Meaningful Mondays - Arrows Out

How to stay Clear, Calm, and in Control- Even in a Noisy World

"Recreational Anxiety feels like motion, but it is just emotion with no direction." And it's silently training our children —and us — to be reactive rather than reflective. Distracted, not discerning. Noisy, instead of noticing.

biPas™ is your internal circuit breaker. It reconnects you to clarity, calmness, courage, and control.

Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill.

Going BIG so that we can go BIG'R. When we go BIG Begin In Gratitude), it allows us to create even big'r "R"ipples

Why aren't you making your own choices?

Do you want to be in more control of yourself each day, each hour, each moment? Would you like to build new neural pathways- mental shortcuts that bypass (biPas™) the reactive brain? “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
—Viktor E. Frankl

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
—William James

How to Rewire Your Brain Before Breakfast

The Belief Switch
Can you imagine living in a world where the only satisfaction you got was from blaming and complaining?

“The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences..."
-- Dr. Rick Hansen

MRI studies show that the more you complain, the more those neural pathways deepen— until your brain defaults to that behavior.
It shrinks your prefrontal cortex—your center for logic, reason, and problem solving. It literally makes you less equipped to find solutions.
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic dopamine production?

"Gratitude opens the heart. Self-belief turns the key."
-- Lee Brower
"Self-belief is gratitude in motion."
-- Lee Brower

Is This a Herpes Moment?

"Communication isn't about what you say. Communication is the response you get."

"Anytime you use something that is 'true' to deceive, mislead, or be self-serving, it is a lie, not the TRUTH."

If people walk away confused, hurt, or misled- even if what we said was technically true- we failed as leaders (communicators).

Stop asking "What Was I Thinking?" and replace it with this...

"A reliable system turns guilt-driven ‘yeses’ into purpose-driven ‘no’s."
- Lee Brower

"Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not."
- Cal Newport, Deep Work.

"94% of all failures are the result of the system."
- W. Edwards Deming

When you say "yes" to something, what are you saying "no" to?

Most interesting birthday. Go BIG'R

“Can I begin this day with the intentionality, confidence, and courage to say no—even to the very important—so that I can accomplish the essential yeses that move me closer to my most meaningful future?”

“This next year doesn’t have to be my best yet…it GETS to be.”

“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard… Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
—Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

"Don’t just look back with gratitude. Look forward with expectant gratitude. Say no to the noise— So you can say 'yes' to what truly matters."

The Greatest Super Power

“The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. You don’t manage people—you model trust, extend it, and grow together."
- Stephen M. R. Covey

“Trust is the one trait that consistently boosts happiness at every age.”
— Research by Utrecht University, 2025

“Trust doesn’t follow leadership. Trust is leadership.”
- Lee Brower

In Th'River, we believe in flow—in letting trust move through us, not just to us.

“What’s the One Word That Separates Good Leaders from Great Ones?”

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.”
- John C. Maxwell

"Did my choices today reveal what I say matters most?"
- Lee Brower

“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
- Stephen R. Covey

"We don't drift into meaning. We don't stumble into legacy. We choose our way there--one moment, one choice at a time."
- Lee Brower

When the Ice is Real but the Emotion is Gone

But here’s the thing—character doesn’t just show up in heroic moments. It shows up in keeping your word… even when it’s inconvenient and even when it is only to you.

Character is the ability to carry out a worthwhile decision once the emotion of making that decision has passed.

Scooters Wall

"A new identity doesn't erase the past. It reclaims the future."
- Lee Brower

"I am not what I used to be, not what I ought to be, and not what I am going to be, but I am thankful I am not what I used to be."
- Coach John Wooden