Hello and welcome to this episode of the Raising Yourself Up podcast! I'm your host, Ben Povlow. Today is September 15, 2026. Before we dive into the main topic—which is a continuation of our series reading through my book, You Must Be Present to Win—I have a big announcement. Today, we’re covering Chapter 2, but first, I'm very excited to let you know that I have a brand new website! You can find it at my name: benpovlow.com.
While the web address itself isn't new, the site has been completely rebuilt. Previously, I was managing two different websites: my author site and theselfhelpcompany.com, which is my publishing company. For the past six years, I’ve been juggling both. The Self Help Company was originally created for my self-help books, but when I wrote my novel—which is R-rated and wasn't appropriate for the young adult audience I was initially writing for—I decided to split things up. I had my main name for one side of things and the self-help site for the other. Honestly, it just became a lot to manage.
So, I’ve merged them both into one brand-new, super-sleek website! It brings everything together in one place:
- All My Books & The Podcast: You can browse my full catalog and listen to episodes directly.
- A New Blog: I’m going to start blogging regularly! For those of you who prefer reading over audio, I’ll be writing about personal stories, behind-the-scenes updates, and things I don't usually discuss on the show.
- Direct Contact: There is now a contact form on the site. You can message me directly, and we can connect via email. If you’re enjoying these episodes or applying these principles to your life, I’d love to hear your story. Feel free to send over topic suggestions as well!
- Resources Page: I’ve put together a list of tools for aspiring writers, including writing, editing, and formatting software, ISBN and barcode sources, and publishing platforms. I’ve also listed the website tools I used—like GoDaddy's tools that helped build this site.
- Podcast Setup Recommendations: If you’re looking to start your own show, I’ve included a link to Buzzsprout, the podcast hosting platform I personally use and recommend.
Special eBook Bundle Offer
To celebrate the launch, I’ve created a special Spiritual Awakening eBook Bundle on the site. You can get both of my latest eBooks—You Must Be Present to Win and Waking Up in Handcuffs—together for just $2.22. They can be downloaded instantly to read on any device.
Head over to benpovlow.com, click around, check out the resources, and drop me a line!
In today's episode, I will be reading Chapter 2: Mind, Body, and Spiritual Discipline, and then diving deeper into some of the topics covered in this chapter.
Now, let's jump into Chapter 2 of You Must Be Present to Win: A Guide to Spiritual Awakening and Personal Growth.
"The spiritual journey is about growth in all areas of life. I consider a healthy diet and exercise routines to play a crucial role in spiritual development.The physical body we inhabit must remain healthy and agile to carry us along to do our work. Being brok en down and stiff hinders us from moving about and can limit the motivation we need. When we don't feel well, we shrink.
Not feeling well physically transfers into our mental energy. Drinking lots of water is necessary for both physical and mental health. Eating healthy helps us feel better. Overall wellness and maintaining a healthy vessel takes work and discipline. Resist the cheap and easy. Plan for good health. Create a routine that is conducive to achieving your goals. Watch what you put into your mind as well. Toxicity is all around us. Negative news and negative people take work to avoid because they are everywhere we turn. Our phones are our portal.
The good news is that we can choose what we see when we turn on the screen. Choosing to see only positivity takes effort and mental strength. One of the most powerful ways to avoid the negativity is to have something positive to turn your attention towards. By this, I'm referring to the creativity that is whispering in your ear during those silent moments when you are present, which we'll discuss further in a later chapter.
We have free will. We can and should control what we put into our minds. What we think about manifests into our reality. Guard your thoughts. Limit outside influences that seek to tarnish your mind. When you do, you'll see how much better you feel. Being in control gives us strength. Mental strength is just as important as physical, and maybe even more valuable. Being mentally strong feeds our ability to control what creates our circumstances. What we have in our lives is a result of our choices. Our choices are the manifestation of our thoughts.
We can find proof of this by simply taking inventory of our physical reality. What we have today stems from what we thought about yesterday, last week, last month, and a year ago. Making better choices today ensures that our future has more hope. Focus on what you desire and not what you don't want. Pay close attention to the language flowing from your lips. We attract what we think about most.
Training your mind to focus on your desires has significant manifesting powers. It takes patience and discipline to stop ourselves from succumbing to the outside forces trying to distract us from our personal goals. Give gratitude for what you have when you begin to think about what you don't want. This is a simple way to shift your thoughts from negative to positive. Keep uplifting affirmations close by for times when your thoughts become weak. Always affirm what you desire as a present reality and not a desperate wish. Attach an uplifting feeling to that which you are affirming to assist in making it a reality.
Training our attention takes conscious effort. You can begin by staring at the flame of a candle. Meditation is also a great starting point because it doesn't cost money and you can do it virtually anywhere. You can find a quiet corner in your home, or you can immerse yourself in nature and sit quietly in the grass. There are many types of meditation, but for me, simply sitting in quiet has become my daily practice. You can also find guided meditations by searching for the term 'guided meditations.' Start with five minutes a day and then build up from there in the same way you would increase the weight when building muscle.
Yoga is a powerful way to concentrate your focus and exercise at the same time. I've done yoga in a studio with an instructor teaching a class. This is a good place to start if you're interested but don't know where to begin. I've sweated more in a warm yoga class than I have during some weight training sessions. You will be surprised how good you feel when shedding pounds and gaining clarity. The word yoga means 'union,' and that union is with the source that resides within each of us. Nowadays, my yoga sessions take place in the comfort of my home. I follow along to guided DVDs and get the same sweaty results as I did at the studio, but without the cost.
Whether it be yoga, cardio, or weight training, you really don't need as much to get started—just the desire and some commitment. The reason why you want to do this is also a key factor. Read on, as the next chapter dives deeper into discovering your why."
Action Steps from Chapter 2
- Daily Meditation: Set aside 5 minutes each day for meditation. Find a quiet place to sit in silence, quiet your mind, focus on your breath, and put all your thoughts on hold.
- Move Your Body: Commit to 15 minutes of daily exercise. Try yoga, go for a walk, or do basic calisthenics like push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks. Increase your time as you build momentum.
- Upgrade Your Diet: Remove one unhealthy item from your daily diet (like refined sugar or fried foods) and replace it with one healthy item (like a fresh piece of fruit or a vegetable). Small, consistent changes create massive long-term results.
Deep Dive: Connecting Physical Health to Spiritual Growth
At first glance, topic areas like diet and exercise might not seem directly connected to spiritual growth. Our logical minds tend to put them in separate boxes. However, experience has taught me that our physical body is the vessel for our spirit.
When our vessel is clean and well-maintained, it becomes significantly easier to receive intuitive guidance and stay connected to source energy. Unhealthy habits, toxic foods, or substances act like speed bumps or roadblocks on that spiritual channel.
In my own life, removing alcohol, smoking, and heavy, processed foods completely transformed my mental clarity and spiritual awareness. When you clear out the physical physical toxicity, your energy elevates. You feel better, you have more drive, and you stop talking yourself out of taking action on the things that matter.
Start small with the action steps above. Focus on guarding your thoughts, nurturing your physical body, and creating daily space for silence.
Thank you for tuning in today! Be sure to check out the new website at benpovlow.com, grab the eBook bundle if you'd like to read along, and I'll see you in the next episode for Chapter 3!
