You are amazing! You have unique abilities and skills. Lets discover you and what makes your live fun and rewarding. Living in the Gift is a positive mindset where we see and celebrate the positive aspects of people, organizations and environments. This reveals opportunities, and increases human connection, creativity and productivity. It is a powerful agent of change and healing.
It is a simple concept with a lot under the hood.
A mindset is a set of beliefs and attitudes that can be applied to many different situations. It colors and governs thoughts, feelings, emotions, physiology, perceptions, actions and reactions in internal or external environments. Living in the Gift training programs addresses the mind, body and spiritual nature of current mindsets to shift the perspective to a more positive, engaging and growth-oriented mindset.
The program was developed based on the work of the following thought leaders and researchers.
In 2006, Carol Dweck, Ph.D., wrote Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential. In her book she presents research comparing a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. Her research looks at the behavior and characteristics of each mindset and the long term ramifications of these two ways of thinking. KIPP schools across the country have implemented growth mindset programs to help kids learn or develop a growth mindset.
In 2019, Kelly McGonical, Ph.D. wrote The Upside of Stress, Why Stress Is Good For You, and How to Get Good At it. She showed that a 15-minute presentation on how stress is good for you resulted in wiegh loss and improved health which continued even 6 months after the initial presentation.
Lisa Miller’s work on our spiritual nature. The Spiritual Child, The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving. This is a survey of all the scientific studies on our Spiritual Nature and how developing it is protective and inversely correlated with depression. She defines spiritual nature as the transcendent (beyond self and the ordinary) relationship with self, others and a higher power. This is not to be confused with religion which is one of the many ways that people can engage their spiritual nature. Spiritual gifts are faith, hope, joy, perseverance, kindness, empathy, courage, love and many more.
Lisa Miller’s second book, The Awakened Brain, The New Science Of Spirituality And Our Quest For An Inspired Life Discusses integrating our spiritual nature in work, family and healthy living
Our mindsets and experiences have a deep and profound impact on our physiology and neurology. Muscular, biochemical and neurological patterns developed from experiences, beliefs, and choices we make provide the framework to lock in mindsets so that the associated thoughts, feelings, emotions, perceptions, actions and reactions are automated and predictable. Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD wrote The Body Keeps the Score, Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing Of Trauma. This research on the mind body connection plays a critical role in shifting mindsets.
Approaching a difficult set of habits and mindsets can be reached through anatomy and physiology. The Protean Body, A Rolfer’s View of Human Flexibility, by Don Johnson. Provides a window into the possibilities and experiences of Rolfing or deep tissue massage as a way of bringing about healing.
This research is combined to create the Living in the gift program and points to the power of shifting mindsets, physiology to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and organizations.