Just Take a Swing

Emerson Post #7- Message

2011-06-09T17:13:00.002-05:00

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

That we are all vulnerable and we all need eachother. That true greatness comes from humility, and true excellence comes from diligence. That to expose ourselves to others takes courage, and that courage strengthens us and strengthens those around us. That emotion is endearing and empathy is empowering. That in being ourselves we become what others need.

That I have mastered none of these things.

Emerson Post #6- Goals

2011-06-07T11:34:00.003-05:00

Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneurs worst enemy. Bad things happen when we employ rational thought, because rational thought comes from the ego. Instead, we want to work from the Self, that is, from instinct and intuition, from the unconscious.

A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. Its only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.” - Steven Pressfield, Do the Work

The idea of “being realistic” holds all of us back. From starting a business or quitting a job to dating someone who may not be our type or moving to a new place – getting “real” often means putting your dreams on hold.

Today, let’s take a step away from rational thought and dare to be bold. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue? Write it down. Also write down the obstacles in your way of reaching your goal. Finally, write down a tangible plan to overcome each obstacle.

The only thing left is to, you know, actually go make it happen. What are you waiting for?

I've always wanted to learn to play the piano. The obstacle for me has been the time it takes to make it pleasantly enjoyable. It's a daunting time sink. I don't know if it's something worth beginning for me, because I'm not sure I'm willing to dedicate enough time to it to become great at it. It's always on the back of my mind, but I don't have the wherewithal to make it a reality.

A goal I am in the process of achieving is getting my speed back for rugby. I love lifting weights, and as I became stronger I began to look at competition outlets. Obviously there was competitive lifting. It's appealing in the sense that it directly relates to the activity, but for me team sports and competition are where I have always felt at home. Rugby was something I loved doing and stopped due to a leave of absence related to a sabbatical/internship in school and a renewed focus on school upon my return.

I always wanted to go back and never did so I took the plunge last week. It's destroyed me so far, but it's been exciting to see a measurable change in myself. I'm getting my speed back and in a few months I should be highly competitive at my position. We'll see what time holds for the future, but after the first week things seem promising.

Emerson Post #5- Travel

2011-06-06T10:27:00.002-05:00

If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

(Author: Chris Guillebeau)

For me my location of choice would have to be Asia. I haven't been there before and the difference in culture is very interesting to me. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance made me fall in love with the region. Being somewhere very different from you causes you to learn so much about yourself and exposes your beliefs that perhaps were so intertwined with yourself that you never saw them before.

To make sure I get there I will plan a trip down the road. It's on my list after Australia and possibly Macchu Picchu. Preferably it will be a trip that is several years down the road as I would like to spend a significant amount of time there as to not waste the airfare.

Emerson Post #4- Challenges

2011-06-04T10:57:00.003-05:00

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.

Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.

My biggest challenge is getting it all to fit together. I'm doing decent at a lot of things but I feel in a transition right now. I'm getting better but not there. I know you never get there, but I'm on the cusp of really getting somewhere fantastic.

It's tough and focus on goals and taking it day by day is the way I need to manifest this. Busting out the daily goal board is probably in order.

Emerson Post #3- A Dangerous idea

2011-06-02T16:01:00.003-05:00

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

(Author: Buster Benson)

The belief I try to foster in myself that everyone doesn't share is that you can do anything that you want to. In reading about great men, you find that limitations are more or less the creation of the self and not society.

To try something new is really more about overcoming fear. Obstacles are there, sure, but they exist to repel those who don't want it bad enough. The higher the obstacles the more special the goal.

Individuals have a way of getting wrapped up in this cookie cutter life. Get married, buy a car, buy a house, have kids, buy a bigger house, and retire. We find a job where we get paid well enough to live within predefined means. Consumerism provides us with a safety of new things to show off our "interesting" life. It's much more rare for the individual to pursue an interesting life on its own merits.

This idea came from reading blogs/books of successful people and realizing that my belief system and the opportunities that existed were largely lies that I had created for myself. In my life, it made me apply for a job I had no business applying for and getting it. I've taken sabbaticals at age 27 and done things just to see if I could.

I could always do more, but now I have more of a "why not" outlook than a "I can't" outlook and that has made all the difference for me.

Emerson Post #2- A Sentence

2011-06-02T08:38:00.002-05:00

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.

(Author: Liz Danzico)

Good times with good friends, nuzzled around a productive workday.

Emerson Post #1- Fifteen Minutes

2011-05-31T12:39:00.004-05:00

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.

1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

Fifteen minutes isn't very long to reflect on one's life or what one wants to say. So in that case I will just speak. Due to the brevity of time forgive the jumbled nature or my comments.

It's tough to say what makes one's life great. I don't think it's the same for everyone nor do I have the answer for everyone. The things I remember most about my life are the things I have done with others I care about. Friends and family are what make life worth living, and how we exist beyond our finite life. All things come to an end, but when we give of ourselves to others it stays with them and should we do something fantastic well perhaps it will change them enough for the better that the individual passes it on to others, and so through acts of kindness we can live on forever.

The human experience is so magnificent and yet so mundane, no? Regardless of how fantastic of a life one lives there is ample time for nonsense. Time spent doing things that don't matter or that we would rather not be doing. Why is that? Maybe we grow in these moments in ways we can't yet fathom. Do we develop patience, focus, wantingness? I can't say for certain.

Money can't be the answer for anything because at the end of the day it's just there and you always feel like you could have more. I don't see it as a limitation in my life. I have enough to do the things I want, and yet I strive for more. Perhaps, it's seen as a scorecard. That's Warren Buffett's premise. That we merely use it as a way to keep track of who has done what and so we feel that the more we have the better we won at life. There is some truth to this idea. Society pays us for our contributions, though it seems unequitable because we overvalue some things (athletics/entertainment) and undervalue others (education).

If I have one desire for those around me it is to live their dreams. It is so easy to get locked into routine and live it. To do the same thing over again. To find the best use for our paycheck, spend it, and get the next. Spend some time frequently questioning why you do what you do and try alternatives. We have a set time here and we may as well take advantage of it. I've found that our only limitations in life are those we instill upon ourselves. Hard things worth doing are hard to prevent people that don't want it bad enough from doing it themselves.

I used to believe that life was about finding what you are good at and doing that. I was wrong. There is no such thing as exceptional talent without exceptional effort. Any successful individual you read about has struggled to get where they are at. It is human nature to try and find the shortcut. There isn't one. You will not find unbridled success without developing a talent. Enjoying the cultivation process helps.

Take the time to believe in yourself and let others know you believe in them. Empowerment is something that is cheap and can have a profound impact. I'm very bad at this, so I apologize for my shortcomings here. When you see someone up against the wall help them see over it. Sometimes it only takes a change in view to continue to push.

Create something. Whether that be a blog, art, whatever, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Do something because you can and because you enjoy it.

Quotes- Blackbird

2011-03-24T09:01:00.003-05:00

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night
-The Beatles

This song is my life right now. I can't stop listening to it.

It doesn't matter what you have done in the past. F*** your past. You may have been broken, but today you can fly. All the pain, all the crap you have gone through is gone. It is not who you are now. Open your eyes, see the world, face your fear and go in to the night. We are not prisoners of our past; we can open our eyes and change in an instant. Define yourself by your dreams and fly.

Quotes- And Then Some

2011-03-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

And then some… these three little words are the secret to success. They are the difference between average people and top people in most companies. The top people always do what is expected …and then some. They are thoughtful of others; they are considerate and kind …and then some. They meet their responsibilities fairly and squarely …and then some. They are good friends and helpful neighbors …and then some. They can be counted on in an emergency …and then some. I am thankful for people like this, for they make the world a better place. Their spirit of service is summed up in these three little words …and then some.
-Carl Holmes

If you are doing what is just asked of you in your job, relationships, life, etc. you are short selling yourself. If you aren't giving more than the minimum you will never cultivate anything of excellence. We are all painters, we draw the landscape of our lives with our actions daily. If you can't give your best, than you are in the wrong line of work or around the wrong people. It's time for a change. Creating your ideal world takes time; plant the seeds today so you can see fruit tomorrow. You're worth it.

Quotes- Insanity

2011-03-15T13:34:00.003-05:00

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-Albert Einstein

Last night I sat in bed trying to fall asleep for over 3 hours. Getting up at 5:24am to go lift was looking more and more daunting as the minutes rolled by and I laid awake unable to sleep. I sat in bed thinking about how tired I would be in 4 hours. "I will probably end up skipping I am going to be so tired," I thought.

I've done it that way hundreds of times. "oops! too tired, back to bed, we'll make it up the next day." I've half assed it plenty, so my results have been half assed. As I lay there I realized that excellence would require me to be different. If I wanted different results I had to change. So at 1am still unable to sleep I got out of bed, got dressed, and went to the gym. I wasn't excited about it and I didn't have my best workout, but I got done what I needed to do to be successful.

I wanted different results than I've gotten in the past.

Quotes- Girls Are Trouble

2011-02-25T15:35:00.002-06:00

When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues.
-Honore de Balzac

Have a good weekend!

Quotes- Be Real

2011-02-24T16:27:00.003-06:00

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
—William Arthur Ward

Don't be a complainer. Complainers change little and instead spend their time nagging the status quo. Waiting for someone else to make a change. And don't be overly optimistic to the point that you sit and know that things will be better in the end. Waiting for the universe to change itself.

Instead, be real. Identify where you want the change to occur and start changing. It's simply amazing how little effort it takes to change your circumstance. 365 days is a long time. A minor change a day turns into a major change real fast. Adjust your sails and head for your goal.

Quotes- You Have to Work

2011-02-23T17:09:00.003-06:00

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.
-Juma Ikangaa

I had the opportunity this week to speak with several high net worth individuals. Guys who buy and sell companies for a living. The secret to true wealth? There is no secret. It's grinding it out step by step until you hit then going after it again. It's the accumulation of due diligence and effort. Shortcuts don't bring success. I used to naively think that if I found the right project then I could work a little to get a lot. It's not true, at the end of the day you get compensated for what you do. And if you aren't doing much, well you aren't making much either. Your life is worth your effort.

200 Posts in the Bank

2011-02-18T14:56:00.002-06:00

Well I've now written 200 posts on this blog. The first post occurred in 2009. When I go back and look through old posts, I've changed a lot. This blog has changed a lot. My writing has gotten better (hopefully in your opinion too). I'm doing now as a career what I hoped to be doing then. I've grown up, at least a little.

This blog was created to help me with my writing, and I feel like that goal has been accomplished. I write better, but I have a long way to go. I'm far from decent, but I've realized that growth comes from persistence and application. I started out with a lot of thoughts and have become more of a man of action. Action is the only way we get a long in this life.

So with that said, thank you for reading. I hope at least a few of you have benefited from my little project. I know I've benefited greatly from writing it. And yes we need a quote:

To Infinity and Beyond!

Ps. Everyone have a fantastic weekend.

Asking for a Raise/Negotiating

2011-02-17T13:55:00.007-06:00

The power or negotiating is important. In fact, in all my studies on financial independence it's the signal number one way to save more money. If you make more money you have more to save. Surprisingly most people do not negotiate salaries.

If I took my first job offer without negotiating I would be getting paid 18% less than I do now before bonus. Factor in my bonus and it is closer to 20%. All I did was counteroffer, not once, but THREE TIMES.

When I announced my departure at my previous job, I met with the partner in charge of retention. He asked me what I was making and I told him after a little prodding. He looked at me and told me to leave because I was making more than any of my departed peers, and I would find out I was earning more than people with three to four years of additional experience. I was an average employee who did exceptional research in regards to negotiating my salary, and it paid off.

At the end of the day I read a book on negotiating and a couple blog posts. So for approximately 3 hours of research I got a 50% increase in salary with bonus. Worth the time if you ask me. What you make now determines what you will make in the future, in fact I have never had a job interview or held an interview where the candidate's current salary wasn't discussed. There are ways to tactfully dodge this question. You will rarely ever see a huge jump in pay because your hiring employer incorrectly assumes you are getting paid slightly less than you are worth.

Once you find a job you like it's important to periodically review your salary structure. Winning the wage game is the result of incremental raises over time. If you are in your current job here are some reasons you should be getting a raise:

-You are assigned new responsibilities
-You take on someone else's workload because they left/got fired and you feel like you can do the additional work long term
-You don't have an annual review with a raise or your raises aren't structured
-You get moved to a different office or location
-You believe you are outperforming your peers

The bottom line is that no one is going to do this for you. Companies rarely throw extra money at employees if they don't have to. If you are adding value and are worth keeping around then you should be compensated for that. If you aren't adding value, then you should be working somewhere else.

If you want a raise here are a couple of tips:

-Make a list of how you have contributed (tasks, value, etc.)
-Know how long it has been since your last raise
-Know what people in your position at other places are making (google "find salaries", check job postings)
-Don't accept the first offer unless it was what you were expecting. A negotiation is a two way street.

If you want more information here are some posts that go more in depth. Additionally, if you have job specific questions feel free to contact me.:

-Managing your career
-How to negotiate better than 99% of people
-Don't reveal exactly how much you make
-Negotiating Your Salary

Quotes- Plan

2011-02-16T13:51:00.002-06:00

Maturity includes the recognition that no one is going to see anything in us that we don't see in ourselves. Stop waiting for a producer. Produce yourself.
-Marianne Williamson

A lot of us spend our lives waiting. Waiting for the right moment, the right person, the right job, the right circumstances to happen. Do you know where you want to be in five years? What if you do what you are doing now for the next five years, are you content? I know where I am and where I want to be. I’ve developed a plan to get to my end goal. Most folks bob on the open sea and amble through life. Be better than average. To put it another way:

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
-Jim Rohn

This is why the mental aspect (plan) of change is the hardest part. We have to convince ourselves first that it’s something we are capable of and can complete. Then we have to design a strategy we will use when plowing through the adversity. Anytime we change something about ourselves it’s not easy. Yet this step most people skip. You can’t lean on a whim when you start to struggle. You have to have a well planned thought; a vision of a finished product. So what’s your plan?

Quotes- Persistence

2011-02-15T14:59:00.002-06:00

1) Figure out what you want, and the price you’ll have to pay to get it.
2) Resolve to pay that price.
-Keys to Success Bunker Hunt

The urge to quit is strongest right before you make it.
-Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy

An interesting article in the Wall Street Journal indicated that the most successful artists were those who believed they were destined to be famous. Is God really concerned with the popularity of starlets? No, obviously not, but a funny thing happens when you believe in destiny. You can't take no for an answer. Your heart won't let you. You stand in the face of all accusers, all road blocks, and grit your teeth and persist. Because you know something they don't. That it's your destiny.

Quotes- Dream

2011-02-14T14:53:00.002-06:00

It's Valentine's Day, I know... I just wrote about love so if you want to read it then click this text.

Everyday I see my dream.
-LMFAO

We are capable of living the life we want to live, our only obstacle is ourself. You see limitations are most often perceived rather than realities. Walls exist to stop the people who aren't willing to sacrifice enough. For most anything you want to accomplish there is someone who did something similar with less. The human will when maximized is a powerful tool. You can create your dreams. If you wake up too many days in a row realizing that the life you live isn't your dream; well, only you can change it.

Quotes- Choosing Tomorrow

2011-02-11T16:36:00.004-06:00

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
-Alice in Wonderland

Know where you want to go. What you do today has an effect on your tomorrow. No one can decide your destiny for you. If you leave it to chance, then don't be disappointed when you've arrived. You didn't care which way you went, and well... now you're there.

Quotes- Enthusiasm

2011-02-10T14:48:00.004-06:00

Nothing great ever happens without enthusiasm.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Extraordinary results take extraordinary enthusiasm. You see the success is not the person who had the grand idea. It's the person who waded through the mud and the crap to reach the carrot on the other side. You have to want it bad enough, because if it was easy or simple than it would already be done.

Quotes- Value

2011-02-09T16:46:00.002-06:00

Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-Albert Einstein

How will you use your blessings? Success is something personal, and value is something offered. We all come into this world with nothing and we all leave with nothing. The only remains we truly have are the lives we have touched. Make a footprint of joy wherever you go. Help others achieve their dreams. It's the best legacy you can leave.

Quotes- Start

2011-02-08T12:17:00.003-06:00

You only get results from the physical actions you take, never for the ideas you have.
-Steve Pavlina

I have a habit of collecting thoughts. Quotes (no surprise there), books, ideas, etc. When starting a workout/diet program I'll read a ton on the subject and try to tweak the tiniest thing to get optimal results. You have to be careful. Sometimes that leads to inaction. You spend all your time on tweaking and fixing that you fail to do anything. A bad workout/diet program works better than a great idea of the best one. If you aren't sure the best approach just start. You'll achieve more than if you sit another day and think about it.

Quotes- Today

2011-02-07T12:23:00.004-06:00

I am from the future. I am here to tell you that, today, you have the opportunity to change everything. Your whole live hinges on today’s actions. If you do not act today, if you do not grab control of your fate today, your life will take a completely different trajectory. One path leads to greatness, and the other path leads to a life where you will look back on today as the day where you could have spoken up, today is the day where you could have reached out. You will look back realizing that today was the one chance you had to change everything. Do not let this moment pass you by.
-Zen Habits Blog

What have you done over the past week? What if you do this for the next five years? Will you be who you want to be? I'll read this quote and realize that I have developed a stagnation in my daily habits and need to change my course. The things I am doing with my time have little positive effect on the future. You don't change the you five years from now five years from now. You have to change today.

Quotes- It's All Relative

2011-02-04T14:46:00.002-06:00

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
-Albert Einstein

It's the weekend. I hope you have a great one. Do something fun and make someone smile.

Quotes- Be You

2011-02-03T11:05:00.005-06:00

Be yourself because everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde

People respond to openness and vulnerability because genuineness is inspiring and addicting. Why is that? It's something everyone can do. Because it is so rare. It takes risk to be just who you are instead we conform to social dogma, our environment, or try and emulate someone else. Don't, if you want to change something about yourself then do it, but now you are unique, today you are beautiful. The world is spoiled with wannabes, but there is only one . And we all love something new.

Quotes- Brick Walls

2011-02-02T15:10:00.005-06:00

A little drained from yesterday...

Brick walls are there to show you how badly you want something.
-Randy Pausch, the last lecture

If it was easy everyone would have it. If it was simple it would not taste as sweet. If it was a whim it would not be worth the effort. It is hard, difficult, and tough. Go Get It, IT IS YOURS.

Quotes- Love

2011-02-01T10:35:00.004-06:00

Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal; under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved.
-Hebrew Talmud

In any relationship there comes a moment when you must make a choice. You must decide to put someone else and their interest before your own. Often this choice, when made in the other person's interest, will cause you pain. And yet regardless of the outcome of that particular relationship these choices define who you are and what your final relationship will be. Love can't be about you because love is not selfish. True love must be about someone else.

Resolve how you will treat the one you will be with forever and treat those you date accordingly. Everyone deserves your best, if you don't give your best perhaps "the one" will move on; because at one point in his life he resolved to give his best in every relationship. And to be with someone who does not give her best would mean that he settled for something less than what he deserves. He knows for him not to give his best would be a disservice to the one he would eventually love forever.

Quotes- Success

2011-01-31T10:04:00.002-06:00

Success unshared is failure.
-John Paul DeJoria

Individual accolades don't define you. What you do with those successes does. I've tried my best to share in the joy in others lives and give back when I can to my friends and family. It's the most fulfilling part of any success. Ask yourself how you can improve the lives of those around you. It doesn't have to be monetary. Give what you have an abundance of: time, money, a listening ear, etc. We all have something to give and we all can improve our world.

Quotes- Seriously!

2011-01-28T15:39:00.006-06:00

Don't take life too seriously; you'll never get out alive.
-Catch Me if You Can

Have a good weekend. Do something crazy. Be amazing.

Quotes- Mistakes

2011-01-27T12:54:00.002-06:00

If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.
-Frank Wiczek, 2004 Nobel Prize Winner

We grow when working on the fringe of our competence. To do something easy doesn't push us to be better. It takes a challenge. A result of this is that sometimes we will fail. That failure is merely a lesson. A lesson that grows our competence and makes us better people. Your mistakes are your lessons. Learn from them and become better. If you stop making mistakes than you are stagnant.

How I Lost 30 Pounds of Fat- 2011 Mini Update

2011-01-26T20:43:00.004-06:00

So it's been exactly one week and I have lost about five pounds give or take. I have gotten use to my pill regiment which was my biggest change. I look leaner and am taking pictures so afterward I can do a sort of before and after montage. If you are following a long or have questions message me as I have been talking to peeps on an individual basis. Two more people started this week and the other person through week 1 lost 7 pounds (awesome!). Look for a more robust update at the end of week 2.

Quotes- Nothing Gold Can Stay

2011-01-25T13:28:00.002-06:00

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
-Robert Frost

Do you remember what it's like to be engulfed by a new passion? Be it someone in your life, a new job, or a new goal. It's intoxicating. You can't stop thinking about it, it consumes you. And then... well and then reality hits. You see the flaws or a day doesn't goes as planned or you see some work in front of you. This is the real test. You see it takes work to achieve great things. Cowards run to the next surprise because it requires no commitment no sacrifice. The truth of life is that there are no perfections because we are imperfect people. We have to work on our goals to achieve the best in life. Pouring yourself into something takes vulnerability, it takes commitment. Know what you want; then make the commitment and sacrifice to get it. Running is for the weak. When you see a glimmer of what you want YOU MOVE to cultivate it and see it through. No one else can do that for you.

Lessons from Vancouver #3- Moments

2011-01-24T13:19:00.004-06:00

This is my last post from my trip to Vancouver

As we rode on the bus back to Vancouver I couldn’t help but look out the window at the amazing scenery around me. I don’t know if living here I could ever get used to the bay surrounded by snow covered mountains. It looked like a postcard honestly. Regardless, I was thankful to be on a bus and not in the elements; it was raining and 30 degrees outside. A sharp wind made the rain pierce your clothes like tiny knives regardless of how many layers you wore.

So I was surprised as we pulled up to a secluded bus stop along the railroad track and saw a lone individual standing in a jacket, head down, trying hard to battle the harsh conditions. You could tell the individual had been there awhile and the walk couldn’t have been short as the bus stop was on a railroad track in a remote area. We hadn’t seen anyone on any of these stops there or coming back so seeing a person out in this weather caught my attention. As our bus pulled up an older woman looked at the doors through her coat with a smile on her face. Eventually her gaze was rewarded as her husband, old himself, waddled down the stairs. They embraced in the rain, he kissed her on the cheek, and she smiled; smiled in a way that comes from a long deep rooted love that makes waiting in 30 degree rain worth it. It seemed to happen in slow motion. As the bus pulled away the two began down the railroad tracks hand in hand, surely now the wind didn't seem so cold.

Of all that I saw this was probably the most poignant moment for me. You see we live in a beautiful and amazing world. As I said before, it’s important to see and experience all you can. It will change you for the better. At the end of the day as your life comes to an end remember what’s truly important. Focus on your goals, but remember that the lives we touch and the way we change the world for others is what will stand the test of time. Don’t take those moments for granted. There is always another mountain to see, but the moments that are limited and the most special are the ones we share with those we care most about. And it’s also the easiest thing to take for granted. Don’t ever take it for granted.

Quotes- Fate

2011-01-21T15:00:00.002-06:00

Each man is the architect of his own fate.
-Appius Claudius

We can't hold ourselves hostage to fate. Fate is our perception and the result of our past actions. Sure some things are unavoidable, but when so much is in our control we can hold ourselves hostage to the minuscule effects of chance. We will be who want to be because dreams are for those who dare enough to pay the price. If you want changes you have to initiate it and fight for it. You have to make an effort. Live the relationships and habits that will create your perfection. You can't assume you will change your behavior or actions based on some outside force or person. Fate is the reward for those who have carried themselves as far as they could. In work, love, and life don't just leave it to fate, create the circumstances as much of you can and the universe will respond to your persistence.

Quotes- Inspire

2011-01-20T12:50:00.004-06:00

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give the orders. Instead, teach to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

I talk a lot about perception. It directs your life. It's what you see. The ability to inspire people to see what you see is what makes great leaders. Steve Jobs took a medical leave of absence this week. It's not said in the reports, but the concern is that the captain is no longer steering the ship. The fear is not that Apple will lose their culture, it's that Apple will lose its inspiration.

It was interesting reading The Pixar Touch by David Price. You see during the 90's Jobs purchased Pixar from LucasFilms. Jobs also started NeXt (eventually bought by Apple) and was completely immersed in the project. Pixar was an after thought. In fact, Jobs tried to sell Pixar more than once though he would spend more than $50M on the fledgling company.

An interesting take away from the book was the meetings between Pixar and Jobs. Jobs never liked requests for more money, giving $45 million extra to an unprofitable company for 6 years doesn't sit well with anyone, but the Pixar team would have a plan going forward and come out with a different one they were even more excited about. Jobs has a way of making you feel that great things will happen if you follow his plan. Jobs can make you believe in his idea and all of a sudden your course is his course. It's better to make someone your ally than force someone toward a destination they don't believe in.

Lessons from Vancouver #2- Do You

2011-01-19T08:51:00.002-06:00

As I was driving to Whistler the Bay around Vancouver is surrounded by snow tipped mountains. As if you are sneaking into some uncharted lake that has been preserved and kept in its natural state. Aside from small fishing houses dotting little forested islands there isn't much in the way of man made... well, anything. As I sat on the bus staring at the sight before me I wondered how I would convey through words this moment and capture even a fraction of it in my blog. I determined I would show a picture, but the picture wouldn't do it justice because it could never capture the expanse, or allow you to feel the sheer presence that is almost ominous but at the same time peaceful, majestic, and glorious. And of course it made me think...

The value of direct experience cannot be under estimated. If I tell you about something and how it changed me you are limited by two things. Both my recollection, which isn't very good, as well the lesson I learned. You see when we do something or go somewhere the universe brings to our attention things we need to see and lessons we need to learn. We carve our reality through our perception.

It's why two people at the same event can have a completely unique experience. For example, an Uncle takes his 8 year old nephew Adam to a parade. Afterwards it's one of the best parades the Uncle has ever seen. The floats are amazing, great bands, and the atmosphere was just fantastic. He asks Adam about it and his response "I liked all the trucks". It took awhile for the Uncle to realize Adam was talking about the trucks that pulled the floats. You see Adam loved trucks as a ten year old boy and that is what shaped his perception.

So books and recounts of travels are important because we learn about the other person and a little about the place, but it can't be all we do. For each experience and moment has something to give to each person. We have to be there and receive our lesson. So like before do things, gain nuggets of wisdom. Become better and be the one who regals those with lessons and moments from a fruitful life.

Acquiring True Wealth

2011-01-18T12:22:00.004-06:00

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.
-Henry David Thoreau

In the past a benefit of wealthy individuals was the ability to have a diverse exposure to the world. That included traveling, languages, areas of study, public speaking, etc. Many lawyers for example had little professional training in law and instead relied on the apprenticeship of others. This idea of self made genius is lost on our generation; though it is present. In On Becoming A Leader, Warren Bennis mentions one of the key traits of good leaders is that they have an interesting life. Their broad knowledge base allows them to relate to others as well as teaches them life lessons they keep with them forever.

We live in a world now where knowledge, travel, and interesting activities are all more available than ever before, and we haven’t taken the opportunity to fully embrace what lays before us. What if you continued to watch tv for 30 years? Imagine where you would be. What if instead you learned Spanish, to play the piano, and traveled half the world? How would you be different then?

Doing the bare minimum leads to a boring life. As Lincoln said, “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.” Make it count. Do something for the first time it will change you as a person. Acquire nuggets of knowledge that make you fascinating and reveal your true potential. You have one life to live and you’re worth it.

The time we live in now is fascinating and more open and available than ever before. Don’t waste it. You are your most precious investment. Invest wisely.

Lessons from Vancouver #1- Routine Tasks

2011-01-17T13:33:00.005-06:00

I was in Vancouver skiing this last week and as with any trip being out of my element bubbles up new thoughts and angles to various ideas. This is part 1 of lessons learned.

In Anthropology no one is allowed to write about their own culture, because to do so is impossible. You can't write about anomalies from within your culture. In fact, an anthropology paper written on Americans by a Chinese man is very different from one written by an English woman because the perspective has shifted. On a more personal level, in our life or work we do routine tasks. Things that we do everyday. These everyday tasks at one time began because they had meaning and value. As something is thoughtlessly repeated over and over again it can start to lose all of its original value to the point where it is defined by its completion rather than by its value.

Let me give you an example. I was told to finish my plate at dinner as a child. The original reason for this was that my parents didn't always have enough food so to them wasting food wasn't an option. If they didn't eat it they may not be able to eat later. The pantry wasn't always stocked. So I did and still find it hard not to eat everything. The problem is that at a restaurant, where portions are high, this can cause overeating. The original meaning of the task (conserving food/no guarantee of your next meal) doesn't even exist anymore. And yet growing up an overweight child was told to finish his meal.

Or a work example. In audit you look at accounts that are material to the financial statements. This will change from year to year based on company activity. Your workpapers should change as a reflection of this, but often a team will accumulate more and more paperwork to be completed every year. The old workpapers still in the binder have lost their original value (to explain a material balance) and instead exist because it is what has always been done.

That's why it's important to explore habits. Never do things because they need to get done. Nothing needs to get done unless the value in the task at that moment is defined. When trying to illicit change often times you can find a culprit in a habit that you have created that no longer offers the value it once did. Shed the old habits once they no longer serve their original purpose and find something better.

How I Lost 30 Pounds of Fat 2011- This Week

2011-01-10T07:46:00.000-06:00

So it's the week before the big start date. Here is what I recommend:

-Create a meal at least one day this week if not more that adheres to the guidelines. This will minimize the first run problems that can arise on the 17th.

-Write down three affirmations and post them somewhere you will see them everyday (fridge, door, mirror, etc.)

-Take measurements of your arms, hips, waist, thighs, calves, and neck. This way you can track progress. It also helps to take a picture. I will post my day 1 picture and stats on the website.

This is a simple list to do the week before and it will go a long way toward helping you have a successful day 1. As you read this I am on the slopes in Vancouver. I look forward to getting back to reality and starting fresh with everyone on the 17th!
Hope you are ready for the journey.

The path of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Quotes- Absence

2011-01-07T13:02:00.004-06:00

Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
-Comte De Bussy-Rabutin

Our passions and those we care about are things we ache for when we are away. Not sure if you are doing what you should be doing? Then leave it for a week or two. Come back to it? Are you refreshed? Unexcited? Sometimes being away is the very thing you needed to discover your true passions.

I will be on vacation next week. I should have a post or two pop up during the week, but we will tune into our regularly scheduled program the week after.

Quotes- Focus

2011-01-06T18:37:00.003-06:00

The competitor to be feared the most is the one who never worries about others at all and goes on making himself better all the time.
-Blake Griffin (derivation of Henry Ford Quote)

If you focus on others than you fail to achieve your best. It's easy to find someone less talented than you. You find them and you stop growing. You are already good. The thing is good is relative. It's also easy to find someone much more talented than you and give up. They are on a level you could never reach without substantial effort. The great competitors, leaders, individuals are people who focus on what they must do to achieve their best. Because their best is all they can give and all the task at hand deserves.

How I Lost 30 Pounds of Fat 2011- Why You're Fat

2011-01-05T14:22:00.004-06:00

I remember talking to my mom in the junior high/highschool time frame and coming away with the idea that I was overweight because her side of the family had was overweight; so it ran in the family. Genetics is an easy culprit because it’s vicitimless. It’s not my fault it’s just how my body reacts. It’s a load of crap. Man has existed for 2 million years or so and obesity is really a problem of the last 50 years or so. We've gone from almost 0% of the population being obese to 30% and it's growing. Genes don’t change that much in that short of a time.

Let’s take that one step further. Obesity is a symptom. It’s a symptom of a lifestyle. You can’t just fight the fat and eat less than you consume. That is an activity that you choose to make and when you stop the activity (get to your target weight/fall of the wagon) the weight comes back on because you attacked the symptom. The problem is your lifestyle. The problem was my lifestyle. I was sedentary, drank 2-4 cokes a day, and ate loads of sugary foods and processed carbs. I couldn’t lose it by going on a diet because it came back. I had to change my lifestyle. That is where the permanence comes from. You have to live your life differently.

And this will be one the hardest things that you ever do. And the most fulfilling. You have to see the mountain for what it is. You are changing your way of life. And that is why you must make the affirmation statements and mentally commit to the program. You have to change what you have been doing for 20+ years of your life. That’s hard. That takes commitment.

Einstein said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You can’t diet to your weight and maintain it. You addressed a symptom, you have to commit to changing a lifestyle. Interestingly I read an article about a man that lose 300 pounds because the guilt he felt when he couldn’t fit into a chair at a restaurant with all his friends. It took drastic embarrassment/commitment to change his lifestyle. So what will you do to make the change permanent?

• Develop measurable weight loss goals
• Develop daily affirmations posted on your mirror to repeat and on your refrigerator to stop you when you try to cheat
• Keep a food log (mobile pics or written) to write down the food you eat on your diet days and the items you will have on your cheat day (really helps you hold off on the cravings)

Don’t make this something you do for a few weeks and revert to your old habits, because you are wasting your time. You don’t want it bad enough and you are going to fail. If you can’t commit to a major change it’s not going to happen. Stop and think about what it means to you. Write an affirmation about it and read it. You have to believe it well before you do it.

If you commit and really do it the payoff will be that you have accomplished something that most people will not accomplish in their lifetime. A major lifestyle change. To do it will take major work.

We are in this together and I'm ready for the journey.

Quotes- Fear of Failure

2011-01-04T16:53:00.002-06:00

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
- Erica Jong

To really cultivate your talents to their utmost is truly dreadful. What if you fail? It's scary to pursue the edge of your competence because you stand on the edge looking into darkness. Will you take the leap into the unknown?

Quotes- Grow

2011-01-03T14:20:00.002-06:00

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
-Mohandas Gandhi

As we come upon the new year it's a time of resolutions. The end of things (lives, jobs, years) welcome in us a sense of reflection. What would we have done differently; how will we change in the future? May I suggest that this year you focus on growth. Learning and developing is one of the great fruits of the human experience. We are not just limited by our animal tendencies. We have the capacity to change, to become better people and a better society. Look back on 2011 as the year you decided to grow. To stagnate is boring, be interesting, do.

Quotes- Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Part 3

2010-12-31T10:00:00.002-06:00

Part 1 can be found here.
Part 2 can be found here.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

I spoke about this earlier this week, the key to happiness is to focus on a small core set of values. Here Jobs describes it as realizing that with death we leave with nothing, so pursue what stirs our passions. It's important to note that he says to reevaluate your life if you answer "No" to the question "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" for too many days in a row. Everyday won't be fantastic so you must look at the path. Is the path the one you should be driving down? Does this lead to where I am going. One of the most practical lessons for me has been to construct your ideal life and build backwards to today. Does your path get you there?

How I Lost 30 Pounds of Fat 2011

2010-12-30T10:18:00.003-06:00

Howdy folks. Many of you read my story regarding How I Lost 30 Pounds of Fat over a period of several years as well as how I recommend others go about it. Many of you have asked me for advice based on these posts. So starting on January 17 we are going to do it together. I don't have thirty pounds to lose, but I would like to get to around 10% body fat which means losing 10-15 pounds of fat and would be the skinniest I have ever been. So without further ado here is the plan:

The Diet will consist of the following rules

- No white carbohydrates(this includes bread, potatoes, whole wheat, muffins, dairy, deserts, etc. etc.) only exceptions I know of are onions, cauliflower, etc. ie. non root vegetables

-Pick 3 or 4 meals for the week and repeat them This will help us maintain our diet and develop a no-thought routine that we can easily maintain.

-Don't eat fruit

-Eat breakfast and do it within one hour of waking

-20g protein per meal

-Cheat for 12 hours one day a week. Anything goes... anything and as much as you want

What we will not do:
-Count calories

-Not have our cheat day

-Go hungry

I will additionally be taking supplements to boost weight loss and engaging in ice therapy. If you would like more information on the diet or more details on the additional phases please email/facebook me. This diet and all that it entails can be found in the book 4 Hour Body. I recommend it for anyone wanting more background on the science behind the diet and additional information. If you have questions post in comments and I will answer. The diet starts Jan 17 if you would like to join in the fun. I will make some more posts outlining the best foods for the diet in the near future.

Quotes- Humility

2010-12-29T10:34:00.002-06:00

Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of the little things in others.
-Kakuzo Okakura

I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.
-John Ruskin

American culture is one of independence. Carve your own path and live the American Dream; no one is stopping you. Yet the leaders that become truly great and develop lasting cultures are the servant leaders. Realizing you are not the first or the last, but one piece of the human experience allows you to harness the lessons, wealth, and knowledge of those before you and those around you. Learn to find value in everyone and everyone will find value in you.

A Lesson in Simplicity

2010-12-28T13:08:00.005-06:00

I hate Apple. I find most of their products inferior. They typically cost more, do less, and don't allow for customization or upgrades. For a tech guy it sucks, but there is a lesson here. Apple is successful because simple is beautiful. Take for example below the two remotes of Apple tv and Roku:

Apple TV Remote

Roku Remote

They both have almost the exact same functionality, but Roku is bulkier and has more buttons (five more to be exact). You don't need them. I used the apple tv yesterday and perfectly/intuitively navigated the menus using the remote in about 1 min. You hit what you think you should hit and it does what you want it to do. The Roku remote which I have used for several hours still makes me prone to make mistakes as I hit the home button instead of the back button or the menu button when I mean to hit the back button, etc. From a functionality point they are the same; from an ease of use stand point apple tv and its remote is better (I loathe typing this).

This lesson in simplicity is a metaphor for life. When we add things to our life we complicate it. It becomes more muddied, the choices make things more complex than we need them to be. Instead of adding more and more take a moment to reduce your buttons. Identify your core values for a great life. Then just press. Focus on the big things and the little things fix themselves.

Quotes- Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Part 2

2010-12-27T09:40:00.006-06:00

Part 1 can be found here.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Lots of great points made here. The most poignant for me is that life is a journey and happiness is a pursuit. If you aren't happy you keep pushing and keep searching. If you set yourself up to look for it, then it will come to you. Additionally, failure is one of life's greatest lessons. When we fail we learn more about ourselves than when we taste success. Failure either pushes us for success in our current field or causes us to pursue something else we deeply desire. Are not both outcomes ideal? Often, it takes a push for us to get started, a lesson. Ironically, most/all of the great men I have read about have had great failures. If you aren't failing then you probably aren't doing something innovative.

Part 3 can be found here.

Quotes- 'Tis the Season

2010-12-22T15:54:00.003-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

I hope for the weekend that you truly share in the joy of your family and friends. Blessed are we for we have much. Enjoy Christmas and God Bless you all!

Quotes- Learn from Others

2010-12-21T14:44:00.002-06:00

Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world is so vast and diverse and the human experience so unique that no person can ever begin to encompass all that can be learned from life. It's impossible, and so we must learn from and rely on the experience of others. Everyone has something to teach us. Take interest in other people, you'll grow and most likely acquire a new friend.

Quote- You Are Not Your Possessions

2010-12-20T14:23:00.002-06:00

That was one of many reminders in my life that you can’t buy your way into being someone interesting. Even if we ooh and aah over someone’s new car or gadget, our subconscious isn’t fooled. Deep down we know that purchases don’t define anyone...

What defines us is what we do with our time, both through grand accomplishments and our mundane daily habits.

A lot of people have the equation backwards. They do boring things so that they can have enough money to purchase what they think is extraordinary, and try to stand out that way. But it doesn’t work. We all know that status symbols are just symbols, and we instinctively try to peel back that layer of a person to figure out what they’re really about.

...I think money is great. It’s just a question of how to spend it. You can spend it on plane tickets and apartments in interesting cities, or you can spend it on Chinese-made items with luxury brand names on them. When you’re making that decision, just remember: it’s not the stuff you buy that defines you.

-Tynan You Aren't What You Buy

This puts into words one of my core philosophies. I've stated it before that value is in maximizing experiences with people you care about. I couldn't have said it any better so I posted the meat of the blog post from Tynan. I can't imagine a life where I work, buy stuff, work, buy more stuff, die. It's not for me. When we step out into the world and try something new those experiences illicit ideas and characteristics that forever change who we are. We become a new self. Transformation is permanent, a new object dwindles away from the day you purchase it. In buying my new car I've further strengthened that feeling. A month long trip to Europe and a new car were my two big purchases. I will have another vehicle, but my memories and my ideas that were created in Europe are changing me even to this day. What do you value?

Quotes- Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Part 1

2010-12-17T15:30:00.003-06:00

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Part 2 can be found here

Quotes- Ultimate Prize

2010-12-16T14:20:00.004-06:00

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
-1 Corinthians 9:24

Reading this it would appear the most important nugget of wisdom is to run in a way to get the prize, ie. try your hardest. I used to think that as well, but then you look again. The defining part of this message is knowing what the prize is, and that is important. In fact, I was talking with someone yesterday about the pros/cons of moving away from your family for more money. It all depends on what your prize is (money or being with your family?).

So for one person the prize is to do the very best they can at their job sacrificing all else. Another may value quality time with family above all else; someone else is in between. You have to know what the prize is because otherwise you aren't even running in the right race.

Quotes- Live

2010-12-15T21:42:00.001-06:00

He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt.
-Joseph Heller

Quotes- Uniqueness

2010-12-14T15:15:00.002-06:00

At bottom, every man knows perfectly well that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm reading On Becoming a Leader right now by Warren Bennis. One of the key tenets of the book is that great leaders fully express themselves and hold nothing back. Why don't we? I know at times I hold myself back for fear of social repercussions, and yet it's what we as humans are attracted too. Be unique, be real.

Quotes- Slow and Steady

2010-12-13T15:45:00.003-06:00

Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts… Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day, at the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve.
- Charlie Munger

Charlie Munger long time business partner of Warren Buffett, is well known for not only being a great investor, but maintaining a long list of other interests as well. He's right, to do anything of value you must make slow measured steps. Big jumps will come, but our life and it's rewards are the accumulation of a lifetime of work. Small measured changes make a man not a flash in the pan change of course.

Quotes- Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues

2010-12-10T08:42:00.003-06:00

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversations.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste nothing.
Industry: Lose not time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think you deserve.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
-Benjamin Franklin 13 virtues

I'm currently reading On Becoming a Leader and Benjamin Franklin has been used quote a few times. He was a great man who's relationships with foreign dignitaries was a crucial cog in early America. A renaissance man he did a little of everything. A renowned ladies man and partier he didn't always maintain these virtues, but isn't that what a virtue is. Something we can strive for without ever perfectly achieving.

Quotes- Dogs

2010-12-09T18:14:00.003-06:00

Dogs live faster than we do because it takes us a whole lot longer to understand unconditional love. It doesn't take a good dog nearly so long to figure it out.
- Unknown

Pets are great. They increase your happiness, health, and overall well being. It's actually been well documented. It's nice to have a buddy to come home to that is always excited to see you. Here's to our beloved four legged friends.

Quotes- Shake Them Haters Off

2010-12-08T16:21:00.004-06:00

Don’t focus on the one guy who hates you. You don’t go to the park and set your picnic down next to the only pile of dog shit.
-Shit My Dad Says

There are 6.4 billion people on this earth. It would take you 292,327 years and some change to meet all of them. So why worry about what one person thinks? You shouldn't. Allow those you love to offer their criticism because they care about you. They want what's best for you, but don't for a second worry about the criticism of those you aren't close to. Chances are (read 100% chance) they don't have your best interest at heart.

Quotes- Patience

2010-12-07T12:20:00.002-06:00

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
-Proverb

I hate waiting, A LOT. If I want something I go for it with aggressiveness. Sometimes though good things are worth waiting for, and when you finally get it; it's o so sweet. I have to remind myself begrudgingly of this often.

Quotes- Attitude Part 2

2010-12-06T16:23:00.003-06:00

I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.
- Charles R. Swindoll

You ever recall an event with someone and they have an entirely different perspective? To the point that you can't believe they saw things that way. Perception is everything. The lens with which we view our world becomes our reality. Things are never black and white. We choose what we see and how we see it. Do yourself and everyone around you a favor. Look at the world as half full and share that joy with others. Good feelings and vibes beget more good things in our life. We attract what we perceive.

Quotes- Coco Chanel

2010-12-03T09:32:00.003-06:00

Jump out the window if you are the object of passion. Flee it if you feel it. Passion goes, boredom remains.
-Coco Chanel

There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time.
- Coco Chanel

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.
-Coco Chanel

How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.
-Coco Chanel

Success if often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.
- Coco Chanel

A woman should be two things: both classy and fabulous!
- Coco Chanel

In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.
-Coco Chanel

I used to write a quote email for some folks that I worked with. One of the girls shared her favorite quote which came from Coco Chanel. I thought it was funny and collected a few more. She actually has a really interesting story and worked very hard to get where she did (are not all great successes this way).

Quotes- Rising Above Mediocrity

2010-12-02T13:56:00.004-06:00

Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.
-Albert Einstein

Only you know truly what you are capable of. To achieve something great requires you to perform above average. If you are just doing what everyone expects you to do where is the growth or the challenge. Rise above your expectations. Greatness is achieving what others said you could not.

How to Lose 30 Pounds of Fat Today

2010-12-01T09:53:00.003-06:00

So my post on losing 30 pounds of fat was one of the most popular post I have ever had. Therefore, I wanted to do a follow up. What would I do if I wanted to lose 30 pounds today? Note that this is the biggest permanent lifestyle change I have ever made and therefore I feel that having gone through it I know what it takes. Note that this method would apply to any dramatic change.

Mentally Commit

This is often the most overlooked item and yet it is the most important. I would know that the journey is not easy by any means. In fact, I’ve gone 28 years with the same eating habits. That doesn’t change overnight. First I would make a list of why I want to lose 30 pounds:

• I want to look better
• I want to feel better
• I don’t want to die from heart disease the number 1 killer of Americans
• I want to be able to run around with my kids one day
• I want to feel confident in knowing that my body is at or near its best

This is important because my initial energy in losing weight will wane after about two weeks. So I have to have thought this through. Your want for something has to be defined and the core of why has to have been explored. I will also write out affirmations and post them on my bathroom mirror/computer/car to read every day because I know for such a dramatic change I will need the help. Examples include:

• I will lose 10 pounds in the next 6 months.
• I will not for the next thirty days (count this down). It’s not a big loss because I know at the end of thirty (count this down) I can have as many as I want.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Identify a Big Win

Next what I would do is identify for me what is the easiest thing to cut out that I know I want to change and will have a meaningful impact. For me this was soft drinks. Let’s assume I have three soft drinks a day. That adds up to 3,255 calories a week. A pound is 3,500 calories. So I decide I will remove cokes from my diet and instead drink diet sodas with zero calories. This is my big win. Just in doing this I will lose almost a pound a week and lose little. I will now focus on this big win for a month. Whatever else happens I will commit to this for thirty days. Other possible big wins:

• Two healthy food days a week
• No alcohol during the week
• Walking two miles a week

None of these changes are dramatic. For me eliminations in diet always worked best, but for some slowly adding in exercise has worked. In my opinion diet is easier because you just don’t buy it so you just have to not do something rather than exercise which requires you to do something.

Assessment

After two weeks I will assess how I am feeling. Am I missing the cokes I have given up? This is my weakest point because the motivation and excitement has diminished, and I haven’t quite developed a habit. I consult with friends for encouragement and feedback on my progress. If this big win is just too painful then I may need to consider something else. Before I decide to quit I will read my goals and my affirmations and then realize that I only have to do this for 15 more days.
If I don’t remember what it is even like to have soft drinks and I don’t miss them at all then I add in another small change and reset my thirty day counter. Be very careful not to do too much too soon. We only have so much willpower and we don’t want to knock our path completely off course.

There are a few things I don’t recommend as well:

Just starting. The mental aspect is the most important thing you can focus on. In fact if you spent a week thinking about this and making notes I am not sure how possible it is to fail. You have to commit to it because this goes against the way you have lived your life up to this point. That is A LOT of time to reverse and it’s not something that will happen on a whim.
Doing too much too fast. This would be a fad diet or acquiring a trainer. This is the number 1 reason people don’t lose weight and keep it off. Lifestyle changes are what lose weight not fad diets. Diets are useful if you are at or near your ideal weight and want to hit a new maintenance calorie level. I tried diets when I was obese and I couldn’t make a complete 180 lifestyle change and stick with it. I was out of my comfort zone and the change was too much to maintain.

Keeping this a secret. The more people that know about your goal the better. This puts pressure on yourself to accomplish your goal. I highly recommend telling people that you know care about you because they will offer you words of encouragement.

Giving up before 30 days. You have to give something a thirty day period. The great thing about thirty day periods is that the end is near and it’s not really that far away. Once you identify your big win you really need to give an all out effort for thirty days.

Conclusion

I hope this has encouraged at least one person to give it a try. Most of the time after thirty days I no longer want what I had given up. I know after giving up soft drinks I felt better than I had ever felt. As for the journey overall, I will tell you first hand that it is extremely hard to do, but if you decide that you want it you can do it. Slow and steady will win the race.

Quotes- How to be Great

2010-12-01T09:00:00.005-06:00

If you're thinking that the average person won't do this, you're right -- that's why they're average.
-Steve Pavlina

I remember thinking that if I found that one thing I was good at then I would be good without trying. It's the moviesque story isn't it. The phenom who just gets it. That doesn't exist. Michael Irvin was a great receiver and considered by many to have a natural talent, he just had it. What people don't talk about is how when he was growing up he would run every single day in a forty pound weight vest. A quote from Jason Garrett on a night with Irvin:

“So I meet him at the complex at 7 p.m. It’s 100 degrees. No one there but the two of us. I’m wearing grays (t-short and shorts). Irvin’s wearing his helmet, his shoulder pads, this big heavy weight vest he wore in practice and these hot rubber pants. We run metabolics, which are position-specific exercises. For receivers, that means running routes. And he’s running them.

“We do five sets of ten of these things. Not a lot is said. He runs a route, hard, catches the ball, walks it back, does it again. Stops after a set to swig some Gatorade. We’re doing 50, 60 throws, and after about throw 35, I’m sweating, I’m thinking, ‘I’m getting a little tired.’ He’s out there in his rubber pants and his big freakin’ weight vest running more routes. And I remember thinking, ‘This is why this guy is so good.’ And there’s not a soul there to see it.”

Gladwell, Godin, and a host of others have all said it. Being great at something isn't a gift, the mentality to pursue something so hard that you become great is the gift. Experts are made, and the road is not easy.

How I Lost and Kept Off 30 Pounds of Fat

2010-11-30T13:08:00.003-06:00

It was 1993 or 1994. I remember clearly going to Texas Children's Hospital. I was scared because I knew I was going for tests and it must be serious because I was driving to downtown for said tests. I don't remember much about the day except for the explanation of my results I had high triglycerides and I would suffer from this for the rest of my life I was told. I was considered obese for my age and this was something I would struggle with through adulthood. I'm not 100% sure how I felt about the news at the time, but it probably wasn't like a million bucks.

I remember going home and being limited to two soft drinks a day (wow). Around May of 1994 my parents got a divorce. They fought all the time, and it was hardly amicable. It was really quite sad and painful. One effect of this divorce was that there was little time or attention to meals. I remember getting lots of fast food, which in an odd way was comforting. The turmoil of life around me was balanced out by the consistency of a meal. I can remember around this time getting egg mcmuffins on the way to school frequently. Looking back now I see that food became a sort of emotional crutch. If we were upset we got food, it's just what we did.

In 7th grade (1995) I believe I was somewhere around 5'4 or so and 180 pounds. This would be the largest I would ever be even to this day. It's tough being overweight in school, you get made fun of, girls aren't really attracted to you, and you just don't feel that great. Then things started to change. I started football which I loved with a passion. No matter what was going on at home, I could take it out on the field, and I would go hard. Playing made me start to at least think about athletic endeavors such as weight lifting and nutrition. I didn't make any drastic changes just small ones. Occasionally I would have a salad at lunch and I stopped drinking soft drinks. I recall just cutting out soft drinks made me lose ten pounds. I started to lose weight due to my increased activity and very minor changes in my diet.

By the end of junior high in 1997 I was leaner and more athletic than I had ever been. I had my first date and all that. Even though I was still technically overweight the loss I had already achieved 10-15 pounds gave me a huge boost in confidence. At the start of tenth grade I weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 160. In highschool I began to increase my lifting due to football. I didn't lose much weight, but slowly started to replace fat mass with muscle. Diet started playing a role and I started to remove things from my diet such as fast food. By the end of highschool I weighed about 155.

When I started freshman year of college in the fall of 2001 I would play rugby for Texas A&M as a wing; which is reserved for the fastest players on the team. I was the third or fourth fastest guy out of about 50. I hadn’t turned into an Abercrombie model, but I was in better than average shape. It took 6 years. I went from one of the most overweight kids in my class to one of the fastest on my college team.

If you fast forward to today I weigh about 160 and have roughly a 12-14% body fat percentage. It took all six years. Diets don't work. I didn't do a fad diet. I made small measured changes over six years that I knew I could sustain for the long term. To this day I have an extremely healthy blood count. I apologize for not knowing my numbers, but my doctor told me they were "excellent". My triglycerides are in the extremely low range. My resting pulse is 72 or so and my blood pressure is around 76/112.

This isn’t unique to me. My brother had his own journey. He got up to 230 and now weighs 170, and he didn't play sports in highschool. You don’t have to copy exactly what I do, everyone’s path is different. He was as committed, and found the slow minor changes he could make to get fit.

Changing your lifestyle is not easy. It takes dedication and a commitment. You can’t 180 your lifestyle and all of a sudden be fit. It’s a commitment to small quantifiable changes. I don't know if anyone is in the midst of this, but if you are I understand. According to what doctors told me in 5th grade I should be extremely overweight (top 5%) for my age group. I should still have high triglycerides and be extremely unhealthy. Instead I chose my own path and changed my life; you can too.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-Lao Tzu

Quotes- Fearless

2010-11-30T11:09:00.006-06:00

When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is one of my favorites. Have you ever done something that you felt would be difficult or feared doing it and did it anyway. Often on the other side we realize the thing we feared wasn't worth fearing at all, and what was standing in our way was merely ourselves.

Quotes- What's Holding You Back?

2010-11-30T11:09:00.005-06:00

Quotes- The Path with Heart

2010-11-29T09:50:00.003-06:00

Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
-Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda was an interesting individual. Regardless of one's opinion of him or his works his words focus on the simplistic pursuit of morality and happiness. Life is about doing what you love with people you love. Choosing a path with heart. It's that easy, and yet it never seems to work out that wayjavascript:void(0).

Why isn't is so simple? Part of the human experience is focusing on an end goal. Get to x. Inherently, it's what we do and yet life isn't like that. We don't judge a life by when it ends, but rather by the journey that was taken in between. It's very hard to do, but focus on the road. You choose the right road and you will reach the right destination; not the other way around.

Quotes- Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T11:17:00.002-06:00

What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it – would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.
-Ralph Marston

One of my thirty day experiments was to list 10 things I was thankful for everyday in order to remind myself how blessed I truly am. Three weeks in I was overwhelmed at the realization of how fortunate and thankful I should be. To this day I consider myself extremely lucky and fortunate. Don't forget how blessed you are. Honestly, would you really want to be someone else?

Take tomorrow and this weekend to just share in the joy that is your friends and family. We are all connected in this great world and whatever energy we put out comes back to us. For all of you reading I wish you an excellent rest of the week.

How to Start the Job of Your Dreams Today

2010-11-23T17:30:00.002-06:00

The first time I posted to this blog was January 28, 2009. This was actually the day I moved all of my posts from myspace over to their current location which you now read. The post on Lou Holtz is from August of 2008. So if we assume that start date I started writing this blog when I was twenty five and going in to my second year in big 4 accounting. Two years ago is a long time.

Looking back now I’m very glad to have recorded my thoughts, because I realize that we rarely remember much and what we do remember is highly distorted. For example, if you asked me to recall for you my trip to Europe last April and tell you everything I could remember, perhaps I could talk for an hour or two. Instead I journaled out the entire experience. Reading through the material I have hours upon hours of recollection. Many lessons I learned or feelings I had became muted by a faded memory, and reading through my thoughts rekindles my experience.

So when I started this blog the purpose of it was to record my journey toward discovering my life’s purpose. What did I want from life? I was coming out of college where I originally thought you were supposed to discover yourself and realized through my search that life is more about creating yourself.

If you had asked me my ideal job two years ago I’m not sure exactly what I would have come up with. It would have been something along the lines of a small business owner. At the end of the day I wasn’t sure. My resolve then was to pursue the things that interested me and to discover new and exciting adventures; which I did and continue to do. So I read quite a few books on small business, I subscribed to blogs by entrepreneurs, and I thought about and discussed these topics. Never knowing if I would ever use the information, nonetheless, I cultivated my interest.

And there is no dramatic montage here. In fact, my pace was slow and arbitrary at best, but I did SOMETHING. And over the course of two years I learned a lot. So yes the point of this post, in September of this year I found myself in a job that I found less and less interesting and more and more monotonous. I decided to check the job market. The market outlook for individuals leaving Big 4 accounting is actually very good. When I was searching I saw the typical jobs and actually got a great offer from a very good company above market price for someone with my experience. Now I must note that the story could have ended here, and it does for many. Get the good job work and succeed. Though occasionally, preparation meets opportunity…

I got a call from a recruiter who doesn’t recruit the standard big 4 market and decided to do one interview more out of courtesy than interest. In the interview I recalled my keen interest and study of small business and entrepreneurship. The recruiter then informed me of a position requiring much more experience (5-7 years) than I had, but perhaps with my background and outside interest I could land it.

I went and interviewed at aforementioned small company with less experience than the other candidates, and I wowed them. I discussed some accounting and finance improvements that could be implemented immediately to help the Company. Additionally, I outlined some financial metrics and spreadsheets that the Company could use to make business decisions based on financial information. This coupled with my self taught knowledge of small business and its problems allowed me to offer some beneficial suggestions. I got offered the job two weeks later.

Two years ago, I couldn’t have predicted I would be sitting in my own office about to give a financial presentation on the direction of a company I may soon have an equity stake in. But I am. And that’s life, we can’t know where it will take us. Instead what we can do is take our natural talents and interests and develop them. That way when the opportunity comes we can seize it.

We all are skilled for some particular job. And what that ideal job is you don’t know or you would be doing it. Instead may I suggest that you pursue your interests and discover what excites you and grows you as a person. Because perhaps one day when you least expect it, preparation will meet opportunity.

Quotes- No Regrets

2010-11-23T08:05:00.004-06:00

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
-Sydney J. Harris

Have you ever passed up an opportunity only to have it haunt you for a long time? It's happened to me before. To the point that the torment of my inaction was far worse than any possible consequences. So I resolved to change that. I would just go for it. If it didn't happen fine; if it did even better. Don't be the old man talking about what he could have or should have done. Instead do it. Here is how I try to decide in the moment.

What’s the worst possible likely outcome?
What’s the best possible likely outcome?
Is it likely that I will regret doing this?
Is it likely that I will regret not doing this?
When faced with a hard decision (it’s hard because both outcomes are about equal) take the scary one.
Risks work best as a habit
-Tynan’s list of questions

Quotes- Friendship

2010-11-22T16:16:00.003-06:00

Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for?
-C.S. Lewis

True wealth is built from friends and family, from experiences and relationships — it is derived from a life filled with meaning.
-J.D., Get Rich Slowly

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.
-Aristotle

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.
-Robert Brault

I had an excellent weekend and it was the result of great times with great friends. If you don't currently have great friends in your life make that a priority; surrounding yourself with great people is probably the easiest and most well trodden road to happiness, if not the only one. To share joy and success with others is one of life's greatest gifts.

Quotes- George Bernard Shaw

2010-11-19T11:31:00.002-06:00

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
-George Bernard Shaw

A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.
-George Bernard Shaw

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.
-George Bernard Shaw

All great truths begin as blasphemies.
-George Bernard Shaw

Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
-George Bernard Shaw

He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.
-George Bernard Shaw

I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
-George Bernard Shaw

I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.
-George Bernard Shaw

Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart's desire; the other is to get it.
-George Bernard Shaw

She had lost the art of conversation but not, unfortunately, the power of speech.
-George Bernard Shaw

Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?
-George Bernard Shaw

Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.
-George Bernard Shaw

A famous playwright, Oscar, and Nobel Prize winner Shaw supported the challenge of status quo. I love quotes that sprinkle truths with clever phrases or thoughts, and Shaw often does that. Most importantly though he buttresses the belief that we are who we want to become and to free ourselves of our social or mental limitations is part of the human experience. Life is about creating yourself; there is no greater project, and when you die leave the world better than you found it. Be remembered through the accomplishments of others. To just change yourself has a limited affect. To change 10 people that change 10 more people etc. can change the world.

Quotes- Never Worry

2010-11-18T08:24:00.004-06:00

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.
—Marcus Aurelius

It will all be ok in the end. If it's not ok then it's not the end.
-Various

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.
- Leonardo Di Caprio, Catch Me if You Can

Worry isn't fruitful because it assumes a lot. 1) You know what is going to happen and 2) Thinking about it will make it better. Neither one of these assumptions are true. Worry creates anxiousness which leads our fight vs flight response to wake up. This leads to stress which leads to unhappiness which waters down our quality of life. I remember in college I committed to not sweat the small stuff. It's small for a reason. I can't tell you any of the test grades I got in college, because they don't matter now. In fact most of the things we worry about have almost no impact on our future. As Seth Godin says don't give in to the lizard brain. If something needs to be done do it, worrying doesn't change the circumstance it just changes you; and not for the better.

Quotes- Ocho Cinco

2010-11-17T14:54:00.002-06:00

Some people say the grass is always greener on the other side. I say be the gardener. Water it. Feed it. Make your own grass grow. I make the grass greener wherever I am. I'm the gardener.
-Chad Johnson

I find it funny that one of the most profound quotes I have read comes from a wilding out NFL receiver more known for his antics than his play. And yet here it is. We can create our own circumstances. Joy, happiness, and contentment are the result of our labors, attitudes, and outlook. Why worry about what's happening in the next yard; you can't control that. Instead take your world and make it the reality you only dreamed of. It's possible we just have to believe.

Quotes- Change Your Perspective

2010-11-15T16:48:00.004-06:00

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
-Tao Te Chang paragraph 8

Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
-Tao Te Chang paragraph 44

To live until you die is to live long enough.
-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Chang

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Chang

A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-Lao-Tzu

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
-Lao Tzu

The reason why rivers and seas receive the homage of a hundred mountain streams is that they keep below them. Thus they are able to reign over the mountain streams. So the sage, wishing to be above men, putteth himself below them; wishing to be before them, he putteth himself behind them. Thus, though his place be above men, they do not feel his weight; though his place be before them, they do not count it an injury.
-Lao-tse

After reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I have determined that exposure to Eastern philosophy should be mandatory. We view the world through the logos of Greek philosophy. This is our reality and thus we accept it because we are not taught the alternatives. IMO we don't have it all right. In Eastern philosophy, peace, contentment and fulfillment lie within us. What we give to the world we receive back. Imagine if humanity felt this way. Beautiful

Quotes- John Wooden

2010-11-12T15:45:00.001-06:00

Ability is a poor man's wealth.
-John Wooden

Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
-John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
-John Wooden

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability.
-John Wooden

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
-John Wooden

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.
-John Wooden

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
-John Wooden

Sports do not build character. They reveal it.
-John Wooden

Quotes- How to Get Rich

2010-11-11T14:54:00.003-06:00

There are two goddesses in your head. The Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Wealth. Everyone thinks they need to get wealth first, and wisdom will come. So they concern themselves with chasing money. But they have it backwards. You have to give your heart to the Goddess of Wisdom, giver her all your love and attention, and the Goddess of Wealth will become jealous, and follow you.
— Joe Vigil

A great book by Seth Godin called The Dip outlines what it takes to be great. It's real easy. Well not really. It's a hell of a lot of work crafting and honing your skill set. If it was easy everyone would do it. You have to pursue your craft; do well enough and the money comes.

Quotes- Failure leads to Success

2010-11-10T08:33:00.006-06:00

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt

It's easy to criticize it takes 2 minutes and no risk. Many people find it easier to go about finding the fault in the pursuits of others because it hides their inaction. If you are failing then I'm better is their logic. Failing sucks. We've all done it and those that are successful have done it countless times.

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple and invested most of his money in a company called Pixar; he believed that graphic rendering computers had a market. They didn't. The company cost Jobs over 55 million in it's first six years; more than most people make in a lifetime. Many journalists and industry experts called Jobs a wash out. Disney decided to collaborate on a small film with the floundering company hoping to break even with the revenue. The film was Toy Story. It became one of the highest grossing pictures of all time. Fast forward to today and Pixar is the most successful film company in history.

In his book Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh recalls losing a small fortune keeping the Company afloat. It just wasn't working; he lost everything. Then sales started trickling in. A revolutionary customer service department was generated. Shoes were shipped same day and people were amazed. Now Zappo's is one of the largest online retailers in the world. Great successes are more the result of great persistence through great failures than great ideas.

Success if often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.
- Coco Chanel

When I was young I observed that nine out of every ten things I did were failures, so I did ten times more work.
-George Bernard Shaw

Quotes- Life

2010-11-09T13:47:00.002-06:00

Man must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and drink death like wine.
-G.K.Chesterton

What does it take to be happy; to find joy? I spent many years in my twenties trying to figure that out. There isn't a uniform answer. We are all different and special, have our own dreams and desires. Happiness is a commitment to an attitude and a preservation of an ideal. All happiness takes is a furious commitment to living your ideal life and not compromising. Love life it's special, it's beautiful, and you only get one shot.

Quotes- Winston Churchill

2010-11-05T11:14:00.002-05:00

Churchill was a man that proved you could daily drink a gallon of scotch a day, smoke 20 cigars by evening, be abrasive and gallish, and still be one of the most beloved leaders, poets, and countryman of all time. He was a man among men and thoroughly entertaining.

You make a living by what you get: you make a life by what you give.
- Winston Churchill

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.
-Winston Churchill

Nancy Astor: Sir, if you were my husband, I would give you poison.
Winston Churchill: If I were your husband I would take it.

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
-Winston Churchill

Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened.
-Winston Churchill

If you are going to go through hell, keep going.
-Winston Churchill

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.
-Winston Churchill

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.
-Winston Churchill

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
-Winston Churchill

I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
-Winston Churchill

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
-Winston Churchill

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
-Winston Churchill

Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.
-Winston Churchill

Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
-Winston Churchill

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never never, never- in nothing, great or small, large or petty- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
-Winston Churchill

Quotes- Perspective

2010-11-04T10:53:00.003-05:00

Charlie Kaufman: There was this time in high school. I was watching you out the library window. You were talking to Sarah Marsh.
Donald Kaufman: Oh, God. I was so in love with her.
Charlie Kaufman: I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was really sweet to you.
Donald Kaufman: I remember that.
Charlie Kaufman: Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. It was like they were making fun of *me*. You didn't know at all. You seemed so happy.
Donald Kaufman: I knew. I heard them.
Charlie Kaufman: How come you looked so happy?
Donald Kaufman: I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.
Charlie Kaufman: She thought you were pathetic.
Donald Kaufman: That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That's what I decided a long time ago.
-Adaptation, 2002

I watched this movie on suggestion from my friend Thomas Heard, who by the way has excellent cinematic taste, and instantly it became one of my favorites. Donald and Charlie are two identical twins (both played by Nick Cage). They are exactly the same and yet one has an amazing life while the other loathes and laments his existence. It reminds me that perspective is everything and this exchange perfectly captures that feeling.

Quotes- Just Do It

2010-11-03T14:42:00.002-05:00

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

-It couldn’t be Done; Edgar Guest

Quotes- How Lucky Are You?

2010-11-02T08:55:00.002-05:00

…here is this barrel with 6.5 billion balls, everybody in the world, if you could put your ball back, and they took out a random 100 balls and you had to pick one of those, would you put your ball back in? Now those 100 balls you are going to get out, roughly 5 of them will be American, 95/5. So if you want to be in this country, you will only have 5 balls, half of them will be women and half men--I will let you decide how you will vote on that one. Half of them will be below average in intelligence and half above average in intelligence. Do you want to put your ball in there? Most of you will not want to put your ball back to get 100. So what you are saying is: I am in the luckiest one percent of the world right now sitting in this room-- the top 1% of the world.
-Warren Buffett

I've commented on this before. Feel free to read it.

Quotes- Advice for 20 somethings

2010-11-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

Wear Sunscreen
by Mary Schmich

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Quotes- Favorite Verse

2010-10-29T09:33:00.003-05:00

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.
- Psalm 1:3

While not the most important message one of the most undervalued in The Bible is the idea that if you do what's right everything will work itself out. The Christian and non-Christian can find value in that. If we treat those around us with love and respect and improve the lives of other we come into contact with; it's going to be ok at the end of the day.

Quotes- Competition

2010-10-28T08:53:00.003-05:00

There is something that can happen to every athlete and every human being; the instinct to slack off, to give in to pain, to give less than your best; the instinct to hope you can win through luck or through your opponent not doing his best, instead of going to the limit and past your limit where victory is always found. Defeating those negative instincts that are out to defeat us, is the difference between winning and losing--and we all face that battle every day.
-Jessie Owens

I read an interesting article last week from the New York Times on the abilities of elite athletes. Come to find out they go through the same pains and trials as the average person. They just have a mental acuity to fight through the pain. Jesse Owens summed it up best above. To succeed in anything we must challenge ourselves. Too often we look for the easy road, when hard work is the answer.

Quotes- Mark Twain

2010-10-27T09:06:00.003-05:00

In my list of quotes I have a few patches of quotes from the same individual. Mark Twain is one of my favorites.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
-Mark Twain

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
-Mark Twain

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
-Mark Twain

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
-Mark Twain

Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
-Mark Twain

It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.
-Mark Twain

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
-Mark Twain

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.
-Mark Twain

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
-Mark Twain

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.
-Mark Twain

There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.
-Mark Twain

What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce.
-Mark Twain

When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.
-Mark Twain

Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
-Mark Twain

Quotes- Love/Sex

2010-10-26T08:16:00.004-05:00

There is something mythic in the way a man is with a woman. Our sexuality offers a parable of amazing depth when it comes to being masculine and feminine. The man comes to offer his strength and the woman invites the man into herself, an act that requires courage and vulnerability and selflessness for both of them. Notice first that if the man will not rise to the occasion, nothing will happen. He must move; his strength must swell before he can enter her. But neither will the love consummate unless the woman opens herself in stunning vulnerability. When both are living as they were meant to live, the man enters his woman and offers her his strength. He spills himself there, in her, for her, she draws him in, embraces and envelops him. When all is over he is spent, but ah, what a sweet death it is.
-John Eldredge, Wild at Heart

This is my favorite passage regarding love. For background, Wild At Heart is a fantastic book and explores the inherent male psyche. Great read for all guys and from the girls I've talked to that have read it; girls too. It's poetically literal and the same time completely figurative.

Quotes- Attitude

2010-10-22T08:29:00.002-05:00

If I asked, 'Why me?' about my troubles, I would have to ask, 'Why me?' about my blessings.
-Arthur Ashe

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but
rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
-Hugh Downs

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whether you believe you can or you can't, you are right.
-Henry Ford

If there is one thing I have learned it’s attitude changes everything. It’s easy to find fault in one’s day, find fault with others; it’s equally easy to find your blessings. Where do you focus? Two activities I did really shifted my mindset. The first was my thirty day experiment to identify 10 unique things I was thankful for. At first it was hard to find ten new things everyday. Then it came to the point where I could write my list in 30 seconds.

We create our realities. This idea was sealed by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which has changed my life. In it the author talks about the difference between Western and Eastern thought. We literally grow up in an environment that affects how we view the world. Reality is completely subjective because we process what we want, see what we want and hear what we want.

Changing your life is about changing your attitude, and it’s the hardest thing you will ever do.

Quotes- Passion

2010-10-21T08:34:00.002-05:00

All humanity is passion; without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual.
-Honore de Balzac

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
-Gil Bailie

Poverty of purpose is far worse than poverty of purse.
-Anonymous

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it… So keep looking don’t settle.
-Steve Jobs 2005 commencement address

Passion is something hard to define. For me it brings up mental images of fire. It consumes everything around it. Scientifically there is a state of intense focus and creativity that an individual can achieve when one does something he is intently engaged in. I try to cultivate these moments in my life as much as possible. We’re inspired by great people because they have taken a passion and applied it to a craft be that athletics, business, or love. It’s a significant thread on the canvas of a successful life. Without it we have blasé mediocrity and no one falls in love with/wants/dies for that.

Quotes- St. Augustine

2010-10-20T13:33:00.003-05:00

I’ve kept a quote book for almost ten years now. In it are a collection of thoughts that at the moment I read them touched me in some way. I recently read a post by Ryan Holiday discussing the practice of collecting quotes by the stoic Michel de Montaigne and the use of it for self reflection. I continuously look through my own book (now at 37 pages) when delving for moments of inspiration. My hope is that I can share these quotes with you and in some small way enrich your life.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.
-Saint Augustine

This is the very first quote I ever recorded. Thirty seven pages later it’s still one of my absolute favorites. I believe as a generation we have become a group of constant change and movement. Rarely do I find myself stopping to breathe enjoy life and just wait. Immediacy is the new word of the day and when I wrote this quote I had just started college in 2001. I was impatient and had no love for tasks or activities that paid off at a future point in time. Judgments were immediate and without recourse. I was right and I knew my path. It had to change.

I’m not sure if this battle is ever something that I overcome, but I now know to take time to breathe, reflect and act. The incredible depth of a person is not something to surmise off one meeting, or one experience. Instead we should stop and reflect; those that are patient see the true beauty in those around us. And with tasks, often the things worth doing are the ones that pay off in the long run. If we exercise patience now we reap a bigger reward down the line.

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
-Saint Augustine

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
-Reinhold Niebuhr

I couple these two together because I’ve always thought of them in the same moment. A spiritual journey is something that for me has been far from static. I’ve come to understand how little I know and have strayed from an adherence to strict rules and ideologies to a message of faith and a search for connectedness and love. At the end of the day I think we are all connected and part of a higher plane then mere human existence. We therefore must give to those around us and in return we receive back in abundance. I can tell you through my own experience that this has been the case.
In the last few years I have made it a point to be more giving of my time and money. I’m far from empathetic, but these quotes reminds me that when life happens; let it. Don’t get angry or sad. If it’s out of your hands then it just is. We move forward. For things I can control I must give my best effort because what I do will change my environment and those around me. This isn’t a message of mastery that I’m writing believe me. It’s a hope.

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.
-St. Augustine

I’m selfish by nature. I’m not sure if that is the product of human experience or my environment. When I first recorded this quote it was in recognition of this glaring fault and the strive for improvement. I believe it was around 2003 as I reflected on my contribution to the world. In the last three years or so I’ve had a dramatic shift from finding value in monetary success to finding value in bringing joy to those around me. Financial gains are fleeting, but relationships and experiences last a life time. I definitely am blessed with more than I’ll ever need and I try and find outlets to bring joy to others. One thing I’ve had great fun in doing is hosting parties for friends. The set up, clean up, and cost can be substantial but the memories last forever. I also have donated to a few charities such as donorschoose, habitat for humanity, or my church. Giving can take many forms and can be something even as small as a smile. We all have something to be thankful for. Find your abundance and give back.

30 Day Experiment Guitar

2010-02-01T11:41:00.001-06:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a thirty day experiment. I’ve always tinkered with the idea of learning the piano. I tried really hard for about a month and a half in the spring of last year to acquire a keyboard, but all my opportunities fell through, and it was too big of a commitment to buy something I was only going to use for possibly a month.

I decided a guitar would be not only more convenient, but a lot easier to obtain. I have tons of friends who are musically inclined and several have multiple guitars. Ironically when I told my brother about it his response was “ya there’s one in the back of your closet.” So the guitar has been acquired and the project has commenced.

Method
I did a quick little bit of research and discovered a website that was super cheap and charged monthly called jamplay. The website has a long list of videos, forums, and diagrams. So far it’s given me what I need through the first few lessons.
My initial reaction is that guitar is really hard to learn. My fingers constantly hit other strings when I’m holding down chords and I can’t smoothly transition between them. It’s got a sharp learning curve to say the least. I’m committing about 30 minutes a day to practice as I often find practice very frustrating. Yesterday I actually made some decent progress and practiced about 45 minutes or so.

You know I can’t say now if I will stay with it or not. I think if I can see some significant progress then I’ll probably stick with it. Hopefully by the end of the month I can learn a song or two.

Challenges

2010-01-23T15:33:00.001-06:00

My blog serves as a place for me to describe what I’m doing or where I’m going. I haven’t written a lot because right now I’m in a fog of change. My resolution was to take more action and I’ve been doing that. Especially at work where I find myself doing a lot more and it requires quite a bit more mentally.

It’s very challenging not only because the material is advanced, but because the level of organization and care has been dramatically increased for me. To put it another way I’ve never really engaged myself this fully into what I do. It’s been rewarding, but at the same time I am in the tunnel and not on the other side and so I find myself in a large unknown space. I really want to do well these next three months at work. It’s going to be hard, but I want to succeed and I pray I have the resolve to do it.

Resolutions

2010-01-17T21:32:00.003-06:00

I’ve held back on my New Years post for awhile. The main reason was I that I wasn’t quite sure what exactly I wanted to say. Truth is I’ve been writing this post and thinking about it for the better part of 2 weeks. 2009 was a good year for me. If I had to give it a rating I would give it a B- or a C+. I did some things well, but I’m not where I want to be.

Here are some highlights from my year

Went skydiving for the first time. I was scared before hand, as in out of my mind maybe I’ll pee my pants scared. That’s why I did it, because in life it’s important not to be ruled by fear. Because fear is often just chains that keep us in a box. This represented my commitment to free myself from fear. It’s a long process and one I’m not close to finishing, but I’m committed.

Another thing I did this year was start a media fast. I sold my tv and stopped watching/following the news based on the suggestion of a few bloggers I read. The effects were tremendous. It filtered out all the noise and constant worries and still I felt well aware of the big events. I couldn’t be more happy with the choice. Currently I probably watch about 2-4 hours of tv a week.

I researched opening and starting my first business. It was a process that lasted about two months and allowed me to dig down and research the opportunity. It didn’t pan out, but that didn’t matter; it was a great learning experience. If another opportunity comes along I’ll be well equipped to handle the initial stages of negotiation.

One of my very best friends got married this last year. The rain torrentially fell all around me, but with the help of some friends I cooked enough food for 150 people on three charcoal grills. It was incredibly challenging and a ton of fun. The wedding in and of itself was a beautiful experience and a great chance to get together with a lot of great people I hadn’t seen in along time.

I exercised a lot whether it was Crossfit, rock climbing, or salsa lessons. I slacked off the last one and a half months or so, but for the most part I was fairly solid. This next year I want to take that up a notch and continue to pursue activities I find engaging and fun.

I took a leap and decided I would go on a huge trip. For an entire month. Spurred on by some of the blogs I follow, I am taking a sabbatical from work and traveling the continent with a 10 pound pack and nothing else. I will be blogging my exploits on spit2010.blogspot.com.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of what my theme for 2010 will be. The theme for me is ACTION.

2009 was really good, but looking back I felt that I spent some time on the sideline. I spent a lot of time analyzing and reading, instead of doing. And truthfully the growth is in the doing. I tend to gather and gather information before I make a move. I want to make more moves. I just got back from skiing in Breckenridge which was a great trip, and I leave for Europe in about 3 months. I hope to take one more trip this year depending on time.

I really want to tackle work and make a big impact. 2009 was a year of change as I moved to a new client and got promoted. I had to decide what I wanted from work. Is it a place I go for a paycheck or is it somewhere I go to grow? I’ve decided that I want my job to be something that I excel at. That starts with effort, which I have been putting forth so far this year. I have a long way to go, but I’m up for the challenge.

Physically I want to make staying in shape a priority and add some size to my frame. I plan on going on a hypertrophy regiment starting the week after this one and then going back to Crossfit for toning work. I haven’t tried to add mass in several years so it will be an interesting experience.

I’m not sure what else I’ll do or where else I’ll be, but I know that the best things that will happen in 2010 I can’t even begin to plan yet. I hope you share in my journey into the new year.

Predictably Irrational- What You See Is What You Get

2010-01-05T08:39:00.003-06:00

What are you feeding your mind? I’m currently reading Predictably Irrational; the book is a collection of studies on what triggers humans to act irrationally. Ie. why economics doesn’t work perfectly. In one of the experiments, social psychologist ask participants to unscramble a list of words.

To group 1 he gives words such as anger, aggressiveness, hate, pride; dominant words, and to group 2 love, patience, truth, willingness. The only task is to unscramble them. The participants then leave the room and walk toward a researcher helping someone else (who in fact works for the experiment as well). How long does it take the individual before they interrupt the researcher? On average about 9 minutes for group 2 and 6 minutes for group 1. Ie. the words they read affected how they acted. Puts a new twist on what goes in must come out. This study has been reproduced several dozen times.

So what do you read?
Earlier this year I started a media fast off of a recommendation from several blogs and have stuck with it. I still hear about the big events, but am rather oblivious to the little things. So I miss out on a lot of stories about death, crime, anger, etc. Just read those words, how do they make you feel at your core? Instead I replaced that time reading about self improvement, happiness, faith, etc. According to the study above, by just looking at positive words I will start to see positive effects in my life. This year has been a great one (post to come!) and hopefully it will be even better the next.

So why not try it for one week or so. Surround yourself with words of encouragement. And for those hoping to get started right in the New Year here is a great little mantra:

I am from the future. I am here to tell you that, today, you have the opportunity to change everything. Your whole live hinges on today’s actions. If you do not act today, if you do not grab control of your fate today, your life will take a completely different trajectory. One path leads to greatness, and the other path leads to a life where you will look back on today as the day where you could have spoken up, today is the day where you could have reached out. You will look back realizing that today was the one chance you had to change everything. Do not let this moment pass you by.

Giving is Good for You

2009-12-15T15:41:00.003-06:00

Christakis and Fowler say social contagion could even help explain the existence of altruism: if we can pass on altruism to distant points in a network, it would help explain why altruistic people aren’t simply constantly taken advantage of by other members of their community. Last year, to test this theory, they conducted a laboratory experiment in which participants played a “cooperation game.” Each participant was asked to share a sum of money with a small group and could choose to be either generous or selfish. Christakis and Fowler found that if someone was on the receiving end of a generous exchange, that person would become more generous to the next set of partners — until the entire larger group was infected, as it were, with altruistic behavior, which meant the altruist would benefit indirectly. Read the entire article here.

Paying it forward works. I used to be terrible at being generous. I think a real turning point for me was being called out by my friend Matt in highschool/ early college. You see I used to keep track of money I owed people when they had done so much as pick up a drink for me or a ticket or whatever. I recall remembering a 1.50 debt for about 6 months that I owed to someone. Sadly the reverse was also true.

It was a terrible way to live. I realize now that then I operated from a mentality of scarcity. I felt that everything I earned I needed to survive. It was all mine and no one could have it!! Instead I’ve tried to switch to one of abundance. Everything I need is right here. Money comes and goes and I am merely a steward of it. I have so many blessings and gifts in my life. My most valued possessions are not the things I own, but the people I’ve met and the experiences I share with them. That’s the essence of joy.

We are all connected by a web of relationships, and thus what we contribute to others we contribute to ourselves. The biggest way we can change the world is to affect the lives of those around us. I encourage you to think about giving either your time and/or money to a cause you believe in this Christmas. There are a lot of great ones. If you don’t have money perhaps you can do something else to draw attention to your message.

Ps. If you want to donate to the Benevolent Beard I will match all of your donations dollar for dollar up to $500.

Grow The Beard!!

2009-12-11T10:28:00.003-06:00

I wanted to take a post to highlight the work of one of my best friends. David Horn of The Benevolent Beard is in the process of growing out his beard and hair for charity. If you knew David you would know that this is right up his ally, he’s always done the right thing, but in a way that entertains both him and those around him.

The charity he’s supporting is Invisible Children and Doctors Without Borders, read why he chose these charities here. Each month the price to keep the hair growing will increase by a percentage. David hopes to maintain the project for two years. That's one hell of a beard. Not all of us can contribute a large sum of money, but I’m going to give you a special opportunity. I want the beard to grow for several months so for anyone who donates between now and December 31, I will match that gift amount up to $500 dollar for dollar. Just include the following in a comment to this post:

Your name
Amount You Donated
Which Charity
Confirmation Number

Note, this isn’t retroactive, so if you donated before then donate again! I encourage everyone to make an impact this holiday season either through this charity or another of your choice. We are all blessed.