Anyone can achieve their ambitions once you free them from ambiguity…so Get Your S— Together and Clarify Your Ambition!
GYST #9: Buck Conventionality
Anyone can find and follow their passion and live happily ever after…just Buck Conventionality!
GYST #8: Obey the Law
Are you one of those drivers who likes to roll through intersections without coming to a complete stop? Then you better G-Y-S-T and Obey the Law!
GYST #4: Stop Futurizing
Stop talking about what you are GOING to do, like break-up with your sex buddy or start your own business – and take action today! STOP FUTURIZING
GYST #3: The Lost Art of Tipping
If you’ve ever worked as a bartender or server, you’ll love this. Because most people don’t have a clue when it comes to tipping. Are you one of them?
GYST #2: Forgettabout “I used to”
Forgettabout using that infamous phrase “I used to” when it comes to health & fitness. Stop resting on your workout laurels of yester-year, and get it together today!
GYST: Get Your S#!T Together – Episode 1
I know what you’re thinking.
Here’s another no-nonsense East coast dude ranting and raving about getting your so-called shit together when it comes to everything from dating to fitness to landing that dream job.
You’re right…but in a good way.
Because everything from your social life, to your business life, to keeping yourself healthy and fit can be improved upon by really having your act together. Albeit, a much softer way of saying Get Your S#!T Together (GYST), the not-so inconspicuous name of my new podcast.
Enjoy – R
GYST: GET YOUR S#!T TOGETHER with RICH TOLA – Episode 1
Stay Zen #7 – 20 Ways to Be 20 Years Younger
Who says you can’t look and feel and have the spirit of someone 20 years younger. I do, and there’s not a week that goes by without someone guessing I’m 30.
You can too, with my 20 Ways to Be 20 Years Younger! Enjoy – R
Get Fit. Live Healthy. Lose Inches. Stay Zen.
Stick to Your Guns
Whenever I hear the expression “stick to your guns”, I think of Tom Cruise (aka Maverick) in the 1986 blockbuster, Top Gun, when he’s in the heat of battle with six hostile MiGs and triumphantly declares, “I will not leave my wingman”.  Now that’s someone with true conviction who literally sticks to his guns, and one who sets a great example for anyone with little or no resolve to even make it through Lent without abandoning their abstinence.
Case in point:
I recently had dinner with two friends, a man and woman about my age (i.e., 50), who have each gained 20+ pounds in the past year. And both said exactly the same thing – that they “gave up sugar for Lent” and were determined to shed their unwanted weight. But when it came time for dessert, they both changed their tune and ordered the most sugar-filled items on the menu – Tiramisu in an edible chocolate cup and a slice of Red Velvet cake. Â So when I chuckled and asked, “Aren’t you going to stick to your guns and not eat sugar for the next 40 days”, they simply brushed me off and said it was no big deal since it was only this one time.
So much for having the courage and discipline to stick to their guns, especially when it comes to their health and well-being. Something I just can’t get my arms around (no pun intended).
Think about it. Setting your intentions and following through with your game plan, i.e., doing what you say, is not only good for your psyche and your self-confidence, but also helps everyone else around you because you’re leading by example. And if you don’t believe you can do it…NONSENSE. Just set your intentions and muster the fortitude to stick to your guns.
YOU CAN DO IT…just like I’ve been doing in Hollywood for the past 7 years. Peace – R
When the going gets tough…go to the Yoga
So what does that mean, you might ask…go to the Yoga? Because as tradition may have it, we usually associate “the going gets tough” with the likes of Clint Eastwood and our ability to toughen up and power through any challenging situation with “the tough get going”, right?
Wrong.
Well, at least it’s wrong in the sense that what is really needed in challenging times is our ability to find peace within ourselves and truly understand that everything is temporary and everything will be OK. To be calm, to reassure yourself that the Universe is conspiring for your highest good in every aspect of your life, and to know that letting go of fear, angst, frustration, disappointment, judgement and self-doubt are all part of the powers of Yoga.
Embracing a lifestyle based on Yoga principles is not just about practicing asanas (i.e., Yoga poses) in a church-like studio with other like-minded individuals. It’s also about how you think, feel and project your positive energy and charisma out into the world, not to mention how you handle tough situations by remaining tranquil and patient and believing you will persevere.
Easier said than done, perhaps, but totally do-able. Whether it’s living week-to-week while always searching for new gigs and barely making ends meet (like my creative friends), or enduring a 3-day flu that keeps you from your Daily Fitness Program (like I just did), or mourning the sudden death of a family friend (RIP – John Scheifele).
Just GO TO THE YOGA, because it works.
And if you’ve never practiced Yoga or don’t even know where to start, try a simple Tree Pose or Childs Pose (see photos), or check-out our 15-second Yoga sequence I recently posted on Instagram @BLVDZEN.
Get Fit. Live Healthy. Lose Inches. Stay Zen.
Enjoy – R