Did you ever learn something fantastic and not use it?

In my quest to find systems and techniques that promote wellbeing and raise energy I have discovered many things. After witnessing the effects that prescription drugs can have on people who were ill already, I was highly motivated to find other methods of health.

My journey first took me into the world of Reiki, where I had one of the most profound shifts in awareness that I have ever had. Despite this irrefutable evidence that Reiki worked for me, I stopped using it with any sort of regularity.

Similar things happened as I went on to study Vortex Healing, Time-Line Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, Yoga, Meditation and Dowsing, to name a few. I had learned all of this powerful information, yet I wasn’t taking regular action.

Then one day a light-bulb moment explained why.

An experiment known as “Pavlov’s dogs”, was conducted, where Ivan Pavlov taught his dogs to associate the ringing of a bell with eating dinner, causing them to salivate when the bell rung, after a certain period of time. This proved that dogs learn through association. We learn in the same way as other animals – by association.

What is learning by association?

Through the study of Neuro-Linguistic Programming I have discovered that all experiences that we have are associated to an emotional state. So, if you were in a fantastic emotional state and a certain song started to play then it would have a positive association. Just playing that song could cause you to feel better in the future as you have associated it with a positive feeling.

This has happened with every significant experience that you have ever had. Because this has been happening to you since birth you have made so many associations that you could not possibly consciously remember them all. Consequently, some things/places/songs make you feel really good and some make you feel bad, and you don’t know why.

Learn to associate action with insight.

I was certainly not the brightest child in my class. I would frequently be pulled up for being disinterested or disruptive during my school days. The truth was that I was bored. The content didn’t interest me and I was restless. Sitting down and learning has never been easy for me.

At school I learned to tune out of my classes and when I did find something that I liked learning about I would understand the concepts, yet not use them as often as I’d have liked.

This led to guilt.

Because I knew all of these wonderful healing and energising systems and I was not using them, even though I knew I should, I just felt worse. How was it possible to have such wonderful tools and not use them nearly as often as I should?

I then learned that in my state of feeling guilty I had created a health paradox.

I learned these new systems to feel better and have more energy. Because I wasn’t using them daily I felt guilty. This caused a drain to my energy and I had less motivation than I did before learning the techniques.

Have you ever learned something that you knew would change your life – and not used it?

The good news is that this is understandable. If your body is learning powerful insights in a physically inactive state – you are associating insight with doing nothing. This is not a conscious decision – it is being fused into your unconscious thinking and governing your actions, or inactions as the case may be.

Because you learn through association it takes an incredible amount of motivation to take action on insights that have been received in a physically inactive state.

Learn to associate insight with physical action.

When I first discovered The Active Energy System I was at a stage of my life where I had little focus, clarity or direction. I knew what I didn’t want but had no idea what I did want. This state had been recurrent for much of my life.

During a stay in Zakynthos, Greece, I went walking with friends every day and talked about what I did want. It was a great fun and highly energising experience.

I then noticed that I would return each day highly motivated to take action on my insights.

It took me a few years to understand why this process worked so well but now I realise that we learn through association. When you learn or receive insight in a physically active state, it is far more likely that you will take action.

This principle is simple, yet it has turned my life around.

When I have big decisions to make or I need to take action on something, I just go walking and use my Active Energy System that I have put together at Walk Innovation. It is a set of simple, yet powerful, steps that create focus, clarity and, most importantly, action.

If you have ever wondered why you would know things that would change your life in a very positive way – but you are not doing them. Ask yourself “Was I physically active when I decided this? If you were not, look no further. You are just acting in a way that billions of others do.

Be different if you want to feel better.

By learning how to associate powerful, positive insights with a physically active state you allow yourself to access the bridge between wanting something and actually getting/doing it.

The Active Energy System works.

Not only is walking good for your health, reducing stress, weight and blood pressure naturally, it is also a near perfect exercise. With the Active Energy System it is possible to take action towards the things in life that make you happier, healthier and feel more energised. This can be done without guilt and at a pace that suits you.

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