I Went Homeless So You Don’t Have To

Every now and then I will do strange experiments to push my  boundaries of comfort further. Being an acrobat in the circus means that I attempt flips, handstands, and high falls to challenge my physical skills and grow as an athlete. Being an acrobat of the soul means that I challenge my values, belief systems, and automatic behaviors so that I grow as a human being.

(Watch the video interview about my experience by the Las Vegas Weekly now.)

Last December, on a chilly winter day, I decided to challenge a deeply rooted fear I had by spending 24 hours on the street homeless. I carried no credit cards, cash, I.D., cell phone, house keys, extra jackets, tissue papers, chapstick, iPod (what else do you usually leave the house with?)

I set off in the direction of downtown, carried by my own two feet, dressed in a tattered sweats, to challenge a fear (read: belief) that my failure as a businessman would lead to me being homeless.

I believed the equation: financial failure = homelessness. Do you believe this too?

I did and I needed to confront it. I chose to experience homelessness for 24 hours. Here are the highlights:
•    you can’t thumb a ride in Las Vegas if you look like a bum
•    panhandling is one of the most difficult things to do
•    I’m not a good panhandler; I made $2 in 24 hours
•    nothing costs less than a dollar, except for bananas at 7-11
•    it gets cold at night, even in Las Vegas
•    misery likes company – I never realized how many homeless people there are
•    people look at you with hate in their eyes when you beg
I literally walked for 12 of the 24 hours because no one would pick me up and I had no money for the bus. I also got kicked out of a public library, so sitting down in a quiet, warm place was not an option.

I ended up walking to the worst part of Las Vegas, the hidden, swept-under-the-rug part called “Tent Village” because of all the bums living in tents on the side of the road.

(Watch the video interview about my experience by the Las Vegas Weekly now.)

There I encountered hundreds of homeless men milling about, exchanging words about where to get the next meal, who’s handing out free socks, how many nights the local shelter lets you stay, and the best places to bum for money.

When I bumped into another group of men, the conversation was the same. Another group, same conversation.

That’s when it struck me.

I can never be homeless.

I don’t say that with an arrogant or pretentious intention. I say it because I simply don’t talk like a homeless person which is to say I don’t think like a homeless person.

And that was the kernel of wisdom of my exploration into my fear of financial failure. I realized that though I could fail in business, I could never become homeless. I just don’t have the belief that I would end up on the streets.

I do speak like a professional acrobat. While others are scared about heights, rapidly moving vehicles, and fire, I get enthused and excited.

I do speak like a professional marketer. While others are lamenting about the economy, I talk about new online marketing techniques, social networking, blogging, and computer technology.

But…

I don’t speak like a millionaire entrepreneur. While millionaires are busy talking about their next deal, strategizing on new partnerships, and planning an investment, I talk about covering my mortgage, putting gas in my car, and the 3 for 1 special on avocados at the store. I spend too much time talking like an average income producer.

What do you talk about?

Here are the 3 things you can do to benefit from my experience on the streets:

1. Write down everything you say in 1 day.
2. Listen to the conversations or language of someone you want to emulate (a business person, a great athlete, a professional speaker)
3. Have a conversation with a homeless person and listen to his dialogue.

If you notice, all these activities are simply about building awareness, since awareness is the main catalyst for change.
(Watch the video interview about my experience by the Las Vegas Weekly now.)

***
I would love to hear from you. I always respond to every email I receive personally, so this is what I want to learn from you:

What is one fear you’ve overcome and HOW did you do it?

No Shoes For A Stranger

This is once of my favorite excerpts from my book, The Art of Impossible. It’s a lesson on staying humble, changing perceptions, and being open to miracles in the most unexpected places. Enjoy!

No Shoes For A Stranger

1996. I am in beautiful Brazil. 40 degrees Celsius. I am sweating my entire body weight. 20 kids. I am teaching circus to a group of underprivileged youth under a makeshift big top. I thought I was there to share my enlightened wisdom of a North American professional performer. Actually I was there to have one of the most humbling learning experiences of my life.

Round-off, back handspring, back tuck. Again. And again. This is the routine that the kids are practicing. There is a dilapidated stretch of foam, 15 feet long, 3 feet wide, that separates the thudding impact of the kids’ bare feet from the packed concrete floor. It is hardly worth calling a tumbling mat, but the kids don’t seem to mind. The environment is enthusiastic. They are laughing, joking with each other, challenging one another to flip a little higher, a little faster, with a little more style.

I am teaching with my whole heart. There is nothing more inspiring than watching youth absorb themselves in the passion of creating a world of athletic artistry, with nothing more than a round concrete slab for the circus ring and pieces of wood and tape for juggling clubs. Here, under the tarnished blue and white chapiteau, dreams gather momentum, hardships forgotten, and kinships tightened. We are the circus of no time, no place, with no cares in the world except to let our hearts sing with the challenge of pushing ourselves joyfully to the edge.

I am fully absorbed in spotting a teenager execute a back flip when the head coach tells us that he needs the space for a new class and that we have to vacate the big top. Where to, I ask? We had the choice between hard concrete (at least it was shaded) and the dusty, gravel-filled grounds of the surrounding park (not shaded). The head coach shrugs. I’m on my own.

We file out from the cool protection of the chapiteau into the blazing Brazilian sun. The ground is littered with tiny rocks, broken glass, and pointy acorns that have fallen from surrounding trees. This is no runway for acrobats, let alone kids without shoes.

No sooner do I complete a hopeless evaluation of the new training grounds when I see the kids catapulting themselves into flips and handsprings. Not glass, rocks, or dust could stop them. There was no lack of enthusiasm either. It was as if any place could be their kingdom, their empire.
One of the kids calls to me. He asks me to show them that flip I do, the one that everyone wants to learn. It’s my favorite move, maybe because it’s the one I learned without almost trying, and the one that I’ve done in every show. I do a cartwheel and spring up sideways, rotate grabbing my knees and land like a cat. They want me to show them. I say yes.

That’s when I realize that I am the only one with shoes on. Not just any kind of sneaker – I am wearing the specialized athletic shoe that you get in North America at elite training stores for eighty bucks a pop. They’re worn-in and dusty, but light as a feather with that cool, flighty bounce that fires me skyward. I look down at my sleek Asics. I look over at their bare feet. A wave of embarrassment washes over me.

I am lucky to be born in North America. I have had the best in every respect – never been homeless, never been without clothes on my back, never been faced with begging for my next meal. It is a precious reality that is fabricated like a delicate veil that covers our daily perceptions of life. It is also a veil that can be easily pierced to reveal the deep, wounded scars of humanity. And at that moment, the full pain of countless suppressed societies floods my senses and moves me in inexplicable ways. At that moment, I realize that my good fortune in life is not a treasure to be stowed away, but to be shared and given away at every opportunity.

The kids are calling on me still. They are relentless, the way teenagers are. I look down again at my comfortable trainers, then over to their hardened, bare soles. In a robotic, dreamy way, I reach down and remove my shoes. I don’t know how the rocks are going to feel against my tender, fleshy under-pads, spoiled by years of cushioned air shocks and lycra-enhanced athletic socks. All I can do is to save my dignity and hope that I land on my feet without showing too much pain.

I ready myself for the flip. I don’t think that even the pressure of performing in a show has ever made me this nervous for a routine. I take a breath. I look for patches without rocks, glass, or acorns. There aren’t any. It doesn’t matter – I am this far, naked without my classy Asics. I throw myself into my tumbling sequence.

Five seconds later it is over. The kids cheer, happy to see the cool side-flip. I look down a last time, wondering if I will need tetanus shots to counter the gaping wounds on the bottom of my feet. But there is no blood, no trail of red along the dirt. Only a few scratches grace my skin, with the sting of landing just a little too hard on the packed gravel. I am okay, but my concept of reality has taken a beating.

I learn that day that I am not there to teach them. That day I am there to learn from them. I learn that their passion is boundless and not restricted by a few rocks or broken beer bottles. Their love for life is not held back by the symbols of poverty – being shoeless and shirtless – but exists without consideration for what they have or what they do. They simply exude generosity, even when we might think they have nothing to be grateful for. That day I learn that gratitude has nothing to do with what you have, and everything to do with what you give.

Personal Development and Law of Attraction Carnival 2nd Edition

Thank you to all the bloggers for your amazing submissions. I’ve learned so much from reading about your stories, absorbing your wisdom, and connecting with the blogging community on inspiring others to better and more fulfilling lifestyles. For my regular readers, you’ll find a wealth of information to catapult you to your next step.

-Alvin

Luciano Easley presents 7 Essential Free Web Apps for Student Athletes posted at sports management colleges.

MoneyNing presents How to Succeed by Failing Fast posted at Money Ning.

Tod presents Strive for More or Be Satisfied Where You Are? posted at A Blog by Tod.

Wally Bock presents The Bad Boyfriend/Girlfriend Job posted at Momentor.

Steven Handel presents How To Think Less And Do More: Turning Life Into Flow posted at The Emotion Machine.

Wendy Blue presents Open.edu: Top 50 University Open Courseware Collections posted at online university rankings 2010.

Dawneright presents A New Kind of Strong – Discipline posted at Bashing Perfect.

Gordon Rosado presents What Exactly Is a BSN and Why pick it As a Degree Choice? posted at RN To BSN Program.

Jennifer Meyer presents Top 50 Biblical History Blogs posted at Accredited Online Bible

Eadwine Walter presents How to: Get a Massage for Cheap (or Even Free) posted at Masters in Physical Therapy.

Faizal Nisar presents What is Positive Thinking? posted at Be Truly Happy.

RagsToRich presents Becoming intensely driven – 3 traps to avoid when fuelling your goals posted at The Real Mind.

Wallet Blogger presents 5 Free Online Calendars and Personal Planners To Organize Your Life posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Basil Hager presents 7 Web Apps to Find a Better Hotel Deal posted at Hospitality Management Colleges.

Richard Shelmerdine presents 7 Tips To Deal With Someones Ego posted at Richard Shelmerdine.

Digerati Life presents Stop Worrying About How You Got Into Debt and Start Focusing On How To Get Out posted at The Digerati Life.

Alan Crosby presents 7 Essential Free Web Apps for Career Management posted at Online Career Schools.

Dan Stelter presents Creating a Purpose Driven Life posted at Anxiety Support Network.

Vincent presents Do You Make This Mistake? – Learn The Art Of Eliminating Negative Self Talk posted at HealthMoneySuccess.com.

Frank Goley presents BUSINESS SUCCESS STRATEGIES » Blog Archive » Why a Business Plan is so Important to your Business Success posted at BUSINESS SUCCESS STRATEGIES.

Aparna presents Kapalabhati Pranayam posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Aparna presents Kapalabhati Pranayam posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Baily Hayden presents 10 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Forensic Science Career posted at Masters in Forensic Science.

Mike presents Is Law School Worth The Cost? posted at The Frugal Law Student.

Lisa Taylor presents 101 Blog Posts Every New Nurse Should Read posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Kurama Chick presents The Secret To Reaping More Rewards From Life | Kurama Magazine posted at Kurama Magazine.

Chris presents Online Masters Classes posted at Distance Learning Education Degree.

Sonia Gallagher presents Work Life Balance Results in a Fulfilled Life | Time for Life, LLC posted at Time for Life, LLC.

Danea Horn presents Affirmations That Work posted at Affirmation Blog.

Neil Uttamsingh presents Robert Kiyosaki — Friend or Foe? posted at We provide knowledge and confidence to those individuals looking to buy their first rental property.

nissim ziv presents Career Transitions: What Are Your Mental Resources? posted at Job Interview & Career Guide.

Mike King presents 100 Ways to Serve Others posted at Learn This.

Covert Hypnotist presents What Hypnosis is NOT! posted at Conversational and Covert Hypnosis Blog.

amdin presents How to Shape your Life by Habit Creation posted at Personal Development for Serious Achievers.

michaelweaver4 presents What is Your Art? The Real You. posted at Find Inspiration Today l� Find Inspiration & Personal Development Today.

Maureen Fitzsimmons presents Top 50 Ecumenical Blogs posted at bible college.

Myles presents The friend who doesn’t want to try new things. posted at Abunai means Dangerous..

Steven presents Review: 100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life posted at The Emotion Machine.

Richard Shelmerdine presents Lessons From a Month of Meditation posted at

Dan Stelter presents What Are Boundaries? posted at Anxiety Support Network.

Frank Goley presents Small Business Finance: Equity, Debt, Cash Flow and IPO posted at Business Success Strategies by ABC Business Consulting.

Faizal Nisar presents 10 Benefits of Positive Thinking posted at Be Truly Happy – Self Improvement.

MoneyNing presents No One Became Wealthy Worrying for Others posted at Money Ning.

Anya presents Cold Calling Blues? posted at Gavin Ingham.

Jackie Powell presents Honest Fear posted at eskyoo.

Anmol Mehta presents Best Yoga for Weight Loss – Complete with Illustrated Yoga Poses and Exercises posted at Free Online Yoga and Meditation Center.

Katie Freeman presents 25 Free iPhone Applications to Help You Stay Healthy posted at Masters in Health Care.

Vincent presents 5 Personal Finance Lessons I Had Picked Up From Warren Buffett That Can Help You Grow Your Wealth and Be Rich posted at HealthMoneySuccess.com.

Joy Sears presents 10 Famous Managers Who Changed the World posted at Master in Management.

Thailand Breeze presents Learning To Trust posted at axel g.

Stephen Martile presents Feeling Overwhelmed? Try This! | Learn the Power of Your Subconscious Mind posted at FreedomEducation.ca by Stephen Martile.

Bert Meert presents The Past Inside Your Present posted at Life, Blogging and The Pursuit of Personal Growth.

Frank Goley presents Strategic Planning for Business Success posted at Business Success Strategies.

Kristie Lewis presents Beyond CliffsNotes: 100 Free & Useful Tools for When Time’s Running Out posted at Online Colleges.org.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Valiant Guy’s Guide To Valentine’s Day posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Kenrick Chatman presents How to Identify Your Targeted Companies’ Challenges posted at Career Catalyst.

terrence jackson presents HGH supplements posted at HGH supplements.

Byteful Travel presents Create with Passion or DIE posted at Byteful Travel.

Alan H. Wayler, PhD presents Can We Force People to Be Healthy? posted at A WeightLifted.

Beth Bargis presents Creating a Check In Jar posted at My Simpler Life – Simple Living.

Marnie Doyle presents How to Find Your Life’s Passion posted at S.O.S. Your Life–Simplify. Organize. Streamline..

Kristin Conroy presents It’s Affirmative…Affirmations Are Powerful! posted at Words Are Food.

Best Way to Keep Commitments (the Jackie Chan Story)

If you lose focus easily or are not able to fulfill your commitments, there is no shortage of products or systems you can buy to help you stay on track. There are fancy organizers, elaborate goal setting worksheets, and complex computer software. I think they’re mostly junk. Here is what I consider the cheapest, most effective way to stay on track, or in other words, to stay accountable.

3 Motivators

When I am performing on stage, I am motivated by three things: one, to deliver my best performance as an artist, two, to avoid getting injured both physically and emotionally, and three, to impress and wow the audience.

Of the three, the most powerful motivator is to impress the audience. Why?

If I deliver a great performance and no one is there to see it, the performance is self-defeating. No one gets a chance to enjoy it.

If I execute a move and get injured, but no one is there to witness it – the injury is just another injury. There’s less motivation in avoiding injury when no one’s around. That’s why you trip on the sidewalk walking by yourself and fumble on the stairs alone at home.

However, when there’s an audience watching your every step, you want to give a great show, and avoid injuries. Injuries also hurt emotionally when there’s a crowd because of the feeling of humiliation.

Jackie Chan Was Here (Sort Of)

There’s one other factor that influences your ability to be accountable, or to deliver on your commitments. It’s how much the audience means to you. My level of commitment wavers (even though you think it shouldn’t) depending on who’s in the seats. If it’s a crowd of free-loaders who got cheap tickets at the discount kiosque, I perform at a slightly reduced level. If it’s somebody famous or meaningful to me, I’ll put on my best.

One evening, when I was performing in Cirque du Soleil’s KA, a cast member backstage said that Jackie Chan was in the house. If you know Jackie Chan from his movies, you’ll also know that he is one of the biggest stunt-martial artists in history, with films spanning three decades. His name is off the charts.

When I heard he was said to be in the audience, I went crazy with my performance, as did half the cast. We added extra twists, jumped a little higher, and played our characters just a little meaner. We were on fire.

Then we found out it was just a rumor and Jackie Chan was never actually there. The powerful realization is that just the mere thought of Jackie Chan in the audience solicited one of my best performances ever. If only he were in the house…

How to Keep Any Commitment

Here are the 3 best rules to keep your commitments:

1. Choose only the people you would never want to admit your failure or laziness to.
2. Choose at least 10 people to be your Accountability Masters – I’ve never felt terribly motivated to perform for groups of less than 10. You can run from one, two, or even five people, but you can’t hide from ten.
3. Choose the people who will be as strict and as demanding as a paying audience would. Don’t choose a soft friend who will forgive you at every turn.

My Real Life Application

Although I learned the value of accountability from my performing career, I discovered the power of selecting Accountability Masters from my mentor, Raymond Aaron. Raymond is my mentor and my metaphoric “audience” in business and finance. He keeps me on my goals. He’s also someone I highly admire, respect, and honor in his wisdom and lessons. Not only does he teach well, but he walks his talk.

When I finished performing in KA several years ago, my life switched very quickly from being a full time (and paid bi-weekly) circus artist to being an entrepreneur. I was faced with the question of how to pay my bills, pay my rent, and then also pay for an upcoming wedding.

As a new entrepreneur, I made many mistakes, such as investing in useless Internet gimmicks, so-called expert resources, and spent too much money on frivolous things like eating at restaurants and signing up for monthly services which I never used. (How many of those do you have?)

I quickly found myself in debt. After getting married and stumbling through my first year as an entrepreneur, I was $16,000 in debt.

To some it may be nothing. To others it may be the end of the world. For me, it was somewhere in between. I was drained by the idea of debt, deflated that my first year as a businessman didn’t produce pots of gold, and clueless as to how to eradicate the debt and move on.

Raymond Aaron’s (My Mentor) Advice

It was then that I followed Raymond’s advice and applied the power of accountability to pay off my debt.

The first step was to choose my Accountability Masters, who I called “Debt Masters”. You can call them anything you want that is appropriate for your goals. I have a new set of masters who I now call “Wealth Masters”.

The second step was to make sure I found 10 masters.

And the third step was to make sure they had the power over me to keep me accountable, so I chose people I would never have wanted to admit my debt to.

Like my in-laws.

And my parents.

And my best friends.

And… my mentor. Ouch, this was hard. I knew Raymond was going to keep me in line.

These people were all difficult choices. I squirmed in humiliation and embarrassment when I called each one of them to ask them to perform this duty for me. I expected rebuttals, stern consternation, and an “I-told-you-so” response.

In fact what I discovered is that every single one of my Debt Masters was receptive and encouraging of my goals. No one belittled me, tried to embarrass me, or thought less of me. It was a liberating act to tell the ones I love the most that I was in trouble financially, and it was ever so empowering to discover that the courage of being vulnerable was rewarded with love.

As soon as I followed Raymond’s program called “The Debt Crusher”, my debt began to decrease monthly. Not a month went by after I started that my debt increased, and most months it dropped significantly. Now, I live absolutely debt free. The most significant part is that I developed the skills to 1) make money when I need to and 2) reduce and eliminate debt quickly.

None of these results would have happened without my Accountability Masters. I followed Raymond’s Debt Crusher to the letter, and the results were solid.

What Next?

I followed a very specific protocol of steps with Raymond’s Debt Crusher, which I will see if I am at liberty to pass on to you in the next blog. Stay tuned.

-Alvin.

Latest Post On Personal Development and Law of Attraction Site

If you enjoyed my last post, you can now find it at a resource rich personal development site at: http://richgrad.com/personal-development-and-law-of-attraction-carnival-1st-edition/

My next post will be part two of “How to Make Lasting 2010 Resolutions” and will detail how to use accountability to make you stick to your goals.

How To Make Lasting 2010 Resolutions

You may be familiar with the usual rush of New Year’s resolutions. January is filled with new promises – vows to be thinner, stronger, smarter, wealthier, happier, healthier. You may have experienced the exhilarating euphoria of making new commitments, feeling an inner renaissance of mind and body, the pristine promise land of a second chance for a better this or a faster that. You may have also noticed the roller coaster drop in motivation that happens when the excitement dies, the holiday spirit fades, and the bitter winter sets in. Why is it so hard to stay committed to our resolutions?

There are two ways to stay on track with your commitments: one, understand the root of the word resolution, and two, make yourself accountable. In this post, I’ll cover the first way.

Understand the Root of Your Resolution

In order to stick to your resolutions and stay motivated to follow through with your promises, it’s important to first understand what the word “resolution” actually means. To make a resolution is commonly interpreted as making a commitment, but the answer as to how to make the commitment and carry through with it is hidden within its root meaning. Here’s how I break it down, using the Online Etymology Dictionary:

1. SOLVE: To solve comes from the Latin root solvere meaning to  “loosen, dissolve”.
2. SOLUTION: From Latin solutionem, a loosening or unfastening.
3. RESOLUTION: From Latin resolutionem, the process of reducing things into simpler forms.

Therefore making a resolution is the act of loosening, breaking down, and simplifying.

Think about why you make resolutions in the first place: to overcome an existing challenge or manifest a currently non-existent circumstance. Either process is about breaking down components to its most fundamental elements. Challenges are best met with a relaxed state of mind, a calm center, and by using the minimal energy required to execute the task.

When I first learned how to do a standing back flip I injected the same amount of energy into the movement as I would have needed for a 400-meter sprint. Every muscle was tense – while my quadriceps pushed massively upwards to launch my body skywards, my hamstrings contracted in response and pulled against my push. Despite my best efforts my initial flips were laborious, rotated slowly, and required much force.

Now, I put the same amount of energy into a back flip as I would doing a simple squat jump. The solution to my hasty, heavy, hindered flips were to resolve my tension – to dissolve, break down, loosen.

When I am relaxed, focused on applying only the energy necessary by understanding what muscles are required, I can be loose, agile, and flexible. I overcome the challenge by finding a solution, or dissolving the barrier.

How to Make A Lasting Resolution

Since the act of making a resolution is the act of breaking down and simplifying, ask where areas of tension or blockages exist in your life. These are good starting points to construct your strategy to resolve them. Commonly, people make the error of saying things like:

• I will lose 30 pounds this year.
• I will make an additional $20,000 this year.
• I will get a job promotion.
• I will take a 4 week vacation.

If you read these statements out loud, you’ll notice they are missing two elements: relaxation and joy. Without these qualities in the statements, you would be setting yourself up for an arduous battle, constantly fighting the circumstances, wondering why things don’t turn out the way you want them to. There is a better way. Back to the dictionary:

1. RESOLVE: To loosen, dissolve. Also means “determination”, usage first recorded in 1592.
2. DETERMINE: From Latin determinare, to set limits to, and from terminare, to mark the end of, boundary.

If we combine the original meanings of the words “resolution” and “determination (originating from resolve)”, we discover a very interesting interpretation for your New Year’s resolutions.

RESOLUTION: To limit tension, tightness, and blockages by loosening, dissolving, and simplifying.

So, rather than adopt a forceful attitude to get things done right this year, try the opposite approach of relaxing, flowing, and letting events occur naturally. This is against society’s highly rewarded type A individuals, contrary to the attitude that “hard work” is the answer to everything.

Resolution is therefore an act of limiting stress, or the assertive attitude that you will not allow disharmony and complication into your life. Your conscious choice is a path of simplification, dissolution and the active refusal of anything that unfavorably brings about tension.

The interesting conclusion is that resolution is not even a thing you do (lose 30 pounds, run a marathon, spend more time with the kids) but a state of mind from which you execute your actions.

In Shape And Being Healthy

There’s a big difference between being in shape and being healthy. You can be healthy but not be in shape, and you can be in shape but not be in good health. When I was training for the circus I was in great shape. I was a lean 165 pounds, ripped to the core, training 8 to 10 hours a day. I’d start the morning with handstands and finish the day doing chin ups. Three times a week I would train MMA style at the local fighter’s gym and teach self-defense at night. This went on for four years.

But I was not healthy, despite my fit appearance, acrobatic agility, and intense physical lifestyle. I’d start the morning with a chocolate muffin and milk and finish the day eating instant Ramen noodles. Most of the week I was in pain – a rotating kind – where each day the suffering would migrate to a new part of the body. I had severe back issues for most of my second year in training, sprained ankles for most of my third, and uncountable cuts, bruises, bumps, and scars for the entire duration. I fought the flu at least 2 to 3 times a year. I ate randomly, whenever I wanted, and almost always the food contained sugar and white flour. I slept late, woke early, trained hard, and slept late again.

The outside projected pristine health – the glowing physical prowess of an athlete in training, full of youth, well-oiled body parts, and a fully revved engine. I was hitting red line RPMs with a smile on my face and eagerness in my heart. The totality of training was a way of being extreme, young, and fully alive.

I was definitely in shape but not healthy. Slowly, my body was falling apart. This youthful race car was starting to hiccup and limp to the finish line. By the time I completed my training I was strong, skilled – and injured. My grand denouement or final act at the circus school was a pulled rib cartilage that rendered me incapable of even sitting up on my own. I was condemned to four weeks of shallow breathing, slow walking, and much time to reflect.

There was a gradual dawning that although I could make the packaging look good, the contents inside were rotting. I needed to invest in better foods, wiser training habits, and more sleep. Health was an elusive benefit that not even a professional acrobat was privy too. You had to work for health too.

Although today I may not be doing the same number of flips, jumps, and spins as I did during my training, I consider my current state as one of the healthiest ever. I am mostly without pain, with the exception of the occasional intense workout. I eat well and allow myself to be indulgent when I want to be. When I’ve had enough of Thanksgiving turkey, apple pie, and cider beer, my body tells me and I naturally bounce back to eating fresh, organic foods again. My body knows health, and is attracted to it.

I’m not at my performance weight but not far from it. I train when my body feels like moving – which is almost every day, but not always. I sit and watch Friends reruns and then get up and hike in the desert. The definition of health has changed for me over the years and it is by far the healthiest yet.

I used to never drink, fast for days, do week long herbal cleanses, and exercise religiously. It was a regiment of to do’s to align myself with what I thought was true health. I felt great for a while, but in the end, lost the rhythm of the cleanse, changed exercise programs, and gravitated to a new type of fast. It wasn’t consistent.

My current understanding of true health is the ability to carefully listen to the needs of your body and act upon them. Over-training is as dangerous as not moving at all. Severe diets, cleanses, and fasts can be as detrimental as junk food for breakfast everyday. There is only one book that can give you the recipe for greater health, and that book is written by you.

To drink in consciousness, to eat ice cream in consciousness, and to watch football in consciousness is a greater sign of health than exercising because a sheet of paper, handed to you by your trainer, tells you to do so. Developing consciousness is the greatest catalyst for developing sustainable and natural health, because you already know what you need. All you have to do is listen for it, and then act upon it.

How to Choose Your Passion

Consider this: Do you ever get bored of reading the same books over and over again and not getting results? Are you fed up with experts telling you that there are 12 steps to success? Do you feel unfulfilled when you’ve finally done it all, and come home to an empty house?

Now read on.

I have a constant supply of books in my house that I like to read and re-read from time to time. Recently I scanned over my collection (my library, which happens to be the bathroom) and didn’t see anything I liked anymore. There’s an eclectic collection of business books, personal development, and spiritual matters. None of them, but one, caught my eye.

That one book is a free atlas of North America I got when I signed up for auto insurance at State Farm. It’s one of those big trucker atlases you get when your road trip really gets down to business.

It occurred to me that I like looking at maps because it makes me wonder what this new city, mountain range, ocean, stretch of road, looks like. I imagine.

It occurred to me that I like to travel to places to see new people, meet old friends, get away with my lover, relax, party, relax, improvise. I flow.

It then occurred to me that I don’t travel in a straight line, that I don’t visit city A, then B, then C and so on. I don’t aim for a goal, hit it, then run off the next destination. It’s more organic, winding, and full of discovery. I listen.

Having been a circus artist for 15 years, I am very good at traveling. I KNOW travel. I can flow on a trip, change course at anytime, visit any place, any country, meet anyone, and have a great time. I never feel like I’ve wasted my miles.

I love maps. It makes me want to explore. Think about how you feel when you are about to go on a trip.

The way you choose your passion is the same way you choose your trip. I am moving away from anything that promises a 3, 5, or 12 step process because becoming a businessman, circus artist, web designer, or building an Ironman suit (my personal goal) isn’t about steps. Or at least, that’s the most minor of focuses.

The process is about creating a map of your desired destinations and visiting them to enjoy the experience and to gather knowledge. Fortunately, before I got into the circus, I never read a book called “30-Days to Successful Circus Acrobatics”. I never had the notion of linear, goal-orientated achievement in my head for the circus, so I simply went where I felt I needed or wanted to go.

It was simple. And it worked.

I ended up having an incredible career, full of doubtful twists and turns, but always resulting in more magical experiences, and totally fulfilling adventures.

Now, on to you.

When something is not working for you, it’s probably because you are hitting it with a purely linear approach. Stop being so energetically masculine, and ask yourself what you would do if your professional goals were like taking a trip. How would you develop your career then?

Perhaps it would include:
1. Bringing along friends or family
2. Visiting a nearby interesting spot
3. Packing a back pack and walking (ie. going much slower than usual)
4.Getting there, allowing yourself the right to decide you don’t like it, and change course.

Most people are confused with the question as to how they choose their passion, mostly because the question frames it in such a way that limits you to choose only ONE THING.

And in today’s popular, masculine-driven, goal-orientated, results-only culture, it seems like a good question.

But it’s not.

That’s like asking, where do you want to travel to, and only getting one city to visit.

It’s always been the wrong question. It’s not, how do you choose your passion (singular), but rather, how can you experience all that you are passionate for (all-inclusive)?

Happy travels.

***

My question to you is: what is one place you haven’t visited yet, either a geographical place (like Paris) or a metaphorical place (like becoming a doctor)?

My answers are: making a feature length inspirational documentary/story film and moving into a new solar-powered, energy-efficient home here in Las Vegas.

What’s yours?

Exercise Your Money Muscles

This morning, as I was doing an abs-stretching class at the gym, the instructor said something that struck me as profoundly true for exercise as well as any part of life. Every time you work a particular muscle group, you must then work the opposite muscle group. For example, if you are doing ab crunches, then you complete the series with back arches (where you lift your head and legs together).

If you are doing bicep curls, then your next set should be tricep extensions. Each muscle has an antagonistic pair, and they move in harmony – while one works, the other stretches. There is no one without the other – you wouldn’t be able to curl a dumbbell if you didn’t have those triceps on the back of your arms.

What struck me as fascinating is this lesson applies to all areas of your life. Think about how your operate your business or profession. We are generally seduced into thinking that working more, harder, and longer is always better. What is the antagonistic action of working? If you said “not working” you wouldn’t be quite right. Relaxing is not the opposite of business or professional activities – the ethics of the couch potato don’t save us here.

First, consider why you work. Almost everyone works to make money. If they work and don’t make money, either they are in the wrong profession, or it’s called volunteering. When you work, the defining line is being paid. So, the purpose is the make money or create wealth for yourself.

The opposite of making money is giving money or wealth away. Therefore the antagonistic “muscle” in business is practicing generosity. Does it hurt to give money, or donate to a cause? Does it hurt your pocketbook, ego, or make you wince, thinking how you could buy a new pair of jeans instead?

That’s an indication that your “giving muscle” is weak. What that implies is that your creating wealth muscles aren’t operating at full capacity. It takes both actions to balance each other out and create optimal functionality. You need the bicep to make the tricep work and vice versa.

There’s plenty of focus on the wealth creation mindset but little on its equal partner, the wealth giving mindset. Consider what you need to do to balance both muscles.

SuperCircusGuy’s 15-Foot Back Flip

This is a short video of a improvised kid’s show that we put on this summer at the Van Lodostov Circus Camp in Vermont. It’s significant because it’s the first time I did a back flip out of safety lines from this height after a serious concussion I had two years ago. That was “my impossible”.

Also, the striped tights were not my idea…

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