“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

Find passion in the service of others

“In seeking happiness for others, you will find it in yourself.” — Unknown

“Don’t search for what you’re passionate about, serve others to make yourself passionate.”

Have you ever noticed how good you feel when you help someone else?

There is a reason for that.

When we provide service to others, our bodies secrete oxytocin and dopamine. Both are chemicals that make us feel good.

These chemicals also help regulate blood pressure, lower stress, normalize heart rate, boost immunity and improve our overall health.

In addition, the people we help get these benefits as well.

So one of THE VERY BEST ways to improve your health and mentality is to look to help others.

It truly is a win-win.

Happy Thursday!

-Dr Lindeman

Fulfillment

“Fulfillment is not born of the dream. Fulfillment is born of the journey.”-Simon Sinek

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating.

The journey is more important and more fulfilling than the destination.

Our goals surely matter.

But the processes of achieving them: the “grind”, carries more weight.

If we don’t love the journey (even the hard parts), we will not be fulfilled at the finish line.

The struggle is where progress is born and that progress leads to success.

Do what you love and love doing it with each step.

Don’t make the (all-too-common) mistake of thinking you’ll be happy when you “get there.”

Be happy now.

Enjoy the process.

The goal is but a stepping stone on the journey.

Find your fulfillment in what you do today!

Happy Thursday!

-Dr Lindeman

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

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

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

Expect more, hope better

This is from “Just Mercy”, a great book.

I love this paragraph.

Times are crazy and everyone is going through some “schtuff” right now.

But we need to recover.

We need to grow.

In order for that to happen, we need to hold each other to a higher standard and then help each other achieve those standards.

Share compassion, love and understanding.

And at the same time, attempt to better yourself so that your levels of all the above are that much higher.

-Happy Thursday!

-Dr Lindeman

Heal thy self

I saw this on a message from Elephant Journal. It kid of gave me pause.

So true we should not seek help from those who continue to hurt us.

The same goes for ourselves.

If we feel we let ourselves down, we need to push forward from the perspective of whom we want to grow to be.

We cannot create new, positive habits with the same negative thinking that created our old, bad habits.

We need to fathom our future from the perspective of our improved, future selves.

As Coach Klein said in The Waterboy with Adam Sandler: “visualize and attack.”

Picture whom you want to be and then work on doing things to get yourself there.

Happy Monday!

-Dr Lindeman

Harmony

In the book: Grit by Angela Duckworth, she quotes Will Smith as saying “Harmony is aerodynamic.”

When we can find our passion, when we can align that passion with our work, and even more so when the vision of our team member’s/families/coworkers, our movement toward that vision becomes so much easier.

That is why it is so important to have discussions about your goals with the people on your various “teams” (work/home/etc).

When you articulate your goals and they articulate theirs, you will find common ground and that makes it all the easier to move toward that future.

Work on collaborating to become a supremely aerodynamic force today 🙂

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr Lindeman

Growing or fixed?

The picture above was taken from the book: Grit by Angela Duckworth.

It is a really good book.

In one chapter she discusses the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. She discusses the that key to cultivating a growth mindset (which has been connected to higher learning, more successful careers, larger more positive impacts, etc) is realizing that there is hope in your situation. When you can attach hope to any time of adversity, you realize you can decide to improve your current life. If you believe that you are hopeless than growth cannot occur.

The great news is that there is always hope.

So today, when faced with adversity, grab on to a hopeful future, realize you have options for a better tomorrow and GROW 🙂

Happy Monday!

-Dr Lindeman