For context, I’m a very social if you don’t know me. In the past, I’ll typically do whatever I could to avoid being with my thoughts. I’ve even call a lot of friends to catch up with them. Nothing with this at all. It’s one of the reasons why I have such a big community with so many friends. 

These are ten things I learned about myself for a long down drive from Central Jersey all of the way down to West Virginia for my Spartan Race

1. There was a connection to the universe. Every human being should be a spiritual practice. That very scenic drive, and when I’m present to how beautiful nature is, being around those magnificent mountain ranges through Virginia and West Virginia makes you feel like you are certainly not alone. Even though you certainly don’t see as many cars during those trips down there compared to how busy Maryland, northern Virginia, and New Jersey are. 
2. The Ying and Yang of life. It’s funny how we typically want what others have for instance, because I’m so outgoing and social many introverts have told me wow, I wish I wasn’t so afraid to talk to random people whom I’ve just met, like you. I typically respond by saying, ” Oh, that’s funny, because I wish I was less social and that I’m not awkward when I’m sitting in the LinkedIn office, for instance, eating breakfast and lunch with myself. I’m certainly much more comfortable being with myself, but in an office culture like LinkedIn, it does feel weird sometimes that I’m not “maximizing my time by filling it up with coffee chats.” 
3. All of that reflection time helped me listen to some fantastic podcasts where I got to explore and learn more about higher consciousness and the frequency- being mindful of the energy we are putting out there in the universe. That was cool. I learned to a ton of Aubrey Marcus, the guy who invented Onnit Labs, and I use his supplements for my races and Crossfit workouts. 
4. Even being with the discomfort- for context Sunday morning, my friend and Kyle and I ran a Spartan Race that was a 10km with 25 obstacles. I enjoy it but anytime you drive for 10 hours, its a struggle, and you want to stretch your legs- imagine driving back for 10 hours after you just pushed your body for 2 hours and 28 minutes straight without a rest. My coach Leya told me to appreciate the body and the gifts it’s given me. There were times where my body was screaming hey man rest up, especially when my heart rate was high up in the 180s. I have gratitude that the human body is capable of so much. Sometimes you learn more from the discomfort because you know that you are growing and capable of withstanding almost anything.
5. Driving can be fun. I had a disempowering context around driving and luckily, because I have a pretty new car with a lot of excellent technological features, I enjoyed it. I used to avoid driving and just didn’t like the experience overall. Just a simple shift that it’s truly a privilege to have a car and that I have the means to go on all of these adventures is incredible. Context shift helps if there is something that you do not enjoy. There is always a way to reframe in a much more empowering context. 
6. That we go through different stages in life where we are interested in different things. When I was listening to some new EDM songs I had flashbacks of those beautiful clubbing nights we were got to have fun travel to fabulous locations all over the world. When I was listening to self development– I remember how when I first started by consuming these videos that showed me what’s possible. I was listening to people discuss their healing journey, the many mistakes they’ve made, and how much they have grown because of it. It’s easy to identify with the ups and downs of the human conditions. That makes us feel like we are going to the hero’s journey. 
7. That change is the only thing that’s many constant friends that I used to spend so much time with now have a bunch of kids or just other priorities. It used to hurt my feelings when they didn’t get back to me, but now I know that hey it’s nothing personal its just a decision or choice. I can either let it crush me or I can grow and be a big person and be happy for them. 
8. That I’m a pretty cool person. I met this random guy at this burger place that had incredible reviews. Just enjoying good food is such a pleasure to be honest. I love food so much that it makes me so happy when I eat something delicious, it consumes me fully and I get this goofy grin! Anyways, in the beginning, I was self-conscious because I was like oh man, I’m in this part of Virginia, and when I was in West Virginia, I felt like I was one of the very few minorities. I became comfortable with eating with myself. This guy I was talking to he was really cool and I realized that everything is inherently created from within, so I started creating this awesome cool with so many lessons to learn from in my listening of who he is. I can see that when I’m a good person and relate to myself as an attractive cool guy, everyone around me is an excellent cool people. When I relate to myself as an outsider, that’s how I am going to listen to world from that lens. 
9. How Blessed I am to be alive! Driving through these scenic routes I’ve done that with myself in Vermont, MA, New Hampshire, North Jersey, NY, PA, Delaware, MD, Virginia, and MD now. I’ve always touched by the different terrains and how the mountains make me feel so alive. I’m silenced by how beautiful it is, especially when there is a sunset when you drive in silence and fully being in that moment. It makes you feel like all of the problems we have in society disappears, and I can focus on how lucky I am to be alive. 
10. Gratitude, appreciation, and curiosity make life so much better. When I come from gratitude, every hurdle, every decision that I labeled as a mistake becomes a lesson instead of something terrible. When I’m curious as to why do I feel so compelled to learn from the YouTube videos that I crave during these drives. Is it because I have a thirst for knowledge or is it because I’m trying to fix my life? Choosing the first gives me power, whereas the second makes me feel incomplete.

The choice is yours. 

coaching