Wildfire

On December 30th, 2021 our community was shaken by tragedy.

A brush fire, fueled by 100 mph wind gusts, quickly evolved into fear, mayhem and devastation.

Over 900 structures burned, many of which were completely destroyed.

People were forced to evacuate their homes, and told to only grab clothing for a few nights, important documents, and flee.

It has been a tragic ending to 2021 and a devastating beginning for so many to 2022. So many coping with “what do I do now?” “How can we re-build our lives?”

This event is a reminder of how quickly things can change, in a flash.

My family and I are OK, our home is ok, my business is ok, our school is ok. So many people (including friends) were not as fortunate.

I know the community will come together to help rebuild, regenerate and re-grow.

You can help too.

To start, anyone and everyone can help by putting more love into the world. And love is the ONLY thing that can truly overcome devastation.

If you wish to donate, please go to this website: https://www.commfound.org/grants/get-grant/Boulder-County-Wildfire-Fund

Again, hold your loved ones tight, spread compassion whenever you can (positivity can spread faster than fire can) and make today the best you can.

Love to you and yours,

Dr Lindeman

Flip it

I am currently reading “The High 5 Habit” by Mel Robbins.

Great book.

I love this section on how to actually use jealousy to your advantage.

Comparison can steal your joy, for sure, but only if you have limiting beliefs and do not grasp abundance.

We can look at things/emotions/places/successes others have and decide we can’t have them too bc they already have them, or we can decide that the universe is infinite, and the fact they have them is PROOF we can too!

It’s ALWAYS your decision(s).

So next time that little voice pops up when you feel the pang of jealousy, FLIP IT into the realization that we can achieve all that and more.

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr Lindeman

The Most Powerful Forces

This book is about celebrating one’s’ self.

Sounds a bit funny, right?

Well, the truth is we humans are great at celebrating and lifting others up, but if we fail to do so for ourselves, we will run our tanks empty pretty quick.

When we take the time to celebrate not only our achievements, but who we are at this very moment, we set the stage for magic to happen.

When you congratulate yourself for a life well loved thus far, you create a plethora of chemical and emotional responses that allow further growth and happiness to take place.

So start with a high five in the mirror. Read this book. Then start loving who you are so you can love others, and move forward in becoming who you want to be!

Happy Tuesday everyone,

-Dr. Lindeman

High fives! 🙌

You should definitely check out The Ed Mylett podcast and Mel Robbins book: The High Give Habit

There is power (and research) in celebrating small victories, congratulating ourselves, and setting intention.

One thing the book and this podcast episode touches on is the fact that, unfortunately, we are prone to feeling unworthy of celebration. In fact we are prone to feeling unworthy in general.

We can raise that baseline simply by incorporating small celebrations and acknowledgements of our amazing worthy-ness into our daily lives.

We all deserve love. And we definitely deserve to love ourselves.

We have survived every crazy challenge that has been put before us to this point.

We have overcome many obstacles.

We do A LOT of things l, very well, every day.

We impact lives (whether we know it or not).

We have style.

We have grace.

We smile, we laugh, we love, we help, we even provide energy for others (including nature).

We are amazing.

Listen ti the podcast, read the book, and HIGH FIVE yourselves today!

Happy Tuesday

-Dr Lindeman

Fuel your fire

It is all fuel.

The wonderfully amazing times.

The crippling negative ones.

Your current life up to know is fuel for your future.

Who you are now is a conglomeration of your entire past, and who you are now is fuel that will help you become who you want to be.

So remember, you can use whatever you are going though, positive or negative, as propulsion to get you to where you want to go.

Fuel your fire today!

-Dr Lindeman

Nostalgic Feels

My family and I had a wonderful trip to Hilton Head Island, SC this summer. We purchased a townhome/villa/condo (whatever your flavor of terminology is 🙂 on April 1st and we went out in June. I stayed there for 10 days and Sheri and the boys stayed for 3 weeks. (Sheri’s parents came out for a week in there too).

We worked a lot but had a fantastic time!

Being home alone for a couple weeks, I just couldn’t shake this HUGE feeling of nostalgia and sadness for times past.

Also, the realization that Payton is now going to be a Junior in high school, Isaac is beginning freshman year.

Time is FLYING BY!!

Yesterday, we celebrated Independence Day. Isaac spent the night at a friend’s house the night before, so we met the family in Golden (they are great friends of ours as well) and the boys waded into the cold waters of Clear Creek.

After that, we went to another family friend’s barbeque for a bit before heading to the Broomfield Commons and the high schoolers played volleyball while we sat with my brother and sister-in-law.

It was a great day.

The nostalgia ran deep though, beginning early in the morning. Facebook had a “remember when on this date” feature that showed us celebrating July 4th through the years.

Those were just a few.

Needless to say, a few tears were shed (mostly by me).

These past few weeks I have been struck (an apt word actually) right in the feels about how fast time has gone, and continues to move.

I love my life.

I love my family.

I love all the amazing times we have shared throughout these years and yet I cannot help but feel sad that those times are in the past. I know there will always be better and more amazing times ahead, but this week I am REALLY missing times gone by.

I also found myself wondering if that during all these years, have I been the father and husband that these amazing human beings deserve. I found myself doubting. I found myself yearning to hug them a bit tighter.

I want to go back in time and re-experience holding them on my chest when they were babies as we both fall asleep in my recliner. I long to lay with them camping while staring at the stars and listen to their amazement at the vast universe spread out before our eyes. I want to go back to coaching them in youth rec soccer and watch them running around in a herd chasing after that soccer ball. I want to go back to reading to them at night, and make sure I am choosing books and directing conversation that will help me mold them into the truly amazing humans they are and will become.

I also realize all of these yearnings come from MY WANTING more than theirs.

They are wonderful young men and I know the world is a better place due to their presence. I know that as a father, I’ve done pretty well, even if I will always believe I could’ve done better.

After I left Hilton Head, I received an email from Jon Gordon that touched on these feelings. Check out this snippet below:

So, I still am having a serious case of all the nostalgia feels. But these words helped me realize that I have and continually will share these gifts with them from now until the end of time.

I miss the old times. To be honest, I miss everyday I have had with them up until today. And I know one day I will miss today as well.

Those feelings are built into the tremendous love I have for them.

I know that I will continue to have days like this.

I also know that I am looking forward to seeing them after work today. Even if it is after they are done hanging out with their friends.

I love my family fiercely and I know that they love me fiercely back.

Have a wonderful Monday and make sure to spend some time with the ones you love, if only to savor the pain of missing that time when the passage of time doesn’t allow them to be right beside you down the road.

-Dr. Lindeman

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

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