We Are What Matters – We Are the Creators of Our Reality

For everything that exists two things are essential, matter and a creator. Without either of these nothing would exist. Now, it is said that we are the creators of our own reality and for each of us we have our own unique destiny. In this I fully agree. The question I must ask is that if everything exists within our reality does truly only exist due to matter and its relative creator than how indeed can I have influence over my reality?

The computer that I type on exists because of the matter used to create it and the brilliant mind of the creator – in this case Apple and the masterfully minds behind Apple. The desk that I sit at, the stool that I sit on, the light that I use and the pen and paper that rest beside me are all examples of this existence and all require both matter and a creator.

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The Past Is Not Your Future – The Direction You Take Is

Is where you are today truly where you desire to be? This is a question that should make our “great-questions-to-reflect-on-list.” This is a question I have asked myself many times throughout my life however in reflection I could never really answer it with any great clarity or certainty. There is reason for this. I also believe that it is a question that many of us don’t ask ourselves, and there is reason for this, too.

If we take the position that we are, right now, exactly where we want to be, one would assume that we are then truly satisfied in life.  It would also indicate to me that our past has included a series of ideal moments and events that have brought us to this point. Looking inwardly this certainly is not the case for me, for I have in the past and still in the present find that I am not where I want to be. (more…)

Nothing is Permanent – Do Not Let Your Past Predict Your Future

I have been hurt, anxious, and awake in the middle of the night crying. I have been in trouble, in serious trouble, I have hurt another, I have been in an accident, had accidents, been embarrassed and bullied. I have been an addict, depressed, on the brink of alcoholism, on drugs, hard drugs, obsessed, hooked and out of control.

I have been in a break up, I have burnt down a hill, I have felt guilty, dishonest, and even unfaithful. I have stolen, I have told lies, held secrets, I have told stories to make my own situation better. I have judged, I have yelled, I have screamed, I have shouted hate, abuse, and obscenities. I have hated.

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Part 1: The Change Game – To Accept or Resist

“Nothing is constant except for change. Everything is in constant change.”

Change is one of those things that many people steer clear of. Humans find it difficult to accept change and to manage change. The universe is in constant change. Our bodies are in constant change. Nothing remains unchanged.

Change may occur due to external factors or it may be created from within. I know the pain that change can cause yet I find myself continually moving myself towards it. I sometimes do not know why.

If living a successful life is simply to be happy then why do things that make me uncomfortable? You may disagree with this statement. I am not entirely sure that I agree with it. However, if we are meant to be in happiness then why is change a good thing? (more…)

I am clouded with these negative feelings that are causing unnecessary emotions. Not that I am nauseous or ill but I could almost describe it like that. It feels unpleasant. It’s cluttering my mind and distracting me from what is important.

There is no anger or hate and neither do I suffer from depression or unhappiness. I don’t feel like crying although when I sit here in reflection I kind of feel like that might actually help. I have trouble describing how I feel both to you and to myself. It exists, yet I cannot totally understand why.

This is why I reflect. I could let these feelings drag me down with them. I may get pulled in deeper however I have learnt that this doesn’t help resolve the situation but only helps promote it. Further strengthening it, like fuel to a fire.

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There is but one thing that matters in life and that is an ability to live in happiness. The secret to this life then is no secret at all. We all understand happiness and what it looks and feels like, at least I think we do.

Happiness is possible for all of us, most of the time. We will also be meet with grievance, despair, sorrow, fear, anxiety and concern as we face challenges throughout life along the path we choose to take.

It is easy to share wisdom and advice to to others such as that on how to live life with greater ease. It is much harder to admit you may not fully understand such advice let alone be able to implement it effectively.

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Your Guide to When Saying YES or NO is Appropriate

Do you say no, more than you say yes? Why? And what circumstances require the appropriate response? There is a lot of talk in the motivational field and amongst entrepreneurs about both, the power of no, and that of yes. I feel that we have an over-abundance of information available to us and this is a topic that is of no exception. There are entire books written separately for each one of these

Do I wish to further clutter this talk, not really! I wish to just shed some light on the topic from my view point to assist you in assessing when you should be saying no and when a yes, may be more appropriate.

I said yes today to waking up at 6am. I said yes to going to the gym. I sad yes to interviewing someone for my podcast. I even said yes to two cups of coffee before 1pm. I am not sure how many times I said no today but am feeling I have said yes more to the things I want to do and that I know I should. There have been a few noes. (more…)

Gratitude Practice of a Simple Mind by Leigh Martinuzzi

Being grateful is one thing, putting it into practice is another. Like anything, the more you practice at something – the greater you become. If you study a foreign language each day for a few hours, you will master that tongue. If you swing golf clubs everyday, soon your handicap will improve. If, however you practice being grateful what then do you become?

For many practices we can usually have a measurable outcome and noticeable improvement. Certainly with simple practices alone will you improve however, if you learn key techniques, you may take that practice to a higher level and with more speed. When it comes to gratitude’s what then is the measure? If then you understand the measure how can you fast track your results from a gratitude practice?

Being grateful is simply being thankful for all that you have. When you become grateful for what you have you become more content in life and less concerned about those things you don’t have. With a focus on only what you desire in life, that you are currently without, you shift consciousness away from the present moment and become less content in life. Living without is a sense of emptiness and this feeling can only cause unhappiness.

The goal then of a gratitude practice is to simple live with greater content, raise your level of appreciation for life and increase your happiness. Being grateful creates more positive emotions that benefit heath, wealth, relationships, self-awareness and love. A simple gratitude practice then has credibility.

A positive focus in life will generally result in positive rewards whereas a negative focus will bring more negative cause. The word alone derives from a Greek word gratia, which means gratefulness but also grace and graciousness. All these meanings you will find in the dictionary yet one that I found gave a particular nice meaning, was grace. Grace can mean simply, smoothness and elegance of movement. Perhaps then with a gratitude practice will we move more smoothly and elegantly through life.

There are many ways to get into a gratitude practice however the most important thing to remember, like any practice, is that you remain disciplined and consistent. If you practiced golf randomly, once or twice a month, your improvement will be less measurable compared to a practice of 5 times a week. The results of gratitude will become noticed more intensely through daily practice.

There are many ways and techniques to be grateful and again, like any practice you must seek continued improvement through learning and also adopting those techniques that seem to benefit you. What works for one may not work necessarily for another, however there are definite consistencies.

Gratitude’s can be shared through spoken word, written word, thought, pray or meditation. These methods assist you to become more aware and present while also allowing you to express your gratitude’s from within. There has been much research done on this topic and proof that being grateful enhances your peace, calmness and overall quality of life.

A successful gratitude practice may not buy you that mansion you dream of, send you on a holiday to Hawaii or get you that new Mercedes but you will likely live a much more successful life than those that have those things and who are without gratitude.

So start by writing down what you are grateful for each day. Don’t think too hard on this. You can be grateful for the rain, the food you have, and experience or opportunity received, your wife or kids. You can be grateful for having two legs, a phone, the juiciness of an orange, a bed, your thoughts, your hair, the club you are within.

If you find a first it difficult to write, then think it. In meditation you may find an opportunity to think about all that you are grateful. Do this in the morning and at night.

Being grateful for people and nature can be expressed in thought and written word but you may also choose to verbalise it. Say it out aloud to yourself, people practice this in pray. Say thank you to someone of whom you are thankful. For what you are thankful doesn’t have to be on a grand scale neither, it may simply be for the smile they gave.

Keep on learning as will I. Keep seeking improvement as will I. Keep constant and remain disciplined. Remember also to be grateful for who you are. Your uniqueness, your poise, your attitude, your heart, will be much easier expressed and received when you are grateful internally.

My gratitude practice of a simple mind.

The 4 Things I Admire Most About Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferris is one of my mentors and someone I’ve been listening to and learning from for the past few years. Why do I follow Tim so consistently instead of the thousands of others that I am sure have value to offer? It’s because I admire a few traits he holds and shares very openly.

I am sure Tim has qualities that I don’t see and traits that perhaps don’t gel with my own but that’s life. But I do believe him to be open and vulnerable.

Many of us only show a fragment to the outer world of who we really are. This is in order to protect being attacked, left open to being heavily ridiculed or judged and in safety of our ego. The perception we see of another is limited, there is a great deal we don’t see. Smoke and mirrors! With Tim I feel that what you see if what you get and there is an honest lack of BS.

I have many mentors who I learn a great deal from and the reason why I have many mentors is because I can take a little bit of something from each of them to help self-improve a little more everyday. Tim is one that I follow consistently.

One of the greatest habits of the successful, that has been proven in countless studies, is that they are great at surrounding themselves with like minded and successful people.  It is known that those that you associate with-often you become.

The relationships we choose in life will heavily affect the life we live. Choose the relationships that will only excel you forward on reaching your goals and dreams. I cannot physically meet and associate with my mentors, like Tim Ferriss however, I can, with the beauty of modern day technology, follow and learn from them.

I laugh sometimes when I notice an attitude or behaviour of mine that has clearly been adopted from one of my mentors. It’s true, habits and behaviours are contagious, as are attitudes.

If you want more good, healthy and positive habits and behaviours, then observe and learn from those that possess them. If you want bad and negative ones, then surround yourself with those that possess them.

My goal in life is to continually self-improve. To learn and improve myself each day until my body escapes me, or I escape my body.

I admit I have a man-crush! These are the three things I admire most about Tim Ferris.

1.     His mission. Tim is a life long learner and a great one. In being so he helps to inspire others to also become better learners. A perception of mine observed by the vast majority of content he releases. Blogs, podcasts and even TV shows to teach us techniques that can be adapted across disciplines to assist us in mastering an art or craft or learning, much more effectively.

He has this powerful curiosity and intrigue towards life that pushes him to ask powerful questions. Why? What? How? He then tackles what he learns through self-experimentation to deeper his learning. Knowledge without action is wasteful.

It is through this approach Tim can assess and improve effective learning techniques. Without taking what he hears, reads, or sees as gospel, Tim will test things out for himself in order to prove what’s real and what’s not.

These experiments and tests are certainly not half attempted either. He puts it all on the line; by thoroughly researching and speaking with the masters within those particular fields, he gains greater insights to help him overcome any particular barriers that may be faced.

He chooses not to learn as perhaps the way we are taught, nor does he limit his beliefs as to what is possible to learn or even how quickly we can learn something. He challenges the traditional approach to education and learning with thinking that may be regarded as outside the box.

Through all his studies and experiments in life Tim has become the expert at effective learning. When I read or listen to something from Ferriss I can be assured that its not merely just thoughts but truth based on harder evidence and fact.

Lesson for us all- become life long learners. Adapt a curiosity to everything in life you encounter, pick it apart, and take away the gold from every interaction. Everything you learn will advance you that much more helping you achieve the greatness you so desire in this life.

2.    Time Management Practices. I consider myself a highly organised person with some great in-built time management practices. I think growing up observing my mother has helped me considerably to get the most done in the time I have. With this belief aside there is always room to improve.

The various mentors that I look up to teach me various skills, some teach me how to better my mindset and attitude towards life while others I admire for their confidence. Tim has taught and helped me improve my effectiveness through increased productivity.

He has taught me how to remove distractions so that I can stay focused on the task at hand. He has allowed me to become better at prioritising so that I achieve more of my goals. There much more room to improve in this arena and I continually learn new tricks and tips from these mentors, including Tim.

Tim did a great podcast that you can find here in which he discusses some of his productivity disciplines. He claims not to be so great at being efficient but in this blog of his he explains why.

3.    His view towards the modern day lifestyle. The way I viewed money, career, lifestyle, and retirement changed when I finished reading Tim’s book The 4-Hour Workweek.

The opening chapters were so controversial to what I was bought up to believe and his views on how to approach life challenged what I thought I knew. And I loved it! The idea that we can move against the status quo and live a life by our own design was exciting.

Obviously the book is meant to inspire but also to teach us techniques on how to set up a “money machine” so that you can live the life doing those things you enjoy.

For me the book amplified my desire for freedom. Why can’t we live this life as we wish? Why do we have to do what the masses do? We don’t! It is possible to create the ideal life that you desire.

Tim’s view on things opened my mind and awakened something inside me that had gone to sleep- the drive for freedom in my life. It is really a book to encourage you to ask questions. If there is a problem, find a solution and don’t just accept the first answer you receive.

Grab a copy of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich here or download the Audible version using the ‘free book’ link below.

4.    His ability to network. He is very well known now but I am sure he would agree that it hasn’t always been this way- he had to work at it. But from my perspective what has assisted him to becoming so, is through his ability to network.

I remember him talking about launching The Four Hour Work Week and the strategy he used to get the book launched and into the public arena.

As a man with a desire to do things with the most effectiveness he researched the best way to do so and that meant attending conferences and doing a book-launch road show. This requires the skill of networking.

I am also a fan of his podcast- The Tim Ferriss Show, and the guests that he has on his show are very high calibre. This indicates further to me that his networking skills are great.

Networking is not a strength of mine but I realise that its essential on my journey so wish to only continue to improve. I will certainly observe and continue to watch Tim to see what new networking tips and tricks I can pick up.

5.    Bonus: There is no bullshit. I already mentioned this in the opening and that is I believe that what you see with Tim is what you get. I admire people who are open and vulnerable. Their authenticity shines through and they seem to lack any phoniness. This makes me want to listen to them more and certainly take their advice on-board.

This is a great quality and perhaps and is what allows you to follow and admire someone with consistently and longevity. When there is bullshit or as I say, “cheesiness”, it becomes challenging to follow someone.

Tim puts out consistently great content and I am grateful to be able to continue to learn from him.

I hope you have enjoyed my views and I would also love to hear your thoughts so leave your comments below. Until next time, peace, passion and purpose.

Speaking and Presenting: 6 Thoughts On Improving Your Presentation Skills

If you knew me when I was in school, you would question my credibility to talk on such a topic. The truth is that when I was younger I was a shy kid, unless I knew you well.

When it came to giving presentations at school I would wig out. I would freak out for several weeks prior to the event and then on the stage, I would sweet, turn red, mumble, stutter, slur and shake. I hated public speaking.

Something has changed over the years. I have, through various jobs, been forced to speak in front of people. It hasn’t been an easy transition however I have found some joy in it. I find joy in change. My nerves still exist, at times more than others, and I still become anxious yet not as much as before.

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