Jonny Bowden's Blog, page 29

The Path to Clarity Started in My Garage

The Following is a guest blog post by Tom Terwilliger, former Mr. America and one of the country’s top motivational speakers.

 

This summer, like every summer, brought with it an increased desire for relaxation, fun, barbeques and booze. But for many it also took with it something of incalculable value upon its arrival. Satisfied by weekend after weekend of recreational activities, chips and beer we gave little thought to our goals, ambitions and resolutions from 7 or 8 months prior. It would have been the rare few among us that didn’t put those well meaning objectives and any flame of desire to achieve them inadvertently on the back burner or dismiss them as something we’ll get to next year.

Why do we do that?

Why do we love to put things off till next week, next month…or the ultimate dismissal “next year?”

You know what…screw WHY!

We can evaluate why “next year” and instead we can get to work using the precious time we still have this year towards achieving at least one of our intended objectives.

The Garage

Back in early spring I set a personal goal to get my horribly neglected hoarder garage cleaned out and back into functional shape. I put it off all summer (well almost all summer) and thought about letting it go until…yes, you guessed it, “next year.”

 

In the back of my mind however, I knew it had to be done now in part because I told myself I would do it but also because I recognized that like the garage itself that unfulfilled commitment was cluttering up my emotional brain space and represented an energetic obstacle on my otherwise fairly well mapped out path.

 

I knew it would take at least three weekends to complete the job… yes it was that bad. I looked at the number of weekends I had left until the chilly Fall Colorado weather presented an additional obstacle then mapped out a plan.

Did I actually need a plan? Not really, but it served to reinforce my commitment and ultimately saved me a lot of time and energy.

What have you been putting off?

I am a big believer in finishing every year with a victory. In doing so, you start the following year with the momentum of a charging lion instead of a slumbering lamb.

With that said we both know there’s still more than enough time before you have to think about next year’s ambitions to actually accomplish one or more of this year’s goals.

Action Steps

Here a few of the powerful goal achievement steps from my Goal Juice Training Program to help you get started:

Start by resolving yourself to making something happen – right now and forget about how much time you have left.
What? Maybe it’s losing those extra few pounds. Or finally starting that investment portfolio. Perhaps it’s making physical and mental space like I did. Or maybe it’s one smaller chunk of a massive long-term goal you have for yourself. Hell, a full blown body transformation can be achieved in less than 12 weeks.
Why? Because I have to, need to, or should were not big enough why’s for me to finally take action on that garage, and no it wasn’t my wife nagging me either. Find the motivation behind your goal. It’s not usually the first thing that comes to mind. Your Power Why goes much deeper. In the Goal Juice Training we peel away the first superficial layers to get to the core motivation and then turn that into your driving force. Don’t settle for the first why your conscious mind presents to you… it likely won’t be enough.
What resources will you need? As I developed my simple yet effective “Garage Makeover” plan I knew the first things I was going to need to get the job done was a dispenser for dumping a lot of unwanted trash, a tall ladder and some additional man power (the wife). Waiting until you need them, rather than identifying what you’ll need in advance is a sure fire way of letting yourself get derailed and never reaching the objective.
Action: Action is the bridge between where you are right now and where you want to be before the year ends. The summer ambition slumber is over and it’s time to get your ass up and moving again. Another beer or burger isn’t the cure for the guilt you’re feeling for having been… well let’s just say less than ambitious this summer. Action is the only cure!

Once I identified what I wanted to achieve (the garage), mapped out a plan and got myself motivated it really wasn’t that tough. Knowing when to stop was the problem. I kept wanting to do or add more. As a result, I now have the most enviable garage in the neighborhood…fit for a new Lamborghini Veneno Roadster.

Hmmm…maybe that will be next?!

 

 

 

Veggie Slaw with Flax Oil

Prep time: 20 minutes if hand cutting, 10 minutes with food processor

Cook time: none but flavors improve with resting time a couple of hours

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sodium free lemon pepper

Half small to medium head red or green cabbage cord, quartered, and finley sliced

Three stalks broccoli, crowns removed, peeled, and thinly sliced

4 carrots grated or thinly sliced

4 stalks celery, finely sliced

In a large bowl combine oil vinegar lemon juice and lemon pepper and whisk together to combine. Add the cabbage broccoli carrots and celery. Toss to coat with dressing. Refrigerate for several hours. This will keep up for a week if you keep it cold and tightly sealed

Yield 8 to 9 cups

 

 

Veggie Slaw with Flax Oil – A Cancer Fighting Coleslaw

Prep time: 20 minutes if hand cutting, 10 minutes with food processor

Cook time: none but flavors improve with resting time a couple of hours

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sodium free lemon pepper

Half small to medium head red or green cabbage cord, quartered, and finley sliced

Three stalks broccoli, crowns removed, peeled, and thinly sliced

4 carrots grated or thinly sliced

4 stalks celery, finely sliced

In a large bowl combine oil vinegar lemon juice and lemon pepper and whisk together to combine. Add the cabbage broccoli carrots and celery. Toss to coat with dressing. Refrigerate for several hours. This will keep up for a week if you keep it cold and tightly sealed

Yield 8 to 9 cups

 

 

My Interview With Tom Terwilliger

Tom Terwilliger is one of America’s top motivational speakers and coaches. The story of his journey from drug-abusing outlaw biker to  Mr. America— and the lessons he learned along the way— is fascinating and inspiring. You’re going to love my interview with the man they call “The Achievement Mentor”. Enjoy!

My friends and followers can order Tom’s program Goal Juice for 50% off  by entering the code Bowden

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO YOUR 50% DISCOUNT

Baby Spinach Salad with Fresh Raspberries

Prep time: 5-10 min

Cook time: none

 

Ingredients:

6 cups baby spinach

½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

1/3 cup sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar

2 Tbsp. raspberry jam

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. raw honey

 

In large salad bowl, combine the spinach, cheese, nuts, and raspberries.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, jam, mustard, and honey. Drizzle dressing over the top of salad and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately

Are Goals for Losers?

I’m not a big believer in goals.

But I am a big believer in systems.

Let me explain.

The distinction between goals and systems was first made in an excellent book by Scott Adams called How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.

“To put it bluntly, goals are for losers”, writes Adams. “For example, if your goal is to lose ten pounds, you will spend every moment until you reach the goal—if you reach it at all—feeling as if you were short of your goal. In other words, goal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure that they hope will be temporary. That feeling wears on you. In time, it becomes heavy and uncomfortable. It might even drive you out of the game.”

Now maybe that’s a pretty harsh or negative way to look at goal setting. After all, most of us have had at least some positive experience with setting (and attaining, I hope) a goal or two. But Adams’s point is that you’re way better off having a system—which in this case would be eating right—than you are having a single goal of losing ten pounds.

Running a race is a goal. Exercising every day is a system. Making a million bucks is a goal. Being a serial entrepreneur is a system.

Which has the bigger possibility of ongoing rewards?

Look, we all hear about lottery winners and other people who become suddenly, instantly rich, because those stories are interesting and newsworthy. But how many people do you know who really became millionaires overnight? I know a lot of millionaires, and virtually all of them became wealthy by having a system, not a goal. And that system probably meant saving, budgeting, prioritizing, investing, calculating risk, and cutting loses. And it was that system that ultimately got them the rewards they now experience.

A system is basically something you do all the time, at least on a regular basis. It’s part of your lifestyle, like drinking water every day, or practicing the mambo, or meditating. “A system”, writes Adams, is something you do on a regular basis that increase your odds of happiness in the long run”.

If you do it every day, it’s a system. If it’s something you’re waiting to someday “achieve”, then it’s a goal.

And while I’d hardly agree with Adams that goals are for losers, I do think that goals without systems are ultimately lacking something as a strategy for living. They’re a “grab the brass ring and you’re done” kind of a situation, whereas a system—a practice—is something you can start right this minute, do for the rest of your life, and that you can reasonably expect will improve your life overall.

Most people who succeed—whether it be in weight loss, fitness, investing, business, relationships or even spirituality—follow systems. Goals are just road-markers, a by-product of those bigger systems.

Don’t get me wrong. Setting a goal– and then achieving it– feels fantastic.

I highly recommend it.

But you’ve got a much greater chance of having that experience if you’ve got a system in place—a practice, a lifestyle, an infrastructure, a “way of being” in the world.

A good system—and a little bit of luck—may even help you reach goals you never even dreamed you could achieve.

And the best part is that you don’t have to wait to experience success. You can start with your system today. Right here. Right now.

Now that would be a real accomplishment.

 

Simplest High-Fiber Beefy Tacos

This taco is way higher in fiber than the standard fare, largely from the refried beans, but it’s also a whole lot cleaner. We use only grass-fed beef (which you won’t find in Mexican fast food!), and we add tons of fresh veggies.

This is how real, healthy Mexican food was meant to taste!

This recipe is from The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth by myself and Chef Jeannette Bessinger (the Clean Food Chef). By the way, if you’re wondering where to get grass-fed beef, they now carry it in Target, and it’s terrific!

 

Ingredients:

1-pound (454 g) Grass Fed ground beef

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Serrano chilies, seeded and finely chopped

1 can (16 ounces, or 454g) highest-quality vegetarian refried beans

1 cup (155 g) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 jar (16 ounces, or 454g) high-quality salsa

12 small sprouted corn tortillas

2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped

2 cups (110g) shredded lettuce

½ cup (77 g) low-fat sour cream (or use plain Greek yogurt with a squirt of lime juice for fewer calories)

½ cup (5g) chopped fresh cilantro

 

Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the beef and onion and cook until no pink remains, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Drain any excess oils and transfer the contents to the slow cooker.

Stir in the chilies, refried beans, salsa and cheese. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours, until mixture is cooked through and bubbling. Stir and serve over warm tortillas with tomatoes, lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream and garnish with cilantro.

Knowing What You Want and Getting It

So many people I’ve worked with over the years have trouble sticking to their resolutions. They commit to a diet and fail. They join a gym and stop going. They say they’re done with cigarettes and then the stress overwhelms them back into a habit they hate.

Why does this happen?

Have we run out of willpower? Is it in such short supply that we are doomed to bail on everything? Can we not take a stand for anything we deem important to us?

The answer is a resounding NO!

The problem is that most people do not understand the “Anatomy of Consciousness” and, therefore, keep making the same mistakes in life. They push through and “spend” their willpower, repeatedly failing at things and “proving” to themselves that they can’t do it. Repeated failure reinforces a belief system that we are failures.

This is not the case but again, none of us were taught how to tap into our personal power. We try to push the boulder up hill and find ourselves exhausted and out of energy. In fact, most people are in “enthusiasm bankruptcy” nowadays. After all, how many times must you fail at something before you throw in the towel and accept being overweight or “week”?

I studied with the Dalai Lama. I traveled the world as a Taoist monk and learned meditation, qi gong, tai chi, yoga, kung fu, and anything else I could find that helped me. I learned about the Anatomy of Consciousness and applied it to my daily life successfully. People often ask me what my secret is and I’ve taken it for granted that I learned something very powerful in all of my travels…something I’ve been teaching students and patients over the past few years with amazing results.

The key is that most of us try to push our willpower or INTENTION without locking in our focus or ATTENTION first.

Ready, Fire, and maybe Aim…that’s where most people live and that’s why they never hit the mark.

Learning to focus in on what your goals and priorities are and then making a definitive plan that helps you get there is key. Most people don’t understand that the word “no” is very powerful. By me agreeing to meet the guys for a bite tonight, I’m effectively saying “no” to my family, my workout, my sleep, and the book I’ve been meaning to read. Most of us impulsively say “yes” to too many things which crowds our “Life Garden” with too many plants to water and far too many weeds.

f your willpower was the “water” you had to nourish the few plants in your garden, then where is it going? Are you feeding too many plants? Are you unaware of the weeds in your garden that are sucking off your life force?

The answer for most people is yes. We bleed our Vitality into scattered dreams and a hectic schedule. We then try to push through with more willpower but that tank is usually running on empty. We are all sick and tired of being tired.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. The way out is in.

Learning to meditate and gain clarity is the first stop. After that there are specific practices that help enhance Vitality and bring up our personal power. Over the years, I’ve learned to work both sides of that equation for people and seen amazing results.

The key is to wake up to what we’re doing and gain clarity before we move in life. From there, there are lots of time management tricks that can help us get more efficient. From there, we can adjust our lifestyle to get more energy out of our cells.

What can you do with more energy? A lot if you’re focused. Most people will squander it though because they have no “Life Mastery System” to help them navigate.

I invite you to check out an amazing program we’ve developed. It is designed to walk you through a step by step program that teaches you how to optimize your energy, gain clarity, raise your willpower, and operate more efficiently in life. Our graduates are having life transforming experiences and its all because we are putting them back in the driver’s seat.

Jump in and feel like you’re in control of your life again. Get clear and get the life you want.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

Pedram Shojai, OMD

Founder- Well.Org

Author- “Rise and Shine”

Producer – “Vitality” and “Origins”

Jonny’s Mega Omega Salmon in a Snap

Wild salmon blends beautifully with sauteed spinach, and when both are lightly cooked in the bst coconut oil on the planet, the resulting taste is superb. I love the organic spice pack that comes with the salmon I get from Vital Choice, but you can make your own spice mix or use salt and pepper– just don’t forget the turmeric. Turmeric is the superspice of all time, having both serious anti-inflammatory properties and some anticancer activity as well.

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons (25ml) Barlean’s coconut oil

4 Vita Choice Wild Alaskan Skinless Salmon fillets (6 ounces or 170 g each), thawed

2 Vita Choice organic spice packs (included with salmon order, or use salt and pepper to taste)

1 bag (6 ounces or 170 g) triple-washed baby spinach

1 teaspoon on turmeric

¾ teaspoon lemon pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) water

2 teaspoons butter

 

Instructions:

Heat the coconut oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the salmon fillets to the pan and sprinkle Vita Choice spice packs to taste over the surface or fillets. Sear for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Flip and sear the uncooked side for 1 minute, sprinkling the spice packs on the seared sides, to taste. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the spinach.

Sprinkle the turmeric and lemon pepper over the spinach and add the water. Cover for 2 minutes. Remove the cover, add the butter, stir, and recover for about 1 to 3 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking, Do Not Overcook!

My Video Interview with Pedram Shojai

Today I’m delighted to share with you my interview with Pedram Shojai, O.M.D, also affectionately known as “The Urban Monk”. He’s a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, an accomplished martial artist, and a really interesting guy with a great perspective. Oh, and I’m in his movie, Origins, which will be out this fall. Learn more about Pedram and all the stuff he’s up to at well.org. Enjoy the video!—

To learn more about Pedram’s Life Mastery Program click here!