No matter what you are currently up to, you are holding a picture in your mind or an impression or feeling in your body of that experience. How can you enhance it or shift it towards the thing or things you desire more of?
One way is by creating a picture of it. That's right, you with pencil or pen, drawing. Why in the world would you want to draw, when you aren't really necessarily an artist? Well, drawing does a couple of cool things. The act of drawing, if you don't typically do it, gets your attention. Your brain is processing hordes of information and sorting through them to see what is and is not important. To make a change stick, you have to reroute your brain and call attention to what is most important to you. Reprogram it into prioritizing that which you want at the top of the list. Drawing helps your brain do that. Writing also works, but drawing a picture of what you desire, then coloring it in; that little added effort helps thrill you with all the possibilities of that dream and solidifies it into your brain as "something I want."
Visualizing what you want to occur also triggers the brain to send its own unique chemical cocktail into your system to make you feel supergood. A little serotonin, a little dopamine and "Wow! I am having a great day!"
Overload your brain with the things you want. Write them, draw pictures of them, then daydream about them as if they are happening right now. Your brain can't tell the difference between what you have actually done, and what you are daydreaming that you have done. It files it all into the file cabinet of "experiences." By repeating those experiences in your mind (and in your life), you train your body to respond appropriately to what it believes is your reality. Then in a great alchemical process, things line up, magnetizing that dreamy experience to you.
Picture it, draw it, dream it, live it.
The things you most desire.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
What Summer Vacation is About
In Seattle our summer officially arrived last weekend. That's a little late for us here in the Pacific Northwet but nonetheless we are grateful. This weekend hosted two of those perfect summer days, mid-80's and then low 60's at night. The sun was bright and hot, the wispy clouds were few and far between. Most of America has already gotten their fill of heat, here in the NW we are just drying out. This lovely weekend made me remember what summer was all about...relaxing.
Today, we slept in until 7:00, cooked up a high protein breakfast of fresh eggs from our chickens, power walked the dogs around the block, then high tailed it on down to the neighborhood farmers market. There we bumped into, and visited for 5 minutes with, good friends, rushed back home to slam down tuna sandwiches, hopped on our scooters to fly down and rent stand up paddle boards for 1 hour - one of us fell in the water, that counts as our first "swim" this summer. Back home we power weeded the garden, roasted coffee in our home roaster, barbequed the fish and beef we'd picked at the farmer's market, called our friends during dinner to tell them we missed them, watched the chickens eat the leftover salmon skin, walked the dogs up to the park to watch the sunset while eating ice cream cones.
That's what I call a real summer day! I'll be glad when the rain comes back and I can read a bad mystery novel curled in a chair without FOMO - fear of missing out.
Happy summer!
Today, we slept in until 7:00, cooked up a high protein breakfast of fresh eggs from our chickens, power walked the dogs around the block, then high tailed it on down to the neighborhood farmers market. There we bumped into, and visited for 5 minutes with, good friends, rushed back home to slam down tuna sandwiches, hopped on our scooters to fly down and rent stand up paddle boards for 1 hour - one of us fell in the water, that counts as our first "swim" this summer. Back home we power weeded the garden, roasted coffee in our home roaster, barbequed the fish and beef we'd picked at the farmer's market, called our friends during dinner to tell them we missed them, watched the chickens eat the leftover salmon skin, walked the dogs up to the park to watch the sunset while eating ice cream cones.
That's what I call a real summer day! I'll be glad when the rain comes back and I can read a bad mystery novel curled in a chair without FOMO - fear of missing out.
Happy summer!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Extreme Goals
Why do we set extreme goals for ourselves? Like wanting to climb Everest, swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, or deciding to Ride Across America on a bike? Ironman and marathon races are one of the fastest growing sports today. What drives us to want to reach this level of testing our physical capabilities? “The mentality is that people who are drawn to extreme sports are risk takers,” says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Beverly Hills, Calif., who was a member of the 1984 exhibition Olympic team in gymnastics. “It’s that they love to push themselves to the limit -- physically, emotionally, and in every way possible.”
This past weekend I rode the Copper Triangle in Colorado. Talk about an extreme goal. Honestly I think this was the hardest physical experience of my life to date. The Copper Triangle is a 3-peak bike ride. 78 miles in total with 5,000+ elevation gain. Add to it that I live in Seattle, sea level and this ride starts at about 9,000ft elevation.
When I was preparing for the ride the Wednesday before, I rode up Vail Pass (which is the last peak of the 3 peaks) so I could know what I was getting into. That night, I lay in bed and asked myself, "What was I thinking?" I had decided to do this ride to celebrate my birthday with one of my first cycling mentor and friend, Brad. He had ridden it before and said it was hard but beautiful. Thank goodness he was there to ride beside and in front of me, because he was right on both counts. The long downhills through the valleys were amazing and yes, there was plenty of risk involved screaming along at 45 mph on a bike. The views were spectacular and the smell of the air was so fragrant with pine and sage, I will remember that for a long time.
But why did I need to set such an extreme goal for myself I wondered as I gasped for air and suffered up the final climb of Vail Pass. Was it for the adrenaline rush? Was it to challenge my body and have a reason to stay in shape? Maybe so I could say I had done it? Copper Triangle, check! Well, to be honest I would say probably for all of these at some level.
So how did visuals help me on that ride? In that final climb I used every single visualization I could think of to get myself to the top. I imagined myself throwing my arms up in the air after finishing. I saw my lungs breathing easier with every pedal stroke. I channeled every favorite rider I had seen climbing the hills in the Tour de France. There is one spot at the very end of Vail Pass where the grade pitches up to 11%. I have to admit that there I just prayed for it to be over. After 4 hours and 54 minutes it was. That's how long it took for Brad to shepherd me through the Copper Triangle. At the end I was filled with gratitude; for my physical body, for the people who helped me, for those who supported the ride, for the gift of life.
My big take away? You don't have to go to this extreme to test yourself. You can test yourself by taking a risk at work speaking up when you don't agree with your team. You can choose to change your diet, start something new, carpool to work or bring a friend a cup of coffee.
Whatever you do, celebrate your success. Remember those who brought you to this point and thank them. Stamp the feeling into your brain and body so next time when you are wondering, "Can I do it?" you will remember, "Yes, yes, I can."
Patti
When I was preparing for the ride the Wednesday before, I rode up Vail Pass (which is the last peak of the 3 peaks) so I could know what I was getting into. That night, I lay in bed and asked myself, "What was I thinking?" I had decided to do this ride to celebrate my birthday with one of my first cycling mentor and friend, Brad. He had ridden it before and said it was hard but beautiful. Thank goodness he was there to ride beside and in front of me, because he was right on both counts. The long downhills through the valleys were amazing and yes, there was plenty of risk involved screaming along at 45 mph on a bike. The views were spectacular and the smell of the air was so fragrant with pine and sage, I will remember that for a long time.
So how did visuals help me on that ride? In that final climb I used every single visualization I could think of to get myself to the top. I imagined myself throwing my arms up in the air after finishing. I saw my lungs breathing easier with every pedal stroke. I channeled every favorite rider I had seen climbing the hills in the Tour de France. There is one spot at the very end of Vail Pass where the grade pitches up to 11%. I have to admit that there I just prayed for it to be over. After 4 hours and 54 minutes it was. That's how long it took for Brad to shepherd me through the Copper Triangle. At the end I was filled with gratitude; for my physical body, for the people who helped me, for those who supported the ride, for the gift of life.
My big take away? You don't have to go to this extreme to test yourself. You can test yourself by taking a risk at work speaking up when you don't agree with your team. You can choose to change your diet, start something new, carpool to work or bring a friend a cup of coffee.
Whatever you do, celebrate your success. Remember those who brought you to this point and thank them. Stamp the feeling into your brain and body so next time when you are wondering, "Can I do it?" you will remember, "Yes, yes, I can."
Patti
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