Theresa Puskar - The Good Morning Mind

Theresas new book is the ANTIDOTE to the mental virus that infects adults. With clear and persuasive prose she translates the mindfulness narrative of Jon Kabat-Zinn into practical ideas and advice that every CEO, Manager, Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boomer will find massive value from. BRAVO for this masterwork!

DOUG HALL

Founder & Chairman of the Eureka! Ranch
Bestselling Author of Driving Eureka!
And Jump Start Your Business Brain.

Also by Theresa Puskar

8 Ways to Declutter Your Brain

THE GOOD MORNING MIND

THERESA PUSKAR

The information and insights shared in this publication are solely the opinion of the author. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Published 2020 by Gildan Media LLC

aka G&D Media

www.GandDmedia.com

THE GOOD MORNING MIND. Copyright 2020 by Theresa Puskar. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Front cover design by David Rheinhardt of Pyrographx

Interior design by Meghan Day Healey of Story Horse, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request

eISBN: 978-1-7225-2361-9

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

BUILD a Solid Foundation
Based on Honor and Integrity

ENCOURAGE Community
over Competitiveness

Acknowledgments

Many people have helped to make this book possible. I am so grateful that you are in my life. I truly am blessed. I would like to offer my gratitude to:

My darling daughter, Bernadette, who brings such light and love into my life. Thank you for being you and especially for your design insights and suggestions.

My dear friend Susan Pluto, who, above and beyond providing me with huge emotional support, was also my second set of eyes. Your editing prowess is magical!

My longtime friend and constant rescuer, Jooley Johnson. Thank you for being my third set of eyes. I deeply appreciate your intolerance of poor grammar.

My thoughtful wasband (ex-husband), Paul, for your support and for your gift of my Wisconsin Dells time away from technology.

The wonderful staff at Oneness University in Chennai, India, and at the Dhamma Pakasa Vipassana Center in Pecatonica, Illinois.

Kent Palmer and the NaperLaunch team at Naperville Nichols Library, Naperville, Illinois, for their outstanding business program.

My three SCORE mentors, Chuck, Bruce, and Gerry. You gave outstanding advice, but more than that, you gave me hope when I was feeling down.

My biological and geographical families, both back home in Canada and here in Chicago.

Dan Strutzel, Gary Chappell, Vic Conant, and the Nightingale-Conant team. I am deeply grateful. The time I spent there set my life on a trajectory that has forever changed its course.

Tajuana Ross for being such a remarkable woman and outstanding coach.

Mindfulness can take you from a fear-based, egoic mentality into a place of deeper introspection, greater consciousness, and higher purpose. My intention in writing this book is to support you in creating a business environment that is committed to making more mindful choices. In doing so, you, your staff, and your business will no longer merely surviveyou will thrive!

Prologue

The Early Morning Wake-up Call

It was predictablelike clockwork. Every morning at around 4:00 a.m. I would awaken from my sleep. Never sure why, and always lost in a fog of frustration and anger, I would stumble out of bed and head to the bathroom, or I would simply lie there, telling myself how tired I would be when my 7:00 a.m. alarm chimed. A storm of mixed emotions would ultimately form a massive tornado of anxiety within me.

Im lost in thought about my never-ending to-do list. My body is tired, but my mind is racing; I cant turn it off. This is going to screw up my day. This is not normal. Something is wrong with me. Im going to get sick. Why does this keep on happening? Maybe I should just drink less water before bed. How many hours of sleep have I gotten? Oh, no. Im going to want to pass out by noon tomorrow if I dont get enough sleep. Dang, Ive got to go back to sleep. ShootI forgot to water the garden. Need to do that before heading to work. Oh, and then Ive got to pay my credit card bill if I dont get that in by Tuesday, Ill have to pay a late fee. And speaking of late, why the heck does the neighbors dog make such a racket so late at night? Boy, that really ticks me off! Back to my to-do list. Groceriescant forget to buy milk. Man, I just cant shut this crazy mind down. How the heck am I ever going to get back to sleep? Maybe if I listen to the radio, itll quiet my mind. Hmmm, not working. Maybe if I what if I Grrrrr!

Sound familiar? Your body is tired, and it is clearly telling you so, but your mind is racing a mile a minute. No matter how hard you try, you just cant shut it down.

Perhaps You Experience the Opposite

Perhaps you are at the opposite end of the spectrum, where you experience the good night mind. You are wide awake and raring to go until late in the night (or often early the next morning). It may be difficult to turn your mind off in order to get to sleep. However, once you are asleep, you are like a lead weight. In the morning, sixteen alarms go off and you hear none of them. When you finally awaken, you are late for work. You feel exhausted, miserable, and uninterested in the day ahead.

Whether you consider yourself to be a morning or a night person, this syndrome doesnt just happen during our sleep cycles. Whenever you find yourself trapped in a web of negative or worrisome thoughts that you cant turn off, you are suffering. Often this crazy brain chatter happens at the most inopportune timeswhen you are stressed by a tight deadline and you are trying to finish a work project, when you are supposed to be compassionately listening to a friend in need, or when you simply have a moment to yourself and want to find a bit of peace and quiet. It is a menace. It is constant and seemingly uncontrollable.