A small axe can take down a big tree if there is enough motivation, positivity, and lemonade.
Stay Positive & Keep Swinging
Garth E. Beyer
Attitude
Simple Ways
The saddest sum of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have. It is for that exact reason that I have compiled a list of simple ways, or proverbs if you will, that if you at least focus on a new one each day, you will undoubtedly reach a higher potential, gain greater insight of the depth of success and overall make a life lasting ruckus.
Don’t only find resources, but share them – Treasure your time – Find the silver lining – Wake up early – Be informed – Define your goals – Critique yourself – Remember, what you don’t understand, you can make mean anything – Stay prepared – Shut out the debbie-downers and naysayers – Learn from others – Laugh as much as you breathe – Be focused and intense, push your effort – Live substantially below your means – Only keep items that can have a permanent place – Nothing worth having comes easy – You can make a wish, or you can make it happen – Passion is credibility
Now, each one of these reminders, mottos and life improvement laws can make a direct and subjective impact to critical parts of your life. Though, notice them as a whole because it does well to understand that it is the tiny, but direct, actions and attitudes that add up, eventually inventing the life you truly want. Every little detail adds up into something incredible, so long as each detail is brought to its fullest potential.
The time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted – Where there is a will, there is more than one way – Life is only easy to those who accept that it is not – Standing still will kill you – It is never too late – Nor is it ever too early – Open your mind before your mouth – Life doesn’t stop for anything. Why should you? – The brain makes no difference between visualizing and doing – Defeat your enemies with success – Everything beautiful has been through pain – If you go over a speed bump fast enough, you can actually fly for a bit – Scratch your own itch – Follow dreams, not orders – Sometimes we just need to take a step back from everything to launch ourselves forward
Collectively, these are reminders that were learned the hard way and that is why I want to share them with you. However, I do not share these life lessons so that you do not fail. I share them so that you can fail smartly, so that you can fail the best anyone has ever failed and in failing large, you do not fail as often which creates longer time periods for you to bask in your success.
90% of any physical battle, is a mental one – Success is not the next exit, it is the next entrance – You know what they say about worrying? Don’t. – You better not tell me that you are going to live today without trying to beat yesterday; Life is a competition, our days are our competitors – The benefits always outweigh the costs – Let’s make better mistakes tomorrow – Finish each day and be done with it – The world is only as flat as you make it out to be – I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain coils – Willpower is a muscle that can be trained – Make it as clear who you are, as who you aren’t –
Feel free to share these with friends, email them to a relative, tweet a few or share on facebook. However, I must warn you that now that you have read these, if only a few, you are held accountable to implement them into your life. Knowing what can make your life full of valuable animation, you have the responsibility of making it so. To know how to reach your goals, find balance and attain more happiness but not following through is a great injustice. Remember, there are magnificent benefits to being selfless and helping others, but there are endless benefits to setting an example for all to follow. Growing through self-improvement benefits others, far more than it does yourself.
Determine your best time of day – Change comes through hard work – Take all responsibility even if you are only slightly involved – Know and remember your “why” – Participate with questions and actions – Take time for yourself – Talk about your goals, get accountable – Don’t just prepare, research every detail, even if it’s against you – Identify procrastinations to overcome – and of course…
Stay Positive & Practice, Practice, Practice
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
The Overlooked Variable Of “Show and Tell”
It’s easy to show and tell.
You can give any person a red dipping bird and have them place it in a position for all to see and begin telling about it. Not only will they show and tell about the red dipping bird, but they will do it perfectly.
“It is a red plastic bird that for some reason dips forward and puts its beak into a glass of water “emulates the movement” and dips back and continuous going back and forth. You can purchase them in all different sizes, colors and with goofy extras like flamboyantly colored feathers or an old Abe Lincoln hat.”
Done. They showed and told.
But there’s a flaw.
It’s boring.
Everyone who’s seen one knows this. Everyone who owns one, probably laughed at the flamboyant feather color comment but still thought the presentation was dull. Everyone else who were shown and told to, they could get up and do the same exact thing.
Show and tell, which is ultimately done in k-5 grade levels, can set incredible examples and offer intelligent insight into creativity – if done right. There’s a often an overlooked variable to show and tell that can make the experiences result artistic, unique and altogether attention-informative (Information people actually want to pay attention to). Simply showing and telling doesn’t do this. Doing it the old school way is bland and banal.
The correct format is to figure out THEN show and tell.
Having to figure something out taps potential on the shoulder and tells it to get to work. In the case of the red dipping bird and according to How Stuff Works, The Dipping Bird (also called the Drinking Bird or the Dunking Bird) is a popular novelty item or toy in the United States and other countries.
A Dippy Bird has the following parts:
- Two equal-sized, hollow glass bulbs
- A long glass tube that connects the bulbs
- Fuzzy, water-absorbent material covering the head
- Two plastic legs with a pivot connection
- Methylene chloride in the abdomen. Methylene chloride is an industrial paint stripper and solvent (one thing that dissolves easily in methylene chloride is caffeine, so you can use methylene chloride to decaffeinate things). Methylene chloride helps makes a Dippy Bird work because it evaporates very easily — it boils at just 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
To operate the Dippy Bird, you get its head wet. As the water evaporates, fluid moves up into the head, causing the bird to become top-heavy and dip forward. Once the bird dips forward, fluid moves back into the abdomen, causing the bird to become bottom-heavy and tip up.
Here is how a Dippy Bird works:
- When water evaporates from the fuzz on the Dippy Bird’s head, the head is cooled.
- The temperature decrease in the head condenses the methylene chloride vapor, decreasing the vapor pressure in the head relative to the vapor pressure in the abdomen.
- The greater vapor pressure in the abdomen forces fluid up through the neck and into the head.
- As fluid enters the head, it makes the Dippy Bird top-heavy.
- The bird tips. Liquid travels to the head. The bottom of the tube is no longer submerged in liquid.
- Vapor bubbles travel through the tube and into the head. Liquid drains from the head, displaced by the bubbles.
- Fluid drains back into the abdomen, making the bird bottom-heavy.
- The bird tips back up.
Show And Tell No More
Rhetorical questions :
Which show and tell of the red dipping bird did you like more?
Which one did you learn more from?
Which one was presented in an interesting way?
Which description do you think there was plenty of effort behind?
Figuring It Out
We are doing the world a great injustice when we don’t incorporate this critical variable to the Show and Tell process we teach our youngest students. What makes matters worse is that more than three quarters of adults still follow the same routine system of show and tell that they were taught as kids.
The variable of “figuring out” how something works, what something is, or why it does a particular thing is essential to producing real results. Results that are human, that are original, and that are backed with experience. These are the results that create profit.
The market used to be in the pocket of those who could show and tell well, even more so to those who mastered it. Now it goes to those who figure it out, who provide content and experience it, who make sure that what they are showing and telling is their art, their invention and their creation.
Stay Positive & You Have Some Figuring Out To Do
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
Acceptance
Acceptance isn’t being okay with what you get after you open a door.
It’s being okay with whatever is behind the door you’re going to open.
Or whether there is a door to open at all?
But if you accept there is always a door to open. There always is.
Stay Positive & Maybe Accept That Whatever Is Behind The Door Is Going To Make You Happier. It always is.
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
The Need To Fulfill Expectations
Especially easy ones.
But fulfilling the wrong ones (also known as easy ones) can lead you astray, taking you off the course of fluidity and least resistance. For example, if you get woken up at 4:30am by someone being loud and insincere, it’s so easy to yell at the person who woke you. Why? The person expects you to. For some reason it’s been engrained in your mind that if you get woken up early, you have the right to be mad.
But are you really upset? Is it the end of the world? Did anyone die? Was it a life altering event? Could it have been worse? Maybe the person was in a rush to get to work on time? Maybe something woke them up early so they were aggravated?
Instead of listing more examples, discover your own. For one day, write down all the problems you have with people throughout the day. After you write them or at the end of the day, reflect on the experience and cross it off IF after you think about it, it really didn’t make you upset, but it was only how society expected you to feel. You will find that most of the problems will get crossed off.
If people expect us to act a certain way (typically negative types of feelings: sad, angry, upset, stressed, frustrated, injured), were going to feel that way and fulfill their expectations. Sure because it’s easy but also because you unintentionally don’t want to let other people experience the dissatisfaction of being wrong in expecting you to act a certain way.
Why?
It seems silly but the reason for it is that you feel that since they assumed you’re going to react a certain way- that they are prepared for it, that they deserve it, that everything is set in motion for you to react by fulfilling the expectation. (Status-quo is hard to break!)
The last attribute to fulfilling expectations is instinct. With instinct every person will act selfishly. When you do the experiment above and take that moment to write down the problem and reflect, you will see that you may be putting more trouble and stress on the other person than what troubled you to begin with.
It is damn hard to live in Zen and to prevent yourself from fulfilling the expectations of negative reactions. It’s difficult to remain relaxed, stay centered, and to be focused on the “why” of your reaction.
Stay Positive & It Doesn’t Do Good To Either Party When You Fulfill An Expectation Of A Negative Reaction
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
Thinking Body, Dancing Mind
Thinking Body, Dancing Mind
TaoSports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business, and Life is the one sport that if you were to become a professional in, you should pick. Although, I would add or change the word extraordinary because the lessons taught and experiences shared in this book are the ordinary techniques that are used by the extraordinary. The way I am going to regurgitate this book to you is by first sharing everything that I actually wrote down while I was reading it. These items are the most important parts of the book that sparked the brightest ideas and concepts in my brain. Then I am going to list the chapters in the book to let you know of all the different lessons that you can learn and improve on. The reason for this process is that the book can be picked up and started from anywhere you choose: the beginning, the end, or a random page. My advice for you is not to go and purchase the book, but to go and flip it open to a chapter that you think you want to improve in your life, read it and see if you want to read the other chapters. Lastly, I will share some of my favorite affirmations that were shared in the book that hopefully you can use.
Garth’s Dancing Mind
Why fight your way to the top, when you can rise to it? There is no such thing as a victory in an uphill battle; there is only a plateau and it’s never at the top.
Having a winning attitude is a defiance to the expectation of feeling the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Both of which are detrimental to any possibility of being successful in the future. To have a winning attitude is to break down the process to moments. Thinking and feeling that you have won each moment. Success is relative to the quality of the process. There is more than one finish line in a 5k race, there are actually 6,200 finish lines. Every step is a victory and should be viewed as one.
What Not To Be –
- Struggling for external recognition
- Measuring self-worth on outcomes
- Focusing on perfection
- Establishing unrealistic expectations
- Blaming others
- Condemning yourself for mistakes and failure
“You don’t dance to get to the other side of the floor” – Alan Watts
There are three visualization processes that I have taken from the book (which probably has 30+ in it). The first is a visualization of your sanctuary that you can retreat to based off a trigger (mines putting my index finger and thumb together to create a circle). You get to create your own place of ritual and relaxation. My place was based off a picture of a monk sweeping in front of his hut that was cuddling the base of a mountain, the monk is my guide, as you will read more about when you open the book. The second visualization process was to imagine a steady beam of sunlight coming down on top of you, entering your head and circulating it’s power throughout your body, delivering energy, healing powers and enlightenment.
The third visualization example was actually the first in the book which goes like this:
“For example, close your eyes right now and imagine a juicy, sour lemon. In your mind, cut a big wedge from the lemon and place it in your mouth. Bite down, and let the sour juices permeate your entire mouth. Did you find yourself puckering or salivating?”
It simply goes to show how powerful visualization can be. With consistent practice, you can have the same trigger affect to visualizing winning a race, visualizing closing a deal or whatever will help you succeed.
While visualizations are confirmations for your mind, affirmations are confirmations to your heart. “Affirmations are not self deception, they’re self direction.” At the bottom of this post, I will list my absolute favorite affirmations from the book. It is loaded with them! You can also create a list of perfect affirmations for yourself by turning your favorite quotes into affirmations.
- At every moment remember: Be positive, Be present, Be concise, Be rhythmic.
- Adaptation is the hallmark of champions.
- Remember to pace yourself. Progress is two steps forward, one step backward.
- To trump fatigue, you can either focus on one aspect of the process or at the end result, ignore all else and let the fatigue bypass you.
- Concentrate on what you have control over.
- What you believe you become.
- Handling a negative event in a positive way is an experience that can become a touchstone for future encounters.
- Fear: is a natural part of life. It can either paralyze you or give you an opportunity to assess the risk your facing and prepare for it properly. Fear can also make you respect your comfort zone.
- When in a slump, go with the flow because you will slingshot back.
5 Stages of Injury: – Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. (When you read this section under the chapter titled Injuries, you will agree at first, but then you will disagree because when you finally realize the process you take, you are able to shorten and change it.)
Challenge: Find the book at the bookstore and read the beginning of the chapter on page 76. (Half a page) By far the most “Woa” moment in the entire book.
One of the most important excerpts I took from the book is that you, me, we – are never as great as our greatest victory or as bad as our worst defeat. We are above it all, we are apart from it because we have a winning attitude.
Reevaluate life while in downtime. Just because your body may be down, does not mean you can allow your mind to go down with it. You need to focus on what made you lose balance, what you are going to do to achieve balance again and what you will do to prevent from ever entering downtime again. Oh, and remember, laughter is by far the best medicine to get out of downtime, I suggest George Carlin.
Committed to truth no consistency – Buddha
“According to Mark, when you become totally engrossed in your sport, you over-analyze everything.” Contributing to the saying that analysis is paralysis. Ironically, I had just written a blog post about this called The One Quality You Need To Be A Successful Expert
I will top of my Dancing Mind with something I loved most about TBDM. At the beginning of each section, and sometimes within, a chapter of the Tao Te Ching is shared. The characters associated with it were so aesthetic that it made me want to study them. The reason being that the greatness of them is that they are meant to make you visualize and feel their meaning when you meditate on them. The Tao Te Ching inserts reminded me of a post I wrote a long time ago on a particular chapter:An Accord With Greatness
Tao Te Ching no.1
Thus, without expectation,
One will always perceive the subtlety.
And, with expectation,
One will always perceive the boundary.
TMDB Chapters – If you think a topic is appealing, pick up the book and just read the chapter
Visualizations, Affirmations, Beliefs, Positive Thinking, Relaxation, Vision, Focusing, Centering, Intuition, Reflection, Fear, Fear of Failure, Fear of Success, Slumps, Fatigue, Injuries, Expectations, Self-Criticism, Perfectionism, Confidence, Assertiveness, Courageousness, Detachment, Egolessness, Selflessness, Conscientiousness, Competition, Winning, Psychological Tactics, Motivation, Goal Setting, Self-Improvement, Synergy, Leadership, Integrity, Adaptation, Persistence, Balance, Simplicity.
Affirmations
Fixed minds detract from potential. Flexible minds are the essential.
My performance is a perfect mirror of my image of self.
To be in sync, use instinct.
The voice of fear is healthy to hear.
There is plenty of success for all of us.
What I resist will persist.
I don’t dominate – I demonstrate.
I risk temporary loss for the chance for permanent improvement.
When I’m detached, my play can’t be matched.
Helping others find their way gives me the chance for better play.
There is no home court advantage unless I give it to them.
If I persist each day, I’ll eventually get my way.
Stay Positive & One With The Tao
Garth E. Beyer
Enlighten Others
The One Quality You Need To Be A Successful Expert
Doctors, fitness trainers, entrepreneurs, marketers, writers, you name it, they all have a similar problem when they become experts on their muse. The problem is that the more you know, the more exposed you are to the harms, negatives and possible downfalls of the topic. This happens as a result of learning all you can about your muse in combination with that fact that in order to be successful in any work place, you need to know as many failures as possible and how to solve them. I am going to give you a few examples of what happens when these muse workers don’t maintain this one quality they need and see if you can guess what the quality is.
- A doctor begins seeing a small rash on his arm and diagnosis it as skin cancer.
- A personal trainer assesses her leg soreness and comes to the conclusion that she has severe shin splints.
- An entrepreneur knows the expected outcome of a plan so she doesn’t follow through.
The trend with these examples – and you can find the same trend in any expert field – is that they let their knowledge, fears and expectations combine to assume a terrible outcome. A regular person, having little knowledge about playing doctor just thinks they have a rash that will go away in a few days if they take care of it. It does. A person going to the gym for the first time and upon exiting, realizes that their legs are sore. They will shrug, call it a good workout and go ice them without the thought of any terrible condition. It never turns out to be. An entrepreneur upon his first time creating a business, follows through with the plan and the outcome turned out successful, against what other “experts” thought.
The fact is that as you gain knowledge about your muse, you gain power over the outcome and in order to have a positive outcome, you have to maintain a positive attitude. The one quality you need to be a successful expert is to Stay Positive (sound familiar?). You can’t let what you now know, limit yourself. The rules, the outcomes, the results are all based on your attitude.
The more you know, the more you have to fear.
Stay Positive & Become An Expert In That First
Garth E. Beyer
