Who would of thought . . .

So I've been researching music charts and thinking about what it takes to be a staple in the industry.  What it takes to become a top rock star or superstar act.  It's interesting because it seems like dying is very good for album sales.  Who would of thought.

"What's modern becomes obsolete."

Photo Credit

When Michael Jackson died more people bought his albums and his merchandise.  When David Bowie died his album is flying off shelves.  It seems like as an artist one of the things that can increase awareness of your work more than anything else is death.  You can't create any more.  So people will buy your stuff.  People want a piece of you.  They want to remember you one more time.  And more than that they want to bring back the good old days.

I feel music isn't so much about the artist.  It's more about how the artist makes you feel.  It's also the memories you create while listening to that music.  Some of my favorite music is music that I've created great memories to.

JG

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Favorite Success Tips/Habits

These are more a reminder to myself than anyone else on success habits and tips.  Hope you enjoy them as well.  Leave a comment with your favorite success habits.


Write your goals down every morning.  Write your goals down every evening
Meditate 20 minutes a day.
Make a habit of doing hard things first
Get uncomfortable
10X your thinking and 10X your actions
10X your goals
Take Massive Action
Don't settle for other people's standards - focus on your own standards
You don't need validation from others to know you're doing a good job
You don't need recognition - Recognition is a byproduct of who you are
Ask yourself at the end of the day what went well today and what could I have done better?
Always looking to improve
Always looking to grow
Choose growth in the moment
Do things that make you happy
Cut out things that don't make you happy
Journal consistently - this can be the best form of therapy
Recognize your own excuses and stop replaying the same excuses over and over again
Believe in yourself
Don't think like everyone else
Show up
Be consistent
Be a role model for yourself
Do the things you know you should do regardless whether or not you feel like it.
Read personal development books
Read books that are in alignment with your goals
Connect with like minded people
Build others up and encourage others to hit their goals
Know what you want and why you want it and then go get it
Be decisive
Don't be a little bitch
Affirmations daily
Visualization of what you want - visualize how it looks, feels, sounds
Clarity equals power


There's nothing stopping you from hitting the goals you set out to do this month and this year.  All you need to do is take action and when you think you've done enough - do a little bit more.  Push yourself to the max amount of what you think is possible.

You can always do more.

Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.

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The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.

Death - A Lover's Quarrel

Death is the pinnacle of existence.

Death is the waiting game.

Death is your adversary.

Death is your friend.

Death gives you the meaning of life.

It's in the dust and the wind.

Death is your hero.

Death is your timeless savior.

Death will bring you salvation.

Death will bring the end to suffering.

It's the reality of life.

It's not too far off.

It's what brings the end to lover's quarrels.

It's something that will be a new beginning.

An opportunity to traverse the great unknown.

A void that no one has ever lived to talk about.

There's no escaping death.

It will meet you on the horizon of tomorrow.

You were given the gift of today.

You were given another day to fight off the temporary line between you and the edge of oblivion.

A wild stallion fighting in the night.

A burning heart soaring through the sights.

A poetic verse no one may ever read.

But it gives you hope.

It gives you hope to have something to live for.

Death is only morbid to the living.

Death is only sad to those who never truly lived.

Death gives you every reason you need to pursue everything you've ever wanted.

Death is like the devil.

Death is why you live.

Be like a star.
Burn so bright that you can be seen from light years away all around.
Even light years after you're gone you'll still shine on.
Burn, burn, burn into the atmosphere and when death finally comes she will take you kindly.
You burned so bright she's excited to meet you.
She's thankful for your contribution to the universe.
It's not over.  It's only just begun.  This is your story.  This is death's journey.

Death will be a silent mistress to your hollow deeds.
Death will watch your every move until she takes thee.
You're no cause for concern.
You're going to die someday.
You're dead already.
You may as well live as if you believe in something.
You may as well as if you recognize your own mortality.

Mortality of fate.

Mortality of the hour.

Mortality's humanity's greatest gift.

Death will leave you with something profound.

Let me tell you a secret

A secret of the soul



Nothing ever changes,

because it is indeed nothing after all.

Death is only morbid to the living.

Just Because Motivation

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear --- not absence of fear."  Mark Twain

I think about simplifying my life.  What do I really want?  I want to play music.  I want to travel and see the world.  I want to have money to take care of myself, my family and friends.  I want to be in a position to never have to worry about money.  I want to have fun.  I want to laugh.  I want to spend a lot of time with my girlfriend.  I want to spend time with family.  I want to create.  I want to work hard at my sales job.  I want to give my girlfriend the finer things in life.  Nice house, nice dinners, amazing vacations, shopping excursions.

It's interesting how we limit ourselves from doing what we really want.  We say I can't do that because . . .   What if instead of saying I can't do that because . . . we say I can do that because . . .

I can do that because I'm talented.  I'm hardworking.  I'm creative.  I'm a great person and great things happen to me.  I attract the right people into my life.  I am determined.  I am persistent.  I know what I want.  I have the personal power to achieve anything I put my mind to.  I am outstanding.  I am resourceful.  I create opportunities.  I have the will to win.  When everyone else would quit I keep going.  I have heart.  I have passion.  I have confidence.  I believe in myself.  I don't see challenges, I see new solutions.  I see opportunities to be more creative.  I take action.  I ask for help.  I act in spite of fear.  Pain is temporary.  The reward is in the journey.  I'm exactly where I'm meant to be.  Records were made to be broken.  I have compassion.  I give more than anyone else expects.  I am happy where I am and I am happy where I'm going.  I envision the future.  I create the future.  I am loved and I love others.  I have faith.  I am blessed.  I create miracles.  I deserve victory.  I can do that just because.

A Heartfelt Reply to The Questions of Life

"The common denominator of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do."  Albert Gray

Entertainment doesn't seem to entertain me.
I may laugh.  I may be inspired for a moment or think oh that's nice.
But sometimes I get a feeling something's missing.
There's a void in my life.
There's a gap in how I am showing up and who I really believe myself to be.

Do you ever have that feeling?

I've had this void ever since my father died when I was younger.  But I realize it wasn't him dying that created the void.  It's facing my own mortality that really scares me.  It's a sense that one day all the people I meet, everyone I loved or hated or whatever one day will be gone.

Time passes.  Wounds heal.
Achievements fade.
Memories cause nostalgia and heart ache.

There's this effervescent presence in the moment.  In the willingness to let go of who you perceive yourself to be and let yourself be who you are.

You will never live up to everyone else's expectations.  You will never have everything you want because if you do get it, you'll end up wanting more.

All we can hope for is this temporary indulgence.  A temporary escape from the realities of life.  The reality that no one has quite figured this whole life thing out.  No has all the answers.  It's a mystery we look to control the chaos.  We look to control the sad truths.  We look for peace within.  Something to be remembered by.  A comfort in legacy.  A comfort in what we'll leave behind.  We look for solace in eternity.

Interactions become at best a fun game of new discovery and at worse an ignorance to the grand scheme of it all.

Who are you?
Where are you from?
What do you fear?
What do you love?
Why?

Why has been a question that has tempted me for most of my life.  Why do I do what I do?  Why do other people do what they do?  Why do I believe what I believe?  Why do other people believe what they believe?  Why is so simple yet at times seems to only cause greater confusion.  Why has my life turned out the way it has so far?  What is the progression - what would have happened had I done things a little differently?

Then I remind myself of cliches to improve my mood.
"You're exactly where you're meant to be."  " What's the gift in this moment?"
Make myself feel better by focusing on positives or opportunities or affirmations or pumping myself up.

These are all gimmicks.  Temporary things to delay the inevitable.

If someone were to ask me what's the point to life,  I have a simple answer.  The point of life is to live in a way that death won't be a regret, it will be a celebration.

The point of life is to live in a way that death won't be a regret, it will be a celebration.

Don't regret that you didn't do everything you could to create that life for yourself, for your family, for your friends, for your spouse, for people you're a role model for.

I remember growing up thinking I don't want to be a role model for others but the thing is you're a role model whether you like it or not.  People look to you and model their actions after you.  They model their beliefs after you.  Or they look at you and say "I never want to be that miserable."  Or "I never want my life to be the way that person's life is."  You're the person that decides what they might say about you.

If you have doubts - people around you will have doubts.  If your parents experience fear - you will experience fear.  If you're uncertain people who model you will be uncertain.

Love with reckless abandon.  Give with all your heart.  Live the life you've always dreamed of.  Never take anything for granted and Believe in yourself.

Peace,
Josh Gort

Reviewing Journal from December 2015 - Quotes & Reflections

Hey everyone,

Happy New Year!!!

I was looking at my journal today and reviewing what I have been focused on for December and what I'm thinking about for 2016.  This is mostly a random assortment of thoughts

"He would rise earlier, train harder, and stay longer than anyone else.  On those days when he didn't feel like giving 100 percent, he forced himself to give 120." from Dean Karnazes on his mentor Jack McTavish from "Ultramarathon Man" by Dean Karnazes

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by." Robert Frost

I've had a lot of goals that I wanted to accomplish and I want to accomplish and I feel I've fallen short.  Although there are a lot of things I probably never thought I would have achieved that I've been able to achieve.

I've been really into Grant Cardone's content lately.  I really admire his level of thinking especially the 10X Rule.  I'm still working on implementing the 10X actions.  I feel I can think big but the part I need to work on is the actions.  Executing on more than I know I need to do.
Don't make a habit of quitting.

I went to Nashville, TN in November.  It was an amazing experience.  I saw the Country Music Hall of Fame.  I also got a chance to see where Elvis recorded over 200 songs.  That was one of my favorite things from the trip.  Also hanging out with my girlfriend Kayla.

I've been doing a morning routine The Miracle Morning for 90 days now.  I've made a lot of progress in my mentality.  The biggest thing I need to work on is executing on income producing activities.  One of the things I love most about the Miracle Morning is it makes me excited to wake up in the morning.  I look forward to each of the habits that I get to do in the morning.  I've really gotten into meditation in the last month.  I read the book Success Through Stillness by Russell Simmons.  It goes through the whys behind meditation and all the benefits and it made me think I would be crazy not to implement meditation.
I am still working on getting in 2 meditations a day.  Right now I've been pretty consistent with meditation for 20 minutes for about 3 weeks now.
What you put into it is what you get out of it.

One thing that has gotten me really excited is thinking about what I want for 2016 and what I want for my future.  I get excited thinking about my goals and how to accomplish them.

One of my goals is to create more posts on this blog.  I also want to be able to develop online business ideas that I can execute on.  I want to put myself in a better financial position.  I want to be able to travel the country and world playing music.  I also want to grow my social media presence.  I want to be able to buy several houses.

Don't sell yourself short.
Don't settle for less than you know you're capable of.
You can do anything you put your mind to.
Push through adversity.
Push through doubt

"If you're going to doubt something, doubt your limits."

Just wanted to give an update of what I've been up to and some things I'm thinking about.

I've also put some books that I've read in the month of November and December.

I may do a summary of each at some point later.

Peace,
Josh

Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Ransom Jones Cover)

Hey everyone,

I've been working on a few cover songs and this is one that I recorded a video of today.


Let me know what you think and any other covers you want to hear.

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