Get used to being Uncomfortable

Comfort is just what it sounds like, comforting.

Comfort can be a great thing.

Having a comfortable bed. Eating some comfort food, I love mashed potatoes.

You know what though? Being comfortable is not at all that it's cracked up to be. Comfort is also really close to something I hate, being complacent.

Being complacent is when you are just fine with being where you are. It's fine to be at the same job, I don't love it but it will do. It's fine to do what everyone else does, because it's easy. It's great not to chase your dreams because that's really damn easy too. It's really comforting to sit on the couch. It's really comfortable not exercising. It's really comforting to be lazy and eat potatoes and become a glutton and just meander around aimlessly because that's comfortable, right?

NO THAT"S WRONG!

Comfort is a great thing, when it comes to a bed. It's not when it come to your life. You have to get out of your comfort zone if you want to do anything great. The comfort zone is the enemy. Learn to combat it at all costs.

If you are afraid of doing something, forget it. That's your comfort zone. If it seems to hard, forget it that's your comfort zone. Do it anyway and forget about being comfortable for a while.

Hard work, pays off.

Being uncomfortable every once in a while, pays off.

Taking calculated risks every now and then, pays off.

Being comfortable is comforting but not very useful unless you are trying to get a goods night rest.

Remember that, and go out and have an amazing week.

2010 Almost Here

2010.........Wow. That's right, it's almost 2010. It seems like the older I get the faster time goes. When you are 5 a year is 1/5 of your life. When you are 25 a year is 1/25 of your life. When you are a hundred a year is 1/100 of your life. Time flies while you're having fun. Better make the most of it.

Do it yourself brain surgery

Positive thinking really does work. You can change your own brain chemistry. It's quite remarkable. You can rewire your brain. You can get rid of your bad habits. Now there is scientific proof for those of you that needed it. Check it out!

Here are a couple of links that have more information.

http://www.ultimatehealthliving.com/mind-your-brain-do-it-yourself-brain-surgery/

http://www.normandoidge.com/normandoidge/MAIN.html

The Traveler Code - A Travelers Rule Book

Rule 1 - If someone you know is traveling to your city offer them a place to stay. Next time you are in their city, see if you can stay with your friend.

Rule 2 - If a fellow traveler invites you out for a beer, go with them.

Rule 3 - Trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling about a place or a person, trust it and get out of there.

Rule 4 - When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Rule 5 - You have to Pay to Play. Don't try to get out of paying a bill with a group of fellow travelers or get in an argument about a split bill.

Rule 6 - Just because you can barter, doesn't mean you should. Don't try to screw a local out of a couple extra bucks. It's not worth it and they make much less than you do.

Rule 7 - Always strike up conversations at hostels, at bungalows, on day trips. Talk to as many people as you can, sometimes you will be friends with these people for life. A shared experience creates a stronger relationship.

Rule 8 - Expect the unexpected. Everything that can go wrong, sometimes will go wrong. Learn to laugh it off, it will make a great story later.

Rule 9 - If you are traveling with a group or a friend don't get in petty arguments over Rule 8. If you do get in an argument, learn to get over it. Traveling is about experiencing new things and having fun, not stupid arguments.

Rule 10 - Keep traveling. Think of new destinations and go to them.

These aren't really rules, more like guidelines. There are always exceptions to rules, and some rules are meant to be broken.

Waves Crashing - On my head

Sometimes you are the hammer. Sometimes you are the nail. Sometimes you catch a wave. Sometimes it crashes on your head, you cut your thumb and curse at Poseidon while you bleed. Such is life, such is love, such and such.

Don't let it get you down. It happens to everyone. Learn to enjoy being thrashed around like you were in a washing machines. Why do you think you loose all those socks? They don't want to come back for more.

Thank you come again.

I had a dream last night...

I had a dream last night, I was in London. It was weird being there in my dream because It wasn't really anything like the real London. I guess I have traveling on the brain again.

Once you start traveling it's hard to stop thinking about it. Now it's in my subconscious too. I keep reliving old trips every night.

I hear if you travel somewhere in your dream, you will eventually go there in real life. For me so far this has held true.

Each night we travel to a different world. I guess that's one way to save on Plane Tickets, right?

Check out London Calling By the Clash

When Something Finds You

We spend lots of time searching for things, seeking them out. Every once in a while, something will find you.

That's how it was with Muay Thai. I was walking down 6th Ave in NYC and someone handed me a flyer. Normally I would just throw them away. Instead I went into the gym. Now it's a year later and I'm still doing it.

It makes me wonder about life sometimes, how crazy it is. How being in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time makes all the difference in the world. How making one decision, or a random chance change your entire life.

As Hunter Thompson would say "Buy the ticket, take the ride"

Life is certainly a ride, enjoy it.

The Montambo Incident - A travel story

I call this the Muntambo incident. The incident sometimes bubbles up to my conscious and out of subconscious. I am left with the question of where is Muntambo?

The event took place during the summer of 2004 on a train ride from Italy to Spain. The ride was horrible, there is no other word to describe it. Why on Earth would you take a 28 hour train ride from Italy to Spain when you can fly there in an hour for about the same cost? Well, that's called an improper seat of your pants amateur backpacker mistake. There was no reason why, that's the answer.

I don't think it was until I got on the train that I understood how long the ride was going to be. I believe I said something like this to my traveling companion.

Me: "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Nick: "28 hours, we are so screwed!"

We got into our compartment, it was actually a sleeper car. Normal cars have two bench like seats facing each other. They aren't the best for sleeping on but they will do in a pinch. In this compartment they actually converted into beds. Here was the strange thing, there were four beds.

At the ticket counter back in Italy we had to haggle and bard-er, hassle and beg to get the tickets, and we didn't even speak Italian. People wonder why the rest of the world has a bad impression of Americans. The tickets were not actually part of our Eu-rail pass so we had to pay for them. We were fortunate to get the very last two tickets on the night train.

It soon dawned on us that we were going to have some travel mates. Basically roll the dice. I prayed for beautiful women. If only we were so lucky.

God does not play dice, that's what Einstein said. I do. I like games of chance. Poker, black jack, dice, you name it. They make life more exciting. The stranger the better. I love a good wager.

I've played rock paper scissors and won over 100 dollars. I have also flipped a coins to see what life changing decision I would make: Stay at my Job or go to Australia, stay in Seattle or try out New York. Yes. I know what your saying, how can you change your life via a coin flip? Is this some stupid No Country for Old Men reference? No it's not, I've actually done this, and followed through on it.

In the case of the train ride though, I was not nearly as lucky as I would have hoped. Instead of two gorgeous and voluptuous European women we were instead sharing a cabin with a Moroccan, who looked like had a serious chip on his shoulder, and a Spaniard who looked like a dead ringer for Danny Trejo from the movie Desperado.

I was always wary of pickpockets, thieves, and other unmentionable characters. Europe is not a place for violent crime, just petty theft. It seems to me crime via pickpocketing is much more common than anything really scary. It's also annoying as hell.

Nick and I both claimed the top bunks. We decided without words it was probably good to get the top bunk and sleep with our backpacks, just in case. The lonely planet fills your heads with all kinds of scams, weird stories and things to watch out for. As a first time traveler it's a bit daunting. All the things that could possibly be a scam. For all I knew this was a fake train and I was heading into a Serbian jail.

My sleep was interrupted constantly. The train would shake back and forth violently. Also I was having all kinds of paranoid delusions. Thinking up things the lonely planet writers would never have imagined.

The morning approached slowly. The rocking back and forth of the train, almost sickening me in my sleep. Strange dreams of some far off sand dune, I would one day go to.

In my semi consciousness I could see the sunlight stream through the trains curtains. It was almost morning. We were almost in Spain. I could almost taste the sangria.

The door burst open. Confusion. Utter confusion. Shouting in a language that I have a very limited knowledge of.

"Donde Esta Montambo?! Donde Esta Montambo!" The transit cop was yelling at me. His gun was drawn and pointed right at me.

Talk about a wake up call. Sweat was pouring down his face, he seemed as nervous as I was. He kept yelling the same thing.

"Montambo! Donde Esta Montabmo?" he screamed. What was he saying.. wait, Where is Montambo?

I couldn't think, what I did, I did automatically. If I wasn't Montambo, and my friend wasn't Montambo. That can only leave a two people in the compartment who are possibly Montambo.

I pointed to the bunk below me at the Morracan with the chip on his shoulder. There sure enough, hiding under his covers like a child during a thunderstorm was Montambo.

The transit cop had his man. He pulled Montambo out of the sleeper car. As he was being pulled away, Montambo looked at me right in the eyes and glared.

You know how Bush said he looked into Putin's eyes and saw his soul. Well it was something like that kind of a moment for me with Muntambo.

I've never seen Montambo again. Yet, somewhere, in some country, Montambo is plotting his revenge. If you ever see me looking over my shoulder now you know why it's because I don't know where Montambo is...

Outrage - Not Very Useful

Have you ever been outraged? Have you ever had a how dare they moment? As in how dare they do this to ME? How could THEY be so inconsiderate? How could THEY cut me off in traffic?

Why is everyone doing things to screw ME over?

I was walking down the street yesterday to Muay Thai practice. It was a sunny beautiful day, birds were chirping. Perfection. And then.

HONK HONK HOOOONNNNKKKK

I saw a line of cars backed up because of road construction.

"I'm glad I'm not driving," I thought.

"##$((, Mother #(#(*#(*#(@))!!!!" yelled the driver of the car.

"Wow" I thought, pretty ridiculous right?

I could see the driver of this car, screaming at the top of her lungs. Swearing at the traffic, at the situation, at THEM. Look what THEY were trying to do to HER!

Then I thought about all the times I had been stuck in traffic, getting irritated at the situation, at the other people. ME. I needed to be somewhere that was IMPORTANT. MY appointment, was IMPORTANT to ME.

What pointlessness. What a stupid thought process.

Outrage. For no reason. At a situation that no one in is really even directing at YOU.

Next time you are in a situation where someone does something to YOU.

Remember Two Things:

1. Holding two opposing ideas in your head at the same time is a form of brilliance.
2. You are only a part of a bigger picture, not the center of the universe.

Instead of being outraged use your energy for something more productive.

Life is too short to be pissed off.

You Can Do Whatever You Want - Anything is possible

You can do whatever you want. Repeat. You can do whatever you want.

I think a lot of people forget that fact, that's why it's worth repeating.

The key part of that statement is want, you really have to want it. Otherwise you won't get it.

I can only show you the door on this one. Everything you have ever wanted to do is within your grasp. You can live your dreams, you can travel the world, you can quit your job, you can start a business, you can find an amazing girlfriend or boyfriend. You can break up with your existing one.

No one is holding the puppet strings, you are not forced to go to work everyday. You are not forced to live in the city you are living in.

You make the choice, you decide your own life, you are in control of your own destiny. Yes, you can do whatever you want.

"Okay, I get it" You say, "Why don't I have it yet then?"

Well, here is another secret. You have to work for it. Whatever you want you have to work for it.

You have this unique opportunity not to fit the mold but to break it. It's not going to be easy. Sometimes you will get scared but you can do it.

Just look at these guys!

Anything is possible. Now go out there and make it happen.

Special thanks to Billy for the awesome video!

Media Fast

Here is the challenge: Go on a media fast for a one week period.

No news papers, no CNN.com, no TV news networks. None of this for one week.

This is more difficult for some, less for others. It's really tough for me. I've got this bad habit whenever I'm online to check out CNN.com.

It wastes tons of time, and it's really frustrating because they never seem to report good news.

Give it a try. It's very refreshing.

In this information age, sometimes it's a good idea to limit your information diet.

Keep reading this blog though...

Zen to Begin

The act of doing something is more enjoyable than the completed task.

Being in the moment is important. If you are going to eat food, eat. If you are going to walk, walk. If you are going to paint, paint.

Multi tasking doesn't work. Go ahead and try it. Try writing an email, eating food, and talking on the phone. You will probably spill your food, the person on the phone won't be able to understand you, and your email will read horribly.

Give your full attention to what you're doing. Focus on one thing at a time. You will get more done, and you will enjoy it more.

The zone. You've heard of it. Get in the zone. That space where nothing is happening but the action itself. It's a powerful force where you're mind shuts up and you just do what your doing. There is no second guessing, no inner dialoge. Just the action you are taking.

The zone is where you enter timelessness. You don't even realize that time is passing, until you look at the clock and hours have gone by.

It's an encredibal thing. It's enjoyable. Find something that puts you in the zone. Not the Auto Zone... unless that is your zone.

Lightning Strikes and Thunderstorms

This morning I woke up from a dream to a bolt of lightning.

Weather can change in an instant. It can go from sunny to thunderstorms overnight.

Life can too. Remember that when times are good or bad. The only thing constant in this world is change.

Change can come as quick as a lightning bolt.

Problem or Opportuntiy - You Decide

There are problems in life. Everyone has them. It's how we view problems and deal with them defines who we are and what we will become.

Do you see a problem or do you see an opportunity?

It's all about perspective.

I've heard this from lots of different sources.

The Dalai Lama, Jim Collins, I also typed in "problem vs opportunity" and the same philosophy came up as the first result on Google.

I think they may be on to something.

Next time, don't think problem, think opportunity.

Brushing Off Critics and Naysayers

If you want to do something amazing or incredible, there is always going to be someone who is the voice of "reason" , or thinks they are, that will tell you not to do it. They will also tell you that you're crazy.

If you want to blaze a trail, go into uncharted territory, or do something that's never been done before, expect this reaction and learn to ignore it.

In most cases it's a naysayers own fear or envy of what you are doing that prompts this reaction. They are too scared or frightened or envious to do what you do. They could never even think of doing it, so you shouldn't do it either.

You should be like them, stick to the routine, continue the day to day routine. You should be a sheep. Follow the heard, bah bah. Well if that's for you, and you feel comfortable being a sheep that's great. I think you know what you really should do. Ignore the naysayers and continue with your plans.

A naysayer thinks there is a Boogey Man lurking everywhere, and all of their own inadequacies are transferred to you when they say:

1. "It's far to dangerous to do that."
2. "Are you crazy, there is <instert something scary> there"
3. "I've heard <insert random story from third party here>"

I'm not saying you should jump out of an airplane without a parachute. (You should jump out of an airplane with one, it's amazing.) Don't do something that you know is suicidal or that you are not comfortable with.

My advice is that if you plan on doing something amazing, and you've done your homework, don't let a naysayer get you down.

Muay Thai + Surfing = Living the Dream

As promised I paid a visit to the Muay Thai gym yesterday. It felt great hitting the heavy bag again. The gym is great! It looks like they have a good Ju Jitzu and boxing program in addition to the Muay Thai, as well as a full weight lifting area.

After being out of the gym for a while it was amazing to be back.

Today I'm going to surf Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I've never surfed it before so it's very exciting.

It's amazing, if you write down what you want, you get it eventually. I heard Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote down all his goals before he came to America and he accomplished every one of them. Here is a great sound board of Arnold Sound Bites, you can use it on telemarketers at you discretion. Usually makes for a great laugh or two.

When I was in New York, I saw that a friend of mine had written down 50 things to do before he died on his wall. I think that's a great idea. What would be on your list?

Motivation After a 3-Day Weekend

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Lao Tzu

It's time to kick off this 4 day week. That's right it's only a four day week. Let's make the most of it.

I advise you to take an action that will make this week a more memorable than the short three day weekend you just had.

Pick a dream, or a big goal that you've been thinking about but not making much traction on. Determine what the next step or first step is in the process and take it.

If you have been thinking about taking an amazing trip, to an exotic location. Look up ticket prices. You can use this site to do a month long ticket search for the cheapest price:

Ita Software

Even if you can't leave yet, order ticket for a year in advance. A year should be plenty of time to work the details for the trip out. It will also give you something amazing to work for.

If you have been thinking about finding a different job. Start looking on job sites or redesign your resume.

If you have been thinking about going back to school. Start looking at websites for different schools and see what the application process is.

It's not important what your big dream or goal is but what is important is taking the first baby step this week to get there.

Kick it into gear and get started. The first step is sometimes the hardest one but once you build the momentum it will be easier to take the second and third steps.

As for me, today I'm going to sign up for my Muay Thai gym. That's what I've been thinking about for months. Getting back into the gym. Today I'm going to take the first step, the easiest one. It's signing up.

Have your best 4 day week ever!

Labor Day

Labor Day, ride the wave.

Weekend Gone, ride the wave.

Tuesday Near, ride the wave.

If you haven't guessed, I surfed all weekend long. The waves were weak and the beach was crowded but that's never the point. It's really hard to have a bad time at the beach when the weather is nice.

I was thinking about how little vacation time we have in the United States. Only two weeks of vacation. Most developed countries get at least a month. It sure makes you appreciate a three day weekend though.

Happy Labor Day everybody!

Craigslist Job Vampires - They are at it again!

I did a post earlier this year where I mentioned Soul Sucking Job Posting Vampires on Craigslist. Over the past year the soul sucking company has changed their name.


Check out the website for: Dzurenda & Associates Inc



I know, super informative right? They give a ton of great information about the company............. Naaaaaght.


Well allow me to retort, I'll write the "about us" section for you.


At Dzurenda & Associates Inc, We:

• Hire anyone with a pulse.


• Make our employees, walk door to door selling phone plans.


• Pay commission only


• Take advantage of higher unemployment rates, and lots of desperate people.
  

Wow I don't know about you but this company sounds like a great investment? (Sarcasm)

I guess they didn't like being branded as soul sucking vampires from the 5th dimension, so they had to change the name from Upstream Biz Solutions.

Unfortunately for them I still know who they are.

Once again here is the original post. The links are broken now but you can see the new ones on this post.

Here is their new Yelp Review Page. Here is their new craigslist ad.

Anyone looking for a job in SF beware.

What's the worst job interview you have ever been on?

Library = Free Information - Use it

All the tomes of knowledge are at your finger tips.

We have access to more information now than at any other time in the course of history.

The best part is it's free.

Free information. That's amazing.

Why did real estate brokers make money by selling you a house? They had more information. It's the same with stock brokers, or almost any profession. You pay for an expert because they know more about the subject than you. You wouldn't want a Doctor that got his degree from a crackerjack box.

People will charge you for information.

At the library it's all free.

Knowledge is power.

Free power, to create, to live your dreams, to do great things.

I watched a documentary about Abraham Lincoln. They said as a child he would walk five miles in hopes of borrowing a neighbors book, in hopes of educating himself.

That's right just to borrow a single book.

Andrew Carnage donated money to build over 2,500 libraries in America.

That's what Room to Read is doing in third world countries where people don't have access to libraries or schools.

If you want to live your dreams, the knowledge is out there and it's free. Check out the Room to Read site < http://www.roomtoread.org/ > If you can, help give people the same opportunity you have for free information.

And check out a book on a subject you want to learn more about.

Become Unstoppable

This sign is really close to my apartment. I just noticed that it said "Stop, Hammer Time" and snapped this photo.

It got me thinking about being unstoppable. I saw a Brain Tracy video earlier this year where he discusses being unstoppable. If you've never heard of Brain Tracy, take a look at his books and videos. Especially if you are in Sales. He's got some great advice on how to get to where you want to be.

The idea is to build up enough momentum so that you are unstoppable. A lot of times some circumstance or another can just take the wind right out of our sails. If you want to get things done and achieve your goals, you have to be unstoppable.

There have been tons of studies that people who are the most successful aren't people with in-born ingrained natural talents. They were the people who were the most determined, who tried the hardest. They were the ones that realized the more times you fail the more likely your are to succeed over time.

If you are afraid of failing, I've got news for you. It's part of life, everyone fails at some time or another. It's okay to fail. I've done it a lot of times, but I don't consider myself a "failure".

You're only a "failure" if you give up and stop trying. Get it?

Be unstoppable.

If you know you want something.

Be unstoppable.

Don't let anything stop you. Keep going till you get there.

As my Muay Thai instructor would say, "Pain is just weakness leaving your body"

Damn, sounds harsh right?

It's not, be unstoppable!

Muay Thai - I miss you old friend

Training in Muay Thai was transformative for me. It got me excited about exercise again. I went from 207 pounds to 167 pounds. It helped me quit smoking. Muay Thai literally changed my life.

I recently took a trip to New York and met up with my instructor. I really miss the gym there, the group of people I trained with are an amazing bunch. My instructor has boundless energy and has the most passion for Muay Thai of anyone I've ever met.

I've been working out 5 to 6 times a week. Running about 4 miles and doing a lot of push ups, crunches, and other exercise. It's just not the same.

I talked to a guy in San Jose who runs a school down there. He told me:

" If you've been training for a while, once you start it's impossible to give it up. You'll start to feel like a caged tiger."

I'm excited that I'm going to start training again in the very near future. I've found a gym near my house.

As soon as I get my next paycheck. I'm signing up. Hopefully by Monday, I'll be hitting a heavy bag again.

Is there anything you used to do that made your life better?

Rowing Across the Pacific - Amazing!

Here is another amazing story about someone who decided to leave their 9 to 5 life behind to chase a dream.

It's so easy to be comfortable. To stay where you are. It's simple not to make the hard choices to change your life. It's easy to sit back and relax. It takes no energy to let life pass by and not reach for something greater.

Inertia is resistance to motion, action, or change. Bodies in motion tend to remain in motion and bodies at rest, tend to remain at rest.

Put your dream into motion.

What is the next step you have to take to put it in to motion? It's probably not as hard as you think.

FAT + PETA = WTF?

In the health news, I found this video very weird.


Who do you think won? Also who takes that much time to write a book called Fat? So What! If you have that much energy, why not put it into exercise?

Anyway aside from that bizarre video. I found an interesting read called 8 Weeks to Optimum Health.

Check it out at your local library or buy it on Amazon.

I'm also eagerly awaiting the new Tim Ferris book: A Guide to Becoming Super Human.

Have you read any good books on health lately? If not check those out.