MY "ALOHA THURSDAY"... AWWWRITE!!!

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

TODAY IS "STEP AEROBICS" & "HYPERTROPHY UPPER BODY - STRENGTH TRAINING".

JUST GOT DONE WITH "STEP AEROBICS" WITH COACH DAWN FROM 6:00AM - 7:00AM...  WHEW!!!

MY STATS:

RIGHT AFTER CLASS...  I HEADED STRAIGHT HOME AND JUMPED RIGHT ONTO MY "STRENGTH TRAINING"

ARGHHH!!!  THIS IS SO GOING TO HURT!!!  JUMP ROPES TORTURE 13 HOURS AGO...  "STEP AEROBICS" TORTURE AN HOUR AGO...  GEEZ...  CAN IT GET ANY HARDER AND TOUGHER???

5 MINUTES LATER...  AFTER NUMEROUS BREATHING & VISUALIZATION...  IT WAS ON!!!

MY STATS:

I DID WAY MORE OTHER EXERCISES THAN WHAT WAS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO AND NOW I'M OFFICIALLY FRICKEN SORE!!!  AND I LOVE IT!!!  BRING IT ON!!!  I CAN'T WAIT FOR SATURDAY FOR MY NEXT SET OF WORKOUTS...  MORE "STRENGTH TRAINING" & "JUMP ROPE CONDITIONING".

"KEEP TRAINING" & "LIVE STRONG"...  BABY!!!

12 Promises You Should Make to Yourself and Keep Forever

Life is not all rainbows and butterflies.  It can be tough sometimes.  And you’ve paid a heavy price to get this far, so the best option is to really make it count by moving forward from where you are.  Free yourself from the world’s negativity – from the sources of ignorance telling you what you can and cannot do – by promising to look ahead, to live ahead, and to get ahead.  In other words, start making positive promises to yourself!

Promise to fight back, to fight harder, to laugh louder and longer and slap adversity back into its seat whenever it dares to stand against you.  Promise to be a force to be reckoned with – because you are a force to be reckoned with.

Make these promises to yourself, and keep them forever.

Repeat after me: “I promise…”

01.  “I will not hold the past against myself.” – Your problems, your weaknesses, setbacks, regrets and mistakes teach you if you’re willing to learn, or they will punish you if you’re not.   So let them teach you, every day.  Take everything as a lesson learned.  If you regret some of the decisions you have made in the past, stop being so hard on yourself.  At that time, you did your best with the knowledge you had.  At that time, you did your best with the experience you had.  Your decisions were made with a younger mind.  If you were to make these decisions with the wisdom you have today, you would choose differently.  So give yourself a break.  Time and experience has a wonderful way of helping us grow and learn to make better choices today, for ourselves and those we care for.

02.  “I will own my life and never deny responsibility for it.” – Through the grapevine, you may have learned that you should blame your parents, your teachers, your mentors, the education system, the government, etc., but never to blame yourself.  Right?  It’s never, ever your fault… WRONG!  It’s always your fault, because if you want to change, if you want to let go and move on with your life, you’re the only person who can make it happen.  It’s YOUR move to make.  It’s YOUR responsibility.  Own it!

03.  “I will speak kindly and consciously to myself.” – Wait, what did you just say to yourself?  Were they the inspiring, encouraging words you would speak to a friend?  Or were they the belittling remarks you might shout to an enemy if you had no heart.  Or the negative assessments about life you would utter if you had no faith?  All day long we speak silently to ourselves, and a part of us believes every word.  So stay mindful, and ask yourself, “If I had a friend who always spoke to me in the same way that I am speaking to myself right now, how long would I allow that person to be my friend?” 

04.  “I will listen to what my heart and soul is telling me.” – When something feels right, that means it is right for you (at least it is worth looking into).  And if you genuinely feel deep down that something is wrong, it probably is.  Pay attention to your authentic feelings, and follow where they lead.  When you’re following your inner voice, doors tend to eventually open for you, even if they mostly slam at first.

05.  “I will live a life that feels right to me, not one that looks right to others.” – Give yourself permission to follow the path that makes YOU happy.  And realize that some people in your life will refuse to walk beside you as you embark on this journey; they simply won’t approve no matter what you say, and that’s OK.  Sometimes when you commit yourself to creating your own happiness, it clashes with the perceptions of others.  Sometimes when you gain something great, you have to let go of something else.  And sometimes this ‘something else’ is a relationship that only wants you to do what they want you to do.

06.  “I will let go of relationships that are obviously not meant to be.” – Most people come into your life temporarily simply to teach you something.  They come and they go and they make a difference.  And it’s OK that they’re not in your life anymore.  Not all relationships last, but the lessons these relationships bring to you do.  If you learn to open your heart and mind, anyone, including the folks who eventually drive you mad, can teach you something worthwhile.  Sometimes it will feel weird when you realize you spent so much time with someone you are no longer connected to, but that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.  You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.  We all are.

07.  “I will not let any situation permanently steal my smile.” – Even when times are tough, take a moment to pause and remember who YOU are.  Take a moment to reflect on the things that have real and lasting meaning in your life.  And then smile about how far you’ve come.  Honestly, nothing in this world is more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears.  Any fool can be happy when times are easy.  It takes a strong soul with real heart to develop smiles out of situations that make us weep.  No matter how long it takes, it will get better.  Keep going.  Tough situations build strong people in the end.

08.  “I will celebrate and appreciate the life I have.” – Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.  Don’t be one of them.  Take a breath of fresh air.  The past is behind you.  Focus on what you can do today, not on what you could’ve or should’ve done yesterday.  Remember, for everything you’ve lost, you’ve gained something else.  Appreciate what you have and who you are today.  Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.  Count your blessings, not your troubles.  It costs nothing to be positive, and it changes things for the better.  Your thoughts are yours to control, so make good use of them to give your actions and your life a powerful advantage.

09.  “I will realize and use my power to make a difference.” – The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.  Don’t do this.  The world needs you.  In a world filled with doubt, you must dare to dream.  In a world filled with anger, you must dare to forgive.  In a world filled with hate, you must dare to love.  In a world filled with distrust, you must dare to believe.  And once you do, I promise, you will find that power you once thought you lacked.

10.  “I will dedicate myself to personal excellence.” – Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.  And excellence is never an accident.  It’s the result of high intention, focused effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.  It’s also important to note that excellence cannot be judged by looking at where you are at any given point in time, but by measuring the distance you have traveled from the point where you started.  It’s about being diligent and making progress – either a step forward or a lesson learned – day in and day out.

11.  “I will keep stretching myself beyond my previous level of comfort.” – Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing.  Every great success requires some type of worthy struggle to get there.  Know this!  When you’re struggling, that’s when you’re growing stronger and smarter.  The more time you spend there, the faster you learn.  It’s better to spend an extremely high quality ten minutes growing, than it is to spend a mediocre hour running in place.  Every day, you want to practice at the point where you are on the edge of your ability, stretching yourself over and over again, making mistakes, stumbling, learning from those mistakes and stretching yourself even farther.

12.  “I will embrace the changes I know I need to make.” – Life is a balancing act of holding on and letting go – of staying put and moving on.  We strive to make the right choices, but how do we know when it is truly time to move forward with our lives?  The signs aren’t always easy to accept, but they are there and you know it.  Relationships, jobs, and even the cities we live in have expiration dates.  Sometimes we hold on to what’s not working out of fear that we won’t be able to adapt to necessary changes.  And thus, the outcome is always the same: more pain, immense frustration, and lasting regret.  Be smarter than that.  Embrace the changes you know you need to make.

Afterthoughts

In a world where vows are often left unfulfilled – where making a pledge means less than it used to – where promises seem like they’re made to be broken – it would be nice to see words come back into power, wouldn’t it?  Yet, words can be twisted into any shape, so you must be careful not to be careless.  Remember this when you make promises to yourself.  Your promises must be backed by devoted action.

The image you have of yourself in the future depends on the actions you watch yourself take today.

Promise yourself and then prove it!

ONE OF THE MANY FAVORITE PLACES TO GO TO "BE AT PEACE WITH THE UNIVERSE".

AND ONE MORE THING...  THIS VIDEO WAS SENT TO ME FROM MY COUSIN TROY...

ENJOY IT AND LAUGH AWAY...  THESE BRADDAS ARE CRAZY AND FUN TO BE WITH!!!

I LOVE MY OHANA!!!

AND THATS HOW WE DO IT BACK HOME IN HAWAI'I NEI!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

JUMP ROPES WEDNESDAY!!!

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

I JUST GOT BACK FROM "JUMP ROPE CONDITIONING" CLASS!!!

ITS GETTING MORE GRUELING...  LOL!!!

MY STATS:

WE JUMP ROPES, BURPESS, SQUATS, LUNGES, SIT UPS!!!

THE FASTEST CLASS EVER...  AND PAINFUL TOO...  A GOOD PAINFUL!!!

BUT AFTER CLASS...  I STILL FELT "AWWWESOME!!!"

4 Things You Must Do Everyday

1. First thing: Meditate for 15 minutes every day.

“If we were standing in your physical shoes, we would do these things everyday and then anything else that you have time for.  We would meditate for 15 mins everyday – which means we would quiet our mind with the simple intention of allowing our cork to float.”

2. Second thing: Spend more time outside.

“We would go outside no matter what the weather and we would move around in it in appreciation of this planet.  We would look up and around and we would find things to acknowledge and we would talk about them right out loud. Esther walks through her gardens and says to everything you are my favorite, you are my favorite, you are my favorite – you are my favorite stone on the pathway, you’re my favorite bird in the tree, you’re my favorite flower in bloom, you’re my favorite flower not in bloom, you are my favorite tree, you’re my favorite bush, you are my favorite frog – you kept me awake all night, but you’re still my favorite frog.”

3. Third thing: Keep a gratitude note book.

Buy a note book and fill at least 2, 3, 4, 5 is even better, pages of positive aspects – five different subjects and write the positive aspects of it.

4. Fourth thing: get into the habit of looking up-ward and outward.

Best if you do it outside or standing in a window, and acknowledge that there are universal forces that are focused right at you. Acknowledge these forces by calling it by name – if you have a name that you like, and you could say: “I acknowledge that I am the object of your positive attention and I am appreciating your continual gaze on behalf of my well-being, and today no matter where I am, no matter where I am going, no matter what I am doing and no matter who I am doing it with I will be in conscious awareness that you too are there with me, appreciating me, supporting me, assisting me, acknowledging me, inspiring me, guiding me, having fun with me, acknowledging me, supporting me, assisting me, inspiring me, helping me, guiding me, aware of me, loving me, showing me, inspiring me, guiding me, helping me, up-lifting me, showing me, get into an endless loop of that acknowledgement and watch what begins to happen in you life as soon as this day.”

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

A CLOSER LOOK AT MOTHER EARTH... FROM ALASKA TO HAWAI'I NEI.

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

AFTER MY LAST POST...  I'M FREE FOR MOST OF THE DAY BEFORE I HEAD TO WORK...  IN THE MEAN TIME I DECIDED TO ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY IN BETHEL, ALASKA!!!

I DECIDED TO WALK TO THE POST OFFICE AND THEN DOWN TO THE KUSKOKWIM RIVER BUT INSTEAD I TOOK A DETOUR TO MY FRIEND'S PLACE TO GO VISIT HIM UNANNOUNCED AND GO SEE HIS DOGS.  MY GOOD & WONDERFUL FRIEND, JOHN SIMON APPROACHED ME SEVERAL MONTHS AGO ABOUT WANTING TO TRAIN ME TO DOG MUSH AND EVENTUALLY RACE AN EVENT.  

MY FIRST REACTION HAD ME IN SHOCK AND SCARED...  LOL!!!  BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WAS FLATTERED TOO, BECAUSE DOG MUSHING IN ALASKA IS A HUGE PART OF THE NATIVE ESKIMO LIFESTYLE.  I WAS TELLING MYSELF, "IS HE FOR REAL???"  BUT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND THIS IS DEFINITELY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE AND "WHY NOT???"  HECK...  I MIGHT BE THE FIRST "HAWAIIAN, CHINESE, SAMOAN, PORTUGUESE" MAN EVER TO MUSH DOGS IN RURAL ALASKA!!!  AGAIN...  "WHY NOT???"

SO TODAY I DECIDED TO GO CHECK HIS DOGS...



 



 

MY FRIEND JOHN SIMON IS A VETERAN DOG MUSHER AND HAS COMPETED IN NUMEROUS DOG RACES AND HE STILL CONTINUES TO COMPETE.  I PROMISED HIM THAT I WILL GIVE HIM MY BEST...  EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE IN ME TO WIN!!!.

AFTER MY VISIT WITH JOHN I HEADED OVER TO THE POST OFFICE AND TOOK MORE PICTURES!!!

ALTHOUGH MY WALK WAS VERY SHORT, THE BEAUTY OF THESE PICS MADE IT VERY WORTHY OF BEING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE PLUS THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!!!

2854 MILES AWAY SOUTH OF BETHEL, ALASKA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS WHERE MY HOME IS.  AND THE LATEST NEWS IS THE CURRENT LAVA FLOW FROM KILAUEA VOLCANO LOCATED ON THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAI'I HAS DEFINITELY MADE HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE PEOPLE OF PUNA, HAWAI'I HAS HAD NUMEROUS MEETINGS ON HOW TO GO ABOUT WITH THIS DIFFICULT STRUGGLES...  NONETHELESS...  I ALSO SUPPORT MY PEOPLE OF HAWAI'I ON THERE BELIEFS AND THEIR TRADITIONS...  WATCH THIS VIDEO:

MY PRAYERS GOES OUT TO EVERYONE INVOLVE WITH THIS EVENT...  PELE IS PROCREATING...  SIMPLY SAID...  DON'T EVEN TRY TO ARGUE.

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

HAPPY ALOHA TUESDAY EVERYONE!!!

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

TODAY IS "AEROBICS" & "STRENGTH TRAINING" DAY...  BACK TO BACK!!!

YOU GOTTA LOVE IT WHEN YOU START YOUR MORNING OFF AT 6:00AM AND BY 9:00AM...  YOU ARE DONE AND THE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...  ITS MINE TO CONQUER!!!

GOT MY CARDIO FOR THE DAY DONE!!!

MY STATS:

AS SOON AS I GOT HOME...  I KILLED ANOTHER SESSION OF "STRENGTH TRAINING".

MY STATS:

AND THIS IS HOW I FELT AFTERWARDS...  LOL!!!

I FELT LIKE MESSING AROUND AND GOOFING OFF...  LOL!!!

SO NOW I WILL VENTURE OUT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT!!!

I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS...  ENJOY!!!

5 Yoga Poses To Strengthen Your Lower Back

According to leading Yoga experts around the world, there are five yoga postures that should regularly be practiced by both men and women who frequently experience weakness or aches in the lower back region. Because the back forms the support of the whole body, it is crucial to strengthen it with the help of the correct practices in order to prevent the development of harmful conditions related to joints and bones later in life.  5 of the most important yoga poses to achieve ideal strength and integrity of the lower back include:

The Chair Posture

Created especially for the lower back, this pose is frequently seen in conventional workout routines as well because it focuses on strengthening and building all lower back muscles. Gradually increasing the duration of this pose allows offers the body a new challenge every day, providing strength to the lower back progressively.

The Cow & Cat Posture

Although this particular exercise involves the practice of two yoga poses (the cat and the cow) simultaneously, is has been named one of the finest, most beneficial daily exercise postures for both men and women. Now only does this step adequately strengthen the lower back, it also stretches all muscles of the back preventing stress related pain. The pose basically involves inward and outward arching of the back periodically.

 Reclining Twist

The reclining twist offers both, strength and relaxation simultaneously and should essentially be included in all lower back yoga.

Downward Dog

This pose is ideal for maintaining great posture and also for strengthening all muscles of the back in a single exercise.

Spinal Twist

As indicated by the name, this particular posture focuses on the spinal cord and the lower back. This posture is ideal for individuals having hectic, exhausting daily schedules because it relieves tensed muscles allowing them to repair themselves.

Namaste

AND FOR THE "IN YOUR FACE...  I DON'T BUY YOUR EXCUSES" ATTITUDE...  HERE'S SOME CLEAR & DIRECT QUOTES FOR THE POWER HUNGRY PEOPLE WHO DEMANDS TO LIVE BY THE SWORD OF HONOR & COMMITMENT.

WORDS OF WISDOMS FROM MY FRIEND, TEE-BROWN:

Never underestimate the power of a kind word, an unselfish deed, or a smile, remember we are all fighting some sort of battle. Understanding this won't be easy because we live in a sick society; we still must dare to be extraordinary human beings. Hold up the light of peace, honor, forgiveness, understanding, compassion, hope, love, and respect. Be the change you want to see in the world.

When you are a person who tries to uplift people and be about something more than ignorance, violence, stupidity, and hate, people will always question your motives. Because there's so much evil in the world it's hard believe that there's still good hearted people in the world, but they still exist.

To often the good hearted people are the ones who get hurt, they're mistreated, and misunderstood for being who they are. They're the friend that pray for you: they look out for a job for you, they comfort you when you are sick, they speak highly of you in the company of others. They are the true definition of a friend.

So if you are one of the good hearted, don't stop being who you are. The world needs more people like you in it. Having a pure heart is a gift from God; so don't allow hateful people to put out your light, let it shine. 

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL "ALOHA MONDAY"... AWWWRITE!!!

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

TODAY I WOKE UP WITH A PURPOSE!!!  I SENT MY POSITIVE ENERGY TO THE UNIVERSE AND BEGAN MY DAY...

MY "AWWWESOME" PRE-WORKOUT MEAL!!!  YEAH BABY!!!

45 MINUTES LATER...  I WENT AND KILLED MY WORKOUTS!!!

MY STATS:

"HA'AHEO"

THE LOOK OF "ACCOMPLISHED!!!" MIND THE BUSHY HAIR AND THE SCRUFFY BEARD...  LOL!!!

NEXT...

MY POST WORKOUT MEAL...  3 EGGS OMELETTE WITH FISHCAKE & GREEN ONIONS...  PLUS MY "WHEY PROTEIN & CREATINE"...  I GOTTA HAVE THEM BAD BOYS AFTER ANY HARD WORKOUTS!!!

AND MY REWARD FOR ALL OF THIS...

THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY IN BETHEL, ALASKA VIEW TAKEN RIGHT OUT OF MY WINDOW...  FALL IS APPROACHING AND THE FROST ARE HERE IN THE EARLY MORNINGS AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT...  WINTER IS HERE!!!

I SPOKE TO MY DAUGHTER KAHEALANI LAST NIGHT AND WE TALKED ABOUT HER SCHOOL AND OTHER THINGS...  SHE'S GROWN AND SPEAKS VERY MATURELY NOWADAYS AND THAT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO ACCEPT AS I MISS THOSE BABY YEARS.  I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH THOSE YEARS OF GROWING.

WITH THAT BEING SAID...  I CAME ACROSS THIS WONDERFUL VIDEO...

ALTHOUGH I'VE NEVER DONE THIS WITH KAHEALANI...  I DO PLAN ON THIS WITH HER VERY SOON...  ON MY NEXT TRIP HOME!!!

NOW ONTO MY HEALTH & FITNESS NOTES...  I'VE  BEEN ASKED MY MANY FANS OF MY BLOG, "WHAT PROGRAM ARE YOU ON?" AND "DO I HAVE A PERSONAL TRAINER?"

I CAN ON AND ON  ABOUT HOW MY TRANSFORMATION BEGAN AND HOW I KEEP IMPROVING AND ACHIEVING SUCCESS.  BUT I'LL KEEP IT VERY SHORT WITH THESE 2 SHORT VIDEOS.

MY COACH IS TOM VENUTO THE FOUNDER OF "BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLES" PROGRAM.  FOR MORE INFO, CHECKOUT:

http://www.burnthefatfeedthemuscle.com/

I MET TOM BACK IN 2004 IN O'AHU, HAWAI'I!!!  WE MET AT AN INTERSECTION CROSSWALK NEAR THE ALA MOANA SHOPPING CENTER WAITING ON THE LIGHTS TO ALLOW US TO CROSS.  KAHEALANI WAS A YEAR OLD AND I'M CARRY HER, WHEN A MAN CAME UP AND ASK ME FOR DIRECTIONS ON WHICH BUS TO TAKE TO GO SEE THE "USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL" AT PEARL HARBOR.  I POINTED THE DIRECTION AND GIVE HIM SEVERAL MORE ADVICE AND DETAILS AND ALSO MAKING SURE HE DOESN'T GET LOST WHEN HE RETURNS BACK TO HOTEL.  HE WAS VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE FOR MY EFFORTS AND GAVE ME HIS BUSINESS CARD AND ENCOURAGED ME TO CHECK IT OUT WHEN I HAVE SOME FREE TIME AND THE REST WAS HISTORY!!!

SO BACK TO WHERE TO YOUR QUESTIONS...  THESE 2 SHORT VIDEOS IS AN INTRODUCTION TO MY COACH, TOM VENUTO!!!

ENJOY AND TAKE IT FROM THERE!!!

TOM IS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT "SUCCESS" IN THE HEALTH FIELD AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE HIM AS MY FRIEND TOO.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF ME AND KAHEALANI ON THE SAME DAY I MET TOM IN HAWAI'I BACK IN JUNE 2004 - 350LBS...  WOW!!!

MAN...  I GET A KICK OUT OF THIS PICTURE...  LOL!!!

MAYBE THAT'S WHY TOM GAVE ME HIS BUSINESS CARD...  HE HAD A "PURPOSE" AND SAW A "NEED" AND HE "OFFERED" HIS SERVICES BECAUSE "HE BELIEVED" IN ME... AND NOW I PAY IT FORWARD AND WILL ALWAYS DO THE SAME FOR OTHERS!!!

10 YEARS LATER...  MAY 2014 - 240LBS!!!

KEEP LIVING!!!

10 Things to Remember When You’re Feeling Stuck

01.  Feeling stuck is a FEELING, not a fact. – When we feel stuck, typically our first instinct is to look outside of ourselves for someone or something to blame.  In reality, we ought to be looking at how we’re feeling, what we’re thinking, and how we plan to respond.  Your life is your responsibility.  While you can’t always change what’s outside of you, you can certainly change your perception of it.  And the funny thing is, when you change the way you look at things, the things themselves change.

02.  Yesterday’s bad news is not worth reliving. – You can’t have a better today if you’re still thinking and worrying about yesterday.  Whatever could have been or should have been, doesn’t matter.  Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you have one foot on the brakes when you’re thinking about the past.  In order to free yourself, you must learn how to let go of whatever old news is keeping you stuck.  Release your regrets.  Discard yesterday’s frustrations.  Refuse to entertain old pain.  The energy it takes to hang onto these things is holding you back from a new beginning.  What is it you want to let go of today?  Do it!

03.  Feeling stuck is a sign that it’s time to make a change. – It could be a change of heart, a change in your perspective, or a change in your habits.  But the point in any case is that the way you are doing things is no longer working.  Imagine yourself as a river, flowing into a great ocean.  Oftentimes a river grows narrower and appears on the surface to lack movement just before it breaks through to the larger body of water.  The same thing happens to us as we prepare for a breakthrough in life.  Our flow must contract before it can expand.  And the contraction is equally important to the expansion.

04.  What you need to do won’t be easy, but it will be worth it in the end. – If you’ve been asking the same questions for a long time, yet you’re still stuck, it’s probably not that you haven’t been given the answers, but that you don’t like the answers you were given.  Remember, it takes a great deal of courage to admit that something needs to change, and a lot more courage still, to accept the responsibility for making the change happen.  Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong.

05.  An excuse is standing somewhere between you and the next step you need to take. – If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.  If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.  This may be tough to accept, but it’s the truth.  Stop making excuses for why you can’t get it done and start focusing on all the reasons why you must make it happen.  The only person who can truly hold you back is you.  So no more excuses – it’s time to change.  It’s time to choose what’s best for YOU.  Oftentimes when we feel stuck, we are waiting for something magical to happen.  We wonder when the winds will change in our favor.  We do this instead of embracing the present and admitting the change we need to make.  What is keeping you from stepping forward?  If not fear of failure, then what?  Insecurity?  Laziness?  What is your excuse?  We all have one.  And when we focus on our excuses more than our steps forward, we walk in a circle and fall into the familiar pit we call “Stuck.”

06.  Other people’s opinions can only stop you if you let them. – If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone else, you’ve already forgotten your value.  Don’t do this to yourself.  Care too much about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.  Your freedom lies not in the physical space around you, but in your mind.  As long as you cling to other people’s definitions of your truth, your beauty, and your happiness, you will always be chained.  Thoughts that begin with, “I have to…” or “I really should…” reveal where we feel most obligated to direct our energy.  Redefine things for yourself.  Write your own definitions.  Finish your own sentences.  Find your own way.  And most importantly, listen to your intuition.  It already knows what you truly need.

07.  Authenticity is liberating. – By allowing yourself to be yourself, you allow others to be themselves around you too.  This creates an honest, liberating environment in which to live.  In a society where people love to point fingers and poke fun, you can only fight social judgment with naked honesty.  When you speak up about your challenges and open yourself up to receiving care and support, you allow others to do the same.  The truth is, we’re all in this together, undergoing the same learning process and internal struggles.  We’re all equally perfect in our imperfections.  There’s no reason to hide behind lies.

08.  Real growth happens from the inside out. – If the conditions are right, it’s easy to grow horizontally by acquiring more money, newer cars, bigger homes, etc.  Vertical growth, on the other hand, is when you stay in the same place with the same things, but grow deeper and deeper into yourself.  It’s when you can say, “Five years ago I would lose my temper in a few seconds, but now it takes all week.”  This kind of growth is more rare, but it’s the only true growth there is.  Sadly, many of us feel stuck, and we age much faster than we grow, because we focus exclusively on horizontal achievements.  We spend so much of our lives going through the external motions of what society tells us ‘maturity’ is – getting married, buying houses, working our way up the corporate ladder, etc. – that we fail to concentrate on our own inner growth and goals.  We never allocate enough time just for us.

09.  Life is a journey, not a destination. – Detach from the results of your efforts.  A lot of internal change comes about from letting go of ingrained social fears, superstitions, and doubts about what is “normal.”  By letting go of what “should” happen or what “could” happen, you free up your life to various little surprises and joys.  You may not lead the exact life you want, but you will lead a meaningful, miraculous existence, guaranteed.  Life is sometimes difficult, but it’s not a chore.  Make it an adventure.  Make it fun.  Make the choice to feel good about yourself, about your world, about your possibilities and the step you’re taking right now.

10.  You’re way stronger and a lot less stuck than you think. – Take heart, and remember that the biggest breakthroughs often come after a long period of being stuck.  Which is why feeling stuck for a while is necessary.  Embrace this.  When things seem to be at their worst is the ideal time for you to be at your best.  If you can’t take a big step forward, take a little one.  Tip-toe if you must.  Just keep reminding yourself that you are strong enough to take the next tiniest step, and that this step is the only step that matters right now.

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA