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Daily Ramblings…

Monthly Archives: December 2017

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk!

17 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Ted Talk

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Coaching, Mentoring, Ted Talk

Hello, readers!

I enjoy Ted Talks because they provide the voices of so many different people from all over the world. Honestly, I have to say that some of these talks just piss me off, but I listen anyway. I want to be exposed to as many different ideas and viewpoints as possible. In today’s very divided world, I find these talks to be inspiring, informative, and mind-expanding.

I recommend reading broadly. Read authors you disagree with, follow blogs that make you angry, dive into topics you are unaware of. You’ll be surprised at how your viewpoints will change over time.

This talk is about getting a coach for any endeavor into uncharted territory. An outside pair of eyes is always a great way to improve and keep yourself accountable. Self-management is tough, even for the most disciplined of us.

Enjoy the video with a cup of coffee or tea and have a great Sunday!!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Quotes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Achievement, Goal Setting, Setting your sights too high, Stretching, Winning

“Your goals should be just out of reach, but not out of site.” – Denis Waitley and Remi Witt

I think this is a novel idea and one that will definitely help you avoid the frustration caused by biting off more than you can chew. We’ve all done it right? We start out with a really cool goal that we are very motivated to complete only to find out that we lose steam or figure out we set our sights too high. Failing sucks right?

The suggestion here is to set a goal just out of reach. Let’s use reading for example. Assume you are pretty good at reading one book a month. That works out to 12 books a year. A reasonable goal would be to increase to 16 books a year because you would literally add one book to your reading schedule every 3 months. If we doubled our goal to 24 months it may be a bit too much. This is the difference between a stretch goal and one that is out of site. I’m not saying a person couldn’t stretch to 24 books a year, but it would definitely cause a pretty decent lifestyle change to double one’s reading capacity in one year.

Progression doesn’t have to be drastic. Like the example above, there’s no doubt a person couldn’t add 4 more books to their 12-book reading schedule in a year without causing too much stress. You would still read more than the year before but would meet this goal with some extra time spent in your library or den. This is what it means by stretching.

When setting goals, think small, incremental changes. These changes will build over time. They will continue to add value to your life, while not disrupting it.

One question you may have is how to set a goal for something you’ve never done before. This is a really good question and one you need to think about before setting your goal. The easiest way to get this answer is to seek out other people who have done the same thing. Find out from them what a realistic starting point would be. Then, set that goal and go for it. If you miss by a little bit, that’s ok. Adjust the goal downward or give it another go for the next 90 days. Whatever process you use is ok, as long as you can get to the finish line.

Start small, progress slowly, and celebrate your wins. This is truly the best way to set goals and achieve them and continue setting and achieving goals throughout your life. Simplicity is always the basis of truth. I’ve found this over and over again.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Diary

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Workout Routine

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Bodybuilding, Contingency planning, Exercise Routine, Full Body Exercise, healthy living, The 7-minute workout

Hey all!

I hope your Friday is going well!

Today was another home workout, due to the snow we are getting and my discomfort not with my driving but everyone else’s. Sound narcissistic? It probably is (LOL). That being said, when it is snowing hard, visibility is low, you are just asking for trouble when you hit the road.

All that being said, I have a workout routine I use at home in place of a weight bearing routine at the gym. This is my contingency plan when the weather is bad or some other issue occurs that disrupts my normal weight training schedule. You can make up your own workout routines or use an app like The 7 Minute Workout.

The 7-minute workout is nothing more than doing 12 exercises for 30 seconds each and taking a 10-second break. The routine starts with jumping jacks, then wall sits, push-ups, abdominal crunches, step-ups onto a chair, squats, triceps dips on a chair, planks, high knees running in place, lunges, push-ups, and rotations, and side planks. It’s a really tough workout and moves along really quick. It is awesome for an at-home replacement workout any day of the week.

You can find The 7-minute workout and many others in the iTunes App Store. I’ve used this one for a few years and it’s terrific. By the way, you can also create your own exercise routines for a nominal fee.

I hope each of you had a great Friday.

Here’s to your health!!

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Be Patient

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Quotes

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Asking Questions, Jean Racine, Patience, Receiving Answers

“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.” – Jean Racine

Have you ever had a question that no one could answer? You do some research, you go to close friends and family, and no one has an answer. At these moments, I just relax and go within. I just ask the question internally and then let it go.

What I find interesting about this technique is that the answers always come. It may take time, but they always come. I have had random people walk up to me and tell me something that applies to my question. I’m searching the Internet and I run across a phrase or a website with the answer. I’m driving down the road and see the answer on a billboard, hear it on a radio station, or any other number of sources.

It’s absolutely uncanny. But, it works. It has never failed me. The key to getting the answers to the questions we ask is to be openminded to the source that provides us the answer, regardless of the modality or location. The most important part of this process or technique is patience. Sometimes my answers come quickly. Other times it may be a few weeks or even a month.

Ask the question, be open to anyone and anything for your answer. Be patient. Your answer is coming.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Funny Quote

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Quotes

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Funny Quotes, Hemingway

“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.” – Ernest Hemingway

No comment necessary on this one. We’ve all been there.

Happy Thursday!!

See you tomorrow.

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Diary

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Workout Routine

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Adapting your routine, Bench dips, Bodyweight workout, Pushups, Safety

Michigan got hit with SNOW today. It is so nice to see this white stuff everywhere as we approach Christmas. In light of hazardous driving conditions, I did a bodyweight exercise routine today. Because today was a chest and Triceps day I focused on doing a variety of pushups (wide, close, and normal placement) and one of my favorite triceps exercises, bench dips. I just kept running through these things until my chest and arms were screaming.

I can’t stress the importance of personal safety. If you aren’t comfortable driving to the gym, adapt and improvise. Today and probably tomorrow will be too nasty out to risk a drive to the gym. So, I’ll be coming up with some interesting things to do to hit the body parts I need to.

See you later today folks!

Dave

Daily Rambling – Time with the Family

12 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Holidays

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Christmas, family, Friends, Good Food, Good times, New Year's Day

Today, I wanted to digress from a daily quote and talk about time with the family. I love the holiday season. It’s a time when employers offer very loose PTO schedules. It is also a time when most companies are slowing down a bit to begin preparing for the first quarter of the new year.

Today we went Christmas shopping and had a great time. We went to a few places and had some pizza for a snack mid-way through our many stops. I really enjoy the time I get with the family and hope you get some time with your families as well.

My sister and her boyfriend are swinging by on Christmas Eve and will stay through until the day after Christmas. I can’t wait! It will be a time of great food, a lot of laughing, and even playing some ancient board games that we all love.

I hope each of you has an opportunity to really enjoy your loved ones, share some gifts with one another, and eat some great food together. I’ll be offering some more things on this topic later in the month as we approach Christmas.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Diary

12 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Workout Routine

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Bodybuilding, healthy living, Leg day, Pre-Exhaustion

Today was leg day. I was supposed to hit this yesterday but had a dental appointment that stepped on things. The current program I am using follows what is called a “pre-exhaustion” technique. The routine starts with lying leg curls, leg extensions, leg presses, and ends with squats. See how this works?

You start with exercises single-joint exercises, then progress to a compound exercise (squat). It is a great technique if you haven’t tried it. You can do the same with a chest – triceps day, back – biceps day, even with a shoulder day.

I hope everyone had a great Tuesday!

See you tomorrow!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Multitasking is a No Go

11 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Quotes

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Dan Millman, David Allen, Getting Things Done, Mono-tasking, Multitasking, Time Chunking

Today’s quote:

“I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything…at least not at the same time.” – Dan Millman

I used to be a consummate multitasker. I’d be on the phone, while looking at my email, thinking about a project later that is coming due, and gandering at Facebook or a menu at a restaurant I was contemplating for lunch. Obviously, this is a horrific way to conduct business.

The book that got me thinking this way was Getting Things Done, by David Allen. In his book, he talks about categorizing tasks into contexts. These contexts could be phone calls, computer work, reading, writing, etc. By putting your to-dos in a context-driven format, you will be more focused on getting “like” things done. For example, if I have to call 40 people today, I focus on making those calls in one big chunk on my calendar. Time chunking is a great way to remain focused on one single group of to-dos.

As you move from one call to the next, you become more efficient as you go, because this is a collection of tasks that all require the same actions. Look at the number, type the number into your phone, dial the number, run through your agenda with the person your talking with, terminate the call, and document the call in your CRM software.

You can do this with anything you have to do. I chunk my time to do the writing for school, writing for my blog, writing for my book. I chunk my time into reading the various books I have on my reading list. I chunk the time for hitting the gym and exercising. I chunk the time for eating, meditation, etc.

I combine this chunking with a disciplined use of the Pomodoro technique to remain focused on the one thing my “time chunk” has me doing. If you can run your day this way, I promise you will see a huge jump in your productivity.

The lesson today: Do one thing at a time or group like things into a time chunk on your calendar. Use some means of timing yourself so you stay focused on that task(s) until your timer goes off and it’s time to take a break.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Diary

11 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by Dave Gardner in Workout Routine

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Dentis, Unplanned Day off, workout

Today, I had to take off. I had a dental appointment and the mouth is a little sore. Anyway, folks. I’ll be back in the gym tomorrow. The Dentist told me that the pain should subside in a few hours and bleeding will not be an issue after a few hours.

See you tomorrow!!

Dave

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