Los Suenos Institute
Growth
by Sueños on 05/10/17
After spending a few days in the Tetons during spring, I was blown away by the speed at which muddy-snowy grass, turns into wild flowers and lush meadows. It was on one of these mornings wandering around the newly blooming forest that I thought about my own personal growth. As I watched the wild flowers transform from Christmas-ornament-like buds, into fully unveiled splashes of color, I realized that at no point was the flower ugly. In much the same way, the ways in which I had changed immensely within just the last year were innumerable, yet at no point was I ever not complete.
It is common, within the practice of meditation, that we are encouraged to bring acceptance to the present moment. On a much larger scale, it is acceptance of a constant stream of change. It's seeing the world, and all in it, as not so much different than a flower in bloom. It is beautiful at all points, just in different ways.
This is a guest post by one of our coaches Diego-Andreas. If you like this post, and want to see more like it, check out his blog at www.wonderingintomyself.com
How a Wellness Vacation Can Jump-Start Your Summer
by Sueños on 05/09/17
Typical vacations are a blast no doubt, but that expanded waistline that follows, not so much. Well, fear no more, wellness vacations are the new craze that you will return from feeling refreshed, renewed, and maybe, even a little bit skinnier.
Imagine yourself beginning the day with a meditation session at sunrise, followed by a short stint of yoga while the birds wake up to begin their day. Then you're off for an afternoon of kayaking, hiking, or bike riding, while surrounded by stunning mountain views. On top of that, most wellness centers offer world class dining that won't break the scale.
Wellness vacations aren't about a temporary distraction from the day-to-day, but a new beginning. They're about creating a life you're excited to live, and giving you all the tools to maintain it. We know it's a cause we're dedicated to, and we hope you'll come see why soon. Join us for one of our wellness vacations this summer, you won't be sorry!
This Trick Could Help You Sleep Better, Be More Productive, and Work Out!
by Sueños on 05/08/17
Different stimuli are constantly competing for our attention. Notifications from Facebook, text messages from that special someone, T.V. conversations in the background, sometimes it can be hard not to sit glued to our phones scrolling through funny pictures. However, this can seriously eat into our time that we should be spending getting in shaping, getting rest, or focusing on that little extra bit of work we had to take home. Fear no more, because there's a trick to help you with all of this!
This trick comes from the work on stimulus control, and involves allowing a specific environment( or set of stimuli)to become associated with a specific behavior. The best example is usually falling asleep. I used to do everything in bed! Read, work, catch up on e-mails, however, doing all of this could be seriously getting in the way of you falling asleep. What stimulus control therapy aims to do, is have your body only associate your bed with falling asleep. This is done by following these simple rules, turn off all electronics(yes even your phone), only go to bed if you're tired, get out of bed if you lay awake for longer than 15-min. Continue this procedure until you fall asleep. The first few nights, you will notice that you aren't sleeping as well, but research has shown this to be an effective treatment for even severe insomnia.
However, perhaps even more exciting, the treatment is effective for all sorts of behaviors. It's been applied to studying and exercise with great success! In these scenarios pick a room that you will only work out, study, or do some extra work in, at a specific time each day. Persist with the activity as long as you can, the second you feel an impulse to do something else, leave the room. As you continue this procedure, you will notice yourself being able to focus on your behavior much easier and for a longer period of time.
I hope this adds a little trick to your tool box! If you think your friend could use a little stimulus control in their life, be sure to share!
Why So Many Of Us Work So Hard And Still Do Not Get The Promotion
by Sueños on 05/07/17
As we begin our career it is common to get rewarded for how quick and effectively we complete our tasks. Which generally means putting in a lot of extra hours. The more tasks we complete and the quicker we complete them the more we get rewarded. The more we get rewarded the more hours we dedicate to completing tasks. It feels good to get rewarded and recognized. And such the tasks reward cycle begins. It becomes encoded in our professional habits DNA. Then we reach a plateau. Regardless of how many tasks we complete and how quickly we complete them there is no increase in reward. No longer will simply pulling an all nighter get you anywhere. It is expected! You have reached the limits of the tasks reward strategy. Sometimes we internalize this and believe they don’t appreciate us. We ask,” don’t they realize how hard I work?”
Above a certain level reward comes from trust. It is a rather simple rational. If I am going to reward you with more, it be capital or responsibility I must trust you in direct proportion to the more. Early in our careers we engage in very few trust activities. It is simply about getting the tasks completed. The ratio is probably something like 90% tasks /10% trust. As you advance in your career the trust percentage increases in proportion to your scope of responsibility. Which means if you expect to get rewarded it will be for more trust activities than task activities. You have maximized how far doing task well and can take you. Remember Tasks activities maintain our career. Trust activities promote our career.
What are trust activities you may ask? Trust activities are actions which help you build relationships. They are not brown nosing! They are informing. Trust activities are activities which garner confidence that you can contribute far beyond your current capacity. Look at your daily routine from the time you arrive in the office, check e-mails, review dashboard, weekly numbers, conference calls, etc., and ask yourself are these tasks or trust. What is your Task to Trust ratio and compare against what is the Task to Trust ratio of the opportunity you are looking for.
Task or Trust you decide!
How Friends Help Make You Creative
by Sueños on 05/02/17
In a time when the term
friend is being redefined by the social media networks we belong to, The act of
friendship has not. Being a friend is not something which comes by a
click of a mouse. It is the investment of yourself. Many times,
when we look at our professional life we think these are not friends these are
associates and you will be correct that is what they will be. Because you
have not invested. Professional settings bind people. For many of us, it
consumes the majority of our waking hours. Professional settings also are
challenging environments which raise the stress levels in our lives.
Stress creates a biochemical bond between individuals sharing this stressful environment.
Survivors of earthquakes, fires, wars, and 911 have reunions
and stay in communication throughout their lives. Every day we go to work we meet challenges
together and survive. Our bodies raise levels of norepinephrine
and epinephrine to meet these challenges. Jointly experiencing these
biochemical changes binds us at much more profound levels than earlier thought.
With each challenge you face together and subsequently succeed a confidence and
trust develops amongst the participants. Levels
of serotonin are raised along with mutual trust and respect. It
is in this state the state of low positive, a state of feeling safe and secure
where creativity lives. When you are biochemically at high levels
of serotonin you are at your most creative. When you are
surrounded by friends and feel safe and appreciated you are at your most
creative. I have been blessed in my life and have had the pleasure and
honor to spend my professional life with great friends. I would like to
list them here and say Thank You but I am afraid I would leave someone out.
I will though reach out to them this week and let them know. My
advice to you is do the same and say, Thank You For Being My Friend.
