Unleash the Athlete

Nate Burkhalter, American Ninja Warrior Champion, Man of God, and great all-around dude

You can get high on your own supply...of oxygen. This is a recording of a breathing activity I did with some high level CEOs and Entrepreneurs at a mastermind event I was a part of in August 2021.  Sometimes I go live and offer this to those in my text message community. Text BREATH to (972) 236-5924 to join that group. 

breathing for clarity, a 30-minute breathing activity | 83

honor the present| 82

I met Ryan at a conference in Dallas, TX a few months ago and was really impressed with him and his wife. On the show we talked about: - What Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz can teach you about leadership   - What entrepreneurs can learn from elite athletes  - The many benefits of Wim Hof breathing And so much more... Check out the Extraordinary Man Podcast with Ryan Horn.

Guest on the Extraordinary Man Podcast with Ryan Horn

Everything is Hard. Choose Wisely! Shoutout to Pastor Keith Kraft for his poem, Choose Your Hard

chose your hard | 81

The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short. - Abraham Maslow Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. - Steve Jobs Music: Chill Out by Sunset Dreams

belief is power | 80

Guest on The Mind Leads Performance Podcast with John Gold and Andy Harris

I recently learned how a circus trains elephants to stay in a certain area. A baby elephant is trained at birth to be confined to a very small space by Its trainer  tying its leg with a rope to a wooden post planted deep in the ground. This confines the baby elephant to an area determined by the length of the rope – the elephant’s comfort zone. Though the baby elephant will initially try to break the rope, the rope is too strong, and so the baby elephant learns that it can’t break the rope. It learns that it has to stay in the area defined by the length of the rope. When the elephant grows up into a 5-ton colossus that could easily break the same rope, it doesn’t even try because it learned as a baby that it couldn’t break the rope. In this way, the largest elephant can be confined by the puniest little rope. Perhaps this also describes you – still trapped in a comfort zone by something as puny and weak as the small rope and stake that controls the elephant, except your rope is made up of the limiting beliefs and images that you received and took on when you were young. How many times have things that were limitations in the past taught us that we cant do it now, or in the future? Do not allow your past to stop you from doing what you want to do today. You’re a different person today than you were yesterday. President Franklin Roosevelt. “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds,” This is true for all of us. You are so powerful. Your greatness is limitless, confined only by the limitations you put on yourself. In short, “Don’t be as naive as an Elephant.”

self-imposed limitations | 79

Where FOCUS goes, energy flows! That is a quote from Tony Robbins, a man who has been my teacher for over 25 years. The lesson is simple, what we feel is a result of what we are choosing to focus on. The things we spend mental energy on affects all areas of our life. And the idea of a balanced life is total crap. It is never balanced. Work life balance, what a dumb thing to think is possible. There is no balance. There is always something we are working towards or someone we are trying to become. Every day comes with new challenges, whether it is relational, financial, emotional, spiritual, physical...I mean there are so many things to consider when it comes to what to focus on. Next time you catch yourself focusing on something that leads to anger or despair, change your focus. Decide in that moment to think of something you are grateful for, something that makes you smile. This gets easier the more you do it, and life is too short to live in the negative situations of your past or the hypothetical situations of a future that hasn't happened yet. Where FOCUS goes, energy flows! Choose the right focus.

focus equals feeling | 77

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

anger and forgiveness | 78

We all have scripts that we repeat in our minds. We learned these scripts, these beliefs about how the world works from others, and some we came up with them on our own. It’s not easy to replace these things we tell people, and ourselves, but if we become aware of the scripts that do good, we can make sure we repeat them more often than the ones that cause harm. It's that awareness of the things we think and say that creates the reality we see and the types of relationships we enjoy.  When it comes down to it, The quality of your life depends on the quality of your communication with yourself (inside world) and with the others (outside world). The ability to communicate well, especially with yourself and the willingness to challenge what you believe is an art that is worth consideration. Be intentional about what you believe and what you say, because thoughts and words are the foundation of who you are in this life.  Contact James Leath: https://linktr.ee/jamesleath

thoughts and words | 76

We don't get what we want in life, we get what we deserve. You can spend your whole life trying to be normal, trying to fit in, success doesn't happen to the mediocre, to the people who strive to be normal. You gotta be weird. You gotta be crazy about your pursuit of a better life, and a better situation. Stop with the excuses. Stop with the wasted pursuits. Put down the video game, pick up a weight, devour a library and consume content that builds you up, increase your skills, and get you ready for the weird future ahead of you. It is not easy, but it is simple, and it is worth it. Don't get angry or depressed...get hungry. The lion doesn't spend all day worrying about hat the sheep have to say. Get up and do something about your life. Be weird, and cut away from that person you no longer want to be. There is a world to be taken out there, and if you want it, you have to take it, you have to fight for it. Now go do something about it. Contact James Leath: https://linktr.ee/jamesleath

be weird | 74

Eliminate who we are not, first, then we’ll find ourselves where we need to be.” -Matthew McConaughey A slab of marble became the Statue of David after Michelangelo carved away all the access marble. Every chip that was hammered out are like the mistakes we make in life on our way to becoming who we really are. The difference between us and that statue is that we are in a constant state of change that ends only after we take our last breath. We make mistakes, accept the consequence, dust the marble off our shirt, and move ahead. If we aren’t making mistakes, we aren’t taking enough chances in life. Failures are moments in time, but how we respond to those mistakes is the momentum that keeps us becoming the person we want to become. So get out there, accept the consequence of your actions and eliminate who you are not so you can be proud of who you are becoming.  Contact James Leath: https://linktr.ee/jamesleath

make room for yourself | 75

Daily thoughts about personal growth, leadership, character development, and mental resiliency.

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Unleash the Athlete

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