"Mental Imagery: Techniques and Exercises" (Listen Only) 41:46

This is an OLD recording by a therapist talking about mental imagery. It’s fascinating to consider how bringing images to our mind can help us achieve clarity on almost any issue. We create associations in our mind all the time. Be patient with the recording and give it a try.

Think about:

• What benefit might you discover by considering images in your thoughts?

• How could you develop a “positive image” practice?

• What would be your “positive images”?

Achieve Your Dreams through Visualization (15:17)

Have you ever had a dream so big that you were not sure how you would accomplish it? Pete shares how the power of visualization and a willingness to put in an extra ten percent can move you towards accomplishing your goals.

Think about:

• What might you find difficult about visualization?

• What are the barriers preventing you from visualization?

• What dreams can you begin visualizing now?

Assisting in your own healing (Listen Only) 1:20:25

This is a recording by Louise Hay - perhaps the mother of the Affirmation theory. Her book You Can Heal Your Life is based on this recording. There is no better rationale or description of how affirmations can change your world and work in your life. It’s just over an hour long but it is thought provoking!!

Think about:

• What affirmations are hard for you?

• What would it take for you to make affirmations a daily practice?

• How might affirmations help you?

Create a Better Future with the Power of Affirmations (14:08)

With a clear explanation of cognitive development, this speaker challenges us to change old beliefs to new ones. Through out our life .. we have been all in a conditioning process or a programming process that has created our beliefs , through out our developmental years in to adulthood we acquired many beliefs from family .. friends .. school .. experiences . Unfortunately many beliefs that we have acquired act against us and prevent us from reaching our goals.

Think about:

• What self-talk "I am's" are you currently using? (subconsciously)

• What do you want them to say?

• What idea is new or newly remembered here?

• What childhood affirmations do you wish to replace?

How to Motivate Yourself to Change (16.48)

What's the best way to get people to change their behavior? In this funny, information-packed talk, psychologist Dan Ariely explores why we make bad decisions even when we know we shouldn't -- and discusses a couple tricks that could get us to do the right thing (even if it's for the wrong reason).

Think about:

• What tricks does your brain play on you?

• What are your blind spots?

• What ‘bad experiences’ have you exaggerated?

The Psychology of Your Future Self (6:11)

"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.

Think about:

• What tricks does your brain play on you?

• What are your blind spots?

• What ‘bad experiences’ have you exaggerated?

You Can Change Your Personality (12:50)

If you've ever wanted to change something about your personality, you're not alone. Most people want to change aspects of themselves--and research suggests that they may actually be able to do so. In this actionable talk, psychology professor and researcher Nathan Hudson discusses small, concrete, evidence-based steps you can take to move closer to becoming the person you want to be.

Think about:

• What do you want to change about your personality?

• How might you begin to change?

The Power of Introverts (18:48)

What happens when you’re not living authentically? Susan Cain tells a great story of having to deny being an introvert and shares why we need to allow for introversion.

Think about:

• How did this discussion impact your understanding of Introversion?

• What is your personal bias about Introversion?

• How would you be different if you had been allowed to be more authentic to your style?

How do Personality Tests Work? (4:35)

In 1905, psychologists Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon designed a test for children who were struggling in school in France. Designed to determine which children required individualized attention, their method formed the basis of the modern IQ test. So how do IQ tests work, and are they a true reflection of intelligence?

Think About:

In Defense of Extroverts (8:43)

Vanessa reveals that our behavior, from hand gestures to how we say 'hello', changes the way others perceive our confidence,

Think about:

• If you are an Extrovert, what type are you?

• Do you think you can identify the different types of extroverts in people?

• How might you work better with someone based on what you have learned this week?

Who Are You, Really? (14:29)

What makes you, you? Psychologists like to talk about our traits, or defined characteristics that make us who we are. But Brian Little is more interested in moments when we transcend those traits -- sometimes because our culture demands it of us, and sometimes because we demand it of ourselves.

Think about:

Are you an Introvert? or an Extrovert? What traits do you possess that you like? Which ones do you want to change? What personality traits do other people demonstrate that drive you nuts? Do you have that trait as well?

Personality Development & Change (10:28)

Think about:

What did you inherit from your parents? How did your ‘environmental transactions’ shape who you are? How did listening to this video impact what you’ve always thought about your personality?

You Can Change Your Personality (12:51)

If you've ever wanted to change something about your personality, you're not alone. Most people want to change aspects of themselves--and research suggests that they may actually be able to do so. Psychology professor and researcher Nathan Hudson discusses small, concrete, evidence-based steps you can take to move closer to becoming the person you want to be.

Think about:

If you can change your personality, what would you wish to change? What elements exist in your ‘ideal’ self? This video suggests that you can ‘fake it until you make it’... how might you try this in your own life?

Redesigning Self Love (12:24)

We have all been believing a lie for decades. It’s memorialized in over 1 billion self-help resources: you must love yourself before you can love someone else. The science of human development and neurobiology show this is completely false. Loving yourself is important. But here’s the truth: we can come to love ourselves, only when we learn how by both loving someone else and receiving love.

Think about:

How has listening to this video changed your thoughts about self love? What do you think now about self love? Have you thought about ‘receiving love’ prior to now? In what ways does this lecture change or shape how you may move forward?

Oprah’s Top 10 Rules for Self Love (14:21)

Get a notebook and write down the key elements that she discusses. First and foremost - YOU are responsible for your life. This talk is super inspiring… as you listen, write down the ‘objections’ that you find yourself thinking… those will be clues to your ‘shadow beliefs’.

Think about:

What did you find that stops you? What are your shadow beliefs? What did you discover about your beliefs? Why are you where you are in your life? How and when do you ‘listen’ to your inner self? What did you think about differently after listening to this video?

10 Signs you lack Self Love (5:51)

Quick check about how you may envision yourself - It’s a good check in. Go through the checklist and consider if any of the components apply to you.

Think about:

Do you mask? Do you overanalyze your behavior? How much time to you spend worrying about what others think about you? Is it hard for you to engage in selfcare? When do you feel ‘less than’? How can you stop being hard on yourself? Do you find that you retreat from people and/or need excessive attention from others?

Essential Guide to Self-Acceptance

Poets and doctors both save lives, just in different ways. World-champion slam poet Harry Baker shares the heartache of forfeiting the path of medicine for a self-guided career in poetry and writing. This talk is an ode to choosing to be different, woven through two poems that sing with universal truth.

Think about:

Are you living the life that sits on your heart? (let’s talk about this if you struggle with the question) What does freedom look and feel like for you? What part of your life does it feel hard to ‘accept?

Essential Guide to Self-Acceptance

Merima Dervović, a wheelchair user born with spina bifida, explains her path to self acceptance. Being what she calls a ‘professional’ disabled person has required her to learn to love herself through courage and compassion. Here is how you can do the same.

Think about:

How has your body shaped your sense of self? What part of your body do you need to learn to love and accept? What uncomfortable feeling do you need to push through? How can you stop the self-judgement that plagues you? How might you adjust your thinking and/or your self talk to practice more body acceptance? How does your body image impact your intimate life?

Acceptance & CommitmentTherapy

An introduction to acceptance in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance means letting go of struggling with thoughts, feelings, and circumstances when doing so gets in the way of building a meaningful life.

Think about:

Acceptance is the First Step

How we relate to people we don’t understand is more important than we know! Life is too short and the stakes are too high to reject our loved ones. We must find a way to acceptance and love while we live.

Think about:

The Power of Self-Awareness

Will’s talk, “The Power of Self-Awareness,” illustrates the transformative potential of giving and receiving feedback. In his talk, he recounts his first class during his doctoral program at George Washington University when his professor gave him an “A” on his final paper, but an “F” in life.

Think about:

What have you become aware of that you are anxious to change? When have you felt humbled and what did it teach you? Think of ways that you may have deluded yourself in the past… how might you be more self-honest moving forward?

Increase Your Self-Awareness

Dr. Tasha Eurich speaks about the research that led to her book Insight (now on the recommended reading page). She introduces us to the ideas behind self reflection - the ability to see ourselves clearly. Research points to several key benefits of self-awareness including better relationships and higher life satisfaction.

Think about:

What do you think others think about you? Ask someone to share their observations with you and just listen without judgment. Are you surprised at all by their observations? When you engage in introspection - how does it change when you ask ‘what’ vs. ‘why’? What ‘what’ questions might help you develop more awareness?

The Other Side of Ego

As he stared at the end of his life when diagnosed with cancer, Jonathan was hit with the fact he was not the man he thought he was - he had become the kind of man he would not want to be near. Two remarkable people appeared and taught him life's greatest lessons and in that started him on the road to redemption that saved his soul and saved and his life. This television journalist seemed to have everything, until that everything included cancer. Jonathan writes about his intimate journey with a deadly disease. And he also tells a bigger story about how the disease launched him on a pilgrimage to become a better man.

Think about:

How has your ego gotten in the way of relationships?

Have you ever been so humbled like Jonathan and if so, how did it change you?

What strategies can you employ so that your ego doesn’t infringe on your best self again?

How to Confront Your Ego

Dinae Knox offers a process for grappling with and ultimately thriving from the difficult moments that life throws your way. Learn the mindset shift needed to develop and maintain a healthy ego, become more emotionally intelligent -- and either take action to change, or stay the same. (This talk contains mature language.)

Think about:

What do you do (how do you behave) when your ego is challenged?

When is it difficult to take responsibility for your actions?

How have your struggles shaped your ego?

Overcoming our Ego’s

"It is not how talented you are or much information you have stored in your mind but how well you use your mind that leads to high performance. The ego is the greatest source of human interference because it is always seeking approval from outside sources. In order to gain this approval, an ego mind craves outcomes. The opposite of an ego-oriented mind is a task-oriented mind, which brings focus to the skills needed to execute the performance.

Think about:

What is one way that you keep your ego in check?

"The ego is not master in its own house." - Sigmund Freud

If the ego doesn't drive you, what do you think does?

Ego vs. Honesty

After eight years guiding on Mt. Everest, and six summits of the world’s tallest peak, high altitude guide and professional climber Adrian Ballinger returned to attempt his childhood dream - a summit of Mt. Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen. His attempts, in 2016 and 2017, required much more than fitness and experience. Success (and even coming down alive) required a battle with his ego, and a re-thinking of where honesty fits in the stories we tell others and ourselves.

Think about:

If ego is an over inflated sense of ourselves and pride is a sin - then are they the same thing, and if not, how do they differ?

What is EGO??

What is ego? Ego is basically that aspect of yourself that you consider to be "you." When I say your name and you think, "Yeah, that's me," that is ego. Ego is your self-image of who you are. Ego is a complex construct in your mind. It's sitting both at the conscious and the deep subconscious level.

Think about:

"Your ego is your soul's worst enemy" - Rusty Eric

Think about what you’ve learned about the ego and then read the above quote - journal your thoughts… is Ego your enemy? When does it work well for you?

The Secret to Changing Negative Self Talk

How is your self-talk? Bruce is obsessed with words. After he was downsized in his career, Bruce had to change his mindset to navigate a new path. Bruce shares why the words you use matter and how changing your words can change your mindset. Bruce teaches how to alter your self-talk and be intentional with your words.TEDx is about ideas worth spreading.

Thinks about:

Consider how often you are aware of the ‘power’ of your words. What would be different if you used different words to describe yourself and/or your situation? What words need to be re-identified (PUSH example) in your vocabulary?

Getting Stuck in the Negatives

Your words matter. They direct your thoughts, your beliefs, your actions, and ultimately your outcomes. Using real life experience, this speaker tells it like it is with objective considerations to use when building a new language for ourselves.

Think about:

Do you have a loss or a gain way of framing life? Where do you get stuck? How might you work harder to shift your framing? How might gratitude shift a stuck perspective?

6 things you Need to Know About Self Talk

Do you have success or failure programs running in your brain? Each one of us was programmed as a child from a number of sources - the messages that were repeated most often become the strongest program in your brain and it is the basis for your story. Dr. Helmstetter is the expert and spends a few minutes talking about the logistics of bad programming.

Think about:

Are you aware of your programming? Which program is the strongest? Which one repeats over and over? What is a healthier way to think? How might you reinforce a new program in your brain?

Psychologically, We are our Stories

Jonny White proposes that two of the most powerful forces shaping our lives are (1) the way we tell our own story and (2) the stories we experience through media (including the Web, TV, ads, books, film, and mobile devices). Strictly due to his ongoing research on how our stories create our reality, Dr. White may tend to seem a little uncertain about whether he is awake, dreaming, or just making it all up.

Think about:

How is your story influenced? What character are you in your story? The sufferer? The victim? the hero/heroine? What story do you tell about supporting characters? How do your emotions color your story?

The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage

Emotions are real and yet we tend to deny all the bad ones. This speaker talks about “rigid denial” of how we feel in an effort to experience positivity. Indeed, ignored emotions will inevitably come forth. In processing this way, we lose our ability to effectively deal with the reality of how we feel in day to day life.

Think about:

What do you do with your feelings? How do you process feelings? What do you do with feelings that linger? What can you do differently?

The Gift and Power of Good and Bad are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves

Heather Lanier questions our assumptions about what makes a life "good" or "bad," challenging us to stop fixating on solutions for whatever we deem not normal, and instead to take life as it comes. I often recommend that we eliminate these words entirely and understand that there is a range of differences from which to experience life.

Think about:

How quick are you to label something as good or bad? How does Heather’s philosophy of saying “good or bad, hard to say” change the way you might look at a situation? How would it be different if you tried to see things without labels all together?

How to Turn Off Work Thoughts During Your Free Time

Feeling burned out? You may be spending too much time ruminating about your job, says psychologist Guy Winch. Learn how to stop worrying about tomorrow's tasks or stewing over office tensions with three simple techniques aimed at helping you truly relax and recharge after work.

Think about:

What do you worry about? How do you currently walk away from work? Is there a better solution? What’s a good self-care activity?

How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life?

Stories help you make sense of your life -- but when these narratives are incomplete or misleading, they can keep you stuck instead of providing clarity. In an actionable talk, psychotherapist and advice columnist Lori Gottlieb shows how to break free from the stories you've been telling yourself by becoming your own editor and rewriting your narrative from a different point of view.

Think about:

What story do you tell yourself about your childhood? About your body? Your Intelligence?  Try writing your story from your best friends perspective… notice how it’s different.