August 10th- #222 Thoughtful Thursday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

A Great Attitude Is My Morning Coffee

There’s an epidemic in this country of over indulging on many pleasures in life. I believe in enjoying life, but I also think we have created unhealthy dependencies in our lives that keep us from being at our happiest and most fulfilled selves.

In every industry you will find studies that say do this, and then another study will say the exact opposite contradicting that first study.  It can get confusing about what to follow.  For example a caffeine study I read years ago that was done in the military said caffeine is good for the body but that ONLY one cup of coffee should be rationed and consumed throughout the day slowly.  Other studies talk about a “safe” amount is 400 milligrams a day which are 4 cups of normal sized coffee.

I’m not here to tell you what is safe or not safe, but I think there’s a wave of zombies being created. I don’t drink coffee, and it’s not because it stunts your growth as I know my growth spurt is still coming… but I don’t drink coffee because I never wanted to be hooked on something to wake me up.   Even as a young child I saw how people acted when they didn’t get their coffee…they were scarier than zombies…and it made such an impression on me it’s why I chose not to drink coffee.

There are more ways to wake up than just caffeine…taking deeper breaths to oxygenate your body  and mind as you awaken your senses, drinking more water to hydrate yourself better, exercising or go for a morning walk, getting to bed earlier, stopping technology use before bed so your eyes and mind have time to rest before bed, meditating before bed, setting your dream state by focusing on what you want to dream in your mind before going to bed…and lastly telling your mind and body a different story than tiredness.

There have been times where I am so tired, and I realize I focus on my bed wishing I was back under those comfortable covers. The more I keep my attention there, the more my body and mind crave it and begin to follow suit with getting tired.  So I say an affirmation to myself…you aren’t that tired. I know that’s not a positive affirmation as I am focusing on tiredness…but it gives me a little boost.

This is where people would say this affirmation doesn’t work because even though I get that initial boost, maybe 5 seconds later I’ll feel tired again. The reason being is it’s easier to focus on tiredness, it doesn’t take work, so I keep reminding myself that it’s just in my mind and I work to pivot away from the easiness of focusing on tiredness and the comfort of my bed, and put my continual focus towards the excitement of getting more out of this day. I continual use that affirmation to remind myself that most of my tiredness is in my mind and focus. It takes practice and putting DELIBERATE attention into my intention.

I’m not saying you can’t have caffeine or even that it’s bad of its self…but what I am saying, is that we have become over dependent on it. I see people who can’t function without it. I see people be major grumps or rude as they will blame it on not having their morning caffeine. It reminds me of smokers. How they get so irritable when they can’t have their cigarette. They whine, complain, they can be super hateful, and are downright annoying to be around during this time.  It’s depressing and energy draining being around people like that.

So it’s not that you can’t have caffeine, but I want to ask the question of how does it control your life?  If you are that angry and tired by needing some sort of substance to help you wake up to your life…you may want to think about how you partake in this epidemic.  Because maybe you can call me delusional, but I think we should be excited to wake up and go forth in our lives.  Maybe we have forgotten that there are amazing things happening everyday as we have gotten lost along the way trying to survive, trying to pay our bills, trying to make sure we don’t default on the mortgage, the car payment, or kids private school, or whatever else is keeping you in survival mode instead of thriving mode.

I’m not telling you what you need to do or believe, but I’m hoping to wake you up and see how you want to live your life. If you want something to be that in control of your moods for how you tackle your day…maybe you might want to look at different habits and behaviors.  Getting more rest, learning to destress yourself, finding healthier habits that give you more energy, and having a great attitude about your life.  In the end it’s your life…who do you want behind the steering wheel?  I’d go far enough to say that it’s an unhealthy addiction with how much caffeine we consume…but that’s just me.

Today’s challenge:
Take a look at the dependency you have on caffeine. How much do you consume, how do you feel when you don’t get it, how do you feel when you do get it, how do you feel when you over caffeinate?  Just become aware of your morning habits with it and without it.  It may be that it’s not even about ridding it from your life, but just seeing if you are in a healthy balance with it.

A Great Attitude Is My Morning Coffee

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

August  9th- #221 Wisdom Wednesday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

All The Tools I Need To Succeed Are Already Within Me

The mind is a remarkable tool. Maybe you think you might not be smart enough, talented enough, or all around worthy enough to have something…but that’s only from a mindset that focuses on lack.  When we focus on what we cannot have or cannot do we make that our reality.

‘am not telling you to set your goals so high and just wish for them, but I am telling you that you have an amazing piece of machinery within you. You have a brain that can figure things out when engaged and utilized with an optimistic attitude.

Albert Einstein, one of the smartest people in recent history said that anyone can learn anything, some people just take a little longer to grasp it. Knowing that, I want to ask the question…did you give up too early on a goal you really wanted, did you not believe you could do it so you didn’t really try for it?

When setting goals, it’s good to ask yourself why do I want this goal, does it align with my values and principles, or am I pursuing for other means that don’t align up with who I am. I know I’ve chased goals for the wrong reasons and I never could achieve them because inside I always knew that it wasn’t meant for me. I tried to do things to impress girls about how cool I was instead of being my real self around them and allowing them to be more impressed with who I truly am. I tried to work in jobs I hated to make the money I thought I needed to impress people I didn’t like anyways. And I spent years trying to figure out who I was, thinking that someone else would give me the answer instead of doing the tough work by soul searching from within.

So when you align your goals and dreams up with your values, principles, a great attitude, good beliefs, and a great mindset…you make the sky the limit in achieving what you desire.  The tools to be who you want to be…are already in you. You don’t have to seek any further, yes go out and get educated, go out and become better from the experiences outside of yourself…but know that it all starts by understanding you already have the tools within you to make whatever you set your mind to—your reality.

Today’s Challenge:
Set your intention on figuring out what internal tools help you excel in life. What strengths do you not utilize, and what strengths would you like to build up within yourself?  When we focus on our strengths instead of always trying to build up our weaknesses, we actually make better progress towards our goals. Think about someone in your life who might have given you a compliment on your strengths…it felt good right? Well using your strengths more often not only helps you get more progress towards your goals…but it just plain feels good using your strengths consistently.

All The Tools I Need To Succeed Are Already Within 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

August 8th- #220 Tag Me Tuesday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Create My Reality

I create my life. I create every chapter in my “life book” like I would a house. As a house is built brick by brick on a solid foundation… I fashion great life chapters paragraph by paragraph. I fashion great paragraphs, sentence by sentence. I fashion great sentences word by word, and I fashion great words letter by letter.

You see the reality you create comes from the story you fashion. It comes from great words of power, it comes from great attitudes of hope and experience. Your reality is dictated solely by one simple concept…what is the story you are telling about who you are and what you can become.

We live in a world where we think truth trumps all, but truth is subjective as one person can believe one thing and make it their reality and another can believe that they aren’t meant to have something and make that their reality too.  In my personal training business I work to help people envision the end goal, to truly be able to see themselves differently. To change their internal perception and image of who they think they are…as it’s not aligning up with who they wish they could be.

And I could have two people doing the exact same routines while being on the exact same nutrition plan…and one will lose weight while the other stays stagnant in the pursuit of their goals. Now people will argue the other person did more work and they didn’t cheat…and that may be true…but I’ve come to know that people who can’t see themselves differently, that people who can’t change their internal self-image either will never change…or they have a harder time changing because they cannot get their mind to match what they wish their reality to be.

Who you are comes down to a simple story of…who do you think you are, who do you think you truly can be, and are you willing to be so committed to that vision that no matter what obstacles get in your way you will ALWAYS continue to believe in that vision no matter what obstacles come your way…or will you fold and say you weren’t meant for it, that it wasn’t in your cards, or that you weren’t gifted enough like this person or that person who succeeded?

And you see that’s all it is…it’s a BS story of why you can’t…and the only thing keeping you back from making your reality what you desire is by the simple story you have in your head. By the image you have fashioned about who are…and that image happened letter by letter, word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter, image by image…that you fashioned in your head. So if you’re stuck, be like the house builder who fashions great structures brick by brick… start building a powerful reality word by powerful word.  An image happens by the choice of words you utilize…so use stronger words in describing the amazing person you are…and you’ll find that your life will be changing simply by changing how you talk about yourself.

Today’s Challenge:
Take a piece of paper out and write down the image you have in your mind about yourself. Describe how you see that self-image within your mind. Write down all the negative things you say about yourself in that image, write down all the positive things, and then ask yourself how you want that self-image to be. When you change your self-image it’s not about lying to yourself, but it’s about telling the story of who you want to be. You may have to start out slow to say kinder things about the negative things you’ve found, but just know that big change happens from small consistent attention and action.  Know that the story you tell, that the image you hold inside about yourself is who you’ll be…and it can be changed at any moment by learning to tell the story that you want to tell.

I Create My Reality

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

August 7th- #219 Mindful Monday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Put In The Initial Effort 1st, So I Only Have To Do Things Once

It’s not just about doing the work, but it’s about loving the work you do…putting your art into the world…so you make it right the first time. This is not about perfectionism, but it’s about utilizing the right mindset of the beauty that you put into the world is a statement of who you are. Will you be sloppy and put crappy work into this world, or will you put in great effort to share your full self with the world?

We live in a realm where people just show up, where they work to just get by, where they’re only trying to survive…and then they wonder why their life is so hard, they wonder why their life sucks, and they wonder why they never get their breaks.  An amazing life isn’t just handed to us, it’s molded like the potter, as we shape our world and bring our gifts and talents into it fully.

We wait for someone to give us permission to be great, we wait for someone to tell us what to do…so I am giving you permission to share your greatness, I am giving you permission to put your best effort out into the world… just because, and I’m giving you permission to stop thinking that this world owes you something-I’m giving you permission to give up your entitlement thinking that just because you’re here—you think you deserve free things…I am giving you permission to give back to the universe what you have been given. It’s your duty, it’s your mission, it’s your ultimate goal to give back to the universe who you are…with your whole heart. For when you do this, you’ll be at peace by knowing you’ve reached your life purpose…to share the best pieces of yourself.

Today’s Challenge:
Set your intention to being deliberate in relinquishing the fear you’ve held onto…to stop hiding your best self from the world because you might be judged or expected to be better. Today what if you were to focus on sharing one of your gifts with the world the best way you know how? I’m giving you permission to let go of your fear, and to focus on your growth of becoming the person you dream of being. I give you permission to make mistakes and learn from them as you learn to shine brighter today.

I Put In The Initial Effort 1st, So I Only Have To Do Things Once

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

August  6th- #218 Smiling Sunday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

Success Comes Easy To Me

What’s the difference between you and the most successful person you admire?  What do you think makes them successful? Is it their talent, is it their gifts, is it the lucky breaks they got, or is it their work ethic? 

I’m sure there’s a combination of a lot of things. There’s a proverb that says, ”A successful person didn’t fall on top of the mountain by luck.” And I think that’s what successful people do, they work to maximize all they are in the most focused and efficient manner as possible.  We think success is an elusive goal, but that’s only because we haven’t defined what success means to us.

So let me ask you this question, and take a moment to think about it… what does success look like to you? Go ahead and I’ll give you a minute to process this…(pause for a minute)…

Now you may have said earning a certain amount of money, having that job or promotion that you dreamed of, having a happy and healthy family…there could be a million answers, but until you can define what success means to you, it will be like walking in your home in the dark as you kick every piece of furniture on your way cussing and swearing while looking for a flashlight.

And if you were to look at your life, I can bet you are very successful in many areas of your life already.

For example:
You’re alive, you’re breathing, you survived high school middle school or elementary school, you got married and are still together, or you got out of an unhealthy relationship, you still have a job and are paying all your bills, or maybe you lost your job but you’re continually looking for employment not letting your problems get in the way.

Someone told me this a long time ago…now you may live in another country so think about your country if you don’t live in America, but for this example this person said for those of us who live in America we all are already millionaires…by being a taxpayer…we own all the roads we can drive on, we have a military who is trained to protect us, we have police, firefighters, and EMTs that are there to help protect us… and keep us healthy and safe,  we have the right to go to public schools free of charge up until high school, and we have the opportunity to be anything we want to be in a country that allows freedom of speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness…

When you have an attitude of success, success becomes easier because your attention is focused upon success already. Yes, we should be industrious and work on being efficient in our work efforts, but the work is only a fraction of the path towards success. Successful people don’t focus on what they can’t do, they believe that they will find a way, and so they consistently work on their goals and themselves knowing that it will come to them if they just keep their focus and work upon their dreams and goals.

When you know success can be easy, you not only are able to work harder and more efficiently, but you stress less, and thus naturally make success easier. An attitude of success isn’t just waiting for the lottery to hit you, but it’s about knowing that where you put your mind, your body will follow, and where your mind and body follow…then your efforts will be rewarded.  And when you find ways to have a great attitude and relationship with success, you don’t focus on what you can’t…you find ways that you can naturally.

Today’s Challenge:
Write down your intention for the day in how you can FEEL more successful in your life today. When I work with clients I focus less on today lists, and I have them write down the emotions they want to feel today.

Success comes easy 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

August 5th- #217 Synergy Saturday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I go the extra mile every time

There’s a saying that states 90% of the work is just showing up…and they say that if you just put in the initial effort then the momentum will carry you. Showing up is important…but putting forth the extra mile is the most important. Anyone can show up. I showed up in my college classes, but I didn’t do so well because I wasn’t willing to put in the work to become better. I told myself a story that kept me lazy…the story of, all I have to do is show up and get the diploma. That once I get that piece of paper I can find the job I want…they’ll train me.

And after 4 years of rushing through college, working to just pass the tests and classes, I was petrified because I felt I didn’t gain anything from those 4 years.  You see, it wasn’t the college or my teacher’s fault—it was my own. I was expecting everyone else to tell me why I needed to learn something. Yes, there are better teachers than others who inspire us, but we need to inspire ourselves, we need to ask ourselves why should I learn this, why should I be better, why should I go the extra mile?

That answer will be different for everyone, but for me that answer is because I don’t want to look back at my life and say I wish I would have, if only I would have, maybe if I tried a little harder I could have done something great.  We will always have regrets, thinking we could have done something more…but when you go the extra mile in everything you do…there will be no regrets or at least minimal regrets because you did all you could. 

We feel overwhelmed in all we have to do, we’ve got a million tasks to finish each day, but we do those tasks half-assed because we are overwhelmed. But what if you were to go the extra mile in your priorities, what if you were to start there first? I can guarantee that it will bleed into every aspect of your life when you change one behavior like that. When we focus more on our priorities…all those menial tasks might just disappear as you become more productive. What would going the extra mile in your life do to help to ease your worries…as you know you did everything you could, to become everything that you are?

Today’s Challenge:
Decide to go the extra mile in something today. Just choose one thing. Ask yourself, “what can I do to not just get by, but to make this thing I’m doing right now… amazing?” What is that extra mile I can go, what are the extra few steps I could perform, and how could I be more fulfilled knowing I did so much more by working to make what I touch beautiful.  Everything you pursue is art, you have a duty to share your best gifts with the world. What gifts will you express in that one thing you decide to go the extra mile in today?

I go the extra mile every time

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

August 4th- #216 Fantastic Friday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I choose love

Hate isn’t in my vocabulary… I work not to get angry at people, but to understand them. To know that all arguments come from misunderstanding and fear at times. I’ll remember that people who are arguing with me aren’t being aggressive, but are afraid of something...that way I don’t fight back, but I work more to understand them instead of seeing their surface anger. I will work to remember that below that anger is something more.  They might be afraid of being wrong, afraid of losing something, and maybe even afraid of being seen a certain way...such as stupid if they lose the argument.

I choose to see love in people, I choose to look beyond their fear and work to find understanding in their worries and trouble, and I choose to love people in their toughest time.

I hope people will give me the same courtesy, but I’m not expecting it. I’m giving what I want first and if it comes my way, great…and if it doesn’t I stayed true to what I wanted to give and who I wanted to be first with no expectations.

Today’s Challenge:
Look at someone who isn’t your cup of tea, someone who might rub you the wrong way, and choose to see them with different eyes today. Tell yourself a kind story about them and look to see life from their shoes.  Close your eyes and visualize yourself floating into their body…become them for this moment as you know what they know, as you feel their pains, their excitements, and the worries they have within their life.  See if you can find compassion for them and see why they act the way do…and even ask the question do we not get along because they see something in me that rubs them the wrong way…that they see something they don’t like within themselves…or is it something within them that I don’t like about myself? 

Today what if you were to see what they see… through their eyes—to understand and love them more readily just because?

I choose 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

August  3rd- #215 Thoughtful Thursday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I am intentional about setting my intention

It’s good I wasn’t one of those circus knife throwers who would throw knives at their pretty assistant while they were spun on a wheel they were tied to.  The knives coming inches from the assistant’s body parts as the thrower would pop balloons instead of impaling their associate.  If I were a knife thrower I would be in jail right now for all the assistants I killed.

I bring that story up because I’ve gone about my goals and life like that. Blindfolded and throwing knives at a target in hopes that I might be lucky enough to hit one here or there…never truly caring about all the collateral damage that happened in the meantime.  And maybe saying not caring is not the right word, but more not in knowing how to operate differently.

So I hurt people, I destroyed opportunities and chances, and I created a sense of endless hopelessness of not knowing how to get unstuck.  The reason I felt stuck is I never was intentional about what I wanted. I didn’t consider what I wanted, and thus I could never be intentional about my thoughts and movements towards the pursuit of my goals and dreams.

There’s a powerful force within this world that we underutilize. It is the power of intention and the power of intention starts with 3 things…or what I like to call our behaviors…it is the focus not on getting but on being deliberate about how we think, what we say out loud to ourselves and the world, and how we act. And we have been behaving without direction towards where we want our lives to go. Yes, we wish we could make more money, have the great relationships we dream about, or reach the personal goals we set for ourselves…but we throw our ideas like knives as we’re blindfolded because we haven’t been intentionally about what we truly want.

What’s the old saying, “be careful what you wish for…you just might get it.” We go about our lives wishing for things never sure how to get it, and when we do get it we are even worse at not knowing how to keep it. How can you be more intentional about not only what you want, but how you want to behave in your life to get what you want. The reason people receive and keep the things they desire is because it’s not about wishing it to happen, but it’s about being purposeful in knowing why you want something, what work you are willing to do to make it a reality, what work you are willing to do to keep it in your life, and being grateful for the small wins and achievements you accomplish.

Simply put, it’s about considering what you want and considering how to get there…and then being intentional with every thought, with every spoken word that will enforce what you are intending, and being deliberate with every action you take towards your intentions. I like to think about Newton’s 1st law of motion when talking about this…Newton said that “Objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by and unbalanced force.”

You are that force, and like the last part of Newton’s law you could either be an unbalanced force, or you could be a balanced force. You can either be chaotic in your movements not sure why are doing what you are doing as you flail around hoping to move somewhere…not seeing you are going in circles…or you could be intentional in your behaviors as you become like a boulder rolling down a hill. Putting laser focus on what you want with purposeful behaviors as you let your goals come to you instead.

Are you intentional about what you intend for your life? Do you just aim your knives hoping it might hit something…or do you see the target so well in your mind that you could hit the target in your sleep?

Today’s Challenge:
What are the goals or places you feel stuck in your life?  Ask yourself why you’re stuck in those places…and then ask yourself how can I have better consideration in going about these goals, and how can I have great intention in my behaviors towards those goals. Maybe this is an easier way to put it, think about the most successful person you know in your life…and then ask yourself what would they do to put consideration and deliberate intention into achieving this goal?

I am intentional about setting my intention

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

August  2nd- #214 Wisdom Wednesday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I continually search for balance

There is no one right way for every situation. You can go about a situation overreacting, or you can under react to a situation… and I’m not using the term over and under react as something negative…but more in how  balanced we are in the responses to any situation.

I was listening to a good friend of mine as she told me about a conversation she had with her life coach. They got to talking about love in her life and how she has been deliberately pushing people away. The conversation veered towards the way she hugged. She was saying that she hugs hard, and they came to the conclusion that maybe she hugs so hard as it’s a defense mechanism to keep people at distance.  That it was an overreaction to protect herself. So the life coach had challenged my friend to work on hugging people more softly.

I listened to her telling me this story, and when she was done, I said “I love hard hugs.” I love when someone gives me a big old hug. It let’s me know their intensity of how they love and how they feel about me.  My friend thanked me for telling her that because we both agree she has an intensity about her, a good intensity.

So I made the suggestion to be more open. I thought it was a good idea for her to try softer hugging to be more aware of how she was doing things, but I said what if you came to a higher awareness and felt out people’s energy. What if you worked to give the softer hugs to the people who you feel need that and the harder hugs to the people who need your intensity.

There is no one right way for each situation. We all have strengths and it’s just about figuring out how much of that strength to bring into a situation. Think about it like this. Let’s say humor is a great strength of yours, but if you’re using that humor too much at a funeral…it might not be the right time. I know that’s an obvious example, but I really want you to ask yourself, am I finding the best way to balance the use of my strengths in my actions and behaviors during this situation I’m in?

When we are balanced, life goes much smoother, and we find that doors open up for us that would have been closed because we are paying more attention to people, we are paying more attention to ourselves, and we are paying more attention to all the things around us. That is why mindfulness is so important. It’s about awakening yourself up to life and how you are responding to the events in your life.

Today's challenge:
At the end of the day write down all the events that happened to you today, write down your strengths, write down how you responded to those events using your strengths, and lastly write down if you over utilized your strengths or underutilized them in those events. In the end it’s about seeing if you are finding the best balance for your life.  Write down how you can better use your strengths next time.  We are always adjusting ourselves, and the happier and more successful people I’ve seen in life are the ones always finetuning themselves to find the best balance for themselves and the world around them.

I continually search for balance

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

August 1st- #213 Tag Me Tuesday The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I take the first chance…And I take the second chance too

The amateur gets defensive, but the master is humbled when they make mistakes. We live in a world where we’re expected to know everything, and if you don’t know it all… then you are not good enough. So we fake and pretend we are smarter by saying we have all the answers. That we know every pathway to what is right or wrong.

I believe progress happens not in knowing it all, but in being a life-long student.  Some of the smartest people I know gave me great advice, but they were also some of the greatest listeners I had ever encountered. I found that they let me be heard before they responded. They got the facts and they as they truly wanted to know my side of the story rather than just telling me what they thought right away.

People think we live in a world of left or right, black or white, right or wrong, or fact or fiction. Truth is subjective… as there are many pathways to an answer. I don’t watch the news that much anymore as it just looks like a battlefield on TV.  We look to use facts or science as our weapons to prove what is right, why we are right, and why the other party is wrong. But studies and stats can always be biased or even made to fit a person’s point.  There’s nothing wrong with studies and facts, but there are many ways to an answer…and it can be a dangerous road when we know it all…when we know the ONE right answer.

We over utilize the ego wanting to prove how smart we are, how useful we can be with our knowledge, and how people need us…and those are great things to want, but what length do you go to in trying to make that your reality?

We’ve been fed the lies that to be smart we have to have it right off the bat. We look to others and wish we could be as gifted as they are, that it comes so easy to them…but we don’t see the work they do behind the scenes, we don’t see the willingness to be life-long students, and we don’t see their willingness to challenge themselves to be wrong and learn from it.

What if you were to take more chances on making mistakes so you could further your education? That you could be a life-long student by doing your homework in life…and by taking all the tests you can to learn where you need to study and put more work into your life.

Take a chance and be willing to make all the mistakes you can…and then be willing to take that second chance, that third chance…all the way up to an infinite amount of chances to become a student of life.  The amateur gets defensive when they don’t know something, the master is humbled and willing to learn all the infinite amount of ways to a better answer. Are you an amateur or a master?

Today’s Challenge:
Be a life-long student today. Think about what a life-long student would do during their day. How do they work with people, how would they go about a conversation, how would they start their day, how would they act throughout their day, how would they finish out their day? What are their goals, what is their purpose, and what are they wanting to learn in life?  How can you act like a life-long learner today…how can you be humbled in your pursuit of knowledge?

I take the first chance…And I take the second chance too

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