AH THE WONDER

Ah, the wonder.

I find it intriguing just how many supposed experts and courses have cropped up the past two years. I look deep at these courses professing expertise, wealth and think to myself ah I’d like some wealth or I’d like to be a meditation expert, a data scientist, a digital guru and a purveyor of purpose.  I will narrate a video over the top of a picturesque view while I sit on a mountaintop and meditate and you look on from within your Youtube escape (or maybe Vimeo) and dream.  You’d like to be me; you’d like to have my pole position on the podium, speaking while others listen and rapidly reaching for your wallet so you can buy nirvana. Your nirvana in ten steps with a list of specific goals.

I’d like people to follow my ten simple steps leading to five simple next steps followed by the list of most compelling actions you can take to own this fabulous mansion.  Or live a life free of constraints, a life of ultimate purpose where what you do matters to all you speak with, but most of all, what you do means to you. Your goal, but remember the steps and remember my course and do not forget to subscribe because if you don’t subscribe, you’ll miss out on my particular class on how to not only live a life of purpose but to also pay to be part of my mastermind group.

Because that’s where the magic happens, that’s where people who have paid to be part of my life-changing group get to tell you how to change your life, and you know what it cost me?

NOTHING! Yep, that’s right, nothing. Because people who have paid to learn my path to a purpose (which they were already on mind you) are now offering their services to you guys who are newbies to help you find your purpose. Ultimately, this creates a Purpose Virus.  Because the “purpose thing” was created, and people paid for it to discover there was precisely something they were looking for.  I intersected them on their path to find that outcome, their journey inside and they were convinced by me the solution to finding their purpose in life was to do a fantastic course and let me guide them on that voyage.

 

Breathe, it’s just a story, but I am sure many people have had this experience. The money spent does not unearth purpose the work you do in looking at you, and your values help you find meaning.

What do you love?

What will make you sacrifice everything you own?

What would you die for?

Whom would you die for?

Then they do not quite reach the objective, feel unfulfilled and question the path.  The path is gone, faded, they lose direction and get told it is going to be ok. I have another course you can take called “Reignite”.

 

To reignite your purpose, all you have to do it this pay x amount and join this reignite visionary group.  There are others here just like you who have lost their way and rediscovered the path to their purpose.

 

A yellow brick road to freedom, I run one class per week because my time is valuable, but I have and the elite team of Ignition leaders who will help you find your way to the new kingdom.

 

Anyway, you get my drift.

 

I could ramble on about the paid-for purpose journey suffocated by procrastinators. The point is there are so many courses online, and if you are on a path and seeking change yes, there are many ways you can execute on that change.

I have found the simplest way to make any level of change in your life is to decide to change, take action, be it to write it down or tell a friend.  Even join a group professing freedom and if you want to switch to happen to decide to make the change, decide to do something and then do something every day to build momentum towards your desired destination.

As Tony Robbins said, take massive, decisive action and make great happen one little step at a time. No books, no course just a decision to do something. Want to get fit, do ten push-ups a day. Want to write better do a paragraph every morning. Want to save money, put a gold coin in a jar till it is all full up. Simple small steps lead to massive outcomes.

Make great happen.

I’ve failed but

I don’t want to sugarcoat where I am at. Right now I feel like a failure. Well, at least some of the time I do. But  I feel that by authentically acknowledging where you are at and how you have failed you can address things and turn them around. So, here goes:

I’ve failed to make a million dollars
I’ve failed to start a multinational company
I’ve failed to build a property empire
I’ve failed to be financially free by 40. Hope I can do it by 50.
I’ve lost many jobs. MANY. MANY.
I’ve lost contact with many friends and some I’ve shed
I’m not rich, well at least not financially.
I haven’t traveled enough or explored enough.

I have a lot of work to do and I tend to put it all off. This can lead to depression and even now I am avoiding my assignment.

But I am still happy. Which is interesting given that right now I don’t have a stable job, I don’t own a home, I don’t have loads of shares, I’m still happy. Most of the time.

Not all of the time. Somedays I feel so flat I can’t get off the couch I get glued to Netflix. I pretend it’s ok, but it’s not. I think about why I never hear back from mates or why I no longer have a best friend or, never really have had one.

It’s like visual flypaper just one more show, I need to watch it until the end.

So, I’ve failed, I acknowledge and accept and now I use it to move forward and make great happen.

I am creating habits. Health, Study, Meditation, learn a language and now I need to create a commercial habit. A focus aligned to a purpose. Purpose is what drives all intention, motivates all action and makes the impossible possible.

Failure is what we learn along the route to creating a successful life. Without failure there is no success, without trial there is no error. So the list of failures is endless, but the opportunity to change, to turn thing around and to make great happen is always there, with every person you meet, every meeting and in every interaction. Change is constant. Let’s make great happen.

If love to hear how others acknowledge their faults or failures and how they may be using these to motivate action, to create change and build an abundant life.

YOU are amazing.

I had a great conversation a while ago (I drafted this ages ago but never posted it). It was with an amazingly inspirational and driven woman (Sami Lee) who’s opinion and insight I value to the highest level possible. Possibly placed on a pedestal.

We talked about many, many things; identity, values, brand and how to live those things you value and that represent you. YOU. You are awesome. YOU are amazing. But why?

The YOU BRAND as a professional gun-for hire in whatever industry you are in is critical to define what you stand for, what your values are, the direction you are heading and how you align yourself to get there.

Ultimately It doesn’t’ matter what it’s called, what matters is the content and how it drives your decisions both in work, life, friendship, family and so on.

I’m working on mine but top-line they look something like this:

Priority pillars:

1 – Health – Without good nothing else exists.

2 – Family – They are your pillar of stability and life’s biggest experiment

3 – Career – Always be earning but refer to item 4, 5 & 6

4 –  Education – Always be active, always be learning

5 –  Passion – Love, Be Loved, Do What you love, Experience life, Travel, Explore, Unleash your inner child

6 – Help others – be the best they can be. Coach. Advise. Drive.

Mantra:

Make Great Happen. 

So, the above is a start. Without action there is no outcome.

 

 

 

Celebrate the little things

motivation-001

For some, just getting moving in the morning can be a challenge.

The questions I ask are; what’s your biggest challenge? What’s holding you back? How can you create a life you can reflect on as accomplished. What are your values, how are you positioning them? Are you aligned?

It only has to be a life you are happy with, you see as beautiful, you appreciate, you admire within you. If others appreciate it that’s great.

Eternally there’s this nagging thought a self-doubt niggling at you that says, are you doing a good enough job.   And not just at work.  As a friend, a sibling, a son, a dad, a lover, an ex, a potential partner, consultant just about everything a person can do can niggle. Self-doubt. Most of us face it daily and each day I metaphorically slap myself in the face grab my jocks and rip up (I repeat metaphorically) to snap myself out of it.  I don’t have much in the way of assets.  I don’t own a home, I ask the question eternally what it is that I do with my money? Then I look around; the unused gadgets, the clothes, car, things, and more things. But there is one investment I can’t fault.

Her.  A priceless gift from the gods, the most incredible accident my desire has ever created. She, the little me, the creation.

Regardless we return to the struggle, the niggle, the nag. Are you good enough, have you done enough. WHAT IS ENOUGH!?

So here I sit, at a desk at a keyboard typing as if this will give me some reprise from the nag, niggle, struggle or was that the other way around?  Most of the time I can’t concentrate for more than five minutes, so I think. How can I get more, how can I achieve more, do more with less and help others do the same.

START WITH YOU. YOU. YOU.

YOU ARE THE GREATEST GIFT TO YOU. YOU ARE YOUR LIFES WORK. YOU ARE YOUR EVERYTHING. BY BEING YOUR EVERYTHING YOU CAN BE SOMEBODIES SOMETHING.

Be a better you can start here.

  1. Start your day with happiness. Instagram makes me happy, so I check it out most mornings.
  2. How can you do more of the things you love? What do you ache for? De-clutter your life? We have so much stuff we don’t need, it crowds our minds and takes us away from the things we love doing
  3. De-clutter your friends. Those that you think you need but offer nothing don’t make you a better person but expect you to make them one.
  4. Pick three simple goals. What can you achieve in the next week and how will accomplishing those things make you feel?
  5. Pick three simple tasks for the week. We alway look for the big win, when we should focus on the little things, the small wins. Celebrating small wins
  6. Pick three for the day
  7. Do five mins on each – See how you feel.
  8. Don’t complain about anything for just one day and see how how you feel. It’s amazing.
  9. Take five minutes out to just breathe – in and out.  Focus on the air entering your mouth or nose, down your throat and into your lungs. Pause

Do the above, do it for five days and see what happens, write a journal and see how you feel.  I’ve been practising it for awhile and still have a long way to go, but I have noticed, I’ve become more focused, done more, smiled more and just been happier.

If you read this, let me know how you go, I’d love to hear.

Celebrate the little things and big things will follow.

 

 

Grumpy and the projecting critic.

Grumpiness is so subjective.

There is no recompense from being called grumpy…”you’re so grumpy”

“No I’m not”
“Yes you are I can tell by the tone of your voice… You sound so grumpy right now…”
“Nope, I’m definitely not grumpy, not even really sure why you are calling me grumpy”
“Now you’re just being defensive”

Oh no, the defensive call, I’m not even being defensive, or maybe I am? I don’t think I’m grumpy, I don’t even think I’m defensive

There is no where to go from here, first you are grump, then you are defensive. Each of these statements are killer tools in an argumentative arsenal, make the defensive call and any defence supports the grumpy observation.

Perhaps you are grumpy or alternatively, perhaps you are not grumpy and the critic is simply projecting, they are grumpy and because of their inner grump have heightened sensitivity to other people grumpiness.

Are you aware of your affect on other people, of how you are interacting, responding, your thoughts, feelings actions and emotions? Are you present, right now?

 

 

 

 

The Bulletproof (r) coffee bandwagon

So, I’ve been all into supplements, staying healthy and attempting to push my brain a bit harder everyday. By no means do I sit in the over achieving multi squillionaire silicon valley super-geek category. I’m just an average guy attempting to study while working and do a bit of training to stay healthy.

That said I noticed, that overtime, my brain was becoming a bit fuzzy when I’d try to capture knowledge for exams (I have one comping up tomorrow) and I have eternally struggled to focus on any single task for more than ten to twenty minutes at a time. So this got me thinking, how can I get more from me, so I can spend more time doing the things I love.

Enter Bio Hacking, Enter Bulletproofexec.com – Optimoz.com.au; enter lets imrpove our daily output quickly..

I drink coffee, a lot and I love it. With this in mind and some previous scanning (not reading as I struggle to concentrate remember) of the Bulletproof executive I purchased some MCT oil. one ingredient of the Bulletproof Coffee and started to have it in my morning coffee.

WHAM! I immediately noticed a difference in focus, clarity, and desire to learn, THAT DAY! So I though OK, there must be something in this. I then ran a workshop with a client and he was like the prophet of all things bio hacking, esp Dave Asprey, the patron saint of bio hacking. He used the orange tinted glasses to sleep, had changed out all his light globes at home, had the Bullet proof coffee and even had a little travel MCT oil in his bag at the workshop.

I thought to myself, it’s time to get the coffee, to get the supplements to try the sleep matt, to get more out of me..

So I have, I ordered a pack of coffee, some ghee butter, some MCT oil, Ciltep and upgraded coffee from optimoz.com.au and haven’t looked back. This week had been whirlwind of productivity, I got my work done quickly, I nailed all my study for an exam in three days, I lost 2.5 kgs without counting calories and I’m feeling pretty awesome with a huge commitment to do and try more.

So right now until something changes I’ll stick on Bulletproof path and blogging about it here. If I can optimise and focus, anyone can and if it’s working on me, it should work for whoever may one day read this post.

I’ll attempt in my own summarised, succinct and possibly incredibly boring manner to capture my experience and hopefully productivity and IQ shift along the way.

Now back to my day job.

Happy new financial year Strayia

A new day in the realm of blogging, tired am I of the endless blather and mindless chatter spawned across the pixelsphere, mine included.  So much so that I have pretty much removed myself, that combined with working relentlessly and studying sporadically. This financial year I am committing myself to one post per week about anything from digital to photography or psychology to user experience…Who knows? One article peer week isn’t a big commitment.

 

Watch this space..

 

 

Your body language shapes who you are

This is one of the most inspiring talks I’ve seen in a long time. particularly Amy’s heartfelt story about how she overcame significant personal challenges early on in life to become one of the worlds leading social psychologists. She is the embodiment of motivation, commitment and an inspiration to anyone that has the belief they can accomplish a goal regardless of disability.

She discusses how assuming power poses can help boost confidence and testosterone levels. It’s a compelling talk, especially for someone like me, who although large in stature can sometimes suffer from huge deficiencies in confidence. I know I’ll be power posing in the bathroom before I have to give a big talk to lots of people.

[ted id=1569]

Brain training – its the new, NEW…

I’ve been working on my fitness for the past two years, then I started to read a book (I still haven’t finished it) – The brain that changes itself – Norman Dodge –  it talk about the brains ability to forge new connections – neural pathways – no matter how old you are and that through simple exercise you can enhance your cognitive capability. So now, I’m not only training my body but I’m also training my mind using Luminosity and Brain science.

Why?

I’m nearly 40 and I wanted to feel fit, fabulous and healthy for this milestone. I also want to adjust (if possible) my physiology had a deep understanding that I’d given my body and brain a good beating in my 20’s and early 30’s. I was a firm believer in the work hard party harder mentality, only the party seemed to consistently win out of over the work and hence my career and career status suffered as a result. People change, beliefs change everyone can change but only if they want to…

Some would say you should not openly discuss this kind of thing on a blog, but I say, why not? I’m human, I’ love to socialise and now, having recognised this was not a sustainable way of living I have turned a corner and am heavily focused on how I can hack my brain, rebuild my capability and, ideally, increase, fitness, iq, EQ (Emotional Quotient) and ability to deliver amazing work, results and presentations.

I’d like to present to people that while we all make mistakes, it’s those mistakes and the willingness and commitment to change that define who we are in the future.  Our past teaches us lessons but as our future is unwritten it’s only our desire to accomplish and commitment to that journey that make these changes possible.

So, what has this journey entailed;

1. Quitting smoking – I still have the odd cigarette and yes I do sometimes enjoy them but in general I hate smoking and the smell and hate it even more once i have smoked a cigarette

2. Committing to a healthier lifestyle. – I still love chocolate, burgers and chips and yes I still eat them, however I do my best to balance out some unhealthy eating habits with healthier habits like running and push-ups, the gym and of course my favourite…BOOTCAMP with Scuba at My fitness journey.

More recently I have started working as a Business optimisation consultant with an amazing organisation called Sitecore who have created the greatest digital marketing platform for amazing customer engagement. This test my mental capability at every turn, so I am constantly reading or working to stay ahead of the curve when it come to digital and business strategy.

So how does this all relate back to training my brain?

It’s getting more oxygen through exercise I recently read on luminosity that riding a bike is a great way to reduce street and promote the growth of new brain cells. Now I used to ride a bike, and probably will again, but I’m more into running and bootcamp at this stage.  I know when I don’t exercise as my stress level do go sky rocket and generally I end up in an argument with my ex about parenting..

So, I’m staying fit and brain training, I’m forging new neural pathways and strengthening my cognitive capability everyday, hopefully it reaps rewards in my personal and professional life.  Whatever happens creating habits like this will last the rest of my life and will hopefully cascade across to my daughter as well.

I’ll track my progress weekly where possible to see where I end up and I’ll most probably try other things to make thinking easier.

CHANGE IS CONSTANT.