Hey there!
I wanted to share with you my experience watching the movie, "50 Shades of Grey," but before I get to that, I have one very important update to share with you.
One week from today is the start of the One Billion Steps in March challenge. Please please please invite your friends and family to participate in this event. To sign up, invite your friends, and learn all about the event, click here.
I have been hearing about the cultural phenomena "50 Shades of Grey" for 3 or 4 years now. During that time, several of my female friends have tried to get me to read the book. Two and a half years ago I decided I would. I was curious about what all the hype was about and what seemed to have so many women all excited. I made it through half of the book... I just couldn't seem to get into it.
Recently I was invited to watch the "50 Shades of Grey" movie. Again, my curiosity was perked as I had heard so many mixed things about it. Some were calling it erotic and liberating, others called it a set back for women claiming it glorified abuse and violence towards women.
I watched the movie and thought as a movie it was nothing more than Ok. I found it to be mildly entertaining and the chemistry between the two leads seemed forced at best.
I did not agree with the assertion that it glorified violence for women nor did I feel it was a setback, in fact I thought exactly the opposite. I found it refreshing to see a movie where it was ok for a woman to be open with exploring her sexuality. I also found it fascinating that both the movie and the books seemingly connected with so many women in this respect.
I consider myself to be a student of humanity, meaning I am always wanting to better learn and better understand people. I believe that the better I understand people the more effective it will make me at helping them. :)
Culturally it seems like it has always been ok for men to be strong, confident, and sexually open. Women, in popular culture, have not always had the same portrayal, with a few exceptions (Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct" is one that comes to mind.)
I have been continually disappointed that we as a society seem to hold onto prevailing stereotypes between men and women when it comes to sexuality. It's ok in movies, in books, and in life for men to be sexually open and curious, but if women are they get the label of "slut" or some other nonsense.
While I did not think 50 Shades of Grey was the best movie, what I do think it did, and I am grateful it did this, was to present a strong female who showed it was ok for women to be sexual. Not only was it ok, it was fun, it was exciting, and it was ok for it to be those things.
Have you seen the movie, what do you think? Let me know, I am excited to hear your thoughts?
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Love... It IS Everywhere
It seems to be as inevitable as a tummy ache is after someone eats to much sugar - when February rolls around with Valentines Day on the horizon, conversations shift to Love, it's meaning, it's abundance, the lack of it, and much more.
I love helping people and I hate that something like Love, which is available in such abundance, escapes so many.
It breaks my heart to see people go through life lacking Love. I know it does not have to be this way, and I want to help eliminate this problem from anyone who is willing to let me help.
Recently I hosted a Youtube chat on this very important topic. The purpose of the chat was threefold:
1- To define what love is, the different types of love, and why it is important to be aware of the different types.
2 - To explain the difference between being in love vs "just" loving someone.
and 3 - To teach you how you can bring an abundance of love into your life.
The event was very powerful and I believe really helped a lot of people form better relationships with Love. I also believe it equipped the viewers with several effective tools that they could take home and utilize in their relationships with others and themselves.
Because Love is so desired by all, and how to acquire it is often very misunderstood, I wanted to share this video with you all in the hopes that it will assist you and those you care about in your journey's to bring more Love into your lives.
I would love to hear what you think! Please leave me a comment below.
With Love,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge
I love helping people and I hate that something like Love, which is available in such abundance, escapes so many.
It breaks my heart to see people go through life lacking Love. I know it does not have to be this way, and I want to help eliminate this problem from anyone who is willing to let me help.
Recently I hosted a Youtube chat on this very important topic. The purpose of the chat was threefold:
1- To define what love is, the different types of love, and why it is important to be aware of the different types.
2 - To explain the difference between being in love vs "just" loving someone.
and 3 - To teach you how you can bring an abundance of love into your life.
The event was very powerful and I believe really helped a lot of people form better relationships with Love. I also believe it equipped the viewers with several effective tools that they could take home and utilize in their relationships with others and themselves.
Because Love is so desired by all, and how to acquire it is often very misunderstood, I wanted to share this video with you all in the hopes that it will assist you and those you care about in your journey's to bring more Love into your lives.
I would love to hear what you think! Please leave me a comment below.
With Love,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Perspective is Key to Living the Life You Want
Hellllloooooo there! :)
I had an experience the other day and a few thoughts about it I wanted to share with you. Before we get to that, a couple quick updates:
1 - Our next Monthly Motivation Youtube chat is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, February 11th at 4:30pm PST. The topic will be "Love." To join the chat, click here
2 - One Billion Steps in March is happening! This is a global event which means everyone can, and needs to participate. The goal is walk a combined total of 1 Billion Steps in the month of March. Click here to learn all about the event. Please share the event with your friends.
Ok onto today's blog:
It is no secret that I keep some strange hours. Sometimes I go to bed early, sometimes I go to bed really late. Sometimes I wake up early and sometimes I wake up even earlier than really early.
The other day I went to bed about 10pm and woke up at 1:30am. I used to be that person who, when waking up at a time when I didn't "have" to be up, would lie awake in bed and stress out about not being able to go back to sleep.
I would lay there and tell myself all that was going to go wrong if I didn't sleep. I would remind myself over and over again how tired I would be and all that I needed to get done that would not get done if I didn't sleep.
Also this was my favorite time to start to worry and stress out about things like bills to pay, all my "problems," etc... And as icing on the cake, this was my favorite time to be critical of myself. You know have all those positive self talks about all the things I did wrong, how I should have handled this or that situation differently, and of course how, if I could go back in time, I would say this or that differently.
Super productive time, right?
I got to a point in my life where I got fed up with this so I decided to make a new rule.
The new rule: Anytime I wake up in the middle of the night, I will allow myself 5 minutes to go back to sleep. If I cannot fall back to sleep, then I need to do something so that I am no longer laying there thinking about not going back to sleep.
Well the other night roles around and I wake up at 1:30. I got up and went pee then climbed back in bed. I laid down and instantly felt like I was not going to be able to fall back to sleep. I laughed about it and said: "Ok, five minutes, starting now."
Five minutes later... well that didn't work time to do something productive.
I didn't feel like working, what I felt like doing was exercising! (Always trust your gut feelings) I got up, got dressed, and headed to the gym.
At 1:55am the gym was pretty empty - who am I kidding the gym was totally empty!! haha
Over the years I have found that when I workout, I often have some of my best brainstorms. I attribute it to my mind being so clear and focused on the workout that it frees up a lot of brain space to allow ideas to pop up.
As I settled into my workout I had some pretty profound thoughts that I wanted to share with you.
The first thought was this: What would change for me, if instead of telling myself "I can't sleep," I instead started to tell myself, "Maybe I am supposed to be awake!"
AND...
If I am supposed to be awake, "Why am I supposed to be awake and What am I supposed to learn/do?"
The first statement is so freeing... I am supposed to be awake. That is a statement of taking your power back from a situation where it is pretty easily to feel powerless "I can't sleep."
I can't sleep sounds like you are helpless. I am supposed to be awake sounds like you are making a proclamation of power!
If the above did not sink in, re-read it and re-read it again until it does. If you have ever had a sleepless night, one where you have tossed, turned, and bemoaned not being able to sleep, you know exactly how those nights turn out. Imagine if you looked at the situation from a different perspective and started using that time.
On "sleepless nights," could you find the time, the time you cannot find in your "normal" waking day, to: exercise, write the book you have wanted to write, prepare healthy food for the week, get caught up on emails, clean the house, start your new business, organize your photos, etc... Incidentally aren't most of these things the things that you might lay awake stressing about? Why not get them done?
Perhaps that is what Your reason for being awake is.... Your brain is trying to tell you, "Hey, You are not that sleepy right now, if you get up and do this, you will feel accomplished and You will sleep like a baby tomorrow."
It's a possibility right?
Remember the perspective you choose to live your life from will determine the life you live. If you insist on continuing to live your life from the perspective of "I can't sleep," don't be surprised if you get more sleepless nights. However, if you choose to live your life from the perspective of "I am supposed to be awake," do not be surprised when you start accomplishing more than you ever imagined possible.
And maybe, just maybe, you might find that this new perspective leads to nights where you are sleeping like a baby.
Give it a try, what do you have to lose?
Note: I finished my workout at 3am, came home, went to sleep for one hour, slept like a log, woke up at 4:15 to my alarm refreshed and excited for the day.
If I can do it, I know you can too!!
Enjoy the pics,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge
I had an experience the other day and a few thoughts about it I wanted to share with you. Before we get to that, a couple quick updates:
1 - Our next Monthly Motivation Youtube chat is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, February 11th at 4:30pm PST. The topic will be "Love." To join the chat, click here
2 - One Billion Steps in March is happening! This is a global event which means everyone can, and needs to participate. The goal is walk a combined total of 1 Billion Steps in the month of March. Click here to learn all about the event. Please share the event with your friends.
Ok onto today's blog:
It is no secret that I keep some strange hours. Sometimes I go to bed early, sometimes I go to bed really late. Sometimes I wake up early and sometimes I wake up even earlier than really early.
The other day I went to bed about 10pm and woke up at 1:30am. I used to be that person who, when waking up at a time when I didn't "have" to be up, would lie awake in bed and stress out about not being able to go back to sleep.
I would lay there and tell myself all that was going to go wrong if I didn't sleep. I would remind myself over and over again how tired I would be and all that I needed to get done that would not get done if I didn't sleep.
Also this was my favorite time to start to worry and stress out about things like bills to pay, all my "problems," etc... And as icing on the cake, this was my favorite time to be critical of myself. You know have all those positive self talks about all the things I did wrong, how I should have handled this or that situation differently, and of course how, if I could go back in time, I would say this or that differently.
Super productive time, right?
I got to a point in my life where I got fed up with this so I decided to make a new rule.
The new rule: Anytime I wake up in the middle of the night, I will allow myself 5 minutes to go back to sleep. If I cannot fall back to sleep, then I need to do something so that I am no longer laying there thinking about not going back to sleep.
Well the other night roles around and I wake up at 1:30. I got up and went pee then climbed back in bed. I laid down and instantly felt like I was not going to be able to fall back to sleep. I laughed about it and said: "Ok, five minutes, starting now."
Five minutes later... well that didn't work time to do something productive.
I didn't feel like working, what I felt like doing was exercising! (Always trust your gut feelings) I got up, got dressed, and headed to the gym.
At 1:55am the gym was pretty empty - who am I kidding the gym was totally empty!! haha
Over the years I have found that when I workout, I often have some of my best brainstorms. I attribute it to my mind being so clear and focused on the workout that it frees up a lot of brain space to allow ideas to pop up.
As I settled into my workout I had some pretty profound thoughts that I wanted to share with you.
The first thought was this: What would change for me, if instead of telling myself "I can't sleep," I instead started to tell myself, "Maybe I am supposed to be awake!"
AND...
If I am supposed to be awake, "Why am I supposed to be awake and What am I supposed to learn/do?"
The first statement is so freeing... I am supposed to be awake. That is a statement of taking your power back from a situation where it is pretty easily to feel powerless "I can't sleep."
I can't sleep sounds like you are helpless. I am supposed to be awake sounds like you are making a proclamation of power!
If the above did not sink in, re-read it and re-read it again until it does. If you have ever had a sleepless night, one where you have tossed, turned, and bemoaned not being able to sleep, you know exactly how those nights turn out. Imagine if you looked at the situation from a different perspective and started using that time.
On "sleepless nights," could you find the time, the time you cannot find in your "normal" waking day, to: exercise, write the book you have wanted to write, prepare healthy food for the week, get caught up on emails, clean the house, start your new business, organize your photos, etc... Incidentally aren't most of these things the things that you might lay awake stressing about? Why not get them done?
Perhaps that is what Your reason for being awake is.... Your brain is trying to tell you, "Hey, You are not that sleepy right now, if you get up and do this, you will feel accomplished and You will sleep like a baby tomorrow."
It's a possibility right?
Remember the perspective you choose to live your life from will determine the life you live. If you insist on continuing to live your life from the perspective of "I can't sleep," don't be surprised if you get more sleepless nights. However, if you choose to live your life from the perspective of "I am supposed to be awake," do not be surprised when you start accomplishing more than you ever imagined possible.
And maybe, just maybe, you might find that this new perspective leads to nights where you are sleeping like a baby.
Give it a try, what do you have to lose?
Note: I finished my workout at 3am, came home, went to sleep for one hour, slept like a log, woke up at 4:15 to my alarm refreshed and excited for the day.
If I can do it, I know you can too!!
Enjoy the pics,
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge
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