People ask me how I found the passion for a second career as a Life Coach midway through life. As a mental health therapist for over 20 years, I became intrigued with studies by neurologists & psychologists on how utilizing people’s strengths with a focus on social connection could rewire the brain. I began to look at how paying attention to one task at a time increases productivity, with improvement in accuracy on tasks. Employers want productive employees. Researchers are finding when we care for ourselves, our brains find a positive state, & results oriented achievements increase as a byproduct. Social connections increase our happiness and this brings awareness of opportunities. Shawn Achor in his book, “The Happiness Advantage,” shares his research findings and strong correlations between happiness and social connections.
Even the greatest proponents of happiness & positivity talk about maximized productivity. When things don’t go as planned, we find creative ways to utilize our time “productively.”
Back in 1992, I went to a Bible school now called Rhema Bible College. As I studied teaching ministry, and earned a diploma to teach the Bible, part of our curriculum was to teach a sermon. As I prayed and asked God about my topic, the following Scripture came to mind: Hebrews 4:11, “we who believe do enter into rest.” See our society back then, and more so today, believed in producing. We worked hard taking pride in our results. What was God saying to us through Scripture? Believe, trust Him, rest.
Recently I started a Resilience Group where we are studying Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book, “Think, Learn, Succeed.” In the book, Dr. Leaf shares how 15 mindsets of changed thinking will rewire the brain. As an introvert, I am finding that time with my own thoughts is of great value. In the book, Dr. Leaf teaches about unplugging and simply being with ourselves. This is of deep value. People travel all around the world to find peace, and it can be found with such simplicity in our back yards.
Today unplug to connect! One of our favorite Scriptures in the faith based support group that I facilitate is, Psalm 46:10: “Be still & know that I am God.”
Let’s follow Scripture, believe, rest, be still, know; THIS fosters connection to God & others.