live on purpose – Page 6 – Dr. Paul Jenkins

Dec 23

Nurture Your Key Relationships at Christmas

By DrPaul M-Power

I think back to the many Christmases shared with our family and remember the excitement as presents were added under the tree during December. The kids would run to see whose name was on the gift and could hardly contain their excitement when they saw their name. The gifts would be played with and worn, and sometimes the kids broke the toys and outgrew the clothes, their tastes and preferences changed. Gifts are used and consumed and that is o.k. Gifts are really about our relationships with people. We give to show love and nurture relationships. While we may not remember what we gave or received last year, we remember the people who are "present" all year long. We are grateful for you and for your support this year at Live On Purpose. No matter how you choose to celebrate this time of year and in what language, we wish…

Dec 12

Worry is the Misuse of Imagination

By DrPaul M-Power

Christmas is a time of imagination and creativity. Sometimes people use their imagination in the wrong way. It isn't all sugar plums and twinkling lights. They imagine troubles, hardships, scarcity and conflict. No twinkling lights there. Dan Zadra said, "Worry is the misuse of imagination." We have a choice - allow your imagination to think positive or negative thoughts. You do have something to do with the future - but you don't know what will happen. Did you predict a pandemic and exactly how it all played out? Did you predict a war in the Ukraine? People say, "But I am a realist." That is fine, be a realist - be an Equal Opportunity Realist. When your mind begins to wander, call it back and imagine something wonderfully positive happening. One of the most often refrains I hear is, "I could never have imagined I would be in this situation." (For…

Nov 28

Happy Thanksgiving LOP Family

By DrPaul M-Power

We will keep this quick this week since many of you are celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends.We are grateful for you and every effort you have made to spread positivity in a world that gravitates to negativity.We are grateful for you watching LOPTV YouTube videos, reading our newsletters and books. Those that joined us for webinars and courses over the course of the year.We are very grateful for our Live On Purpose Central members that we get to interact with every week.Happy Thanksgiving, now go eat some turkey and reach out to those you are grateful for and tell them why.DrPaul

Nov 16

What is Your TED Moment?

By DrPaul M-Power

Do you like TED Talks or Inspirational Speakers? The psychologist in me is fascinated by these speeches. There is a common thread through most of the talks given. There was something hard. Obstacles and problems were placed before them. It was something they would not have chosen for themselves. They suffered, but persevered. The person did not give up. And out of the conflict or trauma they have learned or created something that helps others. They open up and are vulnerable about their experiences and the transformation that occurred in them. That vulnerability creates a connection with people. Even if we don’t know them personally. In the vulnerability others can connect with them and see hope. So, if you are going through a hard thing (and who isn’t?) ask yourself what you can learn from the experience. Then when you are in a good place, share with others. Let your…

Nov 10

Lesson of a Colorful Paper Turkey

By DrPaul M-Power

Remember the colorful paper turkey’s we used to make in school around this time of year?On each red, yellow, or orange feather, we would write something we were grateful for.Mine often mentioned my family, friends, food, and toys, probably similar to yours.I wonder if my teachers had any idea of the benefits of writing down the things we are grateful for.Did they know that gratitude journaling can increase productivity, happiness and better health?Did they know that gratitude journaling can stimulate the prefrontal cortex to lead to better reasoning and decision making?Did they know that gratitude journaling can shift our minds away from “I” and “me” to “we” and thus relieve anxiety?Did they know that gratitude journaling can decrease feelings of depression and sadness?Did they know that gratitude journaling can make us happier - even if our circumstances have not changed?So many important lessons taught from a construction paper turkey.Watch THIS VIDEO to…

Nov 02

Don’t Be Afraid to Be a Beginner

By DrPaul M-Power

Remember how it felt when the teacher would introduce a new concept to the class? Often what we were faced with looked like hieroglyphics until the teacher explained what everything meant on the paper and how to read it. Often kids look at the paper and immediately go to: “I can’t do this.” “I have never dealt with this before.” “I don’t get it.” Teachers patiently try to walk their students through the steps until the lightbulb comes on. This usually happens after the child has calmed down enough to actually look at the paper and follow the directions. Maybe for you it was learning algebra and suddenly having letters thrown in with numbers. (I thought it was kind of fun, but I remember others having a harder time.) We all survived algebra yet we still get new problems thrown at us. Like calculus problems. Unlike algebra, these seem to…

Oct 28

Imagination and Creation

By DrPaul M-Power

Imaginations are powerful. Imagination is the ability to see something that isn’t in the present. It is the ability to dream up something new, to be creative and resourceful. Imagine if you could feel calm and hopeful when things are tumultuous. Imagine if you were presented with a problem and you knew immediately what to do. Imagine if you went a whole day without losing your patience. What is your imagine if? When we do exercises like this we tend to imagine something better, something that will increase our happiness. Yet, we have the ability to think up something worse and some people automatically go there. I call it defaulting to the negative. I also call it stinkin’ thinkin’. Next time you find your thoughts going to the negative know that you have control. Boss your brain. Tell your brain you are the boss and you want to imagine something…

Oct 19

What’s Your Angle?

By DrPaul M-Power

What's your angle? When we say this we want to know what someone is trying to get out of a situation. You know what I mean. All the sudden your kids are asking if there is anything they can do for you??!? We know something's up and they are probably wanting the car or another privilege. I gotta hand it to them, at least they are using the try-angle. When we have a problem, it can be easy to throw our hands up in the air and scream. Especially if it feels like we have tried everything. People often tell me this, "Dr. Paul, I have tried everything."They really think there is nothing else to try. That is not a fun place to be coming from. There is most likely something else you can do. Coaching has helped me in my professional and private life. It can help you too and…

Oct 11

Perception of Mental Health in America

By DrPaul M-Power

https://youtu.be/if8NhKIz2Q0 One of our coaches passed along an article that shows 90% of Americans believe there is a mental health crisis in the United States. Being a psychologist, I read about and talk to others in the field about mental health so it is on the forefront of my mind. With 9 out of 10 saying they believe there is a crisis, it shows they have been thinking about mental health also. This survey was not a study of records, it is about the perception of mental health. About half of those polled said that someone in their family or someone they knew had experienced a severe mental health crisis and were a threat to themselves or others or engaged in self-harm. We know that the recent pandemic probably made mental health for some worse, but it may have helped awareness rise. The number of people seeking help for mental health related issues has…