The Thriveology Podcast For Thrive Nation

You've probably heard the story about the group of blind men describing an elephant, all touching a different part of the elephant.  Not surprisingly, they all have a different view of what an elephant is. . . because they have a limited perspective. We ALL have a limited perspective.  We ALL only partly see reality -- then promptly pretend/believe we see reality clearly.  We don't.  None of us. W...

Pretty much all day, you are thinking.  That is built into our design.  We think, ponder, consider, worry over, dream about, and pretty much run everything through our thoughts. That isn't really a problem.  Except when we forget we are thinking. When we forget we are thinking, we confuse those thoughts with reality.  And we start responding to reality from the basis of our thoughts -- which are a...

OK, before you kick me to the curb and tell me you want to be happy, hear me out.  I don't want you to be miserable.  But I also don't think life is simply about being happy. In fact, that assumption is often what leads people to some pretty bad places of addiction, consumption, debt, unhealthy behavior -- and unhappiness. So many times, people have said to me that they are guaranteed happiness in...

Last week, I discussed the fact that life isn't fair.  That is the first immutable law of living.  Because when you struggle against it, trying to make life fair, you lose.  When you accept life isn't fair, you shift.  Life isn't about fairness. In fact, one of the reasons we believe life isn't fair is because tough things happen in life.  Challenges and tragedies strike.  We believe these are ano...

If you follow my marriage podcast, you know I am in the midst of a series on the "Immutable Laws of Marriage."  These "laws" are violated at the expense of the relationship.  There are also Immutable Laws of Living.  And this week, we start looking at those laws. No, you won't be in legal trouble if you violate these laws.  You will be in thriving trouble, though.  These are laws that help us to t...

There is one reason I shared the Thriving Body Series:  so you can build a thriving body.  I have noticed that we live in a culture of body-shaming or body-ignoring.  We live in a world focused on "what you look like," compared to some ideal created by media.  So, many people feel inadequate -- leading to giving up or dysfunctional lifestyles. Others simply pretend they don't inhabit a body.  That...

"I'm so stressed out," has become a very common refrain.  But what does that mean?  Have you paused for a moment to wonder, what is behind that idea? We all have moments of feeling a bit overwhelmed and frazzled.  We all have times when we react to some event.  Our body comes along for the ride.  Adrenaline spikes, headaches strike, stomachs get upset, palms get sweaty. . . our body goes into Figh...

Do you get the rest you (and your body) need?  Most people don't. Research on sleep reveals that almost 50% of people say they do not get enough sleep. And your body takes a toll for this.  Slower healing, chronic disease, fuzzy thinking, physical decline, and even weight gain, all have been tied to a lack of adequate sleep. Here is the painful truth:  if you are skipping on sleep, you are most li...

Two podcasts ago, I covered fueling your thriving body (how to eat to thrive). That raised some questions.  So this week, I answer your questions. Let's talk some more about the best sources for energy when you are fueling that thriving body. And I can tell you some more of the reasons I have chosen the approach I follow. It may not fit for you.  But just last night, I was chatting with several pe...

We addressed how to fuel your thriving body (how to eat) last week.  That is a fundamental building block of a thriving body. But what about building that thriving body?  That is all about exercise. I look for the M.E.D. (Minimally Effective Dosage) of exercise.  What is the minimum you need to do, in order to get your body in shape? It takes FAR less time than you might imagine.  In fact, many pe...

Last week, we started a new series, Your Thriving Body.  My focus is on how we build a thriving body.  Not a "beach body," not a six-pack.  Not any particular body shape.  But a thriving body. We all have limits and limitations.  But how can we best live a thriving life, physically? This became important to me when I was sick, realizing that I had neglected an important part of thriving:  your bod...

Somehow I missed it.  I was cruising through life, doing my thing, working hard, and trying to move forward. What did I miss? That my body was what took me through life. And it was quite a rude awakening.  Like a doctor telling you and your wife that you were headed for total disability -- and then death. That will wake you up! (Well, it woke me up, for sure.) Here I was, learning about thriving a...

People get stuck for several reasons: The Past The Future Your Energy None of the 3 have to keep you stuck.  First, you have to identify the source of "Stuck," and then decide how to move through it. Unstuck becomes a choice -- but only after understanding the Stuck.  Stare at the Cost-Benefit and decide if you are just choosing to be stuck.  Or if you are ready to move beyond it. As we wrap up th...

Within you, lurking just below the surface, there are some beliefs that are limiting you.  Your Limiting Beliefs influence your thoughts and your perspective.  They mold your paradigm and keep you held hostage. You can break free from those beliefs.  You don't have to be held hostage.  There is a simple 4-step process that will allow you to defeat and destroy those beliefs, once and for all. Here...

You here it all the time: "Knowledge is power." Not true.  Knowledge is just information.  Perhaps it is information that is digested and understood.  But it is still information. For knowledge to be power, something else needs to be applied:  Action.  Action, based on knowledge, then becomes power. But here's the hook:  Action that is important is always accompanied by fear.  If there is no fear,...

Are you anchored, waiting for the next opportunity to sail?  Or are you stuck? Sometimes, we have to set anchor for a bit, let the tide change, wait for a storm to pass, or wait for a new day. Sometimes, we set the anchor so well that we end up stuck. Time to weigh anchor and depart.  Time to seek the next port. Let me suggest three A's to help you weigh anchor and get sailing: A- Acceptance A- Aw...

Fear.  It hits us all.  And I'm not talking about a "fright," a startle from something around you.  But fear.  True fear. We all have it.  But it doesn't have to keep you stuck. The real problem is our relationship with fear.  We learn to avoid fear -- and the things that provoke fear. In fact, it is not the thing, but our thoughts and avoidance of even feeling the fear, that keeps us stuck. Too m...

When we get stuck, we can't see beyond ourselves.  When we can't see beyond ourselves, we get stuck. Perspective -- or lack of a different perspective -- is what keeps us in that stuck space. The good news is a shift in perspective is always available to you.  In fact, there are several shifts you can make, at will, at any time. Use these shifts to get unstuck.  A new perspective gives you a new v...

It's just human nature.  We like things And when they're not, they can often tug at us, pulling energy and focus away.  When things are left hanging, we feel (oh, by the way, the last word from that first line is "finished") incomplete, unfinished, unsatisfied. So, what is a "Loop?"  Great question.  This one concept, if you understand it, will help you get free.  If you feel stuck, this is someth...

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, if you are stuck, one of the first things to do is give up your goals. Which may lead you to think that my idea of getting unstuck just means that you leave things the way they are.  Instead of being stuck, you might be stranded. Nope.  That is NOT what I mean.  You see, I think that goals often cause us to be even more stuck. Most of the time, people fail at the...

Stuck.  We all feel it sometimes.  We can't get ourselves in gear, out of our own way, moving in the right direction, or even moving at all. There are some reasons we get stuck.  But I truly believe we are never quite as stuck as we feel. When I feel stuck, it is sometimes helpful for me to remind myself of why I am not quite as stuck as I feel.  When I do that, I get a little momentum. A little m...

We all have those times when we feel stuck.  And we tend to get stuck for the same few reasons: The Past Limiting Beliefs Lack of Clarity Fear Sometimes, we stay anchored in the past, to the old stories and old scripts -- and we don't even realize it. Other times, we carry around limiting beliefs about what is even possible.  We don't tap into the possibilities and potentials, but fall into believ...

During my career as a therapist, person after person came to figure out why they were stuck.  As I transitioned to coaching, I realized my focus was on how to get unstuck. How we get stuck is merely a starting point.  The real task is how to get un-stuck and moving toward our aspirations. When we are stuck, we can't be thriving.  But the process of getting unstuck is also the process of thriving....

Anxiety.  It sometimes seems to surround us.  Sometimes, it can even overwhelm. But anxiety doesn't have to hold you back.  You can learn to walk through life without allowing anxiety to control you. Remember that we have "anxiety" wiring in your brain.  But we get to choose how much strength we allow that circuit. Don't let anxiety rule your life.  Learn what causes anxiety, how to short it out,...

We all often seek comfort. But is the comfort we find killing us? Is the comfort, perhaps more subtly, holding us back? Here is the problem:  we find something comfortable, something "better," something bigger.  Then, instead of bigger, better, more comfortable, it just becomes the routine. [tweetthis]Habituation is a bitch! - Lee Baucom[/tweetthis] Habituation is the process by which anything bec...