The EmpowerMind training team had an incredible experience with the Eagles’ teams at Eastern Michigan University on July 23^rd and 30^th!

I never knew how tough athletes have it!  We don’t realize how much they have to work to entertain us and to keep their scholarships.  They woke up around 5:00 a.m., had practice for two hours from 6:00-8:00, and THEN came to our full day workshop.  That’s just a normal day in the life of University athletes.  They carry a full time job of athletics along with their daily school schedule and mounds of homework.

This is what helped EmpowerMind realize we need to focus on this segment of our youth, help them maintain their scholarships, help some of them escape the inner city and support them by keeping the gift of a four year education, so they too can realize their dreams.

Destiny slam dunked it by memorizing and reciting all 25 people’s names in less than 10 minutes!

Jerome lead the team with is touchdown drive, by proving he could recite all 20 words in order just after memorizing them two minutes before.

Carl’s dazzling 2-point conversion with reciting all 20 words backwards!

Then they got in partners and challenged each other to a creative memory game on how to remember hard vocabulary words!  Their creativity was amazing!  They all got A’s!  They are discovering how to master their own way of learning.  To be honest, the trainers were just impressed they were awake and attentive for MOST of the day!  We ended it by getting into the zone relaxation/visualization while imagining achieving an outrageous goal.

Look out!  Here come the EAGLES, new leaders in athletics AND in the classroom!

Day Two at EMU

After our wild hat pump up experience, Gary and Benn are co-training how Timing, Pacing and Environment help all students have maximum performance in the classroom.

WOW!  What an ending!  They were tossing the ball like hot potato until the music stopped, then it was REVIEW time!  They brought it home with 100% correct answers from the week before. Nobody dropped the ball on this one!

We muscle tested even the toughest guys out there to show them how food and negative or positive thoughts affects their bodies: Joe and Justin got stronger and then totally weak in a matter of moments.  The students were riveted!  I’m thinkin’ the diets may change a bit with the EMU Eagles!

They learned how to tackle textbooks, and score better every time with test taking skills.

Then for the grand finale . . . they told each other strengths that they see in one another.  We ended with a short inspirational high energy video! Very cool way to end a great day!

Our evaluations were top rate!  Stay tuned and hear the impact EmpowerMind will have on their academics!

There are no student pictures and the names were changed to protect the students’ privacy.

Well, they walked solo for the first time!  (Do you see the joy on these workshop participants?)  All of the trainers stumbled a bit, but don’t we ALL when we first walk on our own?  In no time they will be running, jumping and reaching the stars.

January Workshop

I think the hardest thing for many of them to understand is that they must walk before they run.  Don’t we all want to run once we get a taste of how exciting it will be after taking those first few steps? How do you respond when you are doing what you love and learning to integrate what you love into your life?

The only way we can run, as trainers, is to live the EmpowerMind philosophy of life.  I am learning so much about them and about myself in the process.  We really are becoming a  “functional” family.  The intimacy is so profound for me, as they communicate their joys, frustrations and expectations– while I do the same.  We have had some very raw—yet respectful—expressions of our truth.

My goal is to create master trainers.  That’s always been the goal.  My whole heart and soul is into them as a loving mother is for her children.  I am protective, yet I see their flaws.  They are protective as they see mine.

This EmpowerMind journey has been nothing short of spectacular, and to deeply impact the lives of those we touch is nothing short of MIRACULOUS!

Dieting tips for Teens (and pre-teens)

They say we are what we eat, well we certainly perform better or worse depending on what we eat.  There’s NO doubt in my mind or in my performance.

My son had MAJOR attention issues.  Just adding high quality fish oil to his O.J. every morning made him rise from 50% test scores to high 80% test scores within weeks.  When he ate sugar he could not study; his mind and body was all over the place.

I have tutored countless children who have the same issues.  A 13 year-old boy, Justin, had many food sensitivities and would not listen to his mother about how he should avoid certain foods.  So, the next time I tutored him– after he had just learn 30 new vocabulary words in 15 minutes-I suggested we celebrate his success!  So, I got out two wine glasses filled them half full with red Mountain Dew (caffeine, mega sugar and red dye). He was sensitive to all these chemicals.  After drinking it,

He could not learn ten new words in the last half hour!  I have MANY stories like this!

We cannot stop all the negative foods that our kids eat, but we can be aware and help them be aware of how they FEEL and perform after eating certain foods.   Foods are processed with so many additives and chemicals that it’s no wonder are kids have problems concentrating and paying attention.  Drugs are not the answer (only as a LAST resort)!  Start with food substitutions and add HIGH QULAITY lemon flavored fish oil instead.

Many of us have food sensitivities and food allergies, but we are not fully aware of the connection to the food we eat.  Allergies can even be eliminated, as my family has eliminated several (including environmental allergies) and so have MANY of the families I have worked with in the past.  Check out naet.com for a practitioner near you.

We are all complex puzzles.  Your child’s diet is a piece to that puzzle, and it can change everything.  If your child has a learning or behavioral issue-pay attention!  Experiment.  Write a journal with responses to foods.  Seek a holistic, naturopathic doctor or a kinesiologist.  Educate yourself, it will change your family’s life!

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/newsletters/FAILsaf60

This mini-course– learning tips blog– on Learning How You Learn will give you many more ideas on how to put learning techniques into action on a daily basis.  This is a very abbreviated version of my book, You’re a Genius-and I Can Prove It! This mini-course is not a substitute for the free on-line chapters, but it’s a good start.

Do you ever forget where you put your keys?  The remote control? Your sunglasses?  Your sanity?  I can help you find all these things you misplace, by never forgetting where you put them to begin with.  Sanity will come as you PRACTICE using multiple senses to remember.

I had an advertising entrepreneur with A.D.D. in on of my workshops.  Not only did he forget where he put things, but also he’d find them in the strangest places.  Like, he’d find the remote control in the refrigerator or his keys in the cupboard.  So, do you think he just spent too much time in the kitchen or was he just was focused on everything else at the time, but the keys and remote?

So, what’s a busy, distracted or an A.D.D.  person to do?  Stop watching TV?  Hire a driver?  Or, “get into the moment” by using multiple senses to remember and be CONSCIOUS of where you set things?  When you set something down, look at it, SEE where it is and say OUT LOUD, “I just set my keys on the sofa here.”  “Or I just put the remote control in the toilet.”  It doesn’t matter where you set it down, just look at it, feel it with your hands and say OUT LOUD where you put it, and you won’t forget where it is.  The reason you’ll remember is because you’re using multiple senses to remember it (seeing, talking, hearing, and touching).  This man tried this for one week and was astounded at how easy it was, and he remembered where he put things 100% of the time.  Even my Dad who is almost 80 years old uses this.  He says if it will work for him, it will work for anybody.  So, take a deep breath and RELAX and tune in to the moment!  It’s simple and easy; it’s just a minor shift in consciousness.

I thank the GREAT Lord for Facebook, as another miracle occurred!  Heidi Pacer, from Share Home School Group-a Christian Home Schooling organization in Milford, had been looking for EmpowerMind for the past two years.  She first heard about it when her children were too young for the workshop, but lost track of us because she forgot our “EmpowerMind” name.  The short story is I accidently (techno-challenged here) sent ALL my e-mail lists to Facebook, asking everyone on EmpowerMind’s e-mail list to be my friend.  She had e-mailed EmpowerMind two years before, and so her e-mail was stored and the facebook invitation was sent.  We connected!  I call this synergy “GOD WINKS” or a “GOD THING.”

In a few short months, she put together over 50 sign ups for the two day workshop at the greatly reduced cost.  Peter and I were able to serve these families and help them in a financial way that could not have happened had it not been for Heidi.  We all had a GREAT time, and it was customized for their audience!  Thank you Heidi on behalf of ALL of us!

In this Michigan economy where SO MANY have lost their jobs we need to think creatively on how we can help support each other.  How many people could benefit in your community by checking into creating an EmpowerMind workshop in your town or organization? And, your bonus is that YOUR family may attend for FREE!

Please let us know if there are creative opportunities– in your community– for us to serve!

God speed everyone!  Until next time . . .   SHARE THE LOVE!

Pillars of Success | EmpowerMind Workshop

Not long ago I was giving a workshop to these amazing teenagers in Pontiac.  The program they are involved in is called Pillars of Success, which is run by Joya Shepard– a very devoted mother and mentor.  It’ supported by the Jack and Jill Foundation in Michigan.

Approximately 20 teens were in the EmpowerMind program that day.  They were one of the most well behaved groups I have had in 18 years.  They really want to learn, grow and become more than their current circumstances dictate.  They inspired me!

I got to see them again last month again at another conference where they brought volunteer business people and entrepreneurs in to share what they did for a living.  We tried to be mentors for a day.  I’m not sure who gets more out of it, the kids or the business people.  I now ask the youth I facilitate a new question.  Instead of asking, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”  I ask, “WHO do you want to be and what do you want to give the world?  I ask that question to you right now.  One you might want to spend a lifetime pondering.

For me this is better named the JOY CLUB.  My friend and I started this club at Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce, Michigan.  JOOI is an acronym for Jr. Optimist Octagon International.  There are Optimist Clubs ALL over the world, even in your area.  Their prime directive is to help empower children in their local community and to model an optimist attitude.  The Jr. Optimist Club does the same; they are just smaller in stature.:)  Our JOOI club has the same positive spirit as our adult club and the same commitment to helping the community.  Our goal as facililtators is to enhance the middle school student’s self-esteem and empower them to focus on their strengths by pulling the unique genius out of each of them.

Families in Michigan are struggling, as they are everywhere.  Michigan got hit even harder due to the car industry.  These kids have worked hard at raising money and giving back.  They donated 21 new winter coats (at close out prices) to their school for kids next year who cannot afford one.

We also just got back from their last giving extravaganza.  They donated over 12 bags of clothes, baby stuff, personal care items etc. to a domestic abuse shelter.  They collected these items by knocking on doors, donating from their own homes and with their own money and going to stores to get donations.  They toured the facility and were given a 20 minute lecture by the director of the shelter.  I’m VERY proud of all of them.  They are the type of leaders we need-leaders of the heart!  They are the change we wish to see in the world.  Remember, you don’t have to be grown up to be great!

So, where’s the learning tip here?  When you give, you receive so much more! When you love you open up your mind to what’s called your alpha state.  This is when your brain wave frequencies slow down, and you have optimal performance.  So, when you are engaged in an act of love– or you are doing something you love-your learning capacity increases. We are complex holistic learning puzzles.  Step out of your comfort zone.  With each step, you’ll gain confidence and become stronger. Do something to help one person today and watch the seeds of empowerment grow into great buds of self-esteem.

Ok, geniuses!  It’s “learning tip” time!

Now, from the past blog you should know if you’re a right or left-brain learner or a combination of both.  Hopefully, you also know which senses you learn from best. You ARE amazing! And, by the way, did you pay attention to how you were learning this week?  I hope so!  Are you a visual, auditory, kinesthetic or some other type of learner?  Or, do you use a combination of a few different senses?  Awareness is your first key in getting in touch with what type of learner you are and PRACTICING is your second!

So, let’s get on with it. J    As you know, to get the most out of these tips, practice and notice the things I ask you to notice.

These learning tips will give you many more ideas on how to put learning techniques into action on a daily basis.  These blog tips are a very abbreviated version of my book, You’re a Genius-and I Can Prove It! It’s not a substitute for the free on-line chapters, but it’s a good start.

Now, what are YOU capable of accomplishing?  Let’s find out!

What time of day are you at your best?  First thing in the morning? Late morning? Early afternoon?  Late afternoon, Early evening? Night?

What time of day are you at your worst?  First thing in the morning? Late morning? Early afternoon?  Late afternoon, Early evening? Night?

Once you’ve answered these, you will know to schedule your difficult tasks in your peak time (if it’s possible) and the things that take little mental and physical energy in your down time.

Here’s an example.  Have you ever pulled an all-nighter and you were so exhausted that you had to read every page twice?  How about procrastinating on taxes to the point that it took you twice as long to handle them then if you’d jumped into it when you were fresh and alert?  We not only have good mental times of the day, but also higher energy days.  When you have a choice, tackle those difficult things you’ve been putting off on those high-energy days.  Try to accomplish them at your peak time of day; then, you’ll have them done in no time.  Let’s see what YOU can do!  Try it this week.  Be conscious of when you’re doing things in your “peak time” and your “down time.”  You decide which makes your life run smoother.  After all, this is about YOU!

When you are conscious of HOW you learn, learning becomes MUCH easier.  Put what you’ve learned into PRACTICE.  You’ll reinforce how brilliant you really are!

Ok, now onto a little learning tip again.  In high school I was always an honor roll student.  I did extra credit, manipulated teachers, cheated or whatever it took to get good grades.  Well, in college, I hit the academic wall hard!  I studied over 20 hours for tests and was still getting mostly C’s.  I was really stressed too.  I knew the material, but  I couldn’t take tests well.HOWEVER,  by the time I reached my senior year I learned a little bit about how I learn.  I took 22 credits and got all A’s never studied past 5:00 or on weekends.  How?  I attribute most of the success to discovering what time of day I learn best and how to mentally pump myself up!  I’m a morning person, (drove my roommates crazy) so I’d do the bulk of my studying between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m..  I would find a place in the library where I didn’t know ANYONE, so I couldn’t be tempted to talk, (that was a small miracle in and of it self).  Then I sat in a desk with sides that came up, so I couldn’t get distracted.  I told myself I was a super smart and fast learner.  I really mentally pumped myself up.  I only gave myself 3 hours to get all the studying done.  It worked!  You, see, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality. If you tell yourself you can do something enough, your mind and body will believe it!

I never studied in my down time; it’s a waste of time.  But, I did play a lot that year and I want YOU to play a lot this year! You may have to learn in 10-15 minute increments or switch places when you learn different subjects or you may have to learn best in a group study by listening to people and discussing the subject.  All of us are different, but all ways are great as long as they work for YOU!  Think about when YOU learn best.