YOUR Race

This guy is probably very fast.

Odds are, I can’t match his speed on the ice.

mountain-bike-speed-big

This girl is probably very fast.

Odds are, I can’t match her speed on the mountain bike trail.

And odds are, the top guy probably can’t ice skate on a mountain bike trail as fast as she can ride, and she probably can’t ride as fast on the ice as this guy can skate.

The point is this:

THEY ARE GREAT AT THEIR RACES, BUT PROBABLY NOT AMAZING AT EACH OTHER’S.

You are the only person that is uniquely suited to running your race/your life.

And yet, you probably compare yourself to others all the time.

Today, focus on running YOUR race to the best of YOUR ability, and forget about what anyone else is doing.

And when you do find yourself comparing, just picture a guy in roller-skates trying to take 1st place in the 200 meter backstroke in the pool… and realize that’s what you’re doing 😉

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Focus on happy

Live in the moment.

As human beings we have the amazing ability to think about the past and the present which is pretty cool, except when those thoughts take us away from the present.

Studies have shown that our minds are prone to wonder which actually decreases not only our ability to focus on tasks at hand, but actually decreases our happiness.

When we can focus, and even more so when we can train our ability to do so (via activities such as meditation), we can improve our happiness in the moment and for the future 🙂

Happy Monday!

-Dr Lindeman

Focus and connect, leave your mark

There is a misconception that multitasking is a good thing.

Research shows when we attempt to multi task we do all of those tasks at about 33% efficiency.

This doesn’t just apply to work.

When we are with our family, talking with a friend or etc, our minds are prone to wander and we lose our focus.

We don’t listen whole-heartedly, and we don’t connect fully.

People may never remember what you tell them but they will always remember how you made them feel.

When you are focused and connected, rather than wandering and “multi tasking” you will ensure they fee listened to and appreciated.

So focus people! And focus ON the person in front of you 🙂

Happy Thursday!

-Dr Lindeman

Life’s paper cuts/little triggers

In my book, one chapter is dedicated to the fact that life’s small inconveniences (spilled coffee, stepping in a mud puddle, etc) can exponentially create an entire “bad day.”

We tend to overreact to small problems when compared to large ones.

In the book, “Stumbling on Happiness” by Daniel Gilbert, he discusses WHY these little triggers (as he titles them) can cause more havoc than big, devastating events.

We have a psychological immune systems, like many systems in our bodies, work with thresholds. When something is large enough to go over that threshold a defense mechanism is triggered and set into motion. We can rationalize a breakup with someone we love. We can overcome fractures, dislocations, and the links easier than we can overcome a slice to the pinky toe. We can move on stronger when we don’t get the job we sorely wanted more easily than we can overcome ruining our favorite shirt with a bbq stain.

When the attack is under our threshold, we don’t deploy our defensive “troops” to overcome the insult.

So what does this mean?

It means we are amazing, first of all.

We were created with extreme resiliency to overcome huge challenges.

It also means we need to be more vigilant in working through the little things in order to circumvent their effects.

Be conscious of life’s little cuts, and actively work to overcome them. The big stuff, most likely, we are already prepared for.

Happy Wednesday!

-Dr Lindeman

Human Connection

This morning, I watched a great interview with Nicholas Epley (author of “Mindwise” and Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago).

The interview was about the role of human connection on happiness, and the lengths people go to in order to avoid social interaction sometimes even though research shows that such connections make both parties much happier.

He discussed an interesting study.

People’s happiness levels were measured after increasing their income 4x (400%!) and measured people’s happiness levels when they felt “lonely yesterday.”

The feeling of loneliness had a 7x impact (negatively) in happiness levels compared to an income increase of 400%!

That is remarkable!

Loneliness DRASTICALLY affects our happiness levels.

And yet in many instances, we choose to be lonely. On the bus, the train at D.I.A., on planes, in the checkout line at the supermarket, etc, we choose to keep to ourselves rather than connect with those around us. Some studies show this is because we feel we don’t want to “bother them,” but the research shows in almost all instances, engaging in light conversation/connection benefits the happiness of both parties.

We are more “connected” than ever before by virtue of social media, but we are also more lonely than ever before. Especially during these crazy times, it is even more imperative to reach out to others.

We are all lonely at times.

Work to change that today.

You will make others, AND YOURSELF, much happier in the process.

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr. Lindeman

Ways to be happy :-)

These are great words of advice.

However, I don’t feel we NEED to love simply all the time. Doing some extravagant things (big vacations, big experiences) can truly be a gateway to happiness as well.

As long as we are doing them to savor and not to show off 😎

Find one thing on this list and expand it in your life today.

Happy Monday!

-Dr Lindeman.

🔥 The Fire 🔥

I love the song “The Fire” by The Roots.

Great messages throughout, here’s some of the lines that hit me right in the feels…

“And I’m an icon when I let my light shine. Shine bright as an example of a champion, takin the advantage, never coppin out or cancelin. Run like a chariot, learning how to carry it. Maverick. Always above and beyond average.”

“Realize I’m supposed to reach for the skies. Never let somebody tell you otherwise.”

And the chorus:

“Theres something in your heart, and it’s in your eyes. It’s the fire, inside you. Let it burn. You don’t say good luck, you say don’t give up, it’s the fire. Inside you. Let it burn.”

I love the song because it ain’t just about “winning,” it’s about acknowledging your purpose, your inspiration, your fuel that keeps you fired up.

Not simply about the accolades.

And when you let your fire burn, you warm everyone around you, and you light up the world with positive change.

We need your light. Let it burn!

Focus on the fire (your why) and there’s no limit to the skies you will reach.

Keep that 🔥 stoked today!

Happy Thirsday

-Dr Lindeman

Pretty awesome, right?!

Don’t be the center

“Don’t be the center of attention at your office.”-Dr Greg Howard

This was said at the wonderful zoomcast conference this past weekend. Dr. Howard was bringing the point home that even though we run our chiropractic offices, we should not be the center of attention.

This can be applied to any job/position.

True leaders earn their position as a leader by focusing on the people they serve.

You can be given a title of “leader” by virtue of a job description, but people will not truly follow you unless you first put them in the forefront of your interests.

The world is full of powerful people.

They are not necessarily considered leaders.

In large corporations, there are CEOs, CFOs, Vice Presidents, etc. There are also an innumerable amount of leaders on every floor, in every group and in al situations.

Strive to lead others, by putting yourself second.

If we all focused on helping others, focused the groups we get to help (lead), I promise we all would be better off.

Lead strong (by loving others) today!

Happy Wednesday!

-Dr Lindeman

Bodacious Bridge Building

I attended (via Zoom) an amazing conference this past weekend.

There were a LOT of great speakers, but one of my favorites had these two gems:

“You need to be willing to give up what you want now, for what you truly want forever” and “discipline is the bridge between our goals and achievements.” – Dr Jennifer Knobbe

It was a great reminder and impetus for me to start re-building bridges to where I truly want to go.

It’s easy to get comfortable in the moment. It’s easy to do things that make us a tiny bit happier than putting in a tiny bit more work would.

It is imperative to refresh and to re-energize in order to succeed, but there are times and places for that.

I realized I was taking breaks when I should have been working on my dreams, AND taking breaks when I was supposed to be taking breaks.

Coasting never creates momentum (unless it is downhill).

We don’t need to push ourselves so hard that we give up. But, we all know when we could use a bit more push in order to succeed, and I am truly grateful for those reminders.

Thank you Dr Knobbe (and all the other amazing speakers, many of which I will probably quote in the coming weeks 🙂

Get building those bridges!

Happy Tuesday!

-Dr Lindeman

Pygmies and the horizon

This story was taken from the book below:

“About 50 years ago a Pygmy named Kenge took his first trip out of the dense, tropical forests of Africa and into the open plains in the company of an anthropologist. Buffalo appeared in the distance-small black specks against a bleached sky- and the Pygmy surveyed them curiously. Finally, he turned to the anthropologist and asked what kind of insects they were. “When I told Kenge that these insects were indeed large buffalo, he roared with laughter and told me not to tell such stupid lies.”

The Pygmy had no concept of a distant horizon, he lived his life in a dense tropical forest. His perception drove his reality.

Sometimes we need to borrow others’ vision in order to see what is possible. Sometimes we don’t have a concept of a distant horizon 🙂

Borrow a BIG vision for your future today!

Happy Thirsday

-Dr Lindeman