Originally Sourced From https://www.getmotivation.com/motivationblog/2021/02/overcome-performance-rut/

Introduction: Men and women providing various professional services sense when they’re in a performance rut. Where it feels as though the days all bleed into a single repetition of the same run-of-the-mill cloud of experiences: a workplace rendition of déjà vu gone live the moment they step through the door. Makes it exasperating at times, just to stay focused. Maybe they catch themselves daydreaming more often in the middle of a routine procedure. Or getting easily distracted by the goings-on all around them, making it infuriating and hard to stay on task at times. Or worse, they get disrupted by an urgent request, or discussion with a coworker, only to return to their current task, irksomely lost over where they’d left off. As if these occurrences weren’t vexing enough, it later becomes clear that they’ve inadvertently caused an error. A blunder at the worst possible time. A costly one at that.

If those frightful examples touch upon a familiar psychological sore spot, fret not, for you’re not alone. Your misery has company—and in the hundreds of thousands, no less. The root problem is not about you per se, nor your work habits, nor the profession you practice each and every day. It’s about a longstanding human-brain function issue and there are workarounds to ridding its dominance over the daily routine of service provision.

The Human Brain in General

Also true for manufacturing environments, the human brain doesn’t always function according to our best interests where routine tasks are concerned. What makes this situation doubly critical for any professional in the performance of a service, is that missteps and numerous other errors can pose tremendous and horrific human costs. So, the human brain does indeed have skin in the game for these individuals in particular.

Especially considering that, at any given moment the health and normal functioning of our various internal life support systems—that we nonchalantly take for granted—keep the brain busy working nonstop: making roughly 10 quadrillion calculations every second and firing on about 66 watts. The brain’s unconscious regions are working at lightning speed behind any scene, any event, playing out before our eyes, and attempting to expend the least energy at that.

Without any conscious attempt, this brain of ours is singularly fixated on achieving astonishing efficiency while allocating minimum effort towards leveraging a normal functioning equilibrium from head to toe. Permitting the pun: it’s so efficiency-headstrong that it relies heavily on high-speed ‘interpretation-shortcuts’ to making sense of stimuli in our external surroundings; what’s called heuristics. In order to accomplish so much, and on different levels of concurrent human functioning, it divides its labor across different sections of the cortex and a number of substructures housed at center and just below the brain itself; referring to what be colloquially think of as our two minds, the conscious and unconscious.

Figure 1 illustrates those regions of the brain relating to routine performance. When first learning any task our so-called executive function is in charge; that’s the nickname given to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is located just behind the forehead. Executive function operates from our brain’s conscious side. It more than earns its nickname since it handles attention-demanding functions such as attending to, staying on, and shifting tasks. It’s where we organize, plan, form our immediate and future intentions, and set goals. Where we make judgments, decisions, evaluate actions, and perform abstract thinking, such as logic and reasoning. Also from this sole site is where our motivations get aroused. And where we draw upon short-term, aka working memory. And finally, this conscious side of our brain keeps us socially acceptable as it’s also where we’re able to exert control over undesirable impulses. [Any function performed outside the PFC is more or less unaware to us, thus from our unconscious side.]

Two Complementary, but also Conflicting, Memory Systems Clashing in Our Work World

So, the PFC—or Executive Row—as some prefer—houses all the top brass responsible for carrying out the functions that make up who we are. That is, the mannerisms it displays form the personal traits that make up our personality, the ‘I/me.’ Returning momentarily to the planning and organizing functions: they oftentimes need to turn to long-term memory for details, thus are neurologically linked to the brain’s Hippocampus; coupling it with the PFC, this pair then takes charge over all near- and long-term intended endeavors. Which is why neurologists, psychologists, and others refer to this duo as the prospective memory system.

It’s fortunate that the cortex evolved later in mammalians, and then with primates and us, because nature had already found a convenient way to hand off some of the labor: each time we learn some new life routine, and then go through repeated trials of executing it, those repetitions are getting ‘etched’ in the brain’s basal ganglia (BG) as well. BG is an primordial workhorse, a structure responsible for executing all repetitious motor functions.

As examples of its considerable reach of involvement in our daily lives, the unconscious mind’s BG take over when we: perform a routine service at work, drive the same route to/from work, tie our shoes, ride a bicycle, hum or sing a favorite tune, run a familiar errand, give a speech, or get highly stressed out by a troubling incident at work (fight or flight response). Along with another brain structure, the amygdala, the pair make up the brain’s habit memory system.

Behavior driven by habit memory is mostly unconscious, accomplished outside the PFC, as just said, thus receiving only token attention from us. For instance, we don’t have to consciously focus on taking a step forward, first with our left foot, then our right, then our left, again, and so on. Recall times driving to and from work when you’re suddenly at your destination, but can’t recall the details of the actual drive itself. That’s an example of your BG in control to the point of arrival; then your conscious PFC regaining attentional control. But then having no recollection of the actual details of the drive. Unconsciously, you’d driven n miles from point-A to point-B, fortunately without incident.

But of course there’s a rub: these two systems do not link together; neither is aware of, nor ‘speaks,’ to the other. Each has no recollection of the other. Also, an earlier reference to high stress at work was made, about it being habit-memory triggering: that’s the brain’s amygdala at work. It’s the storehouse for emotional memories and emotional arousal. It more or less aligns with the BG to complete the habit memory system, inasmuch as it will trigger automatically the fight-or-flight response under high-stress conditions: we don’t have to consciously think about acting. We just act.

Routine Service Ruts: The Two Clashing Memory Systems’ Implications

Based on what’s just been just laid down, means our executive row likely isn’t in charge when performing routine services. Only if something unusual occurs, stirring our attention, will our PFC retake command. [I’ve observed physicians in consultations enough to see how ‘deliberate’ their mannerisms are; they’re the possible exception. They’re trained themselves to stay laser focused; suppressing the habit memory from taking over.] However, more than we care to admit, the habit memory system is in command across a majority of professions.

However trite the water-cooler jokes about daydreaming-on-the-job may be, they point directly to this issue. Similarly, both friendly and snide comments about operating on ‘autopilot’ thus prove to be more literal than figurative, it turns out. Because both are telltale signs of habit-memory hijacking the focused mind of an unsuspecting service professional.

As obvious as it surely is by now, the problem with routine service performance is that we’re threatened with not giving 100% attention-effort-effectiveness—The Big 3—to the routine task at hand. Our work focus may be token at best. Moreover, we’re easier prey to distractions and interruptions. Both of these two common work disruptions frequently lead to human error. For example, when working from habit memory, if distracted by a coworker, our prospective memory system (PFC) kicks in. We’re alert and attentive to whatever issue’s been raised. Yet when we return to a task (if we’d been performing from habit memory) our conscious mind hasn’t a clue about where we’d left off. Figure 2 highlights the opposing distinctions between these two usually complementary, but sometimes conflicting, memory systems.

When a service warrants a high level of focus—yet drifts into autopilot mode for the unwittingly performer—it’s easy to imagine the fallout that might ensue: missed details, shoddy work overall, a step and/or a service feature omitted, and so on. The implication readers should draw from staying ever-focused is this: by staying focused for an entire workday requires professional staff to take actual rest-breaks and lunches in order to fully mentally recharge. Maintaining a focused mind—avoiding habit memory as a restful fallback altogether—will drain both concentration and effort. Yet both are what customers have a right to expect; as do employers, for that matter.
In summary, that’s the gruesome news: the frequent victor of two competing brain regions during routine work often renders such work mediocre at best; potentially error-ridden and harmful at worst. If physicians do indeed achieve it, how do we preserve a focused mind? Can habit memory even be suppressed?

A Way Out of the Service Rut Morass

The short answer to the last question is ‘yes.’ Most professional services settings fail to hone in on their customers’ personal parameters: that is, idiosyncratic needs relating to the quality of a service experience as defined by an individual customer—be they patron, consumer, user, or client. Instead of one (general) service presumably suitable for all customers, the astute service performer becomes more highly engaged, more focused-mind (mindful just doesn’t cut it), by integrating their customer’s inputs into personalizing a service. This action, alone, sets them apart from their peers. Typically, in middling professional settings specific customer needs and wants are habitually neglected.

‘Parameters’ include those anatomical, behavioral, biological, mental, and physical (abbmp) features of a service that are related to that service. That can directly impact how well that service fits with the way it is experienced by a customer; said differently, we’re talking about the quality of a service’s output. Depending on the type of service rendered and its context, the quality of the customer’s experience may also directly or indirectly improve the immediate, middle-, and/or long-term outcome that the service is expected to produce.

As a brief example, a mind-focused dentist takes note of certain dental patients’ needs that aren’t being fulfilled under general practice. So, his clinic now offers a range of sedations so that patients who experience dental anxiety/phobia (m–mental, of abbmp parameters) can get through their ordeal with far less trepidation. Finally, a customer’s prior history with a service is another possible factor in the list of parameters.

Strategy for Staying Clear of the Rut Routine: Optimizing Customer Experience

What was just outlined above is referred to as optimizing the service experience for one’s customers. Figure 3, below, starkly illustrates why an optimization strategy is not only conducive to averting routine-service ruts, it’s paramount for preventing performance creep; aka drift. For those who don’t recognize the term, it refers to a condition of decaying or eroding performance to a point of inferiority; where, over time, without measures to stop its gradual process, routine performance can degrade until it hardly resembles its former level of value. Creep is the reason why some professions require periodic recertification or requalification.

In Figure 3 is depicted an Israeli study of eight judges over a ten-month period, covering 1,112 parole hearings, where judges assumed their performance never dipped below baseline for delivering fair and just decisions on granting parole. The baseline level for prisoners getting a ‘fair and just’ decision was found to be at 65% probability of winning a favorable decision. Yet, in reality, over years of such hearings, as time wore on each day, chances for parole dropped dramatically right up till the judges’ morning-snack, and once again up to the noon-lunch break.

None of the judges was aware that their routine performance decayed significantly over time. Nor that they’d recover their former baseline once they’d rested from the tedium of hearing a litany of arguments for granting parole. They were being highly attentive at the start—their prospective memory fully engaged. But at a later point their court hearing routine drifted into its familiar ‘autopilot listening’ state (habit memory takeover), which clearly was not about maintaining a focused-mind on screening and evaluating for ‘fair and just’ as lawyers argued on behalf of their clients.

Devilish About Details: Integrating Customer Voice into Every Service Task

The premise of this paper is about self-development. About training one’s executive row to make mind-focused attention and intent-to-optimize its priorities.
In order to stay-on-task (focused-mind), we ask our customer a series of service-optimizing (SO) questions. Before getting to them, because service professions and their contexts vary widely, there are a few core assumptions that have to be validated by readers in their respective professions in order for the strategy proposed to succeed as was designed:

(a) customers can speak, are relatively coherent, and are allowed to speak to the performer while service is rendered;
(b) the service is performed ‘live’ and in real-time; and
(c) customers are relatively insightful and articulate about themselves (with appropriate facilitation, as needed, coming from the performer).
Listed next is the order of SO Questions put to a customer. Not all of three possible target performances will be germane for some professions:

1. [Service performer clarifies for him-/herself exactly what the Target performance will be:] What is the target (‘T’) of my focus with this task? [See info-box below.]

‘T’— the germane object upon which a service is directly performed. No matter the service or profession, there’s only 3 things we can do to any customer—apply some thing, say something, or supply some thing. ‘T’ is therefore either something:

– a physical matter applied to a part of customer’s anatomy, or
– said to a single customer, or a customer group, or
– a physical object supplied to a customer.

Examples: handing a document over (supplied) to customer; putting a cast (applied) on a patient’s mended leg; giving business advice (said) to a client audience of company managers; and filling in fields on an electronic eligibility form for obtaining agency service while interviewing (said to) a potential client.

2. How can ‘T’ be personalized to OPTIMALLY suit this customer?

Frame this question to your customer in a way that best elicits a well thought-out, specific response from them. They may need to know more about how the task is generally performed. Explain clearly so they’ll visualize it being done. They’ll then supply insight for personalizing the task to best fit their situation. If their request is unallowable, explain why. Additionally, based on your level of accrued experience with optimizing a service, suggest any feature or alteration to the service you think will make the fit most optimal. Examples of customer parameters to pursue with additional questions, as they may be highly relevant to service being offered: customer perception of service, prior history with the service, and individual differences by gender/education/abbmp, etc. After questions are ended, merge their input with your newly-gleaned knowledge to derive an SO rationale that best suits customer’s interests.

3. How will I do this service differently?

You actually just formulated the answer; by asking it of yourself focuses your mind on just how, serially and so on, you intend to perform it in detail.

Taking heed that service context can shape how well a service gets performed: thoughtful application of the three SO questions will induce higher engagement of service performer (you) and customer alike; moreover, it compels a service performer to stay prospective-memory focused. Not drift into habit-memory routines anymore. With respect to the world you work in, the upshot is this: this approach depends on professionals being (a) empowered to make personalized adjustments to the services they perform, and (b) have a clear sense of service boundaries: that is, where said adjustments become unallowable. And so, finding a middle ground is the best action in such cases for both them and their customer, going forward.

Looking closer at how a customer may actually specify optimal experience of ‘T’ in a service underway, for illustration the examples from Q#1’s info-box are expanded here:

– Handing a document (supplied) to customer – let’s say the document is a set of instructions, 10 pages in length. Customer says “I just want the highlights.” Service performer then verbally supplies the high points, caveats, and most salient instructions rather than recite the entire list.

– Putting a cast on (applied to) a patient’s broken leg – Patient says, “This has happened before. I know about keeping the leg elevated, but can you do something to make it itch less?” The technician reminds the patient that elevated means at a level higher-than-the-heart, and then suggests use of a portable hair dryer. S/he explains how aiming it directly inside a gap between leg and cast at a section itching most, dries both leg and inside of cast, relieving itch severity.

– Giving business advice (said) to a client audience of company managers – They say, “What you’ve recommended so far, we can do. But what about how frontline staff keep complaining that we’re not in touch with our customers like they are?” The consultant suggests that all frontline staff be asked to carry a notepad. That they take notes on customer complaints, insights, wishes, and compliments; then add their own thoughts to what they’ve gathered. Frontline staff are to then organize their notes and, in small groups of not more than 5 staff—using scheduled one-hour sessions—report to their manager(s) what they’ve learned and what they recommend. The consultant explains that both customer voice and staff insights are usually quite informing. And once they’re integrated, will accentuate those actions needed to fill the current ‘out of touch’ void that frontline staff contend has been apparent.

– Filling in fields on an electronic eligibility form for obtaining agency service while interviewing (said to) a potential client – Applicant says, “We’ve got, you know, circumstances that might prevent your agency from qualifying us. We really need to qualify. Can you not be as strict, or to the letter, is basically what we’re wondering?” The service representative then advises them that (a) based on certain answers given, there are follow-up questions designed to accommodate such instances; and (b) the applicants will also be asked, point blank, at the end of the form’s completion if there are extenuating circumstances they want included, word for word, in the application.

Conclusion:

Over time, adopters of the SO Framework will find that an optimization approach with each customer is a more satisfying one. It stresses human contact and excellent service experience for customers. It will inspire self-development in related areas as well: getting well-versed in active listening skills, including effective use of open-ended questions (capturing richer detail), and other techniques for drawing out salient customer inputs that help clarify individual-specific and relevant parameters that better inform how a service experience could be personalized.

In short, as is always true of significant change: when one door closes—in this instance, the door to routine performance—another door opens—a whole new set of challenges promoting professional growth towards the provision of an optimal approach to how one performs their work. Where 100% attention-effort-effectiveness—The Big 3—become one’s new routine.
________________
Benjamin Ruark’s first career was in behavior therapy. After earning a second masters, he became an instructional technology specialist/consultant to manufacturing, professional service industries, and software producers–both domestically and in the UK.

References:
Anonymous. (2020). Human brain, neuroscience, cognitive science. Basic Knowledge (BK) 101, online tutorial. Retrieved /12/10/2020 from: https://basicknowledge101.com/subjects/brain.html
Anonymous. (2020) Prospective memory. Wikipedia.org coverage. Retrieved 12/10/2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospective_memory#:~:text=Prospective%20memory%20is%20a%20form,life%2Dor%2Ddeath%20situations.
Anonymous. (2020). Prefrontal cortex. Good Therapy.org site. Retrieved 12/10/2020 from: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/prefrontal-cortex
Yong, E. (2011). Justice is served, but more so after lunch: how food-breaks sway the decisions of judges. Discover Magazine. April 11, 2011. Retrieved 12/10/2020 from: https://www.discoverymagazine.com/the-sciences/justice-is-served-but-more-so-after-lunch-how-food-breaks-sway-the-decisions-of-judges

Lay discussion on habit memory v. prospective memory systems is unavailable; oddly, it is only sporadically touched upon in highly-esoteric scientific research literature. For lay people, two news articles on forgotten baby syndrome directly reference the clashing systems, as described in this article, offered as further evidence offered below:

Lightman, H.I. (2019). We can prevent “forgotten baby syndrome.” Orthodox Union online newsletter, ou.org. Retrieved 12/10/2020 from: https://www.ou.org/life/health/we-can-prevent-forgotten-baby-syndrome/
Mckenzie, V. (2018). Memory’s surprising role in child death trials. The Crime Report. August 21, 2018, thecrimereport.org. Retrieved 12/10/2020 from: https://thecrimereport.org/2018/08/21/when-forgetting-kills-a-child/

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Originally Sourced From https://www.thelawofattraction.com/be-yourself/

While it’s cliche to tell you to “be yourself”, there’s a surprising amount of pressure to be authentic.

Whether you’ve been encouraged to suppress some of your key traits at work or remember being mocked when growing up, most of us can remember a time when we clearly got the message that it was bad to be ourselves.

So, how can you overcome this pressure to conform? And why should you make this a priority in your life?

We’ll explore how you can stay true to your authentic self even when the world is trying to change you. We’ll start by considering just why it’s so important to be yourself and look at the consequences of living a lie.

From there, we’ll move on to four specific approaches you can take to the goal of being yourself, before closing by connecting the authentic living to effectively manifesting your most important goals.

Why Be Yourself?

So, what’s so great about being yourself? Most important, being yourself gives you total freedom.

You have mental freedom – you can relax, and let your thoughts come naturally.

You also have social freedom – you can give your real opinions, and be honest about what you like.

This authenticity then allows you to make real connections with other people you can relate to.

Plus, being yourself also involves knowing yourself. After all, if you don’t know who you are then you don’t know how to be that person.

A commitment to authenticity triggers self-reflection and self-exploration, leading your life to better reflect your values and preferences.

To gain an even deep understanding of the power of being yourself, it’s worth thinking about what happens when you do the opposite – when you live a lie.

Stop Living A Lie

Living a lie can affect your happiness, your mental health, and even your physical health.

Firstly, you may constantly feel uncomfortable and unsettled, like something is “off” – it’s hard to relax when you’re faking who you are, and you constantly need to keep track of any lies you’ve told.

Leaving the house will require putting on a psychological mask, which saps energy and has an adverse impact on mood over time.

Secondly, as indicated above, relationships are bound to suffer when you’re living a life. For one thing, you’ll never know if your relationships would survive if you were being yourself, as your friends and partners only know the person you pretend to be.

Relatedly, you’ll find it hard to believe that you are unconditionally deserving of love, as you’re constantly acting as though you really need to be rejected and hidden. Meanwhile, any positive feedback you get doesn’t really boost your self-esteem, as it’s only a validation of a false self you’re projecting.

And in the most extreme cases of all (e.g., where living a lie involves concealing your sexual orientation or gender identity), you deny yourself the chance to experience the deepest connections the world has to offer.

Similar considerations apply to being inauthentic in your professional life. You’re unlikely to pursue your true passions or find your true purpose, as you’re fixated on pleasing others and on the idea of what looks good to those around you.

Plus, you’re highly unlikely to be as good at what you do when your heart isn’t in it, so you’re less likely to successfully progress up a career ladder if you don’t act like yourself.

In contrast to all of the above, life is both simpler and much more fulfilling if you commit to being yourself.

Different Ways To Be Yourself

We’ve looked at why it’s so valuable to just be yourself, and why it’s one of the most powerful ways to be good to yourself.

But what can you do if you struggle to be authentic in this way? Here are four steps you can take, along with some examples of when they might be most applicable.

Stop Worrying About How Other See You

One of the best things you can do if you want to live an authentic life is to stop pleasing everyone.

It’s not easy to stop being a people pleaser – start by making it a rule to do several things just to please yourself each day, and commit to these even if you need to turn down other invitations.

For example, one day your self-pleasing activity might be reading a book for an hour before bed, and on another day it might be treating yourself to your favorite food.

At the same time, set a goal of finding one thing per week that you are only tempted to because it pleases others, and resolve not to do it.

In particular, look for something in unequal relationships where others tend to use you or take you for granted. Next week, find two things, then three the week after. In time, people-pleasing will stop being second nature.

Now Aim To Improve Yourself

Once you’ve started working on pleasing yourself more and pleasing others less, turn your attention to self-improvement.

There are always ways to improve yourself, and devoting energy to these pursuits can make you more confident about being yourself. For example, suppose one of the reasons that you struggle to be yourself is that you think you don’t express yourself well verbally.

Consider signing up for a public speaking class, or even just practice speaking at home. Alternatively, if feel embarrassed to be who you are because you don’t feel you’re successful, look at what you need to do to be proud of who you are.

You should never feel you have to meet any particular milestone just to be valuable, but success and achievement certainly help boost confidence.

While you work on self-improvement, it’s crucial to be kind to yourself. Think of what you’re doing as making yourself even better, not as “turning a bad person into a good one.”

Be Confident

Being confident is complex, but a lack of confidence is the number one reason people give for not being themselves.

There are lots of facets to building confidence (including what we’ve described in the above two steps), but one thing you can do is stop comparing yourself to others.

It’s easy to doubt yourself and think you’re unimpressive if you constantly find people to view as superior. A mindset shift is required to put an end up to such comparisons.

Specifically, remind yourself that you only know what other people project.

Chances are that someone feels bad when they compare themselves to you – and yet inside yourself, you feel anxious and under-confident.

This tells you that people you put on a pedestal are rarely as perfect as they seem. In addition, never forget that social media paints an exaggerated, cleaned-up picture of people’s lives – not a yardstick against which you should measure your own value.

Appreciate Who You Are

Finally, it’s a lot easier to be yourself if you can be happy with yourself. No matter what you’re like, what you’re good at, and where you struggle, you are unique.

You have something to offer the world and the other people in it. In many cases, the things we think are weird or off-putting about ourselves are actually the parts that friends and partners would find the most interesting and appealing.

Try to be proud of your weirdness – of what makes you yourself rather than someone else.

If you’re struggling with this, try keeping a kind of hyper-focused gratitude journal. Each morning or evening, write down three things you are grateful for in yourself that day.

For example, if you mediated a dispute at work or in your family, you might note your patience, your empathy, and your neutrality. As the days go on, you end up with an extensive log of all the reasons why it’s amazing to be you!

Start Being True To Yourself And Start Manifesting Positivity

Finally, note that if you learn how to be true to yourself, you’ll also massively boost your ability to manifest using the Law of Attraction. There are a couple of reasons for this.

Firstly, to manifest effectively you need to align yourself with your true purpose. This is only possible if you really get to know yourself in an honest, thorough way, and if you live in accordance with what you know about yourself.

In contrast, people who are living a lie often accidentally attract things that don’t reflect their authentic desires. In addition, being true to yourself breeds happiness and fulfillment, which help you vibrate on a frequency of positive and abundance.

This, in turn, automatically attracts more positivity and abundance into all areas of your life.

The post How To Be Yourself When The World Is Trying To Change You appeared first on The Law Of Attraction.

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 Behind every successful person is at least one mentor — who believed in and supported them from the very beginning.

A mentor is the cheerleader who encourages your dreams and the advisor who helps you find your way. When things aren’t going well, your mentor provides you with a safe and supportive environment. You can confide in them with your challenges and frustrations, and trust them to provide honest, supportive feedback.

Your mentor is your champion — filling three crucial roles:

Sounding board: A champion provides wisdom and adviceand challenges you in ways that refine your perspectives and goals. 

Support: A champion believes in, encourages, and often sees potential in you when you haven’t seen it in yourself.

Accountability: A champion will not let you off the hook, holding you accountable to your goals and helping you get back up after you fail.

Sir Isaac Newton understood this concept well when he said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” As Newton said, champions are those who allow us to gain perspective and insight from their firsthand experiences so we can see better, farther.

In my own life, I have benefitted from a number of long-time champions who have shortened my learning curve and given me a front-row seat to learn from their own successes and failures. Access to mentors like this is critical for anyone striving to achieve your dreams, pursue new goals or get back on track. The regular feedback and support my champions provided has proven invaluable throughout my journey. 

Without these mentors, reaching our goals and dreams can be a long, lonely road. It is just too hard to go it alone. Finding your own champion or group of champions can make all the difference when it comes to those inevitable ups and downs of chasing your dreams. Below are four simple tips on how to find yours:

Ask

Many people ask me how to find a champion, and my answer is, Just ask. In life, we get what we ask for and what we are willing to act on. Don’t just sit on the sidelines wishing you had a mentor or believing it’s too hard to find one. Simply make the effort to find one, then ask if they would be willing to give you some time and attention. Chances are you have a list of people in your head right now. Act on it.

Keep Asking

You’ll find that most successful people realize they have achieved success with lots of help from mentors who helped them along the way, and they usually want to pay it forward. But even if the person you approach says no, why not use their response as an opportunity to ask them to recommend someone else in your field of interest?

Choose Wisely

Seek out those who are better, smarter and more successful (so far) in their own work and life than you are. Look for people who can inspire you. Sometimes it may take time to find a mentor who has walked ahead of you in terms of age, experience and success. So if you haven’t found that person yet, look for a peer or colleague who is also uncomfortable with simply maintaining the status quo, and is committed to their own growth and development. In this instance, iron really does sharpen iron.

Be a Champion for Others

So many successful people have leveraged a circle of peers, friends and champions who cared about and supported them in their dreams. Recruit a core group of like-minded individuals who share similar goals and gather them into a monthly support group. When you have trustworthy and supportive people in your life, you become mutual champions for each other. These are the champions who will be there for you during the inevitable peaks and valleys that likely lie ahead in your journey.

None of us can do everything on our own. No matter how smart we are, we still need the benefit of other perspectives and helpful feedback. Indeed, the more champions we have in our lives, the better. Make it a top priority and get started right away. Get that champion in your life. They will make all the difference!

Peter Ruppert is founder and CEO of Fusion Education Group, which operates over 75 Fusion and Futures Academies for grades 6-12 in one student, one teacher classroom environments. A 20-year veteran of the education industry, he’s opened over 120 schools and acquired more than 25 others. He’s been president and CEO of organizations in the private school, charter school, and early education industries, and sat on his local public school board for 5 years. He lives with his family in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. His new book is Limitless: Nine Steps to Launch Your One Extraordinary Life. Learn more at peteruppert.com.

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Originally Sourced From https://themindunleashed.com/2019/10/lions-mane-mushroom-reduce-anxiety-depression.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lions-mane-mushroom-reduce-anxiety-depression

(TMU) — Lion’s mane mushroom is a medicinal food with many benefits that has been used for centuries and has now been shown to be an effective natural depression and anxiety treatment.

A placebo-controlled human clinical study took 30 female patients to investigate the effects of lion’s mane on menopause, depression, sleep quality and anxiety.

Of those who finished the study, 14 took a placebo and 12 took lion’s mane mushroom extract that was baked into cookies. Two grams of lion’s mane mushroom per day were consumed and after four weeks of use, a reduction in depression and anxiety were reported by the lions mane mushroom group.

This study gives rise to the growing belief among scientists that depression and anxiety has less to do with the “serotonin hypothesis” and possibly more to do with the “neurogenic theory of depression and anxiety.”

In essence, higher rates of neurogenesis could prove to equal higher rates of happiness.

Lion’s mane mushroom is often used as a food and supplement to support brain health, memory, focus, clarity and recall. It does so by helping the brain produce a compound called Nerve Growth Factor, or NGF for short. As a protein, Nerve Growth Factor helps to repair damaged neurons and even create new neurons!

For an enhanced learning experience, check out the video version of this information and be sure to subscribe to Crystalline Nutrients YouTube channel:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c25tlLv3Rq8?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]

The implications for possible therapeutic benefits of lion’s mane mushroom extend into other nervous system-related diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia.

Crystalline Nutrients creates 3 minute YouTube videos on the latest nutrition science research. Videos are meant to be short to allow busy health-conscious people and practitioners stay up to date with only a few minutes of their time. Follow Crystalline Nutrients on YouTube and Instagram for new and exciting nutrition science information!

By Crystalline Nutrients | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com

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Originally Sourced From https://themindunleashed.com/2020/05/11-ways-live-happier-life-according-psychologist.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=11-ways-live-happier-life-according-psychologist

(TMU) Opinion – Happiness is something that we all strive for, yet many of us find it challenging to grasp and even harder to maintain. Especially during these difficult economic times, happiness can feel like it is hiding just behind next week’s paycheck, a new job, or a distant raise. However, as Dr. Robert Putnam of Harvard University recently pointed out, “money alone can buy you happiness, but not much.”(1) It appears that happiness has less to do with money than we might imagine, and more to do with the people around us, how we live our lives, the way spend our time, and how we perceive ourselves and understand our life experiences.

Based on the latest research in psychology and my experience as both a psychologist trying to understand happiness, and as a human being searching for my own happiness, here are 11 ways to live a happier life…that have nothing to do with money!

1) Practice Gratitude

No matter where they are or what they are doing, happy people recognize that they always have something to be grateful for. Research in the field of Positive Psychology has shown that people who practice gratitude are happier, less stressed and less depressed!(2) Happy people can easily find gratitude in the world around them, whether they are looking at the cracks in the pavement in the concrete jungle or the sun setting over the ocean. It is possible to find gratitude even in smallest of things, like a delicious meal, a good book, a challenging yoga class, or a smile from a stranger on the street.

Each of us has a choice on how we focus our attention. Choosing to focus on gratitude for the beauty and uniqueness of life instead the stressors and problems will make you feel happier and more relaxed.

2) Find a place of Flow

In Positive Psychology, the concept of “Flow” is defined as the “complete immersion in activity for it’s own sake.”(3) When we are in flow, such as when we are running a race, writing a song, or reading a great book, our self-awareness dissipates, time seems to stop, and we become focused, peaceful, and attentive to the task at hand.  People who frequently experience flow tend to be happy, productive, creative and focused.

You can reach a state of flow by putting special attention to tasks that you find intrinsically rewarding and enjoyable. In other words, carve out some time to do what you LOVE! For more information about how to find your flow, explore Dr. Mikhal Csíkszentmihályi’s book, Finding Flow.(4)

3) Smile More

If you are feeling down or having a rough day, it is possible to cheer yourself up by simply thinking of a person, place or situation that makes you smile! Indeed, research in psychology has shown that the physical act of smiling will make you feel happier, even if you are just flexing the muscles of your mouth and not intentionally smiling!(5)

While scientists are not yet completely certain why the simple of act of smiling makes you feel happy, it has been suggested that smiling contracts the facial muscles, leading to more blood flow to the brain’s frontal lobes, which in turn triggers release of dopamine, one of the pleasure chemicals in the brain.(6) So bust out the comedies and get your giggle on (or maybe let someone tickle you a little bit)!

4) Embrace Your Mistakes

We are all perfectly imperfect in this human form, and it is only natural that we make mistakes (sometimes very often!) Living in denial about your mistakes or getting wrapped up in your ego will only you make you miserable and block you from learning valuable lessons that will help you grow and improve.

By embracing your mistakes, you will be able to forgive yourself, and the bonus is that other people might actually like you more! According to Dr. Eliot Aronson’s “Pratfall effect” in Social Psychology, making mistakes makes competent people seem more attractive, and more human to others.(7) Happy people seem to intuitively know this, embracing mistakes as learning experiences and not judging themselves too harshly.

5) Maintain an Optimistic Attitude

Happy people tend to respond to negative events in a more optimistic manner than unhappy people. Positive psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman defines optimism as “reacting to problems with confidence and high personal ability,” specifically, recognizing that negative events are temporary and limited in scope.(2) Research has linked optimism with a plethora of positive outcomes including longevity, recovery from illness, overall physical health, enhanced coping skills and problem solving in difficult situations.

Overall, optimism is a central component of staying happy and healthy, so when in doubt, look on the bright side.

6) Surround yourself with Supportive People

Even though this life can sometimes feel like an individual journey, we need other people around us in order to feel happy. In fact, recent research has indicated that social relationships are the strongest predictors of happiness, much stronger than income or wealth.(1) For example, according to Robert Putnam’s groundbreaking study, making a good friend causes an increase of happiness equal to tripling ones salary, belonging to a social club is equivalent to doubling one’s salary, and so on.

The take home message here is that social support is a huge indicator of happiness and wellbeing. People with perceived positive social relationships even live longer!8 So be social, surround yourself with people who make you feel good, and release those who make you feel bad.

7) Learn when to say “No”

As psychologist Dr. Thema Davis so beautifully puts it, “saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to things and people that stress you out.”(9) Happy people know that they must say NO to people, ideas, and behaviors that do not serve their highest good. Saying yes to everyone and everything can lead you to feel overwhelmed, increase your stress, and leave you less time and resources to take care of yourself! This is especially true when you agree to do things that do not resonate with you, or allow yourself to be pressured into situations you are uncomfortable with.

The stress that results from feeling overwhelmed can severely dampen one’s happiness and wellbeing. Before you commit to anything or anyone, ask yourself, does this serve my highest good? If the answers is no, then learn to say NO. 

8) Unplug & Spend More time in Nature

Although it may feel natural after a lifetime of conditioning, human beings were not designed to spend our day hunched over a desk with electronics plugged into our ears and eyes. No, we are meant to be spending time outside, away from the buzz of technology, the radiation from cell-phones and the blaring of screens. Happy people understand that it is their human birthright to give themselves quiet time to reflect and find serenity. According to the July 2010 Harvard Health Letter, time outdoors in nature has been linked to happiness because light elevates people’s moods, as does vitamin D, a byproduct of spending time outside.(10)

If you really want to maximize the benefits of outdoor time, spend time in green nature – even five minutes of “green exercise” can lead to improvements in mood and self-esteem, according to researchers at the University of Essex.(10) Even better, combine your outside time with meditation, yoga, or other therapeutic movement arts. There is a plethora of research demonstrating that all of these will further enhance your mood and overall wellbeing. 

9) Practice Forgiveness

This one can be challenging for the many of us who have been wronged and/or who have experienced traumas perpetrated by other people in our lives. But as my life partner, sound healer Jimmy Ohm always says, “forgiveness does not mean that what happened was ok, it just means you no longer want to carry the pain.”(11) When we hold on to anger, resentment and fear towards people, they are actually occupying a space inside of us, blocking us from feeling truly happy and fulfilled.

Dr. Fred Luskin of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project has found that forgiveness is a huge predictor of happiness and wellbeing, explaining how “forgiveness is the experience of peacefulness in the present moment.”(12) For more on his research, visit his website, Forgive For Good.(13)

10) Try New Things

Happy people are not afraid to push their boundaries and try new things. Research by psychologist Dr. Rich Walker has shown that people who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions than people who have fewer experiences.(14) Sure it might seem scary at first, but what’s the worst that could happen? By going beyond your comfort zone, you might actually surprise yourself and exceed your own expectations for what you are capable of accomplishing. And hey if it doesn’t go as planned, at least you still tried, didn’t you?

As Dr. Alex Lickerman M.D. writes in Happiness in this World, trying something new requires courage, it opens up the possibility for you to enjoy something new, it keeps you from becoming bored, and perhaps most importantly, it forces you to grow.(15) So what have you always wanted to try but you didn’t think you had the guts? What are you waiting for? 

11) Look in the mirror every morning and say “I Love you!”

For many of us, self-love is the greatest challenge and blockage to happiness. Years of being told by family, educators and especially the media that we are not good enough, not successful enough, not attractive enough, not capable enough and so on has left many of us feeling beaten down and unworthy. The truth is that no matter who you are and what has happened in your life, YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE! Say it out loud to yourself until you believe it.

Psychologists have long known that self-esteem is intrinsically connected to happiness, but how does one build self-esteem? I believe we build self-esteem through practicing self-love and self-acceptance. One of the simplest things you can do is to look in the mirror every morning and say, “I love you!” For some, this may come easy, and for others, it may be extremely challenging. I know that at first I tried and tried to do this and I would break down in tears because I felt so unworthy. Eventually through practicing daily mantras of self-love and self-acceptance, I was able to learn to love myself. And while the path to unconditional self-love is a life-long journey and not a destination, today I feel happier than I have ever felt. I hope that these happiness tips will help guide you on your journey as much as they have helped me on mine. Namaste.

Author’s Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list of ways to live a happier life, and I would love to hear from The Mind Unleashed community about other ways that they have found to live and breathe happiness! Please comment or email me at DrKellyNeff@Gmail.com. Blessings and Love!  <3

References:

1. Miller, J. (July 23rd, 2013). Putnam: Strongest Predictors of Happiness are Social Relationships. The Chatauquan Daily. Retrieved July 9th, 2014 from: http://chqdaily.com/2013/07/23/putnam-strongest-predictors-of-happiness-are-social-relationships/

2. The Pursuit of Happiness. Mindfulness and Positive Thinking: Optimism and Gratitude. Retrieved July 10th, 2014 from:http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/positive-thinking/

3. Cherry, K. (Date Unknown). What is flow? Understanding the Psychology of Flow. About.Com Psychology. Retrived July 10th, 2014 from: http://psychology.about.com/od/PositivePsychology/a/flow.htm

4. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997) Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic Books, New York.

5. Korb, A. (July 31st, 2012). Smile: A Powerful Tool. Psychology Today. Retrieved July 11th, 2014 from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201207/smile-powerful-tool

6. Wenk, G. (December 27th, 2011). Addicted to Smiling: Can the Simple Act of Smiling Bring Pleasure? Psychology Today. Retrieved July 10th, 2014 from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201112/addicted-smiling

7. Manage Train Learn. Likeability: The Pratfall Effect. Retrieved July 11th, 2014 from: http://www.managetrainlearn.com/page/the-pratfall-effect

8. Public Relations Bureau (June, 2009). Social Support, Networks and Happiness. Retrieved July 11th, 2014 from:http://www.prb.org/Publications/Reports/2009/socialnetworks.aspx

9. Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis. http://www.DrThema.Com.

10. Harvard University Health Letter. (July 2010). A Prescription for Better Health: Go Alfresco. Retrieved July 10th, 2014 from: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2010/July/a-prescription-for-better-health-go-alfresco?utm_source=mental&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=health0710

11. Jimmy Ohm MccLain. https://www.facebook.com/jameslmcclain

12. Taran, R. (March 7th, 2012). Forgiveness: Making Space for More Happiness. Huffington Post Healthy Living. Retrieved July 12th, 2014, from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-taran/learning-to-forgive_b_1322686.html.

13. Forgive for Good. Http://www.LearningToForgive.com

14. Time Magazine. Health and Happiness: Try New Things. Retrieved July 12th, 2014 from: Time

15. Lickerman, A. (April 1st, 2010). Happiness in this world: Trying new things. Psychology Today, retrieved July 12th, 2014 from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201004/trying-new-things

Help us help others. Please like this article. Share this article on your social media and with your tribe. And leave your comments below!

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