Food for the Mind

I'd like to start off saying...I am not the answer to everything. I find different ways to find success and happiness. I will provide 3 easy steps to get you in the right direction. First, close your eyes, and picture yourself successful and happy. Think about what your future life entails, see where it takes you, and how you feel while in that moment. Now, open your eyes and we have to realize that it is time to get to work.

Most people want fast results for almost everything. You do about 15 sit-ups and you look in the mirror and still see no abs. You start reading a book, it becomes boring, so you never pick it up again. You fail for the first time and then you just give up because you couldn't do something the first time around. Most people don't want to fall in love with the process. What I mean by that is just simply just being able to work hard and give everything time to grow and blossom. Which brings me to my first point: fall in love with the process.

1. Fall in Love with the Process

As an athlete, there is so much I have to do to prepare my body before competition. Strength training, cardio, nutrition, etc. All these things that I have to endure before I go out and compete. I have days where I just don't want to do anything or I can't because my body can't take anymore. There will be days where you feel as if you can't, but if you want to see results and see growth, you push through the adversity and do it anyways. Not saying to go balls to the wall, but do something anyways so you can feel accomplished. I know that if I had planned to workout and I don't, I would be ashamed and know that I have to work super hard the next day to catch up. Falling in love with process is basically just saying to love what you do and own it. Don't cower from adversity, hit adversity in the mouth and keep it pushing.

2. Start a Journal

I can potentially say that I am a pretty emotional guy and I put my feelings into a lot that I do. I normally keep my thoughts and feelings to myself even when I'm asked if I'm okay or what's wrong. So, instead of talking, most of the time I just put my thoughts and feelings in a journal. It sounds crazy, but have you ever felt so much pain and frustration built up and you don't want to talk about but you should? Yeah, that is when I journal, it keeps me at peace and really helps me relax. You could also just plan out your day, write down goals for the day, or just do whatever! As long as you write out something, you can feel so much better just putting pen to paper about whatever is going on in your life!

3. Meditate and Stretch

Now to group these together might seem a little unorthodox but just listen. Meditation is such an amazing way to clear your mind of any negative, bad, or damning thoughts going on in your head. It can give you a sense of clarity and is a great jump-start to your day! You can do 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes to however long you want to meditate! You can also do it whenever throughout the day, just to make sure your mind is sound and healthy. Stretching is so important for everyone, not just if you workout. When dealing with high amounts of stress, your body and muscles will sort of tense up and everything will just go tight. Stretching will improve flexibility, mobility, and mood. Whether you are working out or just working from your desk, you want to be comfortable and not so tense everywhere. Holding a stretch for as long as 30 seconds while taking deep breaths will help loosen every tight muscle.

Whatever you want to accomplish, these are steps you should take when thinking about quitting or giving up. Learn to love the grind and the process. Write out what's going on in your day. Meditate and help clear your mind and be loose and flexible as you stretch. These are some of the best ways to start and grow as a person! Take time to be thankful for another day because not everyday is promised. Feed your mind positive thoughts and spread the wealth with others!