WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

I had a great Thanksgiving Holiday — simple and loving.  What more could anyone ask?

During the socializing and relaxing, I noticed a conversation that kept coming up from many people — young, old, male, female, business professional, and artist.  The conversation focused on new directions, new careers, new possibilities.  I’ve been having this conversation with myself for years now.  I enjoy doing so many things and I dabble in far more things than one might think possible.  I used to make myself wrong for playing in so many different fields, but in recent years I’ve realized what a gift it is.

It seems that many people are at a tipping point in deciding what they want to do next, what they want to do when they grow up.  The interesting thing in these recent conversations is that they were not so much focused on new career paths with a primary need to make money, but to do something that makes the heart sing out loud.

I think this is a great precipice upon which to stand.  It opens up possibilities and reignites conversations with the heart.

If you’ve been asking yourself questions about your new direction, you’ve got plenty of company.  If you don’t yet know what that new direction is, stop and breathe.  Be quiet.  Don’t force it.  Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open.  Little by little, the new “thing” will reveal itself.

And as Dr. Seuss so famously said, “Oh, the places we will go!”

Body Talkin’,

Mark

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www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?

I believe there is nothing more beneficial for your optimal health and well-being than how you are feeling right now in this moment.  It can be argued that many external circumstances influence and/or dictate how you feel.  I do not refute those arguments.  I know there are days that I receive a piece of unpleasant news or something I was counting on doesn’t come through and I spiral downward into an emotional dark pit.  However, I also know that slight adjustments in my internal world (e.g. deep, deliberate breathing, focusing my thoughts on something inspiring, becoming quiet for five minutes or more) make a difference in the way that I feel and often clears some “space” for new perspectives to enter into my mind.  Also, I have learned that shifts in body language (e.g. standing up a little taller, pulling the shoulders back, coaxing a little smile (even if I don’t feel like it)) send signals from my body to my mind  inviting my thoughts and feelings to remember what feeling good looks and feels like (muscle memories associated with good feelings can actually change your mood).  Furthermore, activities in my external world (e.g. exercise, a walk in nature, listening to inspiring music, viewing works of art, observing other people who are in a good mood, laughing at something funny in a movie, on tv, or in print (like the comics section of the paper)) can also strongly affect my emotional state.

Daily, I am checking in with myself to see how I am feeling.  If there is room to feel just a bit better (and there always seems to be room for this), I consciously create a slight shift in my thoughts, my body, and/or my activities.  These slight shifts make a huge difference in my day.  And, since there is nothing that affects the experience of my day-to-day life more than how I am feeling in the moment, I make “feeling my best” a priority.  Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself!

With feeling,

Mark Edgar Stephens

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

DEEP, DELIBERATE BREATHING

When I encounter a challenging situation in my life, I stop and take three deep breaths.  I call it, “Deliberate Breathing.”  With each breath, I feel myself calm down and I notice my mind slowing down, and often I become aware of a new perspective about the challenge that has arisen.  I believe in the power of deep breathing to be able to enhance our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual lives.  The next time a challenging situation arises, try it!  Take three deep breaths thinking about nothing other than the sound of your own breath entering and leaving your body.  The verb “inspire” literally means, “to inhale.”  Deliberate Breathing truly is “inspiration” at its most basic and profound level.

You can find a complete rundown of the Deliberate Breathing Exercise in chapter one of my book, “WHO ARE YOU CHOOSING TO BE?”

With inspiration,

Mark Edgar Stephens

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com