Tag / inspiration

by Tom Leu

Forty-One (41)

It’s hard to fake sincerity and genuineness of soul. When people really love something, or love to do something, it shows. It’s unmistakable. You can feel it and you can see it. It’s infectious as well as inspiring.

I love watching people who love doing what they’re doing. I love soaking in their inspiration and their passion. It makes me want to be better at what I do. It makes me want to stay hungry and strive to achieve more myself. It reminds me to be grateful for the gifts I’ve been given, and for the things I do well. But even more important, it continually makes me want to encourage others to be the best at what they do the best. To inspire others to aspire to their greatness. To push people past their comfort zones so they can accomplish all they desire, and contribute at the highest levels.

None of this is easy; but it sure as hell is possible. And that’s a lifestyle and a life’s work worth living. And that’s what this life is all about…

Stay tuned-in…


 

by Tom Leu

Call to Action

So many are scared… to make a move… a real move… in the right direction… Sometimes we can be our greatest ally and our own worst enemy simultaneously….

So many are scared… to make a move… a real move… in the right direction…

Sometimes we can be our greatest ally and our own worst enemy simultaneously.

Most people long to live more fully, more freely, to feel more fulfilled, and to contribute more profoundly.

Many have shied away from opportunities, and recoiled from challenges and wonder why they feel like they’re stuck in an infinite funk.

Shooting themselves in foot, and becoming perpetual victims of self-inflicted wounds they say:

“But that’s just how I am. I’ve always been this way.”

But, there are endeavors, ventures, undertakings, projects, and situations that demand a new perspective and approach if we hope to affect different outcomes.

Human behavior is largely influenced by learned mental scripts and activity patterns that have been instilled in us from an early age. Some serve us; some don’t. It’s our job to honestly assess which ones are which.

Let me be clear:

  • I am not advocating becoming someone or something you are not.
  • I am not encouraging people to be artificial, superficial, or fake.
  • I am not urging people to be actors or inauthentic versions of themselves.

Instead…

  • I’m endorsing that people embrace those parts of their personalities that are already there, but may be lying dormant.
  • I’m asking people to move out of their comfort zones and take action in areas that they have historically side-stepped or overlooked.
  • I’m prompting people to get honest and objectively decide to make changes for the best interest of themselves, and others around them.

Anything less is fear-based and the ultimate selfishness. To do less is to deny others the ultimate greatness and uniqueness of you.

So, I’m daring you to move.

“Tension is here | Between who you are and who you could be | Between how it is and how it should be | I dare you to move | I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor” ~ Switchfoot

If the fear of moving into the unknown is the illness, then action is the antidote.

This stuff is live-giving IF embraced.

The call to action begins by making a decision to answer the call; to finally decide to begin doing things differently than you’ve ever done before; and to be disciplined for the benefit all around you.

You’re staring down the barrel of a new beginning.

But nothing changes until you change.

Will you answer the call?

This is the “easier-said-than-done” stuff that most won’t do.

How about you?

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology™ course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

by Tom Leu

It IS Self-Help!

The term “self-help” gets a bad rap all-too-often. It’s looked down upon by some as corny or ineffective. Hardly…

The term “self-help” gets a bad rap all-too-often. It’s looked down upon by some as corny, ineffective, or worse… inconsequential.

Hardly.

What’s ineffective and very consequentially disastrous is denying that YOU are driving your own ship… that YOU can help yourself.

Relying soley on some external “source” for direction is foolish, misguided, and sometimes tragic.

Look at it again… I said: “relying SOLEY upon…”

Seeking various forms of outside counsel, guidance, encouragement, and support isn’t a bad thing in and of itself.

As long as this is done in addition to, and not instead of, the realization that only YOU have the power to change your reality and influence your outcomes… right here, right now.

So it IS about self-help! It has to be…

the shiFt:

Recognize that no one or no thing is going to truly be able to help you until you are willing to help yourself first.

This requires recognizing the difference between needing and wanting.

We all need lots of things. But until we want what we need, no changes are going to to happen. At least not long-lasting change.

This is much more than just personal development. This is about personal achievement. This is about actually accomplishing the goals you undertake both for business and for pleasure.

It starts with YOU, and your awareness, and your decisions, and your commitment to take the initiative to transform your lifestyle.

It’s an inside job.

Stay tuned-in…

by Tom Leu

A Million to One?

million to oneA million to one… are these the odds for success?

Not necessarily.

Hedge your bet by inverting this assertion. It should read one to a million…

In radio, DJ’s and hosts are trained to speak as if they’re broadcasting to an audience of just one person (note: not all professional broadcasters in radio I’ve worked with endorse this approach however. Some prefer to focus on a ‘small group’ of people instead of just one. Call it a “niche” perhaps).

Regardless, the idea is to keep the feel of the “conversation” intimate and personal. To establish and keep a connection… This philosophy is sage advice for any circumstance that involves interacting and influencing others.

The target audience needs to begin with just one.

Maybe it will get to one million, maybe it won’t.

Either way, it doesn’t really matter if what you’re doing really matters.

Matters to who?

To you.

Because if what you’re putting out there is important (to you), and if your content is impactful (to others), then the size of the audience, especially in the beginning, is less important than all of the aforementioned factors. If those elements are there, you will eventually attract interest. Many get this whole thing backwards. They’re planning for, and marketing to the big audience before they’re even sure who their small audience is.

Connecting with just one person…

Making a difference to just one person…

Impacting just one person…

Getting through to just one person…

Helping just one person…

… is the ONE thing worth millions.

The world tells us that the numbers matter; the heart tells us that they don’t.

So work toward being one in million, instead of worrying about a-million-to-one odds.

Odds are, the truth of the matter… your truth within the matter… is what really matters most.

Stay tuned-in…

by Tom Leu

The 5%

A lot of well-intentioned folks are afraid of truth; afraid to get honest and look at things objectively.

Based on a butt-load of personal experience and a bit of psychology, my bet is that 95% of people are.

I used to be… but not anymore.

Therefore, this writing, and my entire Get LIT gig here will likely only resonate with about 5% of people. I know this and embrace this. And it’s OK because the 5% is the minority that truly matters.

Why?

Because the 5% aren’t afraid of truth… the truth and their truth. These are the difference-makers who consistently choose action over apprehension.

The courage and capacity for a deep level of personal honesty and transparency is what separates the 5% from everyone else who are pretending, yet need it most. I speak to those who’ve detached from their denial; those few who are empowered by their potential to help themselves and serve others simultaneously.

Most are deathly afraid to look at the world and themselves with an unbiased, and unapologetic honesty.

It’s hard, very hard. But no less necessary.

By doing this you risk regrets, repercussions, of being found-out, and of being judged. This fear therefore keeps many frozen and fake.

Everyone has regrets. Everyone has done things that they wish they could undo. But, you don’t have live in that regret forever… unless you choose to continue to deny it.

True freedom is found by embracing truth and not being afraid of it.

This is the basic foundation of all recovery principles: getting honest with yourself about yourself, so you can break free from your self-inflicted prisons, to finally start living as the best version of yourself. Nothing else matters.

So simple to say; yet so difficult to do.

Writing this stuff will make me unpopular with many. But I don’t care. It’s how I’ve learned to live and break free from my own crap. I choose to share it with others today. This is Lifestyle Initiative Training™.

So, this is for the 5% who consistently DO the following…

→ Have the courage to look in the mirror and get honest with themselves about themselves.

→ Refuse to settle.

→ Are willing to sacrifice enough, long enough, to do what they need to get what they want and need.

→ Take responsible risks.

→ Aren’t afraid to changeor OF change.

→ Have the balls to admit when they’re wrong.

→ Resolve to improve by choosing to seek solutions.

→ Embrace that which is positive, motivational, and inspirational.

→ Notice and interact with the 95% majority, but can still play nice with the other kids.

→ Are willing to serve.

This is for the minority; the movers & shakers in the 5%.

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology™ course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

by Thomas Leu

Dream-Stealers

dream-stealers

“We are all either building our own dreams or building somebody else’s.” ~ Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge

Distance yourself from dream-stealers… you know who they are. Those people who take energy and inspiration from you rather than give it to you. You don’t have to go far to find them. They may be family, friends, colleagues, or simple acquaintances.

It’s tricky because dream-stealing often comes disguised as good advice; you know the… ” for your own good” bullshit speeches.

There are two types of dream-stealers…

Those who view you as:

  1. a Nut – These people truly feel that your endeavors, undertakings, plans, and goals may be unrealistic or are unattainable. They think you’re crazy for attempting to attain your type of goals. In an effort to be protective, they try to kill your enthusiasm in the name of helping you avoid future disappointments. Though their intentions may be good, the poisonous message they’re sending is that you aren’t good enough. Only you can decide that.
  2. a Threat – These people cannot, or will not support you completely because you and your ambitions make them feel bad about themselves. You are a mirror to their own perceived inadequacies, lack of action, or accomplishments. There are strong elements of competition, jealousy, and envy present. They often react uninterested and/or apathetic to your efforts because you are inadvertently calling theirs (or the lack thereof) into question. These are the worst kind of dream-stealers (and often the most prevalent), who need to be avoided at all costs.

**Remember, these two types describe how dream-stealers view YOU. This is just a symptom of their problem. The real problem, and their source of discontent is primarily about THEM, not you. Take some comfort and be confident in that knowledge.

If you can’t turn them off, at least try to turn them down. Where and when feasible, put some space between you and go your own way. Or to put it another way:

“Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the f*ck you were gonna do anyway.” ~ Robert Downey Jr.

Stay tuned-in…


 

by Tom Leu

Juicy

Despite what the world tries to tell us and sell us time and time again…

Life can get better. People can change. People can recover. People can achieve happiness and contentment in life. People can improve their circumstances and outcomes.

More than idealism, I speak from the realism produced from direct personal experience.

New careers get launched, new relationships are born, new lifestyles afford new freedoms, and a new serenity becomes reality. This for the 5% who have the courage to stay the course and to stop complaining.

Most limits are illusions. They are self-made, self-imposed excuses to stagnate and never challenge the status-quo.

Good things do happen for those who persevere and engage in responsible risk-taking vs. only risk-talking. It has to start with helping yourself first.

At every seminar of his I’ve ever attended, Tony Robbins always talks about striving to get the “juice” out of life. He encourages people to pursue those passions that move them and really mean something to them. He claims that this “juice” is what everyone longs to drink-in, but are held back from its pursuit for any number of different reasons.

I believe that to really get the “juice” out of something requires enduring the pressure that comes along with change and risk. Change isn’t easy, but possible provided people endure the challenges and reap the rewards that pressure produces.

To get the juice out of an orange requires it to be squeezed… sometimes very hard, for some time, for any results to become evident. I’ve heard it said that pain is the greatest teacher.

People need to be pressed, pressured, and endure pain sometimes as well to get at this proverbial “juice.” Getting real uncomfortable is often THE prerequisite for change. Adding pressure and squeezing for improved performance is often necessary to truly be moved and motivated toward the changes required to get the most out of our life situations.

This “juice” resides not on the easy-to-see exterior, but on the harder-to-reach interior.

It requires getting honest and telling ourselves the truth.

This is often the hardest thing anyone ever has to do because it sounds too simple and too easy. But, it’s anything but…

Once able to look ourselves in the mirror with a respect that’s free of regret, the pressure begins to become more manageable. Options become more prevalent and happiness begins to become more abundant.

It ‘ain’t always easy, and it ‘aint always fun, but it can be done.

It starts with a little hope mixed with a lot of determination, and then the courage to make the first move in a different direction.

Drink it in…

For more >> www.RecoveryCollective.net

Stay tuned-in…