For Christmas, my brother Ned gave me the bestselling book, Sh*t My Dad Says.

It’s a laugh-out-loud collection of quotes, stories, and advice from a crusty father to his son.

While the Dad’s salty language and turns of phrase make the book funny, the nuggets of wisdom between the F-bombs make the book a compelling read.

Here’s a quote that caused me to dog-ear the page.

On Practicing:

“Nobody likes practicing. But what’s worse: practicing or sucking at something?… Oh, give me a fucking break, practicing is not worse than sucking.” (p. 68)

(This quote resonated because practice is one of the 7 Keys to a Very Cool Life. I write much more about this in my new book, The Very Cool Life Code.)

No, there’s nothing particularly sexy about practicing, but when you boil things down, it’s the simple habit of practicing that determines the trajectory of your life.

The degree to which we embrace the power of practice determines which of three trajectories (what I am call Life Lines) our lives is on.

Let’s start with the most common Life Line:

LIFE LINE #1: The HERD (about 75% of the population)

The Herd has good intentions, but has lost touch with the power of practice.

When you’re running with the Herd, it feels like life is just sort of happening to you. One day blends into the next.

If you ask these folks for their vision for a Very Cool Life, they will do their best to answer, but you’ll find the answer is rambling and without clarity or focus.

Members of The Herd are well-intentioned. Like everyone, they want their lives to improve and expand. They want things to get better.

They may even invest in the occasional class, product or book geared toward some realm of self-improvement. They hope for the best.

Despite this, the members of The Herd are frustrated.

Why?

Because they have strong desires, yet their lives never seem to get up to speed with these desires. Instead, time continues to pass, and they continue to deal with the same tired issues and experience the same struggles.

Despite those good intentions, The Herd has no plan. No system. No consistent practice.

As a result, when you look at the Herd’s graph, you see that nothing ever seems to change that much. And that’s frustrating.

(In fact, you’ll notice that if you trot along The Herd’s Life Line long enough, a gradual decline is inevitable.)

What’s the biggest challenge of living within The Herd?

It’s that it’s tolerable.

In other words, because most people live this way, living among The Herd is considered “normal”.  While it certainly is not a Very Cool Life, it does not completely suck.

If you’re feeling like you’re running with The Herd in some aspect of your life, that’s okay, really.

We all run with The Herd in some aspect of our lives.

And the really good news is that you are one step away from breaking free and living your version of a Very Cool Life.  I’ll elaborate in a minute, but for now, let’s move on to Life Line #2, the N.V.M.’s.

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LIFE LINE #2: The N.V.M.s (about 20% of the population)

“Negative Vibe Merchant”

NVM’s practice all the wrong thoughts.

The NVMs have fallen into the unconscious habit of choosing to focus their attention on negative thoughts. They are tapping into the power of practice, but unknowingly using all this force against themselves.

As time passes, things get worse for NVMs because of their sloppy, negative habits of thought.

They break down physically, financially, and emotionally. Their lives are filled with drama. They live on the slippery slope of constant decline.

Negative Vibe Merchants are not hard to identify. You can peg them in a sentence or two.

They complain. They blame. They criticize.

They tell stories about the circumstances of their lives that they do not like. They spend a significant portion of their lives dealing out negative vibes.

NMVs usually do not recognize themselves as such. In their minds, they are just reporting the truth of the circumstances surrounding them.

The real danger for NVMs is  that without understanding the impacts of their negative habits of thought, they attract more and more negative events. Then they focus on that negativity, and get pulled further down the rabbit hole.

By no means is the situation hopeless, but NVMs need to hit rock-bottom before being ready, willing, and able to make the necessary changes in their lives.

It’s important to note that even the best of us dip our toes into these waters, taking on the role of a NVM.

However, as the duration of our swim depends on a couple of related factors: Our awareness of the power of practice and our willingness to engage in a new set of habits.

Okay, finally this brings us to Group #3, the VCL’ers (or the Very Cool Lifers).

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LIFE LINE #2: The V.C.L’ers (about 5% of the population)

“Very Cool Lifers”

VCLers look at the aspects of their lives they would like to upgrade and develop a new practice.

As you can see by the Life Line, a Very Cool Life is a life that gets better over time.

Significantly better.

This is the Life Line we all want for ourselves, in all aspects of our lives. We all want a Very Cool Life.

It’s important to note that everyone has the same innate power to create a version of a Very Cool Life.

So, if every one has the opportunity to create a Very Cool Life, why do only 5% of people experience a life that continues to get better and better over time? What separates The Herd and The N.V.M.’s from the Very Cool Lifers?

Going back to the Dad’s advice, the answer is simple.

Practice.  Positive routines focused on that which needs upgrading.

If you want to upgrade some aspect of your life to the Very Cool level, you will need to DO something about it.

Something different than what you have been doing.

You will need to make a change in your habits and behaviors. You’ll need to clarify your routines, elevate your environments, and upgrade the people you surround yourself with.

You will need to make investments in your future. Those investments will come in the form of your time, your energy, and very often, your money.

And that’s the really good news. Take any aspect of your life — whether it’s your health, your wealth, your relationships, or your career — and consider which of the Life Lines you’re living on. Right now your life is a perfect reflection of the thoughts you have been choosing. Only you have the power to upgrade your situation.

Show me what you practice — no matter the subject — whether it be the guitar, yoga, abundant thoughts, or fearful thoughts, and I will know where your life is expanding in positive directions.

That’s how it works.

And if you wish to upgrade your experience on any subject, to send your Life Line trajectory upward , you need to make the decision and begin a new practice.

If that sounds daunting, remember this: It’s really just requires you to commit, show up, and do a little focusing.

So do it.

Separate yourself from The Herd.

Commit yourself. Show up. Focus.

You can certainly handle it.

And I promise you, while practice may not always be fun, it always beats sucking.

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Let’s practice together…

I’ve spent the last year taking everything I know about creating a Very Cool Life and turning into a step-by-step system that will show you how to upgrade your life (and never look back!).

The finished product includes my new book, The Very Cool Life Code, and everything you need to breakthrough to a life of true freedom — a Very Cool Life.

It’s called The Very Cool Life™ Total Freedom System and provides you with the tools and personal access to me that will allow you to see your life reflect your deepest desires. I am very excited to share my work with you and create a true community of like-minded people who live in the magnificence of a Very Cool Life.

I’ve put together a super-strong product offer at a very fair price with an unbeatable guarantee. Currently, I am still offering a private, one-on-one coaching session with me as a bonus.

If you’re ready to step into the person you are meant to be, then I hope you’ll take a minute to check out the video and offer.

Learn more about The Total Freedom System by clicking here.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you found the information valuable…

Be cool and love your life,