Each day presents new opportunities to hone your stress management skills and increase optimism. That’s one way to look at it, anyway, and I prefer to focus on the positive. In my opinion, it takes a true badass to embrace optimism and employ enough mental discipline to continue to cling to that positive spin, rejecting any and all negative input.
When I was on the streets, an active drug addict, I thought I knew what it meant to be a badass, but I truly had no clue. I lived my life anticipating negative events, and attracting more and more pain and problems into my already problematic existence. I suffered extreme hardships and adversity: beatings, rape, poverty, and homelessness. I was tough, that’s how I survived long enough to discover a way out of my misery and into recovery.
In recovery, I’ve learned the secrets of gratitude, unconditional happiness, and daily renewal of strength. I’ve learned about positive visualization, positive self-talk, mindfulness meditation and the power of physical exercise to renew and strengthen both mind and body. Self-empowerment and self-care are part of my daily regimen.
Recovery and Kickass Personal Transformation have taught me what it means to be badass, tough and focused enough to manage stress, practice self-discipline and stay the course.
My definition of the word, “badass,” is a relentless, unswerving, no-holds-barred application of mindfulness, love, resilience and courage to change, along with the tenacity to continue to stay the course, day in and day out, no matter what obstacles may appear on the path.
A positivity badass doesn’t worry, since worry is nothing more than the process of visualizing that which is not wanted. If you’re worrying about things that may happen, or could happen, or haven’t happened fast enough, you’re only rehearsing for disappointment, failure or aggravation.
Instead, a positivity badass stretches forward, out of the comfort zone, knowing that anything is possible, and visualizing a specific, positive outcome. A badass knows that to stay the course, you’ve got to set measurable goals daily, in addition to setting the ultimate goal.
It takes a badass to realize that complaining is as harmful as worrying, since it involves talking — or thinking — about real or perceived slights, annoyances, and setbacks, instead of seeing and using every difficulty, misstep, or obstacle as an asset, an opportunity to build more mindfulness, love, resilience, and courage to change, along the way to the full manifestation of the visualized goal.
I love badass people, people who encourage, uplift, and energize others and refuse to engage in putdowns, envy or controlling behavior. Over the weekend, I attended The National Speakers Association’s annual conference in downtown Indianapolis. I’ve been a member since 2010, and I always enjoy their meetings, but at this conference I met some real badasses.
I’m inspired, energized, and ready to stretch forward, out of my comfort zone and on new horizons. I know that my story can help others, and that my message is important and timely. All I need to do is stay the course, and embrace the badassedly positive state of mind.