Don’t let fear drive

This is a great statement.

I believe that fear holds so many people back from achieving their dreams. As I wrote in my book, Purposely Positive, How to Live an Intentional and Inspired Life (I don’t really love quoting from my own book, but I’ll make an exception because it applies to this quote as well)

“The flip-side of inspiration is fear, and fear keeps you stuck right where you are. I’m not bad-mouthing fear here. Fear (like all emotions) is vitally important to your survival. If you didn’t have fear, plain and simple… you’d be fertilizer by now. A healthy fear of picking a fight with a honey badger is a good thing. Don’t lose that survival fear. The key is knowing the difference between that and the nonsense voices that fear puts into your head. Fear is about withdrawing (and with good reason), but it should never lead you.”

Fear is vitally important, but is should never drive you toward improvement.
Fear is almost always about the very-short-term. Fear does not create long-term success.

Fear should not be your chauffer on the drive to realizing your dreams.

Let fear have it’s say, but focus on your heart.

Focus on your why.

Focus on achieving your dreams that have rooted in your heart and soul.

Let your love drive you.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Your light, not someone else’s

Too often we can find ourselves comparing our lives, our successes, our failures to the lives/successes/failures of others.

We can and should find inspiration/motivation from others, but we CANNOT and SHOULD NOT define ourselves that way.

Our lives are our own.

Your light is your own and it is very different from the light of every single other human being on this planet.

The only “people” we should compare ourselves to is who we were yesterday, and who we want to be tomorrow.

Don’t compare your light, SHARE your light!

Happy Thursday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Listen to learn, listen for success

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” —Bernard M. Baruch

How annoying is it when you are telling someone something, and they keep interrupting?

How annoying is it when people listen to respond, rather than listening to learn?

How often are you that annoying? 🙂

I am guilty of this at times.

Sometimes it is because we are bursting with excitement, eager to contribute to the conversation. That in itself isn’t a bad thing.

The problem arises in that when we listen to respond, we aren’t actually listening at all. Instead we are formulating what we want to say, rather than learning from others. We aren’t opening our minds nor our hearts to them, instead we are solely focused on allowing our brain to flex it’s muscles.

Leading with love is always the best choice.

There is a book I read a while back: Listening is an Act of Love. It’s a great book, and the title is poignant.

When we TRULY listen to others, we open our hearts, souls, minds and our worlds to possibility.

When we TRULY listen, we gain experience and insight that can lead to success (no matter how you define it) in our lives.

So on this glorious Wednesday, take time to LISTEN to others. Or in other words:

Have a fantastic day!

-Dr. Lindeman

P.S. Check out this blog for more insight on this topic: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/shhh/

Play the INFINITE Game

The above was taken from Simon Sinek’s book: The Infinite Game.

I just started reading it last night, but I love it!

Simon talks about the difference between finite games and infinite games in business, and in life.

Finite games are “played” with a goal of winning, beating the competition, becoming “the best.”

In life (and in business), the best things are truly INFINITE.

You don’t truly want to be “the best” at what you do. Because, in reality, you know that being the best is HIGHLY temporary. There will always be new players, new competition, new rules, new advancements, new hurdles, etc.

Take for instance, the NFL. The NFL is most likely switching to a 17 game season as opposed to a 16 game season. Think about how many “bests” will be beaten with one more game. Passing records, rushing records, sack records, etc. all have a HUGE probability to be beaten with the addition of one more game.

Being the best, ends.

Looking at FINITE successes eventually leads to a cold-end game.

Instead, as Mr. Sinek proposes, focus on infinite successes. Fulfillment > Victory.

Focus on fulfillment for you, your family, your friends, your community, and for future generations and you will lead a much happier life, and your “victories” will go on in the future, rather than being the used-to-be best.

Lead with inspiration. Focus on doing what you love for the betterment of others (and in return, you will reap rewards yourself-that’s the way this amazing universe works), rather than short-sighted gains of trying to get ahead.

Live a life focused on fulfillment and we WILL ALL benefit.

Have a fantastic, fulfilling Monday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Toxic positivity

I recently discovered the term “toxic positivity.”

Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. It’s a “good vibes only” approach. (Taken from http://www.verywellmind.com)

I choose to be positive, and I write about positivity not because I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but because I decide to realize the world is a beautiful place.

I whole-heartedly believe that when circumstances are awful, we should recognize that, allow ourselves to grieve, mourn, cry, get frustrated, angry and lash out some even.

It is always ok to not be ok.

However, I also believe that it is up to ourselves to change our situation for the future. It is up to us to learn from any challenge and apply it toward a growth mindset.

The only way positivity can be toxic is in the absence of empathy. If someone (even if it is yourself) is going through some horrible situations, I don’t believe we should talk to them (ourselves) about maintaining positivity without acknowledging THE SUCK of the situation. First and foremost, be kind, listen, hug, comfort.

Also realize that part of the comfort is the belief/faith that all things pass and life will move on and in fact can become better, eventually.

Have a blessed Tuesday!

-Dr Lindeman

You matter more than you know

I read “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” by Mitch Albom last weekend. It was a great, quick, and impactful read.

The premise is that a man (who doesn’t think too highly of himself) dies and when he gets to heaven, he meets 5 people.

Some he expected to meet there.

Some he most certainly did not.

Each person’s life intertwined with the main character’s at some point in a way that was much more profound than he thought.

In the end, Eddie (the main character), looks back and realizes his life impacted so many more people than he could fathom.

We are all connected, in some way. And what we do (our actions, our jobs, our attitudes, who we are) affects A LOT of other people.

The great news is that when you DECIDE to lean more toward the positive, you infect others with that positivity.

When you try to look at solutions rather than focus on the problems, others will do the same.

When you smile at a stranger, more than likely they smile back (and then they pass it on).

When you are INTENTIONAL about living your best self, you cannot help but make the world a bit better as well.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite pieces of writing by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

So go have a SUCCESSFUL Day!

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

All Right

“I hear people keep talking, they saying I’m crazy
‘Cause I believe in myself and the way that I feel, yeah
But I know I’ll figure it out some day, ay
And everything will be okay
(Ah, ah, ah)
Some days I begin to forget
I’ve gotta begin to forget
The voices I hear in my head
And listen, give love and respect
To the feelings I feel in my chest
They say I know it’s all gonna be okay, ay
Yeah I know it’s all gonna be okay”-All Right by Cisco Adler and Gnash

Great song with a great vibe for this Wedensday!

Play it, listen, jam out and realize

It is all gonna be ALL RIGHT :)!

Happy Wednesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Be Excellent!

Too often, I believe, we humans strive for “perfection.”

That trip is a fool’s errand. There is no “perfect” at the end of the journey. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder for one, and for two: true perfection doesn’t exist.

And you wouldn’t want that anyway.

If you could achieve the perfect (INSERT SOMETHING HERE), where would you go from there? The only way forward is to reverse.

And if you achieved perfection and just wanted to stay there, that would be incredibly boring, cold and NOT meaningful.

Instead, strive for excellence.

The journey toward excellence seems to be filled with a lot more joy, and that needle will constantly be able to be moved more to the right.

When you strive toward excellence, you will achieve much more satisfaction, the journey will never end, and you won’t give up in the pursuit.

Excellence is where it is at my friends!

Have an EXCELLENT Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Everything around you…

“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

TRUTH!

When we strive to improve ourselves, the AMAZING “side effect” is that we will improve those around us as well.

When you shine your light, you brighten everyone else’s day.

Don’t make the (all to common) mistake of thinking that moving toward your goals, your successes, somehow lessens those around us. That is a HUGE falsehood, and unfortunately, stifles so many people from achieving their goals.

Abundance is not limited.

If you are working toward improvement, and you do so with compassion, love, grit and not by stepping on those around you, you will help, not hinder others. On that note: If you achieve any success by pushing others down so that you may gain ground, that success will most definitely be short lived and shallow. (Most people do not fall into this category. I truly believe most people want to improve their lives, and not hurt others in the process).

So, today, work toward achievement, and take comfort in the FACT, your success only HELPS those around you.

Happy Thursday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Worthy of the Miracle of Life

“Because, once we have overcome the defeats-and we always do-we are filled by a greater sense of euphoria and confidence. In the silence of our hearts, we know that we are proving ourselves worthy of the miracle of life.”-Paulo Coelho, Rio de janeiro, Novemebr 2002 (from the forward in The Alchemist)

I love this book!

I have read it a few times already and am re-reading again.

Such a simple, but moving story about following your soul’s purpose, especially when you aren’t even sure exactly what that purpose is. As long as you are doing things in life that light you up a bit, that make you feel antsy inside but also warmth, you are on the right track.

The key is to do something, anything that lights you up a bit inside. Follow the “omens” as Paulo describes them, and you will find happiness, in fact you will CREATE happiness, in your life.

I highly recommend this brief read (multiple times).

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman