Categories
Acceptance Emotional Feeling

Building Emotional Fitness For Peak Performance 

I am sure that I don’t need to convince anyone that physical fitness, increases your ability to perform at your peak. 

And by physical fitness I am focusing – for this example – on the cardiovascular system. 

The ability to get the maximum amount of oxygen into our cells. 

One measure of physical fitness is how quickly an athlete can go from an elevated heart-rate to their resting heart rate.

For example, from 200 beats per minute, to 60 beats per minute (or lower). 

Sort of like returning to a state of (physical) homeostasis. 

Well, just like with the physical body, we want to do the same thing with our EMOTIONS. 

My definition of emotional fitness is the ability to go from an elevated emotional state (principally in a survival emotional state), back to a state of equanimity (calmness) or even better, into an elevated emotional state like joy. 

How quick can you get from anger, rage, frustration, or despair, back into a state of mental calmness, and emotional stability? 

That is what we are here to talk about today. 

Categories
Choice Decision Making Emotional Feeling

How To Feel Good

This “strategy” is pretty simple. 

And sort of easy to do. 

I say “sort of” as there may be times when is harder to do, and I want to be honest with you. 

And as old-matey Jim Rohn used to say: “What is easy to do, is also easy not to do“. 

So, although this is not so hard, most of time, it actually needs to be undertaken, in order to have the feel-good experience. 

This strategy is also free. 

It doesn’t require props.

And it creates a ripple effect. 

As in, in can make other people feel good too.

That’s pretty cool.  

Categories
Choice Emotional Feeling Growth

Turn Up Your “Sense Of Humour” And You’ll Turn Down Your Stress

I have been pondering something of late. 

As you may have noticed – unless you are working on your enlightenment in the nearest mountain cave – the world is a little bit bonkers at the moment. 

And to be a little more specific, sad as it is, all of us have probably personally be touched by, or clearly noticed a rise in the number of people with (to generalise) “mental health” issues or challenges. 

I just did a quick search online and the estimated number of people with a mental ‘disorder’ globally, in 2019 was about 1 in 9. 

Which, to tell the truth, was higher than I thought it would be. 

And there are several reports of that number going up significantly from 2020-2023, due to a world event (and periphery events) we are all familiar with. 

So, without getting into too much more doom and gloom, we can all acknowledge that there are a lot of people having significant challenges with life in this modern age. 

The second part, to set the context of the brief conversation I want to have with you, is over the last 20-years of so, there has been so much pressure on what we can and can’t say about one another, or to one another

This has even had an impact on what is deemed appropriate for comedians to make “jokes” about. 

Anyway, my point is this… 

Categories
Choice Feeling Growth Happiness Tips Life Purpose Perspective

Is Being Certain (all the time) What We REALLY Want?

I was listening to someone complain the other day.

It made me think of another person I had heard complaining recently.

Unfortunately, that some one was ME.

Bugger!

But it generated a great train of thought, as it lead me to this insight.

Something I sort of knew but glossed over in the whole living life thing.

The other person (who kicked off my thinking) was complaining about how something didn’t work out exactly as they planned.

And had the hump on because of that.

Something they ‘expected’ to happen, did not happen.

And their response was to get narky.

Fair enough.

But consider this…

If everything comes to pass that you expect to come to pass, HOW FRIGGIN BORING would your life be?

Categories
Choice Feeling Goal Setting Tips Happiness Tips Life Purpose Perspective

Without Doing this, Happiness is Elusive

This might be a shorter newsletter, as the point I want to make is pretty easy to explain, and pretty easy to understand.

I am pretty sure all of us can relate to it.

But as always…

It is not just about UNDERSTANDING something; it is about DOING something with that something you are now aware of.

So here it is.

A key to happiness.

A key to making it through a tough or shitty day.

A key to making it though a batch, or bunch, of shitty days.

Categories
consciousness Emotional Feeling Optimum Health Perspective Rest Spirituality

How I Build Grit, Resilience and Determination

Do you want to good news, or the bad news first?

I think most people generally go the bad news first, so here goes.

To my knowledge, there isn’t a PILL on the market that does this job effectively.

Bugger!

The good news is you can do this yourself.

And often, without costing you anything (financially).

However, there might be some cost in sweat and tears.

Double bugger!!

One of my favourite ways to do this is to undertake consciously contrived “challenges”.

And I find the most impactful challenges (i.e. long-term benefits), are the ones which are mostly mental.

Like the 3-day water-only fast that myself, and about 20 other adventurers did last week.

Total (mental) challenge.

By building our grit, resilience, determination and discipline muscles, it makes other challenges in our life – professional and personal – seem not that hard after all.

That is the payback.

And it keeps on giving.

Categories
consciousness Fear Feeling Growth Negative Emotions Perspective

When Pride is Not A Good Thing

Extract from 18 Ways We Make Life Way Harder Than It Needs To Be by Carl Massy (WAY 16)

“Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.”

Thomas Jefferson (US President and primary Author of US Declaration of Independence)

I think most of us were taught that ‘pride’ is a good thing. To feel proud for who and what we are. To take pride in what we do. To take pride in what we have achieved – be it over the course of our lives or over the last few weeks working on a new project at work, which we totally nailed!

So yes, pride can be a good thing. But like many things, there can be another side to it, when taken to extreme. It is like all great virtues. They are great when they are applied in a conscious self-aware way. Too much bravery and someone can become reckless. Too much loyalty and someone can be taken advantage of or stuck in something for longer than is healthy. Too much single-mindedness and someone can meander down the wrong path. Too much flexibility and someone can be all over the place.

Categories
Choice consciousness Decision Making Feeling Life Lessons Perspective

Tough Decisions, Complexity, Better Questions and Cute Dogs

Yes; we will be discussing all of those topics.

As they weave together.

Regardless of whether you are a ‘dog person’ or not, I am sure you will get where I am coming from, and take something of value from this conversation.

Over the last bunch of weeks I have had some really tough decisions to make in relationship to dogs, which have not been easy.

Time to really practice what I teach.

All of which I have written about over this year and are in my latest book (18 Ways We Make Life Way Harder Than It Needs To Be) and YES, that is a ridiculously blatant plug for my new book, but I am okay with that as I know it will serve you well.

Now let’s jump straight into the life of Carl Massy story time…

Categories
Choice Doubt Emotional Feeling Negative Emotions Overwhelm Perspective

How to Deal with Overwhelm

ANOTHER EFFECTIVE WAY TO DEAL WITH GREATER LEVELS OF OVERWHELM.

In the past I have spoken about different ways to deal with stress and OVERWHELM.

And I am sure it (overwhelm) is a topic you can also relate to.

It is not whether we will experience overwhelm or not.

It is about ‘when’, and then HOW WE DEAL WITH IT.

That is where I will take you.

I am personally feeling overwhelmed about now.

But it is not the minor daily stuff, but the “WTF do I do next?!” sort of stuff.

My Morning Rituals and Weekly Meeting with Me Inc do a great job most of the time, but if stuff builds up, or there are new factors, our ability to cope can reach overflow.

That is what today’s strategy is dealing with.

For me, the overwhelm is the result of: selling our house, building a new house (in a foreign country), doing the money juggling act, managing my current coaching clients (and new clients), helping my first-time authors finish their books, getting coaching programs organised for 2024 (because this year is whizzing by), plus finishing my book and associated parts, then publishing and launching it on 20 November. And a couple of weeks ago I made the decision to have our sausage dog of 16-years put down.

So a bunch of stuff going on, but maybe the book launch is the thing that is probably pushing me over the line, since it is a significant project.

So what to do????

Essentially I need to figure some shit out.

Organise the jigsaw pieces.

But how best to do that…??

Categories
Belief Choice Doubt Fear Feeling Growth Life Lessons Overwhelm

This Can Break The Dam Wall of Worry

This article is for anyone that does, or is currently doing, the WORRY thing.

It’s a story about what I recently did (about 30 mins before writing) to break the dam of worry that had been looming over me for days.

If you read last weeks post, I spoke about getting triggered putting up ‘For Sale’ signs around my neighborhood, as we are in the process of selling our house in Bali (while doing a build at the same time).

So I am juggling a few balls in the air.

Which I am sure that you can relate to.

I am 100% sure.

Rarely have we got all of our ducks lined up so we can kick back with our feet up, and be in blissful rapture.

The price of wanting to live an extraordinary life is there will be a bit of resistance, disruption, set-back and frustration.

It’s the ticket price to play life at the next level.

So I know that you know what I am talking about.

Life can get pretty overwhelming at times.

And then we can do this worry thing.

Which I like to thank my mum for teaching me.

She taught me well.

Just joking mum!!

(Sort of).

So that takes me to one of my main points of today’s ‘lessons’.

Drum roll please maestro…