2015-06-26

It’s time for “Guest Post Friday!” On Fridays, I feature tips and stories from other individuals who have helpful input about the mental side of fitness, training or life. All of the other posts on this site are written about me, so I like to share different perspectives (especially so that you don’t get too tired of my ramblings). I select witty and honest pieces, that give practical advice.

Enjoy the post below from Marc and Angel Hack Life – Practical Tips for Productive Living. It was originally posted here.



“Just a little dose of inspiration for those moments when you need it most.

Your best music is still inside you. – The only way for us to have long-term happiness and success is to live by our highest principles, to consistently act in accordance with what we believe our life is in fact about.  That music you hear inside you motivating you to take risks and follow your dreams is your instinctive calling to the true purpose in your heart and mind.  Don’t ignore it.  Be enthusiastic about all that you do, and the possibilities that lie ahead.  Have the courage to pursue your calling.  Don’t die with your music still in you.  Read The Power of Intention

It’s never too late to be who you could have been. – It’s a matter of switching gears, never looking back, and BECOMING the person today that you always knew you were capable of being.  Entertain every thought, say every word, and make every decision from their point of view.  Walk the way they would walk, dress the way they would dress, and spend your free time the way they would spend theirs.  Choose the friends they would choose, eat the meals they would eat, and love and appreciate yourself the way they would.  These steps MUST come in order for there to be change.  There’s no other option, no other way.  But since this person is who you REALLY are deep down, that makes this task a bit easier.  You just have to STOP BEING WHO YOU AREN’T.

You are greater than the problems you face. – You are more than what you are going through.  You are not the mistakes you have made.  Let the problems come, and let the problems go.  Whatever the issue may be, engage yourself purposefully and enthusiastically in the goodness that still exists around you.  You may want the hero’s journey to be an easy climb, but it never is.  The rock slides in your life are there for a reason.  They create the stepping-stones that guide you deeper into your own heart.

Challenges are simply opportunities. – When you encounter resistance, it means you are moving forward.  When you come across a challenge, it means you have reached an opportunity for growth.  Life becomes more rewarding as it becomes more demanding.  Each new challenge is an opportunity to stretch beyond your previous limits.  Most of the advantages you enjoy today were born in the difficulties through which you once traveled.  So revel in the beauty of each challenging effort.  Give your best to life, and life will return the favor many times over.

Tough times serve a purpose. – From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story – a story that says, “I learned and I survived.”  There are moments when troubles enter your life and you can do nothing to avoid them, but they are there for a reason.  Only when you have overcome them will you understand why they were there.  So be brave and press forward; you will not see the light at the end of the tunnel until you walk through the darkness.  Read Awaken the Giant Within

There’s no excuse for giving up on your goals. – Whether a goal is possible or impossible for you depends more on what you do about it than on any other factor.  Your persistent, focused attention is what brings possibilities to life.  Certainly there will be obstacles that stand in your way.  And you can choose to use these obstacles as excuses for giving up – many people do.  But the truth is, if you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.  You just need to find the strength and willpower to keep going.  Success is achieved and maintained by those who try to keep trying.

You are closer than you were yesterday. – The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment right before a little miracle of progress happens.  So don’t give up.  You were strong enough to get this far; you are strong enough to take another step.  Even when life issues you a series of roadblocks and disappointments, you can steadily achieve.  Even when you cannot make a lot of progress, you can make a little progress.  And these small steps forward add up, day after day, and ultimately lead to achievements far more impressive than those that are possible from a single effort.

Your opinion of YOU is what’s important. – Most of the good things you do will go unnoticed by others.  Do them anyway, because you will notice.  Many of the contributions you make will not be fully realized by others.  Make them anyway, because you realize they are the right things to do.  It’s great when you receive recognition for the things you do, yet even when there is no possibility of recognition, YOU still recognize the reasons you are putting forth the effort.  Your honest, authentic view of yourself influences all that you do.  And that view is formed mainly during times when no one is watching.  Your life is a living expression of who you know yourself to be, regardless of what others think or see.

It’s OK to let some people walk away. – You don’t have control over the things people say about you, but you do have control over how you decide to internalize it.  Leave people to their opinions and judgments.  Let them love you for who you are, and not for who they want you to be.  Or let them walk away if they choose.  They can’t harm you either way; it’s their understanding that is faulty, not yours.  Read Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

There’s a lot to appreciate in this moment. – Your journey will be much lighter and easier if you don’t try to carry your entire past and future around with you.  Take a break.  Let go of your obsession with yesterday’s struggles and tomorrow’s to-do list, and simply enjoy the beauty of what’s right here, right now.  Sometimes you have to stop thinking that some new richness will fulfill you, so you can fully experience the richness that’s already yours.”



About The Authors: Marc and Angel Chernoff are professional coaches, full-time students of life, admirers of the human spirit, and have been recognized by Forbes as having “one of the most popular personal development blogs.” They run MarcandAngel.com and the site is packed with tips, inspiration and quality advice.

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