Category Archives: Motivation

How to Make Fitness a Part of Your Lifestyle

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Many people understand the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and why adding physical exercise into their daily routine is important but not everyone takes the time to make it a part of their lifestyle. I understand the reason for this is going to vary from person to person but can range from simply not liking to exercise or perhaps living a busy life where it is hard to make the time for it. Whatever the case may be, the good thing is that any little bit of exercise that you do is always going to be better than doing absolutely nothing. So you can start very small and eventually progress over time. If creating a fitness routine is totally new for you, then it can be expected that you might not be doing much in the very beginning and that’s OKAY! As long as there’s a start, you can always build better habits as time goes on. You might now be wondering, “Well, how exactly do I get started?”

Find Physical Activities That You LOVE – Not everyone loves going to a gym but thankfully a gym membership is not a requirement. You can easily workout in the comfort of your own home or find sports/physical hobbies that you enjoy. If you participate in activities that you actually want to do, then it will not feel as much like work.

Set Fitness Goals and Write Them Down – If you have fitness goals that you are looking to achieve, then take the time to write them down. It is good to have goals because this can motivate you to actually take action to achieve them. For example, your goal might be to weight train for three days a week at 30 minutes a session. Once this becomes a habit, you can then reassess and create more challenging fitness goals.

Hire a Professional – It is a valuable investment to hire a professional to teach you how to train properly or if it is a sport that you are looking to get better at, then this is also a good reason to look into hiring someone who can up your skill set. Some people might feel intimidated or that they can’t do a certain physical activity but with the right professional help, there is an opportunity to grow, learn something new, and/or improve from where you started.

Plan Ahead by Creating a Consistent Fitness Schedule – By creating a fitness schedule in advance, you are adding concrete blocks of time within your day/week to work out while also holding yourself accountable to sticking to a fitness regime. It’s okay if it varies from week to week depending on your schedule as long as you are making some type of commitment each week. In other words, it is not as effective to have four days in a week that you work out followed by two weeks of inactivity before you get back on track again to your initial schedule. This plan lacks consistency which means that it is not much a part of your lifestyle. It is more preferable to maybe start with two to three days a week and commit to that rather than fitting in random work outs sporadically throughout the month.

Future > Past = Your Future Is Always GREATER Than Your Past

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There are many people who are stuck thinking about their past or wish they could go back to a certain time of their lives. I suppose that it is normal to feel this way at times; however, we have to understand that life is always in motion and that it is always moving FORWARD. I thought of an easy equation that applies to life:

Future > Past

Your future is always greater than your past…

If you understand this golden rule of life, you will always feel invigorated thinking about your future–as you should! I want to emphasize that I am not promising a perfect future or saying that there aren’t going to be setbacks along the way. Of course, there are ups and downs within everyone’s life but understand that sometimes you need to go through the bad times to get to even greater times. The reason being is that you grow from these experiences and become stronger along the way.

Personally, I never get stuck in the past. Why? As I mentioned, I genuinely believe that the future is always greater than the past. There is so much to look forward to during the course of our lifetimes and many life experiences we have yet to experience. Isn’t it exciting to think about the FUTURE and where it could lead? 🙂

Don’t Just Know Better – Actually Do Better

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Often times we know what is best for us and what the right thing is but we don’t always follow that advice or listen to what we know is better. The first step is to gain knowledge but from there, we need to actually take the time to do better. In other words, taking the execution steps needed or the action required of us to make improvements, get ahead in life, and overall just better ourselves. For example, we know the importance of implementing a healthy diet paired with exercise to obtain optimal health. That is great information to know but the real question is, what are you doing about it? Are you putting wise knowledge into practice? My point is, knowing simply isn’t enough. We need to DO the things we KNOW is BEST. Nike said it best, “Just do it.”

Some people are more motivated than others which makes it far more easier for them to take action in life because they naturally have a high drive to want to do what is necessary to get to their end goals or simply be their very best in whatever it is that they gravitate to. If you aren’t the most motivated person, it actually is something that you can work on over time and not something to be discouraged about. How so you might ask…

Time and time again, I preach the importance of building a strong and positive mindset. When your mental foundation is working at its peak, only extraordinary things can come out of it. You will find that you can increase your motivation, determination, focus, and many other important attributes needed to then apply what you know into ways in which you can make it all happen. Remember, it is a great start to “know” but let’s not forget the “do” part!

5 Ways to Improve Your Manifestation Skills

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I would have to say that the practice of manifestation is a life skill and having the ability to manifest the things that you desire most is not something you are necessarily taught in school which is why it is essential you teach yourself how to master manifestation. The good news is that anyone can develop the mindset to attract abundance and create everything you want in your lifetime. I want to make it clear that manifestation is NOT an instant gratification process. If you understand this simple principle then you are on the right path and will never be left feeling defeated or disappointed but instead, more motivated, invigorated, and determined. When one begins to lose hope, that is when the process tends to deteriorate. Weak minds are not meant to manifest great things as it takes a strong and positive mindset to do the internal work. So where do we begin?

Be Extremely Specific As to What You Want – People make very general statements as to what they want such as, “I want a big house, nice car, and lots of money.” These are all requests that are way too general. What exactly does a “big house” mean to you specifically? Such as: how many square feet, location, type of house, amount of land, interior style, etc. It is important to think on a more concrete level and to determine the exact details. Even if some of your requests seem very far fetched and out of reach right now, WHO CARES!?! Ask for it anyhow! As they say, “go big or go home” and shouldn’t we all opt to go BIG when it comes to our own life? Of course it is smart to be realistic but that does not mean that you need to limit yourself as to what you can get only right now–think about what you can obtain in your future.

Create Visuals – Although for some, this might be an optional step as you can visualize the outcome in your mind, I do think having a tangible visual (ex: vision board, visuals in a journal, etc.) is helpful because looking at a visual on a daily basis will allow for the visual to stay in the back of your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is very powerful in that it will not really accept anything that does not match up with what you are trying to manifest. You can print visuals from the internet, find images in magazines, and if you’re artistic and fully capable of making them yourself–then go for it (again, why not? as it is about whatever method works best for you).

* If you do not have actual images of what you are looking to manifest, I consider writing down concrete statements on an index card to be just as effective. It is still tangible where you can read it everyday so this works on its own OR in combination with the visuals.

Believe It Is 100% Possible – It is 100% critical to develop the belief that the outcome is 100% possible. I don’t care if the people around you think it’s impossible or if currently there are factors to hinder you from what you want right now because NOTHING SHOULD STOP YOU! You control your mind which gives you the power to control your destiny! Don’t give people that power and don’t let there be any room for doubt to create a mental road block of preventing you from achieving what is most certainly POSSIBLE and getting in the way of your full POTENTIAL.

Take Action – One can’t just ask for anything from the Universe and then sit back and do absolutely nothing about it. Manifestation is NOT about wanting something and then expecting it to fall onto your lap. That is what I call, “Pie in the sky.” I think that is what deters many people from this whole idea of having the ability to manifest because they have this false belief that it is like a genie in a bottle where you ask for a wish and it just happens. That is why I want to clarify that this is not how it works because asking without doing is going to leave you with a whole lot of nothing but false hope and unfilled desires. Once you make it crystal clear your intent and what you want, you need to actually put in the work to make it happen. It might take an incredible amount of small actions to get to the end goal but any action is better than no action.

Trust the Process – You are where you are meant to be at this present moment in your life. Everyday you are getting a step closer to turning your dreams into realities. Rather than asking, “Am I there yet?” or “Is this ever going to happen?” which insinuate a lack of trust and uncertainty, you need to TRUST THE PROCESS and believe that, “Yes, it is happening” and “I am doing whatever it takes to get what I want” because again, action is required to propel the results. Learn to enjoy the journey rather than question the process because everything you want is in the works! 😉

Control Your Destiny By Making It Happen – One Day At a Time

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I took a photo of this sign this morning created by a high school graduate.

This morning I attended a high school graduation ceremony where I found a ton of handmade signs displayed throughout the campus. While many focused on congratulating the Class of 2021, I could not help but notice a sign that read, “Stop waiting for things to happen, go out and make them happen.” I took a moment to snap a photo of it so I could post it onto my blog because it’s definitely both a powerful and motivating message.

I value that it is a rather straightforward statement and one that anyone can apply to one’s own life. People need to learn to create opportunities and attract positive life experiences by actually going out there and making them happen. If you just sit around and expect opportunities to knock on your door, then the people who actually are going out there to grab them are always going to be the ones who obtain the opportunity before you do.

Every action step you take is always better than no action at all. It is amazing that a collection of actions can add up and really create an impact over time. Never get discouraged by the process and the time it takes to get to the end goal because it is worth it in the long run. Everyone is capable of achieving great things but it is always up to the individual to determine the quality and the quantity. We all can create a bright and beautiful destiny–all it takes is taking the action necessary to make it happen which can be done by taking it one day at a time.

More Drive and Discipline = More Results

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No matter what goal it is that you are looking to achieve, it all starts with DRIVE followed by DISCIPLINE. The drive is essential because if you don’t really want something bad enough, it is not a serious goal and very likely not something you are thinking about all too often. Trust me, when you genuinely want something, you not only think about it constantly but you will do whatever it takes to manifest the goal into a reality.

That is where discipline comes in, as I consider this to be a very important life skill in helping you reach your goals. Just about every successful person I know implements discipline into their lives in order to achieve great things. It is also very noticeable to me when someone lacks discipline because they tend to be lazy people who will put instant gratification over their long term goals–if they even have goals to begin with. Although I recognize that not everyone is born with discipline or were provided with a strong upbringing where discipline was taught, the good news is that you can still pick it up and start to build this skill into your life. Like most things, it is never too late as long as you are committed to yourself and make the effort to learn how you can become more disciplined. Here are a few things you can do to start:

Write Down Your Progress – I consistently preach the importance of tracking down your progress because it measures your growth over time. I prefer old fashioned pen and paper but find a tracking system that works for you and stick to it. It is remarkable to see your results unfold when you compare where you started to where you are now. Some goals can take years, so do NOT be discouraged when you are not seeing fast results and continue to track anyway.

Make Sacrifices Often – Keep in mind that with discipline comes sacrifice. That is fundamentally what discipline is all about–making a ton of sacrifices. Sacrifice does not need to mean deprivation. I am not suggesting you deprive yourself of anything but what I am saying is that you are going to need to make some sacrifices (which requires discipline on your end) to obtain the results you are looking for.

Take as Much Action as Possible – What sets apart a disciplined person versus someone who is not is that the disciplined person is constantly taking action. Even if that means doing things they are not too fond of (again, sacrifice), they are doing it anyhow! Disciplined people understand that you have to do these things in order to get to the greater good in life. They will take as much action as possible to get closer and closer to their end goal. Remember, any action is better than no action!

Why Michael Jordan Says “Never Say Never”

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People often hear the expression, “Never say never.” This can be interpreted in different ways but essentially you should not limit yourself and say you cannot do something or achieve anything that you truly want. More specifically, Michael Jordan took it a step further by saying in his Hall of Fame induction address:

“Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” — Michael Jordan

Think about it, the biggest setbacks originate from your own mind. Perhaps other people have the power to create doubts in your head but that does NOT mean you have to listen to them. There is no need to waste your energy on people who try to put you down. It is for this reason, you need to be aware of your inner most thoughts by proactively developing a mindset that is strong and unstoppable along with blocking any negativity from evolving in the first place. It is natural to experience fears from time to time but as Michael Jordan states, they are often just an illusion.

At the end of the day, your reality starts with YOU. Anything is possible and becomes a high possibility if you actually believe in your full potential. Learn to actually “never say never” and achieve what you can, even if that means you have to start small or from absolutely nothing. I will also leave you with another great Michael Jordan quote that I also recently discovered: “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” This is incredibly accurate and correlates with what I like to preach within my blog the importance of setting the bar high in all areas of your life. Even if there are some failures along the way or you do not reach your target at all times, it is still better than settling for less than what you are capable of.

You Don’t Need to Be An Athlete to Have The Body of One

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Depending on the sport, often athletes are not only admired for their abilities but also for being in great physical shape. In order to be skilled and play at their very best, it is required to spend many hours practicing their sport but also plenty of hours of physical training. This would explain why the majority of athletes have an attractive and often highly desired physique. Despite all this, keep in mind that you do NOT need to be an athlete to be in the best shape of your life. Anyone can put the time to physically train their bodies and implement the proper diet to maximize their results. People often complain that genetically they are too thin or too heavy to begin with so it is impossible to get in the shape that they want. On top of this, many people are just straight up unmotivated paired with a lack of willpower to commit the time and work needed to get the results. The good news is, these are all excuses and far from the reality. The bad news (for some) is that as I mentioned, hard work and discipline will be required to get in exceptional shape.

So where do you start? You cannot “kind of want” to be healthy and have a nice body. Your mind first determines the outcome by having the burning desire to achieve something. If your mind is set and firm that this is the goal, then from there, all you need to do is take action. By action, it does not need to be extreme but can be small daily actions that gradually increase over time. If you are completely new to adding fitness into your lifestyle in general, then I definitely recommend starting slow rather than adding too much which could burn you out to the point where you want to quit right away.

In this specific scenario, I cannot push enough the importance of tracking your progress with whatever system that works best for you. This can be done either digitally on your phone (or digital device of choice) or handwritten in a notebook. Tracking always holds you more accountable and keeps the mind focused on the target. Once you have your tracker, you are going to track down your action which includes recording the exercises you perform each day and I recommend keeping track of what you eat on a daily basis as well. Personally, I do both.

In terms of what types of exercise, always strive towards the activities you naturally enjoy. In addition, teach yourself new exercises by hiring a professional or looking up fitness resources online. As I recently mentioned, I actually have learned so much in the past few months just by watching short clips on Instagram by fitness professionals and enthusiasts. At the end of the day, you need to want to make the change and then actually take the action needed to make it happen. You will be amazed that as soon as you really put your mind to it, the rest of the work that is involved will actually happen quite naturally because of your mental focus. So what are you waiting for? 😉

One of the Greatest Motivating Factors – Being Told “No”

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I was reading a book where I came across a quote that I had never seen before:

I thought to myself, this is incredibly accurate and true. When someone tells you that you cannot do something or something is out of your reach, don’t buy into this negativity! Why are you letting someone underestimate your abilities and self worth? Let people think what they want but you do what you want and prove them otherwise but most importantly prove it to yourself.

I always remind people that for every person who says no, trust me, there are PLENTY of people who will say yes. This applies to entering new relationships, finding a job, etc. Even if you went through a series of rejections, let that serve as a way to motivate you to rise above and elevate yourself to a higher level. Don’t ever let a “no” leave yourself feeling defeated and focus on everything that you CAN do because you can do it all (and much more)! 🙂

Instead of Comparing Yourself to Others – You Could Be Doing This

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I recognize that it is natural for people to compare themselves to others as a baseline for how their own life should be carried out. One might feel by a particular age, there are certain milestones that should be achieved or maybe one might see something on social media which sparks a thought in their mind that they wish their life could be as “picture perfect.” With social media platforms often used as a way to see if they measure up to others and/or as a way to paint an extra grandiose version of self and life, it is easy to fall into the habit of comparing yourself to someone else. Again, I understand how making a comparison often happens but people need to stop wasting their time comparing themselves to other people as it often leads to negative feelings of insecurity and jealousy. The reason being that this comes from a scarcity mindset where one feels inadequate and that they are not enough. Nothing is enough to them because of the emptiness from within. They focus on what they lack rather than putting their energy into something much more positive–creating their own best life.

There are ways in which you can make healthy comparisons so I do not want to classify all comparisons as negative. It can become positive if you have the capacity to look at someone else and genuinely be happy for that person and aspire to elevate your life to a higher level. That brings me to what you can be doing instead. You can make life improvements and adjustments to enhance your current life. Remember, we are all in control of our destiny and a work in progress with our very own individual life path. That is why I stay in my lane and just focus on my path because I determine where that path leads on my terms and I know that the way in which I live is personal to me. Even if two people had very similar aspirations and perhaps are on the same career path, that does not mean they will both be going at the same pace or that their outcomes would be the same.

In addition to wanting to make the changes needed to live a better life, why not learn from others as opposed to making a negative comparison? If you happen to know the person in real life, you can ask them how they got to where they are and assign them as a personal role model and/or mentor. If the person is someone famous, I am sure you can google information on how they got started along with watching interviews to learn more about their lives. Everyone should really take the time to learn from other people while also paying it forward by teaching others because we are each other’s best resources. In my professional life, when I come across someone who wants to pursue makeup artistry or know how I became successful within my career, I want to do whatever I can to help that person get on the right track.

Final Note: If you find you are someone who compares yourself to other people who you perceive have it better than you, take a moment to shift your mindset onto how you are fully capable of having it all yourself in your own unique way while doing some research as I mentioned. Lastly, do not forget to be grateful for what you do have right now while concentrating on what you want to manifest for yourself over time.