Now available on Audible.com, iTunes and Amazon…the AudioBook (narrated by me) for my wild and witty memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood.
Enjoy – R
AudioBook on Amazon – Narrated by Rich Tola
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Never Assume it’s a Done-Deal
No matter what your “deal” is, never assume it’s a done-deal while it’s still a work-in-process.
Case in point: This morning I was advising a real estate broker friend on re-submitting a purchase offer on a piece of land in the Hamptons (a popular seaside resort in NY with some of the most expensive residential properties in the US) when I said, “Never assume it’s a done-deal”. He responded by explaining that last week the listing broker said the property owner accepted an offer from someone else, and that his bone fide buyer should just “wait and see”.
Wait and see…forgettaboutit!
How about speaking with your buyer and determining whether or not they could sweeten their bid by changing a deal point – like the deposit money or contingencies or closing date – I said. Because a real estate deal is never done until title to the property transfers and the money is in the bank (or better yet, your bank, since that means the deal closed and you got paid).
So whatever you do, Don’t Make Assumptions. It doesn’t serve you well and only leads to futurizing, i.e., obsessing over something that hasn’t happened yet and quite possibly may never happen. Focus on the present, and don’t defeat yourself with a done-deal attitude.
Enjoy – R
PS – Audio-Book for my memoir COMING SOON!
Avoid Complacency Like the Plague
When you look up the word complacency in the dictionary you’ll learn the following meaning: self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation or condition.
So whatever you do in life, AVOID it like the plague! Because in order to improve upon your existing situation – or physical well-being, for that matter – it’s always best to “stay hungry” for perfection so you can better yourself and your condition. And never be smug about it!
Regardless of your situation, always strive to better yourself and seek the higher ground.
As a kid growing up in a poor Sicilian family, my parents taught me to always strive for perfection and to believe in myself in whatever I did. Whether it was playing baseball on my unbeaten 12 year-old All-Star team, or attending auditions in the “nobody makes it here world of Hollywood”. I do my best and never get complacent with my abilities or achievements.
That’s why over the past six years since I arrived here in February 2007, I’ve been creating and innovating as much as I can. Like my more than 100 free Yoga & fitness videos posted to the Internet and new Audio-book for my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood. I didn’t just settle with the paperback and digital versions. No. I wanted to make my life’s wild and inspiring journey about pursing my Hollywood calling and persevering against the odds – however great they may be against you – available on all platforms, including Audio.
So in two weeks I’ll be the proud father of another creation narrated and produced by me. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
Enjoy – R
Do it with The Ellen Show
Are you one of those individuals who never has time to workout? Or to put it bluntly – since I’m definitely not one for beating around the bush – are you one of those non-fitness types who thinks they have a legitimate “I have no time” reason for never working out?
If you are (with no judgment whatsoever folks), then here’s a little something for you:
My 5-minute, full-body, Yoga-based workout from Rich Tola’s Yoga Survival Guide that you can do while watching The Ellen Show. That’s right, a 5-minute workout you can easily muster during commercial breaks with Ellen DeGeneres. With a little dance warm-up to boot!
From beginners to seasoned yoginis who want to enhance their practice by learning the proper fundamentals of Yoga, my 2 1/2 hour video encyclopedia of 100 Yoga poses will do just that. Learn Yoga anywhere…with my 5-minute fun & effective lessons that were filmed throughout the streets of Hollywood in 2010 to benefit my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, teaching Yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters.
Because who doesn’t have 5 minutes a day to respect themselves? Enjoy – R
Mindful Meditation in Everything You Do
Have you read the recent articles about how mindful meditation can improve test scores?
Mindfulness studies were done at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where “researchers found that after a group of undergraduates went through a two-week intensive mindfulness training program, their mind-wandering decreased and their working memory capacity improved. They also performed better on a reading comprehension test — a section from the Graduate Record Examination, or G.R.E.”
And if you know a thing or two about meditation – it can be done anywhere. Although the best results may be achieved by following the secular pillars of the practice, including sitting in an upright posture with legs crossed and gaze lowered, you can incorporate mindful meditation into all aspects of your life…including your workout regime.
Because when it comes to clearing your mind and strengthening your body with a Daily Fitness Program, it’s always best to keep your thoughts – and feelings – focused on the exercise at hand. Don’t obsess about the past or futurize about what you have to do later that day.
Make it a moving meditation. Stay purposeful, focused and relaxed (breathe), and BE PRESENT in everything you do.
Enjoy - R
RIP Margaret Thatcher
Sit Tall in the Saddle
COMING SOON in AUDIO BOOK
Chapter 21 – Sit Tall in the Saddle, tells about when I interned with a top broker at Prudential Securities:
“The day I arrived, the first thing he did was hand me a framed picture of a cowboy sitting on a horse looking sternly off into the distance. Beneath the picture the caption read, ‘When you ride alone, you must sit tall in the saddle’. I just looked at him and smiled, while he looked at me with a serious face and said, ‘Always remember that and you’ll be fine.’ To this day, I can’t help but think how the little things I learned from some of Wall Street’s million dollar men continue to inspire me.”
So Sit Tall in the Saddle in whatever you do today…and don’t forget your Daily Fitness Program!
Enjoy – R
Perfect Yourself with Perfect Form
A sixty year-old man stood watching me blast my biceps in the gym this morning before he approached me and said, “This is my very first time here and I think I know what to do, but not how to do it.” I relied, “To perfect your body in the gym, knowing what exercises to do is not enough. It takes perfect form – including your posture and breathing – in everything you do. Not to mention good focus and concentration, just like a surgeon would in the operating room.”
Rich Tola
That’s right…like a surgeon in the operating room. Because getting results from any kind of exercise regime takes a seriousness that goes beyond just knowing what to do.
So if you’re one of those fitness buffs who thinks you can perfect your body with ‘speed and quantity’ rather than ‘precision and quality’, think again. No matter what you do in the fitness world – weights, yoga, pilates, or my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts – take your time, pay attention to your posture, breathe deeply and slowly and don’t hold your breath, and use perfect form.
Trust me, it works.
Because achieving a perfect body – or one that looks and feels 20 years younger like mine does – takes a hellava lot more than knowing what to do.
Enjoy – R
RIP Joe Weider
Boost your Self-Confidence with Good Posture and Balance
Yoga Master, Rich Tola
When I said “good posture and balance will boost your self-confidence”, they looked at me like I had three heads!
Because good posture and balance (and NOT slouching) exudes self-confidence to everyone around you as well as: 1) properly aligns your spine and puts less stress on your joints, 2) helps the bones, muscles and ligaments in the spine to move smoothly and pain-free in everything you do, 3) improves your breathing by making it easier for your lungs and diaphragm to expand, and 4) engages your abdominals at all times enabling a strong core and flatter midsection – and better looking Abs!
So get your Yoga groove on today and improve your posture and balance like I did with Ardha Chandrasana (Half-Moon pose) in the beautiful sculpture gardens at The Huntington Library.
Enjoy – R
Celebrate the Emptiness
Martial Art’s greatest, Bruce Lee
“Emptiness is the starting point. In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all your preconceived and fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is useful? Because it is empty.” Bruce Lee
It’s simply about clearing yourself of negative energy and creating space in your being, your mind-body-spirit, to absorb new positive energies & opportunities from a neutral, white canvas-like starting point.
Easier said than done. But definitely achievable…because ANYONE can.
Have the courage and confidence to empty your cup today and Celebrate the Emptiness!
Enjoy – R
Celebrate the Small Victories
My 13 year-old niece texted me yesterday after her basketball game that I would be proud she scored 4 three-pointers and a basket. I was beyond proud and impressed her to keep taking those shots and always believing in every one you take – and to take time mentally to celebrate life’s “small victories“.
Because they are victories. Like my niece’s excellent shooting, or closing that important deal at work, or helping your children with homework, or exercising every day this week (or any number of days).
Why not reinforce your daily accomplishments with some good mental ju-ju! And just like the Oscar winners are celebrating their victories today – CONGRATS to all of them and Best Picture ARGO! – take some time each day to celebrate your small victories, whatever they may be.
And perhaps my dear friend and leading lady Stephanie Drapeau and I may not have walked the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards this year, here we are at the premiere of the heartfelt movie CAMP, benefiting Royal Family Kids.
Enjoy – R
Rich Tola and Stephanie Drapeau at CAMP movie premiere 2/22 (photo by Bob Delgadillo)
