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Many times, we underestimate this amazing piece of human machinery we possess, which is the human brain. When discussing the prefrontal cortex, we find our executive functioning center. This area can recall certain environmental factors or incidents and therefore assist us in making rational decisions. However, it is also the prefrontal cortex that is most sensitive and susceptible to the detrimental effects of stress exposure. Even quite mild acute uncontrollable stress can cause a rapid and dramatic loss of prefrontal cognitive abilities, and more prolonged stress exposure causes architectural changes in prefrontal abilities. This means that the prefrontal cortex or our sketch pad has created a list of stress-causing activities that cripple our ability to make new decisions and to actualize new reward goals. In other words, when stressed we eventually lose the ability to regulate our external actions. Adversely, positive thinking or maintaining a positive perspective decreases cortisol levels and decreases the chances of uninhibited actions and depression. So yes, the glass is half full! Positive thinking increases creative thought, increases attention span, and improves the ability to analyze and solve problems. Many of us are unable to savor the present moment while instead becoming a prisoner of the "what ifs" The one thing we all can agree on is that we have no control over what happens next. I don't care about odds and probability; you and I have no clue what will happen in the next minute. So changing perspective is key which involves changing the mindset or reshaping your prefrontal cortex. This is done in 4 steps FEET. 1. Focus on what you have instead of what you want. Sometimes you just have to take inventory to show yourself how far you have come. 2. Envy will trigger thoughts of missed goals and move toward depression. Stop looking at the lives of others because you don’t ever know the true story. 3. Environment- Negative people with negative thoughts and negative perspectives will affect you. Surround yourself with people that are happy to have each breath 4. Thankfulness for the small blessings or accomplishments. You can focus on the cost of brakes or focus on the fact that you actually have a car. You can complain about relationships or be grateful for the positives found in human closeness. The extended detriments of stress move beyond the brain and eventually causes dysregulation of many bodily systems. Lack of "ease" becomes "disease ". The results of positive thought has a list of endless benefits. Which will you choose today? Which will you choose daily? #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine #transformationalchangeservices

I heard something simple but profound the other day, it was said that the gym gives you the exact return for what you put into it. In other words you get 100% return for your efforts, nothing more and nothing less. Ultimately we realize that life is often unfair in that regard. Those who give so much of themselves are only asked to give more while receiving a minimal percentage of repayment. The excessive giving of one person not only spoils the receiver but creates an intensified hunger for more. Something we can all depend on is the energy you put into the atmosphere will ultimately be reciprocated. Your negative energy, complaints, selfishness, and negativity will eventually get returned. Your negative energy sets a negative atmosphere and ultimately a negative environment. Think twice next time before you criticize first and compliment last, before you focus on what has not happened instead of the strides that have happened, before you suck the energy out of a situation because your own selfishness has not been satisfied, and before you see the glass half empty instead of half full. Today be determined in releasing positive vibes so you can get a positive return or you just may see a reduction in people who choose to be around you. #bethesunshine

I think we all have to come to the realization that our mind has been conditioned to satiate our desires or do what it thinks we want it to do. Therefore, it will always drive us towards what is pleasurable or away from pain and struggle. Also, it will always place us in places of comfort and familiarity. Most importantly, our mind believes whatever we say about ourselves. If you desire to destroy old habits and ascend to greater accomplishments, you have to traverse unfamiliar territory and unfamiliar crowds while pushing yourself through tough obstacles. The constant desire for comfort or pleasure will ensure you remain stagnate. Remember, "if you think you can't, you won't " #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

"Excuses make today easier but tomorrow harder ; discipline makes today harder but tomorrow easier" This simple statement separates success and mediocrity. Choose what you want to be. Get up and get it done! #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

I often remind you to find ways to enjoy the journey, enjoy the pain and difficulty on the road to your goal. I stand as an example that if you remain consistent and committed, one day you will look up and see your goal right in front of you. Many of us sit and count the outrageous amount of steps involved in our goal and thats when disparagement sets in. What can you do today to move closer? How can you find joy and motivation in that one step. Remember you eat an elephant one piece at a time. It is time for you to STOP letting the unknown take over your present situation. Some of us think so far into the future and have the nerve to predict it and will react to it in our present situation. No one knows what tomorrow holds or even if tomorrow will come. Live your today, live your right now. Commit to daily steps amd learn to complete them with a immovable consistency. Remember, anything that possesses longevity will eventually derail. Think about it, trains, relationships, friendships, jobs, etc. will eventually reach a point where they are bumped off track. If you know thats going to happen, be prepared for it and do all you can to remove the hindrance and get the train back rolling. I know you have quit many times, but as long as you restart you can get there. I have reached one goal and Im on to another. You can do it too. Commitment, habits, rituals, and consistency is the only way. Start again! #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

Good morning, have you ever really given thought to what you expose yourself to? Energy is transferable as is attitudes and mindset. Many believe that humans can experience the negative feelings of those close to them, therefore adopting that same negativity. These empathic people tend to be overburdened by the problems of others. There are three things you must avoid to not be consumed by negativity. The first is, of course, negative people. People who always look at the glass as half empty tend to have an overall negative outlook towards everything. Individuals like this will make their mole hills into mountains and drag you along. Many times we have no idea we have been affected until we are emotionally and physically drained. The second thing to avoid is negative environments. These environments can be emotionally or physically in a negative state. An office filled with disgruntled workers will eventually rub off on to you. Some environments hold negative memories because of past trauma. You must avoid these places at all cost. Disorganized and cluttered environments have been proven to increase stress levels and cause sleep issues. The mind takes a snapshot of the disorder and perseverates on it causing uneasiness and emotional disruption. Finally, we must avoid negative self talk. Whatever you verbalize, you manifest. If you say you can't, you won't. If you affirm that the day will be horrible rest assured that events will fall into place to satisfy your premonition. People who engage in negative self talk are more susceptible to colds, depression, and heart issues. Positive people actually have better cardiovascular health and live longer. Before you set out today check yourself and your energy first. Then ensure you are heading towards positive people in a positive environment. The choice is really yours. Have a great positive day! #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

Good morning, I know it's been awhile, but I have a question for you. What is motivating you? Did you know that most of us are motivated by trauma? The past trauma in our life propels us to be extremely diligent in not having that unpleasant act repeated. Fractured parental relationships drive us to be better parents, abusive marriages drive us to be better spouses, and our past lives of consent cause us to hold ourselves in higher regard. However, if our trauma is motivating us, have we truly healed from it? I It is not until our decisions and motivations are spurred by what's inside of us that we have truly arrived. Unhealed trauma creates the need for attention and attention is addictive. We now have to show everyone that we have arrived, that we are no longer that past person, and that in spite of their trauma and name calling we have excelled. So we become so hell bent on presenting a pristine external image while we are suffering internally. With attention comes pressure. You will find that it is much harder to preserve a lie than it is to tell one. Now you must remember the lie and create other lies to support it. Being motivated by the pressure of the opinions of others is the very thing that leads to depression and suicide. Humans can be very fickle, and the person who was once in your corner can quickly switch teams or may have never been on your team at all . Your goals HAVE TO motivate you . Your desire to be better, fitter, wealthier, and more stable has to come from inside. Not from a negative stimulus caused by fear of trauma or the approval of others, but for your own satiation and self-worth. So, set your goals, outline the steps needed to acquire them, and immediately start pressing towards it. The satisfaction that comes from self-motivation is so much more edifying. #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about the journey that successful people traveled in order to reach their goals? People may have told them they were crazy or the goal was unattainable, but they remained steadfast in what they believed. If Elon Musk had listened to people when they told him he could not create an electric car, we would have fallen behind in the perpetual innovation race. It is evident that these people listened to their own self-talk. The voice inside them that affirmed they could have it or they will do it. The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. I think many times we gloss over the power of that verse. It says we have the power to manifest things with our words. This spiritual anomaly was supported through science as a neuroscientist devised an experiment about optimism and positive thought. The study inundated the participant with positive and affirming thoughts about their abilities, creating an expectation of success. When their brains were imaged it showed increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (a region responsible for self-reflection and recollection). The experiment showed that when our brains expect good results our actions align to bring those results to fruition. "You are either talking and thinking yourself into or out of what you want" Too often we focus on the negative or what may not happen and we fail to understand that we are in control of the success. Many of us do not realize how pessimistic we are until we are shown our blindspots. The person that will move past us is the one that says "I'm going to be this, no matter what." That's when the body starts to move toward focusing on it happening. So why can't you have that job? Why can't you have that man? Why can't you have that house? The answer is YOU! Once you realize the power in your positive thoughts and your affirmations, you spend less time hanging out in the basement of pessimism and start focusing on "making your dream happen" The experiment also showed that people who were primed on optimism paid less attention to mistakes and setbacks. These missteps had no effect on them seeking their goal. Speak it and go get it!!! Make it happen!!! #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

Good Morning 3M, With all of us amid the holiday season, we are likely to encounter family, friends, and enemies. Old acquaintances inevitably will remind you of some of your old mistakes. Mistakes you have long forgotten and grown from, but people love to put you in a box and keep you there because it always helps them maintain a sense of superiority. You are the person who divorced or had children out of wedlock or dropped out of college or destroyed your credit etc. etc. It is the unearthing and proclamation of your continual mistakes and imperfections that enables others to hide theirs and appear more perfect. This is a societal illness that traverses families as well as the church. This is why so many people never feel quite perfect or good enough. The Apostle Paul, who was a pardoned murderer, often spoke about his battle with being human. To paraphrase he said "every time I wish to do right, wrong is right there" and "the things I ought to do. I do not do but rather choose the wrong thing because of the evil that dwells in me." Paul asked God to take this dilemma away and God's response was "My grace is sufficient." In other words, perfection is not expected of you. On the contrary, you are expected to make mistakes, and you can still expect God's forgiveness. So why do we continually ostracize those that live differently from us? Why do many of us cloak our imperfections while making others feel inadequate for not reaching our level of perfection? This holiday season is the time to start practicing true forgiveness and acceptance. However, this forgiveness and acceptance must start with ourselves. Forgive yourself for the things you have done wrong and accept that you are still a worthy individual. You may have to climb out of the very box people have put you in. but you must do it. Many of us have not realized that the opinion of others has been verbalized to us so repetitively that we actually have accepted it as true. His Grace is sufficient Be kind to yourself #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine

What are you striving for? I know for most people there are many things you are striving for, but if you could think about the number #1 thing, what would it be? Is it financial wealth, power, financial stability, or happiness? As many of you think through your list you may even feel that one element may lead to another. You may feel that financial wealth is the key to your happiness or that financial stability is the first step on your way to having power. However, are you sure that the thing you are striving for isn't deterring you from obtaining the other things on your list? Does money affect happiness?? A University of Pennsylvania study suggests that all forms of well-being continued to rise with income, across a wide range of income levels, and it didn't plateau. Another study shows that an increased salary leads to increased expectations in work hours and erodes the happiness that comes with socializing with family and friends. Finally, another study states that emotional well-being rises with income. However, it grows logarithmically. That is, as an individual's income increases, their well-being increases at a slower and slower rate. And after income surpasses about $75,000 per year, data suggests, well-being stops increasing altogether (Kahneman & Deaton). But how about this? Maybe what you are striving for causes you to totally ignore that the result already exists. Most people desire financial stability to be able to give their family liberty and thereby ensuring their happiness. Well, what if your kids are already happy with what you provide? Your family may very well not know you are limited. I grew up with seven siblings in the projects where the boys had to share 2 rooms with bunk beds. My mom provided for us on her own and I don't doubt for a minute that she wished she had the financial stability to give us more. I don't doubt there were missed payments, but we had everything we wanted and needed. My childhood was extremely happy filled with large Thanksgiving dinners and laughter. My mom strived to make ends meet but she stopped to thank God for the happiness in our home and NONE of us would choose a different childhood. Focus on what you are striving for and if you think that goal will ensure other things, stop for a moment to ensure you don't already have those things. Yes, money improves emotional well-being, but so do loving relationships and friendships. I challenge you to take inventory of what you already have and find a blessing in it every day. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Be thankful for what you have while you strive for things you don't. Both are possible. #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine #findthesunshine

There are a lot of theories on what really sparks change, but the common theme boils down to an event or realization that can be labeled as " the straw that broke the camel's back." In other words, many of us don't make a change until we are "sick and tired of being sick and tired." What gets us caught up in this cycle of starting and stopping? Dissociation is a process by which we disengage from our reality where we almost deny the factual evidence of our existence. In other words, we have convinced ourselves that we are not out of shape, not in an unhealthy failing relationship, or not caught up in addiction, regardless of the evidence. This distorted reality stops us from changing or doesn’t allow us to be sick and tired enough. Confirmation bias causes one to develop a belief and then compile data and opinions that agree with or "confirm" our belief. This will extinguish any movement toward change. "Most marriages don't last this long so we can't be doing that bad." "There is just not enough time in my day to exercise." " My success has a glass ceiling because of my race or ethnicity." These are beliefs that lead to confirmation bias and eventually lead to reduced effort or being frozen. The "pink elephant paradox" loosely defined means the more we try to suppress thoughts the more recurrent they become. This is the beginning of the road to being "sick and tired of being sick and tired". To change yourself or your situation you must accept the need and be resilient enough to face it head-on. After we have dissociated (given ourselves excuses), used confirmation bias ( garnered support for our excuses), and subscribed to the pink elephant paradox (attempted to suppress the obvious need for change), we have to let the straw break the camel's back finally. The only way to progress toward change is to have the hard conversations with yourself that you have been avoiding. The moment you can admit that you are the problem becomes the moment you can start making a momentous and permanent change. I encourage you to face your need for change today. Running from it makes it grow stronger and more extensive. Be a little harder on yourself. You read that correctly. Tell yourself to "stop making excuses", "There is enough time", "I am not perfect", "I deserve better", "I am hurting someone "or "Someone is hurting me." Face yourself and stop coddling and justifying your lack of action. Others that are observing you can see it plainly, they see the pink elephant in the room, but you have become so accustomed to the dysfunction that you simply move over and allow him the space on the couch. Make it a Great Day! #changedmindschangelives #bethesunshine