Lisa McDonald

Empowering Women And Men To Get Unstuck, Walk Their Own Path, And Have A Great Life

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12/09/2019 by Lisa McDonald

Are You Operating In Protection or Creation Mode?

Operating in protection mode is vastly different from operating in creation mode. One mode delivers very different results to the other.

Did you know that that the same part of your brain that you use to create your life, is the same part you use to protect yourself? That’s right.

But your brain can’t perform both functions at the same time. So you are either operating in creation mode OR you are operating in protection mode.

Why the brain moves into protection mode

The brain moves into protection mode when it perceives stress. This happens when there is a perceived threat to your existence. That includes any physical threat eg a wild tiger, or someone with a gun. It also includes any threat to your sense of identity or self-image (who you think you are, and are not). Because the mind perceives a threat, the body immediately creates a stress response in the body. It’s preparing for fight or flight.

These stress responses are also elicited when you are faced with making or implementing a big decision, goal or other outcome. For example contemplating how to rebuild your life after divorce. Or deciding on whether having a baby or not is the right path for you. Or setting a goal to earn a million dollars when you’ve only earned $10,000. Each of these situations stirs up our fears, beliefs and sense of self. They strike at the heart of our past, present and future identity.

How humans experience stress differently to animals

Protection - Why humans experience stress differently to animals

In animals, once they are removed from the threat, their body systems return to normal in about 20 minutes. However, humans often accumulate stress. They have the ability to replay the stressful event over and over in the mind. Each time they replay the event, the same stress response is experienced in the body, mind and emotions.

If not addressed or released, that same story will sit within them. It becomes part of where the edge is to their protection and comfort zone. When someone or something causes the old memory to pop up, that same stress response will be triggered. The same pattern can be triggered over and over again – unless addressed and released. Stress affects decision-making and action-taking, and if prolonged, can affect health.

The cost of continuing to avoid stress

Protection - The cost of continuing to avoid stress

If you keep resisting and dodging important decision-making or action-taking, you will create a void within you. Continuing to resist what you know you need to do or want to do will drain your energy, focus, enjoyment and well-being. You’ll also beat yourself up for not living or achieving the things that are most important to you. All of this resistance and self-criticism will prolong the stress cycle, perpetuate operating in protection mode and reduce your ability to actually create the life you want.

If you’re tired of wasting all that time and energy, make a commitment to address your stress and to resolve the issues. Otherwise your brain will keep you stuck in protection mode, which will prevent you from making important decisions, taking action and creating the life that you desire.

If you’d like some help to shift out of protection and into creation mode, so you can make an important decision, achieve a goal or create some other outcome, click here to contact me.

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Filed Under: Goals, Health & Wellbeing, The Whole Baby Thing, Transformation Tagged With: achieving goals, business goals, health and wellbeing, important decisions, life goals, protection, strategic living, strategic planning, stress, The Whole Baby Thing

07/02/2018 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

Are You One of The 36% or 64% of People?

Are you one of the 36% OR one of the 64% of people?  That’ the question I want you to ask yourself today.

It’s February already! And to state the obvious – that’s one month gone of 2018.

That means there’s less than 11 months remaining to achieve any new years resolutions or goals you resolved to achieve in 2018.  Have you converted them into written goals that you’ve started implementing?

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Are You One Of The 36% OR One Of The 64%?If you’re still focused and taking action on your new year’s resolutions, then well done, because that means [Read more…]

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16/02/2017 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

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“What is the ultimate purpose of living …?”

In 2002 Narayanan saw an old man hitting himself out of his own hunger.

On seeing this, he stopped and asked himself:   What is the purpose of my life?  What am I going to do?”

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09/11/2016 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

Rejuvenating Your Ability To Achieve

Having goals and dreams to work towards is important because it helps to give your life passion, purpose and meaning.  They also play an important role in keeping you healthy, happy and satisfied in life.  Conversely, giving up on your goals and dreams diminishes your focus, energy and enthusiasm.

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Achieving goals requires you to have maintain your focus and continue to take action until completion.  That’s why it’s important for you to have goals which inspire and motivate you.  It also requires you to continue pursuing them, even when the inevitable challenges arise. In fact the sooner you embrace the [Read more…]

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01/01/2016 by Lisa McDonald

Happy New Year 2016!

Happy new year 2016

Wishing you all the best for your
growth, achievement
and fulfillment
in 2016

“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.” ~ Og Mandino 

 

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