Years back I remember watching a documentary about the Hopi elders. The main idea that they were trying to get across to their own people and the world at large was the resounding message, “We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for.” They knew that great change was coming over the world there was nothing we could do to stop it. They also knew that nobody was coming to save us. They were absolutely right on both the global cultural scale but also down to the daily personal level. It is truly up to each and every one of us to determine the trajectory of our own lives.

We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for. -Hopi Elders

We have to face it. The majority of us are facing the harsh reality that we were raised by a generation with certain views that quite hold water anymore. Whether it be sexuality and gender, religion, political reform, or music, things have changed a lot and are still changing. The days of keeping the same position in a company for 25 years are also over. Now you have to be willing to work yourself out of a job to stay competitive. I’d say for about the past 100 years or so each new wave of humans has come up against challenges that their parents did not quite possess the mental wherewithal to coach them through effectively. Humans have seen wave after wave of technology and an explosion of information like has never been seen on the planet before. Just think about it. Electricity, the automobile and industrial revolution, airplanes and travel, spaceflight, the internet, smart phones, and the list goes on. If you pulled out an iPhone with the Google Earth app and zoomed in on your house from space 500 years ago they would either burn you at the stake or worship you as a god depending on your locale.

In a world where knowledge is power it is extremely important to be at your own helm. While it is easy for a person to be dis-empowered by a lack of information, now it is just as easy to stand in front of so much information and so many choices that they are frozen stiff like a deer in headlights. Indecisiveness and procrastination are the new plagues of our generation. Everyone says they hate being bossed around by leaders, but the truth is nobody does anything until push comes to shove. Nobody can make up their damn mind. Then if they do happen to make their mind up, they still don’t get off their ass and DO anything about making a change in their life. THIS MEANS YOU! And ME. This is a WE problem. We all need to get off our asses and start putting effort into making the changes we know we need to make to increase our quality of life as a species.

I say it over and over. We need to be making these changes at the level of our lifestyle. Permanent changes. They have to be practiced on purpose until the critical mass of momentum is reached. This is how the subconscious mind adds the new behavioral pattern into it’s auto-pilot programming.

It’s not difficult, it just has to be DONE. Life is about the DOING, not about waiting for things to be done for you. Nobody is coming to save you, and nobody CAN save you. I don’t care whether you’re waiting for Jesus to come back and or if you’re waiting on some advanced alien race to come show us silly humans how we aught to be running the show. These religious and other mystical figures aren’t supposed to be worshiped and knelt down to, they’re supposed to be emulated. They are a template for you to follow if you want to grow up as a being. If you’re just sitting back, pointing your finger, and waiting for a savior of any kind you have already lost the game. Nobody can be saved by anyone else. It’s like cheating on your math homework in junior high. You might sneak by a few times but when the test comes and you aren’t prepared, you fail the test.

It has to start some place. It has to start some how. What better place than here. What better time than now. ALL HELL CAN’T STOP US NOW. -Zack de la Rocha

We can’t be waiting for the right time. “WHEN” and “IF” are two of the most toxic and pathetic words to think about making life changes with. Most times you use the word, you’re making an excuse and implying it’s somebody else’s fault. You are putting yourself in a spot of weakness. Telling yourself the story in your head that you are a victim; not in control of your own life. Don’t be fooled by anyone who says they can save you without you putting any effort in. I like the Alan Watts quote, “Let me help you out of the water before you drown… said the monkey putting the fish safely up a tree.” If you were in a car you would be stuck in PARK. Maybe neutral if you’re lucky, but definitely not in drive. How many of these have you said or overheard this week?

I’ll be happy when…

I’ll be able to accept my self for my own unique weirdness when…

I’ll start eating better when…

I’ll start exercising more often when…

I’ll start working on my marriage when…

I’ll be a better parent when…

I’ll stop smoking/drinking/(insert vice here) when…

I’ll start learning that new skill when…

I’ll ___ when ___.

Get real with yourself. Stop making excuses for why you aren’t the way you need to be in order to feel self confident. Telling yourself these stories in your head is the perfect recipe for depression. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that things like depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, and most chronic illness like obesity and diabetes are afflictions that you are just so unlucky to have fallen victim to. These are symptoms of a poor physical and mental habits that become ingrained into your damn soul. The consequence for inaction is suicide whether it be instant or in slow-motion. You have to put persistent effort into changing otherwise YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO GET ANY RESULTS and you are NEVER GOING TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF when you are alone with your thoughts.

Circumstances? What are circumstances? Hell, I MAKE CIRCUMSTANCES! ATTACK! ATTACK!!! -Napoleon Bonaparte

The better appropriate word to use when you are talking about making self change is “UNTIL.” The word UNTIL implies that you are going to persist for long enough to reach that critical mass where the subconscious mind takes over. It sounds so simple. How did I not think of this before. Why is this kind of philosophy not taught to children in schools from a young age? Sometimes the answers are so simple that we overlook them and we keep looking aimlessly while life slips away. Like my grandmother always said while my grandfather looked for something right in front of his face, “God damn it John, if it was a snake it would bite you!”

Start replacing the WHEN statements with UNTIL statements:

I’m going to run 5 miles every single day UNTIL I lose 50 pounds.

I’m going to do 500 sit-ups a day UNTIL I have a six pack.

I’m going to make 50 sales calls a day UNTIL I double my commissions.

I’m going to practice my instrument UNTIL I can play at a concert.

I’m going to cut sugar and meat UNTIL my pancreas comes back online.

You get the picture. Start telling yourself these power statements when you wake up in the morning. Work like Arnold Schwarzenegger says with reps and sets of the desired behavior until you get the results you want. YOU WILL GET RESULTS WITH THE PROPER EFFORT. It is a damn law of the universe. You can overcome any obstacle in your life no matter how deep your depression or how bad of an alcoholic you are. $50K rehab programs and years of counseling are only as good as they are at making YOU help yourself. Retrain your body, mind, and spirit for balance and upward mobility. Don’t put bandaids on bullet wounds. Keep a daily journal that you fill with things you are thankful for, people you love and want to make proud of you, plans for how you are going to achieve goals. You can do it. From baby steps to big leaps.

Be the lighthouse showing others how to get out of the storm and safely to shore. That’s the meaning of life for me.

Evolving a little every day in every possible way.