What is Possible in your life?

Happy New Year, Again?

2009-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, its really been an entire year since I posted last. SO much has happened and yet I have no blog to show for it. Oh well, perhaps this year? Doubt it.

Well, here is a picture of our wedding!

From Wedding Pics

Next stop...buy house and have some kids....

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-12T05:39:00.001-08:00

Well it certainly has been quite a long long time since I've written last. But a few things inspired me to start blogging again. The first is that it's been way too long and so much has happened that just isnt going to get recorded so one day many many years in the future, my kids can read this and know who their Dad was before he became DAD (not that Kimmie is pregnant or anything, we are getting married in November!). www.kimmieanderic.com The second reason was that I got a $90 ticket in NYC last weekend for talking on my cell phone and I thought it was worth writing about. It's the 2nd most ridiculous ticket I have ever received. The 1st was about 10 years when I was given a $100 ticket for rollerblading in the nyc subway system. That one really got my goat. The cell phone ticket...well I knew I should have been on my headset, but it has just died on me and I wasnt done with my call. Nonetheless, what a stupid law anyway. I am allowed to look at my phone to dial, but I cant hold it in my hand.....Anyway.....The 3rd reason was that I heard from an old high school buddy the other day who told he had read my blog( I am guessing he found it from my main site or something). It inspired me to keep this more updated.

And here is all I will say today. I started the NJ Tri Club recently in an effort to find people in my area to train with.www.NJTriClub.com

We Got Engaged!!

2007-08-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well my friends, it's finally happened! Kimberly and I got engaged yesterday! Here is the story. On our 2 week cross country trip, one of our first stops was Sedona. It's absolutely an incredible place to visit if you haven't been there before. We arrived there Wednesday late afternoon. The original plan was for things to take place that day, but we arrived too late and it was too hot outside. So we arrived and within the hour were in the spa getting 90 minute spa treatments. I had a great deep tissue/hot stone massage and was zonked for the rest of the night. Kimmie had a bizarre experience that relaxed her, but was a far cry from a great massage. Her therapist gave her crystal/chakra rebalancing coupled with sound therapy. She doesn't remember having much of a massage, but she did fall asleep, which was great. We then went for a nice dinner and passed out early.

Thursday morning 5am: We wake up. We head out for an early morning hike to a place called Bell Rock. It is a vortex(energy center, one of many in Sedona). We hike up to a beautiful point and site down together to meditate for a few minutes. We then talk about our future and where we might want to retire some day. At this point, I have taken the ring box out of my pocket, I have it in my hand, we are sitting down, facing each other. I have my arms wrapped around her and she points to a mountain in the distance and says "how about that rock over there" jokingly referring to a place we could retire. Which is when I opened the box and presented it to her and said "how about THIS rock?!" And I asked her to marry me. She broke down and started crying, said yes, and asked me to marry her as well. And then she asked me if she could put it on! She was so bewildered. It was adorable. And then we hiked down, and she hasn't stopped staring at it since!

Today we are off to explore Santa Fe and then on to texas tonight!

For those who want to see it, here is the ring.

The Special Triumvirate

2006-12-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

The last few months I have kept saying I was going to write more, but I haven't. So I'm done making that promise anymore. I'll write when I'm move to do so! It seems every couple of months I get inspired to write again.

Most people get to this time of year and reflect back on the prior 12 months and start looking ahead to the upcoming year. What have we accomplished this year? How close have we come to reaching our goals? How many lives have we impacted. How many hugs, kisses, laughs, touches have we given and received? How much love do we have for ourselves and those in our lives? How many people are living a happier, more fulfilling life because we are a part of their lives? How many new friends have we made this year? How many people can we count on to be there for us no matter what? How much have we learned about ourselves? How much have we matured and grown? I submit those are often the most important questions to ask, yet rarely are. Instead we focus on how much money we've made. How many things we've acquired. How much control we've developed in our lives. None of which are bad or wrong. It's extremely important to set all kinds of goals, including financial and business goals. Let's also remember to celebrate all of the other things we have in our lives as well. The freedoms we possess, the friends we cherish, the family we love, the abundance in all areas of our lives. And especially, let's celebrate all of the possibilities that exist for each of us every single day. Every day is a new opportunity to do something to further our lives, to get closer to our goals, to love and support others around us. We only get one life, as far as we know. Take time every single day to live it. Love, laugh, play. Focus on our health, on our wealth, on our happiness. The special triumvirate. And as we look forward into the new year, let's include in our goals. all areas of our lives that we cherish, but may not give enough energy and attention towards.

It's Pumpkin Time!

2006-10-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Its that time again!! I love Halloween. This will be my 2nd Halloween in the West Coast and the first time in my life I have ever carved a pumpkin that is picture worthy! Arent they amazing?! My great friend Jenny Leigh came to visit LA for the weekend and joined Kimmie and I for a pumpkin carving day. I remember growing up using a carving knife to cut a few triangles out for eyes and a nose. I've come a long way baby! When we get back from ny next week, I am going to buy a bunch more and put them all along the front of our yard.

Long Time Catch Up

2006-10-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well here I am, over 2 months since my last posting. So much has happened in the last 2 months that I am certain to leave a lot of things out, but it is my intention to blog much more often going forward.

Kimmie and I have been living together for over 2 months now. Things are going so wonderfully well. We couldn't be more different if we tried and somehow it works out very well for us. We've managed to agree on most things regarding how to furnish our house, who takes care of which chores, where to eat, when to travel, etc. It's really been a lot of fun living together, better than I could have imagined.

We just got back from a 10 day trip to Hawaii. There was a Liberty Conference there at the Hilton Waikaloa Village on the Big Island. We spent 5 days prior in Maui. WOW! It was wonderful. We stayed at the Hana-Maui Resort in a cottage by the ocean for a couple days and then onto the Ritz for 3 more nights.

Besides 5 star dining and a couple of massages, our Maui trip consisted of poolside sunburning, tropical drinks and relaxing. We didn't view any volcanos or even hit the ocean.

Then we headed off to the Big Island for the Conference. It was great seeing old friends, meeting up with some new associates, and continuing to enjoy my time in Hawaii with Kimmie. We did a night dive and got to play with Manta Rays. It was wild! I dove, Kimmie snorkeled. These massive creatures were inches from us swimming all around. It was certainly an amazing experience.

I actually thought it was going to be my favorite memory of the trip, but then we went snorkeling a couple of days later with 17 wild dolphins!! It was an unreal experience. There were only 4 of us in the water, the other boats hadn't found the dolphins yet, so we got to swim around and play with the pod of dolphins for over an hour!

We extended our trip a couple of extra days so we just got back Saturday early morning after a red-eye flight home.

I must admit that after 10 days of traveling all around, it was really nice to be back home! We missed our dog, Mr. Brutus.( See the pic of me sleeping with him)

And now I'm writing a quick blog, waiting my turn for a massage.( Kimmie is on the table now in the living room).

This was a pretty special trip though. Usually when I travel, I set a budget, or I watch how much I'm spending. This trip was a carefree experience and we did whatever we wanted, bought whatever we wanted, ate great meals when we got hungry, stayed in amazing resorts, traveled 1st class, and generally had a completely wonderful time together. It was wonderful to really feel a sense of freedom.

I promise to write more often!

We have arrived!!!

2006-08-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

That title really takes on many meanings for me this month. So much has happened it's almost like I am living in a fantasy world. First and foremost, Kimmie and I moved into our amazing house this past weekend! There were definitely some challenges along the way, but ultimately it became ours! Here is a view from our backyard.

So now we're are moved in, tons of new furniture bought, still unpacking and figuring out where all of our combined stuff is going to go(ok, lets be honest here. We're figuring out where all of HER stuff is going to go. (I packed all MY stuff up in 6 hrs) And this week has been wonderful. We are having a blast together, getting to know each other on a totally new level. I wake up to the sound and the view the ocean and it makes me SO happy. Its exactly what I have visualizing in my head for the last 18 months. And now I wake up to it everyday. Everyday feels like I am on vacation, and its absolutely the best feeling.

Add to that excitement is the fact that my business has exploded. I spent part of May and a lot of June traveling and not doing much work. And though in my business, I could have still made a lot of money during that time, things did happen to slow down for me. Which is exactly when I started planning my move into a big, expensive place which required lots of new stuff. This time I did something different than I am accustomed to doing. Usually, I get nervous, I worry about how I'm going to pay the bills, etc. It has ALWAYS worked out for me every time, but I still get into old habits like worry, fear, doubt. This time was different however. In part because of Kimmie. She was a consistent reminder to me to just let go, and allow things to unfold the way they should. And I did. And I had an amazing month in my business! In fact, one morning I found my name on the Top 5 list in my company. Out of thousands of people active in our business, I was in the Top 5! Well that certainly felt good for sure. And then the IMs and phone calls started congratulating me. It was great.

But it didn't stop there. I was invited to join a couple of leadership groups within my company(Liberty League International). My picture appeared in a recent newsletter as a Rising Star Award winner from last year. I am getting talked about during company training calls. Its been wild! And I love it, and I am enjoying this moment in time.

I think its the 1st time I have actually mentioned Liberty League by name. Its not that I have been hiding it, but I think in my head that when someone Googles me and finds my blog, I want them to talk to me before I mention the company I'm involved in. But nonetheless, there it is. The cats out of the bag so to speak.

Well, its time for my morning rituals but its been a few weeks since I've blogged. This is Eric Turiansky signing off.

The Law Of Attraction Really Does Work!!

2006-07-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all familiar with this concept or know someone like this.....Someone has doubts about something...they sit on the fence....and then when the outcome goes in their favor, they act as if they always knew it was going to happen. Do you know that guy? Well fortunately for me, I have putting the Law of Attractiong to work in a serious way lately. Kimmie(my girlfriend)and I have been awaiting news on whether the house we've wanted to rent is ours. Normally it only takes a day or two, but for some reason, the owners wanted to test us and see if we would crack by making us wait 10 days for a decision(their was another offer on the house). The 1st couple of days were a bit frustrating. The next few days simply got us angry. But then I realized something. There was nothing I could do to change the situation, so just let go and relax. And the next day or so was fine. But THEN I realized I actually had a secret weapon...I knew about the Law of Attraction! And so for the next few days as I meditated in the morning, I visualized living in our house. I pictured how I would feel in my office, driving in and out of the driveway, going to bed overlooking the ocean...I put myself there as if I was already there. I really got emotionally attached to my image. It was as real as if I was thinking about what happened yesterday to me. And in doing so, it occurred to me that there was no way that house wasn't going to be mine. It was ours. I knew it. I simply believed it and let go of the outcome because I put my trust in the universe.

So when my realtor called me to let me know that our offer was accepted, I didn't even react with a whole lot of emotions, because she was simply telling me something I already knew.

It was such a cool experiment and it gives further fuel to the fire of how effective visualizing and focusing on your goals truly can be if you believe. Want to see a video of our new house? Check this out!

Eating some humble pie

2006-07-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ok so my last post said I bought a new home. I posted it after submitting an offer and having it accepted. But after consideration of a few things, including the market, the new-ness of my relationship,etc, we decided to rent for a year until we buy a place. So we've been looking for a place and found the perfect home for us. It's big enough for plenty of comfort, it has an extra room for my office, its right by lots of biking, running, and hiking, AND it has the most amazing view of the ocean from the huge backyard. Its been a week since we found it, but we still dont know if its ours or not. The owners have another offer that came in first, but we bid higher, AND we rule! So I am expecting it to be ours. Stay tuned for the results.

In the meantime I learned a good lesson this week. One of the things I have heard in the last 18 months in my business from the leaders is to work less, play more and have better results. And though I got it in theory, I haven't really taken that to heart. This week, I have spent maybe 3-4 hrs a day working on my business and no more. I've gone biking, spent an afternoon reading on the couch, spent time oogling my potential new home, and just getting involved in other things. And as a result, I had a great week in my business, working less, and having fun.

It's really true though, especially in my world, because people are coming to me looking for a better life. If I cant be a demonstration of that, then why would they want to follow my path? No. If I continue to have fun, live the amazing life that I do, work less, play more, than more people will be attracted to that lifestyle. Its why I came to this business in the first place.

So lesson learned. GAME on!!

Now Playing the Big Game.....ME!!!

2006-06-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

I find myself talking about playing big games at lot. Whether its with new associates, friends, peers, or even while I type away on my blog. What I finally DID was to actually PLAY a BIG game. I just bought my 1st home!! Actually its a luxury penthouse townhouse in Brentwood, CA. Its an incredible place, very expensive, and more amazing than I could have imagined for myself. Wanna see it? CLICK HERE

So I've now stepped into the life I WANT for myself, instead of living the life I think I can or should have. Am I a bit nervous? YUP! But I am more excited than anything. It has upped my level of play in all areas. Im playing for keeps. It's crazy! And incredibly exciting!!

Are you taking action yet? Or still sitting on the sidelines??

Play a Big Game

2006-06-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

So its certainly been a while since I've blogged last. It seems that once I've missed a week or so, there are SO many things happening in my life, that I don't even know where to begin with a blog. So let me sum up the last month in a few sentences. First of foremost, I spent 2 weeks in South Africa! It has been a big goal of mine to go on safari and I did it!! Take a look at my pics!! I wish I had blogged while I was there because so many things happened while I was away I wish I could share with everyone. I flew Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic. If you ever have the opportunity, DO IT. Its amazing. Treated like royalty, food is great, my bed was made for me when I was ready to sleep. Very comfortable, definitely the way to fly. Massages on the planes too. I'll never fly coach again when traveling outside the US. In fact, I pretty much am focused on never flying coach again period, but thats another conversation. So I spent 4 days on Safari at a private game reserve called Londolozi. It was wonderful. I saw tons of amazing wildlife, ate well, lived well. Again, total luxury it was amazing. After that, I spent a weekend at an endangered species centre near Hoedspruit. I got there by private charter and the pilot let me fly the plane! They have a Cheetah Rescue Project as aprt of the centre and I actually got to play with and feed the animals there. Truly a once in a lifetime experience as the curator was the sister of a friends friends friend. Yes, far removed from me, but I took advantage of the opportunity. I wonder how many other people would have done that....Again, another conversation for another day. After that adventure, I spent a week at Sun City at the Palace of the Lost City. Super 5 star resort. The nicest hotel I've ever stayed at by far and at $500/night, it earned its stars. The conference I attended there was truly amazing and really set my mind in a different direction. I walked away with an incredible amount of information, deepened friendships, and a 'knowing' inside me of where I'm headed.

One of the big things that occurred for me this past month was my decision to buy a house. I turned 35 yesterday, (go me!) and I've always rented, never owned. In part, I had followed the advice of my parents who, though they owned, told me not to as it would be more trouble than its worth. So much for good advice. At any rate, between that and my false belief that I couldn't afford something, I never looked into my options at all. Well, it finally became clear to me that it was time to do so, and I have started looking for a house. So here I am, turning 35, looking for a house, and in fairly new territory. I have no idea how much to spend. And then I am introduced to a fairly new concept. Playing a big game. Now for anyone following this blog, I have been playing something called The Game for the last 90 days. And its all about playing a big game, reaching beyond your boundaries, going after lofty goals, and being accountable for your actions/inactions. But even through it all, the overall concept eluded me until last week. I was on a masterminding call with 6 and 7 figure earners when the concept really hit home. When you step into a big game, when you start playing like your life depended on it, when you make huge commitments in your life, big things will open up. I heard people on the call talking about buying their dream $5million ranch and things like that. And after the call, as I was driving up to Santa Barbara with my girlfriend, I realized that it was time to really play big. I decided I was going to make an offer on a house I saw the day before. It was going for $1.1 Million. And in that decision, I got really excited. And it took me from a place of focusing on smaller issues, to much bigger issues. Now my monthly income goal just jumped an extra $20k from where it was a moment before. I was now playing a bigger game, and it was exciting. It felt great to be in the game, a big game. And on top of all that, my conversation with my girlfriend around it opened up the discussion of us living together. Now this was something NOT even under consideration for quite a while, but suddenly there it was. And it definitely took us for a loop, but it was amazing. And the weekend we wound up having as a result of choosing to play big was amazing.

So I can certainly say that a LOT has occurred in the last month, and a lot of it can be attributed to playing BIG in life. I know I still have a ways to go until I'm fulling living BIG at all times, but even taking the initial steps feels great. What big steps have YOU taken recently? Let me know!

What are you Tuned Into?

2006-05-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

I dont mean what radio station is blasting from your car. I mean what are you focusing your energy and attention on? I have blogged about it a lot, and its something I study often, read about, practice, preach, and teach. But I STILL find myself drift off course on occassion.(more occassions than I'd prefer!) This came up today again for me. I spent some time on the phone with a friend who really 'brought me down'. My head was in a different place after the conversation. I was focused on negative things, things that weren't serving me or my goals.

I got off the phone and called another friend I KNEW I could rely on to snap me back into place. It's a great thing to have friends who DONT agree with everything you say, friends who will stop you mid-complaint, mid-whine, mid-crapola and declare NO! I am that friend and mentor for a lot of people, and Im so blessed to have people in MY life who hold me accountable as well.

What I realized was that I can choose, at any moment, what I'm focusing on. I can choose to focus on negative thoughts, fear, worry, doubt, OR I can focus on my goals, on my game, on my relationship, on my business, on how well my life is going, on how excited I am about my future, on how I am making a difference in many people's lives, both through my business, as well as simply by the person I choose to be everyday.

I am committed to staying tuned into positive things. I am committed to remaining in a state of gratitude for ALL of the things I have been blessed with in my life. I have had some negative energy around a friend of mine for the last month or two. It has NOT served me well at well, and I have spent a considerable amount of time focused on it, and filling myself with anger, frustration, and a poisonous energy overall. Until it hit me. I am choosing that energy. And instead of staying in that negative space, I choose to let it go. Not only that but I took it one step further. I actually made a point to look at all of the reasons why I was grateful for that person. I came out of that exercise with a new perspective. I went from "not liking" to " fully appreciating"...simply by making the conscious decision to do so.

Are you holding onto regrets, resentments, and resignations about someone? Is that really helping you move towards your goals? Or is it holding you back? Make a list of 10 things you love about that person. Dont decide it will hard; decide it will be easy. Suddenly, if you give yourself the space to do so, you'll find love on the other side. Your energy will be uplifted and you'll feel so much better about everything overall.

6:14:42 My New Favorite Number

2006-05-08T16:11:00.001-07:00

No its not a passage from the bible. It's my race time!!! 6 hours, 14 minutes, and 42 seconds. I had 2 major goals this weekend as I headed into the Wildflower Ironman 70.3( thats a 1/2 Ironman)... 1) Raise $10,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and 2) To beat 6 hrs and 15 minutes. The 2nd goal was one I really wasn't sure I'd hit and if I beat 6 1/2 hrs, I would have been really happy as well. But I accomplished both of my goals!!

Let me set the scene a little for those who haven't been keeping tabs on my life as of recent. 2 1/2 years ago a friend mentioned to me that she was doing triathlons, something I had on my list of things to do in life but didn't see myself doing. One main reason was my incredible fear of water. Not the drinking kind, but the drowning kind. Ever since I was a little boy, I had an aversion to water, swimming, diving. I learned everything very late with regards to swimming but always didn't feel empowered around it. So when it was presented to me, I jumped at it and began my journey into the world of Triathlons. I accomplished 2 Olympic distance events the last 2 years, but this year I was ready to up the stakes and began training very intensely for this past Saturday's event. Though my fear of water has diminished over the last 2 years, this year was an out and back swim of over 1.2 miles.

So I joined Team in Training again because whenever I set goals that are bigger than just for myself, they take on a whole different level for me. I originally set my goal of $4,000 but was encouraged to play bigger, reach higher, and set a goal that made me sweat. So I upped it to $10,000. I had no idea how I was going to raise that much money since the most I had ever raised was less than 1/2 of that.

So the scene is set and the training began. The majority of my weekends over the last month or two were fully dedicated to training. 5:00am wakeups during the week for 4 hour bike rides with my team were norm, training in the morning AND in the evening became ever more common as well. I was definitely getting into great shape and feeling better each day. Fortunately I work from home for myself only a few hours a day so I had plenty of time to train. As it was, my time was very constricted. Between running my business, training several hours a day, playing The Game, and developing a new romantic relationship, it seemed I barely had time to relax, unwind and make some personal time. But I had my goals set. And I was 100% committed to achieving them. Goals are an interesting thing. I have always been very goal oriented and it has served me well, but what I learned about myself recently is that I never really learned to appreciate the victory of reaching my goals. Even after I hit them, I never allowed myself to feel the thrill of success. So over the last few weeks, as I've been charting, writing and celebrating all of my little wins, I have been developing my success muscle as well as my physical muscles.

Ok, so my girlfriend drives me up Thursday to the event which takes place in a beautiful campground with a huge lake in it. And yes, you have to camp out before your race! So not only are you focused on your race, but you also have to remember to bring up the right nutrition and gear for the race, AND everything for camping, cooking, sleeping etc.(I forgot my pillow) We settle in Thursday night, make dinner, go to bed, and wake up early. Kimmie leaves for SF for the weekend(prior plans) and I have the whole day to relax, walk around, do some shopping(tons of triathlon gear for sale) and mentally prep for the next day.

The 4 other people I trained with for the Long Course( the other 20-30 people on my team were training for the shorter distance event) showed up Friday and pitched camp up the hill from me, so I spent the evening hours hanging out with them and getting ready for the day ahead.

Race morning: 5am wake up. Still pitch black out and cold. I get up, and prepare my race day breakfast, get dressed and meet everyone an hour or so later for our final prep, bike check, etc.

6:30am we all bike down to the transition area together which is where our bikes get stored along with everything else we'll need throughout the race. It's where we will leave our wetsuits after the swim, change into bike shoes, grab our bikes and head out. Its also where we will leave our bikes and change into our running shoes after the bike ride.

While setting up our transition area, I meet the guys around me, getting to know each other, finding out which races they've done, etc. Some people are very serious and want nothing to do with conversations, others like me, prefer chatting it up. It takes away some of the race day jitters and gives me a sense of comfort.

7:30am: 5 minute pre-race run with our group. Just something to get the blood flowing, we do a little stretching and get mentally prepared for the day ahead.

8am: The first wave goes off. It's the elite professionals who head out first. Im in the transition area making sure everything is fully set for the day. I know my head won't be able to handle too much after the race starts so its important to have everything set up for each transition so no thought is required.

8:30am: I am now in my wetsuit, goggles and cap in hand. I walk to the end of transition and start to head down to where the swim begins. I forgot my ear plugs! I want to be comfortable so I head back, grab them, and now rush to make my wave start. Still 6 minutes to go.

8:35am: Wave ahead of me starts their race. My wave jumps in after them to get wet, warm up and ready. We head back out and wait for the gun to go.

8:40am: The horn blows and we all run into the water, clammering for space. I am excited, ready, and looking forward to the swim for the first time since I began my training. I start swimming, keeping a steady pace, breathing normally, keeping positive. I continue swimming, feeling good,strong, solid. Each buoy I pass, I get a little more excited, knowing I am getting closer to my goal. The day before my goal was to get to the 1/2 way point. I knew if I could reach that point, I'd be fine. But it turns out I was fine from the beginning. I was firmly enjoying my swim and I knew I was doing well. Buoy after buoy, finally hitting the 1/2 way point, feeling I could swim all day! Heading back now, staying strong; do I push myself harder? Do I stay consistent? I do both. Swimming a little bit stronger with each buoy until finally, there it is. The end point dead ahead. I continue with my breathing, my strokes, feeling good. As I hit land and stand up, I realize I have not only accomplished my goal, but I've actually done well timewise! WOO HOO!!

I run through transition, shed my wetsuit, get my bike and head out. A few minutes into the bike ride, I had my first overpowering spiritual experience. It hit me. It really hit me. I had just overcome a HUGE challenge in my life. I DID IT! I swam over a mile, out and back, with lot of other people swimming around me. I didn't panic, I didn't stop, I stayed the course. I swam strong and I was just starting to celebrate my success! And then I started thinking about how I had set a huge audacious goal of raising $10,000 and I accomplished that as well! I was the #1 fundraiser nationwide for my race! I started weeping for joy, literally. I was overcome with such intense emotion. I was laughing, crying, and celebrating my life. I had done something incredible. I had accomplished huge goals, and for one of the first times in my life, I was basking in the celebration of it. And it felt so incredible. For the next 3 1/2 hours on my bike ride, everytime I thought about my wins, I welled up with emotion. It was the most wonderful bike ride of my life. Despite the intense pain I was feeling in my lower back, despite the heat, despite the steep grades of the hills on the course, I felt great inside. I was channeling such powerful energy through me that every fiber in my body was radiating. It may sound strange, but it was truly a life changing experience.

As my bike ride came to its conclusion, I looked at my watch and I realized if I could now complete my run in 2 hours, I would have beaten my 6:15 goal!!

I hurried through transition, switched to running shoes and off I went. The first 2 miles I was strong, pacing well, hydrating consistently. It was hotter than any training day and I was definitely overheating. The next few miles were the toughest part of the course. Steep hills, little shade. I slowed down significantly, yet only a couple of people actually passed me. By mile 6 I had picked up the pace again. I kept pouring water on my head at each water station, cooling me down. It had never felt so refreshing, so state altering pouring water on me as it did on this day. Each time, my pace picked up. By mile 7-8, I was fully into my race pace and feeling great. I ran up the hill where all of my team was waiting to cheer us on. Hundreds of people with Team in Training were lined up along the road and as I passed by they were cheering me on. That energy was so incredible that my pace picked up even more! I continued on at a steady clip down into 'the pit' which is a mile down a hill, at which point you turn around and head back up the same hill. I was lucky though. There was an older gentleman heading up the hill who was running quickly. I caught up to him, and we paced each other the entire way up the hill. I always run a lot faster when there is someone alongside me. In fact, throughout much of the race, especially when I was feeling overheated, tired, or slowing down, I pictured all of my friends and family around me, encouraging me, pulling me, pushing me, cheering me on. I felt their energy all around me and knew I was being taken care of by others. That sense of love kept me going throughout my run.

Mile 11, last big hill. Tired for sure, but knowing I was only 2 miles away and if I hauled it, I would actually make my 6:15 goal. Someone fast ran by me, but I could only follow for a short bit. I was running slower up the hill. I knew I HAD to continue on. I was almost there. I knew the feeling I was going to have crossing the finish line. I kept persisting and persisting, finally making it to the top.

Mile 12. Last mile. Pretty much a straight shot down a huge winding beautiful hill. As I round the corner, my coaches are there, screaming for me. My final burst of energy kicks in, and I run all out. Faster and faster, passing everyone on the road. Most people have nothing left, but I always seem to find a huge burst of energy in my last mile of my races. I feel like I am floating down the road, effortlessly, completely fulfilled. My pace keeps getting faster and faster. As I head into the final stretch, one person catches up to me and starts to pass me, but my competitive nature in me kicks in, and in the last 200 yards, I have a full out sprint to the finish line. I give it all I have and it feels incredible. There it is. The finish line. WIth my last few leaps, I cross the finish line!! My friend Scott is right there with a high five, there are volunteers right there. One puts my medal around my neck, another gives me an ice cold towel to put on my head, and a 3rd person hands me ice cold water. I DID IT!!!

I am so overwhelmed! I am elated. I am weepy, I am overjoyed. As I cool down and catch up with Scott about our races, we head back to transition to pack up, get our recovery drinks, grab our phones and a bit to eat. I can barely make the few calls I want to because I am so emotional. I have never experienced such pure joy in my life, and it feels absolutely better than I ever could imagine it would.

Could an Ironman be in my future? Stay tuned to find out.

I want to thank EVERYONE who has supported me over the last few months of my life. Many contributed to my fundraising efforts, others assisted with moral support, love and encouragement. Everyone who sent me their love and energy, thank you. I felt it every step of the way.

6:14:42 My New Favorite Number

2006-05-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Surprise Surprise!...Celebrate Success

2006-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss at writing for the last week w/ so much going on, but I wanted to get a few things out there into cyberspace. So last week I did something pretty darned unreasonable. At 10:30pm Wednesday I booked a flight from LA to NJ for the next morning with my new romantic interest(ok ok, I guess I can start calling her my girlfriend now). 6 hrs later we were heading to the airport and arrived in NJ Thursday afternoon to surprise my Mom for dinner. She had been pretty down lately and I knew she would greatly benefit from a big hug from her only child(that would be me). I didn't know how she'd react when I opened the door at my Aunt's house to greet her(I knew she was going to be there for the holidays). I figured she would jump up and down with excitement but when she saw me, she just broke down, gave me the 10 minute hug she's been craving and cried. And I got emotional from the experience and still do everytime I think or talk about it. I made such a huge difference in her world simply by showing up. Kimmie and I(yes that's her name) hopped a flight back to LA early the next morning so bascially we flew back east for dinner. It was a great time and I felt so happy to have made my Mom so happy. How many people would have done that? At first we talked about going when we had more time to spend there, etc. But really the time was right then. And we acted. And that's so true with everything in life. Most of the greatest accomplishments we will ever achieve in life is done by taking action. Whatever the form, action inspires us. If we get inspired to do something and all we do is dream about it, then we are great daydreamers. But if we are inspired and take action, even before we've gotten all our ducks in a row, thats when amazing things make manifest in our lives.

I was the guest speaker this morning on our morning wake up call in my business. I talked about celebrating success. If you are anything like me, you consider yourself to be a goal oriented person. I set my sites on the stars, always. I drive myself hard and I'm harder on myself than on anyone else. My goal partner for The Game which I've talked about in earlier blogs picked up on that recently and suggested that I start to keep a Success Journal. It seemed a little silly but I am coachable and always open to hearing ways to improve my life(remember Im goal oriented!) So I started doing this almost every day. And it's made a huge difference in my life already. I am learning to celebrate the little things, even the seemingly insignificant things. As I start writing, I start focusing on all of the things I've done that day that I can write about. By the 3rd or 4th thing, my energy level literally begins to elevate. It is one of the MOST powerful exercises I've ever done. Do you want to start feeling better about yourself? Do you want to start having more energy, attract more abundance? Start with something as simple as this exercise. You'll be glad you did! In fact, one thing I will be writing later is that I took the time to Blog today!

So the overall themes for today...take action, be unreasonable, and celebrate all of your successes!

1st Time for Everything

2006-04-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well I just got back from an absolutely incredible weekend. I went up to spend the weekend where I am going to be doing the 1/2 ironman in 5 weeks. The area was magnificent and the weather was completely on our side. So picture biking 56 miles up and down very steep hills..4 hours of straight biking, only to jump off the bike and run 30 minutes up and back another very steep hill. That was my Saturday. I've never actually biked that far before in my life. In fact, other than the 2 marathons I completed 5 yrs ago, yesterday was the longest I've ever been exercising at once. Next month, competing for close to 7 straight hours will be the longest by far that I've ever exercised non-stop. Did I mention that we are camping as well?? Thats right. Imagine busting your butt for 4 1/2 hrs, only to go to bed that night in a tent, unable to move in a sleeping bag! Oh, and then get up the next morning, and run 13 miles in 2 hrs flat. That was MY weekend. What did YOU do this weekend?? When was the LAST time you did something you have never done before? I can honestly say that my answer is almost weekly. And many times I don't know what the outcome is going to be, BUT I always ask myself 2 questions when doing something new. 1) Is this bringing me closer to my goals? Oftentimes I won't know the real answer to that question until after I've done the thing itself. But, if there is a chance that it IS alligned with what Im looking to achieve, then I have no choice but to forge ahead confidently in the direction of my goals. The second question is, Is what I'm doing negatively hurting someone else? Usually the answer is NO, but I have to make sure, because integrity is very important to me.

So back to the issue here. If you haven't done something you've never done before recently, WHY NOT?? Are you afraid to try something new? Afraid of failing? Afraid of doing something wrong? You'll never know until you've done it. And if your life is stagnant in any area right now, then you owe it to yourself to take action.

Are you unhealthy? Then start a workout/nutrition program. Dont wait until you find the perfect thing. Just get started, you'll figure it out as you go. Hate your job? Then go find something else that inspires you. Do you think its easier said than done? Why do you think so? I left a very solid job working for my family to pursue MY dream. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, being my own boss, living anywhere I wanted, traveling all over the world, and replacing a six figure income within a year with a multiple six figure income attainable quickly. I got clear on my goals. I found an opportunity and I jumped in. I didn't know 100% if it was going to work or not, but it matched my goals so closely that I felt I had no other option but to choose to move forward. And I did, and just over a year later, I can look back and see that every action I took, when alligned with my goals, has served me so well. What are you scared of in your own life? Is your fear stopping you from reaching your goals. Are you so scared to fail that you are paralyzed? Paralysis by analysis. I know it all too well. I did that for many years. If you don't take some sort of action, then you are actually moving AWAY from your goals. Nothing in life is unmoving. You are either moving forward, or moving backward. Are you in a bad relationship? No relationship? What are you doing towards reaching your goals? So what if you trip and stumble a little bit. Its how we learn and grow. I didn't know if I was going to be able to complete a 56 mile bike ride yesterday. But I did it. If I would have failed, I would have learned something. But I didn't. I succeeded, and it felt AMAZING.

So your mission, if you choose to accept it.DO SOMETHING NEW TODAY!! It doesn't matter what it is, how small or big, but make sure its getting you toward your goals.

Let me know what you've done!! Send me an email to eric@turiansky.com

What is your Perspective?

2006-03-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity last night to be the guest speaker on a training call that my company has on a weekly basis. It's actually a very big honor to be asked to speak on this call so I was very happy to do so. The topic was perspective. I chose it because its something I am consistently aware of in my daily life. We just got back from an incredible trip to Cancun. Yes, I had a blast, got a great tan, swam with Dolphins, and ate tons of guacamole. AND, I had the pleasure of bringing my Dad with my on vacation. ( He is joining the business soon himself!). But I also gained a LOT from the content of the conference I was there to attend. One of the themes that seems to come up a lot is what are we focusing our energy on. When something doesn't go your way, do you obsess about it or do you stay focused on your goal, and push through any perceived obstacle in your way? I'll give you a real life example that happened to me today. I am training for the 1/2 Ironman coming up May6th, (See www.ericturiansky.com) and I had a 10 mile run to do today. Well, for those here in Sunny Southern California, we discovered it can rain like there is no tomorrow! I got into my car to drive to a hilly section of town since my race is very hilly. And as I am driving, I can't believe I am about to spend 1.5 hrs in the pouring rain. I was cranky, stressed about all the things I want to get done in my day, and wasnt in the mood to be drenched. And that was my perspective for the moment. Then as I was getting closer, my Dad called and we chatted for a few minutes. We talked about the success I'm having with my business and when I told him how much I've made the last few months, he told me how amazing it was and he was so excited for me. His perspective was that I was making a lot of money. MY perspective was different. I have extremely high goals for myself so unless I am making $50k/month, I won't be close to being satisfied. At any rate, I arrived at my destination, got out of my car, and started running. Within 3 minutes I was completely soaked to the bone. I had jumped into 3 puddles and my socks were sopping wet. And in that moment I chose a new perspective. I chose to enjoy this run. I was going to get as wet as I possibly could and I was going to love it. And I spent the next 10 miles running with a huge grin on my face. And the bigger the rivers of water flowing down the street at me, the happier I became. I was laughing out loud. It was truly exhilarating. Now I COULD have been miserable, unhappy, depressed, frustrated. But what or who would that have served? I chose a perspective on things that assisted me toward my goals. How are YOU viewing your current situation? David Neagle was a guesrt speaker last week at our conference. He said something I take to heart. He said that you can look at ALL things in a positive light, even what most would consider negative things. You just have to look for the lessons or the positive in things in order to find them. I always look at my failures and obstacles and see how I can learn from them. Its part of being human. Its sure a lot easier to celebrate wins! But if you go into each day with an attitude of gratitude with whatever gets presented to you in your day, you are certain to have more wins.

$1,000 Sunglasses...playing ball

2006-03-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

At first I was hesitant to write this entry publicly for a couple of reasons, one being the fear that my mom would call me tomorrow telling me I'm nuts, but then I realized that she already knows I'm nuts, and I've agreed to play my life with the cards on the table....plus its pretty cool.

So 2 months ago I was in search of a good pair of sunglasses and I found a pair I really liked. They were really expensive though, $400. Now I've spent a couple hundred bucks on good sunglasses before but to spend $400 on a pair...well...that required a serious decision. I kept telling myself I would buy them as a present for myself when I hit a certain goal financially. But when I did hit it, I wasn't so crazy about them anymore. So the search continued. And last weekend I was down in San Diego to meet with my accountant. A good friend of mine and I met after and we wandered into a sunglasses shop and I asked the guy what the absolute best pair in the store would be for my face. So he carefully studied my face and of course selected a pair from the heavily locked case. I was merely trying them on for fun. And when i put them on, I realized I had a problem on my hands. They were perfect. My friend walked away because she knew they were amazing but wasnt going to influence me. I kept looking at them in the mirror. I realized I really wanted them. I also realized I had never made such an outrageous purchase before on something I didnt need at all. And then it hit me. Why the hell not! I am making good money, I will continue to make good money, and it will give me such a great feeling to wear them. So I did it. I bought them. The most expensive ANYTHING I've never bought for myself like that. And you know what? It felt friggin great! I have had an incredible week in my business and though I can't give my sunglasses all the credit, they have certainly been a catalyst. Why? Well, it goes back to the Be Do Have principle. BE the successful person, DO the things successful people do, and HAVE the results successful people have. It comes down once again to mindset. I FEEL like a successful person, not because of the sunglasses, but because of who I choose to be each day. The sunglasses are just a constant reminder on my face all day long of that. I wear them during the day in my house now too while Im on the phone. They give me such a wonderful feeling of pleasure, pride, success, joy, and comfort in knowing I can afford to blow that kind of money on something as ridiculous as a pair of siunglasses. Now in case you are worrying about me and my spending habits, dont worry. I am also an excellent saver and watch my money pretty well. But from time to time, doing things that are a bit unreasonable feels really great. I learned something from T Harv Eker in his Millionaire Mind Intensive seminar. Every month, take 10% of what you've earned and totally blow it on something extravagent. Also take 10% for investing, another 10% for savings for something big, like a house,trip etc. I wont get into all of the details here, but the point Im making is the first 10%. The 'play' money as he calls it. So even if you only make $1,000/month, take $100 and blow it on something great. Order a bottle of champagne at dinner. Put yourself in the energy of success. You will get used to the feeling and will really attract more of it to your life. If you made $30k, then go blow $3k. Book a first class trip with your partner somewhere. Or spend a weekend at the top spa and eat meals like royalty. Whatever you earn, take a piece of it, and HAVE FUN WITH IT. I really have seen the value of embracing that mentality. It transforms your level of thinking into one that attracts success.

Speaking of attracting success.... it really is amazing what happens in life when you allow things to come your way. I was having this conversation with my step-father yesterday. He and I are very close, yet we see the world completely differently. He runs a successful business that he has built over the last 25 years. He believes that everything in life is difficult and that nothing comes to you without lots of hard work. I dont. I think life is as easy or as difficult as you choose it to be. I believe in working smart and I truly believe that when you set your intention on what you want, and allow it to happen, it will. (Thank you Michael Losier for that insight. www.lawofattractionbook.com). The energy you put out is the energy you get back. I have been sending out a LOT of positive energy in the direction of a business I have been considering starting. And simply by my intention, suddenly all of the right people have appeared randomly. Friends, new friends, acquaintances....everyone suddenly conspiring in my favor. Effortlessly, things appear for me. I have always believed in the 'magic' in the universe; I just never really understood how to channel it until this year. It comes down to belief, intention, focus, and the energy you are putting out there.

I met someone recently while sitting at a sushi bar in Venice. He and his girlfriend were having dinner and I happened to sit next to them by myself. We started chatting and it turns out he used to be in the personal growth industry. We wound up becoming friends and he recommended I speak to someone he used to work with. So I called him up and we spoke for an hour this morning on the phone. I learned a tremendous amount from our conversation. To me, it was effortless in how things all came to me. And yet, he said something to me(ericlofholm.com) very insightful. He said that most people wouldn't have taken the action of actually calling him. Most people would have been given the opportunity of reaching out to someone and NOT made the call. Whether its due to fear, laziness, or fair of rejection, most people wouldn't do what I did. And he is right. And I know there have been many times in my life when I was the same way. But in my daily commitment to being extraordinary, and leading through example, and pushing through my fears, doubts, and insecurities. I am a person of action. I play the game of life. I dont sit on the sidelines and watch others do what I wish I was doing myself. I jump onto the field and play ball. When was the last time you did something that you were scared of doing but KNEW it would ultimately benefit you? What stopped you? What would have been the absolute worst thing that you can imagine happening as a result of taking that action? What could have been the absolute BEST thing that could have come out of it? It seems so silly how often we stop ourselves in life, doesn't it? But we do it. Constantly. I know I do it too. I look to be the best I can in everything I do, but I still stop myself in certain areas at certain times. But I also am very eager to learn and grow, and so when I am confronted with a limiting belief or when I am shown how my actions are not alligning with what I am teaching, I desire to look at it and correct it. And great example is with my Mom. She and I have had our issues over the years. She loves me more than life itself and at times, many times even, that love has caused a lot of stress on our relationship. Her desire to see me happy and succeed in life has clouded things between us since what I see as me being happy and successful doesn't always match what she envisions for me. But last summer, she and I had a real heart to heart. I listened to her for the first time in my life. Truly listened, without judgement, anger, resentment, or planning on how to fight back. It was an amazing experience for both of us. It was part of my goal to 'complete' my past, to not let my past dictate my future. And it was great. But I hadn't really done it. I had still managed to push her away in my own way. I didn't open up to her anymore about my life because she hadn't been supportive in things I had chosen to do in my life, and it frankly pissed me off that she didn't trust who I was. And the other day she and I had a great conversation and she put something right in front of me that I just hadnt seen. I was still holding onto my anger from the past year and was feeling bitter about her not supporting me. I was bringing all of that into my daily life and into my future. And that is exactly what I sit and preach to people all the time. Let go of your past. It has NO meaning other than what you give it. So why was I doing that? Ego I think among other reasons. But regardless of the reason, I was doing it. And she really let me see it. And I allowed her to show it to me, which was what really let it in. And I grew again. And I was able to recognize how I had been being with her. And does the anger surface when I think about the situations we faced in the past year? Yes. But now I am aware of it, and as soon as I see it appearing, I can choose to let it go, and install a new belief, a new thought pattern. All of the things that happened were because of her love for me. And that is a great feeling. So I choose to focus on the love. Love wins over anger every time. And really all it takes is making your intention on love and not anger. It seems so simple when I type it, and can never understand why people don't just change the way they are in order to serve themselves better. And then along comes my Mom to show me I do the same thing too. So thanks Mom!

Just a final note: Whenever I have a breakthrough in my personal life, my business always accelerates. When I let go, and operate out of love, gratitude, and peace, that energy comes across to the people I speak with and people get started in my business. It never fails.

Are you ready for a breakthrough in your own life? Financial, personal, relationship, health, anything you can imagine. Open up, let go, be a sponge, stay humble, always be the student.

Its all a choice

2006-02-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

Everyday when I first wake up, even before I get out of bed, I choose the kind of day I am going to have. I consciously ask myself the question and I give myself an answer. Why? Because I am affirming to myself on a daily basis that I am in control of my life. I decide the life I am leading, I decide how I am going to react to situations and circumstances, most of which I have yet to discover. I can choose to have an extraordinary day and go out and have one, regardless of what befalls my day. Last Friday my hard drive on my computer died and I lost all of my data. The last back up was 3 months ago. Whoops. There is a LOT I have done in the last 3 months and so I drove to have my computer fixed. When I went to pick it up a few days later, only to find that, indeed the data was gone, I could have reacted like many people would have and gotten made, angry, upset, and generally pissed off. I could have blamed Dell, the cleaning lady, the dog, and especially myself for not backing up sooner. But there was no point in any of that. I just regrouped and figured out how to move forward. How we do anything is how we do everything. Its one of my favorite quotes and its pretty dead on. I am up to big things in my life and I don't have time to think small. What are you up to in your own life? Are you achieving the things you always envisioned for yourself? Did you take the vacation you dreamed of, bought the house you imagined, learned to play the instrument you pictured as a child being able to play, asked the person out you've had a crush on, taken on an endurance event like a marathon, joined a volunteer organization to help others, and the list goes on.What did you envision your life being when you 'grew up'? Are you fulfilling those dreams? If not, START. The ONLY thing holding you back is YOU. Your circumstances are completely irrelevant. I joined something called the Game. I mentioned it in a previous entry but today I actually enrolled. Its something that blends in very well with the rest of my life and I am excited about having daily accountability to others in achieving a lot of the things I am up to. I am doing this because I choose, each day, to live an extraordinary life. What has happened to us in our past has NO bearing on what we can accomplish. Oftentimes people THINK their past has an impact on their lives, and therefore they are correct. But when you CHOOSE to think differently, when you CHOOSE to NOT let your past dictate your future, then you release yourself to become anything you choose to be in your life. I didn't grow up in an environment where anything is possible. I make a conscious choice each day to create something great TODAY, and to focus my energy, effort and attention to where I am going, NOT where I've been. Yes, our past has gotten us to where we are, but it will only carry us into the future if we choose to let it. Take the good things and use them to create your life. Leave the rest behind. None of it matters unless you choose to let it matter.

Going for it!!

2006-02-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, so much has happened in such a short amount of time. I have taken on so many great things. I am in full training mode for my 1/2 ironman May6th and went from setting a $4k goal to shifting my mindset to thinking bigger and am now committed to raising $10k! I am almost 1/2 way there too! So your assistance would be GREATLY appreciated. www.turiansky.com follow the link at the bottom. I am also focused on getting inducted into a senior leadership role within my company and have a specific goal that I am headed towards over the next 3 weeks and am totally committed to getting there. I am taking on something called The Game, which was started by Sarano Kelley. www.saranokelley.com. Its basically a 90 day 'game' that you 'play' with a team of people. You set specific, very high goals for yourself in all areas of your life, and with the assistance of your coach and your team, you set out to achieve them, all within 90 days. It doesn't start for a couple of weeks but I've been thinking about what I want to achieve and accomplish for myself. I have financial goals, business goals, relationship goals, and physical endurance goals that I will look to clarify, set, and achieve and take my life to such a high level of performance, even beyond what I am already accomplishing.

On a different note, I learned something significant for me this past weekend. One of my best friends came to visit me from Arizona for a couple of days and brought a couple of friends along, all girls. One of them was someone who I just wasn't clicking with, had little patience for, and was allowing myself to get easily annoyed by. My intolerance grew to a point that I started getting a little mean, being very curt in my attitude towards her and was generally acting like an ass to her. I went to bed and thought about why I had acted in the manner I did. I also thought about what I had created as my possibilities in life, which was love, acceptance, and inspiration. Without the first two, I was certainly not being very inspiring. When I woke up in the morning, and choosing what kind of day I was going to have(something I do every morning nowadays...its fun...every day I choose consciously to have an amazing day, I get excited, pumped up and ready to take on my life with exhilaration) and realized that if I were going to be a stand for my possibilities, then I had to apologize for my actions the day before. So I made breakfast for the two of us, and we sat and talked for an hour. I started out by apologizing for the way I had treated her. She said it was ok, but I told her it wasn't. And I was very open with her. I told her the reasons why I acted how I did, I shared with her MY possibilities and that my actions were not alligning with my goals, and through my openness, love and acceptance of her, I inspired her to open up, to let down her guard, and we were able to have an amazing, authentic and beautiful conversation. I really am learning that everything I do, there is a lesson in it for me. Its my choice to find it or not.

Well its time for bed. A hard 1 hr run this morning and a hard 1 hr swim tonight. This body requires some rest.

What a Month!!

2006-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, end of the January! I can't believe a month has passed already and yet so much has happened. I have committed myself to a 1/2 ironman!!! WOO HOO!! I am training thru Team in Training, which raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Wanna help me in my fundraising efforts?? http://go-tnt.com/tnt/members/member_personal_page.asp?id=1158

I went horseback riding last weekend up in the Santa Monica Mountains! It was a blast. I spent 5 days in Florida, visiting my family and attending a work event. Great times. still recovering.

I had a record month in my business!! Lets just say at this pace, I'm on track for over $300k this year! Holy cow. AND, I LOVE what I do!! Every minute of it. I love that I continue to learn about myself, I get to touch, move, and inspire other people in their lives, AND I get to have a whole lot of fun in the process!!

Well, I've just walked the dog, which is something I've really gotten to enjoy. I've never really had a dog I lived with before, and its really a nice thing.

So here is a question for you....When was the last time you met someone who inspired you so much that you instantly felt bigger, taller, more powerful, and more capable of accomplishing anything you set your mind to? I enjoy the benefits in my business of being that beacon of light for so many people, but it's rare when I meet someone who instantly and effortlessly does the same for me. And I recently met someone like that. So thanks Kim, for all you do for me!!

Excited about the New Year!!

2006-01-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

IM BACK BABY!! When I first started my online blog last fall, I had just completed a 4day advanced course with Landmark Education. I really had gotten in touch with some of my deep routed dreams, desires, and expectations for extraordinary things in my life. The point of this blog was to keep me honest, to keep me in integrity, to make sure that I was doing the things I was proud of, to put myself fully out there, expose myself to the world(no not in a trenchcoat kind of way). And indeed I really started living an extraordinary life. The last few months have been absolutely incredible for me. I acclimated almost immediately to my new surroundings in LA. The people, the weather, the environment, the attitude, the lifestyle, everything has been amazing. When I got out here, I only knew a few people. Less than 3 months later, I have met a LOT of new, great, amazing people. I have met them through friends, through friends of friends, at yoga, on a bike ride, at a sushi bar, at the gym, walking the dog, and anywhere else I happen to be. I have gotten back into triathlon training, though not 100% yet. But I have started swimming again a couple times a week, running and biking a couple times a week as well. I have been trying many new restaurants, cooking a little as well, my business is exploding, I am having more fun than ever, I've gone karaoke'ing, I've gone running along the beach, I've gone on long beautiful hikes, sailing in Santa Barbara, and so much more. I have been back home to NY to visit for a week, been skiing in Whistler with my dad, visiting family in Florida, and have planned a bunch of trips including some more skiing over the next couple of months. I will be making a stronger effort to keep my blog updated, more for myself than anyone else but feel free to check in from time to time! Im readinig a great book by David R Hawkins called Power vs Force. Its a little technical and ethereal at the same time, but definitely an excellent book. I've been updating my online pictures more and more and learning how to put them onto my own website, which you can get to from my main page at turiansky.com. Overall, the last few months have truly been extraordinary. I have stepped out of my comfort zone so often that my comfort zone itself is expanding more and more everyday. I am excited about where this year is going and the journey I am on. And I encourage everyone, if you haven't done something new today, DO IT. Whatever it is, it doesnt matter. The feeling you get from trying something new, is wonderful, regardless of the outcome. Here are a few things I am looking to do this year: taking flying lessons, learn to surf, learn to hang-glide, I would say learn guitar, but I just don't think I have a strong enough desire to practice(but I never say never), spend a week with Habitat For Humanity, find a weekly volunteer project. I have several other personal and financial goals as well. I have learned this year that when I get very clear on my goals, actually obtaining them is so much easier. Until the next time, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!

My First Day in a new town

2005-10-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

I have finally arrived here in beautiful California!! Yesterday was my first full day here and it was a lot of fun. My new roommate lent me her car for the day so I could run around and take care of things. I bought a really top end bed, ordered the car I've been pining over, had lunch with my cousin who drove up for a visit, did some work, made a couple of sales, went food shopping, walked around the adorable little town that I live near and had a delicious home-made dinner prepared for me by my roomie. Even despite the drizzle, it was a wonderful first day in So Cal!

I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed today(I've been wanting to use that phrase for a while). It was still pitch black outside sinice it was 6am here, I got dressed and went for a beautiful run down to the beach and around the neighborhood. It looks like its going to be a beautiful day as I sit on the front porch on a lovely roocking chair listening to the birds chirping in the trees. I think I'm going to do somee work today right here on this chair. But first, time for a shower and breakfast!

An unlocking hug

2005-10-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I last posted something. I didn't feel I had anything extraordinary to write, so I chose nothing instetad of anything. Nonetheless, here I am in my mostly empty apartment, excited and nervous about the next step in my life. The movers came yesterday to take all of my belongings to Venice Beach, California. When people ask me why I am moving, I usually tell them its because of the weather, that I'm done with NYC winters. Or I tell them its because some of my best friends have moved out there, or because it's been something I've always wanted to do, or simply because I CAN. And the answer is a complete combination of all of those reasons, plus one or two others as well.

This is something I have always envisioned having the time, resources, and life situation to accomplish, and now I am in that position.

It's an interesting paradox I am experiencing. I am very excited about my move and whats to come. And at the same time, I feel oddly numb to it all. I liken it to thunder and lightening. The lightening has struck. The choices made, the bags packed and shipped, the details are in place. Now I'm just waiting for the thunder, my feelings/emotions, to catch up to the rest of me.

I ran into someone on the street yesterday while running an errand. She is someone I don't know very well, other than she has been in a personal development class with me over the last few months so at times we have seen deeper parts of each other most don't get to see on a daily basis. When I saw her she gave me the biggest hug and we went on our separate ways. That loving hug opened up a lot of emotions for me. It was as if they had been bottled up for a while and that magical hug unlocked the room where they had been hiding. And the emotions that came out? Pure joy and happiness. I was smilling from ear to ear. Laughing out loud. I even had an out loud "woo hoo" moment. I was aglow my entire walk home. It was so wonderful. It looks like the thunder is catching up to me after all!

Stepping out on the Ledge

2005-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

That phrase, just in its wording, can form different reactions by different people. One may look at that with fear and trepidation. Why would someone step onto a ledge? Its not safe, you could get hurt, only people looking to end their lives early would do that. It's reckless, careless, and stupid.

Someone else on the other hand may look that phrase from a completely different viewpoint. You might read that as stepping into the unknown, a place of possibilities, of risk(not the life threatening kind), of taking a stand for something you believe in, of something to be inspired by, of throwing your fears away and doing something great.

I initially used the title with the intention of talking about the decision I made recently to uproot myself from my comfortable life here in NYC and haul my cookies off to Southern California next month. But when I wrote that title, I thought about how differently we all can take something. We can listen to the same person say the same thing at the same time and walk away with completely different impressions about what we heard.

So why even bother writing about that? I think its one of the most vital concepts to fully grasp. Who is right, who is wrong? Was what I heard good or bad? How should I or shouldn't judge or interpret what I hear? How will I know if I made the right decision about my analysis? When it comes down to it, we never really know the answer to any of these questions....but we think we do and we will do anything we can to make sure we are right about it. I for one have held onto my strong beliefs of the things I thought were right and wrong. And because of that, I have spent a lot of energy defending myself and looking to be 'right' all the time. And if the person I am having a conversation with has a differing point of view, very often an argument would ensue, whether friendly or not. But what if I gave up being right for a while. What if I stopped making everyone wrong, and opened myself up to the idea that there is no right or wrong, just variations of perspective. I started doing this recently, and though its definitely taking work and practice, the results have been notable. I stopped looking at people as adversaries who were either on my side or on the other side. I started listening to other points of view, without the instant judgement behind them. And I started learning more than I have in a long time. And I started connecting with people more so than I ever have before in my life.

I'm still right most of the time of course. I'm a work in progress. So what does stepping out onto the ledge mean to you?

For me, its making a bold move, getting out of my comfort zone, doing something different for the sake of an exciting new, remarkable chapter in my life. I have always lived in the tri-state area. Even my 4 yrs in school were spent upstate. Over the course of this past year, the idea of moving to California has continually entered my thoughts, especially as a couple of my closest friends were heading out that way. And as my triathlon training was increasing, I realized how much I love good weather and how much it effected my overall state of being. And so I started playing with the idea of moving. It started out almost as a joke, then continued to develop as a real possibility. Finally, I decided it was time to do something different in my life. Make a move, a change of scenery, explore a place I've never been. And now, here I am, making my plans to move out West next month. It still seems surreal, and I am definitely a bit nervous about doing something I've never done before, and leaving the comfort of my many friends and family here. But I know it's something I will always be able to look back at throughout my life as a wonderful opporunity I took advantage of when I was younger!

What does it mean to really listen?

2005-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

I always considered myself to be an excellent listener. I was able to usually repeat back what someone said to me, people feel like I was present in a conversation with them, and I was always able to tell them exactly how to solve whatever issue it was they were having. Doesn't that make me a good listener? I thought it did. Then I found out that the only thing I had been listening to my whole life was that voice in the back of my head that was so busy coming up with a response, answer, solution, or defensive stance that I was never really 100% present in a conversation.

I took an educational course this past weekend and another one in July which gave me a very clear awareness of what it would be like to actually listen to another person. www.landmarkeducation.com for those interested in what I did. Well it's one thing to 'get it' and another to actually put it into action. Since I have committed to living an extraordinary life(see 1st post below) I was now responsible for putting this new understanding into action. My first attempts were adequete at best, but this isn't a sprint, so I acknowledge my initial efforts as they were a definite improvement over the past.

And then something extraordinary happened. I actually had a conversation in which I became fully present. For the first time, I realized how little I had actually been listening in my life. And that conversation happened today with my Mom. For those who don't know my Mom, she is an amazing person. She is bright, insightful, loving, caring, great energy and has an amazing smile that puts people at ease . Of course most of these traits I never really recognized before. I was too busy making her wrong, preparing to make her wrong, being angry, placing blame, or simply completely shutting any communication off between us. (Why? See blog below. This one is about listening.) I had planned to spend the day with her today and have a real heart to heart conversation. A conversation about everything. My life, my work, our relationship, and pretty much anything else she wanted to discuss. Sounds simple to some, but most people don't know the pre-enlightened Eric(picture glowing aura & white robe now). I was never willing to open myself up to really hearing what she or anyone else had to say who I felt wasn't going to tell me what I wanted to hear. And though I knew that, I thought that was an acceptable way to live. I had outwardly set boundaries around what we could and could not discuss. Talk about lack of inspiration.
And then today, finally, I just got off it. I created a space for us to discuss anything. At first, I sat there and was open to listening. I started hearing something I didn't want to hear and I felt my walls going up. My Mom was great in pointing out how my demeanor had changed, which I didn't even recognize at all. And then we got into deeper conversations. At points along our talk, I noticed my walls attempting to go up, not wanting to hear something. But I shared that experience with her and was empowered by that sharing to let my guard down. And then it happened. That unbelievably magical experience that had me in a state of pure presence. I completely stopped interpretting, analyzing, judging and adding meaning to what she was saying and I simply listened. Wholeheartedly listened to her. The voice in my head completely shut its yapper for a while. I listened without the fear of what she was saying, without fear of the outcome, without being protective. I let her in. I let her actually make a contribution to me through her sharing of her thoughts. And it was one of the most incredible highs that I can remember having. And I actually got something out of what she said. I heard her. And she shared more things which I would have shut her down for in the past as well, and got some great advice from someone who has always been there the whole time for me, but from whom I wouldn't allow to receive. And in that conversation, things shifted. She came away knowing she had a relationship with her son back, comfortable that he was open to a new level of communicating. I walked away with a newfound appreciation of who my Mom is. She loves me so much and that means so much to me. And I am finally letting her love me. And I gained so much of this because I finally chose to listen. I let go of the fear of looking bad, and I got over the standard reaction of defensiveness. And I gained SO much from opening up that I look forward to being an incredible listener with everyone I come in contact with in my life. I leave this day feeling very moved. Today was another extraordinary day.

Persisting Without Exception and Big Things

2005-09-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

If you knew you couldn't fail, when would you quit? Most people would blurt out and say NEVER! So why do so many people quit on their dreams? Is it because they don't really believe they can succeed or because they don't believe in themselves? I have no idea why other people quit nor am I going to try to figure it out just to appear smart and a know-it-all; I do that enough. :)

But when I looked deep inside myself to find out why I have quit on things in the past, whether its romantic relationships, projects, jobs, careers, homework in school, even athletic achievements, it comes down to one main thing: The fear of looking like a failure. So here goes the insane logic: If I don't try 100% and I fail, I have a reason why I failed. I didn't try enough. However, If I give 100% to something and still fail, then I would have failed, and therefore I am a failure. And nothing in life is worse than looking bad and being considered a failure.

Ok, so what's wrong with that logic? First, though I may fail at something, if I give 100% to it, I have honored my word and commitment to excellence, and I am able to stand up tall( all 5'9" of me) and know I gave everything I had. Just because I failed at something doesn't make me a failure. When we take on big things, the likelihood of failing more often and in bigger way, is certainly greater. But what also opens up is the possibility of winning in a much bigger way than we ever would have experienced if we played small. When we play small, we really become the failures we were looking to avoid being in the first place because we'll never even have the opportunity of succeeding. And if you think about it, what's the point in living if we don't get up to bat and swing for the bleachers everytime? Why bother at all? And many people don't even get up to bat. They prefer life in the bleachers.

Most of us are tiptoeing through life so we can reach death safely.

Think about that statement for a second. Ok, your second is up. Doesn't that sound so absurd? It does to me. And when I really think about what that means, it makes me laugh at how silly I have been being in my life. I've been afraid to give anything my ALL for fear of failing. So what if I fail? I'll always have another chance to get up to bat. I can spend my life tiptoeing through it, waiting to die in the end, or I can make a big HUGE splash and affect the world and make a difference, or at least have lived life in the creation and manifestation of that goal. Doesn't THAT sound like so much more fun??

I have pushed people away who love me because I have been so scared to be found out that I have had no idea what the heck I've been doing in life. I DIDNT know what the heck I was doing. I looked to make everyone wrong because god-forbid I was the one who was wrong, then I'd be the failure, and I just couldn't handle that level of looking bad. Well here it is folks. Dirty laundry on the table. I have been playing really really small for a really long time and I have been embarrassed and scared to play BIG. Doesn't that sound so ridiculous? People love me and I haven't let them in because I didn't want to be found out for being a small player. I didn't want to share my dreams with people for fear of them telling me I can't do it. And the truth is that those people may very well have told me those things. Not because they want me to fail. Maybe because of their own fears. Or maybe, just maybe....because I didn't enroll them in my dreams. What does that mean? Instead of hiding and not getting into the game, consider this alternative. If I stood up, and decided to be great, and had a vision, a dream for my life, and I shared, with my heart, in a place of openness and power and commitment, with my loved ones, they would have seen my dream along with me and would have stood by my side to ensure my success. And THAT is the context of my life moving forward. It's so much more juicy and delicious living in THAT realm, then in a world of fear, doubt, and avoidance.

The beauty and magic in life is that at each and every moment, we can make choices, new choices, and new possbilities for who we wish to be in life. And I made a stand earlier this week for the person I am creating. Who I am is the possibility of Love, Acceptance, and Inspiration.

Eric's Extraordinary Life

2005-09-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. Here I am. Day 1 in the beginning of an extraordinary life. Not that my life has been a waste until now. I have touched many people's lives, and have contributed a good amount to the people in my life. But I have been "playing small" as they say. But that lazy, frightened, whiny, feeling sorry for myself, doubting thomas of a human being has been laid to rest. What is being created as of today is the possibility of being extraordinary. Love, acceptance, and inspiration are the pillars upon which I am basing the genesis of my extraordinary life from this day forward until those pillars become too small to hold the incredible greatness which I am creating.

(Wow, I re-read that last paragraph and was actually inspired myself!)

So what does all of this mean? Unless I actually DO something, unless I actually take my thoughts, ideas, and plans and turn them into something measureable and real, then all of this means absolutely nothing. But I am putting my neck on the line here and am holding myself accountable to my word and to my integrity to live an extraordinary life. So how will I create this? Give me a few days to formulate my thoughts and creations. And feel free to share YOUR thoughts, ideas, plans and inspirations.

I am creating this blog to share my thoughts, ideas, insights, and my life with the world. Use it as inspiration in your own life or as a way of living an extraordinary life vicariously through mine. (Although that is sort of like watching a movie about a delicious piece of molten chocolate cake versus actually enjoying eating the darn thing.) But its your life and your choices and I will love all of you no matter what you choose for your life. Mine, however, will be extraordinary.