Sam Morris: Let Nothing Stop You

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Sam Morris is the founder of Zen Warrior Training®. In 1999, just after leading a bicycling trip for nine teenagers across the United States, Sam was in a car accident caused by a drunk driver which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Rather than becoming the victim of his circumstances, Sam learned and created a system of attitude training that brought him more vitality and clarity than he ever had before his injury.

In addition to coaching private clients and businesses in Zen Warrior Training®, Sam hosts biweekly classes in Santa Monica, CA and leads community talks and workshops throughout the country.

Favorite Success Quote

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction, in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of” ~ John Wooden

Key Points

1. Paralysis is Just a Word

No matter how stuck you feel, there is always a way to turn your challenges into triumphs. Do not allow fear or ignorance to prevent you from achieving your goals, keep moving forward regardless of the difficulty of the situation and you will achieve your goals.

2. Replace “Why Me” with “Why Not”

Despite what your momma told you, you are not special. This does not mean you are not unique or gifted in ways that others are not or that you do not have different circumstances and ambitions from those around you, it means that shit happens, no matter who you are. God, Mother Nature, The Universe, (whatever you call it) does not play by your rules, sometimes the worst things happen to the best of people.

Accept that things may happen to you that are out of your control, and decide here and now that no matter what happens, you will not become a victim.

Rise above the situation and take charge, do whatever you have to. Life’s unfair and sometimes cruel, but whining about it doesn’t make it better, action does.

Sam’s Seven Principles

1. Be in the Now

With the excessive connection to social media and the Internet we have in our lives today, it is often very difficult to live in the present. We can’t sit down to dinner with a friend without checking our Facebook feed, or go out with a pretty girl without posting to Instagram. We are a generation of men living lives that aren’t ours.

If we want to be healthy, wealthy, and above all fulfilled, we must learn to disconnect and live in the now. Don’t worry about things in the past that cannot be changed, don’t preoccupy yourself with the future, because it isn’t real yet, and don’t trouble yourself with the lives of individuals who have little impact on you (celebrities, actors, etc). Be present, live in the now. You’ll be amazed by how new the world feels when you are fully present.

2. Be Accountable

Be responsible for yourself. Do not play the blame game or be a victim of circumstances, chances are, whatever “bad luck” is happening to you is the direct result of a pattern of decisions you have been making for years. Broke? Chances are it’s not because of one sour deal, but rather years of poor financial management and planning and frivolous spending.

Fat? I promise you that the one Big Mac you had didn’t add ten inches to your waist, a lifestyle of unhealthy diet and exercise habits did. Alone? More likely than not, this is because of bad relationship choices or complacency during a relationship. You are responsible for where you are in life, act like it.

3. Persevere

Remember the guy that quit? Yeah me neither. Quitting has never and will never serve anyone committed to high achievement, if you want to live an extraordinary and not just the deferred 9-5, you need to get out of your comfort zone and stick it out when the suck factor is highest. No one grows when it’s easy, you grow when life knocks you down and you summon the strength to get back up.

4. Life is an Adventure

You only get one shot at life, make it worth it. Whatever your goal is, realize that things will not satisfy you, experiences will. Everyone has a different definition of adventure, but there are similar themes through all of them.

For some it’s riding the biggest waves in the world, others it’s enlisting in the military and for some others, it’s creating a business or the thrill of doing a deal. Whatever sets your soul on fire, do that, because, at the end of the day, we are all dead men, may as well die with a smile on our faces.

5. Be Real

Be real with yourself, be real with others. Don’t sugarcoat things just to please people or reduce the pain of your failures. Be real, own up to where you are in life and what you want. Don’t put on a facade to please people that don’t matter, be your authentic self.

6. Move on and Let Go

“Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”~ Emmet Fox

Being angry about the past and the people who have wronged you does no good. It is detrimental to your health and wellbeing and prevents you from becoming the man you were born to be. To live a life of joy and fulfillment, you cannot hold anger in your heart, you cannot hate others for crimes committed in the past. Learn to move on and let go.

7. Serve the Greater Good

In everything you do, seek to be of benefit to yourself, others, and society. Do not waste time in selfish endeavors that do no good for you or the world, but rather fill your life with service, selflessness, and generosity.

Bonuses

8. Laugh A lot

Life is too short to take it seriously. Laugh constantly, learn to laugh in the face of adversity, learn to laugh when things get hard, learn to laugh when everything is falling apart, and you might find that it’s actually a lot funnier than you thought.

9. Be Still

Unplug, turn off your damn phone, spend time alone, doing nothing but thinking and looking inward.