Raj Daniels

Have you ever been around a hot mic?

If you have then you know what to expect.

If you’re wondering what a hot mic is then I’ll help you out.

A hot mic is a microphone that’s turned on and is ready to broadcast or record.

So, how would you behave if you knew there was always a hot mic nearby?

Would it change what you said out loud?

How would you talk about people if you knew there might be a chance that they’d find out what you said about them?

If you’re willing to say out loud what’s on your mind and are not concerned about the consequences then you have nothing to fear from hot mics.

But if not then be aware.

Technology is currently on a path where you can expect there to always be a hot mic nearby. And there’s no guarantee that what you discuss and say in private will remain private.

So, if you’re already in the habit of speaking about things you wouldn’t mind being heard, then good for you. But if not, then now might be a good time start.

Look around you.

They’re all just like you.

Yes, colors, shapes, sizes and even gender might be different, but deep down they’re all just like you.

Their concerns and fears.

Their needs and wants.

Their desires and discomforts.

Their insecurities.

Almost all are similar to yours.

Even the ones you put on a pedestal.

The ones you think are better than you.

The ones you disdain.

The ones you think you’re better than.

They’re just like you.

And just like you, none of them escape the emotions and feelings that are involved in being human.

At times you might feel as though it’s only you that’s experiencing a certain set of feelings, but know that many of those around you have probably experienced them too.

So as you go about your day undulating between waves of highs and lows have grace and patience with all who are around you, because just like you, they’re in the same boat too.

Have you discovered your calling?

If yes then fantastic!

Know that there are very few people that find their calling early in life and if you’re one of them then appreciate the fact that you’re in a very distinct minority.

However, if you’re still on a journey of discovery then keep reading.

Keep in mind that a calling is not something you’re obligated to pursue and many don’t due to their circumstances or because it’s not a priority for them.

You’ll know when you’ve found your calling because you’ll feel enthusiastic and alive when you’re doing it.

Money, recognition, nor time will be of importance to you because you’re operating in full alignment.

Finding your calling does require work, but not necessarily physical labor. It requires the work of attention and recognition.

You need to work at paying attention to subtle signals inside of you that will tell you when you’re close to your calling.

If you listen you’ll find that your life will keep giving you clues to your calling, such as interests or ideas that keep showing up, or even dreams.

You’ll need to make space in your life if you really want to find your calling, but you’ll find that if you do, discovering your calling will be well worth the effort.

Have you ever witnessed the power of incremental change?

Incremental change is a wonderful phenomenon; however you have to be vigilant because incremental change can work both for you and against you.

Incremental change requires your attention and patience.

A plane that is slightly off course will never reach its destination, but one that’s constantly correcting by making small changes will eventually arrive at the desired location.

The challenge with incremental change is that you and those that are closest to you won’t see it happening, since most people only tend to believe what they see. And this is when you need patience.

Incremental change is like the power of compound interest. If you work on yourself and have faith, one morning you’ll wake up and realize just how much you’ve grown.

Don’t undervalue the power of incremental change. Leverage it with intention to achieve the big goals in your life.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

Have you ever run an obstacle course?

Well, if you’re reading this then you are a participant in the greatest obstacle course ever made.

It is life.

And in many cases the obstacles will be unique to you.

Some of the obstacles will be real and others will be manufactured by your own psychology.

And as long as you’re alive the obstacles will never stop.

They will come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Some you will be able to manage with ease and others will take more practice and time.

Occasionally it might look as though your fellow participants have easier obstacles than you do, but that’s rarely true.

Unfortunately there’s no real way to avoid obstacles and you’ll find that if you try then they’ll be another waiting for you around the corner.

The faster you learn to face your obstacles head on the more skillful you’ll become at handling new obstacles in the future.

Lastly keep in mind that life is going to provide you with plenty of obstacles to deal with so there’s no need to burden yourself further by making up your own obstacles in your head.

P.S. I need your help.

Recently a friend pointed out that my book would make for a great book club book. It would be unique because unlike most books which have one underlying theme, the discussions that my book would promote would vary from week to week.

So, if you know anyone in or starting a book club please suggest my book to them. It would really mean a lot to me.

As always thank you for your continue support.

How do you feel when you don’t make the team?

What will you do when you don’t get the job?

When you’re not accepted by a person?

How will you handle rejection?

It’s been said that rejection is the number one fear among human beings.

If you are adventurous, bold and courageous then it’s almost inevitable that you will experience rejection.

The reason for this is you are not willing to only accept your status quo. You’re not willing to wait in line for the next handout or stay within your given boundaries.

You want to experience more.

But the desire to experience more also comes with the risk of rejection.

Rejection can be difficult because it can leave you feeling as though there is something defective about you.

But there isn’t.

Which I agree is easier said than done, especially when you’re in the moment.

Acknowledge your feelings when you are rejected because that is an integral part of the human experience. But then learn to move on.

The more you practice moving forward the better you’ll get at handling rejection because you’ll begin to learn that rejection is not the end of the world.

And in some cases when you look back you’ll be happy that you were rejected.

You can actually build your tolerance for rejection by asking for things you really don’t need or want just so that you can get used to it.

You’ll soon come to realize that rejection can be an opportunity for self-improvement in many aspects of your life.

So don’t live in the shadows. Go out, get rejected and see what you can learn.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

Here’s a list of holidays that have been appropriated by the retail industry in order to sell you more of their products.

I took the liberty of adding what the holiday initially represented just in case you’re not aware.

1. New Year’s Day Sale – A day marking the beginning of a new calendar year according to the Gregorian calendar.
2. MLK Day Sale – A day to celebrate Martin Luther King’s Birthday.
3. President’s Day Sale – A day to celebrate George Washington’s birthday, the first U.S. president.
4. Mother’s Day Sale – A day to remember and appreciate mothers.
5. Easter Sale – Easter is a day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
6. Memorial Day Sale – Celebrated in the U.S. as a day to remember those that have died serving in the armed forces.
7. Father’s Day Sale – A day to remember and appreciate fathers.
8. Independence Day Sale – Celebrated in the U.S. as the day commemorating adoption of the declaration of independence.
9. Labor Day Sale – intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations.
10. Columbus Day Sale – Columbus Day, which is on the second Monday of October, remembers Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas
11. Thanksgiving Day sale – began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.
12. Christmas Sale – Christmas is observed by Christians as the Jesus’s birthday.

I’ve only presented you with 12 but there are many more that have been manufactured and probably more to come.

As you shop your way through the year, keep in mind that adding to what you have doesn’t add to who you are. And in some cases you might even lose who you are in what you acquire.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

How do you know when you’re in it?

It’s when you feel as though you’ll be consumed by it.

At the time it will feel like the hardest challenge in your life.

You’ll feel as though you’re running quicksand.

Yes, you’ll have fleeting moments when you’ll forget that you’re in it. But as soon as you do, you’ll experience a sinking feeling in your stomach that will serve to remind you that you’re still in it.

There will be times when you’re in it that you’ll want to give up, run away or just disappear.

Don’t do that.

Reach out and ask for help.

Most of the times you’ll be strong enough to work through it by yourself, but there will other times when you’ll need to be stronger and ask for a helping hand.

Learn to do so.

Life is nothing but a series of ‘its’ that all vary in duration and intensity.

When you’re experiencing it you might think that you’re the only one, but everyone you see is experiencing their own version of it.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

Have you heard the phrase, looking at the world through rose colored glasses?

Apparently the origin of this phrase began during the Civil War when wounded soldiers battling depression were given rose colored glasses as treatment in order to see things through a more positive light.

But this doesn’t just work on vision.

It can also work for your mind.

What you listen too, read and watch all have an impact on how you see the world.

How would your days and nights be different if you intentionally book-ended them with good, positive, uplifting information, practices and thoughts?

You can choose to do this not as an escape from reality, but a decision to frame your own reality.

And who’s to say that the information you currently consume isn’t just someone else’s version of reality that you accept without validation.

Practice creating a rose colored glasses regiment for your mind, and enjoy seeing your world through a more positive light.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

Have you ever played a game without rules?

A game where you make up the rules as you go along?

If you watch children play you’ll see that they make up rules to games all the time. And very often they’ll change or makeup new ones as they go along.

But the most interesting thing is that when they do change the rules it’s usually in their favor.

You can do the same for yourself.

You don’t have to abide by all the rules that are presented to you.

You do have choices.

Learn to challenge rules, if not physically then at least in your head. Ask yourself why this rule exists.

Rules are often made to create some form of order, but they are at times also created to benefit one group over another.

Breaking rules can have consequences but you’ll find that at times the consequences will actually be in your favor. Often if you push hard enough you’ll learn about exceptions to the rules, why not be that exception.

Your life is your game to play.

Learn to make your own rules when you can, because at least then you’ll know the rules will be in your best interest.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

You hear a lot about attention deficit, but what if you had an abundance of attention?

What if you were able to conjure up a laser like focus whenever you needed to?

What if you were able to be fully present in all that you do?

Well now you can with the all new Attention Abundance Trainer 9000.

In just 10 minutes a day you too can have a stronger, longer attention span.

The solution is all natural and requires no additional equipment or supplements.

All you need to do is practice for 30 days and you find yourself being able to pay attention at a whole new level.

Does it sound too good to be true?

Maybe it is.

But what if it’s not?

In all seriousness, research has shown that you can indeed increase your attention, and here are 3 ways that you can practice for as little as 10 minutes a day.

Purposely stop multitasking

Focused breathing mediation

Spend time in nature

Increasing your attention span can help you while studying and working but even more important is that it can make you more present in your interactions with people.  And being more present will lead to creating deeper and more meaningful relationships, especially with your loved ones.

So make working on your attention a priority, and move from having a shallow, fleeting interaction with your world to a fuller more vibrant relationship.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

What would your day look like if you agreed with everyone you interacted with?

If just for one day all you said was, you’re right or that’s a great idea.

And you did this by not just paying lip service but really taking the time to see the world through the eyes of another person.

Now obviously I’m not suggesting that you make a drastic life altering decision by blindly agreeing with everyone you meet, unless of course it benefits you.

What I am suggesting is being open minded, just for a day to alternative perspectives.

Even if you decide not to agree, just being open will give you a deeper understanding in to how people around you think and what is important to them.

If you find the just the thought of spending a day agreeing with others a little offensive then that says a lot about you and perhaps even how people feel about you.

Try agreeing with people, even if not for a whole day. Look at it this way, you can always go back tomorrow and say that you gave it more thought, and if it gives you pleasure then tell them they were wrong.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

Are you waiting for an easier day to come along?

A day so smooth that you glide right through it without experiencing any challenges?

Well, you’ll have to keep waiting because that day doesn’t exist.

And if you’re wondering, I can tell you with almost complete certainty that it doesn’t exist for anyone.

It might seem at times that some have it easier than you do, and you could be right. But there are others that are thinking the same when they see you.

Everyone is experiencing their own unique set of challenges and they are dealing with them accordingly.

Now, I know I said easier days don’t come along but that doesn’t mean you can’t change how you view your challenges.

You can begin by realizing that many of the challenges you face are in fact temporary and although they might seem huge in the moment, you know with some rational thinking that they will pass with time.

What I’m suggesting is that you learn to change your relationship with your challenges instead of fighting against them. This does not mean that you take a passive position just that you actively engage from a different viewpoint.

The truth is that in order to make your days easier, you have to work harder on yourself and not on the challenges you face.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

If you don’t ask.

If you don’t apply.

If you don’t act.

If you don’t take the first step.

You’ll never know.

You’ll never know.

That you could have succeeded.

That you could have won.

That it was yours for the taking.

That you were the right one for the job.

You’ll never know that you had greatness inside of you.

Don’t let your life be a succession of ‘you’ll never know.’

Somewhere inside you, you already know.

You feel the call in your mind and the tug on your heart. And just as you’re about to take the first step you stop.

This is the precipice of, you’ll never know.

It’s at this spot where you rock back and forth between knowing and not knowing.

It’s here where you decide, if you’ll never know.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you like this and would like to support me, please forward it to a friend.

What is the realm of your reality?

Do you know that human eyes are only capable of seeing a very small spectrum of light and that there is a whole range of the electromagnetic spectrum invisible to us?

Do you know that the same applies to human hearing and sound?

Just because you can’t hear or see something doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t mean it’s not real.

So much of your reality and what you experience is not just limited to your physical limitations but is also tied to your belief system.

Now you may not be capable of changing your physical characteristic but you can change your beliefs.

You can learn to expand and shape your realm of reality.

Reality really is malleable, and some people know this more than others. And these people are the ones known as pioneers, visionaries and luminaires.

If you feel constrained or limited by your current reality then explore a new one.

You don’t have to adopt all that you find, but don’t forget, you didn’t consciously embrace the one you have right now. It was passed on or taught to you by the environment you were born in to.

Step out, hear and see what you’ve never experienced before and consider creating your own version of reality, one that lives only in your field of vision.

If you’ve ever been to a bar or club then you’re probably familiar with the term cover charge.

Essentially the cover charge is an amount of money you pay for the privilege of entering the establishment.

However, have you ever considered the numerous cover charges you pay in life?

Consider the following cover charges.

The amount you pay for the neighborhood you want to live in.

The amount you spend on clothes and other accessories so that you look like you belong.

The amount you spend entertaining or being entertained.

The amount you spend getting educated.

These are just some of the more obvious cover charges that you pay through life.

The cover charge can be both time and money, however ultimately you’re always paying with your time.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t pay the cover charge, especially if it’s adding value to your life.

What I am suggesting is that just be aware of the cover charge. And if you’re not enjoying the club, then stop paying to be there.

What does the secret version of you look like?

How does it dress?

If it owns a car, what kind of car would it be?

Where would it live?

What kind of work (not job) would it be doing?

There’s a version of you inside your head that’s screaming to come to life. It’s banging on the walls of your brain at every opportunity it gets, and yet you keep silencing it.

You silence it because you don’t believe it can exist or you’re afraid what will happen if you set it free.

The secret version of you is who you were born to be.

It’s your soul’s wanting to express itself.

If you’ve been the kind of person that’s kept the secret version of yourself bottled up for a long time then you’re going to have to release it slowly in to the world.  Because if you make too many drastic changes at once you’ll turn your your current environment in to chaos.

Do it slowly, gracefully, one small act a time.

Write down the answers to the questions I’ve listed and feel free to add any more that you think will help you. And then slowly start shedding this current version of you.

Let there be no more secret version of you, let there only be you.

When was the last time you were put in time out?

When was the last time you were told to stand in a corner for not behaving?

When was the last time you had your toys taken away because you misbehaved?

Are the lingering memories of the punishment you received as a child still dictating how you behave as an adult?

The tools that were used to control and discipline you as a child can have a lifelong impact on you, if you let them. Just the fear of punishment can prevent you from fully expressing yourself.

Keep in mind that many of the disciplinary actions taken towards you, were in order to make life more convenient for those around you. Some of it might have been for your benefit, to protect you or teach you civilities, but there was also a strong element of control.

There will always be consequences to your actions but allowing how you were controlled in the past to cast a shadow over your future is no way to live. And don’t forget, sometimes being put in time out was a great trade-off for the fun you had misbehaving.