Unapologetically, you

It always seems like the messages in yoga resonate with me more than any other forum. I don’t know if it is a heightened sense of attentiveness that yoga creates or just being in a more relaxed and focused state of mind. Whatever the reason, yoga leaves me feeling inspired very frequently. Last Saturday was no different. It started out as a normal yoga class until the teacher challenged us all. She said, “I want you to be unapologetically, you in this class.” As soon as she said that it made me start thinking of the meaning of that. In the context of yoga, she meant to not be afraid to do something different than the rest of the class. If you wanted to take a pose a little deeper than everybody, she encouraged you to do it. If you needed a break, she encouraged you to take one. She went on to elaborate on the concept of being “unapologetically, you” in a much deeper context. She talked about taking this concept out of the yoga room and into our daily lives. She mentioned it probably 30 times throughout the class. Each time it took on a deeper meaning to me. I immediately wrote down the words, “unapologetically, you” after class in my car. It is a very thought-provoking concept. What does that mean to you? How can you be more of yourself each and every day? How do you become more of yourself with no inhibitions or apologies to anyone?   

There are a lot of societal pressures for people to fit into a certain mold. To be a certain person. If you are being unapologetically, you - you don’t care what other people think. You know what makes you happy and are therefore pursuing it. It implies decisiveness. You have decided what you want and you are taking steps towards it. That is the ultimate success in life. Whether you want to be a professional violinist, a UFC fighter, or an entrepreneur who builds businesses and sells them. Why should you have to apologize for doing what you want? I admire anyone who relentlessly chases down something that excites them. It takes a lot of courage and often times, a lot of failures. Each failure is an opportunity to dust yourself off and try again. Success always lies in trying just one more time. At anything. The only person you should ever have to apologize to is yourself. And only if you are not being true to the person that you are meant to be. Don’t put yourself in that situation.

                

Give yourself permission to be unapologetically, you. Not just today but every day. Don’t apologize for pursuing a career that doesn’t align with your college major. Don’t apologize for risking everything you have to start a mobile recruiting app. Don’t apologize for giving up your career as a teacher to travel the world helping underprivileged children. If it makes you happy, then do it. Period. If it excites you. Do it. Don’t be scared of the possibility of failure. You have the inner resources to recover. We will always regret the things we were too afraid to try more than the things we have failed at. Make a decision today. Decide to be yourself, unapologetically. To do that one thing that scares you. Go speak in front of a large group. Go skydiving. Face your fears head on. They are never as bad as we build them up in our heads. Be proud to be – you.  

Why Gambling and Blasting 50-Cent Will Always Be Cool

This might be hard for a lot of you to believe or maybe I’m kidding myself. In high school I used to have big, fake, cubic zirconia earrings. That's plural. As in more than one. I thought I was real cool. I had a 1200 watt amplifier in my 1999 Jeep Wrangler. My subs were always blasting 50 Cent or some other G-unit rap music. People knew when I was in the neighborhood. My trunk rattled like Best Buy’s speaker center. It’s not that I thought I was a G….or maybe I did, who knows. I was 16 and all that mattered was being cool. Although it sounded ridiculous (and I’m sure I looked ridiculous), that type of music always fired me up and motivated me to work hard. It still does. In case you’re still wondering, I didn’t actually grow up in the streets. Unless you count the mean streets of Westminster, Colorado, as “streets”. I am your typical suburban white boy. For as much of a bad rap (pun intended) as rap gets, there are some incredible business lessons I have learned from rap in general and specifically the all-time greatest rapper, 50 cent (argue if you want – I’ll nod and smile and completely disagree with you).

If you have ever read his book, The 50^th Law, which he wrote alongside another one of my favorite authors, Robert Greene, you cannot deny how much of a genius 50 cent is regarding marketing, sales, business, etc. He had a hard life growing up. He definitely got into trouble. His story is absolutely remarkable though. He is absolutely one of my favorite business people. 50 Cent is 100% genius and 100% entrepreneur. His message is always the same. He tells people to bet on themselves. Have the confidence in yourself to risk everything for what you really want in life. Quit your job. Start a business. Do everything that you are afraid to do. If you are doing what you love, you will rise to the occasion.

One of my favorite quotes in the entire books is: "You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear. This means you believe that if you fail, you have the inner resources to recover. This belief acts as a kind of mental safety net. When you move ahead on some new venture or direction, your mind will snap to attention; your energy will be focused and intense. By making yourself feel the necessity to be creative, your mind will rise to the occasion."

As tough as it is, we all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves some tough questions. Myself included. I challenge every one of you to do just that. You might be surprised with your answers. Take some real time to assess your situation and figure out what would truly excite you in life.

What do you really want your life to look like in 5 years?

What would make you excited every morning to wake up?

3        What is stopping you from doing it?

4        What is 1 small thing that you can do this week, to start making that dream a reality?

Don’t let anyone else make these decisions for you. You have everything you need today to be what you want. Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself and remember, in the poetic words of 50 Cent “If I can’t, do it, homey it can’t be done.”