Masterful Mindsets

“Flourishing goes beyond happiness, or satisfaction with life. True, people who flourish are happy. But that’s not the half of it. Beyond feeling good, they’re also doing good-adding value to the world.” ~ Barbara Fredrickson

As I shared with you last week, each year around my birthday I take time to reflect on my life. And again, this year was no different. I journaled and reflected on those three questions that one of my mentors, Brendon Burchard always asks, "Did I Live? Did I Love? Did I Matter?"

But then, I decided to move from reflection of the past year to asking a few questions of myself in a future focused manner. And this is where I embraced the ideas from another mentor of mine, Brian Johnson.

Brian is the founder and CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Company. And I had an opportunity this fall to spend several days with Brian, his wife Alexandra, his right-hand man Michael, and an amazing group of other Heroic people.

You see, Brian has a mission. His mission is to help ...

“The eyes are the windows to your soul.” - William Shakespeare

It has been said that the eyes are the window to your soul. Yet unfortunately, so many people wear masks to hide who they are that no one ever gets to see their true beautiful soul. And sadly, not only does no one else get to know the real them, but they often go through life wondering who they themselves are because they have lost touch with their own selves from spending so much of their lives wearing a mask and pretending to be someone they are not.

Has this ever been you? What mask are you wearing?

You may have begun wearing a mask for protection but who are you really protecting yourself from - the world around you or your own self? Are you trying to hide who you are or how you feel? Maybe you feel like you’re not enough as you are or won’t be accepted as you are. That can be tough, and I understand that sometimes it really does feel safer to put on a mask and pretend to be something you are not. But life was no...

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~Maya Angelou

By now most schools are back in session and autumn is starting to whisper, “I’m on my way…” So as the smell of sunscreen is being overtaken by the scent of pumpkin spice, so too are our carefree feelings being overtaken by a sense of overwhelming tension.

This year being an election year there is a special weight coming with the changing of the seasons. I don’t think I need to tell you that the weight of all the “heaviness” our world and nation has faced over the last nearly 10 years, it can be a lot for many people to manage on their own.  

Combine all these emotions with the usual feelings that most people face as the last quarter of the year comes tumbling in and it’s no surprise that so many people are feeling a crushing sense of exhaustion, hopelessness, and negativity. I mean, aren’t we supposed to be starting new and fres...

“Balance doesn’t exist but proportion and harmony do.” ~ Danielle LaPorte

Your work. Your relationships. Your inner life.  – David Whyte calls these “the three marriages”. Each of these three marriages are nonnegotiable. They cannot be balanced equally against each other. A little taken from this and a little given to that – to balance work with relationship and with the self means we only work harder in each marriage, while actually weakening each of them by separating them from one another. These fundamental components of our existence must work to support one another, not to vie for constant attention.

We frequently and unconsciously structure our lives so that our work, our spirit and our significant relationships are set against one another in a competition of importance. Someone or something is bound to lose in this equation. When you deny one of the fundamental values of your life the attention it’s asking you for, your whole life is affected. I see it all the time, someo...

"The journey to joy begins with acceptance." ~ Margaret Feinberg

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Kinda makes you cranky, doesn't it? But what if you just accepted it and laughed it off? Could it be possible to find joy even when life seems to be unraveling?

Let’s get one thing straight about this week’s quote, it does not mean that you should settle for whatever or wherever you are in life. But rather, I believe it means that once you face where you are with acceptance of the situation – whether good or bad – you can put your energy into adapting and advancing. In other words, instead of wasting time and energy staying stuck in the problem, you just acknowledge it and then you can begin to shift your focus to the solution and moving forward into a more joyful life.

Let’s face it, life does not always turn out exactly as we’d like. There are plenty of mistakes, disappointments and failures all along the way. The secret to being content is accepting tha...

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest and let your angels wrap you in their loving wings. They've got you covered." ~ Anna Taylor

Where do you get your inspiration from? How do you stay productive, especially when you're overwhelmed and exhausted?

I've got to admit something to you... I was feeling less than inspired to write this week's Masterful Mindset. I started writing four different blog posts this week. I even wrote the word "poop" after a long pause in a sentence, as I was trying to think of what to say. (Yes, sometimes my posts require a lot of editing before you see them.) 😉

I also wrote down nine - yes - NINE different quotes, looking for inspiration. I got nothing... then I decided to just sit on my back porch and watch the sun set. Partially because I was so frustrated that I just had to stop but mostly because I knew it was a sure sign that I needed a break. I've had a lot going on lately... and I've been working long hours. (Can you relate?) It w...

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” ~ Alan Cohen

We are coming to the end of the mini-series on how to organize your day for maximum efficiency. Today I’ll take on the last of the concepts that caused resistance from my original article. So, if you feel guilty for taking breaks or just believe you are too busy to pause during your work day, this post is for you. Because pushing yourself to keep working without taking breaks in hopes of getting more done, is actually causing you to get less done. The truth is, taking a break isn't a luxury, it's a necessity! Studies show time and time again that there are huge benefits to taking breaks - and increased productivity is just one of the many benefits.

I was talking with a colleague recently who was feeling extremely overwhelmed and overworked. She was under a deadline for a project she was working on and felt so much pressure to finish that she’d been skipping her workouts, spending l...

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the energy you bring to every moment." ~ unknown

Throughout this month we’ve been exploring different and perhaps less widely recognized, aspects of energy. Beginning with how releasing negative emotions can increase positive energy. Then we looked at the influence your energetic presence has on other people and on to the power of focused energy. Finally, last week I shared some of the sneaky bad habits that drain your energy.  

Now I want to give you a bonus, as we wrap up this month-long discussion on the power of energy and the pivotal role of energy in achieving high performance and success. Because as I mentioned at the beginning of this series, there are different types of energy that impact our lives, both individually and collectively. And in our fast-paced, demanding world, being able to maintain optimal levels of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy is not just a luxury; it's an absolute necessity.

So, ...

“People with purpose and goals have no time for drama. They invest their energy in things that will add value to their life and others.” ~Unknown

We all know that there are those common bad habits like not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy, poor stress management, etc. that can steal your energy. And yes, sadly even though we know we could be doing better, by improving those habits, common sense isn’t always common practice. So many people find they don’t have the energy they need to be as happy and productive as they’d like.

But what about those sneaky little bad habits that maybe you don’t even realize are draining your energy? That’s what I’ll be talking about today as we finish up this month’s series on Energy.

Take a look at the list below and think about how often you engage in these bad habits. Odds are, like with most habits, you do them without even thinking about what you are doing. They may be reactive responses or simply automatic behavior that you’ve learned....

“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Often what keeps people from being highly productive is not a lack of time but instead, a lack of energy – mental and physical energy are necessary in order to be a high performer. But what about when you have that energy, you’re extremely busy marking things off a to-do list but still, you’re not really achieving success? What’s missing?

Well, if you had to clean dried up, stuck on food from a kitchen sink, would you use a strainer full of water? And if you did, how likely would it be that the gunk would come right off?

I realize this seems like a silly analogy but stay with me here…

Water in a strainer flows out everywhere and yes covers a lot of area but that tough spot that is stuck, it doesn’t budge because the water doesn’t have enough concentrated power. However, if instead of wasting that water covering...