What you give, you get (in SPADES)

“The more people you inspire, the more people will inspire you.”-Simon Sinek

This goes right along with “what goes around, comes around.”

You can substitute the word inspire for almost any other word.

The more people you love, the more people will love you.

The more people you say hi to, the more people will say hi to you.

The more people you laugh with, the more people will laugh with you.

The more people you are angry at, the more people will be angry at you.

The more people you hate, the more people will hate you.

It really is a “Choose your own adventure” kind of thing (don’t know if you all remember those books, or maybe MadLibs?)

The point is, the best way to improve your mental and emotional state is to provide that to others.

If you want to be happy, put forth some happiness, it always comes back 🙂

Have a wonderful Thursday!

-Dr. Lindeman

It’s a Beautiful Morning

CLICK… SIT BACK… LISTEN.

It’s great to get inspired.

It’s a great thing to grow.

It’s a great thing to learn, to push, too improve.

It’s also a great thing to sit back, realize the world we live in is pretty amazing, these bodies we inhabit are awesome, and LIFE. IS. GOOD. 🙂

Take some time today to simply notice the above fact.

Have an awesome Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

P.S. Below is an excerpt from my book “Purposely Positive” on relaxing a bit and enjoying life!

“If you go out into the world destined to improve it for everyone, that is a truly noble and amazing purpose. But what happens when you just want to enjoy Saturday for Saturday’s sake? Your purpose needs to be so strong that you are O.K. with letting up some slack every now and then. Sunsets are amazing. Can you add to them? Sure, you may be able to enjoy the moment more fully by sharing it with someone you love. The beauty may inspire thoughts that uplift you even more, but you cannot make God’s gift of a sunset more beautiful than it already is. You don’t have that power, and quite honestly, you probably wouldn’t want it. Breathe it in and savor. Sometimes the simple act of a breath is magic in itself. You have to let go sometimes, and just let things BE. (On a side note, I highly recommend a few apps for this. Check out the Breathe App through the iTunes store. It gives you daily reminders and practice to just focus on breathing for one minute at a time. Also, Insight Timer is a great meditation app for beginners and gurus alike. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed).

As you continue on your journey of self-discovery, reaching toward your inspiration and allowing it to turn the tide from negative to positive, realize that sometimes you just need to sit back, breathe, and notice. Pausing in your busy life for moments at a time can help calm your monkeys, improve focus, and allow (ironically) for more time to get things done. Relaxing a bit (on purpose) will lower your stress levels, improve circulation, and benefit your overall physical and mental health. Sounds like a pretty good cost-to-benefit ratio to me. Taking some time to relax and to be calm is a vital cog in your transformation.”

“It’s what we know that ain’t so”

“It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.”-Will Rodgers

It always amazes me that the biggest to key to growth in any area, is more about eliminating other things/feelings/emotions/actions in order to create space for new branches to emerge.

In order to truly learn, we must first unlearn.

Unlearn: to forget and stop doing (something, such as a habit) in a deliberate way because it is false or incorrect (Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary).

If you can think of an area that you desire growth in, a “garden” you want to cultivate. The first piece of advice: explore your current landscape and find weeds that you need to pull to create space for what you truly want to thrive.

If you truly want to grow, to succeed to become a better version of who you are today, you need to be able to search for ways to eliminate in order to create a vacuum. You need to first figure out what could be holding you back. You need to look into barriers that you may have (intentionally/unintentionally) built that have kept you right where you currently are. These thoughts/feelings/activities may have served you well up to this point, but you may need to eliminate them now in order to create space in order for brighter/better things to grow.

Look for these weeds/anchors that limit your potential and get busy tending to your garden.

At any given moment (like right now!), you can start your re-education process. You may not be able to fully pull the weeds out with one tug, but by working on these weeds day by day, you will create room for new beliefs to grow.

You get to decide what to plant there. You are good enough. You are exactly the person for the complicated job of being you. You are whole. You are the only you there is, and it’s time to stop hiding.

The weeds have taken over for far too long.

Unlearn.

Your mind is your garden. Start cultivating.

Happy Monday friends!

-Dr. Lindeman

Cultivate the garden in your mind to create a beautiful landscape in the future

Your response matters

Being present matters.

The things that “happen to you” matter.

The primary determining factor of your future, however, is how YOU RESPOND to what happens.

Your response (choice) in any situation (and there are ALWAYS multiple choices) will determine the brightness of your future for you, your loved ones and the world at large.

Respond well 🙂

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Fireflies like the dark too

I just started reading: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (check it out here ) and I like it so far!

This line is great and bears repeating: “It’s not as if we’re going to peer in those darker corners, flip on the light, and find a bunch of cockroaches. Fireflies love the dark too. There’s beauty in those places. But we have to look in there to see it.”

So true!

I truly wish the stigma of mental health could be washed away.

Especially now, with all the craziness of the pandemic, disconnection, solitude, political and social turmoil…we need others to help keep our lives sane.

We need to talk to somebody.

I have gone to counselors and therapists numerous times.

It’s not because I am “crazy.”

It’s because I finally realized that with my drive to improve my life, my family’s life and to improve the world, sometimes I need different people riding shotgun, helping me navigate through my past, present and future.

Sometimes we need professionals to help guide us through the muck and mire.

And I, for one, am so thankful they are there and I have access to these people.

So please, if you are feeling stressed, depressed, low…know there are truly wonderful people out there that will help you see the fireflies in the darkness.

Don’t ever suffer alone.

The world needs you and holding it al in yourself isn’t helping anyone.

And again, sometimes it’s great to talk to someone just about your big dreams and aspirations and they can help you balance them all so ambition doesn’t drive you wild.

Know this: you are loved and needed.

Happy Wednesday!

-Dr Lindeman

Mistakes are necessary for growth

You can coast, go downhill (usually the same thing as coasting) or you can grow.

In life we will all stumble, fall down and make big mistakes.

The key to GROWTH is accepting those mistakes (not excepting them :), learning from them and using that knowledge/wisdom as fuel toward a better tomorrow.

Growth can only occur amidst struggle.

Growth can only occur when we make mistakes.

BIG growth can only occur when we learn from those mistakes, convert that knowledge into wisdom and push forward with purpose and passion.

So, on this Tuesday, the 1st of September, 2020, don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

Make them.

Learn from them.

Push forward to an UH-MAZING future!

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Certainly life is uncertain

These times are strange.

My kids start school today, as does my wife (she’s a teacher).

They are going to be remote learning for at least a month, and although they have had meetings, preparation times, etc, no one really knows what it is going to look, feel and sound like for sure.

Both boys admitted they were nervous this morning, and my wife most certainly is from her end.

It is going to be very interesting this year.

However, with uncertainty comes huge opportunity for growth.

There is no progress without struggle. And there will be struggles.

But, if we can all realize that growth occurs most swiftly during large challenges, we can realize that through this muck and mire, we all will emerge all the better for it.

My heart, thoughts and love go out to all the families, kids, teachers going through this.

We will all get through to a much brighter future!

Happy Thursday!

-Dr Lindeman

Serve :-)

Too many times the word “service” seems reserved for a select few.

The truth is, we all can (and all should) serve.

Serve your fellow human beings by leading with love.

We share this space in the universe together, we might as well try to make it better for each other.

When we attempt to do that, we most definitely secure a brighter future for all of mankind.

Thank you for your service today!

Happy Monday!

-Dr Lindeman

Upgrade!

We are supposed to have BIG dreams.

In our office, we call them B.H.AG.s. Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

We need to dream dreams that take our breath away!

So don’t match your dreams to you current reality, what’s the fun in that?

Dream big.

Then get busy realizing that those goals.

By taking steps (even little ones) in their direction, you give those audacious goals a trim, and the more steps you take, you can see they aren’t so hairy (nor audacious) after all.

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr Lindeman