In celebration of this milestone, we are celebrating throughout the month of May.

Today and until May 31^st we are offering my newest book, KENSHO: A Modern Awakening at a 20% discount.

Click here to order your print copy

Use discount code: 5CCPR8LS

This book is the culmination of my research and investigation of some remarkable people in our midst who are doing amazing things with their lives. I was thrilled and privileged to have connected with an inspirational community of people – authors, business owners, doctors, film-makers and scientists – just to name a few. Each person that I connected with echoed the underlying message that inspired me to write KENSHO: the days of compartmentalized thinking are long gone. All countries, all citizens of this miraculous planet are in this together.

Kensho, a term borrowed from Zen Buddhism literally means “awakening” or “awakening to one’s true nature.

Each independent chapter provides a shot of inspiration offering a fresh perspective on how to reflect inward, from a place of compassion to create a new outward world. Kensho gives us the jump on the mental shift that is needed to harness the power of optimism and offers the tools to live a life of fuller significance and connect with others in a genuine and meaningful way.

Here are some of the interview highlights from KENSHO – champions of brilliant ideas guiding us to taking care of self, others and the planet:

Chapter One: Shift Happens with futurist David Houle @EvolutionShift / www.davidhoule.com

-          “This is where we are” – “This is where we are heading”

Chapter Two: Towers in the Sky with Judy Martin @JudyMartin8 / www.WorkLifeNation.com

-          Redefining the Workplace

-          Shift to global community – we can work/collaborate from anywhere

Chapter Three: Why This Works with Tim Sanders @SandersSays / www.timsanders.com

-          Corporate responsibility and what is needed to sustain a successful business in today’s world

-          The Responsibility Revolution and impact investing

Chapter Seven: Flower Logic with Mike Michalowicz @MikeMichalowicz / www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com

-          Business life cycle analogy (birth to death/or reinvention) and company comebacks

Chapter Eight: Follow the Yellow Brick Road with Sarah Allen @Sarallenconsult / www.sarahallenconsulting.com.au and Dr. Natalie Petouhoff @drnatalie / www.drnatalienews.com

-          Social Media and its future implications

-          Customer Service Impact: The reversal of power

-          Generational shift: the new generation tools (web, social media)

Chapter 18: Life a Love Story with Dr. Marsha Lucas @DrMarsha / www.rewireyourbrainforlove.com and Dr. Jack King @DrJackKing / http://www.walnutridgeconsulting.com/

-          Self-love starts within and the heart/brain connection

Chapter 19: Going Mental with Bryon Katie @BryonKatie / www.thework.com

-          Mental Models, Belief Systems and Core Beliefs

-          Be aware of how your thoughts shape your experiences

Chapter 20: The Age of Imagination with James Van Praagh @JamesVanPraagh / www.vanpraagh.com

-          Creativity in life: how we find it in ourselves and how to access it when we are stuck

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Click here to order your print copy

Use discount code: 5CCPR8LS to receive 20% off of your purchase

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KENSHO has plenty more to offer from the likes of Sue Jones @YogaHopeSue, Marci Shimoff, @Marci_Shimoff, Peggy McColl @PeggyMcColl, Dr. John Hagelin via @LynchFoundation and Noah Hutton @brainshow. For some, this book may be simply a nudge in the right direction to shift their perspective – some light and interesting reading on a long flight, for example.  For others, the book may serve as a tool for various forms of transformation, be it in business or within their personal lives.  My sincere wish is that you might draw on KENSHO’s messages of inspiration and hope to buoy your spirit, so that you too may act as a catalyst for change and awakening in your own life and community.

Thank you for being a part of Steinbrecher and Associates’ community!

Begin with choosing to look at the situation differently. If you really don’t feel you can leave your job, how does it serve you to focus on the doom and gloom of your situation? Empower yourself by looking for the possibilities and advantages of your current position.

A happy employee is more productive, creative and eager to support their work environment than their discontented counterpart. Your personal perspective can be a powerful transformational tool when you are faced with a less than positive corporate atmosphere.

Here are a few tips to help shift a negative attitude and limiting beliefs while on the job:

1. List out all of the benefits of having the job, as you would when creating a “gratitude list”. Does it provide reliable pay? Benefits? Have you forged new and meaningful friendships in the workplace?  This paradigm shift of thought may bring about a more positive attitude, which in turn may make others more receptive to you and your ideas.
2. Ask yourself, What are one or two things that I could do that would make this job more satisfying or rewarding? Look for opportunities within the job to expand knowledge, or gain valuable experience.  Network with people that can provide mentorship, advice or training. When you look closely for opportunities, they often present themselves. Make the best of the situation this way.
3. Experience stays with you forever so perhaps there is a task force or a special project that would provide the opportunity for you to gain valuable experience and allow you to work with people you would normally not get exposure to. This might challenge you and initiate more incentive in your work.
4. Be aware of your thoughts and question them often.  I have a friend who repeatedly talked about how much he hated his company and sure enough, his company eventually fired him. Since that time he has been unemployed–and that was four years ago! So be careful what you wish for.
5. Practice “mindful breathing” several times throughout the day. One way to do this is to take a slow deep-belly breath, count to four and then exhale to the count of five.  This simple technique can lower your blood pressure and keep you grounded.
6. If you still feel “stuck” look for hobbies or pursuits outside of work that would be fulfilling and exciting for you. And remember to have a physical outlet. Exercise can tame stress and boost endorphins, your “feel-good” hormone!
7. Finally, embrace your ability to be of service.  Think of ways you can give back to others you work with and to your community. This leads to a feeling of abundance and prosperity that will help you put your problems in perspective.

Learn how to identify and reframe your belief systems or “mental models”, in my book KENSHO: A Modern Awakening . In the chapter, Going Mental, I interview the extraordinary Byron Katie, bestselling author and founder of The Work. She provides a wealth of information that will help fast-track you on your way to finally eschewing your limiting beliefs – which Byron refers to as “the cause of all suffering”.

We have become a culture of multi-taskers; information is coming at us in all directions. We are conditioned to moving at a pace that is not natural to the human body.

We can learn to slow down our pace, yet heighten our productivity if we approach life from a more mindful perspective. Mindfulness is a conscious effort to be aware of all things around you at any given moment, so that you can appreciate the beauty of the here and now. That may sound too difficult for most of us to accomplish. Yet the path to such grounded calm and long-term illumination is as simple as allowing mindful elements such as patience, trust and non-judgement to pervade our awareness.

When we are calm we are more focused and productive. The search for inner peace does not require a pilgrimage to a Tibetan monastery or an extensive stay at a remote ashram. Every day we have the opportunity to connect with our inner selves and the present moment, even on the job. All it requires is planning commitment and consistent practice. Here are some quick tips:

7 Simple Ways to Make Your Workday More Calm and Productive

1. Be conscious of other people’s time. People are extremely time-stressed – and this is an issue that may cause unintended frustration.
2. Have a designated area for personal cell phone use. Turn off your ringers in the work environment to maintain a sense of peace and calm.
3. Practice “mindful breathing” several times during the day. These simple breathing techniques can lower your blood pressure and keep you grounded – and it can be done anywhere – before a meeting, in an elevator, at your desk. For example, take a slow deep-belly breath, count to four and then exhale to the count of five. Repeat this routine in one or two-minute spurts throughout the day.
4. Take scheduled breaks seriously and commit to doing something that uplifts you in a healthy way. For example, it could be it going for a short walk or calling a loved one.
5. Meditate – get in the habit of putting aside 15 minutes each day while at work to quiet the mind. The payoff? Greater mental clarity, reduced stress and an enhanced feeling of centeredness that can carry you through a hectic work day.
6. Limit multi-tasking. Multi-tasking diminishes mental productivity, elevates brain fatigue and increases stress.
7. Reduce distractions. Turn off your email and let others know when you don’t want to be disturbed while you focus on a specific task at hand.

I hope you’ll try a few of these “mindful living” reminders – at home and at the workplace. I delve more deeply into these practices with tips, tools and more research in my book KENSHO: A Modern Awakening.

How do you manage to stay focused in a world of constant distractions?

Why is brain awareness important? For one thing, adult brains are now thought to be more adaptable, more capable of reprogramming themselves than was once thought. This could have exciting and far-reaching implications for our physical and mental health.

Brave New Brain: An Interview with Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman

Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., is founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth, Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor in BrainHealth, and Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. On the new frontier of brain research, Dr. Bond Chapman is collaborating with scientists across the country and around the world to solve some of the most important issues concerning the brain and its health.

Dr. Bond Chapman is dedicated to making her leading-edge research serve as a national public health road map both in terms of discovering ways to maintain cognitive health into late life and building critical thinking and reasoning skills in today’s youth. I asked her to weigh in on current brain research and her work with the Center for BrainHealth.

You champion the message that the brain is one of the most modifiable parts of our whole body. Can you expand upon this statement?

Years ago, science and medicine held that our brain was unalterable, operating much like a computer with a fixed memory and processing power. But now, science has reversed these beliefs that were once widely held. Our brain continues to grow, change, and repair itself throughout our lifetime, forming new, complex connections throughout our lives. We have considerable control over our own brain function, since much depends on experience and how we use our brain. Brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to be changed, modified, and repaired. The changes can consist of building new brain cells, forming new connections, or strengthening old ones. Our brain changes moment to moment in response to each new experience or new process of learning or even an intensified application of our existing areas of expertise.

Tell us about the cognitive assessment offered at the Center for BrainHealth that you often refer to as the “neck up check up” (officially known as the BrainHealth Fitness Checkup). Is this type of “brain physical” something that companies should be offering their leaders and employees to identify personal strengths and areas of improvement as well as to sustain productivity?

Based on more than two decades of Center for BrainHealth research, the BrainHealth Fitness Checkup is a unique two-hour cognitive assessment and one-hour feedback session that examines vital brain functioning abilities and establishes a benchmark of cognitive reserve in pivotal areas of higher-order mental functioning, such as integrated reasoning, innovative thinking, strategic learning, and mental flexibility. Many companies would benefit from offering their employees the opportunity to take the BrainHealth Fitness Check-up. Businesses spend millions of dollars to improve job specific technical skills and encourage physical fitness and health. Yet at the same time meager resources are directed to the brain’s health and fitness, even though it is the most complex yet dynamically modifiable part of our body, one that offers the highest return on investment of time and energy.  In fact, our brain is the most important aspect of our health and should be assigned a role of the highest importance at the very focal point of our attentions.

In a recent “Harvard Business Review” blog, David Rock, founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute wrote, “I believe that neuroscience research will be a significant factor in reshaping how we define leadership, select leaders, and design leadership development programs.” What are your thoughts and experience regarding neuroscience research and how it relates to corporate leadership?

At the Center for BrainHealth, our research encompasses the entire human lifespan. One of the main areas of study that we focus on is the teenage brain. The brain goes through more changes in the teenage years than at any other point in development except the first two years of life. Our research has shown that emphasis on mechanistic, rote fact-learning, rather than reasoned thinking makes classroom learning less engaging for students and less conducive to their achieving their highest level of cognitive potential. Based on a recent economic forecast, every year that we fail to train youth in strategic thinking and advanced reasoning, we fail in effect to invest in the future of our human cognitive capital and thus fail to produce more well-prepared leaders.

As things stand now, we are not preparing our youth for a workplace where information is constantly changing. Success should be defined by the ability to flexibly engage the mind in solving new problems and even identifying problems that do not exist yet. Corporate leadership should be developing training programs that foster leaders and should be seeking individuals who are not frustrated by change, but rather are inspired and challenged when moving from the known to the unknown. We have found that knowledge is not by definition power in the workplace of today or tomorrow. At the Center for BrainHealth, we are, in fact, training people to move from being knowledge seekers to being strategic thinkers.

In your blog, “Tips to Improve Brain Health For Every Generation”, you state: “The lure of technology is rewiring our brains in detrimental ways, leading to weakened focus, shallower thinking, a reduction of creativity and forward thinking, and a diminished ability to shut out irrelevant information, all decreasing our brain’s potential.” How can we effectively combat the negative effects of information overload on the brain?

Our brain is capable of processing 400 billion pieces of information in a minute, but at great cost. In this day of information overload, individuals are rapidly losing critical aspects of brainpower due to impaired strategic attention. An individual’s capacity to sift through information effectively is diminished, and this prevents them from blocking unnecessary and less relevant information. To combat information overload, it’s important to laser focus on a task for brief intervals, block extraneous details, and efficiently manage the wealth of information at your fingertips. For example, turn off your email notification or silence your cell phone when thinking strategically or focusing on a task at hand. We must constantly build a brain that knows when to block and stop information seeking.

What type of brain fitness programs do you personally employ to instill clarity and balance in both your own private and professional life?

I push my brain never to accept the status quo and to keep thinking of better ways to advance brain health. I am inspired mentally by creating new avenues for the application of ideas, by learning new things all the time, and by critiquing my own work and seeking the same from others.

This interview is an excerpt from KENSHO: A Modern Awakening, Instigating Change in an Era of Global Renewal

Employee engagement is at an all-time low. According to a Towers Perrin workforce study, only 1 in 5 employees is engaged at work. We can be reminded of our impact on others. The way we show up at work, what we say and do is noticed and makes an impact. The question is what type of impact do you want to create?

To be a Heart-Centered Leader, ask yourself these questions at the end of each day:

1. Did I show genuine appreciation for all that my associates did today?  If so, how?

2. Did I consider the consequences of my actions including my words-prior to taking the actions?      Did I choose wisely?  If not, what got in my way?

3. Did I show genuine care and concern for others today?  If so, how?

4. Did I listen well to others before speaking?

5. Did I display enthusiasm and spirit?

6. Did I ask for other people’s ideas today?  Did I genuinely consider them, particularly if they were very different from my own?

7. Did I act with absolute integrity today?  Why or why not?

We are all leaders of our own lives and the journey must begin within – as an inward, mindful striving toward becoming the best person you can be – for yourself and others. This belief is the backbone of what Joel Bennett and I advocate in the book Heart Centered Leadership: An Invitation to Lead from the Inside Out.

The invitation to practice is a calling to lead from your heart. In our business culture and in society the image or metaphor of the heart is often associated with yielding, kindness – or perhaps weakness. We’d like to remind you that the heart is also strong and powerful, as well as the driving force of life. We believe that an unbalanced view or connection with the heart underlies at least some of the current crisis in business ethics. Our hope is that HCL – a character based approach to leadership, supported by 7 main principles, will help restore balance and create a more ethical business world within our communities and beyond.

To learn more about Heart Centered Leadership, click HERE.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’d like to extend a heart-felt thanks to everyone who shared a story about one of their personal “aha” moments – so many inspiring stories!

We are grateful for all of our sponsors that generously contributed to the contest – particularly the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center for the 2 night stay in a Presidential Suite. Plus to all the Kensho contributors who donated prizes: The Hard Rock Café, David Houle, Byron Katie, Tim Sanders, Peggy McColl, Marci Shimoff and Mike Michalowicz – thank you so much for your contributions.

We are all in this journey together – now is the time to step up and act as a catalyst for change and awakening in your own life and community!

Here is Marty Coleman’s story – be sure to check out his artwork at www.napkindad.com

My Aha Moment

I started drawing on napkins while I was unemployed and making lunches for my 3 daughters. I would find an interesting quote and illustrate it with a character or funny scene. My goal was to help them think about various ideas and issues they might be going through in middle school and high school.

After many months I felt sort of depressed because it was my main creative outlet, the only artwork I was doing at the time. I had given up my career as a practicing artist to get a ‘real’ job and settle down, provide for my family.  But the napkins were of no consequence, silly little nothings that were being thrown away. I felt pretty low about things.

My wife at the time was not happy in the marriage (we later divorced) and took the girls to California to visit her family in the summer.  I was not invited. I was home alone on Father’s day when the girls called to tell me they had hid their presents for me around the house. I walked around the house following their hints and found my 2 of my daughter’s presents.

My middle daughter directed me to a bottom drawer in a desk and there I found a napkin she had
drawn for me. It simply said, “Happy Dad’s Day, I love you.”  And below it were all the napkins from the entire year! She had saved every one and given them back to me for Father’s Day.

It truly was the best present I ever got, I cried when I found them. She really didn’t, and couldn’t, understand how much it meant to me to have her do that, and to have them still in existence.

My Aha moment was realizing that even in the most small, inconsequential gestures you can have a tremendous impact if you do them with love.  I continued to draw the napkins for 4
more years, almost every day, until my youngest graduated from High School.

© 2011 Marty Coleman

During the holiday season, between Christmas and New Years, I like to step back from my hectic routine and reflect upon what’s happened over the past year. I take time to clean out my office and take part in other activities that help me manifest goals and impart a sense of renewal.

Here are some of the things I do to help get me there…

• Journaling to help shed light on my thoughts and goals

• Create a revised vision board

• Spend some time in nature to clear my mind

• Meditate on my life’s purpose and clarify the message I am putting out into the world.

• Get a massage…for me, a relaxed body allows the wisdom of the mind to open up to endless possibilities.

• Spend time with friends and family members who I can bounce some ideas off of. I ask them things like:

What are my gifts and talents?

What do you think I am best at and should further leverage?

Going forward, where do you think should be my main area of focus?

Although asking for feedback like this may seem a little daunting at first, it can help us get clear on our strengths, and what we need to let go of, in order to move forward.

Vision boards are also very powerful tools of manifestation. There are many ways to go about doing them, but here is a link to a website that has some great ideas: {vision boards 101}

What are your “renewal tools”? I’d love to hear about what you do to “get clear” for the New Year.

From now until January 24th, share with us any of your “aha” moments in life and you could win a fabulous weekend at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center plus more wonderful prizes from many of the interviewees in my book, Kensho: A Modern Awakening — including business and personal development books, dinner for two from the Hard Rock Café and a gift basket of exquisite organic teas from Ineeka.

Entering the contest is easy.

Year-end is the perfect time for self-reflection. The following may help you decide what you want to write about in your submission…

Ask yourself these questions:

• How have I changed this year – what did I do differently?
• What have I accomplished?
• What events do I remember most?
• Where did I have the most impact?
• What were some of my biggest challenges or roadblocks? How did I overcome them?

The answers to these questions may surprise you and provide helpful insight on the positive changes you’ve made, plus guide you to set additional goals for 2012.  Most importantly, when you share your insights with others, they can learn from your wisdom and experience!

Next step?

Visit our contest page at: http://www.steinbrecher.com/index.php/contest/

In 350 words or less (video submissions are welcome!) tell us about about your personal transformation – big or small.  Maybe it’s an accomplishment or a difficulty that you’ve overcome. Perhaps you’ve changed the way you run your business, or allocate your time…maybe you’ve started journaling or writing a gratitude list…or possibly, you’ve changed the way you think about yourself – or communicate with your partner or family member. Please don’t be shy – there are no “small feats” when it comes to change!

Consider this:

In Bob Proctor’s book It’s Not About The Money, he quotes the following from a 1993 study conducted at Brigham Young University:

• Of those that made the statement “That’s a good idea.” They only had a 10% chance of making a change
• Of those that committed and said, “I’ll do it.” They only had a 25% chance of making a change
• Of those that said when they would do it, they had a 40% chance of making a change
• Of those that set a specific plan of how to do it, they had a 50% chance of change
• Of those that committed to someone else that they would do it, they had a 60% chance of change
• Of those that set a specific time to share their progress with someone else, they had a 95% chance of change

Change can be difficult and it often arrives through a crisis, but whether you realize it at the time or not – change is a gift. Without it we would not grow – without growth, we aren’t embracing life to the fullest.

Be bold, be daring and be joyful in your accomplishments! Join me in celebrating the many “modern awakenings” that surround us daily.

I hope this video inspired by my book KENSHO: A Modern Awakening will encourage you to share your story.

Hope to hear from you!

Again, the contest link is: http://www.steinbrecher.com/index.php/contest/

Best Wishes,

Susan

People often ask me, “how can I be grateful when I am in pain?”  How can one be positive in the face of adversity? The best advice that I can give is that when our perception of the future is bleak, we have to summon the courage to do some self-examination.  Step back and get conscious of where you are in that moment.  How are you feeling?  Give a name to the emotion (write it down).  This is important. We often try to hide our feelings from others and even sensor our deepest feelings within our own consciousness- as it may be too daunting to face these emotions, head-on.  Obviously, that’s the worst thing that we can do.  Burying our emotions can elevate stress levels, which impacts our physical and mental health, significantly.

Once we have identified the core issues, the second step is asking the question.  “What is the lesson in this?  Is there a purpose or a lesson in this situation?”

Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”. There is validity to this statement.  By simply questioning our feelings and issues, we are summoning answers forth from our conscious – and subconscious mind.

The next step is to trust your answers. This is the hardest part.  Our intellect and our ego will often overrule our intuition.  Believe it or not, our intuition is usually correct.  The answers we receive may not be the answers that we want to hear, so we second-guess them.  Sometimes, the answers that come are too difficult or earth shattering and so we even refuse to look at them – we just can’t “go there”.  At this point, fear is what paralyzes our progress. Fear is what stops us from allowing the message – and ultimately the answers – to come through to us. Summoning the courage to allow these messages to come, trusting in your own intuitive wisdom and then making a commitment to work at solving these issues isn’t easy, but it’s essential to personal growth.

Finally, realize as difficult as it appears at that moment – you will survive it! And, as hard as it is some days, we still need to be thankful.  Why?  Because gratitude can be very powerful – even life-changing in its effect.  Research shows that practicing gratitude may contribute to emotional, mental and physical health and may also increase prosperity. Professor of Psychology at UC, Robert Emmons, found that “a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more”. His findings also indicate “cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as a positive effect on hours of sleep and on time spent exercising, on more optimistic expectations for the coming week, and fewer reported physical symptoms, such as pain. His research on gratitude also uncovered a general increase in feeling connected to others and the ability of “thankful” study participants to deal with personal problems (their own and others’).

Convinced?  Give it a try.  Buy an attractive journal and a good pen to write with.  Set aside a time frame each day – even several minutes –and see where this practice can take you.  Keep track of any changes or improvements in your life – and don’t forget to add them to your gratitude lists!

Here are a few more steps to “thanks giving” – that may help us move through the tough times with more ease and grace:

* Reinforce your gratitude list for the day before drifting off to sleep.  This could be with a meditation or a prayerful practice, or simply listing what you are grateful for as you fully relax into a deep sleep.

*Spontaneous acts of kindness.  Each day, try to do something that lifts the spirits of another human being – even if it’s only to offer them a smile, encouragement or compliment.

*Try to meditate or do deep breathing – for even 5 minutes per day – to reconnect with your breath, savor a moment of peace and focus on what you are thankful for.

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