Magic of the Mind to the Finish Line

 The end of the year holds a lot of hope, excitement, and also the feeling of rushing to the finish line.

It may seem impossible to arrive to work on time, get everything done, and then make it home to relax at the end of the day. While it seems impossible it is not. Or at least it doesn't have to be impossible.

According to neurosurgeon James Doty, we can manifest a better life. In fact he states that "when our attention is intentionally focused on what we want and why, change is possible."

Dr. James Doty is a Neurosurgeon, author, and founding director of Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. His story starts in poverty, trauma, and suffering. Statistically he should not be wealthy, world renowned, or successful; yet he is all of this and more, he thrives. In his book Into The Magic Shop, he shares the life lessons that changed his life. Lessons from the mother of a magic shop owner.

Doty, shares that one day, while riding his bike away from the mess at home, he found a magic shop. The owner was out and the shop was being watched by the owner's mother. This woman told Doty she did not know anything about the magic in the shop but she could teach him another kind of magic, mind magic.

After that day Doty would keep returning to the magic shop. He states he went because the woman offered him cookies and her full attention. She was present. She was present for him. And having someone in his life give him their full attention mattered to him. That was what he needed and lacked.

That time in the late 1960's started Doty's path to where he is today. 

Through his education and research Doty has learned and shared with us a fact we all need to know and practice, "when you are caring and focused on others, this actually is when your brain networks function at their best."

Dr. Doty states that our attention can be directed and redirected in a way that can change our brains. He shares that we can strengthen our grey matter; which is the neuro tissue that helps us learn and grow.

Doty talks a lot about the idea of manifestation. While this sounds like a magical type of thinking, it isn't. It is rooted in brain training, goal setting, growth mindset, visualization, optimism, and mindfulness.

How does all of this apply to us? How does it apply to our school and our students?

We can start by taking in the simple lesson of the woman from the magic shop. Our full attention matters. Our students know when we are giving them our all and when we are phoning it in. As we creep to the end of the year we too have wandering minds. Spring Fever doesn't just afflict our students. We want to be done too. We want to have a break too. Our minds are wandering just the same as our students. So how do we help our brains so we then can help our students' brains?

Mindfulness. Growing our own grey matter. Visualizing how we want to end the year. Coming in each day with optimism. Setting our own goals for success. Manifesting what we want. And focusing on the students.

There is a lot out there that wants to steal away our attention. We need to utilize the tools we have to help redirect our attention. 

When you put on mindfulness for your class, participate. Join in. Do it. Be mindful.

Try An Inner Explorer to help set your minds on the right, positive, finishing line bound track.

K-1: #160 Choices

2-4: #155 Tricks on the Mind

5-8: #159-160: Positive Outlook and Purpose

I was done with my blog and almost ready to send when I found the following 5 Reason I Stopped Counting Down to Summer Break.

As I read this short post I felt it fit well with our topic. The overall idea is to be present (mindfulness). Be with your students. Give them your full attention. 

I encourage you to take some time to read the short post. It really has me thinking about how present I really am this time of year. I am feeling I need to take some more time to be mindfully present. Summer break will come with or without our count down. Our students need our presence and attention. We need to take time to fill them up before sending them off for the summer.