While my Challenge buddy hit a mid-point slump and bounced back nicely, more motivated than ever (see her blog), I feel more like I'm trudging through the trenches right now.
My work schedule has been playing havok with my workout schedule. I need to make some adjustments to my workout expectations, not my goals, but my thought that I'll get to the gym 6 days a week. With the hours I'm now working that just isn't feesible. So I'll have to plan to work out more from home and hit the gym whenever I can.
Editting my book is going really slowly at this point. The only time I get to work on it is while I'm on the GO train and many days I've been having to drive in, denying me even that time. Also, I need a new laptop battery as mine dies after only 20 minutes, really limiting my time I'm able to get work done.
Finding a love interest has been taking some very interesting turns, maybe I'll feel at liberty to discuss them at some point but am not feeling inclined to while they are live and in the moment. While things have not progressed as one would hope, they are nevertheless progressing and may very well end up as planned.
I have been doing a lot of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and studying the fundimentals of increasing traffic. Also working on a colour scheme for my new site which should be in development shortly now that I have the money. Also I have decided to offer free e-books (at least one by yours truly) to obtain the all important e-mail addresses of people (and drive more traffic to my site to collect the freebies). Then of course use the e-mails to maintain a relationship with those people and generate more return web traffic. My challenge buddy is also urging me to get on Twitter, which I hope I can automate as my agenda is already overflowing.
My last goal - becoming self-employed - is now almost entirely based off my website becoming money generating and my books getting published, neither of which looks to be happening anytime soon (although I'm still holding out for that).
My website development and relationship goals are really eating up a disproportionate amount of time. At least, far more than I had considered and eating into everything else. I'm falling behind in many areas, my book, housework, e-mails (I have a backlog of 30 and growing), landlord issues, schooling, fitness, etc.
Once I get into a steady relationship instead of dating that will become less burdensome or at least more regular and easier to schedule around. At least, I sure hope so. The website though is really feeling more and more like a fulltime career and while I won't have to repeat a lot of what I'm doing now, it'll remain a high workload. At least until it's making enough money that I can hire staff.
That's not all bad, as I'm enjoying working on it, I just wish I was seeing quicker and far more substancial results being generated.
Now this is sounding like I'm feeling sorry for myself and truth be told I'm struggling to keep the enthusiasm up at the moment and been really struggling to even find time to visualize for weeks now.
But Cathy, and Gary Ryan Blair (100 Day Challenge) both reminded me in the last couple days that I need to be grateful and they are absolutely right. Gratitude is essentional to success so let's see what I have to be grateful for:
I have a wonderful tenant that has not only allowed me to be free of financial stress but also ease the burden on my currently unemployed ex and our kids.
Just got a large sum of money!
I am in terrific health, in fact, possibly the best fitness level of my life. I have been hitting the gym regularly and seeing rewarding results.
I got my book editted by a professional and it's getting better and better.
I'm learning a lot and continually enhancing and refining my vision for my website. It's coming along and I'm excited by the possibilities.
I have met many outstanding people, many of which I'm sure will remain excellent friends. I feel truly blessed to have such high quality people in my life.
My son has started working and is helping his mother out further relieving pressure on her plus she's discovered due to a change in rules she now qualifies to EI and will have more money coming in.
I set a goal earlier this year to collect a large library of Wii games without any financial hardship and due to increased income and diligent shopping I've been able to do exactly that. It's a trivial thing, made more trivial by the fact I've hardly had any time left to even play on it, but it was a fun and relatively easy goal even though when I made it it seemed out of reach. To be honest, I haven't been appreciating my Wii game library properly. It seems kinda like a waste of money as some games have barely even been played (although I'm buying them all for $10-$30 and it's not hard to get that much value out of any game in time) and it doesn't really add to the quality of my life. However on the flip side, it is a testiment of my ability to reach that goal, one I was passionate about, even if it's silly, and it has brought a lot of enjoyment to myself, my family and friends and others I've been able to loan games to on a long term basis.
The same can be said of having found a great tenant. I spent considerable time and money getting the basement back into shape and it's looking better than ever. Now that I have a stable tenant I have sort of forgotten about that (and still have some work left to do that keeps getting put off) but that was another successful goal completed brilliantly and I certainly need to show more gratitude for both of those completed goals (which are both also ongoing).
I have many other things to be grateful for, my job which pays well and allows me considerable free time to work on things like this blog, my house and car, my college course (another complete goal!), of course my children with whom I have a great relationship, my friends, and my Awesome God who continually blesses me and constantly reminds me how much He loves me. And so much more.
So there. I think I've just helped restore some enthusiasm right there as I look at the awesome goals I have completed while I work towards even more ambitious goals, goals that really excite me, still in the works.
40 days left. I started really fast having the month of October off and now it's time to finish strong!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
A New Chapter - er - Article - in my Life
Well, this is a first.
I have occasionally taken a blog post I wrote for this blog and transferred it over to my self-help site http://www.thecuphalffull.com/ (formerly PrestonsPearls.com) after some slight editting.
Today though I'm doing the opposite. But in a way I'm not. I've written the following article not for my own use at thecuphalffull.com for for my friend. However I did post in on my own website and why not?
As this makes the first time I've written an article in this manner I thought it would be worth noting here as well. I have had other articles published before, notably from anonymousemployee.com, but this is the first done with a hope of driving traffic to my website from other sites. The first of (what I trust) will be many, many such articles (mostly reprints of existing blog entries).
Hopefully, this will help to raise the profile of my site. Can't hurt, it's virtually non-existant now (I do get 1-2 visitors per day).
Pushing Through to the Next Level
By Preston Squire
When the Student is Ready, the Master will Appear.
I met Active Image President Cathy Morenzie at a very fortuitous time. She had just started the Start Fast, Finish Strong 100 Day Challenge and prompted me to get involved too. I had already decided to get more serious about my health and had recently joined a local gym. So when I signed up for The 100 Day Challenge I made one of my goals to put on ten pounds of muscle mass.
That may not seem like a lofty goal but I had tried for years to put on weight, including going to a gym for a year in my thirties and working out with weights while drinking high protein weight gain shakes in my twenties and had only ever managed to gain five pounds at most. For better or worse I was one of those people who could eat like a starving hippo and remain remarkably slim.
Cathy was kind enough to give me a fitness evaluation and set me up on a workout routine. After that I was on my own. During the fitness evaluation Cathy did mention something that really stuck in my head.
Aim to Fail
The mistake most people make when lifting weights is they tend to lift what they can successfully manage. In other words they'll successfully do two sets of curls with thirty pound weights (for example) when they should really be pushing themselves with thirty-five pounds weights even though they may not be able to finish their sets. If you're able to complete your sets, especially easily, then you're not gaining any muscle mass. Your existing muscle mass is up to the challenge and has no need to increase. It's not until you push yourself beyond your (mental) limits, that you tear your muscles and they need to grow back bigger and stronger.
A Strength Greater Than Ourselves.
I also quickly discovered that so much of physical fitness was really mental. As soon as my muscles began to ache or feel weak I would think to myself, 'Ugh, I'm done' and my body would correspondingly respond. Cathy made me realize I had more in me and if I wanted to see results, I'd need to tap into that and push myself beyond those preconceived limits.
So now when I'm about to do a challenging set, having increased the amount of weight or one I had really struggled with previously, I say a quick prayer, asking God to do for me what I can not do for myself. To give me the physical and mental strength to complete the set. As I pray I visualize the body I want and see myself not only lifting the amount I'm about to do but even more.
Am I magically endued with enough strength to lift whatever? No, of course not. I do find it helps considerably and allows me to push myself harder than I would otherwise. Once I really start to struggle I mentally pray some more for added strength until I finish the set, until I'm completely unable to do so or until I feel as if continuing might prove harmful. It doesn't ultimately matter if I finished the set, what matters is by pusher harder and going further, I achieve better results.
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
-Matthew 21:22
Results so far have been very promising. Half way through my 100 Day Challenge and I have already successfully put on ten pounds and seen a significant improvement in my build. I have also consistently increased the amount of weight I'm using in my exercise routine, in some cases doubling the amount I started with. However, to be completely honest, I was at a conference for a week, and while I did strive to maintain my workout routine, I think the abundance of free food probably assisted with the weight gain. I would guess a couple of those pounds don't quite quality as 'muscle mass'. However, that's still eight pounds in fifty days with fifty more to go. Consequently I have risen my goal adding another four pounds to my intended weight gain and reaching what I consider as an ideal weight.
So whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle or just maintain good health, when you want to push yourself a little bit harder and achieve those results but feel there's nothing left, remember Isaiah 40:31
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Preston Squire is an author devoted to providing free inspirational, motivational and self-help materials. You can find more articles by Preston Squire and others at http://www.thecuphalffull.com/
I have occasionally taken a blog post I wrote for this blog and transferred it over to my self-help site http://www.thecuphalffull.com/ (formerly PrestonsPearls.com) after some slight editting.
Today though I'm doing the opposite. But in a way I'm not. I've written the following article not for my own use at thecuphalffull.com for for my friend. However I did post in on my own website and why not?
As this makes the first time I've written an article in this manner I thought it would be worth noting here as well. I have had other articles published before, notably from anonymousemployee.com, but this is the first done with a hope of driving traffic to my website from other sites. The first of (what I trust) will be many, many such articles (mostly reprints of existing blog entries).
Hopefully, this will help to raise the profile of my site. Can't hurt, it's virtually non-existant now (I do get 1-2 visitors per day).
Pushing Through to the Next Level
By Preston Squire
When the Student is Ready, the Master will Appear.
I met Active Image President Cathy Morenzie at a very fortuitous time. She had just started the Start Fast, Finish Strong 100 Day Challenge and prompted me to get involved too. I had already decided to get more serious about my health and had recently joined a local gym. So when I signed up for The 100 Day Challenge I made one of my goals to put on ten pounds of muscle mass.
That may not seem like a lofty goal but I had tried for years to put on weight, including going to a gym for a year in my thirties and working out with weights while drinking high protein weight gain shakes in my twenties and had only ever managed to gain five pounds at most. For better or worse I was one of those people who could eat like a starving hippo and remain remarkably slim.
Cathy was kind enough to give me a fitness evaluation and set me up on a workout routine. After that I was on my own. During the fitness evaluation Cathy did mention something that really stuck in my head.
Aim to Fail
The mistake most people make when lifting weights is they tend to lift what they can successfully manage. In other words they'll successfully do two sets of curls with thirty pound weights (for example) when they should really be pushing themselves with thirty-five pounds weights even though they may not be able to finish their sets. If you're able to complete your sets, especially easily, then you're not gaining any muscle mass. Your existing muscle mass is up to the challenge and has no need to increase. It's not until you push yourself beyond your (mental) limits, that you tear your muscles and they need to grow back bigger and stronger.
A Strength Greater Than Ourselves.
I also quickly discovered that so much of physical fitness was really mental. As soon as my muscles began to ache or feel weak I would think to myself, 'Ugh, I'm done' and my body would correspondingly respond. Cathy made me realize I had more in me and if I wanted to see results, I'd need to tap into that and push myself beyond those preconceived limits.
So now when I'm about to do a challenging set, having increased the amount of weight or one I had really struggled with previously, I say a quick prayer, asking God to do for me what I can not do for myself. To give me the physical and mental strength to complete the set. As I pray I visualize the body I want and see myself not only lifting the amount I'm about to do but even more.
Am I magically endued with enough strength to lift whatever? No, of course not. I do find it helps considerably and allows me to push myself harder than I would otherwise. Once I really start to struggle I mentally pray some more for added strength until I finish the set, until I'm completely unable to do so or until I feel as if continuing might prove harmful. It doesn't ultimately matter if I finished the set, what matters is by pusher harder and going further, I achieve better results.
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
-Matthew 21:22
Results so far have been very promising. Half way through my 100 Day Challenge and I have already successfully put on ten pounds and seen a significant improvement in my build. I have also consistently increased the amount of weight I'm using in my exercise routine, in some cases doubling the amount I started with. However, to be completely honest, I was at a conference for a week, and while I did strive to maintain my workout routine, I think the abundance of free food probably assisted with the weight gain. I would guess a couple of those pounds don't quite quality as 'muscle mass'. However, that's still eight pounds in fifty days with fifty more to go. Consequently I have risen my goal adding another four pounds to my intended weight gain and reaching what I consider as an ideal weight.
So whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle or just maintain good health, when you want to push yourself a little bit harder and achieve those results but feel there's nothing left, remember Isaiah 40:31
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
©Preston Squire 2009
Preston Squire is an author devoted to providing free inspirational, motivational and self-help materials. You can find more articles by Preston Squire and others at http://www.thecuphalffull.com/
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Day 50 of the 100 Day Challenge
Wow!! Half way to the finish mark. Time to review and see how close I am to my goals.
I have 5 goals for this 100 Day Challenge which are:
Get my books published
Be earning $1000.00 a month from my website
Put on 10 lbs of muscle mass
Become financially self sufficient
Begin a relationship with my future wife
So I'm half way to the end of the challenge, am I half way to achieving my goals? Let's see.
I hired an editor to review my book, Dillon's Dilemma. She's finished and I am now in the process of revising my book based on her feedback. However, that is progressing very slowly. At the current rate of speed I will not even have it ready to show anyone for months to come. However, if I can get the first three chapters done, that would be enough to entice an agent.
I've done a lot of studying for my website, gotten someone to help design/build it for me, renamed it, have ideas for logos, colours, theme. Need cash to progress. Starting to market it through facebook, forums. Currently make no money but only need 100 people to earn $1000.00. It's doable but I need to get the word out more to drive sufficient traffic. Also need more disposable income to advance website.
This is the area where I am having the most measurable returns having already put on 8-10 lbs. It's hard to say that's all muscle mass but most of it is. To be certain I'm now shooting for another 5 lbs (175 lb total).
Book is moving forward and that could dramatically increase income. Website is progressing and that could significantly increase income. Stock market trading has been studied and put on the back burner for now until I have sufficient cash to invest. Lots of potential but zero realized. Need to start generating measurable results.
In hindsight, I wonder if this goal wasn't a mistake because it requires outside forces that I have no control over. Regardless, I have been actively dating and meeting many wonderful woman. Again, a ton of potential but little realized.
I need to be more structured and disciplined in my approach. I need to set more short term targets and aggressively work to meet them. I need to become more serious and focused. I also need to have more fun doing all of this because sometimes it all (even dating) feels like a chore and there's no passion in that.
At this point I do feel I'm behind in some, ahead in others. Finding a book publisher by Dec 31 (originally Nov 30) seems very unlikely but certainly remains a possibility.
Earning a thousand a month off my website also seems unlikely since I'm still at zero but certainly possible with some aggressive and successful marketing.
Being financially self-sufficient will depend on the two previous.
Weight goal reached and extended! Need to improve diet, and consistancy. Also switch up program.
Romance is really difficult to measure since I have no crystal ball to see who my future wife will be. I may have a relationship (of a sort) with her now! Or I may not have even met her yet. The search continues.
I have 5 goals for this 100 Day Challenge which are:
Get my books published
Be earning $1000.00 a month from my website
Put on 10 lbs of muscle mass
Become financially self sufficient
Begin a relationship with my future wife
So I'm half way to the end of the challenge, am I half way to achieving my goals? Let's see.
I hired an editor to review my book, Dillon's Dilemma. She's finished and I am now in the process of revising my book based on her feedback. However, that is progressing very slowly. At the current rate of speed I will not even have it ready to show anyone for months to come. However, if I can get the first three chapters done, that would be enough to entice an agent.
I've done a lot of studying for my website, gotten someone to help design/build it for me, renamed it, have ideas for logos, colours, theme. Need cash to progress. Starting to market it through facebook, forums. Currently make no money but only need 100 people to earn $1000.00. It's doable but I need to get the word out more to drive sufficient traffic. Also need more disposable income to advance website.
This is the area where I am having the most measurable returns having already put on 8-10 lbs. It's hard to say that's all muscle mass but most of it is. To be certain I'm now shooting for another 5 lbs (175 lb total).
Book is moving forward and that could dramatically increase income. Website is progressing and that could significantly increase income. Stock market trading has been studied and put on the back burner for now until I have sufficient cash to invest. Lots of potential but zero realized. Need to start generating measurable results.
In hindsight, I wonder if this goal wasn't a mistake because it requires outside forces that I have no control over. Regardless, I have been actively dating and meeting many wonderful woman. Again, a ton of potential but little realized.
I need to be more structured and disciplined in my approach. I need to set more short term targets and aggressively work to meet them. I need to become more serious and focused. I also need to have more fun doing all of this because sometimes it all (even dating) feels like a chore and there's no passion in that.
At this point I do feel I'm behind in some, ahead in others. Finding a book publisher by Dec 31 (originally Nov 30) seems very unlikely but certainly remains a possibility.
Earning a thousand a month off my website also seems unlikely since I'm still at zero but certainly possible with some aggressive and successful marketing.
Being financially self-sufficient will depend on the two previous.
Weight goal reached and extended! Need to improve diet, and consistancy. Also switch up program.
Romance is really difficult to measure since I have no crystal ball to see who my future wife will be. I may have a relationship (of a sort) with her now! Or I may not have even met her yet. The search continues.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Day 45 of the 100 Day Challenge
Almost to the mid-way point and I'm hitting a real lul. Yesterday was my worst day for the entire Challenge thus far having only worked on one of my five goals and ignoring all others. To be far there was a lot of emotionally intensive things going on and I mentalled checked out afterwards but I think the important thing here is the overall loss of momentum I've experienced over the last couple weeks.
Momentum is great once you get it going but it can be very hard to maintain over a long dry period when you're not seeing the results you're hoping for.
Which is why it's always great to surround yourself with other upbeat and optomistic people. However, currently many of mine are also facing significant challenges at the moment. Even my challenge buddy is currently feeling off key and she didn't do any better than I yesterday.
Once lost it's harder to build momentum back up again but there's no point in mopping over that. It's natural to have your ups and downs and even the every best of us won't be performing 100% every day. The idea isn't to never have a downturn, although that would be a nice ideal, it's to not get discouraged when it happens. That's the time to really show what you're made of, roll up your sleeves, dig in your heels and carry-on.
According to Anthony Robbins, 90% of people quit just 10% away from achieving success. I don't know if it's true. I'd wager most people quit a lot further from the finishing line than that. Hell, a lot chuck of people quit before the race even begins! Regardless, a lot of people DO quit just prior to making it.
It's always darkest before the dawn.
There's truth in that saying as no one goes through life without meeting adversity. For some reason the greatest adversity always seems to come before ultimate success. Many allow it to deter them, a select few choose to see the opportunity the adversity provides. They do not allow failure to deter them, in fact, they relish the failure because they see it as a stepping stone to success.
Even without failure, a general lack of results can be disheartening and discouraging. A good way to help avoid this is to set a lot of goal posts along the way. When you're only looking at the end result it can seem impossibly far away. For example, if you were to drive from New York to LA and be stuck behind a slow moving truck the entire way, then when you went to check your progress it could be really disappointing to see you're still days away. However, if you've set small goals along the way, you can take heart in reaching each one. It may be behind schedule (and another part of the trip you might go faster than expected) but it's a surefire sign of progress.
Keep setting daily goals for yourself. Measurable goals and put them in order of importance. Likely you won't achieve them all but even if all you get done are one or two, and since your prioritized they are the most important one or two, you're still going to feel pretty good about it.
Also remember the past doesn't equal the future. Just because you haven't had any luck finding a job or a lover for the last three months doesn't mean you won't find one today or tomorrow. However, if you allow those three months of disappointment to affect your attitude then you could be setting yourself up for failure.
So what if you're off track, things haven't gone as you planned and you've met failure (or at least lack of success)? Welcome to Life 101. That's how it goes for each and every one of us at one point or another. Be grateful for what you have, envision your goals even more (I know you don't feel like it), really rekindle the fire and KEEP moving.
You can bet I am.
Momentum is great once you get it going but it can be very hard to maintain over a long dry period when you're not seeing the results you're hoping for.
Which is why it's always great to surround yourself with other upbeat and optomistic people. However, currently many of mine are also facing significant challenges at the moment. Even my challenge buddy is currently feeling off key and she didn't do any better than I yesterday.
Once lost it's harder to build momentum back up again but there's no point in mopping over that. It's natural to have your ups and downs and even the every best of us won't be performing 100% every day. The idea isn't to never have a downturn, although that would be a nice ideal, it's to not get discouraged when it happens. That's the time to really show what you're made of, roll up your sleeves, dig in your heels and carry-on.
According to Anthony Robbins, 90% of people quit just 10% away from achieving success. I don't know if it's true. I'd wager most people quit a lot further from the finishing line than that. Hell, a lot chuck of people quit before the race even begins! Regardless, a lot of people DO quit just prior to making it.
It's always darkest before the dawn.
There's truth in that saying as no one goes through life without meeting adversity. For some reason the greatest adversity always seems to come before ultimate success. Many allow it to deter them, a select few choose to see the opportunity the adversity provides. They do not allow failure to deter them, in fact, they relish the failure because they see it as a stepping stone to success.
Even without failure, a general lack of results can be disheartening and discouraging. A good way to help avoid this is to set a lot of goal posts along the way. When you're only looking at the end result it can seem impossibly far away. For example, if you were to drive from New York to LA and be stuck behind a slow moving truck the entire way, then when you went to check your progress it could be really disappointing to see you're still days away. However, if you've set small goals along the way, you can take heart in reaching each one. It may be behind schedule (and another part of the trip you might go faster than expected) but it's a surefire sign of progress.
Keep setting daily goals for yourself. Measurable goals and put them in order of importance. Likely you won't achieve them all but even if all you get done are one or two, and since your prioritized they are the most important one or two, you're still going to feel pretty good about it.
Also remember the past doesn't equal the future. Just because you haven't had any luck finding a job or a lover for the last three months doesn't mean you won't find one today or tomorrow. However, if you allow those three months of disappointment to affect your attitude then you could be setting yourself up for failure.
So what if you're off track, things haven't gone as you planned and you've met failure (or at least lack of success)? Welcome to Life 101. That's how it goes for each and every one of us at one point or another. Be grateful for what you have, envision your goals even more (I know you don't feel like it), really rekindle the fire and KEEP moving.
You can bet I am.
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