Philosophy

Vision Statement

Our vision is for people’s work and home life to be purposeful and productive, creative and fulfilling. Our goal is not just to improve the quality of life for individuals and organizations, but for communities and nations, as we are always just a thought away from thriving rather than surviving.

What We Do

We provide trainings and coaching for individuals, couples, families, and organizations. We work from a simple but profound understanding of the psychological principles that govern human experience, allowing people to function at their best. Our programs are available in a variety of formats, from individuals and small teams to groups of several hundred.  For individuals, couples and families, we primarily work from a four-day, intensive format, here on Martha’s Vineyard and at various cites around the country.

What Makes our Work Distinct

We work with a principle-based rather than theoretically-based consulting approach, meaning that we go to the foundation of what makes people tick.  These  principles – Mind, Consciousness and Thought – (MCT Principles)  have lead thousands of people to  see the connection between their mental life and their experience,  or the inside-out nature of life.  Seeing the inside-out nature of life brings a moment-by-moment awareness of  how thought is unfolding in your own experience, and the role of consciousness to either bring thought to life or let it pass by and wait for fresh thinking to emerge.  The one-pointed nature of this awareness tends to streamline peoples’ capacity to awaken to Thought that is enlivening and generative, and thought that is habitual and gets in their way.  It also leads to realizations about the deeper nature of Thought itself; to the Source of all experience.  Awakening to the source of your own experience is a tremendous gift for people that we at The Center for Optimal Living feel  honored to  share.

The Three Principles

Mind is the source of energy, the energy that takes physical form, and the energy  that powers up the forms our thinking takes.

Consciousness is what makes us aware of what we think at any particular moment.  It gives us a sensory experience of our thinking.

Thought is a function of the brain that never stops, and takes on a wide variety of forms.  Sometimes we become so calm it seems that we’re not thinking, but all perception comes through thought, all feeling, and all experience.  Thought has the capacity to access personal thoughts stored in memory, and to receive a more impersonal, universal level of thought.

When our thoughts settle down and take on this more receptive function, people become calm and have experiences of well being.  It’s also the state of mind people experience when they’re ‘in the zone’, access high performance states of mind and creative thinking.  The premise that all people are innately healthy, and have access to their own inner wisdom, is demonstrated by this fact and by these principles.

All three principles are working together in every moment to give people their experience of life.

The Principles we work with were discovered by Sydney Banks in the early 1970’s. These Principles are described by Banks in his book, The Missing Link:

“All three elements – Mind, Consciousness and Thought – are the lifeline to our very existence. It is through these three elements that we have the power to realize the very existence of life.”