Edward Lewellen's Blog, page 5

See the Premier of My New TV Show, “High Impact Living”

Coffee with Claire and guest Dr. Edward Lewellen

Living a High-Impact Life!

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You know the feeling. Your alarm wakes you up at the usual time. You yawn, stretch, and try to come to life, thinking, “Here we go again”. And, this day, like so many others begins and ends the same way, with a few spikes of variety here and there.

Most people go their entire lives living unintentionally, drifting through life and wondering why they haven’t achieved what they wanted in life. Living unintentionally is a “state”. It’s like taking the same route to work each day and finding that you begin driving unconsciously; unaware of what is at the side of the road; unaware of stop lights and stop signs; unaware of the cop sitting at the side of the road as you exist in a daze and get pulled over for a traffic violation. And, when you arrive at your destination, you feel a sense of emptiness on the journey you just took. There was nothing that you experienced or could appreciate because you were in an altered state; a state of unconscious, automatic behavior.

But, what would it be like to live a High-Impact Life; a life where you could fully feel the control over it to the extent that your weight, lifestyle, relationships, finances, career, and social responsibility were all you want them to be?

I invite you to find out how this can become your new reality in two ways. The first is by watching the new series Claire Billingsley and I have created titled, “Living a High Impact Life”. You can see this series starting Friday, 10/6/17, at 9:00 on WBTVN, The Women’s Broadcast Television Network. The second is getting your own copy of my new book, “Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life”, which the TV series is based on.

Of course, if you’re the kind of person who already knows you’re ready to massively change and transform your life for the better, then contact me now to get started. Your new life is less than 30 days away!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of

Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life

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The 90-Second Mind Manager

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How Imposter Syndrome Affects Your Team

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Is each raise, promotion or accolade accompanied by the dread that, someday soon, your cover will be blown, and everyone will find out that you just got lucky, knew the right people, or arrived where you are by mistake?

As odd as it may sound, behind the facade of their highly confident, aggressive behavior, many high achievers experience feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. This feeling has been labeled “Impostor Syndrome”. And, the more successful you are, the more impressive your peers are likely to be, which can compound the feeling that you aren’t as good, as capable, as smart, as talented, etc.

Thoughts of a person with Imposter Syndrome:

“I’m not worthy”

“I don’t deserve this”

“I’ll never live up to others’ expectations”

“I make more mistakes than achievements”

“Anyone could do my job”

“My talents and strengths are commonplace”

“What I do is never enough”

“My success is pure luck”

If you’re a leader, Imposter Syndrome can show up on your team and here are some signs to look for:

Turning down promotions

Avoiding high-exposure projects.

Being uncomfortable with accolades.

Attributing success to luck, good timing or knowing the right people.

Expressing fears of incompetence.

Comparing themselves unfavorably with others.

Using self-deprecating language

Why is it important to recognize these signs? Some of your best talent and their abilities may sit dormant, believing that what they have to offer isn’t of value. How does it make you feel knowing you could have the most dynamic, creative, innovative, and engaging people on your team, yet, be losing out on all of it because of their negative beliefs about themselves? It’s time to fix that now!

How can Imposter Syndrome be overcome?

Some would say that Cognitive Restructuring is the answer. This is where a person uses positive affirmations to counter negative thoughts. Others say to think about all the successes you’ve had up to this point. Some say to be aware of the automatic thoughts and feelings you have, and work on countering those with reality-based statements, such as, “I am qualified for this task because…” And, of course, there are more ways experts will espouse.

Just as I have seen, you may have seen that these rarely work. If a person truly feels they are inadequate, they will find reasons to counter the positive affirmations and reality-based statements with something like, “I know that, but…” Why is this? These approaches are coming from a conscious perspective. However, the beliefs that support the self-deprecating thoughts are in the unconscious mind and these unconscious beliefs were installed in the person’s mind most likely when they were between 6 – 15 years of age. It could have been they were told by their parents they were worthless or not wanted. A teacher may have told them they would never amount to anything. A coach may have stood them in front of the team and berated them. Whatever it was, their experience was dramatic or traumatic enough to create a negative belief in their unconscious mind.

Another reason why these strategies rarely work is because they use the logical part of the brain to attempt to influence an emotional cause. Neuroscience and life tell us that emotions always win over logic.

So, how can Imposter Syndrome be overcome? I have found that Dynamic Visualization is extremely effective. Dynamic Visualization is the combination of visualization, mediation, and mindfulness; three of the most powerful tools to influence the unconscious mind and belief systems. Imagine a person with Imposter Syndrome being able to release the cause of it, rather than just trying to mask over it. Suppose the experience that created the negative belief could have the negative emotion wiped clean, neutralized. And, what would it be like to discover a strong self-worth and a sense of deserving within the person, themselves? Let me share with you what it’s like through a true-life experience of one of my clients.

Bill had grown up in a rough neighborhood. He was a veteran who had been homeless and had been in prison. While going through a veteran’s organization for help to find a job, his counselor was ready to give up on him. Bill was consistently late for his meetings with his counselor and training. Sometimes he didn’t show up at all, with no notice. Because of this, the veteran’s organization was ready to drop him from their program, feeling he wasn’t motivated. As a last effort to get him on-track, I was asked to work with Bill. I quickly found that it wasn’t a matter of Bill’s motivation. It was his lack of self-worth, confidence, and feeling undeserving that were causing his behaviors. I used Dynamic Visualization with Bill and his behaviors changed almost immediately. He began showing up for his appointments and training on time, got a job, and within six months was a manager.

From my experience of having worked with thousands of people over the years, if you feel like a fraud, the chances are that you’re probably very capable. Why do I say this? Because real frauds don’t worry about this! So, if you, or someone on the team you lead, is exhibiting the signs of Imposter Syndrome, it’s time for us to have a chat and discuss how easily and quickly it can be resolved.

Please feel free to comment and share this post!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of

Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life

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The 90-Second Mind Manager

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Leadership Clarity

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You own an American football team. Your team has 11 players on the field on both offense and defense. It’s value is about $1 billion, but it could be more. Here’s why it’s not; Your team is in disarray:

Only 4 of 11 players know which goal is theirs

Only 2 of 11 care

Only 2 of 11 know what position they play and what their role is

9 of 11 are competing against their own team, instead of the opponent

This is a terrible situation for your fictional team! It’s even worse because this is the the reality for many companies across the globe!

With the wealth of leadership training available, why are the leadership stats so poor? With all of the Leadership training on the market, why do organizations keep asking for new Leadership training? Could it be that there are some essential components missing from what is currently being done and taught?

Tony Robbins recently made about leadership, “A leader is someone who creates breakthroughs. We’re living in the most disappointing time in leadership in my history of being here. Why are we disappointed? Because the people we are calling leaders are really followers. Most politicians and even corporate leaders are trying to keep their jobs so they do what’s popular. There’s no leadership in following what’s popular. Leadership is your capacity to step in when you know it’s unpopular, but you know in your soul that it’s right and to influence others. In my mind, here’s my definition of a Leader: A person of real influence. A person that will not stand for something if they know in their soul that it’s not right. And, they may even be wrong, because there are all types of ideologies are out there.”

Here’s my challenge to you; How will you show yourself to be a true Leader? What legacy will you leave that will have an impact on the people you touch and beyond? What are you going to do to change the stats shown above?

To have the most impact, I believe you have to start with your own psychological, convictional, and behavioral systems, which are part of Transformative Learning and Transformative Thinking.

1) Are you congruent in your life? Here’s a great test to find out if you are, or not. Are you happy? If you’re not happy, then how you see yourself (psychological) isn’t congruent with who you are being. If you’re incongruent and not happy, then how can you have a positive impact on those you lead?

2) What do you believe (convictional)? Do you believe you aren’t worthy? Not good enough? Not confident enough? Not good-looking enough? Tall enough? Short enough? Skinny enough? Do you believe that other people are only out for a paycheck? Are dishonest? Lazy? Stupid? That they will always have more than you? That others are “lucky” when they find success…and you don’t?

3) What does your lifestyle (behaviors) show about you? Do you display anger? Treat other people with disrespect? Give up when things get tough? Look for excuses, instead of solutions? Find someone else to blame things on when a project fails? Are always asking for more resources, rather than being resourceful?

4) How do you see yourself (psychological)? It has been stated that 80% of the choke hold on companies is the psychology of the top leadership. How do you see yourself? In fact, a better question, is do you really know who you are? If you were to take off all the roles you play in life, how would you define who you are?

Once a Leader brings these areas into focus, they then have an opportunity to be a real benefit to the people they lead through personal clarity.

The next area a real Leader will create is a culture that fosters the outcomes they desire and that fits their vision, mission, and values. This may be, or not be, the same as the organization with whom they belong. I’ll give you a personal example of a company where my vision of the culture of my team was different than that of the overall company culture:

I was once a National Sales Manager in a company that was led by a CEO and Executive Team that were in a constant rush. The mantra of the executive team was, “If you aren’t in a frenzy, then you must not be working”. After just a short time with the company, I had the sales team running at a smooth, even pace. We had time to enjoy our work and receive extra training, while exceeding sales quota. I remember being called into the office for a meeting with the CEO and CFO because they felt the sales team was slacking off and wouldn’t hit an important deadline/goal. I was told that the CFO, a few other executives, and I would need to get on the phones right away and work long hours for several weeks to make sure we hit the sales goal. This was in addition to the work of the sales team that was ‘slacking off’. I told the CEO and CFO that I had it under control and not to worry. Because I didn’t go into “Emergency” mode, that made them worry even more. Without any extra hours, without a frantic pace, not only did the sales team exceed the quota, they exceeded it by 500%! I led the sales team against the frantic-style ‘culture’ of the overall company to heights that had never been achieved. My culture outperformed the company culture.

So, what will you do to create the culture around you that drives extraordinary outcomes? You must first have a vision that you are passionate about and is bigger than yourself. It must be something that others want to contribute to and be a part of, and that will make changes for the better. What’s your mission for the people you’re leading, the reason for them being gathered together? What values do you and the people you lead feel are important? When you create this culture, it brings a great deal of clarity.

You will know what projects you will take and which ones you won’t

You will know which people you will hire and bring on the team and which ones you won’t

You will know which people will stay on the team and which ones will need to find somewhere else to work

You will know what behaviors will be promoted and cultivated…and what behaviors won’t be tolerated

There are many more areas, but you get the idea.

Imagine a deeper sense of clarity than you’ve ever experienced before. Clarity that’s beyond whatever resources you’ve previously used or considered. Clarity about yourself (psychological, convictional, and behavioral), clarity about your purpose, and clarity about your desired outcomes. The culture you create will make them achievable. With this clarity, here are what your stats will look like from the previously mentioned poll:

11 of 11 players will know which goal was theirs

11 of 11 will care

11 of 11 will know what position they play and what their role is

11 of 11 will be competing for their own team to win

So, what about you? Do you have a team that you would like to see perform better? Call or email me and we’ll have a chat about how I can help you create exponential, sustainable results.

Please feel free to comment and share this post!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of

Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life

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The 90-Second Mind Manager

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Preface to Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life!

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Life takes on a journey. Some attempt to precisely plan their journey. Some well-meaning parents have a plan for every step of their child’s life, as if they’re able to see the future. Many others leave their child’s future to just happen as it will. Of course, those are the extremes and there are many variations in-between.

One thing we know for absolute surety and that is one of my favorite sayings, “You plan and then life happens”.

Whether you consider yourself a Control Freak or one that lets the wind dictate your direction, we all like to have some semblance of mastery over our life. However, having control seems more of an illusion, a magic trick. Once we feel we have it, something happens that causes that feeling of control to feel like it slips through our fingers.

As I have lived my life and had the privilege of experiencing many others’ lives through my time as a Pastor, salesperson, sales manager, corporate executive, Executive Coach, and corporate consultant, I have found that there is a way to have mastery over the important areas of life.

By “mastery”, I don’t mean like that of a person controlling every move made on a chessboard. That is external control. What I mean is much more powerful, that of control coming from within oneself.

If you attended college, you were probably required to read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Frankl says,

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

In Stephen Covey’s book, The 8th Habit, he says something very similar,

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and happiness.”

Though I know Frankl was unaware of just how profound the recent findings of Neuroscience and Quantum Physics would embrace his words, and I doubt Covey knew; in this book, Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life, I will share with you the how, the what, and the why of becoming the master of your life through maximizing the time you have between stimulus and response so that you have the ability to choose.

You will be able to choose beliefs. You will be able to choose thoughts. You will be able to choose emotions. You will be able to choose behaviors. And, you will be able to choose consequences.

This is why I wrote Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life! I believe it is every person’s ability and right to choose what happens in their life, to have Life Mastery. Even choosing to not be the master of their life is a choice and I want people to know they’re making that decision to allow others to be in control of their life.

So, as you read, I want to encourage you to think of specific times in your life, maybe now, that you can identify with the experiences I share and the changes they were able to make. In doing so, you will be inspired to have Life Mastery and live a fully functional life!

End of Preface

Order your copy of Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life! on Amazon now!

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Mastery-Fully-Functional-Have-ebook/dp/B0751MFPND

The Little Sales Team That Could

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Do you feel sometimes like you’re a hamster running on a wheel and never seeming to be able to get anywhere with your sales team? It’s exhausting, isn’t it? That feeling of not being able to meet your sales goals, let alone exceed them. Sometimes you feel like you’re part of some mad scientist’s experiment. Is there a solution to creating a quota-busting sales team? If so, what is it?

First, let me share with you that I’ve been there, done that. One CEO whom I reported to lived for drama and chaos. The entire company culture always made you feel as though you were two steps behind what needed to be done yesterday. Although the sales team was the income generator of the company, the team was treated as a group of outcasts.

It was in this culture that I took the challenge of leading a sales team who were 50% below quota and had been through a new sales manager about every 6 months for the previous two years. During the interview process, I got a clear picture of how the sales team became low-performing; the goals were always changing and the rules of how to hit the goals were constantly changing, too. The salespeople never really knew how they were doing and if what they were doing was the right way. They were constantly being put under more stress and pressure to perform with threats of termination made regularly.

This chaos and confusion were being driven by the CEO and his second-in-command. My predecessors had acted on every whim of theirs. Before accepting the position, I told them I needed total control over the sales team and their performance, and without interference. They agreed, with the stipulation that the results would determine my length of time with the company.

After my second month with the company, I had created consistency for the sales team and they were already hitting 100% of the quota they had previously been at 50% below. After the fourth month, we hit double the quota. By the end of the fifth month, we had hit five times quota!

How did this extraordinary increase in performance happen so quickly? And, how did my sales team become the only department in the company that wasn’t “two steps behind what needed to be done yesterday”?

Turning work into a game

If you think I mean having fun by that, I do. But, much more than that. When you think of any sport, they have these commonalities:

1) The players always know where the goal is

2) The players know what the rules are before they begin the game

3) The players know where all the boundaries are located

4) The players know what must be done to win

This is what I did for this sales team that was thought to be made up of low-performers. Once they understood that their sales goals were stable and the rules would remain consistent, they felt a sense of confidence that they had a chance to “win”.

Additionally, I took the approach of reward versus threaten. For example, at the first sign of the sales team putting forth effort, I rewarded them with something small to me, but significant to them. You see, I had listened to some of the ongoing discussions between the salespeople and found out that they all loved breakfast burritos. So, the morning after I saw this upswing in effort, I brought in breakfast burritos for the entire team. The looks on the faces were those of people who had just won the lottery! More importantly, this small gesture caused them to increase their effort even more. Notice I didn’t wait for an upswing in performance, just the things that are the prelude to it and it paid big dividends!

I also took the stress and pressure off by using my role of a leader as one of support and service instead of that of a taskmaster. Yes, we had goals and deadlines to meet, but, was important to ask, is there a better way to meet or exceed them? Was there a way that we would “win”, and enjoy doing so? You may be wondering, why was answering these questions so important?

Neuroscience shows that people are less innovative, creative, and perform at lower levels when stressed. The mind literally shuts down the cognitive abilities you need for top performance during times of stress in favor of “Survival Mode”, Fight-or-Flight. Is this the paradoxical reaction you want? Of course not! So, why create more stress and shut down the very abilities you want and need?

As my sales team put forth more effort with focus and in new, creative ways, we won! And, we won BIG!!!

This wasn’t all that I did. There are additional things that helped increase this team’s performance that I won’t get into detail for now, such as:

Changing the negative self-talk of each salesperson into language of personal power
Helping each salesperson discover their Core Identity and align their life with it.
Help each salesperson see their true potential and possibilities and applying those in their mind set

So, what about you? Do you have a team, sales or otherwise, that you would like to see perform better? Call or email me and we’ll have a chat about how we might work together.

Please feel free to comment and share this post!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of The 90-Second Mind Manager

Managing Your Mind Through Facilitated Neuroplasticity

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Tomorrow requires a different way of thinking.

When you think back to Napoleon Hill, William James, Dale Carnegie and, in more recent times, Zig Ziglar, Wes Brown, Jim Rohn, and Tony Robbins; What were (and are) they trying to do? Robbins consistently speaks of changing your “State”, the way you are thinking and feeling. Viktor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” In fact, when you read any Self-Development/Self-Improvement books, attend seminars, watch videos, or engage any other materials, your hope is to change the way you think to a more positive, successful way, right? If that’s the case, then, it may interest you that…

What we know about the brain and the human mind is changing at an extraordinary pace. Many concepts we once knew as facts are turning out to be untrue. Or, at the very least, there’s additional information now available. For instance, we used to think that after a certain point in childhood the brain didn’t and couldn’t change. It was all it was ever going to be. Of course, we were absolutely sure that when a person was older, their brain would only deteriorate from that point forward. Neither can be farther than the truth. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/iage/201304/brain-plasticity-in-older-adults)

Another misconception about the brain is that you only use pieces and parts of it at any given time and that it’s silent when you’r doing nothing. Not true. Even when you’re at a rest and thinking of nothing, your brain is highly active. It has the role of keeping your heart pumping at the correct rate, your kidneys functioning, and all your other internal organs working properly. It keeps your body the right temperature. Another misconception is that we use only 10% of our brain. Science has shown that we use all of our brain. Yet, still to this day you see someone publish an article about how to use more of your brain.

The advances in technology, such as the Functional MRI (fMRI), are allowing neuroscience to make many important discoveries. However, the most exciting, most interesting, and most transformative discovery is that, every time you learn a new fact or skill, you change your brain. This is called “Neuroplasticity”. Changing people’s minds (Neuroplasticity) has long been the goal of the Self-Development/Self-Improvement industries, along with psychologists, counselors, coaches, and therapists. Tactics and methods have been used that run from caring, empathetic, and loving to intervention-type tough-love tactics, some employing cursing and swearing at an individual. Some Self-Improvement gurus use foul language to shock their audiences in an effort to change their thinking. Finally, one of the most often quoted and used methods to change a person is the “Change a behavior for 21 days and you’ll learn a new habit.”

However, here are important items to note about Neuroplasticity that previous generations of people, books, videos and seminars were unaware of:

During Neuroplasticity, your brain changes in three critical ways:

#1) Chemical. The brain functions by transferring chemical signals between the neurons, causing actions and reactions. When you change your thinking, the brain increases the amount of these chemical signaling between neurons. Because this kind of change happens rapidly, this supports short term memory or the short term improvement in motor skill performance.

#2) Altering its structure. During learning the brain can change the connections between neurons. Interestingly, the physical structure of the brain changes and this takes more time. These changes are related to the long-term memory and long term motor skill improvement.

#3) Altering its functions. As you use a brain region it becomes easier and easier for the neuropathway to be fired. Think about the last time you got a new phone number. At first, you repeated it over and over, making a few mistakes. After a while, it just rolled off your tongue, as if it required no thinking at all. As your brain has these areas increase their excitability, the brain shifts how and when they are activated. With learning and changing the way you think, we see that whole networks of brain activity shift and change.

As you’ve experienced in life, there are areas of changing the way you think and things that you learn which you describe as occurring “naturally”, as if little, or no, effort is required. Then, there are those areas where you struggle. It’s as if those neuropathways have become sealed, cemented, and permanent. Would that be fair to say? For instance, in my research, I found that the top searched areas under the umbrella of Self-Improvement/Self-Development are:

#1 – Weight Loss

#2 – A Healthy, Fit Lifestyle

#3 – Financial Security

#4 – Relationships

#5 – Professional Development

#6 – Volunteering

I’d like for you to choose just one of those areas that you would like to change. Just suppose you could change that area right now. What would that be like? Imagine how that would feel. Imagine how you would be different. Amazingly, what you’ve just experienced is the beginning stage of changing the chemicals, the structure, and the function of your brain, Neuroplasticity!

People use a number of methods to achieve this change that go far beyond the books, seminars, videos, etc. from the Self-Development/Self-Improvement Industry. Methods, such as, Meditation, Mindfulness, and Visualization. Each one is good on it’s own and each one takes practice to empower a person to make significant change.

What if you could have all three combined together? How much more powerful would that be? And, what if the process of Neuroplasticity could be facilitated for a strategic, targeted effect, such as sales, leadership, or Emotional Intelligence?

What would we call such a powerful tool? Neuropathological Remodeling? Dynamic Visualization? Facilitated Neuroplasticity?

I really wonder…and you might too…now…

Please feel free to comment and share this post.

And, if you would like to learn more how you can experience massive, life-changing results, contact me today and let’s have a chat!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life!

Facilitated Neuroplasticity

[image error]

Tomorrow requires a different way of thinking.

When you think back to Napoleon Hill, William James, Dale Carnegie and, in more recent times, Zig Ziglar, Wes Brown, Jim Rohn, and Tony Robbins; What were (and are) they trying to do? Robbins consistently speaks of changing your “State”, the way you are thinking and feeling. Viktor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” In fact, when you read any Self-Development/Self-Improvement books, attend seminars, watch videos, or engage any other materials, your hope is to change the way you think to a more positive, successful way, right? If that’s the case, then, it may interest you that…

What we know about the brain and the human mind is changing at an extraordinary pace. Many concepts we once knew as facts are turning out to be untrue. Or, at the very least, there’s additional information now available. For instance, we used to think that after a certain point in childhood the brain didn’t and couldn’t change. It was all it was ever going to be. Of course, we were absolutely sure that when a person was older, their brain would only deteriorate from that point forward. Neither can be farther than the truth. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/iage/201304/brain-plasticity-in-older-adults)

Another misconception about the brain is that you only use pieces and parts of it at any given time and that it’s silent when you’r doing nothing. Not true. Even when you’re at a rest and thinking of nothing, your brain is highly active. It has the role of keeping your heart pumping at the correct rate, your kidneys functioning, and all your other internal organs working properly. It keeps your body the right temperature. Another misconception is that we use only 10% of our brain. Science has shown that we use all of our brain. Yet, still to this day you see someone publish an article about how to use more of your brain.

The advances in technology, such as the Functional MRI (fMRI), are allowing neuroscience to make many important discoveries. However, the most exciting, most interesting, and most transformative discovery is that, every time you learn a new fact or skill, you change your brain. This is called “Neuroplasticity”. Changing people’s minds (Neuroplasticity) has long been the goal of the Self-Development/Self-Improvement industries, along with psychologists, counselors, coaches, and therapists. Tactics and methods have been used that run from caring, empathetic, and loving to intervention-type tough-love tactics, some employing cursing and swearing at an individual. Some Self-Improvement gurus use foul language to shock their audiences in an effort to change their thinking. Finally, one of the most often quoted and used methods to change a person is the “Change a behavior for 21 days and you’ll learn a new habit.”

However, here are important items to note about Neuroplasticity that previous generations of people, books, videos and seminars were unaware of:

During Neuroplasticity, your brain changes in three critical ways:

#1) Chemical. The brain functions by transferring chemical signals between the neurons, causing actions and reactions. When you change your thinking, the brain increases the amount of these chemical signaling between neurons. Because this kind of change happens rapidly, this supports short term memory or the short term improvement in motor skill performance.

#2) Altering its structure. During learning the brain can change the connections between neurons. Interestingly, the physical structure of the brain changes and this takes more time. These changes are related to the long-term memory and long term motor skill improvement.

#3) Altering its functions. As you use a brain region it becomes easier and easier for the neuropathway to be fired. Think about the last time you got a new phone number. At first, you repeated it over and over, making a few mistakes. After a while, it just rolled off your tongue, as if it required no thinking at all. As your brain has these areas increase their excitability, the brain shifts how and when they are activated. With learning and changing the way you think, we see that whole networks of brain activity shift and change.

As you’ve experienced in life, there are areas of changing the way you think and things that you learn which you describe as occurring “naturally”, as if little, or no, effort is required. Then, there are those areas where you struggle. It’s as if those neuropathways have become sealed, cemented, and permanent. Would that be fair to say? For instance, in my research, I found that the top searched areas under the umbrella of Self-Improvement/Self-Development are:

#1 – Weight Loss

#2 – A Healthy, Fit Lifestyle

#3 – Financial Security

#4 – Relationships

#5 – Professional Development

#6 – Volunteering

I’d like for you to choose just one of those areas that you would like to change. Just suppose you could change that area right now. What would that be like? Imagine how that would feel. Imagine how you would be different. Amazingly, what you’ve just experienced is the beginning stage of changing the chemicals, the structure, and the function of your brain, Neuroplasticity!

People use a number of methods to achieve this change that go far beyond the books, seminars, videos, etc. from the Self-Development/Self-Improvement Industry. Methods, such as, Meditation, Mindfulness, and Visualization. Each one is good on it’s own and each one takes practice to empower a person to make significant change.

What if you could have all three combined together? How much more powerful would that be? And, what if the process of Neuroplasticity could be facilitated for a strategic, targeted effect, such as sales, leadership, or Emotional Intelligence?

What would we call such a powerful tool? Neuropathological Remodeling? Dynamic Visualization? Facilitated Neuroplasticity?

I really wonder…and you might too…now…

To get a wealth of information on this subject, register for my webinar, “Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life!” by clicking this LINK now!

Please feel free to comment and share this post.

And, if you would like to learn more, contact me today and let’s have a chat!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of The 90-Second Mind Manager

The Voice in Your Head

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Have you ever experienced that “voice” in your head? Everyone has. Many have wondered; Whose voice is it and why does it seem to nag us with mostly negative suggestions? Let’s look into the human mind to discover the answer as it can dramatically change your life!

Consciousness

What “Consciousness” is has been debated for centuries and we still don’t have a definitive answer to this day. The simplest definition I’ve found is “Being aware that we are aware.” As an example, when you look in a mirror, you know it’s you. You recognize you and you know you are separate and distinct from every other person. This is due to the parts of our brain called the Fusiform Gyrus and the Insular Cortex. The Fusiform Gyrus is for facial, number, and letter recognition and the Insular Cortex tells you that you are you and not someone else. As the name suggests, it insulates you. The Insular Cortex also attaches social emotions to faces and sensations within the body.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

According to Neuroscientists at MIT, ToM is the ability to “read” other people’s minds; it’s our ability to hold beliefs, and it’s the ability to consider such things as the vastness of the universe and God. ToM primarily involves the Right Temporal Parietal Junction (RTPJ), which develops around 8-years-old. This small region of the brain is located just above and behind our right ear. ToM also involves other important areas of our brain, such as Mirror (Predictive) Neurons, which are subdivided into three distinct areas; short-term, mid-term, and long-term. We learn to anticipate, or predict, what other people are going to do based on previous experiences and patterns. When we see a person raising their hand in a specific way, we predict they want permission to speak. When they raise it in a different way, we predict they are going to strike another person. The mid and long-term Mirror Neurons go much deeper. They predict and interpret thoughts, intentions, and behaviors in others; past, current, and future.

Mirror Neurons also cause us to mirror and empathize with the feelings of others. When you see someone in a movie get shot by a bullet, pierced with a knife, or harmed in some other way, you find yourself holding onto the same body part where the person was harmed. When you watch a sporting event and someone falls, gets hurt, or wins the event, you “feel” what they are feeling. Interestingly, the only thing keeping you from believing it actually happened to you is the Insular Cortex, it isolates you from thinking you are someone else and experiencing what they are experiencing.

That voice in your head

This amazing tool we have in our head, our brain, is extremely complex. Yet, we are beginning to understand it much better. That voice in your head is consciousness and part of being conscious is Theory of Mind. You are conscious that you have beliefs. You are conscious of what you, and other people, are doing, saying, feeling, and thinking. You are conscious of the contemplation of God, the universe, and of life. Because we are conscious and we contemplate these things, we form beliefs, which are rules and generalizations for life we form based on what we are taught and have experienced. These beliefs create our thoughts and our thoughts create our behaviors.

Because these are our beliefs and we have formed them, this means we can control them. Most people, though, allow themselves to become victims of their beliefs and thoughts. In fact, most societies teach us that we have no control over our beliefs and thoughts. We are taught that it’s ‘just the way we are’. This creates a victim mentality. Let me give you a few examples:

“People don’t like me and are always talking negatively behind my back”

“I might as well eat that piece chocolate cake, I’m already fat”

“I can never talk to my spouse about my feelings. They never understand me”

“I’m so depressed. Life just isn’t worth living. I should kill myself. Everyone would be happier if I was gone”

“I know what I want to do is a sin, but it would feel so good. I really, really want to do it. It must be the Devil making me feel this way, because I know it’s wrong and I just can’t stop myself”

“I’m no good at my job. I try really hard, but I can’t get ahead. I might as well give up. I’m useless”

Having been a pastor for many years, I’ve also had people tell me the following true-life stories:

“God spoke to us and told us to sell all our belongings and become missionaries” (The couple came back a few months later broken in spirit and financially)

“God told me in a dream that I should leave my husband and kids to marry another man” (The woman had been planning for months to divorce her husband when, suddenly, she was given this dream. Her life turned out terribly)

“God chose me to be a special vessel and wants me to tell the church to follow the directions He’s given me” (This person had recently fallen out of favor with church leaders and had been removed from a special position within the church. This special “choosing” of him gave him a sense of value again.)

“While I was driving, God told me to let go of the steering wheel because He wanted to show me that He’s in control of everything” (This woman had an accident and barely escaped with her life)

My point is that what I have experienced working with thousands of people over the years is that the voice in our head is our own beliefs and thoughts ruminating. It’s Theory of Mind out of control. And, because we are not taught that we can control our thoughts, we believe we are victims to them. Being a victim and under someone else’s control is also the easy way out if there is something we want to do, but we have been told it is prohibited.

So, then, people can say, “It wasn’t me; it was them, they, him, her, God, the Devil”. It was someone else who influenced their thinking and caused them to behave in a certain way. (I realize that there is a theological discussion that can be had around whether, and how, God and the Devil speak to people. My intent here is to share that, in my experience, it has been people’s own internal dialogue causing the situations and not someone from the spirit realm)

So, what can we do to regain control of our beliefs and thoughts?

Be aware that negative beliefs and thoughts will insidiously take over when positive beliefs and thoughts are absent. How is it that the negative override the positive? Negative beliefs and thoughts carry a more powerful emotional impact than positive; therefore, they more easily engage your thinking.

So, what can you do to help crowd out the negative emotions and replace them with positive, inspiring beliefs and thoughts?

First, pay attention to what you pay attention. Where attention goes, energy flows. The more you think about something, the more mental, emotional, and physical energy you give it. When you find yourself daydreaming, what is it that you find yourself thinking about? You may find that you’re dwelling on thoughts that are self-sabotaging and limiting. If you want to identify what you think about most, take the time to make a note on your phone’s calendar each time you catch yourself thinking about positive and negative things. This will give you an idea of what your thought pattern is.

To get a wealth of information on this subject, register for my webinar, “Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life!” by clicking this LINK now!

Please feel free to comment and share this post. And, if you would like to learn more, contact me TODAY!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of The 90-Second Mind Manager

Are You Feeling Stuck?

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We all get stuck from time-to-time. Stuck in a relationship, in a job, in being overweight, in financial lack, in an unhealthy lifestyle, or simply in a way of doing something we wish would change. How does this happen? I mean, here we are more than half-way through 2017 and people have more choices and more options than ever before. How does a person get stuck with so many options and opportunities available to them?

Mind Loops and Auto-Pilot

This absolutely amazing thing that dwells within our skulls has built-in mechanisms to save energy. One of those mechanisms is its ability to generalize information. Have you ever noticed how your mind is always searching for meaning and what happens when it doesn’t find it immediately?

For instance, pay attention some day and tally the number of times you, or the people you’re around, say or think something about “meaning”. You might even be thinking right now, “What does he mean by that?” Exactly! We say and think things like, “I wonder what she meant?”, “What does that sign mean?”, “What meaning do those numbers have?”, “I wonder what he meant by that look he gave me?”, and so on. What the mind is doing is creating these great things called “mind-loops”.

​​​Mind-loops are if/then statements so that the mind doesn’t have to fully consider things after we’ve given them meaning. If you get in your car, then you automatically start it up and drive away with little, if any, conscious thought. If you see your boss make a certain face, then you automatically go the other way. If you get stressed, then you automatically eat/smoke/use drugs/drink alcohol. Get the idea? Once these loops are set, then the mind goes on auto-pilot and doesn’t question the meaning of the loop again. This is how a person gets stuck.

Why is getting unstuck so hard to do?

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Simple. It’s the easier way to live. Getting unstuck can be extremely difficult. Just ask anyone that is hooked on cigarettes, drugs, sex, food, or any number of addictions. Just ask anyone that keeps getting into relationships that are unhealthy. Ask anyone that gets depressed. Ask anyone who suffers from fears, phobias, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. No matter how ridiculous it may seem to others, the person that’s stuck in a negative mind loop has an uphill battle to fight. Even when the mind-loop is detrimental, a person may unconsciously hold onto it because it’s what’s become familiar. Virginia Satir, a highly regarded family psychologist said, “Most people think the will to survive is the strongest instinct. It isn’t. The will to keep everything the same is our strongest instinct.”

For instance, a person can be suffering from all the symptoms of depression, yet, be unwilling to take the necessary steps to get rid of it. Or, they may even take all of the steps, but they don’t work for them. How does this happen? The person has become familiar with everything associated with depression and has developed coping mechanisms. Some, not all, have learned to use their symptoms to keep them from responsibilities in life and receive special attention. Psychologists call this Secondary Gain. People find benefit within their pain, such as, not having to do things they don’t want, receiving attention they wouldn’t otherwise get, etc.

One of my clients had a disease with disabling pain. When her pain was gone, she felt a massive amount of relief. A few days later she called me telling me her pain had returned and it was even worse than before. I asked her what happened between the time she left my office and the time when the pain returned. She explained that her husband was so excited for her to be without pain and then started to recount all the things she could now do, like; take the kids to school, go grocery shopping, take care of cleaning the home, etc. Suddenly, her pain returned. That’s Secondary Gain, the perceived benefits of being stuck in something that’s negative overriding the potential for the positive. Most people don’t consciously plan this behavior, it’s an unconscious belief system taking over.

How does a person get unstuck?

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Picture a balloon. You start putting air into it and it slowly fills. It becomes full and you keep putting more air in. It stretches and stretches and finally…it POPS!!! That is one way to get unstuck from a negative mind loop. For instance, if a person is a yo-yo dieter and they only allow themselves to get up to 175 lbs before they diet back down, I’ll instruct them to go to 200 lbs before they diet back down. Why? Just like the balloon, when they look so overweight and they can’t stand the sight of themselves is when the “balloon” pops. They never want to look that way again and so they keep the weight off. Take the weight to an extreme and the person will come to hate what was once pleasurable. This is what the very successful people in life do naturally. They quickly get sick of the things that hold them back in life and get rid of them just as quickly. This is just one, of many ways, people can become unstuck.

What if you haven’t been able to become unstuck on your own?

Using Dynamic Visualization, I get people unstuck. I help people get unstuck by breaking the negative mind loops they have running and replace those with positive mind loops. Imagine yourself doing things that create success in your life just as easily as you do the things you wish you could get rid of. If you smoke “automatically” each day, imagine “automatically” being free from stress and addiction and being able to naturally focus on the things that bring you success personally and professionally. If you go into auto-pilot and just start eating for no apparent reason, imagine just as easily and naturally doing the things that make you the person you want to be “for no apparent reason”. If you’re in another bad relationship, suppose you could be free of that relationship and find your next one to be fulfilling. Suppose that job you dread going to each day could be transformed to be the delight of your career. And, what if you could make all the changes you want and start living the life of your dreams?

If you want to remove the dysfunction you may be feeling in your life and have the keys to happiness and fulfillment, then getting unstuck is a great place to start! I’ve created a webinar that I’ll soon be sharing titled, Life Mastery: The Fully Functional Life. This webinar will cover the major areas in life that people search most often when looking for self-improvement; weight loss, healthy lifestyle, financial security, relationships, professional development, and service to others.

Be on the lookout for upcoming information about this exciting webinar!

Also, request my Special Report The Ultimate Business Trifecta today: http://trans-think.com/UltimateBusinessTrifecta

Please feel free to comment and share this post. And, if you would like to learn more, contact me TODAY!

+++++++++++++++About Dr. Edward Lewellen++++++++++++++++

Dr. Edward Lewellen is an expert in creating methodologies for people to learn to use their mind; their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and put them back in control of their lives and become top-producers. He is a Master Executive Coach, leadership and sales expert, and keynote speaker for some of the largest global organizations.

Author of The 90-Second Mind Manager