QUESTION YOUR CERTAINTY

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help and tagged Action, Ask Why, Assuming, Assumptions, Author, Blog, Blogging, Books, Certainty, Challenge, Challenge Assumptions, Clouds, comfort, Comfort zone, Dan Millman, Dating, Dating advice, Development, Don't believe everything you think, entrepreneurship, Experiences, Lifestyle, Listening, Magic happens outside comfort zone, Manson, Mark Manson, Motivate, Pain, People, Question, Question your certainty, Questioning, Research, Self-Help, Self-improvement, Subtle art of not giving a f*ck, Television, Think through it, Thinking, Thoughts, Travel, What if, Writer, Writing.

I was listening to famous blogger Mark Manson get interviewed by Marie Forleo Here when he said something that inspired this whole post. I believe that this idea can help everyone in their daily lives.

“The starting point is simple, start asking WHY about everything.”

“What if I’m wrong?” “What if my assumption is wrong?”

The more I think about this subject, the more I see how IMPORTANT it is to question ourselves.

“Don’t believe everything you think” is a quote that has impacted my life in great ways.

Author Dan Millman wrote that our thoughts are like wild monkeys stung by a scorpion.

Our minds are running all day; thoughts appear like clouds passing by, some stay longer than others, but some quickly pass by. So how can you and I let go of these “clouds?”

1) As Manson would say, “There’s no ‘how.’ It’s all in your head.” There is not much you can do other than try on a new perspective and ask, “What if my assumption isn’t true?” What would that mean? And then psychically traverse the answer.

So write down 5 things in your life that you could potentially be wrong about. Question those deep assumptions you’ve had about your identity for years. For example, “I am lazy” I am not an attractive person” “I don’t know how to talk to people” “I won’t ever be happy” “The world is going to shit”

The more emotion you have behind these assumptions, the more important it is to write it down and CHALLENGE IT!

After you have written down 5 or more assumptions, go through them and write down what it would mean in your life if it were wrong.

It may not be easy but it’s worth it! Anyway how confident can you be in your own beliefs if you’ve never challenged them? Try to see the “other side,” and when it does appear more likely and more valid, join that side!

2) THINK THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS to see if what you’re thinking is irrational or not.

For example: Say that you get a little nervous to go to the gym or grocery shopping. But why? Because you have to step out of your COMFORT ZONE.

You are comfortable inside your apartment watching TV & the thought of leaving will disrupt your comfort – so you think..

It’s crazy how the mind can trick us to stay exactly where we are. But if you want to do anything significant or really even just anything, you need to leave your comfort zone. It’s worth it. The pain you will feel later on in life due to staying in your comfort zone will be much worse than the temporary discomfort of going for what you want.

-This can relate to asking a girl/guy out.

-Performing at that open mic night you’ve been considering.

-Joining that group you’ve been thinking of joining.

-Anything that has to do with doing what you want.

People are afraid of all sorts of things & that’s okay. You shouldn’t try to strive to be fearless, you should strive to TAKE ACTION when you are feeling afraid.

I have learned that it’s not about how I think or feel, it’s about what I do!!

Don’t believe everything you think! Question your assumptions and thoughts, and start TAKING ACTION!!!

Stop wasting time caring about the wrong things; things that only worry you. Start caring about things that truly matter to you!arget=

Interview with Youtuber Denise Vlogs

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Successful People and tagged 4 Hour Work Week, Accomplishments, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Author, billion dollars, Blog, Blogging, California, DeniseActuallyVlogs, DeniseVlogs, Dream job, Dreamer, DVPresents, Escape 9-5, Famous Youtuber, Film Producer, Film Production, horror films, iMovie, Inspiration, Instagram, Interview, LA, Lifestyle, Lisbon, Lisbon Portugal, Live your Dream, Los Angeles, Los Angeles California, MacBook Pro, million youtube views, perfect day, q and a, scary stories, screen writer, short films, short horror films, Skype Interview, Snapchat, Superpower, Traveler, Traveling, Traveling the world, Twitter, Vlogging, Write, Youtube, Youtuber.

I had the pleasure of interviewing YouTube star Denise Vlogs via Skype! Denise loves creating short horror films which you can check out HERE.

She also vlogs her travels in which she has been all over the world; so if you love a good horror story and an adventure you need to check her channel out! She has almost 100,000 YouTube subscribers and videos with over a million views. She recently bought a one way ticket to Europe and was in the Capital of Portugal, Lisbon when I interviewed her. For now, enjoy the q and a interview with Denise Vlogs:

Hello Denise! Where are you from?

DV: “I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York; moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Brooklyn College majoring in film production.”

2. Where are you currently and would you like to live somewhere specific?

DV: “Lisbon, Porutgal. If I had to settle it would be in Los Angeles.” She knows a lot of people in Los Angeles, but is not too fond of living in the states because at the moment it is hard to be a freelancer here.

3. What is your dream job?

DV: “Film production; writing scripts, film maker, and that being the only source of income.”

4. Do you have a role model? Who is it and why?

DV: “Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. I met him when I worked as a receptionist at Anonymous Content.” She watched his movies in film school where he was used as an example of a great foreign director and admired for his work.

5. Since she had lived in Los Angeles for awhile I asked her if she met any celebrities and she did: DV: “I met Snoop Dogg, Ashton Kutcher..lots of famous people and famous YouTubers. I was more excited to meet other YouTubers because I wanted to collaborate with them.”

6. Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.

DV: “DV Presents-Denise Vlogs presents; a series of short films-10-20 of them. I love these films that focus on a story. These are what I love to make.” Check out these videos HERE

7. If you had a superpower what would it be?

DV: “Time travel—I’d warn my mom about her cancer so she would have survived; also a friend who died of the same cancer. I’d tell myself to break up with several people.”

8. What does your perfect day look like?

DV: “New experiences; a brand new country in a beautiful place. When I just released a DV presents video, get a lot of money, and eat good food.”

9. How would you spend a billion dollars?

DV: “Travel, film making, donate to charities. I would save for 10 years and adopt a child. Buy several properties all over the world. Buy a citizenship in another country. Never bring a suitcase with me everywhere I went; I’d shop wherever I went and then donate my old clothes.”

10. What did you want to be when you grew up?

DV: “Starting at 11 I wanted to be a screen writer. I wrote a script when was 11. Before that I wanted to be an actress and singer, maybe I just wanted attention…I also wanted to be a meteorologist when I was really young; I was fascinated by natural disasters as a little kid. My dad bought tons of movies, and my mom loved to watch scary movies so I would watch them with her and I really like them. At sleepovers and with friends I would make up ghost stories with friends. My uncle also told me he wrote a screen play when I was a young age, so that made me realize that anyone could do it!” Her friends liked her scary stories the best!

11. What is the hardest part about maintaining the lifestyle you live?

DV: “I want to make more money; I just make enough to get by at the moment. Being a digital nomad can be sad having to leave people after I connect with someone. It can get lonely being by myself, so it might be nice to settle.”

12. What do you enjoy most about your lifestyle?

DV: “New experiences and new people I get to meet all the time. It’s a burst of energy when you connect to a new place. I enjoy not having to sit in a desk every day, learning new things, creating content, and hopes I’ll have more time to create more content to focus on.”

13. What kind of computer do you have? You probably have to edit a lot for those awesome videos!!

DV: “I recommend the MacBook Pro to edit videos and stuff. I have the MacBook Pro 2014. I use adobe premier to edit but for beginners recommend iMovie. I use photoshop sometimes and would use a desktop but I move around a lot.”

Currently Denise is working now as a freelancer. She edits videos, consults people and companies for social media– YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. She has looked into teaching online and possibly substitute teach. She also like to volunteer to teach English. She has two YouTube channels DeniseVlogs and DeniseActuallyVlogs. She uses both channels but deniseactuallyvlogs is more casual.

Follow her on Twitter @DeniseVlogs, Instagram @DeniseVlogs. Follow her travels on snapchat at DeniseVlogs too!

If you missed it at the top here is her youtube main page!

Life is NOT about making Money

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Ken Thompson in Lifestyle, Motivation, Self-Help and tagged 9-5 job, Appreciate, beautiful, Career, Change the World, do what you love, Doing what you love, Earth, Escape 9-5, Expert, Family, Financial Freedom, Free Spirit, Friends, Friendship, Gratitude, how to do what you love, Job, Life, Live Free, Living Life, Money, Mystery, One Life, Paradise, Passion, Perspective, quit 9-5, Star gazing, Support, Thinking, Thoughts, Universal View.

As I was gazing at stars tonight in the pool, I had this thought…

I want to be financially free just like the next person, but this does not mean I should be living my whole life only to make money.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I will earn my next dollar. I think a lot of people do, and I realized that I do not want to be consumed by the thought of money. Life is so much more than these pieces of paper we use for transactions.

So what is life about? …It’s NOT about making money.

Life is about making the world better than it was before you came to this Earth.
Life is about having a positive influence on the lives of others.
Life is about finding something you truly love doing, then doing it until you become an expert!
Life is about spending time with people who support & love you; stop spending time with people who only bring you down.
Life is about the adventure.
Life is about finding answers to questions but also accepting that some questions won’t be answered.
Life is about Living.

What is life about for you?

Life is not meant to be wasted constantly thinking about the dollar bill. Or the five, or the ten, or the twenty, fifty, not even the hundred dollar bill. Crazy huh?

I know that money is a necessity when it comes to paying the bills and raising a family, but you can be pursuing what you love as you make money in another way (A Job) until you start getting paid for what you love doing (Your Captivating Career).

Do you truly want to spend your days consumed by the thought of money? Or do you want to free your mind and start truly living the life meant to be lived? The choice is yours…

Get off of the couch and go for a walk. Call a friend or family member. Think about how you can positively impact this world, your community, one person, and then do it! Take time to think of what you love doing, and try to figure out how you can make a job out of it. Appreciate and be thankful for what you have, for one day, this too shall pass.

Think it’s impossible? It’s not. More and more people are doing what they love. This is a new day, a new age, a new generation. Here is one awesome example of a person who quit their job to follow their passion:

How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise, and Get Paid to Change the World

Please leave a comment below if you’d like. Let me know what Life is about for you.

And enjoy each moment of this beautiful mystery we call Life.

6 Human Needs; Why all people do what they do

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help and tagged Advice, Appreciation, Business, Certainty, Connection, Contribution, Decisions, Development, Education, entrepreneurship, Experiences, Focus, Gratitude, Growth, Happy, Human Needs, Inspiration, Intentional, Interesting, Lance Armstrong, Life, Love, Mind, Moments, Motivate, Perspective, Research, Rosa Parks, Self-Help, Self-improvement, Significance, Tony Robbins, Travel, Variety, Work.

This post mainly comes from the ideas of the great Tony Robbins while I only add to it.

You are seeking emotions and experiences. After researching experts, I have found that there are six basic, universal needs that drive ALL human behavior. Every human being has these needs, but we each put different VALUE on these needs. Our focus on these needs will determine the direction of our life! What need will you live for?

The six human needs include:

1) Certainty

2) Significance

3) Variety

4) Love/Connection

5) Growth

6) Contribution

Each of these needs influence every single human being’s life, and by understanding the needs that shape your behavior, you can take control of your life, and create new habits that lead you to the life you’ve been dreaming of living.

What do you think the most addictive thing in the world is???

Find out in a few paragraphs, it’s not what you think.

Before we get more into our human needs, lets look at how DECISIONS shape our destiny, and our decisions of course are intertwined with our needs.

Decision is the ultimate power. Decisions shape destiny.

There are 3 Decisions we are making EVERY moment of our lives:

1) What am I going to focus on? Focus=feeling. Past/present/Future…Self or others?

2) What does it(this situation/experience) mean? Is it the end or the beginning? Are you being punished or rewarded?

3)What are your going to do? Are you going to give up or move forward?

We make these decisions consciously or unconsciously.**

Lance Armstrong for example could have focused on his cancer but he continued to focus on biking and being the best. He continued to win!

Rosa Parks. Her focus was that she could change the world for her kids or grandkids instead of focusing on what she was told to do. She wouldn’t go to the back of the bus & she changed the whole world!

Entrepreneur Tony Robbins also has an incredible story. When he was a eleven years old with a very broke family and no food for Thanksgiving, a stranger came to his house on Thanksgiving to give them a turkey. Tony’s angry father and himself had VERY different PERSPECTIVES/FOCUSES on this event that went like this:

Tony’s Father: His 3 decisions: Focus was “this is charity” What does it mean “I am worthless” What do I have to do? “Leave my family.” Which he did…

Tony’s focus: There’s food! What does it mean? “Strangers care about me and other people.” What am I going to do? “I’m going to do something to make a difference.” Six years later he started feeding families when he was 17. Slowly but surely he built a foundation and has fed millions of people all over the world.

Your FOCUS determines much of your life. Try to be intentional and conscious of what you focus on.

& The most addictive thing in the world is….

Most people will guess wrong. The answer is Problems.

**Most people find a way to feel significant by having a significant problem. Problems are the safest way to connect with others and not be rejected. Problems are the biggest addiction in our culture.

And SiGNIFICANCE is one of the six human needs!!! Think about your life. Do you connect and feel significant through problems? And are you happy with constantly talking about problems or do you want to live a life with less complaining?

***Instead of just looking at peoples’ behaviors, see their attempts to meet their needs.***

A few insights into the 6 human needs:

1) Certainty

People like to be certain, to have financial security, to trust people and experiences. But too much certainty makes us bored, so we need some variety.

2) Variety

People like good surprises, if it’s a bad surprise they call it a problem.

3) Significance

We all need to feel important, special, unique..People do this in so many different ways-tattoos, religion, joining a group..etc..One of the quickest way some people feel significant is through Violence. Violent things happen each day, just watch the news; these people have a striving for significance, as well as some big mental problems..I encourage you to be significant in a positive way. Join some great groups, read, write, travel.

4) What we really need is Connection & Love

Connection and love are like rain to a garden of flowers, they make us grow. Surround yourself with people who support and love you. I am so thankful for my family because of their love. Also if you are feeling down and depressed, get a pet. Dogs will love you and are always happy to see you. Cats are different, but they can show love to their owners as well.

Every human finds a way to meet the first 4 needs. What will your FOCUS be to meet these needs???

The next two needs create fulfillment!

5) Growth

If you don’t grow, you die. Relationships, businesses, self, etc.

We grow when we have something to give of value. So don’t always be thinking of yourself..I know it’s hard, but try to get out of yourself for awhile & see what you can give to others that can help them. EVERYONE has something great to contribute, but it can be very difficult to find it. Start by donating food or clothes, or doing something small for someone. It feels amazing and will help you grow. It’s funny how a selfless act will ultimately help you too.

6) To Contribute beyond ourselves

Growth and Contribution are intertwined. You grow by contributing. Contribution=growth.

“The secret of living is giving.”

“It’s not about me, it’s about we.” Tony Robbins

People truly get excited to contribute once they experience it and not just talk about it.

We ALL have the same needs, but whatever need leads us will lead us to our destination.

People all try to meet the same needs, but we do it in different ways. A firefighter saves lives for significance while someone else kills a person for significance.

Try to appreciate how people are attempting to meet their needs, explore your decisions, and give.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO FOCUS ON?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

Get more free time by using Parkinson’s Law!

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help, Successful People and tagged 9-5, 9-5 job, Action, Advice, application, Blog, C. Northcote Parkinson, Cyril NorthCote Parkinson, deadline, deadlines, Development, distractions, Distrction, Education, employees, entrepreneurship, example, Goals, Importance, Inspiration, Interesting, Law, Life, list, meetings, Motivate, Netflix, Parkinson's Law, Parkinsons, Perceived importance, Perception, Practical, Research, specifc, surf the web, tasks, Work, work smart, work smarter.

Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in perceived importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted to its completion.

We work on things with a given deadline, but if we have no deadline we will take up all sorts of time wasting it.

Example—Someone who has a leisure day with no deadlines can spend the whole day writing an easy college essay that is due the next day. This essay should take no more than one hour, but lets see what happens…

The person wakes up slow, makes coffee and eats, showers, and 1-2 hours is gone. They look at what they have to do for a few minutes then get distracted with social media and surfing the web for an hour. Decide to watch Netflix for an hour or two, and the day is almost evening..

..They open up their paper and work on it for about 5 minutes before getting distracted and going back to checking out social media. This cycle continues for hours until they finally begin and finish the paper around midnight. The paper would have only taken at most an hour to finish, but this person believed they did not need to finish it first thing in the morning so they took all day to do it. They did not have a specific deadline for the paper!

This is similar to a typical 9-5 workday where many people babble their days away with coworkers in pointless conversation. There have been studies done about how much people actually work throughout the day at their 9-5 jobs and the average does actual work-related tasks about half of the time.

Useless meetings, lunch and water breaks, surfing the web and other distracting things take them away from “what they should be doing.” And if their bosses allow it, I would do it too! If a boss gives an employee a week to do something, that person will take the full week to lazily do that task, when it could be done in a much shorter time if given a shorter deadline. Check cartoon below↓↓↓

“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” I can’t say it enough.

By assigning the right amount go time to a task, we gain back more time and the task will reduce in complexity to its natural state.

Parkinson’s Law works because people give tasks longer than they really need, for different reasons, because they have an inflated idea of how long the task will take to complete. **You can’t realize how quickly some tasks can be completed until you test this principle.

Work smarter, not harder…when most people are working harder and not smarter.

A practical way for you to complete goals/tasks faster:

Make a list of your tasks for the day, week, month, etc. and divide them up by the amount of time you think it will take to complete them. Then write down half of that time that you first gave yourself to complete each task! Make sure you view your deadlines just as crucial as you would if completing it for a boss.
Stop checking your phone and email every 15 minutes and take 45-60 minutes of focused time to only work on your main task.

When you begin applying Parkinson’s Law to your life and your tasks, you will begin to be more productive than you’ve ever imagined.

Please share and comment, letting me know your thoughts and how Parkinson’s Law has helped you!

Think Big and You’ll Live Big

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help and tagged Action, Belief, Believe, Big, Blog, Disbelief, How To, Huge, Inspire, Life, Live, Love, Magic, Mind, Mindset, Motivate, Mountain, Observe, People, Positive, Success, Successful, Think, Tips, Tremendous, Tricks.

What does every successful person have in common? They all think “BIG.”

The size of your thinking will determine your success. Open your mind to see this truth now, or don’t, and continue living the life you have at this moment. If you don’t like your job and want more from your life then REALLY open your mind to this idea. You will watch your life prosper as you begin a journey to the life you dream of.

I’m sure you’ve heard that faith can move a mountain; that if you believe you can move a mountain you will! This is true, but it is claptrap to think you can make a mountain move just by saying “Mountain move!” That is impossible; people who think this way are confused with wishful thinking. You can’t wish yourself into anything, but when you believe you can truly do something BIG, and I KNOW you can, the how-to-do it develops. When you believe you’ll succeed you will begin to observe the best. You will study how successful people approach problems and make decisions. Belief is an essential element to success!!

Disbelief is a negative power. When the mind disbelieves or doubts, the mind attracts “reasons” to support the disbelief*** When this thought first crossed my mind I instantly saw how I was already applying this to my life, so it made me reexamine my life. Think doubt and fail. Think victory and succeed. BELIEVE, and watch your life expand tremendously.

Action Cures Fear

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help and tagged Action, Believe, Cure, Decisive, Dreamer, Experience, Fear, Hope, Inspire, Motivate, Move, People, Pleasant, Pleasing, Positive, Practical, Read, Situations, Success.

Everyone experiences a great deal of unpleasant, embarrassing, and discouraging situations. But unsuccessful and successful people deal with these situations in exactly opposite ways.

Successful people focus on putting positive thoughts into their memory bank. Unsuccessful people dwell on unpleasant situations. If you’re reading this right now you either want to be successful or are a good friend of mine, and hopefully both! If you do want to be more successful then you should practice recalling pleasant, positive experiences and count your blessings! I’ve begun to practice recalling pleasant situations and I actually wrote down a few amazing experiences on a note card to remember! I am very appreciative of everything and have to give some credit to this method.

Another practical thing you can do is to take actions that support your HOPE! What is it you desire? What is holding you back from reaching it? What you hope for, you can have. This method has been proven time and time again, but you still might not believe it, which is why you will stay exactly where you are. BELIEVE. Act on what you hope for! People who consciously think of their hopes and then act to make them happen are the people you see who are living their dreams!

The next time you experience fear, calm yourself. Then search yourself for an answer to this specific question: “What kind of action can I take to conquer my fear?” Here are some examples of fear and some possible action cures:

Fear Fear of failing an exam
*Action*Convert worry time into study time.

Fear Fear of things totally beyond your control
*Action*Turn your attention to helping relieve the fear of others and pray.

Fear Fear of what other people may think and say
*Action*Make sure that what you plan to do is fair. Then do it. No one ever does anything worthwhile without being criticized.

Fear Fear of people
*Action*Put them in the correct perspective. A person is just another human being pretty much just like yourself.

We all experience fear in one way or another, but the most successful people feel the fear then do it anyway! They take action! BE decisive! Instead of dwelling in fear, take action! Do something. Recall pleasant experiences often and get going!

Tricks to Motivate Yourself

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Ken Thompson in Motivation, Self-Help and tagged Inspire, Life, Love, Motivate, Success, Tips, Tricks.

Do you have a lack of motivation? Are you bored often? Here are a few tips you can use to get your fire burning again! Begin to live life passionately.

First, organize your life so you don’t constantly need motivation. If work is a constant battle, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about a new job. We all have to do things we don’t want to do, but if your job and/or life has become a chronic source of dull chores, you’ve got a big problem that needs fixing.

So do something you’re passionate for! When you do things you are passionate for, you will get into a state of “flow.” Flow is the state where your mind is completely focused on the task at hand. While there are many factors that go into this state, having the right challenges is a big part. Set challenges for yourself that fall between boredom and a maddening frustration.

BUT, passion and flow can fail, and when they do, try these:

Go back to your “why.” Figure out why you’re working on the task at hand. Is it for money? Do you want freedom? Do you want to give? Figuring out why you do something will motivate you!
Plan to work for 5 minutes. When you sit down to work for 5 minutes, you are more likely to kick-start a longer period of work! And if you end up only working for 5 minutes at least you got something done!
Find out what the next step is. What is the thing you know you need to do to complete your task? Focus on that! It’s okay to think ahead, but don’t focus too much on the big picture; break it down into smaller tasks and start there!
Develop a mantra; a few statements that focus your mind and motivate you. I have recently been doing this and it has helped beyond belief! Tell yourself statements like “Do it now!” Or make a jingle in your mind, “I’m going for a run, I’m going for a run. I feel strong, relaxed and confident, I’m going for a run!” There are all sorts of jingles and mantras you can do. Make sure it’s personalized to fit you!

Overall, start working more on what you love to do. Take time to do things you are passionate about. You WILL have to do some work that is very difficult, but continue to do what you love as a side job. Once you start getting paid for what you love you can do it full-time!