OnAscent Radio

Today we are discussing personal commitments (or resolutions) going into the new year. In the last couple episodes, we have laid the foundations for accountability and goal-setting, so now it is time to commit to specific goals for the upcoming year.

There are three levels of targets that I like to set for myself each year:

Reasonable - Good results that aren't super difficult or excessive; logical, moderate results. (1-2x growth)

Radical - Extreme results that surpass reasonable, logical, or moderate expectations. (4-5x growth)

Impossible - Utterly not possible in your mind right now; probably incapable of being true or happening. (10x growth)

Once the facts are in place and you set targets across all four domains (Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finance), you create a gap between where you are today and where you want to be 12-13 months from now.

And now the impossible game begins. It's called the impossible game not because of the magnitude of the targets but the combination of the targets set and all four domains rising at 10x levels at the same time.

Most people are lucky to have one of the four domains 10x in a year, let alone all four.

This is the game.

With a ruthless commitment to results, you can achieve the unthinkable for 2024 and become the version of yourself that you know is possible.

It's time to review and reflect on the year. 2023 is coming to an end quickly, and there's no better time than to take an honest look back at the plans you had in place for this year and examine where you have ended up.

I've adopted this practice over the last seven years, and I can tell you this is not easy. I spent the better part of my weekend in my office with papers, plans, maps, and notes that I had compiled over 2023, going through them all, checking boxes for whether I did what I said I was going to do.

The reality is, the facts don't lie. You either did the work required or you didn't. In some areas, I nailed it. In others, not even close!

With the facts in place and nothing to hide, a new possibility arises: the possibility to create a life on purpose.

Are you ready to build your 2024?

Let's make 2024 the year you look back on and say, "I did it!"

The judgment of others is largely informed by a combination of their old conditioning and current emotion. Once you realize this and begin to see it as it is, you will have the freedom to genuinely be yourself.

How do you build a good life for yourself? In this episode, I want to share with you six key components to answering this question that I have learned in my journey.

In the world that we live in today, speed is glorified: big leaps forward and meteoric rises... but reality usually moves at a slower pace, especially when it comes to personal transformation. Not every day needs to involve a "big win" for you to end up in a thriving and beautiful place. Transformation isn't a smooth process: cloudy, dark days are going to hit you. Setbacks are normal. Down moments are to be expected often. At times, it feels like you are moving against a strong current of old conditioning. But with time and repetition, this resistance will soften, and the new you will emerge. The task, as we develop new ways of living, is to embrace the idea that small, daily accomplishments are more valuable than fast results. This is how you build momentum for the long journey. Remember, happiness is not achieved overnight. Peace takes time to build. A healthy mind and body requires slow and consistent tending.

Everyone does time in the Pit. This episode, I'm spending a little time reflecting on the past year, the hardest year of my life thus far, and all the time I've spent in the Pit. Time in the pit above all else is what distinguishes top performers by their persistence in the face of failure and setbacks. The Pit is where you learn things about yourself that you can't learn anywhere else. When you fail or experience major setbacks, you end up in the Pit. If you use your time there wisely, learn, grow, and take action based on your new knowledge, then you will be a top performer.

This episode is going to be a little different than the others in the past. I want to not only take you on a journey, but I also want you to come out of listening to this episode with an experience that you will continue to come back to and make it a part of your life going forward. Listen to the full episode to receive this powerful message.

Not letting yourself be who you are is the great lie you are telling yourself. It's the same lie I was telling myself for years, and even today a bit. Who are you? What a powerful question that is, a question that can be one's life's work. Once you figure that out, can you allow yourself to be you? All of you? For yourself and no one else?

Last week, I hit on the topic of stress and meditation: using the tool of meditation to increase your capacity and power to deal with the stresses that come into your life. Today, I want to talk about how to train the spiritual mind and body. The willingness to sit in silence in the world we live in today is incredibly difficult to muster. It's uncomfortable, it feels foolish at times, and we live in a world of noise and distractions. What meditation will do for you is help calm the parasympathetic nervous system which controls the body's ability to relax. This system works in conjunction with the sympathetic nervous system which controls the flight or fight response. Meditation is vital for training your body and mind to deal with stress in a healthy way that does not damage you or shorten your life. Tune in to hear me talk about how it has helped me, how it can help you, and one of my favorite meditation exercises.