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Like many bloggers, I occasionally receive emails from publicists hoping to get some coverage for a particular book, seminar or other product. I don’t usually pay much attention to them, but a couple of weeks ago I received some communication about a Hawaiian system of healing called Huna. This was a totally new concept to me, so I decided to look into it and found it quite interesting. I inquired about the possibility of doing an interview with Dr. Matthew B. James, an expert in Huna, and Dr. James kindly agreed to answer some of my (very simplistic) questions. I found his responses very interesting and think you will as well.

If you’re wondering, “What the heck is Huna?” keep reading. There is also a generous offer for more information at the end of this interview.

1. Thank you so much for doing this interview. I have to admit that I did not know about Huna before reading your website and I suspect most of my readers aren’t familiar with it either. Could you please share the “elevator pitch” version of what Huna is and where it comes from?

Huna is the modern label give to the ancient system of psychology and energy work that was present in the islands before western influence. Some of the first visitors wrote that they discovered a group of people almost completely devoid of mental and physiological disease. The teachings of Huna, in part, were helpful in maintaining the island paradise.

The major focus of the aspect of Huna that I teach deals with the psychology and energy work that was taught in ancient times. The word Huna means secret, but not in the sense of I have a secret that you don’t know. More accurately, Huna means obscure or just beneath the surface. So the secret that it refers to is the information that anyone can get into contact with that is just out of most people’s awareness. In ancient times an enlightened individual was said to be able to pierce the veil, and thus in Hawaii, they would have been able to know the Huna.

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This is a guest post by Jeniffer Karas. Jeniffer writes for www.thethirtydayyear.com, a site that documents many Thirty Day Trials with a goal of self improvement. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her family.

“I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.”-Winston Churchill

Are you a positive person?

Do you see light at the end of every tunnel, see the glass as always half full, and look to tomorrow with hope and optimism?

If so, you are among those who live longer, more productive lives, have lower risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s, and are likely to enjoy the company of others, attracted by your sunny side and smile.

If not, you can cultivate this tendency. It just takes a little work, some thought, self-monitoring, and practice.

And the practice, my friends, is actually fun!

Ready to begin bringing out your sunny side?

Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude

One of the more prominent features of the perpetually positive, other than the huge grin on their face, is their ability to see and be grateful for what they have in their lives.

They are aware of sunrises, sunsets, breathing, even, as miracles and gifts, and see everyday things as treasures to cherish.

One good way to develop this same grateful attitude, is through keeping a journal of all that you have to be grateful for.

Write down in a notebook, a moleskin, or whatever kind of book happens to appeal to you, at least five things which you are grateful for, every single day.

No cheating–no sitting back and listing the first five things that pop into your mind.

Really consider all that you have, feel the power of the gratitude within, then write about it.

For me, keeping a gratitude journal was my first, and most beneficial, step in turning my attitude around.

It didn’t so much change my life, as it changed the way I looked upon it.

And that was priceless.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Many people spend much of their time and energy focused on things that have not happened yet, worrying that something might occur.

Maybe I’ll gain five pounds.

Perhaps that new outfit will make me look fat.

I may lose my job.

My spouse might fool around on me.

Note that in the above examples, nothing has actually taken place–it’s just the monkey mind playing the same song over and over again.

It’s the song that says you’re not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc, and for some reason it is the tune that plays most often in many people’s heads.

Take the time to listen to your thoughts, to really pay attention to them, especially at times like this. Notice whether or not the thought has merit–is the thought based on something which is really going on, in which case it requires some action, or is it your own insecurities and F.E.A.R.-False Expectations Appearing Real?

If it’s all in your head, then you need to take the time to talk back to those thoughts–I am smart enough, attractive enough; my spouse loves me, etc.

Then carry on living, and if those thoughts recur, talk back to them again.

In time, the more positive thoughts will become automatic. As well, like a muscle, they grow more powerful with each use.

Practice positive thoughts, positive self talk, positive focus.

Squash those self doubts until they are so small you don’t hear them anymore. If ignored long enough, and repeatedly proven wrong by the results of your actions, they will go away.

One thing positive people know for certain is that focusing on positives naturally makes us notice other positives.

Practice Positive Actions

As well as being aware of your attitude toward your self, your life, and your future; beyond forcing your attention to focus on the positive, there comes the time to act.

That monkey mind may chime up again, telling you you cannot, you are not good enough, etc.

One good way to bolster your confidence in your abilities is to write out what you have already accomplished.

Write everything you have ever accomplished down, from learning how to talk, to learning how to walk, ride a bike, skate, print, write, read–write down every single thing you have ever accomplished in your life.

Allow yourself plenty of time to do this, because there will be lots that you have done.

Until we see evidence in writing, many of us give little thought to how much we actually have done.

Once you are finished your list, read it over, and keep it where you can read it again when self-doubt starts to creep in.

This exercise reaffirms for you that you are capable of doing things, that for everything you have done in your life, there was a first time, a time of awkwardness and learning.

There was always that opportunity to grow.

Start Your Day In A Positive Way

As you get ready to get out of bed in the morning, greet the first person you see (even if it is just yourself in a mirror) with a cheerful “Good morning!”.

Then focus on what a great day you have ahead of you.

Picture how great you will feel when you have accomplished all that you want to achieve that day, even if that is just going away on a holiday. Feel that accomplishment, take the time to clearly view your day in your mind.

You’ll be jazzed up for it, eager and ready to bring the day on.

The (Feeling) Good Samaritan

Helping others helps you.

It increases your connection to the world, makes you feel better about yourself, more useful, and grateful for the chance to serve.

Open doors for others when their arms are full, hold elevator doors open for those who may be slower getting into them than you are, smile, really SMILE at people, even just wishing them a heart-felt “Good day!” and watch that sunny disposition light up the day for those who cross your path.

Try it! You’d be amazed how much good it does you, to be doing good for others.

Photo by Alexander Rist.

Do you have parts of your life that you want to change? Do you know exactly what you need to do to change them? Do you go to bed every night knowing you did nada to make that change happen?

I’ve been there. I’ve watched others get there. I even developed a model to explain what happens and why. And the best part is, this model can help you go from a good idea to a lasting life change.

From Data to Knowledge to Action

Most of the mental “stuff” of the world starts out as raw data. These are things like our personal observations, scientific research, financial reports, political speeches and lots of other collections of “bits.” Most of it is meaningless noise that our brains naturally filter out. For example, if you live in an urban area, you probably see thousands of advertisements every day . Yet, at the end of the day you may remember one or two.

For data to become knowledge (What I Know) it has to go through some processing and contextualization. The good news is that there are many sources that do this for us automatically. The nightly news, doctors, the Federal Reserve and even this blog are all examples. The bad news is that you have to decide if you trust what those sources have to say. Even so, let’s assume that most data aggregation and reporting sources are 75% reliable. That means that the majority of your data to knowledge transformation work is already done for you.

For knowledge to become action (What I Do) well, YOU actually have to DO something. This could mean performing an action once, or it could mean establishing a life long habit. No one can do this for you.

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SmallChange is a weekly feature at Never the Same River Twice. This category features quick and easy activities you can do on a lazy Sunday morning to learn a new skill and feel better. If you have any suggestions for this series, tell us your idea in the comments.

Ed. Note: Sorry about the lack of an audio post this week. I recorded one, but I’m having some technical problems getting it titled, tagged and cross-posted from Utterz. If you’d like to listen to it, click over and look up NSRT. You’ll have access to my complete audio archives. If I can get the tech issues worked out, I’ll add it to this post. Here’s the main idea of what I said:

Hey, it’s the weekend. Take your watch off!!

I used to be addicted to wearing a watch. A few years ago I accidentally washed - and dried - my watch and I absolutely panicked. I had to rush out right then and buy a new one. I felt naked walking around without one.

To me, the downside to wearing a watch is that it acts as an enabler keeping me from being present in the moment. I’ll find myself in a meeting - which I can’t leave until it’s over - and I’ll keep glancing at my watch and thinking about what I have to do next. Same thing when I’m talking to someone. It’s really annoying to me when someone is glancing at their watch when I’m trying to talk to them, but I was doing that all the time.

So, I stopped wearing a watch, as you can see from my high quality photo of my own wrist. It’s been very freeing. I find myself much more in the moment. If I’m stuck in a meeting, it’s much easier for me to accept that I’m stuck and I might as well listen instead of planning what I need to do the second I leave. If I’m talking to someone, I can pay attention and listen to what they’re saying.

Now, the simple act of removing my watch didn’t magically cause these changes. Rather, it was a physical way of reinforcing a change in mindset, a lot like the magic hair tie trick.

At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep track of time enough to make all my hard calendar commitments. The good (and bad) thing is that in the developed world, clocks are EVERYWHERE. Chances are, you have a cell phone in your pocket or purse right now, which has a clock built into it. You probably also have a clock in your car, on your computer display, on the wall in your building, and blinking away on several electronic devices in your home. In a pinch, you can always ask someone else for the time.

So, just for the weekend, give it a try. Take your watch off and see how it works. And, as always, share your experiences in the comments.

Coin photo by novitas. Photo of my attractive wrist and high-priced hair tie is mine. Feel free to use it with a link back to this site.