When things get bad they tend to feel like the weight of the world is upon us.  So my theory and practice to take the "regular" days and string them together and notice the daily miracles each - then you know for sure the good truly outweigh the bad.  It helps to have loved ones, family, and friends to connect with during these times as well.  This week has gone from despair with two of my children to levels of resolution and a connection with a long missed friend and a check in call form a cousin I respect and regard.  My wife is beginning a new endeavor and used the words she feels "Liberated".  When I feel like a day is too much to bear I simply go to bed a little early.  Because I know for a fact the difference a day can make.  Thank you for all the beautiful people and events in my life that help me string the best of life together.

Love Always - Coach J

Have you ever heard "time heals all wounds"?  In my experience I can say time has numbed certain wounds, but I have felt true healing through communication.  Being able to share my perspective and driving factors to my behavior, and being open, objective, and honest in hearing the other side of my perceived pain.  I know you won't always have a chance to have two way communication to clear your pain.  I have some wounds that only have time to numb as there can never be a true communication with another either do to death, life, or other circumstances.  I will say fight for the opportunity to clear the air, hear and be heard and truly heal through communication.

Love Always - Coach J

Recently I was expressing my pain to a loved one.  My pain is from an not having a good connection with them and my desire to be more involved in their life.  Not to have control or input but simply to have a connection and be someone they keep in touch with - we had not spoken in quite a while.  I noticed the their tone changed from defensiveness to understanding when I was expressing my perception and I said "This is not judgment of you or your actions, I am simply expressing my pain".  From my reality this is all that I was expressing - my pain, I was not judging their action or lack of action, I was truly expressing the pain I felt from not being connected.  I want no control, no input, simply to be connected with and made aware of their safety and well being.  Pain comes in many ways and we express it in many ways.  Make sure when there comes a time to share your pain that you bring it from that place and not a place of anger or judgment.  I hope this serves you well as times of difficulty are few and far between but amplify our emotions making it hard to be objective. 

Love Always - Coach J

A friend of mine likes to live by the saying "When is the last time you did something for the first time?"  I align that in some respects to a thought I am having this morning.  I am living a once in a lifetime moment/life daily.  Savoring the company I have in my live, the blessings I am realizing, the coincidences, and the perfectly timed lessons.  I feel like in my youth I was tried that once in a lifetime was something so special you were lucky to have witnessed it once.  As I grow and learn to create my reality and accept all outcomes I am inspired to share with you that you can live a once in a lifetime type of life daily and it is invigorating, fulfilling, humbling, and rewarding.  Challenge yourself today to take inventory of the smallest miracles and victories and begin your walk down the road of a once in a lifetime lifestyle.  Thank you to all my family and friends that assisted me in this revelation by being amazingly beautiful at all times.

Love Always - Coach J

The term "water under the bridge" means to let things pass.  What is done is done, do not dwell on it - let it go.  When you hold on to thoughts or low energy emotions you are building a dam.  You restrict the flow and new things cannot come into your life.  You create pressure from the back log of water and you get tense and need to reinforce your dam.  It is an uncomfortable way to live.  Let it go, be free, let events come and go and flow. 

Love Always - Coach J

If success is the pursuit of a worthy ideal or goal - what does success look like?  It may look like the bus ride to night school, it may look like preparing dinner for your family.  If it is a marathon it must look like the 15th mile.  It may look like extra hours in the office or at the gym.  It's the reworked proposal or extra rep.  Often pictures of the finish line are associated with success but that is completion and commencement.  The end of one journey and the beginning of the next.  Success is the pursuit of a worthy ideal or goal - it is in the work.  God is in the details.

Love Always - Coach J

Yesterday morning as my toddler pondered the consequence of eating the oatmeal placed before him of resting his head on the table for a quick return to slumber he was staring at me, or better said kind of looking through me with an unfocused gaze of someone not fully awake.  He then proceeded to make a popping sound with his mouth, like when you are creating a spit bubble and just kind of pop your lips part and have that popping sound.  He hit a few different octaves in that sound to which I responded - slowly at first with my own popping sound.  Then I switched a few octaves.  Then he responded.  In my message I told him I love him, he was saying something like I am tired yet this is a fun and strange way to communicate.  Those special moments of bonding that you have with family and friends are so intimate they can alter your reality.  It made me recall the quote listed below and to encourage each and every one of us that we are restricted by our vocabulary to the volume we may experience life.  No need to be eloquent, make a noise of sound of joy, glee, or bliss when you don't know the words to express it properly.  Also continue to expand your vocabulary to expand your palate of life experiences.

"The world is richer than it is possible to express in any single language”

– Ilya Prigogone

Love Always - Coach J

"You know what grinds my gears?"  When someone uses the word coincidence and then proceeds to speak of a coincidence as if it is unexpected that the two or more things that are occurring are somehow connected.  It will sound something like "It may just be a coincidence that... but we can't be sure until..." Coincide means for something to happen at the same time or synch together.  That is the very meaning of coincidence!  That MIGHT be a coincidence?  No it IS a coincidence because the events coincide.  Now that's off my chest I can go about witnessing the hundreds of coincidences that happen daily with inner peace.  Next time you wonder if "that's just a coincidence" be sure that it is a coincidence and thank your consciousness for calling it to your attention to observe and marvel at.

Love Always - Coach J

I have witnessed a young man work hard at his academics and at his sport.  In high school he was an average performer that always had to apply himself to maintain around a 3.0 grade average.  He joined cross country in his junior year and fell in love with it but was not a top performer in that area.  He trained hard and got better and was very respectable.  His dream was to attend a university and run on their cross country team.  He got accepted by the school and pushed himself to unbelievable degrees and made the team after being denied the first year.  A side result of his training discipline is he became very focused in school and now maintains a 3.4 grade average at a top university.  Also after making the cross country team he joined a triathlon for sport and found this is where his heart really is.  His first major tri he placed second!  He had a coach reach out to him to help him train, he has a major sponsor.  He is breaking rookie records and is more fulfilled than he has ever been.  He put the work in.  Even when you are not completely sure what the work is going towards or you don't feel completely fulfilled any work you do, any strength you build is yours for future use.  I raise my glass high to know this young man and I know that anything he does in life will be successful.  I knew that from his first training sessions that junior year in high school when I had the pleasure of working with him because he's had the heart of a lion from the beginning.  The best part of this story for me is now he knows it is only going to get better - and he earned it all himself.

Love Always - Coach J

Imagine your social life if all of your closest friends are incredible, gourmet chefs that enjoy sharing their latest inspired creations with you.  What do you think those gatherings would look, taste and smell like?  Do you think by nature you'd pick up a few tips and tricks and as a result become a better chef to some degree?  What if your circle consisted of athletes and physical trainers?  What do you think your body and health would look like?  What if you spent quality time with entrepreneurs and savvy investors?  Take a close look at the people you give your time to.  Once you do that consider the contribution you make to the group.  If you chose you can and will grow into what ever you want to be.  You can help direct your growth and aid your results by the circle of influence you keep.

Love Always - Coach J