So I’ve done a few posts about how I figure out what I want to do, the goals I have for myself. How do I make sure I’m making the right kind of progress? After all, what’s the point of doing something if you’re not moving closer to your destination or, worse yet, moving the wrong direction? Continue reading
Author Archives: Jesse
How high is your bar?
I’m a pretty motivated person. I’ll admit that hasn’t always been the case but I learned to push myself and go for something big. It makes me a little sad sometimes to see people not really reaching for something great, just what they think they can do. There’s a group on Fitocracy called “Fitness Bucket List” where people put up lists of the things they want to do, their Holy Grails of fitness.
Now, I don’t want it to seem like I’m disrespecting anyone, I respect the hell out of anyone who’s making an effort to better themselves; we are the elite. What I’m seeing is a lot of people who just want to do things like “one pullup”. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. There are a whole lot of people who can’t do any.
To me, that just doesn’t seem like a bucket list type item.
Working toward that first one is a great milestone, but why stop there? Why not make the goal something like 3 sets of 10? Once you hit that first one, you know you’re on the way and it’s time to push through.
One of the things I want to do is 10 pistol (one-legged) squats per side. I can’t even do one right now, but that isn’t going to stop me from shooting for 10. It’s a high bar and a lofty goal but that’s exactly why it’s there. I’m setting my bar where it’s reachable but is still a big challenge.
I want to visit all 50 states and every NHL arena; people do things like that all the time, but it’s not going to be quick or easy. I’ve set that bar high enough to give me something big to reach for.
There’s no shame in anything you want to accomplish if it’s for bettering yourself. Just don’t be afraid of setting your bar higher. Without a doubt, you’re capable of way more than you give yourself credit for.
Filed under Philosophy, Planning and Productivity
The first one’s the worst one…
The first step, that is. Sometimes, it’s not only difficult, it’s also scary as hell. A lot of the time, references are made to Lao Tzu, who said “a journey of 1000 miles must begin with a single step”. There are other variations, depending on the translations, but you get the idea. Before you can get anywhere, you have to start going. Continue reading
Filed under Philosophy, Planning and Productivity
Progress is awesome!
So I don’t update this thing as often as I either mean to or want to, but I’ll make it a point to work on that.
I’ve been moving toward accomplishing some of the items from The List. Most notably, this past Saturday, I completed the Rebel Race and got to check off an item off my list. Well, sort of.
Filed under Health and Physical, Hobbies
Quick check-in
Obviously, it’s been a while since I wrote much. I’ve been doing things, just not writing about them. Plenty of baby steps toward several long term goals and discovery of new interests.
Filed under Health and Physical, Hobbies
30 steps to a good life
This sort of thing has been done to death all over the place but I was thinking about some little nuggets of wisdom about being a man that I’ve collected over the years. Some things I learned from my father, some I learned the hard way. It struck me as a good idea to keep a record of some of what’s gotten me this far. Someday, I’ll be able to pass it on.
Filed under Lifestyle, Philosophy
Outlines are sometimes better than plans…
It has now been just shy of month since I moved and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s a fantastic place, reasonably priced, and the dog has lots of others to play with. My professional life is very busy and only getting busier; I’m writing between phone calls.
Unfortunately (or not, as you’ll see), one of my short term goals has hit a bit of a snag lately in that I ended up getting a new car last weekend. With fuel prices consistently on the rise, my faithful 2000 Blazer was no longer an economical choice for transportation after just over four excellent years of service. There were problems on the way that would have cost both more than I owed and more than it was worth. Luckily, I not only was able to get a great interest rate (so low you’d probably get mad) AND a great warranty/service plan, I was able to find someone who was willing to buy the truck for almost double what I owed.
Filed under Planning and Productivity
GOOOOOOOOOOAL (setting)!!!
This week is an absolute killer. Not only is it a heavy week at work, I’m also down to the wire on getting moved. Since I was out of town last weekend (Arnold Sports Festival, awesome as ever!!), I have to get all my moving done this week. I’m putting a load in my truck in the morning, unloading it at the new place on my lunch break, and doing another load after work. Every day. The goal is to have everything that isn’t furniture moved before Saturday morning. The only things I can’t get in my Blazer are my couch, bed, and dining room table. Everything else is definitely doable with just my little red truck.
Filed under Lifestyle, Planning and Productivity
Maintaining what you’ve found…
It’s been a while since the last post but that isn’t because there aren’t things happening!
I’ve spent a bit of time working on tightening up a few areas that could use some improvement. As I talked about in Finding Balance, attention needs to be given to many different facets of everyone’s lives in order to give us all the best chance of real fulfillment. However, priorities can change pretty easily if you’re not careful (and even if you are, sometimes) and you just have to manage it as best you can.
Filed under Uncategorized
Got any change?
You wake up one day and realize that you’re not satisfied with where you are. Ten years ago, you had dreams and knew where you wanted to be. Now you’re faced with the realization that you’re not there.
You’re not alone here; it happens to everyone. I know it happened to me a couple years ago. I’d hit a really low spot and knew that something had to change. I knew that I wanted something better and that I was determined to never get anywhere near that again. It’s easy to say you’re going to change things.
It’s way harder to actually do it.
Filed under Philosophy, Planning and Productivity