Childhood challenges
Arlen’s journey began in Corpus Christi, Texas as the youngest of 13 children in a household. He suffered from severe depression and anxiety during his childhood years. Arlen was also diagnosed with dyslexia and A.D.D. at an early age. But he was not convinced of his doctors’ diagnoses.
Arlen was in elementary school when his father was almost killed in a drunken driving accident. Arlen a devout Catholic following his first brush with death of a close family member. The forced religious curriculum at his middle school, however, made him more of a skeptic than a believer. Arlen renounced his belief in God in seventh grade because it all seemed pointless. He used athletics, particularly soccer, to mask his inner struggles.
Despite being a four-year varsity letter man, Arlen’s performance waned during his junior and senior years. His inner struggles continued festering without resolution. Astrology and theater became Arlen’s elixirs during his senior year. He attended college and played for the school’s soccer team. But he knew this was not his life’s purpose. Arlen left college and his soccer career after one year to pursue film in Los Angeles.
Things were going well for Arlen until both his sister and father passed away in the same week shortly after arriving in L.A. His life was forever changed thereafter.
Consciousness for the first time
Arlen was in a state of flux for several years after the two tragic deaths in his family. He wandered between Chicago and Canada, trying to figure out the purpose of life. Fate led him to read The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck. It was the first book Arlen read that wasn’t an assignment in school. He felt conscious for the first time in life applying Peck’s principles. He also felt fear. Arlen did not know how to handle his newfound consciousness and self-awareness. He immersed himself in reading to attempt making sense of this clarity that eluded him throughout life.
Meditation and personal training became pillars in Arlen’s life. But his newfound self-confidence led him astray. Arlen began seeking self-validation to satisfy his ego. He landed a role on the soap opera “Young and the Restless.” He first felt this was his arrival, the pinnacle of his career. But the time spent developing characters for television impeded on developing his own personal character. Hollywood was simply not his path, despite myriad opportunities on the small and big screen. The setback was temporary, but enlightening.
Arlen became a life coach for kids at PowerPlay MD in Los Angeles. He worked under Dr. Lydia Hazen coaching at-risk children. Arlen recognized how important self-awareness was to instill in children at a very young age. His work with children led him to study the physiological function of brainwaves, particularly the Alpha wave, as they relate to self-awareness.
Arlen felt Buddhism was closely aligned with a lot of his personal beliefs and discoveries throughout life. He became a member of the Soka Gakki International (SGI) Buddhist organization in Los Angeles. He challenged some of the practices at the temple that seemed to encourage negative brain activity versus self-affirmation. He left the SGI with new insights and a clear path towards sustained consciousness.
ALPHA Mindset Gym™ is born
The “life hacks” industry started booming around 2010. Arlen had experienced the lows and highs of life. He determined many of these programs were just hot-air subterfuges. All of them lacked simple concepts like affirmative self-talk that activates those ever-important Alpha brainwaves. Arlen’s real-life experiences, successes, failures, spiritual teachings and affirmative self-talk were all combined to create the ALPHA Mindset Gym™.
ALPHA emphasizes the Internal Monologue System (IMS) as a continual mean to the Alpha brainwave end. Mental fitness is key for men to not only feel contentment and worth, but to excel in all things life brings with it, including fatherhood and careers. There is no greater success than emotional success because it is the result we are all looking for. It can and should be acquired by all to make better individuals and better communities.
If you’d like to contact Arlen, fill in the contact form below. For more information on the ALPHA Mindset Gym™, click here.
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