Your Brain On Wonder

Laser Provision: There is, of course, a play on words in Candace Pert's 2006 book title, Everything you Need to Feel Go(o)d. Feeling good and feeling the presence of God are inextricably connected. The physiology, psychology, and spirituality of goodness and God are one and the same. There is a simple reason for that as everyone learned as a child: God is good. If you want to see how that works then join me for a Provision on wonder. It really is good to feel good.

Coaching Inquiries: What kind of emotions do you inspire in life and work? What kind of emotions are you filled with right now? How could you become more aware of them? How could you become more emotionally intelligent? What practices might assist you to listen more deeply and align yourself more fully with positive emotions? What is one thing you could do right now?

Your Brain On Learning

Laser Provision: My wife, Megan, and I recently spent a week in Las Vegas. It's not what you think. No gambling and glitzy shows for us. We spent the week laboring on the new home of our daughter and son-in-law. They purchased a foreclosure property which meant two things: they got a great deal and a great opportunity to learn about the joys of home ownership. No more calling the landlord when something doesn't work! Instead, you learn how to take care of things yourself. Where does learning come from and how does it work? With a nod to mirror neurons, I invite you to learn about learning in today's Provision.

Coaching Inquiries: What are some of your learning goals? What has been your approach to those goals? How have you been stimulating your mirror neurons? What successful examples have you been able to watch and what mental rehearsals have you been able to muster? How could you become even more engaged in learning what you want to learn?

Your Brain On Sleep

Laser Provision: Right before my mother went into the hospital for the medical crisis that led to her death, I wrote a Provision titled Your Brain on Exercise. Then began the 3-week odyssey of waiting, grief, and support that I have written about and shared with you through Provisions. During that 3-week period, many of my normal patterns had been greatly disrupted. Not only productivity, but exercise and sleep had suffered as well. Does that make a difference in brain functioning? You bet! Read on to find out more.

Coaching Inquiries: What is your pattern when it comes to sleep? Are you getting at least 6 hours of sleep a night? What could help you to push that up to 7.5 hours or more? What practices help you to get a good night's sleep? How might your life be better if your brain was getting more sleep? What's keeping you from making it so?

Your Brain On Exercise

Laser Provision: I have often written about the connection between my running routines and these weekly Provisions. Schedule permitting, I often sit down and write them soon after I clean up from a long run. I'm doing that right now. If you thought that running for 2+ hours just gives me a lot of time to think, you have only a small part of the picture. Exercise doesn't just give me time to think, it fuels the brain with ideas, happiness, vitality, alertness, and creativity. That's because, as we have seen my current Provision series, the brain is not just in our heads. It is distributed throughout the body and is nourished through a physiology of extracellular chemicals and fluids. If you want to make your brain smarter, then exercise may be just what the doctor ordered. Intrigued? Read on.

Coaching Inquiries: What is your pattern when it comes to exercise? Are you getting at least 90 minutes of vigorous exercise a week? What could help you to push that up to 150 minutes or more? Who could help you? What are some of your favorite exercises and activities? How might your life be better if your brain was sharper and your mood was happier? What's keeping you from taking the first step?

Your Brain On Dialogue

Laser Provision: I last wrote about the impact of goals on the human brain and by now I hope you know that when I write "brain" I mean the entire body-brain complex. Our brains are connected and distributed throughout every part of our body and goals have a demonstrable, beneficial effect on both their form and function. Simply put, it's good to put your brain on goals. But goals are not the only brain food. Omnivores that we are, our brains also thrive on dialogue. Indeed, if you want to wake up your brain there's no more surefire way to do that than to get into an engaging conversation with someone, if not an argument. Maybe that's why you're reading this Provision right now. Read on to start the conversation.

Coaching Inquiries: When was the last time that you had a good dialogue with yourself? With someone else? How could you deepen those practices? What kind of effect do you think that would have on your life and work? What's keeping you from starting that dialogue right now?

Your Brain On Goals

Laser Provision: When people work with coaches they usually want help with setting and achieving goals. The motivation is often very practical: they want to be more successful in life and work. What they don't always realize, however, is that the act of setting and striving to achieve goals changes the brain in demonstrable and positive ways. If you want to not only accomplish more but also to feel better, one of the best prescriptions is to get involved with intrinsic, goal-directed behavior. When was the last time you put your brain on goals? If it's been awhile, then this Provision might give you a nudge.

Coaching Inquiries: What are your goals right now? Are you sure? How could your goals better serve your life energy? What designs would help your goals to be expressed more fully? How could you stay focused on your goals even when distractions arise? What systems do you use, like a project manager, for progress monitoring? Who could help you to improve those systems in life and work?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us (Coach@LifeTrekCoaching.com) or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here.

The Subtle Energies of Intelligence

Laser Provision: As people have sought to understand the workings of the brain, our imagination has often been limited and shaped by our technology. As the industrial revolution got underway, the brain and nervous system were understood in mechanical terms. With the advent of electricity and computers, they were understood in binary terms. Things were either on or off, 1 or 0, with different combinations generating different functions and outputs. Now, however, with ever-more sophisticated models of chemical neuroanatomy, researchers are rearranging the pieces of the puzzle all over again. The brain is not a digital computer. It is a biochemical soup continuously wafting subtle energies of intelligence. If you'd like to learn how to play with the recipe, read on.

Coaching Inquiries: What practices do you engage in most frequently that help you to feel good? What practices would you like to try? How would you know if they were starting to have an effect? What would change about your mood and emotion? What kinds of intelligence might be evoked?