Optimizing Peak Mental Performance Through Deliberate Rest

The most creative geniuses and the most elite professional athletes have one thing in common. They are intentional in their focus, but also know when to relax their intention. They allow the power of their subconscious to take over. That power is what allows them to come up with new, innovative solutions to the challenges that lie ahead, whether it’s in the boardroom or on the field.

Peak mental performance requires deliberate, restful and yet active breaks. It optimizes your creativity by engaging the subconscious part of your brain. If you commit to making intentional rest as much a priority as conscious effort, you’ll get more done in your day. You will also be able to solve the greatest challenges that you’re facing, without breaking a sweat.

Mental Awareness

When you practice long-term mental awareness, you actually create more time in your day. According to psychological studies*, people who multitask and rush through their activities make more costly mistakes. Fixing those mistakes costs time and energy, and can be depleting in itself. For professional athletes, the mistakes may also lead to injury which takes precious time and energy to heal from. Teams also run the risk of losing when they lack mental awareness. However, if you practice long-term mental awareness, you learn to focus intently on the tasks or challenges at hand. This makes you more efficient than ever before, opening up greater space in your schedule and more clarity in your mind.

Sustainable Creativity

Allow yourself to daydream. Daydreaming is a way for your mind to wander and come up with ideal solution to problems at hand. Even if you choose not to spend your restful break in a daydream, deliberate restful breaks also allow your sub-conscious, creative, uncontrolled mind the freedom to explore different connections that your conscious mind may not have considered. While some people think that “taking a break” means sacrificing work time, new insights are created, even when our conscious minds are at rest. 

Active Rest

By taking deliberate breaks, we give our conscious minds a rest and allow our sub-conscious minds to explore new possibilities we wouldn’t have otherwise considered. When you take a restful break, try to be physically active in some capacity. A restorative exercise, like yoga, martial arts, or even just going for a walk, can sustain your body’s momentum and avoid sluggish rest. Also refrain from surfing the net or using your phone, since such activities still require much of conscious mind.

Schedule It

Be intentional about scheduling frequent breaks throughout your day. Discover which intervals work for you, whether it’s taking a five-minute break every twenty minutes or a half-hour break every two hours. Give yourself the gift of time and space, to do things you enjoy. This way, you will avoid getting burned out on the tasks or challenges ahead, and you’ll be able to let that hidden, creative, subconscious part of your mind roam free.

I hope this article inspires you to start taking intentional breaks! If you’d like to learn more about how to relax your intention, and refocus your energy so that you can achieve an elite level of success in your life, visit my website for more information or reach out to me directly!

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References: American Psychological Association. Multitasking: Switching costs. http://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask.aspx 

What It Means To Be In Service To Others

Everything in life is about giving and receiving, about gracious acceptance of the world’s bounty and the giving of yourself to others who will benefit from your unique, irreplaceable talents. One of the things I try to teach everyone who comes to me for guidance is how important it is to not only be grateful for the innumerable gifts the universe has given you, but to also recognize the integral role you play in the universe.

As John Donne and Thomas Merton have said, no man or woman is an island. We are all deeply interconnected and rely upon one another for support, acceptance, validation, and above all else- love. For that reason, the intentions you have within your heart have a ripple effect on others; they can either help or hurt. To truly be in service to others means to look inward and recognize what kind of energy you’re putting forth and recalibrate yourself so that the impact you have on others creates the kind of change you want to see in the world.

Being in service to others also means being in service to yourself. Don’t think that I’m asking you to constantly give, because that will quickly leave you exhausted of all your energy. Serving others requires you to refill your well, to feed yourself so that you may have the energy and balance to give back to the people who will best receive your wonderful gift. Sharing and receiving are part of a delicate balance- it is truly a win-win situation. If you’re feeling depleted, then you must take a step back from serving in order to mindfully reassess the situation and refill your well. My video on Why Sharing Is Better Than Giving is all about this. Follow my Youtube channel for more videos about to ground yourself.

Similarly, being in service means compromise or meeting in the middle. Participate in giving from a place of true empowerment and confidence in yourself. You cannot take responsibility for others unless you take responsibility for you. This is what is truly inspiring to others who look to you for lessons on how to be.

By serving others, you will lead by example by leading with your heart. By serving others, you will not only attract people with that same positive vibration, you will also enter into a state of love rather than depression, lack, or scarcity. All of us stem from the same energy source, and through this powerful, unbreakable connection, we can grow together. This is this true meaning of service, to learn and evolve our collective energy into something that creates the positive change we all want to see in the world.

My Youtube channel is full of weekly lessons on how to mindfully approach the world,so that you can share your greatest gifts with others and receive all the universe has to offer. Follow me today to get started on this journey to wholeness.

Rock A Bye Baby

Have you ever noticed how quickly a child falls asleep? You pick them up, hold them close, and gently rock them and a short time later they are fast asleep. Don’t you wish sleep could come that easy for you? But, with the stress of work, finances, interpersonal relationships, etc climbing into bed tends to be the place where our minds are the most active. But, it doesn’t have to be that way!

New research out of Geneva, Switzerland shows that gentle rocking can also be beneficial to adults as they prepare for rest. Just think about it. Have you ever been in a hammock, a rocking chair, or drifting around on a raft in a pool and found the gentle swaying motion soothing enough to put you to sleep? The same principle was applied in this study, which involved subjects taking two 45 minute naps, one on a stationary bed and the second on a bed that mimics the motion of rocking. The study concluded that people fall asleep much faster when gently rocked and also move more quickly between Stage 1 and Stage 2 of sleep (the stage where you are less likely to be awakened by external actions and sounds). So, what does this all mean? 

It means that a gentle rocking motion allows your brain to synchronize for sleep much quicker, fall asleep faster, and possibly have a longer, more restful sleep. But, don’t throw away your bed and go buy a hammock just yet! Try employing your imagination. It is an effective tool that doesn’t cost a thing and can be employed immediately! When you go to bed this evening, try visualizing yourself swaying in that hammock or lazily drifting in that raft. Try to engage all of your senses, hear the waves, smell the salt breeze, feel the sun on your body, etc. This method has proven extremely effective for relaxation and in freeing the mind enough to fall asleep. 

Still having trouble? Sometimes the everyday pressures of life don’t allow us to turn our mind off, which hampers the sleep process. And some people may find the act of visualization challenging. Reach out and we can discuss some of the blockages that may be hindering your rest and get you on the path to good night’s sleep. Sweet dreams, from Amy D the Spiritual Entrepreneur and Peak Performance Expert.

Alter Your Reality to Benefit YOU

"Whatever you can dream, you can do." You've heard this statement before, but did you know it that it’s an actual fact about the universe? Each of us has the power to alter reality through our thoughts.

History's brightest geniuses, from Steve Jobs to Henry Ford to Martin Luther King Jr., have changed the course of our world in dramatic ways. They were able to do this  because they understood that there are two kinds of reality: perceived reality and objective reality.

What is perceived reality and objective reality? At first glance, the difference lies between a single individual's finite perception, and what is "real" or factual about the universe. However, it is subtler than that. Perceived reality can be either individual or shared. It is the reality that grounds our objective experiences of the world outside of us. Perceived reality isn't separate from objective reality- it is what gives objective reality its shape.

A good example of this is the concept of money. If you stop and think about it, money only exists in our perceptions. While it does take on a physical characteristic- like paper or a plastic credit card- it only does so because human beings have given it that quality. The concept of money, as an equal exchange for something else, is born entirely out of our human imagination.

At the same time, our lives are deeply impacted by issues surrounding money. We spend most of our day trying to accumulate money, so we can either save it in case of a life-altering event, or spend it on the things that matter to us in the moment. Because most humans have accepted money as a real, useful thing, it has becomes an essential part of our objective reality.

Biocentric Theory and the Power of Positive Thinking

There is no limit to how perceived reality impacts objective reality. Quantum physics and biocentric theories of the universe have proven that our perceived reality is the key to unlocking our full potential. Negative perceptions are the only thing that keeps us from ultimate success.

How do you use this new understanding of human potential to make changes in your personal life and your career?

In a recent video, I talk about the power of words to alter reality (link to Youtube video). It isn't just what you say that will materialize into an abundant objective reality, but also what you think and what you envision. Take this example:

Negative Perception of Reality: "I don't have any money." "I can't afford that."

To say you don't have any money is another way of saying you can't afford to invest in yourself. It is a negative perception of reality that will prevent you from achieving your highest potential. Instead of reiterating what is lacking, make positive statements about your situation that reflects what you want, what will happen. More importantly, by saying you don't have the money, you are settling for a limited understanding of your own resources. You are discounting all of the immeasurable resources the universe has already given you that can't be reflected in your bank account.

Positive Perception of Reality: "I'm working toward having that amount of money in my bank account." "I will have more money." "I already have the money. I need to re-assess my financial priorities." "I have other resources besides money."

By saying you are working toward a goal, you are acknowledging that it will happen. By acknowledging that you could reassess your financial priorities, you are thinking about money and its symbolic value in a new way. The resources you thought you didn't have, were always available to you. A new objective reality has been created simply by reframing your beliefs.

Negative Perception of Reality: "I don't have enough time." "

Positive Perception of Reality: "I have all the time in the world." "I'm re-prioritizing how I spend my time."

The saying "time is money" is true, in that the concept of time is as malleable as the concept of money. If you waste your energy thinking negatively about the time you don't have, you will never take the reasonable steps to re-assess how you ought to spend your time. Engagement with those negative thought patterns is literally a time-waster.

These are just two ways that you can alter your perceived reality, and make dramatic changes in your objective reality. If you'd like more assistance in creating a new reality for yourself, based on Biocentric Theory, contact me about my Bioenergetic Sessions.

The only thing keeping your from achieving your every desire and more is the limitation of your own thoughts. Contact me, AmyD, today to break free of these limits, and achieve your highest potential.

Moving Past Your Barriers Into The Life You Deserve

The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha

Have you ever felt stuck? Or like you’re moving in the wrong direction? Maybe you feel that way now. Like, for every two steps you take forward, you take three more backwards. You are definitely not alone in this. We have all at one point or another felt lost, or stuck, or like we’re moving in the wrong direction. But, why does this happen? And what can we do to change these feelings?

If you look closely, you’ll notice that so many of the things that make you feel stuck are related. Life, work, finances, relationships are all connected in a very big way. When one of these elements is out of alignment, the rest seem to very quickly follow suit. Why is this? Because there is a chain reaction within our cellular structure that sends out a frequency shifting the order and direction of things.

So, how do we shift the balance back in our favor? It all boils down to the way we think. The way you think can affect you on a cellular level. Am I saying that negative thinking is dangerous for your health? YES! This is not to alarm you, it is to make you aware that we need to be MORE CONSCIOUS of the words we say and what we think, as these often contribute to our feeling of ‘stuckness’. But, don’t despair! You can train yourself out of these negative thought patterns!

Some of you may think this sounds exhausting or like an insurmountable challenge, but there are many out there who have overhauled their lives and got started simply by adding a little positivity to their thought process. Norman Vincent Peale may have summed it up best:

Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.

The solution to “design the desired life” is bio-energetic maintenance on top of surrounding yourself with good. What do I mean by good? I mean maintaining a healthy relationship to money, food, the environment, your thoughts, the people in your life, even the way you entertain yourself.

Still feel confused? Reach out. I can help you retrain your negative thought patterns so you can live the life that you deserve. Here's what Meredith S. had to say about our work together:

"When I met Amy I was confused, angry and lost.  I was working on an offer within my business and I just couldn't get it to stick. Within 3 days of our work together, the products revenue was 23k, then after less than a month upward of 120k ...and still creating revenue. So within a month, my business went from little to no sales to a six figure machine.  Amy has been a transformative force in my business and personal life!"

Visit my website AmyD.me to get started today!

Male Empowerment

Recently, I’ve talked about the different ways your energy can emanate, particularly if you're in a leadership position. Today I’d like to discuss how masculine energy functions, and how it can work for and against you.


Masculine energy can be a powerful force for good, a unique vibration that invigorates and enlivens everyone around you. However, some masculine energies can be misdirected, coaxed into servicing a winner-takes-all approach that is unsustainable in the long run.


Some men feel an aggressive urge to compete at all costs, in their professional and personal lives. This ongoing drivenness to do or perform takes a psychic toll, because it doesn't account for every person's need for quieter, more contemplative moments. These are moments of reflection, a "time out" during which you can carefully consider the world around you and how to best approach it.


This kind of mindful reflection is an opportunity to truly see your unique destiny as it relates to the world, not just how your individual male ego can best be served by others. The un-enlightened among us will often accuse such acceptance and allowance as"un-masculine," but when an individual's masculine yang energy is untamed, it can never achieve the wholeness it so desires.


The ability to stop and reflect, and experience mindful gratitude, is not un-masculine. It is a powerful ability that some of the most successful male leaders have harnessed.


The CEO of Aetna, Mark Bertolini, is an example of a man who demonstrates positive male leadership in the right way through his daily mindfulness practice. Bertolini exudes confidence, knowledge and masculine power because he meditates on the important role he’s been given. He carefully considers the way he can best serve those who follow him, not how he can deplete all his resources in service to himself.


Not everyone has discovered Bertolini's secret. Some male leaders are overtly aggressive, competitive, and wish to take away other people's strength through emasculation. They segregate themselves from those who would otherwise support them. They care nothing for collective advancement, and their main goal is merely to protect their own frail ego from criticism.


It doesn’t have to be this way. Society as a whole can celebrate the life-affirming energies of great male leaders like Abraham Lincoln or Dale Carnegie, men who went against the grain to achieve their destinies. These were leaders who converted their masculine energies into a higher goal, who were also able to surround themselves with other people whose strengths were a complement to their own.


If you feel challenged in developing better leadership skills, and would like to learn how to balance your career and your personal life, let's have an exploratory phone calland see how a few skills from AmyD will create the peace you've been looking for.

Overcoming the “Paradox of Choice” Through Mindfulness

In this TED Talk from 2005, Barry Schwartz discusses some important points from his groundbreaking book The Paradox of Choice. The premise is that we’re wrong to believe that the maximization of choice is a crucial component of our ultimate freedom and overall wellbeing.

Schwartz’ argument boils down to this: More choices aren’t necessarily better than some choices. In a world where everything from our food, electronics, health, relationships, careers, and even our identity is subject to endless decision-making and variety, we tend to become paralyzed and can’t make any decisions at all. Even worse, we feel endless regret over a good choice we made, because we fall under the illusion that another choice would have been better than good. It would have been perfect. 

In the video, Schwartz also describes how endless decision-making takes up so much of our headspace that we have a hard time being present. Even a good decision to not take a work-related call during your child’s soccer game still fosters anxiety-related energy about the decision just made.

However, there is a way out of this vicious cycle of decision-making, paralysis, disappointment and regret. 

It’s called mindfulness.

Although we can'tcontrol the number of choices we’re faced with on a daily or even hourly basis, we can control the way we react to those choices. By living presently in the moment, we don’t have to feel paralyzed. We can approach the wide array of choices with a sense of adventure, playful risk, and curiosity about where our ultimate choice might lead us.

We also don’t have to feel regret or disappointment after we make our decision.The whole point of mindfulness is to draw your mind, body and spirit back into the present rather than re-hash the past, or anticipate that something better will come along in the future.

By remaining present to ourselves through mindfulness, we accept the here-and-now decision with joy, wonderment and gratitude. And if we discover that our choice was indeed a truly “bad” one, mindfulness allows us to accept that “bad” choice as an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and grow stronger because of them.

Schwartz is right that a world with too much variety and too many choices can make a person depressed or anxious. However, by cultivating a mindful attitude, you can avoid the pitfalls of living in such a world. In fact, you can create the kind of world you want to by being the positive reflection you want to see in your world.

If you’d like to learn more about mindfulness training and how it can serve you in your every decision, please visit my website for more information or email me at amy@amyd.me.

You can find true freedom and liberation from unhealthy, inhibiting mindsets. Find your clarity today!

Energy Assessments For Leaders

Most of us hold some kind of leadership position, whether we’re someone’s boss, parent, coach, political representative, or religious leader. But no matter what leadership role you play,  you must consider how your energy levels affect your leadership. The way your energy manifests itself not only impacts those who rely on your insight and guidance, but on your own longterm, sustainable success.

The fact is, you can’t be an effective leader- or seen as a legitimate source of authority, knowledge, or guidance- if you aren’t mindful of your own energy levels. In this essay, I will be providing an overview of the 7 Levels of Energy and the potential ways they might manifest. I’ve also chosen three archetypes from throughout our history, which might help you assess not only your energy level but perhaps the level of someone else.

Catabolic Energy Levels 1 & 2

Level 1 energy is marked by a “victim complex.” A sense of helplessness, fear of the unknown, and feelings of guilt plague the person with Level 1 energy. They often suffer from low self-confidence and avoid even trying to achieve their dreams because they believe they have no control over their own destiny. Learned helplessness and a despairing outlook often prevents those with Level 1 energy from ever being promoted to a leadership role.

On the other hand, Level 2 energy is where most people operate. It includes a self (us) v. other (them) mentality. Its leadership style is marked by a sense of competition, and tends to make gains through power plays. While Level 2 energy can be effective in achieving material success, it takes a spiritual toll. Level 2 leaders are often in conflict with everyone around them, including their loved ones, which ultimately limits their capacity for true abundance.

Anabolic Energy Levels 3 - 7

Level 3 energy can be an effective leadership style that utilizes the rational mind to creatively discover and implement the best practices for material and interpersonal success. Level 3 leaders are competitive, but see their success as reliant upon the productivity and motivation of others in their circle. They are great mediators and tend to value cooperation over conflict.

Level 4 energy takes this spirit of cooperation one step further. It is marked by a heightened concern for the wellbeing of others, and see principles of fairness and equality as more important than personal gain. Leaders who fall under Level 4 energy are often driven by utopian ideals of peace and equality.

Level 5 energy is characterized by an enthusiastic acceptance of all that life has to offer. Leaders who operate under this energy level often embrace life’s obstacles as opportunities for spiritual growth. They aren’t prone to an us v. them mentality, and those who serve alongside them find their optimistic, peaceful outlook to be deeply inspiring.

Level 6 energy belongs to those leaders whose level of insight encompasses not just their individual self or their immediate circle, but the entire whole of existence. Their creative vision is informed by the positive energy of everything they encounter, and more. For them, every day is part of an unfolding success story that goes beyond anything material.

At Level 7, one acts with a complete lack of fear. Nothing is considered impossible for those influential leaders who have tapped into Level 7 energy. They not only see themselves as participating in their own destiny, but are also prime movers of the destinies of others. They are truly a self-made force of nature.

Three Archetypes

Now that I’ve described some of the different ways that energy manifests itself in leadership, I’d like to talk about three important figures in human history who embody some of these energy levels.

Henry Kissinger:

Kissinger, as the former Secretary of State for both Presidents Nixon and Ford, consistently operated in Level 2 energy. He was a political leader whose policies were driven by what he considered the reality of world conflict. Kissinger worked within the conventional rules of war and peace, using hardline political strategy and coercion to protect the interests of his allies. His dedication to winning the game of international politics has made him simultaneously lauded for his achievements in the “real world,” and criticized for not having a higher vision for humanity. 

Like other leaders with Level 2 energy, he and his inner circle found success in the material conditions of the world, but his long-term positive impact remains ambiguous.

Mother Theresa:

Driven by compassion, Mother Theresa has Level 4 energy. She gave up a life of material comfort to be in service to the poor. She attracted global attention and admiration for her charity and her idealism, and indeed was so influential that her small congregation grew to include thousands of nuns and volunteers in over 100 countries. Her simple life’s duty to serve others became a call to action for people everywhere to follow suit. 

In the years after her death, she was criticized for not expanding her vision of compassion to include an end to human suffering. Nevertheless, she maintains her legacy as a true believer in her faith and her life’s goals.

Napoleon Bonaparte:

The military commander and political leader during the French Revolution, Napoleon oscillated between Level 2 and Level 6 energy throughout his campaigns. He was clearly conflict-driven, using military violence to stave off any threats to his power. Historians would look back on his achievements with a sense of ambiguity- was the political revolution worth all the bloodshed?

However, Napoleon’s vision for an entirely new global society was all-encompassing. While he was both loved and hated during his lifetime, his sheer genius and- most importantly- his ability to enact his destiny- made him one of the most astonishing figures in human history. 

Who Are You?

How you utilize your energy to influence and lead others is dependent on how conscious you are of these levels of energy. You must ask yourself, “Where does my energy level currently reside?”

Remember that catabolic energy levels 1 & 2 can be limiting. You may have your material needs fulfilled for the time being, but over time such energy will fail to provide the abundance your heart truly desires. By being consciously aware of your energy levels, and by changing it when necessary, you can find long-term, sustainable success.

Reach out to me, AmyD the Peak Performance Expert and Trainer, if you want to learn how you can alter your energy- so that you can be the most effective, focused and driven leader you can be. Sign up for an Energy Assessment today!

How To Have An Open-Hearted Conversation... With the Universe

In a recent video, I talked about the importance of communication in maintaining important relationships. Conflicts arise, but they can just as easily dissipate when both parties come together in agreement over their shared desires- desires for respect, companionship, and above all else love. By opening our hearts to include other people’s needs and desires, we become allies in each other’s success. Together, we become greater than what we ever imagined we could be.

This doesn’t mean that we sacrifice our own desires for another person’s. If someone asks that of us, then we’re probably dealing with someone who isn’t actually invested in a respectful, loving relationship. What it does mean is that if someone communicates their desire to include you in their life, in a positive, respectful and life-affirming way, it is in our greatest interest to accept that with an open heart. And if we start accepting all positive energy into our hearts, no matter the source, there’s nothing that can prevent us from achieving our true destiny.

That’s the point: A truly open heart doesn’t just accept the feedback of other people so it can make it to the next day. It doesn’t just settle for a few steady, functional relationships. It is one which recognizes that every single component in the universeis allied in our longterm success.

An open heart accepts the positive vibrations coming from all sources, not just the ones in your immediate line of sight. You must begin to think of positive communication and conflict resolution as an essential practice for accepting what the entire universe has stored up for you, not just what you can gain from a single person.

Beginning with our loved ones, we can master the way we interact with all elements in a way that is fulfilling and transformative. Once we do that, our success is limitless, all due to the biocentric nature of the universe. By letting go of the boundaries our mind sets for us, which keep us from having compassionate, empathic and joy-filled relationships with others, we’re also able to channel other sources of positive energy. This energy guides us upward, along the path of our highest calling.

Unfortunately, some of us struggle with keeping an open heart. Some of us suffer from a heart wall that prevents us from being able to even articulate our feelings in a way that resolves our interpersonal conflicts. If we can’t even resolve a conflict with our friend, family member, or romantic partner, how can we dismantle the self-established limitations that keep us from connecting with the universe?

If you’re interested in learning how to dismantle a heart wall, or practice having a more positive dialogue with the universe, feel free to set up an appointment with me, AmyD, or email me at amy@amyd.me. 

Consider interpersonal communication to be the first step in achieving everything you’ve ever dreamed- and more.