Make A Plan

Are your health and fitness aspirations goals are wishes? I guess that depends on your definitions on either of those two words, but were going to use my definitions, and I’ll tell you which one is easier to attain.

I talk about New Years resolutions pretty often because I think they are so funny. I laugh at myself too because I have literally never kept one, but New Years resolutions are generally very…general. In the health and fitness field they are normally ‘start working out’ ‘lose 20 pounds’ or my favorite ‘eat healthier’. I worked at a restaurant for a while and we literally kept a higher stock of healthy foods during January and February because of these ‘eat healthier’ resolutions. By March of course we didn’t have to do that. These are all examples of wishes. I know they could be considered long term goals, but they are wishes in this context because you cannot accomplish them right now. Especially something like eat healthier because sometimes you cheat and then you are a failure (at least in your own mind) so you quit.

A goal is something a little different because it is something you can immediately accomplish or at least something you can draw up a plan for. Instead of ‘start working out’ you can find a workout plan to follow and make each movement on that plan a goal to do. Instead of ‘eating healthier’ you can decide what you are going to eat before your day starts so that each meal you have is a goal accomplished. These are steps you can take to get where you want instead of having to white knuckle every day trying to make healthy dietary decisions, or force yourself to go to the gym and do an hour long workout that you really don’t want to do. Make each lift a goal, and just focus on one at a time. One time I went through the insanity series (well worth it by the way) and there were plenty of times I wanted to skip ply-cardio extreme or whatever those workouts were called. The reason I didn’t wasn’t because I have superior will power to those who quit, but because my first goal was to put the DVD in and start the warm-up. After that it was cake..

Make things easy on yourself. Don’t stress yourself out by making the end result the next step. In other words loosing 20 pounds isn’t next on your list, deciding what you’re going to eat is, and then deciding what you’ll be doing in your workout. The end result is not about what you do some of the time it is about what you do all of the time. Fill your day up with goals to attain your wishes and try to hit as many as you can…just start with the first one.

You are the Product

Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Wouldn’t you like to be your own boss? Don’t you wish you could make your own schedule or take time off when you need to? Of course you would, BUT…

This is how a conversation might go when speaking to the average person about the possibility of them becoming an entrepreneur. Usually the word “but” is injected into the conversation when the individual  does not think that they what it takes to be an entrepreneur. A few examples of what an individual may feel they are lacking include good business ideas, necessary skills, and time.

Everyone wants their product or service to be the most original. Many entrepreneur hopefuls try as hard as they can to come up with a big idea thinking it is the only way to be successful on their own. They will ask themselves questions like “Why would anyone want to do business with me when there are ten other people in town providing the same service?” Many times the individual will answer their question with this solution. “I’ll just be better than my competitors by making sure my product is better.” Though the question and it’s subsequent response are understandable, they are off focus.

Contrary to popular belief, the product or service you have to offer is of little importance in regards to your success. It is not true that there are ten other people in town with the same product. The fact is, you are the product! Unless you are a clone, you are different than every other individual on this planet. Making sure your product is better than everyone else in town is a great idea, as long as you understand what that means. Success is created from the inside out, work on yourself to improve your product. Am I saying that you don’t actually need a good or service to offer to a customer or client? No, I am not saying that, although there have been many entrepreneurs who have sold a job before they even knew how to complete it. I am simply saying that it is you that has to be original, not what you are selling.

Most people who want to be entrepreneurs feel like in order to be successful they need to have the necessary skills for their field.  Does this come as a surprise to you? Who would have ever thought that to be successful you need to know what you are doing. Unfortunately, a lot of people think they don’t have the needed skills and it holds them back. Again, just like the above example of a person who can’t come up with the ingenious idea, they are missing the picture.

Being successful requires passion, and a love for what you are doing. If you go into a particular field of work that you don’t love, you are likely headed down the wrong track. This explains why the excuse of not knowing enough or having the right skills to start your business is wrong. More than likely, anything you are passionate about is something you’ve spent countless hours doing. You know a lot about the subject and you are probably pretty good at it too. Making sure that you follow your passion will rule out the possibility of not having the proper skills or knowledge. Take who you are and turn it into opportunity.

Time is our most valuable commodity and the perceived lack thereof has kept many entrepreneurs from ever getting started on their dream. Almost every day you will hear somebody say “I don’t have enough time.” Lack of time is a poor excuse because simply put, everyone is busy. A more honest reply would be, “I would rather do something else.” Today, the average person spends nearly ninety minutes on social media per day and even longer surfing the web. Shockingly, the average American watches five hour of television per day. After reading those statistics, I can see why some people think they don’t have time.

It’s hard to do, but being an entrepreneur takes sacrifice. As the saying goes, man can not gain anything without giving something first, this includes your time. If being your own boss is truly your goal, then you will find time to make it happen. What you spend your time doing defines you, maximize yourself. Remember, making time for your dreams means making time for you because you are your product.

You are the big idea, you have the skills to do what you are supposed to be doing and you do have time for yourself. Sell yourself, not a product. You are original, you are qualified and you are ready to get started. Get out there and do it, and don’t forget to sell yourself to yourself.

 

Faith, Fun, and Fentanyl – Storms

Good Morning –

Today marks the first topical post for Faith, Fun, and Fentanyl. I hope you will enjoy my thoughts. Hopefully you will embrace some of my thoughts, debate some, and ponder others. Here at Positive Imbalance we hope to provide a thought provoking atmosphere that will allow both the reader and the writer the opportunity to experience change in his/her own life in a positive way.

My opening topic will be on my “faith,” as it is the basis for all other aspects of my life. I’d simply say “I’m a Christian,” but in today’s social media environment, everyone claims to be a Christian. I describe myself as a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe the gospel message of Jesus’ virgin birth, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection. I believe that this life is our “window of opportunity” and what we believe about Jesus Christ will determine what happens next. My faith has helped guide me through this life and weather the many storms that life has thrown my way. Sometimes is seems life consists of three weather patterns; We are coming out of a storm, In a storm, or heading into a storm. When life is going good be grateful! At times I’ve been blindsided by life’s storms, but usually I stubbornly walk head on into a storm. I’ve stumbled through twenty-seven years of marriage, raising two children, working a job, and all the extra life that goes along with it. I am thankful that my faith has provided shelter through each storm I have encountered. I believe the storms in any life provide the very seeds needed for us to grow into who we are today. I read where the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges are some of the highest in the country. On one side of the mountain you have a vast number of national forests, parks, and a variety of flourishing wilderness. On the other side is the Sierra Desert, a vast area of nothingness. The theory is, the many storms that are present form the wilderness side. The storms weaken before they can pass over the mountain range into the desert. Our life is like the desert, without the storms, there is no growth. Just something to think about until next week. Think on it!

Nothing to Something, Together

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Derek Davis and I am from a small town in North Carolina. I have decided to take a chance and move to Raleigh to pursue a career in sales, starting with real estate. During this journey I will constantly be working on increasing value to myself by creating better habits, a healthier lifestyle and learning from those who are where I want to be. I am doing this by making a more conscious effort to learn every day and then focus on mastering one specific improvement each week. I am hopeful that you will use this as motivation to help better your life and bring value back to you. I already know that if you are reading this, then you too have the drive and determination needed to make something more of yourself. We can go from nothing to something, together.

I am 25 years old and haven’t done much since I got out of high school. I played college football and had four surgeries before I finally quit after only three years. I then spent the next four years doing hard labor jobs for not very much money. Hell, the last year and a half was spent cleaning out porta johns. I was stuck and I had put my faith in the hands of others. I am telling you this because I finally had enough…and a beautifully driven girlfriend who reminded me of my true potential. But it doesn’t matter where you’re at right now because you do have the potential, and the drive. Laziness is a direct result of poor time management leading to snowball effect of depression. The most important thing, is to finally decide to go for it. But before you do that you need to honestly believe in yourself. Who are you? What are your goals? And who are you doing them for? I am a smart good looking guy who will make at least six figures, one year from today. I am going to do this for myself, my girlfriend and my future family. I have surrounded myself with a very reliable cast that I can go to for help. Do not let others bring you down, especially those closest to you. With my faith, I am taught to trust in the Lord.

This upcoming week I will be spending time studying to take my real estate exam. So my focus outside of that will be time management. I will try to eliminate useless time spent doing nothing. I believe time is the most valuable resource there is simply because it cannot be bought and eventually it always runs out. By maximizing the 80/20 rule I hope to make the most of my valuable time. I thank you for taking the time to read my article and hope you will continue to follow me and apply these things to your life as well. Remember to know who you are and go for it. Let’s go from nothing to something, together.

 

own OR get owned?

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!”

Marcus Garvey

There has never been an entrepreneur who didn’t start with a ton of excitement and a dream of their new venture servicing the entire world. In the beginning there is always a ton of passion, and a lofty dream of being at the helm of a great company that finally pays you what your worth. Dream Co. pays all of its bills, gives bonuses to every employee, pays high dividends to anyone who sees the vision, and chooses to invest. One day you wake up to find that you have more bosses than you can count. This list can be long. Bosses can be your customers, your employees, your bills, your time or the lack of it, your suppliers, your family or the lack of one, all of these things will try to control your decisions at some time or another. When these things take over you will feel completely owned, and you will not feel like the owner you dreamed you’d be. If you ever find yourself here, you need to sit down.

I am not speaking of sitting down in chair. I mean lay down, quit, set everything down. Don’t touch anything. Don’t move a muscle. I am saying like an ass that won’t pull a wagon, just quit moving. Let it all go. Let the appointments come and go, let the calls come in, let the emails ding, let the door bell ring, stop it all. By all, I mean stop all the stuff that has been leading you around by the nose.

It’s inhumane to be drug by the nose, let alone the company you claim to own dragging you by the nose. How did you get here?  You were supposed to be the leader of this whole Dream Co. thing. What happened?

Here it is. This whole thing got started with you trying to help everywhere you seen Dream Co. hurting. When you seen a problem arise, you stepped in and fixed it. You step in every time you see some pain. You step every time there is a problem and try to smooth it over. Putting out fires they call it. You can’t leave anything alone. You always jump in. You react to every whim of Dream Co. You react all day long. You just react to everything.

Now before you beat yourself up; there is nothing wrong with putting out fires or working on problems. It takes a servants heart to run a company.  Business owners lead and serve people (customers, employees, and investors). There is a time and a place for jumping in and I am here to explain when and how.

You will be glad to know it easy. Here is the answer. You have to be intentional. You have to be calculated in every decision you make. Here is how it’s done:

Stop everything. The length of time you have to quit things is indefinite. You have to quit until you feel you’re in control. Recognize who the real owner is. Once you have shown out to yourself with a real good stall; you can proceed again.
Begin again. Do things only because you decide to do them. Never just react again; unless you’ve written a rule book saying how you should react.
Examples:
A. I will pay the light bill to keep the lights on, not because they called and said it’s late and there will be extra charges.
B. I will pay the light bill because I don’t want late charges, not because I am avoiding a collection call.
C.Turn it off, I will not pay the electric bill because there is no money and I cannot afford overdraft charges, not because my customer didn’t pay me on time.

 It is really just a mind game. You gave up your ownership one day. One day you thought someone or something knew Dream Co. better than you; they may or may not, but they are not the owner. Don’t take me wrong. This is not a license to be a complete jerk. You cannot say “I am the owner. I know what I’m doing!!!”  Caution, everyone (customers, employees, and investors) will be glad to leave you with it! You should be a listener, but before you make a decision to follow any help, advice, or criticism, make sure you’re intentional in your actions. When you are intentional you are in charge. If you’re just in charge, you might get owned.

How You Do

There is no doubt that to become fit, strong, or just skilled at a sport what you do is important. If you want to be good at running you have to run a lot, if you want to become strong you have to do resistance training, if you want to be good at basketball you have to play etc.etc. This is common knowledge, and although there is much more that goes into those three things to excel at them, you get the general idea.

The thing is that many people want to be good at least one of these three things, but so few people really end up excelling at them. I know most of us aren’t training for the Olympics, or to be NBA champions, but if you’re reading my post than you probably want to be good at something that involves fitness. So, you may be sucking right now, or you may be pretty good, but wherever you are I’m sure you’d like to better.

I have a lot of friends who tell me about new workouts, supplements and diets all the time. They talk about how this new concept is the best way to train, and how you’ll get the best results with this, and to a certain extent they may be right (I may have actually been this friend a few times). I am not going to argue with the science behind what they are saying because I am all about a good shortcut, but the way the fitness gurus who advertise some of this stuff talk it is as if there is no point in training if you don’t do it this way.

Some of the things that are advertised in training are actually good, and like anything else most of it is garbage, but that really is not the point. If you get this stuff great, but the problem is that most of the people who get any of this are the people who go through the motions during their workout.

If you train I have a new idea for you. Start focusing on how you do what you do. So many people preach resources and what you do, but there is not that much on how you do what you do. You may have the best routine, or supplements there is, but if you go through the motions with your training than it won’t help you any. You can stay at the gym and get 500 shots up, or run 5 miles a day, but if you do not do any of it with zeal and intention to get better than progress will be so much less than what you could have had. If you go through the motions during your workout I guarantee you are missing out!

Stop focusing on the shortcuts to you goals. The best thing about training is that your really can have almost anything you want. If you want to lose 50lbs, you can. If you want to get your bench press 100lbs higher you can, and if you want to become a great shooter you can do that too, but it will take some time, and more importantly it will take quality time.

One my favorite things Michael Jordan ever said was, “I’m not out there sweating for three hours a day just to see what it feels like to sweat.” There was some real purpose and intensity to the way he trained. Jordan did this first of all because he was passionate about what he was training for, but I think it was also because he understood the principle of getting the most out of every workout. I encourage you to ask yourself what you are going to do today, but also and maybe more importantly start asking yourself how you are going to do it.

Grilled Chicken Little – Silence the Cynic

“Fear is an idea-crippling, experience-crushing, success-stalling inhibitor inflicted only by yourself.” – Stephanie Melish

Why didn’t the chicken cross the road? It was too chicken. Well, there was nothing across the road anyways and besides, what would the other chickens think if it didn’t make it back? What if a car was coming through or what if the chicken couldn’t find it’s way?

You probably have cynical friends and family who make you feel just like the chicken that didn’t cross the road. They always seem to focus on what could go wrong instead of what could go right. They like to talk about why you will fail instead of why you will succeed. They don’t even take a second to consider your ideas, especially if there are risks involved. They usually say things like “I’m not too sure about that,” and they always expect the worst possible outcome. Some of the most common quotes you might hear these cynics say to themselves are, “Just my luck,” or “Why does this always happen to me?” These people see the bad in everything and always think negative things are going to happen. Not only do they expect the worst for themselves, but usually for you too. The fact is, most of these cynics would tell the chicken that whatever was on the other side of the road wasn’t even worth the risk of crossing. They don’t even know what is on the other side but it doesn’t matter, it’s too dangerous. Worst than that, the cynic probably didn’t even know there was a road to begin with but still took the liberty of telling the chicken not to cross. The reason these cynical people feel this way is not because they are looking at things realistically or because they have been there before. They are shackled by fear and they worry themselves to death because a few bad experiences.They are afraid of failure and they do not understand that failure is a part of success. Their fear leads to inaction and they quit very easily.

In a children’s story titled “Chicken Little,” a chicken was walking through the forest when an acorn fell. Chicken Little yelled, “The sky is falling!” Later, Chicken Little came across Henny Penny who was going to look for worms in the forest. Chicken Little said, “Oh no! Don’t go! The sky is falling!”

Characters like Chicken Little can have a detrimental effect on you achieving your hopes and dreams. When I first started my web design business, I decided I was going to knock on doors and try to sell a website. I walked out the door and a family member saw me about to get in my car and asked me where I was going. When I told them I was going to sell a website, they started asking questions and giving friendly advice. “I wouldn’t go try to sell a website until I had some business cards.” “Is there even a market for that service?” These were discouraging comments to say the least but I didn’t listen, I got in my car and headed down the road. I sold my first website that day and made up my mind I wasn’t going to pay attention to the skeptics anymore.  I realized that they are just afraid of what I had to the courage to face. I didn’t have any business cards and I didn’t know if the service was in demand. What i did know was that I was going to go for it whether I sold a website or not.

You can never buy into negative words, self-doubt will begin creep in. Self-doubt has killed more dreams than failure ever will. If anything, take the criticism and use it as motivation for the future. Strong self-belief will allow you to overcome the wimpy, pessimistic excuses made for you by your detractors. Losers quit when they fail, winners fail until they succeed. Never say no to your dreams by saying yes to others. Always keep your focus and surround yourself with supportive people who believe in you. Next time Chicken Little tries to distract you, throw him on the grill.

Faith, Fun, and Fentanyl – An Introduction

Hey friends, let me introduce myself. My name is Todd and I’ve been married to my wife, Susie, for nearly 28 years. We have two wonderful children; Stephen, who is 24 years old and has been married to his wife Amber for two years. I have an awesome daughter Sarah, who is 22 and is currently attending college in Salisbury, NC. My wife just graduated from Queens college in Charlotte, NC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at age 47, Wow! I will be contributing to this blog along with four others to create a 5 day blog focusing on a variety of subjects. In my 52 years, I have had the opportunity to live out a large variety of experiences. I’ve attended a variety of colleges, traveled the country for both work and pleasure, been an avid outdoorsman, and played many different sporting activities.

Through my years, I have learned much about many different topics that I would like to share with others to both help and be helped on life’s journey. Unfortunately, I’ve also known my share of troubles and trials that I would also like to discuss. As a recovering addict, I have experienced many failures, and faced life on life’s terms. The desperation of my addiction caused me to search out and find faith in a God capable of helping learn a new way to live.

Over the next few weeks, months, or longer, I will be sharing my (faith), (fun) activities, and my addiction to opioids (fentanyl). Hence the name, “Faith, Fun, and Fentanyl.” Every day, myself and the other contributors will provide us, you and I, an opportunity to improve every aspect of our lives. With a different blogger each day, we will be able to help one another navigate life on life’s journey. I look forward to sharing and experiencing life together, here at Positive Imbalance.

Wake up, Urinate Excellence

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? If your answer is to hit the snooze button, this article is for you. Energy is created through every living thing. So if you wake up without energy, are you really living? As the great Shia LeBeauf once stated multiple times, “DO IT, accomplish your dreams”. Truth is, most of us won’t be handed success in just one day, so it’s best to invest in ourselves. Together we will create a morning routine that you wake up excited about, that is healthy and puts you in the best position to wake up and urinate excellence.

The first three hours of each day are the most crucial. This gives you plenty of time to get your mind and body focused and ready to take on the day. Obviously this means you should wake up three hours before you need to be at work, school or any other priority. The most important investment we can make is our health and that temple we call a body. So brush your teeth and get ready to workout. Working out in the mornings leaves more time for your priorities and is proven to increase focus and improve your mood throughout the day. There are many of amazing resources to help give an idea of what workout will best fit you, just google morning workout routines. High intensity workouts tend to be ideal but I recommend doing what feels most comfortable to you. Make sure to drink a lot of water. Breakfast is the next crucial part of your morning routine and my personal favorite. This is what fuels you, kick-starts your metabolism and continues your morning in the right direction. I highly recommend either emailing or visiting a local nutritionist to make sure you are consuming the correct amount of nutrients and vitamins.

After you work out, shower, get dressed and eat breakfast you should have approximately 30-45 minutes to yourself. This is valuable time that can be used to stimulate your mind. You can complete a crossword, meditate, read or finish planning the rest of the day in the order that brings you the most value. Time is our most valuable asset, so by figuring out and preforming a morning routine, we help eliminate wasted time hitting the snooze button. There is no wait 15 minutes for my coffee to hit as soon as you get to work. No, wake up, get up and start urinating excellence.

The Closet Expert

I know your kind! You’re the expert! You’re the back seat driver! You’re  the one who knows how it is supposed to be done. You’re  the one with all the answers, the one “they” should call when “they” get stumped. You know who you are. You’re  the one who always wonders why “they” mess up, and wonders why “they” can’t just do it right. You’re the one who says “If I were there I would have never let that  happen”. If “they” would have done it like this or that than “they” would have nailed it, knocked it out of the park! I know, no one ever calls you and asks for your expert advice. Wait a second, what are we talking about here? Who is “they? What are you so good at? What is this obsession? Why do you have so much insight?  Where did your mind go when you started reading this? What is this subject, what is this topic that you know so much about but have never laid public claim to your expert status? What is this skill, this thing that always seems to reel you in. We are talking about the post that you can’t click off of, the article that reaches out and grabs you and keeps you till the last sentence, and leaves you thirsty for more. Though more intense for some than others, there is a thing that you have been studying and mentally practicing or literally practicing for years and years now for no particular reason, at this point it could be developed into what may be “expert status”. Who knew?
In the book Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo explains that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. If you do something enough you are going to be improved on the subject, but let’s be clear here, just doing something for 10,000 hours will not make you an expert. You may have cooked food, built bridges, or repaired roller coasters for 10,000 hours. Sure you are  competent, you are talented  and more learned, but just time and and an education will not do it for expert status. It has to intrigue you, it’s the thing you can’t seem to learn enough about. Whether you like the topic or not, if you can’t leave it alone, it just may be your passion.

I want to challenge you to do three things.

1. Admit that you are an expert.
A. Stop hiding behind humility for fear of being tested or discovered. If everyone knows your the expert, you will be asked to use your expertise. Deal with it, go try it.
B. Stop hiding behind doubt just because you are not sure if you are the expert that you believe you may have become. You have to know the truth. After you say “I am an expert on X” the naysayers show up first. You have to push through all of them so reality (success or failure) can set in. Embrace reality, it is your friend. The truth of your status will be discovered. You will either fail or succeed and as a result you will be one step closer to knowing what works and what doesn’t.
C. Stop waiting for someone else to tell you, “you’re an expert,” they never will. Or should I say the right person never will. Chances are there is someone saying you’re an expert that you don’t believe, and someone your waiting on to say it, who never will. Reality is, you’re procrastinating.
You are the one person who can say it right now and it actually mean something. Say it. Right now! I am an expert ____________.  That was probably half hearted at best. Go back and say it like you mean it embrace it, become it, heck you have been becoming it long enough. If you said it, and meant it, congratulations that’s the hardest part.

2. Put your expertise to the test.
Try out your expertise. Get out there somehow and give it your best shot.
Find a way to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. Get out there and face the music. Tell the world your an expert and go fall flat on your face. Knock our socks off. We are waiting for someone to surprise us. It might as well be you.
If you fail, keep up the practice, and the research. Your day is coming. If you succeed, you should move on to step three. Or do whatever you want with your new found truth. Conquer the world or lay it to rest. It’s your expertise, do with it whatever you like. Please don’t forget about the rest of us who would rather have an expert cooking our food, working on our bridges, and definitely working on our coasters. Don’t leave us to the I can do its, the okays, and the pretty goods of the world. We would love you if you stepped up.

3. Find a way to use your expertise
This is not rocket science. Get out there and do what you love. We can’t wait to experience it.