What is one action you are going to take in the next 24 hours?

He wanted us to feel an excitement more passionate than passion, more comforting than real security, more loving than egotistical love, more blissful than euphoria, more satisfying than anything you could ever achieve, desire, or crave all through being in touch with your inner being, your true self. Having said that, there must also be a balance. I feel that once we realise we can go back to this true feeling and sense of being in times of loss or when life takes us too far in the opposite direction of our true natures, we can also accept and embrace that we came here to experience life and all it has to offer too. We are spiritual beings, but we are living in physical bodies having physical sensations to experience all that this human life can bring. The food, music, nature and beauty. The sex, textures, and smells of flowers. We came to use all of our senses and find enjoyment in this physical life. If we can do all this whilst simultaneously being at peace with the inner stillness of our souls (which possess nothing) then we have achieved a lot. The Buddha didn't want us to renounce physical life, he tried that as he walked his path to find enlightenment and realised that causing himself suffering didn't work. He wanted us to live with understanding as we use this incarnation to expand. Your child's school may ask you to assemble and send in an emergency kit at the start of the school year. The kits are kept together in a designated emergency bin in each classroom and returned at the end of the year. If the school doesn't require your child to have a kit, I recommend you make one anyways. In the event a situation keeps you separated, an emergency kit packed with basic emergency supplies will take care of your child's needs until you are reunited. Consider school rules as you gather supplies. For example, a pocketknife is probably not the best choice. Pack everything in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag so that it will easily fit in a locker, desk or backpack. Don't forget to include an emergency information card. Even though the school has the information on file, write your name and phone number and the name and phone number of everyone who has permission to pick up your child on one side of an index card. Also write the out-of-area contacts and meeting places designated in your family emergency plan.

What was even more impressive was that at the eight-week stage I had gained 4 kg. I wanted to share this case study of myself to show that training harder and eating more for muscle gain might be the answer, in a lot of cases it will be but not always. Sometimes you have to listen more and learn to observe more, as there could be other things that you overlooked. After learning from Charles Poliquin, I went back over many of my client case studies and I was able to see so much more. Armed with the insight that I have shared in this section, you now have the opportunity to Level Up your understanding of hormones. You can learn more, which will help you to see more, which will help more of your clients to progress. I'm sure you're wondering whether I have any recommendations for sources you can learn from. After my introduction to hormones from Charles Poliquin, I travelled to learn from the IFM. They have a course called the AFMCP (Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice). If you do attend it, you'll be learning alongside doctors and healthcare practitioners. What behavioral changes have we been working toward? Which skills do I need to reinforce or introduce? What was the client's Action Plan? What, if anything, did I agree to do [eg, call client's health care provider or find relevant bibliotherapy]? As you begin the therapy session and check on the client's mood, ask yourself: How has the client been feeling since our last session compared to earlier in treatment? Which moods predominate? Do objective scores match the client's subjective description? If not, why not? Is there anything about the client's mood we should put on the agenda to discuss more fully? As the client provides a brief review of the week, ask yourself: How did this week go compared to previous weeks?

And we can still have a great understanding while also creating art, relationships, achieving goals, protecting the Earth, planting seeds and enjoying everything the Earth has to offer. I see it as this: when you can feel great without the things you desire, then all good things will fly to you. When you can feel good with nothing, it won't matter when you lose them; The item you want will never satisfy you more than that real feeling which is always inside you, not without. The emotion is so powerful that all bad things will fall from you like melting snow from a warmed mountain. There's no clinging in the void; With meditation and right thought, you can feel that way yourself, without the actual physical thing. It is the feeling you take with you when you die, the sense of total relief, which is what we're all looking for when we crave. With this pure feeling, any manifestations you're seeking can be found for you, but they won't matter as much as your true sense of being matters. With or without your desires, whatever they may be, if you find the pure feeling of what you suppose they would bring while realising the impermanence of the thing first, they will come. On the back of the card, describe any health issues your child has and give instructions on how to administer medication. Because schools have strict rules against kids having unsupervised access to medication, ask the school nurse or your child's teacher to store a supply of the medicine. After the kit is assembled, talk to your child about how and when to use it. ASK ABOUT EMERGENCY PLANS Unfortunately, there is no standard emergency response plan for schools and daycare centers. Plans will vary depending on state laws, the school's size, available resources and the perceived risks for the area. Basically, some schools have more comprehensive plans than others and some do a better job at communicating their plans to parents. If you're unable to locate information online regarding the school's emergency plan--including procedures and drills--ask an administrator for details. What scenarios has the school planned for? What type of drills are conducted and how often?

You will have to travel to attend the course, but I found it an incredible educational experience. Alongside the AFMCP, I highly recommend the work of Dr Bryan Walsh. He has an incredible teaching style, and a lot of his education can be obtained online (but if you get the opportunity to see him speak in person, you must). The online course of his that I recommend for every fitness professional is called Fat is Not Your Fault. He also shares many valuable strategies that you can use to support your clients with their goals. I wanted to round up the Physical part of Level Up with a topic that I feel is incredibly important. There is something that really does separate the best from the rest: Are you ready to act every day with the intention of being the best coach that you could possibly be? Let me explain. Purposeful coaching In previous sections, I have covered the commitment that you are making to your own training, hiring your own coach, developing a coaching eye and committing yourself to your education. When was the client at his best in general? What signs of progress are there? What positive experiences did the client have? What conclusions did the client draw about these experiences and about herself? Did anything happen this week [positive or negative] that we should put on the agenda to discuss more fully? As you check on the client's use of alcohol, drugs, and medication (if applicable), ask yourself: Is there a problem in any of these areas? If so, should we put it on the agenda to discuss more fully? And/or does the client have a goal in any of these areas? As you and the client set the agenda, ask yourself: Which goal(s) does the client want to work toward this week? Or what problem(s) does the client want my help in solving?

So, even if your desire were to be taken from you, you'd be okay with letting it go, because you would realise that you are the ultimate power, not the things you have. You can give yourself permission to feel good without having the things first, or at all. The desired thing once manifested wouldn't give you as much of a pure feeling as the authentic one you conjured because the actuality of the item comes with many conditions, and is unsatisfactory and impermanent. Here are some additional essential gems from the Buddha. They who imagine truth in untruth, and see untruth in truth, never arrive at truth, but follow vain desires. They who know truth in truth, and untruth in untruth, arrive at truth and follow true desires. True desires? He wanted us to have true desires! How liberating! Let's go forth and find those! How will the school communicate with you in a crisis? What's the shelter-in-place and evacuation plan? Does the school have supplies for an extended lockdown? What kind of training is required of the teachers and administrators? How often are the plans revised? What is expected of you in emergency? Once you know the procedures, quiz your kids. What are they supposed to do if there's a fire? How about a tornado or a lockdown emergency? What should they do if Mom and Dad can't get to the school?