MAKE TIME TO PLAY

I find as I am getting older, I am slowing down. I use to think that this would never happen to me yet, time has different ideas. This morning I watched my two youngest play legos together. I sat mesmerized by their imaginations and the playful process they went through. I was impressed at how there was no fighting, no contention, just a flow of creative ideas and cooperation. Finally I asked, "What ya doing?" The answer, "Building." So true, building their minds, their relationship, eye hand coordination, problem solving and so much more, all from playing. Coming back from vacation a few weeks back I realized the need for more play in my life. Today I saw the benefits of play and the value it holds in the further development of who I can become. So, now slowing down is not so adverse to me, it's now about playing more.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

ALLOWING CHILDREN TO STRUGGLE WITH CONSEQUENCES

I have often been intrigued by how opposition creates balance. So many times, we heard about this concept of reverse psychology, when dealing with a stubborn child that is rebelling or being resistant. We may say the opposite of what we want in order to elicit the response that we want as a parent. We often have to go against what we think to be true. In order to gain what it is that we need the most from our children, often times letting go, and allowing our children to choose their path seems very frightening and out of control. More times than not, simply by giving them control they will choose the values that we have instilled within them. Even though our minds may be screaming to hang on as tight as we can, often times it's the letting go, which brings us the peace we seek in the relationship with our children. I am not referring to removing boundaries, rules or norms in the home, I am simply talking about allowing children to make their decisions and struggle with their consequences.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

CONTROLLING OUR THOUGHTS

The most influential battle one can fight is the battle to control ones thoughts. When we think of battling our thoughts we think of a struggle of overwhelming effort with the potential of loss. The battle of the mind is not won with force, in fact it is not one at all, it is simply influenced through training. The warrior may train for battle, he my even fight other warriors to improve his skills. It is training that enables him to control his mind and be prepared for any, and all struggles, even if he never sees the battle field. Training our mind to focus in areas that provide answers and understanding will bring peace and hope.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

WHAT LIMITS DO WE PUT ON OUR MIND?

The creativity of a child's mind is only limited by the perceived reality of the adult mind.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

SEEING OUR TRIALS AS APART OF THE JOURNEY

Learning to bend with adversity rather than fight is a powerful way to take control of our lives. This week my family and I drove through yellowstone national park, I was impressed by some of the trees we saw on the way in from the east gate, they were all leaning east as though the canyon winds had been blowing hard for some time. This particular day was very windy as we were faced with a very strong head wind driving west. We soon crossed over the pass and found our way to Yellowstone Lake where the wind was whipping the lake in to big swells with two foot breakers. As the water churned from a bluish green to a muddy brown eating away at the shore line with its drift wood scattered beach, I was taken back to the trees, both under the same influence yet each responding differently. One was a swaying dance allowing each tree to live in unison with adversity and by doing so becoming stronger in its roots. The other, a destructive corrosive act displacing much of the life that had once clung to its sandy home, churning and thrashing in a different dance, one of inflicting will and ambivalence to its destruction. Before I had left my hot desert home in St. George for the cooler plains of Wyoming, I was speaking to one of my clients about this very principal, the more we fight adversity the more we prolong the storms that teach. When we learn bend and sway with the winds of adversity, we learn of our strengths thus becoming powerful. Just as the trees accepted the wind by leaning east, we can see the trials as apart of our journey and change how we see what is happening.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

THE AVOIDENCE OF OUR OWN HUMANITY

I have often been intrigued with revenge. The feeling of control it provides those who dispense it. We have seen it used in film and literature as a justification for the taking of life or mistreatment of others. Gandhi dedicated his life to the understanding of this destructive power, his quote "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" is profound and layered with wisdom. I believe the blindness Gandhi spoke of is the avoidance of our own vulnerability, pain, sadness, and all areas we show humanity. The fear of vulnerability has driven humans to genocide and isolationism, it has become the cause of loss of hope, and the destruction of relationships. The denial of ones own humanity creates a lack of acceptance of others.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center

BALANCE IN THE FAMILY

There is wisdom in the design of the family. It is wisdom that it takes a Mother and a Father to conceive a child, the metaphor is one of balance. Taking different genders and different styles of thinking, different beliefs and backgrounds, and then asking them to be one in purpose, this cannot be done without a level of surrender. Surrender is a key principal in creating balance. Nature is a great re-enforcer of this fact. Night to day, winter, summer, spring, and fall, each surrender to the other to create life. To truly become a family we must find balance with one another, not compromising who we are, but through unifying our purpose and the edification of all.

Dean N Nixon
Seminar Director, Life Coach
TurningLeaf Wellness Center