by admin | Oct 10, 2014
On September 30, 2014, Todd and I had the pleasure of talking to Sara Harvey Yao, a Leadership Consultant in the greater Seattle area, about the notion of getting present. It’s not just important for business, but it’s also important when you want a good experience with the family! Read her blog post on unplugging from devises and the affects it has on the ‘ol nerves until we “get present” again. Enjoy!
THE PROMISE OF UNPLUGGING
The sea turtle that visited us on the beach in Hawaii.
I regularly talk about the role the technology plays in our ability to be present and I put myself to the test to see if I could really walk my talk on our recent nine-day vacation to Maui. Before the vacation I announced to my family I was going to “unplug” from technology while on vacation and they were supportive, albeit skeptical that I would actually do it. Upon my arrival to our condo I put my laptop in the desk drawer, turned off my email and texting on my phone and put it on silent.
For a moment I felt liberated, slightly smug with myself and was distracted by the beautiful view from our oceanfront condo. That lasted for about an hour and then I started feeling anxious. I noticed my heart was beating faster than normal and I couldn’t sit still. My mind was being infiltrated by what I might be missing and in general, I felt “twitchy”. Luckily I knew what was going on – like an addict, I was “coming off” of technology.
I’ve read tons of studies about how the intermittent stimulus of checking email and surfing the web gives our brain a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine and how addictive it is. It’s one thing to intellectually know coming off of technology is hard, but it’s a whole other thing to actually try it. My reaction to coming off technology was so surprising to me is because I consider myself a “moderate user” of technology. I have decent technology boundaries, like leaving my phone downstairs when I go to bed, not using it during family time, and putting it on silent for most of the weekend. In my mind, I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this much withdrawal from technology.
After about two days of on and off anxiety, I settled down and really relaxed. I read three books (that had nothing to do with work), swam in the ocean, and had nightly Uno tournaments with my kids. When my system finally shifted from “doing” to “being” a series of truly magical experiences occurred. We saw a spontaneous whale show while relaxing on the lanai, a pod of dolphins came to play with the small boat we were on, and a sea turtle came out of the water, walked up to us and hung out three feet from us on the beach. As a family we noticed the small things like gecko eggs, beautiful flowers, and cloud shapes. I felt more joy and experienced a deeper sense of love for each member of my family and for life in general. I had more clarity, direction, and realizations about my work and life than I’ve had in some time and my husband reported the same thing.
I can’t promise everyone will experience the almost surreal joy we felt on vacation, but here are some things you can expect from unplugging:
- Anxiety: No matter if you’re simply slowing down for a few hours or unplugging for nine-day vacations, you will initially feel some anxiety. No need to be alarmed, this is an important part of the process and it will pass in time as your brain shifts its neuro-pathways back to its “pre-technology” ways.
- Enhanced Senses: Science has proven our senses are dulled by technology, and when you unplug, your system’s senses can and will return to their natural state. You will feel, hear, see, and taste things with more vividness.
- Clarity: As a result of unplugging, you will be more connected to your gut sense. That clarity can propel you to take productive action once you’re home.
- Rest: You may likely sleep better when your brain is off its technology high, but even if you don’t, there is an inherent level of rest you will enjoy.
I’ve been back from vacation for more than a week, and back to using my all my devices as I was before vacation, but the clarity and rest I experienced is still very alive. Believe it or not, as I returned from my vacation and moved through my email, there wasn’t a single message or Facebook post I missed that outweighed the joy of truly resting.
by admin | Oct 8, 2014
In September, prolific writer and highly acclaimed instructor, Eric Maisel, joined us for a wonderful conversation about the writer’s life and making meaning. It turns out that even the busiest folks can implement these tools and find some time to write. Read more here:
ART IN 15-MINUTES A DAY, by Eric Maisel
Virtually all of us tend to scorn small increments of time and “throw away” fifteen minutes here and forty-minutes there, arguing that we are doing so much already that those windfalls need not be used productively.
We opt to check our email, surf the Net, play a game, take a peek at our social media, watch a few minutes of a program that we like, or in some other way pass the time until our real work begins again.
Artists with busy lives often find that they need to change their minds about squandering these precious small increments of time—in part because so much can get done in just a few minutes.
Yes, it is much easier for a writer to open a file and start writing than it is for a painter to get all set up to work super-quickly – yet that still may be a habit for a visual artist to cultivate, so that the small increments of time that life provides get used well.
If you can’t get to the studio when those fifteen minutes appear, can you sketch, make notes to yourself about your ideas and intentions, or in some other ways make productive use of those sudden intervals of time? This isn’t to create a new “should” about how you “should” be more disciplined or more productive. Rather, it’s to afford you the opportunity to stay connected to your work and involved with your work in ways that may really serve you.
One of the ways that we can connect to our deepest artistic themes, themes that may be eluding us in the chaos of life, is to attend to our art so often in the day, even if just for fifteen minutes here and thirty minutes there, that our art remains close to us and has a chance to grow. Don’t scorn those small increments of time that added together amount to hours, days, weeks … even years!
by admin | Oct 6, 2014
October 7th, 2014 Guest: Mary Beth Sammons is an award-winning journalist and author who writes not only about health and wellness, but grace, gratitude, and reinvention. She joins us to discuss the secrets and the science of living a fulfilled, recognized life. Her new book, co-authored with Nina Lesowitz, is called The Grateful Life: The Secret to Happiness and the Science of Contentment through Viva Editions Press. Here is an excerpt from their site: The Grateful Life: The Secret to Happiness and the Science of Contentment is a guide to discovering—and realizing—one’s dreams though a positive attitude. Through years of research and practice, authors Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons have discovered that grateful living can transform lives. Grateful people are happier people, as shown by neurobiology studies at University of California Berkeley’s Greater Good Center (greatergood.berkeley.edu). This book contains inspiring stories about those who practice gratitude as a spiritual practice to rise out of adversity to new life. It will also show how grateful living is central to the good life and to attracting abundance. Filled with motivational quotes, resources and exercises, The Grateful Life will help people on their journey to create the life they’ve always wanted. Taking the concept of the bestselling Living Life as a Thank You to the next level, The Grateful Life includes absorbing and transformative stories from the frontlines of real people, who unveil the secret to achieving success—big and small—in life.
Listen to “Grace and Gratitude with Mary Beth Sammons 10/07/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Sep 20, 2014
September 23, 2014. Guest, Karly Randolph Pitman, helps men and women find deep healing, peace and relief from food compulsions like overeating, sugar addiction, and binge eating. Rather than teaching strategies to control or manage the food behavior, I offer a map to heal the emotional and spiritual hunger that drives food compulsion itself. I call this map growing human(kind)ness–a method that helps clients foster mercy and compassion so they can heal the suffering of separation keeping them outside of the circle of Love. Karly does not believe that eating disorders are diseases that one must endure till the end of life. They’re coping strategies, often shaped by some form of loss. They may look really, really messy on the surface, but they’re based in loving self protection. At their core, a deep intelligence is at work. Through Divine love, the spiritual and emotional hunger can be satisfied, the obsession with food or sugar can be outgrown, and the loss can be healed. To read more about Karly,check her website: http://growinghumankindness.com/
Listen to “Sweet Talk for Overeaters with Karly Randolph Pitman 9/23/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Sep 13, 2014
September 16, 2014. Guest, Susan Lazar Hart, is an international leader in consciousness who is transforming the way the people view relationships, intimacy and themselves. She is the co- founder of Right Relationship for YouTM which empowers people to truly be themselves in relationship to everyone and everything. She travels the world offering Right RelationshipTM classes and training her global network of Right Relationship For YouTM facilitators. Susan has appeared on many international radio shows and telesummits. Susan also hosts an online radio show, Heart2Hart at blogtalkradio with her daughter Kelsey where they introduce tools for relationship transformation via their warm and playful mother-daughter discussions. Susan is a licensed Access Consciousness® Facilitator and an Access 3-Day Body Facilitator. Check her out at: http://rightrelationshipforyou.com
Listen to “Your Right Relationship with Susan Lazar Hart 9/16/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Sep 5, 2014
September 9, 2014. We are so pleased to welcome back Eric Maisel, author of over 40 books in the areas of creativity, coaching, psychology, mental health and cultural trends. Eric presents workshops internationally about the creative arts and publishes his writings regularly in Psychology Today and Professional Artist Magazine. He offers audio, online, and face-to-face courses for new and advanced writers. His latest book, Why Smart People Hurt, is packed with wisdom, guidance, and homework! His coaching is a thoughtful guide for all writers seeking a more meaningful experience. Learn more about Eric’s coaching and workshops at www.ericmaisel.com.
Listen to “Guidance for the Bright, Sensitive, and Creative Types 09/09/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Sep 1, 2014
Coach Johnson has developed winning high-school basketball teams for 28 years, taking over three losing varsity programs and turning them into winners in short periods of time. Of his 383 career victories, one in particular will surely never be duplicated.On Feb. 15, 2006, Coach Johnson made the kindhearted gesture of inserting his autistic manager, Jason McElwain, now known to the world as J-Mac into Greece Athena High School’s final home game, which the Trojans won 79-43. J-Mac scored 20 points in just over four minutes, including six three-point baskets, to become an instant national celebrity. Coach Johnson, also, was featured in major news outlets around the country. His energy and belief in all players alike is powerful! Let his energy inspire you to truly believe in your dreams! Check out his book and speaking engagements at: www.coachjimjohnson.com
Listen to “Score!! with Coach Jim Johnson 9/2/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Aug 24, 2014
August 26, 2014. Guest, Linda P. Jones’s is America’s wealth mentor, and she is joining us for an hour of education about her smart approach to building wealth. Her mission, passion, and purpose is to empower women and men worldwide to financial freedom. She is the host of the “Be Wealthy & Smart” podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio. Linda is the only financial expert who teaches the importance of having a wealthy mindset before and during your wealth building. She also teaches that to maximize your wealth building in the current economic cycle you need to have two powerful wealth creation strategies working for you. She calls them the “Twin Pillars of Wealth Building: Investing Like Billionaires and Creating Your Luxury Brand Business™”. In 2014 she was awarded a Bronze Stevie as “Maverick of the Year” in Consumer Services at the American Business Awards for her revolutionary approach to financial education. Her website: www.lindapjones.com
Listen to “Be Wealthy and Smart with Linda P. Jones 8/26/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Aug 12, 2014
August 12, 2014. Guest, Cynthia Kersey, is a leader in the transformational industry and the best-selling author of two books, “Unstoppable” and “Unstoppable Women.” She’s a speaker, entrepreneur, humanitarian, national columnist and contributing editor to Success Magazine. Additionally, Kersey is the Founder & CEO of the Unstoppable Foundation whose mission is to ensure that every child on the planet receives access to the life-long gift of education. The Unstoppable Foundation has already funded 45 primary schools and two high schools in three separate countries in Africa and Cynthia’s passion is showing how the public can solve the world’s most seemingly impossible challenges through simple individual actions. Learn more about Cynthia at: http://www.unstoppablefoundation.com/
Listen to ““Do Well By Doing Good” with Cynthia Kersey 8/12/14” on Spreaker.
by admin | Aug 5, 2014
August 5, 2014. Guest, Cynthia Occelli, is a women’s empowerment expert and the founder of the Beautiful Life School. Once a teen-welfare mom, with only a 9th grade education, Cynthia reached for a better life. She built a real estate business and went to law school. In 2002, her life was turned upside down when her husband was disabled by a devastating stroke leaving her to raise two children, run multiple businesses, carry a huge mortgage, and grapple with several law suits–alone. She credits this harrowing time with her decision to stop living in fear and to follow her dreams, regardless of other people’s opinions. She built a thriving coaching business, wrote, her book, “Resurrecting Venus”, became a Hay House Radio host, and then turned fiercely toward her passion and created the Beautiful Life School–an online program that empowers women to take ownership of their inherent worth, create their dreams, and live their heart’s desires. Website: http://www.cynthiaoccelli.com/
Quick Links to our Social Media Sites