The more I learn about biology, the better I understand human behavior. On the outside we are these highly evolved creatures soaring above the clouds in heavy metal air ships. On the inside, though, part of us is still a prehistoric primate just trying to survive another day. Ancient humans relied on a primitive reflex-oriented brain (because as ancient humans, that’s all the brain they had.). Our ancestors' survival instinct would spur their body into action without their conscious awareness. They didn't have the time (or mental capacity) to consider options before reacting. Human brains have evolved. Our larger foreheads house a prefrontal cortex, which we can choose to use to weigh alternatives and envision creative solutions. This is an add-on feature — like a sunroom built on the rear of a house— while we continue to use our original primitive reflex-oriented brain as the front door. Without our conscious awareness, our brain continuously runs the same 3-step program designed to keep us alive. 1. Select: choose what to notice 2. Identify: determine what it is 3. Interpret: decide what it means to us, particularly in regard to our safety Although human brains have evolved this lovely prefrontal cortex, it lacks the processing speed of the original model. So when we feel threatened, our survival instinct reacts while the executive function is still sifting and sorting options. This is why we are more likely to knee-jerk react than to compassionately respond when we don’t feel safe. So, what do you think? Do you judge people? I welcome your thoughts in the comments.

Healthy Sources for Protein Happy World Vegan Day! The first World Vegan Day was celebrated on November 1, 1994 to recognize the 50th anniversary of The Vegan Society. The hands down number 1 question people ask me when they find out I am vegan is, “Where do you get your protein??” Protein is an essential nutrient for health. I think of protein as our body’s building blocks because it supports cellular growth and repair. There seems to be a widespread perception that meat is the primary (only?) source of protein. Just the other day a friend told me that her granddaughter doesn’t like to eat meat. She would be quite satisfied with a vegetarian diet. But because her granddaughter wants to run on the school track team, the family is on a mission to find meat dishes that she will eat. I understand my friend’s concern that her granddaughter consumes enough protein. Athletes have higher than average protein requirements. So, how much protein should you eat? The basic calculation is your weight in kilograms times 0.8 or your weight in pounds times 0.36. I weigh 136 pounds so my recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is 49 grams. The USDA has an online calculator that takes into account age and activity level. Where do I get my protein? So many delicious options! Unless you are as geeky about nutrition as I am, your beliefs about food may be shaped by messages in the media. Campaigns funded by the meat and dairy councils are designed to appear more like nutritional advice than advertising leading many people to believe meat, milk, and eggs are essential to good health. Let’s compare the protein content of a hamburger to a tofu veggie burger. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center nutrition facts, a 3 oz ground beef patty, 85% lean meat / 15% fat, patty, pan-broiled has 22 grams of protein. That’s 40% of the RDA for me. For comparison, the tofu veggie burger from Hodo (which happens to be what I have on hand) has 19 grams of protein and 39% of my RDA for protein. Now let’s look a little closer at these two options -- The hamburger has 3.93 grams of saturated fat and 0 grams fiber. The veggie burger has .5 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram fiber. So while the amount of protein is comparable, the hamburger has significantly more saturated fat. Back in July, I shared my recipe for overnight oats. I use rolled oats, flaxseeds, chia seeds, pea milk, and almonds. A serving has 26 grams of protein or 53% of my RDA in one meal. Plus my recipe provides 21 grams fiber. Pea milk has almost the same amount of protein as dairy milk, but 1 gram less saturated fat and a tad more fiber. In August I shared my recipe for kale and quinoa salad. In the video I used blueberries but this time of year I switched to apples, which gives me 23% of my RDA for protein. Also in the video I mentioned that I use the other half of the quinoa for a bowl combining beans and roasted vegetables. The vegetables vary depending on what I have on hand. Here’s what I fixed last night - quinoa, lettuce, roasted sweet potato and broccoli, sliced avocado, and black beans in the Instant Pot. With over 20 grams of protein, that's 42% of my RDA in one bowl. A 2017 article in the New York Times reported that most Americans consume about 100 grams of protein a day - that's nearly double the RDA for most of us. Although athletes - like my friend’s granddaughter - have higher protein requirements, they can easily achieve their RDA on a plant-based diet. Shoutout to my dear friend, athlete, and fellow vegan Nancy who is running two half-marathons in the next 6 months. Nancy told me about the book The Plant-Based Athlete: How the World’s Top Performers Achieve Optimal Results. This book is full of examples of professional athletes who saw marked improvement in their performance after removing animal products from their diet. Another thing people say to me is “O! I could never give up … insert favorite meat item.” OK, well don’t. For me the conversion to a plant based diet didn’t happen overnight. I just ate flesh less and less often. I never felt like I was making some huge sacrifice. The less meat I ate the less I wanted it and the less I enjoyed it when I ate it. Fried oysters was the last thing to go. It just didn’t taste as good to me anymore. While the goal of this post is to inspire you with plant-based proteins, I feel the need to share the risks associated with eating animal products. My mom once asked me, "Why do you eat a plant-based alternative to bacon? If you want to eat something that tases like bacon, just eat bacon." In 2015, the World Health Organization classified red and processed meat - like bacon, sausage, deli meat, hot dogs - as a Group 1 carcinogen. According to the paper “Association Between Plant and Animal Protein Intake and Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality” published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in Sept 2020, “Replacement of 3% energy from animal protein with plant protein was inversely associated with overall mortality (risk decreased 10% in both men and women) and cardiovascular disease mortality (11% lower risk in men and 12% lower risk in women). In particular, the lower overall mortality was attributable primarily to substitution of plant protein for egg protein (24% lower risk in men and 21% lower risk in women) and red meat protein (13% lower risk in men and 15% lower risk in women).” I hope I have inspired you to add more plant-based meals to your diet. If you want to learn more, check out the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine or the Vegan Society.

Welcome to the third installment in my series on healing chronic pain. Today we will dig into what I call Weeding the Energetic Garden. I am constantly battling poison ivy in my yard. If you have ever dealt with poison ivy, you know how tenacious it is. It has the long, deep roots. And no matter how carefully I dig it out, little tendrils of root break off in the soil. Eventually the plant will grows back. I have seen this with my Healing Touch clients. After the energy flows are restored, they feel great. They even look brighter and lighter. But the pain returns after several days. At the beginning of every session I find that the energy has slowed in the same areas of their body. This could be an indication that low vibe beliefs (thoughts we think frequently) are recreating energetic congestion — like tiny poison ivy roots that keep growing back. When I was in my early 40’s I developed pain and stiffness in my shoulder. Before long I was having trouble getting dressed and buckling the seat belt in my car. I had to prop pillows under my elbows so I could reach the computer keyboard. The pain kept me awake at night. Now our shoulder is closest to the Throat Chakra. This energy center relates to finding our voice, speaking up for ourselves. My aging MIL living with us at the time. Our relationship ship was not smooth. It seemed to me that she was always offering ‘helpful’ feedback on how I parented my children, how I prepared meals, even how I dressed for work. I am still working on speaking up for myself. So by the time I tried to set boundaries with my MIL, a lot of pent up energy came out. She cried and said I hurt her feelings. So I learned to bite back my words after that. Healing my frozen shoulder required months of painful physical therapy. But I didn’t understand or address the underlying issue. So about two years later, my other shoulder locked up. I went back to the same physical therapist who prescribed the same exercises. I remember asking my PT WHY this kept happening but she didn’t have an answer. Knowing what I know now, I suspect that choking back my emotions caused energetic congestion in my shoulders eventually causing the joint to freeze up. Weeding the Energetic Garden requires unearthing the low vibe beliefs and emotions causing energetic congestion. So what could be the energetic source of your chronic pain? Solving the mystery may involve some sleuthing. Begin by noticing which major energy centers - or chakras - are in the vicinity of your pain. What are the functions associated with that chakra? In my example, the pain was closest to the Throat Chakra which is associated with speaking our truth. There are so many resources for researching physical ailments associated with a blocked chakra. Anodea Judith is a widely recognized expert in chakras. Her book Eastern Body, Western Mind by describes balance and imbalance in each chakra, the dis-eases that may arise from chronic imbalance, possible causes, and remedies. Pay attention to what is going on in your head and your heart. Listen to what your inner chatter is saying and how it makes you feel. Thoughts and emotions are energy. Energy vibrates at a frequency measured in Hz. Fear, grief, regret, and shame are low-vibe emotions in the 20 - 100 Hz range (as compared to love and serenity in the 500 - 540 Hz range). Look for persistent thoughts or memories that trigger low vibe emotions. Allow me to interrupt myself for a moment to point out that low-vide emotions are a natural part of life. The Buddha taught that emotions are like riding a wheel - sometimes you are up and sometimes you aren’t. Suffering arises when the wheel stops moving. I’m not proposing that you avoid fear, grief, and regret - that is impossible. I’m talking about dwelling in low vibrations. If the timing of your pain coincided with intense loss, you may be in mourning. Healing grief is a process with a personalized time table. Use Energetic First Aid to keep your energy flowing while you heal. I love this book by Louise Hay so much that I gift it to my clients. In the back is a section that lists probable causes for physical ailments and affirmations that we can use to replace old programming with high vibe beliefs. If there’s a book that has been helpful for you, I invite you to post it in the comments. Just as with Energetic First Aid, you may want to hire a contractor to help you weed your garden. Someone who is qualified to help you do some deep digging and get the poison ivy by the roots. Consider finding a therapist with specialized training in energy healing. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology has a searchable database on their website. Long standing low-vide beliefs have deep roots. Pulling them out is not quick or easy, which is why it is important to continue practicing Energetic First Aid while we are weeding. Energetic weeds will never disappear completely but with time and intention we can slow their return.

Welcome to the second installment in my series where we explore chronic pain from an energetic perspective. In the first video, we learned that: Our bodies are rivers of constantly flowing energy. Disruptions to the flow of energy impair our body’s ability to rejuvenate eventually resulting in physical damage. Pain is our body’s way of getting our attention so we can minimize the damage to our physical body. Let’s talk about what I like to call Energetic First Aid. First Aid refers to immediate interventions to stabilize a person’s condition until comprehensive care is available. It is critical to get the energy flowing again like the strong current in the middle of a river. This prevents further damage and initiates the healing process. Do-it-Yourself: Energetic First Aid is mostly DIY. The techniques are simple, don't require special equipment, and can be performed in the comfort of your home. One way to restore energy flow is to stimulate points on the meridians by compression or massage. When we release applied pressure, fresh energy pours into the affected area. Think of it as an energetic reset button. Perhaps you have heard of techniques such as acupressure, pressure point therapy, trigger point therapy or reflexology. One of the acupressure resources I use is the book Head-to-Toe Healing from Spring Forest Qigong. Meridian points are also used in tapping. There are so many free tapping videos available online. Check out Dawson Church, or Nick and Jessica Ortner. I have a 7-minute Guided Tapping Sequence video on my YouTube channel that guides you in the Trauma Tapping Technique as taught by the Peaceful Heart Network. Another method is to move our energy using our hands as in Qigong, Reiki or Healing Touch (which is what I am trained in). I have a video on my YouTube channel for the Infinity Technique. Not only does this technique alleviate pain and swelling, it can reduce anxiety and help you sleep. Consistency is critical! Pick a technique and practice it several times a day. Your body wants to heal but it also has a tendency to return to baseline because that feels familiar. It takes time to teach your body a new pain-free normal. Donna Eden has been practicing energy medicine since the 1970’s and has hundreds of free videos online. One of her most popular techniques is the Daily Energy Routine. In 15 minutes, the energy in your body will be raging like a river. Hire a Contractor: If you have been suffering with chronic pain for awhile, your energy may need a jumpstart for DIY techniques to be effective. Consider working with an energy healer such as a practitioner of acupuncture, reflexology, Reiki, or Healing Touch. Again consistency is key! Commit up front to at least 3 sessions. We learned in Healing Touch that it is not until the third session that a client’s body relaxes enough to fully receive the benefits. I know someone who was suffering with chronic wrist pain. After 2 or 3 surgeries, she was still suffering. A friend convinced her to try acupuncture. After only one session, she declared acupuncture ineffective and returned to the surgeon for another operation. Understand -- I believe that western medicine is wonderful and surgery is the best option in many cases…but if you were looking to increase upper body strength you wouldn’t do one rep of weightlifting and expect to see results. I believe that optimal health depends on clearing the river every day. Just as we find the time every day to brush our hair, shower, and clean our teeth - it is imperative that we clear our energy flows. Our lives are filled with opportunities for low-vibe experiences that disrupt the energy flow. Unless the flow is restored dis-ease will arise. Everything we covered in under DIY approach is simple and quick enough to do on a daily basis. If your chronic pain is due to incomplete healing following an injury, Energetic First Aid may be all you need for permanent relief. But if your pain is associated with low-vibe emotions or low-vibe beliefs, first aid is just the first step. Join me for the next installment when we talk about what I call Weeding the Energetic Garden.

Welcome to the first post in my series on about pain. Thank you to the subscriber who requested this topic. I want to offer content that is meaningful to viewers so I appreciate your input so much. If you would like to join the Intention Circle, visit IntendWell.US. A word of warning before we dive in. If this content is new to you, it may seem challenge your perceptions. Sometimes when I hear something new, I have a knee jerk response of “Oh, that can’t be right. That doesn’t make any sense!” But I have learned to tap into curiosity and resist the urge to reject it outright. So, I invite you to explore any resistance that arises. 1. Pain is a Gift. Our bodies speak to us in sensations. Pain is a mechanism to prevent damage to the physical body. We learn as children (at least I did) to immediately withdraw our hand from a hot stove. My mother must have tired of warning me to stay away from the stove because one day she stood by and let me touch it. After that I learned to keep my distance from the stove without constant supervision. Sometimes we have to experience something for ourselves. What does your body say if you put your hand near extreme heat? “Move away from this stove to protect the tissues in your hand.” Otherwise you will get blisters on your fingertips - which is what happened to me. I say pain is a gift because people who have lost the ability to detect pain (such as in the case of advanced diabetes) are at greater risk of physical injury. If you are suffering with chronic pain, your body is trying to get your attention. The challenge is to figure out what the body is saying because the threat may be more subtle than a hot stove. So take a moment now to thank your body for alerting you that something is amiss. Send love to the areas that hurt because they are trying to protect you. 2. We are Rivers of Energy. Imagine a river. Notice the powerful, fast-moving water in the middle of the river. The water is churning, energized. Constantly rejuvenating. See a leaf drift down into the river be swiftly carried away by the current. Now shift your attention to the water along the river bank. This water moves slowly. In some places, it is barely moving at all. This area of the river becomes stagnant, dank, oxygen-deprived. There may be a foul stench. See a leaf settle in this part of the river. It will decay in the water. Viewed through the lens of energy healing, the perplexing nature of physical pain with no discernible underlying physical abnormality becomes crystal clear. Centuries ago practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine mapped the primary energy flows in the human body, which we call meridians. The energy should move through our body like the water in the middle of the river - constantly rejuvenating. But sometimes energy slows in a part of our body — like the water at the edge of the river - pooling in areas of energetic congestion. Not only are our bodies made of energy. The emotions we feel are energy. Our beliefs — which are thoughts we think frequently — are energy. Energy vibrates at a frequency that is measured in hertz. Low vibe emotions and beliefs disrupt the flow of energy. The cause of energetic disruption can be physical, emotional, mental or a combination of factors. You have probably experienced all of these. Physical Factors: We are all intimately familiar with pain from physical injury… or what I like to call - Inappropriate contact with something in the environment. Banging your knee on a table. Sudden contact with a floor or pavement due to a fall. A slip of a knife in the kitchen. Inhaling or ingesting a toxic substance - like chemicals or a virus. Western medicine excels at treating these types of energetic disruptions. We ice bruises, bind sprains, disinfect cuts, and pin broken bones. Pharmacological substances may be prescribed. With these interventions, our body usually heals itself. Damaged tissues are replaced. Broken bones reattach. The immune system dispatches viruses. In most situations, energetic flow is restored. Emotional Factors: A friend on mine went to his PCP with pain in his upper chest. The doctor looked at my friend…white man in his 50’s…and concluded the symptoms pointed to coronary heart disease. A stress test and bloodwork ordered. Nitro glycerin was prescribed in case he had a heart attack. All the tests came back clear. The doctor was perplexed but with no angioplasty or bypass to be performed, he was done. If the doctor had asked questions, he may have discovered that my friend’s mother had recently passed. Whether death of a loved one or the end of a romantic relationship — Sorrow HURTS. Undiagnosed pain may have an emotional basis but there are no tests (yet) that measure congestion of emotional energy. And because in Western medicine we tend to mental health is a speciality, medical professionals like my friend’s PCP tend to focus on physical causes. Mental Factors are associated with our beliefs. A belief is anything that we think on a regular basis. I have a friend who is constantly putting herself down. She says things like “My brain is mush” and “I have a mind live a sieve.” Comments like these are dangerous to our health as they impede energy flow. Decades ago my right hip seized up. The hip is a ball and socket joint designed to rotate in all directions. The orthopedist laughed when I told him that I could not rotate my leg to the side. He had me lie on my back and bend my right knee. He grasped my knee and attempted to rotate my leg to the side. Suddenly serious he realized that my hip joint was locked. An MRI scan revealed no deterioration or damage in my hip joint. The doctor was perplexed but with no hip replacement to perform he was done. When he called with the test results he said, “Good news! Your hip joint is fine.” When I informed him that I didn't feel “fine” he offered to increase my pain medication. I wish I had known back then that physical pain may have a mental component. Because our legs move us forward, pain in the legs (hips, knees, feet) that cannot be attributed to a physical abnormality may result from fears about the future. I cannot recall specifically what was happening in my life at the time but there was a lot. My children were around ages 8 - 10. My husband’s aging mother lived with us - she and I did not get on. Because my husband was home caring for her and the children, I was the sole breadwinner - working full time and going to school at night. I had plenty of reasons to feel apprehensive during that period in my life. 3. All Healing is Self-healing. Western medicine offers us so much in the way of treatments but it is up to our body to respond to those treatments and heal. Energetic flow is often restored in the process. Chronic pain may indicate incomplete healing. If a broken bone reconnects, we consider the injury healed even though there is a possibility that energy flow is still disrupted in the affected meridians. As marvelous as Western medicine is, we lack technology to routinely assess energy flow. So if energetic congestion is the source of our pain, the doctor does not have the tools (yet) to find it. Long-term energetic congestion impedes cellular growth and repair eventually leading to physical damage. Consider my grieving friend. If he had been unable to process his emotions around his mother’s death, eventually his heart could have developed abnormalities that WOULD show up in blood work or during a stress test. The medical community recognizes a condition called Broken Heart Syndrome, which may result in sudden death. In my situation, thank goodness the source of my apprehension resolved. My right hip regained full range of motion eventually. Otherwise, eventually stagnant energy in my hip could have led to abnormalities that would be discernible in an MRI scan. In my next post, we will explore interventions to restore the flow of energy in your body so you can live pain-free.

This is the 4th installment in a guide to transformational change. In the first three parts we talked about: The proven power of intention to make seeds sprout faster. How to assess your readiness to change. Tapping into mental imagery to actualize your intention. In this final step we reflect on the experience of putting our intention into action. How did last week go for you? What went well? What will you do differently next week? You should be very proud of yourself for making it this far! I hope you remembered that: Transformational change is a journey filled with peaks, valleys, and detours. Perfection is an illusion. No one and no thing is perfect. Be kind to yourself. Whatever happened last week is behind you. What part of your transformation do you want to focus on in the week ahead? You can choose to repeat the same intention or you can choose to set a new one. It all depends on your desired outcome and how you have decided to chunk it into week-long intentions. The rest of the process is the same. Consider your why, when’s, and who’s. Decide what you will sacrifice to make time to practice. Mentally envision yourself successful. Imagine how you will feel at the end of the week. After practicing your intention for the week, reflect on what you learned. Then set your next intention. If you have any questions, email me at IntendWellLLC@gmail.com. Remember - I’m rooting for you! You got this!

This is the second installment in my guide to making transformational change in your life. In the first part we talked about the power of intention. In this section we will cover how you know when you are ready for change. Many a resolution is forgotten by February because excitement about the New Year is mistaken as readiness for change. Here are some ways that you know you are ready. Know your SACRIFICES Gym memberships typically soar in January. Buying a gym membership is simple. But then we need to create space in our routine to drive to the gym, change clothes, work out, and shower. If we decide to go to the gym before work, an earlier rising requires an earlier bedtime. Unless we give up our existing evening routine, the snooze button will be getting the workout instead of our body. You will need to create space in your schedule to plan, practice, and learn from the intention you drafted last week. Assuming you don’t have oodles of free time in your schedule (pretty safe assumption for most of us), you will need to sacrifice an existing activity. What are you willing to sacrifice to create space for change? How much time will that free up? Know your WHYS Change happens when the perceived pain of staying the same outweighs the perceived pain of change. Why are you considering change? Is it because someone else — like your doctor or a loved one— suggested it? Perhaps it is because you know some changes would be good for your health. Knowing that change is good for us may not be enough to sustain us when inevitable setbacks occur. Odds of success are highest when we have a burning heartfelt desire to change. What are your whys? Are they heavy enough to outweigh the pain of change? Are your whys realistic? Sometimes we make the mistake of assuming that a new job, a new body, a new whatever is going to infuse our lives with joy. Happiness is a choice that does not require anything to change except your perspective. Know your WHEN Timing is everything. Are you ready to start today? If not, do you know when you will be ready? What would need to change for you to feel ready? Know your WHOS The people in your life will be impacted by your change. For example, if you decide to stop playing video games you may spend less time with your gamer friends. If you want to eliminate a certain food from your diet, you may want family members’ support keeping that food out of the house. A friend or romantic partner may interfere out of fear worry you are growing away from them. Who can enable or hinder your change journey? How can you encourage their support? It’s ok if now is not a good time to commit to change…yet. Come back to this book when you are ready to take action. Anything we undertake with half-hearted whys will yield half-hearted results (and full-blown disappointment). For a limited time receive a free copy of my "Quick to Calm Guide" at IntendWell.US. Every Friday I will send you a link to my video of the week plus BONUS content available only to email subscribers.

This is the third installment in my guide to transformational change. In the first two sections we talked about the power of intention and assessing your readiness to change. This sections covers putting your intention into action. Before we dive in, let’s talk about the power of imagination. Studies have shown that we can improve our physical performance through mental imagery. Olympians and professional athletes use imagery to gain competitive edge. Take a moment to close your eyes and create a mental picture of yourself successfully achieving your intention. How do you feel? How are you celebrating your success? Make the image as vivid as you can. Where are you? What are you wearing? What time of day is it? What do you hear? Pause the video, set a time for 2 minutes, and picture the scene. Look at your intention. Is there anything you want to change? Is it specific enough? When will you practice your intention this week? Consider whether you can link the practice of your intention to an existing habit. For example, when I started a daily yoga practice I decided to roll out my mat after I finished in the bathroom and before I got dressed. When I decided to drink more water, I decided to drink a full mug of water before my first mug of coffee in the morning. Timing a new habit to coincide with an existing habit helps us to remember to do it. You could create a notification on your phone or post a reminder note where you will see it — like the bathroom mirror. Practice your intention for the week. Every time you take action, celebrate yourself. It could be a simple as saying “Nailed it!” With a little happy dance. Some things I want you to keep in mind this week — Transformational change is a journey filled with peaks, valleys, and detours. Perfection is an illusion. No one and no thing is perfect. Be kind to yourself. If you forget to practice, first - forgive yourself! Ask yourself what you can learn from the experience. If you have questions please leave me a comment or email me at IntendWell@gmail.com. For a limited time receive a free copy of my "Quick to Calm Guide" at IntendWell.US. Every Friday I will send you a link to my video of the week plus BONUS content available only to email subscribers. References Mental Imagery Skills in Competitive Young Athletes and Non-athletes Mental Rehearsal in Sport Does Mental Practice Enhance Performance Shaping Reality through Mental Rehearsal

This is the first in a series of videos about how to make transformational change in your life. In this video we will talk about how to clarify your desired outcome. Before we dive in, I want to tell you about a series of experiments conducted in 2007 and 2008. Researchers separated 160 barley seeds into 4 groups labeled A, B, C, and D. Each time the experiment was run, the seeds were in the lab at the University of Arizona. Volunteers in a remote location focused intention for growth on one of groups for 10 minutes. “My intention is for all the seeds in the target group to sprout at least 3 mm by the 4th day “ The location of the participants changed each time: audiences in Sydney, Australia (600 participants), Palm Springs, California (130), Rheinbeck, New York (100), Hilton Head, North Carolina (500) and Austin, Texas (120) plus people participating over the internet. The researchers in the lab did not know which group of seeds received intention. The seeds were harvested 5 days later and measured. Every time the group of seeds that were sent intention grew faster than the seeds in the other groups. So what do seeds have to do with your transformational journey? The first step is to set your intention, which requires being crystal clear in your mind about your desired outcome. What does success look like for you? Let’s revisit the wording of the intention used in the seed germination experiments. What do you notice about it? 1 - it’s very specifically focused on growth. There’s no mention of any other type of change. 2 - the intention states “what” not “how” 3 - the results are measurable — at least 3 mm 4 — the timeframe is limited to 4 days Think about whatever it is that you want to change. Usually, transformational change involves our health, finances, or relationships. Things like losing 20 pounds, buying a new car, or finding a romantic partner. These are all things that take time - they wont change overnight. But we can still set an intention for what we will do differently over the next week. What’s the first step for you? Write it down in the form of an intention. Here’s some examples to help you get started. Health I intend to walk for 20 minutes at least 3 days this week. I intend to eat at least 3 servings of fresh fruit or vegetables every day for the next 5 days. Finances I intend to deposit at least $20 in my savings account this week. I intend to upload my resume to at least 2 job search sites by Saturday. Relationships I intend to make new friends by participating in a meet-up event next weekend. I intend to list 10 things that I like about myself. Spend some time this week writing your first intention. If you need help, leave a comment below or email me at IntendWellLLC@gmail.com. See you next week when we will talk about how to know that you are ready for change. If you want to see the power of intention for yourself try the seed experiment at home. Visit IntendWell.US to receive a free copy of my Quick to Calm Guide filled with techniques to relieve stress and build resilience to anxiety. I promise not to flood your inbox and you may unsubscribe at any time. References Double-Blind Test of the Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation [Evidence about the power of intention] Harvard Business Review “The Power of Intent” Seed Germination Experiment

Contrast, in the realm of art, involves skillfully blending opposing values, textures, or colors. This could be achieved by juxtaposing light and dark, smooth and rough, or even vibrant orange and soothing blue. The purpose of contrast is to infuse depth and captivate the viewer's visual senses. Artists utilize contrast as a tool to guide the observer's gaze across the various elements within a composition. Beyond the realm of art, contrast emerges as an intrinsic facet of life. It encompasses a stark divergence from our desired state. Imagine a world where everything unfailingly aligns with our preferences; it would inevitably lead to a monotonous existence. In the movie L.A. Story, the weather is a glorious sunny and 72 degrees every day. It's so predictable that the weather forecast is filmed in advance. But there is nothing like a few days of rain to make us really appreciate a sunny day. Instead of yearning for contrast to swiftly dissipate, we have the remarkable opportunity to harness its potential for personal development. Not getting what we want is good because we appreciate what we have. In this way, contrast magnifies the pleasure we experience in our lives. It revitalizes our ability to truly savor and appreciate the aspects of life that may have become mundane or overlooked. By highlighting the disparities, contrast prompts us to cultivate gratitude for the aspects we may have taken for granted.

If you have seen my video on The Biology of Stress, you know that the stress response affects our vision. When we are in Parasympathetic (or Rest, Digest, and Heal) mode, our eyes are relaxed and scanning the environment. When we are triggered, our attention zeroes in on the perceived threat. We develop tunnel vision. We stop noticing other aspects of our environment. Long slow breathing is my number 1 go-to remedy for stress but sometimes our autonomic nervous system need a little more TLC. If your stress response has been triggered and you just can’t seem to stop thinking about what happened, try this technique to reset your autonomic nervous system.

Do you ever have trouble falling or staying asleep? Before you reach for the pill bottle, try this simple energy technique to calm a busy brain and get a great night's sleep. It's free. It's easy. There are no side effects. In less than 7 minutes, I teach you how to use the Infinity Technique (aka the figure 8 technique) to quiet a chattering mind, heal injuries, prepare the brain for learning, and strengthen your energetic boundaries. Because it integrates the energy between the hemispheres, the Infinity Technique also prepares the brain for learning (like the Energy Pretzel technique). If this all sounds too woo-woo for you...try it anyway! This technique is rooted in ancient practices of Tai Chi and Qigong. There must be a good reason people still use it today.