We are Hardwired to Evolve
By: Ayla Khosroshahi, MA, ACC

Transformation is uncomfortable AF.

We are hardwired to evolve. Change is the only constant. When we don’t evolve we stagnate. Stagnation takes on many shapes: resentment, jealousy, anger, fear, anxiety, depression, confusion, lack of motivation, unfulfillment. Change doesn’t always feel great, but giving into it is the only way forward. When we learn to lean into our evolution the magic begins.

Identity evolves, circumstances are temporary, and change is beautiful. We must learn to stretch to make room for creativity, innovation, and better versions of ourselves. We must embrace stretch to make room for possibility.

We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.
 — Max de Pree

Your ideals of yesterday shouldn’t weigh down your tomorrow. Who you wanted to be isn’t as important as who you are, and who you decide to show up as today. If the dreams of yesterday no longer serve you, then give yourself the permission to let them go. It’s not failure; it’s evolution. Being honest and present with yourself is more important than holding on to an ideal that no longer holds value.

This work takes superpowers that we all have. It takes self-awareness that we can all possess. It takes openness that we can all access — openness to be wrong; openness to be right; and openness to see what evolves.

The cost of your new life will be your old one.
 — Unknown

I recently became a mother. If this isn’t evolution I don’t know what is. I soon realised that balance was elusive and my whole self needed to be redefined. I realised that I was going to have to let go of parts of myself to make room for a new version of me. I realised I had to re-conceptualise my understanding of ‘self’ in general. This made me claustrophobic and frustrated. I had worked so hard to get here and now I had to start from scratch? This is when I realised that the work never ends and, once you learn that, you can’t unlearn it. You realize, whether you want to or not, that you must always evolve. So I accessed my MINDSHIFT tools and did the work. While I’m still transitioning, these are the three pillars that are helping me evolve, and are supporting me through the many changes: gratitude, grit + grace.

Gratitude

Gratitude means paying attention to your life in a specific way. Gratitude is about making a daily choice. The practice of gratitude is as simple and profound as choosing the lens in which you see yourself, and the world around you. In times of transition, gratitude is exceptionally powerful because it grounds you, builds a foundation and focuses on the things that matter most. Gratitude is an instrumental MINDSHIFT tool as it provides a cognitive reframe for your brain to look for the things going well, to acknowledge the people in your life who are supporting you, and to take inventory of your growth.

How can you incorporate gratitude into your daily life?

Grit

This is the time to show up. This is the time to push yourself to your new growth. Sometimes you have to claw your way out. Sometimes it’s a baby step in the right direction. Either way, you have to show up. Show up as Your Best Self, inspire yourself, impress yourself, and prove yourself right. Grit is about perseverance, it is the steadfast pursuit of your journey in spite of challenges in your way. The best way to cultivate and access grit is for you to connect to why your path matters in the first place, to understand your purpose of the pursuit, and how growing through this transition will increase your personal fulfillment. The hard fact is that someone else can’t answer these questions for you; you have to find your own personal why.

How can Your Best Self empower your grit?

Grace

Grace makes space for love. Grace sees this transition as an invitation. Grace is about self-compassion. Grace makes room for forgiveness and gives us the permission to not know, to be lost, to need space, and to ask for help. Grace is about empathy, self care, and embracing the unknown with the trust that you will find your way. Grace empowers intuition and invites a deeper wisdom to arise. Sometimes accessing this space is as simple as a breath, other times it needs deeper conversations and safer spaces for support. Ultimately transformation is hard, and as you work all your mental and emotional muscles to rebirth a better version of yourself, you need to feed your soul with love.

How can you embrace grace to help you through times of change?

You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need.
 — Rolling stones

Want more tools to empower your transformation? Here are four MINDSHIFT principles to support your brain through your evolution:

Stillness

Transformation, of any kind, needs a safe space to be quiet. Be still. It is in this silence we learn most. In times of change we have to learn to be still with pain, frustration, overwhelm, confusion, be still even with joy. Instead of filling our head with noise, advice, and information — even if it is positive, we must use this time to differentiate between the noise and the light. It’s in this quiet, in this stillness, where our answers lie. You need the time and space to process all the information that you receive. Less thinking, more thought. You need to give yourself the opportunity to figure it out. Maybe not perfectly at first but just enough to get the muscles moving, to deepen your reflection abilities and to generate insight. This space will allow you to transform your knowledge into wisdom. Suddenly when we connect to that space, the brain simmers down, and it can differentiate the fear voice and our real voice.

How can you make room for nothingness?

Destination

Successful transition needs a destination. Even if you are not sure where you are going, try and understand why you are on this journey in the first place. Try and connect to a feeling, how do I want to feel on this journey, how do I want to feel a year from now? Find the excitement, joy and purpose in the change. Use a storyboard, vision board, or journal, to connect to an ideal state and space you want to reach. Find ways to connect with the journey by understanding your destination. Why you are going through this change? What do you hope to find at the other end? How will it connect you with your purpose, and increase your fulfillment and impact?

How can connecting to your destination empower your transformation?

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present.
 — Anais Nin

Safety

Transformation is not an all or nothing game. You can hold on to parts of the past and parts of yourself that still serve you, and that still add value. As you are evolving, and maybe having some oh so natural growing pains, it’s okay to take a ‘safety blanket’ along. Take something, someone, a part of you, that gives you comfort, support, and makes you feel safe. Need some examples of ‘safety blankets’? Here are two:

E.g. Imagine you are renovating your home and it’s taking way to long, and you are feeling overwhelmed and dislocated. Ask yourself: what is one thing that made me feel at home? Let’s say it was Saturday morning pancakes. Take that and incorporate it, so every Saturday you and your family go to a diner for pancakes to keep up the tradition while your home is in chaos to reimage a sense of tradition.

E.g. Imagine your just moved in with someone, or you just got married or have a child. You are feeling your sense of independence invaded, That you are living a life for others and losing parts of yourself. Ask yourself: what are three things from my ‘single’ life that I truly miss? Start by picking one of them, like going to see bands, and reintegrate it into your life.

What are parts of you make you that you are proud of? What are the parts of you that make you feel grounded and safe? How can these parts help support and ease your transformation?

Inventory

You can do hard things, and you have done hard things before. Maybe not exactly like this, but other things, so take inventory. Rootless affirmations won’t get you anywhere. The brain is an amazing BS detector. However, if you remind it that you have done hard things, that you have evolved, changed, and transitioned before, this gives your brain and the affirmation a foundation to stand on and makes real change possible.

What’s an example(s) in your life that demonstrates your ability to show up to a challenge and thrive? What did you do? How did you make yourself proud?

When you start to crack open, don’t waste a moment gathering your old self up into something like you knew before. Let your new self splash like sunlight into every dark place and laugh and cry and make sounds you never made and thank all that is holy for the gift, because now you have no choice but to let all your love spill out into the world.
 — Brian Andreas

Happy growing! May your evolution surprise you, excite you and take you on wonderful adventures.

Let’s MINDSHIFT!

Transitioning? Need support? We are here to spot you, contact us!

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on November 5, 2018.

Conflict as Opportunity for Transformation
By: Dr. Yashar Khosroshahi, ND, ACC

Inherent within each conflict rests an opportunity for betterment, for evolution. The greater the conflict, the greater the invitation for a deeply personal and interpersonal transformation. The more sincerely we consider conflict as a powerful opening toward transformation, the more likely we are to support a new, deeper, and more nuanced understanding of each person involved, their individual impact, and the actualization of the power that resides within the relationship. This is what a MINDSHIFT Leader aims for!

Here are 4 MINDSHIFT tools to help you resolve conflict by doing better, by thinking better.

Set the example, not the instruction

Lead yourself, influence others.

As the leader, it always starts with you! The strongest leaders understand that their greatest impact on their team stems from their ability to progressively and incrementally lead themselves. A MINDSHIFT Leader must establish an example to earn their team’s trust, in who they are, what they stand for, and how they consistently behave in accordance to their value structure.

Being the change you wish to see in others requires that your actions to speak for you. The leader that understands this is the type who can truly create transformation and close the gap between conflicting parties in the most effective and sustainable manner.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to consistently practicing this first MINDSHIFT tool is that you are more likely to prevent a build-up of tension within your team, which will decrease the likelihood of unnecessary conflict.

Ask yourself: What are three characteristics I would like my team to embody? What are three ways I can model this behaviour, myself, this week?

Connection before Correction

Simply put, you cannot lead anyone that does not want to be led by you.

This is especially true when facing conflict. The degree to which your leadership will help shape your team’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours is directly influenced by the degree to which they believe you are able to genuinely acknowledge their values and unmet needs. This is how a leader can connect meaningfully, and manage the stress created by the conflict well.

A major step toward making sure you are able to deeply connect to their value structure and needs is to consistently incorporate questions throughout your conversation. The more you can clarify their viewpoint the stronger the probability of building a bridge towards common ground.

The use of social connection is undoubtedly a leadership superpower which only increases in power the more challenging the conflict becomes.

Ask yourself: Identify a current challenge within your team. What are three ways you can create more connection with these team members to foster more understanding?

Micro-moments lead to Macro-changes

This MINDSHIFT tool is perhaps the most time- and cost-effective of them all.

Creating many small moments of connection and engagement throughout the work week can drastically improve work culture, happiness, sense of belonging and resolve conflict more quickly.

Each interaction literally takes seconds (ex. opening the door for a colleague, stopping the elevator door from closing, engaging in a handshake, or high-five as you walk by, etc), but have the potential of saving many hours of lost work and derailed relationships. An added benefit to placing a consistent emphasis on micro-moments is that when challenges do arise your colleagues will be more likely to trust you and your relationship.

Too often, focus is placed on big team events or end of year parties to foster relationships and a sense of comradery. These events can be a lot of fun, but don’t necessarily have a direct carry over to day-to-day morale, productivity, and profitability. Perhaps, the main reason for this is because there aren’t enough of these parties to continually expose the brain to the winning formula: many small moments of attachment and intimacy.

Ask yourself: What are three micro-moments you can cultivate daily?

Recover, don’t perfect

Leadership is often about pushing one’s own boundaries of comfort, and doing the same for others.

Since there is no such thing as a perfect person, or relationship, conflict will always be a part of the workplace. The key, therefore, is to learn how to recover and regain your center faster so you can spend more time in a solution-focused state of mind and resolve the conflict more effectively.

The more the leader places value in dealing with challenging situations, and not avoiding them, the more likely the relationships at work will remain cohesive and stable. There is a real freedom that comes with the security of being a part of a team that is able to speak about, work through, and resolve conflict in an open and respectful manner.

In fact, neglecting the power of recovery and placing more attention on trying to preserve “perfect” relationships only leads to suppressing emotions. This has dire consequences for everyone involved, including a decrease in memory, and an increase in everyone’s heart rate and blood pressure in the room.

Ask yourself: What are three ways you can create safer spaces for conflict within your team?

Next time you find yourself involved in conflict, remember that inherent within the challenge sits an invitation towards immense personal and interpersonal transformation. As a MINDSHIFT Leader it is your calling to resolve conflict in the most respectful and effective manner. Learning to incorporate the above 4 MINDSHIFT tools can help you accomplish this by doing better, by thinking better.

Let’s MINDSHIFT !

Extra help! One of my favorite, and easier, behaviour modification exercises to create more effective micro-moments is called the “10/5 Way” coined by the brilliant, and funny, Positive Psychologist Shawn Achor. The idea is simple! When you are within 10 feet of a colleague make eye contact and smile. When you are within 5 feet of a colleague say “hello”.

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on October 9, 2018.

How to Stress WellA 4-Step Process
By: Dr. Yashar Khosroshahi, ND, ACC

What is stress?
Stress is both universal and personal. The universal experience is defined by the physiological cascade of hormonal, neurochemical and physical responses that we experience when we perceive a threat. The more individualized experience of stress and, according to this study the most powerful component, is our appraisal of the event or thought.

What’s the problem with stress?
The fields of neuroscience, psychology and genomics have proven that stress can have grave effects on our mental and physical health, our social connections, and our productivity. In addition, studies have shown that 75- 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. The struggle with stress is real, but the solution is not eliminating stress from our lives, which is impossible, but rather in managing it better. The initiation of the stress response is incredibly beneficial because it helps initiate motivation, learning, attention and movement. The challenge is how we narrate what stresses us, and our inability to manage our response — i.e. what we tell ourselves about the thing that is stressing us out.

What do we do to stress better?
The goal is to learn how to train one’s perception of stress. Stressing well is about building self-awareness about your relationship with stress. It is about being accountable to the way you talk to yourself about stress, and finding support to help yourself through stressful situation. Here are 4 steps to stress well so you can do better, by thinking better.

1. Use Your Mind

The mind’s ability to question, rearrange, and generate a more healthy responses is remarkable. This power, however, can only be fully realized with training. As I often say, the brain is a muscle, and so we must train it daily. The more we train the mind this way, the better it becomes at producing useful narratives steeped in valuable, meaningful, and motivating thoughts. You have the ability to talk to your stress, understand it, and decide how to work through it.

Ask yourself:

• What value do my current thoughts add?
• What is my ideal outcome?
• A year from now, how would I have wanted to act?
• What would change if I believed this situation is my greatest teacher?
• Who do I admire? How do they inspire me to act?

2. Use Your Body

The body governs the mind as much as the mind governs the body. They work together to optimize each other’s performance. Our body can help us during stressful situations. When we learn to pick up on the subtle changes in breath, muscle tension, fluttering sensations in the stomach or increase in heart rate, we can start making corrective measures to empower our stress response.

Try these:

• Breath work: Learning to breathe right is perhaps the most effective and free tool there is! When you learn how to manage your breath your nervous system very quickly sends calming messages to your brain helping you to think more clearly, maintain focus, and come up with better answers to the challenge at hand. Try taking 5–10 comfortable, but slow breaths before asking yourself the questions above.
• Walk around: When you notice stress is creeping up, it’s time to get up and take a hike! Even a 5–10 minute walk around the office can have profound effects on your ability to combat stress and improve creativity. If you have the time to step outside, even better! The emotional and cognitive benefits of being in nature are outstanding!
• Stretch: Again, you don’t have to spend very long doing this. Just get up, take a moment, and do 3–5 stretches, holds, and breathe through them. Here’s a study on the effects of yoga on your brain if you need proof!

3. Use Your Space

Your space is sending you messages whether you ‘see’ it or not. The piles of papers on your desk, sink full of dirty dishes, loads of laundry are not helping you manage your stress. Understanding how your space influences your thoughts is an important step in working through stress. Clutter can trigger the stress hormone cortisol. This increases tension and anxiety. Studies show that those who describe their home as “cluttered,” or full of “unfinished projects,” have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and a lower capacity to think clearly, make decisions, and stay focused. Use your space to empower your thinking and promote your productivity.

Try these:

• Declutter: Take the time to make your space work for you! By physically cleaning, moving, letting go, and organizing you are teaching your brain how to move through stress and create new outcomes.
• Set up your space for productivity: Don’t make your brain work harder than it needs to. Use take steps to optimize your surroundings for calm, productivity + creativity!

4. Use Your Support Network

There is no underestimating the power of social connection. When we have a trusted source to confide in, we do better mentally and physically. The power of these relationships comes in the the form of quality, and not quantity. It is more important that you cultivate meaningful relationships and that you are able to share your vulnerabilities with someone, than the amount of ‘followers’ you have. Use your real connections to support you through stress. Ask for help, we are not meant to do this alone!

Ask yourself

• Is there someone I can call in the middle of the night if I am in trouble?
• Is there someone I can talk to to help me work through my challenges?
• Do the people around me help me be the best version of me?
• Would I benefit from seeking professional support to help me master my mindset and increase my fulfillment?

The goal isn’t to avoid stress or to never experience being stressed, which isn’t possible or beneficial. The goal is to improve at identifying when you are moving towards stress, to better managing your response, and to optimize your resources to maximize your ability to overcome your challenges. Train your muscles to process stress better, use the opportunity to learn and grow so you can do better, by thinking better.

Further Exploration:

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on June 26, 2018.

Simple Questions for Big Results
How to MINDSHIFT
By: Ayla Khosroshahi, MA, ACC

To MINDSHIFT is to trigger a cognitive reframe so that you can see a situation in a new light, gain new perspective and make better choices. A MINDSHIFT is an essential component to performing at your best. As brain-based executive coaches we spend a lot of time asking MINDSHIFT questions. Whether we are coaching one-on-one, training teams, or running workshops, the essential ingredient is to ask our clients thought-provoking questions. Our goal is to help them spark insight from their own wealth of knowledge, make empowered decisions, and evoke their best selves.

When we are at a road block, in a conflict situation, or deeply confused as to what to do, it is rare that we actually don’t have the answer. It’s more likely that there is a lot of mental fog decreasing the signal to noise ratio. Our old thoughts and narratives have a gravitational pull that fills the brain with perspectives that don’t have the ability to solve the current challenge. Our job is to clear the noise. As Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

Next time you have a question, big or small. Try this.

First. Take three deep breaths. This allows you to reset.

Then, ask yourself these three questions.

• What is your end goal?
  Regardless of who is right or wrong, all the fine details, what do you actually want at the end. What is your ideal end result? What is your goal? Why?
• A year from now how would you have wanted to act?
  When you look back on this situation, what would you have wished you had done? How would have wished you had acted? Why?
• What would Your Best Self do?
  Who is the best version of you, and how would that person act? Why?

It’s natural to feel lost, frustrated, or confused. But we are also wise, generous, and strong. We can decide how we show up and act. How we respond to the challenge ahead. Ultimately the answers are inside us. Deep down we know what best represents our truest wishes, our truest selves. Sometimes we just need some help to unveil that truth that best serves our impact. Next time you are stuck, try these three MINDSHIFT questions above to help you do better by thinking better.

Contact us today to empower your decision making!

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on January 4, 2018.

Your Best Self, who is that?
By: Ayla Khosroshahi, MA, ACC

Who is Your Best Self (YBS)? Why is YBS an important person to get to know? How do you get to know this version of you?

We spend a lot of time getting to know YBS with our coaching clients, in our training programs and in our workshops. Why? Because it’s where the magic starts. YBS is the foundation; it has the power to guide, shape, and create the person you are becoming. This is the version of you that lays the foundation of the house you want to build. Your ultimate house. The one that houses your dreams, goals, hopes, joy, and strength. For us to build this house we need to get to know who this house is being built for. Who is Your Best Self?

Neuroscience tells us successful goals require a will and a way. A why before our how. Why holds all of our secrets. When we spend the time to get to know ourselves on this deeper level — get to know what makes us tick and why — we have a better chance of creating the impact we want to.

When you get to know Your Best Self you can use it as an anchor to weather the storm. A guide to remind you where you want to go. This is our greatest MINDSHIFT tool when we need to reframe our mindset and perform at our best.

Try it at home. Get to know Your Best Self. And use it to build the foundation to your house.

What you need:

• At least 30mins of uninterrupted time (that means no phone, internet, TV, etc.)
• Something to write on and something to write with
• Somewhere comfortable to sit (or lay)
• An open mind

How to get started:

• Take three deep breaths
• Ask yourself the questions below, allow yourself to think about them, and rethink.
• As images, responses, reflections come, write them out, freely.

Questions to ponder:

• Who is your best self?
• Who is the person you aspire to be?
• Who is the person that embodies all the qualities you value most?
• What does it feel to be this person?
• How does it feel to smile as this person?
• What brings your best self joy?
• When is your best self the most caring?
• How does that make you feel?
• When does your best self feel the most confident?
• What traits of your best self are you applying in that moment?
• When do you feel most proud of yourself?
• How are you presenting yourself in that moment?
• What feels the most authentic to your best self?
• Who is Your Best Self?
• How does it feel to be this version of you?
• What are you doing?
• How are you dressing?
• What do you smell like?
• How are you speaking?
• How would you describe Your Best Self.
• Why? What is it about those qualities/ characteristics that you relate to the most?
• How does this person impact those around them?
• Why? What are you doing to create this impact?
• How does this person act in challenging/conflict situations?
• Why? What are you doing in those situations?

Take a moment at review your notes.

• How would you describe your Your Best Self in three words.
• What do these words mean to you? Define them for yourself.
• How can you hold yourself accountable to these qualities?

Your Best Self makes you accountable to who you are bringing to the table, who you present as every day, and who everyone is interacting with/ reacting to. Your actions should be dictated by YBS. Behaviour is defined as what can be seen and heard. Ask yourself: How do I define myself through my behaviour?

It is your job to connect to these ideal qualities and characteristics, when you make decisions and face challenges — the more you embody them — the more likely your creations come to life — the more impact you make. It’s your business to create and live as Your Best Self — you decide the story you want to write. You decide the house you are going to build.

Contact us today to start building your house!

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on December 7, 2017.

“If you can learn how to use your mind, anything is possible.” ― Wim Hof

If you are at all interested in mind-body techniques then the Wim Hof Method (WHM) should definitely be on your radar.

I have had the great pleasure of researching, experiencing and helping others with multiple mind-body training techniques, both with and without the use of technology. In my experience the Wim Hof Method has provided me (and others) with great benefits — psychologically, physically and spiritually — in just a short amount of time. It has helped me feel more confident and connected to myself and those around me. It has helped me be a better leader, because it has helped me do better, by thinking better.

(photo credit)

The WHM has three pillars:

1. Breathwork
2. Cold Exposure
3. Commitment/Mindset Training

Each pillar is more powerful because of the other. Each pillar drives the experience of the individual further into the realm of psychological, physical and spiritual possibilities.

For many, when first exposed to the WHM method they are captured (or repulsed) by the cold exposure aspect of the training. I guess this is for good reason as Wim Hof, a.k.a. The Iceman, has set over 20 Guinness World Records using his own method, including sitting in ice for nearly 2 hours. However, prolonged cold exposure is only one pillar, and none of his records could have been achieved by bravado alone. Something much more sustainable and powerful is at work within the mind and body when all 3 pillars of the training are honoured, and that is what captivated my interest in learning the WHM.

This mind-body relationship, this power, is fundamentally what makes a leader great — understanding the necessity to first commit to leading themselves before they attempt to influence others. A great leader chooses to consciously step out of their comfort zone, become curious about their perceived limits, and see challenges as opportunities for growth. This is the type of invitation great leaders are willing to accept. This is who a MINDSHIFT NINJA is, and this is why I continue to practice the WHM.

Below are photos of me at a WHM workshop in Toronto recently. This was my first experience sitting in an ice bath. After months of practicing the WHM, including implementing cold showers, I was interested in learning how my mind and body would react to sitting in an ice bath for 1 minute. Needless to say, it was a challenge and it pushed my comfort zone, but it was manageable. In fact, about 15 minutes after my first round I got into the ice bath for another 1 minute round. Why? Simply because I wanted to practice mental and physical control, one more time! Like any other skill, mental (and physical) toughness or resiliency is not something we are born with, it is something we consciously decide to cultivate.

Here are my 3 major MINDSHIFTs since practicing the WHM:

1/ Even though I would consider myself someone that likes to push myself and understand my limitations, I have found since regularly incorporating the WHM I have a much clearer grasp of what my perceived mental and physical limitations are. I have become more enlightened to the more subtle, less consciously apparent, limitations. I have learned better ways to make peace with my monkey mind and to move beyond its insatiable broadcasting of ideas and thoughts.

2/ I have connected with a state of gratitude for myself, and for others, more deeply. Again, I was very familiar with the practice of gratitude before embarking on the WHM. However, since the WHM, I have found that my practice and feelings of gratitude have intensified. This has allowed me to stay more grounded in situations of conflict or challenge, and also more present experiencing the joys of family, friends and work.

3/ After months of practicing the WHM I have begun to really noticed how much untapped potential was sitting within me. As I continue to explore this reservoir of mental and physical strength, I also find myself keenly aware and in tune with the reservoir of untapped potential that lives within all of us. I have a renewed vigor for the importance of facilitating mental and physical strength development in others, as opposed to simply informing my patients and clients of their untapped potential.

With the help of these 3 MINDSHIFTs, I believe I have become a stronger leader of myself and my internal experience. This has, therefore, allowed me to be a stronger father, husband, son, brother, friend, teacher, coach, doctor, and business owner.

I invite you to give the WHM a try. Start slowly, and respect the edge of your comfort zone as you take steps towards moving past them. The WHM is not about ego, it’s about something much more powerful and sustainable. This is why it has the power to help you do better, by thinking better.

Learn more about the Wim Hof Method:

• VICE Documentary: Inside the Superhuman World of the Iceman
• The Science Behind The Wim Hof Method

A Dual Mindset
The secret to success
By: Dr. Yashar Khosroshahi, ND, ACC

As a doctor and brain-based executive coach, I’m always asked the same question: “How can I be better?” There are many ways of asking that question,, and the details surrounding it are infinite. But the question ultimately remains the same. No one ever asks to meet with me because they feel they are exactly where they want to be. This is true for even some of the healthiest or most successful individuals — they too want to keep improving.

So why is it that this question is so challenging to answer? In my experience, it is because we struggle to hold onto a dual mindset: the ability to hold two or more beliefs that seem contradictory. There is an inherent tension that builds up within the brain, and the body, when we feel we are holding opposing views. It can feel somewhat destabilizing to think this way.

As a client once said to me while working on improving her relationships with her colleagues, “Do I stand my ground or just give in? Do I just tell them how it has to be around here, or let them have their way? I am trying to do both, but it feels like I’m developing multiple personalities!” The truth is she doesn’t have multiple personalities. She was going through the inherent struggle that we all go through when we are learning how to identify and honour the overlap between two seemingly disparate concepts. She ultimately had to understand the balance between those two choices. Essentially it comes down to knowing your core principles, or your non-negotiables, and then letting the rest take shape with the input of others and the environment. Holding a dual mindset is about preparation and careful deliberation as much as it’s about surrender and having appreciation for what is present, now!

This concept is captured beautifully by progressive thinker Jason Silva in his video “The Age Of Wellness and the Art of Planned Surrender”.

Silva outlines a dual mindset as, “it’s not one without the other… Surrender without planning is just as oppressive and ultimately damaging as spending all your time deliberating, all your time planning, all your time thinking, and very little doing.” He goes on to outline the promise of a dual mindset as, “Perfection is about control and it’s about letting go. It’s about tension and it’s about release.”

The secret to success is, in my experience, mastering a dual mindset. It is a powerful and effective way to manage challenges, relationships, and yourself.

Next time you are faced with a challenge and you feel like you are being “split in two”, ask yourself:

• What are my non-negotiables, and what can I let go of?
• Can I name 3 (or more) similarities between myself and my object of challenge?
• How can I, or this project, grow if I’ve prepared as best as I can, and then let things go?

Let a dual mindset help you do better, by thinking better.

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on October 4, 2017.

How Productive is Your Desk Space?
Zen and the art of setting up a productive workstation.
By: Ayla Khosroshahi, MA, ACC

How aware are you of your space in relation to your productivity? The energy we receive, and which is taken, by our physical spaces is remarkable. Our “stuff” can create barriers for our thinking and our growth. Your primary space of work has a direct effect on your output. The poor lighting, uncomfortable chair, piles of papers and unnecessary distractions are hindering your ability to perform at your best. Implement these 5 tools to optimize your productivity by setting up your desk for success.

1. Less is more
   The brain has a limited capacity to process information. Looking at too many things at once overloads the visual cortex. This reduces the brain’s ability to process information, focus, and make decisions. The visual intake of multiple stimuli makes us feel overwhelmed. Studies have shown that the brain is able to absorb only 1% of the visual information presented. This suggests that information overload is real. For the brain, less is actually more. Identify what the essentials are that need to be on your desk. All non-essentials should be stored in an organised manner in drawers or compartments under or beside your desk — not in your visual frame. Declutter your desk to only have what you actually use everyday. That means keeping even decorative elements to a minimum (we suggest 1–3). You decide where your creative energy goes. The more there is around you, the more energy the stuff is taking from you, and from all the things you could be creating.
2. Start Fresh
   One of the best ways to have a productive workday is to start fresh. Imagine coming to a clutter-free and clean desk first thing in the morning. The best way to ensure this happens is to create a ritual of cleaning up before the end of your day. When you first arrive in the morning your energy should not be zapped by yesterday’s to-dos. This is your most productive time so you want to optimize it for success. Allocate 10–15mins at the end of your day to put things away, cleaning things up, and getting things ready for the next day. Give yourself the daily gift of starting fresh, and who knows what you can create!
3. Have a toy
   Have something close by or on your desk that you can play with when you are stuck for ideas. Instead of switching your attention to your phone or computer, try playing with Baoding balls, stress balls, fidget spinners, Buddha boards, or just a scratch pad to doodle. Something that inspires play, joy, freedom and does not use the internet or a digital screen. This will allow your brain to wander without sucking your creative energy and zapping your day away. Staying in the zone means you have to actively decide what you allow to distract you and how you decide to create healthy barriers. We all need to daydream here and there. Use this time to promote creativity and mindfulness and see how it affects your creativity.
4. Healthy Setup
   Sitting is not an ideal position for the body to be productive for long periods of time. The setup of your chair, the lighting, air, keyboard and screen all play a role in your performance. The sounds, position, tilt, and height all affect your output. Ensure you desk is as ergonomic as possible. Do an all-senses scan. What do you smell, see, hear, feel, etc. Ensure you are getting enough light, the air quality is good. Add a potted plant to the environment. Be cognisant of the colours at play and the noises around you. Spend some time setting up your desk to promote the health of your body so your mind can perform at its best.
5. Move
   No matter how perfect your desk space is, if you are just sitting there all day, it’s going to cause a decrease in your productivity. The brain needs blood flow to stay creative. Increase your productivity by ensuring you are getting up, stretching, and moving at least once every hour. Get outside. Stimulate your body and brain with air and light. The brain needs novelty to inspire new perspectives. Take some time each day, or a couple times a week, to switch up where you work. Change rooms, positions, locations and see what insights are evoked.

How can you set up your desk space for success? What changes will you make?

Optimize your workspace with these 5 tools will help you do better by thinking better. Need help? Connect with us and we will show you how!

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on September 14, 2017.

Doing “Nothing” So You Can Do “Everything”:
3 Brain-Friendly Tools To Help You Recharge
By: Dr. Yashar Khosroshahi, ND, ACC

I’m too busy to play!

I can’t take a break, I have things to do!

I’ll sleep when I’m dead!

How often do you think or say these statements as you try to keep up with your life and work? This type of behaving and thinking is generally accepted in our culture. They might even seem benign to you. However, evidence suggests otherwise. In fact, studies are constantly showing us that we are making ourselves ill with the way we structure our lives. Incorporating breaks, sleep, and time in your day where you are doing “nothing”, may in fact give you the ability to get “everything” done with more accuracy, engagement and fulfillment.

You may be thinking all of this sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s not. I am constantly reminding my clients the importance of 3 simple, yet very effective, brain-friendly tools to help them do better, by thinking better — play, mindful breaths, and sleep.

Just Play

When was the last time you monkeyed around? If you are like most adults, your brain could use some unstructured freedom. Learning to incorporate playtime in your schedule is perhaps one of the most overlooked performance hacks. When we allow the brain to be freed from a template of behaviour we introduce spontaneity, novelty and unpredictability, and perhaps most importantly, an altered state of being. These states have been shown to increase imagination, creativity, engagement and fulfillment, and has a carry-over effect from playtime to work time. Playtime is not a child-only activity. Regardless of your professional role, I challenge you to incorporate play, frequently. Go ahead Ninja, play like nobody’s watching!

Ask yourself: What are three activities that you can incorporate into your schedule that inspire play? Need examples? How about trampolining, dancing with the lights turned off, playing with modeling clay blindfolded… let your imagination run wild.

Give Your Brain a Break

Do you feel your brain is overworked? How does you body signal to you that you are over extended — headache, neck stiffness, back pain, stomach pain? Typically, my clients try to push past these feeling and “just get a little more work done.” But these feelings are warning you. The last thing your brain and your body need at that moment is to keep working. A more productive use of your time would be to take a break. Stop. Take a breath. Allow yourself to mindfully reset. Start regulating your mind and body through mindfulness meditation. Often you will only need 5–10 minutes to start feeling rejuvenated. If you want to make your recovery session more impactful try any of these 3 tools: Headspace, HeartMath or Calm. Studies have shown that incorporating a daily practice of meditation can help your brain become less reactive and more resilient to stress. So next time you feel like your brain is on fire, put out the flames with a couple minutes of mindfulness.

Try it now: Practice your breathing. When can you incorporate these practices into your day?

Sleep Your Way to the Top

Are you getting 7–8 hours of consistent sleep every night? If not, you are not alone, as a new study says Canadians are the third most sleep-deprived people. Unfortunately, many of us wear this as some sort of badge of accomplishment. However, there are serious long term consequences to sleep deprivation. It is estimated that after 1 week of sleeping only 4–5 hours per night cognitive performance decreases are equivalent to having a blood alcohol level of 0.05–0.1% (Ontario legal blood alcohol level for driving is < 0.08%). Sleep deprivation can be more harmful for cognitive performance than being drunk! Furthermore, even if you are getting 7–8 hours of sleep, the quality of sleep you are getting may not be optimal for recovery. I like using the Sleep Cycle App to monitor my sleep quality. Also, I like using bluelight blocking glasses a couple hours before bed. Numerous studies have shown the light emitted from electronics (known as bluelight) can disrupt melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep cycle. You might want to try blackout curtains, an eye mask, limiting screen time before bed or aromatherapy to help improve your sleep quality. Create a sleep/ wind-down routine to help optimize your rest. So get to bed, everything you do depends on it.

Ask yourself: What are three things I can do to improve my sleep?

Go on! I encourage you, Ninja, learn to do “nothing” well, so you can do better by thinking better.

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on August 24, 2017.

To Speak or Not to Speak: The Art of Communicating
By: Ayla Khosroshahi, MA, ACC

Are we too quick? In this age of text, email, messengers, and various social media tools, are we swiping, liking, and responding too fast? We all tend to expect immediate responses and do not always take the time to process the information at hand. Our communication methods might need to integrate some moments of mindfulness to ensure we are not only processing the information but responding effectively. Faster is not always better.

Quick may mean that you are missing vital information in your response. It may mean that you are writing overly emotionally charged emails that are not appropriate for productive communication. Your emails may get excessively lengthy, and ramble on, because you haven’t taken the time to clearly identify what you actually want to say.

Because we ‘responded quickly,’ does that mean we don’t have to be mindful of what we are saying? How do we ensure we are accountable, effective and efficient? Is there a better way to communicate? Can we say it better? Can we hear it better? For the sake of speed, are our messages getting ‘lost in translation?’ How can we communicate in more professional, relevant, and timely ways? What tools can help our communication be more mindful, purposeful, and productive?

We are all busy, we are all communicating with a lot of people, and we are all trying to move our projects along as efficiently as possible — so instead of excusing bad behaviour, be a leader and optimize your communication style.

Try these three approaches:

1. Stop and read. Sounds simple. But just like listening, we tend to forget to really do it. Don’t assume. Read word for word what the person has actually said. If you are unsure, don’t let your imagination run wild, ask for clarification. The key to effectively communicating starts with actually understanding what the person is saying. Ensure you are on the same page before you respond.
2. Take a moment. Take a moment before you respond. For complicated or sensitive matters, set an amount of time that makes sense and step away. Draft a response and come back to it. If the matter is very emotionally charged for you, have someone you trust draft the response instead. This approach may give you a new perspective. If that is not possible have someone else at least review your drafted response. Space evokes clarity. Space makes room for new insights. Take a moment to think and rethink to ensure how you are responding is the best response.
3. Review before send. Spell check. Ensure names (people + company) are spelled properly. Proofread. Ensure you are using proper grammar and spelling. Check your tone. Ensure you are polite and professional. These may seem like obvious things to do, but we have all sent or received emails where one or all of these points have not been respected. Remember that how you do anything is how you do everything. Take the time to empower your message as your best self.

Try asking yourself these three questions:

1. What do I want to say in one sentence? Try to articulate what you are trying to say in one sentence. This exercise will help you focus on the most essential and relevant information to reduce excessive information and ramble. Don’t over communicate by email, we all know long emails don’t get read. Keep messages clear and concise. This also goes for making good use of subject lines. What is the purpose of my message? What do I need the recipient to do?
2. Am I addressing all the relevant information? I don’t know how many emails we receive that don’t address the main concerns of the email. You know that email. Where you ask 5 direct questions and the response you get is just “yes”!? Go over the email and ensure you are answering all the questions. Numbers and bullet points help keep it clear and focused.
3. How does my response add value? Ensure you are assisting the process and that what you are communicating is allowing everyone to move forward productively. Ask yourself these questions to ensure you are being accountable to your words and aware of your choices. How does my message aid the situation? Is my approach solution-focused? How I am I helping move us along?

Slowing down will save you more time in the long run. Slowing down ensures that you are responding in a professional, relevant and efficient way. Slowing down makes you more aware and accountable to how and what you are communicating. These tools are meant to make you more mindful, purposeful and productive with your communication style.

What is your art of communication? What are some ways you can do better by thinking better when it comes to your communication style? How can you be more professional, relevant and efficient in how you communicate? What helps you be more mindful, purposeful and productive in what you respond?

Try these tools and tell us how they work for you. What are your favourites tools? Let us know so we can all learn new ways to do better by thinking better!

Originally published at mindshift.ninja on August 2, 2017.