Be Ridiculously Good at Life

What Do You Want? A goal is something you want to achieve. It can be an action, an ability, a title, a role, easily quantifiable or an ongoing effort. In order to achieve a goal, you must know your goal. What is your goal? What do you want to achieve? What are you willing to trade time, energy, and attention for? Write down your goals. Why Do You Want It? Why do you want to achieve this goal? Knowing why is crucial. Your reasons reveal and define your approach towards achieving your goal. Do you approach the goal as a challenge because you want to expand your capabilties? Or is this goal something you are working towards to gain validation and approval from others? Are you pursuing this goal because you believe it will provide you with fun, learning, and experience? Or are you motivated by competition, jealousy, and power? Goals are much easier to achieve when approached from the right mind set. A personal goal can only be achieved by one person- you. Logically, the only person to ...

Change Your Attitude Towards Food Food is essential for sustaining life. Most of us do not live under the direct pressures of survival, meaning we can afford to anticipate our next meals during a very lengthy time frame. Most of us can rest assured that our caloric needs will be met. With this security, we are able to luxuriate in the pleasures of food. Yet some of us forget that food is not only for enjoyment- it fuels our bodies and changes the quality of our life. A diet consisting of junk food will render an individual weak and unhealthy.  The manner with which we eat also contributes to our wellness. Those who eat without mindfulness and appreciation tend to choose unhealthy foods and unhealthy quantities. Those who become afraid of food battle with eating disorders and are constantly fighting to maintain or gain control over their power struggles. In order to establish a healthy relationship with food, one must find balance between the quality of food and the quality of their...

What kind of relationship do you have with food? Benjamin Franklin had a clear idea of how he felt about his daily sustenance- one should eat to live, not live to eat. Food indeed fuels your existence, but it is much more than a basic means of nourishment. Cultures are defined by their cuisines, cities are praised for their restaurants, master chefs are worshiped for their culinary innovations.  Food is indeed much more than a way to take in necessary calories, macronutrients, and vitamins. Food offers a cornucopia of experiences that nourish more than just one's body. Yet based on the current levels of obesity and the endless flow of scientifically altered "diet foods", the mass population can not seem to find and maintain the healthy relationship with food needed to live a healthy, satisfying life. The vending machines have replaced the farmer's market. The microwave has replaced the slow cooker. The coffee table in front of the television and open lap top have repl...

Your body allows you to enjoy and thrive in this physical world we live in.  Yet many of us experience a tumultuous relationship with our bodies at some point in our lives.  Many of us place limiting beliefs on ourselves due to our lack of satisfaction with our physiques. These limiting beliefs create feelings of despair, inferiority, and hate.  These feelings may cause us to look for validation and approval from entities outside of ourselves, to project our insecurities and ideals onto others, and to choose unhealthy  and unsustainable "fixes" which may culminate into destructive lifestyles.  In order to have a good relationship with our bodies, we must accept and  nurture our bodies. I must preface this article with my own personal standard- I do not believe that a healthy relationship with your body can be attained and maintained without proper diet and exercise. I believe that health and fitness can marry with aesthetic ideals to gain satisfaction with ...

Associations and beliefs created during the relationship remain long after the breakup. These create residual tendencies and emotional habits that one continues to experience so long as they remain unexamined. In order to let go, one must understand why these associations were initially created. An association is essentially a connection. Generally speaking, the shape of a heart is associated with romance. The color yellow is associated with sunshine. Your former flame's cologne is associated with the intimacy of being able to appreciate the scent while enjoying physical contact and comfort. Associations can easily bring about old memories and the emotions experienced during such occurrences. These emotions may lead one to feeling needy- as if fulfillment can only be found in the past. By doing so, one idealizes the past and experiences a painful sort of nostalgia. To combat such nostalgia, one must understand why they reminisce. Usually, if one's needs are fulfilled in the pre...

Love is an energy. Love is a state of total acceptance, harmony, and truth. True love with another individual is virtually impossible unless one truly loves themselves. This self love requires an honest and deliberate look into one's self and inner environment in order to be accessed.  Tuning Into the Flow Love resonates from within first- any attempts at finding love outside of the self are futile and shall create new bonds, associations,and expectations that will cause suffering and disappointment. Accept Yourself We can not truly accept others if we do not accept ourselves. Self acceptance demands detachment from the illusory qualities we define ourselves with. You are not your life story. You are not the emotions you feel, the problems you solve, the job you work, the friends you keep, the country you're from.  You are not your favorite sports team, your weekly/nightly/daily/monthly/yearly habits, your interests and hobbies, your talents, your achievements, your successes,...