I have an awesome and beautiful rebroadcast episode for you today from Dr. Elisha Goldstein—founder of the Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles, CA, along with his wife, co-founder Stefanie.

They do incredible work there and this interview was one of the best discussions I’ve had for this show—and it will stop all us distracted, multitasking, text binging, social media addicted modern humans in our tracks and rock our world!

We all know the dangers and drawbacks of hyper-connectivity and distractibility, and our diminishing focus and mindfulness in hectic modern life, but we seem to be collectively shrugging our shoulders, complaining a bit here and there, and carrying on, glued to our devices. My visit with Dr. Goldstein had a deep impact on me, because he explained beautifully how our repeated use of technology gets integrated into habit. We have engaged in “intentional practice and repeated it until it becomes automatic–until it becomes habit.”

We often talk about habit-forming in a positive context, but what about undesirable, stress-producing behaviors that have become habits to our detriment? We know that humans are wired to respond with a dopamine burst to novel stimulation in our environment; in primal times it was a rustling in the bushes, today it’s the ding of text message. Dr. Goldstein explains that he too loves technology and while it can improve our lives in many ways, we have to be mindful and disciplined in our use of technology. In this episode, we discuss the difficulty of transforming to a new way of being because of the powerful force of habits and Dr. Goldstein explains how we can take control and experience more happiness and peace in daily life through three simple steps. Remember, habit retraining requires repetition and endurance.

Dr. Goldstein has written books like Uncovering Happiness, The NOW Effect, Mindfulness Meditation, MSBR Every Day stands for (mindfulness based stress reduction). He operates the Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles with his wife Stefanie. They offer an awesome six-month intensive online Course in Mindful Living with expert guidance and group support. Slow down, relax, and listen carefully to this show.

TIMESTAMPS:

Practicing mindfulness has brought tremendous peace to many who desperately need escape from the stresses of today’s life. [00:43]

We are constantly pulled in many directions. [04:36]

Hyperconnectivity can become a habit and therefore hard to control. [12:17]

If you stop to rest or meditate, you might be inspiring the folks around you to take a break too. [16:08]

Our behaviors are contagious to other people. [19:21]

Learn to take note of when your body is bracing. [24:25]

It is helpful to have some disciplined activity, especially first thing in the morning. [28:35]

Peeling an orange changed Dr. Goldstein’s life. [33:34]

The brain is always on the lookout for issues that can cause problems. [36:04]

Blame is often misdirected when we have uncomfortable emotion. [38:20]

Learn to really pay attention to yourself and others. [41:50]

We are addicted to stimulation. There is surprising power of waiting/boredom. Imagine if you mastered restlessness and anxiety. [46:47]

When you are relaxed, you are more open to inspiration. [51:55]

Learn to forgive yourself for not doing something that you had intended to do. [54:02]

LINKS:

QUOTES:

“All we have to do to create a habit is to intentionally practice and repeat something and it becomes automatic.” – Elisha Goldstein
“The idea that we are separate from each other is an optical delusion of consciousness.” - Albert Einstein
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space and in that space lies our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor Frankel
“A habit is an intentional practice that your repeat until it becomes automatic.” – Brian MacAndrews

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