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Not fer nothin, but there’s a big difference between ad-libbing videos on your iPhone using your own arm as a tripod and writing a script, hiring a professional crew and having someone who knows how to wield an eye pencil do your make-up.
I shot this fancy new promo video during my recent trip to New York City with the help of the brilliant crew at Ballad Pictures.
Special thanks to Mom, Dad and my brother Stephen for allowing me to shove cameras and microphones in their faces.
Tags: ballad pictures, coaching, don't sleep with your drummer, Inspiration, Jen Sincero, making money, meditation, stephen sincer, the straight girls guide to sleeping with chicks
Okay, so here’s a REAL stupid one, however, it is also the most transformative/profound one. It’s sort of the idiot savant of life changers and I promise you, if you heed my words, it will rock your world. Instantly. You don’t even have to get off the couch to do it either.
Tags: deep breathing, intuition, meditation, transformation, yoga
I know I spew on and on about how important it is to meditate and do scary things and to always think positively and not be a lame ass but I must confess.
I don’t always do what I incessantly spew on about.
Sometimes I am a lame ass.
In fact, just the other day I got all mad at some old guy driving the car in front of me who was making The Longest Left Turn in The Whole Entire World Made By Anyone Anywhere Ever.
Where the hell am I going again?
I saw his blindingly white hair, his knuckles gripping the wheel, felt his little old man heart fluttering about in fear, but I was late and it was the second light I’d missed thanks to him so I honked.
I honked! At the old guy with the little fluttering old man heart!
:-/
But when I am on my game, I am a baddass. Not a little one either. And I was struck by a realization I had in mid-badassedness that I would like to share with you. Ahem.
I was at yoga class and had just been told to get in pigeon pose which is one of my most dreaded poses because my hips don’t move that way and it hurts and it’s hard and I’m always scared I’m gonna get stuck.
But I do it and I’m trying to relax into it but really I’m just waiting for the frikken dude to tell us to gently pull ourselves out of it and go onto something else. But he just keeps talking. He talks on and on about the connection to the universe and our breath and the path to true enlightenment and holy fucking shit will you hurry the hell up I think I’m going to rip something I really do oh my god I think I’m actually stuck how am I going to get out of this pose he’s gonna have to come over here and lift me out of it because I really truly am stuck and then whoosh….
I breathe into it. I shut off the squirrels and connect with the universe. And I feel my body shift and go deeper into the pose than it’s ever gone. The pain is gone. The panic is gone. I am one. I am in the zone but then I realize that I really do think I’m stuck and seriously what the fuck dude are you going to talk all night we’ve been in this goddamned pose for five minutes for real and by the way my knee just got all hot and you really are not going to stop talking even though I keep thinking you finally are but then you keep going and then whoosh….
I reconnect. I’m back in the zone. I go so deep into this pose and feel such bliss I know I’ve tapped into something much larger than myself.
It became so clear to me that all this talk of meditating and connecting and controlling your thoughts is all fine and good when you’re sitting in your robe with no undies on meditating in your living room, and quite another when your hip is about to dislocate.
Theory is one thing.
Putting theory into action is another.
We all have a choice about how we go about our lives. We can all study and read and talk loftily, but until we start choosing to put into practice what we’ve learned, we can’t really learn a damn thing.
I heard a great quote the other day – can’t remember who said it but it went something like: “In every moment of life, we’re either celebrating or learning.”
I KNOW not to honk at the old guy and I KNOW that if I stay in the zone, breathe and connect, I will rise above.
It all depends on whether I choose to learn or celebrate in that moment.
Tags: focus, lame ass, meditation, old people driving, pigeon pose, think positively
Oh crap, did I put my red shirt in with my whites?
I think, therefore, I am
- Rene Descartes
Mind is the master power that molds and makes
And man is Mind and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought and, shaping what he wills
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills.
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking glass.
- James Allen
Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right
- Henry Ford
If you’ve done even the tiniest bit of self-development work, you’re familiar with the concept that your thoughts create your reality.
And if you’re anything like most people, you approach it with an attitude of “yes, yes, absolutely, it’s all about changing my thoughts and I can do it and I will” and then off you go, doop de doo, worrying about money, badmouthing yourself, waiting until the time is absolutely perfect before_____, focusing on why nots, dropping your prices because of the economy, playing it safe in a career that you’re good at even though it puts you in a deep deep coma and on and on….
You have GOT to get a handle on your thoughts if you want to change your life. If you want something badly enough, even if you don’t fully believe you can have it, believe it anyway. Fake it until you make it. Do it in spite of yourself. Act as if.
And more specifically, do the following:
Surround Yourself With People Who Think The Way You Want to Think.
Ever notice how you can be in your glory, on top of the mountain, when suddenly someone comes along say, like, oh, your parents, your significant other, someone who you think is really cool, and all they have to do is make one wisecrack about what you’re doing and suddenly your balloon goes flat?
And conversely, how when you’re surrounded by people who are kicking ass and doing huge and glorious things, you feel like a superhero? Will you please make a point to hang out with the latter?
Make a conscious choice to do this. And if you don’t know anyone who’s doing great things, go out and make some new friends.
Keep Your Big Crazy Dreams to Yourself
Until you’ve done some quality control and are sure who you’re dealing with, don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. You have your own doubts and fears to keep at bay, you don’t need everyone else’s. Most people will offer you their opinions and doubts, all out of love and concern of course, but, as discussed above, instead of feeling loved, you will immediately feel justified in sticking with your excuses. The only people you’re authorized to discuss your goals with are the ones who can see big things for you and will do a cartwheel for you. Otherwise, talk about the weather. Protect your dreams with your life.
Meditate
When you shut up for even ten minutes and start to really notice what type of thoughts are squirreling around in your mind, it’s rather….illuminating. If you’re like most people, the majority of your thoughts are about as valuable and interesting as a bunch of sugar-filled kindergarteners fighting over a sippy cup.
Sit in silence for 30, 20 even 5 minutes a day. Every single solitary day I am so not kidding over here. The only way to control your thoughts is to become aware of them in the first place. Sit quietly and try not to think. When you do, simply notice what comes through. Once you’re aware of your thoughts, you can work on controlling them.
Snap Yourself Out of It
Because you have taken my wise advice and are now meditating daily, you are better and better at becoming aware of negative thoughts the second they enter your brain. Whenever this happens, do any or all of the following:
• Instantly reverse the thought i.e. “I can’t because I don’t have the money” to “I will make the money”
• Jump up and say the above out loud – scream it if you have to to snap yourself out of it (easier done if you live alone, but you’ll get the last laugh when you’re living a rocking life so don’t worry about how crazy you might look).
• Come up with a mantra. This can be anything – a quote, a song lyric, a decision, a goal – whatever sets your pants on fire. When a negative thought creeps in, beat it to death with your mantra.
Change Your Environment
Beautify your surroundings, hang pictures of what you want your life to look like all over your house, make a playlist of songs that get you pumped up and listen to it often, read books, listen to motivational tapes, put encouraging sticky notes all over your house, drown yourself in positivity until it makes you gag and then do it some more. Our culture is so fear-based that you need to arm yourself with a massive truckload of I can dooooooo eeeeeeeeeet!
Read Your Manifesto
Write down your goals and your vision of your ideal life and read it to yourself before you go to bed and after you wake up every single solitary day I am so not kidding over here.
Get Coaching
I can personally attribute the majority of my success to the fact that I hire coaches to keep me in the proper head space. Think about it – professional athletes have coaches. They don’t decide all of a sudden, “alrighty, I just made 8 million bucks throwing a ball around this year, I think I’m pretty well set to do this on my own.” They continue to get coaching so they can stay at their peak level and keep growing. What makes you think you think you can do it all by yourself?
Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things, (from As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, while we’re on the subject of brilliant books you need to read).
I promise you, if you make controlling your thoughts a top priority in your day to day life, succeed at keeping them positive and in harmony with your dreams, and take radical action in the right direction, you can have whatever you want.
Whatever. You. Want.
How frikken awesome (and honestly, no harder than you choose to make it) is that?!
Tags: coaching, Control your thoughts, descartes, henry ford, james allen, meditation, positive thinking
I want to pick up where I left off in last week’s post because there are 3, very important things you must do if you’re going to grow out of being who you presently are into the big, beautiful, glorious beast that you long to be.
The crazy part about these 3 things is that while they’re simple, obvious and quick, most people avoid them like the plague in favor of clinging, with determined white knuckles, to their ho-hum lives.
Ready? Behold, the holy trinity to freedom:
1. Listen
2. Believe
3. Act
Listen
Have you ever been about to do something or say something to someone that scares the living crap out of you, and have you ever noticed that if it’s something you were really meant to do, the second the thought enters your head, along with the pantwetting fear comes this massive, exhilarating rush and this teeny tiny voice inside of you that starts screaming youuuuuuu caaaaaaaaaaaan doooooooooo eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
And right before you take the leap, if you pause for even a second, that’s when the negotiations start seeping in, the doubts rear their heads and the justifications of why you can’t and how later really would be better and hey, I think I’m hungry, I wonder if there’s any pizza leftover from last night?
Meanwhile, the only thing you should be listening to is the little voice inside you that knows that this leap is the portal to the other side.
So, to get better acquainted with that voice, practice shutting up. Shut off the crazy squirrels running through your brain, push out all thoughts and just breathe deeply, focus on nothing and listen.
This is what the hippies call Meditation and I swear on my organic hemp hand-woven poncho, doing it for even 10 minutes a day can make you a mighty superhero.
Believe
Changing your belief systems can be a big, long, drawn out drama or a split second decision. Next time you’re about to follow your little, screamy inner cheerleader and doubt creeps up behind her and crams a pillow over her face, make a conscious decision to remove the pillow.
Whatever it is that you’re worried you can’t do, simply decide to believe you can. Even if you don’t believe you can, believe you can anyway. Because your only other option is believing you can’t and where’s the thrill in that?
Practice doing this. You don’t even realize how often you decide you can’t do something before you even start. Pay attention to your thoughts and when they go south simply replace them with mighty ones.
If you need help pulling yourself up, listen to music that rocks your world, talk to a friend that thinks you’re invincible, scream affirmations to yourself or tape quotes all over your house that remind you to be huge. You will look like a giant weirdo, but you’ll get the last laugh when you’re livin the life.
Act
So last week I talked about taking action regardless of what other people think of you. This week I want to talk about doing it regardless of what you think of you.
If your intuition tells you to do something, do not invite your brain into the decision making process. Your brain wants you to side with caution. Your heart wants you to leap to into the unknown.
Take the leaps regardless of the fact that you have no idea where you’re going to land. The more you practice doing this, the bigger you’ll get, the more addicted to the thrill you’ll become, and the easier it’ll get.
When it comes to every pivotal decision I’ve made in my life, there was always a moment when an idea flew into my head and was simultaneously snatched up by fear and faith. In equal parts. I get that little alien kick in the gut informing me it’s game time, and my reaction is always, oh great, now I have to go do that?!
It’s always something terrifying and revealing and waaaay uncomfy, but I know it’s what I should do. For example: I wrote an alarmingly personal book about sex. Became a bestselling author. I spent more money on a life coach than I spent on my car. Tripled my income. The list goes on and on (as I’m sure yours does) and in every case a huge part of me didn’t want to do it, but I knew I had to. And was thrilled I did.
Let’s recap, shall we? Listen to your gut, decide to believe you can, go out and do it. And if you don’t feel like you’re going to puke, you’re doing something wrong.
Tags: acting, art, belief systems, creativity, meditation, Money
