Author: Dr. Ben

Ever feel your day is a bit “bumpy”? What if you could “steer through life” with more and more ease and joy?

It takes deliberate practice – but it can be fun, especially when we do it together.

This week I was talking to my team about how sometimes our life is kind of like those little cars at Disneyland.

Remember those?

Growing up in Southern California, we had these little cars at Disneyland where there’s a rail underneath in the middle. You could kind of feel like you were driving, but if you steered too much one way or the other, you’d bump that little track and it would bump you back to center.

Now how about in our lives?

How many times do we get bumped?

We go off to the side by something we see or something we think. Often it’s judgment or comparison to someone else or judgment of ourselves.

Or it’s overwhelmment. We’re looking at too many things at once and we start to veer off and bump, and it can be a very bumpy ride through our day and through life!

But what if we intentionally recognize, “Oh, I’m just bumping the sides. Let me steer towards center…steer towards center…steer towards center…and the more I steer towards center to what I want and where I’m wanting to go, the smoother my day becomes.”

Next time you start to feel your day getting a little bumpy, remember the picture of these little cars at Disneyland and steer back towards your center — particularly how you want to feel and where you want to go.

Have fun steering through your day!

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Last night I read a powerful email by another Ben on this very question. And though many of us may jump right to a spiritual answer, how many of us still tie much of our day-to-day security – or lack thereof – to something external?

Our job, our bank account, our current business, our investments or assets?

Yet as the email went on to say – referring back to a newsletter written by Dan Kennedy over 20 years ago – recent history has shown us repeatedly that any of these can disappear virtually overnight.

So where do we put our security?

Here’s what Dan wrote over 20 years ago:

The only real security is your ability to produce.

This statement sparked thoughts I’ve been percolating on for weeks now – and a fun discussion with Rachelle this morning as we sat on the porch by the fire – that we carry our access to ideas, love, life, supply – to our very Source that loves us – and to our “ability to produce” within us!

Which means regardless of what happens externally, much of which we don’t have direct control of anyway (including other people!) we still carry access to what really matters within.

What if we cultivated this inner “access”, this inner resourcefulness, this inner “supply” that’s always available to us but we often live unaware of?

How might we approach our day and what it holds for us – and what new possibilities and empowering, even joyful discoveries might be in store for us?

Could we then open our hands and hearts and approach our day with vigor, anticipation, and without fear…

…and continue to cultivate our inner resourcefulness – our “ability to produce” – and our inner connection which we may at times ignore or forget, but which can actually never be taken away from us?

Here’s to your own inner connection, resourcefulness, and “ability to produce”!

Ben

P.S. Want more tips by email to maximize your health and create a life you love? Hop on over to: Journey with Dr. Ben

Over the weekend I came across a book called The Nature Fix by Florence Williams. Sometimes the title or cover of a book just catches my attention and I like to flip it open randomly and read a page or two.

This one immediately caught my attention as she wove stories of her father in the hospital with studies about improved healing and mood when patients had a view of nature through a window (rather than just a brick wall or no window)

I felt this myself on this rainy morning here in Louisville after enjoying time by the window with Rachelle, then stepping into another room with more walls than view – and immediately felt a shift in how I felt.

Hence I am back by the window as I type this. 😉

In this day of screens, indoor lighting, and “busyness”, let’s remember to enjoy a view out the window – or step outside – whenever we can.

Do you have a favorite spot to work or relax that gives you a view or some natural light?

Love to hear!

P.S. Want more tips by email to maximize your health and create a life you love? Hop on over to: Journey with Dr. Ben

This morning I awoke after vivid dreams and refreshing sleep, and for a moment, couldn’t remember what day it was.

Ever wake up that way?

And I felt hopeful and good – for no external reason!

Then as I began to reflect on how I’ve been waking up feeling this way more and more recently, I asked myself if there were a particular reason, and it made me think of the power of compounding.

Sometimes we do something that seems “small” in its immediate effect, but as we make it a regular practice, the power of its effect compounds – almost like the building of a wave that can then carry you further than you imagined.

Here are two things I now realize may contribute to how I’m feeling — and they might make a difference for you, too:

1) How I’m ending my day – I’ve been even more intentional about dimming lights, turning off screens, and having a “buffer” time of reading something I enjoy before bed. Plus I take specific note of highlights from my day – things I feel good about doing, or that warmed my heart and made me smile.

With our busy lives, it’s easy to forget these key moments and go to bed with a jumble of thoughts and feelings from the day that may leave us feeling off-kilter, stressed, or “not good enough” in some way.

So I’ve found this practice of “sorting” briefly through my day to remember highlights and things I’m thankful for before bed to be a powerful practice.

2) The second thing I realized is that for weeks now I’ve been much more consistent about taking a blend of lemon balm, L-theanine, and magnolia bark extract in the evening, and then sipping a second blend of saffron, magnesium, and a dash of melatonin before bed.

We so often just look at “immediate” effects of what we take or do, and though the immediate effects of both were noticeable for me, sometimes there’s still variability — and just like with any “practice”, you can question whether it’s worth doing today.

But if we stick with something beneficial regardless of day-to-day variability, then the power of compounding can kick in — something we never would have experienced if we hadn’t stayed consistent.

Now I’m wondering whether this consistent nightly practice – particularly with the mood lifting effects of lemon balm and saffron and the benefits of these blends on the quality (rather than just quantity) of sleep – are part of what’s compounding into this fresh enthusiasm for my day!

Almost like I’m getting a daily dose of sunshine – a dose of nature’s smile and uplifting vibration – every night before bed and it’s now having a compounding effect.

Do you have a daily practice that’s been helping you? I’d love to hear!

Oh, and if you’d like to know more about these blends I’ve been enjoying – and how I made sure I was getting good quality, just let me know.

Here’s to a great weekend and brighter, sunnier days ahead!

Ben

P.S. Want more tips by email to maximize your health and create a life you love? Hop on over to: Journey with Dr. Ben