The Change Agents Podcast With Dr. James Rouse

The three words that continue to give me permission to believe are, "I Love Myself." This isn't about narcissism, this is about potential and possibility that wants to be realized. Today I want to take you through 4 practices/principles to steward us through the New Year.

This is a beautiful time for self-recognition and self-reflection. A time to look back as much as it is a time to look forward. 

Today's message is inspired by Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. Take this message with you into the new year and be a beneficial presence for all around you.

Gandhi said there is more to life than increasing its speed. Now is the perfect time to release the race and embrace a pace of grace.

This is all about the power of oxytocin, as we've talked about before. I want to encourage you to set an intention to realize your potential. Engage in touch, encouragement, laughter, movement active listening, and movement and your self-love will grow as a result.

Have you ever been told you wouldn't succeed if you went for your dreams? Are you ready to set some lofty intentions for 2023? Ask yourself what makes you come alive. Create a level of living and loving that represents your life purpose.

Choose the path that surpasses yourself. Nurture the length and strength of your telomeres through kindness, generosity, conscientiousness, grit, and self-awareness. Let go of pessimism and hostility (unless you want to shorten your lifespan).

Our planet has officially reached a population of 8 billion people, yet loneliness remains exponentially high. Air pollution is increasing our risk of death by 5%, obesity rates continue to climb. Yet there is a solution - and it begins with you and I.

Show the qualities you are made for. Honesty, dignity, endurance, love, freedom, compassion - they are all made for you. You have the choice to be truthful, to endure, to be happy. Choose to be kind. Choose to be gracious.

The power of intention is real. We can bring amazing things to our lives with intention. We can make those intentions become more realized. It's that simple.

This is all about forging a path that speaks to hearts knowing. It is about establishing a connecting and trust with yourself. Pay attention to the good that you do every day. Self-efficacy is one of the most powerful ways to build mental health. 

Napping is a beautiful form of peaceful protest. It helps with hormonal harmony. It helps lengthen and strengthen telomeres. It helps increase collagen production and decrease inflammation. Napping is a great gateway to creativity.

In the United States, the average American consumes 90 grams or more of sugar daily. A study that took place over thirty years investigated the level of sugar consumption that impacts our mental health - that number is 60 grams and above. No wonder mental health is at a crisis point.

Today's message is all about leadership of the heart and having the courage to Be the Change. Here are three practices to help build resilience and courage.

When we feel hopeful we want to do things for reasons bigger than ourselves. Hope can be created through goal setting, mindfulness, and more. Believe that you have the qualifications to be a leader and a pollinator for hope.

Nature helps us re-acquaint ourselves with beauty, grace, and peace. Do a little bit of good in the world today. Make eye contact. Give hugs. Let others know that you SEE them. Giving kindness and love to others helps boost energy - ours and theirs.

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them." - Marcus Aurelius. What does the good life look like for you? Get fixated on what brings you purpose, grace, and joy. Stay connected to what brings you more life.

One of the most powerful practices we can do each day is to look within. What can you control and what can you release control of? Rather than trying to change a person or a situation, reflect on what you can do in response to the situation. 

From Stoic philosophy - This is the very thing that makes up a happy and virtuous life. When we can reduce "the self" versus being a vehicle for the Divine to move through our "selves," we become a vehicle for love.

The power of love is real. Love really does win. Physiologically, physically, emotionally, spiritually - love is the elixir that will lift up everything.  "Love is an adventure and a conquest. It survives and develops, like the universe itself, only by perpetual discovery." ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin