“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put in a teapot and it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.”
Today’s message is “Do what you can do perfectly or as
The Art demands total awareness and concentration. This is why the mindful warrior works constantly to develop self-control and discipline of the mind. As we train in lethal methods of self-defense, we have a special obligation to not use it unless it is absolutely necessary. Our “Moo Do” requires that we develop a humble heart and one that is focused. This is
“Michael Jordon does not love basketball, Muhammed Ali does notlove boxing. Baryshnikov does not love ballet, and Tiger Woods does not lovegolf. What they truly love, is their state of consciousness while performingthese activities.” Author Unknown
Thanksgiving is here. This is a great time to remind everyone of the importance of Living Intentionally With Gratitude. Any great achiever and peak performer lives intentionally with gratitude every day. It’s not just a once a year expression or celebration, it’s a daily habit. When you live intentionally with gratitude and consistently express it to the people that love and support you, as well as the universe we all live in, you’re likely to attract more of the things you are most grateful for. Here are some great examples:
- Smile at someone and they will most likely smile back.
- Treat others as you want to be treated and the Golden Rule will shine through consistently.
- Start your day by asking yourself, “What am I most grateful for?
- You might also ask, “Who am I most grateful for?
- Or you might ask, “what blessings have I been bestowed with that truly matter in my life?
There are so many things to be grateful for in life. Whether it’s the love of a family member, a great friendship, a caring mentor, good health or some of the many things we could easily take for granted. It could be a talent you have been gifted with or a calling that truly makes a difference that drives your passion and purpose. It could be something as simple as the ability to eat three square meals a day or the ability to take a shower or bath whenever you want one. This may seem silly at first but consider there are millions of people on this planet that are not so lucky.
We all live in a country filled with abundance and that isn’t always the case in other areas of the world. We live a life of freedom and choice. Again, not always the case in other parts of the world. We enjoy clean water, electricity, good food, and abundance of entertainment, and for many shelter that far exceeds what we need to live comfortably. We are surrounded every day by great people, caring people, helpful people, and people who put others first. These are the people who live in abundance and live intentionally. I am so grateful for these people.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming Holiday Season and that you’ll make. Living Intentionally with Gratitude one of your daily habits of excellence. To better help you,here is a quick reference list that I use daily:
Sunday – Start with asking yourself what am I most grateful for and who am I most grateful for? Next, find at least one way to serve your God, family, and or country.
Monday – Start with asking yourself what you are most excited about? Next, find at least one way to be the first to offer help.
Tuesday – Start with asking yourself what you are most thankful for? Next, partner with a friend to make a difference.
Wednesday – Start with asking yourself what you are most happy about? Next, do at least one intentional act of kindness. It is better that it is intentional and not random.
Thursday – Start with asking yourself what you are most proud of? Next, enjoy some intentional meal time conservation and ask someone else what they are most proud of. You might also ask them what was the best advice they had ever received. If they can’t think of anything ask them what was the best book they ever read and why? This is what we call lunch and learn!
Friday – Start by asking yourself what or who you are most blessed to have in your life? Next, surprise someone with how much they matter? Do this using the phone, email, text, or best yet a beautiful thankyou or birthday card!
Saturday – Start by asking yourself what you are most passionate about? Next, be intentional in planning your next week with even more ways to be intentional and grateful daily.
Remember friends, we should not only feed our bodies today with the “good stuff”, we should feed our minds and spirit as well. Do this, and I assure you it will be a very Happy Thanksgiving indeed!
Happy Thanksgiving tou your and yours!
We all want to perform at our best. To accomplish this we must remember BEST stands for:
B = Healthy Body
E = Healthy Emotions
S = Positive Speech
T = Powerful Thinking
When we zoom in a bit more, we realize the truth: Your thinking governs your behavior, and your behavior determines your results. Your results determine your destiny. Literally and figuratively, thoughts determine your destiny! Read it again:
Your thinking governs your behavior, and your behavior determines your results. Your thoughts determine your destiny!
That means your thinking is the most valuable asset you have. “Positive Thinking” is great and yet at the end of the day it is not enough. Your thinking must be more than positive it must also be strategic and or tactical. It must be mixed with a strong desire (i.e., burning desire) and have an intended purpose.
How do I do this you ask? Train your brain to think at Mastery Level or what we call Master Level Awareness (MLA). How? First, become a Master Observer. That is, use your sensory acuity to be aware of how you think. Next, consider how someone creates a master piece. They work at it! This is the same way you get good at anything…through good old fashioned practice. It takes time, energy, and resources. Again, start with noticing your thought patterns by becoming a Master observer. Whenever you have a dis-empowering or limiting thought, arrest it immediately, and re-place it with powerful thinking. Chuck Norris use to say to himself, “Thank you…cancel, cancel.” He then used the Law of Substitution to replace the limiting thought with a more empowering one. Next, Decide in Advance (DIA). That is, know the outcome you want in any situation and ask “How Can I….?” It’s about asking more empowering questions, having an intended purpose, being persistent, and practicing tactical detachment. Why tactical detachment you ask? This will help you overcome self-doubt and when appropriate fear. Let me explain: The way to get rid of fear or self-doubt is to train your brain to give up your emotional attachment to the outcome. In this case, it helps if you care less rather than being careless. In some cases, fear is a healthy thing. It is your mind’s way of telling you to be careful. In most cases however, it is self-doubt which leads to never getting started or stopping way before you reach your goal.
Finally for now, I leave you the following list of empowering beliefs and actions to live by. They are my top 20!
- Know your purpose in life!
- Continually grow to reach your maximum and remember that is always changing as you stretch and grow.
- Grow into the next day. That is, become a better person each day.
- Be value added. That is externally focused. When you focus on yourself for too long you miss your opportunity to make a major impact on others.
- Don’t just live…seize the moment, day, evening, and life (Carpe Momentum, Carpe Diem, Carpe Nocturn, and Carpe Vitim)!
- Value people, believe in people, and unconditionally love people.
- Be mindful by practicing mindfulness. Remember, be a STAR (stop, think, act, and review) and success through accepting responsibility. As part of this, pay attention to what you are doing and or not doing. Be focused, be present and in the moment, and do it all without judgement.
- Lead with love!
- Focus on what is good and you will find it.
- Breath deep and often and from the center.
- Smile and the world will smile with you.
- Set goals and get goals even if they have to be small for now and short term. Later think big and expand your goals. You are going to have to think anyway so why not think big!
- Treat your body like a temple. That is, eat only those things that bring you true nourishment.
- Give more than is expected of you and you will receive more than you could have ever realized.
- Keep moving even if it has to be small steps. Once you stop moving you stop living.
- Read motivational material as much as possible and avoid the TV as much as you can. I recommend John Maxwell and yet there are plenty others. .
- Learn something new every day; meet someone new every day; gain a new insight every day; see something new every day, and be the best you can be every day!
- Never accept anything but your very best as in life you get what you expect and accept.
- Trust your gut!
- Live intentionally and be grateful. For example…
- Sunday – Serve God & Family First
- Monday – Be the first to offer help
- Tuesday – Partner with a friend to make a difference
- Wednesday – Fill your day with intentional acts of kindness
- Thursday – Make a point to have a meaningful mealtime conversation
- Friday – Surprise someone with how much they matter
- Saturday – Put it all together and plan for an even better next week
I hope this helps.