Drew's Reminders

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Expect the Best

2016-12-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

“Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

Zig Ziglar

People are often quoted as saying the quickest path to happiness is to not have any expectations. There is truth to that statement because of the fact that we can’t always predict what will happen in life so we often will not realize our specific expectations. This can lead to a lot of unhappiness. To avoid unhappiness you refrain from having specific expectations but instead follow the process of expecting the best, preparing for the worst and capitalizing on what comes. Following this process will lead to a positive outcome in every situation.

Expect the Best

It is important to always expect the best in every situation. This doesn’t mean that you can completely define how things will turn out. None of us have the power to accomplish that feat. However we all have the ability to tap into the power of your mind. Expecting the best is a positive thought that will lead to positive actions. Positive actions will then lead to positive results. With this power you have the ability to get the best out of every situation because you expect it. All you need to do is simply affirm that you expect the best each and every time.

Prepare for the Worst

Expecting the best can easily transition to preparing for the worst. Preparation is a self-protective act that shouldn’t be confused with having negative thoughts about the situation. Preparing for the worst is a discipline. It is a discipline that should be followed regardless of the situation. You should always avoid expecting to access that preparation but you be should prepared anyway. It is the smart and prudent thing to do and often it is one of the hardest things to do. That is where the discipline comes in. It takes discipline to save money in case you may need it in the event of a financial crisis. It takes discipline to exercise regularly in case you may need your strength in the event of a catastrophic accident. It takes discipline to read numerous books in case you need to access that knowledge when plan A crashes and burns.

After expecting the best and preparing for the worst something will happen in your life. There will be an outcome. This will be the outcome that you can’t fully control. Now that the outcome is here you only have one job left to do. Your job now is to capitalize on that outcome.

Capitalize on the Outcome

If the endeavor was a success capitalize on it by celebrating. No matter how big or small you should celebrate your success. Share your success with others so they can benefit from it as well. Many people call this action paying it forward. Study your success and learn how to repeat them in the future. Don’t miss the opportunity to develop new habits or improve current ones when they have been proven to be successful.

If your endeavor was a failure capitalize on it by learning from it. Determine what went wrong and how you can avoid it in the future. Don’t waste time feeling sorry that it went wrong. Instead use that energy to analyze and develop plans for the future. You should also determine what went right and how you can continue to do it in the future. The overall endeavor may have failed but there are things you did well that you need to continue doing in the future. There is always something to learn in failure and don’t miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on them.

This is a simple approach to that can be incorporated on any scale. It doesn’t matter if your endeavor is a plan for a weekend spring cleaning or the launch of a billion dollar device. No matter how small or large you should approach every endeavor in your life by expecting the best, preparing for the worst and capitalizing on the actual outcome. Thank you Zig Ziglar for the great reminder.

Have a great week,

Drew

Lack of Money is No Obstacle

2016-12-06T19:32:00.002-08:00

“Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.”

Ken Hakuta

Money is critical to the success of any business. Either you need capital to get going, profit to keep going or revenue to meet Wall Street expectations. Money is a key a deliverable that most if not all companies are measured by. However, no matter if you are starting a company or working for a Fortune 100, money is not an obstacle to your success. The true obstacle for success is the lack of ideas.

What is an idea anyway? Google defines an idea as a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action. An idea in itself is only a possibility. Yet everything that you have ever accomplished is an example of a possibility that became a reality. Your current job was just an idea before you were actually in it. Whether that was your idea or someone else’s, the idea was first and you being in that job followed sometime after. Ideas are the beginning to all things created.

We Were Born to Create

Your life is unfolding in front of you every day. We were all put on this earth to create. As a result you are creating your life. Sometimes that is a hard pill to swallow, especially if your life isn’t currently living up to your desires. Other times you can be proud of all your life accomplishments that you have been able to create. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, you are there because of what you have or haven’t created.

In order to create money you must first have an idea. Therefore the idea is the root cause to success. The money is the output from the idea. The more ideas you have the better chance you have of creating the money you desire. The more ideas you have the more chance you have of removing money as an obstacle.

Capturing the Ideas We Have

The beauty of the human mind is that it is full of ideas. The tragedy is that too many of us don’t share those ideas. We keep them to ourselves. We let them come and go. We don’t capture them for analysis and future creation. We just let life happen instead of making it happen. Chances are you won’t get the results you want out of life taking that approach.

Here are some suggestions you should implement to start capturing and analyzing ideas. By implementing one or more of these suggestions you have a better chance of creating a habit that will lead to success.

Use a Tool to Capture Ideas Anywhere, Anytime or Anyplace

· A simple journal is a great way to capture ideas. Keep it with you in the car, on your desk or in your room. When you have ideas write them down. There is power in pen and paper.

· Use technology to capture your ideas

o Create a simple word document named IDEAS

o Use a mobile app like Evernote to capture ideas

o Use the notes application on your phone or desktop

o Use a voice recorder (phone, desktop, Alexa, Google Home)

o Use a collaboration tool to capture ideas from many people (Sharepoint, Trello, Google Docs, etc)

Develop a Routine to Force You to Capture Ideas

· First thing every morning

· Lunch

· Once a week, month, quarter

· Set a recurring appointment on your calendar until it becomes routine

Combine the Power of Multiple Minds and Create a Mastermind Group

· Choose 3-5 trusted and talented individuals to share ideas (combining the routine and tools above)

· Schedule an Idea focused lunch (share a meal and discuss ideas)

· Schedule an Idea focused walk (walking outside fuels creativity)

Capture ideas first and analyze them later (I’ll provide more guidance on analyzing ideas in a future write up.) Remember the more ideas the better chance you have of creation. If you haven’t incorporated a habit of generating and capturing ideas you are missing out on an opportunity to improve your chances of success. Implement some of these suggestions and witness the creations that follow. You were put on this earth to create and the more you create the more success you will have in life.

One of Zig Ziglar’s most famous quotes on money is “Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “gotta have it” scale.” Without money you will run into many obstacles in life. However money itself won’t be the real obstacle. The real obstacle will be the lack of ideas. In order to get the money you need then you “gotta have” ideas. Take some of the advice above and go get your ideas.

Have a great week,

Drew

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Be Happy for This Moment

2016-11-22T16:03:00.001-08:00

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

Omar Khayyan

According to the CDC in 2013-2014 the average life expectancy in the US was 78.8 years. Those 78.8 years are equivalent to 2.5 trillion seconds. If each one of those seconds was a moment in your life you would have had plenty of moments to define your life. However, the truth is there is only one moment that matters. It is this moment right here right now. Your life only exists at this moment. 1 second ago is a memory and the next second is not guaranteed. That is why you should strive to be happy for this moment because this moment is truly your life.

The Ups and Downs of Life

Being happy for this moment doesn’t mean you can’t be upset, angry, sad or depressed in this moment. Life has its way of bringing on some hardship. No one has gone through life without experiencing some of it. You may have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and you just aren’t feeling energized. You may be under some unexpected financial hardship that is jeopardizing your ability to feed your family. You may have been diagnosed with a health issue that could cause you pain and suffering in the near future. Any of these situations could cause you not to be happy in this very moment.

Being happy for this moment doesn’t guarantee the happiness you may be feeling in this moment. You could have had a great weekend and are still happy about all the fun that was had. Your spouse or significant other could have just sent you a loving text that has put a big smile on your face. You could have just gotten a big bonus from work and now your kids are going to have a great Christmas. You could have just had your annual physical and received a complete bill of health. You could just be that happy person who makes a point to live a happy life. Any of these situations could be causing you to be happy in this very moment.

What Is Being Happy In the Moment?

Whether you are feeling sad or happy at this moment does not define whether you are being happy for this moment. Being happy for this moment is just that. It is being happy for the actual moment. You are alive. You are experiencing life. You can walk. You can talk. You can see. You can feel. Even if you can’t walk, talk, see or feel, you can think. Being happy for this moment is a mindset. It is a way of thinking. When you are happy for the moment you appreciate this moment for what it is. You appreciate the moment because this moment is your life. No matter your circumstance you must realize that you only have one life. Be grateful for this life and the opportunity you’ve been given.

When you have the mindset of being happy for the moment you will become more engaged in every moment. You won’t take things for granted. Your senses will be heightened. Your awareness will be elevated. You become more alive. You will have more opportunities to appreciate life than you ever have had before. That appreciation will become infectious. It will become a habit you never want to lose.

How to Experience Being Happy in the Moment

The best way to experience this mindset is to simply pause. Stop whatever you are doing and acknowledge your appreciation for being alive. Be grateful that you have a life to live and you can currently experience it. When you allow yourself to be grateful you will also force yourself to know things can better. There is no limit to happiness. There is no limit for love. There is no limit for growth. There may be ebbs and flows but there are no limits. Because there are no limits you will always strive to experience more happiness, more love and more growth. A simple pause and acknowledgement is all the fuel you need.

Life is made up moments. Whether you experience 2 or 2.5 trillion it is important to appreciate every moment. When you truly appreciate the moment you will be happy for the moment’s existence. You will be happy for your life’s existence. With that happiness you will be well positioned to achieve all of your desires and dreams.

Have a great week,

Drew

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.

2016-11-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

“Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.”

Doug Ivester

Reminiscing is a favorite past time within many households. Hopefully you have been lucky enough to have some great memories of past times. You’ve had some great accomplishments. You’ve had some great experiences. You’ve witness some great events. However no matter what you have experienced never make the mistake of letting your memories be greater than your current dreams.

The good thing about memories is that they are always there. They also cannot change. They are written in your hard drive just as they occurred. Yes you can change how you feel about those memories but you can’t change the memory. That is one reason why many of us attach and hold on to memories. You can always count on them to be there when you need them.

The Impact of Dreams vs. Memories

Dreams on the other hand are not as permanent. Dreams can change. Dreams can disappear in an instant. New dreams can be created with the blink of an eye. The uncertainty of a dream can be both a gift and a curse. They are a curse if they cause pain if you never achieve them. They are a gift because of the impact they can have on your life as you try to achieve them.

The impact a dream can have on your life is much greater than the impact that any memory could ever approach. Yes you can feel good about something you’ve done in your past and draw strength from it. For example if you’ve run a marathon you can always draw on that memory when being challenged by any workout. You’ve been there before so you know what you are capable of. This is a great use of a memory.

But why are you working out? Do you just love the idea of pushing your body to limits for no reason? I would venture to guess you are working out because you have the dream of being healthy and physically fit. If you are already healthy and physically fit you most likely have the dream of staying that way through your senior years. That dream is why you are in the gym. That dream is why you set goals. You have set a goal of running a 6 minute mile because of that overall dream. The dream is the foundation for you successfully achieving that goal.

Never Waste an Opportunity to Dream

Memories are a great solution for feeling good for the moment. However, if those memories aren’t being attached to a dream that moment can go by in an instant. Those instants can accumulate over time and before you know it you could have wasted a decade reminiscing about the past. I use the term wasted because if you haven’t achieved many goals in the past decade I believe you have wasted vast opportunities. You are capable of doing so many great things especially if you have a dream associated with them.

You have dreams. You have aspirations. You have desires. The only way to get them is to define them. Once they are defined you can now begin to work on them. You can set goals to achieve them. As you meet those goals you will create some great memories. You can use those memories to help push you through any adversity you face while working on the next goal. Memories are good but they aren’t very useful without a dream. Your future will be determined by your dreams so make sure they are always greater than your memories. As long as you dream, the road ahead of you will always be brighter than anything in your past.

Lastly since you’ve decided to dream you might as well Dream Big. I’d hate for you to settle. As Nelson Mandela once said “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Enjoy the journey and have a great week,

Drew

Defining Your Purpose

2016-11-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

“Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.”

W. Clement Stone

What are you trying to achieve? I know there is something. How long have you been trying to achieve it? Has it taken longer than expected? Have you taken action towards that goal? These are all great questions that I’m sure you can easily answer. However there is one question you need to be able to answer the most. Why are you trying to achieve it? You must have a defined purpose if you are serious about achieving any goal.

Examples of the Importance of Purpose

Purpose is important because of the fuel it gives you to succeed. Have you ever been in a tough situation at work and asked yourself “why am I even doing this?” I think we’ve all been there and it’s not a great place to be. Or have you ever started something you thought at the time was a great idea but 6 months down the road after hours of work you decide to stop doing it? It was easy to stop because you weren’t getting what you expected from it right? Did you pivot and try something else or did you give up all together? If you gave up all together you probably didn’t spend a lot of time defining your purpose.

The best example of purpose leading to achievement is education. Whether you have a high school diploma, an associates degree, a bachelors degree or any post graduate degree you had a defined purpose for achieving it. You needed that education for some defined reason that you believed in. You believed without that degree you wouldn't get the job your wanted, the business you wanted to start or the prestige you desired. Anytime you had to study or put in work you inherently drew on that purpose. It was the fuel to keep you going.

Define Your Purpose

Defining your purpose means you define why need to achieve the desired outcome. The more detail you provide, the more powerful the purpose. If your purpose for obtaining a Director level position at you job is to get money for your family; your purpose is not very powerful. The power comes when you define your purpose in detail. Here is an example of a more detailed purpose for obtaining a Director level position at your job.

I am going to achieve director level position at my job so that my 3 children can follow their passions and attend the college of their dreams. If that dream is a prestigious private college at $60,000 a year then so be it. I know how important their dreams are and I have decided to do everything within my power to help them reach them. I am stopping the cycle of working for a paycheck because of skills and moving it to getting paid to work in a field chosen by their passion and dreams.

This is a well-defined purpose. It can easily be used as fuel for your achievement. It’s fuel because you will always be able to draw on it to help motivate you and inspire you to do what is necessary to achieve your desired outcome. With the right motivation and inspiration you can achieve any goal you decide to establish. However, that achievement always starts with and will be fueled by a well-defined purpose.

A Well Defined Purpose Draws on Emotion

To get the most out of your purpose there are certain traits it must include. It must be detailed and it must draw on your emotion. Detail gives your purpose the foundation it needs to be strong. The lack of detail leaves a window for you achieving less than your goal. Never be vague because you want true success in the end. More importantly your purpose must draw on an emotion anytime you think of your purpose. Emotion is the reason why I have described purpose as the fuel. When your read your purpose it should evoke common emotions such as love, happiness, passion and joy. Evoking those emotions will give you fuel to draw on anytime you think of your purpose while working on your goal.

Take some time this week to think about your purpose. If it’s not well defined it may be the reason you haven’t gotten to where you want to go. If so grab a pen and some paper, find a quiet spot and have some deep reflection on your purpose. When you’re done and have it all figured out write it down. You are now one step closer to achieving your dreams.

Have a great week!
Drew

I am a king

2016-10-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

“I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself.”

Pietro Aretino

There are many people who feel it is taboo to call yourself a king unless you rule over a defined land and people. However, the definition of a king¹ is – the male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth. Based on this definition I believe we are all kings. It is therefore important to be reminded of that fact to ensure we rule accordingly.

You were given life at birth. Your parents were there to nurture and help you grow. They did those things with the clear distinction that you would take over your life at some point. Your parents passed on beliefs and helped educate you but at the point you took over there was nothing left they could do. At some point you took over your own life because it was your birthright.

The state that we rule over is our own life. Our beliefs, thoughts, feelings, actions and results are all part of our own state². We own them. We have full rule over them. Your beliefs may have been handed down to you from your parents but you own them. You have the ability to change them. You have the ability to create new ones. Unfortunately many of us don’t take the time to fully understand our beliefs. The beliefs are there but we compartmentalized them to a point where they become buried or even forgotten.

It is important to take command of your beliefs because your thoughts are determined by those beliefs. Everything that you are thinking can be tied to a belief that you have inside of you. Sometimes you clearly know that belief and sometimes it is so deep within you that you need help to confirm what it is. Regardless if the belief is known or unknown, when you have certain beliefs you will think in certain ways. Everything that is happening in your life is impacted by your thoughts.

Your life is impacted by your thoughts because those thoughts will determine your feelings. Feelings are important because of the energy they bring to your life. Some feelings are positive in nature and therefore bring positive energy. Some feelings are negative and bring negative energy. Some feelings are neutral and bring a calm peaceful energy. Make no mistake feelings are fuel for your everyday life because of the energy they bring.

Every day you will take action. From the time you wake until the time you go to sleep. The type of action you take will be greatly impacted by your feelings. Take any example of an action you will take and think about how it would be impacted by you being happy, mad, or serene. We all do things when we are mad that we would not do if we were happy. We all have seen a calm person act very different than someone extremely happy or sad.

The culmination of all your actions will determine the results that you have in life. Sometimes you may think that a certain action caused a certain result. However, typically you are just seeing the last action before the result. Many actions you have taken have actually led to that result. Some of them are direct and many are indirect. Yet they all are important. Since they all are important you must rule over every action you take to make sure you get the results that you desire in life.

We are all kings. We have a state known as our own life that we rule. We were given that state at birth. It is ours and the decisions we make will determine the success of that state. The key aspects we need to follow when ruling over our life are to understand our beliefs because they will drive our thoughts, to monitor our thoughts because they will drive our feelings, to understand our feelings will impact our actions and to know that every action we take will determine our results. With that knowledge you now have the winning formula on how to rule over your life. Now go forth and be the king your life deserves.

Have a great week,

Drew

¹ The word king can be replaced with queen. This is non gender specific. We are all kings and queens.

²Formula based on the teachings of Life Coach Brooks Castillo
Bonus: lapel pin in photo available @ www.infinitereminders.com

Dwell on the beauty of life.

2016-10-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them."

Marcus Aurelius

This week’s quote is your reminder to pause and take in the beauty of life. In this fast paced environment it is easy to get lost in the mix of constant activity. When we are lost we often miss out on what is right in front of us. There is a beautiful life in front of you and I would hate for you not to take the time to see it. Take a minute to see your beautiful life and all the possibilities within it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you are the beholder. You can see that beauty anytime you wish, all you have to do is pause and take it in. It’s wonderful to have this ability. It’s a shame not to use it. All it takes is a determined effort to do so. You are determined to do well in so many areas of your life. Make sure you are determined to see the beauty of life as well.

There are many great ways to dwell on the beauty of life. You could simply take a walk at lunch today. While you are on that walk take notice of everything around you. Look at the trees and the beauty of nature. Think about how that tree survives year after year. Think about the value that tree brings to you by supply oxygen for you to breathe. Think about the habitat that tree provides for so many animals and insects. Think about the fact that the tree loses all of it's leaves in the fall only to return in full vibrance in the spring. That tree is beautiful and all you have to do is think and you will see it all.

While on your walk look at all the different people you encounter along the way. Greet each one of them with a smile. That smile will give that person joy. That joy may take them from being upset to being happy, even if just for that moment. The receipt of that joy may increase their joy and cause them to smile at the next person they encounter. This will spread the joy to many others. Sharing is such a beautiful experience that is available to you anytime you decide to use it.

While on your walk stop and just take a moment to practice the technique of visualization. Just stand still and think of something you desire, something you love or something you are grateful for at that moment. See yourself doing, being or interacting with that something. Visualize the beauty of that something as if it is right in front of you. Think in every detail possible. Think about how you feel in that moment. Think about all five senses you would have at that moment (taste, feel, see, touch & hear). That vision will be beautiful. For that moment the beauty of life will be right in front of you. You will be engulfed in it. You will be happy for it.

By taking one of the actions above you will force yourself to take in the beauty of life. If you follow the visualization technique you will transform yourself into that beauty as if it is happening right in front of you. The real beauty of life is that it is actually happening right in front of you. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on that. Take the time now to pause and take in the beauty of life. Every day that you decide to will have a wonderful impact on your life.

As always I encourage you to enjoy the journey.

Have a great week!

Drew

Live to be Reborn

2016-10-16T13:29:00.001-07:00

“The world is new to us every morning – and every man should believe he is reborn each day.”

Baal Shem Tov

The world is new to us every morning. When you wake up tomorrow morning you will be given the gift of another day. Every man should believe he is reborn each day. If you believe you are reborn each day you will think in your natural state of mind. You will think happy, peaceful, abundant and loving thoughts. Yes, then the world around you will start its daily assault on that state of mind. However, since you’ve decided to be reborn you will be better equipped to handle it like the champion you are.

As human beings we’ve all been given a gift. That gift is our ability to think. We get to choose how we feel based on what we think. It’s that simple. If you choose you want to be happy; you can. You just have to think happy thoughts. If you decide you want to be at peace; you can. You just have to think peaceful thoughts. If you decide that you want to worry; you can. You just have to think from a worried state of mind. If you decide you want to continue to be sad; you can. You just have to continue to think sad thoughts. It is your choice.

Choosing to believe you are reborn means you are no longer carrying any baggage with you. You are starting with a clean slate. That clean slate allows you to start the day in my natural state of mind. Your natural state of mind is one of happiness, peace, abundance and love. That is how we were all born. Worry, pain, lack, sadness and all other negative feelings arise from our dealings with the world we encounter. We allow outside circumstances and experiences change us from our natural state of mind. That is why we should make the effort every day to believe we have been reborn no matter what circumstances you may or may not be facing.

If you’ve had an epic birthday party I want you to look back into the past and remember that day. Do you remember how excited you were when you woke up that day? You were excited about all the friends that would show up and give you love. You woke up ready to take on the world because it was your day. Then you had your party and it was epic. You still remember the surprise gift that you were given and still have to this day. You still appreciated that day. You didn’t have a care in the world at that point in time. For that important day you forgot about all of your worries.

Now bring your mind back to this morning. Do you remember how you felt when you woke up this morning? Did you have to hit snooze because you really didn’t want to get up? Was your first thought on how much stuff you needed to get done today and you had no idea how you would get it done? Did your mind immediately go to that thought about the troubles you have in life, no matter how big or small? Unfortunately that was the morning for too many of us. Some people like to call it real life. I call it BS. I call it BS because whatever thought you had this morning you had the choice of thinking it. Choose carefully and choose to be reborn.

In order to choose to be reborn each day you are going to have to create a habit or routine to ensure it happens. Everybody is different so I’m not going to prescribe what will definitely work for you. However, here are some things you can try:

Put the word reborn on your nightstand. (Wooden block letters from your local hobby store work great).
Create your own affirmation and write it on a small piece of paper. Put that paper in your wallet and read it every day. “Today I am reborn.”
If you are into tattoos get reborn tatted on your chest, wrist or shoulder.
Purchase the Reborn pin (pictured above) website (www.infinitereminders.com)

If you have a unique way you remind yourself of something important daily share them in the comments. Maybe someone can benefit from your techniques.

When you wake up tomorrow morning you will be given the gift of a new day. You are also given the great luxury of how you approach that new day. You can choose to let life’s circumstance and history bring you down or you can choose to be reborn. When you make that choice you start the day with a clean slate. You can then choose to be happy, peaceful, excited and abundant. Choosing to be reborn will help you have a brighter and better day. We all could use a little help. Help yourself and choose to be reborn.

As always I ask you to enjoy the journey,

Drew

Who are you destined to become?

2016-10-03T18:33:00.003-07:00

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Decisions, decision, decisions. We make them every day. One of those decisions is determining the person you are destined to be. The older you are the closer you are to that destiny. Unfortunately, too many of us make that decision without a lot of conscious thinking and we end up somewhere we don’t truly desire to be. Make no mistake you have full responsibility for your destiny. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decided to be.

If you don’t put a lot of thought into who you want to become you will default to something. You may default to what your parents thought you should be. You may default to what the media thinks you should be. You may default to a generalization of what the people around you have become. You may default to what the people around you think you should be.

Inherently none of these decisions are automatically bad. However, they have the potential to be. The only way to remove that potential is to take control. You have a responsibility to always be in control. You must change that default decision into a conscious decision. Whatever you decide you will accomplish.

If you decide you want to be a great employee who is sought out by employers for your great work, you will be. If you decide you want to be a great parent who prepares their children for greatness in their lives, you will be. If you decide that you want to be a leader who people gravitate to for guidance and leadership, you will be. If you decide you want to be a free willing spirit that isn’t tied down by society, you will be. If you decide that will be valued by many and compensated accordingly, you will be. The list goes on and on.

The key action you need to take is to simply decide. If you’ve already decided I commend you. Job well done. There’s nothing like being in control of your life. It’s really the only thing we can control. It would be a shame not to take full advantage of that fact. If who you are today is not the person you want to become, decide today that you will become that person. That is when the magic will happen.

Once you decide I also recommend you write down your decision. Put it in a journal. Write it on a 3 x 5 card and keep it in your wallet. You can also tell someone about your decision. You don’t need to tell the world your decision but you should tell someone you know will support you of your decision. Tell your spouse. Tell your mentor. Tell your mastermind group. Tell your pastor. This cannot be a fly by the night decision. It needs to be something that you truly believe. Taking the actions above will help your subconscious know you are serious about your decision. That will help you in the tough times that are sure to come on your journey to that destiny.

We only have one life to live and we own it. One of the most important decisions you make in life is deciding who you want to be. That decision is important because we will only become who we decide to become. Whether that decision is subconscious or deliberate it is one you are making every day. Take the time to figure out what you’ve decided and if you don’t like the answer change the decision. It is the only way you will get the destiny you truly desire. As always, enjoy the journey.

Have a great week!

Drew

Run the Day

2016-09-27T17:11:00.001-07:00

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you."

Jim Rohn

The beauty of life is that when we wake up in the morning we are given a multitude of choices. You may have some circumstances that you did not choose to have but you do get to choose how you live within those circumstances. If you choose to just let those circumstances run their own course you will have no control on the impact they will have on you. If you choose to attack those circumstances the way you think will benefit you best you will control how those circumstances impact you. Either you run the day, or the day runs you.

Never lose sight of the control you have over life. No matter how things seem they only seem that way because of the way you are thinking. Always believe you are in control. Control doesn’t mean you can snap your fingers and change your circumstances.

For example, you can’t make the problems of your job magically go away. You can’t flip a switch and instantly become a millionaire. You can’t kiss a frog and make your prince appear before your eyes. What you can do is take the necessary actions to get the best out of a problem at work, a problem with your finances or a problem with relationships.

Those actions are deliberate and they are yours. If you have a problem at work don’t just sit back and get through it. Take charge so that you get through it with flying colors. If you are having financial problems take steps every day to alleviate those problems and build wealth so they never return. If you are having problems in your relationship take steps every day to make it better no matter how big or how small.

This is just a reminder that every day you wake up make the decision to take control of your life circumstances. Don’t sit back and let the day just play out as it will. Decide to take control of the day so it plays out the way you want it to. Each day that you make that decision will build you a life of better circumstances. You will be stronger. You will be wiser. You will be at peace with any circumstance because you realize you can handle anything life seems to throw at you.

When you choose to run the day, you choose to get the best out of life regardless of your circumstances. When you don’t then the circumstances you’ve been given will determine what you get out of life. Therefore you should always choose to run the day, or the day will run you.

Have a great week,

Drew

Change

2016-08-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

"Cause change and lead; accept change and survive; resist change and die."

Ray Norda

Change is an inevitable part of life. To put is simply, change makes the world go around. This quote is a reminder that you have a choice on how you deal with change. You can choose to cause it, accept it or resist it. Those are your 3 choices. 2 of those choices are beneficial and 1 is detrimental. I suggest you decide to either cause change or accept it in order to get the most out of your life.

The first beneficial choice when it comes to change is to cause it. It’s beneficial because in order to cause it you must be in charge. You must be the leader of the change. When you know what you want and cause the change that you want you ultimately get the results that you want. You will be known as a change agent. Every successful person you know has been a change agent and the only thing stopping you from being one is you.

The second beneficial choice when it comes to change is to accept it. You actually do it every year as the seasons change. Nature provides infinite examples of change that we all accept. We do so because we have to in order to survive. However there are many other changes in life that we should accept in order to survive. They may be small changes is comparison but they are important nonetheless. Accepting change keeps you a peace. Peaceful people have much better lives than those that are in disharmony.

The third choice you have is to resist change. By resisting change you don’t allow for growth. It is very clear that nothing or no one grows without change. I am not just talking simple growth like height and weight. I’m talking about growing to be a better father, a better employee, a better child, a better communicator, a better runner, etc. None of those things will happen without change. If you resist change in any of those areas you will not grow and when you stop growing you move closer and closer to death.

My challenge to you is to evaluate your current life. What are you in the process of changing? What change has been thrust open you that you need to accept? What part of your life hasn’t grown in years and what change have you resisted that has help stump that growth? Once you’ve gotten the answers to those questions you can now choose what change you will cause and what change you will accept. Resistance is not an option. That decision to either cause or accept change will help you get the most out of life.

Have a great week

The Journey not the Outcome

2016-08-07T17:31:00.003-07:00

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a method of traveling."

Margaret Runbeck

We all have the desire to be happy. It is the underlying essence of every human being. The moral of this quote is not to hang your happiness on an outcome. Hanging your happiness on a certain outcome will actually have a negative impact on the amount of happiness you ultimately achieve. The best way to maximize your happiness is to decide to be happy along the entire journey not just when you achieve the outcome.

When you make the statement I will be happy when (pick any outcome) you put a stipulation on your happiness. You are basically telling yourself something needs to occur for you to be happy. Your mind is obedient and will follow instructions. Either consciously or subconsciously you will not be as happy because that outcome has not yet occurred.

When the outcome does finally occur you may feel a flash of happiness but it won’t last. It won’t last because you will now just look for that next outcome to make you happy. This is because you have conditioned yourself that happiness is tied to outcomes. Once you achieve an outcome you will essentially start the cycle all over again because you will automatically start looking for the next outcome.

This is not to say you shouldn’t set goals. You will and should set goals. It is a part of life. However, the next time you set a goal don’t tie it to your happiness. Instead of hanging your happiness on an achieving that goal train yourself to be happy along the entire journey to reaching the goal. Enjoy the entire journey no matter how bumpy it may or may not get. Be happy that you even have the opportunity to travel the journey. Open your eyes and see every aspect of life and how wonderful it is.

For example, you may be broke and have the goal to get out of debt. Instead of waiting to get out of debt, be happy that you live in a country with so many ways to get out of debt. You may be sick and in pain, be happy you have access to some of the best doctors in the world. You may make a mistake that delays a project or embarrasses you or your boss. Be happy you have the opportunity to shine on your next project or job if you get fired. I know this sounds pie in the sky but it isn’t. You have total command over your happiness and there is nothing blocking it but you. No outside circumstance can stop you.

We go through life trying to maximize so many things we’ve placed importance on. We try to get the most sleep, the most bang for our buck, the biggest salary, the best vacations, the biggest house, the best relationships. Why aren’t you maximizing your happiness when it is the most important of all? All you have to do is decide to be happy along the entire journey and stop tying your happiness to an outcome. This is the best way to maximize and achieve the ultimate goal of happiness. As always my wish for you is to enjoy the journey!

Have a great week

Drew

Live the Dream

2016-07-31T15:36:00.002-07:00

Every day it seems that there is a news story of someone who has lost their life. It is tragic and often sad to hear about the demise of another human being. Life is a gift and unfortunately the loss of life is the worst reminder of all to that fact. Reality is we will all lose our life in the end but living our life while we have it is a seemingly rare event. Too many of us have decided somehow to merely exist.

With that reminder ask yourself how can you be given this gift and not maximize it? In my opinion, if you aren’t maximizing the experience of life you merely exist. Sure we can all get caught up in the myriad of routines and just getting things done. Our current circumstances and our perceived limitations can also discourage us. We can begin to believe that this is the best that we can do because we have tried and failed so many times. Any of these things can lead to us merely existing.

Do Not Merely Exist

My request to you is to look into the window of your soul with a truthful eye and ask yourself; do I merely exist? Are you maximizing the life you have been given or are you going through the motions? Going through the motions can be described as just surviving. You pay your bills, you eat your meals, you go to work, and you come home and watch TV.

Yes, every now and then you go on vacation or you go out and have some fun, but you don't do either nearly enough. You've stopped gaining knowledge and you've stopped growing as a person. Your relationships are no longer growing. You've lost your passion. You've become pessimistic, which you have decided to call being realistic. That is the definition of existing.

The Definition of Living the Dream

Living the dream involves determining what your passions are and then following them. It involves you sharing your gifts with the world in an effort to make this world a better place just because of your existence. Living the dream is finding a way to experience love to its greatest extent. It is being at peace with decisions you make, have made or will make. It is being able to truly forgive so that you can move forward. Living the dream is always being aware and mindful. It is taking every failure as an opportunity to learn and make you a better person. It is being optimistic that the gift of life was bestowed upon you because you deserve to live a good life. Living the dream is knowing you are a creator and creators create. Living the dream is a belief that you are the right person, at the right place, at the right time. Living the dream means you will continue to grow until your last breath on this earth.

Many people wrongfully believe an abundance of money is required to live the dream. Money may make life better because of the access it provides but it doesn’t guarantee you will be living the dream. Living the dream is much deeper that money. It is also much deeper that other people’s perceptions, thoughts or actions. Living the dream is something you own. It is a mindset. It is a mindset that will ultimately help determine your success in life.

Every Moment Counts

The only guarantee we have in life is that nothing is guaranteed. You can be here today and gone tomorrow. You can be living the dream or merely existing. Unfortunately too many people have chosen either consciously or subconsciously to merely exist. You should strive to live the dream. You should not strive to live the dream just for a day, week, month, year or decade. You should strive to live the dream moment by moment. Life is built off of moments.

When you merely exist you find yourself losing out on so many moments of life. Some of you fall into the trap of believing it will change when some significant moment will happen. You’ll be living the dream when you get married. You’ll be living the dream when you get promoted. You’ll be living the dream when your business explodes. You’ll be living the dream once you get your bills paid. You’ll be living the dream when you go on vacation this summer. I could go on and on with examples of milestones we place on life that we believe will make things better.

The funny thing about life is it can better in an instant. The instant you decide to believe your life is better it will be. The reason that statement is true is because no one else can decide how good your life is because no one else can think for you. You can think of life any way you want to. You own your own mindset. Don’t let your outside circumstances dictate your mindset. If you’re life isn’t exactly where you want it to be then take a moment to acknowledge that it can be if you put your mind to it. Then look for every little example you can that your life is getting better. Each one of those moments where you believe your life is getting better will change the way you think. Those moments will build up and multiply. Those moments will grow so large that you will find yourself living the dream much sooner than you think.

Actions You Should Take

Now it may seem daunting to determine where to start living the dream. Your life has different circumstances in different areas of your life. If you aren't sure where to start here's some advice on how to start.

Ø Pick an area of your life you'd like to work on (Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual, Social)¹

Ø Think about how that area of your life is now and how you'd like it to be. Do not take this lightly. Really spend time delving into your thoughts about the area you chose.

Ø Write down your goal for that area of your life. Writing down lets your subconscious mind know you are serious.

Ø Take action towards reaching your goal. Remember it is a mindset; therefore you need to be taking actions that improve your mindset. Set reminders, build plans, create new habits, and reach out to experts for advice. You decide on an action and take it. Take many actions. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.

Ø Believe.

We’ve been given a rare gift and that is the gift of living this life. Take action now to make sure you aren’t doing that gift a disservice by merely existing. Take action now to change your mindset to live the dream. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about how you are living the dream. Use the hashtag #livethedream to let the world know you are doing so. As always enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

¹The Six Dimensions of Wellness, 1976 Bill Hettler, MD, Co-Founder, National Wellness Institute

See People

2016-07-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

"See people not for who they are but for who they can become." This is a great quote from an unknown author. Two topics of interest come to mind when I ready this quote – optimism and empathy.

Optimism - defined as an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.

Empathy - defined as the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.

No matter whom you are or where you work you have to interact with people every day. Some of those interactions are from afar and some of those interactions are very close. Based on those interactions you have seen that we are all a little different from each other. We are all at different stages of our careers, our relationships, our health, our knowledge, so and so on.

Some of those differences are small in nature and some are drastic. The small ones usually are barely noticed or hardly thought about. However, the drastic ones have the possibility to have an impact on how we see that other person. How we see that person can have an impact on the actions we take both positive and negative. Negative actions produce negative results and positive actions produce positive results.

Since we have the ability to choose, I am a big proponent of choosing the positive. That is where the optimism kicks in. However, in order to see the positive you are going to have to have the ability to be empathetic. That often is a much harder task. It takes a certain skill to show empathy. Those of us who master it are much more successful than those of us who do not.

The potential to be great is within us all. Once you acknowledge that fact it becomes much easier to see. You will do the work to see the world through someone else’s eyes and then be optimistic that if they haven’t achieved greatness, they still have the opportunity to do so. We all do. Those positive thoughts will lead to positive actions and ultimately positive results. That collective thinking will lead to many positive results and ultimately a better life for us all.

For the rest of the week do me a favor and explore how you are seeing other people. If you don’t see them as great, think about their own unique situation and how they ultimately could be great. See them as they could be and not as they currently are. You may be surprised how beneficial those positive thoughts will be to both you and them.

Have a good week and as always enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

Thousands of Reasons

2016-07-05T16:31:00.002-07:00

Thousands of Reasons

If every morning,

You can find a reason to say,
“Yes, it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

And every day, you can find a reason to say,

“Yes, it is a beautiful day.”

And every night, you find a reason to say,

“Yes, it was a beautiful day.”

Then one day,

You’ll look back and easily say,
“Yes..it was a beautiful life.”

By Doe Zantamata

The key to a beautiful life is your mindset. I'm sure you've heard many keys to life from many experts or just people with opinions. There is no debate that there are many keys and many ways to intertwine those keys to make your life beautiful. Eating healthy, having good relationships, saving money, having integrity .... the list goes on and on. However, I believe it all boils down to your mindset. That is the basis of what this poem means to me. You get to decide whether your life if beautiful right now. You get to make that decision every day. Your life is beautiful. You can command it. You can demand it. You can acknowledge it. It is a mindset.

Yes, life may throw some hurdles at you along the way. The best way to handle a hurdle is to attack it head on. You have to explode out of the blocks with the mentality that you will successfully clear each and every hurdle along your race. Sure you may clip a few of those hurdles and they may slow you down. You may even hit one of the hurdles so hard that it causes you to fall down. If you do fall down you will get back up. If you do slow down you will also speed back up. You will if you have the right mindset. Do not let the hurdles determine the beauty of your life.

Your life is beautiful. You have so much to be grateful for. You have so many reasons to know you have a beautiful life. Yet too many times we let life’s hurdles slow us down to the point where we don’t get up. The only way to get better at getting over life's hurdles is to practice and prepare for them. That’s what the 3 approaches in the poem are doing. They are preparing you to have a beautiful life. They are building your mindset muscles so they are strong and full of endurance. By practicing these 3 different approaches you will make sure your mindset is well conditioned to take you down the path of the beautiful life you deserve. You will be prepared to encounter every hurdle along your path.

Tomorrow morning wake up and affirm it’s going to be a beautiful day. I recommend you don’t initially rely on your memory to do this either. I recommend the first time you decide to implement this action you make yourself a reminder. You know what works best for you but here are some great examples to follow.

1. Write it on a 3x5 card and put the card on your dresser or sink before you go to bed. You will see it first thing in the morning and read it. “Today is going to be a beautiful day.”

2. If you are tied to your phone put a calendar reminder in your personal calendar. Just put the topic “Today is going to be a beautiful day” and make sure you repeat the occurrence for a week to a month.

3. Tell your spouse or significant other how important this is to you and have them send you a text every morning as a reminder.

Those are just some examples. I’m sure you can come up with your own if none of them work for you.

At lunch tomorrow take a moment to acknowledge the beauty of the day. Make it a point to decide that something you see, taste, touch, hear or feel is beautiful. It shouldn’t be hard you just have to be mindful. You have to be aware. You can’t be a zombie just going through the motions. That piece of shrimp in your salad tastes beautiful. The fact that you made it through the first half of the day without issue is beautiful. That fact that you are halfway finished from going home is beautiful. Yes you can see that the day is beautiful if you just open your eyes and use your mind.

Tomorrow night, right before you go to bed, think about the things that made that day beautiful. This is the time that a journal can come in handy. You can actually write down 3 things that you are grateful for today. Those things will help you see how beautiful the day really was. Maybe you already have a routine from childhood that you can tap into like saying your prayers before going to bed. If so you must make sure those prayers express gratitude for the beauty of that day. Practicing gratitude before bed will have the added benefit of making you sleep better according to many scientific studies.

All of this may seem like a lot of hard work but I can tell you from experience the return on investment is amazing. You will build a mindset that will ensure the success and beauty of life that you desire. Life is a long journey with many hurdles. The right mindset will help you clear the majority of them. It will also help you get up from any fall so that you can get on with the your journey and the beautiful life you deserve. So go out and make these changes now without delay. If you do so will find much more beauty to enjoy throughout life including watching this year’s Olympic Games in Rio, especially the hurdle events.

As always enjoy the journey and remember everything you need is already within you.

Drew

Most of us have two lives

2016-05-03T18:40:00.002-07:00

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us.”

Steven Pressfield

This quote is meant to be a self-check for you to think about the life that you are living. Is it the life that you want to live? For far too many of us the answer is no. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean things aren’t happening just the way they should be. If you aren’t living the life that you want, have you sat down and acknowledged that fact. Have you set a goal to live that life that you want? Have you put in a process to review you plans and actions to meet that goal? Are you showing progress?

All of those questions are great ones to ask and answer. Life is a journey. It is meant to be a beautiful journey full of ups and downs with the ultimate destination of you ending up exactly where you want to be. Your responsibility is to define that destination and do the work to get there. That work is something that you must do and you must do alone. One of the most basic things you must do is to acknowledge your desires so that they can become goals. You need to take the time to write them down. Once they are written down and acknowledge you then need to add the 3 mindsets below. Without them you will find it very difficult to achieve your goals.

The 3 mindsets are:

1. Have faith you will get there.

2. Have the expectation to get there.

3. Look at every obstacle as a learning experience to help you achieve your goals.

If you don’t do the 3 things above you will be creating resistance that will keep you from getting to your desired destination. That resistance will ultimately be the reason you don’t make it. If you have resistance, find it and remove it. Having the mindsets above will help you remove that resistance. They are simple to do but they take commitment. Luckily you are well equipped to be committed. You were born to live the life of your dreams. You have the ability to create the life of your dreams because everything you need is already within you. Ask your self the questions above and if you don't like the answers you know what to do. I wish you the best and as always, enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

Fake "It" Until You Make "It"

2016-03-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't gotten a job working for ESPN College Gameday. I've never even been paid for a speaking engagement. I've never been paid to be an actor on TV. However, someone who works on ESPN, get's paid to speak or acts on camera has confidence. That is a trait I used to lack. I say used to because over time my confidence has changed. I am now more confident than I've ever been at any point of my life. I got there because I decided to fake "it" until I made "it".

Here is a fact that you need to be reminded of daily. How you think will determine your success. It is determining it as we speak. Every since you were a child it determined every major outcome of your life. Yet many of us don't take the time to work on our thinking even though we know how important it is. It is the one thing no one can take away from us. It is the one thing we can impact everyday in every situation.

As an example, no one can make you mad. You decide to get mad based on how you think about the action they have taken. When that person cuts in front of you on the highway you decide to get mad. You decide to flip the bird. You decide to yell cuss words at them even though they can't hear a word you are saying. You decide to let that one instance send you to work with a bad attitude while that person drives away feeling like nothing happened. You control your thinking. You have convinced yourself that your thinking is keeping it "real". However, you are missing the point that you create your "real". You say to yourself, let's keep it "real", if someone disrespect's me I have to get mad. If I'm broke and can't pay my bills I have to be sad. If my girlfriend is unfaithful I have to feel unloved. If my boss doesn't like me I don't stand a chance of improving my career. In your mind all of those are non-negotiable facts. The only fact is that you have decided to think like this. You could change that thinking if you wanted to. You are in total control.

The one thing we can't control is the fight or flight response that is biologically within us. That is nature's way of protecting us. It is actually hard wired in the brain to help us survive the most dangerous situations. But that response is all about protection. It shouldn't be confused with your automatic response to get mad or get upset. That actually doesn't protect us at all. In many cases it actually will put you in harm's way. Your being upset may cause you to lose concentration on what you should be doing and cause you to have an accident. It may cause you to react to a situation in a way that you wouldn't have if you would have stayed calm. There are many people locked up in jail or even worse, no longer with us, because they did something while angry that cause them or someone else harm. They did something they wish they had never done. That reaction they had was all based on their thinking.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Hindsight is defined as thinking about things after they have happened. Of course 20/20 is defined as perfect vision. So the phrase hindsight is 20/20 is representing the fact that you always know what you should have done after it happened. However, you know what you should do right now. The issue is how much will power will you have to do the right thing when you are faced with a tough decision. The only way to build up will power is to create a reserve within your mind that you can tap into in times of need. You need to exercise your thinking. The more you practice thinking a certain way the easier it will be to access that thinking when faced with a stressful situation. But it doesn't have to be a stressful situation it can also be an opportunistic situation. You must always be prepared for the best. That is why you must fake "it" until you make "it".

I'm sure you've heard that phrase used many times. It is an active way of thinking. You really aren't faking "it". What you are doing is putting your mindset into the thinking that you want it to be at when you reach the "it". If you have aspirations of being a CEO and running your own company, you must begin practicing thinking like a CEO now. That way when the opportunity to be a CEO shows itself you will be ready. You will be successful. You will create that reality because you have already been thinking like a CEO. Being a CEO is a cliche example. The same goes for being a great wife or a husband. If you are single and want to be married you must begin thinking like a great married person now. The same goes for being at your ideal weight. You have to begin thinking like someone who is at their ideal weight. You can't just sit around and wait for things to happen. You must make them happen and it all starts with your thinking.

There are many examples of good things you should think to help you be successful. You also need to practice how you will think in a stressful situation. You must practice being at peace. You must practice act of forgiveness. You must practice thinking happy thoughts. You must practice having confident thoughts. Practice is so important because it wires your brain to work the same when called upon. We all know people who have practice to play an instrument and now they can do it easily. Remember when you first drove a car? After many years of practice it just comes so natural to you. The same goes for riding a bicycle. Now how much practice have you completed that was focused on your thinking? If there answer is not much, you may want to consider how important thinking is to your success.

I've borrowed a formula from life coach Brooke Castillo because I think she has it 100% right. Your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your actions and your actions create your results. It all starts with you thinking. Get control of it and the rest will follow. In order to do that you have to get out of your own way. We tend to get in our own way by holding onto beliefs that don't serve us. That's the other part of the formula that I didn't mention. Your beliefs will have a huge impact on your thinking. Some of those beliefs were passed down to you from your parents. Some of those beliefs are yours that you developed. Regardless of where they came from it is up to you to decide if your beliefs are benefiting you or are they holding you back. This will be difficult because if you believe it you will resist thinking that it is holding you back. You will hold on as hard as you can to your beliefs. Let me make a point to help you understand.

There are many prejudice people out there that truly believe that races shouldn't mix. They truly believe that their race is superior to others. Because of those beliefs they think certain ways that aren't benefiting them. They will swear up and down that those beliefs aren't holding them back. Yet everyone reading this blog knows that holding a belief about an entire race is not a beneficial belief. If I have to convince you of that, I'm sorry you can close this browser right now and read something else. I only use such a harsh example because we all have beliefs that we hold on to in that same manner. Sometimes it will take someone outside of you to help you see that the belief isn't benefiting you. You won't be able to see it by yourself. That's where a good life coach will come in handy. It's also where a good book, a good mentor or a good blog will come in handy. If you are truly looking to improve your life you must go into this with an open mind. The first thing you must realize is that your life isn't what you want it to be because of you. Take ownership and quickly forgive yourself. You are human. Stuff happens. Once you realize that it will be easier for you to take action to improve your life. Some of those actions will be to change some of your beliefs so you can think the way you need to think to get the results you want out of life. Once you are able to think in the manner that will benefit you, you must then practice thinking that way. You must exercise your mind. That will prepare you for all the things life will throw at you. Some of those things will be bad and some of those things will be good. You must be prepared to handle both.

You may be asking yourself how do I know if my thinking is not benefiting me? If you return back to the formula I mentioned above you will see that feelings are your dashboard. If you aren't feeling good then something is wrong. If you are upset, if you are stressed, if you are complacent, if you are annoyed, if you are sad, if you are resentful...etc..something is wrong. These are signs that you need to investigate your thinking to see how you can get it back on track so that you are feeling happy, relaxed, optimistic, grateful, etc. The reason you need to do this is your feelings will determine the actions you take. Those actions are the source for all of your results. If you want great results you need to take great actions. You take better actions when you feel great. I hope you can see that. It is a formula that works. You just need to follow it. Of course we are all human and will not always feel great. We will however, always know how we feel if we take the time to be aware. That knowledge will allow you to take action when needed to get your thinking back on track so that you are feeling emotions that benefit you. This is a constant battle that we have to win everyday. I hate to use the term battle because it makes it sound bad. It isn't bad. It is a gift that we as human beings we should be happy to have. We can create our own reality with our own thinking. That is a wonderful thing that will get you wonderful results if you try. If not you can be prepared to just let life happen as it does. We all know how well that works.

So take this reminder and put it to use. If you aren't in the position you want to be right now start thinking like you would if you were. That thinking will get you there every time. Your life deserves this effort. You deserve this effort. The most beautiful aspect of it all is that it isn't a tremendously difficult effort. It's not like running a marathon or saving 80% of your pay. It just takes some awareness and will power to get you there. Both of those things bring benefits on there own merit alone. The more aware you are the more grateful you will be. The more will power you have the more you will get accomplished. So if you aspire to have wealth then start to think like a wealthy person. How does a wealthy person think? A wealthy person thinks there are always opportunities to make more money. They may not know what they are but they know if they look they will find them. A wealthy person knows they should honor their wealth by saving some of it and not spending it just because they can. A wealthy person also thinks they should share their wealth in forms of charity because they can. Most poor people don't think that way. They think it's hard to make money. They think they should spend the money and buy nice things just because they can. They believe they shouldn't give any of their money away because it’s theirs and they are worried about getting more.

Don't get me wrong, that poor person is in a bad situation. They don't have any money. However, as soon as they decide to fake "it" until they make "it", they put themselves on a path to actually achieve "it". Once they change their mindset and thinking they will take different actions. They will take a chance on a business because they know deep down it will make money. They will believe it's easy to make money if I find the right business to accomplish it. They will decide not to splurge just because. They will know they have plenty of opportunity to buy nice things and they will do it when the time is right. They will give freely to those in need because they know it's the right thing to do. They will know that by giving they will eventually receive back. It's a totally different form of thinking. However, it's a necessary form of thinking if they ever want to get out of poverty.

Your circumstance may not be that dire. You just might need to start thinking more confidently. You may need to stop thinking like a victim and accept your responsibility for your situation. You may need to change your thinking about love and how it can be maintained over a lifetime of marriage. You may need to change your thinking on your self worth and your ability to do whatever you set your mind to do. Whatever you desire you need to find the right thinking that will help you achieve your desire. You must sit down and truly think through your life, your beliefs and your thinking. If you find out your aren't where you want to be after this exercise you need to start to fake "it" until you make "it". You may have to tell yourself to start thinking like a confident person until you become that confident person. You may have to do that for all of the examples above. It may sound like a lot of work. It may sound like an insurmountable task. It is not. It is a necessary task you are fully capable of doing and one that you must do. Luckily you have a choice. I can't make it for you. I can only hope that you take the opportunity to work on your thinking. As always I wish you the best and I implore you to enjoy the journey.

With gratitude,

Drew

The power of exercise

2016-03-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the man in the picture. He’s performing an exercise called deadlifting. The deadlift is considered a power lifting exercise where the lifter takes the barbell off the ground (dead weight) and brings it up to his/her hips. If you do CrossFit I’m sure you are very familiar with this exercise. Depending on how much dead weight you decide to life this can be a very strenuous exercise. Although it is mostly a lower body exercise you do get some benefit in your forearms and lower back.

I've told you enough about the exercise itself. Now I want you to take a look at the expression on the man in this picture. If you look closely you can see the strain in his face. Just by looking at his face you can tell he is working hard. He is giving it his all. Then take a look at the people around him. They are all intensely watching. I would guess they are looking so closely because they are impressed with his technique, the number of reps he’s doing or the amount of weight on the bar. Those people are like a lot of us. We watch someone else do something, we feel happy for him/her and if we feel inspired we try to emulate his/her success. For the 10 people who do try to emulate the success I’m sure there are another 1000 that don't even try. They may deep down want the success but for whatever reason they aren’t willing to put in the work to get the success they want. They don’t even have a gym membership. They would never take on the task of lifting a dead weight.

When I see this picture it reminds me of another facet of life that I’d wish to talk about in this reminder. You see man hasn’t invented a way to take a perfect picture of that beautiful thing that can only be found inside our head. It is a feeling that permeates throughout our entire being. It is happiness. Happiness may have different meanings for different people. Yet no one can deny that someone that is happy is a peace. Everyone who wants true success has the ultimate goal of being happy. Therefore to achieve happiness you must find peace with yourself and this world. That peace will never be found if you don't take some action towards that goal. You cannot sit back and just hope it happens. You must make it happen just like the guy in the picture straining to do deadlifts to get in shape. You must make it happen just like the people watching him that will deadlift when he finishes. You must make it happen by taking the time to get peace of mind. You must make it happen by taking the time to focus your thoughts on being happy. You must make it happen by taking the time to address all of the negative resistance that is getting in the way of your happiness.

You may find yourself asking, how can I do that? There are so many approaches you could take. There are numerous exercises you can do just as there are numerous ways to get in shape. All you have to do is make the effort to find a way that works for you and then do it. If you don’t know any good exercises that you can do to help you there are plenty of people out there that you can emulate. There are books from the New York Best Seller’s list down to the free eBooks on line. There are movies on Netflix or videos on YouTube. There are podcasts on the web, on your android phone or ios operating system. There are mentors you can call that would love to share their successful techniques with anyone who would ask. You have so many choices. You just need to take action. Once you take action by accessing the information you then must take the action to use it. You can't just read about it. You can't just watch a movie about it. You can’t just listen to a podcast about it. You can't just listen to a mentor. You must take action. You must not only learn but you must implement.

For example you can find a meditation routine that works for you and implement it into your daily activities. You can find ways to acknowledge the negative beliefs you’ve acquired over your lifetime and change them. You can find ways to increase your awareness so you don’t miss out on the beauty that is right in front of you. You can find ways to learn your purpose in life, set goals to achieve it and then walk confidently in the reality that it is already achieved. You can find ways to define your life by writing a script as if it is happening right now. You can find ways to acknowledge your gratitude for all that you have so that you will receive more of it. You can find ways to share your love and receive the love from others. You can find ways to be more present in the now because yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. There are hourly, daily, weekly or monthly actions you can take to address them all.

If you take action on the examples above I truly believe you can experience the happiness I currently feel. In my past I never felt this level of happiness because in the past I never did any of the examples I mentioned above. Well maybe I did some of them but I didn’t do them with a prescribed technique. I didn’t understand the true benefit of doing them right. It’s no different than learning the correct way to do a repetition so your muscles get the most out of the exercise.

Now that I’ve learned some techniques that work for me I plan on doing them for the rest of my life. I will follow through with that commitment because I know at this moment, at this time, I am happier than I have felt in my life. That happiness is what has led to me writing this blog. I don't think a picture can really truly show you how happy I am. This would be my best attempt:

Every one of those pictures was taken within the last 3 years. That's right around the time that I began my new journey. That's when I started understanding that I need to take action on focusing on my thoughts. I learned from many books and hundreds of podcasts how to focus on aligning my thoughts so that I can find my peace. That peace leads to my happiness. I know now that only when I am at peace can I access all that has been given to me by my creator. I was born in his likeness and he has granted me the gift to access all of his power. I cannot and will not do that until I find peace within my thoughts. It doesn't matter if you believe in God, Allah, Buddha or the universe, I'm sure you know there is an abundant amount of power available to us all if we find peace within ourselves. Our only responsibility is to learn how to access it.

Please take the time to learn and implement some techniques to help you find peace within your mind. Once you feel that happiness you will be addicted just as I am. This is one addiction that is definitely good for me. It's because of that addiction I'm sitting here writing this blog. I am so happy and at peace I find myself wanting to share with others. I want you all to emulate everything that I have learned. I am humbled to know that there is a possibility I might impact one person and help them find their true peace. I don't have any expectations because the decision is all yours. It is your choice. I've made mine and I can only influence you to make yours. I can't make it for you. I can only hope that you take the opportunity to do so. As always I wish you the best and I implore you to enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

There are also some free exercises available at https://www.infinitereminders.com/collections/my-reminder?page=1

Morning Coffee - a gratitude exercise

Relieve Your Anxiety - an exercise in positive thinking

Stress Reliever - a meditation exercise

Get Your Wish - a visualization exercise

(more to come) and please look through my previous blogs for other resources.

Automobile University

2016-03-02T19:37:00.002-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

Friends, I was listening to a podcast the other day and I heard a term that I wanted to share in this week's reminder. The term was automobile university. I heard it listening to the podcast "The Zig Ziglar Show - Motivation & Inspiration to Fuel Your Life and Success". If you don't know who Zig Ziglar is you've probably seen one of his quotes at some point in your life. Zig was an American author, salesman and motivational speaker. He's from Mississippi and if you've heard his speak you can't mistake his strong southern accent. I like listening to Zig because of his storytelling talent. Unfortunately he's no longer with us but his motivational talks live on through the vast amount of recordings he made. On the podcast I was listening too Zig referred to "Automobile University" on several occasions. The actual talk I was listening too was probably recorded in 1990's.

Zig's reference to Automobile University was a suggestion to take the time spent in the car to continue your education. He made mention of people who learned how to speak several languages by listening to cd's in cars. Yes, he was partially plugging his own motivational cd's that he was selling at the time but he was also emphasizing that you can learn anything you want during the times you are in the car. What I especially liked is the fact that he said you could even involve your kids in the learning when they were in the car too. Well times have changed and they have gotten much better. The Internet has changed the game. It's changed the game because it allows digital content to be accessed so much easier. My car may have a cd player in it but it barely get's used. Because of today's technology I can access digital content from numerous devices. The primary device I happen to use is my mobile phone. It's a great way to put my unlimited data plan to use.

I live about 23 miles door to door from my house to work. In a rural area that might not seem too bad. However, I live in the metropolitan Atlanta area so those 23 miles take anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours because I drive the same time as millions of others. During non-peak hours it can be 30 - 40 minutes. I decided about 3 years ago to start using that time to benefit me versus just letting it be a waste. Prior to that decision I just used that time to listen to the radio or take the occasional phone call. Yes those phone calls could have been beneficial but listening to the radio for the most part was not. I wasn't learning anything. I wasn't improving my life. I was just listening to the latest song and the latest commercials. Yes there were radio personalities on talk shows that discussed some relevant topics but even then I was held subject to their goal of entertaining the listeners. Entertainment is wonderful but I don't think it was valuable 5 days a week. When they did have an inspirational topic or a intriguing discussion I always enjoyed it. It just wasn't frequent enough. Something was missing and I didn't realize it until I was introduced to podcasts. That introduction changed my life.

I was first introduced to podcasts when I was training for a marathon. Even though I was in good physical shape and had been working out for years, I knew nothing about training for a marathon. I went online and found some tips and training regimens. During those searches I found a podcast by an ultra runner. An ultra runner is someone who runs more than the standard marathon length of 26.2 miles. I figured whatever I learned from them would be beneficial since I only needed to run 26.2 miles. Before this time I'd never listened to someone speak about a topic this long without being in a meeting, watching television or attending an event. I actually got a lot out of listening to those podcasts. I learned some techniques. I got motivated. Eventually it lead to me successfully running 2 marathons myself.

But after the last marathon I didn't have a goal in mind when I searched for podcasts so I just found myself listening to random stuff. That wasn't very motivating so I went back to just listening to the radio. Lucky for me I bought the book the Secret which lead me to the fascination of wanting to learn about the Law of Attraction. What better way to learn than to search for a podcast? Once I did that I hit the jackpot. I've been going strong ever since. I've been a student a full time student of automobile university. Right now I have a list of 5 podcasts I listen to every week. Each of the podcast owners has a different number of podcasts they produce each week so it helps me get through 5 days with new learning. Let me be clear. There are days when I just want to listen to Pandora or even drive in silence, but 75% of time I'm in "automobile university". Most of the topics I discuss in this blog come from those podcasts. So here's the list if you are curious:

1. Think, Believe and Manifest! by Constance Arnold

2. The Life Coach School Podcast with Brooke Castillo

3. The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

4. The Ziglar Show Motivation & Inspiration to Fuel Your Life and Success

5. Joel Olsteen Podcast

I've listen to all 300 of Constance's podcasts. I just started listening to Joel Olsteen. I love the logic of Brooke Castillo and Lewis Howes has some great guests he interviews. Automobile is having a great impact on my life. I am learning. I learn new things every week. Well actually I might not be learning anything. I get reminded new things every week. I call it reminder because I truly believe that everything we need is already within us. I've always known I had potential. What I'm getting from automobile is the confirmation that none of us can do it alone. We all need some support at some point. My support comes from these podcasts. They serve as a mentor to me even if I'm not directly meeting with the podcast owners or people being interviewed. I'm happy they are a part of my life and I know I'm better of because of the content they have decided to share. The reason I'm telling this story about me is that I want you get the same experience I have it you want it.

The time you spend in your automobile is a great time to feed your mind and educate yourself. In my case that's a minimum of 10 hours a week. What if I only listened to music? What would 10 hours of listening to music do for my life? Compare that to 10 hours of listening to podcasts, audible books or educational cd's. What can that do? Let's say I get and get one nugget of inspiration from all of that content. That one nugget could do so many things to improve my life. That nugget could help me be a better man, a better father, a better husband, and a better co-worker. I can promise you I have gotten many nuggets of inspiration and it has helped me be better in all those areas. Some of you may think I would have gotten there without it. Some of you may think that was already me and I just didn't see it. Whatever you may think, I know the impact that automobile university has had on me and that's why I stay enrolled in it.

I get a great experience from attending class all the time. Sometimes it's motivation, sometimes it's peace or it can also be as simple as an acknowledgment that I'm on the right path. You may think its boring. You may think you would rather listen to something to get you hype. Well what has your hype from listening to music done for you over the last 10 years? What hype song can you point to that has changed your life? You may not care. That's your decision. Now think of a book you've read that has changed your life over the last ten years? I'm sure there's one. If not you can find one. What mentor has changed your life over the last ten years? I'm sure there's one. If not you can find one. The beauty of automobile university is you can actually find that book or that mentor everyday while driving to work.

Are you satisfied with your life? Are you looking for a change? If not then you won't be motivated to attend automobile university. That is your choice and you are empowered to make it. For those of you who are looking for change and resources to help you do so, I highly recommend automobile university. If you have a dream or an aspiration that hasn't been met there is another tool you can add to your toolkit to help you along the way. That tool is automobile university. If it’s not a car then call it public transportation university. Call it going for a walk university. Call it flying on a plane university. The next time you want to spend an hour listening to the radio ask yourself "have I gotten in all of my university time yet?"

Consider this your reminder to be proactive and stop waiting on life. Go out and make a life. Use automobile university to help you along the way. There is an education right at your fingertips and all you have to do is turn off the radio to access it. As always, I wish you the best and enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew

I love my life, every minute of it.

2016-02-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

I love my life, every minute of it. I have this phrase affixed to my car. The same car I wash every week. As with many men, my car is my pride and joy. I get a special feeling when I see it. Yes, I am that guy that drives down the storefronts of a shopping center and look at the reflection of my car. I say to myself, “yeah that’s me.” To hear all of this you would think I drive a 2016 Bentley. However that’s not the case. I drive a 2008 and it’s paid for. I have no intention of replacing it just to have something newer. Yes, I have a desire for a convertible but I know it will come when the time is right and I’m completely happy with that. I tell you all of that so you understand what a big deal it is for me to affix anything to my car.

I chose to affix “I love my life, every minute of it.” to my car as a reminder. I know that I will get in my car at least 85% of any given year when I factor in current business and personal travel time. Many of these days I will do so multiple times. Each one of those times I will walk by my rear window and read, “I love my life, every minute of it.” It makes me smile. It gives me confidence. It gives me peace. One of the best feelings is when someone sees it in the parking lot and comments on it. Those comments are typically; “wow, that really makes me think” or “I love it”.

Yet, I know there are some of you who are saying; “yeah I love my life but every minute of it? Come on be real.” I understand your sentiment. What about the times of crisis in my life? I have them just like everyone else. The times when my health is failing, the times when I am in financial crisis, the times when my relationships are failing and so on and so on. Those times hurt me just like they hurt you. The naysayer would say to me “you don’t love those minutes of your life.” Sometimes they aren’t even minutes. Those times of crisis could be days, weeks or even months. I couldn’t possibly love my life during those times could I? 3 years ago I would have agreed that I don't love my life during those times. Fortunately, 3 years ago I started to I began what I like to call my enlightenment. I began to understand my life and how I want to live it. I learned that I truly create my own reality. I took responsibility for the good and the bad. With that new accepted responsibility I decided that I needed to change the way I thought about many things in my life.

  One of the first changes I decided to make was to begin to truly love myself. Not just love myself but love myself unconditionally. That meant that every "bad" decision I made in my past or may make in my future would be forgiven. It didn't stop at forgiveness. I also decided that it didn't have to be "bad". Every failure I have had was a part of me and their best use was in making me better. I took responsibility for my failures and I also decided they were part of life. They were part of a life that I love. One definition of love is "the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration". Webster's give the example "baseball was his first love". That is exactly how I see my life. I am attached to my life. I am devoted to my life. I have the deepest admiration for my life. I have to. I can't count on anyone else to do it for me. I can't provide true love to anyone else if I can't provide it to my life first. For those of you that are married you took a vow to love and to cherish, until death do you part. That is only possible if you love and cherish your own life first.

So yes, "I love my life, every minute of it." It is important for me to do so. It warrants a reminder so I never let myself forget it. I believe it warrants a reminder because there are multiple forces in this world that could make me forget it if I allowed them. To prevent that from happening I decided to place that reminder somewhere that I know I would see it often. I put that reminder on my beloved car. I am grateful that every time I see it, I get to feel a little bit of peace. It makes me smile. It makes me feel confident that I'm ready to face whatever is coming my way. I look forward to the day when I see it first thing in the morning. I feel grateful for the day when I see it on my way home from work. I feel happy to walk into my wonderful home to see my beautiful family when I see it as park my car at home.

There you have it. I love my life, every minute of it. You are welcome to join me. I'm not asking you to put a vinyl decal on your car. I am asking you to think about the importance of loving your life. Especially the importance it has to the quality of your life. You know the only thing I want is for your life to be of the best quality possible. That's why I think you should love your life, every minute of it. You decide. I'm here to support any decision you make. As always, I wish you the best and implore you to enjoy the journey.

With gratitude,

Drew

What to do when I'm worried?

2016-02-11T17:20:00.001-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

The act of worrying has never helped you have success in any situation you’ve ever been placed in. Think back to any situation in your past. You lost your job and you were worried about how you would replace that income. Worry didn’t help you replace that income. You were sick and the doctor’s didn’t know what it was or how bad it would get. Worry didn’t help you get healthy. You failed a class and you were worried if you would still graduate on time. Worry didn’t help you graduate. You were given a target plan at work that you thought was unachievable and you were worried you wouldn’t get a bonus because of it. Worry didn’t help you achieve that target or get your bonus.

The only thing that can help you in any of those situations above is to focus. After you lose your job you must now focus on replacing that income. When you are sick you need to focus on getting healthy. When you fail a class you must focus on how you will still graduate on time. When you have what you think is an unachievable target you must focus on how you can achieve it and still get your bonus.

However, that initial worry still has value. It has value because it allows you to acknowledge your fear. That acknowledgement can help you quickly move to focus and faith. How so? Think about the situation. What are you worried about? What do you fear? Next, think about what you are confident about. Whatever you are confident about is where you should focus. Acknowledge the fear, focus on what you are confident about and have faith it will all work out.

Here are some examples:

Situation	Your Fear	Confident that?	Where should you focus?
Lost your job	□ You will run out of money and can’t pay your bills □ You won’t find a job □ You won’t find a job paying you enough money	□ There are numerous ways to make money in America. □ There is a job market out there with job openings. □ You have experience that demands a salary you desire. □ People lose their jobs every day and they bounce back.	□ Ways to make money in America. □ Job openings in the market and how to find them. □ How to market your experience to demand the salary you desire. □ How others have bounced back from similar situations.
Sick and don’t know how bad it is	□ You could have a terminal disease □ You could lose some function of your body permanently □ You could have to miss work □ You could have so much pain you can’t handle it.	□ There are great doctors out there that can help me. □ I’ve been sick before and survived. □ My body needs my positive attitude now more than ever.	□ Finding great doctors who have had success in these type of situations. □ How did I survive my other sicknesses? □ How can I stay positive because I know my body needs it?
Failed a class	□ You won’t graduate □ You will be highly stressed	□ There are numerous resources (coaches, mentors, tools, techniques) that you can tap into to assist you in your efforts. □ You are not alone. □ You have passed many other courses in the past.	□ What are numerous resources (coaches, mentors, tools, techniques) that I can tap into? □ How have I passed other courses in the past.
Given a target you believe is unachievable	□ You won’t achieve the target □ You won’t get your bonus □ You will be highly stressed the entire time □ You will be blamed for not making target	□ You are experienced enough to do the best of your ability. □ You have had success in your past when you initially were not sure. □ There are numerous resources (coaches, mentors, tools, techniques) that you can tap into to assist you in your efforts. You are not alone.	□ What are my strengths that will help me achieve this task? □ What have I done in the past that has been successful? □ What are numerous resources (coaches, mentors, tools, techniques) that I can tap into?

Follow this process the next time you are faced with a situation that causes you to worry. If you don’t you will just find yourself wasting your time and energy worrying which in the end will never help the situation.

1. Acknowledge you are worried.

2. Write down your fears.

3. Write down what you are confident about.

4. Focus your efforts on things you are confident about.

5. Have faith that it will all work out.

I highly suggest going through this exercise with a pen and your journal, however that is not required. The only requirement is to go through the exercise so that you can focus your thinking. If you've read any of my previous blogs you know how important I believe your thinking is to your success. You create your own reality. That is because your beliefs drive your thoughts. Your thoughts drive your feelings. Your feelings drive your actions. Finally, your actions drive your results. Whatever results you are getting out of life are all a result of your beliefs and thoughts. Let this be your reminder the next time you find yourself worrying about a situation in your life. Quickly move into focus so you can make things happen. As I always, I wish you the best and enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,
Drew

The Catalyst for Love

2016-01-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

I just watched an interesting documentary on Netflix called The Scroll: Revelation. It is a film where prominent spiritual figures and others share their inspiring stories about how their faith has guided them through trying times. Bishop Hezekiah Walker was one of the featured presenters and his story was about divorce. He says several times that he would not wish divorce on his worst enemy. He like most of us did not marry for divorce. We marry to be married forever. The advice that he gives his church is do not marry for love.

I found that advice very interesting. It caught my attention and made me really focus because I wanted to understand what he was saying. I thought to myself shouldn't everyone marry for love? Why else would you marry? Doesn't the energy of love keep the marriage going? How can you have a marriage without love? As I continued to watch I learned he wasn't saying that. He was saying that instead of marrying for love, we should all marry for relationship. He went on to explain that the relationship will enhance the love. It will make the love grow. It will keep you together.

Sounds simple but it really hit home. I've been married for 20 years. I will always love my wife. When I got married I said we would never divorce. I am sure that is the same thing that most of us say when we get married. Yet the divorce rate in this country is astronomically high in my opinion. We all know some couple that has been divorced. It's a normal fabric of our society. No matter what I say divorce is a possibility because we are both imperfect human beings. That is a fact of life.

I think the pastor was right that the key to the marriage surviving is for the love to grow. Growth is the engine to human life. Without growth our lives deteriorate and eventually when the growth stops so does life. We should focus on growth for our entire lives if we want to live a good life. Some growth in life will happen because of our age. But once we've finished all of our education and we have settled into our adult lives, the growth now is our responsibility. Do not take that responsibility lightly. It could lead to an unfulfilled life. A life none of us want but some of us are currently living.

So when it comes to marriage you need to ensure your love for your partner continues to grow. The love is limitless so never think that you are already there and things can’t get better. They can and they will if you focus on your relationship. Do you know that married couple that loves each other but doesn’t do anything together? You don’t have to spend every living moment with your significant other but you do need to have a strong relationship. You need to work at that relationship. I have learned this on a personal level.

My wife and I are together today because of our relationship. We have been best friends since I can remember. We built that friendship one conversation at a time. I still remember those lunches with her in college at Godfather’s Pizza where we would just talk. At that time I never knew that this was the woman of my dreams. I just enjoyed spending time with her. We became such good friends that even when we broke up we continued to talk. Our relationship continued to exist. When we did decide to get married it was an easy decision because of that relationship. We’ve been building on it every since and anytime we’ve hit a rocky road over the last 20 years all we needed to do was work on our relationship and it was back to smooth sailing.

Some of the things we do to work on our relationship are so simple but the impact so great. For example, we’ve both always tried to maintain our health through exercising and eating healthy. In the early years we did most of this on our own, individually. Once we started working out together it just added to our relationship. We talked more. We appreciated each other more. To this day I love going for a run with her or even working out in the garage at the same time. It doesn't end there. We tailgate together. We have a subscription to the Horizon Theater to see live plays together every year. I never thought I would enjoy going to see plays as much as I do. It's all thanks to my wife suggesting we do so. We started traveling together without the kids once a year. Those vacations have been some of the best times of my life. We weren’t doing all of these things when we first got married and they didn’t all start at once. They’ve all been added periodically throughout the last 20 years.

After listening to the pastor’s message I am now even more energized to continue to add to our relationship. I love my wife more now than I ever have. I don’t have a problem saying that. That should be the goal every year. Our love should grow. Our love will grow. It will grow because we will continue to work on our relationship. If you are married or thinking about getting married this is your reminder to do the same. Work on your relationship and the love will grow. Your relationship with your partner is the key to experiencing marriage to its fullest. When we grow we experience all of life to its fullest. As always, I wish you the best and enjoy the journey!

With Gratitude,

Drew

Division is a choice.

2016-01-17T20:41:00.002-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

We are all one. Division is a choice. All religions point to this fact. Science points to this fact. Yet we find every reason we cannot fully embrace this fact. Why is that? There are too many reasons to list because as individuals we all have our own opinion on the root cause. As with any opinion they are all debatable. I’m not here to debate. I’m here to point out a fact. We are all one. Division is a choice.

Now don’t get me wrong. I know the “real world” as we see it. There are rich people. There are poor people. There are mean people. There are nice people. There are judgmental people. There are welcoming people. There are athletic people. There are lazy people. There are handicapped people. There are people who lack none of their physical senses. You name it and it exists. People have their differences. Yet we are all one. One nation, one Earth, one Solar System, one Universe. Embrace that fact.

By embracing that fact we fully align ourselves with all the universe has to offer. It is our natural state. Being divisive is not. When you align yourself with all the universe has to offer you benefit by becoming more connected. The more connected you are the more you will realize your expectations and desires.

Over my life I’ve heard numerous conversations about how the white man did this or the black man did that. How rich people are like this and how poor people are like that. As conversation topics to articulate an observation that may be fine. However, when you start to believe that “those” people are not one with you, that they are different than you, you run the risk of being divisive yourself. They are people just like you. They like you have choices. They have the same power that you have to make choices. Just as no one can tell you what choices to make, you cannot not know definitively what choices someone else will make. Therefore don't concentrate on the choices you believe someone else will make. Focus on what you can control. You can control your choices.

I choose to never let someone else take away my power and make me act the way they want me to act. So if someone calls me a very derogative name that is disrespectful on ever level, I have a choice. I can get upset and lash back. I could physically assault that person. I could get my revenge. Those are all my choices. Yet I know none of those choices benefit me. Lashing out at someone does nothing positive for me. Physically assaulting someone could land me in jail which does nothing positive for me. Getting revenge does nothing positive for me because it doesn't benefit my life. It only harms someone else's. My choice is to keep my mind in a place, that drives the feelings that I desire which leads me to take the actions that will lead to the right results. It is a difficult challenge at times, however it is always well worth the effort.

Remember the formula is and always will be the same. We have beliefs. Those beliefs drive our thoughts. Our thoughts cause our feelings. Our feelings drive our actions. Our actions ultimately lead to our results. We get to choose what results we desire in life. If you desire to be happy and abundant then you better make sure your beliefs and thoughts will lead you to that state.

My desire for happiness and abundance is important to me and because of that I'm not going to give anyone else the opportunity to take me off track. Since we are all one that other person who is trying to take me off track is no different than me. The exception is that they have made choices I am not willing to make. I cannot control their choices but I can control mine. My first choice is to look at everyone, man or woman, as one with me. I do not choose division. I believe this aligns me with the universe and all it has to offer. I can only hope that you decide to do the same. We are all one. Division is a choice. Consider yourself reminded and as always, enjoy the journey.

With gratitude,
Drew

The Energy of Love

2016-01-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

Drew’s Reminder,

     Love is a gift that keeps on giving. What do you love? Who do you love? Why do you love? How do you love? Those are 4 great questions that you should take the time to answer. Answering these 4 questions is a perfect way to reflect on your life and the beauty within it. No matter how you answer the questions you will get a benefit from that exercise.

     You see love is the greatest energy known to man. You may think that the energy from nuclear fission or the thermal energy of the sun would be considered the greatest energy. Those are both sources of tremendous energy but man never can fully experience the energy of nuclear fission or the thermal energy of the sun and survive. You may experience some fraction of that energy but you won't experience it in totality. It will always be limited.

     Man can experience love. You can actually feel that energy. You can experience it in totality. You can both give and receive unlimited amounts of it. The only limiting factor in experiencing it is you. Right now as you read this blog think of the last time you loved something. Think about that time when you loved hard or someone loved you hard. In that moment you felt every joule of energy. It engulfed you. It took over your being. It was the best feeling you ever felt. It was the most energy you ever consumed.

     The holiday season recently ended here in the United States and many other countries. As part of my family’s tradition we visit my parents and my wife's parents. Because its tradition to visit both sets of parents during that time we had to split our vacation between the two. Depending on how you look at it that could be good or bad. My wife and I both work in corporate America so our vacation is limited. We actually had to split the vacation up into 3 parts because my wife and I wanted some time to ourselves as well. With all the weekends included we had a total of 12 days between workdays to spend this great time with family and friends. That meant 5 days for my parents, 4 days for her parents and 4 days on the end for us which included the weekend before going back to work. The love I experienced during these 12 days was tremendous. I couldn't ask for much more. That energy has me back at work feeling great and ready to take on the world. The energy from that love has fully charged me to start 2016 off in a great way.

   So what, you may ask, is that love that recharged me during this period of time? Let me explain some of it. The first 5 days of the trip were amazing. My father has been having some health issues and the last time I saw him he just wasn't himself. When we arrived and he walked out of the house to greet us and I could immediately tell a big difference. My dad was back. He looked full of energy. He looked happy. It made me happy. It made me feel the love for my Dad that I always feel but much more intensified. My Dad has been telling me he loves me as long as I can remember. Each and every time it makes me feel great to hear it. Hearing him say it this visit was much more special because he was healthy and energized. I didn’t have to think about the fact that I wished he was better because he was.

     My Step Mom gave love in her own special way as well. She's always very giving of her time and effort. She goes out of her way to make Christmas for me, my wife and the kids special. However, the greatest love that she gave this holiday period was her expressing how proud she was of us. Hearing her words on how well she feels we are doing as parents and congratulating us on 20 years of marriage were a true gift of love. It meant a lot to us. Those are just two examples of feeling love (seeing my father doing so much better) and receiving love (the words expressed by my step mom) in those first 5 days. I really wished we could have spent more time with them.

     On our next trip to my wife's parents house the love continued. My wife's parents are senior to my parents so it is a little different atmosphere visiting them. They really love to see the grand kids. Unfortunately they can't travel often to see us so they don't get to see them as often as they would like. You can just see it in their eyes how much they really enjoy seeing the kids. The smiles they have each and every day are warm felt. My mother in law makes sure we are well fed and even though she's not as mobile as she used to be she doesn't miss a step when caring for us.

     My father in law shows so much interest in the kids’ lives that it becomes inspiring. He really cares and wants to know all the things that are going on in their lives. It’s so refreshing to see his curiosity and enchantment as he engages them in conversation. He plays with them and makes them smile. In turn it makes him smile. He has such a great spirit. Those are two examples of giving love (my mother in law making sure we were well taken care of) and feeling love (watching my father in law interact with his grand kids). We really enjoyed the time spent with them as well.

     The ultimate love I experienced was between my wife and me. Yes, this could sound like that sappy part where I tell you how much I love my wife of 20 years. You may be surprised that this example of love included some turmoil. My wife and I actually had an argument during the holidays. Of course the holidays are the wrong time to have an argument. Yet when you think about it, is there ever really ever a good time to have an argument? The argument wasn't anything major that we couldn't get past but for some reason it really took a toll on us.

     Without going into too much personal detail the argument took a toll on both of us because of love. We both love each other so much neither of us could really understand how we both felt about the actual situation that caused the argument. I went into my shell and stopped communicating. This in turn upset my wife and rightfully so. I'm a work in progress and that's one thing I'm working on eliminating. However, love brought us back together. My wife said 3 simple words to me that made my heart soar. The love I felt and experienced could never be put into words. I believe it’s much greater than any nuclear fission or any thermal energy the sun could ever release. Days later I still feel the energy from those words.

     What were those 3 words? They were "I miss you". She missed her best friend. She missed our chemistry. She missed the energy we share with our love for each other. Those words meant the world to me. Hearing her say them about me just hit home in a special way. Just to know that she feels the same way about me that I feel about her is rewarding. Even after 20 years I can never take that for granted. I won’t allow myself to because once you take that for granted you risk the possibility of things becoming stagnant. I never want that to happen because life without growth isn’t meaningful life.

     My heart is still soaring from those words. I do know if I've ever hugged and kissed her with as much love as I did at that moment. Maybe I have before but it felt like the best hug and kiss I'd ever given. Those examples of receiving love (hearing my wife tell me that she missed me) and giving love (hugging her so tight and kissing like I've never kissed before) were the greatest examples of love from my holidays. There's no other comparable energy on this earth that I can experience as a human being. It, along with all the other love I experienced has fueled me for a great start of 2016. My goal now is to continue adding to that fuel. I must first charge myself up by give love whenever I can. Second I must continue being aware of my every situation so I don't miss the opportunity of receiving love.

     I'm not much of a New Year resolution guy. I'm more of a find something I need to do and do it type of guy. But because it is the beginning of a new year you can look at this as a New Year resolution if you like. This will be one resolution that I won't quit on. Love is the most power energy known to man and I plan to receive and give my share of it. Why wouldn't I when I know it is so abundant? The holidays just served as a great reminder of that fact. Consider this your reminder to get and give yours as well. Enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,
Drew

Drew's Reminders

THE SITE HAS MOVED

Expect the Best

Lack of Money is No Obstacle

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Be Happy for This Moment

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.

Defining Your Purpose

I am a king

Dwell on the beauty of life.

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Live to be Reborn

Who are you destined to become?

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Run the Day

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Change

The Journey not the Outcome

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Thousands of Reasons

Most of us have two lives

Fake "It" Until You Make "It"

The power of exercise

Automobile University

I love my life, every minute of it.

What to do when I'm worried?

The Catalyst for Love

Division is a choice.

The Energy of Love