Mindfulness Mode

Justin Stenstrom is a nationally-acclaimed life coach, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is the founder of EliteManMagazine.com and the host of the Elite Man Podcast on iTunes. Once anxious, insecure, depressed, and unhappy, Justin has overcome many of life’s greatest obstacles and now uses his insight into healthy mindset and mindfulness as powerful ways to help other men reach confidence and success!

• Website: www.JustinStenstrom.com

• Eckhart Tolle (Author of The Power of Now)

• I've been able to control my emotions. I'm a pretty even-keeled person. I don't really get upset too often, I don't really fly off the handle. My dad is a hot-head, I have that in my genes. I've been in control of that side, but I don't get too upset, I don't get too down. When I do get down, I understand that it's kind of a period of time, something that everyone has to go through, and I kind of go with it as opposed to trying to fight it so much. I stay aware of my over-all well-being at that point and just understand that it's going to be okay. I might be a little sad or a little down from time to time.

• I don't specifically focus on my breathing but I do make sure that I'm always breathing correctly and that I meditate especially. I meditate once every couple of weeks for 15 or 20 minutes and that's  where I really focus on just breathing, long deep breaths, taking my time and just being in my own head and aware of my own feelings. My meditations a little different than your typical meditation. I'm not necessarily focusing on just my breathing but I'm more meditating on my thoughts and ideas. I like to brainstorm things while I'm meditating and really have that peaceful time to think about my feelings and my thoughts and all my internal things that I don't necessarily get the time to just sit down and think about. I focus on my breathing and make sure I'm very relaxed because I know how important it is to be relaxed.

• Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The example I like to give and this happens all the time is this. Picture you have a seven year old boy, this boy's going to school and he's getting bullied, he getting called names like ugly, fat, or loser, he's getting picked on. He has all these negative inputs in his brain. This starts to shape his mindset and how he feels about himself. This is hitting his subconscious brain. He starts to have problems like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, low self-esteem, no friends, no self-confidence. This is how impactful this can be on someone's life. As he grows older, he's 13, 14 or 15 years old, he's one of these kids who brings a gun or a knife to school. The core issue is being able to tell bullies and help kids understand the impact of what they say and how much that can impact another child's life.

JuVan Langford is an international speaker, workshop facilitator, and male empowerment coach. He has the ability to connect with those he helps and to dig deep into your story, your why and your legacy. JuVan has been successful as a professional basketball player, a model and now a men’s mentor with his series of workshops called The Elevation Effect. JuVan is a truly grounded, focused guy who is keenly aware of what it means to Be Here Now.

I’ve personally just returned from Toronto (at the time of recording), where I was thrilled to be a participant in The Elevation Effect. It was a truly impactful weekend.

• Website: www.JuVanLangford.com

• My Grandmother - She is one of the most profound, charismatic, deeply connected and present person I know.

• It's caused me to go from being an emotional man to being an emotionally intelligent man. What I mean by that is I'm taking personal responsibility for what I'm feeling and experiencing in my body and not making it out of somebody else's.

• People ask me about my morning routine and I say, I breathe. I breathe deeply, I breathe slowly, I breathe consistently. It's so important to fill our body with fresh air. Fresh air is everything to our body because it's healing and it's our job, our duty, my job, my duty and responsibility to heal my body on this journey into remembering who I truly am.

• Book: All The Places You Will Go by Dr. Suess (I order it for the clients I work with one on one).

I remember, in my junior year of college, my mentor, his name's Michael LeGace, I call him Pops. He's very much a father figure in my life. He came up to the campus. I went to Skidmore College. I was complaining how I didn't like the campus, it wasn't the school for me. I should have chose a bigger school. I should have chose a more diverse school. I should have chose a less expensive school. He said listen, you see that railing right there? Put your hand on the railing. We're going to call this the appreciation rail. Everytime you feel yourself being unappreciative for what you have, I want you to come here and remind yourself that you are a collegiate athlete, that you are a scholarship awards student. You have your family, you have your health, you have so much to be thankful for. You are at one of the top institutions in the world and you are doing a very good job. You may not have everything you want, but you are always covered. He went on and on and it nearly brought tears to my eyes. It was a very profound moment.

Let's fast forward seven years later. I moved to California and I became a mentor to a young kid for the Tiger Woods Foundation. He was a UCLA student, a young Asian gentlemen, an amazing  guy, a small guy. I was afraid I was not going to be able to connect with him on a deeper level, maybe culturally or maybe because he was more academic and I was more athletic focused. I had all these stories about why this was not going to work. I remember meeting him on campus and going for a walk. He was complaining about how he missed his family, he missed going to church on the weekends, and how the school's too big. It's a huge campus and I said, hey, let's take a walk. I bring him to a railing and in my mind I thought I was going to create the same moment and I told him, you have so much to be thankful for. You're a great kid and your fa