Personal Update and a Little Sarcastic Motivation

It's been a busy couple of days. I am still getting the schedule for the summer together and finding a strategy that will continue to work during the school year. My list of blog posts to write has grown over the past couple of days, and I have taken to writing them down in my iPad which I carry around with me at all times.

I haven't had time to fully write them yet. Yesterday we made a 4 hour round trip to celebrate my wive's nephew's birthday and today we took a trip to my mother's to visit with my grandparents who are in town. So I haven't been on top of my blogging or social media.

But, I still want to get a post in, and there are many other aspects of my life that are going well. For example, I was able to run for 50 minutes straight this morning. This is pretty specatacular because it is the first time I ran that long in over two years. I am feeling stronger, faster, better and more motivated.

Speaking of motivation, as I was brainstorming ideas for blog posts I remembered an episode of Weird Things podcast where they were talking about an article from the Onion that had been making the rounds of acedemia. I remember listening to the episode back in April on one of my runs (that were actually more walking than running at the time), and I immediately went home and looked up the article.

Here it is. It's the most motivational piece of writing I have read in a long time. It's spot on to how I felt about life at the time, and somewhat still explains why I am doing a lot of the activities I am doing right now.

I don't want my passions to take second stage to the motions of life. I want my passions to drive me. I want to look back on my life at the end, and have many more memories of "That was awesome!" than "I wish I would have...".

In a way, this silly Onion article put me on the path of doing the blog, purchasing web domains, and working on various other projects. Read the article, and if it motivates you take action. Learn, Try, Grow, Do.

See you tomorrow.
-P

Personal Update

I have a list of topics to write about, but I thought I'd save them for a later day. Today was the 'Hawks Stanley Cup Ralley and I've been on daddy duty all day. So Instead, it's time for another personal update.

I'm doing pretty well on my 21 days of happiness challenge. I've been journaling my gratitude and my 24 hour successes and reached out to friends I haven't talked to in a while. 

My 30 day of organization challenge has fallen apart, and I took two days catching up on reading while fighting the weather to get the outdoor chores done. I guess that would make it a partial fail. I am getting back on task with organizing. Tomorrow night I am going to tackle the book shelves and filing.

I've been keeping up with the Nerd Fitness challenge. My soda intake started to peak again, but I haven't had one since yesterday, and for the few days before yesterday I kept the amount of soda intake relatively low.

I have been running four days a week in preparation for the Spartan coming up. I do need to increase the body weight workouts. I am feeling stronger and faster... and unfortunately more tired and sore. I'm not as young as I used to be. Tomorrow is another long run. I am hoping to increase my run time to 50 minutes.

And that about wraps it up for today. See you all tomorrow.

-P

How to be successful? Be a big baby: 5 things to learn from infants.

Okay, I am not suggesting you beg and whine to get your way. Nobody likes that. What I am saying though is that there is a lot to learn from infants. I've been on daddy duty quite a bit for the past few days and here are something's that I observed from watching my daughter.

1. Don't be afraid to try something new everyday. Never stop learning.

The world is new to a baby. They are always looking for something new to touch, see, smell, and of course, taste. By not fearing novelty, you open up a whole world of growth and experiences. Don't be scared.

2. When you learn a skill that you like, do it over and over and over and over again until you master it.

My daughter is learning to stand and walk. She will pull her self up on everything and is using anything that slides on the floor as a walker. 

3. When you fail at the new skill, take it in stride. Laugh it off and try again.

As a new walker, my daughter is constantly falling. When she does fall, she looks around startled smiles to herself and gets up again. On the rare times her fall causes pain, you know what she does? She gets pissed, and stands up again tears and all. Life and skills should be the same way. When you start something new you are going to stink at it for a while. You are going to make mistakes. Don't let it  get you down. Laugh it off, or get angry, and try it again.

4. When the tears get to be too much; when you are crabby and snapping, and the mistakes keep coming; take a nap.

Lots of studies show, we need our rest. When you are no fun to be around, when you make mistake after mistake, take a break from it. Meditate. Relax. You might be lacking sleep. Take a nap. Get your Eric to eight hours. You might think you are productive by burning the midnight oil, but if you do it too often you ability to get things done suffers greatly.

5. You can't do everything yourself. Ask for help.

Babies can't crawl up high. They don't have the strength to twist off lids. They can't open doors. They need you to help them do things. You do too. No matter how good you are... no matter how much you've studied, or trained you cannot do everything. You will need help. And that's okay.

So it's okay to be a little bit like baby. See you tomorrow.

-P

Stuck in a rut? - Try changing your physical appearance.

In honor of my favorite hockey team,the Chicago Blackhawks (perhaps you heard of them?), I decided to jump on the bandwagon and not trim my beard or cut my hair for the duration of their time in the playoffs.

What that means is that I put off my annual ritual buzz cut for the summer. Until yesterday, that is, because my Hawks are now NHL champions! So, anyway, yesterday I shaved my beard and my head.

I shave my head every summer to institute a physical change in my appearance. The act of making a change in my apperance helps move me into summer mode.

In addition, when I shave my head, I look lighter and more athletic. The wind blowing through my hair makes me feel faster. Partially because of this physical change, I actually work out more and have more confidence.

So here's a suggestion. If you feel like you are in a rut or are not happy with your station in life, try making a physical change in your appearance. This change can alter your mood and increase your confidence, making your life change easier and longer lasting.

Want a different career? Try dressing and grooming yourself in the same way as someone with that career. Putting on glasses makes people feel smarter. Dressing up in ties and power suits makes people feel more confident.

This is the reason swimmers shave their heads. The physical drag reduction is minimal. Swimmer shaves because the swimmers "feel" faster, then believe they are faster, and finally they swim faster.

This is the reason job coaches tell their clients to dress up for even the most casual phone interviews. And they tell job hunters to always dress up as if they were going into the office even when performing their search.

Now, I am not saying you should spend money on plastic surgery or make drastic expensive changes. Even small changes can lead to large mental changes. If you want to make a life-change, try making a change in your appearence.

See you tomorrow.

-P

Things to do - Communicate Appointments With Your Family Using Google Calenders.

Yesterday, as part of my organization challenge, my wife and I created a shared calendar using Google Calendars.

It's a great communication tool. Hopefully this will help alleviate problems due to my absent-mindedness and our very busy schedules. Google Calendars is great because either one of us can edit the calender, and we can sync them from our smart phones or tablets. She can even create a honey-do list to keep me on task.

In order to create a shared google calendar, all parties must have a google account. I highly suggest you sign up for one. They're free now. Just go to www.google.com and click on the upper right hand corner. You can use a previously existing e-mail, but I prefer to create a brand new g-mail account. By creating an account, you will have access to not only the calendar, but also YouTube, G-mail, google drive, and many many more google applications.

 

In order to sync a calender, the first thing you need to do is sign into google and click on calendars. Once there, you can create a new calendar .

Name your calendar whatever you wish. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page. Once there, you can add people to your calender under the "Share with specific people" option. If you want the other parties to be able to add and edit event then I suggest you move to the drop down menu and give them the option to "Make changes and edit sharing". Just in case.

After that, just click on the time you have an appointment, and add follow the directions to add that event to the calender. You can even add non-date specific tasks. You and your family can now keep each other in the loop for all your important events. It makes forgetting anniversaries a thing of the past.

See you tomorrow. Build those cathedrals.

-P

10 Things I learned from playing table top RPGs

A lot of people have negative opinions about table-top role playing games (RPGs). But I think they are no worse than any other hobby. As long as they don't become an obession, they are a great way to spend an evening with your friends. I've played a lot of table top RPGs (Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire, Werewolf, Star Wars), and I believe these experiences have made me a better person. Here are the top 10 things I have learn from playing table-top RPGs:

1.) The journey is more fun with friends.

Life, business, and gaming are better in groups. Companionship builds confidence. In groups you have people to share your success with; you have people to play devil’s advocate against your silly ideas; you have people to make you laugh at your failures; you have people to get your back when you bad mouth the half-orc barbarian after one to many pints of ale in the local tavern.

 
2.) Your choice of companions can determine success or failure.

The best adventuring party consists of a group of people whose individual strengths compensate for each other’s weaknesses. A group of wizards are not going to be able to climb the parapet or hold the crashing gate while their friends escape. A group of barbarians aren’t going to be able to detect and disable the trapped exploding treasure chest. Find people who complement your weakness and strengths.

 
3.) Natural ability will only get you so far, everything else must be earned.

In all table top roleplaying games, you start off the quest as an exceptional individual in an exceptional world. Compared to the average peasant, your character is an amazing individual, capable of incredible feats of strength, cunning, or magic. However, compared to fellow adventures, kings, dragons, and enemies your character is nothing but a level one individual. It is only through working and gaining experience that your character gets stronger, faster, and better and is able to reap the rewards of adventure. Don’t take your natural talents for granted keep striving to get better. Eventually you’ll find a challenge that can’t be overcome by raw talent alone.

 
4.) The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

When raiding a level one goblin den you’ll be lucky to find a common steel sword and a few pieces of silver. However, by sneaking into the red dragon’s lair and defeating him, you’re going to land yourself a cart full of gold, magic weapons and armor, and a ton of experience. Be a wolf. Weight the consequences and gamble with the maximum you can afford to lose.

 
5.) You must have a plan….

You can’t just run into that den around the corner and hope to take out everything that’s in there. It’s best to have your rouge sneak in and find out that are four adult trolls: one is sleeping, two have their back to the wall arguing, and one is vigilantly watching for approaching danger. Then you can make a plan on what spells to use, where to send your paladin, and make sure to finish the job with a healthy dose of fire.

 
6.) … and when that fails, you must be able to improvise.

Like actions in life, actions in table top RPGs  never go exactly as planned. When you run into the den of trolls and find out they are only illusions attached to an advanced warning system set up by an evil band of warlocks and shamans, you’re going to need to execute a new plan on the fly. Take change in stride, work with your advantages, do the best you can, and never give up.

 
7.) Even the best will fail; even the weakest can turn the tide.

Every table top RPG that I have played has a chance outcome for even the best to botch their roll, and even the worst to be able to score a critical hit. I have played a character built specifically for dealing with explosives and demolitions fail his rolls every time he tried to throw a grenade. I have played a level one illusionist wizard who unexpectedly incapacitated the high level commander of an invading war party with a single stone. Like life, you have to roll with the punches. Sometimes even with all the planning in the world you are going to fail, sometimes you’re going to be bested by someone or something who is obviously inferior to you. That’s life.

 
8.) The seven deadly sins will catch up with you.

I’ve played games with other players who displayed one of these attributes as a character flaw. Usually this character becomes the first to succumb to the challenges of adventure (sometimes by his own party’s hands). Don’t let your negative attributes cause you and your party to fail.

 
9.) Every choice you make has consequences. Everything is a choice. The worst choice you can make is doing nothing.

We often don’t realize that everything in our lives is a choice. We make a choice to take action literally thousands, if not millions, of times a day. These choices become more apparent in a role playing game. Do I take a left or a right at the fork of the road? Do I trust the young thief child, or the rich noble man? Should I sneak past the sleeping dragon, or start a fight while I have the advantage? The worst possible decision is to do nothing. Stopping on the road will not further your quest. Not choosing between the thief and the nobleman will gain you two enemies rather than only one. Eventually that dragon is going to wake up.

 
10.) It’s not over until it’s over.

Even when my character was up against impossible odds, I never stopped trying something to overcome. Most times he made it through, if a little worse for the wear. The worst that happened… he died. It’s the same in life. Never stop fighting until you can’t fight.

Thanks for reading. Keep building those cathedrals.
 

-P

How to Get More Time: Don't Value Your Time as Much; In Fact Give it Away.

Check out this article from CNN: You have more time than you think

Feeling stressed for time? I turns out that even though, as a whole, Americans have more free time than ever, we paradoxically feel more pressed for time.

According to this article, if you want to feel less stressed about your time slipping away, don't apply a monetary value to the time you do have. In fact, use your free time to do good for and with others. Volunteer, cheer up a friend, or just have some face-to-face time. Turns out when you do, your perspective shifts, time slows down, and anxiety decreases.
Give it a try... for a time.

-P

Personal Update.

I spent the bulk of today beginning my challenge of organization. Today the Mrs. and I tackled the garage and backyard. This was quite the challenge, my extra deep "man cave" of a garage has turned into the dumping ground for too-big/too-small baby supplies, clothes, and toys, and has not been organized since the girl's birth 10+ months ago.
The yard looked like we scattered hay an inch deep out there. The rains here in Illinois have cause my grass to grow at an accelerated pace, and it has proved to be too much for my mulching mower. It takes a long time to rake up all the grass clippings in my yard. But we have made progress. The yard is looking much better and is pretty much done, and I have made progress on the garage. I'm hoping to have it cleared out by the July Fourth weekend for some gaming.

I have also started the 21 day challenge of happiness from yesterday, but prefer to keep that private.

Today is going to be just a catch up-keep up day.

-P
Day of organization 01/30 (Spend at least 2 hours organizing and cleaning).
Day of happiness 01/21

How to Be Succesful: Rewiring Your Brain to Be Happy in 5 Steps.

Yet another Life-Hack TED talk from Netflix. This one is Shawn Achor's talk about The Happy Secret to Better Work. Watch the video here:

Shawn's premise is this: You can't become happy by achieving success, but must instead be happy in order to achieve success. If you define happiness by your successes you will always push your definition of success one step higher, and therefor happiness will always be on the horizon. Instead, train yourself to become happy, and you will have an easier time at school, work and in your social life. This will lead to success.

This video hits hard for me. I've been know to be negative about the future, and Shawn is right if you base happiness on successes you will always be hunting for the next slightly bigger, slightly better success to hang your happiness on.

Shawn claims that you can rewire your brain by doing 5 things for at least 21 days. Here are those five things.

1. Write down three Gratitudes - Find three things that you are grateful for each day. Finding three new things each day will train your brain to find the positives in life. We often focus on the negatives; which lead to stress and disappointment.

2. Journal about good thing that happened to you in the past 24 hours. Once again, journaling will help you focus on the positive.

3. Exercise - Increases the efficiency of your circulatory and respiratory system which feed your brain all the nutrients and oxygen it needs. It also causes your brain to release positive feeling chemicals.

4. Meditate- In our go go go society it is important to train your brain to focus. Find a quiet space and do nothing for a short period of time. I have seen articles and talks suggest a minimum of 10 minutes. I will expand upon this in a future blog post.

5. Random Acts of Kindness - Each day write a letter or e-mail to someone in your social group praising them or letting them know how much they mean to you.

If you do this for at least 21 days Sahwn believes your brain will begin to adapt and feel happier, and a happy brain means increased motivation and activity. Give it a try.

PS: Even though my 30 days of creation challenge is done, I am going  to continue to blog once or twice a day for the duration of the summer. Tomorrow I will start two new challenges. Challenge one: 21 days of happiness (adapted from Mr. Achor's talk). Challenge two: 30 days of organization.

So, I will see you all tomorrow. Build those cathedrals.

-P

Five Deathbed Regrets... and why Gaming is Good.

I have been on a TED talk kick lately, as you can likely tell from previous blog posts. Currently I am working my way through the eight episode package about life hacking on Netflix.

 There is a talk by game designer Jane McGonigal who talks about why playing games will extend your life and the top five regrets that people have on their death bed. Here is the aticle Ms. McGonigal References: from the Guardian.

Here are the top five regrets people have on their death bed:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Be a wolf not a dog.

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. This one is especially poignant as a new father. I need to make sure I keep doing it for her, but I also need to do it with her.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. This is especially hard for me. I am a work in progress.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. I think I really need to work on getting that weekly (biweekly game night going).

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. Isn't that this whole point of the blog?

I was listening to Tim Pychylof iProcrastinate Podcast the other day, and he said something especially deep. He was asked about what he thinks about the concept of tomorrow in regards to people saying that they will "do it tomorrow." He responded, and I paraphrase, that always living in tomorrow is not the best idea. One of the only truths we have is that eventually, for all of us, there will come a day where there will be no tomorrow.

Let's not have regrets when that day comes.

-P

Day 29/30 Almost there!

Are You a Wolf or a Dog?

Yesterday's image of the ants and grasshopper reminded me of an old Aesop's Fable that went something like this:

A hungry wolf happened upon a well fed dog. The well fed dog asks the wolf to join him in his life of leisure. The wolf agrees at first. Upon closer inspection, the wolf notices the dog's fur has been worn down at the neck and inquires as to why? The dog explains the collar as to which all dogs must wear. The wolf leaves the dogs company deciding he'd rather starve than be a slave.
 

I realized upon reflection, that this fable does not only represent the liberty vs. slavery question, but it also represents the two ways of decision making.

You can live your life as a dog making all the easy decisions and playing everything safe. This will guarantee that you life a comfortable life, but in return you will be living the life that society deems is proper. You will not be able to follow your dreams and passion.

Or you can live your life as a wolf. You have the freedom to pursue your own dreams. Though the reward is great, the risk is equally high. You could find a feast or struggle with famine. You will need to hone your talents and constantly improve your skills and knowledge to minimize the risk and maximize the reward. The life of a wolf is much more difficult.

Neither existence is right nor wrong. It is up to you to decide. Are you a wolf or a dog? I know what I wish to be.

-P
Day 28/30 (Two more to go).

Steps to Becoming a Better Man (Part 2) - Does this help you reach your goals?

So, one question I have been asking myself a lot this summer is "Is this action bringing me closer to my goals?"

If not, I try not to do it. Now, I am not perfect and do give in to temptation, but I have forgone many non-goal tasks and replaced them with more productive actions.

For example, my PS3 has not been turned on in over a month. Sometimes I miss it, but I know I get obsessed with video games. I know if I start a game, I will have to keep playing over and over until I get that platinum trophy. So I don't. At first it was hard, but I kept busy. Now that I am seeing success (weight loss, more energy, and successful fundraising and race running) I realize that the pros much outweigh the cons. Those 20+ hours a week that I used to spend chasing virtual shinnies, have been replaced with accomplishment.

Does this mean I will never play a video game again? No. I do boot up Candy Crush and Temple Run when I have a down moment, and I have a feeling that Batman: Arkham Origins and Kingdom Hearts 1.5: HD remix will suck up a lot of time in the future. But I will be aware of how much time these actions are taking and will try my best to schedule them into my downtime rather than letting these actions interfere with my goals.

It helps to have your goals written down and to review them frequently. Start with baby steps. With each success you will want more success. You will find yourself craving positive action and forgoing neutral or negative time sucks.

See you all tomorrow. Build those cathedrals.

-P
Day 27/30

How to overcome anxiety a little at a time.

The next 30 day challenge will be an organization challenge. Since summer break is here, I decided to put some things in order, so I can hit the ground running.

It's amazing how much anxiety comes from having an overwhelming amount of material to look at. One place that I have a ton of material that stresses me out every time is... my e-mail inbox.

My goal today was to look at the two e-mail accounts that had the largest backlog of e-mails. One e-mail account had over 800 unread messages. The other account had all messages read, but had 1000+ e-mails to sort through.

I first organized the e-mail by sender. Any e-mail that came from a newsletter or advertisement, instantly went in the recycling folder. Any e-mail from a social contact over two weeks, I deleted. The only e-mails I saved were:
1.) E-mails planning an event. And I only saved the most recent e-mails of these.
2.) E-mails that were receipts for purchases less than 3 months went in a folder.
3.) E-mails that were notifications for joining a website, forum, or physical membership. (I only save one as a reminder) - all e-mails went into a single folder.
4.) E-mails that were responded too, but were waiting for a response.

After two and one half hours. I am now at inbox zero for these two accounts. Some of the side folders need to be reorganized, but this will be accomplished during the next 30 day challenge.

I can feel the weight lifted off my shoulders. Give it a try.

-P

Day 26/30

What's this about a Spartan Race?

So. With yesterday's success behind us, Just 3 Guys look forward to another race. The Warrior Dash was a fun 3.1 mile trot, but we want challenge. Next on the list, The Super Spartan: an 8-9 mile obstacle course run. This time too, if we can't complete an obstacle: Mandatory Burpees!

I've got about 5 weeks left to train for it. I've cleared my summer schedule with my wife, and will be waking up first thing in the morning four times a week to increase my mileage to around ten miles. I am still working on adding a body weight workout 3-4 times a week and will be adding a daily (less Sunday) burpee routine.

Hopefully a little adjustments to my diet and the near daily workouts will help me lean out for this race. If the training goes well I have two more obsticle races to run. This will bring my total up to four races! Lets see if I can find some 5 and 10 k's in there to come closer to my 2013 goal!

-See you all tomorrow.
P

Day 25/30

Warrior Dash Success Story.

Me on the left. Just Three Guys!

I did it! And I completed my goal of running the whole race. 3.1 miles of running through a hilly farm and forest. Over, under, and through obstacles.

Goals Completed: Ran the whole race!
Raised $1240 for St. Jude!
Competed as a team: "Just 3 Guys"

It feels great to complete these goals. It feels great to complete this race. Small successes will start snowballing to create major successes.

I am so motivated to compete at more of these races.

So here is the lesson learned from the Warrior Dash. Make acheievable goals. Make it a social event. Your motivation will never be higher.

Day 24/30 of creativity challenge.
See you all tomorrow!

-P

Competing Against Myself - "You Run Marathons"

Tomorrow I am going to run the Warrior Dash in honor of St. Jude's.

Here is another story about how I kept putting off this whole get your life together thing.

In 2007, I ran a marathon, and I signed up for another. About halfway through training for my second, I got an injury which prevented me from competing in it. After that, I stopped training. I don't know why.

In 2010, I signed up for the Warrior Dash because, hey, why not? It sounded fun and challenging and so I started training. Not really. I ran on and off for a couple of weeks. Then nothing.

When I arrived, it turned out my brother and his friend were also running the race. They showed up in full zombie viking attire (even won the costume contest that night). I didn't even take advantage of dressing up and having fun with it.

I just ran the race. I stayed right behind my brother's friend for the first third of the race. Then I overtook him after a mud pit incident. He was hot on my trail for the next third of the race. For the final third of the race, we swapped positions for about 5 minutes. I was giving it everything to keep up with him. I'm in running attire. He's in furs and carrying a giant cardboard hammer on a broom stick. Except for the costume, he... he looked fine. Finally, he looked at me, grinned and said, "C'mon PJ. You run marathons. I can't beat you." He then kicked it up a notch. I tried to keep up, but the lactic acid was burning and I couldn't keep pace. He finished about a minute ahead of me. "Wow. I can't believe I beat you!" He patted me on the back. "Sorry." I shrugged it off, but decided next year I would beat him.

The next year... I am ashamed to say I walked the race. The year after that, I didn't even go. This year, I started training too late. I let life get in my way. But momentum is on my side. For the next 12 months I am going to train to beat my old self. PJ runs marathons. I can too. I build catherdrals.

-P
Creativity Challenge 23/30 - Almost there.

How can I have the energy to do it?

I am feeling a little burnt out, to be honest. Creating content every day is more difficult that I thought. However, I have noticed that even though I am feeling a little down right now, my energy is a lot higher than it usually is. I can't believe I have made it 22 days into this challenge. That would be a C at this point. I usually give up after day 7 or so.

Here's why I think that my energy is doing well.

1. I have been sleeping 6-8 hours a night.
2. I have decreased the amount of fast food I was eating, and am weaning down to a drink or two of soda.
3. I have been working out 4-5 times a week.
4. I have found some success.

These four things are the same items that every self-help guru on the planet tells you will give you energy. And "a-durh" It works! There's a reason these people tell you these things, so you do them, it works, and you think they are miracle workers.

This is all it takes. Try the first 3, and the last one will come. It's a self sustaining cycle. Try it and let me know how it goes. For now I am going to rest. I have a rough couple of days coming up.

-P
Day 22/30 :0D

Steps to become a better man (Part 01) - Defining my personal brand

So last week, I started reading the book Personal Branding for Dummies. I'm not sure exactly why I picked it up off the shelf. Maybe because this summer I have a lot of dreams and plans to work on.

A lot of my plans involve social networks and building relationships online, but my online presence is divided up among the many e-mails acounts that I have had over the past 15 years. So I was thinking that this book would help me sell myself on the Internet.

However, I got more than I bargained for. I found there is a lot of reflecting to do. So... I will be working on creating a personal brand while I launch those projects that are itching to get out of me.

Over the next few weeks, expect to see more posts labeled Personal Branding as I explore this book and the resources it provides.

-P
Creativity Challenge Day 21/30 (At this point, I would earn myself a passing grade. C- and climbing!)

P.S. My science friends: If these personal branding posts start to get a little woo-woo new agey. I give you permission to knock me down a few pegs. Please call me out.

Things to Do - Worried About Your Mental Health? - Seek professional help and talk about it.

Why are we as a society worried about distressingly high numbers of suicides and bullying, but yet as are incredibly silent about the main cause? Mental Illness. These two examples can better explain my point.

First up is a beautiful webcomic from the wonderful Beatrice the Biologist website.

And then to drive the point home, this touchingly funny Ted Talk by Ruby Wax.

Why are we scared to talk about and get help for our mental status? Any ideas?

-P
Creativity Challenge Day 20/30 (66.6666667% complete)

Why am I blogging?

Why am I Writing a Blog?

There comes a time when you need to ask yourself why you are doing something. Is your life benefiting from the action or is it being harmed? If your life is benefiting, do it more. If it is being harmed, stop doing it and do something else.

Here are the reasons I am blogging:

1. To improve my writing. My biggest weaknesses are my writing skills, but I love doing it. I hope that by writing every day, I will learn to improve my writing skills and will find my voice.
2. To chronicle my search for happiness for my daughter. I wish I could know more about my parents. I hope she can get to know me in a much different light through my writing.
3. Because I have to create something. Seriously. Putting my words out in the public makes me feel.... good. I feel happier and less stressed by making posts. It's a weird catharsis.
4. To hold myself accountable. I hope by listing my goals to the dozens of you that read this, that I will be more likely to follow through on my challenges.
5. To find like minded people.
6. To help other people. By documenting my adventures, perhaps people can learn from my mistakes and successes.

I am almost 2/3 of the way done with this challenge! See you tomorrow. Keep up the chase.
-P
Creative Challenge: 19/30

Weighing future Outcomes? Reasons to Do Things That Suck- Life Hacking

Last week, as I was cheating and biting into a impulse-buy brownie, I thought to myself. "Self, this tastes so good now, but it will feel bad in a couple of hours. It's going to cause my stomach to be upset, my blood sugar to crash, and I will
feel cranky and tired soon." Then I ate it. Then I started thinking about how, unless I am at peak condition. "Man you really love the fact that you lifted or ran after the fact, but the whole time you are exercising you are complaining in your head how much it sucks." So here's what I did.

Becoming Better - Build a Cathedral

As I enter the dark jungle that is personal blogging and reflection in order to catch happiness, I am making sure I am prepared. I am reading, reading, reading. Currently I am reading Personal Branding for Dummies, and the author retold a parable that motivated me:

Many years ago a trio of masons were checked upon by their master. When asked what he was doing the first mason replied, "I am laying bricks." The second mason was asked the same question and replied, "I am making sure all the bricks are square and plumb." The third mason was spreading concrete onto the bricks. When asked by the master what he was doing, the third replied, "I am building a cathedral."

This story shows how a simple frame shift in your point of view can improve your self-esteem and self-worth. All three masons were building a cathedral. Only the third realized the true meaning of his work.

It reminds me of an interview question I was asked when applying for my current job. When asked what I taught, I realized that the interviewer was looking for something deeper than the content. I should have answered "students". Even though I was teaching students I didn't have the confidence to realize that my work was building something great.

Everyone should stop and think about why they are doing what they are doing. Really stop and think. There is probably a great outcome to your work and you don't even realize it. Once you do, it will empower you.

However, if you cannot find any cathedrals being built, perhaps it's time for a change?

See you all tomorrow. Keeping on chasing happiness.

-P
Challenge - 17/30

 

Join the Fit Nation - Fitocracy

Here's another way I hold myself accountable for workouts: Fitocracy.

In case you aren't familiar with what fitocracy is it's one part WoW, one part Facebook, and one part fitness logger.

I've been a member since beta and it has gone through as many changes as Facebook. Most for the better.

The site has probably one of the most supportive communities you'll find anywhere. All you have to do is post your first workout and you will have dozens of strangers giving you "props" (fitocracy's version of the "like" button) and people friending you left and right. I've never had a negative interaction with a member.

It's interface is very user friendly. Everything is where you intuitively think it should be.

The best part, for me, is the role playing aspect of it. Every time you log a workout, you earn experience points. Earn enough and you level up. It has challenges in the forms of quests that will give you bonus xp for completing them. The challenges are my favorite part, even though it seems like they haven't added one in a while.

If you have played any of the next gen consoles or an mmorpg, they also have badges you can earn by completing certain milestones. (Give X props, do X number of pull ups, swim X miles).

It even has a cute robot mascot.

Best of all, the site is nearly completely free! Both the android and apple apps are also currently free, and if I am not mistaken there aren't many adds on their site.

There is a paid version, called Fitocracy Hero, which unlocks the ability to add additional customisation to your profile, and gives you the ability to challenge other users. It's currently completly optional.

 I think it's a fun, supportive way to engage your workouts. And it's addictive, but healthier than video games.

Hope to see you there. Keep on catching happiness.
-P
Challenge 16/30

If you do decide to join, let me know. If you already are a member you can look me up there: PJRILSTU.

Believe in Your Students - Even the Bad Ones

I am a teacher. Part of building a better me also involves exploring ways to be a better educator. This following video shows something very important to me. I think I do my best to follow all the advice in this Ted Talk, but I know I can be better at it. If you aren't an educator, but manage people or want people to do their best for you, the advice given works the same way; just substitute students with people or employees.

First, students won't learn from you if they don't like you.
Second, they won't like you if you show that you don't like them (verbally or non verbally).

If you want to improve motivation and inspire students, believe in them. Show them you believe in them. Even when they fail; Believe in them. Sometimes you will be the only person that believes in them. Even if you don't like them; Believe in them. Did I mention...? Believe in them.

If you believe in them, they will work for you, they will learn. They will believe in you.

-P
Creative Challenge: 15/30 -50% of the way there!!!! WOOT WOOT

Joss Whedon is My Master Now - Commencement Edition

Joss Whedon gave a commencement speech over the weekend. You can see it here.

It's one of the most motivating speeches I've heard, and basically covers the reasons that I started really working on this blog. To sum it up:

• You are going to die.
• You can't change the world. It changes you.
• You will never be satisfied.
• You can make it better by listening to the voice that screams for change and accept that it will never shut up.

I really started posting on this blog because after the birth of my daughter, I was forced to deal with my mortality. I realized that while I am successful, I want more. I want to be happier. I want to listen to that voice that's never satisfied. I want to change.As all the kids are saying; #YOLO.  Join me as I chase my happiness.

Strong stuff. True stuff. What do you think?

- P
Creativity Challenge 14/30

 

I failed... and how that's awesome.

Special post.

I failed. Big time. And it's awesome. Here's why. Today I tried to work through a body weight workout in a book that I have: You Are You Own Gym by Mark Lauren. It's the same workout that I tried about a year and a half ago. I remember being sore from it, but I completed it with no problem last time.

Tonight was different. I barely made it half way through the workout. My muscles are so weak. I am so out of shape. I am discouraged, but you know what? I didn't let myself down. I'm not scared. I tried it and I failed.

So instead of harping on myself for letting myself get this out of shape, I am encouraged to try again. I am going to let my muscles heal. I bet I am going to be experiencing some DOMS (delayed onset muscle sorness) tomorrow or thurs. Some ice and some stretching should help.

Tomorrow I will run then work out some other muscles from a workout in this book. It's going to suck. But thats okay. Next week when I try this same workout, I will be slightly better. Maybe I won't physically notice an improvement, but I sure feel a mental improvement already.

-P

How to turn your life around - Plan Your Summer Break

Summer of Awesome Sweetness:

I am a teacher, so I get my summers off just like my students. I like working on projects during the summer. Sometimes I work longer and harder during the summer than at times during the school year. Usually, I just spin my wheels and picking up knowledge for knowledges sake. I realize now that it helps to have a plan. So here are the plans.

Goal One: Sign up for more races!

If I don’t, I will not meet my goal to run 10 races by the end of the year. Right now I have 2/10.
Suggestions for races in the Midwest are more than welcome. In order to do this I need to make sure that I keep up with training and working out. I am going to continue running four days a week, and add on resistance training tonight.
 
Goal Two: Challenge of Organization
Once I complete my Blogging challenge in two weeks, I will begin this challenge. What will I be doing? Going through all my hard drives and organizing the files. Organize and coordinate clothes, DVDs, CDs, books. Clean out the closets. Load up bags and bags to be taken to good will and the recycling center. Turn the garage and laundry rooms into studios.
 
Continue to Create:
This summer I am going to finish uploading my website. I am will post interesting blog posts and personal updates on my quest to be a better person. I am going to upload my science themed webcomic to the website, and help students worldwide through it. I am going to finish additional episodes of my webseries “Science Scenes” for students, teachers and educators everywhere.
 
Get in the Water: I need to scuba dive over the summer. It is on my 2013 bucket list.

Search out the next big things: In 2005, I wrote a thesis, In 2006 I started my first real career as a scientist. In 2007, I ran a marathon. In 2008, I went to Italy. In 2009, I went back to school and changed careers. In 2010 … well that was a year of change and preparation so it can be excused. In 2011, I got married and bought a house. In 2012, we had a baby. I want adventures. I want new things. Ramping this blog up is something, but I want more. I have some things in the works. Once school ends I will post more.

See you all tomorrow. Keep up the good work.

-P

Creative Challenge 13/30

Nerd Fitness: 6 week challenge

So, as I have posted before, I am a huge fan of what the Steve and friends have going on over at Nerdfitness.

Every six weeks they have a 6-week challenge. I have been meaning to join one for months, but just never got around to it. (You know what they say about good intentions.)

I'm going to crush this challenge!

Here are my goals:
Fitness:
1. Run 4 times a week - I am training for various mud run races this summer and love my long runs. I have just gotten back into it, and have made an arrangments with my wife to have days set aside for running.
2. Do a body weight work out at least 2 times a week - I have a workout planned, I just haven't started.

Diet:
1. No more than 20oz. of soda daily. (I am currently downing 1-2 liters a day!) Cutting down to 20 oz. will be a challenge, but I have done it in the past. Going cold turkey doesn't work for me. I need to cut back for a couple weeks. If I can do this for a couple of weeks, I will cut back even more; eventually weaning myself down to 0 oz.
2. No more junk food detours on the way to and from work.

Level Up my life:
1. Continue blogging on my blogspot account. http://catchityourself.blogspot.com/
(At least 3 times a week). I am currently running a 30 day challenge to blog once a day and am on day 12/30
2. Set up my science education website - I just registered the domain less than a week ago and am waiting for the domain to be transfered to my hosting company.

That's it for now.

Thanks for coming by!

-P Challenge 12/30

The "One Touch Rule" - Lifehacking

Happy Sunday. Back to the grind tomorrow.

I have been trying something lately, and it seems to be working. It is a habit in line with the "Do it Now" mantra.

It's called "The One Touch Rule". This rule applies to those tasks that are undertaken countless times during the week: email, snail mail, dishes, laundry, blog posts, etc. I can't take credit for coming up with this idea. I have read it in many self help books, I'm not sure who gets the props

If you don't know "The One Touch Rule", it goes like this.

1.  Before beginning a task: Decide if you have the time to complete the task properly.
2. If you have the time: Complete the task 100%.
3. If you do not have the time: Do not start the task until you have the time.

Completing tasks 100% might seem like  more time, but in reality you are saving time in the long run.

Example: You finish eating dinner. You scrape off your dish and put it in the sink. You leave the dish in the sink. You do something else. You return to the sink. You take the dish back out rinse it, and put it in the dishwasher.

Those are a lot of actions. Each time you change actions your brain wastes time deciding what to do next. In addition, leaving tasks unfinished puts stress on your mind and body. If you are anything like me, you run the risk of forgetting about the dish, and having to rinse the dish more thoroughly the second time around.

Instead, by following "The One Touch Rule" you scrape your dish, rinse it off, and place it in the dishwasher. You will not have the stress of an unfinished task, your brain will not waste as much time switching between tasks, and you've saved yourself a trip to and from the kitchen sink.

This might only save you a few seconds to a few minutes and you might be tempted to say, 'I'll get around to it later. It's not saving me that much time'. Remember though, you are following "The One Touch Rule" numerous times during the day. Added up, you can save yourself tens of minutes and mental stress you may not have known you had.

As an added bonus, each time you complete a task 100% your brain releases hormones that produce a pleasant effect; building your self esteem and motivation, and diminishing that nasty "I'm scared" excuse.

Keep up the awesome work. I'll see you tomorrow.

-P
Creativity Challenge: 11/30

2013 Goal Reached - and Sunday Rewards.

Great news on the awesome front! Back in February, I listed some of my goals for 2013. One of my goals was to raise $1000 for a charity. The charity I chose was St. Jude's Children's research hospital. This hospital holds a special place in my family because a cousin credits this organization with saving her life.

She was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor when she was a child. Because of St. Jude, her family was able to afford cutting edge treatments and travel expenses. This charity made a difference. Through their treatments, my cousin beat a 6 months-to-live diagnosis and has been in remission for nearly two decades!

With the help of my family and friends I have been able to raise $1220 for charity! I can scratch this off my 2013 list, but I'm not done yet. The race is not for another two weeks, so I still have time to destroy this goal even more!


Also, I have slipped in keeping score for my motivation game, but I did record enough experience points to be able to draw a card today. My win? A motivational quote. I almost have enough for another card next week. Only drawing once gives me more motivation to record my xp this week.

"You know the rule ... if you are falling - dive" - Joseph Campbell
 

Keep up the good work. See you again tomorrow.

-P
Creativity Challenge 10/30 (33%)