1
2
A Journal Dedicated To My Daughters
3
4
Table of Contents Money and materialism Eliminating habits A quick explanation of Karma What will you say when you’re seventy? There’s always someone fights a harder battle than you To be a child again Happiness is congruent to your values and beliefs Its all in the way you look at it Overthinking is more harmful than you may realize Clear the mechanism You matter! Don’t follow the trend of society How do I know if what I’m doing is right for me? Nobody has a perfect life The different phases of our lives The Backfire effect Friends and their role in our lives Follow your beliefs The design of our lives is so precise You are the sum of all your fears The software of life Life is a video game Getting over the hurt Judging someone else When a goal doesn’t come to fruition soon enough Positive focus I’ve searched for my passion but can’t seem to find it How do I know if my passion is bleeding me dry? What’s your happy place? Why are you still blaming them? What should I write about? But, they said I couldn’t… What if I feel helpless? What if I make a mistake, or if people laugh at me? What does it take to become a good leader? Stop thinking the grass is greener Stop being so concerned about what everyone else has My message to high school students My main regret in life What is life? The law of attraction Moving on from what’s been holding you back in life A poem tying in all life lessons
5
6
Let’s Get Started I spent some time gathering my thoughts about life recently. I’m not usually a person to journal but I wanted to write my wisdom down on paper so my daughters can one day read and be inspired. My journaling was inspired by my interest in finding the reason behind our lives. Since I started my profession as a youth motivator when I was eighteen, till the height of speaking to one million inspired individuals, my mind was wired to find the reason behind our lives and what separated the unhappy between the truly happy people. I’ve connected with hundreds of youths and adults of all ages, numerous parents, grandparents, single people, principals, teachers, and various individuals of every kind across North America over the past eighteen years. I gathered hard facts about what made them tick in life. Through deep connectional conversations I was able to pull pertinent details to understand what brings the average person to finding true happiness. My conversations with them led me to understand that happiness can be generated by anyone despite race, religious beliefs, or anyone who’s experienced a serious setback in life. The truth is; happiness is a very tough nut to crack. It comes filled with every characteristic you can think of. It’s extremely complex. And, each of us are different when it comes to finding true lasting happiness. But, the wisdom I’ll share in the next hundred pages harnesses everything you need to ensure your own happiness. My journal entries contain pertinent life lessons that you too can apply in your own life to gain optimal happiness. Rather than a typical journal, each entry is more so a discussion based on theory and opinion. They’re not specific to any religion, nor are they bias towards any specific culture or sex. All you need to do is apply these lessons into your daily regimen. I suggest you implement one lesson every two weeks for a full year. You can start right now, with lesson one – a lesson on materialism. My experience doesn’t come from the typical educational background of degrees and study books. It comes from over a decade and a half of hard efforts in the field of motivation. My experience has led me to motivate
7
over one million youth in the Nation; focusing on encouragement and leading youth to make healthy choices in life. In doing so, I understood that life isn’t a physical game. It’s all psychological. Over 90% of the entire world population aren’t living an optimum lifestyle congruent to their values. The most important lesson I learned in my own pursuit to finding ideal happiness is that when your thoughts are congruent with your values and beliefs amazing things happen and your life becomes more enjoyable. But, with all the hustle and bustle, the busyness of our lives, and the complexity of it all, our thoughts become weaker because we don’t always choose the best most thought-out decisions for our lives. When we make improper decisions, we surround ourselves around negative influences, or we decline to promote ourselves to living happier. The truth is; if you choose to find the positive in every given situation you’ll start to see life through a much healthier perspective. There’s always positive within any given situation, including the negative. When you accept this your perspective of reality will become clear and positive and you’ll grasp onto what you once thought was impossible. 8
Often times, this kind of motivation isn’t always absorbed properly and efficiently because it all sounds like hogwash. Honestly, some of it sounds imaginative and hokey. But, I assure you if you even give it a second thought to moving forward and applying the lessons I’ve written; if you allow it to absorb into your conscience and actually make a simple effort to apply each lesson into your own life you’ll be a more confident and happier individual overall. My story: After graduating from high school and losing a dear friend of mine in my adolescence, I started speaking to high school students gearing towards making healthy choices. In my years as a motivator, my message has broadened to helping teenagers find their passion and how to find abundant happiness. During my career, I’ve spoken in nearly six hundred high school gymnasiums, auditoriums and classrooms. In the midst of all this I’ve learned some incredible life lessons that I believe are essential to living abundantly. All of which I wish to share with you today, in hopes that it’ll help you be more in tune with your own ideal happiness.
Imagine what life would be like if you knew everything you needed to know to become happier. I know that sounds great and all, but this wisdom is surely something very few actually commit to and try to find because they’ve either heard it before but tried and failed, or because someone they trust stood in their way of accomplishing happiness, or they don’t give it a chance because it sounds ridiculous - that we control our own reality. The truth is; you are in charge of your life. You can choose to commit yourself to finding true abundant happiness. I will prove the path to get there, you just need to take the first step. You’d be impressed with how many lives this very information has helped move forward towards a happier more fulfilling lifestyle. People of all ages and different walks of life actually. I’ve written a series of life lessons that I believe everyone should learn and apply in their own lifetime. All of which are included in the pages to follow. Each lesson is a stepping stone of the path I will lay out for you. Honestly, when you incorporate this life knowledge into your daily regimen you’ll endorse a new positive perspective of reality which will entice you to make positive change towards a new lifestyle; the one you’ve been waiting to live for many years. I started journaling to gain a clearer perspective of my own reality. In fact, much of the motivation I teach to teenagers refers to gaining a meditative and clear state of mind. I believe that in order to achieve what you want in life you need to gain a very clear perspective of what you actually want. That’s really the first step. When you have a clear perspective the next step is to gain a belief that it can happen. Without either it simply will not happen. With a dedicated mindset towards your vision, you’re destined to live out your fantasies. The problem I’ve found, even in my own life, is that it’s extremely difficult to continue the belief process because of our daily negative choices, peer-pressure from loved ones, our weaker traits seem to get in our way, or our negative influences steer us on a different path. My goal is to help you achieve a more interesting and positive perspective of your own reality so you can actually live out your dreams, rather than letting them eat away at your conscience. I personally handpicked forty-two life lessons from the heap of writing I’ve journaled over the past six years. Everything you’ll read in the next
9
one hundred pages is designed for you to absorb and reflect within your own life experiences. I believe that we all learn the same life lessons, just in different form, but not everyone learns what they need to move forward in a positive direction. Consider this life knowledge as a new modern way of viewing reality. You’ll be glad you incorporated these lessons because your life will change in the most positively profound ways. I assure you you’ll notice small positive changes daily almost immediately when these lessons become habitual. I believe each of these life lessons are pertinent to living an optimal life. Sometimes our lives aren’t congruent to our ambitions because one or more characteristics (such as the ones written in these pages) aren’t properly balanced. Each lesson in this journal is packed with a clear perspective to help you achieve your goals and become truly happy in life. I learned these life lessons in the first 35 years of my life, and now I wish to share them with you so you don’t wait too late in life to experience them for yourself.
10
Some of these lessons may seem like common knowledge whereas others will surprise you because they contradict what you were taught from your influences as you grew older. The best way to read this journal is to clear your mind of anything you’ve learned in the past. Read with an open mind. In fact, it’s been proven that many of the things we’ve learned in the regular school curriculum aren’t fully truthful, nor do they offer the best most favorable approach to any specific life experience. The lessons within these pages are guaranteed to make you happier. Over seventeen years of hard direct research specializing specifically on what triggers happiness proves they will catapult your life much like the thousands of mindsets I’ve already influenced in a positive manner. All you need is your own inspiration and willpower to incorporate them into your life for a more profound life experience. These life lessons will amuse you to look further into yourself to make a positive difference. Doing so will not only increase your own happiness but it will increase the happiness of your loved ones as well. There’s truth in the statement; when you excel in your own life your loved ones will too. This statement ring true because you’re only able to help others when your mindset is nourished. When your mindset is malnourished it doesn’t allow for any growth. You’re unable to help others believe in
themselves when you don’t believe in yourself. I promise you an exponential life revelation will happen if you apply one of these life lessons every two weeks for a next year. If you open your mind to absorb each lesson, and stay dedicated to applying them into your own life, your life will change further than anything you’re living now. I’ve worked 28 different jobs in my life to date since the age of thirteen. Some of these opportunities were merely to pay the bills, while others were grueling odd jobs or short-lived careers. Only one of these opportunities transpired through passion – my role as a motivational speaker. In the realm of all this, each opportunity served a different type of pay structure, taught me different things and gave me a different level of satisfaction. Some opportunities provided more extravagant lifestyles, whereas others were more of setbacks. Each one however provided life lessons which is really what life is all about. In the aftermath of it all, I realized I wasn’t happier with more money or more of anything other than love from my family and myself. I can’t wait to share with you all the other life lessons I learned in the process. I’ve surely lived enough experiences to realize that everything happens for a reason. Through living and chasing my ambitions I’ve also understood how to properly utilize the law of attraction; the single most important characteristic in the realm. The Law of Attraction is the belief that your thoughts equal reality; meaning when you think negative thoughts you experience negative realities. Vice versa for the positive. I’ve personally used it to create a healthier perspective of my own reality. This is yet another characteristic in the happiness realm. Another realization I came to was that we are all the same in this game of Life. We all harness the same amount of potential, we experience the same amount of negativity and we all generate the same amount of opportunity. Even though we look different, have different beliefs and are brought up in different families, we all harness the exact same components. We all have the same amount of capability. It’s just shown to us differently, experienced through different mediums. Although we may seem different in so many ways, we are all the same breed of species.
11
Those who choose to utilize their talents and believe in their ambitions; those who have a desire for more happiness in their lives; and, those who have an interest in seeking their own true potential; these are truly the happiest people on the planet. These people create a positive environment where happiness runs through their veins because they’ve chosen to eliminate the negativity that surrounds them by focusing on the positive. The truth is; we all experience the negative. We all make poor choices from time to time. We all wither in own self-pity on occasion. We all get ashamed of things, and become resentful of our experiences, and, we’ve all hurt someone in the making of it all. These are merely just a part of our similarities. All of this gets intertwined in our perspective of how we see the environment around us. It really is all about perspective. The truth is; we live the thoughts we perceive in our mind. Your fate, your reality, your life experiences are all a reflection of the choices you made last week.
12
My realizations have enlisted a whole realm of self-help practices that I’ve personally used in my own life. In fact, everything you’re about to test (within these pages) has already been thoroughly tested myself and have also been shared and helped an incredible amount of people of all ages across North America already. Teenagers, adults, teachers, parents and the like. This message is geared to anyone that truly wants to live a more fulfilling life. It’s really at the tip of your fingertips. You simply need to make one choice; to choose something more than you’re currently experiencing. And, to stay committed in doing so by applying these values into your current regimen. These life lessons aren’t in any specific order. You may choose to sporadically flip from page to page at your own leisure, or read it like a regular book, flipping the pages in order. I assure you there are valuable tidbits of information in each paragraph I’ve written. The final lesson ties in everything I’ve written in this entire multi-lesson. I’ve even enlisted some of my motivational poetry to keep you entertained. I hope this knowledge inspires you to be the best you possibly can be, like I believe you can be. Word of advice: It’s beneficial to write your own journal. Hard truth has been uncovered that’s proven incredible mental growth for those who write consistently in a journal. Writing increases mental capacity, it acts as incredible encouragement and breeds inspiration. There are plenty of benefits that you can experience just by picking up a pen. Read on!
There’s absolutely no way to be content with a mindset that’s soiled by negativity.
13
Jan 7, 2017
How Important Is Money & Materialism When I ask people what serves their happiness I usually get this type of response: my job, the money I make, how many possessions I can attain, generally something materialistic. The truth is; neither money nor possessions are pertinent to our happiness. Money and materialism doesn’t serve any true lasting meaning in our lives, other than money to cover the necessities - shelter, food, education, etc. After that money and materialistic things only serve as an illusion of happiness in our imagination.
14
This I know because I’ve witnessed the dissatisfaction in the eyes of people after their favourite purchases through the years, including my own. They would anticipate their happiness upon buying something that promised satisfaction on television, only to become disappointed after they already swiped their credit card. Buyers remorse: Happiness runs through the veins of consumers in the aisles of the big box stores. But as they make their purchase they soon realize it isn’t what they imagined (it never is), or it’s so poorly made that it breaks right in front of them and they have to soak more money into it, meanwhile they regret buying it in the first place. Sometimes consumers feel the remorse of their purchases before they even leave the store. People who have all the latest gadgets, the huge homes, the four car garages, the highest paying jobs and the most materialistic garbage are usually the ones that are the most dissatisfied. Materialism only fills the void of our unhappiness. I’ve been taught through my own life lessons to live without the latest gadgets because they only add stress and depreciate with time. I guess it all depends on your own individual perspective. How important is it to you? Your answer will help you clarify the meaning of your life. When you learn to appreciate what you already have and succumb less to your greediness you’ll understand that happiness can’t be bought in a store.
I think everyone has to experience an understanding of materialism in their own way because we don’t all want the same physical things or see life with the same terms. Some people get addicted to materialism and always need to have the latest and the new. Some compete with their friends and neighbours for it. It’s really weird how far someone will go to reap it. The damages of materialism cannot always be taught immediately because the commercials on television make us seem like we’re naked without them. Society has led us to believe that materialistic things, higher paying jobs, and a number of physical possessions define us as individuals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Exercise: Part 1 - Make a point to go to a nearby shopping mall in the few days. As you roam the hallways and stores be sure to pay attention to how attached people are to their purchases. Note how long they take making a decision. Pay attention to how quickly they shop, or how routine they are with their roaming. Be sure to reflect on their facial expressions as the cash register rounds their total or when they hand over their credit card to be swiped. Part 2 - In the meantime, do your absolute best to refrain from making any purchases. Go ahead and window shop as much as you like, but refrain from buying anything, no matter how bad you think you need/want it. As you conclude your mall outing be sure to write your thoughts down about the experience in your journal.
15
16
Humans have the best quality – observation of their own happiness, yet they fail to use their second best trait – willpower to make it happen.
Oct 3, 2016
Eliminating Habits I spent over a thousand hours in my thirties questioning habits and addictions. In doing so, I came to some incredible realizations. First of all, it’s quite difficult to eliminate any given habit because we are addicted to the shortterm satisfaction it serves us. The problem is; the severity of the negative effects that are attached to them worsen over time, but we fail to see the negatives because our addiction to it serves us satisfaction each time we adhere to it. When you succumb to even the simplest habit it makes it extremely difficult to even consider getting rid of it because your mind has been hardwired to seek pleasure in life. The short-term satisfaction you experience acts as an illusion of happiness. Regardless of your addictions and habits they’re weighing you down and blindfolding you to the actual happiness that you fail to seek; the type of happiness that’s long lasting and measurable, like quality time spent with loved ones, and the pleasures that don’t come with heavy temptations. The most fascinating tidbit I learned in the process was that no habit/addiction is any more powerful than another. They’re all just as damaging as each other. We judge our habits based on the severity of our own opinions about them, but our opinions aren’t accurate because they’re merely based on shortterm satisfaction and defined by the opinions of other people. The reality is; an addiction to food is just as bad as an addiction to heroin or any other street drug. Both do damage to your esteem, lifestyle and livelihood. You cannot place any specific addiction higher on the ladder of naughtiness. Period. They’re all just as damaging to your psyche. Eliminating your addictions and habits can be made fun. You can play a game against them. Here’s a suggestion that I’ve personally found has worked wonders in eliminating habits.
17
Leverage against them Our habits and addictions can be extremely difficult to get rid of, especially because they’re usually replaced with another negative habit when we try and get rid of them. I believe if you put enough on the line when you’re in the elimination process you’ll be able to fade away any given habit. Your mindset and willpower is all you need. You need your mind to really believe it’s toxic. That’s the first step. Next. When kicking any habit you need to weigh just as much leverage against it in the opposite direction. The truth is; you’re not trying to eliminate the habit, you’re trying to change your mentality about it. This will encourage habitual psychological patterns. Write down your daily routine.
18
It’s been proven that recording your daily activities can act as inspiration to make positive change. We all fall into such instances where we’ve developed a habit without even realizing it because it was just a part of our everyday exercises. We overlooked the habit, or we failed to recognize it as something habitual because it fell into the ordinary. When you record (write down) activities such as meals you’ve eaten, workout regimen, or really anything you do habitually on a daily basis, this will help you recognize and understand your habit(s) a lot clearer. The truth is; most of us are oblivious to 90 percent of our habits because they’re so normal to us. Often times it takes someone else mentioning it for us to perceive a developed habit. When you write something down on paper it help paint a picture in your mind. It lays out the foundation to the change you need to succumb to in order to live with abundant happiness. Our habits generate twice as much power each time we succumb to them. But, they decrease three times as much every time we fail to succumb to their temptations. Every time you fight against their will your willpower to achieving happiness will be magnified.
The “cheat day” approach This is a great exercise to help assist you with writing your daily activities. It will help you pay clearer attention to your habits and unwanted activities. Food is a great incentive. It’s something we can all relate to, and it’s the easiest way to encourage you to stay on track to a healthier regimen. I wanted to keep financial cheat days out of the realm because the whole premises in this journal to help you understand that the physical characteristics aren’t important in the realm of finding happiness. A cheat day happens once a week (usually on Sundays). It’s where you’re able to delve into any of your cravings. It usually includes ice cream, chocolate and other tasty fetishes. It’s not meant to delve heavily into your addictions like smoking cigarettes, alcohol or drug abuse. A cheat day is meant to be earned as a privilege, not a right. You need to set your mindset to move forward with healthy daily habits rather than succumbing to your temptations of your addictions and habits. In doing so, you’re setting yourself up for a more rewarding and enjoyable cheat day. And, it leads to a happier lifestyle too.
Here’s how it goes Example: Starting Monday morning through the rest of the week. If (for example) your addiction is coffee - for every time you skip a cup of coffee you get to add an item to your cheat day list. Once you get to five items you get to start adding points to the list. But, if you succumb to drinking a cup of coffee through the week you’ll need to erase an item from the list, or delete a point of your progression. You’ll need to keep track of your activity using the points system. At the end of the week you’ll either be in the positive or the negative. Being in the positive allows you to indulge in a much more satisfying cheat day. A negative number means you’ll have to wait till next week to earn another cheat day. It starts to get really interesting when you add all your habits in the mix. Over fifty percent of our daily activities are actually habits. We just don’t realize it until we take the initiative to write our daily activities down on paper. You’ll notice when you pay more active attention towards your daily activities
19
you’ll start to unfold many habits you didn’t even realize existed. For example, you may see that your spending habits are out of control with simple pleasures like buying junk food through the workdays, or data over usage from scrolling your news feed too often. Each of these habits are draining to your psyche. They persuade you in the opposite direction of happiness. Remember, every habit, no matter how severe you place it on the ladder of naughtiness, it is damaging to you and your lifelong approach to finding happiness. This activity allows you to weigh the differences between a life lived with habits and without, and it actually allows you to apply your mindset against your habits throughout the week. It’s also a great way for you to keep track of when your habits arise and how often you succumb to them, so you can witness first-hand how negatively they’re affecting your life. You have no idea how positive your lifestyle will change by doing so. Some cheat day items you might consider adding to your list:
20
Chocolate bar, ice cream cone, pizza, pop, a trip to your favorite restaurant, a glass of wine, a bag of chips, a small bag of candy, extra bacon, French fries, cinnamon bun, brownies, cookies… I think you get the idea.
Happiness makes a point to block all the negativity in your life. The bigger your smile the better your lifestyle.
21
Dec 20, 2016
A Quick Explanation Of Karma Karma acts in the same way as your bank account. When you’re in the positive you’re happy but if you’re in the overdraft you’ll instantly be dissatisfied. I’ve been studying Karma and it’s affects for years, and based on what I’ve learned from my own decisions is this. It’s like clockwork - always on time and nearly perfect. What goes around comes around is the best way to explain its effect in your life. If you do good for others/society good things will come back to you. If however you do negative against someone or society the opposite will happen – you’ll reap nothing but negativity.
22
This I believe is also applied to the quality of time we spend with others. If you don’t actively participate and spend quality time with other people your karma account will be deducted. Thus, taking initiative to spend quality time with others will increase your karma account as well. The positive side of Karma is magnified because positivity is more powerful than its counterpart. This should act as encouragement to be the best you can be all the time. When you do good for society you’ll attract better people and bigger opportunities into your life. If however your actions are constantly filled with negative choices your life will be a reciprocating ball of negativity. Everything comes back to you in equal effect Karma is similar to your bank account. If you do good for society the universe will make a deposit into your Karma account. But if you do something negative (depending on the severity) the universe will withdraw from your Karma account. It’s worth doing your best to ensure your Karma account is in the positive. You never know when you’ll need the funds. The best way to increase your Karma account is to do random acts of kindness for someone, anyone. It doesn’t even matter if the person knows your intention; if you follow through on doing right for them it will be accounted for in the bank of Karma.
Examples of Simple Random Acts of Kindness - Shovel someone’s driveway without them knowing - Pay for someone’s expiring parking meter while they’re in the store - Say something nice to a complete stranger - Help someone that’s in need of assistance without asking - Take some time out of your day to listen to someone’s troubles. Actually listen and be a guiding support - Hold the door open for everyone behind you - Write a heartfelt card and give it to someone; anyone. - Go out of your way to attend a sports game of a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or a nephew, or anyone. You’ll be amazed how one simple act of random kindness can go. It makes the person who receives it change their perspective to a more positive one right away. Plus, it adds funds to your Karma account. The more Karma funds the happier you’ll be.
The quicker you’re able to eliminate ill feelings from the past, the quicker you’ll be able to move on as a happier soul.
23
Sep 12, 2016
What Will You Say When You’re Seventy? When I was younger I quite frequently imagined myself as a seventy yearold man sitting in a rocking chair. As I rocked back and forth I pondered my accomplishments; wondering if I worked hard enough at achieving an optimal lifestyle. I have always questioned if I took advantage of living. I’m not sure if these thoughts made me work harder at achieving everything on my bucket list, or if it inspired me to enjoy my life more. Either way, it made me contemplate what true happiness really is.
24
It seemed like every two weeks I was changing my mind; fulfilling whatever my mind told me to work on. I was frustrated because I couldn’t make up my mind. Happiness seemed so distant and difficult to accomplish at times. Now, as a thirty-five year old man, I ponder the same questions. But this time I feel less frustrated because I’ve already accomplished a better life than I once imagined. Although I once thought an ideal lifestyle once consisted of money, fame and materialistic things, my experiences have led me to understand that the true meaning of happiness doesn’t include any of this. I’m truly content with my life today because I chose to fulfill my passions early in life. I didn’t procrastinate regardless of the obstacles that stood in my way, and I didn’t allow fear to run my decisions. I just went for it. In fact, I was always passionately working on some type of project; whatever my mind told me to work on. Although the constant change frustrated me, my progression helped me become the best I could be because I didn’t procrastinate. It encouraged me to enjoy life more than the rest. And it erased any possibility of feeling resentment. Going for it all when I was younger has allowed me to appreciate all the other opportunities in my life outside of work/passion like my children and wife. And now, as a father of two wonderful children I’ve enlisted my focus on being the best possible parent I can be with less focus on work and without the strain of a the less accomplished life I used to worry about.
My life has been filled with all different kinds of achievements over the years. But, as I look back, I realize these aren’t important to anybody else but myself. This fact led me to believe that the type of happiness we all long for only exists within our relationships with other people, including our friends, family and those we choose to spend our days with. Definitely not something you can buy in a store. I’m blessed to experience life through my own eyes without the materialistic values I grew up believing was important. I am happier todaythan ever before. I have excellent friends, a refreshed perspective of reality and my days are spent with great people. And, although I’m only half the age of 70 I am blessed to be able to say that I’m content with the life that was served to me. I will continue to see the positive in my experiences as I move forward because I’ve learned that life is a beautiful thing. Moral of the story: Don’t wait too long to fulfill your passions. Take the opportunity right now to complete a few tasks you’ve been meaning to get at for years. Kickstart your imagination. When you’re sitting in your rocking chair at 70 you’re going to be asking yourself these exact same questions. What will your answers be? What will your answers be?
Sometimes it’s important to take an inventory of your life and your current lifestyle to see if you’re in line with your ambitions. Have you done that lately?
25
Jul 14, 2011
There’s Always Someone Going Through A Lot Worse Than You
26
Take some time to think about some of the negative things your friends, family and colleagues are going through currently. I’m sure you’ll realize there are people in your direct circle that are going through something a lot worse than your currently experiencing. I know life gets difficult at times but just knowing there’s someone going through a far worse situation makes all the difference sometimes. Life isn’t always positive. There’s ups and downs, trials and triumphs and everything in between. These are pertinent to understanding life and its importance. Each struggle we experience is also an opportunity to make positive change for ourselves. It’s really all about perspective. Nothing worthwhile comes without some kind of fight, so strap on your boxing gloves and fight the obstacles standing in your way. Sometimes your biggest obstacle is your own mindset. The quicker you can accept the situation, the easier you can move on with a smile. There always someone going through a more difficult situation than you, no matter what situation you’re going through.
Challenge yourself today to eliminate the negativity that clouds your mind. When a negative thought pops into your mind replace it with a thought the puts a smile on your face.
27
Apr 16, 2011
To Be A Child Again
28
Often times I watch movies or hear songs that refer to being a child again. At which point I imagine what it would be like to be a toddler, a 10-year-old, or an adolescent again. At first, I ponder all the wonderful things they get to experience, like less responsibilities, more imagination, and they seem to be happier people. Sometimes my thoughts make me sad that my childhood is over, but then my recollection of the troubles I went through back then, the extreme lows and all the learning experiences I had to go through to understand life as clearly as I do today. If I were a child once again this would mean I’d have to go through all of this all over again which isn’t very appealing to me. This would also mean that I’d have to re-accomplish all of the things that made me who I am today which I have zero interest in doing either. As I ponder the statement – to be a child once again, I can surely say that I am content with being the 35-year-old self that I am today. Life is all about perspective. My perspective is filled with wonderful children, a beautiful wife, wonderful accomplishments, amazing talents and a lot of love and fun. I don’t need to be a child again to experience any of this. What perspectives of adulthood trump your childhood?
Happiness is only one small decision away. What small decision am I talking about? Deciding to tap into your spirituality; finding yourself
Jun 11, 2014
HAPPINESS is congruent to your values and beliefs and the decisions you make on a daily basis
Happiness comes and goes based on the quality of people you bring into it, and by the choices you make each day. You’ll notice that your happiness changes from day to day. Healthier choices and surrounding yourself with more positive people will make you a happier person. Period. Nobody is 100% happy all the time. Regardless if you have all the money in the world, if you have healthy children and you’re healthy yourself, or you have the best career possible, there’s still plenty of mishaps and miss-fortune to experience regardless of where you are in life. During our difficult stages is when happiness is lost because the difficult times harness stress and discomfort. It is during the difficult times when your life clarity starts to unfold. There is actually a lot of positive learning experiences within each of our negative experiences. You just need to search for them. But, who actually searches for the good when bad things happen? Happier people do. Most think happiness is only accessible to the elite; the ones with the most power and the most money, or the most materialistic things; when, in actuality, it doesn’t take any of this to become truly happy. Often times, it’s the exact opposite actually. The people with the least become the happiest because they don’t have any materialistic things to break down on them. They’re not in competition with anyone else for more of anything either. As long as you’re healthy and have a positive mindset you have the criteria to fulfil your own happiness. Happiness is a state of mind. It’s not an external force or something you can buy. It’s something that only comes from within. You have the ability to harness exponential happiness all the time. You just need to decide to open your heart, let go of your frustrations and appreciate what you already have. You will soon start to see what I’m talking about when you realize that even the elite are unhappy people.
29
Exercise: Take some time to reflect on your habitual daily choices. Pay attention to how your choices reflect the quality of your life. Write down any activities you do regularly that act as road blocks to achieving happiness. Are you spending too much time pursuing activities incongruent with your happiness? How do these activities reflect your values and beliefs? Are they getting you closer to ideal happiness, or are they standing in your way from achieving the lifestyle you wish for? Often times we don’t realize we harness an issue until we actually unfold it for ourselves. This exercise takes some deep thinking and brainstorming, but even a slight focus on it will enable you to free yourself from limiting beliefs and habits. Sometimes it only takes a couple of tweaks to pursue a happier life. There’s a good chance you only need to remove a couple incongruent habits or even a slight perspective change to waiver a happier life. Imagine your daily routine in your mind. Which activities bring happiness? Which ones are straining you from achieving an ideal lifestyle? Write them down. Create a list of the unfavorable activities, and decide to eliminate them one at a time simply by being aware of them. 30
Chose to let go of what’s been holding you back in life. Most likely it’s a n exp erience that really has no validity in your life a nymore. You are a n entirely new a nd different p erson since that very exp erience. It’s time to let go of your emotional attachment to it.
31
Feb 22, 2010
It’s All In The Way You Look At It Think of life in an environment outside of regular society. I mean outside of the hustle-and-bustle and the traffic jams. Focus your thoughts on the less domesticated version of reality. Hold that thought. It’s interesting to see what comes to mind when you step outside of the ordinary.
32
It’s been debated time and time again that freedom is an illusion; meaning that freedom doesn’t exist. This thought is based on the fact that society as a whole forces us to live a certain way. We have to live in certain neighbourhoods, report our earnings and modifications to the Government. We have to pay taxes and work certain jobs to make ends meet at the expense of our advanced society. We are governed by laws and exclusions that hold us back from doing what we want to do. It all gets intertwined into the breakdown that freedom is an illusion. I guess it all comes down to your own perspective and how you want to see your life. Some see it as a torturous place filled with negativity, whereas others see it as an incredible opportunity. Bring back the image you had of the less modernized society and compare it with your current reality. Looking at life from two different perspectives – the one with all the hustle and bustle, and the one surrounded with trees in the wilderness, you’ll see there are pros and cons to each of them. There’s always something positive you can take from any negative situation. And vice versa. It all depends on your perspective and what you do about it. Let’s take a look at some examples of what I’m talking about. Pros versus cons in a modernized world: Pros include more people to socialize with, more possible friends, more opportunity, more activities to pursue, and the like. Cons include more stress, less connection to the wilderness, less quiet, fast-paced and overcomplicated, etc. There are plenty of Pros and Cons within every situation you experience. It really all depends on the way you perceive each situation. Is freedom an illusion to you? I believe freedom is granted to those who acknowledge it. It’s given to those who admire it and want to experience it. It’s also given to those who have no idea about the actual concept itself. In fact, it’s available to anyone with a positive state of mind.
You don’t need to know every twist and turn on your path to success. As long as you understand WHY you’re doing it you’ll be successful.
33
Jan 29, 2017
Over Thinking Is Harmful It’s been proven that overthinking causes negative effects on your mind and body. It’s actually causes quite a bit of stress. Stress is never good for anyone. We all battle with overthinking from time to time. Most of us battle with it daily actually. It’s something that just comes in this busy fast-paced society that we live in. It often seems like our minds are pushed to the extreme, overloaded with complexity and never turned off from the troubles and pressures of reality. This makes for an overworked mindset which causes chaos and high stress in our lives.
34
I never realized how busy my mind was until I tried to meditate. I wasn’t in yoga class. I definitely wasn’t wearing yoga pants. I was in the shower. That’s where I do a lot of my intense thinking. It’s actually the only place I can get peace and quiet, where my wife isn’t enlisting me in any do-it-yourself projects around the house, or the kids aren’t screaming in my ear. Come to think of it, the shower is my man cave. It’s the place that allows me to take a deep breath and digest my thoughts. Anyway. Getting back to my meditation. No matter how far I tried to force my mind from stopping its cycle of thoughts I just couldn’t do it. I challenged myself to stop thinking; to have a clear mind, free of any thought for even just 60 seconds, but it felt nearly impossible. I tried over and over again, but every time I tried I failed. I just couldn’t free my mind from thought. I mean, I could put away a thought or two here and there but when it came to complete silence, free from all thought completely, it just wasn’t happening. I couldn’t believe how difficult this task was. I then challenged myself to a much simpler goal of clearing my mind for 30 seconds – half the initial amount, but even that was difficult. Over and over I tried to clear my mind, for even just 20 to 30 seconds, but the most I could do was 15 seconds. This lesson taught me what the true challenges are in life – having a clear mind free from thought; to stop our minds from over thinking all the time.
I was able to put it into perspective for myself – how bad overthinking affected my own mind. I knew I was a busy minded individual and that I focus on multiple tasks each day but I never realized how busy my mind actually is all time until now. Even multitasking is a form of over thinking. It can cloud your mind. When your mind is clouded with thought you miss out on the important opportunities that are staring your right at you. You fail to see what’s going on around you. You miss tidbits of important conversations, you miss the fun times. And you fail to experience the true meaning of living; to find peace and enjoyment in the moment. Yoga is one highly recommended way to relax your mind. It’s a great way to exercise your mind muscles and learn to become one with yourself; to be spiritual. It also gives you an opportunity to reset your thoughts for more congruent images related to your values and happiness. Slooooow your mind down and relieve the stress at least once a day. Take a walk, try yoga. Whatever you need to slow down the pace of your mind. You’ll be glad you did. 35
What small task could you go out of your way for today that would put a smile on someone else’s face?
Mar 28, 2013
Clear The Mechanism – When I get upset with life’s distractions it often brings me down. I feel over whelmed and sometimes it takes my esteem away. When this happens I take some time to refresh my mind. Here’s what I do: No matter where I am I find a driving range and hit golf balls. This is the one place where I know I can clear the mechanism; eliminate all thoughts completely from my mind except for the activity I am pursuing. If I don’t have my own clubs I’ll rent some and grab a large bucket of balls. My goal by the end of the session is to master my shot. By the time I get in my car and get back to life my mindset is already at peace.
36
What one thing/place/experience will allow you to eliminate all thoughts completely from your mindset except for the activity you are pursuing? If you can’t think of one go for a walk in the wilderness. Nature is often the best way to accomplish this.
Goals are merely a benchmark of what is possible. It’s important to set your sights high when trying to achieve any goal, no matter what it is. But, in the end, regardless if your goal was met, as long as you did everything in your power to achieve it then you were successful.
Nov 16, 2009
You Matter! These are the only two words you need to absorb at this very moment - “YOU MATTER!” That’s right, YOU MATTER in more than one way in this world. Take this time to imagine all the people you’ve made a positive impact on so far in your life. Think back to all the years you’ve lived, and all the people you’ve come across where you’ve done something that’s put a smile on their face. You’ll soon see that you were a big part of bringing happiness to other people quite a few times in your life. Take this exercise even one step further and imagine these people smiling back at you. I guarantee this will put a smile on your face.
You Matte r ! Don’t let friends, family or anyone influence your decisions in any negative way. Every time you succumb to their peer pressure’s you are going against your morals, beliefs and judgments. This is where cowards and hypocrites come into play; something you’re not!
37
Aug 1, 2006
Don’t Always Follow The Trend Of Society I used to follow the trend of society – thinking that making money was so important. I saw commercials on the television telling me I needed materialistic things to be better and to feel better about myself. The faces on the actors in these commercials were painted to show me that materialistic worth was what I needed. In fact, I went to great lengths to accomplish just this. I traveled far, took unnecessary risks, and pretty much did everything in my power to make this happen, only to be let down by their promise. Here is what I realized on my journey.
38
After achieving great financial goals, surpassing my own talents and boundaries, and pursuing nearly everything on my bucket list, I’ve come to realize that our happiness resides in our experiences - the time we spend with loved ones. It’s developed in our relationships with others, through exhilarating experiences and through our family and social interactions, not through materialism or fancy things. No millionaire has ever said that money is the root of their happiness because they’re forced to see beyond the perspective of necessity. Exercise: Part 1 - Write down ten to twenty experiences that don’t require much money to fulfil that you can participate with your friends or family members that would bring happiness. These include activities like fishing, barbequing in the back yard, canoeing, hunting, going for a long walk, etc. All of which don’t require much financial obligation on your part. List ten to twenty different activities like these; activities you feel comfortable and excited to participate in. Part 2: Be proactive. Go out of your way to ask three to five different friends or family members to participate in some of these activities with you. Stop procrastinating. You’ve been telling yourself for years you were going to fulfil some of these on the list. Go ahead and make it a reality!
When someone tells you that you can’t accomplish something, your next step should go against what they just said and prove them wrong. Often times, people try to steer you wrong because they’re jealous of your ambition. You are more than what others say you are!
39
Feb 26, 2010
How Io I Know What I’m Doing Is Right For Me? Let’s say you wake up virtually every morning and repeatedly hit the snooze bar while dreading to get out of bed every day. Every thought you host towards your work is weighing you down with sadness. You hate your coworkers, every one of them. You dread hearing your boss’ voice. And, you wish you could move away from it all. I would say you should make a change and find something different. The truth is; this is reality for most of us.
40
Statistics show that less than 10% of us actually enjoy our day jobs. Most of us work the same bland routine job over and over again for years without ever flinching for change. We choose nothing different because we’re comfortable. We see our friends doing the exact same thing which makes living in mediocrity easier. Then, at the end of our lives we question ourselves; if we made the right choices. It’s a never ending cycle amongst humanity. The truth is; over 90% of the elderly wish they had have experienced more and taken more risks in life. Some of the biggest regrets amongst those on their deathbed: I wish I had have switched careers earlier. And, I wish I had have accepted change easier. What are you going to say when you’re considered elderly? Are you going to be satisfied with the choices you made? Exercise: Part 1 - Write down five things you feel you know you’ll regret if you never achieve in your youth? These are things like running a marathon, playing an active sport, climbing a mountain, sky-diving; things you normally cannot pursue when your body is too old to achieve. Part 2 – Reflect on those five things and make a plan to fit those experiences into your current regimen. There’s absolutely no point in procrastinating with the important things that you know you’ll regret if you don’t accomplish.
Physical achievements will help excel your progression towards your ultimate happiness. They inspire and encourage you to continue doing what you love in life like fulfilling passionate experiences. Doing physical activities that excite you will help you feel alive again. They motivate you to get rid of the negative aspects in your life like the crappy job or relationship you got yourself into. You’ll know if you’re on the right path when it feels right. If it feels awkward give it an honest try. If it still doesn’t feel right turn your direction around and try something else.
Live your life like you play a board game. Make calculated risks, take your time on each move, be aggressive with each opportunity, be assertive with every decision you come across, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t follow your friend’s footsteps. Make your own!
41
Jul 12, 2015
Life is so complex, it’s no wonder why neither of us has a perfect one
42
Think about it, there’s literally a plethora of different characteristics to our lives. It’s tough to focus on one specific characteristic at any given time let alone maintain a balanced lifestyle. For example, there’s confidence, motivation, determination, willpower, work ethic, goal setting, life planning, and the list goes on. Then there’s our responsibilities – parenting, our jobs as employees and business owners. And, then we have our wants, desires, passions and needs. If they aren’t fulfilled then our confidence, motivation, determination and willpower goes down in the dumps, leading us to an unhealthy and unbalanced lifestyle which only brings us to being unhappy. This becomes a reciprocating cycle of negativity for many. It’s actually quite common amongst humanity. It’s not a wonder that we don’t have perfect lives, the wonder lies in why we don’t take advantage of these characteristics to live an optimal life. Exercise: Part 1 - List ten characteristics that are already successfully in line with your values and beliefs, like healthy eating, physical fitness, self-employment, working at a job you love, enjoyable coworkers, self-motivation, healthy children, fulfilling relationships, etc. When you list the characteristics you already have in place it’ll act as encouragement to fulfill the things that aren’t so congruent to your beliefs and values. It’s all a part of the process of being happy. Part 2: List ten characteristics that aren’t so congruent with your values and beliefs. Things like poor diet, unhealthy relationships, crappy job/working hours, lack of motivation, lack of interest in life, etc. List the things that you would like to change for the better.
Part 3: Reflect on your writing for no less than thirty minutes. Now focus on one specific characteristic that you’d like to get rid of or change for the positive and choose to eliminate it once and for all. This may take days/ weeks/months to achieve, but with each small step you take you’re gaining a happier life. Once you’ve achieved your goal you can focus on the next one and so on.
It doesn’t matter what you choose to do with your life, as long as you’re helping society to be a better place you’re moving in the right direction.
43
Oct 10, 2016
The Different Phases Of Our Lives
One of my favorite times of life was in the late 90s. I was in high school. I didn’t have many responsibilities back then. Although I wasn’t very interested in school or opportunity I remember having more fun in that stage of my life than any other. My experiences with my friends were what helped garner my happiness. I’m not saying I’m not having fun at my current stage of my life. I’m just saying that THAT phase of my life was one that I remember being the most enjoyable. I think the lack of responsibility triggered it the most.
44
I loved hanging around with my friends and making new ones. I could do whatever I wanted back then. I could take risks if I wanted because I didn’t have anyone else to look after but myself. I could go to the grocery store without having to get my whole family ready for the experience. There were a variety of things I could do back then that I cannot today. As I look back at this stage of life and compare it to the lifestyle I’m currently living I see very few similarities. Actually, it’s an entirely different life. My thoughts are different. My responsibilities are different. My friends are different. I live a completely different reality. And, I feel like a completely different person than I did back then. What’s strange is that my worries are different too, and I don’t have the same beliefs anymore. My morals and values are different too. Random fact: Science has taught us that the cells in our body regenerate after every six years; meaning that we truly are different living beings every six years. This brings meaning to why the stages of our lives are so different and unique. Anyway. Each stage of life is different. Each phase sends us different people, new opportunities and different possibilities. Often times it isn’t easy adjusting to these different phases of our lives. I’ve personally had some difficulties adjusting to my own life changes. Parenthood has brought some difficulties. Career changes are never easy. And opportunity seems to be limited lately. It feels like our responsibilities get mixed into one. It also seems like our days get mixed into each other as well. And, it feels like we don’t have
enough time to get done what’s needed. Bills and finances are even added to the mix. All of this compounds to make for a stressful period of life. But, there are many positives amongst the mentioned. Those of which we need to choose to focus our attention on before we lose our mind. The good things in life make it worthwhile, obviously. The good things are usually the small things that we often overlook, like time spent with your children and loved ones, and working on your hobbies. The reality is; you’re the one that chooses whether any given situation is bad or good. This phase of your life may be different than any other but it’s possible it just wants you to find enjoyment within it. That’s YOUR choice! Now-a-days my lifestyle is filled with kids and kid stuff, that’s pretty much it. Everything, and yes I mean EVERY part of my lifestyle incorporates my kids. In fact, the majority of my mindset includes thoughts that pertain my children in some way. I’ve had a difficult time giving away literally three quarters of my spare time towards them since they’ve been around. The first six months was the most difficult because my previous single life allowed for much more spare time to myself. Although the adjustment came quite tough to comprehend at first, in the midst of it all I realized the true worth of life came during this stage. My mother told me this when I was younger, she said, “I wouldn’t have changed anything in my life because I wouldn’t have my wonderful healthy children.” It took me literally thirty years to understand how she couldn’t want a better more fulfilling life. It wasn’t until now that I realized my life is much more complete now that my children are a part of it. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have changed any part of my life either because I have my wonderful healthy children. Our lives take us on an emotional roller coaster the entire way. That’s just a part of the subliminal bill we signed when we entered this lifetime. Once you can accept your current reality; where you are in your life, where you want to be, and what you need to do to make it come true, then you can start to make true lasting positive change. Until then you’ll continue to dwell on the past; something you aren’t anymore. Exercise: Write down five characteristics in which your current lifestyle is better than any time before. Really put some thought into this exercise and imagine all the aspects you’re grateful for, or the things you didn’t have in previous stages of life. This will help catapult your vision of happiness.
45
46
Not everyone has the same intentions as you. Be careful who you do business with or who you associate yourself with. Also, beware who you share your goals and initiatives with. Not everyone is supportive.
Mar 11, 2014
Eliminating Habits The Backfire Effect
Habits are a big part of our lives. We all have them and we all succumb to them. In fact, a recent study shows that almost fifty percent of our daily activities are habitual. The truth about most of them is; they serve no purpose for us, other than to cause us negativity. We are blinded by the small initial satisfaction we get when we succumb to their desires. We then shame ourselves for doing it in the first place. We continuously fall prisoner to them because they eventually dwindle our lives down to mediocrity. The reality is; even if we knew our addictions/habits were present the majority of us would do nothing to get rid of them because we fear change. Our habits actually serve us comfort. Think about all the common habits out there like smoking cigarettes, shopping, eating unhealthy, too much sugar, scrolling our social media news feeds, etc., they all serve the exact same negative feelings and emotions in our minds. They’re all destructive to the very same extent whether you realize it or not. And most importantly they wither us down to lower our standards. Habits are addictions. Plain and simple. You need to treat each habit as aggressive as you would an addiction. Only when you witness the severity of your habits will you make a conscience effort to eliminate it. Our habits are all the same in the realm of the amount of destruction they do to our lives. No one addiction is superior. They’re all the same. I often write about habits and their destructive nature because I’ve gone into great depths to seek their reasoning in our lives. I’ve seen highly addicted people surpass their addictions and become truly wholesome people who are no longer addicted. I’m talking about serious addictions, like heroin, cocaine and other common street drugs, sex addictions and shopping addictions. Where, the people who were addicted no longer are the same type of people because they’ve enlisted a new and healthier perspective. They replaced
47
their morals values and beliefs entirely. They did what they needed to eliminate their addictions because it was causing heavy discomfort to their lifestyle. I’ve also seen the other hand many times where someone cannot surpass their serious addiction because they fear the unknown. They continuously dwell in their emotional self-pity and chose to embrace words from their negative influences; those who tell them they’re weak because they fear what’ll happen when they leave the situation (eliminate their negative influence). No matter how many times they suffer from harsh verbal abuse from their peers their fear of change overcomes their mindset. This is the exact same story for anyone who suffers from serious addictions, not just those who are verbally abused. All addictions contain the same feelings and the same emotions. Although different in nature their destruction is all the same.
48
Often times, people with serious addictions don’t feel worthy of getting assistance. They feel their lives are too far gone to be saved. Or, they’re ashamed of their addictions and they don’t want other people to see their weaknesses. The truth is; it is possible to eliminate any given habit or addiction no matter what the circumstance. Now that we’ve discussed the nature of habits and their role in our lives I want to share my thoughts about eliminating them. Eliminating any given habit/addiction will increase your happiness, bar none. There are some backfires however when overcoming one. For example; often times, people replace their habit with another one when they’re trying to rid of one. A smoker might binge eat during their regular scheduled smoke break at work (rather than smoke cigarettes). This is merely to replace the comfort the smoker once received from the initial habit. They became used to the instant satisfaction and looked forward to it at certain times during the day. I personally gave up smoking cigarettes but I became glued to the news feeds of social media. I needed something to replace my comfort of smoking so I latched onto my phone. Now I can’t put it down. This has caused an even bigger issue with my personal life compared to smoking (without mentioning the obvious health effects of smoking) because now I spend less quality time with my family at home. My phone addiction has now surpassed my smoking addiction. Be aware that you may replace your habit with another one. It’s your body’s way of defending the discomfort of not being addicted anymore. A friend of mine was a heavy drug and alcohol user. He replaced his addiction of chugging beers with that of chugging triple-triple coffees. He drinks at least six a day.
Obviously coffee is a healthier addiction (you would think), but recently he was diagnosed with stage two diabetes. Like I said before - all habits/addictions cause equal amount of destruction. Period. Our addictions/habits are self-defeating prophecies. They serve no purpose for us yet we continuously become blinded by their deceit and succumb yet again to their desires. Don’t let your addictions ruin your life anymore. Decide to eliminate them for good. But remember the backfire affect.
Be grateful for all your past experiences - the good and the bad because each of them taught you a lesson or two. They helped pave the way to who you are today. Choose to see your daily experiences as either an opportunity to learn something new or as an opportunity to grow.
49
Aug 18, 2014
Friends and their role in our lives Our friends play a big role in our lives. They build us up, encourage us, and stick around us through the thick and thin. These are what true friends do anyway. Others, they just stick around because we bring joy in their lives. But, sometimes we don’t receive the same satisfaction from them. Very few of our influences actually bring any wholesome value to our lives. Sometimes they only show up when they need something. For these types of “friends” that’s when the best decision is to relieve them of their duties as friends in our lives and move on to more fulfilling relationships. Today I have less than the amount of friends I can count on one hand. It may not be very many but these are the people that bring true value to my life. They make me feel wholesome, they appreciate me for who I am, they build my confidence and they stick around during the thick and the thin because I do the same for them. 50
Exercise: I recommend you take an inventory of the friends you currently have. Are they bringing value to your life? Are they the type of people you would introduce to your colleagues at work or your Mom and Dad? Would they be there when you need them most? These are valuable questions that will help you understand your friendship circle a lot clearer. Make a list of your current friendship circle and place a number (between 1-5) beside each person’s name. This number reflects the value they add into your life. Be sure to include all the important factors when deciding to place a number beside their name, such as; how often do they contact you to see how you are? How easy is it to connect with them when you need their assistance? Do they offer assistance regularly? Do they encourage you, or do they discourage you? Do they show interest in your goals and beliefs? Do they include your opinions in conversations or do they lead the entire conversation with their own discussion? These are all great aspects to cover. All of which will help you determine which characters need to be eliminated from your current friendship circle. If they aren’t adding value to your life move onto more rewarding relationships.
Often times you see someone - the work they do or the possessions they have and you become jealous of theirprosperity but what you may not realize is that they think the same of you. We all have attributes that others wish they had. Be proud of them!
51
Sep 27, 2015
Follow Your Own Beliefs When I was a child I was told to obey my parents and the law. When I was a teenager I was told to listen to my teachers, and to study and get good grades so I can find a good job working for somebody else. When I started working I was told to obey my supervisor and to work hard for my employer. I did all of this, then I realized I wasn’t happy. I had worked hard and was determined for years to follow this pattern but it left me dissatisfied, angry and broke. It was then that I looked into passion - what it is and how it can help me become happier. I then changed my mindset completely and took the opposite approach to life. Now, I obey my own rules, work my own hours, associate with the people I choose to be around, and I’m working at fulfilling my passions each day. I’ve since then become a lot happier, I’ve learned lessons congruent to my values and beliefs, and I get paid what I’m worth. 52
Follow your passion!
Passion is what separates happiness from mediocrity
Oct 24, 2011
The De s ig n O f O ur Li v e s I s S o Pr e c i s e Think about it. We as human beings are designed with such perfection. From our immune system, bodily and organ functions to our personalities, character traits and everything in between, it’s perfect, almost predictable. In fact, even the not so human characteristics of our lives, like the animals, bugs, plant life and sea creatures. They too are made with such perfection. First: There’s a lot more perfection to life than you may realize. As for humans, there are the obvious differences like skin color, race, religion, etc., but these differences are what ads appeal to this thing called life. Although these differences may seem imperfect, their real perfection is often overlooked. North America is such a vastly multicultural atmosphere. Every type of race, religion and culture reside here. Amongst all of us, we see small differences that most would call imperfections, but you must admit that there are hundreds even thousands of other people that look and act exactly like them. Their differences most likely put you as a minority. In fact, the United States is only roughly five percent of the world’s population. Just think of all the other people out there; people that you may call imperfect. Their imperfections are what satisfy our relationships and make for a more enjoyable lifetime. Imperfections are equality. Second: Take a look at everything around you. A good portion of everything you see is manmade. Almost every square inch of it actually. The house you live in, the roads you drive on, the food you eat and all the materialistic things were all made to perfection by human beings. Literally everything around us has been crafted with perfection. Life is perfect in every way because it was created that way. Learn to appreciate the imperfections of your life because to someone else they’re perfect.
53
54
When you’re setting your goals dream as if you’re eleven years old. Imagine yourself already accomplishing the goal with your utmost imagination. And, act upon it but don’t let the negativity that surrounds you take control.
Apr 11, 2010
You Are The Sum Of All Of Your Fears Remember when people used to laugh at you for being afraid of something? Perhaps it was in your youth at school when you couldn’t bare the thought of getting on stage in front of your peers to do a presentation. Remember how your knees and voice trembled when you stood there and tried, meanwhile, it seemed like everyone in the audience was laughing at your weakness. Or, maybe it was at work the other day when you were embarrassed because you couldn’t force yourself to climb a ladder in front of your coworkers. It was just too fearful. The truth is; we all harness fear, everyone does. In fact, those who swear they harness zero fear are usually the ones who are the most fearful, just in other ways that aren’t so obvious. For example. A public speaker whom enjoys being in the limelight and someone who doesn’t appear to have much fear at all. Although this person may seem confident, he/she may host fear in a completely different realm of life such as lack of commitment in relationships, where he/she just cannot commit to fostering a healthy prolonged relationship with someone. Maybe they became a public speaker (or whatever their career choice is) because someone of influence told them they weren’t worthy of achieving it. They became who they are because they wanted to prove them wrong (fear of failure). Regardless of who you are we all harness fear. Some are just better at hiding it. I still run up the stairs at night after I turn off the kitchen light. Thoughts of fearful monsters still runs through my brain at the age of 35. But I have no problem getting up in front of an audience of thousands. Geesh! Even though we all harness fear there’s plenty you can do to get rid of it, such as some of the techniques provided in this journal. Fear is just another negative habit that needs to be replaced with more positive thought and action. The best way to overcome it is to stare it directly and commit to chipping away at it day after day until it’s withered away.
55
Fear only persuades your mind in a negative way. When fear overtakes your mind it fills it with nothing but negativity. The good news is that fear is a part of your imagination. It was painted into your mind from past experiences, past emotional hurt and regrets. You can paint a whole new picture of a more positive reality if you choose to do so. Challenge yourself today to face one of your fears. Heck, don’t just face it, eliminate it! Fun but fearful exercise: Make a commitment to yourself to TRY overcoming one of your inner most fears this week. If your fear is spiders or snakes go to a local pet store and ask to pick up or touch a spider or a snake. If your fear is heights go to an indoor bungee jumping facility and commit to it. If you just have an overall fear of moving forward in your life commit to TRYing something new; something you would’ve never have done before reading this.
56
Remember, you’re only “TRY”ing this exercise out. This means you can back out if you need to. Taking the first step and actually walking into the pet store or bungee jumping facility is the closest you’ve ever been to overcoming the fear in the first place. TRYing is exactly what you need to do to eliminate it altogether. Don’t delay, just TRY it right away. If you prologue your ambition to eliminate it it’ll just sit on the backburner forever and just always be something that never became.
The people you hang around with will either make you or break you.
57
Jan 11, 2014
The Software Of Life There’s an algorithm to life just like Google’s algorithm online. It works in the same way to the same power just in different form. Google’s algorithm delivers relevant results based off your keyword searches. Life’s algorithm is based off your vibrational frequency; the universe responds in relevance based off your decisions and actions. If you operate at a higher vibrational frequency by making healthier decisions the universe will provide better people, better opportunities and a better lifestyle. The opposite is true for your negative choices.
58
We live our lives like the movie Groundhog Day – similar experiences day in and day out yet we expect our lives to change without effort.
Jan 11, 2014
Life Is A Video Game Life is like a video game. The more points you generate allows you to procrastinate. This story has no guarantees. But it’s filled with amazingly wonderful things. Universe is the name of the software. It generates billions of one-of-a-kind avatars. All of them wishfully chasing to become a star. But, each of them dissatisfied with themselves. Systematically they’re trained for enjoyment, but they strive for everything not important. Their morals are constantly defeated by their choices, especially when it comes to their own importance. This video game runs on an algorithm that’s perfect, coincidental but subliminal. The characters within it mistake their own awareness. They defend their sins. And careless. Their minds bleed from sadness. Their dreams of happiness are faded by their own imaginations. Passion proves the law of attraction. But only few take advantage of it. It doesn’t make sense in a lot of ways, but nobody questions it. They want to be happy with themselves and with what they’ve got, but they’re constantly broken down by their own individual thoughts. Mistakes are mistaken for weakness a lot. Opportunities are withered away and wasted without an afterthought. Anything is possible is what they believe. Yet they’re starving for a chance for any type of relief. The human body is the master of itself. Amazingly perfect yet also very selfish.
59
Every character plays the role of the star of the show. The leader of the body, the mind and the soul. The one who decides its purpose is also the one feeling worthless. Experiences are mixed with every emotion. Achievements let them live in the moment. Confidence is the master of their voice. But, their actions force them to live with their choices. They enjoy the days of their lives, but they hate it at the same time. The Matrix is the best way I can describe how their lives are in control of their minds. They’re addicted to anything that brings happiness in the moment. But, Karma gets back at them when they go against their morals. Religion controls them. Their actions are deceiving for absolutely no reason. Happiness is attracted to their imaginations. But, they often succumb to negative temptations. Abuse is learned from the parents who raised them. Nasty comments soon becomes fear on their faces. 60
Their happiness is driven by their own decisions. Yet they’re influenced by negative ambitions. They’re competitive with their lifelong wishes. But, they’re jealous when they’re beaten by others. The wars and the divorce rate replays their paranoia. It plays a role in how they become joyful. Anything is possible if you see the possibilities. But, most of them settle for less than what they believe they should receive. This story goes on and on, and on and on ... and on, and on and on. How are you going to play your role in this video marathon? This video game is YOUR story of reality. You see it outside your windows and inside of society. Imagine YOUR reality as how I described it as the video game. What do you wish to accomplish? And, what level are YOU going to play until?
Your best self comes to play when your habits are put away.
Mar 20, 2011
Getting Over The Hurt We’ve all experienced some form of bullying or abuse in our lives. Whether it was dished out by a sibling, from a colleague at school or even a co-worker, the abuse has caused hurtful feelings of resentment and anger. Deep down it even hurts to discuss the issue. It’s extremely important to get over the hurt so you can move onto a happier reality. Here are my thoughts on the issue. It’s not a very common thing to talk about the issue of bullying, especially if you’re the victim. I know this from plenty of experience in dealing with such issues over the past decade and a half. Aside from teenagers, I know countless grown adults who still lack confidence and passion because they didn’t talk about their issues or deal with their abuse properly when they were younger. They still haven’t relieved the tension from abuse they experienced way back in middle school. I get it - talking to someone about your abuse can be difficult. Nobody wants to share their vulnerabilities. I’ve understood there’s a very small likelihood of someone actually sharing their story of abuse with someone. This makes it extremely difficult to move forward in a positive direction. I find the best way to move on from the abuse is doing a simple visualization exercise that I’ve been teaching for years. It works amazingly well. Visualization exercise: This visualization exercise is going to bring out your inner emotions about the abuse you’ve dealt with. With a pad of paper and pen I want you to jot down your most recent experience of abuse. I want you to search deep down inside your mind and visualize exactly what the experience was like. When did it happen? Who was there? What comments were said? Visualize the scenario as best as you can. I want you to be as detailed as possible because the details are what’s going to help you move on. Don’t worry, you don’t have to share this with anyone.
61
As you’re visualizing I want you to imagine the exact emotions you felt. I want you to relive the experience as close to how it actually happened. Next: re read it over and over again. I recommend reading it once a day for 21+ days straight because it takes 21 days of continuous action to change an old negative habit. This should help you move forward without the pain from your past abuse. The best way to get over a negative experience is to relive it over and over and over again because the more you experience the same scenario the less emotionally attached you get. Next: Follow the same procedure for all accounts of abuse in your life.
62
Sometimes being successful means understanding what you have to give up.
Oct 16, 2015
Judging Someone Else My writing isn’t based solely on option, it’s based on intense curiosity and vigorous research. Questioning life; its components, its meaning, the reason behind our experiences, literally everything about it has been my life’s initiative. I know a thing or two about what I write about. Alright, now that I’ve got that out of the way, I want to elaborate on something I have a lot of experience in dealing with - judging others. We all do it from time to time – judge others. It’s like it’s written in our DNA, like a survival instinct or something. We are all guilty when it comes to judging others. When you judge another person you’re actually judging yourself. Every time you place an evaluation on someone’s characteristics or weaknesses you’re actually placing an evaluation on yourself about the very same thing. For example: if you see someone who has large hips or a receding hairline there’s a good chance you’re self-conscious about that very thing. Judgement is used to make yourself feel better about yourself. That’s it. It has no other reasoning in our lives. Those who dish out the most negativity; those who are the most judgemental. And those who make the nastiest comments about others are usually extremely unhappy people. So, when you place judgement on another person that means you’re dissatisfied with yourself. Yes, we all give a quick judgments here and there, but if you see yourself consistently judging others there’s reason to look within instead of constantly seeing the weakness in others. Judging others serves no purpose other than a distraction to your own fears about yourself.
63
64
I once thought fame, fortune and materialism was the root of all happiness. My experiences, relationships, and parenthood has shown me otherwise. Happiness is in the hands of being grateful, no matter what it is.
Aug 11, 2016
When A Goal Doesn’t Come To Fruition Soon Enough They say that anything can happen, and a goal, no matter what it is will be brought to fruition sooner or later, it just takes time. I happen to be one of those people. I’ve personally experienced it many times, where I’ve set my mind to achieve something and within days, weeks or months I’ve already accomplished it. This is no different than anything you’ve already achieved. Nothing can be brought to fruition without the initial thought of accomplishing it. The truth is; anything can happen if you believe in it. It will come to you if you stick to your belief and never sway in the opposite direction. But if you allow the negativity around you to overcome your ambition you simply will NOT accomplish it. Your thoughts are more powerful than you may realize. You must protect them from the negative forces that surrounds your every decision in life. I understand it can be difficult when something doesn’t happen – something you’ve been expecting to happen, like a goal you’ve been working on for a long time and nothing is happening. Here’s my advice on this. There are a few reasons perhaps why your goal hasn’t been brought to fruition. Maybe you’ve lost faith in it. After putting your hard efforts into something you’ve believed in for so long, meanwhile failing miserably so many times, in the midst, you lost your faith in your goal. You don’t believe it’s possible anymore. The second possibility is that negative Karma is weighing you down. Often times over-achievers are also over-deviants; they do more negative things than the average individual because they risk more than the average person. They’re more active in general. And, as you’ve read in my previous entries, doing negative things brings negative Karma. This means your goal may have been put on the slow track to success because of your negative habits in the past. It’s possible your negative Karma is keeping you from achieving it.
65
When a goal doesn’t come to fruition soon enough chalk it up has bad karma or that you’ve lost faith in your abilities and choose to move forward beyond those limitations. Your goal is worthwhile, otherwise you wouldn’t have set it in the first place. It will come with a little more positive effort and faith. Trust it.
66
Every negative word spoken takes away from your positive perspective of reality. Change the words you say to yourself and you’ll change your life.
Nov 19, 2015
Positive Focus The most common excuse I hear about why people don’t set goals is because they don’t have confidence in themselves. They feel their goals are merely a letdown. They’re afraid to accomplish them. Lack of confidence happens to be a widespread issue amongst humanity. The good news is confidence can be developed. I know of people who have moved mountains when it comes to developing confidence. I remember acquaintances in high school who were severely shy and timid, barely able to strike up a conversation. Now they’re running their own companies and masters of communication like myself. Their actions have proven that confidence is nearly a state of mind that can be altered with practice. Even I lack confidence from time to time, but after I learned a valuable technique to bring it back I was right back in the game of writing goals and fulfilling my ambitions. I would like to share with you this important technique that will help you increase your own self-confidence just like it has done for me many times in my life. It’s called a positive focus. The more confident you are when writing your goals means a clearer image of what you want to accomplish. When you’re happy, confident and content it’s easier to tap into your imagination. A Positive Focus will help you gain all of this. This is why I like to write one before writing my goals. A positive focus is a strategy that focuses on all your recent accomplishments. It helps build your confidence and gets you in the mood to write your goals. So get a pad of paper and a pen. let’s get started. The technique: Dissect a piece of paper in three categories – three months, six months, and long term. Label them at the top. Now, visualize all your past accomplishments in the respective time frame and write at least three down in each category.
67
Sometimes it can be difficult thinking back into your past, especially the positive things because our brains are hardwired to focus more so on the negative aspects of our lives. But with a steady focus you’ll come up with at least three in each category. Think long and hard of all of your recent accomplishments – big or small. If you’re having a difficult time searching for them enlist a trusted friend to help you brainstorm. Once you list your recent accomplishments it’ll help you bring your confidence to where it needs to be to optimally focus on your long term goals. This exercise will kick start your confidence back in the right direction. After completing a positive focus is the perfect time to start writing your goals. I recommend doing a positive focus every six months. This will keep you on track of a healthy self-confidence, and it will allow you to feel good about the good things you’ve done. Plus, it’ll help you tap into your imagination.
68
You’re never going to achieve what you want if your actions aren’t in line with wholesome values.
Dec 14, 2014
I’ve Searched For My Passion But I Just Can’t Seem To Find It This is a topic I discuss more often than not. It’s something that most of the entire world population deals with. In fact, only a small portion of us actually know what passion is. It’s a sad fact. Passion is something that takes some time to navigate. It’s found randomly in our hobbies, our interests and our daily experiences. Sadly, not everyone experiences it, and most of us are too scared to risk opening it up. There are a small amount of us however that do take advantage of it. These people happen to be the happiest I’ve ever known. I believe passion is the most important fundamental to living a happy and fulfilling life. You can find passion in literally any activity. But I talk to many people who tell me how much they’ve searched; they’ve written their goals and completed a positive focus but still can’t seem to find what their true calling is. Here are my thoughts. If you’re having a difficult time finding your passion I believe it’s because you haven’t experienced enough excitement in your life. People fail to find their true calling because they haven’t tried new activities to experience anything inspiring. Inspiration is the key to building passion and can be found in any of your experiences. I recommend that you step out of your comfort zone as much as possible and focus on participating in random activities you’ve never experienced before – with friends and by yourself. Passion comes from experience. There’s no other way. Exercise: Write down five fun-filled activities that you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the willpower to participate. Over the next five weeks participate in every one of them.
69
Jan 27, 2009
What Is Your Happy Place? How do I overlook negativity when it stares at me right in the face? Find your happy place. My current happy place is a vision of me playing with my kids. It always puts a smile on my face. In fact, if I’m ever dealing with negativity I always think of them. As hostile as they are in their play tactics at home, the thought of them soothes my mind. While growing up my happy place was standing in front of an audience delivering motivation or encouraging someone in need of uplifting conversation. That image used to bring an instant smile to my face. Nowadays, my perspective of life is much different. It doesn’t take me very long to crack a smile when my kids are present in my mind. 70
Everyone’s happy place is different. I’m sure you can think of a place, an experience, or something that makes you happy. Tap into your imagination. When you’re dealing with negativity – when someone belittles you, or when you’re having a bad day go to your happy place. It will make a world of difference. Exercise: In great detail write down your happy place. Here’s some food for thought: who is a part of it? Where are you (at the beach, your favorite campsite)? What activity are you participating in? These are all great questions that’ll help paint a clear image in your mind of what your happy place consists of.
When you’re wishing for a better life, a better job, or better anything, just focus on being a better person and the rest will fall into place.
71
Sep 20, 2008
Why Are You Still Blaming Them? Most of our issues stem from childhood. Psychologists and scientists have been studying the human mind for years. They’ve found that our childhood experiences stamp beliefs in our head. For most, these beliefs stay within our minds for nearly our entire lives. Often times, blame, resentment, remorse, regret and a variety of other negative emotions are never released or forgotten from what we experienced when we were younger. We continue to host ill feelings about the person or situation eternally. In fact, we harness blame sometimes for decades, or even until death. I hate to be the breaker of bad news, but, you’re never going to get to where you want to be if you host the same ill feelings as you do today. When you’re able to let go of the blame you host in your mind you’ll be well on your way to living happiness abundantly. 72
It’s true; the way our parents parented us is a primary cause amongst some of our current issues, but that doesn’t mean you need to blame them forever about it. Your parents either did the best with what they had, or they had no idea how to do it properly. I happen to be a candidate for both. Don’t let your past affect your current reality by blaming anyone for anything. You have every characteristic needed to achieve a wholesome mindset; exactly what’s needed to relieve your blame. We’ve all been hurt in the past by other people. Although the memory probably still exists in your mind, even years later, long after the dust has settled, it’s time to let go of your emotional connection towards the situation. It’s only weighing you down. Too many people hold on to their past negativity for too long. They’ve tried to forge their way to a better lifestyle but they’re constantly dragged down by their emotional attachment they host towards it. Until they let go of it they’ll continue to live a life of mediocrity. Blame only eats away at your psyche.
Think about the situation (you blame them for) from a variety of perspectives. This should help you distinguish the fact that you’re only causing damage to yourself by holding on. You’re in charge of which thoughts get processed in your mind. Stop blaming others for the hurt you went through. It’s not helping you in any way. Choose to forgive, forget and move on from the situation. The quicker you can move on, the quicker you can find ideal happiness.
73
Jul 15, 2009
What Should I Write About? Writing is a great way to release your emotional attachment to the negativity in your life. I’ve found plenty of times it’s helped me personally in my own life. There are however numerous benefits to writing. Writing allows me to clear my mind. It enables me to understand my problems more clearly. It releases the tension I host towards any given subject. I’ve made writing a habit because it makes me happier. Sometimes when I’m journaling I have no specific topic to write about. When I’m in this type of bind I just scribble about anything. Writing is a lot like reading - the content doesn’t need to be specific, it just needs to be delved into.
74
If you’ve never been much of a writer but you want to give it a try just start writing anything down. The important stuff will follow. Once you tap into your creative side it’ll unleash the goodness. Trust me. Exercise: Write your own journal. I’m sure you’ve got a pad of paper somewhere in your household. Go through your storage and find one. Start writing whatever comes to your mind. Spend about half hour to an hour writing about anything. Try to keep this up every other day, three to four times weekly. You will see how quickly you can tap into your imagination with a pen in hand. Your imagination is key to fulfilling your happiness. As I’ve already mentioned, there are plenty of positives when you write. Give it a try and you’ll be glad you did.
Apr 14, 2013
But they said I couldn’t.. How many times have you given up on something because someone said you weren’t good enough? There are a variety of reasons why someone would want to throw a nasty comment at you telling you you’re going to fail. Generally, it’s because they’re jealous of your ambition, or because they can’t relate to your imagination. Maybe they just don’t see it through your eyes. Don’t let their negative comments bring you down to the point of giving up on your goals. Your ambitions are important. They’re meant to happen, otherwise they wouldn’t bring so much joy your way. Don’t give in to other people’s inferiority, or their ignorance. Those are the two main reasons why they’re telling you otherwise. 75
Reading challenges your mind academically more so than anything else. You’ll feel more confident after reading. It boosts your spirits and inspires you to be a better person.
Nov 19, 2014
What If I Feel Helpless? My twenties were filled with days and nights of feeling helpless. I felt discouraged often because I knew what I wanted but I didn’t know how to get there, or where to start. I remember working so many dead-end jobs in my youth just to make it through financially. These dead-end jobs would inspire me to want more and do more for myself. But, my feelings of helplessness triggered anxiety and more discomfort.
76
I can tell you from experience that it does get better. These mediocre days of reflection help us understand what’s most important in our lives. They force us to stop for a moment and think what will make us happiest. It’s during these stages where you’ll learn to take the most action. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to have patience and trust that it will get better. Great things happen when you take action and believe in it. Don’t get too discouraged if you’re at a lull in your life. The universe is trying to prompt the best possible scenario for your happiness. It needs to gather your thoughts so it can provide you an opportunity congruent with your values. We don’t always get what we want immediately. Sometimes it takes a period of time to bring to fruition. Keep your hopes up and focus on what you want in life. Eventually the universe will provide it for you but you have to be patient. In the meantime, practice being grateful for what you already have. This will boost your spirits and bring it a whole lot quicker.
Creativity is yet another underrated characteristic. It ranks in the realm of the imagination and passion. The ironic part is that each of these characteristics work best when combined.
77
Jun 19, 2014
What If I Make A Mistake Or People Laugh At Me? Taking any action in life can result in generating mistakes and laughter from others. I know this from experience. There’s a good chance I’ve made more mistakes and have had more people laugh at me for making them; more so than my friends or anyone that I know. But that’s because I took more action and risked more than they did. I’m also a lot happier at this stage of my life because I went for it all back in the day. Now, I can relax while they’re still working on their goals and trying to accomplish their ambitions they gave up on earlier in life.
78
I’m a firm believer that when working on any goal or ambition you need to give it your all. You need to put everything you have into it, and sometimes this means being vulnerable, and, often times, showing your vulnerabilities to others. The more you get involved with your goal the more momentum you’ll build towards achieving it. Don’t let potential mistakes sway you away from achieving an ideal lifestyle. Your goals are important. If you worry about making an idiot of yourself in the making you’ll never achieve anything of great worth. The people who have achieved the most in life are the ones that have made the most mistakes. If you’re going to make a mistake make a big one because you’ll learn so much more.
The best way to boost your creativity is to become a kindergarten student in your mind. Grab a coloring book and some cray. ons and be creative. draw something abstract with a pencil. Or, if you have the materials, make something out of clay, or write poetry, or whatever brings back your childhood imagination. This is a sure-fire way to boost your creative side.
79
Sep 19, 2009
What Does It Take To Become A Leader? A leader is someone who guides, provides wisdom or encourages others. It doesn’t matter who you’re providing this for, as long as you’re taking initiative to provide mentorship to someone you’re a leader. There are by far more followers on this planet than leaders. In fact, our brains are hardwired to follow the crowd rather than create our own path. This is why leadership is so important. Without it we wouldn’t even know where to start. Life would be confusing. Earth would be even more of a confusing place.
80
Mentorship is a big part of our growth. Think about it, when was last time you accomplished something of great worth? I bet you had some help, some guidance, or maybe even a few people that took the time to assist you in accomplishing your goal. Most of our accomplishments involve us collaborating with other people to make it happen. Without their assistance we simply would fail or fall short of achieving it. We get plenty of opportunities in our lives to become leaders. Opportunity to do so lies in the projects we work on and in the relationships we build. In fact, almost every action we take allows us to lead the pack or follow the rest. It really all comes down to choice. Are you a leader or a follower? You can choose to become a leader simply by taking action yourself rather than waiting for someone to do it first. Think about what you would’ve missed out on life if you didn’t have proper leadership.
The easiest way to tap into your spiritual side is to take a walk in the wilderness.
81
Sep 19, 2009
Stop Thinking The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side If you’ve already made significant changes in your life I’m sure you’ve realized that the new option always comes with baggage or other annoyances. People come with baggage from past relationships, the new job/career you have your sights on comes with new challenges, even the city you’re wanting to move to comes with its own baggage – crappier weather, less social activities, not optimal for bringing-up children, longer commutes to work, etc. It doesn’t matter what you’re dealing with, the new option always brings new challenges. It’s just the way it is.
82
It’s time to stop believing that the grass is greener on the other side. You will soon realize that the new challenges you’re forced to deal with, as you make the change, are just as bad as the ones you dealt with before. Every new situation comes with new challenges and new baggage. Often times, they’re disguised in your sights of wanting a better lifestyle. Be aware and be prepare for them.
Tapping into your spirituality will make you feel a lot closer to the type of life you were meant to live – a wholesome life filled with abundant happiness.
Feb 18, 2012 Stop Being So Concerned About What Everyone Else Has I used to get concerned if somebody had more of something than me. If they had more fame, more money, more materialism, and pretty much more of anything, I used to become jealous. My jealousy used to drive me nuts. It frustrated me, angered me, and made me feel inferior. It wasn’t until I realized that having what they had wasn’t actually what brought me happiness. Society teaches us from a young age that more of anything is better, but it’s actually further from the truth than you can ever imagine. More of anything just means more problems. Jealousy is a common emotion amongst all of us. We all get a little jealous from time to time, but there’s really no need for it in your life because it only makes you miserable. Stop being so concerned about what other people have because chances are they’re lacking in another area of life that perhaps you are better at. For example: say someone has a lot of money, or a lot of fame – something you wish you had. But, as you look into it more you’ll realize they’re lacking in another area that you’re better at. Maybe they don’t have a solid relationship with anyone, and perhaps you have a very fulfilling solid relationship with someone. Maybe they’re quite lonely people and jealous of you. Happiness doesn’t come from having more than anything – materialism, fame, fortune, etc. Happiness is a state of mind that can be developed by anyone, no matter who you are or what you have. In the long run less is actually more.
83
84
You are the master of your thoughts which means you have a responsibility to keep them in line with positive congruent values.
Jul 26, 2014
My Message To High School Students Please S h a r e High school is tough. I’m not talking about the studies, the books and attendance, I’m talking about the rumors, the peer pressure and fitting in with others. High school is quite a bit more difficult nowadays than it used to be. High school was definitely by far the most difficult phase of my life. At the beginning it was difficult to find friends I enjoyed being around. Most of the time they didn’t share the same interests. I didn’t feel comfortable going to school at the beginning. I felt inferior amongst others because I wasn’t prepared for the drastic change from grade school. Experiencing this change brought a lot of stress and anxiety. It got to the point where I failed multiple classes, and, quite honestly, I lost interest in going to school entirely. I wanted nothing to do with it. Even extracurricular activities where of no interest to me. And, on top of all of this, I was supposed to figure out what I wanted in my life – I didn’t have a clue. High school just isn’t the same as it used to be. It comes with new stresses, more negativity and less acceptance. Today there are way more concerns than when our parents went to school. Teenagers now have to compete for respect. They deal with a new realm of bullying, and I feel they have much less direction than there used to be. On top of all of this, there are way more career choices, more global issues and more people, which makes things a lot more difficult to find the right opportunity. It’s not easy being a high school student these days. Aside from getting good grades and fitting in with others I believe the largest concern amongst teenagers these days is preparing for their future after high school. I know from experience that it isn’t easy having your entire family question you about your ambitions, especially when you don’t even know what ambition is. It simply isn’t taught in the regular school curriculum but they make it seem like we should know what we want. It doesn’t make sense. Here is my message to you about this.
85
High school should be a phase of our lives that gives us the opportunity to meet new people. It should be an opportunity to get to know ourselves – what our interests are, the people we like to hang out with and the studies we wish to pursue. But, these are the very last things teenagers think about because they’re caught in all the negativity that surrounds them. Don’t be too concerned about what you want to accomplish when you’re done high school. Just focus on fulfilling as many activities as you possibly can. Most people have no idea what they truly want in life, especially in high school because they haven’t experienced a whole lot of life yet. Studies have shown the average person goes through ten different career changes before they understand what truly floats their boat. Don’t feel bad if you have to take a year off (after high school) to figure out what your interests are. Besides, most students don’t actually fulfill their initial study of choice. They tend to choose something else before they even come close to graduating. Or, they force themselves to continue even though they hate it because they rushed into something without experience. 86
Experience as much as you can when you’re young. Travel. Try new things. Be who you want to be. Don’t follow your friend’s footsteps. All of this will teach you what you’re looking for in life.
Our ambitions are really only important to ourselves. To everyone else they’re just interesting.
87
Mar 29, 2014
My Main Regret In Life
88
I wrote a series of books geared at moving on from what’s been holding you back in life. The main premises was to unlock your true potential by eliminating the negativity from your life – all the regret, remorse, sadness and frustrations from your first chapter (so you can move onto your next chapter in life). This technique alone allowed me to build my confidence back after desperate stages. It brought back the passion I have for life. I now live with a lot more happiness and satisfaction. While writing these books I searched deep within my past to find the things I regretted the most, like arguments from past relationships, or ambitions that were never fulfilled. I found the most resentment I had surrounded my lack of speaking up when I was younger. I couldn’t speak in front of a large group of people. I just didn’t have it in me. When I knew the answer to something in class I wouldn’t speak up because I feared to speak up and it bothered me, I remember looking back at grade school almost frightened to answer any question in front of the class, even if I knew the answer. I was terrified of speaking in front of large groups. I’m not sure if my feelings stemmed from my childhood, or if it came from making too many mistakes and being laughed at. Either way, I resented the fact that I never spoke up when I should have. I see myself today with no problems speaking up. In fact, I’ve become a public speaker (probably to overcome this fear). It makes me feel good that I have surpassed this roadblock. What is your biggest regret in life? Have you surpassed it yet? Don’t let your attachment to it stand in your way of living an enjoyable life. Release your regret one situation at a time. Your life is too important to let your pesky negative past emotions ruin it. You’re an entirely new person today.
We often get held back by our feelings of resentment. The best way to get over them is to write about them.
89
Dec 28, 2014
What Is Life? This topic can be explored into the deep depths. There are literally a plethora of different perspectives, scientific studies and religious beliefs that have explored this topic greatly. All of which explain their own theories of life. I’ve taken the time to explore almost all of them. I however have a different theory.
90
I know we get taught in grade school that this so-called Big Bang created everything. Apparently, according to the text books, they – whoever they are, believe that a random, one in a bazillion meteor-like collision gave us the opportunity of life. Then, there’s the Bible thumpers who truly believe that a human being created life. Everything from the stars and the planets to the molecules in our DNA. Although neither of these stories makes sense at all, I believe a completely different theory. Let me explain. We are a computer program. There really is no other way to explain the perfection and complexity of our lives. From the minerals in our soil to the different species on the planet, to the organs in our bodies and everything in between. It’s impossible for one human being, or a big bang (theory) to have accomplished on its own. Our lives are built as holographic characters in a video game. We are an invention, an idea. Life was brought to fruition through ones and zeros. We’ve even gone to the lengths of mimicking the program of life. We’ve seen how realistic modern video games have portrayed this theory, or the algorithm of our favourite online search engines. This even goes well beyond my theory because the real question is, who invented the computer programmers? And who are they? I know this sounds like a very far-fetched idea to entertain however it’s not much further from the slightly less far-fetched idea that one single person generated all of this. Think about it.
If nobody knows what you're going through nothing can be done to put a stop to it. Tell someone about what you're going through. You'll be glad you did.
91
Oct 4, 2003
The Law Of Attraction The law of attraction is based on the theory that thoughts equal things. When you imagine something, as long as you stay committed and harness belief towards it, it will be brought to fruition. Exercise: Grab a dictionary and flip to a random page. Pick a word. Any word. Try to pick something you’re not too familiar with. Try to pick a word that represents something positive because the law of attraction gives you what you think about (positive is better than negative obviously). Try to be very conscious of the word. Repeat it in your mind over and over until you’re fairly familiar with it. Try to use that word as many times as you can throughout the day when in discussion with other people.
92
Here’s where the magic unfolds: You’ll find the universe will literally put you in situations, or put people in front of you that relate to the very word you picked. Example: say the word is sabotage (negative). You’ll find your interactions with other people will surround that very word. Maybe you’ll come across someone who has sabotaged their own happiness and now they’re talking about it, or perhaps you’ll realize you’re sabotaging your own life just by thinking about it. You can see how important it is to use positive key words in this exercise. This way the universe will put you in more positive scenarios. Pick a different word each day and you’ll see what I’m talking about. You can test this for yourself. This is a simple technique that’ll prove to you the law of attraction really works. Once you’ve completed the exercise you can use the law of attraction for other larger more important things, like achieving your goals. If you download the dictionary app on your phone or computer it’ll suggest a “word for the day.” This is an easy way to run this exercise in your life. Give it a try!
It’s been said time and time again that we are given such a short life to live, so why not make it worthwhile, right? When you think back at the last ten years you’ll realize how quickly life has actually gone by. Use this thought as leverage to take the first step in achieving what you once wanted to achieve. The next ten years will pass by quicker. Life really is short! Take advantage of it.
93
Nov 10, 2007
Moving On From What’s Been Holding You Back In Life This is a topic I’ve explored quite deeply over the past six years especially. Six years ago I went through a divorce. It was a situation that shattered more than my self-esteem. It ended my business and forced me to live an entirely new reality.
94
In my pursuit to finding happiness, I questioned my own values, beliefs and decisions to ensure they’re on par with congruent ideals. When I went through my divorce my mindset was overloaded trying to find the answers to happiness. I didn’t understand how someone could get out of their funk after such devastation. That’s how I saw it back then anyway. Today’s reality however offers a much more positive perspective. It sees that I needed to go through my divorce to become who I am today. My family is everything to me today. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Before my divorce my family came a distant second. I’ve broken this journal entry down into 10 stages to clarify the message within. Here is what I learned about moving on from what’s been holding you back in life. 1 Resentment Holding onto resentment is something we’ve all been guilty of. Resentment sends feelings of unease and discomfort but only to the one resenting. The victimizer may not even be aware of your resentment. He or she may have moved forward already completely unharmed and emotionally detached from the situation. It really comes down to changing your own perspective about the situation. Resentment makes you feel worthless. You beat yourself up for things that cannot necessarily be changed. When this happens it’s important to reflect on the positive change you’ve already made since the situation you were resenting. Use it as leverage to get a handle on it.
Whatever it is that you’re resenting you need to step back and assess the situation because nothing in our lives is permanent; this includes relationships, opportunities and pretty much anything you can become attached to. Resentment only brings negativity, so start thinking more positive about the situation. At the very least, you can focus on what you’ve learned so it never happens again. 2 Anger Built up anger is the reason you can’t seem to get your life back on track. Often times we hold onto our anger because we remember how much it harmed us in the past. Perhaps it was a parent who treated you unfavourably, or a colleague who bullied you in school. Or, maybe it was a time when someone embarrassed you in public. Whatever the situation was you need to remove the hostile feelings you still harness from the situation. The anger and negativity is only holding you back from what you want in life. 3 Eliminate your first chapter! Getting rid of your first chapter means getting rid of all negative and hostile feelings about your past completely. It means ridding yourself of the people that no longer serve a positive purpose. It means gathering all the positive pieces that made you who you are today and getting rid of any negative attributes that bring you down. Your first chapter is basically everything you can remember in your life; both positive and negative experiences. Think way back into your distant past. Reminisce about the negative memories and choose to eliminate them one by one from your mental conscience. The only way to move on from what’s been holding you back in life is choosing to move onto your next chapter. This can only be done through the removal of all the negativity from the first one. 4 We are our own worst critics Often times we cause harm to ourselves by thinking the way we do. We get upset with ourselves for making mistakes, or we focus on our weak attributes. This way of thinking is habitual and only brings further hurtful feelings. Whether we learned this in our upbringing, or we latched onto it through influence the important thing is to acknowledge the habit so you can take the first steps in eliminating it.
95
We are all created equally. We all have unique abilities, talents and things we enjoy doing. On the other side of the coin, we all harness weak characteristics and sometimes we make mistakes from time to time. Don’t let these things stand in the way of your happiness. The more you waste your time on feeding your thoughts through your negative habits the more unhappy you will be. 5 Has it taken a long time for you to get over someone? The feelings of isolation you get when you’re reminiscing about past failed relationships and friendships can be quite daunting. I have friends who still haven’t gotten over a breakup that happened over a decade ago. As we all know, some situations are easier to get over than others, especially when it comes to relationships. The best advice I can give you is to eliminate the friends who are toxic. Toxic relationships are those that make you feel worthless, or those that aren’t progressing in a positive direction. Although relationships are essential to achieving optimal happiness they’re not essential if they don’t serve positive value anymore. 96
It’s easier to get over someone when you have leverage against the relationship. I recommend mustering up as much dirt as possible in your mind about each toxic relationship in your life. Soon it will encourage you to move on from them peacefully. There’s always better people around the corner that’ll appreciate you and make you feel worthwhile. You just might need to step out of your comfort zone to find them. What goes up must come down – relationships are no different. They’re meant to serve a purpose in our lives for a period of time, not forever. 6 You won’t move ahead in life if you have someone or something constantly dragging you down. Although each of us has the ability to influence, not everyone is a positive influence. Influences help us determine our life’s path. They help us understand who we are and what we want. Often times we see life through their perspective and act upon it. It’s important to associate yourself with positive influences on your life’s journey. A negative influence will only encourage you to see life negatively. They bring you down, so get rid of them.
7 What’s the worst that can happen? We often forget how powerful our bodies and minds actually are. We forget to realize that we are capable of achieving literally anything we set our mind to. All too often, we get discouraged by thoughts of failure. We fear we are going to make a mistake or look foolish. The next time you’re questioning yourself about what you can achieve take a look at what has already been achieved in society at this day and age. You harness the exact same characteristics these people used to achieve their dreams. What’s the worst that can happen? Accept it and move forward to achieving it. 8 have you been doubting yourself lately? Have your thoughts been holding you back from achieving what you used to believe was possible? Have you given up on your dreams, or are you just tired of living a bland stagnant and mediocre life? We often give up on ourselves shortly after something traumatic. It usually happens after you’ve dealt with a hefty life experience. Often times we don’t even realize we went through a change, or even noticed that it affected our mind as much as it actually did. It’s important to take account of all your recent negative experiences because there’s still probably a lot of pent-up hostility and resentment from them. As soon as you get over it you’ll be able to move forward and re-focus on what’s important – finding your happiness 9 When was the last time you tapped into your imagination? I mean really tapped into it. Negative life experiences often deplete our imagination. From the time you were born till today; all the experiences you’ve gone through have affected how you perceive reality and what you believe is possible. There’s a quote that states, “Most of us die by the age of 18 because by that time we’ve lost hope in ourselves, and we’ve lost our imagination.” Your imagination is important in so many ways. It gives you hope to believe again, it strengthens your mindset, and it generates excitement in your life. The only way to strengthen it is to use it. Choose to tap into it! It’ll make you happier.
97
10 Are you happy with your job/career? Does your career serve you happiness? Or do you dread getting up in the morning day-after-day to go to work? There are a multitude of reasons why we’ve become dissatisfied with our jobs. The truth is; well over ninety percent of the global population hate their day job. That’s a sad fact. It comes from constantly being around unhealthy coworkers, abundant repetition, or perhaps because it no longer challenges us anymore. Our jobs are important in the realm of our happiness because we spend nearly half our waking moments fulfilling them. If you continue to do something you hate you’ll always be unhappy. When was the last time you considered a job change? There are tons of opportunities out there waiting to be fulfilled. You just need to take the first step in finding them. I’ve learned that it’s never too late to try something new. Hell, I’ve tried over 28 opportunities in my life. What’s stopping you from trying something new? 98
The best way to be successful in life is to follow your heart and listen to your gut. When you follow what your heart tells you, and listen to your gut instinct you will never fall into the hands of a bad decision.
May 22, 2017
My Final Note Above everything mentioned, it’s important to follow a path that is congruent to your happiness, no matter what it is. Yes, there will be the lazy days. There’ll be days where you feel alone, frustrated, angry with the world and everything in between. The truth is; it doesn’t matter what you label any given situation, the important thing is to find the positive in every situation. This will make your days a whole lot easier. Life is all about perspective. I promise you this. Lastly, YOU are more valuable to society than you may realize. You have everything you need inside you to accomplish anything in your imagination. It really comes down to your own level of belief and willpower to make it happen. I’ll leave you with a poem I recently wrote about the struggles of life. It includes every message in this journal. It’ll hit home with congruencies in your own life. I promise.
Believe in yourself! You matter!!
99
The Truth About LIFE A poem tying in all relevant life messages
When I was young I dreamed of the fascinating things. Imagining my life fulfilling and satisfying. I saw the possibilities. It was plain to see it when dreams mattered to me. I couldn’t believe my energy back then. I failed over and over and over and over again. Wishfully thinking I could be who I wanted to be. But I only seemed to experience the troubling things.
100
Wondering if my talents would ever amount to anything. Nowadays my mindset is weakened by tragedy. It’s fighting for something that’ll make me happy. Faded dreams becoming memories. Oh the days when life was unique. Nothing stood in my way of becoming what I truly wanted. My parents telling me I can be anything. But, they never even tried to be what they could’ve been. My Dad shamed himself in a trailer. Weakened by other people’s flavouring thoughts. He hated himself for not chasing wealth. Deep down he knew his intentions - were complacent. His employment was disappointing. Conjoined by seeing no enjoyment in his work. His hard work earned far less than I did, but he knew how to be father and that’s all that really matters. My mother on the other hand saw life differently. Though she appreciated people, she battled reality. Shaming herself for not being who she wanted. Tiptoeing around her thoughts of happiness. Triggered by the lavish things. Swayed to break from her own beliefs. She never understood what would make her happy. Faded dreams shortly becoming reality. Blamed by her father. Abandoned to become less than she wanted. Futuristically grieving her personality. Chasing freedom through other people’s reasoning. Her mother died when she was a teenager.
It shattered and broke her into pieces. Meanwhile, her father left her to fend for herself. While looking good in the eyes of everyone else. He just couldn’t see what everyone else saw. When I was young I believed life was easier. Though they never achieved much either. Later I landed the same opportunity. Practicing what I would preach for completely different reasons. Racist with the words I said to myself. Carelessly whispering poison. I felt it. Complacent in my own freaking ways. Diligent with nothing that truly matters in life. Remembering what my mother said. You can be anything, as long as you’re smart about it! If she could only perceive the way I see it today would she agree this is an f’d up society? After doing things and telling people I did, it should be done without wanting anything. We play each other’s minds like a video game. The algorithm is all the same equation. Our ethics have changed. Today’s aim is about overcoming society. It’s about playing mind games and training ourselves to become better than them. It’s true. We generated this ourselves. We’ve withered our morals down to nothing. We can’t understand a word anyone says because we can’t even justify our own feelings about something. It’s the never ending story of us. We’ve become materialistic. Too focused on less than important things. Addicted to everything these days. Wondering if we want to be here, or if this is all just a daydream imagination. Speaking to teens about life when I was 18 without realizing how they truly see it. Anxious to be in the limelight of society. It all ended when the economy crashed. In the days of me finally becoming a leader. I was suffering; mentality, financially. Inspirationally encouraging them to make changes without being complacent.
101
Wealthy with pride but bankrupt in their eyes. I’m screaming to be who I want to be. Free from being treated like an enemy. Saddened by the lonely stages of life. Seven billion beings fighting for the same things. Knees weakened more than you can possibly feel. Life just isn’t appealing. I don’t even practice what I preach anymore. Interchanging their disgraceful ways. Jaded by life being a video game. My perspective was tainted for so long in so many ways. It’s crazy we can’t agree on the simple things. Your mind is plagued by lies of your kinship. Phased by an alternate reality. Displaying something to you that’s completely fake. Your mind is an illusion, you see, awake and overthinking its heartache. Generations of slavery is what we’re living today. Nothing has changed in the way we place blame or hate each other. Genetics come with built in prejudice. Strengthened by our father’s references. Pretending to be somebody we don’t even want to be. It only makes sense in something you’re watching on television. 102
Why do we fail to see in front of our eyes? Why can’t we learn to live gracefully, grateful for our achievements? Peaceful between enemies. Helping create serious change. My mindset is dangerously thinking on the sidelines of fantasy. Never going far enough to amount to anything. Frightened by falling short of what I want to be. It’s a part of the reality I created. I’m seeking answers to something I can achieve. Everything is made to generate reason. Tough finding truth when you’re bruised in many ways. Education is interlaced with fake reality of the human race. It intertwines the complexities and the fables and the reason why we’re here. No simple answer to the most interesting equation. We’ve been forced to live an alternate way of living.
Bombs in the air is teaching kids to fight with their fists. Aggression weakens their mindset. It forces them to be what they don’t want to be. The trials are a part of the experience. I’ve been brought down to my knees so many times, trying to be the one that understands the most. I can’t help but listen to my conscience; the one that tells me to believe again. This f’d up reality makes me deceive myself. It makes me want to be free, from the troubles of reality. Away from the sickness that dissatisfies my senses. My mindset is forced to focus on sadness. I’m so freaking depressed to find any happiness. Trying to find a way out of the blackness. Practicing only the things that made me unhappy. I can’t stand to feel like I’m something, when I can’t even imagine what’s happened. Head wrapped around a journey that seemed easy to fathom. Believing in myself is the last thing. I can’t believe my mindset is so dull these days, these nights are filled with insecurities. I used to reincarnate the bad to experience the good. Dwelling in emotional baggage. Telling myself I am strong enough, but I’m weak, I know it and hate it. We can’t even justify our own words to ourselves. Words that’ve caused so much harm to us. My preaching can tap their creativity to understand and be the best they can be. I can bring anyone to stop deceiving themselves. But I mistaked my own reality. Life threw me down infested devastation. Replacing my happiness by feeling jaded. Embracing the hated to feel good later. Seen as someone who can’t keep it together. How do you perceive reality? Do you see it from their eyes, or do you lead them to see it? Freedom is something only a few get to see. It only comes in your dreams.
103
In the morning I presented an eighth grade class. In the evening I was shovelling their driveway. Disguised in the background of society, hating my life. Yet somehow still inspired. Cleaning their school at night. Cutting grass where they’d smoke it. Trying to find myself and my pride again. I can’t believe I can’t make a go of my own fucking life. Tainted by misery of their parent’s fate. Beaten minds from their so-called caring. Tip toeing around their transparencies. Wondering what life would be like without them. We’re all broken, damaged and weakened. Very few seek to find the treatment. Our minds are challenging us to be better people. Persuaded opposite of what is peaceful. It’s good acting in a life that allows anything. Deep down we’re all battling a weakness. You feel like you control your life. No more than those who can’t sleep at night. 104
I don’t want to leave my life, but I think about it all the time. I’m dying to rewind to when I was happy inside. We are not where we want to be. We can turn around and be better people. Achieving nothing eats away our feelings. It leaves you dissatisfied with reality. Life is very much like a daydream. But it’s seems to be far less interesting. Only fascinating when you believe it to be. You are the only one in charge of your life. It’s all just a fantasy. We are all really just pinned down and forced to live a certain way. Hating our lives more and more and more and more and more each time we reincarnate. Farther and farther away from our fantasies. Generating hated for those in our way, or playing games with those we interlace in our lives. The ones we shed all our tears on.
Your fate is not in the hand of your enemies, it’s from the choices you made last week. Nothing you achieved was ever brought without it. Overcoming what stands in your way. Your thoughts are why it’s so difficult today. The creators of life better change the algorithm to something where we can all win at. I can’t believe how our morals have depleted these days. The same game but neither of us are happy. We are like ants in a community, burned by it magnifying our dreams. You are like an avatar in a video game. No different than what kids play in their basement. Chasing something with no value or reason. We all become something, you’ve got to be determined. Or you can just say fuck it! I don’t think I want to do this anymore. These days I feel drained. It feels like Groundhog Day over and over again. Every day is the same thing with the same routine. The exact same expectations. Feeling very unstable. Wasting my life away. I’ve completed everything on my excitement list. Learning to be a father. I have no idea what I’m doing yet. It’s unsetting resetting my life three dozen times. It’s so difficult to bring happiness. Laughter is replaced by feeling this way. I guess Life isn’t meant for us to be happy. The words we say to ourselves. The things we tell others about us. We feel we need to be better people. In a society that shows us our weaknesses, we breed our kids to see it. My mind intertwines my passionate side. I keep thinking how I’ve fallen in life. I get caught up in negative choices. Each one dwindles the strength of my voice. Finding myself for the umpteenth time. Desperate for some faith in myself. Disappointed by life, resentful, dissatisfied with the race we’ve become. I know my fantasies will never be free. Yet I’m drowning in the possibilities. I can’t understand why I haven’t achieved it. It’s satisfying to see how long it’s taken me.
105
Stronger than my limitations. I choose to embrace in them. I am brave. I’m satisfied with my accomplishments, though I am still afraid of them. Don’t take advantage unless you’re destined for it. What is destiny when society is filled with everything but what it actually needs. We treat ourselves even weaker. Be satisfied with the reality. Be grateful for everything in it. Appreciate the little things. Everything can be appreciated. Even the negative times harness happiness. Try to sway from short-lived satisfactions. When it’s filled with nothing but habits. Be there for your friends. They only bring happiness. Challenge your mind to adapt to it. We all get the same opportunity. It’s not in the draw. It’s in your imagination. When you understand this, you’ll overcome more than their accomplishments.
106
Regardless of what you believe in, believe in yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Search for the things that bring happiness. It’s too short not to see it this way. Eighty percent of the human race hate it. You can change your own perspective about it. Be who you want to be and challenge yourself to be the best you can be. My soul is more than an empty basement. Facing the challenges of my esteem. I can be who I want to be. Forget the fantasy. I choose to believe in me. Although the universe generates uncertainty. Happiness runs through my veins every day. Everything I need to be there is within my grasp again.
107