Nov
21
2009
0

It’s not your fault… and other marketing bunk

I was watching a video showcasing an up-and-coming Anthony Robbin’es prodigy and over the course of 45 minutes, he kept repeating one key phrase. “It’s not your fault.”

Importance of personal responsibility

I fully realize that people like to hear that it isn’t their fault that they threw their lives away, allowed their body to get so out of shape that they suffer from chronic disease or were lied to by the marketing elite but let’s be honest… nobody cares as much about yourself as YOU and giving other power over your lifestyle, no matter the intent, is just a very bad idea!

For instance, we all know that alcohol is BAD for your body, no matter the amount but people still enjoy (?) getting wasted and pursuing other unhealthy habits. When the consequences come to the light, it’s always nice to blame others for your circumstances but the buck must always stop at yourself. You are the boss of your body, life and ultimately, what you leave behind… nobody else.

Why “it’s not your fault” sells

There is a lot in life that really is not our fault, genetically speaking but I believe we are all on an equal playing field (more or less) when it comes to finding ultimate happiness given what we have. Sure, being born in a 1st world country is an extreme privilege brought about by random chance and life is much easier when your parents are gazillionaires but given what you have in life, it’s up to you to make the most of it. I believe telling somebody “it’s not your fault” when in all actuality, their decisions in life are what lead them to the circumstances they are stuck in doesn’t do them a favor as they are not given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. If you can’t see what you did wrong in the past, how can you change your lifestyle so it doesn’t happen again?

The importance of self-study

I try on almost a weekly basis to try to improve my life, how ever minimal, in one way or another. Whether this is tweeking an exercise regimen, replacing things in my diet or planning my next adventure… the importance of studying what you did in the past and improving upon it should only end once you are 6ft under. An active brain with a capable body, however you wish to define them, can do incredible things when given the right drive, ambition and passion. If you have hobbies that are detrimental to your life, replace them with good ones, if you have friends who waste your time, show them the door. I believe life should be about exploration and learning… and things that prevent you from getting the most out of these experienced need to be weened away.

The Bottom Line

Some things are really not your fault, but most of the things that are can be traced back through earlier decisions that were detrimental to your goals in life.

Written by Jon in: discoveries, solutions, success, tips, truth |
Sep
25
2009
0

Transforming your life from Blah to Legendary now available on Amazon!

I started on my second book, part inspirational, part workbook and all passion. I originally started on this book on Feb 8th of this year and it has taken me till the 26th to get it proofed, laid out and a host of other changes before it became available on Amazon! (read about it here)

What did I learn publishing this book?

A hell of a lot, my first book, WoodMarvels.com: Top Sellers took about as long to publish and in hindsight, this one blows it out of the water regarding what I learned.

  • Get your proof proofed several times and double-check it digitally before requesting another one! I went through 6 proofs of this book because there was always one small thing that was missed which added well over two months to the publishing date.
  • Colors are a pain in the ass! My cover and inside was originally all full color, color correcting over 70 images isn’t any fun so I simply did everything in full color but decided to get it printed in gray scale to save me the trouble except for the front cover.
  • Have a good internet connection! Uploading a 200mb file several times isn’t any fun.
  • If you are not an American, you cannot get your book released on Kindle! Originally this book was to be Kindled but a few days ago, I was told this was no possible… I guess somebody forgot to tell this to J. K. Rowlings.

Why is this book special?

Other than the fact that there is a heck of a lot of work, which I did all myself, from layout, publishing, graphics, comic strip etc… I’ve read more than my fair share of self-help and motivational books out there and this one is the only one I know that has a mixture of humor, comics and simple task based projects.

Why is your name not on the cover?

Well, this is a book to help YOU transform your life… I though it would be silly to stick a big picture of ME on there with my name in bold letters. I’m taking a different approach towards self-help books… in that the focus is 100% on YOU, not the author.

Can I view a sample?

Absolutely, follow this link to view inside the book – be warned though, as of writing this blog, Amazon seems to have stuck a very early proof in the book in the “Look Inside” feature. I’ve just uploaded the correct versions of all these with the inside in gray scale and the cover looking far better, I figure it will be a few days before they update it. Somebody screwed-up somewhere and it should fix itself soon enough.

Transforming Your Life From Blah To Legendary!: A Guide For Massive Positive And Lasting Changes In Your Life

Is that it?

No actually, I’m less than a month away from releasing my second volume of WoodMarvels.com with 4 pages shy of 200 and a wicked upgrade from my first one… using what I learned from my first volume and this one has taught me how to do things right in the publishing world! Also, my science fiction story 2847AD is slated to be moving along in a few weeks as well. Stay tuned!

The Bottom Line

Publishing your own books is fun!

Aug
08
2009
0

Friend gets a heart attack… his advice to you!

A designer whom I worked with on the site WoodMarvels.com (he designed the great looking planes on my site), Jerry, just had a heart attack and here is what he wrote so that this doesn’t happen to you.

In the past I was told “Your cholesterol level should be below 200” and I was running about 203… so I didn’t think it was very bad… sort of like when the speed limit is 55 any you are doing 57… not too bad right? I have kept my levels between 200 and 203 for at least 10 years… getting them checked when I donated blood.

I got my levels today from when I had a heart attack Friday, July 24th, and guess what they were?

They were 203.

But the number is useless… it has no real meaning… you need to look at the three numbers that make it up… http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4500

  • HDL
  • LDL
  • Triglyceride

HDL – You want this number HIGH… who knew? It should be ABOVE 60, less than 40 is a factor for MAJOR heart desease. My readings were 31 HDL… about HALF of what I need to be protected. So I started looking and found this http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/cholesterol/raise-hdl-cholesterol.html

I’ll need to make some dietary changes and start eating more grains… cereal I think would be good. I started eating cereal at night but stopped to loose weight. I’ll have to find a balance. I need more dark green vegetables too. Looks like I’m going to be eating skim milk too.

LDL – You want this number low, Less than 160 is good for someone with no history of issues, for me it should be below 100. My reading was 129 LDL. This is called “Near or above optimal” by the American Heart Association. For this one I need to limit the intake of eggs, red meat, and cheese. Considering my diet has been mostly red meat and cheese… as usual… I screwed this one up too.

Triglycerides – This is the last number in the series… and should also be low. You want a level below 150, if you can get it below 100 even better. My level 214 triglycerides. Right there… that’s the one that nailed me. So I looked it up too… http://www.all-about-lowering-cholesterol.com/diet-to-lower-triglycerides.html

In a nutshell…

“Diets high in carbohydrates, especially sugar, lead to increases in triglycerides.”

A diet to lower triglycerides omits alcohol and sugar – as they stimulate triglyceride production. Therefore, you should:

ELIMINATE or LIMIT ALL sugars such as, concentrated sweets, sugar, honey, molasses, jams, jellies, candies, pies, cakes, cookies, candy, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sweetened gelatine.

Eliminate or limit as much as you can acohol, such as beer, wine, hard liquor, liqueurs as well as other foods, like sweetened cereals, flavored yogurts, and sports or energy bars.

Cut down on red meat, especially fried, changing it to broiled or roasted poultry (turkey, chicken), preferably free-range. Add more dark green leafy vegetables.

So… this means the Gatorade I’m drinking at lunch… sugar. The chocolate I have at night… sugar… many little things that added up to one big problem. Now it is time for a change.

Breakfast: In the morning eat a bowl of cerial with no sugar, skim milk.
Lunch: Turkey, ham, chicken sandwich with no cheese. Keep using the grain wrap. Add some dark vegitable.
Dinner: Vegetables mostly, fish, chicken, turkey.
Snack: Hey I got one right… the almonds I snack on are good. I can have skim milk too, perhaps some cerial.

Now that I know better… I can start to do it right. I wish I had known more about this before… telling someone the number should be “less than 200” just doesn’t mean anything… they should have explained the individual numbers to me. Perhaps it would have made a difference… I don’t know… but now that I have a better understanding… I know what to change.

I also need to find out if there are any home test kits… it may be something to look into. Basically… the “health diet” I constructed to loose 60 pounds and get healthy almost killed me.

Food for thought,
Jerry

Buzvia: Jerry’s Msg

Mar
23
2009
0

Passion breeds Passion!

Passion is like oatmeal, you just can't get enough of it!

Passion is like oatmeal, you just can't get enough of it!

I have a few theories that I have developed from my life’s experiences, the most powerful of them is exponential learning which basically states that the more you learn and explore, the more of it you become capable of performing these acts (search for exponential learning for more info on this blog). The second most powerful theory I have come-up with to explain things is that passion breeds passion.

Passion breeds passion?

Absolutely! Here is a simple analogy for you. A man is deeply in love with another person border lining on obsession and

A) the other person reciprocates
B) the other person shows no interest

What is the result? Well, in part A, the flames of love shoot out of everywhere and they become an incredible force, diluted within one another, acting as one. The other, the guy just feels an aching in his heart but moves on with only memories of what could have been ingrained in his mind for the rest of his lifetime.

THIS IS THE POWER OF PASSION!

Passion by two individuals doesn’t create a 1 + 1 = 2 equation, ask anybody who is deeply in love and they will probably say 1 + 1 = 3 (or more). What happened? Well, the synergy of the two individuals created a whole other level of being within each others minds. This is why I say passion breeds passion, the more of it you are able to create, the higher the final outcome becomes.

How does passion breeding passion differentiate from exponential learning?

Passion can be seen as a very high cliff while learning water. When you fall in love with something or somebody, you are essentially throwing reason behind and jumping deep into an abyss. Water on the other hand, is free flowing, it goes into every small space along its path, always open to new inputs and permutations. What happens when the two of these become one? Well, water + cliff = WATERFALL! Learning something you are not passionate about is extremely difficult while trying to become passionate for something without the ability to retain and learn is equally unforgiving. Do what you love and love what you do is what I often tell myself when deciding whether to do something or not. If there is no passion, it’s a waste of time and if I have nothing to learn, it’s double so.

Create many passions in your life

It you find yourself bored with your already way too short life, it means you don’t have enough passions in your life. I read a lot of news to get a pulse on how world developments come about and generally, it can be said that half of the world’s population is depressed or unhappy with their life. It’s no secret that second to Viagara, anti-depression medication is a top seller in the industrialized world. Medications though doesn’t solve the problem, it only creates dependence and the illusion of “solvitude”.

Passion takes time to develop

If you find one passion (other than your significant other), you are lucky, if you find several, you have a joyous life indeed! Maybe I am a freak for not having a television nor phone but I can tell you that these distractions make me incredibly more productive as well! Freedom from distraction allows me to be completely immersed in what I do and even luckier, I have several passions which I cycle through once the buzz starts to ware-off due to being mentally drained on said task.

Dreaming new realities

I have to admit, I enjoy dreaming so much that waking-up is always a chore as I can do anything, live anywhere and be free of any types of bonds while doing so and then, when I open my eyes, I realize that I do not live in such a world… YET! So, I wake-up very fast to work hard to turn the visions and experiences I see in my dreams into reality.

The Bottom Line

Passion breeds passion!

Feb
15
2009
0

Self-Help Book Publishing Update

My goal was the publish a self-help, motivational book and I started on it a little over a week ago.

Self-help book update

So far, I am just about done the first draft, about 90% of the 140 pages have content. This book is just flowing out of me as these are all ideas and concepts that have been in my mind for years… fermenting and just waiting to come-out!

I completed the imagery years ago and, as a result, this saved me a lot of time and actually provided me with the initial outline of my book which helps tremendously keep writers block away!

My goal now is to have the first draft completely done by the end of the month, going through the script with a spell and grammar checker won’t be much fun as I will lose a lot of formatting but a necessary evil never the less.

See how it all began at: Everything happens for a reason, time to publish another book!

First book now available

I am also happy to announce that my first book has now been published and is available on Amazon.com now :-) You can see it in the right hand margins WoodMarvels.com: Top Sellers

Written by Jon in: experiences, motivation, solutions, success, truth |

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