Michael Benner's Blog, page 25

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Having used this blog for some time to announce the release of our podcast stream, ebook and paperback, and various public events, I'm now expanding to include short essays on personal development topics. And so today, I'm posting a few words about metacognition — thinking about thinking.

As a writer, speaker, hypnotherapist and meditation teacher, I've often struggled to explain the distinctions between conscious, deliberate thinking and the passive, unconscious jabber that flows into awareness when we are not engaged in directed activity.

Scientists distinguish between task-related and task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs). Any appearance of thinking that has been diverted from one's current situation — like a daydream — qualifies as a TUT.

Yet TUTs are more than mere distractions. Unconscious thoughts intrude on our conscious awareness whenever we disengage from deliberate cognition. Most people refer to these intrusive influences as "thinking," even though they are passive opinions — impulsive thought-streams of worry, doubt, and negativity stimulated by the survival-based amygdala (reflexive fight-or-flight center) in the primal limbic brain.

Personally, I often use intentional vs unintentional, purposeful vs spontaneous, oractive vs passive to describe this duality. I've also compared task-oriented thinking to carefully driving a car, and task-unrelated thinking to an out-of-control car zig-zagging wildly with an unconscious driver behind the wheel.

Meditators commonly use the Chinese allegory that refers to unconscious mental chatter as monkey mind and deliberate, task-oriented thought as will-horse. The ultimate purpose of most meditation exercises is to detach from our trains of thought and feelings and rise to an elevated perspective of self as the awareness of our mental processes, allowing us to choose whether to accept or reject our intrusive thoughts.

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on March 03, 2019 14:45

Relationship Management

Video Interview — Two Days Only

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Relationship coach Amy Elizabeth Gordon interviews me about improving your understand and communication skills in loving relationships. Available for two days only. Includes free ebook gift.

Thanks. Fearlessness is Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on February 17, 2019 09:51

Fixing last podcast episode

Duplicating Chapter 8 Podcast

"Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow for other's good,

and melt at other's woe." — Homer

Hello AWMS subscriber :

At the risk of confusing our podcast listeners, I want to alert you to the appearance of a second version of our last podcast in your feed — Audiobook Chapter 8, The Feelings Dialogue.

One of our alert listeners noticed a low level, ghost voice-track running underneath the podcast, which understandably, makes listening difficult. So we posted a clean version that may be handled differently, depending on which podcast player or aggregator you use.

Your podcast player may automatically replace Chapter 8 or you may see two versions. So look at the release date. The January 31 podcast of Chapter 8 contains the ghost track. The February 10 version is the fixed replacement. Sorry for any confusion. ________________________________________________

Relationship coach Amy Elizabeth Gordon's special video podcast series featuring me and author Guy Finley will be posted to your email next Sunday, February 17,

Enroll now — free-of-charge — and besides the daily video programs, you'll receive a free gift from each author-expert. Watch a new 20-minute video each day through February 24. Register your email address now to receive program links.

Thanks. Fearlessness is Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on February 10, 2019 13:47

Relationship Management Video Series

Video Podcast — Creating Extraordinary Relationships

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."

— Victor Hugo

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Two quick items —

First, I was recently interviewed by Relationship Coach, Amy Elizabeth Gordon, as part of her video series, A League of Extraordinary Couples. This series includes more than two dozen experts in the field including Guy Finley, Harville Hendrix, Dr. Larry Dossey, Arielle Ford, and Helen LaKelly Hunt.

The video series begins Monday, February 4th, so enroll today at: https://amy-elizabeth-gordon.mykajabi.com/p/a-league-of-extraordinary-couples.

Trust me. You do not want to miss this series whether you're looking to improve your relationship or create a new one that lasts.

Secondly, the eighth and final chapter of the audiobook version of "Fearless Intelligence" has been podcast. Use the links below or search your podcast app for the Ageless Wisdom Mystery School to hear it. Thanks.

Happy February. Fearless Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on February 01, 2019 17:42

Empathy, Compassion, and Forgiveness

Understanding Others' Feelings

"You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself."

— John Steinbeck

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Empathy, compassion and forgiveness are gifts to yourself as well as to others. And these are remarkable gifts, for by understanding the suffering of others, we better understand our self.

Thoughts tell us about the world, but emotional feelings reveal the most intimate truths about our individuality. To recognize our self in others is to witness the harmony of the Universe in All Things.

Imagine if, instead of judging or criticizing another, we pause to ask when we have behaved in a similar way. Then, ask yourself why you behaved as you did and what you learned — or could now learn — to improve on that behavior.

Some have described empathy as fundamental to civilization. Thus, without empathy and compassion, we become uncivilized. Beware of the "I don't care" defense mechanism. Refusing to care may not kill you, but it's likely to leave you feeling quite numb and dead to the world.

All it takes to awaken to the highest levels of Love is a little kindness, caring, and a willingness to help others. Set an intention to develop your compassion. You can handle it. In fact, it's what you're made for.

Fearlessness is Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on January 27, 2019 13:33

What Made You Do That?

Motives are Emotional

"Emotions are not problems to be solved. They are signals to be interpreted."

--Vironika Tugaleva

Hello AWMS subscriber :

In the midst of explaining Emotional Intelligence to a client, recently, I began to wonder why so few people recognize the motives behind their behavior are emotional feelings more than thoughtful decisions. As the word implies, emotions are energy in motion (from Latin emovere) — the drive or force behind our behavior.

We don't think twice about admitting, "I changed my mind." But who ever says, "I changed my feelings?"

It doesn't occur to us to manage our emotions because we've never been taught how. Just how self-aware must we be to say, "I decided anger was not in my interest. So I changed the way I felt, and made much better decisions?"

Self-awareness begins with learning to identify and manage our emotions, which requires us to recognize them as personal responses rather than something done to us. Once you "own" your feelings, you can relax, explore their meaning, and choose better response.

Look for our audio podcast of Chapter 8 of Fearless Intelligence coming soon to the Ageless Wisdom Mystery School podcast — available through Apple podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and most other podcast aggregators and player apps. Thanks.

Fearlessness is Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on January 22, 2019 21:53

Name it and Claim it!

AWMS subscriber was Here

"A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to."

— Banksy

Hello AWMS subscriber :

I'm writing today only to those who pre-ordered my Fearless Intelligence book last summer. You received the book before anyone else, an autographed copy with a 25% discount. Some of you were also "beta readers" who sent me valuable feedback before the book was published.

Thanks again to each of you. Your interest in Personal and Spiritual Development indicates a desire to uplift and improve the world.

Now, without writing your own book, how can you help manifest a friendly, more loving world — one reader at a time?

One quick and easy way is to drop a review of Fearless Intelligence at online sites like Amazon, Goodreads, and Google Books.

About 10% of you already have, and I really appreciate it. But if you haven't, yet, please take a few minutes today to leave an honest and sincere review.

It takes more than 50 book reviews on Amazon to begin to boost our visibility in keyword searches. Reviews elsewhere are also essential if Fearless Intelligence is to stand-out in a market flooded with 40-thousand new books each month.

Just click on the links above, and thanks again. I'm counting on you and look forward to seeing your name, {fname} {lname}, on these book review sites. Make you mark. Peace and love in the New Year,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on January 09, 2019 19:59

Audiobook Chapter 7

Two new audio programs...

"The only really valuable thing is intuition."

— Albert Einstein

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Intuition is not instinct, though many people confuse the two. Instinct is fear-based, emanates from the sacral center, and tells you what to avoid. Intuition is love-based, emanates from the heart center, and tells you what to move toward.

Further, while instinct is reflexive, intuition requires us to develop our self-awareness. We must learn to calm our emotions and quiet our thoughts to perceive the wholistic insight offered by our intuition. Chapter 7 of my book, Fearless Intelligence provides tools and techniques for enhancing your intuition, often called the voice of the soul.

You can stream or download the audio podcast of Chapter 7 from the audiobook version of Fearless Intelligence at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or your favorite podcast player app.

Also, KPFK Radio host, Nita Vallens, recently offered me a one-hour guest spot on her Inner Vision program. You can stream or download the replay from SoundCloud.

Hoping you had a joyous holiday season. We wish you a very Happy New Year. Peace and Love,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on December 29, 2018 18:15

Live Interview Today on KPFK Radio!

Radio Interview on KPFK, 90.7-FM Today

" It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on."

— Marilyn Monroe

Amazon Author Page Book Review

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Just a quick note to let my friends in Southern California know that I'll be interviewed by host Nita Vallen today, Tues. Dec. 18, 2018, on KPFK, 90.7-FM at 1:00 PM Pacific time (21:00 UTC/GMT).

If you live outside of Southern California, you can listen live via the Internet at KFPK.org.

As many of you know, I hosted a radio talk show on KPFK-FM for 14-years from 1993 to 2007. I'm excited to return as a guest to discuss my new book, "Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness."

Please join us. And Merry Christmas.

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.

Unsubscribe This message was sent to ahuxley.mhall@blogger.com from MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Michael Benner
Personal Development Strategies
PO Box 6894
La Quinta, California 92248

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Published on December 18, 2018 00:18

Are you enjoying our Quotes eBook?

Now Discover the Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness

"The best parts of you are hidden where you're most afraid to look."

— Fearless Intelligence

Hello AWMS subscriber :

Thanks for downloading our free ebook of inspirational quotes, Creativity, Confidence and Courage, a few days ago. There's a great deal we can learn about ourselves and our personal relationships through these enduring quotations.

But there's more!

I recently published my first book, Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness. Though it took me over four years to write, it's a compilation of knowledge gained over 40-years of working with private clients, couples and business executives, managers and teams.

You can order it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or direct from the publisher. It's jam-packed with practical tools and techniques to guide you through self-discovery and personal development — an essential addition to your self-help library.

Also, you're invited to schedule a free, private intake session with me by telephone. Just click the yellow button at the top of this page to access my online calendar and schedule an appointment.

Thanks again for your interest in personal development. The best way to make a positive contribution to the world is the become the best person you can be — a level of understanding that far surpasses any knowledge we learned in school.

Thanks. Peace, Love and Light,

— Michael

Contact info —

Send inquiries and questions to Michael at: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

Phone or text: (+ 1) 818-900-AWMS or

818-900-2967 during business hours

(CA-Pacific, -7 hrs UTC).

Links —

Podcasts in iTunes Store, Google Play & Stitcher.