This simple expression pretty much sums it up regarding the qualities needed to succeed at anything in life. Whether it be the Masters Championship – congrats Jon Rahm on yesterday’s win – or the yearly presentation to your company’s shareholders, or the PTA meeting with your daughter’s Kindergarten teacher, or your daily fitness program for that matter.
Simply put…just do it.
Staying calm and focused helps you “stay in the moment” while remaining free and observant – and absorbent – to perform your very best. Just be prepared and confident to let your talents shine and your fortitude prevail.
As we reach the 100th day of 2023, I hope your goals and aspirations for this year and the future remain alive and well – even when extreme patience is required to reach your final destination. And may your mind, body and spirit, aka your temple, be brimming with strength, power and positivity. Mine is, as well as my plans for a new and improved season of TOLA TALKS bringing back our LIVE broadcast format on YouTube and Spotify – something I’ve been looking forward to since the show first launched on LATalkRadio back in 2017.
Have an awesome Spring everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R
Stay strong Floridians, in the wake of Hurricane Ian and thanks for having me in your Sunshine state. Albeit, not much sun the past few days as I’ve experienced my first Category 4 hurricane. The good news is I’m located in central Florida and the brunt of the storm just missed us. The bad news is my friends in St. Pete’s and Ft. Meyers weren’t so lucky. No worries, just stay positive and enjoy the rebuild!
And as luck would have it, since I left Los Angeles about a year ago I’ve survived 30,000 miles of “nomad living” while trans-versing the United States and getting to know 50 unique and exciting cities. That’s right, 50 amazing cities in 10 different states where I’ve spent anywhere from several hours to several months (most recently in Frisco, TX). Check them out:
Leaving Los Angeles for…
Oceanside, La Jolla, San Diego, and Needles – CALIFORNIA
Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Mesa, Chandler and Flagstaff – ARIZONA
Las Vegas – NEVADA
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Tucumcari – NEWMEXICO
Amarillo, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Ft. Worth, Grapevine, Denton, Dallas, Plano, Frisco and McKinney – TEXAS
Texarkana and Little Rock – ARKANSAS
Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga – TENNESSEE
Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah – GEORGIA
Charleston – SOUTH CAROLINA
Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Melbourne, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, Ft. Meyers, Sarasota, Naples, Hollywood and Miami – FLORIDA
Now I can only imagine what’s in store for the next leg of life’s journey. Have an awesome Autumn everyone…and get your workout in!
When it comes to the relentless march of Father Time, I think of myself as the rapper Eminem, flipping that aging bastard the bird with both fingers.
Why? Because when it comes to staying young, I’ve got that old ass curmudgeon beat.
That’s right, folks, there’s no way I’m letting Father Time’s renowned conspiracy theory, “Everybody Gets Old,” catch hold of me. Forgettaboutit!
Now get outta my kitchen, you pesky youth plunderer, because I consider my mind, body, and spirit – and my protective aura surrounding it – way too vibrant to be hoodwinked by you. Just like you should stop the aging process by fortifying and maintaining an everlasting aura that emanates into the Universe, keeping you harmonious, youthful, and strong.
Now you think who’s this Tola character and what’s he been smoking? Everlasting youth, yeah, right.
But I am right. Because the proof is in the pudding and with my youthful successes, that is to say, I’m a 57-year-old who got stuck at age 30; I know you can. Whoever you are and wherever you live, regardless of your current state of eternal metamorphosis, take my practical and very doable advice…and stop aging now.
Here are my top 10 tips for everlasting youth.
1. Keep Moving
Arguably the most important step of all, which begets one simple question: Do you wake up in the morning and soon find yourself sitting down for long periods? Can’t do it. Gotta keep moving – at all times – like baby dolphins.
2. Be Vain
We’re talking about the good vain here and not the obnoxious vain that Carley Simon sings about. Always be confident and proud of your accomplishments as well as your aura and appearances.
3. Love the Scale
Yes, the one device that displays a tiny number between your toes that can totally ruin your day. But you have to learn to love it because it’s crucial to stay within your optimum bodyweight range daily. Forever. Plus, it keeps you honest.
4. Be Passionate
In everything you do, or don’t do it. Passion keeps you young and vibrant.
5. Respect Yourself
Arguably the #1 Step again (or tied with Keep Moving) means that any way you look at it, everlasting youth and being your best possible self starts with self-respect. And as the saying goes, everything else is gravy.
6. Don’t Quit
Oftentimes the ‘art of winning’ is in the ‘never quitting.’ Plus, perseverance can take you all the way, no doubt. As Great Britain’s courageous Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “Never, never, never give up.”
7. Embrace Failure
You’ll find this one on the flip side of Don’t Quit. As basketball legend Michael Jordan professed, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Amen.
8. Exercise Daily
This one goes without saying because your body is a temple that needs to be exercised every single day, something I’ve been doing for the past 50 years. It’s true; that’s why this one is easy for me. But no worries if it’s more challenging for you, kinda like cooking is, for me, impossible. Anyone can embrace a daily fitness program that’s easy to maintain. Just do it.
9. Know You’re Young
Believing and knowing are completely different energies. You Gotta know it.
10. Self-Correct
So what if you’ve fallen off the wagon again? Get right back on it. It’s that simple, self-correct, and you’ll be back on track. Because you can do anything, you set your mind to. Just like when I quit drinking alcohol altogether 13 years ago. And yes, you can too.
Now, what about all those aches and pains that seem to accompany us Boomers with each new dawn? Can anyone make those disappear and truly feel like you’re 30 again?
Not exactly.
But you can come close. Everyone knows that concept of mind over matter. It actually works and sure comes in handy when convincing yourself to ignore those aches and pains.
Tell you the truth, there are some mornings when my legs and feet are so sore from walking 10 miles a day – that’s right, 10 miles a day since the Coronavirus hit last year that I need to mindfully stretch my legs and crack my feet before stepping out of bed.
I also have recurring neck and back problems that date back to my baseball playing days of the 70s and 80s, plus hip and knee problems from all the walking I do. So yeah, I’ve got problems. Lots of them, but who wouldn’t after thousands of hours lifting weights and doing yoga and running canyons and walking all over God’s creation.
Yet I’ve loved every minute of it. That’s right, and I’ve been embracing good health and fitness since I was a toddler doing push-ups and sit-ups alongside my older brother Sam.
The good news for me and all the other fitness enthusiasts from the 70s and 80s who cherished all things Jane Fonda and Arnold Schwarzenegger is that staying healthy, strong, and fit is so deeply ingrained in our psyches that nothing can derail us from our daily workout routines.
In closing, let me say this: Regardless of your predilection toward exercise or anything else that’s really good for you or otherwise fat burning, anyone can drink from the fountain of youth. As I say on the back of my book, “Youthfulness is not contingent upon your physical body or even how old your face looks, but rather the force and energy you emanate into the Universe.”
So may the force be with you…and I’ll see you at the fountain!
Just like it’s always best to finish the year strong, the same goes for starting strong, also know as ‘like a bat outta hell’, as the rock legend Meatloaf once sang. At the very least be sure to set your sights, aka your specific goals for 2021 – or the first six months like I do – and make sure to respect your temple along the way. Every single day that is, because who doesn’t want to stay healthy, vibrant and young while drinking from the Fountain of Youth?
In the New Year we also lowered our prices to make it easier for anyone to get motivated by my old-school “everlasting youth” advice that’s very practical and doable and most importantly, effective. Because the proof is in the pudding. Always. Not to mention a little fun and fast-paced inspiration from the plethora of wild and witty stories recounted throughout my life’s colorful journey.
Rich Tola’s books on Amazon, Kindle and Audible (Fountain of Youth coming soon!)
“Inspirational and Doable!!!! Rich Tola’s chapter by chapter self help advice is an inspirational and motivational book that should be read by anyone who wants to be their best self and live their best life (seems like a read that Oprah and Deepak Chopra would like)!
What I love about this quick read is that it equates youthfulness with a persons mind, body, spirit and energy. The author defines aura and emphasizes the importance of keeping it vibrant! He also explains how passion and kindness are both energies that others can feel.
He’s had several successful careers and is able to write from experience. He gives very practical and wise advice that he has gathered from everywhere from his father to the ancient Greeks, to hypnotherapy, to Winston Churchill to his Ivy League education.
With a friendly, inclusive and encouraging tone in his writing, Tola is sharing an approach to life that has allowed him to feel youthful, successful and happy! At age 57, he feels more than 2 decades younger than his actual age and even in reading him without meeting him, his youthful energy feels contagious! He is living proof that the 30 steps he speaks of are 30 disciplines that get positive results.
I completely agree with what Tola has written and I feel more inspired each day since reading it!
Thanks so much Andrea, and hey everyone, take heed from someone who gets it…Everlasting Youth is DOABLE, no doubt!
Have an awesome day…and get your workout in! Peace – R
Look! It’s a book, it’s a plane, it’s a journal. Wait, it’s definitely not a plane, but yes, it’s both a book and a journal.
With dozens of extra pages for Notes and Journaling as well as for memorializing your Dreams, Actions and SmallVictories, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth is an inspiring “how-to manifesto” about drinking from the mythical fountain – like I do – that keeps on manifesting long after you’ve read it. There’s also a 50-word Glossary making it perfect for any age, albeit I wrote it for the mature adolescent on up.
This book is ideal anyone looking to lose weight, feel more energized, be more confident, define their personal goals and aspirations, plus grow mentally as well as improve their entire outlook on life. It’s also for aspiring Millennials still searching for their calling, and for Baby Boomers who finally have the money but not the motivation to pursue their passion.
Click the cover below to buy it on Amazon for $12 USD – Made in the USA. Thanks for reading everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R
Things are heating up in the entertainment world, so I’m now teaching monthly Tola Yoga pop-ups and privates throughout Los Angeles in lieu of my regular weekend classes.
Come join us this Saturday at 4:30-5:30p for another challenging class!
Here’s one of my favorite Tola Talks…the 6 Rules to Success by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Because who doesn’t want to be their best and find success in whatever you do! Peace – R
