In this powerful episode of Spark and Ignite Your Marketing, host Beverly Cornell chats with Jeff Patterson, founder of The Yielding Warrior. Jeff reveals how meditation and Tai Chi can transform your business and life by reducing stress and increasing focus.
Focus and Meditation Business
With over 36 years of experience in meditative and martial arts, Jeff shares personal stories about his journey from Marine to master teacher and how these ancient practices can improve performance at any age or stage of life.
Tune in now to learn how incorporating meditation into your daily routine can lead to greater balance, success, and self-awareness.
Key Takeaways:
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- Incorporating Meditation and Tai Chi into Business: Jeff explains how meditative practices like Tai Chi can sharpen focus, reduce stress, and improve overall decision-making, making them powerful tools for entrepreneurs seeking balance and clarity.
- Consistency is Key: Building a daily meditation or Tai Chi practice, even for just 20 minutes, can lead to significant improvements in both personal well-being and business success. Consistent effort leads to long-term results.
- Follow Your Passion, Not Just Profit: Jeff emphasizes the importance of creating a life you love by following your passion, rather than simply chasing financial success. Authenticity and passion are key drivers of lasting business success.
- Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation!
Follow Jeff Patterson:
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Get Jeff’s Book:
Watch on YouTube:
Transcript:
Beverly:
Did you know that incorporating meditative practices into daily routines can reduce stress by up to 30%? Welcome to another inspiring episode of Spark and Ignite Your Marketing. I’m your host, Beverly Cornell. And today we are excited to introduce Jeff Patterson, the founder of the Yielding Warrior, with over 36 years of experience in meditative and martial arts. Jeff has dedicated his life to teaching the transformative power of these practices. He is also the founder of Northwest Fighting Arts, Portland Tai Chi Academy, and has published numerous books and instructional videos, reaching thousands of students worldwide. Jeff, it’s wonderful to have you here today.
Jeff :
Thank you very much. I look forward to chatting with you.
Beverly:
So talk about, briefly before we got on the recording, you mentioned you were a Marine, which It’s a little intense compared to like Tai Chi and meditation. How did you go from there to there? What was that journey like?
Jeff :
So when I was a young guy, I was really into Western boxing and I was You know, I used to get into the thrill, the excitement. It was just a hard challenge. It was something that was very strategic and I just love the, the art of it. And I used to go to this boxing gym that was maybe just a few blocks here from my academy and. At a boxing gym is a lot different than a traditional kind of fitness class and that you have maybe five or six coaches running around the gym. And each one of those coaches has four or five fighters that they’re working with, and it’s not like a classroom environment or structure. And so when I was training there, there was one of the coaches who was a very well known boxing coach. And he had actually trained national and world champion level fighters. And I really wanted him to get to notice me. And so I always show up at the gym when I knew he was going to be there. And I was trying to get to have him be my coach and spend some time with me. And after about three or four months of following him around and showing him that I was disciplined and consistent, he, uh, started giving me a little bit of tension and giving me some tips. And so I. Was stoked. You know, everything he showed me, I treated it like it was gold. And it was only about two or three weeks of training with him. And he said something to me that changed my life forever. And that he said, you know, if you really want to be a good boxer, you should start doing Tai Chi and meditation. And here I am this young kid who was thinking that Tai Chi was for old people in the park and having no idea how this was going to help me in my boxing career. And, you know, I took on the practice and. Not only has it changed my life in so many ways through the years, you know, I’ve been running this academy for 30 years and I’ve had thousands of students come through the academy and I’ve literally heard hundreds of stories of how the meditative arts have positively influenced people’s lives in many different ways.
Beverly:
So who are your typical clients and what problems do you help them solve?
Jeff :
The cool thing about the meditative arts is that it’s there’s so many possibilities in different directions that you can take it. You know, there’s, I break down into kind of five categories of the meditative arts. So you have the athletic or the combative style of practice. A lot of athletes today, professional athletes are studying the meditative arts to help prove their focus. And, um, expand their awareness. You have the therapeutic side of the practice, the medical side, the philosophical side, and also the meditative or spiritual side. And so you’ll get people coming in here for the practice that are in their twenties and looking to improve their performance. And you’ll get people in their nineties that are looking to stay more Cognitive and work on their balance and their flexibility and then all in between, you know, and so there’s so many different directions you can take the practice, which is kind of why it’s such a special thing because it really is good for everybody.
Beverly:
Can you tell us about, um, Maybe like some sparks or some challenges that has happened along the journey that have kind of helped you pivot or change or grow in some way from a business perspective
Jeff :
yeah. So I was the first kid in my whole extended family to ever go through college. I, after I got out of the Marine Corps, I joined, uh, I went, I went into college and I got two degrees in less than four years. Uh, I worked really hard. I got out of school and my whole family was thinking I was going to go get some big business job and do something important. And at that time, that same coach who I was talking about earlier, he always used to say that you want to create a life and not make a living and. At the time I was really passionate about the martial and meditative arts. And I remember, you know, this is back in 94, but I remember telling myself that if I could just make 30, 000 a year teaching and doing what I love, I would be more happy than making a hundred thousand dollars a year working at a desk job. And so I decided to follow my passion. And even through all of. You know, my family saying, you know, when are you going to get a real job? When are you going to do something else? You know, and, and hearing all of this kind of negative feedback, I just powered through and followed my passion. And it’s. I never realized that it would have led into what it has. You know, we have one of the biggest academies in the Northwest and, uh, you know, and I’ve got the online business and it’s really flourished and done well. And, you know, that’s not what drew me to the practice, but I think following my passion and really coming from my heart and what’s important to me is what’s led to all of the success.
Beverly:
What makes your academy and what kind of your approach unique in the industry? You’ve grown so much, but what makes you unique?
Jeff :
Well, the, I’m going to keep it kind of at the academy here. We have four different programs. We have a Brazilian jujitsu, Muay Thai and Western boxing, Eskrima, and then the meditative arts, the Tai Chi and Qigong, uh, the Yi Quan, the sitting meditation, the breath work. Um, I think kind of keeping it focused on the meditative arts. One of the things that makes that unique about my approach with the meditation is that I focus on teaching people how to build evolving life practices with meditation. You know, so with meditation, I break down the practice into three categories. We have ritual practices, active practices, and philosophical practices. Ritual practices are when you set time aside every day and do a practice, and that could be as little as 20 minutes. Doesn’t need to be three hours where you go retire to a cave and meditate all day. But if you just do a little bit every day, and you’re consistent with that, like you brush your teeth. You really can start to see a lot of positive momentum and get a lot of benefits from practicing these meditative arts. Then there’s active practices and active practices are things that you can do when you’re standing in line at the grocery store, when you’re sitting in your car at a red light. Things like Counting your breaths or maybe spinal rotations, or maybe a simple movement practice, something to bring our awareness back to center and have that focus and that connection, because that’s really what the meditative arts are all about. It’s not meant to be a hobby we do once or twice a week. It’s meant to be a way of life. And so we want to incorporate these practices into everything we do. And that’s where we really start reaping the benefits of the practice. And then lastly, there’s philosophical practices, and those can both be used in active practices and ritual based practices.
Beverly:
So what are, give me some examples of philosophical. Is this like reading about Buddha? Like what makes it philosophical?
Jeff :
Yeah, so it could be anything from incantations to sounds that we use to, generate different kinds of energy. One of my old meditation teachers, he had me memorize the Tao Te Ching, which is, uh, a book of 81 sayings that talk about virtue and the way of life and different ways that you can integrate, uh, these different kinds of mindset into your day. Um, if you’re not familiar with the Dowdy Jean, it’s basically a book that is only second to the Bible as far as how many, uh, copies have been printed and around the world for, you know, so it’s, it’s a very well known published, um, piece of work and it’s, Very deep, you know, I’ve been studying and reading it now for 25 years, and there was about a 12 year period where I had it memorized, and I would say them every day in my head when I was, you know, walking or doing cardio or whatever it was. And still to this day, even after studying it for 25 years, I’m learning from it. There’s so much, it’s so deep and there’s so much in there. It’s something that offers a lot of value. And so those are a few examples of how you could integrate some of the.
Beverly:
So we talked a little bit before the recording, and I had mentioned that I use a app called insight timer and daily. I try. I mean, for the most part, I do. I do a 10 minute, uh, meditation really for focus and intention for my day and just kind of really, uh, Centering and balancing myself before everybody needs my attention because it can get really chaotic and a little bit crazy. So it is, it is a moment that I take, it’s, it’s a gift for myself that I take that time. And when I don’t, I just don’t have as good of a day. It’s not as productive. It’s not as like, there’s a real tide for me anyway, between the meditation and how my day is going to go. It helps me prioritize. It helps me. Things that shouldn’t bother me like roll off my back easier. Like there’s just so much that can happen by Spending you said 20 minutes. So 10 minutes 20 minutes doing the practice on a regular basis I used to do hourly ones through the church that I belong to for a while And then I did have done Tai Chi and it’s actually really hard It looks like it’s not but it’s very hard to hold poses and things like that Do it very, like when you’d go slow and some different thing, it’s very hard. You will sweat, uh, doing it. Um, and so I, the practice of mind, body, spirit in so many ways is, is extremely connected and I believe a lot of that is important for us to have awareness about, and as an entrepreneur specifically, I feel like it informs how I run my day and how I run my business. What are some examples of entrepreneurs? Uh, or people that they can use it in their business, uh, these practices to help them be more successful.
Jeff :
So I’m going to talk a little bit about the idea of yielding and yielding. We’ll give you an example of how we can use this strategically. Uh, mentally and emotionally, which will help us in business and relationships and many different directions. And so my, my idea on yielding is that there’s three different directions of a yielding practice. There’s physical yielding, mental yielding, and emotional yielding. Physical yielding is the idea that. I push you, you push me, whoever’s the bigger, stronger person with the most leverage eventually is going to push the other person over. But with yielding, instead of us trying to see who the bigger meathead is, when you push me, I get out of the way of that force. And so now I can respond with less effort. Now, this has been used in martial arts and combat. Practices for generations and it’s used in athletics and football and basketball and any kind of physical contact we can use this idea of physical yielding now in order to be good at physical yielding, a lot of things have to come into play. You need to be well rooted. The lower part of your body needs to be strong and flexible so you can change your central equilibrium without getting tight. The body has to be relaxed. The breath has to be calm and the mind has to be present. It takes years and years to get to a high level of this. However, from day one, we start noticing these things inside of ourselves and becoming more in tune with what’s going on in our own Present state and our awareness. And this also helps us see things more clearly in other people. This is where we start moving into mental yielding. So say, for example, I say something that unsettles you and I pick up on it right from the beginning. And I changed paths. And so we start going down a positive direction rather than if I’m not paying attention to that. And pretty soon I’m so far off track, you want to knock me upside the head. And so learning how to use yielding and all of your interactions is very strategic and very powerful in that one, you’re just being more considerate, which is a way we should all try to live anyway. But two, It gives you the power and the focus to guide things in a positive direction, to lead to a better outcome on the other side. And we use this in business. We use this in sales and negotiations. I mean, so many different applications for this kind of a strategy, then. Emotional yielding, which is very much like mental yielding, but it’s with our own interpersonal conflicts, oftentimes things will happen to us and we’ll go down this path and we might get an hour a day, a week down that road and realize maybe that wasn’t the best choice, but with yielding, if we could have noticed when it first started and maybe had a better evaluation of what’s going on and maybe made a different choice, we can see things. A little bit more clearly and, you know, I’ve been explaining this idea of yielding for many, many years and, you know, one of the most common things I hear people say is that, uh, that makes a lot of sense. You know, I use yielding all the time and I would agree. I think everybody uses yielding. To some degree all of the time. However, it’s kind of like if you or I were to walk into a crime scene with a detective who’s been on the job for 30 years, he would see things about the series of events in the timeline that I know, at least I would have no clue of. The meditative arts helps you see things inside yourself and in other people that most people will never experience. And I don’t feel like you can experience without a meditative practice.
Beverly:
I think you’re right. You’re so, it’s so true. The awareness of even myself, like when my heart starts to race or my thoughts start to scatter, like even awareness of self is so different when you have meditated. I was joking the other day with somebody who was on the podcast. He does. Um, some, one of them’s a Yogi and one of them does heart centered creative type, uh, projects. So working through some things through, through art. And I said, when I first started meditating, it was like a waterfall of thoughts. Like I could not sift through the thoughts. There was so much in my head and kind of being able to like work through that from that perspective to understand that. And I don’t. Maybe because I, I am ADHD that that’s more powerful for me than somebody else that needs to, that doesn’t need to have that kind of, uh, um, secret power that I need to have. But uh, it has been, it, it just, it transforms the way that I have thought about the world in many ways by being able to just. focus on the breath so you’re not so stressed out or not as reactive in a situation or like, I don’t know. I love the idea of yielding, but it is so much deeper than all the things you’ve said. Like, I think of all the moments of yielding in our day that has to have to happen. And how awareness of ourselves in that and awareness of others, how that plays in that yielding. exchange. Is there, is there something, I always ask entrepreneurs this, is there something that frustrates you about your industry and how do you, or how would you fix it?
Jeff :
Yeah. You know, I guess one of the challenges is for, for me with the meditative arts and being a teacher and a, Um, uh, running a business in the meditative practice is teaching people to see that The consistent effort is the most valuable thing that they can do because I’ve had so many people come to the meditative arts and say, Oh, I tried this meditation or I tried this, I tried that, and it just didn’t work for me. Well, You talk to them and they did this for three weeks. So they did this for four weeks. So they did this for three sessions and it didn’t work because they couldn’t quiet their mind. Well, meditation is not about quieting their mind. It’s about understanding how to deal with these distractions. And stay focused and center and say, for example, if you sit and meditate for 20 minutes or you do a Tai Chi form for 20 minutes or whatever it is, maybe standing meditation, if you get distracted 50 times or 100 times during that session, and every time you use your breath, your posture, your movement, whatever it is to come back to center, you’re getting a lot of reps and learning how to maintain that focus. And now when you’re going throughout your day and. Something happens to you at work or something happens in a relationship and it throws you off center. You’re so much. More in tune with seeing that distraction and being able to recognize it before it gains too much negative momentum and bringing it back to a place where you can maintain, you know, you mentioned how your heart races sometimes, and you notice that a little bit more clearly. It’s one thing to notice it. After it’s been racing for 10 minutes, but if you can notice it as soon as it starts to change its pattern now, it’s a lot easier to make those adjustments than after waiting too long. And so when you talk about challenges, my biggest challenge is showing people the importance of building that. Consistent practice and really finding the value of of making it more of a way of life, you know, and as somebody new comes into the academy, I always tell them right from the very beginning. The 1st day they come in is that. If they’re not willing to invest 20 minutes a day in themselves, this isn’t the right place for him. And even if they’re willing to pay me money, I don’t even want the money if they can’t make that investment in theirself, because it’s like, I want them to be successful. Right. And that’s the number one thing. And you got to understand that. It’s just so important for yourself. You know, I remember the Dalai Lama once said, everybody should meditate for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy, then you should meditate for an hour. I love that. I love that saying, and that really is so valuable and so helpful. If you just take a little bit of time and reconnect with yourself and be true to who you really are, it’s invaluable.
Beverly:
Give me an example of, or share an example of, a story or a situation where the meditative arts has really helped one of your customers?
Jeff :
There’s been so many, you know, I’ve had people that come in here and it seems like a lot of people who are dealing with stress and anxiety, use this as a tool to overcome this. And this can be used if you’re in business or an entrepreneur and you have a stressful work life, it’s. learning how to use the inside of the practice and bring that stress level down is invaluable. I’ve literally had people coming in here that were suicidal and they, the practices saved their life and understanding how to use these methods. You know, not, not every meditative practice is the same. And so knowing how, for example, the, in the breath work alone, um, In Qigong often referred is referred to as the science of the breath. There’s literally hundreds of different breathing strategies. And in Chinese philosophy, we call this balancing the con and Lee or the water and fire. And an example of a yin style breath would be. If you ever listen to somebody sleep, their natural breathing pattern is a longer inhale and a shorter exhale. And this is the body’s natural way of bringing your conscious mind into your subconscious mind, which is where we are when we’re sleeping and dreaming. Now, this is very good for helping to bring those stress levels down and get to deeper levels of focus. Whereas if you’re focusing on the yang side of the breath, an example of that would be if you ever had to, Pick up something heavy or push your car. Your natural instinct is use the exhale side of the breath. Maybe put tension in the breath, make the breath audible, and this helps generate power and energy and creativity. If you look at, uh, a lot of athletes, sometimes they’ll do more of these young style chanting or breathing exercises to help get them pumped up for an event or a fight or whatever it is. And so learning how to use the breath as a strategy is an incredible A very important tool in that, you know, most people go through their days with emotional ups and downs. Some people are more like a roller coaster. Others of us may be a little bit more balanced, but when you can start building your awareness and that sensitivity and noticing when you come out of balance, maybe you start to get excited a little bit. You use the breath to help bring you back down the center. Or if you start feeling yourself be depleted, you can use the breath to bring you back up and now you’re going through the day in a little less of a roller coaster fashion and being more balanced and in turn more energetic because you’re not going on these energetic swings of being so out of center.
Beverly:
What you do, what you, what you learn, what you, the practices that you teach are ancient in many ways. They’re thousands of years old, right? I feel like they’re just, they’re like, we’re just babies in our population and what we’re doing. And these are, these have been going on for a very, very long time. Generations and generations have passed this, these traditions down along the way. What do you see as like the trends in your industry and what. What excites you right now about what you’re doing?
Jeff :
One of the things that is really fun for me to see is that More and more people in the general population that have never tried meditative practices are becoming open to it. And even medical professionals who Western medicine has always been, you go back 30 years ago and they’re like, Oh, that’s, there’s nothing to that. That’s, you know, no good. You know, it’s, this is how it is. They’re becoming more open to the idea of this kind of holistic way of living and how it is beneficial, you know? In Chinese medicine, they try to make the adjustments in your energy and your mental state before the disease comes when there’s imbalances, rather than wait till after the disease comes and we have to treat it. And so learning how to integrate these practices. And combine them in your life is, is really powerful. You know, I have this, uh, photo in here at the Academy. It was created 1400 years ago, and it’s a detailed map of different energetic circulations in the body. And there’s no way that you would have been able to map this out with such detail, 1400 years ago with, without really being able to feel these energies in the body now, you know, back then the science couldn’t back it now with all of the scientific instruments they have, they can track how the energy circulates in the body and it’s exactly mapped it out 1400 years ago, you know, and so it’s, it’s not some new age kind of. Hocus Pocus kind of thing. It’s literally backed by science at how this stuff works. And it is very real and very practical and it’s. scientific in its approach in that you can build an evolving life practice around what you want to accomplish and adapt different meditative practices to help you on that path. You know, with the meditative arts, a lot of times referred to as the internal arts. And one of the things that I see happening with people and I and I love seeing them. Approach this, and a lot of times we have to learn a new meditative practice through watching a video or listening to an audio because we don’t have a teacher available or readily available. I think that’s great. That’s a good way to kind of get introduced. However, when you’re doing your ritual practice, it’s called an internal art for a reason. You don’t want to be watching a video or listening to an audio. You’re meant to turn your focus inward and listen to yourself. And this is how you’re really going to get more benefit out of the practice and get deeper into the practice. And then when you’re learning something new, of course, pull up the video or go see a teacher or listen to the audio or read a book or whatever. But for your ritual time every day, when you’re building a practice, that time should just be for yourself and really connecting and listening to all of those subtle things within yourself, rather than trying to follow a screen or listen to something externally.
Beverly:
So is it the, is it the science that’s kind of backing up the thought that’s exciting to you? Or is it like the future of it, the more people are accepting of it and can see the results is that maybe,
Jeff :
more and more people now are open to the practice because I think part of partially because science is now backing it. I think that it’s got the potential to be To really touch a lot more people on the planet. I feel like if everybody on the planet started meditating, the world would be such a better place, more peaceful, more considerate, uh, more aware of what’s going on. And, and so that’s one of the reasons why I have, you know, I’ve been writing my last couple of books and created my online program and my teacher training program online is because. I’ve been teaching it here at the Academy for 30 years and I’ve been getting great results with my students here, but I want to get it out to more people and really have it be more of a movement. And that’s kind of been my main motivation.
Beverly:
So what’s your long term vision then? Where do you see this in 30 more years?
Jeff :
I hope that meditation becomes more of a way of life with humanity in that it’s taught in public schools and, um, it’s just becomes a way to. Open up the consciousness of humanity and making people more aware of themselves and other people. I think it would make, it would probably end all wars and conflict and everything would be a much better place.
Beverly:
It’s certainly a little more humility and grace, I think, and kindness. If we were all doing that at the same time. So we have a lightning round, which is a bit. It’s a little bit shorter of answers, but it’s really to help us get to know your favorite business tools, insights, inspirations. So how have you created and maintained lasting connections over the last 30 years of your entrepreneurial journey?
Jeff :
I think one of the great things about having a physical location here in my academy is that I have students that have been with me for 30 years here, 20 years, 25 years. And it’s been kind of like a second family to me. And so it’s easy to maintain those relationships in that, you know, you see these people, you know, I, I actually look forward to coming into the academy where every time I’m out of town or on vacation. And I’m awesome. I’m like, man, I, I miss everybody back at the academy. And so, um, that’s kind of one of the things that helps me stay connected.
Beverly:
If the yielding warrior had a voice, what word or emotion would resonate from its core?
Jeff :
Consideration. Because I feel like if everybody was more considerate, the world would be a better place.
Beverly:
Is there a book or a podcast or an entrepreneur that has left an indelible mark on your journey as an entrepreneur?
Jeff :
Many, I, I’ve. Been studying. I’ve been a part of many different masterminds through the years. Um, right now I’m in a, uh, a Tony Robbins mastermind group of a bunch of entrepreneurs from around the world. And that’s been very inspirational and I’ve learned a ton from him.
Beverly:
He’s had a lasting impression on a lot of people, I feel like for the last. 34 years he’s been around. What’s one conventional or unconventional? I am open to either tool or app that has become your secret weapon for success. And how does it revolutionize your day or your workflow?
Jeff :
Well, I think probably Facebook and Instagram ads has been kind of the heart of traffic for the Academy here. And so that’s probably been the. The biggest driving force of, of new customers coming into the academy. So I guess I would have to say that.
Beverly:
How do you keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive and what do you feed it?
Jeff :
I try to learn every day. I, I’m an avid reader. I go through at least a book a week, sometimes two. Uh, I keep my own health, um, strong. I have a morning ritual, meditation ritual that I do every day. I haven’t missed a day in years. I, I stay physically fit. I do cardio and weights and just try to keep my body healthy. Um, I go to meetings, I go look people up, I go to events. Um, I think just keeping that passion alive and wanting to grow. And, you know, part of what makes me want to do that is I want to provide more for my second family here at the Academy and my online family. And so I’m always trying to improve and, and that keeps it fresh for me.
Beverly:
How do you stay grounded? It’s kind of a good question for somebody who does meditative arts. How do you stay grounded and maintain your sense of purpose and clarity?
Jeff :
My meditation practice by far, you know, I, I do ritual practice every day. I do my active practices. It’s just kind of my way of life. And that helps me stay grounded. Like I don’t think anything else could.
Beverly:
Do you, do you, you said you’ve been doing it for years. Like you haven’t missed a day in a year, in years. If you’ve missed a day, is, does it affect you deeply? Cause it’s so ritualistic now.
Jeff :
Yeah. The last time I missed. My, daily ritual, it was because of a surgery I had and I was laid up in bed for three weeks and even then when I was in bed, I was working on some of my breathing practices, but yes, you know, if I did miss a day. I would miss it. I would be, you know, it’s just kind of part of who I am, but I’m so ingrained with integrating these active practices in through the day. Even if I, for some reason, had to miss my ritual practice, I would still be doing those throughout the day, regardless.
Beverly:
How long do you think it took you from the time you started doing these practices to, is it just part of you now? When did it start to fuse with who Jeff is?
Jeff :
There’s a funny story behind that, in that, When I first started doing the meditative practices in Tai Chi, that boxing coach who introduced me to it said that I should be doing about an hour a day. Well, he showed me three movements in the first session, and I did those every day for about an hour and a half because I was always trying to impress him. So I was, you know, I was doing it religiously every day. I get two or three months into this, and he hasn’t shown me anything else. And I was getting discouraged. And I’m like, man, is this guy ever going to show me anything? Why am I doing this? Six, seven months into the practice, I’m still doing this. And one morning I go down in my basement, I started doing my practice and I looked up at the clock and an hour and a half had gone by and it felt like 15 minutes. And I didn’t know what happened. I don’t know how, where I went to mentally or emotionally or where I was. But from that point on, I was hooked and it. It changed the rest of my life.
Beverly:
It’s like Mr. Miyagi moments with that coach.
Jeff :
Many years.
Beverly:
Yes, indeed. Indeed. So if, if you’re, if the yielding warrior was an animal, which animal would it be? And why?
Jeff :
I would say a chameleon because it’s good to be flexible and change and kind of go with the flow.
Beverly:
Okay, that’s the end of lightning round. See, it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t too lightning. So if you looked back on the last 30 years and before you met that coach, before you walked into that gym and met that fella, what pivotal advice would you have given yourself from a time like you were 18 years old that would have saved you valuable time, resources, money, headaches along the way that you, that you wish that you had, you’d known before that could have saved you? Some frustration.
Jeff :
To always follow your heart and not be distracted or detoured by what other people tell you and don’t follow their opinions. Follow what you believe to be true for yourself.
Beverly:
Do you feel like you have created the life instead of living the life? Like, have you, have you created the life that you desire?
Jeff :
I have. And I am, I’m still creating it. You know, it’s, it’s every day I wake up and I think about, okay, what am I going to do to create tomorrow? You know, and so I’ve always got lots of projects on the plate and things that I’m working on. So yeah, it’s, it’s been a journey.
Beverly:
So you, we have a lot of entrepreneurs who listen and people who are thinking about starting a business. Is there something that you could share with them that is helpful? very actionable that they could like literally get off the podcast and go do for themselves that would help them create the life that they should live.
Jeff :
I think the most important thing is to find what you really are passionate about and follow other people that are doing that and learn from them. You know, it’s, if you try to recreate the will, It’s difficult, but if you see what other people in the industry are doing that you want to do, study them and don’t just study them once, you know, if they’ve written a book and it’s got some good ideas in it, maybe read that book 5 or 10 times or more and really understand what their mindset is and where they’re coming from and how they’ve been successful and use that as a guide to, to help you. And I think that’s. Finding that consistency is the most important thing.
Beverly:
What helped you do that?
Jeff :
I just found a passion for the meditative and martial arts at a fairly young age. And I didn’t care if I was really going to be successful or not. I just wanted to follow that passion. And the success came from the
Beverly:
passion. That’s the true authenticity in it. When you’re really supposed to, when you’re doing something you really, truly love. There’s nothing else, but nothing can get in the way of that. I think. So where can our listeners learn more about the yielding warrior and some of your online projects that you have going on right now, Jeff.
Jeff :
So if you go to theyieldingwarrior. com forward slash book, you can get a free copy of my latest book. You just pay for shipping and handling also at theyieldingwarrior. com. You can try out our online membership for a couple of weeks and see if that’s something that might work with you and what you’re doing. We also have our teacher training program up and running, which is if you own a yoga studio or a martial arts studio, or you, uh, You’re a life coach. Somebody who wants to integrate the meditative arts into what you already have going, uh, you could get involved in that there as well.
Beverly:
Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge and expertise with us today.
Jeff :
Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Beverly:
Jeff, you shared some really invaluable tips and strategies to enhance their, uh, I think their business, but also their overall, overall wellbeing by maybe incorporating some of these meditative practices into their lives and to our listeners. I hope you found this episode as enlightening as I did. Remember you can implement these insights shared today into your life and into your small business. And don’t reach, hesitate to reach out to Jeff or myself. If you have any questions or any assistance. Please stay tuned for more inspiring conversations and actionable tips to ignite your entrepreneurial journey and spark your marketing on future episodes of the spark and ignite your marketing podcast until next time, keep sparking and igniting.
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