Michael Stagg | My II Sense
Michael is a self-professed spiritual entrepreneur and ecolist serving others through the medium of life coaching. He hopes to one day open a center where he can work closely with low-income families as well as schools in impoverished neighborhoods to inspire hope and success. “It’s been said that there’s nothing we can’t do if we put our minds to it, and that’s true.”, says Michael. “But imagine how much more effective we can be if we learn to work with other like minded people – the possibilities are endless!” You can connect with Michael via the links below or via email at Ask@MyIISense.com Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mstagg | Blog: http://www.MyIISense.com | Twitter: http://twitter.com/MyIISense | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/staggmichael
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Posts by Michael Stagg | My II Sense
My II Sense Goes Under the Knife
Mar 10th
My II Sense Down for Two Weeks
Greetings Friends!
I must apologize for the lack of content this week. This notice is about 3-4 days over due.
I’m going to be making some changes to the My II Sense format and unfortunately that is going to mean some down time.
Not to worry! We’ll be back in no time at all (2 weeks to be precise). When we return there will be all new content, video and maybe even a new layout! So check back in a few weeks for the new and improved MIIS! You’ll be glad you did. 
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
The Way of Simplicity: Doing More with Less
Mar 1st
Maximize Your Time. Simplify Your Life
Greetings Friends!
I came across this poem called Time and Simpicity that I thought I’d share with you. Im always looking for ways to do more with less. What measures do you take to simplify your life. Share them with us won’t you? 
Today, Meditate on This is a quote from Thomas Edison:
“Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.”
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
Create Your Convincers
Feb 24th
Create Convincers to Get Motivated!
Today is Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.
Whenever you hear or read that someone has accomplished something that you would like to accomplish, you automatically go within and search your memory for experiences you have had, and conclude whether such a thing is possible, and whether you have what it takes to do it too. The same is true when you set a goal for yourself. You search your memory for successful experiences and skills that point to success – these are known as convincers.
Everything that you desire to accomplish in life, it begins in your mind. Convincers support your beliefs that you can reach our desired goals. Changing your life around becomes much easier when you believe that you can do what it takes because your own experience tells you so.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to begin a regular exercise program and have not been successful in the past. You could start with skills that point to your self-discipline. Are you organized? Always on-time? A good housekeeper? Are you good with keeping routines? These are examples of self-motivation that you can bring to your exercise program. Do you enjoy activities that you can do outdoors? Do you enjoy moving to music? Do you like the synergy of a group? These are all preferences that can lead the way to enjoying your new program.
Get a winning attitude! Take a piece of paper and write down your goal. Then, write down all of your past successes and all the reasons why you know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Write down all the skills and resources that you have or are willing to develop; all the actions you are willing to take. When your determination, your faith, your conviction, your endurance get challenged, you will have a long list of convincers ready to tell you that you’ve got what it takes to make it!
Yours in Health,
Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!
About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.
108 Breaths to Greater Productivity
Feb 22nd
A Coiled Monk's Mala - Image Credit: DharmaShop.com
Greetings Friends!
I multitask – a LOT! I phone, text, email and blog with amazing efficiency. What’s my secret? Breathing. Yes, breathing!
OK, not just breathing, but that is the most important weapon in my multitasking arsenal. Without proper attention to the breath my whole day would be in a shambles!
How Breathing Helps Me Multitask
Before I begin my day I grab my mala (What’s a mala? Find out here.) and do three full rotations (counting three sets of affirmations) while focusing on my breathing and reciting whatever affirmations I’ve assigned myself for the day.
In the case of multitasking I would use affirmations such as:
- I am productive right now
- I am efficient right now
- I choose to complete tasks in a thoughtful way
- I complete tasks without sacrificing what is important
I change phrases every couple of weeks or so to give my mind something fresh to “play” with, that way it doesn’t get bored.
Breathing and Increased Productivity
The breathe energizes us. Properly focusing awareness on the breath can lead to better relaxation. When we are relaxed we perform better and experience stress less which can boost our productivity levels through the roof.
Even if I were to eliminate the affirmations during my meditations I would still benefit just from the focused breathing as it would lower my blood pressure, reduce my level of fatigue and increase my over all health.
108 Breaths to Better Productivity
In order to be productive we have to be focused on the task(s) at hand and create quantifiable methods to complete the task(s) as effectively and efficiently as possible.
If we implement simple breathing techniques before, during and after a busy day at the office we can find the energy we need to “get ‘er done” without burning out.
Do you need to actually recite 108 affirmations to be more productive? No, you don’t. For some, the simple act of taking a single deep breath and exhaling is enough to get centered. Others may require more than 108 breaths to “get there”. The touchstone of incorporating focused breathing is not in how many breaths you take; it is in the breathing itself that you find your inner multitasker.
For today I ask that you Meditate on This: I breathe in peace and allow the day to unfold as it should.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
Inspiring Quotes to Float Your Boat
Feb 15th
I Find Inspiration All Around Me!
Everyone needs a little pick-me-up to get through the day now and again. Incorporating inspiring quotes is a great way to add a little sunshine to our daily routines.
How to find suitable quotes
It’s easy to find inspiring quotes online. A quick Google search will provide a wealth of useful motivational quotes for you. Here are a few links to sites I often use:
Where to incorporate your new daily quotes
- On index cards – Write down your favorite quotes on index cards and keep them on your desk or in your briefcase to refer to them when needed.
- On your computer - If you have the technical ability, you can add text from quotes to images to create custom motivational screensavers and wallpapers!
- On your cellphone – Most cellphones have a “My Banner” function in display options. Why not use the space to add a few inspiring words that you can view each time you use your phone? for example, my current banner reads: I am this moment to remind me to operate from the present moment.
What are some of your favorite quotes? Do you have any other ways to incorporate quotes into your daily life? Please share them in the comments below.
In the meantime, Meditate on This: I find inspiration all around me.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
Letting Go of Ravenous Relationships
Feb 8th
Greetings Friends,
Several months ago I spoke about the importance of letting go. It seems recently there have been a lot of people – friends and first time acquaintances alike – that have been experiencing failed or failing relationships.
Ravenous Relationships
Then, as now, I asked what would keep you in a relationship that you know is causing you unnecessary difficulty and stress.
It is akin to being attacked by a ravenous predator bound and determined to devour us. We know we are being attacked but instead of fending off the beast we allow it to strip the flesh from our bones, gnaw at out hearts and feast on our entrails until their is nothing left of us.
“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
The beast will take from you everything you allow it to. As with any attacker, the more of a fight you give it the more likely it will end its assault to seek easier prey.
Defeating the Beast
You do not have to fall prey to a ravenous relationship. Right now, you can vow to no longer be a victim of the vicious attacks of false friends and energy-leeching relatives. Here, in this very moment, acknowledge that you, more than any one else in the universe, deserve your attention and love.
Once you have decided to fend off the ravenous relationship beast(s) in your life you will begin to notice the attacks are less frequent, less ferocious and you are perfectly capable of surviving the attack unscathed (i.e. what they do no longer affects you in a negative way).
Most importantly, you will begin to see that the people in your life that want to feed off of your kindness (generosity, helpfulness, etc.) will simply stop coming around or circumstances will prevent them from being able to attack you in a way that causes you harm.
Do Not Fear the Beast but Do Not Hate It
Once you have freed yourself from ravenous relationships do not dwell on how they treated you or harbor ill will toward them. Instead, wish them love and light and pray that they eventually see that what they are doing is harmful to others but more so, it harms them.
In this way, you prevent negative karma from accumulating and at the same time you are doing your part to encourage their growth and release from their negative ways.
Meditate on This: I let go of relationships that deter me from my Divine purpose.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
What Exactly is Conscious Living Anyway?
Feb 1st
Good Morning Friends!
Today I’d like to clarify what conscious living is all about and provide a few examples of how we can all incorporate this philosophy into our daily lives.
Michael and Bianca Alexander over at Conscious Living TV have the best definition of conscious living I have come across which states:
Conscious Living means taking responsibility for our experiences and living with awareness to make choices that sustain ourselves, our communities and the planet. While meditating and practicing yoga will get you headed in the right direction, Conscious Living is also about how you shop, eat and live.
In short, conscious living involves doing what is right not only for our own benefit but for that of the world as a whole. It involves actively seeking solutions that will bring us in harmony with the world around us and doing what we can to teach others how to live this way as well.
Living Consciously
As the quote mentions above, it is fine to take up meditation or yoga as a means of getting in tune with yourself and nature but there is so much more to it than that. To live consciously requires changing our perceptions and practices on all levels of being – spiritually, mentally/emotionally, physically and financially – so that we maintain a “do no harm” attitude in everything we do. Here are a few examples of how you can incorporate conscious living into daily life:
- Reduce, Reuse & Recycle: Reduce the number of plastic water bottles in landfills by purchasing a reusable bottle instead. Cut sheets of documents that are no longer needed (You only print when necessary , right?) and use them as makeshift scratchpads. Finally, if you have outdated electronics lying around your home donate them or recycle them instead of tossing them in the trash.
- Purchase Eco-friendly Fashions: Find alternatives to clothing that hurt our fragile planet. Environmentally safe clothing made from sustainable materials such as bamboo and organic cotton is just as fashionable and you can feel better about your purchase knowing you are doing your part to protect the earth!
- Shut It Down, Shut It Off: Keeping electronics plugged in or turned on when not in use wastes electricity so unplug items such as laptop adapters and cell phone chargers when not in use. Additionally, disconnect appliances such as irons and toasters while not in use. Even though they are not being used they are still using power.
These are just a few simple steps that can used to leave a cleaner healthier planet for generations that follow. Many others can be found on sites like Conscious Living TV. Check them out and tell Michael and Bianca I said hello!
Today’s Meditate on This affirmation: I do all I can to live in harmony with the planet and its inhabitants.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
You are Not that Into You – Letting Go of Unhealthy Relationships
Jan 25th
Who Do YOU Love?
Good Morning Friends!
Have you ever found yourself in a relationship (or two, or 10) where you know you were being abused – on any level – or perhaps taken advantage of in some way? I found myself in just that situation during what I call my “learn it” years. This was a little over 13 years ago before I met my wife.
I was in a relationship with a woman who I allowed to mistreat me as well as cause me unimaginable mental anguish. Why? Because I refused to love myself more than the thought of her loving me. That is, I wanted to believe so badly that she loved me as much as I did her that I ignored what she was doing to me. I was more into her happiness than my own.
I think many of us are like that. We forsake our own happiness to please everyone, be it our spouse, our kids or our job. What happened in my case was I started hanging around more positive people and from observation (and the occasional lecture from friends) I learned to love me without hating someone else. In fact, before I let go of that relationship I thanked her for the experiences I had with her. In further retrospect it was through the pain she caused that I was able to help a friend – the woman who would eventually become Mrs. Stagg – let go of her own destructive relationships.
I offer this insight to everyone I meet that needs it: when it becomes evident that you are not that into you it is at that point that you need to step back and ask yourself why you are placing a higher value on the happiness of others at the expense of your own. As Buddha said, “You yourself, a much as anybody in the universe, deserve you love and affection”.
So, what’s it going to be? Will you continue to forfeit your own happiness or will you endeavor to follow a path that focuses on cultivating your own happiness while doing what you can to help others find their own? Think about it and while you are pondering that question here is today’s Meditate on This affirmation:
I will no longer allow others to compromise my happiness.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
Help for Haiti
Jan 18th
Text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 to Haiti Relief Efforts
Greetings Friends,
I’ve been searching for a way that I can support Haiti in its time of need and thanks to blog buddies Kelly Diels and Danielle LaPorte I have found my way to donate.
For the next 30 days 75% of all proceeds from my writing efforts will be donated to Yéle Haiti, a grassroots organization created in 2005 by Wyclef Jean dedicated to the betterment of the nation. I ask that everyone that can please donate to Yéle Haiti here or send text YELE to 501501 and a donation of $5 will be made for Haiti relief.
Meditate on This: I look beyond my own trivial needs to help others less fortunate.
Today is the PERFECT day to give … open your heart and share what you can anyway you can.
Michael Stagg
A Lesson In Every Tear
Jan 11th
The Incomparable Mary J. Blige! Happy Birthday Mary!
Greetings Friends,
I was listening to one of those online radio stations and heard Mary J. Blige’s song “Each Tear”. It is a very inspirational song about learning from the mistakes we’ve made and not giving up on a dream (at least that’s what I got from the song).
A few days ago my youngest daughter came to me and my wife to discuss a situation she was having with her new boyfriend (she just turned 16 and was frantic about finally being able to date … I digress). While she was not in tears about the issue anyone could see she wasn’t that far from “letting it all out”. The wife and I told her that 1. the situation will pass and you will survive it, 2. the boyfriend has to be made aware of her feelings and given an opportunity to make amends and finally 3. if he cannot or will not make amends then she may have to consider moving on without him in her life. Pretty heavy stuff for a 16 year old - or anyone for that matter – to consider.
Mary’s song alludes to several key milestones on the road to maturity:
Rising again (and again) when we meet with failure – As much as we’d like to escape the experience of failure it is something embedded into the fabric of our very existence. Why? It is through our failures that we learn to succeed. We take what we’ve observed, remove what didn’t work and apply new things until we achieve success.
Their is no “do over” button – We cannot take back the things we’ve done in the past, but that’s OK. That’s why those things should stay in the past. While life does not offer us a redo button it is conveniently equipped with an edit function allowing us to review and make changes to existing situations based on past actions. I’ll be the first to admit that I press that button … often!
That which does not kill you … – Another thing that we seldom think about is the the impact of a seemingly negative situation on our daily lives. For every instance of a “bad” thing we experience in our lives there is a counter-balance of “good”. Sayings like “it’s always darkest before the dawn” stem from this realization. If we focus our attention on the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel we will experience a shift in our thought patterns and realize that we are made of sterner stuff than we give ourselves credit for. Additionally, by purifying ourselves in the fires of life’s trials we burn away all doubt and fear and are left stronger, more capable of meeting – and overcoming – life’s challenges head on with an almost god-like level of determination.
Love will conquer all – When all else fails, just knowing that we have the love and support of our family and friends can turn the tide in our favor regardless of the issue. More importantly than that, self-love allows us to understand that we are worthy of better and cheers us on as we continue to fight for our happiness. Cultivating a healthy daily dose of love. self-love or otherwise, gives us the strength we need to face whatever life throws our way.
Mary’s album “Stronger with Each Tear” is in stores now. Visit her official site here or connect with her on Facebook.
Today’s Meditate on This Message is:
Life’s lessons are my teachers and I willingly learn from them.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
