Category: Mindset

How to Set the Tone

Last night I didn’t have the most restful sleep because I had to pee.

I woke up in the middle of the night and while it felt like 5 or 6am, I hit the light button on my little clock and the face lit up in a soothing blue and I discovered it was only 3am.

But instead of doing the wise thing and giving in to my urge to tinkle, I ignored it and went back to bed.

I then woke up because I wet myself!…

.

.

KIDDING

Anyway, I’d set my actual alarm for 6:28am and got up then.

I did my morning gratitude routine, which is to think of ONE thing I’m grateful for while still lying in bed after waking up.

Today, I expressed my gratitude for the back surgery I had and how it taught me so many lessons about the body and helped open up a career that I love.

Through this painful experience, I’ve discovered the power that injuries have to teach us about how the body works.

The lessons are way more powerful than anything you could learn in a textbook or a university degree.

If you hurt your knee for example, you can test different positions of weight bearing with the injured knee forward while keeping most of your weight on your back leg and/or supporting yourself with your arms and see what hurts and how activation of the glutes might eliminate the pain.

This is just one simple example and the key is the underlying concept:

Use injuries as a tool for greater awareness of and how better to control your body…

… and not something you feel depressed and get all upset about and use as an excuse to switch your diet to sugar, cheap vegetable oils, salt and as many artificial flavourings as possible.

Instead, make lemonade out of lemons and on top of the lesson of how to prevent the injury in the first place, it puts experiencing an injury pretty high up on the list of the top coaches of movement and exercise in the world.

Note the word “experiencing” instead of “suffering” in that paragraph above…

Let’s change that language we use around injuries so we’re not dooming ourselves from the start.

Which brings me back to waking up…

What’s the first thing you do to set the tone of the day?

If you’re hitting snooze repeatedly, you’re starting off the day procrastinating.

If you wake up and think to yourself as you get up, “I’m sooooo tired,” you’re starting off the day in a state of low energy and resistance.

Or if you get up and everything is on auto-pilot, you’re starting the day off unconsciously and habitually.

These things are fine and if they’re working for you keep going, but I suggest you try starting your day with a little gratitude and you might find it’ll upgrade your days.

It’s a conscious, mindful practice that gets you in a state of being thankful for what you have instead of living mindlessly and not being present as you’re thinking about the future or things you want.

I used to use a journal where it asked me to write 3 things I was grateful for, but I found this process cumbersome and it became mechanical where it didn’t mean anything more than another task to complete, so I ditched it in favour of the process I’ve described here.

It’s easier and I found dropping from 3 things to 1 increases my enjoyment of whatever it is I think about.

It doesn’t take long but might require you to wake up a few minutes earlier if your current routine is very habitual, but it’s well worth those couple of minutes.

The POWER of Simplicity

If you want to give it a shot, mark your start day in the calendar then give it 28 days and stick to it, then re-assess to see if it’s been worth it.

Don’t marry this idea yet – just give it a fair chance for 28 days then make up your mind.

This is what I and my Inner Circle members refer to as the Lifestyle Experiment (LE) – something simple where you track your performance for 28 days then decide if you want to keep it going.

The beauty of this is that it’s easy to stick to since it’s just 28 days and if you do decide to continue, you’re 80% of the way to making it a habit and you’ll just need another 2-4 weeks of attention to make it one.

Do you have any simple things you do in your life that you think makes it better?

If so, please share them below.

I’m always running Lifestyle Experiments and need lots of good ideas and who better to ask than someone smart, fit and in alignment with my own values than you. 🙂

February 15, 2016
The WRONG Way to Set Goals (do this instead for LASTING results)

Ahhhh, New Years Resolutions…

Set by millions around the world.

Broken just a couple of months (or even days) later by those same millions.

As such, a lot of “experts” look down upon setting them.

But not me.

I think when the calendar flips is a perfect time to reflect, re-evaluate and set new intentions on what you want to achieve.

Every masterpiece started from a blank canvas and the dawn of the new year is just that.

I’ve been spending the past couple of months thinking about 2016 because I know the power of planning (“Fail to plan, ___ _ ___”).

I’ve come to realize that my work habits get thrown off in December, so there’s no point fighting it and instead, I use the time I have to sit back and reflect on what I want to make happen in the new year.

And just for fun, I’ve been talking to random people about their New Years Resolutions.

Just before writing this email, after I ordered my black double Americano, I asked the barista I see all the time if she had any goals for 2016.

“Well, I want to find a good man.”

“Sorry, I’m taken,” I replied.

She giggled and then I asked her how she defines a good man.

She listed off the typical characteristics women say they want in a man.

I gave her a stern look and said, “I told you already, I’m taken.”

She giggled again then gave me my Americano.

Now, I’m writing this to you because there’s a mistake I want you to avoid that most people make when setting goals.

I’ve made this mistake many times before, so don’t think I’m preaching from the pedestal, here.

Here’s the BIG problem…

Shooting for too much, too soon.

You know what I mean.

“I’m going to workout everyday and eat perfect everyday and lose 48 pounds in January. Hurrah!”

And it’s not just at new years.

I’ve heard some variation of this from many people at all different times of the year, whether it’s a fighter or overweight dude looking to get back in shape.

So instead, I recommend you do this:

Start Slow and BUILD

When you start slower, you have a better chance of sticking to whatever plan you set.

When you stick to your plan, as long as it’s sufficient to make progress, you’ll get results.

The results you get will be motivating and will help you keep going.

When you keep going, you’ll be building the most important thing…

HABITS

Habits are what will help you keep whatever results you get.

Habits are what will prevent you from spiralling down into the dark abyss that is doing absolutely nothing and feeling sh*tty about it.

Habits are the absolutely most powerful weapon you’ve got to create the life you want, because once they’re set, they take little energy to maintain and you can build more habits on top of them.

But habits take time and consistency to build.

At least 4 weeks of doing something daily and longer if it’s something you do less frequent.

When it comes to your fitness habits, this is what I recommend:

If you train MMA, a Martial Art or another sport:

2 sessions/week for strength (30-45 min)
2 sessions/week for conditioning (15-30 min, can combine with strength)
15 minutes per day for flexibility/mobility/corrective exercises

This schedule allows you to make gains without overtraining and ensures the bulk of your energy is devoted to skill training.

If all you do is your gym/fitness workouts:

2-3 sessions per week for strength (45-60 min)
2-3 sessions per week for conditioning (15-30 min, can combine with strength)
15 minutes per day for flexibility/mobility/corrective exercises

I suggest doing some type of intense activity at least 3 days/week, so if you do 2 strength and 2 conditioning per week, one of the days can be strength+conditioning and the other 2 days can be just strength and just conditioning.

Just 2 workouts per week is not enough to improve if you’re not doing anything else.

So if you’re looking to create proper habits, look to implement these schedules and once you’ve followed them consistently for at least 2 months, then think about building on them.

It might feel like you’re not doing enough, but you’re actually doing it right and it will set you up for a lifetime of being in shape so you never have to experience the depression that comes from doing nothing.

Coach E

P.S. If you want a program with everything mapped out for you, here are a few resources that give you everything step-by-step that have been proven by my thousands of customers:

Ultimate MMA S&C Program
Bulletproof Back
Shoulder Flexibility Solution
Hip Flexibility Solution
Article: 3 Keys to Building Muscle

And if you’d like to see if you qualify to join my powerDOJO Inner Circle where you get a new workout every month and my full support for any questions you will have (for substitutions, injuries, etc), click here to apply to become a VIP member.

January 4, 2016
Word is bond

I spent the past weekend in a training course with a focus on finances and personal development.

Lots of sitting so I was sure to do a lot of this anti-sitting sequence to ensure my hips didn’t lock up.

I’ve been a part of this program for almost 2 years and my participation has had a major positive impact on my life and my finances.

The concept we’ve spent the most time working on is INTEGRITY, but defined in a very specific way, which we’ll discuss in a sec.

It’s the concept I’ve personally benefitted from the most, as I’ve discovered that integrity is directly proportional to the results, happiness, or whatever other outcome it is that I desire.

And it’s extra important to me now that I’m a father because I know just how important it is to foster a strong relationship with my daughter Livia.

When you re-define integrity in the way that I’ll explain and then choose to live with integrity, I guarantee your results will skyrocket as well, whether that’s with your own personal fitness, your financial situation, the quality of your relationships and your overall effectiveness in this world.

Earlier today, I was rocking some classic Wu-Tang Clan and kept noticing the phrase…

WORD IS BOND

This is a common phrase, especially from 90’s hip-hop and it basically means that if I give you my word, you can count on me to follow-through.

I was curious about this phrase so I did a little research on the origins and I found many references to the Bible.

Now I’m not a religious man but I am open to learning from everywhere and what I found were many great lessons on the importance of keeping your word.

For example…

“But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him.” – John 2:15

And…

“When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” – Ecclesiastes 5:4-7

Wise words that have stood the test of time.

I’ve also experienced the impact of not following through on my word, which is always a less-than ideal result.

For example, my wife being pissed off with me.

Or friends not being able to rely on me.

Or my fitness goals not being met.

And it’s no wonder why these things happen.

When you break your word, you lose TRUST.

You become trust-UNworthy.

Not just with others, but more importantly, with yourself.

But we all know that life happens and keeping your word is not going to happen 100% of the time.

That’s why the most effective definition of integrity to live by is this:

To HONOUR YOUR WORD, which involves you keep your word, or as soon as you know it’s not going to happen you let everyone who was counting on your word know and clean up any mess caused by you not keeping your word.

Keeping your word is doing what you said you
would do by when you said you would do it.

Integrity is not about morality or good and bad or right and wrong.

It’s simply about honouring your word.

When you consistently honour your word, you have integrity and you will have the expected positive results in your endeavors and relationships.

Imagine that whenever you say you’re going to do something good for yourself like exercise, or do mobility work or breathe or eat well, you actually follow through.

Imagine that everyone important to you knows with certainty that when you say something you will follow through.

This is a pathway to a POWERFUL LIFE.

One tip that I can give you now that will help you live with integrity is this – make a list of all the promises you’ve made to yourself and others that you haven’t fulfilled and either:

a) Do what you said by when you said
b) Make a new promise to do what you said… or NOT do it
c) Clean up any messes created by (b)

Whether it’s finishing the big project on time for the boss or meeting your friend for coffee on time or grabbing apples on the way home.

Don’t prioritize one thing over another as the priority is HONOURING YOUR WORD and nothing else.

That’s it.

Commit to it and I promise, your life will benefit greatly.

PEACE~

Eric

P.S. Like EVERY worthwhile skill, don’t expect to be perfect at this at first. Just kaizen it and you’re golden.

November 23, 2015
Analyzing UFC Fighter Diego Sanchez’s Mindset

Diego Sanchez has been a pro MMA fighter since 2002 and competing in the UFC since 2005.

That’s a long, long time to be a pro MMA fighter, especially with the type of fighter he is and the kinds of battles he’s been a part of.

He’s definitely put on more than a few entertaining fights that I’ve had the privilege of watching.

He’s also always been lauded for being one of the most mentally tough fighters in the sport.

However, I read a recent interview with him that doesn’t leave me confident in the path he’s choosing nor his confidence.

First of all, he’s decided to drop weight classes, for a record fourth time, to compete in the 145 pound featherweight division.

I have nothing against moving down to a lower weight class if it’s a better fit for your height/weight/body type.

But what I really look out for is the reasoning behind the move and this is what he had to say was his:

“That’s where the sport has gone right now.Everybody is cutting weight. I see 155-pounders who are big. These guys are big. Even just seeing Nate Diaz in real life, he’s a guy, he’s big. He looks 180-190, maybe even 200 pounds. So for me, I’m like, well, I’m tired of being the small guy. I want to be the big guy. I want to be the guy with more power. I want to be the guy with better wrestling.”

I think it’s fine to want to be the big guy, but he doesn’t stop there.

He also talks about how he wants to be the guy with more power and better wrestling and based on this, he’s assuming that dropping to 145 pounds is how to go about getting these qualities.

Do you see the error in this line of thinking?

That he is not in control of his relative skill in these areas?

Unfortunately, this is a common mindset that a lot of fighters have – drop down in weight and instantly you’re going to be a beast and so far ahead of everyone else in every area.

But this is NOT reality, nor is it where the sport is going right now.

Just look at guys like Anthony Johnson who see the error in trying to cut too much and instead fight at a natural weight and then go and rack up dominating wins with devastating knockouts.

These examples refute Sanchez’s generalization.

And it doesn’t end there, folks.

“And I was like, wow, look at this guy, he’s holding a huge size advantage going into all of his fights. He has the reach. He has the leverage. It just made sense.”

This just goes to show that Sanchez mentions size advantage, reach and leverage as the reasons why Conor McGregor is successful and fails to acknowledge strategy, skill, fitness and confidence, as important factors in his performance.

Here’s why this is most telling about Sanchez’s mindset…

The things that he’s choosing to see as the most important factors are largely those things that have the least leeway in terms of adaptability, while the things he fails to acknowledge are those most trainable.

This is the ultimate error – focusing on the things you cannot change, while neglecting those you can.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I am not religious.

But there’s a lot of wisdom in this simple prayer.

Bless,

Eric

P.S. Thoughts or comments? Leave them below.

August 19, 2015
DEFINED

Last week I had the privilege of attending the premiere screening of a new documentary called DEFINED, which follows a friend of mine, pro bodybuilder Ben Pakulski, as he prepares for the 2015 Arnold Classic.

You could fit two of me inside of him lol!

Obviously I’m not into the bodybuilding stuff but I have full respect for anyone at the highest levels of their chosen endeavour, especially Big Ben.

Regardless of the use of steroids, bodybuilders still train their asses off and work as hard as athletes in any other sport.

Defined is a short film and if you get a chance to watch it, I recommend you do.

After the screening, the floor was opened up for some QnA and when I got the chance to ask a question, I first commented on how good he looked on stage in his red underwear, then asked him:

“How do you come back from setbacks?”

Many people have a (perceived) failure and then spend a lot of time and energy beating themselves up, either mentally (with negative thoughts), physically (through negative actions) or usually, both.

Ben gave a great answer and outlined his process which gives you insight into how the elite become elite and continue to improve day-in, day-out.

Essentially, he said that the outcome doesn’t really matter (he finished 8th in the Arnold), every workout is the real competition and if he’s successful there (in that he follows his plan and gives it his all), then he’s won.

After the competition, he sits down and analyzes his whole training plan (the importance of having everything documented and tracked) and looks at where he could improve.

Then, he revealed a very POWERFUL question that he asked himself after the Arnold…

He said, “I asked myself, for the next competition, what do I have to do so that I can retire and be 100% happy with my performance and career?”

This is a super powerful question and can only elicit a great plan.

I really do look forward to seeing how he’s going to implement the answer to this.

So that’s what’s up today.

Focus on the PROCESS, not the OUTCOME.

And make sure you ask yourself powerful questions.

Tony Robbins says, “The quality of your life is directly related to the quality of questions you ask yourself.”

Listen to these two giants and put it to use and nothing but good can come of it.

I’d love to hear your thoughts or comments on this article, so you can leave them BELOW:

August 12, 2015
YOU have the answer

I was having a little coaching conversation with Sean, a pD member who described his goals and also the obstacles he thought were in his way.

These are the two first things I want to learn about any client I work with, because what I’ve found is that often, once this info is revealed, I don’t have to provide any new info to help people make a big jump towards their goals.

And this is a huge mistake people often make when trying to achieve a goal. We’ll get to this in a sec.

Now, I’d go as far as to say that YOU probably have everything you need to take a big step towards achieving your goals.

The problem that people usually bump into happens anywhere from 50-80% on the way there.

It’s at this point they don’t have the strategies or support to push through to the end and end up at ground zero.

So one of Sean’s goals was to get his body fat to 12%.

I asked, “What’s the #1 thing that you think negatively impacts your fitness/physique the most?”

“Evening snacking including but not limited to pizza, ice cream, and chocolate. The quantity is where I tend to foul things up I know a small amount of any one of these on an infrequent occasion is not going to screw up my entire diet.”

Sound familiar?

I’ve definitely heard this before.

So we’re going to work on a blueprint and strategies to ensure Sean’s success, because I know when he gets to 12% body fat, since he’s already very strong, he’s going to look imposing and won’t go back to the old ways since the new Sean will be so badass.

I just wanted to share this story with you because I believe that for most goals, YOU have the answer to get at least 50% of the way there.

Now, back to that mistake I mentioned earlier?

The mistake that most people make is they’ll try to achieve something, fail, then instead of learning and tweaking, they’ll look for a totally new approach instead of assessing what went wrong and fixing it.

Do this and there won’t be any growth on top of their previous actions and again, they’ll get to 50-80% of the way and get stuck again.

Plus, it’ll take a ton more energy to figure out this new plan and how to implement it.

So think of your goals, then answer these 2 questions:

1) What is the #1 thing you need to do to achieve it?

2) What is the #1 obstacle holding you back?

Get clear on the answers to these 2 questions and focus on the action you get from answering the first and the awareness you need to avoid the second and I bet you can get pretty close to your goals just staying vigilant.

And if the problem in #2 is that you just lose motivation and fall off track, then perhaps, you need someone in your corner who will ensure you don’t fall victim to your past habits.

If you want me to be that person for you, join me inside powerDOJO here and I’ll do my best to help you become the person you know you can be.

Thoughts and comments? Leave them below:

August 5, 2015
Simple 3 Step System to Achieve YOUR Goals

With all of the info coming at you, it’s easy to get bogged down with info overload…

An example is a reply to a follow-up email I got from John, a new Shoulder Flexibility Solution customer, who told me,

“I haven’t started yet because I’ve gotten a bunch of new programs over the last couple of weeks and I don’t know what to do!”

This is why I’ve recommended many times to stick to just 1 or 2 fitness newsletter lists, because any more than that and you’ll get overwhelmed (and might find your bank account a little lighter).

Now, the system I’ve outlined below works best in the order presented.

The thing is, many people skip steps or do them in a different order, which negatively impacts long-term results.

But as you’ll see, there’s logic to this order, so check it out to see what’s up…

That’s why Step 1 of my 3 Step System is as follows:

JUST DO SOMETHING. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT, JUST TAKE SOME TYPE OF ACTION.

This is the most important thing to do when you’re getting started.

When I first started working out when I was 16, I did 3 exercises:

1) Bench Press

2) Bicep Curls

3) Skull Crushers

A horribly imbalanced program but guess what, I got some results and those results fueled my motivation to keep going and learn more.

Now, I like to think my programs are a little more sophisticated. 😉

Even if your actions produce no or negative results, at least now you know what DOESN’T work and can adjust accordingly.

This brings us to Step 2:

Once you’ve got some momentum from whatever actions you’ve taken, then do some self-directed research and learning and apply what you learn (and notice the results).

When it comes to self-directed learning, the internet has given us opportunities to learn from the best like never before.

Obviously this opens up issues like John experienced, but when you properly harness the opportunities available, you’ve got such powerful resources available.

I recommend doing self-directed learning to begin with because a) it’s cheaper and b) doing so allows you to further build your action muscle.

At this stage, many people jump from Step 1 to Step 3, which I believe sets them up to be life-long dependents, always depending on extrinsic sources of knowledge and motivation.

So, what is Step 3?

Here it is:

Do the self-directed thing until you hit a plateau, then find a coach/mentor/trainer/teacher to work with.

This is the time to step it up, because you’ve exhausted your ability to progress based on yourself.

It’s also better because when you approach a coach having taken action already, if the coach is worth his salt, they’ll respect you more for it since they know you don’t need to be babysat and you’re going to do what they say.

This can be in a small group setting or 1-on-1, but the insights you can get from an experienced and skilled coach once they learn about your history and how you tick can truly be invaluable.

I’ve had many of both types of clients and now, I only take on the 2nd type of client because I’m not going to hold anybody’s hand.

You can hire a rep counter at your local gym for that.

In fact, I rarely do regular training sessions now, I simply do assessments and program design and enough sessions to ensure you’re doing things right, then it’s on your merry way.

This is cheaper for the client, empowers the client and helps them be autonomous and is much more enjoyable for me.

So there you have my Simple 3 Step System for Achieving YOUR Goals.

Now I want to know if you haven’t achieved certain goals because you’ve missed any of these steps or you did them in the wrong order?

Leave me your feedback below and let’s chat.

Coach E

April 15, 2015
Don’t make things HARDER and just FLOW

Ahhhhh, it feels so good to breathe the fresh air again…

Spring finally emerged from the long, drawn out winter here in Toronto and on the first sunny day I dusted my bike off, pumped up the tires and went out for a spin.

It was sunny but crisp and the cool air felt great on my face as I cruised around, enjoying the freedom from the posture-destroyer that is the driver’s seat of my car.

It was also a very windy day, unfortunately, due to another cold front blowing in that would give us one last taste of winter (and snow!) before we’re finally free from its icy grips.

I rode around for maybe half an hour, maybe more, then made my way home, the final stretch being north on Jane Street, which is a long and gentle uphill perfect for getting a hard final sprint in.

As I started the sprint, I felt the wind pick up directly opposing my progress.

The wind didn’t relent and it kept pushing me back, trying to slow me down.

Combined with the gradual uphill, any letting up would slow me to a crawl and on a fixie, it would be a slow and quad-burning ride.

There’s something about riding a fixed gear bike, perhaps it’s the fact that the rider is in perfect rhythm with the bike, that allows insights to flash into my mind when I’m fully present and feeling the flow.

On this ride, which under the conditions could’ve been the brutal struggle it’s been in the past, I realized the power of accepting what IS.

Yes, the wind was blowing hard in my face and it is uphill the rest of the way.

Yes, I wasn’t in the same riding-shape I normally am in.

Yes, my butt is kinda uncomfortable because I’m wearing the wrong underwear and jeans.

Those things are all true.

NO MATTER.

I can’t do anything about those things.

What I can do though is focus on breathing and efficient pedalling.

And that’s what I did.

And I surprised myself (and a few passengers in cars I blew by) at just how fast I ripped up that hill home.

I know for a fact that if I’d thought,

“Oh man, this is gonna be tough,
and I’m already kinda tired,”

… the ride would’ve been a lot slower and less enjoyable.

So the insight was that I realized that it’s NOT so much a summoning of superhuman feats of physical fitness.

I definitely was in worse shape than before.

It’s more about letting go of normal human thoughts that often occur automatically that make things harder than they have to be.

Those thoughts often include fighting what is, or reacting to it.

But, when you accept instead of fight or react, you can move on.

And what you can move on to is to direct all of your energy and thoughts to the only things that matter, which in this case for me, was breathing and efficiently pedalling.

When you do this, SUPERIOR results and performances can occur, almost like magic.

I don’t have a formula or system for you to follow to make this happen.

But I do know that it won’t happen without practice and faith that what I’m saying here is true.

So keep practicing.

Keep accepting what is.

It’ll come.

If you’re doing grueling interval work, stop thinking about how hard it is and how you didn’t eat the right meal exactly 1.5 hours before the workout.

This is what IS.

Just focus on the things that matter: breathing and running efficiently by letting go of any tension that isn’t contributing to your pace.

If you’re in a fight, it doesn’t matter who’s standing across from you.

This is what IS.

What matters is having “NO-MIND” and breathing and trusting that your training will get you the result.

Hey – it looks like there’s a commonality to all 3 scenarios I presented here…

You might want to pay attention to this a little more.

April 6, 2015
EVERYthing. Started from NOthing.

When I first conceived of this article, I was sitting at a café, working on the overall structure of my upcoming Shoulder Flexibility Solution, tweaking it to make it flow logically and seamlessly.

I sat at a table near a south-facing window that looked out across downtown Toronto.

In the distance I could see the CN Tower and its pointy head jutting up into the clear blue sky.

If you’ve never visited Toronto, this is the #1 tourist destination as evidenced by the hoardes of Asian tourists scrambling out of buses to quickly snap a picture while throwing up a peace sign before quickly scrambling back onto said bus to be scuttled off to the next background.

My mind was getting scrambly so I sat back in my chair and sipped carefully on my Americano while staring at the tower.

As I sat there, sipping and staring, I began to imagine everything that went into its erection (lol).

Yes, I am immature.

Seriously though, it’s a 500+ metre high (1800+ ft) building that took over 3 years to build and that hasn’t yet crumbled or toppled over.

I began to picture the blueprints drawn up and consulted on by numerous architects and engineers, the digging of the site to lay the foundation, all of the heavy machinery involved, the transport of the materials to and fro, the electricians running wire and the tower being built block by block, up and up until its completion in 1976 as the then highest free-standing man-made structure in the world.

CRAZY~

Without a doubt it deserves its labeling as 1 of the 7 modern wonders of the world.

Now, think about how it first began.

Not when the project broke ground, but its genesis.

Not sure what I’m talking about?

Well, it’s the same way EVERYthing in this world begins.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the CN Tower, the building (or vehicle) you’re in right now, the device you’re reading this on or even the underwear you’re wearing (if you’re not commando).

Are you ready for it?

From NOthing comes EVERYthing.

But that’s not all.

There’s something in between.

And here’s what it is:

An IDEA.

That’s it.

EVERYthing in this world first started with an idea.

It could’ve been generated by one or many, but ideas are the starting point for EVERYthing.

So what ideas are you holding for yourself right now?

What are you building?

If you don’t have any, you’d better get some, otherwise, your life will be determined by the ideas of others.

We’re always under pressure from outside forces imposing their ideas onto us, whether it’s the government directing what side of the road we should drive on (not necessarily a bad thing), advertisers trying to get us to buy their wares, bosses pressuring us to stay late to finish “one little thing” or even little babies screaming and protesting to get their idea of comfort satisfied that includes you rocking and bouncing until you want to pass out.

Ideas are the most powerful forces in the world and we are the only thing that gets in the way of our ideas coming to fruition.

We do this through DOUBT and a lack of trust in the ability to overcome obstacles.

Think back to the CN Tower and everything that went into its creation and how many obstacles and unknowns there were.

If at any moment DOUBT was allowed to grow into inaction, I would not have been staring at the tower that sunny morning nor would I have written this article.

BUT IT WAS NOT.

All doubt was eradicated and destroyed and creativity was used to overcome obstacles, actions were taken and momentum was built until this monstrous building was complete.

I don’t know what you want to achieve and I don’t know what your obstacles are or where you’re doubting your ability to achieve as much…

All I do know is that if you have an idea, you have the ability to make it happen.

If you don’t believe me, that’s OK, it doesn’t mean it’s not truth.

It’s waiting here for you to grasp, whether that’s now or later.

Got it?

GOOD.

My work is done for the day.

Back to making my ideas come to life.

PEACE~

E

March 4, 2015
ABSORB WHAT IS USEFUL…

… discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.

The first time I read this quote was back in 2004 when my buddy Matt gave me the book “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” for my birthday.

I’ve read the book cover to cover 5 or 6 times since and continually refer to it when looking for inspiration and wisdom.

This is such an important concept to live by however, I feel it’s often misinterpreted and/or mis-applied.

Here’s why:

Someone can read this and think, “Cool! From now on I’m gonna take things (info, instructions, lessons, coaching) and take what I want from it and integrate it into my way of doing things. YEA!”

But this is not the way to apply this wisdom properly, nor is it the way Lee applied it in his own life and training.

JKD is based on years and years of Lee’s training in Wing Chun.

It’s this MASTERY of one thing that allows for effective integration of other systems and philosophies (or ways of being, thinking and acting).

Only then, you’ll be able to take the new teachings and compare them up against what you’ve already mastered, which will reveal how and when to change things up.

So the wise course of action is to follow the advice or instruction or lessons of whomever it is you’re learning from, follow it to a TEE and follow it for a SUFFICIENT duration, whether it’s an amount of time, # of reps or whatever.

Only then will you truly know, that is, the combo of your mind knowing the concepts plus the testing of applying it, seeing how it works and getting feedback, that you can take what’s useful and then discard what is not.

All too often people take a little bit here and a little bit there and what ends up is a mish-mash, kinda like taking 1/3rd of a roast chicken recipe and 1/3rd of a chocolate brownie recipe and 1/3rd of a salad recipe and mixing them together.

The final result isn’t nearly the same as the full recipes stacked on top of each other.

So in martial arts, develop mastery in a discipline before trying to integrate other ideas into it.

In training, follow a single coach for at least a full program of theirs to see the results of his entire system since it should be designed synergistically (mine or anyone else’s – just stick to ONE).

This is simple but not necessarily easy, especially because of the vast amounts of info coming at us everyday.

So simplify your life and minimize the “noise” coming at you and you’ll find your results will not only improve, but you’ll be more at peace.

Trust me as I speak from experience as I used to subscribe to dozens of newsletters and found my mind so jumpy that it was causing me anxiety.

But since I’ve streamlined and now follow only a few key mentors, I’m more relaxed, efficient, effective and I even have more free time.

And when it comes to fitness, if that one person you choose to follow is me, then I’m humbly grateful and I promise to do my best to help you reach your goals.

Eric

February 25, 2015