Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Persistence

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involuntary change, Paulo Coelho, Perseverance, Persistence, voluntary change, wisdom

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”―Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

If you’ve never read this book, I highly recommend it. I read through it in a few days and it is a wonderful story. Today’s Wisdom Wednesday is about persistence. As I work through developing the character trait of forgiveness, there is one thing that is important about adding this character trait to my toolbox–persistence.

Each change that is introduced into your life will be accepted or fought against. Those changes that come about voluntarily, like my pursuit of 12 new character traits over the next year, are easier to deal with because you volunteer. You are the one instituting change. If you institute a change in your life it is much easier to deal with because you can always abandon the change, whenever you wish.

The changes that arise in our life like a job loss, the loss of a loved one, or the loss of health, are all much more difficult to deal with because they arrived uninvited. They are also not going to go away because they are changes to the outside of you. You cannot control your employer. If they economy goes into the gutter your employer will be required to tighten their belt. This tightening sometimes requires the elimination of people who are typically the highest cost a business has. This change requires us to find a new employer.

Losing a loved one to disease, old-age, or in the case of romance, are also involuntary changes to your life. They hurt because people who leave us, particularly those that we love, leaves a hole in our lives. Having someone in your life 24-hours a day to not having them in your life causes upheaval. In some case, this upheaval is too great for a person to handle and they do all sorts of harmful things to compensate. Others will take stock of their situations, alter their lives to compensate for this person being out of their life, and get on with it.

Losing your health to an injury, old age, or a disease that is incurable are other types of changes that we must deal with. If we’ve been injured, we heal. We compensate for the injury or ailment and get on with our lives the best way we can. Involuntary changes are hard to work through because we have no choice. We have to adapt to the things that happen to us.

Change is inevitable. Throughout our lives we learn which things we habitually do that are beneficial and which ones are not. When we take charge of our lives and decide to get rid of certain habits or activities that are not in our benefit to continue, we voluntarily opt to make a change.

If you’ve thought about all of the necessary things that warrant a change, stick with them. You put a lot of work learning about the detrimental effects a habit has on you. Persist as you begin the process of learning a new habit, a new way of doing things. If you miss a day or two, don’t beat yourself up. Just pick up where you left off and continue to move forward. At some point you’ll feel a shift and you’ll know you’ve adopted this new thing. You’ll know because it will feel uncomfortable to not do that thing you’ve established as a habit. This is when you know you’ve internalized a new habit in your life. Persistence is the only thing that will get you to this point.

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday

Tags

Attitude, change, Chaos, Lack of Control, Perseverance

Image above (https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walter_elliot_190719?src=t_motivational)

I screw up all of the time. It is part of my nature. I used to get so frustrated about making mistakes that I literally stopped making any effort to accomplish things. I was so freaked about making mistakes I would never begin anything. This is the result of fearing failure.

After studying various folks like Edison, Ford, Franklin, Gates, Jobs, and many other greats, I discovered that everyone makes mistakes. It is part of the learning process. We have to make mistakes in order to learn how to do a new thing.

One of the things I have learned over time is that we are truly unique–each one of us. What may work for Joe over there will not work for Jane here. We all have to pay attention to what is going on and make adjustments to what we are doing.

I really enjoy the gym. I like to go and begin the workout. I like the feeling of walking out after my routine is completed. I like the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of self-discipline, the boost to my self-esteem.

This week I’m following my protocol–daily reading, daily writing, daily learning, daily exercise, and daily spiritual activities. This works for me but it may not work for you. You have to try things out–learn what works–then stick with what you learn. Be aware, however, that what works today may not work tomorrow. We all evolve as we go. Our interests change, our bodies change, our capabilities change. These changes dictate that we alter our pursuits to accommodate them.

Embrace the change. Embrace the things that disrupt your day. Embrace the things that are out of your control. All of these things will make you stronger–less susceptible to the things that occur outside of your ability to affect or control.

The metaphor of this is living in the “eye of the storm”. There are all kinds of chaos in the world. People are chaotic and unpredictable. The weather is chaotic and unpredictable. Anything you cannot control that is outside of you is chaotic and unpredictable. All of this chaos and unpredictability cannot upset you if you control the one thing you can control–your attitude and reaction to these things.

If you remain detached from these things they cannot affect you. Expect change. Expect loss. Expect the table to be overturned. Do your best despite these things and continue moving forward. Persist. If you keep moving, keep adjusting, keep accepting, you’ll achieve what you want to. You’ll get where you need to go. Just keep trying.

Here’s to a great week ahead!!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday

Tags

Consistency, failure, Mistakes, Perseverance, Persistence, Planning

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

I like quotes like these because they truly reflect reality. There is nothing that you will do in life that will not result in mistakes. Mistakes are what makes us human. If we fear to make mistakes we will never accomplish anything. Those of us that accomplish a lot also fail a lot. Those of us that accomplish a lot are not afraid of making mistakes.

The lesson: Make mistakes. Make many mistakes. Continue pushing forward and make more mistakes. If 10 mistakes result in achieving something—make them and achieve.

Take some time today and look at some of the goals you have set for yourself. Which ones have you put off? I bet there’s a little fear inside of you telling you that you are not good enough, you don’t have the right skills to do that, or you don’t know where to start.

Today, I challenge you to grab one of those goals and think about what your life looks like when you achieve it. Then, once you know where you want to be, put together a rough plan. Don’t do anything else, just put together a plan.

Tomorrow, look at that plan and flesh it out a bit. Get some specifics in place. Set a few milestones (deadlines) for those specific actions you have created for yourself.

On Friday take one of those initial actions and do it. On Saturday look at your plan and schedule execution on another one of your action steps to be finished next week. Try this out. You’ll find that once you’re moving on these action steps you’ll begin to feel better and better about achieving your goal.

One of my major goals is to lose weight. I’m down 28 pounds so far. When I started, I went through the same actions above. Has my weight loss been consistent? Has it been perfect? No, to both questions. I have had to continue to adjust, realize I made some mistakes, fix them, and get back on track.

When you are looking to lose weight, you must do one thing: create a calorie deficit. We analyze what we are currently eating by monitoring our food intake for a week. We don’t adjust yet. We just write down what we are eating every day. Then, once you’ve done this for the week, you know what you are currently eating (calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins). Then we adjust. I’m at 2300 calories per week, but do not hit that calorie goal every day. I lose about a pound a week. That’s all I want to lose. I’m not in a rush, I want to keep off whatever I take off.

My plan:

• Collect food intake
• Determine total calories consumed each week by macro (Carbs, Fats, Proteins)
• Then reduce the calories by 500 (3500 calories in 1 pound of body weight)
• Stick to the new calorie goals

Assumptions:

• This is not an exact science
• My body will react differently over time as it adapts to the diet
• I will need to adjust as I go, but the adjustments need to be gradual and consistent

You see how simple this is? You can do it too. You just need to take a little time to create a plan, break the plan out into actionable steps, and execute each step. You’ll get there—I promise.

If you are stuck and still don’t know what to do, feel free to reach out. I like helping people with achieving their goals. Simply reply in the comments and tell me how to contact you. I’m not looking to make money here, just help others to achieve what they want to achieve.

Making mistakes is part of being human. Make them. Fix them. Move forward.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday

Tags

Goals, Perseverance, problem-solving, Problems, Weight Loss

“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Schuller

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robert_h_schuller_107067?src=t_motivational

I’m still tracking my weight loss. Today’s weigh-in: 217lbs. One more pound. Steady and slow, but steady.

Today’s exercise routine was a Back and Bicep workout, coupled with 26 minutes of Cardio. I’m eating 5-6 meals a day but focusing on minimal carb intake (between 20 and 50 grams). I’ve discovered over the last year that I lose weight when I can keep the carbs low.

We are all unique. What works for me, may not work for you. What works for your brother or sister, may not work for you. It’s taken me a while to understand this concept, but it does apply to the types of foods you can eat and tolerate, the type of exercise your body responds to, the amount of sleep you need, and even the types of supplements that work or do not work.

I used to spend a lot of money on supplements. Now, I stick with just a pre- and -intra-workout powder. My body doesn’t like whey protein but loves meat. I can eat as much as I want and my body grinds through it. I recommend two different brands for pre-workouts that have proven to be effective—JYM Supplements and Kaged Muscle. I’m using Kaged Muscle’s pre- and intra-workout (named Prekaged and Inkaged appropriately). You can find these and other supplements on bodybuilding.com.

I’ll be candid with you. There are some days that I absolutely dread going to the gym. Today was one of those days. The caffeine and other ingredients in my pre-workout provide me with a nice boost and helps me get through days like today. Once I’m in the gym, I’m fine, but getting there is sometimes a challenge—this is when the pre-workouts really help me.

When we are pursuing goals, mistakes will be made, doubts will arise, and our motivation will be tested. These problems are all nudges to adjust our plans or reset milestones. When we pursue a goal, we are traveling over untraveled territory. Just like the settlers of the American West, we too will face challenges we are not prepared for. Like Schuller suggests, we adjust. We change gears. We pick a new route. We do not quit, we reformulate.

My road to weight loss will continue until I’ve gotten off the fat I want to get off. It will not stop. It will not cease. I will persevere.

Keep these things in mind as you pursue your goals of writing a book, creating a business, learning a new language or skill. You will run into problems—it is inevitable. Just remember: problems guide us, they identify something we didn’t think about when we first laid our plans. Keep going, keep adjusting, keep moving—you will get where you want to go—just don’t quit.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Biz Stone, habits, passion, Perseverance, Timing, Trying

Today’s Quote

“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.” – Biz Stone

I know every one of my readers has heard the statement: If it’s too good to be true; it isn’t. That’s what this quote tells me. Regardless of the field you pursue, there is one underlying truth–you won’t be great without putting in the hard work. There really is no substitute.

Another thing we need to do well with our pursuits is to have an underlying reason or passion for the pursuit. Perhaps you survived a disease and want to tell your story. Maybe you’ve seen the suffering of others and want to educate people so they can avoid the same fate. Whatever your reasoning, it must be something that wakes you up–really excites you.

I’m a really big Tim Ferris fan. The stuff he publishes is just so “common sense”. Why would you do something if you’re not interested in doing it?

Don’t get me wrong, there’s always that one thing we don’t like to do (clean the bathroom, do laundry, make the bed, etc.). What Tim is referring to is the stuff we really don’t have to do if we don’t want to. Why would you push yourself through a book that you just aren’t interested in? I used to do this a lot. I would start to read a book and for some reason, even after I’ve decided the story just isn’t there for me, I would continue to trudge through the book regardless because I wanted to finish what I started. No more.

This is just one small example of volunteering to be miserable. If the task you have to do isn’t super important or necessary, drop doing it, at least for today. Maybe tomorrow you’ll feel like doing it. Maybe not. Do the things you are passionate about.

On a side note, there will be things that you have to do that you may not like to do initially but grow on you over time. Exercise is one of them. Many people do not like exercising. They just don’t want to do it. This is one exception to the rule above–there will be things that are super important and necessary that you need to do. If you don’t like doing them, try to experiment with different ways you can do these things so you do like them. Maybe a small reward for yourself each time you hit the gym or do that task. Use your creativity.

Until tomorrow…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Achievement, Perseverance, Persistence, Quotes, Spryte Loriano, Success, Winning

Today’s Quote!

“Every great story on the planet happened when someone decided not to give up, but kept going no matter what.” – Spryte Loriano

Show me a story about success and the above quote will apply.

All of us face diversity, challenges, and sometimes even disaster. Those that win, keep going, and going, and going.

If you have a goal, keep going, regardless of how slow your pace. You will get there.

Just do not quit.

See you tomorrow!

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

Tags

Achievement, Dreaming, Goals, Harold Klemp, Perseverance, Planning, Sam Levenson, Stephen Hawking, Walter Elliot

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” – Stephen Hawking

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot

“If you can dream something, you can do it. As long as you do not align your actions with your dreams, you are not fulfilling your destiny.” – Harold Klemp – The Language of Soul

Today’s quotes are all about perseverance, curiosity, and following your dreams. I felt these would be good quotes to offer in front of the weekend when all of us have a little more time than the frantic weekdays.

This weekend, dream a little. Think about where you’d like to be. Think about where you’d like to go and do. Once you come up with these things—be, do, and go. Come up with a plan to achieve who you want to be, to do the things you want to do, and go the places you want to go. Once your plan is in place, keep going, using small little increments to get there. It’s just that simple.

Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll post some more quotes on Monday!

Until next time…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

Tags

Albert Schweitzer, Character, Helen Keller, Pele, Perseverance, Success

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pele

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller

Today’s theme is about success, started off by Albert Schweitzer. His suggestion is that success is only possible when you love what you are doing. This is true because if you love what you are doing, work will not be work to you, but play.

Pele concurs with Schweitzer but adds the hard work involved in being successful. These quotes support one another because the only ones that will persevere, learn, study, sacrifice and work hard are those that love what they are doing. It is impossible to be as successful at something if you do not love what you are doing.

Helen Keller rounds out our quotes today by addressing real wisdom. We never improve when things are easy–we only improve when things are tough–when we are being challenged–when we are down.

The people that impress me the most are those that are really going through it and still have a cheery disposition while refusing to quit. These people are the ones that grow, succeed, and push forward.

See you again tomorrow…