A totallyyolo thought for the day:

“Let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel.” ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Let’s be completely honest: we are going to have bad days. Some days are going to be absolutely unbearable. Some days we are going to want to just give up and throw away all the progress we have made.

And some days are going to seem hopeless.

But we have to remember that it is not the decisions we make when life is easy that define us.

We are defined by the choices we make in our darkest hour.

The actions we take when we are hurt, tired, and weak reveal our true nature. We choose whether we rise to the occasion or crumble beneath the weight of adversity.

So if you’ve had a bad day, hold your chest out and chin up and pesevere. Keep trudging forward.

I have not had a spectacular day. I’ve felt hurt, weakness, and hopelessness today. But I haven’t given up. I have decided to keep going. To remain strong. To be grateful. And to stay hungry for life.

You cannot get to a better place unless you are willing to keep moving forward.

Tomorrow will be better, my friends.

Live totallyyolo!

 

 

A totallyyolo thought for the day:

“Be who you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.” Julius Charles Hare

So much truth in this quote. We can never experience growth and improve the quality of our lives if we are living according to someone else’s expectations for us.

We have to be honest with ourselves about what we truly want and need in life. And then we must have the courage to pursue those desires despite criticism and opposition from other people.

Greater happiness never comes to us from living someone else’s life.

P.S. I am in the process of writing another article that addresses self-worth. Hope to have that out in the next couple of days.

Until then… Live totallyyolo!

Jonathan

A totallyyolo thought for the day:

In order to succeed in life we have to be willing to fail. Often, we are so fearful of failing that we do not even try. However, when we do not even try, we are forced to wonder “What if?”

“What if I had of told her how I feel about her?”

“What if I had of taken that job?”

“What if I had of tried to get my book published?”

I believe that forever living with uncertainty is far greater a pain than any temporary failure. The peace of mind is especially sweet.

So always live totallyyolo!

Jonathan

When does change happen in our lives?

Is it when we sign-up for a gym membership? Or when we quit that job that we hate?

Does change happen when we make an appointment with a therapist? Or when we enroll in an online college course?

No, change does not happen just because we take a single action. For example, how many people sign-up for a gym membership at the start of a new year? I mean, the gym during the first week of the new year is absolutely packed; hardly a free bench or set of dumbbells in sight. All those new faces in the gym are changing their physical life, right? Well, now think about the first week of February. Is the gym still just as packed? Absolutely not! It seemed like all those new people were do something to change their physical lives. So why did it not last?

I believe that permanent change begins with a decision. It’s really that simple. This is because when we truly make a decision to change some aspect of our lives, we take action. And consistent action produces results. When we decide to change something in our lives, change happens.

Now, I know that you’re thinking about the gym reference. All those new people in the gym made a decision when they signed-up for the membership. So why didn’t lasting change happen? Well, I do not believe that they really decided to change their physical life. Those new people in the gym didn’t actually make a true decision.

A true decision is when we make something a must. When something becomes a must for us, we have made a commitment. When something is a must, there is really no thought to the process. There is no convincing ourselves to get out of bed in the morning to go for that run. There is no having to pump ourselves with inspirational videos or phrases (sure, those are great, but they don’t produce real results). There is no procrastinating or wasting time. When something becomes a must for us, there is only consistent massive action. That is it.

In fact, when we make something a must, we make it a necessity, a need. When we are thirsty, we find a way to get water. When we are hungry, we find a way to get nourishment. When we need more money to provide for our family, we somehow find a way to get that money. There is no other option but getting what we need. When we truly decide, there is no other option but getting what we must have.

No, the people who signed-up for a New Year’s gym membership but gave up did not make a true decision to change. They made a decision to try it and see. A permanent change in their body and health was not a must for them. Sure, it was something that they wanted, but they did not need it. If a permanent change in their physical life was truly a must for them, then they would not have stopped going to the gym. If anything, they would have started going to the gym even more frequently. But they did not. A permanent change in their physical life was preceded in priority by their work hours, getting the kids to their after-school activities, going to the grocery store, mowing the lawn, watching that episode of “Law and Order” that they DVR’ed, having a couple smoke breaks, and getting some extra sleep.

Now, I am not saying that the decision to get in better shape takes priority over your children or your job. But I am just trying to show you that in order to get what we want, we have to make our goal/desire a priority; it has to have influence in our lives. What we want has to become what we need. We consistently, and without hesitation, take action to get what we need in life.

So in order for permanent change to happen in our lives, we must first make a true decision about what we are going to have. Because when we make a true decision, what we want becomes a must for us, it becomes a necessity. And we are always willing to take massive action to fulfill our needs in life.

 

P.S. I plan to write more about how to make something a “must” in the future.

But for now…

Live totallyyolo!

Jonathan

So this is my first post on my blog totallyyolo, and I am incredibly excited! But I will not gush on and on. The purpose of this blog is to share with the world my never-ending journey to living a fuller, more satisfying life…and hopefully, help many other people do the same. No, I am not wise beyond my years. No, I do not have everything figured out–I don’t think anyone ever truly figures this thing out. And no, this is not another positivity blog that preaches the benefits of smiling and suggests happy thoughts as a fail-proof strategy for perminent positive change in our life.

I believe that in order for change to happen in our lives, we actually have to change something! Instead of waiting around for that day when things just magically become better, we have to get off our asses and do something. We have to stop making excuses. We have to stop being afraid to fail. We have to stop putting things off for another day. And most importantly, we have to stop limiting ourselves! The only limits in our lives are those we choose to accept.

So this is me, my journey, to break through my self-imposed limits and hopefully help others to do the same.

I hope this blog will inspire you and I to take action. I hope this blog will help you and I to make the most of the opportunity that we have been given. And I hope that this blog will motivate you and I to do something different.

And finally, I hope that this blog will prove to you that you are not alone in wanting to create a better life for yourself. You are never truly alone in this life.

Remember, we have been given one chance at this life, so let’s not waste it.

Let’s get this journey started!

Much to come in the future. But until then…

Live totallyyolo!

Jonathan