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Do you want to be more kind in your life but are not sure how to do it?As you know if you have been listening to this series, kindness is a muscle, that you can grow, that become a default behavior of yours , can become a new neuropathway.In this episode, the third in our series on Building Kindness as a Superpower, we look at the key to unlocking kindness so that we can have the kind of life, relationship and impact on the world we want to have.Let’s walk! “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person’s life sorrow and suffering enough, to disarm all hostility.”U.S. poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”Dalai Lama“Any man could, if he were so inclined, be the sculptor of his own brain.”Nobel Laureate and the father of NeuroscienceSantiago Ramón y Cajal “Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.”Eric Hoffer

Do you sometimes wish you could be more patient? Less reactive? More kind to others or yourself?Well, kindness is not something immutable to change. You can build it, like a muscle, you can grow it so that it becomes one of your superpowers.In this episode, the second in our series on Building Kindness as a Superpower, we look at the science of kindness and how it can help you as you grow your career and relationships and improve your lifeLet’s walk!“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”The 14th Dalai Lama“Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves.”Wes Angelozzi

Are you feeling anxious or stressed about the approaching US election? Worried about what the outcome will mean or how people will react afterward? If so, you are not alone.Many of us are feeling a mix of worry and rumination and maybe even helplessness as Nov. 3rd approaches.With the election upon us, now seems an appropriate time to have a 3-part episode on kindness. We will cover both the science of kindness and the practice of kindness; for ourselves and for others. In this episode, we look at the barriers to kindness. Let’s walk!"Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”Franklin D. Roosevelt"An empty stomach is not a good adviser.”Albert Einstein"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."Mark Twain"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."Ralph Waldo Emerson“To get The Science of Goal Setting to Build a Better Life Worksheet where you can have full access to all of the questions and exercises found in this series, please go to Last 8% Project Facebook group, which can be found here: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:d0109634-9849-433b-9cf7-d88957ff5bb6

Do you get overwhelmed and sometimes stop when facing Last 8% decisions, conversations or situations? Do you wish you were a bit more resilient in the face of setbacks? In today’s session, we strengthen our identity statement to build resilience so that we can stay strong even when we grow tired as we face our challenging moments.We'd love to hear from you: here's a link to our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDVG53J.If you liked today’s session, review us on Apple podcasts!Each Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. on the Last 8% Project Facebook group, JP and his business partner Bill Benjamin go live to discuss resources and answer questions from the community. If you want to download the Last 8% Morning worksheet where you can build your Last 8% plan, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelast8project/. Music by @nop on CC Mixter, http://beta.ccmixter.org/people/Lancefield. Producer: Brigitte Pawliw-Fry ____In a very short time, we are working from home, or we have lost our job, or are home schooling our kids, feeling the effects of isolating alone or possibly being with others in cramped quarters.If this isn’t bad enough on its own, we are also facing the virus of fear that comes with uncertainty. Are things going to get worse? Are our loved ones going to be OK? Is it OK to end social distancing now? How long can we keep this up? These strong emotions make it difficult to form an effective response when we face the difficult decisions and conversations in front of us.# Emotional Intelligence # Strategies # Get Disciplined # Get Motivated # Mindfulness # Self-Help 

Are you struggling spending so much time on your own during COVID-19? Are you feeling strong emotions or irritable or lethargic? In this session JP offers a three-point-plan to help you cope more effectively with social isolation. We'd love to hear from you! Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelast8project/. Music by @nop on CC Mixter, http://beta.ccmixter.org/people/Lancefield. In a very short time, we are working from home, or we have lost our job, or are home schooling our kids, feeling the effects of isolating alone or possibly being with others in cramped quarters.If this isn’t bad enough on its own, we are also facing the virus of fear that comes with uncertainty. Are things going to get worse? Are our loved ones going to be OK? Is it OK to end social distancing now? How long can we keep this up? These strong emotions make it difficult to form an effective response when we face the difficult decisions and conversations in front of us.# Emotional Intelligence # Strategies # Get Disciplined # Get Motivated # Mindfulness # Self-Help 

Are you feeling exhausted? Not able to feel much joy or pleasure? A bit cynical? If so, these are the telltale signs of burn out and it's no wonder, given the political and economic uncertainty upon us, all in the middle of a pandemic. It can be a lot. But know you can do something about it. In this episode we explore what the four drivers of burn out are and how you can use this insight to manage how you are feeling more effectively. Let's walk!

Holidays can be some of the more challenging times we face in the year.We are with people who can sometimes trigger us. Or, we are feeling lonely and alone. Or tired and reactive.This holiday season might be a particularly challenging one because of the pandemic.In this episode, we describe 3 strategies to deal with the challenges you might face this year so this time of year is a little more bearable and enjoyable.Let’s walk!“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.”Stephen Hawking“Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.”Thomas Merton"One of the secrets of inner peace is the practice of compassion.”Dalai LamaJoin the Last 8% Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelast8project

It has been a challenging year. We have done our best to manage the uncertainty, ups and down, turmoil and loneliness. Today, we look back and review 2020 and decide on a word of the year.Curious to know what it is? Let’s walk!If you want to guess what the word of the year is before you hear the podcast, go to Facebook group, Last 8% Project, and take a guess!https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelast8project/permalink/2844206585865121/?comment_id=2844226095863170"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."Marcus Aurelius "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are you finding that you are spending too much time on your phone? Surfing news sites and social media to your detriment? Looking for a powerful approach to changing this habit? Enter our 5 Minute Book Club series!Instead of filling every vacant moment, whether going to  the bathroom first in the morning, or waiting for the kettle to bowl, with useless, mind numbing scrolling,  grab the book we are studying  and engage in our 5 Minute Book Club. Today, in the second episode of our series, we explore how to work with fear, examining the work of Pema Chodron and her great book, When Things Fall Apart.It is a fantastic book that I am getting a lot out of. I hope you are to!Let’s walk!“No one ever tells us to stop running away from fear...the advice we usually get is to sweeten it up, smooth it over, take a pill, or distract ourselves, but by all means make it go away. "Pema Chodron“Once there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear. She didn’t want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly. But the teacher said she had to do it and gave her the instructions for the battle. The day arrived. The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons. The young warrior roused herself and went toward fear, prostrated three times, and asked, "May I have permission to go into battle with you?" Fear said, "Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission." Then the young warrior said, "How can I defeat you?" Fear replied, "My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face. Then you get completely unnerved, and you do whatever I say. If you don’t do what I tell you, I have no power. You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me. You can even be convinced by me. But if you don’t do what I say, I have no power." In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear. ”Pema Chodron “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt 

Are you seeing others struggle with the amount of uncertainty and change going on? Do you want to help but are not sure where to start?In this episode, we describe the three things you can do to start helping others manage uncertainty. Three things to you lead more effectively.Let's walk!“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.”Thomas Paine"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."Winston S. Churchill“People make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”Harry S. Truman"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."Ralph Waldo Emerson

In today’s episode, the fifth in our Managing Uncertainty series, we look at a tool to help us be strong and powerful amidst change and uncertainty. It is called the ETA tool and it brings together mindfulness and lovingkindness as a powerful way to build an internal refuge to manage uncertainty more effectively. Let’s Walk!  “Painful feelings are, by their very nature, temporary. They will weaken over time as long as we don’t prolong or amplify them through resistance or avoidance. The only way to eventually free ourselves from debilitating pain, therefore, is to be with it as it is. The only way out is through.”Kristin Neff “You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”Louise L. Hay “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” Christopher K. Germer

With everything going on politically, economically, with the pandemic, within your organization, maybe with your family, are you feeling a bit overwhelmed? Do you wish you had more insight and tools to better deal with these uncertain times?In today’s episode, the fourth in of our Managing Uncertainty series, we look at one of the critical tools we need to develop to manage uncertainty more effectively. Let’s Walk! “The task we must set for ourselves is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity.”Erich From, German social psychologist “It is an act of courage to acknowledge our own uncertainty and sit with it for a while.”Psychologist Harriet Lerner “We might feel that somehow we should try to eradicate these [8] feelings of pleasure and pain, loss and gain, praise and blame, fear and disgrace. A more practical approach would be to get to know them, see how they hook us, see how they color our perception of realty, see how they are aren’t all that solid. Then these eight challenges become the means for growing wiser as well as kinder and more content.”Pema Chodron

Are you feeling disrupted by the amount of uncertainty and change in your life? Is it affecting your work performance or your happiness?In today’s episode, the third in our Managing Uncertainty series, we take a deeper look at anger and blame, another habitual way we react to uncertainty, one that doesn’t serve us very well.Let’s Walk!“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”Bertrand Russell

Are the you feeling the effects of uncertainty?In today’s episode, the second in our Managing Uncertainty series, we take a deeper look at worry. Why do we worry? Does it serve us? If you are prone to worry, you won’t want to miss this episode.Let’s Walk! Gabrielle Bernstein"Fear is often our immediate response to uncertainty. There’s nothing wrong with experiencing fear. The key is not to get stuck in it."Eckhart Tolle  “If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity.” 

Do you get overwhelmed by the amount of uncertainty in the world today? Whether politically, or with the economy, the pandemic, within your organization, or with your family? Do you wish you had more insight and tools to better deal with these uncertain times we are living in? In today’s episode, the beginning of our Managing Uncertainty series, Part 1 we take a deeper look at uncertainty, which is the first step to managing it effectively.  Let’s Walk! “Looking deeper, we could say that the real cause of suffering is not being able to tolerate uncertainty—and thinking that it’s perfectly sane, perfectly normal, to deny the fundamental groundlessness of being human.”Pema Chödrön "Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.”  Pema Chödrön

It is simply true that during this pandemic, in our organizations, or in our personal life, we will face Last 8% situations, those more difficult situations than what we normally face. Do you wish you had tools to better deal with these more difficult situations?  In today’s session, we  use our identity statement to help us when we face our more challenging moments, our Last 8% sitations.Let’s walk!  “The best way out is always through.”Robert Frost  “Act as if what you do makes a difference. Because It does.”William James

In today’s episode, do you sometimes find yourself restless, feeling a lack of ease, maybe even a little fearful and Not sure how to deal with it? The fact is that we are not very skilled at being uncomfortable. And it leaves us with more, not less suffering. If this episode, we describe How to be more effective at being uncomfortable. This is part 1 of our 5 MINUTE BOOK CLUB series that will appear every now and then in our podcast. We are reading: Pema Chödrön's, What To Do When Things Fall Apart Today we will describe a different way to being with our discomfort so that we can live with more ease and grace upon the life.Let’s walk!  “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”Seneca “nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know, she wrote.…nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. maybe the only enemy is that we don’t like the way reality is now, and therefore wish it would go away fast. but what we find is that nothing ever goes away, until it has taught us what we need to know. if we run a hundred miles an hour, to the other end of the continent, in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. it just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn, whatever it has to teach us, about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down, instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves.”Pema Chödrön “When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised, to find, it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on, to scare away the timid adventurers.”Ralph Waldo Emerson “When we protect ourselves so we won't feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of the heart.”Pema Chödrön

Do you sometimes find yourself on your phone, in a trance-like state, on auto-pilot, scrolling, ruminating and lost in thought? Are you finding that you often run out of time during the day? That there is simply not enough hours in the day to do everything you want? Are you a bit feeling burned out? Not at your best? If this episode, we describe how you can gain an extra hour a day by not doing very much; a plan that will help improve your mental health and your learning all at the same time.Let’s walk! “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.”Jon Kabat-Zinn “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”Jon Kabat-Zinn “Long ago you may have given up control of your brain and set it on autopilot because it just felt like too much work. Well, it is work! But for me, this work was well worth it for the prospect of not waking up sad every day.” Chris Hardwick “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this episode, have you made the decision to make kindness a superpower, but have also come to realize that it will take some work on your part? Today, we engage in the ‘the work’, the internal practice of building kindness so that it becomes a foundation for transforming our lives with more kindness. Let’s walk!  “Love expands us, connects us, sweetens us, ennobles us. Love springs up in tender concern, it blossoms into caring action. It makes beauty out of all we touch. In any moment we can step beyond our small self and embrace each other as beloved parts of a whole.”Jack Kornfield “With mindfulness, loving kindness, and self-compassion, we can begin to let go of our expectations about how life and those we love should be.”Sharon Salzberg “The budstands for all things,even for those things that don’t flower,for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;   though sometimes it is necessaryto reteach a thing its loveliness,to put a hand on its browof the flowerand retell it in words and in touchit is lovelyuntil it flowers again from within, of self-blessing.”Galway Kinnell

Are you finding that you are falling back to not being as kind as you would like? Especially under pressure? Today, we build the internal practice of kindness so that we can make the kindness neuropathway in our brain more robust, more powerful so that kindness becomes easier for us to access even in our more challenging moments. Let walk! “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."Henry James  "I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’Albert Einstein “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”Saint Basil