Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Linda Culotta, Mortgage Loan Officer
New Construction/Renovation Loan Specialist
When researching ways to find my purpose in accordance with the Blue Zone’s Project’s findings discussed in my past articles, I came across a book written by Steve Chandler, author of “100 Ways to Motivate Yourself” and also “Reinventing Yourself.” He brings to light many factors that make us tick.
I’d like to share with you some passages from his book “Get Up On The Right Side.” I hope you’ll benefit from this information as much as I have. Keep in mind that having purpose in your life has been documented (Power of Nine according to the Blue Zones Project), to give you seven more years of longevity.
Steven Chandler wrote, “Since I was a child, I’ve always been intrigued with the idea that you could have a great day just by getting up on the right side of the bed. Later in life, during my years as a largely unsuccessful songwriter, one of the few successes I had was with a country rock song that I co-wrote with Fred Knipe and Duncan Stitt. It was called ‘The Right Side of the Wrong Bed.’ Today, my fascination is not so much with the right side of the bed as it is with the right side of the head-or to be more precise, the right side of the brain.”
The best explanation of how “whole-brain” thinking surpasses left-brain or right brain thinking is explained in a book written by British philosopher Colin Wilson called, “Frankenstein’s Castle.” Wilson reveals that we have more control over drawing vital energy and creative ideas from the right side than we ever realized. And what stimulates the right brain the most is a high sense of purpose.
If you had to carry a heavy sack of sand across town, your left brain might get upset and tell you that you were doing something boring and tedious. However, if your child were badly injured and she weighed the same as that bag of sand, you’d carry her the same distance to the hospital with a surprising surge of vital energy (sent from the right brain).
That’s what purpose does to the brain. Self- motivation gets more exciting as the left brain gets better at telling the right brain what to do.
So the question might be, how do I allow my whole brain to play? Steven Chandler states, “The three best ways to activate whole-brain thinking are through 1) goal-visualization, 2) joyful work, and 3) revitalizing play. Rather than wait for the external crises to appear, create internal challenge games of your own-goals and purposes that lead you in growth toward the motivated person you want to become.”
If you would like to share your purpose, and how you may have reinvented yourself, please send me an email or give a call. May your life be filled with the joy of having a purpose, filled with goals, joy and play!
About the author:
Linda Culotta is a mortgage loan originator with Lake Michigan Credit Union of Florida’s Collier branch, and is committed to improving the financial wellbeing of her clients. For more information about LMCU-Florida’s involvement with the Blue Zones Project®, or for questions concerning mortgage financing and lending products, contact Linda at (239) 908-5860. Or send her an email – linda.culotta@lmcu.org.