Some people hate quotes. They think they're cliche or weird or maybe they've just never come up with a good one so they hate them. I don't know, and it's fine, one doesn't have to love quotes, but I certainly do. Alissa often calls me the quote master, I seem to have a quote from something I've read or listened to for every situation. ("What an unoriginal loser," is probably what "they" say, whoever the hell "they" are) So today while I was eating breakfast and fist pumping in the air because it tasted so good and my music was so loud and I was so damn jacked the frick up, I thought of a quote I particularly love from Tony Robbins:
"We all get what we tolerate."
He talks about this concept using a different phrase as well saying, "Raise your standards, change your life." He also says, "Turn your shoulds into musts." They are all great quotes, and to me they all are generally talking about the same concept. My simple Central Minnesotan mind seems to like "We all get what we tolerate," the best. Like any great elementary teacher would do, let me explain this quote to you, the people of the internet, by using a real life example of this concept improving my life.
My whole life I've always been in pretty good shape, except a little period in college after I tore my ACL and I did a lot of sitting around, eating buffets, crushing keystone lights, and more sitting. But besides that I've always stayed in decent shape. A few years ago, I was in that decent shape phase, didn't look too fat but certainly had some good blubber hangin around, couldn't jog a mile without being super tired, even running from first to third in a softball game had me winded, certainly a far cry from the super good shape I was in in high school when I could be on the field for every play of a football game and not get tired. So finally I just decided, I need to get back in kick ass shape. I simply couldn't tolerate it anymore (see what I did there) and knew I could do better.
So I dedicated myself to getting back in fantastic shape, used a bunch of other quotes to help me get there, such as asking myself each day when I didn't feel like working out "Can you do the thing you don't want to do in order to get the result you want?" And eventually I was like, hot damn, I'm like in the same shape I was in when I was in high school. But here's where the tolerate and standards quotes really come in; I've set a new standard for myself in terms of physical health. Now whenever I have a week or two where I've really crushed a ton of food and maybe an extra hazy IPA or two and I'm grabbing my stomach (Alissa always asks me why I'm grabbing my stomach) to feel what kind of extra flab I have, if I don't like it at all I immediately snap back into crushing workouts the next week, eating healthier, and getting myself in the physical health that I desire.
Do you see what I'm talking about here? I simply can't tolerate getting out of shape anymore. And since we all get what we tolerate, as soon as I'm edging towards being out of shape I take action on it and get back to the results I want.
This goes for everything in our lives, and when I really examined that it wasn't always something I wanted to hear. We're living in our current residence, driving what we drive, looking like how we look, traveling as often as we travel, because we can tolerate it. When you get to a point of no longer being able to tolerate something, you take action and change it. It's that simple. Whether it's your physical conditioning or the money you're making.
Oh shit did he just say money!? The weirdly taboo subject of money that everyone is afraid to talk about yet controls our whole life. We all talk openly about our jobs, immediately ask people what they "do" for a living, but if someone ever actually says anything about a dollar amount being made, everyone freaks the hell out. We can talk about how much we spent on something, but for some reason if we mention how much we made on something it's like we just shouted in a library and everyone's looking at us like what the hell did he just say? Okay, side tangent on that is over, we'll have to cover that another time, back to the goods.
You truly make what you tolerate, what your standard is. And it's different for everyone, and what you tolerate doesn't need to be what your neighbor or sibling tolerates, but whatever you tolerate you will get. One person is just fine making $3,000/month, while another simply can't fathom tolerating that, so they take the proper action to get to$20,000/month because that's their must. And this isn't just for health or finances, it's everything in life. If you can no longer tolerate another winter in the cold midwest, you do something about it and move. If you can no longer tolerate the people you're spending time with, you find a way to get around different people. Because you're a human, and you can do something about things that no longer serve you.
The key is figuring out what you tolerate. Where are you setting your standards? What shoulds are you turning into musts? Because when you figure that out and get clear on these things, you will take the necessary action to make them happen. If you want more than you currently have, you simply need to raise your standards up to that level, make those desires your new musts, and do not tolerate another day living below the new standard you've set for yourself. Only you can decide what that looks like for you. So set that standard, and go get it.
Be Awesome.
-Tom Spaniol
"Progress equals happiness."
-Tony Robbins
Friday, March 29, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Become an Exceptional Interior Designer
Let me start by saying I can't decorate my closet, much less a house, worth shit. That is not one of my skills. I don't understand it. I certainly love being in a well thought out beautiful room or space with great feng shui, but I'm not the one matching those throw pillows with the comforter, or putting a huge weird rug in the center of the room, or whatever else it is cool people do to design cool rooms.
But, I can and will say, I'm on my way to becoming an exceptional interior designer. Not in the sense of the profession, or the person who creates a space or designs a house. I'm talking about the interior of the person. The mind.
We are all the designers of our own life. As Charles F Haanel says in The Master Key System, "Our world within creates our world without." Meaning our mind and our thoughts and what we focus on the most, create what happens in our "reality." James Allen says in As A Man Thinketh, "Mind is the master weaver, both of the interior garment of character and the outer garment of circumstances." The coolest thing about this life is that you, only you, get to decide your thoughts, your perspective, your ideas. Your environment, the people you closely surround yourself with, what you listen to, what you read, will have massive effects on your thoughts. But still, it is you, only you, who gets to decide what you focus on and believe. You get to design.
This little two word circle pictured above has really become clear to me lately in all I've read/listened to/discovered. Thoughts <--------> Environment. Your thoughts create your environment and your environment in turn creates your thoughts. It's a wonderful circle. The fantastic thing is, if you don't like either one of them at any time, you can drastically change them. By changing either one, you will begin to change the other. You don't have to move your physical address to change your environment either. A few years ago I started to drastically change what I was pouring into my mind. I started to read books like The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz, and hundreds of others like them. I started listening to Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, Mel Robbins, etc. And all on Youtube, for free! This was me changing my environment, without moving, all from Central Minnesota. With technology the way it is now you don't have to be with the people to be effected by them, you can listen to and read their ideas from anywhere in the world. Pouring all their thoughts and ideas into my mind drastically changed my thoughts, and soon my environment began to change. What an exciting and crazy circle! Better relationships began to form, awesomer adventures started to happen, I became a more valuable human, Alissa started cooking insane flavortown food, and I got healthier and in better shape. I came to the realization that I am in charge of my life. And with that, I simply became happier.
Coaches often ask their athletes, "What are you doing when no one is watching?" In this case, I think a good question is, "What are you saying to yourself when no one else is listening?" What image are you creating about yourself, to yourself? You get to choose who you believe you are. Remember what Jen Sincero said, "We're all living in our own self created illusion." Who do you want to be in your illusion? Who are you designing yourself to be? Someone who lives with limits, or is limitless? Someone who lacks, or is abundant? What you consistently tell yourself and believe about yourself in your world within, will soon show up in your world without.
It is and will always continue to be an ongoing process of designing my life. I feel like I'm only fresh out of interior design school and in my first year out in the field. But the key is that I've consciously started. We've all been thinking our whole lives, but there comes a point when you realize that you are a designer, the designer of your life. When you step into this belief that you are a powerful interior designer, that's when you start to do something about it. You design each day to align with your desires, and you create the life you're meant to live.
You have the skills, you are extremely talented, now go kick ass and design your life.
Be Awesome.
-Tom Spaniol
"It is our attitude of mind toward life which determines the experiences with which we are to meet; if we expect nothing, we shall have nothing; if we demand much, we shall receive the greater portion."
-Charles F. Haanel
But, I can and will say, I'm on my way to becoming an exceptional interior designer. Not in the sense of the profession, or the person who creates a space or designs a house. I'm talking about the interior of the person. The mind.
We are all the designers of our own life. As Charles F Haanel says in The Master Key System, "Our world within creates our world without." Meaning our mind and our thoughts and what we focus on the most, create what happens in our "reality." James Allen says in As A Man Thinketh, "Mind is the master weaver, both of the interior garment of character and the outer garment of circumstances." The coolest thing about this life is that you, only you, get to decide your thoughts, your perspective, your ideas. Your environment, the people you closely surround yourself with, what you listen to, what you read, will have massive effects on your thoughts. But still, it is you, only you, who gets to decide what you focus on and believe. You get to design.
 |
| Don't you like my artistry!? |
This little two word circle pictured above has really become clear to me lately in all I've read/listened to/discovered. Thoughts <--------> Environment. Your thoughts create your environment and your environment in turn creates your thoughts. It's a wonderful circle. The fantastic thing is, if you don't like either one of them at any time, you can drastically change them. By changing either one, you will begin to change the other. You don't have to move your physical address to change your environment either. A few years ago I started to drastically change what I was pouring into my mind. I started to read books like The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz, and hundreds of others like them. I started listening to Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, Mel Robbins, etc. And all on Youtube, for free! This was me changing my environment, without moving, all from Central Minnesota. With technology the way it is now you don't have to be with the people to be effected by them, you can listen to and read their ideas from anywhere in the world. Pouring all their thoughts and ideas into my mind drastically changed my thoughts, and soon my environment began to change. What an exciting and crazy circle! Better relationships began to form, awesomer adventures started to happen, I became a more valuable human, Alissa started cooking insane flavortown food, and I got healthier and in better shape. I came to the realization that I am in charge of my life. And with that, I simply became happier.
Coaches often ask their athletes, "What are you doing when no one is watching?" In this case, I think a good question is, "What are you saying to yourself when no one else is listening?" What image are you creating about yourself, to yourself? You get to choose who you believe you are. Remember what Jen Sincero said, "We're all living in our own self created illusion." Who do you want to be in your illusion? Who are you designing yourself to be? Someone who lives with limits, or is limitless? Someone who lacks, or is abundant? What you consistently tell yourself and believe about yourself in your world within, will soon show up in your world without.
It is and will always continue to be an ongoing process of designing my life. I feel like I'm only fresh out of interior design school and in my first year out in the field. But the key is that I've consciously started. We've all been thinking our whole lives, but there comes a point when you realize that you are a designer, the designer of your life. When you step into this belief that you are a powerful interior designer, that's when you start to do something about it. You design each day to align with your desires, and you create the life you're meant to live.
You have the skills, you are extremely talented, now go kick ass and design your life.
Be Awesome.
-Tom Spaniol
"It is our attitude of mind toward life which determines the experiences with which we are to meet; if we expect nothing, we shall have nothing; if we demand much, we shall receive the greater portion."
-Charles F. Haanel
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Why Not?
We recently got back from a little 9 day jaunt down to the Dominican and Puerto Rico. It was an absolutely beautiful trip, as we laughed and cried with old friends, made new ones, danced on the beach, climbed rainforests, drove golf carts around islands, and saw some extraordinary beauty this world has to offer. But that's not really what this post is about. There will be more on that later. Actually with that trip, we may have just gone from blogging to vlogging, as we recorded pretty much the whole thing and will probably turn it into anywhere from 1 to 4 episodes. We'll see what happens, depends how good my sister really is at editing videos.
But this short little post stems from something that I often heard while in the Dominican. We were only there for a weekend and stayed at a resort, but over and over again the servers and workers dropped the phrase, "Why not?" The first time I heard it was at the breakfast buffet. The server came around and asked if I wanted a mimosa, and after he watched me think about it for a second he said in an awesome Dominican accent, "Why not?" And I thought to myself; Well when you put it that way, I literally can't come up with a reasonable answer to that question. I've already done my morning yoga on the beach, I'm in the Dominican with some beautiful people, I'm about to eat about 4 plates of food, so I hit him back with, "Why not?" And the wonderful man poured me a mimosa. (This example of having a mimosa at breakfast is sort of the opposite message than the rest of the post, but whatever, it happened and I'm using it.)
Hearing this phrase and repeating it back got me thinking about my Ole favorite, Mr Jim Rohn, and something he called "Four questions to ponder." Below is me paraphrasing his four questions.
These are the wonderful questions to stop and ask yourself every once in a while.
First question:
Why?
Why work so hard? Why chase your dreams? Why keep getting back up when life knocks you down? Why persist through the failures? Why read the books? Why try to earn as much as you can earn? Why try to share as much as you can share? Why try to become all you can be? Why do that much? Why give that much away? Why try to get in the best shape of your life? Why step out of your comfort zone? Why do anything tough?
Here's the best answer to question one, and it happens to be the second question:
Why Not?
Why not see who you can become? Why not see how much you can earn? Why not see what you can learn? Why not visit all of the planet that you can visit? Why not love as much as you can? Why not connect with as many as you possibly can? Why not laugh as much as you can? Why not see what influence you can have? Why not impact as many as you possibly can? Why not share your gifts as often as possible? Why not be totally awesome?
Jim adds in a great little line about life saying, "You've got to stay here until you go, I mean what else are you gonna do?"
But seriously, you'll be here until you're not, so while you're here, why not?
Third question:
Why not you?
You've got a heart beat. You've got the brains. You're not a tree, you can move. You can grow radically in the next few years. You can build a fortune. You can impact others. You can spread happiness. You can love. You can live your legacy. Someone out there is going to, why not you?
Fourth question:
Why not now?
As Jim says, "There never was a better time."
There they are peoples of the internet, four questions to ponder. So tonight, today, this morning, whatever time it is that you feast your eyes upon this post, ponder those four questions well. I mean come on, why not?
Be Awesome.
-Tom Spaniol
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
 |
| Found a waterfall and swimming hole in the El Yunque |
But this short little post stems from something that I often heard while in the Dominican. We were only there for a weekend and stayed at a resort, but over and over again the servers and workers dropped the phrase, "Why not?" The first time I heard it was at the breakfast buffet. The server came around and asked if I wanted a mimosa, and after he watched me think about it for a second he said in an awesome Dominican accent, "Why not?" And I thought to myself; Well when you put it that way, I literally can't come up with a reasonable answer to that question. I've already done my morning yoga on the beach, I'm in the Dominican with some beautiful people, I'm about to eat about 4 plates of food, so I hit him back with, "Why not?" And the wonderful man poured me a mimosa. (This example of having a mimosa at breakfast is sort of the opposite message than the rest of the post, but whatever, it happened and I'm using it.)
Hearing this phrase and repeating it back got me thinking about my Ole favorite, Mr Jim Rohn, and something he called "Four questions to ponder." Below is me paraphrasing his four questions.
These are the wonderful questions to stop and ask yourself every once in a while.
First question:
Why?
Why work so hard? Why chase your dreams? Why keep getting back up when life knocks you down? Why persist through the failures? Why read the books? Why try to earn as much as you can earn? Why try to share as much as you can share? Why try to become all you can be? Why do that much? Why give that much away? Why try to get in the best shape of your life? Why step out of your comfort zone? Why do anything tough?
Here's the best answer to question one, and it happens to be the second question:
Why Not?
Why not see who you can become? Why not see how much you can earn? Why not see what you can learn? Why not visit all of the planet that you can visit? Why not love as much as you can? Why not connect with as many as you possibly can? Why not laugh as much as you can? Why not see what influence you can have? Why not impact as many as you possibly can? Why not share your gifts as often as possible? Why not be totally awesome?
Jim adds in a great little line about life saying, "You've got to stay here until you go, I mean what else are you gonna do?"
But seriously, you'll be here until you're not, so while you're here, why not?
Third question:
Why not you?
You've got a heart beat. You've got the brains. You're not a tree, you can move. You can grow radically in the next few years. You can build a fortune. You can impact others. You can spread happiness. You can love. You can live your legacy. Someone out there is going to, why not you?
Fourth question:
Why not now?
As Jim says, "There never was a better time."
There they are peoples of the internet, four questions to ponder. So tonight, today, this morning, whatever time it is that you feast your eyes upon this post, ponder those four questions well. I mean come on, why not?
Be Awesome.
-Tom Spaniol
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
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