Self Image is Everything

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." Dalai Lama

This is not meant in a negative way. My intention is to inspire. Once we understand that it's part of becoming an adult to realize and accept that no one actually gives a shit, it frees us up to start living more authentically. Life takes on a whole new flavor when we realize the only thing that matters is how we feel about ourselves in the end.

We all go through difficult times. But we can choose to either go through them, or to grow through them. The Bible says to “be of good cheer.” I don’t think it’s talking about being of good cheer during good times. Because that’s not even worth mentioning. I believe the author was talking about difficult times. Be of good cheer during the bad times when things aren’t working out, and challenges seem insurmountable. That’s the time to be of good cheer. That shows courage, and strength of character. We can either go through difficult times or we can grow through them. Remember, with each new level comes a new Devil. You’re leveling up! So be of good cheer, my fellow adventurers 👊

I watched a movie recently called Unknown, starring Liam Neeson. It was in my opinion, a perfect illustration of how powerful our self image is, and how everything can change, just by changing the way we see ourselves.

When you only do what’s easy, your life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, your life will be easy “Successful people do what unsuccessful people don’t like to do. The obvious question is, what is it that unsuccessful people don’t like to do? Turns out, it’s the same thing that successful people don’t like doing either. The only difference is, they do it anyways.” Brian Tracy

I’ve been a loser, and overweight, my whole life. I’ve been broke, and have been dealing with financial trouble, my whole life. I’ve been through a divorce, failed businesses, and I have experienced several bouts of depression. At 41 years old, I am now in the best shape of my life! I feel healthy and strong! I’m feeling happy and hopeful for the future! My finances are finally in order, and I no longer have anxiety about my financial future. It was a gradual change over the past few months. But by following 3 simple rules that I made for myself, every single day, I now see the positive results. I hope by sharing my 3 rules, it will inspire you to come up with your own 3 rules. You don’t have to use mine, but I am happy to share them if you’d like to use them for yourself. I hope they serve you as well as they have me. I honor the light in you, that is also in me 🙏🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼

I totally meant to record a serious and helpful podcast episode. But maybe it’s the excitement of being back… because this was a rambling mess 🤦🏻‍♂️😅🤷🏻‍♂️ Oh well. Maybe next episode will be better. What can I say… I’m rusty! 😂🤣🤣

I’d like to share a dream I had that really helped illustrate my need to feel accepted. Craving the good opinion of others. And why I need to let it go. 🙏🏼

If you do a favor for someone and you tell them the difficulty you experienced in helping them, the favor is now ruined. It’s like giving a gift with the price tag still on it. If you help someone, do it because you want to do it. Not because you want the recognition. Do it, or don’t do it. But don’t complain. It ruins the gift 👍🏼

Arguments happen in every relationship. The important thing to focus on is “why are we arguing?” What are we trying to accomplish by winning the argument? When we argue simply to win, we usually end up losing that relationship. When we argue to try to understand each other better, the relationship becomes stronger and more meaningful. I’m not arguing that we should never argue. I believe that arguments can be very healthy to a relationship. It really depends on HOW we argue and WHY we argue.