 Today, was the restart of a healthy exercise I used to practice. Many of you who have known me for sometime remember that I used to write. A LOT.
I making a commitment over the next month to reading a personal development article each day. A few times a week I will write a reflection of the article. My hope is this exercise helps you and me become more present and successful beings. To kick this exercise off, I read "The Busy Person's Guide to Reducing Stress" by Leo Babauta. I hope you find use in my writing and it inspires even a small positive change in your world. Have a happy hump day. A weekend full of adventure is not too far away. As demands in life change and grow, our stress often follows. This is not healthy and means it is time for a change. Some small shift needs to occur. But what? Something must drive our stress to a lower level, because it is one of the biggest causes of disease (dis-ease); an uncomfortable life. Here are some things we can start doing today to better manage the demands life throws at us. Each of these were inspired by Leo, but include my own piece of authenticity.
I hope one of these ideas helps make your day a little better than it would have been had you not read this article. If you found this article useful please like it, share it and send me a comment. It may sound ridiculous, but your kudos help inspire my path and desire to continue helping others live better lives. Thanks for reading. Summit as friends! Scott
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“You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” Martin Luther King
Hypothesis = If I quit my job, have more time to focus on my health and do things that truly matter to me then I will help more people and be happier.
Sounds like a great risk to take for a positive outcome, but not without first facing the fear factor. We all experience it. At times it is a great motivating mechanism and it can also be paralyzing to the point of which you can get nothing done, except psychological destruction to yourself. Recently, I experienced this catastrophization on a daily basis. At times I felt in a perfect flow and other times like an incapable individual. I felt frozen. I do not really know what the root of this was, but I do know that writing about it has helped. Almost two month ago to this day I decided to quit my job. I walked into a 1-1 meeting with my boss and gave Scott’s Last Lecture - A summary of why and how I was moving on from the amazing company that became like family to me. The days that followed included two big things: excitement and fear that was both motivating and paralyzing. I know there are other drivers of this catastrophizing thought process I take my mind through, but for the sake of this I will write about one - Quiting my Job and becoming a Lifestyle Entrepreneur, which is something I have dreamed of for years. Quitting my job so I can have the freedom to travel and work when I want, where I want and for as long as I want is a vision that drives me. I guess i’m just not willing to wait to become a millionaire to start living like one. However, the nightmare that I play through my head over and over again is a vision of failure. Of me having no money, not being able to succeed at anything and pretty much sucking at everything I put my hands on. This is ridiculous. Why? The probability of this outcome is near zero. And, even if this did happen I would dust off my shoes, get to work and make more than enough money to survive. It would not be life threatening. What steps would I take if my nightmare came true?
This list can help get you out of a paralyzing fear rut as well, but it will take work. My more likely outcome is this - I have already started steps 1-5. I am not broke. I have tons of friends and family to help me along the road of my international adventures and I am going to start a successful consulting practice to make the world a better place. My experience is only going to help me grow as a person, entrepreneur and athlete. The most amazing outcome is going to be the people I get to inspire along the way, proving that it is ok to quit your job, you really do not need a million dollars to do it and the result will be some of the most amazing adventures of your life. Additional Benefits from Quitting My Job to Become a Lifestyle Entrepreneur:
Well, you already know that i’ve quit my job. I basically fired myself from an amazing company in Bend. And, finances are the number one stress driving me wild at this time. The funny thing is: I am debt free, have monthly expenses of roughly $1000 and I am sitting on a very nice pile of dough. I also have a number of consulting clients. So, why am I so worried? Cash flow looks good, at least enough to live off of and things are looking up. To be totally honest, I put off quitting my job for years out of fear. Fear of what? Financial instability in Bend, Oregon? One of the most beautiful and loving places in the world. A place full of people willing to help me out of any ugly situation. Wow! Over the past several years I instead faced some of the gnarliest fears of all: Skiing dangerous zones, running ultramarathons, living in the woods and so much more. If I can make it through these experiences then I sure can live as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur. Making it through the hard conversation and experience of quitting my job has empowered me with the ability to work through fearful situations much easier than ever before. I strive to put myself into uncomfortable situations and listen to the fear factor in my mind that says ---> This is the hardest thing to do, the person you are trying to contact does not care to talk with you so why even bother, you are going to fail at this new thing you are going to try… and so on… The reality is that sometimes my fear thoughts mentioned above are true, but who cares. I mean really. If you and I grow and experience excitement from working through things we fear resulting in more happiness, then why not put ourselves in more uncomfortable situations? I know why ---> Because most of us hate being uncomfortable. It makes us feel afraid. We like routine. Postponing my quit notice for years resulted in damage to myself and others. My health suffered. I experienced stress resulting in many sick days and becoming a voice to negativity. This is bad all around. Bad for me and those I engaged with. I even got the joy of being sick from head to toe in Japan for a week. I learned something from all of this though ---> What you fear most and know in your gut is exactly what you should do. If something feels challenging then you should just do it. I mean go for it as long as it is not life threatening to you or others. What have you got to lose? Again I can look at wealth in terms of life balance, financial stability and happiness. It is so much more than a dollar at the end of the day. So much more. Sadly, for years I let fear of cash flow, people not liking me and failure hold me back from following my passion and desire to be a lifestyle entrepreneur. I was waiting for the perfect time. The day I had tons of money, the sky was blue and everything felt perfect. Guess what? That day came and went many times and yet I failed to do one simple thing: Take action. The perfect time never really comes, but the perfectly uncomfortable feeling does. The feeling of the unknown and the the fear of what is next. This fear is what drove me to write about dodging fear bullets. It is the same fear that prevents all of us from doing something about our dreams. The solution is so simple - Create a hypothesis and if you like what the potential outcome is then take an action. Take one small step each day toward the direction of your dreams and one day they will come true. The reality - you and I will indeed fail our way to success, but as long as we keep getting up after each stumble we will make it. What are you afraid of and what is the likely outcome if you take action?  How I made a dream of skiing powder in Japan come true and how you can make your dreams come true too ---> I write this from Niseko, Japan. It is a somewhat surreal experience to reflect on how I got to where I sit today. To realize that my childhood dream of skiing powder in Japan with some of my best friends has come true. I am incredibly grateful for all the support from family, friends and mentors along the way. If you are reading this then you are part of my support group and I thank you. We geared up, caught the shuttle to Base, hopped on the Gondola and began hiking toward G5 aka Gate 5. The moment I stepped into G5 I almost could not believe what was about to happen. My first run in Japan was in a backcountry (BC) zone literally titled the same as a digital marketing company in Bend, Oregon that I have worked with for the past four and a half years. A meant to be moment. G5; Hanazono Gate, Alt. 1050m. Extremely unstable cornices are developing above when G3 and G4 are closed, and traversing to Higashi 1 during that time is especially discouraged. Reflection on How Dreams Come True...In my reflection I found the process used for catching my best of dreams. A process that is simple and can work for you too, if only you are willing to put forth the work. It will take work.
Dream = imagination, ideas, thoughts, visions, or feelings The journey to anything you wish for in life starts with a dream. Your dreams will remain stuck in your mind without a framework and action to make them come true. I am living proof that dreams really do come true… Vision = to create a picture in your mind of something you desire in the future A vision board will help you attract the results you wish to see in your life much faster than otherwise. You will begin training your subconscious mind to take actions toward your vision. As Einstein said - “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.” Goal = result or achievement from directing your energy in a specific direction Setting goals is a critical activity if we wish to move our lives forward. Without a roadmap of where we wish to take our lives we are literally lost in the woods. Where will we go from here? - 2016 is your blank canvas just waiting to be painted. Here is a framework for guiding your daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals. After setting a goal it is important to enjoy the process, because it will take time, sweat and tears to reach your desired destination. I thought of the PBP equation one day in another reflection and it really helps keep your mind set in a positive direction during your journey toward achievement. Plan + Build + Play = Results (P+B+P=R)
"A dream doesn't become reality through magic or by mere luck, it takes sweat, determination, hard work, early mornings, emotions and so much more." To your journey towards catching your dreams..... Summit as friends! ^^^ Scott Friends and Family, 2015 was a roller coaster ride of changes for me and I am certain you experienced something very similar. Life is full of ups and downs and I accept that, as a result I am now seeking answers to some very complex questions…--->
Train Your Brain Daily G5; a digital marketing company in Bend, Oregon that I work with gifted us a daily “Train Your Brain” journal that is really simple and provides positive results…
I now practice this daily with a little salt and pepper. What the heck does that mean? In addition to the five tasks listed above I feel it is critical to review your vision, objectives, goals and values on a daily basis to start training your subconscious mind to take action even when everything seems to be working against you. I typically end my morning planning session by drawing something… Anything… A cloud, sun, rain drop, house, treehouse, mountain… something beautiful or sloppy… it doesn't really matter… What matters is the fact that you draw something to get your creative mind going...  Set Goals That Matter To You
Sometimes we have to lose ourselves to find a better piece of ourselves that we never consciously knew existed. We lose track of what matters most… family, friends, co-workers, happiness, things that really make a difference in the world. When this starts happening we need an e-brake in our back pocket… For the past several years I have used a goal setting framework created by Scott Dinsmore’s team at Live Your Legend. The framework rocks. Why? It works. It empowers us to set goals that truly matter to us and begin executing on them now. The framework takes some serious time to complete, but I guarantee you with 99.9% certainty that you will achieve everything you could possibly imagine. However, I must warn you - Your success will simply take work. Like me, you will fail your way to success; meaning you will stumble many times on your way to the top. When you are on top it will feel like your whole world is resting in the palm of your hands. You will have aligned your purpose and life; something you could have only dreamed of in the past. Start your planning today by reading this post written on LiveYourLegend.Net ---> 2016 Goal Setting & Weekly Planning Workbooks – Free PDF Downloads to make 2016 the Best Year Yet! Good luck on your journey… ---> ^*^*^ -Scott+ How do you get yourself mentally unstuck?I have been sitting here looking at my computer for the better part of an hour without much to show for it. My mind has been racing between different ideas never to really land on one and take action to complete it. You could say I got my own mind stuck in a rut and the wheels are spinning while taking me nowhere.
How do I get out? What I am doing is sure not working. Well, I guess I will just write something and publish it. It will pretty much be a conversation with myself about how to get mentally unstuck. I want a final sense of accomplishment before going to bed and a published piece of writing will fill that void. Here are steps that are working for me now. I suppose they are operating at the subconscious level in my mind, but they will begin to surface as I put numbers on this screen.
There is certainly a guru out there that knows something more about getting unstuck, but these three simple steps just empowered me to write a short article, feel accomplished and kill this machine full of abundant opportunity. Summit as friends! Scott I recently read a rather staggering article on 20 Something Finance about American work life. Simply put… We work too much.
Americans work more than any other industrialized country in the world. As a result our health, wealth and lives suffer. At one time it was thought that technology would help improve the quality of our lives by increasing our productivity. Well, it did do one of the those. Increase our productivity. Recent findings show that Americans are 400% more productive than in the 1950’s, but we are still working longer hours. According to the International Labor Index Americans work the longest hours among all industrialized countries. This is frightening and shows no sign of letting up. I see people working more hours in the workplace everyday. Maybe they think that by working more hours they will prove to their boss that they are dedicated to the company and deserve a higher position. I hear people bragging about how they have overworked themselves for the week and they are so glad it is the weekend. They do not have time to exercise, manage their finances and take care of their families. I also hear of many people that bring their work home with them for over the weekend. As a result they do not take a single whole day off from work during the week. What if we could find a bubble of focus in all the surrounding distraction? A small little bubble in our mind where we could focus on what is most important at work three days a week. These three days would be dedicated to a ten hour work / play atmosphere where people loved their jobs. Not only that, but they would be working thirty hours per week and making a full time income, receive a whole month of paid vacation and have the ability to truly create their ideal life balance. This seemingly arduous idea is part of the vision I have for my successful business. Many people would likely be lost with this much spare time on their hands. What could I possibly do with four days away from work each week? What would I do? I cannot possibly imagine what I would not do with this time. I would spend this time honing in on my ideal life balance. This would afford me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my family that others really do not get to capitalize on. I would read more books about financial independence and personal development. I would write more. My health would remain a top priority and it would be necessary for me to enjoy all of the outdoor activities that I currently do. Trail running, rock climbing and skiing would remain a huge part of my passionate life. Most importantly I would take time out of my week to spread the message of how a 3:4 work:free days ratio has been achieved in my life and work place. Is this impossible? Of course! I would not be writing about it if I was not passionate about this and believed that it could be attained within the next five years. Summit as friends! Scott Our to do list continues to get longer. We have not even finished last weeks tasks. The kids are sick. I have to make dinner. The TV is turned on and bugging the crap out of me. My pets are howling for food. And, you expect me to stay present? I mean in this very moment. Not thinking about the future, but focusing on what is right now.
Well, I am here to tell you that if you want to be happier then you really need to be in the present moment. You will find that in this place you are happier, more successful and others around you will enjoy your company much more. By focusing on what is going right now you will attract more of that into your life and you will look forward to the good things. What the mind thinks it creates. This will provide you with the mental strength and presence to respond to what is most important in this very moment. I am not saying you need not look at your past experiences in the present moment. Our past is a great indicator of why we are where we are in life. The present is a period in which we can reflect back and learn from both the good and the bad situations. Doing this simple reflection exercise will enable you to make your present better than the past. Identify areas in your past that you do not wish to repeat, situations to avoid and people that brought only negative energy into your life. Stop putting your energy into those areas of your life. Here are three simple points for your reflection on the past:
Creating the life you have always dreamed of is most certainly something we should strive for. In order to do this we have to be willing to take time out of our lives to plan for our future. This will enable us to create a future that is better than the present. Visualizing what your beautiful future could look like is a great first step. What do you want your life to look like in 5, 10 and even 15 years? Creating a clear plan to achieve our vision is necessary if we want to experience a life better than our wildest dreams. And, we must put our plan into action in the present, not in the future. Like you my mind often wanders to unnecessary places in time, when I should be present. I have found that my life is the most full of joy and success in the present, but the hecticness of life often ripples into my mind. Some great tools I have used to becoming more grounded in the present are mindful meditation, running and spending quality time in the outdoors. I hope you find your present :) Summit as friends! Scott  My goal is simple. Today, I am doing some mental, physical and emotional simplifying. I am doing this in an effort to free my life from the unnecessary and focus on what is most important right now. My life and living environment has become too cluttered. It has gotten to the point where thinking is distracted, focusing is a challenge and the need to simplify has risen. Life gets hectic. However, that should never be an excuse to complicate things, stop sorting your mail, folding laundry and putting things back where they belong. Months ago I realized one of the keys to happiness can be found in simplicity. We do not need more stuff, in fact we need less. Today, I am embracing the fact that this process will be painful. I do know that through simplicity I will find focus, success and something better than I can imagine. What is going to happen this weekend?
I will complete this list and likely more. You get the idea. There are so many areas of our lives that get filled with little nagging unfinished tasks. Over time these become mountains. And, these mountains are near impossible to climb. Do not wait for your mountain to get so tall that it paralyzes your productivity. Simplify today! Summit as friends! Scott Finding who you really are and setting goals is really quite a fun process. I recently put myself through a fairly detailed and beneficial goal setting, value seeking and me finding set of exercises. This process was time consuming and well worth the results. I am working toward a clear purpose and vision that I will have attained five years from now. My goals, values and vision are more clear now than they have ever been in the past. And, I want to share with you the process in which I went through to find out who I really am, what I value and why I am here. I really went through a collection of different books, ebooks and the exercises within them. All of them held their different purpose and helped me add another detail to my puzzle. In this article I will describe the different tools I used to come up with my goals and hope that you get some really good direction as to what your next step to finding you is. Resources for setting goals and getting clear on your life purpose: Mind Tools - Values Exercise This is an excellent exercise to help you get clear on what you most value in life. I decided to come up with five values. If I am living in alignment with these values then I am truly living a balanced lifestyle. My top 5 values: 1: Health 2: Love 3: Accomplishment 4: Adventure 5: Community Goodwill The Passion Test By Chris and Janet Attwood This book and website exercise is great. It helps you get clear on what your real passions in life are. It has inspired me to help more people in more impactful ways and take action on things that I really love doing. Live Your Legend Live Your Legend is a community built around helping others find and do work they love. Would the world not be way better off if we were all stoked to wake up in the morning and get after our passions? There are several tools on the Live Your Legend website that I have found to be very useful. Aside from the hundreds of articles and must watch TedX talk by Scott Dinsmore “How to find and do work you love” I use the weekly planner that Scott shared with everyone as well as his goal planning worksheet. Tools from Live Your Legend that I use: Weekly Planner - I do not print this, just use it as a framework each Monday morning. Goal Planner - Again, this is a great tool for setting you annual and big picture goals. I do not print this, just use it as a framework. After you read Tony Robbins book “Awaken the Giant Within” you will realize that a lot of Scott’s inspiration stemmed from his work. Tony does a great job of helping you find your physical, financial and spiritual destiny. His book is filled with rock solid exercises that will help you get clear and begin taking action now. Remember, all of these tools are waiting for you. Take the first step and find out what your values are. Keep it simple. Dedicate an hour or so of quite creative time to this exercise. You will begin to feel and see a path to your new lifestyle. I have and continue to put time aside each week to work on me. Constant and never ending improvement is only achieved if you dedicate yourself to it. Good luck on your journey to finding you. Summit as friends! Scott |
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