Many people want a more fulfilling and passionate life. From an existentialist approach many people wonder what it’s all for - "It’s not about counting the days but rather making the days count." We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to discover our passion so that we know the time we’re spending is meaningful, but passion is an elusive characteristic and misunderstood.

To be passionate is to feel with more intensity. As humans we’re really good at feeling, but sometimes our experience is only a fraction of what would be our fullest-expression. Logically we all want to express ourselves more and feel more connected to the moments we’re experiencing, but society tells us to limit the ways we show up as to encourage conformity. So there’s this interesting paradox to passion which is that we all desire it yet we don’t allow ourselves to pursue it.

Society has also taught us to be less patient. It seems like everything is available on demand at the tips of our fingers so when we can’t immediately access what we want we get frustrated about it. This is exactly what happens with our passion. We’re so accustomed to getting everything we want that when we don’t that we wonder what’s wrong with us, and we place an urgency on attaining it. But passion isn’t something you ask for or that’s handed to you, it’s something you go out and find. It takes initiative and exposure to new things.

So if you want to have more passion in your life, it’s on you. You’re the one that goes out and creates it. You’re in control of how you show up and you’re responsible for immersing yourself in environments that develop passion. And the best way to design the future is to recreate the past, so I’ll leave you this question: What was the last thing you were truly passionate about, and why did it make you feel that way?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

I learned something game-changing from John Assaraf that I wanted to share with you. He was talking about following your dreams and he said “the universe wouldn’t be so silly to give you a dream that you couldn’t achieve.” The implication here is that anything you can think of is possible, and John challenges you to overcome the limiting beliefs that hold you back and make you think  differently.

Talking about the universe we need to touch on the spiritual side of things. If you think about manifestation you need to think about quantum mechanics and our metaphysical world. The idea is that while we live in and can only perceive things in the physical world, there are dimensions that we cannot perceive but that still influence us. That’s the metaphysical world. My relationship with this is similar to John’s in that I believe that the possibilities we can imagine in our physical world represent the connections and opportunities that exist in our metaphysical world.

With that in mind I want to share today’s positivity quote - “Nothing is impossible”. It’s naive to think that you know what you’re capable of, and the fact that even the idea of something exists is evidence that it is real somewhere. I must say that It’s true that current technologies or circumstances can not achieve everything, but that does not mean it’s impossible. All that means is it can't be done right now.

So let’s end by dreaming and reflecting - What do you want in life that feels like it’s impossible?‍

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

Our society is so driven by achievement and success that we overlook the fundamentals of making anything happen. Everything starts with a commitment to trying. Not only that, but if you really want to give yourself your best shot at succeeding, you need to try your best - Full investment, leaving no stone unturned. But the problem is, what if you try your hardest and it’s not good enough? What does that say about you? 

What happens naturally is in order to avoid that psychological vulnerability we have a tendency to protect ourselves from the very beginning by not giving things our all. This is a form of self-sabotage and it’s something many people deal with. That’s why today I beg that you have the courage to try and put yourself out there.

This is a classic example of where people should take their own advice. You’ve probably heard quotes like “the only failure is failing to try”, and you probably respect others who go for something and end up falling short. Yet when we internalize these thoughts it feels very different, uncomfortable, and unnatural. The world needs your 100%, and it would be a shame if you are holding yourself back. It takes courage to fully commit to what you believe in, but in my opinion there’s no better way to live!

To close this idea let me ask you a question to reflect on - In what area of your life do you feel like you’re going through the motions the most?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

I'm so guilty of this - I have a tendency to use buzzwords and phrases when sharing ideas and I’m realizing that it might be for the wrong reasons. While it makes me sound smart and that things are fully thought out, it does a poor job of communicating what I’m actually trying to say. I’m realizing my ego is looking for validation and I’m not being as effective as I’d like to be with my words because of it. That’s why I’m sharing this perspective to simplify your words, just say it how it is, and let your message be conveyed as optimally as possible.

But beyond the business acronyms and buzzwords I think there’s a larger point here too. While language does a good job of capturing big ideas and packing them into smaller phrases or fewer words, it does take away from how relatable the ideas are. For example if I talk about 'abundance', and say “it’s important to think abundantly”, what does that actually mean? It means that you think there’s more than enough in the world and everyone can be taken care of all at the same time. And what about 'scarcity' - That you think there's not enough to go around for everyone in the world.

While it takes much longer to say, doesn’t it feel different when it’s stated in more simple terms? And that’s the goal, to share what’s in our mind as effectively as possible. I’m not encouraging you to always speak like you’re talking to a first grader, but I am reminding you that simpler is better in communication too. Now it's your turn to think about this - Are there certain situations you encounter where you try to sound smart?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

Let me share an all too familiar story. Let’s say that you have the intention to eat healthier, and you set a goal to not have sweets anymore. For the first week you’re motivated and good at sticking to the plan, choosing healthier options when you have cravings, but then one day for some reason you almost unconsciously start snacking on something you’ve been avoiding. You realize it and you’re disappointed, but you’re still serious about your goal so you resolve to fix things up tomorrow.  But then later in the day, when you have a craving for a snack, you choose something unhealthy again (because you already messed up the day), which escalates into something worse and before you know if you’ve had a full on binge.

I don’t know that this is a technical term but I call this the “What-The-Heck Effect”. You fall short of a goal or intention and you figure 'what the heck', I can splurge for the day or whatever it might be. The problem is that even though you feel like the damage is already done, you continue to set yourself back because you’re affirming the wrong belief related to making unhealthy choices. This idea is true for spending time on social media, snoozing your alarm in the morning, sticking to a schedule or to do list you wrote out, and in so many other areas. Psychologically this tests your will power and gives your brain a reason to rationalize why discipline isn’t as important and it becomes even more likely that you’ll cave and act outside of your intentions. 

That’s why I want to provide an alternative perspective. Instead of evaluating your performance on a broader scale, like 'how did I do on this thing today', think of it as a moment by moment intention. Just because you weren’t true earlier in the day does not mean you have an excuse for the rest of the day. Every moment you’re making choices with consequences that either empower you or disempower you, and I challenge you to bring that presence into your decisions more often. 

Let me finish by proposing this question - When was the last time you splurged, or let the “what-the-heck” effect get the best of you?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

As much as we’d like every day to be perfect, where we jump with enthusiasm to take on everything we have in front of us, it’s an unfair expectation to have. Even further there are some days where we’re even lower on the spectrum, we feel more tired, less creative, and less motivated. I believe it’s in these moments where our character really shines, and how we act when we are sluggish is a great indicator of who we are. I’m human and not above any of this myself, in fact as I’m preparing this I feel a little bit of it today. So I want to share a few of the things I’m thinking about that are helping me work through it.

The first is being self-aware and honest about it. Don’t try to reject how you feel, feel sorry for yourself that you feel that way, or judge yourself for not feeling how you want to. Be truthful to yourself about how you feel so that you can work within it rather than fail to overcome it. I did that, and now I’m weighing it against the full and ambitious day I have planned for myself, and in this energetic state it’s daunting. So instead of being paralyzed by that overwhelm and doing nothing, I’m choosing to prioritize a few things on my schedule and give myself more time to do them well. It’s not ideal but it’s certainly better than doing nothing, which could be the end result of trying to do it all.

Then also, give yourself what you need. If it’s a nap then take it. A break then plan it. It’s unlikely you want tomorrow to be the same so make sure you do what it takes to get your energy back on track. Yes, some of this is mindset, and something that might help kickstart a better way of relating with everything is to take a little napitation. Close your eyes and give yourself a midday meditation, and take all the pressure off of how it goes.

When you don’t have everything to give you need to make sure you give something, double down on that somethings and prepare yourself to make tomorrow different. This happens to everyone, and to give some presence to it I’ll ask you to reflect on this question - When was the last time you didn’t have your 100%?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.

“All you can do is all you can do.”

Although the quote repeats itself both statements carry their own meaning. The first half touches on the idea that so many things are out of our control, and they affect us in significant ways. The reality is we’re vulnerable to outside forces and that’s just the way it is. So this part of the quote is a reminder that life is uncertain and unpredictable by no fault of your own, and you need to be prepared to navigate it. That’s all you can do.

Then the second repetition of the statement is a suggestion about what is in our control, which is our effort, persistence, and mindset. While some things are beyond our capacity there are many things that we can do to impact a situation. In fact you have more influence over your life than you might think, and unless you give your 100%, you’re leaving opportunity on the table. All you can do is give it everything you’ve got, applying yourself fully, and do as much as you can to generate the outcomes you desire.

Alright, two “all you can dos”, one expression... What does it mean when you put it all together? My summary is this: You need to accept that many things out of your control, but with those things that are in your control you need to give it your absolute best! 

It’s sad to acknowledge about people, and myself included, but I don’t think people give things their all as often as they could. With that in mind I want to pose a question for you to reflect on - When was the last time you gave it your 100%?‍

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

If you’re looking to grow alongside a community of like-minded improvers, then click here to join the Better Together Community.