Calendar Books by Allen James reading for May 29th from "The Journey: A Calendar Book", "Be flexible/versatile".
When we hear the word "flexible" most think of yoga poses or Pilates positions instead of our thoughts and actions. My sister-in-law is an occupational therapist in a school district in Kentucky and has a regular Pilate routine she completes each night to keep her bones and muscles in the best working order they can be since much of her day is spent sitting at a desk or on the floor cross legged working with small children. She says it work wonders on her 61 year old body. What if we would apply the same idea, mind Pilates to our brains?
We can. If we practice the concept of "living consciously" I've written about in previous readings , we can maintain an agile mind which will elevate our life experience and help us live more resilient, creative, happy lives.
Rigid, “black and white” thinking can help to eliminate some stress-producing details, says Eric Maisel, Ph.D., author of Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions and numerous other books.
“But that doesn’t make us deep thinkers or creative. It doesn’t allow us to deal with problems easily when they arrive,” he says. “Rigid thinking does help us make quick decisions about things, but it is not suited to help us with our lifestyle.”
A more agile mindset allows us to evaluate and adjust to the different jobs, roles and responsibilities we have each day. Sometimes it works to be more rigid, to follow specific rules; sometimes it’s better to be more open and loose, Maisel says.
Mental agility is also related to our perceptions, emotions, actions and motivations. A change of environment, attitude or behavior will also influence how we think. When we’re feeling happy or optimistic, for example, we tend toward broad and inclusive thinking. Fear narrows our focus down to specific details. When we’re able to make the mental shift without remaining stuck in a particular mindset, we’re demonstrating mental flexibility.
“We all vary in how mentally agile we are from moment to moment and day to day,” Koutstaal says. “Sometimes we can be very flexible, but at other times we can get surprisingly ‘stuck’ and become quite rigid or impervious to information that we really should take into account.”
A flexible mindset moves us away from limiting thought patterns to a place of openness and possibility. In those moments, when you are feeling stuck, worn out by the regular routine or caught in old habits and repetitive patterns, you can adapt your thinking and behavior in a way which will inspire you and boost your resilience and your chance at success.
Work on "thinking outside of the box". When you find yourself in a situation in which you know what your typical reaction would be, think of a new/different way to respond. Keep your mind always alert by presenting it with new/different stimuli.
Be flexible/versatile.....and....keep looking up. : ) AJ
When we hear the word "flexible" most think of yoga poses or Pilates positions instead of our thoughts and actions. My sister-in-law is an occupational therapist in a school district in Kentucky and has a regular Pilate routine she completes each night to keep her bones and muscles in the best working order they can be since much of her day is spent sitting at a desk or on the floor cross legged working with small children. She says it work wonders on her 61 year old body. What if we would apply the same idea, mind Pilates to our brains?
We can. If we practice the concept of "living consciously" I've written about in previous readings , we can maintain an agile mind which will elevate our life experience and help us live more resilient, creative, happy lives.
Rigid, “black and white” thinking can help to eliminate some stress-producing details, says Eric Maisel, Ph.D., author of Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions and numerous other books.
“But that doesn’t make us deep thinkers or creative. It doesn’t allow us to deal with problems easily when they arrive,” he says. “Rigid thinking does help us make quick decisions about things, but it is not suited to help us with our lifestyle.”
A more agile mindset allows us to evaluate and adjust to the different jobs, roles and responsibilities we have each day. Sometimes it works to be more rigid, to follow specific rules; sometimes it’s better to be more open and loose, Maisel says.
Mental agility is also related to our perceptions, emotions, actions and motivations. A change of environment, attitude or behavior will also influence how we think. When we’re feeling happy or optimistic, for example, we tend toward broad and inclusive thinking. Fear narrows our focus down to specific details. When we’re able to make the mental shift without remaining stuck in a particular mindset, we’re demonstrating mental flexibility.
“We all vary in how mentally agile we are from moment to moment and day to day,” Koutstaal says. “Sometimes we can be very flexible, but at other times we can get surprisingly ‘stuck’ and become quite rigid or impervious to information that we really should take into account.”
A flexible mindset moves us away from limiting thought patterns to a place of openness and possibility. In those moments, when you are feeling stuck, worn out by the regular routine or caught in old habits and repetitive patterns, you can adapt your thinking and behavior in a way which will inspire you and boost your resilience and your chance at success.
Work on "thinking outside of the box". When you find yourself in a situation in which you know what your typical reaction would be, think of a new/different way to respond. Keep your mind always alert by presenting it with new/different stimuli.
Be flexible/versatile.....and....keep looking up. : ) AJ
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