I recently taught a stress management course to a group of professionals from all over California. This is a great group of people, true leaders in their field, shaping the future of their organizations. Our talk centered on stress management techniques and the physical manifestations and huge costs to organizations that stress can produce. Overall the day was well received...that is with the exception of one individual. This student, a 20 plus year employee, simply would not participate as we went through the day. At the end of the course, after everyone else had left, I was gathering up my equipment and I noticed he was still sitting in his seat. This guy, after being tuned out for the whole day, stands up, stares at the wall, and announces loudly to no one in particular "I don't have stress, I give stress". With that, he turned and stomped out of the classroom, and hopefully out of my life forever. What an Ass&%$!

Truth is, this malcontent was in complete denial about the effect stress was having on his organization and in fact he was contributing to the problem. Can you imagine what a joy it would be to work for this guy? I vacillated between wanting to give the guy a hug to lighten him up and knocking him on his ass for being such an idiot! I ultimately chose not to accept his emotional poison, used my anger to fuel a great workout and then had a deep meditation to help dissolve the last effects of the stress he created for me. I should probably write him a thank you note for the inspiration!

I would encourage all of you who find yourself surrounded by people who spew pure poison to distance yourself from them as quickly as possible. One thing I can guarantee, if you surround yourself with people like that it will ultimately bring you down too. Get away, surround yourself with positive people and watch how much your life will improve. Whatever you do, do not get sucked into accepting their emotional baggage!

Anyone who knows me also knows I believe in exercising the entire body, including your mind! Wellness has three basic components; fitness, nutrition and stress management. Within these important aspects of taking care of ourselves is the fact that not only does your body need exercise but so does your mind. One of the things that keep us healthy mentally as we age is keeping our minds active. Watching TV does not count, and in my book you should throw the damn thing out the window, now. With the information age we are inundated with more information than at anytime in the history of mankind. Notice I said information, not wisdom. The fact is we are becoming more and more dependent on others to do our thinking. So, not only is America descending into obesity levels approaching 25% of our population, we are also becoming more and more reliant on anything but ourselves. Think I'm full of it? Take a look at what happened in New Orleans and my point comes crashing home.

Scene after scene was displayed by the media portraying the vast majority of people simply sitting down and giving up, crying about how no one was there to help them. That's the point. They were absolutely right, no one was there to help them. Right or wrong, our government failed to respond to the crisis and many were left to suffer and in some cases die. How many of those people could have been saved if they were fit and ready to react to a crisis of that proportion. The truth is we have become a nation of people who are simply dependent, unable to think and act, while we sit in front of computers and TV's getting fatter and not gaining one ounce of wisdom. Harsh? Yep, but someone needs to speak the truth.

While many in New Orleans were shaken to the core and unable to do anything for themselves, others rose to the occasion and showed us examples of how people who are in desperate situations can find ways to empower themselves to overcome whatever they may be facing. These people had the resiliency of mind to not cave in. They had the survival mentality and they did not give a damn that help was not coming. In fact, many who lost everything jumped in and helped others who were too weak, mentally or physically, to help themselves. These are the survivors and the people who make us proud to be Americans. I believe it is our duty to this country to be prepared for whatever life may bring our way so we will be able to perform at our best. I have seen over and over, people who started a fitness and nutrition program after cheating death. Admirable...but why did they wait for a catastrophic event to begin to prepare. There is no excuse for this...come on America. Rise up and prepare your body, mind and spirit now so you don't become one of those helpless people, lost and crying in the wilderness and dependant on help that may never come.

I recently read a great book, The Journey of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman. I was so taken with this story that I decided on a whim to contact Dan who just happened to live near me. Dan agreed to meet me for lunch and we had a great conversation about being a warrior in modern society. Dan is an illumined soul who has just finished another book, The Journey of Socrates. Again, Dan has created another book that everyone who is inspired by stories of warriors will love. He weaves ancient philosophy and timeless wisdom into tales that keep the reader turning pages to see what will happen next. The best part of Dan's work is its application to everyday life and as the characters come to life you will find thought provoking words that will inspire you. I highly recommend Dan's books, and would encourage you to visit his website. You can find a link to Dan's website at the Ready force Inc. website, just visit our "Contact Us" section and take the link to The Peaceful Warrior.

Earlier I mentioned the power of mental conditioning and exercising the mind. There are many ways to accomplish this. I recently went to see Deepak Chopra, an amazing soul of phenomenal intellect, give a talk about quantum physics and the mental power of healing. I will tell you that I was seriously mentally challenged during this evening. It took all my gray matter to simply keep pace with this man. It literally took me two days to recover I was so mentally exhausted from the experience, yet at the same time I was filled with wonder, awe and a emerging energizing of my spirit. It was as if my mind had expanded, or grown during this event. I have experienced this sensation many times, because I am always seeking new and exciting ways to challenge myself mentally and physically. I have used the mantra techniques I teach in my book, The Warriors Mantra, to completely stop my reliance on pain medications for a serious back injury I have dealt with for the past several years. I have pushed myself physically, within my limitations, to see how far I can go, how far I can progress. I would challenge all of you to constantly look for ways to raise your bar, mentally and physically, and in so doing increase your wellness to new levels. Never be satisfied and always seek to stretch your comfort zone. You will be amazed at the results!

I WILL SEE MYSELF VICTORIOUS IN ALL ACTIONS!

Sit or lie back comfortably. Take three deep breaths, pausing after you inhale and then exhaling fully and completely. After you have taken your three breaths, just breathe normally. Close your eyes and let any tension you may be holding in your muscles just begin to melt away. After you center yourself and you feel your breath quite down, repeat the mantra; "I will see myself victorious in all actions", to yourself for the next five minutes. See yourself succeeding in everything you want as you continue to repeat this mantra.

As many times as you can throughout your day, stop what you are doing, take one deep breath and repeat this mantra. You can do this when the phone rings, or when you look at your watch, or anytime you feel the need to just slow down for a brief moment and focus. The power of setting a positive intention throughout your day should not be underestimated. It can literally change your life. Make this short time commitment everyday and begin on the path of empowering yourself to survive.