Most students I work with don't REALLY trust that they have what it takes to write great college essays. But I have never met a student who doesn't have what it takes. I have met students who don't want to do what it takes. But you won't be that student. Because you're here. And you read more than four sentences. What it takes: BREATHING My first tip is: mindful breathing. Actually, that's my only tip. Many students don't trust that tip. Is that all I have to do? No- it's the first thing you have to do. And anyone can do it, because I have a video to guide you, and you have 1 minute. Even if it's 1 minute in the bathroom. I love meditations that almost anyone can do, in a very short period of time, to regulate themselves. Our days are hectic. Though the benefits of meditation increase with hours logged (I think this is true of everything) this 1-minute exercise can be a state-changer (for students and adults). I suggest trying it out before writing or researching college. If you love it, repeat it! If you really love it, tell your parent/s. Youtube: 1 minute breathing meditation, with silent visual guidance. AND! If any part of the college essay writing process spikes your pressures, return here. :) Breathing will be part of your strategy! You'll stand out. :) What it takes: REALISM AND POSITIVITY Your “strategy” should also entail two pillars: realism and positivity. You’ll be well served as a family by intentionally adopting a realistic approach (the cost of college can be…brutal for most? fit is more important thank ranking) and a positive mindset (you want to live a full-on life, in every sense, at whatever college you choose to attend-right?). Add these together So as you breathe in and out, you could try the following affirmations. I don't argue with reality; I have a positive view of my future. Breathing in: I don't argue with reality, I face it. Breathing out: I have a positive view of my future. If those Continue Reading …
focus
Is your heart smarter than your head?
I heart not Stressing Most of us are stressed, and it gets old; our heart sags. (Waiting for your college letters much? That can wreck you-- so don't be wreck-bait.) But somehow you still get cool points for being the most stressed. Even though, somewhere deep inside, you know it ain't right. If you really want to stress yourself out, don’t let me stop you. You're still on the Cortisol Cruise. Go do something more stressful, like trying to keep my toddler from licking all the magnets he fished out from under the fridge. But if you're not so sure you want to feel stressed out all the time, and maybe the hamster wheel is giving you vertigo, read on. The key might be connecting with your own intelligent heart. Heart "Facts" I recently heard (in a long scientific-esque lecture on Le Youtube) that the heart shares a majority of its neurotransmitters with the brain--something like 60%. I don't believe everything I hear. And like most things biological, the picture is probably more complex than that fact alone signals. However, I like this one. In this age of loose facts, when the president decides not only who can vote and who can't, but also whether truth has any business in the executive branch-- I'll cherry-pick my facts. I'll critical think later. I invite you to do the same, just for the duration of this blog post. Because your heart, or so this doctor says... ...perceives 5 seconds faster than da' Brain. (Perceives what? Perceives how? Not sure, but I like where this is heading.). It knows some things first. I've felt this happen. Have you? So why not get in synch with your smarter organ? A heart coherence meditation Here’s a meditation geared for teens, for those moments when you are stressed and just want to come back home. My students love it. (Your parents can and should do it too-- here's a meditation for them.) The meditations take just a few minutes. Call a family meeting to try it out. Or do it by yourself in Continue Reading …
Help, I can’t focus on my college essay!
Why Can't I Focus? Heat's on, application season is coming in like a tidal wave, and you can't focus on your essays. In fact, facing your essays is like facing yourself in the mirror with a bad haircut-- you'd rather look in any other direction. Yet it's practically a commandment: To write requires focus. To write something as important as your college essay requires focus on yourself, the most elusive subject of them all. And it can make you feel like you have an irredeemably bad haircut. Crap! What are you to do? The more you try to focus, the less you can, like trying to untangle a thin chain. And the more you tell yourself you just need to read or do one more thing before you get down to business, the less likely it is the writing is going to happen. Why are we wired this way? Can we do anything about it? Continue Reading …