Last week I had the pleasure of talking to 150 aspiring young leaders, year13 girls who are leaders in their schools. 

I only had 20 minutes.

My goal was to arm them with a few tangible strategies for how to use their minds to thrive, because I wholeheartedly believe that thriving (feeling and being your best) is the #1 thing that influences our ability to lead and be a positive force for good in the world. 

Mostly, I wanted to help them understand why working on their mind is the most important thing they can do, and leave them feeling inspired, interested, and wanting to learn more. 

In preparing for the talk I sat down to write and very quickly had written over 40 pages! 

I've learned so much about the mind, and I find it ALL so fascinating and empowering that my greatest challenge is always honing what I share. 

Preparing for the talk was an awesome, clarifying experience. It helped me sum up my story about why this mind stuff is so interesting to me, and why I care so much about sharing what I've learned with others. 

And, it helped me hone my years of learning into 

The 5 fundamental ways I work with my mind to thrive -

1. BODY + BRAIN : I set myself up for success with sleep, nutrition, and exercise so that managing my mind isn't like pushing a big rock up hill.
2. AWARENESS : I practice the skill of awareness to create distance between me and my thoughts and emotions, so I can see them for what they really are and disarm the power they have over me. 
3. WILLFUL THOUGHTS : I constantly work on turning my automatic thoughts into willful thoughts, so I can leverage the power of neuroplasticity and override my mind's negative tendencies. 
4. LETTING GO : I use breath and relaxation techniques to let go of the things that keep me down - this is like clearing away the clouds, so I can see the sun again.
5. GROWTH : I make growth the meaning of my life, so I can use all of life to learn, grow, and evolve, and continually become a better version of myself. 

I had such wonderful feedback from the talk that I thought I'd record it as a video presentation to share with you. 

Here it is below.

I hope you'll take 20 minutes to watch, and I'd love your feedback - flick me an email to [email protected] and let me know what you think.

I'd love to know what resonated most with you, and what's your biggest takeaway?

What's one way you're going to work with your mind to thrive?

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Nadine xx