Mindfulness

Start Here

April 11, 2022 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

YouAreHere “Where should I start?”, my client asked.

Lots of times, we want to make changes, we want things to be different. And sometimes, we want things to be different before we make any changes.

We want a different starting point.

If you’ve ever been at a park or mall, looking at the map to figure out where to go, you might notice that one very important feature, “You Are Here.” It points to the spot where you are now.

Not where you want to go. Not where you want to be.

But where you are.

If you are at the mall and see the store you want… on the other side of the mall, you might wish you were standing nearby, near the destination store. Not all the way across the mall.

But if you are on the other side of the mall, that is where you are. Navigating to the destination from a closer point — a point where you are NOT — is not likely to be effective.

You start where you are.

And you might just find… it is a pretty good place to start.

Listen to this podcast episode for how to start where you are, and why where you are is a pretty good place to start.

RELATED RESOURCES
Accepting What Is
Limiting Beliefs
Making Changes
Book: The Immutable Laws of Living

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Create!

January 31, 2022 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

I must admit, I have said it myself, “I am just not creative.” But that isn’t true. Not for me, and not for you. Perhaps you had some art teacher tell you that at one point. Or perhaps you were looking at the creative work of someone else. And perhaps you aren’t creative in that particular medium (although it may just be you haven’t put effort into that medium).

But you ARE creative. And so am I.

How do I know?

Because we are human. And being human is being creative. We create thoughts all the time. Most of the time, jobs are creative in nature. When we are doing some hobby, it is likely to be creative. Yep, even if it is a sport.

When I am rolling in jiu jitsu, I may think that I am just repeating some move I have learned. But in reality, I am trying to creatively respond to the actions of someone else. They move, and I respond, to which they respond, to which I respond. At every step, it is a creative response.

Or when I am trying to work a problem on the climbing wall, I have to make a creative choice on how I will make it to the top. I have to be creative in the choices I make, positioning I take, and the route I follow.

The fact is, creativity is in our DNA. Humans are probably more creative than any other creature. It only takes a quick look around to see how creative elements surround us with just a quick look around.

One part of the Thrive Code is seeing your creativity, and consciously practicing it. I cover it on this episode of the Thriveology Podcast. You can listen below.

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Challenge
Control
Community
Contribution
Lee’s Books

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Does Gratitude Matter?

November 23, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Be thankful. Be grateful. Shift mindsets and thrive. 4 ways to focus on gratitude. If you are in the States, we are on the cusp of the Holiday season, kicking off with Thanksgiving in just a few days.

For me, the Holidays throughout the year are moments to step into gratitude. Not just in a little “thank you for that gift,” but in a gratitude for being alive. For being here. For experiencing life.

Each morning, while walking the neighborhood with my dogs, Ziggy and Clementine, I reflect on 5 things for which I am grateful. That starts my day with an attempt to shift my attention to thankfulness, to gratitude.

Granted, some days, that feeling quickly evaporates when the work piles up.

But I try to remember to be grateful on a daily basis.

How about you?

Did you know that research shows how simple gratitude habits can re-wire the brain… away from fear and threat? Away from depression and anxiety? Just by thinking with gratitude. Just by focusing on things for which you are grateful.

In this episode of the Thriveology Podcast, I discuss the power of gratitude to shift your thinking and re-wire your brain… just in time for a day we set aside to be particularly Thankful.

Know that I am thankful for you, my reader/listener. Wishing you the best of Thanksgivings!

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Change in the Shadow of Terror

September 6, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Sometimes, success comes from being at the right place at the right time. Sometimes, tragedy comes from being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But what happens when you are at the right place at the wrong time?

For Kushal Choksi, it saved his life. It was September 11, 2001. Kushal was running late, and rushing to get to a meeting in the World Trade Towers. He was racing through the mezzanine when a horrific impact jarred him and threw the world into chaos. What had happened? What should they do?

Some people were frozen in place. Others were fleeing the building. Still others were simply trying to get back to their day, oblivious to the danger that was mounting. Choksi headed for the door, but was met by a security guard who was imploring people to return to the building. Given the debris raining down, that made some sense.

But before he could turn, another voice and a strong hand on his shoulder said, “No, get out!” Kushal did. That decision saved his life.

And that day completely reordered Choksi’s life. He was lost for some time after. What seemed like the recipe for success was floundering. It was not just about being wealthy and powerful. Somehow, the “American Dream” no longer seemed the goal.

What then?

After much seeking, Kushal found his way forward with new tools for dealing with his anxiety and fears. And that led him to another path of success.

In this episode of the Thriveology Podcast, as we approach the 20th anniversary of that horrific attack, I had a chance to sit down with Kushal and talk about meaning, purpose, breath, and mindfulness.

Listen below.

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Do You Believe Your Thoughts?

May 10, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

DontBelieveThink Those thoughts, they get us into trouble, don’t they?

We keep looking for that thing that will make us happy. We think we know. We think that thing, that person, that place, that paycheck, position, etc., etc., will finally do it.

Until we get it, get there, have that relationship, or whatever… only to find that it didn’t quite work.

Oh, sure, we might be happy for a brief time. But not the way we thought. That “shiny new object” just didn’t do it. And back to the drawing board we go.

Mostly because we keep thinking that that thing “out there” is going to do it.

Notice that “happy” and “happen” share a root. Something out there needs to happen in order for us to be happy.

Which is not the path to happiness. No matter what your thoughts are telling you.

In this podcast episode, I discuss why our thoughts trick us, and what to do instead.

RELATED RESOURCES:
Thoughts are Thoughts
Meaning
Making An Impact
Happiness?

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From “If” to “Is”

March 29, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

At the beginning of my career, I was a hospital chaplain. One of my tasks was to help people accept what was going on… to accept the diagnosis, the outcome of an accident or tragedy, to accept the changes. Interestingly, many times, it seemed that those wanting the person to “accept” were really looking for resignation. Kind of giving up.

I think our understanding of acceptance has expanded since then. But that doesn’t make it any easier.

You see, we all want some “alternate reality,” some different space where things didn’t, aren’t, or won’t happen. Where we get to choose to undo/redo, or not do what we don’t like. The alternate reality where things happened or happen or will happen differently.

Except they don’t. They happened as they did. They are happening as they are. And they will happen as they will.

Yes, we have some control about what we do in this moment, and what we will do to move toward the next. But not enough to create our alternate reality where we get to choose everything (we do get to choose our own response, though).

There are 3 “If’s” we play out in our mind. One shift matters, if we want to thrive. The shift to “Is.”

I unpack what that is about and talk about how we can make the shift in this episode of the Thriveology Podcast.

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How to Be FREE

March 1, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

One day, I was watching some videos (you know how that rabbit hole works) that led me to a video on this interesting sport. I love water sports, and am frequently daydreaming this time of year about being in warm water.

I have no idea how that led to this video, but it was a team playing this weird underwater game of hockey/ultimate frisbee/survival thing. It was the Underwater Torpedo League.

Underwater Torpedo was invented by two former special ops guys. They used it to help training clients get better at breath holding and calm under stress. But it sure looked like a blast of a time! I filed it under “I’d love to do that!”

Fast-forward and I met these two guys. Turns out they do more than just train some people. They actually train professional athletes on a regular basis, including MMA, NFL, and even pro surfers.

Prime Hall and Don Tran are the guys behind the game. But they are also performance coaches outside the pool. They work with people about performing in life, using their F.R.E.E. Your Mind protocol. Through their coaching, they help people reduce stress, perform better, and become better versions of themselves.

In this episode, Don and Prime discuss their protocol with me, so that you can make shifts toward higher performance in all of your pursuits.

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Merry Stressness and Happy Blue Year!

December 21, 2020 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

And just like that, the Holiday season is upon us! All the hustle and bustle. All the events. All the demands… in the midst of a time that you want to be enjoyable, meaningful, and manageable!

Why the stress?

In this week’s Thriveology Podcast, I discuss the causes of holiday stress. But more importantly, I cover the ways to cope with holiday stress.

Don’t let stress rob you of the deeper meanings and connections of this holiday season.

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Stuck In Loops

November 30, 2020 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

RunningLoops Like a broken record… or an endless audio loop. Those thoughts that just keep turning in your mind. Okay, in MY mind. But I bet it happens to you, too.

Let’s say, hypothetically of course, that I get up to 2 emails. One is complimentary, thanking me for resources, books, podcasts… things like that. Then there is another email, critical and harsh, telling me how useless my info was.

I read them both and head off to walk my dog.

Do you think I ponder that kind one? Or keep looping back to that unkind one?

Yep, you guessed it. And I bet you guessed it because it happens to you, too.

And that thought… it isn’t just a passing thought. No. I find my body tense up, the anger/hurt churning in my gut.

The other day, I was out for my morning walk with my sidekick, Ziggy (our silver lab). We were about half-way through and I realized my palms were sweaty, tightly gripping the leash (which is a waist leash, so I don’t even need to be holding it!). My chest is tight, my stomach is tight. I ask myself, “why am I ready for a fight?” Nothing had happened.

Nothing.

Except a thought I was having… not just having… looping. It was about an experience that happened 3 decades ago. One I don’t typically think about. But today, it popped in my head and I was stuck in a loop. Looping on an old thought that was making me feel a certain way in the present.

I dropped back and followed my own little routine when I find myself looping.

You can’t stop the loops from starting. But you can decide how long you run the loops.

Let’s talk about how to stop those pesky loops. Podcast below.

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Is the Present Perfect?

September 21, 2020 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

My client was telling me about lots of struggles, difficult times, and a few positive moments. I noted, as I have many times with many clients, “It sounds like your present is perfect.”

She went silent. I was silent. But I could see her processing and struggling with my words. I sat quietly.

She finally erupted: “Perfect?!? How can you say that? After all the stuff I told you… how can you tell me that things are perfect?”

I told her, “I didn’t say great. I didn’t say it was how you wanted them to be. Only that the present is perfect.”

In that moment, I could see her gears turning… but she still couldn’t make sense of what I was saying.

How can things feel upside-down and inside-out, and be perfect?

“Perfect” does not mean preferred. It means something is complete. A perfectly cooked steak is complete. It is cooked to a certain level. But also consider a “perfect storm,” the perfect combination of circumstances that mean the storm is more powerful than when those circumstances don’t combine.

The idea of the Present Perfect, which sounds like grammar, comes from life coach, Thomas Leonard. He noted that the Present Perfect is the fact that this moment perfectly reflects everthing that has come before, up until now.

Why does that matter? We explore it in this episode of the Thriveology Podcast. Listen below

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