A Longer Than Expected Break

I'm back. I've been back for a few weeks now, but my holiday was enlightening and thought-provoking so I've been taking a longer break from writing here while I collect my thoughts and determine what it is that I want from my life. Sounds deep hey?

Holiday-stimulated ideas

There is only so much relaxing one can do, and especially so for someone like me - someone with an active mind who is always seeking a new challenge. It turns out my relaxation amount was about 5-7 days of sleep-ins, buffet breakfasts, and cocktails by the pool.

In the second week of my holiday my brain kicked in again and I began contemplating where my life was going and what I wanted to be doing. As our brains will try to answer any question put to it I managed to come up with a lot of ideas.

Some of these ideas were brilliant, and some not so good. Some were easy to do, some much harder. And some were that crazy that they made me wonder if I may be from another planet.

I managed to short-list these ideas (and cull the ones that could have me locked up in mental asylum) to a refined list of possible projects that I can immediately begin work on. Here is that list, in no particular order:

• Writing my novel (the same idea I've been refining for nearly 10 years now)
• Releasing some cool iPhone/iPad games
• Starting a sports analysis website
• Selling myself as an expert management consultant
• Writing an e-book based on this site

What to do?

I believe I will tackle most, if not all, of these ideas over the next 12 months. They represent the things I enjoy most, the things I excel at, and the things that have the potential for good financial return and thus allow me to achieve my lifestyle freedom goal and ultimately work on more of these kind of projects.

Why 16 Threads Is Not "Work"

A few times recently I have written about my goal to quit work and devote my time to things I actually enjoy. I have talked about how I plan to sustain this lifestyle through several income streams, one of which is my software development business - 16 Threads. Some people have contacted me saying that if I spend my time running my own business then I have not quit work at all, and that I am probably working even harder to get the business running. But I don't consider running my own company to be a job. It's not "work" as most people know it because we see things differently at 16 Threads.

Our Business, Our Choices

The majority of the 16 Threads business is self-driven. We do some work for clients (if we are interested in a project then we will take it on) but otherwise we spend our time following our passion and creating software that we want to use.

Our aim is for everyone to enjoy the work they do at 16 Threads. If someone has an idea, a pet project, or a vision then they are encouraged to follow that. Or if a project comes in but no-one is interested in it then we will happily pass on it.

Sure, like any business money is important, but we feel that the money will take care of itself because when people love what they do they produce high quality products, making them easier to sell.

Fun in the Sun

We're all about fun at 16 Threads. We have fun at work, we have fun with our clients, and we have fun amongst ourselves. We want everyday to be fun because we believe that work doesn't have always have to be serious (or seriously depressing).

We never let fun get in the way of a project but we make sure not to take ourselves too seriously. After all, life is supposed to be enjoyable and that includes work.

Flexibility

We measure performance on output not time. Measuring time is important for tracking how to improve (we're even building some software to help us with this) but the performance on an individual is not linked to the number of hours they spend at the office.

Everyone gets their work done but they do it at times that are best suited to their own lives. If someone prefers working at night they can. Or if we finish a project early we might find ourselves road-tripping to the beach (or pub) instead of sitting in front of our computers all day.

As long as the work gets done (and meets our very high standards) then we're flexible about all the other details.

Having fun and spending time with my close friends, whilst working on projects I love, that fit around my personal life…I don't think that sounds like "work" at all. :)

Inertia, Momentum and Life

The world really is a wonderful place. Too bad most of us get stuck in boring, long-winded "careers" which don't provide much benefit other than to keep us from doing what we really want to. If this is something that resonates with you then it is quite possible that your life is suffering from a serious case of inertia and it is time to take action, find the life that you enjoy, and break out of that rut!

Inertia: Stuck in a Rut

Inertia is the basic physics principle that says an object will retain its state of motion or rest until a force is applied to alter that state. If something is stationary then it will remain that way until it is forced to move, and if something is moving it will continue moving until something forces it to stop.

This principle applies to non-physical objects too.

Our lives are subject to, and often ruled by, this principle of inertia. It is easy for us to get stuck in a rut, feeling unhappy with our current situation but also at a loss for how to change it. We become set to our routine, immersed in inertia, with nothing in sight that might force us to change direction.

This is a terrible way to live and it is not how our lives are supposed to be. Do you really think we are just supposed to keep running the same loop - work, eat, sleep, pay the bills, work, eat, sleep, watch TV - for the rest of our lives?

No! We are meant to be challenged regularly. We are meant to push ourselves to new limits - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We are meant to have new experiences, see new places, and learn new things.

To do this we need to utilise the positive flip-side of inertia to create change in our lives - the fact that once something is moving it becomes hard to stop it.

We need to learn how to apply enough force to shift our direction, to change our state, and start us on a new journey. We need to generate positive momentum.

Positive Momentum

Positive momentum is what we need to generate in order to build enough force to make dramatic changes in our life. The more stagnant your life has become, the more positive momentum will be needed to break free.

I prefix momentum with positive because we only want positive life changes and they only come from positive momentum. If you create negative momentum in your life then the resulting changes would be negative and you end up in a worse situation than you started with.

That highlights the awesome, but dangerous, power of momentum - once you start building it up it can be very hard to stop. Think of the snowflake that triggers the avalanche. It began small but it was enough to start moving a few other snowflakes around and soon enough a wall of snow is rolling down the mountain and nothing can stop it.

The same effect can be achieved in your life. If you make positive decisions and take positive action then the momentum will build and what started as small, barely noticeable changes will grow into large and significant life changes. You just need that one positive snowflake to start it.

Building positive momentum is not easy though, because at the start it can feel like you are facing an immovable wall of resistance. That is the inertia barrier and crossing it can be a daunting task. But it all starts with the first step.

Take The First Step

The first step in anything new is always the hardest. Especially so when that first step is the first of many trying to break out from the force of inertia.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step" - Lao Tzu

The sheer weight of inertia pushing back can be too much for some people and they quickly lose their resolve and slip straight back into their rut thinking it is just too hard to make a change. It isn't!

The first step in any life-changing direction should be a time of pleasure. Take pride in the fact that you are making the change and recognise that you are just building up your positive momentum. Acknowledge that drastic changes do not happen overnight, but they will only happen because you take that first step.

Change Your Life

Life is a series of changes. Well, at least that is what it is supposed to be. Do not let yourself get caught up with negative inertia - stuck in a place that you really don't want to be.

Make a decision to take action. Only you have the power to create enough positive momentum in your life to make a change. Only you can force your life to take a new direction.

Start today - take a single step towards your dream and build your positive momentum.

Image: renjith krishnan

How to Become Better at Self Promotion

We were sitting at a local cafe, watching the sun set over the city skyline and sipping our drinks as a young and talented musician strummed away on her guitar and serenaded us with her dulcet tones. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I ended up talking to the father-in-law of the singer, a fairly successful local businessman, and after we talked about his latest exciting business venture he looked me in the eye and said "And what do you do Zac?". I mumbled a wishy-washy answer and he tried to be interested but I could tell I had lost him. It was then that I realised that I needed to work on selling myself.

Why You Have To Sell Yourself

I used to resist the concept of "selling" myself because I thought people would respect humility and honesty more than gimmicky self-promotion tricks. I wasn't exactly wrong but I definitely was not right.

Selling yourself is not about being smarmy, arrogant, pushy, or over-the-top. It is about marketing yourself, your skills, your goals, your products, in the best possible way at all times. And I mean at all times.

The world is one giant series of markets. Everything we do is an exchange of resources (time, money, energy, love etc). Obvious examples of markets are shops where we generally exchange money for goods or services. But this concept applies to everything in our life.

In relationships we exchange our time and love in order to satisfy our needs for human connection and our desire to be loved. In work we exchange our time and skills for money, recognition and experience. It goes on.

Everything in life can be viewed as a market and if you dream of greater success then you need to start selling yourself.

Confidence Is Everything

Confidence is everything when you are selling.

If you are not confident in what you are doing then everyone else will be able to sense that. And are people likely to "buy" from someone who is not confident in their product? Hell no! Imagine if you were talking to a car salesman and he started saying things like "It's not a great car but its OK…It has a few performance problems but maybe you'd like anyway?" You would not be interested.

The same happens when you are talking about yourself. If you are not confident explaining what you do, what you are about, or why your ideas are great then people will have a hard time connecting with you.

I find generating this confidence can be extremely hard especially when it is something I am new to. For example, when I started this website it was hard for me to be confident and say things "I am a personal development and motivational writer." I doubted myself because it was a new venture whereas in reality I had demonstrated all the necessary skills previously which showed that I was more than capable.

So just because you have taken the plunge and jumped into something new that is no excuse for lacking confidence. I am sure that if you delved into your past you would find many similar examples and transferable skills that you can draw on to find your confidence. Draw on them and be confident. Tell everyone exactly how good you are. Remember no-one else is going to do it for you.

Love Yourself And Everything You Do

This is closely linked to confidence but I felt it deserved a separate section because it is an important part of becoming your ultimate salesperson: You've got to love yourself!

When you look in the mirror you should see someone that you love, someone that you are proud of, someone that makes you smile. Negative thoughts are not welcome here. You must truly love everything about yourself and want to show everyone just how great you are. If you want some tips on how to get started read my article: Learn To Love Yourself

If you are not able to talk yourself up and be proud of your achievements then you will always undersell yourself. And the result of underselling? Mediocrity and missed opportunities.

Find Your Passion

Finding confidence and the ability to love yourself is not easy if you do not like what you're doing. If you have any negative emotions (be it stress, anxiety, hate, resentment) about your current position these will filter through to your attitude. They will bubble to the surface and hinder your self-confidence.

Ask yourself this simple question: "Am I doing something that makes me truly happy?" For most people the answer is no.

Too often people are not following their dreams but instead following a plan imposed by someone else. It can come from parents who want you to work a certain job, peer pressure to seem like the most valuable employee, or societal pressure and ideas about what you "should" do with your life.

But guess what? There is no should in life. Your life is about you being happy. It is about doing what you want to and not what others think you should do. So if you aren't confident in selling yourself to others, or you find it hard to love yourself, it might be time to stop and think about what you want from life. Get out there and find your passion.

The beauty of finding something that you love doing is that not only do you love every second of your life, but you will be operating at such high level of happiness, productivity and confidence that you will naturally attract greater success. People love working with passionate, happy and energetic people, so find your passion and make people enjoy working with you.

Be Shameless

Shame is the enemy of the salesperson. Shame does not make a sale. Shame does not lead to success.

That may be an over simplification but the point is that in the area of self-promotion shamelessness is the critical. If you feel ashamed to promote yourself, talk up your good qualities, or recommended yourself to others than no-one will be interested in you. Why would people want to find out more about someone who is ashamed to talk about themselves?

Consider an example from Tim Ferriss, author of two #1 best selling books (in different genres) who in 2008 was voted as WIRED's "Greatest Self Promoter of All Time". He has done a lot of things right to go from a nobody to a very popular somebody, assisted by his awesome (and shameless) self-promotion.

If you are need to learn how to become a shameless self-promoter then I recommended reading the "Tim Ferriss' Guide to Self Promotion" article on BNET.

Refine Your Elevator Pitch

The elevator pitch is one of the basic skills a good salesperson has. The concept is that if you meet a potential client in a time-limited environment (i.e. when riding an elevator) you need to be able to clarify what you do, why you do it, and why others want it, all in about 30 seconds. Can you do that?

I can't, but I am working on it.

For a long time I held off on honing this skill because I thought it sound a bit…wanky. I didn't want to believe that the world was just a mass of markets and everyone was always selling. I thought that was a cynical view of the world and I didn't believe it so I tried to keep myself out of the process altogether. I was wrong.

The elevator pitch is crucial in our life. It does not have to be in an elevator, and it does not have to be just for you to get a job or promote a business. It can be for anything!

Written a book and trying to get a publisher? You've got one paragraph of your cover letter to explain your book in a way that gets them hooked. Working on your first album? You'd better be able to explain it to those busy music producers in 30 seconds or they wont be interested. And so on. No matter what you do, you need to be able to "sell" it to someone else, and get them interested, with just a few sentences.

Compare what I used to say when I was asked the inevitable (and confusing) question about what I do. I do a lot of things but my response was something like this:

Ummm…well I am Consultant at the moment….I also started my own IT business on the side….and I have my own personal website where I write stuff.

What the hell is that? Firstly I put what I cared about least at the start and then talked down my two other ventures as side projects, as if they barely matter. That surely does not inspire confidence and it definitely does not generate interest in what I want people to be interested in. So I've changed it:

I help people make positive changes in their life through my personal development website and I also am the founder of a software development company that builds websites and iPhone apps.

Which sounds better? :P

The second one is miles ahead. It has a wow factor to it. It summarises what I do and delivers it in a quick one-two style that leaves people asking questions. People will ask for my website address, or they will ask about my software clients, or they will ask something completely different. The point is that they are asking questions. It gets them interested in me and that is the goal of the elevator pitch.

Fake It Until You Make It

By now, if I have done my job well, you have recognised the importance of becoming your number one salesperson and hopefully you have a list of areas you can work on to get there. So my final advice is to fake it until you make it which is basically the same as saying "practice, practice, practice".

Having trouble loving yourself? Stand in front of the mirror and practice. Tell yourself how great you are and force yourself to smile and nod in agreement. I promise that it will become second nature to smile at yourself and the love will start to come naturally.

Struggling with confidence? Do a little role-play in your mind where you turn the situation around and imagine yourself with confidence. As an example, when I used to attend interviews I would pretend that I owned the building I was being interviewed in. I practiced this thought until I walked in with my head high an full of confidence. After all, they were in MY building so they would need to give me respect wouldn't they? It sounds odd but it works.

No matter what area you think you need to improve you can achieve it by practicing success. The key is that you must practice success and not failure or sub-standard performance. You are your number one salesperson already so start thinking like it.

Believe in yourself, believe in your "product", and start convincing others just how important you are. If you do it right they will always want to hear more.

Image: Pixomar

Do What You Want To Be Doing

Early today I was facing a conundrum. I sat down to write another article about friendships, relationships and bringing positive people into your life, and I couldn't write it. Words made their way onto the screen but they were not right. It felt like I was forcing them out when usually they just flow out of me with ease. I thought maybe I just wasn't "on" today, or maybe I was having my first writers block? Then it dawned on me: I was not doing what I wanted to be doing. The concept sounds simple enough - do what you want to be doing - but not many people actually put it into practice. Today I was one of those people. I have a list of article ideas ready for write, and after a week of paleo-centric writing I felt that I should get back to the person development areas that I normally write for. The problem was that nasty s-word: should.

I did not actually want to write. Why? Because I have several other big projects on the go and some ideas floating around in my head that I really wanted to sink my teeth into. But, I had this nasty obligation-like feeling hanging around which ended up ruining my day. When I worked on my projects and ideas I had the feeling that I should be writing that article, but then when I started writing the article I really wanted to be back working on my other projects. In the end I was very unproductive and I wasted a lot of time. And you should know by now that I HATE wasting time.

So I've met in the middle. I'm writing this because it is helping me realise what is important to me and work through my personal issues with focus and concentration. The next time I find myself in this situation I will remember this article and what I learned from today so I do not make the same mistakes again. And the by-product is that I get the article to write (even though it is not the one I "should" be writing) and I get to move on to my other projects.

Should is Nasty Word

Should is evil. I hate the word. In my world I aim to live as if the word does not exist because it has no purpose other than to foster negative feelings, and that is not something I want in my life.

My main beef with "should" is that it is not valid in our individual context. Should is only valid to the third person perspective, and only then because it is valid based on all their past experience and knowledge, not ours.

If someone tells us what we should be doing it is the same as being told them telling us that what we are currently doing is wrong. Now there is no harm in being wrong, and a bit of constructive criticism is a wonderful thing in our personal development, but the problem is that when people use the word should, they are only providing their opinion. It is all based on what they think is the best thing at that time, and what is true for one person is not necessarily true for another. It is subjective and biased. Very biased.

Even when the "should" comes internally, from our wonderful brain, the bias is still there. Think of my example from today. I had tasks that I was excited about, that I really wanted to be working on but my brain kept kept telling me that I should write an article today. I had no proof to believe this - I had not received a specific request for an article today nor had I been receiving comments saying "less paleo, more personal development" but my brain, in all its wisdom and power, somehow concluded this was the right thing to do. And I've mentioned how the brain can make a hash of things like this before.

Solution: Turn Yoda

No I'm not saying you need to turn green, cultivate the hair in your ears, and master the light-saber. Although I'm sure that last skill would certainly impress the ladies.

To quote Yoda (and show my true geek): "Do, or do not. There is no try." Substitute the word "should" for "try" and this phrase explains all that is needed to get past the dreaded s-word.

If you want to do something then do it. If you do not want to do something then don't. It is a simple as that. Remember that it is often the simplest things that work best.

Challenge: Take a Personal Day

With that concept in mind I issue a challenge to my readers. Take a "personal day" off from your work and do something you have always wanted to do. Call in sick and run off to discover your passion. Go rock-climbing, paint a picture, read a book, whatever. Just make the day 100% about you. It is not about anyone else. Before you do anything in the day you must ask yourself "Is this what I really want to be doing?" and only continue if the answer is a resounding "YES!" Do not think ahead, do not worry about consequences, just get out there and do what you want to.

It is your life after all. Do what you want with it.

Image: federico stevanin

Hiking (Climbing) up Mount Tibrogargan

“Mt Beerwah is closed after a rock slide in January. We could go up Tibrogargan instead, it's more walk than climb but still alright.” Famous last words. Not mine, but I was fool enough to take them on face value.

A few weeks ago my good mate Aston, producer of Final Reminder, planted the idea of going for a hike. We had just done a 5km run and I had smashed my latest time so I was feeling pretty pumped.

“Sure. Sounds like fun.”

Fast forward two weeks and Sophie and I were getting ready to meet Aston and his fiancé Jacqui before the hike. I was debating about whether I would last in my newish Vibram Five Finger shoes so I decided to do some research on the hiking trail. What I found was a little off-putting.

Every site I found showed people climbing what seemed like un-climbable rock walls. Then there was the report from a guy who had gotten trapped up the mountain, hit in the head by a rock slide, and needed emergency helicopter evacuation. Scary.

The Walk

We started about 3:30pm, walking around part of the track that travels around the base of the mountain. It was great scenery but it wasn’t really a hike. It was more of a pleasant bush walk. Then we stumbled upon the hiking trail towards the summit climb.

“We’ll start it and see what it’s like. We can always stop and come back another day.” Famous second last words.

The trail began fairly simply but at a steep enough angle to encourage a little burn in the legs and also a solid increase if heart rate. It was a good feeling to be out experiencing nature and exercising at the same time. Then we reached the climb.

The Climb

We found ourselves staring up at a steep(ish) rock wall which would require a fair bit of “scrambling” and the women decided they already enjoyed the view and were happy to relax there. Fair call but Aston and I had other plans. We had come this far so we should at least see what the climb was like right?

In a word it was tough. Maybe my few weeks off from the gym had something to do with it but I found it was lots of climbing and pulling myself up rock faces punctuated with the odd ledge or flatter area on which I duly rested my legs.

With each rest I would look below and begin doubting the whole idea anew. From above the rocks I had just scrambled over looked decidedly steep and I found myself wondering if I would actually be able to get back down without breaking my neck.

Not one to back down from a challenge though I figured that I would deal with the problem of getting down later. I needed to focus on going up first.

So on we trekked, climbing and scrambling our way upwards. At each stop we would look up and think “That next ledge looks like the top so we might as well keep going” and each time we climbed up only to see another ledge awaiting us.

Eventually the top sprung up on us and after a little walk across the summit we burst through the bush and onto the rocky outcrop a friendly man had told us about on his way down.

Immediately the cool mountain air struck me.  I sucked in several deep breaths and let the refreshing breeze wash over me. I felt on top of the world.  364 metres on top to be precise.

Coming Down

So we had conquered the beast – the gorilla mountain as it is known – and it was time to test that worrying descent. That rock face was pretty steep on the way up wasn’t it? How would we go getting down it?

It was much easier than I thought.

In fact the whole way down Aston and I were talking, discussing all sorts of interesting topics including our thoughts on how to run a good IT business, why multitasking is wrong, what causes significant personality changes in people, why constant self improvement is great, and our own personal journeys we had over the past few years. We talked and the climbing down just took care of itself. Easy.

Stats, Vibrams, and Photos

Overall it was a fantastic day out and I would recommend it to anyone with even the smallest adventurous streak. I feel excited and energised from it and am now wondering what bigger and better challenges I can conquer next.

The stats for the climb are as follows. Note this is only for the journey up:

• Time: 1 hour and 4 minutes
• Km: 2.9km
• Elevation: 364m

This walk/hike/climb was the first big test for me and my Vibram Five Fingers. The passed with flying colours. I made it the entire journey (about 6km) without much trouble. The only time I even really noticed them was when I slid down some rocks an I could feel them pulling on each individual toe. But no blisters, or cuts and I believe they actually helped my climbing ability as I was getting grip on all sorts of crazy surfaces.

I took a few photos along the way and you can check them out on Flickr. The misty rain that was hanging around dulled the distant vista but I think you get the idea.

The Self-fulfilling Prophecy - Re-train your Brain!

The self-fulfilling prophecy is a simple thing to understand - everything that we do, say, and expect of ourselves will eventually happen in our life. That means that if we think and act in a positive manner then positive events will surround us and we will manufacture ways to achieve those positive outcomes. The bad news is that this works the same for both positive and negative thoughts, so we need to re-train our brain in order to master the art of creating positive self-fulfilling prophecies. Because our brain is a complex machine that likes to prove itself right it will always be on the lookout for ways to prove our internal "self talk". If it cannot find an obvious example as proof then it will create what it needs.

In any situation if we talk negatively to ourselves, downplay our skills, or expect failure, then we have already stacked the odds against us. We have sabotaged ourselves because we have given our brain the green light to prove all those negative thoughts. The big problem though, is that because our brain is brilliant at ignoring information it deems as irrelevant, while it is trying to prove our negativity countless positive events zoom straight by without notice.

Therefore, when a negative outcome finally occurs our brain is vindicated and our original negative thoughts feel justified - "I knew I was going to fail all along". This is the self-fulfilling prophecy. Luckily it's not all bad news.  We can use positive thoughts to create positive results with a little bit of simple brain training.

Training the Brain

When we perform physical training we are, in essence, teaching our muscles how to react to various stimuli. If we bust weights at the gym 3 days a week, our muscles become stronger, and when confronted with a test of strength in an everyday situation our muscles perform the required physical output automatically.

Our brain is like this, but a thousand (if not a million) times more efficient. Our brain does not need training 3 days per week for several months to adjust to stimuli. In fact our brain is such a wonderful tool that it can automate basic actions immediately after learning them once. Just once! Complex actions take longer but this whole procedure is best illustrated with an example. It is a long example but bear with me as it demonstrates the point beautifully:

Example: Learning to Drive (The Brain on Auto-pilot)

Cast your mind to when you first starting learning to drive. You read the various manuals and road rules first to prepare but it is not the same as actually doing it is it? The first time you drive you need to remind yourself of every step and it feels like there is so much to learn; "sit down, buckle seat-belt, key in ignition, foot on pedals, check gear, check mirrors, start car…".

After a few lessons of driving along deserted streets in first gear you have mastered those little skills and are ready to move on and learn more. But what happens with those early little tasks? Do you just get an ever-growing list of tasks you need to check off and remind yourself of every time you drive? Luckily, no. Your brain recognises those early tasks are simple and easily repeatable so it takes control away from you and puts these tasks in its autonomous section, allowing you to be fully focused on learning the next set of skills. And this process of locking tasks away continues throughout the entire learning experience. Pretty cool stuff hey?

Fast forward several years and now you can drive a car without even really thinking about it. In fact people can often drive from one place to the next, changing lanes, making turns, stopping at lights, and not even remember the trip! This happens because the brain is now on "auto-pilot", automating everythng it can so that your valuable resources can be better spent on other things - like worrying if you need to pick up milk, or if you should have chatted to attractive girl at lunch.

With any task we perform, if it is easily repeatable, our brain can take control and begin to make it happen autonomously. It is a fantastic skill to have but it comes with a pretty big problem - our brain does not distinguish between good or bad actions when automating. If you think negative thoughts, or create negative situations, in a repeated manner then your brain starts to automate it. It assumes that because the action has been repeated several times it can be locked away and taken care of automatically. I don't know about you but I don't want my brain putting negative thoughts on auto-pilot!

Unfortunately most people do not understand this, and thus they use the wrong technique when training their brain to automate skills. If an Olympic weight-lifter was training with poor technique there would be a long list of dire repercussions, including endangering their life. But in physical examples like this there is always the possibility of enlisting help - getting someone else to observe your technique and provide feedback. In the sport of "brain training" there is no such thing. You need to be your own coach.

Training (more like "re-training") the brain is one of the most important aspects of Positive Happiness, and if you start acting like your own personal coach - cheering yourself on, observing your own mental "technique" and providing motivation to stick to your positive training regime - then you are well on the way to discovering the hidden happiness in your life.

What is Lifestyle Freedom

Lifestyle freedom is about having an abundance of choice in your life. It is about discarding what is common-place in society and having the ability to define how you spend every hour of your day. Lifestyle freedom is breaking yourself out of "lifestyle jail", where you are chained to a job, and achieving ultimate freedom - the freedom to do whatever you want.

Lifestyle Freedom is not just about finding a way to quit your job, it is about doing what makes you happy in life. I mean the 100% content, all warm-and-fuzzy with a big smile on your face type of happy.

I have never understood the concept of having a "job". Why are people expected to spend half their life trading their valuable time and skills to perform a boring and repetitive job just to take home some money? Why do we work right through our prime years when we are at our mental and physical peak? Why do we base our life decisions around work and not the other way around? It just does not make sense to me.

I believe that people accept this as "the way it is" because it is such a strongly supported lie that has been force-fed from such a young age that it becomes ingrained. Most adults will encourage kids to study hard to do well in school and then get a good job. They consider that success. Not me.

Being successful is about being able to do whatever makes you happy in your life, and for most people that is not "work". Deep down I think people see how much of a scam having to work all week is, but sadly they don't do anything about it. They will spend most of their life wishing something better would happen (like winning lotto) instead of making that something better happen.

The good news is that you can change this. You do not have to be stuck in a job you hate with people you despise, but if you desire to achieve Lifestyle Freedom then you need courage to break yourself out of that lifestyle jail. You will need to take back the power in your life, learn to control it, and make positive decisions. Once you have mastered that then you can do anything you want.

And that is the real point of Lifestyle Freedom. It is not just about finding a way to quit your job, it is about doing what makes you happy in life. I mean the 100% content, all warm-and-fuzzy with a big smile on your face type of happy.

So ask yourself, "Is what I am doing, something that makes me happy?"

Image: federico stevanin