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Zen Benefiel
This Personal Journey comes from an episode of the podcast One World in a New World which aired on November ninth, 2021.
Zen Benefiel is a Featured Author at BIZCATALYST 360Ā° and the podcast host.
Melissa Hughes Ph.D. is State Program Director at Give Back, published author, TEDx Speaker, self-claimed Neuroscience Geek,
and contributor at BIZCATALYST 360Ā°.
Zen Benefiel (ZB) hosts the podcast, and his guest Dr. Melissa Hughes Ph.D. (MH) share a conversation about our brains,Ā connections, mirror neurons, why positive focus is critical, the science of empathy and awe, and how humans differ from potato bugs.
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MH: We have a sense of empathy. We know what it feels like for somebody else having a terrible, horrible day. Because of sensing that empathy, Iām generating those stress hormones in their brain. So, knowing Iām responsible for negative neurochemistry in somebody elseās brain, we share the human connection. When you make eye contact with somebody whoās smiling at you, itās impossible not to smile back. Thatās our mirror neurons at work. When we pass each other, smile, and make eye contact, your brain is going to produce those good, happy chemicals in my brain. That empathy is part of what separates us from potato bugs and other life forms.
Iāll give you 3 practical strategies. One, what you communicate on the outside of your body impacts what happens on the inside of somebody elseās body. Two, diaphragmatic breathing is the best way to tell your body Iām OK. Today we donāt have to be on the lookout for the saber tooth tiger, but there are times when our survival brain is engaged when it doesnāt have to be.
ZB: I include putting your fingertips together, feeling your heartbeat. It calms you, and gets you out of your head, and into your heart.
MH: The third thing is so simple itās often forgotten and thatās gratitude. When we express gratitude to another human being, we get a greater neurological benefit from that than the recipient of that gratitude.
ZB: Thatās the essence of namaste!
MH: Absolutely! So, challenge yourself every Friday, or whatever the end of your workweek is, get a thank you card. It could be for a coworker, a neighbor, doesnāt matter. Sit down, write it out, tell them why you appreciate them. What it does is reinforce why their action was meaningful to you!
ZB: We engage in this kind of behavior that you can use over and over, and it will take you to some unimaginable heights!
MH: I get that not everybody cares about whatās going on between their ears the way I do. But when you really understand these things, and what a profound impact it has on your cognition, you know that it influences everything.
ZB: From a quantum physics perspective, in this physicality weāre 99% space, soā¦perhaps thereās a greater consciousness thatās in that space thatās managing things just looking for opportunity to show up in our lives.
MH: Thereās been a lot of work done in science right now on the concept of awe, and why we need to experience the awesome things in the world. There are two ways to look at it, being so small in this universe that is so amazing, so vast, with so many unknowns.
On one hand you can say Iām so small I canāt make a difference. But on the other hand, it makes us realize how amazing life is, and how amazing our brains are, how amazing our relationships and how important it is to embrace that human connection, even if itās just a blip on the screen of our day. You never know how important itās going to be for that other person.
Everybodyās fighting a battle you know nothing about. Remember that. A random smile can be the difference in another personās day. John Lubbock summed this up in a quote: Pay attention to what you pay attention to! We find mostly what weāre looking for. If you pay attention to all the negative people, places, and things, then youāre going to find negative people, places, and things! Pay attention to the positive people, places, and things, and thatās what youāre going to find. A brain is a busy place.
ZB: On our honeymoon in Cancun, we were in Tulum, near Chichen Itza, and we weāre talking about self-awareness and all the indicators of it. We were going down a jungle road, and in a clearing were two signsā in English! They said, āobserve your intentionsā and āobserve your distractions.ā
MH: I really like that. We need to be smarter than our brains sometimes.
ZB: Itās all about sharing different perspectives, realizing weāre saying the same things from different perspectives.
Thank you so much, Melissa, I appreciate your time and your attention and your intention and the interaction, itās been very special thank you, namaste!
MH: Zen, it was a pleasure.
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B_r_u_c_e_ _āZ_e_n_ā _B_e_n_e_f_i_e_l_ _ā _B_r_i_e_f_ _B_i_o_ _
Zen is a renaissance man with a new millennial mindset ā one toward harmony among people and planet.
Adopted young, his quest for truth and understanding began early in life. His father, a Master Mason/Tool and
Die Maker and mother, an English teacher; they encouraged his academic and athletic development as well as
core ethics, morals, values, and un-conditional love.
Adoption brought questions that led deep into his psyche and the exploration of self over his lifetime; an ever-
present ob-server in his life. His life was full of conundrums and enigmas across dimensions/other worlds.
A unique NDE/spiritual awakening in college on 11/11/1975 set the stage for his life. Leaving college, married
at 21, fathered four, then divorcing after 10 years created an opening for a re-union with self. Trials and
tribulations in life were noted by a āvoiceā in the NDE as a consistent companion. Twice, everything was ripped
away.
Undaunted, he soon hosted One World TV show. He earned an MBA and Secondary Teaching certification
then taught for a decade, afterward he crafted a school/village concept during his MAOM program. Now a
certified life coach and pre-construction partnering facilitator, he also put web skills on the market. He hosted
and co-hosted 2 Small Biz Guys talk radio show, and now hosts One World in a New World.
Balancing responsibilities with passion and purpose; professional opportunities continued in various
industries, including facilitating environmental and social activist groups in Arizona. He worked on his
passions; building websites, playing music, writing books and generating conver-sations that matter,
apocalyptic chats if you will.
Businesses he owns include Transformational Coaching, Planck Social Media Agency LLC, Team Partnering LLC
and United We Stand Productions LLC.
Books on Amazon invite readers into other worlds, offer practical wisdom and interviews with a renowned
host and a presentation (IANDS 2010) challenge the status quo of many current philosophies.
He resides in Arizona with his wife, Luba, a Kundalini yoga teacher and conservatory-trained pianist from St.
Petersburg, Russia. Life is ONEderful now.
Primary Website: ZenBenefiel.com
Social Links: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Quora, Medium, Twitter, YouTube
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