Unleash Your Unique Superpower!

Hi everyone!

Hope your day is going great.  Today I wanted to dive into the topic of super heroes, more specifically super powers.  Like a young clark kent and his alter ego superman, we are all on a journey of self discovery. Along the way we will uncover what's unique about us, what give us strength, what makes us happy, and what makes us positively powerful on a deep mental, & emotional level!

For myself, I've gradually noticed my super powers are positivity and optimism.  This is my core, what makes me tick.  My positive optimism has a never ending supply and I've used it endlessly everyday of my life.  I can honest say that 99.99% of my life I have never felt depression.  Whatever life has thrown at me I've answered back with my super powers! From overcoming shyness to approaching a beautiful woman to giving motivational public speeches to help others, my emotional powers are my pillars.

And doing one of my favorite activities, people watching, I've noticed too that we all have emotional super powers.  Some awesome ones are humor, helpfulness, gratitude, and leadership.  Along with dedication, focus, work ethic, and integrity.  The list is infinite.  So when you discover what your super power or powers are, please unleash it!  You will not only be at your best and feel your best, you will also be helping others.  By not only being uplifting, but also spreading growth and contribution.  Two needs of the spirit that can't be met by others and material possessions.  Until the next post everyone!

Always be Awesome!

Tony
Positive, Optimistic, Zenmaster, Forever Humble

A Powerful Emotion Many Have that Few Master

Hi everyone,

Today I want to introduce a powerful emotion we all have but few have mastered.  This emotion when tapped upon will help you get whatever you wish out of life.  This emotion is Patience.  Written in Chinese its: 忍. The character is actually composed of two words knife & heart.  

 刀 + 心 = 忍

   Knife            Heart          Patience

The character teaches us that patience is a difficult virtue to master.  A painful one at that.  Practicing patience feels like having a knife over one's heart.  Especially in today's modern world of instant gratification.
Impatience is one of our worst enemies.  How many times can you think of when you wanted this material object, a certain outcome, a certain feeling immediately but ended up feeling regret, sadness, and the other  lists of negative emotions?

From quitting a diet & exercise program prematurely because you're not seeing immediate weight loss to stopping savings and investment habits because you don't get rich quick, not practicing patience brings us closer to outcomes and feelings we're trying to avoid.

Yes patience is painful.  And yes it can feel like someone is holding a knife to your heart.  This pain is necessary though.  This pain is the emotional driving force that will shape and push you to achieve what will truly make you happy.  Whether its finding the love of your life or achieving financial independence, patience is the emotion that will get you to happiness.

Think of patience the next time you're faced with a difficult situation.  Patience is the bridge between your present moment to your desired outcome.  

The Secret 6th Love Language

Hi everyone, I hope 2014 is treating you well so far.

A few weeks ago I had a stimulating conversation with an awesome and inspiring coworker about Dr. Gary Chapman's Incredible literary work: The Five Love Languages.  If you haven't read it, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you do.  I always tell everyone that if people read this book, breakups in relationships, and divorces in marriages would be significantly reduced. (Yes! So it is possible to be in an intimate relationship and possibly not get hurt, awesome!)

In his book, Dr. Chapman writes about his discovery of 5 distinct "love languages" he's observed from his 30 plus years as a marriage counselor.  Dr. Chapman states that in all relationships the "in love" feeling where partners feel their significant others can do no wrong or hurt them lasts only 2 years tops. (And aren't you glad you arrived at this article about love!)

Afterwards, your partners warts will start to show and if couples don't speak the same love language and fill one another's love tanks, a breakup will inevitably occur.  (Along with the usual name calling and every past mistake you've ever made brought up!) The good news however is that if you know your loved one's distinct love language and use it to fill their love tank, you will absolutely notice a difference in your relationship dynamics.

Now Dr. Chapman says there are a total of 5 love languages which are:

Words of Affirmation

Quality Time

Receiving Gifts

Acts of Service

Physical Touch

Today I'm here to champion the discovery I made over the weekend about a secret 6th Love Language: Giving Food.  Recently I noticed that things in life are at their strongest in pairs & even numbers. Have you noticed that car engines are 4,6,8,10, or 12 cylinders?  There's a reason for this which I'll explore more in a different post.  But everything in life I feel is strongest, true, most complete when in pairs and or even #'s. Night and Day, God and Satan, Love and Hate, Good and Evil, Singing Duets, The 4 seasons, The 10 commandments, The 12 simple music notes. Notice the trend?

This is why I"m a big believer in Monogamy.  We are strongest and most happiest, most in balance when we're with one partner only.  When was the last time you heard of a love triangle that turned out well or a "playa" bedding multiple woman being happy?  It doesn't happen.  (So guys, grow up and be a man. Commit to only one woman.  Trust me you'll be happier.)

So with this new found philosophy of pairing and evenness, I knew there had to be a 6th love language.  My theory so far is Food.  When you really think about it.  Food can unify the 5 languages.  Obviously it fits the language of gifts, plus it is an act of service when you prepare a meal for your partner (aka your lovie dovie, marshmallow, wubby, and every other weird nickname you guys have! )  And it takes quality time to think, plan, and execute the food.  Also physical touch is a necessity to experience great food in your mouth.  And before or after every loving food experience, words of affirmation and appreciation are sure to follow.

Plus when you think about it, food is a centerpiece of dating and relationships.  Food is loving and not hateful.  You don't hear couples say, "I hate you and I'm going to bake you a german chocolate cake!" or "I want a divorce and here are some oatmeal raising cookies!" OK so I know that was far fetched but you get the point.  So far all readers of the blog, I'm curious about your thoughts and comments.  If you think there's a better 6th love language let me know in the comments section.

Also one final thought for everyone.  Remember daily to Love.  It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru.  Haha but seriously, l learned love is a verb, not a noun.  So love everyone, because there love tanks need it.  Until the next post peace out and be happy while being awesome too!

Tony

Writer, Self Proclaimed Comedian, Zenmaster, & Pizza Lover...

A lesson we've all failed once before

This quote is deeply resonating.

If you are depressed,
you are living in the past,
If you are anxious,
you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, 
you are living in the present.

-Lao Tzu

Timeless Relationship Wisdom

(Hey everyone! I saw this on yahoo tonight, had to share.)

Words to Love By

The highest form of love
is to be the protector
of another person's solitude.

Rainer Maria Rilke


It is not a lack of love,
but a lack of friendship
that makes unhappy marriages.

Friedrich Nietzsche


What do we live for,
if it is not to make life
less difficult for each other?

George Eliot


Love me 
when I least deserve it,
because that's when I really need it.

Swedish Proverb


Marriage is
three parts love
and seven parts forgiveness of sins.

Lao Tzu


Everything that irritates us
about others can lead us
to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung


I love you not only for what you are,
but for what I am
when I'm with you.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning


The best way to find out
if you can trust somebody
is to trust them.

Ernest Hemingway


We must be our own
before we can be
another's

Ralph Waldo Emerson


I love her
and that's the beginning
and end of everything

F. Scott Fritzgerald


The course 
of true love
never did run smooth

William shakespeare


Love 
is no assignment
for cowards

Ovid


No man is truly married
until he understands
every word his wife is not saying

Unknown

Read this everytime you want to give up

The Story of Colonel Sanders

For those of you who haven't heard the story of Colonel Sanders...it can be very motivating. Here I offer it, as told by Tony Robbins in his book "Letters to a Friend".  Enjoy!*****

The key to success is to decide what's most important to you and then take massive action each day to make it better, even when it doesn't look as if it's working.

I'll give you an example. Have you ever heard of a guy named Colonel Sanders? Of course you have. How did Colonel Sanders become such an unbelievable success? Was it because he was born wealthy? Was his family rich? Did they send him to a top university like Harvard? Maybe he was successful because he started his business when he was really young. Are any of these true?

The answer is no. Colonel Sanders didn't begin to fulfill his dream until he was 65 years old! What drove him to finally take action? He was broke and alone. He got his first social security cheque for $105, and he got mad but instead of blaming society or just writing congress a nasty note, he started asking himself, "What could I do that would be valuable for other people? What could I give back?" He started thinking about what he had that was valuable to others.

His first answer was, "Well, I have this chicken, recipe, everyone seems to love! What if I sold my chicken recipe to restaurants? Could I make money doing that?" Then he immediately thought, "That's ridiculous. Selling my recipe won't even pay the rent." And he got a new idea: "What if I not only sold them my recipe but also showed them how to cook the chicken properly? What if the chicken was so good that it increased their business? If more people come to see them and they make more chicken sales, maybe they will give me a percentage of those additional sales."

Many people have great ideas. But Colonel Sander was different. He was a man who didn't just think of great things to do. He put them into action. He went and started knocking on doors, telling each restaurant owner his story: "I have a great chicken recipe, and I think if you use it, it'll increase your sales. And I'd like to get a percentage of that increase."

Well, many people laughed in his face. They said, "Look, old man, get out of here. What are you wearing that stupid white suit for?" Did Colonel Sanders give up? Absolutely not. He had the #1 key to success; I call itpersonal power. Personal power means being persistence in taking action: Every time you do something, you learn from it, and you find a way to do it better next time. Colonel Sanders certainly used his personal power! Instead of feeling bad about the last restaurant that had rejected his idea, he immediately start focusing on how to tell his story more effectively and get better results from the next restaurant.

How many times do you think Colonel Sanders heard no before getting the answer he wanted? He was refused 1,009 times before he heard his first yes. His spent two years driving across America in his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat in his rumpled white suit, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new. Often, the only food he had was a quick bite of the samples he was preparing for perspective buyers. How many people do you think would have gone for 1,009 no's - two years of no's! - and kept on going? Very few. That's why there is only one Colonel Sanders. I think most people wouldn't get passed twenty no's, much less a hundred or a thousand! Yet this is sometimes what it takes to succeed.

If you look at any of the most successful people in history, you will found this common thread: They would not be denied. They would not accept no. They would not allow anything to stop them from making their vision, their goal, a reality. Did you know that Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating "The Happiest Place on Earth"? All the banks thought he was crazy. He wasn't crazy; he was a visionary and, more important, he was committed to making that vision a reality. Today, millions of people have shared in "the joy of Disney", a world like no other, a world launched by the decision of one man.

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers!

Saw this story today and I had to share it.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car..

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'
The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.