Podcasts about mindfulness mode

Janice Kaplan is the guest of Tune Into Happiness, today's MIndfulness Mode episode. She is a journalist, TV producer, and the author of fifteen popular books, including the New York Times bestseller The Gratitude Diaries. Her upcoming book, What Your Body Knows About Happiness: How to Use Your Body to Change Your Mind, releasing January 7, 2025, explores the groundbreaking connection between body and mind in creating joy. A former editor-in-chief of Parade magazine, Janice has produced over thirty primetime TV specials and appeared frequently on national TV shows. With her signature humor and storytelling, she brings science to life, empowering readers to use their bodies to unlock creativity, positivity, and everyday happiness. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.JaniceKaplan.com Book: What Your Body Knows About Happiness: How to Use Your Body to Change Your Mind Most Influential Person Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Psychology Department Daniel Kahneman, nobel prize winner and behavioral psychologist Effect on Emotions I have been able to deal with my emotions differently as a result of my research.  That started with The Gratitude Diaries because I realize that we can control the way we feel about things. Classically, we can't control the things that happen but we can control how we deal with them. Thoughts on Breathing I don't personally have a breath-work practice but I know it can help enormously.  I was with some folks the other day who had two little kids, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. The kids were running around and the parents stopped the children and ask them to breathe in 1,2,3 and breathe out 1,2,3. The kids had obviously done this before. The 4-year-old said, no Daddy, we breathe in for 4 counts.   Suggested Resources Book: The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness by Antonio Damasio Book: How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Lisa Feldman Barrett Book: A Philosophy of Walking by Frederick Gros  App: n/a  Related Episodes Find Peace With 365 Days of Happiness; Jacqueline Pirtle Booster Shot of Happiness; Soren Russow The Future of Happiness With Amy Blankson

Ariel Garten is a neuroscientist, innovator, and entrepreneur who empowers individuals with the Muse for meditation. Ariel is the co-creator of Muse, a brain-sensing headband designed to enhance meditation and mindfulness practices. Dedicated to empowering individuals to conquer mental barriers, Ariel helps people foster healthy, happy lives, and unlock their full potential. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.ChooseMuse.com (Use discount code ‘MindfulnessMode' for 15% off) Most Influential Person Michael Apollo  (Michael is the Founder and President of Mindful Gateway Consulting and a leader in the field of mindfulness) Effect On Emotions Mindfulness helps me deal with my emotions very effectively. The first thing that comes to mind is a stubbornness that would come up in conflict with my husband. The stubbornness would come up in two parts. I would need to be right and he would need to be right. That would create attention and a stubbornness sensation. Thoughts On Breathing Some people may not be aware of the relationship between breathing and their HRV, which is heart rate variability. We know we want it to be high, but what does that mean? This phenomenon is called asinalsodal arrhythmia. As you breathe in, your heart rate increases, and as you breathe out, your heart rate decreases. This happens because as you breathe in, your heart rate is increasing and increasing, and the compensatory mechanisms in your body at that point say oh no, our heart rate is going up; we need to make sure that we're managing our blood pressure. We dilate our blood vessels to keep our blood pressure constant as our heart rate increases with the in-breath. Then, your vagus nerve kicks in to bring in your parasympathetic nervous system to try to calm your body down, and your heart rate decreases with your out-breath. Related Episodes Manifesting Through Flowdreaming; Summer McStravick Leading with Grace Under Pressure; John Baldoni Mindfulness, Quantum Physics and Healing With Dr. Anastasia Chopelas

Atomic Habits For Transformation – the topic of today's episode. I've decided to share with you thoughts and ideas from James Clear's book, Atomic Habits. The subtitle is, An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. This book has been recommended by dozens of guests who have been featured on Mindfulness Mode. Do you find yourself being challenged with unproductive habits? Do you set out to cultivate positive habits that promise to transform your life, only to find them slipping away? In Atomic Habits, James Clear illuminates the profound impact the right habits can have on your life. To truly harness this power, you need to delve into the mechanics of how habits work and how to reshape them. When you read this book, you'll realize that James deeply understands habits and how they work. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Atomic Habits, the book, will help you uncover the critical importance of habits and the three mindsets essential for cultivating them. You'll also learn about the formation of habits and the four crucial strategies for altering them. Moreover, you'll find strategies to refine and enhance the habits you've already established continuously. If you read this book, you'll learn about insights from other psychologists and experts on habit formation, exploring how Clear's ideas resonate with or differ from theirs.   Law 1 – Make It Obvious To build and break habits effectively, awareness is crucial. Human minds respond to cues, leading to automatic behaviors. For example, museum curators can identify authentic art due to repeated exposure and subtle cues. Harness this by using habit scorecards, checklists of daily activities categorized as positive, negative, or neutral. This helps identify patterns that aid or hinder progress. By listing and rating your habits, you can understand how your behaviors impact productivity and become more aware of their triggers. This awareness is the first step to making your desired habits obvious and actionable. Law 2 – Make It Attractive In his second law, James Clear explains that habits operate on a dopamine-driven feedback loop, where increased dopamine levels enhance the urge to act due to reward anticipation. He suggests using temptation bundling, pairing a desired activity with a necessary one. For example, designate work blocks and reward yourself with a favorite podcast during breaks. Combine this with habit stacking for greater effect: after completing a current habit, follow with a necessary task, then a desired reward. Surround yourself with positive influences to boost motivation. To break bad habits, shift your mindset from “have to” to “get to,” associating difficult habits with positive experiences. Law 3 – Make It Easy “The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.” Repeating a habit solidifies it in your brain, leading to physical changes and increased efficiency. Clear emphasizes that frequency matters more than duration in habit formation. Humans prefer the path of least effort, making environmental shifts crucial. For example, when introducing new software, ease the transition with training and support. The two-minute rule suggests starting new habits with tasks under two minutes, like reading a page daily. To break bad habits, make them impractical; use tools like app blockers to limit distractions. These strategies simplify habit formation and disruption. Law 4 – Make It Satisfying You are more likely to repeat a behavior if it is satisfying. Clear explains that humans prioritize immediate rewards over delayed ones. The key to behavior change is that “what is immediately rewarded is repeated; what is immediately punished is avoided.” To make habits stick, you must feel an immediate sense of success. Applying Clear's laws—making habits obvious, appealing, and effortless—increases your chances of repeating them. For instance, rewarding yourself with a smoothie after exercising links the activity to a positive experience, encouraging repetition. Use a habit tracker to visualize progress and consider an accountability partner to stay motivated and committed. Summary In Atomic Habits, James Clear emphasizes the importance of creating identity-driven habits for lasting behavior change. Unlike goal-driven habits, which often lead to temporary actions, identity-driven habits align with your self-image, fostering sustainable change. Clear argues that focusing on who you want to become rather than what you want to achieve ensures continuous improvement. For example, if you study two extra hours daily to ace a test, this goal-driven habit ends once the goal is met. However, by adopting the identity of a dedicated learner, you continuously engage in study habits, leading to overall academic improvement. This shift from finite goals to ongoing identity transformation is key to developing enduring, positive habits. I hope these highlights from James Clears' book are helpful for you and inspire you to get the book and read it. Suggested Resources Book: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Lessen Your Stress Using This Super Achiever Habit; Amy Novotny Winning Habits and Routines; Mads Friis Inspire With Habit, Determination, and Confidence; Nathaniel Carroll Special Offer   Experiencing anxiety and stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a coach and hypnotist. Let me help you overcome your inner critic and regain confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session now to start your journey toward a more fulfilling life. Email bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. Let's schedule a call to discuss your path to a better life.

Do you believe you need to drop guilt? Do you feel guilty often, and do you think those feelings of guilt might be holding you back? Let's talk about guilt. Guilt is defined as feelings of deserving blame, especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy: self-reproach. Guilt may also be a feeling of deserving blame for offenses. We can feel guilty for various reasons, including sleeping too much, not providing, not being successful enough, feeling inadequate, or not earning enough money. Stay tuned for a conversation about guilt. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Suggestions about how to deal with guilt are discussed in this episode. Do you feel your life would be better if you could drop guilt? Do you find yourself feeling guilty much of the time? Could those feelings of guilt be holding you back? Let's talk about guilt. 1/ A Genuine Mistake When you've made a mistake, you may feel guilty.In this case, you have to think about what it means to be human. Do you expect yourself to be superhuman? Do you believe when you make a mistake, it is not excusable? Thinking about it this way, you will realize that making mistakes is part of being human. Consider how you can move forward and not make the same mistake again. Think briefly about what led to the mistake, but don't overthink it. When you have worked through the thought process, move on to the point where you can consciously decide to let go of the guilt and not entertain feelings of guilt about this issue anymore. 2/ When You've Done Nothing Wrong If you determine that your guilt is unjustified, make a conscious, active effort to let go of it. Avoid taking on other people's guilt for them. It enables them to repeat their mistakes and causes you to suffer unnecessarily. Conflict resolution skills can help you if you're having trouble letting go. Keep listening to this episode, but remember to seek a knowledgeable conflict resolution coach. This can help you avoid internalizing guilt that isn't yours. When you meet with conflict, be more assertive and stand up for yourself. Don't apologize when you don't need to to end the conflict. Like I said earlier, make a conscious effort to let go of your guilt. Remember that letting go of the guilt is the way to move forward. In this episode, I will talk about the Sedona Method as a way to let go of the guilt if you're having trouble. Back in 2019, I interviewed Aaron Hunnel. The episode was about using mindfulness to let go of guilt and shame. You can listen by going to www.MindfulnessMode.com/191 3/ Guilt For Others Some people feel guilty over the actions of others. If you've figured out that your guilt is not justified, you can go ahead and do what you need to do to let go of that guilt. Some people take on other people's guilt. Doing this will keep you from feeling calm and relaxed because you have little or no control over other people's actions. Make up your mind to stop feeling guilty for others. You're in the right place if you're wondering exactly how to do that. You've identified this issue, so now you're much closer to letting it go. Hold a pencil in your hand out in front of you. Look at the pencil. Decide to let it go. Decide to drop it. Then, drop it. Did the pencil fall, or are you still holding on to it? We can decide in an instant to drop the pencil. That is the same with guilt. You can decide to let go of it or to continue to grip onto it. That is the basis of the Sedona Method. Summary Today, I've touched on some aspects of guilt and how it can hold you back without realizing what's happening. You can learn a lot more about how guilt holds you back. The best way to do this is to study your own thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. As I mentioned, journaling is one way to do this. Meditation is another way. I strongly recommend meditation if you don't already have a meditation practice. Get started by making a commitment and spending just two minutes a day. I've devoted entire episodes to meditation so I won't go into more detail here, but I can tell you this simple practice has helped many people. I've interviewed a lot who will tell you this very fact. I hope this insight into guilt has been meaningful for you Suggested Resources Book: Upwards: Maximize Life With Positivity, Passion, and Purpose by Aaron Hunneli Book: The Sedona Method by  Hale Dwoskin App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Guilt and Shame Can Be Countered by Mindfulness Says Aaron Hunnel Mindfulness in Motion; Nita Sweeney Calmness, Certainty and Unshakable Inner Security Now; Hale Dwoskin Special Offer   Experiencing anxiety and stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a coach and hypnotist. Let me help you overcome your inner critic and regain confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session now to start your journey toward a more fulfilling life. Email bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. Let's schedule a call to discuss your path to a better life.

Lindsay Rhynd is a mindfulness advocate whose life has moved from chaos to peace. In this episode, she shares her journey with mindfulness and how she has discovered its incredible effects on emotions, particularly in moments of anxiety or anger. Lindsay emphasizes the power of living in the present moment and utilizing simple techniques like conscious breathing to regulate emotions and promote calmness. With a unique perspective on breathing, Lindsay finds solace in music, aligning her breath with the cadence of melodies to ease her mind and soothe her spirit. Her insights offer a fresh approach to mindfulness practices, demonstrating the diverse ways individuals can incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives. In discussing the impact of mindfulness on bullying, Lindsay underscores the importance of self-love and compassion, recognizing that understanding the struggles of others can foster empathy and resilience. Through her own experience and growth, Lindsay encourages others to seek support and guidance, emphasizing the value of connection and community in navigating life's challenges. Her wisdom reminds us to slow down, listen to the whispers of the universe, and embrace the journey with grace and acceptance. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Most Influential Person Bruce Langford Effect On Emotions When you take mindfulness and you live in the moment and you think, I'm feeling anxious so how do I get myself out of this anxious feeling, then you try to settle yourself and you sit on the end of your bed and you breathe in and you breathe out you can settle yourself down. I don't really get angry that much. Being in the moment with mindfulness can really help you regulate your emotions just by being calm. Thoughts On Breathing I know that there are many breathing techniques, but the one I like the most is one that isn't talked about much. For me, I like to listen to music. Music comes to me in regular patterns, and it is built around a structure. When you listen to it, you start to breathe in the cadence of the music. This can help you take your mind off of the issue and start to incorporate your mind into the song. You will start to calm down and start breathing into the music, into the phrases. That really helps me. Bullying Story I don't really remember being bullied as a kid. That was pretty much because I didn't notice anybody around me when I was younger. I think in any case, with bullying, mindfulness can help a person by helping them realize what is important in the moment. Bullies really have a hard time. They are trying to transfer their hard time onto somebody else. Knowing that, we can have a little bit more compassion towards that person. Suggested Resources Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey App: Go outside Related Episodes Mind Your Other Mind With Hypnotist, Erika Flint Soul Forward Wisdom; Heidi Hazen 423 Play Life For Real With Coaching Icon, David Wood   Seeking relief from stress and anxiety? As a coach and hypnotist, I'm here to help you conquer your inner critic and stride ahead with confidence. Email me at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘I Am Determined' for a free coaching session. Let's pave the way to a fulfilling life together.

Seclusion for wellbeing is today's topic. Lately, I've been spending a lot more time alone. I've been working on a project where I've been away from home for 5 or 6 days at a time. My wife enjoys her own space and is fine with more time alone. This extra seclusion has been happening for a couple of months now. This experience has left me feeling a new sense of gratitude and I feel refreshed. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com While seclusion may not be universally beneficial for everyone, some people may find certain advantages in taking time for seclusion and solitude to become more centered, focused, grounded, and happy. Here are five potential benefits: 1/ Reflection and Introspection Seclusion provides an opportunity for deep reflection and introspection without distractions, allowing individuals to delve into the thoughts, emotions, and inner workings of their minds. This can lead to greater self-awareness, clarity, and understanding of oneself, contributing to a sense of centeredness and emotional stability. 2/ Stress Reduction Being alone in a quiet, secluded environment can help reduce stress levels by providing a break from external stimuli and demands. This can promote relaxation, calmness, and a sense of inner peace, fostering emotional equilibrium and overall well-being. 3/ Enhanced Focus and Concentration Seclusion allows individuals to eliminate distractions and focus their attention on specific tasks, goals, or activities without interruption. This can lead to improved concentration, productivity, and performance, ultimately fostering a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. 4/ Connection with Nature Secluding oneself in natural surroundings, such as a quiet forest or secluded beach, can facilitate a deeper connection with nature. Spending time outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, can promote feelings of awe, gratitude, and interconnectedness with the natural world, which are associated with increased happiness and well-being. 5/ Personal Growth and Renewal Seclusion provides an opportunity for personal growth, renewal, and recharge. It allows individuals to disconnect from routine responsibilities and pressures, enabling them to rest, recharge, and rejuvenate both mentally and physically. This can lead to increased resilience, creativity, and a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment in life. Suggested Resources Book: The Road To Moresco by Mark Jamilkowski Book: The Ancient Ceremonies Way by Rodolfo De Angeli App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Power Matters As We Search For Truth; Christian de la Huerta A Writer's Mindfulness; Lindsay Lees Disconnect from the World in a Dark Soundproof Sensory Deprivation Tank Special Offer   Experiencing anxiety and stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a coach and hypnotist. Let me help you overcome your inner critic and regain confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session now to start your journey toward a more fulfilling life. Email bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. Let's schedule a call to discuss your path to a better life.

The Power of Mindful Breathing: Practical ways to enhance well-being. Today's topic helps you to focus on a basic aspect of mindfulness, that is breathing. We will briefly discuss the impact conscious breathing can have on mental and physical well-being. Let's talk about the benefits of mindful breathing. It can help with stress, reduce anxiety, improve focus, and clear up your mind. It's like a superhero for your brain! Simple Breathing Exercises: I've got some easy breathing exercises for you to try out. They're like little tricks to help you feel calm and focused. You can try diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, or just paying close attention to your breath. It's easy and straightforward! Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Every Day Life Mindful Breathing in Everyday Life: Imagine adding mindful breathing to your everyday routine. You can do it during quick breaks at school or work, while riding the bus, or right before bedtime. It's simple and you can do it anywhere, anytime! Shared Secrets Mindful Breathing for Stress Relief: Let me share some secrets about how mindful breathing is like a stress-busting superhero. I'll share some stories and, examples of intentional breathing used when things got crazy. It's like a magic potion for stress! Breath and Feelings Connection Breath Awareness and Emotional Regulation: Ever wonder how your breath and feelings are connected? I chat about that during this episode. Paying attention to your breath can help you handle tough emotions like a pro. It's like having a secret power to stay cool when things get tough. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise Here is a diaphragmatic breathing exercise: Find a Comfortable Position: Sit in a comfortable chair or cross-legged on the floor. Make sure your back is straight and your shoulders are relaxed. Place Your Hands: Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, just below your ribcage. This will help you feel the movement of your diaphragm. Inhale Slowly: Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand. Feel your diaphragm moving downward as your lungs fill with air. Try to keep your chest still during this phase. Exhale Slowly: Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth, feeling your abdomen contract. The hand on your chest should remain relatively still. Repeat: Continue this slow and controlled breathing pattern. Inhale through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise, and exhale through your mouth, feeling your abdomen fall. Focus on the Breath: As you breathe, focus your attention on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your breath. Practice Regularly: Aim for 5-10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing. You can gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable with the technique. Box Breathing Exercise Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a simple yet effective technique. Here's how you can practice it: Sit Comfortably: Find a comfortable seated position. Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your knees. Breathe In (Inhale): Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Count to four as you take in the breath. Imagine filling your lungs completely. Hold Your Breath (Pause): At the top of your inhale, hold your breath for a count of four. Keep your lungs comfortably filled with air during this pause. Breathe Out (Exhale): Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth for a count of four. Focus on emptying your lungs entirely. Pause Again (Hold): At the end of your exhale, pause and hold your breath for another count of four. Keep your body in a relaxed state during this brief pause. Repeat the Cycle: Continue this cycle of breathing – inhaling for four counts, holding for four counts, exhaling for four counts, and holding for four counts. Focus on the Pattern: As you practice, focus your mind on the rhythmic and repetitive pattern of the breath. Let go of any distracting thoughts and concentrate on the sensation of your breath. Practice Regularly: Aim to practice box breathing for 5-10 minutes. You can adjust the count based on your comfort level, but maintaining equal counts for each phase is key. Box breathing is a great technique for promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and enhancing focus. You can use it as a quick exercise during moments of tension or make it a part of your daily mindfulness routine. Suggested Resources Book: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor Book: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Breathe Better, Live Better; Michael Feldstein Breathwork To Upscale Your Life; Samantha Skelly Breath and Fire; Michelle Hillier Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach, and hypnotist helping fast-track people like you to shed their inner bully and confidently move forward. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Email me at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll schedule a call to discuss how you can move forward to a better life.

Today's episode is called Love Sparks. Can you think of those moments in time involving special relationships that were incredibly special? Moments you shared with that certain someone? Today, I'm talking about the topic of love and that bond between you and a special partner. So, as I think about love, I think about the many different people I've interviewed on the show who are Relationship Coaches or relationship experts. I jotted down a few of their names and I'm looking at ten people who were terrific guests on this topic. You can search using the search bar on my website and type in the word ‘relationship'. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Those Eyes Have you ever just stopped, paused, and with as much love, thoughtfulness, and compassion as you can have in your heart, just looked into your partner's eyes? And I think it's really important to do that, We live life day after day, and do you stop to think of that passion and your compassion? Do you let it flow from your heart and from your being into theirs? That's something you can gain by practicing mindfulness. What Does Your Partner Love? Sometimes I think we forget to think about what does he or she enjoy the most in life? What does your partner grab onto that makes them just full and satisfied? What gives them complete joy and bliss? Sometimes, we confuse it because we understand what gives us joy and bliss. And we may assume that the other person is that same way and enjoys those same things. I know I've been guilty of that. Be Vulnerable Although it is not always easy, open up and be vulnerable with that special person. The more you can open up, be vulnerable, and be willing to share, the closer you can become. And, of course, we all know that we have to be careful and smart. Our ego is trying to protect us. We have to allow our brain to help us know when to hold back and when it's okay to let go and be vulnerable. Sometimes, we must be willing to take those chances our brain tells us not to take. So step out and try to let go a little bit. The Sparkles This takes me back to my wife when we were going out. We were dating and we were walking along the street. it was our second or third date, and the stars were twinkling. It was this perfect evening. And the ambiance was phenomenal. But I remember the stars, and it felt like they were twinkling and sparkling. I felt like they were speaking to me. How could life be any better than this? When we were together that night with the sparkly stars there were fireworks. It was so special. And now it's almost Valentine's Day. Suggested Resources Book: Buddha's Bedroom – The Mindful Loving Path to Sexual Passion and Lifelong Intimacy Book: The 5 love languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman Book: Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High-Stakes Relationships by Jason Gaddis Book: Kaizen for Couples: Smart Steps to Save, Sustain & Strengthen Your Relationship by Dr. Rhoberta Shaler App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Improve Your Sex Life With Meditation; Dr. Cheryl Fraser The Relationship School with Jayson Gaddis Relationship Expert Erik Newton Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people like you to shed their inner bully and confidently move forward. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Email me at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call to discuss how you can move forward to a better life.

Today's episode is a tribute to Dan Miller. He was a well-loved man, a mentor, and a friend to many podcasters and entrepreneurs, including myself. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, 48 Days To The Work You Love. In December, Dan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he just passed away on the weekend. My deepest condolences go out to his wife, Joanne, and their children, Kevin Miller, Ashley Logsdon, and Jared Angaza. From The MM Vault For today's episode, I have accessed our interview from the Mindfulness Mode vault of past episodes. I talked with Dan in July of 2020 and decided to share the conversation with you today. Dan Miller has been a guest on CBS' ‘The Early Show,' MSNBC's ‘Hardball with Chris Mathews, and the Dave Ramsey Show. Dan has spoken at the White House Christian Fellowship and is in high demand as an expert on new opportunities in today's changing workplace. His 48 Days Podcast consistently ranks in the top 3 under Careers on iTunes. The 48DaysEagles.com community is viewed worldwide as an example for those seeking to find – or create – work they love. Dan has three grown children (who all host podcasts). Also seventeen grandchildren and has been married to Joanne for over 50 years. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Company: 48 Days Website: https://www.48days.com Podcast: The 48 Days Podcast Book: 48 Days to The Work You Love (20th Anniversary Edition) by Dan Miller Special Offer: https://www.48days.com/BRUCE Most Influential Person Zig Ziglar, Personal Development Trainer Effect on Emotions “It keeps me aware that when I have reason to be upset, I have a choice. Those are not inevitable responses, and I always have a choice.” Thoughts on Breathing “As a matter of fact, I have a speech coach that I work with because I do a fair amount of speaking. I try to learn, and so I looked for a coach for breathing.” Suggested Resources Book: 48 Days to The Work You Love (20th Anniversary Edition) by Dan Miller Book: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday App: Muse, Calm Bullying Story “I watch how somebody treats people. If there are any signs of bullying, ridicule, or belittling, I can't do business with them.” Related Episodes The Success Principles; Jack Canfield 368 Napoleon Hill's Writings; Jeffrey Gitomer 208 Nuggets of Growth; Jared Angaza Free Gift Get a Free Chapter of '48 Days to the Work (and life) You Love', New 20th Anniversary Edition. Take the Life You Love Quiz and get extra bonuses if you decide to buy Dan Miller's book. www.48Days.com/Bruce

Today's episode is called Sun, Snow, and Solitude. Do you enjoy time alone? Do you meditate? Do you like spending time with people, getting out of the house, and being around others? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I value my time alone. I enjoy my meditation time every day. That gives me the solitude I crave. I also enjoy the sunshine, and I've talked about that a number of times in my solo episodes. The sun feeds me. It gives me energy and helps give me a feeling of positivity. The sun is uplifting and can take me out of a funk. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Our Kitchen Our kitchen has a large south-facing window, and if there's any sunshine at all, the sun's rays flood into this space. Sometimes, I sit there, soak up the sun, and meditate. The effect the sun has on my mood is powerful. The Snow Snow is another one of my favorite elements of nature. It makes the sun even brighter. With a fresh snowfall, the world looks incredibly bright and beautiful. You might remember me saying that I walk every day. Even though I enjoy the weather almost every day, when there is sunshine and a new snowfall, I feel like I'm on top of the world. There's something special about that combination of being alone with my thoughts and walking in nature with snow and sunshine. Cold With snow comes the cold, which I also enjoy. It is refreshing to spend time outside when the temperature is below freezing. As long as I'm dressed warmly, I feel like the fresh, cold air clears my mind and helps me feel empowered. I injured my foot recently and had to back off on my daily walks. I've been seeing a doctor, and my foot is almost back to normal. This injury made me realize how much I miss my walks when I cannot enjoy my daily outings. Thanks for listening to this episode entitled Sun, Snow, and Solitude. Suggested Resources Book: The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer Book: Letting Go by David R. Hawkins App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Sunshine and Happiness by Bruce L. Mindfulness, Quantum Physics and Healing With Dr. Anastasia Chopelas Freed From Stuck; Susie Hayes Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Today's episode details 5 Meditation Methods. I'll be talking about some types of meditation you've probably heard about. Maybe you've been curious about how they really work and how they differ. I'll go into some detail about each one and talk about the benefits. If you have any questions, send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com. You may resonate with one or more of these types of meditation. Maybe you've had personal experiences that you'd like to share. Let me know. I may share your thoughts on my next episode. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Mindfulness Meditation Mindfulness meditation is a practice that focuses on being aware of the present moment. It is also about being non-judgmental as you observe thoughts, sensations, and emotions. This method of meditation is rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions. It may focus on the breath, bodily sensations, or surroundings. The practice involves acknowledging thoughts without attachment or reaction, allowing them to come and go. With Mindfulness Meditation, you will come to know a new level of acceptance and clarity. Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation (TM) is the silent repetition of a specific mantra to promote a state of deep relaxation and reduced stress. If you're practicing TM, you get comfortable in a seated position and you silently start repeating a personally assigned mantra for 15-20 minutes, twice every day. The mantra serves as a focal point, allowing the mind to effortlessly transcend normal waking consciousness, reaching a state of profound restfulness and inner calm. Loving-Kindness Meditation This method is also known as Metta. It focuses on having compassionate thoughts towards yourself and others. You would be guided to generate feelings of love and warmth towards yourself. Then you would extend these feelings to loved ones, acquaintances, and even those you might feel challenged to deal with. Phrases or affirmations can be used to help promote genuine feelings of kindness and compassion for all. The goal of this practice is to dissolve barriers and reduce negative emotions like anger or resentment. It encourages empathy and connectedness. Through consistent practice, you would probably experience increased emotional resilience, improved relationships, and a greater sense of inner peace and interconnectedness with the world. Guided Visualization Guided Visualization is about using mental imagery to cause relaxation and focus. This method is often led by a facilitator, but it can be a self-practice as well. You would settle into a comfortable position, following guided instruction to imagine peaceful scenes or environments. You may be asked to think of desired outcomes. Through vivid descriptions, you would visualize details such as sights, sounds, and sensations. This practice uses the mind's power to reduce stress, enhance concentration, and stimulate a relaxed state. Body Scan Meditation Body Scan Meditation is all about focusing your attention on different parts of the body. The method encourages you to notice physical sensations without judgment. For this method, you would lie down or sit in a comfortable position and then move attention from one body part to another, noting any tension, warmth, or relaxation. Body scan meditation encourages deep relaxation, mindfulness, and awareness of bodily sensations. This can help with stress reduction and promote physical and mental relaxation. Suggested Resources Book: The Science of Being and Art of Living” by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Book: Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn Book: Real Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A 28-Day Program to Realize the Power of Meditation by Sharon Salzberg App: Insight Timer Related Episodes The Three Pillars of Meditation; Giovanni Dienstmann Mark Dillon: Anxiety and Suffering to Employment at the World Class Meditation Insight Center Peace and Calm Meditation Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach, and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life

Today's episode is called The Wind Through The Trees. I've talked about trees a number of times on the show and of course, you know that the wind has special meaning for me as well. I've seen faces in trees many times and I often look at a tree and wonder what it would tell me if it could talk. Hey tree, how many nights have you spent with the howling wind ripping endlessly through your branches, with no thought about right or wrong, or whether there would be any end to the wreckless mistreatment of my branches? Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Year After Year I stand here day and night, week after week, month after month, and year after year. Decades have gone by, and the wind has shaped me. The wind has decided how streamlined I would become. The wind has been the very core of my being. As a tree, I am one with the wind. That is mindfulness. As a human, I can be one with my surroundings and that which influences me. I can be one with my body, one with my influencers, one with my thoughts. I believe in the value of this single thought; the wind through the trees. Obstacles in my Way As a tree, I appear vibrant and lively in the spring, when the world around me is waking up and getting ready for new growth. I grow another ring, an inner ring that is totally unseen from outward viewpoints. This is my space; this space is mine and mine alone. Birds, insects, and worms can all take up residence in me, and that only makes me better. Here I am, my best to thrive in spite of obstacles that appear in my way. I Live On I continue to live on, or not, being emotionless. Even if I die, I may continue to look stately, my branches stretching outward, bare and empty. If fire ravages me, I know my energy will live on in my ashes as I transition into the soil and later, into new growth and possibly new trees. I may be cleared for parking lots and development, even then my energy will live on. It may be a mystery where my energy goes, but it does not dissolve into nothing. As the Law of Conservation of Energy states, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. I live on. Rocks, Rivers, and Oceans I am the wind. I am kinetic energy, able to rotate massive rotor blades, which convert kinetic energy into rotational energy. But I am simple. I am simple like the wind. Watch me gently touch the petal of a flower or the tail feather of a dove. I boost the eagle's flight and allow the condor to soar, with their massive 12-foot wingspan, they rise above the world in their graceful flight. I identify as the wind. I only exist, just like the trees, the mountains, the rocks, and the rivers and oceans. I am the wind through the trees. My Meaning Call me the wind. I am only what I am. I am energy. I exist whether I am talked about or not, whether I am loved or hated. I am not about to change as a result of human thought. Mindfulness helps me realize that the wind through the trees is as important as any other aspect of the world. The Wind Loves Me Here I am, lying in bed at night, thinking of the wind blowing through the trees. Often, I can hear the wind just outside my window, and the sound of the wind is a gift. If the wind howls, the sound feeds me and calms me. As the wind changes, it reminds me of the past, present, and future, and that the present is all that really matters. I repeat my calming mantra, and the wind gives me grounding. It gives me peace. I love the wind and I allow myself to believe that the wind loves me. The wind through the trees is part of my ongoing mantra. Suggested Resources Book: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Book: Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn App: Insight Timer Related Episodes The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May Walking For Mindfulness Celebrate Earth Day With The Godfather of Green, Jerry Yudelson Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life

Today's episode is called Sunshine and Happiness. I'm going to invite you to bask in the warmth of cherished memories and explore the impact the sun has on my life. From the joy of childhood summers and blooming marigolds to the astrological connection of being a Leo, to me, the sun's rays represent happiness. We'll also discover the enduring influence of a beloved TV show, “Sunshine School,” and how it left an indelible mark on my heart. We'll also talk about a unique contrast as I share a little about Ben, who prefers the clouds over the brilliant, beaming sun. Stay tuned to help me celebrate the joy of the sun and how it brings mindful happiness. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com Sunflowers Next When I was a kid, I looked forward to the summer, because the warm sun and the long, fun summer days were just so special. And besides, my birthday is right in the middle of the summer, so how awesome is that? I love the sunny, bright, gold flowers, like marigolds, Blacked-Eyed Susans, Sunflowers, and even a sunny field of Dandelions. This year I grew Daffodils and Black-Eyed Susans. Next year I think I'll add Sunflowers and Marigolds. From Seed You Say? I remember one time, after moving to my first house, I ordered Marigold seeds from the Seed Catalogue company, Stoke's Seeds. I started the seeds in the basement under lights and then planted them at the front of our house. Enormous marigolds emerged, and people walking by would often stop and ask where I got these amazing, huge, brilliant marigolds. They were so surprised when I told them I had grown them from seed. Make Life Fun I love walking early on a sunny day because I enjoy the shadows created by the brilliant sunshine. Those long, exaggerated shadows of my profile, really make my day. I know it sounds kind of childish, but why not appreciate the childish things that make life fun? Self-Expression I think one of the reasons I like the sun so much is because I'm a sun sign. I'm Leo the Lion because I was born at the end of July. Leo is the fifth sign of the astrological year, and is the only zodiac sign ruled by the sun itself. It happens to be a fire sign. Leo's modality is fixed, and the sign is represented by the Lion. This sign rules over the fifth house of creativity and self-expression. First Studio Experience When I was a young child, I liked to watch a TV show called Sunshine School. It was a local show produced here in our area of Canada, and I loved the host, Ms. Dorothy. When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents gave me a songbook from the show and then later took me to the studio to meet Ms. Dorothy. It was so exciting, and I think the central theme of Sunshine has stuck with me through the years. It was uplifting and inspiring to watch that show, and I remember it with great fondness. Your Mindfulness Journey The sun is a testament to the beauty in life's simplicity, from the radiant blooms in the garden to the enduring memories of childhood. We've shared in the warmth of the sun, both in the literal and figurative sense, and marveled at how it shapes our experiences and perceptions. So whether you revel in its brilliance like a Leo or find comfort in the clouds like Ben, may the sunshine and happiness be ever-present in your mindfulness journey. Suggested Resources Book: The Sun My Heart: The Companion to The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Book: Mindful Astrology: Finding Peace of Mind According to Your Sun, Moon, and Rising Sign by Monte Farber and Amy Zerner App: Insight Timer Related Episodes De-Mystifying Enlightenment; Tom Cronin Allan Misner: Keep Balance To Find Encouragement and Enlightenment The Transformational Power of Music and Creativity; Vinnie Stergin Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Today's episode is entitled A Mindful Getaway. My wife and I decided to get away for a day and enjoy a relaxing, mindful experience outside of our regular circle of existence. We decided to go to an island with almost no traffic, beautiful gardens, breathtaking views, and stunning beaches. Swimming was something we wanted to include. Access to good food and snacks was also required, so we could travel without taking much with us except for water and a bathing suit. It would be a place we had never visited before, a brand-new destination. Sometimes, you can plan a mindful experience if you purposefully set out to do it. I thought about this experience we hoped to have, and then a possible destination popped into my mind. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MindfulnessMode.com We Did It Well, we actually did it. And the day included everything I've mentioned. Now, to backtrack a bit, I have had a lot of experiences where I drive somewhere and either get mixed up with directions, don't get there at the expected time, or something else just doesn't go right. I mean, think of anything that can go wrong, and I've probably experienced it. I've lost my keys, gotten locked out on a hotel balcony, arrived on the wrong date, gotten sick immediately after arriving somewhere, or forgotten where I parked my car. Usually things go smoothly when I travel, but not always. Listen to the episode to hear more about that balcony story. Where Did We Go? When we got to the Island and found out it was even more awesome than we expected. There were not a lot of visitors at all. The amusement park turned out to be more of a kiddy park and the rides were not open because this was a school day. We could still walk around the park and see animals and all the features of the park. It was okay to go anywhere within the park just to look around. A Fountain and More Then, we decided to check out more of the island. We saw a beautiful fountain and flower beds that were totally breathtaking. Then we rented a bike. Well, it wasn't exactly a bike; it was a four-wheeled pedal-powered vehicle with a canopy roof to shade us from the sun. The weather was awesome, and we had an hour to ride around and explore the island. Later, we rented regular bikes for another hour, and after that, we had a swim in the lake. A Fountain and More It felt like the whole day was a retreat of sorts, and my level of mindfulness was way up there in the stratosphere. Most of the time, we were on the island, it seemed like we were nowhere near a city at all. Then, once in a while, we'd catch a view of the skyscrapers over the trees. Suggested Resources Book: The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection by Michael A. Singer Tabletop Waterfountains App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Real Transformation: It's Not What You Think; Wendy Yellen Being Mindful Of Sieves and Kettles With Rye Taylor Life Transformation Through Mindful Living With Joanne King Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Bruce Hitchcock is a remarkable person who turned his life around after struggling with addiction and building mental fortitude with a program by Wes Watson that transformed everything for him. Bruce focused on nutrition and training, which completely changed his mindset. Now, he wants to inspire others to make meaningful changes in their lives. Bruce is passionate about fitness and believes that discipline starts with taking care of yourself first. He follows a strict workout routine and eats healthy to stay fit, build muscles, and get shredded. Through his company, Fortitude Fitness, he shares his journey and provides guidance on fitness and nutrition. Bruce's commitment to his own well-being has made him a leader, not just in the fitness world but also in his personal life and marriage. He has overcome his vices and become a powerful and positive influence. Bruce's story is truly inspiring, and he is excited to share it on the Mindfulness Mode podcast to motivate and uplift others. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Company: Fortitude Fit Instagram: @Fortitude.Fitt Most Influential Person Zach – Zakk Wylde, lead guitar player with Ozzy Osborne Effect on Emotions Before practicing mindfulness, Bruce Hitchcock used to be an emotional wreck, constantly fluctuating between different emotions. Bruce's challenges were primarily due to his previous drug usage. However, his approach toward emotions has undergone a transformation since then. Consequently, Bruce now embraces whatever emotion he feels, understanding that it's not beneficial to push them away. To Bruce, true strength lies in being able to control one's temper, while also allowing oneself to cry and fully experience the emotions when necessary. Bruce has come to realize that hiding or suppressing emotions only leads to future problems. This valuable lesson was learned through personal hardships. Thoughts on Breathing When asked about breathing and its relation to mindfulness, Bruce Hitchcock expressed his thoughts on the matter. He mentioned that he recently came across a powerful breathing technique, recognizing the significant impact it can have. Although he couldn't recall the exact pattern of breath, he emphasized the importance of taking deep breaths for about 30 seconds. According to Bruce, this kind of deep breathing can not only change one's mood but also alter their frequency. While Bruce personally enjoys staying active through workouts to achieve heavy breathing, he has also been making an effort to incorporate breathwork into his routine. Overall, Bruce acknowledged the benefits of breathwork and found it to be a positive addition. Suggested Resources Book: Marcus Aurelius – Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader App: n/a Bullying Story Bruce Hitchcock shared his perspective on bullying when asked about it. He expressed his strong dislike for bullies and mentioned that he has always been against people who pick on those who are weaker. He believes that bullies engage in such behavior for their own reasons, perhaps to make themselves feel better, although he isn't entirely sure of their motivations. Bruce emphasized that everyone has their own story and struggles, and that should be taken into consideration. While he personally did not have a significant experience with being bullied, he acknowledged that there may have been times when someone did something, but it didn't affect him greatly. He did mention engaging in playful teasing and physical activities like wrestling and lacrosse with his peers, but it was never in a way that felt like being bullied. Building Mental Fortitude Advice If anybody's out there struggling, don't keep putting it off. Do what you need to do today. Go get help if you're in that bad of a place. Go get help today. Start changing your life today. If you don't need help with vices and you just need to kind of tighten your life up and start living a fresh lifestyle, check me out at Fortitude Fitness or fortitude.fitt on Instagram. Don't keep thinking about what you can do. You have to act. Life is too short. Life is too short to keep putting it off to tomorrow. Related Episodes The Key To Mental Toughness With Mani Vaya Mental and Emotional Growth With Groflo Founder Karen Millsap Practice Non-Attachment for Mental Health; Scientist Dr. Russell Jaffe Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Session to get you to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Let's Talk' in the subject line. We'll set up a call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Mindfulness is the simple but powerful practice of bringing our attention to the present moment. It involves paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in a non-judgemental way. It may sound easy, but in our fast-paced and often stressful world, it can be difficult to stay present. And you've likely heard on this show from some of the leading mindfulness experts in the world about how to use it. But today the tables are turning.  Both Zach and Jeremy were fortunate enough to be guests on the Mindfulness Mode podcast, hosted by Bruce Langford. They talked with him about their own mindfulness practices, and how it's helped them overcome many obstacles they face because of their depression and anxiety issues. And they even got into some funny stories from their childhood about bullying and what they learned from being on both sides of it.  You could hear Bruce's show at mindfulnessmode.com. But today we're sharing with you our recent appearance on his show. Don't let the conversation end there. Join us in our Facebook Group where you and fellow Fit Mess listeners can connect for monthly challenges, accountability to reach your goals, and a supportive community.  Like this show? Please leave us a review here – even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally! Resources: Get your Free One Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens! Contact Us

Embrace Peace is the topic for today. What are we truly searching for? Is it happiness, joy, bliss, or maybe it's comfort, elation, or satisfaction? The meanings of a lot of those words overlap. I don't feel like it's normal to feel blissful all the time. Bliss is at the high end of the happiness scale. Then there's contentment and peace and calm. That's at a different place on the happiness scale. I believe, for most people, being calm and focused is part of being happy. I also think being calm and focused is part of having inner peace. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify What Are We Searching For? During the holiday season, we hear a lot about peace. We notice the word in songs and movies and just as an expression when someone says, they just want to experience some peace in their lives. Peace comes from within. As we learn how to find happiness and joy, we start to realize that inner peace is at the root of all the good feelings we're looking for. After interviewing over 750 guests for Mindfulness Mode, some common themes have started to become obvious. One of those themes is that if I am living with contempt for myself, at any level, it negatively affects everything about my life. It certainly affects how I treat others and how good I feel about my life. Love Yourself? I'm sure you've heard people say that ‘to truly love others, you have to love yourself'. When I first heard that, I thought it sounded strange, and I realize I'm not the only one who had this reaction. Whether you call it ‘loving yourself', or ‘being positive about who you are', or ‘avoiding self-bullying', all of those perspectives are similar. To move towards a happier, more peaceful life, it's necessary to start liking yourself, or loving yourself, as the phrase indicates. One of the ways to start feeling more positive towards yourself is to feel and show compassion as much as possible, in as many circumstances as possible. One of my mantras is centred around seeing everyone and everything, with compassion. It's easy to be compassionate about family members you love, or even random strangers. But try having compassionate thoughts about someone who hates you or has inflicted harm on you. That's when it becomes really challenges and requires daily practice. Embrace Compassion Once you can start to feel compassion even towards the most difficult people and situations, you will start to have more kind thoughts about yourself. If there is someone in the world who hates you, remember that the hate they hold is about them, not about you. This is easy for me to say, but not as easy to truly grasp and live by if someone in your life hates you. A person who holds hate is filled with inner hate themselves and they don't have any idea how to find inner peace and happiness because they are so filled with anger and hate. What About Grief? Let's talk about grief. Grief can be overwhelming and can make you feel like there is no hope. Grief has to be embraced and we have to live with the pain and experience the darkness that grief brings. Some people sink deeply into their grief and take months or years to come out the other side. Other people can experience grief for less time and then move forward. You've heard guests on the show talk about feeling the pain and moving toward the pain instead of trying to resist it. When you try to resist the pain, it lasts longer and can be more intense. Zig Ziggler was know to say, ‘What you resist, persists'. Feeling Sad? During this holiday season, you'll hear all kinds of happy reminders of the season, including sleigh bells, cheerful song lyrics, partying, happy celebrations. Does all this ‘happiness' make you sad or bring you down? That's not unusual. You share this trait with hundreds and thousands of people. Notice how you are feeling in your body about this happiness around you. Does it make you angry? Does it cause hurt and pain somewhere in your body? Narrow down the area of your body where you feel this pain and anguish. Close your eyes and think about the pain and anger in your body that is related to the happiness of the season you're constantly being reminded of. Body Scan Now narrow that feeling down even more. Is it in your neck or shoulders? Is it in your chest? Maybe it's in your gut or your lower back, or your knees. Do you feel an ache? Take the time to do a body scan. Go to a safe, quiet place, close your eyes and begin to notice how you feel in each area of your body. Start with your head, your forehead, and your temples. Then move down your body and be aware of any pain or discomfort in each body location. You can repeat this practice until you are aware of where the most pain resides in your body. If you meditate, this can be part of your meditation practice. You will become more and more aware of where the most pain and anger reside in your body. Allow yourself to move toward the pain. Embrace what your body is experiencing and focus on it. Wishing You Peace Spend time with others who have this sense of peace that I'm talking about. You'll experience this in animals as well as humans. Other beings can be very calming and comfortable to be around, or some can have the opposite effect. Put some effort into being around those who are calm and peaceful and you'll start feeling more calm and peaceful as well. As we move through December, I wish you the very deepest level of peace that you can possible achieve, whatever PEACE means to you. It may be happiness, a form of bliss, a feeling of calmness or focus, but more than anything, I wish you peace.   Suggested Resources Book: The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield Book: Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh Related Episodes The Path To Kindness; James Crews How To Live From The Heart; Nanette Hucknall Ditch Your Headtrash; Renie Cavallari Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Transition' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Join me as The Awesome Bruce Langford and I discuss various ways leaders, employees, and people can live their best lives, professionally and personally, by simply moving and a couple of other life-impacting tips!!!For over a decade, Bruce Langford has impacted the world as the host of his Podcast, Mindfulness Mode, and as a Mindfulness Coach servicing both corporations and individuals; teaching mindfulness techniques. His training as an educator and his work in the education sector has proven to enhance morale, effort, and satisfaction in the workforce. Take a listen to the powerful nuggets Bruce has to share and enjoy your evolution!Find out more and connect with Bruce: https://www.brucelangford.ca/Mindfulness Mode Podcast: https://www.brucelangford.ca/all-episodes/All the info you want or need for You Evolving Now: https://youevolvingnow.com/

Last weekend I attended the Archangel Changemaker Event at Beanfield Centre in Toronto. It was a 2-day event put on by Giovanni Marsico. I've attended the annual Archangel Event since about 2016. The live event didn't happen during COVID, so last weekend was the first in-person gathering since 2019. Today I'll tell you a little about this awesome event. There was a long list of speakers so I'll mention a few of them. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify 1/ Steve Sims First, I was excited that Steve Sims was attending as a speaker. I interviewed Steve back in 2018. His episode was #360. He is a guy who has worked with Tony Robbins, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson and made incredible things happen for these and so many other people. He has planned events, arranged for people to meet, and generally led a fascinating life doing things that most of us wouldn't even dream of. I was able to talk to Steve and get a photo with him and I'll tell you he was really personable and approachable. If you want to check out Steve, find him at www.SteveWSims.com and you can listen to his MM interview by going to www.mindfulnessmode.com/360 Book: Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen by Steve Sims 2/ Stu McLaren Stu McLaren was another speaker who had an interesting and memorable talk. He encourages people to start a membership site. He's been helping people start membership sites since 2008 and he's helped a huge list of ppl become successful by using this strategy. . He is a fellow Canadian, also from Ontario. He talked about several people who had created interesting membership sites including Art2Life Academy, The Twisterhood where they make balloon animals, and Tony's Acoustic Challenge where Men Over 50 play the acoustic guitar together. Stu had a segment during his talk when he got people in the audience to participate in a sing-along of the song, Every Little Thing by Bob Marley. Towards the end of his talk, he told us about his non-profit organization called ‘Village Impact' where he builds schools in rural Kenya for underprivileged children. 3/ Danielle Laporte Another speaker who had a powerful impact on me was Danielle Laporte. I've heard her speak before and again, she was incredible. She started by talking about acceptance and how her definition of acceptance is ‘wonder and awe tinged with respect'. She talked about fear and how we all create our own fear and that we should not try to avoid it. She said we should practice loving kindness with our doubts and shame. She said we should all ‘choose loving thoughts', and that ‘energy follows thought'. She said to think about this question: How do I want to feel? Danielle has a new book coming out in October called, “How To Be Loving: As Your Heart Is Breaking Open and Our World Is Waking Up”. I encourage you to purchase the book, I know I'm looking forward to reading it. Book: How To Be Loving: As Your Heart Is Breaking Open by Danielle Laporte 4/ Jim Kwik Jim Kwik was also speaking on the weekend, and I've heard him before as well. He started by talking about how we can all ‘Upgrade Our Brain' just as he teaches in his book, ‘Upgrade Your Brain: Learn Anything Faster and Unlock Your Exceptional Life.' He talked about three M's: Mindset, Motivation, and Method. He said Mindset represented possibility, motivation was about purpose and method was about the process. He said, “If you fight for your limitation, you are going to achieve them.” He also talked about an effective formula for life which is PXEXS3. That represents Purpose times Energy, times small, simple steps. He emphasized that the key to achieving success is taking small simple steps consistently. I would like to have Jim and Danielle as a guest on Mindfulness Mode. Book: Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain by Jim Kwik Suggested Resources Book: A Walking Life: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom One Step at a Time by Antonia Malchik Book: Leadership Unleashed: A Great Dane's Wisdom for the Business World by Dr. Ann Gatty Related Episodes The Mindful Movement; Sara Raymond Mindful Movement In Addiction Treatment; Kendra Kirane Experience Transformation With MindTravel; Murray Hidary Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

As I was preparing to be interviewed by the Great Bruce Langford, I realized I was stuck in my head, quite anxious and far away from mindfulness. Fortunately, a simple hypnotic induction helped me achieve a resourceful state of mind just minutes before the interview. Also, in this very short episode, you will be introduced to my fluffy cat, Yoshi. He spends his whole day meditating; what a life! My episode with Bruce will be published on July 24th. His podcast is here. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindfulness-mode/id1032063236 adriannehart.com

Be as young as you feel is my topic for today, Mindful Tribe. Part two of Tom Campbell's, ‘What Is Consciousness' will be published on Wednesday night, so in three days from now. I honestly believe that no matter what your actual age is, you can choose to feel young and there are a lot of different ways of doing that. Today I'm excited to share some of the thoughts that I have on this topic. I am sending out some Mindfulness Mode mugs and T shirts to some of my listeners who responded with an email. Check out my Instagram, and my TikTok. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify 5 Ways To Feel Young Here are five ways you can feel young, no matter what your age might be. And the first one is something we talk about a lot on the show. Be as young as you feel by being in charge of your thoughts. Be In Charge Of Your Thoughts Notice your thoughts. Be aware of what your thoughts are, are they, you know, put down thoughts are they thoughts where you're, you're putting yourself down and thinking negatively about you and who you are and what you're doing. Notice your thoughts, and don't let your thoughts be your inner bully. Now, sometimes that happens, like it's normal, I think, I think it's human, to sometimes notice that you're may be saying something negative. But don't let your thoughts be your inner bully on a lasting basis. There are a lot of ways you can make sure that doesn't happen. You can use mantras. If you notice that you're sending some negative thoughts to yourself, just start saying a mantra over and over and over. And I do that a lot. And I find it very much helps me meditate. We've talked a lot about meditation, choose to meditate every morning and every night. I think it's just a beautiful addition to my life. Read uplifting material. Watch inspiring videos. Feed your brain with positivity. There's a lot of negativity you could be feeding your brain with, but do spend time feeding your brain with that which is positive. Choosing great thoughts can help you be as young as you feel. Minimize Sugar Sugar causes inflammation. It definitely does. We we know that scientists have told us this over and over and over and inflammation does not do good things in your body. inflammation causes joint pain. It makes arthritis way worse. It causes all kinds of other challenges. Minimize sugar in your life and you will feel better. It is not easy. It takes a little time. Drink a lot of water, fresh, beautiful water and minimize the sugar in your life. Check out my episode where I interview Barry Friedman. He talked about being an advocate of living the sugar free lifestyle. I met him in San Diego, and was so inspired by him that I went right ahead and cut sugar out of my diet, and it made a huge difference. Barry was a professional juggler for a very long time. It was interesting talking to him way back on episode 91. The episode is called, Barry Friedman Explains How To Be Present and Mindful. So go to www.mindfulnessmode.com/091. Another episode that we talked about feeding your brain was episode 284, Discover the better brain solution with Dr. Stephen Masley. Make a decision to minimize sugar in your diet and it will help you be as young as you feel. Get Moving As humans, for some reason, there's something going on our brains that sometimes tell us not to get moving. I run almost every day and I find that by making the commitment to be active every day, I feel younger and more energetic. A lot of our guests talk about how important it is to move. Make a commitment to yourself and stick to it, to move every day. Whether it's walking, or running, swimming, cycling, maybe it's martial arts, just move. I have a mini trampoline and that is so easy on the joints, to just bounce on that and just allow your body to just feel good as you bounce. Moving every day will help you be as young as you feel. Breathe Another topic you hear about constantly on mindfulness mode is the subject of breathing. It seems as though all my guests realize how very important breathing is. Breathing is something that can help you. We spend far too much of our time shallow breathing, and our bodies and especially our brains need oxygen, and we thrive on having ample oxygen. So do daily breathing exercises and just believe it, that breathing can change your life. Breathing is just a beautiful thing. So there are several episodes where we talk quite a bit about breathing like 511 Pause, breathe and smile to awaken your mindfulness. And that's by Gary Gach. And 49, Make a connection between becoming aware and breathing suggests Andrea Klunder Another person I met at an event in the United States number 109. Breathe in the universe to cope with mental illness. And that was Michael Weinberger in episode 109. So breathing and taking in lots of oxygen will help you to be as young as you feel. Laugh Laughter is one of the most underrated things you can do. Make sure you laugh every day, even if you're just laughing for the sake of laughing. Laughing causes me to just feel so good and I think that we don't laugh enough. I say that often. I think it's great if you can find something really truly funny to laugh at and you can have a really good belly laugh. But apparently scientists have come to realize that we don't actually have to have something super funny to laugh at. As long as you're laughing, it delivers the same benefits to you. And this is what I learned from Dr. Madan Cataria, and he is features in the episode that was called Laughing in the face of COVID-19. I interviewed him in April of 2020. He's the person who started Laughter Yoga. You can go online search up Laughter Yoga, and you can join a virtual class of Laughter Yoga, and just laugh and and feel good, and I highly recommend it. Another person I interviewed was Soren Russow, Booster Shot of Happiness is the name of the episode. He's a guy that loves to laugh and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Soren so you can check out that episode as well. And definitely do check out a laughter yoga group online in order to be as young as you feel. So my top five tips to be as young as you feel, or maybe I should say begin to feel as young as you want are: 1/ be in charge of your thoughts 2/ minimize sugar 3/ get moving 4/ breathe 5/ laugh. Take what we've learned today to reach new heights of calm focus and happiness. Stay in the mode. Suggested Resources Book: Laughter Yoga: Daily Practices For Health and Happiness by Dr. Madan Kateria Book: Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman Book: Pause Breathe Smile: Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation Is Not Enough by Gary Gach App: Insight Timer Related Episodes How To Be Present And Mindful; Barry Friedman Discover the better brain solution with Dr. Stephen Masley Pause, breathe and smile to awaken your mindfulness; Gary Gach Make a connection between becoming aware and breathing; Andrea Klunder Breathe in the universe to cope with mental illness. And that was Michael Weinberger Laughing in the face of COVID-19,Madan Kataria Booster Shot of Happiness; Russell Soren Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health is the theme of today's show and I have a guest with me who is passionate about the mountains and dedicated to helping others and has love of the sun. He's a speaker, author, explorer, and mountain climber and he has an intense passion for life. He also has the greatest laugh of anybody I know. He recently spoke at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival where he held the audience in the palm of his hands, according to one of the reviews. His talk was directly connected to the eighth person I had on the show way back in 2015; Brent Seal. Contact Info Website: www.michaelschauch.com Book: A Story of Karma: Finding Love and Truth in the Lost Valley of the Himalaya by Michael Schauch Brent Seal – Mind, Mountains, Mental Health Brent was a mental health educator and a close friend of today's guest. I'm excited to tell you that today's guest is Mike Schauch. Bruce: Let's start by talking about how you and Brent Seal are connected through this podcast, Mindfulness Mode. Brent Seal was one of my first guests on the show back in 2015; a mental health educator, an athlete and a mountain climber. After Brent was featured on Mindfulness Mode, he recommended that Mike Schauch and Bruce connect so that Mike could possibly be a guest on Mindfulness Mode. Mike Schauch: My story with Brent goes back about 15 years, actually. And he told me along the way, about his interview with you that he did. That was in the earlier stages of him getting into public speaking. He told me what a good time he had and said, Hey, you should contact Bruce, and you should be on this podcast. I thought, Oh, this is a perfect fit. Mike Schauch: Brent, and I go back to when he was in university, and I was doing a leadership workshop at the university where he was a student. I was speaking in the auditorium to about 100 people and I remember during the first break, Brent came up to me, and he said, Mike, How do you become a public speaker? And I said, Well, you go out to the public, and you speak. (laughter) Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify A Challenge Mike Schauch: Brent said, I've got this challenge. I've been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I just said, so? I think that was the spark that fused our friendship. It began a connection that would go on for the next 15 years. Mike Schauch: We have climbed many mountains together. I watched Brent overcome many mental barriers over the years and also become a very accomplished mountaineer and speaker. He spoke to larger audiences I ever spoke to in the subsequent years and  became an inspiration. He became an inspiration, not only for the mental wellness community, but for others as well. It was a beautiful thing to see. Unfortunately, last September, Brent died on Mount Manaslu in the Himalaya, just below the summit at around 8000 meters. That news hit the community and his family very hard. The Event Mike Schauch: This event that you mentioned in the introduction, that was meant to be an honor. It honored Brent and what he stood for, and in a way to just continue this legacy that he started about inspiring people to tap into their mental wellness and into that language of the heart, to not limit themselves. Mike Schauch: The message was to continue to take those steps. They don't have to be major leaps forward, but steps forward. And that was part of Brent's brilliance.  Bruce: Tell us more about your speech at the Vancouver Mountain Film Festival. Mike Schauch: One of the things I talked about up there was this concept of the Bardo. The Bardo is a Tibetan term. It translates as place of transition, or a transitionary state between between death and rebirth, between who we were and who we become. We know that the Tibetans believe in reincarnation from lifetime to lifetime. But what they also believe is that we can experience many incarnations in one lifetime and the Bardo is the place. Constantly Changing The reason why we can experience those incarnations is because we're constantly changing. We're not the same person we were when we were born; we're not the same person we were 10 years ago, five years ago, or perhaps even last week. And the Bardo is that place where we can choose, you know, what part of me? Do I want to let go? What part of me that no longer serves me that I can just let it be? And what part of me do I want to carry forward into who I become? And so this was something deeply linked to Brent because I saw Brent go through challenge after challenge after relapse after challenge and use his illness, not as a as a crutch, or some sort of a life sentence, but as a springboard from which he could create new life.  Brent as Speaker Brent was inspired by this idea of climbing the mountain and your mental wellness mountain. As a speaker, you could see him evolve over the years. Brent got more and more comfortable sharing his story, and more comfortable on stage as well. He captivated the audience and could inspire them to move outside of their head and outside of their own belief system. Brent would mention about embracing the suffering, embracing the struggle, and he explained, when when we do that, it actually gives us fuel to better deal with the future struggles and sufferings that we might encounter down the road. He would say that so often we attempt to suppress the suffering, the anger, the pain, and that's the exact opposite of what we need to do. Tell Us A Brent Story Over the years, we climbed all these big mountains and focused on our Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health. One of the most memorable days we ever had was not on some big mountain or a big epic day. It was on this little winter hike up to a cabin. And to get to the cabin, you had to walk up all these switchbacks, back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, until you finally got there. We had a beautiful conversation up all the switchbacks, and then it was time to come down. I was on my skis and Brent was in snowshoes. I would ski down a little bit, and then I'd wait for Brent to catch up on his snow shoes. Then I'd ski down a little bit more and he'd catch up on the snowshoes. I thought there's got to be a better way to do this. In all the years Brent and I had been climbing together, not once had he ever brought a crazy carpet along, except for that day. I said okay, we have this crazy carpet, do we have a little bit of short rope. For some reason Brent had packed a little bit of rope. I said, let's tie ourselves together by the waist and I just pointed my skis down and we got going and we started picking up speed. I remember coming down these switchbacks and then coming up the bank. Brent would come down right behind me on the crazy carpet. He'd slide right up the bank almost flying right into the woods and the rope would catch him at the last second and whip him down the next switchback. We were laughing so hard, like children. People hiking up the mountain could hear us before they could see us. I was  laughing my head off. They were likely thinking, what is wrong with this guy. Right behind me was this grown man on a crazy carpet. Bruce: (Laughing) That paints a picture of the title of this episode, Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health. The Goal Of Your Speech To celebrate and honor what Brent did, who Brent was, and how that connects to who we were in the mountains, which is about listening to that deep place within us. Teach people about that language of the heart. And I think that's innately who we are. Finding that place of stillness again, as we look at what's happening in the world right now. It was about connecting with that deep place within us. The more we can connect with that, the more we can kind of act that out. That's going to send more constructive behaviors, choices, vibrations into the world. That's going to actually help us out of this state that we're in right now. Especially as we come out of COVID and think about self isolation and what that did to us, psychologically. The best way to find meaning and maintain my own sanity through all of this is to connect with that deep place again. It doesn't make sense to get wrapped up in a storm that's not constructive. What's going to help us is connecting with that place of joy, that place of loving kindness, and compassion. That makes us feel good as a human being, from our soul.  A Time of Meditation Bruce: During the speech, you had a time of mediation, to reach a spirit of joy. Can you tell us about that? Mike Schauch: That's really the crux of the whole thing. It was about connecting again, back to who we innately are. Back to that story about laughing with Brent, when we were coming down we were just experiencing that total moment of joy. I mean, that's really what life is about, you know, so we can open ourselves to those moments. It reinvigorates us from the deepest level we can imagine and allows us to connect again with that language of the heart that I think is very much needed today. That takes us back to the mind, mountains, and mental health. What brings joy to your life?  The two things that sprang to mind are those two little girls in the mountains, Karma and Pemba.  They bring true joy to my life.  Humor In Your Life Laughing and humor is just as natural as that. It's not all the time. If you think about what got us here; there's a Tibetan saying, I heard some time ago: ‘if you could stack the bones of our ancestors, they would be higher than Mount Everest.' Think about how many people live their lives in a way that allowed us to be here and even you and me having this conversation right now and just the opportunities that we have in front of us?I t took 1000s, even 10s of 1000s of lives and over many, many years, right? And think about what they struggled with and what actions they took and the courage that they had and all of that. So, if you think about it that way, How can we not be joyful? By being here? Focusing on your Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health. A Gift From Mike Because you listened to the Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health episode, I'd love to give away two copies of my book, A Story of Karma: Finding Love and Truth in the Lost Valley of the Himalaya. Again, it's a story of love and joy and human connection, deep human connection across cultures and continents. This is something that can be very helpful today. Just send me an email: “Bruce@mindfulnessmode.com and put “karma” in the subject line, and we'll get that book out to you. Just reach out and the book is yours for two lucky listeners. A Poem Written By Mike Schauch Stillness, stillness. It is the beginning and the end of all things. Like the pool of water returned to its natural state, or the tiny droplet taking rests on a delicate leaf. It is the eye of the deer. A dark and endless orb as deep as the universe filled with a billion stars is the Great Owl extending from branch and trunk seeing from behind its yellow eyes. Hearing what cannot be heard. Heavenly clouds basking before the Golden Sun, a great snowy mountain, still as stone, rays of morning light dipping through the tree tops. It speaks the language of the Earth, a language that has been shaped and carved and created over 100 million years. It is the language of the heart. It is where our souls come alive. It is what we call home. And so as long as I draw a breath, I will do my best to move toward that stillness, to be that stillness. For that is where I find myself. That is where we find each other again. Reminder: Just a reminder of the free book offer. Listen to Mind, Mountains, and Mental Health episode. The book is by Mike Schauch. It's called, A Story of Karma: Finding Love and Truth in the Lost Valley of the Himalaya. And I can tell you this book was a pleasure to read, it was a heartwarming adventure. The first two listeners to email me will win a free hard copy of the book. Send the email right now, send it to me bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with karma in the subject line. Thanks for listening, mindful tribe. take what we've learned today to reach new heights of calm focus and happiness. Related Episodes 008 Brent Seal: From Aspiring Hockey Player to Global Mental Health Educator Finding Karma In The Heart Of The Himalaya; Michael Schauch Transform Your Life and Impact the World; Marie Diamond Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach and hypnotist helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

This week Kerri sits down with Bruce Langford to discuss how mindfulness and hypnosis can help us improve our mental performance. Bruce Langford is a hypnotist, self-bullying coach and has his own podcast,  Mindfulness Mode.If you have ever been curious about hypnosis or mindfulness then this episode is for you!In this episode Kerri & Bruce discuss:*What hypnosis actually looks like in a session*Examples of tangible mindfulness practices*What a gratitude practice can look like*Examples of mantras and how they can be used to improve mental performance*How meditation can help optimize our cognitive performance and emotional state*Benefits of breathwork for anxiety*Resources for FREE meditationsRemember to SUBSCRIBE if you liked what you heard and leave us a review. We love to hear your thoughts on the episode!Make sure to connect with us at https://www.readysetmindful.com & follow us on IG @readysetmindfulSee you on the next episode!

I just really wish you the very best, Mindful Tribe. I wish that you feel this amazing feeling in your life of calm focus, and happiness. And that's because way back in 2015, when I started the Mindfulness Mode Podcast, one of my goals was that through mindfulness, I would be able to help you, my listener, learn how to experience calm, focus, and happiness. And that's why I chose that as my tagline; reach new heights of calm focus and happiness. I've been learning the subtle details of mindfulness along with you, Mindful Tribe. I've been learning from all my fantastic guests, and I've learned that it's important to understand about our emotions. That we have to live with our emotions, and to welcome and open to our emotions. That's pretty much where it all starts. Understanding that when we suppress our emotions, that's not a good thing. It's not healthy to suppress your emotions, push them away, do things so that we can just ignore them pretend they're not there. That's certainly something I've done a lot in my life. I've learned from my guests that many people push away their emotions. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify A Book Being grateful is an important part of my life. Is this important to you, Mindful Tribe? It's great when you can truly allow yourself to appreciate whatever is in your life. a book called, ‘Letting Go; The Pathway of Surrender', by David R. Hawkins. What a great book. A number of guests on my show have recommended David Hawkins. This is only one of the books in the series, and I'm absolutely enjoying it. One of my favorite books, which has to do with letting go is called ‘The Surrender Experiment', by Michael A Singer. Quite a few of my guests have suggested this book as well. This book is written like a novel and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger and it's very much an easy-read. It's about the how the author makes a decision early in his life, to simply let go; he makes this decision that he's going to lead his life by letting go and letting things unfold naturally, and basically to say yes, to whatever presents itself. And he decides to meditate a lot and have meditation as a central part of his life and use meditation as a way that he will deal with most aspects of his life. And it's really fascinating how things turn out. So if you haven't read this, I would recommend it. A Wish My holiday wish for you is that you are able to notice and embrace your emotions, whatever they are. Some of our emotions, of course, can be very painful. The emotions of fear, anger, and bereavement, you know, if you've lost a loved one in your life, I truly feel for you. It's really important to embrace these emotions. Also, besides learning to embrace the emotions, my holiday wish for you is that you would be able to genuinely ask yourself, these three questions. And the three questions can make a massive difference in your life as to how you process your emotions, and whether you actually do process your emotions. Hold a Pen Before I tell you what the three questions are, I just want to say that, one of the things I've learned is that the most effective and most life changing things that I've learned in my life have been the simplest. As humans, we tend to over complicate things, we tend to think that for something to be effective, and really worthwhile. It has to be something that either costs a lot of money or takes a lot of time to learn, or is just very difficult to comprehend it. Well, actually, I think in some ways, the opposite is true. Sometimes some of these things are very, very simple. And the person who teaches this process of focusing on these three questions, suggests you pick up a pen and hold it. He says, just hold the pen loosely. Then he says okay, release it and drop it. Easier Than You Think That's how easy it actually is to let go of your emotion that's holding you back. Simply let go of what's bothering you. This method is taken from the Sedona Method, and that's at sedona.com. This is something that I learned from Hale Dwoskin, the man who teaches the Sedona Method. I interviewed Hale Dwoskin back in July of 2020. The episode was # 570. So you can go to MindfulnessMode.com/570, and you can hear Hale on that episode. He is a New York Times bestselling author of ‘The Sedona Method', and he's featured in a movie called Letting Go. You'll learn more about him if you listen to that episode. This method called The Sedona Method was invented first by Lester Levinson and he wrote a book called, Happiness is Free and It's Easier Than You Think. This is a five book series. The teachings boil down to three questions. What Bothers You? Think to yourself, is there a situation in your life that really irritates you, that really bothers you. Do you realize that you're thinking about this a lot? Maybe there's a person in your life, that that really rubs you the wrong way? Or maybe someone at work irritates you? Maybe you think about this person a lot and you wish that they weren't in your life. Start with this focus of, what is this thing that is bothering you? Listen to the episode to hear the three questions. Finding Peace So I encourage you to just consider these three questions. And in my opinion, that's a holiday gift is to help you understand that peace, for all of us can lie in the answers to these three questions. Calm focus, and happiness can be achieved by answering these three questions. Calm focus and happiness can also be achieved in other ways, too. I mean, there are a number of ways you can find peace in your life. Self-hypnosis is one of the tools that has really worked for me and made a big difference. The thing about hypnosis is that it works for nearly every issue. Hypnosis is incredible. I am so fortunate to be a trained hypnotist so I can help other people. But I can help myself, I can do self hypnosis, and understand that hypnosis works for almost anything that is holding you back or causing you angst, whether you're not sleeping well. Whether you have a lot of fear, you have a bad habit that you just really want to release, you want to let go of it? Well, Self Hypnosis will help you do that. And maybe it's trauma or pain or motivation, you know, you just can't get motivated for something. Well, hypnosis can help. 27 Ways? My hypnosis teacher Erica Flint taught me that hypnosis can help with almost every issue (Erica on Mindfulness Mode). Maybe you've tried 27 ways to quit smoking, and then the 28th way was hypnosis, and that worked for you. Well, hypnosis works for many people, including me. When so many other things didn't work, no matter what you've tried already, hypnosis can be the answer you're looking for. So I have been very grateful to have worked with quite a few different clients throughout 2021 and we've met with success. Suggested Resources Book: Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by Daniel R. Hawkins Book: The Surrender Experiment by Michael A Singer Book: The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin Book: Happiness is Free and It's Easier Than You Think by Lester Levinson App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Calmness and Certainty with Hale Dwoskin Mind Your Other Mind; Erika Flint Unlearn Anxiety & Depression; Dr. Joe Luciani Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Coaching Session' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life.

Interview with Bruce Langford. Bruce Langford is a Mindfulness consultant and creator of the top-ranked iTunes podcast, Mindfulness Mode. Bruce is hired by companies to improve corporate culture by replacing stress and anxiety with team spirit and self-respect. As a result of his trainings, employee sick time declines, general wellness improves, and profits increase. Bruce's extensive background for over a decade in bullying prevention equips him, through mindfulness, to inspire employees to replace self-bullying and judgmental behaviors with cooperation and respect. Bruce has delivered more than 1,700 live presentations and his writings have appeared in numerous publications.In this podcast episode you will learn:What is bullying?How can you decrease bullying with mindfulness?What are your options when you are being bullied in the workplace?How can you use hypnosis to overcome anxiety and fears?Enjoy listening.With gratitude,JuliaSHOWNOTESGet in touch with Bruce:Website: mindfulnessmode.comEmail: bruce@mindfulnessmode.comPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mindfulness-mode/id1032063236-----

Color is the topic today. Did you know that color is an energy vitamin? I found that sentence in the book, Feel Better In Five Minutes by Amanda Hainline. And if you've been listening to the show, you know that she was my last episode. I wanted to talk about this whole idea of color because this sentence, ‘Color Is An Energy Vitamin' is the title of one of the chapters in Amanda Hainline's book. I interviewed and released Amanda's interview on Thanksgiving Day in the US. I noticed the episode got quite a few downloads, but I think it's worthy of even more. You can listen to the episode here: www.MindfulnessMode.com/713. Amanda is so vibrant, so upbeat, and so knowledgeable about many things when it comes to gaining control over your emotions and feeling better. After all, feeling better, has everything to do with our emotions. That's why I wanted to talk to you about this topic of color and how it can affect us. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Colors For Energy Did you know that colors correlate to different emotions? We are naturally drawn to colors that benefit us energetically. Some of us benefit from bright, vibrant colors, and some of us are naturally drawn to the more muted tones. Colors can be used in healing. I encourage you to get Amanda's book, Feel Better In Five Minutes, because it has so much interesting content about learning to deal with your emotions. The subtitle of the book is, ‘An Empowering Guide To Gain Control Over Your Emotions. Clothing Choices Dressing with certain colors can help your mood. Observe your mood when you're around certain colors. I am well aware that for me, there are certain colors that make me feel really upbeat, and energetic, and other colors that sort of drag me down. Take the next few days and think about what colors empower you, what colors agitate you, what colors drain energy from you. Pay attention to what colors you're naturally drawn to and then begin to surround yourself with those colors. A Mug? When you identify the colors that make you feel good, get a cup or a mug in that color and drink from it. Eating foods of that color will incorporate that color into your body. Amanda also said that sunlight is a great way to get the full spectrum of color into your energy system and clear your energy. I think it's such an interesting concept that color is an energy vitamin. Because even though I never thought of it that way before I realized that yes, color is an energy vitamin. Win With Color Because color is such a powerful tool and holds the energetic vibrations of emotions, it makes sense that we should use it to our advantage whenever possible, like the clothes we wear. She says it's important to note that sometimes you may need a color that does not look particularly great on you. And so if this is the case, wear that color as a small accessory, or a belt or shoes or whatever. A Chill Day? Think about what you have to do during your day. Is there an important meeting on your calendar? Or are you having a chill day? Take stock of how you're feeling? Are you confident, bold, depressed, anxious or overwhelmed? Refer to the color and emotions charts that she has included in this book to see what fits you best. If you're having a big meeting and feel like you're lacking confidence, try wearing something red or orange to bring on the power to boost you. Relax With Color If you are relaxing after a long week, cuddle up in some soft off white, pink or grey loungewear for the morning. If you're not sure what colors to wear, just open up your closet and see what colors you're attracted to that day and let your intuition guide you. Again, colors correlate to different emotions. The book includes a chart of all the different colors and how they correlate to different emotions. Color Charts ‘Feel Better In Five Minutes' has QR codes because there are some charts and some different kinds of images that she was not able to include in the book, so she's included QR codes. You can simply aim your device at the QR codes and you'll see the charts and images that are not included in the book. Vibrancy When I started talking to Amanda at the interview time, I noticed right away that she was just as vibrant as she appeared on the front cover of her book. So again, her book is called feel better in five minutes: An Empowering guide to gain control over your emotions. Use these suggestions so you can feel better, get more energy, and feel more calm. So thanks again for listening to mindfulness mode. Bye now. Suggested Resources Book: Feel Better In Five Minutes: An Empowering guide To Gain Control Over Your Emotions by Amanda Hainline App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 352 The Colors of Mindfulness Through the Eyes of the Spiral; Natasha Todorovic-Cowan 152 Spend Your Time On Your High Priorities; Jean Caton 211 Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life With Lucia Ferraro Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? Peace is within your grasp. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing coach helping fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. See me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with 'Energy Vitamin' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com

Are you feelin' good today? Or do you have a nagging, aching feeling in your body that you'd like to replace with peace and contentment? Last week I talked about finding mindfulness by taking action and this week I start off by telling you two ways that I took action and feel good as a result. Have you taken action recently on something that has been on your mind for weeks or even months? Today I'm going to share 5 ways to be mindful and bring more positivity into your world. As a result of your mindfulness, I believe you'll feel good and begin to increase your level of contentment. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify 5 Ways To Be Mindful: 1/ Take Action on 1 thing that been on your to-do list 2/ Message someone you haven't talked to lately 3/ Take a nap – give yourself the gift of some extra rest 4/ Pay for someone behind you in a coffee shop 5/ Smile Thanks for checking out Mindfulness Mode. Tune in to listen to the rest of the episode. Suggested Resources Book: Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday by Matthew Sockolov Book: No Limits: The Will To Succeed by Michael Phelps App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 047 Hilde Larsen: Gratitude Will Put You In A Sense Of Awareness Every Second 386 Growing Grounded and Mindful with Sarah Bristow 336 Be Bold and Never Be Old Says Fitness Trainer Rico Caveglia Are you experiencing anxiety & stress? You can get through this. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist. I use hypnosis to fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. See me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Feelin Good' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com

Shauna Reiter is the founder of Alaya Naturals. She was born with an autoimmune condition that suppresses her white blood cells and spent years battling oppressive ailments. When Shauna became pregnant and started a family, her children brought tremendous joy into her life, but her immune system had its own agenda. Sleepless nights and depleted energy threatened to disrupt her time with them and derail her larger goals. She knew that her body needed healing. Shauna then launched into the world of superfoods and the creation of Alaya Naturals. She researched, tested, and perfected the products she would market and as a result, Shauna is now stronger, healthier, and more present in all areas of her life. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.Alayanaturals.com Discount: Mindfulness Mode listeners get 20% off. Type in discount code “MindfulnessMode20” at checkout for first time customers. Most Influential Person My father Effect on Emotions Mindfulness has radically affected how I experience my emotions because awareness for me, is the foundation of peace. If I am triggered by something or if I'm reactive, I know that I'm coming from an old primal place, usually stemming from my childhood that has nothing to do with current reality. If I take a pause and a deep breath, and am mindful, I most often can calm myself down and understand that what's in the past is in the past. It's not really happening now. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing is how we regulate our nervous system. It's how we escape the fight or flight mode where we feel like we're in danger. So I breathe when I'm anxious. I breath consciously before I enter a business conversation and I breathe especially when I'm challenged by my children. It keeps me really grounded and gives me perspective. Suggested Resources Book: n/a App: I don't use apps. I would start by looking around you and recognizing where you really are. Role of Mindfulness in Your Singing I've had to get out of my mind to sing and to really express. As a vocalist, I was doing studio work for a long time where perfection is a requirement and you can't be off-key, you can't be pitchy. I found that the harder I tried and the more concerned I was about hitting a note, usually the more skewed that note was and it would be slightly off. That's because I was too much in my head. What I found is that you practice and practice and practice so that the moment you're on stage, or the moment you're recording live, you can let go and trust that your body has that note. I think meditation is very similar in the sense that we're getting out of our head. We're getting out of our own way. We're getting out of our mind and we're accessing the part of us that already knows. There's no note in any song I've been given that I can't hit. It's the fear that I can't hit the note that obscures my ability to execute. Related Episodes Fit Healthy Grounded Women; Penelope Lane 161 Mindful Eating For Health and Peace With Abby Hutcheson 188 Be Happy, Healthy and Whole With Dr. Phil Carson Special Offer Get the ‘Release Your Overwhelm' Guided Meditation for only $4.99. Bruce Langford helps you abandon your inner blocks, surrender your stress and become more focused. Achieve more with increased concentration. Download this full-length 30 minute guided meditation by Bruce Langford. www.MindfulnessMode.com/release

You can use mindfulness to help your motivation level. Today I'm sharing 5 tricks you can use to help you with motivation. Here's an example. I bought some tulip and daffodil bulbs and although I've never planted anything like that before, I always think these flowers look amazing in the Springtime, especially after a long winter of cold temperature along with the kinds snow and ice. Tulips and daffodils always cheer me up when I see them in front of someone's house or in a park. So when I was in Home Depot or Lowe's I saw these bulbs and decided to buy them. They've been in my car for a week or more and I started thinking, if I don't plant these, it is going to be too late. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Be motivated with these 5 tricks: 1/ Reasons & Outcomes (What do you want to achieve and why) 2/ Accountability Partners (Get others involved) 3/ Organize your thoughts, make a list and post it. 4/ Take action every day. 5/ Enjoy the process (Don't overthink it) Celebrate your successes. Thanks for checking out Mindfulness Mode. Tune in to listen to the rest of the episode. Suggested Resources Book: In the Face of Fear: Buddhist Wisdom for Challenging Times by Barry Boyce App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 574 How To Have Fun With Your Fear; Laura Di Franco 506 Grit, Love, And Fearless Living With Gregory Copploe 359 Turn Fear into Health, Wealth and Happiness; Fearvana Author; Akshay Nanavati 228 Fear Is Not Real Explains Salt Water Buddha Author Jaimal Yogis 189 Surrender To Fear To Reach Peace Says Relationship Expert Erik Newton Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & fear? You can get through this. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist. I use hypnosis to fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. See me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Motivation' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com

Today is October 31, which is Halloween day here in Canada, and I know in the United States it is as well. The title of my episode today is, is fear holding you back. And fear certainly seems to go along with Halloween, doesn't it? I mean, fear, we think about all those ghosts and goblins and, and all the scary images. And I think that some of us just love the thrill of that fear, the thrill of being scared. We can talk about about the kinds of fear we get from watching a scary movie but is there something in this world that you are so afraid of that it's holding you back from accomplishing what you want to accomplish? I think the answer may be Yes. I believe a lot of us have a fear of success. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Step Out For some reason, sometimes we think that people who are successful aren't actually that happy, or they may have a lot of money, but they spend more time worrying about what to do with the money than they do being able to enjoy it. People think a lot of different thoughts and have a lot of different opinions like this. Do you have a fear of failure, a fear that if you do take a risk, if you do step out, then maybe you won't succeed? Would failure be worse than even trying in the first place? I don't think it is worse, I think it's better to step out. Try your hand at achieving what you want to achieve. Is Fear Real? Go for your dreams. And don't forget that success is only defined the way you define it. Does that mean everything has to go the way you want it to go? Does it mean you have to make a certain amount of money or you have to gain certain popularity with your friends? I did a Mindfulness Mode interview at one time called ‘Fear Is Not Real.' Do you think fear is real? I think fear is as real as you make it. Fear is not real was explained by Jaimal Yogis. That was on episode 228. He wrote a book called, Salt Water Buddha. I had a fantastic time talking with Jaimal, I appreciate him so much, including how he lives his life. There is a flow in Jaimal's life. He is a surfer so it's not surprising that I would feel a sense of water and waves in his personality. Is fear real in your life? Sticks and Leaves? ‘Surrender To Fear To Reach Peace' is another episode I published. That was with relationship expert named Erik Newton. I believe it's important to be able to surrender to fear as that act of surrendering can take us through to peace and contentment. The more we resist fear, the worse it can be. The more we resist pain, the more painful it can be. The more we try to resist our emotions, the more they will be difficult to deal with and difficult to bear. I definitely agree with Erik Newton when he talks about how to surrender to fear to reach peace. What's your method of surrendering to fear? I reach that state of surrender through meditation and by allowing my thoughts of fear, worry, or concern, to simply be there. With my clients, I often say, “just imagine you're watching the water in a river. And there are sticks and leaves floating along, bobbing along in the water. And just imagine those are your thoughts. They're just moving along.” Tune in to listen to the rest of the episode. Suggested Resources Book: In the Face of Fear: Buddhist Wisdom for Challenging Times by Barry Boyce App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 574 How To Have Fun With Your Fear; Laura Di Franco 506 Grit, Love, And Fearless Living With Gregory Copploe 359 Turn Fear into Health, Wealth and Happiness; Fearvana Author; Akshay Nanavati 228 Fear Is Not Real Explains Salt Water Buddha Author Jaimal Yogis 189 Surrender To Fear To Reach Peace Says Relationship Expert Erik Newton Special Offer Are you experiencing anxiety & fear? You can get through this. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist. I use hypnosis to fast-track people just like you to shed their inner bully and move forward with confidence. Book a Free Coaching Session to get you on the road to a more satisfying life, feeling grounded and focused. See me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Fear' in the subject line. We'll set up a zoom call and talk about how you can move forward to a better life. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com

Murray Hidary is a multi-disciplinary, creative visionary and tech pioneer who started his first company at 22 years old, after studying Music and Composition at NYU. Murray's success as an early Internet entrepreneur, starting in 1994, sprung from his innate sense that creating networks and platforms for connection amongst people could both elevate productivity and consciousness. Murray has studied theoretical physics extensively; trained in the study of Aikido and the Shakuhachi (the Japanese bamboo flute) and its ancient music tradition of the Zen monks with some of the greatest teachers. Murray is currently touring MindTravel, composing new work, hiking and meditating in beautiful places. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.Mindtravel.com Music: https://www.mindtravel.com/music Most Influential Person My father Effect on Emotions Using mindfulness to handle my emotions has been a key skill to learn and to fine-tune and to grow and build that muscle. In all areas, whether in business, or getting a coffee at the local Starbucks when they get your name wrong and make you wait twenty minutes or whatever it is, these are all opportunities for our emotions and our thoughts to get the better of us. Mindfulness allows me to have a non-personal approach in all these situations which allows for much less stress and much more calm and peace. Thoughts on Breathing I learned to breathe by playing the Japanese flute. What I didn't know was that there's a profound ability to improve your piano playing through proper breathing. You wouldn't think so because you're not generating the sound with your breath like a wind instrument, but it turns out, if you breathe properly, it comes through the music. Suggested Resources Book: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse App: Insight Timer Bullying Story I grew up in a neighborhood of Brooklyn that was a little rough and I did get bullied by locals. They stole my bike one time but no physical harm was done. As a kid, mindfulness is a great tool because ultimately it's about how we interpret those moments. Mindfulness is a powerful tool that allows a child who has the skill, to frame the experience in a way that they understand that it's not about them. For the one doing the bullying, we know that bullying is done as a result of a deep insecurity. Related Episodes 225 A Place Called Earth Founder, Cameron Brown 237 Be Present Explains ‘Cindy Uncorked' Host Cindy Ashton 304 Learn How To Ignite Your Fire Within With Lisa Winston Our Sponsor Do you have sleepless nights? Get the  ‘Sleep Naturally' Guided Meditation by Bruce Langford. Deep, easy sleep is yours to enjoy.  Drift off to sleep with a calm, gentle voice. Rest comfortably, with little effort. Get this free, guided meditation today. Click here: www.MindfulnessMode.com/Sleep Special Offer Are you feeling anxiety and stress? Do you just want to be content, happy, and focused? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Zoom consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Hidary' in the subject line.

If you are looking for some great podcast monetization tips this episode is for you! I know that many podcasters consider monetizing their podcast by creating a coaching program to serve their listeners. This week I'm bringing in Bruce Langford from the Mindfulness Mode podcast to talk about how he's created a very successful coaching program that serves his audience. Check out EP 194 as Bruce and Adam discuss: *The first things that podcasters need to do if they want to create a coaching offer. *How to price your offer. *How to market your coaching offer on your podcast. *The sales method Bruce is using with an 80% success rate! Connect with Bruce: www.mindfulnessmode.com If you are asking yourself the question: How do I monetize my podcast?....This episode has you covered! *********** Are you a podcaster with a show that is doing less than 1,000 downloads per episode? Start your 14 day free trial inside the Download Growth Club:   https://www.podcastingbusiness.school/download-growth-club  

If there were 2 words that could shift the direction of your life, immediately aiming your own personal GPS exactly where you wanted, what do you think they'd be? Speaking of the direction of our lives, it's easy for our GPS to develop a short circuit. That happens when we don't program it right, or when the circuitry becomes scrambled. Our GPS is programmed by a number of factors; by what our conscious mind puts into it, what our subconscious mind puts into it, and what all the noise from the Our conscious mind protects us against perceived danger, and our past experiences all play a role in creating our personal story about what is dangerous to us. Trouble is, many of those personal stories are buried in our subconscious mind and we aren't aware of how all that information is influencing our actions. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Veering Off Course? Have you stopped to examine what you really want your life to look like? No, I mean really stopped, taken a pause from your activities, from your busyness, from your day-to-day life to allow yourself to go deep into that place where you allow every fiber of your being to relax into what you absolutely want for yourself. Maybe when you start to get to the place, you'll realize you're living your life according to somebody else's recipe. Someone in your life now or in your past impacted your thinking. Maybe even without knowing it, they said something, or did something that sent your inner GPS veering off course, attempting to take you someplace you don't even want to go to. Suggested Resources Book: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 503 Increase Your Magnetic Presence With Rachael Jayne Groover 386 Growing Grounded and Mindful with Sarah Bristow 336 Be Bold and Never Be Old Says Fitness Trainer Rico Caveglia Where Is My Place? So have you decided what those two words are that can help you change everything? Your anxiety will begin to melt. You will become focused, you will feel a certain calmness that you've been longing for. The reason you've veered off course has to do with your self-value. Somewhere along the line you started to question your own personal value. You started to wonder why you're here and you struggled with the question of ‘how do I fit in'. Where is my place here in the universe? How to Get On The Right Track Does this resonate with you? Are you burying your insecurities? There are lots of ways to bury what's bothering us. Some of us use alcohol or marijuana, some use food, some of us are workaholics. What's your method of burying your pain? How do you get through the challenges that are slapping you in the face? So many of you have reached out to me and I've now had the honor of working with a lot of you, Mindful Tribe. You know who you are. I know who you are. You are special to me, and I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about today. These two words are words I've talked about in the past. They will help you get on the right track. Listen Up To hear the two words I'm talking about, listen to this episode. Once you know the two words, you'll discover they will lead you to the process of letting go. Letting go is something we've talked a lot about on Mindfulness Mode. Doing the exercise I talk about on the episode will help you let go. It will teach you something about yourself and where you really want to be in this world. It will help reveal where you want to be headed. Two simple words that can help you get back on course. Those words can help you redirect your life so you're headed in the direction that's right for you. If you're like me, sometimes you think things have to be complicated to have value. That is definitely not true. Some of the most valuable lessons in life are the simplest. A Recent Endorsement One of my clients just finished her coaching sessions and she sent me this endorsement telling you about her success with hypnosis: “My name is Danielle Genenz. I've struggled with my inner bully, low self-esteem and lack of self worth for years. My relationships with family members have always been difficult and I've gone long periods of time without speaking with them. Since I've had the honor to work with Bruce Langford on hypnotherapy, my life has changed for the better. I've been able to establish more boundaries in my relationships, which has allowed me to renew a connection I've not had in a long time with my family. I'm able to talk with them without constant confrontations and tensions and we are now able to communicate on a weekly basis. I've also developed a sense of calmness that has been missing from my life. Now my battle with negative self talk has eased significantly and I feel more freedom to do things I enjoy without the constant burden of emotional stress. Hypnotherapy has also helped me to develop more interest in socialization and I'm better able to give more time to myself. So once you are ready to do the work, I would really recommend this program to anybody who wants to improve their life and give themselves the gift of having more peace and confidence. Bruce has made all the difference in my life and I know he can for you as well.” Danielle Genenz, Hypnosis Client You Are Appreciated I sincerely hope you're not suffering with anxiety, hurt, pain, anger, and lack of focus. If you are, you can move forward toward a better life. A life where your direction is clear, a life where you are enjoying the results of your hard work and your accomplishments. Thanks for listening to this episode about moving towards your clear goal. It's great to sit here and share this with you, just as if you were here in the room sitting right here with me. Have a great rest of your day. Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block and reduce stress? Are you discouraged and feeling anxiety? I coach people just like you. Do you just want to feel content and happy? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘2 Words' in the subject line.

Do you experience sudden outbursts of anger that happen when you least expect it? Have you noticed that you feel extremely angry towards certain people or certain types of people? Maybe there's someone in your life that gets under your skin and yet there doesn't seem to be any rational reason for it. That has been the case with me at various times in my life. I was a teacher for a long time and I would notice lots of different personality traits in my students. Sometimes fellow teachers would say things that would irritate me and I'd wonder why I'd feel so much irritation as a result of their comment. The word rage never came to mind when I thought about my reaction to certain situations, but now that I've learned more about the conscious and subconscious mind and how our minds work, I realize that there was a level of rage that was gurgling and bubbling just below the surface. Certain personalities or specific words or phrases would potentially case that gurgling rage to erupt. Sometimes the eruption was minor and no one else would even be aware of it. Occasionally I would do or say something that was out of place and I'd wonder why that happened. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify What is trauma? Now I realize that what triggered my rage was something related to an early trauma in my life. So when I say trauma, I want to be clear that an event that was traumatizing to me, may seem like a nothing event to you. I used to think that traumas were always events like a car accident, a house fire, sexual abuse, or a robbery. A quick online search tells us that, “In general, trauma can be defined as a psychological, emotional response to an event or an experience that is deeply distressing.” Another definition says that, “Trauma is the lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event.” It goes on to say, “Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person's sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships. Long after the traumatic event occurs, people with trauma can often feel shame, helplessness, powerlessness and intense fear.” You may have experienced trauma and don't even know it. Suggested Resources Book: Lighter: Create Lasting and Healthy Habits to Lose Weight & Keep It Off for Life Without the Struggle by Erika Flint Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Dreams To Destiny; Mark Victor Hansen & Crystal Dwyer Hansen Find Happiness and Success Even Through Traumatic Events; Forrest Willett 447 Discover Your Energetic Solutions Through Sheevaun Moran Do You See Your Angry Self? Trauma can take the form of abductions, terrible invasions of privacy, sexual abuse, violent attacks; all kinds of awful things happen to people in the world. Some of it is remembered and some isn't. Generally speaking, our subconscious mind has the ability to remember and categorize vast amounts of information including incidents, words spoken to us, even smells, sounds, images, sensations, and emotions. Only a minuscule amount of this information makes it to the conscious mind. So much of it we are not able to recall. It seems to be lost forever. Even though it seems to be lost, sometimes this information comes out in dreams and sometimes is triggered by certain random things that might surprise you. Maybe a brief musical phrase from a song, a certain aroma, or the face of an innocent stranger. Some people who experience terrible traumas are unable to remember them at all, or maybe they just remember random bits and pieces. Traumatic events are usually not remembered sequentially, with a beginning, middle, and end. If anything is remembered, usually it's short, abbreviated chunks that can show up as memory flashes. Some people are bewildered at what these apparently isolated memories are all about. A lot of people are confused when these memory flashes trigger anger and rage that they didn't even know was there, beneath the surface. All of a sudden you're exploding at someone, or you're ranting and raving about something. Maybe you hear yourself screaming and yelling at someone and it almost feels like you're witnessing another person doing the shouting. Somehow you know it's you, but you feel completely out of control.   A Recent Endorsement One of my clients just finished her sessions and she sent me this endorsement telling you about her success with hypnosis: “My name is Danielle Genenz. I've struggled with my inner bully, low self-esteem and lack of self worth for years. My relationships with family members have always been difficult and I've gone long periods of time without speaking with them. Since I've had the honor to work with Bruce Langford on hypnotherapy, my life has changed for the better. I've been able to establish more boundaries in my relationships, which has allowed me to renew a connection I've not had in a long time with my family. I'm able to talk with them without constant confrontations and tensions and we are now able to communicate on a weekly basis. I've also developed a sense of calmness that has been missing from my life. Now my battle with negative self talk has eased significantly and I feel more freedom to do things I enjoy without the constant burden of emotional stress. Hypnotherapy has also helped me to develop more interest in socialization and I'm better able to give more time to myself. So once you are ready to do the work, I would really recommend this program to anybody who wants to improve their life and give themselves the gift of having more peace and confidence. Bruce has made all the difference in my life and I know he can for you as well.” Danielle Genenz, Hypnosis Client More Mainstream An interesting thing about hypnosis is that instructions and suggestions can affect later behaviors of a subject. A friend of mine was hypnotized and it was suggested that he would want to drink glasses and glasses of ice water. As a result, he found himself craving ice water day after day; something that hadn't been part of his life at all before he was hypnotized. The fact that hypnosis can help you get to the root of your anger, your pain, and your rage, as I mentioned in the title of today's episode, is what is making hypnosis more and more mainstream. Lessen Anxiety You may have heard of someone who successfully went to a hypnotist to quit smoking or to lose weight. The results are effective 95 to 98 per cent of the time and positive results are usually related to how much the subject wants to change and how trusting they are of the person doing the hypnosis. I've seen this to be true. My most trusting clients, and my clients who have the greatest desire to change their behaviors, have been very successful. If you are hoping to lessen your anxiety and stress, hypnosis is a great tool. If you would like to become more calm, more content in your life, and, as I say on Mindfulness Mode, reach new heights of calm, focus, and happiness, then hypnosis is an effective tool that is quicker than most methods and a lot more inexpensive too. You Are Appreciated I sincerely hope you're not suffering through terrible rage and anger, but if you are, you can move forward toward a better life. A life where your anger is under control, a life where you are enjoying the results of your hard work and your accomplishments. Thanks for listening to this episode about calming your rage. It's great to sit here and share this with you, just as if you were here in the room sitting right here with me. Have a great rest of your day. Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block and reduce stress? Are you discouraged and feeling anxiety? I coach people just like you. Do you just want to feel content and happy? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Rage' in the subject line.

After coaching many clients, it is obvious that the most difficult challenge for most people is not developing certain skills, or becoming more focused, it is the skill of letting go. Many of the people I work with come to realize that what's holding them back is an inner bully, or a mindset that is making it impossible for them to move forward. In many cases, this mindset served them in a positive way at one point in the their life, but as time went by, that same mindset no longer serves them. That inner bully originally protected them in a way that was critically important at the time. In other words, they may not have survived through their challenge back then if it hadn't been for this particular thought process. Years later, it became obvious that this inner dialogue was no longer helping them to move forward in life. Once my client came to this realization, then the burning question became obvious. “Now that I know my problem, how do I move forward? How do I let go of that particular way of thinking?” If you're a regular listener of Mindfulness Mode, you'll know that I refer to this negative thought pattern as your inner bully. But how do you let this thought pattern go?   Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Do Both Minds Agree? If you're like me, you might have difficulty letting go of books that are accumulating on your shelves, clothes you haven't worn lately, or even tools that you no longer use. Letting go of thoughts that are holding you back can be difficult in a similar way. First, you have to have a clear understanding of the mindset that is holding you back. Once you gain that understanding, you have to make sure your desire to let go is genuine. Does you conscious mind and your subconscious mind both agree that this mindset is no longer serving you? Listen to the episode for more details on how to use movement to let go. Suggested Resources Book: The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing by Dr. Susan Shumsky Book: The Complete Book Of Running by James Fixx Book: Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond The Mat by Kelly DiNardo App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 362 Discover Mindfulness In Ultramarathon Running; Deepak Shukla 485 Yoga Wisdom Beyond The Mat; Kelly DiNardo 514 Chakra Healing For Transformation With Dr. Susan Shumsky Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block and reduce stress? Are you discouraged and feeling anxiety? I coach people just like you. Do you just want to feel content and happy? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Let Go' in the subject line.

Today I'm going to share with you how to leave anxiety behind and become more calm and centered. As you know, I've interviewed over 600 guests on Mindfulness Mode and it's not surprising that some patterns are emerging. One of those patterns has to do with anxiety and stress and what you can do to decrease that undesirable feeling that we're all familiar with. First, remember that stress is an emotion. I know you're likely saying, well that's obvious, but I want to remind you that our motions are there for a reason. Emotions exist to tell us that something is going on with our body or something needs to be adjusted. Human emotions are like the warning lights on your car's dashboard that let you know that something on your car needs attention. Maybe the fuel is low, the oil needs to be topped up, or your coolant is running low. There are warning lights on your dash to let you know of a bunch of different things that might need attention on your car. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify What Are Emotions For? Emotions serve a similar purpose. Loneliness means that you need more human interaction in your life. Anger could mean you need to pay attention and possibly make a change regarding something that's happening. There's no doubt about it, emotions can be a complex system of letting you know something needs adjusted. For one thing, in our society, a lot of us have learned to push our emotions away, pretend they aren't real, or sometimes we might not identify our emotions accurately. Maybe we think we're feeling stress, but it's actually boredom, or loneliness. Feel-Good Chemicals Our body's have an amazing system of secreting hormones and chemicals in response to various emotions. Most people realize that when we experience fight or flight, our body creates chemicals as a result. Although we don't always realize this fact, when we work up a sweat, there are some feel-good chemicals that help us feel better and can even make you feel like you're experiencing a high. You've probably heard of runner's high. The chemicals we're talking about are endorphins. The Games In order to experience this feeling, you have to make movement a way of life. You have to create a habit that includes some kind of activity. Brisk walking or running can do this for you, but of course there are lots of other choices too. The 2020 Olympics are on right now, and that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk about physical activity and sport. This year's Tokyo games are officially called the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020. Take some time to tune in to some events and allow yourself to enjoy and be inspired by the athletes. I usually find that once I tune in, I get so interested that I want to watch even more. Like I said, allow yourself to be inspired. After all, all these athletes started somewhere, and you can be sure there were times when they needed some inspiration and encouragement from others. We can all encourage each other, no matter what challenges we're up against at any given time. Beat Your Stress Let's talk about running. Running helps to improve your mood because it makes you feel better about yourself and gives you a sense of accomplishment. It also can be addicting, as once you get in a routine and start feeling the positive effects, you'll likely want to stick with it. Running is also inexpensive and convenient. You don't need a gym membership or expensive equipment. Running is a great exercise and a perfect way to beat stress and anxiety, and also get connected to nature. That's true of course, as long as you have somewhere to run when you can enjoy the trees, the birds, or whatever aspect of nature you enjoy. The reason running helps beat stress, is because the body releases endorphins which are often called “feel-good” chemicals. They can act as a pain reliever and happiness booster. Endorphins are primarily made in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus and also in the pituitary glands, though they may come from other parts of the body as well. These are some of the reasons that running is a great choice. A Routine To Diminish Stress You might have heard me say on the show before that I never did any running and never really wanted to in my life. Then, back in 2018, I started walking 45 minutes every day. Later I upped it to an hour. Then in December 2020, I decided to try running. I didn't push myself too hard, I just ran if I felt like it. I noticed that it felt good and that I could work up a better sweat once I started running. So that got me into the habit of running for an hour every day. The distance I run is about 6.6 kilometers which is 4 miles. I usually run down the country road where we live and then turn around and come back. Of course, there are options, so I can go in either direction from my house, and I can run further than the 6.6 kilometers if I want to. I've noticed that it really feels good to do this as part of my regular routine. Inspired By Dick Cycling is also popular, and is a terrific choice as a way to stay fit and experience the boost created by our body's chemicals. Cycling can help you build up your muscles and stay in shape. It's also fun, because you can ride with friends, a cycling club, or even go solo. This sport has been around for years, but it's just as popular today as it was in the past. I'm inspired by my uncle Dick, because a few years ago, when he retired, he took up cycling. He lost weight and became incredibly passionate about cycling. He also cycles in a velodrome. A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. It features steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straight sections of track. The straights, as they're called, transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve. A Great American Swimmer Swimming is another terrific fitness activity that will help you stay fit, costs very little, and allows you to have fun in the water. If you have aches and pains, or are recovering from an injury, being in the water is a good way to exercise without worrying about harming your joints or muscles. Swimming will help you strengthen your body without stressing sore joints and muscles too much. If you have a competitive spirit, swimming can be great too, because you can swim laps and challenge yourself, or swim with others and build on your successes. I've always loved watching swimmers in the Olympics and I am always inspired by Michael Phelps. I've read some of his quotes like, “You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” What About You? Some of my guests have talked about how he inspired them to achieve greatness. I haven't read his book, but it's on my list of books to read. Check it out, it's called, No Limits: The Will to Succeed. He published his book in 2009 and I know it's been recommended as a book to read by some of my guests. He also published another book in 2016 called, Beneath the Surface: My Story. I'm sure those books would be inspiring and well worth reading. What's your favorite activity or sport that helps reduce stress in your life? Is there an athlete that inspired you to take up a sport that is now part of your life? I'd love to hear from you. What are you enjoying most about the Tokyo Olympics? Is there an athlete that you're fired up about and feel like the world should know more about their sport or what they're up to? Send me an email, Bruce@mm.com and let me know your thoughts. Suggested Resources Book: Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday by Matthew Sockolov Book: No Limits: The Will To Succeed by Michael Phelps Book: Beneath The Surface: My Story by Michael Phelps App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 362 Discover Mindfulness In Ultramarathon Running; Deepak Shukla 162 Running To Focus On The Inside With Diz Runs Host Denny Krahe 047 Hilde Larsen: Gratitude Will Put You In A Sense Of Awareness Every Second Our Sponsor Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep-rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block and reduce stress? Are you discouraged and feeling anxiety? I coach people just like you. Do you just want to feel content and happy? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Lessen Your Stress' in the subject line.

Thrive – What does that mean to you? Here's what I found online: If someone or something thrives, they do well and are successful, healthy, or strong. He appears to be thriving. Today her company continues to thrive. Synonyms: prosper, do well, flourish. Is honesty important to you? When I was a teenager, I started thinking a lot about honesty. I realized it's complex. As a younger person, I thought honesty was black and white. You were either an honest person or you weren't. I thought you were either telling the truth, or you were lying. Then I started rethinking the whole honesty thing, and began to see that it's not cut and dried the way I had previously thought. For one thing, if you don't have a concept of right and wrong, is honesty even a concept you can understand? I would say no to that question. I'd look at my dog and think, Sadie lives in the moment, she doesn't judge, she doesn't lie, she doesn't tell the truth, she doesn't worry about being honest, because honesty isn't a concept that an animal could understand. Well, humans have different concepts of honesty too. What about children? A young child is operating in a completely different sphere compared to that of an adult. Their brain isn't developed and concepts like honesty, being dependable, emotional maturity, those are all going to be developed later as the child gets older. For true honesty, we need to look inward. Are we being honest with ourselves? Am I just kidding myself when I say I'm going to read that book today, and then the day ends, and I haven't read anything? Keeping promises to yourself is a great way to build your own credibility. The promise can be as simple as, “I'm going to pay a bill today” or “I will go for a walk around the block today”.   Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify I Respect You Once you keep your promise, you're saying to yourself, “I respect you, I believe in you enough to keep my promises”. Keeping promises to yourself can help your mental health too. It can help keep you mentally fit and strong. Have you experienced your emotion when you didn't keep a promise to yourself? If you're like me, it felt like energy leaving my body, like a sinking feeling. A little like being sucked into quicksand. That's because if you don't keep one promise to yourself, your subconscious mind will wonder if you can be trusted at all. It starts to question everything you think, everything you decide you want to do. There's now a big question mark there.   Cementing That Pattern Back, almost a month ago, on June 20th, I published an episode called, Attachment Theory and Mindfulness. In that episode I talked about keeping promises to yourself and I said that it's important to keep your promises to yourself. If you heard that episode, you'll remember that I explained, ‘this is why a lot of people can't lose weight, quit smoking, or give up alcohol.' If broken promises are a pattern in your life, then every day, every week, every month you're cementing that pattern and making it reality. The same problems, the same broken promises, and the same discouraging let downs keep happening over and over. Broken Promises When we start struggling with broken promises like this, the battle is between the conscious and subconscious mind. This is a common struggle for a lot of us, and sometimes we don't realize that's what's holding us back. I talked about the challenge I call MindMode73. It's 73 days of keeping a promise to yourself. How are you doing? Did you jump on-board and make a challenge to yourself that you're working on for 73 days? I've received emails from some of you, Mindful Tribe, telling me that you took the challenge and you're headed toward day 73. I mentioned that you can easily find your goal date by typing into Google, “what is the date 73 days from now?” Running In The Rain I didn't tell you that my goal date was July 15, but that was it, just two days ago, so I've reached my goal on this current challenge I was working on. Right now I'm getting ready to start again and I'm adjusting some of the specifics. I never thought I would like running, but now I look forward to it. It feels weird to say it, but I like running in the rain and the cold. This morning it was raining for my whole run and it felt good. It felt energizing and refreshing. I ran every day except for 5 days when I walked the 4 miles. I'm glad I determined at the beginning that I could walk or run. I wanted be ready for some days when my body would need a break or maybe I wouldn't be feeling 100 percent, so I promised myself I could either run or walk. On those 5 days, I needed to walk instead of doing my usual run. Anyway, I'm looking for some new exercises to do at night to keep strengthening my core. I've got a few ideas, but haven't totally decided yet. Can you tell that keeping these promises to myself is rewarding, and makes me feel empowered? A Powerful Mind Game Keeping a daily promise is what's important, no matter how basic that promise is. Make sure you consult your doctor if you're thinking about doing any kind of fasting or if you're adding exercise to your schedule that you're not used to. My doctor is 100 percent behind me on this, but definitely check your plans out with your doctor. Like I mentioned, I call this plan, MindMode73. It's a mind game and a lot of these ideas came from guests I've had on Mindfulness Mode. 73 is one of my favourite numbers, and I like to head towards that 73 day goal. This idea of keeping daily promises to yourself isn't my idea, lots of other people have talked about creating a schedule, a daily plan and sticking to it. The only thing different about mine is that I like to call it MindMode73. Join me. Let me know how you're doing. Having a few daily habits can help you too. How about you? Would you like to set up some basic promises to keep in your life for 73 days? Remember, if you forget to do one thing on any given day, you have to start over again and start your 73 days from the very beginning. That's part of what makes this motivating. I got caught a few times with the reading. I'd remember to do everything else, and then I'd forget to do the reading. Now I'm more on track with the reading and I almost always do it earlier in the day, usually before 5. If I wait, I find I sometimes can't seem to keep my eyes open to do the reading. What would your daily promises be if you decided to do MindMode73? Making a promise and sticking to it is empowering. Make a chart or an infographic, and post it where you'll see it every day. That can help remind you to keep your daily promises as well. If you decide to do this, I'd love to hear from you. What are your promises? What day are you on? How is it going? Is it helping you feel empowered? Send me an email, bruce@mindfulnessmode.com. I'd love to hear about your progress. Have a great week.  Suggested Resources Book: A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield App: Insight Timer Related Episodes Reclaim Your Eating Habits With The Freedom Promise; Mindy Gorman-Plutzer 479 Using The Whole Method To Blaze Your Own Trail; Rhonda Smith 235 See Into Your Mind With Timothy Carroll Our Sponsor Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep-rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It's not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. Are you struggling with hate, pain, and anger? I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to contentment. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Promises' in the subject line.

Attachment theory is connected to relationships and bonds between people, including long-term relationships, short-term relationships, parent-child relationships, and romantic relationships. It is a theory developed by the British psychologist, John Bowlby, who described attachment as “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify If you believe your life is unfolding the way it is because of attachment issues, what can you do about it? How can you take control of your life? One of the things you can do is to become more aware of your conscious mind and how it is controlling your actions. Notice your patterns and how they are keeping you in a particular place. Before I understood the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind, I felt like there was a war within myself. Having interviewed over 650 guests for Mindfulness Mode, I've come to believe that a majority of the populations is experiencing this ‘Inner Bully' to a certain degree. Maybe you want to go to the gym or eat healthier and it's just not happening no matter how hard you try. Maybe it's about being more productive or you want to stop self sabotaging your relationships. Have you come to realize that you're falling back into those same ruts or patterns. This is usually a sign that your conscious mind has one intention and your subconscious mind have another. It's the subconscious mind that always wins in the end. Tune into the episode to learn more about attachment theory. Suggested Resources Book: How To Do The Work by Dr. Nicole Lepera App: www.InsightTimer.com Related Episodes Personal Development For Success; Thais Gibson Into The Nothing With Gabriel Cousens 403 Listening To Smile With Composer Ian Morris Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It's not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Attachment' in the subject line.

Hate is the topic today; how mindfulness, love, and compassion can help diminish hate. I did a search on my database of shows and found out that the word hate has never been used in any of my podcast titles. And that's nearly 700 titles. I find that interesting. I've been thinking a lot about fear, anger and hate lately and how they are connected and I've come to the conclusion that hate is a huge problem in our world. Of course that's a huge understatement. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify If hate is such a huge problem, why do we want to avoid the subject so much? Surely someone would have come on my show and talked about hate to the extent that the word would have ended up in the title? Attachment disorder is something that we've talked about quite a bit on the show. It causes a lot of problems with our mindset and our ability to have lasting relationships. My topic next week is going to be attachment disorder, so tune in next week for that episode.  Our inner bully causes all kinds of problems, and many of those problems boil down to fear and hate. Is Your Ego Protecting You? As you know, our ego is essentially trying to protect us, but sometimes it doesn't do a very good job of that. Our ego can be shortsighted, and only think about protecting us now. It isn't good at looking at our overall future and looking after us in the long run. So here's the reason I'm talking about hate today. Growing Like Sourdough I focus every day on including thoughts in my meditation like, I see God in everyone and everything, with compassion. I meditate on that phrase and think about compassion a lot. I believe if I hate something and entertain the thought of hating something, that hate is going to be like a sticky, dark substance, creeping within my body and brain. It will expand and grow like the sourdough starter we had a few weeks ago in our kitchen.  That's how I think of hate. It's very closely related to fear. It comes from fear. Fear stems from the unknown. It is a feeling of not knowing what's coming next. Maybe I won't be safe or maybe my family won't be safe. Our ego wants us to be safe in every moment. Therefore, sometimes we have to step out of our safety-zone and do what feels dangerous. Doing that will cause us to grow, no matter what happens. Living The Safe Life But what if we never step out of our safety zone? What if we decide to live a life of constant safety, never taking any kind of risk? For me that sounds like a prison sentence. Being locked up so you can never have freedom to do things that seem different, risky, unique. Why Talk About Hate? I still haven't told you why hate is on my mind. Last Sunday, a family in our city of London Ontario, went out for a relaxing evening walk. Mom and Dad, grandma, and the two children, their son, 9 and daughter 15. They never returned home because a hate-filled man saw them on the sidewalk and killed them. He didn't shoot them. That might have happened in some places, but gun violence is not big here. He didn't stab them or throw a grenade. He saw them as he was driving his pickup truck down the street and he deliberately ran them down, killing 4 of them and injuring the 9 year old boy. Hate Crime Police immediately stated that this was a deliberate hate crime against those people because of their culture and religion. I am well aware that in some parts of the world, violence, bombing, and killing, against people because of their faith and culture, is fairly common. But it's not common in Canada. In fact, many people in the world think of Canada as peace loving and peace keeping. For years, people in war torn countries have emigrated to Canada, believing it's a safe country to come to. Feeling Unsafe I certainly feel safe here in Canada, but I'm horrified to think of the hate that would cause a man to deliberately attack and kill an innocent family, a muslim family. We don't know a lot of details yet, but we know it was a hate crime. I feel so much pain about this. And this kind of hate and anger is directly connected to mindfulness. When you begin to explore mindfulness, you begin to notic e your emotions. Maybe you've been suppressing them for years, maybe you don't know why you have outbursts, or why you have listed you adult life being addicted to cocaine, or meth. Maybe you only know how to make endless money with what you do, but you don't know how to relate to people, or keep a happy relationship working in your life. Maybe for you, it's the opposite, you can't seem to make money no matter what you do, and you can figure out why those around you have no trouble keeping a flow of money into their life, but you feel like money is a constant struggle. Fear's Nasty Cousin All of this boils down to fear. And fear expresses itself as anger. If people that I see in my community chose to wear different clothes from me, maybe a turban, or a hijab, so what. We live in a free world. Why shouldn't people be free to practice whatever religion they want? Why shouldn't people be able to dress how they want and not feel that they'll be judged by others, and possibly attacked or killed? Homophobia has been a big part of our world, certainly in many areas. Sometimes it's hidden and sometimes it's out in the open. There are people who disown their child when they find out they are gay. People who are gay should be able to live their life as they want and not feel scared every time they go out in public. The same is true for Jews, or Hindus, or Muslims, or Christians or other groups who are peace loving. Precious People You might remember me mentioning that I was a full-time music teacher, then worked for over 10 years in bullying prevention. Sometimes I do substitute teaching. Because we've welcomed many people here to Canada, I often have lots of children from many cultures. Sometimes three quarter of the class or more are from foreign countries. You know what? They are loveable, kind, precious people who deserve to be safe in our country. Feelings of hate that people have, go back to anger. I used to think that words like homophobia, and zenaphonia were so strange because we know the word phobia refers to a fear of something. Now I realize that fear is the root emotion of hate. Hate is formed out of fear and there is massive amount of hate in the world. Obviously, this is not new. We know that hate is a problem, but the thing is, hate erodes your own opinion of yourself. Rather, if you have a low opinion of yourself, fear and hate is a product of that. Fear comes out of self-loathing. Are You Enough? That's why I talk about self-bullying so much. It's wide-spread. So many people suffer because they don't believe they are ‘enough'. They believe there is something wrong with them. Have you ever wondered what's wrong with you? Just take a minute and be honest with yourself. Have you ever had moments when you thought, I just can't figure out how to be happy. Or I don't know why I can't have a great relationship with someone. Maybe, like I said earlier, your problem has to do with anxiety, depression, addiction of some kind, or even that constant inner voice telling you you're a loser. All of these problems are related to your Inner Bully. And all of these problems can be reversed and helped with hypnosis because hypnosis is about reaching your emotions, examining what thoughts you've attached to events in your life, and going back and changing those thoughts. It's about your conscious and sub-conscious mind. I said all those problems can be reversed, but I want to make something clear. Those problems can only be reversed if you want that for yourself. You have to want to change and want to become different. And the amount of WANT is important. If you're just a little ho-hum, a bit wishy-washing about wanting a change, it's likely not going to happen, even with hypnosis. How Deep's Your Passion? My most successful clients, are people who came to me after trying so many methods to change. They've read books, listened to podcasts, tried new habits, got close to nature, taken supplements, but it was hypnosis that made the difference. That's because those people were passionate about wanting to change their lives. And I mean passionate with a capital P. Sometimes I explained that we'd possibly be going back to relive some tough moments in their lives, or we'd have to revisit some hurtful or angry times in their lives. My successful clients were people who responded by saying, ‘Let's Do It'. Where do I sign up? Why, Why, Why? I don't know why that 20 year old guy in my city would have so much anger against Muslims, that he would plan to kill an innocent family. I can only imagine that it's all about xenophobia. This attacker is almost the same age as my own son. I went to the funeral yesterday for the four family members that were killed. I wanted to show my support as a Canadian who believes there's no room for hate in our hearts. There's only room for love and compassion. The funeral was about love and compassion and one of the statements that was made was as they prayed for the surviving 9 year old boy, was that “all hatred and resentment would be removed from his heart”. If we vow to bring love and compassion into our heart, then hate will diminish. Hate will be cornered out. I want to send as much love and light as possible into the heart of the 20 year old man who did this, and his family. I can't even imagine the torture his twin sister and his family must be experiencing. Obviously this will go to trial and information will come out. I only know what has been released in the media. Thoughts From Our Leader Prime Minister Trudeau came to London and spoke to Canadians about hate and how “we can and we must act … to confront the ugly face of hatred. I want all Canadians to know that we are all diminished when any one of us is targeted. We need to stand up and reject racism and terror and work together to embrace what makes our country strong – our diversity.” I'm glad our Prime Minister has addressed this act of terrorism the way he has and I just hope that serious work will be done by the government to address this problem of hate and of racist, xenophobic attitudes and behaviours. Where Is The Answer? As a mindfulness teacher and coach, I believe the answer to this problem lies within each of us. It has to start with me, with every one of us. What are my thoughts, my views, my opinions? What is the internal dialogue going on in my own mind? Am I listening to the voice of my inner bully? Am I strong enough to change this dialogue? What I've found out from you, Mindful Tribe, is that a lot of us are frustrated and suffering. We want to be strong and deal with our inner bully, deal with our addiction, or our loneliness, or whatever other problem may seem central in your life. We Must Help Each Other We have to help each other. Some of us have skills we can use to help others have a more contented and happy life. I'm grateful and honoured to be able to help so many people through challenges. Maybe you're experiencing fear, frustration, and maybe a specific challenge like I've mentioned. Maybe you've been putting it off and haven't found the courage to reach out. I would say to you, this is your time. Be strong, make up your mind to set up a 30 minute call with me to find out if you're a candidate for hypnosis. Email me at bruce@MindfulnessMode.com and we'll talk about how hypnosis, combined with my coaching, will be the key to transition your life from frustration, to contentment and happiness. This is your time. I'll tell you about some of my clients who are now experiencing a sense of freedom and peace in their lives as a result of the hypnosis sessions they've experienced. You Are A Gift Bring more love into your heart. Start with you. You are a gift from the universe and the more you believe that, the more compassion you'll have for yourself. And the more compassion you have for yourself, the less room you'll have in your heart for hate and negativity. Contentment is possible for you. Right now you may think it couldn't happen, but it can. It's up to you to make up your mind to do the work, make a change, and move forward. Trudeau is right. We must confront the ugly face of hatred. And if hate is living within your heart, that hate is eating away at you. It's a negativity that doesn't belong there. Make up your mind to make a change. Live with mindfulness, welcome nature, and meditation, and confront your inner bully in the many ways we address here on the show. Thanks for listening. Peace be with you. Suggested Resources Book: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron Book: The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now by Thich Nhat Hanh Book: Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg and Jon Kabat-Zinn App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 165 Be Real, Raw, Honest and Mindful Recommends Dr Ed Osburn 228 Fear Is Not Real Explains Salt Water Buddha Author Jaimal Yogis 328 Discover The Secret Behind Magical Success; Sylvia Becker-Hill Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It's not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I'm Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and I love to help people just like you! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘Love and Compassion' in the subject line.

Let’s talk about forgiveness. It can be a challenge to let go of the past, but it is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your peace of mind. Holding onto anger or resentment will only cause stress and sadness in your life. For some of us, there is anger seething just below the surface and you probably don’t realize the extent of the damage it is causing. When you forgive someone who has hurt you, it helps to release that person from being a part of your story. Let go of what was done to you by forgiving them with compassion, understanding, and love instead. You deserve happiness too! Letting go can be difficult but it is worth doing. A common believe is that forgiveness is for the other person, yet you will receive profound benefit and peace as a result of learning to let go of the internal stories that are holding you back. Learning to let go is a constant theme of mindfulness, and learning to let go is what forgiveness is all about. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Many of my guests have talked on the show about how life changing the teachings of Eckhart Tolle have been in their lives. He wrote The Power Of Now, and that book is by far, the most recommended book on Mindfulness Mode. This morning, I decided to listen to Eckhart Tolle during my run. I usually listen to a track that allows me to do 7th Path Self Hypnosis, but today I listened to the audio of The Power of Now. Do not equate what someone did to what they are as a person. Forgiveness Defined Eckhart Tolle defines forgiveness this way. He says forgiveness is not to harbor grievance or resentment or any negative feeling about a specific event or person. He says forgiveness is only possible when you are connected with the formless in yourself. Hanging On? If you are struggling with anxiety or stress, it may be because you are hanging on to something that you need to let go of. A lot of people live for years hanging on to stories and beliefs that someone wronged them. If that’s you, it’s important for you to realize that these beliefs are holding you back, they’re harming you. These stories are preventing you from living your best life. You would have way more peace and contentment if you were able to let go of the stories that say you’ve been wronged somehow. Forgiveness is a choice and for a long time I didn’t realize that. I didn’t’ understand that, in a second, I could decide to let go of the story that I played over and over in my mind, the story that I had somehow been wronged or mistreated. Not An Obligation Forgiveness is not an obligation. You are usually the one to receive the greatest benefit from forgiving someone or some thing. A lot of people think that forgiving serves the person that you are forgiving. That’s usually a misconception. It can be a benefit to the other person, but the benefit is usually for you, the one doing the forgiving, the one letting go of the story. Sometimes it’s not a person we need to forgive, but a situation or an unfolding of events. Guilt Lives On Guilt can live on and exist for your entire life. Even if you've never told anyone about the situation or incident that caused the guilt, that negative story can live on within you. Maybe years later you will realize that you can forgive yourself. It will not be necessary to talk to the person in your story who wronged you. It is possible for you to let go of the story of guilt in an instant. You can decide to have peace and move on.  Much of forgiveness is really forgiving yourself. That’s the most important kind of forgiveness there is. Often, buried deep down in our sub-conscious mind is a story we’re telling about ourselves, a story where we are holding ourselves responsible for some problems in our lives. Maybe we are blaming ourselves for not making enough money, not having enough friends, or not meeting up to our own standards in some way. A lot of people never come to this place of realizing that the most important kind of forgiveness is self-forgiveness. Having an on-going mindfulness practice will take you closer and closer to self-forgiveness. Continual Process Learning to forgive can be an on-going process and it usually takes time and effort to make it happen. That’s why I talk about meditation, journaling, and walks in nature. All these activities will help you move to a place where you’ll be able to let go of some of these stories that are holding you back. My mind has always been super active, and I didn’t know what to do with all the thoughts and messages that were constantly buzzing in my brain. One time when I was in my early twenties, I talked to a councillor and he said, you’re thinking too much. You’re overthinking things. He asked me what I did when I would drive my car. He asked, did I listen to the radio or what? I said I usually didn’t listen to anything, I just drove in silence. He suggested I allow my brain to relax by sometimes listening to the radio, or listening to music so my brain wouldn’t be trying to solve things all the time. Do You Think Too Much? I remember thinking this was a bit strange, but Eckhart Tolle teaches the same thing. He says that we are addicted to thinking, and that too much thinking causes problems for a lot of people. To forgive, you need to first listen to your inner bully. Some call it your self-talk or your inner dialogue. Notice those stories that are on repeat in your brain. What are they about? Who are the characters? Is there pain or anger involved? Become aware of those stories, and then make a conscious decision to let them go. Release Your Story If you’re like me, there are probably lots of different stories, some more prominent than others. Once you notice one story that seems to be repeating a lot, make a decision to focus just on that story and how it would feel to let it go. To release the energy that is going in to telling that story over and over again. Write about it, dissect it, if you want to talk about it to a trusted friend, that can be therapeutic too. Then make a conscious decision to let it go, to release the energy that goes along with it. Decide that anytime that your inner bully starts to replay that story, you’ll just smile and say, been there, done that. That’s over. I’ve let it go. I’ve released that story from my Audio Collection. When I did that, I noticed there were other stories that very quickly moved into place. It was kind of like on Netflix, once you watch a suggested movie, there are then a whole lot of other suggested movies that move into the cue. Life-Long Learning But that’s ok. Learning to understand our operating system is a life-long project. The bottom line is that as you begin to understand the benefits of forgiveness, you’ll realize that those benefits include more peace in your heart and mind, less stress on your body, increased happiness, and more self-confidence. You’ll experience other benefit too, but I’m sure those will be on the list. Live In The Moment As always, there’s one major way of living that will improve your life, that is to live in the moment. Enjoy the moment because that’s everything. The present moment is all we really have that matters. If you can lessen the number of judgmental thoughts you have, the more contented you’ll be. You’ll find you’re happier, more relaxed, and able to celebrate life to a higher degree. Eckhart Tolle If you haven’t read The Power of Now, or any of Eckhart Tolle’s writings, you might want to check them out. You can listen to the audio book, or read it, whatever works for you, but if you’re like thousands of Mindfulness enthusiasts, you’ll get a lot out of his lessons. Suggested Resources Book: The Power Of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment by Eeckhart Tolle Book: A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle Youtube Video: The Importance of Forgiveness by Eckhart Tolle App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 198 How To Find Clarity and Forgiveness With Men's Coach, Tim Matthews 021 Anthony Hayes: Forget What You Think You Know 304 Learn How To Ignite Your Fire Within With Lisa Winston Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘I Believe In Me' in the subject line.

Kirsten Beske is a clinical psychotherapist and mindset coach having spent over a decade learning about human experience and fostering personal growth. She willingly shares the professional knowledge, wisdom, and skills that she has acquired throughout her career with those ready for the next level of change and transformation. However, Kirsten's personal transformation story is truly moving – from lawyer to psychotherapist, straight-identified to gay-identified, and drinking to sobriety provides lessons in inspiration, hope, and real-life resilience. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: http://apropositive.com Most Influential Person Pema Chodron Effect on Emotions The emotion of anger is the one that gets the most interesting when you can take a little bit of separation from it and can understand what's going on underneath it. I always find the most information if I feel the flash of anger it's always like a note to be curious, and [ask myself], what's going on here and try to figure out more. Having that ability to get the space to be reflective in those moments is really important for learning about yourself. Thoughts on Breathing Breathing as an anchor, I wish it wasn't as important as it is because it seems so basic. I use it all the time because it's one of those things that you can use and no one knows you're doing it. When I find myself in a high stress situation and I need to relax, (but I can't run up and down stairs or do pushups, which is another way of releasing some energy), breathing is absolutely my go-to secret weapon to help me start to settle down. Suggested Resources Book: A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield App: Dharma Seed Dharma Talks / Headspace / Calm / Insight Timer Bullying Story I always have been the fighter of bullies and when I went into law I wanted to be the protector of anyone who was being bullied. I've never felt that I've been the victim of bullying and I don't think that I've been a bully. However, I absolutely have stood up for more than a few people who I felt were being bullied. The mindfulness piece was the centeredness of my conviction of what was right. Even at a young age I had what it took to step in and tell people to knock it off, especially when the victims did not have the resources available to them [to look out for themselves] For me, it comes from the bystander intervention standpoint, the courage to step in when you needed to because things weren't right. It took some centering to do what I needed to do, even if there was going to be some pushback. Related Episodes 026 Sharon Roemmel: Erase Pain and Find Your True Purpose With Yoga 101 Mindfulness is My Diet Focusing On Nothing But Positive Thoughts; Olympic Boxer Daniel Hayes 169 Gay Pride, Mindfulness and Bullying Talk With Dear Mattie Host, Matt Marr Our Sponsor Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep-rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to lose weight? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! I personally lost 35 pounds and I’ve kept it off thanks to hypnosis. Feel good and look good. Believe it. Watch my short video and get 5 Tips on How To Lose Weight For Good. Then book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to permanent weight loss. Join our Beta offer and get 50% off. Go to www.MindfulnessMode.com/weightloss

Compassion is the topic today. It's easy to be compassionate to those we love and who are kind and loving to us. Being compassionate to every living thing is a whole different challenge. If you can truly show compassion to everyone and everything, you will experience a life that largely includes peace and contentment. My aunt Vesta was a person in my life that seemed to show compassion to everyone. She absolutely loved children and was a teacher for many years. She lived near the gates of Western University, here in London, Ontario and she took in university students year after year and kept in touch with many of them who became authors, scientists, doctors and professors. She worked in First Nations communities and always loved talking about the people in her life. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify When Aunt Vesta came to visit, one of the first things she would say is, ‘Tell me about you?’. I would ask her questions and hope that she would play the piano … she would always turn the conversation back on the person she was talking to. She had a lot to share, but she wanted to know what was happening in the lives of others. Someone else who seemed to live a beautiful and selfless life, showing a huge amount of compassion to others, is Thich Nhat Hahn, author of over 130 books. Thich Nhat Hahn Thich Nhat Hahn has written many poems and offered much advice on how to show compassion to others. Here’s a quote by Thich Nhat Hahn: “To love, we need to open our heart and release our preconceived notions about other people. We cannot judge by appearances or assumptions of what they might do.” Thich Nhat Hahn's words ring true because compassion can be a difficult thing to cultivate when you have few in your life who are kind and loving. It's easy to show compassion for those we love, but it takes more effort to show compassion for everyone. Today, I’m going to talk about how Thich Nhat Hahn has shown compassion for others and how you can apply his teachings in your own life. In case you don’t know who Thich Nhat Hahn is, he’s is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. Apostle Of Peace And Nonviolence Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled from his native Vietnam for almost four decades, Thich Nhat Hanh has been a pioneer bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and establishing an engaged Buddhist community for the 21st Century. In 1982, Thich Nhat Hahn moved to a site in the south west of France, that became known as “Plum Village.” Under Thich Nhat Hanh’s spiritual leadership, Plum Village grew from a small rural farmstead to what is now a large and active Buddhist monastery, with over 200 resident monastics and over 10,000 visitors every year, who come from around the world to learn “the art of mindful living.” In the last twenty years over 100,000 people have made a commitment to follow Thich Nhat Hanh’s modernized code of universal global ethics in their daily life, known as “The Five Mindfulness Trainings.” Wake Up Thich Nhat Hanh also founded the “Wake Up” website, a worldwide movement of thousands of young people training in the practices of mindful living, and through this program, thousands of teachers have been taught to teach mindfulness in schools in Europe, America, and Asia. In 2014, just after his 88th birthday, Thich Nhat Hanh suffered a severe stroke. Four years later, in November 2018, he returned to Vietnam to live out his remaining days. Nhất Hạnh has published over 130 books, including more than 100 in English, which have sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Thich Nhat Hanh is often referenced by guests on Mindfulness Mode and his wisdom is cherished by most of the people I know who practice mindfulness. Deep Listening Nhat Hanh refers to “Deep Listening”, which is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. It’s often called compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart. … You just listen with compassion and help him to suffer less. I’m going to share these words by Thich Nhat Hahn on compassion: In the eyes of Great Compassion, there is no separation between subject and object, no separate self. If a cruel and violent person disembowels you, you can smile and look at him with love. It is his upbringing, his situation, and his ignorance that cause him to act so mindlessly. Look at him—the one who is bent on your destruction and heaps injustice upon you—with the eyes of love and compassion. Let compassion pour from your eyes, and don’t let a ripple of blame or anger rise up in your heart. He commits senseless crimes against you and makes you suffer because he cannot see the way to peace, joy, or understanding. If someday you receive news that I have died because of someone’s cruel actions, know that I died with my heart at peace. Know that in my last moments I did not succumb to anger. We must never hate another being. If you can give rise to this awareness, you will be able to smile. Remembering me, you will continue on your path. You will have a refuge that no one can take from you. No one will be able to disturb your faith, because that faith does not rely on anything in the phenomenal world. Faith and love are one and can only emerge when you penetrate deeply the empty nature of the phenomenal world, when you can see that you are in everything and everything is In you. Long ago I read a story about a monk who felt no anger toward the cruel king who had chopped off the monk’s ear and pierced his skin with a knife. When I read that, I thought the monk must be some kind of god. That was because I did not yet know the nature of Great Compassion. The monk had no anger to hold back. All he had was a heart of love. There is nothing to prevent us from being like that monk. Love teaches that we can all live like the Buddha. I encourage you to read some material by Thich Nhat Hahn. He believed that we are all one. Understanding that we, as living beings are all one, can help us feel and show compassion for everything and everyone. I hope you’re experiencing feelings of peace, love, and true compassion. Compassion For Essential Workers There are hundreds of thousands of essential workers out there helping people struck down with COVID19. I know some of them, because of my wife, Darlene, working in the ICU, and so many of her colleagues. They’re overburdened and yet pushing through, doing whatever they can and doing it with compassion. Here in our part of the world, COVID19 is still central in the lives of many. I believe that striving to live every day by showing compassion is one of the things we’re called to do.      Thanks for listening, Mindful Tribe. Bye now. Suggested Resources Book: Path of Compassion: Stories from the Buddha's Life by Thich Nhat Hahn Book: The Art of Mindful Living: How to Bring Love, Compassion, and Inner Peace into Your Daily Life by Thich Nhat Hahn Book: Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN by Tara Brach App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 511 Pause, Breathe, And Smile To Awaken Your Mindfulness; Gary Gach (Note: Gary Gach was educated by Thich Nhat Hahn) 027 Nirmala: Be curious and discover who you are through mindfulness and meditation 503 Increase Your Magnetic Presence With Rachael Jayne Groover Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘I Believe In Me' in the subject line.

Nurture Your Soul With Creativity is the topic of today’s show. Think back to the happiest times of your life. Does there seem to be any connection for you between your most creative times and your happiest times? For me, as a musician, I’ve had some of the happiest times of my life creating music, or teaching music to others and helping them learn to be creative. I personally think that meditation can help you become more creative. I recently interviewed Tom Cronin – he’s passionate about reducing stress and chaos in people’s lives. We didn’t talk specifically about creativity, but I know Tom is high on the creative scale. Tom Cronin is the founder of The Stillness Project, a global movement to inspire one billion people to sit in stillness, daily. Tom has written a number of books, including his recent publication, The Portal: How Meditation Can Save The World. Saving the world requires us as humans to be more creative than we’ve been in the past. I published Tom's episode a few days ago and you can hear it at www.mindfulnessmode.com/653. It’s called, “How Meditation Can Save The World”. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify I’ve done some research on this topic of creativity and I’ve come up with five conclusions I’d like to talk about today. I’m curious to hear what you think about creativity. Send me an email at bruce@mindfulnessmode.com Here are five ways creativity can improve our lives: 1/ Creativity Helps You Solve Problems Creativity is a skill that can be learned. You don't need to be an artist or musician to be creative, you can use your creativity in everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, gardening, or organizing. Use Osborn’s Creative Problem Solving technique with brainstorming in between the steps as follows: Clarify and identify the problem – Pretend that the problem is not that important Research the problem Formulate creative challenges Generate ideas Combine and evaluate the ideas Draw up an action plan Do it! (implement the ideas) Complex problem solving requires some step-by-step action. You have to think about it and use your knowledge and experience to come up with solutions. Your work experience can help you a lot and the knowledge you have gained in your education. From there, bring your emotion into play by allowing your mind to go to a story or incident that happened in your life where your emotions were triggered. Allow yourself to use empathy and imagination as you relax and let your mind go wherever it chooses. A formula you might want to use would be: imagination + creativity + empathy + innovation = Problem Solving 2/ Creative People Are More Successful Look around you. Think of the people you know. Do the more creative people seem to be more successful in your circles? Well, in my opinion, creative peioke tend to be more passionate about their work and I think that leads to more discoveries, more advancement, and more great relationships at work. Creative ppl tend to ask the question ‘What if” frequently, allowing their mind to explore possibilities. From what I’ve read about Elon Musk, I think he used his ‘what if’ mentality to ask himself what would happen if he created a company that would make commercial space flight possible? His companies are built around what could happen if creativity was the key factor. Creativity reminds me of a quote by Pablo Picasso. He’s known for saying, “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up”. It’s important for adults to continue to massage their creativity so we don’t become too left brain dependent and forget about the thrill we get from life when we allow our creativity to play an active role. 3/ Creative People Have Better Relationships Creative people have better relationships for several reasons. For one, they are often more motivated compared to less creative people. Creative people tend to be more relaxed and easy-going and that quality means they are drawn to people looking for a comfortable, relaxed, non-threatening relationship  Optimists tend to be creative. Being positive and up-beat is something that you'll frequently see in creative men and women. This up-beat nature, especially at it's most comfortable state, is another reason that you'll see these creatives with lots of friends and casual relationships.  Noticing emotions and being able to express those emotions is another quality common in creative people. People with this quality will be more sensitive to your feelings and needs than a person who is not considered to be creative.  Those specifically seeking out people to develop relationships with are often looking for some of the above traits.  4/ Creative People are Healthier and Live Longer Does it make sense to you that creative people live longer? I think creative people are happier, and I believe it makes sense that happier people live longer. I know in my case, I’m a lot happier when I’m doing creative activities compared to when I’m spending my time on what I would consider non-creative activities. The topic of creativity has come up a lot in my interviews on Mindfulness Mode, and just as an observation, I’ve noticed that health and creativity seem to be aligned. There are studies about this topic and a study from 2012 researched veteran men. The researchers, Turiano, Spiro and Mroczek, followed 1,349 veterans for over 10 years . They looked at their intellect and creativity. They rated their creativity based on these five words: creative, imaginative, artistic, innovative, and uncreative. The researchers identified creativity with the following phrase; “a facet of openness”. They concluded that creativity was related to a reduced risk of mortality. Specifically, each standard deviation increase in creativity was associated with a 12 percent decrease in mortality risk over the 18-year follow-up period. The study’s authors concluded, “creativity predicted mortality risk above and beyond other details like age, education, smoking, and health status.” (p.666) Turiano, one of the researchers, concluded that, creativity may reduce the risk of dying because it would enable the veterans to, “better confront the problems associated with increasing age and declining health and may have important effects on slowing cognitive aging.” (p. 666). Turiano also suggested in his conclusion, “that promoting creativity throughout the life course, and especially at older ages, may delay the cognitive and physical health declines associated with normative aging.” (p. 669). Turiano wanted to warn readers to be cautious in how you draw your conclusions from the study. He explained that the results only suggest that self-ratings on select adjectives predict mortality risk. That means that the people in the study rated themselves based on the creative words from the study. I found the study interesting. Maybe you’ve read some books or read some studies on this topic. If you have, I’d love to hear from you. I realize that more studies would need to be done for the science to absolutely conclude that more creative people live longer. Turiano, N. A., Spiro III, A., & Mroczek, D. K. (2012). Openness to experience and mortality in men:    Analysis of traits and facets. Journal of Aging and Health, 25, 654-672 5/ Creativity Will Boost Your Happiness Factor As a kid, I would spend hours with my accordion strapped to my chest, playing songs, some of which I made up myself. When I thought the song was ready for a performance, I’d play it for my father, who was always eager to hear me play. He was crazy about the accordion. Although he was a man of few words, I could tell by the proud look on his face that he was impressed and amazed at the songs I made up. He would smile, look over at my mom, and say, “Bruce has always been the creative one”. The definition of creativity varies, but most experts agree it has to do with the ability to come up with new ideas, new connections between ideas, and novel solutions to problems, with or without hours of experimental accordion playing. Here’s the thing, forget the image of a moody Beethoven, sitting alone in an apartment in Vienna. Research suggests that creative people are actually happier than everyone else. So you might be thinking, I’m not a musician, a dancer, a poet – no problem. Experts say creativity lives within all of us, it’s just a matter of allowing it to come forward. In the book called, “The Creativity Cure”, author Dr. Carrie Barron says, “It really has to do with open-mindedness.” She says creativity applies to everything from making a meal to generating a business plan. But whether creativity means coming up with your version of a delicious stuffed chicken breast, or a tasty crepe of some kind, or maybe singing operatic choruses for your friends, experts say there’s a strong connection between how much you exercise your creativity and your overall wellbeing. In other words, creativity is good for you. I interviewed the CEO of BrambleBerry.com. Her company offers soap making supplies and a lot more. Her name is Anne-Marie Faiola, and one of the things she said was, “Joy for me is creativity, because creativity is essential.” In our discussion on her episode, www.MindfulnessMode.com/243, Anne-Marie makes it clear how vital her creative side is in both her professional and personal life. Another person who talks about creativity is Dr. Shelley Carson. She has researched creativity and she talks about using creativity to solve problems. Dr. Carson says that, “increases in positive mood broaden attention and allow us to see more possible solutions to creative problems.” Dr. Carson wrote a book on creativity called, “Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life” I want to share with you one of the most meaningful books related to creativity that I’ve read in a long time. The book is called, Squircle – that word came from combining the word Circle, which represents creativity or right brain thinking, and the word Square, which represents left brain thinking. The author of this book is Francis Cholle, and I interviewed him in February of this year. I highly recommend his book and the interview as well. It’s called, A New Way To Think For A New World, by Francis Cholle . It’s episode 639, so go to www.Mindfulness Mode.com/639. Here are some things Francis recommends in his book to help develop your creative side. He says, change your routine in the morning, explore new foods for breakfast or other meals. Search for a new route to travel to work or school. Listen to different radio shows, podcasts, or audio books. He also suggests you talk to other creative friends and ask them what they do to spark and express their creativity. In short, invite change and new ideas into your life. One of the things I’ve concluded from what I’ve read and the people I’ve interviewed is that people who have creative personalities tend to have a lot of perseverance and they actually look for things in their life that will create interest and make their lives more fun. Individuals with these traits are more satisfied with their lives than less creative people. It’s important to note that people are the most creative when they’re in a good mood, possibly because they don’t fixate on individual pieces of information and they are able to think more broadly and more positively. Suggested Resources Book: The Creativity Cure: How To Build Happiness With Your Own Two Hands by Carrie Barron Book: Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life by Dr. Shelley Carson App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 243 Creativity Is Essential to Brambleberry CEO, Anne-Marie Faiola How Meditation Can Save The World; Tom Cronin 188 Be Happy, Healthy and Whole With Dr. Phil Carson Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘I Believe In Me' in the subject line.

Mindfulness, Memory, and Moodiness is the topic of today’s show. Have you noticed that people you interact with lately are more moody than you remember? Does it seem like there are more people you’re exposed to who are experiencing depression, discouragement, a lot of feelings of negativity? How about you? Do you seem to be  having more down days – you know, days when you just feel like your inner bully is winning? Well, I talk about that inner bully quite a bit and the reason is because those negative self-voices play a big role in a lot of peoples’ lives. Mine included. This is the perfect day to talk about moodiness, your inner bully, and how that self-talk is related to mindfulness. Well, it is. Mindfulness is all about how we think. Yes, thinking in the present is mindfulness, but there’s so much more to it than that.. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Many of our thoughts are connected to our memory. Every time we decide to do something, we depend on our memory to know how to do it. We depend on our memory to know whether we’ve just brushed our teeth, or whether we were about to start. You might not have thought about it before, but our memory has a lot to do with how we see ourselves, how we define ourselves as a person. A lot of the ideas I’m sharing with you today are from Lisa Genova who is a neuroscientist and has written a book called, “Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting”. A lot of the time, we tie our well-being to memory. We think our brain is healthy and thriving if our memory is sharp and the opposite is true. If we feel like we’re forgetting things, we start to wonder about our brain health and even our mental health. Yesterday morning I got dressed, came downstairs and was about to get in my car to drive to my studio and I realized I didn’t have my wallet. “Where on earth could it be”, I wondered. The crazy think was, I knew I’d had it a few minutes before that because I remembered dropping it on the floor. Some credit cards and id fell out on the carpet and my memory was crystal clear … I knew I bent over and picked them up and put them back in my wallet. But now my wallet was missing and I’d already searched the kitchen, all my pockets, I’d gone back upstairs twice, and still no wallet. There are times when I would have thought to myself, “I must be brain–dead, or am I losing my memory? This time I just kept looking. I went back upstairs with my son and we both looked. Suddenly I spotted it sitting on a brown footstool where I absolutely never leave my wallet. I realized I must have set it there without thinking as I grabbed some books to carry downstairs. That’s when I started to wonder if the pandemic is affecting my brain. According to Lisa Genova, the answer is definitely yes. There are two main reasons why the pandemic is messing with our memory. The first reason has to do with the way our brains are wired and the second reason is related to stress and how our brains deal with stress. 1/ How Our Brains Are Designed The first reason has to do with how our brains are designed to remember things. When we remember what is meaningful, our brains go to “what is new? What is emotional? We don't remember the same old habitual routines. So this is why you might remember your first date, but not your 10th. I don't remember the details of brushing my teeth this morning or taking a shower. It's the routine things we don't remember. And so here we are in a pandemic, and many of us are confined to our homes, we’re going out way less. We’re not able to go to concerts and plays and movies and dinners and parties like we did pre-pandemic. Those are the sorts of things that make memories and that, for many of us, give us a ZEST for life. We get excited as we look forward to these more exciting events, we enjoy them as they happen, and of course, that’s mindfulness. Enjoying the moment and just taking it in, feeling the emotions and being there. And then we enjoy the after buzz, the feeling of elation of having recently enjoyed something different, something we were looking forward to. And so now that many of our lives are more mundane, our brains are forgetting. A lot of us don't know what day it is anymore, because every day is the same. So that's the first part of this. 2/ Stress And The Brain So the second reason, like I mentioned, has to do with stress. The way we’ve evolved as a species is that we are designed to deal with short, quick examples of stress. Like suddenly you’re being chased by a lion, we instantly move into a fight or flight response. We’re designed to deal with that like any other emergency, a quick reaction. Our brains and bodies to react INSTANTLY to this kind of emergency, this kind of threat. So your brain and body go into sudden, immediate, action. Adrenaline and cortisol kick in. The body’s response mobilizes glucose, and your muscles immediately have extra power, more strength. Your brain actually stops thinking because it’s not a time to weigh the pros and cons of what's going on before you run away or face the predator. You just instantly act. And then once the threat is over, assuming you've survived, the cortisol, which got turned on by this event, then acts on receptors in your brain to shut the whole sequence off. So what happens when we experience chronic stress? Well Lisa Genova explains what happens. And this is what we've been dealing with this past year. For many, the threat of Corona Virus, the need to be constantly wearing masks, keeping socially distant, hearing regular news reports about new threats of COVID19 and of people dying. For a lot of people, all that adds up to stress. In fact, without realizing it, a lot of us are experiencing chronic stress. So it's not suddenly a predator chasing us, it’s a constant threat of danger. It's in our thoughts and we become so used to it, that we don’t even realize it. The top three major psychological stressors are: 1/ Uncertainty 2/ Lack of Control 3/ Social Isolation I know, for me, I’ve been experiencing all three of these. The effect is cumulative. We can handle it for a while, but now it’s been over a year and according to Lisa, the feedback loop can “break the receptors of your brain that normally cortisol acts on to shut off.” We get a hit of cortisol and normally the stress is gone and we go back to being a relaxed human again. Instead of that, your body just keeps dumping adrenaline and cortisol, adrenaline and cortisol. A little bit of stress can help you rise to the challenge of whatever you’re doing – like if you have a meeting with a big client, or you have an exam. In those cases you need to be a little bit stressed so that you’re on your game, you’re ready for action. You’re focused. And if you’re driving and a deer or a moose suddenly runs across the road in front of you, you get a hit of cortisol. Illusions of Time So, during fight and flight, the adrenal glands produce catecholamines. They’re created in the brainstem and the brain. So in the morning we need a certain amount of alertness and what you might call stress to meet your day. But chronic stress is bad for your memory all the time. So this is why you might feel super foggy – you aren’t able to retrieve information that you know is there, information you’ve learned and you know is in your brain. So continued STRESS will actually shrink your hippocampus. And you might know that your hippocampus is part of your brain. And your hippocampus is where new memories are formed. Continued stress will make it smaller. Now here’s where mindfulness take a role. Things like exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, being in nature – all those things we’re talking about on Mindfulness Mode – they all have been shown to increase the size of your hippocampus. They stimulate neurogenesis. All of the above mindfulness-related activities cause the birth of new neurons. We can take control and do things to combat the fact that we can't get rid of the pandemic, but we can individually change our brain. We can change our brain's response and our resilience to what’s going on in the world. We can save our brains and our memories from being vulnerable to the stress that the pandemic creates. I talked to my son Ben, about memory and he reminded me of an episode on Youtube by Vsauce – The episode is called Illusions of Time.  Anyway, Vsauce talks about how we remember the times of our life that are eventful, things we enjoy, places where we’re having a good time. Then when we look back, it seems like those times passed slowly. He brings up a lot of interesting ideas about memory and a lot of this is linked to mindfulness, even though at first you might not realize it. Now let’s talk about sleep. Not only are a lot of people experiencing stress, so many people are having sleep issues as well during this pandemic. It’s all related. Here are two things that happen while you sleep. 1/ Your Brain is binding your thoughts into long-term memory. So a lot of people think of sleep as just an unconscious state of doing nothing, but your brain is actually very busy while you sleep. And so here's, what's going on in your brain – all of the events that happened today, everything you learned and experienced today that you want to keep, that you paid attention to, that was meaningful and emotional, – all of those things are what your hippocampus is going to bind into a long term memory. Your hippocampus does that job while you sleep primarily. And so if you don't get a full night's sleep, you'll wake up the next day and your hippocampus won't have had enough time to finish its job. And so your memories either won't be fully formed or they might not be formed at all. And so you won't really remember very clearly what happened yesterday. If you're exhausted today, because you didn't get a full night's sleep, you'll also be feeling low and lacking energy and you won't be able to pay attention. You’ll notice when someone's talking to you, you’re hearing the words, but you don't know what they’re actually saying. You’re having an attention issue. You’re feeling like you’re not able to focus on what's going on. You’re not going to remember it later because it’s not possible for your brain to form a memory of it. 2/ While you sleep, the glial cells are cleaning up. Lisa Genova explains that the glial cells are like janitors. She says they're the sewage and gestation department. They are busy clearing away all the metabolic debris that accumulated during the business of being awake. One of the things the glial cells clear away is a protein called amyloid beta. And if the Amyloid beta is not cleared away, here’s the problem. It's sticky and it will bind into itself and form plaque. And if you accumulate enough amyloid plaque, you will trigger Alzheimer's disease. So a good night's sleep is helping you prevent getting Alzheimer's. She emphasized that this point is not to freak people out. This does not happen overnight. It takes 15 to 20 years of amyloid plaque accumulation to trigger Alzheimer's. So the science tells us that if we’re getting on average, seven to nine hours of sleep, we’re doing great. That's what we need. My mother-in-law's brain was always sharp. She had an unbelievable memory and she didn’t miss anything it seemed. She did puzzles and word games, she exercised most days, she was always interested in new ideas and concepts. Even though she was in her 80’s it was like she had the brain of a 30-something. She always would ask me lots of questions about a new on-line project I was doing, or a conference I was speaking at. I know that some people do puzzles and word games to exercise their brain and hopefully avoid dementia or Alzheimer’s. Lisa Genova says this doesn’t help avoid Alzheimers. This isn’t the way the brain works. Doing those kinds of activities gives your brain practice at retrieving information, which is good. Lisa explains that what really helps keep our brains vibrant and help us potentially avoid memory problems is when we are constantly learning new information. That’s completely different from retrieving information. You can continue to learn anything in your whole life. You could learn to speak Spanish, learn to play a new musical instrument. Learning new skills and gaining new information is what really benefits our brain in a huge way. When the Pandemic ends, you can go on a vacation, visit a new city, and meet new people. And all that will help keep your brain active and fresh and filled with new memories. But don’t be surprised if you still forget some of the simplest things, like the reason why you walked upstairs. Back in 2017, I interviewed a memory expert. His system is called the Magnetic Memory Method. His name is Anthony Metivier, and his interview is available at www.MindfulnessMode.com/248. He talked about our memory and stress and he explained that “it all begins with recognizing and then overriding overwhelm”. He teaches how to learn new languages and memorize poetry and basically supercharge our memories. Check out his episode. He’s a fascinating man with great ideas about mindfulness and memory. So just remember that your brain isn’t perfect and it’s not intended to be. It’s designed to forget lots of things and we need to mindfully remember the important things, like where I left my wallet, or glasses. Let's be mindful, and not judge and shame ourselves over forgetting things that our brain is not wired to remember in the first place. Don’t panic and be so fearful if you forget things because forgetting is a normal part of being human. Now that you know how mindfulness and memory are connected and how we can help avoid moodiness, depression, and stress by using exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and being in nature. All those things will boost the size of your hippocampus. Wow, that gives us control.  Suggested Resources Book: Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova Book: Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley Audio: Illiusions of Time by Vsauce App: Insight Timer Related Episodes 248 Discover the Magnetic Memory Method; Dr. Anthony Metivier 381 Understand The Quantum Orchestra of Your Brain; Dr. Stuart Hameroff 284 Discover The Better Brain Solution; Dr. Steven Masley 483 Take The Brain First Approach To Restore Mind-Body Health; Susan Kenney Our Sponsor Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to break through a mind block? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! Feel good about your life and accomplishments. Regain confidence. Book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to being grounded and centered. Email me: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com with ‘I Believe In Me' in the subject line.

Michael Defern is a singer/songwriter, author, and video producer. He first became interested in mindfulness and awakening through the Twelve Steps, a tool he used to help maintain sobriety. Fifteen years later, Michael has sought to expand mindfulness into all parts of his life, including business, performing, writing, and raising kids. He owns a video production company with his wife, Heather, where they help business owners create content that digs deeper to connect with their audience, which is the subject of his recent book, How To Connect: A guide to creating content that resonates with your ideal client. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Website: www.MichaelDefern.com Podcast: Between Two Deferns Book: How To Connect: A guide to Creating Content That Resonates With Your Ideal Client by Michael Defern Most Influential Person Eckhart Tolle Effect on Emotions Mindfulness has been a life-changer in terms of communicating with my wife. There were so many things, especially financial things, where I would come at it in such a passive-aggressive way. I would stand there in the moment with her. What I've learned to do now is get anchored, try not to think at all, and just let it come out. The ability of being mindful has allowed me to respond instead of react. Thoughts on Breathing I need to plug my amazing vocal teacher, Breck Alan. One of his breathing exercises is something I use all the time in mindfulness and meditation. If you sit up straight or stand up straight and you pull yourself up from the back of your neck, and you almost tilt your hips back as if you were to put your hands in your back pockets and pull down slightly. You kind of have this reverse arch. You experiment and you get your body into the right position. It's called, ‘The Art of Body Singing‘, that's his brand. It's about getting into this position where the breath just comes in without any effort. Suggested Resources Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Book: Wealth Warrior by Steve Chandler Book: On Writing: Stephen King Book: How To Connect: A Guide to Creating Content That Resonates With Your Ideal Client by Michael Defern App: Waking Up (Sam Harris's App) Bullying Story I definitely was bullied. And I bullied. My whole school experience from grade school to high school was one of being completely disconnected in my own head. Looking back, there were so many situations, had I had any kind of mindfulness or presence, I would have realized that I took things the wrong way or I would have seen things from the other person's perspective. If I could go back to fifth grade and someone did something that upset me, if I had been able to use mindfulness I would have wondered what they were going through to cause them to lash out at me. Related Episodes 487 Build Better Relationships With Author Bryan Falchuk 389 Fuse Corporate With Calm; YorYoga Founder Kremena 280 Focus on Health First Says Organik Founder Scott Simons Our Sponsor Use hypnosis to help others stop struggling with their deep-rooted issues like weight loss, smoking, painful experiences. Are you a coach or a healer who would love to have new skills to help your clients? Hypnosis can help people reach goals faster and easier than you thought possible. Become a hypnotherapist. The Cascade Hypnosis Center offers world-class training. www.CascadeHypnosisCenter.com Special Offer Have you been trying to lose weight? Are you discouraged? It’s not hopeless. YOU CAN DO IT. I coach people just like you. I’m Bruce Langford, a practicing hypnotist, and you will get results with my help! I personally lost 35 pounds and I’ve kept it off thanks to hypnosis. Feel good and look good. Believe it. Watch my short video and get 5 Tips on How To Lose Weight For Good. Then book a Free Consultation to get you on the road to permanent weight loss. Go to www.MindfulnessMode.com/weightloss

One day when Bruce Langford was working as the music teacher for a school, he witnessed a student being bullied in the school yard. A spark of anger lit within him and activated within him a whole new purpose—to teach students about mindfulness so that bullying would no longer happen. Bruce visited hundreds of schools sharing the message of mindfulness and empathy to overcome the epidemic of school bullying, and that led to teaching mindfulness to people of all ages through his top-rated iTunes podcast, Mindfulness Mode. Bruce is now hired by companies to improve corporate culture and has given over 1700 live presentations. Watch this episode for a discussion about how mindfulness and empathy can help activate an entire generation toward much-needed change in the world. FREE: Waves of Content Meditation www.mindfulnessmode.com/wavesofcontent LISTEN: Mindfulness Mode Podcast https://mindfulnessmode.com/category/podcast/ More about Bruce Langford Bruce Langford works full-time in the field of mindfulness as a consultant and life coach. He is the host and creator of the Mindfulness Mode Podcast where he interviews people from all walks of life who use mindfulness to stay centered and grounded. At one time, Bruce lived with a high level of anxiety, but as he began to apply mindfulness strategies, his anxiety became minimal. Bruce's extensive background for over a decade in bullying prevention equips him, through mindfulness, to inspire employees to replace self-bullying and judgmental behaviors, with a strong desire for cooperation and respect. Bruce is now hired by companies to improve corporate culture by replacing stress and anxiety with team spirit and self-respect. As a result of his trainings, employee sick time declines, general wellness improves, and profits increase. Bruce has delivered more than 1,700 live presentations and his writings have appeared in numerous publications. Connect with Bruce: Mindfulness Mode Podcast https://mindfulnessmode.com/category/podcast/ Web   https://mindfulnessmode.com/ Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/BruceALangford Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/mindfulnessmode/ Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/brucelangford/ Twitter   https://twitter.com/BruceLangford LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucelangford/   YOUR GUIDE TO SOUL NECTAR – KERRI HUMMINGBIRD SAMI I love mentoring women to rewrite the story of their lives through inner transformation, connection to essence, remembrance of purpose, and realignment to authenticity and truth. If you don't want to settle for anything less than a life of passion and purpose, book a Discovery Call and let's talk! Schedule today! http://bit.ly/2CpFHFZ FREE GIFT: The Love Mastery Game, an oracle for revealing your soul's curriculum in every day challenges. http://www.kerrihummingbird.com/play Do you lack the confidence to trust yourself and go for what you want? When you take actions towards your dreams, does self-doubt infect your certainty? Do you find yourself distracting and numbing while also feeling something is missing inside? Do you feel disrespected and like your wisdom is being dismissed? Do you have a hard time asking for what you need? You may benefit from healing the Mother Wound and reconnecting with the Divine Mother for love. Find out more at www.motherwoundbook.com You may be a member of The Second Wave, here to uplift human consciousness from the inside out by healing patterns of suffering that run through your ancestry. Find out about “The Second Wave: Transcending the Human Drama” and receive a guided meditation at www.thesecondwave.media READ an Excerpt from the Award-Winning memoir, Awakening To Me.

A fellow podcaster, mindfulness coach, host of The Mindfulness Mode Podcast, Bruce Langford came onto The Path Hunters Podcast to chat about his journey and why mindfulness is important for people to learn.  The things we spoke about is  Bruce's journey from the very beginning as a teacher The importance of meditation  

My guest is Bruce Langford, host of the Mindfulness Mode podcast. He is also a Pause Your Life meetup facilitator. Enjoy our chat about mindfulness – the practical application and how it can can help you, as well as some deeper ideas about how mindfulness works. Bruce has interviewed hundreds of people who are using mindfulness and he shares some of his best stories here. Listen to the entire episode to hear all the details! Keep Shining! The Mystic Show episodes are also available in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Android, RSS. Theme music is part of the song “Flight” written and performed by Richard Shulman. (used with permission)

"Be who you are because there is no one else on this earth or ever will be, who is exactly like you." - Bruce Langford As the philosopher, Lao Tzu said, "If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present." We allow ourselves to dwell in the past and worry about the future more often throughout the day than most of us are even aware of. The mind is a busy place, and that voice that every single one of us has in our heads, causes confusion, unhappiness, depression, and anxiety - all because we are not aware of it, and are being controlled by it. Bruce Langford, a former teacher, and now a Life Coach and host of the Mindfulness Mode podcast, teaches people to take control of their own minds through mindfulness - living in the here and now. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at https://theipsproject.com/2016/12/ep-002-take-control-over-the-mind/ _______ We at The IPS Project are delighted to present the IPS T-Shirts: t-shirts that change the world. Not only does each t-shirt design tell a story and carry a message of light waiting to be spread in your life and to those around you, but, with each purchase, you also get to choose the cause you would like to support where part of your money will go. The causes that these shirts support vary from the environment to animals, to those struggling with mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, and diseases such as cancer. For further information about the IPS T-Shirts and about the good causes you can support, simply go to https://theipsproject.com/shirt/ and take a look at these stunning t-shirts that can change the world. _______ About The Inner Path Seekers Project (The IPS Project): The IPS Project is an educational platform on life. Here, you can find knowledge about life topics such as mental health, relationships, the workings of the mind, the body & brain, etc.—topics we learn little to nothing about growing up. Learn more about these topics through countless practical articles, animated videos, a book library, online courses, events, a podcast, and more. Start your journey today: https://theipsproject.com/. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-ips-podcast/message

Bruce Langford believes in mindfulness and it's power to help people. He became an entrepreneur in 2003 when, shocked by the bullying he observed; he transitioned from being a teacher to a full-time advocate of bullying prevention. He founded the company, ‘Stand Up Now' to spread the message that when we all focus on respect, bullying will decline. Bruce is also host of the podcast, ‘Mindfulness Mode' where his goal is to share how mindfulness can increase calm, focus and happiness for everyone, and ultimately reduce bullying. On today's episode of The Game Changer Podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Bruce Langford, a former school teacher, whose mission it is to stop the bullying he saw happening in schools. In our discussion, Bruce speaks to the value of his program on mindfulness and meditation, and how it greatly lowers bullying both internally and externally. If you have followed my blog or podcast for any amount of time, you know what an avid supporter I am in having a daily meditation practice. I don't believe it's as much about how long you meditate each day, but rather, how you wind up leading a more mindful way of life through this practice over time. So when that internal critic shows up, we become much quicker at squelching it, and instead focusing on what helps us to reach our greatest, highest good. Now imagine learning mindfulness and meditation at a young age, and how different your life would be as an adult. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, as it brings a different and positive perspective to a very challenging problem. How to connect with Bruce: email: bruce@mindfulnessmode.com and his The Mindfulness Mode Podcast: www.mindfulnessmode.com Best Advice: You are what you think. Change your thoughts and you change your life. What you believe to be true: You need to go in your own direction. You need to make your own way. Thanks for Listening and Subscribing! Also, for my blogs (my take on every episode) go to: www.innernorthstar.com and receive my free eBook with my appreciation for joining the tribe! Thank you so much for joining me on this episode. If you have some feedback you'd like to share, leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see to the left of this post. Also, please leave an honest review for The Game Changer Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And while you're there, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates!