The
Wall
See
that wall?
Everything
you want is on the other side.
Your
freedom is on the other side.
Freedom
from your past. Freedom from everything you never wanted to be. Freedom from
everything you are not.
You
know you have to get to the other side. Your life depends on it. Not that you
will die if you don’t get to the other side, but you might as well be dead. If
you stay, you lose, which makes you a loser. Do you want to stay a loser, or do
you want to get to the other side? The choice is yours, the time is now.
Can
you go over it? Under it? Around it? You can try, but you shouldn’t. Why?
Because you know the only way is through. The obstacle is the way. In fact, the
obstacle in the obstacle is the way. You will never get to the other side
unless you smash that thing head on, as hard as you can. You will need:
strength, power, momentum, and most importantly, a direct hit. You can’t
half-ass this. There is no room for anything less than 110%. If you are not going
for it, you might as well just lay down, right here, in the mud and shit you’ve
been sitting in for years.
“Do or do not do, there
is no try.”
– Yoda
Do
not fool yourself in to thinking there is an alternative. Every reason you are
giving yourself to not hit that wall at 200mph is fear. It may be disguising
itself as something else, but it’s fear. What are you afraid of? That it’s
going to hurt? Hell yeah it’s going to hurt, but not half as bad is it did
putting all those bricks up in the first place. You built this thing yourself,
or don’t you realize that? Piece by piece you built this, all by yourself. You
are a genius. You pretended it was something else. You thought you were fooling
everyone around you, but all you did was fool yourself. Now you’re the fool.
Now you are going to try and sit here and ignore it? Fuck you. If you walk away
from this now you didn’t learn a damn thing. If you quit now you will never
amount to anything. It is right there! It’s right in front of you! The obstacle
is the way you motherfucker! Own it. It’s all yours.
What
Do I Do Now?
Now
that you know the task at hand, you need to prepare. What is the best way? How
do you attack something like this? Chances are you don’t know anyone that needs
to get through a wall like you built. If you do, you needed to have asked them
5 minutes ago, why are you reading this shit? Anyways, back to me. My strategy?
It’s a book. Prison Diary(a). Not the most sophisticated title, but it’s unique
and funny, just like me. (This is not a book commercial, so I’ll get back to
the article.) Part of me getting to the “other side” is airing out all my dirty
laundry. A lot of it is in the book, which gets very dark and very personal in
between all the funny anecdotes. It will come out in blogs and vlogs and
through questions that you all ask me. If I don’t put it all out in the open up
front, I don’t feel we would be able to have a genuine dialogue. If it’s not
going to be 100% real, it’s not going to be helpful, and the goal is to be
helpful. Rebuilding is the goal here. Once you acknowledge the wall, and acknowledge
you need to smash it, you need to do it. My perspectives can help, but only
with honesty, so that’s where I am starting.
The
question I get most frequently: Wasn’t there enough “honesty” with all the
press/media coverage when you got arrested and through your trial? The answer
is hell yes and hell no. The media wants the most sensationalized version.
Truth isn’t really a prerequisite. On top of that, the DA doesn’t really want
the truth either. They also want the most sensationalized version. When you mix
the media with the DA and the prosecutions side feeding the media, things will
inevitably get a little skewed. I don’t blame them, it’s their job. That
doesn’t mean it was great being on the other end, but I get it. There are two
sides to every story, and this is where I start mine. I am not here to defend
myself, I am a total fucking idiot. Hands down. No questions asked. I am also
not here to try and tell you my version of events. How you view the situation
is how you view it. Nothing I say can change your mind, so I won’t bother. I
have met a lot of people who see the situation one way, and we are cool, and I
have heard about people taking the media/DAs perspective, and we are not cool. Nothing
much else to say. I don’t really care which side of the fence you are on. It
would be nice if there weren’t people who thought poorly of me, but you can’t
make everyone like you. In fact, if everyone likes you, you are doing something
wrong. There will always be haters, I just gave them a head start.
Fear
of Failure – Getting Through The Wall
Are
you afraid of failing?
What does failure look like to you?
What does it mean to
be a failure?
A
question I am getting a lot through the website is: aren’t you afraid of putting more crap out there? Aren’t the articles bad enough? The
answer is yes and no. I don’t want to talk about this stuff anymore. I would love
to bury it and never see it again, but because of the internet that is not an
option. When you search my name, all you get is shit. A couple Starving
Millionaires references, some Long Beach Records, maybe a couple of my social
media sites, but 99% shit. That is NEVER going away. All I can do is do more
stuff, better stuff, to filter out the garbage. Unless I do something and let
everyone know about it my name will forever be “Google Goop”, “Bing Boo-Boo,”
or “Yahoo Yuck.” The only way to change that is to go big. So that is what I am
doing.
I
am not worried about failure at all. I have already failed enough for 10
lifetimes.
I
read a lot of entrepreneurial books. Authors like: Tim Ferriss (@TFerriss), James Altucher (@JAltucher),
Jack Canfield (@JackCanfield), Ryan Holiday (@RyanHoliday), and Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins). One of their first suggested
steps is to figure out what you are afraid of. When you are starting at the
bottom like me, the only place to go is up. It’s impossible to get any worse
than: losing your job, having your mug shot on the front page of all Bay Area
newspapers (where you live and grew up), lose 50% of your household income,
lose your dignity, privacy, work relationships, and some friends (who were
never real friends to begin with, you just didn’t realize that until now, Marco).
What the hell is worse than that? Maybe if my head falls off. Then it would be
a tie.
Actually
Getting Through The Wall
How
do you go through a wall? What is my strategy? Like the great James Altucher
says, “I can only tell you what works for me.” To be honest, I can’t imagine my
strategy not working. It’s been amazing for me. Taken about a year to get it
locked in, and I’m always looking to fine tune it and make it even better, so I
still consider it a work in progress, but it is fantastic. It all centers
around one concept: STRUCTURE. To me, structure allows for maximized
productivity and absolute freedom. As someone with ADHD, I would have laughed
my ass off if you suggested structure as a way for personal freedom a few years
ago………
Structure?
Restrictions?
Hell no!
Give me wild and free
baby! No rules!
Just take life as it
comes and ebb and flow along the way. I got this! Versatility is what I do.
If
that’s what you do, you will never truly be free. You will be a prisoner of
this world and everyone around you. You will constantly be moving and doing what
the world tells you to, in control of nothing, like a dog on a leash. Here boy! You can either look at
yourself honestly or not. I don’t care. If you want freedom, if you want
success, and if you want to see what you are really made of, you need structure.
You can thrive through discipline.
My
structure is, well, structured, around five (5) things: 1. Sleep 2. Day/Work
prep 3. Nutrition 4. Physical and 5. Neurological Functioning. They all work
together, they all make each other stronger or weaker if they are not managed
correctly, but they need to be treated individually.
1
Sleep – Fricken sleep!!! 8
hours. 9 hours. Get real sleep. This is where your body recovers. Without
recovery how are you going to attack tomorrow with the same intensity as you
did today? You can try to power through, but you will never be at 100% without
a good nights sleep. Don’t eat too late, don’t drink too much, don’t watch
crazy shit on TV right before bed (your brain processes the last 45 minutes of
the day 7x more than anything else during sleep. You really want to be thinking
about Pablo Escobar blowing up planes all night? Hell no).
Me:
I go to bed at 9pm, wake up at 5am. I prep my
sleep by drinking Chamomile tea, reading some marketing or entrepreneurial book
(so I can think about it while sleeping and wake up a genius), and wearing blue
light blocking glasses, which stops cortisol production and helps produce
melatonin (the chemical you need to sleep). This works so well that some
mornings I feel like I took Codeine (sizurp for you rappers).
2.
Day/Work Prep – What do I do after
getting all that good sleep? I prep the day! I’m up at 5am, which gives me
about 75 minutes before my wife and daughter get up. I have a couple sips of
coffee (which is on a timer so it’s ready when I get up), write my affirmations
(listen to Tim Ferriss’s podcast with Dilbert creator Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays). His
affirmation story will have you writing affirmations tomorrow), meditate for 20
minutes, read for 45 minutes (marketing/entrepreneurial book of course, same as
the night before), take a glorious poop (with a Squatty Potty), get my wife and
daughter up and ready for work and school, then I am either off running (literally)
or in my office working. Boom. Day set up beautifully. Running doubles as another
meditation for me, so while I am on the road I am thinking about everything I
am going to be working on that day. Once I sit down to work, I am cranking.
Environment
– As
important as the day prep is, if you then go to an environment that either
sucks, or sucks for what you are trying to accomplish, changes need to be made ASAP.
Everything around me is set up exactly how I need it to be in order to be as
functional as possible. Stimulating pictures, phone off, non-distracting music
going (usually Pandora’s Jazz Radio), clean, organized environment so I don’t
think about having to straighten up to get to work, and I am ready to go. The
car is on and engine running.
3.
Physical – I work out 6 days a
week. 3-4 days running (6-10miles/per) and all 6 days lifting weights. I start
the day with a run (7am). It is another part of my day prep. The days I don’t
run are because I have a shorter work day (picking up daughter from school
early, helping my grandma, etc.) and need to be productive for work more than I
need 5 days of running a week. I always end my day lifting. The compression of
lifting weights helps me decompress. It is rejuvenating. I listen to different
business or lifestyle podcasts while I work out so I am still “working” my
brain. On Thursdays I listen to The Herd (@TheHerd) on IHeartRadio because he interviews
Greg Cosell (@GregCosell) during the football season, and you can’t beat that. After the
lift, I hop in the shower, ice cold at the end for a total physical and mental
reset.
Mondays
I do an especially tough run in the morning, but the view at the top of the
hill makes it all worth it. It is the perfect way to start a week off. Win the
morning win the day. Win the Monday, win the week. It is something relatively
new I started doing (the epic run). I am always looking for ways to tweak my
schedule to make it even more beneficial and productive.
4.
Nutrition
– Shit
in, shit out. You want to be at the top of your game? It all starts with diet.
Your workouts will be more effective, your body more effective, your mind more
effective. You don’t put cheap ass oil in your car do you? If you do, skip the
rest of this cause you’re an idiot. If you want your $120,000 Porsche to run
properly, you better put that good stuff in it. What are you worth? Hopefully
you say priceless! Then why do you put garbage in your system? Shit in, shit
out. You want to think more clearly? Eat better. You want to feel better in the
morning? Eat better. You want a 6-pack? Eat better. You want to stop being a
fat ass? Eat better. That sugar in your coffee in the morning is making you fat
and inflamed. So is the pastry you ate mid-morning. Pasta for lunch? Blah. Fast
food for dinner? Your heart and your belly hate you. Don’t even get me started
if you smoke. Drink every night? “Come on
man” – Chris Carter, ESPN. Clean up the diet and everything changes.
Easy
huh?
Me – AM: coffee with
coconut oil (no sugar) and a smoothie: greens, beets, ginger, turmeric,
parsley, cilantro, mint, avocado, apple cider vinegar, salt (if I’m running
that morning), pepper, and water then Ninja the crap out of it. It tastes like ass, but it is sooooooooo good
for you.
BREAKFAST:
4 eggs and either 3 cups of raw, diced veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper, and
cayenne or a cup of lentils and spinach.
LUNCH:
Skip most days. If I do eat, it is the raw, diced veggies (Brussel sprouts,
cauliflower, broccoli, peppers) and black beans. If I had a particularly tough run I may eat
an apple or banana, handful of almonds to get me to my workout.
DINNER: Chicken, fish, turkey or roasted veggies. If
we eat out, it is usually sushi, if not, I find something on the menu that
isn’t too crazy (most of the time, I do love me some In ‘N Out ….. but no
fries).
**
I give myself a cheat day once a week (and half of December) but don’t go
overboard people.
5.
Neurological
Functioning – EVERYTHING that came before this helps this. Your brain doesn’t
work right if your body is a mess, if your belly is processing McDonald’s and
Mega Mocha Chai Tea Double Pump Triple Teamed Lattes. It just doesn’t. It
doesn’t work for your big ‘ol butt, and it doesn’t work for your brain. The
sooner you see that the better. The better your take care of your body, the more
you work out, sleep well, and eat well, the better your brain will function.
The better your brain functions, the more successful you will be. If you are
like me and need to get through a wall, you need everything you can to be the
best you can possibly be. There are no shortcuts through that wall.
READ
READ READ!!! Turn off the TV at night and read. Prep your sleep, expand your
mind, learn new things to implement at work or life in general. The mindless
shows are doing just that, making you mindless. Who gives a shit what the Real
Housewives are doing? They wanted cameras following them around watching them
get drunk and act like idiots, that’s who you are watching!! And stop watching
the news. It is so depressing, and you don’t really need to know any of it. If
it is a big enough story you will hear about it at work. They sensationalize
everything and focus on things that scare you or worry you. Who needs that? You
are putting sugar in the gas tank! I know you think you deserve some relaxing
time, you worked so hard today, but if there is still a wall up, there is no
time to relax. It is go time all the time.
Health
is so important. How many super successful fat asses do you know of? Exactly.
Zero. (I understand there may be a whole lot of other things unhealthy about
them, but I am trying to make a point here, focus). I’m happy you are
comfortable in your body, that’s great, but what are you leaving on the table?
As great as you think you are, what are you not doing because you are putting
shit in the machine? Whatever you are, a big winner or a big loser, what could
you be if you treated your mind and body better? If you don’t change you will
never know.
We
are all creatures of habit, good ones and bad ones. To even start being
successful you better have more good habits than bad (or at least itty bitty
bad habits). Structure your day, your life, like a machine. The best cars are
the reliable ones. What would you do if your car sort of worked one day, didn’t
work at all the next, and worked at 40% the day after? You would light that
thing on fire on the side of the road! That’s you. That’s what happens without
consistency. You have a Jaguar that runs like a rickshaw. You need to look at
yourself in the mirror. Rev your engine baby! It’s begging to be unleashed on
the open road. Get out of your own way.
My
structure works amazingly for me. I need it to because the task at hand is so
daunting. I know these changes I implemented would work for you. Give them a
try. “We are always stronger than we know” - Arnold Schwarzenegger (@scharzenegger).
Go
Crush That Wall
It’s
right there. It’s staring at you. The obstacle is the way. Go smash that
motherfucker.
Some
suggested reading to get you started on your wall smashing journey:
Order Prison Diary(a): A San Quentin Comedy, Kinda TODAY!!!
