Yesterday I had a great conversation with a friend of mine. His original question was: How does someone know when they are listening to their heart vs. their head? From experience, I can say that over time, you can learn to identify whether it is your heart or your mind leading you. I can also say that even with a better understanding, sometimes it can be tricky to tell which is leading. When your heart is leading you, which is the one you want leading, you are more likely to find discomfort....
about 1 hour ago • 1 min read
"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” -Steve Jobs See you tomorrow and keep pursuing, JC
about 20 hours ago • 1 min read
I made my return to the hot yoga studio today after a break. I expected that I wouldn’t be able to hold the poses as I could when I was in class four times a week. Surely my absence would have cost me mobility and yoga strength. I was right. But my reduced mobility wasn't caused by what I expected. I assumed it would be my hamstrings, calves, and hips that would be the problem areas—and maybe they would have been, but it was another area that impacted my ability to hold poses like normal. My...
2 days ago • 1 min read
“This, I believe, is the great Western truth: that each of us is a completely unique creature and that if we are ever to give any gift to the world, it will have to come out of our own experience and fulfillment of our own potentialities, not someone else's.” -Joseph Campbell See you tomorrow and keep pursuing, JC
4 days ago • 1 min read
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” -Chinese Proverb Are you tense or relaxed? If you’re tense, the path to relaxation lies in the Pursuit of your Authentic Life. See you tomorrow and keep pursuing, JC
5 days ago • 1 min read
I’ve had the fortune of spending the last couple of days in Asheville, North Carolina staying on the Biltmore Estate. I’m not usually a history buff, but the property and the story of it is so impressive. When I listened to the story of how George Vanderbilt had the massive estate built, all I could think about was how delusional he was—in a positive way. I’ve written about how the outside world may see us as delusional as we pursue our Authentic Lives. Can you imagine what people thought...
6 days ago • 1 min read
I know that hip-hop has the reputation of being music with less than positive lyrics and topics—and the language bothers a lot of people. The reality is yes, there are those songs, but there are also a ton of songs with inspiring lyrics based on the experience of the artist. I am convinced a contributor to my self-confidence is listening to hip-hop my entire life. I was able to separate out the drugs, gang, violence, and the other topics that the public associates the genre with and focus on...
6 days ago • 1 min read
“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” -Paulo Coehlo I know this. I’ve experienced this. I’ve helped others experience this. My life’s work is to help more people realize this, believe this, and then experience it. And it is so frustrating to see so many people not believe that they can achieve what they dream. And it’s even more frustrating to see so many people not even know what they want to dream. Don’t let others' (or society's) narratives keep you...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Most people will not be able to see what you see when it comes to your Authentic Life. When you think about it, that should make sense. Your Authentic Life is uniquely yours, so how could someone else see it fully—especially if it is outside the box of what society has said you’re supposed to do? They can’t. So when you share your vision, don’t be surprised if others don’t get it and even try to talk you out off pursuing it. I’ve pursued a variety of paths that didn’t make sense to others,...
9 days ago • 1 min read