All posts by Dylan Schmidt

How To Make Sense Of A Senseless Tragedy

This is a radical idea… but let’s try it out for a moment and see how it goes…

What if NOTHING is going wrong?

Have you considered that the pain of your life is the motivating factor that is pushing you to grow and evolve?

The question that your pain is asking you is a simple, yet profound question…

Will you align with your Soul, or will you turn away?

What does that mean, though? “Align with you Soul…”

Sounds good, but WTF does it MEAN?

Here are five beliefs that are common when you aren’t lined up with your Soul:

1. I am powerless to change.
2. My happiness is dependent upon what other people do or think of me.
3. Only when I am perfect, will I be enough.
4. I am not supported.
5. There is no purpose to or for my life.

When you act out of these beliefs, life is stressful, life appears tough, and you stop growing.

When you have these beliefs, it means that you are caught in the web of your Survival Patterns™ (those pesky irrational fears that keep you stuck) and that your past is running your future.

When you are feeling negative feelings, like guilt, shame, etc. – you are not living in the moment… you are living in the past.

The aim must be to LOVE these emotions and decide that these emotions are not who you are…. just emotions that are passing through you, seeking healing.

One of the best and fastest ways to heal… is to seek out the positive intent of every situation.

This is a mind-bender… and something that takes practice. However, the more that you practice this idea, the better you will feel and life will begin to come into balance and make sense.

Seek the positive intent of every situation.

Every person does what they do, because they believe, on a certain level, that there is a positive intention behind their action.

Many times, that so-called positive intention is unconscious. They are positively intending to survive, and there may be unconscious Survival Patterns™ that are running the show.

It’s a positive intention to survive.

Even if the situation or someone else’s behavior harmed you, the way to get free is to forgive, let go and seek the positive intent.

What’s the positive intention of someone who hurt me, Mastin?

This is a deep question.

And – here’s the answer… the positive intention of someone who hurt you was this…

They were trying to find some way… anyway…. to free themselves from the pain they were in.

And, they did it in a way that was not wise and caused you pain.

This doesn’t make it right. BUT – if we can see that they are trapped in a nightmare of unconscious pain, then they turn from a demon into a scared/wounded child who is seeking solace from their demons.

Seeking the positive intention does not justify what happened to us, but it helps us find empathy… the empathy to know that no matter what someone did “to us” – that they were also doing the same thing, or worse, to themselves… and most likely… someone did the same thing, or worse, to them.

In this way, we can begin to be open to the idea… the nothing and no one is “wrong.”

They are just seeking to feel better because they don’t have the tools or the awareness to act otherwise.

This means… they are growing… and so are you.

When you judge something as “wrong”, you miss the lesson because you are in blame of the other.

This doesn’t mean you should accept injustice. However, if you ever want to truly heal… and put an end to what was done to you… that can only happen from a place of love.

If you hate the people that hurt you, that hate you, you join the darkness with them.

We must begin to see the pain behind the harmful acts of others.

Nothing is wrong; we are growing.

They are in pain… and seeking relief in any way they can.

It’s not their “fault, ” and it’s not your “fault.”

Soul Grow is a big deal… and can be painful.

Today, see the positive intent of all that seems “wrong” in your life…, and you will become open to a deeper and more empathetic view of yourself and all those that you know.

Here are five beliefs to take on today… that will help you align with this perspective and thus, your Soul:

1. I am a powerful being who can change anything and at any time.
2. My happiness is dependent upon the meaning I give the events of my life.
3. I am enough right now. I am perfectly imperfect, right now.
4. I am supported.
5. There is a beautiful and unique purpose to my life.

Focus on growth… on forgiveness and on empathy.

You’ll see the world with new eyes.


Nothing is wrong; all has been sent for your growth.

Today, dig deep roots… and grow through it.

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real.

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

The Real Meaning of Valentine’s Day (and it’s not what you think)

Well – it’s Valentine’s Day.

Depending on how you view today you are either feeling the love or not. But, due to the commercialization of Valentine’s Day – it’s highly likely that you do not know the true meaning of today. When you figure out what this day is really about… you may see it differently and decide to feel different about it. Sound good?

Valentine’s Day is rooted in a celebration of the 3rd Century Roman Saint Valentine. Its purpose was to recognize “courtly love” – stated another way… love that focused on nobility and chivalry.

When you look further into the meaning of the word “Valentine” we find the root Latin word “valentia” or “valence” – which means power and strength.

So, today is not about measuring your worth based on if you are single or in a relationship. It’s not about feeling bad for yourself or shunning other people’s love if you are single and it’s not about chocolate and roses.

Today is really about power, nobility, and chivalry. And – there is nothing more powerful than the act of love. Not in the romantic sense, but in the truest sense of the word, love is a verb… and “to love” someone in the highest sense means to have an unselfish and compassionate concern for something.

It is in the dedication of service… with a heart of compassion… that true power is harnessed. And, nothing is more needed today.

Nothing is more noble, more chivalrous or more powerful than a truly loving act.

Today and all days…. remember this.

YOU have the power to love. Starting with yourself. Connecting with a higher power or cause… and extending it to others.

It may be easy to have compassion for those that you love easily. Today, make sure to include yourself and others you disagree with as well.

Love is not about just romance… that’s more attraction and passion.

True love is the unconditional acceptance of something or someone… as it is. You can’t love something if you will only accept it if it changes.

Make sure to include yourself in that kind of noble and compassionate love today.

And…. do you see Valentine’s Day differently now?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Remember to get out there, take action and make your Purpose real!

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

What To Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough

The feeling of “not being enough” can stop us dead in our tracks.

Maybe you’re thinking:

Who am I to start this business?
Can I really be a good parent?
Do I really deserve to get paid abundantly?
Am I special enough to have a unique purpose?
Who am I to be great?

These questions do not produce quality answers.

When you are tapped into your confidence, when you know with certainty that you can and will thrive in your life’s unique purpose… when you believe in your heart of hearts that the life you desire IS possible…

That’s when you are unstoppable.

But, the problem is clear.

Not feeling enough is a hard feeling to overcome, especially if you’ve been stuck in feeling that way for a while.

And – you can break free from this feeling.

But, it’s not how you might think.

You see… in order to dissolve the feeling of “not enough” the first thing we must do is…

Admit that we are not enough.

Now – wait for a moment and let me explain.

That might sound like bad advice and perhaps not what you thought I would say.

But, hear me out.

I want you to think of yourself as a raindrop.

And, you dream of being a massive wave.

A raindrop, all by itself… can’t be a massive wave.

But, when it connects to a Power Greater than itself, the Ocean, it can fulfill it’s dream of being a wave.

You are the same.

By yourself, disconnected from a Power Greater than you, in isolation – you are not enough.

But, you can choose, in every moment, to surrender and connect to a Power Greater than you.

Be it a Higher Power or Higher Calling or Higher Purpose… when you connect to a Power Greater than you, you align yourself with a larger energy.

When you join that larger energy, you are more than enough.

So, when you’re feeling “not enough” – from this moment forward, choose to see that as an opportunity to connect back to a Power Greater than you.

And, you’ll see… that the “not enough” feeling will dissipate.

With God, all things are possible.

With Purpose, all things are possible.

With Love, all things are possible.

Tap into that Greater Power, today.

When you do, you’ll feel more than enough.

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real!

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

How To Bring Your Vision To Life

If you dream big dreams or see a vision for what’s possible in your life – or if you feel called to make this world a better place… then you have vision.

Perhaps you’ve never thought of yourself as a visionary before, or maybe you have, but chances are that you are one.

If you are upset with the current circumstances of the world and see or feel how it could be better, then you are a visionary.

We are reminded in the Bible that without vision, people perish.

In order to live our destiny, our highest intentions, our dharma, our purpose, we must allow ourselves to dream.

But, we must do more than dream. One of the greatest pain points in my life has been having a vision, but not knowing how to bring it to life.

Over the course of my 14-year entrepreneurial journey, I’ve started many different companies. Some won, some didn’t.

Each time I’ve come closer and closer to the vision I imagine for myself.

And there was one key piece of advice that I heard that changed it all.

A mentor said to me that there are two important places to stay focused when it comes to building your dreams.

The first is on your vision.

What do you see for yourself in 5-10 years? What’s the BIG dream?

Be detailed in every area of your vision.

The finances, the impact, the relationships, the career, the travel, health, etc.

But, that is not all.

The second place to focus is to ask yourself what are the major things (no more than 5) that have to happen this year to bring that vision to life, and based on those major things that have to happen this year, what are the top 5 things that have to happen in the next 90 days to bring them to life?

So, we must be simultaneously focused on the vision and the next 90 days.

Which means that we must re-evaluate what we think is important, and make sure it’s lined up with the major outcomes we want for this year and the next 90 days.

Which means there are a bunch of new things I must start doing, and there are a bunch of things I must stop doing.

As a visionary, the “stop doing” list can feel like you’re killing your own children, which is an awful feeling.

But must remember our Thoreau…

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

I read this quote almost 20 years ago and had no idea what he was talking about. But, not I get it.

There are three parts to this quote that I want to break down.

1. Castles in the air = your vision

There are two parts to building your foundations under them:

2. Your 90-day focus
3. Your daily habits to support your 90-day focus.

So the three parts are:

1. Have a vision (castles in the air)
2. Set your 90-day focus on the Top 5 outcomes that have to happen to bring your vision to life.
3. Create daily habits to support your 90-day vision.

This is what Thoreau meant by build foundations under the castles.

No one ever broke that down to me in three steps, so I am sharing with you the outcome of 20 years of pondering that quote.

So, let’s put this wisdom into practice in your life.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

1. What is your big vision/dream for your life in the next 5 years? What is your business/career/vocation like? What is your romantic life like? Your health and wellness? Your family? Your money? Your impact? Your purpose?

2. What are the top 5 main things that have to happen to in the next 90 days to bring this vision to life?

3. What will your daily habits be to support these 5 outcomes in the next 90 days?

4. What do you need to start doing?

5. What do you need to stop doing?

Together, we can bring your vision to life.

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real!

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

Mastin On Super Soul: How To Be Heard In Divided Times

The folks Super Soul recently asked me about how to communicate in these divides times. Here is my answer. Are you hearing or are you listening?

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real!

Your biggest supporter,
Mastin

Getting Real About My Learning Disorder (And A Tool That Can Help)

Learning has been hard for me my whole life. Right now, it’s fall and we are in full swing getting back to school. This time of year was always hard for me, because I immediately felt behind in school. I didn’t learn as fast or the same way as the other kids, I thought I was dumb, slow or just not smart.

I had undiagnosed ADHD, dyslexia and multiple traumatic brain injuries at the time. It was until much later (and dropping out of college) that I learned about my brain and why it was so hard for me to get through school, and part of the reason why I dropped out of college.

Today, I want to take the first step and share a little bit about my experience with ADHD/dyslexia and TBI’s. And, I want to make you aware of an amazing resource called Understood.org.

>Access Understood.org here.

If you are a parent or student or anyone who has learning disabilities, Understood is a must have resource. This is not an ad. It’s back to school and I am thinking of all the parents and children who may not have the tools they need to identify and overcome a learning disability.

While I now see my ADHD/dyslexia and TBI’s as a gift, it sure didn’t feel that way back then.

Comment below, do you or someone you know have a learning disability? How has it hurt you/them? How was it been a blessing and a gift? Let me know.

I hope my story inspires you to take action, to have compassion and to use the tools from Understood.org.

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real.

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

P.S. If you know anyone with a learning disorder that could use tools and mentorship, please send them a link to this blog. You may just change their life.

3 questions to make next week awesome!

Let’s make the next seven days awesome!

Three questions for you to ponder:

1. What have you worked on in the past week that’s really moved the dial forward towards your goals?

2. What will be your top 3 priorities for the coming week that will make the most impact on your goals?

3. What blocks or impediments got in the way recently? What can you do to remove those blocks and increase your acceleration towards your goals?

When you know what you’ve been focusing on, make sure you focus on what’s most important and intentionally focus on removing common blocks/impediments each week, it’s amazing how fast you’ll be going in a short period of time.

Email me back and let me know your answers to these three questions.

Let’s make it a great week!

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real!

 

Procrastination: This Is How To Turn The Tables And Finish

There’s no better feeling than a project that’s complete. It’s like saying “Take that procrastination!”

There’s that sense of self-respect.

That sense of accomplishment.

That earned sense of self-respect and self-esteem.

Whatever you want to achieve in your life – there’s one thing that’s gotta happen.

You’ve got to finish it.

One imperfectly finished project is better than 100 half done.

If you don’t learn how to finish – you’ll never live your highest potential.

If you don’t set your sights to finish, then you erode your self-esteem and self-trust.

Not finishing increases stress and is a major cause of overwhelm.

Yesterday I shared with you how to overcome being paralyzed and ignite your purpose. That blog will get you started if you don’t know how to go from unstuck to momentum FAST.

Today I’m going to share with you how to go from momentum to sustained momentum to finished.

It’s a simple concept I’m going to share with you. It is elegant, and it is powerful. But don’t think it’s easy. Simple and easy are not the same thing.

There are just four decisions you need to make to finish.

These are strategic and valuable decisions that will powerfully move you forward.

So make them, take them to heart and watch the awesomeness that follows.

Four Decisions That Turn The Tables On Procrastination:

1. Decide what your ideal outcome is (positively, clearly and in present tense).

2. Decide to take CIA (Courageous Imperfect Action) until you achieve your outcome. BTW – yesterday was the best time to start, so you’ll have to settle for now!

3. Decide to pay attention to the feedback you are getting without taking it personally.

4. Decide to analyze the feedback you are getting and consistently change your approach and be flexible until you produce your ideal outcome (or something better).

Committing to these decisions will change the game.

Make four decisions? Simple.
Living them? That’s where the rubber meets the road.

When you find a cause that’s greater than you, it makes it easier to commit.

When you link positive outcome and curiosity with these decisions, it brings about rapid change.

Deep down you know that you are a finisher. Deep down you know there is more for you to bring forward into the world. Deep down you know that it’s time to bring your decisions into the present moment. Deep down you know that perfectionism and/or procrastination are killing your dreams.

Deep down you know that you can change everything…

Right now.

It’s time to turn the tables on procrastination and become a finisher.

Click To Tweet-tweet: “It’s time to turn the tables on procrastination and become a finisher.” @MastinKipp Read more: https://ctt.ec/egHGF+

In the comments below, commit to making these decisions for yourself today. Share why. Tell me how this feels. And tell me what outcome you are committed to (clearly and in the positive/present tense).

When you comment below, you take the first step to making the invisible… visible.

Let’s take that step together today. Right now.

Remember to get out there, take action and make it real!

Your biggest supporter,

Mastin

P.S. If you are ready to start or exponentially grow your business in just seven days, apply to my Wealthy Healer Retreat this April in Maui. Seven days of immersion that will get your business up, running and on the path for massive growth this year. Space is limited. Click here to apply.