Never Settle For Less

Earlier today I googled "Top 10 Reasons to Workout".  To my not so pleasant surprise I found 140,000,000 records.  I poked around in a few of the articles trying to decide if I should add my own unique twist to this over saturated market.  After close examination I decided that it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t throw my hat into the ring.  I’m not afraid of 140,000,000 records!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy my 10 More (Top) Reasons to Work Out.

1 - Peep Show

I worked out for a full year and a half at a corporate gym.  Then one day I decided to take things to the next level and join a more advanced fitness club.  My eyes thanked me immediately!  I’d been missing out on some of the best looking, most attractive, motivating female specimens around.

Since I’m all about taking the opportunity to improve myself I decided to improve my sneak-a-peek skills.  Initially, it was awkward so I only used my long range sneak-a-peek vision.  After a while my courage grew and I was staring at people within arms reach.  I’d gotten to the point where I could deadlift, sneak-a-peek, and turn away without being noticed.

I think Batman would be proud.

There have been plenty of times when the sneak-a-peek has gotten me through the workout when nothing else could.

2 - Sense of Accomplishment

A successful workouts provides a unrivaled sense of accomplishment.  The ability to concretely measure the beginning, middle, and end is a huge psychological plus.  There is a sense of gratification from improving your benchpress 35%, beating a personal best in a mile run, or trimming off 20 lbs. Few things can beat the high of knowing you’ve toppled a personal goal.

3 - Vanity Fair

We all like to look at ourselves in the mirror (some of us more than other’s).  Most people may not willingly admit it but that doesn’t make it any less true.  The gym is one of the few places where you may not feel like a self-righteous, narcissistic, pompous, vain, conceited, and egotistical jerk for marveling at the perfection you’ve created for 4 or 5 minutes straight.  Just don’t try it at home.

4 - You can throw things

Ever wanted to throw something at school, home, or in the office but you knew you couldn’t?

In the gym you can pretty much throw whatever you want and call it exercise!  There’s usually a benefit or 2 as well (strength, endurance, etc).  So instead of tossing your lamp, computer, desk, or something else you’d eventually have to replace try this.  Go to the gym, pick up a medicine ball, and toss it around.  At least if you break something you won’t have to pay for it.  That’s what the dues are for.

5 - Meet Very Interesting People There

The gym is a place where interesting people come and congregate in mass.  In my time I’ve run into some interesting people indeed.

1. Man working out in a trash bag
2. Fitness Models
3. Male dancer (who offered me a job in the same line of work)
4. Immigration Lawyer
5. A woman who would eventually stalk me
6. A man who would eventually stalk me

I had to stop the list there because I was starting to get bad memories, but I’m sure you get the picture.  There are some interesting characters in the gym.

6 - Prepares you for life

I sincerely believe that working out prepares you for life.   The experience is so tangible and in your face.  Working out a consistent basis gives you the opportunity to create goals, suffer through pitfalls, pick yourself up, and eventually excel at what you’re doing.

The last time I checked life was about creating goals, suffering through the pitfalls, and learning to dust yourself off and keep going. The gym wraps that up in a neat little package, seals it for you, and delivers it to your doorstep for about $30 a month.

You can’t beat that with a 10 foot pole.

7 - Establishes discipline

Ever felt like you lacked the discipline to get things done?

Ever wished you could involve yourself in something that would help you establish unquestionable discipline?

Setting a workout schedule and sticking to it is the perfect way to establish discipline.  After you establish discipline in the gym you can then carry over to the rest of your life and improve tenfold.

I bet the gym is looking better and better by the moment .

8 - Respect

People seem to naturally respect those that work out.  Some people pay homage through jealousy while others are more positive and upbeat.  The ways in which people pay their respect doesn’t really matter.  I smile just as hard when I’m called a “juicer” as when I get a normal compliment.  To me it all sounds like “you’re doing a wonderful job taking care of yourself”.
Working out, developing a muscular body, and pushing yourself beyond societal biases and norms is definitely abnormal.  People naturally respect that behavior.  Deep down inside they probably wish they could do it to.

9 - Eventually you’ll have to beat them off with a stick

Common sense (and some studies) have shown that people are attracted to muscles.  Big surprise!!  As a society we’ve made it painfully clear that having more muscle and less fat is a good thing.  I’ve definitely seen a noticeable increase in female interest since I’ve made the transition over to be being “buff”.   It’s a simple fact of life that those who are more physically appealing have a better chance with the opposite sex.  While it may not be “fair” its definitely true.

If you get to the really elite level you’ll be beating them off with a stick Fabio style.

10 - It’s Good For You

‘Nuff said.

Conclusion

Am I doing a good job?

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One of my pet peeves is when someone looks me right in the eyes and tells me a lie.  I don’t care about little white lies.  Yes you can tell me my faded and ripped up shirt looks good.  That just might land you on my good side.  Don’t look me in the eyes and try to convince me the sky is black.  It’s just not true.  I know it, you know it, the whole world knows it.

I’ve come to realize that  a good number of people look themselves in the mirror and flat out lie about what they’re doing to attain a new body.  There really isn’t a whole lot of mystery to the system.  By now we all know that you need to eat six times a day, participate in some cardio to burn fat, and use the age old principle of progressive overload if you really want to sculpt your body.
Why then do so many people continually lie to themselves with regards to what they’re doing?  It’s not helpful at all.  It only serves to delay your results.  Why not own up to what you’re doing and improve yourself?

I’ll use a co-worker of mine as an example.  He’s been trying for the better part of the last year to lose the same 20 lbs.  Sometimes he’ll temporarily put a dent in the number before his weight always seems to come back.  Every time I see him we have to go through the same song and dance.

Typical Conversation
Coworker: “Hey Marcus I’m still trying to lose these last pesky 20 pounds.  I’m doing everything right but the weight just won’t come off.  You got any suggestions?”

Marcus: “Sure, let’s start where we always start.  What kind of workout are you doing?”

Coworker: “I do cardio 2-3 times a week for 25 minutes”

Marcus: “When is the last time you’ve increased the resistance setting or duration of your exercise?”

Coworker: “I haven’t ever increased it.  It’s comfortable for me and I get a small sweat going.  Isn’t that enough?”
Marcus: “Do you still have the sample workout I gave you with weights and cardio recommendations?”

Coworker: “Yeah I have it but I don’t use it.  I don’t want to bulk up from lifting weights.”

Marcus: “You’re aware that by ignoring what I’ve given you that you’re not doing EVERYTHING required to pull off those 20 pounds right?”

Coworker: “….”

Marcus: “I’m just trying to help you out.  If you’d like to defy years of proven tactics and advice be my guest.  It’s your time.  See you later.”

Coworker: “….”

In the last year or so I’ve had plenty of conversations just like this one.  The words may be different but the results are the same.  The person invariably feels that the laws of physics don’t work for them and they just aren’t meant to lose weight.  Those same people have refused to

• Lift Weights
• Participate in Any Cardio
• Cut out just 1 of the toxic foods they regularly overdose on
• Drink a few glasses of water a day
• Bust a sweat in the gym
• Measure themselves against their starting point

Obviously if you’re avoiding even one of those bullet points then you aren’t doing everything within your power.  The world doesn’t hate you and the deck isn’t stacked against you.  All you have to do is know the rules of the game and play it.  It’s that simple.

Conclusion

Lying to yourself is a terrible habit to develop.  If you’re not doing everything you should be doing to get in shape then at least be honest with yourself about the situation.  Own up to the fact that you’re leaving out important components of the system.  After you own up to it DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

You’d be better served to tell yourself the truth in the long run.  Owning up to the situation will allow you to see some results and stop lying to yourself.  That’s 2 benefits at once.

What more could you ask for?

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It’s that time of year again.  The time when all hope springs eternal.  That special time when we re-align, reassess, and re-focus our lives (or so we say).

On January 1, 2008 I got trapped in a New Year’s Resolution discussion.  As is the tradition on New Year’s Day she let me in on a little secret…she had New Year’s Resolutions!  After telling me what things she planned to update, change, or improve in 2008 she then turned the spotlight to me.

"What New Year’s Resolutions are you making this year?" she asked with a smile.

I knew the answer well before she asked me so I decided to build in some suspense.  What’s the use of having friends if you can’t have a little fun with them right?

I wrinkled my eyebrows, placed one hand on my chin, and pretended to be in deep thought over this puzzling question.  The more I waited the more anxious she become.  Torturing her was a little too easy so I stretched the "thought process" out even longer.  After 45 seconds of fake thinking I was ready to let her have it.

"I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions" I said.  She recoiled as if I were a monster.  I’m not a monster, I’m just into jumping into death traps.  Not my style .
The New Year’s Resolution is by far the worst trend that I’ve ever observed.  Trends like zubaz pants and pet rocks were at least kind enough to die.  The New Year’s  Resolution does us no such favors.  On January 1 18 billion goals are launched into the sky.  A mere 2 weeks later 7.99 billion have come crashing down to earth.

Read on to find out how to avoid falling into the New Year’s Resolution Death trap.

1-Don’t Buy Into The Hype

Too much fuss is made about the new year and the new opportunities that it brings (even though nothing much has changed).  December 31, 2007 was a Monday and January 1, 2008 is a Tuesday.  That’s the only difference. How much times in our lives have we went to sleep on Monday only to wake up on Tuesday oh glorious Tuesday?  Is this one really that much different?  Did something miraculous happen to you in your sleep last night?  It’s doubtful…extremely doubtful.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty it’s just another day.

2-Listen Up

This time of the year has become an interesting time for me.  Since I’m seen as a weight loss expert I am constantly barraged with questions about what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.  Before I can begin I have to break down the wall of misinformation in everyone’s heads.  I’m shocking people every day by simply telling them to eat less, exercise more, get some H2O flowing in their systems, cut back on the beers , and create realistic expectations.  You’d swear I was beating up little children with some of the faces I get.

Some people listen and some people spout off about the newest diet pill on TV.  I don’t have the time or the energy to argue about "scientific research" at the sugar pill factory so I’ve learned to let it go.  I work with those who will listen and I let the rest do as they please.  It’s nearly impossible to convince someone who wants to waste their own time not to do it.
Don’t be bull-headed when you set out those 2008 goals.  If you know someone who’s been there and done that.  Open your ears and listen.  You just might save yourself the trouble of making the same resolution in 2009, 2010, and 2028.

3-Prepare for the Stumbling Blocks

Planning for success is a very tricky thing.  Our natural urge is to be as optimistic as humanly possible. Use your rational thinking skills to be both optimistic and realistic.

Preparation for the hard times needs to go into that thinking. Just think for a second:

• What happens if the weight doesn’t come tumbling off?
• What happens if you don’t land that dream job in 3 months?
• What happens if you lose on American Idol?
• What happens if you don’t have a Valentine’s Day date on February 13?

These are all very real possibilities.  Not everything will line up perfectly and you need to be prepared.  Some days you will come outside to perfect temperature, dancing children, and an express way free of traffic.  Other days you’ll come outside to sleet storms, kids rolling in the mud, and bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper traffic.

Be prepared for both.  Your sanity will thank you.

4-Lay a Foundation and Progress From There

Rome wasn’t built in a day and your new life won’t be either.  DO NOT be so caught up with your new goals that you allow yourself to overlook all logic.  The largest and most beautiful buildings in history were built one unit at a time.  Look at the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, The Great Sphinx of Egypt, and the Roman Colosseum.  You think these buildings came together overnight?  Of course you don’t.

Avoid being naive and thinking things will change overnight.  By and large they won’t.  You’ll only damage yourself looking for the quick and easy route to long lasting change.  Spend the next few months laying the foundation for the lifestyle you will create for yourself.  Let somebody else get their life changed for 3 easy payments of $19.99 (or whatever the rate is these days).
I always say if its worth doing then it’s worth doing right.  If you’re not going to do it right then why bother?

Conclusion

You can level-set, re-align, get your act together, rejigger (yes that is a word ), or otherwise improve your life at any point you so choose.  It doesn’t have to be and it most likely won’t be on January 1.  1/1 is competing with 364 days.  That’s a lot of pressure for Tuesday to handle!

Remember to avoid the hype, open your ears, prepare for the stumbling blocks, and lay a foundation. You’ll be well ahead of 99.99999999% of the New Year’s Resolutions crowd.  Oh yeah one more thing.  You can use this outline for other goals too .

If you like this blog bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Failing is a natural part of life that everybody experiences.  As people grow, mature, and branch out they inevitably run into circumstances that test their will and guts.  In order to overcome failure you must realize that failure is a temporary condition.  Nothing more and nothing less.  Follow along with me as I tell a personal story about facing failure in speech contests.  Enjoy

November 2006 Area Humorous Speech Contest

My first attempt at bringing home first place in a speech contest was in November of 2006.  All the details are still crystal  clear in my mind.  It was a cool, clean, and crisp Saturday morning.  I was  heading off to represent my club in the Area Humorous Speech Contest.  I was on  cloud 9 when I arrived.  By the time I left I was disgusted and dejected.
3 people were competing that day.  A heavy set man around the age of  30, a petite older woman around the age of 50, and myself.  We were all  there for the same reason: crush the competition and move on to the division level.
Competition makes me feel alive so I was pumped and ready to go.  I was fully prepared to blow the audience away and take home  the crown.  I’d practiced the speech and its elements at least 20 times.  My audience would be treated  to a humorous speech about car mechanics and what they really do to your car.   My opening was sure to draw them in, the body was sure to grab their attention,  and my closing was sure to send them off laughing.  It was nearly perfect. All I needed  was for my name to be called.

15 minutes before the speeches began we drew numbers to decide on the  speaking order. The heavy set man was first, I was second, and the woman was  third.  I took my seat and waited eagerly for the competition to  begin.

The heavy man’s speech was ironically about his weight.  He talked about why  he was fat.  He poked at his belly.  He made a few jokes about the fattening  foods he planned on eating later on that day.  Then he went for the jugular.  In  a totally unpredictable move he began to explain how his mother was disowning  him until he lost weight!  The crowd erupted with laughter.  He walked away from  the stage and went back to his seat.

By my estimation he’d done a decent job.  His opening was alright, he encouraged mild chuckles at his jokes, and he seemed to touch a sympathetic note by  talking about being overweight.  Good but not better than what I had in store.
Next up was me.  As my name and credentials were being announced I readied  myself for battle.  I took it up a notch from the beginning.  Unlike the first  speaker I asked for audience participation.  Everyone closed their eyes,  held out their right hand, and imagined they were holding their auto mechanic’s  face in their palm.  Then on the count of 3 they all smacked his face for extorting thousands of dollars  from their pockets!

As I expected they all exploded with laughter. They were hooked.  I weaved in and out of disastrous run ins I’d had with my very own  mechanic.  They learned about how I’d suspected him of driving my car on a date,  painting it the wrong color (twice), and even trying to hold on to it longer to  pull more money from my pocket.

Each punchline brought more and more laughter.  My confidence was growing  with every passing second.  For my ending I offered them one golden nugget of advice.  I paused and used my serious lecture face “The next time your car breaks down on the highway and you feel your wallet  getting lighter do yourself a favor…leave it there and go buy a bus pass”.

More explosions of laughter (the contest master was still laughing when he came to shake my hand as I exited the stage) .That was it!  No doubt about it.  I’d won.  Everyone smiled and cheered as I  took my seat.

Finally came the older woman.  She told a story about the advantages of  having 2 husbands to a crowd that was 85% woman.  Every single woman in the  house (they’re husbands obviously weren’t there) nodded in agreement.  They  giggled the entire time as she talked about how wonderful it would be to have 2  people buying clothes, 2 people paying for cars, and 2 people begging for her now divided attention.

The premise behind the speech was a good one.  I didn’t care much for the  delivery.  Her speech was filled with double negatives, improper subject verb  agreement, and other assaults on the english language.

After we were all done the judges left to tally the votes.  Before I could  make a move 5 or 6 people from the audience come over to congratulate me on a  sure victory.  Then the other contestants came over and did the same.  I thanked  them all and remained in my seat eager to her the official verdict.
The contest chair took the cards from the judge.  With a look of uncertainty  he began to make the announcements.

“Our third place contestant is…Marcus Smith” he said.

I looked around to make sure everybody else had heard that.   Surely, something was wrong.  DEAD LAST.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  It took all I had  to walk up to the podium, take my award, and return to my seat without absolutely pitching  a fit.

My body temperature began to rise as I read the 3rd place certificate.  Everything seemed so unreal.  I  could hear the 2nd place (the older woman) and 1st place (the fat man) being  announced but it didn’t seem like I was in the room.  They were in another world  were people couldn’t understand the quality of a good speech.

After the competition was over I left quickly.  I hopped into my car and  slammed the door.  I sped home weaving in and out of traffic like a NASCAR  driver.  When I got home I threw my certificate on the floor and tried to forget  that I’d even been to a competition.  I felt robbed.

Fallout from Losing

• Audience Participation? Check
• Attention grabbing opening? Check
• Great Eye Contact? Check
• Great Pace? Check
• Well Placed Jokes? Check
• Fantastic Witty Conclusion? Check

Things weren’t making sense.  Thinking about the competition only served made my blood boil even more.  I decided to continue entering contests until I won.

2007 Failures

I don’t want to depress you with stories of sorrow so I’ll just say this. During 2007 I got spanked in 3 more competitions.  I was not pleased. Sadness , anger , and near tear drops :’( were the norm.  That was up until December of 2007.

December 2007 Triumph

On December 3, 2007 I finally came out on top.  This time I faced 5 skillful adversaries. 1 was a relative newcomer, 2 of them have been speaking for half of my life, 1 had spanked me in an earlier competition, and 1 speaks for a living.

The earlier beat downs I took taught me some things about topic selection, delivery, how to not throw tables when you lose, proper movement, story development, and how to really connect with an audience.  I’d need all those tools on December 3.

So now came the moment of truth.  Time to use all the tools.  We drew numbers and I ended up going last. I was so focused on my speech that I barely paid attention to the other 5 orators.  I had to ask around afterwards to find out that I’d beaten at least 3 great speeches.

My speech started off by taking the audience back to my childhood.  I told the story of a childhood neighbor growing a garden in a neighborhood with notoriously poor lawns.  The story had it all

• Intrigue
• Jealousy
• Humor (I spied on her)
• Visualization
• Focus on the audience

I didn’t stop with that story.  I explained to them all how the story tied into their personal and professional lives.  How they had the opportunity to grow through Toastmasters (the speech organization).  How Napoleon Hill (Presidential Advisor), Peter Coors (Chairman of Coors Brewing Company), and Tim Allen (movie stare) all started out in a room just like the one they were in.  I explained that they too could grow and achieve great things by exploring their creativity and expressiveness in Toastmasters.  Thundering applause rang out at my conclusion.
I had finally done it!  The lessons I’d learned from past failures came together in what was my best speech.  Against the highest level of competition to date I’d finally come out on top.
So how does this relate to you?

Conclusion

Failure is a good thing when you allow  yourself to learn from it.  When you lose you are forced to look inside and discover why you didn’t come out on top.  Are you unprepared?  Are you overmatched? Did you take things too lightly? Did you overlook critical details?  Are you really taking steps to improve? Did you give your absolute best effort?  Have you learned anything from  your past failures?

Always remember that failure is temporary and fleeting.  Just because you’ve been trounced once doesn’t mean you’re cursed to lifelong failure.  Every time I got thrashed in a contest I learned something.  Every loss was an opportunity to figure out what people did and didn’t like.  Every loss was an opportunity to experiment.  Every loss was an opportunity to challenge myself and GROW.

Use your failures as learning tools to propel yourself to the next level.  You (and the rest of the world) will be happy you did.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

For weeks now I’ve been resisting the temptation to create a "things I’m thankful/grateful/happy to have/ridiculously in love with" list. Once I decided to do it I next had to settle on a list size.  5 couldn’t hope to cover it all and 100 would be overdoing it.  With that in mind I sat down to create the list and eventually ended up with 25 things I’m really grateful for. It’s an experience that really clears the mind and puts things in perspective.  Here it is:

1. My Grandmother - for raising me and putting up with my childhood antics
2. My Father - for instilling 1,000 good values into my system
3. My Mother - for suffering through the pain of bringing me to earth
4. My Brother and Sister - providing inspiration, humor, and energy when no one else can
5. My Aunt - for being one of the most understanding people I’ve ever met
6. My Cousins - for ummm…well…hmmmm
7. My Friends - for being one of the most supportive groups of people anyone can ever hope to have
8. My Girlfriend - for tolerating and supporting my madness (I almost feel sorry for you)
9. My Creativity - for waking me up in the middle of the night with energy, ideas, plans, poems, speeches, books, business ideas, and everything else under the sign
10. My Curiosity - for helping me delve into random things that help me grow
11. Toastmasters - for helping me discover my true talents and purpose
12. Chuck Kinnebrew - for being one of the first people to provide career guidance
13. Phil Parker - for being one of the first to provide honest entrepreneurial guidance
14. Terrence Moore - for being one of the first to challenge me in ways I couldn’t imagine
15. The internet - for providing a wealth of resources, knowledge, and entertainment
16. Georgia Tech - for providing the first truly challenging experience of my life.  I hated it while I was there but I can’t replace the lessons I learned.
17. Cordele, GA - for giving me a greater appreciation of the world
18. 50 long gone pounds of fat - for unlocking my inner motivation and perseverance
19. My current career - for providing a solid business background and showing me what I really want to do with my existence
20. The Future - for shining bright and holding endless possibilities
21. My overactive brain - for keeping me alive and kicking
22. U.S. Citizenship - for giving me the freedom to do whatever I (legally) please
23. My courage - it may be foolish, outlandish, and ridiculous but it’s MINE!
24. Technology - for making so many things easier and more accessible
25. My blog readers - for supporting me, reading my thoughts, and passing my information on to zillions of people

Feel free to comment on my list or leave your own list in the comment section.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Very few words twist me up or get my blood boiling like the word "normal".  I always have been and always will be annoyed by the idea that being "normal" is the most desirable way to live life.  Don’t get me wrong.  I understand that you must wear shoes in public places, eat food with utensils, and hold the door for the fairer sex.  Honestly, that’s where my list of "normal" behavior ends.

My propensity for abnormal behavior has led me to some crazy places.  I have wild scarring on my arms and legs, I love public speaking, I constantly challenge things I don’t agree with, act like a white person (whatever that means), and I’ve changed my life by dropping 50 of the most disgusting pounds I’ve ever carried.  All of these things are fun and rewarding for me but they aren’t considered "normal" by any stretch.
From what I’ve seen the people who avoid being "normal" are the ones who enjoy their lives the most.  They may not be the richest (in a surprising number of cases they are pretty well off), they may not have the best bodies, and they may not have the most complex words in their vocabularies.  However, they are enjoying their lives 100 times more than the "normal" people who just go around fogging up mirrors.
I could probably list 99 reasons why being "normal" sucks but I’ll keep it to 3.

1 - “Normal” People blend right in with the crowd

Have you ever noticed how most people seem to be carbon copies of somebody else.  That’s a weird trend if I’ve ever seen one.  If I run into one more person who is an up and coming, enterprising, detail-oriented, data driven,  business minded, self-starting (fill in the blank based on career) I may and hold a pillow over my nose.  Here’s a news flash.  Not everybody is detail-oriented and data driven.  If they were 70% of the people on this great planet wouldn’t be complaining about job dissatisfaction.

Sometimes I think we were all made at a people printing plant.  I challenge anyone to disprove my theory.

2 - “Normal” People are not Memorable

People have an overwhelming tendency to ask what you do for a living when they meet you.  For the longest time I’d blurt out a short description of what I actually do between 9-5 on a daily basis.  I’d give my pre-prepared spiel on how I ran reports, provided ad-hoc analysis, and brought dollars back to the bottom line as a logistics analyst.  95% of the people I met couldn’t remember that 4 weeks later.

About six months ago that answer morphed into something totally different.  To amuse myself I shortened that answer down to one word…nothing.  I know exactly what you’re saying.

Why would you tell people that you do nothing?  The answer is simple.

It’s probably the most memorable answer you can give to that question.  It’s only done for shock value.

Usually I’ll come back to the person 4-5 minutes later and explain to them what I actually do. So far nobody has forgotten that!
It’s memorable and it allows me to position myself as someone who’s comfortable, confident, and MEMORABLE.  How many “normal” people can you remember a month after you’ve met them?

Exactly.

3 - “Normal” People Never Challenge Themselves

In order to be normal you must truly aspire to astrological levels of “normal” activity.  “Normal” people just  aren’t comfortable pushing their boundaries.
Go ahead and challenge yourself.  Beware, people may look at you like an alien.  Get ready for questions like:

How dare you take a risk?

How dare you enter a contest that you may lose?

How dare you stand up for yourself?

How dare you lose weight?

How dare you gain muscle?

How dare you congregate with and meet people that are “out of your league”?

How dare you set a goal and do everything within your power to achieve it?

Just who do you think you are?

What’s gotten into you?

Are you ok?

The list could go on and on for days so here’s the point.  Stretching yourself outside of your normal comfort zone is the only way to grow and break the “normal” mold.  Whether its finding an instrument to play, meeting people of a higher pay grade, or taking a risk to measure yourself against the competition.  It’s all a part of breaking that “normal” mold and figuring out what works for you.

Conclusion
As I said earlier being normal requires that you be just that…normal.  Nothing is inherently wrong with it.  It just requires you to be a robot that walks, talks, stands, sits, coughs, dances, smiles, cries, and wears the exact same clothes as everyone else.  Go ahead and rip that bar code off your neck and discover yourself.

Here’s a piece of advice: stick out like a sore thumb, do something memorable (big or small), and challenge yourself. Trust me, its the only way you’re going to get anywhere.
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I’ll assume that if you’re reading this article then you have some interest in going through a body transformation. I did just that in 45-60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, while holding down a corporate 9-5 position with enough stress and politics to drive the president crazy! At my heaviest weight I tipped the scales at 252 lbs. At my lowest I’m 205 lbs. Since losing that weight I’ve had the pleasure of helping people shed weight along with the pain of witnessing people fail due to some easily avoidable mistakes.Losing weight is one of those topics that confuses even the smartest people on our planet. Confusion leads to mistakes, which lead to frustration, which ultimately leads to failure. In this article I will outline the 9 Most Common Body Transformation Mistakes I’ve seen.

I’m back with another version of the Motivational Thoughts series.  These are quotes I think of to inspire, push, and motivate myself.  It’s always fun to share them with others and see what they get out of it.  Enjoy!

1. Failure makes success taste that much better.
2. Constant complaining is terrible for 2 reasons:
1. No one really cares
2. It never ever improves your situation
3. Open yourself up to criticism and you’ll be surprised at what you may learn.  Don’t worry it can’t ALL be negative
4. It’s funny how thinking for yourself can earn you every label between loser and CEO.
5. All pain is perceived before it is believed.
   

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"You think so highly of yourself"

"How do you get that big head in the room?"

"I’ve never met anybody as cocky as you"

"Oh my god you’re just so arrogant"

"Your confidence level is totally unwarranted"

I hear this all the time so I feel compelled to write about it today.  My  ego, self-confidence, confidence, or foolish stupidity (depending on who you ask) is a constant conversation amongst those that don’t really know me.

Nothing is wrong with believing in yourself.  Let me repeat that.  Nothing is wrong with believing in yourself.  Even if your level of confidence is "unreasonable", "unwarranted",  "irrational", or otherwise unexplainable to the masses its still yours.  You should live your life feeling like you can climb buildings and accomplish whatever you set your mind on.  As long as your ego doesn’t harm others you’re doing just fine.

What does Ego really mean?

The word ego is simply defined as

“the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought”

I read that as simply “how you feel about yourself”. Your ego (or lack thereof) is a reflection of how you view yourself in this world.  If you think you’re a peanut then your attitude and actions will reflect that.  Likewise if you feel like a giant then your attitude will reflect that.  I can’t tell anyone how to feel about themselves but I’d much rather be a giant than a peanut.  That’s just my personal preference.

Wouldn’t you rather feel great about yourself and your abilities rather than just average?

Pros and Cons

I won’t pretend like everything about having a sky high ego is great. Here is a list of pros and cons.

CONS

• Not everyone will appreciate it
• People will misinterpret your actions
• Timid people will alienate you

PROS

• You feel great about yourself
• You tackle things you otherwise wouldn’t consider
• You can fail at things and not drown in your own sorrow
• You can bring the best out of others
• You can push yourself to the limit physically, emotionally, and mentally and be excited about it
• You enjoy your life and the experiences to come

The pros outweigh the cons .

New Acronym for EGO –> Energy  Generating Outcomes

After sitting back and thinking about ego even further I’ve come up with an acronym for it.

Energy

Generating

Outcomes

Here’s what that means.  It takes a good amount of confidence or ego to achieve things in life.  When I started out my efforts to lose weight the only thing I really had was the determination to lose weight.  That determination was fueled by my “over sized” ego.  When I decided to become a better speaker I knew I had to step up in Toastmasters.  After 32 speeches I’m 10 times better than I was 2 years ago.  That decision was also fueled by my ego.  Thats 2 life altering decisions I’ve made that were fueled by my “over sized”, “wild”, and “outrageous” ego. They’ve done nothing but make my life better.

Think about this.  The president (no matter who he is) has a healthy ego.  The CEO of the company you work for has a sizable ego. When you think about it, everyone that we admire in this society has to have a decent sized ego to reach the pinnacles of their careers.

So now here’s the question.  How much Energy Generates Outcomes for you?

Conclusion

Ego is not a bad thing.  Especially when it generates a positive energy and does good things for all.  Go about your day and feel good about yourself.  It’s the only way to go.

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Inside the Mind of a Sprinter

Put yourself inside the mind of an Olympic sprinter right before a race takes place.  Since childhood you’ve dreamed of this moment and its finally here.  All your blood, sweat, tears, weight training, and mental preparation are about to pay off.  As you shed your warm up gear you and your coach connect eyes for a split second.  He smiles, gives you a nod, and waves you off to the starting line.

The other sprinters are already in place as you take your lane.  You take your final glance around the stadium and then get into your stance.  Instinctively your ears perk up as you await the starter’s gun.  Every muscle in your body tightens with anticipation.  Right before you can relax it happens.

On your marks…get set…GO!

Your feet tap the pavement quickly and you begin to separate yourself from the pack.  Halfway through the race the crowd roars.  Out of the corner of your eye you see another sprinter coming even with you.

What do you do?

Do you fold and let him win, remain nonchalant and hope for the best, or dig deep and pull out the victory?

By the end of this article I plan on giving you the information needed to dig deep and compete to win.

Barriers to Competition

For millions of years humans have been competing. By competing I don’t necessarily mean a sporting event or a battle.  It can simply be a disagreement of principles or ideas.

Even though the urge to compete is an essential part of our being many of us take the easy road and avoid it.  Competition is avoided for 2 reasons:

1. Aversion to Conflict
2. Fear of Failure

Aversion to Conflict

It’s amazing when you realize what is considered a conflict these days.  If you form and stick to an opinion that isn’t shared by others then you just may be labeled “disagreeable”, “antagonistic”, or “unpleasant”.  Even if you know the building is going to explode in 5 minutes you shouldn’t tell anyone.  That’s not being very PC .

Have we become so obsessed with “goodness” that we turn a blind eye when something actually needs to be addressed?
It makes me smile when I hear “We can’t talk about that”,”You might not want to say that”, or “What did you just say !?!?”.  These are signs that we’ve stopped tap dancing and starting getting to the root of the issue.  Heads may be rolling but at least things are getting figured out.  What’s so “unpleasant” about that?

Fear of Failure

That little voice in our head can get to the best of us.  It’s remarkably easy to let fear of the unknown totally dominate your life.  Look at the bad things that could happen to us out in the world:

• You could lose money
• You could be rejected
• You could fall flat on your face
• You could lose credibility
• Your may end up with nothing to show for it
• You could end up on YouTube with less money, rejected, flat on your face, less credible, nothing to show for it, with some apple pie on your face

OH NO! The apocalypse is coming.
Seriously, any failure in competition is temporary and should be treated as such. When I was 11 years old I cost my football team a regular season game.  Near the end of the game I threw 2 interceptions that sealed the deal.  I thought the world was going to collapse upon my tiny shoulders.  3 hours after the game I stopped crying due to lack of water in my body.

The sting of that loss stayed with me for a few days.  I moved around the house with little interest in anything beyond moping.  After my father tired of it he basically told me in his straight forward fashion  “suck it up, it’s not the end of the world, move on”.  It wasn’t the nicest thing he’s ever said but it was definitely effective.
People tend to make mountains out of mole hills when it comes to those things they fear.  I just don’t think fears should dominate us.  When you run across something that scares you ask yourself one simple question:

“What good comes from being afraid?”

The answer: “none”.

Avoid letting aversion of “conflict” and fear of failing bury your competitive spirit.  Keeping that competitive spirit alive will always do more for society than letting it die (no matter how large or small the impact).

Competition is Natural

Look around you at all the competition going on:

1. Coke vs Pepsi
2. Yahoo! vs Google
3. Home Depot vs Lowe’s
4. Wal-Mart vs Target
5. Microsoft vs Apple
6. McDonald’s vs Burger King
7. Yankees vs Red Sox
8. MySpace vs Facebook
9. HBO vs Showtime
10. Disney World vs Six Flag

This list could easily go on for days.  I’m sure you get the picture.  Without competition our society would not enjoy the benefits we have in the past,enjoy today, or will enjoy in the future.  Shouldn’t you embrace your competitive side and add your value?

Conclusion

Embrace competition in your life.  Whether it be a simple dispute or an all out sporting event.  The positives will outweigh the negatives . Feelings may be hurt temporarily but the lessons that come along with those feelings last a lifetime.  Competition, conflicts, or whatever you choose to call them bring the best out of people.

Don’t be afraid to step out there and expose yourself.  Only then will you know where you truly stack up and how to improve upon your current situation.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward the page link to 4 or 5 people who you think may benefit from the information presented here.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!