The Flourishing Man

A brief meditation on self-acceptance.

Sometimes we can over-identify with the labels that we give ourselves to help us with a sense of being in this world. When we rely on these labels for our sense of self, they can create harmful effects in our lives. We can compare ourselves to others, need to constantly have our labels affirmed, and become resistant to change because we rely on a self-image we need to protect.  This week try to pay closer attention to what you're experiencing at the moment. Try to experience the present moment with all the sights, sounds, feelings, etc. This will help you experience yourself moment by moment and not define yourself solely by the stories and labels you give yourself. Work with me on achieving greater self-acceptance: https://flourishingman.as.me/

Use the following affirmation to remind yourself that you have the strength to accomplish your goals. Repeat whenever you need to reestablish confidence in achieving your goals.  Affirmation: I am worthy of my dreams, I have the strength within me to accomplish my goals,  The courage of the Lion,  Roars within me, To face any struggle on this journey, I rise to the challenge, To become the best parts of me.   Join our community: https://program.flourishingman.com

Sometimes we can be more focused on improving weaknesses that we forget about our strengths. So what are you good at? Make a list of strengths that you have. Identify one strength and do an activity surrounding it.  Maybe you're a great cook, then cook something unique! Perhaps you're an excellent meme maker. Make those memes. Maybe you're hilarious. Tell the world all your dad jokes! Whatever it is, try to do it for the enjoyment and not simply to accomplish anything. Then reflect on how using your strengths makes you feel. And how you can focus more on your strengths daily. 

Listen to the following affirmation to remind yourself that you can persevere through any life challenge. You can recite this to yourself whenever you need it.  I am a mountain,  Tall and strong, Unmoved by the storms of life, I am grounded, Not shifted by the waves of change, Through all seasons,  I remain the same, For I am a mountain, Tall and strong.  Join our community: https://program.flourishingman.com

The strength of bravery helps us build resilience as we face and overcome challenges.  Think of an area in your life where you could practice more bravery. Maybe it's a fear you've never confronted. Maybe you want to have more courage in speaking up for yourself. You could be facing a difficult time in your life right now, and practicing bravery can help you push through this difficulty. Whatever the situation is, use the strength of bravery to face your fears or confronting adversity this week. Then reflect on how you felt when you used bravery in that situation.  Join us: https://program.flourishingman.com

Throughout our day, our minds can have all sorts of negative judgments about people, groups, experiences, etc. Negative judgments can affect our moods and emotions and cause us to have even more negative judgments and feelings. It can create a ripple effect.  This week when you have a negative judgment about something, try to reframe it less negatively. Maybe someone forgot to call you when they said they were, instead of thinking that person doesn't like or love you, try to reframe it as maybe that person just forgot or they had a lot going on, and it had nothing to do with you. Try to see things from a more objective perspective and not so white and black. Also, be gentle with yourself and try not to judge yourself for having these negative judgments. Join our community at: https://program.flourishingman.com/

This week, we will focus on bringing mindfulness to our daily life by bringing more awareness to everyday activities.  Throughout our day, we can be on autopilot, not paying attention to the present moment. Activities we do every day we don't even think about in the process of doing them.  Pick one activity that you do every day. It could be eating, driving, walking, brushing your teeth, etc. Now bring more awareness to that activity. If you're eating, it could be slowing down and tasting every bite of your food. If walking, it could be noticing your foot as it lifts and makes contact with the ground. Whatever it is, take one part of an activity and pay closer attention to it. This will help bring more awareness in our everyday life and help our minds not be so attached to our thoughts, judgments, and feelings.  Join our community https://program.flourishingman.com/ (here).

Imagining ourselves at our best in the future can help create hope and optimism.  Here's an impactful activity I do every week to help instill optimism and hope for the future, and it helps me to stick to my longterm goals. Get a piece of paper and pen, or use your computer. Set a timer for 10 minutes and write about a time in the future where you imagine yourself at your best. Think about any goal or dream you have and what it would feel like when you achieved it. Think about what your life will look like in the perfect circumstances. Don't worry about grammar or anything like that. Just be fully engaged. Then reflect on how this activity made you feel. What steps can you take to achieve the goal or dream you wrote about.  If you want to dive deeper into more support and well-being activities, join our community at https://program.flourishingman.com (The Flourishing Man).

During this time of change, one thing that can help us cope is to connect with something that gives us meaning… Think of an activity/hobby that you found meaningful as a child that you don't engage in anymore, and it can be drawing, making you da music, writing, playing a sport, etc. Take some time today to engage in that activity. Don't overthink it; it's about engaging and reconnecting. After completing that activity, think about how it made you feel. Think about how you can set time aside every week to engage with this activity.  Join the community: https://program.flourishingman.com/

Today we are going to build deeper appreciation for the people in our lives… Think of someone you haven't spoken to in awhile and send them a quick message or email letting them know you are grateful for them.  If you want more ways to live a flourishing life, join us at program.flourishingman.com

Today we are going to focus on some humor! This will help build a deeper appreciation for yourself and not take yourself so seriously. So here's the exercise: Think of 3 things that you do that are funny, or you find that are quirks, that you are grateful for. Now, these things need to be positive and something you enjoy. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. Join our community at https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprogram.flourishingman.com&token=fc3767-1-1594662262420 (program.flourishingman.com)

Random acts of kindness can really have a good impact on others, and our well-being as well… So today, do a random act of kindness for someone. It can be something large or small, but the important thing is to do it. For extra credit try doing this five times a week. Join our community at program.flourishingman.com

Welcome back! I hope everyone is doing well in quarantine land! In this podcast we are going to discuss ways to accept our vulnerabilities to live more flourishing lives! Also if you want to get notifications about new episodes and also tools you can use to live more happier lives, head over to https://join.flourishingmanpodcast.com to sign up! Thank you!

Welcome to the first episode of The Flourishing Man! In this episode we will discuss ways we can use this time in quarantine to rediscover passions we might've neglected!