Kick Butt Tip: Worry Is Just Wasted Time and Energy

Today's Kick Butt Tip of the Day is from comedian and tv star Jerry Seinfeld.

"Everything that you're worried about is going to be gone just like that.  The people that are criticizing you, they're going to be gone.  You're going to be gone.  All of this hand ringing, worry and concern over how people are viewing me, it's all wasted time and energy.  Sometimes someone says something bad about you and you get so upset about it.  That is just a waste of time and energy.  Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius says your only focus should be on getting better at what you're doing. Focus on what you're doing. Get better at what you're doing. Everything else is a complete waste of time."

Now, if you are you wondering what superstar Jerry Seinfeld does to get better and make the most out of every day of his life?  Seinfeld says meditation is the key.  Seinfeld says that he meditates twice every day and sometimes more.

Seinfeld says he has three keys to a successful life: (1) Transcendental Meditation, (2) lift weights and (3) Espresso.

Seinfeld does not describe step-by-step how and where he meditates every day, but I have an idea.  

This is what I do.  First, I silence all of my devices (cell phone, tablet, desk computer, laptop computer, etc.)  Then I find a quiet and comfortable place.  For me the front seat of my car with the seat laid back is a great spot.  I begin by normally breathing.  The key is to focus on your breathing.  Visualize the air going into your mouth, down your windpipe, into your lungs, see your lungs expanding, feel your belly rise with each inhalation.  As you exhale, do the same in reverse.  See and hear the air leaving your body.  Do this one breathing exercise as long as you can.  On day two, three, four, forty-four, repeat.

Now, the first time you meditate, do not expect instant success.  This procedure will take practice.  For me, calming my busy mind was a major obstacle.  Only after focusing exclusively on my breathing, did I find success.

If you have never tried meditation, click here for a link that will help you get started.

Go get 'em tiger! God don't make no junk. You, yes you are awesome! Now go be awesome!

- Don Chase's Kick Butt Tip of the Day is a daily motivational feature designed to give you the inspiration you need to power through your day. Check out all the Kick Butt Tips here.

It seems that Kelly Clarkson's Kellyoke performances get better and better with each passing year. The daily segment on her talk show features the powerhouse singer playing a live rendition of popular songs spanning all genres and decades.

From Christina Aguilera to Chris Stapleton to Måneskin, you don’t know what song she will put her own spin on next. Since we started doing this list ranking her best Kellyoke performances back in 2022, some of our favorite covers that year include a Jennifer Lopez ballad rendition of "Waiting For Tonight," Billie Eilish's "Happier Than Ever," Anita Bell's disco track "Ring My Bell," Adele's "Rumor Has It," and even Radiohead's "Exit Music (For A Film)."

In 2023, Clarkson kept fans on her toes with even more breathtaking covers. Our picks of the standout Kellyoke's from 2023 include Taylor Swift's version of "Better Man," Destiny's Child's 2001 hit song, "Survivor," Cher's "Strong Enough," Daniel Bedingfield's pop anthem "Gotta Get Through This," and Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey."

Clarkson previously released an album of six of her covers from 2022 after “singing over 500” on The Kelly Clarkson Show, which she said was “near-impossible” to choose. The Kellyoke album was released in June of 2022 and features the following songs:

Her latest album was 2022's Chemistry. When announcing her 10th studio album ahead of its release, the singer-songwriter said she didn’t want “everybody” to think that her emotions could just be simplified as angry or sad. She explained in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), “This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship, and a whole relationship shouldn’t be just brought down to one thing. So there’s the good, the bad, the ugly thing kinda going on in it."

With hundreds of Kellyoke performances under her belt and the number growing by the day, we conducted a list of her best performances of 2024 so far.

Take a look below at Kelly Clarkson's best Kellyoke performances of 2024:

Kelly Clarkson's March 19 Kellyoke cover of Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" was so good, Perry herself commented on the social post: "ok dang I can never sing that again." One fan hilariously offered Perry their condolences: “so sorry my sister Katy. what’s done is done.” Clarkson’s covers are so good, they sometimes sound better than the original, and this one is no exception. Clarkson tackled Perry's 2012 hit track in the style of a ballad, with a piano accompaniment.

Taking things to a sultry level, Kelly's cover of Marky Marky's 1991 hit, "Good Vibrations," gave us some serious chills! Though we weren't even born yet when the original dropped, we remember hearing this on the radio growing up in the '90s. Kelly's rendition breathes a completely new life into the hit. If we weren't familiar with the original, we wouldn't have even known it was a cover the way she sang it.

Kelly retained the edginess and rawness of Aguilera's original version of 2002's "Fighter," even with the electric guitars. Clarkson changed up how she sang the song's bridge and let her vocal chops loose, garnering applause and cheers from the crowds. This moment confirmed that she could go toe-to-toe with Aguilera's range.

This isn't Kelly's first Miley cover, and we're sure it won't be her last. During this Kellyoke segment, the host chose Miley's track from 2023's Endless Summer Vacation. The song, which is all about the naivety and mistakes we made when we were younger, was given new life the way Kelly belted out the track.

With no studio audience while taping this performance, Clarkson hyped the song up a nonexistent crowd. Crowd or not, Clarkson clearly had a ball covering this Estefan hit from 1989. The brass section and her backup singers bring so much depth to Kelly's fun cover, where she does, in fact, ask the nonexistent crowd to join her and get on their feet.

In another dance '80s throwback, Kelly tackles Chaka Khan's iconic 1983 hit, "Ain't Nobody." During half of the performance, Kelly sings the song pretty much like the original. After a minute though, she lets her voice ring high as she sings the chorus for the third time and does her personal spin on it and belts it out.

Taking on Billie Eilish's Grammy-winning smash from the Barbie soundtrack, Kelly looked stunning in a red dress while singing the melancholy track. With a piano accompaniment, Clarkson retained the sadness in her rendition, then changed the mood of it completely when she belts out "someday." We're sure Billie can appreciate the change-up, as we did, and hope Kelly does more covers of her songs in the future.