Mindfulness and Depression

Depression could very often feel like a trap. It's a deep well that seems to get deeper and darker by the second. Very often medication can help bring about a return to normalcy, but it easy to get reliant on medication.

I was diagnosed with extreme depression in 2006 and started taking meds shortly thereafter. I took a variety of different SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor) for many years. At one time I started to think of the medication as a maintenance medication and resigned myself to the fact I was going to be on these drugs for the rest of my life.

Mindfulness and Autism

Over the last few years I have become increasingly aware of autism and it's effects  on the family. Once only a word I heard at conferences it now gained greater importance to me as several of my friends' children were diagnosed with the disorder. They would call me and confide their fears and anger and confusion. We would sit and talk over coffee and they would share what they learned from their doctor or from an article they read or a conference they attended. As they learned, so did I. I was inspired to start researching autism for myself. What I discovered shocked me.  I saw myself and my childhood friends in the behaviors attributed to and found mostly in people on the autistic spectrum. I began to understand that all my friends and I were living somewhere on the spectrum but were never diagnosed. There is a lot more awareness towards autism today and tools for managing the disorder than there were in the 70s and 80s. This is a good thing.

Affirmations

If you a fan of Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle, or Wayne Dyer; or if you a practitioner of the Law of Attraction you have heard of affirmations. But what are affirmations and how do they "work?"

Mindfulness and Weight Loss

I stepped on my scale this morning and for the first time in many years I was under 170 pounds. The scale winked 169.5. This is no means my goal weight (that is between 140 to 145 pounds). But I am proud of myself.

Clear Visions

I've been thinking about Vision boards a lot lately. I know, I know. I'm late to the party. Vision Boards became marketable with the smash success of The Secret. Even before that the concept was explored with the popularity of the Law of Attraction and Abundance Mindsets. In fact, the 2002 book by Shakti Gawain, Creative Visualizations explored the ways you can use imagination and creativity to manifest the life you want. But why do Vision Boards work? What is the psychological reasons behind the metaphysics and the "woo."

C'mon be Happy

I believe that all life is a choice. Everything we do. Everything we are. Everything we believe and everything we feel is a choice we make. I choose to be happy every day. People may say I'm being Pollyanna or I'm living in a fantasy world. They may say it's impossible to be happy all the time because of all the "bad things" that happen. I am a behaviorist. That means I believe things are neutral. It is our thoughts about things and what we choose to focus on that gives meanings to things.

Ways to Overcome Procrastination

This past weekend I attended my local Public Speakers Association monthly event. The Speaker of the Month spoke about Procrastination. I really enjoyed his presentation because it made me think about procrastination in a different way and gave me strategies on breaking through this time thief.

How to Cultivate an Attitude of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is defined by Psychology Today as "a state of open, active attention on the present." For many people that definition is a bit "woo woo." It may conjure images of incense and candles while they sit crossed legged on the floor chanting "oom." Psychology Today goes on to explain, "when you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience."

Gaining Clarity

One of the questions I always hear from my clients and in my workshops is, "How do I get really clear what I want? How do I gain clarity on my goals?"

It's a good question. Most people have a general idea on what they want. They say, "I want more money" or "I want a new job" or "I want a boyfriend/girlfriend" but they don't have a specific and clear picture of what that means to them.

Pay it Forward

There is a new craze on Facebook. This one is more positive than the giraffe riddle (hint: open the door or your eyes) and does not penalize you for showing concern to a friend (the "LIKE" trap game).

This social media craze finds people "Paying it Forward." It works like this. A Facebook friend will post that they want to bring more love and kindness into the world so the first five people who comment on their post with "I'm in" will receive a little gift from them sometime during the year.

Benefits of Working From Home (and Why it Sucks Sometimes)

A few days ago I posted an article about the lessons I learned while working for someone else. I received really good feedback so I decided to follow that article with one about the lessons I learned from working for myself from home.

Whether you are a freelancer, telecommuter, or entrepreneur being able to work from home was probably one of the reasons you choose this path.

Lessons I Learned Working for Others

Today in the United States it is Labor Day. Labor Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the social and economic achievement and impact of American workers. For some it is a day of gratitude an quiet reflection. A chance to thank those who came before and fought for the rights and working conditions workers enjoy today. For others it's a day to spend with family and friends. A chance to hang out in the back yard or a park and grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers.

Truth from Rock and Roll Lyrics

I love Rock and Roll. I spent a good amount of my teens, twenties, and thirties in record stores and standing in line to buy concert tickets.  A lot of my disposal income went to supporting my love of live music and buying the albums of my favorite artists.

It Takes a Team to Pilot a Starship

I just got back from a weekend of filming a new You Tube independent fan produced science fiction show that is set in the Star Trek: The Original Series Universe. It was a thrilling,  sleepless experience that was filled with stress, tension, and laughter. It also showed me the value of teamwork.

5 Lesson I Learned from Living Authentically

In 2006 my then wife and I separated. That event caused me to take a good hard look in the mirror and reevaluate who I am. For close to 10 years I lived with this woman. I was a middle aged man with a good job working for a major Telecom company in Florida but was unfulfilled professionally. I had friends that I hung out with. Drank and laughed with, but never had deep meaningful conversations. That look in the mirror took me deep down the rabbit hole. It forced me to look into myself and ask difficult questions. A journey of self discovery and self awareness had begun.

Who Needs A Coach?

I’ve spent the past few weeks publishing my book "Clarity is Power" and scheduling some achievement workshops to promote it.

I was talking to my friend Michael and know he is working to accomplish many things in his life. I invited him to attend and he told me he didn’t need a workshop. He was coming along fine with his goals. I asked him about his progress and he spoke in general terms about what he was accomplishing. I suggested that maybe he needed to get another point of view to help him get over some challenges.

Three Steps for Managing Depression

Oscar Award winning actor and comedian Robin Williams took his life today. A talented man decided his demons were too strong. He was 63. Mr. Williams and I have one thing in common. Depression.

I was diagnosed with severe depression and moderate anxiety in 2006 while going through my separation and divorce. Depression is one of those invisible diseases where people always say, “Funny, you don’t look sick.” They mean well, they just don’t understand. People try to be empathetic by saying, “I know. I’ve been down too.” Or even worse, “We all have problems, you just have to put on your big boy pants and suck it up!” Depression is still a social stigma. We treat it like the crazy uncle that gets invited to Holiday dinner. Everyone knows he’s there, but no one says anything.

The Day My Life Changed

November 3rd, 1988. 

It was a morning like any other. The sun was high in the crisp, clear, blue sky; and my day started the way my day day usually began. I put on my suit and tie, grabbed my briefcase and walked out my door to catch my train to go to work.

November 3rd, 1988. The day my life changed ...