Past Episodes:
"Every day is a fresh start, start the day with a thankful heart."
If you think about it, unless we take a nap, our days begin when we open our eyes in the morning and ends when we shut them at night. So, waking up really is the first thing that we do every single day, and in those first moments we have the opportunity to set the tone for the day. What tone should we choose to set?
A day filled with gratitude, positivity, and contentment.
With the right mindset, starting every day with a fresh start could serve as all the motivation we need. It’s all about how we frame it.
First scenario, we had a bad day yesterday. A fresh start will help us leave those challenges behind us and gives us hope that today will be better. We can realize that today is unrelated to yesterday and we can refocus our attention on the actionable parts of today.
Or, maybe we had a great day yesterday. And in this new day, we can try to duplicate our success. This pursuit motivates us all over again, as we have to start again from scratch, but this time with a template. Fortunately for us, positivity and positive momentum is much more likely to be carried into the next day with this mentality, and we should always leverage that if possible.
But In either of those cases, remember that a fresh start is a mentality, requiring that we believe things to be a certain way. Gratitude and appreciation as our first thought of the day sets the tone for the day and can be central to our daily success.
So, every day is a fresh start, wake up with a thankful heart.
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See MoreSet Out Your Workout Clothes
There’s a common theme for a lot of us in our lives. When we are thinking about what we want to do, we have the best of intentions and set ambitious goals or schedules. A funny thing happens though, the next morning when it is time to actually execute on that plan, we just don’t seem quite as motivated, and our intentions now feel like unreasonable hurdles we are placed in our own path. Why is it so easy to make plans for yourself at night, and so hard to actually put them into action the next morning? That is the golden question that I’d love to learn the answer to, but for now, I can only provide a makeshift solution.
Set your workout clothes out. As you’re going to bed, you set an earlier alarm than normal so that you can get a workout in, but when that alarm goes off the next morning your workout is the last thing you want to do? It’s not just you, it’s everybody.
So, if you set out your clothes, a few things happen. First is seeing your clothes laid out on the floor reminds you of your intentions from the previous night, and might help you tap into that motivation you had. If that doesn’t work, then now you are left with two options. Either you leave your clothes where they were and step over them to go about your day, or you hang them back up. In either case, each time you interact with your clothes, you are reminded of your failure, and that feeling will provide extra motivation for the next time so you can get it done.
So, I’d suggest setting your clothes in front of the door to your room, or anywhere that you know is going to be the first place you walk to, because the sooner in your day you feel that disappointment, the more likely you are to change your mind and go workout.
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See MoreAvoid "I Will 'X' When 'Y' "
This advice is near and dear to my heart because it came from a recent piece published by Brian Rashid. Rashid is a role model and mentor of mine who has dedicated his life’s work to bridging the opportunity gap between the Americas. He talked about a very dangerous mindset that I want to address, because I think it exists in too many of us. It goes, “I will X when Y”.
This reminds me on an "If then" statement, which is essentially a cause and effect. However, these statements are often too rigid to be functional. Similarly, "I will X when Y" is dangerous for the same reason. For example, I will be happy or fulfilled or successful when I make a certain amount of money or buy my dream car or whatever. This phrasing is ineffective because it places too much emphasis on the actionable part of the expression and sets us up for failure.
This happens primarily for one reason. We have nothing to measure our effort on until we are finished. So, Brian proposes that we refresh our motivation often by acknowledging small victories more, because they give us something to grab onto and remind us that we are headed the right direction. He also suggests to break big projects into mini projects, so that we don’t get overwhelmed by the large task at hand, and can focus our effort on the immediate action item. Last, he says to remove our preconceptions. An exercise he does is he writes the script of how everything would go in an ideal world, and tears it up to physically acknowledge that things won’t go to plan, which then liberates him from that thinking and helps him to make the best decision given the context he is presented.
In summary, avoid the expression “I will X when Y” because it isn’t an accurate representation of your path and the steps needed to accomplish your goal.
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See MoreExpect the Best in Your Life with Alexi Panos
What things do you believe to be true in your life? Do you think people treat you well? Are you appreciated at work? Are you going to stick to your goals? Well best believe those things are true, because they are more likely to come true when you believe it!
No one has said it better than Alexi Panos, a former model turned personal development thought leader, who has made huge transitions in her life.
The law of expectancy is a fascinating concept to me. And it works similar to the law of attraction which it seems to will its way into existence. We can all choose to expect the best things to happen, and then wait and notice how they come to fruition in front of our own eyes!
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See More"In the middle of a busy life, take some time to be a kid again."
In the last few years, there has been a growing trend that people identify themselves with their careers. When asked the question, “What do you do?”, we often talk about our careers. We also look at the emails we use. For instance, we have accounts that are just versions of our name so that we come off as professional in outbound correspondence.
Well today, I suggest we shake that off a little bit, and take some time to be a kid again. Whether we want to revitalize a relationship, find joy, or rediscover a passion, we need to get it out of our system My two favorite ways of taking care of that are to go outside and to be active.
We all have our inner child that is begging to be released, and a little shenanigans here and there, when appropriate, never hurt anybody. You should tap into that youthful side of yourself, and embrace the energy and carelessness you had as a kid. In those moments when you act like there is not a worry in the world, there really are no worries in the world. It’s a powerful and refreshing feeling.
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See MoreBad Day or Just 30 Bad Minutes?
Lets dive into understanding those things that ruin your day. Is it really the end of the world, is it something big that needs resolving, or is it just a minor inconvenience?
First, know that It’s perfectly okay to be upset. It’s a normal and natural response, and it shouldn’t be repressed because that only sets yourself up for more troubles in the future. Knowing the gravity of your concern must also be kept in perspective.
Don’t let something ruin your day when it’s not worth it. Here is a checklist to run through to evaluate the severity of the situation. What are the immediate implications, meaning how urgent is it that the situation is remedied? How significant are the implications? Does it really weigh heavy on the spectrum of things to address? Are the next action steps within your control, and what mentality do you choose to take in response?
Sure, something could be the pain of your existence for 30 minutes, but don’t let it ruin your day if it isn’t worthy. Take control of your problems, treat them accordingly, and give everything the attention it deserves.
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See MoreThe Real Meaning of "No" with David Meltzer
What do you think of when you hear the word “no”? Does the words rejection come to mind? Or maybe a different negative word? Well. let’s change that, and let’s take a lesson from the elite sports marketer David Meltzer and his insight into the meaning of the word no.
This is something I know I need to work on a lot, and I love the way David provided perspective on the topic. A “no” now just might be a necessary step toward the big “yes” you are seeking.
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See More"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives."
One thing that we fail to think about is our lifetime is made up of many consecutive days, some good, some bad, no two the same, but days nonetheless. With this quote, there are two ways to think about it. The first is from an emotional perspective. If we want to live happy, enjoyable lives, we need to make sure we prioritize moments of happiness and joy on a daily basis because life is best lived in the present, and fulfillment is a state not a lifestyle.
The second way to think about it is from the point of view of success. However, this one is a little different. If we want to have a successful life, we can’t achieve that in a day. It takes time. However, you can take steps forward every day that build into a successful career and life.
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