Best Thing You Can Wish For

Between all the memories, obligations, presents, family gatherings, hopes, expectations, responsibilities and promises, this time of the year can feel hectic and stressful. Still, this time of the year that calls for dreaming and wishing good things to each other. As I sat down to write this holiday newsletter, I wondered what would be the best wish for you from me for the upcoming 2015.

Think about it for a minute: in your opinion, what would make the best universal wish to a group of wonderful yet diverse people?

I got the idea for the best wish from the project I’ve been working on. It makes me want to wake up in the morning, to research and read new sources, to reach out to colleagues and friends, and to write. I really believe that this project will change lives of everyone who comes in contact with it, as much as it has changed my life. Here’s my project-inspired wish idea:

I wish you a sense of purpose in everything that you do, be it mundane or epic.

I’m not talking about your life’s Purpose – that’s a separate large conversation. What I mean is the every-day kind of sense of purpose: the feeling that everything you choose to spend your time on has meaning and relevance.

May you feel like every action you take truly matters to you, to someone important to you, or to a cause that is important to you.

Why, of all things, is a sense of purpose, and not health, peace or happiness?

A sense of purpose has been found to positively relate to morale, self-esteem, well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction.

At work, a sense of purpose is a key ingredient for feeling motivated (watch Daniel Pink’s awesome TED talk on the subject).

People who feel a sense of purpose tend to live longer, havebetter protection against the risk of Alzheimer’s, and reduced possibility of  mild cognitive impairment. I believe it is important to encourage children to understand and experience a sense of purpose from early age.

I’ve been working on developing a 3-day retreat on Intuition & Decision-Making, held at Garrison Institute (1 hr from NYC) on May 1-3, 2015, with the goal of helping analytical people understand and use their intuition.

This project means a lot to me, and I would like to find a way to have it mean something to you as well. Please tell me what would make you want to dive into it with me. We’ll talk neuroscience, not psychic energy. We’ll discuss intuition in the context of business strategy, as outlined by Columbia University’s Professor William Duggan; we’ll explore the science behind the way our brain processes thoughts and feelings, including “aha” moments, as per neuroscientist Robert Burton; we’ll look at the latest academic peer-reviewed studies on using intuition in business and relationships.

Here’s my take on intuition for analytical people: intuitive information is simply information. Its accuracy or lack thereof is the same as that of information that we receive through more traditional means. The trick is not only to learn to fetch intuitive information, but also to learn to filter it for accuracy, much like we do with other information. In this respect, intuition is a great tool for analytical people: it provides additional information that can be processed consciously and logically.

wo informational Q&A calls about Intuition & Decision-Making retreat are scheduled for Wed., Jan. 7th, 9-10 p.m. EST, and Thu., Jan. 8th, 12-1 p.m. EST.

To RSVP, please email IntuitionRetreat@gmail.com with your preferred date/time. If you RSVP, the recording of the call will be emailed to you, even if you can’t make the call. Otherwise, you can just dial in at the times above. Dial-in number: (605) 562-0020, Meeting ID: 645-004-267 .

Early bird registration has already begun, and will be open until January 1st, 2015 (if you show up for the Q&A call and register within 24 hours, we’ll honor the early bird registration pricing), and we’ve added money-saving codes for those of you who are coming with friends. It may seem like May 2015  a long time away, but it can take time  to plan a 3-day weekend away from everything.

 In 2015, may you always feel like you’re doing what matters. Please, let me know how I can support you in this, as I hope you’ll support me. 

Your time and attention as you read this newsletter matters to me. Thank you, from the depth of my heart.