Empire State Of Mind

Do you look at the glass half empty or half full? It’s a powerful idiom that could explain a lot in terms of your current lifestyle and how the world is working for you.

It’s hard to have the “I’m going to go out there and change the world” attitude. Before you can change the world, a country, a town, a group, a person, it has to start within. Once you change the way you think, everything else on the outside will reflect to complement it.

Success isn’t something you simply fall into, success comes with patience, dedication and consistency. Ultimately however, we are directly responsible for what happens in our lives. There are ways which we can be proactive, starting with our changing perspective. Successful people go against the grain and often combat pessimism with optimism and instead of embracing excuses, embrace solutions. The trick is to take action.

There are tough scenarios that we’ve all faced, but the way we respond is the test of our greatness or a glowing example of our capabilities. It’s very easy to fall into a negative rut. If the negatives outweigh the positives, you find yourself blaming others, you haven’t seen self-growth in long time, you tend to set low expectations to avoid disappointment; then it’s time to step back and reevaluate your perspective and transform that negative energy to a positive, thriving force.

The goal is to have an empire state of mind, and no, I’m not just talking about the Jay-Z song. It’s about creating a mentality of taking control of your own life. Here are some steps you can take to develop a healthy mindset and successful you:

Be open-minded

Being open to different perspectives, suggestions, and scenarios make for a more enriching life experience. Take a leap into the unknown, others have already jumped and will catch you when you do.

Look at the glass half-full

Life is really about perception. The cup is the same, just as your life. Are you embracing the positives or harboring the negatives? If you choose to look at it with an optimism’s mindset, you are choosing the route of self-growth. It’s difficult, and life always challenges us, but like billionaire shark, investor, entrepreneur and business leader Robert Herjavec said: “Tough times never last; tough people always do.”

Learn something new

This should be a goal you set for yourself whether it be big or small achievements. Pick up a new hobby, learn about someone else’s culture. Knowledge builds your arsenal of self-worth and expands your skillset.

Strengthen your circle

You are as strong as those around you. Don’t hinder yourself by playing the blame game, it doesn’t benefit you or help the situation. Instead, take responsibility and learn from your mistakes. Strengthening your circle also means sharing news and tips and tricks, spreading positivity and support. You will find that when you invest time and sincerity into others, it is a lifelong investment that will pay off.

Stop wishing

How many times have you caught yourself saying “I wish I could do that” or “I want this, but I don’t have time.” Wishing doesn’t change anything, it’s only delaying your process to greatness. Make goals and take appropriate actions to get there. It’s even better if they are equal parts heart and head. Be logical without a defined line for the future.

Don’t fall back into the same patterns

Once you’re into the swing of things, keep going! Every now and then won’t change lives, consistency will.

Today could be the day that you head in a new direction. Tomorrow could be whatever you choose for it to be, but it’s up to you to unlock its unlimited potential.

What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us, and when you bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen. -Henry David Thoreau

The Better You Know Yourself, The Better You Can Be

As I proceed on to officially approach the “late 20’s” age range, I have come to realize (hindsight bias, of course) that I love how much more I know myself.  Understanding ME has been extremely helpful. Most teenagers are figuring it out, and even into the early 20’s as you’re graduating college and/or entering your professional career, looking, searching and hoping to figure out what kind of adult you will become. While I give credit to the great company I keep myself surrounded with, it still eventually comes back to being aware and paying attention to who I really am.

Understanding your own habits, including your schedule, is beneficial because our bodies crave regularity. As we grow older, we become more adaptive to spontaneous interruptions and activities, which is great. If you stick to a regular waking and sleeping schedule, your body will thank you and will start to work with you instead of against you, because it knows what to expect.

Working with your strengths and weaknesses is probably the hardest fun-thing to do. Understanding your strengths and embracing them can build confidence and help create a system to achieve success on a regular basis. Recently I was designing a few logo concepts, and I just wasn’t “there” yet. The next day, I realized what was missing. As silly as it seems, I have realized that I have the best creativity for logo creation while listening to a specific music album on repeat. Creating that setting and environment for success in any area of your life will start to train your brain to cooperate. Repeat and Enjoy!

Lastly, understanding how you feel. What are your body’s most natural levels of Pain? Energy? Hunger? Etc. Once you become aware of what feels right, when something is off, it will be much more obvious when you need to adjust your habits.

If you can create a consistent environment to function well on a daily basis, succeed in your personal and professional life and feel your upmost best; to create internal cooperation, why wouldn’t you? Keep trying, keep learning and keep living. Pay attention to yourself, as an adult, only YOU can make sure YOU are taken care of.

Glasses Of Life

It all starts because we have a vision impairment.

We get asked if we have really have vision impairments or if the glasses on our faces are a fashion statement or accessory.

No, they are a necessity.

And when we wear them:

• We have to wipe the fog off when it’s warm or wet

• We get lost behind a veil of smudge. Don’t let any sales rep tell you differently- they are not smudge proof.

• Once we wear them, we have to stay committed to them all day since they ruin our makeup.

• We suffer injury on the bridge of our nose

• We can’t lie in bed on our sides to read

• We have a constant, pinching pain behind our ears

• We feel them slide down when we bend over

• We feel them slide up when you lean back

• We learn the hard way they are not foot or butt resistant

• We are expected to let everyone try them on

• We give ourselves whiplash as soon as children are placed in our arms so they can’t grab them

• We lose them and then sometimes we have to replace them even when they aren’t lost at this little inconvenient thing called an annual check-up.

But when we wear them all these things matter not, because we can read, walk without tripping; we can stop (we may choose not to) at red lights and we can experience life with our vital fifth sense.

And so goes the same with the glasses of life.

When we wear the metaphoric glasses of life, we are enabled to see things clearly. It may be through listening to a friend, slowing down, speeding up, traveling abroad, staying at home, thinking outside the box.

The pain that comes along with it, like the smudges, are worth it when what we envision from afar is suddenly close. When what was near or far sighted suddenly becomes a tangible success.

It’s just a matter of if you’re willing to wear the glasses. You see, when a vision impaired individual slips on their glasses, they do so knowing they are being compared to the trendsetters.

When the envisioned impaired decide to challenge themselves and wear the glasses of life, they might be compared to the trendsetters of life.

Speed up, slow down, travel abroad, stay at home, think outside the box: Others may be doing the same, and you may be called a copycat. It doesn’t matter because we can all look at the same thing, but what we see won’t be the same thing.

So, no matter what people think of you or say, never let the smudge keep you from wearing your glasses. Never let a vision impairment keep you from seeing. From living.

Live Intentionally

What does “Living Intentionally” mean anyway?

It’s all about not living on auto-pilot. We all have very busy lives, with many people and things that need our attention. So, how do we naturally just become more aware of the purpose behind our actions? Ask yourself questions. Don’t overwhelm yourself by over-thinking every situation, but become aware of the reason for your action, even if it’s after-the-fact. Better late than never and you’ll get to know yourself, your habits and preferences on a deeper level.

1. Let’s start with people. Who do you surround yourself with? Do they better you?

If yes, how? And then, how can you meet more people like that? Grow your positive circle of people who push you, encourage you and love you.

If no, why? What do they say or do that isn’t helping you become a better person? Are you exchanging negativity equally? Have you talked to them about their effect (or lack thereof) on you? What requires you to be around them? Really push for a solution by either bettering the relationship or ending it. You deserve to be happy. So be aware and take responsibility for your surroundings and relationships.

2. Next up, actions.

Do you say and do things that are helpful? Are you aware of other drivers on the road or do you drive aggressively and with frustration? Do you hold doors open for others or are you always in a hurry? When you decide what to eat, are you choosing something that nurtures your body and health or is it an impulse treat? Learning to slow down and think before acting is a struggle for everyone, but once conquered leads to a less stressful, happier and more rewarding daily routine.

3. Last but not least, stuff.

When you buy something, is it necessary? Is it serving a very specific and beneficial purpose or is it an impulse purchase that is filling a void or hiding an emotion? Allow yourself to be vulnerable to your own mind. What void is that “stuff” filling?   Address those feelings or the need to hoard things. Your life will be more organized on a physical, emotional and mental level.

Practice being aware of the reason you do things on a daily basis. As you slowly become more aware of your actions and the purpose behind them, the more you can mold yourself with intention of becoming the best version of you that you want to become.