​Every human being has their unique excellence. It is a particular talent, skill or ability possessed deep inside, which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards.

You may already be certain of your own excellence. If that is the case, the part of this article about it might not be relevant to you (although you still may find the Timeline Method useful for other purposes).

However, most people do not know what their best qualities are. Inhibited by the chores and pressures of everyday life, people often forget about their unique strengths and talents. They may not even be aware they have any excellence at all.

Once we are able to reclaim that lost power, though, we can redirect our lives toward any path. We can find a unique purpose on Earth and make our lives immensely happier.
 
The Timeline Method

How do we achieve that? Here is one direct method for finding our excellence: the Timeline Method.
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First draw a simple timeline on a sheet of paper, with a zero point representing the year of your birth, and a point near the right arrow, indicating your present age, as shown below. 

​Now, say that you are 40 years old. Divide your lifetime into 5-year periods, which in this case means to divide the line span between birth and present into 8 parts (see figure below). 

​Then, try to recall a few of the most important events in your life for each 5-year period, whether they are positive (pleasant) or negative (unpleasant) to you. When I am talking about events, I mean experiences. They can be sudden and brief incidents, related to an exact point in time, or kind of fuzzy impressions, even stretching through longer periods of your life. They might be a mix of positive and negative feelings, rather than just one. The only criterion for the importance of events should be the intensity of emotions connected with them, regardless of their pleasantness.

So, although our intent is to recollect positive experiences related to important achievements from our past, it is necessary to search for all types of experiences (positive, mixed, and negative ones), because that will ease the whole process of recollection. The events will flow out from our memory more naturally. Also, this timeline may play a tremendous role in other aspects of your inner work. Perhaps you might want to work with traumas from your past, using, for example, Accepting the Temporary I technique to dissolve the unpleasant emotional burden of events.

You could also do this without drawing the timeline. However, a visual representation of the concrete periods of your past is a good stimulus for your subconscious mind and smoother memory recollection.

You may put pleasant and mixed experiences above the timeline, and the unpleasant ones below it.

It might look something like the figure below:

​Write down the labels for every experience, together with dominant emotions and names of the most significant people involved in each life event.
 
Finding the Excellence
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With all this in front of you, you will begin the process of finding your excellence by making a new list out of all these pleasant experiences. It will just be a starting point for this purpose. These positive events will be a basis for a much broader list. Following each period from the timeline, write down every single achievement in your life that you can recall. Both your big and small achievements should be written down. 

Important criteria for these attainments are only two qualities: first, you loved doing them, so they were easy or natural, and second, you were happy with the result. 

Next, analyze and compare these achievements by passing through the whole list. Search for your individual traits which were praised most often, and which of your personal qualities had steered you toward every single accomplishment. Write down which traits and skills you had during those moments, or periods, that were required for achieving those feats. You may attach at least two personal qualities to each accomplishment. 

Next, go over all your newly written skills on the list. Find the most frequent and significant skills. If you can, it is best to extract only one or two of them. These are your abilities and talents that you should use for all your future endeavors; taken jointly, they are your excellence.

For instance, your true excellence might be public speaking, personal development, decision making, math, accounting, bookkeeping, sports, painting, music, singing, writing, legal, marketing, programming, humor, photography, video creation, wisdom, foreign languages, teaching, training, leadership, strategic planning, story telling, fitness, ability to focus, conflict resolution, futurism, …

Anyway, this revelation may be revolutionary to you. Thanks to it, you will be able to define or modify your life goals in accordance with your rediscovered excellence. You can steer your life in the same direction with much more confidence, or to change your direction whatsoever. 
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Good luck with your inner work! :-)

​Many successful people keep journals. Also, some famous figures in history, like Napoleon or Marcus Aurelius kept journals. This practice has some obvious benefits – it clears up your mind, releases stress, and brings you clarity and inner peace.
 
There are many varieties of journaling, like keeping a diary; journaling with the Stream of Consciousness technique; keeping a journal from others’ perspective; dream journaling; art journaling; and many, many others. For all of these methods, you can easily find instructions on the Internet.
 
However, in this article, I will focus on a new type of this practice: the Vantage Point Journaling, part of the Reintegration System methodology.
 
 
Vantage Point Journaling 

We could say that this is a unique journaling technique. It is different from all other methods in that it initiates writing from four distinctive points of view:

1. From our Temporary I – in a “normal” state of everyday consciousness;
2. From our Heart – done in a deeper state of consciousness;
3. From the other person’s perspective (optional);
4. From the state of Pure Consciousness (Presence).

 
You can adapt your Vantage Point (VP) Journaling practice to your own needs and circumstances. For example, you can keep your diary in a VP Journal form, or practice the Stream of Consciousness technique in a VP Journal framework. Of course, you can apply any other well-known journaling method and do it from several points of view of VP Journaling practice.

VP Diary Journaling 

This method of journaling is especially good for those of you who need to improve mental clarity, de-clutter the mind, and improve focus.
 
All of us know very well what a diary is. What’s important for this practice is that diary captures streams of thought in an organized and structured way. It requires investing a certain amount of energy and focus on writing.
 
In this framework we will write our diary from several vantage points – the Temporary I,[1] the Heart, another person’s perspective, and Pure Consciousness.
 
The VP Diary Journaling structure is the following:
  
Stage 1: Writing from the Temporary I
 
To begin with your journaling session, do not try to change your mindset or relax too much. Just stay in your current state of mind, whatever it is. Maybe you are anxious, worried, angry, or experiencing any other emotion. You have to write exactly from that state. In this stage, your vantage point is your Temporary I, your transitory I-feeling at that very moment. Just become aware of your Temporary I, its location within your body, and – write.
 
Think about your day, event, or person that you want to write about. The text should be relatively structured, with meaningful sentences. You may be putting on the paper the most important impressions of that particular day, event, or person. Your diary may also relate to thoughts, emotions, new ideas, etc. Let it flow from you.
 
If you are writing in the evening, you can structure your journal by creating a list of questions that you will answer:

• What tasks have I accomplished today?
• What positive things happened today?
• What am I grateful for today?

 
Give three to five meaningful answers to each of these questions.
 
When you finish your text, review it. Feel and fully accept main ideas or parts of your text, one by one. You must accept all the main thoughts in the text. By doing that you will effectively remove a great deal of that day’s burden.
 
On the other hand, if you are journaling in the morning, you can create a list of questions related to your goals or action steps for that day, like these:

• What are the top three tasks I need to accomplish today?
• How do I want to better myself today?

 
If you are working with goals, at the end of your text write down the most important goals you are currently working toward.
 
If you want, you can limit the time of writing in this stage, but it should last no less than five minutes. But don’t worry – if you are too tired, it won’t be a problem to reduce your writing to only one or two sentences that comprise your whole day.

​Stage 2: Writing from the Heart
 
The second stage requires you to relax and open your mind. You will probably already find yourself pretty relaxed because the first phase (writing from your Temporary I) has surely de-cluttered your mind to a significant extent.

​As every individual human being has their ups and downs, so does mankind. Each of us regularly faces various hardships, which are, in fact, results of our prolonged periods of stagnation in numerous areas of our life. That’s the purpose of every hardship-an opportunity for awakening, for change.
 
Collective entities like families, nations, or the whole of humanity, also experience recurring challenges, similar to individuals. Whenever there is stagnation and lethargy in our collective mind, a big change is inevitable.
 
Our species is facing difficult times. The history of mankind is rich with these episodes-wars, diseases, earthquakes, floods, economic crises… We are currently experiencing such a period. The COVID-19 pandemic is a harsh reminder for us all to wake up.
 
Our collective mind is overwhelmed with this pandemic. Our individual minds are immersed in this sea of fear and anxiety, too. Can you feel it? Do you often find yourself thinking about coronavirus threat, numerous fatalities, looming danger of becoming infected, or the economic crisis it has already generated? Most probably you do. The majority of people are strongly drawn to that whirlpool.
 
Anxiety and fear are the natural response to the unknown, and these conditions are certainly abundant with many unknowns and concerns. So, do not blame yourself or others for that.
 
 
How to Cope with COVID-19 Fear? 

So, what can one do in this situation? Here are some guidelines for staying healthy, safe, mentally and emotionally stable, and even for turning this challenging time into a unique opportunity for your development.
 
1.   Follow the Instructions of Authorities 

​This is the first and most important thing. Follow all the instructions and measures imposed by the government and medical authorities. This is essential. ​

3. Apply the ATI Technique Whenever Possible 

To overcome the fear and anxiety related to COVID-19, my strong recommendation is to use a quick but very effective mental/emotional technique that may be applied in every other situation as well. Its name is Accepting the Temporary I (ATI).
 
As soon as you learn it, you will instantly recognize its astonishing efficiency. Whenever you become aware of your anxiety or fear, apply the ATI method and you will sense an immediate relief.
 
So, when you want to dissolve an unwanted experience with the ATI technique, you will:
1) Direct your attention to it and pinpoint its location (if possible);
2) Feel your “Temporary I” from which you are experiencing the content, and finally,
3) Completely accept the “Temporary I.”
 
Temporary I is your current I-feeling. It is the place or small area in your body where you feel your sense of “I” is most noticeable at that particular moment.
 
The ATI technique is described in detail here, while the concept of Temporary I and how to find it is depicted here.
 
You can do the ATI in countless common situations, especially in coping with typical anxiety, such as the fear of COVID-19 pandemic and its possible disastrous consequences.
 
For example, if you become aware that you are overwhelmed with fretful thoughts, you can accept and dissolve your Temporary I from which you are experiencing them. They will disappear, at least for a while. Or, if you find yourself flooded with emotions of fear, worry, angst, or anger, notice the location of your Temporary I and accept it.
 
Of course, if this mind content on which you were doing the ATI arises again, just repeat the procedure until it vanishes. Similarly, if you are in the company of a nervous or irritating person, you may quietly accept several times the Temporary I from which you are feeling the annoyance.
 
While you are reading articles or watching the TV news about the disease, try to do the ATI as many times as possible. This will make you stable and immune to all these bothersome influences.

​Each time you do the ATI, you will notice that your unwanted mental or emotional content has vanished. At least for a while, you are free from it. However, as the ATI is only a basic Reintegration technique, it does not deal with the root of your problems.
 
After some practice, you will do each step of the ATI fast and easy, so the whole process will take you no more than five to ten seconds.
 
4.   Mindfulness 

Mindfulness is the practice of being consciously present in the Now whenever and wherever possible. The more you develop this skill, the more you will be free from all kinds of unnecessary thoughts, body tension, disturbing emotions, and, of course, the COVID-19 anxiety.
 
You have to do any activity fully conscious of yourself and of the activity itself.
 
Although many people don’t consider it as strictly spiritual, mindfulness indeed is a purely divine practice. It leads you to your true nature while dissolving your inner conflicts softly and almost imperceptibly. Moreover, every conscious moment in the Now will gradually accumulate and make your whole life easier. It will abate or even prevent challenges.
 
When mindfulness becomes your intrinsic way of living, you will enjoy every task, you will become light and, in a strange way, even transparent. You will start sensing some inexplicable joy and deep inner peace. You will feel love more and more, both to yourself and the people around you.
 
On the Reintegration website, you can find an excerpt from my book “Inner Peace, Outer Success” about mindfulness. It describes this practice in numerous everyday situations, including how to develop specific mindfulness triggers - situations that your subconscious mind instantly recognizes as automatic activators of your conscious presence.
 
Accordingly, you may create mindfulness triggers from the fear and excessive thinking about this pandemic. Thus, whenever you find yourself thinking about the disease, or fearing it, you will automatically become consciously present and your thoughts and anxiety will subside.

​5. Meditate Regularly 

Steady meditation practice has a variety of benefits. It will provide you with additional love, health, strength, calmness, creativity, clarity, and smoothness in your life. It will surely help you a lot in these times of pandemic.
 
Meditation goes side by side with mindfulness. Without regular meditation sittings, your mindfulness can easily lose its foundation. Therefore, it is highly recommended to practice them concurrently.
 
You have countless varieties of meditation at your disposal. Within the Reintegration System, you can choose, for example, pure awareness or body/emotional awareness meditation, which are quite similar to those presented by Eckhart Tolle. You could also practice loving-kindness meditation, which is, in my opinion, very important. Meditation practice may also be focused on a mindful walk, open-focus awareness, acceptance, relaxation with the reintegration of subconscious structures, etc.
 
One example of “pure awareness” meditation technique is the following:

Building a fruitful life for yourself takes a lot of hard work, so the thought of making major changes to it can be daunting. However, there may come a time when you’ll need to make a change, and the signs will be everywhere.
 
These signs can include feeling upset or dissatisfied with the state of things and daydreaming about what life would be like after making the shift. If you’ve found yourself feeling underwhelmed with life as of late, read on for suggested major life changes you can make to turn things around.
 
Find a Furry Friend and Prepare Your Home

Add another source of happiness to your life by adopting a four-legged family member. Whether you’re a lover of cats, dogs, or other furry friends, bringing an animal into your home can really impact each and every aspect of your life.
When you come home at the end of each day, your pet will be there to greet you. Plus, having them around benefits your health by reducing stress and blood pressure. The physical and mental health impact a pet has on you can be just as life-changing as moving them into your space.
 
If you do decide to bring a pet home, don’t bring them to an unsafe, ill-equipped environment. In order to start out on the right foot with your new friend, make your home as comfortable as possible for them. Have a bed, food, treats and space dedicated to them and ready to go, and make sure to pet-proof your home. Don’t forget cleaning supplies to tackle any messes your pet is bound to make. For example, you can purchase an enzymatic-based cleaner from your local pet store that eliminates stains and odors effectively.
 
Work Out Every Day
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Regular physical activity improves cardiovascular and emotional health at the same time, according to Psych Central. Even a small amount of exercise each day can improve your quality of life, and you might lose a few pounds in the process.
 
If you’re turned off by the idea of joining a gym, you can start seeing results without stepping foot into one. Instead, turn your living room or home office into a “gym” each day by practicing yoga or focusing on bodyweight workouts that require little to no equipment. Consider working physical activity into other parts of your day as well.
 
When you arrive at work, park a few blocks from the building to get in a brisk walk before and after your shift. Take the stairs instead of elevators, and consider walking around the block after dinner each night to help your digestion along.
 
Exerting energy in any way can help you sleep through the night, which is just as important to your overall health as exercise. After a good night’s rest, you’ll regain the energy needed to get through a long day at work, and you can even have enough energy left over to take on a hobby in your spare time.
 
Pick Up A Hobby

Hobbies can be life-changing, whether you return to a hobby you dropped in the past or find a new one that resonates with you. Having a hobby enhances your life by keeping the brain sharp and reducing stress. It provides a necessary distraction from life’s chaotic moments and keeps you from feeling bored, which can be a dangerous emotion for your mental health.
 
Whichever hobby you choose should bring you joy and relaxation. You can try your hand at kayaking, painting, crocheting, or something unique like bird watching. The time you make for a hobby or activity in your schedule is time devoted to nothing more than leisure—and who doesn’t want that?
 
Allow yourself an opportunity to change your life for the better. Adopting a pet, working out and starting a hobby will take time out of your day, yes, but their impact on your life will be more than worth it. Consider making big changes to your life to achieve total fulfillment.