 4 is higher purpose intuition. After you’ve done the quiz, there’s a full explanation of each of the 4 levels. You’ll discover what level of intuition you’re currently at — and if you’re below Level 4 — what you can aspire to be when you reach higher levels above you.