You may not realize it, but there is a very sophisticated factory in your brain, and it has the ability to help build your resilience … or even destroy it.

I’m going to attempt to explain, in the fastest, simplest terms possible, how that works and why it matters for us both today and for the future. Of course, I am NOT a neuroscientist … although I DO play one on TV.

Just kidding. I only accept acting roles that allow me to dramatize the life and times of the Bee Gees.

Also kidding. I never act. I was, however, an original member of the Bee Gees, just behind little brother Andy Gibb’s guest appearances. I was the 5th Bee Gee—not to be confused with the 5th Beatle, a distinction belonging entirely to Clarence Walker.

Jokes aside, I’ve created a simple visual of this brain process—as I understand it—that you can view here. If you can think of a way that I can make the visual more clear or more in line with Dr. Barrett's research, let me know!

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Please take a few seconds to answer the super brief Better Mind, Better Life Listener Feedback survey. Your feedback will help me to continue improving the Better Mind, Better Life podcast!

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Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

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Despite the fantastical title, this is NOT an episode about an upcoming Harry Potter or other fantasy-related book.

This episode is about resilience, plain and simple. But it is also a peek inside the overlapping space between fantasy and reality, and it starts LONG ago, in ancient times and ancient lands. Be forewarned, though: It takes a minute to wade through the history and separate out the fantasy from reality, but if you'll stick with me for a few minutes, I think it’ll all make sense. And, in the words of one of my favorite 70s childhood cartoons: "If you're not careful, you may learn something before it's done." So let's talk about the alchemy of resilience!

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Please take a few seconds to answer the super brief Better Mind, Better Life Listener Feedback survey. Your feedback will help me to continue improving the Better Mind, Better Life podcast!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

I have a story you NEED to hear. But I also need to warn you: You aren’t going to believe that it’s true. You will feel compelled to research it yourself, to try and “fact-check” it because you’ll say, “No way this really happened. Not a chance.”

So feel free to fact check. Because here’s the bottom line. Life has a way of giving us all a beat-down from time-to-time. And sometimes, life even kicks us AFTER we’re down. And that’s when we have a serious choice to ponder: What should we do next?

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Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

For the past 3 1/2 years, friends have been telling me that I *REALLY* should watch the new Cobra Kai series, so I finally decided to give it a go.

Yeah, the 80s music is awesome, as are the 80s flashbacks, but what REALLY stood out to me are the characters and the important—even critical—life lesson that I was reminded of when watching. To really explore it, I had to dig out another 80s classic, a book that you also likely read years ago! Here's my 10-minute take on the big life lesson from the characters in Cobra Kai.

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Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Question: Is our ability to change, grow, and improve governed by any specific, recognizable laws or principles?

More specifically, are there BIOLOGICAL principles of growth that can at least hint at or even point us to some principles for NON-biological (emotional, mental, spiritual, etc) growth?

I think the answer is "YES!" ... x5, and this episode looks at those five principles!

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Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Happy New Year! Are you ready for the FUTURE? No, not the future that requires 1.21 gigawatts of power and a DeLorean time machine running 88mph. I'm talking about the future you RESOLVE to embrace!

But—and here's the really good part—you can forget about coming up with New Year’s resolutions or even a “word for the year,” because I found a guy even smarter than Doc Brown who has written a few resolutions for everyone and they are 100% supported by science. So synchronize your clocks and let's head to the future!

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Every week on Better Mind, Better Life, I combine insights from psychology, theology, and more into a short-form (5-10 minutes) motivational podcast to give you practical, useful tips that will not just change the way you think, but that will literally change your life.

Never miss an episode and follow Better Mind, Better Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon, Podchaser, and more!

You can also connect with me via

ericwilbanks.com

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing the moment you first learned about:

History is full of iconic, life-altering moments ... and there is one which stands head and shoulders above the rest! That's what this short episode is all about, wrapping up our third and final message in this miniseries on the three "Christmas Angels" mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.

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Thanks so much for listening to Better Mind, Better Life! I genuinely hope this content helps you improve your life in some way. Now it’s your turn to help someone else. Here’s how you can do that. Think of the one person you know who would most benefit from listening to this episode today. Now simply share it with them, and consider including an encouraging note explaining why you sent this episode to them specifically. You never know how that one simple act can help someone else have a better life! And please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW and leave a review. That helps you never miss an episode and it helps me get noticed by others who are searching for new podcasts!

We’re in the midst of a three-part miniseries titled “Close Encounters of the Angelic Kind.” In the previous episode we looked at the first of three angelic encounters mentioned by the Gospel of Luke—all of which are connected to Christmas and the birth of Christ and each with a message that matters just as much today as it did then. In that first encounter, the priest, Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, had a life-changing experience while inside the Temple of Herod.

In this episode, I want to look at the second angelic encounter. But to really understand the message of that angel, we're first going to have to travel back to the beginning of history, to a time that looked very different from today.

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Thanks so much for listening to Better Mind, Better Life! I genuinely hope this content helps you improve your life in some way. Now it’s your turn to help someone else. Here’s how you can do that. Think of the one person you know who would most benefit from listening to this episode today. Now simply share it with them, and consider including an encouraging note explaining why you sent this episode to them specifically. You never know how that one simple act can help someone else have a better life! And please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW and leave a review. That helps you never miss an episode and it helps me get noticed by others who are searching for new podcasts!

In the late 1970's Steven Spielberg introduced the world to a cinematic portrayal of one man's obsession with UFOs. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, electrician Roy Neary (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is prepared to give up his life to pursue the truth about what he saw. The movie is considered a classic in the sci-fi genre and for decades has struck a nerve with those who've encountered things that seem to defy logical explanation. One such encounter happened 2,000 years ago to a priest named Zechariah, and the encounter would not just change his life, but all of history.

In fact, in the Gospel according to Luke, the good doctor mentions three separate encounters with angelic beings that are all critically tied to Christmas and the birth of Christ. And each encounter came with a message that matters just as much today as it did then. In part one of this three-part miniseries, I explore both the incredible encounter with and the powerful message of that special Christmas Angel.

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Thanks so much for listening to Better Mind, Better Life! I genuinely hope this content helps you improve your life in some way. Now it’s your turn to help someone else. Here’s how you can do that. Think of the one person you know who would most benefit from listening to this episode today. Now simply share it with them, and consider including an encouraging note explaining why you sent this episode to them specifically. You never know how that one simple act can help someone else have a better life! And please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW and leave a review. That helps you never miss an episode and it helps me get noticed by others who are searching for new podcasts!

Santa Claus is surely one of the most beloved figures of modern times. But did you know that he was perhaps even more beloved long before he acquired a fur-trimmed red suit, a big round belly, and nine flying reindeer to pull his sleigh?

Believe it or not, the jolly Old St. Nick we know and love today actually took more than 1,600 years to develop!

For many years, one of our family's Christmas traditions has been a retelling of the history behind the colors and symbols of Christmas. Each year we start with the color green and the symbol of the Christmas tree, then we move on to the color red and Santa Claus. Santa really is a fascinating historical tale, one that starts small and then builds and builds and builds! I hope you enjoy learning the story as much as we enjoy rehearsing it each year!

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Here are some additional resources for you that can enrich the history of Santa Claus:

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Thanks so much for listening to Better Mind, Better Life! I genuinely hope this content helps you improve your life in some way. Now it’s your turn to help someone else. Here’s how you can do that. Think of the one person you know who would most benefit from listening to this episode today. Now simply share it with them, and consider including an encouraging note explaining why you sent this episode to them specifically. You never know how that one simple act can help someone else have a better life! And please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW and leave a review. That helps you never miss an episode and it helps me get noticed by others who are searching for new podcasts!