Adam Wik's Blog, page 15
May 21, 2012
The Four Zen States of Mind
As much as Caroline picks on me for being a Zen master and never getting stressed or concerned about anything, the fact is I am not one. Even so, that hasn't stopped me from finding ways to apply Zen principles to my everyday life.
I've always had a love for the martial arts and a side passion for philosophy, Eastern, Western and everywhere in-between. I've found that the parts of philosophy I really love are the parts that you can directly apply to life. Maybe that's just a reflection of me...
May 17, 2012
The $100 Startup – Equal Parts Motivation and Instruction
"There's no rehab program for being addicted to freedom. Once you've seen what it's like on the other side, good luck trying to follow someone else's rules ever again." - The $100 Startup
What if you spent your life doing the things you wanted to do, working only on projects that you want to, going where you want to go, and having a happy, meaningful existence?
For many people living life on their own terms is just a dream. A fantasy they don't even consider because it doesn't seem possible....
May 15, 2012
Lessons from the Master: Be Like Water
"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves." - Bruce Lee
Being like water is a fairly common goal within the world of martial arts, regardless of style. Students of everything from gong fu to karate to muay thai have sought to improve themselves by emulating its fluidity, force and formlessness. Not only martial artists can...
May 14, 2012
Honorbound Published on Kindle and Nook
One of my short stories has recently been published on the Kindle and Nook and is currently only 99 cents. We've got more in the works, but the publishing experience has taught me a lot. Some posts will be coming soon detailing the whole process and explaining how you can take advantage of it to get your own work published. In the meantime, here's a little excerpt from Honorbound
May 12, 2012
The $100 Startup
We were surprised today with a free copy of Chris Guillebeau's latest book, The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make A Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future. We'll be writing a review of the book within a few days, or as soon as we've finished reading it.
May 11, 2012
The Basics of Warming Up
Whether you're lifting, doing endurance work or a little bit of everything, warming up before an intense exercise session is extremely important. Just a very basic warm up can cut your risk of injury by more than half, and they generally only take a few extra moments to complete.
Most people tend to understand that, and try to incorporate some kind of warm up into their routine. The problem is, most people never learn how to properly warm up. I often see people doing way too much, doing warm...
May 7, 2012
When to Start Exercising
People are very, very good at coming up with excuses for avoiding things that they think are unpleasant. It's human nature. The problem is, frequently these unpleasant things they work so hard to avoid are things that are actually really good for you. Of all of these, exercise seems to be one of the most common.
The excuse that bothers me the most is the age excuse. The more common one is 'I'm too old to start exercising' although I do occasionally also hear 'I or my child is too young to sta...
May 2, 2012
The Pros & Cons of CrossFit
If you're involved in the fitness community even a little bit, chances are you've heard of CrossFit. Particularly with recent endorsements by Reebok and the popularization of the CrossFit Games, this fitness program is becoming more and more popular with both the fitness community and the mainstream public. If you haven't ever heard of it before, you can get the basics here.
The increasing popularity has also lead to some extreme opinions about the program, the mention of CrossFit in various...
April 30, 2012
Paleo: Beyond Your First 30 Days
So how did your 30 days of strict paleo go? Do you look, feel and perform better? Are you now thinking "Okay, what's next?" or "How can I make this a sustainable lifestyle?" Well then you're in luck.
Didn't try 30 days of strict paleo? Stop reading and read this post instead, and come back here in 30 days, ok? Ok.
April 15, 2012
3 Methods for Learning a New Language
Most people who set out to learn a new language have no idea where to start. Do they follow this program, or that program? Do they take courses, buy books, go with a computer program, a set of CDs? Maybe it's best to just do all of it.
I'm not going to say here which way I think is best (though I certainly have my opinions), but rather give some options for the wayward language learners who are adrift on their linguistic journey but have, as of yet, failed to develop any cohesive plan for how...
