With all the daily ups and downs and the moment-by-moment challenges that arise in our lives, it's easy to forget that we have a say in how we feel. We have the ability to choose our response no matter what happens (and things do happen). It's called being intentional, and when setting intentions, we bring more joy into our life. We can begin to create the quality of our experience mindfully, even when it doesn’t feel like we have any choice. This is why mindfulness is so powerful.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

A story—and a need for resiliency.

One beautiful autumn evening, after a full day with clients, I was carrying the groceries through the living room when I noticed my dog's peculiar paw prints on wet carpet. In shock, I quickly dumped the bags on a table and walked into our kitchen, which now resembled a toddler's wading pool.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s one thing to SAY you WANT something, another to make it a goal. And still another to visualize yourself ACHIEVINGyour goal. The last option is often the most powerful yet least appreciated.

Visualization has been cited as a game-changer by athletes like Olympian Kerri Walsh, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, and Jim Carrey, and influential business people like Bo Bennet and Harvey Mackay.

Are you utilizing the power of visualization?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

You are now competing with pixels for the attention of nearly everyone you know. And you are probably losing.

Technology addiction, screen time, the black hole of the internet, Reddit, and the endless scroll of Instagram and TikTok—not to mention those notifications every time an email slides in! The widespread influence of tech is part of our daily lives. There are more ways for screens to suck people in than there are people to be enticed.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Now more than ever, we need compassion and acceptance of diversity and personal choices that we may not agree with.

Maybe you’ve seen the Love Has No Labels images? A white square superimposed over a picture of your friend, mom, coworker, or an NFL quarterback, celebrity, or news anchor. Inside the box, this phrase: “love has no labels.” This campaign—though “campaign” can’t really capture its essence—spread fast.Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

We know that the brain plays a central and critical role in just about everything, from our thoughts to our emotions, to our behavior—for better or worse! Our brain is the engine. Research has also shown us that our brains have the incredible capacity to rewire themselves.

Sit quietly with that thought for a moment. The ability of the brain to rewire is revolutionary and life-changing. This knowledge puts us in the driver’s seat of our lives. And practicing mindfulness builds greater self-awareness and enhances our mental health.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

You were probably reminded to say “thank you” from a very young age. It's part of social etiquette. Gratitude is a long-standing ritual.

Those two words have become so commonplace that their meaning is often lost. “Thank you” can become a mindless, rote response. That is especially ironic considering the word "thank" can be traced way back to the Old English word for “to think” or “thought.”

The power of gratitude is all about the mind and being mindfully grateful.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Willpower is an unruly topic, to say the least. Whether some people are inherently “better” at self-control is still a topic of debate. What’s more important is how you exercise your willpower.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve shown you how to “spring clean” old habits from your brain. Using four achievable steps, we’ve presented mindfulness and neuroscience research to for re-patterning your thoughts, reaching your goals and freeing your mind from old habits that were impeding your success. First, we focused on a goal. Then we visualized a plan. Third, we explained the neuroscience behind [...]