Our beliefs have the power to change the flow of events in the universe -- literally to interrupt and redirect time, matter, and space, and the events that occur within them. Gregg Braden.

Fear not, Mixonian Institute is not conducting its own scientific research. We only report on trusted sources of research to share practical results that help you live a richer life. Today the focus is on beliefs, which form the fundamental programming of the life you are currently living. Change your beliefs, change your life, only it's almost impossible to detect your own unhelpful beliefs without a strong intention to question yourself. Read more »

Early last week I got a desperate text from my youngest child. It read "I don't want to" 8 times and "I'm afraid of the ball." (Lacrosse balls are hard!) She was referring to the lacrosse try-outs that were scheduled for that day. She's in 8th grade and was trying out for the high school junior varsity team. So, a bit intimidating for her. However, reading her message, I got a vivid flashback from her at age 8, crying the exact same words right before a violin performance. It was deja vu and I knew she wasn't just afraid of the ball, it was performance anxiety. It was a repeat of an old pattern. Easy to see this in other people....hard to see it in yourself. Your brain doesn't want you to make it change paradigms or think bigger. Read more »

You've heard that everything is energy. I don't get the science that well but it is clear that feeling higher energy makes you attractive, or even magnetic, while negative energy brings you, and everyone around you, down. People are always asking me how I stay so positive or how do I keep my energy so high. One big factor is that I sleep well at night. Here are 9 things to keep the winds in your sails, so you keep moving forward. (Remember it's a process, Aristotle said excellence was the sum total of your habits, not a one-time event.) Read more »

Interested in making more money? Making the world a better place? The way to do both of these is adding more value to more people. Add 1% more value each day and then at the end of 70 days you'll be providing double the value! Feel free to do the math.  Simple and not too difficult, but it definitely requires effort. Here's a list to get you started. Choose 1 for today and see what happens.

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"It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcome the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human."  Seth Godin

Today was the first day of a huge project. Quite a profitable and strategic project. Nevertheless, a project that doesn't feel very much like art.....I wonder if Van Gogh would have been encouraged with money from a side gig painting houses, or taking commissions just for the money. Did Picasso ever paint just for the money? It's said he was a marketing genius. Does your workplace ever feel like a red light should be hanging by the door? (Meaning the work involves going through the motions and doesn't feel creative.) Here are some thoughts on the matter. Read more »

All right, already. This 7-page goal-setting template for 2012 is for all of you who are (finally) getting around to setting goals for this year. No worries! It's never too late. Goals provide you with a blueprint for making decisions that will help you create the life you desire, which probably looks a lot like your life right now. It's upleveling your impact and your experience. (I've already changed some of my goals 3 times already - the point is CLARITY!)

To download just click below where it says "1 attachment."

Here is a 2-page study guide created from the talk "Positive Thinking, Positive Profits" based on leading success research. Enjoy!

Successful leaders establish their persona not by describing their attributes and values to us, but by simply living them." Frank Luntz

Expecting other people, degrees or events to deliver your happiness in response to what you say or do is as effective as burning a book when you don't like what it expresses, instead of going to talk to the author of the book. It's like hitting the movie screen when you don't like the movie. Read more »

Regardless of the sport or profession, people hire coaches and trainers to improve their performance. Duh. In the world of business, wealth creation, or even the arts, more performance usually means bigger impact on the community or tribe being served. You know you're only using a small part of your brain, what's more challenging to figure out is how to use more of your own potential for achievement. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, whatever level of thinking that got you where you are today, you can never move forward unless you think at a higher level. One way to do this is to ask probing questions (and answer them!)

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One quarter of an inch. Yesterday I watched Christina and Clara's tennis class and the coach told Christina she needed to change the angle of her racquet by one quarter of an inch (or a couple of millimeters.) Tiny change, big impact. You usually see difference between success and failure in a myriad of small details. Applying this to your language, you can make small changes in your vocabulary for a much bigger impact. It's still true that how you say something, who says it, how the sayer dresses are all important, but the words themselves are tools. Below I'm sharing a sneaky word that looks almost noble, but it's usually a total energy drain. Read more »