This is Water

May 9, 2013 by Ben

This is just simply awesome.  Enjoy

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3 Simple Ways to Stay Motivated

Mar 11, 2013 by Ben

If you’ve been reading this blog, received my emails or followed me on Facebook lately you’ve probably noticed some changes.   I’ve been posting a lot less recipes and such and a lot more simple tips and ways to make your life better.   I’m still cooking and such, but have been motivated to really help people improve their lives and the lives of all those around them.  That is the whole point of these Truly Simple Action posts.  It’s one simple action each week to improve your life.  I believe we all could make our lives a little better and that is what I am trying to do.

The thing about motivation though is that it doesn’t always last. It can come and go.  It can show up when you are not expecting it and it can be lacking when you need it.   So lately I’ve been really digging into finding motivation each day and trying to pass that along to others. If this is something you’d like to see, please visit my Facebook page.

Motivation is an awesome force to help propel you forward toward your goals, but we don’t always have the wind at our sails to keep us moving.  So this week’s Truly Simple Action is actually 3 simple ways to get and keep yourself motivated.

1. Move forward

Motivation requires action on our part.  We can’t sit back and wait to be motivated.  We can’t sit around and wait for the mood or the energy to hit so we can get going.

You need to get moving.  Action spurs more action. If you are sitting on the couch thinking you should work out, you probably won’t. But if you just get up and get moving you may actually get something accomplished.  Just get up. Just get moving.  Do something toward your goal.  Move one inch closer to where you want to be and you will find new motivation to keep that momentum going.  This is a big part of these TSA posts.  Changing the world can seem like a daunting task, but if you set out to change just one simple thing each week to improve your life you will soon start to see real positive changes coming from those small simple steps.  Get started and the motivation will find you.

2. Surround yourself with people that motivate and inspire you

This is a big one for me.  You need to surround yourself with good people.  You need to find those that inspire you and encourage you to be awesome and be around those people.

They may be friends, colleagues or others you’ve found online or in a good book.  Find those inspirational people and spend time with them.  I am currently at SXSW in Austin TX and one of my favoriate reasons to come to this conference each year is to be around so many friends and strangers who are all passionate about what they are doing and inspire me.  Find events and places where people who inspire you gather and go there.  Call up your friends who are positive influences in your life and make plans to hang out with them.  Surround yourself with motivated people and you will feel motivated.

3. Seek out motivation

The thing about motivation is that it doesn’t last.

You need to seek out motivation.  It will not find you unless you are looking for it.  This should be a daily search.  Find those inspirational people, stories, images in your life and incorporate them daily.   Read some inspirational blogs.  Listen to a motivational podcast.  Play your best workout song as loud as you can when you get up in the morning.  Inject motivation into your day every day and let that energy move you forward toward your goals and dreams.

Today is Monday.  Let today be the day you take simple actions toward making your life better.  Go out and conquer it.

If you’d like to stay motivated with me, please subscribe to my email newsletter to get new simple ways to improve your life each week and like my Facebook page to see some fun motivational inspirations throughout the week.

Ben…

Truly Simple Actions The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.  Take time this week to do this one simple thing. Previous TSA’s:

 

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TSA#4 – Count Yourself Blessed

Jan 21, 2013 by Ben

I am 37 years old. Today. That is weird to me as I’ve never been 37 before, but so far so good.

As I am getting older and having the birthdays each year I find myself reflecting a bit more on where I am at, where I’ve been, and of course where I am going. One thing I am reflecting more and more on is how blessed I am.

I would like to think it’s due to all the wise decisions I have made over those 37 years, or it’s because of my positive outlook on life, or maybe my desire to live a more simple and happy life, or it’s none of those things and maybe I’m just very lucky. I haven’t cracked the code on that one yet, but I am very grateful for the people, the experiences and the wonderful things in my life and that has made all the difference.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
- Epictetus

If you are a stuck in a rut or unhappy with your present circumstance, this is how you get out of it and back on course to where you want to be. Pay attention as this is so simple most people miss it.

 

Be grateful.

 

Your Truly Simple Action of the week is to be grateful.

Pause for a moment and be grateful of everything you have in your life. Close your eyes and be thankful for your family and friends who have been with you and helped you get to where you are today. Take a second and realize the amazing lottery of life that you have won just to be able to be born in a country where you have access to things like running water and electricity and a computer to read these words. You have far more than you realize and the path to getting more of all of these great things is being thankful for the great things you already have.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
- Eckhart Tolle,

This is the foundation of living a happy life. It is important to have big dreams and goals and plans for the future but if you don’t already recognize the great things you have you will never reach for the greater things in the future. And conversely if you are always focused on the bad things that are happening to you or if you are always preoccupied with what you don’t have, then you will never have the things you want. It all starts with being grateful with what you have and where you are today. You have so much more than you realize.

My birthday wish for you is that you realize how blessed you are. Take some time out each day this week and be thankful for the people and things in your life. When you go to bed each night rattle off a list of the awesome people in your life. As you get up each morning give thanks for all of the great opportunities you have that day to do amazing and wonderful things.

When you start to do this you can’t help but wear a giant smile on your face as you think about all of the great things in your life. Your outlook on the day changes and you stop focusing on all the things you think you are lacking, but rather you realize the truth of how much you already have. Upon this your life can change.

Take some time out today and think about all the great things in your life. Start a list. Rattle off as many as you can while you are in your car driving somewhere today. Turn off the TV and take a few minutes to really understand how much you have to be thankful for and let that feeling guide you this week.

Let me know where it takes you.

Ben…

Previous TSA’s:

 

 

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It’s a new year, let’s get going

Jan 1, 2013 by Ben

It’s a new year.  It’s a new opportunity to try again.  It’s time to start fixing what’s wrong and making this life a little better.

Does that sound daunting to you?  It shouldn’t.

This is simple.  Come with me.  This is going to be fun.

Starting TODAY, yes, TODAY, we are going to start fixing  our problems.  Starting today, we are going to fix our world, and its going to be simple and dare I say a little fun even.

Every day we have a choice.  We can go left or right.  We can get up and go for a walk or run or we can sit down and watch the latest reality TV show.  This year we will choose to improve.  This year we will choose to make our lives and the lives of those around us better.   This year we will take simple steps toward that goal each day and will see dramatic results.

Imagine a place where everyone around you took that extra step to make your life just a little bit easier.  Neighbors brought up your trash cans for you when you forgot.  Friends cooked a nice homemade meal for you.  Strangers handed  you coupons for the items you were buying at the grocery store.  Everywhere you went, people were going just slightly out of their way to make the world a better place for all those around them.  Does that sound like some place you’d like to live?

Good, lets go there together.

This is simple.  Here’s how it works.

I have created a list of 52 simple things to make you and the world around you better.  Each week, on Mondays, I will post one simple action that you need to take that week.

I see countless magazines and ads for making yourself look better.  “How to drop 10 pounds before the holidays” or “Top 10 muscle building exercises you can do at home” etc.

I also see countless self help books on how to feel better.  Whether it be on how to escape depression or how to cope with stress, there are thousands of titles available.  And while there are several books on how to be a better person I don’t hear people talking about this as much.  In fact I don’t hear many people talking about this much at all.  I want to talk about it.

I don’t just want to be a better person for the sake of being a better person.  I want to make my life and the life of those around me measurably better.  And I want others to aspire to that goal as well.  I want to live in that place where we look out for one another.  I want to be around people who are trying to make life a little better for everyone they encounter.

Now you may say that I’m a dreamer, but I am not the only one.

It really all comes down to a choice.  Do I want to merely exist in this world and scrape by doing the bare minimum or do I want to suck every drop of life out of every minute and make this world a much better place in doing so?

Join me on this simple adventure.  Choose more than just existing.  Let’s change the world together.

Let’s get started right now.

Here is the Truly Simple Action #1

Ben…

TSA = Truly Simple Actions The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.  Take time this week to do this one simple thing.

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Tomorrow is the first…

Dec 31, 2012 by Ben

Tomorrow is the day we pick to reset our year.  We celebrate the year that was and look forward to a new year of new possibilities.  2012 was amazing, but I think 2013 can be even better.  There is always room to grow.  There are always new challenges to take on.  There are things we can do to make our lives and the lives of those around us better.  So lets do that.

I hope you take some time today to be with friends and family and enjoy some great company and talk about the great memories of 2012.  I also hope you’ll join me in starting off 2013 with some great new ideas and simple ways that we can make our life better.

If 2012 was rough for you, this is a good opportunity to put it behind you.  Let today be the last day you think of the things that are holding you back.  Let the new year be a new slate for you and an opportunity to move forward with your dreams and not look back at the things holding you down.  The past is past.  It’s done.  It happened.  It’s over.  Its now time to live a full and happy life.  Let 2013 be your year.

Please join me tomorrow for the first of many simple challenges aimed to make your life better.

It’s just that simple

Happy New Year everyone!

Ben…

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