Have Something To Look Forward To

We all need something pulling us into the future--a dream that we want to make come true or a goal we want to accomplish, that gives us the incentive to get up in the morning. When a friend turned thirty nine, she found herself depressed. It took her a while to figure out why: She states, "I had spent the last ten years of my life focused on three things--having a good relationship, creating a family, and buying a house. Now I have done them all, and there's nothing left on my list!" She had everything she wanted, but because she had nothing to look forward to, she was unhappy.

Make a "want to do" list. Just anything that you want to accomplish: create a beautiful garden, go to Costa Rica, learn to play the guitar, hang glide. By making this list, it will make you aware of what you want and help make your dreams come true.
Ryan, M.J. Instant Health And Happiness. Pg. 112.

You Hold The Key

I just want to say the time is now...It is time to begin your journey if you haven't already. IT IS YOUR CHOICE. Your choice to begin your journey. The journey of discovering what is within you. The journey of knowing that you CAN DO IT. The journey of being YOU.

Work hard and DO NOT settle for anything less. FEEL THE BURN! FEEL THAT PAIN. It is supposed to hurt, if it doesn't hurt PUSH HARDER. If it hurts, EMBRACE IT. Feel that pain every time you train...it is not your enemy, it is your best friend. Most people can not handle this pain and will stop...TRULY ONLY THE STRONGEST AND TOUGHEST WILL GO THE DISTANCE AND WILL GET TO THE FINISH LINE. DO NOT follow the weak, set your own path...BE YOUR LEADER! Know that what you are doing is helping you get closer to your destination.

Be unbreakable...discover your mental toughness. We all have it and once you know it...NOTHING will stop you, I MEAN NOTHING...will take you out of your game. Imagine the strength that pushes you through any obstacle or challenge regardless of how hard the task may be. You have it (we all have it)...feel it, believe in it, practice it, and be the powerful person that you are in MIND AND BODY. You truly have the strength and the willpower to FINISH YOUR FIGHT! Be an explorer and discover everything that is within you and around you. Take steps forward each every day and BE SO EXCITED to experience your journey. IT IS ALL UP TO YOU. YOU HOLD THE KEY!

Make The Change That Lives Inside Of You

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It is important that you understand that your thoughts create your reality because your thoughts will determine how you respond to situations in your daily life. It is those responses that become the energy you have inside you. YOUR THOUGHTS ARE A FORM OF ENERGY. Everything you feel and experience is the result of attractor energies...in other words, you get back what you put out into the world. What you have attracted to you is what you have to give away to others.

Some studies show that low energy attracts low energy. Some of the low energy thoughts are anger, hate, shame, guilt, and fear. Not only do they weaken you, but they attract more of the same. I find that this is so crucial in overall well-being. You must change what's inside you creating more of positive inner thoughts and surrounding yourself with high energy in order to fulfill an overall outlook on life. By changing your inner thoughts to higher frequencies of love, harmony, kindness, peace, and joy, you will attract more of the same, and you will have those higher energies to give away.

Please read this paragraph carefully...I believe that it hits it right on the mark!
**Higher and Faster frequencies that empower you will automatically nullify and dissipate the lower energies in the same way that the presence of light makes darkness disappear.**

One of the most important concepts of them all is becoming more loving toward yourself. By doing this it creates a whole mix of possibilities for you. First, you will attract more of the higher, faster energies that will change what's inside you. Next, you will accomplish and achieve goals and challenges that you set for yourself. Then, your positive energy will help others achieve and become just as you are. So the process is that you will begin to receive this energy back and ultimately be able to send thoughts of love and joy to everyone and everything in YOUR world.

Remember, that the universe responds with the same energy that we send out. For example, if you attract a lot of people who wish to take advantage of you, you need to consider what you're doing to attract victimizers into your life. Or if you run into anger a lot, explore the angry thoughts you have inside you. If what you give is SELF-RESPECT and SELF-LOVE, the universe (attractor energy), will return the love and respect you have been radiating.

Dyer, W. Success For Success And Inner Peace. Ppgs. 37-41.

What's The Worst Thing That Could Happen

"To see and know the worst is to take from Fear her main advantage."

-Charlotte Bronte

As Bronte so brilliantly points out, sometimes the best way to handle our fears is to play them out all the way. That way they lose some of their power because we have mentally faced the worst and survived. It's also a good way to remember that everything that happens, no matter how difficult, can be used as spiritual grist for the mill.

Here's how to do it. Pick one of your fears. Then play it out by asking yourself, "And then what happens?" after each thought. For example, one of your fears could be going bankrupt. So you ask yourself, "And then what happens?"

You lose your house with the swimming pool and all your savings. "And then what happens?" You have to live in an apartment and take a job that has a retirement plan. "And then what happens?" Maybe you would become a teacher because it has a retirement program and you are qualified. "And then what happens?" You would probably enjoy it.

Now you might be thinking, "But my fear won't end up so rosy," but you'd be surprised. this technique helps you engage your resourcefulness, to figure out what you would do in a difficult circumstance. It's a very powerful booster.

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health And Happiness Boosters. Pg. 235.

Thanks Mom! Love you!

TRUE PASSION PART 2

"All my energy was focused on getting where I had to go."- Michael Jordan

I want to share one of the pivotal points that changed Jordan in so many ways.  I like this story because the concept of it all can apply to each and every one of us. Here is his story: 

"I relied on my high school coach, Clifton "Pop" Herring. He picked me up every morning my junior year, took me into the gym before school and worked me out. He was my pusher. 

'YOU HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED, MJ.'

'YOU CAN'T DO THIS, MJ.'

'GRADES, MAN, GRADES.'

Those are some of the things he stressed to me every day.  I had tried out for Coach Herring's varsity team when I was in the 10th grade. The team was stacked, but I felt like I was good enough to contribute. Coach Herring had another idea. I ended up playing junior varsity that whole season. When the JV season ended, players could be invited up to the varsity. But Coach Herring didn't move me up then either, even though I had averaged 26 or 27 points a game.

**HE WANTED JORDAN TO FOCUS ON WHAT HE COULD BECOME IF HE STAYED PATIENT.  I REALLY BELIEVE THAT PATIENCE IS SOMETHING THE COACH WANTED TO INSTILL IN HIM. WITH PATIENCE COMES STRENGTH AND DESIRE.

SO I ASKED TO BE STATISTICIAN. I WAS WILLING TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING TO BE A PART OF THE VARSITY. 

Coach Herring allowed me to go on trips, but the only way I could get into the visiting gym without buying a ticket was to carry somebody else's uniform so it looked like I was part of the team. I never even got into uniform. I had so much confidence that I could help the team. I knew I could play.

**HE WAS WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TOOK TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL. THE EXPERIENCE I'M SURE HUMBLED JORDAN. HE EMBRACED HIS CONFIDENCE, WHICH MADE HIM FIGHT HARDER TO BE ON THAT TEAM.

Coach Herring could see that I had ability, but he also saw that I was a little slow in my development because I was growing. He knew I would make the varsity team that fall, but he wanted to start early. So he told me to stop playing football. Then Coach Herring convinced my parents that picking me up every morning and working me out before school would be good for me. He'd pick me up at 6:30 and we would work for an hour.  He made this big ol' poster with all the drills listed, and we went through them every single day. 

**THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES! PUSHING AND CHALLENGING...DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE! WE ALL CAN APPLY THIS TO OUR DAILY REGIMEN.

I didn't have status. Playing sports in high school was my way of being able to move up the ladder. I wanted to really fit in. I wanted the girls to look at me as someone they could date. All of that drove me a lot more than most people think. I didn't want to be excluded from a grouping, or laughed at because I didn't have any status. If that's what you saw, I was going to prove you wrong. Just watch me--that was my mentality.

**WANTED TO INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH BECAUSE I THINK THIS WAS AN ACTUAL BLESSING FOR JORDAN. HE HAD TO FIGHT AND WORK HARD TO EARN RESPECT AND STATUS. IT WAS NOT HANDED TO HIM, IT BECOMES A PART OF HIM AND HE APPRECIATES IT.

REMEMBER TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WERE GIVEN. WORK HARD EVERY DAY TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE IN EVERYTHING.  NEVER SETTLE AND ALWAYS WORK ON IMPROVING EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE. IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK OUT FOR YOU, DON'T GIVE UP , TRY ANOTHER APPROACH. USE THIS STORY TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU LEARN TREMENDOUSLY ABOUT YOURSELF WHEN YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD FOR SOMETHING.

Jordan, M. Driven From Within. Pg. 23.

The Race At Sunrise

Every morning in Africa, 

a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run

faster than the fastest lion,

or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.

It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle,

or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion 

or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, 

you had better be running.

-African Parable

Maxwell, J. Success: One Day At A Time. Pg. 122.

Do It Today

"Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it- in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance."-John C. Maxwell

Do the right thing;
Do it today;
Do it with no hope of return or promise of reward;
Do it with a smile and a cheerful attitude;
Do it day after day after day;
Do it, and someday,
There will come a day
That will be a payday
For all the yesterdays
You spent focused on the current day-
That will not only give value to today,
But will make each future day
Outshine each yesterday.
And what more could you ask of a day?

Maxwell, J. Success And One Day At A Time. Pgs. 65, 71.

One Step Further

Do more than exist: LIVE.
Do more than touch: FEEL.
Do more than look: OBSERVE.
Do more than read: ABSORB.
Do more than hear: LISTEN.
Do more than listen: UNDERSTAND.
Do more than think: REFLECT.
Do more than just talk: SAY SOMETHING.

-Author Unknown

Maxwell, J. Success: One Day At A Time. Pg. 27.

No Resentments

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts...take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature."-Marcus Aurelius

"God does not command that we do great things, only little things with great love."- Mother Teresa

I want to touch on the concept of resentment. Many times people will feel that they have the right to be upset , hurt, or resentful. You must avoid this type of thinking, so it will not stand in the way of living a life of inner peace, success, and happiness. When you feel resentful, you're turning the controls of your emotional life over to others to manipulate. We are accustomed to blaming others for our weaknesses, using almost any excuse as a rationale for returning to our self-defeating ways.

Removing blame means never assigning responsibility to anyone for what you're experiencing. This means that you are willing to say without any guilt or resentment that you own it. "I live with, and I am responsible for, having it in my life." If you take responsibility for having it, then you have a chance to also take responsibility for removing it or learning from it. Also, when you are at this level, you must be willing to send the higher, faster energies of love, peace, joy, forgiveness, and kindness as your response to whatever comes your way. This is the start of the uncrowded extra mile where you have only love to give away.

I believe in a nutshell you should want to be kind rather than right. You have no need to make others wrong or to retaliate when you've been wronged. YOU DO THIS FOR YOURSELF!
You must remember that your resentments will destroy you! They are low energies. You must go on that path of the extra mile and you will discover and meet others who have fully grasped the concept of having no resentments. And the ones you haven't made it to this level are all back with the crowd who went out of the game long ago. And they wonder why they can't move forward...because they continue to blame others for their emptiness. Learn to send love to all, instead of anger and resentment.

So the question is "If someone offers you a gift, and you do not accept that gift, to whom does the gift belong?" The answer leads you to the extra mile. You must ask yourself, "Why would I allow something that belongs to someone else to be a source of resentment?"

Dyer, Wayne. Secrets For Success And Inner Peace. Pgs. 103-109.

Dream Big And Do Not Fear Your Vision

DREAM...EVERY DAY!
Behind me is infinite power.
Before me is endless possibility.
Around me is boundless opportunity.
Why should I fear?
-Stella Stuart

VISIONS!
Cherish your visions
and your dreams as they are the
children of your soul;
the blueprints of your ultimate
achievements.
-Napoleon Hill

NO FEAR!
He who is afraid
of doing too much always
does too little.
-German Proverb

Value Growth

One thing we must realize and understand is that in order to be happy, you must value growth. You must see life as a giant experiment in learning, and no matter what befalls you, you must ask yourself what kind of growth is being called for.

When we value emotional and spiritual growth, life's ups and downs have meaning; instead of bemoaning our fate, we can use every opportunity to become more of who we are meant to be. For you, that might mean becoming more assertive; for me, trusting more. But for both of us, whatever hardship we're facing can become an occasion for growth.

Where are you being called on to stretch beyond your current limits? Can you see the challenge as a chance for growth?

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. Pg. 43.

Feed Your Mind

H.G. Wells wrote of the Buddha before he left his life of luxury to seek enlightenment that his "was the unhappiness of a fine mind that needs employment." In a word, he was bored. And boredom is a real happiness killer, for a great deal of happiness comes from the challenge of learning something new, of feeling our minds stretch around a new idea, a different perspective.

Is your mind stagnating? When was the last time you learned something that excited you? The author states that she felt the flame of intellectual passion burn for the first time in a long while when she read "Navigating the Future," which offers the skills the authors believe we will need to move through the beginning of the twenty-first century. A book, a class, a tape-stretch that mind and feel better! And remember-it's good for the body as well. Lifelong learners live 2.4 years longer than non learners, according to the book 'Real Age.'

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. Pg. 39.

Challenge Yourself

Sometimes we are unhappy because we're stuck in a rut, bored with ourselves and our lives. That's when we need a new challenge. A challenge that is neither too easy nor too hard can really be invigorating.

An example I would like to share with you is of a woman named Suzanne, who took on such a challenge to wake up her life. She decided to join the AIDS charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a journey of seven days and 560 miles. She rode her bike daily, and did long training rides on weekends. "I had to raise money too," she said, "$2,500, and that was the hardest part. I knew I could physically do it, but asking for money was difficult. In the end, though, I raised $5,300! That was at least as good as doing the ride itself."

You don't need to bike 560 miles or raise $5,300 to challenge yourself. What could you do that would give you a similar sense of stretching yourself? Read that long novel you've always wanted to? Play the guitar? Take yourself to a different level each time you workout? Give yourself a goal, and commit to it. BELIEVE!

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health And Happiness. Pg. 28.

Appreciate This Present Moment

This one. Right now. It's so easy to forget. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, " We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment."

THIS ONE!

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. Pg. 328.

Notice The Half-Full Glass

This is standard advice to pessimists. Instead of noticing all of what's wrong, cheer yourself up by focusing on what's right in your life. Train yourself to notice that the glass is half-full instead of half-empty, and you will be happier no matter what is going on.

It's easy to say, I can testify that it is possible to retrain yourself to look on the positive side.
A new spin on that idea came from the best selling author Iyanla Vanzant, who is an inspiring example of someone who has turned her life around from extreme hardship to phenomenal success. She reminds us that "no matter how much is in the glass, it is for that time, in that moment, as full as it's going to get." THE KEY WORDS HERE ARE IN THAT MOMENT! Right now, for each of us, the glass is as full as it is going to get. That says nothing about tomorrow or next week. JUST RIGHT NOW! So enjoy and embrace each moment. Live life and stay focused on the things that matter.

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. Pg. 301.

Embrace Your Essential Nature

In their wonderful book TRUE WORK, Michael and Justine Toms tell a great story about an acorn who wants to become a redwood tree. No matter how many positive affirmations the acorn says, no matter how many self-help seminars or diets it tries, it will grow up to be an oak, not a redwood. "Enormous power and strength is available when you act from your essential nature," they remind us. And to power and strength, I would add happiness too.

Embracing our essence is not necessarily easy. For many of us, our essence is so intrinsic as to be invisible; to others it is devalued because it feels so ordinary-we keep thinking it's BETTER to be a redwood than an oak. If your essence eludes you, ask a friend, "When you think of me, what adjectives come to mind?" Ask yourself, "When do I feel most true to myself?"

Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. Pg. 271.
Love you Always Mom!

Inspiration and Motivation Frames

Look For The Happiness Under Your Nose

"While you're on your way to your pot of gold, don't forget to pick up the silver along the way." -Anonymous


How often do we ignore the silver in our path because we're so focused on that pot of gold? Believe it on not, we do this all the time. We will aim for a goal, and spend all of our mental energy trying to make it happen and being upset that it hasn't happened yet, oblivious to the good things that are right under our nose.


Right now, think of five pieces of silver in your life you have failed to notice and appreciate. Write them down and make an effort this week to embrace those five precious pieces of silver. Make them shine in each moment of your day. For example a list could be something like: good health, the health of your family, your resiliency and resourcefulness, love of learning, your comfortable house.

It is truly the silver along the way that shapes the outcomes you experience in your life. Focus on it all, not just on the ultimate goal or the destination. But on the pieces and experiences along the way...YOUR JOURNEY.


Ryan, M.J. Instant Health and Happiness. pg.220.

The Power Of Choice

Hello everyone.....I hope that everyone is having a great week and training hard. I just want to say that begin your journey if you haven't already. IT IS YOUR CHOICE. Your choice to begin your journey. The journey of discovering what is within you. The journey of knowing that you CAN DO IT. The journey of being YOU.

Work hard and DO NOT settle for anything less. FEEL THE BURN! FEEL THAT PAIN. It is supposed to hurt, if it doesn't hurt PUSH HARDER. If it hurts, EMBRACE IT. Feel that pain every time you train...it is not your enemy, it is your best friend. Most people can not handle this pain and will stop...TRULY ONLY THE STRONGEST AND TOUGHEST WILL GO THE DISTANCE AND WILL GET TO THE FINISH LINE. DO NOT follow the weak, set your own path...BE YOUR LEADER! Know that what you are doing is helping you get closer to your destination.

Be unbreakable...discover your mental toughness. We all have it and once you know it...NOTHING will stop you, I MEAN NOTHING...will take you out of your game. Imagine the strength that pushes you through any obstacle or challenge regardless of how hard the task may be. You have it (we all have it)...feel it, believe in it, practice it, and be the powerful person that you are in MIND AND BODY. You truly have the strength and the willpower to FINISH YOUR FIGHT! Be an explorer and discover everything that is within you and around you. Take steps forward each every day and BE SO EXCITED to experience your journey. IT IS ALL UP TO YOU. YOU HOLD THE KEY!

Mental Toughness

Two words...MENTAL TOUGHNESS!

Many of you have heard me use the word endurance. Endurance is the ability to bear fatigue. I have also stressed the concept of fatigue and how it has such an effect on your overall fitness capability. Fatigue is defined as weariness or exhaustion from exertion, or the temporary loss of power to respond. This brings us to the next concept, which is work capacity. It is simply the amount of work that your body can produce and handle. So how do these three words play hand in hand.

An athlete has endurance when he is not easily fatigued, and most importantly when he can continue to perform despite fatigue. As your work capacity increases, you can handle more volume and intensity. This enables you to resist fatigue. But the most important point to make is if fatigue develops (EVERYONE FACES FATIGUE), what will prepare you to continue through that last conditioning drill or the last heavy set? The most crucial part of training and performing at high intense levels is the ability to operate in a state of fatigue. Understand that even the most advanced athletes cannot always avoid fatigue...but there is something that does set them apart from others. The ability to continue and to perform DESPITE the presence of fatigue. The ability to push through the PAIN OF FATIGUE and performing with power and precision.

Improving work capacity can minimize the affect of fatigue and help your performance and ability. "An athlete with high work capacity can achieve much more than the athlete whose work capacity is lacking. This athlete will also perform more work each session and make better use of this time." - Ross Enamait

So this brings me back to the two words I mentioned at the beginning...MENTAL TOUGHNESS. An athlete must be highly motivated to take on an intense work capacity. Without mental toughness and motivation, no athlete will be able to commit to the work...and will not have what it takes to push through any intense level. In order to have mental toughness you must have willpower and pain tolerance...because extreme levels of fatigue hurt! "You will be more willing to accept pain if you are motivated to achieve greatness as an athlete. Pain is just another sacrifice that you are willing to make in the pursuit of success."