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Control Your Thoughts

It is said that you have 20,000 thoughts a day. By learning to control your thoughts, you can live the life you want to live. I am grateful I have learned to be conscious and control my thoughts. As I grow, it becomes more important to me because I have more free time now. More free time means more thoughts bombarding my mind.

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Control Your Thoughts As You Get Older

When I was younger, I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to think. I focused on the ongoing activities that were happening around me. Now, there are fewer activities so without controlling the thoughts they could easily take over.

I control my thoughts and I live the life I want to live. I don’t leave it up to chance to determine the life that I’m going to have. The past doesn’t matter. It has happened, and there is nothing I can do about changing it. In fact, I would not want to.

Good or bad, my past has shaped me into the man I am today. All my mistakes were lessons to be learned. The challenges I went through built up my strength and perseverance. My future is what I want it to be. I determine my path by my thoughts, words, and actions.

How Do You Feel?

The person I will become is not the same person writing today. I am changing and improving as I write this post. The most important time in my life is right now. Not necessarily the actual events happening right at this moment, but how I feel about those events.

How do I feel and react to the things happening to me as I write? I feel joy because it makes me happy to put pen to paper. The feeling of my right hand resting on the sheet of paper in my journal. Listening to the quiet, soft sounds of the early morning. These are what is going on, and it goes beyond my five senses. It has become a feeling for me. I feel the energy in my body vibrating; the warmth in my chest as I experience joy in the smallest things.

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https://unsplash.com/@neonbrand

You can control your thoughts and determine your path. It is the difference between living unconscious or conscious. Being unconscious is letting the thoughts in your mind control you. You are not aware of most of the thoughts you are allowing to enter your mind.

Live In The Now

If you spend time thinking about the past and the future and it is causing you to feel worried and anxious, you live unconsciously. You don’t believe that you have any control over what is going to happen to you. Your unconscious mind allows negative feelings to take over, and you have no control over these feelings. That is not true.

Being aware of what is happening now, the thoughts you are having and, the feelings you are experiencing is living a conscious life. As life happens around you, how do you feel? For example, if someone cuts me off in traffic, it makes me angry. How does anger feel in my body? My chest feels closed, there is a pit in my stomach, and I feel the tension rising in my face and head.

Choices

At this moment, I have a choice, I can keep those uncomfortable feelings and remain angry, or I can release them. The moment has passed therefore, there is no need to hang on to the anger. You can control your thoughts and feelings by recognizing what is happening to your body and taking control of these feelings.

Recognize when your thoughts are making you feel uncomfortable and change them. Begin to think of the life you want to live, not the life you are living. Picturing yourself living your ideal life will change your feelings to ones of peace and happiness. It is a process that will take some time, but if you want to change your life bad enough, trust and enjoy the process. Control your thoughts, and you can control your life.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@agni11

https://unsplash.com/@neonbrand

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What Am I Afraid Of

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We are almost to May, and now is a great time to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and see how far you have come in 2022. When you look at your weaknesses, ask yourself; What am I afraid of? Check if any fears hold you back. Many people overlook a big reason they aren’t moving forward, the fear of success.

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Ask Yourself, What Am I Afraid Of

Take a moment and ask yourself, what am I afraid of? There are many fears which can be reasons for your lack of success. One of the most prevalent fears is the fear of criticism by others. Some people care more about what others think of them than their success. Are you one of them? If so, stop! No one is more important than you.

I have a fear of heights or, a better way to put it, a fear of falling from great heights. Recently, I was able to experience this fear once again. My wife and I went to the Boca Museum of Art to see the Machu Picchu exhibit. There were almost 200 gold and pottery exhibits from the Incan Empire. In addition, there was a virtual reality experience.

My Fear Of Falling

I walked into the room, climbed into a pod, sat down, and put on my VR headset. After some brief instructions, I was standing in Machu Picchu. An Incan spirit guide appeared before me, and it all began. Next, we were given the power of flight by the Condor God and began rising above the great city. It happened so quickly that my fear of heights immediately kicked in.

It is incredible how real it seemed. I was not a few feet off the ground but thousands of feet in the air. Of course, this was all in my mind. In reality, my feet were only about a foot off the floor. I had to control my fear and keep telling myself where I was. Soon, my fear was under control, and I was enjoying my time flying above Machu Picchu.

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https://unsplash.com/@agnieszkam

The Fear Of Success

My definition of success is making the most out of gifts you are given at birth in your lifetime. One thing that can hold you back is the fear of success. You might not even realize this fear exists in you. How can you be afraid of the one thing you strive to become? For example, many people would like to become famous, but their lives would have to change to do so. The brain is resistant to change, therefore; you have a fear of success.

The fear of success is powerful and deceptive. It can take the form of procrastination and excuses. If you are successful, you would have to establish another level of comfort. A promotion at work could mean more responsibility. Your fear of success in your mind could sabotage this goal.

What Fears Do You Have?

Whatever fears you have are created in your mind. You can learn to control your mind and also control your fears. Learn to make peace with your fears instead of trying to eliminate them from your mind. As many times as I have jumped out of airplanes and flown in helicopters, I still cannot eliminate my fear.

What am I afraid of? A few things, but I have control over them. Take control of your life and go out and get what you deserve. Never let any fears get in your way of accomplishing your goals. By being honest with yourself, you can see if you have the fear of success. Once you have identified it, you can control it like you can control all your fears. Nothing can stop you!

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@russ_jay

https://unsplash.com/@agnieszkam

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Celebrate Small Victories

Winning is hard. To win at any contest or life is a difficult endeavor; you must be at your best. Winning championships is even more difficult. Championships will only come after you have first won many games. Games are small compared to a championship, but they should be celebrated as much or more than being crowned champions. In other words, without winning the less significant games, there is no championship trophy to hoist. Make sure you celebrate small victories.

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Celebrating Small Victories

Living the life you want to live is like winning a championship. It can be hard to obtain, and you have to do the right things consistently to become the person you want to be. There are many victories along the way, large and small. Celebrate small victories as much as obtaining your ultimate goal.

Your eyes opened this morning; small victory. You breathe, and your heart pumps blood to your vital organs without thinking about it;  small victories. There is food in the refrigerator; a small victory. I can write this post; small victory.

In a previous post, I told the anecdote about the golfer cussing after each swing while Sofia and I celebrated every time we struck the ball well. Each bad word that left his mouth only brought him more bad swings. On the other hand, each time we celebrated returned to us good swings, and we got better as the day went on. Celebrate small victories.

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https://unsplash.com/@nixcreative

Find And Celebrate Small Victories

Look around and find everything you can be thankful for and celebrate all things. If you are losing weight and becoming healthier, celebrate the small victory of putting on your workout clothes. Celebrate starting your car and driving to the gym. Smile and feel the joy of walking into the gym and knowing you are becoming healthier. In Divine Timing, small victories will add up to huge, huge wins for you.

The other evening, Sofia and I were out by the pool practicing our golf swing, and she felt a raindrop. I looked up, and there wasn’t a cloud above us. We live in Florida, the sunshine state, so that is not unusual. Soon, one raindrop turned into 10, and 10 turned into 100. Then millions of raindrops poured from the sky for ½ hour.

Give Thanks

This is an excellent example of the Law of Attraction. If you give thanks for one raindrop, millions will follow. Imagine being a farmer during a drought and feeling a raindrop. Instead of celebrating the small victory and giving thanks, the farmer complained that it wasn’t enough. No rain would come. Conversely, if the farmer celebrated the small victory, a deluge would be on its way. Celebrate finding a penny just as you would finding millions. It is a small representation of what is out there for you. Feel the same way you would feel finding that suitcase of money, and soon millions will follow.

If you want to change your life, celebrate small victories. It will not take long before you start seeing the changes in yourself. Each change no matter how large or how small is leading you to become the person you want to be.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@lukephotography

https://unsplash.com/@nixcreative

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Find Your Inner Child

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Today I want to talk about belief. Many people lose sight of their dreams when they enter adulthood. We forget how to believe like a child. Our childhood beliefs become replaced by anxiety and worry as adults. Find your inner child and begin believing in your dreams again.

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Find Your Inner Child And Believe

The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect on your childhood. As a child, you believed all things are possible without question. A man in a red suit, sleigh, and flying reindeer will fly around the world, in one night, and deliver presents to every child.

If you have been good all year, you get the nice present you asked for. In contrast, if you have been a bad boy or girl, you will find coal in your stocking. These unquestioned beliefs resulted in many a wonderful childhood. You might have grown up, but you should find your inner child and continue to believe once again.

Believe In Your Dreams

Believe in your dreams with the same unquestioning passion you had as a child. The only reason you stopped believing was you entered adulthood. Family, bills, your career, and all of the situations associated with adulthood kill your dreams.

Find your inner child and begin to believe you can change. The Bible says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 NIV. As long as you believe and do not doubt, it will be yours. The timing though is up to God.

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https://unsplash.com/@carolynchristine

Law Of Attraction

This is how the Law of Attraction works, Ask, Believe, and Receive. Belief, mixed with emotion, is the key ingredient in this formula. You must erase all doubt. You might ask for something but do not believe it in your heart, therefore, you never receive it. Ask God to release all doubt within you.

When you find your inner child, you have no doubt. Doubt comes into your mind through your experiences in life. As a child, your parents told you that Santa would come down your chimney and deliver presents on Christmas Eve. The next morning, Christmas Day, you wake up and find the gifts you asked for under the tree. You asked, believed, and received. There was never any doubt.

Reflect On Your Childhood

Today, reflect on your childhood and remember those wonderful days. If you’re not living the life you want to live, decide to make a change. Commit to your decision and begin to believe like a child. Dust off your forgotten dreams and start dreaming again.

Begin to develop daily habits of prayer, affirmations, and meditation. Tell yourself every day, “I release all doubt;” “I release everything that is holding me back.” Do this several times a day, every day, and begin to build belief. In time, your doubts will appear less often, and you will feel the belief building inside of you.

Ask God

Ask God for what you want and believe in your heart that you will receive it. Remember that the Bible also tells us to ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 ESV.

Take some time for yourself to relax and reflect on your childhood. Find your inner child and the ability to believe like a child.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@profwicks

https://unsplash.com/@carolynchristine

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Enjoy The Process

In all endeavors, there is a process to get from point A to point B. Learning to walk is a process, so was taking a vacation. You have to pack, get to the airport, go through security, board the plane, arrive at your vacation spot, and God forbid, don’t forget anything. Whatever you’re trying to improve in your life, please enjoy the process.

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Learn To Enjoy The Process

In the past, I didn’t enjoy the process of anything. The process of going on vacation was such a hassle it diminished the fun of the first few days for me. In contrast, today, I have learned to love the process as much or more than the result.

Last week, I was gifted an excellent example of what I am talking about. The Mrs. and I were at the Driving Range hitting golf balls. We recently took up the game, and neither of us is good at it. As we were hitting, and the balls were going wherever they wanted to, I heard behind me a distinct word beginning with a F***. Turning around, I saw a man swing, hit the ball, and immediately shout F***! He didn’t look like he was having a good time.

Fore!!

Sofia and I would swing, hit the ball, analyze what we did wrong, and rejoice when we hit it well. We understand to become good at something is a process. It might take 10,000 swings before we hit the ball consistently well.

It is important for us to play well, so we signed up for a lesson with a professional. Within five swings, I hit the ball straighter, farther, and with more consistency. It is all a process. Soon we will be able to drive around a course and enjoy the game with friends.

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https://unsplash.com/@jpineapplepen

Enjoying The Process Of Writing

I have finished the first draft of Chapter 1 of my book; yea me! I enjoy the process of writing. Opening up my creativity and coming up with the story brings me joy. Once I begin, I don’t want to stop, but it is hard to walk after sitting for hours writing. I should get a timer and move around every twenty minutes or so.

I am not focused on the end result of my novel or golf game. The only thoughts, and more importantly, feelings I have, are about the joy of the process. Feeling happy while I’m in the process increases my vibration and attracts more ideas. It is how I open up my creativity. Before I pick up my pen, I like to meditate and open myself up, getting the creative juices flowing.

Enjoy Getting Healthy

Most people who want to get healthy don’t enjoy the process; I know I never did. They are just like me and want to skip the monotonous, exhausting process of changing their diet and exercise. Like me, they want to skip all that and get to the results. They suffer through it, but that is the wrong approach.

For example, my daughter Nicole is training for a fitness competition in June. Every morning she eats plain oatmeal, cinnamon, and an egg white. In support of her, I am eating the same. It is tasteless gruel, and we complain to each other and suffer. I realized that was only attracting negativity. We started looking at the meal not as gruel but as a healthy meal that will help her win. It is part of the process of changing our bodies, and we enjoy it.

How Do You View Situations?

It is all how you look at things. Focus on enjoying the process, and the results will come. I hope and pray everyone is well. I appreciate every one of you who takes the time to visit my site and read my posts.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@shotbyrain

https://unsplash.com/@jpineapplepen

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Sign Your Name To It

My mother always told me, “Scott, if you’re going to do something, do it right.” Those words left an impression on me. What she meant was, whatever you choose to do, do it to the best of your ability. You don’t have to be perfect at it, but you have to give it 100%. In other words, sign your name to it.

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Sign Your Name To It

Sign your name to it is something I have always told my children. I didn’t care what they wanted to do with their life, as long as they did it to the best of their ability. When they wanted to play sports, I told them to strive to be the best player they could be. Don’t just be on the team and wear the uniform; give it 100% and contribute to helping the team win.

Some people are genetically superior athletes, and they tend to play professional sports. If you didn’t inherit those genes, it doesn’t matter how hard you train; they will always be better. Deciding to become a professional athlete would mean you would have to train much harder than them. You would have to be the best you; if you wanted to make the team.

The Gym

I go to the gym every morning and see people who train incredibly hard. They are there every day, and I call them gym rats. In contrast, I see people that can barely walk on the treadmill at a slow pace. The ones that train hard are in great shape and have little body fat. The others, not so much. For them to transform their bodies, they must change their habits and lifestyle.

If you want to become a healthier person and decide you need to do more exercise, the gym is a great place to start. Mentally you have to think of yourself as a gym rat, even if you do not look like one. It is more important to be at the gym daily than it is to spend a lot of time there. Your workouts periods will increase as you get in better shape.

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https://unsplash.com/@grahammansfield1

Sign Your Name To It With Consistency

It is a process that starts with showing up. Develop a weekly training plan and reward yourself for sticking to it. You do not have to keep up with the gym rats, but you have to be there. Work out the best you can for that given day. It does not always have to be great but at the end of your workout, sign your name to it.

Deciding to make a change for your personal development is half the battle. Commitment is what it takes to win the battle. It comes down to being a professional or an amateur. Professionals show up every day even when they do not feel like it; amateurs don’t. Professionals embrace practice and failure; amateurs do not.

Is Motivation Enough?

In an earlier post, I wrote about the difference between motivation and self-discipline. It is hard to be motivated every day to eat healthily, go to the gym, write, etc. A professional does not need the motivation to do the things they are supposed to do. They have developed the self-discipline to do the right things every day. They sign their name to their daily habits. An amateur goes to the gym only when they are feeling well. Any little ache or pain becomes a rationalization or excuse not to go.

Writing

Writers write daily. They do not always write 2000 words a day, but they write. It is only through this consistent effort that they meet their publishing deadlines. I have recently dove into the world of writing a novel. It is a daunting task. Developing the daily habits of writing and researching will be the only way I will complete it. I keep telling myself to sign your name to it; every day that I write.

Also, I have incorporated the idea of becoming a professional in my golf game. No, I do not have any delusions of making money playing golf. It is not an easy game to learn and requires self-discipline. By being self-disciplined, I work on my swing every day. Some days, I will swing 100 times, and then there are days when I only take ten swings. It is about doing the best I can on any given day and doing it consistently.

Do you have any part of your life you are trying to improve? Are you trying to learn a different skill? If so, enjoy the process. Work on it daily and forget about the results. The results will come; you have to practice delayed gratification. Do the best you can no matter how you feel and develop self-discipline. Most importantly, sign your name to it.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@britishlibrary

https://unsplash.com/@grahammansfield1

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You’re Not Lazy You’re Normal

Nobody I know would call me lazy except me. I have always made it a point to outwork everyone in the room. That is great, but I have always felt lazy like I was not doing enough. I needed someone to tell me, you’re not lazy, you’re normal. Doing anything has never been my problem. Starting to do something is where the problem comes in. It used to take a lot to convince my mind to do the required activity.

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I’m Telling You You’re Not Lazy You’re Normal

Has anyone else felt the same way about beginning a difficult task? For example, I need to paint the house. That is going to be difficult and time-consuming. My mind conjures up a plethora of reasons not to paint the house. It is cloudy, too hot; I might miss the second round of an insignificant golf tournament on TV, etc. The list goes on and on.

I ask myself, why am I so lazy? Then you get the paint and brushes and begin. Wives in the neighborhood see me and tell their husbands, why can’t you be more like him? He isn’t lazy. After several hours, I finish; exhausted. I have accomplished a lot of hard work but still, feel lazy because of the struggle to get started. Somebody, please tell me, you’re not lazy, you’re normal.

It’s All Physics

In reality, we are not lazy, and the reason we feel lazy is a principle of physics, the Principle of Least Action. The path you choose between two points will always be the path requiring the least energy. When I worked with explosives, I was taught that energy would follow the path of least resistance. I could “aim” the explosive blast by creating the least resistance in the direction I wanted it to follow.

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Your Brain Being Normal

Our brain is wired to conserve energy, and we will always gravitate toward the least amount of work. Choosing to watch golf would have been the least amount of work. That is why I was drawn to that option. It was not that I was lazy but that my brain was working normally. The house could have gone unpainted, but it needed to get done, and I did not want to pay someone to do it.

Change Is Necessary

I have had to change my behaviors to overcome my natural desire to conserve energy. If not, nothing would get done. Our ancestors had to develop behaviors to overcome these universal laws. Imagine if they did not, they would not have grown crops and died out. We would not be here today.

Today, everything is at our fingertips; Information, food, transportation, etc. It is easy now to fall into the trap of never leaving your house and submitting to the Law of Least Effort. Building the behaviors necessary to live a healthy life is more important than ever. When it is time for dinner, your brain will tell you to order food from your phone instead of cooking a healthy meal.

Keep It Simple

How can you begin to build the essential behaviors for personal improvement? You can do this by making the path as simple as possible and satisfying the Law of Least Effort. Meal prepping makes it easier to eat healthy instead of cooking daily. Cook all your meals for the week in one day. Taking a daily walk is beneficial and easier than going to a gym.

Create shortcuts or smaller tasks to achieve the behavior you want to change. Something as simple as taking off your heels after work and putting on walking shoes can satisfy your brain. The next thing you know, you are walking daily after work, and you have created a path of least resistance for your new behavior to develop. These new behaviors will create a new identity for you.

Do not try to do everything at once. Small steps every day will change the person you are over time. Patience, persistence, and perseverance are the keys to your success. Your brain will still choose the easiest option, but now you know; you’re not lazy, you’re normal.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@kennyzhang29

https://unsplash.com/@molliesivaram

Clear, James. “Chapter 12.” Atomic Habits: An Easy &Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, Penguin Randon House LLC, *New York, New York, 2018, pp. 149–158.

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Tap Into Inner Energy

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Learning to tap into inner energy is essential in your journey to personal improvement. You can do all the right things and not see improvement. For example, verbalizing positive affirmations and visualizing your future daily, yet you still don’t feel you are improving. Something is holding you back. It could be that your heart is closed, and you are blocking your inner energy.

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Tap Into Your Inner Energy

Almost everything you do externally and internally requires energy. Just like it takes physical energy to exercise, it also takes an expenditure of energy to control your thoughts. Dealing with your emotions also requires energy. Getting through the day asserts a lot of energy. It can be exhausting.

I’m sure you have experienced times when you don’t feel like you have much energy; you are drained. If you feel low on physical energy, rest and a healthy meal can recharge you. Unfortunately, food will not supply you with energy if you are mentally and emotionally drained. Where does that energy come from? Inside you. Yogis call these energy centers chakras. We all have an infinite supply of inner energy.

Your Energy Is Flowing

Have you ever been in love? Those first days of a relationship fill you with physical and emotional energy. You feel as if you could take on the world. The same thing happens when you start a new project; you don’t even think about eating or sleeping. The infinite energy that comes from within you keeps you going.

Conversely, if your relationship ends after a few months, you lose your energy. You become sad and depressed. Much of the energy you have is spent trying to figure out what went wrong. You don’t eat much and spend way too much time in bed.

Where Did It Go?

Where did the energy go? It is still there inside you. You have blocked it. By closing your mind and heart, you have blocked the flow of energy inside you. Learn to open your heart to tap into inner energy.

Have you seen those people who seem to have an unlimited supply of energy? They are happy and productive. You always see them out and about. They are positive, glass-half-full people. In contrast, we all know someone that never has any energy. They are the complainers and hardly ever have anything positive to say. If they can bring you down with them, they will. Their hearts have closed and blocked the energy flow.

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https://unsplash.com/@cyrusgomez

I have experienced these different energy flows many times in my life. Have you? There have been times when my heart is open, and the energy is abundant. Then there were times when I blocked the energy and closed it off. It happens because we are programmed to open or close based on our past experiences.

An Open Heart

If I see a sunset, hear a song, or smell a certain scent that reminds me of a happy time, my heart will open. On the other hand, if those stimuli invoked a memory of a past negative experience, my heart would close. By learning to keep your heart open and let go of your past, you can keep the energy flowing. This energy comes from within your being. It is your Chi, Shakti, or Spirit.

How do you learn to open your heart to tap into inner energy? It’s simple, don’t close it. Decide that you want to keep your heart open. When you feel your heart closing because of a circumstance in your life, stop, relax, and open it up again. Do not allow it to close. Recognize when you feel your heart closing and open it up.

Life Continuously Flows

Don’t allow the circumstances of your daily life to take away your inner energy. Think of life as if you’re standing in a river. Life flows all around you. Experiences happen, but they are only experiences. Like the water, they keep going, ever-changing. Life is a series of experiences that happens to us every day. They are always changing. The river water flows around you, touches you, and then it’s gone. The same water molecules don’t come back, different ones flow behind it. In life, we experience the circumstances, and then they’re gone.

Experiences only stay if we hang on to them and don’t let them go. During the times we react negatively to these experiences, our hearts become closed, and we block our energy. Decide what matters more, an open heart and infinite energy or hanging on to negativity. Keep your heart open and let all things happen. Experience them and let them go.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@osalom

https://unsplash.com/@cyrusgomez

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The Key To Making Goals Work

Today I want to talk about the key to making goals work and a little about my family. I am living out a dream. It is a recent dream of mine to work with my two daughters. Nicole is an entrepreneur, starting a fitness business. Lindsey will graduate at the beginning of May. She is creative and wants to write movie scripts, eventually breaking into the entertainment industry.

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Making Goals Work

Nicole and I have partnered up and opened Beastrong Fitness. It is an online and in-person fitness company. She is designing a line of fitness apparel and wants to open up a gym. This is her dream, and we are working together to get it started.

Lindsey and I are writing a book together. It is a fictional novel loosely based on my experiences. She is very talented and creative. For Nicole, Lindsey, and I to be successful we have to have goals. More importantly, we have to know the key to making goals work.

Goals

A goal is simply what you want, written down with a date. For example, a certain number of words written for the book; or a design finished by a certain date. These are the results we are looking for. It is our roadmaps for getting us from nothing to something. They are results-based.

Results-based goals are necessary, but what happens after we achieve the results? For example, take weight loss. You set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date. You change her diet and exercise more. Congratulations, you met your goal. You feel better, look better, and are happier.

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The Key To Making Them Last

What happens next? Studies show 90% of people will gain the weight back. Why? It is because they didn’t know the key to making goals work. They achieved their results and met their goal, but they are the same person. The key to making goals work is you have to change your identity. You have to set identity goals.

One day, I asked Nicole what do you say when someone asks, “What do you do?” She replied, “I am a personal trainer.” She identified as a personal trainer. I told her she should start saying, “I am a business owner.” She should set a goal to become a business owner. Lindsey must identify as a writer, not a college student.

Become The Person You Want

By changing your goals from results-based to identity-based, you will become the person you want to be. The results will then last a lifetime. Going back to losing weight, turn your focus to the goal of being a healthy person. Begin to change your habits and the person that you are. You will still set results-based goals to keep you on track, but now your results will last.

Think of the person you want to become and picture you as that person in your mind. Start doing the things that they would do. A healthy person walks more and is in the gym daily. A writer writes consistently and meets their deadline goals.

Enjoy The Process

Once you set identity-based goals, don’t get in a hurry. Change takes time. It won’t happen overnight. Make small changes to your daily routine. Do not try to do it all at once. These small changes will begin to add up. Soon you will act, feel, and think like the person you want to become. Your results-based goals will be met, and they will last a lifetime. Changing your identity is the key to making goals work.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan

InspireChief10 Comments

Vince Lombardi’s Inspirational Speech

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For my podcast today, I am reblogging a post I wrote several months ago, Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech.

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Vince Lombardi was a great leader who knew how to motivate men. He was an American football coach, winning many championships. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers when they won the first Super Bowl, and The Super Bowl trophy is named after him. Lombardi was famous for his inspirational speeches. One of his most famous speeches is “What It Takes to Be Number One.”

Lombardi was known for his drive and determination, but he is remembered for his leadership. Lombardi was driven to be the best and demanded the same from his players. “What It Takes to Be Number One” was first given in the locker room at halftime. Since then, Lombardi gave this speech many times to businesses and at political conventions.

I have always admired Vince Lombardi. You could say, he is my “go-to” guy for inspiration. Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech is one of my favorites. I have it on a card hanging up in my office. Now and then, I take it down and read it. Vince Lombardi has been such an inspiration to me I even married a girl named Lombardi.

Lombardi’s Inspirational Speech, “What It Takes To Be Number One”

“Winning is not a sometimes thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

By doing the right things all the time you will find yourself winning more often than not. Develop the habit of winning in everything that you do

“There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second-place ballgame, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.”

You won’t win every time, nobody does. When you don’t win it should drive you to come in first the next time. Only one team is having fun at the end of a championship game. The winning team.

All In

“Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up, from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s O.K. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.”

Giving it everything you’ve got is how you win. You cannot do things halfway.

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Win

“Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization, an army, a political party, or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win and to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.”

The objective of any business is all the same. It is to make a profit. If you are not making money in your business, you have a hobby.

Compete

“It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why they are there, to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules, but to win.”

Competition makes everyone better. It doesn’t have to be nasty and you don’t have to cheat. Do your best and win fairly.

Grind

“And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat.”

Embrace the grind and everyday challenges. Learn to love the daily routine of making yourself better. Championship teams put more emphasis on practice. They embrace the difficulties of the daily grind. Championships are won during these times.

Read

The final paragraph of his speech is the most important part for me. It sums up what it takes to be number one. Read it many times and let his words take hold of you.

“I don’t say these things because I believe in the “brute” nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

I love Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech and hope it helps those still sitting on the sidelines. Get in the game and go after what you want. Thanks for reading and listening.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@jontyson

InspireChief3 Comments