Andre Agassi’s autobiography, appropriately and cleverly titled Open, is about much more than his historic tennis career. In fact, it’s more about his search for meaning than anything else. Whether you’re into tennis or not, there’s plenty of inspiration and deep insight to take from Andre’s story and apply to your own.

I was looking forward to reading Andre’s autobiography because he slowly won me over as a fan towards the end of his career, and of course, because I love tennis. I greatly respect how he reinvented both his attitude and career, but what I really wanted to learn more about was how he trained and developed his game. Although the book didn’t offer much in this regard, I was still glued to it because of Andre’s fascinating story and his inspiring perspective on life in general. As such, this isn’t only a great book for tennis fans, but also for athletes or anyone else looking to find more meaning in their lives.

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Most people don’t have a good understanding of what their strengths are, and even those who do often neglect them in favor of focusing on their weaknesses. This may very well be preventing you from living a better life.

Because our shortcomings tend to draw the most attention and frustration, it’s easy to focus on them more so than our strengths. As such, many people work diligently on improving their weaknesses to balance their strengths, but this may be one case where balance isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The Inspiring Story of Rudy

Chances are that you’ve seen the movie Rudy or are at least familiar with the story. The main character had always dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame, and despite being much too small to play college football at this high of a level, he was determined to do it anyway. (more…)

Are you overweight, tired, anxious, depressed or irritable? Do you have allergies, digestive issues, or aches and pains? If you’re like most people, then the answer is probably yes. Instead of focusing on what causes these problems, most people turn to quick fix remedies that may temporary relieve symptoms, but allow the problem to persist and potentially develop into disease.

Many of us are eating unhealthy diets, are consistently exposing ourselves to excessive stress, and are disregarding the need for rest. This leads to the physical and mental symptoms of poor health that burden so many people on a regular basis and is also why we have such a high prevalence of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disease. Instead of acting on this obvious correlation between lifestyle and poor health, we’ve accepted the consequences as a normal part of aging and continue to compromise our health and our lives with unhealthy habits.

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I’ve been tagged by Beth from SmartFamilyTips.com to share 7 things about myself that you don’t know. Since I’m always preaching about how to live the perfect lifestyle, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you some of the ways in which I’m not so perfect myself and how you can learn from them.

Without further delay, here are 7 things about me that I hope you find interesting and informative.

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Many people consider a healthy lifestyle to be a preference, almost as if it were a hobby, but with the prevalence of life threatening disease, can you really afford to have this attitude?

Because much of the health information that’s flooded through mainstream media is so misleading, many people are shocked by the simplicity and effectiveness of natural health. Despite this, they still react as if a healthy lifestyle is only for people with some type of special interest or motivation. This unfortunate mentality ultimately prevents many millions of people from living the long and happy life that they had always pictured and hoped for.

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Many people consider selfishness to be a despicable characteristic, but is it really? With the right type of mentality, selfishness can actually make you a much happier person and the world a much better place!

What is Selfishness?

Selfishness is defined by the dictionary as a focus on one’s own pleasure or well-being without regard for others. Although this definition certainly carries a negative connotation, society has generalized the concept of selfishness by applying it to anyone seeking personal gain, even if it benefits others. This is a shortsighted point of view that is also socialist in nature.

A Fair Trade

Nearly everything we do in life is associated with a cost and a benefit where the benefit is the justification for the cost. Although this applies to anything in life, exchanging money for goods or services is the most obvious example. Adding need into this equation of cost and benefit creates a philosophical dilemma.

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A very knowledgeable friend and colleague, Antonio Valladares, has asked me to write about my top 3 tips for healthy and inspired living. It will be part of a series for his Healthy Urban Kitchen website and I’m honored by the request!

Antonio is one of the most knowledgeable experts on nutrition and lifestyle in New York City and has written an excellent cookbook that’s full of extremely healthy and very tasty recipes. Not only does this cookbook prove that it’s possible to follow an excellent diet without sacrificing taste, it also provides priceless insight for living a healthy lifestyle. Here is a link to Antonio’s Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook.

Healthy and Inspired Living

In my opinion, living a healthy and inspired life means that you’re getting the most out of your time on this planet. That’s a very broad concept, and as such, my three tips are somewhat general in nature. However, they’re what I consider to be the three most important aspects of living a satisfying life, and each tip serves as a foundation for the next.

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Many of us get so caught up in the stress of day to day life that we become irritable and forget how to be happy. At one time or another, we’re all guilty of it, but that’s no excuse. We all have the ability to be happy, even in the face of adversity.

It’s Your Choice

We’re all born with the power of choice, but many of us take this gift for granted and let it’s potential go unrealized. Although we can’t always control our surroundings, we can certainly choose how we perceive them.

Regardless of how bad something may seem, it’s always possible to embrace it with a positive outlook. Whether it’s something as simple as getting stuck in traffic or as tragic as losing a friend or family member, we can choose to perceive it in a positive way. Making this choice can be the difference between being miserable and being happy.

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Christmas is over and many people are dreading tomorrow’s return to work. If you’re one of them, have you ever considered how much of an impact your job is having on your health and happiness? Most people spend their entire workday doing work they have no interest in. By the time they get home, they are tired and barely have enough time to eat dinner and run a few errands let alone do something fun. They eagerly look forward to the weekend, only for Monday to reemerge it’s ugly head far too quickly, and they begin the cycle all over again. That’s far from the image I have of a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.

But with the current economy, you should be grateful just to have a job, right? Nobody wants to be unemployed and have a hard time paying bills, but this line of thinking just makes you feel guilty about wanting a better life and undermines your health and happiness even further.

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Have you ever noticed how great you feel after having a good time with friends and family? It’s not hard to figure out that the more time you spend and enjoy with people you care about, the happier you are in general. Despite this, we all become too engrossed in other less important things and forget. It’s Christmas Eve and many of us will be spending today and tomorrow with the people we care about most. It’s a great opportunity to let go of all your worries and enjoy the company of friends and family to the fullest. Take note of how uplifting it is and how it just melts away your stress.

Avoid the Rotten Apples

For some, the holidays unfortunately bring frustration because you’re forced to spend time with family members or friends that you don’t get along with. If this is you, don’t worry, all is not lost. Simply focus on enjoying time with the people you do like and maybe even reconsider why it is that you don’t get along with the people you don’t like. Could it possibly be your fault? Is there anything you can do to make the situation better?

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