Small Explosions

Yesterday I said that I’m working on getting back in shape. Last evening I managed 32 press ups in one go! Only 18 to go before I get to 50!! I wasn’t looking forward to doing press ups believe me but I felt I would have been cheating myself if I didn’t do them.

Now I’m not a hyped up sort of person with a steely resolve to get out and get my goals at any price. Nope; that’s not me. I was once described by a person I greatly respect as tenacious (and she meant that in a good way). I tend to work quietly but steadily and make decisions along the way rather than just talking about things. One of my pet hates is endless talking around a topic and hashing it to pieces without actually doing something or making a decision.

That said, I have a big hassle; I’m prone to procrastination. However what makes a difference for me is that I’m very aware of that. So, as I constantly battle my procrastinating tendencies I end up doing quite a lot and therefore move steadily toward my goals.

Go and look in your library or book store for a book called Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy, published by Hodder & Stoughton. It’s great. It’s all about getting the important things done first. One paragraph really struck me. I’m sure the authors and publishers won’t mind me quoting it;

“An average person who develops the habit of setting clear priorities and getting important tasks completed quickly will run circles around a genius who talks a lot and makes wonderful plans but gets very little done.”

If you don’t do anything more than start looking for this book you’ll be well on your way to achieving what you want.

Lyle

I think the only thing paper helps with is deforestation and hitting people in the eyes with paper darts.

This is why I hate paper:

• I spill things on it
• It kicks poor animals out of their homes
• Tribes of natives are living in these forests – you wouldn’t want a home harvester to come along and boot you out would you?
• I lose it
• It gets dog ears
• When I make a mistake I have to put a big ugly mark through it
• It looks messy
• People can easily steal it
• It reminds me of primary school
• Computers are far too cool
• I can’t facebook on it
• The only game I can play is hangman or naughts and crosses
• It clutters up my fire when I burn it and makes heaps of mess
• Junk mail comes on paper and I hate junk mail!
• You can’t turn down the contrast when it hurts your eyes
• I can’t change the background
• It doesn’t automatically fix my spelling and grammar
• Paper costs for every sheet you use
• Paper comes wrapped in paper, it’s like a cigar

If you are like most people who have a computer, you have it on a desk, and that desk probably has draws or a filing cabinet near. Very important documents can be filed chronologically or alphabetically away, especially if you are from the 1800s, but there is no need for paper these days.

When it all boils down, the only documents you really really really need are your passport, drivers licence and maybe insurance details. All your documents to do with work, business, pleasure, leisure etc can all be scanned onto your computer and then filed carefully away in the bin and taken to a paper recycling plan… No point wasting it.

Have you ever thought of doing this?

Instead of keeping useless documents lying around on your desk, why not read them, act on them and then either chuck them out or scan them onto your computer.

Keep your computer organised with folders for each part of your life i.e. work, business, personal documents, hobbies etc etc.

Paper can be such a cause of headaches – it isn’t worth it. I know from visiting offices that most people have this habit, and when I meet somebody with a “paperless office”, they seem relaxed, productive, efficient and calm. Think about how much paperwork is awaiting your careful investigation right now, can you deal with it then chuck it or scan it?

Even better can you flog it off to someone else?

Johnny

Recently I’ve been working toward getting back in shape. I’ve never been one for super fitness (be that a good or bad thing is up to you) but then again I don’t like being unfit or over weight either so my past fitness regime tended to be an on again off again thing!

Anyway, over the last while I’ve had a bit of a think about the whole fitness ‘thing’ and my considered conclusion is that ‘on again off again’ is not really the right attitude, so it’s all on again to be comfortably fit. Comfortably fit as I’m not expecting to run a marathon, although as my son says in one of his articles we should do something different every so often so perhaps I should take his advice….

I’ve been tackling Jacobs Ladder recently (remember it’s around 290 steps & pretty steep too) and although it was hard to begin with at first, what with sore legs and puffing like a draught horse, I’m enjoying getting out and making progress toward increasing my fitness level. I’ve now added a new level to just walking the ladder; I do some press ups facing downhill at the base of the first set of steps. Tough but a great feeling once I’ve done them!

My goal before this year is out is to run up the ladder (I don’t care if I’m crawling by the time I get to the top though!), walk down and do 50 press ups at the bottom! Sounds awesome to me, but by adding a little extra each time I do it I’m going to reach that goal!

I get a bit of good humored stick from my workmates about my Jacobs Ladder exploits but that’s fine. I heard a rumor they’re going to come along one weekend with deck chairs and sit and watch me!

One big difference I’ve noticed about getting fit again is that I’m more conscious of what I eat now and that’s got to be a good thing!

Life changes don’t need to be big or sudden. You can just ease into a change, especially if you’ve been a bit set in your ways. As long as there is steady progress toward your goal you’re doing just fine!

I feel like all my Christmases have come at once today! Last evening a guy I know delivered back the record turntable he’d re-restored for me.

When my Dad passed away a few years ago I gained stewardship of his beautiful (circa 1956 ’57) combination radio, record player, cocktail cabinet unit. There is a huge amount of family sentimentality associated with this piece of furniture and I say I only have stewardship of it as I firmly believe I don’t own the unit; I am merely looking after it until the time comes for me to pass it on.

I’d had the mechanicals of the unit restored about three years ago but recently the volume had faded to nothing and the turntable was quite noisy when operating. Great was my delight therefore when my friend not only restored the turntable but he found a needle cartridge that also has a 78 rpm needle!

Once again I can enjoy my modest collection of 45s, 33s and even more modest collection of 78s. As I’m writing this, I have just come back from a couple of trips up and down a set of steps called Jacobs Ladder (the Ladder has about 290 quite steep steps) so physically I feel great having done some exercise and now I have Winifred Atwell playing on a 78. She was just amazing on the piano!

I make no apologies for my musical taste that ranges from Patsy Cline, Brook Benton, and Ella Fitzgerald to Billy Idol. The great thing about having ‘lousy’ taste in music is that I can pick up some incredible bargains. Take for instance an Ella Fitzgerald CD in the ‘get rid of at any cost’ bin for 97 cents!

Sometimes it’s not the great big events of life that mean so much to us; it’s the little things, thing like finding a great bargain, having something working again or just doing something for the sheer enjoyment of it; like listening to Winifred Atwell on a 78 turned up louder than normal. Just enjoy an activity for its own sake!

Lyle

No, I’m busy tonight.

Don’t have any time next week either, sorry.

Are these your usual replies to requests to do anything?

In our lives we can sometimes become too serious and think that one day when we reach our goals we will be happy. This is not the case. This can work because as humans we like to constantly grow and achieve more, so if we follow this theory we will never be happy.

It is fine to be happy when you reach your goals, be excited, yell scream and dance. But we must be happy on our journey too. This will help us to remember that life is a journey, and if we don’t enjoy it then we are just wasting it.

Even if you have serious business commitments, workout schedules, big hours at work, a family to love and care for, you still have to go out and do something for yourself once in a while. I don’t know what you’re into, but watching a movie can be a great source of relaxation – even if you don’t like t.v. Go for a drive with no planned destination and turn up the happiest song you know and sing along. Go and visit some friends who are great fun. Go somewhere by yourself and strike up conversations with strangers, give your life a little spicing up.

I have just realised this recently, I went out in the weekend for the first time in a few months, and it was fantastic. I met some great people and had a wonderful time. Don’t try to conform to your stereotype of a successful person who just works all the time, here is a mighty fine quote by a gentleman named Logan Pearsall Smith:

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.

Logan Pearsall Smith

I agree with this quote whole-heartedly, except I believe we should enjoy it not just after it, but also during trying to achieve it. When we enjoy something we start wanting to do more of it.

So stop being so serious all the time and lighten up and have some fun now and again. Take a break every few hours of work and check out some funny pictures on the net or just do something unexpected.

Panicking I ran out the door, and arrived at my car door feeling strangely light.

I jumped in anyway and was about to take off when I remembered I had forgotten my whole bag that included my notes, books and work for the day. This was unusual.

I never normally forget things like that, but today was different.

It boggled me so instead of rushing again, I just sat down and took 5 to think about why I had almost forgotten my entire days work.

I thought about what Id done in the morning, I did the usual, a little bit of business work, my run and then… I found myself surfing the net. It’s so easy to get lost in time when you’re surfing something that really interests you. I then remember looking at my clock and it was 8.15 – and I had to be somewhere not too much later than 8.15.

What I realized from this morning was this:

Doing things that don’t matter hold us up in so many ways.

I will sometimes find myself doing something and wonder the next day why I did it. I don’t even really like that person, why did I agree to go out to lunch with them for 2 hours and waste that time that could have been spent doing something I really wanted to, like pumping some iron or reading.

Think back to the last time you caught yourself doing something that you didn’t really have to do, but you just did it to fill in time or because you were unmotivated.

Can you remember?

If you can’t, then kudos to you, your life must be fulfilled and near perfect, but most of us find ourselves doing stupid things at least once a day, here is a list I have compiled of things that I find myself doing that are not making my life any richer – financially, physically, socially, emotionally or spiritually (Facebooking is a fence sitter, it is good for the social life, in moderation of course).

• Facebooking – photo stalking (don’t pretend you don’t), spying on what people are upto that you don’t really talk to or know that well etc etc
• Checking emails too often – the end of the world will come whether or not you delete all that spam daily hourly or yearly
• Finishing a book I don’t really like – our damn compulsion to closure! If you find yourself not liking something that you are doing it – take a tip from economics and Class it as a sunk cost and quit it.
  
• Mindless surfing the web – this can be a great time waster, but can also be a source of fantastic fun. If you choose to do this for fun, set a time limit and the moment it is up click the X and get on with trying to become the next superhero.
• Talking to people I don’t really like – this is huge people. We all know a guy or gal who says things like “Oh you’re trying that whole personal development thing huh? It’s all b.s. don’t waste your time”. Ladies and gentlemen these are the homeless, broke bums of the future – save yourself and abandon them!

I don’t know if I’m being too brutal – but it is working for me. For crying out loud I only have 24 hours a day and at least 5 of those is spent sleeping, don’t let yourself waste your day doing stupid time wasting things – at least do something spontaneous like skydiving, streaking, downhill mountain biking, talking to strangers, if you can, find a friend who you get along with like meat and gravy to take along with you – it is fantastic fun and gives you a huge adrenalin rush doing something just a little out of the ordinary each day.

This is how you beat the bad stress – eliminate the crap from your life and chuck in a few fun things!

(There is such a thing as good stress, but that is for the next rainy day)

You stay classy – planet earth

I love this quote from Napoleon Hill; “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this into action.”

I’m on a mission! A few years ago I could manage 53 press ups at one time and I want to beat that record. Over the past while I’ve worked my way back up to 30 (believe me it was a struggle from 26 on!) Unfortunately l lost focus for a few days and you can guess the rest…

There is no sense in beating yourself up when you lose focus for a while though; that can be counter-productive, the main thing to do is to take action again, do anything to get re-started.

Last evening I managed 27 press ups and I’m proud of myself! Today my goal is to do 28. It will only take a short time to accomplish yet the great feeling of accomplishing that goal is going to last for a while; I’m still upbeat about the 27 from last night.

Moral of the story here; set a goal today to accomplish something you want and then work away to achieve it. It doesn’t have to be a grandiose goal; whoever said a goal has to be big and or difficult to achieve?