Month: July 2015

Healthy Ways to Deal with Work Stress

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Most people feel stress in their lives, especially at work, whether it’s due to a change at work, being overwhelmed, or receiving criticism. So how do you deal with work stress in a healthy and positive way? The best way is to learn how to transform your stress into a motivator for personal growth. You’ll learn how to take the necessary steps to come out ahead.

 

Restructuring Your Organization – Scary or Inspiring?

Change is a stressor in itself, as it can bring along uncertainty. For example, when positions or roles at work shift, we worry about losing our jobs. If you’re in a reorganizational situation, stay focused on the company purpose, mission and goals, then talk to your coworkers and superiors about how you can contribute more to those aims. Let everyone know that you would like to engage and enroll others in making the most of any job.

Remember, you want other people thinking about where you might better fit in within the company. Be open and honest about your concerns about any role or responsibility shift you’re going through. Most importantly, demonstrate ways you can serve the company better. Encourage your boss to see how you can contribute to the company’s overall purpose.

Don’t give up too soon and start looking elsewhere—there’s hidden potential to explore right where you are. Ask yourself, “Have I properly distinguished myself at work, showed up, and shown management my skill set? What role do they want me to perform, what am I currently doing, and how do those skills overlap?” Practicing accountability while encouraging management to see your strengths will result in bigger and better opportunities.

 

How To Avoid Taking Things Personally When Receiving Criticism at Work

The best way to deal with your fear and hurt when you receive criticism is to stay engaged. If you find yourself collapsing, keep yourself in the game by asking intelligent questions to release some of your anxiety and get back on your own side. No need to throw your internal third grader under the bus—explain your feelings if you need to. Ask for help by saying something like, “I’m thrown off by that comment” and you’ll have time to clear your head.

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Go back to the moment before the anger or hurt and stay in that. Again, acknowledge your feelings, then ask for clarification. Ask: “Would you please clarify that for me?” Be honest. Say, “I’m feeling hurt and defensive” or “What is you want that you’re not getting from me?” and truly listen to the answer. Don’t forget to find the truth in criticism. While you may not always agree, honesty on both sides with encourage progress.

 

How to Handle Anxiety or Hiccups During Job Interviews

A common concern I hear often: How do you stay present during a job interview when you’re feeling fear and anxiety? The job of getting a job can be stressful enough, especially if you’re not seeing results. Just remember that applying for jobs in the want ads isn’t the only way to get a job. You’ve probably noticed that most people get jobs by knowing someone related to the job. Networking is an excellent way to be proactive. Set up at least one meeting a week with old friends, classmates or colleagues to see what they’ve been up to and to learn how you might help.

By networking and getting that face-to-face interaction, you’ll improve your confidence for job interviews—especially when you’re walking into an unfamiliar situation with a stranger.

 

Never Let Stress Get You Down

Whether it’s anxiety, fear or change at work that’s stressing you out, remember to use those emotions for good. Anything taking you out of the present moment can hinder your personal growth. Remind yourself that every situation is an opportunity to learn and grow, especially when you’re aligned with the company’s mission and purpose. Enroll yourself completely and fully engage with your environment. You’ll feel less stressed and more empowered to do a great job.

 

Listen to this episode here on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.
Check Out Lifestyle Podcasts at BlogTalkRadio with Wright Living on BlogTalkRadio.

Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user alancleaver.

 

Wright Living is a division of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

Are You Encouraging Success or Resenting Finances?

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Fact: 40% of couples have separate bank accounts and don’t talk about money with each other at all. But money can be a big deal in relationships — it can be uncomfortable to talk about.


For some families, money symbolizes power, success, or even being loved. Some spouses resent their partner due to lack of money but still remain tight-lipped. So why aren’t couples actually talking about their money?

If financial issues are causing resentment between yourself and your partner, you’re not fully supporting your partner’s success because you’re not fully engaged in the relationship as a whole. To be fully present, it’s important to deal with those money issues to better understand how your household finances are working (or not).

Your objective is to always look at the big picture: we don’t fight over spending when we can first work through the emotional issues causing financial strife. Because money comes loaded with meaning for many couples, the best approach is a practical approach that results in both of you working toward mutual financial goals to encourage mutual success.

Here’s how…

Use Business Sense Before You Budget

Think of your relationship as a business: you have revenue, you incur income, and you have certain variable and fixed expenses (like bills, including your mortgage). After your money is spent every month, you’re left with either a profit or a loss for that timeframe.

Before you start budgeting, create a profit and loss (P&L) statement for your relationship or family. Tracking all of the above will allow you to see where your family’s funds are really going. Don’t jump straight in to creating a budget before you have a handle on your income vs. your expenses. First see what is before thinking about what could be.

Next, create a personal balance sheet to determine your net worth. A balance sheet will detail the amount of money you have in the bank (savings and checking accounts), your long-term assets and their value, and loans and debts both owed and owed to you. The difference between your total assets and your total liabilities determines your net worth.

You can do all of this easily with an online financial tool like QuickBooks or Mint.

Now Move Forward Together

A couple is like a car—one person is the brakes and the other person is the gas. If they aren’t coordinated, the car lurches around and doesn’t go anywhere. Organizing your finances at the big picture level gives you a steering wheel and allows you to see where each person is putting on the pressure. Now you’re prepared to discuss your childhoods and how you were perhaps differently educated about money. You’ll be able to analyze where your differences in financial awareness are causing problems. With all of your finances laid out in front of you, you’ll finally be able to have a realistic and reasonable discussion about each financial line item and how you’re going to meet your financial goals going forward…together.

Financial planners are useful because they help you look at and understand your financial goals while remaining an impartial mediator. Talk to your partner about your goals and fears, in addition to your financial psychology, to promote open communication and encourage success in both of you.

What About When Money Affects Work/Life Balance?

Sometimes when it comes to work/life balance, things can be pretty off kilter. Four straight weeks of overtime may mean a loss of quality time with your spouse and kids, but it could also pay for all your bills with enough left over for a future family trip. It may seem obvious to you that you’re working for your family, but your spouse may feel as if you’re not with your family enough. Something’s got to give, right?

The first law of time management is that work will expand to fill time. Sometimes you may think that all your time is full, but it’s really because you aren’t using your time efficiently. It starts with prioritizing—and your relationship must be at the top of your list. As they say, put big rocks (such as family and work) in your time container first, then fill the rest with sand (meaning the less important in life).

The deeper issue that’s likely coming up here is how well-nourished you are in all aspects of your life—including your health and wellbeing, the health of your relationship, your wellbeing in your career, etc. Are you taking enough time to be in good shape yourself? You may be taking care of your family, but if you aren’t really taking care of YOU then no one will truly benefit.

Encourage Success Within Yourself AND Within Your Relationship…Always

Money may be scary to talk about, but it’s important and it has a real impact on your life and the life of your relationship. Be skeptical of yourself. We often think in excuses and limitations based upon limiting beliefs about ourselves. We need to expect more out of ourselves and what we can do—and that includes maintaining a flourishing family “business.” Open and honest communication with yourself and with your significant other promotes success in all realms without resentment or fears.

Join Us For More Life Training

In one educational and inspiring weekend, you’ll learn all about our practical, down-to-earth, easy-to-follow program designed to jumpstart your journey to self-discovery, personal fulfillment and better interpersonal relationships.

Listen to this episode here on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.
Check Out Lifestyle Podcasts at BlogTalkRadio with Wright Living on BlogTalkRadio.

Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user armydre2008.
Wright Living is a division of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

How To Strengthen Your Romantic Relationship

Posted on by Wright Foundation

At the beginning of our relationships, we often experience the honeymoon effect. We’re more likely to be in the present moment, which brings us much more excitement and satisfaction.


 

But as day-to-day reality sets in, the unconscious mind takes over, directed by early, often subconscious programming and unfinished business from the past surfaces—often with strong emotion that frequently results in fights.

Conscious awareness about what is going on is key to your growth in intimacy and development as a couple. So let’s talk about the unconscious beliefs and how to reveal them to your partner.

Unconscious Beliefs Challenge Our Relationships

Our unconscious beliefs color our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and actions—and our relationship choices. They control how we engage with others, how comfortable or uncomfortable we are with intimacy, and how triggered we get when our loved one isn’t available. They determine our emotional tenor and what sparks our fights—all from our early experiences.

When strong implicit memories are triggered, unbeknownst to us, childhood pain and fear comes raging to the surface. This may happen when you sense your partner isn’t there for you, for instance, and you don’t have a clue that you just activated a pain pocket from your matrix through an implicit memory. You think your charged emotional reaction is all due to your partner’s insensitivity, and while that is a trigger, the bulk of the charge is coming from the past.

No one had an absolutely perfect childhood. It is your job as an adult in relationships to learn where your gaps are and take responsibility to fill them in and continue where your childhood development left off. Why does all this matter? Because while implicit memories from the past are stored outside of our awareness, they arise in the present moment, and are masked by what we think we are experiencing in the current moment. When we are angry, or panicking, or feeling deeply hurt, our present feelings often stem from our implicit memories, and we assume the present situation is causing our reaction.

Open Communication Will Save Your Relationship

As your fights tease up feelings, childhood triggers, and unfinished business beneath the surface, share them! If you are irresponsible in a fight, admit it. If your feelings are hurt, say ouch. If you are punishing your partner with the silent treatment, fess up. If you’re pissed, say so. If you’re afraid, cop to it. If you’re feeling warm and tender, say it—and show it. If you don’t know what’s going on, own up to that.

Getting to—and sharing—what is going on underneath the surface of your fights can be one of the most powerful features of intimacy in your relationship. Sharing these vulnerable discoveries creates some of the most powerful intimate encounters and some of the best intercourse of all kinds!

If you’re looking for deeper, more meaningful relationships, you can order our relationship book, The Heart of The Fight.

judith

Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user leo-gruebler.

Wright Living is a division of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

 

“I Want To Be Taken More Seriously at Work!” Here’s How…

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Many people out there have a hard time feeling empowered at work. Maybe you’re stuck in the past. Maybe you don’t see a bright future. Maybe you find one of your coworkers or your boss too difficult to deal with. These kinds of insecurities can manifest themselves as self-doubt, so you’ll get the idea in your head that you’re not being taken seriously at work.

The truth is, to be taken more seriously at work as an employee and a leader—you must first take yourself seriously and take your company’s goals seriously.

Here are some examples of situations where it may be easy to become small, but it’s really your time to stand tall.

 

How Do I Manage People When My Boss is Always Undermining Me?

The fear of stepping on management’s toes won’t impress anyone, whether they’re above you or below you. Why leave the minute details to your manager, when they should be worrying about the main focus of the project? Take charge of your people and projects with a strong grasp of the main objectives and outcomes for completion. Your job is to get your work completed on time and in line with your company’s objectives.

So challenge yourself and the people above you. Instead of playing passive-aggressive games, letting your higher-ups deal in when they want, deal yourself in first—and play the game seriously with focused intentions. Your boss will have no choice but to let you continue doing a great job managing your people.

 

What If I Mess Something Up at Work?

Fear of mistakes will only lead to bigger mistakes, as your “fear of fear” can freeze you and halt your progress. Ensure everyone’s roles are clear before beginning any new project or task. Do your best to initiate leadership. Utilizing your authority (partnering with authority and, in turn, empowering your own authority) will help those both above and below you understand their own place in your goal to help the company succeed.

The best executives are always looking forward. Leaders are focused on where they want things to go—they’re not wasting time dwelling on the past and what “could’ve” or “should’ve” happened. This is one of the most successful ways to succeed in your work setting: focus on the future and focus on positive outcomes for yourself, your coworkers, and for your company.

 

Lesson Learned: Keep Your Future and Your Company’s Future in Mind

One of the best ways to be taken seriously is to ask visionary questions and to listen carefully to those responses. Seek to align yourself with your coworkers and they will certainly take you more seriously. But first, you have to take yourself seriously. OWN the purpose and goals of whatever work you do.

Speak in the direction of the company’s desired outcomes. Tie everything you do at work into your company’s purpose and goals. Speak about where you see things going, where everyone around you fits in, and how you’re going to get there…together. Do this every day at work, through every one of your actions and words, and you’ll be taken more seriously and feel more empowered at work.

Join Us For More Life Training

In one educational and inspiring weekend, you’ll learn all about our practical, down-to-earth, easy-to-follow program designed to jumpstart your journey to self-discovery, personal fulfillment and better interpersonal relationships.
 

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Listen to this episode here on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.
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Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user itupictures.

Wright Living is a division of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

Common Relationship Advice You Should Reconsider

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Whether you’re single and mingling, a newly-wed, or reaching a big anniversary milestone, the barrage of relationship advice from everyone can be overwhelming. How do you know what advice to take and which advice to ignore? The truth is that even some of the most common relationship advice clichés may not actually be the best thing for you and your significant other.

To determine whether you should listen to relationship advice, first ask yourself questions:

  • Does this advice keep me from being honest with my partner?
  • Does this advice help me grow closer to my partner?
  • Does this advice help myself and my partner face and work through conflict together?

Let’s take a look at a few bits of common relationship advice and determine whether or not you should listen up or not.

 

“Never Go To Bed Angry”

If you’re about to get married, there’s no doubt you’ve heard this one before. But what does this piece of advice really mean, and what are the values behind it? Does it imply that feeling anger is wrong and should be pushed down? Does it actually propose one should somehow feel differently, then fall asleep, conflict unsolved, only to be further avoided in the future?

That’s possible—but it’s also possible that this piece of advice is meant to convey that communicating your feelings is important, so you can get to the bottom of your conflict in a timely fashion. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, it may be a good idea to take a break and collect your true feelings. Either way, this relationship cliché should be looked at from every angle. Just remember, when in conflict, always be honest and take personal responsibility. Your objective is to openly and fully communicate with your partner.

 

“Little White Lies are Okay Now and Then”

In most cases in our society, “little white lies” are small lies, generally meant to protect the other person from hurt feelings. In reality, the majority of these tiny fibs could have bigger consequences down the line. Ask yourself this: Will lying, even a little bit, help us nurture a high quality, robust, and open relationship? The answer is probably no, as deep and meaningful relationships must be built on trust and understanding. This doesn’t mean you have to be cruel and tell your wife she does look fat in that dress. Instead, grasp the meaning and importance in truth itself and how it can bring you and your significant other together through positive communication skills.

 

“Seek Out Someone with Common Interests”

Single and constantly being set up by your friends and relatives? Then you’ve probably been told you should find a partner based on common interests. Wrong! This is terrible advice. While common interests do give you something to do and talk about, they’re really just mutual distractions from creating authentic, nourishing relationships and promoting meaningful growth as a couple. When the going gets tough or you begin to reach further milestones in your relationship, how will those common interests come into play to help you and your partner succeed as a couple? They won’t.

 

The Bottom Line…

Any advice that keeps us from moving closer together with our partners, being honest with each other, and facing and working through conflict is bad advice. Everyone says that relationships are work, but that’s not advice—it’s an invitation to learn and grow…together. And what is the work to bring out the best in each other? It’s the ability to bring out our more authentic selves and better each other. Ask yourself this: What does my partner bring out in me? What qualities do I bring out in my partner? Do we help each other be our best selves? How?

Are we working together towards a higher sense of meaning? In the end, that should be the true focus. Any other advice should always be taken with a grain of salt.

Listen to this episode here on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.
Check Out Lifestyle Podcasts at BlogTalkRadio with Wright Living on BlogTalkRadio.

Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user jillallyn.

 

3 Tips for Conducting
The Perfect Job Interview

Posted on by Wright Team

When you’re assessing job candidates, the most practical and efficient method is to conduct historically-based behavioral interviews.

Our interview approach is based on the same principle that financial professionals use to analyze and predict future financial success for companies: The best predictor of future performance is past performance.

By determining the extent to which potential candidates have historically demonstrated the skills you’re looking for, you can better assess how well they will do in the future.

1. Ask open-ended questions

To conduct behavioral interviews, ask open-ended questions. Ideally, your questions should lead them to tell you stories that demonstrate their ability and their mastery of the competency, skill, or trait you’re hiring for.

For example, if you’re hiring for a senior management position, these kinds of questions will assess how well they work on a team:

  • Give me an example of a time when you functioned well as a part of a management team.
  • Give me an example of a time when the team was not functioning well together. What happened and what was your role?
  • What are your weaknesses as a team member? How do they affect team functioning?
  • What strengths do you bring to a management team? Can you give me an example?

Open-ended questions go beyond the superficiality of most interviews and will help you better see who your potential candidates really are and how they’ll act.

2. Go for detail

How do you determine the accuracy of the candidates’ stories? By going for detail. When a candidate says, “We completed the project successfully,” ask what their personal contribution to the project entailed. By getting into the details of the story, you can more clearly identify the specific actions and qualities of the candidate.

3. Ask follow-up questions

Ideally, interviewers should talk just five percent of the time. After your candidate answers a question, ask follow-up questions to draw out the story.

Here are examples of the kinds of questions that elicit the behavioral information you need:

“Tell me about it.”

“What happened next?”

“What are some of the difficulties you faced? How did you deal with them?”

“What did you learn?” “How have you applied that learning?”

Getting answers to these questions will greatly increase your insight into your candidates.

Above all, remember that the best job candidates should show real enthusiasm and excitement about your organization’s mission and purpose. There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect fit,’ but when you can identify someone with strong past experience and dedication to your mission – you’ve found a winner.

Michael Zwell, Ph.D., is an executive coach and Professor of Transformational Coaching, co-founder, and Chancellor of the Wright Graduate University for the Realization of Human Potential.

Learn more about Wright Living’s Career & Leadership Coaching in Chicago & Career Coaching Courses in Chicago.

The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential is a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

Your Best Career Advice
…Ever

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a job and a career? The word career implies an upward journey over time, between jobs and positions.


Oftentimes it’s a journey into ourselves—the more we bring ourselves to bear, the more we learn to grow, serve and progress in our lives. Your career should reflect your purpose. When considering career advice, tread lightly. There are lots of opinions out there but the most useful tips involve understanding yourself first and lots of hard work.

Don’t Look for a Job—Search for Opportunities Everywhere

Getting a job is one of the most difficult jobs out there. Although searching online for positions or enlisting an agency can be helpful, your most valuable asset to your career is your network. So tap it. Every day, if possible. Opportunities come from all over and can pop up at any time, so your best bet is to stay connected.

Pick up your phone or send an email and get together with people you know. You don’t have to say right away that you’re looking for work. Instead, listen to your companion and learn all about where they are in their life and career. Assess your skills. Think about how you can add value in their life or at their company, or perhaps even for someone else they may know.

As the conversation progresses, let them know you’re looking and exactly how you can help. Aim to call at least five friends or colleagues every day and set up at least one meeting each week to best network among the people you already know.

Look Beyond Yourself—You May Already be in a Career

Too many entrepreneurs seem to think they haven’t maintained a “career” if they haven’t achieved their version of success within a certain amount of time. This often causes people to step back into themselves, becoming lost amidst their own insecurities.

If you’re feeling “stuck” as an entrepreneur, it’s vital to look within yourself to see what you can do to improve your business and return to your career of running it. If you don’t maintain discipline, it’s too easy to fall back into old habits. Reactivate your inspiration and your purpose to say yes to life again…and to your career.

Be the Person You Would Want to Employ

This is one of the oldest tips in the book. You may have heard “fake it ‘til you make it.” A better version of that would be to actually focus and be the person you want to be. Don’t worry about what you do for a job now; instead focus on doing whatever you’re doing as fully as you can do it.

Learn, grow, follow your yearning, eat up the job and let your boss know when you want more. Be more confident at work and align with the company’s mission and goals. Offer up feedback or comments you have regarding the company directly to management. They’ll certainly consider your ideas and either implement your plans or “free” you for a new opportunity.

We say it all the time: if you want to change your career, change yourself first.

 

Follow Your Stars in Everything

In the working world, there will always be wins and losses. Minimize downs and maximize ups. It may be easy to plateau and wait around for something to kick-start your journey—but you can’t wait forever. While it’s all right to rest once in a while, you have to reengage. A person who follows their stars, engages, and applies him or herself fully and presently in all things will be most likely to achieve true career satisfaction.

Listen to this episode here on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.
Check Out Lifestyle Podcasts at BlogTalkRadio with Wright Living on BlogTalkRadio.

Image courtesy: Flickr user 124247024@N07.

 

Learn more about Wright Living’s Career & Leadership Coaching in Chicago & Career Coaching Courses in Chicago.

The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential is a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.

Unlocking the Power
of Your Creative Self:
An Interview with Barnet Bain

Posted on by Wright Foundation

Acclaimed filmmaker, broadcaster and creativity expert Barnet Bain has been studying the human brain for decades, especially as it relates to creativity, intimacy and our social and emotional intelligence.


In this episode of Bring Out Your Best, We interview acclaimed filmmaker, broadcaster & creativity expert Barnet Bain on his new book, “The Book of Doing and Being,” where Bain teaches “the skill set that is the antidote to the exponential disruption of life as we know it.”

Listen to this full episode on BlogTalkRadio or here on iTunes.

In our interview, Bain describes how more and more people are losing their ability to express creative thought, which will cause serious issues as we traverse into an unknown future. …and he has a point: studies show that 65% of elementary students will hold jobs that don’t even exist yet, in technologies that haven’t been invented yet, to solve problems we don’t know are problems yet.

In his new book, The Book of Doing and Being, Bain offers up the antidote to the exponential disruption of life as we know it. We sat down with Bain to learn why creative skills are sinking, how this could negatively affect our future, and what we need to do to shape up.

Wright Foundation:

Why do we lack creative skills as adults?

Barnet Bain:

One study of 300,000 children and adults over several decades found that since 1990, IQs have increased but creative skills have declined. Another study found that 98% of 3-5 year olds were registering as creative geniuses, but by 25 years old that number had dwindled to just 25%.

Why this creative atrophy? Well, at the root is our conditioning. The fundamental “hand-me-down thinking” we‘ve received—our training from parents, teachers and other adults—that leads us to process everything we encounter through intellect. We’re trained to overanalyze everything, thus overpowering other types of thought. On top of that, we’re trained that pursuing anything other than intellect is dubious. Artists understand that creativity—a disruptive insight—is received as a gift from all other aspects of the self.

We begin to lose our creative thinking skills over time. Young children tend to be fully encouraged to explore music, art and theater, and to pretend. These activities open our hearts in non-linear and non-rational ways. However, as children grow up, the first things that tend to get cut from their lives are music, arts and theater programs. Instead, we double-down on feeding the prefrontal cortex—which is already plenty stimulated and doing just fine.

Wright Foundation:

How can we better understand non-linear progression and creativity?

Barnet Bain:

To rise above our conditioning we must not only engage in creative activities but also gain a new understanding of creative acts. There is no such thing as an uncreative act. Every thought, emotion or action is one of volition, whether conscious or not—and that makes it a creative act, going beyond simple logic.

However, we need to understand that challenges we face cannot be dealt with simply through logic and reason alone. There is superseding intelligence we gain when we have access and intimacy through social and emotional intelligence. This is the key to non-linear creativity.

Traditionally, people tend to use logical thinking, “rearranging the furniture” to create an efficient solution to a problem. However, while this is useful and usually practical, you’re not giving birth to an entirely new idea.

Instead, non-linear progression is the type of creative innovation that moves our culture forward. When a fundamentally new idea is gifted (an “a-ha!” or “eureka!” moment), then the logical and reasonable parts of our brain can then develop upon these non-linear intelligences. Therein will come answers to many of the challenges we face, both in the world and in intimate spaces.

We are facing challenges today as we face a level of unpredictableness we can only call chaos. However, insight can only come from a chaos—from a willingness to let old structures die. The entrenched ideas about how worlds and societies are structured are fundamentally breaking down. When we surrender into the chaos, we can potentially allow for new attunement and movement: we’ll see the possibilities for new ideas and innovations out of the wreckage.

Wright Foundation:

Give me an example of one of your 40 practices from your new book we can use to unleash our creative intercourse with our lives.

Barnet Bain:

Practice entering paradox in your brain, the ability to hold two different ideas simultaneously. As long as you are willing to hold that paradox, you’re actually wiring and firing new neuron patterns, literally blowing your mind.

Consciously play with paradox to strengthen these skills and form new neural pathways. Toggle back and forth between nightmares and dreams on the movie screen in your head. Stand in the infinite space in the middle and forge that new path. The logical mind will search for an answer and find nothing, but by holding the space for as long as possible, something new can emerge…and the more miraculous and creative your life can become.

There is only logic in the implementation of an idea. Inspiration and innovation come from the “beyond” of who we are.

Barnet Bain is an award-winning filmmaker, radio broadcaster, educator and creativity expert. His film credits include Oscar-winner “What Dreams May Come” (producer), Emmy-Award nominee “Homeless to Harvard” (executive producer), and “The Celestine Prophecy” (writer, producer). His new book, The Book of Doing and Being, is now available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Learn more about Wright Living’s Life Coaching in Chicago, Self Development Courses, and Relationship Courses.

The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential is a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.