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Category: Wellness

5 Ways Millennials Can Deal With Life Transitions

I’ve been hosting international business accelerators for nearly two years now, and I’ve noticed a pattern—over 90% of the people who come identify with being in a transition of some kind.

In fact, I find the vast majority of millennials I talk to these days are “in transition.”

That’s because we’re waking up to the fact that we want more out of our lives. The hunt for happiness has shifted away from seeing success as the possession of material things or status to success as a measure of fulfillment and quality of life.

What do you do when what once served you no longer “fits”?

If anyone knows about graceful transitioning, it’s Trevor Barran, a former Wall Streeter who left behind the city for the “pura vida” in Central America. He’s a former aerospace engineer turned 14-time serial entrepreneur who holds a Ph.D from Princeton.

Barran is the CEO of Lionheart Capital and the owner of Aqua Wellness Resort, a stunning Nicaraguan wellness resort nestled in a secluded beach and jungle cove. Aqua places a strong emphasis on nature, with its guestrooms perched high atop the jungle canopy in luxury “eco” treehouse suites where guests can interact freely with native wildlife.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Barran shares about the keys to embracing change. Below, learn from Barran five strategies for thriving inside a life transition that can help you access peace and identify your next move.

1. Embrace New Experiences. New experiences are perfect for transitions because they capitalize on the fact that you’re especially open to seizing new opportunities. Try something you’ve never done before, and it may end up leading you to your next destination. The best experiences provide a “pattern interrupt” and get you out of your comfort zone, whether that’s visiting a foreign location or gaining experience in a new industry. If you’re not one for planning, consider attending a curated event.

When Aqua was still in its development phase, Barran decided to uproot his life and relocate to Nicaragua, though he didn’t know much Spanish. “I have always been motivated by experiences. I think time is the most precious thing we have,” he says.

2. Consult Friends. When you’re not sure where to go next, friends can help point you in the right direction. Friends provide a different vantage point and can see your blind spots. Those who’ve known you for a long time may be able to suggest a new path that’s suited for your interests and skillsets.

While North American culture emphasizes independent action, in some ways it can be limiting. Barran says Nicaraguan culture is heavily focused on relationships, which offers the benefit of a collective mind. “Nicaragua is wired a completely different way. It operates in this very familiar, tranquil, harmonious way, because people highly value their interpersonal relationships,” he says. Psychologists agree that shifting from a “me” to a “we” mindset can help you see a fuller picture.

3. Be Willing To Let Go. Sometimes, a life transition takes the form of a role that’s no longer viable or fulfilling. Is your current role in your job or relationship still serving you? Change may seem threatening, but it’s often just a gateway. “It’s important to know when to let go of things, to be honest with yourself when it’s time. Plan your exit from your responsibilities, because that allows for a much smoother growth beyond you. Much of the trials and tribulations in these founder/entrepreneur experiences occur when there’s a natural transition that the founder isn’t able to see,” Barran advises.

4. Invest In Something You Care About. Shifting your perspective to invest in long-term gain can generate anticipation and excitement. Is there something of grander scale you’d like to see come to fruition? Now could be the time to start laying down the foundation.

Barran says Aqua was a long-term project that was worth the wait. “Dan, the founder, had this vision to create a wellness resort,” Barran reflects. “He had a very compelling idea for creating this resort that connected people with nature, that integrated the jungle into its design. I found it very compelling. We said well, if we’re gonna invest in something that is unknown to us, it might as well be something pretty special.”

5. Restructure Your Priorities. Have you ever climbed to the top of the ladder only to find it didn’t provide what you thought it would? Lack of fulfillment at work is a common source of transition for millennials. Often, what we think will satisfy us—whether it be a promotion, a salary raise, or an esteemed award—doesn’t fit the bill.

Barran recommends shifting your priorities towards things of greater substance. Instead of pursuing self-recognition, seek to share the spotlight and serve something greater than yourself. “If you create a company in your own image it will never be larger than you,” Barran says. “I think business is so much more rewarding when you have a crew of people who are building success with you. You don’t want to go through life being #1 and having no one to share it with.”

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This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

November 23, 2017
Millennials And Their Kids: Why They’re Choosing DIY Education

For millennials the conversation around raising kids is not too far off in the distant future. For many that reality is already here with over 50% already becoming parents. Unlike our parents’ generation where the procedure was get married, buy a house, and then have kids, millennials are doing things a little bit differently.

Take it from Jared Angaza who became the guardian of a 10-year-old Rwandan boy at the age of 27. He’d been studying in Africa for most of his life, and when he noticed a young boy selling peanuts outside of his office, he fell in love.

“Somebody asked me how this happened and my immediate response was I just kept saying yes,” Angaza jokes.

Angaza is the founder of Slapshot Studio, a creative branding agency that builds custom websites and developmental strategies for ambitious leaders. He’s also a philanthropist who has consulted an extensive list of human rights organizations, including the American Indian Movement, Keep a Child Alive, Genocide Intervention Fund, and USAID, as well as the US, Nigerian, Rwandan, and Kenyan governments.

Angaza is one of a growing number of millennials who are approaching the milestones of growing up nontraditionally. Increasingly, millennial parents are turning to alternative education options with 77% saying they are in support of DIY education, wherein learners craft a path to fit their needs.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Angaza shares about why he is choosing DIY education for his own kids, and why it’s a viable option for millennial parents.

Below, discover why nontraditional schooling might be right for you and your current or future family.

DIY Education Teaches Relevant Skills For An Evolving Job Market

Millennials have been dubbed the “true entrepreneur generation,” with career success looking much differently today than it did in the past. Today’s rapidly evolving job market requires millennials to be more adaptable, independent, and entrepreneurial than earlier generations.

Tomorrow’s technology will undoubtedly give rise to job titles that don’t exist yet, as we saw with social media spawning a generation of digital influencers. Which begs the question—is traditional schooling preparing our kids for the career outcomes they desire?

67% of millennials say their goals include starting a business, while only 13% say they want to climb the corporate ladder.

Bjorn Leonards, a millennial entrepreneur and alternative education enthusiast, says, “I realized that 99% of what I had “learned” in school was absolutely irrelevant for what I’m doing now. Reading, a bit of writing and basic math is really all I am using. And it can be learned very quick. We let ourselves be led by excitement and joy. I have no intention to withhold this way of inner guidance from my children.”

DIY Education Teaches Dynamic Learning

More and more millennials are recognizing that the model of being tested on information that you have been taught to memorize does not equal learning. Not every individual learns the same which is why the online course industry has grown to $255B this year.

There are infinite more options available for all learning styles online and personalization on the path to learning is one of the most key factors.

DIY Suits A Mobile Lifestyle

According to the US Census Bureau, millennials made up 43% of all movers in recent years. Nearly half qualify as “vacation movers,” meaning they’re moving to new cities without the intention of staying there long-term. Often, they’re drawn to neighborhoods with lower rents, direct access to big cities, and trendy atmospheres, including Oakland, Brooklyn, Austin, and LA.

The rising trend of the digital nomad is undoubtedly making mobility more accessible, with the number of telecommuters increasing 115% in the past decade.

With more millennials pursuing a dynamic lifestyle, traditional schooling is becoming a less viable option. Settling down in one place may have appealed to our parents, but for millennials, traveling is a high priority. Angaza has personally worked in remote locations around the world, from South Africa to Costa Rica and soon to be Kauai.

DIY Education Allows For More Connection

The average family today spends just 49 minutes together. Between the time demands of work and school, what’s left over isn’t a whole lot of quality time. More than one in five children complain they don’t get enough time with either of their parents.

With the average teen spending nine hours a day consuming media, and with ten times as many children and teens obese today compared with forty years ago, it could be that parents just aren’t actively involved enough in their kids’ lives.

Angaza says homeschooling his kids has allowed him to connect with them and foster a strong familial bond. “I’m a skywatcher—I sit outside with my daughter and we watch the stars and planets together and that’s very aligning for me,” he remarks.

Studies show homeschooled kids are happier, healthier, and perform better academically and socially than their traditionally-schooled counterparts.

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November 9, 2017
Fearvana: How Millennials Are Using Fear As A Gateway To Bliss

I remember when I graduated college and told my dad instead of getting a “real job” I was going to launch a feather hair extension business. He thought I was out of my mind and was quite angry with me. As someone who had worked on Wall Street his entire life he had always prioritized a steady pay check, consistency and the “safe” choice.

Years later I discovered he wasn’t angry with me—he was afraid for me. Like so many of his peers, the idea of opting for more stress and uncertainty seemed unnecessary and something to be avoided at all costs.

I didn’t know it at the time, but my decision to lean into fear and pursue business for myself would be the catalyst for my success. Moreover, a way of operating; a tool in my toolkit that I have exercised ever since.

What I am referring to is the concept of “Fearvana,” coined by Akshay Nanavati as the method of using fear as a gateway to bliss.

I find millennials are leading by example, using fear in a different way than our parents did to disrupt industries, create innovative solutions to world problems, and prioritize our own personal development.

Fearvana is more than just a new way of living it is a book endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Fearvana’s author, Akshay Nanavati, is also a nonprofit founder, success coach, speaker, and Marine Corps Veteran.

Nanavati says the six years he spent in the military forced him to develop an intimate relationship with fear. Stationed in post-9/11 Iraq, Nanavati often confronted the possibility of losing his life.

In his dance with fear, he found something surprising. According to Nanavati, fear and bliss are actually two sides of the same coin. That is, if we seek to experience bliss, the path leading us there is our fear.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Nanavati invites us into the world of Fearvana—that is, what it means to tap into fear as a wellspring of bliss.

Fear Shows You What’s Worth Fighting For

Nanavati says we all have a worthy struggle: something in our life that deserves our relentless attention and pursuit. For me, my worthy struggle is my business. The presence of fear is what makes our struggle worth fighting for.

To motivate yourself to stay on track, you Nanavati recommends you surround yourself with triggers called “spark moments,” whose purpose is to ignite the fighter within you. Think Michael Jordan getting rejected from the varsity basketball team—it stirred up a sense of resilience and rebound in him towards his goal.

“Imprint your subconscious,” says Nanavati. “Look for sparks to help inspire you to stay on your worthy struggle and surround yourself with them.”

Stress Is Your Ally

If you find yourself feeling stressed, don’t interpret this as bad news. Though we live in a culture that considers stress something to be minimized, Nanavati says stress is actually a good thing.

“Fear, stress, anxiety, that’s a normal part of life and you’re going to experience it and they don’t have to be a negative thing. When you choose to perceive the response of stress as something that can serve you it can translate into something meaningful,” he advises.

In the same way stress in the body is necessary to build muscle, stress in the realm of the mind and spirit is necessary to build character. Recognize stress as a necessary part of your worthy struggle and an ally in promoting growth.

According to Kelly McGonigal, a Stanford health psychologist, “Viewing stress as a resource can transform the physiology of fear into the biology of courage.”

Conserve Your Willpower

Science tells us willpower is a limited resource—a muscle that can be worked to exhaustion. The more we draw upon it, the less we have to utilize in future challenges.

Nanavati recommends being strategic with your willpower so that it will be available to you in the decisive moments that you need it.

Consider “automating” your day to enable you to run on autopilot and minimize the amount of deliberate decisions you need to make. Nanavati uses an app on his phone to establish guided external structure that reminds him what he needs to do and when so he doesn’t draw from his willpower.

“Every area of my life is systematized to remove thinking as much as possible,” he says. “Then I pick one moment in the day where I’m exercising the entirety of my focus into one activity, because when you do that willpower can be limitless. In at least one endeavor you want to push that willpower muscle and push the limits of possibility and human potential.”

When you need to dig deep to fight fear because you’re pursuing something significant, maximizing your willpower reserve will help you overcome and outlast.

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September 29, 2017
Ep98: Millennials, Here’s How To Stop Comparing Yourselves To Others

Open up any social media app and you’re instantly bombarded with real-time updates about what your friends, family, and others in your network are doing.

Your friend from high school just moved into a glitzy new apartment, your coworker is getting engaged to her dream-come-true partner, your cousin’s crossfit membership is really paying off… and he isn’t being shy about it at all.

In a world where you’re connected 24/7, it’s incredibly easy to become fixated with everybody else’s highlight reel.

You might say we have a case of “Obsessive Comparison Disorder,” or a compulsion to constantly compare ourselves to others. Unfortunately, it can have damaging effects on physical and psychological well-being, with social media use being linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

Furthermore, studies show that millennial mental illness is higher than any other generation in history.

So how do we go about addressing this?

I spoke with one millennial who has been living with a closely-related mental health condition his entire life. Meet Ryan Dumont, a former OCD patient and the 25-year-old CEO of Dumont Innovative Technologies and the author of the upcoming book, “The Missing Peace: A Patient’s Guide To Recovery.” Dumont struggled with OCD for years until he decided to take matters into his own hands and develop a solution, partnering with Ben Stern, an ABC’s Shark Tank winner.

OCD is a close cousin to obsessive comparison disorder—both characterized by anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and excessive worry that can be extremely debilitating.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Dumont shares his firsthand perspective on how millennials can break free from both OCD and “obsessive comparisons” to live a more positively-focused life.

Find Something You’re Passionate About.

According to Dumont, one of the greatest reliefs you can find from the anxiety that comes with social comparison is in doing an activity you’re passionate about. “Realize that when you’re feeling anxious, you can choose to be unattached. Sometimes when we’re feeling anxious it feels like it’s never gonna end, you’re in this bog—regardless of how accomplished you are—and anxiety takes over. In those moments, what I would say is to distract yourself with something you’re passionate about, something that’s effortless and that puts you in a good mood. The anxiety will pass,” Dumont says.

The key in choosing an activity is finding one that provides instant and effortless relief. It should be a “low hanging fruit,” so to speak, so you can easily access it in times of distress.

Having a healthy, fulfilling activity you can turn to instead of spending excessive time on social media can be an effective way to help you live a more positive and productive life. Yale University found those who spend less time using social networks are more happy and healthy than those who use them often.

Mindfully Meditate.

When you’re busy comparing yourself to others, it can be difficult to focus on anything else. To gain clarity and stillness of mind, Dumont recommends practicing a form of mindful meditation. “When your mind is racing, meditation can give you a sense of stability. You can say yourself, ‘I’m gonna sit down and relax and I’m not gonna think about anything I’m just gonna be in the moment.’” Being in the moment can pierce through the illusion of past or future worries, and help calm your mind and body.

Dumont says listen to soothing music and breathe deeply when you meditate to reap the greatest healing benefits. The objective of meditation is to detach from your thoughts and witness them objectively without judgment so you can cultivate deeper self-acceptance. As you become more comfortable with yourself, you may find you no longer feel the need to compare yourself to others.

Be Patient.

It takes time to ingrain new patterns and habits, especially when the old habits supply us with a hit of dopamine. The longer you have been struggling with social comparison, the longer you should expect it to take you to reinforce a new, healthier habit. This is normal, and Dumont says it is important to keep a far-sighted perspective of your progress.

“Nothing happens overnight, life’s a marathon not a race,” Dumont says. “We’re so consumed with everything being instant gratification, we want our problem solved right away. Any obstacle you have is gonna take time, patience, hard work.”

Enjoyed this post? Check out more of my tools to create a life by your own design.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

August 31, 2017
Ep93: A Millennial World-Record Holder’s Ultimate Guide To Goal Planning

Goal planning is easier said than done. 70% of people who set out to achieve goals never see those goals to fruition. I can’t count the amount of times I planned to get up early for a morning workout, spend less money on eating out, or bring to life my next big idea, only to come up empty handed.

But while most of us struggle to make our dreams and aspirations a reality, one small sector of the population is exceptionally good at it.

I’m talking about world-record holders. You know, those who set out to accomplish an impossible goal and are able to do it faster and more efficiently than anyone else in the world? These super-humans seem to have an indestructible strategy for making things happen that the rest of us could seriously benefit from, whether it’s in our jobs or personal life.

Meet Colin O’Brady, a pro endurance athlete who holds the world record for completing the Explorers Grand Slam—climbing the tallest mountain on each continent and trekking the last degree of latitude of the North and South Poles—in just 139 days. O’Brady is also a TEDx Speaker and the founder of Beyond 7/2, a project sponsored by Nike, Columbia, Sorel, and Prana, on a mission to inspire kids to lead active and healthy lifestyles.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, O’Brady shares the mindset you need to achieve your goals in the face of life’s trials and setbacks. Here’s what he has to say:

Jules Schroeder: What’s one of the biggest obstacles in your life you’ve had to overcome?

Colin O’Brady: When I graduated from Yale with an economics degree at age 21 I decided to take some time to travel around the world. Unfortunately on that trip, I was severely burned in a fire in Thailand. My entire body caught on fire and I had to jump in the ocean to extinguish the flames, but not before 25% of my body was severely burned. Doctors told me I may never walk again normally.

Jules Schroeder: How did you grapple with that news, and how did you respond to it?

Colin O’Brady: It’s a story of resilience and recovery. My mother came to my bedside and said to me, ‘Your life is not over, you’re gonna do amazing things. What do you want to do?’ And I set the goal of racing a triathlon. Fast forward 18 months, I signed up to race a Chicago triathlon and not only finished the race, which was my goal, but I ended up winning the entire competition and beating 5,000 other participants.

It taught me that you’re gonna face some setbacks but it’s your mentality that determines how you move forward. I think all of us have amazing untapped potential and it’s thriving on the other side of this injury that taught me that.

Jules Schroeder: How do you execute on making your goals a reality?

Colin O’Brady: You’ve got the big idea, the aspirational project. Maybe you want to found a tech app and have a $100M exit. That’s the macro, so then you have to ask yourself, what’s the micro? Because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the big thing, like how am I ever gonna get there?

I was sitting in a wheelchair and hadn’t taken a single step in three months and my mom said, “Great, you want to race a triathlon, well first you need to figure out how to take one step,” and she grabbed a chair from my kitchen table and put it one step in front of me. And I took that one step and that was my success for that day.

I carry around a small rock that I have from the summit of Mt. Everest. It’s a reminder for me that even that tallest mountain in the world can be broken down to its smallest incremental parts, just small stones stacked on top of one another. Have that big aspirational goal, but then ask yourself what is that tiny rock, what is that first step out of that wheelchair, what is that first thing? If you stack enough of those things against one another, one day you’ll realize you’re at the summit of Mt. Everest.

Jules Schroeder: How against the odds, against the fears, and against the exhaustion, do you keep taking one step in front of the other all the way to the top?

July 20, 2017