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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
Your Mental Armor is a positive attitude. Your attitude is the one thing you always have complete and total control over. Your attitude dictates your response to every situation. If you have a positiv…
Your Mental Armor is…
Your Mental Armor is a positive attitude. Your attitude is the one thing you always have complete and total control over. Your attitude dictates your response to every situation. If you have a positive attitude, you create opportunities. If you have a negative attitude, you create excuses and more unfavorable situations. Building a positive attitude can withstand any, and all, circumstances. It is an invincibility. It is your armor. It will protect you from negativity. You will never become a victim of circumstance. Opportunities will find you because you are always looking up and looking f…
Matthew Harris
July 22, 2023
We all possess a secret power deep within us. This secret power has the ability to create and manifest anything that we want in our lives. It is an unlimited catalog that we can place “orders” wit…
We all possess a sec…
We all possess a secret power deep within us. This secret power has the ability to create and manifest anything that we want in our lives. It is an unlimited catalog that we can place “orders” with, whenever we want. It will give us anything that we want, we just have to ask. Maybe it is wealth, success, new cars or just happiness – whatever it is we can have it. Period. So how do we unleash this power? Visualization. Visualization is the fuel to our internal-fire. Visualization is our connection to an infinite supply of wisdom, creativity and wealth. The Universe is always work…
Matthew Harris
October 8, 2021
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It…
“Impossible is jus…
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” –Ali “Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.” –Ali “It’s the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself.” –Ali “Champions aren’…
Matthew Harris
September 9, 2021
"When you work for others, you are at their mercy. They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own.…
"When you work for o…
"When you work for others, you are at their mercy. They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own. Instead you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you remain dependent on others for power. Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself. When it is yours, it is yours to lose - you are more motivated, more creative, more alive. The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself." – Robert Greene: The 50t…
Matthew Harris
November 1, 2020
I was almost done. I knew I had to “pitch” my idea to somebody who had been there before. Someone who had successfully done it. Someone who had navigated this treacherous a…
…
I was almost done. I knew I had to “pitch” my idea to somebody who had been there before. Someone who had successfully done it. Someone who had navigated this treacherous and unfamiliar territory. I knew just the guy. About a year and a half ago, I decided to start writing a column for About Boulder while I diligently worked on my first book, in addition to several of my own personal blogs. As I neared completion of my book project, I starting to get excited. I knew I had put in the hours and had a very solid foundation built for my entry into the world of author…
Matthew Harris
July 30, 2020
I am so incredibly grateful for all of my readers. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity that I have every day to help people fight for their dreams. I am so incredibly grateful for all of t…
I am so incredibly g…
I am so incredibly grateful for all of my readers. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity that I have every day to help people fight for their dreams. I am so incredibly grateful for all of the blessings and opportunities in my life…. These are 3 items that came straight off of my “100 things I am grateful for” list. There are plenty more where that came from and I want to extend a challenge to all of my friends and family to do the same. My mom and I get together about once a month to watch “The Secret”. It is one of our favorite motivational videos of all time. There…
Matthew Harris
April 27, 2020
After winning Super Bowl 50, Gary Kubiak, the Broncos’ head coach goes on record to say, “we grinded all year and we just had to do it once more”. Kubiak just gave everybody an insight into t…
After winning Super …
After winning Super Bowl 50, Gary Kubiak, the Broncos’ head coach goes on record to say, “we grinded all year and we just had to do it once more”. Kubiak just gave everybody an insight into the mind of a champion. You see, The Broncos’ season was nothing like the Panthers’. The Panthers destroyed teams and then danced all over the field like children (by the way, I would’ve danced just as much as Cam. Judge all you want.) Their victories were spectacular. They scored points at will. They dominated. Everything they did was stylish. The Broncos’ season was very different. …
Matthew Harris
March 14, 2016
“I’m fully-focused, man, my mind on my money, my money on my mind, got a mill’ out the deal, and I’m still on the grind.” 50-cent Have you ever been completely “in the zone”? What does…
“I’m fully-focus…
“I’m fully-focused, man, my mind on my money, my money on my mind, got a mill’ out the deal, and I’m still on the grind.” 50-cent Have you ever been completely “in the zone”? What does that feel like? You feel invincible, unbeatable and unstoppable. You are dialed-in. Nothing can distract you from the task at hand. I’ve felt this in the middle of an engineering exam. I’ve felt this on the baseball field. I’ve even felt this shooting 3-pointers in the middle of a basketball game. Nothing could stop the basketball from going in the basket. How do you recreate these feeli…
Matthew Harris
August 24, 2015
Confidence is self-belief. It is having faith in your own abilities. Confidence is just a surplus of positive thoughts impacting your attitude. When you are consciously or subconsciously thinking m…
Confidence is self-b…
Confidence is self-belief. It is having faith in your own abilities. Confidence is just a surplus of positive thoughts impacting your attitude. When you are consciously or subconsciously thinking more good thoughts than bad thoughts, you will have confidence. It is that simple. We have all had an area of our life where we did not feel confident. Maybe it was delivering a public speech, stepping into the batter’s box against a really good pitcher, or playing an instrument that we were completely uncomfortable with. Our confidence, or lack thereof, was and always will be a function of ou…
Matthew Harris
August 10, 2015
Just the other day I overheard an older gentleman talking about somebody he knew who had an impressive college degree from a very prestigious institution who was apparently, “taking the easy way out…
Just the other day I…
Just the other day I overheard an older gentleman talking about somebody he knew who had an impressive college degree from a very prestigious institution who was apparently, “taking the easy way out”. The young man that he spoke of was working a dead-end night job somewhere for very little pay. The job was barely getting him by and apparently, he wasn’t “using” his college degree. He was a failure to this older gentleman. This kid was apparently “afraid” to pursue a career in the field that he had studied in school. The man continued, saying that this young man wanted to relea…
Matthew Harris
July 13, 2015
“You possess a kind of inner force that seeks to guide you toward your Life’s Task – what you are meant to accomplish in the time that you live. In childhood this tone was clear to you. It direc…
“You possess a kin…
“You possess a kind of inner force that seeks to guide you toward your Life’s Task – what you are meant to accomplish in the time that you live. In childhood this tone was clear to you. It directed you towards activities and subjects that fit your natural inclinations, that sparked a curiosity that was deep and primal. In the intervening years the force teds to fade in and out as you listen more to parents and peers, to the daily anxieties that wear away at you. This can be the source of your unhappiness – your lack of connection to who you are and what makes you unique. The first move…
Matthew Harris
June 8, 2015
Love him or (most likely) hate him, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has proved yet again that he is unbeatable. 48-0. He is one win shy of tying Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0. Floyd intends to tie th…
Love him or (most li…
Love him or (most likely) hate him, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has proved yet again that he is unbeatable. 48-0. He is one win shy of tying Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0. Floyd intends to tie the record in September and then retire as one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time. He is very clear about this goal. I have no doubt that he will accomplish it. Mayweather started his professional career as “Pretty Boy Floyd” and was just a shadow in the background of Oscar De La Hoya’s spotlight. Mayweather was winning fights but he was not nearly as famous as he is now. He…
Matthew Harris
May 4, 2015
Call me a trouble-maker. Call me a non-conformist. Call me an entrepreneur. Call me right, or call me wrong. Just don’t call me accepting of the arbitrary definition and schedule of “work”. I…
Call me a trouble-ma…
Call me a trouble-maker. Call me a non-conformist. Call me an entrepreneur. Call me right, or call me wrong. Just don’t call me accepting of the arbitrary definition and schedule of “work”. I think many people misinterpret the difference between “work” and “adding value”. The definition of work should be “Creating and adding value to somebody, somewhere”. Why does this have to be confined to such a rigid and miserable 9-5 schedule? Why does it have to be the bane of most people’s existence? Why can’t work become more a fluid concept integrating all of our passions – …
Matthew Harris
April 6, 2015
I am constantly spending my time reading and re-reading books that have resonated with me. It is always fascinating how your current circumstances will open your eyes to new messages. It seems as thou…
I am constantly spen…
I am constantly spending my time reading and re-reading books that have resonated with me. It is always fascinating how your current circumstances will open your eyes to new messages. It seems as though you will always find the right message at the right time – if you are open to receiving it. I came across these 2 quotes in a book titled, “Creative Mind and Success” by Ernest Holmes. This is a phenomenal book full of incredible advice. The first quote is as follows: “The world seeks strength; be strong. The world loves love; embody it; see the good in all people; let go of all else…
Matthew Harris
March 30, 2015
In anticipation for the release of my latest book, tentatively titled Against The Ropes, here is a chapter that didn't quite make the cut. Enjoy. Follow me on twitter @MatthewR_Harris for the latest d…
In anticipation for …
In anticipation for the release of my latest book, tentatively titled Against The Ropes, here is a chapter that didn't quite make the cut. Enjoy. Follow me on twitter @MatthewR_Harris for the latest details. Overcoming the Internal Battle It is all mental from here on out. Your body is exhausted. So is your opponent. Don’t allow your own mind to become a stronger opponent than your actual opponent. Make sure your mind is on your side. The battle is now inside of you. Your body is well beyond the threshold of pain that you could have trained for. You are battling your own self-talk…
Matthew Harris
March 23, 2015
Commitment. This is the most important word in my vocabulary. When I make a commitment, it means that I will absolutely, without a doubt, accomplish what I promised to. Commitment is an absolute. The …
Commitment. This is …
Commitment. This is the most important word in my vocabulary. When I make a commitment, it means that I will absolutely, without a doubt, accomplish what I promised to. Commitment is an absolute. The words maybe, might and try do not belong anywhere near the word commitment. I spent the first 3-1/2 years of my professional life in a sales organization - a very intense sales organization. We stood in front of a room of our peers every single Monday morning at 7:00am and made a COMMITMENT that we were to accomplish for the upcoming week. If anybody heard you use the word “try”, they would…
Matthew Harris
March 16, 2015
It always seems like the messages in yoga resonate with me more than any other forum. I don’t know if it is a heightened sense of attentiveness that yoga creates or just being in a more relaxed and …
It always seems like…
It always seems like the messages in yoga resonate with me more than any other forum. I don’t know if it is a heightened sense of attentiveness that yoga creates or just being in a more relaxed and focused state of mind. Whatever the reason, yoga leaves me feeling inspired very frequently. Last Saturday was no different. It started out as a normal yoga class until the teacher challenged us all. She said, “I want you to be unapologetically, you in this class.” As soon as she said that it made me start thinking of the meaning of that. In the context of yoga, she meant to not be afraid to d…
Matthew Harris
March 9, 2015
We have all had a run of momentum come to an end at some point. Maybe it was self-induced. Maybe it was not. Either way, now is not the time to hang your head. The second you lose the light in your…
We have all had a ru…
We have all had a run of momentum come to an end at some point. Maybe it was self-induced. Maybe it was not. Either way, now is not the time to hang your head. The second you lose the light in your eyes, or you lose momentum towards the things that are important to you, you give into fear. Fear is the only thing standing between you and everything you want. Fear will paralyze you. It will strip your confidence away and throw you down onto the canvas. Your only job is to avoid fear – push it out of your mind. Focus on action. Focus only on things that are controllable. Things will happe…
Matthew Harris
March 2, 2015
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