Good Morning Sunshine!

Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I believe that your first hour awake is the most important as well. It sets the tone for what the rest of your day will look like. So if you’re one of those people who claim to not be a “morning person”, I strongly encourage you to reassess the way you see yourself and take some serious steps towards becoming one.

I used to snooze for as long as I possibly could, squeezing out every last possible minute of sleep and dreading the moment I had to detach myself from the comfort of my bed. From there I would check my blackberry and browse all of the work emails that were demanding my attention, filling my head with a jumble of stressful tasks and my heart with a sense of worried anticipation. Not even 5 minutes out of bed and I would already be spiraling into a negative emotional state. As I rushed to work and barely arrived on time I would feel like I was one step behind and playing catch up for the rest of the day. Have you ever been there?

Then I started to get up earlier and go to the gym. This simple modification of lifestyle was literally one of the biggest life changing habits I’ve developed so far. First, there’s a change in physiology. Your mental, emotional and physical states are entirely connected and when your body is strong and active the other states will follow its lead. Second, when you’ve already got a great work out in by the time you normally wake up you feel an empowering sense of accomplishment that carries with you throughout the rest of your day. You put yourself in a state of productivity and gain momentum that increases with each new task you face and complete, making you an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

Besides exercising physically, exercising mentally is important as well. Instead of grabbing your blackberry or the daily newspaper first thing in the morning, read an inspiring article or book or watch an uplifting video. The newspaper covers nothing but crime and despair so if that’s the first thing you put into your head you’re going to be in a negative mindset as you start your day. Instead read something from http://tinybuddha.com or http://thedailylove.com or one of the countless other blogs that share great wisdom and stories with the world for free :)

Every day that we are alive is an amazing gift and something to be completely excited about. When that alarm goes off in the morning you have an important decision to make: are you going to snooze for as long as you can and continue to hide from the world? Or are you going to jump out of bed with enthusiasm and embrace the once in a lifetime adventure of today that’s awaiting you? Sleep when you’re dead, cause it’s time to wake up and live!

Elements of Life

You woke up today, took a deep breathe of air into your lungs and got yourself out of bed. That may not sound like an amazing accomplishment but it’s something to be endlessly thankful for. Not everyone is as lucky as you.

We often take for granted the fact that we’re alive and healthy, choosing instead to complain about our jobs or our relationships or whatever miniscule nuisance we may be faced with at the moment. But if you just pause your life for one minute, step out of the physical world that’s immediately in front of you and look at the big picture of things, we are incredibly blessed. How fortunate we are to be experiencing the ups and downs, the good and bad, the happy and sad. That is life, and we are so privileged to be a part of it all!

Don’t wait for your last days on this planet to start appreciating the magnificence and beauty that surrounds us. It’s everywhere we look, we just need to remember to open our eyes and see past the immediate charade that constantly keeps us moving in circles. What’s really important is something much greater than that promotion you want so badly or that new car you’ve been saving up for. It’s the ever-present opportunity to smile at a stranger, the one guarantee we have that the sun will always rise tomorrow, and those three simple words that cost us nothing but earn us everything we need: “I love you”.

So take that minute right now to put aside any of the stress and negative emotions that may be distorting your vision of reality and fill that space with the countless amazing things there are to be thankful for and cherish. If you’re having trouble finding them, go take a look in the mirror because one of them is sitting in your seat right now.

Balancing Pride

You’ve heard it before and know it’s true: life is all about balance. It’s just like surfing. Sometimes the waves are knocking you down and sometimes you’re shredding them with grace and style. Every aspect of our lives needs to be in balance and it takes constant practice and awareness to reach a happy level of equilibrium.

There’s one particular aspect that this applies to twofold: Pride.

First, there’s the sense of outward pride you have with yourself and other people. And I think the golden rule in this sense is to “check your ego at the door”. Humility is a virtue and one that should be practiced by all. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or how popular you are, you’re just as much a human being as every other person on this planet so don’t ever act like you’re better than anyone else. Always stay modest and humble because no one likes the company of a cocky person.

Second, there’s your inner pride, your self-confidence. I think that it’s good be aware of the areas of your life that need improvement because that allows for you to set goals and take steps towards reaching your full potential. But too much attention on your shortfalls can be very unhealthy and cause damage to your self-esteem. We can’t always focus on what we’re not happy with. There needs to be balance. We must also recognize the greatness within ourselves and take pride in knowing that we are amazing people with lots of wonderful qualities.

I think the key to finding balance in this area of our lives is to stay outwardly humble and inwardly proud. Practice modesty and humility in your interactions with others but also make sure to take the time to appreciate and acknowledge yourself for your accomplishments and character. Check your ego at the door then give yourself a pat on the back.

Seeking Perfection

Nobody is perfect, that is for certain. But I’ve always thought that it is admirable to take your best shot at attaining perfection anyway. Now when I say perfect, I refer to the frequency in which we demonstrate life’s virtues. Demonstrating all of them 100% of the time would be “perfect”.  Admitting that it is an impossible conquest, if you do embark on the challenge you are most definitely bound to make significant improvements in your character that are well worth the effort.

Many people would argue that we should be happy with who we are, just as we are now, and love ourselves unconditionally with all of the imperfections we naturally possess. And I agree with this to a certain extent. We should love ourselves in each and every moment and always nurture internal happiness. But we all know that there are certain character traits in each of us that we can improve (because we're not perfect) and I believe that passively accepting them as they are, leaving them underdeveloped and lacking full potential, is ignoring our responsibility as humans to strive for moral excellence.

So many people coast through their day-to-day lives without every stopping to take a step back and look in the mirror, repeating the routine of mediocrity that finds their personality in the same exact place as the day before. But I believe that all it takes is a raised awareness and a little self-analysis to jumpstart this unproductive cycle and turn it into an upward spiral of personal growth.

We first need to know what virtues are: courage, kindness, loyalty, honesty, self-confidence, humilty. . . the list goes on and on and each shares the common value of being a building block in the foundation of good moral being. Then we need to recognize these traits in ourselves and measure the frequency in which they are demonstrated. Are you loyal 100% of the time? Are you honest 100% of the time? Certainly not, as you will never be “perfect” in any area. But I guarantee that if you make perfection your goal and put conscious effort into attaining it, you will develop these virtues to a great degree that is much higher than where they were before.

Open Your Mind

We can’t help what culture or society we are born into, or what family we are raised by. We enter the world at a very specific time and place and automatically accept the philosophies and traditions that surround us, for that is all we know. We grow up seeing the world through our own paradigm, like a pair of glasses in front of our eyes that interprets the world as it is, causing us to believe and support certain things and ideas.

Someone that grew up in the South in the 1800’s is going to have a very different worldview that someone who is growing up in Los Angeles today. And that person who is growing up in Los Angeles today is going to have a very different worldview than someone who is growing up in Zimbabwe today (the poorest country in the world). Every person in every corner of the world from every day and age carries with them an inherited set of beliefs and values, and many carry them their whole lives.

For those of us that are fortunate enough to live in an advanced society and be educated enough to read these words, it’s important that we are aware of the glasses through which we see the world and question the validity of our innate viewpoints. Once we reach a certain age and point of personal growth it’s our responsibility to start thinking for ourselves and replace some of the undeserving perspectives and attitudes that we were born into with more positive and powerful ones.

So let go of the limiting beliefs and negative opinions you’ve had of things and open yourself up to new possibilities. Start to understand the world from other people’s perspectives and step out of your own shell. Don’t succumb to stereotypes and “popular opinion”. Go experience things for yourself and be your own judge. Broaden your horizons. Open your mind.

Just Say Yes

Everyday we are presented with an infinite amount of possibilities for what we can do. Every single second is another opportunity to take action and do something. But most of us have become so accustomed to living within our comfort zone that we rarely take advantage of these opportunities and stick with what we are familiar with. Even when these opportunities are directly presented to us we will often choose to let them pass us by because we lack that adventurous spirit that keeps things exciting.

But I say screw that. We have one life to live so we should take advantage of every single opportunity, every single second, and say yes every chance we get! You know those times when you’ve been invited to do something but refused to because you were too “tired”? Well wake up! The clock is ticking and the train of life isn’t stopping for anybody so next time you get that invite you better say yes!

Obviously there are consequences to every action we take and you need to be smart in making your decisions. And sometimes those consequences aren’t going to be the ones we were hoping for. But I’d rather be out there experiencing those consequences and going on new adventures than hiding inside my comfort zone and never really living life.

So be exciting. Take a risk. Do something you would never imagine yourself doing. Live a little. Live a LOT. Sleep when you’re dead. Have fun. Be crazy. Say yes!

You Gotta Have Faith

I never went to church as child or had any religious influence in my upbringing, but I truly understand the power of faith and know it’s a vital part to having success in life. When you completely believe in something and erase all doubt from your mind and heart, anything is possible.

When I decided to move to LA and start my career in the music industry, all odds were against me. Most major record labels were laying people off, not hiring them. I had zero job experience, I only knew one person in the whole city and on top of that, I severely broke my leg after being here for less than 3 months, requiring surgery that put me off my feet for the next 4. It was like trying to ride a bike uphill with two flat tires.

But deep down inside me I KNEW with absolute conviction that things would work out and I would succeed in my goal. I didn’t care what the odds for success were, failure was not an option. I trusted in myself and in the universe with 100% faith and removed all uncertainty from my life and I absolutely credit that mindset for getting me to where I am today. If I had ever faltered and allowed even an ounce of doubt to affect my journey then I honestly don’t think I would have come this far.

Whatever it is you’re facing, whether it’s something positive and exciting like getting a new job or achieving some goal, or whether it’s something negative and challenging like losing a job or experiencing an illness, approach it with faith. Know from the bottom of your heart that things are going to work out in the long run and that the one thing you have most control over is how much you believe in yourself. You have all of the tools and resources inside of you to create any outcome you desire. So trust yourself, trust the universe, and silence any voice inside your head that says “no”. Because the answer is “yes”. You just gotta have faith.