245 Communicate Effectively To Build Your Relationships; Jonathan Pritchard

Jonathan Pritchard reads minds. He’s performed on Vegas main stages, appeared on America’s Got Talent, and entertained troops stationed overseas. He’s considered a touring mentalist. All of his skills are based on applied psychology. And now he’ll take you behind the mental curtain and show you how to use the same psychology in your life. Jonathan is also an expert martial arts instructor. He thinks of the physical practice of martial arts as a moving meditation, much like Yoga. He explains it's all about creating & maintaining healthy boundaries, and being aware of your own thoughts & behaviors.

Contact Info

• Website: LikeAMindreader.com

Most Influential Person

• Robert Pirsig (Author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

Effect on Emotions

• Mindfulness has really helped me not use my emotions as justification for poor behavior. I like to think about emotions more as a barometer for how well my needs are being met. Then, thinking about the needs that are not being met, what's the best way, the best strategy that helps the most people to get what it is that I need right now? Instead of just lashing out or being grumpy for no reason. It's all based on communication skills. The more effectively you can communicate, the easier your needs are met, the better your relationships get.

Thoughts on Breathing

• Oh man, we think we're really good at breathing because it's something we do all the time, but oh lord, we're really bad at breathing.
• Just focusing on your breathing and doing deep-breath exercises ... breathing is your link between your conscious mind, which is such a small part of your awareness and your physical being that is you.
• Breathing is kind of the bridge between those two. The more you focus on your breathing, and practice your breathing, the better you get at being in your body instead of feeling like you're just this brain driving this big meat puppet.

Suggested Resources

• Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• App: Google Keep

Bullying Story

• I definitely was bullied in elementary school. Being quiet, being weird, I was easy prey.
• There is a guy that used to call me names. I was a very sensitive child so I would come home crying and just kind of learn to endure it. That was the path that I chose.
• Later in life, I've come to understand that that makes more sense for them than it does me. It says more about them than my self-worth or my ability to do whatever.
• Understanding that it's not a commentary on my skills, but also really, truly believing that everybody is doing the best they know how even the bully.
• A lot of times, I feel like a lot of bullies feel like they're doing you a favor. You're weird, you're weak. People are going to take advantage of that so you need to toughen up. So I'm helping you. This is how I know how to help you.
• Totally misguided, maybe not the most effective way to do it. When you wrap your head around that, you understand that they are trying the best that they know how and in some bizarre leap of logic, they think this is the best thing to be doing right now.
• That's really difficult for kids to handle. That is a level of awareness and presence that we aren't taught in school. That is not what is culturally approved of.