Kimanzi Constable's Blog, page 73

Using Plan B

Just because you have to use plan B doesn't mean you failed at plan A!

I've been on the path to my ultimate dream job now for a few months and I have to say I was a little naive about my expectations. I was a little angry at myself for a little while when I realized that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought, I quickly got over it. It's ok to have big dreams and to shoot for the stars, that's what we should be doing.

Through some different circumstances with my day job I've come to realize that I don't have a plan B (totally freaked me out!)!! So that's what I want to talk to you about, I just want to ask you a few questions and hopefully give you a few helpful pointers:

Do you have a Plan B? I'm going to drop some serious, never before heard, ancient, amazing knowledge on you (not really), life doesn't always work out as we planned. What? Yep, there are going to be "bumps on the road" (http://talesofwork.com/blog/2011/09/bumps-on-the-road/) that's what the plan B is for. I know you're amazed by how wise I am right now, not! What's your plan B if your exit strategy doesn't work out? Here's a better question, what's your plan B if you lose your day job? WHAT? Remember, life's unexpected right? With the state of our economy there's no such thing as job security anymore, you could conceivable loose that day job at any time. So if you don't have a plan B for even your current job then you could be up a tree.
How realistic is your plan B? You may have come up with a back up plan five years ago, will it still be relevant today? I remember when I had a vacation relief business and I did really well with it, people started to take notice and plan. I would talk to other bread guys from bigger companies and they would tell me that if they lost their job they had a plan B to come and set up the same business as me, my  business was their back up plan. At the time I was highly irritated, thinking it was an attack on my business. As I matured I realized it was a joke, those guys wouldn't have been able to just show up and say "hire me", they would have had to put in work with a few guys first to build trust, it wouldn't have been an overnight thing. Your plan B has to be something that you can go to and start making money on right away, not just a theory.
How quickly will you start making money with your plan B? I got scared that I didn't have a plan B and I started thinking of a few options. The problem was none of these options would have yielded me money right away, and I'm not in a financial positions to sustain not having income for a while! I don't know what your plan B is but it better yield quick money!

So those are a few questions, I know there are many more that could be brought up but you get the point. Let's talk about a few practical tips:

Make a plan B,C, D I hope by now you see the wisdom in having something to fall back on, you just never know what's going to happen. So today (I'm deadly serious) start making a plan B and after you have a solid plan B, make a C and D.
Make sure the plan B is realistic don't be like those bread guys with false hope. Now I do believe that anything is possible but don't think your back up plan is that you're going to be the CEO of Apple, not realistic!
Make sure you can make some quick cash There are a lot of things that you can do to put some money in your pocket right away, they may not be the most glamorous things, but they'll pay. Can you cut grass? Can you shovel snow? Can you wash cars? Can you paint? Look these may not be your next career, but they will put money in your pocket right away until you can fix your plan A.

I hope you seriously will sit down and come up with something to fall back on, maybe this will help point you in the direction of where you want to go in your work life. It's just smart to have something to fall back to and it could keep you from ruin.

If for some reason you have to fall back on your plan B, don't view that as a failure, it could happen to anyone. If you are on the path to your dream job and you have to fall back onto your plan B, then view this as a lesson along the way.

When you get to your dreams, do us all a favor, GIVE BACK! I don't know what medium you want to use but write a blog, start a YouTube channel, just do something to get the word out about how you got to your goals, what struggles you had along the way and any advice you have for us. We would all greatly appreciate this knowledge!

How's your plan B looking? Let us know in the comments:

P.S. check out my e-book (above) to read all about my struggles, joys, tears on this path to my dreams, thanks!

 

10 Reasons Why You Should Buy "Moorish Renaissance"

"No knowledge of self means no spiritual health" Chaka Dillon El (http://www.facebook.com/#!/ChakaDillonEL)  (Moorish Renaissancehttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cdillonel )

What is Moorish Renaissance? Technically speaking, it's a music Cd that was written to address major issue's that are being faced with the "Moorish Muslims" today. However, this is more than that, it's a call to action for the American inter-city and to the African-American people. I dare say that's it's even more than that, it's a call to action to ALL people, calling us out on issue's that we would rather pretend don't exist in America today. This is technically a music cd but actually it's the beginning of a movement to wake people up to the fact that if we're going to change anything then it starts with us. This movement encourages us to stop talking about all the things we "want" to do and to shut up and start doing them! It talks about our children and their future and how we need to be the one shaping their lives, not anyone else ("save the child's mind, save the child's soul", from one of the songs)! What is "Moorish Renaissance? IT'S POWER, IT'S KNOWLEDGE, IT'S AN EDUCATION OF OUR HISTORY AND IT'S A WARNING OF OUR FUTURE IF WE DON'T WAKE UP AND START MAKING CHANGES IN OUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF OUR FAMILIES!

There are many reasons to buy a Cd like this but I want to hit on a few major reasons that show why spending a few bucks can help support a revolution:

It's completely positive: how many Cd's can you listen to nowadays without any swear words, negative implications? This Cd has no swear words, it doesn't imply anything you wouldn't want your kids to hear. How nice would it be to listen to a Cd in the car with your family and not have to worry about language?
The things that are talked about are relevant: how many Cd's do you listen to nowadays that talk about the big house they have, all the great cars, how some person broke their heart, how they party and drink? Not in this Cd, the topics are educational, they teach a valuable lesson about history, they teach good parenting, completely relevant to your life today.
It's well put together: this message is awesome but the actual music flows really well. All of it was done by Chaka Dillon El himself and it sound like it was produced by a major professional. I listened to it while I was working it and it literally helped me push harder!
It's very reasonable priced: you can get a physical CD for only $12 bucks, you can get a download for $10, I know you could probably go in your car and find it in your seat cushions! The Cd is on I tunes (for all you Apple people) or you can buy it here: (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cdillonel).
You would be supporting an entrepreneur: Chaka is a true visionary who is meant for more than a 9 to 5 job (not that there's anything wrong with that) he's meant to get his record company off the ground so we can finally get some positive music in the music industry today! Buying this Cd would help accomplish this.
You would be sending a message to the music industry and the media: what would happen if we all came together and bought this CD? Think about it, the music industry and the media would see what we like and pretty soon they would try to copy the success of this CD. What would the result be? We would have a wave if positive music, how awesome would that be?
You would be able to understand some things you might not understand: you watch the news and see different reports about the problems in the intercity but do you really understand? This Cd might not make you an expert but it will give you a REAL education about these issues' and help you see how (if you are willing) you can help.
You would join the movement: at the beginning part of this blog post I talked about the movement that this CD is starting (I don't think Chaka even realized it) by buying it and spreading the word we could jump-start this movement and take over!
It will change your perspective on a lot of issue's: this Cd may have been written for the "moors" but the messages go beyond that and I dare say they will change your mind completely on various things. Things like self-pride (in who you are and where you come from), a true history of America, parenting, your life purpose.
It's not like anything else you've EXPERIENCED: I can't say it's not like anything else you 'listened to" because this CD is not just music, it's an entire experience. I wanted to do a little research so I googled search "positive music" and I found some positive music. The thing that I found separates this Cd from others is that is not only positive, it has a way more powerful message. Listening to it will delight you, challenge you, anger you, encourage you and push you. All this for $10 bucks!

I think I've done enough talking, I want to let the music speak for itself. Right now take a couple of minutes and sample it here: (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cdillonel). I know Chaka personal and I've heard his music before, so I thought I knew what to expect, I was wrong. Hearing this has made me a believer and I want to do everything I can to spread the word.

So here's your marching orders and they're very simple: 1. Go buy the Cd, 2. Spread the word to everyone you know and 10 random people. This message needs to get out, we need a positive CD like this, we need to support efforts like this one.

As I mentioned, you can buy it on I tunes or you can buy it here: (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cdillonel) or you can also buy it here: (http://www.amazon.com/Moorish-Renaissance/dp/B005Q9Z2HG/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1). You can also buy it through an affiliate link on this website (look to the right).

Have you listened to the CD? What do you think? Let us know in the comments:

 

 

Pedalling, screaming, and the crazy guy!

I'm going to be honest and tell you a story that's pretty embarrassing to me but I hope it helps you out (don't laugh at me!). When I was about nineteen years old my car got repoed, yeah that's right I'm admitting it, I didn't pay the car note and they took it. The problem was I still had to get to work so what would I do? I had to bike to work everyday. Now understand I mean a bike with pedals that you use your feet to move, not some cool motorcycle, it was quite embarrassing everyday to pedal into our warehouse. It wasn't a far drive from my house to the warehouse but every morning felt like I was racing in the Tour De France, I would get to the warehouse and needed to take a nap!

One morning I was riding like I normally do at 2 am, I was pedalling up a steep hill when I heard some noise to the side of me. I looked over and saw some random dude screaming at me, so I did what I thought was smart, I took off with everything I had. I thought I would be good, I would get to the top of the hill and it would be all good, I was wrong. All of a sudden I hear the guy screaming louder because he was almost behind me, he was at a full run and yelling all kind of weird sounds and noises at me. I pedaled harder but I also started to scream to, I was pedalling and screaming and I think, crying a little. Eventually I got away and made it safe to the warehouse, I think a few minutes in the bathroom changing my shorts.

This was just one of my adventures as I had to ride my bike to work until I could save up enough money to buy a beater car.

So what's the point of telling you this story?

I told it to illustrate that sometimes things happen, either through you're doing or the doing of circumstance but you have to push on and do whatever it takes to survive.

I have a wife and three kids to support so I had no choice but to bike to work, and this is probably a little example in the grand scheme of things. There are some people going through things that would make us mad or sad,  just to support their family or just to survive.

If you think you have it rough or you think you just can't take it anymore, just remember and focus on the "why" of what you're doing. It may not be comforting but there's always someone who has it worse than you, but more than that, it's a part of growing up and being an adult.

Remember that if you're in an unbearable work situation, do what you have to do to survive but make sure you're formulating an exit strategy, you meant for bigger and better things.

What kind of crazy things have you had to go through at work? Let us know in the comments below:

(P.S. if you enjoyed this blog post, make sure you sign up for updates by email, you won't be disappointed!)

Are You Making Enough Money Being Self Employed?

"No matter what kind of self-employed business you do, you need to make at least $28 an hour for it to be worth your time." Kevin Viel

If you have worked in a traditional job for any amount of time when you go into business for yourself and receive that first check for your services, it's going to seem like you hit the lottery. I remember the first check I got when I went on my own and started a business, there's just a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment. Then week after week I would get great checks that got bigger and bigger as I did more work and it motivated me to push harder to  build my business. This is how it should be but there were a few things I really didn't think about and maybe you're starting out and might miss them as well. It would be nice if when you started a business you had a personal coach to guide you through some of the things that you just don't know, right?

Now I'm not trying to discourage anyone from going into business for themselves, I believe in it whole heartedly, I just want you to be prepared. Here are a few things to watch out for to make sure you're not wasting your time working for yourself:

How much will you pay in taxes? This has to be the number one thing you look at and consider to make sure you're making enough money! When you get those checks they look so huge because there are no taxes taken out, I know you know this. It needs to be brought up because something doesn't really click in our minds when it comes to paying taxes. When you work for a company they take taxes out and you don't think twice, when you work for yourself you know that you'll have to pay taxes but it just doesn't seem real. First and foremost, make sure you're paying your quarterlies!  For those that don't know what these are, you pay these estimates every three months so that at the end of the year you don't owe $100,000 in taxes (that was a slight exaggeration). As a practical matter if you don't pay your quarterlies, you'll pay what you owe plus a penalty. Then save up a little bit of extra money just in case you owe more, the logic behind this is simple and obvious, it's better to have too much then not enough. If you don't owe as much as you thought then you'll have some extra money for next year! I suggest that you set aside a certain amount of money every time you get paid for taxes, if you don't know how much try to google search it or talk to a tax professional.  This is the one thing that makes or breaks businesses, not paying your taxes can shut your business down and ruin your life, trust me!
How much are the expenses to operate the business? Will you need to purchase a vehicle for your business? How much will all the equipment cost to operate the business? How much will all your insurances be? Will you have to pay for your own health care? Once we get an idea and it seems like it will work, we should be willing to implement a step by step plan to start this business. However, before we get that ball rolling we have to research all the cost and expenses to operate this business. Does it make sense to go into business for yourself and break even after you just left a $90,000 a year job with benefits? In the past I had the opinion that it was better to work for yourself no matter what, just leave that job that you hate so much. I have since had my eyes opened a little more and see that it's better to use that job you hate (if it pays well) to fund your future business, you just might have to move at a slower pace. If you work at a minimum wage job and have the chance to break even after expenses, then that's a different story entirely!  If you have already started and are running a business and the expenses are eating you alive then it's time to re-evaluate and see what can be done to cut those expenses down or be honest as to whether or not this is your dream. If this is your dream business then please get on top of this now, if it's just a business, then cut your loses and get out before this turns into a nightmare.
Are you charging enough for your product or services? It's perfectly understandable that if your starting out to offer some sort of opening special, most of us have done that. However, once you see that your product or service is being well received then it's time to make sure you're getting what your worth. Don't know what your worth? Look at your competition, look at the time and effort you put in, how much should you be paid for that? One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started off in business was to not raise my rates sooner. I had charged a discounted price to draw in the customers, they liked my service and booked me enough to the point where I was able to quit my two other day jobs. At that point I should have raised my rates but I didn't and let some people talk me into keeping the prices the same (big, big mistake). It took a new friend of mine to come along and look at my prices and say: "for the work that you're doing and for what those guys make, you're getting ripped off", that talk with him really opened my eyes. I then went to my customers and asked if they were happy with the service and they all said yes. I then put out a memo stating that my prices would be increasing and why, they flipped out. They had gotten so use to the cheap prices they didn't want to pay an extra cent, in the end I lost business because of it. Here's the kicker though, because of the price increase, I made more money working less, with fewer customers. I would say that's a win, right? Maybe that's your problem right now, you're not charging enough and working too hard for too little. If you validate with your customers that they're happy with your service or product, then raise your rates, in the end this will weed out all the bottom feeders and give you a real solid customer base that will be loyal the whole time you're in business!

The American dream is to start your own business and be very succesful and live happily ever after, this can be done, you just have to be smart about it.

If you're in a business that's more headache then it's worth, it's ok to admit it didn't work out and move on. We have such a fear of failure in our society today that we're either too scared to start a business or to scared to get rid of a losing business. The whole point of business is to not take things personally and not get caught up in emotions, we have to think rationally.

Thomas Edison tried 1000 times before he got the light bulb to work, when interviewed he didn't view that as failing 1000 times, he said "I think of the light bulb as an invention that had 1000 steps." Maybe you have to go through "1000″ steps to make your dream business work (I hope not), but make sure that you can answer the above questions and that after reviewing them, you're making enough for the time and effort you're putting in. You're worth more than you think, make sure you're getting paid that amount!

Are you making enough money? Let us know in the comments below:

What I Learned About Marriage From A Single Guy and How It Applies To Our Work

I know that this is a work related blog so don't worry, I'll tie this post into our work (maybe) HA!

The one in the front is our friend Chaka, William is the one in the back who just got engaged

This past weekend my best friend got engaged to his girlfriend of two years (YEAH!), and it really got me thinking about him and their relationship and weirdly, work. He has asked me to be the best man, the reason it got me thinking so much is what my speech is going to be about, I thought about what I'm going say and that's what I'm going to tell you in this post. I'm impatient so I'm not going to be able to wait until June 15, 2013 when he gets married to keep all this inside, so you're going to get the brunt of it (HA).

I watched what my friend went through when him and his wife of six years went through a divorce and how rough the end part of that relationship was for him and their children. I watched how he was single for a while then started dating a few woman. Right from the beginning I saw how he started to handled things, he was very protective and particular about whom he let around his children, they just didn't meet the girlfriend of the week. He had to go through a bunch of bad apples (you know the one's that have worms inside) until he found his granny smith apple (that's my favorite kind, if you like a different apple then insert that apple name instead). Once he met her you could tell this wasn't any old girl, it was the one he had been looking for, his soul mate.

Being his best friend I got a "behind the scenes" look at his relationship, you're smart enough to understand what I'm talking about, right? I can sit here and honestly tell you that in their relationship was and is a what you see is what you get scenario, there wasn't any double talk, he was and is genuine and true.

 I have been blessed to be married to my beautiful wife (Tanya) for the last 12 years (13 years on December 4th of this year). Even with the lessons and experiences of the last 13 years I've been able to learn a few lessons from him and they 100% apply to our work, here they are:

100% Honesty (no matter what): Even with the "little things" that I thought were trivial, he was honest about them all the time (seeing this has been a real challenge to me at times!). With your work whether you're a business owner or an employee, 100% honesty will take you very far in your career, trust me. You may think that in a relationship or work that you can get away with a lie but the truth has a way of always coming out.
He always puts her first: During their relationship he has made his future bride a priority, putting her before his needs. When it comes to work if you put the customer first or others first, you'll build loyal customers for life for your business or the company you work for, and they'll be your biggest cheerleaders.
After 2 years he's still in that "puppy love" phase: You know how it goes, after you've been in a relationship for a while it seems like that initial rush can wear off, not with my friend, hearing him talk about her is like they just started dating. This is how we should feel about our work, this is what separates the good from the great. When you have that passion 2 years later people will take notice and want to do business with you. They'll see your passion and love and how you treat them and they'll be your best marketers for the rest of their life! 
He's committed to making it last forever: Just talking to my friend about his relationship you can tell that he will do whatever it takes to make this marriage last. He's head over heels in love, he has tremendous respect for his future bride and she is his best friend (I'm very jealous)! He knows a lot about relationships now (he's learned from the last one) and he understands what he has to do to make it work. If you're doing work that you love or are passionate about, then these same principles apply. You could establish a business that you pour everything into and it will build because no one will be better than you, and you can pass that business to the next generation.

One of the biggest keys was what he had to do: find that true love. This is also one of the biggest keys to work that will last and that we can love: you have to find work that you are passionate about and know deep down inside you that this is it.

Being married for so long I thought I should be the one giving him lessons, but I definitely learned a few from him, it works the same way with our work. You may have been at a company for 12 years or have been in business for 13 years but there are still lessons you can and should learn. No one has 100% "arrived, so this should always be a continuous learning process!

What lessons have you've learned from someone else? Let us know in the comments:

It Could Always Be Worse

Everyone at one point or another feels like they have the worst job in the world!

Is this how you feel about your job right now?

For the longest time I hated my job with a passion, I thought I'd rather work at any other job in the world. Sometimes you just get in a rut and it seems like everything that could go wrong at your job, does go wrong. The bad thing about it is that it keeps piling up week after week, all of the anger from these situations builds up and you get to the point where you just feel like there's no other option then to leave. This is exactly what happened to me and how I felt about 3 months ago, I can't say that at this point I love my job, but I can definitely tolerate it. If you are in the stage where you're thinking about quitting your job, my goal is to help you separate the difference between burnout and a legitimate time to leave. Now this is just my take on things, I don't have to live your life, so if you're really passionate about quitting, then this little blog post won't stop you. Here are a few things to consider:

How well does your job pay? In my book I talk about how money is not everything because it's not. However, if you have a job that pays extremely well, you should think about staying to use that good income to either fund your exit strategy or to get yourself in a financial situation that sets you up to comfortable move on to a job that you love. You don't want your dream to turn into a nightmare because you can't even pay for groceries!
Are there things at your job that you need? Maybe you have a family of six and they depend on you having this job because of your health insurance. Are you close to having a vested pension plan? I don't know what perks you have at your job but look at them and see how your life, and you families life would be affected without these benefits.
How's your work schedule and how does it fit in with the rest of your life? The job itself might suck right now and just make you furious every time you think about it, but do you have a nice schedule? Do you work great hours? Like I said, I hated my job, the thing is though that I work three days a week and still get paid full-time. I wanted to leave so badly, but where could I go that paid as good as this for this schedule? Now I'm not planning on staying here forever but I do plan on using this schedule to help me on my way out.
Are you providing a valuable service? You may hate your job with a passion but you may do a job that blesses and encourages others. Are you a garbage man or mailman? You may not like doing these jobs but there jobs that are needed and people are thankful for everyday.

These are just a few reasons why you might consider staying. Again, I'm not telling you to stay if the  job is not right for you, but why not use what you got until you can be gone! So if you think you might be over stressed and maybe you should stick it out a little longer, what should you do?

Every time you get frustrated, take a break and take a deep breath and relax! You would be surprised how well this works when you're frustrated, I know you've heard before, but trust me, just try it. Walk away, take a breath, and come back when you have a clearer head.
Talk to someone who will talk a little sense into you. Other eyes may see the situation a little better than you. They may be able to "talk you off the ledge", so you can continue on with your day.
Look at how other people have it worse than you. Every time I want to cry about what I think are "problems" that I have I'm confronted with someone who has it far worse. There are others out here right now that are going through an everyday nightmare, they are going through situations that make mine look like a dream. I have to be grateful for the job I'm at and I hope you are too.

I don't know your specific situation and I don't have to walk in your shoes, so if you got to go, that's on you. However, if you can use your situation to set you up for a better work situation, then by all means do it. In the end everyone has to figure it out for themselves, so how does this apply to you?

Are you in a situation where you need to leave or can you stick it out? Let us know in the comments below:

 

 

 

No Better Feeling

It's been easier and harder than I thought on this path to work that I love!

Have you ever thought something was going to turn out a certain way and it kinda was in between what you thought? That's where I find myself right now. I thought long and hard, I even prayed for the answer, and I got it. I discovered that the thing I love to do and the thing that I'm passionate about is writing, more specifically, writing about our work. So with that in mind I did the most naturally thing I could think of with writing, I wrote a book.

Book sales have gone well, at least that's what you would say. For me though, I want to wake up and see that I've sold 10,000 (I know it sounds greedy) copies. I have seen that it's going to be a little bit of a grind and I better learn some patience. You might be wondering so I'll tell you what you've been thinking, I have sold (up to the time of me writing this) 3,044 books, not bad I know. Like I said, it's gone a little slower than I've wanted just because I want to move on to writing full-time. I'm grateful (especially lately) to have a pretty good business. Don't get me wrong there are things that I don't like about it but I guess that's everywhere. I do know that what I'm doing now is not what I'm "called" to do, so I want to move to my true calling.

Let me stop rambling, the point I'm trying to make is that it might take longer then you think. However, you have to start and set up a step by step plan to move onto the work that's right for you. You have to make the first move, take the first step. You want to start off by doing research but at some point you need some action. Once you do take the first step it will be an awesome feeling but watch out. A lot of people get to that point and think they've done enough, but you have to press on.

Once you have completed what you were setting up, once you get hired at the company of your dreams, once you start making a profit from that business you started, there will be no better feeling! You may not be an overnight success but you're on the path to fulfilling your dreams! Here are a few tips once you get to this point:

Be patient- You have to remember that this is not a track meet, it's more like a marathon
Have perseverance- No matter how bad things look or what comes up, don't give up, push through it
Work on it everyday- a friend told me this one, but you have to work on it everyday even if it's for 10 minutes
Enjoy it- you've made it to a level that most people don't achieve, enjoy the success of your progress!

I hope you aren't using any excuses to not follow after your passion, we need you to do what you do. Once you get there and have started making a profit, trust me, there will be no better feeling.

 How are your dreams progressing? Let us know in the comments:

 

 

 

One Step at a Time

When we walk we put one foot in front of the other and we move forward, why don't we apply this system to other things in our life?

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about making changes in my life. There are many different ways and different opinions but the articles that I've found most helpful are the one's talking about gradual change. If you're like me you want to change something in your life immediately and do it going cold turkey, this usual ends in failure. You can do this and will probably succeed for a while but if you move to fast chances are you'll hit a snag and resort back to your old ways. That's where the idea of gradual change comes in, taking one step at a time. I'm trying this in my life and have been observing a few things:

When you change things slowly, the end result seems more attainable I want to lose 90 pounds, whenever I look at that number it seems like I have a better chance of becoming president. Do you have a goal in your life that seems like it's impossible? I've found that breaking it down to smaller amounts and taking it one workout at a time, makes it seem more realistic. I broke it down to 9 pounds a month, which means I can accomplish my goal in 10 months, not bad right?
Try and build some consistency so it will become a habit- the more you do something and the more consistently you do it, will eventually lead to a daily occurence in your life. We know how this works, let me give you an example from my life: one day I was tired so I decided to stop at a gas station and get a Mountain Dew. I felt the same way the next day so I got one again. You get the picture right? I would then stop for one everyday and more than that, I built it up to where I was getting two a day (now you see how I gained the weight). That also brings me to the next point:
Once you develop some good habits, build on them- the way my Mountain Dew habit escaladed is also the same way I can escalade good habits like working out. If you want to lose weight and you start to run everyday, you'll naturally build on that. If you start off running with half a mile, you'll build that a mile, you know how it goes. Do this with all the things in your life that you want to change for good. None of this can happen if we don't do the next point:
Take the first step today- I read an awesome blog post the other day, you can read it here: http://zenhabits.net/tired/. After reading it I decided it was time for the weight loss, so the next day I rediscovered my first love again, running. It felt like torture after not doing it for so long, but afterward I felt so good. Remember how I talked about building? The next day after the run I didn't get a Mountain Dew and haven't gotten one since. It will be a long, hard journey but the important thing is that I started it.

So how about you, will you take the first step? I know it looks hard, maybe even impossible to accomplish some of the goals in your life, but they're only impossible if you don't take that first step. What do you want to do? Want to lose some weight? Want to get a better job? Want to stop living paycheck to paycheck? You can do all these things and more but you have to take action.

Your call to action: So here we are, the place where the rubber meets the road. It's time for you to decide, will you keep going down the old path where everything stays the same or will you take the first step down a new path? The new path may seem scary but I promise you it will be worth it at the end!

The questions are simple: what do you want to change in your life? Will you take that first step? Let us know in the comments below:

 

 

Bill The Sports Guy

 You can be the best at what you're doing without being in the spotlight

William (aka Bill) not the guy I'm talking about, just one of my friends (lol)

Some time ago I got my wife an I Phone, in doing so she had to get a new phone number. After a few days of getting this new number something weird started to happen, she started getting calls and text from all over the sports world. The guy that had the phone number before her was named Bill and he did something in sports. Whenever any major sporting event would happen my wife's phone would blow up. "Bill, can you give us a quote on this?", "Bill can you give us your take on that?" Whoever this guy was, he was good at what he does. We of course were curious; a few times I was even tempted to answer the texts with my own opinion (that would have been dumb).

 One time Bill's lawyer called and talked to my wife and she found out his last name. We thought it would be some famous sportscaster that everyone knew, it wasn't.

He was just some guy that was good at what he does and he did it all behind the scenes. I've been thinking about Bill for a while now and especially when something in sports happens.

 I think we all can learn a lesson from Bill and how he does what he does:

Do what you're passionate about

Even if you're not going to make a lot of money or any money at all it shouldn't matter. If it's your passion you do it because of how you feel about it, not from what you get from it. Just like Bill, you'll be the best at what you do because of your passion for it. Your passion will push you passed everyone else and you can do it all behind the scenes like Bill.

Don't seek the fame or spotlight

If you're doing something only because you want to get noticed, it might work for a little while but not for long. If you do what you're doing behind the scenes and have the right motivation then everything else will naturally follow.

Do what you're doing even when it seems that no one cares

It might seem like no one is listening or even cares about what you're doing but push through anyways. remember you're doing what you do because you love it, no any other reasons.

Make sure what you're doing will better you and othersI

I guess I could have put this point sooner but I just took it for granted. If what you're doing is not positive and is not to help others then you can forget about it succeeding. We have enough negative in the world, people are looking for positive things!I learned a valuable lesson from Bill about being good at what I'm trying to do here and I hope some day one of you is writing a blog post about me.

Here's a couple of real life examples of some "Bill's":

 

 

How are you like Bill with what you do? You can let us know in the comments below:

 

What Will We Say About You?

"Remember those who think they're crazy enough to change the world do"

Many are mourning the loss of Steve Jobs right now, the man was a visionary. As I've read all the things that are being said about him, I gained even more respect for him. I have an I Phone, an I Pod, I use I Tunes everyday, so I have a deep respect and admiration for Steve Jobs. The thing that has hit me the most about his death is his legacy, there are lines of people who are testifying of the legacy that he left behind. His legacy will carry on well after I'm dead because of what he created will stand the test of time.

Here's the question: What will we say about you after your gone?What will they say about me?

When you think about that question, it's kinda of depressing. I know for me personally I have talked about all the things I want to do and am going to do but how many have I acted on? How many things have you acted on that you said you were going to do? If we want to have any kind of legacy we need to stop talking and start acting.

Take action now!

Talk is cheap, we have all heard it before, I know this because I've been there with everyone else saying it. We need to stop telling people what we're going to do and just do it. Take that first step, start that thing you've been wanting to do. We can't wait on you any longer, we need you to act now!!!

Don't listen to the naysayers!

There's always going to be some person in your ear telling you how you can't do it. Telling you lies like: "you need to be realistic, with this economy that will never work". I say to politely tell them to shut up, we have work to do. You have to go after your dreams no matter what anyone says, even those close to you!

Have people keep you accountable!

You need that one friend or family member that's going to irritate you with how many times they ask you about your progress. Everytime you see them, their asking you what's the latest and they tell you you're not doing enough, you will be upset and frustrated but believe it or not, you need this.

Do what you're passionate about

What's that one thing that gets you going, that you could just talk about all day. Is it work (like me), is it parenting, is it cancer? I don't know what your passion is or what you want to do in life but whatever it is, do it. You will be the best at it, you'll be the "expert" at the thing that is your passion!

Work on it everyday, don't give up!

It's not going to be easy building something, starting your movement but if you work on it day in and day out, you can do it. It might seem sometimes that you're talking to no one, say it anyway. It might seem like no on is interested in your project, build it anyways. Push through the doubt and fear in your mind and bring your legacy to life.

We all know that life is short, yet we don't live like it. We only have a limited amount of time to make our mark on the world and attempt greatness, why are we standing around?

So what's it going to be for you? Are you going to move forward or are you going to attempt to stay in the status quo? Let us know in the comments: