So What Makes You...You? It seems like an easy enough question right? But what I mean is what or who really makes you? I have done a lot of self reflection as of late and I have realized a lot about my life and about myself.

I have gone way back to my early childhood through my teenage years, early adulthood, and through to the present day. I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned a lot about who I was then, and who i am now. What a gift to be able to do so :)

When we are children we are to conditioned to act a certain way, to talk a certain way, not to be drawing attention to ourselves or our caregivers, unless it is good attention obviously :)

Upon my reflecting back to who i was as child I like many of you was not sure yet. I always remember saying that i felt I-was destined for great things, but I for sure didn’t know what that was way back then. A big part of me is still figuring it out today, that is what makes life so fun.

I recall my brother and I always had so much fun on skateboards and bicycles. We lived pretty far out in the country and didn’t have access to the smoothest of roads.

But my dad was awesome and built us a bmx/dirt bike track on the property, and skateboard ramps we would put in the middle of the smoothest part of the road, that is until a car came. A quick move and a wave to the passing neighbor and it was game on again.

I remember having fun at sports, playing the trombone in 5th grade, and eventually moving on to tuba in 7th grade. I also started playing bass guitar in 8th grade, and drums my freshman year.

I had made it! I was a football playing, tuba playing, skateboarding rockstar with a big dreams and a huge heart.

Somewhere along this time my Brother and a couple friends Chris, Brett and myself started jamming a lot at Chris’s house. This led to the formation of Chronic Chaos, our melodic punk band we loved and toured with for ten years.

This was a huge fun time in my live and I really thought I knew i felt what made me really me. I was the drummer for Chronic Chaos, and I loved every minute of it.

At the end of the last couple years of the band I was in my early twenties and had started a utility contracting company (climbing poles, trenching in utilities, etc). So after the band retired I immediately fell 100% into this role.

I was a hard working entrepreneur taking on the world. I felt that this was my destiny, my great thing I had dreamed about since being a child.It was a lot of fun. My brother and I worked together everyday, we worked hard and then had the money to play hard. It was a fun early twenties.

Anyway, fast forward almost 15 years later and I was still doing the same thing. A slave to being the pole climbing hard working man I had identified/ hid behind for so long. I was also 5 years into a marriage that would end soon after that.

Throw in a big ego and a lot of beer, and that’s pretty much where I was. I was so far from what or who I really am. I was completely un- healthy...completely lost. But I knew I was not myself and I was tired of it.

In my early/mid thirties I started my journey to find out what I was really about. What made me feel good, what didn’t.
The biggest thing that truly set me on my journey was I started thinking for myself. I was not going to have someone or something tell me how to feel or who I was, or what I needed.

I expelled all negativity out of my life. From people, to food, to turning the tv off and never turning it back on. I started with a clean slate.

This was such a special beautiful time in my life. I was for the first time ever...in charge of me, mentally, physically, emotionally, and energetically.

This was the onset of a 2-3 year process of figuring out what foods worked for me, discovering meditation and looking within, yoga, mental and physical fitness. It took awhile to figure out the bullshit and not to fall for someone else’s agenda. That was over 5 years ago, I feel so blessed to be able to say that.

I have kept up on my journey, my promise to myself to wake up grateful everyday. To approach myself and the world with compassion and love. I ask myself how I can be of service instead of thinking about what i could be owed.

Life is truly a gift and a blessing everyday once you start deleting all of the negative distraction energies out of your life.

Here are a few tips to help you get started: Start weeding out the negativity in your life. Examples:
Negative people

Negative places

Negative news programs (they are all negative)

Negative foods-processed, fast food, low vibe,etc

Negative music

GET OUTSIDE!

Mother Nature is a great healer and will help you find your true self. Walk barefoot in the grass ( this is known as earthing).

Soak up some sun for awhile without putting on icky chemical filled sunscreen. Your body loves real vitamin D from the sun.

Breath some fresh air. Get away from the freeways and pollutants from city life and breath some unhindered fresh air.

Write it down! Start every day with a gratitude journal. Keep it by your bed or where you meditate. When you first wake up or right before you start your meditation write down a few things you are thankful for in that moment. If that feels good right a few more. There is something magic that occurs when you write something down.

Start a daily meditation.

Start slow, even 30 seconds. I use the breethe and headspace apps. These have guided mediations so all you have to do is follow along...easy breezy :)

Take some time for yourself. You can use the meditation time if that is all you can spare. I call this my “cave time”. This is my opportunity to self reflect, to let things process, and for me to stay in touch with my mind, body, and soul.

Workout/ exercise. A healthy you is a happier you all the way around. Being healthy will help better your quality of life, it will also help to get the body distortion out out of your body, A cleaner “vessel” helps to figure out what makes you, you :)

I hope you have enjoyed this post and it gets the thoughts forming in your beautiful brain and heart of what makes you...you.

Here’s to your health...

Cheers!