Where our True Passion Lies and how to work towards Passionate Success

When I talk to people about finding their dream job, I first ask "What are you really passionate about?"

Usually they would respond with a great answer, but it trails a certain "I shouldn't say this" kind of tone. They've been conditioned to believe that their dreams are only just that.

Held by fear, sustained by "Reality". Here's Reality. What's your Passion? What drives you? If you would wake up one day and realize that you would get paid to do your Passion on a day to day basis how would you feel? Imagine a day in the life of your Dream Job.

The trick of turning that Dream Job into Reality Job is to set a plan. Like I heard once in a seminar (I apologize for not remembering who said this): "A Dream without a Plan is a Wish".

Set a plan. What's your Goal? Work from Z-A, not A-Z. Set the title of what you want in Life, and work the steps backward. Then look at step A and begin. Now. Make little steps so later you will look back and realize you've made great advancements with daily success as your motivation.

If you need help forming a plan, myself as a Life/Wellness Coach can guide you to solutions for your personal and professional goals. I'm only a comment/email/message away.

So how do you work towards Passionate Success? First, set up your plan. Then, actually do it. Don't "Try"
...Well, I'm trying to get this, or trying to achieve that, etc. Just start doing it. If you make a mistake, so what? You're not the only person in this world who has made a mistake.

Start today. Start Now.

Play Button...you willing to Push it?

Everyday is a Physical/Mental/Spiritual challenge to workout and make the time for my Fitness.

Some days are easier to hit that Play Button, and other days when Life happens it gets really really tempting to avoid that Play button for later, sometimes never (until tomorrow, next few days, and the spiral continues)

...you have to ask yourself though, Who are you playing the Button for?

- If for yourself alone, it is not enough.
- If for a certain event in time, it is not enough.
- If for a certain number or achievement of weight/life goals, you are on the right track.

...best reason though, is deciding that Play Button is for someone else. Family, Friends, Spouse/Partner, Loved ones, future Children, etc.

The more you make that Play Button about pushing yourself for more time/energy with loved ones and more experiences with them, those days you want to avoid pushing the Button will call to action the reasons of Why you decided to start in the first place.


~Keep pushing Play~

Take time for you

Short, sweet - take time for You.


yes, shut off the phone/tv/computer/noise from the world and sit ---- in silence.

Breathe and focus just on your breath.

Don't fret about what you're going to have to do today, tomorrow, next week - AAAHH!! Shut those thoughts off and focus on you.

How long? At least 10-15 minutes a day. Silence the world around you so you can hone and focus in on yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised how calm you become by doing this simple thing.

Your Worst Enemy

Your ultimate worst enemy, the one that always gets in your way, stops your dreams, goals, etc., is Doubt and Fear. Namely, parts of you stemmed from your ego.

Those voices inside of your head that puts doubt/fear into a plan that could be great for you. When you have the thought of "That would be a great idea!" "I think this will work", they say, "Are you sure? It will be hard", "It's too tough", "You don't have the time", etc. There is a huge laundry list of things the ego says to stop you from your dreams/goals/aspirations.

Those voices kept me in control until I finally stopped listening to the doubt/fear and started investing in myself: fitness, working out, eating right, and knowing that the results were not coming from a magic pill but a sure-fire process/program that was completed through hard work. I started at 225 pounds, and through the hard work I put in (and continually do), I lost 62 pounds and am in the best shape in my life.

P90X, Shakeology, and always thinking of what I'm going to eat was the way for me. Yeah, the workouts are long, but before my transformation I found myself spending an hour or more playing games, watching tv, etc. I still enjoy those things, but now at a more controlled, less addictive kind of way.


Now that I have the energy/body that I truly appreciate, I find it easier going on long walks with my dog, doing 5k's with my wife, spending more time at home, and overall having that "can-do" attitude - those voices do not control me anymore.

Being a Fitness/Wellness Coach now I enjoy helping those that want to achieve their own fitness goals. Those that tell me that they achieved their goals thanks to my help, motivation, and willingness to push them  is the best feeling. Fitness and Music are my two big passions, and I love every day working with those aspects.

I invite those out there that want to get REAL results to reach out to me by either message, email, or by comments below.
 
Brandon Shostak is my name - if you Google Search me you'll most likely come across my profiles.

Yes, it's scary to ask for help - but if you really want those results you've been looking for, if you want that energy to keep up with your kids/friends/family, if you want to look in the mirror like I did and when you are finished with a workout/program you say to yourself, "I did it" -- all you need to do is ask.

"You + Choice + Behavior + Habit + Compounded = Goals" - Darren Hardy

Keep pushing Play,
Brandon S.

Fueling your body right

Hey all -
Simple post: fuel your body in the right way.

-Stay away from sugar! Things that are labeled "fat-free" usually doesn't help; the sugar is still in there.

If you'd like to read a load of reasons why sugar is not good for you, check out this article:

http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/

...now I want to put out there I don't 100%, fully support each statement; take it for what you will. All I know is that we all need to cut down on our sugar intake - it's really addictive, hard to get off the habit, but let me tell you - you will be better for it. Your body will thank you.

Eating right doesn't have to be crunching the numbers, always counting calories/fat/carb/protein/etc...it's bound to make you go insane! Plus if you start that radically rather than having a small, successful approach to it you'll find yourself falling out of it.

Tony Horton puts it as: look at your plate. If your great-great-great-great Grandmother could name the items, you're on your way.


Veggies, fruits, lean proteins (salmon, chicken, fish). It might seem daunting to change your eating habits but there are simple ways to make this food taste great - it just takes some discipline and setting up a plan that will work for you.

My routine is this: Oatmeal/something moderately high in protein for Breakfast, Lunch is usually my Shakeology, Supper is either a salad or something light.

Eat more frequent, less portions. I would say I eat 4-5 meals a day and my energy is through the roof! (Most days without coffee too).

Shakeology is my go-to meal :). It's a meal replacement shake with over 70 natural ingredients from around the world. Super-foods are slung through this rocker of a shake, and the combinations of flavors/recipes you can make are mind-boggling.

So, keep nutrition simple people! Don't overwork yourself in crazy-calorie-counting; I tried it, I went nuts!

Salads, Shakeology, and healthy snacks - I know it works for me, and I like to tell my workout peeps this:

Exercise is spelled - W-O-R-K-O-U-T
Fitness is spelled - N-U-T-R-I-T-I-O-N

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/healthy-eating-overview

20% is how you move/workout, 80% what you eat. 

Keep pushing Play,
Stakman (Brandon S.)

Takeaway Notebook

Hey all -
Been reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and let me tell you - GREAT TAKE-AWAYS!

What is a takeaway? A snip-it of great ideas/tips/quotes/thoughts/etc that you take away from the reading. Not only do I highlight these, but I have an on-going notebook of all of my takeaways. It's a nice reminder to keep them fresh, and in different places, because the book might be stored away, but if you have it all written down you have a great collection of quotes/thoughts/tips/etc at your fingertips.

Today's take away is from that book, talking about influences in your life - having your own Board of Advisors on areas in life you want to improve on - and asking them to be mentors in those fields for you.

The great thing is, a mentor doesn't have to be in physical form - it can be in DVD/Audiobook/CD/Podcasts/you name it!

If you always keep in mind your top 5 people you associate with you can have a great advantage or a poor disadvantage at how you approach life.

Think of your top 5 - who do you need to remove? Add? Limit your association with?

Tough choices will have to be made, yes, but it's all worth it - the real tough decision is that question: are you willing to make the tough choices for the success you want?

While reviewing this post - I also venture on Youtube, so set my day right :) - I found a Great TED Talk by  Eduardo Briceno talking about the Power of Belief: check it out:

Make this day about growth, seeking out your own Board of Advisors, and always keeping that Growth Mindset.


Keep pushing Play,
Stakman
(Brandon Shostak)

A great tip to a more Happier & Successful Life

Hey all -
Super happy this morning, not only for good sleep, but also thanks to my coffee - love that stuff :)

Just wanted to post this message because it might seem suitable for some people out there.

A while ago I knew something was off, and I just wasn't happy - I now realize what the missing piece was: Gratitude.

If you wake up everyday, take 10 minutes lying in bed, thinking of the people that matter most to you, silently send them some loving thoughts, review 5-10 (or more!) things that you are grateful for, you will be shocked at how your overall outlook/disposition will be.

Below is a video I found through a blog called www.rawforbeauty.com - great site - various posts about health, yoga, fitness, inspiration, and overall great posts.

 

I'm all about moving/inspirational videos, and I thought this one just fit the bill - impromptu singing :). 

Now, I know there are some people out there that will immediately say, "Fake!", and I did look into it - Carlos Whittaker has a blog (http://ragamuffinsoul.com/ if you want to check it out) , writes in a later blog about how he hasn't met up with Danny since that video, and for what it's worth, it's real to me :)

So people, wake up keeping those Gratitudes in check - you'll be amazed at how your outlook will change for the better.

Keep pushing Play - fitness, wellness, dreams :D

Stakman