I had the opportunity to meet Adam Roa virtually via Zoom call. You probably know Adam best for his spoken word poem, “You are who you’ve been looking for” with the famous line “Treat yourself like someone you love”.

On the zoom call, he performed a poem that isn’t available publicly or recorded in any other capacity other than what I’m about to play for you, which is a raw and authentic production of his thoughts. He wrote it a few years ago as a specific project but it resurfaced recently, and it rings really true given the state of our world and the Coronavirus. It is titled, “A message from death,” and it speaks to the cycle of life and death that we’re all subject to, how we currently receive that reality, and what opportunities it presents for us moving forward within our own growth and development.

It’s such a great poem. First how he articulates the recycling of resources and how everything alive inside you today has been alive before you and will be alive again after you. He uses incredible metaphors like cocoons and natural contrasts like the night and the sun. And it all comes to a point when he describes that the only given in life is change, and embracing change is embracing opportunities for growth.

Let’s dive into a dose of positivity. This is one you’ve heard before, but it rings truer than ever today.  A little positivity goes a long way.

I remember hearing something impactful from David Meltzer. It’s that one particle of light outshines millions of particles of darkness. Just a little positivity is enough to stop a cascade of negativity. And it’s contagious, and that’s something I want to share in an example.

I want to highlight what my friend, Tom Alaimo, is doing. He’s also in the personal development space with a blog and podcast called Millennial Momentum. Tom has decided to step up as a leader in this dark time and be a beacon of light that encourages other people to share theirs. 

The bottom line is, a little positivity goes a long way. Not only will your positive act create ripples that affect those who are exposed to your message, but you will notice more positivity and optimism around you, further encouraging you to share and extend your ripple.

Life is a contrast. Negativity in one place in this world requires positivity in another. Let’s not lose sight of that, and let’s make sure people are aware!

This is an interesting concept I learned about in the book “Belong” written by Radha Agrawal.

It’s the idea that everyone speaks their own life language. To be truly empathetic and to interpret the correct meaning in someone else's words, you need to consider holistically where they’re coming from. There are 3 questions to ask about the context of the conversation, that apply individually to both people in the conversation, which will help you to understand each other better.

The first question - Where am I in life? What’s the state of your health, finances, and personal life? It’s important to consider this because it sheds light on where they might be coming from, and what motivates the emotion or requests made in the conversation.

The second question - Where am I right now? What's your state of mind? How are you feeling physically? Are you hungry, tired, etc? This is important because your current state of arousal influences the way you communicate.

And then last, Where am I with you? Are we on good terms, are we getting along, is there unresolved conflict? Because that definitely affects the way we speak to each other.

By being open and understanding of the truth to the answer of these 3 questions, we create a space for things to be communicated more authentically. Where am I in life, where am I right now, and where am I with you?

Pre-Covid quarantine, my alarm went off at 5:30 am and my goal was to be at work by 6:30. This gives me an hour to wake up, journal, do my affirmation, set goals, and meditate before getting ready for the day. It varies between an hour and 45 minutes. Which I think is acceptable.

Well, I noticed a while back, I set my alarm for 6:15 instead to give myself an extra 45 minutes of rest, and I found something very interesting. When my alarm went off I popped right out of bed, got to my morning routine quickly, and I found myself pulling up to work at 6:55! Yea, that’s 25 minutes later than I normally get there, but from the standpoint of getting out the door I had never done it faster! It only took me 40 minutes. 

I didn’t battle myself for 5 minutes to get out of bed. I didn’t get distracted by little triggers in my room. I was able to stick to my intentions and just move forward.

In my mind, there’s an opportunity to create 20 minutes of efficiency in my day and it’s a tradeoff I’m trying to quantify. To me, the math breaks down like this. Changing my wake up time by 45 minutes means I get 45 more minutes of sleep but 25 less minutes of work. It seems like I win in this equation, but I do want to explore it more moving forward.

I have something really near and dear to my heart that comes from the core of who I am and what I’m trying to create. It was expressed perfectly in a line in the book, Superfans, by author, Pat Flynn. The quote that changed my life is, ”The universe has this amazing way of giving back to those who serve first.”

How interesting is that? Those who give, are more likely to receive. And not only give, but serve. To volunteer and provide for without expecting anything in return. It’s taking action for the sake of coming from a place knowing that you can add value, and that an investment in human kind and your community is the right thing to do.

However, as this quote articulates, what happens is that investment and value offered and service returns to you in unexpected and multiplied ways. By raising the tide for someone else, you end up raising the tide for yourself. What this quote also addresses is this happens as a response, giving back to those who serve first. There’s an order to it.

By coming from a position of service, you share an authenticity that encourages others to reciprocate and support you! This is the universe, the powers that be, and the natural laws that we are susceptible to. 

This also tags along with another idea I am really passionate about. This concept of how humility involves a willingness to give and receive. My TedX talk is about the receiving side of it, surrendering to the universe and the path it has laid out for you. This quote is the giving side and adding to the ecosystem. What this does is it facilitates the flow of value for everything that involves you, amplifying your capabilities through shared resources and energy.

The thesis is give first, and give often. “The universe has this amazing way of giving back to those who serve first.”

You know the old expression “laughter is the best medicine” right? What if I told you that new science has come out, and it shows that dance is actually the best medicine. Dance is the most effective way we have of releasing dopamine, Oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins in the body, but unfortunately many of us don’t use it. That’s where Radha Agrawal comes in, the founder of the daytime dance experience called Daybreaker who is our next SISD guest. She’s a part of cutting-edge research on the topic, how dance can literally save lives.

Personally I love dancing, but I never knew the physiological benefits of dance. I am trying to make a point of incorporating dance every morning, just one song, to get the day started off right and with a positive neurotransmitter boost.

I wanted to share a song that has been standing out to me over the past few days. It’s called "Naïve", by Andy Grammer, who’s an artist that stands for positivity, love and compassion. While the word, "Naïve" has a negative connotation, from a certain perspective it’s required.

"So call me naive
But I believe you're gonna be okay
And call me naive
But tomorrow, we'll be better than today

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
Lord, help me please, help me to be naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm

See, I believe
This life is something beautiful and sweet
I believe
That love pulls me to you like gravity

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
I guess I'll plead, I'll plead guilty to being naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm

And you could say I'm gullible
And I'm blind to all the lies and tragedies
I just think we focus all our time
On poison and not the remedy

So call me naive
Say I'm living in a world of make-believe
And call me naive
But I don't know another way to be

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
Yeah, if it's stupid to see the good in everything
I'll say proudly I'd rather be naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm"

It’s such a beautiful song. But, let’s think of the context because it is extremely important today. Being naïve is different than being responsible. Of course, we always need to take the necessary precautions, we shouldn't be naïve to that truth. But, as people talk about worst case scenarios we don’t need to agree. Yes, these times are providing many people with significant hardship, but it’s our choice to determine if that’s entirely a bad thing. Many people will come out of this stronger, and the world will come out of this stronger. We can choose to see that positive possibility, instead of focusing on our seemingly negative reality.

With the doomsday talk and the “everyone fend for yourself mentality” I wanted to share something important. Everything will be okay. It will, everything will be okay.

While our concerns have shifted recently because of current events, I also want to speak to the you 3 months ago before all of this started, and the future you 3 years from now. Life will continue to present challenges and unexpected circumstances, and you will be okay. You always will be okay.

What I try to do during uncertain times is surrender to the process. I try to have faith that everything is happening for a reason. I also try to find confidence in myself that I will be able to make the most of every situation I am presented. The only thing you can control 100% is your effort, and putting your energy in things you can’t control will only perpetuate the problem. 

This is all coming from a guy whose biggest fear is responding to severe adversity. That’s what preparation and perspective are for, and that’s what I’d encourage you to reflect on right now. You have been developing skills for a long time. What you have to offer is an asset to others. And you are stronger than you know. You have overcome everything you’ve experienced so far, which should give you hope that you can also overcome everything that you’ll experience in the future.

Everything will be okay. Be responsible, trust yourself, and whenever there’s a storm, ride it out.

During the COVID-19 era quarantine, many of us throughout the country and world were instructed to shelter in place, limit interpersonal contact, and avoid public spaces. While this was totally necessary to protect ourselves and the health care system, it came at the expense of our own productivity.

What was interesting is how we were home more often, had more free time, and came up with all of these ideas of things we wanted to do. Yet we didn’t find ourselves doing those things. Why is that?

It’s because we were thrown out of our normal routine. What we didn't realize was that our routine had been optimized for our previous setting, relying on the triggers and timing that existed in our normal environment. Well all of that was different, and then we were wondering what we could do about it.

We basically needed to establish new habits, and there’s one thing that always helps me: Make the decision in advance!

Be clear about how you want to spend your time and affirm it. I think writing something down is really powerful because you can see the activity in front of you, making it a more tangible idea than an abstract concept. 

The next step after that, and knowing that your days are a little different, is to allocate time specifically to do that thing in your schedule. It sounds super simple, but most people don’t actually do it. It’s for those transition moments, when previously you had established context that would encourage you to take proper action, where a schedule will inform your decision-making and help you to stay on track until eventually this new routine becomes second nature.