Calmer in 5

Today I ask for the help of Ralph Waldo Emerson to help you realize your strengths

Admiration has an outcome, as does blind following. However, one of those two will help you grow. Come hear which

Today I ask the biggest of questions, but the reason is clear; to have you thinking about what you are supposed to accomplish here on earth.

Let me tell you about a dream I had. You will smile and might even learn something, but don't count on it.

You are vulnerable when you tell people how you feel about them. James Taylor had the right idea...Shower the people you Love with Love.

I talk about introspection on several occasions on many different platforms. For the majority of people it falls on deaf ears. Even if you aren't a huge person to take a full fledged moment to think about who you are, you at least have to do a quick assessment.

We should look to experience joy, but never to the exclusion of sadness and pain. We grow through adversity.

You know nothing is impossible right. That word was invented by a quitter. Let's talk about another filthy four letter word on today's episode.

Usually here on Five Minute Mojo we talk very abstractly. Today I explain a way to get into this moment in under 2 minutes

You will discover a newfound sense of purpose and belonging once you understand that you are here for a reason. 5 MM 143 I am Nobody Hey my friend, thanks for coming back to Five Minute Mojo. We have work to do today. We need to start thinking about how important you are to the world. We have got to get you thinking that you are powerful, capable and worthy of an amazing life. It would seem that yesterday's show was the perfect segue for today. Yesterday we talked about looking the part of a person of confidence and power and today we are going to go inside your head to do some work there. Okay, right from the get go, who is more important than you? Sure, we can make that the question of the day; well one of them anyway. I'll give you time to think. After all there are billions of people on the planet. Make sure you take stock of everybody; celebrities, athletes, political figures. Do you need more time? Let's just start with the list you have now. Who's on it? Okay, I feel bad. I set you up. I asked you a question without an answer. Wait, wait, wait, thom, thom…I have an answer. Well, I am not a guy who has all the answers, but for our purposes today there is only one answer, no one. Of course there are people with more political clout, more celebrity, more wealth, but that doesn't make them more important. One of the ways we start to live more fully is to understand that there is no better or worse when it comes to people. There are just people, each of which is trying to make a life the best way they know how. From the outside we might see some people and question that motive. However, I would encourage you to try. See where the heroin addict is trying to live fully. See where the billionaire is trying to live better. See how everyone is trying their best to get through life. What about you? I asked the question earlier to start you thinking about where you give away your power. is someone more famous more important than you? of course not. Is the scientist who develops a cure for a widespread disease more important than you? No. He or she will have a greater impact on the world possibly, but that doesn't make them more important. We seem to think that the more popular you are the more important you are. That's thinking that will have you feeling second best to a majority of people. That misperception is quite possibly why people gloat about having 30,000 followers on twitter or 20k friends on Facebook. It's not how many people you know that determines your worth. The simple truth is that we all matter. Each one of us didn't arrive on the planet by mistake. We are part of the fabric of everything. When you stop giving away your power by assuming wealthier, smarter or more powerful people are more important, the happier you will be. It comes down to how you feel about who you are. If you feel like you are adding to the world then you might not have trouble interacting with anyone. You would understand that regardless of scope your reason to be here is just as important as anyone's. In the United States, our culture certainly adds fuel to the hierarchical thinking that average people are less than those in the spotlight. But hey, let them. You know better. You know that you are here for a reason. And if you don't, then maybe it's time you start taking some time to really look at the impact you have on the world. With that said, impact isn't about scope. Annie Sullivan was one person. She didn't seek notoriety or fame. She simply wanted to help a blind, deaf woman interact with the world. And she did. She helped Helen Keller escape the darkness and silence. She forged a friendship that would help the world rethink disability and woman's right's. You have the capability to change the world. The truth is, you already are. All you need to do is recognize that your place in the world is necessary. I'll leave it at that my good friends. I'll leave the earlier question of the day as the real question of the day. As you head home, I would encourage you to think about how you matter. That question alone is the very gist of ZEN commuter and Five Minute Mojo. There is no need for loneliness or despair my friends. No need for worry or pain. Believe that you are here for a reason. If you aren't sure what that is, then just quite yourself and ask the question out loud. You'll have the answer soon enough. This is Thom Walters signing off for five-minute Mojo. Make the rest of the day amazing, sleep tight and sweet dreams.

It's time to make the sidewalk the catwalk. Embrace your inner confidence. It's real easy. I'll show you. Just listen to today's episode.

You may or may not have your summer body, but what the heck does that mean? Forget about sexy. How about starting small by treating your body with respect.

If you choose to do nothing in regards to any news story, then hearing about the pain and despair will disturb your peace of mind.

I have a way to get me out of the doldrums that works every time. Do you want to know what it is? Come listen and find out.

You don't have to have passionate days every day, but isn't time for at least one or two?

Affirmations are a valid tool for creating a shift in your mindset and habits. However, they need the power of visualization to help them out.

Ideas that are deemed crazy just may be the birth of genius. Who really is to say what is crazy?

Friday I talked about charity. Today I want to share the results of my field trip. Once again, my soul took me on a journey that would reaffirm what I already knew but never tire of knowing; that the world is a beautiful place.

Today I rethink a belief that I have held for decades. Just perhaps, it was wrong all along.

It will always serve you to be kind in accordance with your link to your higher self and not simply because you were told to be.

Forget thinking of your age as a number and instead think of your life as a whole. Whatever you experienced as a young adult you can experience now. All you need to do is change your mind

Our brains do an amazing job of helping us feel good about not getting the important stuff done.

You may want many things from the products that you buy but were those things you wanted or were they things you were told you should want?

There are many challenges we face as a species in getting along. Yet as much as the news likes to think we are heading to hell in a hand basket, we are not. While we still have a long way to go, it is pretty amazing to think that the majority of 8 Billion people are getting along. What's making that happen and keeping you alive longer? Compassion

Many times we blame others for our challenges; well the less evolved anyway. The economy, your boss and maybe even your significant other. As you become wiser you will come to learn that you alone are the biggest impediment to your growth. But it doesn't need to be that way. Ditch this one word from your vocabulary and see your future unfold.

A conservative estimate says we have at least 40,000 thoughts in a day. Some may contend that it feels more like 400,000. Regardless of number, some of those thoughts are taking up valuable real estate in your head. And while the brain is powerful, it is like a computer. The more programs you have running at one time the slower your machine will run. Your mind is the same, and its not just about processing data. It is also about your peace of mind of course. Come hear about the simplest, yet most effective tool, for clearing your mind.

Happy Fourth of July for my American listeners! Since I have listeners all over the world I wanted to rebroadcast an episode that makes a great deal of sense. We can't be wasteful. This planet is a gift, so never throw out anything when it can still be used, if not by you then someone else.

127 5 MM The Spaces Between the Habits Hello my friends and welcome to Five Minute Mojo. If you have been listening to ZEN commuter and Five Minute Mojo for a while you know that orchestrating your life is on some level what we are doing here. We are learning new ways to look at life in an effort to become calmer and more purposeful. Some other great podcasters are doing the same thing. Lewis Howes, John Lee Dumas, Ellen Hendriksen and Eric Zimmer to name a few all have a similar goal, yet they approach it from their own perspective. But one thing we all agree on is the importance of good habits. Each of us understand that the things we do repeatedly make us who we are. Yet only on some level. I certainly love routines of positive habits that make up my day. However, as much as I find value in those habitual acts there is something to be said about the moments between the habits, the random occurrences, the people you meet. We can't plan every moment of our day. It's good to have a framework for going about your day but sticking to it rigidly not only lessens your ability to grow but it makes for a pretty monotonous life. Good habits are, well, good, but I don't want to live my life fully as a drone, mechanically carrying out a series of tasks, no matter how meaningful or positive they are. So how do we that? How do we embrace positive habits and also allow ourselves the flexibility to experience other instances? It's not always easy, but it is possible. I liken it to when I was learning to drive. My Dad taught me and one thing I remember him saying is that you need to drive with your attention in two places; one, right at the front of the car, at the hood. And the other further down the road ahead of you. He said that by having your attention at the front of the car you become aware of its dimensions. You have the ability to know the size of the car you are driving. You know where you can go, where your car will fit in regards to other cars. By having your attention on the road up ahead, you can see potential areas to be aware of, whether it's traffic, an accident or what have you. What a great metaphor for what I am talking about. Just like with driving you need to have your focus on what the big picture is, you need to be able to see down the road. And you need have your focus on the hood, knowing all of your car to see where it is in relation to other cars. Accordingly you need to have your focus on what's going on around you in this moment. With your attention in two places you are able to be safe where you are on the road and you know what's ahead. With the car metaphor, if you put all your focus on the road ahead you could hit cars right next to you. And if you are driving with your focus solely on your car, you can't see where you are heading to or the obstacles down the road that may slow you down. When you wake up, know what you working towards, but don't be so focused that you don't see the beauty around you. Don't simply be a collection of habits. Be a collection of habits that understand that they Universe is going to show you things that don't fit in the confines of a routine. Some of the greatest lessons I have learned in this life came from moments I was expecting. Some of the most profound meditations I have had started off with one goal and then morphed into something completely different. The thing that absolutely lifts me up daily is to see where life's randomness is actually harmonized. Random occurrences weren't so random at all, they just appeared that way. What seemed aberrant was carefully and effortlessly planned but the Universe. I would say that on some level, creating habits is a bit of ego. It's an amazingly good and effective thing to do. Don't get me wrong. It is incredibly effective and productive. But on some level it is the attempt to control your days, to put meaning to them. And while that is awesome, the Universe has meaning for you as well and it may not fit in the context of a habit. It may come in the form of a stranger needing assistance. It may come from a smile you garner as you pass by someone on the street. Regardless of what it is or where it comes from, the only way you will be able to benefit form it is to become aware of the spaces between the habits. Alright world, are you ready for your question of the day? When was the last time you deviated from your daily routine and what is one thing that you learned in that moment or perhaps the entire day. That may seem obtuse but think about the places you last visited for the first time, a star you don't usually go in or an errand that you had to do that came out of the blue. What happened at those times that helped you grow? It's a long weekend for those in the U.S. but regardless of where you are on this planet, make it a great weekend. Thank you so much for joining me today. I love you all. This is Thom Walters signing off for Five Minute Mojo. Go make the rest of the day amazing, sleep tight and of course, swee

5 MM 126 The Trailblazer Hello my friends and welcome to Five Minute Mojo. Today I recorded an episode of Zen commuter that focused on ways to leave the comfort zone. Specifically, it was a primer on escaping the comfort zone by taking baby steps. On the show I read a great article. Definitely tune in tomorrow to check it out. One of the points of the blog post made note to say that not everyone will be able to escape the comfort zone. It may go against what they believe in, or feel, specifically fear. In a way that's a great segue for us today. I would imagine on some level people who are uncomfortable stepping outside that deceptively cozy box may have bigger issues to deal with. They may not feel comfortable thinking uniquely, not being concerned with the status quo or what everyone believes to be the right way to do things. History is full of examples of people who didn't care what others thought. They had a vision, a personal vision, and it didn't need validation from anyone. They were trailblazers. There are still plenty of them around today. The question is, are you one of them? There are some common themes on Five Minute Mojo and ZEN commuter. One of them that I talk about a great deal is the desire to be part of a group. More specifically, I talk about how life will never be your own until you are guided by your own thoughts, beliefs, values and goals. So I guess I talk about not being part of a group. So let's do something that is unexpected. Let's throw the question of the day in here right now. Let's be trailblazers. When was the last time you did something just for you? When was the last time you thought about doing something without having to ask permission or go down a mental list of people to sense what they would think? So this question definitely warrants some exposition. There are many times that we think we are doing things for ourselves but the reality is that those thoughts are deeply imbedded societal beliefs. I would encourage you to think a little deeper on this one. Here is a great example. When you exercise, hopefully that is frequently, what is your reason? I'll list some possible answers and you decide which of these answers do you think are societally influenced and which are your own. You want to be able to move around better as you get older You want to be thinner You have a history of some illness in your family and you want to lessen your chances. You have kids and you want to be able to play with them and be around for them for a long time. You feel better when you exercise You heard that exercising is a great way to meet people A new crossfire gym opened up in your area and you are excited to try it Two of the answers are definitely influenced by society and one can go either way. Let me read the list again and see if you can spot the societal answers. You want to be able to move around better as you get older You want to be thinner You have a history of some illness in your family and you want to lessen your chances. You have kids and you want to be able to play with them and be around for them for a long time. You feel better when you exercise You heard that exercising is a great way to meet people A new crossfire gym opened up in your area and you are excited to try it Did you spot the two? The first is the desire to be thinner. What is thinner? Thinner than what? More importantly, thinner like who? Thin is valued in our society, it's enforced everywhere you look; in ads on TV or in magazines. Maybe your doctor told you that you need to be thinner, sound advice or not, you are taking their word for it. The other one is easier to spot because it has two words that could be a clue, you heard that exercising is a great way to meet people. You heard signifies that someone else,not you, is driving your actions. You may want to meet new people but the suggestion came from outside of you. The last answer could be either. A new Crossfit gym opened up in your area and you are excited to try it. You may have been excited to try crossfit, but is it possible its popularity drew you to experience it. Today has deep implications because as I mentioned earlier, if you continue to follow others, then your life will never be yours. For the next couple of days I want you to try something. At different points in the day stop what you are doing and ask yourself if you are doing that task for yourself or someone else. Think hard there too. That exercise will reveal a great deal. You have plenty to think about my friends, but the weekend is here so make sure you have some fun too, huh? This is Thom Walters signing off for Five Minute Mojo. Go make the rest of the say amazing, sleep tight and of course, sweet dreams.

5 MM 125 Sitting with Sadness Hello my friends and welcome to Five Minute Mojo. It isn't possible to be happy all the time, not should you ever want to be. We grow in all situations. In fact, most times we grow the most during challenging times. Of course that doesn't mean we should be looking to experience hardships at every turn, but the point is we shouldn't run from them either. Again, we grow in all situations. We can learn in times of joy and times of strife. It doesn't take much thinking to know which is going to be more enjoyable. Enjoyable are not, be open to lessons in all situations. Our culture here in the Unites States and I would imagine in many other parts of the world put enormous focus on happiness. You would think that I of anybody would totally endorse this. I do endorse happiness, but not at the expense of other emotions and energies. I bring this up because our society focuses on trying to ignore any reference to sadness. Sadness is frowned upon, pun intended. With the exception of pharmaceuticals, TV commercials and print ads as well, show people laughing and smiling to excess. I am not sure about you, but I don't have a deranged ear to ear grin when I am driving my car or sipping an ice coffee, walking the beach, or, well, you get the picture. We are told to be happy all the time and that is a huge trap. It's a trap for people who have difficulty experiencing happiness and it is even a challenge for people who don't have those challenges yet in rare times do feel unhappy. That very trap can lead us to do some very dangerous and/or impulsive things. It may land us in debt as we attempt to buy things to squelch our sadness. It may have us experience something even more dangerous, perhaps turning to drugs or alcohol to experience the bliss we feel we should know, but don't. It's even more benign as we procrastinate from normal day to day tasks because they don't seem exciting or light us up. The other day I woke up in a different type of space. I usually bound out of bed ready to take on the day. On this particular day I was lackluster. Perhaps it was a less than stellar night of sleeping or who knows what. For whatever reason, I tried to kickstart myself. I tried to toll into my normal morning routine, hoping that one of my daily habits would spark a little excitement. I grabbed my iPad and started in on my daily Italian practice. Halfway through I tossed the pad aside, still unenthused. Thinking about the other things in the morning list I tried to put them in order of what to try next. Nothing was working. I began to feel a little edgy thinking that I was failing at my morning routine. That is until the cavalry showed up, well, at least showed up in my head. Bart chimed in to say, quite simply, "Relax, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen today and that's okay. Perhaps, there is a bigger lesson to learn in not doing everything according to planned today" He was right of course. There was a lesson to be learned. It came from sitting with seemingly difficult feelings. I continued throughout the morning, doing whatever struck my fancy. Clothes needed to be folded but they weren't on the priority list. Clothes happened hours later. And yes I know, kinda retentive. I began folding the clothes, as the sullenness continued. I wasn't sad per se, simply lackluster. I did feel a little disappointed that I didn't have my usual fire, but i didn't try to ignite it anymore, taking heed from Bart. As I folded the clothes I thought about my life. I thought about the joys I have experienced and the hardships. I thought about them all. I remembered the good times, laughing with friends and family, and I tuned in to the lack of focus and energy that I was currently feeling. I sat with the funk. I sat with it for about an hour, not disavowing it or trying to change it, just feeling it. And then, an epiphany happened. having reviewed the happy and challenging times in my head once again, Bart once again spoke up. Are you ready to come back now? I thought about it, weighing the different experiences I have had in my life, and made a decision. It was time to come back. I had sat with all the energies and feelings and knew which ones I wanted to embrace, joy. Yet, that option would be meaningless if I hadn't taken the time to sit with its antithesis, the funk that hung over me. We will have hard times and we should always acknowledge them as freely as the joyous ones. There will be times that they drag on as well and in those times you will need to ask yourself if they are indicative of something bigger, like depression. In those times when you ask and the answer comes back that things are a little more sever, then you reach out for help. Yet in the milder funks, don't run to the next distraction. Don't grab your phone, your credit card or your car. Just sit. Be uncomfortable and wait for what will surely come, the lessons that can come with sadness as well as joy. The question today is another simple y

There is a perception that shower a less than perfect version of ourselves is weakness. In this rebroadcast I will help you understand that it is just the opposite.

There are far more downfalls to I want it now thinking than you may realize. Check them out today on Five Minute Mojo.

We all want to be there for our friends. These three ways will help you do just that.

I love reading. It is the clearest way to become better. Despite pessimistic literary fortune tellers, the book is not going away, nor will it ever. If it did, so would our civilization. Come listen why

Wealth, power and a multitude of big ticket items is not the only definition of success. In fact, it may not be accurate at all. Yet many cling to that belief only to find it a hollow pursuit once you get there.

Why we are here on the planet is a question that often goes unanswered. But there are ways to make such a huge question not only less overwhelming and actually beneficial. As a species, as a culture and even on a personal level the question of why we are here must be asked. Not only must it be asked, as formidable a question as it is, it needs to be answered. Doing so will assure that you know how to make each day purposeful and happy.

If you had a dime for every podcast, book or blog post that talked about fear, you would be a millionaire. It is a powerful force. Sometimes this force keeps us at bay, and sometimes it triggers something more internal, something that pushes us out of comfort.

How often do you tell yourself that you love you?

Our sense of worth usually enters into our beliefs about asking for anything, whether that is help, love or something physical. Know your value and ask.

Unsettling dreams in abundance is your body and soul's way of telling you something is out of whack

Society tries to create divides by class, wealth and celebrity. The truth is, we are all equal. Community is created when we all realize this

There is a balance between happiness and goals: if either is more prevalent, you will not experience a fuller life.

He's been gone for over 150 years and yet his wisdom still serves us. Come listen to the sage words of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your beliefs are not really yours, and yet you act on them every day. See how that might not be in your best interest.

The ultimate decision about your worthiness lies with you. Don't sabotage your life believing others.

We all want to be calm yet we all rush around thinking our to do list validates who we are, our importance. Stop moving and start being calm

Hello My friends and welcome to Five Minute Mojo. The process of making significant changes in your life isn't always easy. In fact, it goes against the mindset that is, on some level, engrained in our being. Have you ever thought about that? I am not a big fan of creating divisions but it is important to point out that people who seek to grow each day are the minority. I was speaking with John Vespasian the other day on ZEN commuter and he mentioned that only 5% of people take steps to be better each day. I would have taken this number with a grain of salt if I hadn't heard the same figure from other personal development coaches and authors as well. Of course I want it to be higher. Many people try to make changes and end up giving up once life tries to reassert itself. The fear of change and comfort often times is a force to be reckoned with. Like I mentioned before, seeking comfort is the default, growing, which represents change is not. What gets in the way? I want to spend some time talking about that today and of course ending with a question that will hopefully bring it into perspective for your own life. One of the biggest things mindsets that often leads to frustration and eventually quitting, is the understanding that the change will be easy to implement and will face no hurdles at all. Expectation is a nasty thing. It sets you up time and time again, and in many cases leads to your changes' demise. The title of this episode is Nothing happens in a vacuum. While it may sound mysterious the premise is quite simple. The change you want to make will never go perfectly. It will be interacted upon by a variety of circumstances. Life will happen. You can never make a change and expect it is free of daily sidetracks. Suppose you want to start eating healthier each day. In the beginning you are all hyped up in a great way. You may start off by reading a bunch of different articles about healthier eating. Hopefully you will turn to trusted sources and not internet hype and hucksterism. Then you head to the grocery store and get all your supplies. You're stoked. Amped up to be starting a new way of life, a new chapter. That night you make all your food and pack it away in your cooler and off to bed. The next day comes and you are ready to begin. You head to work and the morning may start off mellow but then reality hits. You look at your schedule and you have back to back meetings, a ton of stuff to do. Each time you go to get a healthy meal or a snack the phone rings or an urgent email comes in. Before you know it is time to go home and your healthy food its still there in your cooler. You beat yourself up, thinking you failed. You had the best of intentions, you were so ready, so prepared and yet it didn't happen. You forgot to enter life into the equation. Your instinct is to give in. You think about it and you get frustrated with yourself because you didn't even make it one day. You forgot to figure in life, to figure in failures. Nothing will ever happen flawlessly every time. Don't beat yourself up. It's definitely part of the process. Success doesn't happen in a vacuum either. In fact it is the failures that you endure that make the victory that much sweeter. I talked about expectation because I think many people start a new change or program with the expectation that it will be effortless, perfect. Then the first bump comes along and they give up. You are much stronger than that. The simple advice is to plan to fail. But know you will eventually succeed. Never give up hope and never stop striving to be the best that you can be. Now let's make this point concrete for you with a question of the day. It may take some thinking, but that's okay. You are no stranger to thinking. What was the last positive change you made in your life, something that is now a positive habit? How many times did you fail before it became engrained in who you are. What was the first hurdle you encountered. If you found today's episode helpful then share it with your friends. Help them become better for themselves as well. Go one step better and leave a review out on iTunes or Stitcher. Best of all, subscribe to the show so you don't miss one episode. This is Thom Walters signing off for Five Minute Mojo. Go make the rest of the day amazing, sleep tight and sweet dreams.

The words we use have a duality in most cases. However, these three seem to exist only to move you forward.

We grow up believing what we are told, sometimes never evaluating those beliefs. When was the last time you looked at those ideals?

Charity and giving are enormously beautiful energies. However, they can be leave the donor lacking if done for the wrong reasons