“Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism.
There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.

And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship–be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles–is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.

If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you.

On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.

Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear.

Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.

They’re the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that’s what you’re doing.

And the so-called real world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the so-called real world of men and money and power hums merrily along in a pool of fear and anger and frustration and craving and worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation.”
David Foster Wallace, Excerpt from “This is Water.”

This is such a clear and beautifully stated way to say that we must give our focus to what matters most to us. Our time, our attention, our worship must go to the priority at the center, otherwise we risk getting lost in the worship of false gods that will lead us out into the Blur.

An important message of the Buddha was what you think you become, what you feel, you attract, and what you imagine, you create.

So this means we should watch our thoughts, our emotions, and mental images, as these greatly affect the reality we experience.

If you can learn to imagine, feel and believe what you want to occur and consistently hold this in mind, there is a good chance it will show up in your reality.

Importantly, you do not need to be a buddhist to experience this, as this process works no matter your religious belief or affiliation.

Of course, this does not mean that action is unnecessary. And if you can train your brain to imagine your goal, while taking actions towards the goal, this can help bring the goal into your reality.

This creative process can and should be fun. Just like all things, it just takes consistent practice.

I call it the 90 second breathing space project.
First, I turn off most notifications for all things, except my own, because I know what I want. I don’t want somebody else’s notifications. I look for reasons, any reason to unsubscribe, delete. It’s noise, I don’t want that. What I want is being very intentional.
I schedule short periods throughout the day so I can reflect on the breathing space. Am I getting more or less? Am I being intentional or not? These have to be for short periods of time such as 90 seconds, or it won’t be realistic for me to commit to that. But even those 90 seconds have a profound impact on bringing me back into focus.

*Short Summary-See Video For More Details
If you can’t answer the questions “Who Am I and What do I want with my life?” It’s going to be impossible to prioritize how you spend your time and energy, if you don’t know the larger picture.
A big part of breathing space, is unwrapping who you are and what your best life looks like so you can connect that vision to the actions and decisions needed.

Short Summary-Watch Full Video For More.

Most people fall short of their goals and they don’t understand why.
People have a lot of goals and they’re often lofty. They’re too far away. It’s good to have lofty goals, but then we need a blueprint. Here’s the picture of the Taj Mahal.. It’s impossible to build all at once immediately, so what steps do we need to start with?
Breathing space helps you reverse engineer your lofty goals into simple, yet important daily activities that you need to do right now. These compound and eventually you’ve laid the foundation, built the walls, and you’re significantly closer to having the Taj Mahal you envisioned.

Have you watched a flock of sheep? Sheep are not intelligent animals. Given the chance they will aimlessly wander away, becoming lost or eaten by predators.

Sheepdogs have been used for thousands of years to keep the herd together, keep them safe, and keep them organized. It is a tireless job that never ends. The sheepdog is always vigilant and always working. If a sheepdog relaxes or loses focus, a sheep will wander off.

Coach Tom Desotell and The Point College were the first place that I heard about the “sheepdog mentality” and its importance in team building. The “sheepdog mentality” means that we are always working to keep the team in shape and moving in the direction it needs to be. This is an incredibly important concept in work, family, and any situation that requires collaboration.
The leaders of the team must have a sheepdog mentality, but that’s not enough. The leaders must teach and encourage everyone to participate in the sheepdog mentality. A culture and environment where everyone is a sheepdog, will ensure that accountability, hard work, and focus keep the team organized and moving in the right direction. It builds an environment that lifts everyone up.

One of the misconceptions about this type of thinking is that it’s micromanaging. But again, watch the sheepdog closely as it does not unnecessarily bother the herd. Everything it does with meaningful purpose. It does not waste energy, bark at them, excite them, or scare them without a reason. It maintains a proper watchful eye and communication with the sheep so that it can act when necessary.

There will be those in every team that resist the the “sheepdog” mentality. But as leader, find the few who will buy in and empower them. Creating this kind of mentality even in just a few team members, will start to transform the entirety of the team over time.

*This piece was written by Bradley Binversie in collaboration with Coach Thomas Desotell.

We recently spoke with Coach Tom Desotell regarding team building. One of the interesting lessons he highlighted was the importance of recognizing that the team is made of unique individuals with different talents, needs, and backgrounds.

“People don’t deserve to be treated alike. They’re all different and have different needs. The worst thing you can do is treat them all the same. Treat them like they earn and deserve.”

Coach is not advocating for mistreating or discrimination, but an individualized approach to empowerment for the good of the collective.
Good leaders know that the high performers and the leaders are so important to the culture of the organization, and the high performers need to know this as well. Their behavior, body language, and attitude needs to be spoken about regularly. Ask them questions, make sure they are heard and valued.

A good leader does not want to build a big group of followers. They help develop many leaders for the good of the collective.

*Written by Bradley Binversie from Exclusivia in coordination with Thomas Desotell.

The studies show that having a designated space for creative work, will increase our capacity for creative thought.

Our brains are not that different than Pavlov’s dogs. By designating an area specifically for your creative work, your brain automatically shift into creative minset when you enter there.

This also requires designing the space to maximize the creative potential. Our brains will be at their most creative when they feel safe. Openness and spaciousness are greatly associated with creative thought.

Please watch the short video for the explanations, science, and studies.

Incorporating elements of nature has proven to enhance our creative thinking. Here are some easy ways we can build nature into our workspaces.

1. Artwork or posters depicting nature can have a positive impact on creative state, as our brains don’t differentiate between the images and real nature.

2. Using natural building materials such as wood paneling as well as others can evoke a nature associated response from the brain.

3. Incorporating natural elements into your workspace blurs the line between indoor and outdoor. Natural lighting, the colors blue and green, plants, and other design and decorations illicit the brain’s response to nature.

Please see the short video for the science and reasoning behind these.

I recently had a friend of over 40 years tell me that “I was the most consistent person, he knew.”
My life situation, behaviors, geography, and even some beliefs have changed over that 40 year time frame. However, what I think my friend was alluding to the power of consistently showing up with a positive attitude and intentionally building the habits so that people can count on you.

My habits and routines are a critical component of showing up consistently with a good attitude.
-As a teenager I boxed and worked out, today I still box and workout religiously at 77.

-I was learning and exploring new things as a young adult, today that sense of wonder and curiosity remains.
-As a younger man, I always tried to go out of my way to help people however, I could through
introductions, money, mentorship, ect. I still do this today. Helping young men, gives me energy and purpose.
– Everyday, I make time for prayer to start my day. This puts me in the right frame of mind to show up.

At this point I do a lot of these routines subconsciously and when my routine is off, my day feels off.
The power of consistency has a compounding effect. These routines I have, empower me with the physical, spiritual, and mental strength to show up to be my best for others. Sometimes people ask me what my secret is, but it’s really just prioritizing and committing to simple habits on a regular basis.