Principles to live your life by...

To Your Best Life!

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"

Building Optimism

Optimism is the ability to look at the brighter side of life and to maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity.

The ability to bounce back from disappointment.

I have some questions about optimism.

Optimism involves always believing that everything will turn out well. Right?

No! That is merely poor Reality Testing.

Optimism means always giving yourself pep talks - just keep saying positive things to yourself. Right?

No! First, you won’t hear the pep talks after a short while because you know that they are phony. Second, you are in danger of hiding too much from real negatives that you need to notice and plan around.

Then what is Optimism, really?

You practice Optimism when you choose to view setbacks, downturns, and disappointments as temporary rather than permanent. Even if times are bad right now, you recognize that this need not be a permanent condition. Things can and probably will improve.

You practice Optimism when you choose to see misfortune as situational rather than pervasive. For example, your company is reducing its workforce and has let you go. While this may be a bad situation, it does not mean that you are an undesirable employee and will never work again.

You practice Optimism when you choose not to personalize bad events with statements like “Just my luck.” “This always happens to me.” “I have a black cloud over my life.” “I always screw things up.”

While optimists recognize that there are elements in a failed situation that they may not have been able to control, they are realistic about the aspects that they can control. If their performance in one of those aspects was poor, they take heart in the fact that it is within their control to do better next time.

Learn more about training your brain to think more optimistically from my show earlier this week.

www.BlogTalkRadio.com/todaysguest/2008/02/19/The-Science-of-Optimism

Also, listen for another fr.eebie that I mention on the audio.

To Your Best Life!

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"
mike@AnInvitationtoPersonalPeace.com

P.S. Don't forget to grab your fr.ee audio from your favorite Life Design Coach at:

www.BlogTalkRadio.com/todaysguest/2008/02/19/The-Science-of-Optimism

Learn to embrace your inner tortoise from the Slowskys

I don't know about you, but I can learn a thing or two from the Slowskys. You know the charming couple from the commercials.

We live in a world where the pace and complexity can be mind blowing at times. It is everywhere. There is speed dial on your phone, speed reading classes, I even saw a DVD on speed Yoga. Modern life seems to be stuck on fast-forward.

It is why I have followed the sage advice of the Slowskys. Check out their wisdom below.



Mindfully,

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"
Co-Author of An Invitation to Personal Peace
http://www.aninvitationtopersonalpeace.com/products

Have a purposeful week.

Do you think that true happiness happens by luck or chance?

No way!

The truth is that you can cultivate a happy life if you fully connect
with your life's purpose.

Take a few moments today to more fully connect with your Life's Purpose.

Consider doing yourself the favor of answering these questions regarding
your LIFE'S PURPOSE:

1) 'What is my life's purpose? What do I want to have accomplished when
I look upon my life in old age?'

2) 'How would I have to think, speak, and act in order to bring that purpose
into being?'

3) 'What daily choices, attitudes, and concrete accomplishments would I do
if I lived as if my purpose meant something to me?'

4) 'How would I live each day if I respected myself, others, and my life's purpose?'

'The unexamined life is not worth living.'
-Socrates

Have a purposeful week!

To Your Best Life!

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"

P.S. If you are looking to increase your purposefulness and level of personal peace in your life, check out our book at www.aninvitationtopersonalpeace.com/products.php

Need a double shot of passion and inspirtation?

If you do, you have come to the right place.

Today I am serving up 2 helpings of passion and inspiration.

#1 is a clip of Artist Michael Israel in action. It is undescribable. Check it out.



#2 is a clip of a contestant on American Idol practicing his craft. Even if you don't like his style of music, I beleive his passion will come though.



Have a passionate weekend!


Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"

P.S. Are you connected to your passion and purpose?

It works for Monkeys, make it work for you...

Have you ever heard of mirror neurons?

It is a hot topic in the brain sciences right now.

It has huge implications about the power of modeling, and how being purposeful about modeling others we can more rapidly learn new behaviors.

This research was originally conducted on monkeys. However, it applies to human learning as well.

I recorded a show today where I talked about this highly technical research in a highly simple and practical way.

Check out the audio at:

http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/todaysguest/2008/02/12/Using-Your-Mirror-Neurons-for-a-Change-Modeling-Your-Way-to-Success

To Your Best Life!

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"
mike@AnInvitationtoPesonalPeace.com

P.S. Get purposeful about designing and living your best life.

Shift happens...

I have mentioned in previous messages thing such as...

Your thoughts make a difference.

The environments you put yourself in make a difference.

Your emotions make a difference.

I came across some cool research that reinforces the notion that your MINDSET MATTERS.

What you focus on makes a difference.

Small shifts in your focus can make a difference.

Here is the Source: Crum, A. & Langer, E. (2007) "Mindset Matters: Exercise as a Placebo," Psychological Science, 18, 2.

Here is the ABSTRACT—In a study testing whether the relationship between exercise and health is moderated by one's mind-set, 84 female room attendants working in seven different hotels were measured on physiological health variables affected by exercise. Those in the informed condition were told that the work they do (cleaning hotel rooms) is good exercise and satisfies the Surgeon General's recommendations for an active lifestyle. Examples of how their work was exercise were provided. Subjects in the control group were not given this information. Although actual behavior did not change, 4 weeks after the intervention, the informed group perceived themselves to be getting significantly more exercise than before. As a result, compared with the control group, they showed a decrease in weight, blood pressure, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index. These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect.

Pretty powerful stuff, huh?

Have a great weekend.

Remember, shift happens...

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"
mike@meditationandmore.com

P.S. Consider life design coaching so you can design and live your best life.

Meditation sharpens brain: scientists prove

Here is a great article from the
Sydney Morning Hearld

ENJOY!

Science can finally prove what Buddhists have sworn by for centuries - meditation really does sharpen and clear the brain.

Tests by Adelaide researchers have revealed that as people go further into a deep meditative state, their brain rhythms shift into a pattern of focus.

This supports long-standing beliefs that the practice can improve concentration levels and alertness in daily activities.

Scientists at the Flinders Medical Centre's Centre for Neuroscience have completed the first scientific demonstration of brain activity changes in distinct meditative states.

They measured the electrical activity in the brain in a group of people as they moved from simple eyes-closed resting through the five states of meditation as defined in Buddhist teachings.

The test used electroencephalography (EEG), which relies on electrodes placed on the scalp.

The results, to be reported at the World Congress of Neuroscience in Melbourne, showed clear changes in brain activity as subjects progressed deeper into meditative states.

Alpha brainwaves, which are associated with focus and attention, initially increased and delta brainwaves, linked to drowsiness, decreased.

As participants went further into mediation the alpha brainwaves, too, started to decrease, as the brain no longer needed to make an effort to be alert.

"So instead of becoming increasingly drowsy, they apparently become more alert," said PhD researcher Dylan DeLosAngeles.

"This supports the idea that meditation may help your day-to-day concentration."

Previous studies have reported mixed results about brain activity, with some research even suggesting meditators are essentially asleep.

Meditation was developed more than 2,500 years ago as a way to explore consciousness and a discipline to help people achieve a more beneficial state of mind.

"Meditation is different from simply closing your eyes and relaxing," Mr DeLosAngeles said.

"In traditional Buddhist teaching, it requires a subject to fix their attention on a single object or action, such as breathing.

The research will be presented at the International Brain Research Organisation's annual world congress starting this week.

Another misconception about meditation

Another misconception about meditation that came up in my recent teleconference was about a concern about meditation slowing a person down. One participant expressed a concern that their job requires them to be energetic and move quickly. He expressed the concern that meditation would lead to losing his "edge".

Here is what I know to be true about meditation. It helps you hone your edge. Meditation leads to being more centered and increases your capacity to be focused. Therefore, meditation will help you be more focused in a fast paced setting that requires you to focus on multiple tasks throughout the day.

One example would be working at the board of trade. Now that is a fast paced, high energy environment. I have worked with individuals who work in such environments that have reported learning to meditate helps them stay focused on what is most important in any given moment.

Think about it. We all have millions, probably billions of bits of information in our sensory field at any given moment. We can't focus on all of them. We need the ability to effective filter out the non-essential information. On the flip side, we need to be able to stay focused on the absolutely most essential. A meditation practice can help you develop that kind of edge. That kind of focus.

Mindfully,

Dr. Mike Davison
“Your Destiny Doctor”
mike@AnInvitationtoPersonalPeace.com

P.S. Have you checked out our book An Invitation to Personal Peace? www.aninvitationtopersonalpeace.com/products.php

Myths about meditation

I recently conducted a teleconference on the value of meditation in creating more personal peace in your life. It was a lively conference and many questions were asked about meditation that I will spend the next week or so responding to.

One of the question that was asked in a number of different ways was "how long should I mediate for?". The other variations of this question included, "how do I find the time?" or the statement, "I don't have enough time to meditate".

These questions seemed to be based on the notion that you need to meditate for a long to experience benefits. Let me say loud and clear that you do NOT need time to set aside large period of time to meditate. You may not even need to set aside any time. You can look for those moments of natural down that come up throughout your day. You can meditate for 1 minute or 5 minutes in your car or while taking a walk on a brief work break.

Keep in mind that mediation is not a specialized activity that requires a special room or special equipment.

One of my favorite times to meditate is when I am at a stop light. I simply put my car in park, close my eyes and focus on my breath cycle. It is a very rapid way for me to slow down and fully orient myself to the present moment. This one minute mediation technique has also renew my faith in humanity. Every time I use it there is a kind soul who will give me a gentle reminder when the light turns green. It is so reassuring to know that others in the community are so committed to helping me on my path to create more personal peace in my life.

Mindfully,

Dr. Mike Davison
"Your Destiny Doctor"
mike@aninvitationtopersonalpeace.com

P.S. Have you checked out our book An Invitation to Personal Peace? www.aninvitationtopersonalpeace.com/products.php