A little while back, my aunt mentioned to me that she had a Yin vs Yang moment one day. My aunt is an avid reader of the blog, but I was not sure what she meant by this. She explained that she was running on a treadmill, about to give up at the same time she always does, when she thought of what I wrote in a post. She sincerely said it gave her the strength to run longer than she ever had before. I smiled, as the compliment immediately inflated my head.

Then again, the other day, a friend of mine mentioned to me….

‘Dude, I had a Yin Yang kinda moment the other day.’

He explained he had to do a big project for a new class at school that required he give a speech. He is not the public speaker type and he was literally sweating bullets just thinking about it (Actually it is quite amazing the amount of perspiration the fear of pulic speaking can cause!). Then he thought of a post I recently wrote about changing your perception.  He said it calmed him caused he realized, in the scheme of things, this was all part of the process. It was a one time class, and really, what did he have to lose. He gave the speech and just got an A on it.  I would say it worked out perfect, but he said he still sweat a lot in the process. Oh well, almost

This is not to toot our own horn at Yin vs Yang. Of course it feels great to hear things like this. The goal of this site is to help people enhance their wisdom by revealing how their body, mind, and soul work together, as well for us to help expand our own wisdom by writing about it.

I wanted to thank all of the readers who have either emailed us or commented, because it is you who have helped steer us in the right direction.

It is a wonderful feeling when you hear that something you created actually helps other people.  As we have continuously grown in the past 7 months, it seems that YinVsYang has started to take on a life of its own. I definitely had an idea of what this site was about when we started, but as time has progressed it is clear what Yin vs Yang has become.

A Yin vs Yang moment is anytime you use your mind to overcome any fears, limitations, nervousness, or emotions to reach your goal.

It is anytime you are able to step back from a personally difficult moment, as if you were someone else, and capitalize on what you see from the outside looking in. It is about leaving behind all judgments, expectations, and preconceptions in order to see only what actually is.

The common thread between these two stories, and the numerous emails we have received, is that a Yin vs Yang moment is when you realize it is only you who is setting the limitations.

That is a Yin vs Yang moment, and I wanted to thank my readers, friends, and family for identifying it for me. As a writer about self development and improvement, it can be tough to cling to a single message about how you can improve. There are so many schools of thought on improving yourself, and no clear way to prove which is best. Plus, as a person constantly trying to improve myself, I understand it is a journey that never ends. Therefore, different concepts work for different people at different times. In fact, what is most clear is that there is not one single way that works for everyone.

However, everyone has experienced the kind of moments where it is solely up to you and you alone. You either give it your best, or let the fear of failure defeat you before you even try.

For example, my aunt on the treadmill was approaching the limits that she had naturally set for herself. No one had tested her to see exactly how much she could go before she had to stop. Without knowing it, she had set that limit herself. When she had that Yin vs Yang moment, she naturally destroyed that personal limitation. Plus, like anything else, it is contagious. Think of the confidence boost you get whenever you have exceeded your own expectations. It is amazing how good it feels and it makes you want to destroy even more limitations.

Opening up your mind to the limitations it can set on itself is the most important concept to get out of this site.

The first step to destroying these limitations is to become aware of them. The next time you face a personally challenging moment, think of Yin vs Yang. Take a deep breath and think of the many examples our readers have given us about how they started to overcome their own personal limitations simply by recognizing them. Hopefully this will help give you the motivation to understand that you can do just the same. Anyone can achieve anything if they just put their mind to it. Even you or me

Have you ever had a Yin vs Yang moment before?

YinvsYang is just now entering its 7th month.  I thought that is a good reason to celebrate.  Maybe I am in the celebratory mood as my wife’s birthday is today (happy birthday babe!).  Either way, it’s a great time to look back on the incredible journey that started with a simple idea.

The first 6 months of writing for this blog have taught me an awful lot about myself and the world around me.  Anytime you have consistent communication with people from various places & backgrounds it seems you can’t help but grow as a person.

Growing as a person means learning plenty of lessons.

When I first started this blog, I now realize I had a certain way of talking ‘AT’ people.  As I read some of the old posts, it is obvious that my personal writing style has evolved.  I’m not saying it has gotten better or worse.  It has just grown into it’s own approach.  Consequently, this way of speaking has seeped into my everyday life because I now have a better understanding of how I may sound to others at times.  It has also taught me the benefit of trying different ‘approaches’ with different people in order to better communicate.

In my opinion, communicating with others is what a blog is all about.  When YinvsYang began, I really did not know where it would go.  I know a lot of bloggers plan & track their growth, and are dedicated to the stats as they should be.  I definitely find joy when I reach a new level of subscribers, or have a particularly strong day of traffic, but for some reason, it is not what drives me with this site. What drives me is the communication.  When this blog first came to be, I barely knew what a blog was.

In fact, the greatest attraction to writing was just to share my thoughts.  I have always found that sharing my thoughts, however embarrassing they may be, benefits me tremendously.  It helps me come to terms with some of my past that I wish I could change.  It also helps me write all of the things down that I want to be.  I can not say I follow everything I write to a tee.  In fact, the reason I can write about self improvement is because I have a lot to improve on myself.  Sometimes writing about a certain subject gives me the strength to improve in that area of my life.

Teaching others is sometimes the best way to reinforce those teachings in yourself.

I also have benefited from getting others to share their thoughts.  For instance, sometimes I write a post, and believe in it whole-heartily as I publish it.  Sounds good to me, I think.  Then one comment from one reader can make me re-evaluate my whole logic.  It is amazing how it opens my eyes to other view points.  It reveals how other people may have a totally different interpretation then I intended.  It expands my perception, and enhances my communication the next time around.

I thought on our 6 month anniversary we would be a bit different at YinvsYang.

This post is not to celebrate a certain number of subscribers we have reached, or any other statistical success of the site.  This post is to celebrate any way our thoughts may have helped you in your life, and all the ways expressing ourselves, and reading your reactions, has benefited us in our lives.  When it is all said and done, that is what I will remember most about this experience anyway.

In light of this celebration, I’d like to share some of the small success that YinvsYang has had recently. One of the people I have ‘met’ through blogging recently bestowed YinvsYang with the honor of putting us in the Top Personal Development Blogs.  There are links to some wonderful, wonderful blogs to peruse in your spare time if you get a chance.

We’ve also recently added a new category here called ‘The Spirit World‘.  This will focus more on the spirit.  It was inspired by the success of this post.  Also, here are some other popular posts we have had at the site for any new readers.

In the Spirit of Getting Out of Debt

3 Practical, Pertinent P’s to Success in Anything

The Joy of Pets

Setting Your Own Pace….Part 2

It’s What You Have, Not What You Don’t

The Secret Edge Of Workout Warriors

Being Courageous in the Face of Fear

The Beauty & Brilliance of the Blogging Universe

Also, just a reminder, check back for part 3 of ‘The Eternal, Internal Battle of Mind vs. Body’.  For those that missed it, here are the links for the 1st two parts…

Part 1

Part 2

Now, that we have taken time to walk down memory lane & celebrate our achievements, I’d like to turn the eye toward the future.  We have a brand new design coming soon that I am very excited about.  We also are looking to improve the site for our readers.  Please leave any and all suggestions in the comment box.  Here are some questions we are hoping to get answers too…

1. What post’s do you enjoy most from YinvsYang?
2. What post’s do you tend to skip?
3. What would you like to see more of from YinvsYang?
4. Are there any other comments, questions, feedback, or suggestions you have to add?

Thanks in advance for helping us make YinvsYang a more enjoyable place to visit.

Look to your right.

Now look to your left.

Look up above you.

Now look under your desk.

Look all around everywhere you can see.

That is where you’ll find opportunity.

-Peter James

I guess I am feeling a bit poetic this Friday.  My company just finished another great commercial yesterday.  For all of those relatively new to YinvsYang, I will fill you in.  A little over 6 months ago (wow, time flies), my partner and I started this blog to mark a big change in our lives.  We had just started a New Media production company Reimagine, and soon after began writing.

The concept for Yin vs Yang was simple.  We were going to completely give up all the stuff in our lives that we did not want to do.  We were going to fight all the fear, obstacles, limits, and setbacks that life could throw at us will the sole desire to build the dream life we desired.  We were going to win the ongoing battle of Mind vs. Body in us all to do what we want, not what we can.  That meant only doing the projects we love, and not working just to pay our bills.  We were going to do all this and write about it, just to prove one thing:

Doing what you love to do will take you wherever it is you desire.

I’m sure this sounds admirable, as my ego would like you to believe, but in fact, it is quite a war of attrition.  Building a dream life &/or business is a huge process requiring patience, persistence, and perseverance.  Without these traits, you will probably give up over time.  In fact, I learned one simple fact about any challenge:

Success isn’t a possibility.  It must be your only option!

Do not take no for an answer.  Do not give up, ever.  When the going gets tough, you need to dig deep within yourself, find your resolve, and keep going.    It can be rough facing tremendously tough challenges.  You must understand that win or lose, it does not matter.  It is only about the path you take, not the outcome that occurs.

Sure, I am not out of the financial mess that chasing money got me into in the first place, but I am definitely on my way.  I am steadily building the life I want to live, as is my partner.  Because of this, our work is growing stronger, our reputation is spreading, and we are much better people on a daily basis because of it {well, at least most of the time }.

I imagine a lot of you have thought about just doing what you love, only to have reality laugh at you.  We are not any different, except we try to laugh right back.  It has been quite challenging and at the same time, quite rewarding.  I learn more and more about myself everyday, simply by sharing my inner most thoughts with the blogging universe.  My partner and I continue to fight each and every day towards this goal of living the life we desire, and sharing our feelings with others on similar paths is a blessing in itself.

We just would like to take moment to say Thank you.

We have had to believe with all our souls in our own success, or we would never get off our feet.  Sometimes, believing in yourself can be the toughest challenge of all.  It is our reader’s wonderful comments, or emails, that have kept us inspired to keep going. What we have learned is actually quite amusing.  I guess the best way to sum it up is like this:

Everyone wants to know how they can make a million dollars.  Well why not just ask the only person who knows the answer:

Yourself!

It really is that simple, or at least we believe it is. Do what you love and the rest will follow.  It WILL be difficult at first, but all great paths usually are.  For us, so far, so good.  Till next time, enjoy the weekend, and thanks as always for reading!

For all those interested, here is the local commercial we just finished….

Elite Martial Arts from Reimagine New Media on Vimeo.

My family always taught me there are 3 major ingredients to success.  When I was younger I listened to the words, but they never seemed to sink in.  As I grew older, and life opened up to me, I realized these elements had a direct correlation to my success in anything I partook.

The definition of success can be different for everyone. The important part is that YOU and YOU alone are the judge of your success.  When you look in the mirror every morning, it is only you who knows if you are successful or not.  There are so many ways to be successful and even more ways to get there.  However, even with all these differences, it is the same three P’s that are needed on every journey.  No matter what your definition of personal success is, it is important to understand these elements if you want to see the big picture.

The big picture is important to visualize while taking care of the minor details.  Taking care of the details can seem monotonous.  They may even seem worthless at the time.  I know also, on many days, the end goal may look further away then it ever has.  It is on days like this that keeping in mind these three P’s will help you tremendously.

These are not groundbreaking, or secretive tricks that will change your life. They are simple terms that describe the character needed to be successful in anything you do. Understanding these terms is only a start.  Putting them into action is the only way to see their true benefits.

Patience

Everyone wants to achieve their goals ASAP.  I equate this to when I began stretching.  When I first started, I used to sweat bullets trying to touch my toes.  I had tight hamstrings, and a tight lower back.  I was too impatient to wait for my flexibility to increase.  I wanted to touch my toes NOW!.  For years, my flexibility did not change one single iota.

It was only after I learned the futility of this, that I began to increase my flexibility.  Stretching is not about the end goal (touching your toes), it is about the journey.  Reaching the toes is something I will accomplish by making small progress each day, not something I need to accomplish right NOW.  In fact, unless I continue to stretch every day, I will never reach my goa.  This thought relaxed my body by relieving me of the pressure to touch my toes.  By learning to be patient, I was actually moving quicker toward success.

Patience, something I was sorely lacking as a youth, is the number one ingredient to success.  It allows you to focus on the task at hand, rather than the big picture.  Understanding the big picture is important, however, focusing on it solely will cause you to mess up the important details.  Think about it: You start out a big painting with just one stroke at a time.  Patience is what helps you focus on that stroke instead of rushing past it trying to get to the end result.

Persistence

Part of any successful journey is the element of failure.  Life is learned through trial and error, and that is still our greatest teacher.  On the way to a goal, we may fail over & over again until we reach success.  Having patience is one thing.  However, keeping at something is what makes you great at it.  Learning from your failures is a big part of the process.  If you quit after one failure, you will never get where you want to.

Persistence is defined by Oxford American dictionaries as “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”  This means that no matter what you face on your journey, you simply stay the course.  No failures, obstacles, or anything else will cause you to give up hope.

Persistence is the one ingredient in success that prevents failure.  If you persist, it means you have not given up.  If you have not given up, then your goal is still possible.  It is only when you stop persisting that failure becomes a reality.

Perseverance

Persistence and perseverance are closely related.  Perseverance is defined by Oxford American Dictionaries as “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in doing so.”  The difference between the two closely related terms, in my opinion, is actually your own expectations.

Being persistent is about not giving up after a failure.  Perseverance is about not giving up even when it seems like you should.  It is about continuing forward even when the odds are against you, and everyone is telling you it is impossible.  This is where belief in yourself and your ability to achieve your goal comes in.   Believe in yourself and you will persevere.

Many great examples of perseverance can be found in successful sports stories:

1. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
2. Jerry Rice was considered too slow a WR.
3. Randy Couture was too old to win another UFC title.

The list goes on and on.  In fact, every success story has the part where the successful people thought about giving up.  If they never persevered on, they would not have been successful.  So the next time it seems all hope is lost, try looking at the situation like a great story waiting to be told.

Patience, persistence, and perseverance, are three keys to achieving success in any goal. Success can be a long, rough, dark road with many obstacles. Take your time, stay your course, and never, ever give up.

If you don’t give up, how can you possibly have failed?

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