Marc and Angel Hack Life

5 Negative Thinking Patterns 90 Percent of Us Struggle With Almost Every Day

09.12.2023 by Marc Chernoff // 16 Comments

“There’s a brilliant, beautiful, priceless piece of art hanging right in front of you. It’s sophisticated and meticulously detailed — a painstaking labor of passion and deep devotion. The colors, patterns, and textures are like no other — they soar and dip, they shine bright and leap right off the canvas at you. And yet you choose to focus your eyes on the tiny, dark housefly that has landed on the edge this masterpiece. Why would you choose to do such a thing?”

Cara cracked a half smile in my direction and then shifted her gaze down to the ground.

“Look,” I continued, “the point here is that there’s no possible way to be 100% certain about anything in this world. Life, like great art, is sophisticated, complex, and somewhat unpredictable. So you’re left with a choice: [Read more…]

6 Reasons to Stop Waiting for Approval from Everyone Else

09.10.2023 by Angel Chernoff // 25 Comments

You will never find your worth in another human being — you find it in yourself, and then you will attract those who are worthy of your energy.

Sometimes we try to show the world we are flawless in hopes that we will be liked and accepted by everyone, but we can’t please everyone and we shouldn’t try. The beauty of us lies in our vulnerability, our complex emotions, and our authentic imperfections. When we embrace who we are and decide to be authentic, instead of who we think others want us to be, we open ourselves up to real relationships, real happiness, and real success.

There is no need to put on an act every day. There is no need to pretend to be someone you’re not. You have nothing to continuously prove, because…

1. It’s important to honor your feelings and boundaries.

When you run into someone who discredits you, disrespects you, or treats you poorly for no apparent reason at all, don’t [Read more…]

3 Subconscious Habits that Often Drain 90 Percent of Our Mental Strength

09.07.2023 by Marc Chernoff // 32 Comments

The goal is to change your response to what you can’t control. To grow stronger on the inside so less on the outside can affect your inner wellness without your conscious permission.

There’s an old saying, “Struggle can be used as a source of strength.” My grandmother always repeated that line to me when I was growing up. Every time I dealt with some kind of unexpected challenge, she would graciously remind me that it was helping me grow, so long as I was willing to open my mind to it. Over the years I have learned just how right she was, and how relevant her wisdom is for all of us.

The mind is the biggest battleground. It’s the place where the strongest (subconscious) conflict resides — the place where we develop habits that put us in direct opposition with reality. It’s where half the things we feared would happen, never actually happened. It’s where our expectations get the best of us and we fall victim to our own trains of thought, again and again.

Truth be told, in the game of life we all receive a [Read more…]

1 Timeless Wake-Up Call for Those Tough Days When You Don’t Feel “Good Enough”

09.05.2023 by Marc Chernoff // 27 Comments

Oftentimes the hardest part of the journey is simply believing you’re worthy of the trip.

“Life hasn’t been the easiest on me lately. I won’t get into all the details now, but the tough times I’ve been living through have left me with many cracks. And although I’ve still managed to be a reasonably successful person, on most days I struggle desperately with my self-confidence. I just don’t feel good enough. I feel flawed. I feel like my cracks make me undesirable…”

Those are the opening lines of an email Angel and I received recently from a new coaching client. I’m sharing that excerpt here, with permission, because Angel and I have spoken to hundreds of other clients, students, and live event attendees over the past 15 years who struggle in a very similar way. In fact, almost all of us struggle with not feeling “good enough” at various points throughout our lives.

If you can relate right now — if today is one of those days — it’s time for a quick [Read more…]

6 Tiny Daily Habits that Will Change Your Whole Life (in 6 Months or Less)

09.01.2023 by Angel Chernoff // 24 Comments

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
– Annie Dillard

Are you willing to spend a little time every day like most people won’t, so you can spend the better part of your life like most people can’t?

Think about that question for a moment. Let it sink in. You ultimately become what you repeatedly do. The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing — growing happens only when what you know changes how you live on a daily basis (most people miss the second part).

And isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different? That’s the power of daily habits.

Now it’s time think about your habits — the little things you do every day.

Because these little things define you.

All the results in your life come from [Read more…]