The Strong Within Affirmation Podcast

Wisdom Wednesdays-#403 February 7th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Invite The Burglars In Because What I Have Cannot Be Stolen

"Our Intention Creates Our Reality." ~Wayne Dyer

A burglar broke into a home. He heard a soft voice say, "Jesus is watching you." Thinking he was just hearing things, he continued stuffing items into his burglar bag. Again, he hears: "Jesus is watching you." He turned his flashlight around and saw a parrot in a cage. He asked the parrot if he was the one talking. The parrot said, "Yes." So he asked the parrot his name, and the parrot said, "Moses." The burglar asked, "What kind of people would name a parrot Moses?" The parrot replied, "The same kind of people who would name their pit bull, Jesus."

How did you start your day off? Well besides listening to me of course… Did you wake up as late as you possibly could? Maybe you even hit the snooze button a few times. Did you go through your normal routine rushing in the morning trying to get everything crammed in, so you can arrive at work or the place you need at the precise moment when you need to be there?

In the normalcy of life, it can be easy to get into the routine of monotony. We know what needs to happen each day, and so we don't actively plan how we'd like our day to go. And I don't mean planning out all the appointments and activities you'll have to do throughout the day. I'm talking about being intentional in how you want your day to go. I'm talking about focusing on how you want to feel and visualizing exactly how you want your day to unfold.

There's power in purpose; there's energy in focus. But we take our lives for granted thinking things happen to us, rather than things are happening for us and things are created because of our focus. So if we aren't intentional about our focus for the day we have a scattered life where events happen, and we react. But when we visualize what we wish we create, we create not only the possibilities for that happening but we create the resolve for us to continue the path no matter how hard it gets.

And for me, it's easy to forget this. It's easy to get out of alignment when I'm not taking care of myself as I should. The days where I'm staying up too late which messes with my sleep cycles for the next morning, the days where my eating patterns are off as I'm focused on stressful emotions, or the times where I am allowing other people's actions to affect my emotions as I get stuck in a negative thought loop in my head.

And in our lives we allow others thing to control us. Something doesn't go our way, so we tell a story about how sad it is for us, how unlucky we are, if only we could get a break, or the story asking why are people out to get me. And so people become burglars of our peace and happiness…not because they have the power to do that…but because we open our front door for them and let them in. But the problem is not that they entered our peaceful home like a bull in a china shop, the problem is we made them out to be the problem when they were never the ones in control of our emotions. They never were the ones holding our dishes in their hands, we put a power in them that they never had, and we believed it was because of them that we are frazzled when in fact we are the ones giving power to things and people that never had any control over us.

When we aren't intentional about how we want to feel during the day, and make that our main goal, we will not have a target to point ourselves towards. We spend most of our time thinking about the physical things we want to have happen…which is a nice thing to do…but it's putting the cart before the horse. You're going about the goal all wrong, and when you get the thing you want, if you ever do, it feels empty because you weren't focused on the reason you wanted that goal—the feeling it would give you. And it won't matter how well you visualize your day if you don't decide to be the master of your emotions first in that visualization.

The burglar of our peace and happiness isn't in the hands of others—the burglar has always been us. And like the story about the pit bull named Jesus, we are getting our butts bitten and are upset wanting to blame others for our misfortune when it's always been us leaving the door open. It's always been us trying to sabotage our peace and happiness.

It's easier to put the blame on others when life seems unfair. We've put expectations on people and things to be our saviors, our friends, or the people who we wanted to be on our side no matter what. And it's not that we can't have good people like that in our lives, but when you put your hope in something else instead of remaining resilient in yourself…then you can always take the easy way out. You will shine the magnifying glass of blame elsewhere instead of doing the hard work…and readjusting your emotions.

I'm going to tell you a secret that most people will never tell you: life, is disappointment after disappointment. But that's not the secret. The secret is the disappointments, are actually life's blessings. For if we got what we wanted right away we wouldn't respect it and be able to hold onto it, and the other aspect is we wouldn't really know how committed we were to something because we didn't have to work for it. So the disappointments are actually beautiful; and maybe the trick is not to live in disappointment, but to be fueled by it.

And that's why being intentional about how you want to feel throughout the whole day is important. It's the way to direct yourself and keep you focused no matter what happens during your day. And I don't mean any disrespect here because I've been here many times in my life—but that's what weak people do—they let their surroundings dictate their emotions and their outcome. You are the architect of your life, but only if you begin being intentional about how you plan on building your day. And only if you stop blaming others for stealing your peace and happiness…because in the end…they never had any control in that matter…the control was always yours.

Today's Personal Commitment:Start your day off differently. Sure look through your to-do list, look through your planner at your appointments, think about all the things you want to get done…but make sure that you ALWAYS start your day off by visualizing how you want to feel. Start your day off visualizing how you would like your day to go. Make a mind map and you will find the more you do this then the more the world will be aligning and creating what's in your mind.

We think the outside world is a construct of it's own accord, but those who remember to use the power of intention and focus will make the construct of their mind a part of this outside world.

I Invite The Burglars In Because What I Have Cannot Be Stolen

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Tag Me Tuesdays-#402 February 6th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

There's Enough Room For Both Of Us To Pursue Our Dreams

"I think that you have to bear in mind that music is about escape, and it's not unreasonable to think the music business would be based around escapism."~Peter Hook

I'm all about fairy tales. I'm all about asking for more of your life and not settle for being ordinary. I'm all about being a dreamer awakened in a life where dreamers have all gone back to sleep. But there comes a price with every dream. And we as humans want the dream without the work. We want to reap what we have sown without doing any planting.

We look at people who have what we want and we tell stories on how it was luck, or magic, in how they got to where they are. And so we condition ourselves to wish for things rather than a willingness to do whatever it takes to realize a dream. Because to tell you the truth it's much more fun to dream about what you would do with your lottery winnings, than to actually win it. It's a way for us to escape from our lives, and I think that's what we use dreams as…excuses.

Excuses to leave our lives, even for a few minutes, instead of doing something different to make a dream a physical reality. But you see, doing something different would mean doing something scary…and to dream with no work involved keeps us safe. It keeps us standing on safe ground where we've always been…even if our so-called protected space means being stuck…because the devil you know is always better than the devil you don't.

And so we get lost in our music, we get lost in our TV programs, or we get lost in our relationships (romantic, platonic, new acquaintances, and even strangers) because it keeps us safe. It's easier to get lost in things that aren't ours, or things that we haven't truly committed to…because putting in the hard work might not work out. And we as people have lied to our hearts saying it's safer not to try than it is to go after what means something to us even if we might fail.

The Super Bowl happened just a few days ago, and I saw a lot of social media posts talking about how underwhelmed they were by Justin Timberlake's performance. Which I have to admit I would be nervous being on one of the biggest stages in the world with 100 million people watching.

In past shows, I've seen some elaborate productions as people are dropped down from the roof of the super bowl or flying around on unicorns…I mean, how can you beat a flying unicorn anyway? And as spectators, it's easier to criticize a dreamer than it is for us to get off our butts and pursue our dreams. It's easier to criticize one person's performance as we were only focused on him instead of seeing EVERYTHING that was going on. If you really took time to see all that was involved it was a huge machine with many moving parts…I think it was pretty impressive.

In most concerts, being physically there is the best part of the experience, you're part of the energy, the atmosphere, and you see things from your personal vantage point. So when it's on TV like the Super Bowl, you're getting everything—sometimes done well in how they zoom in and out and how they focus, and sometimes not so great.

And I'm almost sure people weren't paying attention to all the lights and lazers, they weren't seeing that huge band marching in unison, they didn't see his personal band on stage backing him up, they might not have thought that his movements around the field and going on the backside of the stage was choreographed so that everyone in the stadium could get a view of the show more closely, they weren't watching all those hundreds of dancers in different colors on the field, and I bet they never really questioned why he went into the stands during his performance.

If you look at all the past performers of the Super Bowl, I would question how many of them ever went up in the stands to take pictures with people and be a part of the crowd, rather than being only in the center of an elaborate production that you can't break away from the designated script. Now I'm not a Super Bowl halftime show expert, so maybe there could have been plenty of acts going up in the stands, and I'm not even saying Justin's performance was the greatest of all time. I'm thinking about how easy it is to get lost in the moment of criticizing other peoples works and dreams than it is to love what they gave us. It's easier to critique a person, and their talents, and their dreams when we aren't pursuing our own dreams.

It reminds me of Russell Crowe's movie Gladiator where he kills the enemy gladiators quickly and quite blood lustfully in the ring, showing his impressive skillset in war, and the crowd gets quiet, as he throws a sword into a deadly silent crowd, yelling… ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED???"

Have an opinion, be excited about things, and be let down when things don't go exactly as you wished they would…but maybe if we took time to become more engaged in our dreams, if we actively spent time pursuing the things that make us feel alive…rather than tearing other people's works down… we might not be so disappointed. We might stop trying to escape and avoid our lives by tearing other people apart for following their dreams.

Maybe that might sound unrealistic to some, and maybe it might be, but it's my hope that we all encourage each other, that we all find the great things, and see the WHOLE picture, of what's in front of us instead of finding ways to tear it down, and that we cheer for others because we want them to succeed and we're happy for their success instead of tearing them down as a safety mechanism for ourselves…giving us room to stay comfortable as only spectators in our lives.

It's my hope that we ARE entertained…but more in the willingness to pursue our dreams and to find the beauty in others as they chase theirs too.

Today's Personal Commitment:It's not my goal to shame anyone and make them feel bad for attacking poor old defenseless Justin. My greater hope is that I help to awaken us all, myself included, to see how petty and hurtful we are at times in how we talk about things. For what we project out into the world doesn't just end with it leaving our lips…it always will come back to us in one way or another.

Karma isn't bad things happening to people who deserve to be punished…karma is the return of what you put out into the world. So I want to ask you, are you living a life of escapism? Are you getting lost in music to not deal with your life, or maybe getting lost in movies and TV so you can live a more exciting life through others, or do you have some other vice that's crippling you from living how you truly wish to live?

There's nothing wrong with those things, but it can be a thin line where the world we live in distracts us from living the life we truly want to be in. Because if we're honest with ourselves, we live in a pretty comfortable world where it's easier to be an armchair quarterback than to go out and pursue the dreams that matter to us.

So I want to challenge you to become awake to the things you are escaping to, and ask if it's healthy. And if it isn't, how can you scale back a bit and live in your own world, pursuing your own dreams, instead of numbing yourself from the problems of life. And I believe once we see problems as what they are, challenges and growing blocks to help us become better, we will stop trying to avoid them..and know they are a necessary part of life. Which will help us to find better ways to deal with them.

Edwin Louis Cole said, "Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men."

So, you and me…let's be unreasonable in the kindness we expect to project into the world as we build people up all while building ourselves up.

There's Enough Room For Both Of Us To Pursue Our Dreams

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Mindful Mondays-#401 February 5th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Make Everyday Feel Like Payday

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~Mark Twain

A young man left the life he knew in order to study the ways of Zen. He decided that he needed a master to teach him the ways of mastery. He traveled many miles seeking for the answers. And upon his journey he came to wild river of great depth and width. One he was unsure of, in how to cross.

He was distraught after almost a year of non-stop travel and obstacles upon every turn of his journey; just when he thought he conquered one obstacle a bigger one appeared. The young man felt tired and weary knowing that there was no easy way to cross, and he'd probably have to go many more miles to find another way around this massive raging river. As he looked for a way to cross, he felt a heaviness inside him. And he asked himself if he had made any real progress, as he still hadn't found a master to guide him.

Just as he was about to give up, and find another way down the river, he saw a Zen monk on the other side of the river. And so he yelled to the other side and said, "Oh venerable sage, can you tell me how to get to the other side?"

The Zen monk remained quiet, as he carefully looked up and down the river before finally yelling back, "My brother, you already are on the other side."

We spend so much of our lives wishing to be on the other side of where we are, that we don't realize we are already where we need to be. We spend so much time looking at what we don't have that we miss what we do have. Which then keeps us blinded from seeing that what we wanted was already within our possession.

There's this illusion that something better is on the other side. The grass is greener over the there, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, or that peace and the answers are on the other side of our raging rivers. Yet, we search endlessly and waste our time and our lives chasing after something that we already have or could obtain easily.

I was listening to a very knowledgeable man on many religions, some time ago and he was talking about Zen, and that most think it takes years to master. He went on to say if you believe it takes many years of mastery then you make that your truth. But real Zen, is knowing that it can be mastered in a moment. That complete peace can be found right this instant if you stop looking for something else and know it's already within.

We are like the young traveler trying to find our way to the other side because it holds the answers…or so we think. And maybe that's where we get stuck within the illusion that what we seek…whether it be peace, wisdom, or happiness—that to have it—we must hold it within our grasp. And like a wisp of smoke, you try to hold onto something that evades your pursuit to capture it. Those great truths are not to be held so tightly we strangle them. We must open our hands and know that the thing we pursue is not something to horde and keep for ourselves, but to open our grasp and to let it be free—to share it with the world. Because what we try to keep only evades us, as you can't force your hand closed on something you already have. You can't grip tight enough to keep it in you…for all you will be doing is crushing your bones as you grip tighter. Think of it like a child, the harder you try to grip and hold on…then the more you push it away.

We spend our lives waiting for Friday. Every week we look forward to having that payday in our pockets so we can purchase the things we don't have, so we can distract ourselves from the mishappenings that we're annoyed and bothered by within our lives.

And I love a payday as much as anyone else. It feels great to know you've been rewarded for the work you've put into the world. But we keep thinking that a payday is only one day, and so we always come up short and feel an eternal sense of lack in our lives.

But what if you were to think on a more cosmic scale of the Universe's payday for you? What if you were to remember that another day of waking up is your lottery? What if you were to count every eye blink as another payout from the cash machine of life? What if you were to count the hugs and handshakes of those around you as the gold in your safety deposit box being opened up? And what if you were to think of kind words and compliments said to yourself, like butterflies landing on your arm—as you stop to marvel at how magnificent it feels, to be part of this miracle.

Like that young seeker in the story earlier, we spend years looking for something. We hope to find a master, a treasure chest, or the answers outside of ourselves. And I do believe we need to connect outside of ourselves for a richer life, but what if we stopped seeing the outside world as our treasure chest, and began seeing the riches already within us…how differently do you think you'd live your life?

Every day is a payday. But until you realize you are the one already holding the check, in every moment, you will continuously be pursuing things, trying to hold on for dear life, as you chase it away and even smother it from your life. So let's count every blink as a payout, let's count every moment as a gift of enormous measures, and let's find the peace in each moment knowing it's always been our choice to be a part of it…or to decide there was something lacking within it all. Because peace, love, happiness, and wealth are all of the same DNA. And they all, are within every moment, if we only step back and see that the Universe is giving us an enormous lottery of winnings in each moment we decide to be a part of.

Today's Personal Commitment:What is a situation in your life that you've been wanting to happen, but it either feels too far away or feels like it never will happen. Write down all the reasons your goal or goals haven't happened.

Once you write down why it hasn't happened or why it won't happen, write down why you may already be on the correct side of the river with that goal. What if you looked at the goal differently, and you were already at the goal, how would that be possible?

Now that may sound confusing, but a lot of goal setting isn't about the time in getting there…it's about the person you decide to become before you reach the goal. It's not this linear line of if I do this then I'll get that and then if I do that I'll then get this…it's about becoming the person who would most embody the characteristics to make that goal more likely to happen for them.

So today, I want you to begin seeing your goals and yourself differently. Not as seeing the goals on the other side of the river, but both you and your goals on the same side. When we change how we see ourselves and who we have to become before the goal…things become very different…and goals become not only more manageable…but also more likely.

I Make Everyday Feel Like Payday

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Smiling Sundays - #400 February 4th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Am Quick To Love

I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him. Booker T. Washington

I was listening to a video on anger where Dr. Ryan Fuller talked about what happens to us when we get angry. He said when we are angry the body's response is survival, so it focuses on metabolizing energy, and thus our brain isn't at its sharpest during these times.

He said some studies have proven that our cognitive abilities slow, as simple math exercises become harder to do when we are angry.

He continued to say that when people experience high levels of anger, especially if they have high trait anger (meaning they experience it frequently) they tend to make riskier decisions. They might do something that's more hazardous than they normally would, because it has a higher payoff. And that's why we make silly mistakes, we regret later, when we're angry. When we are angry, our body is in survival mode trying to consume as much energy as it needs to move forward. And the frontal lobe is not utilized as much during our anger which is linked to higher cognitive functions such as planning and judgment. So during our anger, it could be said that we literally have bad judgment…which is physiologically true.

So anger in itself, while it may be warranted at times, it isn't the best time for us to use our wisest judgment. Now, asking you never to get angry is unrealistic, but maybe it's about how you can curb your anger or direct it into something else. Because a lot of times anger really isn't about the other person it's about us. It's about what we are experiencing and then how we decide to process those feelings…and anger is an easy emotion or reaction to let out of the bottle rather than trying to take a moment to process a situation differently.

I was reading a book called Do One Thing Different by Bill O'Hanlon and he was talking about if there was something you wanted to change, you could change the whole outcome of the situation by doing one thing differently. In the book he had the example of a couple arguing all the time. And so they decided to be committed to doing one thing different during their arguments. So every time they argued, they said they agreed to stop immediately no matter what and go together to the bathroom and continue the argument there. If they still wanted to argue they could continue it in the bathroom, but when they got in that small space together and saw how ridiculous it was they laughed about it which changed the whole argument and they made up easier.

What changed in that example was not their anger was snubbed out, but more because of their willingness to do something different to change. And that willingness was to make a pact together first by changing the environment. The environmental change made them laugh, but the commitment for them both to do something to together—to stop arguing and go somewhere else actually connected them. It literally had them moving in the same direction together physically…and then mentally.

So how do we become better at dealing with our anger? I actually see it in a multiple step process.

• -1) We need to ask ourselves what anger is doing for us, is it helping us or hurting us? I know it seems like an obvious question but sometimes we need to ask obvious questions out loud to come to realizations how boneheaded we've been being.
• -2) To understand that when we are angry we aren't able to do our best thinking at the time.
• -3) We need to understand to become more aware of what happens when we are angry so we can begin noticing when we get to those places without being aware of it, and so we can deal with the emotions more efficiently rather than being controlled by them
• -4) To decide what emotion we really want to be in. If it's anger then sure, sometimes anger can help us say things we might not normally say, as I said it's that high-risk high reward scenario. But maybe it's not really about being angry, but more of being in a place that we feel we can voice ourselves freely in a constructive manner instead of a destructive one.

When we begin to become more aware of what anger feels like, what we do when we're angry, and what we really want—we awaken ourselves to make better choices. Like in the book Do One Thing Different, it's about having a bookmark, or awareness ping, within your mind that when you begin acting a certain way you become aware of it and do something different. Because I can guarantee that most of us don't want to feel angry; we'd like to do something different. But when we say that, "anger is out of my control I can't help it…" you are essentially telling your mind that it's ok to be this way and there's nothing to be done about it…which is a lie to yourself. You are essentially conditioning your mind to act powerless, and claim defeat, without understanding your true power over yourself.

That's why affirmations are such a powerful tool when we use them efficiently. They are a focal points, they are a pause and a breather to look at what we really want instead of what we don't want, and they are commands and directions given to the brain over and over again to begin reprogramming your mind. What do you think happens when you keep telling yourself I have no control over my anger, it just happens? You give your mind and body permission to act a certain way without consequence and you give yourself a way out of being responsible.

And maybe that's what affirmations, really, are all about. A responsibility to be our best selves, and a responsibility to act a certain way to others and within the world.

So, what if you were to make it your responsibility to be slower to anger, slower to judge, and quicker to love and forgive…not just for others and for other things, but for ourselves as well. What if you made it your mission to stop blaming others and decide to take responsibility for how you process events? What if you made it your mission not to punish people or yourself by getting angry but to find a better, more constructive, way to move forward?

The problem isn't that we get angry, the problem is what we do when we are angry. And that's why those famous techniques of counting to 10 or taking 10 deep breaths when we're angry, are so effective when we utilize them in the moment of our anger. They help us to stop the emotion from elevating any more than it already is, it helps us to step back for a moment and become aware of what we really want, and by breathing deeper, we give our body what it needs—oxygen. As Dr. Fuller said, when we're angry the body is physiologically in survival mode trying to get energy any way that it can. So that oxygen literally gives our body and brain exactly what it needs to help it get out of fight or flight mode more readily.

Anger is fear; and if we let anger control us, we let fear run our lives. So let us be slow to anger and judgment, for it really doesn't help our cognitive skills. But let us be quick to love and forgive—not just to help others, but because it heals us in the end as well.

Today's Personal Commitment:Have you ever thought about what you do when you get angry? Are you aware of the signs that are happening as anger is bubbling to the surface? Again, I'm not saying we can't get angry, but unchecked anger and being unaware of anger ARE the problems. So the next time you're angry, see if you were aware of what got you to that point, see what you do when you are angry, and see if you can find a way to calm your anger before reacting.

I want to leave you with a quote from Epectitus, "When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger."

I Am Quick To Love

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Synergistic Saturdays-#399 February 3rd The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I'm Committed To Finding The Best Way

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." ~Thomas A. Edison

Sometimes our lives are hard because we make them hard. I was thinking back to my college days where I used to eat a lot of hard boiled eggs. I wanted to get some good and easy protein in for my workouts so I'd hard boil a lot of eggs during the week for a quick and easy meal.

My grandmother had given me one of her hardboiled egg makers when I left for college and I loved that contraption. You could put 8 eggs in it, a little water to help steam it, and then plug the machine in and in about 15 minutes the eggs would come out nice and hot. I would then cool them off with some cold water so I could eat them right away.

And after years of use, the metal inside the egg maker was rusting. It probably wasn't the safest machine as I think it was made in the 60s or 70s…at least by the way it looked. So I decided I had to give up on making eggs in that machine. Now mind you, these were the days before Google was so easily accessible, and so I decided to try my hand at hard boiling eggs by boiling water in a pot.

I'd get the water boiling and then I would drop an egg in, and once it hit the bottom it would crack every time. So then I tried a spoon, as I would work to gently try to get the egg to the bottom of the pot. Yet my spoons weren't long enough for me to not burn my hand as I'd try every angle I could in a Cirque Du Soleil arm contortion act…and the egg would eventually slip off before I wanted it to as it's hit the bottom and crack every time.

I was a bachelor and inexperienced in the kitchen, so I felt lost as I had no one to guide me. After multiple attempts I gave up on the idea, with a tear falling down my cheek knowing I would never have another hard-boiled egg again, unless I attended a Super Bowl Party or an Easter lunch.

I said to myself that it can't be done, and I don't know how people do it. And so I gave up on my good friend the hard-boiled egg.

I also think sometimes when we're defeated by something it's easier to let go of it because we're too embarrassed to ask for help in fear of looking foolish. And that's why Google is so popular, well besides the fact you can find almost any information you need on it, it's because it's much easier to ask a machine a question that won't judge us for not knowing something.

But as luck would have it, a few months or years down the line I met another hard-boiled egg aficionado. And I felt brave enough to ask the question how they were smart enough to not let that dang pot best them in the battle of wits.

And they asked what I had been doing, so I told them I'd get a pot, and I'd fill the pot with water, and then I'd put it on the stove and put the burner on high to get the water boiling faster, and then I'd try to drop the egg in…and that no matter how gentle I was I could never do it right.

They chuckled a little bit, and told me that the best way they had done it was to put the eggs in the pot first, then add the water, and then put it on the stove to heat up. And a light bulb went over my head as we laughed about how easy their way was.

I'm glad it was a good friend, and the only reason they chuckled was because it was one of those laughs you do when your child does something cute but they have no clue to what they are doing. So I felt silly after, but only because I thought if I had just done a little more contemplation on how to get over this problem I could've figured it out.

I was reading a book called The Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. In his book he had a chapter talking about people trying to figure out math problems, and I can't recall the exact amount of time, but I think he said in this study where they gave people a math problem, if they couldn't figure it out in 30 seconds people gave up.

And I see we do that in our lives. We have trouble with something and either we give up, or we go to Google, or we go to our calculator, or we ask someone right away instead of really working on our problem-solving skill muscles. A friend of mine who is an excellent manager told me a story about how she worked with her employees. They would come to her and ask her a question, and she would say, "well what do you think?" And their first response is, "I don't know, that's why I came to you." And my friend would say, "go back and find the answer."

She said some of her employees hated her because they felt she wasn't helping them. But little did they know she was trying to make them more self-sufficient. She didn't want them to be stuck and always coming to her; she wanted them to be their own boss and find a way to figure it out. And later on, certain employees that were under her eventually moved up in the company and would thank her for what she did. They would lead their team the same way. Instead of feeding people answers, they believed that the person could find an answer.

So when you're stuck on something, do you really take the time to think about how you could solve it, or do you try to get out of feeling uncomfortable right away by going somewhere else to be given an answer? Yes, I know there will be times we need help, but if we don't work on problem-solving more within ourselves, then we will always be looking for some sort of crutch to help us, to support us, instead of us finding our own best way.

I know for me, I felt stupid by the hard-boiled egg conundrum as I couldn't figure it out, so I was embarrassed to ask anyone until I was far enough away from the problem to talk with someone about it. I know it sounds silly, but there were many times I wouldn't raise my hand in class to ask a question that everyone else might have been thinking, for fear that I might look stupid. No one else was raising their hand, so they must all be getting it…when in fact a lot of people had the same questions I had…but were afraid like me to ask.

So if you're a manager, a parent, a teacher, a friend, or in some sort of role in leadership, how can you believe more in your people? How can you believe so much in them that you encourage them to be their own problem solvers?

I know we don't motivate anyone, but we can help guide people, so how do you think you can help those people in your care to be excited to find their own ways?

I believe one way to do that is to remind them that they have a unique set of skills and knowledge that no one else has. And that they bring something amazing to the table if they just step back and take time to think of better ways instead of trying to do it only one way. Help those in our care to not take the easy road, but to be excited to bring their own uniqueness to the answers.

Now I know my hard boiled egg story is a silly story, but it's a perfect story on how we give up too easily. I had something I loved doing, but since I hadn't taken the time to ask myself, "well why isn't it working…" I decided to just move on. I decided that it was too much work, and I couldn't be bothered with it.

I don't like to bad mouth schools or teachers or the educational system as it is a great resource for us in developing into smarter humans. But in my schooling experience, I didn't have many teachers who encouraged me to bring out my uniqueness. They wanted the specific answer they were looking for, and if I gave it to them, then I did a good job. In college, I saw I wasn't being graded on my individuality and creativity, I was being graded on giving the professor exactly what he or she wanted. And I am not saying all professors are like this, but it was my experience that when I tried to be more creative, I got worse grades.

Now I wasn't looking for people to tell me I was amazing. But I guess I just wanted a little push or pat on the back that let me know it was good that I was thinking outside of the box and that while I didn't get a good grade for being different…it was great that I extended myself a little more in a unique way. Maybe if someone had let me know that it was good I was thinking differently I might have tried a little harder. Because what I really saw was the red marks on how I was wrong and I felt stupid for putting myself out there.

And I learned how to survive in the system; I saw that to get better grades I just had to fall in line and give my teachers what they wanted. I became a robot going to school to get my diploma. I didn't go to learn something or to be educated; I went for that piece of paper as I figured that was the prize, all the while not understanding that the grade, or the paper wasn't the answer…the education was the prize. And I told myself I would get that education in the job market.

I'm not looking to down anyone in leadership roles such as teachers, parents, or manager for how they operate their life. Like my friend who's a manager, and asked her employees to find their own answers. I'm sure some employees left the company or thought she was a jerk and didn't care about them. And that could've been how I viewed my teachers, not knowing their real motive in helping me. But this podcast is not about them; it's about you. It's about trusting yourself a little more. It's about asking more of yourself. It's about taking a little more time not just to do what always has been done, but maybe to ask—is there a better way I could do something?

Because in life I think there's so much more than just being a good soldier. I think there's something great when we decide to step out of line and share our uniqueness with the world. The world doesn't need any more automatons. The world needs individual hearts, the world needs new thoughts on old problems, and the world needs more creativity in sharing our beautiful selves with it.

I know for me I was scared to step out and be thought a fool, or to look silly, or to be different. But inside I don't want to be the same as everyone else. In my past, I fell in line because I didn't want to be left out, and not loved for being something that people didn't understand. And so I killed those notions of individuality, so I could feel the love of acceptance. But all acceptance ever did for me, was kill me a little more every day. I was killing my authentic self to fall in line with the expectation of what I thought others wanted of me.

So let us not be afraid of being loved, but let us remember that when we are willing to step out and be our amazing unique selves, we will find the people who we resonate with. When we step out a little more we will find the people who truly love us for who we are. Know that when we step out of the norm willing to look silly for not knowing an answer, that over time we will find a better answer.

Steve Jobs said this, "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Our lives are short when we look back at the end of it. Being 38, I can't believe how fast time flies. And I think it's a shame for us to look back and wish we followed our heart a little more, or that we wished we spent a little more time problem solving instead of giving up too early, or if maybe we believed a little more in ourselves we could've been at ease being our authentic selves.

One of the greatest tragedies in life are those of us who live a life of impersonation afraid of sharing who we truly are. It is a wasted life…because we're living someone else's life, as we're throwing ours away at the same time.

Today's Personal Commitment:

What are some of the things you gave up too easily on in your life? My hard-boiled egg problem is a great example because if I was willing to give up that easy on a small problem, what makes me think I would work hard on a big problem? How we do anything is how we do everything.

When something is hard we say in our mind that it wasn't a big deal, or it didn't matter to us and that's why we acted a certain way, but if we treat the small matters with a lack of respect it becomes a habit in how we treat all matters.

So look at things you've given up to easily on, and come back to them and ask yourself if there could be a better way. Like the hard-boiled egg issue, I had to do it backwards to get it right.

And after you do that, look at things you are struggling with now. See if you can come at the problem with a different eye to break the mold of traditional answers that are keeping you stuck in your predicament.

I think it's great to be vigilant in solving our problems, and so we must remember that lesson with others. I believe we need to be a rock for people, but not in giving them the answers, but believing in them, and letting them know that they can find the answer. Let people know that you want them to grow instead of being reliant on someone or something else. Because one of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that you were strong enough to figure something out and do it on your own when you needed to.

Help people become their own superheroes. Ernest Hemmingway said, "The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." So let us trust people with their own lives, and believe in them enough, to come to even better answers than we could've given them

I'm Committed To Finding The Best Way

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Fantastic Fridays-#398 February 2nd The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Remain Focused On What I Really Want

"One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us." ~Daniel Goleman

I'll be honest with you, this week, writing has been hard. I've wanted to watch Animal Planet II on Netflix, watching those lemurs fly from tree to tree is a beautiful thing, or those baby lizards escape those racer snakes. It's amazing how my heart's in my chest, as I'm leaning forward in my chair about to scream out, look behind you…get out of there… jump little buddy. As of late, I've been working on my podcast brainstorming later in the day. Which has me finalizing tomorrows podcast later and later in the night. So I put more pressure on myself, and to top it all off yesterday my laptop crapped out on me.

I have a Microsoft Surface tablet that I take notes with for students and clients, so I thought I could make it work, but there were a few things I was uncertain about. I took a deep breath, and I said in my head, "Chris, don't freak out, stay calm it will be ok. You'll figure out a way to make it all work out…and if you can't, hopefully your listeners won't turn into a raging mob with their pitchforks and flaming torches like you see in monster movies like Dracula or Frankenstein… wanting to take off my head for missing a day."

So I pulled out my tablet computer and got to work. I downloaded all the applications I needed, and updated the ones that hadn't been updated and set to the task of getting my podcast finished and published any way that I possibly could. It took me probably an extra two hours to get it set up before getting to the normal work of things. And while I wrote yesterdays podcast, I kept focusing on what I didn't like. I focused on how the screen was smaller than I liked, or how the keypad wasn't the normal size I like and I felt all cramped, and I focused on how the mouse wasn't as responsive as I like. And so understating it slightly, you could say I was a little frustrated last night.

That frustration last night got to me today, and when I got home from training my morning personal training clients, all I wanted to do was put on some Animal Planet, or Lethal Weapon 3, or any program on Netflix and binge watch the hell out of it instead of putting my hands on that smaller tablet keypad to type out my podcast. My thoughts about what was bothering me had wiped me out mentally and physically.

And with the frustrations of the physical problem of the laptop looming over me, I began to spiral into other thoughts that kept telling me it was ok to give up and give in. As I said in the back of mind, "it's ok if you miss a day. You're pushing yourself too hard; everyone needs a break. You weren't meant to create this podcast longer than a year anyways; I figured you would have given up after three months at the most. It's ok if you miss a day, your podcasts aren't that good anyways. Is it really going to affect anyone if you stopped recording your podcasts?" And as I said all those discouraging things, I felt many more negative thoughts bubbling up to consciousness.

Dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts when I was younger those voices were incessant in my mind. They made their home within me and became the loudest voices because I allowed them to take root. I created most of them because at the time I figured the more negatively I could say something to myself then maybe I might be moved to change because of that motivation style. And so the more I said them, the less they became suggestions and the more they became my beliefs and my truths.

The reason I'm bringing all of this up is even though I don't think about suicide anymore, and I don't get feeling hopeless like I used—those negative voices are still there, and they'll always be there.

I don't believe we ever leave anything behind. Our minds are such powerful filing cabinets that it doesn't forget what we tell it. But don't be upset by this idea, because those negative thoughts don't have to control us. It really is how we decide to focus. Those negative thoughts were the loudest when I was younger because I didn't work to practice kinder thoughts to silence the untruth of the negative voices. I just let that incessant chatter do its thing thinking it wasn't hurting anyone.

There was a study that said to negate a negative thought or saying it would take 3 positive thoughts to equalize it, and 5 to overcome it. We say that every thought has the same amount of power, which I believe, but negative thoughts have a longer staying power when we haven't worked to strengthen our positive resolve. Those negative thoughts are like velcro—they stick easier because they take no effort to prove. We can say them and automatically believe it. When we say, "I'm no good, or I'm stupid, or it never works out for me, "do we ever ask the question…well, is that really true?

No! We just take our word for it.

So that's why positivity seems to take more work, because to overcome a negative thought you have to work 5 times harder. But again don't get discouraged, it just means that with more powerful positive thoughts you'll have to do it a little more. Which means you'll constantly be doing it, so it becomes a part of every moment of your life.

I like to think of it like this. The American Heart Association says you should do cardio most days of the week. So, the organization is trying to make the thought of movement easier for you. They're hoping to help you to wrap your mind around it in a way that helps you see that healthy living isn't all that hard. They don't say ok you have to workout 3 hours a day, eat right, get 8 hours of sleep, and whatever other things we try to do on our fitness regimen on the very first week we begin it.

They want to help you break it down and see that being healthy isn't all that hard, or that crazy, as you can easily make it a part of your daily living. And this is what I try to do with my personal training clients, I want to make it as easy for them to wrap their mind around the idea that their fitness goals shouldn't take over everything in their life—it should be a component of every part of their life. It's the thought not of going to the gym 3-5 times a week, but to make movement a part of their routine every day. It's about helping them become more active not just at the gym but to have a whole lifestyle change where it feels weird not to be moving. It's about helping people realize their life is a gym, not just a physical place where weights are located, and screams of agony are felt, all while personal trainers laugh their maniacal laughter for causing people that pain.

So coming back to my computer problem, those small negative thoughts drained me. I wanted to quit, I wanted to take a break, I got lost in my self-pity as I told myself that this sucks and it's just my luck and why does this always happen to me—which makes me want to give in and quit. But I know what my purpose is, as I made this my mission when I first started this podcast. It was to provide value every day by putting out a podcast for you and for me. It is the knowing that I made the commitment to follow through no matter what.

And even though it would be nice to rest during this stressful time, it's not what I want. And I won't let those negative voices win, because they are no longer the loudest voices—my positive voices are. The ones that say, "get back up, you got this." The ones that say, "it might be hard now, but it will be worth it in the end." The ones that say "every great achiever had a difficult time, we only saw them in their moments of victory." And the ones that say, "you deserve to win..so keep fighting and moving forward…you got this…I believe in you."

So what's the goal you've been shooting for, but you feel drained, and feel like it will never happen? I want to remind you that all the obstacles in your way aren't there to stop you, but they're there to strengthen you. They're there to make you more resilient; they're there to create a path for you; and they're there to make an example out of you so that when someone else is going through the same things, you'll be able to say, "I was there and I made it through because I decided to stick with it...and you will too" You will be the example of what was possible, and you will help people reach their goals because you decided to have faith in yourself.

You deserve to reach your goals, but you have to remain focused on those positive voices by thinking and saying them 5 times more than those lying negative voices. The reason a voice gets louder in our head is not by volume of sound…but by volume of repetition and focus upon it.

I believe in you. And maybe it might feel hard right now for whatever is standing in your way, but that's because you've been focusing on what's going wrong…rather than seeing that you will make it right with resolve and determination to make anything work. You've been focusing on where your weaknesses are instead of finding ways to see your strengths and exploit those more. How we change is not remaining focused on why it will never work, but by remaining focused on why we will always find a way to make it work.

Today's Personal Commitment:I had to become so drained by a small problem like my laptop crashing to awaken me to all those little voices that were depleting me. So take a look at your day, look at the things that drain you during your day, and ask yourself why you think you're feeling so drained.

Yes, we probably could take better care of ourselves by eating healthier, getting more rest, and working out, but maybe that energy drain is coming from that small incessant chatter we allow to take over. You know, those thoughts that focus on why we don't want to be doing something, or how we would rather be doing something else I want to be realistic here and say that, yes, there are things we have to do in life that we don't feel like doing, but what if instead of hating why you had to do something you remembered why you enjoy doing it? We don't like paying bills, but we pay them because they bring something good in our life; well, hopefully. That 5th fur coat layaway payment might be overdoing it.

So write down the things you find yourself wanting to avoid, and ask yourself how you can find ways to stop looking at it negatively. Ask yourself how you can see what you want and find the energy in tackling the task rather than allowing it to drain you

I Remain Focused On What I Really Want

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Thoughtful Thursdays-#398 February 1st The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I See The Greatness In People

"I am suggesting that as we go through life, we 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort."

~Gordon B. Hinckley

A good friend of mine would always get mad at me when I would compliment her. Well maybe mad is overstating it. When I'd tell her how awesome she was, and all the great things she was doing she would brush it off and say that's your job to be nice to people. And I don't ever remember any chapters in my study manuals about kindness or complimenting as a requirement.

So I would stop her right there and say, it's not my job to be nice to people. That has nothing to do with what I do…those jobs are about helping people. I compliment people because I like to notice the great things in people. I like to let those people know they're seen whether they have a cool tie on that I like, or a nice outfit that's pretty, or that they did something really great.

And so people can come to the wrong conclusion about what I do. They think that because I compliment a lot of people that I don't put thought into how I'm complimenting them. They think it takes the "specialness" and the sincerity out of it.

And what a crazy way to think—that if you compliment too many people…then it must not be true. For me, I want to find a way to see the greatness in people. I want to find a way to let people know about their significance in life because we either don't realize how amazing we are, or we have been beaten down too many times that we need someone to renergize and remind us again who we are at our core.

So question: what if you were to take a different approach to your life by being a greatness detective? What if you were to trurn your eyes from being in autopilol and eternal critic mode finding fault in things, you were instead to purposefully look for the amazing things in the people around you. What if you noticed the small changes you liked and let people you noticed when they got a haircut, or the nice dress they wore today, or that colorful tie that caught your eye, or those small habits that they utilize in their life that impress you? What if you were looking for ways to help people shine more by making them feel better about themselves?

What do you think that would do to the world if we all practiced that a little more?

For me, my complimenting is an active way to be awake. It is a way to look for the great things instead of always trying to focus on what can darken and cloudy my life. And I compliment so much because I want to be this way all the time, not just when I feel happy or good about things sometimes…but that I choose to find the good so I create more good.

Maybe we've become a society that's so disconnected that we're scared and embarrassed in talking to strangers, or letting acquaintances or even loved ones…that there's something awesome about them. Which says to me it's not about them anymore, it's more about us not wanting to look foolish. It's about us scared to put ourselves out there in being kind to people because maybe it might feel a little awkward. But why should it feel awkward to give a compliment?

I like to think that maybe it's a little deeper than being disconnected. The definition of candor is "the quality of being open and honest in expression." And maybe it's why sincere compliments scare us, it's a vulnerability. And I think since people think that I give a lot of compliments or I look for reasons to compliment people that I'm not being sincere, or that I'm using cookie cutter compliments. And I think to live our lives with a certain amount of candor we must learn to be creative.

So if we are to give compliments, we need to be creative in looking at seeing people in new ways, and we need to be open to saying what we truly like about someone without fear of looking or feeling silly for letting them know about the things we appreciate in them.

But knowing how to compliment is only half the battle if we don't know why we are complimenting. Everyone may have their own reasons for complementing, but for me it's about making people feel good, it's about projecting a better energy into the world, it's about noticing people, it's about challenging myself to see more in this world, and it makes me feel good to make others feel good.

I believe a better question to ask ourselves "why are we doing something," is to look at the opposite side and ask, "why wouldn't we do it?" Making people feel good is a craft that's been forgotten about. We've gotten so lost in our own worlds thinking about all that's going wrong with us, that we forget that other people are struggling like we are. And when we only focus upon all the problems that are in our world…we tend to surround ourselves with a heavier cloud. We stop being creative in finding the good in the world as we get caught in what's wrong with our personal world.

Maybe I'm a little different, but I hope you feel the same way as me. I want to live in a world where people sincerely compliment each other, where people aren't afraid to say what's great about another person, where people look for reasons to make another person feel good, where people look deeper to see more beauty in this world, and where we truly try to connect with people by lifting them up rather than breaking them down.

Candor, and sincerity in our compliments will do one thing—it will make this world a better place. It feels good to be complimented, so why wouldn't we want other people to feel good? When people feel good around us, the energy is changed around us. So I hope you find more ways to compliment people creatively and sincerely, and I hope you continually compliment and love yourself like you deserve. Compliments all begin from within, and the more we love ourselves, then the more we see the great things about ourselves. And when we see more greatness within ourselves then the more we will see the great things in others and in this world

Today's Personal Commitment:Go out of your way to compliment someone today. Don't say a a scripted compliment either. Look for the things that stick out that you like within someone and let that person know something looks good on them, or what a good job they did on that presentation in the meeting the other day, or how you like their energy and you appreciate all the great things they bring to the office by being themselves

There's nothing weird or awkward about complimenting someone, unless you decide it's weird. So the next time you compliment someone, instead of thinking about it as an extension of you and you forcing something…think of it as a natural part of you. Think of yourself as a great skills and characteristic detective letting people know they are noticed and the great things about them are appreciated. What could it hurt? It might just change everything about how you operate your life…in a great way.

I See The Greatness In People

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Wisdom Wednesdays-#396 January 31st The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Allow What I Want To Come To Me

Meditation…who has time for that, and why should I even do it? I get anxious sitting around trying to think about nothing. I mean 5 minutes of breathing and trying to calm myself is way too long for me…I'm a busy person; I got better things to do with my time. I have more productive things to do with my time.

And that's what we can, or maybe DO, say when we think of meditation.

We've heard the benefits of what meditation does for us, such as it helps reduce depression, it helps to increase your focus, it can help to manage ADHD, it helps calms your emotions, it helps to lower your blood pressure, it can help with your sleep, and many more benefits than we have time to say in this podcast.

And even hearing all the scientific studies on proving how great meditation can be for us, why do we still not want to do it? Why do we feel it's too hard? Why do we feel we don't want to even try it? Why do we think it's a waste of time?

I do get how easy it can be to not want to meditate…even after I've seen first hand the benefits that meditation has brought into my life. There still are times where I'll say to myself that it's too hard or I don't have time. But the fact of the matter is it's not that I don't have time, it's that I've gotten too busy and haven't scheduled time in for it, and I've forgotten what meditation means to me.

For me, meditation is the calming that helps start my day on the right foot. It's my compass making me more aware of the emotions I want to be living within. It's the act of purposefully lowering my stress and anxiety to be able to function more efficiently throughout my day. But it's so easy for me to forget to take a moment to calm my mind, my body, and my emotions…as I want to get through my tasks as fast as possible.

Take for example when I was brainstorming this podcast. I sat down in front of my computer putting my fingers on the keys and began clacking away trying to force all the ideas out, so I wouldn't forget anything. I didn't want to waste any time, as I have to finish the podcast up as fast as possible as I still have to record and get everything else ready for this particular podcast. And I feel the pressure stacking up as I focus on when I'm done with this podcast that I have another one to think about, and then another one after that.

Doing 365 podcast in a year puts a lot of pressure on me thinking about how I can't miss a day, and that if I slack off I'm going to ruin my streak, and if I ruin my streak I'll let you guys down, and if I let you guys down then you'll never trust me and I'll lose my audience, and once I lose you then I'll be a failure, and soon after that I'll be living on the streets a sad and broken man. Ok, it does sound ridiculous saying that out loud…but we put so much pressure on ourselves, not realizing the toll it's taking on us.

And really unknowingly, I'm hurting my health, my mental sanity, and my emotional peace not putting these thoughts in check. And the way I do that is by meditating. And so after trying to brainstorm this podcast, after I feel the uneasiness in my body, the pressure and stress within me, I take my hands away from the keypad realizing that I was stressing out from trying to perfect this podcast.

I stressed out about trying to force something. And not just produce something good, but that I have to make the best podcast ever. It's the thought that it's never good enough, and I have to keep growing and making it better, and if every single one isn't better than the last one, then I'm a failure. And so I sit and think for a moment to become aware of the subtle seemingly unnoticeable pressure I've put on myself. I work to understand and feel it in my body, I work to feel it in my mind, and I work to see how those thoughts were crippling me.

After I take notice of that stress, I ask myself if this is how I want to be? And if I am being honest with myself, I answer that question in my mind saying "no," and then I take action by stepping away. I close my eyes and take some deep breaths. I don't even have to do it for a long period of time. I'll take about 5 to 10 deep purposeful slow breaths in and out…which usually takes me about a minute to two minutes to do…and something miraculous happens. I feel better. Meditation is about me connecting to something bigger than just myself.

Now I'm not saying it's a miracle that everything that was blocked is now unblocked, but that the start of a different feeling begins to rise within me. It's the building of something better within myself. It's like my brain was being a dam to the water of calm and ideas within myself, and once I took those deeper breaths and purposefully slowed down…my life sped up in a good way. Not in one of rushing, but one in allowing something better to come to me.

And I think that's why we say we don't have time for meditation, or that it doesn't work:

• 1) First off we haven't practiced it enough to let ourselves create that relaxation within ourselves. We tell ourselves that we would rather be doing something else. Which creates stress and conflict to begin with.
• 2) And secondly, we haven't asked ourselves why we would want to find that calm and ease in our lives. We live in a world where it's rush, rush, rush…hurry up and get it done…hurry up so you can slow down…but we never actually slow down.

And maybe if you were to look at meditation differently you might make it a normal part of your life. Meditation isn't about sitting and not thinking about things, it's about calming yourself to the things that are happening. It's not the act of trying to calm yourself to get things, it's about changing the way you pursue things. It's about finding the peace within yourself to allow things to come to you easier.

If you were to think about your car, pretend for a moment that you couldn't turn the car off. You lost the keys, and if you turn it off, it might not ever turn back on again. And so you leave it running 24/7. Let's say you get fired from your current job, where you only drove to work and then drove back home. So you get a new job as a newspaper delivery person, and you're constantly driving this car non-stop. And every week your boss says what a good job you're doing, so he adds more deliveries to your routes which increases the demand on your car each week.

What do you think would happen to a car that doesn't ever turn off, and for the owner who doesn't have time to maintain it? It's an inefficient way of running a car, and over time it would crap out and break down. Well, that's what we do to our brains and bodies when we don't take the time to maintain and decompress ourselves from the stresses that are continually happening throughout the day. Your brain never shuts off, and if you are constantly running without taking time to maintain it, then you are overloading your system. You are effectively becoming more and more inefficient.

So, what if you were to see your life as a car, are you maintaining it like you want to? Do you think you could operate at a higher performance rating if you learned to take better care of yourself whether it be by working out, eating better, meditating, or doing hobbies and activities that you enjoy? We think that working out, or eating right, and even meditating is hard because it's taking time away from the things we have to do, or the things we'd rather be doing. But all those positive, re-centering activities, could be things that actually give us more time.

Think of your life as a pie chart. And for each slice in that pie, think of it as a part of your life that's important to you and that it's something you'd put your time and effort into. So things like your family, your work life, your fun time, your personal development, and your spirituality could all be different slices within that whole pie. Think about what slices are missing in that pie that you would want in there, like volunteering, or money management, or whatever else you want to put in your life.

So before, we might've been thinking that meditation would be a slice that would take away room from the other things in our life. We think to ourselves that meditation takes time, and I only have so much time—I don't have any extra time to spare at the moment as I'm already spread so thin. But what meditation actually does, is it expands those life slices in your pie instead of taking away from them. It makes them bigger, it makes them more efficient, and it makes them better. It makes you more creative, it will help you to have more energy, it will help you to be more focused, and it will help you to be more balanced, calmer, and in control of yourself in every situation.

We think that to meditate we have to be like those gurus who do it for 30 minutes or an hour. And maybe that might be good for some, but you don't have to meditate long to get great benefits from it. As I said before, when I sit down to write any podcast brainstorming session, I take 1 minute to sit back in my chair and take anywhere from 5 to 10 deep breaths in and out before I start working. And it changes my whole demeanor. I go from being blocked into feeling less pressure, less stress, and feeling freer altogether. The words come out easier, as I feel more relaxed and focused.

So if you want to be more relaxed, if you'd like to be more balanced in your life, if you'd like to be less stressed, if you'd like to be more creative, if you'd like to be healthier, and if you'd like to have things come more easily to you…then create a time slot in your life to meditate every day…even if it's only for 1-5 minutes.

But if you'd like to be blocked, if you'd like to be more stressed, if you'd like to stay in the same spot you've always been in, if you'd like to keep forcing things, and if you'd like to feel out of control and tense—then don't meditate, and keep living on autopilot. Keep your internal car running 24/7 pushing it harder and harder thinking that it'll never break down.

In Greek Mythology there's a story about King Sisyphus who was thought to be one of the craftiest and clever of all men. There are many different legends about his deceit and trickery…and one such tale talked about how he had tricked his way out of death. Thanatos, also known as Death, came with chains to bring King Sisyphus to the underworld. And King Sisyphus said there must be a mistake, and he didn't believe him, so he asked to prove the chains worked by Thanatos putting them on himself. Which at the time prevented people from dying as Death had been chained up. Eventually, King Sisyphus finally was brought to the underworld, and for his punishment, he was to roll a huge boulder up a mountain every day. And when he would get almost to the top of that mountain, the boulder would be too much weight and would roll back down to the bottom. Making King Sisyphus having to eternally keep starting over… again and again, and again.

The lesson is about pointless and hopeless labor. And the punishment is not in doing the work for eternity, but it's about being conscious knowing you are doing something pointless. And that's what meditation does for us, it awakens us so we don't have to be in autopilot, so we won't be in a pointless struggle.

Because when we don't take time to re-center ourselves, to recharge, to take better care of our minds, bodies, and souls…then we are like King Sisyphus thinking we are being craftier than the nature of life. We are thinking we can outsmart the Universe, and outwork it…instead of seeing if we took time to center ourselves we wouldn't have to work as hard, we wouldn't have to play foolish games in trying to beat the unbeatable Universe, and the things we want would find their way easier to us.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a chance to be lazy; I'm saying this is a chance to be more productive and efficient in the tasks you set out to do. This is a chance to truly awaken yourself. And while I've talked about the benefits from what meditation will bring you, the reason we don't do it is because we haven't chosen the ONE reason why we would MOST benefit from it. Sure all those healthy things sound nice, but it can be overwhelming. And I believe the way we stick to something, is by finding the importance something will bring into our lives.

So, if there would be only ONE reason you could meditate and get the benefits of what you wanted from it…what would it be?

I know for me it'd be focus…because every time I meditate I feel laser focused and I get stuff done. When I'm focused, it works on every part of my life—it helps me to focus on my emotions more efficiently, it helps me to focus on my creativity, and it helps me to focus on my self-love…to be kinder to myself. Which always helps me be more productive and happier overall.

So instead of looking at why you don't want to meditate, what if you were to look at all the benefits that meditation can give you, and you were to choose ONE that would make a huge difference in your life?

What if you chose that ONE benefit you wanted to expand upon, and you decided to do that by meditating every day for at least one minute? Do you think that you can spare one minute of your time to do something that might change your whole life?

That's up to you, but I do hope you choose to take time to re-center yourself and allow what you want to find its way to you more easily…one way or another.

Today's Personal Commitment:Whatever you do today find a time to slow down and take some deep breaths in and out for at least a minute. And notice what happens to your body and your mind as you take your attention away from what you have to be doing, and focus only breathing slowly in and out.

And then look online for an article that states all the benefits you can get from meditation. After looking over the list think about the ONE thing you would love to get from the benefits of meditation for your life. And I challenge you to commit to 30 days of taking at least one to five minutes of your day to breathe slowly in and out focusing your energy on allowing that benefit to come to your more naturally.

The reason a lot of us give up on things that could be good for us is we don't do it enough, we don't make it a regular habit, we think it's not working fast enough, we allow other things to distract us, and we lose focus of what we want. So find that ONE benefit that you want to allow more naturally into your life, and look less on trying to force things, and more into allowing the re-centering of yourself through meditation to help that thing you want to find its way to you.

I Allow What I Want To Come To Me

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Tag Me Tuesdays-#395 January 30th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

Kindness Is My Truth

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." ~Dalai Lama

I believe the lessons in life are patterns that keep popping up until we notice them and find a way to confront them. One of the truths that keeps happening in my life is to speak up when it would be easier to be quiet. When it would be easier not to cause conflict, and for both parties to go their separate ways unchanged. And while that path may be the easiest one, it's not the path that I want to take. I don't want to be unchanged. I want to be changed by confronting the patterns that the Universe keeps reminding me of. I want to be changed by living a certain truth.

And so that truth for me, means speaking when it's uncomfortable. That truth means sticking up for things and people in certain manners when I feel it's appropriate. And the reason I say appropriate, is because I don't want to be a person who seems like he knows it all, or that I'm trying to force people to think and be a certain way. As I know sometimes correcting people, can be a thinly veiled scheme at controlling people. And so I work to check myself and my ego, to ask why am I doing something. I work to hopefully help others, and myself at times, to be aware of behaviors that are harmful to self and others.

My good friend Travis and I will talk about Podcasts. He listens to a bunch of them, so he's in the know of what's good out there. He told me about this satirical crime podcast called "Done Disappeared." It's a funny take on crime podcasts as the story is so ridiculous and the narrator John David Booter takes his seriousness over the top. The podcast takes place in Pennsylvania somewhere, and Travis commented, "I didn't know there were so many southern accents in Pennsylvania." And we laugh about how silly it's been.

After I finished all nine episodes of this ridiculously funny podcast, I wanted to leave it a rating and review. When something makes a difference in my day, I want to let the creator know that I appreciate the work they put into their craft. And with podcasts the more reviews and ratings they get, the higher their ranking for people to find that podcast easier, so I want to help them out in that way.

As I went to give a review, I got distracted looking at the other reviews for the Done Disappeared podcast. And one person had given this podcast a scathing review saying it was the most idiotic, ignorant, and other expletive words about how horrible it was and that you shouldn't waste your time. They talked about how they loved crime podcasts, and they were so upset that 10 minutes of their life had been wasted since they had to listen to the end of the episode to realize that it was all a hoax and it wasn't a real crime investigation.

One thing you have to realize about this podcast is everything is fake, and a satirical play on crime podcasts. Even the ads are fake, and if you listen closely it's pretty hilarious as he is always giving 100% of everything away for putting in his Podcast code Done Disappeared.

After I read the scathing review, I saw that there were other replies to this comment. And these replies told this person that the podcast was a satire, it was a joke, and that they should have a sense of humor and lighten up.

And usually, I know nothing good can come from getting into an argument on the internet with a message board setting. But for some reason I felt I had to say something. So either it was the stupidity in me listening to my ego and saying let's start a fight, or it was my intuition saying I had to speak my truth and stick up for this podcaster.

And so I tried to tread carefully, as it wasn't my mission to destroy this person and make them feel bad, but it was my hope that I could help them see that just because you didn't like something doesn't mean you have to tear it apart. And so I went on to say that the whole purpose of the podcast was meant to be idiotic, it's true purpose was to make light of the seriousness of the crime podcasts in a fun way, and that's what made the podcast brilliant—it did exactly what it was meaning to do. I continued to say, that if you listened closely to the podcast you could tell within the first 30 seconds that there was something off about the crazy stuff he was saying.

I'm laughing about it now as in his intro he would say, "My name, is John David Booter. I'm not a podcaster; I'm a filmmaker. I've never made a podcast…but I've also never made a film." As this eerie music plays in the background…all while he pauses perfectly when he speaks.

And so I finished off my comment by saying that sometimes we will hate something because we didn't understand the purpose of the podcast, and maybe the reason we hated it wasn't because it was bad, but because we expected something else and felt duped when realizing it was something different. And I then I asked, why must we tear something down negatively to give a review of something?

I hit publish, with an anxious heart, questioning whether I should have written that comment at all. I knew I didn't want to be harsh in my message, so I hope my kindness came across, but I also didn't want to get into a no-win battle where it's back and forth arguing… but I felt I needed to stick up for this podcaster and say what I did, and so I left it at that.

And maybe an hour or so later I got a message letting me know that the reviewer I commented on had commented back. And I was floored by what they said. I thought they were going to tear me a new one and that I should mind my own business…but instead, this person said, "Chris, it really did take me til the end of the episode to figure out it was a parody…it was just my opinion…sorry I'm so stupid."

And I felt horrible, because I didn't want this person to feel bad. I just wanted to open their eyes to how harsh they sounded in tearing apart this person's work. And so I responded back saying, "don't ever say that you're stupid, you aren't stupid. You just were expecting something different." I said some more things, and the end of my reply, I said this, "I am a creator. I do my own podcast and so I know it can be hard when someone tears apart something you've put your hard work into. I know I'm not perfect myself, and I am not judging anyone for their opinion, I have as much work as anyone else in being kind to others as well."

And the reviewer sent one more comment back to me that said that they were an artist and musician themselves, and they hadn't thought about what they did—that they would have been upset if someone talked about their work in the exact manner that they had done in their review.

The point I'm hoping to make is that in our criticisms…are we kind when we do it? In our thoughts and words towards others are we speaking a higher truth, one of kindness and compassion in helping someone create something better, or are we just tearing it down?

And this is what was so amazing about that interaction, even though I felt uncomfortable in saying something, and I was questioning whether I should, my intuition was telling me that I should do something, that I should say something. And by doing it, I actually changed this person. And I think the reason I speak when my intuition is telling me so, is not to correct people all the time, but it's also for me, to remind myself in how I want to be. And hopefully to put that out into the world, so when I'm out of alignment that people will have the courage to speak a truth and a kindness to me in helping me get back on track and be in alignment with my highest self.

Everyone can be a critic, anyone can tear something down, but it takes work to create something, it takes work to give constructive criticism and advice. I think about people who tear things down as my 8th grade counterparts giving their opinion in a book report on a book they didn't like.

Here's a reenactment: Teacher: "Now little Johnny let's hear your book report on War and Peace." Johnny: "This book was a waste of time." Teacher: "What didn't you like about it?" Johnny: "It was dumb, I hated it." Teacher: "Why did you hate it?" Johnny: I don't know I just didn't like it."

The point I am trying to make is that we feel we have the right to tear things apart, which I'm not saying we can't, but anyone can talk about how bad something is. It doesn't take high intellect to speak that way. And we don't become better individuals by doing this. It dampens our intelligence. And sometimes it's not about tearing something apart, but rather in understanding that it wasn't our cup of tea. It might have been for a less advanced mind, or a more advanced mind, or someone who appreciates silly humor or dry humor…but you get my point.

And I know that wasn't an accurate representation of your 8th-grade class, since you didn't read War and Peace. I know you guys read it in 3rd grade since I have such super geniuses listening to my podcast. Maybe that should be my marketing tagline for the podcast. The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast—meant only for the super geniuses of the world.

What do you think, is that a winner?

But back to my point, everyone can be a critic, but it's hard to create something and to continue creating through all the self-doubt as it is already. Maybe if we encouraged people more, they would get better at their craft instead of quitting. Maybe if we stopped ourselves from writing a harsh review and talked about the good things we liked and suggested ideas for the things that could be worked on, we might just change that person's life—who knows how this person might grow because of that. I like to think we might be helping make this world a better place by being an encourager rather than a demolisher. And I believe that our kindness will change everything.

For some of you who've been following me for awhile, you know I've been writing a book. And I have someone looking over it right now to help me edit it as I had to cut ties with my old editor. But when I give my work to someone I ask them to be as honest as possible. I want them to let me know what they like and what they don't like. I ask them to let me know what rubs you the wrong way, what resonates with you, what's missing, or what's too much. I want to know your honest opinion, in a loving manner of course, so I can make it better.

Now this whole podcast wasn't to get you to only think about ratings and reviews of things…it's about asking how we speak our truths. It's about asking how kind we are to people's souls. It's about taking a moment to craft your message in a loving manner rather than react out of anger or urgency. Anger doesn't take any thought, and they say the initial seconds of anger are reactions, but after that then it's a choice to stay angry.

So will you speak a higher truth, will you work to bring more kindness in the world to change everything…or will you be like little Johnny adding more useless criticism that brings no value into the world? Let us be the change we want to see in the world by being not only kind to ourselves in how we think and speak, but let us do that to everyone else as well. Your kindness, your truth, can and will change the world.

Today's Personal Commitment:Ok shameless plug here, but if you haven't gone and rated and reviewed my podcast, and you find you're getting something from it, then go and do it already…dang it. I hope you got my facetious snarkiness there, my great friend Suzanne has been adding to my humor arsenal. I still have a long way to go though.

So go to iTunes, or the podcast place you're listening from and leave me a rating and review. And I hope you won't tear me apart in your review…but I want to hear your thoughts and ideas. It gets hard thinking of new ideas every day, so I'd love to hear the way you've become Strong Within in your life. And if you feel like sharing your story, but not in public on a review, send an email to [email protected] and tell me your Strong Within story. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. I need great stories to share, and I'd love to feature some of you guys in the podcast…with your permission of course. The more reviews and ratings I get then the more people I can reach, so thank you.

And so let me leave you with a great quote to help you with your moment of kindness zen:

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again." ~Og Mandino

Kindness Is My Truth

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Mindful Mondays-#394 January 29th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

My Purpose Is Found In Possibilities

"The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today."~Les Brown

And that's "but" with one "T," not two. We'll save the rear end discussion for another day.

Now this might sound strange to some, and maybe even some will call me delusional for saying this…I'm not looking for the truth. I am looking to create my own truths. I am always looking for possibilities, I am always looking to overcome the impossible—because the only reason something is impossible is because I've made it so. What other people say about the impossible is their opinion; I live in another realm, not in other people's truths, but in my own.

Now you see, it's not that I'm crazy or living in my own world, well actually I am living in my own world; but it's that I'm creating a different reality…another world…and my world isn't determined by someone else's fears, or lack of trying, or determination. I will always rise above what troubles or problems come my way…not because they aren't problems…but because I see more in the problems…I see growth, I see possibility, and I find purpose through it all.

And my hope, is that you look more into the possibilities rather than look to find impossibilities. George Bernard Shaw said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." We like to say anything is possible, but when we don't get what we want we're jilted and decide that the world is unfair and the people who told us that anything was possible were liars…and that we are the biggest liars and fools for believing in such an idea.

But it's not that 'anything is possible' was a lie, it's that you might have been dreaming towards things you weren't truly committed to, and you might have been believing in things that weren't really your passions. Because anything is possible, but you physically and mentally put chains on your legs when you hope for things to work out when deep down you don't really believe you can do it…or you are unsure if you really want it.

We dream of winning the lottery, signing that big contract to play professional sports in front of millions of people, or winning the hand of the person you've dreamed about from afar… but maybe those things weren't really what you wanted. And so you told yourself a story, that your life would be better if you had those things, when your soul knew something different.

I played ice hockey for a good portion of my younger life, and I wished to play professionally. The reason being, is I thought it would bring me the respect and love I wanted so badly for my life. I thought I would be admired for doing something through sports. And while I enjoyed playing sports, that really wasn't my passion. My passion was learning new personal development ideas and helping people. My goal to play professionally was a far-off dream that I thought would bring me peace from the resentment I felt inside.

I had this idea that people didn't like me, as I unrealistically told a tale that to be a good person…EVERYONE has to like you. And so I hated myself because I thought I was a bad person because certain people didn't like me. I had bought into the idea that fame might make me more likable …instead of seeing that I'm not meant to mesh with everyone.

But I've found peace with that lie. The lie that I told myself that being respected meant everyone had to like me. And I've learned to pivot my eyes away from being upset that I didn't get my dream of playing ice hockey professionally…into seeing I am accomplishing my dream of helping people. I've learned to find the beauty in seeing that I'm able to read and discuss self-development topics with people all over the world and learn from them.

I had to learn by not getting what I wanted to understand that I really got what I wanted. And most likely if I hadn't learned about pivoting my focus away from what I don't want into seeing what I truly want…I would have been stuck in an eternal resentment. That upset feeling about working towards making your dreams a reality, but somehow they never seem to work out. And for you to free yourself from the underlying resentment you have towards not getting what you want, is to understand that goals aren't just working towards something as hard as we can, it's about understanding how to be in better alignment with your goals.

So what's that goal that you've been dreaming of? What's that one thing that you've been telling yourself, that once you have it, it would complete your life? Is it that relationship with a certain person, is it a certain job or amount of money that you've said you need, or is it a personal achievement goal you've been working towards for awhile?

I'm not saying to quit anything you're doing, but what I'm asking you to do is to step back and ask why you are pursuing something. Sometimes we're so close to the issue, that we don't know the real reason we are pursuing something. For my dream of playing ice hockey professionally, it was about love. I thought that if I could make it to the big leagues then maybe I could be loved, maybe I could be respected…but that was because I didn't love myself, I didn't respect myself. I was seeking for that outside of myself, and I would never find it there.

So dream bigger, believe more in yourself and the possibilities that Universe can grant you anything you wish for…but also ask yourself if you're in alignment with that wish. Because the biggest reason things become impossible...is not because they're impossible, but because we've decided they're impossible for us. And to change the way you begin reaching your goals, will have to begin by looking at changing your belief systems.

Today's Personal Commitment:What would it mean to you if you won the lottery, how would it change your life? Think about the things you'd do differently?

Have you thought about it?

Ok, now I want you to change your frame of reference. What do you think about when you think of the process in how the lottery is played? For me, I see something that is given to you by luck; you didn't have to do anything to achieve it. And that sounds so depressing to me because I don't want my goals to be given to me because I was lucky. I want my goals to be earned through hard work and focus in setting myself to the task no matter what. I want my goals to be achieved because I decided to look deep within and ask how I could align myself better to my goals.

Sometimes our greatest winnings aren't huge prizes, but the things that matter more to us when we step back to really ask what we want.

The things like a great family because we have taken the time to make that a priority in our lives. Maybe it's the respect of our managers and colleagues because we aren't afraid of telling the truth in a loving manner and being upfront with people. Or maybe it's the self-love you've cultivated by learning who you are, what's important to you, and the willingness to sacrifice whatever is necessary in making that a reality.

What's impossible is mindset. And most times we look at what can't be done to prove why we can't be who we want to be. We have our eyes so far in the sky looking for that miracle, that we have missed the miracle in the possibility of right now. And like working out, impossible is a muscle that we need to work on building up, we need to work on extended our belief in possibility to understand that impossible isn't what we thought it was.

And the quote earlier, George Bernard Shaw said that if we cannot change our minds, then we cannot change anything. So let us begin changing our mind and begin seeing more deeply into what truly is important to us, and I can bet those impossible things that were meant for you, will begin finding their way into your life more easily over time.

Queen Victoria said, "We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist." So let us not be interested in defeat, or even winning, let us be interested in aligning ourselves up with our true causes. And then impossibility won't even be a thought in your mind, it will just be about setting your sites on what you want, seeing the possibilities in all of it, and aligning yourself up as efficiently as possible to the things you've set your sights on.

My Purpose Is Found In Possibilities

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide