ENTREMOTION - Shift from How to Wow! Move towards your definition of success one step at a time.

When I was in my late teens, I tried  a couple different martial arts. I did a few classes in Judo and then I went on to study Kung Fu – in particular Wing Chun.  I studied for about a year before moving on to study Shotokan karate. I stuck with Shotokan for about 8 years until my divorce (at which point, as you read, my life went for a serious shit spin). The reason that I mention this is that this was my first experience with meditation.

In most karate dojos (schools) the class will start with bowing when entering the dojo, kneeling, and then closing their eyes for mokuso (meditation or literally “silent thoughts”) http://www.karatebyjesse.com/the-true-meaning-of-mokuso-karates-essential-mental-tool/ The exercise was a way to turn off the outside world and turn on the world within the dojo. Inside the dojo, there are different rules. My ex-wife’s uncle was my Sensai as well as my employer at the time. I could talk to him in a certain way on the jobsite but, when we were inside the dojo, I made it very clear that he was my master instructor. The same held true for the sempai or senior students. There was a certain hierarchy within the dojo based on the bank rankings of the students. Respect was shown throughout the dojo and this often carried on as a catalyst towards respecting others outside the dojo.

A training session always started the same. We would come in and mill around. Then, when Sensai arrived, the most senior student would call the other students to attention and we would all bow and welcome Sensai. Then we would continue on. Often, I was the senior student so I would chat with Sensai about his goals for the training session and my part in his plans. When we had finished chatting he would tell me to get everyone lined up in order of ranking. Then, he would move to the front and center of the group, and kneel down to the shrine that we would place at the front of the room showing respect to the founder of the style and to our association. Then the rest of the class would kneel down and we would begin mokuso.

The meditation would last for a couple of minutes and would involve deep, cyclical breathing. I learned as my career progressed how to use this time to let go of all the stresses that had plagued me during the day and to gain focus on the upcoming training.

For those of you that have never taken a martial art, I’ll try to explain what typical training is like.

* You enter into a situation where you are asked to move your body in ways that do not feel natural. This involves doing a series of movements over and over and over again.

* You sweat and get bruises. You feel like your body will fail sometimes, but your mind wins over the fatigue and you carry on

* Just when you feel like you have mastered a series of moves, you are taught some new moves and you, once again, feel like you know nothing. You then do this moves, in addition to the previous moves, over and over and over until they become second nature.

* Then, when these movements begin to feel natural, you add some other combinations and series of movements and, once again, feel like a beginner.

* And so on, and so on, and so on.

The key to the success of any martial arts is the step by step training. No one has ever walked into a dojo knowing it all. Every person that has ever worn a black belt started out wearing a white belt and felt like they knew nothing. Every black belt spent hours upon hours doing the same basic techniques over and over again. Each time they did them, they would try to prefect them a little bit more. Karate itself isn’t that hard. What I think is hard is the mental discipline behind what karate stands for. And, in my opinion, this is why each session started with mokuso – it was the signal to the brain to turn on the switch to “grind”.

I regret that I did not return to karate. At the time of this writing,

** Opening Sound Credit – Blind Faith – Can’t Find My Way Home – 1969 **

In this episode of Entremotion, I discuss “spirituality” as well as my take on what spirituality means to me.

I know that I believe in something but I find that my logical/analytical side just doesn’t easily allow me to blindly follow any doctrine set down by “God” and written on paper by man.

One of my morning rituals involves sitting each morning and asking for guidance from Spirit/God/Nature/My Subconscious/Etc. I reveal one of the most poignant moments that I have had in my journey during this process.  It is one of my biggest fears and is shared by many individuals and business owners. It is the fear of …….Have a listen

**Opening music credit to The Everly Brothers – All I have to Do is Dream; 1970 **

After a month off for the summer, I talk about my return to “the grind” with teaching at the college, running our accounting firm “LeadingLedgers” and continuing with “EntreMotion”. In addition, I ‘ve been working out at the gym quite regularly with my new trainer, Ms. Chloe, and I share a story about goal setting and dreams – and making sure that what I focus on or what I “think” I want is actually what I need.

For me, fly fishing on a river is my definition of spirituality. The shimmering sunlight off the water…the cool breezes…the rustle of leaves – for me, this is paradise.

What moments in life have been inspirational for you?  What lessons have you received through everyday experiences?

In each message, there is a lesson – be careful of what you wish for

Opening credits go to Yoda – Empire Strikes Back, 1980

“Do or do not, there is no try”  These simple words outline the difference between being interested and being committed.  When I am interested in doing something, in the back of my mind there is the word “try”. There is the chance for failure. There is the option that I can quit.

It amazes me when I hear young people speak and I hear them use the word “try”.  I’ll try to do my homework….. I’ll try to find a job….. I’ll try to save money…. I’ll try to blah blah blah…..  The whole concept of “trying” is non-committal.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I do NOT believe that everyone can do ANYTHING! I mean, I fully understand that a person can not jump off a cliff and fly. Not without some help anyways – like with a flying machine or by some other grace of God. Trying to fly by jumping off a cliff is a fool’s folly.

“Try” is one of those words that I do not use. If there is an option that I can not accomplish something then I lay down the guidelines right at the beginning. It may be by setting down a time frame, or looking at getting help on the task.

And, if I can not do the task I will tell the person “I can no do that yet”. So, even if it is a task that I do not have the ability to do, by adding the word “yet”, I feel that I am in the process learning and completing the task.

There are a number of other words that I do not use. For example, I do not use the word “busy”.   Have a listen to the podcast and see how I change my mindset around being “busy” to being “successful”

** Intro Music Credit “Stuck in a Rut” by Sterophonics of their album Keep Calm and Carry On Released 2009

In this episode I talk about feeling overwhelmed and being stuck in a rut – closing off from doing what I know I need to do, but allowing myself to get distracted by shiny, new objects rather than focusing on the tasks at hand.

Like many of us, I often get tired of the grind – tired of doing the small, tedious tasks necessary to achieve success over time. Forgetting my purpose  and losing my focus rather than following routines and then making up the excuses to justify that I should not do them.

I also talk about the time that I lost my son’s trust by lying to him about quitting smoking. This moment in my life created one of my “Big Whys”.

And, lastly, remembering WHY I started this journey by going back and reflecting on the various successes that I’ve had.

5 Steps to Follow for Greater Success

Get a clear goal in mind

Figure out the pain and pleasures associated with your goal (Your Why)

Get your routines in place – visualize your success (Power of Habit -Charles Duhigg)

Create accountability by telling people about your goal

Reflection – create something to remind yourself why you want to be a better person

 

Opening sound credit to Al Pacino “The Scent of a Woman” 1992, Directed by Martin Brest

Have you ever had one of those days where you get out of the wrong side of the bed, or something goes wrong and you expect that the whole day will be “bad” because of it?

In this episode, I talk about a really negative encounter that I had with a local garage employee.

I’ve been reading Brene Brown’s book, “Rising Strong”, and in it she talks about having a fundamental belief that everyone is doing the best they can with the tools that they have. I’ve been working at incorporating this into my life. It helps me to stay compassionate and calm when given adverse situations where I would normally LOSE IT and become judgemental or frustrated.

This episode describes an encounter that many of you can probably relate to.

Have a listen and leave a comment below

Today, Tania and I share one of our regular conversations with you. The beautiful part of having a business partner and muse who also happens to be my wife is that we get to really share our passion for our personal and business growth 24/7. For us,  preparing strategies for more successes in our lives isn’t just an exercise from some self-help book or online webinar we’ve attended – we live and breathe this stuff!  There have been so many times that I wished I had the foresight to record some of our conversations – so many golden nuggets of thought and inspiration that are spoken and heard but then seem to drift off into the recesses of our minds.

So, today I made the conscious choice to record one of our conversations. In it, we discuss how we raised our expectations for our life, and life met those expectations. It wasn’t that long ago that we were quite content to live paycheck to paycheck, watching reality TV shows at night, and being envious of people who we observed living their lives to the fullest. On one level, and I’ll speak for myself here, I did not feel that I deserved to have success. I felt that I had left my children after divorcing my first wife and there was a lot of guilt and shame that I carried with that decision. Meeting Tania truly changed my life and helped to make me into a better person.

Please share in this conversation with my true love, my inspiration, and partner. Enjoy

This episode starts with a short reading of the end of Robert Frost’s poem – The Road Not Taken.  I talk about some of the challenges that I have faced in life in the way of “incompletes” and how I overcame them.

In particular, I talk about how my wife spent the effort and time to do the work necessary to show gains in her running programs while I sat back in a place of ego thinking that I could just “think” my way into doing it without having to put in the work necessary. Well, as you will hear in the story, it did not turn out the way I expected.

 

Give it a listen, subscribe and please rate me on iTunes

Welcome to the Grind – for those of you who have never listened to the entire Nike video Rise and Shine on YouTube, I welcome you to view it here.

The focus of the video is on physical training, but I believe that this video is equally apt for any aspect of personal growth.  Fear is an excellent motivator. It can also be debilitating.  When I have a moment where I feel that the negative thoughts that I have (my fears, doubts and insecurities) may be “winning”, I listen to the Nike video. It gets me every time. It gets me pumped and motivated to work a little harder…to take a few more chances… to sweat a little bit more.

Give the podcast a listen, listen to the Nike video, and go out and be GREAT today!