It’s amazing how powerful video is. I would never have thought I would think the Ford Focus is cool, but after seeing this video, I’m intrigued. Props to @gearpatrol for putting it on my radar.

How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia LLC on Vimeo.

The title of this blog post is not hyperbole. Do the following and your life will change for the better.

1. Practice gratitude – The biggest surprise, for me, of 2011 was discovering the power of gratitude. It’s nothing short of amazing. And it happens to be free and available anytime. I’d recommend keeping a gratitude journal. Start by writing down 5 things you’re thankful for each morning. I can guarantee you’ll be hooked and write more, then find yourself giving thanks throughout the day. Your happiness will skyrocket. I first learned about the benefits of gratitude in the book The Happiness Hypothesis. Since then I’ve developed a powerful practice. Any time I feel stressed out, I give thanks for 10 things in my life and I immediately feel better. It’s unbelievable. Try it.

2. Meditate – This is far easier than most people think, and the results are drastic. There is a ton of research on the benefits of meditation, from lower stress to better health to greater happiness. I’d recommend the book Wise Mind, Open Mind, which outlines, in a simple way, the benefits of meditation, as well as a number of easy meditations to try. You can start with as little as 2 minutes a day. Meditation is like exercise, it is essential to your health and well-being. 2012 is the year for you to have an incredibly fulfilling meditation practice.

3. Drink green smoothies – Most of us do not get enough fruits and vegetables. One way to solve this problem is to buy a blender and start drinking your fruits and vegetables. I wrote a full length post about green smoothies. In short, they taste great and are super healthy. You don’t need a fancy blender, but I’d highly recommend investing in the Blendtec. It makes things way easier, which drastically increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a habit to have a smoothie a day. Oh, and here’s a post on Why I Love Green Smoothies, plus I provide a great recipe.

4. Use a Neti Pot – Everyone I know who adopted the Neti Pot in 2011 called it either “life changing” or a “game changer.” The Neti Pot rinses out your sinuses with warm salt water. I use mine every morning. It’s great before a workout or meditation. It costs $10 and only takes a few minutes to use. Your health is worth it, buy the Neti Pot and start enjoying better health. Just make sure that you use either boiled tap water or distilled water.

5. Rest on the sabbath – You don’t have to be religious to take a day to rest. Everyone (and I really mean everyone!) should take one day a week to unplug from work. I observe the sabbath on Sundays. That means no work. And you know what happens when you don’t work? More time to relax, read, cook, go to church, workout, meditate, get outdoors, enjoy the people you love, take a nap, and everything else you say you “don’t have enough time to do.” I used to work 3 jobs, 7 days a week. I thought I could never take Sundays off. What I found was that I became much more productive (and health and happy) when I committed to resting each Sunday. Like meditation, it’s one of those things that is so beneficial and easy to do. 2012 is the year to work a sabbath into your life.

6. Sleep well – I wrote an entire post on How to Sleep Better Than Ever Before. It’s packed with tips based on a lot of research and experimentation. If you want to sleep better, everything you need to know is in that post. Sleep is so important, yet few of us think about the best way to sleep. Follow my suggestions and you will sleep like a baby.

7. Read everyday – This has been a pleasant surprise. Reading everyday, especially in the morning, is great. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed setting aside 30 minutes in the mornings to read. I make a big cup of tea and enjoy one of the many books sitting next to my bed. I used to feel like I didn’t have enough time to read during the week. Now I’m loving the feeling of getting through my reading list. I don’t use a tablet because I like to feel the pages. I also only read books – no blogs or other online content. Reading daily is such a simple and enjoyable habit to form.

8. Replace to-dos with rituals – The key to forming good habits is to make them part of your “rituals.” I have a morning ritual, afternoon ritual, and Sunday ritual. I’ve experimented with evening rituals. I have friends who celebrate failure with rituals. It’s just a great way to bundle good habits into regular times that you set aside to prepare yourself for the life you want. Read this post on afternoon rituals to understand what I mean. I got the idea from the book The Power of Full Engagement. The authors of this book noticed the best athletes all have rituals (like dribbling the ball three times before each free throw). Rituals help you form habits, and as I like to say, “habit is destiny.”

Here’s to a great 2012 filled with life-changing habits.

The room is dark, my bed is warm, and I fell asleep way too late last night. So I hit snooze, feeling a little guilty, then squeeze my eyes tightly shut. Just give me a few more minutes, I think, hoping it will make a difference. It doesn’t. The next few hours I’m groggy. I get to work dragging, needing caffeine to get going.

Sound familiar?

Doctors and health experts report that Americans are experiencing a “sleep epidemic.” We don’t get enough sleep. In fact, we don’t even know how to sleep correctly.

We spend a third of our lives in bed, and yet most of us have never stopped to ask, “What’s the best way to sleep?”

Almost everyone’s researched how to get the most out of the 1-3 hours they spend at the gym each week. I bet you’ve read magazines, taken classes, purchased equipment, and maybe even hired a personal trainer. But how much time have you spent studying sleep, the activity you do for hours everyday?

Here’s the truth: you’re probably not sleeping as well as you could.

Luckily, there are weirdos like me who have spent countless hours, and lots of money, learning how to optimize sleep. Some call us “sleep hackers.” I’ve purchased sleep tracking software, interviewed experts, read endless books and articles. Most importantly, I’ve experimented to discover what methods provide the best results.

And, this is what I’ve found. The #1 best way to drastically improve your sleep, is to write down best practices, and implement them for 30 days, so they become habits.

Don’t just read this blog post and hope to remember 1-2 things you might do to improve your sleep. That won’t work. Make a plan.

If you want to feel healthier, happier, and more energetic, there are only a few ways to do so. Sleep is one of them. In fact, it’s perhaps the best way to start feeling better because it’s free, has no side effects, and you’re already doing it every night.

So if you’re serious about sleeping better to become more energetic and healthy, here’s what you do:

1. Read the tips below and decide which habits you’ll form.
2. Share this article with a friend who will keep you accountable. If you both commit to forming new habits, you’ll be much more successful.
3. Get started tonight!

Top 8 Ways To Sleep Better Than Ever Before

1. Limit food, caffeine and alcohol before going to sleep – Follow this rule: no food or alcohol 2 hours before sleep, and no caffeine after 3pm. I know, you enjoy wine before bed and love midnight snacks, but just try this for 30-days and you’ll feel the difference. You can drink water before bed, just not so much that it will force you to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If you are hungry within 2 hours of going to sleep, try some almond butter and small glass of Good Belly.

2. Create an evening ritual, and do it every night – Did you know your mind works like those dogs in Pavlov’s experiments that salivate every time a bell rings? That’s actually a good thing because it means you can train your mind to fall into a deep sleep on a regular schedule. An evening ritual is what you do to tell your mind it’s time to fall asleep. Here’s an easy ritual to do before bed every night: stretch (try a forward bend and cobbler’s pose), give thanks (in a journal or prayer), state an intention (like, “I will sleep deeply and wake up filled with energy and optimism.”)

3. Only use your bed for sleep and sex – this is a continuation of the last point, but it’s so important it deserves its own paragraph. Do not train your mind to know that your bed is a desk or couch. You want your mind to think that when you get into bed at night, it’s time to sleep. Also, bringing your computer or smart phone to bed to check email or watch movies is a big mistake. Working before bed can cause stress and the light from your screen will negatively impact your sleep. “Falling asleep” watching TV is not healthy.

4. Make your bedroom a sleep palace – you want your room to be dark, cool, and quiet. Make sure your shades block out all external light and/or use a sleep mask. Turn off or unplug any devices that light up. Put your phone on airplane mode. Use a fan to cool the room. Use a white noise machine and/or ear plugs if sounds wake you up. You may also want to clean your room before going to sleep so it’s an orderly and peaceful environment.

5. Have a consistent sleep schedule – Go to sleep and wake up at the same time. If you can’t go to sleep early, still wake up at the same time. Catch up on sleep with 20-40 minute naps, not by sleeping in. Remember, consistency is key. Train your mind and body.

6. Go to sleep early – Remember how well you slept when you had a bed time? Well, it’s time to bring that back. I generally sleep 10:30pm-6:30am. It feels awesome. Your goal is to get 8 hours of sleep a night for the next 30 days. Pick a time that allows you to do that, and stick to it.

7. Create a morning ritual, and do it everyday – this is one of the most powerful habits I’ve formed. One of the benefits is that it trains your mind when to wake up, so you’re not groggy. NEVER SNOOZE. When it’s time to get up, gently sit up, get out of bed, then pull the sheets up so you don’t get back in bed. Put on warm clothes, open the blinds and turn on the lights. Get a glass of water, brush your teeth, and do anything else you want add to your morning ritual (Neti Pot, exercise, meditation, healthy breakfast, etc.).

8. Track your progress – the way I found out what truly worked for me was to analyze the results I was getting by implementing the advice above. You can buy products like the Zeo Sleep Manager or Wakemate. Or you can print this spreadsheet out and put it beside your bed. Fill it out each morning and loop for patterns. You’ll be amazed. For example, you might notice that the night when you were tossing and turning was caused by an evening cup of coffee.

So are you in? Commit to doing at least 5 of these for the next 30-days, track your progress, and prepare to be amazed.

Photo credit: Amina Michele

If I offered you $90,000 now, or $70 million later in your life, which would you pick?

It seems like simple math, right? You should go for the big bucks! Well, I know someone who disagrees, and he makes a very convincing argument.

Peter Buffett is the youngest son of Warren Buffett, the third richest man in the world. The Buffetts are famous for living simple lifestyles. Warren has lived in the same house for over 50 years. Peter’s upbringing was so humble that he remarked, “Growing up we really didn’t know what my dad did.”

Listen to this 15-minute interview with Peter Buffett on Freakonomics Radio.

What I love about this interview is how genuine Peter is. One of the benefits of not growing up like a billionaire is that he really does find joy in the non-material things. Peter is a musician, author, and philanthropist.

When he was 19 years old, he was given shares of Berkshire Hathaway, his father’s very successful investment firm. He could have held on to these shares, which would be worth $70 million today. Instead, he consulted with his dad and decided to pursue music. He cashed in some of the shares, lived frugally, and did his best to live off the interest of his shares, so their value didn’t disappear all at once. Peter said of his decision:

“I would much rather have invested in myself, taken the time, and grown my own life with all the mistakes and all the successes and everything else that I can say is mine. As opposed to have a pile of money that essentially belonged to somebody else’s success.”

Peter is a true example of someone living a rich life. He is happy living out his passion as a musician. He feels free and empowered. He chooses happiness over societal pressures. Very cool.

If you want to learn more, check out his book, Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment

My friends thought I was crazy when I bought a $500 blender.

For months, I’d been hearing other health hackers talk about something that was giving them tons of energy. They said it kept them from getting sick. And that it actually tasted good.

So, I started doing a little detective work. I Googled “green smoothie.” And spent an excessive amount of time watching green smoothie YouTube videos. To be honest, at first I didn’t know what was in a green smoothie (recipe below). And, I wasn’t sure I was going to take the time to make a smoothie every day. But after hearing so many people I respect say I had to at least try green smoothies, I decided to go for it.

My girlfriend and I bought a Blendtec Blender. When it arrived, I tweeted that I felt like the father of a new born baby. We immediately went to Whole Foods, and made our first smoothie.

Here’s why I love green smoothies:

• You get at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables in each smoothie. (When’s the last time you ate raw dinosaur Kale before 9am?)
• Smoothies are easy to make, and it only takes 30 seconds to clean up afterward.
• Even picky eaters who hate the idea of drinking vegetables fall in love with green smoothies because they’re so delicious.

Here’s what you need to know before you get started:

• The way to mask the taste of the greens in your smoothie is to use one apple or pear.
• If you include too many fruits, you may be consuming more sugar than is healthy. Stay away from melons and other fruits that are high on the glycemic index.
• Add ingredients in the order of how solid they are (e.g., liquids, then fruit, then ice).
• You don’t need an expensive blender, but it makes a world of difference because you can blend just about anything in the Blendtec, and it’s easy to clean.
• Only use organic ingredients.

Finally, here’s an easy recipe to get you started:

• Water or a healthy juice (like sugar-free cranberry juice or GoodBelly)
• Flaxseed oil
• Spinach or kale
• Apples or pears
• Berries (blueberries, raspberries, black berries, strawberries, etc.)

You can add avocado or ice depending on the texture you want (creamy or icy). You can also use protein powder and a host of seeds (e.g., hemp or chia) that have a lot of health benefits. My girlfriend likes the flavor of acai and cherries. And she prefers the taste of pear and spinach over apples and kale. You have to experiment to get the taste and texture right.

So now it’s your turn to give it a try. Throw healthy ingredients in your blender, push the “smoothie” button, and prepare to have your life changed…

Green Smoothie ala Blendtec.

Below is a picture of the final product. You’ll be surprised by how good these healthy smoothies taste.

Today we had waffles and fried chicken for lunch. I didn’t partake, but my co-workers feasted. With sticky hand and full bellies they smiled as they returned to their desks. But then it hit. One hour after lunch ended, everyone’s productivity plummeted. They sat there stuffed, staring at their computer screens. You could almost see the gears in their brains slow down, and finally come to a grinding halt as they attempted the seemingly impossible task of digesting and thinking at the same time. Another batch of food coma victims.

But it’s not just the post-lunch haze we have to worry about. Even people with extremely healthy diets hit a wall during the workday. Our minds get tired. We lose focus. We need to relax, and re-energize.

Hence the Re-Energizing Afternoon Ritual

I’ve been doing my morning ritual for nearly a year now. It’s changed my life. I can’t imagine starting my day without it. My morning ritual makes me feel healthy, awake, and optimistic. It supercharges my productivity and happiness, at least for the first half of the day.

The problem is, after lunch those benefits wear off. I lose energy, get temperamental, and my productivity declines. So, I designed my afternoon ritual to be like a reset button, bringing me back to the amazing feeling I get when I start my day.

So, here’s what I do. At 3pm, an alert on my calendar reminds me that it’s time to do my afternoon ritual. I have 30 minutes scheduled for the following:

1.    Optimize your workspace – I remove everything from my desk except what I need for my next task (usually just my computer). This includes closing any applications or browser windows that are not involved in my next task. [2 minutes]

2.    Go to the bathroom – even if you don’t need to empty your bladder, the following is refreshing. 1) Moisturize your eyes with Systane Ultra Lubricant drops. Your eyes get strained and irritated from staring at a computer monitor. My eye doctor recommended these drops and it’s made a big difference. 2) Wash your hands. There’s something refreshing about rinsing your hands with cold water, cleansing them with nice smelling soap, and patting them dry. 3) Use Listerene. You (and your co-workers) will appreciate fresh breath in the afternoon. [5 minutes]

3.    Stretch – do any stretches you want. [3-4 minutes]

4.    Meditate – I sit in a chair in a conference room with my feet flat on the floor and hands in my lap. I close my eyes and focus on my breath going in and out of my nostrils. My iPhone timer let’s me know when the session is over. [15 minutes]

5.    Get a fresh glass of water – I always keep a big glass of water on my desk and refill it once an hour (I work in 50 minute chunks and refill during my 10 minute breaks). After meditating, the cool water will feel refreshing. It will help you wake up and hydrate you for the rest of the day. [2 minutes]

That’s it! 30 minutes in the afternoon will provide hours of additional productivity, plus peace of mind. Try it this week. Put an alert on your calendar. You can copy and paste the points above right into the calendar alert description. Do this for 5 days and see how it impacts your productivity and happiness. You can modify it as you like, the important thing is that you consistently spend 30 minutes re-energizing with an afternoon ritual.

I’m curious to hear your versions of the ritual. Good luck!

Remember that show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?

When I was a kid, I loved seeing how “rich people” lived. Now that I’m older, I know a lot of high net worth individuals. I know guys worth over $500 million that wear t-shirts everyday and drink beer from a can.  I also know a lot of entrepreneurs who have sold companies, some for over $100 million.

Guess how they feel when they “retire”? Bored, restless and unfulfilled. Their early days of scrapping it up with little money and long hours are some of their best memories. Sitting on a beach and checking your bank balance gets old quickly.

So I guess my childhood understanding of what it means to live a rich life was WAY off.

Some high net worth folks may own nice cars, big houses, and expensive art, but these things are NOT the key ingredients for a rich life.

Having said this, anyone who knows about the weekend getaway I just had, may be confused. You see, it was my girlfriend’s birthday on Sunday. So I took her to one of the nicest resorts in California. Fodor’s named it one of the “Top 10 Most Romantic Hotels” in the world. And they were right.

We had an incredible time. Food delivered to us poolside, drinking wine at sunset with deer just a few yards away, a delicious three-course dinner with champagne, yoga and massages.

And yes, it was expensive. Really expensive by most standards.

But here’s the thing. Depriving yourself of great experiences is just as foolish as thinking that things will make you happy. How do I know this? Because research has shown that two of the most important aspects of happiness are perceived control and perceived progress.

In this case, control is equivalent to being able to take my girlfriend on an unforgettable birthday getaway. I’m living a rich life because I have the freedom to do most of the things I want to do. I’m in control.

Progress is important here, too. In most cases, we think of progress in terms of specific projects. For example, “This morning I had 500 emails in my inbox. Now I have zero. That’s progress!” But we can also apply the Progress Principle of Happiness to our lives. I could have never afforded our vacation in the past. I’ve progressed in terms of financial capacity, and more importantly, freedom.

Ok, here’s my last point on this topic, and then I’ll show you a cool picture from my vacation. You need to define for yourself what it means to live a rich life. For some people, it may mean owning your dream house, having enough money to pay for your kids’ college with cash, buying a boat so you can do your hobbies, or going on vacations to relax or explore the world.

Have you ever asked the question, “What do I want for myself in order to live a rich life?” I would recommend making a list (yes, write them down). Listening to your deepest desires is really important.

In future posts I’ll tell you how you can get those things. For example, how I got an Ivy League education for free, traveled to nearly 30 countries on a shoestring budget, went bowling in the White House, and increased by income 10x.  For now, enjoy this picture. I took it while drinking wine with my girlfriend at sunset. You can probably tell why I felt like I was on top of the world all weekend.