The Power of Future Sight

I was speaking with a client a couple days ago. We were in the midst of talking about some of her goals as we had just finished up removing the mental and emotional obstructions to those goals.

I'm in mid tangent (as I sometimes find myself in) when she stops me and asked me arguably the best question I have heard all week:

"Why are people sometimes more committed to talking themselves out of solutions to their problems/challenges than they are committed to finding answers and acting on them?"

Good question, right?

It came up because she is someone who we have spoken about working together a couple times over this year and there was always "something," that kept her from beginning.

"I can't speak for everyone," I told her, "but what I see with most people is that people get so absorbed in their stories about why things are the way they are and how they can't be any different that they are unwilling to allow themselves the gift of future sight."

"What do you mean by future sight?" she asked.

"Future sight is when a person is so committed to making their future brighter: more successful, happy, & fulfilling, than their now, that they are willing to look beyond their problems and create a vision of how life can be."

Unfortunately, Future Sight is not taught in most schools nor is it practiced in most households.

What we get is something drastically different... a "things are as they are," type of an education as to how life will unfold.

Many of us grow up believing things are the way they are and that if we are not naturally smart, confident, courageous, positive, happy, etc... then we can never be those things. Instead, we have to settle for living life with what we have vs creating what we want.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it you can do it."

Future Sight is your dream. If you limit your dreams you limit what you can experience now and in the future.

If you allow yourself to expand your dreams then the possibility for your future expands too.

You are a born dreamer.

Something to help you get started:

Grab a pen and a piece of paper.

Set a timer on your phone or watch for 5 minutes.

For the next 5 minutes (you can't stop) write down everything you want for your future completely independent of your perceived limitations in the present.

Ex: If you want to be a millionaire, but are in debt right now, write down "Be a millionaire." The exercise is not meant to focus on now, it is meant to allow you to take a gander at a yet to be determined future and give you a glimpse into what's possible.

Once your five minutes are up, pick 3 - 5 of the things that you want to focus on immediately. These can be short-term goals, things you think are more doable, or the ones that emotionally resonate with you the most.

Write them on a separate piece of paper then ask yourself: "Who, What, Where, When, Why,"

"Who do I know that can help me with this?"

Ex: friends, family member, mentor, someone you know or do not know online, a coach, a teacher, etc...

"What do I need to do to begin to accomplish this?"

Ex: Time, an accountability buddy, resources, etc...

"Where do I need to focus my time and energy right now to achieve this?"

Ex: Focus needs to be on finding someone to mentor me through the process.

"When will I accomplish this by?"

Ex: March 29th, 2018

"Why is this important to me?"

Ex: Because I want to be an example to my children about how amazing life can be when you decide that you deserve an amazing life.

Lastly, decide on what your first step forward will be and then the next one after that and take action, Immediately, on that first step.

Ex: Contact the local adult ed program and sign up for the finance class.

You do not need to pay a Miss Cleo type person to see into the future for you were born with the gift of Future Sight.

You can begin to use it right now and make your future as bright as you wish.

It is your destiny!

Any questions at all, please leave them in the comments below.

If you want to share your answers to the above, please do so.

I believe in you.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

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Where Do You Look for and How do You Find Hope?

During my brainstorming session of what I wanted to write about today I came across a video that had no words, only music. The video told a visual story of an underdog rising above the perennial favorite to win the competition the two were engaged in.

It was from this video that I heard the words "people are always looking for hope," speak as clear as day in the depths of my unconscious mind.

Myself being one who advocates the trusting of one's intuition to my clients as well as a continued dedication to improve my own acting on my silent voice - I'm going with this message with the belief that it will connect with exactly who it is meant to.

I once gave a talk on suicide awareness/prevention and one of the key points of that talk was the power of hope - that hope cannot only change lives, it can save them too.

Aside from love, I'm not sure any other emotion has the power that hope does. It can change lives, create lives, pick us up from our darkest places, and inspire us to reach higher than we have ever reached before.

Hope can be the fuel for eradicating diseases (look at the recent work done with polio) and it can inspire the discovery to some of the biggest questions we have (look at Elon Musk's pledge to get to Mars in the next several years).

We know how powerful hope is, how important it is to our overall quality of life, so then why is it sometimes so hard for us to find it?

The short answer of that is: Life.

Life can be extremely hard at times and when we lose our way or something derails us on our journey it can be tough to get going again. This process is made all the more difficult by the stories we tell ourselves and to anyone who will listen.

These stories evolve from "what happened," into "what happened + the impossibility of the future we face." It is in the "impossibility" that hope disappears for the story teller and becomes seemingly elusive.

An example of this "impossibility" in action:

Jane dates Mark then Mark cheats on her. Jane then decides that she cannot risk loving again because ALL men are cheaters.

Jane has closed off her future because she has allowed her pain to paint a picture of a dismal future - a future where all men are cheaters like Mark and Mark hurts Jane.

Here's another example:

Jane dates and marries Mark. They live a happy life with a happy family until suddenly, one day, without warning, Mark dies. Jane is now a widow. Jane feels pain and loss unlike she has ever felt before. Breathing takes effort and eating seems impossible at times. Someone tells Jane that she is depressed, so Jane becomes "Depressed." As her Depression Jane sees a future only through the lens of "no Mark" and a future of "no Mark," = depressing.

Obviously these are condensed down examples and life rarely happens as neat and tidy as I have presented them here. When we experience loss and with it a loss of hope, there are often dozens of other things, people, factors that contribute to the story we tell that limits our hope.

Which leads us to: Where should one look for hope and how should they go about finding it?

The best place to look for hope when you feel an absence of it, is look outward, look to the external world for hope. Look at the smile on a newborn baby, look at the excitement of a dog before they go for their walk, look at the carefree laughter of a child. Look at nature and you will see hope in the form of the blade of grass breaking through the sidewalk, or the first flower of spring to bloom. You will see examples of hope wherever you look.

Finding hope is different. To find hope means one must find hope within themselves. How do you do that when the feeling of hope is absent?

It begins with changing your story by deleting the impossibly hopeless future and rewriting it to allow space for possibility.

Lets go back to Jane to see an example of what I am saying.

When Jane just dated Mark and Mark cheated on her, Jane decided that she could not risk loving again because ALL men are cheaters?

What if Jane changed her story to something like:

"What happened with Mark is heartbreaking and it has made me all the more aware of the type of man I want to date. I know my best friend Sally is married to Jeff who is the most amazing man ever. I am committed to only dating men that embody characteristics similar to Jeff."

In this new story their is the acknowledgement of the pain, but what's different now, is that the future is no longer impossible and Jane's pain has a purpose - a purpose to find someone like Jeff.

In our other example where Jane and Mark were married then Mark died suddenly, what if Jane's story went something more like this:

"Mark was the love of my life and he brought me so much happiness and joy. My heart is broken right now, but I am committed to picking up the pieces one by one because I know Mark would want me to do that. I know Mark would want me to find my happiness again for myself and for our children. I am committed to finding my happiness because by doing so I will be loving Mark and honoring what I know in my heart his wishes for me are."

Again Jane is acknowledging her pain, but she has changed her story to give her pain a purpose (honoring Mark by finding her happiness).

Stories are powerful - they have been how we have passed human history from generation to generation. The stories we tell ourselves are the most powerful.

Hope exists everywhere, but to see it, to find it, and to experience it, the hopeless must change their story.

If you are still reading this, my guess is that you are seeking hope in some way in your life. You may not be seeking it in the same way as Jane. Perhaps you are seeking it for your health, for your self confidence, or your career. Whatever the case may be hope is never lost and it is always there waiting to be found by you.

The discovery begins with the story you tell yourself and about yourself.

Good news is: You are the author of your story. This means you hold the pen that will write your future.

Use it to write a future filled with hope.

Carpe Diem and With Love,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

Never Give Up

We have all heard the phrase "never give up," thrown around so much that it almost sound cliche.  

The problem is that people with the best of intentions and ambitions say it, encourage it, like the idea of it, but fail to follow through with it.  This lack of follow through sadly robs many people from the power that resides in this simple phrase, "Never Give Up."

I often think about what all of our lives could be like if we never gave up on our dreams.  

The video below is about 15 minutes long and easily one of the best talks I have heard in recent memory on this very important subject.

The speaker is an expert on "Never Giving Up," and persevering when others long doubted that she could accomplish her dreams. 

Please do yourself a favor and watch the video below.  As you do, listen very carefully to her words.  Notice the obstacles she was up against, notice how hard she had to work, and notice the insight she has to share at the end.

As you watch, ask yourself, "What am I am willing to go after, what am I willing to pursue to see come to fruition?  What can my life become if I adopt and embody the mantra: "Never Give Up."

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

P.S.

What is something in your life where you need to push forward on?  Have you considered to utilize coaching to help you get there?  Lets set up a time to talk and see how I can help you.

To get the process started, click here.

How to Create More Time

I would be willing to wager that all of us, at some point in our lives, have found ourselves wishing to have more time.

"If only we had a few extra minutes..." how much more could we accomplish, how much less stress would we have in our lives, how much more time would we have for the things that matter most to us.

Well, there is a way to create more time.  It is a practice that has been around for 1000's of years. Many of the most successful people that I have studied, incorporate this practice into their daily routine.

This short video below will explain the practice, how you can begin incorporating it, and the benefits that come from it.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge 

P.S.

If you find yourself constantly being a slave to time and are looking reverse the roll and become the master of your time, then you can I need to chat about exactly how you can do this.  To set up a time to chat, take a few minutes to fill out the short form here.

Never Ever Give Up

We have all heard the phrase "never give up," thrown around so much that it almost sounds cliche.

The problem is that people with the best of intentions and ambitions say it, encourage it, like the idea of it, but fail to follow through with it.  This lack of follow through sadly robs many people from the power that resides in this simple phrase, "Never Give Up."

I often think about what all of our lives could be like if we never gave up on our dreams.

The video below is about 15 minutes long and easily one of the best talks I have heard in recent memory on this very important subject.

The speaker is an expert on "Never Giving Up," and persevering when others long doubted that she could accomplish her dreams.

Please do yourself a favor and watch the video below.  As you do, listen very carefully to her words.  Notice the obstacles she was up against, notice how hard she had to work, and notice the insight she has to share at the end.

As you watch, ask yourself, "What am I am willing to go after, what am I willing to pursue to see come to fruition?  What can my life become if I adopt and embody the mantra: "Never Give Up."

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

P.S.

The team you surround yourself with is instrumental to your success.  If you need some assistance on your journey, lets talk about how I can help.  Click here.

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You Have a Gift You Can Share with the World

Each and every single human being on the planet, including YOU, has an abundance of gifts.  These gifts come in the form of talents, skills, thoughts, ideas, and emotions among others.  

More importantly, each of You has the ability to share Your gift with another human being.

Imagine how much greater You can make another person's life by sharing Your gift with them.

Imagine how much greater the world could become if we all learned to be better givers of our gifts.

In this short video below I explain why it is so important and how You can share Your gift with the world.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

P.S.

If you need some help unlocking your gift so that you can share it with the world, send me an email here.  We will get together and talk about what you can do right away to begin sharing your gifts.

The Insidiousness of ALS

You may or may not know about the ongoing interview series I have been doing with my friend Johnny Aspra's Epicurean Cowboy Foundation.

In late 2014 Johnny was diagnosed with ALS aka Lou Gehrig's disease.

He approached me in 2015 about wanting to make a difference and raise awareness about ALS.

Johnny said he was "shocked," how few people knew what ALS was when he told them about his diagnosis.

Folks may have heard about it (Ice Bucket Challenge), but didn't understand what it was (It is not like getting cold water dumped on your head).

Johnny and I came up with the idea to do an ongoing series of conversations where Johnny would take us all along as his journey. His mission is two fold:

1 - Raise awareness about ALS and bring to light the insidiousness of the disease

and

2 - Inspire people to live with dignity in the face of a terminal illness.

I am sharing the most recent episode below. I have to warn you, it is a hard one to sit through as Johnny tells us about an incident that happened on the Fourth of July that left him feeling defenseless, helpless, and let down by humanity.

My hope is that whoever this video reaches, takes a moment, (after you have wiped the tears from your eyes), to ask themselves, "How can I do better as a human? How can I love a little more today?"

My belief is that if we all worked just a little bit harder at being better versions of ourselves and committed to choosing love first - that's when all of our worlds change.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

https://www.facebook.com/epicureancowboyfoundation/videos/1030111313710511/

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If you would like to donate to Johnny's GoFundMe page, you can do so at this link: 

https://www.gofundme.com/john-aspra 

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Conversations with The Epicurean Cowboy

Hi Everyone,

Today's blog is a little different and I felt, due to the nature of the subject matter, it is deserving of a video as I don't think I would have properly captured all I wanted to say with typed words. 

I hope the video connects with you. I have included the mentioned links below. 

Thank you for watching. 

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

https://www.facebook.com/epicureancowboyfoundation/

You Are Never to Young to Start Dreaming

You have heard all the phrases, "Dream Big," "If you can dream it you can achieve it," and so on.

Dream quotes, dream expressions, dream sayings... lets face it, they are everywhere.

As a kid one of the first dream statements I can remember is Martin Luther King Jr.'s " I have a Dream Speech."

Why is the "Dream" expression such a powerful one?  What is it about telling someone to go after their dreams that makes the statement so much more powerful vs saying go after your goals?

Would Dr. King's speech have had the same impact on us if he would have replaced the word "dream" with the word "goal?"  I don't think it would have.  I have a goal just does not have the same ring to it as does I have a dream.

You see dreams are something we can all relate to.  And they are something we all had well before we even had words.

Many of us get shy when it comes to setting goals, we believe we can't achieve certain ones and we are not deserving of others.  With dreams we do not limit ourselves.  We can dream the biggest dreams without fear, without judgement after all... it is just a dream right?

I believe that having dreams, big dreams, dreams for what you want in life, dreams for what you want to achieve are so so so important.

I also believe that You are never to young to start dreaming those dreams.



A couple years ago I recorded a video about the importance of dreaming and making those dreams come true.

As I re-watch the video today I am thankful that I started dreaming about being a speaker and coach long before I did it. 

What is a dream of yours?

What action can you take, today, to move towards that dream?

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge