Have you ever set a big goal for yourself but ended up feeling unmotivated and stuck as time went by?

My hand is up. It happened to me in the past and I’ve seen it happen to many others too.

When we set a big goal, we’re often too quick to pursue it, not considering the already overloaded schedule we routinely have, the sacrifices we might have to make, and the elements that already work well in our lives.

Often, we just need to pause for a while, re-affirm our commitment, adjust our routines and lay some groundwork to carry us forward into our journey.

I’m currently at this stage and I felt compelled to share my thoughts and findings here.

Identifying Your Options

Deciding on a yearly goal is not always easy, especially when there are several directions to go in, that all feel important.

I usually brainstorm on paper and force myself to generate a certain number of ideas. If I’m stuck, I use a few questions to get me thinking. I find myself a quiet place with minimal distractions and each time I get an idea, I jot it down.

This usually works without fail.

Here are some questions that helped me to get started (More questions can be found within my free eBook, “Design Your Dream Year“):

    - What are the biggest, most exciting dreams I want to manifest into my life?
    - What is my ultimate destination? What is the vision I have for my life?
    - What am I passionate about? What am I most excited in life?
    - If anything was possible, what is the first change I would start to make?
    - What area of my life can be upgraded and would make the biggest difference?
    - For my life to be perfect, what would have to change?
    - What do I really, really want…?

Evaluating Your Options

My second step, which is often the hardest one to make, is evaluating which option may provide the most optimal path for the year. Some people use a long drawn-out analysis process to make a decision, but I find it too tedious. I prefer to rely on my gut instinct and trust my intuition to guide me.

What I usually do, is simply think about which one of the items on my list would radically transform my life and give me the most benefits. I then write down the deepest reasons I can fathom why I want to bring this into reality.

If I don’t feel aligned with that reason, I keep revisiting until I feel a strong emotional resonance with it.

After going through this process this year, I decided that my primary goal would be to grow and diversify my financial wealth. A few people might mistakenly identify wealth with money but my intentions are far different from just making more money.

Clarifying Your Goal

Clarifying your yearly goal is fundamental to maintain motivation and to make sure your goal has enough emotional appeal to strike your inner desire.

It makes it easier to know when you’ve reached your goal and when it’s time to stop. Without clear goals, you can wander aimlessly and most likely end up losing interest or becoming distracted.

By “clarifying your goal” I mean asking yourself a few basic questions about your new direction. Such as:

    - What exactly do you want to accomplish?
    - What are the biggest rewards from pursing your goal?
    - What is at stake if you don’t achieve it?
    - Would working toward your goal bring you satisfaction?
    - How important is it for you to achieve your goal?

You’ve probably heard the acronym “SMART goal” before. (SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time based). I usually use this approach when I set smaller goals later in the process, but I find it too rigid and uninspiring at this point.

I find that this method puts the concept of goal setting and dream attainment in a linear framework that works only on the left side of the brain.

As an alternative, I clarify my chosen goal by being specific about what the goal means to me and by considering the major rewards along the journey. When goals are both extremely significant and rewarding, they create a greater impact on our minds and provide a long lasting source of energy.

A more “Right Brain” tool that can be effectively used for identifying rewards (and obstacles) is drawing a consequence map diagram. You start with your goal as a center node and draw it in the middle. You then brainstorm different kinds of consequences and draw them in subsequent nodes. That’s pretty much it.

I personally find Consequence Mapping extremely useful for big decisions that contain a lot of uncertainty.

Below is an example of a consequence map for my decision to participate in an Ironman triathlon race.

The result of this year’s consequence mapping is to focus on creation and diversification of wealth in 2012.

A diversified and sustainable source of wealth means more options, which ultimately lead to greater freedom and independence. The ability to fly across the world whenever I want, visit the people I love, go on exciting adventures, help people in third world countries and hire assistance when I need it, has a strong appeal to both me and my partner.

My focus in the next 12 months will be to build and grow assets. To be more specific, I intend to further my financial and entrepreneurial skills, contribute more value within my business, experiment with new financial instruments, and strengthen new and existing business relationships.

If you’re also considering a financial goal this year, I highly encourage you to think beyond money and strive to build assets instead. Money is only an idea, a number on a computer screen, something that can lose its value over night.

A better focus would be on assets such as your skills, knowledge base, start-up business, and investments.

Laying the groundwork

Once you’ve made a decision on which goal to pursue, your first instinct may be to tackle your goal right away.
This can work well with smaller and lower risk goals, but large goals by their very nature, often need some more groundwork.

    - How much time or resources you have available for your goal?
    - Would you need to acquire new skills or knowledge?
    - How would you find motivation and discipline when you most need it?
    - Do you have the right people or support group around you to succeed?

This year I allocated a whole month to laying the groundwork needed for my goal.

I went on an information diet to amp up my productivity and focus. I unsubscribed from all my daily emails, Facebook groups and mailing lists (I now only follow those who contribute directly to my journey), and I gave up on some freelance work to free up even more time.

On the technical side, I acquired a second dedicated server for the sites with the highest traffic to allow further growth. I redesigned and restructured vital sites and eliminated those that were not geared for growth.

Perhaps most importantly, I improved the operational side of the business by empowering a few freelancers who work on routine projects for me.

To “sharpen my saw” in the goal attainment arena, I flew to Las Vegas and participated in a 3 days workshop by Steve Pavlina. Beside some new skills and techniques I acquired, the workshop was an excellent opportunity to meet new people and refresh my energy.

At Pavlina’s workshop I also made plans for forming Mastermind groups with people who share the exact same purpose. As a group, we’ll share ideas, best practices and action plans on a regular basis. The group will hold me accountable to my specific monthly projects.

Whatever groundwork you need to make, whether it’s within yourself or with others, I highly recommend you take the time and do the work.

Planning Your Goal

While working in the corporate world I’ve noticed how frequently top managers focus on the immediate task in front of them, rather than plan ahead. They mistakenly regarded being busy as being effective.

My belief is that your commitment to your goal is represented in your planning. More specifically, it is represented in your well-intentioned schedule and your newly planned action steps.

The most effective way I know to tackle a big goal is to break it down into more manageable steps. Smaller projects are less scary and when you see that you are taking small steps forward, you will tend to stay motivated.

Setting intermediate goals will also help you mark your progress along the trail. Achieving these benchmark goals means you’ll have frequent victories and build your momentum with each one you complete.

A goal to start making money online, for example, can be broken into several sub goals such as building a blog, create an information product, increase your following, build an affiliate network, etc.

Each sub goal can be broken down further into action steps. Building a new blog, for example, can be divided into a number of action steps such as structuring your initial content, creating screen layouts, building a sitemap, register a Feedburner account, etc.

One important thing that I also recommend in my ebook is to try focusing on one project at a time. Most goal methods do not work because we try to change everything all at once. It’s indeed tempting, but in my experience that translates into mediocre outcomes. When you try to take on many goals at once, you simply spread your energy and focus thin.

So, with that in mind, I decided to focus my energy on creating and promoting a quality information product in an area of high demand and a topic for which I have relative expertise.

I will dedicate the next month for this project. Future wealth creation projects will vary and include topics such as building and marketing an iPhone App or experimenting with FX market investments. For now, the focus is on the online arena.

Supporting Your Goal

One step that is almost always ignored and yet has a tremendous impact on whether or not you’ll achieve your goal, is forming supporting habits.

You can harness your willpower each time you start a task, but if you do it too often, you’ll eventually burn out and revert back to the same behavioral patterns.

Not surprisingly, it has been reported that 95 percent of people who try to lose weight on a diet regain it. Self control is a limited resource and needs to be treated as such.

This is where habits come in.

Habits help us to continue working on our goals even when we are not motivated. They allow us to transition through our day on autopilot and conserve our limited energy.

By harnessing the more primitive part of the brain in which habits are formed, you’ll have the opportunity to make lasting changes.

This year, in order to decide what supporting habits I want to adopt, I reviewed past goals and examined what worked well. In addition, I also examined missed goals and figured what habits didn’t work quite right for me.

Based on my findings I decided to commit to five habits, and in addition I decided that I will abide by them for the next 365 days straight.

    1. 365 days of running – At least 2KM a day, (I’m on day 30, so far so good)
    2. Non stop outsource – When completed work is received, new work will be immediately outsourced.
    3. Wealth creation work on daily basis – At least 1 hour a day.
    4. Daily personal development & wealth creation education – Audio, Video or Text.
    5. One motivational thought a day – Published when internet access is available.

I’ve started the last habit on the list a bit late (I’m on day 17), but in order to make it more fun and to reenergize my creative juices on regular basis, I decided to commit myself for 1000 days.

If you’re interested in forming habits this year, take a look at the last step in my e-book, and decide what works best for you.

For better or for worse, we are creatures of habits. Take advantage of it.

Taking action

None of the information in this post really matters without you taking action. In future, I might share some thoughts about ways to take action but in the mean time I encourage you to:

    1. Choose a goal that you aim to achieve within 30 days.
    2. Determine how you will know that you’ve achieved your goal.
    3. Brainstorm what resources you’ll need to achieve it.

Feel free to share your action plan with me to build accountability. You can post to the comment section of this Blog post or simply contact me directly. I read and answer to every enquiry coming my way.

Final words

We often expect too much too soon and then get discouraged when results don’t come right away. Commitment does not mean rushing toward your goal, but rather, taking ample time to figure out a plan, build supporting rituals and lay the groundwork that is so needed in order to achieve your goal.

Live out the dream
Tal

Both my partner and I feel an incredible sense of gratitude for the past year, A year full of travel and adventure.

After years of independent traveling, 2011 was a year of sharing the experience with a partner. Since the beginning of our trip this January, we traveled together for roughly 10 months, that’s around 300 days within the sight, sound, (and smell) of each other.

We circled Australia and went to Asia, Europe and America. Kyle studied Ayurveda in India, while I trained Muay Thai in Thailand. We splurged in Singapore with old friends, surfed Sri Lanka with new ones, and romantically celebrated the tastes of Italy with each other. More than anything, we cherished unforgettable moments with family in Israel and now in the States.

One of the best aspects of traveling with a partner is the ability to create memories and share experiences together. It is also a great way to bond and bring the relationship even closer. The below video is dedicated to my partner, Kyle, who has supported me throughout this year and all other aspects of our life together.

2011 was also a year of becoming a slightly better writer. It was my main intention last year and I feel that it was achieved. Blog posts such as “Sensual Living” and “Finding Flow” are more fully developed and better capture the interest of the reader.

I have not written as many posts as I had originally hoped, but instead managed to use some extra willpower and write my first e-book, “Design Your Dream Year”, which I published a few weeks ago.

Writing is still a slow process for me but I’ve made peace with that and hope for more improvements as I continue to write in the coming year.

Which brings me to 2012.

As in previous years, I use the holiday season to choose a primary focus for the upcoming year. This practice allows me to immerse myself within the chosen area of focus and spur more growth as a result of it.

I pondered long and hard and decided that my 2012 primary focus would be a financial one. To be more specific, my intention is to grow and diversify our financial wealth.

There are two main reasons for this. First, our future dream of creating a home and starting a family, while maintaining our financial freedom, require a substantial infusion of new resources. Second, the impact of the financial and economic crisis cannot be under-estimated or ignored.

Since the recent meltdown of the global financial system, central banks around the world continue to print trillions out of thin air, leaving the system in an extremely fragile state.

Economic busts and booms have been around for centuries. Most people, who take very little interest in learning about the complexity of the financial system, suffer when the economy tanks, while others benefit from it no matter if the economy goes up or down.

If you use money like everyone else on this planet, I encourage you to take interest in understanding what money is and how its manipulated by the system. Your quality of life is literally dependent on it.

I will be following the format described in “Design Your Dream Year” eBook to achieve my big goal for 2012 and will keep you posted on further discoveries on the financial realm.

So, with this in mind, I wish you the best in your own quest.

Live out the dream!

Tal

New Year’s Eve. Once again you’re about to make your annual set of New Year’s resolutions. You haven’t achieved last year’s but “what the heck” you say to yourself as you’re about to commit to another set of resolutions in the name of tradition.

If this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. Most people think about their goals and dreams too casually, eventually forgetting about them before the end of January.

You see, one of the reasons New Year’s resolutions fall through is that most people don’t take the time to make a winning game plan for achieving their dreams. In fact, people spend more time planning their birthday party than designing their future.

In order to achieve big goals, we need more than wishful thinking and sincere commitment to make it happen. We need a solid and proven process that will support us along the way.

After years of experimentation with different types of goal setting processes, I’ve come up with a simple 4 step system which enabled me to achieve all my major dreams in the last decade or so.

Using this system, I obtained financial freedom from excessive debt in less than a year, I completed an Ironman Triathlon and kicked my smoking habit in 6 months. I built a house for a family in need with no building experience and no funds, and I travelled around the world without the need to ever go back looking for a job. Needless to say, I am a big believer in this process.

Originally, I was going to share it as a blog post, but instead, and due to its length, I decided to put everything into a free eBook that shares the title of this post.

To get instant access and download “Design Your Dream Year” for free, enter your email address in the box below and you’ll be emailed download instructions. I will also provide you with other valuable content from time to time.

Some of benefits you can expect from using my 4 step process include:

- Identify and pursue your biggest, most audacious dream.
- Break a long-term goal up into manageable pieces with benchmarks.
- Focus your energies where you can achieve the most.
- Create a plan that’s simple, yet ensures results.
- Adopt supportive habits that actually stick.
- Measure your progress along the way, week-by-week.

Most importantly, you’ll learn a system for achievement that you will use for the rest of your life.

So, If you are truly serious about making your dreams come true this year, take action and download the eBook.

Yours,
Tal

P.S. If you’re already subscribed to this site, simply enter your email address again and you’ll be immediately directed to the ebook download page. (Don’t worry, you won’t be subscribed twice.)

P.P.S Some feedback I received recently: “My blog is inspired by Tal Gur and his Free E-book “DESIGN YOUR DREAM YEAR” which I read on 1st Jan. I owe this man for he brought me back on track. I had kinda given up on my ability to stick to goals.”

Money. We all use it. We all care about it. We all think about it.

The lack of money in our life can spark a range of emotions, from fear to frustration, to worry. We worry whether we have enough of it, or whether we spend too much of it. When the job market is poor, for example, or when the stock market crashes, we often get mad and blame the economy, or the government, or both.

What we hardly ever do about money, however, is ask ourselves where it comes from and who controls it.

Most people, if they consider it at all, think that money is created by the government; a myth, one of many, that will be addressed in this post.

For something so prominent in our life, like money, it is important that we don’t blindly follow our beliefs, but instead study and understand them.

Only 3 years ago, the whole financial system nearly collapsed. A previous colleague of mine lost half of his retirement savings during the height of the global financial crisis. He was a decent, hard-working man who, like many others, believed that hoarding money in a pension savings account will secure his financial future.

While the financial system seems to have stabilized since then, don’t be fooled. It is still on the verge of collapse and a second global financial crisis is likely to happen.

If you care about your financial future at all and want to dispel many of the myths around money, read on.

A Myth called Money

It would seem only natural that money is created by governments, but in reality, and contrary to the widespread assumption, money is created by banks.

In the United States for example, The Federal Reserve, which has the sole power to print the US Dollar, is privately owned bank with private shareholders who run it purely for private profit. Put differently, The Federal Reserve is not federal (nor does it hold reserves). In fact, it is as federal as Federal Express.

The story is not much different elsewhere in the world. The English, German, nor the French government owns any stock in the central bank of its country. Same as in the US, they are all privately held corporations.

Now, I know reading about central banks can bore you into a coma, but you really should give it a try. When you begin to understand how it all works, it will change your beliefs about money forever.

So here we go.

The illusion of paper money

The first point to note is that money is simply an idea. We live in an era where all paper currencies have no redemption or metallic value.

That has not always been the case. Up until 1971, paper currencies were backed by a percentage of their country’s gold reserve, but that has changed with Nixon’s decision to abandon the gold standard.

This historic decision meant that banks could now print money from thin air without the worry of having to back it with gold. And without any backing, the real value of your paper money is nothing but its purchasing power; something which can be dramatically changed in a short span of time.

Now, when a government needs money, it has to borrow it from their central banks, with interest of course. So, the government issues a bond, which is merely a promise to pay in the future, and gives it to the central bank. The bank, in return, creates the money from thin air and puts it into circulation.

In other words, all money is created out of debt. This means that if all outstanding debt was to be repaid today, there would not be even one dollar in circulation.

Where’s the problem, you ask?

The problem and the inevitable consequence of all of this is bankruptcy.

Let me explain.

As interest is charged on all loans made by the central bank and as the money needed to pay back this interest does not exist in the money supply outright, the system creates an infinite debt growth.

To put it simply, if all debt was to be repaid today, not only would there not be even one dollar left in circulation, we would also stay with huge amount of debt that is literally impossible to pay, for the money to pay it back does not exist.

The other inevitable consequence of all of this is inflation.

In order to cover the interest charges and keep the system going, an everlasting increase of the money supply is needed. And when new money gets put into circulation, thus diluting the existing base of money, the general level of prices rises.

So, what’s the big deal?

The more debt is created, the more expensive life becomes, the more people are ready to do anything for a job, and hence they become cheaper commodities for corporations.

If you’re anything like the 99% of us on this planet exchanging freedom for money, you can identify with the above. It seems that everyone these days has debt of some sort.

Students in the US, for example, have to put themselves into a hole of debt in order to get their diploma. On average, medical students graduate with a debt load of more than US$100,000. No wonder health care costs in the US have skyrocketed and that Around 50 million people lack health insurance.

In fact, our entire society embraced debt, whether it is through overpriced home mortgages or credit card purchases, as a way to maintain our overspent lifestyle.

OK, But my personal situation is different, you say

Some of you who read this might be out of the debt cycle and even hold a large savings account, but unfortunately, you are still on the same boat. Nowadays, not only the average “Joe” is in mounds of debt, but also his country.

The economy of the US, for instance, long the world’s dominant creditor, now the world’s biggest debtor, is fighting a losing battle against trade imbalances that are growing daily. The current US national debt is a staggering US$15 trillion and if you include unfunded liabilities such as Social Security, pension funds and Medicare, the real national debt exceeds US$50 trillion.

In Europe the picture is not different. Countries like Greece, Portugal and most recently, Italy are having major financial troubles and facing the virtual sell-off of their country.

But the government says the economy is fine.

The ones we entrust to solve the problem, are the very same individuals who assured us the economy was OK in 2007, when the US real estate bubble burst and triggered a global credit crunch.

Perhaps it might be better to simply admit that most politicians just want to secure their re-election and therefore go with the easy fix of printing money instead of the painful choice of raising taxes.

In fact, and as there is no limit to the amount of money that central banks can create, governments around the world continue to inject massive amounts of money – in other words, taking further debt – to rescue their collapsing economies.

A natural question arises as to who is going to fund this extra loan.

You guessed it right – You, the devoted consumer and taxpayer.

This is done quite silently and over time via inflation. Since the amount of money in circulation increases, the money you earn or save looses part of its value. You can simply think of it as another form of tax.

And as governments have interest in having this hyperinflation underreported ( to avoid public spotlight and due to the fact that most government programs are indexed to inflation), what you get is an engineered CPI (The official “consumer price index” that measures inflation) in order to represent a percentage that the public can find acceptable.

In the US, the Federal Reserve took an even bolder step to hide inflation data, by ceasing to publish the total numbers of the aggregate money supply (M3) since 2006.

You start to get the picture. If you rely on the government for your financial future, then you make a choice to accept the risk of potential monetary collapse and a lowered standard of living.

OK, OK, I get it. What can I do then?

The first essential step is to be aware that money is simply an idea backed by the collective faith of all us. As Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, once wrote: “All money is a matter of belief.” We’ve been conditioned from early age to think of money as the ultimate form of value but in itself, money does not hold very much of it. It only assumes its value during an actual exchange, something that is continuously re-evaluated in global markets.

It is time to stop pursuing money for its own sake and give up on working in environments where the singular goal is monetary gain. I had this mindset for years and it didn’t serve me very well.

I was 22 when I decided to study computer science for my Bachelor’s Degree. I did not make this choice because of my passion to the subject but mainly due to the fact that, at the time, computer science graduates earned the highest salaries in the market. In other words, I pursued money as an objective. I did it for the sake of money and nothing else.

I did complete my degree, but 3 years of dispassionate and monotonous study made me realize that I am following the wrong path in life. After exchanging my freedom for a steady pay check as a Software Project manager for a year and feeling unhappiness in every cell of my body I was finally convinced. It was time to make a dramatic shift.

So, what is the ultimate answer to finacnial security?

Instead of chasing money, strive to pursue wealth.

Although the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different in meaning. Wealth is anything of real intrinsic value. It doesn’t have to be only physical instruments that hold monetary value like gold and land but also intangible assets such as skills, experiences, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, creativity, health and relationships. In fact, most of what I refer to as wealth is not reflected in the statistics by which economists normally evaluate performance.

The truth is, someone with very little money can be extremely wealthy. By holding a few of the intangible assets I described above, even a man who “loses it all” can flourish in his self made environment. In such a scenario, true friends will come to help and new ideas will permeate through naturally.

If you on the other hand, rely on your saving account to get you through rough times, you owe yourself the risk of high inflation and perhaps hyperinflation. It has happened many times throughout history in almost every nation around the globe, including countries like Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Russia, Zimbabwe, and even twice in the US. You might well recall the expression “not worth a continental” which was the currency used before the introduction of dollar. History has a funny way of repeating itself.

I am not by any stretch a savvy investor, and I won’t go in length here about specific investment vehicles, but I strongly encourage you to explore building real assets portfolios. Assets that grow in value over time and, as a result, can produce long-term financial security. In my case, for example, It’s an online business asset that provided me ongoing financial freedom, enjoyment, satisfaction and in addition allows me to make a living while traveling around the world.

More than anything, I am a firm believer that the most valuable investment you can make is an investing in yourself – your human capital. It’s the stock of experience, knowledge, and skills you built throughout the years. It’s the personal connections and relationships you’ve developed. And perhaps most importantly, it’s the strength of personality and character – your internal qualities – that will give you the ability to generate income in any economy and any circumstance.

Final words

Countries, like people, have to live within their means or face the consequences of being indebted to a fraudulent economic system. We have been conditioned into supporting and maintaining this system for years. The government wants us to go back to the malls and use our credit for excessive consumption, but buying more stuff we don’t really need, with money we don’t really have was what got us into this predicament in the first place.

We’ve consumed so much yet we are devoid of what we really need. Now is the time to replace our current paradigm of money and, above all, instead invest in what truly matters.

To your Wealth,

Tal Gur

P.S If you find this valuable please share with anyone you know.

So what is it about surfing that causes such passionate devotion to it? The answer is obvious one would say – water, sun, beach, lifestyle. What’s not to like?
The truth, however, is that it’s hard to verbalize the spectrum of sensations that arise once you’re on the board catching a wave.

There is some kind of magical feeling when the power of the ocean lifts the board up. A fresh ocean breeze mixed with salt water hits the face and you start feeling weightless as you accelerate down. Then, a meditative silence fills the space and there is only the moment you are in. For a short period it feels as you become one with something bigger than yourself and all your mind want to scream is something like: “I AM ALIVE”…

Here you go, I try to verbalize it again, but I better stop now. Riding a wave contains such a unique essence which is impossible to define. “Only a surfer knows the feeling”, is a famous saying amongst surfers, and they are right – until you’ve tried it yourself you’ll never get the full emotional impact.

Perhaps my personal journey can offer a brief glimpse into the exciting world of surfing.

Becoming a Surfer – The Beginning

My fascination with surfing started, not surprisingly, when I moved to Australia. With their gorgeous coastline, consisting of thousands of surf beaches, Australians treat surfing like a religion. From a very early age surfing is ingrained in their blood and veins.

I shared an apartment with a surfer for more than two years. His room – and later our living room – looked like a mini surfing museum. Large framed surfing photos hanging on the wall, Surf boards leaning on the furniture, colorful surf shorts were constantly scattered throughout the apartment.

Surfing was all around me, and not only in my own personal living space. The topic of surfing naturally crept into conversations when I went out, and I soon found myself invited to join surfing adventures during the weekends.

I accepted most invites and tried surfing from time to time but never really got the hang of it. I fell off the board again and again. And again. Until I became so exhausted that I quickly convinced myself that surfing is just not for everyone.

Although surfing didn’t really stick with me, I couldn’t ignore it. The infectious passion of my surfer friends has sunk deep into my heart; the whole surfing thing felt appealing to me, even the part of waking up at dawn and swimming in extremely cold water.

One thing I knew for sure, this challenge could never get boring. I promised myself to try surfing again the next chance I got.

Floripa, Brazil (Jan, 2010) – 2nd attempt.

It was raining for 5 days straight and I was tired of it. The only reason I got to Floripa in southern Brazil was to enjoy the warmth of the sun and maybe restart my surfing expedition in one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world. Unfortunately the weather gods decided differently for me.

On the 6th day I decided to ignore the weather conditions and hit the beach in the pouring rain. Drinking caipirinhas every evening apparently was just not good enough for me.

I borrowed a surfing board from my hostel and got into the water alone. Big mistake. The current was too strong, the board was too short and there was no one around. The next thing I know, I found myself being carried along by the current rather than heading confidently forward. I was not amused and quickly got out of the water.

The next day was no different. The weather was rainy and windy but since it was my last day in Floripa, I decided to gather my willpower and try again. This time I had the company of a surfing instructor who was kind enough to look after me.

As with the other times, I lost control of the board and time and time again into the white foam. However, something was different this time. Not only did I have the desire to try again but I was also determined to push through the tough conditions. I knew that under the right circumstance I’d be able to rise to the challenge.

Mancora, Peru (April, 2010) – 3rd Attempt

I arrived to Mancora on the South Pacific coast of Peru with one goal in mind: to surf every day for at least a week. This time I did my homework and chose a beginner’s beach with moderate waves and warm weather.

My partner and I rented a room located a stone’s throw from the beach. The setup was perfect; a great left hand point break, literally right outside our window.

I had no excuses. I quickly jumped into a surfing routine, using a long foamy board and the help of a young local surfer. It was almost too easy. I was able to stand and take short waves on regular basis from day one. Needles to say, I was super excited.

My excitement quickly evaporated the next day when I switched my foam board to a regular long board. Catching waves seemed to get harder and less consistent. I knew then that it would be a longer journey than I had imagined.

Despite the difficulties, I stuck with my new board and gradually honed my new surfing skills. Reminiscent of my previous attempts in Australia and Brazil, I fell numerous times, but I didn’t care. I savored every minute and by the end of the week, I managed to be more consistent on the board.

I felt I was ready for bigger waves.

Mal Pais, Costa Rica (May, 2010) – 4th Attempt

Well, I definitely was not ready for the waves I experienced in the west coast of Costa Rica. Big fierce waves with a steep and fast drop were waiting for me. The swell was so strong that it dragged me out of the water each time I tried to get in. For the first time since I started my surfing journey I was scared.

I admitted defeat and waited for my next opportunity to come.

Byron Bay, Australia (Feb, 2011) -5th Attempt

My next opportunity was not long in coming. Kyle and I decided to circle Australia and also to stop for a couple of weeks in Byron Bay, the spiritual home of Australian surfing.

I made up my mind to take my surfing skills up a notch and purchased my first two surfboards. They were noticeably shorter than the ones I was used to, but I convinced myself that I’ll be able to handle them.

It was not an easy task. Short surfboards are less stable and require a higher degree of technique and perfect body control. I was able to catch some short waves but I was lacking consistency. More than anything, I could feel my enjoyment level from surfing was ebbing away.

In the end, my surfing did not step up a notch, certainly not enough to be able to call myself a surfer. I knew that my surfing mission was not over.

Arugam bay, Sri Lanka (June, 2011) – 6th attempt

During our Australian trip, a large number of travelers recommended Sri Lanka as a potential country to visit. With close to 1000 miles of coast, Sri Lanka is an ideal place for surfing, so I picked Arugam Bay on the remote east coast, one of the world’s 10 best surf points, as my next surfing destination.

The beginning of my journey was not smooth, so to say. I learned that the main break point in Arugam Bay is breaking over an old coral reef, which can be extremely dangerous. The next thing I discovered is that the water was packed with surfers fighting for a spot. Finally, the waves were quite big and too powerful for me.

After a few days of unenjoyable surfing I, once again, almost admitted defeat.

“How can I enjoy this?” I asked myself one day as I left the beach to my room. A plan started to emerge in the back of my mind that evening.

The next day, I paid a Tuk Tuk driver to take me to a more accommodating surfing spot. I hired the best surfer I could find, a young professional surfer with years of surfing experience, and set my surfing time to 4:00am when there was not even one surfer in sight. The sun was also not in sight..

It worked. In less than 48 hours I was able to catch and ride long waves consistently all the way to the shore. After 2 weeks of smooth surfing and the feeling of meditative bliss on the board I knew I had achieved my long-sought after dream.

Live your biggest dreams and never give up!

I’ve been training on a daily basis for four weeks in Thailand, but this was my first encounter with something close to a real fight. I knew fighting was going to be tough but I’ve never thought it was going to be that tough.

Setting my sights on Muay Thai

It all began a few months ago when I was looking for a new physical challenge after completing a triathlon in Melbourne. We were on our way to Israel so I thought stopping in Thailand would be nice.

Since I was a little kid I always wanted to have a boxing experience. My mom would often find me throwing punches in front of the mirror, and she likely laughed inside at the apparent futility of my efforts to beat my own reflection.

Although Muay Thai also involves kicking, I decided to throw myself into the experience anyway and registered to a four week training camp in Phuket, the largest island in Thailand.

Many of my friends raised an eyebrow when they heard my plans. “You’re a peaceful man”, “This sport is too aggressive”, they said and they were all right. If I’d ever had plans to engage in a real Muay Thai fight, they ended in the first week. We went to see some authentic Thai kickboxing at one of the stadiums on the other side of the island and literally left in shock.

You see, Muay Thai is a bit more aggressive than most other forms of Martial Arts, in the sense that it allows knee and elbow strikes, as well as holding of the head. When I saw an elbow smashing into one of the fighter’s face sending him into the ground unconscious, my first reaction was to step into the ring and help the poor kid. Yes, he was a kid, probably only 16, and the crowd was cheering with their beer bottles, while he was lying on the floor, not moving.

So yes, I guess I am a peaceful man and yes, I find the sport a little bit too brutal for my taste, but there’s more to Muay Thai than simply fighting.

Why Muay Thai

Muay Thai is sometimes termed “the science of eight limbs” because it makes use of punches, kicks, knees and elbows strikes, as opposed to two limbs in Western boxing and four limbs in other sport-oriented martial arts.

The result: A well proportioned physique development with stronger and more defined muscles. Five minutes of Muay Thai training is more demanding on the body than other forms simply because more body parts and muscles are at work.

If you’re after some weight loss or want to speed up your body’s metabolism, Muay Thai can be extremely effective. I met a few westerners who lost substantial amounts of weight in a relatively short space of time, and in my experience, the body tones up very quickly from continually engaging the core muscles.

On a physical level, the training builds cardiovascular stamina and significantly increases fitness, speed, and power. On a mental level, Muay Thai allows mind and body to sync up. You have to instantly react to your opponent’s attacks, which promotes focus and concentration. On other levels, the sport is an effective form of self defense, a useful skill for anyone and especially for long term travelers like me. Whilst training you get to experience full-contact fighting on a regular basis.

Lastly, training in a camp requires a degree of self discipline and commitment. I quickly found that I became a lot more determined to train harder each time simply because I was in a motivating and fun environment.

So with so many benefits it wasn’t that hard to stick around for four weeks.

The training experience

The amount of training varied from person to person, but generally it consisted of three to four hours a day, six days a week. Those who were registered for a fight trained six hours a day in three separate sessions, whereas most of us completed only two sessions, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon.

The day started around 7 am with a moderate 5K run. Then there was the morning session which included technique, boxing, sparring, kicking pads and some stretching at the end. At 3 pm we were back in the gym for the second two hour session of Muay Thai training, which required some willpower due to the extreme heat and humidity of the island.

I tried to alternate my runs every other day to allow my leg muscles recover from the physical impact. I also missed some sessions voluntarily due to complete body tightness. On one typical session you can expect to do dozens of sit-ups, push-ups, kicks, punches, blocks, and to work on a punch bag, so tightness is part of the story.

Besides technique and Muay Thai drills, training included free style fighting with complete freedom to move around the ring. In many ways it is like chess game, trying to guess the opponent attacking strategy with every move you take. If you go for an upper kick with your right leg for example, your opponent can try to trip your left leg in return.

My least favorite practice was something called the “Clinch”. You wrap your hands around another person’s neck for leverage and then use your knee to strike him. Needless to say, my neck and shoulders got sore on regular basis.

But not only the upper body is at risk of soreness. As you strike your opponent in the lower area of his body, it is not unlikely for his sensitive areas to be hit. It happened to my opponent. Not a nice scene to watch!

I know it all sounds very tough but in reality everyone had fun and there was always laughter around. Plus, a nice and relaxing Thai massage at the end always made it worth while!

Last Words

Overall spending four weeks of training in Thailand was a fun experience which I would recommend to anyone who’s into intense fitness. I obviously liked the body conditioning and what it did to my fitness levels, but more than that, I loved the mental focus aspect.

It’s hard to describe the surreal feeling of being totally focused on the present moment while you’re in the ring. It’s like nothing else exists except you and the person in front of you. Everything seems to slow down and your thoughts melt away. You can even hear your own breathing as you’re about to take your next move.

So instead of pumping weights or running on the treadmill next time you hit the gym, consider taking a martial art class. Who knows you might even like it.

Live your dreams

Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
Do you ever have those weeks where you just wonder where all the hours have gone?
Do you sometimes get frustrated about not being able to focus on your most important tasks?

If so, this post is for you.
If you’d like to achieve more in life and increase your overall energy while getting work done, read on.

Becoming Productive

During my recent Financial Freedom Journey I have built a simple routine system that allowed me to have productive days on regular basis. The system includes only three separate sets of routines: one set in the morning, one during my workday, and one in the evening just before sleep.

I’ve measured and scored every component of my productivity, and since incorporating it into my life I was able to double my work output. More importantly, I was able to prioritize my most important tasks, and have fun while doing so. No annoying headaches, no crazy stress, smooth sailing all the way.

So without further delay, here are my rituals.

1. The Morning Rituals

I used to love checking emails and Facebook first thing in the morning. For years I would turn my laptop on, still bleary-eyed from the night’s sleep, check my emails in one window, read Facebook updates in a second, run some Google queries in a third, and all that while checking the latest NBA basketball results.
I would then make myself a coffee and a quick bite to eat, usually a sugary cereal, and go back to the laptop screen, holding my coffee mug in one hand and the cereal bowl in the other. I didn’t even taste my food.

I’m sure you can find a bit of yourself in the above description. We all have our usual morning routines and some of them seem harmless, but if your goal is to become more productive then you have to pay close attention to your morning rituals.

How you start your day becomes the template for a day well lived. It is the key to a productive and fulfilling day that sets the context and direction for what follows. You may have to use some willpower here to change your morning habits, especially if they’ve been around for long time, but this is where you want to start.

Morning Ritual #1 – Water, Water, Water.

As soon as I wake up I drink 2-3 glasses of water on an empty stomach. I don’t need a medical degree to know that water is the basis of life and is tightly linked to the flow of oxygen and nutrients through the body. Our muscles are 75% water; our lungs are 90% water; our blood is 85% water; our brain is around 80% water; even our bones have some degree of water in them.

Since much of our body is made up of water, the absence of water intake during the long hours of sleep leaves our body under-hydrated. By drinking water on an empty stomach we ensure that fluids are easily absorbed and that blood circulation is enhanced. It will not only refresh your body but also will help remove the toxins released during the night. As water circulates through the body, it flushes toxins and waste from organs, muscle tissues and cells.

I often add freshly squeezed lemon juice to aid in the detox effect and to give my water a more refreshing taste. Lemon makes the body more alkaline and helps to flush out the toxins that naturally build up in the body overnight.

It is interesting to know that drinking a liter of water immediately after waking up is an ancient and popular therapy in Eastern countries such as Japan, China, and India. It is popularly called the “Water Cure” and you can Google it. Some of the claimed health benefits are relief from stress, weight loss, better digestion, glowing skin and most importantly, feeling fresh and energetic throughout the day.

But don’t take anyone’s word for it. Broaden your knowledge and try it yourself for the next month. I’m sure you’ll be impressed by what a difference a simple change like drinking more water in the morning can make to your daily productivity and overall energy.

P.S coffee is not water

Morning Ritual #2 – Moving your body

Moving your body in the morning is a key ingredient for having more energy throughout the day. I’m not talking about getting on some exercise torture machine and sweating until you’re out of breath, but simply about a relaxed and intentional use of your body. This can be as little as a few stretches or a short walk outside.

Movement of the body is not only desirable but also necessary. Unlike the bloodstream, waste fluid (lymph fluid) does not have its own pump, but it does need to circulate. That’s our job. As we move around, the lymph fluid is moved and the metabolic garbage container gets emptied.

This is vital especially in the morning. During sleep the body’s circulation is slowed down and carbon dioxide and lactic acid accumulate. Moving your body helps clearing that, which in turn helps to increase your mobility and boost your energy. It also moves your blood, gets you more oxygen, opens your joints up, and improves your immune system and natural healing. It is perhaps the time to acknowledge that our body was simply made to move and be physically active.

My short exercise routine which is only 5 minutes long, involves some stretching, some push-ups, a small amount of aerobics to get my heart rate up, and a few deep breaths at the end. By the time I’m finished I feel clear, I’ve gotten centered and I’m ready to take on my day.

You can build your own routine. It doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t need to be outside. I might create a short video with some pointers, but there are plenty of other sites that can help you with that. So start off with some body movements and stoke your fire for the day ahead.

Morning Ritual #3 – Eating a healthy meal.

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you have ever wondered why, a clue can be obtained from the name itself. Breakfast is exactly that, breaking the fast that began the previous night. As you know, the body continues to burn energy while you are asleep so proper refueling in the morning is essential.

When you wake up your body is essentially coming off of a 7-10 hours fast, and because you haven’t eaten all night, by morning your muscle protein is being broken down (catabolism) and converted into fuel. Eating too late or skipping breakfast can cause the body to go into ‘starvation’ mode and this can cause you to over eat at the next meal.

The best way to halt this early morning muscle-tissue breakdown is to take protein and some fast-digesting carbs within 30 minutes of waking up. The same is true after a workout. You basically want a healthy meal that can quickly get in your stomach and to your muscles.

I make myself a quick shake in the morning, made with 1 scoop of whey protein, enriched soy milk, a bit of water and some ice cubes. If there’s a blender around I add blueberries, which are one of the healthiest fruits around. They have high healing properties with anti oxidants that help to prevent cancers. They also have a low glycemic index so the sugar from blueberries goes into your blood in a slow, sustained manner.

Numerous studies have shown that eating breakfast early helps to improve both physical and mental performance, but as any other advice in this post, the best way is to try it yourself. I recommend that through trial and error if necessary, you find a first meal that really works for you.
There’s a lot more to be tried in this area, such as adding healthy oils and other nutrient rich foods, so keep researching.

2. The Workday Rituals

Before you get into creating workday rituals, I recommend you plan out your own morning rituals and start them tomorrow.

Plan all the specifics of your new rituals and how you’re going to make sure that they happen. You might have to put a note on the refrigerator. You might have to put a glass of water out on your sink. You might want to put your running shoes at your bedroom door. Whatever you have to do to set it up, do it. Plan the whole ritual out and the timing of it.

Start tomorrow and don’t deviate.

Now to the actual work…

Workday Ritual #1 – Making a list

A morning list is probably one of the most important tools for improving productivity, yet it is frequently ignored. Without it, it’s difficult to organize and prioritize the day which may result in missed deadlines and a failure to meet commitments.

Moreover, the unsettling feeling of possibly missing something simply depletes our energy. It takes only a few minutes to make a list. It helps to organize the scattered morning thoughts and stay focused on the most important tasks. It is also one of the best ways to not forget anything and keep track of what needs to be done.

The end result: an improved feeling of being in control rather than merely being reactive.

The simplest way of making lists is to use a pen and paper. It fits a variety of environments and can be easily carried wherever you go. A more common choice these days however is to use a computer application such as Word, Excel, Outlook, or any other software that allows lists creation.

I use both methods. When I’m away from my laptop I use a pen and paper, and when I’m near it I transfer my lists to Outlook. That way I have a central location for registering all my tasks.

Now, the list you create should only include tasks you want to complete by the end of the day. It’s a “Today’s Tasks List”and you want to be very selective about what goes onto it. If you include too many tasks, you’ll get stressed. If you include too few you’ll be too relaxed. I only include a few important daily tasks that I constantly review throughout the day and whatever I get to do beyond these is simply a bonus.

All other tasks for the week should go into a separate second list (I call it a “Weekly Task List”) which only needs to be reviewed once in the morning. You can then easily transfer tasks from one list to the other.

I also keep a third list (I call it a “Someday Task List”) which I review only once a week. It includes low priority tasks and projects I might want to undertake in the future that certainly do not need my full attention. Having such a list helps to alleviate the burden of remembering possible activities and allows you to put the focus on what’s on your plate this week.

It’s important to mention that the method in itself is less important. The key here is a daily list creation. You can use your mobile, your laptop, or a small notepad. You can have one list, two lists or multiple lists. Experiment, and choose whatever you find convenient.

Workday Ritual #2 – Putting first things first

Have a look at your list and ask yourself: if you focused on three things today, just three things, which ones would give you the most leverage at the end of the day? What tasks or activities would give you the most in return?

Make a note of them on your list and whatever happens during the day make sure you focus on these three things first. Everything else is secondary.

Now take a moment and close your eyes.

If you were doing this exercise over a month, or a year, or five years, what would your life look like? What would be the end result?
Make a clear picture of it in your mind.

If getting yourself healthier is a goal, then modify accordingly. Set aside a decent chunk of time to exercise before you do anything else. If your aim is a published book, then the first thing you want to do after your morning ritual is to write, and to do so every day.

The goal with putting first things first is to prioritize in a way that is aimed at long-term goals, at the expense of tasks that appear to be urgent (such as responding to a seemingly urgent email). Working on low priority items just because you are used to doing so, or just because they are in front of you, leads to wasted time and further stress down the road.

More than that, when you complete high priority tasks early, you have a sense of being ahead. This can improve your work attitude and add even more motivation for future work.

If you could master this one ritual in your life, I can promise that the feeling of wasteful days would be a distant memory.

Workday Ritual #3 – Focusing on just one thing at a time

How long can you focus on one task at a time before you get distracted? Five minutes? Ten?
How long can you work on your computer for example, before you compulsively check your Facebook or emails?

We live in a multitasking culture, where a busy and hurried lifestyle has become a regular way of life. Most of us juggle between tasks and allow background noise to continuously interrupt us. Emails pouring in, mobile phones ringing, people cutting in. We don’t give ourselves the time for deeper, longer focus.

Multitasking offers the illusion of getting more work done faster, when in actuality the opposite is true. Every time you switch tasks there is an extra fetching time that can add up to substantial amounts. In fact numerous studies show that juggling between activities hurts performance and that multitaskers do significantly worse than the non-multitaskers. It has also been shown that constant multitasking takes a toll on our cognitive abilities, in particular our memory.

Instead, consider the benefits of long term sustained focus. You become immersed in the task you are faced with, build momentum, minimize distractions and have the luxury of letting go of all other thoughts about the day.

Your objective here is simply to expand your focus and get to the point where you can work on one thing for a good chunk of time.

To do so, allocate the time on your schedule and measure your focus chunks (You can use a timer that has a digital countdown function). Then turn off your cell phone, your email, and anything else that might distract you, and work on the one thing proactively for ninety minutes.

Why ninety minutes? Read through to the next point.

Workday Ritual #4 – Working in Cycles

Our body operates in cycles in which our energy flows up and down. You may be familiar with the Ultradian cycle in relation to the human body sleeping pattern, but there are many other cycles as well, which naturally flicker every ninety minutes between high and low energy.

Everything from the beating of your heart to the speed of your breathing, to your sleeping pattern works in cycles, some of the other Ultradian cycles of the body are thermoregulation, hormonal release, urination, bowel activity, and appetite.

The basic idea here is that every ninety minutes you need to take a rest break. If you don’t, you’re setting yourself up for Ultradian Stress Syndrome which involves tiredness, irritability and loss of mental focus. If you ignore the body’s natural need of a break for longer, it can accumulate and lead to sickness.

As Winston Churchill, who used to nap in the middle of the day during times of war, put so eloquently: “Nature had not intended mankind to work from 8 in the morning until midnight without the refreshment of blessed oblivion which, even if it only lasts 20 minutes, is sufficient to renew all the vital forces.”

So align your body with your natural energy cycles and take a fifteen to twenty minute break every ninety minutes. Get up, stretch, walk around and clear your mind to boost your productivity.

Also, try having a small nutritious meal every two cycles (Around three hours) like clockwork. I’ve experimented with it quite a lot and I personally found that eating smaller meals (not snacking) more frequently throughout the day works a lot better than having a few big meals. It stabilizes blood sugar and nutrient oxidization levels, makes the body more efficient at burning food and also prevents long stretches of starvation.

More importantly, your body will be in its optimal energy state while working on your tasks with no feeling of heaviness or fatigue. Try it!

Workday Ritual #5 – Dealing with Emails

No one likes it when things mount up in their email inbox, however the reality is most people’s inboxes are cluttered and constantly overflowing with tasks and requests. If you’re one of those people and want to increase your productivity around emails, you’ll be interested in reading this section.

A few years ago I read David Allen’s book Getting Things Done “Getting Things Done” (highly recommended) which totally changed my approach to dealing with emails. Since then I’ve taught the main concepts of his system to dozens of people who then decided to adopt it into their daily life.

The main idea is to “operate from zero base”with your emails, meaning that your goal is to clear your inbox completely on regular basis. By keeping your inbox under control, you are better able to handle surprises of emails you overlooked or forgot.

To do so you need to be clear about the next physical action of each and every email. There are four options (often referred as 4D system)

1. Do – if it is likely to take you less than two minutes. For example a quick email response.
2. Delete – If it does not involve you, or does not demand you do anything.
3. Delegate – if someone else can, (or needs to) take the action. You want to track it as well, and an easy way to do that is to bcc yourself when you send the e-mail. You’ll get a copy immediately back into your inbox which can be filed in a special email folder called “Follow up”.
4. Defer – if the email’s task is going to take you longer than two minutes to execute, then you want to store it in another folder called “To Do”.

The last thing you want to do is to disable the automatic email download (if it exists) and only check emails in preset time slots when you take a break.
That’s it.

This extremely easy to use system will allow you to defer tasks strategically, knowing that they are stored somewhere safe for future operation. By doing so you’ll be able to focus on what’s important rather than what’s urgent.

Plus, it’s always nice to have an empty inbox at the start of the day. Enjoy it.

3. The Night-Time Rituals

Becoming productive is not only about work. Renewal and recovery play an important role in productivity enhancement and I would say that they are as important as the actual work.

Nighttime Rituals are mainly about giving your body and mind a break from work so that they can renew themselves. They’re also a good time to review your day and note the progress you’ve made.

Here are my top recommendations:

Night-Time Ritual #1 – Track your day

If you’re not measuring progress then you’ll never know where to most effectively focus your energy. Tracking results is very common in physical training but less popular in other areas of life.

I tried it myself in various journeys and measuring progress works like a charm. It’s a great way not only to track your work and overall productivity, but also to motivate you to stick with it each and every day.

I use a simple Excel spreadsheet. Every night I review my daily list and give points to the goals or habits I accomplished on that day. I then add the points which give me a way to compare my daily and weekly productivity.

If you have a permanent internet connection and prefer an online application for daily task tracking, you can use joesgoals.com which is free, or for a more sophisticated version you might want to try goalsontrack.com.

Another level of tracking that may help is to analyze your computer time with software such as rescuetime.com, or simply by looking at your history files.

Like any other method, they only work if you use them, so try it out and see if they can be integrated into your current working habits.

Night-Time Ritual #2 – Just before you go to Sleep

If you’re like me before I started practicing productivity, then you probably use your computer or watch TV within the hour before bed.

My main addiction was around emails. I used to habitually check emails last thing before bed to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but it came with a cost. I continually got sidetracked and ended staying up much later than I planned, and to add that I lay my head to sleep with an overactive mind.

Researchers have found that checking mobile phones or laptop computers shuts down the brain’s natural preparations for sleep. It disrupts body rhythms and suppresses the release of the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep. It has been stated that “checking email up to an hour before bed has the same effect on sleep as drinking two espressos”.

Instead consider an “electronic curfew”before you go to sleep. Dim your lamps and feed your mind with a good book. Reading is a not only a good source of knowledge, but also a great way to shifts gears and get relaxed.

Other good habits before bed might involve drinking herbal teas, taking a warm shower or practicing meditation. Whatever new habit you adopt, just don’t let technology invade your bedroom.

Night-Time Ritual #3 – Sleep Cycles and Renewal

Sometimes in our drive to become successful we become addicted to work. We don’t allow our mind and bodies to rest and restore. Working in 90 minutes cycles can help but if you want to become even more effective you should start paying attention to your sleep patterns.

Sleep is by far the most important renewal factor. It heals and rejuvenates the body, reduces stress, fortifies the immune system, regenerates brain function and increases memory retention. Without it, the ability to learn and retain information is weakened and if chronic sleep deprivation becomes a way of life, it usually leads to an array of illnesses.

In order to maximize the benefits of sleep it is important to understand and practice sleep cycles.

Our body sleeps in multiple cycles throughout the night. A complete sleep cycle is about ninety minutes long and most people go through five sleep cycles during an eight hour sleep period. Each sleep cycle has multiple almost-awake moments (REM stage) when you are naturally closest to waking, and these are the best times to be woken up.

If you wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle (deep sleep stage) because you use an alarm, then you will probably feel very tired and groggy no matter how long you were asleep. Your body simply wants to complete the cycle it was in.

So in order to wake up refreshed, set an alarm based on a sleep cycles calculation. Simply adjust the time you want to wake up until you find the best rising time. For example after six, seven and a half, or nine hours. Otherwise and if possible do not use an alarm, and let your body wake up naturally.

I find that when I sleep only four cycles (six hours), I feel more rejuvenated the next day than if I sleep for nine or ten hours without allowing myself to complete the last sleep cycle.

Try it yourself!

Final Words

Productivity is leverage. Whatever you want in life, whatever dreams you have, if you can improve your productivity then you will get better results. If you can do this long term, day after day, your positive results will be compounded.

I know that not everything I’ve shared here is going to resonate with you. That is fine and you can put those things away from your mind. But something I’ve said makes sense, I encourage you to try it out.

So take what you’ve read and ask yourself how you can apply it in your life. Write down one action that you’re going to take as a result of going through this post, one action step that you’re going to start tomorrow.
Or even today.

Live Your Dreams!

* Big thank you to David Allen, Eben Pagan, Tony Schwartz, and numerous others who inspired me to write this and more importantly, to become productive.

It was a wonderful 3 months road trip that produced lasting memories for both of us. It was also a good way to deepen our relationship as we saw each other at our most raw, basic form.

In this post I’d like to share a few of my favorite spots and experiences during the trip, some of which have increased my affection to this wonderful country.

 
My ultimate home base
(Melbourne, Victoria)

This is my 2nd long trip around Australia. The first one took place almost 15 years ago, when fresh out of the Israeli army, I decided to go across the country on a motorcycle.

About 4 months into that trip I injured my leg after slamming into a tree and chose to fly to Melbourne for recovery. In Melbourne I was just a backpacker working as a restaurant dishwasher, but it was one of the happiest, most fun, periods of my life. It was also the reason why I got back to the city a few years later to do my masters degree.

There’s something about Melbourne that is so warm and welcoming. Whether it’s the cosmopolitan vibrancy of the city or its relaxed lifestyle, Melbourne has found a special place in my heart.

After living there for more than 5 great years, I can honestly say that Melbourne is one the best places in the world to live in and, no less important, have fun.

Best of all, some of my closest friends live in Melbourne, which makes this city my ultimate home base. Kyle, who was visiting the country for the first time, had the luxury of being hosted like a family by people I love dearly. It also served as an opportunity for her to experience the lively atmosphere of the city and the welcoming spirit of my friends.

I rented an apartment near the south bank of the Yarra River, a few minutes walk from the famous botanical gardens. Visiting this lush floral heaven soon became our daily routine.

The 40 hectares of Melbourne’s gardens with their relaxing and serene landscape is a great place to unwind and reinvigorate. There’s nothing like a long brisk walk or a leisurely stroll through the tranquil beauty to clear the mind and satisfy the senses. The endless fields of green and the multitude of colorful flowers leave one feeling balanced and peaceful.

Personally, Melbourne was a great place to unwind from a long 18 months trip so I arrived to the city a few months before Kyle and set the goal of completing an Olympic distance triathlon. It was a great to way to regain my fitness and, in the same time, enjoy the benefits of a structured training routine (or any routine for that matter).

After months of decompressing and slowing down in Melbourne, it wasn’t long before I found myself back in the traveling mode, ready for some new explorations.

Running from Coogee to Bondi Beach
(Sydney, New South Wales)

The age-old argument of which is better, Melbourne or Sydney, continues to be a lively discussion among locals. For me, there is no competition between the two. Both are winners.

Sydney and Melbourne have different qualities and characteristics. Sydney is a more dynamic, fast-paced city with stunning natural beauty, while Melbourne is more laidback and artsy. I love them both and, in fact, in 2 different occasions I had plans to move and live in Sydney but somehow it never happened.

One thing I love about Sydney is how outdoorsy it is. The locals are passionate about fitness (others would say obsessed) and the streets are constantly busy with runners, bikers and power walkers, all keen to get their feet moving.

After a day of city exploration including the magnificent opera house and the local botanical gardens, we decided to explore Sydney’s famous beaches by running.

We started from the beautiful Coogee beach in the South and ran all the way to Bondi Beach, perhaps the most celebrated beach in Australia. It takes less than an hour at a reasonable pace, but pausing to enjoy the spectacular views along the way make it longer.

Our favorite stop on the run was a secluded pocket-sized beach called Gordon Bay. We stopped there for yoga and meditation to the soothing sounds of water. The place reminded me an old Italian fishing village with its racks of fishermen’s boats.
It was simply beautiful.

The last part of the run meanders through majestic cliffs, rocky coves and a number of pristine surfing beaches. There are only a small number of cities in the world with such beautiful landscaping and easy access to a surfing beach.

For this reason and others, living in Sydney during summer is still on our list of possibilities.

Spotting Koalas in the wild
(Raymond Island, Victoria)

From the first day Kyle landed in Australia, she wanted to see Koalas. I tried to explain her that it is extremely difficult to spot them snoozing in eucalyptus trees. In fact, in 6 years of living in Australia, I hadn’t seen even one in the wild.

She didn’t want to give up of course and on the first day of our trip, her head was constantly tilted back, alert to movements in the trees. I was laughing inside (well, mostly inside) and allowed her to keep dreaming.

While exploring Wilson’s Promontory National Park on our 2nd day, we coincidentally passed a friendly guy with a telescopic-lens camera around his neck. He showed us some of his recent nature photos . A few of them were close up snapshots of Koalas. Needless to say, Kyle immediately wanted to know where the photos were taken.

“Raymond Island, 350KM East, Koalas guaranteed” he pronounced dramatically in his think French accent. The next day we found ourselves on Raymond Island with one mission in mind: To find Koalas.

After half an hour of walking, I heard a high-pitched scream right beside my ear. It sounded as if someone bumped into a ghost. It was just Kyle and yes, she had just spotted her first Koala.

I quickly reached down to get my camera out, and while doing so, I had a second look at my future wife. She just stood there, still as a statue, and as she blinked, a silent tear slid down her cheek.

Surfing off the golden beaches of Australia
(Byron Bay, New South Wales)

Byron Bay is the Mecca of surfing in Australia. It is known for its long surf breaks and the quality and consistency of the waves. And the best part for me, the water is noticeably warmer than the Southern beaches and is almost crystal clear. It was indeed a perfect place to continue my love affair with surfing.

We rented a house close to the beach, bought 2 surfing boards, and hit the beach as often as possible.

One day I remember in particular. It was a perfect blue sky day and I was sitting on my board waiting for a wave. I lifted my eyes toward the point where the flourishing green hills rise above the sandy beach, and thanked the universe for being alive on such a day. My heart filled with so much gratitude I thought it could explode.

I just I laid back down on my surfboard, closed my eyes, and let the gentle waves take me to the shore.

Getting to Heaven on a boat
(Whitsunday Islands, Queensland)

During our trip we had some kind of a reasonable daily budget, however, once we got to Airlie beach, the gateway to Whitsunday Islands, we decided to splurge a bit and took the more expensive sailing cruise option. We simply couldn’t resist when we’ve heard that there would be 2 chefs on board.

Every evening, a delicious dinner was served on white linen-covered tables, underneath the stars and to the sound of little waves lapping against the boat. Hard to beat such a setup!

The boat and the food were indeed magnificent but the main attraction was the natural beauty that surrounded us on daily basis and evoked a sense of awe. We were cruising between uninhabited tropical islands, with green-forested hills, and to the backdrop of incredible bright red sunsets like I’ve never seen before.

On the last day we stopped Whitsunday Island, the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays, and hiked down in the bush to a long strip of gleaming white beach called Whitehaven. Its pure silica sand and crystal clear aqua waters, made me think of only one word.

Heaven.

Skinny dipping in nature
(West MacDonnell Ranges, Australia’s outback)

As I expected before starting this trip, Ayers Rock, or Uluru as it is more commonly known, was not my favorite outback experience. In fact, the swarms of tourists and the ubiquitous outback flies made it my least favorite activity.

For a more intimate and pleasant outback experience I highly recommend exploring MacDonnell Ranges on the west side of Alice Springs. The panoramic landscapes that stretch out for hundreds of miles offer some of the most spectacular nature settings that deserts can offer.

And what is more refreshing on a scorching day than a naked swim in a stunning natural gorge?

After a short nature hike, we could start hearing the flow of water in the distance, and soon came upon an oasis-type place where high red cliffs meet deep natural swimming holes.

We were alone, far away from other tourist hubs, and it was absolutely stunning. We didn’t think twice, took our clothes off and spent an afternoon swimming and sunbathing naked on the rocks.

Heaven (II).

Last Words

Australia is sometimes referred to by locals as “The Lucky Country”. This remark has been used, among other things, in reference to its richness, diversity, and the geographic isolation from world’s major problems.

After living, working and traveling in the Southern continent, I couldn’t agree more, and as someone who was born in Israel, I myself often refer to Australia as “The Real Holy Land”.

Live Your Dreams!

* For more photos from our trip visit my Australian photos Album

 

A year later, and both my partner and I are still enjoying this ultimate gift of complete choice. I am not rich as most people think when they meet me for the first time, but I don’t need a job to keep up with my current lifestyle. The steady passive income stream I developed before and while traveling is enough to cover both of our expenses, and a bit more.

For a long time I planned to write about my path to financial freedom and share some insights I gained along the way about money, wealth and financial independence.

But first, my story.

Committing to financial freedom

The road to financial freedom was not a straightforward path. I have worked my butt off since graduating from Masters Degree in early 2005 but somehow managed to keep myself in debt. In fact, even though I earned a very nice salary as an IT manager, I found myself in even more debt after 3 years of full time work.

On April 14th, 2008 my bank statement showed a total debt of AUD$33,598.62. My credit card limit had been reached and I hit a financial all time rock bottom. The prospect of a day without being able to pay the rent left loomed like a dark storm cloud on the horizon.

I decided to start focusing on wealth creation and financial independence. To make my commitment even stronger, I opened a blog and publicly announced my new financial freedom challenge.

A few months later my commitment deepened following a car accident involving my parents. At that moment, I bought a one-way flight ticket, wrote a future resignation letter, and shared the news with my friends to further intensify my pledge to create financial freedom.

My plan was plain and simple: I would build at least 50 websites that generate automatic advertising income. At the time I already owned one website which had a small, yet steady passive income, so I figured I could duplicate my little success into other areas to multiply my earnings.

This was a beginning of a new journey.

Well not really a new one. My Internet journey really begins long before 2008.

Early experiences with online income

One sunny autumn day in 1999, as a 23 year old college freshman, my eyes fell upon a small article in the local Israeli newspaper: “the domain name Business.com has been sold for a staggering $7.5 million”.

I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, so much money, just for a name”. Then it hit me, perhaps I can buy the Israeli domain name if it’s still available.

During this time, the internet had just emerged and slowly started to become accessible. Most people didn’t even know what a domain name was so I quickly went online to check if business.co.il was available. It wasn’t but many others were. A whole new world of opportunity unfolded right before my eyes.

I convinced my dad to loan me a $100 and bought a dozen Israeli domain names. Within a year I sold 2 domain names for a few thousand dollars and managed to fund another year in college.

I was so impressed that I started to think bigger. The year was 2000 and the dot com hype was in its final stages. Internet-based companies were popping up everywhere and I decided to join by developing my first-ever internet site. Few months later the dot-com bubble burst and with it my dream to sell the business. The site did not generate any revenue so I abandon the project and went looking for a 9 to 5 job.

My next opportunity presented itself in 2003. I moved to Australia for further studies and became quite active on an Israeli online forum devoted to the topic. A great interest was expressed for the knowledge of acquiring an Australian student visa so I took some time and build a site about it. Not long afterwards I was approached by few companies who were interested in advertising on the site.

My flirtation with online income had officially begun.

Fast forward to today, and hundreds of sites with automatic mechanism of contextual advertising allowing my partner and I financial freedom and a life of complete liberty.

So what have I learned?

1. Growing up from financial childhood.

I still remember those weekend summer nights in Melbourne when I spent hundred of dollars on going out with friends to bars, clubs and restaurants, all the while going further into debt. It wasn’t only the money I spent, but also the time and energy I could have spent on wealth creation.

I have no regrets over that period of time; however, once I committed myself to financial independence, my poor financial habits had to change. Luckily, I had just finished 6 months of rigorous Ironman training so I had some fresh forms of discipline under my belt. For the next few months I translated hard work ethics and good habits from the fitness arena into the financial one.

I kept waking up at 5:00am every morning, but instead of doing my routinely 2 hours swim training, I sat at my desk and worked on my business. Instead of going on my usual long evening runs after work, I spent the time building databases. And rather than going on a 5 hours cycling practice on the weekend I strategized new business and investment initiatives.

Training also represents only one element of the Ironman equation. Resting, proper nutrition, and balanced lifestyle are all necessary components to keep the body fresh and energized during the day. So I drank lots of water, ate healthy food, had uninterrupted sleeps and consistently recovered whenever I needed. And same as any physical training program I kept a diary and tracked every element of my finances and expenses. In less than a year I managed to clear all my debt and have a nice, steady passive income stream. I finally grew up from my financial childhood.

Growing up financially involves breaking old unwanted habits and cultivating new and effective ones instead. I would highly recommend anyone who plans to go on a financial freedom expedition, to make a list of unhealthy habits and behaviors, as first step, and then monitor them on daily basis. Enjoy the ride!

2. Its not about the money – Wealth Vs Money.

Most often when we think about wealth we think about it in terms of money. People who earns substantial amount of money are considered in our society as wealthy, or in other words, rich. What we tend to overlook is that most people are dependent on their job alone for their high income, a job from which they might be laid off, only to be left with mounting bills and growing debt.

I had the same kind of mindset myself and played the 9 to 5 game for years, however, a prominent paradigm shift is required to create not only money, but true wealth.

Real wealth is created from assets that generate regular positive cash-flow. Owning an internet business, as in my case, that works without constant supervision, goes up in value, reduces debt, and produces a profit is a good example of a wealth-building asset. Other examples include: owning shares in growing and successful companies or owning a property that creates a net rental income on monthly basis.

Money can be our starting point toward building wealth, but money alone is not wealth. In fact, money’s value decreases over time due to regular inflation, and with the cessation of the “gold standard” in 1971 by the US government, financial alchemy was achieved. Money is currently created out of thin air and backed by nothing. Money’s value only exists in our minds and to the extent that we are prepared to accept it for real products. Perhaps, rather than arguing that recent peak prices of gold is due to its rare amount, a more suitable argument is that money’s purchasing power is simply collapsing.

Don’t rely on your job alone, spend the time and ask yourself what type of assets you can start building right now. It’s time to give up on the idea that someone else, either boss or government, is going to take care of you in times of financial trouble.

3. Consumerism vs. Minimalism.

After long months of hard work on my online business and the clearance of my debt, the time to leave Australia had arrived and I started the process of selling all of my stuff. You don’t realize how much crap you own, until you move. I think I had an expensive collared shirt in every color of the rainbow.

Consumerism, the systematic fostering of the desire to purchase, and one of the reasons I kept myself in debt, is perhaps the 21st century’s epidemic. We are constantly sold things we don’t really need through advertising and slowly but steadily we become conditioned to derive happiness from what we buy.

What we tend to forget is that the more stuff we own, the more money it costs, the more space it occupies and the more time it takes to manage it. As we consume, we add to environmental degradation by using more resources and energy to produce, transport and dispose what we consume.

Minimalism, on the other hand, reduces our attachment to things, promotes simplicity, eliminates clutter and helps us move more freely in life. It’s through long term traveling and my new downsized life that I managed to find contentment in what I already have.

I encourage trying it yourself. Make a list of a few things you don’t use and give them to someone who might need them. Alternatively, you can sell them on eBay or similar, to make some investment money. I firmly believe that longer lasting happiness comes from who you are, not what you own.

4. The old “job security” myth.

The common mindset amongst most of our parents is to go to school, get a secure job, buy a house and pay the mortgage until retirement. That may have worked for our parents’ generation, but the world has changed and so has the economy.

In today’s fast-paced global society, nothing is secure anymore. The cost of living in the western world continues to increase, jobs are outsourced to other lower wage countries and skills needed only a few years ago are no longer current. Countries, such as Iceland, Greece, and Portugal are on the verge of bankruptcy and the U.S., with its consumption economy, and its massive $14 trillion debt, is not far ahead. Even pensions and retirement plans are in danger. Increasingly, these long-term securities are financed by borrowing and around the world it is more challenging and lesslikely to receive them.

Perhaps it’s time to finally recognize that “job security” is simply a myth. I’ve been living with this kind of mindset for too long. Though I felt comfortable with most of my previous employers, each had the power to cut off my income using just two words and in doing so turn my world upside down. I was pretty much gambling on my luck with no financial strategy in mind and inadequate reserves.

Your financial situation might be even more sensitive than mine few years ago. If you have a family to support, a big mortgage, or other high ongoing recurring expenses, and you’re dependent only on one stream of income called “a job”, it’s imperative that you start thinking of an additional income source and preferably passive. Don’t wait for the next financial crisis to hit.

5. Earned vs. Passive Income

I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s much nicer to get paid while you’re eating and sleeping than trading your time for money. The biggest limit with earned income (e.g. salary) is that you only have so much time and can only accumulate so much wealth. On the other hand, when you own a business or get paid based on results, there is no such limit. A website, for example, can serve unlimited clients and generate unlimited revenue.

When I began my journey I considered all of the cash-flow options. I went to real estate seminars, read books about commodity and stock exchange trading, but I finally chose to focus my efforts on the online world. An online business requires less investment of money (or even no investment in some cases, such as owning a blog), and perhaps more importantly, the Internet by its very nature, magnifies efforts by allowing you to reach more people with the same amount of effort.

My main focus was on contracting programmers to build sites that rarely need an update. For example, I designed an online dictionary (no data updates needed) that derives most of its income from contextual advertising solution offered by Google. Their code knows how to match up between advertisers and site’s content so there is no need spending time searching for ones. Google even deposits the revenue directly to your bank account, making the whole process completely automated.

There are numerous ways to generate passive income. Examples include real estate rental, affiliate marketing commissions, original art royalties such as book, music or photography, interest from investments, dividends from owning shares in companies, and as mentioned above, on-line advertising revenue. Whatever model you elect to adopt, try to make it as passive as you can. Spend the energy and build something that frees you from the shackles of our modern rat-race society into a world of exciting possibilities. A world where you decide what to do in each and every moment. You can always choose to keep your job and work in your current role, however the big difference is that you’ll work because you love what you do and not because you have to or need to work.

6. Clearing Limiting Money Beliefs

Here are some common beliefs around money: wealthy people are greedy; money is the root of all evil; money is not important; starting a business is risky; making money is hard;

If you hold any of these beliefs, you’re setting yourself to a tough financial journey. For example, if you believe that rich people are greedy and you despise greedy people, how can you become something you feel contempt for? You’ll always sabotage your success in order stay consistent with how you want to see yourself.

When it comes to money, we’re all conditioned from a very young age by our environment. We model our parents’ beliefs, we conform to the norms of a society, we learn how to think and act by the media. We act based on past programming. We do all of that and then justify our behavior.

It’s only when I examined some of my beliefs that I could see how my own thoughts were holding me back from creating wealth and abundance. Like many others, including my parents, I believed in retirement at the age of 65. Nowadays, I don’t believe in retirement at all. Why would I like to retire from something I love? This only pushes me further to only doing what I love to do.

Before you commit to creating financial freedom, explore your beliefs around money. Identify which scripts you run and which beliefs you may be holding subconsciously. Once you know what holds you back, create new empowering beliefs and expand them step-by-step. If you can grow your passive income to $100 a month, for example, push on to $200, and keep going from there. Taking baby steps in such a way allows you to push the boundaries of your beliefs around money little by little, until you’ve reached your ultimate goal.

7. Few thoughts on fear.

Most of us play the game of life in a very safe manner and steer our life toward security. The main concern is survival and our dominant life strategy is not to lose.
Living based on security is living based in fear, which is probably the most powerful hindrance for our financial growth.

I was no different. Fueled with the fear of failure, I became satiated by a steady paycheck. The truth is that failure creates life experience, and a necessary component for business success. The more life experiences you have, the more skills you will acquire and the wiser you will become.

For years I was fed by society that starting a business is a risky move. The truth is that relying on one source of income is riskier and that starting your own business doesn’t have to be risky at all. Your first business doesn’t have to be the “next big thing”. Ignore the glamour and divert your attention to simpler things with little or no investment, such as an informative website that can earn you passive income now.

If you have any fears regarding the world economy or the state of your current job, and you don’t take any action, you leave yourself stuck in the same place. Instead, take full responsibility and see that your financial situation is a result of actions (or lack of actions) you have made in the past. The longer you wait before making the leap, the more difficult it can become. You might have a greater family obligation, slightly less youthful energy, and a big mortgage loan on your shoulders. Use fear to motivate yourself to take action, or even better, put the fear aside and just take action. Get in the game now and expand your comfort zone. New people will come into your life, more ideas will pop up in your mind, and new business opportunities you cannot foresee will constantly arise.

8. Financial freedom commitment

Becoming financially free is not a stroll in the park. It takes time, courage, focus, knowledge, mindset, and more than anything, commitment.

Are you willing to work 15 hours a day? Wake up at 5am and work on your business? Give up some of the comforts of your current lifestyle? Say “No” to people, events and situations that are not in harmony with your project?

One of my favorite things to do before I committed to my financial freedom project was to explore new restaurants on regular basis. I did it together with my girlfriend at the time and we usually shared a nice bottle of wine between us thoughout the night. When I decided to end this little splurging routine and instead spend the time working on my new business, it didn’t work very well for my girlfriend. The fact that it would benefit both of us in the long term didn’t matter and she could not accept or support my newly chosen lifestyle. I was determined to honor my commitment and dump my fancy lifestyle. There was no turning back. Needless to say our relationship ended not long after.

We all put conditions on what we’re willing to do and sacrifice in order to succeed. If you want to make this project successful, 100% commitment is needed. Not a percentage less. Your commitment would be demonstrated, not by enthusiasm or the amount of money you invest, but by putting your full force into achieving the goal and investing every minute of your precious time in it. If you can’t find enough time, given your current schedule, scale back other activities, work on weekends, or even consider taking time off work to get your business rolling. Do whatever it takes. No excuses.

Last words

When you reach the place of not needing to work, a surprising and wonderful thing happens. You want to work. And the difference between the two words, “need” and “want” is quite remarkable. It’s perhaps the difference between fear and love. The fear of not being able to survive without a paycheck, compared to the love of doing what you want to do, no matter whether you’re paid or not.

If there is one message I want to leave with you today, it is that financial freedom and wealth in general, are much more than having money in your bank account. Real wealth is about gaining a continuum of enriching life experiences, it is about playing the game of life in an exciting and meaningful way, and perhaps more than anything, it is about having the time and freedom to live your life doing what you love.

No one can promise me that my current financial freedom will be guaranteed forever, but one thing I know. It has been a fun journey.

Live your dreams!

These final words from the last scene of the movie “A single man” still echo in my ears even now, weeks after first seeing it. Why do we all yearn for those moments of total bliss, yet usually get only a glimpse of them?

We might want to blame our mind in its endless and ever-repeated stream of thoughts. We can eat an apple, for example, while barely tasting it, not giving ourselves the joy of feeling its skin, of its fresh juice on our tongue, of its sweet smell and crunchy texture.

Our thoughts rise up within us for a reason but we often dwell on them more than needed. It has been estimated by various studies that more than 90% of our thoughts are repetitive and habitual. We can drown ourselves in obsessive thoughts of jealousy, for example, in order to perpetuate and legitimize an old mind-created story.

Thinking is busy and active, involving past and future. It is a high energy state which is exciting at times, but can also be exhausting. Thinking burns energy fast, and when done for a long time it throws us into a state of enervation. Sensing is the opposite; it conserves energy, has a low emotional charge and lets the body soften.

At any given time we have the option to switch between the modes, but in reality we rarely do. Most of us spend the bulk of the day in thinking mode, rather than becoming alive to the present moment and allowing ourselves to experience the world in a more sensuous way. A world with richer, deeper colors.

Since watching the movie “A Single Man”, I’ve been leisurely working on bringing more balance into my life and gradually fracturing the cycles of repetitive thinking.

Moving into awareness

We’re usually switching into a sensing mode whenever something important captures our attention; the scent of a freshly baked cake hits us with a passing breeze, a song begins to play on the radio, a friendly dog passes us, a dry leaf falls down from a tree.

We sense and immediately plunge into a thinking mode, labeling and judging what we’ve just experienced. Often we plunge too deep, only to find ourselves minutes later waking up from a stream of unconscious thoughts.

It’s only through awareness and mindful practice that we can consciously stay in the calming sensing mode for a longer period, and by doing so, shift into a more balanced, sensual life.

By activating the conscious part of our mind and observing what it does, we’re able to choose when and how much we want to think. We don’t have to do anything other than just noticing our thoughts as they arise and pass, while keeping our attention on the triggering sensation. Trying to block our thoughts can actually do the opposite; it can trigger more thoughts and physical tension throughout our body.

Staying in the moment

It is all well and good to relax and sense the world around us with eyes closed during a meditation session, but doing so during our daily life, such as waiting for a bus in a noisy street, can be more challenging. Our daily activities are more complex and composed of rapidly changing sub-activities with a large variety of sensory data such as sounds, sights, scents, and tastes.

One of the best ways to meet this challenge is to slow down and notice the sub-activities within each activity sequence. While making tea for example, you can notice how you open the cupboard, take out a cup, choose a tea bag, boil water, etc. We are then able to see the exact moment that each sub-activity stops and the next one starts. This is in fact a common practice with normal breathing meditation, where the meditator notices and pauses between each breath.

When you think about it, we rarely stop in our daily lives with today’s growing addiction to be chronically busy. It often feels as if we are on a continuous marathon run, especially at work. Email after email flood into our inbox with never ending tasks, demands, and short deadlines. We finish a project and there’s immediately a new one on the horizon.

The idea of “being present” is familiar to most of us, but it usually remains just an idea. We have to practice it repeatedly, and on a daily basis until it becomes natural and second nature to us. And so I did.

Experiments in being Sensual

For a few minutes a day I practiced awareness with some of my mundane daily activities and they slowly started to become increasingly enjoyable. From making tea to getting to the toilet I was able to relax quickly and give my thinking mind a brief vacation.

My favorite practices are usually conducted during the early morning hours, starting the day with a pleasantly warm shower. I turn the water on, close my eyes, and start focusing on pure sensations. The water hits me as an explosion of vitality and I feel my skin coming alive under the warm water. I stay connected with the present moment and let thoughts go by like clouds in a windy sky. I smell the fresh, clean scent of the soap as I wash my body clean, and listen to the sound of running water, feeling its inviting texture. “What a luxury to be able to enjoy hot water on demand” I sometimes think to myself as I turn the water off.

Another favorite morning practice of mine concerns food. “When eating, just eat” said the Buddha, and his words of wisdom often rise in my mind while having breakfast. By eating consciously and focusing on the food, rather than the laptop screen for example, we’re likely to be able to taste and smell food better. We’re also likely to eat less and healthier. It’s quite striking how much food we can eat without even being aware of it.

The next time you eat, try to eat slowly and taste every single bite. Feel the moment of contact, register the taste while chewing and don’t swallow until your food is completely broken down. Finally, make sure you breathe in and pause before you lift your fork again. If you also take smaller bites each time, you’ll find your stomach is more settled and ready for digestion.

It’s often useful to mentally say phrases such as “Breath deeply”, “Let go”, “Be sensual”. They can act like a trigger and help us to focus on one activity at a time. I find it most useful while focusing on my breath, saying words such as “let go” as I breath out. I feel the breath gradually soften and enjoy the gentle flow of the breath as it massages me from the inside. Breathing consciously is probably the fastest way to relax and become more sensual.

Final Words

Most of us, including myself, do not want to escape to a meditative world in order to experience the beauty of life, but instead, prefer to experience it here and now, in the physical world. A secluded, celibate lifestyle is recommended by many Eastern spiritual traditions, but I personally feel that by taking this route we experience the world only partly.

We’ve been given a body and a world full of form that is to be explored and discovered, so why not use it to the fullest?

While I’m continually inspired by Eastern traditions, they tend to idealize the stillness part (withdrawing from the world) over awareness (understanding the world). I don’t want to practice like a Monk, sitting with my eyes closed for hours, reaching blissfulness only through meditation and spirituality. I tried it once during my Vipassana experience, and while it was worthwhile, I wouldn’t like to continue with it.

I want to make my body strong and flexible, able to dance, surf, kickbox, or climb. I want to passionately admire and celebrate my partner’s female body. I want to taste the fruity remnant of the wine, or to experience the intense sweetness of chocolate on the back of my mouth. And I want to do all of that while completely immersed in the experience of the moment and fully sensing the world around me.

I truly believe that short moments of relaxed awareness, repeated regularly throughout the day, are more valuable than relaxing deeply for a long time just once. It fits our fast paced world more efficiently and can keep us more balanced in the midst of life’s feverish pace. I prefer not to escape to stress-free surroundings for experiencing bliss but instead to practice it, experience it and live it in my normal day-to-day life.

Amen.