Life is challenging but so very beautiful. Sixteen years ago, I woke up to the reality of life — and learned that I have the power to choose how I think, feel, and act. I discovered that there is a solution to every problem which presents itself in life, and that discovery is made by living in the present moment, embracing and celebrating the beauty of life. Gratitude, love, courage, and a sense of humor all contribute to badass, kickass personal transformation. Each new day offers opportunities to grow, learn, heal, recover, and share experience, strength and hope with others.
Soup or salad. Paper or plastic.
General
6, Mar, 2012
Badassitude: Power to Choose Laughter, Fun, and Enthusiasm
28, Feb, 2012
Access Your Inner Peace and Serenity
Peace of mind and serenity can be found in the present moment. It’s simple to engage in the mindfulness process, even though it may not be easy at first. Refrain from making it more complicated or challenging than it needs to be. Start out with a small bit of time. For instance, promise yourself you can practice mindfulness meditation for one minute today. You’ll be amazed at how much you benefit from 60 seconds of silence within.
Accessing your inner peace through mindfulness brings hope, and the assurance of a future which holds possibilities for you.
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19, Feb, 2012
What Stories Are You Telling Yourself?
Never give in, never hold back. Whatever you aspire to, whatever you think you can do, jump in and do it. Wishing, hoping, and talking about it won’t get you there unless you are taking action. Even the seemingly tiniest steps forward are power in practice. My own personal kickass transformation dictionary defines “badassitude” as confidence and boldness in action, with a sense of humor. Go ahead — engage a program of action, and get into your badassitude.
Life is made up of stories. Every individual has a unique story to tell.
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5, Feb, 2012
Keep Your Hands on the Wheel!
An important step in personal transformation is to remove all negative influences from your environment. Negative relationships and people; negative self-image, outlook and attitude will weigh you down. Lighten your load, and your journey to total kickassitude will instantly become more doable and fun. For instance, when I first got clean and began my journey, I had to sever ties with all my associates. At the time, the only people I associated with were dope fiends or dope dealers. Strangely, I envisioned dealers all over town being inconsolably devastated at the loss of my “business.
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2, Feb, 2012
Embrace a Specific Vision for Tomorrow
Positive visualization is a powerful and effective tool which can help you to reach any goal, overcome any obstacle, and realize any dream. One very important thing to remember about positive visualization is that the more specific your vision is, the better your results. Attain a relaxed mental state, and charge up your positive emotions — you can do this by listening to music that lifts you up, or by exercising — anything that increases your endorphins. Endorphins, positive emotions, and a feeling of serenity will turbo-charge your visualization.
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25, Jan, 2012
Attitude of Gratitude
Attitude is everything, and gratitude is the ultimate attitude adjustment. Since 2000, psychologists have conducted numerous studies on the effect and benefits of gratitude. Gratitude, it turns out, is a very powerful and often overlooked emotion. In the words of Cicero, the ancient Roman philosopher, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues but the parent of all others.” When we live in a state of gratefulness for all that we have, all that we are, and all that comes our way, we constantly receive more things to be grateful for.
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15, Jan, 2012
Love is a Growth Experience
Ground Yourself in Love. Love is a growth experience. I’m not speaking of romantic love, necessarily, but universal love, which is the essence of life itself. You can tap into this powerful force with something as simple as music, “I love this song!” – and your whole day goes along more smoothly. Love is the all-encompassing, universal power that enables growth and discovery. Healing, change, progress and creativity flourish when rooted in love. Plato said, “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.” Here are a couple of exercises you can use to tap into universal love:
Practice Loving Yourself.
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2, Jan, 2012
Courage: A Willingness to Resist Fear
My experience working with combat veterans, as a programs counselor and presenter, helped me to appreciate and understand courage on a deeper level. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is resistance to fear. Courage is the conscious decision to move through fear to the objective. Here are four actions to manage your fears and build courage daily, and anyone, including you, can do them and get results.
Acknowledge and examine the fear. This is essential, since denial of the fear increases anxiety and compounds the problem. The unknown is always feared, so examining the fear can begin to dispel it.
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27, Dec, 2011
Addiction as an Exercise in Pain, Recovery as an Exercise in Peace
A former SNL writer, Joe Bodolai, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room by a cleaning crew. Police reported that a bottle of Gatorade mixed with antifreeze was found on a table in the room. The coroner’s office has officially ruled it a suicide. The talented writer kept a blog called, “Say it Ain’t so, Joe,” where he posted his last entry on December 23rd. In a brief section entitled, “Things I Regret,” he listed “My inability to conquer alcoholism,” and “That I am no longer able to stand any more of life’s pain.”
Addiction involves an ever-increasing exercise in pain.
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19, Dec, 2011
Kindness, Tolerance, Peace on Earth…
Kindness and tolerance, love and compassion — isn’t that what the holiday season is supposed to inspire? Too often, when I think about the holidays, I get a visual of an angry shopper pepper-spraying other shoppers in order to dominate the big-screen-tv section at a Walmart.
But so many people use the holidays to give, to love, and to care for others. Giving is beneficial to the giver and well as the one receiving the kindness and generosity. When we give freely to others, we experience positive emotions, because we forget ourselves and focus on others.