In this episode of the Peak Performance Podcast, I chat with Jennifer Jacobs who lost 114 pounds on NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Jennifer is now a health coach and empowers others to live their best lives.
What you’ll learn:
How Jennifer went from overweight to health expert
How we sabotage our happiness and health
The only thing holding every person back from living the life of their dreams
How weight-loss is just like winning the World Series
How ANYBODY can go from a life of misery to a life of love, compassion, and service
Listen to this amazing episode below, and if you like, it…SHARE IT!
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Ashley Fisher.
Well, it is currently 11 degrees (but feels like 3 degrees) fahrenheit here in Princeton, New Jersey. Everywhere I go, I hear people complaining about how cold it is outside. It seems to be making many people feel angry, annoyed, and depressed.
Guess what?
It is impossible for the weather to affect how you feel.
Disagree?
Then how do you account for some people hating cold weather and others loving it?
What’s the difference in why they feel one way or the other?
It’s in their thoughts. Feelings are created by thought and thought alone. In other words, nothing outside of you has the ability to affect you.
People who hate the cold have thoughts like, “I really don’t like getting in my car when it’s cold” or “I hate having to scrape off my car.” Then they feel annoyed.
People who love the cold have thoughts like, “This is great skiing weather!” or “This is a perfect hot chocolate day!” Then they feel excited.
When we have a thought, we automatically have a corresponding feeling. 100% of the time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…whether you know it’s happening or not.
I know what you’re thinking…”Ed, how do I change my thoughts?!?”
Answer: You can’t.
Your thoughts will change naturally if you don’t make a big deal out of them. For example, if you looked at the weather report and it said it would be 11 degrees today, you might have a thought like, “Gosh, that’s cold, it’s going to be miserable out there today.” If you take that thought seriously, your mood will begin to go down. On the other hand, if you just let that thought pass, a new thought will probably replace it like “Big deal, I’ll just bundle up…I can’t wait to get some fresh, crisp air in my lungs.”
Thoughts come and go and feelings come and go. When we don’t put much value on the content of our thinking, we naturally reset to a place (space) of happiness, clarity, wisdom, and peak performance.
It’s like when you hold a cork under water…if you just let go of the cork, it will float up to the surface all by itself. Your state of mind is the same way.
The only thing holding the cork back is your hand.
The only thing holding your state of mind back is your thinking.
Final thought: You know how people say don’t believe everything you hear? It’s also true that you shouldn’t believe everything you THINK.
Thanks for reading.
Ed Tseng
Peak Performance Coach
Author, Speaker
Pro of the Year USTA/NJD 2005
I have a client and friend I’ll call George. When I met George, he was depressed for many years. During our first conversation, he had an insight and understood how the human experience and mind worked. He realized that he was creating his own suffering for all those years via his own thoughts. His depression has disappeared and hasn’t shown up since. Recently, George and I were talking about how our thoughts create our experience in the moment. I said that you could be on a beautiful island sitting on the beach, but if your thoughts are stressed and filled with concerns back home, your experience will be unpleasant. I also told George that there are people in prison who feel more free than when they were not incarcerated.
George was silent for a moment and said, “That reminds me of when I was depressed…I was in Hawaii, looking out at the ocean, and all of a sudden, anxious thoughts came over me and I was miserable.” He went on to say, “Also, during that time, I moved to Florida, thinking that perhaps moving to paradise would make me feel better. It didn’t. I now know that it was my thoughts that were creating my suffering, not my situation. It was like the Bob Marley song, ‘You’re running away…but you can’t run away from yourself.’ ” I said, “Exactly! It’s like running away from your own shadow.” Thoughts and feelings are directly related.
Our experience of life comes 100% from our own thoughts. Our experience does not come from anything outside of us. It is impossible for you to have a stressful thought and feel happy. It is also impossible for you to have a happy thought and feel stressed. It’s a principle, like gravity: What goes up, must come down. What we think, we feel.
I had never heard the Bob Marley song George was referring to, but “Googled” it. It is now my new favorite song. Below are the lyrics and video on Youtube. Enjoy!
You’re running and you’re running
And you’re running away.
You’re running and you’re running
And you’re running away.
You’re running and you’re running
And you’re running away.
You’re running and you’re running,
But you can’t run away from yourself.
-“Running Away” by Bob Marley
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/0258.jpg360480adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2012-09-17 19:55:342012-09-17 19:55:34MESSAGE #1648 ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?
Here is a great short story by an unknown monk from 11 A.D. entitled “I Wanted To Change The World”
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
Many athletes worry about things that they cannot control, for instance, winning and losing, the weather, their opponents, the umpires, etc.
If you can’t control it, don’t worry about it.
Control the only thing you can…
Yourself.
Your actions.
Your reactions.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-12-14 20:57:382010-12-14 20:57:38MESSAGE #1239 MENTAL TOUGHNESS FROM A MONK
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
-JOHN LENNON
People don’t sing to get to the end of the song.
Athletes don’t play to get to the end of the competition.
You shouldn’t “live for” the weekends or your vacations.
Enjoy the process of singing, playing your sport or everyday life, in general.
The more you savor each and every thing you do, the happier you will be…and the better results you will get.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-12-13 13:58:462010-12-13 13:58:46MESSAGE #1238 A MESSAGE FROM JOHN LENNON
Happiness may be in the form of sports, business, finances, hobbies, spirituality, school or relationships.
But most people have it all wrong–they think that happiness is something to be found.
The truth is, happiness comes from within.
You may not be the athlete you want to be…YET. It is your choice whether you are happy with where you are. My feeling is that regardless of what level you are, if you strive for constant improvement, work hard, set goals and believe that anything is possible, that is success. And that should make you happy.
You don’t have to be satisfied, but you could (and should) be happy right now. It’s a choice.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-11-18 21:29:372010-11-18 21:29:37MESSAGE #1213 I FOUND HAPPINESS
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
-THEODORE ROOSEVELT
So here I am entering my most enjoyable blog message.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all of my blog messages, but today’s is especially delicious, I mean, enjoyable.
I’m sitting here at DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, NJ. I have wireless internet (stolen from the sushi place next door), an outlet for my laptop and two amazing pies on the way (one 1/2 sweet peppers and onions, 1/2 garlic and one of the owner’s favorite, anchovies, garlic, no cheese…burnt).
Today was my day off, but I gave a mental coaching session and then taught a ladies doubles clinic. I love what I do and don’t mind putting in the hours.
Now I’m blogging during lunch at one of my favorite pizza places on the planet. Again, I don’t consider blogging, work.
Someone recently said that they were jealous of me because I love what I do.
Why can’t you?
I’m not saying to quit your job, but…
-Start doing more of what you love
-Start making a difference
-Think of creative ways you can monetize
-Enjoy the whole process
It’s Friday…are you happy the weekend is here?
I sure am, not because I’m NOT working, but because I AM working…
But for now, I’m off. Time to enjoy my pizza.
Make every day delicious!
Thank you, Sam Amico and DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies!!
Talk to you tomorrow.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/photo.jpg800600adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-02-19 13:28:302010-02-19 13:28:30MESSAGE #939 THE MOST DELICIOUS BLOG ENTRY
I spent the afternoon with some of my heroes yesterday…
My Special Olympics team.
Every time I work with these athletes, I become inspired all over again.
My time with my Special Olympics team is one of my most enjoyable. I learn so much from them – optimism, hard work, dedication, honesty, and character, to say the least.
And I don’t get paid.
Remember what Einstein said – “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”
You couldn’t put a price on how rewarding and enjoyable my practice sessions with my special athletes are.
It’s so organic. They’re the real deal. They’re polite and caring. And we can all learn a lot from them.
The one thing we all have in common is our search for happiness.
But guess what?
It’s not in a bigger house. It’s not in a nicer car. It’s not in a new pair of shoes.
Look around today, and tell me if you see it.
Thanks for reading.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/IMG_43892.jpg302320adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2009-10-12 11:54:002009-10-12 11:54:00MESSAGE #808 A SPECIAL DAY...
If you’re going to have a rule for happiness, make it this: “Nothing has to happen for me to feel good! I feel good because I’m alive! Life is a gift, and I revel in it.” Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are as happy as they decide to be.” The story of his life and the stories of other people who have triumphed over tragedies are important reminders that we are in control.
Adopt this rule and decide to raise you standards for the one thing over which you have complete control – yourself. It means you’ve committed to being intelligent, flexible, and creative enough to consistently find a way to look at your life in a fashion that makes any experience enriching. (Lesson #260 from Giant Steps by Anthony Robbins)
Ed Tseng failed out of college – twice! Bob Ryland lived through segregation. Rayna Dubose had all four limbs amputated. Jennie Murphy is legally blind.
These people are all optimistic. You can turn any negative situation into a positive one. But unfortunately, it works both ways.
Thanks for reading.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2009-08-21 11:10:002009-08-21 11:10:00MESSAGE #756 A MESSAGE FROM ANTHONY ROBBINS...
At 7:15AM I pulled into the parking lot of the Nassau Club for a breakfast meeting for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Today’s speaker was Reverend Peter Stimpson, director of Trinity Counseling Service, and author of “Map to Happiness.”
I love listening to speakers. And I love learning about happiness. And I love networking. I did it all this morning.
Reverend Stimpson used the quote above by Homer in his talk. He spoke about how it’s not the product (money, status, power) but instead, it’s all about the process (your journey, your attitude and your relationships).
The Reverend said that the key is to learn to love and be loved, in every interaction we have. This is so true in relationships, work, school and sports. He talked about how someone he knew was miserable at the end of his career because he only accumulated five million dollars versus his business partner who made fifty million. Guess what? If you have five million dollars and you’re miserable, you’re just a miserable rich person. It’s about the journey.
Stimpson said not to worry about external opinion, but to focus on internal worth.
The three main points in his talk were: 1. Everyone is insecure – it’s okay to make mistakes 2. We give power to other people – why? Power comes from within 3. Success is who you become not what you attain
Stimpson also talked about depression and how it occurs when there is a big gap between our ego and ego ideal. If we feel we need to or have to or should accomplish this goal or that goal and we don’t achieve it, depression sets in. The cure? Love yourself for who you are, as you are. Separate actions and results from worth.
The Reverend ended by saying “Remember, everyone is insecure. It’s okay if you are too. Just be patient with your growth.”
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2009-06-17 13:53:002009-06-17 13:53:00MESSAGE #688 THE REVEREND JUST MADE ME HAPPIER!
