Podcast appearances and mentions of Author M Scott

Our panel discusses balancing our children's activities and the importance of maintaining a focus on the family. We sit down with Liz Foster of Children's of Mississippi and Gretchen Cook of Parents & Kids Magazine to recap Jackson Fitness Fest. And we introduce a new segment, "Play Together", from Scott's Toy Box author M. Scott Anderson.

Happy New Year! Welcome back! Yes, it’s been quite awhile since we last met here at Mountain Zen Den. And while a lot has happened, I’ll save some of the details for upcoming shows, but just so you know, all is well, we’re back and better than ever, broadcasting from the foot of the Rocky Mountains in beautiful snowy Colorado here on New Year’s Day.   I’ve heard from so many of you thanking us for creating this mindfulness in nature podcast. I really appreciate the gratitude you’ve expressed, and all the encouraging messages and stories about how you’ve been inspired by the meditations and insights offered here. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Thank you!   For those of you who’ve been asking if we were going to be doing more shows? The answer is, Yes. We are picking up where we left off with even more of a focus on helping you tap into Nature for mindfulness and personal growth in your life – Naturally!     But first off, more than ever before, we really want to emphasize, inspire and encourage you to become the best version of yourself. Imagine what the world would look like, and how we could impact our families and friends, our community, our country and the planet if we all made the decision that in 2019 we would choose to become the best version of ourselves, whatever that was!   In his classic, “The Road Less Traveled”, psychiatrist and best-selling author M. Scott Peck opens with this enlightening statement –   “Life is difficult. This is a great truth. One of the greatest truths.”   Sounds discouraging doesn’t it? But he gives hope in the very next sentence.   “It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it.”   And that’s the point of today’s episode – transcending the difficult by purposeful decision making. Learning the difference between making Decisions vs. setting Goals. So let’s jump right in.   How do we transcend the road blocks, difficulties and tough situations that seem to suddenly appear once we have set a goal to be or accomplish something? Have you ever noticed that? This reality has caused millions to give up before they even start, or just as bad, to not set any goals at all.   But there’s good news. Rather than set a goal, why not make a decision?   Life coach and best-selling author Tony Robbins points out that “the minute you make a new decision, you set in motion a new cause, effect, direction, and destination for your life. You literally begin to change your life the moment you make a new decision.”   Whereas, on the other hand, New Year’s resolutions and goals have come to be associated with failure after the first month, week or even day after they have been made, a decision is a done deal when you have absolutely committed to achieving something. Once you’ve decided, truly decided, and are persistent and relentless in pursuing your decision, nothing can stand in your way.   So the question is, what do you want to do, achieve, learn, accomplish, experience or become in the New Year? In what areas do you want to grow?   Don’t be put off by this simple question. It doesn’t matter if you’re 12 or 102, we all have dreams and ideas of what we would like our ideal life to look like. The fact is, anything that is alive is either growing or dying.   As Wallace Wattles says in “The Science of Getting Rich”,   “Every living thing must continually seek for the enlargement of its life because life – in the mere act of living must increase itself.”     So with all of this in mind, let’s enter the first meditation of the new year with a passionate pursuit of growing to become the very best version of ourselves.   Mountain Sunrise...  

Today you’ll hear the second of my two part interview with Tricia Pimental, International Living Magazine’s Portugal correspondent, who bounced around the US with her husband Keith until then they landed in Fundao, Portugal, in the cherry capital of the country, about two hours north of Lisbon. Why did she bounce? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out, but that part of her story sure caught me by surprise. Tricia also shares her personal nightmare in this show, and if you stay to the end, I have something to say about that. Don’t worry, the nightmare isn’t scary, and if you are considering a move outside the United States, you’ll want to hear it.   I really admire Tricia and Keith and how they teamed up on their great adventure. They each brought a unique and valuable perspective to their partnership, and then worked together through the challenges. The way they collaborate on their journey, which isn’t over yet by a long shot, reminds me of the model of marriage proposed in a book I read years ago by psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck, called “The Road Less Traveled.” In it, Peck compares married partners to a mountain climbing team who know that in order to succeed, they must have two things: a base camp where they can restore and prepare, and the daring to summit, that is, leave the safety and relative comfort of base camp and actually climb the damn mountain. If you do too much of either, summiting or base camping, then you are likely to reach your peak. It looks to me like Keith and Tricia make a pretty good team, and I admire them both.   So tune in for my continuing interview with an American living in Portugal, Tricia Pimental.