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For the longest time I told myself “I don’t have anxiety”…It’s not something you want to identify with or label yourself with.However, the truth is everyone experiences anxiety, it’s a natural human condition.In some cases, it’s good to have a bit of anxiety.It can help you think sharp and move quickly.But if it goes unmanaged and becomes a problem in “normal” life, then it’s worth fixing.Anxiety is kinda like a thermostat.<ul><li>Some people are on the hot end.</li><li>Some people are on the cold end.</li></ul>But we’re all on there somewhere.I always tell the business owners and professionals I work with, it’s not about completely eliminating anxiety… It’s about learning to get it under control so you’re not afraid of it anymore.You’re the master of anxiety, not the other way around. That’s the goal.Once you get this level of mental mastery, it opens you up to limitless possibilities of what the mind is capable of doing.That’s when you can launch into a life without the limits of stress anxiety.If you’re not sure whether or not your anxiety is worth addressing, here are <a data-mce-href="https://youtu.be/Sgs5pggkoak" href="https://youtu.be/Sgs5pggkoak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9 signs you have anxiety (without realising it).</a><figure id="figure-epg620v5mgaak656" class=""><iframe id="epg620v5mgaak656" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sgs5pggkoak" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtu.be/Sgs5pggkoak" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sgs5pggkoak" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure><h2>1. You overthink everything.</h2>If you’re constantly in your head, overthinking everything and thinking about little things you feel are important but if you zoom out, they’re really not.You go around in circles worrying about “what that person said” or “what this person did”. Maybe you’re thinking about what you did or didn’’t do…You’re constantly doubting yourself and expecting the worst case scenario to play out.That’s a sure sign you’re an anxious person.<h2>2. You’re controlling (even if you won’t admit it).</h2>When it comes to your partner, your money, your kids, your food, your work, your clients or anything else in your life, you’re controlling and micro-managing.You probably don’t like to admit it or maybe you flat out deny that this is how you are but it you were to be really honest with yourself, you’d see it pretty clearly.Take a step back and ask yourself, am I trying to bend situations with my preferences? If the answer is yes, you’re showing anxious tendencies.<h2>3. You struggle to let go of the past.</h2>Holding on to memories of the past? What they did? What you did? What you didn’t do that you feel you should have done?Carrying the weight of guilt and shame that comes along with your regrets?This is no way to live.It’s a sign that you haven’t learned to accept yourself and process your unresolved issues.Anxious people tend to hold on tightly and they usually struggle to let go.Learning to let go can be the triggering mechanism that allows you to create a life of freedom.<h2>4. You’re easily frustrated and emotionally reactive.</h2>Snapping at your partner? Snapping at your kids?&nbsp;Feeling impatient, frustrated or downright angry?This has nothing to do with your partner or kids and it has everything to do with your unresolved emotional trauma from childhood.Your partner and kids are just the mirrors who are reflecting that back to you now.It’s a gift that they’re giving you these reflections especially when you learn to manage your emotional triggers properly.I have a free training you can try for processing unresolved emotional issues... <a data-mce-href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au/free-training/" href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au/free-training/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can click here to try it out.</a><h2>5. You get stuck in negative thought spirals.</h2> You wake up and you’re instantly bombarded with negative thoughts, stress builds and you start the day with this intense feeling of pressure.You start to get stuck into work, you get distracted from the underlying issues but then night time rolls around and you’re struggling to switch off because the mental chatter is firing up again.For some people this starts to mess with their sleep which only adds to the mental exhaustion, tiredness and fatigue.If this gets left uncheck it can snowball into other physical symptoms of anxiety (but that’s a conversation for a different blog).To put it simply, negative thought spirals are a clear indication of anxiety.One of the biggest problems we have as a society is that we’ve started to normalise all of this and we actually expect to live like this… it’s a sad reality.<h2>6. You live on a rollercoaster of intense highs and lows. </h2>One day you’re flying high, the next day you’re in the pits of dread and despair.There’s no balance and it’s a constant back and forth.This is actually a normal part of life.Everyone experiences highs and lows, but if they’re intense and you never know when they’re going to come up and blindside you, that becomes a problem.We want to learn how to reduce the intensity of the highs and lows so they become manageable and don’t lead to sickness or poor health outcomes.<h2>7. You don’t believe a peaceful life is possible. </h2>Some of you don’t even believe peace, calm and a balanced life is possible.You’re so bought into the hustle culture that you think burn out, tiredness, anxiety and exhaustion are part of the package.Everyone else is experiencing the same thing so it must be normal right?There’s a famous indian spiritual teacher from the 18th century named Jiddu Krishnamurti who has this incredible quote:<blockquote>“It is no measure of good health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society” - Jiddu Krishnamurti</blockquote>Which ties in nicely with the next point.<h2>8. You’ve normalised unhealthy levels of stress.</h2> What is “normal”?&nbsp;It depends who you ask and in what part of the world you live.In the west, we have adopted an idea of “normal” that includes constant stress, work pressure, rising mental health issues, increasing rates of suicide, broken families and addiction.Do you think that’s normal?If you do, it’s a clear sign you’re living with anxiety.<h2>9. You’ve got addictive tendencies (phone, porn, drink etc)</h2>Finally, we come to the topic of addiction.Most people will categorise anxiety, addiction or depression as separate issues but I see them as mere symptoms of the same cause problem.<ul><li>An unhealthy society.</li><li>A confused population.</li><li>A lack of purpose and direction.</li></ul>I run a coaching program called “Anxiety to Alignment”.It’s a cool name but it’s not just a name.I believe it encapsulates the real problem we’re facing.It’s a total misalignment in the way we’re living our lives.At some point we took a wrong turn, we started to put value in things that have no value.&nbsp;We got sucked into coping mechanisms instead of facing ourselves honestly.We try to fill holes within ourselves instead of feeling what we need to feel.We started to prioritise our lives based on what we think we “should” do instead of what our heart would really “love” to do.This is a slippery slope and until we learn to hold ourselves to a higher standard, nothing will change.We have to take accountability for our lives, we need to back ourselves and we need to become the people who can live happy and healthy lives.If any of these points resonated with you and you think you may be struggling with anxiety without even realising it, I’d be happy to provide some guidance and accountability.There’s a couple of ways you can work with me:&nbsp;1. <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can join the Mind Launch Membership</a> and get access to our self-paced Healing Series + Anxiety to Alignment course.2. <a data-mce-href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can hire me as your private 1:1 mindset coach</a> to overcome anxiety and master your mindset by booking a 15-min clarity call.I look forward to helping you get your life back on track.With Optimism,Josh

9 Signs You Have Anxiety (Without Realising It)

I met my wife in January 2022, she got pregnant in April, we got married in November and then we had our first child, a beautiful little girl, in December 2022.Needless to say, 2022 was a wild year for us.Then in 2023, things started to settle down but they also ramped up in another way.My wife was struggling with postpartum depression, we wanted to create a life where she was able to be a stay at home mum and I became the sole income provider. I had been running a business but it was only in the early days so I really needed to lock in during 2023 to scale it up so I could support the family properly.During 2023 I had a lot of emotional triggers and trauma coming to the surface.It started with me being controlling around money and then getting frustrated when my wife would spend money.We weren’t earning heaps of money back then and I was having these strong emotional reactions whenever the subject of money would come up.I had trouble controlling my emotions and I didn’t really know how to deal with them during that period of time.I knew I wasn't behaving like the man, husband and father that I wanted to be and I knew it was up to me to get these emotional triggers under control.So I started looking for help.I found a coach to work with and learned some incredible tools for healing.In this blog, I want to share with you one of those tools so you can use it in your own life.<figure id="figure-7aqnv3sdwimg7m4krl" class=""><iframe id="7aqnv3sdwimg7m4krl" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYM1OtuHR9c" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYM1OtuHR9c" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYM1OtuHR9c" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure>Let’s dive into it.This is a practical step-by-step system you can use whenever you notice heightened emotions or emotional triggers taking over. You can apply it to any area of your life whether it be money, relationships, business, health or anything else where you think you might have mental limitations.It’s an incredible tool to learn and keep in your back pocket. I used it every time I feel "stuck" or in a heightened emotional state.I suggest you get out a pen and paper for this one.<h2>Shifting Emotional Patterns</h2><h3>Step 1. Identify the recurring pattern</h3>Get clear and specific about the actual experience that you want to shift.Q. What is the experience you continue having that you don’t want to be having?Q. What’s the recurring pattern?For example for me, it was “when my wife spends money, I get frustrated”Again, self awareness is important here. You have to be honest with yourself.<h3>Step 2. Find the attachment</h3>There’s going to be something you think you want or need that’s keeping you from feeling the way you want to feel.You can find out what that attachment is by filling in the blanks of this sentence:&nbsp;<ul><li>When I have ___________, I will finally feel __________</li></ul>For example, back in 2023 when I was trying to grow my business, my attachment was:“When I am earning over $10,000/month, I will finally feel good enough”So because I wasn’t earning that amount of money at that time, when my wife was spending money, I was being triggered by this feeling of “not being good enough”.This is just my example, what came up for you?<h3>Step 3. Uncover the subconscious</h3>We’re starting to get deeper into the subconscious mind now.This might not make logical sense for you and you probably won’t consciously identify with this subconscious mentality but stick with it.When you look at your pattern from Step 1 &amp; Step 2, ask yourself this question.Q. Does this feel more like a victim mentality or a people-pleasing mentality?If you look at your patterns subjectively, almost like you’re looking at it from the third-person view, does your pattern feel more like a victim pattern or a people-pleaser pattern?For me, back in 2023, it felt like a people-pleaser pattern.“When I’m earning $10k/mo, I’ll finally be good enough and I’ll finally be able to provide”“Because I’m not earning that now, it means I’m not good enough and I can’t provide”This was triggering a deep wound of not being good enough from the past which was creating the emotional triggers I was experiencing in the present&nbsp;This is an important point to clarify: Any emotions you experience in your present life which are high on the scale (e.g. 8/10+) are linked to suppressed emotions from earlier in your life.<h3>Step 3.5 Dig deeper</h3>Now when you think about Steps 1,2 &amp; 3, ask yourself this question:Q. When did I feel a similar way earlier in my life?Take some tme to connect with your intuition (your body and your heart) when you answer this question.The answer might not come to mind immediately but if you sit with it and try to “think from your heart” instead of “thinking from your head”, you’re going to have some thought popping into your head.These thoughts might not make “sense” logically but trust the thoughts and memories that are coming to your mind are the right thoughts and memories to address.Action: Use <a data-mce-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYM1OtuHR9c&amp;t=892s" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYM1OtuHR9c&amp;t=892s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the meditation in this section of the video</a> to heal the inner child memory that comes up here.<h3>Step 4. Create a new identity</h3>Now that you’ve done the “hard part”, it’s time to shift into your desired state of being.If your old identity was the victim or the people-pleaser, who would you like to be moving forward?Create a new image of the kind of person you want to be.Q. Who do you want to be moving forward?Q. What kind of person do you want to be?Paint a clear picture of who you want to become.For example, back in 2023, I wanted to be a confident and abundant entrepreneur. I wanted to be a present and loving husband and father. I wanted to feel at peace with money.Create an image in your mind of who you want to be.<h3>Step 5. Connect to your heart</h3>Take your hand on your heart and take a deep breath.Take another deep breath and connect to your heart.Repeat this mantra and fill in the blank with whatever word comes up for you:&nbsp;<ul><li>When I connect to my heart, I finally feel ______</li></ul>In step 2, you had an attachment to something outside your control which left you feel lacking.In step 5, you’re connecting to something within your control which helps you feel abundant.<h3>Step 6. Integration</h3>Final step.Now that you’ve gone through this system and have had some new insight, what can you do to integrate this experience into your life?Q. What’s 1 thing you can START doing to help integrate this new identity into your life?Q. What’s 1 thing you can STOP doing to help shift the old emotional pattern?Make a commitment to do what you need to do moving forward!If you want more help, guidance and accountability to heal your trauma, money wounds and relationships, here’s how I can help…1. <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join the Mind Launch Membership </a>where you’ll get access to our full Healing Series, the Anxiety to Alignment course, coaching calls and more!<a data-mce-href="https://calendly.com/mind-launch/15-min-quick-chat" href="https://calendly.com/mind-launch/15-min-quick-chat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2. Hire me as your private 1:1 coach</a> for personalised support and bespoke mentorship by booking an introductory 15-min clarity call.I look forward to helping you out!With Optimism,Josh

How I Healed My Trauma & Fixed My Marriage

Before we get into this one, I want to make a clear definition of healing.Healing is not some weird thing you do when you’re sitting in a circle of men beating their chests and yelling at each other.Healing is also not something a reiki practitioner or hypnotist is going to do to you while you’re lying on their bed in a room full of incense and crystals.And it most certainly is not going to the doctors or therapists to talk about problems and get prescribed medication.No, real healing is actually kinda like fitness.And healing your mind is kinda like a mental fitness game.In the same way you train your body at the gym, you can train your brain, you can train your emotional responses and you can train your nervous system.So now that's clear, let’s get into the awareness that unlocked my healing.<figure id="figure-9q20nvvzfmg5yja33"><iframe id="9q20nvvzfmg5yja33" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wS-l1Wh3Bf0" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtu.be/wS-l1Wh3Bf0" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wS-l1Wh3Bf0" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure><h2>The Neuroscience of Mental Fitness</h2>First things first, let’s talk about how growing research in neuroscience supports my perspective.&nbsp;You may have heard your brain is a muscle but actually your brain is NOT a muscle (although it can be trained like one with mindfulness).Your brain is actually an organ.It’s the main organ for the Central Nervous System (CNS). Your Central Nervous System has two main physical components, the brain and the spinal cord.The brain generates electrochemical signals and sends them through the spinal cord (CNS) to the rest of the body.This electrochemical reaction happens when neurons in the brain are stimulated by sensations, thoughts or perceptions.When you learn to practice mindfulness, you can become more conscious of these sensations, thoughts and perceptions you’re having.This is important because your thoughts and perceptions affect your physiology through the production of chemicals and hormones in the body.For example, if you start having anxious thoughts and then your body starts to respond with anxious symptoms like nervousness, shortness of breath or change in skin colour, you can pretty quickly go into a downward spiral of disempowering thought loops.If you learn to catch those anxious thoughts and change the perception (or meaning) of them, they can become empowering instead.When it comes to what thoughts create chemicals and hormones, it’s not so much about positive thoughts vs negative thoughts, it's more about the perception of safety vs danger.The key is perception:<ul><li>Perceiving danger signals to activate stress and anxiety.</li><li>Perceiving safety signals to create calm and healing.</li></ul>A real life example of this is from one of my 1:1 coaching clients who told me he used to think to himself every time he started to feel anxious, “Oh no, the anxiety is starting”.I told him to change the thought process and perception to say “Oh yes, this is an opportunity for me to overcome my fear”That change in perception helped him to change the whole mental story about anxiety.When you practice changing your thoughts and your perception of experiences by being aware of them, you’re strengthening your prefrontal cortex through a process called neuroplasticity.Through the process of neuroplasticity, you can rewire your brain so that safety, calm, and conscious choice become your default state instead of stress, fear, and reactivity.You do this by practicing mindfulness, awareness, and observing your thoughts.Over time you strengthen your prefrontal cortex (the CEO brain) and it gains more control over other areas like the amygdala (fear), hippocampus (memory), and basal ganglia (habits).Mental Fitness is about training your mind, emotions, and nervous system the same way you’d train your body.<h2>Training Your Mental Fitness</h2>A lot of people have really disempowering mental stories about “negative thoughts”.It’s like “If I have these negative thoughts, it means there’s something wrong with me or I’m broken or I’m not good enough”.But it’s actually got NOTHING to do with the negative thoughts, it’s got a lot more to do with your PERCEPTION of the thoughts… It’s about what you make it MEAN to you.This “negative mental story” usually happens because people are very attached to their thoughts.They think, if I have this thought, it means I am this thought.The truth is… you are not your thoughts.&nbsp;You are the awareness that observes the thoughts.The “you” who you think you are is not really real, it’s just an idea.The labels, the identification, the likes and dislikes, they are all ideas we use to build our sense of self in the world.They’re important for developing safety, security and belonging when we are children.They’re not needed as we become adults.What is needed is a change in perception and a change in thinking.This requires practice, new habits and (mental) exercise.<h2>Limitless Awareness Exercise</h2>Think about this for a second. Relax back into your chair. Keep your eyes open. Don’t close your eyes.What can you see? Just for a second. Open up your awareness and your sensory perception of your eyesight, your ability to see, and just notice what’s in your awareness.&nbsp;You don’t have to do anything else. Just notice. Look near. Look far. Look over here. Look over there.&nbsp;What’s in your awareness?There’s probably quite a lot in your awareness.&nbsp;When I was doing this practice at the cafe this morning, I could see my laptop, I could see the table, the chair, the glass, the people in the café, the cars outside the café, I could see the trees, I could see the sky, I could see the dirt, I could see the birds, and so on.I could see all of this beautiful stuff in my awareness.Now what can you hear?Next, I went to my ability to hear. I could hear the music in the café, I could hear the people talking, I could hear the birds outside, I could hear the cars, and so on.Now what can you smell?I could smell the coffee, I could smell the ocean air, I could smell my own cologne that I was wearing.All of this stuff was in my awareness, like really a vast amount of stuff was in my awareness.When I went from my little limited self, and I expanded my sensory perception outward to the world, it was almost like I became a bit bigger, like I became a bit more vast, I became a little bit more unlimited.&nbsp;My sense of myself was able to actually expand out into the world.&nbsp;Everything that I was seeing, everything that I am seeing, even right now as I write this, everything that you are seeing right now, is included in your awareness.&nbsp;The only thing that separates you from everything else in your awareness is the idea that you are separate from everything else in your awareness.I just want to repeat that again because this is powerful.&nbsp;The only thing that separates me from everything else is just the idea that I am separate from everything else.If you suspend that idea (even just for a second)… you become a lot more intimately connected to everything else.&nbsp;And just tell me, as you contemplate this idea, how do you feel?Just write down the words that you feel on paper.You are not limited to your own little self.When you allow yourself to open up, you feel more connected to a Bigger Self.The point I’m making here is when you become truly AWARE, you realise that your awareness is vast and infinite in its nature (not limited to your personal identification).You have access to that higher level of awareness.In deep meditation, you realise you ARE that awareness.<blockquote>“You are not a limited self, you are a limitless awareness” - Josh Holliday</blockquote>When you train that awareness, you can train yourself to feel safe in the world because you realise you are the world.There’s no separation anymore.If we want to train our Mental Fitness, we really need to train our Awareness (Consciousness)We want to learn to focus our awareness on thoughts and perceptions that make us feel safe.<h2>How I Healed My Mind</h2>Back in 2010, when I was only 17 years old, I had an out of control mind and my thoughts were chaotic.It got to a point where I thought, I can’t keep living like this. I needed to figure out how to get my mind under control.This is when I started to learn meditation.&nbsp;I started a daily practice of going to sit at the beach and observe my thoughts, myself and the world around me.What happened over the next few years was “mind-blowing”...&nbsp;I started to see the world through a whole different lens. It’s kinda like I had been asleep and I woke up for the first time.I vividly remember, the colours in the world becoming brighter, the trees, the leaves, the sky, all began to “pop” with a renewed sense of life.I stopped being so anxious. I stopped overthinking things. I stopped feeling so disconnected from myself and I stopped feeling like my mind was out of control.I started to feel like myself. I started to feel like I was in control. I started to get clearer and more connected to myself.I stopped living on autopilot, controlled by my mind, and I started to live consciously, in control of my mind and my life.&nbsp;I started to become present in life.This is how powerful “mental fitness” is for you.Mindfulness meditation was my superpower back then and today I’m going to teach you the exercise I used all those years ago…Introducing “The Limitless Awareness” Exercise This is a practice of observing your experience, instead of being consumed by it.You will learn to develop awareness of your perceptions without being attached to them.You will learn to become present and find freedom in life.It’s exactly the same Mental Fitness exercise I used to develop mastery of my mind.<h2>The Limitless Awareness Exercise</h2><ul><li>Sit down with legs crossed and spine straight up.</li><li>Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breathing.</li><li>Observe your breathing, each inhale and each exhale.</li><li>When you notice thoughts, observe them without attachment and without judgement.</li><li>You WILL have thoughts, there’s nothing wrong with having thoughts, just observe them.</li><li>Every time you notice yourself having thoughts, GENTLY return to observing your breathing without judgement (do this for a couple of minutes).</li><li>Now start to include all the sounds, feelings and smells into your awareness.</li><li>Include a greater sense of self in your awareness.</li><li>Move beyond the limits of yourself and include the whole world in your awareness.</li><li>Do this over and over again.</li></ul>Start practicing this in your meditation practice and then continue to practice Limitless Awareness in your waking day.You can use Limitless Awareness, anytime, anywhere.It’s easier to start by using it in your meditation practice, in a focussed way.&nbsp;Over time, you will develop your conscious power to use Limitless Awareness when you’re going through your daily life.Your whole life eventually becomes a practice of Limitless Awareness&nbsp;When that happens, you will find freedom from your mind.Mental Fitness will become easy for you and you’ll be rewiring your neuroplasticity in real time.<h3>Two Key Pillars For Limitless Awareness</h3>Awareness - You are practicing being aware of your thoughts, yourself and the world.&nbsp; Acceptance - You are practicing acceptance of your thoughts, yourself and the world.<h3>Extra Mantras</h3>When I started to practice Limitless Awareness I would often use mantras (words and phrases) to help me stay present.&nbsp;You can use mantras to help redirect your mind and get you where you want to go.Here are the mantras I used:“I am home” “I am not my thoughts” “I am the universe and this is my playground” “I am as I am, perfectly clear and at ease within my own awareness” “Everything is as it should be”<h2>Final Words</h2>Remember, practicing this exercise will help you strengthen your prefrontal cortex and develop more control over the survival aspects of your brain.<ul><li>You’ll start to feel safer, calmer, clearer and more confident.</li><li>You’ll develop willpower, focus, discipline.</li><li>You’ll reduce stress, fear and anxiety.</li><li>You’ll increase your mental fitness, health and memory.</li></ul><h3>Want more help?</h3>There’s a couple of ways you can work with me:1. You can join the <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mind Launch Membership</a> and get self-paced access to the tools, methods and your own personalised game plan.2. <a data-mce-href="https://calendly.com/mind-launch/15-min-quick-chat" href="https://calendly.com/mind-launch/15-min-quick-chat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can hire me as your 1:1 coach </a>and I'll keep you accountable with weekly coaching to take your performance to the next level.I look forward to welcoming you in and helping you out.With Optimism, Josh

This Awareness Unlocked My Healing

When you go on any journey, there’s a few key things you need to know.<ol><li>You need to know where you are.</li><li>You need to know where you’re going.</li><li>And you need to know how you’re going to get there.</li></ol>In this blog I’m going to share my journey from high functioning anxiety to high performance living and I’m going to give you the full guide if you’re wanting to make that change as well.If you’re reading this then I’m going to make a well-informed assumption that you are a high-functioning person who is stressed out and anxious.Welcome to the club!You’re like most successful business owners and entrepreneurs.We’re all a bit unhinged.We’re pretty good at managing our stress levels but sometimes they can get the better of us.You see this in a lot of successful business owners who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, porn or sex (or just the work itself).A lot of entrepreneurs are like autistic kids who become hyper-fixated on their businesses and everything else in life takes a back seat.<ul><li>Their health goes to shit.</li><li>Their mental health goes to shit.</li><li>Their relationships go to shit.</li></ul>The things that make life worth living seem to disappear and all that’s left is just the daily grind.It can turn really sad, really quick.<ul><li>Negative thoughts start creeping in.</li><li>Anxiety and depression start to build.</li><li>You’re left feeling unfulfilled with life.</li><li>You start to get snappy and frustrated.</li><li>You become distant and not present.</li></ul>It’s a slippery slope.Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for the hustle.The question you’ve got to ask yourself is…Is it worth it to sacrifice your life for “success”?If you’re like the business owners I work with then you want to keep growing your business but with less stress (and without sacrificing success).If that’s you, I’ve got good news for you…You can.I’m about to show you exactly how I did it and lay out the complete guide to go from high functioning anxiety to high performance living.This is not some click bait title.I’m going to lay out the same step-by-step plan I personally used and have now taught to 250+ business professionals to help them totally transform their lives.<figure id="figure-86qe7rvn7cmfz5iq75" class=""><iframe id="86qe7rvn7cmfz5iq75" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zD94Ik0NqKQ" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtu.be/zD94Ik0NqKQ" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zD94Ik0NqKQ" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure>There's one fundamental idea you need to understand before we begin.It’s this…<ul><li>The beliefs you have in your mind, create the thoughts that you think.</li><li>The thoughts you think in your mind, create the feelings you feel.</li><li>The feelings you feel, create the actions you take in your life.</li><li>The actions you take become your habits.</li><li>Your habits create your results.</li></ul>If you’re not having the results you want in your life, you’ve gotta change your habits.If you want to change your habits, you’ve gotta change your actions.If you want to change your actions, you’ve gotta change your thoughts and feelings.If you want to change your thoughts and feelings, you’ve gotta change your beliefs.Write that down and really THINK about the idea.It’s the most powerful idea you can ever understand.It’s the vehicle we’re going to use to get you from A to B.Remember, we need to know where we are..A) High functioning stress and anxietyWe need to know where we want to go…B) High performance livingAnd we need to know how we’re going to get there.When you really grasp the idea I just shared with you, you’ll realise that you have access to an infinitely powerful mind and you can use that mind to create new beliefs which will create new results in life.The implementation of this idea alone will change your life completely.Now before we dive into anything else, let me share my journey with you…<h2>My Story</h2>I come from a family of business owners on my Dads sideMy dad, my uncles and aunties, my grandma and grandpa, my cousins, my brothers.We’re all crazy.I grew up running a muck in my dads shops with my brother.We were exposed to entrepreneurship for our whole life.Now my family members have had success in business, but I also saw a lot of destruction in their personal lives.Addictions, stress, relationship breakdowns, depression, you name it.So from a relatively young age, I decided I didn’t want to have success if that’s what it meant.I wanted to make something of myself but I didn’t want it to be a sacrifice at the altar of my personal life.I wanted to have a more holistic version of success.A version of success where I could be healthy, wealthy and happy.I wanted to be a fit, sober, and high-performing individual.I wanted to be a family man with a wife and kids who love me and love spending time with me.I wanted to be a great leader in my business and provide meaningful services to my clients.However due to the environment I grew up in, there were a few personal challenges I had to overcome on the way to creating the life I live now.I struggled with anxiety, overthinking and a lot of general fears in my teenage years.This led to drinking and drugs in my early 20’s to “escape”.I got the substance abuse under control in my mid 20’s and started to work on building businesses.I had a few failures.Then I found my purpose in life and things started to change.For a bit more context, I started meditation when I was 17 to help with my mental health.I didn’t tell anyone about my meditation practice for nearly 10 years.It was very personal to me and back then meditation wasn’t as cool or trendy as it is now.But when COVID hit, I realised I had a unique skillset with meditation, mindset, stress and anxiety management and self development.This is when I became a teacher and a coach.I started to help people who were struggling with the stress, anxiety and overwhelm that came with the covid years.The business took off.I grew a lot in the first few years.&nbsp;This is when the high-functioning anxiety started to come up.I had got my anxiety under control from my teenage years and early 20’s.But now with the added pressure of the business, getting married and starting a family, it came back.It was different this time though, more subtle.Like most business owners, I just thought it was part of the package.Until I started burning out, feeling tired and exhausted for no reason and getting fatigued.This is when I realised there was something going on.This is when I made the decision to get it under control and lock in on high-performance living.That’s what I’m going to talk to you about in this post.The full guide for how I went from high-functioning anxiety to high-performance living. Here’s what we’re going to cover:<ul><li>Life Audit</li><li>Goal Setting</li><li>New Habits</li><li>Discipline &amp; Consistency</li><li>Accountability </li></ul><h2>Life Audit</h2>First things first, we need to audit your life to see what’s not working and what needs to change.You can do this by answering a simple set of questions.<ul><li>What’s currently challenging me?</li><li>What’s not working for me in my life?</li><li>What areas of my life do I know I need to improve in?</li></ul>Before we start adding anything else, we need to know what to remove.There’s a concept I love called “Via Negativa”.It’s a Latin term that means “by way of negation” or “the negative way”.Often success in life is not about adding more, but by stripping away the baggage holding you back.<h2>Goal Setting</h2>Once you’ve cleared your mind of the baggage and the shit that holds you back, it’s time to get clear on what you actually want in your life.If you want to live a high performance life, you need to be crystal clear on what that looks like for you.Again, a simple set of questions can help you gain some incredible clarity on the kind of life you want to create for yourself.<ul><li>What do I really want in life? *Paint a picture about business, relationships, health &amp; life</li><li>What would my perfect day look like?</li><li>What is in my vision for my future?</li></ul>Notice how when you think, you think in pictures.When you think of your car, what do you see?When you think of your partner, what do you see?When you think of your business, what do you see?When you think of your health, what do you see?When you think of your body, what do you see?This is an experiment to help you understand that you think in pictures.So when you think about the life you’d love to be living in 12-months time.&nbsp;What do you see? Use your imagination here. DREAM BIG. Spend some time writing the thoughts you see in your mind on paper.“Thoughts untangle through lips and fingertips” - UnknownIf you’ve been too “in your head” lately, overthinking everything, it’s because you haven’t taken the time to untangle your mind.It’s kinda like if you don’t “work out” your body, you feel like shit.If you don’t “work in” your mind, it starts to go to shit as well.This brings us to the next step.<h2>New Habits&nbsp; </h2>Now you’ve got some clarity around what you need to stop doing.You’ve got some clarity around the goals you want to work towards.You also need to know what habits to start doing to get you toward those goals.I teach my clients a simple morning routine that helps them set up everyday in a way that supports them in moving in the direction of their goals.You’re a fully grown adult so you don’t need someone to hold your hand all day everyday.But when it comes to reprogramming your mind and changing your beliefs, there are some daily habits you can implement to fast track that process.Remember that idea I shared with you at the start of this video?Your beliefs create your thoughts which create your feelings which create your actions which create your habits which create your results?That’s what I can help you with.<ul><li>Changing your beliefs by reprogramming your mind.</li><li>Managing your emotions by regulating your nervous system.</li></ul>This will help you to stop overthinking and being consumed by negative thoughts.It will help you to stop being so triggered, anxious and frustrated.When you get these mental and emotional issues sorted, you’ll be able to focus on the habits you need to achieve the goals you’ve got for yourself.<h2>Discipline &amp; Consistency</h2>The next step is to be disciplined and consistent.You’ve gotta LOCK IN.If you find this hard to do, it’s because you have shit beliefs about yourself and your ability to be disciplined.Or you have shit beliefs about what it means to be disciplined in the first place.Those beliefs are not helping you get where you want to go.Discipline and consistency are ingredients that can not be forgotten in the recipe for success.There’s no way around it.If you find it hard to be disciplined, ask yourself the following question.<ul><li>What do I believe about being disciplined?</li></ul>Your answer will reveal your mental limitations.<blockquote>Transformational Takeaway: You can ask yourself this question in any area of your life to discover your limiting beliefs: What do I believe about… XYZ?</blockquote>This brings us to our final point.<h2>Accountability</h2>If you’re not where you want to be in life, it’s because you haven’t done what’s necessary to get there yet.It’s as simple as that.It’s insane to think if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you’ll get a different result.If you want a different result, you need to do something different.You’ve heard it before, “if nothing changes, nothing changes.”There’s nothing like having someone in your corner who’s gone through the struggle and is living the high performance ethos to call you out on your bullshit and keep you accountable.If you haven’t done it by yourself so far, why don’t you try something different?If you’re ready to finally draw a line in the sand and start backing yourself to create the life you really want to be living, I can help.There’s a couple of ways you can work with me:1. <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can join the Mind Launch Membership</a> and get self-paced access to the tools, methods and your own personalised game plan.*We are running a Spring Awakening Deal until 30th September. Anyone who joins before the end of the month will receive our Conscious Creator course included in your membership. Price will be going up 1st Oct 2025.2. <a data-mce-href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can hire me as your 1:1 coach</a> and I'll keep you accountable with weekly coaching to take your performance to the next level.I look forward to welcoming you in and helping you out.With Optimism, Josh

From High-Functioning Anxiety To High-Performance Living (My Story + Full Guide)

Let’s rewind the clock back to the middle of 2024.I had been building my online coaching business for about 3 years, my calendar was packed with 1:1 coaching clients and sales calls all day, every day.I was supporting a family, my wife and I were trying for our 2nd child and I was burning out.&nbsp;Business was going well, I was earning more money than I had ever before but I was on the hamster wheel and it felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.I was starting to feel confused because I had achieved a lot of the goals I had set for myself years earlier and that actually left me with a lack of direction.I was wondering, “what next?”This is a common problem I hear from business owners who achieve their goals.They wanted to build the business, earn the money and create success.Then when they do, they have this existential crisis because despite having achieved the material success they set out to achieve, they feel empty and with a lack of direction to move forward with.This is exactly what happened to me as well.I wanted to keep moving forward, growing and developing myself and my business but I didn’t want all the stress that came with it.I went through this period of really questioning myself to get some clarity on how I wanted to continue running my business (and my life).I knew I couldn’t keep up with the packed out calendar of 1:1 coaching calls while also being a good Husband and Father.It wasn’t sustainable.I do love my work though.So I asked, what could I do to make this sustainable for the next 10, 20 or even 30 years?How could I keep growing with less stress without sacrificing success?That’s what I want to share with you in this blog.<figure id="figure-yv1n3c1a5mfxl9jxf" class=""><iframe id="yv1n3c1a5mfxl9jxf" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RT0eL6IvHTg" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtu.be/RT0eL6IvHTg" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RT0eL6IvHTg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure>Here’s How I Got My Direction Back In Business &amp; LifeThere were a few fundamentals things I did.<ol><li>Got clear on my purpose and my “Why?”</li><li>Started to structure my business around my “zone of genius”</li><li>Deleted things that weren’t aligned to make space for things that were</li></ol><h2>Get clear on my purpose and my "why?"</h2>There’s a reason you’re in the line of work you’re in.You went into your business career for a specific reason.There’s something you’re naturally good at or there’s an outcome you wanted.Unless you really hate your business, in which case you have some things to consider.For most of us, it’s not that we “HATE” the business, it’s that the business has got control over us instead of us having control over the business.You’re working IN the business instead of working ON the business.That was the case for me anyway.I was trading my time for money and the business was solely reliant on me being there for every single client every day.&nbsp;If I wanted more clients I needed to do more sales calls.If I wanted to keep the clients I had, I needed to be there with my time when they needed me.Now I want to make it clear, I’m not against hard work or providing an incredible service for my clients.I’m just more interested in creating a system where I can focus on high-leverage activities that produce the best outcomes for my clients while not requiring extensive amounts of time from me.I remembered my purpose is to help people with their mental wellbeing and mindset.I remembered why I am doing this in the first place and then I thought of the best way I could live my purpose of helping more people in the most effective way.It wasn’t doing 1:1 calls everyday.I was talking to my clients and just listening to their problems so much and I really don’t believe that works for helping them anyway.Talking about your problems doesn’t help.Taking action, becoming self-responsible and disciplined does help.So I figured if I just give them the pathway and teach them what to do, they can do it themselves.When people adopt this mentality, they get the best results.Honestly, the results people get in my membership are equal to the results people get with 1:1 coaching.The outcomes are the same WHEN the individual puts into practice the work.When they rely on me to hold their hand, it doesn’t work.I still do 1:1 coaching because some of the entrepreneurs I work with just don’t have time to be going through the course materials but now it’s limited to 10x people at a time.But now I redirect a lot of my focus to building out the community membership, courses and I put my knowledge into systems that people can access in their own time.This leads me to the second point...<h2>I started to structure my business around my “zone of genius”</h2>My zone of genius is teaching.I’m a great teacher and I have a skillset in explaining complex topics in a way that’s easy to understand.I can help people understand the non-physical aspects of themselves (the mind, emotions, thoughts and spirit) in a way that empowers and inspires them to take control of their life.So I directed 80% of my focus into creating systems, methods and tools to help people develop mastery of their mind, their emotions and their direction in life.This is how I spend 80% of my time on the business now.Creating transformational resources. Blogs, videos, course materials, presentation, systems and coaching classes.This is my zone of genius, not yours.It’s important you don’t try to copy me because what works for me, might not work for you.You have to get your own understanding of your purpose, your zone of genius and the best way you can structure your business and your life.This brings me to my final point.<h2>Delete things that aren’t aligned to make space for things that are</h2>All of this change has happened over the last 6-12 months.It didn’t happen overnight but I did start to let go of a lot of 1:1 clients as I started to build the membership and courses.I needed to delete things that were consuming my time to make space for new things.This is actually called “The Vacuum Effect”Another example of this would be if you have a whole bunch of clothes in your wardrobe that you never wear, you don’t have any space for new clothes so you probably won’t get many new clothes.If you have paintings on your wall that you don’t like, you’re unlikely to replace them.If you threw the clothes out (or gave them away) or you got rid of the paintings on the wall, you’re gonna be a lot more likely to fill that space again.The Vacuum Effect.Sometimes you need to delete things that aren’t working to create space for the new.Nature does this every year.Autumn and Winter kills off a lot of the old growth to make space for new life in Spring and Summer.You’ve gotta stop doing things that aren’t working so you can have the mental space to do things that will work.That was true for me anyway.Now I am in love with my business again.I’m creating transformational resources multiple times per week.I’m coaching my community multiple times per week.My coaching clients are getting results without me micro-managing.And I still work with a handful of business owners in my 1:1 coaching which keeps me sharp.I’ve found a really nice rhythm and balance which I feel like I could easily sustain for the next 10 years.If you’re struggling with your direction in business or life and it’s causing you to feel stressed, unfulfilled and lost, I’d love to help you out.You don’t need to live with anxiety, dreading each new day or week in your business.You can live with peace, presence and purpose.Here’s a couple of ways I can help: 1. <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about">Join the Mind Launch Membership here</a> and get access to a clear pathway to find alignment in your life. 2. <a data-mce-href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au">Book a free 15-min clarity call here</a> to discuss 1:1 coaching options. *I have a few spots available to start in October 2025.You got this!With Optimism,Josh

I Lost My Direction In Business (Here's How I Got It Back)

I’ve always been someone who's prone to anxiety, overthinking and what I like to call a “fast mind” (others call it ADHD).I’ve never been diagnosed with anxiety or ADHD or anything like that because I’ve never gone to the doctors or psychologist for these issues.This is because I took it upon myself to get these issues under control when I was a teenager.I also have a core belief that the doctor can’t help me with these issues.I’ve seen people in my family go to the doctors for mental health issues and they were prescribed medication which they never got off and never really helped them get better.It helped them manage symptoms but it never helped them heal the cause of their issues.When I was a 17 year old teenager, I decided that I didn’t want to go down that path.I wanted to figure out how to get my mind under control by myself and now I can confidently say that I’ve mastered my mind.That’s a pretty big statement so what does it mean exactly? It means:<ul><li>I never worry about anxiety anymore.</li><li>I never worry about depression.</li><li>I never worry about going crazy.</li><li>I never worry about addictions.</li><li>I never worry about my emotions.</li></ul>It doesn't mean I don't experience the highs and lows of life, I do.It's just that I'm not scared or worried about them anymore.Back when I was a teenager, I was scared of all these things.&nbsp;I was scared that I would have to live my life in a constant state of fear and worry…Now I have a very high level of confidence when it comes to my mind.In this post I want to share with you the main thing that helped me, my morning routine.Morning routines can get a lot of different opinions online.When it comes to strengthening your mind and building mental fitness, there is nothing that gives you the certainty of feeling better like a consistent morning routine.Here’s the morning routine that rewired my anxious mind for success in life (I really didn't feel like recording this video today).<figure id="figure-ku1te00ijwmfuq6ou7" class=""><iframe id="ku1te00ijwmfuq6ou7" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qoLYGOVovfQ" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtu.be/qoLYGOVovfQ" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qoLYGOVovfQ" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure><h2>The Routine</h2>I started with this simple morning routine back when I was 17, living at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and I have continued it to this day (I’m 32 at the time of writing this).My dad always made us do sports so discipline wasn’t too much of a problem for me.I grew up in Brisbane so the move to the Gold Coast was to get away from a negative lifestyle and bad social environment that I was in.I knew that if I kept going down the path that I was on as a teenager then mental health issues were only going to get worse.I had started to research spirituality and ways that I could “master my mind”.This lead me to a &nbsp;blog post online which talked about meditation.Meditation was not something I was familiar with.No one around me was meditating.My parents weren’t meditating.&nbsp;My friends weren't meditating.It wasn’t a popular thing to do back in 2010.But this blog post told me that if I start meditating then I could become a superhero.That sounded pretty good to me at the time.So I started going to the beach every morning and meditating in silence for 10 minutes.I would sit on the sand, cross my legs, set my phone timer for 10 minutes, close my eyes and focus on my breathing.In the beginning it was weird.I would hear sounds of kids running or people laughing and freak out thinking they were close to me so I’d open my eyes to check (only to realise they were nowhere near me).I would worry about snakes coming out of the bushes or people coming up to me and violently attacking me (none of which ever happened).Internally, I would try to focus on my breathing and focus on being aware of my thoughts but I would always get lost in my thoughts.I would start thinking about all sorts of random things and then I would get frustrated at myself for losing focus.I would even get angry at myself sometimes.During some of my meditations I would spend 99% of the practice thinking about stupid stuff and only 1% of the time I felt like I was actually present.I didn’t know it at the time but this was the practice that would set me free.<h2>The Learnings</h2>Over time I learned a few things.<ul><li>I learned that it was ok to lose focus.</li><li>I learned that it was ok to not be perfect.</li><li>I learned that “I am safe”.</li><li>I learned to trust the world and the people around me.</li><li>I learned to trust myself.</li><li>I learned to be kind to myself (even when I felt frustrated).</li><li>I learned to let go of unwanted thoughts.</li><li>I learned to process my emotions.</li><li>I learned that “I am not my thoughts”.</li><li>I learned to be present.</li></ul>I learned that I am the ocean of awareness, instead of the waves of thought.I learned to observe my mind, instead of being consumed by it.I learned to forgive my past, instead of resenting it.All of these learnings happened from sitting with myself in silence.There was nothing fancy or special about my practice.Like I said, 10 minutes, silent, legs crossed, breathing and focussing.The only thing that set me apart from others is that I never stopped.I still meditate to this day (15 years later).I haven’t meditated every day for the last 15 years but I would say I’ve probably meditated 50% of the days…And I have tried a lot of other things to support my practice in the last 15 years.<ul><li>I’ve gone deep into self development, mindset and healing work.</li><li>I’ve done 1-day retreats, multi-day retreats and silent retreats.</li><li>I’ve explored plant medicine therapeutically (mainly psilocybin)</li><li>I’ve got married and had kids (talk about spiritual practice haha!)</li></ul>However, to this day, the simple morning routine of meditation has got to be the most powerful foundation for everything else.I still fall back to that whenever I need some clarity in life.These days I like to lengthen out the meditations for a bit longer like this morning for example, I meditated for 55 minutes.Not to prove a point, just to hit the sweet spot.When I started, 10 minutes was fine.Over the years, I’ve realised the longer you sit, the deeper you go.For me it’s not about “how long” you sit for, it’s about “how you feel” &nbsp;once you’re done.I’m aiming for a certain kind of vibration these days.There’s a point you get to where you feel a perfect sense of balance within yourself.It’s kinda like a real deep sense of peace, calm and neutrality.It’s a vibrational set point for the day.And it’s still my priority when it comes to the morning routine.To round out this blog I want to share a personal rule I have for my meditation practice.<ul><li>Meditation and hydration before caffeination.</li></ul>When it comes to getting a real clean practice in, I always aim to meditate and hydrate before I caffeinate.I love drinking coffee but I find when I drink coffee before meditation and hydration, it leads to more compulsive behaviour.When I centre myself with meditation first, it helps me stay grounded.If you’re an anxious person then I’d encourage you to give this simple morning routine a red hot crack!Remember, consistency is key.I’ve made it a part of my identity and lifestyle so I can continue to reap the benefits for the rest of my life.The reward? Mastery over the mind.If you’re looking for help, accountability and guidance, here’s a couple of ways to work with me:&nbsp;1. Hire me as your private 1:1 mindset coach by <a data-mce-href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" href="https://www.mindlaunch.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">booking a free clarity call.</a> 2. Join Mind Launch and get access to <a data-mce-href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" href="https://www.skool.com/conscious-creator/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my community membership here.</a> You got this.With Optimism,Josh

The Blog

9 Signs You Have Anxiety (Without Realising It)

How I Healed My Trauma & Fixed My Marriage

This Awareness Unlocked My Healing

From High-Functioning Anxiety To High-Performance Living ...

I Lost My Direction In Business (Here's How I Got It Back)

This Routine Rewired My Anxious Mind