Tag Archives: A Keen Mind

It’s Up to You

This year. This resolution. This habit. Whatever it is that’s hot in your mind right now…is up to you!

I chose to not wait for the new year to start my first habit/quest of 2019. I just finished listening to the book Mini Habits by Stephen Guise. It was recommended by the CEO of Traeger Grills Jeremy Andrus. (Thanks Scott Empringham for the recommendation!)

Starting on Dec. 26th, I began on a mission to complete 1,000 pull ups. As fast as possible, but with the minimum of 10 per day. The bar is in my basement. There is no real excuse standing in my way. Sooner I get to 1,000 the better. Every pull up completed gets a mark on the wall. I’m already past 150!

I often reflect back to Slight Edge principles when setting a target like this.

Easy to Do. Easy NOT to do.

Broken down into a daily mini-habit it is merely 10 a day, and that’s the bitch of it. It’s only 10 a day until I establish enough momentum to do 20, then 30, then who knows. But even at 10 a day I’ll be done by the end of February, and 1,000 pull ups into 2019. Nice little start to the year.

Do you know how long it takes me to do 10 pull ups? Probably 20 seconds. Maybe 30. It’s a joke if I don’t complete this by the end of January and yet that’s the funny thing about resolutions.

I’ll try and find reasons or days NOT to do it. It will be up to me!

Oddly enough, a friend of mine sent me a snap yesterday on New Year’s day sweating on his treadmill. Said he’s on a mission to run 1,000 miles this year…asked if I wanted in. I let him in on my 1,000 pull up challenge and here we are, already pushing each other along.

But here is the punch line. He’s not going to get my job done for me and I’m not going to run the miles for Josh. It’s up to me. It’s up to him.

Whatever stands in front of you in 2019 is going to be up to you. It’s not on your boss, or your spouse, or your team, or your kids, or your clients, or anyone other than you. If you get help along the way, fantastic!  But don’t count on it. Get there anyway.

ACTION ITEM: It’s up to me…so its up to me. Write it down, and go for it!

Ask me how I’m progressing toward my 1,000 goal. I can’t wait to tell you.

 

 

The Value of Playing Up

I can probably tell you when and where it happened.

I was back for only a few of days over Christmas break of my freshman year of college. I was playing basketball at the time and spent the last four months playing with guys who we former all-staters, but were now all-Americans. I was an 18, they were 21 and 22. Big difference. My learning curve was steep.

I played a few pickup games in the time home as was customary over Christmas break. After all, I’m always in the mood to get buckets. But this time something was different. The game had changed. It not only slowed down, but it was just easier as my perspective shifted.

I’m talking BIG change. Not small incremental change.

You ever wonder why the middle or youngest brother turns out to be the REALLY good one? I have zero stats or data to back this up, but I suspect it is true because he spent his entire life “playing up” and getting worked by his older brothers.

Would you like another example?

Things changed drastically in my career when I was 24 and started working with a nationally managed retail organization. Their game and demands elevated what I needed to deliver to continue adding value to the relationship. I quickly began to understand what it took to operate “successfully” at their level, and what expectations came with it. I needed to get better. The good news is, I could see and feel what that looked like.

With all that said, how can you start playing up today?  Or better put, what would that look like?

Here are a few ideas:

  • Get in a room with people better than you. These people have been “there” before.  There = where you want to go!
  • In golf speak, if you shoot in the 70’s you’ve got to run with the guys consistently shooting in the 60’s. Find out how they do it?
  • Are you a director? Get in the room, in a pitch, in a strategy session with a VP or President. How do they think or influence people?
  • Are you an educator looking to be an administrator? Spend time with someone who walked the same path and is a principal.
  • My wife was a good runner. Her suggestion, find a new pace. Find a new group to speed you up! A PR (personal record) awaits.
  • Imagine being a chess prodigy, and sitting with a grand master.
  • Find a new peer group. You ever heard the saying “there’s always another guy with a bigger boat?” Find that guy and who he hangs out with.

Playing up means involving yourself in a new game. A game outside your current comfort zone. Success may or may not come quickly. Embrace the ability to understand where you can improve to play at their “new” level.

Newsflash. You’re going to get knocked back. I’ve had it happen numerous times and I hope it continues. Nothing wrong with a little humility and appreciation for the competition.

It doesn’t mean your current skillset isn’t worthy, or isn’t valuable. It very likely is. It means the pursuit continues.

ACTION ITEM: Get lost in the pursuit of playing up! The rest will come.

I’m Great vs. We Are Great

It’s a natural progression I guess…

I started out in my career like any ambitious 22 year old can. Do the absolute best “I” can, to show others I’m worthy. Looking back there is a great deal of insecurity in this thinking and lifestyle.

I would do whatever it took and wherever it took me to be perceived as great at what I did. I’m really not even sure why, but I could almost say there was a chip on my shoulder. I really don’t know how it even got there… and I’m also not really sure it will ever go away!

I was going to win. For me.

There’s an interesting naiveness to it all. I really didn’t know what I didn’t know. But I was going to PROVE something to someone. I’m convinced looking back now some of this energy was misdirected.

Maybe it’s the competitive nature in me (ok, super competitive). I did what any hyper-competitive young adult would do. I wrote down goals and kept them on my dresser. They consisted of:

  • Become the youngest Account Executive the company ever had (by 24)
  • Make $100,000 in annual income (as that’s what the big boys were making…so I thought )
  • Sell a BIG client on my own. (Thinking back who was going to commit a $1 million/year to a 24 year old who looked 18? Didn’t matter)

I achieved them all. Somehow I had it figured out. <Insert chest pounding after scoring a TD dance>

In hindsight, I really didn’t know anything.

Fast forward 15 years and I now spend a great deal of time thinking about being the tide vs. the boat (a high tide raises all ships). I’ve also grown much more self aware in the process.

In my 20’s, my confidence was inflated…as young men in their 20’s usually are. Any confidence I have today is the result of truly understanding WHO I am, and who I am not. No easy journey on that path. I’ve had a lot of people help me with this along the way and appreciate their honesty and intrepid spirit to share candidly what could only make me better as a person, friend, leader, parent, father, or husband.

I’m starting to think a great deal more about legacy and a vision for the future both personally and professionally. Legacy is a great beacon for where our decisions will take us.

Looking back on my career I’ve experienced many wins. I’m positive there will be many many more. After all, 40 is still a long ways away!

But those individual wins aren’t the most fulfilling. I smile ear to ear thinking back to times I’ve seen others win. Big wins. Personal breakthroughs. Team wins. People stepping out of their comfort zone to contribute. Those scenarios truly FILL me up with gratitude.

No doubt I’ll continue to work on myself and getting every ounce of talent I can out of my abilities. I’m wired this way and shutting it off would be equivalent to asking a fish to stop swimming.

To add one last bit of color to this post, I’d like to clarify the “We” of this framework. We isn’t only my Mindstream Media team at work, although it is important we continue to grow and succeed together. It’s my family and friends. My peer group. Community leaders I’m fortunate enough to work with. We need to be great!

ACTION ITEM: More valuable that WE are great, vs. I’m Great.

 

Understanding Discipline Through the Eyes of Nick Saban

Rather fitting this post is about discipline.

I’ve been undisciplined in my effort to share quality thoughts and content at a frequency I’d be proud of to the group. I have no excuse for that.

This one’s for you Scotty M.! Thanks for the recent words of encouragement and the nudge to get it going.

The last couple weeks when traveling I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Origins Podcast by James Andrew Miller. Specifically I’ve listened and re-listened to the Nick Saban episodes probably four times.

As with most books I read, and podcasts I listen to, I’m left with one powerful thought when I finish. Ok, that’s not really fair. Really it was two thoughts from this series. That said, both thoughts revolve around discipline from the hall of fame coach.

The first thought is how Saban defines discipline. He believes discipline does NOT exist to punish. Discipline (and I believe it is his wife Terry who says this) exists only to change behavior. Think about that for a moment. If you don’t change behavior…discipline is useless.

The second powerful thought on discipline comes from a story, told by ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi. To better illustrate the story, coach Saban demonstrates the two sides of discipline with two hands when speaking to Tom.

  1. Left Hand – Saban holds up his left hand. On this hand is something you really want to do, but you KNOW you shouldn’t do. Can you keep yourself from doing it?
  2. Right Hand – On the other hand is something you really DON’T want to do…but you know you need to do. Can you MAKE yourself do it.

That is Discipline.

That is life. Choices. Left hand vs. right.

ACTION ITEM: We may not lead lives of perfection. But paying attention to Nick’s demonstration of the left hand and right hand of discipline will lead us down a quality path.

Get Comfortable Calling Yourself Out

Some call it feedback.

Others call it disapproval, criticism, or even “constructive” criticism. No matter what, I haven’t met too many people who love getting negative feedback. Yet, none of us are immune to criticism. That said, how do you react to it?

Instead of the feedback coming from external sources, how about getting comfortable with it coming from within.

Every major change I’ve encountered in my last 10 years is the direct result of calling myself out. Essentially in not so many words saying, “Really!?!? Maybe that’d be the case…if you weren’t full of shit!”

This is where transformation occurs. As the saying goes, being sick and tired of being sick and tired. When it comes from outside, it can be shrugged off, and often times it is. When it comes from within, the fire to change burns soooooo much hotter.

Where did this happen in my life? I’ll tell you a few examples. 

Career: A few years back I talked about doing something BIG with my career. Somewhere other than the place I was at. Problem was, my action didn’t match my words. I had empty intentions. Enough people told me I was bright, talented, and driven, so the story I was telling made sense. But my action didn’t match reality. It was the Fall of 2014 when I called myself out. In January of 2015 I started a new challenge and started cashing the checks I was writing with my words.

Addiction: I’m an addict. Not in the sense I’m a recovering drug addict or an alcoholic, but I have a very addictive personality. I had a nasty habit with tobacco that turned into what I’d consider an addiction lasting a few too many years. My wife asked me to quit many times. Why didn’t that work?

Looking back now it is so gross thinking about it, but it wasn’t until I got really serious and borderline angry with myself in the process of quitting. I can tell you the day (I have a weird way of remembering these things) and I also wrote it down in my journal at the time. 

Sept. 10th, 2011 I knew it was done. I was at Jerry and Connie Davis’ lovely farmhouse watching the Iowa State vs. Iowa football game. I was about 4-5 days into my 2nd attempted “quit”, having a panic attack watching a football game. The lack of nicotine had my body short circuiting. I’d never felt so awful in my life, and that got my complete attention.

Diet: When I was 27 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (an autoimmune disease of the colon). I’d never felt so terrible in my life from the inside out. What needed changing was my lifestyle and diet. I was traveling a great deal, not eating well, and just wasn’t looking after myself the way I needed to. I quit the dip. Stopped (for the most part) eating fired food. No more hard alcohol. Funny thing happened.  I started to feel a ton better and have even been able to get off the medication i was initially prescribed. The disease may never go away, but I’m now the one in control when previously it was the other way around.  I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

There is something invigorating and powerful about calling your own shots. Especially when the shots are fired internally. No one else to blame.

I read this a long time ago and forgive me as I’m not sure where,

“If it’s up to you…then it’s up to you!”

ACTION ITEM: Father Time is undefeated. Instead of carrying around buckets of regret, get comfortable calling yourself out! Make the change that needs making.

Live With Intention

Your life is a reflection of your intentions. 

People who live with intention, get what they want. Over, and over, and over again.

If I asked, “are you happy?” right now in your life, I believe your answer closely correlates with the level of intention you associate in your everyday life and your choices.

A life lived day to day, simply keeping the car between the white lines will no doubt travel…but to where? How will you know when you get there? Or what happens when you passed your destination altogether?

Contrast that with a person who KNOWS where they are going. Every day driving closer and closer to attainment. Even if incrementally. I believe happiness is 100% related to personal progress. The opposite is staleness, and staleness leads to boredom. Boredom is one of the absolute worst words a person can associate with. Very bad weeds grow from the seeds of boredom.

How can you become more intentional on your individual pursuit?

  • Be intentional about getting uncomfortable with new challenges
  • Be intentional about who you spend your time with
  • Be intentional about your spiritual journey
  • Be intentional about where you want to live
  • Be intentional about your continued education
  • Be intentional about your body and what you can and can’t put in it
  • Be intentional with your money

I would not be intentional in the pursuit of possessions. I understand the pursuit of a Ferrari, but I believe in the end it will be unfulfilling…because I’ll want a newer one. There will always be a newer watch, a nicer car, or as the saying goes, “there’s always bigger boat.”

How is intention being reflected in my own life?

The last couple years I’ve gotten more and more intentional about my education to become a real estate investor/owner/operator. My journey continues down a path with this very focused intention. I have a goal of reaching a target monthly income (TMI) generated from these efforts.

This spring I found myself frustrated with my progress toward my goals and so I did what I preach to others. Play offense and make my intentions known to others. I want to know how I can get to where I want to go, by helping peers obtain their intentions. Make it known…and doors will open. Open doors deliver opportunity and possibly even more importantly…they deliver ENERGY!

I’ve said it hundreds of times. Funny what happens when you let the world in on your vision, your hopes and your dreams. Doors open, introductions are made, progress ensures. Back on track.

ACTION ITEM: Act with intention! Get a pen and get serious about what you really want out of your life, your relationships, and your time. Write it down. I’ve lived it and I’ve seen the better part of progress.

PS – I’m super excited for my next post, or maybe it will be the one after. I’ve been working on showcasing how you can bring your intentions to life visually and through a lens of accountability.

 

Grocery Store Growth

I really like getting groceries.

But, I also like to do it at 7am on Saturday morning, with earphones in and an old school hand-written shopping list in my pocket. I talk to no one as I’m usually buried deep in my own internal conversation or lost in an idea.

Why on earth would I get groceries at 7am on a Saturday?

It’s built in learning time and its systematic.

You see, getting groceries is a somewhat passive or attention-lacking action for me (just ask my wife when I come home with the wrong stuff! Haha!!). In reality, the act of getting groceries is 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted learning time for me to digest a podcast or a recent audio book.

It’s also hard to run into people with my cart when I’m the only when there and not paying full attention!

Even if my week is a complete disaster of a nightmare, there is always Saturday morning and it usually comes with the need to get groceries. I’ve even used this quiet time to listen to a recorded presentation delivered by yours truly. You’d be amazed what you pick up on when you take the time to listen to yourself present!

Don’t have enough time?

Bullshit!

I’d recommend you start to get groceries. Or mow the lawn. Or find one of 10 other mostly passive activities you engage in on a weekly basis to build in some learning time. Here are a few more I’ve been able to build in education time.

  • Daily Exercise
  • Your commute (car, train, bus)
  • Folding the Laundry <—– I HATE folding laundry…but this helps pass the time
  • Travel – if you have any work travel you have dozens of hours at your disposal
  • Doing the Dishes
  • Lunch Hour
  • Shoveling Snow (for you Northern climates in the winter)

Lastly, the choice is entirely up to you on WHAT you listen to. I get everyone needs the freedom to unplug from time to time or to take in a little entertainment. But you can’t always be looking to unplug, while simultaneously complaining you’re not advancing in your career the way you should.

ACTION ITEM: Prioritize what goes in your ears to feed your brain! Next stop, the grocery store.

Hanging on Too Tight

I was listening to a podcast last week with Tim Ferriss as he interviewed Cindy Whitehead. Here is the link. Cindy is well known for selling two pharmaceutical companies for over one billion dollars and is now dedicating her time to helping other female entrepreneurs pursue their mission.

In the middle of the episode the two are discussing negotiating tactics to win when the stakes are at their highest. Want to know “the secret” to winning?

He who cares the least, wins!

Sounds too simple right. So maybe the answer is to just care about nothing, and float aimlessly through life living like a true nihilist? Hardly. Caring the least is largely about perspective and what you are willing to lose.

In golf, one of the first things an instructor will likely teach you is the grip. Not so much the interlocking grip vs. the overlap vs. the ole baseball grip. No. I’m referring to grip pressure. Tight enough to maneuver the club, but not so loose that you lose the grip and it slips out of your hands on the range and goes flying toward that old woman in the visor. That’s dangerous. Strangling the air out of the grip doesn’t help either. Wringing the club’s neck with tension will lead to lack of flow with the swing and makes it nearly impossible to release the club head and really generate power.

Two very important words there. Flow and Release.

I can name a handful of times in my life when I’ve been hanging on much too tight. That’s called nerves, or the more commonly uttered phrase today: anxiety. For me it is usually the result of trying too hard to drive an outcome likely out of my control, but one I believe NEEDS it to happen. I also become less of my true self in the process. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it.

Pressure Balance

I’ve hung on too tight countless times in sports, with relationships, business pursuits and in my professional life. I’m pretty sure each delivered a less than desirable outcome because I wasn’t playing my game. I was playing too tight, trying to guide every outcome.

Feels like being a little league pitcher who can’t throw a strike after walking the bases loaded. All you want to do is aim the ball over the plate and have it hit the target. You’d give almost anything to make it happen and squeeze the ball with this intent. Meanwhile, the coach from the dugout yells, “don’t aim it Zac…just throw!” He’s right.  Just throw and let it go!

Hanging in there vs. Hanging on.

That’s life isn’t it? Hanging in there just enough to pursue a lofty goal just out of our reach, but not willing to give up just yet. Conversely, not hanging on so desperately so that when it doesn’t happen the result is fatal and personal catastrophe ensues.

Anyone who’s spent any time with a child knows exactly what this pressure looks like. Devastation occurs when a child doesn’t get their way or their demands are not met. We’ve all seen the temper tantrum thrown at the toy isle in Target. These are children, but I could source many events where adults don’t act all too different.

What does holding on too tight feel like?

To me, it feels like pressure. A weight vest. The game doesn’t slow down, it speeds up. Decision making isn’t as sharp as it should be. I’m pressing, pressing, pressing for the outcome. Minutes feel like hours. Days like months. There is absolutely no flow. It’s mentally and physically exhausting because when one element doesn’t hit the way the script in my head reads, it’s like a kick to the gut. Body blow, body blow…complete loss of wind. The answer feels like more effort. More hours. More grind.

Burnout.

I’ve been there a few times and usually spot it later than I’d like, but that’s not the worst thing. The key is being able to spot it. What follows is usually a deep sense of clarity, gratitude and ability to refocus on the important stuff. Focus on the “right” action, results will come. Getting lost again in the process has always worked for me.

Focus on Action > Results

If you feel yourself hanging on too tight what do you do? My recommendation is to get very honest with yourself and fear set. What is fear setting? Here is a link to Tim’s blog post on Fear Setting. Name your fears. Speak them out loud or write them down. Let your fear hit oxygen and assign value to them. Is this real? If so, what is the worst outcome? Will you die from this?

ACTION ITEM:

The quality of your life is in direct reflection to the quality of your questions. Here are a few different ways to think about hanging on too tight.

  • Why am I hanging on so tight?
  • Who am I trying to impress?
  • What is it I’m really chasing?
  • How will my life really change if said outcome does or doesn’t happen?
  • Could all the time and energy I’m directing at making this one thing happen, be better used to pursue multiple opportunities instead?

 

You Can’t Win With Scared Money

There is an old saying, one that I imagine was coined by some Maverick somewhere in the dusty desert confines of Las Vegas, Nevada.

You Can’t Win With Scared Money

I believe I heard it for the first time in my 20’s when playing blackjack. The cosmic duel in blackjack…to hit, or stay? Double down, or simply take the next card. Those of you “blackjack experts” are probably already screaming at your screen saying it is simply a math problem, which it very much is.

But so is every game in Las Vegas and any casino around the world. How do you think the house gets an advantage?

So what happens when the cards fall in your favor? There is no time to be scared. The point is to act and act with conviction.

You Can’t Win with Scared Money

Now the responsible side of me will also tell you, you can’t eat with reckless money either. Blackjack is a game built on math, but also surrounded by chance. So is life.

The randomness of the next card coming out of a blackjack shoe is similar to what will happen tomorrow. Odds are you may know, but you may also be very surprised.

I could list many times in my life when I’ve tried to win with scared money. I’ve probably “lost” or been dead before I started due to tension, fear, or anxious feelings numerous time. These examples happened in sports growing up and in college, relationships throughout life, business scenarios, presentations and the list goes on.

Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.

Fear is 100% dependent on state. I just wrote about this in my last post Red State vs. Blue State. Change your state, change your life. If I think about being in a “Blue State” I’m free, I’m quick, witty, ready to ad lib. I’m flowing, loose, and probably most important…confident.

You Can’t Win With Scared Money. I’ll also add,

You can’t be stopped when acting in positive state.

I am only 36, but I’ve already lived through numerous events where it was my turn to act…many times with the cards in my favor. Some I’ve connected on. Some larger than others. Some I let pass right on by…choosing inaction for the fear of action, and what consequences said action may hold.

In every such scenario, hindsight provides certainty and sometimes regret. I hate regret, but it’s a real thing.

ACTION ITEM: Instead of using regret to get demotivated and steal your momentum, try to use it for reflection. Why do you feel the way you do and what about this scenario is likely to happen again? When it does, grab it by the throat with some confidence and really GO FOR IT. What’s the worst that can happen?

 

 

 

 

Red State vs Blue State

Although the title of this post SCREAMS politics, there isn’t a single political position or statement in this post. Exhale. I’m thinking about an entirely different state. The difference in mental states.

Tranquilo

A good friend of mine (a teacher & successful coach) recently gave me the book Legacy, 15 lessons in leadership from arguably the most successful rugby team in history: the New Zealand All Blacks.

Chapter nine of the book is all about PRESSURE —> Keep a blue head. Control your attention.

More specifically, chapter nine outlines the impact state of mind has on championship level talent and competition when pressure sets in. Many championship finishes come down to the final minutes, efforts and decisions of equally matched opponents. The complete, the divide between winners and losers is colossal. So is the separation in mental state.

Red State vs. Blue State

Legacy defines the two mental states:

  • Red State = Tight. Inhibited. Anxious. Pressing. Results Oriented (I found this one perplexing). Aggressive. Desperate.
  • Blue State = Loose. Flowing. Expressive. In the Moment. Calm. Clear. On Task

I can tell you unequivocally when I’ve experienced wins in my life, I’m BLUE State nearly 100% of the time.

I can also tell you when things aren’t running smoothly, or “going my way”, I’m likely in RED state

Legacy goes on to outline the impact of “triggers” and getting back to a Blue State from a Red State. I’ve written about confidence triggers previously on the blog and what I specifically do to get back into rhythm.

What is a trigger? Since it’s Masters weekend, I immediately think of the 12th tee box for Jordan Spieth at Augusta National Golf Club. The 24 year old Masters champion would be a two-time green jacket winner and amongst the history of legends had it not be for one simple 145 yard hole and finding the water (twice) to card a state-altering seven. It cost him the victory.

I estimate he’ll play the Masters at least 25 more years.  He’ll face hole 12, likely 100 more times in competitive rounds. This screams RED state  if there were ever to be one. What a powerful trigger he must face every April in the swirling winds of Augusta National Golf Club.

Would you like more examples? Here are two I’ve read.

Kevin Love’s story of his panic attack earlier this NBA season. Players Tribune article His job is basketball (82 games a year).

Care for another? Do you know TV Anchor Dan Harris? Back in 2004 before a Good Morning America audience of 5 million people, he had an on-air panic attack. Here’s how he deals with it now. Again, this is his JOB!  He must find a way to get out of the red, and back into the blue every day. If you’re looking for a great read, I really recommend Dan’s book 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story

As I’m reading Legacy laying in my bed, I couldn’t help but think about my friend Tony Robbins and his demand to “operate in a peak state” to his audiences around the world. I’ve watched 100’s of his videos and almost all of them reviews in detail the power of understanding and controlling your state.  Here is an example Peak State Video, or here is a link to a more visual representation from Tony.

One of the things you’ll notice with Tony is the soul-pumping music he uses at his events. Music creates movement. Motion = emotion. To change your state, change your body.

The biggest point of impact I’d like you to take away from this post is entirely focused on the HOW. How do I get into a peak state? Not surprisingly, states are controlled by triggers.

Good states = good triggers.

Bad states = bad triggers

I’m the first to tell you, bad triggers are guaranteed to build up in life. It is inevitable. Inevitable as life and the experiences that come with it. Just look at the examples of the highly talented individuals noted above. Red states escape no one.

All that said, how do I do it?  How do I get from RED —-> BLUE

There is a word Tim Ferriss says to himself in the audio version of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich as he’s preparing for the Argentine Tango World Championships. Tranquilo. Tranquilo. I don’t know why, but it stuck with me. I use it when I meditate to calm my racing mind, and I use it every day when things get moving too fast in a bad direction.

It’s my RESET button.

Tranquilo

ACTION ITEM: There is a lot in this post, but I didn’t want to scale back from what I thought was very meaningful background. I think these are REAL issues many face today.  Red state vs. blue states of mind. Too much operate all day in the red, almost analogous to a car operating at redline. Use Dan’s advice, Tony’s teachings, and above all…Tranquilo.