liveyourtruthblog

[liveyourtruthblog]

What is the meaning of suffering? For me, growing up was very difficult at times. From not knowing my parents, to severe and constant abuse in many forms, to deformity, Tourette’s, Brain Damage and many other aspects of my environment that made daily life a steady stream of pain, with an undercurrent that seemed so strong that at times I didn’t believe I would ever emerge from it. What came out of that however, was meaning. I don’t know if anything I went through really had any provincial meaning. What I do know is that I gave it one. What showed up for me was the realisation that if I was suffering, so were others. If I could connect with what I needed, and then learn everything I could about how other people can meet their needs, I could help myself by helping them. That was the beginning and the driving force behind my entire career. The only way out, was to lift other people up. Now, many years later an injury threatens the vehicle I used to not only build my career, but my identify. I am again reminded that when we are suffering in any form, there are three questions we need to ask ourselves. How we answer these questions determines whether or not we spiral further into our cycle of pain, or if the very thing that is causing us to suffer also creates the possibility of reinvention. Those questions are, what does this mean? Who does this situation give me the opportunity to become? And, what does my pain give me the strength to let go of? https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XDOW3H36N/?igshid=1e66g8j0ypko9

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The wilful ignorance of our own biases is in itself an act of extreme bias. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btv1Qk3BQ9o/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1r16ikxvs9ntb

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Critical thinking is dependent on the act of critical questioning. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsiswQxh0MH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m8xa9k32ul67

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Your habits not only have the power to positively transform your life, but the lives of everyone within your circle of influence. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsbz2QqBArc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k1rx8m7qb5ni

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What is the need to be right costing you? In what ways would you be free if you just let go of having to be right and focus on what makes you happy instead? https://www.instagram.com/p/BsZEy1Oh36_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w7uw3gbsu40m

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In what ways are your problems allowing you to be right? Sometimes we perpetuate the very problems we say we want to solve because there’s an underlying benefit we get from our situation. Even though many of us do this unconsciously, without identifying the benefit we get from a problem, whether it’s to be right, or prove someone else wrong, it’s very unlikely that we will adapt the behaviors that allow us to move forward. What is one possible benefit you may be getting out of an otherwise painful situation? https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYY4-rB2Tk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=b3tnjomdyuwz

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What impact does your mind have on the things that truly matter? On august 31st 1957 Dr. Bruno Klopher gave a presentation on the “psychological variables in human cancer” in New York. He told the story of a patient who was terminally ill with cancer. The doctors had tried a myriad of treatments and medications, to no avail and the situation became hopeless when the patient stopped responding to treatment. While the patient’s condition was getting progressively worse, He heard about a new “miracle drug” called kreboizen. He requested the drug, and his doctors conceded that in his condition it couldn’t do him any harm. Yet, to the astonishment of his doctors, the patient began to respond to the treatment; not only did he respond, but his tumors rapidly shrank and then completely disappeared. However, a while later the patient heard a report that strongly suggested the drug was ineffective. The patient went straight into a relapse. His doctor wisely suggested that they give him a double dose of the drug. The patient agreed and once again experienced a complete remission. Shortly after the patient discovered more reports revealing that krebiozen was a completely useless drug with no efficacy whatsoever. Within days the man became inflicted with several large tumors. In a state of hopelessness and depression, the man died, just days later. Not only does our physiology affect our mind, but our mind has a profound affect on our body. What we believe about the reality of our outer world, manifests itself in the state of our inner world. Again, if we desire to know what we really believe about life or a specific aspect of it, often we can tell by paying close attention to our internal and external dialogue. What metaphors are we using to describe it? If we use these metaphors often enough, they become a form of auto-suggestion, they cause images to emerge in our minds. These images affect how we feel; eventually they will direct our beliefs, and our beliefs direct our entire life, just as a ship by it’s rudder. #belief #transformation #health #fitness #wellness https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOCP0KBWKq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ls72ad04438g

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In a study conducted at Utrecht University by Dr. C. Rob Markus and colleagues, the researchers gave a group of 48 subjects (some who reported a high disposition to stress) meals containing high amounts of carbohydrates and little protein. Whereas some subjects received the opposite. The subjects were then asked to solve challenging math problems in a noisy room. The high carbohydrate meals decreased the stress response, via increased levels of tryptophan in the individuals who are predisposed to high stress. The researchers concluded that this was evidence for the fact that individuals who use food as a coping mechanism have naturally lower levels of serotonin. This makes me wonder if some people have an issue with overeating or self-medicating. If you find yourself struggling with this, perhaps establishing substitution patterns can be useful? When you find yourself feeling increasingly stressed, what are three things you can do to enhance your mood rather than reaching for food? https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLlR90BAj9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cb9yndgld5kn

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The second you step in the arena, regardless of the battle you’re there to fight, whether it be obesity, complacency, lifestyle-related disease, etc., the first passionate swing you take will be received to some degree by the criticism of the spectators, be it colleagues, friends, family or partner. Yet, the spectators with all their opinions from the safety of the stands have no power to affect when is going on in the arena, unless of course you give them permission. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrQE2UABhRI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=l2ig60q7hu7d

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How does our emotional state and cognition support weight loss? “A calorie is a calorie” may not be as simple as it sounds. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrIeUEmhlmY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jluigqiciiv2

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I did a soon to be released podcast with Michol Dalcourt the other day. He said something particularly interesting, albeit uncommon during the interview. We talked about the tendency people have to beat themselves up for every occasional dietary transgression. Michol suggested that our emotional response to these moments can be just as damaging as the food itself. What if we enjoyed these moments and appreciated not only the richness of the food, but of the experience? The biochemical response of enjoyment would likely be less detrimental than guilt and shame. Plus, chastising ourselves may produce the same through patterns that sabotage long term adherence in the first place. I came across a quote by author Scott Halford this morning: “I use ‘bacon’ as a catchall for all the foods we’re not supposed to eat but that we love so much that our brain actually experiences pure delight when we put them in our mouth. I healthy existence, in my opinion, isn’t about inhibiting yourself so much that you can’t ever enjoy anything. Every once in a while, go ahead, splurge. Eat that bacon, or donuts, or candy bar-it’s a different kind of brain health.” #betterbeatsperfect #coached #transformationunplugged #coaching #love #life https://www.instagram.com/p/BrDLD8WAXCi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=irmj0gpj42so

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Don’t be a martyr for an imaginary cause. My philosophy is not everyone’s reality. What works for me may not be right for you. However, in reflection, the moments in my life where I performed at my best, when I was most fulfilled in my inner world, has been when I was focused on something bigger than me in my outer world. I’ve been the best version of myself only when I’ve surrendered myself. As a result I believe that happiness and fulfillment happen when you cross the chasm of me to we. Yet, allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of and walked on under the false pretense of humility is the opposite of service, it’s reckless. If we are committed to something beyond ourselves, we are responsible to stand up for ourselves. What space can we hold for others when we allow ourselves to be diluted into nothingness? Years ago, I had dinner with Denis Waitley. We talked about many things. Of all the things I’ve learned from this brilliant man, this insight has taken my the longest to truly understand, yet its perhaps one of the most valuable lessons. #life #love #lessons #growth #wisdom #personaldevelopment #coaching https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-5lG7BE1p/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f2q6ph23w3x6

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UCLA professor, Albert Moravian conducted a study a while back to assess the impact of non verbal communication cues. He found that 55% of the participants in the study judged a speaker more favourably based on what he did in reference to his facial expressions and body language as opposed to the words he used or his tonality. 38% were most favourably influenced by tonality and voice inflection vs. What was said or the body language of the presenter. 7% were most influenced by what the speaker actually said. (Just as an aside note, Moravian never asserted that communication was 55% body language 38% tonality and 7% the words you use. This is a self-help interpretation that is not substantiated by the research.) What we can take from Moravians research is that story, is a multi sensory medium and our audience prefers and is therefore affected differently by the sensory modalities we use to communicate through. Since our audience has a blend of preferences we must convey story not only through the words use but by tonality and physiology. As presenters how we use motion, affect the audiences emotion. Presenting with authenticity is not about becoming like someone else, but rather giving yourself permission to be more of yourself. To be free of self-imposed constraints, self-consciousness and self-editing that limits your unique self-expression. When our gestures, words and inflections lack congruence, they lack credence. Rituals are the key to or the lock on our ability to employ our craft towards influence. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq7b3I7hoRz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4ta54kw9vpdu

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[liveyourtruthblog]

Why is wisdom just as important as discipline? When we love or value is threatened, we tend to emotionally react, rather than thoughtfully respond. However, because these painful experiences often provoke reflection, they’re critical to the attainment of wisdom and self-reinvention. (at Amsterdam, Netherlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqozxJqht0_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n7wdewf98oxz

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“If only,” the heaviest phrase in the English language—each of us at one time or another has felt suffocated under its weight. Why do we let ourselves get weighed down by regret? Why don’t we just do the things we know we should do? That might be one of the most significant, albeit frustrating, questions in human history! One that has gone largely unanswered. Yet even if there was a definitive answer, would it matter? Would you or I do what we know we should do simply because we possess the knowledge that it’s good for us? If that were the case, no one would ever start smoking, or indulge in destructive dietary habits, or waste time frivolously instead of spending it wisely and so on. Knowledge does not always seem to be power. One thing is certain: The reason our behaviors often seem to contradict our intentions is in no small degree related to the fact that everything we do, or at least wish to do, has a reward as well as risk. If reward is like a behavioral accelerator, driving us toward what we want, and risk is like the braking mechanism, stopping us from moving forward into danger, then we might be trying to reach our goal by pressing one foot on the gas and one on the brake. And often, we’re not prepared for the consequences (including going nowhere). https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXjUWqh5Uu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=102veht3p7mdj

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My co-author Pete Cohen says that the “duck” is that unrelenting voice quacking away in your head. It reminds you of the worst things in your past, keeping you fearful in the present, so you compromise your future. It’s main intention is to keep you in enough self-doubt to avoid taking any action that threatens your safety. Yet there’s a difference between being reckless and audacious and there are no guarantees in tiptoeing safety from the cradle to the grave, only regret. Next time that duck starts to quack, challenge it by asking: How do I know this is true? If the opposite where true, what would I do? What’s the advantage of my current situation? What opportunity for self-reinvention is presenting itself to me? There’s always a more constructive perspective if we can stay in the question. #shuttheduckup #love #authenticity #transformation https://www.instagram.com/p/BqPVR7XByNM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jk4rco137zx5