Month: May 2016

Be Steadfast

The fact that we desire more for our life,

has already put us miles ahead of those who don’t care enough to see that they could do the same.

Therefore, don’t let the frustration and tension of hard days,

stop you from crafting your dreams, and brilliance.

My number one belief that keeps me going is —

There’s always a way,

no matter what.

 

Our journey towards brilliance has begun.

Now it’s up to us to stick with it to make it happen.

Consistent Action is what separates those who are brilliant, from those who are not yet.

Perseverance my friends. Perseverance.

 

related:

“I’ll either find a way, or make one.” — Hannibal

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius

 

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Daily Action Steps

Success is the combination of taking action on a micro level, while aligning our focus to the macro level.

In other words, Taking action on the micro means doing small consistent tasks each day that lead us to our macro.

Consistent action is the most important aspect of mastering a skill.

To be, we must do.

Writers write. Painter’s paint. Trainer’s train. Musician’s practice..

 

We need to be deliberate about practicing and do so daily —

even if all we have to give is 5 minutes. (Although, there are plenty of things we can give up or reduce to dedicate more time to our work / dreams)

Remember, Small consistent actions lead to big change.

Small actions are better than no actions.

And big actions can lead to quicker results.

We can change our circumstances,

we can embetter our lives by taking daily action steps,

which lead us to the person we want to be.

 

related:

Renaissance Man Life: Action Steps

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” — Pablo Picasso

 

“The path to success is to take massive, determined actions.”  — Tony Robbins

 

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

 

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Let There Be..

We find ourselves in a room with paused light —

Silhouettes define the characteristics of thought.

— The negative reigns —

We see, but not clearly — not yet.

Fright gives way to adaption.

The switch comes quickly. 

A spark of life —

it lights the way.

Let there

be..

 

related

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Focus In

Focus means giving our attention to something.

Whether that attention is undivided determine how well we’ll do.

We all have many things we must / want to do, but trying to do them all at once doesn’t lead to progress.

We must give our full attention to the task at hand.

Dedicate 100% of your focus to what you’re doing, within the time you have given

— focus in. 

Success is a string of tasks and trials we’ve given our full attention to. We succeed because we focus.

 

By focusing in,

we narrow our perspective

and give time and energy to cultivate each priority.

 

Picture yourself as a master juggler.

You can juggle many things, but each must pass within your hands, one at a time.

People create the illusion of doing many things, but in actuality they’re giving all of their focus on one thing at a time. 

Focus in towards a better you. You’ll find your brilliance.

related

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Hard Days

Somedays,

I feel as though I’m either on the verge of a panic attack, joy, tears, or greatness.

That’s the thing about hard days — they’re bipolar.

Hard days come and go in an instant.

We all experience hard days —

that’s life, and an essential part of growth.

Yet, what separates those who are brilliant, and those who are not (yet),

are the ones who keep pursuing, despite setbacks.

They’re relentless.

Things will work out, if you give space for them to.

Keep Pursing — despite setbacks.

Hard day’s forge brilliance.

Leave space for what you want.

related:

book: The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

“Hardships often prepare for an extraordinary destiny.” — C.S. Lewis

 

“Good Timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.” — Thomas S. Monson

 

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford

 

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” — Albert Einstein

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Feeling Restless

Sometimes we can feel restless in life, for different, yet related reasons.

  • Unfulfilling work.
  • Plateaued — feeling stuck at a particular level, and the next seemingly unreachable.
  • Lost at sea — without a map or in uncharted territory.
  • Reaching for a better life — in-between where we are, and where we want to be.
  • Wanting change, but not know how.

Luckily, we’ve choosen to be Brilliant and live a Renaissance Life —

which means we’re not going to take our restless feeling sitting down.

So let’s ask ourselves:

What can we do about it? What actions do we need to take?

How do we use this restless feeling to our advantage?

And remember to

Breathe.

—  yes, something so simple as breathing, yet easily ignored.

— to calm yourself and get your mind right.

And Let it go.

The life we desire isn’t a fast food drive thru.

Great things always take more time and effort to create, but that’s what makes great things so great.

We may be feeling restless, and long for better days,

but maybe we’re exactly where we need to be.

If you haven’t created your dreams yet — that doesn’t they won’t happen. 

Bold dreams aren’t easy to create, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to do.

We just have more work to do, and areas to refine.

Just Keep going. We got this.

related:

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates

“Restlessness is discontent – and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man – and I will show you a failure.” — Thomas Edison

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

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Going Bulletproof

Now Testing The Bulletproof Diet

I’ve been drinking bulletproof coffee for about 5 years now (it’s the bee’s knees), but I’ve yet to go full on bulletproof diet.

My diet typically aligns with a paleo-like guideline, (i.e. whole lotta veggies, grass-fed meats, wild seafood, pasture-raised eggs, no grains, no sugar) but with the occasional Tim-Ferriss-style cheat meal (aka gelato man life). This has worked well for my lifestyle, but recently I’ve felt like I’ve been run over by an oscar myer wienermobile. (🌭)

Turns out I’ve had exposure to mold in my apartment since the winter (😱)

My symptoms of Mold Poisoning (3+ months of)

  • Constant Fatigue, zero energy.
  • Weakness is a strong word, but I don’t feel as strong and vibrant as I should be.
  • Can’t catch my breath
  • Sinus congestion (I haven’t had allergies in decades)
  • Aches and slight sensitivity to light

Aka I’m a hot mess.

E.  eFfing. G.

We don’t realize how much health and our external environment affects us until we’re broadsided by it.

This is unacceptable to me. 

My dreams are too big for me to constantly have no drive and energy.

I’ve got empires to build.

Luckily, The Bulletproof Diet is tailored around mold prevention, energy and mental performance.

This isn’t an endorsement per se, (well except for the coffee!), this is a test.

I’m going to start with going bulletproof for one month, (recording my energy levels periodically throughout the day as I go) and then see what’s what afterward.

I’ll be adding updates on my progress as I go (what I’m doing, why and how), so be sure to check in to the Now Testing blog series.

(Or if you’re interested in joining me for this experimentation, let me know via email or the comments below)

#KeepPursuing,

xoxo Josh Waggoner.

Priority

Focus on getting the right stuff done, rather than just getting things done.

Getting things done doesn’t mean we’re making progress on our dreams.

‘Things’ can be anything and everything, and can take us in every direction except the direction we want.

Priority starts with deciding what your right stuff is. It’s a choice you make, and is something you have to put above everything else you do.

 

Brilliance and achievement require priority, and everything we do (and want to do) is not on the same level of importance — it can’t be.

If we want brilliance, we have to prioritize our life towards creating it.

related

“Action expresses priorities” — Gandhi

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen Covey

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

‘Brevity is the soul of wit.’  Email me your thoughts on this post. Can you reduce the essential idea further?

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Conquer Your Dreams

Let’s face it —

most of us can’t give 100% of our time and energy

towards our dreams — We have obligations (be that financially and/or socially).

Fine then —

We’ll just have to be smarter if we want to conquer our dreams.

(aka we’ll have to be brilliant)

To succeed, We’ll need —

Priority  — We need to make time to make our dreams happen.

Intention — We must know what we want, and what the end goal looks like.

Focus — during the time we make, we need to give 100% focus on the task. No distractions, no interruptions — just focus.

Consistency — as in Daily Action Steps — clearly defined next steps we can take. Small actions allowing us to chip away at dreams.

Small Actions lead to big change.

Steadfast — It’s a long road to overnight success. Perseverance is key.

We must be relentless in our pursuits.

related:

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” — Confucius

 

“If you can dream it you can do it.” — Walt Disney

#KeepPursuing,
xoxo Josh Waggoner

‘Brevity is the soul of wit.’  Email me your thoughts on this post. Can you reduce the essential idea further?

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#tinyReview: The ONE Thing

#tinyReview — No Fluff, No Filler. On a Scale of One to Emoji..

Verdict: 🔥

Reasoning: The One Thing is a must read for EVERYONE.

If you are feeling stretched too thin, or feel as though you are unable to make results in your life, business or skills, The One Thing is for you.

Even though my main mission in life is to be a Renaissance Man, that doesn’t mean I should do EVERYTHING under the sun (especially not all at once!). We’ve got to have priority in life to achieve our big goals.

Results: Clarity. Focus. Priority.

 

Have you read The One Thing? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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