Podcast 653: Touching the Infinite-Four Foundations of Mindfulness with Rodney Smith

If you are like most people from time to time you question your life; and if done effectively how to change our worldview.  Is the world in which we “think” we live the reality we want to live in?  Are we happy with our existence on this round blue ball called earth?  If we are not happy how can we, change our emotional, spiritual and physical experiences?

I am pleased to say that in this interview with author Rodney Smith about his book “Touching the Infinite-A New Perspective on Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness” you can find a starting point in which you can look at your life, and question your perceived reality.  What is the truth?

As Rodney states ” The spiritual journey is looking behind the scenes.  We have all grown up holding the world to a conventional set of criteria established by our cultural and personal norms. These norms established our worldview and are embedded early in childhood. There is both a conscious and unconscious part of our drama, a part that we are willing to see and a part that does not fit our script.”  As Buddha taught “only one thing, suffering, and its cessation”

If you want to release yourself from the shackles of life, you best look at the world from the perspective of the end of suffering.  “When we question what we are doing and why we have to steer the question through the continuum bounded by suffering and the end of suffering: Does this method you are employing, this effort you are exerting, this goal you are setting, add to or alleviate suffering?

I am fascinated by Rodney Smith’s perspective, his book and teaching and I know you are going to learn tremendous lessons from our dialogue in the interview.

If you want to learn more about “Touching the Infinite” just click the link.   You can also click any of the highlighted URL to be directed to the book on Amazon.

Enjoy this wonderful dialogue with a very informative and deep teacher of living a life of mindfulness.

 

Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 636: Heartwork-The Path of Self-Compassion with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD.

How often do you beat up on yourself?  What if you could learn to apply self-compassion to that part of you that gets lashed by your ego telling you that you are not good enough?

In my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D. we discuss her new book Heartwork The Path of Self-Compassion.  In the interview, with Radhule she reveals the 9 practices for opening our heart up so that we can heal the pain that we carry inside, and that frequently won’t go away.

Hearwork is filled with wonderful success stories and practices so that the reader can apply the techniques to their specific issues.  She also provides various meditation and mindfulness practices that cultivate heightened awareness, tranquility and inner happiness.  As Radhule writes ” As your wounded heart begins to heal with self-compassion, it may begin to fill with generosity and kindness; the boundaries of your self-preoccupation may loosen, and compassion for yourself can naturally widen to compassion for others.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, ” Although you may not be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you (and others) suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation”

So if you want to learn how to respond differently with self-compassion and compassion for others, then you are going to want to listen to my interview author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D.  If you are interested in exploring Radhule’s website, just click here.   You will find more about her workshops, seminars and professional services.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, PhD about her new book Heartwork, The Path to Self-Compassion.

Podcast 624: The Best Self Journal Co with Allen Brouwer & Cathryn Lavery

I recently had the pleasure of making a connection with the founders of “The Best Self Journal Co,” Allen Brouwer and Cathryn Lavery.  I was inspired to reach out to them because of all the amazing things I was hearing from friends that were using their journal as well as the customer feedback about the product that was prevalent on the internet.

In my podcast interview with Allen and Cathryn, we discuss the inspiration for the development and design of the Best Self Journal. It steamed from the fact that both Allen and Cathryn were not able to find a journal that had all the features that they knew were critical to one’s success. The two were working long hours, seemingly spinning their wheels and not feeling like they were making any progress toward their purpose in life.  They read 100’s of books on personal growth and self-help and compiled the ideas and concepts that they learned into the journal.

This journal is unlike any that you have seen. It features a 13 week roadmap to decide on your goals and break them down into something that is more proximal and easier to get your head around.  It also features a morning and evening gratitude section as well as a place to record your wins for the day and the biggest lessons you have learned daily.  You can record and track the habits you are attempting to develop as well as reflect on your day.    They have even included a section they refer to as freedom pages where you can jot ideas and record notes.

Many people today only use a digital phone to record their meetings, and or take notes.  But there is  something very “cathartic” in putting pen to paper.  The research states that the use of paper and pen vs. all digital recording of our notes and ideas allows our brains make a deeper connection when we write it down versus put it in a digital list-thus we are more apt to attain that goal we are working toward.

I hope you will take the time to listen to this informative interview with Allen Brouwer and Cathryn Lavery the founders and designers of The Best Self Journal.

If you want to learn more about the company please check out their website by clicking here or visit them on Facebook.

Podcast 601: Leading Well From Within with Dr. Daniel Friedland MD

My good friend Dr. Daniel Friedland MD has written a wonderful book entitled “Leading Well from Within” this book is for anyone who is seeking to leverage the stress in their lives and become a better leader in the process.

I know that many of you reading the blog entry are familiar with “conscious leadership” Daniel provides a platform through his book “Leading Well from Within” that gives the reader an entirely new perspective of what it is like to be a conscious leader.  There is a clear correlation between leadership effectiveness and business performance.  Daniel states that “to lead well from within you need to ensure you have the best driver in the driver’s seat to meet life’s demands”.   To become the best driver you need to understand that how your brain reacts to certain stimuli and conditions, and how you are able to learn to control your response is the secret of being a conscious leader.

The difference between being reactive versus being creative is knowing how to reduce and control your stress and removing your self-doubt, while increasing your inspiration.  All of this activity occurs in various areas of your brain, and you can learn how to modulate this through being mindful.  “Leading Well from Within” is the guidebook for any leader wanting to improve their responses to circumstances and events that if handled properly could become the turning point to improving their outlook about the situation, and the outlook of all those that depend upon a well centered and focused leader.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Daniel Friedland and his new book “Leading Well From Within” please click here to be directed to his website.  You can also connect with Daniel on his Facebook page by clicking here.