Jerry Banfield

If you want to learn anything, and be good at it, all you need to do is practice a little bit every day. If you have an open mind and approach the activity with a light-hearted spirit, learning comes easy. By taking the time to do something everyday you eventually build long-term memory, which translates in to automatic reflexes and instincts. Whether you want to learn a new subject area, a new skill, or even a new video game, putting forth a consistent effort each day is key. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Many little advantages you cannot see, often produce bigger more noticeable ones you can. I will explain this principle using a game of Call of Duty Black Ops 3 where I go 34-8. Now you might think I do well due to my perceived skill at the game, but in reality I am not much better than anyone else as far as reaction time. What puts me over the top is my experience playing nearly every Call of Duty that has been released, an Elite controller that has hair triggers for faster reaction time, and a 1 ms gaming monitor paired with fantastic internet. Life is similar due to the fact you need experience and the ability to identify where you can build small advantages. Nearly anything is possible when you take the small steps to become successful. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

There is nothing I have today that I would deny anyone else from having as well. In other words, I hope each and every person can experience the feelings of peace, love, and serenity in their lives. So, when does this become a difficult spiritual principle to practice? It is mainly when fear of other people begins to pop-up in your mind. For example, when you see someone you do not like, and you start thinking negative thoughts about them. The other day, I came across a man who looked to be homeless. He was rather rough around the edges, and I hesitated to get close in proximity to him. The old me would immediately jump to conclusions about this persons life, his motivations, and ultimately his worth as a human being. I am grateful to have to have moved away from this way of thinking, and I wish feelings of peace, love, and understanding upon the rest of the world. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

I find gratitude by seeing that I came from nothing, and I will return to nothing. Therefore, everything I can ever have is right here, right now. I don't need to do, go, or be anything different to have everything I could possible want and need in this moment. This helps me when something from my past prevents me from having gratitude right now, or the fear and anxiety of the future causes me to miss what is happening in front of me. I am thankful that my dad's passing has helped me to see that life is sacred, and you do not want miss any of the precious moments that life has to offer. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Most of my life I only learned new ways live like a baby. One example of this shows when I feed my infant daughter. When I bottle feed her, I ration out her bottle or else she will drink it too fast, and not register that she is full. However, in between these feeding stages she cries and is in complete agony, because she believe she needs something from the outside world. This is completely instinctual, and since she cannot communicate through speaking, she must do this to get attention. One could argue that I became a worse version of baby a as I became older, because at least after my daughter is done eating she is at peace. I on the other hand would constantly be wanting more, and was rarely at peace. It wasn't until I started to realize that everything is fine the way it is, that I started to be satisfied with what I have. I am grateful I can learn important life lessons from daughter, I pray that I can be helpful and loving father! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Making a little effort every day, and tracking it, adds up to a lot very fast. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track the work I do for my online business, and it is amazing what you can accomplish if you a put in a little work each day. Now the day by day work might not look very impressive, but the totals are! I got the idea to start tracking my work from a dieting app I use. Each day, you track your calories and exercise with the goal of losing a set number of pounds. The idea with tracking your daily work is the same. I big long-term goal can be a daunting task to achieve, but by doing a little bit each day, you are able to see the progress you make. Thank you for taking the time to be here, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

When you are having a hard time, know that you are not alone! This helps me a lot to know that I am not alone with whatever I am struggling with, in life. The worst part about struggling, being frustrated, and having a hard time is that feeling like you are all alone. I spent a lot of my life feeling as if I was isolated with problems that seemed impossible to solve, and I am thankful to be in a place where I can ask for help. Thank you for taking the time to be here with me, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

The one dog is an idea that every dog is fundamentally the same, and shares a single spirit. In other words, no matter how many different dogs you have come across in your lifetime, they are all basically the same dog. Now just like any other idea, this may be true or completely false, but it is this very idea that helps me avoid feeling separate from the rest of the world. I hope you enjoy the time you spend here with me today, and I hope you have a great day! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

What if I have to live everyone else's life? This may overwhelming to think about at first, but it helps me to make the right decision, each moment. For example, if I must live someone else's life in the future, or have already lived another life in the past, it makes it easy to live a life of service. It also helps me to avoid hurting others around me, because I would essentially be hurting myself. I am grateful to be here today to share this thought with you, and I hope you have a great day! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Recent physics discoveries show that the act of observation will influence that which is being observed. This "observer effect" has helped me a great deal in my own life to pay attention to the light in which I view things. The only choice I have is the point of view I take, not how the actual event occurs. Thank you for being here with me, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

We as people are not all that different, and this helps me immensely to live a life of service. Knowing that I am no better or worse than the people around, helps keep me humble and allows me to serve others to the best of my ability. I used to think I was a terrible person, and would often kick myself emotionally when I was down. I am grateful for the people in my life who project peace, love, and understanding, because without them I would be in a very dark place. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Any salvation you are hoping for in the future, is also available right now, in this moment. This has been an amazing discovery and power thought in my life, and I am happy to be here to share it with you. In the past, I was often obsessed with future events. For example, as a child I would always look forward to breaks from school. As a young adult I was obsessed with finding my future wife, and most recently I wanted to make more and more money each year. I soon realized that always wanting more or looking to the future for happiness left my life feeling empty, as if I was mouse in a maze trying to reach the piece of cheese at the end. The truth is, you already have everything you need in this moment. Thank you for being here with me, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

90% of success in life comes from showing up. Now, what does this mean practically? When it comes to relationships, just being there for the other person goes a long way. Now you may ultimately say or do the wrong things, but just taking the time to be there for the other person will go a long way. Ever since my dad passed away, I try and communicate with my mom at least once per day. Even if it is only a short phone call or text message, I will take the time to show her that I am thinking of her. I used to skip appointments, events, and hanging out with friends if I would be even a little bit late. In retrospect, I was completely missing the point, and thus failing 100%. My ego was getting in the way because I thought I would look bad if I showed up tardy. I am thankful to be in a place where I can see the value in simply making an honest effort in life. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Slowing down offers the easiest solution to most of my problems today. I learned this because I went too fast for most of my life. I am grateful to live life today at a more measured pace. Some people say I talk too slow and that I should get to a point quicker. I used to talk at a more rapid pace, but I often found myself stumbling over my words, using "ah," "um," and "like" more frequently, and talking too much. Now, I am able to create these videos without a script, and speak in a more meaningful way. Life is very much like speaking. When you move too fast, you are much more likely to make mistakes, bump in to things, and get in to accidents. Today, I am grateful to be in place where I can enjoy life around me at a measured pace, and appreciate each and every waking moment. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Whatever is being said, is what I need to hear. The idea behind this thought is you always have the help you need around you, at all times. In fact, in periods of my life with prolonged suffering, I had people making the right suggestions, I would just refuse to listen. From a spiritual perspective I believe that we are all interconnected, and this has helped me to become a better listener. Whatever is being said to me is exactly what I need to hear, each moment. Thank you for taking the time to be here with me, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Creating no more pain and suffering for myself is my first priority each day. I put an emphasis on taking care of myself because when I feel good about myself, this feeling spills over to those around me. All pain and suffering ultimately comes from within. I know in the past I made my life a living nightmare by having a bad attitude, and resisting the world the way it is. Today, I am thankful to be surrounded by a loving group of family of friends who support me and the decisions I make in my life! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Sleep has a huge impact on my mood. If I get enough sleep each night, I have noticed that I will often have a much better mood throughout the day. Conversely, when I do not get enough sleep, even if it's one or two hours less, I am prone to having a bad mood at some point throughout the day. The magic number for me is around 8 hours of sleep per night, but you may need more or less. Most of my life I would try to cram as much as I could in to a single day. Whether it was working on a project or playing one last game, I would always stay up as late as I possibly could before going to sleep. As a society we will turn to almost anything to help put us in a better mood. People will turn to medication, alcohol, illegal drugs, clubs and groups. I am thankful to have finally found the secret to consistently being a good mood, and I am happy to be able to get enough sleep each night! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Fixing small problems & minor annoyances and doing small chores, as I think of them, saves me a ton of time and energy each day. This has been a huge productivity tip for me, and I am happy to be able to share it with you today. One example of this is if I need to take the trash out. Instead of thinking about it and potentially letting it linger in mind, I will immediately take it out. This principle also applies to projects at work, essays at school, and small repairs around the house. In addition to freeing these things from consuming my mind, it allows me to focus on the work I need to do in my own life. Rather then looking around to criticize those around me, I take care of myself and the things I need to accomplish in my own life. Thank you for taking the time to be here with me, and I appreciate your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Don't make things worse is a phrase that saves my life today. In other words, whatever you are struggling with, you ultimately have the decision to make it better or worse. What I didn't realize in life, most of the time when anything bad happens your first instinct is to make it worse. If someone would criticize me, I would criticize them back. If I was having a bad day, I would often try to ruin someone else's day. I am thankful to have broken this cycle of suffering, and am happy to be in a much healthier place today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jerrybanfield/support

Why is it so hard to help myself, and why is it so easy to see exactly what everyone else could do to help themselves? People will complain to me about not liking their job or not getting along with their boss, and will often continue to work there even if it makes them miserable. To me the solution was always simple, I would suggest they find a new job. However, I was unable to fix the glaring problems I had in my own life. Even though I had multiple family members and friends tell me that I needed to stop drinking, I was unable to stop on my own. Just like feeling trapped at a bad job or being stuck in an unhappy relationship, I was afraid to face the unknown of a life without alcohol. Alcohol allowed me to run away from my problems and emotions, and I was terrified of the alternative of having to face them. It took me coming to a self-realization that alcohol was ruining my life and seeking help on my own before I was able turn my life around. I am grateful for the support group I meet with each day! ---