Will Bowen Audio

You’ve heard about the gunfight at the OK Coral, right? The Earps and Clantons squared off in this historic gunfight leaving many of them dead of dying. But, there’s a lot more to this story and in it we can learn a lot about human nature and what I call “Natural Compassion.” You are more compassionate than you know and when you tap into that compassion you just might spare yourself a few verbal gun battles . Get ready to tap into your innate compassion to dodge whatever bullets might come your way today. And, may I ask you a favor? If you got something out of today’s JumpStart, would you please forward it on to someone else? Together, let’s build a community of positivity as we make the world a better place. And, remember to post your questions and comments — I respond to them all.

“If angry, count to 10. If very angry, count to 100.” - Thomas Jefferson Have you noticed that once you become angry about something that it’s very easy to remain angry? In other words, once our switch has flipped to anger, it can be very difficult to turn off that switch because we keep fanning the flames of upset in our minds. Today, let’s consider setting a timer to monitor our anger and then, when the timer is done letting go of whatever is bothering us. It sounds simplistic, but it works. Anger is a mental state and when we give ourselves a timeframe for our anger, we realize that we have a lot more control over how we feel and, more importantly how long something will upset us. Getting angry is normal. But, the duration of our anger is up to us. Starting today, let’s spend less time being angry so we can spend more time being happy. And, may I ask you a favor? If you got something out of today’s JumpStart, would you please forward it on to someone else? Together, let’s build a community of positivity as we make the world a better place. And, remember to post your questions and comments — I respond to them all.

My mom was the queen of cliche’s. “Look before you leap” was one of her favorites and although it bugged me as an impetuous kid, I see great wisdom in her words now. How about you? Do you have a fantasy? Then, my advice is GO FOR IT…. BUT, going for it should also include being VERY clear about what you want — AND, checking it out. When I moved here to Key Largo I had a list of dozens of things that were important to me but…there’s always some you forget (like an NPR station with a strong signal and good cell coverage.) So, if your current fantasy is a new car, new home, new job, new relationship or, like me, a whole new start in life, you’ll find out how to get started in the right way in today’s JumpStart. And do me a favor, will you? If you like today’s Jumpstart would you please share it with just one other person? Thanks.

Ok, I’m still on my Mr. Rogers kick and I’m glad so many of you are commenting on these JumpStarts about this amazing man who came into so many of our lives and taught us we were ok, just the way we are. So, here’s a trivia question for you: What do Mr. Rogers and George Washington have in common? Today’s JumpStart explains something these two men considered absolutely essential to life and it is the reason they are both still loved, admired, and celebrated today. If you aspire to be like Mr. Rogers and/or George Washington you have to have the courage to withstand the highest bidder. What’s the highest bidder? The job that pays you well but is not good for others or the planet. The relationship that offers you company and security but at the cost of your moral integrity. If you want to play big in the world, be like Mr. Rogers and George Washington — have the courage to withstand the highest bidder. And do me a favor, will you? If you like today’s Jumpstart would you please share it with just one other person? Thanks.

Many of you know that I’m going through a divorce right now. Yup. It’s very painful and truly a grieving process (I bounce back and forth through Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s steps in the grieving process on a daily basis). However, the other day one of my neighbors gave me some great advice. As always, life is consciousness. And if we focus on what is upsetting, we stay upset. In her own indelicate way, my neighbor told me to man up by, of all things, “Stop Crying, Wash Your Face, and Put on Some Makeup.” This is good advice for any of us going through a struggle — and aren’t we ALL going through a struggle of one kind or another? Whatever your struggle, I think you’ll find both solace (and possibly a needed kick in the pants) in today’s JumpStart. And do me a favor, will you? If you like today’s Jumpstart would you please share it with just one other person? Thanks.

Sometimes, developing habits that support the life we want to live can be difficult. Especially if you’re a highly functioning person. You want to exercise, meditate, work, be with family and friends and then…well, there’s the dog. Our dogs deserve so much more than just a place to live and food to eat. They need stimulation and lots of play time. So, how do you fit that little additional obligation of playing more with your dog into your schedule? Well, I’ve got a solution and it’s simple and quick and great for you and your dog. Today, let’s talk about Dog Music. And do me a favor, will you? If you like today’s Jumpstart would you please share it with just one other person? Thanks.

What do you do when it seems like you’ve lost everything? When thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears vanish before your eyes? What do you do in those moments? The answer is in today’s JumpStart. And here’s a hint: what did the Commodores and Mr. Rogers have in common? They started over. And no matter where you are or whatever point you are in your life, you can, too. Starting today. And do me a favor, will you? If you like today’s Jumpstart would you please share it with just one other person? Thanks.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I moved to Key Largo and yes, it’s paradise. The thing is: I’ve been so busy with unpacking and work that I’ve yet to just go down and lie by the pool. Not surprisingly, because I’ve been busy and stressed I have had muscle stress in my neck and shoulders that doesn’t seem to go away. I’ve seen chiropractors, massage therapists, done electronic muscle stimulation, and everything I could think of but nothing made the pain diminish. That is, until I shut my phone off and just lay by the pool for an entire day. I did what I called “Going Amish” no electronics for 12 hours. My goal was to relax my mind but what I discovered was that this relaxed my body. Shutting down our minds isn’t just good for us, it’s good for our bodies, it’s good for our life, and it’s good for our success. Today, let’s talk about unplugging so that your brain can relax and rewire. Be sure to post your questions and comments, I always reply to them personally.

I’ve done a couple of previous JumpStarts on cursing because I find it interesting how people use swear words in various cultures. Something I’ve realized recently is that when a person is extremely angry they are likely to curse. We get angry and so we curse. Anger triggers cursing. So, cursing is tied with a feeling of anger. But, I wonder if cursing could also trigger the feeling of anger because the two are so intertwined. For me personally, I am working to eradicate cursing to see if it also elevates my mood. Today, let’s unpack the common practice of cursing and see if there might be some benefit to diminishing the practice. Be sure to post your questions and comments, I always reply to them personally.

The other day I was listening to a person lamenting all the problems in their life when this thought flashed in my mind, “You know, you can’t sell it until you own it.” The hardest part about self-improvement is accepting our flaws--owning those dark and difficult sides of our personality For most of us, our personality is constructed so as to obscure and protect our shortcomings. Unfortunately, until we are aware of our flaws and own them we can’t adopt new strategies to overcome them. It’s like trying to sell something you don’t own. Today, let’s talk about self honesty and understanding our shortcomings so that we can grow beyond them. Be sure to post your questions and comments, I always reply to them personally.