The Tao of Jun

We all go through difficult times. But we can choose to either go through them, or to grow through them. The Bible says to “be of good cheer.” I don’t think it’s talking about being of good cheer during good times. Because that’s not even worth mentioning. I believe the author was talking about difficult times. Be of good cheer during the bad times when things aren’t working out, and challenges seem insurmountable. That’s the time to be of good cheer. That shows courage, and strength of character. We can either go through difficult times or we can grow through them. Remember, with each new level comes a new Devil. You’re leveling up! So be of good cheer, my fellow adventurers 👊

I watched a movie recently called Unknown, starring Liam Neeson. It was in my opinion, a perfect illustration of how powerful our self image is, and how everything can change, just by changing the way we see ourselves.

When you only do what’s easy, your life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, your life will be easy

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people don’t like to do. The obvious question is, what is it that unsuccessful people don’t like to do? Turns out, it’s the same thing that successful people don’t like doing either. The only difference is, they do it anyways.” Brian Tracy

I’ve been a loser, and overweight, my whole life. I’ve been broke, and have been dealing with financial trouble, my whole life. I’ve been through a divorce, failed businesses, and I have experienced several bouts of depression.

At 41 years old, I am now in the best shape of my life! I feel healthy and strong! I’m feeling happy and hopeful for the future! My finances are finally in order, and I no longer have anxiety about my financial future.

It was a gradual change over the past few months. But by following 3 simple rules that I made for myself, every single day, I now see the positive results. I hope by sharing my 3 rules, it will inspire you to come up with your own 3 rules.

You don’t have to use mine, but I am happy to share them if you’d like to use them for yourself. I hope they serve you as well as they have me. I honor the light in you, that is also in me 🙏🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼

I totally meant to record a serious and helpful podcast episode. But maybe it’s the excitement of being back… because this was a rambling mess 🤦🏻‍♂️😅🤷🏻‍♂️ Oh well. Maybe next episode will be better. What can I say… I’m rusty! 😂🤣🤣

I’d like to share a dream I had that really helped illustrate my need to feel accepted. Craving the good opinion of others. And why I need to let it go. 🙏🏼

If you do a favor for someone and you tell them the difficulty you experienced in helping them, the favor is now ruined. It’s like giving a gift with the price tag still on it. If you help someone, do it because you want to do it. Not because you want the recognition. Do it, or don’t do it. But don’t complain. It ruins the gift 👍🏼

Arguments happen in every relationship. The important thing to focus on is “why are we arguing?” What are we trying to accomplish by winning the argument? When we argue simply to win, we usually end up losing that relationship. When we argue to try to understand each other better, the relationship becomes stronger and more meaningful. I’m not arguing that we should never argue. I believe that arguments can be very healthy to a relationship. It really depends on HOW we argue and WHY we argue.

Not having enough money is one of my greatest fears.

Maybe because I grew up being poor, but it’s the kind of fear that cripples me. Yesterday was my birthday. My daughters are in town staying with me, and I’m completely broke! I felt depressed, scared and ashamed of myself. But then I realized that this is just a test that life has set up for me. It was a wonderful opportunity to face my greatest fear and confront it head on! What I came to realize at the end of the day is that regardless of how much or how little I may have, I always have everything I need to be happy.

Yesterday turned out to be a great day! I don’t have to be great, or do great things. I just have to do my best to have a great day, and that’s enough. There’s so much value in having a great day, no matter what your situation may be. We all have it in us to change our perspective. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Dr Wayne Dyer

It’s 2022, can you believe it?! I just wanted to check in with everyone, and see how your new year is going so far. This year, 2022, feels different… Doesn’t it?

I thought it would be a good idea to go fishing today on Lake Lanier. So I took my canoe and almost got stuck out there in a wind storm!!! This was supposed to be relaxing! 🤦🏻‍♂️😅🤣 In the end though, it worked out better than I could’ve imagined 🙏🏼 Merry Christmas, everyone!!! 🎄

In my opinion, the only way we avoid destroying each other and the planet is to work together on problems that are affecting the planet 🌎🤗🙏🏼 🙅🏻‍♂️🐴🆚🐘❌

“I believe that the purpose of life is to experience it.” Annabelle Yun (10 Years Old)

On Monday, October 25th, I fell asleep behind the wheel and slammed into an empty SUV at 70 mph on my way home from Tennessee. I don’t know how or why, but I walked away from that accident with no injuries. I feel so incredibly lucky and grateful to be alive 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I’m going on a 3-Day hunting trip over the Halloween weekend!!! 🎃👻🌲 I’m going to try to catch a wild boar 🐗 with my bow and arrow 🏹🙌🏼👊🏼

All alone for 2 nights, and 3 days at the Redlands Wildlife Management Area (WMA). I’m so excited and scared at the same time! It’s beautiful out there, but it’s also difficult and dangerous. It’s possible that I may get seriously injured out there, or even possibly die. But it’s also possible that I might just have the experience of a lifetime, and actually catch a wild boar!!!

It’s all possible! I don’t want to allow the fear of what could happen stop me from having the experience of what will actually happen!

What is your personal Quest? What hobby or activity gets you excited? Perhaps it’s time to slay that dragon that you’ve avoided all your life. 👊🏼

In this episode I wanted to make it special because this is the 150th episode of The Tao of Jun!!! 👏🥳🙌🏼 So I invited a special guest, Amanda Sabet.

Amanda is one of the hardest working individuals I’ve ever met; tirelessly working to help pet groomers become more respected in the public eye. She’s already done so much to help elevate the dog grooming industry’s standards - along with it’s public perception - by creating the GA Professional Pet Groomers Association (GPPGA, a nonprofit organization).

I got a chance to speak with her, and learn what drives her and keeps her motivated to keep going even when things seem hopeless. When it seems like not only does nobody care, everyone hates me for trying. How do you keep going? What motivates you to continue on and keep fighting the good fight?

It turns out, she is motivated by love. The Love that Amanda has for each individual dog that she grooms is what has kept her so motivated to make a positive change in our industry all these years.

I’m so grateful that I got a chance to hear a little bit of her story, and I’m so happy to share it with you. “Changing her world one dog at a time.” 🙏🏼

This one is for my dedicated and supportive listeners 🙈😅👊🏼

After having an insightful conversation with my friend Andre, I’ve decided not to move to Alaska next year. I’m going to stay… and deal with my problems. I don’t want to run away from them anymore.

“There is a difference between being broke and being poor. Being broke is a temporary economic situation, but being poor is disabling frame of mind, and a depressed condition of one's spirit, and we must all vow to never, ever be poor again.”
John Hope Bryant

I’m driving up to Tennessee to camp with my dogs this weekend. My daughter is turning 13, and I wanted to make sure our dogs are there to help her celebrate 🎉

“If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me. Not the me you think I should be, not the me I think my wife thinks I should be, not the me I think my kids think I should be. If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me so I better know who me is.” Bill Gove

You gotta do it for you in order to effectively help others.

It’s a privilege and a pleasure to check in with you all 🙏🏼

Always do the right thing... even if it’s done reluctantly.

By developing the habit of not avoiding difficult things, my life has changed in ways I could’ve never imagined. Don’t avoid the difficult things in life. Lean into them! Accept them! Embrace them! They will forge your character into an unstoppable force that commands the respect of others. Because you will have earned your own Self-Respect. It’s the only way. Do the Difficult Thing. 👊🏼💪🏼🙌🏼

In this episode I’m trying something new. Something I’ve never tried before. I am sharing an idea that I have for a short story that I’ve been meaning to write. I’ve been tossing the idea around in my head for about four years now. I’ve told it to a few people, and they all seemed to really like it. So here it goes... I hope you like it too 🙏🏼

“Be impeccable with your word” Don Miguel Ruiz

I’m on Alexander’s Lake at Panola Mountain State Park, directly across from the archery range. Everything is just fine 💯👌🙏🏼

Let’s be real.

I spent the day hiking with my dogs at Fort Yargo State Park yesterday, and slept with them in a tent last night. Then I groomed them in front of the lake, right beside our campfire. We played at the dog park this afternoon, and now I'm headed to the archery range at Panola Mountain Archery Range 🏹 Live YOUR life the way YOU want to live it. Without apology, fear or comparison. 💯🙌👊

"No matter what, my babies... life STILL RIPS!" 🤘🔥👊 Chris "Canceled" D'elia

Sitting on my couch in my room, after a nice warm meal, never felt so good!!! I've never felt so scared in my life!!! My hands started to shake, and my knees felt weak. Even after I found my car and I was able to relax, I felt like I had to throw up. Probably bc of the stress - both physical and mental - that feeling lost in the woods had on my body. It was terrifying, but at the same time it was the most exciting experience I've had in awhile! I felt ALIVE!!! It really makes me appreciate the boring, safe life I have. I do appreciate this nice, warm bed to sleep in. But I also can't wait to get back out there!!! 🙌👊👍

"Life is not a recipe. Recipes are just descriptions of one person’s take on one moment in time. They’re not rules. People think they are. They look as if they are. They say, 'Do this, not this. Add this, not that.' But, really, recipes are just suggestions that got written down...
As you cook up your own life, never let anyone else's recipe for success intimidate you or get in your way. Know your own truth, and live by it."
Mario Batali

I'm on my way to go scouting on public lands for the first time in my life!!! I just purchased my hunting license, and can now legally enter any of the amazing Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) here in GA. Turkey season just opened (March 20th), so I decided to go to the Broad River WMA to scout for signs of Turkeys in the area. I'm so excited I can barely contain myself!!! You don't have to take up hunting, but I would strongly encourage you to find something that excites you!!! Something that you feel gives your life purpose and meaning. Just pick something and go after it!!! If it turns out to be the wrong thing, than you can always change your mind and try something else. But to waste your time here on Earth doing things out of routine, obligations, and even worse - doing things out of guilt, in my opinion, is to waste the most precious gift we've been given: Time. "The wear and tear of living is not worth the price we pay for it, unless we're really going for it! Unless we're working toward a worthy goal!" I imagine that you were sent here for a reason. You have a purpose for being here, and that purpose is to live the life you would feel proud of living! So that you can leave this Earth with your head held high, and your heart full of gratitude. 💖 #liveyourlife #experiencebeingyou #doitforthestory

I'm driving home from an ALLLLL DAYYYYYYY Hunter Safety Certification Course in South GA. It took me almost 2 hours to get here this morning!!! But it was worth every mile!!! I learned so much today, and more importantly 😝, I passed the test!!! I can now get my hunting license here in GA!!! 🙌🏹👊 I know this is going to upset many people who are against hunting. I understand 💯🙏👊 I felt the same way. In this episode, I try to articulate why and how I've come to this decision. I hope you understand 🙏

The lesson of David and Bathsheba.

I like to avoid politics as much as possible, for obvious reasons. That's why I didn't publish this episode, when I originally recorded it. But after thinking about it, and seeing how everything played out, I think it's interesting to see what i was thinking at that time about wha was going on in our country. In the end, everything will be alright. 👍😁👊

If I had a time machine, and I had the opportunity to stop myself before making some of the biggest mistakes of my life, I wouldn't do it. I'd sit back and watch... and I'd say, "He deserves it." 🤣

"Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing, though the overtaking and possessing of a wish discovers the folly of the chase. " William Congreve

Sometimes it's easy to think to ourselves that we don't really matter. It's natural to wonder if our lives really mean anything.

"What's the purpose of our existence? Why are we here?"

In this episode of The Tao of Jun, I explain my philosophy on life and why we're here. I'm not saying that I have the definitive answers to those questions. But I do believe that I have a perspective worth sharing. 😊

I really hope you enjoy this episode 🙏, and please let me know what you think. Whether you agree or disagree, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas. 👍

Join me and my special guest, Papa John, as we explain what Toastmasters is and the personal benefits we've experienced from joining the organization. As John puts it, "It's like joining a gym to work on your public speaking muscles." I hope that after listening to this conversation, you will feel inspired to find a local club to visit just to see if it's right for you. As a guest your free to visit as many clubs as many times as you like. There's no pressure to join at any time. However, I'm willing to bet that after a few visits, you'll be inspired to join Toastmasters as well. I honor the light in you, that is also in me: Namaste 🙏

My girls and I LOVE Mulan. The original Mulan, not the new live action remake. We ordered Mulan 2020 on Disney+ over Labor day weekend, and boy were we disappointed 😞 I hope our honest review helps you if you're on the fence, thinking about ordering the movie for an extra $35 on top of the Disney+ subscription. Don't get me wrong, it would totally have been worth it if we actually enjoyed the movie. But we hated it! It felt like Disney took the heart and soul out of the movie and replaced it with a bunch of unnecessarily complicated drama that made the movie BORING. This is just our opinion. But maybe if you go into it knowing that it's just a Chinese action movie that happens to be called Mulan, you may actually be able to enjoy it. I hope this helps. Perhaps it will save someone the money, but more importantly your time. My youngest was smart enough to stop watching it less than halfway into the movie. She said, "This sucks," and went upstairs! 🤣🤣🤣

Ride along with us as i drive down to Atlanta from Tennessee with my daughters ❤

In this podcast my friend, Lee, and I try to tackle the difficult subject of RELATIONSHIPS. I must warn you, we get very honest and vulnerable in this episode. It is not for the faint of heart. If you are easily offended, please do not listen to this! But if you're having difficulty in your relationships, or experiencing a difficult separation, this is meant for you. I truly hope this episode helps you in your relationships both now, and in the future 🙏 "When you walk around with a broken heart 💔, you end up breaking other people's hearts." Lee Rowley

In this episode, I invite my friend and fellow philosopher, Daniel, to share his thoughts on Racism, Personal Development, Spirituality, and other topics that we find interesting to explore. This episode is raw, unedited and not for those who are easily offended. We tackle the difficult topics. The giant elephant in the room. I hope you enjoy our conversation! 🙏 (You can follow Daniel on Instagram @fr33truth, and his podcast called The Elephant in the Room)

Watching Chris D'Elia getting canceled is the saddest shit ever 😢

I was a fan of his comedy, and his podcast. I know he's innocent until proven guilty, but damn... some of the DM's that came out are pretty bad... I hope he can make it through this, and maybe even redeem himself in the future.

As a father of two young girls, pedophiles make my blood boil. 🤬 But I want to believe that he didn't knowingly pursue underage girls. I want to believe he's not the predator people are making him out to be. I hope he's not. It would be so devastating. It's already super disappointing. 😔

He just had a child with his partner recently. I know that after my first daughter was born I was the most emotional I've ever felt in my entire life. I would cry for no reason that I was aware of at times. I just hope that at a time like this, just having his first baby and having his life torn apart at the same time, he has some true friends and family to be there for him. I'm genuinely worried about him. I hope he pulls through this 🙏

This is probably not going to sit well with my listeners. I drop the bullshit in this episode and just share my honest thoughts and feelings on what's going on in the world right now. It's raw, it was unplanned, unscripted and totally raw. But it's how I genuinely feel right now.

I'm so over labels. All they do is separate us as a society. Divide and conquer. What if we gave up our labels and connect as human beings instead?