This week on Monday Morning with Mike & Max
We get super nerdy on today’s show about fitness.
From selecting training partners to tips and tricks to make yourself stronger.
Did you know that 4% of the population are psychopaths?
This is a consistent statistic that has been repeatedly published over different decades. Sure, the dumb ones end up in prison, the smart ones end up in finance & tech, and the vain ones find themselves in politics.
What’s the possibility that psychopaths are largely responsible for WHAT you think. Those who are responsible for what gets displayed on your smartphone every time it buzzes you? WHAT can and cannot be on certain platforms. What’s deemed dangerous for the public because they’re looking out for “your safety”.
Programs that are focused on how long they can hold your attention. That’s the end goal of the algo.
Programs that have been written by 4% of the population. 4% who value power, and have no idea what love is.
Will you leave your mind up to them to tell you what’s important… or will you take your consciousness into your own control?
I’ve witnessed women tear each other apart emotionally in the name of “self-expression”.
Self-expression is a characteristic of “self-love” and I want everyone to experience it.
For most people, they’ve suppressed it for so long, that when it finally comes out it is jarring for everyone around them.
The pendulum swings and they could give 2 shits about how you feel about it. Self expression usually follows the deep realization that everyone is responsible for their own experience. And in that realization the person suppressing knows that they’re the one who is actually responsible for their life.
… and everyone else is responsible for theirs.
So in the vein of this partial reality, expression is unleashed on the world around them. They no longer are playing the “character” that everyone has been conditioned to know. In turn, their reality is challenged and their triggers surface.
The result? Hurt feelings, disagreement, and conflict.
It usually takes awhile for the newly self expressed to learn how to do it gracefully. And in truth, to learn how to authentically express their heart… and not their wounds.
That’s the key. In the beginning of perceived self expression, the person expressing themselves isn’t actually their SELF. It’s a wound. It’s BS.
This is why when I’m helping someone through this phase that we are becoming objective enough to see if it’s the heart or a wound.
Knowing this nuance will save everyone a lot of pain and suffering. The road to self expression doesn’t need to be littered with the hurt feelings. It can be done from a place of love. It can be done gracefully.
This is a mark of a good leader. Yes, authentic wounded-expression will likely get you a lot of attention, but it won’t be the attention you want in the long run.
We want to get attention through love.
Can you respect yourself by allowing self-expression while also respecting others?
We get into the nuances of this concept on today’s show of Monday Morning with Mike & Max.
One of my mentors once told me “powerful leaders hold paradox”.
As many paradoxical statements can land, I wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about. I had to go look up the word. Needed the definition first. So in case you are like I was I’ll save you a google search.
From Merriam-Webster
: one (such as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases
So what does it mean to hold the damn thing? To be able to hold two seemingly contradictory qualities at the same time?
Took me years before it landed and ever since then it’s landed more and more. The mind likes to think only one way. Thinking there can only be this or that. What about this AND that?
So what happens when you take seemingly contradictory philosophical concepts that were each developed in isolation (mostly) and then introduce them to each other? That’s what we get when we look at the history of western philosophy vs eastern philosophy.
Most people see these two sets of philosophies in contradiction to one another.
The east holds the truth of everything existing as a circle. The 4 seasons, each year returning. The revolution of time & space, always returning back to where we started.
The west holds the truth of progress. The beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega. The truth that the universe is evolving in a way that never repeats itself.
Two seemingly contradictory philosophies. Both of which most people could not hold simultaneously… but for those who can, the world is your oyster.
Checkout today’s Monday Mornings with Mike & Max podcast. We’ll do our best to tickle your brain.
The prohibition on plant medicine is slowly lifting and we find ourselves at critical crossroads.
With a lack of acceptance in the west for so long, we end up with a gap in education about traditional medicine. Medicines that used to be typical have become shrouded in mystery.
Education that was passed down from former generations has been all but forgotten. But few people have walked the uncommon path to study with elders hidden deep in the Amazon jungle.
And I’ve been able to wrangle one of these fascinating people who have been willing to put it all on the line. This man walked away from the comforts of modern American life in order to follow visions that were delivered to him deep in meditation.
No, he didn’t do a google search to find his local shaman. In fact, when he got the message there was no google to point him in the right direction.
You’ll have to watch/listen to the show to get the whole story. I didn’t know much about Hamilton before the show, but by the end I’ve made a friend that I look forward to sitting in ceremony with.
Enjoy the show,
Mike Bledsoe
P.S. if you want to book your own experience with Hamilton at Blue Morpho Tours simply click the link and you’ll be guided to right where you need to be.
Nothing better than regurgitating shit you saw on a documentary.
That’s usually the extent of most people’s knowledge on the subject. Good thing we’re extra smart over here. The bottom line is our perception of the world shapes reality. You know, actual reality.
I’m not playing that silly game where I say “your perception is your reality”, because that’s BS. Your perception is your perception and reality is reality. You are not the Almighty Creator. If you think that’s the case, stop doing drugs. I’ve got a program for you that will get you back in alignment.
But get this, how you perceive impacts what’s happening in and around you. If you perceive that everyone is an a-hole? You’ll likely make choices that will put you in the way of moody people, and you’ll give off the vibe that you want that energy.
You may think “Mike, who really wants to create that?” Here’s the deal, whatever you believe to be true your subconscious will fight, tooth and nail, to find/create the evidence. No matter how silly it seems to your conscious mind. That ego lurking around in the background really likes to be right. In fact, being wrong is one of the worst things that can happen to the ego. Feels like death.
So choose your beliefs wisely… and maybe try to let go of beliefs and just sit with what you know. It’s a lovely place. As I sit in that space I realize I don’t know much and I’m very happy about it.
Does spiritual development always have to be hard?
Or
Can we make it easy and fun?
Over the years I’ve found that we can access the greatest part of ourselves while accessing joy and community. And if you’ve been following me for very long then you know that it always leads to the dancefloor.
Why are we doing all this work anyway? Let’s enjoy ourselves.
Slip into a conversation about the fun side of personal and spiritual development.
Vanessa Lambert is a former CrossFit competitor, surf instructor and firefighter, turned Kundalini Yogi and founder of Bee the Wellness luxury retreats.
We dive into her upcoming Bee-Fest in Mexico (April 26-30) and discuss the power of community and integration.
And if you’re ready to go on an adventure check the Bee-Fest site and use the code “BLEDSOE” for $500 off your all inclusive ticket.
Do you ever find yourself in a relationship where the other person starts acting like you owe them something?
I know I have. And it doesn’t feel very good.
It usually starts with one party doing all sorts of things for the person without asking. It’s all very nice until one day BAM! There’s an unmet expectation that was never communicated.
This is usually followed by the “you nevers”, “you always”, and “why can’t yous”. Before you know it, you’ve been caught in relationship debt. Is it real? Not for you. But for the other person, you’ve got a bill to pay.
Join Max and I as we explore this topic on today’s Monday Morning with Mike & Max.
Oh yeah, we also go off on our experience of people in relationship to Covid over the last 3 years.
As a coach there’s nothing more valuable to your business than getting in front of your ideal audience.
And with the coaches I’ve worked with this seems to be the biggest barrier to success.
But anytime we start to think about what it takes to get on stage whether it be in person, a podcast or IG, the gears come to a screeching halt. A lack of knowledge about how to actually do it creeps in.
Then the self doubt.
Then the distraction of another certification. BTW, on today’s show Kyle Gray unveils his newest business idea “Certaholics anonymous”.
That’s usually the cycle coaches find themselves in. Don’t know what to do to get in front of more people so I’ll get another cert. Then I’ll finally be able to distinguish the self doubt that’s causing me an eternal internal discomfort of not being good enough.
But what if we could just get to a place where we’re comfortable with who we are. Comfortable with being alive. What would be possible then?
I have no idea, since my life is full of discomfort. But I’ll tell you one thing, it’s much better to seek meaningful work than to try to be comfortable. Yes, the meaningful work will result in challenges and discomfort, but what else are you going to do?
Just sit around in the lap of mediocrity. Not us.
So if you’re ready to dive into a real conversation between two coaches who know how to get in front of people and get them enrolled in your vision you’ve come to the right place.
Men and women are created equal…
But not in all things.
Well at least in the way it’s practiced. I’m afraid people have confused equality with being “identical”. And I can only imagine how boring that world would be.
Instead of seeking fairness I think we can do a better job of honoring and celebrating our differences. To do otherwise is to reject nature, other, or God. However you want to see it.
So instead of focusing on what someone else has that you wish you did. Instead of seeking fairness in whatever single area you want to focus on. And zoom out. Allow yourself to see the entirety of YOUR being. See the entirety of THEIR being.
Just because another may make more money, you wouldn’t want the rest of their life. Your riches are greater than that.
Want the secret to having a perspective that is not only more helpful for the mind to hold, but is actually more close to the TRUTH?
Move the mind from an illusory place of “what isn’t” to a space of reality where we’re focused on “what is”. That is. Illusion is “what is not”, while REALITY is “what is”.
Sounds simple, but if you go about the world while practicing awareness you may notice that your mind gravitates to the illusion… most of the time. This is a great recipe for suffering.
And I’m not about that suffering. That shit is optional. Doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it’s right there in any moment that you want it.
Ok, enough of the sermon. This is one of many topics Max and I dissect on today’s Monday Morning podcast with Mike & Max.
I’m not talking about that fake alpha facade you may be familiar with on reality tv shows.
I’m talking about the real alpha stuff. The alpha with substance. The one that doesn’t have to be the loudest in the room because they know who they are. They know what they’re capable of.
And whether everyone else recognizes it consciously or not, the alpha is who is in charge when everyone else has no idea what to do.
You don’t get there by acting confident. You get there by being competent. Will you be the alpha in every situation? I hope not. That would mean you’re not surrounding yourself with people who are better than you at what you want to get better at.
The path to alpha is filled with humility. A true alpha can put down his need to be right and look good, in order to gain the competence. It’s a long game. Can you look dumb now, so you can be in charge later?
Most people have no interest in this. The path is too frightening and they’ll continue to live a life of mediocrity.
Join Mike Salemi and myself on today’s show as we discuss leadership, hierarchy, violence and the functional purpose of being prepared.
You may think that solving problems through play is a novel idea.
But the reality is, it’s the most foundational way that we develop the skills of curiosity and honing the capacity for focus.
Play is the very first way that we learned… and then things got serious.
Max and I discuss how forgetting to play has hurt us in the past and what we did to lighten the mood and come up with creative solutions to dire situations.
And as great teachers from the past have asked “when was the last time you danced?”. “when was the last time you sang?”,”when was the last time you told a story?”
This is where we can identify when we got “stuck” and had a hard time moving forward.
I know a lot of you either consider yourself a high performer or want to be.
But if you’re not a high performer in relationships then you’re likely holding yourself in the other areas of your life.
Drop in to today’s show with Stefanos Sifandos as we discuss his journey as a high performer inside and outside of relationships.
This is a man of wisdom. Man, or woman, I recommend listening.
Today Max and I discuss what we’ve learned about sex, masturbation, porn, and tantra.
It wasn’t an easy road. In fact, it feels a lot more like stumbling around in the dark.
You don’t have to stumble too far yourself though. In this show we discuss a few things we’ve learned over the years that have enhanced our sex lives and relationships.
What’s it like to put all your fears on the line and approach complete strangers with odd requests?
Today we find out. My guest is Brad Lancaster of the YouTube channel “Discover Connection”.
A filmmaker discontent with the amount of connection he was experiencing decided to put himself in precarious situations and film it. I’ve watched several of his videos at this point and I love every single one.
Join us as we discuss what led him to where he is now and where he’s going.
Mike Bledsoe
P.S. Curious about your own ability to connect better? January 8th we’re launching the School for the Living. A major component of what we’ll be doing is connecting better with ourselves and those around us. Go to schoolfortheliving.com