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Renii Modisette • August 5, 2024

The August blog post is a continuation of the MTO Lean In series the virtues of Humanity and Transcendence along with two character strengths for each virtues. To learn more about VIA character strengths, please visit ViA Institute. 


Two women in scrubs are standing next to each other

Humanity has three-character strengths: love, kindness, and social intelligence. Each is important to igniting Mental Victory Vibe Action®, beginning with extending grace to ourselves and others. There is a Grey's Anatomy clip over nine years old. In the clip, Amelia Shepherd is standing in a Superhero pose when her intern walks in, then asks, "What are you doing?" Amelia explained to the intern about a scientific study on the pose linked to confidence and better performance. Why is that important in this context? Amelia activated Mental Victory Vibe Action® by: 

  • Love – in a healthy way while at work to give self-doubt a different job.
  • Kindness- the surgery Amelia was to perform had several risk including death, but Amelia chose to view the risk using a different dimension of kindness.
  • Social intelligence- the Superhero pose put her in a different frame of mind by stopping the mental chatter, evoking mental clarity, so she could perform at her highest level.

Each day, we face a challenge at work, at home, or out in public. We choose how we respond, but your response will be different if you are irritated, frustrated, or have racing thoughts. Take time to do your superhero pose to give irritability, frustration, or mental chatter a different job, so you can understand your kindness dimension, and redirect any actions that diminish your light. 

 

Physically, ignoring the signs and walking in limiting beliefs that effect humanity could open the door for a transactional experience, or autopilot, which could contribute to adrenal fatigue, headache, bloating, or bubble guts (yes, I said it) because social intelligence is overused resulting in over-analyzing the situation, and mental replays. 


Transactional vs Transformational

The next virtue is Transcendence. I like Humanity and Transcendence as partners or colleagues because the experience changes from transactional to transformational. Transcendence evokes feelings of joy, hope, and happiness. A few character strengths for Transcendence are Gratitude, Humor, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence: 

  • Gratitude: an attitude of thankfulness. Identify what you are grateful for today, this week, and your life. Challenge yourself by joining the July Gratitude Attitude Challenge. See our Feature for the month.
  • Humor: playfulness, laughter, seeing the lighter side. Humor relates to pleasure/positive emotions.
  • Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence- Seeing the life behind things; awe or admiration.

Consider how Transcendence can help in the workplace. Firstly, we can adapt a positive climate of compassionate behaviors for ourselves and others without feeling that we must be perpetually happy, which enables forgiveness for missteps and mistakes. Secondly, we  position ourselves to celebrate achievements, amplify a positive outlook, and replace annoyance with laughter. Lastly, we latch onto faith in this life, turning up an appreciation for ourselves and others. 

A sign that says aromatherapy recipe with flowers in the background

The Superhero Pose Diffuser Blend: 

The blend is proactive to help balance, seek to understand, is grounding, and strengthens. 

  • 5 drops: Roman Chamomile 
  • 3 drops Lemongrass 
  • 5 drops Frankincense 
  • 4 drops Lavender 

Instructions: Ensure your diffuser is clean; add water and essential oils. Diffuse for one hour in the morning to set the intention for the day and one hour in the evening to recalibrate. 


The blend erupts with hints of citrus, shifting the mind, aids the gut with the Roman Chamomile, ignites determination with Frankincense, and soothes the process with Lavender.

  • Roman Chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, calms the large intestine, antsiness, workaholicism, excessive worry, and perfectionism. 
  • Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, supports the thymus gland to energize and inspire personal power and inner strength.
  • Frankincense, Boswellia carterii, enhances breathing to ignite self-awareness, discipline, and strengthen faith.
  • Lavender, Lavandula augustifolia, is a nerve pain reliever that calms the nerves, reduces stress and inflexibility, and ignites inner peace and connection.
Learn More About Custom Blends
A sign that says affirmation on it

Up until today, I loved myself when, NOW, I love myself in spite of. This affirmation is great for mirror work.

A woman is holding a mirror with an affirmation on it

Standing in the mirror, saying the affirmation, pay attention to how you feel before and after, don't judge, and savor the moment. Over time, you will be surprised how your mirror work evolves. The affirmation can be used as part of mirror work. 


Mirror work is a Self experience. It offers you an opportunity to focus on self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, self-trust, self-love, and self-care. What words will you choose today?

A book titled guided prompts journal prompt on a pink background

Journal Theme: Prioritize Me

Journal Prompt: Prioritizing me means...

Featured Product by Mind Escape Vibe

A guided prompts journal sits on a wooden easel
View Journal

A 75-page journal is designed to help you take control of your self-care routine, stay motivated, and be more mindful.


The journal features goal-setting exercises to help you set and achieve your goals. Practice gratitude daily with thoughtful writing prompts to help you appreciate life's little things.

LEAN INTO:CouRagE EMBRACE: Honesty, Bravery, and Perseverance

By Renii Modisette • December 27, 2024
We begin to say goodbye to 2024 with cooler temperatures and yuletide attitudes as December ends. One thing is sure: self-regulation starts with the Self despite all else. In the last blog for 2024, I explore the sixth and final virtue, Courage, as well as three character strengths: Honesty, Bravery, and Perseverance, with the pendulum swinging both ways as a reminder we can make it through the first starting with Self. A great conclusion to the MTO Lean-in Series, which focuses on character strengths and virtues from the VIA Institute. I had initially planned to finish this series in October, but I found myself overwhelmed with school and work. I had convinced myself that I could push through despite feeling fatigued. However, I realized that the virtue of Courage also encompasses the character strength of Honesty. It was time for me to be honest with myself, which meant reevaluating the narrative I had created in my head. So, I took a break and reframed my internal dialogue to accept my revised story to remind myself that the pendulum swings both ways, so I must put myself first and focus on myself to overcome a self-imposed narrative that pushing through is the best way. I challenge you, amidst this season of giving and gratitude, to be honest with yourSELF—it's a personal journey. Is being honest with yourself a sign of bravery? Depending on who you ask, you might get different answers. In my opinion, yes, we are often harder on ourSELVES than anyone else is. Bravery is usually defined as resilience, facing fears, and not shrinking in the face of a threat or challenge. So, why can't SELF be a challenge? To help you navigate this solitary journey of self-awareness, consider the following statement:  "I AM in charge of how I react to others. I choose to respond in a positive way."

Where are you on the tightrope? MTO Lean-in Series, Part IV

By Renii Modisette • October 13, 2024
Hello October! Q4 is in full swing, with MTO KPIs still at the forefront. It feels like I was saying "Happy New Year" just yesterday. Towards the end of June, I began the MTO Lean-in Series, which focuses on character strengths and virtues from the VIA Institute. I learned about the character strengths and virtues while completing my Positive Psychology Practitioner studies and found them intriguing, especially in relation to enhancing my mindfulness practice. So far, I've covered Temperance, Transcendence, Humanity, and Justice. This month, I'll be discussing the fifth virtue, Wisdom, as well as three character strengths: Judgment, Curiosity, and Perspective. I'll then conclude the series with the sixth virtue in the November blog post. For more information on VIA's character strengths, please visit the VIA Institute website at https://www.viacharacter.org. WISDOM Let’s begin with I've coined the Wisdom Tightrope when discussing the virtue of Wisdom because it involves a balancing act depending on the situation. The first character strength, Judgment, is rooted in critical thinking to counteract faulty thinking and biased opinions. When overused, Judgment can lead to narrow-mindedness, and when underused, one isn't reflective enough. Ironically, it is often frowned upon to judge ourselves and others, yet our analytical mind somehow gets in the way, which allows us to debate whether something that is frowned upon should be up for discussion.

MTO Lean In Series: Part III

By Renii Modisette • September 2, 2024
This month's blog post features Part III of the MTO Lean in Series. In this edition, we discuss the virtue of Justice and two-character strengths. To learn more about VIA character strengths, please visit the VIA Institute.
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